'Hazredous' Interruptions
Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY
Chapter 34 - Threats and Promises
The strangled gasp made Torchwick look up from his book, flipping it closed around his finger without a second thought. Across the room, Neo was sitting up in bed, eyes wide and gripping her blanket hard enough to punch her fingers through the weave. Her breath was coming in short, sharp gasps. "Sweetie? You okay?"
His voice sent a jolt through her, and she snapped her attention toward him. Both of her eyes were white, reflecting the glow from the lamp next to his chair. Torchwick set his book down, crossing the room. "Hey, hey. It's okay, it's all right. What's wrong?"
Neo shuddered, closing her eyes and pulling in a deep breath before letting it out. She let out a quiet whine.
Torchwick sat down on the edge of her bed, smoothing her hair back. "Nightmare?"
She nodded jerkily, shivering again.
"You remember what it was about?"
She nodded again, and with some effort let go of her blanket. She made skittering motions with her hands, crawling her fingers up and down her torso.
The motion was emphatic enough that it made him want to squirm. Torchwick sighed, giving her head a pat. "Bugs. I hate 'em too."
Neo whined again, tucking against his side. Torchwick let his arm rest over her shoulder, rubbing her back, trying to soothe her nerves. "You have not been sleeping well these last few nights."
Night cast its shadows over the gutted commercial district. The red and white flashing lights of emergency responders were gone, replaced by the orange and yellow of construction crews and reclamation teams.
The last of the bodies had been retrieved from the wreckage.
Vale as a city, as a kingdom, let out a collective breath; not one of relief, but one of acceptance. The immediate crisis was over, and as many times before, it was time to move on and recover. Even in the dead of night, before the start of the week, business deals were made and contracts were signed.
The battles to be had now were not against the Grimm, or even the White Fang, but were company against company for the right of lowest bidder. Lien exchanged hands, marking the first step of rebuilding.
Sunday morning saw the sun shining down over Beacon's campus, as streams of students flowed into the academy's main auditorium. Attendance was mandatory, and no one was exempt.
Headmaster Ozpin stood alone on the stage, waiting for the last stragglers to filter in. A glance at the clock on the wall let him know that it was only a few minutes past ten o'clock, and he was in a forgiving mood, so he gave everyone a moment longer to settle into place before stepping up to the microphone stand.
He cleared his throat once, and conversation ceased. "Students. Thank you all for coming on admittedly short notice. I understand that today is normally the last day of the weekend, a time when you would normally be pursuing your own wants and needs, be them academic or personal.
"As you are all aware, classes have been postponed in the wake of the attack on Vale. It is my duty as Headmaster of Beacon Academy to inform you that classes resume today."
To his surprise, there were amazingly few grumbles and complaints. It gladdens me that they understand the situation. "I acknowledge that, after the events of the assault on Vale, some of you have experienced losses, both to injury and to choice. Those who have fallen will be remembered, their memory cherished. Those who have found their souls too gentle for the unavoidable cost of our profession are to be lauded for their efforts up to this day, and it is my hope that I am not alone in wishing them the best that a calmer life can bring."
Even as he said it, his eyes picked out the holes in some of the teams arrayed before him. He could picture every missing face; a dozen students had lost their lives fighting against the White Fang and the Grimm, and nearly twice that had withdrawn out of choice or necessity. "Because of this, I ask that the representatives of any teams that are now under strength to meet with me after this meeting. This is not Initiation Day, and I will be working with you all to determine the most efficient and satisfactory reshuffling of your teams."
"To those of you who were fortunate enough to emerge from this troublesome time unscathed, we will reconvene here at Noon for the day's assignments. Dismissed."
It's kind of weird taking up the whole couch like this.
Ozpin, as promised, had provided some extra furniture for their stay in his office at the top of Beacon's tower. A quartet of single-sized beds, an extra table and some chairs, and a couch wide enough to sit three. Vita and Nanoha were both using the couch at the moment; Nanoha was sitting at one end, and Vita was sprawled across the length with the back of her head in Nanoha's lap.
It was a sign of their friendship and companionability that they'd done the same thing many times before, and Vita was actually quite thankful that her age boost hadn't made the position awkward. It was one thing to have a ten-year-old child occupying your lap, and quite another to have a tall, curvy bombshell of an asskicker doing it. Nanoha didn't care, though. Vita was Vita, and that's all that mattered to her.
Vita had her scroll in hand, linked to the campus' security cameras by Ozpin himself. She was watching the students prepare for their Sunday classes, flipping through the different screens. Something caught her eye, and it took her a moment to find the camera angle that gave her the best view of the auditorium. "...well that sucks."
"What is it, Vita?" Nanoha sounded a little distracted. Her head was tilted back, and Raising Heart's visor was covering her eyes; she was running another gamut of simulations, Vita knew.
"Winchester's alone on the floor."
"Winchester… Cardin, right? Leader of CRDL?"
"Not anymore. His whole team withdrew from Beacon, he's the only one left." Vita scoffed in disdain, shaking her head. "Bunch of cowards. He loses an arm for them, and they up and quit on him." It actually made her angry to think about, but she forced what she could out with a sigh. Well… better it happened now instead of three years down the road.
"That's a shame. Wasn't the headmaster going to reshuffle the teams?"
"Yeah, he did, but no one wants to have him. CRDL earned a bad rep last semester, and it ain't doin' him any favors now- wait a second. Drop the sim a minute and check this out."
Nanoha shook her head clear, pushing the pink visor up to her hairline. Vita held up her scroll so they could both see it. "Hey, that's JNPR walking up to him."
Cardin was in a bleak mood. His missing arm ached, a constant, painful reminder that no shifting around or moving could stop. His team had abandoned him, running back home to wherever they'd come from with their tails between their legs, and to top it off he was the odd one out in the team reshuffling. Everyone had taken one look at him and closed ranks, and he'd been left by himself.
It hurt, more than he cared to admit. Almost as much as his arm, even.
"Hey, uh. Cardin?"
