This chapter was uploaded at the same time as chapter 6. If you haven't read that one yet, go back, don't get spoiled!
Blake pushed the door open with the tip of her foot. Like the rest of the house, the interior of the security room was pitch black. She could make out the outline of the security console, and near a corner on the back wall, the breaker panel. Nothing else.
With her blade gripped firmly in her right hand, Blake opened the door the rest of the way and went in. Looking to the screens, she saw they were all dark, and a quick tap on the console confirmed the power was out. She moved quickly to the breaker panel, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end, and hesitated as she reached to open it.
If she'd moved any faster, she might have missed the purple glow reflecting on the lid of the panel. As it was, she had one second – one precious second – to lunge to the side, and the stinger pierced into the panel instead of the back of her skull.
"You annoying little beastie!" Tyrian shouted, the glow of his stinger fading. "How are you so slippery?"
He grunted as he pulled back his tail, and a shower of sparks fell upon Blake. She crouched as he swung his chakrams over her head, and rolled on the ground to put some distance between them.
She jumped to her feet and danced back as he took another swipe at her neck. "How the hell did you get inside?"
"The question is-" Tyrian lunged at her, burying his stinger into one of the security screens as she dodged to the left- "how do you keep a man out when death is but an inconvenience? And I will say, I actually relish in that sweet touch. It's exquisite every time!"
He lunged at her again, and Blake slashed blindly as she slid aside. Crimson poured forth from his chest as he kept going undeterred, and Blake felt a sharp pain as one of his chakrams dug into her arm, piercing past her Aura. She lifted a foot and planted it firmly on his belly, kicking him back to the far wall, and hobbled away.
Blake kept her eyes on him as he shook off the stupor. Blood continued to stain his shredded shirt, but he didn't seem to mind in the slightest. Blake shivered as she realized he was smiling.
Tyrian came at her again, and this time Blake ran forward to meet him. She ducked under his tail at the last second, sliding on her knees, then spun onto her feet and stabbed at his throat.
Her blade sunk easily into the side of his neck. She twisted it, then drew it out.
With a gurgle, Tyrian doubled over and fell. Blake slowly circled around him, shivering as she watched him twitch in a growing pool of his own blood. Finally, he ceased moving.
Blake drew back towards the door, holding her breath.
Tyrian stirred. With a heavy gasp, he sat upright. He rose to his feet, a twisted grin on his lips, the skin of his neck and chest stitching shut where she'd stabbed him.
"That was pitiful! How long was that, a minute, minute and a half?" He licked his lips. "But don't be discouraged, sweetheart. I'm sure you'll do better next round."
Blake couldn't take her eyes off his neck. All evidence that she'd put him down, that she'd done any damage at all to him, was gone. It was as if she'd never so much as touched him. No wonder he fought with so little regard to his own safety. How was she supposed to win against something like that?
Suddenly she remembered where she was. She looked at the open doorway at her back, the distant chill of the Grimm nibbling at her skin.
"Nu-uh." Tyrian clucked his tongue. "You're not thinking about running away, are you?"
"Tyrian's here!" Blake shouted over her shoulder, before she looked at Tyrian again. With the back of her foot, she kicked the door shut.
Tyrian tilted his head sideways.
"I can't kill you," Blake said, "but I can keep you from leaving this room."
"Oh-ho-ho!" Tyrian shouted gleefully, and leaped at her, chakrams out. She waited until the last second to dodge, leaving a clone in her place which he easily tore through. Circling around to his back, she aimed at his exposed neck like before, but he spun and deflected her blade with a savage swing of his own, and Blake was forced to retreat as he lashed his tail at her.
Blake cursed as she was put on the backfoot, having to split her focus between keeping up with and avoiding his wild aggression, and coming up with a counterattack. He might not care if she landed a killing blow on him, but that didn't mean he was going to give them to her for free. And though she was nimble on her feet, all it would take was one slip-up and he would have her. This was not a winning fight for her.
Don't play his game.
"You know, I was wondering who was going to fall into my trap." Tyrian thrust a chakram forward, coming just short of slashing her eye. "Obviously you weren't going to leave the Maiden alone. I was hoping I'd get to finish what I started with the blondie, or that the white-haired bitch would show up. I still owe her for stabbing me through the heart! But you – I'm starting to enjoy-"
An opening. He swung a little too wide, and she slid in, sinking her blade into his gut. She pulled out and slipped past him as he lashed out in reprisal, and turned back, cracking the back of his head with an elbow strike.
He fell onto his front, stunned, unconscious, dead – Blake didn't wait to find out which. She put her blade away and pulled her left sleeve back, starting to unravel her ribbon from around her arm.
"What was that? You didn't even do it proper this time!" Tyrian barked, pushing off the ground. "Maybe put some effort into- hey!"
