Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. RWBY belongs to RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.
Chapter 25: Coming and Going
"Sergeant Ralston reporting in, sir!" he said in a clear voice, hand to his head in salute. He barely had time to catch his breath as he held the salute. Despite wanting to escort Zahrati the rest of the way to Castinis, this was far more important.
"At ease, Sergeant." Colonel Moran saluted in return. As the Valean commander of the Castinis base, he held a stern demeanor, shaped by years of fighting Grimm in the forests of Vale. "So, what is the situation at Farrin?"
"It's as you suspected, sir. Farrin has fallen to the Grimm."
"How bad was it?"
"We weren't able to find a single survivor, and there were still Grimm in the area. Beowolf howls, to be exact, but we quickly left after the search came up empty. However, we did stumble upon an individual travelling from Vacuo, and with her was the Castinis child that went missing over a month ago."
"I remember hearing of that. What happened to him?"
"I recall we had a few traders come from the fringe of Vacuo around the time of the kidnapping. It seemed that their ulterior motive was to look for children to kidnap and sell into slavery."
"I see. And where is the pair now?"
"They are currently heading to Castinis to bring him back to his parents. We would have accompanied them there, but I felt that the issue of Farrin was a far more pressing matter."
"Indeed. What happened there is tragic, to be sure, but now we must prepare for what comes next." Moran sighed, standing with his hands clasped behind his back. "With Farrin gone, there is always a possibility that Castinis will be next. We aren't exactly close to the border, but it's a risk we must consider," Colonel Moran explained, rubbing his chin.
"How many Grimm do you think there were, Sergeant?"
"Judging by the thoroughness of the destruction and the fact that there wasn't a single survivor, I'd say at least two to three hundred," Ralston estimated with a sigh."
"Do you think four hundred is a possibility?"
"Unlikely, but not impossible. I'd rather not believe it's that drastic, sir."
"Neither would I, but we must assume the worst if we are to be prepared enough." Moran stated, turning around to look down at some papers on his desk.
"There is one thing I'm curious about, sir," Ralston said, once again receiving Moran's attention.
"Hm?"
"It's been two weeks since we've last seen Farrin merchants in Castinis markets. The journey is but a four day trek. If we had arrived after Farrin had fallen, why haven't the Grimm already attacked Castinis?"
"It could be for a number of reasons. Maybe it was an isolated attack, or the Grimm were drawn in unintentionally by some stray emotions. Neither of these situations warrant the Grimm to immediately head towards the next area of human settlement. You said you heard howls in the area as well, so maybe they were still attached to the lingering misery that befell the village."
Ralston swallowed nervously as he considered what Colonel Moran told him. The possibility of a Grimm attack was unlikely, but considering number of Grimm that destroyed Farrin, there was a chance that they would eventually wander close enough to sense the people of Castinis.
"How many platoons do we have in Castinis at the moment?" Moran asked.
"Five platoons, sir. Platoons Ten to Fourteen, totaling two-hundred and fifty men."
"Double it. Add in a three cannon squadrons to the town walls for good measure. If anyone asks, tell them that it's part of a training exercise."
"Do you think that will be enough men, sir?"
"To our northwest lies the Valean mountain range, but in this case, we can hardly rely on it as a natural barrier like the capital can. Should the Grimm come, they will come from the southwest, and we will only be able to rely on ourselves. I do believe five-hundred men will optimal should any Grimm slip by.."
"With all due respect, sir, are you sure this is the best course of action? Shouldn't the people of Castinis have some warning?"
"I have thought about that, but I believe that it would only cause undue panic, and that is not something we can risk. Should everything go in our favor, we will be able to hold the Grimm at the walls of the base here with the remaining twenty platoons." Moran concluded. "Your report has been of utmost importance. For the time being, we should be prepared enough. You are dismissed."
"Yes, sir."
Julius exhaled softly as he fiddled with a small piece of wood, waiting for the morning bugle to sound. He had become used to waking up at the crack of dawn, and by now he woke up before the bugle more often than not.
