Fandom Distorted Mirror [IC]

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"Hmph." Her arms crossed, glaring at her counterpart with a sneer. "Oh, my bad. I should've dumbed it down further, used smaller words so you could understand what I'm saying without asking someone else for help. I underestimated your stupidity, that's on me. Won't make that mistake again."



"I don't care. I don't care who wants or doesn't want to be a friend. I don't care about your vanity, about whoever is foolish enough to be your friend or still consider you family, I don't care about any of it. Cling to them if you want, it doesn't matter. You won't be able to appreciate any of it for that much longer. Not after I'm through doing what needs to be done for the true master of this world."



It wasn't.

The shot to the face had been almost casually blocked, the bullet bouncing off the gauntlet that had instantly snapped up to cover her face. It had lowered back to her side by the time her counterpart was through with that faunus. The spear sailed through the air and went right past the other Yang who had just leaned to the side enough for the weapon to narrowly miss her shoulder as it flew by. She had barely moved from where she stood and a smug smirk lit up that familiar face. "Is that your best? I'm not impressed." Yang commented, one hand rising up to mime a yawn.

"Maybe if you practiced combat half as much as you practice running your mouth or wasting time on things that don't matter...maybe I'd actually be impressed. Slightly. Tiny bit." She brought her hand up, index finger and thumb held barely a centimeter apart. "This much."​

"..."

Yang actually had to take a second to rest her hands on her knees as she let out a long, exasperated breath, her shoulders deflating. Seriously? nothing? She was saying basically the exact words she knew would piss her off if she was a friendless evil jackass, but she wasn't getting anything from this chick. That, along was the weird fauning over ThE tRuE MaStEr was just... really throwing her off.

"You're... nothing like me" She eventually said, almost sounding surprised as she tilted her head up to narrow her eyes at the other Yang. "You're telling me that you're ok with Ozpin getting his way, and you get... what, exactly, when its all said and done? You got the hots for him or something? Is that what makes an evil Yang? A thing for older men? But for real." She gestured at the chaos around them "You're really totally bought into this whole 'servant of evil' game? You? A me? Being someone's bitch??? What is wrong with you?!"

Somehow, her whole 'anger my bad self to put her off balance so I can deck her in the face' plan was ending up with her getting ticked off instead. Her eyes flicked up as Vernal became a living tornado of fire, and if anything it made her even more annoyed that she was wasting so much time on this weird, weird reflection. She'd been so ready for this! She'd gotten really good at beating herself up emotionally over the last couple years, she'd almost been looking forward to trying her hand at doing it literally! But this girl was... off.

She shook her head. Whatever. She straightened out and rolled her neck with a crack, before she did the same with her knuckles as she gave a far less cheerfully annoying sigh.

"Nevermind. Let's just get this over with."

 

[MidwayLives]

He continued to avoid and parry the blows as they came in, until an opening when Tyrian had quite accidentally overextended his footing and made the scorpion stumble that Qrow began counter-attacking in full.

'What was going on here?! I'm not an amateur! So, why do I keep stumbling like I've had too much to drink!? '

It just wasn't making any damn sense to him! Had he missed something? ...Had either version of Qrow ever talked about what their semblance actually was?? ...Probably, and as usual, he'd been too caught up in his eagerness to pay attention when it was needed. It took all of his attention to block Qrow's return strikes as they came in. Which in turn left him wide open for the kick to the chest. Flying back across the room, Tyrian crashed onto the floor and snarled like a cornered animal as he hopped back to his feet. "I'm not tripping because I'm being sloppy, you're doing something to me aren't you??"

He hadn't been around to see regular Qroe whack Pyrrha with a floorboard or give away Neo's plan with a creaky floorboard. If he had been, then it might have been easy to chalk up what was going on here: misfortune and lots of it. From his stumbling around to that guy getting thrown at him. One minor grievance after another. That raised another issue in it of itself. Sure, these were starting off as minor annoyances now but would they grow more dangerous the longer this battle dragged on? Would he perhaps slash a friend by accident or stab them with his tail? Would he get his fist stuck in another person's body?

....

Whatever, if a few more lives that weren't needed were to be used up in his efforts to avenge Cinder and save the rest of his friends? He'd do it.

Rushing forward yet again, Tyrian lashed out to try and knock Harbinger off to the side/knock Qrow off balance as Tyian reached out with his left hand and sought to try and grab onto Qrow and dissolve his aura away around his chest. The barrels revealed themselves.

"Die!"​

 

[MidwayLives]

"..." Nora didn't know what kind of heartfelt randomness was going on in front of her here. She also knew she didn't care. If the new girl wanted to do whatever this was and get in the crime lord's way, that was on her. Nora charged in again while they were distracted like this.

Roman barely caught Nora coming out of the corner of his eye and braced himself. This was going to hurt one way or the other. But for as much as he knew he should have blasted this other Neo when he had the chance, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. She...just looked too much like the person he'd confessed his love to. It'd never sit right with him. Ever.

Besides, she'd been trying to save him over and over again right? It's just what his Neo would have done. It's why he couldn't fathom and hated that she wasn't on their side too!

Neo pushed aside Melodic Cudgel and went to grab Roman but he simply mouthed 'No.' to her. He didn't know what kind of deal she'd struck with Ozpin or if there was any deal for that matter. Maybe he'd forced her into it? Maybe she was doing this for her own reasons?? Roman didn't know and he couldn't read minds. What he did know was that Ozpin was pure evil and he didn't want this Neo getting the short end of the stick because these other scumbags saw her being too nice to him. It was the least he could do if she wasn't going to join them.

*THWACK*

Maghild smashed into Roman, his aura lighting up like a fireworks display at a summer festival. He flew back and crashed into the ground. Melodic Cudgel and his hat clattering and landing beside him.

Neo for her part was absolutely horrified. Shooting a death glare over to Nora, Neo immediately started making her way over to Roman to see if he was okay! Damn it, what did he want her to do?! He didn't like that she was on Ozpin' side, he'd been actually going to fight her, and now he'd gotten himself knocked halfway across the room for what!?

A groan escaped Roman's lips as his aura shined and glimmered around him, having taken quite a beating from that hit. "Ow...Okay, maybe not the best idea I've ever had..."​

 

[MyrtenRose]

Which was why, as she reached out to tear the wiring out of one of the bombs that was planted against the tower, it made no sense that Gambol shroud suddenly cut across her vision before a gunshot rang out, the ribbon tangling around both her arms and pulling taut. She found herself yanked into the air off the tower as Blake leaped off from higher up, and an expert twist of the wrist and a pull just so at the same time as a semblance dash sent Ilia and Blake spinning to the ground below at high speed, Blake the inside of the circle and Ilia stuck at the outer edge of the wheel.

"Uh-oh." That quiet muttering was all she managed to get out between the ribbon wrapping around her arms and the following yank that pulled her off the tower.​

Ilia hit the pavement with so much force that it didn't crack so much as shatter, an explosion of dust and debris that suddenly sprung into existence at the entrance to the tower in front of Eve. The ribbon around her wrists that had been an inescapable binding moments before somehow slackened and slipped loose before it vanished, and for a moment it seemed that their attacker had slipped away entirely as the dust finished its outward trip and slowly began to drift back down.

...Okay. That hurt.

For a few seconds there, Ilia was content to just remain lying down in her prone position and take a quick breather--oh no she suddenly thought as she felt a round of incoming sneezes from all the thrown up dust. The noise she made with each one was honestly kind of adorable, almost akin to a high pitched squeak. The last one almost had her miss the sign of danger that was rapidly approaching. Almost.​

Ilia, in whatever state that attack left her, had even less warning as Blake came flying down from on high just as the dust began to clear in an attempt to impale the chameleon faunus with Gambol in sword mode while she was still grounded from the attack

Ilia leaped to her feet just in time, a jump to the side that had her just narrowly avoid the sword stab. Blake...was going for a kill right from the start. Painful as that was, the chameleon steeled her nerves. She had to do this, Blake wasn't going to give her a choice. Her whip extended out to try and zap Blake with enough volts to temporarily stun her.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"You're... nothing like me" She eventually said, almost sounding surprised as she tilted her head up to narrow her eyes at the other Yang. "You're telling me that you're ok with Ozpin getting his way, and you get... what, exactly, when its all said and done? You got the hots for him or something? Is that what makes an evil Yang? A thing for older men? But for real." She gestured at the chaos around them "You're really totally bought into this whole 'servant of evil' game? You? A me? Being someone's bitch??? What is wrong with you?!"

