Here we are at Chapter 108. Time to see how the gang will handle things as the situation in Mantle continues to deteriorate. I do not own RWBY or Tales of Berseria. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 108. Enjoy.
Chapter 108: The Right Choice?
Ever since the election came out, things have been getting worse in Mantle. Though the recent Grimm attack was thwarted, the dread could still be felt in the air. Because of this latest attack, Ironwood has imposed a prohibition on all assemblies of any kind in Mantle, and imposed a curfew on the citizens of Mantle to prevent them from being out at night. He has also increased Atlas military security in Mantle. Ironwood said that it was for their own safety, but the people in Mantle feel differently. To make matters worse, there are many in Mantle calling for Penny to be destroyed after she was framed for the warehouse massacre. Though Atlas officials releases a statement saying that the footage was doctored, most don't believe them. Add to that with the fact that Jacques Schnee somehow won the election, and the bad taste in everyone's mouths just gets worse.
In Ironwood's office, he shows the group a video of Robyn Hill and her crew as they hijack a military transport that was bringing more supplies for the Amity project.
"This is the worst-case scenario! More people are dead. Penny's been framed. And somehow, Jacques Schnee is sitting on the council!" Ironwood seethes.
"Robyn's hit two shipments for Amity this week. She's gone from hometown hero to full-on vigilante. And everytime we send troops in to get those supplies back or apprehend her, she and her people disappear. No one in Mantle is willing to come forward to tell us where's she's hiding either," Clover adds.
"That's only half of the problem with that issue," Winter says.
"...Robyn's actions have emboldened our suppliers in Mantle. They're refusing to sell us provisions until the walls down in Mantle are sufficiently repaired. With Robyn redistributing the goods her team has STOLEN... the Amity project has stalled," Ironwood laments, walking behind his desk.
"Well you can't exactly blame them. They got screwed in the election, among other things. Everyone knows that Jacques Schnee is only interested in helping one person: himself. And this isn't the first time that Mantle has had to endure a Grimm attack without sufficient defenses in place. People died last night, and I'm not just talking about that warehouse. Their patience is wearing thin," Velvet says, crossing her arms.
"But, we can't give up now. We're so close. Isn't there something we can do to get the tower finished in time?" Ruby asks.
"There is one option: declaring martial law," Winter answers.
The answers shocks most of the group, and when they see Ironwood with his back to them, saying nothing, their worries grow.
"You're not... actually considering it, are you?" Nora asks.
"...What's more important? Establishing communications and reuniting the world? Or appeasing a few city blocks?" Ironwood retorts.
"It's not that simple and you know it, Ironwood," Velvet steps up, making him turn to face her. "Every day for those people down there is a constant struggle to survive. You want to reunite the world, but even if you get global communications back up, how do you think they'll react if they find out you left Mantle to fend for themselves just to get the tower up? The rest of Remnant hate Atlas enough already. You can't give them more reason to hate you, or worse, to actually go to war with you. Things down there are bad enough, and now you want to squeeze them with a military occupation. Just because you think it's the right thing to do doesn't mean that it really is. Forcing them to fall in line won't help you. It'll only bring in more Grimm. You have to get Mantle to help you, yes, but it has to be by their own free will. If they choose to help you, without feeling forced to do so, then you have taken the first true step to uniting Remnant. That's the only way this will work. I knew someone who thought he knew what was best for everyone, and those that didn't go along with it were either forced to or worse. Please Ironwood... don't become like him," Velvet asks.
Ironwood looks like he's about to argue with her, but that fire quickly leaves him as he sits in his chair and rubs his nose, feeling exhausted.
"Please General Ironwood. We can't squeeze Mantle like this. It will only divide us, and that plays right into Salem's hands. That's why Tyrian is here, framing you," Ruby says.
"Right, the main reason we needed you here. Are you sure this is the man you saw?" Clover asks, pulling up a short profile of Tyrian Callows.
"Yeah, that's him. He tried to kill Ruby back in Anima. I'll never forget that sick smile," Velvet narrows her eyes at his photo.
