She was not dead.
She was not dead.
Everything hurt, she couldn't breathe, but she was not dead.
Stay calm, Cherry. Stay calm.
It was incredible just how quickly she dropped her guard. One moment she was like: Okay, lemme just nonchalantly turn my back to a stranger and open the door.
The next moment she had a gun pressed to her throat. A gun that wasn't there before and Cherry knew it. Wilbur trained her damn it! She won't die from a single bullet! Not her! Not now!
Just stay calm and… Grab… The potion.
Getting the potion out of her Inventory was easy. She just needed to will it out and it would appear at her fingertips.
What was next was… much harder. Cherry tried and struggled, but her hand just refused to move. She felt that cold glass at her own fingertips but she couldn't do anything about it!
Just… Grab… The potion. Please… I don't want to die.
She was slipping. Slowly losing consciousness. It was hard to breathe. It was impossible to breathe. She couldn't breathe.
She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. shE COUlDn'T BrEatHE. SHe cOuldn't breAtHE. sHe coUldn'T bReatHE. she COuLdn'T bReATHe. SHE COuLDn't bREAThe. She COULdN't breathE.
She
could
not
BREATHE
-:-O-:-
"Cherry! Cherry, what's going on?!"
"Vera, are you there? Say something!"
The woman didn't wait for Vera to say anything. She just pressed the trigger and let the bullet loose. It was aimed right at Vera's head. The zoologist feared the worst. Both of them would die here. Wilbur would find their bodies and then… Vera can't imagine what he would do to the people here.
The bullet missed. Veronica ducked underneath it.
Then, with her morphed legs, she pounced at the intruder. The woman fired once more, and making Vera yelp as the bullet hit her shoulder, but she soldiered on and shoved the masked woman against the desk. It immediately broke, and it felt satisfying to hear her grunt in pain as Vera pinned her against the wall - with pieces of wood digging into the woman's back.
She fought back, tried to get away, but Vera cut the battle short. With one thrust of her claws the werefox pierced deep into the woman's throat, going as far as to shatter her spine.
There was no blood.
Nor did it stop the intruder.
…! There were no words, only surprise and pain when the woman took the opportunity to shoot Vera into her stomach. The zoologist recoiled and stepped back, giving the woman enough time to grab Vera's arm.
The punch into the side of her ribs hurt. Another to the stomach knocked the air out of her lungs. The woman was strong. Stronger and faster than she would seem. An experienced fighter.
Vera swiped her claws right at the woman's face. She ducked underneath and Vera saw stars right after. Her chin hurt, and the woman was already retracting her fist.
"Damn it! Weiss, move! I'm kicking these doors!"
A loud bang rattled the doors as Vera stepped away from the intruder. This close was dangerous. But the moment Vera did so, the woman was already winding up for a kick to the stomach.
The zoologist swiped her feet.
In a show of superhuman strength and reflexes, the woman jumped and kicked her anyway. Her foot meeting the side of Vera's face. The zoologist was sent spinning into the floor.
All of this barely hurt Vera, thanks to her more durable body, but stars above these blows were disorientating. She looked up, dizzy and reeling, but she saw something pink gathering around the woman's hands. The next moment the pink was gone, and was replaced with a steel blade.
She stomped hard on Veronica's stomach, crouched on it, and plunged the combat knife right into her neck - stopped only by Vera herself. She held the knife one foot or so away from her.
There was another loud bang on the door. The hinges wouldn't last long.
The woman was unfazed by the resistance and simply pressed the knife down harder, just as Vera grit her teeth and put more strength into keeping the blade away from her. Cursed werefox muscles versus… whatever that woman was. Vera caught a glimpse of bright blue particles coming out of her neck, which was rapidly healing.
That was not blood she was bleeding. Vera didn't know what it was. However the woman was just as concerned about this injury as she was about every other wound she got this evening; not at all.
