Velvet limped along, leaning against Yatsu, who wasn’t in much better shape than she was. Still, his strong arm around her shoulders did more than keep her moving—it held up her spirit. Yatsu and the rest of her team made Velvet feel safe, even while they were facing the greatest danger of their lives.

But she also felt guilty; if Yatsu had to take care of her, it kept him from saving other people who needed him more. So far they had rescued seven frightened, hurt tourists and citizens, who were now following them to the docks. But there were plenty more out there waiting for someone to help them.

“I’m fine,” Velvet lied. She felt as if she’d been hit by a truck, which was close to the truth. “We have to make sure everyone evacuates.”

“An Atlesian Paladin punched you,” Yatsu said. “We must get you to the docks. You need medical attention.”

“Yatsuhashi’s right,” Coco said. She paused to fire her gun at a Beowolf. The bullets did little more than annoy it, but still created enough of a distraction for Fox to sneak behind and neatly slice off the Grimm’s head. Fox walked through the black mist to rejoin his team as the Grimm disappeared.

“Your Aura’s critical, Velvet,” Coco continued. With her Aura—the powerful, protective life force tied to everyone’s soul—at that low level, one more hit would finish her off. “If it hadn’t been for Weiss’s Semblance …”

“Who knew she could do that?” Yatsu asked.

By “that” he meant summon a massive sword and a giant, ghostly hand to hold it, from out of nowhere.

“It’s a Schnee family thing,” Fox sent telepathically, somehow managing to sound smug about it. “They can summon avatars of enemies they’ve beaten to fight for them. Handy, huh?”

Coco groaned.

- RWBY: After the Fall, Prologue