It was hard for Jaune to piece together what was happening. His mind kept drifting in and out of consciousness, not quite enough to fall asleep and use his Semblance, but also not enough to be fully awake. In the brief moments of lucidity, he perceived flashes of light, explosions, loud curses, and cold metal under his body. More than that, he felt a deep exhaustion characteristic of low aura reserves. He'd been using his Semblance too much in too short a time, and Tyrian breaking through it hadn't helped either.

I'm running on fumes, he realised. If I fall asleep and dream, I'll go into negative aura. The last time I did that, I suffered a cardiac arrest...

There'd be no one to save him out here.

So, with a great amount of effort and pain, Jaune forced himself to embrace the pain and let it keep him awake. To fight that soft, comfortable urge to close his eyes and let unconsciousness take him. Focusing on the cold metal of the floor of a Bullhead, Jaune counted slowly in his head and matched his breathing to it, slowly orienting himself so that his head would stop spinning in circles.

It took several agonising minutes but he managed it. Weeks and months of being knocked around in spars helped, because while Beacon did its best to keep health and safety in mind, concussions were still a very common injury in combat class. Aura protected you like a suit of armour, but that also meant a lot of your squishy parts were bouncing around inside it, hence why Cardin's mace was a viable weapon.

Once he was awake, Jaune pushed down to try and sit up, but that proved too much too soon. The short increase in elevation made him sick, and he slumped against the Bullhead door, holding on for dear life and peering outside.

Where Cinder was attempting to murder Tyrian and Hazel.

I did that, Jaune thought, dully. I turned them on one another...

Or, well, he'd lit the match and set it beside the heaped tinder. It was obvious from Cinder's dream that she'd never held any true loyalty toward them and was only in this for herself, so she'd have betrayed them eventually. It wasn't as if he'd made her do anything she wasn't already planning; he'd just convinced her that now was the best opportunity. And that he was her ticket to unlimited power.

Which, in a way, he was. Better she have his power close than her employer, who probably wouldn't be so generous as to share it. Nothing he'd said in her dream was wrong, and the only misleading aspect was him ever using his Semblance to help her – because he'd absolutely kill her first for what she did to Amber.

But if she couldn't have him, no one would have him.

Cinder would have his power or no one would.

His unlikely saviour was somehow holding her own against the two people, and fighting with the so-called maiden's power to hurl lightning and wind like it was confetti.

It wasn't clever or skilful, and certainly not as accurate as her archery, but there was a certain simplicity to the "blast everything" mentality. She was outnumbered and dealing with highly skilled enemies, one of which could cancel her aura and both of whom wanted to get in close. Turning herself into ball lightning and cooking everyone within a ten metre radius to a crisp was just the sensible decision.

Meanwhile, the sensible decision for him was to stop watching and start escaping.

Still dizzy and weak, Jaune pushed his legs out the edge like he was sitting on the edge of a swimming pool, then pushed off and dropped to the floor. Though he landed on his feet, they buckled, along with his knees, spilling him face first onto the grass. It'd have to do. Biting back a groan, he reached out with one hand and dug his fingers into the dirt, then, with one hand and then another, he began dragging his unresponsive body under the Bullhead and to the other side, before crawling in the direction of the wood line.

He had no scroll with which to call for help, but this ruckus would draw attention. Cinder had to be flashy to keep them at bay, and that meant she was lighting up the area something fierce. There was no way Beacon wasn't going to notice this.

Sure enough, footsteps cut through the grass nearby.

But it wasn't his reinforcements.

"Found him!" Emerald hissed, kneeling beside him. Jaune tried to squirm away but had no energy left. "He's awake, too. Lucky us."

"Wouldn't matter if he was asleep as long as we're awake. Should we knock him out?"

"Aura..." rasped Jaune. "Too low..."

Thankfully, Emerald seemed to understand. "Must be saying he's not got the aura to use his Semblance, which could be bad if he falls asleep. He told Cinder before he couldn't control it."

"What if that's changed?"

"What if it hasn't? Do you want to be the one to explain to Cinder that he died because we knocked him out and his Semblance drained the last of his aura and took his life with it? Because I don't."

"Fine. Fine." Mercury stooped and hauled Jaune up over his shoulder. "I'll be gentle as can be. We'd better—"

"Tyrian!" Hazel roared. "They're taking him!"

"Shit!"

Mercury and Emerald didn't waste time turning or looking, they split apart – and that saved their lives as Tyrian landed between them and lashed out with his stinger toward Emerald. The tail was angled poorly, missing, and Tyrian's face showed surprise before frustration. Emerald must have used her Semblance to save her life.

"Get him out of here!" she shouted to Mercury. "I'll keep him busy!"

"Cool." Mercury snorted, turned and ran with Jaune over one shoulder. "If she wants to kill herself against that guy, she can go for it. I'm not sacrificing myself to buy anyone's escape. You still alive, Arc?"

