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div id="djs-foo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"In the grand probability of endless potential and opportunity, there exists a timeline where everything goes right, rather than wrong. A timeline where events play out as close to the current one, yet key subtle differences alter and change the fates of those touched. Within the endless reaches of time, space and opportunity, we find ourselves in the hallways inside Monstra. Aschen Gwain was plagued by memories that weren't hers as she got through a door, the darkness around them as they walked through the insides of a massive Grimm Whale the size of a continent, triggering memories of the barely conscious Cinder in her mind. SHe hadn't heard Cinder in forever. Maybe she was almost free of her. Regardless of the dead woman in her mind, the girl formerly known as Vernal walked accompanied by Neopolitan. The both of them had managed to steal the Lamp from Farmboy and as a result they had decided and were allowed into this unnatural place. How did Aschen know this? A strange gnawing in the back of her mind. THat same itch she couldn't scratch and was now calling her closer and closer inwards. Until at long last, both girls stood in attendance with her. Salem./div
div id="djs-433lr" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Kneel", it was a soft voice. At first Aschen thought it was Salem who spoke. But she hadn't even acknowledged their presence at all. Aschen turned to Neo before immediately turning back. Idiot the girl's mute! She then looked at her own hands and sighed. Cinder was awake again. She spoke to her, as a whisper. Less than a whisper. "Kneel…before you're killed…Address her as Queen"/div
div id="djs-fkavl" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""No, I won't." I've lived in servitute of one woman already. Never again", Aschen shot back mentally. Before she felt a cold air around her. Neo must have sensed it as well since they both took a nervous step back. When a new voice spoke./div
div id="djs-d49nm" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""The lost child returns…different and yet the same", Aschen's eyes went wide in horror. Salem had turned to face them and her voice was unnatural. She spoke softly, yet somehow there was this intense panic building in Gwain's mind. She gulped and shook her head./div
div id="djs-1cnrq" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I'm not…Cinder…", she said, straining to get the words out. SHe had never felt this sort of thing. She knew her mother could silence people with a glare. But even Raven wasn't this threateningly intimidating. Horrified wasn't quite the right word, yet a defiant fire burned in Aschen's soul. A fire, she realized, that wasn't purely hers./div
div id="djs-c0ndc" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Oh? And why have you come before me…Lilie Branwen?", the very mention of the name she had worn by birth to that cowardly chicken made the flame spark even higher in defiance./div
div id="djs-9vgbm" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I'm Aschen! Aschen Gwain…", her voice started with a sharp tone to it. Yet as she repeated her full name she felt her flame dim into a mere candle as Salem's eyes turned hostile towards her. So much so she almost sank to her knees in subservience to the Grimm Queen. But she held strong, if barely./div
div id="djs-66r0e" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Speak that way to me again, girl..and your name won't matter. Nor your dreams and wants", Aschen gulped visibly. Apparently that was enough for Salem to be satisfied as she turned to look at Neo, who had been quietly standing nearby, her eyes conveying the horror she was seeing./div
div id="djs-a0a8u" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""And who are you?", Neo wanted to answer, but Aschen beat her to it, earning her a glare. "She's Neopolitan. An ally who helped me secure the Lamp"/div
div id="djs-4rlf3" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""When I chose Cinder as the vessel for the Maiden powers, I trusted her hunger to keep her loyal. Why would I trust you, a girl who came to me with her tail between her legs?", Aschen's face heated up in hatred as she stood forwards, stepping towards Salem and glaring at her. Salem's eyes turned from uninterested boredom to a curious mockery./div
div id="djs-7tfbf" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I came here, because Cinder convinced me. I came here with the Lamp so you'd back off. Leave me alone to hunt the woman I want dead!", She bellowed. It was only after she finished her words that Aschen's bravery vanished like snow in Vacuo when she saw Salem leaning closer and gaze at her intently. Then a smile appeared./div
div id="djs-1rf7a" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""And you claim you're nothing like Cinder…", Aschen spun around, it was a male who spoke. A man with yellow eyes and a mechanical tail. Seeing his face, she was suddenly blasted with memories. Him mocking her for losing to Ruby, him laughing maniacally. Him crying and murdering Grimm after he displeased Salem. No that's not me, Aschen shook her head and staggered back./div
div id="djs-fko4d" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I see the merging is almost complete", Salem said, observing everything./div
div id="djs-9bitc" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Say what you will. I'm out of here, Raven is who I want…dead!", Aschen made a critical error. Suddenly a deep belly rumble echoed through the throneroom as Monstra bellowed. Salem reached forwards and grabbed Aschen's arm, squeezing it painfully./div
div id="djs-ble9b" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What you want…girl…is of no concern! It's I who-", there was an explosion as part of Salem's arm and head were shot clean off! Aschen's hand had exploded as she tapped into the power she had slowly come to relish and enjoy. With the ability to mimic every Semblance on the planet as well as being limited only by her own imagination, she felt confident she had the most power in this room! Yet when Tyrian, how do I know his name..I've never seen or heard…oh Cinder. When he merely gave her a toothy grin she knew something was up. A sickening snapping of bones was audible, Aschen's face turned pale as parts of Salem's face and arm simply regenerated out of thin air. Her bored and curious expression turned to an amusing one./div
div id="djs-2us26" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""And here I thought I'd have to implant you with a Beetle like I did Cinder", mentioning the word Beetle, Aschen's mind flashed back to the time when she…no CINDER…used the Beetle Grimm to sap Amber's powers. Coming here was a mistake, the more she was here, the stronger Cinder's memories became. She didn't want that! She wanted to remain Aschen…the hunter and eventual killer of Raven!/div
div id="djs-50nml" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""At least she as Cinder's spark and need to collect strays and pawns…", Tyrian said, eyeing up Neo, who for the first time, stopped being shocked and simply glared at him. As if to challenge him. That's when a door opened and Emerald, Hazel and Mercury appeared. Aschen's eyes made contact with Emerald and there was a look. As if she remembered something, or recognised her./div
div id="djs-2a0gg" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Cinder…?", She walked closer, before stopping and hissing, "Vernal!"/div
div id="djs-84fkl" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Shut up", Aschen hissed. No more. That wasn't even her birth name. She then gasped and glared at Salem…how did she know her name had been Lilie once?/div
div id="djs-6375b" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Tsk, tsk…such loyalty for someone so incompetent…and dead", Tyrian said, pretending to be sad at Cinder's death. Emerald's eyes widening in shock./div
div id="djs-5il37" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I warn you…beast..I'll cut your tail off again! And this time there's no Watts around to help!", Aschen turned, her eyes radiating power as she let fire spark in one hand, while her other hand generated a powerful gale of winds in her fingers. How do I know that his tail was cut off by Ruby? Tyrian wasn't bothered and walked closer, daring her to attack him./div
div id="djs-87q5b" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""While the good doctor will be missed, he and I were busy pulling the legs and arms from this pathetic kingdom. Meanwhile you were scurrying like a rat to try and buy your way in with her grace. You returned here out of fear, not servitute like me", he said as he held up his face, as if to ask 'come on…hit me', before he bowed for Salem./div
div id="djs-e4o9o" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I didn't want to be here. I only came here to get Salem off my back. If I give her the relic, I can go after Raven without having to look over my back constantly", as she spoke, Salem raised her hand and snickered./div
div id="djs-1acuo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You aren't getting anywhere. It's true I have one relic now, but I still require three more. One of which is in Atlas. And if you think you can deliver that to me without sapping Penny Polendina's powers from her, then I might consider granting your wish for revenge. But you'll stay mine until we find the relic at Beacon. Then, and ONLY then…might I grant you the order of killing Raven. After all, her Relic is right here", Aschen shivered in rage as she looked at Salem and the magic she had turned on the unnatural revenant woman./div
div id="djs-7aiif" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I am through being groomed by women in power. I won't be your puppet!", at that outburst, Salem and Tyrian both laughed. Hauntingly for the woman, mockingly for him. She turned and walked towards her chair and caressed it, making the cloudy ceiling see through as they gazed at Atlas from afar./div
div id="djs-7vg9i" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""In this game I'm playing, you're barely more important than a Pawn Aschen, your wants and needs matter very little. If at all", Aschen felt the need to say a few words. But stopped herself as she discovered they weren't hers. SHe wasn't nothing without Salem! She was Aschen, and she'd be the death of Raven. When the woman raised her hand and gestured them all to leave, Aschen groaned, as she felt Emerald take her hand, which she wrenched free and glared at her, making Emerald look like a slapped puppy./div
div id="djs-djg67" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-7iurv" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-698nn" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-ove" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Copy, the Crater is secured. Thanks Adamant. Your work is invaluable. Come back for some rest, I'll send a few others out to keep the routes you cleared free", May spoke over several coms as she coordinated Mantle's evacuation. Now that Atlas had turned away, too busy fighting their own war up in the clouds, it was up for the Happy Huntresses to solve the problems, again!/div
div id="djs-84fal" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""En route. Also made contact with our Red Spy. I have information back for you at base", came the reply as the gang reunited. Oscar deflects from his experience with Ozpin and his deep fall. Conversations and reactions happen as are in canon. Joanna walks in and gives the rundown and demands help; "Either you're helping…or your deadweight"/div
div id="djs-ftipo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""We need to go out there and do what we can for Mantle", Yang sighs and stands up, looking at her team and friends./div
div id="djs-4qsik" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""We need to do what we can for everyone!", Ruby motions, "what about Amity. We need help. Atlas and we can't do this alone, the forces of Salem have outnumbered us!"/div
div id="djs-6khpf" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Ruby's right", Blake puts a hand on Ruby, standing by her side and looking at Yang, "the Happy Huntresses are doing what they can but they need assistance. Plus we need to think of the bigger picture"/div
div id="djs-19tc4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You're saying that because your big scary teacher is helping them. And besides, Amity isn't finished. It's pointless", Yang throws it back, Blake flinches at that comment but bites her tongue. Ruby, trying to dismantle the tensions brewing in her team, turns to Pietro, "Doctor, what would you need to launch Amity?"/div
