Mama Mirajane-46
~A/N~
Hey, I am bringing these RWBY chapters back. Don't ask why, I don't even know. Just know I'm bringing them back, because I put too much effort into them to see them go to waste.
So don't AT me, I'm not gonna put up with it. 😡
"Finally, that mission was crazy." Scythe sighed, slumping to the couch in Shirou's study.
"I know. An' you didn't really help matters with how angry you kept getting with Ulster." Wendy exclaimed.
"Well you used Gáe Bolg in front of him, so that got him smart as to who we actually were." Scythe sighed. "Look, I don't wanna argue about this. We both have our baggage from that mission, it was a yearlong, so let's just get the next one over with, and I'll ask Grandpa if we can return to Tenjin-Ya for a couple days of relaxation."
"Good idea." Wendy sighed.
Scythe and Wendy waited for Shirou and Rin to return, and were greeted by both of them smiling.
"Very well done you two. You both managed to keep the timeline from being distorted, and both Miia and Scythe will be born on schedule, to their respective timeline's history." Rin exclaimed.
"So now we're going to our next mission?" Scythe asked.
"Yes, and afterwards, you'll go for a nice vacation before you go for your martial arts training." Shirou exclaimed.
"Well that's a nice change of pace." Wendy exclaimed.
"All right, so what are the specifications of the job?" Scythe asked.
"There are several. However we found that we can't place you where we initially wanted to, without damaging the timeline." Rin said, as Virgo came in, and set a thick folder down in Scythe's arms.
"What's up?" Scythe inquired.
"After doing some digging, we found that the Fall of Beacon was vital to maintain the timeline. But that doesn't mean we can't tweak a few things here and there." Shirou said.
"So, where will you be sending us instead?" Wendy questioned.
"We'll be sending you to Haven, to intervene and stop Salem's plans of making it fall, just like Beacon." Rin exclaimed. "Scythe, you'll be placed in the vault where the Relic of Knowledge is being held, and Wendy you'll be sent into the main action of the fight. It's imperative that Salem's minions don't get their hands on any of the Relic's. Shirou and I already swapped out the Relic of Choice, with a fake. An' while you're handling that, Shirou will be handling his own mission in Remnant."
"So, who else besides Team's RWBY and JNPR can we trust?" Scythe inquired.
"Unfortunately, Team JNPR is no more, and Team RWBY was separated after the Fall of Beacon." Shirou said, pulling out an urn from behind his back. "One of JNPR's own, perished. Now with Ruby at the helm, leading what remains of JNPR, they go by Team RNJR."
"Wait… RNJR… but the only letter missing from JNPR is P, and that was… Pyrrha?" Wendy questioned.
"Yes, these are all her remains." Shirou said. "Scythe, when the time is right, after you and the others made it to Argus, I want you to use your time and healing magic, to bring Pyrrha back. The timeline is fine for now, but if she remains gone, it will alter and shatter the timeline, creating a paradox. Pyrrha's urn will be on your trophy case for when the time comes for you to bring her back."
"Understood." Scythe said, his fists clenching. "So aside from RWBY and RNJR, who else can we trust?"
"A man named Qrow, he has magic, it's fairly small, and miniscule, but he has the ability to turn into a bird." Rin exclaimed. "An' a man named Ozpin. Ozpin knows about Celestial Knights, as does his inner circle. He's as smart, as he is cunning, because he's lived for centuries."
"He's an immortal?" Scythe asked.
"In a sense." Shirou exclaimed, Virgo taking Pyrrha's urn to Scythe's trophy case. "His real name is Ozma, and every time he dies, his soul and consciousness is reincarnated into a being with a mind like his."
"So, he's like Ginger Morgue." Wendy exclaimed.
"Again, in a sense, except the key differences are pretty easy to identify. He lives in harmony with the other souls of the bodies he inhabits before they'd merge as one, while Ginger would just force the souls out of the bodies, and take complete control of them." Shirou exclaimed.
"At least he's humane about it." Scythe said.
"Also, during the Fall of Beacon, Ozpin was killed, and his soul was reincarnated into a new vessel, by the name of Oscar Pines." Rin explained. "He's a young farm hand, and I'm sure you'll recognize him when you see him."
"Right." Wendy said.
"Word of warning." Shirou said. "Your magic may react differently to Remnant's unique atmosphere. So be careful on who you use it around, and don't let anyone know you're Celestial Knights, until after the Battle for Haven is over."
"Got it." Scythe said.
"Good luck to you both." Rin smiled.
~Haven Academy~
It was late at night as eight figures were walking through the courtyard of Haven Academy towards the main building, the light of the shattered moon illuminating their way. Upon entering the building, the eight of them stopped as someone stood upon the ledge of the stairs leading to the upper floors.
"Why hello." Leo greeted them. "Thank you for, coming. There seems to be more of you, than last time."
"Eh, you know what they say, the more the merrier." Qrow exclaimed. "So what's going on with the council?"
"Why… did you bring your weapons?" Leo questioned, moving his arm behind his back to hide his own weapon.
"What? Leo, we're Huntsmen. You okay?" Qrow inquired.
"Of course, of course sorry. Just haven't had my evening coffee." Leo said, as Yang spotted a raven on the balcony up to their right.
"Look, it's nice to see you, but we got work to do." Qrow exclaimed. "Are we getting support from the council or not?"
"Mom?" Yang questioned.
Leo looked to where the raven was, before Qrow took out his weapon and shot at the bird, missing as she flew away, avoiding the shot, before the raven flew behind Leo, and turned into a woman, wearing red samurai armor, and a white Nevermore mask.
"Raven." Ruby said.
"They… they really are magic." Nora exclaimed.
"If you're going to shoot me, shoot me." Raven said after removing her Nevermore mask, showing an older looking black haired Yang. "That was insulting."
"What are you doing here?" Qrow questioned, his weapon in blade form.
"I could ask you the same thing." Raven said. "You've been scheming little brother. Planning to attack your own sister."
"Leo, what have you done?" Qrow questioned.
"I…"
"Leo did what any sane person would in his position." Raven said. "He looked at all the information, he had in front of him, assessed the situation, and made a choice. An' it seems you all have to." She exclaimed directing her gaze to her daughter.
"You have the Spring Maiden." Qrow said.
"I do." Raven confirmed.
"Then hand her over and let's work together." Qrow exclaimed, putting his weapon away. "We can beat Salem."
"All that time, spent spying for Ozpin, and you still have no idea who you're dealing with." Raven exclaimed. "There is no beating Salem."
"You're wrong." Ruby exclaimed. "We've done things that most people would call impossible, and I know the only reason why we were able to do it, was because we didn't do it alone. We had people to teach us, people to help us. We had each other." Ruby said, taking a few steps forward. "Work with us. At I know, we'll have a better chance if we try together." She held out her hand for Raven to take. "Please."
"You sound… just like your mother." Raven said, before she pulled out her blade, and opened a portal. When the portal was open, a fire ball attack came out, and hit Ruby right in the chest.
"Ruby." Yang called out, running to where her sister skid to a halt.
"Hello boys and girls." A woman with short black hear, wearing a red dress with a long left sleeve, and bangs covering her left eye, said coming through the portal with three others behind her.