He grimaced, turning to face team JNPR as they approached. "The hell do you want, Jauney-boy?"
Jaune held up his hands, palms out. "Nothing, nothing! I just…" He dropped his hands, then shrugged a little ruefully. "...well, okay, it's something. We, uh, we noticed you didn't get pulled into any of the rebuilt teams."
"Yeah, well. Twelve dead, twenty three quitters. Someone's got to be the leftover, right? And nobody wants the cripple." Cardin snorted, shaking his head and trying to find the words. None came, so he settled for what did come to mind. "Assholes."
Jaune blinked. "Uh. Yeah, I'm not sure who you're talking about there. You mean your team, or-"
Nora cut him off, unabashedly upbeat. "You ever think that no one wants you around because you're the asshole?"
For a moment, Cardin wanted to hit her, and he knew it showed on his face. But the short girl just stood there, rocking back and forth on her heels and her head cocked to the side quizzically, and he realized it would be a bad idea. Short one arm, he'd be easy meat for her. Cardin made himself rein the impulse in, exhaling explosively. Dammit. "...maybe I've been something of a dick. But it's not my fault everyone's so thin-skinned!"
Jaune glanced to the side and made a tiny zipping motion over his lips. Without missing a beat, Ren reached over and covered Nora's mouth, earning a muffled squawk of complaint. "Right, uhm. Anyways, assholes or not, you're… still here, Cardin, and that's huge, right? I mean if anyone earned a reason to give up and go home, it's you-"
Cardin felt his temper flare at even the hint of the suggestion. "I'm not fucking giving up!"
"Whoa, whoa! I'm not trying to say you should! I was just saying no one would bat an eye if you did, and- and people are surprised you didn't. But you're stuck without a team now."
"...yeah. That's about it."
Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "We talked about it between ourselves, so… you're welcome to come work with JNPR, Cardin. I know we haven't always gotten along, but… no one deserves to be alone like that, especially when it happens because you're doing the right thing."
His first instinct was to throw the offer back in their stinking faces. I don't need your pity, was the thought echoing through his head. But as he'd been doing so much the last few days, he held back on the anger, stamped it down enough to think. His eyes flicked between them, and he made himself take a second look. Lie Ren's blank facade wasn't from indifference, but reservation. Nora Valkyrie wasn't being as carefree as he thought, but was instead showing endless optimism. Jaune Arc's gormless expression was actually cautious idealism, and Pyrrha Nikos-
...Pyrrha Nikos had that tiny doll-girl sitting on her shoulder, who was watching everything with clear blue eyes and a happy smile. Seeing her there- I think they call her Rain- made him pause and think for even longer. To all of JNPR's credit, they didn't rush him, giving him the time he needed.
"Look, Jauney-b… Jaune. It's a nice offer, really. But all the weird stuff that's been going down lately; the refugees being… crazy magic witches, and Ruby Rose learning how to do it right in front of us all." He glanced at the white-haired doll again, pointedly. "You guys are neck deep in all that, you have been since the start of the semester. I don't think the Headmaster wants me that close."
JNPR exchanged a few glances, and this time Pyrrha spoke up. "That's… entirely true, Cardin. We're involved, yes. But that doesn't change the fact that we are still students here. I don't think Headmaster Ozpin would object to us working with you academically."
"An astute observation, Ms. Nikos." They all turned in surprise to see the headmaster himself standing right there, as if he had been the entire time. "As always, Team JNPR, you never fail to exceed my expectations. Mr. Winchester," Headmaster Ozpin nodded to him.
"...Headmaster Ozpin."
"I see no reason to dissuade you from accepting Team JNPR's offer as stated. As you yourself have noted, there are certain things that JNPR is privy to that you will have to be excluded from, but this will have no effect on your academic record and as such you will be able to continue your studies apace. All I require to make your reassignment official is your agreement."
"Shit." Cardin cursed quietly, rubbing his face. "It'd be really stupid of me to say no, wouldn't it?"
"Excellent. I will put the paperwork through. Additionally, I need to make an inquiry. If you will excuse me, students?" The headmaster nodded to them all, then turned and walked off.
Vita exchanged a glance with Nanoha. "Mine."
"Wait, yours? What do you mean yours?"
"Signum already has Jaune and Pyrrha both. He's mine, he just doesn't know it yet."
It was the second time that Fate came to her room.
The first time she'd done so, very little had actually happened. The blonde had asked her a few questions; where Emerald was from, if she had any family or friends to contact, and other simple things. It was nothing Emerald had never dealt with before, but Fate was a hell of a lot more polite than the cops and detectives that had questioned her in years past. She'd answered truthfully, though admittedly there was very little she could even say. The life of a vagrant didn't leave much time for connections, and her family was long dead.
Like last time, Emerald watched her closely as Fate crossed the room and took her seat. The blonde was wearing a crisp black uniform consisting of a jacket and skirt, with odd hemispherical devices affixed to the upper sleeves. Arf had risen from her own seat to stand behind Fate's shoulder.
"Emerald." Fate was flipping through a sheaf of papers, scrawling a few notations down with a pen.
She's using hardcopy. They know about the virus. "Harlaown."
For a moment, Fate glanced up at her, and Emerald was struck by her eyes. They were the same shade of red as her own, but the emotion and intent behind them was completely different. "Shamal tells me that your wounds have responded to her efforts and have completely healed. You've been restricted to your bed since."
Emerald pulled at one of her restraints, pursing her lips. "Pretty obvious."
Fate nodded, and behind her Arf looked down at the blonde incredulously. "You want me to what?" The faunus sounded affronted.
"She's under a limiter, Arf. It's fine."
Arf let out an explosive sigh, then stepped around Fate. Emerald tensed, but Arf just loosened the restraints around her wrists, then moved down to her ankles and released them as well.
Emerald hardly dared to move, but after a moment she brought her hands up to rub her wrists, one after the other.
Fate gestured about the room with her pen. "Take a moment to stretch, Emerald. I'll wait."