div id="djs-1achg" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Uh…we made decent progress on construction and fuel collection. All potentially manageable but the real issue is James. He made it so she can't launch without clearance from his terminal"/div
div id="djs-d2ltf" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""See? Pointless. Like general Tinhead would cooperate with us after the night we've had", Yang says, as if that made it ok. Ruby shook her head. Once again sister you're incapable of listening and using your creativity, like with Jinn revealing Salem can't be killed…by Ozpin. She can still be stopped, and Ironwood can still give clearance, technically! "He doesn't have to! If his terminal greenlights it, Amity will fly!"/div
div id="djs-46qdb" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You wanna go back to the academy?"; Yang throws her hands in the air and huffs. Come on sis, use that brain of yours. Think this through!/div
div id="djs-2tqst" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Ehh..actually..There's another terminal, at the base of the city in the main military compound. You just have to get in there…then the operations room and..I need to think about this a little more"/div
div id="djs-1cl2q" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What you're saying is it can't be done. Pointless. Plus, suppose it does work, what guarantee do you have people would come and help? Mistral's still dealing with Haven Academy, Vale is crippled and Vacuo only ever cared about itself", hearing her say that word for a third time Ruby snaps!/div
div id="djs-bnolf" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""It's NOT POINTLESS! Atlas is only the current target! She's not hiding anymore and after she finishes, Vacuo is next, along with Remnant! We need to warn them!", It was so easy and simple! Why won't Yang see that!?/div
div id="djs-8n0p" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Rubes…when we came here, we said we'd follow your lead. But things haven't exactly worked out. We nearly died on a train, twice I might add, almost died with the Apathy. Atlas is splintered. We're fugitives, Qrow's probably drunk in a ditch somewhere", Ruby's eyes opened and a small sparkle of her silver was lost. Weiss held a hand before her hand, Blake gasped. Ruby's eyes turned colder, she glared at her sister. But she didn't speak. Sparking a moment in Weiss./div
div id="djs-come6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yang, that's out of line. Ever since the bandit camp you've been more distant and anti-social. And taking out our bad luck on Ruby isn't fair. You didn't exactly offer a solution", Weiss said, walking and standing next to her friend and leader./div
div id="djs-e5i70" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I just.."/div
div id="djs-dn1ut" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""There are people here who need us right now. And that is something we CAN do", Ren spat, still feeling sore about the embarrassing loss they had suffered in the Atlas Academy. His venom however sparked Nora to come to Ruby's defense. "This isn't about JUST Atlas. Ruby's right, this is about all of Remnant! Vacuo, Mistral and Vale they deserve to know what's coming and hopefully prepare some form of defense!"/div
div id="djs-32e8a" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Ok, Ok", Jaune sensing his team also falling apart steps between the angered eyes of Ren and Nora's pleading gaze. How has it come to this? Once again he wonders how Pyrrha would have handled it. But he was the leader and he had to make a snap decision. The tension, it would be stupid to further escalate the situation. Perhaps splitting the party was an option, even if you never do that and live to tell about it, "We'll do both. Get Amity launched and evacuate Mantle"/div
div id="djs-a266a" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""But that's how Salem got this far! By dividing and conquering! We have to stick together, as a team!", Ruby pleads, but she doesn't get the reaction she wants, which what she gets is an emotionless stare from Yang and the reply from Oscar, "No, what Salem wants is to turn us against each other. Just like this. Jaune speaks the truth. We can work separately and still be united in our goal of stopping her. Both small and large scale"/div
div id="djs-35nnt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Or we could let me take the relic to Salem. Maybe she'll call off the attack", in an almost childlike purity Penny throws that suggestion. Yet Salem can't be trusted for that!/div
div id="djs-3349j" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Even if she were to do that, which she won't, the moment she uses the Staff Atlas will fall down and wipe out Mantle", Oscar putting into words what everyone's thinking./div
div id="djs-fjdfr" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""No one's turning you over, to anyone. That, we can all pretty much agree on, at least", Yang accepts that and everyone wordlessly agrees. Ruby accepts that she can't keep everyone together and bends to it. A good leader knows when to let others take point, right?/div
div id="djs-dakd" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Alright…then I guess we're going to Atlas. Can you help us get us to that terminal?", Ruby turns to face Pietro, who fumbles but nods. "I suppose someone has to help you bypass securit-"/div
div id="djs-a5jtk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I'll go"/div
div id="djs-cgpme" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Penny…we can't risk-"/div
div id="djs-fki4f" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I'll GO", Penny's eyes flare with her Aura as she taps into the Maiden powers and glares at her father. Yang groans and walks towards the door./div
div id="djs-4er6o" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Do what you wish. I'm going out to see what I can do", Blake and Weiss look at her walking away, throwing away her team, like it's nothing. They both glance at one another, so when is it their turn to go on an adventure with Jaune?/div
div id="djs-8ns40" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yang…go by the pharmacy. I was developing something for you all but it got lost with…all this. You'll need 'em"/div
div id="djs-4jbgt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Nora?", Ren asks as he looks coldly at Nora who shakes her head in defiance. "I'm going with Ruby"/div
div id="djs-dhk3" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What about Mantle?", Ren asks, almost as if to guilt her into joining him, Nora notices this and smirks in a defiant way, "Oh I'll be saving Mantle. Because I ACTUALLY believe Ruby and us can do this!"/div
div id="djs-25dlo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Fine then…", Ren hisses and together with Jaune, Yang and Oscar they leave through the door. For a moment there is a silence in the air, until the back door opens and a red dressed man walked in and slumped into a chair. Blake springs up and runs towards her teacher, Adam as he barely acknowledges her. "Hey Blake…"/div
div id="djs-426so" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Adam…are you ok?!", she asked in terror. He looked exhausted! He had bruises and cuts all over his face and arms, his coat was dirty and he was gulping air like he almost drowned. However he merely nodded and patted her shoulder./div
div id="djs-d5377" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I'm fine. Been running left and right, clearing out corridors of Grimm for safe passage of the people. But that's not important. I have news", man, Vergil we sure could have used your help. But at least he left for Mistral, last Adam heard. Hearing his voice May also walks into the room and nods, "share"/div
div id="djs-bat7o" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Adam holds his hand up and grabs his Scroll, or rather one he had received from a pickup. It had been put in such a way that when he unlocked it by his fingerprint, it opened and played an audio log./div
div id="djs-14opk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Robyn Hill and Qrow Branwen are detained in the Atlas Academy. Maximum security. Getting them out won't be easy. Désolée"/div
div id="djs-4so15" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-9ggej" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-e4tra" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-105q2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Well that about covers it…cover the body", a coroner said as Clover Ebi's face was covered up. "cause of death is a lethal injection of venom, one that matches the same compounds and chemicals as those of Tyrian on record. Although this dose was even more dangerously toxic. Never seen a Faunus get 'better venom' before"/div
div id="djs-8lvfa" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Sir, prisoners have been processed and put in B block"/div
div id="djs-6q8np" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Qrow and Robyn?", Winter asks as two medics examine her. She had lost a lot of blood and was wounded, but not in life threatening danger. Vergil had not tried to kill her, but his blade had drawn numerous lacerations across her body./div
div id="djs-b84d2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Stop moving! I can't check the specs of this brace if you keep moving!", Coal groans as he's fiddling with tools and soldering irons as he enforces the brace Winter was forced to wear on her left arm. Orders from the General. In her fight with the man, now identified as the brother of Dante, Vergil Sparda, a dangerously powerful strike had broken her arm and Ironwood had ordered a brace to be made, he needed her operational and in the field within the hour! And since Penny had vanished, Pietro also didn't see fit to return to the Lab. Soldiers had been sent to guard and apprehend him at the pharmacy in Mantle./div
div id="djs-fecp2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Could you give us the room please?", the medics instantly leave, but Coal is still tinkering. Causing James to glare at him, "ahem?"/div
div id="djs-dnte7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I heard ya. But if I don't fix this thing NOW I'll have to start over. I'm not Pietro. I'm a weapon builder, he's the prosthetics genius. I'll just put these in", Coal puts in earbuds as he pushes up the volume. Tapping his foot to the beat. James groans, but continues. Coal doesn't hear a word of it but is shaken out of it when Winter twitches. He takes out his bud to ask, but halts, her eyes are trained on the glass window, no one, not even the Ace Ops in the other room, realize that he's able to hear everything. He stands in awe as he watches James take his white Revolver and point it at Councilman Sleet and shoots him in the face. That's some cold boomstick action, Coal sighs before he puts his plug back in, pretending he hadn't noticed anything. Yet as he further tinkers with the mechanical wiring and inner workings, he is just a few more seconds slower than before, as he has a single thought about himself. Rouge…you better be careful…/div
div id="djs-2b5nm" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-4qcpl" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-3i4h2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-abp1h" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
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div id="djs-7853u" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Adam appeared out of a shadow and sliced at the two Sabyrs standing in front of a Hardlight shield thrown from a disk. He had tagged along with Oscar, Jaune, Ren and Yang, but mostly kept to clearing the surrounding areas. Staying out of their way, not only because he didn't wanna deal with Yang's anger, but also because of the humans that are out here. He knew Atlas was ungrateful and racist towards the Faunus. But even the supremacy mindset had settled in here. When he heard the older woman complain and wanting to be picked up by Atlas, he nearly lost it and snapped at her. Yet Yang had backed up the Faunus. He smiled at that, Blake you sure know how to pick your friends. With a nod over his shoulder, he returned to the surrounding perimeter around them. He hadn't just taken this job to help Fiona and her friends. He especially wanted to keep an eye on these kids. Even if they were licensed Huntsmen, this was still a dangerous operation. As they wandered and got closer towards the crater, he could also sense tension between them. Seems they weren't focused on a good goal after all. Perhaps he'd have to teach them something./div
