Chapter 74 – A Chance for Redemption
Blake
The White Fang launched their assault on the Acolytes of Lien, trucks driven by the Faunus Militia roared through the open gates that were blown open thanks to Nora's efforts. The three Dreadnaughts that they managed to get their hands on soared across the sky, opening fire on the other Acolytes of Lien Dreadnaughts that they brought with them. The Drift of Wandering Star remained at a distance in the sky, but it was still the biggest danger that the allies faced. And was undoubtedly Kelham's most dangerous weapon and wildcard.
The Trucks had powerful weapons mounted on the back of them, from Machine Guns to Gauss Cannons that fired focused kinetic energy at their targets. And there were others that had powerful batteries of missiles built into the back of the Technicals. Brave Militia Warriors shot forward on Quadbikes as well, with a soldier riding on the rear with their machine guns firing at the Acolytes of Lien. The Hellfire Tanks that they stole unleashed fire upon the Barricade that Blake and Ren managed to weaken when they took out the Shield Weaver.
A shell shot over their heads and exploded against the leg of one of the Hellfire Tanks. The hulking weapon crumbled down to one knee, flames and sparks bled out from the leg as the White Fang made their assault. Blake stood tall beside Mazen, who looked at Arkaas and Kaa and he nodded. Arkaas' wings extended, and he flew up into the air, launching arrows from his bow that stabbed straight through the chest of one of the Marksmen that stood in the Watchtowers. He dove down and spun through the air, slashing his cybernetic talons across the bodies of three soldiers. He rolled across the floor and he opened up his wing of feathers, protected by aura, blocking the incoming missile that was fired towards him. He staggered at the explosion erupted against him. He swiftly swung round and drew the sword on his back, charged with electrical dust, striking straight through another Acolyte of Lien who fell near him.
Kaa sprinted across the battlefield, and she rolled across one of the destroyed chunks of a building, jumping off and kicking a soldier in the chest with both feet. She reached down to her belt and unsheathed her dual daggers and stabbed one of them into the throat of a soldier, before she landed and threw the second that went right into his visor. The glass cracked and blood leaked through the fissures, before she flicked her hair back and smirked. She hissed as she stared at the Tremor Trooper who slammed his gauntlets together with great force. The soldier charged towards her and she jumped up in the air and slammed his fist into the ground.
The powerful pistons built into the armour blasted down into the ground and blew the tarmac to smithereens. But Kaa jumped up into the air, performing a graceful backflip as she dodged all the razor-sharp chunks of concrete that was flung her way. She landed down on the ground and her serpentine eyes glared at the soldier who ran at her again. He swung his fist forward and the piston shot forward, only for her to duck under him, she moved like a snake too, so hard to land a hit on from how flexible she was. She wrapped her legs around his arm she twisted her body round him and threw herself high above his head. She took her knife and drove it into the back of the soldier's neck, slamming him down to the ground.
Kaa smiled as she pulled the knife from his neck, staring at his corpse.
Mazen watched as his forces decimated through the defences of the Acolytes of Lien, who were not ready for the attackers to receive reinforcements of this scale. And Ortega's Reinforcements had not even turned up yet. Blake looked at Mazen as he spun his Chainsword through his fingers. Soldiers and Atlesian Knights came sprinting towards him. "Mazen… why are you doing this?" She asked with confusion, since the last time they spoke he was hellbent on fighting against them. Because of what happened with Sienna Khan.
He stopped and looked back at her. "You said you were wrong… what changed your mind?" Blake asked him and the Masked White Fang High Leader looked right at her.
"I was the one who killed Adam… it may have been by your blade… but I was the one, the fool, who dragged him back into the hell that made him what he was. You helped him become more until I turned him… what is it I want? A chance… a chance to honour him."
He stared at the Acolytes of Lien. "A Chance for Redemption."
Mazen walked towards the attackers and he revved the engine of his Chainsword, the many teeth spun so fast around the sword and he roared like a bear. He jumped down towards them and he slashed the sword straight through one of the soldiers, cutting him clean in two, through his shoulder and out the other end at a diagonal. Blood spilled everywhere, but the soldiers did not stop to attack him. One of them fired a Grenade Launcher towards him, but he crouched down and slammed his fist into the ground and engaged his semblance. His aura hardened into an almost Diamond-Like structure, that caused the grenade to bounce right back at the soldier, blowing him up.
The diamond shattered as he exited his Aura Lock Semblance, and he thrusted the Chainsword forward, stabbing it through the body of one soldier. He kicked his corpse away and caught the blade of another in his gauntleted hand. He snapped it with his thumb, yanking the soldier towards him, in which he swung the Chainsword hard across his throat, cutting his head from his shoulders. Mazen unleashed a terrifying howl as he pirouetted and sawed through the Atlesian Knight behind him. The teeth of the Chainsword shredded through the steel and the circuits, sparks and belches of fire erupted from its body, and he kicked it away from his presence. The robot exploded into a hundred pieces, and then he swung round and threw the Chainsword into the chest of another soldier, pinning him to the building.
