Pyrrha had no time at all to react as fire engulfed the Council's panel.
And then she had all the time in the world.
She blinked, not understanding what she was looking at. A great ball of fire hung in the air where Councilman Port sat a second before. It burned so bright it hurt to look at, and she could feel the heat radiating off it from as far as she stood. But for as long as she stared, the flames spread not another centimeter.
Councilman Theodore stood a scant ten paces from the explosion, frozen in the act of jumping to his feet whilst he gaped in shock. Penny hovered parallel to the ground, tackling General Ironwood out of the fire, shielding him with her body as flames pushed on her back and fanned out around her.
Pyrrha looked to the side. Jaune was taking a step forward, his mouth open in a silent yell. Pyrrha put a hand on his arm and, for a moment, just stared, afraid of what damage she might cause. Breathing in deep – which felt a much harder tasker than usual – she gave him a gentle push. His arm moved slightly, but otherwise he showed no reaction.
A strange tingling started in her ears, and Pyrrha realized the room had been dead silent - until now. She turned to look and saw Commander Goodwitch standing in the aisle behind her, supporting a barely standing Ozpin in one arm.
"Nikos!" Goodwitch's voice sounded far away and distorted, as though there were several layers of glass between them. "Can you hear me?"
Pyrrha forced her eyes shut, and opened them again. "What's happening?" Her own voice sounded strange, too.
"The spell won't hold much longer," Goodwitch said. "You need to get a move on and get out of here."
"Spell?"
Goodwitch scowled, apparently having no intention to explain any further. She took a step towards the exit, but stopped as Ozpin faltered and nearly fell to the ground. He leaned on his cane, looking unnaturally pale. Pyrrha gawked. Ozpin carried his cane everywhere, but she couldn't recall him ever depending on it to support himself.
"I warned you," Goodwitch said, staring holes into his skull. "Help me with him, Nikos."
Pyrrha looked around, at the Council, at the other officials in the room, at Jaune. "What about everyone else?"
"We've no choice but to leave them for now," Goodwitch said. "We will help them later. Ozpin's already risked too much unfreezing you. If he exerts himself any more, he'll pass out, and then we'll all be dead."
Pyrrha frowned. Confusing circumstances aside, she understood that Goodwitch was making the pragmatic choice here, and likely the correct one. Still, it did not sit well with her.
"So I suppose nothing's changed," she said, looking at Ozpin.
Ozpin gripped his cane tighter, his arm trembling. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.
"I can unfreeze Mr. Arc, but that's all I can give you," he said, after a brief silence. "The rest is up to you."
"Director," Goodwitch said lowly, "you can't possibly-"
"I think you will find, dear Glynda, that I very much can," Ozpin said. "Now, if you'll allow me."
Pyrrha stepped aside. "Thank you."
Ozpin reached over and held Jaune's arm. His eyes turned bright green for a half-second, before he pulled back, eyelids drooping heavily. The silence lasted a moment more before Jaune's cry pierced it.
"Penny, no!"
He stumbled forward and held the the chair in front of him. He looked at the suspended explosion, and on his face Pyrrha saw the same awe and confusion that had struck her moments before. She touched his shoulder and he jumped.
"Pyrrha!" His eyes flicked to Ozpin and Goodwitch. "What the hell's going on?"
"That explosion's about to take this whole room," Pyrrha said. "Ozpin's done something to stall it, but we don't have much time."
"He did what?"
"Jaune." She cupped his face between her hands. "Focus."
He blinked and stared into her eyes for a moment, before he looked around. His gaze sharpened, and Pyrrha recognized that look very well.
"We gotta get these people out of here," he said.
Pyrrha nodded. "We can do it together."
Goodwitch took Ozpin's arm and threw it around her neck. His eyes were shut, at the verge of. "I need to get him out now."
"Then go!" Pyrrha said. "Get him to safety and make sure he doesn't pass out. Give us as much time as possible."
Goodwitch walked away, dragging the limping Director along. Pyrrha watched until they were almost at the door before she remembered herself and turned to Jaune.
"Can we carry them outside?" Jaune suggested.
"Not all of them. It'll take too long," Pyrrha said. "We can move them, but-"
"Then we'll bring them all together, lie them down on the ground and make a barrier with the tables. That won't be enough, but my Aura's full, I can shield them too," Jaune said. "I'll get started on that, you get the Councilmen."
Pyrrha ran up to the panel, averting her gaze from the explosion. The closer she got, the harsher it was on her eyes, and the heat got all the more uncomfortable, though like everything in this time-stopped state, it felt off in a way she couldn't put into words.
She walked over to Theodore and, after a moment's hesitation, maneuvered him into her arms. He wasn't heavy for a man his age, but carrying him felt as though she were dragging him through a pool of viscous mud. It hampered her every movement, and left a strange ache on her arms and legs.
She took him down to the aisle and laid him down on the floor, where Jaune had already moved a handful of tables and a couple officials. They exchanged a look before she ran back to the panel.
Port was nowhere to be seen. Pyrrha searched for a moment before she remembered the moment the bomb had gone off – less than a second or two ago, in reality. He'd been sitting right there, and now…
Now the explosion had well overtaken him.
Forcing her stomach into submission, Pyrrha turned away and jogged over to where Penny hovered with Ironwood. She'd been flying at an astonishing speed the moment time had stopped, having crossed half the room in just a couple seconds, but Pyrrha had no idea how well that would protect her and Ironwood when time resumed.
"I think I'm gonna have to leave Qrow alone!" Jaune shouted behind her.
"What?" Pyrrha shouted back, not looking.
"He's turning into a bird, I'm pretty sure! He can do that, right? Don't look, it's weird and honestly kinda gross!"
Pyrrha didn't need the advice. She was too occupied staring at Penny. Something was odd. It took her a while to realize what.
Penny was moving.
A noise like a crackle sounded right beside Pyrrha. She looked and paled. The blast was expanding, slowly, imperceptible if she hadn't stopped to look, but it was expanding.
"The spell's wearing off!" Pyrrha shouted. "Jaune, we have to be fast!"
Hedging that Penny would be fine, she ran back to the gallery and started helping Jaune with the last few officials.
More noises came from the explosion, waves of heat emanating from it and washing over the entire room. The walls and ceiling took on an incandescent orange shade.
"Quick, behind me!" Jaune yelled, crossing his arms in front of him. Pyrrha ran to him and laid the last official down behind the tables.
The fire burst forward, and everything turned red.
"Stay back!"