"Cinder." Ruby glared.
"C'mon guys. Is that any way to greet your old friends?" Mercury, the silver haired boy questioned, getting a rise out of Yang.
"Everybody stay calm." Qrow said, before the doors behind him opened up, and in came Hazel, a hulking brute of a man with dark chestnut hair.
"Oh no." Oscar said, recognizing him.
"The White Fang is prepping demolition, and securing the school grounds." Hazel said. "No one's getting in, and no one's getting out."
~Outside~
"Once the charges are set, move back to perimeter watch." The red haired, Bull Faunus Adam, said directing the followers of the White Fang as they were setting the explosives up to detonation. "Tonight, Haven falls." He said with a sinister smile.
~Back Inside~
"This was all just a trap?" Weiss questioned.
"It appears so." Ren confirmed.
"Raven, tell me." Qrow said, clenching his fists, glaring at his sister. "How long have you been with them?"
"Aww, don't take it personally little bird." Cinder said in a mocking tone. "Your sister was a recent addition. The lion on the other hand… Entrance into the Vytal Festival, was a real treat. But Leonardo's been sending all sorts of information to Salem for a very, very long time. Isn't that right, professor?"
"Stop it." Leo exclaimed.
"It was you." Qrow said in realization. "You sit on the Mistral Council. You had information on every Huntsman and Huntress in the Kingdom, and you gave it all to her."
"I…"
"I couldn't find any of them." Qrow said, raising his voice. "Because you let her kill them."
"Aw now, don't beat yourself up about it Lionheart." Cinder said, seeing the saddened look on the lion Faunus's face. "I'm sure Tyrian and Hazel, would have found them on their own, eventually."
"What is wrong with you?" Jaune said. "How can you be so broken inside? To take so many lives, and then come and rub it in our faces, like it's something to be proud of."
"Jaune." Nora said with concern.
"All with that damned smile on your face." Jaune shouted, tears pouring down his cheeks, and his teeth grit in anger.
"Everybody stay calm." Qrow said, as the others pulled out their weapons.
"I'm gonna make you pay for what you did." Jaune said, reaching for his sword. "Do you hear me?"
"Kid." Qrow tried hard to get the situation to simmer down, but none of that was happening.
"Well, say something." Jaune shouted.
"Who are you again?" Cinder as with an unamused look on her face.
Jaune's face took on a look of disbelief, before it turned into a look of rage, as he turned the edges of his shield/sheath, into the blade of a broadsword, and went running at her.
Cinder just smiled, and created a blade of her own, using it to block Jaune's attack. The force of his swing, that she blocked, had blown by her, and caused the chains on the Haven Guardian statue, to swing about.
"Jaune." Ruby called out, running for him. Using the recoil of Crescent Rose, to send herself into the air, Ruby transformed her weapon into its scythe form, before a chained sickle wrapped around her, and dragged her to the ground, courtesy of Emerald.
"You're not getting near her." Emerald smirked, bringing the chain back into her weapon.
As that was going down, Cinder pushed back against Jaune, forcing him to back up, as she went after him. Before Yang went running to help, but was intercepted by Mercury.
"Hey there blondie. I'm thinking you owe me an apology for my leg." Mercury said. "Don't ya think?"
"Grrrrr." Yang growled at Mercury, before she sent herself right at him with the recoil of her Ember Celica.
"Take out the Heiress. Don't bother wasting your power. She's not worth it." Raven instructed her subordinate Vernal, before she pulled out her blade and blocked a strike from Qrow.
"Running away was one thing, but this… you've crossed the line." Qrow said.
"Sorry brother. Sometimes family disappoints you like that." Raven exclaimed.
"We're not family anymore." Qrow stated.
"Were we ever?" Raven inquired.
"I thought so." Qrow admitted. "But I guess I was wrong."
With that, the duo siblings began fighting, dodging and deflecting each other's attacks as they let their swords do the talking from then on.
Meanwhile, Weiss became occupied with Vernal, as she walked towards the white haired woman, itching for a fight.
"Let's see what the Schnee name, really means." Vernal said, pulling out her weapons.
"I'm more than a name." Weiss said, pointing her rapier at Vernal.
"Hmm, prove it." Vernal said.
Almost instantly, Weiss created a glyph under her feet, and launched herself at Vernal. While that was going down, Oscar was sneaking his way up the steps to Leo, with Hazel spotting him, before the big brute of a man, became occupied when Ren and Nora came and brandished their weapons, ready for a fight.
"I don't wish to fight either of you." Hazel said.
"Nor I, you." Ren said.
"But we will if you're with her." Nora said.
Hazel turned to face them fully as he cracked his neck, and his knuckles, walking towards them.
"Very well then." Hazel said, marching towards them.
While all the fighting was happening down below, Leo was unaware of the opponent, he would be facing, until he turned to leave, only to find Oscar there on the platform with him.
"Young man, I don't know who you are, or what you think you're doing, but for your sake, I suggest you leave." Leo said, readying his weapon. "Now." Oscar just looked at Leo before marching closer still unarmed. "I'm warning you." Leo said, activating his weapon. When Oscar saw the weapon was activated, he reached behind him for the weapon he and Ozpin shared. "That's enough." Leo said, before pulling the cord and firing an attack at Oscar, comprised of earth and flame Dust. Before Oscar could grab the weapon on the small of his back, he crossed his arms over his chest, and let the attack hit him, only taking a small amount of damage to his aura, leaving Leo shocked. Walking up the rest of the steps to the platform, Oscar pulled out his weapon, and activated it, shocking Leo even more. "Ozpin?"
"Not quite." Oscar smirked, before he went on the offensive and attacked Leo.
Using the skills he learned through Ozpin's muscle memory, Oscar was batting Leo around like it was nothing, not giving him a chance to catch his breath or footing to retaliate.
"This can't be. I knew you would be back but, you made it here, you found Qrow, how?" Leo questioned before he realized something.
"Leo, what happened to you?" Ozpin's voice echoed in Oscar's head.
"Wait, you couldn't have had this form for long. You're… not really Ozpin right now, are you? You're a boy, a child. If I deliver you to Salem, she'll have to be pleased with me, and I can finally get out of all of this. I can finally be free." Leo said, before preparing another attack.
"What do I do?" Oscar questioned Ozpin.
"Fight." Was Ozpin's only reply.
The battle continued to rage on in the hall of Haven Academy, as Weiss was bouncing from glyph to glyph, avoiding the attacks from Vernal's weapons, as she planned to make her own move. Weiss deflected one of Vernal's shots before bouncing to another glyph, and then bouncing back, but hitting a support pillar instead. As she picked herself up, she quickly used her rapier to deflect the oncoming boomerang blade Vernal threw at her, sending it back to its owner. Just as Vernal was near enough to strike a fatal blow, Weiss created a black glyph and sent herself sliding back, away from the bandit woman, and created a wall of ice, that wouldn't hold for long, but hoped would give her enough time to do what she needed done.
Weiss pierced the ground with her blade, and created a spinning glyph, as a ghostly suit of armor came out from the glyph as Weiss was summoning her armored soldier, but the wall was destroyed, with the suit of armor, when a large blade of heat cut through them both, and Vernal hit Weiss on the head with her weapon, knocking her back.
