The day of the operation was an unsettled one. Overnight, a sudden storm had rolled in, bringing with it harsh winds that whipped the desert sands into a frenzy. As the sun ascended the horizon, giving light to the city of Vacuo, the odd gust continued to blow through, forcing people to shield their eyes with whatever they had on hand. Airships were prepped, soldiers readied, and Team RWBY gathered in the agreed upon location. Weiss didn’t believe in ill omens, but if there ever was one, it would probably look something like this.

Having Jaune see them off helped to settle any nerves, thoughts of their time together two nights previous filling her belly with butterflies.

Jaune wasn’t just her friend now. He was her boyfriend.

She was dating him. They were together.

Her, and Jaune – and Ruby. The three of them.

She glanced at her partner, and the same smitten look Ruby had was probably plastered on her own face. Ruby gazed at Jaune with adoration, and his own expression felt… softer as he looked at them, eyes clearer, untroubled. More like the Jaune she knew, and not the Rusted Knight that had returned with them.

It made her feel good. That their efforts had helped, in some way. She wasn’t under any illusions, though. The type of pain and loneliness that Jaune had experienced wasn’t something you could simply brush aside, just because things had changed. It would stay with him, perhaps for the rest of his life. So Weiss would make sure she was always there to remind him that she was his, and he’d never be alone again.

He wasn’t alone in seeing them off. Ren and Nora had accompanied him, and surprisingly, Emerald.

“Hey, this is kinda sweet,” Yang grinned teasingly, mostly directed at the dark skinned girl. “Are you worried about us?”

Emerald rolled her eyes. “As if.”

“Oho – then why are you here?”

“This guy asked me to come,” she jerked a thumb at Jaune, looking unimpressed. “Since he was so pathetic, I thought I’d do him a favor.”

Jaune smirked. “Is that what happened, is it?”

Nora snickered, and reeled Emerald in with an arm, squishing their bodies together.

“You can be honest, we won’t judge you,” she chirped as Emerald struggled to free herself.

“Let go of me,” she said through gritted teeth, but Nora only held on tighter.

“We know you’ve got it,” Ren said seriously. “But we thought you’d appreciate the gesture.”

Blake smiled softly. “We do. Thank you for coming.”

Another gust of wind whipped up, and it forced them all to raise their arms. Ruby began spluttering, sand having gotten into her mouth, and Weiss couldn’t help but laugh.

“Ack, gross – this is the worst,” Ruby complained. “Couldn’t it have been a calm day?”

Sand really was the worst.

Apparently that was too much to ask for. For once, the sky was filled with cloud, protecting them from the harshness of the sun. It hadn’t rained, but the air felt heavy. Laden with something. That strange tension you felt before a thunderstorm. The overnight storm had only brought with it wind, not rain and thunder. Not yet.

“You’ve got everything packed?” Jaune asked.

Weiss nodded. “We do. Blake rigged us a few bombs, those tunnels don’t stand a chance.”

Blake laughed awkwardly as everyone gave her the side-eye. “What?”

“Ehehe – it’s cute that your delinquent teenage years are proving useful,” Nora said. Blake scowled.

“I wasn't a delinquent!”

“What else would you call it?

Blake almost said something, and then obviously thought better of it. Yang smothered a laugh when amber eyes turned on her, glaring.

“She has been very helpful, her skill set has been invaluable,” Weiss said, sounding very reasonable. Those amber eyes turned on her.

“...Stop teasing me,” Blake muttered.

Winter Schnee approached, dressed in the tactical gear she’d been known for in Atlas. The power armor was made from sleek Dust steel, protecting her shoulders and the entirety of her left arm. The harness was secured around her back and waist, and extended down the outsides of her thighs before covering her knees. Beneath she wore her usual blue combat pants and white blouse, a sheer white cape swishing about her hips upon which her slender blade sat secured.

“Team RWBY,” she said, expression hard – before easing, the General taking a step back, and the older sister coming forth. “Weiss, are you ready?”

Weiss nodded. “I am, sister.”

“And the rest of you?” she asked, looking at her team.

“We’re ready,” Ruby said, lifting a clenched fist. “We’ve got this.”

