A/N: Chapter 53 of REKT. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or teams of RWBY, they belong to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum. What I do own are the characters and teams of my OCs: REKT, GTSY, KACE and DAZE. I also claim Ingrid, Teo, Reina's parents and aunt as well.

Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.


Chapter 53: Monsters All Around

Outside the ruined cafeteria...

After she separated from her friends, Blake had slashed her way through a slew of White Fang members and darted around the building's right side. Just as she was beginning to look around, something reflected by the broken window caught her attention. Within the cafeteria, she watched as a familiar red-haired male dispatched another human by snapping the neck with a loud crack.

"No...it can't be..." She whispered with fear illuminated within her golden orbs and took a step back. She didn't even need to raise her voice, knowing he'd hear her just fine. "Adam...is that really you?"

"Hello my darling." The voice she had hoped to never hear again reached her, solidifying her question and something cold settled in the pits of her stomach. A sneer appear on his face as he turned his attention to her, watching as the expression of fear crossed her eyes. "Running away again? Is that what you have become, my love?"

It can't be...Blake internally screamed, her body freezing up when he talked to her. It was like something prevented her from fleeing, a cold dark claw keeping her in place. Why? Why did it have to be him?

"That's so unlike you, Blake. A coward. The Fang taught you better." Adam continued, turning around fully to face her and give his undivided attention. "You're not the same as I remember."

"Why are you doing this?" She responded to him when her voice allowed her to speak, curling her fingers into fists by her side.

"You and I were going to change the world, remember? We were destined to light the fires of revolution! Now this little facade, is just the spark before the inferno."

"Your ideals are becoming corrupted! Or rather...they have always been since the very beginning!" In a flash, she was upon him, Gambol Shroud in hand against his blade. She narrowed her eyes dangerously, looking into the eyes of her once romantic partner and mentor. "I won't stand by and let you do as you please anymore. I'm not gonna run away!"

"You will soon." He growled, lifting a leg and slammed it into her stomach. Skidding across the ground due to the force of the blow, she could barely draw a breath as a Creep came charging towards her with its fangs bared. The creature sensed a battle in the vicinity and decided to scout around. Once its nostrils caught wind of the fighting it acted out of impulse, hoping for a piece of the action. Before she could get to her feet, it dissipated into thin air from a bullet wound to the skull.

W-What? Blake blinked before refocusing on Adam, his weapon in hand with a wisp of smoke coming from the barrel. He saved me...from the Grimm?

"Don't misunderstand the situation, I won't allow such a filthy thing disrupt our battle. Our dance." The red-haired male growled, "You will experience true suffering for your betrayal to the Fang, my love. And I assure you I will deliver it to the highest degree."

"Adam..." Blake rose to her feet, holding Gambol Shroud tightly in her hands. She as though the weapon itself was shaking in anticipation; after all, Adam was the one who gifted her the weapon himself.

"My darling, you have no idea what you gotten yourself into."


In the city street...

"The area is secured." Ironwood spoke up loudly, dispatching a couple of his insubordinate soldiers with well aimed shots. Not too far away Qrow and Glynda took care of some stray Grimms with frowns on their faces. The adults also managed to pick up Cardin; he had been separated from the rest of his team who were nowhere to be seen and attempted to fend for himself. He couldn't stop shaking in his boots, and only released a small sigh of relief when he was saved.

"So it seems, huh Jimmy." Qrow gently laid his weapon over his shoulder and sighed. Looking around at the mountains of corpses he scoffed, "Look at all this carnage of metal buckets, all of which seems to be of your undoing."

"Hey, don't try to lay the blame on me." Ironwood narrowed his eyes threateningly.

"They were your playthings, Jimmy. You had full responsibility for them." The dark-haired red-eyed huntsman sneered. "Unless of course, you love to continue kicking the can further down the road."

"Why you-!"

"Boys." Glynda wedged her way between them with a serious scowl on her face. "Banters quite like this in the middle of a crisis isn't appropriate, don't you think?"

"Look...I know you didn't do this. I guess I just wanted to alleviate some pent up frustration and you were the easiest for me to pick on." Qrow sighed, drawing a hand through his locks. Honestly he wanted the mess to be cleaned up and have some time to drink, but he figured that he would be even more busy on top of his on going mission. "Now what, General?"

