RWBY: Revenant
By Endbeats
Chapter 34: Before – Rescue Mission
Once again, Liu took a few breaths, then forced his semblance into his scarf. He stretched it and thinned it down a few times. Then, once he felt comfortable, took a look at the can on top of the cargo crate and shot his scarf outwards. He tried so hard to grab the can, putting all his concentration and effort into the flying, metallic cloth. Yet, once it reached the can, it simply tapped the aluminum before falling limp. Liu groaned when he saw the failure and pulled his semblance back into his body.
"Still having trouble?" Cam asked from behind. It make Liu jump a bit, but he quickly settled back down.
"Yeah," Liu replied, "I can't for the life of me grab things with it. It just doesn't seem to want to listen."
Cam rubbed his chin. "It seems like you fixed your old visualization process, but created another."
"What do you mean?"
Cam pulled a small blade out from his back and spun a string around the hilt. "Look at this for a second."
He then shot his string-sword mix towards the can and sunk the blade into the aluminum. Once it was inside, he pulled and grabbed the flying can with his other hand. "You seem to think that your scarf works like this. That your scarf will magically wrap around the can and then you can pull it back."
The bodyguard then walked back to the crate and put the can on the top before turning back to Liu.
"But, your semblance really works like this." Upon the end of that sentence, Cam then grabbed the can with his arm and lifted it up, anticlimactically.
"Uh, didn't you say that my semblance doesn't work like a limb?"
Cam shook his head. "It doesn't… but it does."
Liu scratched his head. "I don't get it."
"How about this? Say someone can pick things up with their mind. Do they pick things up like they're objects? No. But do they also grab things as if they're on strings? No. They have complete control of what object they grab and how it moves.
"I think your semblance is the same, albeit in a limited area inside your scarf."
"Huh," Liu huffed. "I still don't really understand it, Uncle Cam."
The uncle smiled and patted Liu on the shoulder. "Then don't worry about it. When we go to fight the grimm, just use your scarf as much as you're used to."
"Ok-"
Out of nowhere, the airship jolted, making the two almost fall on the ground as the red alert went off. Cam quietly cursed to himself while running over to the window and looking out.
"We got some fliers," he dryly spoke, "Lancers, we call them. Bug-like grimm. They're attacking the ship."
"What do we do?" Liu asked, wrapping his scarf around his left arm and pulling his sword out of his sheath.
"We gotta get to the bridge, now."
"I never thought the grimm situation in the area was this bad," Kang spoke to himself, "Lancers, Beowolves, Ursas, you name it. You don't see attacks this bad."
Cam and Liu made it to the bridge just after Kang activated his semblance and shocked the Lancers away from the airship. It would give them temporary rest on the way to the town. That being said, it didn't make the situation any less tense. Sagitari was squeezing a pair of hand grippers while squatting, both of which were at a far faster pace than her usual exercises. Ursus kept checking his spear, pulling the blade out, observing and touching the metal chain that connected both ends, then putting it back before doing it once again. Orphiucha, the most nervous of them all, simply paced around while her eyes focused on the floor. Even Liu's father thoroughly observed an overhead map of Dandelion with concern alongside Sagino. Liu himself felt his nerves make his hand shake slightly, even though he refused to stay out of the battle.
Besides, who could blame them? This was Team SOUL's first real fight. Not a simple non-lethal tussle with humans, like when they saved Ursus. Not a hunt against a small number of grimm. No, this was a full-on battle. Hundreds of grimm against three hunters and four trainees. This was a battle where even the slightest misstep could result in death. It was only fair that they felt some amount of fear.
"You okay?" Cam interrupted Liu's train of thought with a tap on his back. Liu shook his head and looked back.
"Uh, yeah."
Suddenly, the airship jolted again, and the seven in the bridge struggled to remain standing. Once stable, Kang unexpectedly slammed his fist on the desk.
"Dammit! How desperate are these things that they'll risk their lives dodging lightning just to attack us?"
"What's the plan, Dad?" Liu spoke out loud to get his attention and calm him down.
His father regained composure and nodded. "Dandelion is just on the horizon, so we'll be there in half an hour or so. If I could leave you kids in the airship I would, but the minute I leave, the lightning stops. So, here's what we'll do: We go by three's. Cam, Sagitari, and Orphiucha, you three will clear out the north half. Sagino, Ursus, and Liu, you three will work on the South half."
"What about you, sir?" Sagitari asked.
"I'll be keeping the air safe with my semblance and make sure no other grimm enter the city. We have hundreds in there already. If there are any more, we won't stand a chance. Any questions?"
No one replied. No one wanted to deal with anything else, so they kept from asking any more questions.
"Good," Kang smiled. "Let's go, Team SOUL!"
How many days had it been? Ten? Twenty? You start to forget how time moves when grimm attack your town.
Terrace looked outside his secret window to gaze at the street in front of his home. Somehow, the town's electricity remained on, because the lights still flickered outside, illuminating a pair of bear-like grimm walking beside one another. The screech on birds could also be heard nearby, but he knew it was no mere flock in the air. Grimm. Grimm surrounded every side of his house. Yet, his wasn't a special one. Every building in the town practically had a handful of grimm running around it. He was thankful they never tried to enter, or that they had yet to realize there was one more human that hadn't evacuated.
But, that time would come soon. Terrace had one more day of rations left. After that, he had to either escape the town or starve, the former of which he knew he couldn't do. He had to stay in Dandelion, for the sake of someone he had yet to meet.
