Here we are at Chapter 111. Time for the first leg of the battle for Mantle to begin for our heroes. I do not own RWBY or Tales of Berseria. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 111. Enjoy.


Chapter 111: The Battle for Mantle

It's complete chaos in Mantle. Swarms of Grimm litter both the ground and the skies as they attack Mantle. Atlas soldiers are already down in the streets, doing what they can to fight off the Grimm on the ground while their airships deal with the threats in the air. However, with most of the Atlas military still focused on protecting Atlas, their forces are far smaller in number compared to the Grimm, which only seem to keep growing as the negativity in Mantle grows. Citizens race for any kind of shelter, their panic fueling the onslaught of the Grimm. Several civilians race down one street as a pack of Sabres chase them, getting closer with each passing second. However, before they reach the fleeing civilians, a claw shield appears in their path, stopping their advance. The civilians stop and look on as Velvet lands behind them. The shield drops and the Sabres charge. Velvet activates her arm blade and charges as well. She twirls in the air over the first Sabre to attack, slicing its head off with her blade. She engages her foot blades and throws a spinning kick to stab one foot blade into the skull of another. One Sabre pounces on her from behind, bu she backflips over it and fires off her gauntlet to kill it. Velvet lands and engages her weapon's chain-sword mode. She swings its around to wrap around the mid-body of another Sabre and then pulls hard, ripping the body in half. With the Sabres dead, she looks back to the civilians.

"Get to the shelter! We'll take care of the Grimm. You'll be safe there!" Velvet calls out. The people take her word for it and make a run for the shelter, while Velvet looks back as more Grimm show up. "This is going to be a long night."

In another part of the city, Weiss, Yang, and Marrow are protecting more civilians while dealing with more Grimm. A Goliath charges at them, but Weiss summons are Armas Gigas to face it. When the Goliath gets close, the summon swings its massive sword down and slices the Grimm in two. Yang runs by Weiss, throwing an uppercut into an Ursa's skull, knocking it to the air. She cocks her gauntlet, and a charge round on the Ursa's skull explodes, taking out the head and the Grimm. Marrow slices through another Grimm, and then throws his boomerang wide, the weapon spinning in the air as it slices through three Beowolves. Weiss creates a few glyphs and fires off some fire blasts to take out two more Beowolves. A third Beowolf tries to attack her from the side, but Yang punches in in the skull with her gauntlets.

"This is insane. We can't just keep hoarding people into shelters. They're filling up, with people and panic," Yang notes.

"Unfortunately, they're all we've got right now. We just have to focus on holding off the Grimm. Reinforcements will be here soon," Marrow says as he changes his weapon into its rifle form.

"Okay, and when will that be?" Yang asks, but Marrow doesn't have an answer for her.

Back with Velvet, she slices through another Grimm while safeguarding civilians, but she looks around as more red lights and sirens go off. Things are getting worse before they get better. She looks up as another Ursa charges at her. Velvet engages her demon claw and fires off a fire arte, destroying it. Another Ursa suddenly attacks from behind, only for Melina to appear and smash one of her tonfas on its skull and into the ground, killing it.

"You look like you could use a hand," Melina says, lacking her usual flirty attitude.

"This isn't going well. As long as the people of Mantle are stuck down here, they're practically screwed," Velvet tells her.

The pair look at the civilians as their backs are against the wall, literally.

"We don't have a choice. We just have to keep fighting," Melina says.

The pair look on as the civilians start to panic even more. However, a moment later, a large screen comes up on the wall behind them, showing Robyn Hill.

"Citizens of Atlas and Mantle... I know you are scared. But there is no reason to fret..." Robyn begins as the screen pulls back to reveal Ironwood standing next to her, their hands together and her semblance active. "I'm here with General Ironwood and we have a message for all of you. What Ironwood has to say may sound like a complete fantasy, but I can assure you, it is the absolute truth."

"An ancient and terrible evil stands outside of our kingdom, our home. This evil was the one responsible for the Fall of Beacon, the attack on Haven, and even the recent attacks on Mantle..." Ironwood says. In another part of the city, Ruby and Harriet make a combo attack on a Beowolf to take it down and then turn their eyes to the monitors as do the civilians. "This powerful... and ancient force goes by the name... of Salem," Ironwood says.

In another part of the city, Blake works with Elm to take down an Ursa. Once the treat is eliminated, Blake looks to Ironwood.

"Ironwood. He's... telling the people the truth," Blake mutters, smiling.

Velvet throws Melina in the air so she can smash her tonfas against the skull of a Goliath, staggering it. Velvet then activates her Maiden power.

"Salem seeks only to divide us, to drive us to destroy each other and ourselves," Ironwood continues as Velvet freezes the Goliath in a single moment. Melina then comes in with her tonfas and smashes the frozen Grimm to pieces. "...If Salem can get us to hate and fight each other, that will draw in the Grimm, leading to our own destruction."