"Someone has done the unthinkable, something that I myself have not anticipated." Ironwood released a deep breath, holding his arms behind his back. "Gaining control of my machines, not to mention the enormous amount of Grimm that seem fixated on destroying the school. Glynda!"

"Yes?" The blonde huntress and teacher looked at him, her arms folded over her chest.

"Team up with the local huntsman and establish a safe zone here in Vale, take the boy with you." He gestured with his chin at Cardin who stood on the sidelines looking as small as possible. "There's no doubt in my mind that this would be the last of an invasion. Beacon on the other hand needs to be evacuated, no student will be seen roaming around until the Grimm are eradicated."

"Is that where I come in?" asked Qrow, almost as if he could read the military man's mind.

"Exactly. It'll be you and my men. Meanwhile I'll need my ship if I am to take back possession of what is mine." That's when the humming of the beloved engine occurred and all three adults looked up to see the airship careening towards the ground.

"Well, it won't be much of a walk." Qrow said in hopes of raising morale while also throwing in some witty comment. The other two just glared at him.

"Augh, that extra Paladin was a bitch to take down!" Sun complained loudly as he landed from performing a somersault, his body hunched over as he tried to catch his breath. Even his tail wasn't as expressive as it normally was, indicating just how exhausted its owner was. "Dust, I feel like I've been totally spent!"

"Although something malfunctioned, seems like all the soldiers and paladins shut off completely" Flynt spoke as he walked over with a couple of other students. The courtyard was riddled with corpses of machines, even a couple of Grimms who started to erode away. "We won't be seeing any of those glowing red eyes anytime soon."

"Weiss! You alright?!" They all turned their heads simultaneously to see Yang running up, Zwei trotting right at her heels with his ears forward. "Actually are all you guys okay? Would've come a lot sooner but I got backed up with Grimms, soldiers and White Fang members!"

"Y-Yeah, I'm all right, a bit winded..." Weiss replied as the others nodded their heads, signaling that they were also okay. "Honestly, I never...never expected such a thing to have occurred.."

"Have you heard from Ruby? It's not likely for her to avoid my messages."

"Haven't seen her yet, nor have I heard from her. She must be fine...she's our leader after all."

"What about Blake then? Did you see her at all today?" The brawler asked with worry, noticing the lack of presence from the dark-haired faunus. "Actually, we seem to be missing a couple of our friends..."

"Some of the other teams got scattered during the chaos." Sun told her, resting his weapon over his shoulders. "I wouldn't worry too much about them, they're trained just like us."

"Blake and I parted ways...back there somewhere..." Weiss answered Yang's question breathlessly, still leaning against Myrtenaster for support. "Don't really know...she was following an Alpha. There were also some...White Fang members loitering around..."

"Then I'll go off and look for her. Zwei, you stay here okay?" The brawler looked at the dog with a semi-stern expression. "Protect Weiss while I'm gone!"

"Arf! Arf!" The dog responded like he understood his owner completely.

"Hey! I can take care...of myself!" Weiss snapped, slightly irritated but couldn't summon enough energy for her signature glare. However, once the corgi made himself comfortable by her feet – his little snub of a tail wagging with happiness – she warmed up immediately. "I...I guess it's okay...if the sweet little corgi stays with me..."

"Heh, you got it bad for dogs don't you Weiss." Yang smothered a laughter with a hand, watching the pale skin flush pink. Weiss looked as if she wanted to say something snappy, but decided against it; she would just be wasting her breath.

"Yang...be careful okay?" The blonde almost did a double-take because she was anticipating one of those famous scoldings the Schnee loved to dish out whenever she did something wrong. She definitely wasn't expecting something remotely nice. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"Yeah, don't you worry about a thing." Yang recovered from her initial shock and smiled in return. "I'll go and meet up with Blake, can you go look for Ruby?"

"Of course." Weiss smiled, lifting an arm to give her a thumbs up. "Just let me, catch my breath."


Inside the building's basement...

"C'mon boys, what are you waiting for?" Cinder taunted, taking a few steps further towards the hyperbolic chambers. "Are you just goings to stand there or what? Don't make this so easy for me."