Winter smiled. “Ruby Rose, you will be in complete command of your side of the mission. You will lead your team in, destroy the tunnels, and then get out. That is the primary goal, everything else is secondary. I’ve given the order for your pilot to defer to you in all things, and you will be accompanied by a small group of soldiers – just in case.”

“A last minute addition,” a cocky voice called, one that Weiss hadn’t heard in a while.

Harriet Bree approached, a swag to her step, dressed in her combat uniform, complete with what appeared to be an upgraded version of her exosuit. Hands on hips, she eyed Ruby up and down as if measuring her up, and then nodded.

“The Ace-Ops have your back,” she said, and she was accompanied by Elm and Marrow.

It was strange, seeing them without Clover and Vine. Their loss had been felt keenly, and was no doubt part of the reason they’d been out of sight since the fall of Atlas. But the three of them looked ready to throw down, Elm’s stern visage and Marrow’s excited salute letting her know they had the best cover available.

“The more, the merrier,” Yang said, stepping forward and offering a hand. Elm blinked, and then shook it. “How about we go kick some Grimm ass?”

Harriet was all for it, pumping her fist. “You god damn right, blondie. That’s the spirit.”

“You’ve got five minutes,” Winter said, addressing them all. “And then we fly.”

As everyone began saying their farewells, Weiss approached Jaune.

“This is it,” she said.

“Be safe,” he said in response, eyes filled with love .

When he looked at her like that, there was no way she could hold back.

Uncaring of everyone around them, she stepped forward and rising on her toes, kissed him. It wasn’t a passionate kiss, just a simple press of their lips, but it made her mouth tingle and her blood ignite in flame. They remained like that for several seconds before she pulled back, her heart racing.

“What was that ?” Nora asked, shocked.

Not to be outdone, Ruby barged her way in.

“If she gets a kiss, so do I,” she declared, and following her example, jumped up onto her toes and kissed Jaune in much the same manner.

“Way to go, sis,” Yang cheered, not at all thrown off. Weiss eyed her, and received a sly smirk in return.

She’d already known.

Everyone else, though – they stared in shock, eyes moving between Weiss, Jaune and Ruby as she finally pulled away, her cheeks burning red.

“...Riiight,” Emerald drawled, snapping out of it. “Go kick ass, all that shit – I’ma leave before I hurl.”

That broke the stalemate, and everyone began throwing questions out, left, right and center. Weiss giggled as she backed away.

“I’ll see you when we get back,” she said cheekily.

Jaune shook his head ruefully, though the smile on his face was worth it.

They boarded the airship and found their seats, quickly strapping in. What remained of the Ace-Ops sat opposite them, locked in, focused, in their own world. Soldiers boarded, stowing their weapons and claiming their seats, decked out in full body armor. Once everyone was seated, the ramp rose and clamped shut with a hiss, several locking mechanisms snapping closed.

“So…” Blake glanced between them. “Are you guys… with Jaune?”

Weiss felt giddy to hear someone else give voice to it.

She eyed Blake from the corner of her eye, nodding.

“We are,” she said.

“Both of you?” Blake made sure to clarify.

“Yep,” Ruby chirped through the silly grin on her face. “Both of us.”

Blake seemed to struggle with her next words, her expression complicated. Yang snickered and nudged her girlfriend.

“They share him,” she waggled her eyebrows. “Pretty lewd, right? If someone had told me that Weiss Schnee  of all people would be sharing a man with my baby sister when we first met, I’d have checked that person into the loony bin.”

“And you guys are okay with that?” Blake finally asked, ignoring Yang and focusing on them.

Ruby looked down shyly, though still with that silly smile on her face. “We also – um, like each other. You know – like that .”

Blake’s mouth formed a perfect O.

“It’s true,” Weiss said, her cheeks burning. “The three of us are together – in a true sense.”

“...Wow, I don’t know what to say,” Blake seemed shocked, but then she smiled. “Jaune seems… happier.”

“He does,” Yang agreed fondly. “For a while there, he felt… well, like he was still in the Ever After. Almost like everything around him was heavy, and…” she sighed, expression pained. “It was hard, seeing him like that. Like he was lost.”

