Chapter Seven: A Maiden's Wrath
The Wilds between Shion and Higanbana
Nora Valkyrie was telling the villagers about the time she'd ridden on the back of an Ursa.
Ren wasn't nearby, so Qrow had no idea if the story was actually true or not. He could now believe she'd try it, but she also said a lot of other things. Not that it mattered right now. Valkyrie's tale, and her… enthusiastic story telling techniques were serving one invaluable purpose.
Cheering the villagers.
They'd left the bandits behind days ago. Now they were traipsing along the rough road to Higanbana, slowly making their way through the countryside to what he hoped was safety. Qrow had hoped that the airship would return and steadily ease their burden by speeding more and more of the villagers to their destination, but it had yet to do so. Perhaps it taken too much damage from the Spring Maiden's attack and was unable to do so. A pity if so. For the company now faced a new, and entirely predictable, danger.
The Grimm.
Kobe Flynn, who knew the local area best, led the column at the front, while Lie Ren served as the rear-guard. Ruby Rose and Nora stood ready to reinforce either end, while Qrow roamed more freely, keeping an eye on the entire group, and heading off small threats before they could reach the column. They'd already defended against several Beowolf attacks and had been fortunate not to have any casualties. A couple of deaths, and the resulting negative emotions could draw more Grimm down upon them. That would threaten a cascade, as increasing Grimm led to increasing casualties generating further bad feeling and summoning yet more Grimm. Entire settlements had been destroyed by such spirals. Against Grimm, good morale was vital to survival, and entertaining stories and light-hearted conversation were worth several huntsmen.
Qrow walked up the column, passing villagers as he went. As he passed Rudd Mori, the once-mayor called out to him.
"Ah, Qrow, got something for you," he said, holding out a piece of paper. Rudd looked a little tired, but his genuine smile suggested his native good cheer was weathering their circumstances.
"What's this?" asked Qrow, taking the paper.
"A rota. You said you needed volunteers to help keep watch at night?"
True enough. With a group as large as this one huntsman keeping watch wouldn't cut it. They could double up, but that would tire out those they needed to defend the group. Qrow had asked for villagers to help out, to supplement the huntsman on watch and be ready to raise the alarm if they were attacked at night.
"I did," Qrow agreed, "though I didn't expect an entire list."
Rudd chuckled. "Least we could do, Qrow. You've done so much for us, and we're all in this together. Besides, this is hardly the first time for some; Kobe had to sleep some time."
"Thanks," Qrow nodded, and paused to take a quick look at the list. Sure enough, Rudd had been as good as his word, with a couple of volunteers for each watch covering several nights. They could rotate through the list with little worry for fatigue.
It was moments like this that he was glad to have helped the villagers. Sure, keeping a good watch was in the villagers' own self-interest, but they were good, helpful people. If he and the kids not come along when they did… were it not for that, Shion would have been helpless before Raven and the tribe, and then left for the Grimm. To think that so many good lives depended on such chance timing.
Qrow was used to the callousness of the world, and the kids had seen more of it than he'd have liked, but he still wished to spare them what he could. And the kids were right: it was important to preserve what they could. They were fortunate this time that luck had worked in their favour. Qrow chuckled inwardly. He really wasn't used to luck working in their favour. He half-wondered when the other shoe would drop.
While he'd stood still, Nora Valkyrie and her audience had caught back up with him.
"Unfortunately, by the time we got to the clearing it broke. Which is a shame, because Ren looked really tired and I was about to offer him a ride too…"
The story was interrupted as a cry was heard in the distance: an eldritch screech which grated against the ears and scratched against the soul. The shriek echoed off the surrounding hills, causing all those around him to look around in alarm. Everyone, that is, save Nora Valkyrie. She stopped dead and became rigid, frozen in place.
"Valkyrie?" he said softly. She didn't respond, didn't even turn to acknowledge him. "Hey kid," he said a little louder. "Nora?" he asked again, taking hold of her shoulder.
Her head snapped round at the touch, her eyes unfocused.
"Easy there! It's me," he raised his hand placatingly. "You okay?"
She nodded, seemingly unable or unwilling to speak. He thought about probing further, but Kobe ran up from the front, weapon at the ready.
"What was that?" he asked, keeping his voice low.
"I don't know," Qrow replied. "Nothing I've ever heard before." He kept his eyes on Valkyrie, prepared to wager that at least one member of their group had heard it before. "I don't think it's close, whatever it is, though it's clearly closer than we'd like."
"It's getting late in the day," Kobe said, gesturing towards the dipping sun. "We'll have to stop soon."
Qrow nodded. "Keep the group moving forward until you find a defensible site. I'll catch up."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to see if I can get a closer look at that thing."
-000-
When Qrow arrived just after nightfall, he found the company camped in a clearing, some distance from the surrounding trees. He smiled at Ruby, who greeted him as she stood guard with Crescent Rose, and ruffled her hair as he passed her. Most of the villagers were gathered around several fires sharing their evening meal. Kobe rapidly approached him, offering a bowl of food and some bread.
"Any luck?" he asked.
Qrow dipped the bread in his bowl and took a bite. "Didn't see anything," he said between mouthfuls. "I'm not sure if that's lucky or not."