"Hiya!" Pushing up with both arms and legs Pyrrha heard a soft groan as the top becoming loose, the amount of strength was enough to snap the hinges off. Lifting her right leg she kicked it straight towards Cinder who merely swatted it away without much effort. Grabbing her weapons the red-haired huntress rushed forward to continue her attack, only to be held back by Ozpin.

"Miss Nikos, hurry and take Mr. Arc out of here!" The silver-haired headmaster warned, sending her an expression which conveyed absolute seriousness. "This is not a safe place for you children anymore."

"B-But..."

"Now! Find Glynda, Ironwood and Qrow! Tell them to meet me here!"

"W-What about you?" Jaune quickly asked, looking at Ozpin who began to glow a green color, his aura shrouding his body like a cocoon. "W-What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to fight her. The tower cannot fall!"

"With only a cane?" The blond sounded skeptical, looking at the weapon like it was a toothpick. "Are you sure?"

"In my years of teaching and studying, ultimately putting myself in position as a headmaster, my fighting experience is way over your head." He toggled his weapon and held it like a sword, a sharp glint in his eyes. "Besides, never underestimate the bottom of my cane. It's pretty sturdy and sharp if I do say so myself."

"...Are you just going to poke her to death?! Is that your strategy?!" Jaune gazed at Ozpin with an open jaw, not noticing Pyrrha's presence by his side. It was probably the most horrendous fighting strategy he had ever heard of. "We witnessed just how strong she is, there's no way-"

"Don't argue with me anymore, Mister Arc! You are only prolonging the inevitable!" The headmaster snapped, his patience already brimming over the edge. "Now leave the premise, you'll only get in the way! I value the safety of you and Miss Nikos above all else!"

"Jaune, come on! We have to get out of here!" Pyrrha urged, tugging his arm to get his attention. Shooting one last look over his shoulder, the blond knight urged his legs to move and followed his red-haired companion towards the elevator. Cinder didn't even bat an eyelash, even when the doors closed and the transportation sent the kids back up to ground level.

"You know, no matter how far they run I could catch those children easily." Cinder drawled with certainty, tapping a fingernail against her cheek. "There is no safe place for any of your huntsmen and huntresses."

"Not if I can help it." Ozpin replied and rushed forward, his green aura glowing brightly around his body. Chuckling with glee the dark-haired huntress met him halfway, the power of the Fall maiden flowing through her veins. The walls around them shuddered as massive amounts of aura were expelled. Struggling to overpower one another, they separated and stood glaring at one another.

"All this time, right below our feet." Cinder shook her head in disbelief. "She was right about you...you know?"

Salem...Ozpin frowned as he changed the grip on his cane, but stayed quiet as his opponent talked. I should've known but for her to begin her plan now...talk about inconvenient timing!

"Such arrogance. You won't win this battle, Ozpin."

"That remains to be seen." He replied, twirling his cane above his head. "Come on then!"

"Pyrrha! Pyrrha slow down!" Jaune shouted breathlessly, noticing just how stressed and agitated the huntress was. The moment they exited the elevator she hadn't said a single word, and now she slowed down until she came to a stop. Her eyes seemed to be gazing at nothing, unfocused and unlovely. Jaune felt useless as he looked at her, thinking about how he could make her feel better. "Pyrrha..."

"I'm sorry..." was all she said as she slowed down to a stop.

"Okay, I think I have Glynda's number stashed away, better give her a call. Boy am I sure glad the teacher's made us put their numbers in on the first day." Jaune fumbled with his Scroll, eyes knitted together in concentration. "Now, where is it? Shouldn't contacts be in alphabetical order by last name or something?"

Something doesn't feel right...The huntress thought, looking back balefully at the tower. She didn't feel so well even after having the power stolen from her. Her pride as a warrior had been dealt a blow, but she knew Ozpin was right and that she would only be in his way.

"By the way...what was all that?" Green irises looked over to meet very confused blue ones. "The maiden, that contraption..."

"I-I..." A low rumbling noise caught their attention, interrupting Pyrrha's words. A wave of uneasiness settled in her stomach, as if she knew that Ozpin failed to keep Cinder back. "There's no time..."

"What do you mean?"

"Get going!" She told him with as much confidence as she possibly could. "Get to Vale, and call for help!"