“He went through something we can never really understand,” Blake said sadly. “I… I’m glad that he has you two.”

“You don’t seem very surprised about it,” Weiss said, directed at Yang. The blonde smirked.

“Ruby sorta let the cat outta the bag.”

“And you didn’t tell me?” Blake asked, annoyed. “It would have been nice to have a little bit of warning.”

“It didn’t feel like my place,” Yang shrugged. “Plus I thought it’d be way funnier to see your expression when things came to light. I was right.”

Blake pouted.

“You know, you’ll have to tell Dad, right?”

Ruby wilted as Yang chuckled.

“...I know. I will!”

“Hurry up and do it, so he’ll forget about what he saw,” it was Yang’s turn for her cheeks to turn red. “You have no idea how horrible that was.”

“I can imagine,” Weiss said dryly.

The airship engines roared to life, the vibrations filtering through the ship moments before they began to rise up into the air. Weiss felt her stomach swoop as they swung around, and then they were soaring through the sky. From the small windows above their heads, all she could see was the cloudy sky whipping by as they ascended further into the heavens.

It refocused them all.

It was a long flight to their destination, taking half a day. Ration packs had been provided to sate their hunger, though they weren’t what you would call delicious. Dry crackers that sucked the moisture from your mouth, and some type of bean paste that contained all the nutrients you could ever require, but had been seasoned with air and nothing else.

It filled a hole, though.

Ruby went over their plan a half dozen times, but they’d all memorized their parts. When even she became weary of repeating herself, they conversed with the other men, and the Ace-Ops. Anything to keep their minds occupied, to stave off the boredom.

“We are on approach, ETA ten minutes,” a voice suddenly came over the intercom, and that silenced the cabin.

“Ready radios,” Ruby said, and they all connected their ear pieces.

The airship suddenly banked sharply, and they all heard the unmistakable screech of a Nevermore.

“Large Grimm presence detected,” came the follow up call, the aircraft swerving in the opposite direction. “Airborne only, the ground is clear.”

Perfect.

They dipped down, Weiss gripping her chair as her body strained against her seatbelt. They spun, avoiding a lunge from something large, talons scraping across the Duststeel hull. The airship shuddered but continued into a dive, Yang swearing as they were jerked around violently.

“Lowering ramp,” came the call as they leveled off.

Weiss unbuckled herself and was joined by her team in a flash. Harsh winds buffeted them as the locks disengaged and the ramp lowered, mountainous terrain blurring below. A flock of angry Grimm followed, screeching, their red eyes burning with malice. Without a word, Ruby deployed her weapon, Crescent Rose snapping open, the blade resting against the steel floor of the cargo bay as she took aim.

The first round punched through the neck of the closest Nevermore, and it reeled, blood spraying wildly as it fell. Another attempted to swoop in but she caught it through the eye, the back of its head exploding in an eruption of gore. Two more quick shots disabled the wings of a couple others, thinning the flock.

Weiss twirled her rapier, the Dust chamber spinning, summoning a gout of flame. It washed over the rest, their screams as they were turned to ash swallowed by the wind.

“All clear,” Ruby called. “Bring us around.”

Harriet, Elm and Marrow joined them, holding on tight as they sped through the valley and found the train tracks. They passed over the first tunnel, staying low, the tops of the trees less than ten meters below them.

“Get ready,” Blake said, tensing.

They arrived in the break between tunnels, and then across the final mountain before reaching their starting point. Ruby leapt out first, a blur of crimson petals, followed by Yang, golden hair streaming out behind her. Blake vanished after her, and with a small hop, Weiss dropped.

The wind was deafening, her braid whipping up above her head. Keeping a hand down to stop her dress from blinding her, she summoned a glyph, and then two, three, four, using them as platforms to make her way down. Harriet passed by, a streak of lightning, Elm falling like a stone with Marrow in her grasp.

“More airborne Grimm incoming,” the pilot's voice crackled in their ear, and as Weiss landed, she looked up, spotting them pulling away quickly. Another flock of Nevermore gave chase, but Ruby picked them off with precision shots, taking them out before they could get close. “Thanks for the cover.”

“No problem. Keep us updated,” Ruby replied. “Over and out.”