He'd taken advantage of Ozpin's secret 'gift', the magical ability – like that given his sister – to transform into a bird, to cover further ground. He hadn't seen any sign of whatever had made that awful noise, but then there were plenty of places for it to hide amongst all the trees.
"I'm hoping it's lucky. Everyone's a little nervy tonight," Kobe said quietly, nodding at those around them. "Rudd tells me he's sorted out the volunteers."
"Yeah, he did," replied Qrow, passing over the list. "Figure you can take the second watch and I'll take the third. The kids can take first and fourth." He paused to look around. "Where are Ren and Valkyrie, anyway?"
"Over there, by the fire opposite," Kobe indicated with a thumb. "Qrow… everyone's on edge, but Nora… she seems particularly shaken up about something."
"Yeah, I noticed earlier," said Qrow, looking over in their direction. "I'll have a quick word with them."
With a parting nod to Shion's huntsman, he made his way through the villagers and between the campfires and walked towards the pair of trainees. They were sat a little apart from everyone, each with an arm clasped round the other. From a distance it would have been one of those moments that put the lie to Valkyrie's claims that they weren't "together-together", whatever that was supposed to mean. Their faces said otherwise.
He sat down close to them. Valkyrie stared off at some fixed point in absolute silence. He hadn't seen her this quiet – or this motionless – since he met them in the immediate wake of the fall of Beacon. But it was Ren who took him aback. His silence was no surprise, but it was his expression that spoke volumes. His face was a mask, but it was transparently a mask, his usual impassivity barely concealing something much stronger. His jaw was clenched, while his eyes boiled with some unspoken feeling.
It was at this moment that Qrow realised how little he knew about these kids. For all that he'd accompanied them for a while now, he knew little of their upbringing or their families. They'd never spoken of them, never made a passing comment about home. Did they have one to return to? He'd picked up that they'd had a rough life and were used to spending it on the road. Had they come across that noise – and the creature behind it – before?
"Kids," he began. Nora didn't respond, but Ren's eyes glanced towards him. "I don't want to pry – Brothers know that there's plenty in my past I don't like speaking about – but I want you to consider you might know things we'll need to know too. Our survival might depend upon it."
He paused, turning to look at the fire, watched it flicker and burn, consuming the wood. He turned back towards them.
"Also… kids, you're not alone. Ruby's here, she's your friend. And I, well I don't want to presume, but I'm here for you too."
The two showed little response, but then Qrow noticed Nora stretching her free hand towards him. He wasn't good at the touchy-feely stuff, but he picked up the hint and took her hand in his own, giving it a comforting squeeze.
They sat in silence.
-000-
Qrow awoke to see Kobe's silhouette leaning over him.
"Time already?" he asked.
Kobe held a finger over his lips and shook his head, before pointing to the side. Qrow's mind came to instant alertness and he scrambled up, Harbinger at his side. Picking their way through the camp they made their way to the edge, where one of the volunteers was keeping watch.
"It's beyond the trees," he whispered.
Qrow focused his attention of the line of trees ahead. He couldn't make much out of the darkness beyond, but then he heard it. The sound of something slowly plodding through the undergrowth. It sounded heavy, almost like the footsteps of a horse.
And then it shrieked.
They all flinched at that unearthly cry, so much closer than when they heard it last, as it sent ice down their spines. Qrow and Kobe brought their weapons to bear, as they heard cries of alarm behind them. Much of the camp was waking up. In a moment, a burst of rose petals announced that Ruby was beside Qrow's side, while just after Ren and Nora came running up, their weapons to hand.
"What is it?" asked Ruby.
"I don't know," said Qrow. "Be ready for when it enters the clearing."
He thought he could make a large shadow amongst the trees, but the light from the moon and the few fires they'd kept burning shed all too little light. The footsteps were louder, accompanied now by the sound of undergrowth and branches snapping. He tensed, ready should it charge towards the camp. A red light appeared amongst the trees, like a burning coal.
Rapid fire filled Qrow's ears as Ren opened fire with his machine pistols, joined by the sound of Valkyrie's grenade launcher. Fragments of bark shattered off the trees before the grenades reduced several to splinters. "Stop firing!" Qrow yelled. He reached out to Ren's shoulder, feeling the shudder of the recoil through his body. "Stop firing!" he repeated, and Ren finally responded, his fingers releasing their hold upon the triggers. Several explosions announced Valkyrie's last salvo, but she too had managed to stop. "You won't hit anything beyond the trees," Qrow said forcefully. "Wait until you have a clear target."
"Did they get it?" asked Ruby.
"I doubt it," said Kobe. "It's as Qrow said. Managed to shoot up some of the forest, though." He gestured to what they could make of the now tattered tree line.
The camp behind them had truly stirred by now, between the creature's scream and the gunfire. Yet Qrow kept his senses focused on the forest in front of him, to no avail. For a moment he thought he heard some noise, but all was quiet once more.
He turned around, seeing the worried looks of the villagers. Fear filled the air, "We'll have a double watch tonight," he said. It was going to be a rough night.