"Wrong with me?" She repeated before she shook her head. "Absolutely nothing. I just know the truth of the world. The strong survive and the weak die out. It's the way it is, the way it always will be. Even animals know that. And Ozpin is the strongest there is. I won't die, like the countless weaklings scattered across Remnant will. I'll survive and I'll thrive, no matter what. Unlike you." ​

She shook her head. Whatever. She straightened out and rolled her neck with a crack, before she did the same with her knuckles as she gave a far less cheerfully annoying sigh.

"Nevermind. Let's just get this over with."

"That's the first sensible thing you've said this entire time." Yang obliged her counterpart, her gauntlets firing out a series of shots at the other.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"I'm not tripping because I'm being sloppy, you're doing something to me aren't you??"

"Beyond kicking your ass?" : )​

Rushing forward yet again, Tyrian lashed out to try and knock Harbinger off to the side/knock Qrow off balance as Tyian reached out with his left hand and sought to try and grab onto Qrow and dissolve his aura away around his chest. The barrels revealed themselves.

"Die!"

His weapon was swept to the side from the force of that blow, Tyrian's hand coming in to grab at...nothing. The man had disappeared in the blink of an eye, a bird suddenly flapping past underneath the scorpion's armpit and transforming back into a man right behind the faunus, Harbinger coming down in an attempt to sever that tail in two.​

 

[Gus Gungus]

Eve saw the dust cloud shifting before she saw her attacker as someone on the other side of it suddenly burst forward in a swing, but the outline in the smoke was telegraphed enough in its oncoming downward slash that it was simple enough to block. Or it would have been, if Blush would budge from its scabbard. The slash came down straight for Eve head to rip through a chunk of her aura before Pyrrha Nikos pivoted on her foot to backhand the faunus with her shield to send her flying back down the stairs she'd climbed in her declaration of war.

The shock of her weapon remaining fixed in place when she yanked was enough to ensure the blow struck directly, teeth grinding in a grimace as she tumbled down more than a few steps at rapid speeds. Nevertheless, she recovered fast, and sprang into a lunge the moment she oriented herself as she reasoned to lunge forward and strike with both sword and sheath together. If anything immobilized the weapons more fully, as her gut told her to anticipate, she waited just long enough to bait her assailant into another offensive tactic before lashing out with a foot, pivoting off Wilt and Blush for extra reach to see if that disrupted whatever effect was seizing them in any way.

"What, no speech? Most humans I've met love to TALK!"

 

[MyrtenRose]

Maghild smashed into Roman, his aura lighting up like a fireworks display at a summer festival. He flew back and crashed into the ground. Melodic Cudgel and his hat clattering and landing beside him.

Neo for her part was absolutely horrified. Shooting a death glare over to Nora, Neo immediately started making her way over to Roman to see if he was okay! Damn it, what did he want her to do?! He didn't like that she was on Ozpin' side, he'd been actually going to fight her, and now he'd gotten himself knocked halfway across the room for what!?

A groan escaped Roman's lips as his aura shined and glimmered around him, having taken quite a beating from that hit. "Ow...Okay, maybe not the best idea I've ever had..."

A grenade suddenly hit the ground right next to them.​

 

[Indolent]

She didn't really linger around any longer to exchange barbs with the more loquacious counterpart of the two birbs, a series of goals set in her mind after Qrow finally clarified the reasoning behind his question. It made perfect sense and it aligned with her modi operandi to a neat t. On the stack of tomfoolery it went, Emerald bowing out from the other two as they split off to hamper the enemy forces from behind, her specifically working her way to something more... internal. It only really helped she was able to filch some disguises for herself-- ewwwwwwwwwwww, these weren't washed.

The first was to throw their forces in disarray, starting from behind and there had to be lieutenants at least in some capacity that served as a part of the hierarchy under Nora, even with the mercenaries. And she keyed on at least a few, a glint in her eyes as she moved along the edges of the compound in cover. A fairly stout man clad in combat armor of muted colors with an angular faceplate shouted orders from the rear, his command seemingly propagating throughout the ranks and into the fighting. There was some order to the combat on their part if you watched, unlike the bandits who seemed to live and breathe chaos that muddled the concerted efforts some. This was never easy trying to mimic another person without catching some of their inflection and mannerism but here, in heightened emotional scenery that unfolded, it wouldn't really matter and she only needed to keep it short and sweet.

"Russet, orders from the top! We aren't doing so hot, time to get the hell out!" A fellow merc emerged in similar attire, in a frenzied rush with several men frenetically stampeding past in a bid to escape, making their way apart from the fighting in any direction possible. The commander's composure nearly broke before he shouted the man down, giving him pause, "I ain't heard shit from Valkyrie, get your as--" "Fuck that man, you heard what happened at Beacon and I ain't sticking around for a repeat of that. She's fucking bonkers mate, money ain't worth it byyyyyyyyyyyyye." He shoved past Russet, who instinctively responded to the physical presence by reorienting himself though in reality, there hadn't been a body nor a group of men scrambling in their escape. Russet couldn't quite countermand that reasoning, a growl simmering in his throat as he considered it. He hadn't heard anything but then if it was so bad, it made sense not all communications could reach the rest. Besides, Yale always had more a sensible head on him than most even if he was talking funny there.

Fuck. "Alright, men, it's time to shove off!" And on cue, a rising chorus of confusion spread among the ranks and a happy thief took the opportunity to sneak through the mess that composed the fighting. Well, goal one seemed to have been a success so it was onto goal two, which together with the first formulated the overall: interfering in the chain of command and removing a major player.

A Shadow Fang that seemed shorter than average compared to her fellow faunus made her way towards a certain maiden, one that rested in air and not the one with her face in the dirt.

Who wasn't actually there and which, inadvertently lit that up. Her eyes widened even wider than earlier in alarm, Vernal a sudden blur as she did her best to react before-

*BOOM*

The dust round exploded and sent the pair plummeting back to the ground far below. It was not immediately clear how Vernal had been affected by the explosion, as unlike them she had not been blasted down or back or in any direction. The thick smoke obscured the general area where the maiden had been...until it didn't, all of it swept aside in a single moment. Vernal stood right in the center of where the smoke had been, not looking that worse for wear. Something explained by the almost tornado-esque winds circling around her, a split-second maneuver that had forced every bit of the flames from that dust round to likewise swirl around her instead of actually striking her as was intended.

The Spring Maiden glared down at the pair way below. That harsh look in her eyes, the way they were glowing and especially the fire tornado whirling around her made for an incredibly intimidating sight. She finally bothered to speak, calling out all of her attackers at once.

"IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?"

"VERNAL!"

An avian cry trailed her name as a corvid swung into view from above, wings flapping with a sense of foreboding urgency.

"We're bailing! Meet me back at camp!"

If she cast around after Qrow departed, she would have seen nothing of the faunus that her leader had dueled, lost in the roiling bodies that exuded an air of dread and uncertainty. Only those she had fought were readily visible, the angry fighter in grey with his diminutive teammate recovering from their gambit, the looming giant that was back at it thrashing both bandit and merc, the rest of them just fighting on.

 

[Gus Gungus]

boom

But that was just the warmup. Something to preoccupy the bandit, at least get her away from the area in the event this didn't go off as planned.

BOOM

The shriek that assailed Vernal's senses was unlike anything she'd ever heard before. Well, unlike anything save for one. If Emerald wasn't definitely still lying, immobile, in the crispy heap she'd left her in, she might even have suspected foul play. But she was.

G̴̯̿Y̶̞̓Ȁ̸͚Ạ̷̇Ă̶̬A̴̜͝A̷͍̕Ä̶̪A̵͕͛À̸͇Â̶̫Ä̵̤Ǎ̸̡A̷̛̙Ḁ̶͊Á̶̹A̷̳͛Ȃ̴̬À̴͖Ä̴̮A̶̲̒Ȧ̵̬A̴̮͋A̶̛̬Ą̸̋A̷͕̕A̸̡̔Ā̵͍Ã̵͚Á̸̤H̸͉̍Ȃ̴ͅH̴̰͊Ḁ̵̽Ȟ̶͍A̵̪̒H̶͉͠A̵̟͒H̸̙͒A̶͔͑!̷͕̄

The figure that erupted from the side of Haven's main building was huge, made all the more horrifying by the fact that it was distinctly recognizable as Raven. Except oh so wrong. The mask the huntress wore was fused to her face, a dozen genuine grimm eyes framing a genuine grimm maw that parted to receive her and pulsed a hypnotic, almost inviting red deep in the middle of the creature's approaching wave of darkness. Her torso was split open, revealing only shadow and a billion eyes where blood and bone should've been as tendrils snaked out from the void towards her. Her bandit liege's sister looked gangled, deformed in posture, and its unhinged jaw chattered with the echoing sound of laughter as two grimm arms slowly reached out towards Vernal, less a grab attempt and more a void's gentle embrace. As though it were a friend. As if this was the thing that had been beckoning ever since Yang told her of her counterpart's untimely end, the ultimate fate of Vernal made manifest, to die here on this mountain no matter whose side she was on or how these events played out, and as it reached out to slowly claim her it was mocking her inability to do a single thing to prevent it.

