RWBY: MRRN
Volume 7, Chapter 9: Mantle Conflict
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.
Colonel Holang-I, Team TIGR and Specialist Hail were now on their way to Mantle, hoping to stop a riot before it could begin. From what they had been informed, a reportedly stolen Manta from Mistral had landed in Mantle, yet no one was able to see the thieves. Atlas soldiers, undoubtedly led by Captain Desmond, were arresting people left and right with no evidence, leading to a confrontation with the Happy Huntsmen and Huntresses.
"Let's hope we're not too late," Geom-Eun spoke as their ship flew down to Mantle. "If a fight breaks out, we'll risk attracting Grimm."
"Colonel," Titus addressed as he looked out the window. "Grimm are on their way to Mantle. Mostly Sabyrs." Geom rushed over to the window to see several dozen Sabyrs charging to the breach in Mantle's wall.
"Oh no," Geom spoke softly. "Something's attracting them, but-" Suddenly, his scroll started buzzing. Geom quickly took it out to see that Robyn was calling him, so he answered and held it up to his ear.
"Robyn," he addressed. "What's going on down there? Sabyrs are approaching the breach in the wall."
"Captain Desmond tried to execute one of the people he arrested, so I shot him," Robyn informed. "He's ordering the soldiers to fire on my Happy Hunters."
"I'll be down there as soon as I can," Geom informed. "Tell your Happy Huntsmen and Huntresses to cease fire and any nearby civilians to seek cover. I'll order the soldiers to stand down."
"And what about the Grimm? You said some are on their way."
"That's what I have Team TIGR for," Geom informed. "I'll see you down there soon. Stay safe." He then hung up and turned to look at the Atlesian Commandos, who had heard what he said and were prepared to fight.
"Take care of the Sabyrs," Geom ordered. "Specialist Hail and I will take care of Captain Desmond."
"Yes, sir," they all replied.
As the Manta drew near the city, everyone could see the visible shootout between the Atlas soldiers and the Happy Huntsmen and Huntresses. Some of the Happy Hunters were ganging up on Atlas soldiers and brutally beating them with whatever weapons they had while some Atlas soldiers were returning the same to their enemies.
All because of Captain Desmond's arrogance and pride, because of Atlesian arrogance and pride. Like many Atlesians, Desmond considered the people of Mantle and Faunus beneath him and that he could treat them however he wanted. No doubt he'd try and paint the situation as Robyn being in the wrong.
"Oh, no," Hail groaned as another Manta came into sight. When Geom saw who it was, he groaned in annoyance and frustration as well.
"Of all the people." Captain Tywyll Nottingham of the Atlas Special Unit was now on her way to Mantle as well. Perhaps she saw this as an opportunity to arrest Robyn Hill and put her in an Atlesian prison. That couldn't happen now, not when tensions between Atlas and Mantle were high enough as they were.
"Team TIGR, go!" Geom ordered his Commandos, who opened the side door of the Manta and jumped out, aiming for the area that would be where the Grimm entered the city while Geom and Kal hurried to where the shootout was happening.
-0-
"You Atlesian pigs!" May Marigold cried out as she shot at one of the soldiers. By now, the street they were fighting in was littered with the bodies of Atlas soldiers and Happy Huntsmen and Huntresses.
"Cease fire!" Robyn shouted, but several of her Happy Huntsmen and Huntresses were deaf to her command and continued trading fire with the Atlas soldiers.
"They've got reinforcements!" one of the Happy Huntsmen pointed out as a Manta landed…between the two warring factions in the street. Recognizing the ship as one from the military, the soldiers ceased fire as to not hit it. The doors then opened, allowing the Colonel and Specialist to jump out towards the Atlas soldiers.
"Hold your fire!" Geom ordered. "That is an order! Hold your fire!"
"Hold your fire!" Robyn called to her Happy Huntsmen and Huntresses as well, ordering them to stop firing.
"Idiots!" Desmond insulted the soldiers. "Fire! Shoot the Happy Huntsmen and Huntresses!"
"I said, stand down!" the Tiger Faunus Colonel ordered strictly, his tone harsh and fierce, a complete contrast to his usual calm and rather passive attitude. Desmond glared at Geom and spat in his direction, showing utter disrespect towards him.