Three more soldiers rushed him, and he cracked his neck, rolling his shoulder as one of them fired his submachine gun at the huge High Leader. He dodged the attacker and he grabbed the barrel of his rifle, pulling it from his hands, and swinging it into the side of his head, hitting him so hard the whole firearm shattered like glass. The soldier crashed to the ground then he turned and caught the dagger of another soldier behind him and squeezed his wrist so hard that he broke it, causing him to drop the knife. Mazen grabbed the knife and stabbed it through the visor, then grabbed his head and pummelled it hilt first into the ground, the blade burst out the back of his skull, finishing him off. Mazen turned to the last soldier and he punched the soldier in the face over and over again, roaring furiously as he grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the floor, and threw him through one of the buildings.
He approached his Chainsword that was stuck inside the soldier he threw it into and pulled it from both the wall and his corpse. The soldier fell to the floor with a wet crunch, and Mazen continued on, to battle with his Brothers and Sisters in their assault on their enemy.
Blake stood as Ren got back up with Stormflower in his grasp, looking at Blake. "That… was unexpected." Ren said, which made Blake chuckle.
"To put it mildly." She admitted, but as they stood there, their eyes all turned and they gasped as the Goliaths smashed through one of the gates, trumpeting as they formed an entrance for the Grimm to get through. "Gods… they're in… this could get ugly." Blake said.
"You sound surprised, when have we ever fought in a battle where the odds were perfectly in our favour?" Ren asked her, Blake nodded.
"You're right… we survived the Volcanic Chain Isles… we can survive this." Blake said as she spun Gambol Shroud, and they all moved up, now that the Blockade formed by the Acolytes of Lien was destroyed. Blake blew out a breath, and she turned, seeing Kragen sprinting ahead with the Architect. Kragen jumped up into the air and he spun Ebony Duchess through his fingers, channelling the power of the Silver Eyes through the glyphs engraved into the stick. As he spun it with great speed it glowed a bright white, and he slammed it down into the ground. The Atlesian Knights that surrounded him shattered like glass, and the Acolytes of Lien fired their rifles at him.
Kragen spun his staff through his fingers, deflecting the bullets from hitting him, and he sprinted towards them, sliding under the attack from the soldier. His red sword slashed across where his head was, and he thrusted upwards and slammed Ebony Duchess across the jaw of the soldier. His helmet shattered like glass, throwing his helmet off his head. The soldier staggered backwards, but he aimed his rifle at Kragen and fired it at him. Kragen ducked under the attack made by the soldier, and he thrusted forward, slamming his knee into the chest of the soldier. He spun round and slammed his staff into the face of the soldier again, knocking him unconscious.
Kragen aimed to defeat his enemies but if he could defeat them without killing them then he would try – but at the same time, he was not afraid to spill blood.
More soldiers came for the Old Silver Eyed Warrior, and he spun his Staff round and swiped one soldier off his feet, he twisted round and punched the soldier down to the ground with all his might. The ground cracked, broken from the force of his fist. He lifted Ebony Duchess and stopped the blade of an Acolyte of Lien, before he smacked the long black staff down the side of his head. He jabbed the end of the staff into his chest, over and over again, moving so fast that his arm and staff moved in a blur. The soldier recoiled back from every strike made by Kragen Nox, before he jumped up in the air and kicked him in the chest to get him away.
Kragen ducked down and avoided the blast from the shotgun of the third soldier. Kragen rolled across the ground and he punched her in the gut, forcing the soldier to stagger back. She held her stomach in pain, then Kragen swung round and slammed the staff against the side of the soldier's head, shattering the visor. She staggered away from him and Kragen sprinted towards her, and he rolled across her back and hooked Ebony Duchess underneath her neck. He swung her over his head and pummelled her into the ground, before finishing off the final soldier who thrusted his sword towards his flank. Kragen stepped aside and caught that soldier's wrist. With one hard twist, the bone snapped, and he ripped the sword from his grasp, and pushed it through his chest, killing him.
The soldier fell to the ground and Kragen sighed, saddened that he had to kill him. But he had no other choice, and the rest of them charged forward. The Architect too did not enjoy killing but was not afraid to do so, especially with his fighting strategy. An armoured truck roared towards the Architect, but he swung his metal fist forward into the front of the huge vehicle, smashing the engine apart with his fist alone, and the impact blasted a shockwave all around them. The truck stopped dead against the highly advanced Artificial Intelligence's titanium body. The truck crashed to the ground and the door swung open, the soldiers fell out in pain and they quickly grabbed their weapons.
The Architect held out his arms. "There does not need to be any bloodshed. Don't make this be your last mistake. Plenty of years to make more." The Architect said as he stood there, then one of them fired his rifle and the bullet hit his shoulder. The Architect sighed. "Alright, don't say I didn't warn you."
The Architect's Rifle – Paragon's Blitz – transformed into its sword form, the barrel opened up and the long sharp blade extended, coated in electrical energy. He blasted towards the soldiers and he slashed the blade into the blade of the first soldier in his path. The impact snapped the blade clean in two, and he threw his sword up in the air, and caught the hilt, the blade faced the other way and he stabbed it through the skull of the first soldier. Another soldier dropped his weapon and looked away, and the Architect honourably avoided that soldier. But the others did not seem to stand down, and one of them grabbed his shotgun and fired it into the Architect's chest. The mechanical Huntsman staggered back with a grunt, smoke trailed from his armoured chest, and the soldier pumped the shotgun again and fired it. The Architect pushed his shoulder forward, his large plate of armour blocked the incoming shrapnel. The soldier gasped and the Architect jumped forward, and slashed the sword through his chest, ending his life.