The stranger stood before Blake and Yang, eyes shimmering in the red light. Blake noticed now that her cloak was more of a blanket, tattered nearly into shreds, and under it she wore a two-piece uniform in a similarly damaged state. No identifiers on it, but it reminded Blake of a Beacon agent's uniform, though not quite like any she'd seen before. Outdated, perhaps?
Blake shared a look with Yang, neither getting up from the floor. Yang started to reach for her earpiece, eyes widening in a silent question, and Blake shook her head. There was no telling how this woman would react to learning they had reinforcements. They would need to pacify her before they contacted Ruby and Weiss.
"Whom do you serve?" the stranger asked. Her voice was quieter now, almost soft, but Blake still felt a shiver travel down her spine at the sound of it.
Yang blinked. "Our consciences?" she said. "You mind if we stand up before we start playing twenty questions?"
The stranger drew back a step. "Slowly." Her eyes stayed trained on the both of them as she brought up a hand and held it towards them, palm open. Her cloak and her short hair appeared to sway in a breeze that simply wasn't there.
Yang shared another look with Blake – oh boy – and they got up. Blake refrained from reaching for her weapons. That wouldn't soothe any nerves.
"I will ask again," the woman said, "whom do you serve?"
"Lady, I don't know what to tell you. We already answered that question," Yang said. "Whom do you serve, how about that?"
The stranger frowned at her, as if taking a moment to process the question. Finally, she answered, "Remnant."
"Oh, gee, I would have gone with that if I knew that was an option," Yang said. "So we're on the same team, then! Nifty."
But Yang didn't relax, and neither did the cloaked woman. Blake threw Yang a warning glance and took a hesitant step forward, her hands up in a peaceful gesture. She trusted this stranger about as much as Yang did, but she needed to take control of this conversation before it turned seriously south.
"We don't mean you any harm. We thought there might be people trapped or hurt down here, so we came to help, and we found you," Blake said. "I'm Blake, she's Yang. We're Huntresses."
"Huntresses," the stranger repeated. "Should that mean something to me?" She looked off to the side for a moment, as if speaking to someone only she could see, before she focused on them again.
"Yeah, Huntresses. As in, the Hunt," Yang said. "You know, Grimm-smashing, international sensation, the Hunt."
"Grimm. How do you know about the Grimm?" For the first time, the stranger appeared properly unsettled. "Do you know Ozpin?"
"We know him, but we're not friends with him," Blake said. "And yes. We know about the Grimm."
"Everybody does." Yang crossed her arms. "Have you been living under a rock?"
"Did you clear the Grimm from the surface?"
"We did," Blake said. "We've given you our names. Who-"
The stranger didn't let her finish, suddenly strutting forward, and Blake felt wind brush her cheeks as she passed her. But Yang didn't let her pass, grabbing the woman by the arm and stepping in her path.
The stranger stopped like a statue, her eyes shining even brighter as she stared at Yang. In an instant, the temperature in the hallway seemed to plummet several degrees. Blake gripped her blade, and Yang tightened her free hand.
The stranger blinked and looked at Yang with new eyes.
"You've got magic in you," she said. "Something innate, not given or conquered."
Yang's eyebrows shot up. "Lady, what."
"I should have noticed sooner. I am not myself." The stranger twitched. "I must leave this place, and you must come with me."
"None of us are going anywhere until you explain yourself," Blake said. "Who are you? How did you get here? What is this place?"
"Child, I couldn't answer half your questions if I wanted to," the stranger said. "You two have stumbled into something far greater than yourselves, and I am sorry for that, as I am thankful for your help. For your sakes, we must leave, and part ways as soon as you are safe. That shall be my kindness to you."
"Kindness my ass," Yang said. "We make our own choices, and right now we're very interested in whatever mess you've got going on here. So spill."
The stranger stiffened. "Please, do not force me to leave you behind. You'll only end up dead like the others."
"The others?" Blake said. "There are more people here?."
She saw Yang pale. "And they're dead."
The stranger watched their faces for a moment, before realization dawned in her eyes.
"Oh," she said mournfully, "you did not come alone, did you?"
Ruby shuddered as she breathed in the air inside the supply closet. It smelled like rotten food, burnt chemicals, and, well, dead people.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to condescend you," Weiss said behind her. "I know you can handle yourself. I was just… startled."
"None taken." Ruby crouched next to the body and winced at the sight of it. "This is pretty disturbing."
The man had died slouched against a wall, his arms crossed in an x over his chest. He was wearing a lab coat over a gray shirt, no damage at all that she could see. He was – and Ruby really didn't mean it in a bad way – kinda unremarkable.
"Uhm, how did he… you know?" Ruby said, looking him all over. If it weren't for how pale he looked and how cold his skin was to the touch, she could have believed he was just sleeping.
"I don't know," Weiss said, crouching next to her. "I doubt he starved. Perhaps he fell sick to something."
"And just fell dead here?" Ruby didn't buy that. She grabbed the man's arms and gently moved them down. The awful smell hit her nostrils even worse, and she had to flinch away from the body.
Weiss cursed under her breath and tapped Ruby's elbow. "That's how he died."
Ruby forced herself to look at the dead man again. Without his arms covering it, she could now see there was a terrible hole in his chest. It was roughly the size of a baseball, going deep, and the skin around the wound was a mixture of black, green, and purple.
"Yikes!" Ruby covered her nose with her sleeve. "Yup. You got it, that was it for sure."
"He doesn't look like he bled much, which doesn't make sense with a stab wound this size," Weiss said. "Some form of venom, do you think?"
"I guess so," Ruby said. "I don't know any Grimm that kills people with venom, but I guess we've seen weirder."
"How did one get all the way down here, though?"
"Maybe the people here closed the entrance too late. We've gotta explore more to get a better idea," Ruby said. "I'm gonna speak with Yang, tell her and Blake to watch out for-"
"Now, now," a new voice interrupted her, "give credit where credit is due. It was no Grimm that got that poor soul…"
Ruby jumped to her feet and pulled Weiss with her out of the supply closet.
They stumbled into the hallway. A shadow ghosted along the wall, slowly approaching around the corner. Ruby followed it to its source and saw a man standing in the middle of the hallway, hunched over, watching them. In each hand he held a half-moon-shaped blade, and a brown scorpion tail swayed above his back.
"My deepest apologies." He bent even lower in a mock bow. "Did I scare the brave heroines?"
Weiss conjured a glyph on each hand. "Name yourself, or else."
"How rude! But I suppose I should introduce myself, if you're going to be spending the rest of eternity with me." The man smiled hungrily. "Tyrian Callows, humble servant. A pleasure."
Ruby shivered. She didn't like the way he was looking at them. Then again, the two huge chakrams should have been clue enough.
