Legal Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, Red vs. Blue, or any of the shows' characters. They are the rightful properties of Rooster Teeth.
Chapter Thirty-Five:
The service tunnels underneath of Atlas weren't exactly easy to get to, but that was pretty much the point. Using Winter and Weiss' abilities, the relatively small group was able to create small pockets underground thanks to summoned Centinels together with Penny's Floating Array and lasers cutting even larger holes into the ground as they went. Occasionally, when they reached even harder to cut or burrow through rock, Caboose would step forward and use his Breaker Touch ability to get the ball rolling again so to speak. However, given how potent a Semblance it was and the fact that Caboose wasn't even that comfortable using it, they didn't press him to do so often. Pyrrha and Donut were both using their Semblances to keep the makeshift corridor from collapsing all around them.
It was a lot of effort, but going underneath of Atlas was the best way to ensure they didn't get caught. Qrow just prayed his Semblance behaved. He didn't need it to act up and bury them all alive.
"Are you sure you should be here, Qrow?" Yang asked tentatively as she took a few steps back from where she'd been walking with Ruby and Blake before to match her steps with her uncle's slower ones. Robyn was walking up front with the Schnee sisters, while the three former Charon agents who had accompanied them were walking behind with Grif, Simmons, and Donut.
Qrow raised an eyebrow at the blonde's question, "Can't exactly sit around forever while everyone else does all the work," He said, "Especially not if we're going to be getting Oscar and Cloves back."
Yang bit her bottom lip then, "I know, but Jaune and Doc just okayed you to start moving around, and now you're going on a rescue mission." She said slowly, like she was speaking to a very stubborn two year old.
"I'm not about to stand by while everyone else rescues my son." Qrow pointed out, light red eyes narrowing in contemplation.
It was bad enough that they didn't know exactly what happened to Clover and therefore couldn't even begin properly staging a rescue mission for the other Inheritor. The thought of sitting idly by while Clover and his kid were in danger was just too much for Qrow after everything that had happened. The least he could do was try and help out Oscar and Kai.
"Yeah, that's pretty much the same reason I'm here too." Grif muttered from behind them, a frown plastered on his face, "Like hell would I be fine sitting back while someone else went to rescue Kai."
"Your sister volunteered to go with Oscar so that he wouldn't be alone, right?" Qrow asked the heavyset Faunus, recalling what he'd heard later on about the situation, rather touched by the outspoken girl's action.
Grif snorted, "Yeah, because she's a dumb idiot." He muttered under his breath, though his remark did nothing to hide the lingering concern and worry in his brown eyes.
Simmons placed a consoling hand on the chubby male's shoulder then, "We'll get them back, Grif." He said assuredly.
The chital Faunus raised an eyebrow, "Dude, I get why I'm here. What made you decide to tag along, Simmons?" He asked, clearly baffled, "I thought stressful situations made you black out or something."
"Oh, um!" Simmons' face turned red as he struggled to reply, for some strange reason refusing to meet Grif's gaze, "Well, I mean. Kai and Oscar are friends, and Pyrrha is coming along and you..." he trailed off then, sheepishly muttering, "No comment."
Yang and her uncle looked at one another then, the blonde raising an eyebrow at Simmons' flustered action, "Smooth, Simmons." She joked in a deadpan tone.
The freckled redhead hung his head as Donut cheerily patted him on the back, "I think it's sweet!" Donut told him earnestly, casting a glance backwards at the others, "Don't you guys?"
Neopolitan merely rolled her eyes at the question, though Pyrrha simply smiled indulgently at her brother and Caboose nodded his head vigorously, "It is because Grif is his very bestest friend!" Caboose intoned cheerily.
"Um, what?" Grif asked as he tilted his head to the side, obviously confused by the direction this conversation had gone in.
Simmons' face became beet red and he flailed his arms, laughing nervously, "N—nothing! Never mind! Yeah, everything's fine! Let's just focus on the rescue mission!" He practically shrieked.
The short moment of brevity lasted only for a second as Penny, Blake, and Ruby joined them by slowing down their steps just a little. There was an aggrieved look on the automated girl's face, her green-eyed gaze, so much like Clover's, not quite meeting anyone's eyes, "But there wouldn't have to be a rescue mission if it weren't for me." She stated quietly, shoulders slumping, "I didn't realize that the General King could track my specific energies."
Ruby smiled encouragingly and placed her hand on Penny's shoulder, pulling the girl closer, "Hey, it's not your fault, Penny." She said comfortingly.