Gingerly, she swung her legs off the infirmary bed, wobbling a little as she stood. "Don't you think you're being a little too trusting with me?"
"You know better than that, Emerald. Even if you somehow manage to overpower the two of us, Signum is posted outside the door."
Fate was right; Emerald did know better. Whatever the TSAB was, they weren't going to do things in half measures. Still, the knowledge did sap the tiny bit of hope that Emerald had felt on being released from her bed. I might as well be wearing chains right now.
Still, it did help to move around the room a little, and after a few moments she went back to take a seat on the side of her bed. "So what is it this time?"
Fate set the stack of papers down on the table next to her, folding her hands in her lap. "I wanted to speak with you about what to expect from us if you decide to cooperate." Her red eyes watched Emerald keenly.
"Shamal Yagami made it pretty clear that it'd be really stupid of me if I don't."
"But it's still your decision to do so, Emerald. We won't make you cooperate, but I very much urge you to do so." Fate held out a hand, and Arf slipped a glass of water into her grasp. A second one was offered, grudgingly, to Emerald. It wasn't until Fate took a sip of her own that Emerald drank from hers.
Fate continued a moment later, after setting the glass down. "The Time Space Administrative Bureau puts full consideration into extenuating circumstances, as well as efforts made to mitigate the damages caused by crimes under our jurisdiction. Your cooperation will speak well towards your own case."
Emerald could see the angle Fate was coming from; she'd heard it often enough before. Might as well play along a little. "If you're trying to tempt me with a plea bargain, I'd at least like to hear what the offer is."
"The TSAB makes a habit of offering military and community service to felons convicted of lesser crimes. Simply put, we believe in second chances, and incarcerating people who could still be productive members of society helps no one." Fate leaned forward, and her eyes were surprisingly guileless. "There is an entire galaxy of possibilities out there, Emerald."
"You expect me to believe that they'd just... slap me on the wrist and then pin a badge on my shirt?" Emerald couldn't help but laugh.
"Of course not. You'd have to go through familiarization courses, to prepare you for galactic society at large. Induction training for the branch that you're being brought into, which… at your age and skill level would most likely be an abbreviated form of boot camp." Fate leaned back, taking another sip of her water. "You won't be free, not for years. But it's a far cry better than being locked away in a penal institution."
Emerald chewed her lip. Something about what Fate had said wasn't sitting right with her. Something about society. Galactic society.
There is an entire galaxy of possibilities out there.
"...what do you mean by galactic society?"
Fate just smiled, rising to her feet. "Remnant as a whole has a chance to become part of something much greater. Wouldn't it be better to be part of that as well?"
The blonde turned for the door, but paused at the threshold to look back at Arf. "Arf, with me please. Signum's taking your place in the room." Those crimson eyes flicked toward Emerald, open and honest, even as the pink-haired Yagami stepped past her. "Take a little time to think about what you want your future to be. I'll be back in an hour with lunch."
"Students! Students, please take your… well, not your seats, given that we're all standing out in the athletic field, but please take your places with your teams!" Peter Port waited patiently for the flood of students to arrange themselves before him, his smile hidden behind his moustache. Teams from all four academic years were attending his class; admittedly not all of them, but nearly a hundred students. The other half of the students were at the far end of campus, participating in another practical course headed by Peach and some of the infirmary staff. Standing next to him were Bartholomew Oobleck, the usual bundle of badly restrained vigor that he was, and two of the refugee mages.
That in itself had been something of a revelation. Real mages from outer space, actual magic! And not only actual magic, but magic that could be used by their own people! A truly world-changing event!
For the immediate moment though, beside the point. What mattered was that they were not only friendly, but eager to help in every way they could, now that their secret was a secret no longer. Truly commendable, he mused to himself.
The students finished assembling, and he tapped the microphone to get their attention. "Well then! Today is our first day of practical combat application. This is not to be your standard combat training class, where you would be sparring individually or in your usual teams. After the events of the assault on Vale, we have made the necessary decision to shift our focus to large scale warfare."
There was an expected hubbub from the students, a rise of short-lived murmurs that were quickly shushed. Oobleck stepped up to the microphone, adding his own comments. "As you have all become fully aware after this past week, sometimes huntsmen and huntresses find themselves required to participateinbloodshed against our fellow man! It is regrettable, I say, regrettable but necessary that we prepare youforthis eventuality, so! So today, we are splitting you all into two forces! One force will take the place of a city's defenders, and the other will be an attacking force attempting to achieveanobjective within the battle zone!
"With the assistance of Ms. Shamal Yagami here, whom you may or may not havespokenwith before today, we will be using a new and esoteric method of battle! With the magics available to her, some of which have already been demonstrated over the weekend, she will be preserving our battle zone from our activities! Brace yourselves, as this may feel strange! Ms. Yagami, if you will!"
"Of course, Professor. Klarer Wind, Phasenbarriere." A green triangle formed under her feet, and a pulse of magic swept out from her to spread over the athletic field and beyond, reaching out to encompass half the campus, ending just at the feet of the CCTS tower itself. There was another murmur from the students, a louder clamor as they felt the spell tugging at their Auras. Even Port had to admit to himself that it was, for a moment, uncomfortable.
Still, it was hit turn at the microphone again, and he gave the students another moment before calling for their attention. "Students! You are now inside what is called a phase barrier! In simple terms, think of it as a simulated world that is an exact mirror of the real one! What this means is that, plain and simple, you do not need to worry about damaging our lovely campus with our combat today! That means that tactics normally not acceptable for classroom, or even full arena exercises are not only excusable, but even encouraged! I only require that you keep the safety of your fellow students in mind! Professor Oobleck! The nitty gritty, please!"
"Yes, yes! Students, because of the realistic nature of today's exercise, your scrolls have been adjusted to monitor your combat with your opponents in a much more stringent fashion! The Aura cutoff point is not anarbitraryfifteenpercent as it normally is. Instead, your scrolls will note your opponent, and compare your remaining aura strength to their most powerful recorded maneuver! If, in combat, you reach a point where said maneuver would defeat you, you are to consideryourselfdefeated and remove yourself to the recovery zone! This is not negotiable, as this is a live-fire exercise and your safety is important to us!
