"I… hate… this!" With another swift slash, an Atlesian Knight fell, and two more stepped out of a dropship to begin firing upon her.
The crowds ran for their lives as more and more knights began swarming out into the landing ring of Amity Arena.
Summoning two glyphs, she rapidly dashed around them, to keep them focused on her.
There were just too many.
More bullets impacted on her Aura, further diminishing it.
The people screamed, and Weiss cursed her weakness.
"Damn!" She said, summoning a shielding glyph.
The Knights marched at her, firing their weapons with utter abandon.
While she thought of how to take them all down, a red blur sweeped accross the bay, leaving slashed robots on her path.
Following behind her leader, Blake and the tall huntsman with two maces followed up by taking out the remaining stragglers.
Once the robots were cleared out, Weiss dropped her wall with a deep breath.
"Weiss!" Ruby shouted, running to her and hugging her tightly.
"Ow! I'm okay, I'm okay Ruby!" Weiss said, struggling.
"I'm just glad you're okay," Ruby said, letting her go. Her eyes filled with worry forced her to relax a bit.
"I'm glad you're ok too," she said, looking at Blake, who approached then along with the huntsman and… Cinder.
Cinder limped a bit, if nothing else due to her bleeding eye.
"Professor… you-!"
"-I'm fine. I can still fight," she said. Her voice and her open eye sent a dark aura around to everyone.
She was not fine.
But there was little she could do. Just like with Winter.
"So what now?" Weiss asked, the people huddled around them, whispering amongst themselves.
Ruby narrowed her eyes. "We need to get everyone out of here," she said.
With a nod, Weiss turned back to the ships, their cockpits occupied.
"Pilot!" She screamed, using a glyph to get on the same level. The pilot in the front ship scrambled to right himself and nod in attention while opening the cockpit.
"Yes, lady Schnee!" He said.
"Oh you know me. Good," Weiss said, smiling. At least she was getting some recognition today. "We need these people safenand out of here. Can you do that?"
"Yes! The general's ships should be able to cover us!" The pilot said.
Weiss looked over his shoulder, at the fleet firing upon the Grimm both on the air and invading Beacon below.
Although a lot of the shots were missing, hitting buildings.
And then one of the ships began firing on the other, while another aimed its cannons towards… them!
"Oh fuck…" Weiss whispered, heart sinking.
"Weiss?" Ruby asked.
The ship's cannons lit up, firing torpedoes at the arena.
"Take cover!" Weiss shouted, quickly using all her remaining shielding dust to create a massive glyph in front of the airship.
The torpedoes impacted her wall, shattering it with a loud explosion that knocked everyone back and left her ears ringing.
But at least the ships were intact.
"What was that!" Weiss heard, her shaking arms barely holding her.
"They just fired upon us!?" She heard the huntsman shout as Blake helped her up.
"You okay Weiss?" Blake asked.
"No, I'm not okay! I… i think my aura broke," Weiss said. She felt weak, sluggish.
Ruby stepped up to the edge, using her sniper to aim at the far ships, which now turned its attention to the rest of the fleet.
"Oh," Ruby muttered.
"Let me guess, they turned the ships against us too," Blake said.
Ruby lowered her sniper, turning to them with an expression she could only describe as grim. "Yeah. It's Torchwick."
"That fucker's still alive?" Cinder asked.
"Seems like it," Ruby answered.
"If he fires upon us, then they will destroy the ships too," Rhodes said.
"Then we bring them to Beacon, as close to the limit as possible," Ruby turned to the pilot who had ducked into the cockpit. "Can you do that?"
"Y-yes!" He said.
Ruby looked at Rhodes, but the old huntsman understood without a word and turned to the crowd. "Into the ships! Hurry! More Grimm will come!"
His loud voice boomed, and the folks obeyed his figure, scrambling to the ships.
In a minute they were filled.
"Thanks," Ruby said as the huntsmen gathered around a final airship. "Ill go take care of Torchwick."
"Ruby…" Weiss said, leaning against the airship. Her aura was better, if a bit weak. "You can't. You barely beat him in Mountain Glenn."
"I gotta try. If I dont people will die," Ruby said, eyes hardened. Weiss wondered where her cute leader was.
Still, Weiss was willing to follow. "Ok. Then I'm coming with you."
"Weiss, you-"
"No excuses! You're my partner and leader. If you go alone, I won't forgive you, ever! I'll sue you even!"
Ruby laughed a bit. Mission accomplished.