Surprisingly, they were evenly matched. But Vera was putting in her best while the woman… did not seem bothered to put any effort.
Someone coughed, and it wasn't Vera or the woman. It was Cherry. The party girl was not in a good shape, but it was a sign that she was still alive.
The woman was surprised. Absolutely shocked, even. That was enough of a distraction for Vera to take a hand away from the knife, and plunge her claws right into the woman's own ribs.
She grunted, then yelped when Vera pushed her off. For all her strength and figure… She was surprisingly light. It was only a fleeting victory when the woman rolled away without missing a beat - putting distance between them and preventing Vera from continuing her assault.
At least it allowed her, and the woman, to stand up and think.
Vera wanted to, she really wanted to, but she couldn't tear her eyes away to look at Cherry. Not when she was fighting such a dangerous opponent. She's alive. Vera cheered herself up with that thought. Cherry's alive.
Underneath that armor Cherry was just as fragile as a normal person. Worse, her orichalcum armor left her face and neck exposed. That shot could've killed her on the spot. But she's still alive. Vera thought. She wasn't dead. Hope was not yet lost.
She only needed to buy more time.
Pink mist gathered around the woman's palm, revealing a pistol that was not there a second later.
…! Vera grabbed the nearest piece of wood she could and chucked it at the woman. She swatted it away, but it caused enough distraction for Vera to get in close and rear her leg for a kick.
And with her cursed muscles, Vera's kicks were lethal.
Her accuracy was perfect. Vera's foot landed right on the woman's kneecap and pushed it further. The joint snapped and her bones broke. Splinters erupted from the back of her knee, but it wasn't normal blood and bone that left the woman's body. Rather, more of those blue particles appeared.
Mana?!
The woman stumbled with a surprised yelp. Her leg, despite whatever was inside, was no longer able to support the woman's weight.
She still got to fire her gun at the zoologist. Almost accurately too.
Vera winced when the bullet hit her shoulder, taking off a small chunk of her body and letting blood circulate out of her body. She grit her teeth, drew her claws, and swiped right at the woman's face. I will get that mask off you. Vera seethed in her mind.
Her claws were stopped, however. The woman grabbed them and wouldn't let go. The injury on her leg was already gone. If it was there in the first place.
Yang kicked the doors again. One more and she might do it.
Vera struggled but couldn't break free. The woman's grip on her was iron tight. So much so that she let the claws pierce through her hand just so she could hold her wrist.
She trapped her.
Thinking quickly, she gutted the intruder with her other arm. It was… eerie how she just shrugged it off. The woman's mouth barely twitched whenever the zoologist stabbed her. And the mask covering her face did not show any other of her features. She was fighting an emotionless and immortal… something that was hellbent on killing her and Cherry.
Vera lifted her by her own stomach. There was no pain on her expression, but there sure was a surprise.
Now that the woman was clinging for dear life, Vera turned around and threw her onto the floor.
But in another display of superhuman strength and reflexes, the woman kept her grip on Vera and pulled. The zoologist tripped, unprepared for the sudden weight so far away from her, and fell right on top of the woman. Exactly where she wanted her.
All Vera knew was that the world was suddenly upside down, and that something was digging into her back. She did not yet realize that the woman was underneath her with her legs bent and muscles prepared for launch.
Just in time for Yang to bust the doors open. "Alright! Now what is going- Huh?!"
The woman's legs snapped straight and sent the zoologist right at the blonde girl. Yang, too surprised to react, was simply swept off her feet by Vera's body. Both of them were sprawled on the ground with cries of pain and surprise, and their teammates were just as confused.
"Yang!?" Weiss cried, then recoiled as two gunshots hammered their ears. Both Yang and Vera yelled in pain and scrambled to their feet - away from the doorway and the attacker inside. Weiss then leaned in to see into the dorm room.
A masked woman calmly stared back at her, getting up and already reloading her pistol. That mask she was wearing… Weiss saw it a lot and knew what it meant.
