#Like when Blake tried to kill Neo after she knocked Yang into the abyss

[sweetretribution]

...Hmm. To think when she first showed up here she'd have felt a lot less conflicted about this vacancy.

[spahhzy]

No title: Chapter 4. Bridge to nowhere.

*Dimension 63 OG*

"Oh boy...Salem was early she really wasn't even supposed to arrive till AFTER the battle..."

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"Jaune Arc?" Asked Cinder but all she got was a warm tingly feeling in her grimm arm.

"Yes Jaune Arc, bring him to me THAT is your main priority everything else is secondary" Salem said to her but to which Cinder was a bit confused.

Why did she need that weakling for?

"Master...I am confused why do you want me to prioritize that weakling above the relic...above the winter maiden!" Cinder said to her but all she got was silence.

"He is hardly worth the trouble expending energy for and as sad and pathetic as he is-ack" Cinder couldn't continue her tirade on Jaune as she felt her Grimm hand move and put a hand around her neck.

"What I want should be of no concern to you Cinder; YOU will do what I desire and not to further question me again...do we have an understanding?" Cinder couldn't see it but she could damn well feel her masters murderous gaze even with the Grimm hand suffocating her.

Cinder weakly nodded as she felt her grimm hand release her throat allowing the fall Maiden to gasp for air.

"Good...proceed with your plan...I will join you shortly" Join?

"*cough* join master?" Cinder said feebly and she felt the her grimm hand go warm and tingly again.

"Yes of course...as soon as I am able you'll know of my arrival" and with that the looming presence vanished.

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"Like I said Salem was never supposed to return much less talk to Cinder again till after the battle...yet somehow she does"

"So we're still missing... about three more of the team members before we can get back to fixing what's broken and if im not mistaken...a certain gremlin should be plopping through the door soon.."

" anywho uh where was I? Oh right!"

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Cinder revealed only the part where she and Neo had managed to find out what Ruby and Co. where doing thanks to the Lamp.

She did not however tell her about the Salem part.

While she was busy talking, Neo was walking up behind Ruby under the disguise of an Mantle civilian with Hush seemingly ready to strike and finally end the silver eyed life.

Or was...

"Ruby!"

Yang had rushed in for her baby sister and took the strike meant for Ruby.

It shattered her aura but worse of all...she fell over the bridge.

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"You know the bridge that Ambrosius said NOT to fall over...numpties"

"Sorry sorry...its just...it was hard to keep track of folk when they dissappear into a fucking pocket dimension...or maybe was it hell?"

"No...thats not hell...so was it a pocket dimension?...fuck I'm getting a headache"

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"Yang!" Screamed Blake seeing her partner vanish into thin air she tried to jump after her but was held back by Weiss.

Enraged she turned towards Neo who was currently engaged with Ruby.

She ran towards the two throwing Gambol at Neo restraining her arm before coming down with a slash only for Neo to shatter and reappear still fighting Ruby.

Meanwhile Cinder hovered in the air as she threw fire slashes of her sword at Weiss who used her glyphs to block and dodge them.

"Why'd you have to come back!?" Came the voice of Penny who was flying in the air towards Cinder.

"Penny no!" Shouted Weiss as Penny flew rapidly towards Cinder.

"Why didn't you learn you lesson!" She said before punching Cinder sending the fall Maiden flying back.

"Oh Penny...I did" Cinder said as Penny looked back behind her to her friends and mantle citizens in concern which gave an opening as Cinder swiped at her with fire.

The battle continued with both Maidens flying in the air hit after hit on each other with Cinder gaining ground, it wasn't until a black Glyph by Weiss pulled Cinder in distracting her.

Annoyed Cinder used her Grimm arm and spawned in sharp projectiles, Weiss standing at the top near one of the gateways saw that citizens were still coming through she casted a glyph just as Cinder launched the projectiles blocking a few but some went in other directions and a few even through the gateway.

Jaune whom was helping with the evacuation effort in Mantle turned around as screams went out as the spike came through the gate luckily no one was injured though Jaune was concerned. Something was very very wrong.

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"Oh indeed something was wrong and not because of Cinder"

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Jaune had made sure everyone was safe and not injured, once he was sure no harm came to mantle people, he turned to the gateway and narrowed his eyes.

He turned back to the crowd.