Blake dropped on top of him, pressing him flat to the ground with her knee on the small of his back. She pinned down his hands with her own as he tried to get up again, and as his tail started to move, she stomped on its lower end with her free foot and kept it there.
"Yes! Fighting dirty! That's what I like!" Tyrian cackled. "You're one of those types who's been fighting to stay alive since the day they were born, aren't you? I could smell it on you the moment you set foot in this room."
"Shut up," Blake grunted.
"You didn't like that? Sorry, but I've seen it all, and I don't read people wrong," Tyrian said. "I love coming across your type. No one else puts up as much of a struggle, but in the end-"
"I said shut up!"
Blake let go with one hand and shoved his head against the floor. As Tyrian went slack, Blake grabbed his hands and joined them behind his back. She rolled her ribbon around his wrists, blood pounding in her ears. She reached the end of her ribbon and started to tie it into a knot, but her fingers were trembling and the fabric nearly slipped from them. She cursed-
Tyrian came to howling, shoving Blake off his back as he pushed himself to his knees. Blake continued to hold his wrists together with all her strength, but as she struggled to keep him on the ground, her foot slipped off his tail. It sprung up immediately and swiveled in the air, and Blake could do nothing but watch, almost in slow motion, as it darted back towards her and cut a red line along her right arm.
The pain came delayed a second later, a sharp, mind-warping flash, then a dull numbness around the wound. She lost her grip on her ribbon, and fell on her side as Tyrian rose to his feet.
He turned around, a demented smile on his lips as he looked down at her – and something snapped in Blake, roaring up from somewhere deep within and taking command of her body.
Before she knew it, she was standing again, her hand closed around Tyrian's throat and squeezing tight. She pushed forward, dragging him across the room towards the security console with a strength that somehow surpassed his. He thrashed and snarled, and his tail came flying at her neck, but she grabbed it with her other hand and held it short.
His foot twisted around her ankle, and they fell into a heap on the floor. She seized him by the hair, pulled him up onto his knees, and turned him around forcefully. She pulled back his head, and with a yell, smashed him face-first into the corner of the console.
The crunch reverberated up her arm all the way to her shoulder. She pulled back, grit her teeth as he wailed, and slammed his face on the console again. On the third bash he fell silent.
She did it a fourth time.
And a fifth.
Finally, she dropped him.
Blake stumbled to the other side of the room and leaned against the wall, her arms outstretched before her as she took in a breath of air that shook her whole body. The familiar scent of Vacuan sands and home-cooked fish filled her nostrils, and as she closed her eyes she swore she could hear the cold noises of lab equipment and a train speeding by on a railway.
She looked at her arm and the gash that ran across it. No purple. Just red.
Blake stepped back as she heard shuffling and snapping behind her. Bloody marks remained on the wall where her hands had been. She stared at them for a while, before she wiped her brow and turned around.
"There you go," Tyrian said, rolling his neck. "That's more like it. You look just right with blood all over you."
Blake stepped forward and took out her blade. "Are you going to babble some more, or are we going to get on with it?"
Tyrian hissed. "Insolent girl! You got off easy." His tail glowed purple behind him for a second, before the color faded away. "I'll make sure to get you proper next time."
"Try it. I don't care." Blake shrugged. "Doesn't change anything."
Tyrian crouched low, pouting. "Now you're starting to disappoint me," he said. "You're not supposed to give up. Where did the fight go?"
"The fight's not gone anywhere," Blake said. "I'm still not letting you leave this room. Maybe I'll hold you off long enough for the others to come, maybe I won't. I guess we'll find out together."
"Well that's dreary. You've taken all the excitement out of this," Tyrian said. "I can't fight you anymore. Not if you're gonna behave this way." He hopped in place, standing up with his back straight, and clapped his hands. "So I suppose it falls to me to spice things up again! Good thing I came prepared."
Blake's hand felt clammy around the handle of her blade. She watched, ready to parry or dodge Tyrian's attack, whatever form it took, but he didn't move a step. He stared at her, grinning from ear to ear, and slowly the room started to brighten with a red glow. Blake looked to his tail, but it hadn't changed from its dull brown color.
With a startle, Blake realized the glow was coming from within Tyrian.
"This is a gift from the Queen of Night, your most Glorious and Terrible Goddess." The glow traveled from Tyrian's stomach up to his chest. "And as her most loyal herald, I shall deliver her gift unto you, and you shall know your doom was forever inevitable!"
He groaned, his chest starting to bulge. Blake turned away, unable to look at Tyrian and keep her lunch. The red glow grew brighter and brighter, bringing tears to her eyes, and noises rang in her ears that no human body should ever make. Tyrian shrieked.