"W-White Fang!" She yelled before she realized. "White Fang assassin!" She recoiled and leaned back. Not even a second later a bullet whizzed past her head.
"What?!" Came a shocked shout from Blake. Ruby grabbed Vera and dragged her to safety, noticing the blood running out of the girl's shoulders.
"Vera? You're bleeding!" She was not prepared for this, and she didn't even have any bandaids left. Not that a band aid would help for something of THIS size!
Ruby was now very concerned for Cherry. She didn't hear her after that gunshot.
Vera looked down at her arm. "Just some scratches." She dismissed.
"Scratches?" Ruby almost shrieked. "You don't have Aura?!"
"What's that?" Vera asked, then she shook her head. No time for questions. "No, p'rolly not."
Both Yang and Ruby were slack-jacked. Vera tried to stand, but Ruby didn't want that. "But doesn't it, like, hurt a lot?! You need to see a doctor!"
"Like, we don't have time for that." Vera argued. "She's good and, like, unkillable or something. I gutted her and she just shrugged it off."
Vera hated fighting in this confined space. There wasn't any space for her to dodge and avoid attacks.
This hallway however was a bit bigger, and a lot longer. She also finally had help. "I need to get to Cherry, she's still alive but injured… You girls know how to fight?"
"Yup, we're Huntresses!" Yang smiled at her. "...But we don't have weapons. Not a problem for me, I just punch things… but… what about you guys?"
Yang usually fought with a pair of gauntlets, beating up her opponents with some punches. Not having her gauntlets didn't change much. Everyone else in her team? They all relied on their weapons.
Weapons that they left in the school lockers. In a completely different building.
"I… never fought without my Crescent Rose." Ruby said. "We could summon our weapons with our scrolls!"
"They're back in our room." Blake said. "And it will take a while for the lockers to get here."
"Plus, I don't think Beacon would appreciate our lockers destroying the dorm room." Weiss added.
Yang turned her attention to the white-haired girl. "There's literally a dude with a gun in their room!" She argued. "Screw what the teachers say! Call the weapons!"
Something caught Ruby's eye, she waved to her teammate to look at her. "Weiss, there's a fire alarm." She pointed at the very bright and visible red button. Just waiting to be used. To be pressed. "If we press it, Miss Goodwitch or some other teacher should come here."
Weiss looked at the button then back at Ruby. She nodded, got up and then ran towards to press it. Blake watched her pull the glass cover up and slam her fist on the button - creating a loud and jarring noise in the hallway. Now all they needed to do was keep this intruder here until the teachers came to check out what was happening.
"What are they doing there?" Ruby asked. "...Are they doing anything?"
Blake… didn't know. They were already sitting here and talking for maybe even a minute. Enough for someone to think, make a plan… and act on it. Blake closed her eyes and focused on the sound. She heard a faint wheeze that was often interrupted by a cough… It was probably Cherry. Blake was glad to hear that she was still alive.
But beyond that… Nothing. No other sound was in the room. Did they run away? Blake wondered before she heard an object being thrown out of the room, followed by a quiet thunk.
Blake followed it with its gaze, and she found a grenade lying beside the wall.
"Grena-!"
A deafening bang hit her ears, while at the same time a bright white light blinded her. She could not see, she could not hear. Something hit her head and all Blake could do was to take the hit and collapse onto the ground - her feet tripped by her assailant.
Through the ringing in her ears Blake heard gunshots and more screams. Then… Electricity? Yang? It was too much, too loud and too quickly to follow. But it only took a moment for Blake to regain her bearing, and see the woman keeping a good grip on Yang… and that Yang was screaming in pain.
Ruby charged at the woman with a "Leave her alone!" landing a punch to her face. The woman grunted and leaned back - enough for Yang to throw her off. The woman landed smoothly, dropping a knife to the ground.
