Author's Note:

Things are getting pretty cool, right?

As usual, gimmi the reviews. There have been fewer lately, and we all know how insecure I am.

Hope you like it!

Cinder's eyes traced the path of the airship on its way towards them. She could feel those aboard turning to her side, and it felt good. The hunger that gnawed at her mind didn't subside, though. The only thing that had sated her so far had been Menagerie, and she was getting hungry again.

It made sense, though. She was no longer only sustaining her own lust. She could feel the presence of her master growing inside of her mind, taking more and more of her thoughts as its own. The boundaries between herself and Cramus breaking down, they were starting to become one. And the process filled her with euphoria. If she would lose herself, there was no better way to do it.

She still had things to do, though, before she could truly unite with her master. So many more things to feel. She had experimented with Neo, trying to see if her inhuman brain or soul could provide her with anything new, but she could not. It was true, the girl felt the pleasures of Cinder's gift far more acutely than any human ever could, but she had also demonstrated a will to resist it. Cinder knew that spending any more time on it would be a waste of time, and had abandoned her efforts. Roman hadn't had much else.

She shook her head, and started to pull her strength inward. She needed to be ready to battle the Lich, and all of those who served him. Her thoughts soured when she recalled the eldritch abomination. He wasn't just resilient, he was incapable of feeling the joys that she wanted to spread. He had mangled his soul in the most despicable way, and thus his existence could not be tolerated. Everything had to feel her gift.

Her master whispered to her that he would stand no chance against them, no amount of planning could save him from the wrath that would rain down upon him. Pleasure was the most powerful thing that a person could feel, and it would destroy him, even if he could not feel it himself. Her fighters would never stop, so long as the greatest thing they could feel was fighting him. And it would be, she was going to make sure of it.

Her demons were growing in number, her followers were converted gradually, bit by bit, into great seducers and seductresses, empowered by her master. Their bodies changed, much in the same way that Cinder's did. Her cloven hooves and elongated fingers seemed so much more useful than her old body, it was hard to believe that she had ever been able to scrape by without them. She couldn't imagine going back to the way she had once been. There was no way she would ever be able to do that.

It was only a matter of hours before she reached the shores of Vytal, and made it her own, twisting it around her fingers just like she had Menagerie. They would love her for it.

Monitoring machines made a variety of sounds all around Amber as she tried to focus on what was going on before her. For what felt like a very long time, she had been standing by, observing the careful surgery that would enable her to repair Weiss Schnee's spine. Bones were re-aligned, and as the doctors went, she had repaired some of the broken fragments back into full vertebrae.

They had almost completed the procedure, and when they had, it would be Amber's job to ensure the wound was healed, then to close the incision that had been made after it had been stitched back up. Her body already felt exhausted from what she had performed before, but she had to push just a little further. It wasn't going to be too long before she could rest again.

Weiss had laid unconscious the entire time, unaware, blissfully perhaps, of what was going on. The relaxed expression on her face was something that Amber was happy she could see, because the rest of the scene was certainly not as peaceful.

Her own hands, which had been thoroughly washed before being covered in tight rubber gloves, were slick with a warm spot of sticky blood on the palms. Even though her involvement in the actual proceedings had been negligible so far. She had not made any incisions, nor actually gone about touching any bone. It was for the best, she knew, but the coppery scent in the air made her stomach uneasy.

She had been careful to keep them away from her robes which, surprisingly to her, she had been allowed to keep on. They were spotless, as always, and she was going to try and keep that the case.

She almost wished that she had a few of her Paladins present, as they would be able to assist her if things turned out to be more difficult than she had anticipated, but there was also something very comforting about the room being occupied only by those who needed to be there. If it were crowded, Amber knew that it would not only be her performance that suffered, but that of the doctors as well.

The sound of bones being shifted around, and of the doctors hurriedly chattering to one another, was a sign for her to refocus her thoughts on what was going on. If something was going to require her abilities, she wanted to be ready.

One of the doctors looked out at her, waving her over to the table again, signaling that she should get closer. She did, and looked down. It was difficult to make out the spine amid the blood and viscera, but she thought that she could see that it was significantly better than it had been. A voice spoke to her from somewhere to the left, saying, "Now, if you can repair what's left, I'd say that this operation was a success."

Amber nodded, and put her hands out, trying to get some room around her that she could use. It was difficult to produce miracles if she felt cramped.