Penny's frown deepened, a doubtful look on her features, "But—!"
"Yeah." Yang cut her off by slamming her hands together, "If anything, it's Irondick's."
Blake raised an eyebrow at Yang's use of the nickname Kai had gifted to Ironwood, "Seriously?" She joked.
The blonde grinned over at her, "What? I figured we'd channel a bit of Kai into things to liven them up!" Yang exclaimed wholeheartedly.
"She's gonna be thrilled if that becomes a thing." Grif muttered.
"Besides, your dad managed to fix that energy signature thing a while ago, right?" Donut asked Penny.
The girl nodded in response, although she still was quiet. Ruby squeezed her shoulder comfortingly once more, and Donut cheerily patted Penny on the arm, "Then everything's okay!" The pink-wearing young man declared, "They won't catch us from behind again! This time, we'll be the ones thrusting forward!"
"Why couldn't you just say we'll catch them by surprise?" Simmons bemoaned his friend's odd phrasing.
"I've long since given up on figuring out why he words things like he does." Grif told him plainly, shaking his head in Donut's direction.
"I did not know this was a surprise party." Caboose intoned seriously, looking almost sad, "Wash and Carolina will be sad they missed it."
Neopolitan frowned and patted the canine Faunus' shoulder at the mention of their two teammates who had opted to stay behind along with Doc in case any more issues came up around Mantle. He smiled at her gratefully, causing her to look awkwardly away. Eventually, they reached a dirt-and-ice-covered metal wall barring their way: the underground portion of Atlas' outer wall.
The summoned Centinels dispersed, Weiss and Winter stepping back as Robyn looked up at what was blocking their passage, "All right." The tan blonde noted, hands on her hips, "According to our preliminary reports, a service tunnel should be right behind this point here." She said as she leaned forward and hit a spot on the wall for emphasis, turning to face the rest of the group, "Caboose, Penny! Your turn."
"Right!" Penny declared, a determined glint in her green eyes as she approached the wall, her lasers striking true. A bit farther away from the group, Caboose reached out and placed his hand on the wall, the metal buckling and disintegrating under his touch.
"I find it a little scary that he has that Semblance." Grif muttered, Simmons nodding his head in quiet agreement.
"The good news is that it only seems to work on inanimate objects and surfaces." Pyrrha noted, as if to reassure the two young men.
"Hopefully this won't take too long to get through." Weiss stated as she joined the others, her pale blue eyes narrowing in determination, "I promised Ilia that I'd help bring back both Kai and Oscar."
Yang smirked and grasped her uncle's shoulder then, "No worries, Qrow. We've all got your back." She told him.
"That's right!" Her sister said, Ruby nodding her head eagerly, "We're going to rescue Oscar and Kai, and Clover too!"
Qrow nodded his head slightly, too touched by the sentiment to even voice his thoughts just then. He just hoped that they could actually do it when all was said and done. Bad luck be damned.
Remnant was on fire, flames licking at the ruin and rubble that remained. Grimm and Golems alike were rampaging through what was left. People tried fleeing, but there was absolutely nowhere to run.
Clover walked forward slowly, moving in the opposite direction of those trying to run away. He wasn't sure what he was moving towards, only that it was vital he kept doing so. He had to see...
Amidst the carnage all around him, he came across bodies: familiar shapes lying limply in the snow and debris, their forms covered in various cuts and gruesomely twisted, crimson splattering the ground around them.
Robyn, Winter, Sarge, the young Huntresses and Huntsmen he'd come to know and care for over the course of several months. All of them with blank expressions looking towards the skies.
He had to turn his gaze away whenever he came upon one or more of them, the sick feeling in his stomach only intensifying at every step he took, his heart thudding loudly in his chest, threatening to break at any moment.
There was a wet, squelching tearing sound that reached his ears after he tore his gaze away from Ruby and Yang with their arms around Oscar still as if they'd been trying to protect him, and he couldn't stop his head from turning in that direction despite inwardly screaming not to do so.
...Only to see a gasping, dying Qrow Branwen impaled on Cinder Fall's arm, his body dropping to the ground in a heap not a moment later.
(He swore he heard a terrifying shriek just then, memories of Qrow collapsing before in a pool of blood underneath a black form coming to the surface unbidden.)
Clover couldn't even take a step forward, his feet frozen to the ground as he felt a familiar pain in his chest, as if he was being run through himself all over again.
A pale hand gripped his shoulder then, a white-haired woman with red markings on her face that matched his own whenever he used his Inheritor powers looming over him. The blaze all around them reflected in her dark eyes. "Soon, my lucky charm." She stated emphatically, "You will get to watch as Remnant finally burns."