"Be serious Pyrrha, what are you gonna do?" He gave her a look, very skeptical of what she was asking of him. When she turned her head and he followed her line of sight, he knew exactly what she was thinking. "No... No, Pyrrha, you can't!"

But I must!

"You saw how powerful she is! There's just no way!"

I have no choice!

"Take into consideration that you won't make it out alive!" Jaune looked at her with sorrow and sadness, his shoulders sagging almost in defeat. "I...I don't want you to do this."

I don't want to either, but it's my destiny.

"What will I do without you Pyrrha? What will Ren and Nora do? They'll be even more heartbroken...what do I even say to them?"

Please...please don't bring them up. I can't even keep myself composed in front of you!

"Pyrrha, I won't let you do–" Swallowing her guilt she grabbed his face with her hands, and pressed her lips against his. Falling silent as the world faded away, Jaune's mind went haywire and his eyes widened with surprise. This was no doubt his first kiss, with a girl he never realized had a crush on him since the beginning. And he too, was starting to feel the same way for her; he was reciprocating her feelings.

What is this? Has she harbored her feelings all this time? He thought as he slowly kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her and not letting her go nor letting the moment finish quickly. He wanted to savor the feeling as long as possible, wanted to show her just how much he cared. However, good things all come to an end.

"I'm sorry..." Pyrrha whispered, pulling back and caressed his cheek with a hand.

"Don't do this..." He said just as sad, feeling her other hand placed on his chest plate right over his heart. "Don't..."

It has to be done! With all her might, she shoved him into the open locker he never knew was there. The door shut tightly and she immediately fiddled with the control panel. I have to protect him.

"Hey! W-wait! Pyrrha, stop! Let me out!" The blond banged his fists against the door loudly, staring out from the little grooves. He had never felt so scared except that time he was chased by the death stalker; this was Pyrrha, his teammate and partner who gave him his first kiss. She was extremely special to him. "Don't do this! You don't have anything to prove!"

"Jaune..." She noticed him trying to reach for her through the little openings and she granted his wish, gently lifting her own hand so that the tips touched.

"Whatever it is that's bothering you we can handle it together! Nora and Ren can help as well! We won't let you go through this on your own!" He pleaded, but something within him knew that she wouldn't budge on the issue. She had already made her decision. "Please!"

"I'm so sorry, Jaune." Pyrrha apologized, gazing at him sadly from outside the locker and withdrew her hand. Deep down she wanted nothing more than to leave it all behind and stay with him. But as it, fate had other plans for her. "This was the only way to save you."

"No..."

"This is goodbye."

"Pyrrha!" Jaune cried out before the locker launched itself far away from the building, the little flame of the rocket brightening the sky like a shooting star. The red-haired huntress gazed at it with a heavy-loaded heart, her hands clasped together by her breast. Taking a deep breath and wiping away lingering tears, she turned on her heels and ran back inside, steeling herself for the battle ahead.

Making her way to the elevator, she pried the doors open by force and came face to face with a destroyed inside. There was a prominent hole on the bottom along with a similar looking hole through the ceiling. Wires dangled down, the ends sparking with little bursts of electricity but it was obvious to her that there was no way the transport was operable.

"Fine. I'll play your little game, I know you're waiting at the top." Pyrrha spoke as she entered the confined space, walking around the hole and threw her arms to the side. Her semblance of polarity began to take control and the surrounding walls rattled, even bending over to her will. Crouching down the huntress put as much energy as she could into her legs and once she had enough, she launched herself up, blowing the top off entirely.


Back inside the cafeteria...

Flurries of sparks flew through the air as Blake landed in a crouch, lifting Gambol Shroud up in its gun form and fired rapidly. Adam for his part, parried the blows before going into a counter. The cat faunus was well aware of how dangerous it was challenging him to close-quarter fighting, so she tried to mix between long range and melee attacks; all of them rebounded or countered with deadly accuracy.

"What's the matter?" Adam spoke, closing the distance and slammed his sword against Blake's. She had to dig her heels into the ground to stop herself from sliding back. "Your attack patterns are readable, and you look like you want to run. What do you think you're proving by challenging me?"

"Nggh, I...I don't need to prove anything to you." She told him in an unwavering voice, her ears twitching behind the bow. "All I need, is to show you that there's...other options in fixing the broken relationship!"

