Heart's Embers

by SugarLoaf12

It's been fifteen months hasn't it? Living from day to day, moving from place to place. Looking for the next payday, the next target... the next fight. I thought living outside their war would be easier. But sometimes knowing... is all it takes to leave you wondering "What if" I think back to why I left and I know I made the right choice... Ozpin be damned.

43. The Fall

Hey guys! Took me a bit longer to get this one done than I'd planned, but this has been one hectic month! I am just glad I was able to get it out to you guys before October, even if only just. Hope you guys like it and I appreciate all the kind messages I've been getting from you. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

"Speech"

Thoughts

Overlapping Speech

---

Chapter Forty-Three: The Fall

Ironwood stood staring out at the massive storm before him, the city itself now sitting within the eye of the storm. His white gloves were now stained red, his hair was disheveled, no longer well kept. His skin was paler than usual, dark circles lined the underside of his eyes, and his eyes were glazed over, with no emotion clear in his gaze. His right hand remained steadfast on the grip of his pistol while the other trembled by his side. His vision was ever so slightly blurred as he tried to focus on the Grimm circling the city. He expected to feel anger, fear, or even despair at what he witnessed, but he only found himself feeling completely numb to it all... and he couldn't shake the overbearing feeling that everything he was doing was for nothing, that Salem would win in the end, like she did at Beacon.

"General, we're on our way back now" Jaune's voice broke through his stupor.

"Good. What's the status of Mantle's defenses?"

"Holding, but only just" Ren answered.

"Those Grimm are staying outside the walls of the city, but... they're not moving in anymore" Jaune added.

"It's weird" Nora chimed in.

"Very" Ren agreed.

He removed his Scroll from his pocket and placed it on the desk beside him, moving to sit in the chair "Just focus on getting back here as soon as you can. We need to prepare for the next wave of the assault" he ordered.

"We're on our way"

"I'm going to stay in Mantle for the moment, keep an eye on things in case the Grimm move against us" Penny explained.

"Are you sure, Penny?" Ironwood asked.

"I am, Sir. I can't leave these people unprotected"

He sighed "Understood, keep me posted"

"Yes, Sir"

Ironwood folded his hands in front of him, finally taking notice of the blood on his clothes. His thoughts moved back to Slade, back to the incident that had occurred only moments prior. The sight of Slade on his back, blood everywhere, the sound of Yang screaming at him as she attacked, the sound of his own weapon firing. He was broken from his thoughts when the pain of his metal hand closing around his left caused him to groan in pain. After a moment of silence, he sighed deeply, closing his eyes as his mind wandered back to the last conversation he had with Slade before he went down to Mantle only a few days prior.

Slade frowned at him "Another secret? Don't I have enough to keep for you?"

He gave a light chuckle "Perhaps, but this isn't an order as your superior... this is a personal request, as a friend"

Slade's gaze softened "Alright, then... what is it?"

"It's... me"

"You?" Slade asked surprised "And just what about you is so important the others can't know?"

"It's... my Semblance"

"Your Semblance?" he snorted "What, can you magically produce authority? Grow a perfect beard on command?"

Ironwood rolled his eyes, but couldn't help himself from laughing softly "No, nothing like that, Slade. It's... a bit more like Qrow's actually"

"Misfortune?" Slade inquired.

"Sometimes I feel like it, but no. It is outside of my control, and it activates without me doing anything. I don't know exactly what it is that triggers it. Stress, indecisiveness, fear? It could be any of them, or none of them. But when it does trigger, it makes things particularly... difficult to control. I guess you could say it is a form of hyper-focus"

"Hyper-focus?" he quirked his eyebrow at him "What exactly is your Semblance?"

Ironwood sighed "It strengthens my resolve, makes it easy to carry through decisions many people would find difficult to make. But it isn't always helpful. When it activates, my initial reaction to any given problem becomes the only reaction to the problem. Thoughts that any rational person might ignore become my focus"

"Like shooting Harris" Slade concluded.

"Exactly like that. Had you not used your Semblance to stop me, I would've been responsible for executing her in a public place. Therein lies the problem. It is difficult to control a battlefield when my Semblance can make me think the wrong decision is the only decision. I only ever realize what I've done after the fact"

Slade rubbed his chin thoughtfully "Your decision to withhold vital intel from Ozpin during the Vytal Festival?"

"My Semblance was only partially to blame. You see, Oz believed it lessened the psychological toll difficult decisions took on me. But it doesn't, it only makes it all come flooding back at once. He described it as clarity, but it's the opposite of clarity. It makes me incapable of listening to anyone, of accepting advice from even my most trusted friends and allies. My Semblance makes me look levelheaded even when I act irrationally, even when my actions are pure lunacy... even when they're not something I would normally consider"

"Which is only making you paranoid... considering what Salem has already accomplished in Vale, Mistral, and now Atlas, we're all already a little paranoid about who we can trust"

"Agreed. Thus making the situation all the more dire. If during the battle I make a decision that would harm Atlas, harm my people... I don't know what I would do when I regain control"

"Your Semblance is tied to your Aura, so would depleting it remove it's affects?" Slade asked.

"I can only assume so, like any other Semblance. However, there have been times when only solving the original problem restored my rationality. And Salem's immortality could pose a problem should my Semblance arise"

Slade nodded in understanding "Then how do we make sure it doesn't?"

"By making sure I am restrained and removed from the battlefield, either that or put on the frontlines" he took a deep breath before continuing "That is why I am going to be putting Winter in charge of coordinating our forces during Salem's assault. I can't trust myself to be objective, I can trust her"

"How many people know about your Semblance?" Slade asked curiously.

"Outside of this room? Only Oz ever knew, not even Qrow or the other headmasters know"

"Then why're you telling me?"

Ironwood sighed "Because your Semblance might be the only thing capable of restraining me should that be required. I don't want to hurt anyone I care about or jeopardize the safety of my kingdom and the whole of Remnant. Beyond that, you've shown me I can trust you, and you aren't afraid to fight me on a bad call. Winter won't do that, and Penny is too nice to do me harm"

"But you think I would?"

"I think you would do whatever is necessary to protect those you care about, to keep Salem from getting what she wants. And I think that is exactly the kind of person I need right now, if I can't even trust myself..." he paused for a moment, considering his next words carefully "Salem will exploit any weakness, Slade. We can't let her have the Relics"

"She'll never get her hands on them" Slade assured.

"I hope you're right. But if it comes down to it, if it is between me and the survival of Atlas, you need to choose Atlas, no matter what"

"And if losing Atlas becomes inevitable?"

"You think we can't win?"

"I think the possibility is very real"

Ironwood frowned, then nodded as he answered "Then I trust you will do whatever is necessary to keep the Relics from Salem's hands. But... if Atlas falls, Remnant may very well follow"

"Why pick me? Why not speak to Ruby or Qrow or Winter? Surely you trust them more than you trust me"

"I trust no one more than I trust Winter... but I told you already, I need someone who is willing to make the hard decisions if it comes down to it"

"And you think that's me?"

"You've already proven you're willing to do what is necessary to get the job done, Slade. As much as I trust Ruby and Qrow, neither of them are realists, they wouldn't be willing to make the call to leave people behind if it comes down to it"

"But you think I would? You think that I would abandon people?"

"I think you and I are alike, Slade. Neither of us would ever consider leaving someone behind, someone close to us or otherwise... but we also can't be responsible for losing everyone for one person. If it came down to it, Slade, can you really say you wouldn't sacrifice anyone if it meant protecting the others?"

"I... I wouldn't want to have to-"

"Neither do I. I hate to be the one to say this, Slade, but if Salem can't be killed, then this battle might be for nothing. The priority is ensuring she doesn't claim the Relics... that has to be the priority. You understand what I am saying right?"

"I do... if it comes between me and the Relics, I'll make sure I go down instead of them"

"And if it's one of the others instead? Ruby? Jaune?" he paused before adding "Yang?"

Slade's gaze hardened "I... would do what has to be done, Sir"

He nodded "I know... and I hate to be the one to be putting you into this position, but I can't ask Qrow or Winter for this. They can't leave their family members behind... or sacrifice them if necessary"

"They shouldn't have to"

"I wish they didn't, and perhaps things will go to plan. Perhaps we'll defeat Salem's army with what we have prepared... and perhaps not. In the event that we don't..." he gestured to Slade.

He sighed "I don't like having to fight a friend, General. I've already got Neo to deal with as it is, now you want me to be ready to sacrifice one of them-"

"If it means stopping Salem, yes. I don't have anyone else I can trust to do this, Slade. I'm asking as your friend, as your fellow Huntsman, do this for me... please..."

Slade crossed his arms over his chest "Okay... I give you my word, the Relics won't fall into Salem's hands so long as I still breath. I will help you keep your head during the battle should your Semblance become a problem. But I know it won't come to that"

Ironwood sighed with relief "Thank you..."

"General? General? General Ironwood!"

Ironwood opened his eyes, slowly looking up to meet the silver gaze looking back at him. Ruby stood before him with the rest of her friends behind her, waiting for him to tell them why he called them to his office. He had been so out of focus he hadn't even heard them enter. Weiss, Qrow, and Winter all stood off to the side, exhaustedly using the wall to prop themselves up. Blake and Oscar stood on either side of them, ready to help should they need it.

"Reporting for debrief, Sir" Winter saluted painfully.

He nodded back to her "I know Cole Larson was eliminated thanks to Jaune and his team, and with Cinder, Emerald, and that traitor Arthur Watts in custody... that leaves Salem with only a few others to move against us outside of the Grimm and Chimeran forces she commands"

"Yeah, we managed to get that Grimm gunk out of Tyrian before he escaped, assuming he didn't get taken down by Grimm, he'll be a problem again" Qrow explained.

"Sable Wolf went down with the airship outside Mantle too" Weiss added.

"And Slade was fighting Neo too before he attacked Cinder" Ruby pointed out.

"Mmm" Ironwood grumbled, his gaze becoming distant at the mention of Slade.

"She wasn't captured with the other prisoners, which means she escaped" Blake concluded.

"Or he let her go, he wasn't exactly keen on fighting her to begin with" Oscar offered.

"It doesn't matter. Either way, that still leaves the possibility of her returning to attack us again. You need to keep your guard up, Ruby" Ironwood explained, pointing to her with one hand.

The whole room was silent, all of them in shock at the blood soaked gloves covering his hands. Ruby stepped forward with a look of concern on her face "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Excuse me?" he asked surprised.

"General, your hands" Winter pointed out.

He looked down and realized the problem "No, Ruby, I am fine. It's... not my blood" he answered in a coarse tone.

"Then, who's blood is it?" Oscar asked.

He sighed, leaning back into his chair, resting his hands on its arms "While escorting the prisoners to their holding cells, Emerald attempted to escape. When I tried to stop her, she forced me to attack her" he closed his eyes "Only after I fired did I realize what she had done..."

"General, who's blood is that?" Blake asked more insistently.

He opened his eyes to look back at them "I... I... shot Slade" he forced out.

"You what?!" Qrow asked in shock.

"I didn't mean to hurt him, I didn't even know it was him until I... Emerald used her Semblance on me to make me think I was attacking her, not Slade"

"Did you kill him?" Weiss demanded.

Ironwood shook his head "No, he's receiving medical attention at the moment. With any luck, he'll recover quickly. I've recalled Jaune and his team to assist with his recovery"

"I assume Yang is with him then?" Winter inquired.

"Can't imagine she was pleased with what happened" Qrow deadpanned.

"She... was not" he cleared his throat "She attacked me, I was forced to restrain her. She is currently in a holding cell until she calms-"

"HOLDING CELL?!" Weiss bellowed.

"What the hell would make you do that?!" Blake asked incredulously.

"She was attacking me, I had-"

"She was clearly distraught! You just shot-"

"I KNOW!" he shouted back, making the group shrink back from him "She was acting irrationally. I am holding here there merely until I am certain she will not attack again. I am hoping once she's had time to calm down, I can try to explain things to her properly. Might be more productive with you there or Slade when he recovers" he explained.

The group shared looks of concern, which did not go unnoticed by Ironwood "General, is Yang... in trouble?" Ruby asked gingerly.

"She's not being charged with any crime. I can't very well say she attacked me without reason. I was the one who put Slade in this condition to begin with"

"If Emerald was behind what happened to you, then she'll understand. She was the one who made Yang look like she attacked Mercury unprovoked after all" Weiss explained.

"That's right, you can't blame yourself for this, General. Salem is the real one responsible for Slade's condition, not you"

Ironwood gave a slow tense nod "Regardless, that is not our biggest concern"

Qrow snorted "Then what is?"

Ironwood used his Scroll to bring up several camera feeds from around the city, all with bodies of soldiers and civilians alike. Off to the side was a map of the city with several districts filled in red. Some of the feeds showed perfectly ordinary people engaging with Atlas soldiers in the city streets. They all looked in horror and disgust at the images and recordings playing for them. Ironwood allowed them a moment to process before answering Qrow.

"Salem used Arthur to get inside our security systems, same as she did at Beacon. We may have stopped him and restored what systems we could, but we suffered many casualties of civilians and military personnel alike. We lost control of entire districts in minutes with no way of reporting incidents"

"How did Salem get all these people inside the city? I mean we know Watts used a portal in the academy, could she have done the same in the city?" Weiss asked.

"Someone was, perhaps multiple people. That's how the Grimm got inside... but most of the assailants were brought from Mantle during the evacuation. With the counter signal still offline, these attacks will continue if we evacuate the city now"

"If?" Ruby asked surprised.

Ironwood stared at the screen of his Scroll silently, the Black Queen chess piece flashing over a red background for the briefest of moments before vanishing. He rubbed his fingers over his eyelids "Salem has always been one step ahead of us. Even when we think we outmaneuver her, she always has something planned to counteract it. Like she knows exactly how we'll move"

"Because of Arthur" Winter replied "Without him, she's got nothing on us. She won't know what we plan next"

"But we can't know she didn't plan for this outcome, Winter" he brought his hands down onto the desk harshly as he got to his feet "Filtering her operatives in with the evacuees was always part of her plan, so we'd bring them right into Atlas. Mantle was just a distraction to draw the bulk of our forces away from the academy. Continuing the evacuation would only serve her, not us"

"We knew she used the chip on those people, but the Doctor's signal made it useless. If he can just get it back up, then we can-" Ruby started.