"Quick, shoot at them!" May shouted out, raising her weapon to fire. Before she could shoot, one of the Huntresses, Joanna, pushed her weapon down due to Robyn ordering a ceasefire.
"You heard Robyn!" Joanna called out to several more Huntsmen and Huntresses preparing to follow May's suggestion. "Hold your fire."
May groaned before reluctantly obeying what she was told. She didn't want to talk to the Atlesian pigs, especially Geom-Eun, who she deemed a traitor to their city, she wanted to watch them bleed on the ground. She wanted to see them beaten and brutalized the same way they had done to them in the past. Only her respect for Robyn Hill stopped her from firing a bullet at the now dormant soldiers.
"We do not take orders from animals," Desmond responded to Geom. "You have no authority here."
"Actually, I have more authority than you," Geom responded, his voice calming down but still remaining firm. "Perhaps you've forgotten that a Colonel outranks a Captain? You are required by military law to obey my orders and I order a stop to this senseless shootout."
"They're the ones who started it," Desmond claimed, holding up his badly hurt hand. "That bitch Robyn shot me with an Earth Dust arrow."
"Only because you were going to execute an unarmed and cuffed citizen!" Robyn called out, walking up to Geom. Her facial expression towards Geom showed her appreciation for him showing up to take care of this matter before things got very ugly. Towards Desmond, it was an expression of contempt and disgust.
"I was informed of what happened with the rogue Manta," Geom told Desmond. "What evidence do you possess that links any of these people you arrested to the crime?"
"That's not your business," Desmond refused to answer. A gun was heard cocking, coming from Kaltrina Hail. She held up her handgun, aiming directly for the Captain.
"Might I remind you, Captain Desmond, that this kind of insubordination is punishable by death?" she reminded him. "You are to answer the Colonel's question or I will be well within my rights to kill you here and now."
She wasn't wrong; what he was doing what legally insubordination, which could be punishable by death if severe enough. He had no Aura to protect him should Kaltrina shoot at him, so he had very little choice.
"They appeared guilty, sir," Desmond claimed.
"Appeared guilty?" Geom repeated. "So you have no official evidence proving their connection to the theft of this Manta?" Desmond couldn't respond.
"Think about it, you idiot," Robyn brought up. "You said that the Manta had been stolen from Mistral. None of us have ever been allowed to leave Mantle, so how could we have stolen it from another Kingdom?"
Again, Desmond couldn't answer the question. He had arrested people indiscriminately with no evidence, provided no reason to why and nearly executed one of them simply for talking back to him. He had acted completely out of line and had started a shootout over it.
Another Manta landed nearby, the same one Geom and Kal had seen earlier. Out of it came several Atlas Special Officers and Captain Tywyll Nottingham; upon making eye contact with Robyn, Tywyll's expression soured greatly.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't have every last one of you arrested," she demanded. Unaware of any of them, a hooded figure with a mechanical tail was overhearing the whole conversation and had witnessed the situation. Before he could be noticed, he hurried into the night.
-0-
Team TIGR landed in the city where the Grimm would enter and start attacking. With most of the soldiers being involved in the shootout that attracted the Grimm, they were on their own against several dozen Sabyrs.
"Rigel, take a sniping position on that roof," Titus ordered, pointing to the building on the left. "Iggy, get on the opposite roof and take a bombarding position."
"You got it," Iggy replied enthusiastically. Rigel climbed quickly to the roof he was assigned to while Iggy used his jetpack shield to fly up and land on his building. Both of them set up their ranged weapons and prepared to fire at the incoming Grimm.
"Albert, you and I will stay here and keep the Grimm focused on us," Titus ordered as he pulled out his assault rifle and aimed at the charging Sabyrs while Albert unsheathed his two katanas.
The first one to make it into the city was immediately shot and killed by a bullet from Rigel, smiling sadistically as he saw the Grimm disintegrate. Another one came into his line of fire and he shot it dead, right through its eyes.
"Whoo!" Iggy cried out as he shot a grenade at the Grimm. Upon exploding, the grenade killed five Sabyrs as they flew into the air and were reduced to ashes. Iggy then shot another grenade, all the while making sure he avoided hitting Titus and Albert who were on the ground fighting against the Grimm.