The heavy Architect landed in front of the soldier who surrendered, and the Architect looked at him and bowed his head. "Find somewhere safe. Wait this out." The Architect ordered.
"B-But… we're enemies…" The soldier stammered.
"Only those who fight us. You surrendered, so you deserve to have a second chance." The Architect told him, turning to see more Acolytes of Lien incoming. His plates of metal over his visor lifted with shock, as a missile exploded against one of the Anti-Air Cannons, blowing it apart. The shells loaded into the cannon detonated, shattering the plates of metal and fire flew up into the air. The huge barrel of the cannon broke off and crashed into the base below, whilst smoke and embers towered above the battlefield.
An Airship flew down to the battlefield and dropped off more soldiers, alongside an Acolytes of Lien Paladin. The Huge Armoured Vehicle landed, and the many weapons folded out from the arms. The Architect stared at it and he looked at the soldier as Blake walked up beside him. "Go on, kid. Get out of here." The Architect ordered, he looked up and saw Yenna blasting lightning up at some of the Fighter Jets that were getting closer.
"The Acolytes of Lien are starting to target their cannons here. The others down there are focused on the Grimm right now but soon the Grimm will destroy them too." Yenna called down to them, blasting one of the Fighter Jets out of the sky. The wing broke apart and it spun out of control, crashing down into the ruins of Arkhonex in a fiery explosion. Blake looked at the Architect and she stared at the soldiers ahead of them, and Qrow was ready too, with Nora and Ren blasting towards them.
"We just need to keep this up, work our way through Arcturus Base. If we can get through this place and get to the Embered Grove? We get the Aphax Violet and return back to Vale and give it to the Witches." Blake said as she stood beside the Architect.
"I can get the Violet, but I need to be closer. Once I get the Violet, I will use my Portal Generator to get back home." The Architect explained to them all and Qrow nodded his head.
"Yeah… we just need to get these bastards out of the way first." Qrow sighed, spinning Harbinger through his fingers. Ozpin walked up the rubble and stared at the battlefield and he nodded.
"The White Fang have improved our odds." Ozpin stated.
"Then let's not lose our momentum." Blake said. He sprinted alongside the Architect and Qrow towards the Paladin. Ozpin blasted forward and he smashed his cane through one of the Atlesian Knights, before channelling his magical power through his body and he blasted it towards the soldiers that charged towards him.
Blake threw her grappling hook towards the Paladin and she pulled herself towards the huge suit of armour. She slashed her sword across the armour and did the same, shooting towards it again. The Paladin spun round and slammed its arm into Blake's chest, but it was another illusion of which she vanished from and appeared atop it. She slashed her Katana and the Sheath against the armour plating relentlessly. The Paladin staggered back and fired its swarmer missiles up into the air, and one of them exploded against Blake, throwing her from the Paladin's head. But Ozpin jumped up and caught her just in time, slamming both his feet to the ground. She sighed with relief, looking at her Headmaster. "Thanks." She said, and he smiled, nodding to her.
The Architect fired his rifle repeatedly at the Paladin as he charged towards it, rolling out of the path of the incoming bullets and missiles from its powerful autocannons. Qrow flew through the air and he transformed back into his Human Form, slashing his sword through the heel of the Paladin. The pistons snapped and air blasted out from the coolant systems, and it brought it down to one knee. The Paladin slammed its fist down to the ground but continued to fire its machine guns at them all. Blake launched towards it and ignited her shadow, blowing up against the back of the Paladin. It staggered further, nearly collapsing due to the weakened leg.
Flames crackled over the charred steel that covered its torso, and the Architect blasted up into the air, and he transformed Paragon's Blitz into its sword form, and he stabbed the blade straight into the roof of the Paladin. He engaged the dust crystals loaded into the rifle, and high voltage passed into the Paladin, stunning it and causing it to lock up from the electrical energy. Qrow flew round and he launched himself towards the Paladin and Nora flew with him, firing herself towards the Paladin. Both of them held their huge weapons back and smashed and slashed them into their armour plating. The Paladin shattered like glass, exploding into a fiery boom, one of which threw the Architect's sword up in the air.
He caught the sword and landed with his fist slamming to the ground, whilst Nora slid across road, and swung Magnhild down into the bonnet of a truck that roared towards her, causing it to flip forward. The White Fang squads roared through the roads, Gauss Cannons repeatedly firing at the armoured vehicles that fired right back at them. Qrow slammed Harbinger's scythe down into the road, dragging the curved blade through the tarmac to slow himself down. The remnants of the Paladin slumped down to the ground with a heavy thud, flames and smoke bleeding from the remains.
Blake landed with them and she looked at everyone.
We can do it…
Kelham doesn't stand a chance.