"Now then! Team leaders, please come forward and draw from this box toreceiveyour team assignments! You will have halfanhour to formulate your respective offensive and defensive strategies, at which point you will deploy!"
As the various leaders approached the stage, Port dropped back. He turned to Admiral Harlaown, smiling through his moustache. "I must thank you once again for your generous assistance in our classes today. Your magical technologies allow for training exercises we could only dream of previously!"
"It's our duty and pleasure to assist, Professor. If anything, I find myself a little daunted by the fact that your students are so quickly willing to resume their training with such an atrocity so recent in their minds."
"Mmm, yes, of course. It is life on Remnant, Admiral. The Grimm do not wait, so neither can we."
Yagami Pink hadn't hesitated in taking one of the vacated seats in the room, and so far the only acknowledgement of Emerald's presence she'd made was to drop a magazine in her lap when noticed Emerald had nothing to read. Now the swordswoman was flipping through a magazine of her own, her expression completely serious as she perused the latest copy of Piercing the Vale! Tourist Attractions Across the Kingdom!
The issue she'd been given was last month's issue, not that it really mattered. It stayed closed in Emerald's hands, the binding twisted by the tightness of her grip.
Nearly fifteen minutes passed with her sitting on the side of her bed, not moving, when Signum finally glanced up at her. "If you're not going to read it, then give it back to me. I've finished with this one."
Wordlessly, Emerald passed the magazine over, to find the more recent one shoved into her hand. Through the thoughts roiling in her head, she managed to piece together a question. "...what are you doing?"
"I am attempting to find an appropriate locale to take Vasilias for dinner. Unfortunately, most of the ones mentioned in the most recent issue were destroyed by the White Fang's assault." Signum flipped another page and then paused, tilting her head a little. "...uncouth."
"...Vasilias?"
"Neptune."
"Oh, right." She remembered glancing over the Haven student's dossier once before. "...why do you want to take him to dinner?"
"He has shown interest in me, and as the winner of our sparring match before the dance I owe him a date."
"I guess that makes- wait a minute. You won and now you owe him a date? That doesn't make any sense at all." Emerald frowned. "Shouldn't he be asking you on a date?"
Signum smirked, the faintest quirk of her lips. "Asking me on a date is a privilege. One that must be earned."
Emerald felt her eyebrows rise toward her hairline. Wow, she mouthed to herself. "That's a hell of a lot of confidence in yourself."
"Confidence born in skill. I am a master of the sword."
They lapsed back into silence, only broken by the turning of glossy pages. Emerald stewed in her thoughts, twisting the magazine back and forth in her hands.
After a few minutes, she realized the swordswoman was looking at her again. "You have questions," Signum stated. "Nothing comes from squandering your thoughts. Speak your mind."
"Probably a bad idea," Emerald grunted.
"Nevertheless."
"Fine." Emerald crossed her arms, glowering at the door. "What was Fate talking about?"
"Testarossa has talked about a great many things. You will have to be more specific."
That made Emerald blink. "Testarossa? I thought she was a Harlaown."
"She was adopted, but that is beside the point. What are you asking about?"
Huh. I guess she doesn't really look like the rest of them. "...she said things about galactic society, and Remnant getting to be part of something greater."
"Hm. An optimistic view, but possible." Signum set her magazine aside. "To answer your question, it is that Remnant is but one planet of many that supports life. You, and by you I mean the people of Remnant, are not alone amongst the stars."
How the hell am I supposed to respond to that? Emerald narrowed her eyes, searching Signum's face for any hint of deception. There was nothing at all; Signum could have been a featureless brick wall for all the emotion that she showed.
Signum let out a small sigh. "I have no reason to lie to you, and every reason to tell the truth. My compatriots are the same. Whatever Fate has told you, she is not leading you falsely."
"She said that if I cooperate, there's a chance that this TSAB will- will employ me, instead of locking me away in a cell." Emerald let her skepticism show in her voice.
"Entirely possible. I am proof enough of that myself, as well as the rest of us you know as the Yagamis."
"You?" Emerald laughed; a short, disbelieving sound. "What do they have you in for? Grand theft auto? Did Red beat someone up in a bar? Did the wolfman piss on a fire hydrant in public?"
"Dimensional crimes- that is to say, criminal acts that threaten the very fabric of reality as you know it. Wanton destruction on a civilizations-wide scale. Mass murder." Signum spoke as easily as if reading from a list of bullet points. "Mass violation of sophonts' linker cores, the source of what Remnant refers to as Aura. All under the bidding of masters to whom we could not disobey. There are smaller counts, of course, but too numerous to list in any reasonable timeframe."
"...oh." Emerald stared at Signum anew, trying to match the concept of such… brutality with the person in front of her. She seemed so calm, so collected. "...and they just let you walk around freely now?"
"Completely free? Of course not. There are restrictions, but what freedom I am given is more than enough for my purposes. I have been gifted with the opportunity to make up for my crimes, to make amends. I even hold rank within the TSAB, which gives me some level of legitimacy." She sighed again, for a moment almost wistful. "My only regret is that I may never be able to balance the scales. Time is fleeting, and I have much to make up for."
"...why are you telling me all this?"
"Because you are willing to ask. To ask questions means that you are entertaining an open mind, and an open mind is much more willing to think about the answers given to it than a closed mind is willing to listen to what it is told."
Outside the office's windows, the skies were slowly darkening from the outer edges of the approaching hurricane; as she had promised though, Summer was maintaining a flow of her own power into the air, weakening the storm and diverting the wind. It was enough of a passive effort that she was able to enjoy the entertainment in front of her.
It had taken a little bit of finagling, but Nanoha had managed to link Raising Heart to the big scrollscreen mounted on the wall in Ozpin's office. The image was split into multiple smaller screens, showing an overview of the field battle taking place in the phase barrier below the tower.