-000-
Few had slept well that night, but there'd been no more appearances by the creature. At dawn, Qrow went to scout the surrounding woods, but saw little sign of it, save for some distinctive hoof prints. In bird form he noticed Ren and Nora looking at the same; by the way Ren silently pointed them out to his companion, they both recognised them.
He needed to get them to talk.
The group had been ready to move on swiftly after breakfast. Few, it seemed, wanted to remain long in the area. Yet tiredness from a sleepless night took its toll: after but a few hours their pace had slowed considerably, and they'd needed earlier and longer breaks.
Worse, between the fears of the night and exhaustion, their mood had plummeted, a fact that became swiftly apparent as several Beowolf packs attacked in one day. They were beginning to attract more Grimm. They'd been fortunate again to avoid any civilian casualties, but the burden was again falling heavily upon the huntsmen and huntresses. While Aura – not to mention their overall fitness – gave them greater strength and endurance then a normal human being, it wasn't limitless. Each fight drove them closer to the edge, closer to making a mistake. They'd soon begin to lose people, and when that happened the balance would be tipped, and Grimm would begin to swarm after them.
After a long, arduous, day, in which they'd made altogether less progress than Qrow would have liked, the sun began to dip towards the horizon once more. They'd heard no more indication of the creature, and Qrow hoped it had left them alone, perhaps warned off by Ren and Nora's demonstration of firepower. He'd have liked to think so: despite his best efforts, the two still weren't talking, hardly exchanging a word with anyone, let alone about what concerned him.
He set a double watch that night, making sure that either he or Kobe would be awake at any given time. That way someone with a level head should always be available. Ruby was talented, but young and impetuous, while Nora… well even at the best of times, Nora was Nora. He'd normally have trusted Ren to be sensible, and yet he found himself concerned about Ren most of all.
The mood in the camp was turning in the camp as they settled down for the night: despite the rough day and too-frequent combat, a warm meal and the promise of sleep offered a cheering prospect. Perhaps they were also hoping that, with the apparent absence of the creature, that the previous night was a terrible exception, a passing aberration. Qrow would have liked to join in their hopes.
He was unsurprised to be woken by Kobe again.
Once again, they made their way to the edge of the camp, this time having woken Ren and Nora en route. Ruby was waiting for them alongside Flae, one of the volunteers for the night. Ruby had Crescent Rose unfolded and aimed at the forest.
"There's something amongst the trees again," she said.
"Last night's visitor?" asked Qrow.
"Possibly," said Kobe. "Whatever it is, it's big and heavy: we could hear it breaking through the branches."
Qrow could hear again the slow plodding steps, as branch and bush were crushed under foot. With each moment he became more convinced that this was indeed the creature of the previous night. Yet why had it not cried out as it had before?
"Hold your fire until you get a clear shot," he said, glancing at Ren and Nora.
The flickering light of the fires behind them gave little to see by, but the shattered moon was brighter tonight, casting shadows amongst the trees. At first Qrow saw more a suggestion of movement, shadows slowly shifting between the trunks. Then a black shape could be seen, slowly stalking its way closer to them. As it approached, the shape resolved into the form of a large horse and a rider. The eyes of the horse were as red flame, while the reflected moonlight revealed that the remainder of its head was clad in the distinctive white bone of a Grimm, but this was no Grimm that Qrow had ever seen. Steam bellowed from its nostrils as it stepped further out of the trees, its shape becoming progressively more abhorrent, as moonlight shone off its exposed ribs and the rider's monstrous arms appeared. The rider itself appeared to be part of the horse, combined into one chimeric creation, its horned head too covered in bone plating. The rider began twitching, its arms shuddering and cracking into life while its body jerked upright, an inner flame showing behind its eyes and maw. It looked at them, its bones audibly creaking, before it looked up and gave its demonic cry.
The scream almost sent them backwards as it battered at them. "Now!" Qrow growled and they opened fire. Their shots struck the creature, but to little effect, and it launched on its gargantuan arms forwards, bones popping as the arm stretched in a way no natural thing could move. Qrow pushed Ruby out of the way as they ducked beneath the arm. The clawed hand snatched at the air above them and switching Harbinger into a sword Qrow swung upwards. The beast's arm retracted, but with another cry it sent its other arm forward, missing Ren and Nora but grabbing hold of Flae. Flae screamed as the arm pulled back, and with another shriek the Grimm crashed back into the trees taking the villager with it.
With a shout Ren charged after it, Nora rapidly following in his stead. Qrow stumbled to his feet and looked on in horror as they plunged into the darkness of the forest.
"Go! Ruby and I will guard the camp!" yelled Kobe.
Without any further prompting Qrow ran after his errant charges. The thick darkness made it difficult to find footing, only glimmers of moonlight breaking through the trees. But a lifetime of fieldwork gave him an edge and he made his way as swiftly as he could in pursuit. The fading noise of smashed branches suggested the Grimm was losing them as it retreated into the distance. He kept moving forward until he almost stumbled across his targets. Ren was on his knees, slumped over and shaking, while Valkyrie clung onto him, clearly preventing him from moving any further. He put a firm hand on both. Valkyrie looked up at him, tears shining under the moon's pale rays, not releasing her grip on her partner. Ren made no response, although his shaking gradually subsided.