Kelham
The Komodo Dragon Faunus growled, staring out the destroyed window of the Headquarters, in his armour and his Clawed Bracers attached to his arms, ready to kill anyone that stood in his way. But as he stared out there, he saw everything falling apart. The Three Huntsmen Teams that were attacking them all at once, the Grimm being drawn in, their own Anti-Air Defences shooting down their own ships and now the White Fang coming to their aid. "Damn it… it's all coming to an end… I have not come this far to lose again. I will not fail again." Kelham growled with anger.
He turned and saw Whitley still stood in there; his body was damaged but could still move pretty well. Kelham pressed his hand against the side of his head, his eye twitched erratically, he was starting to go fully insane from the stress. "Kelham? Are you with us?" Whitley asked him, and Kelham sharply turned, his eyes glared directly at Jacques' son.
"Do I look like I am against you, boy?" He snarled.
"N-No… but are you still focused? We can still win this, we have them outnumbered and outgunned." Whitley explained as he stood there.
"Perhaps, but only one man could have hacked into the Anti-Air Defences as quickly as they did – Ortega is here, and he is alive." Kelham said as he stood there, staring at the battlefield. Whitley turned and stared at Kelham with disbelief.
"He's alive?" He gasped.
"Yes… he is the only man who could know how to change the coding of our guns as quickly as he did. We don't have time to make the change either… we have to destroy them." Kelham explained as he paced back and forth.
"But the Grimm…"
"The Grimm will get in without any trouble, I know." Kelham stammered as he suddenly punched the wall with all his might. "No matter what happens, he knows that either they will take us down or the Grimm will… hell the Grimm could take both sides down."
He stared at the storming Grimm from Old Town… there were hundreds of thousands of them coming for them. Yet this was only a taste of what they were to expect from the Oncoming Shadow, because at the very least this army had a limit. But the Oncoming Shadow? They were infinite…
"Then… what do we do?" Whitley asked him.
"Donovan has fled to his labs, I'm sure he has something cooked up in there. But… I know what Ortega will be going after. When the time is right, he is gonna try and take the Drift of Wandering Star. If he takes that ship then the battle is won, he has control of our droids and it is our most powerful Dreadnaught. He could level us if he wanted but that won't be his goal, just to use to so then our forces bend back to his side." Kelham explained, watching as Mazen lead the White Fang further into their grounds.
"So… what's the plan? How do we win this?" Whitley asked and Donovan stood there, then a smirk formed on his face.
"The Power Cell… for the Aura Destabiliser in the Emerais Catacombs… the signature came from the direction they attacked. It must be with Ortega somehow; he must have found it first…"
Whitley walked out, staring at Kelham as he started to come up with a plan. "So, we let him continue his plan."
"What?" Whitley questioned.
"We lure him onto the Drift of Wandering Star. And we attack him when he least expects it and take the Power Cell. Once we do that, I will use it, and then we will give it to the soldiers still loyal to us. Our best Huntsmen… when they cannot harm us… we could take them all down ourselves." Kelham explained, but Whitley did not seem as convinced. He did his research as well and knew how unreliable that device was, he heard what it did to the Congregation of Dawn and those who followed it.
It turned them into monsters, but the Knights of Grimm managed to kill them, meaning the same could still happen.
But Kelham was blinded by his selfish ambition… an ambition to never fail in a battle ever again.
And nothing was gonna push him away from that goal.
Whitley looked back at the Facility they were in and he saw the Advanced Paladin unit still in storage. It was not Deimos, the new body he had been working on for so long, but it was still a lethal suit of armour that he could use against them. Kelham stood amongst the embers and smoke, staring down at the War that raged beneath him.
Finally, the White Fang were here…
He smirked sinisterly. Here we are, Mazen… my old friend.
Time to end this war you sparked against us…
… once and for all.
Penny
The Machine with a Soul flew up into the air and she launched her flower of swords down towards the Hellfire Tank that marched through the roads. It fired its massive cannon up at her, but she dodged the incoming shell, and the many mortars and missiles that it repeatedly fired up at her. Explosions erupted around the ginger haired green-eyed Android, who blasted down and sliced clean through one of the legs of the titan.
The Hellfire Tank groaned as it crashed down to the ground with a heavy crash, shattering the vehicle that was parked beneath it. Flames erupted from the engine of the parked military truck, and Penny pulled her swords back up, and she spun them round, charging up her powerful green laser. She carved the tank in half, the metal glowed bright orange before it exploded in an awe-inspiring array of fire. Penny landed back into Arcturus Base with an almighty boom, and she launched her cable-attached swords towards another soldier, killing him instantly.
She had learned how to block it out, but it still broke her heart to kill people. But she understood that she had to do it, otherwise they would kill her – or worse – the people she loved. Penny rolled out of the way of the Incinerator Trooper that unleashed flames from his Flamethrower. It stuck to the ground, burning excruciatingly hot as it landed there, but Penny bounced on her toes, ready to attack the soldier. Penny sprinted forward and she crossed her swords together to block the incoming napalm, holding it back as she walked towards the soldier, eyes glowing green as she glared at him. The soldier backed up as he relentlessly unleashed the breath of Surtr upon her.
As soon as the Flamethrower ceased blasting at her, she blasted towards him and grabbed the soldier by the face, and slammed his head against the ground extremely hard, knocking him unconscious. The soldier rolled across the ground and Penny gasped, when another shell suddenly exploded against her chest, throwing her through one of the buildings. Ortega turned and he gasped with worry, reloading his Revolver and he turned again.