A space cleared, and she out her hands towards the wound, starting to chant the hymns that she had learned. Mutterings among the doctors and nurses who had moved back to the edges of the room were slightly distracting, but she did her best to block them out. The glow of the light she felt inside of herself started to shine through her hands, and she set about weaving it through the flesh and bone. Tissue reacted to the holy power, starting to repair itself.

What imperfections were left in her spine began to right, and Amber felt her own strength start to dwindle. There was a little more to do, but she had to. Her fingers touched the bone gently, guiding it back to its proper place, and then Amber took a staggered step back.

Her vision swam for a moment, and her body felt cold. Nevertheless, there was a smile on her face, and she spoke through labored breaths to the nearest doctor. "She should… be fine now. If I could have a few moments… before the incision is closed, that would be good."

They nodded, and motioned for the other doctors to move back towards Weiss. They started to examine Amber's work, speaking in low tones about how she had done it, or the results of her efforts. If she hadn't been there, Weiss would have had to have a metal brace implanted in her back that would gradually straighten her spine over a few months. Amber had saved her a huge amount of pain and time. It felt good to hear the professionals say this, but she wasn't done yet.

She leaned back, and started to give herself a moment to recuperate. She needed to breathe for a while, then she would finish. Weiss would wake up like nothing had happened, perfectly able to take to battle again.

A weight grew in Amber's chest. Yes, battle. That was something that was coming far sooner than she wanted. The worst thing about it was that Amber knew there was nothing that she could do to stall it. The Paladins were ready to fight, but they were not strong enough. Not in Amber's opinion, anyways. The scope of the coming battle was scary, but she knew that she needed to take part. She could not sit idly by.

Her light gave her confidence, and she pushed doubt from her mind. It wasn't the time for doubt, it was the time for preparation. She couldn't stop, and she couldn't hesitate. She would lead them, and they would do their best to save the world.

Blake took a few deep breaths, then tightened her fingers around Wilt and Blush, Adam's weapons, before saying, "I'm ready. Let's do this."

Yang gave her friend one last look, imploring her to speak up if there was anything that was giving her pause, but relented when Blake's eyes narrowed, and her face hardened. "Yang, please. If Adam is going to die anyways, I want to see him. I owe him that much, at least. Maybe he's been able to calm down, and we can actually talk."

Yang sighed, letting her shoulders drop slightly, and responded, "Yeah, I guess. He might have, but what if he didn't? That's why I'm going to be close by, alright? I'll try to stay out of sight, but if Adam tries anything, I'll get you out of there."

Blake nodded. "Good. That's probably for the best." The two had walked their way back to Beacon, and were going over the plan one last time in Naze's dorm room before they would step on the rune on the floor, and be teleported to close by Adam. Yang had gone over the plan several times on the way over, essentially repeating herself every time, and asking Blake lots of questions about it. She was making sure that Blake knew it, and didn't have anything that would make her hesitate.

It was dangerous, both girls understood, but Yang didn't want Blake to get hurt. She wouldn't be able to look Blake in the eyes again if she was responsible for a major injury like the kind that Adam was likely to inflict.

Blake appreciated this, but it was starting to get a little grating. She understood the risks, and she didn't need Yang persistently drilling her on them. Her annoyance must have been fairly obvious, because Yang shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, this must be pretty irritating. I just don't want-"

Blake cut her friend off, finishing her statement, "-me to get hurt, yes, I get that. But please, I need to do this. I can't just believe that Adam is gone, and that he would do what he did without being forced into it. This means too much to me."

Yang nodded. "I get it. I really want to help you, but I also know that something like this can get people a little carried away. Like when you were going after the White Fang, or I was looking for my mother. I want to make sure that you don't let this get too far out of hand."

Blake nodded, and let her irritation fade away. "Thank you. I'm lucky to have a friend like you."

Yang smiled, reaching her arms out in a hug. Blake returned it, and she hugged her friend tightly. "Yeah, you are. What would you do without me, huh?"

The two continued their embrace for a few more seconds before Yang let go and said, "Well, I guess it would be best if we get this done, then. If we're going to fight with Cinder's people, we should get ready as much as we can."

A look of shock came across Blake's face, but lingered for only a second. "Do you think we'll have to? I mean, the army, all of the Huntsmen and Huntresses who were available, and basically everyone else is already setting up. Are they not going to be enough?"

