-Start of the attack-
Neo and Pyrrha took off towards Beacon, knowing Cinder would look for the girl to usurp her powers. They saw a few students grabbing their weapons and fighting a few stray flying Grimm. Among them was team CFVY, who they stopped by once Velvet pointed her out to her leader, Coco.
"Hey! You guys are part of team JNPR, right?" Coco asked, glancing at Pyrrha and Neo.
"Yeah we are. We're looking for a black haired girl with bangs that cover the side of her face. Fire powers? Glass making semblance? Ring a bell?" Neo asked, watching Coco size them up.
"That seems familiar actually. She's a babe, right?" Coco asked as Velvet groaned, killing a Nevermore with her hardlight copy of Crescent Rose.
"Yeah you can say that" Neo nodded.
"Neo.." Pyrrha smiled at her in irritation.
"Okay she's a baddie but you gotta admit it.. she's a BADDIE" Neo chuckled as she saw Coco nod, both high-fiving.
"Is that why you wanted to steer her away from evil?" Pyrrha asked in exasperation.
"Part of it, I won't lie. Like twenty five percent the reason. The other parts are.. Well, I can relate to desiring power to change your situation.. make sure the bad things that happened to you never happen again. I've been manipulated like her too. The other reason is.. I don't want her to waste her life. I guess I see a lot of myself in her" Neo gave her an apologetic expression.
"Well that's nice and all but I saw her head inside Beacon. Looked like she was going towards the Headmaster's office. Good luck" Coco pulled her sunglasses up and winked at Neo as she finished.
Nodding at Pyrrha, they both sprinted further into the castle-like Academy. Both of them running towards the elevator and stopping once they see Emerald and Mercury guarding it. Neo raised her right brow and pulled Yamar
to out of her inventory.
"So I take it you're blocking me from going up there?" Neo asked.
"Yeah we've got our orders. Though you did give it your best shot at trying to turn Cinder away. She'd been reconsidering the whole Salem thing since the dance" Mercury said as he folded his arms and shrugged.
"Yeah, sorry. Not like I hate you or anything.. I actually have to thank you for the.. er.. assist?" Emerald scratched her cheek and shyly thanked.
"I just gave you ideas. I'm still hoping you guys can get out alive and start a big yuri family together. You know the world will end if Salem wins, right? The Gods made the relics and she's trying to kill them with them or get them to kill her? They'd just kill everyone BUT her again. They're huge assholes like that" Neo grumbled at the end.
"Yeah.. but I figure I'm dead if I betray Cinder anyway. Might as well go out in an epic battle" Mercury raised his leg, ready to fight.
"Sorry but Cinder saved my life and gave me a reason to live. I know she cares about me now and I'm not going to betray her trust" Emerald took her stance too.
Neo watched and suddenly grinned, confusing the two. Then they heard a loud ding and the elevator opened. Mercury saw the barrel of a familiar cane before he was hit in the chest and thrown down the hall. Emerald turned quickly but she wasn't fast enough to dodge a hard and swift kick to her butt, courtesy of Neopolitan. Roman was right next to her, finishing off a buttered crab leg with a pleased moan.
"Mm! The cuisine here is just to die for! I should have gotten arrested sooner! Ah and a show after dinner? I could use a quick workout anyway" Roman tossed the remainder of the crab leg back in the elevator, where other discarded legs were casually tossed.
Neopolitan waved at Neo and they both got the same idea. Emerald, who had been rubbing her pained butt, slightly hunched over got up, just in time to see the identical duo rear their hands back and loudly slap both of her cheeks, launching her all the way to Mercury with a high pitch squeal.
"Aaaaaaooowww!!!! My ass!! Why my ass!?" She whined and held her butt in pain.
"Too good an opportunity to pass up. You got a thicc ass, you'll be fine.." Neo shrugs along with Neopolitan, whose face conveyed the same sentiments.
"Um.. Neo? We gotta hurry, right?" Pyrrha urged her.
"Ozzy should be fine, he has Shizuka with him. But I guess you're right. Come on, Pyr. Have fun you two! Just avoid killing them, okay?" Neo asked as she got in the elevator with Pyrrha.
"Ah fine by me. Discipline it is!" Roman happily stated as he tapped his hand with his cane repeatedly.
"Ugh! No wait!" Emerald reached out as the elevator closed.
"Nuh uh uh.. You kids have really helped make a mess of things already. That.. and you annoyed me all throughout our partnership!" Roman whined and sighed dramatically as Neopolitan's grin widened, taking out her parasol and the unfurled Blade of Mercy in her left hand.
"So! Who wants Daddy's belt?" Roman said with a cocky grin as he aimed his cane at the two.
-Top of Beacon Tower, Ozpin's office-
Neo and Pyrrha rushed in as soon as the elevator opened. Ozpin and Shizuka were defending against what looked to be a fully on fire Cinder, who was using blades, fireballs and explosive fire arrows to attack them. Shizuka had held the large and sturdy desk up as a shield to protect her and Ozpin, who seemed to be using magic to heal an arrow wound to his stomach.
"WHERE. IS. THE. FUCKING. MAIDEN!?" Cinder screamed in rage before ducking a flying shield aimed at her head and turning to Neo and Pyrrha.
