Beacon Academy
After days of relentless training and strategizing, the moment had finally come. The air in the strategy room was thick with tension as the group gathered around the holographic map of Vale, displaying the marked location of Cinder's hideout.
Ironwood stepped forward, arms crossed as his expression remained firm. "I've taken the liberty of calling in additional support," he announced. "Specialist Schnee has arrived with a unit of Atlesian Knights to assist Vale's Huntsmen when we move on the warehouse."
Weiss's eyes widened. "Winter's here?"
Ironwood gave a small nod. "She's already coordinating with Vale's forces to ensure minimal civilian casualties. This operation needs to be clean—we hit hard, we capture or eliminate the enemy, and we don't give them a chance to retaliate."
"Would've been nice to know earlier," Qrow muttered, taking a swig from his flask. "Not a fan of your robots marching around Vale, but at least Ice Queen knows what she's doing."
Onyx, standing beside Ruby, simply narrowed his eyes at the hologram. "It's not a bad call," he admitted. "But if Cinder realizes she's been found out, she won't hesitate to burn everything down to cover her escape. The moment we move in, we have to lock the area down completely."
Ozpin nodded. "Agreed. We cannot afford to let her slip through our fingers." He turned to Ironwood. "I trust Winter's discretion, but we must be careful. This battle could change the course of events in ways we cannot predict."
Pyrrha took a deep breath. "Then we need to be ready for anything."
Jaune, standing beside her, gave a firm nod. "No more surprises. We take them down before they can react."
Blake's ears twitched slightly. "And if Salem is somehow aware of this?"
Onyx's eyes flickered with amethyst light. "Then we send a message—we're not prey." His voice was low, filled with quiet confidence. "We're the hunters."
A sharp silence followed his words.
Then, Ozpin stepped forward, gripping his cane tightly. "Then it's decided. We move out at dusk." His green eyes glowed faintly as he looked at each of them.
"Tonight, we end Cinder's game."
---
Vale – Abandoned Warehouse, midnight
The dimly lit warehouse reeked of oil, blood, and Grimm musk. Hushed voices filled the gloom as the White Fang's Vale sect gathered around Adam Taurus, their red-masked leader. Beside him stood Banesaw, his monstrous lieutenant, towering and scarred, his chainsaw blade resting menacingly on one shoulder, rumbling like a beast.
Across from them, Cinder Fall stood with calculated poise, flanked by Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black. Their expressions were cool, but tension curled around them like smoke.
Adam's arms were crossed, a sneer cutting across his face.
"So… this is your master plan?" he asked, voice soaked in venomous amusement. "The great Cinder Fall. Master manipulator. Has her operation compromised by a teenage stray." He let out a short, sharp laugh. "Embarrassing."
Cinder's golden eyes narrowed, but she remained composed. "The situation is under control."
Adam scoffed. "If it were, we wouldn't be having this meeting at midnight in a rat-infested shack."
Then his gaze sharpened.
"From what I hear… we have Onyx Thorn to thank for this mess."
The moment the name left his mouth, the warehouse tensed like a coiled trap. The White Fang operatives visibly stiffened. Some growled low in their throats. Others exchanged glances filled with hate—and fear.
Emerald frowned. "Wait… you know him?"
Banesaw barked out a cold, humorless chuckle. "Know him? He's a ghost story. A damn plague." He jerked his chin toward the others. "Every operative here's either lost a friend to him… or barely escaped him."
Cinder tilted her head, curious despite herself. "Explain."
Adam's smirk darkened.
"Before he ever wore that Beacon uniform, before you ever saw him pretending to be one of Ozpin's dogs, Onyx Thorn hunted us. For years."
"He first appeared when he was twelve," Banesaw growled. "We only know that because one of the survivors—what was left of him—swore the attacker was 'just a kid.'"
Cinder blinked. "Twelve?"
Emerald's jaw dropped. "No way—he was twelve?"
Mercury raised an eyebrow. "And he still wrecked you guys?"
