Cinder Fall was not the most imaginative of people, her childhood did not have much room for any flights of fancy. But that didn't mean that she was devoid of imagination, it simply meant that she used it as a tool rather than a means for amusement or creative pursuits. And right now she was using her imagination to get herself into the proper mindset; the mindset of an ambush predator… Right now as she hid in the shadows of the rooftop and watched the hallway she imagined herself as a spider. She was a trapdoor spider who had laid a layer of webbing on the ground and was waiting for her prey to step into it.
As she waited she imagined how this encounter would go down based on what she knew. She knew who was coming, she knew what order they were coming, and she even had a good idea of when they were going to arrive but she wasn't taking anything for granted.
Her imagination was already considering all the ways that it could go wrong and how she could make it work despite any setbacks. She was mentally creating variations of the variations, branches that forked into more branches that forked into more branches as part of an infinite tree of possibilities… Many would have called this obsessive madness and they wouldn't be completely wrong. Cinder herself wouldn't disagree with them. Mentally preparing yourself was one thing but what she was doing was insanity and she didn't care.
She worked too hard for too long to let anything go wrong right now.
She imagined herself a predator, as a trapdoor spider. But right now she was far closer to a bomb. She was a live mine hidden in the dirt and waiting for someone to step on the pressure plate… and those unsuspecting victims just came into view.
Just like she had predicted and hoped, Ironwood was leading the way, Penny was right behind him, and Glynda was bringing up the rear. They moved carefully, with purpose as they checked and double-checked the hallway to make sure it was clear. Occasionally one of them would cast a glance through the windows; whenever they did, Cinder would get as low to the ground as she could to avoid their gaze and it worked or at least she liked to think it did, though it was far more likely that they were checking on the fighting going on outside… But that was a boring answer so Cinder chose to ignore it since she was enjoying feeling like a hidden spider ready to strike.
And like a spider, she didn't want anything or anyone to come by and free her prey. She didn't want to risk Qrow or Maria or Tock or any of the other professors or students to come into the basement either by chance or purpose and get in her way, and she had a solution for that. She pulled out her scroll and got ready to send out a specific command to the remaining robots, this command would order them to attack Ozpin's office where Qrow and Maria were… the robots wouldn't win but they would buy her enough time to win and that was their purpose.
Meanwhile, her prey moved forward, their goal was the elevator at the end of the hallway, and in between them was the trap Cinder had set; a large scorch mark in the hallway hiding shards of her Obsidian Glass embedded into the wall… She held her breath when her prey glanced at her trap and breathed a sigh of relief when they paid no mind to it. Why would they when Cinder had taken such care to make it look like the result of a random family store rocket breaking a window and making an inconsequential mess?
As the prey got closer to the trap, every muscle in Cinder's body tensed up and her eyes hyper-focused on Glynda Goodwitch. That woman was easily the greatest threat to her apart from Ozpin, she could not risk fighting Glynda and Ozpin together. That fight was one she wasn't completely sure she could win even if she successfully became a Maiden. But fighting them one-on-one, was a different story altogether. Salem taught her how to win those fights, she made her redo those simulations over and over again until she was bleeding from the ears and every step had been carved into her bones… and now it was time to prove that Salem hadn't wasted her time.
Cinder waited until Penny was walking past her trap before stretching her arm out and sending what little magic she did have into the Obsidian Shards. It was a bit more difficult than she thought it would be but she was able to manage and Penny was able to notice that something was wrong… but being able to notice that something's wrong is meaningless without the ability to do anything about it.
There was an explosion, but it was a small one. Cinder needed them to take the elevator and they couldn't do that if they were dead. But there was light, there was heat, there was a loud deafening BANG, and there was now a perfect opportunity to strike.
Cinder got up, sent the signal with her scroll, sprinted across the rooftop, put her scroll away, leaped through a window, and landed in the hallway. Once inside she created a knife of obsidian before going right for Glynda's heart while the woman was still blind and her ears were ringing... But the older woman somehow sensed Cinder's approach and knocked away the knife with a blow from her riding crop.
For a moment Cinder stood there surprised by how the older woman was able to react and defend herself but that only lasted for a moment. In the next moment, there was another knife in her hand and she attacked Glynda again, and this time she went for the woman's hands… That was a decision that may have seemed odd to most but most didn't know that Glynda had difficulty controlling her Semblance and used her hands as a crutch. Disabling her hands would make her Semblance much easier to handle and thus make her easier to handle.