A final rip, and the glow faded.
Blake stood frozen in the dark, the mere concept of thought escaping her. Hot air washed over her, but her insides felt like ice. Every inch of her skin buzzed. All that she knew was that she needed to move, she needed to move, she needed to move-
A terrible roar exploded in front of her, and she bolted for the door.
Amber held on to Weiss' arm as they floated away from the house, the wind whipping at her face. Weiss shot down a Griffon with a blast of ice Dust, then directed her glyph into a new burst of speed. They took a sharp detour northward to avoid a flock of Grimm that locked on to them, before Weiss corrected their flight.
Amber felt Cinder a second before she saw her. She stood on ashen grass, bathed in an aura of flames and beset by enemies on all sides. They were relentless – Ruby, Pyrrha, and Qrow – alternating their attacks or setting upon her in tandem, and when she would direct her ire at one of them, they would back away and disappear, courtesy of Lie Ren.
But they had not endured this fight unscathed, and though Cinder tired, her anger grew just as swiftly. Amber could feel it as if it were her own. Her allies were putting up a valiant effort, but an end need come to their struggle. And Amber was the only one who could deliver it.
"This is far enough," Amber said to Weiss.
Weiss shot down another Grimm and looked back at her. "Are you sure?"
Amber nodded. "Return to the house. Our allies inside need your assistance," she said, and before Weiss could protest, "I can make my own way down."
She stepped off the glyph, and for a few seconds she plummeted free. The ground grew closer alarmingly fast, but she did not let fear take hold of her. Spreading her arms wide, she beckoned the wind to come to her aid, and in a heartbeat, it did, wrapping her in a gentle embrace that carried her safely to the ground.
A rush of euphoria hit her as she landed softly on the grass. She felt the world through the soles of her feet, the invisible roots that connected her and every living thing to form one vast forest. She saw those closest to her - Pyrrha standing firmly behind her shield, a stalwart soul wrapped in turmoil, and Ruby, piercing the darkness as a roving ray of light, and Cinder-
Cinder was a bonfire, great and terrible, lashing out at any and everything that made contact with it and consuming it whole. But deep within the flames something familiar called out to Amber. The missing piece of her own soul, holding out a hand for her to grasp and be welcomed back into the whole – or to pull her into the flames forevermore.
As Amber stared, the bonfire suddenly flared. She blinked her eyes, and Cinder stared at her from across the field.
"You."
Cinder punched the air, and a bolt of fire singed the grass as it streaked towards Amber. As it was about to hit her, Amber sent it astray with a wave of her hand, and the fire morphed into a fine mist before dispersing.
"Amber!" Ruby shouted, cocking her scythe. "How can we help?"
"Protect me," Amber said, and clapped her hands. Fierce winds pushed Ruby and the others away, clearing an area around her and Cinder. They met eyes, a clear understanding passing between them.
You and me.
Cinder threw another firebolt, which Amber again deflected before she took the offensive herself. With a swipe of her hand, she crystallized the air in front of her into dozens of icy shards, and launched them at her foe. As Cinder cloaked herself in fire, Amber took to the air, nursing an electric current between her hands.
Cinder took after, tossing fireball after fireball as she closed the distance. Amber weaved between them, the heat of the projectiles keeping her on edge as they whizzed past her. Cinder's fire was frightfully intense, perhaps more intense than Amber's had been at the peak of her power – and she was woefully below that peak at the moment. She couldn't keep up in sheer power.
The current she'd been building reached its capacity. She sent it down like a thunderbolt, and Cinder had but a second to divert her trajectory and fly under it. She spiraled, and as regained her speed, launched another fireball.
Amber quickly realized they were now too close for her to escape the attack unscathed, so like before, she resorted to redirecting it with an element of her own. But as her gust put out the flames, it revealed something concealed within them – an obsidian glass javelin, flying towards her.
Amber's eyes went wide, her head jerking reflexively to the left. A moment later, her vision went blank as she felt the tip of the javelin rip a line across her right cheek. Amber reeled back, holding her cheek, blood seeping between her fingers.
A hand closed around her throat. Amber's vision cleared to reveal Cinder right in front of her, rocketing them both through the air. Cinder turned, putting Amber under her as they dropped towards the ground at a sharp angle.
Cinder raised her other hand, and in her palm Amber saw a vile red eye glaring at her. Amber went slack, forgetting that she ought to be fighting back. Forgetting that she needed to fight back.
Cinder's hand around her throat. The skin contact. That evil eye. Amber's mind seemed to clear up in an instant, the gaps in her memory starting to close and heal. The fog lifted, and she remembered it all.
Amber came back to herself as she sensed the earth fast approaching. She jerked her whole body to the side, summoning a sideways gust of wind onto them. They went spiraling, Cinder unable to retake control, and within seconds of them hitting the ground, Amber shoved against Cinder's chest and broke free.
