Hello! Welcome back!
I have a bit of news to everyone who follows my page here on Fanfiction. I'M BACK, BABY!
...for a little while. I have a confession to make: this story was on the writer's block for almost two whole months. Yeah, I got stuck. I've written a side-chapter for next week, but today's release is for three full stories. Fire Sword: Fated Incursion, RWBY: Miranian Wonders, and DOOM: Grim Tales of Vale all have a chapter that was added today. If you're interested in checking those out, I'm proud of today's update and I'm happy to share them with you. I can't promise that updates will continue at a weekly pace, but I'm writing all this week on these three stories whenever free time permits itself.
I've gone on long enough. Enjoy!
The sound of a distant engine roared across the sands as an All-Terrain Land-Roller (AT-LR) pulled around the bend. The dust around the vehicle kicked up, creating a huge cloud of debris all around it. The driver, Gwinn, was forcing the vehicle to its limits, trying to get to his friend quickly. Irina was in the passenger seat, holding one of the four delivery items in her arms.
As he rolled into view, he drifted to a halt and jumped out of the driver seat. Gwinn grabbed the briefcase behind his seat while Irina hopped out with the large black case with black shoulder straps. Gwinn opened the latch to the trunk and revealed the other two items: a set of silver and white colored boots and a large yellow backpack with black straps. N-Sight stepped up to the trunk and lifted the last two items from it, slinging the backpack over his shoulder and holding the boots in hand. Turning to the group, he motioned for Team RWBY to step forward.
"You ladies are going to love these bad boys."
Ruby stepped forward, unsure of his intention. "What are these for?"
N-Sight smirked. "May I introduce you to my latest Prototypes, the Salvations of Vale."
Ruby looked over to Irina. "Do you know what he means?"
Irina shrugged, setting the large box on the ground. "It's something he made recently."
N-Sight handed the boots to Weiss. "Each of these items are based off of your abilities Nagi detailed me about. Snow Angel, you may like these."
Weiss graciously accepted the gesture, slipping on the boots before tightening the clamps on them. They were surprisingly light, and their sleek design allowed them to feel natural and elegant, despite their extended height. Weiss tapped them to the ground, getting a good idea of how they felt.
Weiss looked back at the genius. "Okay, I don't get what they do."
N-Sight smirked. "You haven't noticed?"
Weiss took a step forward, then began sliding across the ground slightly. "What the-"
N-Sight chuckled. "The Glacial Greaves. They allow the user to slide across the ground similar to an ice skater on the rink."
Weiss was thoroughly impressed. "These should change up my attack routine for the better."
N-Sight snapped his fingers. "And they'll allow you to keep up with your team."
Blake stepped towards Irina. "Is this for me?"
Irina opened the box in question. "What's inside it is."
Blake looked for herself. Inside were two black wristbands similar to N-Sight's, and a solid black, metallic belt with a purple flower on the buckle.
Blake took out the belt. "Really?"
N-Sight chuckled. "It does way more that you'd think it would. The belt in your hands is intended to conceal the individual or make a visual copy of the user nearby. The wristbands allow you to create a more physical copy and control it."
Blake looked over the two items. "Do they have a name?"
N-Sight nodded. "They're called the Midnight's Temper."
Blake smiled at him. "Thank you. I'll use it well."
N-Sight turned to Yang. "For our blonde bombshell, I have the Lionel Shield." He slid the backpack off of his shoulder and handed it to her. "Once active, it deploys an invisible shield that absorbs projectile-based damage and turns it into extra power for the user. Having this will essentially be the same as your semblance."
Yang shrugged. "Why would I use this when I have my semblance?"
Ruby looked at her sister with a concerned look. "No, you don't."
Yang raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Ruby frowned. "We don't have our semblances. They won't work here."
N-Sight nodded. "While I can't replicate everyone's Semblance, I was barely able to recreate Yang and Blake's. Ruby and Weiss will need to go without them for now."
Yang nodded. "Good to know that I can still kick some butt!"
Gwinn handed Ruby the briefcase. "I have no idea what this guy does to get these things made."
N-Sight sighed. "Forty hours in the lab each week, forty hours as a Blade."
Weiss shook her head at that. "That can't be healthy."
Ruby opened the case. "What did you make for me?"
N-Sight didn't let her see before he started explaining. "That is the Rose's Wilting Sorrow. Forged it myself. This little device is unique in its own way, but you'll know what to do when you need it."