Yang flinched slightly, regretting letting that little bit slip. Instead of giving Blake a direct answer, she patted her back and said, "It never hurts to be prepared."

Blake thought she knew what that meant, but didn't press the issue. It would be more fit to focus on her task at hand. The two stepped onto the intricate rune, and in a flash of light, they were gone.

The view from the cliff side was what Adam would normally call beautiful, but he wasn't in the state of mind to find anything funny at the moment. Every second was a battle to suppress the boiling rage that ate at his heart. Why had he agreed to serve this demon? He regretted it now. If only he had known before what would come of that foul agreement, he would have never taken it.

But his surroundings were calm, and he was able to think more clearly than he had ever since accepting the creature's offer. He hadn't had much of a choice at the time, with his only other option being to continue rotting away in his cell. Now that he looked back on it, it seemed that he had been going insane. He had been trapped in that cell for so long…

A sudden uproar from his "master" made his body jolt, and his hands go instinctively to his ears. It did nothing to dull the volume of the voice already in his head, though. "What are you doing? Weakling! You fled from certain victory, and now you simply wait! I should destroy you now!"

Adam responded by shouting to the wilderness around him, not caring to keep it to himself. "No! You listen to me! Cinder will be here soon, and when she comes, you'll have all the blood you could want! All I'm asking you for is a little patience. Or do you want her master to have this world instead of you?"

There was silence for a moment, and then the voice replied, "Fine, maggot. We'll wait, and then you'll kill."

Adam nodded, taking a deep breath. "Thank you, you won't regret-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the voice cut him off, shouting much more angrily than it had been seconds before, "Stop your groveling, whelp! I couldn't care less about you, but this coming battle would be much less enjoyable if you were gone."

It was the closest thing to compassion he had heard from the being, and he had the feeling that it was a very straining exercise not to kill him for the beast, but it managed, and Adam continued to exist. The rage roiling just below the surface of his skin died down a little, and he breathed deeply again, sitting on his heels. It was just a few more hours, then he would be able to release this tension again, this time without concern of hurting anyone innocent. He would likely find himself fighting some of the White Fang, of course, but they were brothers and sisters no more. Not after their souls had been signed away.

Though, if that was the criteria, was he still one of them? He didn't want to consider himself expelled from the ranks he had dedicated his life to, but he might not be a fit leader anymore.

The mask on his face suddenly felt oddly heavy, and he considered taking it off. Maybe it was an honor he didn't deserve anymore. However, maybe it was one that he deserved above all others. He had replaced his face with a monsters, now in more ways than one. A smile curled across his lips. Blake would've appreciated the irony, if she were here.

His fists curled as he thought about what he had done to her. He shouldn't have done that. Why had he done that? Why hadn't he stopped?

His fingernails started to bite into his flesh, and he felt his blood start to flow to the ground, steaming and spitting as it went. It was boiling, and seared the grass it touched. He hated himself for what he had done, but he could still make it up. Or try, at least.

A rustle of noise from behind him made his head turn, and he was instantly suspicious. Whatever had made that noise was too big to be a small animal, and too heavy to be something like a deer. Someone was out there.

He stood, and his body started to ready for battle. A fire started to crackle at his feet, blackening the grass around him as the water was boiled out of it. "Who's there? Show yourself, or I'll take this cliff down with you!"

The brush and leaves shook slightly as someone started to walk out from hiding, and to Adam's amazement, Blake gave a small wave, and took a few tentative steps towards him. "Hi. I-it's just me, no need for taking the cliff down."

His first instinct was to lurch forward, and embrace Blake in the tightest hug that she had ever had, but he thought better of this. He didn't need to add another likely fatal injury to his reasons he hated himself. Instead, he simply stood, dumbfounded, trying to push the readiness of his body back down so that Blake would be safe.

She took a few more steps towards him, and he could see that she was holding something. It was obscured, being behind her back, but he still thought that it was familiar. She spoke again, obviously feeling somewhat threatened, saying, "I just came by to give you this-" she held the thing out, and Adam was relieved to see Wilt and Blush. He had been wondering if it was going to be his fists that destroyed Cinder's worshipers, or if he were going to find a big stick to use. Those concerns drifted away though as he reached out and took the magnificent weapons from her hands gently. She continued, "-and to say goodbye."

