RWBY /c/ RoosterTeeth
What a Wonderful World...
Chapter 21
The last time Crystal Schnee had visited Vale, the city was still very much in ruin from the Black Vein outbreak that ravaged the country and the recovery efforts were... insufficient at best.
At the time, she had taken leave from her professional duties to help perform relief efforts across Vale and Atlas. A measure that helped strengthen the bond that existed between the two kingdoms immeasurably.
Now words weren't enough to express Crystal's delight and relief at the transformation.
To see that not only had the kingdom capital been restored to its proper glory, but it was thriving once more. Trade and commerce had returned with a vengeance, despite the loss of one of its primary agricultural hubs on the island of Patch.
Hope was not lost on that front however, it was no great secret that reclaiming that land was a dream that united all of Vale's citizens; Huntsmen, military and civilian alike. Crystal was well aware of the efforts and plans being set in motion, between the current Huntsmen initiates and the Kingdom's ruling council to recapture their lost territory. Whether or not those considerations would extend to Mountain Glenn however was still in a political limbo.
Crystal peered at the streets through the shaded backseat windows of a dark blue sedan and her pride in Vale's rebirth grew, the same pride she felt when she thought on Atlas' own reconstruction efforts.
The persistence and resilience of humanity is a remarkable thing to behold.
A delighted squeal came from the front passenger seat and Crystal felt a smile tug at her lips. Her four year old daughter stared wide-eyed at the new scenery, drinking in and pointing to every new sight in awe, expressing her excitement in the way only a four year old could.
"Winter," Crystal leaned forward in her seat, the little girl swivelled in her seat and gave her mother a shy little grin and giggle.
Like her mother, Winter's hair was snow white. Hers was chin length and part of it had been tied back in a half-tail with a blue bow. She wore her favourite deep turquoise dress with a white bow tied around the waist. Formerly clutched in her hand was a scroll set to play a children's spelling game, but it lay quite forgotten in her lap, abandoned in favour of perusing the streets passing them by.
"Having fun, little snowflake?" Crystal asked playfully, Winter gave a firm nod.
"Not distracting Mr James, are we?" The look of joy faded from the little girl's face almost instantly into panic.
"No Mummy! I'm not, I promise!" Winter yelped, her wide pleading blue eyes turning to Private James Ironwood sitting in the driver's seat. "I'm not, am I Mr James? I can be really quiet if you want me to."
"It's really no trouble at all, Ma'am." Private Ironwood insisted politely, his attention focused on the road but even from this angle, Crystal could see he was trying very hard indeed not to laugh at her little Winter.
Crystal reached over and playfully tapped her nose with a soft laugh, Winter scrunched her face up and rubbed her nose with her chubby fist. "I'm kidding, sweetie. Now sit back around and have fun for Mummy, okay?"
"Kay!" Winter sniggered, her eager smile in full bloom as she returned to her sightseeing.
She heard a low chuckle rumble from Ironwood's throat, but it was stilted and vanished so quickly Crystal nearly questioned whether or not it happened. Perhaps because he remembered whom he was chauffeuring at the moment.
Ironwood was a third year student at Atlas' Academy, and like many of the Huntsmen initiations native to Atlas, elected to complete his tuition as part of the Special Forces Branch of the Military. As such, missions like escorting diplomats, dignitaries and other important figures was part of their duties; and on this particular trip, Ironwood's Team IVRY served as her family's escort and chauffeurs. The rest of IVRY was put to use by making sure Jacques was... 'properly protected' from the hostile criminal elements of Vale's capital.
Crystal watched her daughter for a moment before her gaze returned to the window, a sombre shadow passing over her features. In truth, she was here on business but another far more personal matter was brought to the family's attention.
A matter by the name of Weiss Schnee.
The Deputy Headmaster of Beacon, Professor Ozpin, had sent a detailed letter explaining that the young woman had come into Beacon Academy's care. And while the envoy quite confounded Crystal and her father for a time, Nicholas Schnee proved most eager to meet this young Weiss.
