CHAPTER IV

Jaundice

Kiera Goodwitch had already begun walking over to the group of bullies, not planning to let them get away with this type of behavior.

—"Please. I don't have any lien left... I'm just trying to use the bathroom" The , a wolf faunus, protested. Carmine and her team were charging anyone who wanted to use the girl's bathroom with five lien.

—"Hey! Knock it off. You can't just be charging people money to use the bathroom."

Kiera walked over, moving between the group of bullies and the student they were trying to push around. She'd seen enough of this kind of behavior, and it wasn't about to go unchanged in her presence.

—"Leave her alone. She's just trying to use the bathroom, she shouldn't have to pay for that."

—"Well well well. Look who's here. The headmistress' child!" Carmine smirked, "Are you going to tell your mommy?"

If these bullies were hoping to use Kiera's parentage as some sort of point against her, they would quickly find that it wouldn't work in the slightest.

—"It doesn't matter who my mom is, anyways. What does matter is the fact that you guys are bullying this poor girl, and it isn't okay."

She stepped forward, not having any intention of backing down, and her blue eyes locked with the bully's brown ones as she stared at her down.

Kiera felt her temper starting to rise, hearing that one word that she hated so much. Sure, she was the Headmaster's daughter, but that didn't mean she was going to stand by and let people harass others like this.

—"I'm not going to let you get away with this. You can't just bully people like this, especially not when it comes to something as simple as the bathroom. So stop it. Right now."

She took another step forward, closing the distance between herself and the lead bully.

—"Kiera..." Copper was scared to see the tension rising.

—"What?!" Kiera snapped, not liking the fact that Coco's daughter was showing concern towards her. She could handle herself perfectly fine in this situation. Sure, there was a lot of tension, but it wasn't going to get out of hand.

The bullying was going to stop, and she was going to make sure that happened.

—"Nothing!" Copper decided to step out. Her mother Velvet told her that Carmine's father. Cardin was someone who it was better to avoid…

—"Okay, whatever."

Kiera wasn't paying any attention to Coco as she turned back, focusing her attention back on the lead bully... Carmine, was it? Regardless, she was ready to stop the bullying once and for all now.

—"So are you going to listen to what I said, and stop harassing people... Or are we going to do this the hard way?"

Carmine's CRMN Team. Reda Spica, Magenta Mac and Nix Nevis laughed at Kiera "Really?" Carmine taunted Glynda's child even more.

—"That's it."

It wasn't like Kiera hadn't tried to resolve this peacefully beforehand. She had given them the opportunity to do the right thing, but they refused. And that annoyed her considerably. She couldn't let them bully this innocent girl anymore, and so, she was going to make them stop.

With a huff, she let out a burst of wind Dust, sending a stream of wind out towards Carmine, hoping to knock her down.

—"You!" Carmine growled. Taking out her Executioner "Prepare to die!"

—"Try me." Kiera said, not even breaking her stride - even when she saw that Carmine had brought out her weapon. If she was going to make Carmine back off, she'd have to fight back. But she wasn't worried about that, knowing that she had the skills necessary to handle whatever Carmine might throw at her.

Carmine swung her hammer at Kiera in a downward blow, hoping to hit her with it... But Kiera was prepared. She quickly moved aside, dodging the attack and dodging the hammer in the process. Carmine's attack missed her completely, and Kiera stepped forward to throw a punch at the bully.

Kiera saw the bully flinch, and heard the loud thump as the punch landed - which was a satisfying sound, if not a little alarming to see the amount of blood that came out from her mouth. But she didn't let the sight of blood stop her for a moment, as she continued to go for another fist towards the bully, aiming for her stomach this time.

Carmine barely managed to dodge this one, but she was now getting a good taste of what it was like fighting against Kiera. She was strong, and she knew how to fight. Carmine swung her hammer at her again, hoping to hit her... But Kiera still had a lot of momentum from the previous punch, and she used it to bring a quick roundhouse kick towards Carmine's side - a hit that would knock her off balance, and set her up for another hit. She stumbled to the side as the kick landed, and Kiera quickly followed up, moving for another punch aimed at her jaw.

This one connected, causing some more blood to come out of Winchester's mouth. She was definitely not looking good at this point, but she was also showing a certain determination to win this fight... Or, at least, not to lose it. Her eyes held a fiery glare, almost like she wasn't going to go down that easy.

—"I'm not done yet!" Carmine growled. Spitting blood out of her mouth.

Kiera had to give Carmine one thing... The girl could take a hit, and still keep going with the fight. She clearly wasn't going down without a fight, and there was a certain admirable quality to that. Still, it also meant that Kiera had to be more careful of how she moved during their fight.