"Humans will never-"

"You know that I disagree with your statement!" Breaking apart, she stood there while breathing heavily. Adam for his part stood tall, not even windless during the scuffle. "For the three years I've been in Beacon, I've made some great friends who are human. Not every human is the same, Adam. Just like how no two faunus are the same."

"You're asking for an immediate death if you think you can befriend the humans." He spat, shaking his head in mock pity. "I won't accept that."

"I'm not expecting you to accept my own beliefs and values. I just want you to stop spreading malice and hate, the opposite of what the White Fang was all about!"

"What you're asking for is impossible, that old way of thinking has died out the moment your father stepped down. Humans can't help but quiver when they are pressured and dominated by another race, and I'll thoroughly enjoy watching each and every single one of them break in my hands."

"You sicken me. How can you be so heartless?" She took a deep breath, before continuing, "I see it now, the old you died the moment our rallies became violent. When I ran away, I was running from my past...that much is true. But I was also running away from you."

"Me? You had no reason to run from me, my darling."

"I had more than enough reasons to run. I strayed from my intended path almost with a blind fold on, a blind fold utilized to prevent the truth from seeping in. But now I won't continue down wrong path any longer. Adam, you can still come back. You can still be saved."

"...I don't want to be saved. I want to be the harbinger who brings light to faunus kind, and death to the rest." Adam growled and Blake could see the eye slits in the mask glowed red. She had hoped that there would be some good left within, but he squashed even that in a heartbeat. "Anything else is secondary."

"Is that how you perceived our relationship? Only a secondary notion or a fling?" Adam's eyebrow twitched and a low snarl rose from behind his teeth. It was a low blow for the two of them, and Blake herself didn't know how he'd react to reciprocated feelings.

"My feelings for you were genuine, Blake. I knew the moment we met that you were the one for me...but, you ended up severing everything we had been building up between us, high-tailing it out of my life. It hurt more than you could ever imagine."

"I...It didn't have to be like this."

"You're right, it didn't." Adam nodded his head in agreement. "But you ran away and I intend on bringing you back."

"Not at the expense of attacking Beacon!"

"And this is the difference between you and I. I'm willing to do whatever means necessary to get what I want, no matter who stands in my way. You are hindered by your emotions and aren't willing to take risks."

"I am taking risks!" She fired back, her emotions roiling back and forth in waves underneath the surface. "I'm risking myself and everything I have been fighting for by going against you!"

"This could have been our day if you would just give yourself up without struggling! Can't you see that?!"

"I told you I never wanted this! What I wanted was equality! I wanted peace!" Switching Gambol Shroud to gun form, she fired once more and they were blocked easily. Wilt glowed red from absorbing the blows, charging up its owner's semblance. "But not this way...if I walked the same path as you, I wouldn't even dream of any of those things!"

"I told you, you aren't going to get that!" Sheathing his sword, he back handed Blake across the face with its entirety with a resounding smack. She fell to the side as a yelp of pain escaped her lips, feeling the sting across her cheek as clear as day. "But I understand. I keep telling you, Blake, all I want...is you."

"We...we cannot..." She gasped, reaching for her weapon and attempted to aim again. A sharp kick from Adam's boot to her hand sent Gambol Shroud flying and Blake found herself flat on her back, leaving her front exposed for an attack.

"I will set out upon this world and deliver the justice mankind so greatly deserves...This is what I strive to achieve. You won't stop me Blake...because you can't."

"Blake! Where are you, Blake?!" Blake's eyes widened with horror as Adam turned his head slowly, locking in on Yang who appeared frantically looking for her partner. Seeing a White Fang member approaching, the ricocheting sound of Ember Celica going off indicated she shot her opponent. "Blake, answer me!"

"So that's who caught your attention while you were avoiding me." Adam mused and gazed back at his ex. He may have not met Yang in person, but one observant look on Blake's facial expression was all he needed; attacking Yang would break Blake beyond anything she may ever experience. He knew that her training within the White Fang has never prepared her for a situation quite like this. "A lowly, human huntress. Can't say I'm happy about your choice. I thought better of you."

"The moment you changed...the idea of being concerned about what I'm thinking and the path I've chosen...flew out the door." She spat at him and attempted to rise, only to be shoved back down with a boot planted on her chest.