Adam's voice turned brittle. "He didn't just 'wreck' us. He wore a Grimm mask—black as night, shaped like a Beowolf's skull, with glowing purple marks etched across it like veins."
"Not like our masks," Banesaw said, sneering. "Ours are white bone. His? It was alive. When you saw it in the dark, it looked like the damn Grimm were obeying him."
"And they were," Adam snarled. "He summoned Grimm with amethyst eyes. Beowolves, Ursas, even a freakin' Nevermore once. We'd be mid-raid, confident, armed—and then the shadows would move."
"You'd hear the bones snap first," Banesaw muttered. "Then the dragon skulls would float in behind him. Just skulls. Hollowed out. Screaming."
Mercury stopped smirking.
Adam's voice lowered to a near-growl. "He'd rip weapons from your hands. Grimmify the ground beneath your feet. Wrap you in shadow chains. He didn't kill us—no, he made sure we lived. Crippled. Maimed. Left in tidy piles for Atlas patrols to find. And then…"
He paused, disgust twisting across his face.
"…and then we saw it."
Cinder's eyes narrowed. "What?"
Adam spat. "He had a baby. A human baby. Strapped to his back. Gigglin'. GIGGLING while he tore our units apart."
The warehouse erupted in murmurs and disbelief.
"A Faunus… raising a human child?" one of the White Fang lieutenants spat on the ground.
Banesaw's lip curled in hatred. "A silver-eyed baby girl. Every time he moved, she bounced against his back, happy as could be. While he crippled our soldiers and fed them to his beasts."
Emerald's eyes widened in slow horror. "Wait… that baby… the one always with him at Beacon…?"
Cinder went rigid.
Mercury whispered, "That's his daughter?"
Adam's jaw clenched, barely restraining his disgust. "Yeah. A Faunus who chose a human. One of them. Carried her around like treasure while destroying his own kind. A walking betrayal. A freak."
The rage in the room was tangible now. Growls. Curses. The kind of hate that burns through bone.
Cinder stepped back slightly, for once caught completely off guard. Her mind raced. She had always known Onyx was dangerous—brilliant, fast, enigmatic—but this?
He wasn't just a fighter. He was legend. A myth wrapped in shadow. A former enemy of the White Fang. And worse…
A symbol of defiance.
She had underestimated him completely.
And now he had every reason to come for her.
A chill danced down her spine.
Then Cinder straightened her back, hiding her unease. A slow, dangerous smirk returned to her lips.
"Then we use that hate," she said, voice soft and sharp like a dagger drawn in the dark. "Let your people remember the monster in the mask. Let them want revenge."
Banesaw's eyes gleamed. "You really think you can bait that thing?"
Cinder turned, looking into the darkness of the warehouse with eyes that burned like coals.
"I don't plan to bait him," she said calmly. "I plan to burn him down."
A slow smirk finally curled on Cinder's lips.
Emerald and Mercury exchanged glances.
Adam raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly do you have in mind?"
Cinder turned slightly, smirking, gazing toward the darkened corners of the warehouse. "We may be compromised, but that doesn't mean we can't turn this into an opportunity." Her fingers twitched, igniting a small flame in her palm. "Let's give Onyx a proper welcome when he comes for us."
but then—
A faint skittering sound reached her ears.
Her smirk faltered. Something crawled along her shoulder.
She turned her head slightly—only to see a tiny black Grimm spider, its small form writhing with shadowy energy. Its eyes glowed amethyst.
Her golden eyes widened in shock.
'Impossible! How did—?!'
Before she could react—
BOOM!
The warehouse doors exploded inward, metal shards flying as an onslaught of Atlas Knights and Huntsmen stormed in. The piercing sound of boots hitting the ground filled the air, their weapons locked and loaded.
"CONTACT!" a Huntsman shouted.
"ENGAGING HOSTILES!"
The White Fang operatives scrambled for cover, drawing weapons in panic as the Atlesian Knights opened fire, their mechanical voices cold and merciless.
Then—a blur of motion.
Team RWBY, JNPR, Qrow, Winter, Ironwood, and Onyx charged into the battlefield.