"What do you mean, 'humble servant'?" she asked. "Did you kill that guy?"
"Oh, him?" Tyrian glanced at the supply closet and shrugged indifferently. "You could say so, if you were woefully narrow-minded. Don't you worry about him, he's in a better place now. Though honestly I'm beginning to wish I'd just killed him. He is such a bore." He tapped his head with the flat side of his blade. "Reading philosophy books is not a personality, genius! Talk with people! Socialize!"
Weiss leaned towards Ruby. "What the hell is he talking about?"
"I think he's cuckoo," Ruby whispered back.
"Hey! I'm standing right here, include me if you're going to have a conversation!" Tyrian Callows barked. He stood a little straighter and took a deep breath. "Never you mind. There are more important matters at play here. I have a task to fulfill and fulfill it I shall."
He hunched his back again, staring past Ruby and Weiss.
"There's a little rat in these corridors. It's been running from me, getting into places and keeping me out, tearing me into tiny Tyrian pieces. Very annoying," Tyrian said. "You two are not supposed to be here. And I suppose you won't help me corner the rat."
Ruby took Crescent Rose from her belt and held it in front of her, still folded. "What do you think, creep?"
"Oooh, feisty. I was hoping you'd be that way," Tyrian said. "This was not part of the plan, but oh well. I do love me an afternoon snack!"
He jumped at the last word, crossing the distance between them in two bounds. Weiss enlarged her glyphs just in time, and he bounced back violently and rolled on the floor.
"Stay down!" Weiss yelled at him.
Ruby touched her earpiece. "Yang, Blake, we need help ASAP! There's a weird murder-guy and he wants to – to murder us!"
She got back nothing but static. And if Yang said anything back in the next seconds, it was drowned out by Tyrian yelling as he stood up.
"Murder-guy?" he said. "I resent that! We barely just met!"
"A first-impression was more than enough, you psychopath!" Weiss shouted.
"You keep calling me names," Tyrian said. "Am I really the villain here?"
He jumped again, kicking off a wall and somersaulting over Weiss' glyphs. He landed right behind Ruby with astonishing grace, and swung at her. Ruby ducked her head under a chakram just in time, and rolled on the floor as his tail came darting towards her.
"Don't let him sting you with that thing!" Weiss said.
Ruby jumped to her feet. "Not planning on it!"
"No, please do!" Tyrian cackled.
He thrust at Ruby again, but she sped out of his reach in a short burst of petals. She stopped at a distance and turned back. Tyrian was between her and Weiss now, looking back and forth between them with a widening smile, like he was too giddy to decide which one to go for first.
Scowling, Ruby clicked a button on Crescent Rose and unfolded it. Before it finished, the scythe's blade hit the wall next to her. Ruby swore. Not enough space.
Tyrian saw the opening and lunged at her, lashing out with his blades. Ruby dropped her weapon and slid backwards, flinching as the steel swiped dangerously close to her eyes. She didn't want to find out how well her Aura could protect her from a hit like that.
The corridor shone blue behind Tyrian, and he looked back just as a bolt of icy Dust came streaking towards him, courtesy of Weiss. He jerked to the side too late, and fell to the ground like a potato sack, his side covered in thin ice, laughing all the while.
Ruby jumped over him, grabbed Crescent Rose, and raced back to Weiss' side. "I can't fight in these hallways, they're too narrow!"
"Shall we run and regroup with Yang and Blake?" Weiss asked.
"No, we can't leave him out of our sights," Ruby said. "We lose him, and he can ambush us anywhere."
Weiss lowered the glyph on her left hand and morphed it into her rapier. "Then allow me to stall him." She walked towards Tyrian, her rapier moving in a flash of light to meet his chakrams.
They clashed again and again, Weiss dancing on the balls of her feet to keep up with her foe. Tyrian's assault was a reckless frenzy that would have left him wide-open to a counterattack, if it weren't for his twin weapons and his tail. Weiss' only option was to play defense, blocking his attacks with the flat of her rapier and the glyph on her right hand.
Ruby watched without blinking an eye, her hands tapping restlessly on Crescent Rose. She unfolded it again and pointed it at the fight. She might be no help up-close, but if she bided her time, she might be able to create an opening for Weiss from afar. She only had to be careful not to shoot her by accident.
A voice crackled in her ear. "Ruby, can you hear us?!"
"Yang! We need your help right now!" Ruby said. "There's a guy-"
"We heard you before! We're coming to you, hold on!"
Weiss looked over her shoulder for a split second, and Tyrian's teeth flashed in a vicious smile. His tail swerved around him, its brown scales suddenly glowing purple, and shot towards Weiss' exposed side. She jumped back, flicking her rapier a second too late.
Ruby pulled the trigger, and a round of fire Dust exploded on Tyrian's stinger. His tail ricocheted backwards to its fullest and he went stumbling with it, his smile turning into a scowl.
"You bitch!" he snarled at Ruby. "Attacking a man's private parts!"
As he righted himself, Weiss surged forward, thrusting her rapier at his chest. Tyrian saw her coming, and Ruby prepared to shoot at him to neutralize whatever parry or counterattack he had in store.
Neither came. Weiss' sword ran him through, and he spat blood.
"My. Ruthless, aren't you?" Tyrian muttered, half-lidded eyes staring darkly at her. "I'll look forward to getting you back for this."
He jerked backwards, pulling himself free of the ephemeral blade, and stumbled a few steps before he collapsed on his front. He twitched on the ground once, twice, then lay still.
Weiss drew back, letting her rapier fade away. The blood on it splattered noisily on the ground. She stared at the unmoving body, her face frozen in shock. Ruby ran to her side.
"I didn't-" Weiss stuttered. "I thought he would defend himself. Why didn't he-"
"Weiss, don't freak out," Ruby said, turning her around. She could still see Tyrian behind Weiss, and the vision made her shudder. "He was crazy, alright? He was trying to kill us."
"I know," Weiss said, shaking. "I know."
"Let's just find Yang and Blake, okay? Then we can figure out what the hell's happening," Ruby said.
Weiss nodded mutely. Ruby took her hand and walked back the way they'd come. As they left the hallway where Tyrian lay dead, she could swear she felt eyes on the back of her neck.
It didn't take long for them to hear footsteps coming their way, and then Yang and Blake appeared running around a corner. They halted in front of Ruby and Weiss, astonished.
"What happened?" Yang asked. "Where's the murder-guy?"
"He's, uh, dead," Ruby said. "Weiss kinda killed him."
"Oh shit." Yang looked at Weiss. She pulled her into a hug, and Weiss shrunk in her embrace without a word. Blake patted her on the back, then looked at Ruby for an explanation.