However, with his failing health and increased support requirements these days, Crystal had offered to attend to the matter instead as his representative.
As much as Crystal wished this to have some kernel of truth, she had been a victim of cons and schemes before; scores of boys and men tried to find favour with her as a means to sidestep their way into her father's good graces - and into her trust fund accounts.
There was the possibility this was a genuine Schnee, and outside of blood tests, there was one surefire method of proving that; the Schnee's Hereditary Glyphs. But Crystal's previous experiences cast the heavy shadow of doubt on that fleeting chance.
Crystal peered out the window and saw the Professor walking down the street, as if he'd been conjured by her thoughts.
"James, pull over please." She instructed.
Ironwood obeyed with a dutiful 'yes ma'am' and pulled into the curb. Crystal rolled down the window and the old professor noticed her, accosting her with warmth.
"So wonderful to see a friendly face in Vale; How have you been Ms Schnee?" Ozpin greeted kindly.
"It's been quite some time, Professor. I've been quite well thank you, but I must admit I'm surprised to see you off Beacon's grounds. I'd of thought Headmistress Diggs was keeping you spectacularly busy."
Ozpin chortled, and Crystal noticed it was a touch forced; which sounded strange from the deputy headmaster. "Yes, she certainly does at that. I fear this is a bit presumptuous but I'm afraid I've lost my taxi; would you be so kind as to give an old Professor a lift?" Ozpin requested with a warm smile.
"Of course, it's no trouble at all." Crystal answered with an equally warm expression, opened the door wide then shifted to the other side of the car.
"Ma'am?" Ironwood questioned curiously, Crystal simply lifted her hands in a light shrug.
Ozpin appeared poised to get in before remarkably, two offices - dressed in garb that could only belong Vale's military - approached. Crystal blinked, and peered back where she saw other officers on the street, all of them trying and failing to act furtive in this situation. Ozpin straightened his back.
"Is there a problem, officers?"
"Professor Ozpin, I presume." The short stocky one asked in a deep baritone.
"Yes, may I help you?" Ozpin answered back courteously.
"We're under orders from the Vale Kingdom Council to detail you, sir." The other one said, a hunking gorilla of a woman.
"May I ask what this is about?" Ozpin inquired, tilting his head to the side looking politely perplexed.
"The Council has some questions for you sir, that's all we're permitted to say." The female officer grunted, looking vaguely perturbed.
"Well…" Ozpin began ponderously. "I can't very well ignore the summons of the council. Please, lead the way."
The Professor closed the door firmly after nodding his farewell and spoke to the officers, accosting them in his typical affable manner. Crystal frowned at what she'd just witnessed, continued to watch the scene of barely disguised arrest even as the sedan pulled back into traffic. She peered at the empty space beside her and noted the unnaturally deep depressions in the chair cushion.
"That's quite a wonderful trick you've managed to perform. A rare dust type, I imagine?" Crystal mused stoically.
"Not rare, just not particularly easy to manufacture." A voice answered back jovially, giving Ironwood a fright. Mercifully, they were stationary at traffic lights, so the young Private wasn't able to do anything to cause an accident.
Crystal pointed two fingers to the space beside her, a dark green nullification glyph formed on the seat and rose slowly. Like lifting a veil, the glyph revealed a man with greying black hair, dark green sunglasses and a neatly tailored dark suit sitting in the backseat.
The form of Lanthus Altius gazed back at her apologetically.
"Wha-?!" Ironwood gasped, catching glimpse of Lanthus in the revision mirror. He spun in his chair, whipping out his hand gun intending to aim at the intruding Huntsmen, but his kneejerk reaction was cut off by Crystal's assurance.
"Stand down, Private. He's a friend," Crystal leaned forward once more, placing a gentle hand on Winter's shoulder who was engrossed in her scroll game.
"Winter, sweetie, would you put your headphones on for Mummy? We have to talk about grown up stuff."
"Okay!" Winter chirped in the front seat, doing as her mother instructed.
