We're back baby! Here we are at Chapter 126 and the beginning of Volume 8. It feels like forever since I've been back in my main story here. This volume has been nuts so far and I can't wait to see how things go throughout the rest of it. Anyway, I do not own RWBY. They belong to roosterteeth. I only oen my OCs. Here's chapter 126. Enjoy.
Chapter 126: Picking up the Pieces
In the skies beyond Atlas, an Atlas military airship flies directly towards the army of Grimm amassing outside the kingdom's defenses. Within it, Neopolitan pilots the craft, with Cinder Fall and Kamir'ahk Shiryu standing behind her.
"Well, I must admit, Salem sure know how to make an entrance. Not bad for someone who's always played the role of a director for so long rather than the role of an actor, heh-heh-heh," Kamir'ahk chuckles as he eyes the dark clouds.
Kamir'ahk glances to the side when he notices one of those Dragon Grimm's flying by, and he can feel Nidhogg's subtle rage within him.
"Even if we are allies, it still makes me sick to see those abominations flying in the skies that once belonged to my kind," Nidhogg growls.
"...There," Cinder narrows her eye ahead at the Whale Grimm within the dark clouds.
Kamir'ahk begins walking back, "Well, I believe this is my stop. You ladies have fun," he goes to open up the side door.
Cinder turns to him, "And just where do you think you're going?" she walks towards him.
"I'm pretty sure if I showed up there to Salem without Khazhak's head, she wouldn't be too pleased with me. She told me to either kill him or to not come back at all, and I don't plan on killing him just yet. Not until I've finished things with him. So, that's why I'm leaving," Kamir'ahk replies.
Cinder grunts, "Hmph. So, you're going to run away like a coward. Well, considering that I've succeeded where you've failed, I can understand why you'd be so scared to face Salem. I'm not weak like you. I am strong," This only makes Kamir'ahk laugh, which irritates Cinder. "What's so damn funny?!"
Cinder reaches for him with her Grimm arm, but he grabs it and squeezes it with his dragon arm. Dark energy pours from his arm as it drains Cinder of her strength, forcing her onto one knee.
"If I'm weak, then you're weaker, Cinder. You were making up for past failures against Ruby Rose, who has defeated you twice now. Meanwhile, I haven't lost to Khazhak even a single time. And unlike you... I'm FREE. As long as you have your power, a power you didn't get with your own strength, and as long as you have this arm, you... will always be... Salem's puppet. But I have no strings on me, therefore I am free. Free to do as I please. And for the record, we both know you didn't get the Relic, Neo did. Unlike you, she isn't incompetent. Bye-bye," and then Kamir'ahk jumps out of the airship, falling to the ground below.
Cinder grips her arm as she slowly regains her strength, "I really don't like him,"
Neo glanced back at her, having taken note of how Kamir'ahk recognized her credit for getting the lamp before focusing back on controlling the airship as they approach the Whale Grimm.
…
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Mantle beneath Atlas, another lone airship flies close to the ground. Inside are Khazhak Rairyu, Weiss Schnee, and Ruby Rose, with Maria Calavera piloting it. They look through the windows, hoping to spot what they're looking for. Khazhak is the first to find their target.
"There, on the east side. How the Hell did he all get all the way down here," Khazhak wonders as Ruby joins him.
The airship pulls around and then comes to a stop. They open the side door, finding none other than Oscar Pine amongst the slums, alive and well. Anyone else that was in the area immediately took cover when they saw a military airship fly by.
Ruby waves to him, "Need a lift? We've been looking everywhere for you. Nice to see you're still in one piece, Oscar,"
Oscar sighs with relief that it was his friends that found him. Boarding the airship, the group return to Mantle. As they fly over the city, they see Sabres moving through the large opening in the wall, with a swarm of flying Grimm beyond it. Khazhak opens up the side door and makes a few quick spark shots at the Grimm with his dragon arm, taking them out before he closes the door again.
"I was stupid to think that I could convince the General to change his course. Every choice I've made was the wrong one," Oscar grips his hands in frustration.