Nanoha and Vita were both sitting on the couch, leaning forward and watching the action, a big bowl of popcorn in Vita's lap. Summer was sitting next to her, sneaking handfuls of popcorn herself. It had taken some coaxing, but even Raven had squeezed onto the cushion next to Summer, arms crossed over her chest and a scowl fixed on her face as she watched the action.
The two mages were providing a heap of color commentary as the battle unfolded, both praising and scathing as a hundred students maneuvered and clashed in tactics and battle. What was really keeping Summer's attention, though, were the flashes of red light that marked Ruby's magical contribution to the defenders.
She was playing the part of ranged support as strongly as she could, Summer saw. Team RWBY was staying the back as one of the defending anchor teams, holding strong against any assault force that managed to punch through their frontline. Ruby had posted herself at the top of a building close to the CCTS tower itself, and any opposition that got too close found itself bombarded by a storm of glowing red packets and even-
"That was a plasma lancer! She managed a plasma lancer!" Nanoha punched her fists in the air in delight, popcorn going everywhere. "At the perfect time, too!"
"Yeah, but her recovery time for a spell like that is gonna take her out of the fight for a few seconds. It was also blatant enough that she's gonna draw attention from anyone with a- there it is!" Vita crossed her arms in satisfaction as a storm of tracer rounds chewed across the roof Ruby was posted on, forcing the girl to yelp and run. Another screen showed Coco yelling her ire as she unloaded her cannon, chasing Ruby down with the gatling fire.
Summer's eyes widened, and she gripped the edge of her seat. Dust rounds kept hammering into Ruby's hastily erected round shield, chewing into the glowing surface with abandon. Cracks started to form in the glyph-like shield.
Then Yang threw herself into Coco from the side, knocking the fashionista off balance for the moment Ruby needed to get out of sight, and earning a baseball-bat swing from Yatsuhashi for her efforts. Yang went through the side of a building, disappearing from the screen.
Raven snorted, looking away for a moment. Vita glared at her for a moment. "Got a problem, Chuuni?"
"Stop calling me that."
"I'll stop calling you that when you stop being one."
"What does it even mean?"
"Hey, I asked the question here! You got a problem with Yang or not?"
"...no. She just let herself get clobbered there."
"Maybe, but it was awesome and she took the heat off Ruby! That's what a bruiser's supposed to do, after all!" Summer grabbed another handful of popcorn, shoving it into her mouth. "It's the same sort of thing you're supposed to do, except you're not made to take the hits like she is. She gets that from Tai." Onscreen, there was a flare of yellow light from inside the building, and Yang burst out of the rubble afire. "See?"
Raven let out a noncommittal grunt, crossing her arms again. "Still, she shouldn't have let herself get- what the hell?!"
Summer grabbed the couch in surprise as the floor moved underneath them. The entire tower swayed to one side, forcefully enough to send the couch skidding for a dozen feet. The walls groaned in complaint as the motion stopped. "W-what the fuck was that?"
Nanoha and Vita were already on their feet. The brunette mage thrust out a hand, and a pulse of pink light obliterated one of the curving windows. Before Summer or Raven could even question the motion, the tower started swaying back the way it had come, throwing the two of them off the couch.
They never even hit the ground. Vita grabbed them both around their waists and arrowed through the blasted-open window, Nanoha close behind. Raven started to struggle, but then the sight of the thousands-foot drop below made her eyes widen. "Yagami!"
Summer gave her head a shake and called on her power to support herself, pushing clear from Vita to float next to them. Beacon Tower gave another loud groan, audible even over the wind, and settled to a stop. "Nanoha, what was that?"
The mage had her staff held in both hands, scanning the rolling clouds above them, looking for any sign of hostiles. Eventually she relaxed, at least enough to respond.
"Earthquake."
The battle exercise had been called to a sudden halt, despite neither team achieving their strategic goal. At Professor Oobleck's urging, the hundred-strong class of students had assembled once again in the athletic field, at which point Shamal had dispelled the phase barrier surrounding them. The war-torn copy of Beacon Campus had vanished, replaced by the real Beacon that was by no means pristine. Several of the buildings were now sporting cracked and damaged stonework, and some of the decorative structures throughout the lawn had collapsed into piles of debris.
'What happened?' 'I thought the barrier was supposed to keep us from destroying the campus!' Gossip had started immediately, which the professors had quickly quelled. Now, the class was gathered in front of a large scrollscreen that had been erected on the lawn.
"And again, you've said that these strange ground shakings have never before happened?" Lisa Lavender carried the same apathetic air that she always did, as if she was still waiting for a piece of news to actually impress her.
"That is correct, Lisa." The man on screen was a famous Atlesian geologist, renowned for his work in the field of Dust surveying and extraction. "Well; perhaps correct is the wrong word. Suffice it to say that this sort of ground disturbance has never before been experienced in recorded history. The closest example I can give is the effects of a deep extraction mine collapsing, but those effects would only be felt in a very localized area."
"So you have no idea what may have caused this strange and dangerous occurrence?" The newscaster turned, and the image shifted to a map of Remnant, with several places along the Sanus continent's coast glowing red. Patch and Vale proper started glowing as well, and a small box in the corner showed Lisa's face. "Reports from coastal towns on Sanus' eastern edge have been coming in as well, experiencing the same phenomenon that we just felt in Vale. As you can see, this is no local event, and has in fact been going on for several days now."
"I am forced to admit that I have no idea what caused this series of ground shakes. My colleagues in Atlas are already hard at work trying to determine the cause, but I am afraid it will take time and effort to come to any conclusions."
"Thank you, Dr. Corundum." The screen blanked again, returning to show the newscaster's blase expression. "There you have it, viewers. What do these strange tremors mean for the already shaken kingdom of Vale? Only time will tell, and time is one thing that we never have to spare. This is Lisa Lavender, Vale News Network."