Glynda felt a flash of heat, and in her still blurry but steadily clearing vision she saw that her attacker was holding something that she was going to assume was another knife. When did she pull it out, where did that heat come from, and who's attacking me? No matter, I'll just get rid of it and her at the same time.
That was the plan but it soon proved to be more of a challenge than Glynda had expected, it was more than just a challenge. Every time she tried to raise her hand her attacker would intercept it with their hand or that burning hot knife. If Glynda tried for a kick then her attacker blocked it with their leg, and her attacker refused to let Glynda take even one step away from them as though they knew that letting her create distance was a mistake.
Only a couple of seconds had passed but Glynda was already becoming frustrated and suspicious. Whoever she was fighting was too skilled to be a mere White Fang grunt. But more importantly, it was almost as though they somehow knew how they could keep her from using her Semblance with any level of control… It was as though they had been trained to fight her this way and that meant Salem. This woman was trained to fight me this way, they must be an agent of Salem who's after Amber! I've got to keep her here until Penny can become the Fall Maiden!
Meanwhile, Cinder also felt a bit of frustration growing in herself. Glynda was putting up a better fight than she had hoped, even worse was that she could see Ironwood pulling Penny away into the elevator. And as the bucket of bolts was escorted to safety it was looking back at Glynda with concern for the woman's safety… And then the thing looked Cinder right in the eyes just as the elevator doors closed.
It was only for a moment, just the briefest of glimpse but at that moment Penny stared into Cinder's soul and saw a deep hunger that wanted to devour her but… not her. It was almost as though Cinder wasn't really looking at her.
As for Cinder, she saw the machine shrink back in fear but she didn't see Penny; she saw Amber. She saw the Fall Maiden who escaped her once, and she saw her making another escape as Glynda held her back… That was not acceptable. Cinder had not survived, trained, plotted, killed, maimed, stole, lied, betrayed, hurt, and degraded so many including herself for almost her entire life just to be stopped right now. Just to be stopped by some aging wannabe dominatrix as a fucking TINCAN got the power that should belong to her!
Aura is the Soul manifested and what is the Soul if not the accumulation of everything that made us who we are, including our emotions? And so it should be of no surprise that Cinder's Soul flared with indignant rage that manifested itself in both of her hands grabbing one of Glynda's wrists in a crushing vice determined to move her out of the fucking way.
Glynda saw the grab coming and allowed herself to be caught, it was risky but fights aren't won without risks. By sacrificing one hand she could use the other to direct her Semblance and with it, she shattered all the windows in the hallway. She then used her Semblance to gather the razor-sharp glass into a cloud of crystalline death and send it flying toward her attacker… But she was too slow.
With a mighty heave, Cinder spun around and threw Glynda right out of the nearest window. The Vice Headmistress tried to counterattack with the cloud of glass but she soon had to abandon that. Landing took priority and besides, the sooner she got back on her feet the sooner she could get back into the fight. And once she got back, she could put that glass to good work.
With Glynda out of the way, Cinder ran up to the closed elevator doors and activated her Semblance while placing her hands on the metal doors. Her Semblance was called Scorching Caress and like the name implied it allowed her to generate tremendous heat around her hands turning them into deadly weapons. She could even imbue that same heat into the weapons, though doing so wouldn't help her get through this door, her fire just wasn't strong enough.
But fire wasn't her only weapon. She still had the fragments of magic that she stole from the current Fall Maiden now resting in the basement, and so she took those fragments and fed them into the furnace of her Soul, stoking her fire into a whole new level that was beyond the elevator doors. But even that was too slow for her liking so she ripped the doors out and threw them behind her before peering in the elevator shaft.
In that dark shaft, she could see the elevator carriage making its descent and on the side of the shaft, she could see what appeared to be various security devices coming to life. Looks like I was right about this elevator having defenses… but I don't have time to work around them, I'll just have to jump.
Inside the elevator, Penny and Ironwood were anxiously waiting for it to arrive at their destination and as they waited many questions and concerns pushed their way to the forefront of their mind. And it wasn't long before it became unbearable for Penny and she just had to ask.
"Do you think Miss Goodwitch will be alright?"
"She'll be fine. She's strong, even a full Maiden couldn't afford to take her lightly. Whoever attacked us will probably try to slip past Glynda rather than stay and fight her."
That made Penny feel a little better but she still had worries and questions, "Is this power really worth it?"