When it finally sounded, the base rose as one, with soldiers all putting on their uniforms and completing their morning rituals. Afterwards, it was a quick run to the mess hall for breakfast, and then they separated to complete their own tasks.
A second bugle sounded, this one a call for a switch of the town guard, which occurred once a day. There were five flagpoles in the staging area, one for each platoon, this week for platoons Fifteen to Nineteen.
Julius paid it no heed, since he wasn't due for the change until tomorrow. However, the bugle sounded again, and he stopped in his tracks. He looked to Troy DeMarco, who walked next to him, but neither knew what was going on. There were never mistakes when it came to the bugle.
The two headed to the staging area, and were surprise when the sergeants from platoons Twenty to Tenty-four were present as well.
"Ten platoons?" Troy wondered out loud. The two walked over to Sergeant Muller, who returned their salutes.
"What's going on, sir?" Julius asked. "Is there a reason why the bugle sounded twice?"
"From what I've been told," Muller explained, "the village of Farrin, southeast of us, has fallen to the Grimm. There's been an order to double the amount of platoons active within Castinis."
"It's that bad, sir?" Troy asked.
"I wouldn't know. But to be honest, even if the number of men in Castinis had been doubled, there are still twenty platoons ready to intercept the Grimm, should they come."
Julius calmed down slightly at that. A single platoon of fifty men was enough to gun down a group of charging Ursa. What could they possibly hope to do against one thousand?
They waited as the rest of the extra platoons came, which didn't take long. As soon as all of them were assembled, they left for Castinis. As they marched, they crossed paths with platoons Ten to Fourteen, who had complete their shift.
Once they reached Castinis, they were immediately assigned to the tasks that the previous platoons had left behind and told to keep tight-lipped regarding the extra platoons. Julius and Troy were assigned to general patrol in the northeastern part of town, which meant that they walked the streets, maintaining order wherever necessary.
The town itself hadn't changed much, as ironic as that was. As a trading town, it had a constant influx of merchants and traders coming and going. As the two passed the street that led to the faunus district, Julius sighed as he remembered the unpleasant memory of the two soldiers from the previous time.
Shouting in the distance caught Troy's attention, and he let Julius know with a tap on the shoulder. They saw two men aggressively pointing fingers at each other, and immediately headed over to defuse the confrontation.
"What the problem?" Troy asked as the two went quiet in response to the newcomers. A quiet that ended too soon.
"How can you allow this swindler to cheat people out of their money?" The first one exclaimed, once again raising a finger at the man behind the stand. "He dares to try and sell faulty goods to me?!"
"This fool thinks he can get away with trying to pay with counterfeit currency?" The shopkeeper rebutted, slapping the offending finger away. "That's the same as theft!"
"This is perfectly valid money!" The first man yelled, taking out a few lien and shoving it towards Troy's and Juliu's faces. "See? See?"
"Give it up already." The shopkeeper waved a hand in exasperation. "If you two soldiers would kindly take this man and throw him behind bars, everyone's day will be improved immensely."
The first man's eyes twitched, and he turned towards the shopkeeper with fists raised. Before anything could happen, both Julius and Troy grabbed the man's shoulders, holding him in place.
"Regardless of who is at fault here," Julius explained, "violence will solve nothing. If you two would follow us, we can settle this in an orderly manner."
Whatever the response was about to be was silenced as the town's alarm bells began ringing. The man in their grip became largely forgotten, who looked around in confusion.
"Were there any bell tests scheduled?" he asked Troy, who shook his head. The two looked at each other, the implication slowly sinking in.
"Shit," Julius swore as the two released the man and began sprinting towards the wall, where they would hopefully find answers.
Paying no mind to the somewhat poor conditions of the buildings around them, Edwin fidgeted nervously as he focused solely upon the small house in front of them. Zahrati gently rested a hand on his shoulder, and simply that they had made it all this way, there was no need to rush. The faunus around them paid the two no heed, keeping their heads down and focusing on their own business.
