Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Hey guys! Finally got this one wrapped up! I hope you guys like it, writing out an ending for the Atlas portion of this story wasn't easy. Though I suppose endings rarely are easy to write. I hope you guys like it! Once again, I'd like to thank all of you for sticking with me for as long as you have, and for all of your kind words and support. Enjoy!
"Speech"
Thoughts
Overlapping Speech
Chapter Forty-Eight: Hero
Beacon was burning beneath her, Beacon was falling, and they couldn't save it. The sky was black with smoke and the beating wings of the Grimm that preyed upon the defenders of Vale. The only lights in the sky came from the ships evacuating whoever they could. Turning her attention back to her opponent, weakened and defeated, on her hands and knees as she circled her.
"It's unfortunate you were promised a power that was never truly yours" she knelt down to her level, placing her hand beneath her chin and forcing her to meet her eyes "Take comfort in knowing, that I will use it in ways you could never have imagined"
She pulled away defiantly "Do you believe in destiny?"
Her eyes narrowed "Yes"
She took a few steps back, Midnight formed in her hands, drawing an arrow back, aimed right for her opponent. She fired the arrow into the center her chest, piercing through her back as she gasped, struggling to compose herself as she felt her life ebb away. She approached, placing her hand onto her head, her entire body suddenly flashed amber, then disintegrated, leaving only her circlet behind, silently clinking on the ground. She wasn't even given a moment to consider her victory before she heard a scream from her right, followed by a bright flash of light, enveloping her shortly afterward. As the light surrounded her, she was suddenly consumed by the fiercest pain she'd ever experienced, coursing through her entire being.
The ground beneath her heaved and spasmed, her claws scratched at the metal beneath her as her eyes fluttered open. The intense heat of an open flame radiating across her skin. She found herself barely able to stand, the convulsions of the beast she resided within proving too much for her, only managing to keep on one knee, propping herself up on her Shadow Hand. Before she could even think to act, a sudden biting cold enveloped her, extinguishing the flames surrounding her completely. Turning toward the source of the brumal blast to find Salem's crimson eyes aglow, almost scarlet at that moment.
"Cinder" her calm voice sent chills down her spine.
"My Queen?" she asked hesitantly.
She smiled "They're coming. It seems we needn't goad them after all"
"You... are much calmer than I was expecting"
Her smile widened, revealing her teeth "I have spent a long time fighting this war, one setback, no matter how grave, will stop me. Sable and Emerald don't matter anymore, their escape is meaningless. Ms. Rose and her friends are surely coming to destroy my ship. We need only protect our weak points"
"Where do you want me?"
"I've already got the engines under control, you are to seek out Rose or Stroud, I want them both alive. The others are insignificant. Capture them if you can, kill them if you must"
"What of Ozpin?"
Salem scoffed "He won't break, no matter how much pressure he's under. Kill him, do not attempt to capture him. Understood?"
"I understand"
Salem's only reply was a dismissive wave of her hand, Cinder rushed off, not wishing to remain and risk angering her further. Salem moved out of the hall out onto one of the landing platforms. Extending her hands out toward the crimson clouds surrounding the ship, parting them with a gesture of her hands. The surrounding Grimm began advancing through the opening, dozens of Atlas ships barely visible in the distance. Aboard one of the Manta airships, Team RWBY, JNPR, Penny, Qrow, Slade, Neo, Oscar, and Winter stood ready to move at a moments notice, weapons ready as Maria flew them toward the oncoming Grimm. Ruby looked out the windshield, then turned to address the others.
"Each of us came to Atlas with a purpose, some of them good, some of them..." her eyes rested on Neo "Personal. None of us wanted this war, and all of us have suffered for it more than enough. It is not fate that has brought us here, and it won't be fate that defeats Salem. Every battle we've won has been because we were willing to sacrifice everything! Everything of ourselves, everything we want to be, and everything we ever will be. Some of us didn't even reach this far, some of us who deserved more than they got. Salem and her followers has taken so much from us, from everyone... Remnant has suffered too much. Today marks the beginning of the end. Only we can decide whether or not that end is our own, or theirs"
Qrow smiled "Well said, pipsqueak"
Yang slammed her fists together "We won't quit until that thing goes down, for good"
"It's not gonna be easy" Jaune added.
"Nothing ever is, not with us anyway" Oscar pointed out humorously.
"Still, it's nice to have real actionable intel for once" Winter remarked.
"Not a fan of our usual approach?" Blake asked.
"You mean the 'charge blindly into danger' approach?" Slade asked.
"No, as a matter of fact, I am not" Winter frowned.
"You get used to it" Weiss shrugged.
"No, I don't believe I will"
A Teryx suddenly crashed into the windshield "We've got incoming boys and girls!" Maria called back to the group.
"Incoming just came in!" Nora shouted.
"Get us aboard that thing, fast as you can!" Ruby called.
"Hold on back there!"
Black Glyphs appeared beneath everyone, keeping them firmly planted in place. Maria started spinning the Manta, trying to wrench the Teryx from the ship. Jaune and Slade covered their mouths, both of them struggling to keep their stomachs down. The Teryx released the ship, it's hind legs piercing the left side of the ship. Yang grabbed Slade and Neo by the shoulders, forcing them all down into a crouching position as the claws tore through the hull. Penny lurched forward, slamming her fists into the Grimm, sending it and the left door careening off the ship. Looking straight ahead, Penny fired lasers ahead of them, killing another before it could reach them, the smoke of the dissolving Grimm blocking Maria's eyesight for just a moment.
"Just keep pushing forward, I'll clear a path!" Penny shouted.
"We're right behind you!"
Penny tore straight through the wing of a Nevermore, causing it to descend beneath the Manta just before it could attack them. Maria spun the ship left around a Manticore racing toward them. Thanks to the Schnee Glyphs, everyone inside remained firmly in place, despite the open left side of the ship. As they closed in on the ship, Ruby nodded to Winter, who released her Glyphs on herself, Ruby, and Qrow, summoning a white Manticore just outside the ship, keeping pace with them.
"This is where we get off!" Ruby called.
Using her Semblance, she moved through the ship onto the Manticore, followed quickly by Winter. Qrow transformed into Corvid form, flying out toward the ship with the white Manticore following right behind him. Weiss created a white Lancer in the same manner as Winter had, lowering her Glyphs now as well.
"Jaune! You guys are next!" she called.
"Right!"
Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Blake all quickly moved onto the Lancer, which then took off after the matching Manticore. Maria accelerated as they drew close, shifting toward the opposite side of the Grimm ship.
"The rest of us get off here, we need to-" Oscar was interrupted by the back of the ship tearing off in the jaws of a Wyvern.
Yang grabbed hold of Weiss, keeping herself steady "Not good!"
"No sh-ah!" Slade slid over to Weiss' side of the ship with Neo hanging onto him for dear life.
"Hang on tight!" Maria shouted.
Maria inverted the Manta as she passed beneath the belly of the gargantuan beast. Twisting toward the damaged side of the ship, she spun the open side toward the Grimm, giving the others ample room to escape Manta, which was struggling to remain airborne.
"Everybody out! This thing ain't staying!"
"Too late! It's coming back!" Weiss called as the Wyvern approached from the opposite side.
The Wyvern suddenly dove down, Penny crashing into it's head from above. It's barbed tail swung as it descended, striking the Manta just enough to send it spinning away from the ship. Slade grabbed Yang and fired a cable from his gauntlet, pulling them both along with Neo out of the descending ship, dangling from the large Grimm. Weiss rushed to the pilot seat, grabbing hold of Maria, then leaping out the open side, while Oscar was in freefall. Neo released her hold on Slade, diving down toward Oscar.
"Neo!" he called after her.
She crashed into Oscar, wrapping her legs around his midsection, then opened Hush. The air caught her parasol, decreasing their speed to a slow descent. The arm of Arma Gigas appeared beneath them from a nearby Glyph, catching them both carefully. Neo and Oscar looked up to see Weiss and Maria safely on one of her Glyphs, hovering just beneath Slade and Yang.
"Nice save!" Oscar called "You too, Neo" she smiled appreciatively.
"Phew, that was too close" Weiss wiped her brow.
"No kidding, but now we don't have a ship!" Maria shouted.
"One problem at a time!" Yang called back.
The cable attached to the Grimm pulled them in, bringing Slade and Yang up to the ship, followed by Weiss and Maria, leaping from Glyph to Glyph. Oscar and Neo trailed them, pulling themselves atop the gargantuan creature. Before they could move, the Wyvern came crashing down onto the Grimm ship, with Penny careening out of it's mouth, rolling to a stop.
"Penny!" Weiss rushed to her side.
She propped herself up on her hands "This Wyvern is proving quite tenacious" she groaned in pain.
"Are you okay?" Yang asked with concern.
"My combat effectiveness has not been compromised" she replied with a shaky salute.
"We can't waste time with the Wyvern, Salem isn't going to sit idle while we're on her ship" Oscar pointed out.
Weiss stood, raising Myrtenaster toward the slowly recovering Wyvern "We've got this, you guys just get going"
Maria moved to stand beside her "Like I'm gonna let some kid tell me what to do. Certainly not upstage me. I'm the Grimm Reaper, after all" she grinned.
Penny forced herself up "I will render assistance"
"Are you sure you guys can handle it on your own?" Slade asked.
"Trust me, we've got this" Weiss answered.
"Alright, be careful you three" Oscar replied.
"You guys have the dangerous job anyway. Especially you, Oscar"
"Don't remind me" he sighed "Next time I volunteer to distract Salem on my own, hit me" Yang punched him in the shoulder "Ow! Not now!"
"Sorry, I didn't want to forget" she shrugged as she led the way inside.
"Did you have to use your metal arm though?" he grumbled as he followed behind.
The wyvern roared in anger, lurching forward, opening its jaws to devour the trio. It came to a sudden stop, Arma Gigas standing in its path, blade lodged between its teeth. Penny fired a concentrated laser into the wyvern, focusing on the shoulders where its wings connected to its torso. Roaring in anger, dozens of Grimm started to form beneath it. Maria charged forward, slicing through each newly spawned Grimm with her sickle, flipping acrobatically from one to the next. Weiss smiled, then refocused her attention onto the Wyvern, forming a Glyph to trap its tail in place. The Wyvern pushed back against Arma Gigas, spreading its wings to take flight, only for them to tear off completely, Penny's lasers successfully weakening them enough. It roared, planting its heel onto Arma Gigas, it slammed it into the ground, destroying it. Using its jaws to destroy the Glyph trapping its tail, its tail thrust toward Weiss, before she could move, Penny caught the tail in her hands. Maria flipped onto the head of the Wyvern, slicing her sickle for its eyes. The Wyvern shifted just in time to avoid it, then shook its head furiously, knocking her off. Whipping its tail back into the air, she sent Penny flying over the edge of the ship, flipping back as she righted herself, hovering in place.
Maria landed beside Weiss "Well, we made it angry, that's for sure" she grumbled.
"Without its wings, we have the advantage..." her shoulders slumped "Although... it doesn't exactly feel like it"
Penny moved to their side "We've already destroyed two of them. We just have to do it one more time" she declared with determination.
Weiss nodded "The others are counting on us"
"Then lets show 'em how its done" Maria grinned.
Slade led the way through the halls of Salem's ship, his Scroll in his hand with a map of the layout of the ship. The Grimm flesh all around them looked burned, as if an explosion had torn through the area. Oscar surmised that this must've been the area most affected by the explosion that prompted their assault. The group came to a stop at the end of the hall, splitting into three different paths.
"This path on the left is the one we want, Yang. It'll take us straight to the engine"
She nodded "What about Oscar and Neo? Where are they headed?"
"Assuming Salem is still on the bridge? Straight" he pointed "If she isn't, it's anyone's guess"
"Straight it is" Oscar started forward.
"Easy there, Oscar" Slade stopped him with his open hand on his shoulder "Are you absolutely sure you want to do this? There's no guarantee you'll make it back from this, either of you"
Oscar nodded "I have to do this, Slade. No one else can... besides, Neo has my back, right?" she smiled, giving an affirmative nod "Besides, if I do die, at least Oz will just come back again"
"You're a member of this team as much as Ozpin" Yang argued, approaching him "You'd better come back. You hear me?"
He smiled "Yes, Ma'am"
"Ugh, now I feel old"
Slade released Oscar "I won't stop you from doing what you feel you have to do... just... be careful... please"
"We will" Oscar assured.
"You two be careful too" Neo signed.
Slade nodded "As careful as ever"
"So not at all" Neo frowned.
"Hey, I'm always careful. She's the crazy one" he jabbed his thumb toward Yang.
"Me?!" she asked incredulously "Remind me which of us called a missile strike on his exact position again?"
Slade rubbed the back of his head with a nervous laugh "Oh yeah, forgot about that"
Oscar couldn't help but laugh "Now isn't exactly the time for this"
"You're right. Yang, we really should be focusing, shame on you"
She narrowed her eyes at him "Right, how silly of me"
"It is big of you to admit" he replied as he moved down the hall.
"You are lucky we're in the middle of Grimm central, or I'd kill you right now" she said mumbled.
Oscar shook his head "Those two really are something sometimes" Neo nodded in affirmation.
Far below the battle raging in the sky above Mantle, Ironwood stood at the center of the table inside the large tent with the Staff of Creation on his back and the Lamp of Knowledge hanging from his belt. Catalina Radcliff stood anxiously to his left, with Jacques Schnee not looking much better directly in front of him. Pietro Polendina was to his right, tapping away on his Scroll as he sorted through data. Ironwood's Scroll sat on the table with a map of the tundra displayed. Dozens of green triangles fluttered around a massive red triangle, denoting each Manta from the Grimm ship they fought against. While most of the ships moved across the screen, a few remained motionless. He tapped each triangle until one of them displayed "TEAM RWBY" in bold letters across it. His eyebrows knit together, his hands closing into fists.
"Team FNKI, press the attack on the west side, give our men some breathing room. Get them back inside the barrier" he ordered.
"We're on it, Sir" Flynt replied.
"Radcliff, probe the north side once they're back, lead the Grimm over to you"
"Understood, General"
"Once you've split their numbers, FNKI, hit the north side from the west. We'll whittle their numbers down until we have an opening. We need to establish a safe zone to bring down that beast from here if Ruby's team fails"
If that's even possible Ironwood frowned.
"At least we're making progress" Jacques noted.
"Not fast enough" Ironwood placed his hands onto the table letting out a deep sigh.
"Ruby hasn't failed us yet, I'm sure she and her friends will stop Salem" Catalina assured.
"I hope you're right" he turned his head to Pietro "Update?"
"They're outside local comm range. I tried getting a message out to Argus like you asked, but there's no way to know for sure if they recieved it" he answered.
"RWBY's Manta went down..."
"What?" Jacques asked, hands now shaking.
"Pietro, can we confirm they made it aboard?"