"Alright. Then I'm coming too," Blake said, stepping up.
"No. You and Cinder find Yang and help evacuate everyone," Ruby answered.
"But-!"
"Please Blake," Ruby said, going to hold her hands.
Blake nodded, ears dropping. "Please be careful."
"Always."
With another look, Weiss and Ruby went to the edge, and she summoned a Glyph infused with gravity dust.
"We still haven't tested this," Weiss said, looking over the edge.
"Field test is the best test, as they say," Ruby replied.
"Who says that?"
"Me!" Ruby said with a smile.
"Okay I'm so suing you after this," Weiss said, and fired the glyph before Ruby could respond.
The huntresses were flung through the air, and Ruby activated her semblance, and then everything became a whirlwind of reds and roses.
It was a strange feeling.
Ruby said it was superspeed, and they were going fast but… this was different. Weiss felt light, dispersed, she knew she could move her legs and arms if she wanted but they weren't there either.
Almost like being a petal adrift in the winds.
And then the moment was over, the weight of existing once again bearing down upon her, forcing her to faceplant into the ship's hull.
"Weiss! You ok?" Ruby asked, going to her side.
"Yeah, yeah," she said, wobbly.
"You were right, we should have practiced," Ruby said. "But we made it!"
Shaking her head, Weiss gently pushed Ruby off. Strong wind blew in her face as she stood atop the ongoing battle.
"We'll have time for an 'I told you so' later. Come on," Weiss said, drawing Myrtenaster.
With a loud screech, Griffons began swooping down on them, with Ruby attempting to shoot them down.
"I'll cover you Weiss, find us a way inside!" Ruby said, firing rounds at the incoming enemies.
"You have no way inside?!" Weiss complained, slashing at an incoming enemy.
"You do?!" Ruby replied, evading one swipe by a hair.
Weiss growled, spotting a small hatch on the other end of the hull. "Maybe."
She began running towards the hatch while deftly evading the Grimm.
This day was not getting any easier.
Cinder's eye still throbbed.
Cinder could barely open it without pain shooting through her entire face. But at least the bleeding had stopped for a moment.
The ship shook heavily.
"More Grimm?" She heard Blake ask from the cockpit.
"A straggler. They seem more interested in the bigger ships," Rhodes now talked.
"Alright. Can you keep us low?" Blake asked.
"Yes. I'll tell the others to head to the edge of Beacon. Other ships seem to be landing there, from what I can see," Rhodes answered.
"Thank you. I'll need to ask you to drop me in the main building, if its not too much trouble," Blake said.
"You sure? We'll need all the help-"
"-I need to find Yang, see if I can help the others," Blake said, her voice desperate.
"Alright, alright. Then I'll come with," was Rhodes' answer.
Now he wanted to help, to 'be there'.
Cinder huffed.
She needed to distract herself, and yet, every beat of pain emanating from her eye brought back Pyrrha's face, Penny's dead eyes, her images plastered on the Arena monitors.
She would kill her.
But how?
Snap her neck?
An arrow in the chest?
Incinerated with her semblance?
No, all of that was too quick.
She would beat her down into submission, break a few limbs. Pyrrha was an amateur at best, lots of 'controlled' combat. She was nothing compared to-
"-fessor?" A hand on her shoulder jolted her awake.
"What?!" Cinder asked, annoyed at her fantasy being interrupted.
Blake's ears lowered, the faunus retreating slightly.
"How is your injury?" She asked.
"Fine," Cinder replied, rubbing the bandage around it.
"Alright. We'll be to the dorms soon-"
"-the dorms?"
Blake's eyes widened in surprise. "Isn't that where Yang was?"
Cinder narrowed her eyes.
What could yang do?
"She's a big girl. She doesn't need me," Cinder replied, standing up. At least her legs worked fine. "I'm going to go find Pyrrha."
"Pyrrha?" Blake asked, eyes narrowing with anger and confusion. "S-she could be anywhere! We need to stay together, evacuate everyone and-!"
"That bitch betrayed us all! She needs to die, now! She needs to be stopped," Cinder said, venom dripping from her voice.
She would stop her, ruin whatever little plan she had cooked, and then she would rot forever in a cell.
"Professor you…" Blake trailed off, as if looking far away at a distant memory before hardening her gaze. "...Cinder… I… this is not the right focus. Trust me."
Cinder turned away. "You're just a kid. You don't understand."
"You think I don't!? That I haven't had anyone do reckless things for the sake of vengeance!? We're a team! We need to stick together!" Blake answered, shaking.