"We already tried to use the counter signal, Ruby. Salem already had a plan in place to bring it down before we even knew about the chip itself. We don't know what else she's planning to use against us" his breathing was becoming ragged "We need... a new plan"

"We're all ears, Sir" Blake replied, earning a snicker from Ruby "You know what I mean"

Ironwood sighed, ignoring the brief moment of levity "We can't account for what Salem has done to compromise our security here in the city. Between Arthur, Willow, and Harris, she had three high ranking officials working for her. She could have anyone working for her here. Outside of this room, it'll be impossible to fully trust anyone, which leaves us with only one option..."

"Sir?" Weiss asked concerned.

He was silent for a moment, his emotionless gaze staring back at them "I've ordered all military forces to return to Atlas and to halt the evacuation"

"You what?" Qrow asked incredulously.

"We can't be certain those remaining in Mantle haven't already been compromised. There's no telling how many Salem could have working for her. We can't afford to waste time trying to save everyone if it leaves us incapable of protecting anyone"

"If those Grimm attack again, those people will be defenseless down there! We can't just abandon them!" Blake argued.

"It's an unfortunate but necessary step to securing the Relics. That said, I don't intend to allow Salem to make her next move first" he moved out from around the desk "Winter will open the vault and we'll use the final question of the Lamp to tell us exactly what we need to do to stop Salem's attack. Then we'll use the Staff to create a barrier or a weapon capable of keeping Salem from destroying Atlas"

If he uses the Staff to create anything, Atlas will fall onto Mantle. Everyone will be killed! Ozpin warned Oscar.

"Well, it's not the worst plan I've ever heard" Qrow frowned "But if we use the Lamp, we can still save the people down in Mantle without putting ourselves at risk"

"Not if the Lamp says otherwise. I won't sacrifice the entire kingdom for the people down there" Ironwood replied.

"We can't just abandon them!" Ruby protested.

"Cutting off the infected limb before it can spread to the heart is an unfortunate, but sometimes necessary step to saving a life. We cannot save Mantle at the cost of the entire kingdom. All we can do now is hope-"

"It won't work" Oscar interjected. Ironwood narrowed his eyes at him.

"Why not?" Ruby asked.

"If we use the Staff to create anything, Atlas will fall onto Mantle. Both cities will be destroyed, no one would survive" he explained.

"How do you know?" Blake asked.

"I... uh, well..." he fidgeted nervously.

"Because Ozpin told him" Ironwood growled out, anger rising in his voice as he spoke "How long has he been back? How long have you been keeping it from us?" he demanded.

Oh, boy...

"I... he wasn't, I mean, I didn't! He only came back when the fighting started down in Mantle" he protested.

"Well then, why not let him out and explain himself? Or are you going to expect us to take your word for it?" Ironwood pressed, his hands making new indentations in the side of the desk.

"I... I..."

It's okay, Oscar. I can take it from here... I need to do this

Oscar sighed "Alright then"

His eyes shimmered as Ozpin took control, his posture becoming stiffer than before, The Long Memory now being used as a cane as he gauged the others reactions. Ruby and Winter seemed relieved to see him again while Weiss and Blake looked curiously at him and Qrow and Ironwood glared from their places angrily. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then exhaled as he opened them to look at the others.

"Well, I don't suppose apologizing is going to do much for me here" he remarked with humor in his tone "All the same, I owe you far more than a simple apology. I should never have kept the truth from all of you, I should not have run away the day you discovered it, and I should've returned far sooner... but I was a coward. And for that, I am truly sorry"

Despite his words, neither Qrow, nor Ironwood's expressions changed "Oscar said the plan wouldn't work. Why?" Ruby asked.

"As he told you, Atlas would fall the moment the Staff is used to create anything. As for abandoning Mantle, I do not believe isolating those people will benefit us in the short term or long term"

"Then you have a plan?" Blake asked hopefully.

"We need to assess the strength of Salem's forces. She isn't the type to put all her cards on the table in the first hand" he explained.

"Then we use the staff to create an unbreakable barrier around Atlas. Even if we fall, the city will remain intact" Ironwood replied.

"What about making a barrier around both cities? Then we'd all be protected, right?" Ruby suggested.

"No, Atlas would just fall onto Mantle anyway within the barrier" Weiss answered.

"Aw, nuts. I didn't think about that"

"Either way, Atlas would fall onto Mantle. The Staff is very specific, James. If you create a barrier with it around the city, it would only be capable of protecting it from outside forces. Gravity would still bring us crashing down into Mantle and destroy both cities, barrier or no" Ozpin explained.

"You'd be dooming us all" Qrow

"What about a barrier around the floating island? Then the whole place would be protected when it fell, leaving us safe inside, right?" Winter offered.

"Any barrier capable of protecting the island from being destroyed would have to destroy the earth it collided with. We'd just burrow through Remnant until we hit water, the pressure beneath the sea would crush us in an instant. Using the Staff is out of the question, unless you intend to leave Atlas behind" Ozpin answered.

"And why should we believe anything you say? You expect us to trust you after everything you kept from us?" Ironwood asked harshly.

Ozpin sighed "I broke your trust, I know. I am hoping to remedy that, I know we can still solve this, stop Salem from destroying Atlas and save Mantle. I believe we can if we work together. All I am asking for is a chance to prove you can trust me again"

He tightened his grip on his holstered weapon "Well, maybe we could have before you lied to us about Salem, before you lied to us about everything. Salem is on our doorstep, Oz, Mantle and Atlas were nearly destroyed in the last attack, the kingdom is in ruins. We are in no shape to keep fighting this battle anymore"

"James..." Ozpin sighed "Using the Lamp is one thing, but anything we do with the Staff would only ensure we fail to stop Salem, to guarantee she wins. If you remain focus on Atlas-"

"We can't allow Salem to get the Relics. We don't have a choice! And I am tired of being stabbed in the back by people I trust. So, no. We will not be following your orders, Oz. Not today"

Ruby stepped forward "General, I understand not wanting to trust him. But I don't think he's lying about the Staff, we can't afford to risk destroying both cities just to try and stop Salem. If we're wrong about this, we'll just be handing the Relics right to her" she argued.

"We can't abandon Mantle" Weiss agreed.

"If we do, we'll be no better than Salem" Blake added.

Ironwood's gaze glazed over, his hardened glare moving to look at Ruby. She took an instinctive step back, upon noticing her reaction, his expression softened. He close his eyes, took a deep breath, and sighed, eyes returning to normal. He spoke gently so as not to raise tensions.

"I understand why you want to stand your ground on this, really, I do. But sometimes, saving who we can, doesn't mean everyone"

"But we're not saving who we can, we're saving our own necks and leaving them to die" Qrow argued "Come on, James. You've never been one to cut and run when things get tough. Abandoning our own has never been something you'd even consider, let alone do! What's wrong with you?"

"None of us are in any condition to continue this fight. Keeping Atlas from falling alone was difficult enough, now you want to try it again against an even more powerful force? We all need rest, we need time for our Aura's to replenish. But Salem is coming, she won't give us time when she can easily overpower us. The last thing we need is to waste our energy trying to save a doomed city"

"We're Huntsmen, James" Ozpin declared "We don't abandon people. Period"

"No, we just lie to those we care about so they'll feel better, right?" he snapped.

"I won't argue that I don't deserve that, James. But we cannot let fear and mistrust get the better of us, we need to focus on the people we swore to protect"

"Focusing on one battle during a war is the action of the arrogant and the stupid. Isn't that what you taught me, Oz?"

"That isn't what I meant and you know it" he argued.

Ironwood's gaze hardened "I know that I am trying to save my people. And you're standing in my way" he answered, removing his pistol from its holster.

Ozpin blinked "You intend to fight us? That is exactly what Salem wants, to divide us. Why do you think she planted those chips in your own people? Hell, why do you think she recruited Arthur in the first place? We cannot give in to fear-"

Ironwood gave a short humorless laugh "That's easy for you to say! You come back time and again, death is nothing to you! The rest of us only have this one chance, this one life to live. You would throw us all away just to delay the inevitable"

"James, listen to me-"

"No!" he shouted "I am tired of letting good people die because you pretend to know what to do! You've never had a plan to stop Salem, you've never had a plan to save Remnant! To save anyone! You just feel too guilty to give up now! You're a selfish coward! I will save Atlas, and I will stop Salem, even if it means going through you to do it!" he finished aiming his pistol toward Ozpin, eyes glazing over once more.

Ruby stepped between them with a look of determination "Then what is the difference between you and Salem?" she asked pointedly.

Ironwood shifted his gaze to her "Isn't it obvious? I'm not the one trying to kill all of you"

"From where I'm standing, doesn't look much different to me" Qrow replied moving to her side, hand resting on the handle of Harbinger.

He looked down at the gun in his hand, his expression softening. He lowered his weapon and exhaled "I don't want to fight you, any of you. I just want to stop Salem, by any means necessary"

"Then fight with us, not against us. We can still stop Salem, but only if we work together" Weiss explained.

"We're going to protect Atlas and Mantle" Blake added.

Ruby smiled at her friends "General, I know we can do this. Please... just trust us" she held out her hand toward him.

Ironwood took in a deep breath and sighed "I suppose there's not much else I can do to change your minds?"

"We've made our choice, General"

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. His open hand raised to take Ruby's, stopping only a hair's breath away. He exhaled "Winter?"

"Yes, General?"

"Escort them to the holding cells" he ordered, lowering his hand.

"Sir?" she asked surprised.

"You're... arresting us?" Ruby asked in disbelief, lowering her hand.

"Until Atlas and the Relics are secure, each of you are being detained. You will be released without incident to return to your Huntsman duties here or elsewhere as you please once the danger has passed. I'm sorry it's come to this, but I am tired of watching my friends die"

Ruby glared "We won't go down without a fight"

He steeled his gaze "I know" he removed his opposite weapon and prepared to fight.

Each of them drew their weapons, ready to do the same "Ladies, I believe it would be best if you let me and James sort this out ourselves" Ozpin suggested, stepping between them.

"Are you sure?" Weiss asked concerned.

He nodded "I'll catch up with you, just get going"

"Right" Ruby nodded, using her Semblance to crash out through the door with her friends following right behind her.

Winter moved to block them from leaving, using her Glyphs to move faster than them "Winter?" Weiss asked in shock.

She looked conflicted, but held her weapon up, ready to fight "Please, don't make me do this"

Qrow stepped forward, Harbinger at the ready "No one is making you do this but you, Snowflake"

Her armed hand trembled as she remained steadfast in her place "Qrow... please..."

"Ruby, get going. Find Yang and get the hell out of Atlas" Qrow ordered.

"You better be right behind us, Uncle Qrow" she replied sternly.

Ruby used her Semblance to rush down the hall with Weiss using her Glyphs to propel her and Blake right behind her. Winter sighed, turning her attention to Qrow with a deep frown. Qrow formed Harbinger into scythe form. She followed suit, removing a second blade from the handle of the first, dropping into her open palm.

"We don't have to do this, Qrow. Help us stop Salem, protect Atlas"

"I am protecting Atlas. I'm just not going to sacrifice Mantle to do it"

"I have my orders, Qrow. If you won't fight with us, then you're going to a holding cell"

"Some orders shouldn't be followed, Winter. You know that just as much as I do"

"The General is doing what is best for Atlas, for Remnant" she argued.

"Yeah, he thought he was doing what was best for you when he kept secrets from you too, right? How's that working out for you?"

Winter balked "I... I..."

Qrow gave a short humorless laugh "Suppose I should've guessed this is how things would end between us"

"It doesn't have to be..." she tried desperately.

"Nah, this is how it always goes with me. Comes with the territory" he offered a small smile "It was fun while it lasted"

Tears started to cascade down her cheeks "It was..." the two of them charged forward, moving to strike the other.

Ironwood and Ozpin encircled one another with their weapons at the ready "James, put the gun down. We're supposed to be working together. We're friends, remember?"

"I don't think you know what the word means, given how you've treated yours"

"I know I've earned the anger you feel towards me, but these people don't deserve to die for my mistakes"

Ironwood shook his head "Through all the years I followed you, through all the betrayal we suffered together and the dark shadows we chased away. I was always looking over my shoulder, always expecting a knife in the back the second I dropped my guard. But I never expected it to come from you, for you to lie to my face over and over again, for you to throw my life away for nothing!"

Ozpin frowned "I never wanted to lie to you, James. I know that doesn't make things better, I know it doesn't change what I did. But I never intended to hurt you... I was wrong to lie to you, to keep so much from you, all of you. I am trying to do better now. But not like this, we can't turn our backs on everything we stand for because we're afraid"

He scoffed "I would've followed you through anything, I would've fought Salem myself if that's what it took. I'd give my life a thousand times over if it meant no one else had to suffer at her hands, if it meant the ones I care for were safe... but now I know how childish those wishes are"

"James, we're not without hope. We can still win this battle, but not if we're at each others throats"

Ironwood closed his eyes "I never thought you'd be the one to betray me after everything... call me a monster if you want, but it doesn't change the fact that I am the only one being realistic here! I know how to stop Salem, and I will sacrifice everything necessary to stop her from destroying Atlas... even you, old friend. I can't afford to doubt myself now"

Ozpin directed his weapon at Ironwood "I doubted and wavered from what was right in the past, James. I pushed forward because I wanted so desperately to find the answer to saving humanity from Salem... I don't doubt now. I will fight Salem with everything I have, and I won't sacrifice unnecessarily. Let's get this over with" he finished with a twirl of his cane.

Qrow spun Harbinger over his shoulder to deflect a strike from Winter, then backed away as he flipped it horizontally around his neck by the handle, forcing Winter to duck beneath it as he struck, catching it in both hands. From her crouched position, she hooked the end of the handle under her heel and pulled him toward her, slamming her opposite heel across his face as he stumbled. He spun his blade horizontally as she stepped away from him, then struck for her chest three times as he spun the weapon between each hand, forcing Winter to block with her blade. Stepping back to try and get out of range, she was forced to leap up out of the way of his scythe as he attempted to strike her with it from behind, hooking the blade behind her legs. Spinning with the motion, Qrow kicked her in the chest, meeting her forearms as he struck, throwing her back into a flip through the air, sliding on her heels to a stop a short distance away.