A large Armoured Personnel Carrier roared around the corner, firing the cannon at them over and over again. Ortega jumped and rolled to cover, firing his pistol around the corner as he shot back at the soldiers. Penny groaned as she got back up, rubbing her fuzzy head. "Ouch… that hurt." She winced, rolling her shoulder so then the metal ball joint would pop back in. Penny walked out, smoke still trailing from where the shell hit her in the chest, and she saw her Father battling against the Acolytes of Lien on his own. Junior roared as he jumped off one of the buildings and fired his Rocket Launcher down towards the A.P.C. The huge vehicle managed to drift away from the incoming rocket, but it blew up an incoming Four-By-Four in the process, killing all the enemies inside in one shot. He twisted through the air and the Rocket Launcher extended into the Hammer Form, and he slammed it down to the ground with all his might, shattering the road with one impressive strike.
Junior pummelled his fist into the road, and the Malachite Twins sprinted from the destroyed vehicles left behind and they both sprinted towards the Mercenaries that fired at them from their buildings. Militia charged towards one of the buildings and she jumped up, using her long red claws to climb up the brickwork, throwing herself inside of the building and driving them straight through the weak points of the Marksman's Chest Piece. He crashed to the ground and the second grit his teeth and swung his sniper rifle into her head, smashing her against the wall. She grunted from the Sniper's attack, but she did not stop, he went for a second hit, but she slashed her claws across the barrel of the rifle and cut it clean in two. She kicked him in the chest and cartwheeled towards him, wrapping her legs around his head and launching him across the room.
The soldier drew his sword and stabbed it into the floor, before he rushed the Malachite Twin again, and he swung the sword towards her with great force, but the Huntress crossed her claws over and deflected his attack. She was nimble like a cat, sprinting round the soldier and slicing his leg and he growled in pain, falling to one knee. He turned and grabbed his pistol and fired it at her. Militia countered the bullets and she pushed her feet against the wall, launching herself towards the Marksman, stabbing both her claws into his chest, dragging him across the floor.
The soldier was dead from that attack, but she was impressed by the fight he managed to put up. She walked away from his body and jumped out, using the drainage pipe to slide down, before jumping off and stabbing her claws into the back of Seeker who was not aware, she was there. Stood next to him was a Quartet Trooper who engaged the ability, forming three Hardlight projections of himself, all of which started to fire their weapons at her.
Melanie rushed towards the Quartet Trooper and she jumped and slashed straight through one of the Holograms, destroying it with the bladed heel. The soldier spun round and he aimed his machine gun at the White Dressed Malachite, but she cartwheeled to dodge the bullets and Militia sprinted towards him and she slashed across his side whilst Melanie flipped and dug her heel through the face of the soldier. She slammed his head down to the ground and they both stood side by side.
Ortega rushed forward and fired his Revolver over and over again, nailing multiple soldiers in the head, but as he turned the corner, his eyes widened as he saw more and more soldiers exiting their Garrisons. But just as they saw them, missiles exploded into their backs, and the White Fang roared towards them from behind. The Trucks and Quadbikes were here to their assistance, and one of the Trucks roared up one of the bridges behind them, and the Gauss Cannon fired at the soldiers, powerful bolts of blue light carved through the armour plating of the trucks in their path.
The trucks flipped and exploded as the Gauss Round pierced the armour like a knife through butter, the Quadbikers drifted round the corner, and the ones who rode on the back of these little vehicles aimed their missile launchers and fired them at the heavy vehicles that were laying siege. The rocket whistled through the air and exploded against the wheel of one of the cars, causing it to flip and be thrown into one of the buildings, exploding inside. The Acolytes of Lien Cars had enhanced suspension and were incredibly nimble as they chased after the Quadbikes. But the White Fang Assault Cars roared through the roads, and the ones that had Machine Gunners on the back shredded through the ground troops that stood in their way.
Penny sprinted through the streets and she saw the A.P.C roaring through, only for the White Fang Gauss Truck to drift around the corner and the Gunner on the back fired the Gauss Cannon. The powerful shell of kinetic energy launched towards it and carved through the tough bullet-proof metal with shocking ease. The A.P.C groaned as it bled flames, and the White Fang pursued after it, and the huge truck fired the cannon back at the Gauss Truck. Explosions erupted near and around the vehicle, but the driver was skilled as he dodged the incoming shells, and the Gauss Gunner fired once again, hitting the A.P.C in the back. But the final shot that finished the deadly vehicle off hit it right in the wheel, causing the wheel to explode and the suspension to snap like glass.
The action flipped the heavy armoured vehicle and it toppled into one of the buildings, exploding inside of it. Penny watched as she saw the White Fang roar past – and now? They did not have the Blood Red Beowulf… it was the Blue Beowulf instead.
"Is that the White Fang?" Penny asked Ortega, and the Admiral smiled as he watched the White Fang battle for them.
"This is what the White Fang is supposed to be." He answered.
"What the hell are the Fang doing here? And they're helping us?" Junior questioned and Ortega holstered his Revolver was he watched the White Fang help them win this War.
