Chapter 25: The Fang Strikes
(Vale) (Highway)
Vale was war zone. The White Fang had come in hordes. Despite all the losses they sustained during the retaliation of the Atlesian military force, they still retained numerous members in which to lay waste upon the city. In every road fought a battle and in every district stood a war. Police and Atlesian androids alike rushed to different areas only to find mobs of discontented Faunuses laying siege to stores and outposts alike. One would say that the whole city was going up in flames.
But out of all the places in the city, none of the battles fought held a spark to the one taking place in the highway where a White Fang army stormed a small checkpoint in droves.
"Oh… no no no wait!" That was as far the White Fang warrior got when he found himself encased in ice along with three of his compatriots. Weiss wiped the sweat off her brow feeling the heat of this battle slowly creeping over. She has been fighting for about an hour since the first shot was fired. Normally a battle like this would be child's play for her. After all, her team had been through the ruins of Mountain Glenn with Dr. Oobleck and they fought against countless Grimm. But back then the attacks came weakly and with short breaks in-between. The White Fang however was another matter.
These fanatics were insane. They gave the girls no room to breathe and charged in like they had nothing left to lose. They only expected a few dozen of them to appear from the information they received. But seeing this flood of black, red and white come together meant that some idiot got that little detail wrong.
"There's no end to them!" The heiress complained crouching down for a breather, the Dust content in her rapier slowly depleting against the oncoming enemies. "Does anybody here have a plan here?"
"We keep fighting." Yang spoke up reloading the ammo in her gauntlets. "They're bound to give up eventually."
"You call that a plan?"
"I call it doing-something!"
Blake sighed. "Weiss has a point. We're just fighting the enemies in front of us. We need a battle strategy if we're going to win this match."
"Well, I'm certainly open to ideas!" Yang followed with an uppercut on the armored soldier who came her way with a battle-axe. "Ow… that one was tough."
But just as the three were about to duke it off with the next batch, a chirpy voice bellowed in from behind, followed up with a scythe coming down on the White Fang mob. Red flower petals spun in mid-air and a single red hooded figure crashed down, leaving her mark on the road.
"Don't you worry your pretty hearts my friends." Ruby spoke up pulling a V on one hand and striking a hero pose. "Wherever fiends and villains strike, whenever darkness comes, you can always count on your friendly neighborhood Huntress, Ruby Rose to be there to smite down evildoers!"
…
A rather awkward pause came as Ruby found herself standing atop the terrorists that her team was about to thrash.
"Well… if there's one thing…" Weiss grumbled a bit, standing back up from her rest. "… is that your sister really knows how to make an entrance."
"Ruby!" Yang rushed to her sister's side pulling her in to a tight hug. "Thank goodness you're alright. I was beginning to think you were in trouble."
"Ugh… sis… too tight!" Ruby pushed her sister off before she turned blue.
"Sorry. Just a little sisterly moment, you know?" The blonde bomber chuckled turning to the mob she just crushed. "So are you ready to join in on the fun? We could certainly use another pair of hands here and there's plenty of baddies to go around."
But Ruby quickly declined, waving her hand up at her team. "Sorry sis but we're on borrowed time at the moment. Listen… Jaune has a plan and we're part of it. Get the truck started. We're moving out on his go."
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"You really sure this plan will work Jaune?" Pyrrha questioned her leader as the two of them fought their way up the convoy. The number of enemies kept increasing but with the champion of Mistral at his side, the young knight hardly needed to worry.
"It's the only way." The boy answered back pushing a weakened White Fang soldier down. "If we stay here, we'll only get ourselves bogged down. I made some changes to our original plan but it should work. Once we get Torchwick away from here the rest of the White Fangs will follow. First thing's first. We need to regroup with Professor Goodwitch and the others."
Another batch of armored warriors cut through, their hidden eyes trained on the two Huntsmen before them.
"Hyaaa!" Pyrrha made true to her reputation and easily crushed the group. Jaune had to admit that his partner looked rather radiant while in battle. She was truly a goddess of victory. With a swing of spear/blade/rifle she easily mowed all the low lives within a fraction of a second. If the boy was just a tiny bit as skillful as her, he'd probably be useful on the battlefield, but right now his brain will have to suffice. Their lives depended on it. "That should be the last of them."
"Alright come on, this way." Jaune stated rushing. "Once we meet up with the rest we can get the heck out of here. We should be fine as long as we don't meet anymore of those guys bwahh!" He would've eaten those words if the top half of one of the Atlesian Paladins came crashing down in front of them.
"Woo hoo! Yeah that was totally awesome!" Nora's booming shout echoed across the battlefield, her childish laughter sounding out of place. "Hey Jaune! Pyrrha! Welcome back!" She hopped down to greet the two in the same childish manner. "Isn't this awesome? I took down 2 giant killer robots in one night. Today is just the 2nd best day ever!"
"Well there's at least one person here who's optimistic." Pyrrha muttered in disbelief. But Jaune intervened seeing as time was precious here.
"Where are the others?"