But what could he do? He was in his later years, so he was losing the strength he had gained in his youth. He had a bad leg. Any attempt on raiding another house in the town would be a sure death. Terrace scratched his wrinkled, shaved head and sighed. He couldn't die, but what choice did he have? He was-
A sudden slam of thunder made him jump out of his wooden chair and nearly yelp before he grabbed his mouth. The strange arrival of a storm surprised him, considering there wasn't a single cloud in the sky the entire day. Quietly, he opened his secret window once again and looked up towards the sky. A strange circle of clouds formed, just directly above Dandelion. In the center of it was a flashing light in the night sky. An airship. Could it be hunters? The military?
Terrace prayed and hoped that a miracle was occurring before him.
"Liu," Orphiucha's voice cracked, getting Liu's attention and pulling him out of his nervous finger tapping.
"O-Orph! You scared me!" Liu chuckled.
The girl didn't respond with her own laugh. She kept her head down with a frown. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm just checking to make sure I have all I need, you know? Sword. Check. Scarf. Check. All that stuff, you know?" he nervously answered.
"You're scared."
Liu gave a small laugh and scratched his head. "You saw through me that fast, huh? Yeah, I'm terrified. Fighting this many grimm… it scares me. But, I won't run away. I promised myself I'm going to help Team SOUL, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."
The other team member rubbed her hands together. "Liu, I'm scared, too."
"Of grimm?"
She shook her head.
"Of… your father?"
She nodded.
"Why?"
The half-faunus looked out the window. "What happened to him? Is he alive? Will he remember me? Does he have a new life? And… what will I do afterwards? All my life, I've fought to become a huntress for the sake of finding him. For the sake of facing him one more time. Now that that time is coming soon, what will I do?"
"Will you run, then?"
She shook her head.
"Then I know you'll see this through. Fear is… scary, but I know you aren't the type of girl to hesitate. You're Orphiucha, one of the strongest girls I know."
"You think too much of me."
Liu shook his head. "I don't think so. But, if you are hesitating, you have Team SOUL. You have me, Ursus, and Sagitari. We'll always have your back, Orph. Trust me."
Orphiucha finally gave a small smile. "I'll... trust you. Thanks, Liu."
"Good. Now, let's go kill some grimm."
The seven looked down from the cargo bay entrance. The heavy wind from this height proved strong, but hunters and huntresses could withstand such strength.
"I'll stop the lightning! When I do, we jump! We should be low enough that our aura will protect us from the fall!"
"Are you serious!?" Liu yelled back over the sound of the wind.
"Put your aura in your feet, Liu! That should keep you safe! It's just like your first trial at Beacon!" Sagino yelled.
"I'll try!" Liu closed his eyes and reached into his aura, a completely different feeling from his semblance. It was far easier to control, especially due to his training of these past few months. Finally, Liu sent it all down to his feet, which strengthened his durability in the area.
"Let's go! One, two, three!"
At the end of his count, Kang released his semblance and the lightning stopped. He jumped out of the cargo bay door, followed by Sagitari, Cam, Sagino, and Ursus. Liu stood there, frozen. What if his aura didn't work? What if it broke? His fear came back.
Then, it was blown away as Orphiucha held his hand, perhaps both to comfort him, as well as her. She looked into his eyes and nodded. "Together," her mouth made out.
Liu, his fear dissipated, nodded and, together with Orphiucha, jumped out of the ship.
At first, the wind whipped Liu and his clothes around so hard that was flipping around helplessly in the air. However, thanks to Orphiucha's help, as well as his training these past few months, Liu managed to re-balance himself and focus on the ground, which grew in size as he fell. For a small town, Dandelion was actually quite large and advanced. The lights still illuminated the concrete streets, a rarity in rural towns. The city walls must have also stretched at least a mile on each side. It was going to be difficult clearing out the entire city, but they had to try.
The group was falling towards the center of Dandelion, Liu could see. It was an empty town square with no buildings, which was perfect for landing. Liu aimed his feet down towards the stone, constantly checking to make sure his aura was situated where it should be, then in a snap, his feet crashed into the stone beside Ursus and Sagino, creating a tiny crater surrounding him. The sound of the crack accompanying the dull pain in his feet made chills run down his spine, but it didn't stop the grimm from immediately surrounding the surprise attack. Perhaps a hundred or so of the total group came to greet them. Beo-wolf's, Ursa's, and even a few Lancers came, all growling and assessing the strength of the group.
"Don't give them a chance to attack first!" Kang yelled. He pulls his big sword off his back.
"What he said!" Sagino yelled as he slammed his bigger sword on the ground.
"Indeed," Cam agreed, pulling a grenade and a dagger out from behind him like magic.
"Don't worry about us, sir. We're Team SOUL!" Sagitari confidently replied with a grin. She put her brass knuckles onto her fists and got into a fighting stance as her muscles grew a little bit, though not as much as usual.
"We'll fight our hardest!" Ursus' deep voice muttered. He swung his giant spear out from his long sheathe.
"Thank you for everything, you guys!" Orphiucha spoke aloud as she pulled her batons out and hit them together, changing their colors to red and blue.
Liu wrapped his scarf around his left arm and pulled his sword out.
"Let's do this," he muttered to himself.
(Author's Note: Hello! Thanks for reading this chapter of RWBY: Revenant. I was thinking of making this the final chapter in the Orphiucha arc... but it would have made this chapter the largest one by a long-shot. Instead, I decided to separate this chapter and the next, so tune in for the final chapter of the Orphiucha charater arc! Anyways, bye bye and God bless!)