After another minute of waiting, Edwin inhaled deeply and took a step towards the door. Tentatively, he knocked on it. Immediately, the two could hear movement from within, and the door opened slightly. Behind the door was a dog faunus, who looked worse for wear.
"How may I-" his gaze moved from Zahrati down to Edwin, and the words died in his mouth.
"Ed-Edwin?" he whispered shakily as his eyes began to water. He looked up to Zahrati, then back down, hardly daring to believe what he was seeing.
"Hi, dad." Edwin replied meekly, his eyes clouding over as well.
Edwin's father collapsed to his knees and drew Edwin into a tight embrace. Emotions passed wordlessly as tears streamed down both of their faces, and Zahrati smiled softly.
"Joseph?" a feminine voice asked from within. Another dog faunus, which Zahrati assumed was Edwin's mother, appeared. "Is everything alri- Edwin?"
"Hi mom."
She stared at Edwin, wide-eyed, then promptly fainted. Zahrati surged forward, catching her before her head could hit the ground. It was now that Joseph, Edwin's father, finally registered Zahrati.
"Please, please, come in!" He gestured excitedly, having trouble trying to contain his elation. The three walked into the sparsely furnished home. WIth Joseph's guidance, Zahrati placed Edwin's mother onto their bed. Afterwards, the three re-convened in the living room.
"Where are you from, err.." Joseph asked.
"Zahrati Nahlah. I come from the city of Nazef, in the kingdom of Vacuo. "
"Vacuo?" he asked in wonder. "It must have been quite the journey."
She smirked at that. It definitely was, but she felt that it was much more. From Nusar taking the escort request to the one-sided brawl in Al Ma'In to facing her childhood nightmare, she realized that she had done something in two months that many others wouldn't in their lifetimes.
"I cannot thank you enough, young lady." Joseph said he held her hands in his in reverence. "When Edwin went missing, we assumed the worst. Despite that, we held on to what little hope was left. Thank you, Zahrati, for preserving that."
"It was my pleasure."
The good mood changed when Joseph's ears perked up. Zahrati had heard it too.
The sound of Castinis' alarm bells.
"The bells?" Joseph asked nervously. "Are they testing them again?"
The ringing had a frantic rhythm to it, easily setting any listeners at unease. Zahrati stood, eyes narrowed.
"Stay here. I'll be back." she ordered, to which Joseph nodded. The alarm bells continued to ring in the distance as the faunus around her murmured in concern. As much as Zahrati wanted to figure out what was happening, she came to the realization that she did not know her way around Castinis.
A shadow passed overhead. And another. Looking up, her face paled as she gazed upon a nightmarish sight.
"No, no no no…" she heard a voice mutter next to her. It was a soldier, and both he and his partner were in a similar state of shock. Before she could ask them what was going on, the two began to run. Acting upon the quickly disappearing opportunity, she chased after them. In no time, she was rewarded with the sight of the town wall. The two soldiers clambered up a ladder, and Zahrati did the same. As she cleared it, one of the soldiers yelled something at her. Ignoring it, she looked for an opening in the wall, where there weren't soldiers crowding at the edges.
She had heard of them in stories and seen them in books, but nothing prepared her to see them blot out the sun as they circled overhead. It was now that she began to hear the first panicked yells as they mingled with the wailing of the Nevermores, and she tore her gaze back down as the earth began to rumble.
Eventually, she was able to find a spot between two soldiers. One of them tall and serious-looking, the other blonde and wide-eyed.
"Julius," the tall one pointed outwards. "Look."
A staggering swarm of Grimm, easily over a thousand strong, poured out of the forests and stampeded towards the wall.
A/N: And so it begins. The end of the beginning (pardon the phrase). This will serve as the first, and one of the most significant, catalysts to future events. How? Keep reading (even though I have to right to make any demands). This major arc should be over in the next two chapters.
As always, reviews, questions, and constructive criticisms are greatly appreciated.
-The Bard