I Will Not Scatter
Chapter 55
End
"I'm going to open a portal to you, wait one," Raven responded over the headset.
Something snarled behind her, and Raven lashed out with her blade, still supporting Taiyang. The Beowolf leapt backwards, dodging her strike with a slavering snarl as it tried to circle around her. A gunshot rang out; the Grimm's head exploded into black tar.
Jame's lowered his arm, panting as he leaned on her twin; one of his eyes was swollen shut. Raven concentrated on Summer, and a vortex sprang open.
"I see it, we're coming."
Deidrick had pulled Artemis out, slinging his teammate over his shoulder. Another couple of Grimm pounced from above; James started firing as Raven sent a wave of fire towards the monsters, lighting up the darkness. Hundreds of red eyes glittered in the darkness.
"C'mon, we need to move," she said.
"Not without Evan," James insisted, shooting the jaw off an Ursa. "Deidrick, have you found him?"
"Not yet," the faunus replied.
Summer and BBLK burst from the vortex behind her, weapons raised, as more Grimm attacked the clustered hunters with howls of bloodlust. As BBLK set up a perimeter around the injured, Summer went to Raven and Tai, night-eyes flashing in the dark. Summer caught the gaping mouth of another Ursa, wrenching fiercely.
The hook-blade tore through the meat of its jaw; Summer scowled, blurring. Mani channeled her Semblance suddenly, bursting into a cloud of rose petals. The force of which blew apart the Ursa's head; Summer's weapon reformed in her hand, petals swirling into metal.
That was new.
Summer stayed close to them as Raven picked Taiyang up; the boy was heavier than he looked, considering he was solid muscle. She scooped him in a fireman carry as Summer blew through more Grimm that had dropped down on them from the gaping hole in the ceiling, her teeth bared and ears flat as she slashed out viciously.
BBLK was alternating between purging the Grimm swarming up from the rubble below them, and trying to help Deidrick search. Liana had taken Artemis from Raven's mentor, bringing the gunwoman over to them as she buffed her aura, which had apparently broken. Qrow was nearly trying to drag James towards the vortex, and quite unsuccessfully. The Atlassian was a fucking mountain.
Deidrick was clearing wide swathes of Grimm away with his brute of a sword, aura lines flickering over his body. Occasionally, he used his ghost like Semblance to fade his sword through multiple enemies, and then rematerialize the weapon inside them before pulling it free. Despite the brutality of the act, he made it look like a dance.
A subterranean Grimm squealed and launched itself at the faunus's face, feet first. Deidrick's weapon whipped out, coiling to sever the monster in half. His eyes glinted like Summer's.
"We need to get the injured clear," Deidrick said at last, "I can keep looking."
"I'm staying-"
"Jimmy, you don't fuckin get it," Qrow growled angrily. "I can SEE that this place is gonna collapse again. We have to GO."
Raven winced as the rubble around the groaned, more sparks from the destroyed train-cars lighting up the darkness. Liana was restoring Artemis's aura still, the other girl's wounds finally beginning to flicker with their own aura.
"Summer," Raven sighed. "I'm taking Tai through."
Summer was panting, crouched on a rock as she stared down into the waves of yelping Grimm that Barty, Becca and Katay were lighting up. She spotted something that made her gasp.
"What is it?" asked James, blowing the head off another Grimm.
"Oh no…," she whispered.
Deidrick followed her line of sight, both faunus staring into the darkness; Raven's mentor's shoulders tensed. He took a breath, before passing Artemis over to Summer.
"Get everyone clear, Summer," he rumbled. "I'll get him."
"I will," Summer said. Deidrick suddenly faded, ghosting through the rubble and Grimm clambering up to them.
"James, quit being an ass-"
James was trying to free himself, when suddenly both he and Qrow were grabbed by Summer's free hand; she blurred, and the group of four burst into petals as they shot through the portal. Raven followed swiftly after them, still carrying an unconscious Taiyang; Liana followed suite with Artemis as the rest of BBLK covered their retreat.
The vortex exited on the other side, where more hunters had gathered to observe the collapsed tunnel with anxious, exhausted faces. Raven set Taiyang down, before pulling a medical kit from the fanny-pack. Summer was panting nearby from the effort of using her Semblance on three separate people. James was very visibly angry with her, waving his good hand as he sat on the ground. His side was a bloody mess, and one of his legs looked fractured. He had apparently been standing out of sheer determination.
"You had no right!"
"James-"Summer started, looking tired.
"NO! One of my people is still in there!"
"James," Summer whispered. "Evan is dead."
Raven paused as she checked Tai's pulse, which was strong as ever. Blood had crusted over his forehead and ran down his face like a Branwen war-mask. Liana winced by Artemis, shaking her head.
"What, you don't know that!" James exclaimed. Qrow sighed, sitting down next to his mentor and laying a comforting hand on his neck.
Summer's ears wilted back.
"You don't know that!"
The vortex parted as Deidrick emerged, carrying a figure he had purposefully covered with a familiar, brown leather jacket. The rest of BBLK followed after him, eying the vortex with their weapons raised in case the Grimm tried to follow through it.
James stared wide eyed at his partner and the form of his teammate. The vortex dissipated as the underground rumbled dangerously; they needed to move away.