Catching herself on a breeze, Amber slowly floated downwards. She watched Cinder hit the ground and lost sight of her in the dirt and grass she kicked up. A furious yell rang through the air, and then Cinder reappeared, jetting back towards her.
She did not get far. A root closed around her ankle and went taut. Cinder reeled from the whiplash, and for a moment remained stationary in the air, unable to make it any farther. "What-"
The root yanked her back, and Cinder hit the ground again. She pushed herself up to her feet, but the root around her ankle expanded up her leg, snaking past her knee and pulling her back down. Finally realizing what was happening, Cinder yelled and gathered fire in her hand, preparing to throw it at Amber, but another root sprang from the earth and ensnared her wrist, putting out the fire with a jerk.
More and more roots seized hold of her. They forced her onto her knees, and she released her rage out into the world in a guttural scream. The roots glowed red with heat, but for every one that snapped or burned, two more took its place and secured Cinder even more tightly.
Amber landed before her.
"How dare you," Cinder grunted. "You couldn't defeat me fairly so you resort to this. Set me free. Set. Me. Free."
"Begging? Is that all you have?" Amber said. She brushed her wounded cheek. It hurt tremendously. "That was clever. I always had the impression you were a brilliant girl. It's honestly saddening how you've used that for the worst at every opportunity."
Cinder glared at her impotently.
"You may be powerful in your own right, but you're no Maiden," Amber said. "You attained your power through trickery. You abused the kindness of others for your own gain. If you had any real understanding of what you so badly covet, you'd understand why you're not deserving of it."
She waited for Cinder to yell at her, to rebuff her or do anything at all to try and defend herself. But she was silent, and Amber knew it was not out of humility or regret. Wrath and bitterness was all that drove this woman, and nothing else.
Amber took her hand off her cheek and started to charge lightning at the tip of her fingers. If she killed Cinder, she was certain the portion of the Maiden's soul she'd stolen would return to her, and Amber would be whole again. Salem would lose a vital instrument of her plans. And Cinder had done so much damage in her life, it pained Amber to even think of it.
The act would be justified.
Amber stayed her hand.
"I refused to give you my blessing," she said. "You think I did so because you weren't good enough for it. Because you were, in your own mind, rotten." She paused. "The truth is, when I talked to you that day, what I saw was a scared, hurt little girl. And you believed if you were to become the Maiden after me, if only you had that power, then maybe you'd finally be safe. Maybe. And I knew the real answer to that was no. So I turned you away, because I didn't want to damage you any further."
Cinder grit her teeth, fire burning in her eyes.
"I'm telling you that I was wrong. I should have given you my blessing," Amber said. "I forgot myself long before you gave me these scars. I thought being the Maiden was about power, but that's not all it is. Being the Maiden is about connection. And that is what you needed. Maybe if I'd let you have it, you wouldn't have caused so much pain to yourself and others."
"So give it to me already," Cinder growled. "Problem solved."
Amber smiled. "It's too late for that," she said. "But I can take back what you stole. And once you are free of it, we can start taking steps towards making things right. For that, it's not too late."
She laid her hand atop Cinder's head. For a moment, Cinder lay quiet, before she started thrashing more furiously than ever, such that Amber had to put renewed effort into restraining her.
"You can't do this!" Cinder yelled, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Stop! Stop!"
"Quiet, child," Amber murmured. "Have no fear. I will be with you when this is done."
And steeling her soul, she reached for the missing piece.
Jaune grunted as he brought down his sword for what felt like the hundredth time today. More Grimm sprinted down the hallway, giving him barely any time to catch his breath before he got to hacking at them again.
He and the others had to retreat to the living room after the Grimm in the training room had broken down the door, and they'd found themselves pincered between those and the ones coming through the hole in the ceiling. Their position was still tenuous, but at least they had more room to work with here.
Apparently the Grimm didn't care that Amber was no longer inside the house. They just wanted blood.
"Hey, Jaune," Nora said behind him, fiddling with her pistol. "You know how to change the Dust on this thing?"
"What?" Jaune blinked. "I got no clue. Ask Weiss!"
A Beowolf crashed into him, nearly knocking him to the ground before he pushed it off and lopped off its head.
"Hey, Weiss!" Nora yelled. "How do I change the Dust on this thing?"
At the other end of the room, Weiss stabbed a Boarbatusk through as it rolled in from another hallway, then looked back at Nora, a quizzical expression on her face. "You can't," she said. "That pistol uses neutralized Dust rounds. Blake would have to upgrade it to accept other types of ammo."
"Aw. So no sparky-sparky shots?" Nora asked.