"No, it's not," Ironwood answered to her surprise. "Sure the power of a Maiden is no joke but a prepared team with a solid plan can beat one."
"Is that what happened to my predecessor?"
"Yes, Amber was alone when she walked into that ambush. I'm willing to bet that the same woman who attacked her back then is the same one attacking us now."
"But why? If she's already capable of beating a Maiden then why do this? How is this worth it?"
Ironwood looked at Penny, she was scared for both her safety and the safety of her friends, and yet she was still curious… it was all so human that he found himself unable to think of her as a machine. And that made things harder for him because he knew that Ozpin wouldn't want him to say anything just yet. But at the same time he wasn't made of stone, Why does it matter if I tell her now or later when she's going to find out either way?
"I'm not supposed to tell you this yet but the truth is-!"
*THUMP*
Ironwood pushed Penny behind him and pointed his revolvers at the ceiling where the noise had come from but he didn't fire. He didn't fire because he didn't know what had caused that noise and didn't want to waste any ammo he might need later. Besides, even if that noise had been made by an assailant, it would be better to hold fire until he knew for sure where they were standing.
Penny whispered, "Ironwood sir, she's standing right above you."
"How do you know?"
"I activated my heat sensors, I'm detecting a source of heat just above you but she doesn't seem to be doing anything," Penny answered while pointing in the direction where the heat was.
"She's waiting for us to take her to the bottom!" Ironwood opened fire toward where Penny was pointing and was rewarded with the sound of a woman's voice grunting in pain and letting out a slur.
Cinder jumped off the elevator to avoid being shot again but without the ability to fly jumping would only be a temporary solution. So while midair she created an obsidian dagger and drove it into the wall of the shaft so she could hang there for a while and plan out her next move and she'd have to plan it quickly. She could already hear the shaft's security system reactivating. Already it was becoming harder to see the elevator as it moved further and further away from her. Whatever she was going to do she needed to do it soon, if she screwed this up then there would be no second chances.
If only I could fly… She thought of the training that Salem put her through to master this incomplete power. She thought of all the times she was dropped from a great height with no tools and instructed to slow her descent. Simply landing wasn't enough for Salem, there was often an additional goal such as landing in a specific spot or taking out targets, or performing certain maneuvers as she fell. And this moment was just another test.
She knew exactly what to do, so she let go of the dagger and fell. And as she fell, she combined her magic with her Semblance to generate fire from her hands and feet. Flight was something that was still just beyond her reach but she could fall with grace… before landing with the force of a meteor.
Penny was still looking upwards with her heat sensors on, "She's getting further from us. She must have gotten off the roof."
Ironwood nodded in understanding as he reloaded his guns, "But she's still there, right?"
"Yes, she's still following us but she's keeping her distance. I don't know what she's planning."
Ironwood considered firing some more but soon decided against it, trying to fight that person while they were still inside the elevator wouldn't end well for them. Now that I think about it, why hasn't that person just killed us? We're sitting ducks inside this elevator, so why hasn't she finished us off? Perhaps she's afraid of the shaft security systems? That would explain why she's only following us but once we reach the bottom, she won't need us anymore.
Penny looked at the general, "Is there something wrong Sir?"
"Penny, listen to me. This elevator will reach the bottom soon, you need to get out the moment this elevator stops. Don't even wait for the doors to open, break through them without any hesitation. Use everything in your arsenal, hold nothing back."
Penny nodded and a hatch opened up on her back revealing her weapon named Floating Array; a set of floating gun swords that she could control with strong wires that were so thin they were nearly invisible, to emerge. She then looked at the elevator doors and began to scan and analyze them to determine how much power she'd need to break through them. Scanning… Scanning… Scanned… Starting Analysis… 30 seconds to completion.
"We're almost there, are you ready?" Ironwood asked.
"Analysis on the door will be done in 24 seconds."
"Skip the analysis and adjust on the fly. Start now, we're about to reach the bottom."
Penny canceled the analysis and pointed all of her swords at the door, switched them to gun mode, focused them all on one point, and fired. Had her weapon used conventional ammo then this would have ended poorly but her guns were equipped with hard light projectors that could generate heat thanks to Fire Dust, it wasn't efficient but it was effective. Especially since she was firing all of the Array into a single point, the door began melting almost as soon as she began to crank up the power.
*Ding*
The elevator reached its destination and several things happened at once.