Unless, of course, she ran. And if the spring maiden gave in to her survival instinct and turned tail, no sooner than she paused far away enough from the battle to check if the monstrosity was following did a figure crash into her from behind as Qrow left bird form in a divebomb, already cinching in a headlock.

Qrow knew a thing or two about the power maidens wielded. A lot more than that, actually. He'd protected one, or tried to. Even been present for her assassination, sorta. He knew their power was frightening, functionally unstoppable when faced head-on. But they were still just people; they could still be taken off guard.

And they could still be killed.

There was a layer to Qrow's life that he wasn't particularly proud of. The lowest layer, one where all the time spent around Raven and teachings from the tribe dwelled side-by-side with his own personal demons. Out there, in the deep wilds far from the light of any kingdom, sometimes you had to do what was necessary.

They needed answers.

The Spring Maiden needed to be on their side.

Yang and Ruby needed to be home.

The three thoughts were dominant in his mind as he did what he had to do, along with an echo of a prayer to anyone watching that they were too far away from either of the two mentioned for them to see this. An old trick courtesy of all the hardened bandits he grew up around. Aura was great, sure, but some things were more about leverage.

He wrenched his grip, and in one, sharp movement, aimed to twist Vernal's neck until he heard a snap.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"VERNAL!"

An avian cry trailed her name as a corvid swung into view from above, wings flapping with a sense of foreboding urgency.

"We're bailing! Meet me back at camp!"

"Boss? What?" She questioned, looking up. "But we haven't even gotten the--" ​

boom

But that was just the warmup. Something to preoccupy the bandit, at least get her away from the area in the event this didn't go off as planned.

"..." The sound of a heavy thud, somehow still audible even over the sounds of fierce battle below wrenched her attention away. What could be--​

BOOM

The shriek that assailed Vernal's senses was unlike anything she'd ever heard before. Well, unlike anything save for one. If Emerald wasn't definitely still lying, immobile, in the crispy heap she'd left her in, she might even have suspected foul play. But she was.

G̵͈̏Y̸͕̚A̵̜͠A̴̺͝Ạ̵͋A̸̙͑A̶̜͗Å̸̗A̶̳̎Ą̵̽A̸̼̋Ă̷̗A̵͉͠A̵̛͕A̵̬͝A̴̢̋Ḁ̷̊Ḁ̴͌Ă̷̧Ą̸̒A̵͐ͅA̸̲͗Ä̴́ͅA̷̛͔À̶̠Å̶̧A̷͓͐A̶͕͆A̵̯͑Ä̸́͜H̵̟̋!̷̼̃

"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The maiden suddenly doubled over, clutching her head in pain from the sheer overload of her senses. It hit her like a truck, something that not even the giant Hazel had managed. But the worst bit, by far...was the familiarity to a very recent event. "...no no no no, it can't be, I hit you until you dropped, you can't be...that's not possible...all that lightning, it...you just can't." She hurriedly muttered to herself in some attempt to keep her cool.​

The figure that erupted from the side of Haven's main building was huge, made all the more horrifying by the fact that it was distinctly recognizable as Raven. Except oh so wrong. The mask the huntress wore was fused to her face, a dozen genuine grimm eyes framing a genuine grimm maw that parted to receive her and pulsed a hypnotic, almost inviting red deep in the middle of the creature's approaching wave of darkness. Her torso was split open, revealing only shadow and a billion eyes where blood and bone should've been as tendrils snaked out from the void towards her. Her bandit liege's sister looked gangled, deformed in posture, and its unhinged jaw chattered with the echoing sound of laughter as two grimm arms slowly reached out towards Vernal, less a grab attempt and more a void's gentle embrace. As though it were a friend. As if this was the thing that had been beckoning ever since Yang told her of her counterpart's untimely end, the ultimate fate of Vernal made manifest, to die here on this mountain no matter whose side she was on or how these events played out, and as it reached out to slowly claim her it was mocking her inability to do a single thing to prevent it.

The attempt failed.

".........................................................................................................................."

The fire tornado currently swirling around the maiden, all that impressive power...it went out not with a bang, but with a whimper. The combined elements shrank away slowly until nothing was left but the flames shooting out of her feet. That too was extinguished, as if somebody had reached a hand to snuff it out like it was some common candle and not a magical power that was practically godly in nature. Her face was so contorted in fear that if it registered anywhere within her that she was now falling to the ground, her face couldn't show it. There was just the terror, Vernal unable to look away from the second grimm human hybrid she'd seen in as many days. The blood, the darkness of that void, everything...

The bandit hit the ground hard, creating a sizable crater all her own. She laid there for a moment, unsure of what to do or if there was even anything to do...but as those arms edged closer and closer, she managed. Both hands thrust out, and blasts of ice and fire each shot out from one of the respective fists. The attack, soaring for that inhuman thing, had an unintended but welcome effect. The fire heated the ice into a heavy misty fog that spread out through the entire battlefield.

Vernal's voice rang out, so echoing and loud that it could be heard by almost all even through the sounds of chaotic battle.

"WHAT KIND OF MONSTER ARE YOU?!"

If anybody had been in a position to ask her who that was directed to, and did so...she wouldn't have been able to answer. She wasn't entirely sure if that question was aimed at the twisted Raven inhuman nightmare...or the girl she believed she had taken out, somehow still managing to persist and unleash that upon her. Blue eyes looked around briefly, trying to find Qrow in the mist, but she soon gave that up and decided with one crystal clear thought that burned in her mind: Fuck all of this.

By the time the fog dissipated, the Spring Maiden was long gone, a shaky initial flight that gradually stabilized the further and further Vernal rocketed away. It seemed, however, that she had not fled with nothing. For if anybody cared to look, the Fall Maiden was nowhere in sight either.​

Unless, of course, she ran. And if the spring maiden gave in to her survival instinct and turned tail, no sooner than she paused far away enough from the battle to check if the monstrosity was following did a figure crash into her from behind as Qrow left bird form in a divebomb, already cinching in a headlock.

For a brief few moments, the bandit halted her flight path and looked back toward the heavy fog, eyes narrowed as she tried to make out if any giant shadows were lumbering within. She saw none and she lingered there still, heartbeat racing and breathing far too hard. One hand held the unconscious Cinder Fall up. The girl was no relic of knowledge, but she was important in her own right and useful as a hostage or a bargaining chip. Or perhaps an offering for Ozpin, to try and stay his wrath when he learned that the Haven relic had not been retrieved and Spring was still somewhere out there in the world. By the time she turned back and readied herself to continue, the whistle of something rushing down from above reached her ears. Terrified eyes glanced towards the sound.

Yet before she could do anything more than that, it was upon her. Qrow slammed into her, arms moving for a headlock. "NO NO NO GET OFF LET GO, LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" Vernal yelled frantically, as panicked but heavy repeated elbow strikes immediately impacted into Qrow's ribs and loosened the hold. Even in her fear-riddled mind, she recognized what he had intended to do. Another jab of the elbow followed and she slipped out of the hold, rocketing forward once again.

The flames sputtered though, and in a moment of weakening flight she hit the ground and bounced along it a few times before she came to a halt, the unconscious Cinder sliding along with her. Turning in panic, she thrust a hand out and bolts of lightning shot forth for the spot where she knew Qrow had just been. Following that she grabbed hold of the other maiden and blasted back off, soaring through the air as she did her best to leave him and everybody and everything else far far behind.