Ironwood looked between Winter and Crystal, then his skeptical eyes landed on Lanthus. With a tense nod, he holstered his handgun and refocused on the driving.
Lanthus smiled softly at the young child, then turned to Crystal. "I hear congratulations are in order. I hope you're more effective at your new position then your predecessor."
"I hear that the local law enforcement is looking for you." Crystal shot back in a snarky tone. "Now tell me why I just risked my freedom and newly christened position just to save you?"
Lanthus nodded slowly, "First, I have apologise for the presumptuousness of this meeting but I need your help."
"In regards to what?" Crystal questioned, her arms folded and eyebrow raised. "I assume it has something to do with the theatrical performance we just witnessed, yes?'
Lanthus' expression turned grave. "Beacon Academy is under attack as we speak, and I need to get there as quickly as possible if we stand a chance of capturing the person behind it. And to clear Ozpin's name."
Crystal didn't hesitate as his words.
"You heard the man Private, to the docking port." Crystal ordered sharply, her tone taking on a cool professional detachment.
"Yes Ma'am." Ironwood performed a U-turn as soon as he was able.
"Now tell me what exactly is going on. And spare no details. I want to know everything you have and who is responsible for this attack." Crystal instructed sternly.
"That's…" Lanthus paused, casting a wary eye to the Private, who did a poor job of hiding the suspicious look he was casting the Huntsmen in the revision mirror.
"James can be trusted," Crystal vouched. "Speak."
"To be honest with you, I don't have the complete story myself." Lanthus admitted heavily.
Crystal nodded once in understanding but pressed the matter. "Then give me what you're able; working on limited information is better than charging in blindly, I'd like to know at least some what to expect."
Lanthus exhaled a sigh of relief, offering the woman a grateful smile. "It's a bit of a story, General. But I'll fill in what I can and make it quick."
One minute was dead silence, the next was an explosion of calamity. A horrifying visage unfolded before their very eyes. The amphitheatre was frozen cold seconds ago, tension through the crowd of Huntsmen initiates like coiled vipers ready to strike.
Now all of that energy was gone. Replaced with unrestrained panic and rampant hysteria.
Piercing screams of pain and anguish echoed off the chamber's walls to the terror and confusion of some, horror and disgusted realisation of others. Almost half of the students doubled over in pain like none any of Team RWBY had ever heard or witnessed. All of them clutching some sort of extremity or their head.
Some buckled to their knees while their other teammate gave them all a wide berth, their weapons moving from the Headmistress' position on the stage to defensive postures against their own screaming brethren.
"What the hell is this?!" Yang shouted.
Ruby frantically searched her teammates faces for understanding, each of them reaching for their weapons and quickly searching for a safe spot away from the chaos rapidly growing worse by the moment. They reached for their weapons, deploying them for defense.
"I-I don't know!" Ruby answered back, her silver eyes frantically searching for Zane.
He stood in the row before them, Ymir had her battle axe over her shoulders with a grimace, Clay with a pair of hand-scythes on his right hand and his left pressed over his nose with a sick look. And Nym had disappeared somewhere behind her teammate's taller frames.
ZPYR's Captain must have answers after all, he had to! He was the one who warned them something bad was about to happen, and told them to bring their weapons. But the hope he would be forthcoming with them grew more vain as the seconds dragged on.
To Ruby's horrified realisation; he was one of the huntsmen toppled over, both hands clasped over his right eye and strange vein like markings spread from under his hair and down his neck. Similar markings, like raised bumps under his skin, appeared on his right hand. His entire body spasmed before with the hall went quiet. The screams dying down into silence and those who were screaming no longer did.
"What's going on?" Weiss demanded to the remaining members of ZPYR.
Blake glanced around, looking pale as snow with her hand pressed to her nose. Whatever she had been smelling reached unbearable levels. Tears even formed in her eyes.
"It smells disgusting." She explained at Yang's worried look, "Like rigormortis."
"You guys, run!" Ymir barked, her face contorting in discomfort.