When the door to Ozpin's temporary office opened, Lindy was unsurprised to see Ironwood already inside, conferring with the Headmaster. His scroll was sitting on Ozpin's desk, and a holographic representation of the CCTS tower was being projected above it. Portions of the structure were glowing yellow, and a few sections inside were flashing red. Ozpin immediately took note of them, and waved them inside. "Lindy, Mr. Scrya. Please, take a seat."
"Thank you, Ozpin." Lindy smoothed out her uniform jacket and sat down, and Yuuno took the chair next to her. "Sorry to dispose of pleasantries, but do you mind if I ask how bad the damage is?"
Ironwood cleared his throat, nodding toward the projection. "Not as bad as it could have been. The primary broadcast system is down, but thankfully the backups came online before the signal was truly interrupted. Unfortunately, repairing the electronics will have to wait until we shore up the structure."
"The CCTS towers were never designed to withstand earthquakes?"
Ozpin raised an eyebrow, exchanging a glance with Ironwood. He cleared his throat. "The way you say it leads me to believe that these 'earthquakes' are something you are familiar with?"
Lindy nodded to Yuuno, and the archaeologist answered. "They are. Seismology is a branch of geological sciences well understood by the TSAB and even many of the non-administered worlds we're aware of. I'm not a seismologist myself, but I understand plate tectonics well enough for a layperson."
"To answer your question," Ironwood said, "we've never had any experience with 'earthquakes' at all. Remnant… the ground doesn't shake, not like that. So no, we've never tried to build structures to withstand it."
Yuuno's eyebrows rose toward his hairline. "You're saying that Remnant is a tectonically dead world?"
"I… suppose? I'm not qualified to say for certain."
Lindy pursed her lips, frowning. "Whether or not Remnant experiences tectonic activity normally, we are forced to accept the fact that it is experiencing it now. So the question is-"
"-is what is causing it," Ozpin finished for her.
Torchwick didn't quite let himself pace, but he shifted from foot to foot while waiting for the call to pick up. It didn't take too long, at least. "Torchwick."
"Nice to hear you too, Lawman."
"Do you need something?"
"Depends. I have to admit, little Neo and I are starting to feel a little forgotten in here. The big crack in the ceiling isn't helping matters much."
"The quake took all of us by surprise. I'll pass the word along that a maintenance crew needs to check it out."
"Actually, about that. We're going a little stir-crazy in here. House arrest will do that, you know." Torchwick took a puff from his cigar, blowing the smoke out the window. "Any chance we could walk around and stretch our legs? With an escort, of course."
"One moment." The line muted for a moment, and then Chrono's voice came back on. "I'm sending some people to pick you up. We could use your insight on a few things. And yes," Chrono interrupted, before Torchwick could say anything, "you two can have some time outside after. Under guard."
"Fantastic! You really do know how to brighten a man's da-" Torchwick pulled the scroll away from his ear, staring at the screen in consternation. "...and you hung up. You're such a stick in the mud, Lawman."
Only a few moments later, there was a knock at the door. It opened immediately, revealing none other than Glynda Goodwitch, flanked by-
-Neo was suddenly behind him, peeking out from behind his back-
-the big sister herself, golden eyes impassive below her raven-black bangs. Torchwick touched two fingers to his hat, lightly spinning Melodic Cudgel in his other hand. "Ladies. Glad to see you're breaking out the big guns."
While a large portion of the student body had been participating in a 'large-scale defense exercise', Professor Peach had led another detachment of students into the Emerald Forest for Anti-Grimm Tactics training. The idea was that a large concentration of Aura users in the wild would attract Grimm from a wider range than usual, setting up a situation for the students to practice in in a situation where they had a dozen other teams to coordinate with.
It had been a complete bust. Despite spending the better part of the afternoon waiting and preparing, hardly any dangerous Grimm had moved in on their location. Except for a few dozen beowolves and one solitary ursa, they had been, as Nora vociferously complained, skunked.
That wasn't to say those were the only Grimm they'd found. Spread throughout the trees, crawling across the ground, and even flying through the air, they'd found dozens upon dozens of strange insect-like Grimm, frail-bodied and completely harmless. Clutched in Jaune's hands was a glass jar containing a half-dozen of the odd creatures, who buzzed their black-veined transparent wings impotently as they tried to escape. Professor Peach had tasked his team with bringing the sample captures to Professor Port for examination, as no one had ever seen anything even remotely like them before. Reinforce had been more than entertained by them the entire flight back, peering into the jar at them; they were tiny even compared to her.
Their bullhead was the last of six to touch down, and the rest of the students were already heading back to the auditorium for debriefing. Jaune was surprised to see Winter Schnee waiting for them when the hatch levered open. "Specialist? Is there something you need?"
"Yes. Cardin Winchester?"
The big first year pushed past Jaune, not quite shouldering him out of the way. "Yeah, that's me."
"You are to come with me, please. Your presence is requested in Blue Two's medical bay for a consultation. The rest of you are to report to Professor Goodwitch's office in the administration building after you make your delivery.
That rose from eyebrows, and all four- five, Jaune reminded himself- members of JNPR glanced up at the formation of Atlesian cruisers hovering far overhead. Cardin clenched his fist, rubbing at his jaw with his knuckles. "The hell do you want me up there before? I already told the nurses I'm fine."
"General Ironwood has authorized our medical team to fit you for a prosthetic limb, courtesy of Atlas, for your efforts in the battle in Vale. You are, of course, welcome to decline, but I insist you at least meet with our team-"
"I'll talk to you assholes later. Don't drop the jar on the way to Port, Jauney-boy." Cardin was already jogging over to Winter, waving over his shoulder. They turned and left without another word, moving toward an Atlas dropship that was idling on a nearby pad.
"Huh. That's a thing. Good for him, right?" Jaune nodded seriously, then motioned for the others to follow him into campus. He made extra certain to keep both hands on the jar the entire time.
"Ah! Students, welcome! What brings you to my-" Peter Port paused, glancing around the disheveled room. Books had fallen off their shelves, papers askew across the floor. It was going to take hours to put everything back. "-my rather messy office?"