Onyx was at the front, his eyes glowing fiercely, his presence cutting through the chaos like a phantom of war. With a sharp motion of his hand, the Grimm spider on Cinder's shoulder disintegrated into shadow.
Her expression twisted with rage.
"So that's how they found us."
Mercury barely dodged a bullet before flipping back, landing beside Emerald, who already had her weapons drawn. "You've gotta be kidding me," he muttered. "They tracked us?!"
Emerald gritted her teeth. "This was a trap."
Cinder's fury burned in her veins. 'That damn wolf.'
Meanwhile, Adam's crimson gaze locked onto one person.
His heart stopped.
Standing amidst the battlefield, weapons drawn, was—
Blake.
For a moment, the sounds of battle faded into the background. His grip on Wilt and Blush tightened, his breath slow and steady.
"Blake."
She stared back at him, her expression unreadable, but there was no fear in her eyes.
Only resolve.
Adam's face twisted into a bitter smirk.
"So," he murmured, his voice just loud enough for her to hear.
"You really chose them over me."
Adam didn't wait for Blake's response. He lunged.
Blake barely had time to brace before—
CLANG!
A dark blade intercepted Wilt in an instant, sparks flying as the force of the attack sent a shockwave through the air.
Blake's eyes widened.
Onyx had stepped in.
The young wolf Faunus met Adam's strike head-on, his dark, curved sword locking against Wilt. His amethyst eyes burned with cold calculation, his expression unreadable.
Adam blinked, momentarily thrown off. This was not who he expected to stop him.
Onyx's stance barely budged under the weight of the attack. Even though Adam had the edge in raw strength due to his larger, more muscular frame, Onyx held firm, countering with precise technique.
The two locked eyes.
For the first time—Adam Taurus met Onyx Thorn.
Silence.
Then—Adam scoffed. "So, you're the one."
Onyx didn't react, but his grip on his sword tightened slightly. "And you're Adam Taurus."
Adam smirked, pushing harder against Onyx's blade. "The White Fang knows about you. You've been a thorn in our side for years."
Onyx tilted his head slightly, his voice calm. "Funny. I didn't even know your name until today."
Adam's smirk twitched into a frown.
"You've been disrupting our operations, handing over our operatives to Atlas, vanishing like a ghost. You think you've been making a difference?" Adam growled, his red blade pulsing with built-up energy. "You're nothing but a Huntsman's pet."
Onyx's eyes narrowed.
"That's ironic," he said flatly. "Coming from a man who calls himself a leader but still hides behind a mask."
Adam's expression darkened.
Their swords clashed again in a blinding flurry, both combatants moving with deadly precision. Adam had the edge in brute force, but Onyx countered with speed and technique, deflecting his strikes with minimal movement.
A single misstep could be fatal.
Blake watched, her heart pounding. This was not a fight she had expected—but now, it was Onyx standing between her and Adam.
Then she heard a familiar voice shout—
"Blake! I need backup!"
She turned and saw Weiss dueling against a massive Faunus wielding a brutal chainsaw-like cleaver. The man sneered at her, his sharp teeth bared in a wicked grin.
Banesaw.
A high-ranking lieutenant of the White Fang's Vale branch.
When his golden eyes locked onto Blake, they filled with nothing but disgust.
"Deserter," Banesaw spat, gripping his massive weapon tighter. His muscles tensed as he took a step forward. "You really chose humans over your own kind?"
Blake's hands curled into fists. "I chose what was right."
Banesaw scoffed. "What's right?!" He revved his weapon, the teeth of the cleaver spinning viciously. "What's right is making the humans pay for what they've done to us!"
Weiss, catching her breath, glanced at Blake. "Are you going to stand there and listen to his nonsense, or are you going to help me?"
Blake's gaze hardened. She unsheathed Gambol Shroud.
"You take the left. I'll take the right," she said.
Weiss smirked. "Now you're speaking my language."
And just like that—they attacked.
Banesaw roared as he swung his massive weapon, forcing the two to dodge in opposite directions. His raw strength was undeniable—but Blake and Weiss had speed.