"I'm going in, use the other portal down the line" he pointed to another portal few feet away to which everyone nodded and started running to it.

Turning back, Jaune made his was forward stopping right at the entrance, breathing in and out and steeling his nerves Jaune finally moved right through.

As he was propelled through Jaune felt a sudden headache coming on and before he could blink the entrance to the other side was upon him.

Screaming Jaune went through the other portal expecting to be at the bridge way that lead to vacuo.

So when Jaune made it through the gateway he was surprised to not be standing on golden bridges leading to one big doorway, but it was a room!

Why was he here?...where ever here was!

He felt his head throb again too which he dropped to one knee.

"Woooow! You live here in this castle that's so cool Auntie!" Widening his eyes he turned around to see the boy from his last delusion and that same woman was their as well.

"It is pretty cool isn't it?" The woman chuckled ad she walked around while the young blonde boy just looked around amazed and excited. He stopped at the window before he let out another 'Wooow'.

Jaune stood up from one knee and walked towards the window and all he saw was a vast rocky terrain with purple crystals erected from the ground and the skies were a dark red.

"Hey Auntie...you sure mom and dad won't be mad you took me to this castle?" Asked the little boy to which the woman put a hand on his head and rubbed his hair.

"Will be back before they realize anything little knight...oh...would you like to see something interesting?"

"Oooh would I!" His eyes lit up with excitement and the woman just chucked before pointing a her pale white finger to a black tar like pit outside.

Grimm started to rise out of the tar pit.

"Ooooooh is that how Shadow was created?" At the mention of the word 'Shadow' a little grimm creature, looking almost like an Owl popped out from the boys hoodie and hooted happily at both him and the lady.

"Hmm yes that is his origin but you gave him life little knight" she said as she scratched the owls head gently.

"Coooool!" Before wandering around the room some more.

"Hey Auntie?" The boy said aloud as the pale lady turned around.

"Hmm?"

"Don't you get lonely up here?"

As soon as the boy said that Jaune felt another throb occur as he shit his eyes and opened them back up to reveal...he was no longer in a castle...

"I'm back at this field again...when will the delusion end!" He said to himself looking around but it was all the same as last time, just grass and a faraway mountain range.

"Com- ho-" more unintelligible dribble kept whispering into his ear as his head still kept throbbing.

"I just wanna go back! My friends need me!" He screamed out pacing around in the field while holding his aching head but eventually after futile attempts to find somewhat of an exit combined with the ever going throbbing of his head he stopped and dropped to his knees clutching at the pain he was enduring.

It felt like his skull was splitting in two!

Was he really going to die from a damn headache and in a delusion no less!?

"-ome hom-" and that babbling wasn't helping either!

Everything was going a mile-a-minute....what the hell was goi-

A hand on his shoulder stopped his thoughts suddenly the whispers were gone and the headache went away.

Jaune raised his head and turned around all he saw was a gentle smile and crimson eyes.

"Come home Jaune"

"Jaune!"

Jaune shaking his head only saw his feet tettering on the edge of the bridgeway looking behind him he saw Nora holding his right arm to prevent him from falling forward into the abyss.

"Are you alright Jaune?" Nora asked in concern Jaune just stepped back a little unsure of what the hell was happening, he looked to Nora with a smile.

"I'm fine...it was just the motion-sickness...those crazy doors haha" he said not even so sure of himself.

"Are you sure cause as soon as you passed through you stopped like a rock and then moved forward almost walking off the path" Nora said to which Jaune hugged his teammate.

"I'm fine Nora I promise...what's happened?" Jaune said as he released Nora from the hug and Nora sighed before pointing to the two maidens currently doing battle in the sky.

"Cinder"

" alright...priority one remains the same" Jaune told her as Nora just stared at the two maidens before going off to get the citizens to Vacuo.

Jaune turned his head looking at the fall Maiden and just for a brief moment, he wanted nothing more then to forgo mantle and attack the source fall this...pain and suffering.

Shaking his head he went to get everyone to safety.

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"What...comes after well...Cinder managed to knock down both Weiss and Penny, shatter their auras and was going to kill Weiss but Blake managed to intervene"

"The main thing is Ruby, Blake and Neo all fell as in over the bridge fell. Neo bless the little gremlin should have really seen Cinders betrayal coming...I mean come on!"