The first thing was that Penny was able to break through the door and get a good look at the basement. It was large and mostly empty save for two identical and connected coffin-like machines that she quickly identified as the Aura Transfer System that her father had invented. She also identified two other people in the room, one was a stranger laying in one of the two coffins. Penny didn't know who that person was but concluded that it was probably Amber.
And the second person was Ozpin whose face was now distorting into a look of abject horror.
The second thing that happened was a loud booming sound occurring right behind Penny. Following that sound was an intense heat, fire, and Ironwood shouting in pain
The third thing that happened was an arrow. An arrow made of obsidian and smelling of sulfur flew out of the burning wreckage of the elevator carriage. It flew right past Penny's head. It flew right past Ozpin while he was distracted by the fire and his hurt friend. That arrow flew right up the coffin where Amber was resting and pierced her right in the heart killing her instantly.
And the final thing that happened was the bone-chilling triumphant laughter of Amber's murderer echoing throughout every corner of the basement.
Cinder was ecstatic. No. That word did not do enough to express just how she felt right now. The word that could express the pure adrenaline, the fulfillment, the power, the sense of accomplishment, the sexual rush, the unbridled childish joy, and the freedom she was experiencing right now just didn't exist nor could such a word ever exist. No single word could ever describe this moment which was the accumulation of her entire life… but the look of abject horror, shock, and sorrow on the face of Ozpin right now came pretty damn close.
"You… you're one of the students from Haven Academy. How did you get past Leo?" Ozpin slowly said as he carefully prepared his cane for battle. Furthermore, he could see Ironwood burnt from the explosion but still alive and getting back onto his feet. I don't see James' revolvers, he must have dropped them in the explosion. No matter, he is still a formidable ally even when unarmed and I will need his help. We have to stop her here. We can't let her leave this place alive, even if it costs us our lives.
Cinder looked the headmaster in the eyes, "How much magic do you have left, Ozma?"
"Am I supposed to be intimidated by the fact that Salem told you my original name?" His eyes quickly glanced at Ironwood who was now on his feet but leaning against a wall for support. Ozpin's eyes then darted over to Penny who was standing with her weapons at the ready… but not sure what she was supposed to do.
"That's not all she's told me. For example, she told me the truth about this war… I wonder how your so-called friends would react if they found out."
Ozpin tightened his grip on his cane, he wasn't sure whether that was a bluff or not but he couldn't take that risk. He wanted to show this fresh maiden what real magic looked like but… that wasn't the correct play. The correct play was to delay, to buy time for Ironwood to get into position and attack together. The correct play was to keep her occupied until Qrow and Maria could get here. The correct play was to get Penny out of there so she could protect the CCT in their stead and keep other people away.
"May I make a request?" asked Ozpin.
"You're going to ask me to let the robot go? Fine, she stopped mattering to me the moment Amber died."
Penny then asked, "Did you have to kill her?"
Cinder answered without looking at Penny, "Yes I did, and you were going to kill her as well. That power can't be transferred without death." Cinder could hear the faint sound of machinery from behind her and realized that Ironwood was slowly trying to approach her but pretended not to hear him. Nearly half of his body is prosthetics, some of which must have been damaged when I destroyed the elevator, lucky me.
Penny was trying to wrap her head around this, "Why? Why does anyone need to die for this?"
"Why don't you ask Ozpin? The power originally came from him, he's the reason why."
Penny was now looking directly at Ozpin and the desire to understand why all of this was happening overtook common sense, "Is she telling the truth? Are you the reason for all this?"
Ozpin turned to look at Penny and tried to tell her that now wasn't the time for this conversation but he never got that chance. This moment was what Cinder was waiting for and she wasn't going to let it pass her by.
The new Fall Maiden raised both her arms and fire flew from her hands. From her right hand came forth a fireball aimed right at Penny, however, Ozpin saw it coming and moved into the path of the flames to protect the droid which was what Cinder wanted. As for the left hand, she pointed that one behind her and let loose a wide wave of death where she approximated where Ironwood might be standing.
The fireball exploded on contact with Ozpin's cane catching him off guard and sending the man tumbling into Penny out of surprise. But Cinder didn't get a chance to press her advantage, Ironwood's metal fist slammed into the side of her head and sent her right across the room but she didn't stay down for very long… Soon she was back on her feet with a curved sword made of burning obsidian in both hands.