Blake opened her bag, and exposed the explosive devices within.

“These have a timer. Set it to five minutes, and then get the hell out,” Blake said, handing them out. Weiss took a couple. “Since we have more hands now, I guess we can split up into teams.”

“I’ll be keeping watch from up there,” Ruby pointed to one of the cliffs. “Making sure nothing lands and tries to come at you guys from behind.”

They quickly divided into pairs.

Yang teamed with Marrow, while Blake teamed with Elm.

Weiss and Harriet were the first ones in, as they could both move the fastest out of the groups.

She used a glyph to help illuminate the way, for it was pitch black inside. Harriet took point, and they both moved quickly, Harriet employing her semblance while Weiss increased her speed with a haste glyph.

It didn’t take them long to find the spot Blake had painstakingly identified as a weak spot.

Large concrete columns helped support the roof structure every ten or so meters, but by weakening three key points, it would ensure the whole thing came down instead of just in sections. Identifying the spot, Weiss hopped on top of a glyph and scaled towards the ceiling, placing the explosive where the pillar joined with the support beam running across to the other side.

“Do you hear that?” Harriet called, her voice echoing throughout the tunnel.

Weiss paused, listening.

At first, there was nothing. Just the sound of her own breathing. But after a moment, she heard what sounded like the trembling of the earth, and placing a hand on the wall, it was subtle but noticeable. Vibrations.

“We need to move,” she said quickly.

The flying Grimm had been a clue. The rest of the horde wasn’t far behind.

She set the timer to ten minutes instead of the planned five, and moved. Harriet led the way, a streak of crackling energy as Weiss strained herself to keep up, leaping from golden glyph to golden glyph. The trembling sound grew louder, and dust began to fall from the ceiling.

Weiss attached the next explosive to the designated spot, and set the timer a couple minutes lower than the first.

One more to go.

“Schnee, move your ass!” Harriet shouted. “They’re coming!”

Weiss spotted the eyes in the dark, rapidly growing closer. Hundreds of red eyes, gleaming maliciously, and the sounds – the rabid howls and snarling roars hit her, and it was clear that the Grimm had sensed their presence.

They were coming for blood.

“Go!”

Weiss grit her teeth as she accelerated rapidly, pushing her semblance to the limit. The reason why she didn’t often use her haste glyphs was because even for her, who had trained extensively with them, they ate away at her aura rapidly, and could be very disorientating to use. She didn’t have the luxury of holding back, though. Her feet barely touched the ground as she soared, Harriet blazing ahead of her.

The Grimm were almost upon them when she affixed the last explosive and set the timer.

They then hauled ass, sprinting towards the light at the end of the tunnel.

As soon as they got close, Weiss called it in.

“Explosives set,” she panted. “Grimm right behind us. Get ready!”

“What? Already?” Ruby asked, surprised.

“Where are the others?”

“They’ve gone ahead into the other tunnels. How many are there?”

“Hundreds, Thousand. I don’t know,” Weiss squinted as she crossed over into daylight, her eyes taking a moment to adjust. “All of them! We need to get out of here.”

“Airship, we require evac,” Ruby immediately signalled but the Grimm were closer than any of them realized. Another flock of Nevermore appeared, cresting the sharp rise of the mountain and dived, screeching as they zeroed in on Ruby. Crescent Rose echoed through the valley as she opened fire.

Harriet turned and faced the tunnel, slamming her fists together. “We need to hold our ground until the airship makes it back.”

Weiss nodded, readying her blade.

It was a short wait, but a tense one, her heart racing as a tide of vicious creatures swarmed towards her. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she thought of the people back in Vacuo, her family – her mother, her brother – but perhaps most of all, she thought of Jaune.

Her grip tightened, her eyes focused – and as the first Grimm broke free from the shadows and launched forward with a howl, she moved into action. Myrtenaster was no more than a flash, the tip slicing through thick, muscled flesh like butter as the Grimm sailed by, gurgling as she carved a line through its throat and down across its shoulder and flank. The next – a Beowolf – was finished by a precise thrust through the eye, puncturing its brain in a spray of blood. As it fell, another tried to take her in the side, but an elegant twirl and a sharp cut ended its life, jugular severed, along with the tendons supporting its head.