"Gonna start taking this seriously anytime soon?" Qrow called.

"I am fighting serious, Qrow" she replied narrowing her eyes.

"Come on, we both know that's not true. You haven't even started using your Glyphs, let alone any magic"

Her eyes widened slightly, looking away briefly "I'm still recovering, you dick" she spat as she met his gaze.

"Those Maidens don't need Aura or to be in top shape to use magic, Winter"

"Guess neither of us want to hurt the other, do we? You're pulling your punches too"

Qrow chuckled "Caught me red handed"

Winter dropped back into several back handsprings away from Qrow as he swung his weapon wildly. He leapt into the air as Harbinger straightened into a blade and fired it, launching the blade into the ground just as Winter moved out of the way. Catching the blade by the handle, he swung it over his shoulder onto Winter's blade, arced over her head to block the strike. Spinning on his heel, he knocked her blade aside with his opposite heel, then fired into her chest, Aura sparking from the damage. She groaned in pain as she stumbled back, forming several Glyphs around her. She launched shards of ice at Qrow, forcing him to spin his blade to deflect them with precise movement.

Winter used her Glyphs to launch herself toward Qrow with a thrust for his chest. Holding his blade over his chest, he blocked the strike, redirecting it into the wall behind him as he slid with the momentum of the strike. With her blade now embedded in the wall, she slammed her fist into his abdomen, hunching him over in pain. Before she could move to strike him again, he struck her across the face with the back of his fist, stumbling her back a step. Using her Glyphs to increase her momentum, she kicked him in the abdomen, knocking him to the right onto his back as he slid to a stop.

Qrow stabbed Harbinger into the ground, using it to flip back up to a standing position as Winter leapt into a kick for his chest, missing and striking the wall as he sidestepped the attack. Kicking off the wall to strike at him with her fist, Qrow caught her arm beneath his own and struck her in the chest with the handle of Harbinger before slamming the side of the blade into her chest, throwing him back through the air onto her side, struggling to catch her breath. Qrow dropped onto one knee, panting the same as she was, neither of them having fully recovered from their previous battle with Cinder.

"Winter... you and I... both know... this isn't right... we're Huntsmen" he panted out.

She forced herself to her knees "I have... orders"

He scoffed "Always doing... what you're told... such a good... little soldier... aren't you?"

She shook her head "I... I can't, Qrow..."

"Can't what?" he asked, managing to finally catch his breath.

"I owe... my entire... career to him... if I... turn against him... now... I'll just be... another treacherous... Schnee..." she finished.

Qrow used Harbinger to get him to his feet "By siding with him, you're just betraying everyone else"

Winter looked away "Just... just go..." she relented.

Qrow offered a soft smile "We'll be back. I promise" he shifted into Corvid form and soared down the hall back toward Ironwood's office.

Winter slumped against the wall with a deep sigh "What the hell... am I gonna do... now?"

Ozpin leapt through the air, slamming his cane down onto Ironwood's metal arm as he blocked his strike. Pulling his open hand back into a fist to strike for his face, he forced his opponent to shift around the strike away from him. Ironwood swung his pistol in his right hand for his head, forcing Ozpin to duck beneath it, only to receive a knee to the chin, knocking him into the air. Aiming both pistols at him, he fired into the air after Ozpin, forcing him to deflect each of them as he flipped into the landing. Ozpin darted forward at inhumane speed and struck for Ironwood as he barely rolled out of the way, firing several rounds over his shoulder him. Ozpin slid to his left away from them, then rushed toward him faster than he could move. He used his cane to knock one pistol from his hand, then struck for his chest, only to find his metal arm blocking the strike. Ducking beneath a thrust for his chest, he slammed the handle of his pistol into Ozpin's abdomen, knocking the wind out of him. He slid back away from Ironwood as he swung his metal fist for his head, sliding to a stop.

Ozpin leapt out of the way just in time to avoid a kick from Ironwood, then darted forward, smacking him across the face with his cane. As he slid to a stop, he darted back toward him, striking him across the opposite side of his face before he could react. Ironwood fired his pistol at Ozpin, who dodged by dropping back into a one-handed back handspring. He leapt onto Ironwood's desk as he swung his metal fist for him, then spun into a strike across Ironwood's face as he flipped overhead. He turned to face Ozpin just in time to receive a strike to his chest, followed by two dozen more at blinding speed with a single powerful strike finishing off his barrage. Ironwood caught the cane in his hand, pulling it to his left as he pulled his fist back to strike with the handle of his pistol. Ozpin kicked his knee out from under him, then kicked off his chest to get some distance from him, sliding to a stop on his heels.

Ironwood was upon him before he anticipated and recieved a powerful strike across his face from the back of his pistol, followed by a second from the opposite direction. Ozpin kicked his pistol from his hand into the air, only for his metal knee to connect with his chin, knocking him skyward before receiving a powerful kick to his chest, throwing him into the side of the desk behind him. Catching the weapon in his hand as it returned from the air, he flipped it over as Ozpin charged him with incredible speed. Ironwood sidestepped a thrust toward his chest, then knocked the cane away from him with his forearm as he kicked Ozpin's leg out from under him.

Ozpin stumbled slightly, but recovered enough to block the pistol being swung for his abdomen. However, he was not strong enough to stop the force of a kick from Ironwood's metal leg with his hand, knocking him back a few steps. Thrusting his cane toward Ironwood, he found himself trapped as his weapon was caught in his opponent's hand. Ironwood thrust his elbow toward him from behind as he spun, only to meet Ozpin's forearm. Swinging his pistol toward his face forced Ozpin to hop back away from it, only to return with a powerful kick to Ironwood's chest, throwing him back into the wall behind him. Now on the defensive, Ozpin flipped and rolled around the office away from strike after strike from Ironwood, deflecting rounds fired at him between strikes as best he could.

Ozpin darted forward at superhuman speed, delivering a blindingly quick series of strikes to his chest, then pulling his arm back for a powerful strike. Ironwood anticipated this and used his heel to redirect his strike into the ground, before slamming his pistol into his abdomen, throwing him back into the glass behind the desk, cracking it from the impact. Before Ozpin could recover, Ironwood rushed toward him, leaping into a powerful kick with both legs into his chest. Just before his strike landed, a crow flew between them, transforming into Qrow as he delivered his kick, throwing them both through the glass as it shattered, sending them flying out of the academy. He flipped his pistol over and moved to the shattered window to find they'd both vanished from sight, escaping the battle. After retrieving his second pistol, he turned and picked up his Scroll from the desk, moving to the hallway to find an exhausted Winter on her knees.

"Winter" he called.

"Yes... General?" she panted out.

"Find Jacque Schnee and bring him to my office immediately"

"Sir, I don't think-"

"Now" he stressed, cutting her off.

"Yes, Sir" she forced out, getting to her feet. She moved slowly down the hall away from him, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

He let out a disappointed sigh "I'm sorry it's come to this... but you're leaving me with no other choice"

Ironwood looked down at the Scroll in his hand and quickly ran through some data files before sending them out to his forces. The hall was now alight with red emergency lights and a blaring alarm, leaving his shadow illuminated on the wall. Within the red lights he continued to see the Black Queen chess piece flash into sight. He rubbed his eyelids tiredly, then looked back and found the blank wall staring back at him. With a frustrated groan, he turned on his heel heading back into his office.

---

Thunder rumbled through the red night sky, dark blood red clouds enveloped the kingdom of Atlas, black lightning served as the only form of illumination. Manticores, Wyverns, and Nevermores soared overhead, keeping in formation around the gargantuan Grimm. There was a small metal structure atop the back of the creature, where a lone ghostly white skinned woman stood with her hands folded behind her back. The wind blew her hair behind her, along with the long shawl spread down the back of her robe billowing in the wind. Hunter Thombs exited a newly formed dark corridor behind her, stopping only a few feet away as his cloak billowed behind him.

"Your Grace" he called.

Salem made no move to face him, a stern expression on her face. Her gaze hardened as the floating island of Atlas started to come into view. Her grip on her wrist tightened, gaze narrowing as they slowly approached the city. Hunter stood timidly now, aware she was displeased, but he was uncertain what could be angering her. He briefly feared he had done something, but chose to press on with his report as originally intended.

"Atlas was besieged from within, I dropped many Grimm inside the city as you instructed. The battle-"

"Silence" Salem hissed, stopping him.

"Your Grace?" he asked uncertain.

She turned her head just enough to see him "Cole Larson is dead"

"What?!" he asked in shock.

"I've lost my connection with Tyrian, Arthur, and Emerald as well. They may yet live, but the battle has clearly not gone in our favor. Sable failed to destroy Mantle, Willow Schnee was killed, Cinder could be as well... We need a new approach"

"What would you have me do?"

"I need information" Salem sighed in disappointment "Go to Atlas, find out what is going on and report back to me"

"Yes, Ma'am" a dark corridor formed behind him "I will leave at once"

"Hunter" she called, stopping him in his tracks just as he reached it "Do not fail me again, you would not survive the consequences"

Hunter nodded, leaving without another word. Salem remained atop the beast, her anger flared, bolts of black lightning crackled across her skin. She unfolder her hands from behind her, glaring hard at the floating city, smoke rising from both Atlas and Mantle. Despite the signs of destruction, she couldn't shake the feeling she was missing something, that perhaps somehow those damned children had managed to outsmart her. No, it wasn't possible, was it? She could crush them like they were nothing, but they knew that, didn't they? They had used the Relic to tell them everything they wanted to know about her. Which means... they knew something she didn't...

Salem heard the sound of a dark corridor opening behind her "You return so quickly" she turned to find a woman concealed in a black cloak identical to Hunter's, the hood covering her face "Are they prepared?"

The woman produced a Scroll from her sleeve, handing it to Salem as she approached with a silent nod. Salem overlooked the device, the earlier rage she had felt fading as a wicked smile graced her lips. Without another word, she motioned with her open hand for her to leave her presence. The woman turned on her heel and vanished without a word. Salem placed the Scroll into the sleeve of her robe, turning her attention back to the city of Atlas.

"Let us see just what you have planned" her smile grew "All the pieces are coming together... my dear"

---

The persistent beep of a heart monitor was the only sound that pervaded the isolated room of the Atlas Academy. The room itself was mostly empty, a small cabinet with a sink beside it and a bed where the unconscious form of Slade Stroud lay. There was a small mobile tray table beside the bed with a single chair facing the wall at the end of the bed. The floor itself was a stark white with matching walls and ceiling with only a single glass window looking in on the room from the outside. Dr. Pietro Polendina stood over Slade, making some notes on a clipboard as he silently looked him over. With little more than a sigh of defeat, he exited the room, passing by the soldiers standing guard. The soldiers remained in place as the doctor rounded the corner, but a moment later, he returned with a purposeful stride.

"Forget something, Doctor?" one of the soldiers asked with a salute.

Pietro nodded silently, then entered the room without waiting for a reply. Upon entering, he looked around, ensuring no one was watching him. With a silent breath, his appearance shifted, revealing his true identity as Neopolitan. She moved to the open chair at the foot of the bed and scooted it closer to Slade, plopping herself down in it a moment later. She watched his steady breathing in silence, never taking her eyes off him for even a moment. She wore a deep frown on her face, her right index finger tracing circles on the back of his hand.

Her eyes drifted down to the bolas tying Slade to the bed, her expression becoming frustrated. She removed a notepad from her pocket and started writing on it for a moment. When she was finally finished, she tore the page from the pad and folded it neatly before pressing it into the open palm of Slade's hand, closing his hand around it carefully. She gave a sad smile before turning to leave, stopping only when the hall flashed red, an alarm blaring through the academy. The two soldiers pushed through the door urgently.

"Doctor, we need to-wait, who're you?!" one shouted.

Neo rushed forward ducking beneath his rifle as he raised it to fire. She punched his wrist before kicking his leg out from under him and then slammed her heel into his chest, throwing him into the second soldier before he could react. Neo flipped forward on her hands and kicked one across the face and struck the other in the back of the head using Hush, rendering them unconscious. Removing one of the Scrolls they possessed, she looked over the most recent alert to find pictures of Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Nora, Jaune, Qrow, Oscar, and Ren on it with a notice on it.

"Wanted: Detain on sight. Lethal force is NOT authorized"

She scrunched her face and dropped the device, rushing out into the hall, donning the appearance of an Atlas soldier. She dashed through the halls, finding most of them empty until she came upon one with several soldiers within it. Neo quickly fell in line with them and followed them to their destination. That was of course, until she heard a familiar voice from behind her, stopping them all in their tracks.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Ruby. The holding cells are this way, we just have to-" Weiss stopped when she spotted the soldiers in the hall.

Blake blinked "Uh oh"

"Hey, I don't suppose any of you have seen a girl with long blonde hair and a yellow metal arm have you?" Ruby asked.

The soldiers all trained their weapons on them "Nice one, Ruby" Weiss deadpanned.

Ruby used her Semblance to pass them, Weiss used her Glyphs to propel herself and Blake around the hall from the walls to the ceiling, to the opposite wall and back to the floor "Thanks anyway!" Ruby called back.

The three girls darted down the halls of the academy "Gotta find, Yang, gotta find, Yang" Ruby repeated quietly to herself "Why does this feel like the Emerald Forest all over again?"

Weiss rolled her eyes, moving two fingers to her earpiece "Jaune, can you hear me? Anyone?" she tried.

"Ironwood must've cut our comms" Blake noted when they recieved no answer "This is bad guys, this is really, really bad"

"Yeah, I know it's bad. We'll figure it out" Ruby replied as they rounded a corner "Let's just bust out Yang, then get out of here-oof!" one of the doors leading to the holding cells had closed in her face.

"Oh no..." Weiss stared nervously "They're locking us in..."

Ruby rubbed her cheek, having landed on her rear "Ow..." she whined.