"The others?" The hammer wielding orangette blinked. "Oh you mean Ren. He's over by the front helping with Professor Goodwitch. Why?"
"Good enough. Everyone get onboard. We're leaving."
"I call shotgun!"
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Glynda was panting heavily at the time. Normally this wasn't possible for the workaholic mistress of Beacon but today seemed to be an exception. The wolf man whom she came to fight has somehow grown immeasurably stronger. A few minutes ago she was thrashing that man around like a rag doll but for some reason he went full berserk mode and made quick work of Team CFVY. Two of the sophomore students were down on the ground, their bodies broken from the fight. Velvet was trying her best to get them out of harm's way while Coco did her best to support the teacher from behind.
The chainsaw wielding warrior became frightening. Ever since his last howl, every blow he made felt like they could level a building down to the ground. Glynda threw in a few blows herself but all her attacks only made him flinch while he laughed off the pain.
"That tickles…" He chuckled under his mask.
"Then how about this?" Green eyes sharpened as it followed the wand trailing downward, freezing the area in a block of ice. However, those eyes widened in shock as the beast quickly tore through them with his bare hands.
"That trick won't work twice on me, witch." Came his snarling reply. Usually by now, Glynda's Huntsman instinct would tell her to escape and bring this fight to another place. However, the wounded and weary bodies of her students on the ground went against her better judgment. She had her sights fixed on the warrior as he spoke. "My turn…"
With devilish speed, the Faunus wolf charged at her, his chain-blade revving up readying to cut flesh and bone alike. Glynda formed a shield made of her aura but the man easily cut through them like hammer smacking on paper thin glass. Again and again her shield shattered to pieces, her aura reserves depleting to the red zone. Eventually, the wolf bested her defense and grabbed the woman by the neck, choking the very air she breathed.
"Ghh…ghaa!"
Velvet couldn't believe it herself. Ms. Goodwitch had been the pinnacle of fear and strength in Beacon since she arrived. She never imagined that same woman would be helpless against such… a monster.
The wolf raised the woman to the air, a grin showing itself visibly through the cracks on his mask, his free hand on his weapon promising a gory end to the Huntress in his grasp.
(Ironwood's Command Post)
"Glynda!" alarms began going off in James' mind as he saw the live footage projected on one of the monitors. He watched as his old friend was about to be publically executed. It was rightly impossible. He had known Glynda more than ¾ of his life. She was tough as nails when it came to combat. To see her defeated by such a rabble was unbelievable.
Watching her being tormented by this… animal was too much to bear. He gritted his teeth and dug his nails to his skin just to hold those emotions in.
"Should we send the special task force sir?"
"No…" He answered heavily. "Not yet."
(Highway)
Glynda's throat coughed at the man's vein popping hands. She made few attempts to free her body from his grasp but the Faunus' grip was tighter than a wrench. The warrior laughed at her feeble struggle and sounded rather amused as she breathed her last breath.
"Any last words?" The wolf asked with a humored tone, only to be replied with a green glare from the witch. "Fine then. Have it your way!"
But right before the chainsaw warrior could deliver the finishing blow, Ren's voice cut through. "Hey!" He spoke with his dual knife/gun trained at the man. "Put her down now!"
The burly man laughed for a moment, thinking before he complied. "Fine by me." He tossed the teacher off like a ragdoll letting her body graze on the floor before turning his full attention to the green garbed Hunter. "It'll be fun to see her expression as I slice you in half."
"Not gonna be that easy pal." Ren did not waste a moment in his attack. He tackled the man with lightning speed, delivering a flurry of kicks and slashes that would make mincemeat out of an ordinary man. Sadly this warrior was anything but ordinary as all his attacks felt like they were hardly doing any damage.
"Come here little man!" The wolf warrior went for the grapple but Ren proved far too agile to be caught by someone so unrefined. He pounce the man to the ground only to find him standing back up with hardly a scratch. A sneer escaped the burly soldier's lips. Not letting up, the wolf corrected his standing charging like a bull, swinging his chainsaw downward in a wide arch again to hit nothing but air.
He tried again and again and each strike he made was only returned with a blow that would've knocked sense out of him.
"Like I said: It's not gonna be that easy." A small grin flashed through Ren's lips. He wasn't the type of kid who would mock his elders but considering the situation they were in, he was prepared to cut his pride for a short while.
If this was a cartoon, the warrior's face would be beating red in anger by now. He roared out with all the fury he held but came to a quick stop when he heard a familiar machinery sound coming from Coco's direction.
"Hey dog breath. Aren't you forgetting something?" The fashionista smirked, her arms swinging up her revving chain-gun.
But the man simply laughed at her resistance remembering well how those bullets simply bounced off him the last time. "Didn't you learn from last time little girl? Your little peashooter can't do squat against me."
Coco didn't seem intimidated. In fact, her grin only grew wider in response. "You should know that… we girls have a knack of keeping surprises for men like you. Here… let me show you mine." Her hail of bullets followed afterward. The Faunus expected the bullets to bounce off just the same as the last batch. However he was caught by surprise when the bullets began to explode upon impact. Each round that connected with a hard surface created a small explosion but powerful enough to leave a mark of charred gunpowder behind.
