Chapter 40…
There was something euphoric about all this…
The textured grips of her weapons twisting in her gloved palms, the whoosh of air as the blades sliced through the chilly air, the sting of the icy wind whipping against her exposed cheeks and the back of her neck.
Perhaps most visceral, the gush of black blood painting the white snow in ghastly colors.
Honesty… how long had it been since Mauve had properly fought some grimm?
Her team had been up in Atlas for how long now? A month or so? So far they had been grounded or fighting fellow humans… and Mauve wasn't keen to grievously harm other people…
But grimm? There were no ethical qualms here…
Mauve kicked off the snowy ground in an aura infused leap, twisting and corkscrewing over the swinging paw of an arctic beowulf. The monster's snarls turned to howls of fury when Mauve mutilated its red eyes with a flurry of hollow point rounds. The lynx girl slid under the flailing beast and savagely drew the blade of Nimbus across its throat.
Mauve rolled out from under the dying beowulf as it crumpled onto the snowy ground.
"Come on!" Rust called from ahead, holding the collar of his jacket up to cover his mouth and throat. He was standing atop the corpses of several smoking beowulves. "Were getting closer!"
Rust gestured with his hand to several blinking red lights in the distance, partially obscured by the whipping snowstorm. Periodically the whoosh of fire could be seen from the area, followed by the ear shattering noise of missiles detonating in air.
Mauve broke into a sprint, which was difficult considering the environment, in an attempt to catch up to Rust. She knew she was pushing it a little, still not having fully recovered from her brutal fight with Verdant earlier that morning, but the amount of aura she had regenerated was more than enough to carry her through some minor scuffles.
A howl pierced the wind and Mauve dove into the snow to avoid a swinging paw. The freezing cold substance trickled down her back and made her teeth chatter, but Mauve quickly rolled back into a standing position. The lynx girl lengthened her knives into short swords as the same beowulf swung its paw back at her. With a deft twirl of Nimbus the paw was parried, the beowulf howling in rage as its flesh was sliced. Mauve didn't give it any more opportunities, leaping forwards to sink her blades into its neck.
Up ahead Rust was dealing with his own situation. The massive boy ducked low and held his axe out straight, slicing off the jaw of a leaping beowulf. He kicked out his leg to keep the badly injured grimm away and slammed his leg back down into the snow, twisting and swinging his axe underhanded to cleave the head of another charging grimm in two. With the second grimm dead and disintegrating Rust spun and executed the first with a well-placed shotgun blast.
Rust panted and turned around to find Mauve trudging through the snow towards him, her short hair whipping wildly in the snowy wind. A howl caught Rust's attention and he peered deeper into the snowstorm, watching several more dark forms run by in the direction of the blinking red lights.
"Where are they going?" Mauve yelled over the wind, pressing into Rust's side to protect herself from the wind.
"Same place we are!" Rust howled back, wrapping an arm around Mauves shoulders as they kept trudging in the direction of the blinking lights.
Over their heads, the screams and roar of a bullheads engine was silenced by a missile impact, the craft death spiralling off into the distance.
Halfway across Remnant…
So far, Nyx was actually a little impressed with the Ace Operatives.
They were far more coordinated than Honey's Aurum's team (to be fair, she had caught them completely off guard). Atlas's best and brightest were actually good enough to force her into a defensive position…
… not bad, not bad at all!
Nyx cackled to herself as she slid under the striking head of a massive breaching hammer, swinging her hacking blade at Elm's ankles to force the woman away. The striking head gleamed with several unused micro missiles, giving Nyx an indication of the weapon's secondary fire.
"A missile launcher?" Nyx grinned, swinging her blade behind her to parry away the hook of King Fisher. "You're not going to use it on me?"
Elm said nothing, gritting her teeth and narrowing her eyes as she leapt forwards for a downwards smash.
