A/N: I'd just like to apologize in advance if this chapter seems a bit rushed and/or scattered because I'm not gonna lie, this chapter alone is the reason why it took so long to post Volume 5. Don't even know why but I just had so much writer's block for this. I rewrote it three times. Three! Just couldn't get past it. So, I kinda just gave up and powered through it as best as I could to keep the story going because I know exactly what's going to happen in this fic after Volume 5, but I had to get through it just to be able to get there, y'know? But when Volume 6 starts, it's going to be far better than this finale. It might not be THAT bad but it just kinda feels like it to me. But without further ado, the finale of Volume 5. Sort of, there's one more chapter after this, but this is the beginning of the end.
The walk to Haven felt like a death march to Sera. Every step she took only further solidified that they were in for a fight. Her skin prickled with nervous energy, and she felt like she was about to explode. She's never had battle jitters this badly, even when that Nuckelavee was charging towards her. Then again, something told her she was in for something more dangerous than some freaky Grimm.
Sera kept her hand on Igni's hilt at all times. When civilians saw them in the street, they either hurried out of the way or fled indoors. She didn't really blame them.
Qrow took the lead with Ruby, Yang, and Oscar behind him. Jaune, Nora, and Ren took the middle, and Sera, Neo, and Weiss were at the rear. Sera insisted on it. After all, it's what she did the whole journey to Mistral. She had to keep an eye on everyone.
Sera was eyeing her surroundings, on the lookout for anyone or anything that might be trying to attack them.
"You okay?" Weiss nudged her, and she shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"Uh, yeah," she managed. "Just… nervous."
"Hey, don't be," she smiled. "It'll be okay. Right?"
Sera flashed back to that morning. She'd yelled at Qrow and Ozpin. 'Stop telling me everything will be okay!'
Her shoulders sagged. "Right. Yeah. Yeah, it'll be all right."
"Exactly," she said with certainty. "And if everything is not okay, you can punch me."
Sera laughed. "I wouldn't punch you. Bu-u-ut, it is tempting."
"Hey!" she giggled.
Just like that, all the tension disappeared from Sera. She smiled and relaxed her hand, releasing Igni's hilt and dropping it to her side.
The moment she'd had with Weiss just before they left the house. She could still see her leaning closer, eyes closed and lips pursed softly. Sera needed to talk about it, to at least confess that she had developed some sort of crush on her. She didn't know how, it had even happened, but it didn't just come out of nowhere. It had been slow-going, building overtime ever since the night of the Vytal Dance. Or perhaps earlier than even that. She could remember when she wanted to ask Weiss to do the performance, and everyone thought she was asking her to go to the dance with her. Looking back on it... she sort of wished she had.
But whenever Weiss looked at her, her heart skipped a beat. It was annoying and exciting at the same time. Dating? Relationships? She didn't know if that's where she and Weiss were headed, but it was unfamiliar territory, and more dangerous than any battlefield she's been in. At least, it sure felt that way to her.
She inhaled sharply. "Weiss, I—"
"Hey, we're here!" Qrow called back to them.
The others had gotten ahead of them while she and Weiss had slowed down. They glanced at each other and hurried to reach them. Sure enough, they'd made it to Haven Academy. The campus was even more breathtaking at night. The center building stood tall among the others and was covered with lights.
There was no one around. The school was a ghost town. A black bird flew through the sky and landed on a distant building. A tumbleweed blew across the path in front of them.
"Where the heck did that come from?" Ruby asked, bewildered.
They kept on towards the main building. When they reached the doors, everyone halted.
"All right," Qrow slipped his hands into his pockets. "Here we go, everyone. We ready?"
"Yeah! Let's get down to business!" Nora raised her fist.
"We have to defend the Vault," Ren said with certainty.
No one moved towards the door. They just stared at it, like they were afraid it would suddenly explode.
Ruby cleared her throat. "Look guys. I know this might seem like a tough time, but it'll be okay. We'll be okay. Right?"
"Right," Jaune said, but even he didn't sound too sure. It seems like Sera wasn't the only one feeling anxious about today.
A surge of newfound determination coursed through her. Where it came from, she had no idea, but it felt like a fire had ignited deep inside of her being. In the back of her mind, she wondered if Kassandra was watching through her eyes this very moment. Could she be trying to tell her something?
She had to say something. It was her job to make her friends feel better. They wanted to look at her like a leader? Fine. She'd give them a leader. The huntress took a deep breath and went to stand in front of them all, between her friends and the door they were so nervous to open.
"All right, listen up! We're not out for a picnic today, we're heading into that building to potentially face some of the baddest criminals we've seen since the Fall of Beacon. But we aren't here to cower in fear like a bunch of newbies. We're here to kick some ass!" She raised her fist into the air.
"Yeah!" Ruby pumped her fist.
Sera grinned at her enthusiasm. "Sure, the odds might be stacked against us. Sure, the Fall Maiden could be right on the other side of that door, ready to burn our faces off with those damn fireballs and who knows what else that'll make your mamas faint. But let me remind ya, we're not your average Joes. We're huntsmen, and we've stared down worse than this before breakfast!"
The others started to perk up, giving her their full attention. Qrow remained silent, with a rather impressed look on his face. She'd have to make fun of him later for it.
"Sure, we might get knocked down. We might get roughed up. We might end up fighting for our lives just to take them down. But guess what? We get back up, we spit the blood out of our mouths, then we knock their teeth out! We're survivors, fighters, and we're not scared of a bunch of losers!"
"Yeah, let's get 'em!" Nora cheered.
She smiled wider. Sera was feeling it now, getting into the groove of what she was saying. The words just spilled out of her mouth, and it sounded good. At least, she hoped so. Judging by her friends' reactions, she must've been doing okay.
"So let's get our heads in the game and show those bastards what happens when you mess with the wrong bunch!"
Yang grinned and raised her fist. "Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"
"Jeez, kid. Where'd that come from?" Qrow chuckled.
"Who cares! It was awesome!" Nora cheered.
Sera smiled embarrassingly. She glanced at her friends. It looked like her little speech worked, even if it sounded like it was out of some bad action movie. They didn't look so nervous anymore. If anything, they looked inspired. Even Neo was looking upbeat. Ruby raised Crescent Rose into the air and waved it around. Jaune ducked under the scythe to avoid its sharp edge.
Oscar extended his cane and held it like a baton. Out of everyone here, she was most worried about him. He was still young and didn't have much in the way of training, compared to her and the others. Ozpin would help if he was in trouble, but Oscar's body was nowhere near as strong as the one Sera had known before The Fall.