"Is this the only way to the holding cells?" Blake asked.

"The only way I know. Unless we have a way to bust in from outside"

"Girls, this is only going to end one way for you" Ironwood's voice spoke through their earpieces "Make this easy on yourselves. I don't want to fight you, but I will"

"He's gotta be tracking our Scrolls" Blake concluded.

"Then we leave them behind. We'll just have to get some new ones" Ruby replied.

"From where? It's not exactly like we can just go buy one"

"Turn yourselves in and no harm will come to you. Do not force my hand on this... will... you..." his voice faded into static.

"Uh, what's happening?" Weiss asked.

"Hello? Ruby? Can you hear me?" Penny's voice asked through her earpiece.

"Penny! We're trapped in the academy! Ironwood's gonna abandon Mantle!" she answered speaking a mile-a-minute.

"He's what?!" she asked surprised "Why would he do that? Nevermind, that's not important right now, we can figure this out later"

"Yang's stuck in the holding cells and we can't get to her. Any ideas?" Blake asked hopefully.

"I was disconnected from the security system when comms went dark. I still have the academy schematics to help you find a way out, but there isn't much I can do for you otherwise. I'm locked out of the system without a direct connection. Military comms are going crazy, they're looking for you"

"Yeah, we noticed" Weiss frowned "Ruby, we don't have time to waste getting through to Yang right now. We'll just have to come back for her"

"We can't just leave her here!" she protested.

"I don't like it either, but we can't help anyone from behind bars, Ruby. We need to prioritize saving lives. She'll be fine, she's a tough girl" Blake explained.

"But-"

"Freeze, hands in the air!" shouted a soldier as he rounded the corner with a squad close behind.

"Later, we need to go!" Weiss said cutting Ruby off.

Blake dashed forward, dropping on her hands and sliding beneath the first soldier. Grabbing him by the ankle, she flipped him over as she kicked the rifle of the next upward, then flipped back into a kick to the first's side, throwing him to the ground. Weiss unleashed a stream of lightning from Myrtenaster into the ground, shocking them all as Blake leapt to the ceiling. Ruby then followed her attack up by barreling through them with her Semblance, knocking them down like bowling pins. The three of them took off the opposite direction they'd been heading, hoping to get away before they recovered.

"Take a left, then two rights, another left, then take the elevator down two floors and head straight until you reach the landing pad" Penny explained.

"Woah, might need you to repeat that" Ruby replied with a nervous laugh.

"Take a left, then-"

"Not right away, Penny!"

Weiss rolled her eyes "Penny, have you got in touch with anyone else? Is JNPR still on their way to the academy?"

"Based on their Scroll positions, yes. I can't seem to find Qrow's or Oscar's though. Slade's seems to be in the medical area not far from you. Do you think you can get to him?"

"I don't know, Penny. Ironwood said he was in bad shape, it might be better to leave him where he is for the moment. Can you try and loop the others in?" Blake asked hopefully as they rounded another corner.

"I'll do my best"

Weiss slowed to a stop, leaning against a nearby wall in exhaustion "Guys, wait... I can't... keep going..."

Blake and Ruby picked her up on their shoulders "Don't worry, Weiss. We'll get you through this" her team leader assured her.

"She hasn't fully recovered yet. She needs to rest" Blake added.

"I know, but we can't stop now, or we'll just be thrown in jail with Yang"

"Well, it looks like you might be getting some help" Penny replied.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked in surprise.

"There's dozens of security alerts around the academy, but no structural damage or loss of personnel is being reported" she answered.

"Someone is generating false alarms to give us a way out. But who?" Blake wondered.

"It could be father, or perhaps Ms. Calavera. But I can't say for sure, I can't seem to reach either of them. The whole system is a mess"

"Keep trying, Penny. We're heading to the landing pad now"

---

Jaune's team along with Flynt and Neon were aboard a Manta headed toward Atlas Academy, passing over the city buildings. The three of them looked uneasy about the sights below, buildings on fire or damaged with Grimm stragglers being attacked all around the city, streets littered with bodies from both sides as well as some civilians. Medical teams were carrying people off the streets or caring for them on the spot. Flynt and Neon seemed disturbed by the sights but remained composed as much as they could.

"I just don't get why he would call us back so soon" Nora pointed out "There's still plenty of Grimm down there that could attack any minute"

"From the sound of things, Atlas wasn't doing much better" Ren pointed out.

"We don't need to know the why, just the what. Ain't that right, Neon?" Flynt asked.

"Yup!" she grinned "The General knows what he's doing. If he says he needs us in Atlas, then that's where we're needed"

Jaune looked out at the ships leaving the area "Seems like more than just us though... like he's recalling everybody. But he wouldn't do that, right? We're still evacuating Mantle"

"The General knows-" Flynt stopped when his Scroll chimed alongside Neon's.

Jaune and his team were the only ones not alerted, striking them as odd. Flynt removed his Scroll from his pocket and found Ruby, Blake, Weiss, Jaune, Nora, Ren, Oscar, and Qrow's images on the screen with text that read "WANTED: Detain on sight. Lethal force is NOT authorized" his eyes darted up to Jaune's team with a deep frown forming on his face.

Jaune gripped the hilt of his weapon as Ren's hands shifted down to StormFlower and Nora tensed. Neon looked to Flynt in disbelief, unsure what to do. Flynt got to his feet, looking to Jaune with a deep frown on his face "Flynt?" Jaune asked, already having an idea of where this was headed.

Flynt held up his Scroll, showing them the images "I'm sorry to inform you, the General has ordered your arrest. You and your team"

Nora looked to her teammates in dismay "Ruby's on there too!"

"But Yang and Slade aren't" Ren noted.

"Or Winter" Jaune added with a deep frown.

"Hey, woah" Neon called, getting to her feet, using her tail to keep herself steady on her rollerblades "There's gotta be some misunderstanding here. They've been fighting with us all night to protect Atlas. Why don't we just wait until we get back to the academy and talk to the General in person. Try to explain things to him" she suggested.

Ren got to his feet "Someone has been on the inside working against us since before we got here. This is just more of their handiwork"

"Regardless, we've been ordered to detain you. You won't be harmed, you should come quietly, or things might get ugly. Ya, dig?"

Nora got to her feet now, removing Magnhild from her back "Yeah, we dig" she replied with a glare.

"Woah, hey. Easy now" Jaune tried "We start fighting in here, we're more likely to crash than land anywhere safe" he tried.

"Then don't resist" Flynt replied "It'll be easier on all of us that way"

"Sorry, but that's not going to happen" Ren replied, drawing StormFlower.

"Ren, wait!" Jaune called just as he fired for Flynt, who casually shifted out of the way of each round.

Neon slid around the cabin, trying to keep from falling over. Jaune groaned in annoyance, getting to his feet, he knocked her legs out from under her with a sweep of his leg. Flynt prepared to use his trumpet to attack Ren, only to find the hilt of Jaune's blade knocking it upward, unleashing sound waves into the roof, blasting open a hole in it and tearing part of the left wing off. Flynt looped the handle of his trumpet around Jaune's wrist and pulled him to the side, knocking him to the ground. Nora swung her hammer for Flynt with a grin on her face, forcing him to sidestep the strike, then lock weapons with her to block her next strike. Ren slammed his heels into his chest, throwing him onto his back as he rolled to one knee.

Neon got back to her feet and rushed toward Jaune, only to find Magnhild hooked on her left ankle, flipping her through the air as she pulled it back up. Nora slammed her heel into her back, throwing her into the cockpit, knocking the pilot onto the console. The ship shook, knocking them all over. Jaune was the first to recover, moving to the copilot seat and pulling the stick to level them out as best he could. Neon, forced herself upright and pulled the pilot from his chair, returning his stick to normal as the man groaned painfully, only barely conscious. Jaune quickly moved into the seat, taking the stick fully now.

"Anybody know how to fly this thing?" Jaune asked.

"Only into the ground!" Nora shouted as she got to her feet.

"Just keep us steady!" Flynt called.

"You still trying to arrest us?" Jaune asked in annoyance.

"No use doing that if we just crash in the process. Focus on getting us to land"

"Yeah, I don't know how to do that"

"Can you use the autopilot?" Ren suggested.

"Don't suppose you know how?"

"Push the button, there's gotta be one, right?" Neon asked.

"Yeah, dozens" Jaune broadly gestured to the console "Any idea which one?!"

"Uh... well, no"

"Great... just great..."

"Jaune, can you hear me?" Penny asked.

"Penny! It is good to hear your voice! How do I fly this thing?!" he cried.

"What's the condition of the vessel?" Penny asked urgently.

"Roof is completely gone and the left wing has some damage" he answered quickly.

"Is it maneuverable?"

"Only just" Ren replied.

"Good. Just keep the stick level and keep the academy in front of you. I'm looping in Ruby and her team now"

"Jaune, is that you?" Ruby asked.

"Ruby, we're here!" he smiled in relief.

"What is going on? Ironwood wants us arrested? He's leaving Mantle undefended-"

"We don't have time to explain right now. Do you have a ship? Are you guys still on the way to the academy?" Weiss asked urgently.

"Most of one" Ren answered.

"What's that mean? Is there a problem with the ship?" Blake asked with concern.

"Oh, we're fine, no problem here" Jaune's gaze shifted momentarily to the open sky "Just a bit... on display"

"Keep the ship in one piece. We're heading to a landing pad, be there to pick us up" Ruby instructed.

Jaune smiled nervously "We'll do our best"

"I'm sending coordinates for rendezvous now. I'll walk you through the landing process when you arrive" Penny assured.

"Okay... okay... I can do this..." he muttered to himself.

The crimson storm clouds shifted, black lightning illuminating the enormous beast, only small portions of it's silhouette were visible with each crack of thunder. Two Wyverns exited the clouds, encircling the edge. The massive draconic Grimm parted the clouds, accompanied by a massive army of flying Grimm. Its body was serpentine with three pairs of large red bat-like wings and short clawed arms. The red membrane of the wings were translucent and shared many characteristics with the Wyvern's own bone-like spines along its body. Its underside held a gigantic ribcage shaped maw, with small bone-like platforms to serve as landing pads. It had red glowing slits running all along its spine and underbelly, as well as an armored skull without eyes. Instead, it had a structure strongly resembling the bridge of an Atlas airship at the front of its head along with two distinct blocky nacelles coming off its sides, keeping the behemoth afloat.

Ironwood watched from the shattered window of his office "Salem" he glared.

"Guys... I think I know why they took those airships" Nora noted.

"Yeah, we can see what they did with them" Weiss deadpanned.

"That is one big Grimm..." Blake breathed out in fear.

"So that's what he saw..." Ruby whispered to herself, eyes wide.

"What?" Weiss asked.

She shook herself from her stupor "Nothing" her fingers moved to her earpiece "Jaune, we're at the landing pad. Where are you?"

"Not far. We're coming up on you soon. Penny, I need to know how to land this thing"

"Start by lowering the landing gear-" she started to instruct.

Suddenly, Qrow appeared inside the Manta, having dropped into from the roof "I've got it" he called, getting into the opposite seat from Jaune, grabbing the stick.

"Are you sure you know how to fly this thing?" Jaune asked with concern.

"What? Not happy to see me kid?" he smirked "Trust me, I got this"

Ruby waved with her open hand as she saw the ship coming toward them "Uncle Qrow! Hey!"

"Glad to see you're alright, pipsqueak" he smiled as it maneuvered to touchdown "Where is Yang-"

"BEHIND YOU!" Jaune shouted.

Blake released her hold on Weiss and managed to block an incoming attack with her forearm, Aura raised defensively as the scythe blades tried to cut into her. She glared hard at Hunter, who wore a manic grin on his face. Gambol Shroud was in pistol form, moving her opposite arm to fire it into his face, she found her wrist caught in his grip. Turning the weapon away from him, he slammed his scythe into her side, throwing her to the ground painfully.

"Blake!" Ruby called with concern.

Hunter grinned, raising his scythe over his head to swing down at Weiss and Ruby. He was stopped when a powerful barrage of strikes to his chest stumbled him, followed by an uppercut to his chin, stumbling him back. Closing his open hand into a fist, moved to slam his fist into his attacker, only for the boy to acrobatically flip over it into a back handspring.

"Hello, Professor" he hissed.

Ozpin held his cane aloft ready to fight. Jaune, Ren, Nora, Qrow, Flynt, and Neon all leapt out of the landed ship ready for a fight, moving defensively around Ruby and Weiss. Blake forced herself to one knee, then managed to stand upright with a groan of pain. She moved to join her friends, all of them prepared to put Hunter down.

"Uh, Oscar?" Jaune asked surprised.

"Oz, technically" Ruby answered.

"Since when has Oz been back?" Jaune asked.

"Later, focus" Ozpin instructed sternly.

Hunter laughed "All of you against only one of me, how pathetic can you be? I mean, you took down Cole, sure. But how many of you did it take to even do that?"

"Just three" Nora replied confidently "What? Can't wait to be next?"

A manic giggle drew their attention, turning back toward the Manta, they found Tyrian hanging by his tail "You look like you're missing some friends" he said with mock sadness "Aw, too bad. Would've been more fun that way"

"This isn't looking good" Blake noted.

"Yeah, and Weiss is in no condition to do more fighting" Ruby explained.

"Me neither, still recovering from my last bout" Qrow added quietly "We need to play this smart"

Ozpin nodded "Qrow and Ruby, get Weiss onto the ship. The rest of us need to keep them focused on us for the moment. Getting out of Atlas is the priority, not winning this fight"

"Technically, we're supposed to arrest you all. But since lethal force ain't authorized, we'll lend you a hand" Flynt added.

Jaune nodded "Thanks, we'll need all we can get with these two"

Hunter spun his scythe as he stepped forward "Here I come kiddies!" he grinned as he broke into a sprint.