div id="djs-d3djg" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I don't need a peptalk, I need to focus!", Adam could feel the bite from where he was shadowing the group. He groaned and turned, slicing a Teryx in half before smirking. Jaune at least wasn't a pushover. "Sorry I'm trying to help a teammate"/div
div id="djs-861jo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-f3it7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-3mmb4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-f41la" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Are there any buildings your family doesn't own?", Weiss blushed as Blake teased her like that. She puffed her chest out and turned to her, acting haughty and propper; "That is hardly relevant, but we don't own the Academy for starters"/div
div id="djs-6pp3d" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"As she walked away Blake simply giggles at her./div
div id="djs-8le4q" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-3fr8p" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-f6djq" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-3ir7f" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Adam watches as the group walks in. Yet when Joanna mentions the Grimm on Atlas, he groans, causing everyone to look at him. "I'm glad that thing is focused on Atlas. Let them feel how it is to be hunted. I shouldn't be here long. Staying near the Crater will set off my buttons."/div
div id="djs-1869l" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You have a lot of hate for the Atlesians don't you", Joanna observes. Causing Adam to roll his eyes behind his cowl. He sighs. "Let's just say they deserve it. And more. Look at them, my people, all in the Slums because this Kingdom is the worst offender to Faunus Rights! All because of Jacques Schnee. And the Military does nothing to stop it!"/div
div id="djs-bqs1v" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Aggressively he kicks a can away, slamming into a rock formation as the others watch him. He takes a few breaths and calms down./div
div id="djs-aefde" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Fi…we got another fight breaking out!"/div
div id="djs-7fkl6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Ugh…thanks uncle, we'll handle it", Fiona slums down, her contagious optimism wavering. She was suffering under Robyn's absence. Before Joanna can step in, Adam already walks off towards the altercation. "I got it, I need to punch something anyway"/div
div id="djs-2gvcl" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Joanna smiles. As he walks, she gives Fiona a poke at the side, making her squeak adorably as the others laugh for a moment. Before Fiona's smile vanishes, Grimm causing trouble in the east./div
div id="djs-507es" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-ci6o9" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-5kv7n" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-143vb" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I've never seen Grimm act that way before…", Jaune says, looking between his friends. Oscar nods. "But what were th-"/div
div id="djs-8ehip" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""DUCK!", Jaune rams his bike forwards and raises his shield as a massive mass of what feels like concrete slams him to the floor, knocking him and his Aura down, by a massive margin! In the confusion, Oscar and Ren leap away as a shape of black, white and red eyes dashes in again. Shooting Stormflower into the wall, Ren slingshots himself at the creature. Yet despite him being as fast as he was, it merely ducked under it. As Ren flew over his target, missing by a hair, the creature snapped its jaws at his back. Which Oscar protects him from as he puts Long Memory between the jaws and pushes back. A good idea in theory. But as the heavy jaws snap down, it throws Oscar bodily against the wall and paws at him. A heavy Aura drop as Oscar's Aura shimmers, one more of those and he was done for! Yang roars and punches at the neck of the Grimm, yet it opens it's mouth, letting go of Oscar and snaps at Yang, who grins as she plants a sticky! Yet before she could cock her arm back and explode the bomb, the Grimm jumped backwards, the beeping payload now inches away from Oscar as the Grimm pinned him to the floor, resting it's weight on his frail body. Aura was holding, but it was dangerously low now. Yang however was more concerned about the fact that this thing had somehow known her bomb would blow by her doing something, using it to threaten Oscar. She had to let it beep a few more seconds, before the Grimm took it's paw and like a delicate set of pliers, pulled it free. As if it was a wooden splinter stuck in his neck. Ren used the moment to attack, while Jaune threw his discus to form a Hardlight shield, forcing the Grimm to back off as Ren attacked. There was a sickening crunch and bubbling sound, as suddenly part of it's arm snapped out of place and became like spaghetti. Almost like the Nucklavee had!/div
div id="djs-81uo8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"With a crack in the air, the arm whipped Ren across the body and slammed him into a pole. His Aura held, but there was a heavy ringing pain in his mind. Fully stunned for a moment. Capitalizing, the Grimm bounded for Oscar, ignoring Jaune who raised his shield to block, causing Yang to swoop in with Ember Celica and snatch Oscar out of the way! As she pulled him, the Grimm turns and rather than simply snapping and missing, it looks at her change the target's position, before snapping and catching Oscar's Ankle. His green Aura shatters as it pulls him out of Yang's grasp and stomps him on the floor, knocking him out. Jaune charges but stops in place as he sees the Grimm bubble and snap it's arm again, making it's clawed Paw become a hand. Holding Oscar up as a meatshield, forcing Jaune to halt his charge and get slammed by the other hand. Tanking the blow with his Shield. Man has this thing been getting a beating, he thinks before crashing into the wall. Yang raises her fists again as Jaune calls out: "Careful it's using Oscar as a shield!"/div
div id="djs-5i3jg" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Yang stands her ground but doesn't engage, Ren, similarly just observes as the creature holds Oscar and then points a nail to his throat!? What is this thing!? Overwhelmed by the powerlessness of it all, Ren screams "Give him back", causing the Grimm Hound to twist it's neck, cracking and snapping bones until it opens it's jaw./div
div id="djs-d804m" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""No…"/div
div id="djs-3d74n" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Did that thing just talk?! Yang, Ren and Jaune stood nailed to the floor, unable to think or act. THey were frozen. A talking Grimm? Sure a monster that could sap your will and make you die by apathy, sure a massive killer whale that flies overhead, sure a massive sea snake dragon thing that fires lightning at ships, sure something as twisted as the Leviathan that attacked Mistral or something as insane as a massive Grimm Wyvern that dropped pools which grew into more Grimm. It was all insane and made no sense, but one that talked?! Before they could act they heard and saw it groan. Groan. AS if it could feel pain, withering as its bones snapped out of place and back into place. With a feral roar, red leathery wings sprang from its back as black ichor dropped on Oscar's unconscious body. It took him in its mouth and took off with the subtlety of Ruby trying to get at the cookie jar. It barreled forwards as a lumbering Megoliath, slamming into the building as it sprang upwards to try and fly. It's leathery wings giving this intense and threatening wingbeat that sounded like approaching nightmares on a cold winter night. As it began climbing, Jaune broke through the horror first and kicked his bike into overdrive, bypassing his fear of falling and crashing on it as he was only concerned for a teammate in danger./div
div id="djs-ei88s" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Snap out of it! Track this thing!", he ordered the other two. Who shook their heads, as if waking from a daze. Before they lunged for their bikes and accelerated to top speed. Ren flinched when a call came down the coms./div
div id="djs-6rhtt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Kids what's your status? We need reinforcements at the west side of the Crater", Fiona asked over the coms. As they sped after the thing, Yang looked at Ren, both at a loss for words. How do you explain a talking Grimm to people who haven't seen it before? Jaune raised his finger to his ear./div
div id="djs-45cn7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""We're in pursuit of a new Grimm type. It took our friend. I'm sorry", Jaune was in full leader mode, Yang knew because that was the same way Ruby handled herself when she needed to get people to listen and do as they were told. Then a different voice came over the line./div
div id="djs-fmus" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I got this Fiona…I still need to kill something"/div
div id="djs-efg5d" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Thanks Adamant…And kids…good luck"/div
div id="djs-45p7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-e1t2p" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-fuhvi" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-99ge5" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Busy day you say? Honestly James…just say you shot another councilmember", Watts huffed as he tapped away at the screen. He didn't bother to look up at the entrance doorway. Not that it would matter anyway, he was stuck here./div
div id="djs-5s16k" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Believe what you want Arthur…but it's General to you", as he said that Watts felt the mechanical vice like grips on his shoulders. But he didn't flinch or look away from the screen, "Or do I have to motivate you…again?"/div
div id="djs-62dur" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Save that pretentious talk for anyone who cares, James. You're not gonna do anything to me because unlike those idiots who work for you and yourself, I have the brains to deal with this magical science project", Watts said, even shaking his elbows to dislodge the general's hands. He worked faster this way./div
div id="djs-8v9vt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I trust you'll do as I tell you", James pulls his hands back and nods at the soldiers, all raising their weapons. Watts grinned, "oh how palpable your trust is. It's almost as if you think I'll double cross you…"/div
div id="djs-7c9rr" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"A red flash hit the screen as he looked at it and then rolled his eyes. "speaking of trust, It appears you have a rat in your operation. And I'm not talking about that fatman's toy girl running through the base using his credentials to get around the place. I'm talking about a classified communications like that works out of the weapons lab"/div
div id="djs-646nh" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Don't try anything Arthur", James pulls the man away from the console and glares him down, but Watts doesn't bother at all, the punch he earned after his snarky comment was well worth the vile and funny expression on James' face; "Well…it's Watts to you"/div
div id="djs-evb9v" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-46goj" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-14p1v" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-e980" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Will…could you go and get some coffee? Oh and please avoid Bill this time? He's a little stressed", Coal groaned as he looked over the sketches of new tools and devices for use in combat. Bill had been on edge ever since the 'best dad' cup and the massive Grimm army that seemed to wait outside. Rumor had it some of the lookouts had seen shapes in the storm clouds. But what really worried Coal, as he looked over the weapon blueprints that Rouge was tinkering with, was what would happen to them all. Not just from the dangers out there. But the horrors in here. Word of Sleet's death had spread in the base, some even accusing James Ironwood of it. Coal had seen it first hand but needed to play it close to the chest for now. As he looked over the finished sketches of a scabbard that was meant to house a sword, a thing that had been made in less than an hour with their combined minds, he did feel a tension. Rouge had been aiding the Happy Huntresses, before Martial Law had been declared. That was treason, life in prison. But with Sleet's case, Coal wondered what would happen if the truth came out. Luckily he was smart enough that everything on inventory was still here. Rouge had been good at covering his tracks./div