His shoulders dropped almost imperceptibly, and a sigh escaped his chest. "My chances are that bad, huh?"

Blake didn't want to admit it, but according to the plan that Yang had explained, his dying was more or less guaranteed. It was for a good cause, though, and she wanted to let him know that. "Well, I mean…" her voice trailed off, and she tried to think of a gentle or subtle way to put it. Nothing came to her, though, and she continued to speak, more slowly this time. "You'll be doing a lot more good in the world than anything else you could do, saving a lot of people. Maybe this is for the best."

Adam smiled again, and gave his shoulders a dismissive shrug. "Maybe it is." He looked back out towards the ocean, and he considered the things that he had done only hours before. Now that his head was clear, he could see just how truly dangerous he was.

There was an awkward silence between the two, during which Adam looked back to Blake. There was a large lump on her forehead, a discolored shade of purple and brown that stood out starkly against the rest of her pale skin. He didn't want to think about the fact that he was responsible for that, but the thoughts wormed their way into his mind anyways.

He tried to look away, but Blake took another step towards him, a concerned look on her face. Even now, she cared about him. In spite of all the things that he had done, nearly killing her friends, even attacking her herself, she cared for him, in some respect. It made his insides feel like they were jelly for a few moments before he managed to collect himself again.

She spoke again, breaking the silence that had almost settled over the pair. "Adam, it isn't your fault. I know you probably blame yourself, but it wasn't you that did all those things! I know you better than that, and I know you'd never do anything like that. It's the demon, not you."

Her words were comforting, but Adam didn't find himself believing them. It was his fault. He was the one who had done it all, so who else's fault could it be? He had accepted the offer, so no matter what, he was ultimately responsible. Shame surrounded him, but there was nothing to be done about it now. Nothing other than sacrificing himself, perhaps. He tried to keep those thoughts away from his master. He was sure that the blood-thirstier would not appreciate his attempts at heroism or redemption.

With nothing else to do, he turned again towards the ocean, placed Wilt and Blush on the ground in front of him, and swallowed a hard lump in his throat. "Maybe you should go now. Cinder's going to be coming soon, and I want as much distance between me and you when that happens. I don't want you to see that fight."

There was another moment of silent hesitation before Adam heard Blake take another few steps back, then sigh again. "I wish it didn't have to be like this, Adam. I want more than anything to hug you right now."

He could feel tears starting to build up in his eyes, but as soon as they were released, they boiled away, crackling away and leaving only faint whispers behind. "I do too. But I don't think that's a good idea. I'm happy that you came." He stood, and turned back to his old friend, finding tears rolling down her face and hitting the dark dirt at her feet. "I guess this is goodbye."

Blake's lips quivered, and she gave a wordless nod as her body started to shake, and she managed to choke out one final, "Goodbye." After that, she turned and left, her steps short an uncoordinated. It pained Adam to see her like that, but there was nothing he could do about it.

The storm inside his chest that he had fought constantly seemed to quell just a little more, and he watched her disappear back into the brush, out of sight. Some part of his mind, a holdout from a long time ago, before he had even been imprisoned, came to light. It had formed at one particular moment, burning an image into Adam's brain more deeply than anything else in his life.

Blake cutting the link between their train cars, separating them.

Ever since then, he had hoped that they might be able to reunite, and that little fraction of his mind, his being, his self, had been praying that they might become a team again.

And now he was simply watching her disappear again, for the last time.

That little sliver of thought did everything it could to get him to follow, throwing memory after memory that it had stockpiled of times when they had been together, and he had been in bliss. But as it reminded him of what was most important to him, he let the delusion go. Blake had never loved him like he did her, and she never would. It was time to come to terms with that, and give one last expression of the boundless love he had for her. If fighting a losing battle to the death was what it took, then so be it. He was more than willing.

His gaze drifted back out to the ocean, and he started to sit back down. It would be nice to spend some time with himself, just thinking about all the things that could have been. It was a luxury he had never really afforded himself, being a more action-oriented kind of person, but now he regretted that. There was so much to think about, and so little time left. Only precious hours left, and so many lives to find and live to himself.

There were a few more moments of silence before another rustling of the leaves behind him made him turn again, wondering for a moment if Blake had come back. She hadn't, instead it was a human, one of the undead that he had fought. One of Blake's teammates, in fact.