Tyrian flipped off the Manta and fired his wrist mounted weapons as he soared through the air. Flynt spun around toward him and blocked them with a soundwave from his trumpet. Nora fired Magnhild, launching herself toward Hunter with a loud cry. She swung her hammer toward him, only to have it redirected to the ground as he vaulted over her. Magnhild fired as it crashed into the ground, knocking Jaune and Ren onto their backs from the force as they moved to intercept him. Blake rolled out of the way of Tyrian's tail as it impaled the ground, firing Gambol Shroud back at him as she got to her feet. Tyrian blocked the shots with his wrist blades, then attempted to stab her with his tail once again, forcing her to leap out of the way, rolling on her side into the lading to a standing position.

Qrow took Weiss' other arm and helped Ruby move her to the ship while Neon intercepted Hunter as he charged toward them. Neon spun her nunchucks, then swung one after the other at Hunter. He deflected the first, then flipped horizontally through the air over the second, kicking her in the face and sending her into Flynt, knocking them both off their feet. Ren intercepted him, using the blades on StormFlower to block his scythe as he attempted to kill Neon and Flynt. Firing the opposite pistol in his hand for his face forced Hunter to duck left to avoid it, using his scythe to turn Ren's arm downward into an unnatural position. Hunter moved at the last second to avoid a downward swing of Jaune's blade, slicing across his cheek as he spun away from him.

Blake ducked to avoid Tyrian's tail, then smacked it away with her blade before leaping overhead as Ozpin darted toward him with incredible speed. He unleashed an lightning fast series of attacks, leaving green after images behind as he struck. Tyrian manage to block half the strikes thrown his way, before being thrown back by a kick to his face from Blake. Spinning on his hands as he landed, he kicked Ozpin's cane away from him as he attempted to strike, then slammed his head into his chin, causing him to cry out in pain. Swinging his tail, he threw Ozpin aside, flipping back into the landing. Flynt rolled to a crouched position and used his Semblance to attack Tyrian, throwing him over the edge of the platform. His tail embedded into the edge, swinging himself back up into a kick to Flynt's face, knocking him back into a roll on his side.

Hunter blocked rounds from Ren, strikes from Jaune and Neon moving at blinding speed, barely able to keep up with them. Neon froze his legs using Ice Dust, restraining him as Jaune rushed toward him from the opposite direction, swinging his blade up from below. Arcing his scythe, he caught the blade between his own, but found himself unable to force him back. Ren fired at him from his right, forcing him to use his Aura to deflect each round with an open palm. The sound of a high caliber gunshot drew his attention to Ruby spinning through the air toward him, forcing him to flip his scythe over to block the blade. Ruby hooked her blade around his, turning it back over as she slid beneath him, trapping it between Jaune's and her own. Before he could react, Qrow in Corvid forced his hood over his face, blinding him. Neon slung the chain of her nunchucks around his neck, forcing him to bend back in her restraint. Ruby and Jaune placed open hands onto his scythe as Ren did the same on the opposite side of his weapon. Using his open hand, he knocked Qrow away and removed his hood with an elbow to Neon's face, knocking her down. His eyes widened as he saw Nora descending toward him. Ruby, Jaune, and Ren unleashed a shockwave of force using their Auras upon the weapon, cracking it in several places. Nora's hammer came crashing down on the weapon at the same time Ruby fired Crescent Rose and Jaune arced his blade in the opposite direction. It was at that moment that he noticed Weiss in the airship with a Glyph infused with Lightning Dust on the ground in front of her. He was slammed into the ground as his scythe shattered from the force of the simultaneous strikes.

Tyrian charged toward Flynt with a manic laugh as he struck for his chest with his tail. Flynt redirected it with his trumpet, then fired a soundwave back at him. Tyrian flipped over it horizontally and continued on his path toward him. Ozpin intercepted him, swinging his cane for his legs only for him to flip vertically over the weapon, kicking for Ozpin's head. He managed to block with his cane, then pushed him back away from him. Tyrian flipped through the air, using the momentum from Ozpin to attack Blake as she moved to strike first. She rolled back away from his tail, then kick flipped off the wall behind her, slicing Gambol Shroud for his tail. Though her attack hit the mark, it did not cut through as she had hoped, finding it coiling around her arm and throwing her into the side of the Manta painfully.

"Blake!" Ruby called with concern.

Nora moved to stab a cylindrical casing into Hunter's neck, only for her wrist to be caught in his hand. He crushed the casing, shattering it, then kicked her in the chest away from him. Hunter flipped back on his hands out of the small crater left behind by Nora's strike, then leapt overhead as Ren fired at him, each round deflected by the handle of his now shattered weapon. Dropping back onto his open hand, he kicked StormFlower upward, knocking them from Ren's hands. He flung the handle of his weapon at Ren, forcing him to duck to avoid the metal rod. Catching one of Ren's pistols in his hand, he fired at Neon as she tried to intercept, forcing her to block with her nunchucks. Jaune thrust Crocea Mors at him from behind, only for Hunter to drop to one knee to avoid it. Spinning on his heels, he caught Jaune's wrist in his grip, snapping it back painfully. The pain caused Jaune to lose his grip on his weapon, only for Ren to catch it in his, swinging it for Hunter's leg. Hunter spun on one heel away from the strike, backhanding Ren and Jaune in one motion, knocking them to the ground. Nora swung Magnhild for his face as he twisted into a kick for her own, their strikes meeting between them. Curling his leg around her arm, he forced her down as he spun around, slamming his fist into her abdomen, launching her back into Ruby's waiting arms.

"Gotcha!"

Qrow swung Harbinger for his legs only for Hunter to pin the blade to the ground with his heel. Spinning on the blade, he forced Qrow's arm down by kneeling on his wrist, grabbing him by the back of the head. Qrow changed into Corvid form to escape his grasp, quickly changing back to deliver a powerful kick to his chest, throwing him back into a roll to his feet. Jaune leapt into a downward strike for Hunter, who kicked one of the shattered blades of his scythe up into his hand. He use it to block Crocea Mors, then swung wildly with it, forcing Jaune to use his shield to block several strikes. Ren recovered his pistol and fired both of them at his back, forcing Hunter to avoid them acrobatically. Neon approached him from behind as Qrow did the same with Harbinger in scythe form from the opposite direction. Hunter spun beneath Neon's attack, punching her leg out from under her, causing her to stumble into Jaune and Ren. Catching Harbinger by letting the blade pierce his shoulder, he swept Qrow's legs out from under him, then flipped horizontally into a kick to his chest, throwing him back through the Manta, breaking off the door on the opposite side.

"Qrow!" Ruby called with concern.

Flynt leapt into the air, unleashing his Semblance down at Tyrian who rolled out of the way. Ozpin darted toward him, thrusting The Long Memory for his chest, only for his tail to redirect it, followed by a kick knocking the weapon from his grip. He fired his wrist mounted weapons for Ozpin, only for him to use his Aura to block them with the palms of his hands. Ozpin leapt overhead, Flynt giving him a boost with a soundwave to help him reach the cane behind their opponent. Spinning it expertly in his hands, he deflected several rounds from Tyrian as Flynt lined up another shot with his Semblance. Tyrian was knocked back through the air by the powerful soundwaves, sliding to a stop with his metal blades scrapping against the ground. Ozpin swung for his head as Tyrian acrobatically flipped over it, then swung downward for the Faunus. His tail blocked the strike, then attempted to impale Ozpin through the chest, who narrowly managed to avoid it by flipping back into a back handspring. Tyrian moved quickly with a swing for his neck, missing his mark by inches as Ozpin leaned back beneath it. Catching his tail between his arms when he thrust it toward his chest once more, he threw Tyrian over his shoulder, sending him over the edge of the platform. Tyrian's wrist blades embedded into the ground, allowing him to spin on them into a kick for Ozpin's chest, sending him flying onto his back. He then wrapped his tail around Flynt's arm as he attempted to attack, lifting him into the air and slamming him down painfully into the ground.

Hunter grinned, dropping the metal blade in his hand from his shattered weapon "You're all mine now, girl"

Nora and Blake moved to stand in front of her "You'll have to go through us" the raven haired Faunus warned.

"All of us" Jaune added as he did the same with Ren and Neon from behind him.

Several dozen soldiers rushed out onto the platform a moment later, firing on Tyrian without hesitation. Tyrian was forced to release Flynt as he deflected round after round from the soldiers, charging toward them with manic laughter as he cut through them. Ozpin leapt over Hunter and slammed his cane into his chest, sending him soaring over the top of Jaune's head. At that moment, Qrow reappeared in Corvid form, changing back to normal within the Manta. Neon turned her back to them and rushed to Flynt's aid.

"This might be our only window to get out of here, guys. What should we do?" Jaune asked.

"We can't just leave them to die" Ruby argued.

"If we're caught, everyone in Mantle will die. Can we really chance that?" Qrow pointed out.

"What's the difference between abandoning them and abandoning Mantle? There isn't a choice here, we have to help" Blake agreed with her team leader.

Flynt unleashed a soundwave at Tyrian as he charged toward him and the soldiers. Tyrian slid beneath the gunfire before vertically flipping over Flynt's attack. Flipping forward, Flynt fired a second soundwave at him from behind whilst midair, forcing Tyrian to acrobatically dodge the strike. Tyrian swept Flynt's legs out from under him as he landed, then slammed his tail into his abdomen, dropping him to the ground hard, depleting his Aura. Hunter spun to his feet as Neon pass by him, snatching her by the tail, he lifted her up, then flipped forward into a powerful kick to her abdomen, crashing her down into the platform painfully, knocking her unconscious.

Hunter saw them around the Manta and called back to Tyrian "They're going to get away!"

Tyrian grinned "Not on my watch they won't!" with a swing of his tail, he knocked the remaining soldiers down, then rushed right toward Ruby and her team.

"They're coming" Ren pointed out.

"There goes our window" Qrow frowned, readying his weapon.

Tyrian swung his tail, knocking Crescent Rose downward as Ruby prepared to attack. Flipping acrobatically into a kick to Ren's face, he knocked him to his knees, then spun to deliver a second one, only to meet Jaune's shield protecting him. Qrow swung Harbinger downward as Nora did the same with Magnhild, both weapons clashing with his wrist blades. Blake and Ozpin moved to strike, only to find Hunter intercepting them, blocking their weapons with his forearms coated in Aura. Tyrian kicked Jaune's shield, sliding him back, then arced his leg around Ren's kick, forcing him down onto his chest. His tail struck for Qrow, forcing him to dodge as Nora pulled back to strike once again. Hunter redirected Ozpin's weapon into Nora's abdomen, knocking her over as he stumbled, then swung into a powerful kick to Ruby's face, sending her spinning through the air with a cry of pain. Twisting Blake's arm with one hand, he slammed his fist into her abdomen, knocking the wind out of her before kneeing her in the face sending her onto her back without her weapon.

Tyrian grinned as he moved after Ruby, his tail pulling back to impale her. Qrow and Ozpin were the first to recover, firing Harbinger after Tyrian as Ozpin darted toward him. Tyrian deflected the shot with his tail, spinning on his heel, he fired his wrist mounted weapons for them both. Qrow spun Harbinger as Ozpin did the same with his cane, deflecting each round with ease. Qrow was taken by surprise when Tyrian's tail struck him across the abdomen, knocking him onto his side. Ruby rolled forward and fired Crescent Rose in rifle form at Tyrian, forcing him to flip forward vertically over the round, impaling his tail into the ground as she narrowly back handsprung out of the way. Ozpin slammed The Long Memory into his chest midair, throwing him back onto the platform, rolling back into the landing. Tyrian managed to get around Ozpin as he struck for his chest, then rushed toward Ruby, firing his wrist mounted weapons for her.

"Ruby!" Jaune called as he and Ren moved to stop him, only to have Hunter fire Gambol Shroud at them.

Ruby spun her weapon to deflect each round with relative ease until one of them struck her ankle, dropping her to one knee. Qrow fired Harbinger from his place on the ground at Tyrian, forcing him to flip acrobatically around the platform as he closed the distance with Ruby. His tail pulled back to impale her, a grin spreading across the Faunus' face. Ruby tried to attack, but found her weapon knocked aside by his wrist blades. Nora rushed to help but soon realized she wouldn't be quick enough.

"Ruby! Move!" she shouted desperately as she fired Magnhild.

Oz, help her!

I'm trying Ozpin assured Oscar as Tyrian sidestepped the grenade from Nora.

Weiss leapt out of the airship, sliding on her side as she thrust her hands out in front of her, creating a black Glyph behind Tyrian, causing him to fall onto his side as it pulled him back the opposite direction. Ozpin leapt into the air, thrusting The Long Memory into his chest, slamming him down into the ground. They both remained still in their position, neither of them making another move. Tyrian started laughing, his gaze moving down to his tail, embedded in Ozpin's chest. His right hand was on Ozpin's arm, Semblance active, disrupting his Aura. Ozpin coughed roughly, purple blood seeping down his chin.

"OSCAR!" Ruby shouted.

Tyrian spun into a kick, throwing him back through the air, crashing to the ground on his side as he faded from consciousness. Jaune, Ren, and Nora rushed to his side, the first of them going straight to work on healing the wound with his Semblance. Qrow moved to Weiss' side and helped her up as Ruby just stared in shock.

"This isn't good, we-ah!" Jaune's Aura ran dry, causing his Semblance to deactivate "Dammit! We've used up too much energy in Mantle and up here. We need to go, now!"

"Oscar needs a doctor" Ren replied "And quickly"

Hunter grabbed Blake by the back of her hair and gave a wicked grin as she cried out in pain "Say goodbye, kitty, kitty" he threw her from the edge of the platform without her weapon, leaving her unable to save herself.

"Blake!" Ruby called, rushing after her, only for Hunter to block her path.

"There's nothing you can do about-" he was interrupted when Blake soared back over the platform, front flipping into a kick with both heels into the back of his head, knocking him onto his chest.

Ruby's eyes were wide "Blake! How did you do that?" she asked in both shock and relief.

"I had a little help"

Penny rose over the platform a moment later "You need to leave my friends alone" she warned.

"Great, Ironwood's little toy is back" Hunter grumbled.

Ruby let out a breath of relief "Phew, glad you're here"

"Penny, Oscar's hurt. I can't heal the wound without my Aura!" Jaune announced.

Penny soared over to them, taking Oscar in her arms gently "Get on the ship, we need to get out of here. Now"

"Right" Jaune nodded in understanding.