Albert twirled his tech-like katanas and sliced through the Sabyrs with quick and precise strikes, not bothering to waste his time with flashy moves or unnecessary stunts. One Sabyr leapt at him, which he responded by jumping towards it and slashing it with his katanas. Two of them ran in different directions towards the katana wielder, believing he wouldn't be able to kill both of them.
How wrong they were. He tossed one of his katanas in the air…which was caught by a green, digital-like clone of himself. The two of them ran forward and quickly sliced the two Grimm in half with their katanas before moving on and carving through five more. When the clone was hit, it disappeared and Albert used a device on his wrist to call the blade back to him.
"Several of the Grimm are getting past us," Titus informed Rigel. "Pick them off before they can get into the city."
"With pleasure," Rigel replied as he turned his attention away from the Grimm near the breach and to the ones running past Titus and Albert. Luckily, there weren't many, so they were easily picked off one by one by Rigel's superior sniping all the while he wore a bloodthirsty smirk.
Rigel couldn't deny his love for killing his enemies such as Grimm, the White Fang and the Iron Knights. Why should he feel sympathy for them? They were monsters who victimize those who cannot defend themselves, especially the Iron Knights. As one who had fought against all three foes, he could easily state that the Iron Knights were the most monstrous of the three.
The Grimm were mostly violent animals that did what animals did. As a Faunus, Rigel himself had been subjected to prejudice and discrimination, so while he couldn't condone the White Fang's actions, he understood where they came from. Their methods had changed, but their goal was the same: equality for Faunus and an end to discrimination towards their species.
The Iron Knights were vile terrorists and anarchists who preached about their 'liberation' of Remnant, yet slaughtered innocent people, killed those they claimed to protect and were partially responsible for the Fall of Beacon. They were deaf to reason, only interested in burning the world down all the while justifying their atrocities and claiming themselves as 'victims'.
Many Faunus were victims, the Iron Knights were not. They stopped being victims when they started killing people for sport and body counts instead of protecting those they claimed to love.
Down below, Titus reloaded his assault rifle and shot down more Sabyrs, their numbers dwindling. The noises of gunfire had ceased from behind them, indicating that Geom-Eun had stopped the shootout. The Grimm would have to stop coming any moment soon.
To take them down quicker, Titus used his Semblance on his assault rifle, causing it to glow with his orange Aura. The bullets shot from his firearm flew with an orange light trail, easily tearing through the Grimm like a hot knife through butter. Within moments, the Sabyrs will killed and the alarm stopped, changing the lights from red to white.
"That's all of them," Titus announced, looking out into the tundra. "The Colonel must've stopped the shootout."
"But Captain Nottingham's on her way," Iggy brought up as he leapt down the building. "We saw her Manta on the way here. She may try and do something stupid that could attract more Grimm."
"Then we'd better hurry," Albert responded as he sheathed his katanas and Rigel leapt down from the roof. When he was on the ground level, he raised his nose and started sniffing, tracking scents of all kinds.
"Well, I don't smell gunpowder anymore," Rigel informed his teammates. "But I do smell blood and quite a bit of it."
The scent of blood easily indicated that some people had died in the shootout. This was a mess, a mess caused by Captain Desmond due to his arrogance, disregard for others and pride. People were dead, Grimm had been attracted to the city and now Captain Nottingham could make the situation much worse.
"Rigel, Iggy, stay behind and keep an eye out for any Grimm that come here," Titus ordered. "Albert and I will go help the Colonel if he needs it." Titus and Albert then made their way to where the shootout had happened while Iggy and Rigel stayed behind in case more Grimm came to Mantle.
-0-
"You cannot be serious, Captain Nottingham," Geom spoke to the ASU Captain. "Robyn shot Captain Desmond because he was about to execute an unarmed citizen. He was arresting them with no evidence connecting them to the stolen Manta. You cannot arrest her for that."
"And I'm supposed to turn a blind eye to Happy Huntsmen and Huntresses firing on and brutalizing Atlas soldiers?" Tywyll questioned, gesturing to one of the soldiers who had been badly beaten during the shootout and the bodies of those deceased. "This shootout was preventable and I blame Robyn Hill for this."