After a few short seconds of endless bombardment, the Faunus got on his knees bearing the full brunt of the attack. Soon enough his mask fell off revealing a scarred man underneath. A brief pause followed as the barrage ended. The two Huntsmen felt a sense of victory loom over them. For a moment they actually thought that they won but the wolf man quickly dispersed those thoughts with his maniacal laugh.
"Was that supposed to hurt little girl?" He mocked at their efforts almost like an overpowered boss in an unfair video game.
But Coco's grin simply widened in response. "Nope. That was just a distraction."
"Huh?" The warrior's brow rose when he heard a loud engine noise coming from the front. Like a deer standing in front of headlights he froze in place as he cursed his easily distracted mindset. "You little piece of…" That was as far as he got before a truck slammed onto him sending the bloodthirsty warrior a few hundred meters away.
"Woo hoo! Take that… you!" Ren heard his childhood friend shout off from the driver's seat not really caring the dent she made on the hood of the truck.
"Nora?" It didn't take long for the green garbed Hunter to notice his teammates pouring from the back of the crashed vehicle. "Jaune!"
"Pyrrha, cover me." The blonde knight ordered which his partner quickly complied forming a rifle in her hand and firing it off on any stragglers left behind. By the time the boy reached the fallen Hunters his concerns grew. "Velvet, Coco, you two, get your team in the truck."
The two girls complied rushing both their teammates onto the back of the vehicle with a heavy heave.
"Ren, give me a hand with Professor Goodwitch."
The pink lock boy didn't take a moment to answer. Though it was rather unorthodox he had to admit that this little party crashing business was perfect timing. Much to Jaune's surprise, he found Glynda to be lighter than he expected. In fact, the woman almost was as light a puppy in his arms which was weird. Either she was eating grass for the last ten years or the blonde knight stronger than he gave himself credit for. Either way, by the time they stowed the wounded professor into the truck, they were gone.
"Grrrr!" The wolf Faunus gritted his teeth as he watched his prey escape. He cursed out loud as another truck drove pass him with a familiar heiress at the top sticking out her tongue in a childish mockery. "Don't think this is over!"
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"So far so good." Jaune said to himself as they put as much distance between them as the crazy mess behind. That battle was insane from beginning to end and he was more than happy to get away from it all. But as the boy turned to his comrades, he wondered if he was just making a bigger mess than the last one.
They had three wounded with them and apparently one of them was their supposed teacher who was supposed to be the best amongst all of them. This day was certainly going downhill and it was bound to get much worse soon.
"Are they alright?" Ren gestured to the two moaning boy on the floor.
Velvet shook her head in response. "They're badly hurt. Their aura took most of the blow but they'll need to see a doctor soon."
"I'm… fine… Little Rabbit." Yatsuhashi muttered painfully trying to ease her worries. "It's just a scratch. I just need… some rest."
"What he said." Fox implied raising one hand up.
Velvet grabbed the samurai's hand holding it tightly in her lap. "Easy there Yatsu. Don't worry. We'll get you some help soon."
Coco saw this and immediately got pissed. Though as much as it irked her to run off with their tails between their legs she had to admit that Jaune's little reckless dive saved their hide. If she and Velvet were forced to fight that man they'd be plastered all over the floor by now.
She sucked up her pride for a moment before asking. "Hey you. Jaune right? What are we doing here?"
The boy looked back at her dumbly before noticing the others doing the same. That was a good question, what were they doing here? Jaune's plan didn't really see this far into the future. He was so focused on getting out of that mess he completely forgot to add step 2, 3 and 4 in the overall idea of this escape. Now it seems like the gang was expecting him to think of the rest and fast.
"You're winging it, aren't you?" The teams turned to the newcomer who just happened to be Roman who seemed to be the only one enjoying this whole fiasco. "Oh this is rich. The whole Huntsman team are relying on little old plumber boy to save the day. This is gonna be a fun night after all."
"Be quiet." Pyrrha warned, her green eyes sharpening like daggers on the prisoner.
However Roman seemed hardly intimidated. He scoffed off her threat patting his suit with his chained hands. "Oh please lady. I've seen Death Stalker with scarier stares. Besides, don't you have biggest things to worry than little ol'me?"
Pyrrha raised a brow to that question for a moment before all eyes turned to Jaune whose scroll began to ring with Ruby's face on its screen.
"Jaune?" The lady in red spoke up on the speaker. "We… might have a problem."
"What is it?" He asked.
"We got baddies on our tail! Lots of them!" As soon as those words left her mouth, the truck was suddenly startled by the slamming of another vehicle that seemingly tried to ram them off the road. Jaune looked out the back and saw a whole brigade of White Fang soldiers riding on makeshift vehicles and Atlesian Paladins trailing not far behind. It was mad thinking that an organization bent on mankind's destruction would put so much time and resources to save one man.