"I don't know," Ruby said. "We found a dead guy, and we thought it had been maybe a Grimm that got him, and then this Tyrian guy showed up and said he had killed him. Then he started talking a bunch of nonsense about eternity and rats and philosophy books? Then he attacked us." She rubbed her arms. "It was all very confusing, and scary."
Blake pursed her lips, resting a hand on her hips. "Sounds like Weiss made the right call putting him down, then."
"He did almost kill me," Weiss said, regaining her composure, and added, "and he called Ruby a bitch!"
Yang cradled Weiss' head in her arms. "You've got your priorities so right, baby girl." Blake gave her a look then, and suddenly Yang let go of Weiss and turned away, rubbing her nose. Weiss stumbled back a couple steps, red-faced and confused.
Before Ruby could ask what was going on with that, she noticed a blur of movement in the corner of her vision, and as she turned her head to look, she saw her – a woman wrapped in a tattered blanket, her face marred by scars. She was supporting herself against a wall behind Yang, looking as if she might fall unconscious at any second, but her gaze was deadly sharp.
"You've found your friends. Now, we must leave," the woman said. "Callows won't stay down for long."
"Excuse me? Who are you?" Weiss demanded.
"We found her," Blake said. "We think she's good, but she won't tell us her name."
"My apologies. I've gone by many names." The stranger paused. "I'm fairly sure mine is Amber."
"You're fairly sure?" Yang shook her head. "Also, what happened to you? You look like you're about to drop dead all of a sudden."
"I've barely slept in a week. Among other troubles."
Ruby stared at the stranger – Amber.
"You're the rat."
Amber met her eyes, and for a moment she appeared so confused, and Ruby couldn't blame her. Except she had a feeling it wasn't because she'd called her a rat.
Amber blinked and looked away. "There really is no time. I implore you to come with me to the surface before Callows attacks again."
"He's dead," Weiss said. "I stabbed him through the heart."
"And I've done far worse to him, and yet he lives," Amber said. "Trust me or not, know that only the dead await you down here, and they cannot be helped. Come."
"If we follow you, will you finally explain what happened here?" Blake asked.
Amber regarded her coolly. "We shall see."
Without another word, she turned and walked away. Ruby shared a look with the others.
"Okay, then," Ruby said. "Follow the mysterious lady, I guess."
Jaune sat on the steps in front of the Council office, coughing into his elbow. The fire always seemed so intimidating in the movies, but now he realized the worst part about being caught inside a burning building was the smoke. Right now he wasn't sure his lungs would ever be clear again.
People rushed past him, fleeing from the building. Jaune saw Nora and Ren among the crowd, helping others get out safely. A dark plume of smoke rose to the sky behind him. Several ambulances and fire trucks had already arrived at the scene. The fire would soon be put out, but right now he still felt like he was living in a nightmare.
Grunting, Jaune pushed himself up to his feet. No time to be shell-shocked. He scanned the crowd for people in need and rushed to help them. Most had only inhaled a little smoke, which he couldn't do anything about, but some sported burn injuries or bruises and broken bones from falling debris. He healed them enough to ease the pain and avoid any complications. Blocking the blast had taken a lot out of him, and he still felt winded, but what would be the point of keeping his remaining Aura to himself?
Alarmed gasps and shouts rose around him. Jaune turned to see what the ruckus was about, and saw a figure hobble out of the building – Penny, her clothes and hair singed. On her back she carried an unconscious Ironwood, and Jaune would have found the size discrepancy between the two hilarious, if only she didn't look so panicked.
"Help!" Penny shouted. "General Ironwood needs help immediately!"
She laid Ironwood down on the ground, and a team of paramedics ran to her. Jaune got there first and kneeled beside the general. He took one glance and had to avert his eyes for a moment before he could look again. Ironwood was a terrible sight. His left arm and legs had a few miniscule cuts and bruises, but almost the whole of his right side was burned to a crisp. Only his face had escaped the damage.
Feeling nauseous, Jaune held his hands above Ironwood's right arm. His Aura flared, and he directed it to flow into the other man. The effort drained him more than usual, and worse was that he saw little results come from it. The burnt skin cleared a little, and Ironwood seemed to breathe easier, but he didn't wake up and the damage was not undone.
"That's all I can do," Jaune said. "I'm sorry, Penny."
He looked at her, but she only stared at Ironwood, her irises spinning perpetually and enlarging and shrinking and enlarging and shrinking. Her lips moved in a relentless string of apologies – I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry-
"Penny!" Jaune touched her shoulder.
She looked up at him. "I was supposed to protect the general," she said. "I was supposed to protect the general. I was supposed to-"
"You saved him. If you hadn't warned everyone about the bomb, we would all be dead. You saved everyone, that's what you did," Jaune said. "Listen, I can't do anything else for Ironwood. He needs a hospital."
The paramedics came closer, bringing with them a gurney. "Please clear the way," one of them said. "We need to move him to the ambulance before-"
"No!" Penny jumped to her feet. "You are not allowed to touch him!"
"Penny, they're not going to hurt him. They're just trying to do their job," Jaune said.
Penny was silent for a moment before she drew back. The leading paramedic exchanged a look with Jaune, then he and his team started lifting Ironwood onto the gurney.
"I will accompany him to the hospital," Penny said firmly.
"Of course, miss."
Jaune stepped towards her. "I'll go on the ambulance with you, Penny. You-"
"I do not require your company," Penny said. "I do not require friends."
She stared coldly at him, and Jaune flinched. The paramedics finished strapping Ironwood onto the gurney and rolled him away. Penny followed with heavy steps.
Jaune felt a tap on his shoulder.
"So, that was rough," Nora said.
"She's just upset," Jaune said. "Are you two alright?"
"We were outside when the bomb went off," Ren said. "Not a scratch on us. You?"
Jaune started looking around. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good."
"Stop looking for people to heal, bucko," Nora said. "You're almost falling on your ass. Make a move and I'll make sure you do."
"I know, I wasn't doing that. I was trying to find Pyrrha," Jaune said. "Have you seen her? We ran out of the building together but I lost her after."
"I think she's that way." Ren pointed. "Come on."
They made their way through the crowd, and soon Jaune caught sight of Pyrrha. She was standing stiff as a statue, staring at Ozpin. He was out cold on the sidewalk, his face pale as death. Goodwitch kneeled beside him, two fingers on his neck as she checked his pulse.
"Hey." Jaune touched Pyrrha's arm. "You okay?"
Pyrrha blinked and shook her head. "I'm fine." She nodded at Nora and Ren, then looked towards the building. "How's the situation?"