The crowd of hunters finally moved to help them, several older men and women coming forward to assist with moving the injured. Raven and Summer carried Taiyang on a stretcher from the fanny-pack, while Qrow helped with James; BBLK carried Artemis, while Deidrick held Evan.
A hollow, hopeless numbing was spreading outwards from Raven's heart as the voices over the net listed off new damages, Grimm incursions and the lack of support from Vale. According to HCC, the Council was still preventing the King from sending more troops; apparently, their own borders needed to be defended against Grimm hordes. They were on their own, with two thousand trapped civilians, many of whom were injured.
They reached an emergency medical tent that had been set up in the tunnel before the station, specifically for treating hunters. Deidrick hovered outside of it with Evan's body still clutched to his chest. Raven saw that the others were being seen to and approached the faunus; the soft leather jacket that he had draped over the body was soaking through with blood. An older huntsman had tried to approach him earlier to get him to set the body down, but had taken a look at Deidrick's solemn face and hesitantly turned back.
Raven knew that saying anything wouldn't make it better. Her own thoughts on death and what it meant had changed with current revelations, but her opinion didn't really matter. Instead, she stood there in solidarity; because in the end, what else can you do?
Minutes passed before Artemis's voice reached her ears.
"Get off me, before I have you picking bullets out of your asshole."
"Ms. Adel, please just take a minute-"
Something clattered to the ground in the tent.
"Where is my partner!?"
Deidrick exhaled slowly, shutting his eyes briefly as he held the bloody bundle close. Artemis shoved her way out of the tent, her normal sardonic composure having fractured; she met their eyes.
Raven watched as Artemis stiffened, freezing amongst the chaos of the tunnel. One of the healers had followed her out of the tent, and was trying to pull her back inside; suddenly, that healer found themself on their ass as Artemis forced herself to walk towards Deidrick.
She stopped a foot away, her mouth parting slightly as she stared at the blood. The corners of her eyes pulled as she fought back tears; after a few painful seconds, she finally reached out and pulled the jacket back.
Evan was practically unrecognizable. Raven had seen bodies so mangled before, more than her fair share; however, this was the first one that felt real. It shocked her to feel her gorge rise.
Adel's face was stony, falling behind the barricade provided by shock and emotional withdrawal. Tears were trailing quietly down Deidrick's face as he stared at the cooling body in his arms. Artemis took a deep, slow inhale.
"He pushed me," she said, her voice thick. "That silly bastard shoved me out of the way."
Deidrick nodded, his lip pulling at the corner.
"Screw you, Ev," Artemis choked, tears hanging at the corners of her eyes stubbornly. "Why did you do that?!"
Raven knew it was time to give the grieving teammates privacy. With a heavy sigh, she laid an armored hand on her mentor's shoulder before turning away to go see her own shaken team.
"Who does something so gods damn stupid!" Adel cried behind her, voice cracking.
Raven brushed the tears from her eyes, laying a hand on her hilt for comfort; she didn't find any.
…
Hunter Command Central
"I don't give a Taijitsu's twisted taint what the Council says!" barked Arc into her headpiece. The poor stooge on the other side stammered helplessly.
"Listen to me you spineless little worm," she continued, pacing furiously. "You put the King on here. Because apparently, no one seems to understand how dire this actually is!"
"Prof-Professor Arc, you don't understand," he pleaded. "The Council and King are locked in a stalemate right now! He wants to send reinforcements-"
"Then where the fuck are they!? Because they sure as your momma's shit aren't here!" she yelled. "He is King! He overrules the Council in times of emergency! This is, in case you were unaware, a Dust damned emergency!"
"Please, ma'am, I am aware! But the Council-"
Arc was nearly pulling her hair out in frustration. All around her, operators were talking to desperate hunters, reporting damages and requesting assistance. There were still several teams who hadn't checked in since the blasted Jorogumo unleashed pandemonium; STRQ and BBLK had delayed the monstrosity, and HCC had dispatched specialists, but it wasn't down yet. Its spawn were wreaking havoc; and the Hellwings and Gryphons had nearly taken over the skies utterly.
"What about the Forzanis?" Arc demanded suddenly.
"The King's bodyguards are currently unavailable as well-"
"Their daughter is down here on the frontlines, fighting for their bloody King and country! She took on a Jorogumo and looks like she went one for one with a cheese grater! They can take the fucking time to talk to me!"
The paddy stammered before finally sighing.
"Dust help me, ok! Ok, hold on, I'm trying!"
"Do, please, take your time," she growled ominously. Besides her, Ozpin was calmly observing the chaos; or he appeared calm anyways. Arc had come to learn that that was mostly a mirage.
The Headmaster was not a natural leader. She had deduced that quickly when she had met the man, and he had confessed as much himself later on. Despite that, he still had her respect.
"Joan," he said softly, adjusting his spectacles. "We are likely going to have to make a decision without Vale's input."
Arc nodded once, sweeping blonde bangs from her eyes.
"This is Violet and Gio Forzani," said a cool voice in her ear. "Speak."
Arc scowled immediately. She had met the Forzani's on several occasions; needless to say, she did not like them.