"Don't think I'm going to let you take the easy way out." Vernal said, looking at her weapons as if examining them.
Over on the other side of the room, Jaune was knocked to the ground as he was still fighting against Cinder, who was just too powerful for him.
"I'm starting to remember you." Cinder said. "You're the dense one that can't tell when he's out of his league."
Jaune just growled and shot right back up to his feet, as he continued his fight with Cinder, while Ruby was distracted by his, but still preoccupied with her own fight, as she fought against Emerald.
"Why are you doing this?" Ruby questioned, spinning Crescent Rose around, deflecting shots from Emerald's weapons in their gun forms. "Salem's…"
"I don't care about Salem." Emerald said. "But I owe Cinder, everything. You wanna fight her that bad? Be my guest."
With that Emerald created an illusion of flames and Cinder, as she used it for cover to distract Ruby, before she swept her feet out from under her. With her feet swept out from under her, Ruby accidentally fired off a shot from Crescent Rose, and the bullet flew towards the fight with Weiss and Vernal. Weiss deflected both the shots from Vernal, and Ruby, before she created a black glyph Vernal landed her feet on, and was sent through the air, behind her. When Weiss tried to focus on summoning her fallen foe, she was shot in the back, but continued fighting, against Vernal, realizing she didn't have the right conditions for summoning her fallen foe. Weiss kept dodging and deflecting Vernal's attacks, and sent the bandit girl back, and up into the air, before trying again to summon her fallen foe, but when she did, Vernal hooked her blades into Weiss's and smirked before she fired a constant stream of Dust energy at Weiss, causing her to cry out in pain, before her Aura shield was depleted.
This drew Jaune's attack from the fight with Cinder, as his eyes grew wide with concern. Cinder saw this concern in his eyes and smirked, as she realized what his true weakness was.
"Are you gonna let her die to?" Cinder questioned, with a smirk.
"Stop messing with me." Jaune shouted, tears streaming down his face like a waterfall.
"If that's what you want." Cinder smiled, aiming her sword at him, before she caused it to explode, taking Jaune back as he shielded himself.
When he looked back at her, he saw her blade was composed completely from fire. This didn't dissuade him, as they both lunged at each other, ready to take the other's life. Ruby heard what they were saying, and after deflecting Emerald's attack, she turned back to see Jaune and Cinder charging at one another, and an image of what happened to Pyrrha flashing in her mind. Her heart began to race as she couldn't let that happen again.
"NO." Ruby shouted, her eyes shining silver, before the entire hall was engulfed in it. As fast as the light came, it dissipated, as Emerald knocked Ruby unconscious. Jaune and Cinder had stopped when the light shined around them, and Jaune saw the light had effected Cinder's left arm.
Without taking any chances, Jaune lunged at Cinder, ready to skewer her head. But Cinder was able to dodge the attack, with her black glass mask over her left eye, getting nicked as she fell to her right.
Cinder was mad as she picked herself up, and as evidence of that, flames started spewing from her tear ducts, as she glared at Jaune, before she marched up to him, and slammed her foot on his torso, knocking the wind out of his lungs.
"Did you think you actually had a chance against me?" Cinder questioned. "You?"
Jaune cringed under her glare, before he spotted his weapon, and tried to reach out and grab it.
"You're just a failure with a death wish." Cinder said, the flames in her eye dissipating.
"If I die buying them time, then it's worth it." Jaune exclaimed. "They're the ones that matter."
Cinder looked out to the battle around them, seeing Hazel dispersing of Ren and Nora with ease, and Mercury holding his own against Yang.
"You think so." Cinder smirked before spotting Weiss getting thrown about by Vernal, and picking herself up.
Removing her foot from Jaune's chest, Cinder walked towards Weiss, creating a spear identical to Pyrrha's, made from molten rock and burning lava inside it, and held the weapon in her hand tightly. As Jaune was picking himself up, he saw what Cinder was doing, and his eyes widened in horror.
"No." Jaune said. "NO." He cried out, before Cinder threw the spear.
As the weapon went soaring through the air, no one was aware of the silhouette of a figure high above the building through the sky lighting window, until the sound of the glass shattering echoed around the hall, and another spear, red with runes carved into the neck, came flying through the air, and stopped the spear heading for Weiss, ten feet short, with both spear heads imbedded in the ground.
The others were surprised about this, before the figure from above came falling down, and landed on the blunt end of the spear she threw, crouched down in a squatting position. She was dressed in an attire comprised of a black sports bra around a chest bigger than Yang's, with a red spider skull between her shoulder blades and her left breast, with a black skort with red trimmings, and a choker around her neck with a hear shaped gem on it. She wore a pair of vambrace with fingerless gloves, accompanied with a long black stockings leading down to zip up ankle height combat heels with red souls. Her hair was royal blue, and her hair was tied in a braid down the length of her back. She looked up with her ember brown eyes, and glared at Cinder, before flipping forward, off the spear handle, and onto the ground. Reaching with her hands, Wendy plucked both spears from the ground, and put Gáe Bolg over her right shoulder, with the molten rock spear in her left hand, looking like it didn't even have a scratch on it.
"Who the hell are you?" Cinder questioned.
"Heh." Wendy smirked, before light blue flames began emitting from her eye sockets, the spear in her left hand, taking on a blue tint. "As if I have to answer you."
Cinder's eye shrank, before it widened and she charged at Wendy, ready to steal her power, thinking Wendy was another Maiden.
"That power, belongs to me." Cinder cried out, creating a sword and striking Wendy with it, but the blade was blocked by the very spear she had created to pierce Weiss.
"Cute, you think I'm one of the Four Seasonal Maidens." Wendy said, before kicking Cinder in the stomach, and sending her flying into a wall.
With that out of the way, Wendy turned to the steps to find Leo falling down them, and slammed into Hazel.
"Ruby get up." She heard Oscar say. She turned her head to see Oscar and Nora both trying to get Ruby to wake up. "Get up, we need you."
'The resemblance is uncanny.' Wendy thought. 'She looks younger sure, but she looks exactly like the Ruby, Scythe and I know.'
"You're letting that boy make a fool of you." Wendy turned back to Hazel and Leo, and saw the big muscle bound man holding Leo up by the collar of his shirt.
"That's not just a boy." Leo exclaimed. "It's Ozpin. He's already reincarnated."
Wendy saw Hazel's eyes widen at the mention of Ozpin's name, and knew it would be trouble.
'Looks like the file on Hazel was true. He's got a deep seeded hatred for Ozpin, that can't be quenched.' Wendy thought, before she jumped into the air, avoiding one of Emerald's chained sickles. 'Emerald, her file was pretty straight forward. A thief, with an obsession for Cinder, and will do anything for her, like a loyal dog.' Wendy landed on the ground, before bending back, evading a kick, with a gunshot, from Mercury. 'Mercury, son of Marcus Black. Born and raised to be an assassin, when he unlocked his semblance, his father stole it from him, with his own. Murdered his own father, and lost his legs in the battle, replacing them with artificial ones.' Jumping back, Wendy threw one of the spears at Mercury, only for him to dodge it, by leaning to the side. With his gaze off her, Wendy took that moment to race towards him, and by the time Mercury turned back at her, it was unable to dodge her elbow to the face, before she kicked him in the gut, and sent him to a pillar. 'Still, even if he had a Semblance, it wouldn't matter. He's not aware of any of my strengths or weaknesses, so I would still have an advantage over him. He could probably win on fighting skill alone if he fought hard enough against me.'