While Yang came at her with her arms swinging, Blake dived to grab the knife. A weapon! Something to use against that woman and to prevent her from using it on them. Blake wrapped her fingers around the knife's handle and… the woman stomped hard at her hand - simultaneously fending off Yang's left hook and a swipe from Vera's dangerous looking claws. She grabbed Yang and Vera's arms - and then her entire body erupted with violent sparks.
Blake felt the hair on her neck stand up, and the next thing she felt was pain. Pain in her own wrist. Blake grit her teeth as she tried to rip her hand away, but the woman just put more pressure on her hand. This hurts. Blake cried out in her head. This hurts so badly!
What kind of semblance was that?! Electricity generation?!
Blake's screams were mixed with Yang's and Vera's. There was nothing they could do. Blake's arm was pinned down by the woman's boot. Vera was already collapsing to her own feet, and the woman seemed to just ignore Yang's frenzied punches. Blake punched too but that did nothing as well.
Then she just let them go.
"Get away from-ah!"
Ruby, launched at a great speed by one of Weiss's glyphs, crashed against the wall when her target jumped and rolled away from her. While Ruby missed her target, she managed to free everyone else up, and just as the woman was landing Yang sent out a haymaker aimed right at her face.
Yang's fist collided with the woman's face, and she literally rolled with it. Rolling away from Yang and right into Blake waiting for her with her own knife. She slashed once and felt the blade cut through the fabric and her flesh.
That shocked Blake. She doesn't have aura?! The black-haired girl stomped down her confusion and swiped the knife two more times at her opponent. Even if she didn't have the protection of her soul, Blake couldn't just let her go.
But after the second slash the woman was just gone. A flash of light. A loud thunder. And suddenly the intruder was tens of meters further away than before. That… put a stop to fighting. How did she do that? That's… what? She didn't have aura, but she could still generate electricity and move at super speed? Blake was very confused, and the woman silently stared at them. They stared right back.
Nobody moved. Yang and Vera took this time to get their stamina back, Blake tried to figure out what was going on with her.
It was then that team JNRP left their own dorm room, with a sleepy blonde man looking around very confused. "W-What's going on, guys? What's the alarm?"
The intruder didn't seem to mind the guy's presence, but she finally took a step back when the rest of his team peeked out of the room. "There's White Fang in the building, Jaune!" Ruby told them, pointing at the woman. "She's dangerous! Watch out!"
Jaune turned his gaze to where Ruby was pointing, and saw the masked woman standing patiently in the hallway. The woman wearing the White Fang mask that he remembered seeing in the news. And she was in Beacon! "Oh." Jaune blinked and rubbed his eyes. When he opened them once more the woman was still there and she was still staring at him. "...She's not doing anything."
The woman still hadn't lifted a finger while another confused team left their dorm room. And another. And a few different ones more.
"What's happening?"
"Who set off the alarm?"
"I want to go back to sleep…"
"Is there a fire?"
"Who is that woman?"
"Everyone!" Weiss shouted, silencing the confused teenagers. "Shut up and listen, everyone!" She shouted again to grab their attention. She then dramatically pointed at the woman. "She's a member of White Fang! I repeat, we have White Fang in the building!"
The intruder didn't flinch when threw in her accusation. She patiently waited for them to process the information and do something with it.
Blake however… was not convinced. She's not from White Fang. She wouldn't say it out loud, especially not now… but she couldn't believe that someone like her was working for them. It's their mask, yes… but that's it. Blake couldn't even see if she was a Faunus in the first place. If she had any animal traits… they were well hidden underneath that green cloak of hers.
And Blake couldn't see any White Fang insignia anywhere. They only attributed her to White Fang just because she was wearing one of their masks, but not bothering to look at the finer details.
Blake was certain that this woman was not a member of White Fang. But then… What was she? And why wasn't she doing anything?