Khazhak lays a hand on his shoulder, "There's no shame in trying, Oscar. You did what you thought was best. As did we all. The General has always been paranoid, but now his paranoia has consumed him completely. As did his fear. Now, he won't trust anyone other than himself. He always has,"
"But... Now things are... like this," Oscar looks solemnly out the window, seeing the poor state that Mantle is in now with Grimm outside the walls and no more military support within them.
"Hey, you're still alive. Take comfort in that. Many cannot anymore. And as long we're alive, we can still do something to clean up this mess. We have to... or else everything we've fought for, everything we've lost and could still lose... will be for nothing," Khazhak looks out the window with him.
"Indeed. It would've been much worse if he had been lost to us. We need all the help we can get now if we are to save both Mantle and Atlas. That is why we must continue to fight. As long as we can still fight, there is always hope. The resolve to fight on and never give up, no matter what," Bahamut adds.
Popping out from one of the alleyways below is Joana, one of Robyn's happy huntresses, who waves her arms to them in a signal.
Maria notices her, "Yeah, yeah, I see you," she controls the airship and brings it down for a landing near Joana's spot.
Once they're on the ground, the group quickly move to get off the streets before they're spotted by Atlas drones.
"Inside, hurry," Joana ushers them in one building.
They race inside, and Joana takes out her staff, firing off a shot to take out a nearby Atlas drone before it spots them and then joins the others inside. Joana leads them inside, and they walk into a room where they find another huntress, May, communicating with someone.
"...I know. Sector 3 is going to need the most help. I'm sending backup your way there right now. Fionna, do you copy. We need reinforcements sent to Sector 3 in the crater," May talks as they walk by.
They enter another room, finding the rest of the group watching the news on the Grimm army outside the kingdom, and seeing all their faces shown as wanted fugitives. They turn when they notice the group coming in, and Nora smiles as she approaches Oscar. Instead of a tackle, like Oscar thought it would be, Nora gives him a gentle embrace, happy that he's okay.
"When we heard that you'd gone off to face Ironwood by yourself, we..." Blake trails off as the others look despondent.
Edom approaches as Nora releases Oscar, "How did you end up from being up in Atlas, to down in the slums?"
"That's... a long story. I have a feeling there are quite a few of those today," Oscar replies as they all look at Penny, who has a sad expression as she is still coming to grips with the fact that she is now the Winter Maiden.
"You're not going to tell them?" Ozpin asks Oscar.
Oscar glances away, "You and I still have a lot to discuss first," Oscar then looks around and notices someone missing. "Where's... Qrow?"
Everyone looks sad at the mentioning of Qrow, "We're not sure. He was last with Robyn after they captured Tyrian. But if I had to guess, most likely he and Robyn are in Atlas. Clover was with them when they took Tyrian,"
"Maybe if I had stayed with them, I could've-," Voshkie'ahk laments before Lloyd rests a hand on her shoulder.
"There was no way you could've known this would've happened. None of us could. It's not your fault," Lloyd says.
Just then, Joana walks into the room, "Alright, now that your friend is back now, you kids ready to work?" the others aren't as enthusiastic. Joana sighs, "The largest Grimm horde in history is right outside those walls. We have a city full of people with no heat, and from what you told us, no more military protection. While we're willing to give you guys a place to lie low for a while, those people need help now."
"But... how will we do that? We have no more military support, and Salem's forces have us surrounded," Ren asks.
"The crater beneath Atlas. If those Grimm don't kill them, then the cold will. The crater isn't exactly safe, but it'll keep them warm. And if everyone is in one place, then we'll have a better job of protecting them. May will send you where you can help the most. If we can get everyone into the slums in the crater by night fall, we might have a chance," Joana explains and then goes to leave.
Porphyrius sighs, "This is going to be a long night,"
"Either you're helping, or you're baggage," Joana leaves the room.
Yang hops off a table and walks in front of everyone, "We need to do what we can for Mantle,"
"We need to do what we can for EVERYONE. What about Amity? Telling the world about Salem? We can't do this alone. We need help," Ruby asks.
Khazhak steps up, "Ruby is right. Yes, we have to help Mantle, but we also need to help Remnant. Robyn's huntresses are evacuating the people better than we could. This isn't just about one city, it's about all of us,"
Yang shakes her head, "But, you heard the General. The tower was never finished. How could we even get a signal out?"