The first thing that she saw was the Atlesian general charging at her, his clothes and skin were burnt and his prosthetics were exposed and damaged. The man was clearly in pain but he just shoved it down to fight her, it was impressive. So she rewarded his tenacity with another wide wave of fire to catch him when he tried to dodge.
But he didn't dodge. Instead, he ran headlong into the fire and emerged worse for wear but still ready and raring to fight, and now he was close enough to do so.
Cinder was the faster fighter, she had more Arua, and her weapons gave her greater range but she soon found herself on the defensive. Ironwood was an exceptionally skilled hand-to-hand combatant, his years of and broad range of combat experience had taught him the most efficient ways to strike and pursue, his Aura was strong, and his body stronger but none of that was the reason why he was able to push Cinder.
The real reason was his Semblance called Mettle. On paper, it was dreadfully unimpressive since all it did was harden his will but in practice, it gave him a serious edge. Everyone no matter who they were had fears and would hesitate under certain situations… Everyone except James Ironwood, once his Semblance activated nothing could keep him from doing what he believed he needed to do and he needed to hold her down. And he knew just how to do it.
He threw a big haymaker that Cinder ducked under and proceeded to stab him in the gut, which is what he wanted.
Cinder had expected the blade to strike his Aura and push her back but it didn't, it wasn't there and instead, her blade sunk into his flesh and began cooking it. Before she could comprehend what was happening, Ironwood's arms took hold of her and began squeezing her as he reactivated his Aura.
"DO IT OZ!" Ironwood shouted to his friend. "DO IT NOW!"
Cinder violently struggled to break free but Ironwood wouldn't let go, "OZMA! Are you really going to do my job for me and collapse this tower? Are you really going to kill your students for me and destroy global communications?"
"Don't listen to her Oz! Just fire now and rebuild later!" Ironwood shouted.
Ozpin summoned his magic and channeled it into the tip of his cane, "I'm afraid she's right old friend but fear not, I just need a bit of time to temper this blow. You and her will be the only victims."
Penny, who up to now had only been watching, then asked, "Why is any of this happening?"
"I'm afraid it does child, now go. I'll join you once this is done and tell you everything you want to know."
Penny nodded and began to walk toward the elevator shaft, but Cinder managed to free an arm and send a fireball right into Penny's side knocking the android to the floor but not killing her.
"Penny, are you alright!?" Ozpin asked
"Y-yes, I think so bu-!"
"IGNORE HER OZ!" James hollered. "She is trying to distract you, just fire and we'll deal with the consequences later."
Cinder managed to free another hand and throw a stream of fire at Ozpin while using her other hand to attack Ironwood with her Semblance. But the fire never made contact with Ozpin as he was able to divert some of his magic to create a shield of energy, however doing so delayed his attack by a few precious seconds.
"JUST FIRE ALREADY!" Ironwood's voice was pained, his Aura broke, his vision was darkening, and his mind was starting to fade but his grip remained strong. Even though his flesh was being seared away and his prosthetics melting, he refused to let go and in fact, he only squeezed harder the closer to death he came.
The fire washing over Ozpin's shield made it hard for him to aim, it did more than just obscure his vision. He could feel the heat even through the barrier, he could see that the fire was so hot that it was starting to melt the concrete floor… But he didn't let that distract him for long but he did take a moment to admire the raw talent on display; This girl is incredible… Salem, where on Remnant did you find her? What hell did you put her through?
Ozpin shook his head and brought himself back to the present. He then pointed his cane at Ironwood's back and whispered, "I'm sorry." He then fired, launching a beam of green magical energy originating from a time before known history and that beam split the fire apart causing it to dissipate
"AGH!" There was a feminine scream of pain and a bonfire was ignited where Cinder and Ironwood stood.
Ozpin lowered his barrier and cane before slowly walking forward toward that bonfire. Once in front of it he peered inside and saw the silhouette of a burning corpse, Ironwood's corpse… "I'm sorry that it had to end this way, child."
"You already said that, fool."
An obsidian arrow burst through the fire and nearly struck Ozpin right in the shoulder before exploding and showering him in hot glass shards, "What!?"
Cinder emerged from behind the fire. On the side of her waist was a gaping wound that had been cauterized, in one hand she carried a curved sword, in the other was a strangely bent knife that she threw at him before closing the distance, "You were too slow!"
Ozpin dodged the knife and was able to raise his cane in time to block her sword but he was barely keeping up with her attacks. The glass shards from the arrow were damaging his Aura which only prevented the burns didn't stop him from feeling the heat and the molten glass was painfully hot.