Ruby took it out. It was a small set of wristbands, this time colored to match her desired palate. They each were just Ruby's size and they clamped onto her wrists perfectly.
Ruby smiled. "Thanks, even though I'm sure we won't need them."
N-Sight shook his head. "Nonsense. With what these Prone are capable of, we'll need the extra help if we get into a bind. However, don't use it until absolutely necessary."
Ruby nodded. "What's the plan?"
N-Sight grinned. "Here's how we do this."
Atop one of the towers, two Marnuck Soldiers were keeping watch over the canyon below them. Both were lowly grunts, but they had high hopes for the rewards involving their current job. One of them, Ma'arv, was slightly apprehensive about everything. His buddy, S'ven, was relaxed, hiding his excitement at the job assigned.
Ma'arv finally spoke up. "S'ven?"
S'ven nodded. "Yeah?"
Ma'arv held his rifle outward, yet down and off toward the canyon. "Do you ever wonder… why we're here?"
S'ven scratched his head in confusion. "Do you mean metaphysically?"
Ma'arv shook his head. "I mean, why are we assigned here on this tower?"
S'ven shrugged. "We're just doing a job: shooting down enemies of the Ganglion."
"Well, yeah, but why aren't we invading the ship itself?"
"Better to destroy than recover?"
"But they're defenseless. If we wanted to, we could claim all of their technology and force them to work for us!"
S'ven thought about it. "You have a point. We're already at a technological advantage over the humans, so why not get an even larger boost by taking the Ma-non ship?"
Ma'arv nodded. "Essentially, we would eliminate the humans' one counter to us they could get."
S'ven shrugged. "Either the commander isn't thinking correctly, or he's got something else planned."
Ma'arv shouldered his rifle. "Hey, you mind taking over the rounds real quick? I'm going to go tell Drax what we've agreed upon."
Before either could say anything else, two quick plasma bursts went off. Both Marnucks' heads exploded and their bodies fell to the floor. As the two thudded on the metallic floor, a specific human began to appear as her invisibility cloak wore off. The human quickly tapped her earpiece as she pulled a few small, magnetic explosives from her pouch.
"Tower 1 is neutralized. I'm setting the charges now. How about you guys?"
Yang's voice replied through the earpiece. "Tower 2 is ours, but we're taking the heat!"
N-Sight chuckled. "I've cut the power source to Tower 3 and it's set to blow."
Elma's voice echoed her station. "Tower 4 is taken care of."
Blake shook her head. "Everyone meet up near Tower 2 so that we can get the rest of you all out of the fray."
N-Sight clicked his tongue. "Hurry back, Blake. Your partner needs you."
Blake nodded before placing the charges near the base of the turret. "Don't worry about me. I'll keep to the shadows."
Yang kept up her fire as Weiss rushed to her position. Yang was firing from behind a large crate that gave her a good amount of cover, but only could shield up to three people at once. As of right now, she might not be able to hold out for very long. Weiss skated past two Marnucks, tapping buttons on small ether grenades on their belts. As they focused their aim on the ice princess, the grenades exploded, sending both Marnucks flying in opposite directions from each other and burning their sides with the ignited energy.
Weiss managed to slide behind the crate where Yang was firing from. "There's about thirteen left. I won't be able to try that maneuver again." She looked over to the blonde bombshell's guns. "Judging from the looks of it, your guns are nearly depleted."
Yang shook her head. "I've got some spare clips left. I'll be fine." Yang ducked down behind the massive box as plasma blasts whizzed by. "What's our chance looking like?"
Weiss shook her head. "Not good, at least for now."
Yang shrugged. "Good enough for me." She tapped the button on her shoulder strap and a slightly golden aura surrounded her. "Time to test this bad boy out!"
Yang dove out from behind the box, both guns firing in succession. A few stray plasma bursts hit the shield around her and were absorbed by it. As the shield nullified the blasts, Yang felt a slight boost in energy from the shield. Yang rolled twice and sprinted off, switching clips and emptying them into the nearby Marnucks. Her shots hit dead center, instantly felling the offensive force where they stood. When only four remained, Yang slid to a stop, sliding her guns into their holsters.