"It Look like your little clean getaway wasn't so clean after all." Roman mocked them. "Just give it up kiddos, you're way out of your league. If you let me go you can all just merry on your way back to your little holes. I'd hate to see your pretty little faces splattered all over the road."
As much as Jaune wanted to hit the guy, he had to keep a cool head in this scenario. It was ironic how the kid who knew absolutely nothing would have to take charge of such a large scale operation? Maybe next time he'll consider suicide mission runs out of the picture the next time he goes on faking his transcript.
"Alright… I got a plan." He said finally.
"Oh? Does it involve you dying? Because I would very much like to—ow!" The criminal mastermind found himself bonked back at the Amazonian's spear.
"I thought he'd never shut up." Coco grumbled feeling a little irritated not being able to shut the man. "So what's the strategy, lover boy?"
Jaune looked back to his team and took a deep breath. As much as he hated this pressure, his team was counting on him. They can't revert back to their old cowboy-selves. If they were going to be an effective fighting force they would need guidance, and unfortunately for him, he was the guide.
"We go on with the original plan." The blonde knight said finally with a determined look in his eyes. "If we stick to the highway, we'll reach the Industrial District Prison. We just need to keep these guys occupied for as long as possible until we get there. Do whatever it takes to keep the White Fang from taking Torchwick. Got it?" The team nodded in succession. "Alright. Pyrrha, Coco, you guys take up top. Keep them off our backs as best you can. Ren and I will stay here to keep an eye on Torchwick. Velvet will tend to Professor Goodwitch and the others."
"Got it!" The two girls nodded back before taking their position at the roof of the truck.
"Nora!" Jaune called to the driver. "Stay on course until you reach the other district. Don't stop for anything!"
"Aye aye captain!" She said with a playful salute.
"Ruby, you clear on the plan?"
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"Loud and clear!" Ruby answered perkily on her side her eyes darting over to the fast paced cars overtaking them. She shifted her sniper rifle by the window and took a quick aim at her enemies. "Alright gang. Time for Operation: Flat Tire!"
"That sounds dumb." Weiss said plainly so standing on the roof of the near empty truck.
"Well it certainly sounds better than all the things she's been naming lately." Blake added before suddenly whisking over to one of the cars causing its occupants to startle. With a quick motion, the kunoichi wannabe unloaded a full clip from her pistol onto the engine forcing the driver to steer off ramming onto the force-field-fence. Satisfied, the girl quickly returned to her team in the same manner barely even breaking a sweat.
"Show off…" Weiss traded a smile with her teammate before grabbing her weapon and created a blockade made of ice that crushed one of the cars instantly.
The rest of the fight of Team RWBY could easily be described as a one-sided massacre at this point. Every attempt to cross them was met with gunfire and Dust cartridges that both burned and froze the attackers in place. If the teachers of Beacon could see them now, they'd be beaming with pride.
Not letting up Yang decided to join in on the fun slamming the truck onto an enemy vehicle sending it off the road with deathly wails coming from the passengers. Hopefully she'll remember to pass a bill to the Atlesian army to pay up for all the collateral damage she'd be doing afterward.
"Boya! Three points!" She cheered.
But the fight hardly seemed finished as Blake noted another group following not far behind. "We got another group at six o'clock!"
"I got it!" Ruby called out leaping from the passenger seat. "Weiss! Slingshot me!" The heiress complied quickly producing a glyph trapping her partner within. With a simple clock of her rifle and pulling out the blade from her scythe, the little red riding hood was turned into a human sized bullet with enough firepower to level a building. "Think you can make this shot?"
"Must you ask something so rambunctious?"
"Rambu…wha… is that a y…"
"Of course it is!" The snow angle shouted.
And like a ricocheting bullet fired from an improvised cannon, Ruby flung towards the White Fang group slicing the first car in half, another glyph appeared on her feet which sent her towards the 2nd and then 3rd. The White Fang soldiers barely had a chance to understand much less counter this attack when they quickly find themselves scraping their butts off the ground, their vehicles splashing all over with one guy practically holding onto the wheel as his car broke down.
"That's what you get for not wearing your seatbelts!" The red leader finished, raising her favored scythe up in cheer. But that joy ended rather quickly when Yang opened up.
"Uh… sis… hate to burst your bubble here but…" She pointed to the front car which they were following. As their attention turned to the front they quickly realize that there were more attackers trying to climb aboard Team JNPR's truck. It like a pirate chase… but on land.
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"Hyaaaa!"
Thwack!
"Bwahh!" That was the fifth opponent Pyrrha sent off. It was difficult to fight aboard a moving vehicle especially when the driver is a sugar induced gal with no sense or respect for the laws of the road. Pyrrha knew that the White Fang were desperate but right now she could probably say that they were tenacious. The Faunus-es were practically throwing themselves at her. She expected Coco's largely exaggerated cannon would be enough to deter any boarders but instead they simply jumped in like crazed maniacs without any sense of self preservation. It was as if these men and women had nothing left to lose and was willing to throw their lives away for the 'cause'. She would've complimented them on their bravery and determination, but seeing good men fall for such ruse was simply… too disgusting.