"No. No sparky-sparky shots." Weiss shook her head. "What does it matter? The Grimm will go down no matter what type of Dust you shoot them with."
"But I don't want to shoot the Grimm," Nora said. "I want to shoot myself!"
"What!"
Jaune did a double take. "Nora! Things really aren't that dire yet!"
"That's not what I meant! I-"
Nora's voice was drowned out by a roar coming from the other side of the house. At least Jaune thought it came from the other side of the house – the way his bones rattled from the sheer sound had him doubting himself. An instant later he heard crashing like the whole house was coming down, coming from the hallway Weiss was guarding, and as it got closer Jaune found himself rooted to the floor in terror.
Suddenly Blake came running into the living room, grabbing Weiss by the wrist as she passed her by and dragging her away.
"Watch out!"
She shoved Weiss away then dove to the floor herself, as from behind her emerged one of the largest Grimm Jaune had ever seen. It looked like a Beringel if it had taken its body weight in steroids, its shoulders so wide that it tore away at the walls as it barreled down the hallway. When it came out into the living room and stood straight, its head almost touched the ceiling.
"What the hell!" Nora yelled.
"It was Tyrian," Blake said. "He brought it-"
The Uber-Beringel rounded on her, punching down with a fist the size of her. Blake rolled to the side, leaving a clone behind to be crushed in her stead. The Grimm stomped towards her, breaking a table as it tried to grab her.
Jaune snapped into action. "Watch the hallway!" he yelled to Nora, and ran at the Uber-Beringel, taking a swipe at the back of its legs. Like he expected, his sword did no damage, simply sliding across the thick hide in a shower of sparks, but at least he took its attention off of Blake.
As the Grimm turned around, Jaune backed away and focused his Aura into his sword. The Uber-Beringel tried to bludgeon him with a fist, but Jaune jumped aside and, seeing his opening, took a running jump forward. He carried the momentum into a stab, and this time his sword pierced skin, burying right to the hilt in the monster's chest.
For a moment, the Uber-Beringel only groaned, doubled over in pain. Then it stood to its full height, and Jaune was yanked into the air, still holding onto the handle of his sword.
"Uh…" Jaune looked up at the Grimm's face. "You're supposed to die now, remember?"
The Uber-Beringel howled, and Jaune realized a smart decision would probably be to let go about now. He did so, and he nearly made it to his feet before the Grimm snatched him in mid-air, wrapping a huge hand around his torso.
Well, then. Shit.
The Grimm lifted him high above the ground and started to squeeze. Jaune grit his teeth, his Aura working to counteract the pressure on his body.
"Down!" Weiss yelled, hovering up to the Uber-Beringel's face, a charged-up fire glyph in hand. She fired it point-blank, and the Grimm dropped Jaune immediately, rearing back as its whole head caught on fire.
Jaune fell roughly on his back. Weiss landed beside him a second later and started to ask him if he was okay, but the Grimm was already on them again, the flames on its head going out as it charged forth. Weiss brought up a glyph, blocking an incoming fist just in time. The impact sent her reeling, cracks spreading from the center of the glyph.
Seeing Weiss turn pale, Jaune jumped to his feet and grabbed her arm. He fed his Aura into hers, and when the Uber-Beringel struck her glyph again, it did not shatter. Still it kept pummeling, and each strike forced Weiss and Jaune back a little more, until their backs were to a wall.
"We can't keep this up forever," Weiss said through gritted teeth. "Got any brilliant ideas?"
Jaune looked past the Uber-Beringel. Blake had taken her pistol back and was busy dealing with the other Grimm still creeping into the room, while Nora stood by her, looking back and forth helplessly.
"Do you still have lightning Dust on you?" Jaune asked.
"I haven't run out yet," Weiss said.
"Good," Jaune said. "You're going to shoot Nora with it."
For a moment Weiss looked confused, before she nodded in understanding.
"Nora!" Jaune yelled. "Weiss is going to shoot you!"
Nora spun around, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Finally!"
Weiss held up her existing glyph with one hand, and with the other reached down to her belt. She charged another glyph, and when it crackled with barely-contained electricity, she aimed it at Nora and released. The beam crossed the room in a heartbeat and struck Nora full-on.
The very same instant, the Uber-Beringel struck again. Weiss' shield shattered, and the Grimm's fist slammed into her from the side, sending her flying across the room. She hit a wall and collapsed on the floor, unmoving.
"Weiss!" Jaune ran towards her, but the Grimm jumped in his path and swung at him. He ducked under the fist just as Nora appeared, leaving a trail of lightning behind her, and tackled the Uber-Beringel shoulder-first. It slammed into the wall, and an instant later she lay into it with crackling fists, not allowing it to move an inch.