Two of the Marnucks shrugged. In response to the human's peculiar motion, the Marnucks all stowed their blasters and drew different melee-styled weapons. Yang cracked her knuckles and took up a brawler's stance as all four aliens charged towards her. Yang waited for them to get within range of her before leaping into the air, cocking her gauntlets back and smirking at their futile attempt at fighting her. She dove towards the ground, sending her fist slamming into the face of a Marnuck, crushing his head and sending him flying from the impact. The three others were stunned by the punch, leaving Yang enough time to smack her fists into another one and launch him across the desert.
The two remaining Marnucks recovered from their surprise, both brandishing their swords, one plasma blade and one metallic blade, before charging at the blonde bombshell. Yang readied herself for their attacks, but before they got close enough to strike, two loud shots rang out. The Marnucks both instantly dropped to the ground, their heads hollowed out by a smoldering plasma burn.
Yang looked up to see Emm's pistol smoldering from the plasma bolts. "I thought you could use some help," the newcomer stated.
Yang smirked at her. "I could've taken them."
At this time, Blake, N-Sight, Lin, and Elma were all reaching the group. "Any signs of those alien scum?" Emm greeted.
As Weiss stepped towards the group, Elma replied. "None that pose a threat or noticed anything about our presence."
Weiss looked around at them. "Are all of the towers set to blow?"
N-Sight nodded. "All charges are accounted for and set to blow on my mark."
Yang smirked. "We did this faster than I expected."
Weiss immediately gasped at that. "Speaking of speed, where's Ruby?!"
Emm shrugged. "She was just behind me a few minutes ago…"
At that moment, Ruby's voice came through their earpieces. "Where are you guys?! I may need some help!"
N-Sight answered her. "We're at Tower 2. Where are you?"
Ruby's reply came through in raspy breaths. "I'm not too far from you guys. Be ready to fight when I get there!"
Weiss looked surprised. "Ready to fight what?"
Her answer was, indeed, right around the bend. Ruby sped around the bend about a hundred yards away, hoofing it as fast as her body could go, but not nearly as fast as she could with her semblance. Trailing her were two large black flying robots, each sporting some plasma cannons, and a 150 foot tall Vigent Tyrant. While the two ganglion robots wouldn't be a walk in the park, no one was thrilled to see a Vigent out here on Oblivia.
N-Sight instantly recognized it. "Crap! That's one Tyrant I'd rather not fight!"
Elma grimaced as the group got into combat positions. "Care to enlighten us?"
N-Sight twisted his plasma-bracers and activated the blades. "This thing is Barnabas, the Despot. He's taken down advanced Skell units on a weekly basis. We normally just run away if he gets too close, but we're going to need to fight it if he gets too close."
Yang popped her knuckles. "Bring it on!"
N-Sight held up his hand. "He may have noticed Ruby, but he seems to be focused on the Ganglion Skells. If we can force them into a fight, we may be able to flee while they're preoccupied."
Emm shrugged. "It's worth a shot."
N-Sight tossed a trigger to Blake. "Blake, that trigger detonates the towers. Pop that down once we're clear of the area. Emm, you and I are going to be bait. Everyone else, run while you can."
Weiss widened her eyes at his command. "Who are you to order our team around like this?!"
N-Sight sighed. "You're just NOW not okay with that? We've enacted this whole mission with me as the designated leader. Or are you volunteering to be bait, heiress?"
Elma shook her head. "No time left. Good luck, you two."
At that, the five members rushed off, leaving Emm and N-Sight alone as Ruby rushed towards them. "Ruby, did you hear the whole thing?"
Ruby replied hastily, but kept running. "Yeah, I got it. I'll leave these to you."
N-Sight leaned towards Emm, who had drawn her katana. "So, do you think 'Flaming Glass' will do the trick, or should we wing it?"
Emm shrugged. "Just wing it. These guys aren't too tough, but if we make ourselves a threat, they'll shoot on sight."
N-Sight nodded. "Took the words right out of my mouth."
Team RWBY, Elma, and Lin were able to reach the Manon, letting them know they would be able to fly shortly. Once the Manon retreated to their ship, the comlinks all went off.
"BLAKE!" N-Sight shouted through the headsets. "BLOW THE TOWERS!"
Blake winced from the sharp voice. "On it!"
Clicking in the trigger, all four towers blew up in a plume of fire. In the midst of the explosion, N-Sight and Emm emerged using their flight packs to cross the terrain quickly. Behind them, the Vigent was in hot pursuit, but his sights were set on Emm.
Ruby spotted this first. "Emm! He's on your tail!"
