Chapter 11: Mountain Glenn
Jaune fell to the ground and gasped for air. All around him he could hear the echo of combat, orders being yelled out, soldiers carrying them out, and roars from the Grimm.
Behind him he heard a loud crack, when he had mostly regained his breath he stood up and looked at the tunnel exit. Which was now rubble.
"Who was that?" Phyrra asked, having caught her breath.
Jaune turned toward her and lost his footing for a moment, just before falling over he was caught by Ren.
"That woman's name is Cinder," Nora answered, " she is insanely strong and almost killed us once before."
Phyrra nodded and looked the trio up and down. Blake grimaced as her Aura began to heal her wounds and followed Phyrra's gaze. The deadhead furrowed her eyebrows, "Why isn't your Aura healing your wounds?"
"Our Auras…." Jaune clutched a hand over his mouth, barely stopping himself from puking.
Ren rubbed his back and turned his gaze toward the redhead, "We don't have them unlocked."
"You're from the frontier, correct?"
The trio nodded.
Phyrra smiled at that answer, "The Huntsman's guild may not like it, but because of the circumstances I think I know a way to help you, coincidentally enough, I have to go there right away." She turned and began to make her way to a large stone citadel nestled at the back of the valley and looked over her shoulder, "Follow me!"
Blake sat down against a nearby tree, "I'll catch up."
The redhead nodded and continued to guide the trio toward the citadel.
Tai stared down at a map of the fortress, on the wall, and inside the fortress, there was a score of white pawn pieces. Outside and to the east of the wall was an almost endless amount of black pawn, scores of rooks, several bishops, and six tower pieces. "How much longer can we hold out until reinforcements get here?"
Tai's gaze found a man in chainmail with a green overcoat which had an emblem of a pair of golden axes crossed over one another. This man was Peter Jadis, the commander of the soldiers of the southwest of Vale. He held his helmet against his hip and stared down at the same map. He frowned and rested his helmet atop the table before leaning forward and grabbing four white Knight pieces and resting them in the Glenn mountain range.
"According to the most recent ravens, the fifth Knight regiment shall arrive within three days, however, they are being cut off because of bandits and deserters." He stood up straight and crossed his arms, "At our current rate of loss I suggest pulling back to the citadel and having the citizenry evacuate to Vale proper."
"One problem." Qrow spoke, "There is no way to have a rearguard protect the retreating troops. Any rearguard would get cut apart within minutes."
"He's right." Tai sighed, "We're already on the brink of a breach, unless we get aid we are stuck in this brawl."
Suddenly a bloodied and gasping Coco ran into the room, "Sir Xiao-Long, eight Goliaths have been spotted in the distance, we estimate a day until they arrive."
"Thanks, Coco," Tai gave a small nod, "Find your relief, get some rest."
"Yes, sir!" Coco bowed her head for a moment and turned to leave when she froze.
In front of her was one of the Bronze Company soldiers, and the trio she had left in Glen Mor. While Ren and Nora looked a little battered, covered in dust, and tired it was Jaune who caught her eyes. The blonde was leaning on Ren and looked as if he was struggling to stay on his feet.
"Coco!" Nora grabbed the brunette and gave a spine crossing hug, Coco wheezed for air.
"Sir Xiao-Long." Phyrra saluted the older warrior, "I bring three capable warriors who I believe you could help."
"They don't look capable to me." Peter gruffed.
"A little help from Sir Xiao-Long is all they'll need." The redhead countered.
Tai glanced at Qrow and gave a slow nod. At that, the raven sighed and turned toward the commander, "Let's get some fresh air."
Peter frowned but followed Qrow nonetheless. Coco glanced at Tai, but with a nod from her superior, and she followed the other two.
When Tai saw the three he gestured to the chairs, "Before I help you, why did you come to Mountain Glenn?"
Jaune was the first to respond, "We want to settle a score."
Tai raised an eyebrow at the blonde, who was looking sicker by the minute. "What type of score?"
"We…" the redhead began, she glanced to Jaune and when for a moment they stared at each other. Tai could tell they were having a silent discussion. After a moment longer, she turned her head back to the blonde, "Do you know a huntress by the name of Summer Rose?"
Tai froze.
The trio glanced at each other.
The blonde Huntsman fell back into her chair, "Please tell me, how do you know her?"
"She…" Jaune began through deep breaths, his eyes briefly glanced toward Ren and Nora, "She had helped save our village when a massive herd of Grimm attacked our village. She also saved us from an attack by a crazy fire magic-wielding witch."
"Where is she now." Tai's gaze burned into Jaune's.
Jaune could tell, Summer and Tai were a couple or at the least, she meant a lot to him. The young blonde bowed his head and swallowed his sorrow and looked Tai in the eyes, "I'm so sorry."