"This is Professor Arc of Beacon," she started. "Second in command of HCC. We have been desperately requesting reinforcements for the past five hours. And everyone else is giving me the runaround-"
"The King is being blocked by those prissy scum on the Council," said the gruff voice of Gio Forzani.
"Mr. Forzani, respectfully, I don't give two shits what the excuses are. My students are dying. My friends are dying. Your daughter nearly died two hours ago, and very fucking bluntly, still might," Arc said. "He is the King. He has the power to do something."
Ozpin glanced at her, his pale eyebrows raising in surprise.
"…What happened to Becca?" asked Violet. Her tone was still cool, but Arc could hear the slight difference in inflection.
Time to roll the dice.
"Becca and her teammates did a very brave and very stupid thing, and saved a lot of people," said Arc. "Many hunters are actually doing brave, stupid things right now and dying so Vale's Council can sit around fingering their arseholes."
There was heavy silence on the line. Arc could imagine whatever whispered conversation the King's 'attendants' were having.
"Get our daughter the fuck out of there," growled Gio.
Arc opened her mouth angrily, before Ozpin cut in on the conversation.
"Mr. Forzani, this is Professor Ozpin," Oz said calmly. "We are trying to get many, many people to safety. That is why we need whatever support we can get. Promptly."
"You have people who can get her out," Violet said. "She's already dealt with enough incompetence on your part, and if she dies-"
"Your daughter is acting on her own choices. In the end, what she does is ultimately her decision. So far, she has decided to fight alongside her teammates," Ozpin said. "And even disobeyed direct orders on our parts in regards to her own safety. I couldn't pull her out if I tried."
Arc could feel the rage on the other side of the line. She knew she'd be angry too if someone used one of her own daughters as a bargaining chip; however, she also knew that if someone told her one of her children was fighting on the front lines of a Grimm incursion, that there wasn't a force on Remnant that would stop Arc from joining her. She wasn't sure what it said about the Forzani's that they were still by the King's side.
"…You'll get your reinforcements," said Gio finally.
"And after all of this is finished, we shall be having a long talk about your placement as Headmaster, Ozpin," said Violet.
Her voice could have frosted over fire Dust.
"I look forward to it," hummed Ozpin. "Thank you for your oh so valuable time."
Then he hung up. Arc stared at her colleague blatantly. She had a feeling he would have thrived in Vacuo or Mistral.
"…They're going to murder you," she said, impressed. Ozpin chuckled a bit darkly.
"They wouldn't be the first."
…..
Mountain Glenn's Train Station
Team STRQ stood by the packed station, along with several other teams and hunters. JADE had been benched until further notice, as per Ozpin; the last Raven had seen of their mentors, Deidrick had finally relinquished Evan to the paramedics and was sitting next to James and Artemis on the ground as Artemis quietly cried.
James had become completely stoic, his face frozen in a pensive frown. Qrow had clearly wanted to stay with him, but James had insisted Qrow go with his teammates. Her twin's distressed emotions kept flashing across their bond in fits; Raven tried to comfort him as best she was able, but there was admittedly little she could do.
Taiyang was still in shock over the loss; the blonde, who typically joked incessantly when nervous or as he tried to smooth tension, was completely silent. His eyes had a bewildered look to them, as if utterly confused by the concept that Evan could no longer exist. Tai and his mentor had been good friends, something that couldn't necessarily be said of every such pairing.
Summer was listening intently to the chatter over the channel, brow furrowed. Raven couldn't remember ever seeing the other girl frown so much. Arc's voice cut through the other hunters.
"Vale has finally deigned to send reinforcements to try to clear the skies between us," Arc said, contempt heavy in her voice. "As well as several squadrons of airships to aid in evacuation. The problem however will be getting to them. Because once the airships enter Mountain Glenn's airspace, the Grimm will undoubtedly engulf them. So we have a choice to make: wait for them to reach us if they can, or meet them halfway."
"This will have to be made as a collective decision," said Ozpin. Other teams around them perked up at the Headmaster's voice. "Because once it is made, we must commit to it one hundred percent. Escorting this many civilians over infested ground to the airships will be utterly difficult. There will be casualties. However, waiting for the airships to reach us and then trying to escape the area will likely fail under current conditions."
A few other voices piped up.
"How did the tunnel collapse?! It's sealed halfway to fucking Vale!"
"It seems that there were, perhaps, precautionary charges laid along the top of the tunnel," said a woman. "I suspect they were a part of the original construction plans in the event something like this occurred."
Raven felt a chill run through her as she and Qrow exchanged looks.
"WHAT?"
"HCC, why were we not informed of this-"
"Because, we did not know," said Ozpin's voice.
There was a dangerous edge there that Raven was coming to recognize. Qrow spat on the ground and Tai's eyes finally hardened; he looked furious.
"But…we lost hunters in the tunnel…"
"Those sons of bitches tried to seal us in! Like a tomb!"
They're parasites. They will consume you.
Raven could feel a wave of anger pushing back all the exhaustion and sadness.
"But there were Grimm on the train! Surely Vale wouldn't go that far!? That's insane!"
"I doubt they would either. It is more likely that whomever sabotaged the field generator originally was responsible for the detonation and Grimm," said Ozpin. "However, if we had been informed of the charges to begin with, then we could have disabled them. But regardless of who's at fault for this atrocity, we still have several thousand innocent people who desperately need our help. And we must still decide how to go about that."