Get away get away get away get away get away I just have to get away​

 

[Gus Gungus]

Yet before she could do anything more than that, it was upon her. Qrow slammed into her, arms moving for a headlock. "NO NO NO GET OFF LET GO, LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" Vernal yelled frantically, as panicked but heavy repeated elbow strikes immediately impacted into Qrow's ribs and loosened the hold. Even in her fear-riddled mind, she recognized what he had intended to do. Another jab of the elbow followed and she slipped out of the hold, rocketing forward once again.

The flames sputtered though, and in a moment of weakening flight she hit the ground and bounced along it a few times before she came to a halt, the unconscious Cinder sliding along with her. Turning in panic, she thrust a hand out and bolts of lightning shot forth for the spot where she knew Qrow had just been. Following that she grabbed hold of the other maiden and blasted back off, soaring through the air as she did her best to leave him and everybody and everything else far far behind.

Get away get away get away get away get away I just have to get away

Qrow's grimace snapped up as soon as she slipped away, the look in his eye verging on crazed. Those girls had to be home, dammit. Qrow hadn't vocalized as much, but the reason they were in this mess together was him, it had to be, his cursed touch that poisoned everything he came into contact with finally going after the most important thing left in his life, his family, the one thing he ever fought for that hadn't been just one big lie. They were finally getting the chance to build lives for themselves now after all the lousy cards they'd been dealt, good lives, and he was not gonna let his bad luck be the reason they were taken away.

But... the fall maiden's presence changed things. Oz with his hands on two maidens? Maybe even three, depending just what the nature of this world's Weiss's service to him was? They'd be looking at an untold calamity. All those kids they were traveling with, Salem... Raven. He couldn't just watch while their timeline ended up worse than he found it, worse than even theirs.

The lightning bolts whizzed through empty space, crow body flapping in some deft evasive maneuvers so Qrow could get just close enough to snatch Vernal's ankle when he reverted to human form. His red eyes were still manic if the bandit glanced back towards them, teeth grinding in a vicious grimace as he started pulling himself up Vernal's body.

"DROP... THE KID!"​

 

[Indolent]

It was astounding when you saw a whirlwind for the first time coming, when you could get wind of its air currents with the additive presence of dust or tattered debris, except here it was a scarf. It was almost mesmerizing, the hypnotic flow of the cotton on the air akin to a dance that heralded her arrival as Gretchen brought her martial talent to bear on mercenary, bandit, and shadow fang. What added to the intrigue was the series of squeaks that seemed to ring out in tandem with her movements as she neared a target, the little weasel acting as a literal pair of eyes on the back of her head as the huntress took great pains to disable her targets in non-lethal fashion. A bandit that dared to try his luck with the new arrival found the cartilage of his nose crumpled under the base of shillelagh, before his legs were swept out from under; a compatriot took umbrage and surged to strike her from behind, only to be kicked back eight feet via a backflip that saw the the weapon transform into a large repeating crossbow midflight. His feet was frozen in place with a single, well-placed bolt laden with ice dust and as he cursed amidst his scramble to break free with his bandit's mace, he received another bolt to the temple.

He would crumple, with the projectile making a dull plink as it rebounded off his skull, a hard rubber cap especially effective for blunting targets in that fashion. A glint in her eyes signaled her amusement, she always reveled in being underestimated to a degree. In particular when her enemies thought she would be caught off guard and the fleeting realization of their error that shone on their faces. It never got old.

Brosel traversed the scarf with serpentine grace, a constant carousel of weasel adorableness, before coming to a sharp halt. His tiny feet dug into the scarf, managing to penetrate beyond and pinch past Gretchen's jacket and in that instant she knew where he looked just from his position adjacent to the base of her neck. Her attention shuffled onto a well armored merc of average height, their personage bulky with extra padding as if they expected rigorous combat. The suspicion was really justified by how they hefted a large shield that looked to be bound to the left arm, festooned with paraphernalia collected throughout their exploits. In their right was a segmented baton that looked to be weighted, allowing for a meatier impact with the implement. Gretchen couldn't help but think that either this guy was cosplaying a riot officer or he was formerly enforcement disgracefully discharged and looked to put his skills to work. Maybe he was put out by the Atlesian knights and didn't take that too well.

She was really liking the cosplaying idea.

"You're my big brother's type. I mean, the type he likes to beat up beside Grimm. Big and strong, intimidating. Menacing. Probably abuses-- abused his power, downright mean. No personality traits other than grouching before coffee and grouching after coffee, giving unreasonable orders..."

An annoyed grunt was her only answer as they attempted to bum rush her with the shield, to shove her back to throw her footing off. She saw it coming, throwing herself to the side in a cartwheel where her vision did a 360 as she kept the merc squarely in her sights, as her mouth continued to rapid-fire.

"No no, you're right. I'm assuming far too much about you. It's kinda unfair and rude. I'm sure you're a genuinely nice person, it's just the job right? Divorce yourself from the work, you definitely seem more professional than those other guys."

The crossbow's weight hefted in the one hand during the maneuver was gripped by the other in short order, as blunt green bracelets on the wrists hummed to life. Ringing their circumference was a band of light that glowed, as the halves they split began to rotate in directions opposite to each other. Gretchen pulled her arms back, the crossbow separating and merging with the bracelets. The firing and feeding mechanism of the crossbow divided, each half forming into their own situated behind the bracelets along the forearm as the makings of gauntlets formed over each hand. The humming persisted as the weapon completed its shift, Gretchen adopting a close quarters combat stance with her fists.

"But see, the difference between me and my sibling is, well, my being the better fighter aside, I don't put despicable people like you to sleep so quickly."

The younger Rainart launched her counterattack, her rapid steps bringing her before the shield the mercenary managed to interpose between themselves and her in time, eliciting a devilish smirk. Both arms pistoned out suddenly, a double hammer strike that contacted with the face of the barrier with her weapons firing in tandem. A duet of loud explosive pops erupted with such force that the mercenary found themselves thrown back, skidding across the ground in a trench of their own making. A frustrated growl rose from them as they stepped out and realized something was amiss.

A pair of solid bolts, punched cleanly through the dense material of the shield, ticked to the tune of a timer, a soft orange glowing from the dust compartment. The timer reached zero and the whole left arm and torso down was encased in solid rock, severely upsetting their balance as they tottered to the side. The soft clink of empty propellant canisters ejecting could be heard and a glance saw the huntress soaring in an arc for them with a low kick to their right leg delivered. Their overcompensating for the sudden weight brought on by rock taken advantage of, the merc collapsed to the knees in a pained huff. An attempt with the baton made, a swipe for the huntress's midsection to ward her off was caught in a parry and his reply was a solid right left to the helmet that jarred their consciousness. They swayed for a second before they struggled again.

A third strike, a right, and they were out, collapsing onto their left with a rocky safety blanket.

"... Those last two don't count." She'd say, groaning as Gretchen realized she had been too slow in saying such. A noncommittal shrug followed, her lackadaisical attitude taking hold as always as she padded forward to rejoin the fray before all that maiden qrow business occurred, eliciting a "What the heck is happening???"

 

[MyrtenRose]

Qrow's grimace snapped up as soon as she slipped away, the look in his eye verging on crazed. Those girls had to be home, dammit. Qrow hadn't vocalized as much, but the reason they were in this mess together was him, it had to be, his cursed touch that poisoned everything he came into contact with finally going after the most important thing left in his life, his family, the one thing he ever fought for that hadn't been just one big lie. They were finally getting the chance to build lives for themselves now after all the lousy cards they'd been dealt, good lives, and he was not gonna let his bad luck be the reason they were taken away.

But... the fall maiden's presence changed things. Oz with his hands on two maidens? Maybe even three, depending just what the nature of this world's Weiss's service to him was? They'd be looking at an untold calamity. All those kids they were traveling with, Salem... Raven. He couldn't just watch while their timeline ended up worse than he found it, worse than even theirs.

The lightning bolts whizzed through empty space, crow body flapping in some deft evasive maneuvers so Qrow could get just close enough to snatch Vernal's ankle when he reverted to human form. His red eyes were still manic if the bandit glanced back towards them, teeth grinding in a vicious grimace as he started pulling himself up Vernal's body.