"Not unless I can increase the range on local comms, but that's just not possible without equipment from Atlas. Even without those Grimm out there, by the time we recover the necessary parts to accomplish that, I doubt I could-"
Ironwood flipped the desk in anger, silencing Pietro as he backed away, the others following suit. He took several deep breaths, struggling to calm himself down, desperately trying to think of a solution. If he was up there, he knew he could help, that he could make sure they were okay... that Salem wouldn't... his train of thought ground to a halt, a plan formulating in his mind.
"Pietro, are there any ships down here with enough fuel to make a trip to Salem's ship?"
"There's only one ship with any fuel remaining here in Mantle. It might have just enough to get up there, but there's no guarantee-"
"I'll make it work"
"You'll make it work?" Jacques asked surprised "What exactly are you planning, James?"
He turned back to Jacques before answering "I'm going to need Dust..."
Jaune slowed to a stop as he rounded a corner to an empty hall, catching his breath. Nora, Ren, and Blake all were in the same condition, Grimm corpses littering the hall behind them, slowly disintegrating.
"Are we close yet?" Nora asked exasperated.
"Yeah, I can hear the hum of the engine. We can't be far" Blake panted out.
"Then we need to pick up the pace, who knows when one of Salem's flunkies will catch up with us" Jaune added as he started into a steady pace forward.
"They won't need to catch us. The ship layout leaves the engines as the only true weak spot... they'll be waiting for us when we get there" Ren deduced, following behind.
"Wonderful..." Blake sighed.
"Let's just focus on getting where we're going and deal with whoever, or whatever is waiting for us when we do. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky" Jaune offered.
"At least one of us is being optimistic about this" Nora shrugged "How bad could it be?"
The door opened to the engine room, a massive turbine beneath the fleshy Grimm membrane composing the floor. There was a large electrified tube rising to the ceiling from the center of the turbine. Between the turbine and the tube was several feet of empty space down into a bottomless pit. Three electrical currents fed into the opening of the tube in a triangular shape. There was a circular grated platform made of metal around the electrified tube, with Hunter's legs dangling over the edge, his scythe hung through the grating.
"Well, if it isn't the cute little kitty" he laughed "And I see you brought some friends with you, you're the ones who took down Cole, right? Pitiful"
"Me and my big mouth" Nora grumbled.
"You just had to ask..." Jaune readied his weapons.
"You..." Blake growled.
"What's with you? Twice wasn't enough embarrassment for you? You really wanna go round three with me?"
"Winter and I must've hit you pretty hard if you don't even remember losing our last fight" Blake taunted.
He grimaced, standing to his full height "You got lucky, that's all"
"That turbine is powering this whole place, we need to focus on that" Ren noted.
Nora grinned "I have a better idea" she pointed to tube "What about I just smash that thing?"
"No offense, Nora... but we sort of still need time to get out before the engine goes up" Blake replied.
"She's right, you do that, and we all go up with the place" Jaune agreed.
She pouted "Fine..."
Hunter leapt down to their level "Surviving as long as you have against Salem is impressive. But the kid gloves are off now"
"Who's still got our Grimm extractors?" Jaune asked.
"I used mine on Cole" Ren answered.
"I've still got mine" Blake assured.
"Hunter broke mine back in Atlas" Nora frowned.
"Then between Blake and I, we have two chances to take this guy down. Let's not waste them" Jaune concluded.
"I can handle the explosives if you three can keep him busy" Ren suggested.
"No offense, Ren, but I don't think he's gonna just let you start planting bombs" Blake pointed out.
"Blake's right. Let's focus on taking him down first, then we'll deal with the engine. One problem at a time" Jaune sheathed his blade, forming Crocea Mors into a larger blade.
"Right..." Ren readied StormFlower.
"This is gonna be fun" Hunter grinned "Try not to die too quickly, would you?"
Blake formed the blade of Gambol Shroud into pistol form as Jaune leapt into a strike for Hunter. He blocked with his scythe, slamming the handle into Jaune's back, causing him to fall onto his knees before him. Hunter raised his scythe over his head to strike down at Jaune, only for Gambol Shroud to soar toward him, forcing him to deflect it with the handle, sending it flying back into Blake's hand. Hunter dropped onto one knee, avoiding a grenade fired from Nora. Rising to his feet, Jaune swung his blade upward while Blake sliced horizontally with the sheathe of her blade. Hunter swung his scythe into Blake's weapon, sidestepping Jaune's strike with the motion and throwing her to the ground with the force of his strike. Turning back to Jaune, he kicked him in the chest, sending him back to a charging Nora, then spun his scythe to deflect rounds fired from Ren.
"Let's play, pretty boy!"
Hunter's scythe lurched toward Ren, forcing him to dodge as it embedded into the ground he stood on. Blake leapt into an attack from behind, the chain connected to his scythe pulled it back toward him, soaring right past him in a strike for midsection. Blake used her Semblance to avoid the strike, slicing her blade horizontally for his throat, forcing him to duck beneath it. Flipping midair, Blake kicked him across the face with both legs, one after another. Catching his scythe in his right hand, he swung horizontally, forcing her to duck beneath the strike. The blades on his scythe swapped sides, twisting into an upward strike. Blocking with both weapons, Blake was thrown up into a backflip over Jaune. Removing his blade from its sheathe, he sliced through his abdomen. With a grunt of pain, Hunter turned to punch Jaune, his sheathe expanding into a shield as his strike connected, sending him sliding back a few inches. Hunter threw his scythe toward Nora and Ren, sending it spinning through the air. Nora leapt over the top of it while Ren slid beneath it. Jaune charged with his shield held in front of him, but Hunter caught it in his hands with a manic grin on his face.
"We took down Cole, now we're gonna take you down too!" Jaune declared.
Hunter scoffed "Your bravado is getting tiresome, blondie"
Hunter flipped overhead, kicking Jaune in the back of the head. Catching his scythe, he swung upward for Jaune's face, only for him to block with his shield, slamming his head into Hunter's, stumbling him back a few steps. Gambol Shroud's ribbon wrapped around his head, blocking his eyesight before a powerful kick was delivered to his face by Jaune, stumbling him. Ren slid on his side past him, slicing StormFlower through his legs, dropping him onto his knees. Jaune sliced through his abdomen, as Nora descended with a powerful strike of Magnhild. He caught his scythe in his left hand, blocking her hammer. Hooking each arm beneath Hunter's own, Ren trapped him in a headlock. Spinning Magnhild over, she hooked the end around his scythe, ripping it from his grip. Jaune rushed toward him with a small casing in his hand, lunging for his chest. The chain on the back of Hunter's scythe snaked around his leg, yanking him off his feet, causing him to drop the casing in his hand.
"Jaune!" Ren called.
Nora swung her hammer down onto Hunter, only for him to catch it in his right hand. Tearing the ribbon from his face with his open hand, he growled in annoyance. Hunter flipped Ren over his shoulder, kicking Nora in the chest, sending her to the ground. He crushed the casing beneath his boot, leaving Blake with the only remaining device in their possession. Hunter sidestepped a kick from Ren, punching him in his abdomen, sending him onto his back. He twisted back toward Blake as she impaled him through the chest with Gambol Shroud. He punched her in the face, then moved to kick her in the chest, only for Jaune to get between them, both sliding back from the force of the strike against his shield. His scythe seemed to almost act on its own, crashing into Ren as he blocked with StormFlower. His eyes widened when he noticed the blades on the opposite side, ducking just as they inverted to embed themselves into his face. Hunter caught Nora's hammer in the chain connected to his scythe, yanking her toward him, catching her by the throat, then slamming her into the ground. Planting his heel onto her, he ripped Gambol Shroud from his chest, thrusting it down toward her. Nora managed to redirect it into the ground beside her. Catching his scythe in his opposite hand, he swung it down onto her, she caught it in her hands between the blades, her superior strength the only thing keeping it from impaling her. Blake leapt overhead, grabbing him by the back of his head, she swung herself down into his chest, slamming her heels into him before kicking off him into a backflip, both heels striking his chin as she did.
"Nora, arctic thunder!" Jaune called.
"Still don't understand that name" Nora mumbled as she reclaimed Magnhild.
Ren kicked the back of Hunter's left leg, dropping him onto one knee, only for Blake to strike him with a powerful rising kick to his chin. Ren delivered a palm strike to his face, stumbling him a few steps. Jaune threw his shield into Hunter's chest, followed by Nora slamming her hammer into the back of it as it bounced off, sending it flying right back into Hunter's face, flipping him onto his back, losing his grip on Gambol Shroud. Jaune caught his shield as Nora leapt into a powerful strike onto Hunter from above. Hunter spun out of the way, the ground cracking beneath Nora's hammer. He swung his scythe upward toward Nora, only for Jaune to use his shield to block the strike, spinning with the momentum to swing his sword at Hunter, their weapons colliding mid-strike, bouncing off each other. Nora lifted Magnhild overhead, striking down as he sidestepped her strike, kicking her across the face, following through with the motion to swing his scythe for Jaune, who managed to deflect it with his shield. Blake rushed Hunter, leaping into an uppercut, stumbling him back as she flipped overhead, firing Gambol Shroud into his back. Turning toward her, he swung his scythe down toward her, only for Ren to flip overhead, using StormFlower to redirect his weapon down behind him so Nora could strike, slamming him into the ground with the force of her strike. Blake cartwheeled atop him, preparing to impale the small casing in her hand into his neck. The chain connected within his cloak reached up through his collar, blocking the casing from making contact with his skin. Slamming his fist into Blake's side, he knocked her off, causing the casing to fall to the ground, sliding over toward the edge.
"No!" Jaune rushed to the edge, leaping onto his chest as it passed over it, barely catching it in his grip "Gotcha!"
Hunter pressed his heel into Jaune's wrist, causing him to cry out in pain, losing his grip on it, dropping down into the turbine, grinding it apart "Oops, butterfingers" he grinned.
Raising his scythe over his head to strike Jaune, he was suddenly thrown over the edge by a powerful kick to his face from Blake. Throwing his scythe upward, it embedded into the railing, allowing him to swing back to safety atop the grated platform, landing on the hilt of his scythe, grinning down at them. Nora and Ren rushed to his side, concern written on all their faces.
"Are you okay?" Blake asked.
"I'm fine... but I dropped it..." he lamented.
"Tsk, tsk" Hunter wagged his finger " How are you ever going to stop little old me now?" he asked mockingly.
"They're not" a familiar voice answered.
Hunter turned just in time to receive a powerful kick to his face, sending him flying through the air, colliding with the ground roughly, bouncing on his shoulder onto his heels, sliding to a stop. His attacker leapt down to their level, the group staring up in shock.
"You..." Hunter seethed.
"Good to see Penny got my message"
"Sable?" Ren asked.
He crossed his arms over his chest "If I were you, I'd vacate the area"
"We can help" Jaune replied getting to his feet.
"That won't be necessary. Besides, your friends will need your help more than I will. Salem isn't liable to wait around for you to finish destroying her ship"
"We know, Oscar is taking care of that" Blake replied.
"You really think he can handle her all on his own?" Sable asked.
"Well..." Nora rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"I take it you brought explosives?"
"Several" Ren answered, revealing them to him.
"Give them here" Sable took them quickly.
"Oh no you don't!" Hunter pulled his scythe toward him, aimed right for Ren.
Sable caught the scythe in his hand before it could harm him, then placed his open hand onto the chain connecting it to Hunter, pulling on it with tremendous force. Hunter was pulled along, with Sable spinning the scythe expertly, slamming it up into his chest, sending him through the air, crashing back to the ground on his back painfully.
"Quickly now" Sable took the Dust charges from them before Hunter could recover.
"How are you going to stop him on your own? Without a way to extract the Grimm fluid in him..." Blake let the sentence hang.
"I've got it under control" he answered.
"Then you have a plan?" Ren asked.
Sable remained silent "You don't plan on leaving this room alive, do you?" Jaune deduced.
"You kids had better get going" Sable replied.
Jaune sighed "Thank you... for everything"
"No, thank you, all of you" he turned to them fully "For giving me the chance to be the Huntsman I was meant to be... and die the man I always wanted to be"
"If this is the end of the line for you, make sure it's the end for him too" Nora extended her fist to him.
Sable chuckled "Count on it" he knocked his fist against hers.
"Your daughter would be proud of you" Blake offered.
"I hope you're right... I doubt I'll ever know. It's unlikely someone like me would go to the same place she did, in the end"
Ren smiled "You never know, you might just get lucky"
Hunter rose to his feet "You're an assassin, a killer who's done Salem's dirty work for years. Nothing you do now will change that!"
"Perhaps... but it's not like there's anything left for me to lose" Sable turned toward him "If nothing else, I'll die happy knowing I get to take your annoying ass with me. If only Tyrian could be here to join the party"
"You wanna die, Tinman? Fine by me! But I ain't coming with you!"
Sable turned his head back to the others "Go"
"Right" Jaune led them to the door.
"When you see Qrow..." he called out, stopping them in the doorway "Tell him he was right about me... and that I am sorry, for everything"
Blake nodded "We will" she turned to lead the way.
"Kick his ass" Nora added before following her team.
Hunter tried to pull his scythe back to him, but Sable's iron grip kept it still. Sable grabbed his pistol from his holster, firing several rounds, forcing Hunter to use the chain to block them. Sable charged forward as he fired, striking with the scythe, only for a powerful kick to his right side to send him onto his back, losing his grip on the Hunter's weapon. Flipping acrobatically to his feet, he spun beneath a horizontal swing of the scythe as it returned to Hunter. Sable blocked a low swing with his forearm, then inverted his position to block the handle from striking his face. Spinning to his right, he pistol whipped Hunter, stumbling him, then flipped away from him. In a blind rage, Hunter unleashed a flurry of strikes, forcing Sable back as he dodged and blocked each of them, until a final strike sliced his pistol in half, followed by a backhanded fist, throwing him onto his side. Hunter punched him back to the ground as he pushed himself up, then slammed his heel into the back of his head twice, before lifting him overhead and slamming him down onto his back. Wrapping his chains around Sable, he lifted him up by his neck, dangling him over the turbine.
"It seems you won't be able to keep your word about stopping me. I thought you were supposed to be the best Atlas had to offer. What a disappointment you turned out to be"
"You're right... I am a failure..." Sable forced out "But at least... I'm no fool..."
"How's this for foolish!" Hunter rushed toward him, swinging his scythe in an attempt to behead him.
Sable spun through the air horizontally, avoiding the strike, landing safely on the ground. With both hands gripping the chain leading back to Hunter, he pulled as hard as he could, connecting a powerful strike to his face. Hunter was suddenly caught in his own chains now, with Sable pulling him back into a series of strikes over and over, each time doing an increasing amount of damage. Growing tired, Hunter cut the chain from the end of his scythe, evaporating into black mist instantly. With his plan working, Sable caught the scythe blades beneath his forearm, wrenching it from his grip and impaled it into Hunter's dominant arm, pinning him to the ground by embedding the blades into it. With one fluid motion, he severed his arm, then tossed his scythe aside, right into the turbine behind him.