The air was tense after Weiss threw her accusation. The crowd was looking at her. Some were fearful, others were thinking: A single woman. No matter how good she was, she was now inside a metaphorical lion's den. But the little kittens were unsure and hesitant on what to do. Some wanted to run away, others wanted to take action… but no one wanted to take the first step. No one except a young woman with orange hair.
"Break! Her! Legs!"
The orange haired woman charged at the intruder. A more subtle "Nora, no!" followed, but Nora's words were a necessary kick to the butt for many.
They followed her, quickly closing the distance against the masked intruder who seemed to be charging for something. Purple arcs of electricity gathered around her body, cracking with power. Blake felt the hair on her neck stand up, while Nora simply grinned harder.
Then, the woman was gone. The floor underneath her feet cracked when she made her first step, an instant later she barreled through the entirety of team RWBY and JNPR. Nora, for all of her confidence, felt like she was hit by a cannonball when she was thrown aside.
The intruder stopped just by Cherry's and Vera's dorm room. Vera feared what she might do now as electricity once more gathered around the intruder… Then she seized up. Her body froze. And like a puppet on a string she rose to the sky. Not through her own powers… but by someone else's.
Behind the intruder the students could see Miss Goodwitch approaching them. Her crop raised high and an icy glare pointed right at the masked woman.
Glynda Goodwitch was not happy.
She was checking the cafeteria when the power went out, prompting her to go and quickly reset the fuses herself.
She did not hear anything about an intrusion before someone hit the fire alarm in the students dorms. Considering the recent events with the portal, Miss Goodwitch rushed to investigate. And what she found wasn't a fire or a monster from the other side of the portal… but a single White Fang member assaulting her students and injuring their guests.
Glynda Goodwitch wasn't happy.
She was beyond livid.
With a wave of her crop, and a hefty use of her semblance, she put a stop to this whole thing. The intruder was seized, lifted, and promptly brought to her.
There was nothing she could do now. Because Miss Goodwitch's Semblance was Telekinesis, absolute control of the world around her… and the teacher had a good grip on her.
"I implore you to surrender peacefully." Glynda told her. Because you do not know what I can do to you when I'm holding you up in the air like that.
She couldn't say that outloud, not with her students around, but Miss Goodwitch did not like when someone was breaking into her school to harm her charges. "You're under arrest, the police have already been notified."
The woman did nothing, said nothing, nor did she try to break free. She was already proving smarter than most criminals… Too smart, rather. She couldn't trust her.
Miss Goodwitch assessed the damage. Her students were confused, scared and relieved… but otherwise unharmed. Veronica, however, had several severe wounds. She needed medical help. Cherry… Glynda couldn't see Cherry.
She saw their guest perk up, and a spark of realization suddenly appear on her face. A moment later Vera was pushing her way through the students and went back to her dorm room. Glynda saw Pyrrha Nikos curiously followed her, then her eyes widened when she saw something inside. She immediately turned towards her and pointed towards the dorm rooms. "M-Miss Goodwitch, she's hurt!"
Now that Glynda had to see.
Other students tried to take a peek but then they took a step back to let the teacher pass. Nobody wanted to be in the way of saving someone. Especially when it meant standing in Glynda's way. She, however, still kept her eye on the White Fang intruder. So that she wouldn't be able to do anything.
Glynda took a quick peek around the room, and found the whole place absolutely trashed. The window was completely obliterated, and a desk was in pieces… among other damage the fight must've caused.
But bleeding out on the floor was a person that Glynda needed a moment to recognize. It was Cherry, but this time she was wearing full plate armor… that was pink for some reason. That's a lot of blood. Glynda thought solemnly. Her hand was already reaching out for her scroll to fast-dial the hospital.
Glynda stepped towards her and grimaced at the injury. A ruptured throat. Lethal and gruesome injury. But, surprisingly, Cherry was still alive.
Vera took a bottle that was near her hand. Glynda had no idea what it was but the girl seemed happy, or relieved, that she found it. "Thanks, Cherry. We can save you with this." She spoke.