There was a heavy silence on the net.
"I say we make a go of it," rumbled Tormund suddenly. "Playing it safe at this point is out of the question."
Summer's ears flicked. A few voices agreed while other's protested.
"We can't escort this many people at once, there aren't enough of us!"
"It's a suicide run!"
"If there were charges in the tunnel we didn't know about, then what's to say there aren't more elsewhere in the city?" Raven said into her headpiece. "We could be sitting on a powder keg and not even know it."
It was a dark thought, but it frankly wasn't the first time she had seen something like this. Settlements employed similar strategies, often not having the same natural barriers as Kingdoms; if one segment of a particularly large Settlement became overrun, then it had to be cut off from the rest somehow. Or completely annihilated.
Someone had sealed the tunnel, but there were still overland routes the thousands of Grimm could take straight up to Vale's gates. Mountain Glenn had been an expansion experiment; Vale likely took precautions that they wouldn't release to the general public.
"….Oh Dust."
Her teammates stared at her with wide eyes. Raven sighed.
"She's right," said Tormund. "Vale might not set off any charges themselves, but whomever is responsible might. We must assume this place is a time bomb. Waiting for rescue is death."
Summer nodded after a moment, her eyes lighting up with an idea.
"And I know how we can expedite things," Summer said.
"We're all ears, Ms. Rose," said Ozpin.
"Portals," Summer said, smiling softly at Taiyang and Raven. "Lots, and lots of portals."
….
Hunter Command Central
Ozpin stared at the map on screen as tactical advisors rattled off their opinions on the best course to take between the train station beneath them and evacuation point ten miles away; it would be absolutely impossible to make that journey and not sustain heavy losses, not without as Summer had suggested, 'Lots and lots of portals'.
Ozpin pulled up the names of the people on hand who could utilize portals in such a manner; it was a rarer type of Semblance, but they had at least four people. Two were Raven and Taiyang, another was an older hunter named Cadmium, and the fourth wasn't a hunter at all; she was a ten year old girl named Suki, who had very boldly offered her abilities to assist any way she could. Her grandfather had been injured trying to get her to safety, and was now one of the many terrified civilians awaiting news on their fates below.
The Headmaster of Beacon hummed thoughtfully. They would need to lay the course first; then the portal users would need to be protected, and likely buffed to sustain the use of their Semblances over such a distance and time. The civilians would need to be transported via vehicle if possible, to speed up the process; they would need a few emotional dampers to ride with them, to conceal them from the Grimm. Then the rest of the Hunters and remaining military personnel would need to hold off the Grimm and protect the 'portal chain'.
Joan stood solidly besides him, occasionally giving her input to the tacticians. Ozpin smiled softly at the fierce little warrior, who raised a dubious eyebrow in his direction. People like her always gave him hope for the future; no matter how many lives he had lived, or how dark things became, there were always a handful just like her.
"I believe that this plan has the most potential for success," he said, interrupting the babble around him. "But we will need to move very quickly to implement it, before we become surrounded."
The Jorogumo was slowly but surely making its way towards them, its vile spawn spreading out in a wave before it. Hunters who specialized in Settlement Killers had managed to slow and redirect it enough to buy them time. But killing it would require much more firepower than was currently available to them.
Tormund had defeated the three Jotun with the assistance of other giant specialists, but the Skogtrolls were still menacing the perimeter and would continue to encroach. Not to mention all of the Grimm flying overhead.
"Joan, please direct our four portal users to standby for further instruction," he continued. "Also any available aura buffers, dampers, and our best defenders. Everyone else will be involved with organizing the civilians and their evacuation. I want the rest of you to locate the best points to establish portals for the chain, and where we need to place our people to maintain it."
Exhausted, determined faces stared at him from every corner of the room. Ozpin briefly wondered how many times he had stood in this exact same spot before and failed, before dismissing the dismal thought. The past did not matter right then; it was only the present that he could change, and change it he would.
…..
"It is moments like this that define what it means to be mortal. To stare into the face of the impossible and keep going; risking everything, over and over again."
Organized pandemonium had broken out in the train station as military personnel and Hunters took to following their orders. The four portal users stood together in an uncertain huddle, their teammates, partners and family standing nearby.
"These moments exist like watch-fires in the darkest moments of Remnant's history, scattered throughout time; people look to them to gain strength, to draw hope. To know that they are not alone."
Raven played with the feathers at her hip, staring thoughtfully at her feet. Taiyang stood next to her, his arms folded; Summer and Qrow hovered close by, talking softly. The grizzled huntsman and the ten year old girl shuffled next to one another, sharing glances.
"We have suffered terrible losses; and I know that it might feel like it was for no reason."
Segregated from the churning crowd of hunters, the remnants of team JADE were sitting together, staring at the ground. Artemis had her head cradled in her hands as she slumped between Deidrick and James; occasionally her shoulders shook, and the boys would take turns rubbing her back.
"But I want you all to know that what you are doing matters. Young, old, human, faunus, hunter, soldier: you matter, far more than I can ever express with words. Every wound, every loss, every sacrifice is felt, is mourned. It is not for nothing. And will not be forgotten."