Jaune and Qrow helped Weiss back into the ship while Penny carried Oscar with ease. Blake, Ren and Nora quickly joined them. Ruby was about to do the same when Tyrian shouted "You're not going anywhere!"

He leapt onto the wing and used his tail to damage the engine before flipping over to the cockpit, his tail piercing the glass and pulling on the stick, forcing them to take off at maximum thrust. They were all knocked over, even Weiss was thrown from the side of the ship, with only Qrow's grip on her arm keeping her from being lost. The ship spun wildly as Tyrian laughed. Jaune managed to reach the cockpit and try to recover, but the engine caught fire, causing him to lose control over most of the ship.

"We're not gonna have a pretty landing!" he called back.

Ruby watched in horror, rushing toward the edge of the landing pad, only to receive a powerful strike to the side of her face, depleting her Aura as she crashed to the ground "Going somewhere, little red?" Hunter chuckled.

"You monsters!" she cried.

"Comes with the territory, honey" he lifted Crescent Rose off the ground "You know, Salem has given me strict orders not to kill you... but she never said anything about you being in one piece"

Ruby tried to move, but his heel was firmly planted on her collarbone, trapping her beneath him "You won't get away with this. Salem won't win!"

He raised her scythe up over his head "You're going to be a problem if you get free. Can't run away if you don't have any legs though" he chuckled "You shoulda just stayed home, kid"

Ruby closed her eyes as he swung the scythe down toward her legs, her breath hitching as she awaited the pain that would follow. Only it never came, she slowly opened her eyes to find Crescent Rose stopped by a single hand catching it, keeping him from harming her. Hunter glared hard at the owner of said hand, Ruby followed the hand up to its owner, eyes widening when she saw him.

"General?" she asked in shock.

He never turned to face her "You're not going to hurt anyone else, not as long as I have anything to say about it" he growled out.

Hunter twisted Crescent Rose and fired, forcing Ironwood back, sliding to a stop on one knee. He leapt back away from a downward swing from Hunter, rolling into the landing. Darting forward, he slammed into Hunter, throwing them both over the edge of the platform. Ruby rolled over to the edge and watched them slam down onto a connecting beam between support pillars below them, Ironwood's heels slamming into Hunter's chest as they landed, he kicked off of Hunter, rolling on his side to a standing position. She looked up to see the Manta had crashed not too far from the academy, she gasped at the sight of the damaged buildings.

"Hey, is everyone alright?" Ruby called with concern, placing two fingers to her earpiece.

"Oh, just peachy" Qrow replied.

"We're all okay" Blake assured "But Oscar is going to need some help fast, he's lost consciousness"

"He's bleeding a lot, there's not much we can do here" Jaune added.

"We'll find him help. I'll get him down to Mantle, all of you need to leave Atlas, now" Penny insisted.

"Then get going. I'll be right behind you"

"What happened to Tyrian and Hunter?" Ren asked.

"Last I saw Tyrian, he was still on your wing, Hunter is a bit... preoccupied"

"Preoccupied?" Nora asked "What'd you do?" she asked with a bit of excitement in her voice.

"I didn't do anything. Ironwood did"

"James? He's fighting Hunter?" Qrow asked surprised.

"Saved my life, actually... just in time too"

"Well, good news is: Tyrian isn't here now" Blake replied.

"I'm going to take Oscar down to Mantle, he needs immediate medical attention" Penny explained.

"We'll meet you down there. Ruby, we're heading toward those tethers you used to get up here the first time. Meet us there, and don't drag your feet" Qrow called.

"Got it" she pouted "Just gotta get my baby back first" she muttered to herself.

Ironwood flipped over Hunter's horizontal swing for his chest, soaring overhead. He ducked back beneath a swing over his shoulder as he landed, then flipped horizontally over a second swing for his legs. He charged forward, jumping over another swing, then sliding on his side beneath a final attack. Pulling his metal fist back to strike, he slammed it into Hunter's abdomen, knocking the air from his lungs. Hunter lifted Crescent Rose over his head, swinging downward at Ironwood, only for him to spin around the strike and counter with an elbow to his face as he turned, stumbling him back. Hunter's heel teetered on the edge, receiving a kick across his face from Ironwood, before an even more powerful kick to his chest sent him flying, losing his grip on Crescent Rose. Without wasting a second, Ruby leapt down after it, catching the weapon in her hand. She flipped over, firing it to slow her descent as she got lower, only stopping when she reached street level.

Ironwood couldn't help but offer a soft smile from his place above her "Always so reckless, those kids" he shook his head, his expression turning cold "If only they understood..."

Ruby looked back up at the academy from her place, she still didn't like the idea of leaving Yang behind, or Slade and Maria for that matter. But she couldn't afford to wait around or try to get back in... they'd just have to wait, they'd be back. She silently promised she would come back for them, they just needed a plan first.

---

Within the crater beneath Atlas, was a mining pit with trains and other locomotives as well as mining gear lined with squalid and overcrowded streets filled to the brim with people huddled around small heat sources, some natural, others electrical. Several crates labeled "Mantle Shipping Company" were scattered around the area. No soldiers remained in the area, leaving the people with only the few Huntsmen who remained behind to protect them from the Grimm surrounding the city. The gathered civilians were using blankets and empty crates or boxes as seats while they waited for the transport ships to return. Among them sat a tall man with a tattered makeshift brown cloth hood wrapped around his face, including his eyes. The man had a single pistol in his hand, cleaning it with a small cloth he'd found. A young Faunus woman with a long tail approached him with a bowl of food, smiling as she handed it to him. He looked up at her and shook his head, attempting to pass it back to her with a gentle hand.

"No, that's for you. You need to eat" she told him with a pointed look as she pushed the bowl back toward him.

"That's unnecessary" he replied.

"No, it is necessary" she pushed it back more forcefully this time "I'm not letting anyone go hungry tonight"

"I..." he sighed "Fine. Thank you"

She smiled "You're welcome" she took a seat beside him, tail wagging slightly "Your voice sounds a bit... off" she pointed out.

"Had an accident awhile ago. While on the job"

"You a Huntsman?" she asked.

"No" he answered quickly.

"Oh... you sorta look like a Huntsman"

"I'm not"

"Alright then" she looked around, watching some of the other volunteers passing around food to the others.

Among the nearby groups was a pair of two children sharing a single bowl while the mother had nothing. Still, the woman watched the two kids dig into their food with a soft smile on her face. The shrouded man stood from his place and made his way over to her, gently handing her the bowl in his hands. When she tried to refuse it, he simply forced it back into her hands without a word, then returned to his seat. She stared after him before taking a tentative bite of her food, but after tasting it, she quickly snarfed it down, having been hungrier than she realized. The girl watched the lone mother with a smile, then turned her attention back to the mysterious man.

"I don't suppose you think you can survive without food forever, do you?"

"Longer than she can" he answered "Where did all the soldiers go? There's so few Huntsmen around"

She shrugged "Dunno, was hoping you might know. They're awfully tight lipped about the whole thing"

He nodded silently "The Grimm have the city surrounded, but they're not attacking anymore... something is off"

"Yeah, I thought so too. Don't think I've ever seen Grimm act like that before"

"They're waiting for something"

"Waiting? Grimm don't wait, they're animals... right?"

He shrugged "So are we, even if we like to pretend otherwise"

"Well... yeah, I guess so..."

"Things have been difficult for our people, ever since Beacon fell" he mused aloud.

"No kidding. The embargo, the Grimm destroying our cities, that Councilor trying to kill one of the other Councilors. I mean, what a year, right?" she listed off humorously "At least we'll be safe up in Atlas, right?"

He leaned forward, clasping his hands together in front of him "Even if we get there, I'm not certain it would solve our problems... not the way things are now"

"Then... what hope is there?" she asked suddenly very uncertain of their chances of survival.

He sighed "Doubt and uncertainty are a prime source of fear, and fear draws in the Grimm. We as a people have suffered many losses recently... I myself have been down the dark road that can take people on. Without hope, it is easy to give into our darker instincts and desires... but it is in our darkest times when we must give ourselves hope. Otherwise we are no better than the Grimm we fight against"

She smiled "You sure you're not a Huntsman?" she asked with a cocked eyebrow.

He chuckled "No, no, I am not. I'm just a man... just a man trying to do the right thing however I can"

She nodded, extending her hand out to him "I'm Catalina by the way, Catalina Radcliff"

He accepted the gesture "Sable"

"Mm, that's a nice name"

"Thank you"

She smiled brightly "Well, I should get back to my father. I am sure he'll be out looking for me if I make him wait any longer"

He nodded "Don't let me keep you"

"It was nice meeting you, Sable" she added as her tail started wagging.

"The pleasure was all mine, Ms. Radcliff"

He waited silently for her to leave, as soon as she was out of sight, he pressed the pistol into his right shoulder, gently applying pressure to the trigger. He waited, moved his finger closer and closer to fully pulling the trigger. Never once did he feel anything stopping him, never once did his body stiffen or surge with pain, if you could even call it that anymore. Which could only mean one thing... he was free, as to what he should do with that freedom... well, that was anyone's guess. For now, he thought it'd be best for him to keep an eye on the people here, in case those Grimm decided to attack again.

"What the hell is that?" someone nearby asked in shock.

Sable turned his head enough to see the massive Grimm parting the clouds above "She's here..." he whispered to himself.

---

"Argh!" Cinder shouted as she slammed her Grimm arm against the Hard-Light barrier keeping her trapped in her cell.

Across from her cell sat Arthur Watts, watching her with amusement as she continued a relentless barrage against the barrier. Next to his cell was Emerald Sustrai, facing the corner with her knees pulled into her chest, choosing not to face either of them. Across from her cell was another with Yang Xiao Long's unconscious form resting on the bunk provided for each prisoner. The room was dimly lit, with only the Hard-Light barriers illuminating the room. The door leading into the room was an electrified Hard-Light barrier, leaving no room to chance any form of escape from inside.

Watts chuckled as Cinder continued to try and break through her cell "I don't know if you've noticed, but they reinforced your cell for a reason, Cinder. If you really want to break out of here, start using those powers of yours"

She growled at him in anger "I can't! That bastard stole them from me!"

Watts' eyes widened slightly "Wait, wait, wait... stole? Who stole them? How?"

She was pacing now as she spoke "Slade! Somehow, he can use the Summer Maiden's power... it's like she can take control somehow... and she knew how to remove my power from me!" she shouted the last part, slamming her fist into the wall in anger.

"Well, that is impressive... to think he possessed such power all this time. Makes me wonder if we can use that to our advantage"

"Not in here we can't" Cinder muttered.

"Well, seeing the two of you in here with me tells me all I need to know about how the battle is going" Watts sighed "I suppose we'll just have to wait here until Salem busts us out, or kills us for failing her"

Cinder yelled in anger "This is your fault!" she pointed to him "All you had to do was hack their defenses! If you'd done your part-"

"Me?" he asked with a laugh "I did my job as I was instructed. I'll admit, James getting the better of me was not how I saw our confrontation going. But my only task was to distract him until Salem could arrive with the second wave of our forces, crippling the military response"

"Ironwood stopped me from killing the Councilor, they knew Willow was working with us because you couldn't keep him occupied"

"Yes, well it seems Mantle is still standing as well. Which means Mr. Wolf was incapable of doing his own task as well. Seems those kids are more formidable than we gave them credit for. Where's that assistant of yours, Neopolitan, was it?"

She crossed her arms "How should I know? Her job was to capture Ruby, but Slade got in the way. I can only assume she retreated, since she's not in one of these cells with us"

"Assuming of course that she isn't dead" Watts grumbled "Well, at least one of us can do their job right" he added looking to Emerald "Killing Mr. Stroud is no small matter, my dear. You should be proud, not wallowing in a corner"

Emerald tightened her grip on her knees "I... I didn't kill anyone..." she quietly protested.

Watts quirked an eyebrow "How do you know?"

"Ironwood said if Slade died... so would we..."

"Well then, since we're all still alive, I take it things didn't go as planned. How unfortunate you failed to kill-"

Cinder snarled "But she could have! How am I supposed to get my power back if he's dead!?"

Watts laughed loudly "Perhaps all your time on your own has made you forget, but we work for Salem, not you" he stressed.

She growled "I will not be lectured by you, Arthur! You failed just as much as I did, and Salem won't care who's fault it is when the time comes. She'll destroy Atlas, and we'll all be punished for our failures!"

Watts waved her off dismissively "Yes, well... there's nothing to be done about it now, is there? We're all stuck in this together"

"Ugh... shut... up..." Yang groaned, sitting up on her bunk.

"Oh, goodie. She's finally joining us" Watts spoke with mock excitement, laying back onto his bunk.

Yang swung her legs over the edge of the bunk moving to rub her eyelids, only to find her arm was missing. She blew the locks of hair out of her face in annoyance "Of course they took the arm"

Cinder allowed herself a laugh "Yes, they did find it more difficult to remove mine. Though they did try"

Yang's eyes flashed red "You deserve a lot worse after what you've done. Beacon, Haven, now Atlas? A cell is the best you could hope for"

"I'd hope for a lot more, if your boyfriend manages to pull through"

Yang's hair was ablaze now "You leave him out of this!" she shouted punching the barrier keeping her trapped in her cell.

"Aw, am I upsetting you? Get over it. We're stuck with each other... at least for now"

"When I get out of here, you'll be begging-" Yang stopped when the door to the cellblock opened "You" she glared.

Ironwood stepped inside the cellblock alone, arms folded behind his back, making his way over to Yang's cell, stopping inches away from the barrier "Yang" he greeted.

"You bastard" she slammed her fist into the barrier, causing his frown to deepen "Where is Slade! What did you do with him?!" she demanded.

"Calm down-"

"You don't tell me to calm down!"

"Calm down, before I give you an injury"

Yang gave a humorless laugh "One of us wasn't enough for you? You really want to add me to the list?"

"James does so love his lists" Watts drawled.

Ironwood sighed "Yang, you have every reason to be upset at me. I simply wished to explain things to you, I was hoping you'd have had time to calm down"

"Oh yeah, there's nothing more calming than three inches of Hard-Light to act as a nightlight" she knocked her fist against it for emphasis "Next time you should give me some prison food for breakfast, that'll really help things along"

He took a deep breath, exhaling before replying "Yes, perhaps it was foolish of me to think" he admitted.