"I only shot Desmond because he was going to kill someone unlawfully," Robyn shot back. "Simply because they talked back to that pig. Don't you dare act like the Atlas soldiers have done nothing wrong. You're so quick to bring up when Mantle civilians attack Atlas soldiers, but when it's the other way around, you do whatever you can-"
"You Mantle peasants are incapable of ruling yourselves!" Tywyll barked angrily, not wanting to listen to Robyn Hill. "Our soldiers have been protecting you ever since Atlas was created and all you do is complain, fight and paint us as monsters!"
Needless to say, that angered a lot of the Happy Huntsmen and Huntresses present. Tywyll was being very condescending towards them, treating them as if they were animals that needed to be put in cages. She had always made it clear that she viewed Mantle as inferior to Atlas and wouldn't accept any other view except her own.
"How dare you condescend to us like that!" May called out in anger. "We people of Mantle give so much to Atlas: Dust, labor, supplies…yet what do we receive in return? Nothing!"
"What would you know, Ms. Marigold?" Tywyll questioned with some hint of spite. "You're from Atlas, remember?"
"Yeah, and I would've left sooner had I realized what a piece of crap city Atlas truly is," May barked. "The people of Mantle live here in near poverty, struggling to make it by and are worked to the bone while the people of Atlas live up there in luxury and comfort! And yet you have the gall to call yourselves superior to us!? Ha! More like superior in arrogance and apathy to others!"
Robyn and Geom looked back to see that some of the Happy Huntsmen and Huntresses were getting riled up by May's words, playing on their anger. Her words were mostly true: Atlas demanded so much from Mantle yet gave nothing in return. Their security system was outdated and barely usable. Their wall had a large breach which gave the Grimm easy access into the city. The people of Mantle struggled to survive while the people of Atlas lived in luxury.
"You claim to protect us, but are nothing more than-"
"Be silent or I will silence you!" Tywyll threatened, preparing to unsheathe her sword. Before she could grab it, it was suddenly pulled away by a blue mist-like substance. It flew into Kaltrina Hail's hand, having used her Semblance to telekinetically pull the sword away from the ASU Captain.
"We saw Grimm on our way here," Kal informed. "If we start another shootout or riot, we'll attract even more of them."
"You defiant little-" Tywyll insulted before holding out her hand. "Return my weapon at once!"
"Sorry, but I don't take orders from you," Kal refused.
"Colonel!" Titus called out as he and Albert appeared in sight.
"Titus," Geom replied. "Where's Iggy and Rigel?"
"They're safeguarding the breach in case more Grimm come near," Titus informed. "They're defeated for now."
"See?" Tywyll called out to Robyn. "See what your recklessness has done, Robyn!? This is your fault!" Robyn glared over at Tywyll, hating her constant accusations towards her.
"I didn't start this shootout, Desmond did," Robyn countered. "I wouldn't have shot his hand if he hadn't tried to execute an unarmed civilian. No, this happened because of his own arrogance."
"And you're not arrogant?" Tywyll questioned. "Or maybe you've forgotten what you did to my father years ago?"
Robyn never forgot the event that wrecked her friendship with Tywyll. Her intentions were good, but the methods were reckless and Tywyll's father paid the price. Ever since then, Tywyll has hated Robyn and viewed her as most Atlesians do: an egotistical criminal.
"Screw this!" Desmond shouted as he prepared to fire. Just before he could, a spearhead on a whip smacked the gun out of Desmond's hand. Everyone looked up to see the Ace Operatives on top of the building behind him, Clover having just disarmed him with his trident-whip weapon, Njord. The five operatives leapt down, their weapons ready in case anyone tried to attack them.
"By order of General Ironwood, stand down," Clover demanded of both Captains Tywyll and Desmond. "Captain Tywyll, take your forces and return to Atlas. This is a direct order from General Ironwood."
"But…but Robyn-"
"Now or you will be arrested," Clover demanded.
Tywyll wanted the chance to arrest Robyn Hill and put her in a cell, but the timely intervention of the Ace Operatives prevented that from happening. She was now ordered to return to Atlas and do nothing and she couldn't disobey a direct order from the General. She glared over at Robyn with immense disdain before reluctantly ordering her officers back to the Manta and leaving.