Nora readied her hammer and Ren checked his pistols.
She settled on Weiss. The ex-heiress gave a small smile and nodded at her, brandishing her rapier.
"Party time," Sera grinned, then whirled around and kicked the double doors open in one swift motion.
They filed into the large room and walked deeper into it. It looked exactly as Ozpin described-large and mostly empty with lots of floor space, a balcony above them, and a statue at the front with a raised platform behind it. Two sets of stairs sat on either side of the statue, and overlooking the room was Leonardo Lionheart.
Qrow took the lead, and Sera stayed at one side of him while Jaune took the other. Sticking to the plan, she thought. She and Jaune would ready their shields at a moment's notice set up their makeshift, barely a phalanx. She looked over her shoulder and found Weiss sticking close to her, guarding her exposed side. Neo was nowhere to be seen. Good. She remembered to stay hidden.
On the left, Nora and Ren stayed by Jaune. Behind Qrow was Ruby and Yang, ready to defend their uncle, and between them and Qrow was Oscar.
Finally, they arrived before Lionheart. Sera had to say, he looked nervous. Then again, a group of huntsmen did just walk in with their weapons drawn. Plus, they didn't look too happy.
"You've arrived," the headmaster stated, laying his hand on the railing in front of him.
"Uh, yeah," Qrow said, his eyes on the Faunus.
Lionheart shifted. "There seem to be more of you than before…" he muttered nervously.
Sera stepped forward. "We know what you've been up to, Lionheart," she pointed. "Where is she?"
He faltered. "I-I don't know what you mean. What is the meaning of this?"
"Leo," Qrow urged. "No games. No tricks. Just tell us what you did, and I'll consider not beating you into the ground before you're arrested."
Anger flashed across the headmaster's face. "You dare come into my school and accuse me? You don't even know what you're accusing me of! I called you here to discuss moving forward with finding the Spring Maiden. I provided you all with housing and a new home in my academy, and this is what I get in return?"
Sera shifted in place. Had they made a mistake? Was all their planning for nothing? Is Lionheart telling the truth?
"Lies," a voice suddenly filled her head.
A chill ran up Sera's spine. What the hell was that? She shook it off.
"He's lying," she muttered. Then louder, "He's lying! Look at how sketchy he's being."
"I would never!" Lionheart said defensively. He raised his arm, revealing a strange weapon on his wrist.
The huntsmen brandished their own weapons in return. Lionheart's expression faltered as he glanced at each of them. He realized he was far outnumbered.
"That's enough, Lionheart," a new voice said, and everyone shifted their attention towards it.
Beside Lionheart, someone stepped out from behind a wide pillar and glowered down at them. Sera frowned at the sight of who it was. Ol' Carrot Top himself, wearing some douchey black robes with orange flair and designs of flames reaching up from the bottom. She thinks the style of robe was called a kamashimo, but Phoenix somehow managed to make it look dumb. Even Ren looked upset by it.
"This fuckin' guy," Sera muttered and raised Igni.
"Great," Qrow sighed. "All right, guy. Where's your buddy?"
Phoenix smirked and snapped his fingers. A bird suddenly flew over Sera's head and behind the pillar opposite of Phoenix. She had long enough to think, "Does this asshole actually have a phoenix?" When a woman with long and spiky black hair stepped out, her hand resting on the hilt of a custom katana on her hip. Her eyes were a deep shade of red that seemed to glare daggers at Qrow.
Sera vaguely recognized her. She was missing that white Grimm mask, but she was definitely the person she'd seen on the train under Mt. Glenn. She'd saved Yang's life when Neo was about to kill her. The woman's eyes turned to her, and Sera stiffened under her gaze. This woman was dangerous, that was clear as day.
"Mom!" Yang exclaimed, her eyes flashing red.
"Wait. Mom?" Sera asked. "That's your mom?! Jeez. Sorry, Yang."
Raven's lip curled at Sera's words and she tightened her grip on her sword.
"Raven!" Qrow stepped forward, his voice angry and his eyes full of fire. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Why, I'm here to welcome my little brother to Haven Academy. But it seems like you're here to attack the poor headmaster. Care to explain yourself?" she said snidely.
Ignoring her, he turned to Lionheart. "Leo. What the hell did you do?!"
He seemed to shrink under Qrow's glare. "I…"
"He did what anyone would do in his situation," Raven interrupted. "He examined all the options laid out in front of him and made a decision. Leonardo chose a side, and it seems you all have as well."
"I choose the side of my family," Qrow said defensively.
"Family," Raven scoffed. "That seems to be the only thing you've ever cared about."
"Better than not caring at all and abandoning your kid," Ruby spat. Raven's lip curled at her. Sera snickered, earning a sharp glare from Raven.
Phoenix went to Lionheart's side and clapped his hand to the headmaster's shoulder. Lionheart flinched.
"I'll give you all one chance to change your minds. Join the winning team, and you'll be treated well. All will be forgiven, and you can claim your place by Salem's side. Simply ascend these steps. Stay down there, and I cannot guarantee your survival."
Yang glared at her mother, eyes glowing with hatred. "You know, just when I couldn't think any less of you, you go and do this. Way to go, mom."
"Worst mom ever," Ruby muttered.
"Well?" Phoenix announced. His voice reverberated through the large room.
No one answered. No one moved.
Sera cleared her throat. "So, is your hair naturally that color, or do you dye it? Cause I gotta tell ya, I've seen better dye jobs on a clown at a kid's birthday party. It's like you're trying to warn people: 'approach with caution, this guy's got a temper as fiery as his follicles.' Seriously, who does your hair? Is it Cinder? I bet it's Cinder. She's got an almost worse sense of style than you and the rest of your goon squad."
Phoenix stared at her incredulously. Her friends gaped at her. Qrow and Raven both snickered. Weiss suppressed a giggle.
"I suppose that's a 'no,'" Lionheart cleared his throat.
"What is wrong with you?" Phoenix demanded.
Sera smirked. Apparently, she'd either ticked him off because what she said was true or because she had the gall to ruin his big serious moment. After being ambushed by him and his buddy in Patch, and then in the countryside, she didn't care what this guy thought of her. She'd piss him off as much as she wanted.
"Didn't like that? I've got more in the chamber, if you wanna hear 'em. Like your clothes. Buddy, gotta tell ya, I get that you're trying to channel your inner ninja, but with a neon noggin like that, you're gonna stick out like a sore thumb. Are you trying to blind your enemies before you draw that little sword? Because if so, mission accomplished. You're like a traffic cone in a ninja costume. Next time, maybe consider wearing some kind of mask to blend in, unless your plan is to be the world's first 'high-vis' samurai."