"No!" Hunter called.
Unable to destroy the weapon, the turbine continued to grind against it until the blades shattered against it, a loud alarm blaring through the room as red emergency lights flashed on. Sable watched as the damage cascaded throughout the room, minor explosions rumbling as the beast they were within screeched in agony. Hunter got to his feet, his only remaining hand holding his opposite shoulder in pain, Grimm fluid pooling onto the ground beneath him.
"Now, to finish the job" Sable leapt onto the grated platform.
"No... I cannot lose here... I must not..."
Hunter's missing arm quickly regenerated, but not as a human arm as he had expected, but a Shadow Hand, matching Cinder's own. Flexing his hand, he decided that he could get used to the power he was feeling well up within him. His hand stretched out toward Sable, embedding into the tube as he set the charges on it. Before Sable could fully react, he recieved Hunter's knee to his face, knowing him onto his back. Sable stared up in shock at his altered appearance. Hunter was growing larger by the second, boney spines protruding from his back, and a row of teeth forming around his chin, now several feet taller than he was a moment prior. Hunter's claws sliced through the grating as Hunter flipped back on his hands away from him. Though he tried desperately to get away, he wasn't fast enough to outrun him, being hoisted off the ground by his Shadow Hand. He closed his grip around Sable, causing sparks to fly out from his midsection continuously.
"What the hell happened to you?" he asked.
Hunter grinned "Hell if I know, but I like it!" he slammed him into the electrified tube "Ready to join your little girl in the after life?"
"She won't be there... not where we're going" he held up a red Dust crystal.
Hunter's eyes widened "No..."
Crushing the crystal, it ignited, causing a brilliant flash to envelope them as the Dust charges detonated. The last thing Sable saw was the abomination before him burn away. He was blinded by the light around him, forcing him to close his eyes. There was no pain, not for him, not anymore... he felt adrift, floating, as if a current was pulling him along. He couldn't place why, but it felt almost... familiar... right...
"Papa"
Sable's eyes snapped open, there she was, exactly as perfect as he'd always remembered her. Her big blue eyes looking up at him, her bright smile, even the way she smelled, all of it was right there in front of him. He dropped onto his knees in disbelief, the fact that he could actually feel his knees not even registering with him, this was too important a moment to be broken by such a simple thing. His hands reached out to her, slowly placing them onto her shoulders. Gazing deep into her eyes, he could see his own golden irises staring back at him.
"Amara..."
"What took you so long, Papa? I've been waiting for you!" she whined.
He laughed, pulling her into a tight yet warm embrace, tears cascading down his cheeks "I'm sorry. Papa didn't mean to keep you waiting again. You know how bad he is with time"
She giggled "You're late to everything, Papa"
"Don't I know it..." he pulled away, getting a good look at her, his smile fading "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Amara. I know you must've been scared... the fire-"
"It's okay, Papa! We're together now, right? That's all that matters!" she declared, taking him by the hand.
His smile returned "You're too good to me, you know that?"
She smiled back "Since your mission is done... does that mean we get ice cream now?" she asked pulling him along
His smile widened "Whatever your little heart desires, sweetheart"
Ruby cut through an Ursa, then flipped over the top of a Sabyr, hooking Crescent Rose around its neck, she fired, decapitating the Grimm before it could react. From behind her, a Beowolf was shot down as it pounced toward her, dropping onto the ground, smoke rising from the barrel of Harbinger. The two scythe wielders nodded to each other, turning their attention to Winter, who was fending off a winged Beringel. She leapt over the top of it, slicing through its wings with each of her blades. Landing behind it, she inverted her grip onto her saber, slicing through its legs, a Glyph appeared beneath it, raising it into the air. Dozens of Glyphs appeared around it, impaling ice crystals into it from every angle, killing it as it dropped back to the ground.
The trio silently continued forward, sprinting through the halls in hopes of avoiding anymore Grimm before they reached their destination. Reaching the large door before them, it opened to reveal a dark abyss to greet them. Within was a thin metal walkway leading further inside. The entire room was concealed within a thick cloud of red smoke, the very same cloud that surrounded the Grimm ship. Occasional bolts of lightning were the only source of light inside, striking the railing, creating sparks with each strike. This was where the cloud was created, it must've been. There was a rhythmic pulse that could be felt through the floor. Marching their way deeper into the cloud, they reached a large circular platform with a dimly lit computer console. Ruby inspected the computer screen, following the wires up from the console to a dark mass above them. Using the flashlight on her Scroll, she illuminated the ceiling, finding it pulsing back at her.
"What is this place?" Qrow asked.
"According to the schematics we recieved, this is the central most chamber... presumably where the heart of this beast is" Winter answered checking her Scroll to be sure.
"Does that look like a heart to anyone else?" Ruby asked.
Qrow looked up "Uh... that wouldn't have been my first guess..." he turned his head back to Winter "Think we have enough explosives to take care of that?" he jabbed his thumb up towards it.
Winter frowned "If Ruby can use her eyes to petrify it, it won't take much to damage it, much less destroy it" she noticed the shocked expression on Qrow's face "What is it?"
She looked down to find the ground beneath her glowing "Move!" he shouted.
Qrow knocked her out of the way as an explosion tore through the room. He was launched into the air, dropping onto his side painfully as Winter fell onto her rear. Ruby turned back to them after hearing the commotion. She noticed a silhouette through the smoke land to her left, turning her attention toward it, raising Crescent Rose defensively in case of attack, placing herself between Winter, Qrow, and their attacker. Stepping into view with a sinister smirk on her face, she gave a dark chuckle at the sight before her.
"I was hoping it would be you, lucky me. I've been looking forward to this"
"Cinder..." Ruby hissed.
"I should've known it'd be you" Winter got to her feet.
"The Schnee as well? I see you've brought that fool, Branwen, with you. A pity he survived our last encounter"
"Give up before things get ugly, well... uglier for you" Cinder growled in response to Qrow's quip.
"You're outmatched" Ruby warned.
"Am I?" she formed her bow in her hands "I am going to enjoy killing you"
"Think again" Winter glared, dropping into a combat stance.
"Both of you barely survived our last battle, what makes you think you have a chance now? You're not even a Maiden anymore"
"That goes both ways. That leaves us with the advantage in this fight"
"True, you do outnumber me... but I'm sure your friend Pyrrha thought she would win too" she grinned as she drew back three arrows.
Ruby's eyes widened, tears starting to flow at the mention of her name "You... you don't deserve to even say her name"
"Don't worry, you'll be joining her soon. I look forward to taking apart Ironwood's toy a second time" she taunted.
Though the taunt was intended for Ruby, it was Winter who lashed out, using her Glyphs to propel her forward. Cinder fired all three arrows at Winter's legs, which she dodged by leaping into the air, flipping into a descending strike with her larger blade. Cinder blocked the blade with her bow, then caught Winter's right hand in her Shadow Hand, forcing it back behind her head, dropping Winter onto her back as she cried out in pain. Qrow and Ruby fired their weapons at Cinder, forcing her to block with Midnight, distracting her from the woman in her grasp. With the smaller blade in her left hand, she impaled it into Cinder's own, causing her to cry out and lose her grip on her, black mist rising from her hand. Ruby rushed forward swinging Crescent Rose for Cinder's chest, forcing her to block with her bow, sliding back from the force of the strike. Cinder swept her legs for Ruby's, causing her to flip backward away from her. Cinder split her bow into two blades, then charged Ruby. Arcing Crescent Rose over her shoulder, she blocked her strike, then fired, spinning her scythe around to strike low. Cinder flipped acrobatically away from Ruby, sliding to a stop a short distance away. She raised her blades defensively as a flock of miniature white Nevermores swarmed her, lashing out at them, she narrowly avoided a strike from Ruby from behind, then flipped over Qrow striking for her legs with Harbinger. Landing on his blade, she kicked him in the chest with both heels, sending her soaring through the air, striking down at Winter as she landed. Winter used a Glyph to launch herself backward, avoiding the strike.
She was struck in the back by several rounds fired by Qrow, stumbling her as she turned back toward him. Qrow rushed her, swinging for her head as she ducked back beneath it. Cinder dropped her blades, reaching for his throat, only for him to headbutt her back, dropping onto her Shadow Hand, she spun on her hands, spreading her legs wide to kick at him as she spun. Qrow blocked with his blade, then swung outward as she dropped her legs back to the ground. Squatting beneath the strike, she slammed her elbow into his abdomen, only for a powerful kick to her chest to throw her back away from him. Sliding to a stop, she scooped up her weapons and leapt into a strike for him, only for an upward swing by Winter to send her right back. Ruby flipped forward into a descending strike for Cinder, forcing her to block with both blades. Ruby grinned, firing Crescent Rose, sending herself flipping back through the air, dropping Cinder's blades to the ground in the process. She raised her blades with barely enough time to block Winter's strike, followed by Qrow from the opposite direction, both with their speed increased by Winter's Glyphs. Cinder flipped back through the air, launching a each of her blades at them, with each of them deflecting the blades with their own. Cinder slid to a stop using her claws to stop herself. Ruby spun Crescent Rose expertly, sending it flying through the air toward Cinder. Sidestepping the weapon, she turned her attention to Ruby as she used her Semblance to catch it in her hands, firing it as she spun on her heel, Cinder spun into a rising kick to the scythe, knocking Ruby off balance. Rather than try to regain her balance. Ruby flipped backward with the weight of her weapon as Cinder charged, kicking her in the chin one heel after the other, knocking Cinder off her feet. Ruby straightened the blade of her scythe, impaling it into the ground and spinning herself around, then firing Crescent Rose to propel herself back into her opponent with a powerful kick to her abdomen, sending her flying, skipping like a rock until she caught herself on one hand, flipping back to a standing position.
"I... will not fail..." she hissed out "I will kill all of you! Atlas will burn!" she screamed.
"We won't let that happen" Ruby's eyes glistened.
Cinder recoiled in fear, taking a step back "No..." she took a moment to collect herself "I cannot lose to you... you're nothing!"
Winter formed several Glyphs around Cinder, each launching ice crystals toward her, forcing her to deflect them with her blades, shifting out of the way of those she couldn't block. She leaned back away from a gunshot from Qrow, narrowly avoiding it. Qrow charged toward her, prompting Cinder to reform Midnight into a bow, quickly drawing back two arrows and firing them. Qrow shattered the glass arrows, curving his blade and kicking for her chest. Cinder twisted around his heel, sliding her bow around the curved blade, she pulled him close, grabbing the back of his head with her Shadow Hand, then flipping him over, sending him flying away from her. She was lifted from the ground by a Glyph beneath her, then slammed back into the ground by a strike from above by Winter, her blade infused with electricity from an electrified Glyph. She impaled her blade into the ground, narrowly missing Cinder as she shifted out of the way. Flipping horizontally through the air, she fired an arrow into Winter's shoulder, knocking her to the ground. Splitting Midnight once more as Ruby and Qrow charged her from each side, she blocked each weapon.
"Do you really think you can win?! Even if you beat me, she will still destroy all of you!"
Flipping back as Ruby fired Crescent Rose to avoid the spinning scythe aimed at her legs, she spun to deflect a strike from Qrow for her head, the handle of Harbinger extending out as it changed to a scythe. She blocked the blade of his scythe, directing it to the ground with her blade embedding into the ground. With her opposite blade, she blocked Crescent Rose from behind, never turning away from Qrow. Using her blade as a pivot point, she kicked Qrow in the face, knocking him onto his back. Removing her blade from the ground, she pressed her attack on Ruby, unleashing a relentless assault upon her. Ruby managed to block and dodge each strike with her superior speed, catching her Shadow Hand from behind, she twisted beneath it, hooking her scythe around her abdomen, forcing Cinder to flip the blade in her hand over to keep the blade of Crescent Rose from making contact. Straightening out the blade, Ruby fired her weapon, spinning with the motion to sever her Shadow Hand, throwing one blade to the ground as Cinder cried out in pain. Cinder lashed out with her remaining weapon, only for Qrow to intervene, catching the back of her hand with his own. Lifting her arm up, he slammed the handle of Harbinger into her abdomen, stumbling her back. He followed up with a backhanded fist, hooking his leg around hers, as he wrapped his arm around her neck, he flipped her over his shoulder, sending her through the air, rolling to a stop with a growl of annoyance, her Shadow Hand regenerating as she got to her feet.
"I refuse to be beaten by losers like you!"
She cried out in pain as a white Manticore crashed into her. The claws of her Shadow Hand pierced its skull, destroying it as shards of ice smashed into her from behind. Qrow was launched forward by a black Glyph, planting his heels onto her chest, he slammed one heel into her collarbone, throwing her back through the air. Growling in annoyance, she created a blade in front of her, kicking it toward Qrow who blocked it, knocking to the ground beside him. The ground beneath it began to glow, indicating an impending explosion from her Semblance. Cinder grinned, rushing toward Ruby.
"Qrow, look out!" Winter shouted.
He took notice of his predicament just before Winter tackled him to the ground, having launched herself forward with her Glyphs. The explosion tore through the room, with Cinder forming another blade in her hand, she thrust her blade for Ruby. Her blade sparked as it made contact with the underside of Crescent Rose, Ruby slammed the handle down onto Cinder's arm, then flipped her over her shoulder. Cinder landed on her feet, spinning with their arms still interlocked, she slammed her elbow into her abdomen, then dropped onto one hand, kicking Ruby's chin, sending her onto her back painfully, with Crescent Rose sliding out of her reach. She glared up at Cinder defiantly.
"Those damn eyes of yours..." they glistened in response "I'll make sure they never interfere with my power again" she raised her blade to strike, aiming for her head.
Ruby kicked her abdomen as she struck, causing her to miss. Kicking both heels into her chest, she sent Cinder onto her back, rolling away from her in the process, scooping up Crescent Rose as she rose to a standing position. Propping herself up on one knee, she noticed Qrow towering over her. Slicing her claws for him, Qrow caught her arm in his, forcing it behind her back, slamming his fist into her abdomen. Cinder struck with her opposite hand, only to find it caught in Winter's grasp, the Schnee slamming her knee into her abdomen, followed by a headbutt from Qrow. The two of them grabbed her with their open hands, and flipped her overhead, kicking her in the back, sending her flying back to Ruby, rolling into the landing. Ruby slid on her side into a powerful kick to her face, throwing her back into the air, she slid to a stop at the edge of the platform. Her three opponents formed a line in the center of the platform.
"It's over, Cinder. Surrender" Ruby called.
She suddenly started laughing "Surrender? To you? Why? I have you right where I want you?"
Qrow frowned "I think you've got that backwards"
She grinned, getting to her feet "Are you sure? Take another look..."