div id="djs-7k9i8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-879nt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-fjm8g" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-e242v" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Like what…be strong and hit stuff?", Weiss saw the pain in Nora's eyes. The isolation. Feeling like you had nothing to your name. She wished she could help her. Give her something like Nicolas had been for her. A grandfather to set a prime example of what you could achieve! SHe then recalled Fria's features, looking Nora over. And gasped! Causing Nora to look at her. "What…it's not that depressing"/div
div id="djs-mg44" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Nora…I think you could become so much more. A symbol. A hero. A friend! Think about it. You helped Ruby and your team on their journey through Mistral. You are the pillar of strength. You carry those who need you with a smile on your face. And while I am still angry you shot me through that dust shoot, I can see you're more than just 'strong and hit stuff'...I think you might even be a good maiden", Weiss said, looking at Nora. She put a hand on Nora's shoulder and smiled warmly, "like your grandmother"/div
div id="djs-9uo3o" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What…?", before Weiss could answer, there was a beeping. Penny and Pietro had succeeded in the hack. The conversation and revelation with Weiss stepping down in Nora's mind as the next big thing was the whole canon conversation that followed between Penny and Pietro, about her staying on Amity after the launch. All until../div
div id="djs-ff3im" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-bmq5v" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Hello kids…", Harriet sneered, she was flanked by Marrow, Vine and Elm. Weiss smirked at them all./div
div id="djs-6mvii" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Well if we're kids, suppose that makes you all toddlers then?", She returned the words and added a sharp twist of the knife. She had dealt with better verbal duelists than this funny bunny. Harriet, perhaps realizing that she wasn't gonna talk her way through Weiss, addressed the weak link in their chain, Penny. "Time to come home now Penny"/div
div id="djs-6a5u9" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""So the first time wasn't enough?", Weiss and everyone else drew their weapons and took a defensive stance. Marrow's tail dropped as he blushed, embarrassed; "We were holding back!"/div
div id="djs-7m87m" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She wasn't!", Blake says, pointing a finger accusingly at Elm who stomped her foot and growled!/div
div id="djs-b5f79" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""We have all said some things we regret but please, hear me out", Vine asks, speaking politely and gently, stepping forwards. Ah yes, the negotiator. "I know you thought you did the right thing, leaving with the Maiden Power, but Salem is here now. Things have changed."/div
div id="djs-4i1m1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""If General Ironwood plans to leave Mantle behind, nothing has changed", Penny stands her ground. She is a little shy, reluctant, doesn't want to fight her other friends./div
div id="djs-ug6b" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I thought you were supposed to protect the people", Vine says after a sigh. Penny's eyes spark in a defiant pride, "I am…of ALL the people! I won't let them get hurt!"/div
div id="djs-m1v6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Tell that to Winter! She's critical, because of you!", Elm hisses! Stomping her foot once more as she reaches for her hammer. Earning a glare from Weiss; "Actually that was because of the Devil dressed in Blue, from what I hear"/div
div id="djs-1dv6m" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Doesn't change the fact she stole the power that should have been hers!", Harriet backfires! She steps forward. Now Ruby gives a growl and pats Penny's shoulders./div
div id="djs-b8883" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Penny didn't steal anything! Fria passed the power to whom she thought was right! And Penny is perfect!", Ruby doesn't like it when bad things happen to Penny. After the chaos of the Vytal festival, she would die to protect her friend!/div
div id="djs-1rgvd" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""If you are gonna keep refusing to do the right thing, people in Atlas and Mantle will die!", Harriet glares at Ruby, who doesn't take that lightly, "if YOU did the right thing, we'd all be saving them, together! Uncle Qrow was right, you are all just a bunch of jerks!"/div
div id="djs-4hnl5" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""One more word, and I'll kick you into his cell, screaming in pain, you runt!", Harriet's eyes are vile, filled with hate. This is more than just having her butt handed to her by the better team. So why is she so fixated on us, Ruby thought. Before Penny made a fatal mistake!/div
div id="djs-2gpa8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What will you do tincan!"/div
div id="djs-5dbaq" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Penny NO!"/div
div id="djs-2m58i" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-5al78" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Nora gazes at the electrified wall. She could barely register the words spoken by her friends. Four against one. A vengeful anger grasps her nordic heart, the thumping of it ringing in her ears as she finds herself imagining that question from before. Without Ren, I'm just Nora. Ditsy and energetic, hitting stuff with my might. The girl abandoned by her mother as the Grimm closed in. Orphaned and abandoned, bullied in that wonderful town where she met the boy who saved her from depression. Ever since then it had been her and his beautiful self against the world. Getting into Beacon. Getting paired up with Jaune and Pyrrha. Making friends that would last a lifetime. Except they were hurt. She lost her home, most of it. Ren had stuck by her. He had walked with her and Jaune to Mistral, eager to get Cinder for what she did to Pyrrha. And they even made it to Atlas. She looked at the place she was standing, her anger rose higher, boiling her blood. Atlas. Here she and Ren had begun falling apart. Without him, Ren and Nora will become just Nora. What am I, alone and on my own. Am I just the doofus? The comic relief? Shoving Weiss into a dust tube and getting your ear pulled because of it? Would she do it again if things had been different? She looked at her hands. Was she just dead weight? Or a distraction like her mother had used her for?/div
div id="djs-6044a" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"No, I can be a hero. Weiss believes in me. She said I could be a symbol. A maiden even. She thought about those final words. Her grandmother, a Maiden? She had barely any memory of her own mother. Why would I care about someone who never cared about me? But a Maiden? She had seen a fraction of what Penny could do, and that was just normal Penny. Now she was super charged! And alone fighting with those two faced, loyal and mindless soldiers doing the bidding of a tyrant! No. I will not allow that! Her anger touched her heart. A blazing fury lit her blood as she readied her Hammer. Staring at the electrical door. SHe had been struck by lightning once, crazy thursday that was, maybe that all happened for a reason. Maybe I could aid a Maiden. Aid a friend. Maybe I can be that, the best friend a person could wish for. A dedicated and friendly teammate. And as per the rules of team JNPR, we don't leave no one behind! She stomped her foot. "We have to get out there…be strong…hit stuff…save a Maiden…"/div
div id="djs-cpced" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""NORA WAIT!"/div
div id="djs-57b3p" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Nora Valkyrie let out a roar as she pressed the hammer against the electrical current of the door. He roar quickly crescendoed into a heavy scream as the sparks shot through her veins. Her already boiling blood from the anger at the injustice happening here, only fueling the sparks more. She could feel it crawl and shoot through her. A deep intense tingling as if she had burned her hand on a fire. She didn't need to check to know that without her Aura and Semblance, she'd be dead. Yet she pressed on! Putting her anger in her voice as her eyes sparked and fizzled. The handle of Magnhild turned glowing red from the heat generated by the lightning. A primal roar ended her charge as she scooted the line between an Aura break. She got close to having barely two percent. She saw dots before her. Her vision dimmed as if she was running through a dark tunnel. She shook her head, rage fueled adrenaline kicking in and making her stay awake! Finishing her roar, she made proud the name she was inspired on. Like Valkyries in Norse Myth, Nora drew back her hammer, slammed into the door and sent it flying through the air. Knocking it into Marrow and the other Ace Ops. In the blow, Marrow who was fiddling with holding Penny's Blades, snapped one loose and rolled backwards, glaring at what was happening. Standing in the opening, before her awestruck friends and terror stricken enemies, Nora's gaze turns to the Ace Ops and Penny, on the floor, outmatched and bullied by these jerks with their Holier than Thou nature. What once was anger to protect her friend and determination to prove who Nora was, a friend and a protector, her body shivers, perhaps from the electricity or because of the full hatred that now coursed through her. She recalled the bullies that picked on her in Kuroyuri. She growled, her voice distorted from the electrical charge powering her./div
div id="djs-8pjcc" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I'll BREAK YOUR LEGS!"/div
div id="djs-83rl6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Nora's body moves. She springs forwards like a bullet. Marrow thinks fast and points his fingers at her and screams 'stay', but either his aim is off, or Nora's just an unstoppable force. She powers through his Semblance and swings her hammer, roaring gutturally freezing Vine and Harriet in terror as the blunt force of her hammer slammed into Elm who gasped in shock. She had dismissed Nora. Thunder Thighs? As if! But she now realized just how badly she had underestimated Nora. With a roar and a scream, Nora blasted Elm off the platform and into the wall, retching her half an inch into the wall, knocking her out cold and breaking her Aura. Horrified at that sight, Marrow turns tail, still holding the blade he snapped off of Penny, and runs off. Harriet wants to call out for him to stand his ground. But freezes. She feels a dangerous, berserker-like presence standing behind her. Gasping and swallowing hard, she whimpers for a moment as Nora rears back and slams her head into Harriet, who spasms as a massive and dangerous amped up blast of electricity eats through her Aura. Vine wraps an Aura Vine around the unconscious Elm and shocked Harriet and dives off the platform. Nora smiles ear to ear, her anger dropping just like the last of her Aura, grinning like she's drunk on mede. "heh..that was…pretty…awe…some"/div
div id="djs-blc7p" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-2mud0" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-fujtq" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-aft3o" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Guess at least one of you did something smart", James scolds his Ace Ops. That's the second time these children beat them. He was starting to doubt their capabilities./div
div id="djs-81okh" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Good work would have been if we caught Penny..", Harriet hisses, her head bandaged to help with the massive concussion she was experiencing. Elm was still out cold on a stretcher, medics examining her./div
div id="djs-2oj50" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yes well, sometimes you take what you can get", James turns to hand the blade off to Watts. Who smirks. "If you can't beat em, make them join you"/div