Weiss dashed forward, summoning ice glyphs to enhance her movement. She darted around Banesaw, striking with precise rapier thrusts, forcing him to stay on the defensive.
Blake, meanwhile, used her shadow clones to bait his attacks, striking at his blind spots with swift, deadly slashes.
But Banesaw wasn't just strong—he was experienced.
With a snarl, he twisted his body and swung his chainsaw in a wide arc, forcing both huntresses to backflip away before the spinning blade could cleave through them.
"You think two little girls can take me?!" Banesaw taunted as he revved his weapon again, the screeching sound filling the warehouse. "I was fighting for the White Fang before you even knew how to hold a weapon!"
Weiss flicked her rapier, summoning ice dust. "Then it's time we retired you."
Blake nodded. "Let's finish this."
Banesaw roared and charged.
Meanwhile
The warehouse shook with the force of battle, but for Onyx and Adam, the world had narrowed down to just the two of them.
Adam's red blade flashed in the dim light, striking at Onyx with brutal speed and raw strength. Onyx met the attack with his black and amethyst-colored greatsword blocking the strike. Sparks flew as their blades clashed, the sheer force sending a shockwave through the air.
Adam's strength advantage was evident—he was older, more muscular, and his attacks carried weight behind them. But Onyx was faster, sharper, more adaptive.
Adam's crimson Aura flickered around him as he snarled, pushing harder against Onyx's blade.
Then Adam suddenly pushed forward, breaking the deadlock. His katana, Wilt, became a red blur, slashing down at Onyx.
Onyx sidestepped, his Aura flaring as he narrowly avoided the attack. Instead of retreating, he closed the distance, aiming a brutal elbow strike into Adam's ribs.
CRACK!
Adam grunted as his Aura absorbed the impact, but Onyx didn't let up. He spun, bringing his greatsword down in a diagonal slash.
Adam raised Wilt, his Aura flashing red as he parried—then retaliated with a lightning-fast counterattack.
"Too slow!"
Adam's blade glowed bright red, and in an instant, he unleashed an explosive, energy slash.
Onyx reacted just in time. His own Aura flared, his dark wolf tail flicking behind him as he used his speed to dodge, feeling the heat of the slash cut through the air just inches from his face.
"Tch—he's using his Semblance already?" Onyx thought, his amethyst-colored eyes narrowing.
Adam's Semblance—Moonslice—absorbed energy from incoming attacks and unleashed it in a devastating counterstrike.
Onyx landed, eyes analyzing Adam's stance, breathing, and Aura flow.
Adam smirked. "What's the matter, kid? Feeling nervous?"
Onyx exhaled. "No. Just thinking about how fast I'm going to take you down."
Adam's smirk twisted into a snarl. "Cocky little—"
Before he could finish, Onyx moved.
Adam barely had time to react before Onyx's form blurred, his Semblance activating. Total Darkness surrounded him, creating a shroud of shifting shadows.
Adam's instincts screamed at him—he slashed forward, but his blade met nothing but air.
Then—PAIN.
A sharp kick to the back of his knee sent Adam staggering forward. His Aura flared from the impact. He twisted, slashing wildly, but Onyx was already gone.
Another hit. This time, a punch to the ribs, reinforced by Aura.
CRACK!
Adam gritted his teeth, absorbing the damage, his crimson Aura flickering dangerously.
He spun, slashing in a full-circle arc.
CLANG!
Onyx blocked it, but this time, Adam saw an opening.
With a fierce grin, he let Onyx strike him, using the impact to absorb more energy into his Semblance. His blade glowed an ominous red.
"Got you!"
Adam unleashed a devastating counterstrike—a massive, Aura-enhanced arc of energy aimed directly at Onyx.
But instead of dodging—
Onyx smirked.
And unleashed his own power.
His sclera turned black.
His pupils became slitted.
His irises glowed with deep amethyst light.
Adam's attack never landed.
Because a Dragon Blaster appeared.