Seeing his opportunity, Jaune ran past Nora and crouched next to Weiss. She was doubled over on her side, eyes shut, but at least she was breathing. Jaune let out a breath of relief.
He touched her arm lightly, moving his fingers across it before he laid them gently over her ribcage. Weiss winced, her eyes fluttering open for a second before they closed again.
"I've got you," Jaune said. "Don't move. You for sure broke something."
"I'm fine-" Weiss gasped. She squirmed on the floor, as if trying to get away from his touch. "Help Nora first. I can wait."
"No. And I told you not to move."
He started to heal her. As he did, he looked over his shoulder to see how Nora was doing. The battle had moved to the middle of the room, where she was meeting the Uber-Beringel punch for punch.
The Grimm moved to grab her, and Nora caught both its hands, the impact sending her reeling for a second before she planted her feet firmly on the floor. The Uber-Beringel pushed, and she pushed right back, taking on a hulking monster five times her size in a wrestling contest and matching it. Her muscles bulged, lightning arcing around her body from head to toe, and she smiled.
But the temporary boost Weiss had given her was just that, temporary. Jaune saw the signs before Nora herself did, in the way her arms dropped ever so slightly, her smile strained. The Grimm pushed, Nora slid back a step, two steps, and then she faltered.
The Uber-Beringel shoved her to the floor. She tried to get up but it kicked her back down, and there Nora stayed, lying sideways clutching her chest. The Grimm roared, dark blobs of split jumping from its mouth and falling over her.
Jaune stood up, forgetting Weiss temporarily as he watched the Uber-Beringel clasp its hands above its head, Nora defenseless underneath it. His thoughts ran at the speed of light. What could he do? His sword has been no use so far. The Grimm's head was probably its most vulnerable spot, but he had no time to get an angle on it. No time to communicate with Blake either, if she could even help. Maybe he had time to throw himself in the way of attack – and he had more Aura, he could take it better than Nora – that would hurt – more than hurt – he couldn't heal himself – other options? – no options – no time-
Jaune began to run. The Grimm swung down-
And its arms descended slowly, without any of the speed its ferocity implied. Seconds passed and their arc just passed its forehead. Jaune blinked, and realized he'd barely taken two steps away from Weiss in all that time.
Time.
A cane came spinning from beyond Jaune's vision, smacking the Grimm square in the face, then fell between its feet. The cane vanished - and reappeared, striking the Grimm and falling in the exact same way, ten times over.
Ozpin walked into view, catching his cane as it returned to him.
The Uber-Beringel's reaction came with matching lethargy, stumbling back with a wince that was almost comical. Nora pushed herself up to her knees, and Jaune's brain had a little short-circuit. She was moving fast. Or rather, not slow. She was moving at normal speed while everything else around her was not.
"Now, Miss Valkyrie!" Ozpin said. "Give it all you've got!"
For a moment, Nora stared at him, eyes wide. Then she set her jaw and gathered herself on her feet. She drew back her fist, electricity coursing through her arm, and thrust it forward in an explosive punch aimed at the Grimm's chest. The exact instant she hit, a dozen afterimages of her seemed to superimpose over Nora, replicating the motion down to the tee.
The sound of Ozpin inhaling spread across the room.
"That should do it."
The passage of time resumed its usual course.
Jaune stumbled forward, cursing wordlessly – and flinched as a popping sound exploded in his ears. He looked up and saw nearly half the room was covered in black goo. On the walls, the floor, the ceiling, it sizzled and dissolved into smoke just as dark.
Jaune pinched his nose. Grimm smoke smelled foul enough on the regular, but this was particularly bad. He'd have to take a note to stick with his usual methods of killing Grimm and stay far away from timey-wimey, electrocution-y shenanigans.
Ozpin leaned heavily on his cane and closed his eyes. Jaune shared a look with Nora. She looked from him to Ozpin, lips shut in a tight line, before she turned away and started poking a glob of Uber-Beringel with the tip of her shoe.
"I'm sorry." Blake's voice cut through the silence. "I shouldn't have brought it to you. I should have led it away. I wasn't thinking, I was so-"
She stopped speaking, looking over her shoulder at the hallway behind her and rubbing her arm. Her pistol shook in her grip.
"It's okay," Jaune said. "What else were you supposed to do?"
Blake shrugged. She looked over her shoulder again. "There's no more Grimm in the house. I think so, at least. I'm not sure."
Ozpin chuckled.
Jaune glared at him. "What's so funny?"
"My apologies. I just feel like I've had the wind taken out of my sails," Ozpin said. "I can't tell if I was too late, or if I was just in time."
He met Jaune's eyes and grinned. Despite everything, Jaune found himself smiling in return.
Then time seemed to slow again. Not because of one of Ozpin's spells, but because Jaune's mind couldn't make sense of what his eyes were seeing.