"OZPIN." Hazel shouted.
"Not good." Wendy said.
"You thought, you could hide, from me?" Hazel questioned, before he began tearing at his clothes, revealing his arms, covered in multiple scars that connected with one another, before he reached into the pouches on his thighs, and pulled out four Lightning Dust Crystals. "You'll pay for what you did. You'll die, over and over again." Hazel declared, before stabbing the volatile substance into his arms. The Dust began running its course through his body, as he started to breathe heavily, from the lightning coursing through him, before he gave off a battle cry, with lightning sparking from his eyes.
"Definitely not good." Wendy said, swiping the gem on her choker, switching her element to lightning.
The instant Hazel charged at Oscar, Wendy charged him, and intervened, slamming her shoulder into his torso as her body sparked with sky blue lightning.
"Out of my way, this doesn't concern you." Hazel said.
"When it involves Ozma, it involves me." Wendy said.
Inside Oscar's mind, Ozpin was taken aback when Wendy had said his actual name, and Oscar could feel it. But they didn't have time to talk about that, as the ground shook, when Hazel tried slamming his fist into Wendy to knock her away with a closed fist bitch slap, but she surprised him with her strength, when she countered it with her own, backhand block. Taking Hazel's shock to her advantage, Wendy twisted her wrist around, and grabbed the big guy by the forearm, before she twisted her body around, and threw him over her shoulder and into the ground.
Cinder picked herself up from where she landed and saw Wendy holding her own against Hazel, and decided not to try and mess with her, at least not until she'd tired herself out fighting the big guy. But there was another concern, one she took notice of, when Hazel shouted.
"Ozpin is here?" Cinder questioned.
"Is that a problem?" Raven asked.
"I'm not sure, but right now we've got the upper hand." Cinder exclaimed. "Let's not waste it. Leo, open the path to the vault."
Leo got up and ran to the statue, before he took out his pocket watch, and placed it on the larger hollow pocket watch of the chain belt around the statue's waist, before it began to lower and the platform went into the ground.
Yang saw what was happening as Raven, Cinder, and Vernal stepped onto the platform when it reached ground level, before she looked to where Ruby was, as Nora was keeping check on her.
"Stop them. We've got your team covered." Nora called out.
Yang nodded, but when she turned to leave, she was sent to the ground, with an axe kick to the head from Mercury.
"You wanna get to them, you're gonna have to go through us, all of us." Emerald said, as she began making doubles of Mercury, as the elevator to the vault, left their sights.
"Hey, Xiao Long." Wendy called out to Yang, getting her attention, as she pushed against Hazel's strength. "Don't worry about those three heading for the vault. There's already someone there guarding it."
"What?" Emerald questioned turning to look at Wendy. "Who?"
"Someone a whole lot stronger than me." The blue haired young woman smirked.
~Haven Academy Vault~
"Sounds like Wendy's having all the fun up there." Scythe sighed, sitting back against the vault doors. "Why did I get stuck guarding the vault again?" He questioned, before he heard the mechanical whirling of the vault's elevator activating. "Oh right, in case Cinder and whoever else came to try and steal the relic." He said, getting to his feet with no weapons on his person.
~Haven Main Hall~
"Hazel stop this." Wendy exclaimed, using her spear to block Hazel's punch. "I get why you're upset with Ozpin, I do." She said, before Hazel pulled back his arm. Wendy's eyes widened before she crossed her arms over her chest, with her arms taking most of the brunt of his attack.
"You know nothing of what his evil did to me." Hazel shouted, entwining his hands into one and brought them down on Wendy, who used Gáe Bolg to block the strike, and push back against it.
"Yes I do." Wendy said pushing back. "I know what it's like to feel abandoned. I know what it's like to lose someone who meant everything, the world, to you." Wendy exclaimed, seeing the pain in Hazel's eyes. "I know what happened to your sister. But do you really think, Ozpin is the one responsible for her dying at the claws and teeth of a Grimm?" Wendy questioned.
"Shut up." Hazel growled.
"He's not the one with control over those monsters. Ozpin has zero control of what the Grimm do. Your sister died at the hands of a Grimm, and who's fault do you think it really is, who is the one person in this entire world, who can control the Grimm?" Wendy questioned, seeing her words were getting through to him. "Salem is using you, and I wouldn't be surprised if she was the one who personally ordered the Grimm to attack your sister, just so she could have a means for manipulating you, and getting her hands on your power."
"You don't know the kind of hell she was put through, the kind of torture my little sister went through before she died." Hazel said.
"Then how would Salem know?" Wendy questioned, pushing back against him, before kicking him in the stomach, sending Hazel into a pillar, bashing his head into the wooden material of the support beam.
"Hey, Arc." Wendy called to Jaune. "Schnee could use a power boost. I think now might be the time to try and discover your Semblance."
"How am I supposed to do that?" Jaune questioned.
"Try imagining pushing your aura through into someone else, like lightning, through metal. Once that's done, have her put up an ice barrier to prevent anyone from going down the elevator shaft to warn Raven, Cinder, and Vernal." Wendy exclaimed, running towards the destroyed entrance, and landing a double kick on Hazel's chest.
~Elevator to Vault~
All was quiet as the trio were riding down the elevator to the relic vault, with Vernal looking more than a tad worried.
"Are you nervous girl?" Cinder questioned her. "The first Maiden in, why I'm not sure anyone knows how many years, is about to open a vault. I would say it's quite an exciting time. Don't you feel honored?"
"No, I'm not concerned with any of this." Vernal said. "All I care about is my tribe, my family. This is a burden, not an honor."
"Well, you've conditioned her quite well Raven." Cinder said, before they reached the chamber the vault was in.
When they got to the ground level of the vault's path, they trio were surprised to find someone already there, sitting in front of the vault in a meditative position with his legs crossed. He was dressed in similar clothes to what she saw the blue haired girl wearing, but they were meant for a man instead of a woman, as his entire torso was covered, with a pair of pants instead of a skort, and scars traveling all the way up his right arm, to just above his right eye.
"He, shouldn't be there." Raven said.
"You think? He's wearing the same type of uniform as the girl upstairs." Cinder said as they walked towards the vault. "Hey, out of the way."
"I don't think so." Scythe calmly said, without opening even a single eye. "None of you are welcome here. False Maidens will not get access to the Vault."
"What did you just call me?" Cinder questioned. "I am the one true Fall Maiden, the power I wield is rightfully mind, and I will be shown the respect I deserve."
"You are a false maiden, who stole her powers. You both are." Scythe said getting to his feet. "I will make sure Salem doesn't get her hands on the Relic of Knowledge."
"You're with Ozpin?" Cinder questioned.
"No, I'm not with him. But I am against Salem." Scythe said, before several blades made of black glass pierced his chest, causing him to fall back and hit the vault door.
"That's reason enough for me." Cinder exclaimed, grabbing his body and tossing it aside onto one of the lotus pads in the walkway.
