A Fall Fire Looking Back
After seeing Vega and Balrog attacking Mercury so fiercely and brutally gives her the idea that is their plan to make the trail to her and her companion be throw off, but this is more than what she was expecting and worry for Mercury.
Either way, she has to make her escape right now when she saw Emerald being taken away by the Atlas guards.
"(Could they have figured us out already?)" Cinder thought surprised and leaves her chair.
If the Atlas soldiers were already close to Emerald in case, she tries to do something then that means she would be next to be captured, she has to think of something that is to make a run for it while most attention are drawn to the Shadaloo men.
She made her way up the stairs and went through a path on her way to meet up with Neo who is posing as a nurse to take them away, but she needs to make a quick call right away.
"Neo, things just gotten complicated. Disguise yourself as an Atlas soldier and come find us, now!" Cinder texted in her Scroll quickly and send the text message to Neo.
Cinder made a sharp left turn trying to make her way toward the exit only to dump into something hard and strong on the way.
"So sorry, I was in a hurry to go find my teammate who was hurt from those two awful men." Cinder apologized and acted innocent.
"Not to worry, accidents happen."
"But I think you should stick with Atlas soldiers since your team was attacked." The man revealed himself to be Master Gouken.
"It would seem that Shadaloo is targeting your team, and it would be very dangerous if you were left over. You need to be protected." Gouken said with a hand gently place on her shoulder.
"(Protected? Ah, so they still must not know about us fully though I get the feeling they would still want to question us.)" Cinder thought figured.
"Of course, that would be a wise thing to do." Cinder nodded.
"While I have your attention, I happen to meet with both of your teammates though I could not find the fourth one." Gouken mentioned.
"That's because she went off into the city to meet up with her family, she appears to like hanging out with them more than her own team." Cinder made up that lie to cover Neo.
"I see, such a shame for I wanted to pass on some wisdom to her." Gouken said.
"Trust me, she wouldn't even be interested in whatever you day to say, she's not exactly one to listen to things that don't interest her." Cinder warned. And that she wouldn't be caught by the enemy as well.
"Oh, I had stubborn students who didn't listen to me, and I always have my ways to get them to listen." Gouken said.
"Even to the ones who had to live through such dark hardships like you." Gouken said which made Cinder flinch though kept her composure.
"Did Sun tell you about my past?" Cinder asked, getting the feeling that this man knows Sun.
"No, just a hunch I'm getting off from you. But it looks like my little student has already learned so much about you, he must've made quite an impact." Gouken smiled at the young woman.
"Y-Yes, more than you realize." Cinder blushed and held onto her arm. Still remembering the sex time, they had together before the final round of the tournament started.
"Hmm, well, while I question Sun about going after older women, I'll just let it be since it's not my place." Gouken said.
Now this time Cinder stops fully that this wise and strong-looking old man who is also Sun's fighting master also know that she is over a few years older than most of the first-year students and such as she looks up at Gouken who still has his calm expression.
"I'm interested to hear what you think life is, and what kind of thing one should seek from your own point of view." Gouken said.
"Huh?" Cinder asked.
"Tell me, what do you think the meaning of the word "Strength" to you? What do you believe it is?" Gouken asked.
"What do I think strength is?" Cinder asked back and at herself, she then started to think back.
"I… I always thought it was about having power, the power to be strong and feared to those who would look down on me. That's how it was for me for the longest time." Cinder said as she started looking back on her past.
"And I've met others who wanted to get payback on the world for turning its back on them." Cinder mentioned.
(Years Ago)
"How did you do that?" Past Cinder asked with a grin.
Past Cinder had shorter hair. Her previous attire looks similar to her original outfit except that her dress has separated sleeves, and the dress is held up by straps tied around her neck in a bow. Her heeled shoes are made of a more typical material, rather than glass.
Past Emerald was younger, noticeably thinner, and had her hair tied into a ponytail. Her previous attire was a short olive-colored crop top, and she wore her signature chaps which were torn and belt. Beneath her chaps, she wore dark green pants and plain dark brown flat shoes. She also wore white half-gloves.
Her previous attire was a short olive-colored crop top, and she wore her signature chaps which were torn and belt. Beneath her chaps, she wore dark green pants and plain dark brown flat shoes. She also wore white half-gloves.
Cinder has sought out the younger Emerald who is glaring at her after just pulling off an unexpected heist of stealing a ring from a jewelry store, Emerald was thinking about to sell the ring to make some big money in order to buy some food for herself to eat.
But this plan has seemed to have gone out the window now that she has been found and ready herself to fight even though Cinder isn't here to eat her.