In another part of Mantle, Ren jumps over a flipped over truck and fires off his pistol blades, stabbing into a Beowolf and reeling himself in to kick it to the ground and then shoots it to finish it off. Jaune pushes another Beowolf against a wall and then makes two quick slashes of his sword to kill it while keeping fleeing civilians safe.

"Salem herself does not work alone. She has allies who help her drive a wedge between us all, those who want the same things she wants: for us to kill each other. Her minions are here in our very home, working to drive us to our own destruction," Robyn says as Blake flies in and slices through another Beowolf, while Elm smashes one into the pavement with her hammer.

"Arthur Watts and Tyrian Callows. These men are the ones responsible for the recent murders in Mantle. And for sabotaging the heating grid. Arthur Watts is also responsible for taking control of the Atlas machines in Vale during the Fall of Beacon. They used that to drive a wedge between us and the rest of the world. I know things are dangerous right now. That they're dark, scary, and seem hopeless. But we must not allow ourselves to give in to fear and panic. That is precisely what Salem wants. Let's show her and her minions that we are not so weak as to let them do what they want. That they cannot do as they please and take everything and everyone that we love away from us. Instead, we must unite, rise up, and fight back against this evil menace. TOGETHER. Every single one of us!" Ironwood declares.

Velvet activates her demon claw again and throws Melina into the air in order to jump off of the side of one building and strike an Ursa from the side with her tonfas. A second Ursa jumps at her, but her semblance causes it to phase right through her and towards Velvet. Velvet grabs its head with her claws and forces it onto the ground and then crushes its skull with her claws. The pair nod before going back into the fight as Ironwood and Robyn continue their message.

"This, my friends, is why I was forced to divert resources from Mantle. The Amity tower project. The communications tower is now completed and is ready to launch. With it, we will be able to reestablish global communications with the rest of the world. And this time, Salem won't be able to destroy it. United here, we can stop this immediate attack. United with the rest of the world, we can all stand together and defeat Salem. I have spoken with the Atlas council and we have decided that, in order to protect the people, we are evacuating everyone from Mantle to Atlas. I am withdrawing all forces that were protecting the communications tower to help with the evacuation in Mantle. You are not alone, and you will not be abandoned," Ironwood says.

"I know we have had our differences in the past, but none of that matters now. This isn't about where we live. It's about LIVING. We must look past our differences and work together to defeat this threat and save our people. I am in full support of Ironwood and his plan," Robyn shows her support, causing the people in Mantle to replace their panic and screams with joy and cheers. "If you have already made it to a shelter, stay inside and stay put. Help is on the way for you. As for those of you in sector 17, I'll be seeing to your safety personally," Robyn says.

Meanwhile, Emerald, Neo, and Innominat watch on as they listen to the broadcast.

"A global communications tower? Watts and Tyrian here? I thought Salem wouldn't be coming here," Emerald asks.

"I told you that Velvet and her friends would be coming here with the Relic of Knowledge. It's only natural that Salem would change plans after Cinder's failure at Haven," Innominat says.

"Don't you dare say her name!" Emerald seethes, her eyes flaring.

However, Innominat merely clenches his left hand, and Emerald is suddenly gripped in intense pain as she falls onto her hands and knees.

"Remember: I gave you this power. And I can just as easily take it away. I will work with you because I, too, seek vengeance against Velvet Crowe. But, I will never work FOR you, understand?" Innominat tells her as he releases his hold on her. Emerald takes a few breaths before standing up. "Good. Now then, it seems we'll have to move up our timeline a bit. If Salem is coming here, then she'll be after both relics and both the powers of the Fall and Winter Maidens. If we kill Velvet Crowe when she's here, it won't be easy for us to get back in her good graces. If we can retrieve the relics for her though, it might make things go more smoothly. Neo, correct? I'll need you to retrieve the lamp for us." Neo changes into Ruby for a moment. "I know you want revenge too, but remember, we get what we need for Salem, then we get what we want. If we get what she seeks, then she'll be more inclined to help us get what we seek. We can't go for Velvet while she's down in Mantle though. Too many allies will flock to her side and then even with your powers and mine together, it still won't be enough. We need her isolated and alone. So we shall move... and wait."

Back down in Mantle, the gang continue to fight against the Grimm, but then they look up as a large number of airships fly in from beyond the wall and land throughout Mantle. The teams load up the transports one by one, making sure to get as many civilians as possible out of Mantle and to the safety of Atlas. In one part of town, an airship lands near Velvet's group. The civilians begin boarding the airship, however, Velvet and Melina see a pair of Goliaths running around one corner and head straight for them.

"Stay with the ship," Velvet says and walks ahead.

She activates her Maiden powers, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. She feels the energy flowing through her and extends her demon claw. Ice and fire form around the demon claw, swirling around each other. She focuses the energy and then releases it in a powerful blast of fire and ice fused together. The combined blast destroys the Grimm, making the people cheer for their savior. Velvet deactivates her powers, just in time to feel the ground shake a bit. She looks up and sees a green beam of light fly by over the city.