Carmine spat out blood, as Kiera watched, not wasting any time before trying to hit her again with another swift punch towards her face. Winchester moved to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow once again. Kiera was surprised by how well the other girl was able to dodge her attacks. The more the fight continued, the more determined Kiera became as she tried to get a hit in... But Carmine continued to dodge. She wasn't going down without a fight, and she was clearly determined not to let Kiera get a win easily.

Kiera was getting frustrated, feeling like she just couldn't seem to connect any significant hits at all. Carmine was too good at dodging them, and it was starting to irritate her... But she wasn't going to show that irritation - or at least, she wasn't going to let Carmine know it. That was only going to make her look weak. Kiera just needed to adjust her tactics slightly, to catch Carmine off-guard. She shifted her footing a bit as she approached again, trying to get Carmine to commit to a dodge on one side.

—"Wanna go?" Kiera said defiantly

Carmine growled back, looking right at her.

—"Oh, we're going. You're not going to get the best of me that easily, Goodwitch."

She wasn't happy that she was getting beaten so badly by "just the Headmistress's daughter."

When you have that sort of superiority complex, when you are used to getting your own way and being on top all the time, it really is difficult to handle things when you find out you aren't as good as you thought you were. And Winchester was definitely starting to feel that now.

—"So... Winchester. Come back for more"

Carmine laughed quietly to herself, trying to regain her edge. She knew that, if she could show Kiera that she wasn't going to give up, then she could get under her skin and make her get careless.

—"Come on, Goodwitch. You really think you can beat me?"

—"Does that tooth on the ground that I just knocked off from your mouth say something?"

Carmine growled, feeling her anger starting to rise. She was getting hurt, and being mocked for it, too? This wasn't right. It wasn't fair. She was* supposed *to be one of the most powerful students here, and yet she was being beaten by the Headmaster's weak daughter. She charged at Kiera suddenly, swinging her hammer in a vicious overhead strike.

—"Kiera. Watch out!" Her team. Hearing the commotion. Came to see what was going on. Chryso's heart sank on her chest by seeing her friend on such a dangerous fight.

Kiera was so focused on the fight that she hadn't even noticed the presence of the rest of Team CRDL up until now... That might have made things easier, if that hadn't been the thing that distracted her when Carmine swung her hammer down...

The blow crashed into Kiera's left hip, sending her stumbling backwards and making her fall to the ground.

—"Aahg!" Kiera growled in agony

Carmine didn't let up, taking this opportunity to slam her foot down on Kiera's leg, trying to keep her pinned to the ground… Kiera tried to fight back, trying to kick her off, but she couldn't get free when Carmine had her pinned down like this.

—"She's in trouble!" Copper Scarlatina told Kiera's team

As soon as they realized that Kiera was in trouble as she got pinned under Carmine and couldn't get free, they immediately went to support her. Nick called out first.

—"Hey, Carmine! Get off her!"

—"Arc? I've heard many pathetic things about your daddy!" Said Carmine.

Jaune's son growled back in anger.

—"I could say the same thing about you! You're the biggest poser of a knight that I've ever seen! It's no wonder that even the rest of your team can see your pathetic acts of bullying for what they really are... They just don't say anything since they're just as bad as you are!"

Carmine's face turned red in anger at his words, clearly finding them aggravating. She could feel her grip tightening on Kiera's leg as she did so…

—"You've got no right to insult me like that!"

—"I'm a real knight! I stand up for the weak and I punish the evil, all while keeping the peace... All things that you wouldn't know about for sure, you claim that you are a 'knight'... Yet you use your strength to pick on those who are weaker than you, and bully them. That's not how a knight is supposed to act."

Carmine frowned, clearly not having any response to that statement, but she wasn't ready to give up either. She was going to try and turn this whole thing around, no matter what.

—"I only pick on the weaker people for fun before I deal with the real threats when they show up... The Grimm! You claim that I shouldn't be picking on people, but I'm really the hero here."

—"Are you?" Chryso Flockhart asked defiantly.

—"You know that I am!" Carmine snapped back, not wanting anyone to try and question the image of righteousness she wanted to present herself as. Chryso tried to keep herself from showing any sort of distress, and even managed to keep her voice from quivering... But her knuckles turned white from how hard she was gripping the weapon in her hand; she was clearly struggling to keep herself from lunging towards Carmine in response, and doing a poor job at it. Her tone was also much harsher now...

—"You shut your damn mouth... And get off of her."