"DROP... THE KID!"​

Is this guy for real??? The stubborn persistence... "I SAID-" Her body shifted as she flew and she adjusted her free hand. A hand that ended up splayed out right in front of Qrow's face as he climbed up. "-LEAVE ME ALONE!" Vernal roared, as a point blank combination blast of wind, lightning and fire shot out of her palm intent on pushing him off her and down to the ground below, hopefully too stunned by the lightning coursing through him to even think about following any further.​

 

[Indolent]

"Boss? What?" She questioned, looking up. "But we haven't even gotten the--"



"..." The sound of a heavy thud, somehow still audible even over the sounds of fierce battle below wrenched her attention away. What could be--



"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The maiden suddenly doubled over, clutching her head in pain from the sheer overload of her senses. It hit her like a truck, something that not even the giant Hazel had managed. But the worst bit, by far...was the familiarity to a very recent event. "...no no no no, it can't be, I hit you until you dropped, you can't be...that's not possible...all that lightning, it...you just can't." She hurriedly muttered to herself in some attempt to keep her cool.





The attempt failed.

".........................................................................................................................."

The fire tornado currently swirling around the maiden, all that impressive power...it went out not with a bang, but with a whimper. The combined elements shrank away slowly until nothing was left but the flames shooting out of her feet. That too was extinguished, as if somebody had reached a hand to snuff it out like it was some common candle and not a magical power that was practically godly in nature. Her face was so contorted in fear that if it registered anywhere within her that she was now falling to the ground, her face couldn't show it. There was just the terror, Vernal unable to look away from the second grimm human hybrid she'd seen in as many days. The blood, the darkness of that void, everything...

The bandit hit the ground hard, creating a sizable crater all her own. She laid there for a moment, unsure of what to do or if there was even anything to do...but as those arms edged closer and closer, she managed. Both hands thrust out, and blasts of ice and fire each shot out from one of the respective fists. The attack, soaring for that inhuman thing, had an unintended but welcome effect. The fire heated the ice into a heavy misty fog that spread out through the entire battlefield.

Vernal's voice rang out, so echoing and loud that it could be heard by almost all even through the sounds of chaotic battle.

"WHAT KIND OF MONSTER ARE YOU?!"

If anybody had been in a position to ask her who that was directed to, and did so...she wouldn't have been able to answer. She wasn't entirely sure if that question was aimed at the twisted Raven inhuman nightmare...or the girl she believed she had taken out, somehow still managing to persist and unleash that upon her. Blue eyes looked around briefly, trying to find Qrow in the mist, but she soon gave that up and decided with one crystal clear thought that burned in her mind: Fuck all of this.

By the time the fog dissipated, the Spring Maiden was long gone, a shaky initial flight that gradually stabilized the further and further Vernal rocketed away. It seemed, however, that she had not fled with nothing. For if anybody cared to look, the Fall Maiden was nowhere in sight either.



For a brief few moments, the bandit halted her flight path and looked back toward the heavy fog, eyes narrowed as she tried to make out if any giant shadows were lumbering within. She saw none and she lingered there still, heartbeat racing and breathing far too hard. One hand held the unconscious Cinder Fall up. The girl was no relic of knowledge, but she was important in her own right and useful as a hostage or a bargaining chip. Or perhaps an offering for Ozpin, to try and stay his wrath when he learned that the Haven relic had not been retrieved and Spring was still somewhere out there in the world. By the time she turned back and readied herself to continue, the whistle of something rushing down from above reached her ears. Terrified eyes glanced towards the sound.

Yet before she could do anything more than that, it was upon her. Qrow slammed into her, arms moving for a headlock. "NO NO NO GET OFF LET GO, LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" Vernal yelled frantically, as panicked but heavy repeated elbow strikes immediately impacted into Qrow's ribs and loosened the hold. Even in her fear-riddled mind, she recognized what he had intended to do. Another jab of the elbow followed and she slipped out of the hold, rocketing forward once again.

The flames sputtered though, and in a moment of weakening flight she hit the ground and bounced along it a few times before she came to a halt, the unconscious Cinder sliding along with her. Turning in panic, she thrust a hand out and bolts of lightning shot forth for the spot where she knew Qrow had just been. Following that she grabbed hold of the other maiden and blasted back off, soaring through the air as she did her best to leave him and everybody and everything else far far behind.

Get away get away get away get away get away I just have to get away​

Emerald blinked. And blinked again. She wasn't expecting that reaction, the end attempt and partially the result though yeah, but that whole reaction. The Maiden's cries, her words, they stuck to Emerald, their tonal essence speaking to something that was familiar to her only from past exploits with her semblance. When she instilled the dread fear in a person's soul, pulled from the deepest depths to her own psyche. A portion of those were largely informed with her time among nightmares incarnate but they were only a facet of her imagination, a part vastly lesser than the whole. This wasn't what Branwen had asked of her.

Is she somewhere around here?

The edges of Thief's Respite in kama form flitted into view, the slimmest profile allowed past her disguise as she made a foray into the fighting, taking advantage of her guise to lull members of the three enemy factions into a sense of complacency that had no place on the battlefield. Her work in messing with the maiden was done, knowing full well to expose herself was to invite death, least of all by Vernal's hands. Instead she mounted a search for the sake of ascertaining her other's position.

So she could give a wide berth and focus her efforts elsewhere. It wasn't time yet to run across herself. Or Mercury. Or the rest. She didn't think she could handle that now. Or ever. Even though she knows it's an inevitability. That didn't make her feel any better, instead it made her feel lousy.

 

[MidwayLives]

His weapon was swept to the side from the force of that blow, Tyrian's hand coming in to grab at...nothing. The man had disappeared in the blink of an eye, a bird suddenly flapping past underneath the scorpion's armpit and transforming back into a man right behind the faunus, Harbinger coming down in an attempt to sever that tail in two.

The damn bastard turned into a bird again!! How was he doing that?! Tyrian had never seen a semblance that let you pull off such a feat! No, whatever his semblance was had to be tied into the annoyances that kept plaguing Tyrian throughout their fight. As Qrow reappeared, it became all too clear what he was aiming for.

"NO!!!!"

Back when he fought, Tyrian kept his tail wrapped around his waist. That way it couldn't be grabbed or used against him like how Nora would years later. It also helped so it wouldn't tempt him to try using the stinger on the end to actually stab someone rather than just plainly smacking them around. But it was more than just a tail. It represented Tyrian's heritage. Both of his parents had tails of their own and they brandished them proudly. It marked him as a faunus and it may as well have been an extension of his body much like his arms and legs. Even a human like Ichabod knew that.

'Tyrian, do you hide your tail because you're ashamed?" The old man asked, his tone of voice showing that he was genuinely curious. Although Tyrian had known that from the moment he'd asked. Ichabod wasn't like other humans, he cared about Tyrian. ...Well, as much as a human could anyway. Tyrian shook his head and hopped down from the practice ring he'd been throwing jabs and kicks in. He patted his tail and let it unwind. "Nah, I'm as proud of this thing as I am of my arms and legs! It's saved my butt more times than I can count and I've never even had to use the stinger once! Plus..." Tyrian frowned.

"It makes me feel closer to my opponents. We're all fighting for different reasons but we're all faunus. No matter what."

The old man smiled and reached over to gently ruffle Tyrian's hair. "Hahaha, I see! Well, I only have one request of you then."

"What's that, Ichabod?"

"Take good care of your tail."