They poured from the tunnel like rushing water, and Harriet met them with a fury to match their bloodlust. The air wavered with her passing, nothing more than a flash of light to signal where she started and where she finished. Tall and muscular, a Beringel swung wildly but was far too slow, Harriet’s fist slamming into the underside of its jaw. The blow was so swift and powerful that its head rocked back, neck snapping from the force. As it toppled, another tried to crush her with its massive hands, but she was gone in a blink, appearing behind it. Another punch, this time delivered to the spine, and it roared in agony as it was instantly crippled.

Harriet vanished again as a Creep launched itself at her with a drooling maw, mouth snapping shut on air. Two rapid blows rocked the side of it, ribs fracturing with wet, audible snaps, before a final punch sent it flying.

Five minutes. All they had to do was hold out for five minutes.

But five minutes in a fight might as well be an eternity. The sky was filled with black as more and more creatures appeared from behind the mountain, Ruby unable to shoot them all. Abandoning her spot, she sprung into action, a red streak tearing through the sky. Any Grimm that came close was sliced into pieces in seconds, Ruby flowing around them effortlessly.

Chambering on green, Weiss unleashed a stream of pressurized wind. Several Grimm were sent hurtling back into their brethren, and then with another spin of the Dust chamber, lightning crackled moments before a blinding flash filled the clearing. The scent of burnt ozone and flesh met her nose as dozens were fried, their bodies torn asunder as great arcs forked through them. Having bought herself a second of freedom, Weiss called upon her summoning glyph and stabbed the ground, dust kicked up as a massive form rose out of the ground behind her.

Her summoned knight stepped forward, greatsword cleaving a path. Harriet weaved around the sweeping blow and slammed her fists into another Creep, this one larger, an Alpha variant. It rocked back but lashed out with a lightning fast bite, almost catching her. Harriet leapt back, and as the Alpha Creep tried to press its advantage, it was crushed by the descent of a massive sword, bone-plates shattering.

Weiss already felt the drain on her aura, but pressed on, summoning a wall of flame. Grimm screeched as their flesh was scorched, and directing the fire, she shrouded the entrance to the tunnel. The heat was immense as she poured everything she had behind it, gritting her teeth as the Dust drank at her aura greedily, the flames roaring brighter. Every Grimm that passed through it was ruined, their flesh melting from bone, eyes popping in their sockets, boiled, their organs roasting.

But this wasn’t something she could keep up.

Letting the flames die, she chambered light blue and stabbing the ground, spires of razor sharp ice erupted towards the tunnel. Grimm leapt, attempting to scale over it, and were impaled, blood running across the crystalline structure as she pushed more aura into it, attempting to block the entrance completely.

Harriet bounced around and finished off the few that were left on their side, and then had to defend them from the airborne threat. Lancers buzzed overhead, falling towards them like needles, her fists blurring, smashing their insectoid bodies to pieces. Weiss fell to one knee, panting, sweat beading on her brow.

Her aura was low.

But she’d plugged the hole. Temporarily.

Her knight crouched over her protectively, shielding her from the Lancers and Nevermore that swooped from above. Every time it swung its sword, it created massive gusts that threw them off course. Any that tried to come lower were destroyed by Harriet, a chambered kick snapping the neck of one, and then a brutal uppercut killing another.

The ground rocked, the air filled with a deafening series of explosions that shook the trees. Weiss looked around wildly, searching, before she remembered that the rest of their forces were in the neighbouring valley.

They’d engaged the main forces.

Low much longer did they have to wait?

The familiar roar of an airship greeted her moments before it appeared, guns blazing as it cut through a swathe of Grimm. It banked and served, the pilot manipulating his aircraft with skill, avoiding the most dangerous Grimm. Streams of black chased it, screeching for blood, their calls cut short as Ruby moved to assist, slicing through them in a whirlwind.

The sound of fracturing ice pulled her attention away, and with an explosion, the barrier she’d erected crumbled. Ice tumbled across the ground as a massive form charged through, ivory tusks gleaming. The Goliath trumpeted angrily, looming above them, the ground shaking as it ran towards them.