She didn't realize Pyrrha could control it still and was hit in the back of the head by the Shield that was pulled back violently by Pyrrha, who used her semblance. She fell forward and her body was hit by Shizuka, who swung the desk at her like a baseball bat. Cinder stopped herself midair using flames to push her hands and feet. She quickly blocked Neo, who had seemingly teleported right in front of her. Her twin blades of flame being pressed down by Yamato, which suddenly became engulfed in lightning, bent down and Neo kicked her out of the large window she was near.
"You guys stay inside! Heal Ozpin! He'll need to be in top shape to square up against Salem later!" Neo transformed into her Proxy form and covered herself in lightning, jumping out after Cinder, followed by Pyrrha, who acrobatically maneuvered out the broken window.
Once outside, Neo was hit by a fireball and blasted into the wall. Cinder readily gathered another fireball but Pyrrha jumped up and shot her in the head, making her fiery aura flicker. Just as she summoned her bow to retaliate, Cinder was hit by a flaming lightning spear that Neo threw at her quickly. Cinder was falling fast, winded from the unexpected and powerful hit the two elements combined into.
Though she felt herself being caught before she hit the ground. It definitely eased the impact and only made her aura flicker. She saw pink and brown hair in her face as she grit her teeth and reignited once again. Though it didn't hurt the other girl as much. They landed on another tower's roof on Beacon and both stood up, looking at the other's flaming eye.
"Of course.. he chose YOU to give the other half to. It won't matter. I'll still.. take it from you!" Cinder summoned a blade of flames and rushed Neo, who summoned a blade of lightning flames and deflected the incoming anger fueled hits from Cinder.
Neo was quiet. Watching Cinder very closely as she attacked her. It unnerved Cinder greatly. For some reason, the girl's partner was watching from the tower they were previously on. Pyrrha was watching out of her rifle's scope and waiting for Neo's signal she knew Neo did not want to give. Cinder fought harder, hit Neo more but she too was being hit the more she pressed.
She overswung in her growing anger and unease before Neo tripped her and kicked her head down against the roof's floor. Cinder heard a long sigh in the brief dizziness before she was grabbed by the collar and pulled face to face with Neo. She didn't look the shorter girl in the eyes and clenched her fists angrily.
"Your heart's not in it. You don't actually want to kill me, do you?" Neo asked calmly.
"I.. I WANT power.. If I have to I'll.." She didn't finish her words.
"You have power, Cinder. The power you're looking for isn't the power you need. You have the power to choose. You have the power to back up your choices. You have the power to be free. Free of the shackles you've had since you were in that family as a slave. The ones you switched for shinier new shackles, courtesy of Salem. You fucking know I'm right too" Neo says, seeing Cinder look away with a troubled expression.
"Bitch I'm-TALKING-to you, not AT you!" Neo says, headbutting her during her sentence.
"Agh! I know! But I.. I just.. where else can I go? I never want to return to.. that.." Cinder lowers her head and mutters.
"You think if you freed yourself right now that could even happen? Even if you yourself did fall back into that kinda situation somehow, you have people who genuinely seem to care about you. Mercury seems pretty attached, I guess you treated him better than his asshole Father ever did. Emerald? That girl loves you. She is willing to die rather than choose to live and side with us by stopping the literal end of the world. She values you more than every single thing on Remnant, Cinder" Neo sighed as Cinder paused, eyes widening.
"I.. never realized. I know she's attracted to me but that.." Cinder seemed incredibly touched as her face reddened.
"You were too busy in that nice little mental cage Salem put you in. The one that screams 'Get power at all costs and serve me'? Can't you see she's been manipulating your trauma?" Neo asked as she set her on her feet.
"I do now.. I have to go see them. I don't want to live like this anymore.." Cinder found her determination and announced as Pyrrha landed beside Neo with a smile.
"Go on then. They should be where you left them. Probably kinda sore though" Neo shrugged and watched as Cinder flew back down in a hurry.
[Ding! Defeated Cinder Ella Fall in the Attack on Vale with Pyrrha Nikos!]
"Good! Now that part is over. Let's go help down in Vale" Pyrrha said as she held on to the shorter girl, who flew down into the city herself.
-Vale-
True to Pyrrha's suggestion, they had helped fend off the White Fang and flying Grimm for ten minutes before meeting up with CFVY, who was doing the same. That's when Neo heard a familiar notification from the system. An additional quest was added. She quickly pulled it up and her jaw nearly dropped.
[Ding! Additional quest! Hit the Wendigo with Truck-kun while dripped out of your fucking mind!
Reward: Knowing that you hit the Wendigo with Truck-kun while dripped out of your fucking mind. Ruby and Weiss are saved]
"What the fuck is this.. Why is their safety the afterthought? I bet it's that God.." Neo shook her head and accepted, her semblance covering her as she sees a transport truck nearby.
Figuring it definitely wasn't a coincidence, she opens the door and sees the keys still inside. Nodding, she gets in the front seat and looks to the confused CFVY and Pyrrha.
"Hey Pyr. Got a sudden quest I need to take care of. Gotta hit that edgelord in this bad boy here" Neo said as she tapped the truck's door.
"Do you want help? It looks like you intend to do it by yourself" Pyrrha asked quietly.
"Yeah.. I wanna bury this douchebag myself" Neo nodded and started the truck, which turned the music on, which started to play 'I'm Back by Mick Gordon.
"Yeah this is a song I can beat his ass to" Neo rocked her head and waved at Pyrrha and CFVY.
"Help the others, Pyr! I'll be back soon!" Neo shouted as she drove off.
"Damn.. She's looking fine in those clothes!" Coco commented as she nodded her head in approval.