Qrow crouched down beside them. "Kids, you have to talk. We need to know."
-000-
The camp was in some commotion when they returned. Another night attack, another horrific noise in the dark, and now they'd lost someone too. Qrow saw several villagers sobbing, although all seemed upset. In a small village like Shion many had doubtless known the victim all her life. Qrow nodded at Rudd as he passed, the former mayor trying his best to settle the group.
Kobe met Qrow as the latter guided Ren and Nora to a campfire, a hand on each of their shoulders. "Ruby's on watch, and I'll be joining her," Kobe said. He drew closer and lowered his voice to a whisper. "That thing is stalking us. Deliberately."
Qrow looked at him in alarm, and realised he was right. The creature was clever. By acting as it did, the Grimm provoked panic in their company. By attacking and running each night, it'd disrupt their sleep and incite fear, and leave them ever less able in the face of ever-increasing Grimm. They'd be lucky if they weren't drowning in Beowolves tomorrow. And that thing would be waiting, letting its lesser brethren exhaust them, letting the huntsman expend their energy and ammunition until they had little left of either to give. And then it would strike.
"What are we going to do?" asked Kobe.
"I don't know yet," whispered Qrow. "I'll speak to these two – they know something – and perhaps we can then come up with a plan." He paused. Ruby was better at inspiring people, but it needed to be done. "We'll work something out. We'll beat this thing."
"I hope so," Kobe replied, "I really hope so." He turned and wandered back to his post.
Qrow guided the two trainees to one of the remaining fires and sat them down. He sat down with them, studying their faces in the flickering light.
"I told you before I didn't want to poke around in your business, but it's time. That Grimm risks the survival of this entire company. You both know something, and whatever little you know might help us to figure out a way to beat this thing."
Ren remained silent and looked away, his face overcome with rare feeling. Nora stared at Ren, fear seeping out of her.
"As I told you a while ago, I want to help. But neither I nor anyone else can unless we know something," Qrow added.
Nora turned towards him, a hint of resolve in her eyes. "We… we lived in a village, not too far away from here," she began. "In Kuroyuri. I was already an orphan, but Ren lived with his family. They were… kind, when others were not.
"And then… then the Grimm attacked. The village was destroyed, everyone killed. Ren and I were the only survivors. His semblance… it suppresses and masks negative emotion. It kept us hidden and allowed us to escape."
"And something like that was amongst the Grimm that attacked your village?"
"Not something like that," Ren spoke up vehemently. "That very creature! That beast killed my parents!"
"The same one?"
"I checked!" Ren said with unusual heat. "I looked up Grimm. While at Beacon I checked all the records I could. There's been nothing like that thing. It's unique! And now we're here, and its back again!"
Nora reached out and took hold of Ren's arm, concern in her eyes.
"Ren, we've looked after each other ever since we were children. We've never had anyone else, not till we got to Beacon, not till team JNPR. And now Jaune's dead, and Pyrrha left. I don't want to lose you too! Not like Pyrrha lost Jaune."
Ren looked at Nora.
"Promise me, Ren! Don't get yourself killed! Don't let it end like this!"
Qrow felt like an intruder. No wonder the two had been so quick to chase after Nikos. They hadn't just lost a teammate, a friend. Family, they'd said. They'd been orphaned all over again.
He spoke up anyway. "I've already lost one of you kids. I don't want to lose another. Make it pay for what it did, stop it from killing anyone else, but don't throw yourself away to do it. Don't make your friends mourn you."
"How are we going to do that?" Ren asked softly.
"We're huntsmen. We're going to kill it."
The two gazed at him. "How?" Nora asked. "At the moment it seems to be hunting us…"
"It is," Qrow said, as the half-formed idea in his mind crystalised. "It's smart, and it's strong, and it's been tracking us. But it's time to return the favour. Your semblance that Nora mentioned; how many people can you cover?"
"Not many," said Ren. "Only a few. I can't cover the whole group."
"How about four?"
-000-
Shiroi Logistics Warehouse, Mistral
"Another quiet night?"
"You know it, Deery." The White Fang guard she'd come to relieve looked relaxed, as she had done the previous morning and the morning before that. She turned from the window and nodded in Deery's direction. "Nothing much happens around here."
Deery took the room in at a glance. Once again, she'd been posted to guard the second-floor offices as part of the dawn shift. This part of the building served little purpose now, but it was part of their home away from home and needed to be guarded.
"I hear some of our brothers have had a few turf wars with the local gangs."
"That's local cells, dabbling their hands with 'alternative' fundraising," Calli replied, using her hands to indicate quotation marks. "In other words, stupid rot they should never have gotten involved in. We're just sitting here quietly, nothing's going to happen."
"Don't let the Lieutenant hear you say that," Deery said, walking over and passing over a mug.
"You mean 'Banesaw'?" Calli asked, again making quotation marks before taking the mug.
"You know he doesn't like that name."
"I don't know why not. It's a cool nickname. It's intimidating."
"You know why not."
"If he doesn't want to be called that he shouldn't wield a chainsaw," Calli said, taking a sip. "Ah, that's good. Thanks, Deery, you're a star."