"I'm not part of any team. I don't need a team!" Cinder said, pacing towards the Faunus, who took a step back before standing up to her. "If you won't help me, then stay out of my way!"
With enough force to bend metal, Cinder struck a side panel, opening the side hatches of the dropship.
They were near the plaza in front of the Beacon Tower, where Ozpin probably was.
It was infested with Grimm.
"Wait! Professor!"
She didn't give her time to continue her tirade. With a single jump, Cinder drew her weapons and dove into the fray.
Blake watched as her professor engaged the Grimm below on the central plaza of Beacon, her figure growing small as the airship continued on its way.
Shaking her surprise, Blake went to the cockpit.
She couldn't let this happen to someone else. Not again.
The huntsman, Rhodes, was still piloting.
"Turn the ship around!" She said, voice cracking.
"What? What happened!?" He asked, turning his head.
"Cinder left! She's gonna get herself killed!" She said.
His face froze, before he slowly turned forwards and continued flying.
"Dammit. I… when we land with the others-"
"We don't have that much time!" Blake argued.
"The people need us! We have a responsibility! We are huntsmen!" He said, raising his voice. "She made her choice! We cannot help her!" He said.
Blake froze, a pit forming in her stomach.
"You know I'm right. We can't help everyone no matter how hard we try. We have to make choices, and I'm choosing to save as many as possible" he continued.
"Cinder was right. You are a coward, choosing only the easiest path to feel better about yourself," she muttered. Rhodes didn't answer. They were hovering over the dorms now. "I'm leaving now. Do what you think is right."
Blake went to the door, and jumped out.
Find Yang. Reunite with Ruby and Weiss, then save Beacon.
It couldn't end this way.
Not after all their victories, not after all the hard work their team had put into protecting Vale.
Blake Belladonna had to make things right, one way or another.
And one and two and three.
With a shot from ember celica, the head of the Grimm was blown off, splattering its dark fluids over the hallway wall and Yang's hair.
But many more still remained.
With a strong flick, Yang reloaded her gauntlets, ready for another round.
A door behind her opened, a line of terrified folks running the other way, escorted by Jaune, Nora and Ren.
"Another classroom clear!" Jaune shouted.
"Nice!" With that shout, another Sabyr pounced on her, and she responded with an uppercut that sent it into the air, where Nora hit it towards another like a baseball.
Two more ran to her sides, intending to flank her, but Jaune and Ren were at the ready to push them back.
"Well done guys! We're one hell of a team!" She said.
"All the classrooms of this wing are clear. What's left?" Ren asked, voice serious and strained.
"I think that should be all. Think someone's left at Beacon tower?" Jaune asked then.
Yang pondered for a moment. "Ozpin?"
"Then there should be no one left. He can probably take care of himself," Nora said.
Yang didn't like that idea. Why hasn't he made an appearance?
"We still need to check. Maybe we can also figure out why comms are down. Maybe," Yang said. She had to keep focused, otherwise the situation may get to her.
Keep things simple. Go places, do stuff, save people and kill Grimm.
"Do you know anything about computers?" Nora questioned.
"We need a plan!" Ren added.
"Guys! Stay focused. If we find Ozpin, we'll get a plan. So let's go kill some Grimm and get to him," Jaune ordered. Yang stared at him, he looked a bit more mature, even if his legs shook.
"What he said."
A roar caught their attention. More Grimm crowded the hallway.
"The plaza is at the other end," Jaune muttered.
"Ok. Time to kick some ass!" Yang shot forward, delivering a barrage of blows to the incoming Sabyr.
She didn't kill them, merely knocked them to the side but that was enough. Jaune, Nora and Ren killed them in their stunned state.
Their dance continued along the hallway as chaos still reigned outside the windows.
More and more Sabyrs crowded around the entrance like a neverending tide of black and white.
"Crap!" Yang said.
"Nora! You got this!?" Jaune asked, holding back a bite with his shield.
"Oh I do," her hammer transformed into her grenade launcher. "Take this you fuckas!" She screamed, unloading all her grenades into the chokepoint, turning the Grimm into mincemeat.
With that done, the group proceeded to the plaza.
They had been in the east wing, with Beacon Tower to the north. Good. It was close.
Still, the scene before them was of pure destruction.
Fires, corpses, debris and Grimm circling ground and air.
For now they were unnoticed.
Or rather, Yang noticed, there was someone else taking the spotlight from them.