Tyrian smiled and waved his manager off. "Don't worry, this thing's sticking with me til the day I kick the bucket!"

~~~

*SHUNK*

Tyrian's tail had curved at the last second in a desperate maneuver to try and scratch Qrow along the stomach with his stinger. He wasn't sure if he'd got the bastard or not. He could only hope so because for what he'd done, Tyrian wanted more than his corpse thrown into a shallow grave. He'd failed to keep his word to the old man. The quarter of his tail that had the stinger attached fell to the ground, toxin leaking out of it and the long stump that remained attached to Tyrian. The toxin itself was a sickly shade of purple and apparently had enough acidity in it to melt a portion of the ground that it'd splattered on. If you were struck when your aura was broken/got hit in a vital area, you could expect hours, even days, of nonstop suffering. Aura would help but only so much.

But whatever pain Qrow may have been going through if Tyrian's last attempt at a slash had worked? Tyrian felt it didn't even compare to the utter agony he was going through. His legs trembled as he took a couple of hesitant steps forward, his fingers twitching and his mouth agape. He took a deep breath and-

"AAAAAAGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! A-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!! MY TAIL!!!!!!!!!!"

It hurt like nothing Tyrian had ever known before. It felt as though someone had chopped off one of his limbs. Tears streamed down his face and the only things coming out of his mouth were wails of misery and horrible horrible pain. What remained of his tail swung from side to side splattering toxin every-which way. He couldn't think straight with the amount of pain he was in. He grasped at his hair and pulled on it, anything, anything to get his mind on another sensation but the feeling running through his stump of a tail and directly into his body.

Nothing else mattered right now. He hadn't noticed Vernal attempting to flee or her trying to take Cinder with her. Or even Qrow's dogged attempt to pursue her. None of it was even registering with him. His entire body was shaking like a leaf and he wanted the pain to stop!!! Running his hand down his chest and over his scars, an idea came to mind.

It wasn't a good one mind you. Everyone of those who cared for Tyrian could have told you that much. But it was all he could think of to get his mind off his tail and onto something else. His pupils glowed a darkish purple and running his glowing hand across the left side of his torso dissipating the aura in that one spot, Tyrian grit his teeth and raised his left arm.

*SHUNK*

"AAAAAAAHGHHHHHH!!!! AAAAH!!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

The sensation of cold steel entering his body was a new one and almost nearly as painful as the loss of his tail. It was definitely more gruesome as the blood running down from his side where he'd stabbed himself and coating his pant leg a healthy shade of red was any indication. He'd broken out into a cold sweat at this point and he couldn't stop his body from shuddering. His vision was growing blurry. From the tears and the toll all this pain was taking on him.

You know, despite everything? Despite the loss of his tail and the maelstrom of pain that followed?

For once ever since he was 12 years old, the voices finally stopped.

Tyrian ripped his blades free and clutched at his new wound. A faint smile crossed his lips. "I did it...hahaha....i stopped it..." But as he felt himself getting weak in the knees, he stamped his foot down and faced wherever Qrow was or if he was still here. "You..." Tyrian growled... "You son of a bitch.....I don't care if I die....I'M GIVING YOU SOMETHING TO REMEMBER ME BY!" He raised his bloodsoaked gauntlet and glared.

It was little more than a bluff. From the pain that the loss of his tail and his follow up attempt to 'equalize' the pain, he was done. His body wanted nothing more than to simply sit down and accept help. Or rest whichever came first. But Tyrian did his damnedest to ignore those feelings.

The only way he'd be bending the knee to this bastard and the rest of Ozpin's men would be if he either passed out?

Or died.

Whichever came first didn't really matter to him.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

The damn bastard turned into a bird again!! How was he doing that?! Tyrian had never seen a semblance that let you pull off such a feat! No, whatever his semblance was had to be tied into the annoyances that kept plaguing Tyrian throughout their fight. As Qrow reappeared, it became all too clear what he was aiming for.

"NO!!!!"

Back when he fought, Tyrian kept his tail wrapped around his waist. That way it couldn't be grabbed or used against him like how Nora would years later. It also helped so it wouldn't tempt him to try using the stinger on the end to actually stab someone rather than just plainly smacking them around. But it was more than just a tail. It represented Tyrian's heritage. Both of his parents had tails of their own and they brandished them proudly. It marked him as a faunus and it may as well have been an extension of his body much like his arms and legs. Even a human like Ichabod knew that.

'Tyrian, do you hide your tail because you're ashamed?" The old man asked, his tone of voice showing that he was genuinely curious. Although Tyrian had known that from the moment he'd asked. Ichabod wasn't like other humans, he cared about Tyrian. ...Well, as much as a human could anyway. Tyrian shook his head and hopped down from the practice ring he'd been throwing jabs and kicks in. He patted his tail and let it unwind. "Nah, I'm as proud of this thing as I am of my arms and legs! It's saved my butt more times than I can count and I've never even had to use the stinger once! Plus..." Tyrian frowned.

"It makes me feel closer to my opponents. We're all fighting for different reasons but we're all faunus. No matter what."

The old man smiled and reached over to gently ruffle Tyrian's hair. "Hahaha, I see! Well, I only have one request of you then."

"What's that, Ichabod?"

"Take good care of your tail."

Tyrian smiled and waved his manager off. "Don't worry, this thing's sticking with me til the day I kick the bucket!"

~~~

*SHUNK*

Tyrian's tail had curved at the last second in a desperate maneuver to try and scratch Qrow along the stomach with his stinger. He wasn't sure if he'd got the bastard or not. He could only hope so because for what he'd done, Tyrian wanted more than his corpse thrown into a shallow grave. He'd failed to keep his word to the old man. The quarter of his tail that had the stinger attached fell to the ground, toxin leaking out of it and the long stump that remained attached to Tyrian. The toxin itself was a sickly shade of purple and apparently had enough acidity in it to melt a portion of the ground that it'd splattered on. If you were struck when your aura was broken/got hit in a vital area, you could expect hours, even days, of nonstop suffering. Aura would help but only so much.

But whatever pain Qrow may have been going through if Tyrian's last attempt at a slash had worked? Tyrian felt it didn't even compare to the utter agony he was going through. His legs trembled as he took a couple of hesitant steps forward, his fingers twitching and his mouth agape. He took a deep breath and-

"AAAAAAGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! A-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!! MY TAIL!!!!!!!!!!"

It hurt like nothing Tyrian had ever known before. It felt as though someone had chopped off one of his limbs. Tears streamed down his face and the only things coming out of his mouth were wails of misery and horrible horrible pain. What remained of his tail swung from side to side splattering toxin every-which way. He couldn't think straight with the amount of pain he was in. He grasped at his hair and pulled on it, anything, anything to get his mind on another sensation but the feeling running through his stump of a tail and directly into his body.

Nothing else mattered right now. He hadn't noticed Vernal attempting to flee or her trying to take Cinder with her. Or even Qrow's dogged attempt to pursue her. None of it was even registering with him. His entire body was shaking like a leaf and he wanted the pain to stop!!! Running his hand down his chest and over his scars, an idea came to mind.

It wasn't a good one mind you. Everyone of those who cared for Tyrian could have told you that much. But it was all he could think of to get his mind off his tail and onto something else. His pupils glowed a darkish purple and running his glowing hand across the left side of his torso dissipating the aura in that one spot, Tyrian grit his teeth and raised his left arm.

*SHUNK*

"AAAAAAAHGHHHHHH!!!! AAAAH!!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

The sensation of cold steel entering his body was a new one and almost nearly as painful as the loss of his tail. It was definitely more gruesome as the blood running down from his side where he'd stabbed himself and coating his pant leg a healthy shade of red was any indication. He'd broken out into a cold sweat at this point and he couldn't stop his body from shuddering. His vision was growing blurry. From the tears and the toll all this pain was taking on him.

You know, despite everything? Despite the loss of his tail and the maelstrom of pain that followed?

For once ever since he was 12 years old, the voices finally stopped.

Tyrian ripped his blades free and clutched at his new wound. A faint smile crossed his lips. "I did it...hahaha....i stopped it..." But as he felt himself getting weak in the knees, he stamped his foot down and faced wherever Qrow was or if he was still here. "You..." Tyrian growled... "You son of a bitch.....I don't care if I die....I'M GIVING YOU SOMETHING TO REMEMBER ME BY!" He raised his bloodsoaked gauntlet and glared.

It was little more than a bluff. From the pain that the loss of his tail and his follow up attempt to 'equalize' the pain, he was done. His body wanted nothing more than to simply sit down and accept help. Or rest whichever came first. But Tyrian did his damnedest to ignore those feelings.

The only way he'd be bending the knee to this bastard and the rest of Ozpin's men would be if he either passed out?

Or died.

Whichever came first didn't really matter to him.​

The stinger of the tail did more than graze Qrow, it left a sizable cut along his abdomen. But beyond a pained grunt, the man barely seemed to acknowledge the wound. That was in large part because of all the responses that could have followed Qrow cutting right through the tail...the one the scorpion kid actually went with was easily the most unexpected one. Yeah there was the predictable screams and cries of pain, but that wasn't what got even Qrow to pause. His eyes opened wide as he watched the kid straight up stabbed himself with his own weapon. More than that, the kid laughed about it. That crazed look in Tyrian's eyes as the kid stared him down and cursed him out.

Had Beacon's standards gotten that lax, to let somebody this insane in? Or had the kid just been that good at keeping a lid on all the craziness inside? Hidden so well that nobody suspected...whatever the case, Qrow didn't have time to ponder it.

Omen came swinging in a series of incredibly fast slices, Qrow still so unnerved by the lunacy that he offered barely any resistance. By the fifth swing, his sister had disarmed him, Harbinger clattering to the ground a few feet away and Raven's blade pointed straight at Qrow's throat as she made it abundantly clear this fight was over. But that didn't apply to the other huntress who dashed up, eschewing the use of her blades to instead just tackle Qrow to the ground. Once she had him pinned to the ground, Tock lashed out with punch after punch, not letting up until after Qrow was unconscious...and even then the crocodile punched the bandit a few more times. That done, she stood up...and delivered one last kick for good measure before turning away.