Chryso was seething with anger by this point, her mood worsening after Carmine made the comment regarding her sister, who she missed more and more by the day. She could feel her breath quickening, and her eyes were practically laser-focused on Carmine by this point, watching for any sign of movement...

That was the excuse for an all out attack of CINK team against team CRMN. Chryso and Carmine, the leaders, clashed. Kiera limped trying to get up.

Chryso swung with all the rage and anger that were in her heart in response, aiming to hit Carmine with her weapon, whatever the cost may be. She was more than willing to fight dirty, but Carmine seemed to be prepared to do so as well... She swung her hammer with all her strength, going for a crushing blow to knock Chryso back.

—"You can't beat me, you weak little vacuan insect..."

Carmine continued to taunt her, trying to rile her up even further. She wanted Chryso to lose her cool as much as possible, so that she'd end up making a mistake and leaving herself exposed to attack from Carmine's hammer.

—"Wanna see?"

—"Yeah, let's see you try your best."

She smiled at her.

—"That's the natural order of things. You should always know your place."

That was what the faunus-hating bigot was thinking during her speech. She was a massive hypocrite in so many ways... A self-righteous bully looking for any excuse to feel superior to those she felt were below her. Chryso's eyes narrowed in anger, and she gripped her weapon so tight that her knuckles were completely white. Carmine's words had struck a chord deep within her.

—"Let's see if you're still smiling after I'm done with you."

Her tone was filled with rage, and she was clearly on a warpath. She swung her weapon at Carmine, aiming to land a devastating blow. Carmine was caught off guard. Her aura. Already affected by Kiera's blows. Reached dangerously low levels. Carmine's aura could barely take much more hits like that, and she felt it. She gritted her teeth, realizing just how much trouble she was in, but she kept her face neutral and didn't let her opponents know that her aura was almost broken.

If she could just catch Chryso off guard with another devastating blow of her own, she could still turn this around… She raised her hammer overhead, swinging it in a devastating downward strike, aiming to crush Chryso with the weight of her weapon. Carmine seemed eager to put her opponent down as quickly as possible, not caring about the damage she could potentially sustain to her aura at this point.

Chryso was forced to quickly bring her blade up in defense, just barely able to block the hammer with her weapon. She was able to avoid taking the crushing blow, but the impact still forced her back. Her aura was now in the red and her eyes were still filled with rage as she swung for Carmine again, continuing to press her advantage.

Carmine barely had time to raise her hammer in defense again, and the force of Chryso's blow struck her hard, forcing her to step backwards in order to maintain her balance. Carmine grunted in pain as her aura took the remaining hit, leaving it even lower and her at even greater risk of losing the fight. She wasn't going to give up yet.

—"Damn it all...!"

Carmine swung her hammer with everything she had left, trying to push Chryso back with her own attack.

—"No... I can't... Lose..."

Carmine's mind was filled with desperate thoughts as she continued her attack. She couldn't lose, she just couldn't... She had to prove that she was actually worthy of the title of "knight" that she insisted upon calling herself... She just had to do this, no matter what it took...

Carmine was at a complete disadvantage when it came to this fight; she was hurt and she was running out of aura. Still, she wasn't about to give up that easily, and she would do whatever she had to in order to get the upper hand.

—"Just hit her harder. No matter what..."

Carmine told herself over and over as she kept swinging in desperation, trying to beat her opponent with sheer will and determination. But she knew that it really might not be enough, but she was going to try anyway.

Winchester was in trouble, that was for certain. She was already feeling the effects of fighting with such low aura as she couldn't really defend against anything without her aura being depleted further. Her attacks became slower, weaker and sloppier, and every hit she took really hurt her. Eventually, she got so desperate that she tried to pull off one last-ditch effort at victory.

With a quick spin and swing, she swept her Executioner low before swinging again with all her might, trying to catch Chryso's knees, to knock her to the ground.

—"Damn it...!" Carmine swore to herself, realizing that she had missed by a small amount, just barely missing her target. She was tired, she was hurt, and she was frustrated at how poorly the fight was going. Her aura was dangerously low, with it almost breaking, and she was unsure how much longer she'd be able to hold out... But she couldn't let herself lose…

With her last bit of aura remaining, she decided to make one last attack.

She swung her hammer, aiming to smash down onto Chryso with as much force as she could muster. It was risky, but it was the only option she had left if she wanted to win... She just had to hope it was enough to do so.

Carmine's last attack was a last ditch effort, all or nothing. With the last bit of her aura remaining, and with how the fight was going, this really was her only chance if she wanted to win.

She swung her hammer down with all the force she could muster, aiming to bring the hammer down onto her opponent with enough force to crush her entirely.