"'Sigh'...now we get to...that event"

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Where did everything go wrong?

Yang, Blake and Ruby had all disappeared off the edge all thanks to Neo and Cinder...and it just Penny and Weiss left...

Dropping down from atop the bridge above Cinder Jaune came down to which Cinder blocked but did not expect to be propelled back by the shield.

She skidded along the platform as Jaune, Penny and Weiss all held out their weapons at her.

"Ahh so there's the knight" Cinder said as Jaune narrowed his eyes at her preparing for whatever attack she was planning until her Grimm arm started flailing about before stopping abruptly, Cinder smiled cruelly.

"She's coming"

Before sending every one backwards from a fire blast and summoning two swords she chucked one at Weiss and one at Jaune before sending a two fire walls splitting Penny up from Weiss and him.

Jaune could only stare in horror as the grimm hand flew through the fire and using its claws...dug itself into penny's chest.

Cinder was trying to steal the maidens power but before she could get any further Weiss came in and continued her attack.

The claws retracted and Penny fell helplessly to the ground bleeding...dying.

"Penny!" Jaune ran in his hands already glowing brilliant gold.

"H-hold on my semblance..."

"No" no? What did she mean by no?

"C-come on theirs no time to be funny" Jaune still had his hands glowing but Penny still didn't use her aura.

"Theirs not enough time...to heal me" Jaune shook his head at her reasoning.

"Weiss is giving us time! Y-you can't let me just let you bleed to death!" He said to her dreading what she was trying to do.

"We can't let her get the staff and the Maiden power..." she reached out her hand weakly and touched Jaunes glowing hand.

"But...their is something you can do" Jaune just looked at his sword.

"I-I don't know where the others are...but like I said Weiss can give us time...theirs no need for-"

"Please let me choose this one thing...trust me" she touched Crocea Mors while smiling weakly.

"Y-y-your asking me to-to " he stammered looking back and forth between his sword and her.

"I'm sorry...I know it's...hard but...please" she begged and Jaune felt tears begin to prick at his eyes.

"B-b-but what about everyone; Ruby, Weiss, Winter everyone...Your father!?" He told her but Penny just shed some tears and shook her head.

"I...I have...no regrets...please we are running out of time" as she said that a scream from Weiss came as Cinder hit her causing Weiss to stumble back.

(Please play World at War 'Vendetta theme')

Jaune held out his sword in front of him the reflection of his eyes staring right back at him. Swallowing the heavy lump in his throat his right hand started shaking as he brought the sword closer to Penny, who was just smiling at him.

"Thank you"

Cinder had gained ground against Weiss and was about to strike down the Schnee before a pained cry rang out.

Jaune with tears in his eyes took the sword out from Penny's chest, his tears fell to the floor along with Penny's blood. Jaune just looked at his sword, one half remained clean showing his teary left blue eye but his right eye was red from...

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"I always said...two people died that day Penny and a piece of Jaune died too"

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"You!" Screeched Cinder as she summoned her swords, yet Jaune paid no mind as he was so fixated on the puddle of blood pooling around his boots

"My..my god..what have I...what have I done!?" He said to no one but himself.

"Where did it go!?" She questioned in rage as she flew at him but still he said nothing.

"I promised my master I would bring you to her unharmed but unfortunately that won't be that case!" She slashed down her sword downward at him but as she did Jaune just raised his shield still looking at the blood before raising his head towards Cinder.

Cinder looked on in shock as it wasn't a pair of Blue eyes looking at her but one eye, the right eyes,was red.

Red like her masters. Like the grimm. Angry and with malice.

Gritting her teeth she used her grimm arm to bring down the other sword to which Jaune raised Crocea Mors to intercept it...but to Jaunes shock and despair...Cinder's blade cleaved through Crocea Mors.

His right eye flickered back to blue as he just looked at the sword before being knocked down.

"Once more...where did it go?!" She asked before being blasted by energy.

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"Penny had managed to transfer the power of the winter maiden to Winter Schnee herself...allowing her to get an edge in defeating ironwood"

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A shriek came though as grimm started coming through one of the portals.

on the outside in Mantle, Salem walked towards one of the portals as she used her grimm for eyes to see what was on the other side.

She caught sight of Cinder fighting a women with white hair, which must be the older schnee sibling but that mattered little.

