73 Cutting to the chase

It hadn't taken long for things to get blown out of proportion after that. Neo 3.0 soon joined in, swinging her advanced-looking version of Hush at Neo. Neo responded by jumping up on it, giving her counterpart a view of her legs before they kicked her into a table full of Roman's henchmen. Fou jumped into her arms as the goons all ran over and Roman grunted before sitting up.

"Ugh.. kill the fangirl, the animal and the weird Faunus will you?" Roman ordered them.

"Oh Roman.. you just made this so much worse for you. Scrungo? Fuck them and the tables up.." Neo whispered, seeing Fou salute her before he spun like Sonic and jumped into the crowd of henchmen, sending a few flying like they were bowling pins.

"Blaaaake? What are you doing in all this?" Neo asked while dodging Neo 3.0 and stealing Roman's hat for herself.

"Oh just recording this for the others.." Blake replied, not hiding her amusement.

"FOU!" Fou yelled as he drop kicked a goon and the table he was on off the second floor, onto the dance floor.

From there, things really got out of hand. The fight escalated and all of Junior's men got involved. Blake had joined though she was still recording as Neo and Fou made every effort to break tables and bones. Though they didn't forget Roman and Neo 3.0 and consistently blocked them from leaving. Roman had a chandelier dropped on him by Fou while Neo kept using her acrobatics to slip behind Neo 3.0 and solely hit her butt after stealing her umbrella weapon.

Scowling in frustration while trying not to blush, she tried to use her semblance and lose Neo. Though as soon as she turned around to get Roman off the floor, she came face to face with Neo, who was using the same semblance. Right before getting her butt hit once again by the Neo clone behind her and launching her into Neo's waiting arms.

"So do you wanna continue until I break your aura or do you wanna listen to my offer to free you of Cinder?" Neo asked as she held her 3.0 counterpart in a princess carry.

Neo 3.0's eyes went wide as she blinked and nodded fast. The girl in front of her seemed to be some other version of her. Before she could try to ask Neo to put her down, Neo moved back to avoid a flying goon that crashed into the bar.

"We'll grab Roman too, of course.. Scrungo, progress?" Neo called out to the white creature, who was currently kicking the last intact table into Junior.

"Fou.." Fou replied, nodding in what looked like pride.

"Great! Mind carrying guyliner there? Hands are full here" Neo 3.0 gasped, feeling her counterpart's hand squeeze her in various places.

"Kyu!" Fou replied before dragging a mumbling, nearly unconscious Roman by the leg.

Blake rejoined them at the entrance to the night club with a pleased grin. Seeing Neo's inquisitive look, she simply pointed to the fice foot pile of goons behind her. All of them stacked on a single, now broken table.

"You did good, Blake..." Neo rubbed behind her faunus ears and both shared a kiss as they exited the ruined club.

"Lead us to your nearest hideaway, will you?" Neo asked a now flustered and confused Neo 3.0, who slowly nodded before taking out her scroll to guide them.

After ten minutes of walking, they reached a familiar hideaway Neo could recognize. It seems some places were identical to her own Remnant. Getting inside, Fou tossed the now conscious Roman on the couch as Neo set Neo 3.0 down and took a seat across from them.

"Urgh.. did you need to be so rough? You and that..." Roman stared at the small and menacing white creature, who seemed to dare him to say something and shivered.

"...Nevermind. I only sort of heard what you said on the way. You mentioned another Remnant and being able to free us from fire bitch?" Roman asked with a sigh, seeing Neo was wearing his hat and looking better in it, to boot.

"Oh good, you paid attention. I'd explain the full details but I wanna grab Cinder tonight" Neo explained as she ran her hand through Fou's fur.

"Oh no. We're familiar with the alternate Remnant crap. It's just... you don't look like that twisted version of Neo here. So I thought you were some meddling fan or something.." Roman explained, though he saw Neo's expression tense up at the mention of Grimmverse Neo.

"Of course there's a Grimm Neo. I still have to see how bad off they are.." She sighed while Blake threw a look of concern her way.

"I'll deal with it after I nab Cinder. So, where is she?" Neo asked with a grin that sent shivers down both of the criminal's spines.

-Vale Docks, warehouse-

About twenty five minutes later, Neo, Fou and Blake arrived at the warehouse where Roman said Cinder would be. Seeing that this was one of the places where Dust and weapons would be stored before they went to Mt Glenn, Roman was certain Cinder would be here. Both him and Neo 3.0 were told to stay in their hideout so they wouldn't be implicated should any news slip out. All three easily reached the roof and took a look inside through a crack in the metallic frame.

"Mn.. nobody I can see. Though I hear footsteps. Come on" Neo opened the crack little by little until they could squeeze inside.

Once in, they stuck to the beams that supported the roof while traveling to the only source of noise in the warehouse. They heard talking. Two women and one man. They easily determined who was inside and snuck ever closer to the talking.

Smirking to herself, Neo thought of screwing with Cinder again.

That notion was tossed out the window upon seeing Cinder herself. Cinder had a prevalent burn on the left side of her face and a grimm arm. Blake stilled as the feeling from her lover changed. She was overwhelmed with the feeling of a deep and cold fury coming from her. It was cut off before it could reach the three down below.

"Kill Mercury and Emerald. I'll pin Cinder" Neo ordered her as Fou nodded, seeming to understand her feelings.

"..Right" Blake activated her Senjutsu and picked her target.

"Make it quick" Neo added before leaping down to the ground with Fou and Blake.

Fou was the first to act. Blades manifested in the air behind him and fired at Mercury with the speed of an automatic weapon. Blake was second to act, dropping on Emerald along with two of her clones and steeling herself as sharp claws made of multicolored aura manifested on her hands. She activated the reward she received from beating Adam and killed Emerald without her even noticing with Tsubame Gaeshi using her Nemean Lion Bloodline's claws, dicing Emerald in several pieces.