The three of them took a look around them, barely able to see through the dense smoke around them. Ruby used the flashlight on her Scroll to illuminate her sightline, dozens of glass crystals had been just out of sight. Shifting to look all around them, she noticed there looked to be hundreds surrounding them. The whole time they'd been fighting, Cinder had been creating them from whatever debris she could, leaving them sitting in wait for the right moment to strike. The former Fall Maiden grinned, raising her Shadow Hand, then thrust it toward them, launching rows of them in quick succession. Beneath the trio, Winter formed a large Glyph infused with Lightning Dust, taking on the appearance of a clock. Qrow and Ruby moved with blinding speed, cutting through each crystal sent their way with precise strikes and perfectly timed defensive actions. However, with each crystal they destroyed, Cinder created twice more in smaller sizes, sending them right back toward them. After a short time, Winter's Aura was dropping dangerously low due to prolonged use of her Semblance. She dropped onto one knee as the Glyph vanished beneath them, urging Cinder to launch all that remained in unison. Thinking quickly, Ruby used her Semblance to move all three of them out of they way, stopping just outside their range. The crystals all collided with each other, shattering into an explosion of glass. Ruby spun Crescent Rose in front of her, protecting the others from the fragments launched their way. Cinder rushed in, causing Qrow to attack, sliding on her knees beneath his blade. She grabbed the end of Ruby's cloak, flipping the unsuspecting girl over her shoulder into Qrow. He raised Harbinger to block, Ruby planting her heels on his blade, flipping back off, landing opposite him. In her weakened state, Winter was unable to move fast enough to dodge Cinder's Shadow Hand catching her by the throat, lifting her from the ground.
"Winter!" Qrow charged Cinder, she formed a single glass blade in her open hand, blocking Harbinger.
Twisting away from him and pulling Winter to her chest, her Shadow Hand wrapped around her throat "Ah, ah, ah" she wagged a finger at him with her armed hand.
Ruby got between them, her hands raised "Woah, woah, easy... don't hurt her"
Winter slammed her elbow into her abdomen, only for Cinder to block with her arm, then kick the back of her knee, dropping her onto them both "You Schnees, like the rest of the elites in Atlas, you have all the money, all the power, all the luxuries... and suffer none of the hard work to earn it. Arrogance..."
"I... walked away... from all that..." she forced out.
"You joined the only people with more power than your wealth. You understand that money isn't real power, because of people like me who simply don't care. No amount of money will take away this thirst, it just leaves me wanting more... and I refuse to settle for less than I am owed"
"Let her go" Qrow aimed the barrel of Harbinger at her "Now!" he demanded.
Cinder placed her blade to Winter's throat "Spare me the heroics, Branwen. The people of Atlas don't care about you, about the other kingdoms. They hold themselves above you, they make the decisions and then leave everyone else to pick up after them. Just like they did in Vale" she growled "They only leave their table scraps for us. They don't understand that everything they've built can be destroyed in an instant... just like their floating city"
"I don't care about any of that! Let her go!" Qrow shouted.
Cinder grinned "Ah, I see now..." she cupped her Shadow Hand around Winter's chin "You actually care for this pampered little bitch"
"Cinder... you don't have to do this" Ruby tried, taking a step toward her.
"Oh, but I do. I was meant to take the power of the Winter Maiden... instead, I lost mine" she growled "Now... it may be beyond my reach, but she isn't" she pressed her blade to Winter's throat, drawing blood.
"If you hurt her..." Qrow started.
"What will you do?" she asked mockingly.
"Cinder, Salem wants me alive, right?" Ruby asked taking a step closer, dropping Crescent Rose.
"Ruby, stay where you are" Qrow called.
"Let her go, and take me to Salem. I'm sure she'll reward you, right? She'll help you get your power back... he's here, you know" she took another step forward "Slade's on this ship too"
"Ruby!"
"Giving you to Salem doesn't get me closer to reclaiming what is rightfully mine!" she growled.
"What if I told you Slade could give it back? You capture me, and Slade will have to give it back to you, in exchange for my safety, right?" she took another step, standing within arms reach of Winter now.
Cinder lowered her blade slightly "You raise a good point" Winter's hand reached down, carefully scooping up a handful of glass from the ground "Salem might even allow it"
Ruby held her arms out "Let her go, and you can have me"
Cinder grinned "Why settle for just you... when I can have revenge on you both?"
"There's just one thing you're forgetting... I'm not defenseless" Winter threw the glass into Cinder's face, she cried out in shock, releasing her hold on her "Ruby! Now!"
Ruby's eyes glistened, a bright flash of pure white light enveloping everyone. When the light faded, Cinder was writhing on the ground, her Grimm arm missing, the smoke around them had receded as well, leaving them with far more visibility. Cinder growled in anger, striking at Winter as they both got to their feet. Winter shifted her left side out of the way of the blade, Qrow fired over Ruby's shoulder, striking Cinder in the chest, followed by a kick to the face from Winter, throwing her through the air. Cinder caught herself on her hand, bouncing onto her heels as she came to a stop. Ruby reclaimed Crescent Rose, circling Cinder to the right as Qrow took the left. Using her Semblance, Cinder formed the glass around her into crystals and sent them toward Winter. Forming a Glyph in front of her infused with Wind Dust, she sent them right back at Cinder, who was unable to fully defend herself while her arm grew back. Ruby leapt into a strike from above, forcing Cinder to shift out of the way, slicing for her opponent in retaliation. Using her Semblance, Ruby moved back away from her, while Qrow attacked from the opposite side, slicing across her chest with his scythe, then smacking the bottom of her chin with the handle, knocking her off her feet. While airborne, Qrow kicked her abdomen, sending her soaring through the air. Cinder growled, flipping onto her heels, she found herself unable to move. Looking down, her eyes were trapped in ice from a Glyph formed beneath her feet. Ruby uppercut Cinder, throwing her into the air, with Winter waiting for her on a Glyph. Moving faster than she could react, Winter sliced both blades for her chest while Qrow did the same with his scythe from below. Cinder began hyperventilating, her eyes almost manic. Waiting for her to make her move, Cinder's focus was purely on Ruby, her expression turning to fear as her silver eyes glistened. Cinder bolted for the exit, but Ruby moved faster, using her Semblance to block her, both of them standing on the walkway leading up to the door.
"You're not getting away that easy, Cinder. You-"
Ruby was interrupted by an explosion tearing through the ship, the Grimm roaring in anguish, the walkway leading out snapped at the top, dropping down into the darkness below. Ruby fell, embedding Crescent Rose into the dangling walkway as Cinder slid down toward her, her claws scraping against the metal. Qrow and Winter rushed toward the edge, both shouting her name in unison. Planting her feet onto the walkway and grabbing the rail with one hand, she removed Crescent Rose from the hole it made and struck for Cinder, who stopped herself by stretching her Shadow Hand up to grab the top of the walkway, spreading her legs to avoid the scythe blade. Cinder screamed, her hand severed by Qrow, dropping her down onto Ruby. She wrapped her legs around Ruby's waist and grabbed her face with her open hand, her Semblance burning her where they touched. Ruby cried out in pain, using her Semblance to rise up the walkway, her hand reaching out to grab the ledge. Disoriented by Ruby's Semblance, Cinder lost her grip.
"Ruby! Take my hand!" Qrow called, grabbing the railing with one hand. It suddenly snapped off, dropping the both of them down "No! Damn it!"
"I've got her!" Winter called, as a Glyph formed beneath Ruby.
She landed on her feet, turning to see Cinder still falling. Her Shadow Hand reformed, stretching out to the wall closest to her, claws embedding in the flesh of the Grimm they were within. She dangled, glaring up at them. The Glyph Ruby stood on propelled her upward, with Qrow and Winter both catching her by her arms, pulling her to safety. They all turned to see Cinder was gone, having vanished from sight within the remaining smoke clouds beneath them. Qrow pulled Ruby into a tight embrace, squeezing her hard enough she wheezed.
"You're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days, kid"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you" she frowned as she pulled away "Cinder got away again"
"A problem for another day" Winter assured "That explosion must've been one of the engines. If they take out both before we're off this ship, we'll go down with it"
"They're supposed to be on a timer. Something must've gone wrong" Qrow concluded.
"Cinder was waiting for us here, we have to assume the others were ambushed as well" Winter replied.
"Hunter or Tyrian?" Ruby asked.
"Both? Neither? Remember they've still got Hazel and Mercury working for her" Winter answered.
"Not to mention that woman in the hood from the sewers you encountered" Qrow added.
The entire ship shook as Salem's scream of rage echoed throughout "You know, maybe I'd better take care of this thing's heart then, instead of debating who could attack us next" Ruby pointed out
Qrow swallowed "Y-yeah... good idea..."
The skies above Patch were hidden behind thick clouds, the snow having come a bit early this year. The trees and ground were covered in a light layer of snow, the shattered moon above barely reflecting any light through the clouds. Taiyang and Zwei stood in front of Summer's gravestone, overlooking the rest of Patch. He knelt down in front of it, a look of concern on his face.
"Hey, honey... I uh... guess things are getting pretty crazy out there in the world" he sighed "The girls are still in Atlas, though the new I hear isn't good. Glynda says we've completely lost contact with the kingdom, and it was already hard enough to get in touch with them. Argus is still standing, but you know how that goes. One city doesn't make a kingdom... Qrow is with them, so I know I shouldn't worry, but... well, you know me..."
Zwei barked behind him, gaining his attention. Turning his head, he noticed no Grimm present, in fact he didn't see anyone. It wasn't usual for Zwei to make a fuss without reason. He waited a minute to see if he'd missed something before returning his attention to the headstone, Zwei panting away beside him.
"Our girls really are something else, aren't they? I wish you could see 'em, I know you'd be so proud of them. I sure as hell am" he chuckled "I-"
He stopped, ears perking up. Abruptly, he twisted around, dropping into a defensive stance. Zwei moved in front of him, barking loudly at the perceived threat, followed by a low growl. He frowned deeply, lowering his hands to his sides, letting out a deep sigh.
"I know you're there" his tone was flat, neither warm, nor confrontational.
A short laugh reached his ears, its owner stepping out from behind a nearby tree "Is this how to treat your friends, Tai?" she asked in amusement "You haven't lost your edge. Family life hasn't-" she suddenly collapsed onto one knee, groaning from the pain shooting through her.
He crossed his arms over his chest "Did you at least get the license plate for whatever hit you?"
She forced herself to stand "Tai..."
"It's Taiyang"
"Excuse me?" she asked surprised.
"My name is Taiyang"
She scowled "You're really going to be that petty?"
"Petty?" he scoffed "You and I aren't married, Raven, we're not teammates, hell, we're not even friends anymore"
"I didn't come here to dig up old wounds. I need your help"
"Right, that's the great Raven Branwen for you. You never need anybody else, you're never there for anyone else, but when you need something, we're just supposed to drop everything. Do you think I haven't heard about what you did at Haven? What you did at Corinth? Qrow trusted you, Summer trusted you, and you stabbed them in the back!"
Raven glared "I notice you didn't include yourself"
"I stopped believing in you when you left, end of story. Be grateful I never spoke about how I really feel about you to Yang, or she'd never have wanted to find you at all"
She snorted "Yang is a foolish child, who thinks she can punch her way out of anything. Do you even know where she is? What she's doing?"
"Of course I do. She is in Atlas, defending it against Salem and the Grimm"
"And that doesn't concern you?!" Raven asked incredulously
"Of course it concerns me!" he shouted back.
"Then why're you pretending our daughter isn't-"
"My daughter, not yours" he snapped.
"Please. I carried her to term. I birthed-"
"You abandoned her before she even had a name, ran off to be a glorified bandit queen. You may have given her life, but you don't deserve the right to be called her mother. Only Summer earned that"
"Summer is dead"
"Really? I hadn't heard, thank you so much for the update" he gestured silently to the headstone behind him.
"I have done more for Yang than you know-"
"You mean that 'kindness' you showed her when you saved her life in Mountain Glenn? But an arm is not worth your trouble, huh?"
"I couldn't-"
"Don't. Just... just don't... even go there"
"I tried to help her, Tai! I truly did!"
"You tried? You tried?! What did you do exactly? Run away when she didn't immediately agree with you? Try to blackmail her into staying with you instead of going after Ruby?"
"I tried to bring her back to you!" she shouted "She wouldn't hear it! She refused to understand how useless her efforts against Salem are!"
"What do you care?"
"Why don't you?!"
"You think putting her on a leash is caring for her? Dictating how she gets to live her life for her is what she needs? Yang is her own person, she always has been, and she always will be. She's happy in Atlas, she's happy with Ruby. And you want to take all that away so you're not alone? That's just selfish!"
"I don't want her to die!"
"Then help her! Instead of just sitting here, begging me to do what you can't! Why can't you just let her be happy?"
"Her happiness doesn't matter if she's dead"
"What you want for her isn't living, it's hiding. Yang's never been one to shy away from a fight, you try and tie her down, she'll hit back twice as hard"
"She doesn't know what she wants! She's a child!"
"My child! Not yours! You don't get to just leave until you decide you want to get involved, then pretend you have the right to choose for her. If that's all you came here to say, then you might as well head back to whatever cave you're hiding in now. I don't have anymore patience to hear more of this garbage from you"
She growled "I was wrong, you have lost your edge"
"I'm stronger than you'll ever be"
"I am the Spring Maiden-"
"You still don't get it, Raven. Power is not the same as strength. You could hold the combined magical power of all the Maidens, and you still wouldn't be half as strong as Yang is now. Because she possesses true strength. Strength that can only come from fighting for something important to you, to protect something you love and cherish. That is why you will never be strong, it is not magic, Dust or even a Semblance that makes one strong. It is the will to stand against even overwhelming odds and choosing to fight, rather than run away"
"You don't know anything, Tai. You're just as soft as Summer was"
"You call me soft, but I'm not the one preying on defenseless civilians out in the wild. You say the strong always survive and the weak die, but you're wrong. Only a coward can always survive, for they run at the first sign of trouble, they hide behind the strong ones to protect them, then call themselves brave when they cut down those protecting them"
"These are all wonderful philosophical points, that won't matter if Yang is dead! I couldn't bring her back with me, but you can! She'll listen to you"
"Only if I speak for myself, and that wouldn't be asking her to run from doing what she believes is right. Tell me, did you offer to save anyone else, to help anyone else? Or just her?"
"I... that's not..."
"That's what I thought. Just because you're heartless enough to abandon Qrow, doesn't mean she's heartless enough to abandon Ruby. She would never do that, not now, not ever. She is better than you, Raven"
"You haven't changed at all, Tai..."
"Shows what you know, I've changed quite a bit. For instance, I can see through your bullshit a mile away now. You broke our family, our team. You chose to run away, but never once have you seen it as running, you've always called it by different names. Leaving, choosing a different path, forging your own way... but underneath it all, you're just scared of Salem, the same as the rest of us. Only we didn't run and hide when things got tough"
"Tai..."
"It's Taiyang, Raven. Let me make this clear for you. I don't want to ever see you again, unless it is to apologize for everything you've done. You do that, and maybe you can earn your way back. But I won't hold my breath" he whistled for Zwei to follow as he turned away from her "Stay away from Yang and Ruby"
"Tai... please... I don't... I don't know what to do..."