"Hnghh..."

"Good. It's your lucky day, eh? Not sure about this Salem person myself from what little Cinder tells us, but I figure you'd rather us than them."

"What..." Jaune slurred but managed to get the words out as Mercury ran through the Emerald Forest with him slung over one shoulder. "What do you want...?"

"Heh? You know why I'm doing this, don't you? Or has that concussion knocked a few screws loose?"

"Not that. What do you want. Y—You, Mercury. Not Cinder."

"Is this some deep philosophical debate we're having about why I'm following Cinder and how I'd be happier redeeming myself...?"

Jaune tried to sigh but it came out as a groan. "This is me bribing you..."

That made Mercury's sarcastic quips pause.

"Oh..." He kept running, but in silence for a few minutes. In thought. Mercury's breathing was even and measured, contemplative. "So, to make this clear, you're offering to pay me off. Is that what I'm hearing...?"

"Yes."

"And not with money, I assume."

Not with money. Probably. Could he create money? Somehow, Jaune doubted it. But there was a lot more he could do, and Mercury knew that. His Semblance was limited only by imagination, and Mercury knew just how powerful it was.

"I could fix your legs," Jaune whispered.

"Fuck, man. You're not fucking around, are you?" Mercury laughed. "Going right for the money shot."

"It'd be a complete fix. Good as new."

"..." Mercury kept running. "Cinder would kill me."

"O—Only if she finds you. Want a new face? New body? Younger, fitter, stronger?"

"Can you give me boobs?"

"Probably." It was all changing the body. "That what you want?"

"Nah, just being quippy. But... seriously... fucking hell. You really offering me that much? What's to stop you killing me?"

"Why would I need to? Take me back to Beacon, or let me be found, and sneak close to sleep. Once I give you what you want, you can leave Cinder and never be found. N—Not my enemy after that."

"We killed your girlfriend."

"You barely did anything. Emerald tricked her, Cinder killed her. You were useless."

Mercury snorted. "Not wrong there. Cinder was after my old man for his Semblance and got me as a consolation prize, but I'm only muscle for her. Emerald has her Semblance that makes her invaluable, but I'm replaceable. When we hit the maiden, it was all I could do to serve as a distraction. Couldn't even get close to her. Not sure I even touched her."

"Why follow her at all...?"

"I could give you some pithy answer about being without direction and wanting to see the world but that'd be bullshit." Mercury was unusually chatty, probably using it to masquerade his thought process. "Truth is, I was without legs and crawling on the grass. No aura left, my Semblance taken, my old man dead and the house burning down. Cinder didn't force me to join her, but the choice was join her and have her help me or say no and have her walk away. Wasn't like I was going to drag myself to the nearest city in one piece."

Just common sense, then. That was somehow much more forgivable than any other reason Jaune could think of. "If you had legs, would you have refused?"

"Not to her face when she'd have killed me, but I'd have probably agreed and then slipped away when she wasn't paying attention. Emerald isn't like that – she loves Cinder. Or she's obsessed, not sure which. I'm not sure Emerald knows which it is either."

"And you...?"

"Cinder is dangerous enough for me to stay loyal. And Emerald is loyal enough that I don't act out around her. Or are you asking if I have the hots for Em? Not a chance. You even imagine what it'd be like to fancy someone who's obsessed with another person? Even if I just wanted some casual fun, she'd probably scream Cinder's name. That's a turn off."

"No loyalty, then," Jaune pointed out. "No reason to stay."

"True..." Mercury rolled the word around his mouth. "I mean, what is there to be loyal to her for? She got me my new legs, so I suppose there's that. Wouldn't be walking if not for her. But she has me pay her back by doing her bidding, and I've done enough to pay for a set of prosthetics."

"I could give you real legs."

"I get it! I get it!" Mercury cursed under his breath. "Fuck me, this would be easier if you were unconscious."

"You could... You could say my friends saved me... beat you..."

"..."

Mercury remained silent.

They carried on for another five minutes, with just the distant sounds of combat behind them.

/-/

Qrow was much more able to respond to the disturbance than anyone from Beacon, not least of which was because he could fly – but the fact he was an active huntsman helped. Landing on a tree, he quickly took in the chaotic scene before transforming and pulling out his scroll. How his clothing and electronics stayed with him in bird form, he didn't know, but "magic" was a convenient way of explaining it all away.

"I'm here", said Ozpin – or Oswald, now, answering.

"I've found our perps but the kid is nowhere to be seen. Looks like Cinder and her allies have had a falling out. Maiden powers on display, so you might want to keep the kids away from this. My nieces especially."

"Team RWBY are in a different part of the forest." That was good to know. "Search for Jaune Arc and recover him if you're able to. Leave Cinder and her former allies for now. While killing or capturing them would be ideal, recovery of our missing student takes priority."