"Where are you my little knight?..." She said before a feeling of joy spread through her as she watched a man with gold hair carry the second youngest of the schnee family.

Now with confirmation that Jaune was their she pressed forward and passed through the gateway...or at least tried to as the portal evaporated in front of her.

"No!"

She looked around as each individual portal kept disappearing.

"No no no no no" The grimm still had sight on Jaune but things were going wrong, her grim were...were falling?

"The pathways are disappearing...but that means..." If Jaune were to fall into the abyss...

She still had sight on him as long as she can reach a portal and get a hold of him all will be okay...all will be fi-

Until the grimm that was finally keeping sight of him finally too fell off and disappeared as well.

"No!" She shouted in despair she couldn't lost him, not Jaune not her s-

Cinder!

She was there!

Priority one bring Jaune Arc to her!

She wouldn't fail her!

Oh she is back! Which means that she must have completed her plan! Which means!

With hope, Salem blasted through to the staff of creation where the last remaining portal was.

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"Now I can understand you confusion what is Salem's dedication to Jaune well...you see its a bit complicated...well not really but really does that make alot of sense?"

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Winter could only scream in despair as Weiss and Jaune were blown up and tossed into the air, Weiss sailed over the bridge while Jaune slid across the floor his Aura shattering. Winter desperately tried to reach her younger sister who kept falling more and more into the darkness before finally disappearing on a flurry of lights.

Cinder stood triumphantly hold the staff before leaving through the portal that lead to the staff's vault.

Winter floated back up with tears in her eyes, but burned holes in the back of Cinders head as she saw the fall Maiden leave. Swearing vengeance upon her.

"Winter we have to go now!" Said Jaune but Winter kept looking at where Cinder left. Unmoving. Maiden powers still active.

"Winter!" Jaune said as everything started to disappear.

The Maiden powers flared up and Winter flew off towards the door to Vacuo, and Jaune was gonna follow suit...but when Jaune turned to it.. the bridge had already disappeared.

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"Now originally Jaune was supposed to follow Winter through the same portal but fail and to dissappear...well that...does happen but..."

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Salem had arrived just as Cinder popped through the portal staring at her unimpressed on the outside, but hopeful on the inside. It seemed also that the good general was alive and well...alive enough that is.

But her hope only died as it was just HER that only came through.

"Master I did it...I got the relic...though I could not get the maid-"

"Where's Jaune Arc?" What?

Cinder stepped back for a minute...as her mind processed her question and she paled.

She forgot the main objective...no no her main objective was the staff and Maiden powers.

"Cinder where is Jaune Arc?" Salem asked her voice calm and cold but on the inside Salem was panicking.

"I...I am sorry master by the time I had gotten the staff...the gateways were disappearing" Cinder said to her hoping her master would by her excuse. A blur flew right by her as Salem peered through the portal and gasped at what she saw.

On the other side Jaune needed to do something, the bridge to Vacuo was gone and Winter had all but flown in it but to her credit she did try to get him but he didn't want her to risk it, He'd find a way to Vacuo.

But right now he needed to get out of here, so following around winding paths their was one portal that remained open.

The one Cinder left through.

Shit. If he didn't get captured he would most likely be killed. Dammit it's a lose lose situation all around!

He still kept running finally on the main bridge to that portal.

Just keep running Jaune!

Keep running!

The gateway was insight!

He could jump right through it!

And jump he did as the bridge beneath his feet disappeared leaving Jaune flying in the air towards the gate.

A pale white hand reached out the gate trying desperately to reach out to him, much to Jaune shock , but he too tried to reach out as well.

Salem had reached a hand out of the other side of the portal after seeing Jaune run towards the portal in hopes to catch and pull him back and she was close she had Jaune on her fingertips!

She'd have her little knight back!

Only to her horror as the portal disappeared the shocked face of Jaune Arc was the last thing she saw before he too fell into the darkness and disappeared in a flurry of lights.

Salem looked down at her right hand shakily as Cinder came to her masters aid but was ignored .

Gone.

Her knight.

Her little knight gone just like that...taken from her just like everything else.

The pain came back.

The pain of losing a child.

Had once again returned.

Salem wailed in despair.

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" it is wonky but everything is taking its natural course, everything is so far linear as it was supposed to follow"