Khazhak turns to Pietro," Dr. Pietro, what would you need to launch Amity now?"
"Well, thanks to your help before, we made steady progress on construction and fuel collection. All within manageable levels. However, the tower was designed so that only with Ironwood's clearance would it launch. And this must be done those his own terminal," Pietro explains.
"Khazhak, Ironwood will never help us. You saw what he's like now," Yang argues.
"I'm well aware Yang. But, as Pietro said, we don't need Ironwood. We just need his terminal," Khazhak retorts.
"You want to go back to Atlas Academy?" Yang says.
"Actually, we don't need to go to the academy. There are two terminals that Ironwood uses: one in his office and one in the main Atlas military compound, which is located at the base of the kingdom, far from the academy. We just need to get inside the compound and then get into the operations room, and then... woo-boy, I may need to think about this a bit more," Pietro scratches his head.
"So, let me get this straight; this is the easy option?" Oscar asks.
"Basically, it can't be done. It's pointless. And even if you did get the message out, there's no guarantee that help would come," Yang argues.
Ruby is about to disagree, but Khazhak holds his hand out to stop her, "The Fall of Beacon," his words get everyone's attention.
Yang raises an eyebrow, "What's that got to do with this?"
Khazhak faces her, "It has everything to do with this. Do you why we got our asses kicked so completely that night? It's because we had no idea what was coming. We weren't prepared and we had no chance. We had no chance because we didn't know the truth. That's why this is not pointless. Even if we can't get help, we have to try. Or have you forgotten what happened to Pyrrha?" the mentioning of her name stuns the group into silence. "If we knew what was coming, then maybe she'd still be here right now, fighting alongside us. Pyrrha never gave up, even when she knew that the chances of success were slim to none. She knew she had a responsibility... to TRY. We have that responsibility. Even if there's a small chance, we owe it to everyone who is not in this room to try. Ruby believes there's still a chance, and so do I. We can't give up simply because it's become more difficult. Even if we can't get help, we have to warn the rest of the world. We can at least give them a chance to prepare. To be ready for when Salem comes to them. Atlas is only Salem's current target, but she won't stop here. Once she has the Staff of Creation, she'll move on to the rest of Remnant. We have to give them the chance WE never had,"
Ren steps forth, "But right now, there are people here in Mantle who need our help. That's something we can actually do,"
"But this isn't just about Atlas or Mantle. Khazhak is right, this is about all of Remnant," Nora says.
"Okay, then let's go for both," Jaune gets between them. "We can get the tower up, and save Mantle together."
"But, that's what Salem wants. To divide us. We have to stick together," Ruby says.
"No," Oscar gets their attention. "Salem's true goal has always been to divide us. Just like this. Jaune has a point. We can work separately and still be united,"
"Or maybe..." Penny speaks up. "I'll take the relic to Salem, and maybe she'll call off her attack on the kingdom,"
"No, that's going to work. Salem won't simply leave when she has the relic. She'll destroy both Atlas and Mantle simply because she can. If she uses the staff for anything else, then Atlas will drop right on top of Mantle, and everyone will die either way," Porphyrius says.
"Porphyrius is right. We're not turning you over to her," Yang agrees.
"Okay, then we'll split off. While you guys help with Mantle, we'll go to Atlas. Can you get us to that terminal?" Ruby asks Pietro.
"Well, I suppose... you'll need someone to help you bypass security-," Pietro begins.
"I'll go," but Penny stops her father.
"Penny, we can't risk-," Pietro begins.
Penny turns around, "I'll go," her powers flare, stopping him.
Khazhak nods, "Very well. Then this will be the plan. Ruby, Blake, Penny, and I will go to Atlas. Edom, Voshkie'ahk, you're with us. Lloyd, Porphyrius, you guys stay down here and help with the evacuation efforts. They'll need your strength,"
Yang sighs, "Fine, do what you want. I'm going to do what I can do," Yang goes to leave.
"Yang," Pietro gets her attention, and tosses her a pair of keys. "Stop by the pharmacy. I was developing some new tools for you all before... this all happened. You might find them useful,"
"Nora?" Ren asks.
"I'm going with Ruby and Khazhak," Nora says.