Her friends laughed at that. Nora doubled over and held her knees to keep from falling and the others were too busy cracking up to take the situation seriously. The only ones who weren't laughing were their enemies, but even Raven had to stifle a laugh, trying to hide it in a cough.
"Enough!" Phoenix swept his hand through the air. His face was red with anger.
"Jeez, your face is almost as bright as that hair," Sera scoffed.
He drew his sword and tried to leap over the railing on the upper level, but Lionheart stuck his arm out to stop him.
"This girl is making a fool of you," he said under his breath. Unfortunately for Phoenix, Sera heard him.
"It isn't that hard. The guy's a bit of a hothead."
"That's it!" Phoenix snarled and shoved Lionheart aside.
Sera and the others readied themselves for a fight. Just before Phoenix could jump down to them, a door slammed loudly and stopped them in their tracks.
"That is enough," a deep voice said, and heavy footsteps followed.
She turned around to find a giant walking towards her and her friends. He was at least seven feet tall or more and had arms and legs like tree trunks. He had dark brown hair with split bangs, a beard of the same color, green-ish eyes, and tanned skin. The guy's outfit consisted of a sage colored jacket and a black shirt and pants. He was easily larger than the bull Faunus who'd helped Phoenix ambush her and Yang, and that guy had thrown her around like a ragdoll when they fought. She didn't wanna know what this one was capable of.
"Fee fi fo fum, what beanstalk did you fall from?" Sera said under her breath.
"Uh..." Jaune trailed off as the new guy approached them. Even Qrow and Yang seemed startled by whoever he was. But none of them looked as nervous as Oscar.
Great. Ozpin must know the guy, she thought.
Then something else hit her. They had opponents on either side of them. If a fight broke out, Sera's plan would fly out the window. Then again, they still outnumbered them, and Neo was still presumably hidden away waiting for her signal. They could do this.
"Finally," Phoenix exhaled, relaxing against the railing. "How are the Fang doing?"
"Finishing up as we speak," the big guy's voice rumbled.
"Fang? As in White Fang?" Yang readied her gauntlets.
"Yes," he replied. "Planting explosives all over the academy."
Something was off. This guy wouldn't be telling them their plan unless he knew they were powerless to stop it. Sera didn't like that too much.
"Welcome to the Fall of Haven!" Phoenix announced, raising his hands.
Sera drew her sword and moved towards the big guy.
"I wouldn't," Big Man warned. "The door is sealed. No one's getting in, no one's getting out."
"That door hasn't met me yet," she muttered. Then she charged him. All worry about fighting this guy went out the window as soon as she heard what was at stake. She couldn't let this happen again. She wouldn't.
"Kid!" Qrow tried to stop her, but she was gone.
Sera jumped into the air and brought Igni down in a two-handed attack that she hoped would cleave this giant in two. As soon as she got within range, his hand shot out and wrapped around her blade, and he used it to spin her around and throw her back. She landed with a loud thud at her friends' feet and Igni clattered out of her hand.
"Well, that was funny," Phoenix commented.
She scrambled to her feet and scooped Igni off the ground, glaring at the enormous guy who'd so easily avoided her attack. "Who the hell is this guy?"
"Doesn't matter. We have to get out here and stop the White Fang," Qrow said.
Phoenix laughed and looked down at them all. "You really don't get it, do you?"
"Buddy, you're as dumb as you look if you think you're stopping us," Qrow deadpanned. He looked about as impressed by Phoenix as Sera was.
"No one's leaving," Hazel repeated sternly. The guy might as well have been an enormous stone pillar that blocked their path.
Ruby stepped closer to her uncle and spoke in a hushed tone. "What do we do?"
They all glanced at each other. The answer was obvious, and no one liked it. Well, Sera kind of liked it. She wanted to kick their butts. Still, how could they defend the Vault and stop the White Fang at the same time? Of course, completely unknown to her or anyone else in the room, Blake Belladonna was approaching the academy with the rest of the Faunus from Menagerie that agreed to stop the White Fang.
Raven approached the railing and stared down at them. Sera couldn't read her face. It was both indifferent and full of mirth at the same time, so there's no telling what she was thinking. Raven held the hilt of her sword tightly, like she was just itching to draw it. Why she hadn't, Sera wasn't sure. But these katana-types do tend only to draw their weapon if necessary. A little weird, but hey, who was she to judge? Her own fighting style could be described as "unpredictable, versatile improvisation." Oh, and stylish, too. Gotta remember that part.
Sera took a deep breath, eyes flying between each of their adversaries. There were only four of them. They could take them down with numbers alone. She brainstormed a dozen different possibilities, surprised that so many ideas appeared. Sure, she was always good at planning on short notice, but it was like her instincts kicked into overdrive.
"Okay," she inhaled, talking under her breath. "Here's what we're gonna do-"
"Don't bother," Raven said, and all eyes went to her. She stood stoically, looking down at Sera in particular.
Phoenix grinned and clapped his hand to her shoulder. She gave him a look so threatening, even Sera got nervous. She didn't even want to imagine what the woman was thinking. Upon seeing her face. Phoenix retracted his hand.
He cleared his throat and tried to retain some semblance of his former cockiness. "That's right. Any plan you come up with for us is useless."
"Why's that, fire crotch?" Sera asked. Phoenix scowled at her.
"I really hate you."
"Samesies," she crossed her arms, glaring up at him.
"And why would it be useless?" Nora demanded, brandishing her hammer.
"Oh, no," Qrow murmured, and Sera looked over at him. He sounded worried, and his expression reflected that. Qrow's eyes lingered on Raven and the smirk she had on her lips.
"Oh, yes, brother," she said smugly, still gripping her sword hilt.
Sera and her friends glanced at each other in confusion. Phoenix grinned like a moron. The new, very big man's face was emotionless.
"Raven. Don't do this," Qrow urged.
The red-eyed woman frowned. She looked hesitant. Solemn, even. "I have to protect my family."
"Your family is right here!" Qrow yelled. "And you're turning your back on them again!"
Raven hesitated, then seemed to compose herself. "Who?"
Sera seethed. After hearing so much about this woman and how she abandoned Yang and Taiyang, she wasn't Qrow's sister's biggest fan. But after hearing that, she pretty much lost it. She could tell Yang was pissed too. Her eyes were an even angrier shade of red than her mother's.
"You're not worth the trouble it took to find you," Yang stated.
Even Jaune and the others knew this was messed up.
Phoenix groaned and pointed his sword at them. "Are we done with this family squabble already?"