And then, everything came to a halt. All of a sudden, it seemed like everything was in slow motion, as if time had come to a stop...

—"What the hell is going on?" Carmine growled. With her last bit of aura remaining, she decided to make one last attack.

And then, things snapped back into place. Chryso could see Carmine's face again, her expression having gone from shocked to a look of pure rage. Chryso saw everything in slow motion. Avoided Carmine's attack. And landed the final strike on her abdomen with her knee.

Carmine grunted as the blow struck her, before stumbling back from the force as her aura shattered completely with the final hite. Chryso sighed in relief. Carmine's aura was shattered, and her eyes seemed to almost glaze over for a moment. She finally realized that she had lost, and she knew that she'd accept defeat graciously.

—"I guess..." She started. "You really are worthy..."

But not even gods were going to help the fight participants now... As they were horrified to see Glynda Goodwitch coming at them

—"Gods. We are so dead!"

—"Ugh..." Carmine sighed as she saw the Headmistress approaching.

—"Yeah... She's not going to be happy."

She shuddered as she remembered the last time she had been caught in a fight... She really hoped it wasn't going to be the same thing all over again.


—"What in the world were you pretending to do? Students?" The headmistress growled in her office. Lecturing Kiera, Chryso, and Carmine as Nick Arc Schnee watched too.

—"We were just... Sparring!" Carmine replied, trying to spin the situation so that it didn't look as bad as it was. "We were just practicing our combat skills, that's all..."

Nick simply watched on, knowing that it was better to keep his mouth shut unless he was addressed directly.

—"Your parents. We're all valuable members of our community. No one is better than the rest... Miss Winchester... You and your team are going to give back every lien you took from your schoolmates..."

Carmine wasn't looking forward to having to pay back the lien either, though she knew that there was no getting out of it. She hated being caught in situations like these. She had a short glare at her teammate as she processed her words for a moment.

—"Miss Chryso Flockhart. Don't confuse protecting your family's legacy with being a total reckless rascal. Understood?"

Chryso nodded.

—"Yes, professor... I won't let it happen again..."

She knew she had gotten carried away while fighting Carmine, and she was ashamed that she had given into the rage at that moment.

—"Mr. Arc Schnee. I appreciate how much you care for your teammates. Just like your mother Weiss and your father Jaune. But, refrain from attacking fellow students from now on..." Glynda scolded Nick.

Nick simply stayed silent as he listened to what Glynda had to say, nodding slightly in acknowledgement at her words. He couldn't say that he blamed her for reprimanding him... Even if he had the best of intentions in that moment, he'd still gone too far.

—"And. Miss Goodwitch..." It was finally time for knowing how Glynda was going to penalize her own daughter.

—"I... Know I deserve to be punished... But please... Can you be lenient on me..?" Kiera thought, a small hopeful tone in her eyes as she looked up at her mother. Glynda was usually quite strict, but she had occasionally been known to spare her from harsh punishments. Perhaps that would hold true this time as well.

—"The next time you find a situation like this... Let me know immediately and I will take care... Never seek justice on your own. Am I clear?"

Kiera was silent for a moment, trying to find a way to argue. She hated it when Glynda took over like that. But... She knew that she had no leg to stand on. So, she simply nodded instead, accepting that she'd have to endure this sort of thing every time.

—"Yes... Mother..." Kiera grumbled quietly, keeping her tone respectful this time.

—"Your punishment will be all four... going into a mission to Forever Fall... At night... To collect firewood next Friday... That will teach you to work together as a team and as equals"

—"...That's it?" Kiera was taken aback by the comparatively minor punishment, which was quite a stark contrast to Glynda's stern demeanor up until now. It was almost as if she'd softened up just a little.

—"Is... That really it? No detention? No other punishments?"

—"I'll decide that later. Miss Goodwitch. For now. Go back to class"

Kiera grumbled to herself, but did as she was told. She wasn't going to push her luck any more than she already had. It seemed like she'd gotten off easy, at least for now.

The four classmates filed out of the room, taking a moment to collect themselves. Now, they were facing a situation where they'd have to go into Forever Fall forest... At night... And collect firewood.

That sounded like a recipe for disaster if there ever was one.


—"Well... It's not as bad as I thought..." Iris Amitola told her teammates when they went back to their dorm for the night

—"Yeah... Still... Forever Fall is pretty spooky when it's dark."

Chryso replied, she wasn't looking forward to spending time in that place, especially at night.

—"And Glynda isn't going to let her own daughter get hurt..."

—"True..."

Chryso sighed once more, trying to feel a bit more optimistic about the mission. Iris just prayed that nothing bad would happen to her or her teammates while they were gone.