Fox was down.

He lay with his face in the sand, his head throbbing. His right eye was swollen shut. He couldn’t breathe.

Something heavy—someone heavy—had gotten the jump on him. And now they were gloating.

“Get up,” the voice said. “So I can finish you off fair and square.”

It was Bertilak Celadon.

Sand and wind roared around them. The sand was already piling up on Fox; if he waited much longer, he would be buried.

Fox pushed himself up on his hands and shook his head. The earbud fell out of his left ear. He scooped it up, but he could tell it was broken. His right earbud was fritzing, fading in and out as Ada tried to feed him information on the man who was trying to kill him.

“Opponent: Six feet six inches tall. Two hundred and seventy-five pounds. Very fit. Weapons: Ball mace. Update: Spiked ball mace. Update: Spiked ball mace with chain. Likely projectile capability.” A bang, and then the sand exploded in front of Fox.

“You think?” Fox muttered.

- RWBY: After the Fall, Chapter 13