"Hey Pyrrha." Coco called out swinging her suitcase around smacking another fanatic off the roof. "Mind if I asked you something? You know… since it's just the two of us up here?"
"Huh?" The redhead turned a confused glance at her. "Are you sure that's wise? We are fighting for our lives after all."
"Yeah I'm sure. I mean… you and I never really get to hang out with one another until now so seeing it's just us girls here I thought maybe we could… talk."
"Umm… I supposed so. Is there something the matter?"
"Well… it's kinda…" The fashionista paused in her sentence before smacking another felon down the road. "No… never mind. It's stupid."
"No please. Go on." Pyrrha insisted firing a round off her rifle hitting the White Fang driver sending him and his team crashing. "You're right. We aren't usually together despite having the same combat class. I'm willing to listen."
Coco's cheeks beat pink pausing for a moment before deciding to go ahead with it. After all, they weren't exactly going anywhere. "Well… I was kind of wondering what's your deal with Jaune."
"What?!" Pyrrha flinched on her weapon missing a shot. "What… what do you mean?"
"I mean, you two are partners and all and you guys probably hang out more than other folks so… I was wondering if you two were an item."
"An… item?" The Amazonian thought on the word and immediately her cheeks turned to the color incoherent with her hair as she stuttered.
"You know. Are you guys… together-together?" Coco corrected before noting a sly White Fang soldier sneaking up. "Behind you."
Pyrrha responded with her shield sending the man overboard. "N… no of course not." She stuttered on her words. "Jaune and I are… not…"
"Really?" Her eyes widened behind her shades. "That's great! I mean… well… not for me of course. I was just worried that our little Velvet might have some tough competition in the game."
"Velvet!?" Pyrrha choked on the name and was about to ask when one of the cars started ramming its bumper onto the truck.
"Get the human!" The leader of the pack with deer antlers shouted with a fearsome tone before ducking back down to the sight of Coco's oversized gun. "Get away!" Easy to say, the car met a violent end being riddled with enough bullet holes that would make cheese jealous.
"Yeah, it's kind of embarrassing really." Coco added shyly speaking on behalf of her female companion. "I'll be honest. I don't really know what she sees in that guy, but she's head over heels for him. He seems like a nice enough kid to treat a girl right and I guess you could say he's pretty sweet when he puts his mind to it. I mean… he made this cute little stuffed doll one time before a mission and…"
"Wait." The redhead paused on her girl-talk, her mind suddenly racing. "Jaune made a stuff doll?"
Coco tipped her shades down in a nodding motion. "Yeah. It was pretty dorky but it was kinda nice of him. He made it into Velvet's shape with bunny ears. Who knew the kid could sew?"
Jaune can sew? That would explain how the boy has been able to handle all the tears on his clothes. Despite having only a few sets of clothes to match his own, the boy has been surprisingly resourceful on managing his garments. It would certainly explain why he had a sewing kit in his locker and why he spent some lien on some fabric down by the school supply store.
"I didn't know Jaune could…" Pyrrha was cut short when another dirt bag tried to get the best of her. She easily stopped his attack and tossed him away leading to several broken bones and possibly dislocation of the joints.
"You didn't?" Coco shrugged apologetically. "Oh well. So… does this mean it's alright for Velvet to go out with him?"
"Why are you asking me that?"
The gunwoman rubbed her head in embarrassment. "Hey I'm just looking out for the only other gal in my team. I just wanna make sure she's not going to have any problems going steady with that kid."
'I'm his partner not his mother' Pyrrha resisted the urge to say that. Her mind raced to the thought. Sure, she and Jaune weren't going steady but she'd be lying if she said that she wasn't the little bit interested in the boy. He was a goof and a dork for sure but he was kind and sweet and always there when things got heated and he was probably one of the rare few that actually look at her as a person rather than some goddess that most people came to worship.
But before the redhead could voice a change in her thoughts, a blinding flash of cannon fire whistled between their faces making the two Huntresses duck for cover.
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"Bwahh!" Jaune stumbled as the explosion shook the whole truck. "What the heck was that?"
Surprisingly it was Nora who noted the Atlesian Paladin on her side-view mirrors that was hastily making its way towards them. "It's another Giant Killer Robot! And it's got a Giant Killer Gun!"
"Yes Nora, we can see that, thank you!" Ren grumbled irritably. He saw the large walker rush through the road at inhuman speed which made it all the more intimidating. "That thing's got a giant pulse rifle! If we take a direct hit, it's over. We need to disable it quickly."
Jaune nodded in agreement as he held out his scroll. "Ruby. Can you take it out?"
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"We're already on it." She answered again putting her scythe down locking it on the roof of the truck. "Ice Flower!" Weiss complied with the ridiculous name and quickly created a glyph in front of the gun barrel. "Get ready Blake. The moment we slow it down, hit it with everything you've got!"
"Roger!"
And like a well-oiled machine, Ruby open fired onto the stolen paladin each shot of her rifle freezing a joint of the robot, robbing it of its mobility. The pilot, seeming irritated by this attack turned his attention to them.