"My darling, I've always had you in my thoughts. More than you could ever realize."

"Adam, if only you had stayed how you were, when the White Fang was a peaceful protest group..."

"Times have changed. It's time for the faunus to feed their rage and hatred for the human race and take back what was theirs to begin with. I will not stand idly by and allow this social injustice go any further. You were once the same as me, rallying by my side for faunus rights. Now, you are– "

"Don't think for a second that I have stopped fighting for those rights." She seethed at him, narrowing her eyes in response. "I'm just going at it via a different angle. Your ways are going to drive the White Fang into the ground! You cannot use fear tactics and human brutality to push your agenda. The humans already hate us, why are you making it even harder?"

"Human brutality? They never once considered the feelings of the faunus, they saw us as merely slaves and dispose those who aren't useful. Faunus had it the worst and sad to say, most of them died for nothing." He leaned a little closer and growled, "The only way to make sure the humans respect us is by instilling fear within them. They will never get off their high horse, so it is up to us to throw them off. We tried to talk and protest with peace. When we got shot down and our methods weren't working, it was time to resort to violence."

"Violence is never the right answer."

"Oh my darling, how naive you have become. But now, I'm going to make it my mission to destroy everyone and everything you care about." Taking his foot off her, he rose to his feet and twirled Wilt idly in his hand before pointing it out towards his left. "Starting with her. Let's get your partner's attention."

"W-What are you – GAAAAAHHHH!" Blake howled with pain as the red blade impaled her stomach on the right side, keeping her grounded. Tears trickled from her eyes as she tried to shut it all out, focusing her attention on Adam's sneer; there was no remorse in his eyes that were shielded by the mask. He was truly a monster. "AAAARRGGHHH!"

"Blake!?" Yang's head turned so fast at the sound she could have given herself a whiplash. Her chest tightened when she saw her partner on the ground, with a masked individual hovering over her. She also noticed the red blade piercing through the flesh. In that moment her emotions erupted to the surface and she was seeing red, her tunnel vision honing in on Adam and him alone. "You!"

"No...don't do it." Blake tried to speak as blood trickled down the corner of her mouth, reaching out a shaky hand towards Yang. Her breathing came out in short puffs, her throat raw from the screaming. "Please...get out of here...run..."

"Whoops, my hand slipped. Are you mad?" Adam ignored her and taunted Yang, pulling his sword out and sheathed it back into Blush while keeping a tight grip on the handle. The smug smirk on his face was all the more reason to urge the brawler into action; she really wanted to wipe it off his face. "Come and save her if you can."

"I'm gonna fucking kill you..." A feral growl rose within Yang's throat before it came out as a full blown scream. Smashing her fists together and igniting her hair with her semblance, she launched herself right at Adam with her right arm pulled back. "GET AWAY FROM HER NOW!"

NOOO! Blake's heart plummeted within her chest as she watched with horror as Adam sliced off the appendage with ease; it was over in a flash of red that fanned out into rose petals. Her partner's body flew overhead, splattering blood on the ground. Her golden aura flickered around the wound in an attempt to fix it up. Wide lilac eyes slowly closed as its owner lost consciousness due to the initial shock. Grunting with pain, the faunus rolled over and staggered to her hands and knees just as her partner crashed. C'mon...! Get up! You have to move!

"Is that all you got? You're weaker than I imagined." Adam whispered, turning around and walked towards the unmoving brawler. He flicked his blade rapidly, discarding any substances off the object before angling it so the sharp side pointed up. "You poor excuse for a human. You thought you were powerful enough to face me head-on? What a joke, I cannot believe I'm wasting my time with you."

As he inched closer a blur approached out of the corner of his peripherals and he came to a halt. His eyes were immediately held by very angry, very defiant golden orbs. Despite the pain shooting up through her midsection, Blake kept her expression fierce as she crouched over Yang; she knew exactly what the male was capable of, but to see him actually follow through with his warning was a dose of reality for her. Seeing Yang on the ground wounded, unconscious and bleeding strengthened her resolve even further.

"So you still want to protect her...is that your final stance, my darling?" The bull faunus frowned as Blake continued to bare her fangs, her body in a protective posture. Any and all feelings she had for him were buried immediately, her golden orbs filled with hurt as well as the overwhelming emotion to save the person she cared about. "Ultimately you've chosen her...over me. Why must you continue to hurt me, Blake?"