"Cordovin mentioned that Mazen seemed conflicted. Guess he started to see things clearly and knew that it was time to fight for the winning side." Ortega chuckled; Penny looked at Ortega with confusion.
"Cordovin?" She asked, remembering her name from when they were at Argus.
"I may have called in for a favour or two, alongside my reinforcements." He said with a smile.
"You mean Cordovin and the Argus Military are coming too?" Junior asked with disbelief.
"I believe Cordovin's words were – I'm done working as a Mercenary. I served General James Ironwood, and I will not let some thug change that life for me." Ortega explained as he stood there.
"I hope she didn't mean you." Junior chuckled.
"I never gave her the order, that was Jacques." He revealed, which made them all chuckle. They all assumed she meant Kelham… but… that word definitely fit the Founder of this Hell.
"Well, let's hope she brings the big guns." Junior chuckled as he slammed his fists together. They all turned their gaze with wide eyes when they heard the sound of the Grimm breaking through and saw the many airborne Grimm gliding in the sky, entering the base.
"We can hope." Ortega agreed.
Kassius
The Labs of Donovan Gele…
Kassius, Velvet and Coco sprinted through the hallways upon hallways that was painted a blinding white as they turned each corner. Soldiers turned and aimed their weapons at them. Kassius spun Lash Equinox through his fingers and he launched one of the swords towards one of the soldiers. It stabbed straight through his chest and knocked him off his feet and slammed to the ground with a heavy thud. Kassius sprinted towards the other soldier that stood beside him. He jumped up and pushed his foot off the wall and brought his sword down his sternum. The third soldier went to swing his sword down Kassius' neck, but the Huntsman caught the blade in his cybernetic hand, and he squeezed the red blade so hard that it snapped in two. Kassius thrusted his knee upwards with great force, winding the soldier, then he took his fist and uppercutted the soldier.
Kassius grabbed him by his shoulder and smashed his face against the wall. Kassius charged ahead with Coco and Velvet, and they turned a corner to find one of the Testing Facilities that was inside. There were some Grimm held in captivity here, their eyes widened when they saw them… this was where he cultivated the same glowing green Grimm that Merlot managed to create. Donovan was stood inside and he immediately fired his pistol at them, the three of them took cover as the bullets cut through the walls. "Stay away! You will not destroy the work I have been creating here!" He yelled with anger, running away.
"I wouldn't bet on you winning this thing, Donnie!" Kassius called back, but as they turned the corner their eyes widened. "Oh, you've gotta be shitting me." Kassius sighed, and he saw the machines bust out from their containers, wielding long staves and covered in red metal, glowing blue visors too.
"Are they what I think they are?" Velvet questioned as she stared at the seven-foot-tall robots.
"Merlot's bots! The Valerian Knights!" Kassius called out, and the first of the three fired a powerful pulse of dust towards him. It launched Kassius through the wall and the Valerian Knight chased after him. He crashed down into one of the testing facilities. Luckily there were no Grimm in here, but he could see how many of them that Donovan had built. His eyes widened as he looked around at them all… he had really been busy with using Merlot's Serum to create more of these monsters.
The Valerian Knight landed with a deafening thud, spinning its long spear through its fingers, and Kassius scoffed as he stood back up, spinning Lash Equinox through his fingers. "Been a while since I fought one of you bastards… come on you piece of shit." Kassius challenged, and the Valerian Knight sprinted towards him, jumping up in the air and launching the spear down towards him. Kassius rolled backwards and just avoided the incoming spear.
Back inside of the labs, the two Valerian Knights sprinted towards Coco and Velvet, one of them rolled across the desks of research equipment and it spun the spear with great speed, blocking the incoming Hardlight Bullets fired from Velvet's conjured Gianduja. The Valerian Knight sprinted and jumped towards Velvet, grabbing her by the throat and smashing her up against the wall. Velvet yelped as she was pinned against the wall and Coco gasped, wide eyed as she stared at the Bunny Faunus. "Velv!" She screamed, turning to see the third Valerian Knight launching a table towards her, but Coco ducked down, dodging the incoming table that came for her.
Coco sprinted towards the Valerian Knight and she kicked it in the leg, and as it fell to one knee, she slammed Gianduja in its Handbag form across its round head. It staggered back and growled, before it jumped up in the air, and slashed the spear down at the Huntress. She cartwheeled backwards to avoid the incoming attack. The Valerian Knight glared at her, before it charged towards her and tackled her through one of the walls. The side of the building shattered and they both crashed into the garage. Coco slid across the floor whilst the Android crashed against the wall with great force. The Valerian Knight stood tall, then Coco's eyes widened, seeing fresh belts of machine gun ammunition, the correct type for Gianduja as well. But first she had to beat this Valerian Knight.
Velvet strained as the Valerian Knight crushed her throat slowly, until she conjured one of Penny's swords and she slashed it across the hand that held her against the wall. The Valerian Knight staggered back, sapphire blue sparks bled from the stump and the cables that dangled from the open metal, it glared at her and she immediately conjured a new weapon. She chose a weapon that few would have expected but she could never forget it – Tyrian's Pincer Blades – The Queen's Servants. She blasted towards the Valerian Knight and slashed those pincers across the armour plating, cutting through the metal and severing some of the cables that she found inside. The Valerian Knight grunted and staggered from her strike, but the machine was still tough and quite skilled, it spun its spear through his fingers and slashed it against her blades. She blocked them and rolled backwards, avoiding them from doing any further damage.