"Right…" Nyx drawled, rolling her golden eyes as she easily sidestepped the hammer and sprang off into a jump. "Collateral damage…" The assassin sheathed her blade and tilted forwards into a cartwheel as two unnaturally long arms tried to grab her. Nyx drew her blade again as she landed back on her feet, willingly letting Vine grasp onto her ankle. She grinned in satisfaction when the huntsman howled in pain, withdrawing his burned hand.
Nyx considered swinging her blade down to slice off Vine's hand, but didn't have the chance when an armored fist slammed into her shoulder. The black armored assassin slid back and clasped her free hand on the affected shoulder. Nyx shot a grin in the direction of Harriet, who was zigzagging in an erratic fashion to throw Nyx off.
Nyx kept her hacking blade low as she sped off in the direction of Harriet, giving the woman a savage grin. The assassin vaulted over the striking head of Elm's hammer and slid across the ground to create friction and slow herself down. She swung her hacking blade in a spinning arc, trying to target Harriet's ankles. Harriet jumped up to avoid the weapon and kicked down, but was unsuccessful when Nyx angled the flat of her blade to block the kick. The assassin surged upwards into a shoulder charge and knocked Harriet back, planning to retaliate with a strike from her blade.
This attempt was unsuccessful as the head of King Fisher struck her hand, knocking the hacking blade from her grasp. The serrated weapon clattered away into the distance.
Nyx jumped back into a tumble as a plume of flame eradicated the ground where she was just standing. It appeared as if Vermillion Fiamma had re-entered the fight, her blue eyes glowing with hatred.
"I would suggest you surrender!" Clover Ebi growled, jumping behind Nyx and unleashing a flurry of strikes with his weapon. Nyx twisted and contorted to avoid the bladed fishing rod, lashing out a donkey kick to force away Harriet.
"Why?" Nyx cackled. "This is the most fun I've had in years!"
"You and I have a very different definition of fun!" Clover snarled back, backstepping and withdrawing a bola grenade from his jacket pocket. Nyx's golden eyes widened as Clover drew back his arm and released the device.
Nyx snorted in amusement at his desperate ploy. She swept her forearm and deflected the spherical device in the direction of a charging Vermillion. The tall redhead gasped and dropped her bastard sword as her entire body was bound by the taut wire; she collapsed and face planted onto the ruined cobblestones, groaning in pain.
Nyx turned back to a shocked Clover Ebi. "Did you think that was going to work?
Back in the tundra…
"Almost there!" Rust called over the whipping wind. Mauve grunted in affirmation beside him, sheltered from the wind by his massive arm.
The two continued to trudge through the snowstorm towards the blinking red lights, the corpses of dozens of beowulf's disintegrating behind them.
They were getting close! If Rust squinted his eyes and concentrated he could make out the form of a chain link fence, the blinking red lights just behind it. Mauve and Rust continued to trudge forwards, finally resting against the metal wiring of the fencing.
Rust squinted again to focus his vision, looking upwards at the source of the blinking red lights. They belonged to the scanning sensors of several missing towers, which rose ten feet above the enclosed concrete tarmac. In the center of the tarmac sat a parked bullhead…
Suddenly, the rattle of small-arms gunfire rose over the howling wind.
Rust squinted again to peer further into the wind, but saw nothing.
"There!" Mauve gasped, holding up head hand to point past the fence. Her powerful faunus eyes had a gentle amber glow in the dim morning light. "Look at them!"
Rust followed her eyes and briefly saw what she was gesturing at. Far off in the center of the tarmac two forms could be seen through the fog and snow. A massive, hulking form could be spotted trying to maneuver around the rectangular shape of a massive riot shield, with intermittent gunfire crackling periodically.
"What are you waiting for?" Mauve said hotly. Rust turned his head down to find her piercing eyes. "Let's get in there!"
Rust nodded and drew Ruination from his back. He made sure Mauve was at a safe distance before he cleaved the weapon into the fence, tearing the metal wires and making an entrance.