"Tyrian Callows was arrested for murders all across Anima. He was a homicidal maniac. He was eventually captured, but while on his way to Mistral to face justice, his transport was attacked by Grimm. After that he disappeared," Winter explains.
"Well, he's Salem's little pet. And he's here. Which means that Atlas is Salem's next target," Velvet says.
"But now we have the real culprit. We can show this to Mantle and explain the situation," Ruby says.
"Yeah, explain to them that a psychotic serial killer who has been missing for a long time is now loose in Mantle and we have no idea where he could be. If the public's faith in us was bad before, that will destroy all of what's left," Clover argues.
"I am so tired of keeping secrets and working in the shadows! If we just tell the people about Amity, about Salem-," Nora rages.
"We. CAN'T!" Ironwood stops her. "If we tell the people about Amity now, then that means Tyrian will learn about it, and if he learns about it, then Salem learns about it. And if she learns about it, then Salem will do everything in her power to destroy it. If we lose Amity, then we'll never reestablish global communications and unite the world. Everything we've been through will have been for nothing! We have to finish the tower!" Ironwood demands.
"And what about Robyn Hill?" Velvet asks.
"We have to take Robyn Hill into custody. We can offer her a deal, but ONLY if she gets Mantle to cooperate. For those not working on Robyn, focus on Tyrian. I want to know who he's working with, what he's planning, and find out exactly how that doctored video of Penny got all over MY kingdom," Ironwood orders them as he walks past them. "Is that understood?" he asks, leaving no room for debate.
"Yes sir," Winter and Clover reply.
"Whatever," Velvet replies offhandedly.
…
Later in the day, the gang is down in Mantle, with everyone split up into groups and hiding out in the supply trucks, hoping to catch Robyn and her followers off-guard. Rather than sitting up in Atlas and dealing with more of Ironwood's paranoia, Velvet offered to head down into Mantle to search for Robyn. However, rather than hiding out in the supply trucks, she's moving from rooftop to rooftop, keeping a bird's eye view of things on the ground. She follows on truck as it moves through the streets.
"I thought the plan was to ambush Robyn and her group by using the supplies as bait. Why are you on the rooftops?" Clover asks through the comms.
"Look just because I'm helping Ironwood with his stupid idea, doesn't mean I have to follow every aspect of it. I'll look out for Robyn Hill, but I'll do it my way," Velvet replies.
"And if she or any of her followers spot you?" Clover asks.
"Then they go from hunters to hunted. They've gotta have a hideout somewhere here. I'll follow them and they'll lead me right back to their secet lair, and to where Robyn's been hiding," Velvet says.
She can hear Clover sigh on the other end, "Fine, but if you spot her, inform us as soon as you do. We'll converge on your position and box her in," Clover says.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll call you. Over and out," Velvet replies before she turns off the line. "Like that's ever going to happen," she mutters.
The truck stops at one intersection, right where one of Robyn's happy huntresses is waiting for it. Robyn and the rest of the group show up and open up the back after taking out the robots driving it. From the rooftop, Velvet watches them go through the truck like it's a one-stop shopping spree. She watches one of the huntresses use her semblance to make the truck, and everything in it, suddenly phases out, like it just disappeared.
"Well, that's handy," Velvet mutters.
The group move down one of the alleyways, and Velvet is right behind them. She continues following them for a few more minutes, making sure not to get spotted. Lucky, she's had experience in working in the shadows. She ends up finding the group entering a warehouse nearby.
"This must be where they unload the trucks and distribute the goods without anyone noticing. Alright then, time to take a page out of Yang's playbook," Velvet mutters.
Inside, Robyn's huntresses unload the truck and begin to sort out the supplies. However, a moment later, an explosion rocks the front of the warehouse and from the smoke walks in Velvet.
"Hope I'm not interrupting," Velvet notes.
"How did they find us?" the Faunus girl, Fiona asks as they all take out their weapons.
Robyn aims her crossbow at Velvet, "She must've followed us here. You can tell Ironwood that if he wants to take me in, he'll need more than one brat to do it," she says.