Cinder marched forward then, stepping on Qrow's battered shoulder indifferently as she did so. She raised her arm yet again, aiming for the familiar scarring on his chest and...
Someone's approach just then had his eyes opening slightly, his head lifting up weakly amidst the cocoon he was enshrouded in. It had taken awhile, but it seemed as if he could now properly see out of the mask at least, the item surprisingly lightweight on his face as if it wasn't even there to begin with.
Cinder and Salem were both regarding him still within the Nevermore's winged embrace. Almost absentmindedly, the goddess leaned forward and wiped at Clover's cheek, and he started at the wetness that smeared her now far too pale hand, having not even realized he'd been crying. She wiped her fingers together to dissipate the tearstains lingering on them, tilting her head to the side contemplatively, "Now that the arms are finished, how should we approach the legs?" Salem mused out loud, "There are so many options available to us, after all."
A sudden trill of panic flowed through him at their words, and he hated how he couldn't see past the miasma enveloping him to know what it was they were talking about, though a part of him wondered if he would truly want to do so.
Cinder smirked, "I know Branwen and Ironwood were particular fans of his lower half, but since our dear Captain Ebi was something of a fisherman, perhaps he could be a Grimm with a tail instead?" She joked.
"Perhaps." Salem said, seemingly considering the dark-haired woman's words.
His breathing began becoming shallow with his resurgent panic, and the Nevermore's wings wrapped more tightly around him, its trill turning soothing once again as if trying to lull him into calmness once more.
"Just relax, trinket." Salem murmured, touching the miasma coating his body. Once more, a dull sort-of calmness clouded Clover's mind with her touch and the Grimm's strange lullaby. His eyes began fluttering shut, though he was dimly aware of red now peering at him through the black of Salem's eyes before they did so.
"Finally." He heard Cinder say in exasperation, "The rebirth is bound to happen soon."
The doors to the Golem activation center in Charon's guild hall flew open easily enough with blasts from the Grifshot and Ember Celica, allowing the even smaller group consisting of Qrow, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Grif, Penny, Neopolitan, and Simmons to run inside without any real preamble. Robyn, Winter, Pyrrha, Caboose, and Donut had opted to remain outside the facility to buy them some time when soldiers and Charon agents finally caught up to them. They hadn't expected their stealth to last, but it had thankfully remained until they were practically in the middle of the sprawling city.
A row of at least ten Atlesian Golems were already activated in the center of the space, with Oscar in an exhausted heap on the ground in front of them. Standing off to the side of the teenager were...
"James!" Qrow growled out the second he saw the General King, a disgruntled by this turn of events Malcolm Hargrove standing right by the monarch's side.
The man in question merely infuriatingly raised an eyebrow at the group's presence there, "I figured you would show up sooner rather than later." Ironwood said plainly, as if he'd planned all of this from the start.
"Cut the bullshit!" Qrow exclaimed, pointing Harbinger in the direction of his former ally, "Release the kids!"
There was movement in the shadows of the room as more armed men and women appeared, along with even more Golems and automated weapons revealing themselves, all trained on the small band of rebels. "I'm afraid we can't do that, Qrow. Atlas needs the Inheritors now more than ever." Ironwood informed him.
Hargrove repositioned his hands behind his back, "It's only a matter of time before we locate Clover as well." He said informatively.
"Like hell you're going to keep your hands on either of them anymore!" Yang defiantly shouted.
"Yeah!" For once, Grif seemed rather gung-ho about something as he looked around the space, "Now where the fuck is Kai?" He growled out, clearly losing his patience.
"Safe, for the moment." Hargrove sneered.
"She's...in a holding cell on the floor below us." Oscar wheezed out as he managed to bring himself into a sitting position on the floor, "They said they wouldn't...hurt her if I..."
"Seriously, Jimmy?" Qrow asked, looking at his former friend askance, "Threatening kids now?"
Ironwood's look of determination did not cloud over in the slightest despite his words, "I will do what I must to protect people, Qrow." The General King said plainly.
Hargrove glanced over at the Golems lined up behind Oscar, "It turned out to be quite persuasive." He said proudly.
"Grif..." Simmons began, noticing the Faunus' shoulders starting to tremble.
"That is it!" The heavyset young man suddenly spat out, firing the Grifshot directly into a group of guards, causing them to scatter.