Her knight met it, sword clashing with the long, vicious tusks. Her summon was forced back several steps, feet digging through the dirt until it managed to find leverage, halting the charge. Straining, it lifted the humongous Grimm, its front feet leaving the ground as it thrashed in panic.

Weiss moved .

Myrtenaster tore a long rend through its underbelly, and with a roll, she slashed at the back of its hind legs. Summoning a glyph, she used it to vault away as the severed tendons forced it to collapse, trumpet blaring as it was toppled onto its back with a powerful shove from her knight. As it flailed, the greatsword impaled it through the chest, silencing it.

But now that the ice barrier had been broken, the Grimm continued to flood out.

Weiss panted as she twirled and lunged and feinted, slaughtering Grimm by the dozens. It wasn’t an exhaustion of the body, but of the soul, her aura beginning to run dry. The more her knight fought, the more it drained her.

A misstep, and then a Grimm moved with unnatural grace. It skittered towards her in a blink, Weiss grunting as she attempted to defend. Claws flashed at her face as she deflected them, but then in an almost human-like motion, it ducked her counter and swept  her legs out from under her.

What…!?

Weiss hit the ground and rolled, desperate. It fell upon her in a frenzy but Harriet was suddenly there, fists flying. One connected, the Grimm reeling, but then it dodged , swerving through her guard and striking Harriet in the chest.

“Argh!” Harriet shouted, aura flaring. It lunged at her, but she vanished, a bolt of lightning, appearing from the right. Her leg lashed out, catching it in the stomach, but it grabbed her, grappling  like it was attempting to wrestle her down.

What was…!?

“Hey!” a voice roared, and yellow filled her vision. Yang’s fist blurred, knuckles connecting with a sickening crack. The Grimm’s head rocked to the side, releasing Harriet. Blonde hair ignited, fire flowing down her back as she pressed her advantage, pummeling the Grimm in a shower of blows. “What. The. Fuck. Do. You. Think. You’re. Doing!?”

She punctuated each word with a shout, gauntlets firing, blowing chunks of flesh away.

Gunfire tore through the other Grimm as Marrow appeared, rifling cracking before it shifted into its boomerang form. With a spin, he hurled it through the air, the spinning blade whirling as it cut through bodies like wet tissue paper.

Miraculously, the Grimm Yang had been pounding was still alive. It skittered away on awkward limbs, avoiding Yang’s continued barrage, and lashed out with a long, whip-like tail. Yang ducked, avoiding it, but caught a knee to the chin, and then a slash across the face. She snarled, empowered as her aura flashed, and she returned the favor with an overhand right that made the air boom.

Weiss stared at the Grimm, and saw.

Beneath the black flesh, the parts where Yang’s attacks had torn through its body, she spotted the  human skin .

She instantly knew. It was like that creature that had stalked them through the Schnee Manor. The Grimm with the faunus inside, the one with the silver eyes.

But before her mind could process it, a rumbling roar vented out of the tunnel, the ground shuddering violently. The sound of cracking stone blocked everything out, the earth shearing apart – and then Weiss saw parts of the cliff begin to fall inwards, the tunnel collapsing as the explosive devices detonated.

Grimm screamed as they were crushed, a rush of scalding hot air buffering them as dust was vented violently. Weiss shielded her eyes, coughing as the rumbling continued for several seconds, the ground shaking until it finally grew still.

Success.

Dozens of Grimm still remained, those that had made it out of the tunnel, including the intelligent, crafty one. But without backup, they were torn to shreds, Yang, Harriet and Marrow making short work of them. The smart Grimm tried to run but it was cut off by Weiss’ knight, and boxed in on all sides, it could do nothing else but fight.

Outnumbered, it was still dangerous. It fought like a person, dodging and feinting, picking its moments. Weiss watched and waited, and struck at the perfect moment. Ice encased its legs, and it was a sitting duck. Marrow’s bladed boomerang whirled around and took its head, the mass rolling across the ground before coming to stop by Yang’s boot.

Dark smoke fizzled, the Grimm flesh retreating, showing what lay beneath. A ruined body, emaciated, warped. The person within, their face was twisted in a permanent fixture of agony, and this victory felt bitter.