"Funny, I always thought you had all the answers" he called back, never turning toward her.
She watched him in silence for a moment before calling out to him "It was Yang"
He stopped midstep "What?" he asked unsure if he should even entertain the conversation.
"You asked me before who did this to me..."
"Because you look like you've been run over" he turned his head back toward her.
"I tried to force Yang back here with my Semblance... and she beat me..."
"All on her own?" he asked surprised.
Raven nodded "She said it was because of what you told her. She used my confidence against me, then took me down with her Semblance when I believed I'd won. She's smart... just like you"
Taiyang smiled "Yeah... she really is"
"I hope Summer was right"
"About what?"
"About Yang and Ruby succeeding where we failed"
He scrunched his face "When would she have said... that..." his eyes widened in realization "You... she told me Ozpin had a mission for her, but he said he didn't send her anywhere. She went to you"
The guilt in Raven's eyes was clear to Taiyang "She came to me... with a plan to stop Salem"
He marched over to her, taking Raven by the shoulders "Tell me what happened, don't leave out a single detail"
She nodded "I will... but not here. Can we... at least sit down for this?"
He sighed "Fine..."
The battle over Mantle continued, with more ships being destroyed by the Grimm with each passing moment. Within the massive Grimm spearheading the attack, the door to one of its engine compartments was fused shut, the metal having melted from the heat of the explosion Sable had caused preceding the arrival of Team RWBY. Slade had one foot propped onto the side of the door, pushing with all his might as he pulled with his hands the opposite direction, his Semblance slowly untangling the metal, attempting to pry the door open rather than rip it off completely. Behind him, the interior of the Grimm was exposed completely, leaving only the engine compartment unharmed from the explosion. The ground he stood upon was precariously balanced on the exposed sinew of the Grimm, metal plates upended in every direction. Not far from him, Yang fought off the Grimm swarming them from within and without, firing Ember Celica into the face of an approaching Teryx as it made an attempt on Slade. Ducking beneath the claws of an Ursa, she hooked her metal fingers in its mouth, slamming it down into the ground as she fired Ember Celica into a Beowolf with her opposite arm and kicked a Sabyr away from her as it pounced, then twisted into a powerful elbow strike to the face another Ursa.
"Yang, that's alot of Grimm. Are you sure you're alright?"
"Oh, you know... I'm... Yanging in there" she panted out.
Slade groaned "Really? Now?"
"Out of your mouth? Besides, what better time? Can you get that thing open already?" she asked as she engaged another Ursa.
"This isn't exactly as easy as it looks. If you'd rather-" he pulled Defiance from his holster and fired into the face of a Sabyr as it circled around Yang "Whatever, it doesn't matter. I need another minute"
Yang flipped back over the fist of a winged Beringel, landing beside Slade "That's what you said five minutes ago"
"Okay, so I need several minutes. Does that make you feel better?"
"A little..." the Beringel roared, charging toward them "Aw, come on..." she groaned.
With a flick of his arm, Slade sent it flying out the hole in the Grimm, then Yang fired both weapons into its back, damaging its wings, stopping it from recovering "Is this too many Grimm for the great Yang Xiao Long?"
"Hey! I don't appreciate what you're suggesting" she pouted.
"You're enjoying this too much"
She grinned "Maybe a little. Don't lie, you are too"
He sighed "Yeah... a little" he admitted.
The Grimm continued to swarm down the hall toward them "I have an idea"
"I don't like it when you get those" Slade muttered.
"Only one of us needs to be in their to plant the explosives, right?"
"Uh... technically" Slade frowned "You're not suggesting what I think you are-"
"That's exactly what I'm suggesting!" she grabbed the Beowolf leaping at her with both hands, throwing it back into the approaching Grimm, knocking them over.
"She's right, you can't leave until you've got those bombs in place" Elise concluded.
Just because I agree doesn't mean I have to like it
Slade stopped prying open the door "Yang, you can't take them all on your own" he moved to look her in the eye.
"Oh, shut up! I'll be fine!" she pulled him in for a quick kiss, then pushed him toward the door "Now hurry up and get through that door. Those bombs aren't going to plant themselves"
"You've really gotta work on your timing, Yang" he sighed "Fine, but you'd better be right here when I get back"
She grinned "I've got this, I ain't going anywhere"
He nodded, turning back to the door, pressing his palms to it. He slowly passed through it with the use of his Semblance. Once inside, he found a room completely undamaged from the outside explosion. He made his way over to the turbine spinning with incredible speed. Firing a cable from his gauntlet, he pulled himself over to the tube leading to the ceiling. While dangling by the cable, he began planting one explosive after another, not keen on keeping Yang waiting with all the Grimm bearing down on her. As he was planting another, he stopped, a low hum distinctly different from that of the engine reached his ears. Before he could process what he was hearing, he was suddenly pulled back with tremendous force, swinging up onto the grated platform, slamming down onto it.
"Ow..." he groaned.
"You're not who I was expecting to find" an unfamiliar voice stated.
Slade propped himself up on his arms enough to look at the source of the voice. The woman standing over him wore a hooded black cloak identical to the ones Hunter and Cole had worn, concealing her identity from him. However her cloak was slightly different, the sleeves were tight around her arms, the shoulders were slightly pointed, and her boots had thick heels, making her easily stand a head over him. Slade slowly got to his feet, wary of an attack.
"Sorry to disappoint"
"You don't understand, I'm relieved... though, I still don't want to hurt you either"
"Oh? That's a nice change from the others"
"No, it isn't... because she's going to make me hurt you"
"Then you don't work for Salem intentionally?"
She gasped in surprise "You know her name?" she asked surprised "Who are you-"
She pulled her fist back to strike, prompting Slade to counter it with his own kick, only for her to sweep his remaining leg out from under him faster than he could react. Slade dropped onto his hands, recovering quickly by pushing himself back to his feet. He kicked for her right hip, meeting her forearm as she blocked, then twisted around to kick for her head, which she blocked with the same arm, inverting it from his lower strike. Catching his leg in her grip, she slammed her fist into his face, throwing him back through the air. Slade caught himself on his hands, propelling himself over the edge of the platform and sliding to a stop on his heels not far from the spinning turbine.
"Look out!" she called.
Slade shifted around her incoming kick, barely moving his body out of the way in time. Twisting around into a punch for her face, his fist connected with her right arm. The two traded blows back and forth with their fists, neither gaining the advantage until their fists collided, sending them both flipping backward a short distance. Slade performed a backhand spring with the momentum of the strike while his opponent used her heels to grind to a stop. Slade fired Defiance from his hip, but she moved too fast, shifting around each shot with ease. She leapt into a descending kick for his head, forcing him to block with his gauntlet. Slade flipped forward into a kick for her head, one heel after the other, but she managed to avoid it by flipping back away from him, then ducking beneath the barrel of Defiance as it fired. She flipped backward into a kick for his chin, sending him into the air. Firing Defiance, he propelled himself back toward her, kicking for her legs. She flipped horizontally over his leg, but was surprised to find a second kick aimed for her chest following immediately after, using his open hand to balance himself. She blocked with her forearms, then dropped onto her back, kicking the back of his knee, dropping Slade onto his hands as she rolled away from him, then charged back toward him.
This girl is fast, I can barely keep up with her movements... and it's almost like she's anticipating my own. I can hardly lay a hand on her
"She's clearly very talented. You need to focus on the bombs"
Somehow, I doubt she's just going to let me keep planting those
"You don't have to plant all of them. Only one of them needs to be connected for detonation. As long as there's enough firepower in here to destroy it, the resulting explosion should take the whole ship down. Assuming the others do their job"
Slade blocked her shoulder with his hand as she slammed into him. She unleashed a relentless assault of kicks and punches at blinding speed, with Slade only just able to keep ahead of some of her strikes, most of them meeting their marks. Using his Semblance, he passed through her final strike, kicking her knee out and wrapping his arm around her neck from behind. She acrobatically flipped over his arm, escaping his grip and delivering a powerful kick to his chest, with only one gauntlet to block it. He slid back a short distance, firing Defiance in an attempt to ward off her assault. She flipped forward with one heel, deflecting the round and advancing toward him.
"Be careful! She's not letting me go easy on you! My body just reacts to automatically counter any attack" she warned.
"Yeah, I can tell!"
He grunted in pain, her elbow slamming into his abdomen. She leapt into a series of kicks for his chest, only for him to block with his gauntlets. He fired Defiance as she shifted her head out of the way of the barrel, then flipped into a descending kick. She sidestepped his heel, then hooked her own around it, delivering a series of quick jabs to his abdomen, only for her final strike to pass right through him, throwing her off balance. Grabbing her with his open hand, he delivered a powerful kick to her chest, slamming her into the ground. Catching him by his leg, she planted her feet on the ground, then spun him around, releasing him toward the glass tube in the center of the room, sending him flipping through the air, he managed to recover in time to land safely on his feet. His open hand pressed one of the Dust charges in place, then leapt off back toward her, slamming his fist into her face before she could react, knocking her skyward with an uppercut. Flipping into the air, he wrapped his legs around her throat, then flipped back toward the ground several times, releasing her to come crashing down into the ground, cracking the floor beneath her. Slade landed on his feet, rushing over to the turbine, he planted two explosive devices as quickly as he could.
"If you're going to stop me, you can't give up your advantage the moment you have it" she warned, returning to her feet.
"Yeah, sure... could you just stay over there for a minute" he waved her off "I'm kinda busy at the moment"
She charged toward him "Hey! Pay attention! I can't stop myself!"
Slade turned their fists colliding, each of them sliding back a short distance. Slade spun into a kick for her head, which she blocked with her forearm, punching him in the abdomen with her opposite fist. then slammed her fist into his face. Slade twisted with the strike, backhanding her with his fist, though she barely managed to avoid it. She spun into a kick across his face, sending him to the ground, rolling to a stop on his side. He caught sight of her heel coming down onto him fast enough to pass through it, the ground cracking from her strike. He flipped on his hands into a descending kick, striking her across the face. She slammed her fist into him, with him blocking with both gauntlets, sending him flying back through the air. Slade fired Defiance back at her midair, knocking her off her feet, catching herself on her hands. Slade slid to a stop on his heels, rushing toward her with his wrist blades emerging, holstering Defiance. She flipped forward, planting both heels on his chest as he blocked with his gauntlets, then pushing off, flipping back to her feet as he slid a short distance away. He swung for her head, only for her to duck beneath his strike, delivering a powerful strike to his abdomen with her fist. Catching his arm by the wrist and his leg in her opposite hand, she flipped Slade through the air, flipping with him to deliver a powerful kick to his back, sending him flying into the nearby wall.
"You know... you may not be trying to kill me. But your body sure is" he groaned as he got to his feet.
"You need to run, or to get backup. You can't take me on your own" she called, approaching slowly.
"Yeah, I'm getting that impression too"
"She'll kill you if you're not careful, you need to go on the offensive"
Quit backseat driving, I know what I'm doing
"Your Aura level indicates otherwise"
"Still... you are a rather impressive fighter"
"You haven't seen anything yet" his wrist blades receded.
"I hope you have the skill to back up those words, and not just arrogance"
Slade fired his gauntlets, surprising her, forcing her to leap out of the way. Rushing her position as she landed, he leapt into a spinning kick for her face, blocked by her forearm. She caught his heel in one hand, using her opposite one to catch his fist. Twisting he slammed his free leg down onto her head, causing her to release her hold on him. Catching himself on his hands, he spun on them, kicking his opposite heel into her chest, knocking her back a short distance. Returning to his feet, he lunged forward, slamming his fist into her as she blocked with her forearms, sending her sliding back from the power behind his strike. She was now on the defensive, blocking and avoiding each strike, unable to counter with her own from his increased speed and strength, not understanding where his power could've suddenly come from. She dropped back onto her hands, catching his waist between her legs, throwing him over her, trying to get some distance. He fired a cable from his gauntlet, wrapping around her arm, pulling himself back toward her. She managed to block his right fist but not his left, striking her in the face. She blocked a follow up kick, then used both arms to block a quick series of jabs. Slade kicked the her leg out from under her, striking her abdomen with his fist, followed by slamming the handle of Defiance into her, then firing it into her chin, sending her into the air. She flipped back onto her feet, narrowly avoiding a shot from Defiance, the two of them trading kicks and punches back and forth with neither of them gaining the advantage. Suddenly taking the offensive, she flipped horizontally over his kick, sweeping his remaining leg out from under him as she landed, then dropping her elbow into his chest, slamming him into the ground, breaking his Aura with a cry of pain.
She rose to her feet "You tricked me. You genuinely tricked me. You stuck to a pattern of predictable attacks, only to throw me off by breaking it" she gave a short laugh "I'm impressed"
"And I'm in pain..." he deadpanned.
"Sorry... I wish we could've met in life. It'd have been an honor to truly fight you myself instead of... this"
"Does that... mean you're... not... gonna kill me?" he asked.
"I wouldn't get your hopes up" she lifted him by his coat with both hands "I'm sorry..."
"Don't be... it's Salem. Not you"
She nodded "Thank you, you're too kind. May I at least know your name?"
"Slade... Stroud"
"Stroud? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, given your skills"
"Don't I get to... know your name?"
"Of course. My name is-" the door inside suddenly flew off its frame, careening right toward them.
Slade looped his leg around hers, sweeping them out from under her as he dropped onto his hands, kicking her in the chin, the door slammed into her, narrowly missing him as he ducked beneath it. The door and his opponent were both thrown over the turbine, descending down into the pit beneath them. Slade dropped onto his back, struggling to catch his breath. Yang rushed in, her hair ablaze with her Semblance activated.
"Slade!" she slid on her knees to his side "Are you alright?!"
He smiled "Has anyone... ever told you... you have... perfect timing?" he panted out.
She couldn't help the small smile on her face "Not to my face. Why? Have you heard anything?"
"I might... have"
She helped him to his feet "What happened? I was getting worried. The Grimm stopped coming, and you weren't back yet-" she rambled a mile a minute.
"Hey" he gently caressed her face "I'm okay. We'll talk... about it later"
She nodded "Right, we need to get off this thing. Did you plant the bombs?" she asked as she carried him to the door.
"Enough of them" an explosion tore through the ship, stumbling them, the Grimm roaring in agony.
"What was that?" Yang asked.
"Whatever it was, this thing did not like it one bit. We need to hurry"
Salem stood before the large glass windshield of the ships bridge, her searing crimson eyes gazing out at the vast battle unfolding before her eyes. The light of Remnant's shattered moon reflected in her eyes. She heard the door open, even without turning around she knew it was him, she couldn't mistake him anywhere even if she'd wanted to. He made no move to strike against her, and she made no move to attack him.
"Ozma..." she drew out his name "You've finally come. I've been expecting you" she turned toward him "Or perhaps I am speaking to your cage. Oscar, was it?"