A massive, floating skeletal dragon head, made of writhing shadows, materialized beside Onyx. Its amethyst eyes glowed, and with a deafening roar, it fired a blast of dark energy—
CRACK—BOOM!
Adam's Aura barely withstood the impact. He was blasted backward, crashing through crates and slamming into the warehouse wall.
He groaned, his Aura flickering—damaged but not broken. His hand clenched around his sword.
"...What the hell just happened?" Adam muttered, looking up at Onyx with wide eyes.
Onyx stood there, his glowing eyes locked onto Adam's.
"Your loss."
Darkness erupted from beneath Onyx like a living force, swirling and expanding as Grimm emerged from the abyss.
A Beowolf Pup—Wuffles—snarled playfully before pouncing onto a White Fang lieutenant, knocking him out cold.
An Ursa Major—Monsieur Pancake—roared, charging into a squad of enemies, its massive paws swiping through armor, and more and more came.
And then—it appeared.
A towering, nightmarish creature crawled out from the shadows.
The Nuckelavee.
It was a twisted, monstrous fusion of man and beast. A skinless equine body with an elongated, grotesque form, and a humanoid torso fused to its back. Its long, gangly arms ended in razor-sharp claws, and its head twisted unnaturally as it scanned the battlefield.
For a moment—everything seemed to freeze.
The White Fang soldiers paled, eyes wide with terror. Some even took a step back at the sheer horror of what they were seeing.
Ren and Nora stiffened in horror.
Ren's breath caught in his throat. "No… it can't be…"
Nora's hands clenched on her hammer, her eyes darting to Onyx. "Onyx, what did you do?!"
Onyx didn't respond—at least, not with words.
Instead, he whistled.
A low, haunting, bone-chilling tune.
(Death's whistle from puss in boots)
The eerie whistle echoed through the battlefield, cutting through the chaos like a blade.
The White Fang shuddered. Some of them actually froze in fear.
The Nuckelavee stopped moving.
It turned its grotesque head toward Onyx. The glow in its amethyst-colored eyes flickered.
And then—as if receiving an unspoken command—
—it slowly twisted its head towards Adam.
Adam, who had just struggled to his feet, eyes narrowed in confusion at the sudden stillness.
The Nuckelavee Rider's mouth stretched into an unnatural, grotesque grin.
And then—
It charged.
"Tch—!" Adam barely had time to react before the nightmare beast lunged at him, its elongated arms reaching out with clawed fingers.
He slashed his sword upward, deflecting one strike, but the Nuckelavee's equine legs kicked forward, slamming into him like a battering ram.
CRASH!
Adam was sent flying backward, slamming into a stack of crates.
"DAMN IT!" Adam roared, rolling back to his feet, his sword glowing with absorbed energy. He slashed out, sending a red energy wave toward the Grimm—
—but the Nuckelavee twisted unnaturally, dodging the attack with grotesque flexibility.
And then—it lunged again.
Adam grit his teeth, preparing to engage the monster.
As the Nuckelavee kept Adam occupied, Onyx turned his attention to the real threats.
Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury.
Cinder's golden eyes burned as she watched Onyx approach. "You just don't stop, do you?"
Onyx's Amethyst Eyes still glowed, his voice calm and measured. "No. I don't."
Mercury cracked his knuckles, smirking. "Guess we're doing this now."
Emerald's hands tightened around her guns, but there was a flicker of hesitation in her eyes.
Onyx rolled his shoulders, his shadow rising behind him.
"Three against one? Sounds fun."
Cinder's golden eyes glowed with heat, her right arm pulsing with Maiden power.
Mercury bounced on the balls of his feet, smirking, his mechanical legs whirring.
Emerald stood tense, her guns raised, but her eyes flickered with uncertainty.
Onyx's amethyst gaze burned, his shadow shifting unnaturally beneath him.
Then—Cinder moved first.
She slammed her palm against the ground—
SHHHHRRRRRSSHHH!
The floor glowed red-hot as a massive wave of heat erupted outward, forcing Onyx back. The metal framework of the warehouse groaned as the heat warped it.
The ground cracked—and melted.