He stood again, and felt anger start to rise in his chest once more. What was she doing here? Had she listened in on their conversation? She wasn't a welcome guest, that much was certain.

The words were spat from his mouth before he had time to consider them. "What do you want, girl?" It came out harsh, and uncaring, but he didn't mind. That was precisely how he felt about her.

In response, the girl only smiled, and held her hands up innocently. "If you want me gone, just say it, and I'll leave." He opened his mouth, ready to speak it, but she didn't stop. "But first I'm supposed to give you Naze's regards with that sword."

That stopped Adam, and he looked down at his weapon. "The Lich? Why would he give me…" his voice trailed off, and he gave a small growl. It didn't matter. "Continue."

Yang nodded, and to Adam's annoyance, took another step forwards. "I'm only here to speak for Naze, so don't shoot the messenger. He wants you to fight nice and hard against Cinder, which he knows you will, and in return, he told me to give you this 'compensation'."

Adam raised an eyebrow, and Yang reached into a pocket, fishing something out. Adam tensed again. If it was some trick or trap, he was going to put the girl's head on a pike. As she withdrew her hand again, though, he found that there was no weapon or device, but instead what looked vaguely like a pear, perfectly rounded and no more than an inch in diameter. Its surface was a dull red color, and its inside looked like it was almost black, waiting for some light to fill it.

Adam didn't reach out for the thing, instead giving Yang a distrusting look. "What is this? Am I some puppet in his schemes now? Have I lost the freedom to sacrifice myself?" He was about to bat the thing out of her hand, and send it hurtling towards the distant ocean.

Before he could do this, she pulled it back, and said in an indignant voice, "What? No!" She looked like she was about to continue speaking, but took a short second to compose herself again. "If you ask me, it's proof that Naze is still a little human, just a little bit. But he wouldn't agree. Anyways, is it safe to talk about? I mean, is the demon-"

Adam cut her off, saying, "His presence is faded. You may say what you like."

It was true, his master was quite unfocused on him. If he was able to stay calm, and keep his anger from disturbing the demon, it would stay that way. He took a deep breath, thinking of Blake, and motioned for the undead to continue.

She seemed to understand that gravity of the situation, and prefaced her explanation with the simple sentence, "I'll keep this short, I guess." With that, she held out the pearl again, and said "Alright, you're possessed, so when you die, your soul will become part of Dolor. Now normally, there wouldn't be anything you could do about that. But, thanks to a little necromancy, if you manage to keep this thing in one piece until you die, it'll catch your soul before Dolor can get it, and we can come get it after we take down Cinder."

Adam stared at the little ball, mind racing with possibilities. He had never thought about what would happen after he died. He had simply assumed that would be the end. Now that he thought about it, though, there had to be something. Something from which Yang, and all the other undead Hunters came from. And his soul was doomed to be a part of Dolor forever if he didn't take it, nothing but blinding rage for who knew how long.

It would have taken a lot to horrify him before, and up until a few seconds ago, he would've thought it impossible, given the demonic influence on his mind. The blond haired teen had, nevertheless, found a way. Would he still be able to love Blake if that happened? Would he even be able to think about her?

He stepped forward carefully, not wanting to do anything rash. Slowly, he extended his fingers towards the thing, his eyes locked on it. "P-please, what must I do?"

Yang tilted her head to the side with a puzzled expression, then said, "That's why I think it's a kindness; you don't have to do anything. So congratulations, you made Naze act like a person who still has a soul. Damn near impossible, I'd say."

She extended her arm the last foot between them, and placed the pearl gently in his hand. "Blake didn't know about this, but don't worry. I'll tell her when this is all over."

Adam pulled the ball close to his chest, cradling it like it was a newborn baby. It was so light, and felt almost like glass in his hands. It was so fragile for something so important. He closed his fingers around it again, and promised to himself that he would not let anything happen to it.

He looked up once again, and asked one last question, even though she had appeared to answer it already. "Why?"

Yang sighed, and said in a half sarcastic, half empathetic voice, "You just aren't buying the whole "Naze isn't a monster" thing, are you? I can't say that I blame you, really. He normally only does what gets him stuff, but this…"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Blake was the one who suggested it, but I don't know why he agreed. Maybe he's got a plan for you, maybe he doesn't. Does it really matter, though? He thinks that his humanity is a weakness, but I wouldn't agree. Maybe its stuff like this that let him last this long."