Tai closed his eyes and took in several deep breaths. His chin quivered for a moment before he straightened it out, "Phyrra, take them to the infirmary and have them get some rest, then I will summon you later for a report."
With another salute, Phyrra took the three out of the room and took them down the hall.
Tai's breathing began chocked and ragged ad he dug into his armor and took out a necklace with a small white rose petal.
With tears streaming down lowered his head and clutched the necklace against his chest.
"Damn it!" He cried out.
Damn it!" He muttered through sobs.
"Damn it!"
Around twenty minutes later Jaune, Ren, and Nora had been laid down in the infirmary, which was filled to the brim with groaning and bleeding soldiers, all in need of musical attention.
"The doctors will take care of you, get some rest." Phyrra told the group, "I need to report back to Commander Jadis, he needs to know what happened in the tunnel."
She didn't wait for the trio to respond and immediately made her way out of the infirmary and toward where she believed Commander Jadis would be, the watchtower.
As she approached the tower she noticed that it had been fortified since the last time she had seen it. Where a once solemn tower stood on a hill, there was now a massive array of defenses. A palisade wall with towers and ballista and an armed garrison had arrived around the tower. As for the tower itself, she could see messenger pigeons and ravens flying to and from the wall that stopped the tide of Grimm.
When Phyrra arrived at the top of the tower she saw Jadis move several chess pieces closer to the wall and looked up at her, "I believe it's time that you told me what happened to your company."
Phyrra told her all that happened, from when they collected Jaune and Adam's forces to the arrival of Cinder and the final stand the Bronze Company surrounded by a collapsing tunnel.
When she concluded Jadis had turned his head back toward the wall and held his hands behind his back, "The Bronze Company were some of the best soldiers I have ever seen, if they believed they had to go down fighting I suppose they had the right judgment."
"Sir, what are we supposed to do," Phyrra asked, "Is there any word of reinforcements?"
Jadis sighed, "If reports are to be believed, three days."
Phyrra frowned for a moment and opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when the general raised his hand, "Get some rest, you'll be sent to the wall later today."
Phyrra saluted her superior and made her way out of the tower.
Blake stood up from her spot underneath the tree and turned toward the sounds of combat. Even from her position many yards away from the fighting, she could still hear the barking of orders, clash of steel, and screams of pain.
She stood up and made her way to the wall, she unsheathed her sword and began to make her way up the stairs.
"Incoming Beowolfs!" Shouted a soldier, followed by a scream.
"Edwards!" Blake heard another yell. In the next moment, a corpse fell from the wall, claw marks having pierced his breastplate, the look of terror still fresh on his pale face.
Blake was up on the wall in the blink of an eye, replacing Edward's spot. She ducked underneath the swing of a Beowolf and stabbed her dagger into the side of the Grimm's knee. With a quick spin, she decapitated the monster in front of her.
"Who are you?" The to her right soldier asked, he gasped for air and had sweat dripping from his nose. His sword had been dulled to the point where a wooden club would have done a better job.
Another howl alerted Blake of the incoming Grimm. She threw her dagger into its throat and jumped into its chest. With a series of quick thrusts and stabs, she reduced the Grimm to nothing but dust.
"Wow." The soldier was was a lost for words, "I could ne-"
"Watch out!" Blake warned the soldier.
The man turned on his heel and raised his shield, with a loud bang he blocked the strike from the Beowolf. Blake could hear the crack and the scream that followed.
Within seconds the Grimm had been destroyed, she then turned around it the soldier and recoiled when she saw the broken arm, which was facing the wrong way.
"Get out of here!" Blake waved him off, "I'll handle things here!"
She turned back toward the Grimm and quickly dispatched them, turning them to dust within moments.
When she turned to the soldier who had broken his arm, he was now standing and had fear in his eyes. She followed his gaze and realized two things.
One, it was quiet.
Two, the Grimm were retreating.
The endless sea of the Grimm had turned and ran into the forest in front of the wall, all that was left on the ground were the corpses of soldiers and bones of slain Grimm.
Blake didn't know what was going but knew that it was bad. Grimm normally aren't this coordinated, something was off.
Elsewhere, in the interior of Vale, a hand grabbed the parchment that was bound to the leg of the Raven and unfolded it.
Dear Ozpin,
I am full of dismay and have to inform you that the queen has been sighted and seems to be in command of the Grimm forces assaulting the walls. We once again request the royal southern army's support, if the current status of the fighting remains, we will last only half a week.
I hope this reaches you,
Tai Yang
Ozpin sighed and folded his hands together, "If only it was that easy…" he whispered to himself.
With a frown on his face be stood up from his chair and made his way out of the chambers and toward the royal court.
He had work to do.