"Not until you tell us what's going on!" Yang demanded.
But before she could even finish her words, Zane lunged towards Ruby with an unholy screech that rivalled a Nevermore. A savage feral look marring his features, the kind of savagery far more suited to a Grimm's visage than a Huntsmen's. Ruby raised her scythe to block, but wasn't fast enough.
"Zane NO!" Ymir cried, but it was too late.
Deliverance came in the form of CJ, who slammed the blunt of his chainsword down on Zane's arm - the resounding snap clearly sounding a break. At his left hand, a series of small blue hexagonal shields formed in layers stacked over his palm. With a great shout of effort, CJ slammed his semblance against Zane's torso - the force taking the wind from the possessed Huntsmen's body.
Ruby heard him give and involuntary shuddering gasp as the blow. The glowing hexagonal plates flickered for a second before they shot out like a coiled spring released, blasting Zane across the room, knocking another misfortunate huntsmen initiate on her back. She too was similarly infested by the black growths.
"What in hell are you doing?! Defend yourselves!" CJ turned to ZPYR. "Restrain him, then stick to the plan."
Nym dropped to her knee, her hand pressed against the ground. As if responding to her will, or more likely in this chase, her semblance, the ground shifted like liquid rippling. Four tendrils of concrete reached up and curled around Zane's wrists, anchoring him to the floor even as he thrashed in the bindings.
"Huntsmen!" CJ roared above the crowd, his fierce commanding tone instantly gaining the ear of everyone not consumed by this disgusting infestation. "Slash their tendons or break their bones! We need to keep the infestation contained, they must not be permitted to escape the school grounds! Aim to disable but fight them as you would any other Grimm! They aren't our friends anymore!"
He was met with battle cries and roars of assent. For STRQ! For AZTC! For Carmine! All of them echoed by the sound of steel clashing against steel, and destruction.
"What the HELL is going on!" Yang demanded again, barely containing her panic at the situation.
"Diggs is a treacherous bitch who sent our friends to die." CJ replied, parrying a stroke from another infested student and repeating the same action with his semblance to blast them back.
"Come closer!" He ordered Team RWBY, backing towards them.
Grasping his chain sword with both hands, CJ inhaled deeply and gathered the full might of his aura. With a flourish he pointed the blade downwards and plunged it deep into the stone. His hexagonal shield semblance forming and overlapping with each other like tiles before they formed an impenetrable light dome.
"Scales - To me!" CJ barked his order. One of his teammates, a pale skinned faunas with claw-like braces and a lizard tail, backhanded his foe, spun on his heel and finished with a roundhouse kick to their head.
Seemingly satisfied at his last strike, Scales ran towards the barrier keeping his back to the dome and ready to defend.
"You called, Carter?" Scales tossed him a cocksure grin, a dissonant display against the chaos surrounding him.
"Check the ventilation systems. Find out what the smell is, and what's causing these guys to go nuts! And Dylan - take Tess with you. Agatha can make do!" CJ ordered, jutting his chin to the vents hidden above.
"Got it, Buddy!" Scales charged forward, dragging a girl with electric blue hair along with him.
It was now that CJ finally turned to address team RWBY.
"Look, we don't have time for us to get you up to speed. Just know that the bitch is responsible for the chaos we're facing now." CJ spat, already the first beads of perspiration forming across his brow.
"Chaos? You planned a rebellion!?" Weiss was aghast, "Against a Headmaster?! Are you insane? Aren't you already supposed to be trying to rehabilitate yourselves with this school? Not causing more felonies?"
"Hey Snowflake, we've been planning this coup for weeks," Already the strain from maintaining this barrier was entering his voice. The beads of perspiration slowly forming rivets of sweat, even as CJ forced a grin.
"Carmine, AZTC and now STRQ?" CJ looked up at the now vacant platform with a forced chortle. The headmistress had taken advantage of the confuse to escape. "That damn idiot just poured more fuel on the fire by giving us our rallying cry…"
"But why?! Wouldn't the kingdom question their Huntsmen students suddenly revolting against the headmistress." Yang questioned fiercely.