He nodded "It's just me"
Oscar, be careful. She won't hesitate to kill you, and she's fast Ozpin warned.
I know, I'll be careful. I promise
"You're much smaller than I thought you'd be. I'm surprised Tyrian's poison didn't kill you while you were isolated from Atlas. Had I known then what I do now, we wouldn't be in this predicament, would we?"
"I'm sorry if this reunion isn't living up to your expectations"
"You certainly do talk like him" Salem smiled "No, no, I might even prefer it this way. After all, I already know what he wants. I trust you've come to stop me from destroying Mantle"
"I have... but I'm hoping it doesn't have to come to a fight. I'd rather just speak to you, if that's alright"
"Speak? You wish to speak?" she asked in surprise "Ozma doesn't seek dialogue with me, certainly not now, he only pulls strings from behind the scenes, makes decisions for you behind your back, like he always has" she hissed.
"Maybe you're right... but I know we can still talk this out"
Oscar, you can't reason with her
Salem's smile widened slightly "You seek to dissuade me from my chosen course? Bold of you, boy. Unwise, but bold" she wore an amused smile "Very well, out with it"
"You blame Oz for betraying you, but you were the one who wanted to exterminate humanity"
"To replace them with something greater, pure and worthy of Remnant's wonders"
"And you think that's fair to them? To us?"
"Fair?! I'll tell you what's not fair! Spending your youth confined in a single room, able to watch everyone else live out their adventures and their happy endings without you! Only to finally taste that freedom, that love, that rapturous life you sought, only to have it filched from your grasp by the Gods themselves! And for what? Balance? The natural order? You tell me how being trapped for eternity fits into their natural order?!"
Oscar offered her a sympathetic look "I know the truth about your past, his past, what both of you did. For the first time since you were cursed, someone who truly knows what you've both been through exists"
Her smile faltered "You know what we've done?" she asked.
Oscar! he tried more insistently.
"What was done to you, and what you did thereafter. You lost the only two men you'd ever loved, and were alone. Anyone would seek a higher power-"
She scoffed "Spare me. Like minded souls, indeed" her tone wasn't bitter or angry, just tired.
"Salem, what happened to your da-"
"DON'T!" she snarled "Don't speak of them"
Oscar! Listen to me! he begged.
Oscar took a deep breath "Very well..." he placed the Long Memory in front of him, putting his weight on it, as Ozpin once did "Even still, it wasn't his fault"
"That is easy for you to say! Adjudge me whatever sobriquet you deem appropriate. It won't change anything, in the end, I will get the Relics and I will have the peace I crave!"
"If you desire peace, why not help humanity. Why choose to destroy them?"
"I desire the peace of the grave, not the calm between brewing storms"
"No, you and I were the same"
"The... same?" Salem asked surprised.
"You were trapped in that tower by your father, you wanted nothing more than to find your own life to live, your own adventures... just like those in the fairytales you read. I was the same... back on my aunt's farm, all I wanted was to leave, to be more than just a farmhand... just like the heroes in the fairytales I'd read..."
"That's all they ever were... fairytales. I was childish, naïve. That girl died with Ozma..."
"Just because you look different now doesn't change who you are at your core. Deep down, I know you still want freedom, to be free of the chains binding you to your regrets, your mistakes"
"Freedom... there's no meaning in that word for me anymore"
"You wanted to be one of the heroes in your stories, but look at yourself! You've let yourself become the villain of everyone else's!" Salem let out a soft laugh, then it got louder, deeper, she put her hand to her stomach as she laughed, unable to contain it.
Oscar, she's not the same woman Jinn showed you. She's changed, she doesn't care about other people anymore. All she cares about is ending her life, no matter what it takes
I don't believe that
Oscar... please... listen to me
"Heroes and villains..." Salem spoke, her laughter having come to an abrupt halt "How can one judge good and evil? All acts have their vindications, all blunders, their justifications, and all beings blunder. Villains and heroes aren't dissimilar, it's all a matter of interpretation. Condemnation and conjecture. You cannot conceptualize how parallel you'd be, if you'd been born instead of them"
"You don't know me" Oscar denied.
"Don't I? You see integrity and honor in people where only wickedness exists. It's nothing but reverie. Only pain, suffering and emptiness exist in this world. Wherever there is light, there are shadows lurking not far behind. Hatred is born from the loss of love. As long as success is possible, so too is failure, and that leads to pain. Greatness inspires envy, envy gives form to hatred, and hatred leads to war. These ripple and spiral outward until the world is consumed completely by it. I can create a world without hate, without war, without contrast and contradiction"
"By killing millions of innocent people-"
"Innocent? Their hands are not free of guilt or consequence. Humans have enslaved each other since they believed there were Gods to forgive them for doing it! Only look to the Faunus, they were slaves for centuries-"
"But they aren't anymore! Humanity can change!"
She scoffed "Humans are underdeveloped, completely convinced of their own superiority as they live their short, fruitless lives"
"You would destroy the world!"
"The world took everything away from me! Everything I ever loved!"
"So that gives you the right to force your cruelty on everyone else?!"
"Their lives are cruel, pitiless, callous, spiteful... why should their deaths be anything but? Think of the person you love most in your life, now think about how your life would be without them. Worse, think about how your life would be if the person you loved most hated you"
"I... I..."
Oh, Salem...
"Hatred and love... they're so close it's easy to mistake one for the other. Some are slaves to love, others to hate. In the end, we're all bound to something. I, to eternity, you, to your convictions, others to their wealth, or lack thereof, their birth as human or Faunus, man or woman. All I sought was a people not divided by their petty differences. One without Gods to force their way on the rest of us"
"By removing anyone who disagrees with you? You say the Gods forced their way, but how are you any different? What kind of world is that?!"
"Enough words, boy. Your attempt at dissuasion is futile" she snapped.
"No, I don't believe that. I think there is someone beneath all that pain, all that loss. Someone who desperately wants someone else to understand you"
"You're a halfwit if you truly believe that"
Oscar shook his head "You can't lie to me, Salem. My Semblance allows me to feel what others around me can. I know I am right"
Her gaze darkened "Do you?"
She moved faster than he could react, lifting him off the ground by his face with immense strength, her face wrinkled with a furious glare. His skin felt like it was on fire, like he was burning from the inside out. The searing pain spread throughout his entire being, even his Aura seemed to react to it, withering at the sensation. But the pain he felt was nothing behind the emptiness he felt, an emptiness so great he couldn't form words to explain how deep it went. He felt all the hatred she felt toward Ozpin, all the sadness she pushed to the back of her mind, the overwhelming grief plaguing her very soul. More than anything, he felt an incredible sense of guilt, guilt and love. Despite all the rage she felt, all the hatred. Behind it all, there was an incredibly deep love, a love like he'd never felt before.
Ozpin was shocked All this time... Salem... you've always felt...
"You see now, don't you, boy? You understand now... so you can forgive me for what I will do to you and your friends-"
Salem went silent, the burning pain within her had vanished. Before she could even begin to question it, she was overwhelmed with emotion, the guilt she felt coming to the surface, as well as something more, something she had forced down for so long. Love, she felt it again, like she'd been sent back a millennia to the day she fell for Ozma. More than that, she felt the inexplicable love she'd experienced the day she'd first set eyes on their daughters. Black tears formed in her eyes, cascading down her cheeks. But there was something else, something she hadn't felt in a very long time, not since she first killed Ozma... hope.
"No, no! Stop!" she dropped him "W-what did you do to me?" she demanded, looking down to her hands with fear.
"Nothing, I... I showed you what Ozpin feels. I..." he stepped forward.
"Don't touch me!" she recoiled from his touch.
He backed off, his hands up in surrender "I'm sorry! I didn't mean..." he let the sentence hang, realizing he was apologizing to the woman who attacked him first.
Oscar... let me speak with her...
But you said-
please... Oscar... I need her to know...
"Okay..." he whispered, his eyes glistening as Ozpin took hold.
Salem's hands closed into fists "Ozma..." black smoke began to radiate from her skin.
"Salem..." tears formed in his eyes.
"Finally, you slink out from the pit you hide in"
"I'm sorry... I am so sorry... I didn't know... I thought I did, but I could never have imagined..."
"Quite sobering, isn't it?"
"Salem... I never wanted to hurt you. But I couldn't just sit by and watch you destroy everyone else. I couldn't be what you wanted"
"Then why couldn't you have just told me?! Why couldn't you have been honest? You agreed with me! You lied! We were supposed to face the world together! Not split at the first sign of trouble! It's all I ever wanted from you! I fought the Gods for you!"
"I saw what you'd become"
"What I'd become? I hid in a cottage for centuries! You were the one who sought me out! Not the contrary!"
"I was afraid! I couldn't stand by and watch you exterminate them. I couldn't help you-"
"I didn't need help! I needed you!"
"What happened to you wasn't my fault!"
"Not your fault?! I fought by your side, I loved you like I never loved anything in my life. Our daughters were everything to me... and you... betrayed me... you tried to take them away from me! That is why I will destroy everything that you create! I have experience, patience... and all the time in the world"
"I won't let you destroy this world"
"Why not? You destroyed mine! You lie, kill, manipulate, all for the greater good, or because it was a lapse in judgement. When I do it, I'm a monster"
"We're both monsters, Salem... but we made our choices, give them the chance to make their own"
"Choice? I never had a choice!" she shouted.
"You chose to run away, same as I did... but you're trying to drag everyone else along with you, and you don't even know that it will work. You still have the choice to be better... I know you're better than this. The woman I fell in love with would never-"
"That woman is gone..." she hissed, the glass behind her cracking, the metal console nearby groaning "I'm not running, not like you are. I'm doing what has to be done, I'm putting an end to war, to pain, to hatred. None of it will exist at all, I want to leave this world... to see our girls again"
The windshield shattered, the metal fragmenting into a wall of shrapnel "Salem..."
"Nothing else matters to me... not anymore. But I admit... I will enjoy making this death even slower than the last"
The metal and glass flung toward him with a flick of her wrist. Ozpin slammed his cane into the ground, a green shield surrounding him, turning each shard of glass to grains of sand, and melting the metal down to nothing. Salem unleashed a powerful burst of violet flames from her hands, only for Ozpin to split it down the middle with his own magic from the tip of his cane. The flames coalesced into a large ball of flames in front of him, unfurling outward toward her with incredible speed. Water burst forth from Salem's hands, extinguishing the flames, surrounding the two of them in a thick cloud of steam, barely able to see each other.
"I cannot allow you to claim the Relics" he declared with his cane held en garde.
"And I cannot allow you to steal my victory, not now. I've sacrificed too much to be stopped by your latest meat puppet"
"Sacrifice? Is that what you call what you did to Beacon? To Haven? That-"
"Would not have been necessary if you hadn't sealed the Relics in the vaults beneath them. You could've kept them somewhere secluded, but you chose to place them in academies, in populated cities, not me!"
From Salem's hands tendrils of darkness lurched toward him, each forming the head of humanoid Grimm, similar to the apathy but with wolf-like fangs. Ozpin smacked one away with his cane, then destroyed the other with a bolt of green energy. For each one he destroyed, it split in two, forming additional heads. Bringing his hands together, he abruptly thrust his hands outward, destroying them all in a burst of magical energy. Salem grinned, forming a black orb of lightning in her hand. Before she could use it, she suddenly fell to one knee, crying out in pain. Looking to her right, she saw a frightened looking Neo with her blade embedded in her.
"You... traitor" Salem grabbed her by the throat, but she shattered in her grasp "Conniving little..."
Ozpin moved at blinding speed, striking her with a devastatingly fast series of blows to her chest, with a final strike throwing her out the shattered windshield onto the exterior of the Grimm. With a flick of her wrist, she pulled Ozpin along after her, both of them soaring through the air until they came crashing to the ground. Salem spun unnaturally on her hand, her body slithering behind her like a serpent, while Ozpin caught himself on the Long Memory, spinning around to land on his feet, standing opposite each other. Salem unleashed a beam of red magical energy while Ozpin matched her with his own, green in color. The beams collided midair, bolts of lightning, both black and white, split off, striking all around them. Off to their left, a massive explosion tore through the ship, causing the Grimm to roar in anguish. The two stumbled, momentarily losing their balance, the beams of energy ceasing. They looked to the source of the explosion, the engine compartment plummeting to the earth below, the second wing lost in the explosion. The only thing keeping the ship aloft now was the second engine, and that wouldn't be able to maintain that for long. It only had so much Gravity Dust within it after all...
Ozpin straightened his coat "You're finished, Salem... and this monstrosity isn't far behind"
"ENOUGH!"
Thrusting both hands forward, a black cloud burst forth, tendrils forming as the struck for Ozpin. He thrust the tip of the Long Memory onto the ground, forming a barrier of green magical energy around himself. The darkness crashed into it, thrashing against it. The tendrils pulled back, surging forth with renewed strength, forcing Ozpin to his knee, desperately tying to keep the barrier intact. Salem thrust her arms out abruptly with a scream of rage that shook the entire ship, unleashing an invisible wall of energy in every direction. Ozpin was thrown onto his back, the barrier shattering like glass from the strength of the blast. Not far from them, Weiss turned to the battle between Salem and Ozpin, unware that he was the one in control at the present moment.
"Oscar!" she called with concern, preparing to intervene.
"Weiss, behind you!" Penny called, wrestling with a winged Beringel.
She turned just in time to see the Wyvern prepare to stomp her into the ground. Quickly cycling through the Dust in her blade, she settled on Fire Dust, swinging upward as its heel came down upon her. The flames arced from her blade, slicing the Wyvern, causing it to roar in pain. Its barbed tail thrust into the ground, forcing Weiss to narrowly avoid it with a backhand spring. Using her Semblance, she encased the tail in ice, a white Glyph forming beneath it. With it trapped in place, the Wyvern attempted to crush her between its jaws, only for Weiss to leap out of the way with the aid of her Glyph. Weiss came to a stop midair, her heels planting onto a vertical Glyph, before flipping forward onto a horizontal Glyph. Salem formed a violet ball of flames in her hand, launching it toward Ozpin, only for it to dissipate on contact with the spinning parasol protecting him. Neo stood defiantly between them, though she could still see the fear in her eyes. Salem scoffed, extending her hand out to her, lifting Neo from the ground. She hovered in the air, hand reaching for her throat, silently suffocating in Salem's grasp. Salem was struck by a bolt of green magical energy, crying out in pain, releasing her hold on Neo. The two of them dropped onto their knees, one hyperventilating from the pain, the other struggling to catch her breath. Salem glared at Ozpin, who rose to his full height, offering his hand to Neo. Salem growled, getting back to her feet, black lightning coursing through her body. However, before she could strike, the very skin of the Grimm they stood upon began turning to stone.