/div
div id="djs-foo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"In the grand probability of endless potential and opportunity, there exists a timeline where everything goes right, rather than wrong. A timeline where events play out as close to the current one, yet key subtle differences alter and change the fates of those touched. Within the endless reaches of time, space and opportunity, we find ourselves in the hallways inside Monstra. Aschen Gwain was plagued by memories that weren't hers as she got through a door, the darkness around them as they walked through the insides of a massive Grimm Whale the size of a continent, triggering memories of the barely conscious Cinder in her mind. SHe hadn't heard Cinder in forever. Maybe she was almost free of her. Regardless of the dead woman in her mind, the girl formerly known as Vernal walked accompanied by Neopolitan. The both of them had managed to steal the Lamp from Farmboy and as a result they had decided and were allowed into this unnatural place. How did Aschen know this? A strange gnawing in the back of her mind. THat same itch she couldn't scratch and was now calling her closer and closer inwards. Until at long last, both girls stood in attendance with her. Salem./div
div id="djs-433lr" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Kneel", it was a soft voice. At first Aschen thought it was Salem who spoke. But she hadn't even acknowledged their presence at all. Aschen turned to Neo before immediately turning back. Idiot the girl's mute! She then looked at her own hands and sighed. Cinder was awake again. She spoke to her, as a whisper. Less than a whisper. "Kneel…before you're killed…Address her as Queen"/div
div id="djs-fkavl" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""No, I won't." I've lived in servitute of one woman already. Never again", Aschen shot back mentally. Before she felt a cold air around her. Neo must have sensed it as well since they both took a nervous step back. When a new voice spoke./div
div id="djs-d49nm" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""The lost child returns…different and yet the same", Aschen's eyes went wide in horror. Salem had turned to face them and her voice was unnatural. She spoke softly, yet somehow there was this intense panic building in Gwain's mind. She gulped and shook her head./div
div id="djs-1cnrq" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I'm not…Cinder…", she said, straining to get the words out. SHe had never felt this sort of thing. She knew her mother could silence people with a glare. But even Raven wasn't this threateningly intimidating. Horrified wasn't quite the right word, yet a defiant fire burned in Aschen's soul. A fire, she realized, that wasn't purely hers./div
div id="djs-c0ndc" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Oh? And why have you come before me…Lilie Branwen?", the very mention of the name she had worn by birth to that cowardly chicken made the flame spark even higher in defiance./div
div id="djs-9vgbm" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I'm Aschen! Aschen Gwain…", her voice started with a sharp tone to it. Yet as she repeated her full name she felt her flame dim into a mere candle as Salem's eyes turned hostile towards her. So much so she almost sank to her knees in subservience to the Grimm Queen. But she held strong, if barely./div
div id="djs-66r0e" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Speak that way to me again, girl..and your name won't matter. Nor your dreams and wants", Aschen gulped visibly. Apparently that was enough for Salem to be satisfied as she turned to look at Neo, who had been quietly standing nearby, her eyes conveying the horror she was seeing./div
div id="djs-a0a8u" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""And who are you?", Neo wanted to answer, but Aschen beat her to it, earning her a glare. "She's Neopolitan. An ally who helped me secure the Lamp"/div
div id="djs-4rlf3" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""When I chose Cinder as the vessel for the Maiden powers, I trusted her hunger to keep her loyal. Why would I trust you, a girl who came to me with her tail between her legs?", Aschen's face heated up in hatred as she stood forwards, stepping towards Salem and glaring at her. Salem's eyes turned from uninterested boredom to a curious mockery./div
div id="djs-7tfbf" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I came here, because Cinder convinced me. I came here with the Lamp so you'd back off. Leave me alone to hunt the woman I want dead!", She bellowed. It was only after she finished her words that Aschen's bravery vanished like snow in Vacuo when she saw Salem leaning closer and gaze at her intently. Then a smile appeared./div
div id="djs-1rf7a" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""And you claim you're nothing like Cinder…", Aschen spun around, it was a male who spoke. A man with yellow eyes and a mechanical tail. Seeing his face, she was suddenly blasted with memories. Him mocking her for losing to Ruby, him laughing maniacally. Him crying and murdering Grimm after he displeased Salem. No that's not me, Aschen shook her head and staggered back./div
div id="djs-fko4d" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I see the merging is almost complete", Salem said, observing everything./div
div id="djs-9bitc" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Say what you will. I'm out of here, Raven is who I want…dead!", Aschen made a critical error. Suddenly a deep belly rumble echoed through the throneroom as Monstra bellowed. Salem reached forwards and grabbed Aschen's arm, squeezing it painfully./div
div id="djs-ble9b" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What you want…girl…is of no concern! It's I who-", there was an explosion as part of Salem's arm and head were shot clean off! Aschen's hand had exploded as she tapped into the power she had slowly come to relish and enjoy. With the ability to mimic every Semblance on the planet as well as being limited only by her own imagination, she felt confident she had the most power in this room! Yet when Tyrian, how do I know his name..I've never seen or heard…oh Cinder. When he merely gave her a toothy grin she knew something was up. A sickening snapping of bones was audible, Aschen's face turned pale as parts of Salem's face and arm simply regenerated out of thin air. Her bored and curious expression turned to an amusing one./div
div id="djs-2us26" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""And here I thought I'd have to implant you with a Beetle like I did Cinder", mentioning the word Beetle, Aschen's mind flashed back to the time when she…no CINDER…used the Beetle Grimm to sap Amber's powers. Coming here was a mistake, the more she was here, the stronger Cinder's memories became. She didn't want that! She wanted to remain Aschen…the hunter and eventual killer of Raven!/div
div id="djs-50nml" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""At least she as Cinder's spark and need to collect strays and pawns…", Tyrian said, eyeing up Neo, who for the first time, stopped being shocked and simply glared at him. As if to challenge him. That's when a door opened and Emerald, Hazel and Mercury appeared. Aschen's eyes made contact with Emerald and there was a look. As if she remembered something, or recognised her./div
div id="djs-2a0gg" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Cinder…?", She walked closer, before stopping and hissing, "Vernal!"/div
div id="djs-84fkl" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Shut up", Aschen hissed. No more. That wasn't even her birth name. She then gasped and glared at Salem…how did she know her name had been Lilie once?/div
div id="djs-6375b" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Tsk, tsk…such loyalty for someone so incompetent…and dead", Tyrian said, pretending to be sad at Cinder's death. Emerald's eyes widening in shock./div
div id="djs-5il37" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I warn you…beast..I'll cut your tail off again! And this time there's no Watts around to help!", Aschen turned, her eyes radiating power as she let fire spark in one hand, while her other hand generated a powerful gale of winds in her fingers. How do I know that his tail was cut off by Ruby? Tyrian wasn't bothered and walked closer, daring her to attack him./div
div id="djs-87q5b" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""While the good doctor will be missed, he and I were busy pulling the legs and arms from this pathetic kingdom. Meanwhile you were scurrying like a rat to try and buy your way in with her grace. You returned here out of fear, not servitute like me", he said as he held up his face, as if to ask 'come on…hit me', before he bowed for Salem./div
div id="djs-e4o9o" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I didn't want to be here. I only came here to get Salem off my back. If I give her the relic, I can go after Raven without having to look over my back constantly", as she spoke, Salem raised her hand and snickered./div
div id="djs-1acuo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You aren't getting anywhere. It's true I have one relic now, but I still require three more. One of which is in Atlas. And if you think you can deliver that to me without sapping Penny Polendina's powers from her, then I might consider granting your wish for revenge. But you'll stay mine until we find the relic at Beacon. Then, and ONLY then…might I grant you the order of killing Raven. After all, her Relic is right here", Aschen shivered in rage as she looked at Salem and the magic she had turned on the unnatural revenant woman./div
div id="djs-7aiif" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I am through being groomed by women in power. I won't be your puppet!", at that outburst, Salem and Tyrian both laughed. Hauntingly for the woman, mockingly for him. She turned and walked towards her chair and caressed it, making the cloudy ceiling see through as they gazed at Atlas from afar./div
div id="djs-7vg9i" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""In this game I'm playing, you're barely more important than a Pawn Aschen, your wants and needs matter very little. If at all", Aschen felt the need to say a few words. But stopped herself as she discovered they weren't hers. SHe wasn't nothing without Salem! She was Aschen, and she'd be the death of Raven. When the woman raised her hand and gestured them all to leave, Aschen groaned, as she felt Emerald take her hand, which she wrenched free and glared at her, making Emerald look like a slapped puppy./div
div id="djs-djg67" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-7iurv" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-698nn" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-ove" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Copy, the Crater is secured. Thanks Adamant. Your work is invaluable. Come back for some rest, I'll send a few others out to keep the routes you cleared free", May spoke over several coms as she coordinated Mantle's evacuation. Now that Atlas had turned away, too busy fighting their own war up in the clouds, it was up for the Happy Huntresses to solve the problems, again!/div
div id="djs-84fal" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""En route. Also made contact with our Red Spy. I have information back for you at base", came the reply as the gang reunited. Oscar deflects from his experience with Ozpin and his deep fall. Conversations and reactions happen as are in canon. Joanna walks in and gives the rundown and demands help; "Either you're helping…or your deadweight"/div
div id="djs-ftipo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""We need to go out there and do what we can for Mantle", Yang sighs and stands up, looking at her team and friends./div
div id="djs-4qsik" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""We need to do what we can for everyone!", Ruby motions, "what about Amity. We need help. Atlas and we can't do this alone, the forces of Salem have outnumbered us!"/div
div id="djs-6khpf" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Ruby's right", Blake puts a hand on Ruby, standing by her side and looking at Yang, "the Happy Huntresses are doing what they can but they need assistance. Plus we need to think of the bigger picture"/div
div id="djs-19tc4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You're saying that because your big scary teacher is helping them. And besides, Amity isn't finished. It's pointless", Yang throws it back, Blake flinches at that comment but bites her tongue. Ruby, trying to dismantle the tensions brewing in her team, turns to Pietro, "Doctor, what would you need to launch Amity?"/div