But what hurt even more was the crushing feeling of guilt. James Ironwoods was a dear friend of his and a trusted comrade who had selflessly sacrificed his own life to give Ozpin a chance to end this… and Ozpin failed. He failed because he was too slow, Ironwood died for NOTHING.
"Salem was right about you!" Cinder formed a second sword in her free hand and began to overwhelm the old wizard. "She told me that you had been diminished, that you sent people to die in your stead because you're too weak and stupid to stand up to her and she was right. Amber is dead because of you and so is Ironwood along with generations of Huntsmen!"
"Salem is a monster as well! She is just using you but there is a difference. I'm doing it because the only other option is letting her kill countless in the world's most drawn-out case of suicide!" Ozpin protested while trying to think of a way out of this as Cinder landed blow after blow causing his Aura to drop dangerously low.
He drew a blank, I can't win this. But perhaps that's fine, death isn't the end for me but it will be the end for her. That wound of hers looks painful and there are plenty of people she still has to fight through… James, I'm sorry I couldn't finish her off but your sacrifice will not be in vain. As for me, I'm gonna give this bitch something to remember me by!
Magic surged through Ozpin's body pushing Cinder back and allowing him to use what remained of his Aura to strengthen his arms for one final decisive stab that never came.
As he prepared to attack, something sharp and hot pierced his back causing him to drop his cane, "W-what!?"
"That knife I threw earlier was a boomerang," Cinder explained to Ozpin as he fell to the floor trying to look at what had stabbed him. "I knew that facing you head-on was risky so I took a risk and it paid off."
Cinder kicked away Ozpin's cane and raised her sword to take his neck…
"GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU BITCH!"
Suddenly a shower of shattered glass struck Cinder and sent her running for cover as Glynda Goodwitch emerged from the elevator shaft and ran up to her mentor.
"Ozpin, are you alright?" Glynda asked while using a cloud of shattered glass to create a shell around them to keep Cinder from taking any potshots at them.
"Is Penny safe?"
"Yes, she is. Her friends have arrived and they are keeping her safe. They're helping Qrow and Maria defend the CCT."
"Good… that's good. Glyna, there is a weapon lodged in my back."
"I can see it," Glynda moved to pull the boomerang out of Ozpin's back but it was still hot. For a moment she considered using her Semblance to pull it out but that would mean dropping the glass shell. This is going to hurt… Glynda then took a deep breath and with a swift and precise motion pulled out the boomerang. Then while still holding on to it, she created a small hole in the glass shell and threw the weapon away from them.
"Now what?" Glynda asked Ozpin.
He took a moment to consider his options, "I don't have any more Aura, but magic doesn't need Aura. She's after me so I'll hold her down and you take her out."
"But you'll…" Glynda saw the grim determination on her mentor's face and knew there was no point in trying to talk him out of this. "Let me know when you're ready."
"I'm ready."
The two stood up and observed their attacker for a moment, while they had been talking Cinder had somehow figured out how to fly and was now hovering above them with an obsidian spear in one hand. In addition, her free hand would have an electric current dancing on her fingertips one moment and in the next, it would be replaced with frost… Cinder was quickly figuring out her new powers and becoming more dangerous by the second.
"Magnificent," Ozpin whispered to himself.
"What's so magnificent about this mass murderer?" Glynda sharply asked.
"The mass murder is terrible, but I'm talking about how quickly she's acclimating to magic. I doubt Salem taught her anything beyond brute force but this is still impressive. We need to take notes, this is an escalation and we need to make sure that any Maiden on our side can keep up with theirs."
They then noticed that the lance in Cinder's hand was growing larger and an electric current was now running through it.
"We can discuss this later, now we need to get to work." With a wave of her hand, Glynda broke the glass shell and launched the razor-sharp fragments at Cinder who chucked the spear at them before flying away.
The black glass spear hit the ground, melted the floor directly beneath it, and sunk until it was halfway up its shaft. Meanwhile, Glynda and Ozpin got as far away from it as possible, neither knew why she had thrown the spear but they were both willing to bet that it was for any good reason and neither wanted to find out why.
"Look, she created a second spear!" Ozpin said.
Glynda didn't reply as she was too busy trying to hit Cinder with the glass cloud but the younger woman was fast, much faster than the cloud, and soon a second spear was embedded into the ground… Cinder then began making a third spear.