Before Captain Desmond could speak, Marrow held up his fingers and said 'Stay', immobilizing him. Vine then walked over and put the Atlesian Captain in cuffs before Marrow released him.
"Captain Desmond, you are under arrest for reckless endangerment of civilian lives and attempt of an unlawful execution," Clover stated as Elm and Vine led him away to the Manta they had come in. Clover then turned to face Geom-Eun, ignoring the condemning stares of Titus and Albert.
"Sorry for arriving late," Clover apologized. "We only recently got word that Captain Desmond had ordered his troops to fire on Mantle civilians. Thank the Gods you got here or else things would've been worse."
Indeed, things would've been worse had Geom-Eun not arrived and stopped the shootout. The street was already littered with the bodies of Atlas soldiers and Happy Hunters from the violence, which had also unfortunately attracted Grimm to the city.
"Hello, Ms. Hill," Clover greeted the hometown hero of Mantle. "Glad to see you're safe."
"Clover," Robyn addressed, though her greeting wasn't as lively as Clover's. "Next time you put an Atlesian commander down here, how you make sure he's not some arrogant, self-righteous prick. Okay? Or better yet, just have your soldiers leave Mantle."
"Sorry, but that decision isn't mine to make," Clover replied. "You'd have to take that up with the General. Besides, these soldiers are here to protect you. The General is doing what he can to protect Mantle-"
"That's not what I see," Robyn interrupted. "If he wants to protect Mantle, why hasn't he helped upgrade our security system, which hasn't been touched in…what? 20 years? 30 years? Before either of us were born? Why is he taking supplies we need to fix the breach in our wall? From what I've seen, Ironwood's not 'protecting' Mantle, he's controlling it to keep us in line."
Clover was left with very little room to argue. In the eyes of many people, Ironwood's protection was viewed as tyranny and oppression. Why hadn't he helped upgrade Mantle's out of date security system? Why was he taking supplies he knew Mantle desperately needed to fix a breach in their wall that gave the Grimm easy access to enter. However, he wasn't about to stand down.
"The General's doing what he can to help us all," Clover claimed. "Soon, you'll see that and you'll understand why he's been doing what he's been doing lately." From the look on Robyn's face, she wasn't at all convinced.
"What is Ironwood using our supplies for?" she questioned. "What could possibly be more important than the safety of Mantle's people?"
"I can't disclose that," Clover replied. "I know you're angry, Robyn, and we've all had to make sacrifices-"
"Sacrifices!?" Robyn barked, her temper flaring and causing both Clover and Geom to jump from the outburst. The blonde archer breathed a few times before calming down.
"I don't know what Ironwood is doing, but none of you have the right to stand atop the corpses of Mantle's people and call yourselves martyrs! Mantle is making all the sacrifices while the people of Atlas don't face any of the challenges we're facing, so save your preaching for someone who'll give a damn."
"Ms. Hill, that isn't what I meant," Clover claimed.
"Then what did you mean?" Robyn questioned. "By all means, tell me."
"Ms. Hill, as I said, the General is doing what he can to keep people safe. You may not see it now, but you will in time. When you do, you'll understand what we've been doing. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Clover and Geom saluted each other before the Ace Op leader left to escort Captain Desmond back to Atlas.
"Titus, go get your teammates and start collecting the dead," Geom ordered. "We'll see to it that they're properly buried." Titus and Albert saluted their Colonel and contacted their teammates.
"May is vicious," Geom commented to Robyn. "She was going to rile up the Happy Hunters and possibly start another shootout."
Indeed, Mary Marigold may've come from Atlas, but she deemed herself a citizen of Mantle. She had nothing but contempt and hate for the City of Dreams, deeming it a Kingdom of liars, hypocrites and thieves. She hated their superficial and selfish way of life that was built on top of the suffering of Mantle's people. If given the chance, she'd watch Atlas burn.
"Seriously, Geom, thanks for showing up when you did," Robyn told the Tiger Faunus. "After we're done here, why don't we go get a drink at the Sherwood Tavern? You said you would, remember?"