Tyrian's glowing stinger pierced Ozpin from behind. He spat blood, and the light in his eyes, still locked on Jaune's, seemed to vanish in an instant. His fingers twitched around his cane, holding it in an iron grip. Of course he'd not let go of it. After all the exertion of the past few minutes, how was he supposed to stand without it?
Jaune came to as the cane clattered on the floor.
"No!" he shouted, sprinting at Tyrian. He swung his sword over his head, aiming at that accursed tail. He imagined it chopped off, on the ground, writhing uselessly, and he moved to make that happen.
Tyrian retreated just in time to avoid that reality. He took the stinger out and slid back, letting Ozpin drop to the floor unceremoniously, and Jaune's sword missed by the breath of a second.
"How dare you!" Tyrian barked, coiling his tail around his waist as it lost its glow. "Don't you ever try that again, you brat!"
Jaune jumped over Ozpin's legs and lunged forward with a stab. Tyrian sidestepped and leaped at him, only to scream as a Dust round exploded on his arm. He limped back, holding his elbow, and snapped his teeth at Blake. She flinched, but didn't lower her gun, blocking the hallway closest to him.
"What are you going to do, blow my brains out?" Tyrian rolled his eyes. "Very creative. I'm sure that will work."
He turned, looking from her to Jaune.
"I think this party has run its course, wouldn't you agree?" he said. "I got my gift, so if you don't mind, I think I'll be heading home! Ta-ta!"
Tyrian dashed towards the only other hallway out of the living room, and Jaune was too slow to stop him. Blake shot at him, but the shot just grazed his shoulder as he crouched low.
"Don't!" Blake yelled as Jaune made to chase after him. "He'll ambush you!"
Jaune stopped at the hallway's threshold. He thought about going after the bastard anyway, but he knew better. Shaking his head, he raced back to Ozpin and dropped beside him.
Together with Blake and Nora, he turned Ozpin onto his back. With the Director's eyes staring at the ceiling, Jaune placed a hand over his chest and tried to heal him. But it was useless.
There was no Aura left in Ozpin.
Amber stood amidst howling winds. Sunlight shimmered, caught in disparate particles around her. Cinder stared at her, eyes burning like hot coals, a pale reflection of the roaring fire inside her. She'd stopped screaming, her voice reduced to a furious rumble in the pit of her throat. The tears had not relented.
Amber pushed her hand into the fire. It bit at her fingers, burned away her skin, but she pressed on. Just a little more, and she'd have it. Just a little more, and they could start to heal.
She felt the stinger pierce through Ozpin's chest as if it were her own.
The winds died around her. She pulled her hand off Cinder' head, grief severing the connection between them.
Grief. She understood grief. They were intimate, her and grief. It was the third member of their little, undying family, grief.
What she did not understand was the emptiness. Had she ever felt that before? She must have. Before him.
He's gone. Gone. Gone. Gone.
The world fell apart, and it made quick work of taking her with it. Cinder tackled her, her restraints retreating into the earth, and Amber fell on her back. Cinder straddled her, one hand on her throat, the other rising to reveal that vile eye once again.
Gone.
Cinder grabbed Amber's face. Her scars burned anew. Amber screamed.
Gone.
Her mind fractured again. Past and present mixed, the fog taking violent hold of her memories, mashing them together and pulling them apart until she couldn't make sense of any of it.
Gone.
A distant yell.
Gone.
The last thing she saw was Ruby tackling Cinder off of her.
"We're close now," Amber said. "Once we get there, I will make my way inside on my own."
Summer turned to look at her from atop her horse, and Amber saw the objection in her eyes before she put words to it.
"I still don't like that idea," Summer said. "You can bend the rule one time, can't you? I'm just looking out for your safety, Amber."
"It's a rule for a reason, Summer," Amber said. "The place is dangerous to all but the Maiden. The Relic especially so. So you see, I am looking out for your safety."
"I thought you asked me to come with you to protect you." Summer squinted at her. "Amber. Am I here just to keep you company?"
Amber turned her eyes to the road. "Not at all. I would never think to waste the talents of a prestigious agent of Beacon such as yourself." She smoothed out her cloak. "Honestly, Summer, it's as if you didn't know me."
"You rascal, you." Summer shook her head at her. "That's no way for a Maiden to behave. I'm gonna tell on you."
A neigh came from behind them, startling them both. Amber looked over her shoulder. Several paces behind, Cinder's horse had veered towards the side of the dirt road. She hissed and rubbed at the back of the creature's neck, presumably to calm it, but it only neighed louder at her touch.
Frustrated, Cinder let go of the animal entirely and sat straight up. She met eyes with Amber.