"But... what about Mantle?" Ren asks.
"Oh, I'm saving Mantle, because I still believe we can actually do this," Nora retorts.
"Then that will be the plan. Good luck to all of us," Khazhak says.
…
Down in Mantle, Yang's group sneak down one alleyway as they make their way towards the pharmacy. However, they notice some Atlas robots patrolling the area, and stay hidden in the shadows. During this time, Ren is conflicted about Nora's choice to go with the others rather than staying in Mantle. Meanwhile, Ruby and Khazhak's group are on one rooftop as they eye Atlas. Blake notices the despondent look on Ruby's face and knows why she's so worried.
"Hey, it's going to be okay. We're all in this, together, united," Blake says.
"I hope so," Ruby replies.
Just then, Maria calls on their comms, "I can get Pietro out to Amity to prepare, but that doesn't answer how we're going to get all of you to Atlas,"
"Actually, I may have an idea for that-," Weiss begins until they hear some beeping coing on.
They look around until they find the source: Penny's scroll. Penny takes it out, showing that General Ironwood is attempting to contact her. Penny is hesitant at first, but she eventually answers the call.
"...Hello Penny. I'm worried for your safety. Tell me where you are and I'll have you picked up right away," Ironwood asks, but his voice doesn't sound like someone who's worried for her safety. "Atlas needs you Penny. Salem is here,"
Penny is worried, but Ruby gives her a supportive hand on the shoulder and takes her scroll.
"She's not going anywhere until you change your mind about Mantle. There's still a chance for Remnant to-," Ruby begins.
"-Mantle? You're still worried about Mantle? Remnant is doomed, Ruby. Unless we leave, Salem's forces will destroy Atlas, and with it, any hope Remnant has left! If her forces break through our defenses, then everything that follows will be on you," Ironwood's words scare Penny.
Khazhak takes the scroll this time, "Wrong, Ironwood, it won't be on us. It'll be on you. You say that if Atlas falls, then the world is doomed. But you forget one crucial fact. If the world finds out you left Mantle to die because you were afraid, because things got too difficult for you, then Remnant will never support you. Because you took the easy way out,"
"You think this is easy for me, Khazhak. It's not. You don't get it. There are times where we have to make difficult decisions for the good of all, not just a few," Ironwood argues.
"And that's why you're an idiot. How can you save the many if you won't even try to save the few? The hard choice would be to save both Atlas and Mantle. At the very least, to try. But you, you gave up already, and that's why you can't stop Salem... because you've let your fear consume you. Just like Lionheart," Khazhak says and then hangs up the call.
"That fool is terribly misinformed. Simply keeping the relic out of Salem's hands will not save the world. If the rest of Remnant learned that he left Mantle to die so Atlas could live, then there truly will be another Great War, and Salem will watch as we destroy ourselves for her," Bahamut notes.
Ruby comforts Penny with a warm embrace and then Khazhak gives her back her scroll.
"Do you... do you think the General is right?" Penny asks.
Khazhak shakes his head, "No, Ironwood has always thought that he was the only one that can stop Salem, and refuses to admit when he's made a mistake. I've made mistakes, more than I care to count, but at least I own up to them. Ironwood can't save Remnant, not with how he intends to do it. He has forgotten what truly matters. Winning isn't the only thing that matters. The WAY we win matters. To save everyone; that is how we beat Salem,"
"If Ironwood succeeds, he'll save Atlas, but only for a limited time. Salem will destroy the rest of the world, and then Atlas will be isolated and alone. And then, Salem will reach out and break it," Tiamat says.
…
Meanwhile, up in Atlas, Dr. Onyx Wilson sits in room in the Atlas military compound, doing his usual work. He watches as a few soldiers and personnel walk by, and then opens up a drawer at his desk, pulling out a small picture frame. The picture shows younger versions of him, his brother, his brother's wife, and his nephew, Edom.
"...Edom..."
And that's the chapter. Volume 8 finally begins for this story, with the group somewhat divided on what is the best course to take, thus splitting them into two groups. The wheels are turning in this game, but who knows how this will play out? Will Khazhak's group get Amity tower up and running? Will Yang's group keep Mantle safe? Until then, please Read and Review.