Her sister Cinder engaged the Grimm, killing them in a dance of blades, fire dust and arrows.
And yet there were still too many.
A flame sparked inside her.
"Cinder!" She shouted, shooting ember celica to the ground in order to boost herself towards her.
"Yang?" Her sister turned for a moment, but Yang couldn't see much further for another Grimm pounced on her, interrupting her dash.
A gorilla like Grimm held her down and began hitting her repeatedly, her aura tanking the heavy blows but even so the force of the strikes still made her dizzy.
"Don't worry Yang I got you!" Nora screamed, going behind the large Grimm and striking it in the head with her hammer.
The Grimm was sent reeling back, and with a roar of rage it recovered.
But so too did Yang.
With a dash she hit its legs, then its chin, and finally Nora finished it off with two well placed grenades to the face.
"Guys!" Jaune shouted, making both girls turn to find their friends overwhelmed by incoming Grimm.
"Where do so many-?" Yang began, before being hit in the back by a slash from a Griffon.
They continued attacking from the air as a horde approached.
"We're surrounded!" Jaune shouted, holding his shield up. "What do we do!?"
Yang breathed heavily.
This was her fault.
She had rushed without thinking.
Another Griffon came down, only to be taken down by an arrow.
The group looked back as Cinder continued firing while avoiding Grimm.
"Stop staring and get to the tower!" She shouted, her rage filled words commanding them to move.
The group ran together, punching, slashing and shooting Grimm out of their way as they entered the large double doors of the Beacon tower.
As they slammed the doors open, Ren and Jaune closed them just as fast. They leaned against them, and were pushed back by a hit on the door.
And another.
And another.
But after a few more pushes, the door held, the roars of annoyance of the Grimm the only thing that could be heard.
After a few more seconds of holding, the group finally relaxed, letting out ragged breaths.
"Thanks for the save, sis," Yang said, leaning on her knees. Her entire torso hurt, she guessed the entirety of it would be bruised later.
"What the f- huff… what are you doing here?" Cinder asked, walking to the centre of the empty reception. "Why did you rush in like that, were you trying to get killed!?"
Their heavy pants where the only things that echoed inside of it. "Couldn't let you have all the fun could I?"
"I was fine, Yang. You don't need to come to my rescue, and much less like that!" Yang winced. Yeah she had put herself in danger, but for her sake!
She bit down the anger. She had found her sister and that was what mattered.
"Ozpin, uff, we're looking for Ozpin," Yang said, finally able to stand upright, hands on her hips. Cinder looked tired too. And then she noticed it. "Holy shit your left eye!" She said, quickly running to her side to check the bloodied bandage.
However, Cinder stopped her at arm's length. "It's fine. Only a scratch."
"A scratch!? Wha-"
"I'm looking for Ozpin too," Cinder said, looking away, her good eye narrowed. "Or rather, something he has."
"Something he has?" Yang asked. Cinder shook her head, reaching for the bandage.
"Nevermind. Let's go to the top," she said as she unwrapped the bandage. Her left eye was… fine. Squinted, the visible sclera bloodshot, but the amber colour of her retina still shined with life.
"Ok. I'm coming with you," Yang said.
Cinder turned to JNPR… JNR.
"Stay here you three. Hold the door," Cinder said. Jaune leaned with his butt to the door, still tired.
"You got it, teach," he answered, giving a thumbs up.
With a nod, both sisters took the working elevator to the top.
It was eerily quiet in the elevator ride. Every so often there was a creak that Yang feared.
Did Grimm get into elevator shafts?
Cinder kept quiet, looking ahead with eyed narrowed.
Reading her was usually hard but doable. But Cinder's current look gave her nothing to work with. An unreadable expression that scared her.
"So we find Ozpin and then what?" She asked to break the ice.
"We hunt down Pyrrha," Cinder replied in a monotone voice.
Yang gulped. Pyrrha's smile, support and awkwardness clashed with the images of her disdain, her smile as she left Amity and Beacon to its luck.
It had to be another person. It was impossible this imposter was the person she had shared meals with, that she had laughed with and teased.
Those memories now made her sick, but they were precious too.
Yes, something had to have happened. An imposter had taken Pyrrha's place.
"Alright. I always wanted to kick her ass in a real fight," Yang muttered. Those words didn't sound right, and so they came off as half-hearted.
"Good."
The elevator came to a halt, opening its doors to reveal Ozpin's usually calm and secluded office now a frightening scene, for the Grimm that is.