"We can still figure this out!" Ruby suddenly shouted, and all eyes went to her. "You don't have to side with them! Salem is evil. And helping her won't solve anything. Help us stop her. It's the right thing to do. Please."
Raven's lip curled. "You sound just like your mother."
"Raven, no-!" Qrow fired a shot at her.
Too late. She disappeared before the round could hit her and suddenly materialized right in front of Qrow. She slashed at him faster than Sera anticipated, and he was too slow to block it. The huntsman reeled backwards and leapt at his sister, but before he could close the distance, a tall oval of swirling red energy appeared out of thin air, and Qrow backpedaled to get away from it.
"The hell is that?!" Sera exclaimed.
A fireball flew out of the portal and hit Sera square in the chest, and the force of it knocked her on her back. She looked up just in time for her heart to drop at who stepped into Haven Academy.
There was a sinister smile on the lips of Cinder Fall as she looked down at Sera. The look on her face must've been pretty amusing, because Cinder laughed.
Behind her, four more people appeared out of the portal and stood on either side of the Fall Maiden. Mercury, Emerald, and Magnus Arc. There was someone new, though. It was a woman with a lean build, short brown hair and startling blue eyes, dressed in a sleeveless top and vest with fitted pants. She seemed confident and determined to an even greater degree than her comrades.
Upon seeing Cinder and his cousin, Jaune readied his sword and glared at them fiercely. The others did the same, but their focus was primarily on Cinder.
Phoenix landed nimbly beside them and straightened his robe. "Well, the surprise party is finally here."
Sera was staring at Cinder, her blood running cold. The sight of her brought her back to the night Beacon fell. Losing control of her own body, watching Cerulean die at the hands of Magnus, then finally lodging her own axe into the shoulder of Pyrrha Nikos. She thought she was over it, that she could handle facing her again. But she was frozen on the floor, staring at Cinder like a deer in headlights. Her friends made their own comments about the newcomers and vice versa, but to Sera it was all background noise drowned out by her ringing ears.
"Sera?" Weiss asked in a small voice.
She looked over at Weiss. Her eyes were full of worry, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. Most of her friends kept their gazes on their other opponents, but they were glancing over at her every now and then to check on her. Even the villains were giving her weird looks.
"Someone's scared," Cinder commented snidely. "Boys and girls, don't tell me you were hoping this failed student would save the day. Look at her."
That brought Sera back down to ground level. She climbed to her feet and shot a glare at each of Salem's minions. She knew she was scared, but she wasn't about to let Cinder rail her for that. Plus, she noticed something. No idea why it took her so long, but Cinder looked different. She moved like she was hurt, but only on her left side. Under her sideswept bangs, a metal plate covered her face like some kind of half mask. Plus, she got a haircut, but that wasn't as important. What mattered was that Cinder was hurt. Sera could see traces of burn marks on her. She bet that under that sleeve, the rest of her arm was bandaged too.
Qrow glared at his sister, then at Lionheart, who was looking down at them all with a rather ashamed expression. "How long have you been with them?"
Cinder made a face kind of like she was looking at a cute puppy, or something. "Aww, don't take it personally. Your sister was only a recent addition. Lionheart, however, has been extremely helpful to the cause. All that valuable information."
"Stop..." Lionheart said shamefully. Sera almost felt bad for the guy. Almost.
Qrow raised his sword, glaring at Lionheart. "It was you. You had the locations of all the huntsmen in Mistral. You gave them to her?"
The headmaster seemed to deflate. "I-"
"I couldn't find any of them. Not. One. Because you got them killed. They were my friends, you son of a bitch!" he seethed. Qrow looked like he wanted to cut Lionheart in half, and Sera didn't blame him.
She brandished her sword, and her friends followed suit. Emerald, Mercury, Magnus, and the new chick did the same. Cinder and Raven seemed to stay perfectly calm. Glancing behind her, that big guy didn't seem all that worried either. She couldn't really get a read on him.
Sera wanted to fight. Heck, she felt like she needed to. Every nerve in her body tingled with adrenaline. Her fingers held her sword tightly. Her feet couldn't seem to stay still, shifting slightly to get better footing. Her arms were steady and strong, unwavering. She was surprised she was so calm, given that she was staring down the woman that's haunted her dreams for the last several months.
Then, the Fall Maiden opened her big fat mouth. "Tyrian and Hazel would've found them eventually. In the end, it would've been the same result." She smiled smugly.
"What is wrong with you?!" Jaune seethed. "How can you act like this is something to be proud of? To kill innocent people without even a second thought and show up here bragging about it?"
Sera muttered under her breath. "Because she's a fuckin' cunt and I hate her."
"All with that damn smile on your face!" Jaune yelled at her. He sounded emotional. When Sera looked over at him, she saw tears streaming down his face.
If there was one thing that connected her and Jaune, it was the loss of Pyrrha Nikos. She knew exactly how he felt about Cinder, and he wanted to tear her apart just as much as she did. After all, they did make a pact to cut her head off.
Sera scanned her friends. Each of them was poised to strike, their eyes locked onto the enemies in front of them. No one looked nervous or like they were having second thoughts. They wanted to fight, and they wanted to win. Jaune's team did look a little worried about their leader, though. To be honest, Sera was too. If he was freaking out, he might end up being a liability in a fight.
"Watch his back," Sera whispered to Nora and Ren.
"Duh," Nora rolled her eyes.
Jaune sheathed his sword, then drew it again in its two-handed form and lowered it at Cinder. "And I'm going to make you pay for what you did! Do you hear me?!"
Cinder regarded him with cold, disinterested eyes. "Who are you again?"
Uh oh.
Jaune clenched his jaw and charged, and Sera was right next to him. A pair of black glass scimitars appeared in Cinder's hands, and she moved to intercept them. Their swords clashed against Cinder's, and Sera was rather surprised that she was able to hold them both off. Apparently, she wasn't as hurt as Sera hoped.
Behind her, her friends leapt into battle too. Qrow and Raven's swords clashed and they were locked into an intense power struggle. Ruby went straight for Emerald, Yang for Mercury, and Weiss for the new girl with blue eyes. Nora turned around and charged the big man, and Ren charged Magnus. That left Phoenix, which meant...
"Oscar!" Qrow shouted, but Phoenix wasn't going for him. His eyes were dead set on Sera.
She saw a sword flying at her out of the corner of her eye, and she stepped to the side to avoid it. Phoenix missed by a mile, and she spun on her heel to kick him in the chest. He stumbled back and got ready to attack again, but Sera was already a step ahead. He looked up to find a set of twin barrels pointed right at him.