"What is she doing?" Ozpin asked himself, "I thought she was trying to kill me and destroy this tower but so far she's just making spears and throwing them away, why? There must be a reason."
The third spear hit the ground and in his mind, Ozpin traced the spears to try and discern a pattern and he found one, though he couldn't believe it. It's a sigil, though there is no way that Slame would have taught her this kind of magic.
Cinder created a fourth spear and his veins ran cold, "GLYNDA!"
He spun around and found Glynda still trying to catch Cinder in the cloud, she wasn't able to but she was doing a great job in limiting Cidner's moves. "GLYNDA! WE NEED TO GET RID OF THOSE SPEARS NOW! WE CANNOT ALLOW HER TO DROP A FIFTH SPEAR OR THE SPELL WILL BE PRIMED TO FIRE!"
For a moment there was a confused look on Cinder's face but it soon twisted into a smile, "ABOUT TIME YOU FIGURED IT OUT!" Cinder raised the spear in her hands and tried to throw it but the glass cloud suddenly sped up and was on the verge of catching her.
"Glynda, what are you doing? Your Aura won't last long if you do that!" Ozpin asked as he ran up to the closest spear and began channeling magic into his cane to destroy it.
"I'm buying you the time you need! So don't waste it!" She snapped back.
Ozpin then focused his magic and struck the spear, shattering it and sending glass and voltage scattering into the air. It was oddly easy… too easy, That's strange, normally the spell has a reinforcement attribute to prevent sabotage. Did Salem forget to teach her that? Or did she just not do it? And what's with the electricity? The spell doesn't call for that, is this her take on the spell? Impossible, she's just gotten the Maiden's power. There is no way she could have mastered this spell to the point where she could modify it.
He then observed how Cinder placed another spear into the ground, positioned in a way that put Glynda between two spears. That's… not the pattern for the spell so why put it there? What is she trying to do? He tried to push those thoughts to the back of his mind and focused on destroying the next spear, but his mind refused to let the questions go unanswered. Why did that girl imbue the spears with electricity? I thought she was putting her twist on the spell but she's just doing it wrong… or am I wrong?
He got his answer when Cinder suddenly landed on the ground and pointed a finger at one of the spears. Her hand crackled with lightning that leaped towards one of the spears just as the glass cloud collided with her.
Meanwhile, the lighting bolt from Cinder's hand struck one of the spears which then absorbed the energy. The spear then amplified that power and shattered as it shot the lightning bolt to the next spear striking and electrocuting Glynda along the way causing her to cry out in pain before collapsing onto the floor.
"Glynda NO!" Ozpin shouted as his mind raced trying to figure out how it all went so very wrong. How does this keep happening? How does Salem keep finding ways to knock down everything I work so hard to build?
His body moved on its own to check on his protege but a Cinder used her flames to propel herself forward and intercepted him with a kick that cracked his ribs. However, that kick also brought his focus and rage back into the present and soon he was on his feet with his eyes glowing with magic and a sigil at his feet and glowing… He then took a step backward and the sigil propelled his body further backward toward the nearest wall.
Once he reached that wall he put his back against it and kneeled, There is no way for her to escape now. A new sigil appeared beneath him and the power radiating from him at that moment and sheer bloodlust coming from him made Cinder step back from pure instinct.
Ozpin then spoke the name of his final spell and fired, "Okdek Du Blanka Ĉeno Naskita en Malplena Reveno por Subigi Malbonon!"
From out of the sigil came an ethereal bird-like creature that Cinder couldn't identify but judging from its talons, it was a bird of prey. The bird took flight and when it did she could see that there was a long white chain attached to it that connected back to Opzin's chest, specifically it connected right where his heart was. And before she could guess what the spell was, that bird dove at Cinder who moved out of the way and then tried to close the distance and attack Ozpin but the bird wouldn't let her. Instead, the bird turned around and screeched with fury as it chased her down and slowly but surely caught up to her.
"What is this?!" Cinder asked as she began to fly around the room out of hope that she could outspeed the bird but she was proven wrong. It was getting closer with every flap of its wings.
Ozpin answered since the knowledge wouldn't help her, "If I were to translate its name into our modern tongue then it would be called: 82 White Chain Born in Emptiness Returns to Subdue Evil. It's a killing spell, the kind that Salem would never teach you since it takes the caster's life to ensure that it will kill the target… and before you ask, yes I once tried this against her. It didn't work."