"What?" she spat, her young voice cracking with distress and anger. "I didn't hurt it."
"I didn't say you did, little one," Amber said.
"I'm not stupid. I know you thought it."
Amber sighed. Summer gave her a look of apology. "Excuse me."
She slowed her horse, letting it fall into pace with Cinder. Not wanting to pry into their conversation, Amber kept her eyes on the road, though she couldn't help but overhear some of it. Summer talked to Cinder in gentle tones, instructing her on how to better take care of her horse, and eventually they got it under control.
Still Summer remained by the girl's side, though that didn't last long.
"You can go away now. I don't need you to stay with me. "
"It's fine. I like spending time with you."
"Too bad for you. I don't want to talk right now."
"Cinder-"
"Just leave me alone! Go away, is that so hard to figure out? You keep asking me to talk to you but what's the point when you won't listen?"
"Okay. You need space. I'll go. But I'll be right there, okay?"
Summer rejoined Amber, her countenance a far cry from before.
"I'm sorry about that. She shouldn't talk to you that way."
"It's fine," Amber said.
"It's not. But please don't think badly of her for it," Summer said. "It's hard for her to trust anyone, let alone adults. I think she hasn't met one yet that hasn't hurt her or let her down."
"Give yourself some credit, Summer. You took her under your wing. There aren't many who would have done that," Amber said. "You've been good to her. I can see it in her eyes."
"But that's not enough," Summer said. "I'm not enough, and it's killing her. I don't know what else to do."
"Sometimes there is nothing we can do but be there."
Summer was silent for a moment, her hands tight around her mount's reins.
"Can you talk to her again?" she asked. "I thought bringing her along would show her that we trust her. But I think it's only made her more upset."
"I've tried to talk to her, Summer. I can try again," Amber said cautiously, "but she'll only demand that I give her my blessing, and that I cannot do. The power of the Maiden would only hurt her more."
"If all it'd do is hurt her-" Summer's eyes narrowed- "then maybe Ozpin shouldn't have dangled it in front of her eyes in the first place."
"He has his reasons."
"I'm sure he does. I wonder if they can dry her tears."
Summer huffed, and they rode on in silence. Amber sat uncomfortably in her saddle. It wasn't often that she felt unsure about Ozpin. She could never distrust him, but she was well aware he was not without his flaws. Perhaps that's what made her stick by his side all these years.
That, and likely the ancient soul-entwinement.
"It feels good to be in nature like this," Summer said softly, and Amber knew she was extending an olive branch, unnecessary though it was. "Thank you for inviting me."
"It's my pleasure," Amber said. "We should do this more often. But it'll be easier said than done to drag you away from your lovely family."
"It shouldn't be so hard to convince me," Summer said. "Maybe I'll bring my other girls along next time, and you can teach them how to ride. They're old enough for that stuff, right? Yang loves horses. Imagine how happy she'll be when she finally meets one."
Amber smiled. "There we have it, then. Tell me when you're available and we'll arrange something."
The horses neighed, not just Cinder's but all of them. Cold prickled at Amber's nape.
"Grimm."
Not a second passed before they appeared, emerging from portals all around them. Amber dropped from her horse, holding the side of its saddle to keep it from running off immediately.
"Cinder, stay close to us!" Summer yelled, hopping off as well. She took out her dagger, looking around. "How is this possible? They came out of nowhere!"
"Salem," Amber said.
Cinder dropped from her horse nearby, and it ran off into a mad dash towards an opening between the encircling Grimm. Amber sent the other horses after it, mouthing a silent prayer that the poor creatures would be safe.
"We stand and fight?" Summer asked.
"We must," Amber said. "This is no coincidence. Keep your guard up."
Behind her, she heard a faint whisper- "I'm sorry." – before she felt a blade sink into the small of her back.
Amber collapsed, the world spinning around her. She hit the ground and rolled onto her back, and saw a small silhouette standing between her and the sun. The figure fell atop her, a strange glow in her hand approaching Amber's face.
Summer yelled and tackled Cinder off of her.
Ruby pushed herself up onto her hands and knees. She stared at the grass beneath her, a strange vertigo causing her vision to swerve. Her body felt hot and cold, her heart pummeling against her ribcage.
What did I just see?
She looked behind her. Amber lay on the grass, unmoving, eyes glazed over, but still breathing.
She heard rustling, and when she looked in front of her, there Cinder stood, staring a Ruby with wavering eyes, an obsidian blade held in her right hand.
"Get out of the way," she said, voice hoarse. "Let me finish this."
Ruby didn't move. She couldn't move. She was paralyzed, frozen.
"Get out of the way!" Cinder screamed. She took a step forward, and stopped.
They stared at each other.
Ruby clenched her fists. She understood.
Cinder dropped her blade and ran.