"Yeah, we figured we'd get into deeper trouble than most of us already are," CJ forced a smirk. "But considering the way this cow's been running the show at Beacon? Well - stemming corruption's always been a pretty thankless job."
"And no one told us?!" Blake snapped, "Don't you think there should have been more warning-"
"Really? Zane told you to keep your weapons on you." CJ gritted out, his exertion growing with every passing minute. "Honestly, we don't have time to go into the nitty gritties. So, if you're on our side; Go to the staffroom and get the teachers! - if not, vanish to the city. Don't get involved and we won't fight you!"
"We can't just let people suffer like this!" Ruby protested, "Our job is to protect people! We're can't just abandon them when they need us."
CJ cracked a grin. "Gods, exactly like your big sister, aren't you?"
"Well-" Yang started, then shook her head of the thought. An active battlefield was no place for such idle banter.
"I'm releasing the barrier on three." CJ warned them, "Make a break for it when I do, clear?"
"Clay! Go with RWBY, watch their six!" Ymir ordered, her gauntlet clad fist colliding against another student's jaw then following it up with a strike from the flat of her axe. The cat faunas nodded and bolted past, CJ's semblance vanishing as he passed by.
"Let's go!" Clay barked, and all five hunters made a break for the ampitheatre's main exit.
Another infested student took them by surprise, but their body briefly glowed purple and yanked backwards like tugged on a cable. Clay exchanged a look and a nod with the orange-eyed girl of Team ABYS before guiding RWBY away.
Clay barred the exit once they were out. Yang caught him by the collar and slammed against the wall. "What is going on?!"
"Yang!" Ruby protested,
"Yang please! We don't have time for this!" Blake took her by the shoulders, pleading silently for her to release Clay.
"Nothing, we're just tossing a delightful little tea party-" Clay explained pleasantly, before scowling furiously clearly in no mood for games. "-What the flying fuck does it look like?! Our goddamn rebellion's turned to shit, Diggs is escaping and she's been culling the students, team by team!"
Clay pried Yang's hands away with a surprising strength, he turned his amber eyes to each of them in turn before running towards the main school complex where the main staff rooms were located. "Look, ya want the whole story? Then help me get the teachers. Better hurry cause tick tock, the infected students ain't got a lot of time!"
Without much choice, Team RWBY followed the cat faunas who tore off his blazer and cap along the way, a pair of chains wrapped around his arms which attached seamlessly to the dark gray chain scythes gripped tightly in his fists.
"Start at the beginning;" Blake said as they sprinted across the grounds, "What were you trying to accomplish with this?"
"Tryin' our damnedest to get a corrupt psychopath outta power? Make way for someone who actually knows how to use it? Get revenge for all the poor saps she's led around by the nose? Protect the people we got left?" Clay shook his head, he laughed humourless breathless laugh. "We all knew we were probably gonna die if we tried. Frankly, we were pretty cool with that - but we had to kick the old bag out no matter the cost."
"And you thought that planning a rebellion was the best way to do it?" Weiss questioned, not quite believing what they'd been told.
"We got the entire student body to turn their swords against a single enemy on a united front, ain't bad for a group of teens I don't think." Clay shot back, grinning. "See, Zee-Zane found the Prof's body a couple weeks ago. He died from the Black Vein virus that snagged Vale and Atlas a decade or so back, but Diggs blocked him from even looking into it at every turn. He still looked into it anyway, and into her."
"You mean Professor Carmine?" Ruby interjected,
"That's the guy," Clay answered, "Granted, had the bitch not told Zane a thing - she wouldn't have drawn any suspicion to herself, at least where Carmine was concerned. And she'd be facing this a hell of a lot later."
"So she was trying to bring down the school?" Blake questioned, a faint horror entering her tone. An unsettling feeling washed over Team RWBY. The situation was eerily familiar, only this time it was from Beacon's very own Headmaster rather than the Grimm and White Fang. Frankly, none of them could tell which was worse.