"I think they've got everything under control now," Nora said. "Lots of people are hurt, though."
"General Ironwood is in bad condition," Ren added. "They're rushing him to the hospital."
"General Ironwood, did you say?" Goodwitch glanced at them. "The bad news keeps piling up."
"I think he'll be okay. I hope so," Jaune said, and gestured at Ozpin. "What about him?"
Goodwitch's only response was a scowl. Jaune was burning with a million questions, but Councilman Theodore came stumbling towards them first. His cape and hair were covered in ashes.
"Glynda. This is terrible. Peter-" He saw Ozpin and trailed off. "Sand vipers bite me. Was he hurt in the explosion too?"
"Something like that," Goodwitch said. "He'll be fine."
"I'll trust you to take care of that." Theodore recomposed himself. "As I was saying, Peter Port's believed to be the dead. They haven't found a body but he's nowhere to be seen, and the bomb went off right where he sat." He shook his head. "Poor chap never stood a chance. I'll miss the big man."
"I'm sorry," Pyrrha said. "There was nothing I could do for him."
Theodore frowned at her. "There was nothing anyone could have done, Miss Nikos."
Pyrrha shared a look with Jaune. Theodore stared at them for a moment, then looked at Ozpin, and seemed to realized something was afoot – how couldn't he, when he'd blinked and found himself transported from beside the explosion to safely behind Jaune – but he shook his head and said nothing about it.
Jaune heard a flutter of wings behind him. Before he could turn to look, Qrow appeared right next to the group, slowing to a halt after a few stumbling steps. Nora let out a quiet little 'the fuck-' that went largely ignored.
"No sight of Lionheart," Qrow rasped. "That two-faced coward-"
"Now, agent Branwen," Theodore raised his voice, "let's not jump to conclusions."
"Did you plant that bomb, then, Theo?" Qrow said, and Theodore bristled. "That's what I thought. There were no more than twenty people who knew what was going on inside that room today, and then only a handful of those had the means to pull off an attack like this. You saw his behavior, and now he's conveniently vanished.
Theodore sighed. "I hate to admit it," he said, "but all signs point to Leonardo indeed."
"Glynda," Qrow said, "you're in charge while Ozpin's out cold. Give me the word and I'll find the bastard and bring him back myself."
"Do whatever it takes, agent," Goodwitch said. "There are some questions I'd very much like to ask him."
Qrow nodded. In a shimmer of movement, he turned into a bird and flew away.
Theodore ran a hand back through his hair, temporarily facing the Council office as firemen raced inside to combat the last of the flames. "Unthinkable. A blatant attack on the Council." His eyes shifted shrewdly to Goodwitch. "Unless you have reason to believe otherwise, Commander."
"We are equally in the dark, Mister Councilman," Goodwitch said, not dignifying him with a look. "I must point out that after this, there is a significant chance of a follow-up attack. Whoever is behind this, I can only assume they'll grow more brazen on their second attempt." She rose to her feet. "I can give you protection, but if Lionheart is indeed the culprit, then that means all the Council and Beacon's resources are compromised. There is only so much I can do."
"I appreciate the offer, Commander, but I have my own means of protecting myself," Theodore said.
"Will you be heading back to Vacuo?"
"Not just yet. The Council needs a face, so I shall stick around. If you'll excuse me."
Theodore walked off. Goodwitch crouched beside Ozpin and started to lift him onto her arms.
"Commander," Pyrrha said, "you don't believe the Council was the bomb's primary target?"
"I truly am not sure of anything at the moment, Nikos," Goodwitch said, "except that we cannot sit around and wait for another attempt on our lives. Ozpin's most of all. He's extremely vulnerable at the moment."
"He is going to wake up, right?" Jaune asked.
"The spell he cast would have taxed him enough on its own," Goodwitch said. "Then he went ahead and decided to include myself and you two in it as well. He might wake up in a few days."
"A few days?" Nora repeated, dumbstruck. "Also, did you just say spell?"
"I really have no time to repeat myself," Goodwitch said. "My main priority is to move Ozpin to a safehouse."
"Didn't you just say Beacon is compromised?" Jaune said. "Sounds like no safehouse is safe enough right now."
Goodwitch rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Do you have a suggestion, then, Mister Arc?"
Jaune turned to look at Nora and Ren. "You guys still feel like taking a tour of the house?"
"Hey, lady! Amber!" Ruby shouted. "Slow down, will you!"
But Amber did not listen to her, her cloak vanishing around the corner. Ruby looked back at her teammates as they struggled to keep up. For a woman looking on the brink of passing out, Amber moved astonishingly fast. Ruby could have caught up with her using her Semblance, but the last thing she wanted to do was leave the rest of the team behind.
"And you just stumbled upon this crazy woman?" Weiss said between gasps. "Just like that? Oh hello I've been waiting here in the dark, nice to meet you!"
"It was a little more complicated than that," Blake said. "Yang honed in on her all of a sudden, I had no choice but to follow."
"Not one of my brightest moments, I'll admit," Yang said. "But she's seriously magic. You know when you see an open jar full of grapefruit jelly and you gotta stick your finger in it?"
"What? No, Yang, no one knows what you're talking about!" Weiss exclaimed.
"Well, that's how it felt, okay? It's not my fault the lady went cuckoo on us!"
"Guys, focus!" Ruby shouted. "I think she's up ahead!"
She saw the doorway of the elevator shaft and ran towards it. But when she passed the threshold, Amber was nowhere to be seen, though the elevator platform was just as broken as when they'd first found it.
Ruby looked up. The surface was too far for her to see anything, but there was a strange quality about the air above her. The rest of the team filed in behind her.
"You were saying?" Weiss said, looking at Ruby.
"She said we had to get out. Where else would she have gone?" Ruby said.
"Ruby's right, she definitely passed through here," Yang said. "She's gone up already."
Weiss quirked an eyebrow. "You think she flew up to the surface?"
"Well, yeah," Yang said. "With her wind magic."
"Naturally." Weiss sighed. She raised a hand and turned her wrist, conjuring a horizontal glyph. "Everybody get on. It's going to be a long trip."
They all jumped onto the glyph, except for Ruby.
"I'm going ahead on my own. I don't like the thought of that lady getting lost in the snow like she is," she said. "Will you guys be alright without me?"
"Go," Blake said. "We'll be right behind you."
Ruby took a starting sprint and jumped towards a wall. Her feet connected and she ran along it for a few seconds, before she shot upwards in a spiraling flurry of red petals. The surface grew closer by the second, and though she was nothing like Yang when it came to magic stuff, even she could feel the wake of Amber's presence as she ascended.
