Jaune watched as people ran around the camp, everyone was trying so hard to keep busy after what had happened. It was unthinkable, Beacon was gone and Vale was little better than a ruin. The Atlas army was here in force trying to rebuild the wall as fast as they could while organizing the refuges. But the blond had heard more than a few people say they looked more like an occupation force.
They were cut off from the rest of the world, the CCT had been destroyed and now the only people that had access to the network were the high ups in the Atlesian army. It wasn't hard to think that they would have some means to still access their grand gift to Remnant even with the relay down. News and information was spotty but most people were just concerned with the very present issues. Food, water, medicine, and all other basic needs.
At the moment he was standing outside a tent where Pyrrha was being treated. Thank Oum she had survived, he didn't know what he would do without her. Ruby and Yang were also still in recovery with the former girl still unconscious. Yang had lost an arm saving Blake, who was now missing. Weiss had been secured by soldiers from Atlas almost immediately once things calmed down and no one had seen her since. Nora and Ren being the most unhurt by the attack had been conscripted into watching for any Grimm counter attack. But nothing in the week since the Fall of Beacon had been reported. People coming in from across the kingdom had said that all Grimm had been killed by the Grimmsbane Light. The event had to be named something and that one seemed to be the one people were settling on.
"Things had gotten a whole lot worse than me being nervous about asking Pyrrha out." Jaune muttered under his breath, though he was about to seriously wish he hadn't.
"You were thinking about asking Pyrrha out!" The upbeat sound of Nora exclaiming something he'd rather keep private startled Jaune. "That's so cute."
"Nora." Ren from behind her warned and she quieted down but had a goofy and teasing smile on her face. "How is she doing?" Jaune would be forever grateful to Ren for that turn of topic.
"She's stable but hasn't woken up yet. The doctors want to take her to Mistral, she has family there as well as better doctors and hospitals that aren't in ruins." Their faces turned at remembering the current state of their home. Vale had been shattered and only a quarter of the city was intact while the rest had been utterly devastated by the Grimm. Already people were trying to leave for the other cities as soon as they could. Others tried to convince them to stay and help rebuild but the task just looked too big a mountain to climb.
"Well, we do have some good news. Apparently, they found Ozpin." Nora perked up as she remembered the bit of gossip she heard from some Atlesian soldiers. Hearing that the headmaster was alive brought a bit of hope back in the boys but it was still a somber mood that followed them. Even with Ozpin back, their problems would not magically be fixed.
Jaune watched as his teammates and friends headed back to return to their duties. They all missed their previous school life where all their problems seemed so much simpler now. Tests, training, bullies, dating, all these things felt like a lifetime ago. Now there were Grimm invasions, crazy girls with magic working with the Grimm, and a city and home nearly destroyed.
"What's next? Mutants and space aliens?"
"Seriously you were on a team with aliens?" Mercury asked excitedly as he followed Bruce through the forest between Mountain Glenn and Vale. The young man that the Dark Knight had taken as his first ally was eager to learn anything about his hero exploits and home reality. Bruce considered himself lucky that the mercenary was a comic geek and young enough to still have that sense of wonder at the fantastical unknown instead of fear and suspicion.
"Yes. Some of the best men and women I fought alongside with were not Earth born." Clark and J'onn were the very first to come to mind but they weren't the only ones. Right now he could only hope that the League was able to go on without him for the time being. But then again, he had no idea how time could work between Multiverse. Thoughts for later.
In the small weeks since his arrival on Remnant and gaining the allyship of Mercury Black, Bruce had been very active. He questioned Mercury of all relevant information about the world and had been making plans on how to deal with things. It was difficult, as he found himself more and more sane and thus less able to predict the monster with his face. That in of itself had been a major point he had been looking into. His answer came from Mercury, as the boy had pointed out that Bruce had been using his Aura nonstop since they first met. Apparently when he entered this Multiverse, he had become subject to some of its laws. One of those being Aura.
This was not the first time that the first son of Gotham had experienced the supernatural by far. But it was one of the few times that he partook in it actively. Any soul bearing being in this reality had the potential to use a mystical power called Aura. A mixture of a body confined force field, a reinforcement power, and healing factor. It was this last part that was keeping the Joker Toxin in his blood from fully turning him insane. That had been the heat that he had been experiencing earlier, like an immune system fighting an infection. Thankfully Bruce no longer glowed a dull gray like he had been but he certainly felt something going on in his body he wasn't used to.
With the immediate danger of the Joker Toxin handled, for now, Bruce was able to put all his mind to his clearest objectives. Finding and capturing both the Joker and his demented twin, then returning home. The people of this world did not deserve to have either of those madmen unleashed upon them, they were his problem. Batman would consider every atrocity that was committed on Remnant to be his fault. As far as he was concerned it had been him that brought those two here and thus his responsibility.
"Wow, that's so cool." A bit naïve when it came to this topic but otherwise Mercury Black was a sharp and observant individual. The resemblance to several of the Robins was not lost on Bruce. A double edged sword, it made working with Mercury both easier and more of a challenge.