"Ironwood doesn't know I'm here, and unless you want the entire Atlas military to find out about this place, I suggest you put those away," Velvet says. One of the huntresses, May, activates her semblance and makes herself and the other two huntresses disappear, leaving just Robyn and Velvet in plain view. "I'm not in the mood for games," Velvet narrows her eyes.
She activates her demon claw and absorbs an ice Dust crystal into it. Robyn fires off a few arrows, but Velvet uses her semblance to create a claw shield to block it. She then raises her claw up before smashing it down on the ground and sending out a surge of ice all around her. Robyn jumps into the air, but the ice hits and freezes the legs of her huntresses, bringing them back into plain view. They try to break free, but Velvet fires off a few ice shards to freeze most of their bodies, leaving them imprisoned in the ice. Robyn lands back on the ground and prepares to fight again.
"Look, I didn't come here to fight, and for the record, you attacked first. I don't have a lot of time right now, which means you have even less time. So, you want to talk or what?" Velvet asks as she deactivates her demon claw.
Robyn glances between Velvet and her allies. She could try to fight her and then free her allies, but that may take time, and she doesn't have that right now. If Velvet found this place, then it may not be long before Ironwood does. With no other choice, Robyn lowers her weapon.
"Fine, but first will you let my friends go?" Robyn asks.
"Depends. Will they behave themselves?" Velvet replies.
"They will. Now get them out," Robyn asks.
Velvet rolls her eyes and activates her demon claw. She then conjures up a little fire around the claws and uses them to melt the ice and frees Robyn's cohorts. With the deed done, Velvet and Robyn walk back to a small office space in the back of the warehouse.
"Alright, you wanted to talk, so talk," Robyn demands.
Her allies keep a close eye on Velvet as the discussion goes along.
"Let's be honest, you don't like me, and I definitely don't like you. However, there is one thing we have in common, and it's that we both want to protect Mantle," Velvet says.
"Do we? You work for Ironwood, so why should I trust you?" Robyn retorts.
"One: I don't work for him. Never have, never will. Two: If I did, then this place would be swarming with Atlas military soldiers by now. I came here to talk. I won't sugarcoat it. What happened at that warehouse the other night was bad, and it was even worse when Jacques Schnee won the election and not you. If I had to choose between the two of you, it certainly wouldn't have been him. However, Penny wasn't responsible for the people that were killed on that night... But I know who was," Velvet says.
"And that would be?" Robyn asks.
"Have you heard of the serial killer known as Tyrian Callows?" Velvet asks.
This peeks Robyn's interest a bit, "What does a long lost psychotic murderer from Anima have to do with this?" Robyn asks.
"You there, Fiona right? You saw him, didn't you. I know that Faunus have night vision," Velvet says without looking back at her.
"...I saw him. It was definitely a Faunus. He broke right through my aura and dealt that blow to me. It wasn't Penny," Fiona says.
"Penny was framed. The same thing that happened at Beacon during the Vytal Festival, is now happening here," Velvet says, spooking the huntresses a bit. "I know you all saw it. But what you didn't see is what really happened at the Fall of Beacon," Velvet says.
"And why should I believe you?" Robyn asks.
"Because I was a student there. I fought for my school, my friends... and I failed. I watched as my friend, Penny, was cut down to pieces. And then... and then I was too late to save Pyrrha. I watched as she was burned to ashes. The point is: Ironwood is trying to prevent Atlas from becoming like Beacon, or Haven. All the supplies, the Dust embargo... He's using them to build a global communications tower," Velvet confesses.
"He's... what?" Joanna asks.
"He's trying to build a new communications tower on top of Amity coliseum. To reconnect with the rest of the world," Velvet says.
Robyn narrows her eyes and holds out her hand, "Hold out you hand," she asks. Velvet raises an eyebrow. "Just do it," Robyn says. Velvet eventually concedes and takes Robyn's hand, and then both of their hands start glowing. "Tell me what you just said again," she says.
"Ironwood is building a global communications tower. He's an idiot, but he's trying to help all of Remnant. Not just Atlas," Velvet says, and a moment later, their hands glow green.