"No..." Salem growled "Damn you, Ruby Rose"
Maria leapt atop the Wyverns head, striking the back of it with her sickle, while Penny attacked the base of its tail with a spinning wheel of blades. Dozens of Glyphs appeared on each side of the Wyvern, allowing Maria, Penny, and Weiss to attack the creature from all sides at blinding speed. The ice restraining its tail shattered, with the Grimm spinning around, it knocked the three of them from the air, throwing them down to the ground. It charged the group before they could recover, attempting to crush them beneath its heel. Suddenly, its foot was severed at the ankle, causing it to roar in pain. Standing between the Wyvern and its lost appendage was Jaune Arc, with Crocea Mors in its two-handed form.
"Are you guys okay?" he asked concerned, turning his attention to them.
Weiss picked herself up with her blade "Much better now, thanks to you" she replied.
He blushed with embarrassment "That's, yeah... good. Glad I could help" he muttered quickly.
Blake, Nora, and Ren joined them shortly afterward "I take it that explosion was your doing?" Weiss asked "I thought you were supposed to wait until after we got off this thing"
"It... wasn't exactly us" Blake answered.
"Excuse me? Then who-"
"Save it. Oscar and Neo are going to need help with Salem" Maria pointed out.
"Wyvern first. It won't help anyone if that thing kills us while we're fighting her" Ren pointed out.
"Not to mention it will just keep making more Grimm the longer it sticks around" Blake added.
"I want first crack!" Nora shouted as she sprinted toward the weakened Grimm.
Nora smashed Magnhild into its face from the left, then spun her hammer around, slamming it into the top of its head, pinning it to the ground. Penny sent a wheel of blades spinning toward it, striking the right side of its skull as the others moved into position around it. Nora lifted Magnhild, spinning it into an upward strike, then flipping back through the air, shifting it into grenade launcher form, she fired into its face several times, blinding it with the pink clouds left behind. Blake threw Gambol Shroud to Ren, using the ribbon between them to restrain its tail. Maria threw her sickle, slicing through the tail of the Wyvern, severing the barbed end from the rest of it before catching the sickle in her hand once more. Weiss formed four Glyphs surrounding it, striking the Grimm at blinding speed. The Wyvern roared, swinging its tail toward Nora, throwing her back, rolling on her side into the landing. Ren sliced StormFlower across its face, angering it further as it tried to bite him in retaliation. Ren moved out of the way, slicing his blades twice more before flipping out of the way of its mouth. In a combined strike from both sides, Maria and Jaune sliced through its remaining leg, with Nora slamming Magnhild into the base of Crocea Mors and Weiss increasing the speed of Maria's strike with her Glyphs. As it roared in agony, Blake performed a crescent slash, sending a wave of her own Aura to strike the head of the Wyvern as it collapsed onto its stomach. Weiss formed a large Glyph beneath her, pressing the tip of her blade to the ground, a wave of ice formed rapidly between her and the Wyvern, freezing the beast within a large mass of ice. Penny slammed into the Wyvern from above, shattering the ice and the Wyvern along with it, killing the large Grimm with that final strike.
"Nicely done, kids!" Maria called, fighting off the remaining Grimm spawned from the Wyvern "You go on now, help Oscar!"
"But the Grimm" Ren argued.
"I may be old, but they didn't call me the Grimm Reaper for nothing! I've got this! You handle her!"
"She's right, Oscar and Neo can't manage Salem alone" Weiss agreed.
"We still need a way off this thing" Jaune added.
"Pft! No we don't!" Nora waved him off dismissively "Winter and Weiss just summon up those flying Grimm and we leave. Simple!"
"Whatever we do, let's make sure we handle her first"
Ozpin landed on his back, bolts of purple lightning from Salem's finger tips coursed through him, causing him to writhe on the ground in pain. Neo swung the blade of Hush for Salem from behind, only for a blackened blade to sprout from Salem's palm, blocking the strike from over her shoulder. Spinning toward Neo, the blade struck her across the face, damaging her Aura. Neo leapt up, tucking her legs in and slamming them into Salem's chest, sending her back several feet. Salem spread out her arms, hovering in place, gently landing on the ground. The blade fully emerged from her palm, dropping slightly before Salem caught it in her hand, directing it at Neo. Twisting just in time to use her open hand to block a grenade fired from Nora, her face was covered in a cloud pink Dust. The ribbon of Gambol Shroud wrapped around her, restraining her arms to her chest. Before she could react, Ren fired StormFlower, striking her in the back. She growled in annoyance, watching Jaune moving to Ozpin's side, helping him to his feet. Her unarmed hand bent and twisted unnaturally, the snapping of her bones piercing their ears. Pushing the ribbon off her enough to move, she sliced through it, causing Blake to fall onto her rear. Penny soared toward her, preparing to strike. Salem caught her fist in her hand, slamming her knee into Penny's face, then twisting into a kick across her face, sending her flying into the air. Salem's arm snapped violently back into place, just as Weiss used Wind Dust, pushing Salem back, sliding on her heels. Slicing her blade through the air, an arc of violet flames soared toward her, forcing her to defend herself with a Glyph. As the Glyph burned away, Salem rushed her, catching her by the wrist of her armed hand, twisting it until she dropped her blade. Embedding her own blade into the ground, she unleashed a bolt of magical energy toward Blake, only for Neo to block its path with her parasol, sending her back into Blake, knocking them both to the ground. Nora slammed Magnhild into Salem's back, causing her spine to arc around her hammer. Her open hand reached back, catching Nora by her throat, lifting her into the air. Salem's spine snapped back into place as she straightened out, glaring over at Ozpin. She twisted violently, throwing Nora toward him, only for Jaune to catch her, sliding to a stop. Salem slammed her heel into the back of Weiss' knee, dropping her onto her knees, a Glyph appeared beneath her, with Shadow Hands reaching up to trap her. With a wave of her hands, the others were all trapped as well, pulling them to the ground.
Salem exhaled before speaking "Ozma... relying on mere fledglings to save you. Look how weak you've become" her tone was melancholic.
We have to stop her, Oz!
I know
Isn't there anything you can do?
No one person can defeat Salem, no matter how powerful they are... not even me
Then what do we do?
The only way any of us leave... is if one of us doesn't...
"The price of reincarnation" Ozpin replied to Salem as her Shadow Hands raised him from the ground.
"You were a fool to distribute your power to the Maidens. What did they afford you? Half a century of peace? Two decades it took me to turn the power of the Maidens against you, and only a decade more to find a suitable host for them. Your power fades with each and every battle between us"
"Even one hour would've been worth the effort"
"Such a waste... is it pride or shame that compels you? Knowing that all that awaits those who follow you is a slow, cold, brutal death? Their lives spent in vain for your lies"
"I... I..." Ozpin looked away.
"You have suffered for so long. We both have" she gently pulled his head back to look at her with her index finger "I can take the burden from your shoulders... and all of this can be over"
"Don't listen to her!" Jaune cried out "Too many people have died trying to stop her! Pyrrha died for-mph! he was cut off by a Shadow Hand covering his face.
Salem glared, turning her attention to the boy "That was unwise" she approached, forming a black ball of magical energy in her hand.
"No! Leave him be! It's me you want!" Ozpin cried desperately.
Ozpin was slammed into the ground, his mouth covered now as he struggled against the hands binding him "Oscar!" Blake called with concern.
"Stay away from him, or I swear I'll-!" Nora began, only to be silenced by a Shadow Hand.
"Stop! Don't do this!" Weiss called, only for her mouth to be covered as well, followed quickly by the others.
Jaune was lifted from his place on the ground, forcing him to his knees, spreading his arms out to his sides as she approached. Salem glared down at him, she held the orb in her hand out, inches from his face, energy crackling across his skin, closing his eyes in fear of what came next. They all looked on in horror, helpless to stop her from whatever she planned to do next. Instead of attacking him, she tilted her head curiously at him, her gaze narrowing. The orb suddenly expanded, her hand pulling back slightly, preparing to strike. Suddenly, she was thrown through the air by a powerful strike to her face, sending her flying, hovering over the group with an annoyed glare, Penny glaring up at her, her blades in formation behind her.
"Penny..." Salem held out her hand, Penny suddenly crashed to the ground, landing on her side, her blades following behind "Ironwood's little toy"
Penny forced herself onto her knees "I won't... let you... hurt them..." she replied, resisting Salem's power.
"You, are powerless to stop me" she exerted more force on her, dropping her onto her chest "You're nothing, less than nothing, you're just a tool, a weapon created to fight in the place of another" her body now restrained by double the Shadow Hands as the others.
"You do not know what you are talking about" her mouth was covered now, silencing her.
"I have come too far to be stopped by a toy, by children"
Her blade emerged from the ground beside Weiss, soaring through the air. Catching it in her hand, she twisted just in time to block a strike from Maria. Using her open hand, she grabbed Maria, slamming her into the ground. Salem spun the blade expertly, directing it down toward Maria, eyes aglow with rage.
"Very well, if you wish to be the first to perish, so be it"
Just before she struck, she felt static energy all around her, her hair standing on end. Throughout her body, she felt a tingling sensation, particularly in her arms and legs. She stopped, her blade mere inches from Maria's torso, her neck craned to lock eyes with Ozpin. However, Ozpin was not bound by the Shadow Hands as the others were, he stood with a dark cloud forming over his head, with green electrical currents forming around the Long Memory. Looking to the Ozpin that remained trapped, she launched her blade at him, shattering into glass fragments on impact. She directed a glare toward Neo for but a second before turning her attention to Ozpin. Releasing her hold on Maria, a Glyph appeared beneath her, Shadow Hands restraining her before she could move. Salem moved with incredible speed, stopping suddenly only a few feet away. Looking to the ground, she spotted a black Glyph trapping her in place. Before she could react, the scythe blade of Harbinger sliced through her midsection, sending her torso spinning into the air. The Grimm liquid within her stretched from her abdomen to her waist, attempting to pull her back together. She was enveloped in a flash of white light, screaming in anguish as the liquid connecting her body together burned away. The Shadow Hands restricting the others disintegrated, freeing them from her grasp. Before she could recover, a massive bolt of green magical energy struck her upper body, causing her to scream in agony once more as she crashed into the ground, sliding to a stop.
"Ruby!"
"Winter!" the group called in unison, relieved to see them.
Qrow spun Harbinger expertly, resting it onto his shoulder "Hey? What am I? Chopped liver?" he asked incredulously.
"Ah, you get used to it" Maria called, dusting herself off.
Ozpin dropped onto his knees "Oscar!" Ruby dashed over to him, sliding to a stop on her knees "Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah..." he forced out.
"That was one heck of an attack, Oscar!" Nora called as she rushed to his side.
"Affirmative" Penny agreed.
"Thanks to Neo tricking Salem into thinking she had him trapped" Ren offered, receiving a grateful smile from her.
"No... it wasn't me... it was Oz..." Oscar replied.
"He used up too much energy again, didn't he?" Blake asked.
Oscar nodded "He said... he said we can't stop Salem alone..." he forced himself up on his cane "If any of us has any chance of... escaping this ship, we..."
"We need to work together" Ruby finished with a nod.
"We always do" Weiss agreed.
"Do you have a plan?" Winter asked.
"Not exactly... Oz said we need to-woah!" Oscar was flung into the air suddenly, sent flying toward the edge of the ship.
Salem was propped up on one hand, two fingers on her opposite hand were directed to her right, her lower body took form from the Grimm liquid, slowly materializing, allowing her to stand to her full height. With a flourish of her hands, several bolts of magical energy were launched toward the group. Jaune used his Semblance to enhance Winter and Weiss simultaneously, as they used their own to create defensive Glyphs in front of them, blocking each bolt as they struck. Penny soared after Oscar, hoping to catch him before he went overboard. As soon as she left the safety of the Glyphs, she was struck by an arc of violet flames, sending her over the side as well. Pressing her hands together, Salem formed a boulder between them, expanding in size as it moved to hover in front of her. She launched it toward the group, with Nora leaping toward it, slamming Magnhild into it with as much strength as she could muster, cracking it upon impact. The boulder was sent spiraling back toward Salem, who split it down the middle with an arc of flames from her hands. Behind the splitting rock was Qrow, primed to strike with his scythe. Salem flipped over harbinger, hovering in the air above Qrow, she struck him with a bolt of magical energy, sending him flying backward. She soared forward to attack the group, but was pulled back by Winter's Glyph behind her. Turning toward the Glyph, she destroyed it with a bolt of black lightning from her hand. Ruby charged toward her at incredible speed, with the aid of a Glyph from Weiss, propelling her forward. Two tendrils of darkness formed behind Salem, each extending outward toward her. Ruby fired Crescent Rose to avoid one as it crashed to the ground, then used her Semblance to avoid the other, splitting in two before uniting around the opposite side of it. As she reformed, a third slammed into her chest, sending her flying backward. Ren and Jaune caught her, sliding to a stop a few inches back. Salem moved at alarming speed, arriving in front of them before anyone could react. Before she could attack, she was thrown aside by a powerful strike to her right side, knocking her off her feet, a streak of blonde hair the only thing she saw of her attacker.
"Yang!" Ruby called after her.
"Be ready to back her up!" Slade called as he moved into position with the rest of the group.
Salem rolled onto her side, before being kicked in the face, knocking her back to her feet. Dazed from the strike, she was unable to stop Yang's assault. Left, right, up, down, she struck with speed and ferocity, Grimm fluid splattering on the ground around them with every strike. In a fit of rage, Salem countered her next strike with one of her own, stumbling Yang. Spinning into a kick for her face, she knocked Yang back through the air, with Qrow catching her, knocking them both to the ground. Rushing after her, Salem suddenly stopped, raising her hands defensively just in time to defend herself from green laser, absorbing the energy with her palm. Before she could react, Penny slammed into her from above, knocking her onto her back painfully. Acting quickly, Neo rushed her, planting her hands on her shoulders as she rose, Neo spun over her head, planting her heels onto the back of her knees and hooking the handle of Hush around her neck. Weiss and Winter formed black Glyphs beneath her, rooting her to the ground. Jaune severed her right arm with his blade while Blake did the same to her left, causing her to cry out in pain. Slade fired a cable from his gauntlet, wrapping around her from her shoulders down, restricting what was left of her arms from moving. She was enveloped in a flash of white light, eliciting a scream of agony from her once more.
"Penny, where's Oscar?" Ruby asked concerned.
"He's-ah!" in a sudden scream of rage, violet flames exploded outward from Salem, knocking them all aside.
Salem returned to her feet, growling as her arms reformed from Grimm liquid "Enough!" she bellowed "I have entertained your delusions of victory long enough! I tried to be reasonable, to offer you mercy. Yet you splat in my face"
Ruby's eyes glistened "You won't win, not with us here to stop you"
"Slade, you have to do something!"
I know! I know! Let me think!
"A problem with only one solution. All of you must die" a red cloud of energy formed overhead, crackling with black lightning.
Slade placed his own wrist blade to his throat "I wouldn't, if I were you"
"Slade!" Yang called in shock.
"What the hell are you doing, kid?" Qrow asked.