Sage panted heavily to himself, the weight of the shield on his forearm constant and oppressive. The faunus did not dare take away his eyes from the viewscreen, his blue orbs locked on his uncles form.
The man in question was circling Sage like a bird of prey, watching his nephew pivot and trying to find an opening. Sage was glad that he was born with such a defensive semblance, it was the only thing that kept Verdant from opening fire.
"I maintain that this is ludicrous…" Verdant complained, yelling over the whipping sound of the wind. "Neither of us will get the upper hand! This is a stalemate!"
"Screw you!" Sage spat back. "I just need to make you wait around!"
"Wait?" Verdant chuckled. "Are you sure that's what you want?"
Sage felt a spike of confusion and worry, but Verdant kept talking.
"Let me ask you this Sage!" Verdant smiled coldly. "What do you think is happening with Honey right now?"
For a single moment Sage felt his arm loosen. How could he possibly forget about that!? Verdant had outright told him that he made the contract live…
… was Honey in danger right now? Was she already… he didn't even want to think about it…
Sage had let his guard down for a single moment… and a single moment was all that Verdant needed. The faunus boy roared in pain as his uncle used Asher's weapon, firing a volatile explosive round at Sage's feet. Because it hadn't hit the shield Sage had no means to deflect it and the blast threw him off his feet.
Sage landed hard on his back, his aura crackling but still there. He quickly drew his arm up to drape his shield over his body as a flurry of heavy rounds smacked against it. The rhythmic thump of heavy feet told Sage that he had to move immediately!
The faunus boy corkscrewed back up into a standing position and kept his shield upright, blocking a three round burst that had been sent in his direction. Sage watched from behind the viewscreen as Verdant coldly smirked and reloaded Asher's weapon, ejecting the spent magazine and withdrawing a new one from his coat.
Verdant's smirk turned into a grimace when the heel of a boot slammed into his cheek. Electricity crackled around the strike, making Verdant's aura fizzle as he jumped back.
Sage turned his head in disbelief.
Standing only a few feet from him was Mauve, a defiant expression on her face and her blades held at the ready. Her entire form was shadowed by Rust, his face adorned with a similar expression to the leader of MARS.
"Well, well…" Verdant mocked, standing upright and holding up Asher's rifle for all to see. "It seems as if you didn't die in the crash… how fortunate…"
"You don't stand a fucking chance," Mauve growled, shooting a nod in Sage's direction the green haired boy returned. "Were going to kick your fucking ass, Verdant…"
Rust whistled to Sage to get his attention while Mauve and Verdant were conversing. He pulled Sage's grenade launcher and ammo sling off his back and tossed it over, Sage deftly catching it in his free hand.
"Really?" Verdant chuckled under his breath. "I thought I proved to you that you couldn't… how does the back of your neck feel? Cold?"
"Screw you!" Rust finally spoke with a scowl, stepping forwards to regroup at Sage's side. "Where's Asher!?"
"Rust…" Sage spoke under his breath, trying in vain to get his partners attention by tugging on his coat. "Don't…"
But it was too late… Mauve's attention had been captured by Rust's questions and she snapped her eyes up to find Sage. The faunus boy felt a spike of pain in his chest when he spotted the desperate look in her amber eyes.
"Asher, yes…" Verdant chuckled, taking a step forward and gently patting the barrel of Asher's gun. "I'm sorry… I know the man responsible… he would have tried to make it quick."
In times of great calamity… it was almost paradoxical how still the world felt at times.
Sage reminded himself to breath in and out as the snowstorm whipped around them. Although he felt the urge to look away, Sage's vision was slowly drawn to the still form of his leader.
Mauve wasn't crying, she wasn't screaming, wailing or yelling at the horrible confession Verdant had just made. Her face was so still and immovable it was almost like it had been carved from marble; but the dangerous look in her eyes? Sage had seen the look before… it was the look Mauve had on her eyes whenever she killed grimm…
There were no more words left to share… Mauve held her blades high and charged.