Another person claimed by Salem.

But it wasn’t over.

The sky was still filled with black, Ruby and the airship doing its best to cull their number. Nevermore and Lancers were just the beginning. There were Griffon, Sphinxes, Teryxes and more, their horrible screeches heralding their coming. Ruby bounced around, cutting them to pieces, but a sudden strike by a tail made it through her guard. Weiss felt her heart leap into her throat, watching her partner and girlfriend reel back, falling  – but before she fell out of sight into the canyon below, she blurred, rushing towards them in a burst of petals.

“There are too many,” she panted, sliding to a stop by their side. Her face was covered in sweat, her breathing labored from using her semblance for the last several minutes, non-stop. “I don’t have enough bullets for all of them!”

And then the sky went dark.

Terror rushed through them all as they saw it. The massive, red, bat-like wings, the membrane translucent. The external ribcage and skull, muscular, powerful legs and long, thick tail. The rows of fangs, each one bigger than a person by half.

Wyvern.

It can’t have been the one from Beacon. That one was still frozen atop the highest tower, forever turned to stone by Ruby’s silver eyes. Goodwitch had confirmed it. If not, Vale would have fallen.

There were more of these things.

“Holy shit,” Harriet stared, wide eyes.

It flew above them, blocking out the sun. It was unconcerned with the fighting, gliding by, focused on the horizon and what lay beyond.

Vacuo.

They were nothing more than ants. Small, insignificant.

The second set of explosive devices went off, the next tunnel collapsing in a roar. The ground tremored for nearly a minute, but their attention was locked on the Wyvern, and the Grimm that surrounded it.

“What do we do?” Yang asked.

What could they do?

But then the sky darkened for another reason, clouds building rapidly, unnaturally. The temperature dropped, several degrees in a second. Weiss looked around, nervous – but then she saw her, a familiar figure cutting through the sky, right towards the Wyvern.

Winter.

Blue flame poured from her eyes, the sky itself roared with a crack of thunder. The Wyvern turned sharply, rearing around, sensing the coming danger, and its scream cut through the heavens. Even from a distance, they felt it, flinching from the intensity, their ears aching to hear it. Winter did not hesitate, gale force winds surrounding her in a cocoon as she launched herself at the massive Grimm.

It tried to avoid her but it was too large, too cumbersome. Winter slammed into its chest, and the force blew it back, as if the full might of a hurricane had struck it. It tumbled through the air, and Weiss saw great rends open up across its body, pressurized air cutting through its thick hide.

The Winter Maiden had arrived.

From those rends, blood poured – which turned into more Grimm. Those other airborne threats completely ignored Weiss and the rest of them now, flying towards Winter with murder in their eyes. They didn’t even make it close, a sweep of her arm throwing them aside, their bodies hitting the ground hard enough for their skin to rupture and bones shatter. Gathering her power, she attacked with a stream of fire, the Wyvern howling as it washed over its body, eating at its skin hungrily.

They were watching two titans clash, beings far beyond them.

Its maw opened wide, a bright yellow light gathering in its throat. Its neck bulged, and Winter moved swiftly, avoiding the sudden beam that exploded from its mouth and cut through the air, incinerating everything in its path. It struck the ground and cut through the mountain, stone melting , thick rivers of molten magma spilling down the cliff side.

Winter retaliated with a bolt of lightning. Summoned from above, it lanced down and through the Wyvern’s body with a thunderous crack, its body jerking. Weiss had to look away, almost blinded by the strike, and when she looked back, she saw the Grimm falling.

Was it dead? Had she won?

Another rumble signaled the destruction of the third tunnel, though the distance made the tremors light. Blake and Elm had succeeded, and this path had been cut off. Now the only way through was the neighboring valley, and the sky.

That wouldn’t be a problem for long.

Miraculously, the Wyvern was not dead. It reoriented itself before it hit the ground and flew up, mouth lunging towards Winter. She avoided it, its maw slamming shut, coming far too close. A powerful blast of wind forced the Grimm away, and then another lightning strike hit it, this time on the head. The Wyvern convulsed, the protruding skull burning hotly, and then as it fell, Winter summoned the moisture from the air, freezing it solid into a lance of pure ice.