Onyx leapt back, but Cinder's other hand shot forward—
CRACK!
A black glass arrow, formed from molten ground she had cooled into obsidian, shot toward him like a bullet.
Onyx twisted midair, his Aura flaring, the arrow scraping his side as he dodged.
"Tch—" Onyx landed, skidding back as Cinder followed up.
She pressed her hand to the ground again—
BOOM!
An explosion erupted from beneath Onyx!
But—he was gone.
Cinder's eyes widened—her heat-sense caught something—
Behind her.
She barely turned in time as Onyx's fist came swinging in.
CRACK!
She blocked just in time, but the force sent her skidding back.
Mercury was already closing in.
"Heads up!" Mercury smirked, his leg pistons igniting.
WHAM!
His kick came fast, aimed straight for Onyx's ribs.
But Onyx caught it with one hand.
Mercury's smirk faltered.
"What the—"
SLAM!
Onyx spun and hurled Mercury straight into Emerald.
"Gah!" Emerald yelped as they crashed into a pile of crates.
Cinder took the chance.
She darted forward, her fingers glowing molten red—
She reached out—grabbing the metal structure of the warehouse.
SHHHHHRRRRR!
The metal melted, reshaping itself into jagged spears aimed straight at Onyx.
Onyx's eyes flickered.
His shadow surged.
"Not bad."
The spears shot forward—
—but Onyx vanished into darkness.
Cinder barely had a moment to react before—
BAM!
A dark tendril shot from her own shadow, wrapping around her wrist and slamming her into the ground!
"Ugh—!"
She tried to rise, her Aura flaring, the heat around her warping the air—
—but then she felt it.
A low, chilling whistle.
Her eyes snapped to Onyx.
He stood above her, amethyst eyes glowing, a dark Dragon Blaster forming behind him, its skeletal maw opening.
Cinder gritted her teeth.
BOOM!
The Grimm dragon head fired, unleashing a beam of concentrated destruction straight at Cinder.
Cinder's eyes widened—
She thrust both hands forward, heat bursting from her palms—
A wave of searing fire erupted outward, colliding with the Grimm beam—
KRRRSHHHH!
The impact was blinding.
The warehouse shook from the force, metal groaning as the heat and darkness clashed violently.
Cinder pushed harder, her Aura straining, her Fall Maiden power barely holding back Onyx's overwhelming attack.
But then—she felt it.
The White Fang was losing.
Across the battlefield—
Atlesian Knights, Vale Huntsmen, and Amethyst eyed grimm overwhelmed the terrorists.
Qrow and Winter cut down enemy forces with ruthless precision.
Ironwood, standing firm, shot down any fleeing White Fang operatives.
Team RWBY and JNPR fought fiercely, pushing their enemies back.
Weiss and Blake battled Banesaw, finally gaining the upper hand.
Adam's furious roars echoed through the battlefield as he struggled against the Nuckelavee, his Aura flickering dangerously.
Emerald and Mercury weren't faring much better.
Mercury had one leg sparking, his mobility hindered.
Emerald's Aura was running low, her illusions failing under pressure.
Cinder narrowed her eyes.
This was bad.
She couldn't afford to be captured.
She had to retreat.
With a sudden flare of power, she redirected her flames, forming a massive explosion between herself and Onyx.
BOOM!
Onyx was forced to leap back, his Grimm constructs flickering under the pressure.
When the smoke cleared—Cinder was gone.
She had retreated to Adam's position.
"We're leaving!" she commanded.
Adam snarled. "This fight isn't over—!"
"We are LEAVING." Cinder's voice was cold, final.
Adam hesitated, his eyes burning with hatred as he saw Blake still standing.
But even he knew they were losing.
"Tch." He spat, but followed.
Emerald and Mercury moved quickly, helping the remaining White Fang escape.
A group of operatives broke away, vanishing into the night.
By the time Onyx and the others could regroup—
The enemy was gone.
But the battle?
It was a victory.
The remaining White Fang members were captured.
The warehouse lay in ruins.
And now—Vale knew.
This was just the beginning.