"Not the first time I've served coffee." Deery replied. It was true: just earlier this year she'd simply been a waitress who'd gotten tired at being pushed around by drunken louts.
Who'd have thought life could change so much, and so quickly?
Out of frustration she'd attended a few meetings. Public ones at first, but a few new friends lead her to more illicit ones. She'd sought out opportunities to vent, but instead found a path. Adam Taurus had offered a vision and by embracing it, she'd been given a cause.
A cause to die for. A cause to kill for. And kill she had. She'd fought at the Breach, and then in the attack on Beacon, the White Fang's greatest victory to date. Would the former waitress recognise herself in the soldier she'd become?
"You must find this a little boring too, Deery?" asked Calli, breaking her from her reverie.
"Well, yes," Deery admitted. "Vale was constant action at the end. Here we've just been waiting around. But Adam asked us to lay low for a while, and I trust him. And he trusts us, knows us, has led us into battle. He'll need us again, and I'm sure he has something big planned for us. So yes, things might be dull right now, but Adam will bring us action soon enough. We just need to keep following him, and he'll change the world."
"Wow," Calli laughed. "Thought about becoming a recruiter?"
"Too boring for me," Deery chuckled. "I do like action. And you're right, when it's time it won't be some nonsense with local crime lords. We have a higher mission."
"Well I'm going to need some sleep before any higher mission," Calli said, "So I'm going down to the dorm to get some shut eye."
"Be seeing you, Calli," Deery waved, before slipping her rifle off her shoulder and placing it in both hands, assuming responsibility for the post. Calli slipped out, leaving Deery alone. There were other sentries on this floor, but she was the only one covering these last few offices. The bulk of the White Fang here were in the main warehouse, taking stock of the arms the Lieutenant had gathered under his watchful eye. Hardly exciting work, but Deery would have preferred it to this. Calli wasn't wrong, guarding these offices was mind-numbingly tedious. Who even knew they were here? But it had to be done, and so Deery would do it.
"Position Four, check in," came a voice over the radio incorporated into her mask.
"Check," she replied.
She turned from the window to pass into the next room. The offices on this side of the building were partitioned into sections, meaning one had to pass through each in turn through the doorways connecting them. Typically, she'd rotate through them all, partly for duty's sake and partly for the sake of variety. Not that they offered much. One defunct office looked much the same as any other, after all.
The final office in this run was a dead end. It was small and stuffy, made much narrower by the large filling cabinets that filled either side. Presumably it'd just been a storage room for records long gone. It had even less of interest, but she peered round through the doorway anyway for completeness sake.
Calli! she thought with exasperation. She'd left the window at the end wide open. She walked her way past the filing cabinets and looked out the window. It was some distance up from the ground, but there was little of interest outside: an empty bay below, and more warehouses directly across. It was hardly an inspiring view. Deery pulled the window closed and locked the latch, before turning around.
She gasped, as she felt what seemed like a punch to her gut.
She found herself staring into the face of an armoured figure, clad in black and bronze and scarlet. She couldn't move. She looked down to see the figure holding a sword to, no in, her belly. She looked back up and the figure grabbed her head, hand smothering her mouth. Heat congealed in her stomach. All she could see behind the bronzed helm were cold green eyes.
The figure shoved her sword forward and up.
-000-
Pyrrha kept low as she made her way softly around the offices. She'd eliminated three guards after that first by the window. She wasn't proud of it, but they deserved worse. These were all 'veterans' of Vale. How many innocents had they killed? How many more had they helped kill because they chose to side with Cinder Fall in an attack against all humanity? They'd help kill… she bit back the thought, lest she be distracted. They'd shown no mercy. They'd be shown none in return.
She peered around the doorway of this last set of offices, seeing beyond it a metal walkway that stretched across the main part of the warehouse. It ran close to the wall on the one side, while running along the other was some sort of interior crane suspended on two girders. beyond that she could make out a large assortment of weapons and stores on the warehouse floor, surrounded by White Fang soldiers. She took careful note of the figure directing them, a large, masked man with a distinctive chainsaw strapped to his back. There. He was her target; she was sure of it.
The walkway spanned the entire length of the room before stairs descended at the other end. She'd be exposed if she tried crossing. Perhaps there was some other, less obvious, way down. She looked one side, then the other, but then her eye was caught. There was a commotion amongst the White Fang: their leader began yelling at his troops, pointed at some and gestured towards the steps. The rest began picking up weapons. Her presence been discovered.
Time to do this the hard way.
-000-
The Lieutenant – for that is what he called himself even in his head, it expressing his true self – stood supervising his men as they went over the arms supply that he'd obtained. Some counted, others checked the stock, making sure the equipment appeared in working order, while others – Turk with his distinctive breastplate over his uniform, for instance – stood nearby to keep an accurate record.
They'd had to shed some valuable equipment in the retreat from Vale and they were more lightly armed than he liked. He didn't know when Adam would call upon him, but he was determined that he and his troop would be ready for anything asked of them. He owed Adam everything, and would give him everything, especially if it gave further opportunity for vengeance against their oppressors. He was Adam's Lieutenant, after all.