As Vernal stepped forward to put her hand on the gate, one of the blades that pierced Scythe's chest came and pierced the door, stopping her from putting a hand on the surface, and caused them all to turn around and look at where it came from to see Scythe standing on his feet, all the blades pulled from his chest and in his hand.
"You obviously don't understand what the skull on my chest means. So let my spell is out for you." Scythe said as the puncture wounds healed before their very eyes, as his eyes lit up with scarlet and black flames. "I'm a Celestial Knight." He exclaimed, dropping the blades onto the ground. "You're not getting your hands on the relic, if it's the last thing I do."
"A Celestial what now?" Vernal questioned.
"A cosmic peace keeper of balance and order, and Cinder just killed us all by skewering him." Raven said.
"You see this skull on my chest? It represents my ranking, as an Archlich Level Celestial Knight, the most lethal ranking of them all. Right under the leader." Scythe said, before he disappeared, and reappeared behind them. "Now, seeing as it was only one of you who skewered me, I'm inclined to let the other two go."
Cinder growled, before she spun around, and froze Raven in a block of ice, before the left sleeve of her dress tore apart as a Geist arm shot out, and skewered Vernal through the stomach. Cinder smirked as she thought she'd be absorbing the Spring Maiden's Power, but she frowned, before Scythe slammed a fist into her face, sending her skipping along the three lotus pads, one of her own blades piercing her leg with the second skip, before she was frozen to the ground by her back.
Scythe caught Vernal in his arms, as he gently lowered her to the ground, right before Raven broke free, flames spewing from her eyes.
"Knew you'd break out." Scythe said.
"How'd you know Vernal wasn't the real Maiden?" Raven questioned.
"Because I'm not an idiot, unlike Cinder there." Scythe exclaimed, using his healing magic on Vernal to seal the wounds. "Vernal doesn't have her aura unlocked, which means she doesn't have her semblance either. An' I can sense who has magic, and who doesn't. You have magic radiating from you in waves, I'm surprised Salem didn't find you sooner with how loud you're broadcasting that signal. Try suppressing that signal, please." Scythe said, lying Vernal completely on the ground. "Vernal will be fine, she just needs rest."
"You called me a false maiden, why?" Raven questioned.
"Because you did the same as Cinder to obtain your power. You murdered the Maiden who had the powers before you." Scythe said. "She trusted you, I'm betting she even looked up to you, like a mother. She would have had to have trusted you immensely if you had been in her final thoughts. So why?"
"She was scared when we found her." Raven said. "She was weak, no matter how much training I put her through, she never learned. She wasn't cut out for this world, and with those powers, she would have been hunted her entire life. What I did, was mercy." Raven declared before Scythe grabbed her by the throat and slammed her into the ground, causing it to crack.
"You think that justifies murder? The file my grandfather has on you explained your view of the world, and I gotta say, it's complete shit." Scythe said standing up, and stomping his foot on her stomach. "Medusa."
In a flash of light the Rider Servant appeared beside him, ready to complete what he asked.
"How may I be of service?" She inquired.
"I want you to restrain this woman with your chains. Once I've finished dealing with Cinder, suspend her over the second platform right there." Scythe said, pointing to the middle lotus platform. "With her arms and legs spread out as tightly as possible. She's responsible for murdering a Maiden, so she's gonna suffer for it." He exclaimed, before reigniting the flames in his eyes as Cinder broke free of the ice holding her down, and looked ready to kill someone, again. "Now let's dance."
~Haven Main Hall~
"This is getting us nowhere." Leo said, firing shot after shot at Qrow and Oscar as Hazel was still preoccupied with Wendy and Ren.
Jaune and Weiss were being guarded as Jaune was try, and succeeding in unlocking his Semblance, giving Weiss a boost in aura.
Wendy plunged her spear into the ground and used it to get her feet off the ground before she swung forward, and slammed both her feet into Hazel, knocking him and sending him through the closed entrance to the academy, tumbling back into the courtyard, stopping in front of the White Fang.
"What's going on in there?" One of the foot soldiers questioned, looking to Adam.
"None of your concern." Hazel exclaimed, picking himself up, before reaching into his pouches and pulling out two Burn Dust Crystals, stabbing one into each arm, thus empowering him with both lightning and flames.
"Well shit." Wendy cursed reaching between her breasts and pulling a small gem in a shield shaped frame, out of her cleavage. "Looks like I'm gonna have to use this battle as a test run for the new add on to the device Scythe made for my choker." She said.
Wendy held the smaller gem right under the main part of her choker, and from out of the top, two prong like connectors reached out and connected to the main gem of the choker, and started to glow. Before she swiped the surface of the gem, making the element from it flames, giving herself dual elemental control.
"Stay focused." Adam's voice rang out. "Our friends are almost done here."
"ADAM." A voice Wendy recognized, called from the rooftops near Haven Academy.
"Blake?" Adam was surprised to see her there, and not in a cell at the White Fang base, where she belonged.
"Who is that?" Hazel questioned.
"Stand down." Blake said, calling to the White Fang.
"Wait." Adam said as the White Fang began aiming their weapons at her, before he laughed. "To think that I went through so much trouble to find you, only to have you deliver yourself to me."
"This isn't what's right for the Faunus." Blake declared. "Stop what you're doing, and we can end this peacefully."
"You're wrong Blake." Adam said. "An' you can't stop us."
"No, I can't." Blake said, surprising Adam with that response. "Not by myself."
"That's why she didn't come alone." A blonde monkey Faunus with an open white shirt, said as he came with a practical army of Faunus, behind him, all of them holding weapons, and shields with the original White Fang emblem on them.
"What?" Adam questioned.
"Who's there?" A White Fang soldier called out.
On the other side of the courtyard, Adam saw Blake's father coming in with even more Faunus ready to fight and stand up for what was right.
"Your brothers and sisters." Ghira Belladonna said.
"M-Mata?" One of the White Fang soldiers asked, recognizing his little brother.
"Please, stop this." The Faunus known as Mata said.
Adam could see that his fighters were losing faith and nerve in what was happening, and began backing down. So, he tried to rally them.
"Make no mistake brothers. These are our enemies, and we will not, let them ruin…" Adam stopped when a spotlight powered up and was coming from behind the Haven Academy building, as an airship came into view with Blake's mother, and several dozen police officers accompanying them.
"Adam Taurus." The officer next to Kali called out. "This is the Mistral police force. Lower your weapons and surrender peacefully." She called out as several more airships came into view.
Inside the main hall, Ruby slammed her weapon into Emerald, knocking her back, and just as the green haired woman was about to attack the leader of Team RWBY, she heard the sounds of the airships outside.
"Huh?" Emerald was confused as to why they would be here, when they shouldn't have had any clue to their plans.
"What's happening?" Weiss questioned as she was still being recharged by Jaune.
"I'm not sure. How are you feeling?" Jaune questioned.
"Better." Weiss said, before opening her hand, with a summoning glyph appearing in her palm. "Much better. Keep it up."
Back outside, Blake jumped down from the building she was on, and was directly across from Adam.
"How, how did you do this?" Adam shouted.
"Adam." Blake said. "It's over."
Adam looked around to see that escaping in a large crowd wouldn't be possible, and he was stuck with only one option left.