div id="djs-1achg" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Uh…we made decent progress on construction and fuel collection. All potentially manageable but the real issue is James. He made it so she can't launch without clearance from his terminal"/div
div id="djs-d2ltf" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""See? Pointless. Like general Tinhead would cooperate with us after the night we've had", Yang says, as if that made it ok. Ruby shook her head. Once again sister you're incapable of listening and using your creativity, like with Jinn revealing Salem can't be killed…by Ozpin. She can still be stopped, and Ironwood can still give clearance, technically! "He doesn't have to! If his terminal greenlights it, Amity will fly!"/div
div id="djs-46qdb" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You wanna go back to the academy?"; Yang throws her hands in the air and huffs. Come on sis, use that brain of yours. Think this through!/div
div id="djs-2tqst" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Ehh..actually..There's another terminal, at the base of the city in the main military compound. You just have to get in there…then the operations room and..I need to think about this a little more"/div
div id="djs-1cl2q" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What you're saying is it can't be done. Pointless. Plus, suppose it does work, what guarantee do you have people would come and help? Mistral's still dealing with Haven Academy, Vale is crippled and Vacuo only ever cared about itself", hearing her say that word for a third time Ruby snaps!/div
div id="djs-bnolf" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""It's NOT POINTLESS! Atlas is only the current target! She's not hiding anymore and after she finishes, Vacuo is next, along with Remnant! We need to warn them!", It was so easy and simple! Why won't Yang see that!?/div
div id="djs-8n0p" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Rubes…when we came here, we said we'd follow your lead. But things haven't exactly worked out. We nearly died on a train, twice I might add, almost died with the Apathy. Atlas is splintered. We're fugitives, Qrow's probably drunk in a ditch somewhere", Ruby's eyes opened and a small sparkle of her silver was lost. Weiss held a hand before her hand, Blake gasped. Ruby's eyes turned colder, she glared at her sister. But she didn't speak. Sparking a moment in Weiss./div
div id="djs-come6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yang, that's out of line. Ever since the bandit camp you've been more distant and anti-social. And taking out our bad luck on Ruby isn't fair. You didn't exactly offer a solution", Weiss said, walking and standing next to her friend and leader./div
div id="djs-e5i70" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I just.."/div
div id="djs-dn1ut" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""There are people here who need us right now. And that is something we CAN do", Ren spat, still feeling sore about the embarrassing loss they had suffered in the Atlas Academy. His venom however sparked Nora to come to Ruby's defense. "This isn't about JUST Atlas. Ruby's right, this is about all of Remnant! Vacuo, Mistral and Vale they deserve to know what's coming and hopefully prepare some form of defense!"/div
div id="djs-32e8a" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Ok, Ok", Jaune sensing his team also falling apart steps between the angered eyes of Ren and Nora's pleading gaze. How has it come to this? Once again he wonders how Pyrrha would have handled it. But he was the leader and he had to make a snap decision. The tension, it would be stupid to further escalate the situation. Perhaps splitting the party was an option, even if you never do that and live to tell about it, "We'll do both. Get Amity launched and evacuate Mantle"/div
div id="djs-a266a" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""But that's how Salem got this far! By dividing and conquering! We have to stick together, as a team!", Ruby pleads, but she doesn't get the reaction she wants, which what she gets is an emotionless stare from Yang and the reply from Oscar, "No, what Salem wants is to turn us against each other. Just like this. Jaune speaks the truth. We can work separately and still be united in our goal of stopping her. Both small and large scale"/div
div id="djs-35nnt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Or we could let me take the relic to Salem. Maybe she'll call off the attack", in an almost childlike purity Penny throws that suggestion. Yet Salem can't be trusted for that!/div
div id="djs-3349j" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Even if she were to do that, which she won't, the moment she uses the Staff Atlas will fall down and wipe out Mantle", Oscar putting into words what everyone's thinking./div
div id="djs-fjdfr" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""No one's turning you over, to anyone. That, we can all pretty much agree on, at least", Yang accepts that and everyone wordlessly agrees. Ruby accepts that she can't keep everyone together and bends to it. A good leader knows when to let others take point, right?/div
div id="djs-dakd" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Alright…then I guess we're going to Atlas. Can you help us get us to that terminal?", Ruby turns to face Pietro, who fumbles but nods. "I suppose someone has to help you bypass securit-"/div
div id="djs-a5jtk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I'll go"/div
div id="djs-cgpme" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Penny…we can't risk-"/div
div id="djs-fki4f" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I'll GO", Penny's eyes flare with her Aura as she taps into the Maiden powers and glares at her father. Yang groans and walks towards the door./div
div id="djs-4er6o" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Do what you wish. I'm going out to see what I can do", Blake and Weiss look at her walking away, throwing away her team, like it's nothing. They both glance at one another, so when is it their turn to go on an adventure with Jaune?/div
div id="djs-8ns40" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yang…go by the pharmacy. I was developing something for you all but it got lost with…all this. You'll need 'em"/div
div id="djs-4jbgt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Nora?", Ren asks as he looks coldly at Nora who shakes her head in defiance. "I'm going with Ruby"/div
div id="djs-dhk3" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What about Mantle?", Ren asks, almost as if to guilt her into joining him, Nora notices this and smirks in a defiant way, "Oh I'll be saving Mantle. Because I ACTUALLY believe Ruby and us can do this!"/div
div id="djs-25dlo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Fine then…", Ren hisses and together with Jaune, Yang and Oscar they leave through the door. For a moment there is a silence in the air, until the back door opens and a red dressed man walked in and slumped into a chair. Blake springs up and runs towards her teacher, Adam as he barely acknowledges her. "Hey Blake…"/div
div id="djs-426so" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Adam…are you ok?!", she asked in terror. He looked exhausted! He had bruises and cuts all over his face and arms, his coat was dirty and he was gulping air like he almost drowned. However he merely nodded and patted her shoulder./div
div id="djs-d5377" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I'm fine. Been running left and right, clearing out corridors of Grimm for safe passage of the people. But that's not important. I have news", man, Vergil we sure could have used your help. But at least he left for Mistral, last Adam heard. Hearing his voice May also walks into the room and nods, "share"/div
div id="djs-bat7o" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Adam holds his hand up and grabs his Scroll, or rather one he had received from a pickup. It had been put in such a way that when he unlocked it by his fingerprint, it opened and played an audio log./div
div id="djs-14opk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Robyn Hill and Qrow Branwen are detained in the Atlas Academy. Maximum security. Getting them out won't be easy. Désolée"/div
div id="djs-4so15" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-9ggej" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-e4tra" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-105q2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Well that about covers it…cover the body", a coroner said as Clover Ebi's face was covered up. "cause of death is a lethal injection of venom, one that matches the same compounds and chemicals as those of Tyrian on record. Although this dose was even more dangerously toxic. Never seen a Faunus get 'better venom' before"/div
div id="djs-8lvfa" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Sir, prisoners have been processed and put in B block"/div
div id="djs-6q8np" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Qrow and Robyn?", Winter asks as two medics examine her. She had lost a lot of blood and was wounded, but not in life threatening danger. Vergil had not tried to kill her, but his blade had drawn numerous lacerations across her body./div
div id="djs-b84d2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Stop moving! I can't check the specs of this brace if you keep moving!", Coal groans as he's fiddling with tools and soldering irons as he enforces the brace Winter was forced to wear on her left arm. Orders from the General. In her fight with the man, now identified as the brother of Dante, Vergil Sparda, a dangerously powerful strike had broken her arm and Ironwood had ordered a brace to be made, he needed her operational and in the field within the hour! And since Penny had vanished, Pietro also didn't see fit to return to the Lab. Soldiers had been sent to guard and apprehend him at the pharmacy in Mantle./div
div id="djs-fecp2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Could you give us the room please?", the medics instantly leave, but Coal is still tinkering. Causing James to glare at him, "ahem?"/div
div id="djs-dnte7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I heard ya. But if I don't fix this thing NOW I'll have to start over. I'm not Pietro. I'm a weapon builder, he's the prosthetics genius. I'll just put these in", Coal puts in earbuds as he pushes up the volume. Tapping his foot to the beat. James groans, but continues. Coal doesn't hear a word of it but is shaken out of it when Winter twitches. He takes out his bud to ask, but halts, her eyes are trained on the glass window, no one, not even the Ace Ops in the other room, realize that he's able to hear everything. He stands in awe as he watches James take his white Revolver and point it at Councilman Sleet and shoots him in the face. That's some cold boomstick action, Coal sighs before he puts his plug back in, pretending he hadn't noticed anything. Yet as he further tinkers with the mechanical wiring and inner workings, he is just a few more seconds slower than before, as he has a single thought about himself. Rouge…you better be careful…/div
div id="djs-2b5nm" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-4qcpl" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-3i4h2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-abp1h" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-8ttk6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-7853u" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Adam appeared out of a shadow and sliced at the two Sabyrs standing in front of a Hardlight shield thrown from a disk. He had tagged along with Oscar, Jaune, Ren and Yang, but mostly kept to clearing the surrounding areas. Staying out of their way, not only because he didn't wanna deal with Yang's anger, but also because of the humans that are out here. He knew Atlas was ungrateful and racist towards the Faunus. But even the supremacy mindset had settled in here. When he heard the older woman complain and wanting to be picked up by Atlas, he nearly lost it and snapped at her. Yet Yang had backed up the Faunus. He smiled at that, Blake you sure know how to pick your friends. With a nod over his shoulder, he returned to the surrounding perimeter around them. He hadn't just taken this job to help Fiona and her friends. He especially wanted to keep an eye on these kids. Even if they were licensed Huntsmen, this was still a dangerous operation. As they wandered and got closer towards the crater, he could also sense tension between them. Seems they weren't focused on a good goal after all. Perhaps he'd have to teach them something./div