She emerged into the open, coalescing back into form. The snow blinded her for a moment before her eyes readjusted to the brightness.
"Amber! Miss! Hello!" Ruby shouted, but no one responded.
She looked around. No sign of Amber, but a trail of freshly disturbed snow led away from the shaft. Ruby followed it, taking out Crescent Rose and using it like a pole to move faster over the snow.
A figure appeared in the snowstorm, knelt on the ground with her shoulders hunched, as if praying. As Ruby watched, Amber dipped a little to the side, her neck and shoulders loosening – before she plopped sideways onto the snow.
"Miss!"
Ruby ran towards her as fast as she could and dropped Crescent Rose. She crouched and passed her arms under the fallen woman's back, and lifted her above the growing snow. Amber's eyes were half-shut, her eyelids fluttering.
"Amber! Don't pass out on me now! The others are on their way, we're going to get you somewhere warm."
Amber opened her eyes a little wider before she closed them again. Down in the red light of the underground facility, Ruby hadn't been able to appreciate how awful the scars on Amber's face looked. Not that she looked ugly, but Ruby couldn't begin to imagine what had caused such a mismatched collection of marks on her skin. She felt sorry for her.
Amber's lips started to move. Ruby leaned down to listen.
"I thought-" Amber's voice trembled. "I thought if I just found nature again - if I could connect with it-"
"Hey. You don't wanna, uh, you don't wanna connect with nature around here, okay? It's freezing cold." Ruby had no idea what Amber was talking about, but if she didn't keep her engaged, Amber might pass out for good.
The corner of Amber's lips quivered. "I don't mind the cold. I grew up in Atlas," she said. "We are in Atlas, yes?"
"Yup. Way north," Ruby said. "Hey, my friend Weiss is Atlesian too. She also says the cold doesn't bother her, but I think she's lying."
"When I was younger, I used to build snowmen whenever the weather was good for it. I-" Amber shuddered. "I apologize. I was thinking of someone else."
"H-hey, I don't mind," Ruby said. "Tell me that story anyway."
Amber averted her eyes. "It's gone."
Ruby looked behind her. Where was everyone? The facility wasn't that deep underground, was it?
Suddenly she realized the others might not be able to find her as easily as she had Amber. Cursing under her breath, Ruby reached out to Crescent Rose and pointed it skyward, still careful to support Amber with her other hand. She stuck Crescent Rose's lower end into the ground, then moved her hand to the trigger and pulled once, twice. Red Dust shot into the blizzard with a bang, flaring for a few seconds before vanishing in the white.
Amber whimpered.
"I'm sorry for the noise. I had to signal my team," Ruby said. "Are you cold? I can give you my cape. It's not that warm but it'll help."
Amber shook her head. "You are very kind," she muttered. She touched a shivering hand to Ruby's cheek. "Your eyes. I've seen them before."
Ruby squeaked. "Well, uhm – they're not super common, I guess, but maybe you met someone else that had them. People are always complimenting my eyes so I guess it's something you don't forget?"
"One of my dreams," Amber said. "Perhaps not mine."
"Alrighty. I was in your dreams. Got it, not creepy at all."
Ruby heard her name being called out – Yang, she thought. She shouted back, and after a minute the others hovered to her side on a glyph.
"Is she okay?" Blake said, dropping next to Ruby and placing the back of her hand on Amber's forehead. "I can't tell if she's hot or cold."
"Yeah, and she's saying some really weird stuff. I think she's delirious," Ruby said. "Guys, we really gotta get her to the jet. Any idea where we left it?"
"The facility is behind us," Weiss said, turning in a slow circle, "and from there, we came from that direction. We only need to trace back our steps to the elevator shaft and we should be good to go."
"I'm not throwing shade at your sense of direction, Weiss, but," Yang said, "are you one hundred percent sure? It would be really bad if we got lost in the snowstorm with a barely-conscious person."
"Well, I was fairly confident," Weiss said. "Now I'm not so sure."
"Let's just follow Weiss' plan," Ruby said. "Worst case scenario, we backtrack again. Blake, help me put Amber on the glyph. Yang, keep close to her so she doesn't-"
Amber placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't fret over me, Summer. I'll be fine."
Ruby's breath caught in her throat. She drew away, handing Amber off to Blake, sure that she had heard wrong. But one look at Yang's face told her she hadn't. Weiss and Blake seemed to catch on a moment later.
"Did you know my mom?" Ruby felt her heart hammering inside her chest. "I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose. Her name was Summer?" She swallowed dry. "She had eyes just like mine."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Amber trembled. "I don't know my own words."
"What the hell does that mean?" Yang shouted. "Why did you just call her Summer?"
"Yang, calm down," Weiss said. "She's clearly disoriented-"
"Like hell I'm going to calm down! She's been talking nonsense ever since we found her, and now she just blurted out my mom's name out of nowhere!" Yang glowered at Amber. "You promised us an explanation when we got out of that place. Start talking right now."
Amber backed a couple steps from Yang. Blake went with her, and tightened her grip on the woman's cloak to stop her from walking any farther.
"I'm with Yang," Blake said. "You owe us that much."
Weiss crossed her arms. "It would be helpful, yes."
Ruby squared her shoulders. She wasn't comfortable with anything that was going on right now – she didn't like the way Amber was shivering, but she didn't like hearing her mother's name come out of her lips either. Why couldn't this have been just another regular Grimm skirmish and nothing more?
"Children, I-" Amber said, her eyes brimming with tears. "I truly wish I could explain everything to you. But I cannot. Perhaps another time I would have been able to, but…" She touched the side of her head, rubbing circles on her scalp. "It's not supposed to be this way. I'm shattered. Splintered. Everything that I am being pulled away-"
She winced, tears flowing free and freezing on her cheeks.
"Alright. We're taking her to the jet," Ruby said brusquely. "I don't wanna hear anything else. We've got someone that needs help so helping her is what we're gonna do. Got it?"
Yang continued to stare at Amber, her eyes burning in the storm, before she finally eased her shoulders. "Get her on the glyph. I'll make sure she doesn't turn into a popsicle."
Blake walked towards the glyph, helping Amber along, before the ears atop her hair suddenly stood straight – and she jumped to the side, taking Amber to the ground with her and leaving a pair of clones where they'd stood. A glowing purple stinger pierced through the fake Amber's heart, and the clones disappeared.
"Oh, screw your instincts!" Tyrian cried. "This is why I hate hunting our kind!"
He leaped at Blake and Amber, tail no longer glowing but chakrams out to sink into their throats. Ruby kicked off the snow, grabbing the two just in time and getting them out of the way in a burst of petals.