"Don't. Unless, of course, you want them to hear you." Cinder gestured to behind Emerald to inform her about the men trying to search for the thief who stole the ring.
"What do you want?" Emerald asked.
"I've already told you. And I don't like repeating myself." Cinder said while slowly stepping forward.
"I didn't do anything! Just leave me alone!" Emerald demanded, she really wasn't in the mood for some talking.
"I know my fair share of liars and thieves. Stealing is an art of patience, coordination, and in a pinch, sleight of hand. But you didn't steal the ring in your pocket." Cinder smirked.
Emerald is shocked and checks her pocket to see the ring is still in there and looks back at the stranger.
"You took it right before the jeweller's eyes. And he smiled." Cinder pointed out on what she witnessed not too long ago.
"Who are you?" Emerald asked, looking at Cinder suspiciously.
Cinder smiles again and walks over to Emerald with one hand hold out to her, then the scene would turn black with only the voices of Cinder and Emerald being heard.
"You will question everything you know." Cinder said.
"This is impossible!" Emerald shocked.
"I wish to take on an apprentice." Cinder requested to a random man.
"He lives in the mountains with his son." The random man informed.
"Follow me, and you'll never be hungry again." Cinder said with the sound of a person eating food and sobbing a bit.
"Thank you…" Emerald thanked, willing follow Cinder everywhere.
The scene shows a younger and injured Mercury panting hard with the house he used to live in burning away behind him.
Past Mercury wears his signature zip jacket with the collar zipped all the way up, minus his armor. His pants were dark orange, and he wore a pair of black boots.
Then he notices two girls looking at him with Emerald looking shocked and a bit scared.
"What are you looking at!?" Mercury asked upset and feeling a bit tired.
"I'm looking for Marcus Black." Cinder revealed their intention of coming here.
Mercury just let out a spit of blood from his mouth and thought these girls have poor timing into coming here.
"There you go." Mercury gestured to the dead body of the man Cinder requested.
"That's... the assassin?" Emerald shocked.
"And you're his son." Cinder figured out this boy must be the son the random man told her earlier, but Mercury doesn't acknowledge this as he wipes the blood off from his lips.
"We saw your fight from the treeline. He's taught you well." Cinder commented with a grin.
"Guess so." Mercury said as he didn't care much about the old man, he just wanted him to be gone and he did that by killing him.
"What's your name?" Cinder asked.
"Mercury." Mercury answered, panting a little more.
"Mercury... Tell me, are you anything like your father?" Cinder asked with an evil smile as the scene turns black again with only the voices.
"So, what's in it for me?" Mercury asked.
"We don't need him! Everything was going fine!" Emerald refused to believe they need more help, but then a slap sound was heard, and she cries out in pain.
"Do not mistake your place." Cinder scolded.
"My dad always said... "if you need to know a city, ask the rats."" Mercury mentioned.
"Well, hello, gorgeous." Roman's voice greeted.
"So, let me get this straight..." Adam's voice is heard.
The scene reveals that Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury are seen within the tent of the White Fang group as the three are seeking an audience with Adam Taraus himself with some soldiers in the tent as well.
"You could've gone to anyone for help. You could've made a deal with a gang leader, paid off some Huntsmen that have strayed from their... righteous path... but instead, you choose to seek an audience with me." Adam stated what he just heard from these humans.
"You're the one we need. Your skill, your ability to lead those beneath you. You're an exceptionally valuable man, Adam. And we've put a lot of thought into—" Cinder explained, but Adam cuts her off.
"Then you're clearly not thinking straight! If you truly understood me, you would know coming here was a mistake. The White Fang is not an organization for hire. We're a force of revolution!" Adam glared with his fist glowing purple and black aura.
Seeing this seems to have made Emerald and Mercury feel scared, making them step back one foot but Cinder is unintimidated from this.
"I believe our plan will be beneficial for all parties involved. I have... an associate in Vale. He and I are working on a revolution of our own. But we can't do it without your forces. We need—" Once again, Adam cuts her off.
"What you need... is to leave. You're asking my men to die for your cause - a human cause. That is not an idea I am willing to entertain." Adam glared at them and made the dark aura emits all over his body that even made Cinder sweat a bit, but she still reminds calm.
"(This must be this strange dark power I was informed of.)" Cinder thought knew this wasn't going to be easy to make Adam become an ally.
"Very well." Cinder bowed respectfully and the three leaves the tent.