The pair eventually came to a cliff that overlooked the ruins of the city of Vale. To Batman the city was akin to a smaller London with a massive port. Clearly an old city that through the ages modernized as time went on. But now it was a shadow of itself, smoke rose from many parts of the cityscape and large parts were utterly torn down in rubble. Bruce had seen devastation like this before, in the Middle East, after any of the various invasions of Earth, and several moments in Gotham's recent history. He was used to it… the same could not be said for his new companion.
"Tragic, isn't it." Batman said pointedly as he looked to his side to see Mercury looking at Vale, eyes wide open while the rest of his face was being forced to keep his reaction in check. The boy had told Bruce about his part in all of it, being recruited by a woman named Cinder and her scheme to steal some sort of magical power while also ensuring the destruction of an entire city. The fact Mercury was reacting this way meant he was not beyond saving, and that he needed to be shown the consequences of his actions firsthand. "Let's go."
"Wait, I set foot in there I'm getting taken in for questioning." Mercury pointed out but Batman didn't stop. Not only did Mercury need to see the results of his actions caused but also this was a trial by fire. The few times that the two had sparred, Batman had concluded that Mercury was a satisfactory combatant for his age. But now he would need to prove himself adept at stealth if he was going to stay by Batman's side. Moments went by but eventually the sounds of footsteps walking towards Vale were of two people instead of one.
"Pyrrha!" Ruby shouted as she awoke in the middle of a medical tent. Panic rushed through her mind but thankfully for the on-duty nurses, the tiny reaper did not react violently. Deep breaths and a worried look around calmed Ruby a little but almost as fast as it came was an urge to leave her bed and find her friends. The remaining nurse was able to keep the girl in her bed while the other went to go get the doctors.
Hours later Ruby was discharged as she had only suffered minor injuries and once it was apparent there was no lasting damage from her coma she was cleared. From the moment she stepped outside of the tent Ruby's sense of a dread grew more and more. They were in the shopping district of Vale, one of the neat stores that her team had gone to was now a food dispensary and another was surrounded by guards wheeling in body bags. This was all so very wrong in the young girl's mind.
"Ruby!" Thankfully the familiar sound of one of her friends calling her was a warm balm on her mind. Turning around she saw Jaune running over to her, though he was quickly knocked to the ground with a super speed tackle hug from Ruby. "Ruby!"
"Jaune, I'm so happy you're okay!" Ruby squeezed as hard as she could, enforcing in her mind that her friend was alive and not one of the many casualties. Thankfully for Jaune's spine, the tiny reaper let go and both righted themselves back up. "Where's Yang and Pyrrha and everyone else?"
"Yang and Pyrrha are both still getting treatment. Pyrrha still hasn't woken up yet… your sister is awake but I think you should wait a bit." Jaune didn't want to tell Ruby about what happened to her sister's arm. Plus… he was scared of seeing Yang again. He had been told that she was still being drugged up to keep her hurting herself in a fit of anger. Even still she was still terrifying. "Nora and Ren are out on border patrol. No one has seen Blake since the Fall, and I'm pretty sure Weiss has been taken to Atlas."
"What-what-wait-whaaaaaaat?" Why shouldn't she see her sister? It was good that Pyrrha was still alive but what was wrong Yang? Why wasn't Blake here? Where would she go and why did she leave? Why didn't Weiss wait for her to wake up before leaving, Ruby understood that maybe Weiss' family wanted her back after what happened but to just up and leave like that wasn't right. "Jaune, I need to see my sister."
"Ugh… fine." The blond knew better to argue this with Ruby when she got like this. He led Ruby through the camp towards the lone tent that had been set aside for Yang due to her several attempts at escaping. Two guards stood at the entrance of the tent and after a moment of arguing with them, Ruby was let in.
Inside was pretty much the same set up as the one Ruby woke up in, minus the nurses. Only real difference was the obvious scuff marks and dented furniture. Part of Yang's bed frame was bent but Ruby smiled at the sight of her sister sleeping on her side. The younger of the siblings quietly tiptoed over to the eldest, wanting to gently wake her back up. It would be like when they were little only this time Ruby would be the surprising Yang. The tiny reaper snuck up to the side of Yang's bed and slowly began poking and prodding the blond. This idea to an outsider, would seem to be a bad one. And it was.
Suddenly awakened by the various pokes of Ruby, even as drugged up as she was, Yang responded with a quick and sudden punch to her sister's face. The instincts and trauma that was still swimming like a shark in Yang's pool of conscience did not make her stable upon waking up. Something that her doctors had learned very early on. Ruby recoiled back as she held her nose that was now bleeding, though if it hadn't been for her Aura it might have been broken. The brawler blinked as her senses slowly came back to her, and horror came on her face as she realized that she had hit her own sister.
"Ruby! I'm so sorry, when did you wake up." Yang sat up and was about to go over to her sister but felt the tug of the various IVs attached to her arm.