The Valerian Knight sprinted towards her again, and Velvet ran towards it as well, and she slid under its legs, slicing its Achilles Heel. The Valerian Knight tumbled across the ground, but then it stabbed its spear downwards, steadying itself, staring straight at the Bunny Faunus who switched weapons. The Queen's Servants faded, and she traded them for Crescent Rose, and she blasted towards the Valerian Knight. The machine launched its spear towards her, but she spun through the air, cutting it clean in two. She then hooked the Hardlight Scythe onto the throat of the machine, and fired, cutting its head from its shoulders. The machine shut down instantly, as soon as it lost its head.
Velvet landed behind its wreckage, and she deactivated Anesidora.
Kassius rolled out of the way of the incoming spear and he immediately went to swing Lash Equinox at the Valerian Knight as soon as it came crashing down in front of him. But the tall machine caught his wrist and kicked him in the chest. Kassius dropped his two swords in the process and the Valerian Knight sprinted towards him. It grabbed him by the head and slammed him up against one of the containers that held a captured Beowulf. It roared, clawing viciously at the bullet-proof glass, desperately wanting to feat on his flesh. Kassius gritted his teeth, and he pushed his feet against the contained, and he slammed his body against the Valerian Knight.
Both of them crashed to the ground, and the Knight rolled back to its feet. It grabbed Kassius and kicked him in the chest again, knocking him to the ground, The Valerian Knight slammed its titanium fist down towards his head, but he rolled out of the way. He grabbed his sword and drove it into the Valerian Knight's flank. It snarled and backhanded him to the ground, really hard too. The Huntsman rolled across the floor, but he swiftly got back up as the machine pulled the sword from its side. Sparks leaked from its mechanical body, and it glared straight at him, dropping the sword to the ground.
It charged towards him and Kassius smirked, his amber eyes flickered with flames as Hyde gave him a bit of a boost. As the Valerian Knight charged towards him, Kassius spun round and uppercutted the Knight with his cybernetic fist, knocking it high in the air. It crashed to the ground and Kassius glared at it with gritted teeth.
Coco continued to battle against the one inside of the Garage. She held her hand out and formed an icy spear which she launched towards it. It grunted as it stabbed through its chest, but it did not hit any critical areas to destroy instantly. The Valerian Knight jumped and ran across the parked cars inside, denting their roofs in the process. As it dove down towards Coco, she took Gianduja and slammed it against the side of its head so hard that it broke off some plates of metal. It grunted and crashed through one of the trucks.
Coco stared at the car and she felt the Elements channel through her body, and she blasted a hurricane's force of wind into one of the cars, yelling as it blasted towards the Valerian Knight, shattering it into a thousand pieces and the car exploded against the wall. Coco stood tall as the flames surrounded her, then she looked at the belts of ammo left there, and she grinned. "My girl is hungry." She grinned, grabbing the many belts of ammo, enough to keep her going for a long time.
Kassius grabbed Lash Equinox and he aimed Vulcan Nox at the Valerian Knight as it stood back up. He fired the fully automatic submachine guns at the Valerian Knight as it charged towards him, he jumped back to avoid the slashing spear, then he crossed his swords over, catching the spearhead. He stared at the Knight and twisted round, kicking the spear from its grasp, he launched Lash Equinox into its chest and then caught the spear in that same hand. He turned all the way round and launched it through its chest as well. The tip of the spear punctured clean through the armour and carried the core with it, bouncing across the ground.
The Valerian Knight stood still, twitching, before it crumpled to the ground with a heavy thud. Kassius approached the destroyed remains of the Valerian Knight and pulled his sword from its metallic carcass. "By the gods those things are a pain in the ass." He sighed, before he climbed his way back into that room that the others were inside of. Coco was back in with Velvet and he looked at them.
"Haven't seen them in a while." Velvet chuckled. "Team R.W.B.Y and J.N.P.R left little to the imagination of how annoying those things are to fight."
"Tell me about it. At least those ones with the Grenade Launchers weren't here." Kassius said with relief.
"C'mon, don't jinx us." Coco said, they continued through the halls… then the three of them froze, and they gasped with horror at what they found in the next room.
It was a testing chair… with the corpse of Fox Alistair.
Coco stared at his body with horror, torn open and tested on… his face was in agony as he died… and it made her sick to her stomach. "Fox…" Velvet whimpered, falling to her knees. Kassius stared with heartbreak at this… he truly hoped that they made it in time. "NO!" Velvet shrieked in anguish, Kassius crouched down by Velvet and gently held her as she sobbed.
"Velvet… Coco… I'm so sorry…" Kassius said to them, gently caressing Velvet's soft brown hair. But as he held her… the room turned freezing cold, and they both looked at Coco. Her eyes were aflame with icy fire, and frost formed around her fists.