"I think we got his attention…" Yang muttered to no one in particular before quickly using her driving skills to evade several pulse rounds. "Hey! An't that a bit overkill? We're driving a darn truck over here!" But the pilot could care less about her plight and continued firing nonetheless.
"Yang! Keep it steady!" Ruby urged annoyingly. "I can't aim if you keep swiveling!"
"Hey! You try dodging a giant space laser gun with this slow poke! Whoa!" Another shot came scraping the side of the truck turning her side-view mirror to charcoal. "Oh come on! Go faster you little piece of… come on you stupid truck! You call yourself a military grade vehicle? My dad's old fishing boat can go faster than you on land!"
"Ugh… guess we're doing this the hard way!" Weiss said with the same annoyed tone. She quickly summoned a glyph on the back of their truck and with a gentle nudge, created a blockade of ice which quickly tore through the paladin with relative ease. "That takes care of that."
But Blake noted one more car coming their way approaching with devilish speed. "Looks like we got one last customer."
Weiss nodded and immediately noted the driver. It was the chainsaw maniac. The pack leader of the White Fang. "It's that creep again!"
"What do we do?"
"We nail him!" Ruby instructed cocking her rifle to bear which Weiss immediately agreed. They fired a hail of different assortments of projectiles riddling the man's vehicle with enough damage to make any attacker fall back. But the Wolf was no ordinary man. He gladly took the hailstorm and propped out of his seat to fling a tube-like weapon from his back.
"Is that…?" Blake narrowed her eyes on him only to widen when she realize what it was he was carrying. "A bazooka!?"
"Abandon ship!" Ruby ordered in panic which the others quickly followed leaping off the truck before it went up in flames. The little red riding hood rolled on the ground a few times with her scythe falling next to her. She cursed childishly under her breaths as she watched the assailant drove off without much of a gloating face at them. "Ugh… everyone ok?"
"I'll live." Blake answered with Yang raising a hand in response.
"I am really starting to hate that man." Weiss followed patting the dust off her dress. "What's the plan now?"
"We have to catch up to them." Ruby insisted pulling out her scroll. "Let me call Jaune. He needs to know what happened."
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But it was a warning a little too late. By the time Ruby was able to relay the words to the boy, the wolf man had already caught up to them. His fearsome demeanor and chainsaw alone were enough to send shivers down his spine but for Ren, he saw more of an opportunity. As he studied the man he began to see the effects of the Black Dust. About an hour ago, Professor Goodwitch was creaming this guy with one hand tied behind her back but after he brought out that vial of Black Dust he instantly became an unstoppable killing machine. The works of that enhancing property could make a big difference in his research.
However, Ren's thoughts of progress were interrupted when the big bad wolf drove pass them ramming their truck off course.
"Oh yeah?" Nora challenged the brute with a wide-eyed grin, her hands tightly on the wheel. "Well two can play that game bub!" She immediately countered ramming her heavier vehicle against the wolf.
"Nora! Stop playing around!" Jaune barked.
"He started it!"
"Just keep driving. As long we can reach the other district, we'll be fine." But Jaune's hope of a quick end was dashed when he heard the revving noise of the man's frightening chainsaw. He saw the wolf's maniacal grin under his cracked mask and noted him aiming for the wheels, his expression promising a gruesome result. "Oh this isn't going to end well."
"I told you so." Roman added smugly. "Kids these days just can't listen to their eld—ow!" He was cut off by Velvet's palm strike. "You know, for an adorable rabbit, you're hardly adorable."
Before the team even knew it, one of the wheels burst with its rubbery material splashing everywhere. The truck tilted down on one side causing the whole group to stumble and Nora, being the driver began to swivel around like a drunkard.
Coco and Pyrrha who so happened to be outside barely held on when the fashionista decided to bail out. "Uh… I think this is the part where we jump!"
"I agree!"
The next scene onboard the truck could then be compared to that of a malfunctioning rollercoaster ride with no seatbelts going on the loop-de-loop. Panicked screams could be heard and bodies of heroes and villains flying everywhere each trying to find something or someone to hold onto. A full minute went by before the truck finally stopped, crashing on its side, its engine suddenly bursting into flame from the impact.
"Everyone… out! Now!" Jaune however surprisingly recovered faster than the rest of the team. Thankfully no one was seriously hurt though Yatsu and Fox will probably be feeling that crash once they wake up. Crawling out of the smoke, Jaune made his way out while carrying Glynda in tow. He quickly helped the others including Roman before the smoke became too much to bear. "Everyone alright?"
"Other than the headache I'll be getting when this is all over? I'm fine." Ren answered huffing and puffing as Nora helped him patting his back.
"I'm fine." Roman answered back unconsciously.
"We're good." Velvet nodded gesturing to her two wounded companions. "Yatsu and Fox will be alright. But they'll need a hospital."
"Jaune!" The boy turned to find Pyrrha and Coco running in their direction, a worried and relieved look on her face. "Thank goodness you're alright. I was worried. Are you hurt?"