"Booyah," she winked, then pulled the trigger of her shotgun. As soon as she'd kicked him, she drew her Boomstick and pointed it at his chest. The first shell made his aura flicker, but she was suddenly hit in the side before she could fire the second.
"Sera!" Jaune exclaimed when the fireball hit his friend. He gritted his teeth and swung his sword, but the Fall Maiden deflected it with ease and leapt at him, flashing her scimitars with a manic grin on her face.
Sera stumbled to the side and holstered her gun, gripping Igni with two hands just in time to block a strike from Phoenix's katana.
"Come on! You can do better!" he laughed as he slashed at her over and over again.
She blocked and parried each one with relative ease, stepping backwards while Phoenix relentlessly chased her. "I know I can, but it's way more fun this way," she smirked. Phoenix thought himself a better fighter than he actually was, but she wondered if he knew that.
Qrow was evenly matched with his sister. It was like they could perfectly read each other, and every attack each one threw was blocked or dodged. They couldn't land a hit.
She couldn't really tell how the others were doing, but Jaune was getting his butt kicked. That made her a little sad, but then again, Cinder did have the full power of the Fall Maiden. There was a reason they planned to have her, Qrow, and Yang attack her, but now that the plan was pretty much useless, the fight was a cage match.
Weiss cried out, and Sera's senses went into overdrive. She whipped her head around to find the ex-heiress on the ground with the new girl standing over her.
Something finally clicked—if Cinder intended to open the Vault and take the Relic, she'd need the Spring Maiden. This chick was the only person here that Sera didn't recognize. She had to be Spring. And Weiss was fighting her, alone.
She cursed herself and went on the offensive against Phoenix. She batted his smaller sword aside and smacked him across the face with the back of her hand, and he went to the side from the force of her blow. Sera brought two fingers to her lips and let out an ear-piercing whistle. Immediately, someone dropped from above and landed right in front of her with a bowler hat atop their head.
At first, she didn't recognize her. But then she realized it could only be Neo, with bright orange hair and white and red clothes. She was making herself appear like Roman Torchwick, and Sera thought it was rather appropriate for the situation. The mute glanced over her shoulder, and Sera nodded in thanks.
"Take care of this douche, I'm gonna help the others."
Neo raised an eyebrow.
Sera rolled her eyes. "Come on, look at him. He's a walk in the park for you."
She shrugged and twirled her parasol, facing Phoenix. He seemed to recognize her, but he didn't falter. He leveled his sword at her.
"Sic 'em," Sera said, and Neo rushed him. She smirked, then ran to help her friends.
You know what just to save time I'll call Vernal and Hazel by their actual names, it's going to take too long for Sera to learn it.
There wasn't much Weiss could even do against the Spring Maiden, and to make things worse, she wasn't even using her Maiden-ly powers. Weiss tried to use every aspect of her semblance to get an advantage, but it wasn't enough. She tried to summon her knight, but Vernal cut it to pieces before it could even emerge from Weiss's glyph. But despite everything, Weiss was still keeping up with her. Vernal was fast and her wrist blades were unforgiving, but she was predictable. Weiss had to stay light on her feet to avoid or parry her. If she would just focus on her swordplay instead of using her flashy semblance, she'd be doing much better.
The others were faring rather similarly. Yang had Mercury on the ropes, but Emerald was interfering with their fight by using that annoying semblance of hers. Ruby tried to keep Emerald off of her, but there was only so much she could do. Ren was doing a pretty decent job against Magnus, but he was only distracting him at best. Nora could barely do a thing to Hazel. He was just too strong, and it seemed like her hammer had little to no effect on him. Oscar Pine went straight for Lionheart, but that was out of Sera's line of sight. Qrow and his sister were still in a desperate fight, trying to gain the upper hand on each other, but they were just too evenly matched.
Then, there was Jaune. None of his attacks landed and were either parried or avoided entirely. Cinder was toying with him, laughing in his face whenever her swords carved off another chunk of his aura. Sera hated to see it, but she had to choose between fighting one Maiden or the other. And Weiss was closer.
In the time that it took her to reach them, she watched Weiss perform an impressive display of rapid thrusts with Myrtenaster while seeming to majestically dance around Vernal's attacks to attack the Spring Maiden. That was something else she had come to like about Weiss—her fighting style. It was like watching a ballet, but with deadly weapons.
"Hey, Haircut!" Sera shouted as she brought her foot down on Vernal's head. The Spring Maiden turned around just in time to see Sera's boot kick her in the face and send her sprawling.
Weiss exhaled, expelling the breath she'd been holding while fighting and leveled her rapier at Vernal, but a small smile played on her lips when she looked at Sera. "Thanks."
"No one touches you," she replied sternly.
Weiss's face went red, and Sera's eyes turned big when she realized what she had said.
"My friends! No one touches my friends," she corrected.
"Nice save," the ex-heiress rolled her eyes playfully.
Vernal jumped to her feet and glared at Sera, brandishing her dual wrist blades. "So, you're the one that witch is after."
"Which one?" Sera asked, smirking at her own dumb pun.
"Cute," Vernal said.
Sera slid a blue shard of Dust into Igni. Violet electricity danced along its blade, and the huntress smirked at her opponent.
"She's kinda strong," Weiss murmured, her eyes on Vernal.
"I know. Saw you getting your tail whipped, so I figured I'd help out."
"I was not!" Weiss said indignantly.
While they were talking, Vernal decided to make the first move and attack. Sera barely had enough time to react, but she managed to deflect the flurry of strikes that Vernal threw at her. She stepped backwards and swung Igni, and Vernal caught its edge with both of her wrist blades.
Weiss jabbed Myrtenaster at the Spring Maiden and caught her in the side, and that gave Sera enough time to dislodge her sword and kick Vernal in the chest. Vernal recovered quickly, jumping at them both. Sera was the first to intercept her. She and Vernal immediately attacked each other in a flurry of strikes, and Sera was actually gaining some ground. Vernal was forced to move back to avoid Igni, but Sera didn't let her get far.
Igneous Amethyst had a much greater reach than her Vernal's little wrist blades, and Sera used that to her advantage to keep the Spring Maiden a comfortable distance away from her. Qrow's training really did pay off, and she was happy that she could fend off a Maiden. But it was still odd that Vernal wasn't using her powers.
Sera and Weiss fought in perfect unison. One attacked Vernal while the other traded blows with the Spring Maiden, each taking turns to parry or block an attack while the other pushed farther and farther across the room.
"Frostbite Frenzy!" Sera suddenly shouted.