Arc had joined them in the train station, putting together the team that would be assisting the portal users in their endeavor. She was holding half a dozen conversations at once, switching rapidly between each; the tacticians in charge of plotting out the course had come to interrogate them on how their Semblances worked, bantering with one another swiftly as they planned where to place them.
One of STRQ would have to stay in the station, allowing Raven to open the first portal to them. Then she would be placed as far out of the city as she could be, before connecting to Taiyang, who would in turn have his own portal chain set up. Cadmium and Suki's Semblances had the shortest ranges. Cadmium was limited to line of sight, and would be the last in the chain, placed up high to get the furthest range. Suki would come after Taiyang.
Tai didn't like that they were splitting up, if that frown on his face was anything to go off of. However, Arc was in no mood for anyone sane to attempt to argue with her. At last, the beady eyed advisors who had been speaking in a nearly foreign language as they hashed out the logistics finally seemed to come sort of consensus.
They laid everything out to Arc, who asked a few questions, or rather demanded answers; they seemed to satisfy her. Raven was dead tired, yet more awake than she'd been all day; her heart wouldn't slow down, and she was being bombarded by a hail of sensations across the bonds with her teammates. She focused on her breathing to keep from being overwhelmed.
"I have made more than my fair share of mistakes in this life of mine. But I have never once regretted basking in the lights of brave people like you, facing moments like this."
All too soon, the party was being ushered to the hangar above; Arc had selected Summer to stay at the station, forming the first anchor point for Raven's vortexes. Taiyang had begun to argue on principal, but was quieted by the faunus kissing him, standing on her tiptoes. Taiyang wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close; as Summer started to smile into his kiss, he mirrored her. Over their bonds, Raven could feel flickers of joy and sorrow. She wanted to laugh and cry all at once.
Arc waited, surprisingly patient. When Summer pulled away, she gave Tai's hand a reassuring hand squeeze. However, before the tiny Professor could march them away, Summer hugged Raven as well.
Raven kissed the spot right between her fluffy ears, taking in the smell of flowers and honey; she could have stood there forever. Closing her eyes, Raven pressed her lips into the other girl's hair and whispered several words she had yet to say.
Summer inhaled sharply, her ears pointing straight up as pulled away to look up at her face; her eyes were full of questions, but her smile was full of joy and for Raven that was enough. Arc coughed loudly, causing Raven to scowl irritably at the older woman. Summer tossed her nose defiantly at the Professor, pulling a surprised Raven into a swift goodbye kiss, and walking quickly away before they could draw things out longer.
Arc had the grace not to comment on things, and the rest of STRQ followed after her to the hangar; Raven forced herself to not look back.
"Thank you."
…..
The ground quaked, causing the hunters and personnel to pause amongst the rubble of the abandoned farmhouse. Raven and Qrow kept glancing at one another across the clearing, their weapons in hand as they awaited word from the other parties. The pink and red light of dawn could be seen through the blackened trees.
Tormund Rindvallis, covered head to toe in Grimm ink, ash and other fluids, stood silently next to her; Tormund, Qrow, ARSN and several others would be protecting their safe zone, allowing Raven to open the vortex's to Summer and Taiyang. They were still waiting for the others to get to their positions. Until then, they were keeping a low profile on the outskirts of Mountain Glenn.
Getting out of the depths of the city had required a lot of stealth. Their caravan had been concealed by emotional dampers and a hunter who could turn whatever he touched invisible. They had managed to escape the city with relatively few casualties.
It was, however, discovered that for Raven to utilize her bonds with Tai and Summer properly, the emotional dampers wouldn't be able to use their Semblances. Riding in the transport under its effect, Raven had nearly had a mini panic attack at the sudden 'blindness' she had been subjected to; it was like suddenly not being able to feel one's legs.
The giant witchfinger suddenly shifted his bulk, listening to his headpiece intently. Raven eyed him calmly; she still wondered what his people had said to him about Nwyfre and how STRQ had interfered.
Tormund lifted a blackened finger, pressing it to his headpiece and muttering something in response. Whatever it was, it wasn't being broadcasted over the net. The ground shook again. In the forest, a tree fell with a splintering crash.
"Portal City, this is Grandmaster Tai. We are in position. What is your status, Spooky Vortex?"
Raven smiled as Qrow shook his head across from her.
"Waiting on you, slowness," Raven replied.
"Spooky Vortex, Grandmaster Tai. You can't rush art, over."
There was another crash in the woods; Tormund eyed the skeletal trees suspiciously, nodding at a group of hunters at the perimeter to investigate. The blue field enclosing them rippled as it opened and closed behind them.
"You can when the city is burning down."
"Grandmaster Tai, Spooky Vortex, this is Arc. Stop fucking netting this garbage."
Qrow chuckled as he inspected his scythe and Dust rounds.
"Professor Arc, Grandmaster Tai. Thank you for using our proper callsigns, over."
"Taiyang, if you don't shut the hell up I am going to put you in permanent detention."
Raven rolled her eyes. Her brother grinned as he glanced off into the trees.
"Arc, Qrow, you can put ME in permanent detention any day."
"Paint-penis, Grandmaster Tai. Don't let James hear you saying that, over."