Jaune Arc stepped forward, holding out a jar. "Uh- these, Professor. We found some really weird Grimm out in the Emerald Forest, and they were actually really easy to catch. They can't bite, they don't even have teeth or pincers or anything."
"A new variation of Grimm? Intriguing! Most intriguing!" Port crossed the office, reaching out with eager hands to take the jar from Jaune and hold it up to eye level. Inside, the bugs buzzed and fluttered, peering back at him with glowing compound eyes. "Very interesting! What would the purpose be of these creatures, do you think? Oh, and hello, Ms. Reinforce!"
"Hello!" The tiny girl waved from Pyrrha's shoulder.
"We- we're not sure, Professor," the Mistralian said. "Grimm kill people and destroy the works of man; everyone knows that, and I believe that we've discussed it often enough in your class, haven't we?" Pyrrha leaned forward a little to tap at the glass, earning a flutter of gossamer wings from the inhabitants within. "But I don't see how these can do that. They don't have any natural weapons, and they're frail even for their size. We probably killed dozens of them before we even managed to catch these."
"Indeed!" Port stroked his moustache, then set the jar down on his desk. "I swear I've read about something like this before… but no matter! You four- five, I'm sorry! You five are supposed to be meeting with the Headmaster and friends. Go on and don't worry about me, I'll be busy researching these specimens!"
"Okay, Professor. Call us if you need us?"
Port nodded absently in response to Jaune's question, already sifting through the books piled on the floor. "Of course, of course."
The CCTS broadcasts were abuzz with the strange activities of Grimm across all of Remnant. Cities beholden to all four kingdoms were reporting surges in Grimm attacks on the walls, ferocious and unrestrained.
Except for one; the Grimm around Vale itself were silent.
The Grimm are moving. Salem's setting the stage. Cinder knew that the Grimm Queen's hand was involved; her crimson eye was on Vale.
It put her on edge. The tattoo on her back squirmed constantly, crawling back and forth between her shoulder blades. Cinder had to bite down on the urge to scratch at it, to dig her nails in and tear it away. And that would be bad, because then the rest of the Grimm would no longer see her as one of their own.
There was nothing she could do but wait for Salem's signal.
It wasn't all bad, at least. Torchwick's safehouse was as comfortable as any place she'd ever stayed, and she held no qualms about availing herself to his stocks of expensive liquors and foods. She didn't dare drink enough to impair herself, and she trusted the Fall Mantle to burn the small buzz she was currently feeling away at a moment's notice if necessary.
That didn't stop her from nearly letting out a shriek when she heard the lock on the door opening. She jumped to her feet, obsidian forming in her hands in a flash-
It was Mercury.
The young man stopped dead, eyes crossing in an effort to stare at the jagged arrowhead barely an inch from his nose. "H-hey now, I thought you'd be happy to see me."
Cinder let out a breath, dispelling the bow as quickly as she had called it forth. "Inside, both of you. Close the door-" Mercury was shutting the door behind him; he was alone. "Where's Emerald?"
"Yeah, about that." Mercury rubbed the back of his neck, shrugging. "She turned. I had to put her down."
"You what?"
"She knew too much, Cinder! She went soft, and she was giving up on the plan! If I let her go, she'd run back to her new boyfriend and tell him everything!" Mercury threw his hands in the air, affronted. "So yes, I killed her, to keep us safe."
"You killed her." Cinder repeated, gritting her teeth. She found herself staring at a spot on the wall. I promised her she'd never go hungry again.
"It had to be done." Mercury dropped onto a couch, kicking his feet up. "So what's the plan?"
There wasn't an ounce of regret in him. For a moment Cinder wanted to beat the grin off his smug, arrogant face. It took effort to force the desire down, but she managed it. "We wait for the queen to send word. Be ready to move at a moment's notice."
"So the way I figure it," Torchwick was saying, "Cinder's going to be holed up in one of my safehouses. The cops have been paid off to stay away from them all; I actually took care of that a year or two ago. If I had to guess, it'll be either this one or this one." He pointed two of the circled locations on the map of Vale that was being projected on the wall, nodding. "They're the most tastefully extravagant."
He glanced over his shoulder, inwardly pleased to see the glare Goodwitch was directing toward him. "Don't give me that look! I am a criminal mastermind, after all!"
Ruby Rose raised her hand, hesitantly. "So, uhm. Why are you telling us about all of them, rather than just those two?"
Because I don't plan on needing them anymore. "Hey now, Red. A man's not allowed to turn a new leaf?" No one laughed. Hell, no one even smiled. Tough crowd. "But seriously. I make a habit of being on the winning side; in my line of work, that's how you stay not dead. I know when to fold."
Chrono cleared his throat. "You're certain that Fall will be holed up at one of those two locations?"
"Certain? No. Cinder's not stupid. There's a very real likelihood that she's hiding somewhere else. But I'd say the odds are for it." Torchwick tapped Melodic Cudgel against his chin. "She's also really vain."
Lindy Harlaown nodded. "We'll want two primary assault teams, then, and a number of teams on standby. According to our source, Cinder Fall will likely be accompanied by Mercury Black, who is as it turns out a trained assassin with noteworthy sociopathic tendencies."
That made Torchwick raise an eyebrow. "Your source? What, did you manage to catch the other brat and make her squeal?"
"Yes."
"Oh. Well then, carry on." Torchwick leaned back against the wall, impressed. And she was a hardened street rat, too.
The Admiral definitely looked satisfied, but not smug. Then again, Torchwick had the feeling that Lindy Harlaown wasn't the type to gloat. "Since we have to assume Cinder Fall will have at least one individual in her immediate vicinity to provide support, I don't want anything less than a combat team of four attempting to apprehend her, and any team that does so will need to have at least one flight mage. I'd prefer to send the Wolkenritter, but we can't spare them from the positions they've already been tasked with."
Headmaster Ozpin nodded. "Teams RWBY and JNPR. You will be assisting in this operation to provide oversight and ground coverage during the capture assault."