It sure did, and for once Qrow could say it was the tactically sound decision too, because if Jaune could revert Ozpin's age then he could do that for other huntsmen, too. He wasn't so keen on becoming a kid again, but the main advantage would be having him reduce the effects of old age on fatigue on the bodies of those fighting Salem. If Jaune could take away the ravages forty-plus years had left on Qrow's body, he'd take it.

Growing old wasn't the problem – it was the aches, pains and the way your immune system started taking a break from its job that was the issue. And training up the next Qrow Branwen or Summer Rose took time. A whole lot of time.

Last thing I want is to live forever like Ozpin does, but we all have to make sacrifices for the cause. Just got to make sure we don't start seeing him as some wish-granting genie. Those kinds of stories always have bad endings.

Back as a bird, Qrow quickly found evidence of a fight between two others – likely Cinder's little minions. There was blood and scraps of cloth, and soon after he found Emerald Sustrai bandaging herself behind a tree, bleeding from her side and not even sparing a glance for a bird landing on her tree.

It'd have been easy to take her out then and there but Qrow marked her location in his mind and fluttered on, looking for the last one who must have taken off with Jaune.

The fact he'd been taken away from the Bullhead was a good sign. They could have killed him if they wanted to, but they obviously hadn't and so didn't. The fact they'd quite clearly turned on Salem was also good – because the less allies Salem had, the better. It didn't make Cinder their friend, though. That old saying about the enemy of your enemy had a lot more holes in it than most people realised.

Most of the time it just made them a lower priority.

Qrow kept going, following heavy tracks he spotted with his sharp eyes. They were headed back toward Vale, indicating the direction of Cinder's hideout. No surprise she was still in the city, but it was good to have confirmation. Qrow took to the air and flew that way, always watching down, until he finally caught a shock of yellow.

And there he was.

Jaune Arc sat at the base of a rock, slumped up against it with no one else around. At least, on first glance. Qrow did a few slow circles from above, knowing any ambushers wouldn't think to look that way, but even he couldn't find anyone, and that was telling with his eyes. Eventually, he landed and transformed, touched his scroll to activate his emergency distress beacon, and jogged into the clearing.

"Yo..." Jaune raised one hand, only a few fingers, and even that seemed to tire him out. "You're late..."

"Earlier than I was the last time someone relied on me to save them," he fired back, the bitter little joke making Qrow smile even as his chest ached. "At least Yang and Ruby will be happier with it this time around. You okay, kid?"

"Low aura. Can't fall asleep or my Semblance will activate..."

"Ah. Got you. I'll make sure everyone knows." Qrow knelt and looked him over, noting the few bruises but lack of wounds. Both parties had wanted him alive, it seemed. "How did you escape? Did you set Cinder on them?"

"I can be... persuasive... when I need to be..."

"Sure as hell looks like it."

Jaune's expression twisted unhappily. "Salem. She's real, isn't she?"

"Aye, she is." Qrow smirked, amused by an expression that looked just like his own once. It wasn't like any member of Team STRQ had believed it the first time they were told, either. It was pretty fantastical. "I know it's a lot to swallow but she's real and just as much a bitch as she sounds."

"Saw her..."

Qrow's heart froze. "Here!?"

"No. In Cinder's dream. A memory."

"Ah." Relief came rushing in. "You scared the shit out of me for a moment there. Thought she was here in Vale or something. Geez. So, you got into Cinder's head, found out about Salem, and somehow convinced her to turn traitor. Is that it?"

"Didn't... Didn't take much convincing. Cinder was always a traitor. Just... hadn't decided when to show it. Convinced her now was best, before Salem got me and grew stronger."

"And how are you here, safe and sound?"

Jaune smiled weakly. "Told you I'm persuasive..."

It wasn't much of an answer, but the kid wasn't in much of a state for a better one. "Alright," said Qrow, picking him up with an arm under his knees and another under his back. "Let's get you out of here and back to Beacon. Once Tsune has some aura readings, you might be safe to get some sleep as long as you don't overuse your Semblance. Everyone's been worried for you. Team RWBY are combing the forest and your team... well, they're asleep – but that's more proactive than it sounds, I promise you."

Jaune laughed. "Yeah, I get it. Beacon... Beacon would be good right now."

/-/

Cinder was breathing heavily, but ultimately pleased with herself. Tyrian was dead, and Hazel had been grievously wounded before managing to escape into the Emerald Forest. He might live or he might die, but either way he wouldn't be coming back after her alone, and Watts wasn't a fighter.

In one moment, she'd robbed Salem of all her muscle.

It was as clean a break as could be managed.

"C—Cinder...? Are you okay?"

Emerald was wounded, but it looked light. Cinder regarded her for a moment before nodding. Emerald had taken the heat off her for a moment and that made her useful. "I'm fine. Yourself?"