"….Shut up, Tai."
Raven laughed softly as Tormund gave her an odd look.
"Paint-penis, Grandmaster Tai. Are you still trying to get senpai to notice you, over?"
"Grandmaster Tai, this is Windwolf. Leave Paint-penis alone, over."
"STRQ. GET OFF. THE NET," snarled Arc.
Raven kept chuckling as Tormund shook his shaggy head in disbelief. These were the people who were trying to save the day.
"Portal City, Cadmium and Suki. We are in position."
"All stations, HCC. Report status of manned and ready."
Raven took a deep breath, cracking her neck nervously. The hunters and personnel about her began to move, falling into place.
"Windwolf and Mountain Glenn, go."
"Spooky Vortex, go," Raven said.
"Grandmaster Tai, go."
"Suki iiiis go!"
"Cadmium. Ayup."
Their support teams rattled off in quick succession. Raven squinted anxiously into the blasted tree line; she could see the darting figures of the investigators as they searched for potential threats to the safe zone. Dust-fire suddenly rang out in rapid succession, and Raven could hear the snarls of an Ursa.
"Portal City, HCC. Fire it up."
Tormund thumped her back once before moving to rove around the perimeter; Raven closed her eyes and reached out. The emotional dampers had ceased a few minutes before; she could feel all of her bonds, each one different from the last. Summer's came to her quickly and a vortex cracked open nearby, leading to the train station miles away. Raven smiled, took a shaky breath and walked a few feet away. The vortex stayed put.
Taiyang's bond was more difficult. It was the first bond she had consciously tried to form; it felt hesitant, but also curious as to her intentions. There was an insecurity there, though, that didn't exist with Qrow's or Summer's; as if it didn't believe her one hundred percent. Raven didn't give up, though, and another vortex finally burst to life.
"HCC, the first part of the chain is up," Raven sighed in relief.
More Dust-fire was lighting up between the skeletal trees. They needed to get this show on the road. Yet it went much faster after that, and soon the entirety of the chain was ready, stretching over twenty miles to the rally point where the extra transports were already arriving.
"Portal City, the first wave of evacuees are on their way," said Summer.
Acknowledgements rattled off, as other hunters gave updates on the city's status and Grimm locations. The Jorogumo's spawn would be reaching the airfield soon, fires were raging out of control across several districts and HCC had moved down into the train station. The military people were supporting their retreat, and barricading the entrances from the airfield to the underground.
A huntress finally stepped out of Raven's vortex, rifle raised as she inspected her surroundings, before trotting forward.
"All clear. Come on folks, nice and easy. No shoving, keep calm, and follow me," the huntress ordered, the copper skin of her face and arms smeared with ink.
An elderly man was the first to exit, holding his wife's hand tightly. He smiled softly at the sky before following the huntress. A tide of tattered people from every walk of life followed after him. Some were carrying critically injured, their eyes wide but glued to the woman leading them to potential salvation.
The first wave took several minutes to pass by, escorted by hunters of all ages. Raven recognized other Beacon students, including BBLK. They nodded at her as they passed, Barty leading the way as he spoke rapidly to the civilians.
In the woods, more Grimm were arriving, but so far nothing the perimeter guard couldn't handle. Raven could feel the drain her Semblance was inflicting on her aura already; she wasn't sure if it was due to the amount of traffic, or simply because she was exhausted, but knew without aura buffers she couldn't keep this up indefinitely. Fortunately, a pair of them were assigned to her, and had already begun to lend her a boost.
The next wave had more injured than the first, including wounded military and emergency response personnel. The sun was rising, and in the distance Raven could hear more Grimm approaching their location. Over the net, reports of Grimm attacking the other safe zones and the train station's barricades were beginning to increase.
The civilians kept an admirable cool as they continued their trek up the longest portal chain in known history. The members of the first wave had reached the rally point and were being loaded onto the airships according to the reports coming in rapid-fire succession.
A crashing sound came from the trees as something large rumbled angrily. Raven could see Tormund's Semblance lighting up, a wave of force blasting outwards as the witchfinger struck something big. Several armored soldiers were running back to the force field protecting the safe zone. Red eyes were circling them, the snarls of lesser Grimm echoing throughout the haunted forest.
Raven breathed slowly, holding her vortexes open. Typically, the portals dissipated after several minutes without her direct attention; she had to keep focused to hold them open for so long, and they still had a long ways to go. As the sounds of Dust, gunfire, and shouting erupted around the farmhouse, Raven closed her eyes.
"Portal City, the third wave is on its way. Our barricades are under attack from Jorogumo spawn. They are currently holding," reported Summer.
Raven felt a wave of concern rush through her, some of it her own, some of it from her other teammates. Qrow was running amok outside the field, draining the luck from the Grimm as he swept through them and making easy targets of them for the soldiers protecting his flank.
"P-city, Taiyang, we're stretched a little thin up here but so far so good."
"This is Suki! The second wave is reaching the rally point!"
"HCC, Cadmium, there is a delay with the airships. Nothin too serious, just behind schedule."
"We're on it, Cadmium. You'll have fresh ships in two minutes."