"Where. Is. Slade" she demanded a second time.

"He is receiving the best medical care I can offer, Pietro assures me he is going to be fine"

Yang's legs gave out from beneath her, falling onto her rear as she let out a breath of relief, all the fire in her eyes dying down "Thank god... I thought..."

"That I had killed him?" he turned to glare at Emerald "I feared the same when I realized what I had done"

Yang looked up at him in surprise "Realized? You mean it was an accident?"

He nodded "You remember during the Vytal Festival when the world saw you break Mercury's leg?"

"How could I forget..." she grumbled.

He nodded "I should've exposed Emerald and Cinder right then and there. I should've told Ozpin what I knew, I shouldn't have tried to solve it on my own... Slade gave me everything I needed to stop them, and I didn't. I wanted to learn everything I could about their plans before bringing them in... I had hoped it would lead to a solution to Salem"

Yang snorted "Yeah, guess we learned that's not a thing is it?"

He shook his head "Well, fate seems to have a sense of humor. Emerald tricked me into attacking Slade with her Semblance"

Yang quirked her eyebrow "If that's true, then why am I stuck in this cell? Just to calm down?"

He nodded "I didn't want you to come to and start attacking soldiers to try and get to me, or worse... if Slade had perished..."

She frowned "Yeah, I doubt I would've taken that news well"

"Nor would I"

She got to her feet "What does Ruby think about all this?"

He averted his gaze "She disliked the idea of you being in a cell as much as you do, but she was relieved to know Slade was going to be alright..."

"Okay..." Yang narrowed her eyes "So, you're going to let me out of here, right?"

Cinder and Watts were listening intently now, earning a glare from Ironwood as he returned his attention back to Yang "Of course"

He opened the cell door and motioned for her to follow behind him "Whew, for a second there I thought you were going to keep me there"

Ironwood shook his head "We should not continue this conversation with enemies present. I can't risk Salem learning of my plan"

"What plan? We have a new plan now?" she asked as they exited the room.

"We will discuss it back in my office" he assured.

"Gotcha" she nodded "Just lead the way then, boss man"

Ironwood allowed himself a small smile "General" he corrected.

"Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean"

They walked in silence until they reached the office door. Yang took notice of the signs of battle outside, blade markings on the floor and walls, burn marks and impact points for bullets "Looks like things haven't been much calmer since I-" she stopped when she saw the state of his office "Whoa"

"Things were... tense" he answered moving over to his desk.

"I can see that" she approached the shattered window, looking out at the massive beast in the clouds "Hey, I think I know what happened to those other airships" she pointed out.

"Indeed" he sighed "We can only assume Salem is aboard that gargantuan Grimm. If she takes to the field..."

"Yeah, bad news, got it" she plopped down into his chair, spinning as it rolled away from him "So, what's the new plan?"

Ironwood looked at her with mild amusement "The plan is to use the Relics. We ask the final question of the Lamp to show us how to use the Staff to stop Salem's army. We can use it to create a barrier to protect Atlas, or to create a weapon capable of destroying that thing" he pointed to it "Perhaps both"

Yang nodded along as he explained "Alright, sounds like a good plan. When do we start? I am gonna need my arm back before we get to the fighting parts you know"

He nodded "There's more to the plan than that, some complications... and your sister"

"Ruby? What about her"

Ironwood took a deep breath "She and all of your friends believe my plan is too dangerous, and have decided to work things out their own way. They've left the academy"

"They what?!" she asked in shock.

"I can only assume they're in Mantle, but honestly I don't know for certain"

"Wait, wait, wait, back up. What exactly about your plan did they not like?"

Ironwood took a deep breath before answering "Many of the casualties we suffered during the attack came from those we evacuated from Mantle. Without Pietro's countersignal to stop Chimera's control chips, we were attacked by our own. I halted the evacuation and recalled all military forces back to Atlas"

Yang's eyes widened "You're abandoning Mantle?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Given the state of things, I don't have many options-"

"Bullshit, so what if Salem is on our doorstep? We can't just abandon people because they might attack us. Those people are depending on us, we've sworn to protect them, you're supposed to protect them!"

"Yang, it's not that simple-"

"It is! It's that simple! If the Doc can get his signal back up, then we don't need to be concerned, right? Why not focus on that while we use the Relics? Then we just-"

"It's not that simple!" he shouted turning fully to her.

Yang stared up at him in shock, his eyes were devoid of emotion, cold and empty "What... what happened when they didn't agree?"

Ironwood straightened "I was going to have them placed in cells like yours until the battle was over. They would not be harmed or charged with any crime, just removed from the equation"

Yang stood up, taking a few steps back from him "Yeah, I guess that didn't go over very well"

He placed his hand onto one of his pistols "Yang, don't make this difficult. You're alone with only one arm, you won't make it far"

"Yeah, and what makes you think I'm just going to give up?" she asked putting her hand up defensively.

"The fact that you would never abandon Slade, and he's not going anywhere in his condition"

Her eyes widened "You can't be serious... are you threatening to-"

"Do I need to?" he asked tersely.

She glared at him "And when he wakes up, when you tell him your plan to abandon Mantle? What then? He shares a cell next to mine?"

Ironwood stepped around his desk "If it comes to that, yes"

Yang relaxed her stance, holding her hand up in surrender "Before you take me back to my cell, just answer me one thing"

"What is it?"

"Has anyone actually stayed on your side that knows your plan? Or did they all make it back to Mantle?"

He released his hold on his pistol "Ms. Calavera assured me she would not cause trouble and is currently restricted to her room, under guard. Winter remains steadfast in her duties... as for the rest" he sighed "They refused to listen to reason"

"And if they come back? Try to stop you?"

His eyes were emotionless and cold "I will do what is necessary to protect Atlas"

"Even if that means killing them?" she asked angrily.

The emotionless glaze seemed to leave his eyes immediately "I would never... I care about them too, Yang. All of you"

"Yeah? You've gotta funny way of showing it, threatening Slade if I try to leave might've not been your best start"

"I... I am doing my best here, Yang"

"Keep telling yourself that. Whatever helps, right?" Ironwood sighed in defeat.

"I'll show you back to your cell now. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this"

"It doesn't have to, General"

"Unfortunately, it seems it does"

---

Ruby poked her head around a brightly lit corner, spotting four Atlas soldiers guarding access to the tethers she and Slade had used to get from Mantle up to Atlas. She put two fingers to her earpiece "Guys, our way out is guarded. Where are you?" she whispered.

After a moment of silence, she began to get worried, turning back around the corner. She gasped when she felt something poking her foot. Looking down, she found a crow pecking her leg to get her attention. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Uncle Qrow, you scared the crap out of me"

The crow held up its wing, directing her further down the hall. Following behind the bird, she was led through the hall until they rounded a nearby corner by the elevator. She smiled brightly when she saw her friends all waiting for her "Ruby!" Blake called quietly.

"Hey, guys-oof!" Blake crashed into her, relieved to see she was alright.

"I'm so glad you're okay"

Ruby returned the hug "Of course I'm okay. I wasn't the one in the ship when it crashed"

Ren chuckled "Well, we got lucky"

"Penny pulled the whole super strength thing and stopped us from hitting too hard" Nora added, flexing her arm "I woulda done it too, but, uh... well, out of juice"

"Right..." Weiss rolled her eyes.

Qrow changed into human form once again, ruffling her hair "Good to see you, kiddo. But those guards are gonna be a problem"

"Yeah, I noticed. Did Penny and Oscar make it down to Mantle alright?" she asked.

"We haven't heard anything since she took off. But she said she'd meet us in the crater with the rest of the evacuees" Jaune answered.

"Then let's get going, before Tyrian, Ironwood, or anyone else comes to stop us" Ruby suggested.

"Easy there, pipsqueak. We can't just attack those guards" Qrow warned, stopping her with an arm on her shoulder.

"Why not?" she asked confused "We've already had to beat down a few tonight"

"Yeah, but if we do it to these guys, James is gonna know we're in Mantle. Right now, he isn't sure where we're hiding out"

"But he could already know we're heading to Mantle. No point in worrying about that, he's not gonna send anyone down to get us. It'd compromise their position in Atlas" Weiss explained.

"Hmmm... maybe you're right"

"Shh! Guards" Jaune warned. They all ducked around a nearby corner and listened to the guards talking as they passed by, heading for the elevator.

"You ever see Grimm act like that before?" the first asked.

"No, they're usually too busy trying to kill me. I've never seen them run like that, not when they have the advantage"

"The way I hear it, they're not even attacking patrol ships. Just watching them, like they're waiting for something"

"Waiting for what? Everyone in Mantle is crammed in the crater. They'd be easy pickings right now"

"Bit strange, right?"

"I just hope the General has a plan. I don't know how we're supposed to take down that many Grimm, it's ridiculous"

The elevator door closed, headed up to the surface. They let out a collective breath in relief "What now?" Blake asked.

"One of us could lure the guards away, then everyone else uses those tubes to head down to Mantle"

"It's as good a plan as any" Qrow shrugged "I can distract them pretty easy, then I'll follow you down"

"You're still injured, Qrow. I'll be the distraction" Ruby argued.

"Ruby..."

"Nope, I am not coming back up here to get you when you break a hip, old man"

He narrowed his eyes at her "I'm not that old, Ruby"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night" Weiss replied with a chuckle.

He frowned "Funny. You get to go first now, Ice Queen Junior"

The guards standing by the tethers were drawn to the sound of music playing nearby. They all looked down the hall to see if they could find the source of the music. One-by-one, they walked down the hall, looking around each corner as they went. Eventually, they came across a Scroll sitting on the ground, playing music at maximum volume. Qrow led the others to the tethers while they were searching, opening up the tubes and standing watch as they went down one after the other.

"Nice plan, Ruby" he smiled when she came rushing down the hall.

"That... wasn't me"

"It wasn't?" he asked in confusion.

"Come on, we need to go" Jaune called quietly as he started to get in, the rest of them having already slid down.

Qrow looked around "Alright, Ruby. You first, I'll be right behind-augh!" Qrow was knocked into the tube on his back, sliding down "Ruby!" he shouted back as he tried to slow down.

Ruby stood with Crescent Rose locked with Tyrian's wrist blades, having pushed Qrow in to avoid the stinger on his tail "Finally, I've got you all alone" he laughed

"Sorry, but I don't have time to chat" she looked behind Tyrian to see the guards from before rushing toward them.

Tyrian's tail moved to a nearby console "No, I don't think you'll be going anywhere. And no one will be coming back to help you" with the push of a button, the tubes sealed shut, just as a crow soared back through one, slamming against the sealed door as it closed.

"Ruby! Ruby!" she could hear her uncle call as he slid back down.

Tyrian's tail then started blocking rounds fired by the soldiers behind him. Ruby flipped over him, rushing right toward the door outside to the rafters, carefully making her way across them toward the tethers as Tyrian defeated each guard with ease. He rushed back to the console and just started wailing on buttons, stopping only when he heard a loud metal clang along with an announcement echoing through the structure.

"Tethers destabilized, connection terminated"

Tyrian leapt out onto the rafters with childlike curiosity, watching as the tethers disconnected from the structure and plummeted down to the ground far below "Oops"

Ruby stared in abject horror, she no longer had any path of escape, she was trapped. She was worried about what happened to her friends, but she wasn't sure if she could take Tyrian on her own now, not with her Aura having barely started to recover from her previous battle. She held Crescent Rose aloft, ready to defend herself as Tyrian slowly started to close the distance between them, a manic grin on his face.

"Oh dear, you're trapped out here, with me" he gestured to himself "What ever shall you do?"

"I'm working that out, give me a minute" she replied sharply.

"Why not make this easy on me and come willingly? Her Grace wishes you to be brought to her alive. You decide whether or not you arrive unharmed" Ruby glared and made no move to attack or disarm. He grinned "Good, I was hoping you would make this fun for me"

Tyrian leapt forward, forcing Ruby to block the strike from his blades with Crescent Rose. She swung for his head, then spun the scythe vertically for his legs. Tyrian deflected her blade, then stepped over her swing one foot at a time, sending his tail her way as he did. Ruby sidestepped the strike, moving to another rafter, Tyrian then swung his tail for her legs, forcing her to leap over them, soaring overhead onto the rafter behind him, teetering as she regained her balance. Tyrian leapt forward, swinging his blades toward her chest, Ruby stepped onto an adjoining rafter and elbowed him in the face, then leapt into a kick across his face, sending him back. Tyrian landed on one foot, bouncing twice before regaining his balance. Ruby fired Crescent Rose as he charged her, firing right back at her, forcing her to block each round.

"Let's get rid of this pesky old thing!"

Tyrian caught the blade of her scythe between one of his blades and then kicked her in the chest, sending her onto her back. Ruby slid over the side, barely managing to catch herself with one hand, dangling below Tyrian. He tossed Crescent Rose over the edge, sending it down to Mantle far below them. Ruby reached out, trying to catch it with her open hand, only to miss by inches.

"No!"

Tyrian swung down below the rafter, his blades retracting as he did, his tail holding him to the rafters. He swung his fist toward her, only for her to catch it, then kick him across the face. Tyrian caught her by the leg she attacked with in his opposite hand, then delivered a series of kicks to her face from every direction, depleting what little Aura she had regained since their last fight. He finished with a powerful upward kick to her chin, sending her back over the rafter, her back slamming against one nearby, barely catching herself with her hands. Tyrian swung by his tail, slamming his heel into her face and sending her back over the edge. Before she could fall, his tail wrapped around her neck, causing her to gasp for breath, struggling against him.

"Oh dear, look at you now. How sad" he grinned "You would've been better off never learning how to use those eyes in the first place"

She rasped out a reply "Ill... never... stop... fighting..."