Cinder was too busy trying to shoot down the bird to listen to Ozpin's explanation. She tried fire, lighting, ice, glass, and everything else she could imagine but the bird just phased through everything though she noted that solids did seem to slow it down just a little. This spell has flaws, I can beat it!
Ozpin then added with a chuckle, "I should also mention that killing me won't undo the spell. But feel free to try anyway, that will just make it easier for the spell to catch you!" Hopefully, she doesn't see through this lie before the spell can catch her.
The bird was getting closer and a creeping sense of desperation was starting to claw its way into Cinder's mind but she still had time and now had a way to delay that wretched spell. But delaying was all she could do for now, unless she could figure out a way to break the spell then this basement would become her grave. If that happens then I'll unleash everything I have and collapse this tower, I'll bring this entire school down with me if I can!
But such a self-destructive move was strictly a last resort, Cider still had time to figure out a way to beat this spell and already had what she hoped was a hint. That chain… How far can that chain really go? Surely there has got to be a limit, if it was possible to kill someone from across the world then Salem would have just spammed this spell against Oz and his allies.
Cinder then noticed another oddity and potential clue, Why did Ozpin put his back against the wall Before casting the spell? She then noticed another clue, He's tracking me with his eyes… Does the spell require the target to stay in sight? That's probably another reason why Salem hasn't spammed it, and I know just how to test that…
Sweat drops were forming on Opzin's face, a reminder of just how out of practice he was in magic combat. A reminder that he had allowed himself to grow overconfident after Salem's last major setback, but failure was an excellent teacher and Salem was an exceptional student… but there was still time to turn this around. All he had to do was kill this new Maiden, then after he reincarnated he could get in touch with the surviving member of his circle and rebuild his position before Salem could capitalize on his death.
Sadly for him, there was a dire flaw in his plan. It laid in an incorrect assumption that he had made when he cast that spell; There is no way for her to escape now.
Cinder nearly burst into laughter when she spotted her exit, it was the same elevator shaft she had taken to get inside the basement in the first place… It was such an obvious thing and yet her fight with Ozpin, Ironwood, and Glynda was so taxing that she had forgotten about it until now. It wasn't just her, had Ozpin positioned himself in the elevator shaft instead of against the wall… Then there would have been no escape for me. But his mistake is my opportunity.
Cinder could hear Ozpin scream with both anger and horror as she flew right into the shaft, the melted crushed metal wreck of the elevator carriage was in her way but she quickly burned through it and then flew upward but not out… She couldn't leave, Salem's orders were absolute and she wanted Ozpin dead.
Fortunately, her hunch about that spell had proven to be correct, Ozpin lost sight of her when she flew up the shaft and thus the spell dissipated. Now she had the chance to strike back, so she created a spear stuck into the wall and expanded it, turning it into a platform for her to stand on. She then formed a bow and waited.
Meanwhile, Ozpin canceled his spell and concentrated his magic into his cane, earlier he had been afraid of damaging the foundations of the tower but shooting upward towards the ceiling would not risk a collapse. He did not have to hold back at all plus that elevator shaft gave no room to dodge and the light of her flames would give her position away or so he thought.
When he reached the shaft and looked upward he didn't see any light of any fire. The darkness that he had expected to expose her had instead hidden her and unfortunately for him, the light of his magic told her just where to point her arrow.
He never saw it coming.
Author's Notes: Originally I wasn't going to write an entire chapter of Cinder fighting and killing Ozpin's inner circle and then Oz himself, but once I started I wanted to see if I could… I'll admit that I have some doubts about the quality but that's just how the learning process goes.
Either way, the next chapter will be focused on what was going on elsewhere during this fight. That means we will be revisiting Adam along with Team RWBY and JNPR… also, I haven't forgotten about Torchwick, Neo, Mercury, and Emerald.
Also, the language that Ozpin spoke for his spells was an artificial language called Esperanto. More important is the name of his spell; 82 White Chain Born in Emptiness Returns to Subdue Evil is the name of one of the main characters from a webcomic/comic book called Kill 6 Billion Demons and it is worth checking out. It has great characters with meaningful arcs, the art is excellent, the action is fantastic, and the world-building and Lore enhances the story.
And before anyone asks, Ozpin was wrong about Cinder trying to cast a siege spell. She played along so he wouldn't realize that she was actually setting up the spears to bounce the lighting around.