She bowed her head, and stepped back. "Anyways, I guess I'd better go. Lots of stuff to get ready for." She turned to leave, but before she disappeared like Blake had, she stopped, and looked over her shoulder. "Oh, and I wouldn't worry about the whole dying thing. I mean, Naze isn't going to bring you back, but it isn't that bad. I'm sure you're going to see Blake again, at some point or another."

With that, she pushed through the branches and leaves, and Adam again found himself alone.

He looked down to the small orb, and felt something he hadn't expected to ever feel for the undead. Gratitude. He had been saved from a threat he hadn't even known existed. He shook his head, and carefully slipped the orb into his pocket.

Once all was said and done, he would like to thank the Lich.

A melancholy silence descended on him, and his little alcove, leaving him to his thoughts. What would life have been like, if he had told Blake how he really felt?

Penny sat on the edge of her bed, eyes idly turned towards the door. She wasn't really looking at it, though, she was thinking very hard. Weighing her options for life. She wanted to become less dependent, but did that mean fighting? No, there were other ways to do it, but was she interested in those?

No. She had, after all, been designed to fight. She had been told for all of her short life that she would save the world, and now was her chance to fulfill that prophesy. She could join Ruby, and Naze, and all of her other friends, and stop the horrors of what was happening.

There were doubts in her mind, but her decision was reached. She would leave Ironwood, at least for now, and find another path. She only needed to contact Naze and tell him.

But something kept her sitting on that bed, waiting, looking idly at the door. She knew that something was going to happen, and she wanted to lay it to rest.

Eventually, after what felt like a long time, the door opened slowly, and Mr. Ironwood stepped into her room. His face looked dark and gaunt now, full of regret, something that Penny was not used to seeing. She stood, wanting to greet him, and to tell him the good news. But she didn't. Before she could, Ironwood locked eyes with her, and memories of their recent exchange came back to her. His harsh words, even though she had considered herself past them, still stung.

Without saying a word, Mr. Ironwood started to walk over to her, his steps long and heavy. When finally he stood in front of her, he placed a hand on her shoulder, and sat down on the bed. Penny saw the glint of tears in his eyes.

She sat next to him, and he shook his head, starting to speak in an unsteady voice. "I'm sorry for what I said. I've had time to think it over, and…" his throat closed, even though he wanted to keep talking, and Penny knew that he was looking for the words.

"I care about you like you're my own child, Penny. Maybe I'm just getting sentimental in my growing age, or maybe you feel the same. So when I see you changing, I get worried. And I'm not a man who deals well with worry, Penny. Action has always been my preference, and so that worry turns to anger. I shouldn't worry, though, because I know exactly what you're going through. You're growing up! My little girl, who I've looked after for so long, is becoming a woman. Maybe even becoming human." He paused, shaking his head and allowing a feeble smile to come across his face. "Or maybe you have been all along, and I just haven't seen that."

Penny's mouth hung open, and her eyes widened in shock. This wasn't at all what she had expected. She had thought that he would be angry, or insist she stay, but she could not have predicted this.

Emotion that she was unaccustomed to started to fill her chest, and she put her arms out around Ironwood's waist, trying to express them. She didn't want him to feel bad. He had done more good than anyone else in her life, but this change that he talked about was inevitable. She could feel it happening, and wanted it to continue.

Ironwood put a hand on her head, ruffling her bow and petting her gently while whispering, "I'm sorry, Penny. I should have seen. I've been a fool. But please, believe me when I say that I wasn't nothing but the best for you, and I promise, if you stay here, with me, I'll make it up to you. I'll do my best to be a real father to you, and teach you what you need to know."

His words were sweet, like they lifted a weight off of Penny, but she couldn't accept his deal. "I'm sorry, Sir, but I can't stay. My friends are going to be out there, fighting, and I have to be with them. I would love to come back, and for you to teach me about everything, but I have to do this first. It's what I was made for, and it's what feels right."

The man bowed his head down slightly, putting his forehead on Penny's shoulder for a moment, then lifted it back up, and holding Penny at arm's length. "I was afraid you'd say that." Another small, sad smile came across his face. "There's nothing I can do to convince you, then? Nothing I could say that might change your mind?"

Penny shook her head, and he let out a sigh. "Then it's for the best."