At least a dozen of them lay scattered around, unmoving and slowly fading into their dark essence
The broken windows and slashed walls gave an idea of the battle that took place. And yet, Ozpin was still standing near his desk, pulling his cane from the skull of a Griffon.
The headmaster was otherwise untouched.
Stepping into the room with a quick and determined pace, the sisters approached him, and he turned to them with a smile.
"Ah, miss Cinder," he said, stepping over the Grimm carcases. "Made your choice yet?"
"Yes. Now let's get moving," Cinder said. Yang noticed some tension in her sister, but couldn't tell why. Yang looked to Ozpin for help, but the headmaster ignored her completely.
"You're right. Time is of the essence. This way," he said, leading them to the elevator where they had entered.
"Hold on, what's the plan here?" Yang asked.
"Saving the world, miss Xiao Long," Ozpin said, stepping into the lift and touching various buttons. Cinder followed without a word, but Yang stood outside.
"Saving the world? What do you mean? Where are you taking-?"
"Yang, don't ask," Cinder said, eyes narrowed.
Yang narrowed them back. "I'm not moving until-"
"Then stay here!" Cinder replied, voice booming. Yang took a step back without thinking.
She didn't like this, but Cinder wasn't alright. She could not leave her.
With an exasperated sigh, Yang followed inside.
They descended, and it was worse than the ascent, especially when they began going below ground.
In front of them, Ozpin was pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Y-you okay Ozpin?" Yang asked, never before seeing him like this.
"I-I'm fine, it's just… I was so sure we made the right choices this time. That we had the right people, but she is always one step ahead," he muttered.
Yang raised an eyebrow, as did Cinder.
"Who is one step ahead? Pyrrha?" Cinder asked. Ozpin didn't answer, still in his trance. "Who?" The louder voice was enough to shake him out of his stuppor.
"I-" the doors opened, ending their conversation.
Cinder and Ozpin left quickly, nearly breaking into a jog.
Yang took a bit more time, seeing the large expanse of the underground facility. It almost looked like an old but well maintained catacomb. As she went deeper, the pit in her stomach continued to grow.
At the end of the long path marked by the pillars flanking their entrance, was a tube.
And inside that tube, was a person.
Ozpin wasted no time to operate the console.
Cinder stood by his side, staring straight to the girl.
"W-who is that?" she asked, although she doubted any answer would suffice to calm her down.
"A brave girl named Amber. That's all you need to remember about her," Ozpin said.
Another tube, connected to the one the girl was in, opened up, letting some caught air out with a hiss.
"Now miss Cinder…" Ozpin began as Cinder stepped into it without hesitation. "... once you get the powers-"
"-I'll clear the Grimm. Don't worry," Cinder said, seriously.
Ozpin narrowed his eyes. "No. You must take the powers… and run far away."
Cinder's expression darkened, revealing rage. "You want me to run away?! What use is this power then?!"
"It's not for you to use. It's for you to protect!" Ozpin replied, raising his voice. "It's not about strength, or even yourself! It's about the world here! This is your duty, your destiny as a huntress! You know this."
Cinder held his gaze for a moment, face unchanging, before sighing. "Ok. Punch it."
With a nod, Ozpin went back to the console, but not before turning to Yang. "Miss Xiao Long, watch the entrance. Make sure no interlopers interrupt us."
Yang glanced at Cinder, before nodding to the headmaster.
The machine wired to life behind her as Yang stood guard, watching the expanse for any sign of intruders, occasionally stealing a glance to her sister.
Cinder looked to the ceiling, lips pursed as if bearing something.
The machine's tubes began glowing as the unconscious girl's aura began to flicker. Cinder's too, however, she was awake.
Her scream made Yang turn all her attention to her.
"W-what's wrong!?" Yang asked, hurrying to the tube. Cinder was breathing quickly, eyes unfocused and glowing slightly like a broken lightbulb.
"It's working as intended, keep a lookout!" Ozpin said, touching more buttons.
"Can't you see you're-!"
A gold and red object flew past Ozpin's head, the sound of parting wind trailing behind, followed by glass breaking, and an alarm sound.
The unconscious girl had been hit, blood gushing out from her chest as her eyes scrambled all around the room, as if asking for help.
It didn't take long for her body to go limp, eyes losing all light.
Cinder shouted something, banging against the tube.
"No!" Ozpin shouted, before grabbing his cane and turning back.
Yang did too, before freezing in place.
Pyrrha Nikos stood behind them. Her eyes showed nothing but apathy.
"Forgive me, but this little game is over."