I have no more doubt in my mind. Yang...Yang deserves so much more than this, deserves someone much better than I. Blake's fingers curled into fists and her ears laid flat against her head as she glared at him in silence. She didn't deserve to be caught up with my mess! This will be the last time I let someone get hurt on my behalf!

"I thought you'd come back to your senses. But since you're so eager to meet Death, I'll grant you your wish." True to his word, he lunged forward and swiped his weapon right through the neck. As soon as her head was severed from her shoulders, Blake's image shimmered and disappeared. His eyes blinked in realization and he turned, catching the real faunus with Yang in her arms making her getaway. Once they disappeared, the red-haired male couldn't help but feel even more frustrated. Not only did he not coax Blake into coming back to his side, but she totally disowned him for a human no less. A human, the only race he's had a major vendetta against with ever fiber of his being.

"You've made the wrong choice, my darling. Being around humans have corrupted you beyond what I have imagined...but, I'll rewrite it all very soon." Sheathing his weapon, he walked away into the darkness, but not before picking up the very limb he severed. He glanced at the golden gauntlet around the wrist and sneered, "An indispensable gift that bears no meaning to me. Blake, you'll find yourself back at my side, right where you belong."

"Yang, please hang on." Blake whispered over and over as she continued running with Yang in her arms. She knew the brawler couldn't respond back, but she had to find some way of reassuring herself. She was so numb, her mind replaying everything that had happened; the most prominent image being Yang losing her arm. "Please, you just have to hold on. Please!"

In her haste of carrying Yang to safety and as far away from Adam as she can, Blake realized that she didn't pick up Gambol Shroud. She didn't want to go back just yet, worried that the man was still there, so she could only hope that there wouldn't be any loitering Grimms or White Fang members that would attack. However, just as luck would have it the sounds of nearby fighting soon caught her attention and she turned her head to see an open ground filled with Grimm and machine parts. Ears perked, she could pick out two distinguishing voices and felt instant relief when she recognized them.

"Dust! These guys don't know when to give up!"

"You think they'd take a hint, but..." Efram snorted with mild fatigue, raising an arm to wipe away some sweat from his brow. "Seriously, if they're main objective is to stall us then they're doing a mighty fine job."

"At least this place is mostly cleared. I believe we can move on from here."

"Oh goody, a whole acre of ground to cover..."

"Wait...is that Blake?! What happened to you?" Timber, taking notice of the approaching faunus, rushed over with Efram right on his heels. Once the distance between them became smaller, the archer could see the mat of blonde hair caked with blood cradled within Blake's arms. "Yang?! Her arm-"

"I'll explain later, but we can't stay here!" Blake exclaimed, her chest heaving for breath from running and adrenaline. The wound on her stomach throbbed just as painfully, but she was more concerned for Yang's well-being over her own."Our best bet is to reuniting with the others!"

"We have to bandage up that wound though, I wouldn't be surprised if moving her may cause irritation." Efram noted the steady stream of blood seeping out of the arm wound. "How much time has passed since she obtained the injury? It looks quite fresh."

"Not too long ago...you're right, it is a fresh wound." The faunus replied, her eyes dropping to the ground with sadness. "And it was all my fault..."

"Blake..." Efram wanted to say something else, but the roar of other Grimm caught his attention. Hardening his expression, he turned to the other two and said, "You're right, we can't stay here. They're most likely attracted to our emotions, and with an open wound they're more than likely to come running."

"Will you be alright? You've been running with Yang in your arms." asked Timber.

"T-Thank you for your concern but, I want to carry her." Blake replied, holding Yang tightly against her.

"Let's get going then, we'll make sure you two get some place safe." Efram said, twirling his trident before sticking it into the ground. "If I'm going to be honest, my aura reserves are a bit low so...It's good old fashion combat."

"Just don't take that as an initiative towards obtaining more battle scars." Timber spoke in all seriousness as he opted to protecting Blake's left side; leaving his partner to protect the faunus' right side. "One may end up fatal."


Elsewhere...