"Honestly, I could use a drink after tonight and I'll currently be off-duty," Geom agreed as he started helping to carry the dead bodies of Atlas soldiers and Happy Hunters.
-0-
"A stolen Manta from Mistral?" Watts asked Tyrian back at their hideout. "You're certain of this?"
"I heard it with my own ears," Tyrian confirmed. "It was from Mistral."
Watts, Tyrian and Despair all had the same thought of who had commandeered the Manta from Mistral. The woman who had cost them their victory at Haven, who had tossed aside their plan for success so she could have her revenge on Ruby Rose.
Cinder Fall.
"If Cinder is here in Mantle, then she could be a danger to our plans," Watts deduced. "We should inform Her Grace immediately."
"But this is also a good thing," Despair brought up. "We know Cinder is here somewhere in Mantle. If we can locate her, I can take the Fall Maiden powers from her and she'll be out of our way."
Indeed, this did pose an advantage to them. Cinder was now within their grasp and she had the powers Salem wanted. If she could be found, then Despair could complete one of her tasks and take the Fall Maiden powers, which would allow them access to the Relic of Choice. However, they still required Ozpin's cane to do so and it was most likely in Atlas by now.
"If we can get the Fall Maiden powers and Ozpin's cane, then the Relic is as good as ours," Despair stated.
"But we must proceed cautiously," Watts brought up. "Cinder has proven to be very volatile and dangerous and there's no telling of who may be with her; for all we know, she could be surrounded by a small force of blindly obedient followers. As for the cane…I believe I can take care of that myself."
"How do you plan on getting to Atlas?" Despair asked Watts. "You faked your death years ago and if you're exposed-"
"I'm perfectly aware, thank you," Watts interrupted. "Don't worry; I have my ways of getting around without being seen." Suddenly, the bag Watts was holding started to shake, indicating that the Seer Grimm inside was activating…and Salem was contacting them. Watts opened the bag and allowed the Grimm to slowly float out of it as red fog gathered in the glass orb.
"Your Grace," they addressed, bowing their heads as Salem's image appeared.
"So…Cinder is here, isn't she?" Salem asked her three followers. How she knew, none of them even fathomed, but perhaps she could've just overheard them and they didn't realize it. She did have a lot of control over the Grimm after all.
"We believe so, yes," Watts answered. "We heard news of a Manta that was stolen from Mistral. A shootout started because an Atlesian captain was falsely arresting people who he believed were connected."
"The pride and arrogance of those who think themselves Gods," Salem lamented. "If Cinder is here, she may pose a danger to our plans. She'll seek to kill Ruby Rose and take the Winter Maiden's power for herself. We must get to them before she does…I want Ruby alive."
Everyone was confused by Salem's orders regarding Ruby. She possessed a power dangerous to her Grimm, so much so that she had been hunting down people like her for millennia. She wouldn't explain her reasons why, but she seemed confident in her decision to keep the reaper Huntress alive.
"As you wish, Your Grace," Despair complied.
"Watts, Tyrian, you two are to carry out your original assignments," Salem ordered. "Do what you can to cause unrest and raise the tensions between Mantle and Atlas…make sure it's ready."
"As you command, Your Grace," Tyrian answered.
"Despair, leave the miasma bombs for now. I want you to search for Cinder and confirm whether she's here or not. If you see her, do not engage; you are merely to find her and report back to me. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Your Grace," Despair complied.
"Is there anything else, Your Grace?" Watts asked.
"Yes. There are some individuals with Ms. Rose's group who may pose a threat to our plans as well. There are three of them; from what Emerald and Mercury said earlier before they…defected, their last names are Kendrick. Look for these individuals and report back to me when you find them."
"Kendrick…it will be done," Watts obeyed. "I'll see what I can find out about them."
"Good. The conflict between Mantle and Atlas is a powder keg ready to explode. All we have to do is light the fuse and let Ironwood's paranoia take care of the rest. You have your assignments now go." Salem then disappeared from the Grimm, leaving her three followers alone.
Author's Note: Clover's weapon isn't the fishing rod, Kingfisher, as it was in canon. In my series, it's a trident that also alternates as a whip called Njord. Hope you continue to enjoy MRRN Volume 7.