A pity he hadn't managed to kill that Schnee he'd fought on the train. Both he and Adam owed the SDC with interest. But perhaps the opportunity would come again. They'd struck a powerful blow against Vale. He felt sure their presence in Mistral was no mistake. And then after that? Could mighty Atlas be so far behind?
He'd enjoy that.
Action would be good for his men, too. Idleness made them weak. Soft and sloppy. He could see it now in the way they set about their work. Didn't they know how important this was? Being sure your equipment worked, knowing how much ammunition you had, could make a life or death difference on an operation. He knew they were capable of better. They'd done him proud at Beacon, made the humans and the race-traitors squeal. That was a fine bit of work. But they were easily distracted by nothing.
Still, at least they listened to him. He knew they respected him, even if half referred to him by that ridiculous name behind his back. There were a lot of reasons to hate that name. But he'd reject any name he hadn't chosen for himself. To do any less felt like a concession to his oppressors, a violation of the promise he'd made when he'd discarded his former name and followed Adam from that hole they called a mine.
"Lieutenant," he heard the voice come over the radio. "Positions 4 through 7 have failed to respond to a radio check…"
He cut them short. "What! That means we have someone in the building!"
"It could be a radio fault…"
"Which only affects all the sentries guarding the second-floor offices?! Guess again! Alert everyone!" He turned to the men in front of him. "Grab your weapons, we have an intruder. You, you and you, take the walkway! You four, main staircase…"
He was interrupted by a terrible wrenching noise and the snapping of metal. He looked up, to see the crane above them pulled up, off the girders that supported it, and twist in the air. Suddenly it plunged, plummeting sidewise down into the assembled White Fang.
"Look out!" he yelled, throwing himself aside. Others heard or saw the coming danger and flung themselves out of the way. But some – all too many – were not quick enough and were crushed under the sickening thud.
The Lieutenant rose to his feet to see a figure drop from the walkway, landing far more softly than it had any right too. The woman – for while armoured it was clearly a woman – was clad in classical bronzed armour on top of black cloth. A scarlet sash was wrapped round her waist, fluttering for having dropped through the air. A shield was on her left arm, and a blade in her right, covered in blood. The blood of his brothers and sisters.
He pulled his chainsaw from behind his back, while his remaining men levelled their guns. "Kill her!" he roared. Yet she raised her arm and pulled back, and the Lieutenant felt a tug on his weapon. He held on tight, refusing to be disarmed, but the weapons of his men went flying from their hands. The intruder then launched herself at the nearest men, her shield flying before her to knock several off their feet. The shield returned to her hand, while her blade – no, now it was a javelin – stabbed out in repeated blows, before catching two deep in their midriffs. As they howled in pain, their assailant twisted back to land by one of their prone comrades. Bringing the Javelin round, she stabbed down, ensuring another brother would never rise again.
No more! The Lieutenant charged forwards, his chainsaw revving as he brought in round to attack. She somersaulted away from the swing and used her shield to bash another man aside. The soldier beside him surged forwards to grapple with her but she brought her helmet forwards against his face with a crunch. He dropped, and she kicked him down. Leaping forward, she then brought her boot down hard, and twisted.
Surrounded by the prone – or worse – bodies of his men, the Lieutenant closed again. She ducked another swing of his chainsaw but was caught by his left fist. She recoiled from the blow, and struck out with her weapon, now back in its sword mode. The Lieutenant simply soaked up the damage, drawing on his great endurance to take the hits while bringing the chainsaw down. She caught the blow on her shield, sparks flying from it as she was driven to her knees. Yet she sent a slash against his legs and then with a powerful shove sent the chainsaw back above him with her shield, driving him back.
She struck again, her weapon once more a javelin as she stabbed out at him in a flurry of blows. He brought his chainsaw round and down, parrying the spear to the side, and then grabbed hold of her throat and held her aloft. He tensed his muscles, trying to break past her Aura and crush her throat. She kicked out with her armoured boot, catching his jaw, but he held on despite the pain, determined to kill this interloper.
To his surprise, she dropped her weapon. She brought her empty hand round and suddenly it was full of fire. Flame jetted towards his face and despite the protection of his Aura he felt agony. His eyes shut, he screamed in pain and let go. What demon in human form is this?
Her shield now smashed against his head again and again, breaking his Grimm mask and sending the pieces flying. He stumbled back and opened his eyes, to see her weapon soar back into her hand. She charged forwards again, lunging first with her shield knocking him off balance. She span round to her left, sword outstretched to catch him full on the side. He was sent sprawling, his Aura cracking as it did.
He could hear gunfire again and looked to see more of his troops spilling into the room from the dorms. The attacker took shelter behind her shield, returning fire as her weapon now took the form of a rifle, before ducking into cover.
"Get out of there, Sir!" yelled Calli, leading the rest of the unit to his aid. He stumbled up and ran over to them, refusing to let his pain stop him.
"I've got to get word to Adam," he said.
"We'll hold her off," said Calli, then smiled. "Kill her if we're lucky!"
Without waiting the Lieutenant ran through the door, through the former staff areas that they'd converted into a barracks. The gunfire had now become scattered, interspersed with screams and cries of pain.