"Was that... Penny?" Velvet wonders.

Melina runs up to her, "Everyone's on board and the airship is heading out. We need to move to the next LZ," she says and takes off, with Velvet in tow.

"Where's the next LZ?" Velvet asks as they jump onto a rooftop and keep moving.

"The closest one is in sector 19. I think that's where Ruby and Harriet are right now. There are more civilians in that area," Melina says as they hop from rooftop to rooftop.

"Which means more Grimm," Velvet notes.

"You know, we worked pretty well back there. You ever thought about joining the Ace Ops. It would give us more chances to spend some time together," Melina flirts again.

"I will tell you one last time. I'm. TAKEN. Besides, we need to focus on the mission here," Velvet argues.

"True, but I bet you were worried about your girlfriend and wanted to go to her anyway," Melina jokes, making Velvet glare at her. "It was just a joke," Melina replies, making Velvet roll her eyes.

They stop at one roof when they see Ruby, Harriet, and Penny battling against a Megaliath while protecting another transport as it loads up on people. Penny flies around, firing laser beams at the Grimm's head, but its bone armor is thicker than normal so they do little damage. Harriet races around the Megaliath's legs, and Ruby fires off some shots from a sniper position on another rooftop.

"That's... a big Grimm," Melina notes.

"I've fought bigger, tougher... and won," Velvet notes as she jumps down to join the battle.

Melina smirks and joins her. Velvet activates her demon claw and absorbs a lightning Dust crystal. She fires off a few spark shots at the Grimm's legs, but they only slow it down a little bit. Melina comes in and helps Harriet by giving her a boost into the air so she can punch the Grimm in the face. Ruby uses her semblance to fly in and takes a strike with her scythe at the Grimm's face, only to have to move back at the last second before she could get knocked back by the Grimm's massive tusks. Velvet jumps up and fires a burst of lightning at the Grimm's face, but once again, its tough bone armor protects it. They regroup while Penny and Harriet keep it distracted.

"That thing's armor and tusks are too hard. Normal attacks won't kill it," Velvet notes.

"Maybe... we can use that to our advantage," Ruby thinks.

"What do you have in mind?" Velvet asks.

Penny and Harriet try to trip the Megaliath up, but the Grimm continues charging towards the airship as civilians frantically try to get in. A sudden fire arte flies in and strikes the Grimm in the side of its face, turning its attention to Velvet down another street. The Megaliath roars and charges at Velvet. She activates her Maiden powers again and fires a combined attack of fire and wind to push the Grimm back. It slowly makes its way towards her, but then Penny comes in and fires off a concentrated beam of energy at one of its tusks, heating it up. They keep their attacks going as the heat on the tusk increases. Eventually the pair stop when Melina and Harriet make a combo strike at the Grimm's front legs, causing it to fall onto the ground. Penny and Velvet stop their attacks and then Ruby comes in and wraps her scythe around the heated tusk. She pulls the trigger to snap the sharp end of the tusk off. Penny flies in and grabs the tusk, and plants it on the ground in front of the Grimm. The Megaliath gets back up and begins to back away, but Melina and Ruby attack its front legs, causing it to rear up on its hind legs. Velvet comes in with her demon claw and smashes the Grimm's head, forcing it down onto the planted tusk which impales its body. The dead Grimm dissipates into dust and the gang look as the people come out from hiding, seeing Penny and the others as the ones who saved them.

With the area secure, the airship takes off with the civilians to Atlas.

Ruby gets onto her scroll, "We've cleared our area of Grimm. The airship is away," she calls out.

"... Our transports out too," Yang calls out.

"The airship in sector 12 is away. The Grimm numbers are decreasing," Vine says on his end.

"Yeah, we can do this!" Jaune cheers.

"We can't relax yet, though. We still have more civilians to evacuate and those Grimm aren't done with Mantle just yet," Velvet notes.

"And Tyrian and Watts are still out there," Melina adds.

"The General said to leave them to him. I'm sure Clover's helping too. Let's just do what we can on our end so they can do theirs," Harriet says.

Ruby nods, "Then let's move to the next area."

The gang move on as the battle continues. In another part of the city, a group of civilians are being escorted by a few Atlas soldiers to another airship as it lands in front of them. However, the soldiers look back as a group of Manticores fly in towards the people. The soldiers stop and fire their rifles at the approaching Grimm, keeping their attention away from the Grimm. The shots have little effect, but when they get close, several blue sheets of paper fly out from out of nowhere. They hit the Grimm and they light up on fire. Their bodies burn to ash before they hit the ground in front of the soldiers. The soldiers look confused from these events, but return their attention to getting the people to safety. In the shadows of one alleyway, a woman with long white hair walks away.


And that's the chapter. The battle for Mantle commences as Ironwood and Robyn manage to get the people to stand together while Velvet and her friends get them to Atlas. However, it seems more players are waiting in the shadows for their turn in this battle. What will happen next? Until then, please Read and Review.