"Then it's over for all of us." He declared, pulling out the detonator to the bombs.
"Hey wait." One of the White Fang soldiers said, as they shielded themselves.
Adam hit the detonation button, but to his surprise, nothing happened, and they were all still standing there. He stood there confused, and repeatedly pressed the button detonator.
"What are you doing, trying to get us all killed?" One of the soldiers asked.
"I am making humanity pay, for what they've done." Adam shouted, grabbing the soldier by his hood.
"We sent someone over to confirm your explosives." Blake said, as Adam pushed the soldier away. "An' once we did, she disarmed them."
Adam turned to the tower where the explosives were set with the largest amount, and saw one of his subordinates, as she undid her camouflage, holding up with wires that armed the bombs.
"What do we do?" Adam questioned, turning to Hazel.
"This, is your business." Hazel said, cracking his knuckles and neck, and dusting off his shoulders. "Not mine. Fix it." Hazel stated.
"I told you Adam." Blake said, getting Adam's attention back on her. "It's over."
Adam glared at Blake before he shouted, and ran at her, grabbing the hilt of his katana. The instant he swung at her, Blake disappeared, leaving a shadow clone behind, and was instantly at Adam's side, before she slammed her fists down on him, knocking him to the ground, while cracking his mask.
"KILL THEM." Adam shouted, regaining his composure and picking himself up.
Almost instantly, a battle began to rage on around the area, with the White Fang, shooting at the innocent Faunus, who were only trying to stop the terrorism. Hazel stood there, watching the fighting go on, planning on intervening, before he cried out in shock and pain, as a giant, ghostly white stinger pierced through his torso from behind, before he was pulled back, into the building where the fighting he had been a part of, was still going on.
Slowly and painfully, he picked himself up, and looked over his shoulder, to see Weiss back on her feet, and having summoned a Queen Lancer. When the heiress looked up, she gasped, when she saw Blake walking up to the destroyed entrance. Yang and Ruby turned to the front and were equally surprised to see their old teammate there as well, as Blake looked to all of them.
"Yang?" Blake questioned.
"Hey." Wendy called out, spinning her spear around and smacking Hazel across the face as hard as she could with it. "Fight now, heartfelt reunion later."
Blake looked to Ruby, who nodded, before they went their own ways to their battles. Mercury and Emerald looked to each other, and made a mad dash for the elevator to the vault, but were stopped when a wall of ice rose from the ground and connected with the balcony. They turned back to look at Weiss, who seemed more than ready to defend herself against them.
~Relic Vault~
Scythe's claws clashed with Cinder's blades, as the duo fought. Cinder jumped back, evading another swing from Scythe's metal claws, and lunged her arm forward, forcing Scythe to move out of the way, Cinder's own claws scratching his face.
Scythe was at the point where he was just done with Cinder and was ready to end this, but he had to take his time.
'If I move things along too fast, it could cause more harm than good to the timeline.' Scythe thought.
"Just give it up and let me take her power. She's not worthy of it, but I am." Cinder declared.
"You are not worthy of that power, nor the power you stole from the previous Fall Maiden." Scythe declared, locking them in a stalemate of blades.
"How would you know?" Cinder questioned, pushing him away with her blades. "You've probably never been powerless, and weak your entire life." She shouted, kicking Scythe in the chest, and sending him back.
Scythe dug his claws into the ground, and slowed his momentum, stopping right in front of the tied up Raven, and for good measure, Vernal.
"That's where you're wrong Cinder." Scythe said picking himself up, retracting his claws back into his arms. "I do know what it's like to be helpless and weak."
"Liar." Cinder shouted.
"Do I look like I'm lying?" Scythe inquired. "When I was a kid, my entire village was slaughtered, and all the children were enslaved, and turned into lab rats." He said, marching to her. "I know what it's like, wanting to hurt the people who wronged you, and you know what, I was able to avenge my village, and killed the man responsible for the whole thing. But it didn't make me any happier, it didn't bring me peace, and helping Salem destroy the world won't bring you any peace either."
"We are going, to reshape the world, not destroy it. We're going to tear down the unjust laws of society, and rebuild from the ashes. That is what Salem will do, that is what we shall do, with the Relics." Cinder declared.
"Can't you see Salem is tricking you? Making you believe her goals are one thing, but are a completely different endgame all together." Scythe exclaimed.
"No, Salem would never lie to me about it. She gave me hope, she gave me a purpose, and promised me power, power I rightfully deserve." Cinder said.
"Then you leave me no choice." Scythe sighed, the Grimm Reaper appearing in his hands. "Bankai." With a burst of energy, the single broad sword, turned into a pair of falchions, identical to the married blades with leather tussles added to the ends of the hilts. "This ends, now."
(Cue Music… Hanging Tree: Tyler Ward & Alyson Stoner)
Scythe and Cinder lunged at one another, with intent on ending this fight one way, or another.
Slicing downwards in a diagonal direction, Scythe managed to slice off a sliver of the mast covering Cinder's left eye socket on her scarred face. Using the momentum of the swing, Scythe flipped forward, landing a diagonal axe kick on Cinder's head, knocking her to the ground.
Regaining her composure, Cinder brought her blade up to block against Scythe's coming swing. The resulting impact caused the blade to shatter, with a large shard embedding itself in her left arm, causing her to cry out in pain.
"Your Aura isn't able to protect your left arm, it's Grimm." Scythe said, taking the opportunity to uppercut Cinder in the jaw, knocking her back. "You've left your humanity behind, and became a monster."
"Oh shut it. A Celestial Knight is no better. You're not even human or Faunus." Cinder said, pulling the shard of blade from her geist arm.
"You're right, I'm not human or Faunus." Scythe said, bringing his arm up to swing down at her. Cinder jumped back, evading the blade as it struck the ground and caused the flooring to crack. "I'm a dragon."
Without even standing up, Scythe lunged at Cinder slamming his shoulder into her stomach, and sent her flying back into one of the walls, far off the side of the bridge.
Cinder didn't let that stop her as she propelled herself forward with her flames and spun forward, hitting Scythe with an axe kick to the shoulder, dislocating it from its socket.
"If you think I'm some weak woman who will go down without a fight, think again." Cinder declared landing on the ground behind Scythe, creating a chain of black glass and wrapping it around his neck, pulling hard. "I am not weak, I am strong. Stronger than you, stronger than that blue haired bitch upstairs, and stronger than that silver eyed brat."
Over by the vault door, Raven was watching the scene in horror, and was confused as to why Medusa wasn't doing anything to help.
"Aren't you gonna go help him?" Raven questioned the violet haired woman.
"The young Lord is fine. If he truly wanted Cinder dead, he would have killed her with the first strike." Medusa said.
"Why the hell would he do that?" Raven questioned.
"He's trying to reason with her, to try and bring any humanity, Cinder might have left in her heart, up to the surface." Medusa exclaimed. "But with the way things are going, it looks as though that's not gonna happen."
Scythe growled as Cinder pulled harder on the chain around his neck, having enough with this, Scythe's mask formed over his face, and his tails sprouted, with one of them, wrapping around Cinder's body, and pulling her off him, slamming her to the ground with a loud thwack and a heavy crack, indicating he depleted the last of her Aura.