The previously green grass had become a muddy trail where the hundreds of people had tread between Raven's vortexes. Suddenly, the ground quaked again, and Raven looked up, her eyes widening. A gheist loomed over the clearing, made of scrap metal, boulders, and tree stumps. The Grimm screeched and brought a fist down on the force field. Civilians screamed in fear, antagonizing the gheist to hammer its fists down in a tantrum as tried to break through.
"Everyone stay calm and keep moving! Do not run!" shouted a huntsman as he waved the terrified people on from one vortex to the next. "Keep going, don't look up! That's it, love, just a stroll through the park! There we go!"
Tormund suddenly burst from the tree line at a full sprint and leapt at the gheist, his spear in hand.
"Haaaar!" he roared, slamming the point into the Grimm's shoulder. The concussive force of his attack flattened several nearby trees and caused the field to flicker; the gheist's shoulder, made of a twisted up heap of tractor, shattered into pieces and fell away as the Grimm fell over. A shadowy, black arm clawed from where its arm had been. Qrow ran to assist Tormund, firing at the Grimm's head.
Raven winced, but kept her mind focused on the task at hand. The bonds were nervous, jumpy. If she allowed herself to become distracted, the vortexes might snap shut and trap people in the dimension between.
The gheist shrieked, a piercing sound that made her nauseous. Qrow shouted something at the soldiers, who all took aim at the Grimm's head. Suddenly, scrap metal enclosed around the Grimm's head like nightmare helm; it's red and yellow eye burned through its plating venomously as it sprang to multiple 'feet' and crab walked away from them. Vines lashed out from its back, wrapping a soldier up and crushing him like a grape. Gore showered down on the force field, sizzling wetly.
The other soldiers fell into a formation, firing angrily at the amalgamation. The gheist lashed out at her twin with two other vines coated in metal blades; Qrow spun his scythe, severing them before darting under its claws.
"Portal City, one of our barricades is about to be overwhelmed; we still have about five hundred in the station. We are going to hold as long as we can, but we need to speed things up," said Summer.
The shuffling crowds had broken into a jog as the hunters and soldiers escorting them urged them on. A woman stumbled, but was swiftly scooped up by her neighbor and carried through the next vortex. A child was crying as he looked for his mother in the crowd, having been separated in the mounting chaos. One of the soldiers, who had lost her eye and half her cheek, took the boy's hand and ran with him through the portal.
"We got Skogtrolls harassing the chain here," reported Tai. "Anyone available to assist us, please do so! We're losing people!"
"Taiyang, ARSN, we are airborne and on our way! Hang tight!"
Airborne?
More soldiers were being torn apart by the gheist, who was keeping its head free from Tormund's attacks. The witchfinger was tearing limbs off left and right, but the tricky Grimm was re-growing them just as quickly. It kept trying to get past him to the force field.
Qrow, who had been knocked down by the fiend several times, finally stood up; her brother was battered, covered in ink, blood and dirt, and looked like a stranger to her in that moment. He spat on the ground again, sneered angrily and charged.
Her twin dodged a vine-whip, then another, then a limb, and sprinted up the Grimm's outstretched arm; he reached its shoulder as the Grimm flailed. With a ferocious swing, he buried the tip of his scythe into the gheist's eye.
The Grimm screamed. Tormund took the opportunity to sever its torso, and the debris began to rain down as it's 'limbs' fell away. Black smoke was rising as the gheist abandoned its armor, far too late, as Qrow destroyed its brain. Raven watched as her brother pulled his weapon free fiercely, a flash of pride making her whoop in excitement. Qrow grinned at her as he leapt to the ground before scurrying off to fight lesser Grimm.
"Portal City, HCC, we are evacuating the rest of our personnel! The last of the civilians have left the station!"
Armored trucks, ATVs and the rest of the injured were beginning to roll out of the vortex to Mountain Glenn. Raven panted, feeling more exhausted than she had ever felt in her life. Her aura buffers were feeling the strain as well, taking turns to supplement her quickly draining reserves.
Something rumbled in the distance, building slowly before a sudden wave of sound crashed into the farmhouse's clearing. People fell over, startled. Raven turned to stare into the distance, her line of sight blocked by the skeletal trees. A cacophony of noise was roaring through her portal to the train station, and dread was filling every inch of her. Other personnel and hunters had stopped in their tracks as they stared towards Mountain Glenn. Over the trees, Raven could see a cloud of smoke and fire rising in the morning sky.
"HCC, Portal City, are you guys ok?"
Static was the only answer. Raven could still feel her bond with Summer, and knew the faunus was alive.
"HCC, comms check."
Raven glanced at the others in the clearing nervously. She was about to go check the station herself when a familiar blonde poked her head through.
Professor Arc, her sword and shield in hand, marched through the vortex. Behind her, Ozpin, JADE and other stragglers rushed out of the spinning portal. Raven strode quickly towards them, heedless of the fighting and yelling surrounding them.
Arc opened her mouth to say something, but Raven brushed past her and entered the vortex. The red sands greeted her, the dim light of the strange dimension a stark contrast to the golden clearing she had just left. The footprints of thousands of people remained in the talc, and Raven briefly wondered if they would stay there forever.