Robyn lets go, "You're telling the truth. But... then why keep that a secret?" Robyn asks.
"Tyrian Callows," Velvet replies.
"Tyrian's after the tower? Why would a serial killer want that?" Robyn asks.
"Not him. He doesn't know about it, yet. As far as we know. Tyrian is just a pawn. The one that we really need to be careful of, who Ironwood is afraid of, is the one pulling his strings. The one truly responsible both for the Fall of Beacon and for the attack on Haven," Velvet says.
"And who would that be?" Robyn asks.
Velvet checks the time on her scroll, "I'm afraid that's all the time I've got. I need to go. If I'm quiet for too long, they'll know something's up," Velvet says and gets ready to leave, only for the huntresses to block her path. "I'll only tell you once. MOVE," she demands.
"Not yet. We're not done talking," Robyn says.
"...Oh yes we are," Velvet says and activates her Maiden powers. She sends out a plume of ice around her, freezing all of them up to their necks and their limbs. "I told you what I did because I am trying to trust you here, Robyn Hill, but trust is a two-way streak. You want my trust, then you gotta give some back. This is about more than your damn pride and more than about Mantle. It's about all of us," Velvet says as she looks back at her, her powers flaring.
"Who... what are you?" Robyn asks.
"I'm someone who's just trying to help. I thought that's what you were too," Velvet says.
As she leaves the room, she flicks out a little fire ball to spread and help melt the ice and free the group. This time, they don't try to stop her and let her leave. Velvet exits the warehouse as she deactivates her powers, and then sighs.
"I'm gonna have a lot of fun explaining how I lost the truck. Damn it," Velvet groans, rubbing her head.
…
A while later, Velvet is back at Atlas Academy. After dealing with the drama of getting reprimanded for losing the supply truck, Velvet looks for Ruby to see how she's doing. She finds her as she's making her way back to her room.
"Hey, how did the mission go?" Ruby asks.
Velvet looks around to make sure no one else is around, "I told Robyn Hill about the tower," she tells her girlfriend.
"You what? Why?" Ruby whispers.
"I was trying to throw out an olive branch so-to-speak. You and I both know that Robyn is just trying to help Mantle, just like we are. I didn't tell her everything. I only told her about the tower, Tyrian, and that there are more dangerous things going on than losing an election. I'm not about to start playing soldier like Ironwood wants us to, but if we're going to get Robyn to trust us, and him, then we need to give her something," Velvet explains.
Ruby sighs, "I trust you didn't go over the top on anything, did you?" Ruby asks.
"Maybe a little," Velvet shrugs her shoulders. "How was Penny?" she asks.
"She's scared. Dr. Polendina is trying to get some evidence together to prove her innocence. Unfortunately, we still have no idea how that video of her got sent out to the kingdom. All we do know is that it was likely someone familiar with Mantle's security network," Ruby says.
"I see. Just like back at Beacon during the Vytal Festival," Velvet notes.
"Penny was exactly where Salem and her people wanted her to be. I also found out that if... if she gets destroyed again... that Pietro won't be able to bring her back this time," Ruby notes sadly.
Velvet sees the emotions in Ruby's eyes and pulls her in for a gentle embrace which she returns.
"We won't let that happen. We know what's at stakes this time, and we're stronger now. We won't let them hurt our friend again, okay?" Velvet asks as she nudges Ruby back and wipes a tear from her eye.
Ruby manages to put on a smile and nods, "Okay," she replies.
Just then, they get a message from Weiss, "Weiss, what's going on?" Velvet asks.
"We've got a problem. My father has invited all of us to dinner at his manor... where Ironwood will have to defend his position on the council," Weiss says, making Ruby and Velvet look at each other with worry.
And that's the chapter. Velvet has a little discussion with Robyn, revealing a few things to her. However, her next challenge will be attending a party hosted by a man who she would be very tempted to kill as soon as she sees him. How will things go at the dinner party? Will Ironwood keep his seat on the council? Until then, please Read and Review.