Yang stumbled back. "What the fuck?!"
"That's the murder-guy I killed!" Weiss shouted. "Don't let him get you with his tail!"
"You!" Tyrian rounded on her. "I told you I was gonna get you back for that!"
He jumped at Weiss, and she brought up a hasty glyph to block him. Yet instead of bouncing off like before, he stabbed his chakrams into the glyph instead and flipped his whole body to perch atop it. He smiled down at Weiss and chortled, then jumped off and landed behind her, dragging a blade across her back on the way down.
Weiss staggered forward, yelling in pain. Tyrian spun around, glowing tail peeking over his shoulder. "You'll make a fine companion." His stinger shot towards her.
"No!" Yang shoulder-slammed into Tyrian, and they stumbled in the snow.
Ruby let go of Blake and Amber. "Protect her!" she yelled to Blake, then ran to grab Crescent Rose. She brought it up and aimed at Tyrian – just in time to see him pierce his glowing stinger into Yang's arm.
Yang expected pain, yet she felt nothing. She stared at the back of her arms, crossed in front of her to block Tyrian's attack. It had been a pretty dumb move, really. Maybe she'd gotten too reliant on her Aura. Maybe she'd started to believe she was invincible.
Regardless, there was a stinger poking through her right forearm. She could just see the tip of it breaking her skin, shining purple light into her face. It was hypnotizing, impossible to look away from.
The snowstorm dulled around her. What little cold she felt was gone, but so was the fire inside her. What remained was an absence of feeling. She was weightless, and though her body didn't move, she felt herself drifting forward bit by bit.
Silence.
And then voices – dozens of voices at once, whispering all. She saw specters in the corners of her eyes. People, but not quite people.
Don't go, some urged. Fight him. You must not go.
Come, others yet said. Stay with us. It's not so bad after a while.
The vast majority said nothing at all, as if they didn't care either way. As if they cared about nothing at all.
The glowing stinger stared at her.
She didn't buy that she had a choice in this.
"No!"
Ruby dashed towards Tyrian, flying over the snow, her scythe held over her head to slice at the exposed tail. Tyrian's eyes flickered to her and he jumped back, pulling his stinger out of Yang. Crescent Rose slashed through empty air.
"Ho-ho!" Tyrian cackled. "Almost caught me! Did you really think you were going to catch me off-guard?"
Ruby stood in front of Yang as she regained her senses. "Get away from her!"
"If I were you I'd just let me finish her off instead of prolonging the inevitable," Tyrian said. "But please, do put up a fight for her! I do so enjoy watching people suffer!"
"Get. Away."
Tyrian stared at her, smiling from ear to ear. Ruby held Crescent Rose tighter.
Then the snowstorm stopped. It didn't end – it came to a sudden standstill, the wind no longer blowing and snow and pieces of hail hovering in the air as if held by an invisible force.
Ruby's skin tingled. She turned to look and saw Amber floating just above the ground, her arms spread wide as she stared at Tyrian. She locked eyes with him, and he started to back away.
"Oh no no no-" he babbled. "Not again! Don't you dare, you little-"
Amber clapped her hands together, and the wind picked up again, ten times as intense as before. It blew directly at Tyrian, the blizzard seeming to part around Ruby and the others to converge solely onto him. His feet lifted off the ground, hail battering him mercilessly. Ruby covered her eyes with the back of her elbow.
The snowstorm returned to normal. When Ruby looked again, Tyrian was gone. A red trail started in the snow from where he once stood, and vanished far into the distance.
Amber's feet touched the snow. She slumped, leaning on Blake, her eyes opening and shutting. Blake looked at Ruby and Weiss, all sharing the same thought.
Holy shit.
Then Ruby heard a thump behind her, and turned to see Yang kneeling on the ground.
"Oh my gosh, Yang!" Ruby yelled, looking at her arm.
"'m okay," Yang mumbled, swaying back and forth. "I just got a lil' hole in me. No big deal."
Weiss ran over to them, as did Blake, dragging Amber along.
"Yang, that looks really, really bad," Weiss said.
"Come on, it's nothing. It'll heal."
"Yang," Blake said. "Look again."
Yang looked down at her arm along with everyone else. The hole made by the stinger wasn't itself so big, but the skin around the wound was turning different shades of purple, green, and gray.
"Oh," Yang said. "That's not supposed to be like that, huh?"
"It's poison," Weiss said. "That's how he killed that man we found."
"W-well there must be some kind of cure, right? Like an antidote?" Ruby said. "We just gotta get Yang to a hospital. Blake? A hospital would have medicine for that, right?"
"I've never heard of a faunus capable of something like this, Ruby," Blake said hesitantly. "I don't think this is natural."
"It isn't," Amber rasped, and they turned to look at her. "It's a terrible weapon. Kills the body and takes captive the soul. That's how Callows keeps coming back. Slay him, and he extinguishes another soul to reignite his own. Over and over, without end."
They stood in silence.
"Well, you must be able to help her somehow!" Weiss said. "Please, can you help her?"
Yang chuckled faintly. "Hell of a way to convince you magic is real, eh?"
"Don't joke right now, you idiot! You're dying!" Weiss shouted, tears in her eyes.
"Look, I'll be fine," Yang said. "This isn't the first time I've burned some evil thing out of my body. Just… give me a sec…"
Her voice grew weak, her eyelids drooping. Ruby caught her before she hit the snow.
"Can you help her?" Ruby looked up at Amber. "Can you?"
Amber kneeled beside her. "I can try," she said softly. She placed her right palm on Yang's forehead, and the other over the wounded arm, then closed her eyes and was silent.
Ruby looked over at Weiss, who looked like she was doing her best not to collapse and start crying.
"Hey, don't freak out," Ruby said, and she wasn't sure if she was talking to Weiss or herself. "Yang will be alright. She's survived way worse!"
She looked to Blake for support, but Blake didn't even notice. She was staring at Yang without saying a word, her shoulders tense and hands twitching at her sides.
"I'm sorry," Amber said, pulling back. "I can protect her soul for as long as I have strength, but the poison will continue to spread from the wound and attack her body. The poison of the body feeds the poison of the soul, and vice-versa. Inevitably one will overwhelm her."
"There's really nothing you can do?" Ruby asked. "Even just a little help? Please?"
Amber shook her head. "I've watched this happen before, and tried to stop it. It's futile. I am sorry."
Ruby breathed out heavily.
Alright.
No freaking out.