With a heave, she threw it – and it skewered the Wyvern through the heart moments before it crashed into the earth.

The ground cratered beneath its immense weight, stone and dirt flying. Wedged between two mountains, it lay defeated, wings draped across the canyon as it writhed in its death throes. One second, two – and when black smoke began curling from its body, they knew it was done.

The smaller Grimm in the air, what was left of them – they tried to flee. A primal terror that even they couldn’t escape filled them, but Winter cut them all down effortlessly, the sky becoming a tempest.

“Fucking hell,” Yang muttered, putting into words what they were all feeling. “She’s a monster.”

This was the power of a fully realized Maiden.

This is what they had to fight in the future. Cinder Fall.

In the Central Location, she’d just been toying with them. Weiss had known that, at the time – but this was confirmation.

Once the Grimm in the air were dealt with, Winter flew back towards the valley. Seconds later, they felt the earth itself heave  – and they knew what was happening. She was collapsing it to make it impassable.

Winter could have handled this entire mission alone.

Weiss shook her head, banishing the thought. No. This was only a small fraction of the power Salem could bring to bear. The Wyvern was only the beginning. If Cinder Fall had been here, then it would have been a death sentence.

Maidens were not invincible.

They were human. Fallible.

What they had just witnessed was incredible, but if it was so easy, Salem would have already crushed them.

The airship picked them up, and then found Blake and Elm waiting. They’d watched the entire fight as well, and were speechless. Then, unexpectedly, Winter joined them, meeting their aircraft mid-air.

The price of expending such power was clear. As soon as her feet touched the floor and the ramp closed, she collapsed to her knees.

“Winter!” Weiss rushed to her side, bracing her body against her own. “Winter? Are you okay? Talk to me.”

“I’m fine,” she said, voice weak. “I’m just… tired. I believe I exerted myself a little.”

Weiss helped her stand and moved her to a seat, Winter nodding gratefully as they all crowded around. With clear skies, the airship began heading for home, the rest following behind.

“It seems magic is not limitless,” she laughed lightly, her breathing a little short. “It feels a little like expending your aura. A sudden exhaustion that has nothing to do with the body itself.”

“What can we do to help?” Weiss asked, worried.

“A drink would not go amiss,” she said, and Ruby hurriedly grabbed a bottle from storage and handed it over. Winter smiled. “Thank you.”

Blake took stock of their appearance. “Are you guys okay? You look like you’ve been fighting.”

“The Grimm arrived ahead of schedule,” Harriet clucked her tongue. “But we managed. There was one crafty bastard, though. It gave us a run for our money.”

“It was like that Grimm that came after Ruby in Atlas,” Weiss filled her in, Blake’s eyes widening in understanding. “But we collapsed the tunnels as planned. It should slow them down considerably.”

“I filled the valley with so much rubble, it’ll take them weeks to dig through it,” Winter sounded proud of herself, a vindictive edge to her tone. “But all this has done is buy us time. They will come, as sure as the seasons change.”

The Grimm were inevitable, after all.

Their operation was a resounding success, though. Only a few casualties were reported from the group that had accompanied Winter, taken out by flying Grimm. The flight back to Vacuo was long, and evening had fallen as they approached the city. They were all dozing, Weiss falling in and out of consciousness, leaning against her sister.

“We’ve got a problem,” the pilot called, and they were instantly on high alert, snapping awake.

“Why? What’s happening?” Winter demanded, unbuckling and moving towards the front of the airship.

Silence.

“Winter?” Weiss asked, concerned.

“What’s going on?” Yang asked grogily.

Weiss unbuckled her own seatbelt and joined Winter at the front, Ruby alongside her.

Smoke filled the sky, and even from a distance, she could see fires blazing brightly, buildings destroyed. An entire section of wall that protected Vacuo, several feet of stone, had been reduced to rubble, a gaping wound that left the people within vulnerable.

The landscape was torn apart, sand dunes swept aside, great rends exposing the bedrock beneath. There were no Grimm in sight, meaning the battle was over – but not without significant damage.

Weiss tensed, her heart sinking.

“Jaune…” she whispered.

“Get us there. Now,” Winter ordered.