Throwing Cinder over the edge of the bridge, Scythe made sure that at the last second, while his tail was still in contact with her, that he send his magic through it, and enveloped Cinder in a thin, but sturdy, sheet of ice.
(End Song…)
With the fight over with, Medusa grabbed Raven, and brought her to the second platform on the bridge, and suspended Raven in the air, arms spread out, and legs bound together while the chain wrapped around the bridge.
"Well… that was a bit harder than I expected." Scythe said, coming up from behind Raven, his mask and tails gone, and the Grimm Reaper on his back. "Not every day someone forces me into using my Kitsune powers. Now then, I believe you're overdue for some punishment Raven Branwen."
"You're a fool." Raven said. "Do you seriously think the Spring Maiden could have survived in this world if you knew her personally like I did?"
"I do actually." Scythe said, before he covered his fist in metal, and slammed it in Raven's stomach, forcing the air from her lungs, and to spit up her dinner. "You see, the world isn't as black and white as you make it out to be Raven."
"The strong live…" Raven coughed out, after catching her breath. "The weak die. That's as black and white as it gets." She wheezed. "An' believing in something like, someone's humanity, is a good way to get killed. You say you're a Celestial Knight, but all I see is a weakling playing dress up."
"A weakling playing dress up huh?" Scythe questioned with a smirk. "You know that's a good one. But sadly, you're delusional if you think power and strength, are what make someone great."
"Strength and power, are all that matter." Raven exclaimed, before Scythe punched her in the face, breaking her nose, causing it to bleed. "Why, why can't I activate my aura?"
"The chains binding you are special, they nullify any sort of power that can make a shield." Scythe exclaimed. "Now, I'm not expecting you to beg for mercy, I mean I wouldn't either way." He said, putting on a pair of brass knuckles made from a silvery metal material. "How many people did you slaughter with your maiden magic, who begged you for mercy? How many innocent lives were lost to your greed and ego?"
"The survival of my tribe is all that matters to me." Raven exclaimed. "Everyone else, is just in the way of our survival."
Scythe gripped tightly on the knuckles, before letting out a deep sigh, one that sounded like he'd been forcing back some real anger.
"Well then you're out of luck." Scythe said. "See while you and Vernal were helping Cinder with this plan of hers, my grandpa payed a visit to your, and let's just say… there are only four Branwen's left in all of Remnant."
Raven's eyes widened when Scythe said that. She could see in his facial features that he wasn't bluffing. She struggled against her chains, seeing red, as she wanted nothing more than to destroy him, end his life, and make him pay for destroying her whole tribe. When she wasn't having and luck with breaking out of her chains, she activated her Maiden powers, which ended up being a mistake, as Scythe planted the brass knuckles on her forehead with a heavy hit. The instant she felt the metal on her forehead, she felt the magic being drained from her soul, forcing her to cry out in pain. After what felt like hours of pain, Scythe removed the knuckles from her forehead and walked towards the vault door, pressing the knuckles to the giant metal fans, before the door unlocked, and began to open.
"How?" Raven questioned.
"The metal these knuckles are made metal that absorbs magic. With a few minor tweaks to the material's composition, it removed the maiden magic from your soul." Scythe said, removing the knuckles from his hand, and splitting them in two. "Now, explain to me something. When you let your daughter walk into the trap upstairs, did you do it knowing she would survive, or did you do it because it meant you'd get what you wanted?"
"It's not that simple you bastard. You don't know me, you don't know the choices I've had to make to survive." Raven growled.
"Hmm, you might be right, I don't know you, but I know you better than your own daughter, and that's just sad." Scythe said. "To be honest I think Yang actually knows you about as much as I do. I read the file my gramps had on you. The Raven it spoke of, was troubled, but fought for what she believed in, whether it was her team, or her tribe. So tell me, did you kill her when you abandoned your husband and daughter, or when you murdered the previous Spring Maiden?"
Raven was quiet for a moment, looking down, before looking back up at Scythe, an angered look etching her features.
"I've stared death in the face over and over again, and every time I've spat in that face and survived, because I'm strong enough to do what others won't." Raven declared, before Scythe punched her in the face again.
"Oh shut the fuck up, and get off your high horse Raven." Scythe said, throwing another punch into her stomach. "You don't know the first thing about true strength. You turn your back on those who have it, you run away when things don't go in the directions you want them to go, and you put others in harm's way, instead of being a proper leader and taking the damage for them." As he berated her, he kept slamming his fist into her, over and over again. "You might have had power Raven, but that doesn't make you strong. Believing power makes you strong, only proves you're weak." He said, as he stopped punching her, turning his back to the bleeding coward.
"Who do you think you are, lecturing me about real strength? When you're a Celestial Knight, your whole body filled to the brim with fearless determination." Raven said, spitting blood on the ground.
"You think I'm fearless?" Scythe laughed. "Every day I am out there fighting to keep the cosmos in check, I am terrified to my core that I might die, that I might be killed in action." He said, turning back to look at her. "True strength isn't about having power, or about who's stronger than who. True strength is about doing what's right, despite the struggles, despite the horrors you'll face, even if the odds aren't in your favor. You ran away from your husband and daughter, because you were terrified about being a mother. Your daughter, is up there in battle right now, terrified that she might die, but she's standing tall, and facing that fear head on. In every sense of the word, Yang is stronger than you."
Raven looked at Scythe and saw that in his eyes, he was sincere. While distracted by this, Raven was taken off guard, when she felt the chains on her arms and legs lax and she fell to the ground, before Medusa grabbed Vernal and her, and the three were gone.
~Haven Main Hall~
Everyone was on their last legs as the fighting had gone on for quite a while. Qrow was being guarded by Oscar, who had been taken over by Ozpin, and the fight was currently at a stalemate, with the good guys, still outnumbering the bad guys, 3 to 1.
Hazel was down for the count, and was on one knee, as Wendy had switched out her spears for her sniper rifle, and used explosive rounds to shoot the Dust Crystals out of his arms, thus bringing his power down immensely.
"That's enough." Ruby said, Crescent Rose, in its rifle form aimed at the enemy they were encircling. "Just, give up."
Mercury gripped his fist and slammed it down on the ground, letting out a shout of frustration.
"It's not over, Cinder will come back, she'll have the relic, and she'll stop all of you. She won't let us down." Emerald said.
"Hate to burst your bubble, but she won't." Wendy said. "My partner has already made sure of that."
"You're lying. No one is stronger than Cinder, no one but Salem." Emerald exclaimed, before the sound of the elevator coming up caught their attention, and they all looked to it, as Scythe came into view, and to Emerald's horror, he was holding the relic.
"See, what'd I tell ya?" Wendy smiled. "Hey Scythe."
Hazel just growled in anger as he wasn't expecting this outcome, or the uncalculated factor of the two newcomers. Emerald's eyes filled with tears, her world flipped upside down as she had put all her faith and hope in Cinder succeeding, not losing. The shock of it, caused Emerald to drop her weapons, and fall to her hands and knees.
"Emerald get up, we got to go." Mercury said as he and Hazel began backing away, but the look in her eyes told him that she wasn't gonna go, not until she made them pay. "Emerald."