Adam stops his dark aura when they leave though he gets angry at himself to that he was close to using the Satsui no Hado on that woman who is weaker than him in terms in power, but his instincts were telling him to be on the lookout for that woman should he see her again.
"What was that about?" Past Blake asked, walking up to him and one hand on her side.
"Nothing. We need to finish preparing. The train will be here at dawn." Adam decided to continue what he was doing.
The scene goes black again with the voices of Cinder's group being heard from within that darkness.
"So now what?" Mercury asked.
"There's another task we must attend to." Cinder said, knowing what they need to do.
"Excuse me, but I'm looking for a friend of mine." Emerald acted friendly and innocent.
"Ah, yes. She was just here yesterday." The Inn Keeper mentioned.
"Remember the plan. Exactly as discussed. Not a foot out of place." Cinder ordered as she doesn't want to mess this up.
The scene now shows the open road with the forest on each side, and a lone woman wearing a green cloak covering most of her face and riding a white horse as she is moving along the road until she stops when seeing a lone little girl crying on the side with her pink bicycle.
The woman decided to help cheer the little girl up as she dismounted herself from the horse and walk over to the girl, but she doesn't even notice Emerald standing out in the open.
The woman approaches the little girl who was spooked at first until the woman did a kind thing by offering her an apple, but unknown to the woman is that the little girl is an illusion created by Emerald using her Semblance.
The woman notices footsteps on the ground close to the little girl, and that's when her instinct kicks in warning her there is danger, and she jumps away with the illusion of the girl now gone.
(Music: Evil Angel, Breaking Benjamin)
"(Great, even younger ones are after me.)" The cloaked woman thought cursed.
The woman removes the cloak revealing herself to be Amber, the Fall Maiden. And she brings out her staff ready for battle.
Emerald charges at Amber firing her bullets only for the Maiden to block each of them with one hand and twirl her staff around to send a wind attack that forces Emerald to slide back several feet. But then Mercury runs in with a jump that Amber was able to block and push him away before blasting another wind at Emerald who came at her again.
Mercury lands on a wooden pole and launches himself fast toward Amber, she turns around and unleashes a large fire to push him back and knock him out, but the fire didn't affect Mercury when the fabric of the leg burned away revealing both legs to have become robotic that shielded him from the fire attack and comes out to kick Amber several feet away. She lands on her back and Emerald suddenly lands hard on her stomach cracking the ground under the Maiden with such force.
Emerald quickly moves to Mercury's side, and they get into their fighting stance for another round when Amber stands back up.
"(They're strong… No holding back then.)" Amber thought revealed her eyes with the orange glowing energy pouring out and unleashes a powerful gust of wind that her enemies are barely standing their ground.
Amber floats in the air then brings down a raging barrage of lightning bolts forcing the two to move around and dodge the lightning, not knowing about the third person waiting for her moment to strike.
Emerald and Mercury fires at her, but now an invisible shield protects her from the shots, Amber uses her Maiden power to make lots and lots of leaves to float up and swirl around her then making those leaves freeze in ice to become harden like little blades and unleashes them down hitting Emerald and Mercury. But she saw Cinder running up to her and unleashes a fireball only for Cinder to jump over the attack, Cinder kicks the dirt in the air and uses her Scorching Caress Semblance turning the dirt into glass projectiles to launch at Amber knocking her down.
She heard the sharp sound again and saw the area look empty until Emerald appears again as Amber started to realize this, Mercury and Cinder appear with the latter charging at her with two swords in hand in attempt to slice her up though Amber blocks each strike and kicks her away.
Emerald and Mercury go in to attack though Amber holds both of them off not realizing they're the distraction for Cinder to put her swords together into a bow and fired three arrows very close to her as they exploded making her feel the full force causing her Aura to disappear entirely and down.
The three attacks move up to her slowly to finish the job, but Amber wasn't as down as they thought as she blew them away with her wind. Mercury jumps in only to be blasted away by a lightning bolt and blasted fire at Emerald even when trying her Hallucinations Semblance.
(Music End)
Despite being tired and hurt from the fight, Amber knew these people wouldn't stop chasing her down, she grabs her staff and made her way to Emerald deciding to finish her first. But ready to end the girl's life only to gasp in pain and fell revealing that Cinder fired an arrow at her back.
"(Now, we can begin.)" Cinder thought smirked.
KO a new chapter is done and hope you all enjoy it!
Now we are seeing the past of Cinder Fall of how she recruited Emerald and Mercury along with battling the Fall Maiden, and it looks like the dark group were able to put her down in order to do something that may also reveal how half of Amber's power was stolen.
KO comment, favorite, and follow through of how this story will go!