Weiss blinked, making sure she'd heard right, then smiled devilishly. She spun Myrtenaster in her hand and stabbed it into the ground. A dozen glyphs appeared above Vernal, and each one dropped a barrage of large frozen spikes onto her. The first one caught her in the shoulder, and she had to dash around to avoid them, but Sera was already on her.
As fast as she could, Sera sheathed Igni and drew Jupiter, slotting another shard of electricity dust into the weapon before bringing her hand across its strings in a fast downward stroke. Frozen stalactites continued to rain down from above Vernal. She was doing a good job of avoiding the falling spikes, but when a bolt of violet lightning fired from Jupiter's head, tendrils of electricity arced between each of the ice spikes to create a deadly field of electricity. A purple bolt hit Vernal in the back, and the Spring Maiden grunted with agony as her entire body locked up from the electric shock.
More bolts of violet dust arced across Vernal while spikes of ice rained from above. One hit her in the shoulder, then the leg, and finally her back. She fell forward in a heap, her body seizing and twitching from the electricity that jolted her nervous system.
Sera smirked and shouldered Jupiter, drawing her sword once more. "Well, that worked. One Spring Maiden. Paper or plastic? Oh, and would you like your receipt?"
Weiss rolled her eyes, the corner of her mouth lifting into a smile. "You're an idiot."
"Hold that thought," Sera held a finger up, looking over to examine the rest of the battle.
Jaune was still in a hopeless fight against Cinder, but at least Neo was managing to multi-task between fighting Phoenix and the Fall Maiden. Oscar battled Lionheart and was actually winning, to her surprise. The others were in their own skirmishes to take down their opponents, but something nagged at her. Magnus Arc seemed to be hanging back a little, seemingly no longer that interested in fighting. She wasn't sure if it was because of his previous injuries flaring up or what, but the tall blond appeared to be abstaining. Or perhaps reserving his strength.
The two of them locked eyes from across the room. Even from that far away, she could see him wince.
"What is it?" Weiss asked, ignoring the battle for long enough to follow Sera's eyes.
She shook her head slightly. "I don't know. Something's off."
"Well, hurry up," she muttered, glancing back at Vernal. The Spring Maiden had stopped shaking so violently and laid face down, her limbs occasionally twitching from the overload of lightning dust. "The others still need us, Sera. The fight's not over yet."
She couldn't put her finger on it. If they were as desperate to reach the vault as she knew they were, why was Magnus just standing there? He barely even reacted when he saw Vernal on the ground.
The stare down lasted a full ten seconds more before Magnus's emerald eyes suddenly flicked to the side, towards the statue and balcony that Oscar and Lionheart were fighting on.
Her eyes widened slightly, putting two and two together. However... it made so sense. There was not a single reason she could think of that this would be possible. But deep inside, she knew there was no other alternative. Who else here would have done it, Phoenix? The thought made her want to laugh out loud.
Magnus Arc, the man who'd killed her friend on top of Beacon Tower, was the one who'd tipped them off about Salem's forces coming to Haven.
'No way. How? WHY?' she silently demanded.
The path to the statue was relatively clear. Everyone fighting would be too far occupied to stop her if she made a run for it. At least, she hoped that was the case.
Sera gulped and returned Igni to its scabbard, then ran over to pick Vernal up and sling her over her shoulder. The Spring Maiden remained still, passed out cold from hers and Weiss's attack.
Weiss's stared at the huntress, wondering what the hell had gotten into her. "What're you...?" she murmured.
"Weiss, go help Jaune keep Cinder occupied. If anyone makes a move for me, stop them. Summon your knight, make a wall of ice, I don't care! Just keep me covered," she stated, adjusting Vernal on her shoulder to ensure that she wouldn't drop her.
Weiss's eyes widened sharply. "You're not going down there by yourself."
"Why not? It'll be a piece of cake," she tried for a smile, very aware of how hard her heart pounded at the prospect of what she was about to do.
"Because you're not going alone!" she retorted.
"I'm not alone. I've got this chick. Right, Miss Spring Maiden?" she turned, showing Vernal's unconscious face to the heiress. Vernal's head bobbed with the motion, lolling to the side limply.
The sounds of battle raged around them. Weapons clanging, gunshots firing, war cries resounding through the room. And Weiss could only stare at her dumbstruck, completely unbothered by the carnage around them.
"You are singlehandedly the most stubborn, arrogant person I've ever met," Weiss stated.
Sera winked. "And you like me anyway."
Weiss flustered, her face reddening and eyes widening even more, which Sera didn't think was possible.
With that, Sera took off running into the chaos with Vernal in tow. "Cover me!" she glanced over her shoulder, taking one last look at Weiss's surprised and enraged face.
And then her plan fell apart instantly.
A swirling red portal appeared in front of her and a black boot flew out of it before Sera could even react. Raven Branwen kicked her in the face so hard, she flew backwards and crashed into Weiss, and the two of them crumpled to the ground in a heap.
Sera's head swam, wondering what the heck had just happened. She looked down and saw Weiss's face tight with discomfort, then she glanced up to find Raven holding Vernal over her shoulder, the red portal behind her. Raven gave her a mirthful scowl, then stepped into the portal. She appeared directly in front of the statue of the genie woman and lowered the Spring Maiden to the floor, trying to wake her up.
"Ow..." Weiss groaned. "What... happened?"
Sera scowled and crawled off of Weiss, still feeling her face stinging from the powerful kick. "I'm really starting to hate that woman..."
She helped Weiss to her feet and turned towards the fight. All in all, things were going rather okay. Everyone was holding their own, relatively speaking. Phoenix was getting his ass handed to him by Neo. That made her feel a little better.
Then she saw Jaune go flying across the room and hit a column, and she winced. A fireball from Cinder's hand sent him soaring. The Fall Maiden looked as smug as ever as she lowered her hand. Ruby appeared in front of her in a flurry of rose petals, an enraged look on her face, and she took a swing at Cinder. The two of them immediately began attacking each other viciously, sparks flying as their respective weapons clashed.
"What's the plan?" Weiss murmured, her eyes glancing at each of their friends.
Sera clenched her jaw. "We have to stop Raven from taking Vernal to the vault."
"Okay. How?"
"I'm gonna do it," she replied, watching Raven pull some hidden lever on the statue. The genie woman rotated, receding into the wall to reveal a wide, round platform where it had been sitting.
Cinder's head whirled around, zeroing in on the bandit leader and unconscious Spring Maiden. Vernal was starting to come around, holding her head as she sat up.