He waved her worries off. "We're fine. But we need to get out of here before that big guy show up. We don't have a lot of time. We need to get off the road and get to the…"
"Correction." A voice interjected roughly from behind. "You have no time left." Coco whipped out her gun with the rest of the trainees forming around her in combat stances. Normally a 5 to 1 battle with Hunters would be overkill, but after seeing what the man could do, the students didn't seem keen on taking chances. "Give it up. This is the end of the line for all of you."
"Yeah, like I'm gonna let a creep with a mask tell me that." Coco countered spinning her gun chambers again. Even though she knew that the bullets will have little effect, it didn't deter her from trying. The Hunters agreed with her and prepared themselves for battle. The next scene could be compared to that of a western cowboy gun duel. The only thing missing now was a dust ball passing through. One side stood the heroes while the other corner stood the lone wolf who seemed to have proven himself far more skillful than anyone expected.
But before either side could make the first move, Roman's barking tone cut through. "Hey!" He shouted "This is a rescue mission, right? You're supposed to save me from them, not kill me you stupid mutt! Once this is done, I am so talking to your superiors about this!"
"Be quiet." The wolf warned making the prisoner whimper at the tone. "You're lucky they want you alive. If it was up to me I would've let you rot back in your cell after what happened in the tunnels."
"Hey you wanna start placing blames, I got four girls, a mutt and a caffeine induced lunatic who I can introduce you to. Just hurry up and get rid of these runts and we can be on our way!"
The big man scoffed. "Fine. This will be over in a minute."
Jaune noted his stance and knew immediately that he wasn't going to stand a chance with that guy. He looked to his comrades and quickly grabbed Roman by his suit which he grunted before speaking. "Pyrrha, Nora, take him down. Ren and Coco, cover them!"
"Roger!" The team obeyed and quickly charged forward in synch. Pyrrha delivered a flurry of slashes from her blade while Nora easily provided the blunt force with her hammer. They pounded the man in every way possible and would've easily knocked him out yet for some reason he remain standing. It was as if they were having a fight with the most stubborn rock that refuses to move or give an inch of footing to them.
"Haaaa!" Ren saw a chance and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to his face smashing whatever was left of his mask. They expected it to deal some damage but what they saw underneath, frightened them even more. "Wah…?"
The whole gang flinched and even Roman seemed rather surprised from it. The wolf man's face was like that of something from a horror movie. Veins and muscles were protruding from his skin putting focus on his old war scars, his eyes were bloodshot red and his fangs looked like they were rotting. He looked like someone who was given the false secret of immortality and remained that way for eternity.
"What in the world?" Ren, taken back by such horrid sights barely had the chance to analyze his opponent's features when he felt the man's knee connect to his stomach. "Gahh!" It was then followed an elbow jab and a wide swing from his chainsaw sending him half way across the battlefield. It was a combo powerful enough to knock him out of the fight.
"Ren!" Nora, worried for her childhood companion rushed to his side in a flash, her natural happy-go-lucky demeanor vanishing for a period. "Are you alright? Speak to me?"
"Ugh… that… really hurt." The boy was able to speak much to the girl's relief. Luckily his aura was able to absorb most of the impact but his clothes were another matter entirely. "Don't worry about me. Just… be careful… ugh…"
If there was a time when all life form should fear it would be the time when Nora Valkyrie was angry. She's cute and cuddly enough when she's in her usual happy-self but when the rage starts, it was best not to get in her way. Grabbing her hammer, and fueled by the rage burning within her breast, she eyed her opponent who simply snarled back at her like an animal accepting a challenge.
"You're gonna pay…"
"Nora, don't!" Jaune warned but his words fell to furious ears.
"Raaaaaaahh!" Like a rocket the orangette launched herself with a pull of the trigger. She smashed her weapon over and over against the brute like hammer hitting on an anvil. The strength she put in those hits were thrice stronger than what she normally placed and each one can be heard with a resounding 'thunk' noise behind them. To say the least, that man should've turned to paste right now yet still he stood there, grinning all the while.
"I actually felt that." He snickered lowly before repeating his choke hold maneuver. However this time, Nora avoided it switching to her grenade launcher and unleashing her Dust filled cartridges on him. "Arghh! Wh… what the?" Much to everyone's surprise, the wolf man had a reaction. His body felt the pain surge from the blast and was beginning to waver from it. They never imagined Nora's explosives would actually make a dent in his armor. Finally the man went on his knees, his nose suddenly bleeding from the constant fighting.
Pyrrha saw an opportunity presenting itself and immediately rushed off to deliver the finishing blow. She knew that if they could beat this wolf man then their mission would be a success. The rest of the White Fang will have no choice but to surrender and return to a state of dormancy until this whole thing blows over.
"Pyrrha! Look out!" But just before the girl could land that hit on her opponent, Jaune's voice caught her attention directing her eyes to the side where a crimson blade flashed. Luckily she was quick enough to dodge it only allowing the sword to trim the edges of her hair. She withdrew from the attack making room for herself and her new opponent but what came next caught the rest of the gang by the heart.