Before Emerald could force herself to make an illusion, a blunt force object hit her in the back of the head, knocking her out. Mercury and Hazel were shocked to find the one who knocked her out had appeared from nowhere, and was dressed in an all-black suit, with a bat emblem on his chest, and a pointy eared cowl, with a holster around his arms and his shoulders, connected at his back.
"Who the hell are you?" Mercury questioned.
"An ally." He said, throwing the unconscious Emerald over his shoulder. "Now, you just gonna stand there all night like a couple of pussies, or are you gonna follow me to freedom?"
"You're not going anywhere." Ruby shouted, getting ready to make a run at him.
The instant Ruby charged at the newcomer, he didn't even bat an eye as he just moved to the side, and brought his knee up into her stomach, utilizing both her own momentum, and his at the same time, before she was flung across the room, and caught by Wendy.
"Hey buddy." Scythe said, jumping down from the platform, the lamp hooked to his belt. "Who the hell are you? Your power is not normal for a human's. That speed and strength you displayed, it's similar to a foe I defeated a while ago."
"Let's just say, the one I served, gave you forewarning of my comrades and I, before you silenced him for good." He said.
"Velhallen Beo." Scythe growled.
"You're a clever one. I'm the Grim Knight. You'll be seeing me again, you can count on it." He smirked before he threw a smoke bomb on the ground, giving him cover to escape with Hazel and Mercury, before the smoke cleared.
"Damn it, he got away." Scythe cursed. "An' that smoke is clogging up my sense of smell, so I can't track them by their scents."
"Same." Wendy said.
"I'm sorry, but could you explain to us who the hell you two are, and while you're at it, give us the relic?" Qrow questioned pointing his blade at them.
"Qrow, put your weapon down. We have to show them respect." Ozpin said. "Please, tell us who you are."
"My name is Scythe. This is my partner, and wife, Wendy." Scythe said. "We're Celestial Knights, and we're from the Archlich Core."
Ozpin's eyes went wide, before he and Qrow took a knee to them, bowing with respect.
"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby questioned.
"Bow to them short-stack, the Celestial Knights are people not even Salem would be brave enough to mess with unless she went completely insane." Qrow said.
"Please that won't be needed." Wendy said. "But, I think a certain group of four could use that heartfelt reunion now." She smiled, nudging Blake in the shoulder.
Before Blake could go an embrace her team, the sound of running footsteps came in, and she turned to see Ghira, Kali, and Sun coming towards her, with Ghira bringing Kali and Blake in for a group hug.
"The police rounded up the remaining White Fang members." Kali said. "Haven is safe."
"Unfortunately, it appears that Adam escaped." Ghira said.
"It's okay." Ilia said, coming out of the shadows. "He was the only one to escape tonight." It didn't go unnoticed by either Qrow or Ozpin that Wendy stiffened at the mention of the White Fang usurper Adam Taurus. "Those in the White Fang who supported him, won't follow a leader who abandons his people. He won't have their help after this. He'll have no one at all, and the White Fang, will be left divided."
"We've been fighting amongst ourselves for too long." Ghira said. "Perhaps it's time for a new brotherhood, a new family for Faunus truly working towards a better world."
"Then they'll need a new leader." Kali said, causing Ghira to huff in annoyance, as he realized he put himself in that position of power.
"Huh?" Sun questioned, looking past Ghira to the others, even spotting Scythe and Wendy who were talking with the still possessed Oscar, and waved to them, before jogging past Ghira and pulled Blake by her waist from her father, and turning her towards her teammates.
Blake had a bit of a nervous expression on her face, before she went up to her team, just as Ruby fell to the ground on her knees in exhaustion.
"Are you okay?" Weiss questioned.
"I feel like I should be asking you guys." Ruby said, as Blake stopped in front of her and Yang came to her other side. "So Blake, what are you doing here?" Ruby asked.
"I…" Blake said, nervously clutching her left wrist. "I was gonna as you three the same thing."
"That's a long story." Ruby said, looking to Weiss and Yang.
"Well… I'm not going anywhere." Blake said.
"That's all that matters." Ruby smiled. "That we're all here together." She said looking to Weiss, and then to Yang. "Right?"
Blake felt ashamed of what she'd done, just by leaving her teammates, and Yang's silence didn't help her exactly, but she relaxed and smiled when she heard her partner say one thing.
"Yeah." Yang smiled.
With Weiss and Yang motioning for Blake to come join them in their group hug, Blake embraced her teammates, happy to be with them again.
With Qrow and Ozpin, Scythe and Wendy had just finished explaining to them what they were doing there, and who that man in the black combat armor was, but there was one thing on Qrow's mind he couldn't help but say.
"I don't know how, but we did it Oz." Qrow said, noticing the boy breathing heavily. "You okay?"
"I'm all right." Oscar said.
"Kid?" Qrow asked.
"He's resting." Oscar exclaimed. "As soon as he heard Scythe mention who that man in combat armor worked for, he retreated and passed out."
"Hey, don't strain yourself, your body isn't used to this kind of combat just yet." Scythe said.
"No, he had a message before he went silent." Oscar said. "We must, get the lamp to… Atlas."
"Given who's working with Salem now, I'd say it's pretty obvious what Wendy and I are needing to do about keeping it safe." Scythe exclaimed.
"Why not just put it in the Celestial Armory until we get there, or better yet, teleport us to Atlas?" Qrow inquired.
"Unfortunately, for the Cosmos safety, Wendy and I have been cut off from our Celestial Teleportation until we've done what we came here to do, that includes sending objects with magical properties into the armory." Scythe explained. "We don't wanna risk someone sneaking in with intent to cause imbalance to the universe."
"Fair enough." Qrow said.
"Excuse us."
Scythe and Wendy turned to see Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Ren, and Nora, standing there looking at them, expecting something.
"As much as we'd love to play, twenty questions, we could really use some answers." Ruby said.
"For starters, who you people are exactly, and what the hell was going on with that man in black combat armor." Yang added.
Scythe and Wendy looked to one another and smiled, before Scythe went up to Yang and held up his hand.
"Let me see your right arm." He said. Yang looked at him like he was up to something, but a look from her Uncle said, she'd best do what he says, but she still had her doubts about him. "Relax, I don't bite. My ally's at least." He chuckled. Yang looked at him giving Scythe one more look over, before she put her artificial hand, in his right hand, still keeping her guard up about him though. "This is a little trick, I learned from Grandma Amaterasu."
Scythe bit his thumb on his opposite hand, drawing blood and pressing it on the back of Yang's artificial hand. Moving his bleeding flange along the length of the mechanical arm, Scythe began coursing his magic through the trail of blood, and chanted a few magic words, with his eyes glowing an ethereal blue, before Yang winced and pulled her arm back, feeling a pain in her nub.
"What the hell?" Yang questioned.
"Take a look at your arm." Scythe smiled.
"Yang, he's right take a look at it." Jaune said, sounding like he was about to freak out.
Yang looked down at her right arm, and her eyes widened in shock, when she saw it was no longer mechanical. It was made of flesh and bone, and biting her hand, proved it when she drew blood.
"How?" Yang questioned. "How do I have my actual arm back?"
"It's a long story." Wendy smiled.
"How about we start at the beginning?" Scythe smiled. "In a land, far-far away, lies the Kingdom of Fiore…"