div id="djs-d3djg" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I don't need a peptalk, I need to focus!", Adam could feel the bite from where he was shadowing the group. He groaned and turned, slicing a Teryx in half before smirking. Jaune at least wasn't a pushover. "Sorry I'm trying to help a teammate"/div
div id="djs-861jo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-f3it7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-3mmb4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-f41la" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Are there any buildings your family doesn't own?", Weiss blushed as Blake teased her like that. She puffed her chest out and turned to her, acting haughty and propper; "That is hardly relevant, but we don't own the Academy for starters"/div
div id="djs-6pp3d" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"As she walked away Blake simply giggles at her./div
div id="djs-8le4q" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-3fr8p" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-f6djq" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-3ir7f" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Adam watches as the group walks in. Yet when Joanna mentions the Grimm on Atlas, he groans, causing everyone to look at him. "I'm glad that thing is focused on Atlas. Let them feel how it is to be hunted. I shouldn't be here long. Staying near the Crater will set off my buttons."/div
div id="djs-1869l" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You have a lot of hate for the Atlesians don't you", Joanna observes. Causing Adam to roll his eyes behind his cowl. He sighs. "Let's just say they deserve it. And more. Look at them, my people, all in the Slums because this Kingdom is the worst offender to Faunus Rights! All because of Jacques Schnee. And the Military does nothing to stop it!"/div
div id="djs-bqs1v" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Aggressively he kicks a can away, slamming into a rock formation as the others watch him. He takes a few breaths and calms down./div
div id="djs-aefde" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Fi…we got another fight breaking out!"/div
div id="djs-7fkl6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Ugh…thanks uncle, we'll handle it", Fiona slums down, her contagious optimism wavering. She was suffering under Robyn's absence. Before Joanna can step in, Adam already walks off towards the altercation. "I got it, I need to punch something anyway"/div
div id="djs-2gvcl" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Joanna smiles. As he walks, she gives Fiona a poke at the side, making her squeak adorably as the others laugh for a moment. Before Fiona's smile vanishes, Grimm causing trouble in the east./div
div id="djs-507es" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-ci6o9" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-5kv7n" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-143vb" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I've never seen Grimm act that way before…", Jaune says, looking between his friends. Oscar nods. "But what were th-"/div
div id="djs-8ehip" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""DUCK!", Jaune rams his bike forwards and raises his shield as a massive mass of what feels like concrete slams him to the floor, knocking him and his Aura down, by a massive margin! In the confusion, Oscar and Ren leap away as a shape of black, white and red eyes dashes in again. Shooting Stormflower into the wall, Ren slingshots himself at the creature. Yet despite him being as fast as he was, it merely ducked under it. As Ren flew over his target, missing by a hair, the creature snapped its jaws at his back. Which Oscar protects him from as he puts Long Memory between the jaws and pushes back. A good idea in theory. But as the heavy jaws snap down, it throws Oscar bodily against the wall and paws at him. A heavy Aura drop as Oscar's Aura shimmers, one more of those and he was done for! Yang roars and punches at the neck of the Grimm, yet it opens it's mouth, letting go of Oscar and snaps at Yang, who grins as she plants a sticky! Yet before she could cock her arm back and explode the bomb, the Grimm jumped backwards, the beeping payload now inches away from Oscar as the Grimm pinned him to the floor, resting it's weight on his frail body. Aura was holding, but it was dangerously low now. Yang however was more concerned about the fact that this thing had somehow known her bomb would blow by her doing something, using it to threaten Oscar. She had to let it beep a few more seconds, before the Grimm took it's paw and like a delicate set of pliers, pulled it free. As if it was a wooden splinter stuck in his neck. Ren used the moment to attack, while Jaune threw his discus to form a Hardlight shield, forcing the Grimm to back off as Ren attacked. There was a sickening crunch and bubbling sound, as suddenly part of it's arm snapped out of place and became like spaghetti. Almost like the Nucklavee had!/div
div id="djs-81uo8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"With a crack in the air, the arm whipped Ren across the body and slammed him into a pole. His Aura held, but there was a heavy ringing pain in his mind. Fully stunned for a moment. Capitalizing, the Grimm bounded for Oscar, ignoring Jaune who raised his shield to block, causing Yang to swoop in with Ember Celica and snatch Oscar out of the way! As she pulled him, the Grimm turns and rather than simply snapping and missing, it looks at her change the target's position, before snapping and catching Oscar's Ankle. His green Aura shatters as it pulls him out of Yang's grasp and stomps him on the floor, knocking him out. Jaune charges but stops in place as he sees the Grimm bubble and snap it's arm again, making it's clawed Paw become a hand. Holding Oscar up as a meatshield, forcing Jaune to halt his charge and get slammed by the other hand. Tanking the blow with his Shield. Man has this thing been getting a beating, he thinks before crashing into the wall. Yang raises her fists again as Jaune calls out: "Careful it's using Oscar as a shield!"/div
div id="djs-5i3jg" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Yang stands her ground but doesn't engage, Ren, similarly just observes as the creature holds Oscar and then points a nail to his throat!? What is this thing!? Overwhelmed by the powerlessness of it all, Ren screams "Give him back", causing the Grimm Hound to twist it's neck, cracking and snapping bones until it opens it's jaw./div
div id="djs-d804m" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""No…"/div
div id="djs-3d74n" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Did that thing just talk?! Yang, Ren and Jaune stood nailed to the floor, unable to think or act. THey were frozen. A talking Grimm? Sure a monster that could sap your will and make you die by apathy, sure a massive killer whale that flies overhead, sure a massive sea snake dragon thing that fires lightning at ships, sure something as twisted as the Leviathan that attacked Mistral or something as insane as a massive Grimm Wyvern that dropped pools which grew into more Grimm. It was all insane and made no sense, but one that talked?! Before they could act they heard and saw it groan. Groan. AS if it could feel pain, withering as its bones snapped out of place and back into place. With a feral roar, red leathery wings sprang from its back as black ichor dropped on Oscar's unconscious body. It took him in its mouth and took off with the subtlety of Ruby trying to get at the cookie jar. It barreled forwards as a lumbering Megoliath, slamming into the building as it sprang upwards to try and fly. It's leathery wings giving this intense and threatening wingbeat that sounded like approaching nightmares on a cold winter night. As it began climbing, Jaune broke through the horror first and kicked his bike into overdrive, bypassing his fear of falling and crashing on it as he was only concerned for a teammate in danger./div
div id="djs-ei88s" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Snap out of it! Track this thing!", he ordered the other two. Who shook their heads, as if waking from a daze. Before they lunged for their bikes and accelerated to top speed. Ren flinched when a call came down the coms./div
div id="djs-6rhtt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Kids what's your status? We need reinforcements at the west side of the Crater", Fiona asked over the coms. As they sped after the thing, Yang looked at Ren, both at a loss for words. How do you explain a talking Grimm to people who haven't seen it before? Jaune raised his finger to his ear./div
div id="djs-45cn7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""We're in pursuit of a new Grimm type. It took our friend. I'm sorry", Jaune was in full leader mode, Yang knew because that was the same way Ruby handled herself when she needed to get people to listen and do as they were told. Then a different voice came over the line./div
div id="djs-fmus" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I got this Fiona…I still need to kill something"/div
div id="djs-efg5d" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Thanks Adamant…And kids…good luck"/div
div id="djs-45p7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-e1t2p" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-fuhvi" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-99ge5" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Busy day you say? Honestly James…just say you shot another councilmember", Watts huffed as he tapped away at the screen. He didn't bother to look up at the entrance doorway. Not that it would matter anyway, he was stuck here./div
div id="djs-5s16k" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Believe what you want Arthur…but it's General to you", as he said that Watts felt the mechanical vice like grips on his shoulders. But he didn't flinch or look away from the screen, "Or do I have to motivate you…again?"/div
div id="djs-62dur" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Save that pretentious talk for anyone who cares, James. You're not gonna do anything to me because unlike those idiots who work for you and yourself, I have the brains to deal with this magical science project", Watts said, even shaking his elbows to dislodge the general's hands. He worked faster this way./div
div id="djs-8v9vt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I trust you'll do as I tell you", James pulls his hands back and nods at the soldiers, all raising their weapons. Watts grinned, "oh how palpable your trust is. It's almost as if you think I'll double cross you…"/div
div id="djs-7c9rr" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"A red flash hit the screen as he looked at it and then rolled his eyes. "speaking of trust, It appears you have a rat in your operation. And I'm not talking about that fatman's toy girl running through the base using his credentials to get around the place. I'm talking about a classified communications like that works out of the weapons lab"/div
div id="djs-646nh" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Don't try anything Arthur", James pulls the man away from the console and glares him down, but Watts doesn't bother at all, the punch he earned after his snarky comment was well worth the vile and funny expression on James' face; "Well…it's Watts to you"/div
div id="djs-evb9v" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-46goj" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-14p1v" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-e980" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Will…could you go and get some coffee? Oh and please avoid Bill this time? He's a little stressed", Coal groaned as he looked over the sketches of new tools and devices for use in combat. Bill had been on edge ever since the 'best dad' cup and the massive Grimm army that seemed to wait outside. Rumor had it some of the lookouts had seen shapes in the storm clouds. But what really worried Coal, as he looked over the weapon blueprints that Rouge was tinkering with, was what would happen to them all. Not just from the dangers out there. But the horrors in here. Word of Sleet's death had spread in the base, some even accusing James Ironwood of it. Coal had seen it first hand but needed to play it close to the chest for now. As he looked over the finished sketches of a scabbard that was meant to house a sword, a thing that had been made in less than an hour with their combined minds, he did feel a tension. Rouge had been aiding the Happy Huntresses, before Martial Law had been declared. That was treason, life in prison. But with Sleet's case, Coal wondered what would happen if the truth came out. Luckily he was smart enough that everything on inventory was still here. Rouge had been good at covering his tracks./div