"I… will… kill him… HE WILL DIE SCREAMING!" Coco roared, sprinting towards the next hallway, blasting the doors open with her Winter Maiden powers, ice shattered the steel like glass, and the explosion killed the soldiers stood on the other side. "TELL YOU'RE BOSS I'M COMING FOR HIM!"
"Coco!" Kassius yelled, and Velvet looked at Fox's corpse with heartbreak before they chased after Coco, seeing her annihilating Donovan's Guards, blowing them to smithereens with her power. They chased after her as she smashed through their defences, blowing the Valerian Knights apart with fire and ice, crushing the soldiers with her roots. Every door could not stop her, but they tried to keep up with her anger.
Coco blasted through another door, and she flew straight towards Donovan who was inside of his office, looking down at her with a smirk. "YOU'RE DEAD FOR WHAT YOU DID!" Coco bellowed as she launched towards him. Kassius gasped, she was blinded by rage and could not see the trap set in place for her, a restraining device that was about to activate.
"COCO! NO!" Kassius screamed, but it was too late, and the electricity dust blasted into her wrists and ankles, holding her in the air.
"Coco!" The voice of Fox screamed, all three of them stopped and turned to their left… and saw the Aura Transfer Tanks that Amber was put inside of underneath Beacon Academy. And inside were both Fox and Yatsuhashi. Kassius and Velvet both turned with confusion… and that corpse was gone.
It wasn't real… it was Hardlight Dust…
An illusion.
"You son of a bitch, that was fake, wasn't it?" Kassius growled.
"Clever lad." Donovan responded from the safety of his office, his arms behind his back as he looked down at them. Kassius and Velvet looked around whilst Coco was restrained, eyes still burning but unable to move.
"So… what now, Donovan?" Kassius asked the brother of Jacques Schnee, and he smirked down at them as he looked down on the three of them.
"Divide and Conquer, Mr Locke." Donovan responded to him as he looked at them. "You see, with all Merlot's research and turning Semblances into technology? Weapons that our soldiers can use? Imagine what we could do with a Winter Maiden's power? Imagine what could be accomplished. Did you know that was the initial idea behind those tanks that your friends are in? The same one that Amber Rainart was inside of?" Donovan asked him as he walked around his office, pacing back and forth in front of his window.
Kassius fired Vulcan Nox anyway, but as he surmised it was bullet proof. "Worth a shot." He sighed.
"You are his son, aren't you? By the gods I can tell just by looking at your face… the unburnt half, of course." Donovan scoffed, but Kassius was in no laughing mood.
"Do you really think you will get out of this, Donovan?" He asked.
"I will – I have no intentions of dying today. My Dynasty will be remembered." He assured, which made Kassius scoff.
"You Geles and your obsession with Dynasties. You would do anything to ensure it, wouldn't you?" Kassius said as he stared at Donovan.
"It's all that matters, that our name lives on. Unlike yours, because you will be forgotten. We will forge a new world from the ashes of the old one, one where we will make a perfect world." He said.
"With you bastards on top? How long until someone like us rises up to stop you?" He asked them.
"When we have the Relics, they won't." Donovan stated.
"You really think Umbra will let you live? Do you know what happened to the Congregation of Dawn after he was finished with them? He turned them into the Knights' Bannermen, he turned them and all those he resented into monsters. What do you think he will do to you?" Kassius asked, and Donovan fell silent. "Yeah… I doubt he'd even give you the honour of being a Bannerman… I bet he'd just let you suffer." Kassius said, and Donovan stared at him.
"We will beat him – we will use the Relics to control or destroy him." Donovan said, and Kassius shook his head.
"If the Relics worked, then surely someone from all the universes before us would have tried it, right?" Kassius asked him.
"None have managed to get as close as we have." Donovan replied.
"None but my father." Kassius replied, which made Donovan chuckle.
"Yes… good ol' Archer Merlot. Tell me, did Ozpin and his little band of friends in his Small Council ever tell you and your friends why they banished him from their Inner Circle?" Donovan asked him.
"His experiments were too extreme to be trusted." Kassius answered.
"Indeed – but do you know… what he truly did? The horrors behind your father's secrets?" Donovan asked him.
Kassius stared at him, and he sighed.
"Go on then… because you look like you are just dying to tell me."
"But tell me this, Donovan… do you really think I will hesitate to kill you when I get the chance?" He asked him.
Donovan fell silent.
Velvet stood with Kassius, and Donovan told them the truth about Archer Merlot.
About what happened between him… and Ozpin's Small Council.
Author Note - Time to learn the truth about Merlot
Believe it or not this is a backstory I have actually had planned since Act 1, it's simply been a background thing that hasn't changed much because it works so well. The next chapter will be really cool, because we will be exploring the past of Archer Merlot, and Ozpin's Inner Circle. (Ozpin, Glynda, Ironwood, Lionheart and Theodore). And... more...
This was a cool chapter to write, did I nearly get you with Fox's "Death"? Another example of an idea I have had for a while but never knew when to execute, finally got do it here :D
And the White Fang to the rescue! Hopefully Kelham does not catch Ortega, he may not be a Strategic Genius like Ortega but if anyone knows how to kidnap people it would be him, since he was a Slaver.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!
Stay tuned for the next chapter - Dead Men Walking
- Matt