Emm looked back over her shoulder, but only in time to see the Vigent's auburn fist fly into her chest, launching her the rest of the distance towards her friends. N-Sight ducked as the Vigent swiped at him and managed to avoid getting thrown. At this point, Barnabas gave up on fighting him and ran back to his territory.
Emm rolled four times when her body hit the ground, her right arm clenching her left shoulder. "Elma! Lin! Help!"
Elma rushed over and righted Emm where she lay. Emm's arm had been ripped from its socket, laying next to her on the ground. Slow spurts of a blue liquid came from the gap in her torso. Electrical sparks were covering the hole and her eyes were clenched in pain. Team RWBY stood shocked by what they saw. Lin and Elma knew what they were looking at.
Elma took action. "Lin! Call for evac! We need a sealant patch and a replacement left appendage."
Lin quickly typed in orders to NLA as N-Sight landed. "How bad is it?" N-Sight asked.
Emm winced at him. "I'm not...dead...not yet…"
N-Sight rushed over and fished out something from his belt. "Crap! I knew that was a bad idea!"
Ruby stepped forward. "What's going on?!"
N-Sight spun his head to face her. "Ruby, I'll explain later, but I need your team's help!"
Yang's eyes went wide. "What can we do?"
N-Sight looked at her with a commanding presence. "I need the repair parts inside your pack. Hidden compartment."
Team RWBY was standing outside of the Mimeosome Maintenance center. All of them were concerned for their friend and stunned by the revelation they had previously witnessed. Weiss had her arms clenching her chest, scarred by the prior occurrence, with Ruby looking down at her partner's hands, unsure of how to comfort her. Blake was gripping her left wrist with her right hand, nervous about whether or not her curse had followed her here. Yang was currently pacing back and forth anxiously, her anger at herself nearly consuming her inner thoughts, but her judgement told her that getting angry would rile the team up for the wrong reasons.
After what seemed like an eternity to them, N-Sight stepped outside, Elma and Lin remaining in the facility and Emm most likely still in the sickbay. "We're lucky that Emm can take a beating worse than that and still keep kicking. She'll be back in action in a few hours."
Ruby sighed in relief. "Thank goodness."
Weiss stamped her foot down, an angry glare replacing her concerned expression. "Don't give me that crap! Something's afoot and I'm going to find out what!"
N-Sight crossed his arms. "I suppose after today's events, you four deserve the truth."
Blake's bow twitched. "What truth?"
N-Sight nodded. "You four may be the last huntresses of Remnant, but there's more to the survivors than you may realize. In short, we're not human, or Faunus in your case, Blake."
Blake glared at him. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
N-Sight quickly raised his arms in a defensive gesture. "Nothing of the kind, my friend, but we're not exactly organic, if you get it."
Weiss managed to catch on. "You mean you're all robots?"
N-Sight shook his head. "Close, but we're more or less human minds within robotic shells. You four aren't exactly organic either, but your bodies are being kept aboard the White Whale's life support system in the Lifehold."
Blake pondered the special treatment. "Why are our bodies kept aboard the Lifehold?"
N-Sight scratched his chin. "Something along the lines of not being able to fully replicate your bodies or something. I'm not quite sure what it was exactly, but due to the nature of your stasis aboard the lifehold unit, your mimeosome bodies are connected to it via a long-range transmitter."
Yang placed her hands on the sides of her head, shaking it back and forth. "This is a lot to take in!"
N-Sight nodded. "I know. It's why only certain people in NLA know about this."
Weiss crossed her arms. "Limited resources from earth?"
N-Sight smirked. "You catch on faster than I expected. Still, your real bodies are being kept in stasis by the lifehold itself and our mimeosomes are connected to it as well. If it runs out of power, all of the human race dies out in a matter of minutes."
Ruby started biting her nails. "So, if we don't find the lifehold…"
N-Sight glanced at the tower. "The percentage shown on the tower is a display of how much power remains available to the lifehold unit. Once that reaches 0%, humanity has met its final hour."
Blake closed her eyes. "In other words, we need to find the lifehold to save us from extinction?"
N-Sight frowned. "Or at least find it before our enemies can destroy it."
Elma: Why do you keep those replacement parts in Yang's pack?
N-Sight: Repair parts, not replacement parts. They're in case something like this happens.
Lin: She'll be up and running by next chapter, but she won't like her vulnerable disposition.
N-Sight: I'll talk to her. She'll be back to her usual self soon.
Elma: Good luck.