He laughed "What does it matter now? There's nothing you can do, only she can decided what's to be done with you now"

Tyrian's ears perked up at the sound of footsteps on metal rushing toward him. He turned his head in just enough time to catch sight of his attacker as she acrobatically twisted herself around his arm and onto his back, her leg wrapped around his arm, her left hand pulling it up to slam his fist into his face several times as he stumbled. Tyrian grabbed his attacker by the leg, swinging her away from himself as he got her off his back. She flipped back acrobatically and opened the parasol in her hand, landing perfectly across from him on her rear, using the rafter as a seat and crossing her legs with a smile.

"Neo...?" Ruby rasped out.

"What are you doing?!" Tyrian asked incredulously.

Neo smirked at him with a tilt of her head, then pointed to Ruby, then to the rafter down in front of her.

"Are you out of your mind?" he asked "Her Grace will have you killed for this"

She offered him a single finger, then pointed back to Ruby, then to the rafter again. Her expression turned stern now, directing Hush right toward him with the blade exposed from the tip. Tyrian growled in annoyance, charging right toward her with Ruby still in his grip. Neo leaned back, catching his wrist blade between her heels. She tilted her head with a confident smile on her face, then opened Hush as she flipped back around the opposite side of the rafter, slamming her heels into his back as he stumbled forward. Tyrian lost his grip on Ruby as he struggled to catch himself on the rafters, dropping her over an exposed area. Ruby stared below in fear as she fell, only to groan as she stopped suddenly. Looking back up at Neo, she found the handle of Hush hooked around her ankle with both her legs hooked around the rafter, keeping her from falling.

"You... saved me?" she asked surprised.

Neo nodded, then slung her over to the closest rafter to her, allowing Ruby to catch herself on it. Tyrian charged toward Neo with a roar of rage. She unhooked her legs from the rafter, flipping back to a standing position on one opposite her. With an amused smile on her face, she sidestepped or ducked beneath each wild swing from Tyrian as he desperately tried to strike her with his Semblance, mocking him with expressions of feigned fright. Finally, he thrust his tail straight for her, only for Neo to catch it in the handle of Hush, pulling him to her as she flipped horizontally into a kick for his face, throwing him onto his back, barely catching himself with one hand. She flipped back into a kick down for his hand, forcing Tyrian to launch himself to another rafter to stay up, curling around it with his tail until he reached a standing position.

Ruby got herself up to her feet and just stared in amazement "It's like she's just playing with him..."

At that moment, she felt a poke on her shoulder, causing her to whip around, only for a hand to silence her gasp, one finger to her mouth indicating silence. Neo gestured with her eyes toward Tyrian and another image of herself. Ruby seemed to understand, giving a firm nod. With a smile, Neo slung her open hand around her waist, earning a shocked expression from Ruby. She quirked her eyebrow at her, trying to remain silent, receiving a wink from Neo as she held her heel over the open air.

"Neo, what are you DOING?!" her whisper became a shout as Neo leapt off the edge of the rafter.

Tyrian looked toward them in shock, then back to the Neo he'd been fighting. He roared in anger, smashing through her as she shattered into glass. Tyrian stopped just above where they'd leapt, screaming and thrashing in anger, his tail slicing across several rafters. Neo looked up at Tyrian as they fell with a smile, then opened Hush, causing them to slow to a gentle pace. Ruby's eyes were still closed as she clung to Neo with her entire body, screaming. Neo rolled her eyes, tapping the handle of Hush on her head in annoyance. Ruby opened one eye cautiously, then looked up at the open parasol guiding them to the ground. She breathed a sigh of relief, but did not relax her hold on her as they descended.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're insane?"

Neo shrugged.

"Just so we're clear on that..." she remained silent for awhile before adding "And thanks, for saving me, I guess"

Neo smiled, replying with a silent nod.

---

Wake up... wake up!

The light meeting his eyes as they drifted open pained him, but he forced them open all the same. He took a minute to look around the room from his place in bed. The incessant beeping of a heart monitor was the only sound he could hear, aside from the light snoring of the woman in front of him. In the chair beside his bed sat Winter Schnee, slumped against the back, gentle breaths passing through her lips every few seconds. His eyes drifted over to the door, several guards stood outside, visible through the window.

"Slade, focus" Elise's voice called from the opposite side of the bed.

He shifted his focus over to her "Where's Yang?" he rasped out.

Winter grumbled, her eyes fluttering open at the sound of his voice "Slade?" she asked in surprise, quickly straightened up "Slade, you're awake!" she smiled.

"Hey, Winter" he forced out.

Winter placed two fingers to her earpiece "General, he's awake"

Slade smirked "Gotta say, you weren't who I was hoping to be waking up next to"

She rolled her eyes "Welcome back. We were starting to worry you'd be out for the next part"

"Next part?" he asked.

She nodded "Salem's here, Slade. She's right outside the city in this massive Grimm. I've never seen anything like it before"

"I have" he replied gravely.

"You... you've what?" she asked surprised.

"Don't worry about it" he moved to sit up.

"No, no, don't move" she forced him back down firmly "You need to rest, that wound has only just healed"

Slade's Semblance forced her off him, then he pushed himself up "I don't need a babysitter, Winter. What happened to Yang?"

Winter sighed at his stubbornness "She's fine, no injuries. After what Emerald did to you-"

"Emerald?" he asked "James was the one who shot me, not Emerald"

She nodded, choosing to ignore his informal address of the General "Yes, but it was Emerald's Semblance that tricked him into attacking you. She and Cinder are both in holding cells right next to Arthur's" she explained.

"I see..."

Elise stepped around Winter to get into his line of sight "There's more to it than that. I warned you something like this would happen"

"Yeah, well you also told me to abandon Atlas. So you'll forgive me for not listening to you"

Winter turned her head to follow his gaze "You're... talking to your sister?" she asked.

He nodded "I need to speak with James-" he stopped when he tried to get up, his arm pulled back to the bed by a bolas "What the hell is this?" he demanded.

"Slade, you need to relax"

"Relax? Why the hell am I chained to this bed? I'm not the one who attacked-"

"Because I knew you'd try and get up before you recovered" Ironwood answered as he entered the room.

Slade looked up at him "Sir"

Ironwood smiled "It's good to see you're alright"

"More or less. But as you can see..." he used his Semblance to slip through the bolas "I'm fine" he moved to stand up, only for Ironwood to force him back into a sitting position with his hand.

"You're not. You need rest, time to recover"

"We don't have time. If Salem is here-"

"You will need to be at your best. You'll be no help to anyone in your condition"

"I'll be fine"

"No, Slade. You won't be. Something is seriously wrong with you" Winter argued.

"Excuse me?"

"Your Aura was damaged, unlike anything I've ever seen before. Pietro's running some tests to find out what-

"I know what it is"

Ironwood froze "You do?"

He looked to Elise "It's you, right?"

They both followed his gaze to empty space, unable to see the nod he recieved from her "Your body was rejecting me. I managed to control your body long enough to defeat Cinder, but our souls aren't merged like Ozpin's with his hosts. Your body isn't going to be able to handle that again, not for that long... it could kill you next time. Even for a short time it could be dangerous"

"Is that the pain I was feeling when we traded places? My Aura?"

She nodded "Yeah, I'm not sure we should do that again"

"Elise and I can't keep trading places, I need to keep control if I want to stay out of this hospital bed"

Ironwood sighed "Just when we had a real weapon against Salem, a fully realized Maiden..."

Winter frowned "Sir, that's not important right now"

He nodded "You're right, apologies. Salem's presence is... worrisome"

"Believe me, I know" he groaned painfully as he stood to his feet "So... who wants to tell me what's happened since I had my nap? Where are the others? Do we have a plan? Anything"

Ironwood took a deep breath before speaking "As many of our casualties came from those we evacuated to Atlas from Mantle, I halted the evacuation, without the signal stopping Chimera's control chip, we couldn't be sure we were secure. Ruby and the others didn't agree"

Slade nodded "I can imagine" he moved to pull the electrodes from his body.

Winter stopped him "Don't do that, you still need to rest and recover"

"I'm fine, really. You don't need to worry about me so much"

"Slade" she gave him a stern look.

Slade sighed "Fine, fine. I know better than to argue against that look"

"Good" she smiled.

"Do we have a plan to deal with Salem's reinforcements?" Slade asked, returning to sitting on the edge of the bed.

"We do" Ironwood answered "We're going to use the Relics. The Lamp will tell us how to use the Staff to stop her, then we'll use it to destroy that beast she rode in on and protect Atlas with a barrier at the same time"

Slade rubbed his chin thoughtfully "That lacks details, I suppose you haven't opened the vault yet?"

"No, there's... a complication"

"Complication?" Slade asked confused.

"Oz... is back"

"Oh... I see" Slade crossed his arms over his chest "I don't suppose he's being helpful"

"As helpful as ever" Ironwood answered with disappointment "He told me the plan wouldn't work"

"But you don't believe him"

"How could I? He's lied to us about so much for so long..."

"But you can't be sure he's lying either, can you?"

"No... that's why I need the Lamp. It will tell me what we need"

"Are you really sure we can afford to waste our only question like that? Oz knows all about the Relics, if anyone can figure out a way to use them to do the impossible, it should be him"

"You think it's impossible?"

"I think Oz wouldn't lie about that kind of thing... but I also know he doesn't always tell the full truth either. They Staff is made with the same magic the Maiden's use, the same the Lamp uses. It's supposed to be able to create anything, right?"

"If Ozpin is to believed, it can achieve anything. Even things incapable by the Maiden's magic or Dust"

"But not Salem's magic, right? The things we've seen her do, the things we've seen Cinder do, it's not even a comparison"

"So... what do you think then?"

"I think, that if the Staff is as magical as Salem is, if not more, then there has to be something we can do. I mean, this floating city is only possible because of the Staff, right?"

"It is" He smiled "I am glad you agree with me"

"So, what's the complication? Why wait to use the Staff before Salem moves in?"

Ironwood looked away "Because the others... are down in Mantle"

"I'm... not sure I understand"

Winter sat beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder "Ruby didn't want to support his plan, so she and the others fled Atlas, went down to Mantle to try and solve things their own way"

"Okay... so, what am I missing? Let them fight Salem their way while we fight her your way, right?"

Ironwood sighed "Oz said using the Staff would undo whatever it last created"

Slade's eyes widened "Then... Atlas would..."

"Crush Mantle, yes" he shook his head "I cannot in good conscience leave them to die down there. They've been with me every step of the way since they turned up in Atlas. I won't repay them with murder... I don't think I'd be able to live with myself"

"Then... what're you planning to do?"

Ironwood folded his hands behind his back "Yang is currently in a holding cell, she'll remain there until after the battle is over. Ruby won't abandon her sister... when they return to break her out or to stop me, I'll use the Relics then and only then. With them trapped up here, their only options would be to join her in a cell or help me stop Salem and save who we can"

"Or attack you for destroying Mantle, assuming Oz is telling the truth"

"Which would land them in a cell" Winter clarified.

"And if he is telling the truth?" Slade asked.

Ironwood's eyes lost focus, a glaze overtook them, one all too familiar to Slade "Then we do what is necessary to stop Salem. The Relics will stop her"

"Yeah, I was worried you'd say something like-" Slade's eyes widened "Hey, what're you-" they shimmered as his Aura shifted green.

"Slade?" Ironwood asked in surprise.

Slade's hand reflected a white Aura as his hand thrust to Winter's abdomen "What're you doing-" Winter tried to ask in shock.

An orb of light blue colored light left her body, passing through Slade's hand into the center of his chest. His eyes emblazoned light blue for a moment before turning to green "Doing what's necessary to stop Salem" Elise's voice answered.

Slade and Winter collapsed to the floor, the heart monitor going ballistic as Slade cried out in pain "What... what did you do?" she asked.

Ironwood just stared in shock "You... you're not the Maiden anymore, are you, Winter?"

She looked up at him, then back to Slade "I'm not?"

Slade writhed on the ground, shouting in agony. Ironwood shook from his stupor "Pietro, get down here. Now! There's been a situation with Slade"

"I'm on my way" he replied.

Winter looked to the tray table with a syringe on it "General, sedate him" she pointed.

He nodded in understanding, moving quickly to the table, then grabbing Slade "Keep him still"

She used one of her Glyphs to force him to stop moving. Without wasting a moment, Ironwood injected him with the sedative. After a moment, Slade's heartbeat started to return to normal, the pain dying down enough for him to pass out. The two of them stood silently around him, too shocked to say anything for the moment. Winter moved to help him up into the bed, putting him under the covers.

"What the hell just happened?" Ironwood asked.

"It looks like Elise forced control... I wasn't aware she could do that"

"Nor did I... and she took your power"

Winter tried to activate the Maiden's Power, but found no success "She... she did..."

"Which means we can't get into the vault"

"We can't... but he can, right?"

His hands curled into fists, slamming his right arm into the wall with a cry of rage, putting a hole through it. He slowed his breathing, Winter watching him carefully "I need to get Ruby's team back here immediately..."

"Sir?"

"Stay with him, send him to my office when he awakes again" he turned to leave without another word.

"I... of course, Sir" she called after him. She turned her attention to Slade and offered a small smile "Thank you" she whispered out.

She didn't have to wait long for Pietro to arrive "What happened?" he asked the moment he entered.

"Elise took control and forced him to take the power of the Winter Maiden. Apparently Elise taking control is what caused his body such distress last time"

He sighed "Then I'll have to get right to work. Why don't you get yourself something to eat, you must be starving"

"I'm fine" her stomach growled as if on cue.

"You sound fine" he smiled "Go on, we'll be here when you get back"

She sighed "Alright, fine. I'll bring it back here then"

Pietro got right to work looking him over as she left. Winter stopped at the door and gave one last look into the room, she still wasn't sure what she wanted to do in that moment. Part of her was telling her that she had a duty to fulfill... the other was almost screaming at her to get her head together. Without a word, Winter exited, leaving the doctor to his work. Elise stood over him, invisible to all eyes but his own, had he been conscious to see her. She leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead, a sad look on her face as she stood back up straight.

"I'm sorry, Slade... I don't like hurting you... but this was the only way to save you... and her"

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That's all this time! I hope you guys liked it. I'll try to have the next one out sooner rather than later, but my workload has increased recently so that may not be possible. I'll still do my best, though! Until next time!