Standing there with his blood-soaked katana with matched his hair and a mask distinguishable from afar, was none other than the Faunus they had been warned about. The man who had proven to be far more skillful than the ordinary Hunter, the man who was known to be both a hero and a villain of the White Fang.
Adam Taurus.
In an instant, the air around the battlefield froze. Everyone could feel it. Ren's body shivered at the thought and his fear numb the pain in his body. Coco barely even realized her hands her shaking until she noticed her gun following suit. The mere presence of that red haired swordsman was surreal. Jaune could hardly focus on anything other than his red stained blade. It was as if he was standing in the presence of a living-breathing grim reaper, death incarnate. Even though his eyes were hidden underneath that Grimm mask, it was still enough to make his boots glue themselves on the road.
Only Pyrrha seemed to be the one who was less affected. The bloodlust she felt from that man would've paralyzed an ordinary fighter. She was again thankful to the teachings of her tutors. If it weren't for them she probably would've crushed by the mere presence of such terror.
The crimson swordsman returned to his natural stance, his sword returned to its scabbard. He scanned his surrounding, only to find a weary and wounded companion by his side. "Having trouble?"
The red eyed warrior scoffed at his inquiry. "The children proved… resourceful. You sure took your sweet time."
"I was assured that this would be handled." Adam countered ignoring the others. "And here I find you on your knees against some kids." There was no excuse the wolf man could offer. He could only sit back with his broken body in agony.
"Uh… hello?" Roman's wimpy voice cut through once again calling out to his would-be rescuers raising his cuffed hands to prove a point. "Yes. Sorry to interrupt but you do realize that I'm still a captive here and I do mind if we can just hurry things along. You do remember that we're still on a battlefield here!"
An invisible brow rose from Adam's face. "You must be Roman…"
"Yes that's me. The guy you're supposed to rescue. The guy who your little mutt friend over there nearly killed me! Seriously… out of all the fighting, you just show up now?! What in blazes took you so long? Did you have to get your nails done before finally coming here!?"
A scoffed escaped the red swordsman's mouth as he turned back to his wolf companion. "You never mentioned he had a loud mouth."
"He has his uses so we tolerate it."
Looking around, Adam saw his challengers. A Faunus was treating the wounded in the background and didn't seem keen on joining the fight. The knight at the back was holding onto Roman and judging from how he was able to order those around him, he assumed that he was the leader of this lot. He hasn't drawn his weapon so he wasn't going to fight. The only real threats were the gunslinger, the Amazonian and the Valkyrie holding in line. He could take them down easy… but he'd rather not break a sweat if it could be helped.
After a quick glance at his opponents, Adam spoke. "I'm going to say this only once: Give us your prisoner… and the rest of you can go home."
"Not happening bub." Coco challenged, breaking out of her frightful trance. "You want your little pal back, you're gonna have to take him." Nora and Pyrrha seemingly agreed with her.
Adam looked back, his brow again raised. He was certain that his bloodlust would've been enough to scare these children off but then again… Huntsmen and soldiers were entirely different in terms of strength and skill. He let out a chuckle, almost humored by their defiance. "Very well then… have it your way."
…
…
…
A dry and uneasy pause fell upon the battlefield. For some reason, Jaune wanted to run. His body tingled with the sensation of fear striking every part of his nerves. Just standing close to this fight made his courage falter and his heart waver. It was frightening to feel such presence nearby. It was as if every cell in the boy's body was screaming at him, telling him to make a break for it. But alas his fear was the very thing that kept his body frozen in that spot.
Pyrrha let out a small nod to her team giving a voiceless order to surround Adam hoping to strike him on three sides. With Nora and her holding him down in melee and Coco providing support, the three of them should be enough to match his strength. If the rumors of his strength were at least half-true, then he might as well be the toughest opponent they faced.
As the three-lady Huntsman team surrounded Adam, they braced themselves for the fight of their lives.
"Haaaaa!" Pyrrha struck first from the front charging in clashing her weapon against the crimson swordsman. The two warriors traded blows, with the Amazonian faring well against her opponent. However, it became evidently clear that Adam was truly on a league of his own. Jaune recalled Professor Ozpin's words when he gave them their mission. Adam Taurus was someone they stood no chance against. He was clearly on a league o his own, with none of them seemingly capable of harming him.
But just as the boy quivered with fear, something in his head suddenly knocked loose. A memory of sort, a piece of a forgotten past. Something about this scenario felt familiar to him. This wasn't the first time Jaune had witnessed this fight. No… this wasn't the first time he saw Adam at his finest. He'd seen it before… but where… and when? The questions began to ramble until a large number of suddenly fell onto the battlefield silencing his thoughts.
The sudden interruption placed both sides back on their respective corners as they tried to determine the newcomer that decided to show her face for war.
"Primary target sighted." A feminine robotic voice chimed, thinly fiend strings attached to her back. "All systems are functioning to optimum efficiency. Preparing to engage. I… am combat ready!"