Perhaps she'd be tired. Perhaps they'd taxed her Aura enough to drive her off or even eliminate her.
His gut said otherwise.
He got to the small room that had become his "office" and grabbed his scroll from the makeshift desk. Dialling the right number, he waited.
It rang.
Perry's face appeared on the screen as he answered.
"Perry," the Lieutenant said.
Perry's eyes opened in alarm, as he doubtless caught sight of the Lieutenant's wounds.
"What the hell happened to you?"
"I have little time. You need to get word to Adam. We've been attacked. A lone female, very powerful, probably human but hard to be sure…"
"Hold on, I can get a team together, come and help you…"
"There's not enough time for us. Contact Adam. Let him know. Avenge us."
Perry's face became solemn. "So long, Brother."
The Lieutenant cut the connection. His Aura was still shattered, but he planned to face any possible death with some dignity. He turned around.
To see their assailant standing there, patiently, weapon in hand.
She was not unscathed, though he wagered most of the blood wasn't hers. This close, he could make out her emerald green eyes behind her helm.
"Why did you let me finish the call?" he asked finally.
"Why not?" she said in a deceptively soft voice. "You did exactly what I wanted you to."
She brought her rifle to bear.
-000-
The Wilds
The following day had been as rough as they were expecting. They'd failed to find Flae's body, and as soon as they'd set out had been beset by a Beowolf attack. During the early afternoon they'd spent an hour with the villagers huddled against a cliff-face, while the huntsmen and huntresses held the line against a veritable swarm of Grimm. By the time the sun dropped down once more the entire company were exhausted.
But they weren't done yet.
Kobe, as agreed, had led the villagers on to a defensible spot where they camped once more. He had the unenviable task of defending the camp with only the aid of a few untrained volunteers. It was expected that the creature stalking them would find them here too, and once more fall upon them in the night.
Yet this time, it was not the only thing lying in wait.
Just short of the camp, Qrow, Nora, Ren and Ruby lay in the darkness, in a spot of their choosing. The creature, for all its cleverness, had always followed a direct route in pursuing its prey. They now waited quietly amidst the trees, concealed from any observers by the terrain, and with Ren's semblance to conceal them from the Grimm. They'd prepared their ground, and now the only thing to do was wait.
Qrow had given some final counsel to Ren, hoping to keep him focused, to help him remember that if this was going to work, they needed to do it as a team.
"This won't make everything right and it won't bring anybody back. But it might help a little: it might give you some space for healing. Just remember the living," he said, with a nod in the direction of Nora.
Only scattered rays of moonlight pierced through the forest canopy. The team strained their ears in the silence, trying to listen to the faintest indication that their enemy had appeared. The forest was a surprisingly noisy place in the night when one was still, as they could make out the scurrying of small animals and the cry of owls.
Then a new stillness came upon them, as if the forest itself held its breath in hushed suspense. Then, at first ever so quietly and at great distance, they heard the cracking of branches as something large made its way through the woods. Qrow looked from his low perch but could yet see little movement amongst the shadows. The noise, however, became steadily clearer, and louder, as the sound of something heavy drew closer. Heavy plodding, crushing the undergrowth of the forest under foot. A shadow moved closer, as two red flames appeared. The slow thud of the feet came ever nearer, its sound rivalled only by the beat of their hearts as they held in anticipation. The shadow took form, a great steed with burning eyes and fearsome mien, with a twitching, unnatural horned rider with great arms growing from its back. Qrow counted inwardly as step by step, foot by foot, the creature drew nigh.
"Now Ruby!" he yelled.
At his word, Ruby fired Crescent Rose at her pre-aimed target, sending a fire dust round into the piles of wood they'd prepared. It ignited, sending a sheet of flame up as a barrier behind the creature. It gave its awful screech as Qrow leapt forward, Harbinger in hand. Nora and Ren charged forward to attack, Ren already firing his machine pistols as he dashed forwards. The beast's claws came forward; Qrow parried the blow with Harbinger but Ren was caught, flung against the trunk of a tree.
Qrow moved into the side of the Grimm, swinging his blade against its torso, but found his blow scraping along its ribs. Nora swung her hammer against its legs, but the creature reared on its hind legs, prepared to bring its front claws down on top of her.
"Nora!" Ruby cried, and using her speed dashed in and caught Nora, pushing her out of the way of the descending feet. Ren moved back in, circling out of the way of its arm and opened fire once more. Qrow aimed a blow at its back legs but was caught when the arm on his side swung back, knocking him off his feet.
"Keep moving around!" yelled Ruby, using her speed to dodge its blows and the others began circling to avoid its arms. Nora parried one claw with her hammer in a blow that should have smashed it, but the arm came swiftly in once more. Ren used the sickle like blades to cut into the other arm, then leapt out of the way. Qrow got back on his feet and switched Harbinger into its scythe mode and jumped to attack it from behind. He got one blow in, but the beast seemed to shrug off the damage. What can we do to harm this thing? Qrow wondered.