"Pyrrha and Jaune are on the move, something must have happened." I spoke up, getting Kairos' attention after she sliced through the body of a Creeper. "I felt a powerful signature resonate not too long ago...two powerful signatures to be exact." Something else has happened...a strong burst of fury followed by a wave of sadness...was it Yang? Blake's Aura fluctuated along with her emotions...

"Two? Who are you seeing...er...sensing?" She questioned me. Shaking my head to push the lingering thoughts to the back and pick up later, I focused on the much more prominent auras blatantly flaring within my head.

"One...is a headmaster, most likely Ozpin. The other...a mixture of someone I don't recognize and Cinder."

"Someone you don't recognize? How is it that someone down there for who knows how long has stayed out of your radar?" The faunus asked, her brows furrowed with concern and confusion. "How is it that the adults haven't bothered to mentioned a secret floor?"

"It was off-limits probably, not to mention no one actually questioned it. However, one of them seemingly vanished. Cinder's signature is still here, and Pyrrha is on the move again. I lost track of Jaune for a second..." I reported.

"What? You did?" My partner sent me a glance filled with surprise. "He didn't die did he?"

"I highly doubt it...give me a minute, I'll find him..." My brows furrowed in thought as I latched onto his aura signature; I couldn't help but chuckle because his aura line looked like a floppy noodle. "He ended up somewhere in the middle of the city...Did he just fly there?"

"Huh? How? He doesn't seem to be the kind of guy who enjoys flying, if his landing strategy was any indication." Kairos scratched her head with a hand before chuckling at my questioning gaze. "Trust me, the moment I landed back when we were in the Emerald Forest, I saw him flying through the air from my position. It was entertaining to say the least."

"Wait, some of the lockers may have fallen around the area, so perhaps Jaune got into one of those." I said, coming across one of the said lockers sticking up at an angle from where it entered the ground. "The engines aren't that badly out of shape, there's enough fuel to fly."

"How lucky are we then. They could come in handy later." Kairos noted as we made our way to the front door. The tower building looked like shambles up close, noted by the amount of debris littering the pathway. It honestly looked like it could tumble should a massive amount of energy were to be released. "So...do we just let ourselves in?"

"This is what I'd call convenience, dust knows I want to conserve my energy." Slipping through we kept our guard up, all senses on alert. So far, there hasn't been any movement that would indicate a breech within the building. "Strange how there's no Grimm in here, but I guess there's enough outside to keep them occupied."

"Hmmm...The elevator looks busted broken, in fact I'm not even sure it could be called that anymore." Kairos reported from where she made a bee-line towards the transport, her tail twitched from side-to-side with interest. Hearing something akin to fighting, she leaned out a little further and tilted her head up, "Speaking of which, this thing is obviously out of order...so how is there noise all the way up there?"

"I guess we'll figure that out when we get there." I stood next to her, following her line of sight as well. "There's nothing down there for us to search through, no signature of anything living. Thus the only thing we can do is go upward."

"Well that saves us a lot of time, doesn't it?" Kairos wrapped her arm around my waist, holding me close in a brief hug. I know she was scared, I was as well, so the small action was helpful for the both of us. "Now how do we even get up there?" Through my mind's eye I could see the splinters and muddle bits of wires and steel beams. In my honest opinion, some of them may not even hold the entire weight of a person before collapsing.

"You think we can climb our way up?" I asked her after taking a minute to collect my thoughts.

"We could but how long do you think that would take us? Those beams look so weak that they could break at any given time. Is there another strategy we could use to make us move faster?"

"Wait...there were lockers outside..." The gears within our minds moved and we came at the same conclusion. Excitedly we rushed back out and found the nearest locker, the very same one we ran past earlier, and examined it. Despite the scratched up metal and bits of dents, it honestly looked to be in good condition.

"Nothing seems damaged thank goodness, just need to angle it so it won't run itself into the ground." The faunus announced as I maneuvered it, making the head point straight up to the tower top. "However, the amount of energy is a little on the low side. If I were to wager a guess, this thing won't get us to our destination."

"Then throw me the rest of the way." I answered, taking position and wrapped my legs around the body. I felt arms wrap around me as my partner took up her position. "We have to make it, we just have to."

"And we will." Kairos whispered with confidence. Leaning over, she punched in the last few buttons on the control panel and soon, we found ourselves soaring upwards with the winds whistling through our ears.