Cinder turned around at the sudden sounds. Mercury impaled with several blades. Emerald in several bloody pieces. Activating her maiden powers, she prepared to fight the two surprise intruders but was wholly unprepared for the Kugi punch delivered by Neo, straight into her solar plexus. Lightning crackled loudly as she felt the powerful punch somehow impact her ten times.

Hunching over with the breath knocked out from her, she received a vicious knee to the face that broke her nose and her aura. Her mind only now catching up to the absurdity of that fact, she unleashed a massive wave of fire in the direction of her three attackers and partially melted half the warehouse before she stumbled back and began to catch her breath.

"What.. What is this..? How..!?" She grunted out, though still on edge until she saw the scorched bodies of her attackers.

That isn't something she would see, however. Fou had used a blazing shield of energy to block the flames. Cinder saw the shield briefly before her hands and knees were pierced by flying swords that pinned her to the wall like an insect waiting to be dissected. Screaming out in pain, she glared hatefully as Neo approached her casually.

"This is.. a bit much, don't you think? I mean.. the last Cinder.." Blake managed to say before Neo raised a finger.

"Her current appearance. It's only possible if Ruby had unleashed her silver eyes on her. Why would Ruby use it on Cinder, you think?" Neo asked, her tone calm.

"She.." Blake seemed to have come to a realization as her mouth slowly opened.

"She killed Pyrrha, Blake. She even has the full Maiden powers to boot. Not this universe's Pyrrha but still.." Neo sighed and reigned in her emotions.

"What..? That insignificant little-" Cinder started to ask in a mocking tone before Neo punched her in her broken nose, making her grunt in agony.

"Yeah yeah.. Big evil Cinder. Haaaaah.. I let my anger get the better of me here. Luckily we can interrogate her still" Neo untensed and looked impassively at Cinder, who scowled at her with a bloody nose.

"So are you gonna tell us about Salem and the Grimm counterparts or not?" Neo asked, seeing Cinder respond with a mocking smile as she spat blood on her cheek.

"Hm.. cock flavored blood spit? No, I don't think that's the answers I want. Oh well. Guess I'll have to do it this way" Shrugging, Neo flicked the spit off her cheek and opened up the shop briefly before pulling out a spoon, a jar of cinnamon and duct tape.

"Ever heard of 'The Cinnamon challenge'? Used to be a popular internet challenge to do years back. People would put a teaspoon of cinnamon in their mouth but they'd inhale it as soon as it got in. Suuuuuper irritating to the lungs but they cough it out and wash their mouths afterwards. We're doing that.. But I'm duct taping your mouth closed with the cinnamon inside. Breathing will be hard and super irritating. You'll be forced to cough but with no exit through the mouth, it'll have to exit out of your now broken nose. Oh and I'll just keep beating on you so your powers and aura are focused on healing you" Neo explained as she took out a teaspoon of cinnamon, approaching a very apprehensive Cinder who tried her best to resist, yet was forced to open her mouth.

After five minutes of muffled coughing and angry muffled yelling, Neo heard a familiar sound coming from the system while petting Fou behind his ears.

[Ding Ding~ Optional Quest issued.

Help a newly established Goddess fend off an invader.

Difficulty: Easy.

Rewards: 25,000 shop points, secret reward]

[Accept?]

"Huh.. Seems a little different, doesn't it?" Neo asked, seeing Blake tilt her head.

"What does?" Blake asked.

"You don't see it? The quest?" Neo sat up straight and rubbed her chin.

"No..? I don't think the others noticed either" Blake muttered while pulling up the unchanged chat.

"Well it does say easy.. So it shouldn't be long. The 'secret' reward is tempting too. Take care of Cinder, will you? Bring her back to base and keep an eye on her. Scrungo, you drain her magic and Blake, you keep her aura down. I'll be back soon" Neo stood up and stretched.

"You're going alone?" Blake asked, looking worried to Neo.

"There's no 'participant' option. So yup. I'll be back soon, Blake. I trust you guys" Neo finished saying before accepting and disappearing.

-A different realm-

As soon as she chose to accept, Neo found herself in a completely different space. Shaking off the minor disorientation, she observed her surroundings. There were pretty sakura trees all around her but in sharp contrast were splotches of black waters that screamed 'EVIL' to her. Though there was something- or, rather someone else there. A small girl that had several fluffy tails larger than her body. They all seemed to wrap around her like an adorable blanket.

"What is this adorable creature I see before me.." Neo whispered before hopping over black puddles and crouching in front of the girl.

"And who are you? You don't belong on my world! ...You're not with the Light though..." The girl seemed to inspect Neo with a questioning gaze.

"I got a quest to help a 'newly established Goddess' out. Invaders? Ring any bell?" Neo calmly explained while giving everything she had to not start petting the girl.

The girl narrowed her eyes as she peered at Neo.

"A quest... OH! Maybe from Big Sister Lilith! Yes, I have some invaders from the Gods of Light. You're here to help?" Her eyes sparkled in curiosity.

"Hm? Unfamiliar name.. Eh, roll with it.. Yes! I'm here to drop a mother-..lover. Gotta be fast though, I was tortur-interrogating someone who irritated me" Neo explained while her hand involuntarily pet the mass of fluff that was the girl's tails.

"Ah! Sister Artoria does that once in a while as well. Mostly when someone insults me though. Let's go then!" She excitedly exclaimed before snapping her fingers sending Neo out of that space and appearing somewhere else entirely.

"Artori- Ah.." Neo blinked rapidly as she was again transported into another place.

One that seemed pretty familiar. She came face to face with a rustic wooden sign she read aloud.

"Goodsprings.."