"Do what?" Weiss asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Stop them," she affirmed. "Help the others take these morons down while I handle it from here."
"You're insane," Weiss grabbed her arm. "The others need our help. Instead of just standing here spewing nonsense, how about you go do what you do best and bust some godsdamn heads?!"
Sera blinked, glancing between Raven, Weiss, and the raging battle. Her friends were getting tired from how long the fight was dragging on. When she hadn't been looking, Ruby decided to help Jaune while Yang fended off Emerald and Mercury. Qrow was darting around Hazel so quickly, the big guy could barely even touch him.
From the top of the balcony, Lionheart went flying over the railing and crashed to the ground, groaning as he shakily picked himself up. Oscar stood triumphantly above them all with Ozpin's cane in his hand. From dozens of feet away, Sera could see the satisfied smirk on his face.
Hazel grabbed Lionheart by the shirt and yanked him to his feet before grumbling, "That boy is making a fool of you."
Lionheart's face was filled with anxiety, his eyes wild with fear. "That's no child. It's Ozpin!" he wheezed.
Hazel's eyes widened and his head turned robotically towards Oscar. He clenched his jaw tightly, hatred filling his entire being. Sera could feel it radiating off of him like heat from the sun. He dropped Lionheart, and the headmaster crumpled to the ground. Then, he did something she wasn't expecting. Hazel ripped his jacket off as easily as tearing paper, then pulled large shards of dust from his pockets and stabbed them into his forearms. Wide veins glowing energy traveled up his arms and Hazel let out an ear-splitting roar that drew everyone's attention.
He screamed Ozpin's name, then jumped straight up to the balcony in one mighty leap. Oscar dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the spine crushing stomp that Hazel tried to give him. Fortunately, Qrow leapt into action to help Oscar.
Sera examined the situation, trying to figure out how best to go about turning the fight into their favor. Yang had Emerald and Mercury handled, that much was obvious. Phoenix posed no threat to Neo whatsoever, but Magnus had apparently decided to rejoin the fight. Neo fought them both, sashaying and somersaulting about to avoid their combined attacks. But Cinder... she was fighting Jaune and Ruby at the same time, and she was winning. Raven seemed too preoccupied with trying to get Vernal back on her feet.
Then, there was Hazel. Nora and Ren had been fighting him before and were on their way to continue doing so, but Sera came up with a different plan.
"You trust me?" she turned to Weiss while Nora and Ren ascended the steps up to Hazel.
Weiss blinked uncertainly, then nodded. "Of course."
She smiled. "Go help Ruby and Jaune, I'll take big ugly with Qrow."
"Right," she brandished Myrtenaster and gave her one last look. "Be careful?"
"Always," Sera grinned and rested Igni on her shoulder. Weiss smirked, then ran towards the Fall Maiden.
Sera turned and put two fingers to her mouth, whistling as loudly as she could. "JNPR!"
Ren and Nora stopped to look at her, halfway up the steps. Jaune was too busy fighting but that was okay, her orders were for them alone. She pointed towards Yang and Neo, indicating that they were each outnumbered.
"Clean 'em up and take 'em out!" she stated.
They nodded firmly and went to carry out her request. Nora used her hammer's self-propelling capabilities to launch herself towards Yang while Ren sprinted to Neo. Nora's hammer sent Emerald flying across the room, a resounding cackle coming from its owner. Ren leapt into the air and brought his foot down on Magnum's head. And just like that, there was an even fight again.
Weiss made use of her semblance to form glyphs across the floor and send herself flying towards Cinder. Another one appeared in the air and she jumped to it, her feet planting against the glyph so that she was hung in the air, her head pointing towards the ground, then just as quickly as she'd touched it, she leapt at Cinder with the point of her rapier aimed at her chest. Myrtenaster hit its mark and pushed Cinder away, giving Jaune and Ruby a brief respite from her twin swords.
Sera smirked and traded a brief glance with the heiress, then turned to hurry up the stairs where Hazel was screaming like a crazed maniac and trying to get at Oscar. How Lionheart had figured out that he was Ozpin, she had no idea. The cane probably gave it away, though.
Qrow evaded to the side just as Hazel's fist was about to clobber him into ground and swiped with Harbinger, leaving a nasty gash on his arm. Hazel didn't even flinch and slammed him in the side, sending the huntsman flying. Oscar jabbed at him with his cane, but it had no visible effect.
Sera arrived just in time to push Oscar out of harm's way and raise her sword, bracing it with both hands to absorb Hazel's punch. Electricity danced across Igni's blade and into her arms. Her teeth chattered in her mouth and she yanked her sword, stumbling backwards.
"Gods, what are you?" she muttered, staring at Hazel's imposing figure.
The guy was massive, and his little dust juice up only made him look bigger. His eyes were full of cold fury, but only for Professor Ozpin. She and Qrow seemed like flies that were buzzing into his vision and annoying him. Well, she'd just have to annoy him until he took her more seriously. And if he wanted to get to Oscar, he'd have to go through her.
"Out of the way, girl. This doesn't concern you," he stated, glowering down at her.
Qrow stepped to her side, keeping his eyes on Hazel. "Kid, be careful."
Hazel swung at them again and they dove into different directions. Sera came up fast and swung Igni in a wide arc, but the attack seemed to do nothing. She didn't understand. His aura wasn't active and her sword was definitely hitting him, but the guy just wasn't reacting. It was like fighting an attack dummy, except this one fought back.
"What's with this guy?" she exclaimed after managing to avoid a swing from Hazel.
Qrow lunged at him and left a nasty cut on his side. "No idea!"
Oscar brandished his cane and jumped into action, leaping over Sera to smack Hazel in the side of the head. Hazel yelled angrily and tried to grab him, but Oscar slipped away just before he could.
Okay, enough was enough. She needed to take this guy down, this fight was going on for too long. Sera ducked under his massive arm and cleaved into his side, then rolled away and brought her sword into his leg. Hazel seethed and stomped at her, but she was too fast. Qrow transformed Harbinger into a scythe and jumped at him while Oscar did the same.
Hazel swung his fists and hit all three of them in one go, knocking each of them away from him. Oscar hit the wall and crumpled to his knees, Qrow skidded across the floor before jumping to his feet, and Sera went right over the balcony and hit the ground like a sack of potatoes.
"...Ow," she groaned, her temper rising from the utter bullshit she'd just been through. Tossed off the balcony? Really?
"That was impressive," someone said sarcastically, and she looked over to see Raven standing just feet away from her.
"Shut up," she grumbled as she got to her feet. "Don't see you doing anything."
"You don't seem like a threat," she shrugged.