Salem glared "What makes you think I care if you die? The power of the Maidens will reincarnate into another, as they always have"
"Ah, but that's only ever happened while they were still melded with the same soul of the wielder. I have the power of three Maidens within me, and only one of them remains with its original wielder. Who knows what could happen if I were to die today"
"Who indeed?" Salem grinned "Do you really expect me to believe you would kill yourself just to stop me from killing them today?"
"You tore the world apart to try and get Oz back. Tell me, do you really think there is anything I wouldn't do if it meant protecting her?" he gestured to Yang.
"That's..." Salem wanted to refute his claim, but she couldn't, because she herself understood exactly what he felt.
"Are you really willing to take the chance of losing your chance at the Relics forever?"
She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came. Her nostrils flared in anger, she wanted to simply use her powers to restrain him, keep him from carrying out his threat, but she couldn't, the others wouldn't allow her to do as she pleased easily. Even if she restrained them with Shadow Hands, Ruby would just destroy them again with her damned eyes. She worked through possible strategies in silence for a moment, but her train of thought was broken when pain ripped through her body, an explosion tearing through the air, burning her away. They all stared in surprise, unsure of what had happened. Gazing back at the source of the explosion, the saw a Manta hovering just over the edge of the ship, with Oscar on one knee, a rocket launcher over his shoulder.
"Got her!" he shouted with excitement.
"Good work, Pine! I'm setting her down! Get everyone aboard, now!" Ironwood called from the cockpit.
"James?" Slade asked in surprise.
"What the hell is he doing here?" Winter asked, shocked he would leave the Relics behind.
"Who cares?! He might've just saved our skins!" Qrow called.
"Alright, everybody get onboard! Now!" Jaune called, pointing to the ship as it landed.
"You heard him, let's go!" Ruby reinforced from the opposite side of him, both team leaders waving their teammates on.
Teams RWBY and JNPR rushed aboard, with Qrow and Winter not far behind. Neo scooped up Maria, much to her protest and rushed to the ship with Penny soaring inside ahead of her. Slade followed, but stopped at the door, looking back to see the silhouette of Salem forming coalescing from a cloud of black smoke.
"Slade... you know what you have to do..."
Yeah... I know
"Slade! We've gotta go!" Yang called.
"We'll never get away with her on our tail..."
"Slade, we're not going to just leave you behind" Ruby argued.
"We don't have time to debate this. The only way anyone gets away, is if Salem isn't following behind us"
"But why does it have to be you?!" Yang cried "You don't have to do everything on your own!"
"I won't be alone... Elise will watch my back" he smiled.
"Slade..." tears began to form in her eyes.
"Someone has to stay behind... and I'm the only one left who can use magic"
"If you're staying, then so am I!" Yang declared.
"Yang-"
"No! There's no argument here! We're supposed to do this together!"
"I-"
Slade slumped unconscious from a strike to the back of his head. He was roughly pulled inside, a single pair of boots dropping out of the Manta to replace his.
"Winter, get them back to Mantle, now. Make sure those bombs detonate as soon as your at a safe distance" Ironwood ordered.
"James! What're you doing?!" Qrow demanded.
"You'll be killed if you go alone!" Weiss added.
Oscar frowned "The only way any of us leaves... is if one of us doesn't" he quoted.
"What?" Winter asked.
"It's something Oz said to me during my fight with Salem"
"He's exactly right, which is why you're leaving. All of you" Ironwood demanded, removing his black pistol from his holster.
"General, you can't! Atlas needs you! I need you!" Winter begged.
"And I am serving our kingdom the way it needs me to" he smiled back at her "It's your turn to lead them now, General Schnee"
"I..." tears formed in her eyes "General I..."
"I'm not a General anymore, Winter... that's your job now. Mine is to make sure my team gets back safe"
"I don't know if I can, Sir..."
"I do" he nodded to her "I believe in you"
Qrow sighed "Maria... take the wheel please"
"No, you can't..." Winter protested weakly.
"I can... I will... Winter, I need to do this" he replied with determination "Penny, he called, turning his attention to her.
"Sir?"
"Take care of Winter for me"
She smiled "Affirmative"
"General, she's coming back" Blake warned.
Ironwood turned his head to see Salem's body taking shape once more "I wish I had more time... you should have enough fuel to reach Mantle if you coast, Ms. Calavera" he turned back to look at the group "I know you'll succeed where I failed... watch out for each other, all of you"
Ruby nodded, fighting back her own tears "We'll make you proud, Sir"
"You already have. Oscar"
"Sir?"
"Tell Oz... I'm sorry" he closed the Manta door, turning his attention to Salem.
The Manta rose into the air, turning back toward Mantle. Winter dropped to her knees, letting the tears fall freely now. Qrow and Weiss were on each side of her, comforting her the best they could. Ruby moved to Oscar's side, pulling him into a one armed hug. Blake placed a comforting hand on Penny's shoulder, earning a smile back from the ginger-haired girl. Jaune, Ren, and Nora held each others hands, remembering the loss of Pyrrha as they watched Ironwood face his fate fearlessly. Salem fully reformed before him, cracking her neck as she took in her opponent with an amused smile. Neo joined Yang on the ground beside Slade, who stirred with the movement of the ship. He groaned, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head.
"Ow... anybody get the license plate for whatever hit me?" he asked.
"Slade..." Yang took his hand in hers "I'm sorry..."
"What for? What's..." he looked around "Wait... where's James?"
"He... stayed behind"
His eyes widened "No... we have to go back!" he got to his feet.
"Slade, this is what he wants" Qrow argued, stopping him.
"But he... he's supposed to lead us... he's... he's our friend, we can't just leave him" he argued.
"It's the exact reason we have to leave" Jaune replied "Trust me, I know how this feels..."
"I... but he... I can't..."
"Slade..." Yang pulled him into an embrace, doing her best to comfort him.
"Yang... I don't know what to do..."
"I know... I know..."
"Slade, you still got that detonator on you?" Weiss asked.
He separated from Yang "Yeah, I..." he searched for it in his coat "I, uh... I... could've sworn..."
Salem laughed "James Ironwood, always playing the hero" she mocked.
"I always knew we'd face each other one day... I just never quite imagined it'd be like this" he folded his unarmed hand behind his back, detonator in hand.
She smirked "I'll grant you one thing, you're brave, much braver than Leonardo was"
"Coward though he may have been, he was still a good man. One twisted by his fear... something I understand all too well"
"Ah, brave, but not foolish. There's a refreshing change" she held her hand out toward the Manta, stopping it in its tracks "Not that it matters in the end"
Ironwood glanced to the Manta, just out of reach of the ship he stood upon "Maybe not... but if I can protect them... then it will be enough" he aimed his pistol behind him "I would sacrifice anything to protect them, my people, my friends, my home"
"You believe you can accomplish anything against me? You know I cannot be killed, and I am far more powerful than the likes of Cinder"
"Good... that means I won't have to hold back" he pressed his thumb down on the detonator.
She scoffed "Please, like you could-" she was interrupted by an explosion tearing through the remaining engine compartment "No..." Ironwood dropped the detonator to the ground.
Having loaded his pistol with Gravity Dust rounds, he fired, launching himself toward her as she looked back at the explosion in shock, quickly transitioning to rage. The ship suddenly went into freefall, leaving Salem hovering in the air, with Ironwood soaring toward her. Shifting out of the way, she sent a bolt of black lightning toward him from behind. Firing his pistol downward, he launched himself over it, then fired forward, propelling himself back toward Salem. He twisted into a kick for her face, her left arm blocking it with ease. Shifting his weight, he slammed his opposite heel down, but she managed to block with her hand, catching it in her grip. Swinging his fist for her chest, she caught it in her open hand. Aiming Due Process for her chest, he fired, sending Salem backward, losing her grip on him. She flipped back through the air several times, managing to right herself as he fired once again, launching himself toward her. He slammed into her, grabbing hold with his free hand, spiraling out of control through the air. Slamming her head into his, she wrenched free of his grasp. Slicing her claw-like nails through his belt, his holsters fell, taking his white pistol with them. Twisting into a kick, she sent him in freefall toward the ground. As he fell, she sent a bolt of magical energy after him, striking him in the chest and breaking his Aura. Turning her attention to the retreating Manta, she propelled herself forward with violet flames from her heels, gaining ground quickly. As she drew close, she was struck from below by a metal fist, propelling her further into the air. Flipping backward as she righted herself once more, she reprioritized her opponent over the escaping ship. Ironwood soared toward her, pulling his fist back to strike, he froze midair, a blackened blade piercing him through the chest, connected to her palm. Salem glared down at him, lowering herself to be eye level with him.
"Your attempt to preempt my retribution is admirable, but futile" her gaze shifted to the Manta "I will have the Relics, and those children will give them to me" she created a dark corridor behind her.
"No..."
"Unfortunately, you won't be around to bear witness to the fruits of my victory"
The blade disconnected from her palm, dropping him, sending him falling to the earth below. Salem passed through the corridor behind her, appearing ahead of the Manta. Holding out her arms, the ship came to an abrupt halt once again. Salem moved closer to the ship, hovering just outside the windshield a grin on her face. Those inside stared in horror, as she shifted over to the door, ripping it off with her hand.
"Salem" Ruby growled.
"When will you children learn? I cannot be defeated"
"Where's the General?" Winter demanded.
She scoffed "Buried with the rest of his kingdom. A kingdom that will cease to exist, unless I get the Relics I seek"
"You'll never get them!" Yang fired for her chest, only for the round to be swatted away as nothing more than an inconvenience.
"Please, girl. You pose no threat to me, I-argh!"
"James!" Slade called.
Salem was knocked aside, Ironwood crashing into her, having passed through the portal with his Gravity rounds to propel him. He held the blade she'd stabbed him with prior in his opposite hand, impaling her through the front from over her shoulder, piercing his own chest in the process, trapping them together. She growled in annoyance, twisting her upperbody unnaturally, grabbing the sides of his head, the sharp nails on her thumbs dangerously close to his eyes. The Manta lurched forward, freed from her grasp once again.
"Why... won't... you... die?!" she demanded through painful breaths.
He smiled "Because I... have a duty... to protect them..." he coughed, blood drenching his face.
Black lightning crackled from her fingertips, the currents running through her body into the blade. Ironwood's smile widened, dropping his pistol and wrapping his arms around her, confusing her. Turning her attention down to his chest, her eyes widened in fear. Strapped to the inside of his coat, were dozens of vials of powdered Dust, reacting to the electrical current now coursing through them. Salem screamed in rage, desperately trying to get away. She clawed and scratched, punched and kicked, everything but use her magic in fear of causing a premature reaction to the Dust.
"For... Remnant..."
Looking out the missing door of the Manta, they witnessed a massive multicolored explosion, with an inconsistently proportioned mass left behind. Half of molten earth, the other of electrified ice. The mass plummeted to the ground, crashing into the earth, the sight of the dissolving Grimm corpse that served as Salem's ship behind it, burning away in the flames from the engine compartments. Winter's tears flowed freely once again, crying out at his loss. Weiss wrapped her arms around her sister, pulling her into a tight embrace. Qrow's hands closed into fists, feeling helpless, he punched the seat beneath him, unable to do much more in the moment. Maria looked back at the grieving Huntsmen, frowning at the sight. The sudden chirp of their Scrolls broke them from their grief for the moment.
"There you all are! Thank goodness!" Pietro's voice called "We've been so worried about you"
"Father!" Penny smiled.
"Oh, it is so good to hear your voice, dear girl. When that Grimm fell from the sky, I feared the worst"
"We're alright, Doctor... all souls aboard" Maria sighed.
"That's strange, I'm not picking up General Ironwood's signal" Catalina pointed out.
"He..." she sighed "He, uh..."
"Oh... James..." Pietro replied in understanding.
"What is it? What happened?" Jacques demanded.
"He did... what needed to be done... to stop Salem" Winter answered.
"I... I see... I... suddenly don't feel so well"
"James..." Slade dropped onto his knees.
"Slade..." Yang lowered herself to his level "I'm so sorry..."
"He's gone... I can't believe he's really... gone"
She turned him to look at her "I know..." she pulled him into a hug "But I'm glad it wasn't you"
Tears started to fall from his eyes "Yang... I-"
"Later... let yourself feel it this time" she tightened her grip on him "Just feel..." he didn't respond, burying his face into her shoulder.
"We're coming home, Pietro..." Maria stated with a deep frown.
The Manta made its way to the dome, passing inside safely. The Grimm outside fled into the wild, leaving the soldiers and Huntsmen celebrating just outside the safety of the dome. Further out, in the mass of earth and ice began to crack, exploding outward with an incredible amount of magical energy. The smoky silhouette of Salem remained in its place, her skeleton forming, quickly followed by organs and muscles, with Grimm fluid passing over them, forming into her skin. Once she had retained her form, she stared off at the dome, no sign of the Manta in sight. Knowing she had failed, she screamed in rage, violet flames bursting from her mouth and black lightning bolts shooting into the sky from her fingertips. Looking down to the ground, the only trace left of Ironwood was his black pistol, the handle poking out from the snow. With an enrage thrust of her hand, the pistol was sent flying through the air, with Salem soaring the opposite direction, toward the destroyed Grimm ship. Not far from the destroyed ship, a Shadow Hand broke through the snow, with Cinder Fall pulling herself free with a groan of discomfort.
"Ruby Rose... that damn girl..." she growled.
Noticing an unfamiliar sensation in her arm, she checked beneath her clothes, aghast at the sight. The Grimm appendage was no longer restricted only to her arm, it had expanded downward toward her waist, stopping just above her naval. Her hand reaching up to her throat, she felt the Grimm substance had extended up as well, coming to a stop just beneath her chin. Before she could fully process this, her vision cleared enough for her to see Salem standing over her. Her expression changed from one of horror, to fear. She immediately got on her knees, bowing her head, not wishing to upset her.
"I-"
"Silence" Cinder swallowed in fear, gritting her teeth as pain coursed through her Grimm limb "We're leaving"
"But... the Relics, the Maidens, they're still-" she was silenced by Salem's glare "Apologies"
Salem formed a dark corridor behind her "When trying to win a war, one cannot focus on a single battle. I shall claim the Relics as my own. There are plenty of paths yet to take"
They both passed into the corridor, closing behind them, leaving the kingdom of Atlas behind. Atop the dissolving corpse of the Grimm, stood a woman in a hooded black cloak, overlooking the remains of the battle. Deep down, she was relieved to see Salem had lost, but was saddened that Ironwood had to fall to achieve victory. More than that, she dreaded what came next, for her, for them, for wherever Salem struck next. She knew she would have no choice but to follow orders. Feeling Salem calling for her in the back of her head, she knew her time here was over, it was time to leave. She was enveloped in a dark corridor, vanishing as it did the same, leaving nothing but the Grimm behind.
There you have it, the end of Atlas and the beginning of something new. I'll try to have the next chapter out sometime next month, try to keep up the momentum I've had these last few. Thank you guys so much for everything, I look forward to hearing what you guys think going forward. You guys are the best!