Tock met Raven's eyes and she nodded. Then both looked towards Tyrian and asked as one: "What the fucking hell was that, kid?" ​

 

[MidwayLives]

A grenade suddenly hit the ground right next to them.

"*exasperated as FUCK groan!!*"

The explosion went off and the sound of glass shattering accompanied it as Neo landed with Roman a few feet away. Things were starting to get out of hand. She had zero doubt in her abilities but she hadn't exactly endeared herself to either side her. As far as Ozpin's side knew, she was still untested, not 100% loyal, and that wasn't gonna fly if she didn't get her shit together. Being tortured like she'd seen happen to that faunus wasn't exactly at the top of her to-do list(that position was left to killing her other.)but...They'd just keep attacking Roman if she let him be and just moments ago, he'd raised his weapon against her!

Her!!!

Thus, she was left between a rock and a soft spot. Leave Roman to his own devices and interfere when need be? Or work alongside him?

As the smoke from Nora's grenade washed over and past them, Roman coughed and waved it away. "I'm not an invalid you know..." He started as he tapped Melodic Cudgel against the ground. "My Neo...She always protects me. It's just...we got bigger problems now. So she can't afford to watch my back everytime thinges get rough."

Ugh, was he seriously praising that bitch to her of all people??? Neo didn't want to hear that! ...Even if she was glad it meant that even before she'd ended up in this world, this Neo had always looked after her Roman. But then Roman gripped onto her shoulder. "Look...I-I dunno what Ozpin said to you or if he's making you work for him. But...don't get yourself in danger on my account. I don't want to see you or my Neo hurt."

Neo smiled and felt genuinely touched. It didn't matter the world it seemed. Roman and her were always meant to be-Wait.

What.

The.

Fuck did he just say??!

Her and HIS Neo?!

Just when she'd thought this Roman was finally starting to recognize and appreciate how she'd stuck her neck out for him! He just couldn't resist bringing her up! What had she done for him so far this fight, hm?! Absolutely nothing! Neo's face scrunched up and she turned away from Roman.

"....Which is why I have to thank you for what you've done. But I'll have to take it from here." Roman stepped past Neo with a smile and took aim at Nora. Melodic Cudgel had seen better days and somebody needed to save Cinder. But Roman wasn't that person. He didn't go saving damsels in distress, he...was the damsel and it'd become all too painfully clear to him.

"Take this-" Roman was abou to fire upon Nora when he saw....everything that went down with Tyrian. Even for a drunkard Qrow wasn't someone any of them felt they could have taken on. Guy was a vet and they had struggledenough against Ozpin's other grunts. But...whether it was some kind of take on psychological warfare or the scorpion had finally lost his marbles, Roman genuinely couldn't say. "....Tyrian."​

 

[MidwayLives]

Tock met Raven's eyes and she nodded. Then both looked towards Tyrian and asked as one: "What the fucking hell was that, kid?"

"What's wrong....? You were so confident before.....And now that you've mutilated me, you won't move?! WELL, THEN I WILL-"

Tyrian attempted to take a step forward and a wave of pain flowed over him. His 'plan' to try and equal out the pain from the loss of his tail to the fresh wound in his side. It'd worked better than Tyrian could have hoped. It was more a miracle or testament to Tyrian's willpower that he was still standing on his own two feet under his own power. The palm of his right hand was stained with blood which had been dripping into a small puddle at Tyrian's feet and staining his pants. As Raven came in and took care of Qrow, Tyrian said nothing. Even when Tock and her spoke up, nothing was said. He didn't even look at them as they addressed him.

"....Hehe....heh."

He slowly turned his head to look at the two women, his hair down and his face a sweaty mess. But despite the pain ravaging his body he'd still found the effort within him to crack out a smile. Even though his eyes had met theirs, his gaze looked like he was looking right through the two of them. As if what they'd asked him hadn't even registered.

"I did get the son of a bitch. ..I...I.." His tail slowly came into view and when he got a good look at the stump that remained, his bottom lip trembled and he pulled his hand back from his wound. This was his first time seeing his tail since Qrow had chopped it and...well, he wasn't happy. "Ahhh....hahhh....AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! LOOK WHAT HE DID TO MY TAIL!!!!!" ​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"HEY!" She bellowed in obvious irritation, a glare of pure frustration directed at them both. "QUIT TALKING AND ACTING LIKE I'M NOT RIGHT HERE TRYING TO FIGHT YOU!!! STOP WASTING TIME AND FIGHT ME, DAMMIT!!! YOU CAN'T JUST IGNORE ME LIKE THIS, YOU MASCARA WEARING CLUELESS GINGER FUCKTRUMPET!!! YOU'RE GIVING ALL GINGERS A BAD GODDAMN NAME!!!"

"IT'S RUDE AS HELL TO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO SOMEBODY CLEARLY TRYING TO KICK YOUR ASS, YOU KNOW?!!!"​

"Take this-" Roman was abou to fire upon Nora when he saw....everything that went down with Tyrian. Even for a drunkard Qrow wasn't someone any of them felt they could have taken on. Guy was a vet and they had struggledenough against Ozpin's other grunts. But...whether it was some kind of take on psychological warfare or the scorpion had finally lost his marbles, Roman genuinely couldn't say. "....Tyrian."

A trio of grenades soared through the air when he hesitated like that, their trajectory taking them on a path heading straight for his chest.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

He slowly turned his head to look at the two women, his hair down and his face a sweaty mess. But despite the pain ravaging his body he'd still found the effort within him to crack out a smile. Even though his eyes had met theirs, his gaze looked like he was looking right through the two of them. As if what they'd asked him hadn't even registered.

"I did get the son of a bitch. ..I...I.." His tail slowly came into view and when he got a good look at the stump that remained, his bottom lip trembled and he pulled his hand back from his wound. This was his first time seeing his tail since Qrow had chopped it and...well, he wasn't happy. "Ahhh....hahhh....AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! LOOK WHAT HE DID TO MY TAIL!!!!!"

The two swordswomen exchanged a look. This guy...something was definitely off and it was something beyond just his lack of a complete tail problems. Even still, Tock was quick to stride up to her fellow faunus and give the obviously struggling to stand scorpion faunus some support in the form of a shoulder to brace and lean on. "We gotta find this guy a quiet place to rest. Ray, you think you could keep the idiots off me, considering..." Her eyes shot from left to right at all the madness still going strong all around them.

"Consider it done. Quit calling me Ray."

"Never." The crocodile started forward, leaving it to Raven to clear a path.​

 

[Gus Gungus]

"WHAT KIND OF MONSTER ARE YOU?!"

If anybody had been in a position to ask her who that was directed to, and did so...she wouldn't have been able to answer. She wasn't entirely sure if that question was aimed at the twisted Raven inhuman nightmare...or the girl she believed she had taken out, somehow still managing to persist and unleash that upon her. Blue eyes looked around briefly, trying to find Qrow in the mist, but she soon gave that up and decided with one crystal clear thought that burned in her mind: Fuck all of this.

By the time the fog dissipated, the Spring Maiden was long gone, a shaky initial flight that gradually stabilized the further and further Vernal rocketed away. It seemed, however, that she had not fled with nothing. For if anybody cared to look, the Fall Maiden was nowhere in sight either.

"..."

Mercury just gave Neo a lowkey sideways glance and shrug. Well, they couldn't make her stay if she didn't want to.

"I'll check on Torchwick. You can get Em away without anyone seeing, right? Just... help her!" He grunted his frustration, unwilling to even look in his partner's direction himself. A couple of suitable venting bags presented themselves in the shape of a bandit and White Fang goon tandem who had put their races' differences aside and cemented a genuine, nurturing friendship in the time since their crews joined up, one built on two-way communication and respect. Mercury effortlessly spin-kicked the first guy's gun so he shot his friend then almost booted his head off his shoulders with his next step, before breaking into a sprint across the battlefield with one last fading shout back at his teammate.

"I'M SORRY I WAS A JERK TO YOUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..."