"But why? That doesn't make any sense!" Yang demanded.
"Cause if Vale's walking the razor's edge between civilisation and collapse. If a Kingdom falls, that leaves a power vacuum that the other three try to cash in on. Tensions rise, nerves fray and pretty soon you'll have that one dipshit shoot the bullet that'll spark a second great war." Clay continued severely.
"You're saying the Headmistress wants to start a war?!" Weiss snapped, shaking her head in disbelief.
"It's as good a theory as any we got right now. I'm just making assumptions on the facts I see." Clay sighed, shaking his head. "Frankly, we don't know. We just knew she had to go, and we were willin' to die to make it happen."
"But what about STRQ?" Ruby asked, fear lacing her voice. "Team AZTC and Professor Carmine are gone, aren't they? Does that mean-?"
"STRQ's still alive - barely." Clay told them firmly, his amber eyes meeting Yang and there was a trace of something, it might have been dread. "The call ya saw me take in the workshop was from Tai. He's the one that gave the signal to rally - but STRQ 'emselves aren't coming. Qrow, Sum and Rae all had the Black Vein when they were midgets. Given what we're seein' back there, I wouldn't be surprised if -"
Clay's voice trailed off, he shook his head of those thoughts. "Near as I can tell, the only STRQer active is Tai, and the poor bastard sounded like he was in shit condition to put it mildly. So we aren't gettin' the calvary any time soon."
RWBY and Clay finally arrived at the professor's dormitories on the far side of the school, breathlessly panting as they weaved their way through the winding corridors. On the third floor, they arrived at the staffroom door, which was barred by several long metal beams, twisted and deformed in an unnatural manner.
"What the fuck?" Clay hissed, reaching to touch one with his fingers. He wedged his scythe blades into the gap between the wall and deformed metal like a fulcrum, then glanced to Yang. "Hey, Snapdragon, help me with this."
"Yeah, sure." Yang agreed quickly.
"How did this happen?" Blake questioned, shaking her head.
"I-" Weiss started, but her voice was cut off by an unnatural screech-like sound reverberated through the deserted hall, the very same sound they heard from the infested students when they started attacking. "What was that?!"
"Oh, total hell - one got out!" Clay hissed, yanking his weapons from the beams and readying them for a fight. "Yang, keep at it, okay? We'll protect you."
More screeches came and they all held their weapons ready in combat stances.
"More than one," Blake stated, a slight tremor in her tone. And her nose scrunched again as the disgusting smell returned.
"Three," Weiss noted, then shook her head, "No - four. I can't tell where they're coming from?"
Ruby had her scythe at the ready, trying to push her hearing to its limit despite the painful screeches. "We're-"
Her words were cut off when the roof above them buckled from an explosion. They all dove out of the way to avoid the falling chunks of debris. Ruby coughed, waving as much of the dust away as she could before climbing to her feet.
"Are you guys okay?" She called out, and was met with coughing and wheezes.
"Yeah, I'm getting there." Yang answered.
"Yes," Blake gasped.
"Give me a minute," Weiss said,
"Shouldn'ta gotten outta bed…" Clay whined.
Ruby chuckled tersely before her expression turned serious. Straining her eyes, she could just make out the shadow of someone stumbling to their feet in the midst of the plume. But their movements were jerky and unnatural, like a string puppet, as they gripped a hammer and held it aloft.
Another screech sound came from behind, and Ruby turned to face it with her scythe ready to defend.
Her silver eyes went wide in horror, her jaw dropping open at the horrifying visage before her. A Huntress stood before them, a zombie-like shamble in the way she stepped forward and vile black growths were visible across her exposed skin, spreading out from her sternum. Her bronze heels clacked hard against the ground, carrying a bronze buckler in one hand, red and yellow sword in other.
"Pyrrha?!"
Author's note:
Yay. An update!
Please Review and Comment. I welcome Criticism. :)