Ah.
Glynda turned away and used her telekinesis to push the students that were trying to enter. "Don't get in." She told them. "You three, go find the nurse and bring her here." Glynda has already sounded the alarm. She, Ozpin and every other teacher should be waking up by now.
The students nodded and ran towards the infirmary, Glynda nodded and turned towards the remaining group. "The rest of you, go back to your own rooms."
Some were already walking away, but Yang Xiao Long stayed behind. "You too." She told her.
"But-"
"Now." Glynda commanded. "We want to help, but we can't be disturbed. Instead, think about what you will tell Ozpin and the police, they will want to know what happened."
Yang considered her words, then nodded and walked away, chasing other students as she and the rest of her team went back to their dorm room.
Now it was just her, Vera… and the masked intruder who hasn't tried anything yet. "She needs medical help." Glynda told her. "Our nurse is already on the way, and the paramedics-"
"She's going to live." Vera cut her off, grabbing a bottle with red liquid inside. "She's saved."
Glynda… doubted that. A wound that large, right on her throat, must've destroyed the airways and maybe even paralyzed the girl. She would need an extensive surgery that no one here in Beacon was capable of.
Why are they so hurt anyway? Do they not have aura?
That was a chilling thought. Without aura to protect and heal them, Cherry's recovery might become nothing short of impossible. An artificial spine was a very expensive bionic. The spinal cord was one of the most expensive and difficult things to replace.
Vera said nothing when she uncorked the glass bottle and put it to her mouth.
Cherry woke up to the overwhelming taste of sweet mushrooms mixed… and blood. She could tell immediately it was blood. There was something else in her mouth. Something big, solid and hard. She tried to spit it out, but couldn't. It then just went even further into her mouth.
"Drink it, Cherry. It's a healing potion."
Just now she realized that she was staring at Vera, who was holding her head. She was a mess. But she was also the most beautiful sight that Cherry saw. There was also Miss Goodwitch with her… and that masked girl who shot her. Cherry tried to warn them, but she couldn't, not with the healing potion inside her mouth. The liquid that was poured in was thick and sticky, like syrup. And it left her mouth tingling.
"Shh, it's alright." Vera soothed her, but Cherry didn't feel soothed. The woman kept staring at her. Wordlessly. There was something off about her. Something familiar. But Cherry was too scared to think about it.
The first flare of pain brought the party girl back to her current predicament. She didn't forget that she just drank the healing potion while injured. But she forgot to prepare herself for what will come next.
The infamously painful healing.
Cherry's eyes watered when her throat forcefully expanded - stretching up to patch up the hole in her neck. Like an apathetic surgeon whose only thing on their mind was fixing the injury, not sparing even a thought on the comfort of the patient.
They poked and prodded inside and outside her throat until it was more less the right shape. Her throat expanded until she could breathe again, and Cherry took a massive gasp to fill her lungs with the precious oxygen… only to fall into a coughing fit when she accidentally choked on whatever blood was left in her throat.
She could breathe again, and she was already growing tired. The potion was taking out a lot of energy out of her body and did nothing to null the pain it caused. Cherry felt every little movement the substance caused and that would only get worse.
Her skin and muscles, blood and bone began mixing and fusing together. Cells morphing and forcefully turning themselves into different cells. Every agonizing moment the party girl felt the nerves breaking down and reforming and they didn't like that. Every second Cherry's brain was filled with a sensation of pain and something horribly wrong going on with her throat.
The end result was a perfectly healed throat, without even a scar in sight, the pain that was left over by the healing… and the potion sickness. In what felt like ages Cherry took her first deep breath… and lived.
Vera took the vial out of her lips. "You good?" She asked.
"B-B-B..." Cherry struggled to speak. "B-Behind you." She told the them.