Mercury wasn't exactly the best at sharing. Or talking. Or communicating in any kind of a way that involved lowering the multiple layers of caustic wit and sarcasm he'd erected to defend himself against the world. But him and Neo had that kinda relationship where a whole lot didn't really need to be said, and going to town on a piece of dirt they had mutual beef with was probably the one time enough of a communication pathway opened up for him to address that lingering elephant in the room. Him and Neo hadn't really... anything since that heavy talk at Beacon. It was a little awkward, but Mercury was way too macho and prideful to say anything, and he was kind of happy to revert to pretending he never said anything considering how deep Schnee's involvement in all this went.

Maybe it took seeing his partner get deep fried in about 3 seconds to dispel that pointless bullshit. If he didn't say that now, there was no guarantee there'd even be a chance at the tail end of this fight.

But he knew one thing. If anyone else on his team was getting hurt tonight, it was him.​

 

[Indolent]

Hazel was anything but oblivious, even mired in the throes of his rage, absorbing the accounts pertinent to his companions unfolding peripherally. Emerald's death by lightning bolt was the start of it. The whole thing with Vernal above in the sky, with Cinder and Qrow... The doppelgangers' melee. Tyrian. Tyrian especially. His heart dropped, a solitary thought momentarily blasting all others aside.

He'd failed his partner, he wasn't there for him. Again. Others came to his assistance where he hadn't. The feeling that swelled was something Hazel considered more infernal than mere anger. Frustration. Or more accurately, disappointment.

Hazel was another thing though, something favorable to the now. He was quite good when it came to compartmentalizing, those bundle of dark feelings boxed up and slotted onto a pristine shelf within the closet in his mind. He knew it'd be there when he needed to return to it, along with the rest.

He had something of a vendetta to tend to that happened to overlay with the urgent missive to make sure nobody else came to harm.

"HEY!" She bellowed in obvious irritation, a glare of pure frustration directed at them both. "QUIT TALKING AND ACTING LIKE I'M NOT RIGHT HERE TRYING TO FIGHT YOU!!! STOP WASTING TIME AND FIGHT ME, DAMMIT!!! YOU CAN'T JUST IGNORE ME LIKE THIS, YOU MASCARA WEARING CLUELESS GINGER FUCKTRUMPET!!! YOU'RE GIVING ALL GINGERS A BAD GODDAMN NAME!!!"

"IT'S RUDE AS HELL TO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO SOMEBODY CLEARLY TRYING TO KICK YOUR ASS, YOU KNOW?!!!"


A trio of grenades soared through the air when he hesitated like that, their trajectory taking them on a path heading straight for his chest.​

The grenades impacted something, alright, dust cloud that kicked up from the force obfuscating whatever it hit.

Something big burst from it, the dust billowing about as Hazel careened for the pancake-devouring crimelord with a massive left arm outstretched for a lariat.

 

[MyrtenRose]

Something big burst from it, the dust billowing about as Hazel careened for the pancake-devouring crimelord with a massive left arm outstretched for a lariat.

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

​

"Uh-oh." That quiet muttering was all she managed to get out between the ribbon wrapping around her arms and the following yank that pulled her off the tower.



...Okay. That hurt.

For a few seconds there, Ilia was content to just remain lying down in her prone position and take a quick breather--oh no she suddenly thought as she felt a round of incoming sneezes from all the thrown up dust. The noise she made with each one was honestly kind of adorable, almost akin to a high pitched squeak. The last one almost had her miss the sign of danger that was rapidly approaching. Almost.



Ilia leaped to her feet just in time, a jump to the side that had her just narrowly avoid the sword stab. Blake...was going for a kill right from the start. Painful as that was, the chameleon steeled her nerves. She had to do this, Blake wasn't going to give her a choice. Her whip extended out to try and zap Blake with enough volts to temporarily stun her.​

the whip snapped out and caught Blake square in the chin where she'd stabbed her sword into the ground, only for that blake to swirl into mist at the same time a foot slammed into the back of her legs , Blake's semblance putting her behind where Ilia's dodge had landed in a complete disregard for physics as her shadow clone faked the landing.

"You should have stayed AWAY!"

Whether the obvious, hurt frustration at the situation buried in Blake's angered words made it worse or better for Ilia was up for debate. Gambol's bladed sheathe caught the chameleon in the back with an upwards swing that sparked against her aura and sent her spinning through the air away from blake.

The cat faunus was already transforming gambol back into its chainscythe mode at the same time, and as soon as Ilia got a few meters away in her arc, a gunshot heralded the first in what was a flurry of slashes that created a blur of silver and black around Blake in a sphere, the ribbon and deft handwork sending the weapon flying at Ilia from almost every angle imaginable as Blake sought to overwhelm the imposter's defenses

The shock of her weapon remaining fixed in place when she yanked was enough to ensure the blow struck directly, teeth grinding in a grimace as she tumbled down more than a few steps at rapid speeds. Nevertheless, she recovered fast, and sprang into a lunge the moment she oriented herself as she reasoned to lunge forward and strike with both sword and sheath together. If anything immobilized the weapons more fully, as her gut told her to anticipate, she waited just long enough to bait her assailant into another offensive tactic before lashing out with a foot, pivoting off Wilt and Blush for extra reach to see if that disrupted whatever effect was seizing them in any way.

"What, no speech? Most humans I've met love to TALK!"

When Eve had righted herself at the bottom of the stairs, she was met with the sight of Pyrrha waiting at the top, with her her shield held before her and and her sword resting in one of the curved indents that were on either side of it, slightly crouched and waiting with only her eyes visible as she waited for Eve to retaliate. She held that stance firm as the faunus charged, and just as Eve predicted her weapon suddenly came to a halt halfway through its swing. The eyes on the other side of the shield widened as Eve so effortlessly transitioned into a kick, yet the shield angled just in time to catch the heel of Eve's boot with it instead of Pyrrha's chin. She shoved the leg outwards and extended her sword in a jab, and with a whirring of gears it extended all the way into a spear in a violent extension of its reach that would've skewered an auraless opponent, but otherwise would just send Eve right back the way she'd come with less shielding than she had on the way up.

The spear retracted as Pyrrha spun it in her hand and reset it against her shield, slightly past where it had been the first time so she could drag it across the top in a sparking of metal against metal in a silent declaration of war.

Despite her silence though, Eve did go back down the stairs with more knowledge than she'd gone up it. Pyrrha was keen on holding this high ground. It was the sort of thing a lesser warrior wouldn't think about; when everyone with aura could pull a ten meter vertical with relative ease, the additional height of a few stairs seemed redundant. But high ground was high ground, and no matter how superhuman you were, that starting point could make or break a fight. She also learned, when Pyrrha used her shield to forcefully maneuver her opponent for that strike and uncovered herself, that the mistralian champion was smiling. it was a tight, controlled grin that burned with focus, but unlike every other person on this plaza, it was apparent she was enjoying the proceedings.

And why not? Eve Taurus wasn't a warrior without reputation; the ability to break off so much of the White Fang to follow her leadership hadn't been born of zeal and righteousness alone. If there was anyone here who the mistralian champion thought might match her in martial skill alone, without the trapping of semblance or aura getting in the way, it'd be this faunus. The speed of her draw and the ease with which she held her blade was impressive, even to her. No small part of her wanted to ask Eve for just that; to promise not to use her semblance if Eve agreed not to use hers, so that she could put her blade against the other warrior's in a true display of skill. Unfortunately, there were plenty of reasons that wasn't an option, not the least of which that another failure would ensure Ozpin would leave her in a state never to battle again.

Yet that didn't mean she wouldn't get what enjoyment she could out of this. No matter how many times Eve tried to charge up the stairs, Pyrrha was steadfast in her rebuke. Sometimes her weapon would be allowed to swing, only to angle just wrong so that it found Pyrrha's shield like it had been destined to strike it instead of Nikos, and the champions own attacks always slipped just inside or past Eve's blocks. It was like being on the receiving end of Qrow's semblance, only far more calculated and vicious in its application, and the only people who likely had a worse mismatch in their supernatural abilities against Nikos was the girl who was literally made of metal. Her one saving grace was, in the midst of all this, Pyrrha whipped her shield once in a throw that shot over her shoulder in a showing of uncharacteristically bad aim, only for it to strike a Shadow Fang member straight in the neck when she'd tried to descend on Eve with a hammer-esque weapon from above, apparently emboldened by seeing someone who could handle their legendary champion. The shield rebounded back to her hand with such speed that it could barely be considered an opening, and Pyrrha's first words in this fight were a seemingly sincere "SORRY!" as she resettled her defenses.

Even if she wasn't allowed to let it be a fair one, this was her fight.