Then, with a jarring crack, it flung its arms at a seeming impossible length, and swung them at impossible angles. Qrow got caught again in a sharp blow against the ribs and was shoved back against a tree. Nora was struck likewise, though kept her feet and twirled to the side. The arms continued their great arcs, hitting Ren as he poured fire into the body of the beast and sending him flying. With a flash of light his Aura shattered, sending him spawling.
One down, Nora was pushed back, and Qrow was struggling to his feet. He felt a sense of panic as the creature's arms converged on Ruby. Her red cloak fluttered as she danced out of the way, and then with far greater strength than one would expect she brought Crescent Rose down over her head in an arc, slicing into one of the monstrous hands and punching through, the blade digging into the ground beneath. The creature shrieked in rage but was unable to pull its arm free.
"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby yelled. "Pin the other arm!"
Qrow propelled himself forward, ducking and rolling through the rough undergrowth as the other arm swung round. He stood, waiting for the arm to come back round. As it curved back, he dodged backwards, and brought Harbinger down, its blade driving through the wrist and into the ground below.
"Nora, now!" he yelled.
Nora moved in, swinging her great hammer in a great blow that smashed against the head of the horse. She spun round, her hammer arcing once more in the opposite direction, crushing the exposed ribs. The front legs of the beast kicked out, knocking Nora flying, but the lower half of the creature then slumped as it fell to its knees.
The rider however continued to shriek, and Qrow felt Harbinger begin to give as the beast tried to tug its arms free. He could see Ruby having similar trouble holding Crescent Rose down.
"We need to kill both halves," he yelled. But Ruby was stuck pinning the other arm while Nora had yet to come to her feet. In just a few moments it would pull free.
And then Ren dashed in. Crescent Rose went flying, and an arm pulled free and whipped round. Without Aura Ren was defenceless, but he ducked beneath the arm's lunge and brought a dagger upon its shoulder. The dagger sliced through the arm, cutting it clean off. The creature screamed in Ren's face, tugging on its other arm, but Ren brought the dagger down again, hacking off the other arm. It shrieked once more but Ren was unmoved and cut forward with the blade for a final time. It carved through the creature's neck, and the creature was silenced, as its horned head fell from the neck and hit the ground with a thud.
Ren audible exhaled and fell to his knees, dropping his dagger. The body of the beast began to dissolve, turning into black vapour as all dead Grimm did, while Qrow took a moment to breathe. Ruby got up, apparently little worse for wear and recovered Crescent Rose, while Nora, now back on her feet, ran for Ren and flung herself around him, a small giggle expressing her relief. Qrow slowly walked over to Ren.
"Gutsy move, charging in without Aura," he said.
"I wasn't trying to get myself killed," Ren replied, breathing heavily, Nora still hanging on him. "But I had to help and saw an opening. Part of a team, right?"
"Right," said Qrow. He bent over and picked up the dagger Ren had dropped. He looked it over, admiring its craftsmanship. "It's a fine blade," he said, offering it back to Ren.
Ren nodded, sheathing it. "It was my father's."
Qrow patted his arm and checked on the others. Nora had a few scratches – her own Aura must have given out in that final blow – but was otherwise okay, even ecstatic as she hugged Ren, while Ruby smiled, having checked to make sure her beloved Crescent Rose was undamaged.
It was but a short walk to the camp, and as they broke through the trees they saw most of the company were awake and looking in their direction. Of course, Qrow thought, they'd have heard the monster's cries from here, the return of another night terror. Kobe approached, apparently relieved as his eyes passed over all four of them, and tilted his head in an unspoken question. Qrow nodded in response and a smile broke across Kobe's lean features.
He turned to see the crowd of villagers gathered, and realised they saw little of his exchange with Kobe in the poor light and could see only four exhausted huntsmen and huntresses. Conscious of their need for good morale – for the villagers to see a clear win, and to have heroes to inspire them – he took hold Ren's arm and thrust it upward, holding it as a sign of victory. The crowd was silent at first, but then whispered expressions of relief and muttered prayers of thanksgiving rolled over the crowd. Gasps of laughter could soon be heard and then scattered cheers, and members of the camp began hugging each other. Ren looked at Qrow in surprise but was soon swamped as villagers came over to thank them, embracing each of the trainees in turn.
"Qrow," Rudd had ambled over. "I don't know how to thank you, or your kids." To Qrow's shock, the big man embraced him too, before releasing him.
"Well, we're not done yet…" said Qrow.
Rudd barked in laughter. "Oh, I'll not tempt fate. But you did great work. When we get to the end of this, anything we can do, you just need to ask."
"I'll hold you to that," Qrow grunted. As they spoke Kobe re-joined them.
"Watch tonight?" he asked.
"We'll take care of it between us," Qrow replied. "Let the kids get a good night's sleep."
It was a good night, after all. Tonight, at least one demon had been killed.
Author's Note:
This chapter proved to be a bit of a beast, with a lot going on and some extensive action (and I find action challenging to write, so hopefully it's come off okay). The chapter is done now, though, and represents a significant step forward in the story.
Thank for all the reviews and comments, all much appreciated. I particularly appreciated the Guest comment (which sadly I can't reply to) with the quote about the one seeking vengeance needing two graves. I'm glad some of the themes are coming across (as much as some of the people in the way of said vengeance deserve a comeuppance).