There was still hope yet. They could still get Yang to the jet, then a hospital. Yang was strong, she could hold out. Amber might not know a way, but she'd been trapped underground for a week. There were expert doctors all over the world. Beacon. The World Council. If she had to beg, she would beg.
There had to be someone.
"So if the poison were no longer attacking her body," Blake said, "you could burn the poison attacking her soul, and she'd be saved?"
Amber thought for a moment. "Yes."
"So we remove the source of the poison," Blake said. "Her arm."
There was a moment of silence before Weiss shouted, "That's insane, Blake!"
Blake's ears folded atop her head. "It's not insane if it saves her," she said. "It will save her, right?"
"If all goes well," Amber said.
"We're in the middle of a snowstorm! Odds are she'll bleed out and die!" Weiss said.
"She will die if we do nothing. This way we'll be giving her a chance," Blake said. "You know that's what she'd choose. Yang?"
But Yang didn't so much as stir at the sound of her name. Blake turned to look at Ruby in a silent question.
For a moment, Ruby could only hold Yang in her arms, staring at her pale face. Her hair still looked vibrant as the sun despite everything. Ruby could just picture her opening her eyes and smiling at her – fooled ya, Sis!
Her arm had gotten worse. The sick skin was almost to her elbow now.
Ruby breathed in.
"We do it right. Clean cut, keep the bleeding to a minimum," she said. "We can stabilize her in the jet. The nearest hospital can't be more than half an hour away. We might even be able to get her to the capital depending on how she's doing."
"We're really doing this," Weiss said, looking on the verge of passing out. "Alright. Can't we take her to the jet first?"
"Look at her arm. We can't waste another minute," Ruby said. "Someone will need to hold her arm out."
"I'll do it," Weiss said. "We need to tie-"
"On it," Blake said, ripping a strip of cloth from her shirt and wrapping it tight around Yang's arm above her elbow.
"Amber, as soon as we make the cut, you'll need to do your thing," Ruby said. "And then we're moving immediately."
"Understood."
Ruby stood up. She moved to grab Crescent Rose, but Blake covered her hand with her own.
"I'll do it," Blake said. "You shouldn't have to."
A part of Ruby wanted to argue that she had to, being team leader. But she didn't put up a fight. She was glad Blake had offered.
"I'll hold her, then," Ruby said, and crouched to support Yang again. She kissed her forehead and whispered, "I love you."
There was a flurry of movement as Weiss grabbed Yang's hand and held her arm taut, while Blake took position standing beside her. Amber kneeled next to Ruby, looking kindly upon her.
"Alright. On three," Blake said. "One. Two-"
Blake lifted her blade, and Ruby looked away.
Lionheart was so easy to track down it was almost laughable.
To his credit, he'd been fast – he might have been boarding his private plane before the bomb had even gone off. But he'd failed to take into account how an unauthorized flight over Vale airspace would look right after an attack on the capital. If he'd been just a little more patient with his getaway plan, he might have bought an additional day or two for himself.
Not that Qrow wouldn't have found him either way.
He drew in towards the plane, bird form fluttering in the intense winds of the stratosphere. His eyes honed in on a window on the side of the vehicle. That was his way in, but he'd need to be perfectly precise. One mistake and the consequences would be catastrophic.
That was just the usual, though.
Qrow let the winds push him backwards for a second, before he spun in a loop and dove towards the plane at top speed. When the window was just a couple meters in front of him, he shifted into human form and put his feet out before him. He crashed through the glass and rolled on the floor of the plane.
He stood, air rushing in through the broken window, and saw Lionheart sitting right in front of his eyes. The Councilman jumped to his feet and backed away, eyes wide with panic.
"Agent Branwen! Please, this is not what it looks like!"
"Save it!" Qrow grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and shoved him back on his seat. "You're really going to lie to me after what you've done? You disgust me."
"I had no choice!" Lionheart yelled. "They threatened my life!"
"What about the lives of everyone inside that building? Were they not as important as yours?"
Lionheart tried to stand. Qrow slapped him with the back of his hand, nipping that in the bud.
"Talk," Qrow said. "Who put you up to this?"
"He didn't give me a name!" Lionheart said. "Even if he did, I couldn't tell you. He showed me things… I'm as good as dead if I say anything."
"Say you do weasel your way out of this somehow," Qrow said, "what do you think will happen afterward? Do you think they'll spare you because you kept your mouth shut?"
Lionheart stared at him, sweat pouring down his brow.
"Maybe I should cut you loose, huh? Since you didn't do anything," Qrow said. "See how long you last."
"Alright, fine!" Lionheart gripped the arms of his chair. "I'll talk. But he didn't explain anything to me, he just told me what to do!"
"You're a smart guy, Councilman," Qrow said. "I'm sure you came to your own conclusions. Tell me and I'll make sure you live to see next week."
"He was working for someone else! Something else. He showed me, but-" Lionheart's lips flapped uselessly for a moment. "I can't say it."
Qrow leaned close, putting his face right above the councilman's. He could feel his own heart pummeling his ribcage, the cold sweat dripping down the back of his neck. He knew what Lionheart had seen. He didn't need him to put a name to it.
"And?" Qrow said. "Did she want the Council dead, or just Ozpin?"
"She - they wanted all of them dead, but perhaps – perhaps that was just a bonus. I suspect they never expected the attack to work," Lionheart said. "I am not sure, but it might have been a distraction. Is that good enough for you? Will you help me?"
Qrow pulled back.
"A distraction." He frowned. "From what?"
"-completely surrounded! I repeat, the facility is completely surrounded! The prisoners are out of their cells! Please, if anyone is listening, send help imme-"
The guard's plea ended in a gurgle, a shard of obsidian glass piercing his throat from behind. He dropped to the floor, his radio shattering beside his head.
Cinder stepped over him, taking perverse delight in the way his eyes widened as he looked up at her. Good. She wanted him to recognize her in his last moments.
Another swipe of her hand, and the life left his eyes.
She walked down the corridor towards the gates. A group of inmates ran past her, giving her a wide berth. Beyond a collapsed wall to her right, an Ursa crouched low to the ground, searching for prey in the flames and the rubble.
She reached the gates and stepped outside. The wind blew softly on her skin. Daylight. Warmth.
She only had a few seconds to herself before a Nevermore landed in front of her.
Cinder looked back at the burning facility. How she wanted to chase down each and every one of her captors and pay them back for all the misery they'd inflicted on her. To show them that she could have turned the tables anytime she wanted. Watch the color drain from their faces as they realized how they'd sealed their own fates.
It had been her choice to stay. But she had no time to show them.
Cinder climbed onto the Nevermore's back. "Fly on," she whispered in its ear. "Destiny awaits."