He pulled his little girl close to him again, and squeezed her tight, not wanting to let go. Penny returned the hug, but soon pushed off of him gently again, saying, "Please, I have to go now. I should find Ruby and Naze, they'll be able to help me."

He let her slip from his arms, and she took a step back, towards the door. "I'm very sorry Mr. Ironwood, but I have to go now. Goodbye."

She gave him a sorrowful look, then started towards the door. "I won't need anything here, but you should keep it for when I come back, okay?" She pulled the door open, and stepped through, turning back to Ironwood and saying for one last time, "Goodbye. I'll miss you."

Ironwood brought a hand up, and waved weakly, unable to speak. He would miss her, too. More, perhaps, than she would ever know.

She turned, and started to walk away. Ironwood felt his eyes tear up as he watched her go, and wished that he could go with her. As much as he wished, though, it wasn't the case. He would have to stay behind, and command his own forces. What he wouldn't give to accompany her, though.

As she walked out of her bedroom, Penny felt a sense of liberation. It was good, but there was also a sudden sense of emptiness. What did she do now? Find Ruby or Naze, of course, but where should she start? Ruby could be anywhere, and Naze was even more elusive.

She decided she would have to take the journey one step at a time. First she would have to retrieve her weapons, then leave the compound. Her blades were kept in the armory, and she would have no trouble getting them out, assuming that no troops would try and stop her. After that, the world was open, fair game for anything.

The walk to the armory was quick, and she was surprised to find that none of the guards tried to stop her. They all simply stood aside, and allowed her to get her things. Ironwood much have already told them that she was to be let through.

She packed the blades into the small bag, feeling each one resonate with her, making sure that it would do exactly as she willed, before folding them up and donning the backpack. They were almost weightless to her, and didn't encumber her in the least. It felt like a long time since she had used them, but there was a certain comfort in having them close again. She thought she could understand Ruby's fascination with weapons a little better now.

As she walked towards the gate, the guards simply parted again, letting her walk. All of them had a strange air about them, like they thought differently of her now. Before they had always seemed protective, almost coddling, but now she felt like they respected her.

She couldn't be sure, though, and resolved to give the matter some thought later. She approached the gate of the facility, mentally switching gears. Ruby was most likely at Beacon, but there was also a good chance she was out on the streets, checking out what had happened. Naze, on the other hand, could be watching her right now, and she wouldn't know it. It was strange to think that he could be gazing at her at any point in time, but she didn't mind too much.

Her feet stopped almost automatically as she reached the gate that led out into the city. She wasn't entirely confident that she knew why this was, but she had an idea. She quietly whispered to herself, saying, "Every journey starts with a step." In her mind, she imagined Ruby speaking the words, and it brought a smile to her face. That was all the encouragement she needed.

The next click of her heels against the paved ground was in Vale proper, and she felt her fingertips start to tingle with excitement. She was free. No ties, no strings, nothing. It was a little bittersweet maybe, considering who she was leaving behind, but she couldn't feel sad now. Not with so much to learn just waiting for her.

She had barely walked more than two city blocks before a Shade, one of Naze's minions, started to rise from the ground. Its eyes burned an arcane blue, and seemed to drill into her own green eyes with an intensity that suggested it was already fully aware of the situation.

It's voice was the same sawblade-on-concrete it always seemed to be, and it said, "Hello, Penny."

She raised a hand to greet it, but before she could say anything, it continued. "Ruby is at the hospital, recovering from a broken arm, as well as several other minor injuries. Weiss is currently recovering from a rather radical spinal surgery, but she has the help of the Priestess. Blake and Yang are running an errand for me, and will return shortly. I would suggest you stay with them until further notice. Yang will be able to fill you in on my plans."

It was a rather concise message, but Penny took that to mean that it was all the more important. She nodded, and gave an enthusiastic salute. "You got it!"

The Shade started to dissolve again, form becoming less defined and sinking back towards the ground until eventually there was no trace it had ever been there at all. Worry started to creep up on Penny again as she thought of the injuries that he had said her friend had sustained. How had they done that? Were they involved in the lockdown?

Her eyes narrowed, and her pace sped up. She was running through the streets now, careful not to collide with any of the sparse number of people who were out walking. She was going to make sure her friends were alright, and then she was going to ask Yang what she could do to help.