The students nodded, but were interrupted by the door to the office slamming open. Professor Port barged into the room, holding a buzzing glass jar in one hand and a leather journal in the other. "I found it, Ozpin! I found it!"
"Professor." Ozpin didn't quite sound severe, but there was some pique in his tone. "This is a secure planning session. Is this important?"
"Ah, my apologies, everyone! But it is important indeed! Extremely so, even!" Port at least had the presence of mind to shut the door behind him, then brandished the jar and journal again. "The strange Grimm that Team JNPR brought back from the Emerald Forest! I found written record of their existence in a Huntsman's journal dating back before the Great War!"
"Get to the point please, Peter." Goodwitch did sound severe, but Torchwick figured it was rare that she ever didn't.
"Yes, yes, of course! They are called Mayfalls, and their presence is a portent most dire! The last time they were ever witnessed in number, and in number is the only way they are ever seen, an entire city on the coast of Mistral was wiped from the face of Remnant by a Grimm attack of nightmarish proportions! It's all right here, detailed by the lone survivor of the city's defenders!"
Port set the jar down on a nearby table, flipping through the journal and showing the entry to Ozpin. The headmaster leaned his cane on the wall to take the journal in hand, tracing the passage with his hand.
Torchwick turned his attention to the jar itself. Inside he could see a half dozen tiny black insects, all clinging quiescently to the curved glass interior. The buzzing sound from their wings was gone. "...hey."
No one responded. Goodwitch was looking over Ozpin's shoulder now, and the headmaster was reading the relevant passage out loud. The students and mages were all murmuring in reaction. Torchwick cleared his throat. "Hey!"
Ozpin glanced up over the rim of his glasses, frowning. "What is it, Mr. Torchwick?"
"Is it me, or are they all staring at Hot Stuff there?"
The murmurs of conversation slowed to a halt, and all attention focused on the Grimm. Even the pink-haired swordswoman's glare faded when she realized that he was right.
"Okay, that's the last of them." Nanoha lowered Raising Heart, letting the handful of shooter bolts dissipate into nothingness. All that was left of the swarm of black flies that had gotten into the office was a rapidly fading black mist. "The new window's sealed?"
"Yeah, it's in. Ain't gonna be opening until a real repair crew gets in here, but it'll keep the bugs out." Vita glared out the new pane of glass at the cloud of tiny Grimm. There were hundreds of them, thousands even; the ones that couldn't land on the glass and peer inside were surrounding Ozpin's office in a haze so thick they couldn't even see the clouds outside. "Chuuni, you ever see anything like these?"
"No."
"Great. Well someone tell Ozpin that we've been swarmed in."
Summer was already on a scroll, holding it to her ear. "We're not the only ones. There's a shitload of them trying to get into the administrative building now, and more around the infirmary, he says. There are student teams trying to clear them out, but it's like… well, like trying to kill a swarm of bugs with guns and knives."
"There might be reports elsewhere." Raven flipped the scrollscreen over to the news.
The screen lit up with hand-recorded footage, looking down at an angle over icy terrain. Beowolves and ursa were charging across snow-covered ground toward the screen, howling for blood. The view panned around, showing Atlesian soldiers manning a fortified wall, tearing the Grimm apart with storms of concentrated fire. "-sudden surge in Grimm activity all along the border of Atlas. According to our sources in the kingdom, the attacks started no more than half an hour ago. So far the kingdom's defenders have had no trouble repelling the- hold on a moment!"
There was a pause, and then the image switched to a windswept desert. More Grimm were clambering over the sand dunes, meeting much the same fate as the ones in Atlas. "Breaking news! Increases in Grimm attacks on the walls have been reported in Vacuo and Mistral as well. Outlying communities are putting in emergency requests for Huntsman assistance all across th-"
The feed went dead, and Raven tossed her scroll onto the couch. "Well that's just fucking dandy. Sums, tell Oz-"
"Still on the scroll with him. They're watching now."
"Uno, you'll be quite pleased to know that the stealth relay is in position. I know I am."
"Yes, Doctor. I received encrypted transmissions from the relay two hours ago."
"Excellent! Make certain Tre and Nove are ready for deployment. If an opportunity does arise, we'll only have a short window. Keep an eye on the VIPs I tagged earlier. They'll be far more useful alive."
"Of course, Doctor."
They were all in agreement that it was only a matter of time before the Grimm attacked Vale. Ironwood had hurried out to coordinate with Atlas from his cruiser's bridge, while Lindy was using her device to speak to her crewmembers back on the Arthra.
For the moment, Ozpin was left with nothing to do but wait. Glynda was already gone, marshalling the students for the very real possibility of yet another emergency. 'At least we have some fair warning this time,' she'd commented as she swept out the door. For the moment, it was just him, Lindy, Hayate, and Zafira taking up space in Glynda's office.
His scroll started buzzing. Ozpin pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the screen.
Ozpin felt the blood drain from his face in a rush, his grip suddenly cold and clammy around the scroll's edges. A black chess piece stared back at him, waiting for him to answer.
He hesitated, and the decision was made for him. Without his input, the scroll connected the call. Seconds ticked by on the screen.
Everyone was staring at him. Slowly, Ozpin raised the scroll to his ear. His lips felt dry, parched even. "Yes?"
"Ozpin." Her voice was low, drawn out, almost leisurely.
"What do you want?"
"From you? Nothing at all, Ozpin. Believe it or not, this is a friendly call. After all, we've known each other for so long now."
"Then-" Ozpin's words caught in his throat, and he had to clear it. "Then why are you calling?"
"To give you fair warning." The ground shook under their feet, and one of Glynda's bookshelves toppled, missing Hayate only by dint of Zafira throwing himself in the way. I'm coming for the Belkans, whether they're in your precious little Vale or not. If you want your kingdom to see the next sunrise, I suggest you send them away. All five of them.
"If I were you, I would tell them to go east. It will be easier for everyone involved."