Finally, before she could go through the other portal to Mountain Glenn, her partner trotted through. Her tiger hooks were hanging from her belt, and she was bloodied from fighting; it was obvious that she had waited until she was sure every other person had made it through before herself. Summer smiled when she saw her.
Raven was torn between wanting to scold her partner and crying; instead, she hugged her quickly and the two ran hand in hand towards the exit.
….
Taiyang's segment of the portal chain was, quite simply, genius. It was the longest stretch of the chain, made up of dozens of golden portals staggered over miles of territory; however, each portion was located in a defensible location. While Raven had a longer range between portals than Taiyang, the martial artist could maintain more portals than she could at once; he had even placed back up segments in the event that a portion was overwhelmed by Grimm, and he needed to reroute people.
Tai had placed himself on a hill in the center of his creation, where he could keep an eye on everything and direct personnel where needed. As the last of the refugees made their way through the gauntlet, the rest of STRQ regrouped with the martial artist on his hill, watching the migration.
Raven was standing by her teammate's shoulder, nearly asleep from how worn out she was. Yet despite everything, she couldn't help but stare in dazed awe; as the sun rose over the mountain forest, she could see everything. The portals, the hundreds of people, the Grimm, the hunters and soldiers keeping them at bay; it was an intricate weave, a delicate balance between life and death that she had never seen so aptly displayed in her short, violent life.
Overhead, several airships were raining vengeance down on encroaching Grimm swarms, keeping the monsters contained on strategically placed killing fields. Raven watched as ARSN swooped past in their commandeered aircraft; Natalia was literally hanging from a rope ladder, firing her assault rifle into the hordes of Grimm crawling over the rocks. A flock of attack drones followed after them in a crowd, under Reinhardt's control as the technopath attacked skyborne Grimm in masse and provided updates over the net. Sigyn was a multicolored blur bouncing around the skin of the airship as her clones attacked Hellwings and Gryphons foolish enough to come too close.
"Portal City, Grandmaster Tai. We've almost cleared our segment. How are we lookin on those airships?"
"Tai, Cadmium. We got a dozen leaving and two dozen comin in. We should be good."
Taiyang gave his team a tired, sad smile.
"Whooooo get some, fuckers!" screamed Argent over the net as his airship dove down towards the Grimm.
Beowolves, Deathstalkers and Ursai exploded in black bursts as Natalia rained fiery hell down on them. The attack drones swarming ARSN's airship whistled as they dove towards the enemy, firing smaller Dust rounds. Sigyn decapitated a Hellwing before leaping towards a Gryphon carrying a still living soldier. The bubblegum punk took the creature's wing off, caught the falling soldier, and landed on the airship once more. Summer whooped in encouragement as the airship blazed by, banking as it targeted more Grimm. Sigyn saluted as the ship past them before carrying on about her duties.
Raven took another deep breath as she watched the tail end of the caravan make its way through the final golden portal to the homestretch. Soldiers and hunters began to fall back, abandoning their posts as the last of the civilians made it through to safety.
"Holy shit," muttered Qrow. "We're gonna make it."
Summer patted his back reassuringly as she observed the scene before them.
"Yea we are," Summer grinned. "P-city, STRQ. Civilians have cleared the second portion. We're in the homestretch."
"STRQ, HCC, excellent work. Get yourselves out of there."
"Will do."
…
The rally point was located on a mountain, cupped between two peaks. Dozens of aircraft were coming and going as they went about the task of evacuating hundreds of people. Team STRQ had arrived last on the scene, waiting for the rest of HCC and the airships to get their people through before dissipating Tai's portals.
Summer took charge promptly, tasking her teammates as was needed. Raven was assisting the perimeter guard as they held back encroaching Grimm from the safe zone. It was relatively easy compared to what they had faced previously. Most Grimm wouldn't or couldn't reach their position.
It was nearly noon by the time the last batch of civilians were loaded onto the airships to Vale. The remaining hunters and soldiers wasted no time in getting themselves out of the hot zone as well. Smoke was still hanging over the rubble that had been Mountain Glenn, visible to those standing on the mountain's slope. Raven could still see fires burning and a giant crater all too close to where the airfield had been; it seemed her theory about explosives hadn't been too far off.
She frowned, wondering who had set the bombs off. She knew it wasn't Nwyfre, and felt it wasn't Arcene or Set; but whomever it was, they were likely responsible for the generator and train. There were too many outliers in this equation, however, for her to reasonably deduce who had done what.
Overhead, airships rumbled as they sped away towards the distant, glistening towers of the Kingdom. Raven noted that there were no Nevermore, only the occasional Gryphon or Hellwing. She glanced back at the peak behind her, momentarily blinded by the light reflected off the snow.
The final airships were rumbling as they hovered over the ground, awaiting take off. Raven and the rest of the perimeter defense started to jog towards the final aircraft. It was time to go home.
Loading up was a blur. STRQ piled into one of the airships together, barely standing as their nerves and adrenaline finally started to slow down. Raven sat the floor between Summer and Taiyang, pulling her knees in close and leaning her head against the bulkhead.
Summer leaned heavily against her, and Raven slumped against Tai. She could see the mountain slope, crawling with Grimm, as the airship banked and sped into the sky towards Vale. She closed her eyes as the airship's engines whined, sleep finally claiming her as she let go of consciousness.