div id="djs-7k9i8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-879nt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-fjm8g" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-e242v" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Like what…be strong and hit stuff?", Weiss saw the pain in Nora's eyes. The isolation. Feeling like you had nothing to your name. She wished she could help her. Give her something like Nicolas had been for her. A grandfather to set a prime example of what you could achieve! SHe then recalled Fria's features, looking Nora over. And gasped! Causing Nora to look at her. "What…it's not that depressing"/div
div id="djs-mg44" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Nora…I think you could become so much more. A symbol. A hero. A friend! Think about it. You helped Ruby and your team on their journey through Mistral. You are the pillar of strength. You carry those who need you with a smile on your face. And while I am still angry you shot me through that dust shoot, I can see you're more than just 'strong and hit stuff'...I think you might even be a good maiden", Weiss said, looking at Nora. She put a hand on Nora's shoulder and smiled warmly, "like your grandmother"/div
div id="djs-9uo3o" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What…?", before Weiss could answer, there was a beeping. Penny and Pietro had succeeded in the hack. The conversation and revelation with Weiss stepping down in Nora's mind as the next big thing was the whole canon conversation that followed between Penny and Pietro, about her staying on Amity after the launch. All until../div
div id="djs-ff3im" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-bmq5v" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Hello kids…", Harriet sneered, she was flanked by Marrow, Vine and Elm. Weiss smirked at them all./div
div id="djs-6mvii" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Well if we're kids, suppose that makes you all toddlers then?", She returned the words and added a sharp twist of the knife. She had dealt with better verbal duelists than this funny bunny. Harriet, perhaps realizing that she wasn't gonna talk her way through Weiss, addressed the weak link in their chain, Penny. "Time to come home now Penny"/div
div id="djs-6a5u9" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""So the first time wasn't enough?", Weiss and everyone else drew their weapons and took a defensive stance. Marrow's tail dropped as he blushed, embarrassed; "We were holding back!"/div
div id="djs-7m87m" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She wasn't!", Blake says, pointing a finger accusingly at Elm who stomped her foot and growled!/div
div id="djs-b5f79" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""We have all said some things we regret but please, hear me out", Vine asks, speaking politely and gently, stepping forwards. Ah yes, the negotiator. "I know you thought you did the right thing, leaving with the Maiden Power, but Salem is here now. Things have changed."/div
div id="djs-4i1m1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""If General Ironwood plans to leave Mantle behind, nothing has changed", Penny stands her ground. She is a little shy, reluctant, doesn't want to fight her other friends./div
div id="djs-ug6b" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I thought you were supposed to protect the people", Vine says after a sigh. Penny's eyes spark in a defiant pride, "I am…of ALL the people! I won't let them get hurt!"/div
div id="djs-m1v6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Tell that to Winter! She's critical, because of you!", Elm hisses! Stomping her foot once more as she reaches for her hammer. Earning a glare from Weiss; "Actually that was because of the Devil dressed in Blue, from what I hear"/div
div id="djs-1dv6m" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Doesn't change the fact she stole the power that should have been hers!", Harriet backfires! She steps forward. Now Ruby gives a growl and pats Penny's shoulders./div
div id="djs-b8883" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Penny didn't steal anything! Fria passed the power to whom she thought was right! And Penny is perfect!", Ruby doesn't like it when bad things happen to Penny. After the chaos of the Vytal festival, she would die to protect her friend!/div
div id="djs-1rgvd" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""If you are gonna keep refusing to do the right thing, people in Atlas and Mantle will die!", Harriet glares at Ruby, who doesn't take that lightly, "if YOU did the right thing, we'd all be saving them, together! Uncle Qrow was right, you are all just a bunch of jerks!"/div
div id="djs-4hnl5" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""One more word, and I'll kick you into his cell, screaming in pain, you runt!", Harriet's eyes are vile, filled with hate. This is more than just having her butt handed to her by the better team. So why is she so fixated on us, Ruby thought. Before Penny made a fatal mistake!/div
div id="djs-2gpa8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What will you do tincan!"/div
div id="djs-5dbaq" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Penny NO!"/div
div id="djs-2m58i" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-5al78" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Nora gazes at the electrified wall. She could barely register the words spoken by her friends. Four against one. A vengeful anger grasps her nordic heart, the thumping of it ringing in her ears as she finds herself imagining that question from before. Without Ren, I'm just Nora. Ditsy and energetic, hitting stuff with my might. The girl abandoned by her mother as the Grimm closed in. Orphaned and abandoned, bullied in that wonderful town where she met the boy who saved her from depression. Ever since then it had been her and his beautiful self against the world. Getting into Beacon. Getting paired up with Jaune and Pyrrha. Making friends that would last a lifetime. Except they were hurt. She lost her home, most of it. Ren had stuck by her. He had walked with her and Jaune to Mistral, eager to get Cinder for what she did to Pyrrha. And they even made it to Atlas. She looked at the place she was standing, her anger rose higher, boiling her blood. Atlas. Here she and Ren had begun falling apart. Without him, Ren and Nora will become just Nora. What am I, alone and on my own. Am I just the doofus? The comic relief? Shoving Weiss into a dust tube and getting your ear pulled because of it? Would she do it again if things had been different? She looked at her hands. Was she just dead weight? Or a distraction like her mother had used her for?/div
div id="djs-6044a" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"No, I can be a hero. Weiss believes in me. She said I could be a symbol. A maiden even. She thought about those final words. Her grandmother, a Maiden? She had barely any memory of her own mother. Why would I care about someone who never cared about me? But a Maiden? She had seen a fraction of what Penny could do, and that was just normal Penny. Now she was super charged! And alone fighting with those two faced, loyal and mindless soldiers doing the bidding of a tyrant! No. I will not allow that! Her anger touched her heart. A blazing fury lit her blood as she readied her Hammer. Staring at the electrical door. SHe had been struck by lightning once, crazy thursday that was, maybe that all happened for a reason. Maybe I could aid a Maiden. Aid a friend. Maybe I can be that, the best friend a person could wish for. A dedicated and friendly teammate. And as per the rules of team JNPR, we don't leave no one behind! She stomped her foot. "We have to get out there…be strong…hit stuff…save a Maiden…"/div
div id="djs-cpced" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""NORA WAIT!"/div
div id="djs-57b3p" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Nora Valkyrie let out a roar as she pressed the hammer against the electrical current of the door. He roar quickly crescendoed into a heavy scream as the sparks shot through her veins. Her already boiling blood from the anger at the injustice happening here, only fueling the sparks more. She could feel it crawl and shoot through her. A deep intense tingling as if she had burned her hand on a fire. She didn't need to check to know that without her Aura and Semblance, she'd be dead. Yet she pressed on! Putting her anger in her voice as her eyes sparked and fizzled. The handle of Magnhild turned glowing red from the heat generated by the lightning. A primal roar ended her charge as she scooted the line between an Aura break. She got close to having barely two percent. She saw dots before her. Her vision dimmed as if she was running through a dark tunnel. She shook her head, rage fueled adrenaline kicking in and making her stay awake! Finishing her roar, she made proud the name she was inspired on. Like Valkyries in Norse Myth, Nora drew back her hammer, slammed into the door and sent it flying through the air. Knocking it into Marrow and the other Ace Ops. In the blow, Marrow who was fiddling with holding Penny's Blades, snapped one loose and rolled backwards, glaring at what was happening. Standing in the opening, before her awestruck friends and terror stricken enemies, Nora's gaze turns to the Ace Ops and Penny, on the floor, outmatched and bullied by these jerks with their Holier than Thou nature. What once was anger to protect her friend and determination to prove who Nora was, a friend and a protector, her body shivers, perhaps from the electricity or because of the full hatred that now coursed through her. She recalled the bullies that picked on her in Kuroyuri. She growled, her voice distorted from the electrical charge powering her./div
div id="djs-8pjcc" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I'll BREAK YOUR LEGS!"/div
div id="djs-83rl6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Nora's body moves. She springs forwards like a bullet. Marrow thinks fast and points his fingers at her and screams 'stay', but either his aim is off, or Nora's just an unstoppable force. She powers through his Semblance and swings her hammer, roaring gutturally freezing Vine and Harriet in terror as the blunt force of her hammer slammed into Elm who gasped in shock. She had dismissed Nora. Thunder Thighs? As if! But she now realized just how badly she had underestimated Nora. With a roar and a scream, Nora blasted Elm off the platform and into the wall, retching her half an inch into the wall, knocking her out cold and breaking her Aura. Horrified at that sight, Marrow turns tail, still holding the blade he snapped off of Penny, and runs off. Harriet wants to call out for him to stand his ground. But freezes. She feels a dangerous, berserker-like presence standing behind her. Gasping and swallowing hard, she whimpers for a moment as Nora rears back and slams her head into Harriet, who spasms as a massive and dangerous amped up blast of electricity eats through her Aura. Vine wraps an Aura Vine around the unconscious Elm and shocked Harriet and dives off the platform. Nora smiles ear to ear, her anger dropping just like the last of her Aura, grinning like she's drunk on mede. "heh..that was…pretty…awe…some"/div
div id="djs-blc7p" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-2mud0" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-fujtq" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-aft3o" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Guess at least one of you did something smart", James scolds his Ace Ops. That's the second time these children beat them. He was starting to doubt their capabilities./div
div id="djs-81okh" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Good work would have been if we caught Penny..", Harriet hisses, her head bandaged to help with the massive concussion she was experiencing. Elm was still out cold on a stretcher, medics examining her./div
div id="djs-2oj50" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yes well, sometimes you take what you can get", James turns to hand the blade off to Watts. Who smirks. "If you can't beat em, make them join you"/div
/div