"I'll live, ma'am."

"And Mercury?"

"He took Jaune Arc away from us. I used my Semblance to keep Callows from following."

"Good work. We'll make sure to treat your injury." Cinder motioned for her to follow. "But we'd best move for now. Our little lightshow won't have gone unnoticed. Beacon will be on the way. Let them find the body. With any luck, they'll follow Hazel's tracks and finish him off as well. Or capture him, it matters not."

"Yes ma'am."

Emerald didn't question and didn't express any doubt as to whether Cinder's impromptu plan was the correct one. That was what made her such a delight. Utter trust. Complete faith. In truth, Cinder's plan was rushed, but that didn't mean it came out of nowhere. She'd always planned to betray Salem and steal power eventually, and she'd always known Tyrian would be the one to take out first, preferably by surprise. His Semblance allowed him to bypass aura, making him the perfect assassin no matter how many maidens she took into herself.

Now that he was dead, Cinder felt much more confident about their chances. Salem had gone from having her, Tyrian and Hazel as muscle, to only having Hazel – and he was both wounded and now proven to be Cinder's inferior. He couldn't be sent after her alone, meaning Salem had no one beyond Grimm.

This might even push her to give up on this generation and start working on replacements for us. That will take her years, perhaps even decades.

Time aplenty for her to break Arc, take his power, and then use it to hunt down the other maidens and take those as well. By the time Salem was ready to come after her, she would be on a level far beyond the immortal.

Cinder's scroll buzzed.

"Cinder here."

"It's Mercury..." He sounded tense. "Fuck, I'm sorry, but Branwen found me!"

Cinder's satisfied smile faltered. "Are you captured?"

"No. No. He had to stay and protect Arc, so I was able to escape, but they've got him back. Wasn't much I could do, ma'am. He's one of the best huntsmen in Vale and I was on my own."

Useless fool. Cinder didn't doubt he'd been outmatched, but then Mercury had always ever been a consolation prize for her. She'd wanted Marcus Black. Given how little she expected of Mercury, this was no great surprise.

"It doesn't matter. It's better Arc survive and be taken to Beacon than he end up out of my reach forever. There will be more opportunities."

"Do you want me to follow them, ma'am? Keep an eye on them? They might not return to Beacon tonight given the distance, so I can let you know if anything happens."

He was eager to earn her forgiveness. "Do that. Don't act on your own but contact me if an opportunity presents itself. Keep Arc in sight and let me know come morning where he is. If it's Beacon, we'll have to regroup and reassess."

"Got it. I'll keep an eye on him, ma'am."

Mercury hung up.

Cinder turned to Emerald. "I assume you heard that."

"Yes. I'm sorry. If I were there, I could have caught Qrow in my Semblance—"

"You were occupied with Tyrian. You did enough." Emerald preened, and Cinder let her have it. There was no reason to insult the girl for doing well. "There will be other chances. We have Vale to ourselves now. No orders from Salem, no deadlines, no demands. We can take our time and capture Jaune Arc at our leisure. There's no one who can really stop us."

"What about the White Fang under Adam?"

"They never knew of Salem, Tyrian or Hazel. They're still mine."

It felt good to be free of Salem once and for all. Cinder had dreamed of it, planned it, longed for it, but she'd never quite expected the sensation to be quite so tactile. She drew a deep breath, sweat and blood in the air, and let it out through her nose.

The freedom to pursue her own agenda.

It felt good.

/-/

Mercury woke with a gasp, clutching his chest and groaning in pain. The sunlight piercing down through the canopy above reminded him where he was – in the Emerald Forest, on the outskirts of Beacon, where he'd convinced Cinder he could better keep an eye out for Arc and try to reclaim him should he let his guard down.

Cinder had let him go, assuming he wanted a chance to prove himself after his earlier failure.

But that didn't matter.

Swallowing his fear, Mercury reached down and touched his knees, hands shaking. He felt something soft and warm – and he also felt his own fingers, which brought stinging tears to his eyes. His fingers dipped lower, over his shins and down to his ankles, to feet that felt alien and familiar at the same time.

Clumsily, he drew them under himself and stood, wobbling in place as he looked down at the metal prosthetics he'd taken off and laid on the grass beside him. Those were still there, and he was standing on a new pair.

His own legs.

And, more than that, he could see his reflection in the metal of them – a face close enough to his old one for him to recognise himself in the mirror, but with blue eyes and brown hair a little longer than it had been. No one would know him from a distance, certainly not Emerald and Cinder who would be expecting someone without legs.

"Heh... ahah... hah..." The strained chuckle broke into full-blown laughter. "Hahahahaha!"

Mercury Black died in the Emerald Forest.

Or so his abandoned legs found destroyed days later with no body would say.