The fighting started up instantaneously, the automated creations and soldiers surging forward as the targeting weapons behind them opened fire. Everything was a blur around Qrow as he moved throughout the chaos that followed, sweeping in wherever one of the younger Huntresses or Huntsmen seemed to need a hand. However, beyond the overwhelming numbers surrounding them, that didn't seem to be happening too often thankfully as the group was quite adept at taking care of themselves.
Qrow needed to get to Oscar though, especially as he saw Ironwood using the frenetic heat of battle as a distraction to make his way over to the boy while Hargrove moved to what looked to be a side-exit of the room. A soldier that had been about to sneak up on Qrow's left suddenly collapsed, and he turned to see Neopolitan sweeping her bladed parasol away. She caught his regard and he motioned over to Oscar and Ironwood, the dual-eyed girl nodding her head in understanding to what he was trying to convey then.
"Firecracker!" He called over to the nearby Yang as she and Blake moved in unison to knock down a Golem, "We need cover!"
She paused just enough to give him a thumbs up, "You got it!" Yang said, hair almost looking ablaze in the fighting's light.
Yang and Blake nodded to each other, grabbing one another's hands and moving forward as one towards a row of guards close by. That was all the distraction needed for Qrow and Neopolitan to quickly move themselves, a shimmer surrounding Neopolitan as they moved that indicated she had activated her Semblance.
"James!" Qrow called out as they approached, noting that the other man had been about to haul Oscar to his feet.
Ironwood paused, glancing up, his steel blue eyes going wide at the sight of Qrow and Clover Ebi racing towards him. His momentary shock was all the time Qrow needed to land a solid punch right into the General King's jaw, knocking him to the ground.
The red-eyed Huntsman turned and bent over Oscar to look for any injuries, noticing the boy's sweat-covered face and shaking form as he tried to stand, "You okay?" He asked, clearly concerned for his adopted son's welfare.
Oscar nodded briefly, "But Kai—!" He cut himself off as he stumbled in an attempt to stand up.
"Easy there, kiddo." Qrow assured him gently as he helped him to his feet, "We'll get her out of here too."
There was a growl from Ironwood then, and the glint of metal in the monarch's hand pointed his way was the only warning Qrow had before a gunshot rang out. He blinked, expecting there to be pain, only for Oscar to fall in a widening pool of crimson on the floor instead.
The kid had shielded him, his brain put out numbly. He had...
"Oscar!"
Penny's voice came over the din of fighting then, the automated girl flying through the air. All around her, the wind sped up and a sudden overwhelming chill filled the space as a coating of ice suddenly sprang about the room in all directions, halting the Golems and enemy soldiers alike. It had trapped Ironwood and Hargrove too, but Qrow barely registered that, sinking to his knees and cradling Oscar instead.
"Whoa." Simmons breathed out out with a puff of chilled air, "What kind of upgrades did your dad and Sarge give you?"
"I really don't want to think that Sarge is capable of doing something like this." Grif muttered to the bespectacled redhead.
"Come on, you two!" Weiss called over to them imperiously, "We need to find Kai!" Grif and Simmons both nodded, following the youngest Schnee daughter and Neopolitan hurriedly out of the room.
The others crowded around Qrow and Oscar, Blake looking slightly relieved as she noted, "He's still alive!" Her hand moving away once she discovered the teen's pulse.
"But the bleeding…!" Yang said worriedly while frowning at the sight, especially when the green Inheritor markings flickered to life on Oscar's face.
"Uncle Qrow." Ruby said gently as she bent down to meet his light red-eyed gaze, "Penny and I can get him to Jaune quickly."
Qrow nodded in response, dimly regretting that they hadn't brought the young man with them now. He reluctantly watched as Blake and Yang helped position Oscar's prone form on Penny's back for the journey, the redhead and brunette moving quickly through the air out of the freezing building once more, Ruby turning to petals not a moment later.
Blake and Yang both put their hands on Qrow's shaking shoulders, "It'll be okay, Qrow." His oldest niece assured him.
He nodded mutely once more, feeling numb. Robyn and the others entered the space not a moment later, "Just saw Penny and Ruby with Oscar on the way in. They should make it back in no time." The tan-skinned blonde said, raising an eyebrow at the sight that awaited them not a moment later, "But what the hell happened here?"
Qrow didn't even hear the response that Blake and Yang gave her, his eyes still glued to the splotch of red liquid congealing on the ice-covered ground.
Author's Notes: Poor Oscar and poor Clover! They'll be okay though. Hopefully. :) Thank you so much for reading! As always, friendly comments are appreciated! :D