Miss Goodwitch, pale and surprised for reasons Cherry couldn't comprehend at this moment, turned towards the intruder. The woman herself was unmoving… but there was some kind of pink smoke gathering around her hands. Glynda tensed up, already coating the mist in her telekinesis to contain it. Then Glynda panicked when more and more mist began to appear while her telekinesis did nothing. The mist itself was intangible.
But what just appeared from the mist was real and had a physical form. A grenade… With the pin already pulled and the internal fuse lit up.
There was nothing Glynda could do but to prepare when the grenade, a flashbang, blew up in her face and blinded her. She clamped down on the intruder with her Semblance, pressing inwards from all sides to prevent the woman from moving.
She did not see a thunder until it hit her, destroying all concentration Glynda had for a brief moment. When she got it back the moment after, it was too late. The woman was breaking free while Glynda was still blind and deaf.
When she regained her senses… the woman was gone. No trace of her was left. Glynda ran back to the hallway but found no one there. "Where is she?"
"S-She's gone." Vera winced and rubbed her ears. "She, like, launched herself out of the window."
Glynda quickly peeked out of the hole in the wall… Nothing. Not a trace of her. This isn't good. Having an intruder break into Beacon was bad enough, but to let them escape as well? Ozpin would have to deal with it. She sighed. "You're bleeding. Does your arm hurt?" She told Vera.
"'Tis but a scratch." Vera brushed her off, then leaned beside the party girl. "Don't sleep, Cherry." Vera lightly slapped her on the cheek.
The girl murmured, and opened her eyes a bit… Then immediately pass out again.
Vera continued to slap her, but this time no effect. Cherry was out cold. Alive, but either sleeping or unconscious.
A series of footsteps rapidly approached them, and a moment later Ozpin, the nurse and the students she sent out to find them barged into the room. "Miss Goodwitch." Ozpin greeted with a nod. "I heard that we have an intruder… But I fear that I haven't seen them yet."
Glynda sighed and let the nurse pass and apply some first aid to Vera. "She just escaped." She told him.
Ozpin nodded. "That is concerning." He stated.
"Ozpin, this girl needs to go to hospital, she's bleeding!"
Vera didn't resist when the nurse cleaned her wounds and wrapped bandages around her arms. The zoologist just looked up at Ozpin and shrugged her shoulders. He nodded. "The police and paramedics will be here within 20 minutes."
He then crouched beside the unconscious girl. "And her?" He didn't recognize her at first. But the pink hair and pink… everything were convincing enough. So… this is the armor that she wore underneath? It looked… quaint. And he could sense powerful magic coming from it.
"I don't know." The nurse told him. "She looks fine at a first glance."
"I gave her a healing potion." Vera told them. "That woman, like, shot her in the throat. She needs to rest."
She received a confused look from Ozpin and the nurse. But Glynda vouched for her words.
Interesting. Ozpin thought to himself. "We will send her to the hospital as well. Let them examine her."
Glynda has already picked up the bottle and gave it to him. Ozpin saw a thin line of red liquid gathering on the bottom. Something for analysis, I suppose. Beacon didn't have anything to check for substances, but the hospital might be interested in it.
There was magic in the air, and a lot of it. More than he has ever seen today. A lot of it was unfamiliar, like when he sensed Cherry's magic, or the portal. But there was something here. Something familiar. It scared him. Because there weren't many people in this world whose magic was familiar to him.
I knew things would no longer stay peaceful.
To be continued…
This chapter marks the end of the first batch, and the end of the Prologue. Ozpin is already not looking forward to the upcoming days. I am also not looking forward to my next work shift.
But did you guys enjoy it? Any wild theories as to why the intruder seems to know Vera? Why did Ozpin sense familiar magic in the girls' room? I'm intrigued to know.
I am also open to some criticism and feedback, or just to answer some questions about the development of this story. This story has been through a few major changes that I am eager to talk about, just send me a DM if you're interested to hear.
- Harmless Orange