Sera rolled her eyes and reached for her sword, but only grabbed air. Shit, it was back up on the balcony. She sighed and whistled sharply.
"Got it!" Qrow's voice barked, and she saw her sword fly over the railing and she caught it smoothly, gave Raven a mirthful glance, then turned away from her. She knew it probably wasn't the smartest idea to turn her back to an enemy, but for some strange reason, she didn't think the woman would attack. Fortunately, she'd been right. Raven remained right when she was, watching her with a tense look in her eyes.
"You stay right there, I'll be back in a few," Sera promised.
"Whatever you say," she replied.
Sera sighed and strode into the fight. She was pissed off and wanted to take it out on some bad guys. Lucky for her, anger was apparently one of her strong suits. The stuff was coursing through her like a river. She ran with it, focusing on trying to intensify it. If her anger was how she accessed whatever power laid within her, she needed to control it like Qrow had told her.
Yang saw her coming from a mile away, flashing a smile that betrayed the burning red in her eyes. Mercury landed a punch on her jaw, and that smile was replaced by an angry scowl. She grabbed Mercury by the wrist and flung it to the side, then punched him across the face so hard his eyes spun like a slot machine.
Sera stabbed Igni into the floor and followed up by grabbing the gray-haired boy by the neck and dropping to the ground, pulling him with her and slamming him into the floor. It was some move she saw on TV when she was staying in the Xiao Long house. She thinks it's called an "RKO" or something.
"Nice one!" Yang laughed. "Guy was pissing me off."
She jumped to her feet and pulled her sword free. "Keep that idiot down."
"What're you gonna do?" she raised an eyebrow.
Someone cried out and they turned to see Weiss on the ground, holding her side and a wild look on her face. Jaune took a swing at Cinder and it was immediately parried, and the Fall Maiden landed a shot to his chin. Jaune stumbled back and Cinder blasted Ruby with a sizeable fireball. The adorable girl was flung backwards, her cloak singed and her clothes ashy.
Sera shot her a look.
Yang smirked. "Got it. Kick that bitch in the head for hurting my sister."
She marched towards the Fall Maiden. "How about I cut it off instead?" she muttered.
Weiss held her side where Cinder's sword had cut into her. The fight had been going pretty well for them, but then Cinder starting blasting fire and it quickly turned sour. She'd shattered her aura with a single blast and would've run her through with that black sword if she hadn't used a glyph to move her just enough to avoid a fatal wound. But now, she was bleeding and unsure of how badly she was hurt. Then she saw Sera running towards her and all worry was thrown to the wind. She gave a small smile as the huntress knelt by her side, inspecting her stained clothes.
"Are you okay?" she asked, the worry clear in her voice.
"I'm fine," Weiss stammered, pressing her hand into her wound.
Jaune tried to jab Cinder with his two-handed sword, but the woman just blocked with her glass weapons and kicked him away, orange flames burning in her eyes. Ruby crawled to her feet and picked Crescent Rose off the ground, watching Sera approach.
Cinder laughed, looking between Ruby, Jaune, and Weiss with a smug look on her face and her Maiden eyes on full blast. "You children thought you could fight me? Me?"
As soon as Cinder saw her and Sera opened her mouth to speak, the room exploded. Well, not literally. The door exploded inwards and someone dressed in white and gray. She recognized the uniform—White Fang.
"The hell?" she muttered, faltering slightly.
Unfortunately, Cinder took advantage of the distraction by launching herself at Sera with flames blasting from her hands and feet. Just before she reached her, she materialized a black javelin and tried to run her through.
Sera lifted her sword just in time to deflect the extra sharp-looking tip, but Cinder still crashed into her and sent them both flying through the air. Sera threw a punch at her, missing by mere inches when Cinder tilted her head. A cruel, cold smile spread across Cinder's face. There was a crazed light in her good eye that sent a shiver down her spine. Then her back slammed against the wall beside the genie statue and her aura shattered on impact. The back of her head hit the wall and she crumpled, her vision fading in and out while Cinder stood triumphantly above her.
"Worthless brat," she spat, then turned to Raven. "Come, it's time to retrieve our prize."
Raven rolled her eyes, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. Cinder found a small, hidden lever near the statue's base. It slid backwards slowly, revealing a wide circular platform that Cinder, Raven, and Vernal stepped onto. Raven gave Sera one last, mirthful look just as the elevator began to descend.
Sera groaned and grabbed her sword, climbing to her feet using the wall as support. She groggily looked towards the statue and saw that it was gone. Or rather, it had moved and now there was a long, black tunnel where it had been. Putting two and two together, she peered into the darkness. A sense of vertigo washed over her and she stepped back, cursing her enemies for being difficult.
"Sera!" someone hollered, and she whirled around to see her friends standing in a circle defending themselves from Salem's forces and a group of White Fang that had decided to crash the party.
Just on the other side of the doors, she saw a large group of people that seemed to be in a fight of their own. White Fang mixed with civilians. She couldn't see them very well, but she was able to glean that much from this far away.
Yang and Qrow were doing a pretty good job of fending off Hazel to shield Oscar. Ren and Nora fought as one, perfectly reading each other's moves to coordinate with each other. Neo and Ruby took down a pair of White Fang goons and traded glances like they were sizing each other up. Ruby nodded, and Neo returned the gesture. Then they jumped into the fight again, swinging their respective weapons to defeat their opponents.
Weiss laid in the middle of them with Jaune kneeling beside her, applying pressure to her side. Her dress was stained with crimson. By the look of it, she wasn't doing too well. Her skin was even paler than usual and Sera could just barely see her eyes listing around under their lids.
Her blood boiled at the sight. Cinder had done this, and she just walked away like it was nothing. Sera clenched her fists so tightly, her nails drew blood from her palms. She took one step towards them, desperately wanting to run to their aid, but something stopped her. She turned towards the statue, her fists clenching even tighter.
Cinder was down there, she thought.
She'd realized that it had been Ozpin, not Oscar, that screamed her name and she locked eyes with him from across the room. He said one word that was drowned out by the battle around him, but she read his lips just fine.
"Go."
Sera looked into the tunnel, a sense of dread rising within her as she peered into the blackness. She gulped and looked back at her friends, each fighting their hardest to defend themselves and each other. Ozpin's eyes pleaded her silently, the old man fully aware of what he was asking of her. The huntress glanced at each of them before settling on Jaune and Weiss.
Then she faced the long, dark tunnel and steeled herself, her jaw clenched and blood boiling under her skin.
"Should've killed me when you had the chance, you fucking cunt," she muttered, then jumped into the darkness.