"Seriously Yang that wasn't co… what… what happened?" The color drained from Ruby's face after she looked up to see Yang's current state. Her silver eyes focused on the missing limb on Yang's form. The elder sister gripped what was left of her arm as she looked down to the bedding. Nothing was said as Ruby took the chair next to her sister's bed. A moment of quiet solidarity was both needed and given right then.
"Seriously, I really shouldn't be here." Mercury hid under a found cloak as he ran across a ruined street in Vale. Atlesian soldiers were everywhere and any one of them could recognize him from the Vytal Festival. He wasn't publicly connected to the Fall of Beacon but Mercury was sure that if he was put in front of Ironwood things would go bad. There was also just the horrible shitty feel in his gut at seeing Vale like this dragging him down.
Mercury ducked into an alleyway as a platoon of Atlesian soldiers marched down the street. A truck filled with rubble and even a few Atlas robots stuffed in following them. More reminders of what he had been apart of. Cinder paid well and let him do as he pleased. He had thought that he had been right where he was supposed to be, an assassin with a master. But seeing all this, it was a bit more than what he originally expected.
Moving back into the shadows, the mercenary tried to ignore what he was seeing and just focus on what he was doing now. Working with a superhero, even as one as stoic and brooding as Batman, was way cooler than with Cinder. There wasn't this immediate feeling like he was being outright used by Batman. Sure, the man wasn't warm or friendly but unlike Cinder he was honest and didn't make Mercury feel he was just some pawn to be used and discarded. Ironically, he was hoping that Cinder had done that and gave up looking for him. But fate wasn't so kind to the wicked.
"Mercury!" He stopped as he heard the voice of his former partner Emerald. He looked up and saw her jump down to the ground from the top of the ruined building. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as the idea that Cinder wasn't too far. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you all over the place."
"I uh… been busy." He deflected knowing that Emerald was too smart for that. The pesky thief was always too smart for him. One of those annoying things that he liked so much about her but now it was just unhelpful.
"Well, you should have made it to the safe house days ago. Cinder is really hurt, I only stayed behind to get you so be grateful." That was nice but really not needed. Mercury knew that Batman was nearby, one thing the mercenary learned was that the brooding hero was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Just as he had done many times before, once they entered the city he vanished after telling Mercury to find information. A test he was sure but one that could be done.
"Listen Em, things have changed. This is way more than I signed up for." Backing away from the shocked thief, Mercury hoped things wouldn't get violent. They argued and bickered, but he did like her in her good feisty moments. Plus… he wasn't sure who'd win in a fight. "I'm sorry to hear about Cinder but I'mma head out on my own."
"You seriously think that's going to happen." Crap, that was her stubborn look on her face. Mercury knew that pulling away with all that he knew would be tough. He was in deep with whatever Cinder was up to and so just separating from them would be a challenge. Both of them began to move into a more combative stance. Mercury was on edge, knowing the Semblance that Emerald had only made the prospect of fighting her worse in his mind.
Thankfully he did have some advantage in knowing how she fought, blocking the opening shot from behind. The Emerald that he had been talking to vanished as he and the real one begun trading blows. The two former allies fought with as little noise as possible, both being very aware of the location they were doing this in. Mercury dodged slashes from Emerald's sickle blades and she ducked and weaved around his kicks. Neither fired a single shot, as the minutes of combat passed by and their focus became more and more on each other the noise of the battle grew.
However, in this battle a Semblance to create illusions proved to be the deciding factor. Emerald vanished from Mercury's vision and when something came back to his senses it was a blade put up right to his throat. He could finally see the smirk on her face as she held him at knife point. But then the sound of a metallic object being thrown through the air rang through the alley. Two batarangs flew through the air and hit the thief, both knocking her back and disarming her. From above, a black mass descended upon the two and before Emerald had a chance to respond was beaten by six well placed jabs. The next thing that she knew was the cuffs being placed on her wrists.
"Best strategy when fighting illusionists, end things fast and keep them distracted." Batman explained as he stood back up from detaining the thief. Mercury held his neck a bit as he took several deep breaths as The Dark Knight approached him. "You did a good job holding her off, especially with you at a tactical disadvantage."
"Gee thanks." The snark was there but Mercury appreciated what the hero said. It was far more genuine than anything Cinder had said. "What are you going to do with her?"
"That's up to you." Batman said as he walked away and aimed his grappling hook up. "Try and keep up this time." With that he fired the grappling gun and flew back up onto the rooftops. This left Emerald and Mercury alone, but he wasn't under any assumption that those cuffs would be staying on for long. This would have to be quick. He could grab her and drop her in front of a squad of soldiers. While he didn't have a record or warrants, he knew she did. The mercenary walked over to the struggling thief and crouched down in front of her.
"This is it Em, you can tell Cinder and whoever else that I'm done with you all. It was fun, and I'm only letting you go because of that. But after seeing all of this… I don't think I was on the right side of things anymore." With that and leaving her glaring at his back, he ran off knowing that not only was he going to be hunted by authorities but also by whoever Cinder was working for.
"Sir, emergency radio connection to Atlas is currently on schedule to be complete. We should be able to contact headquarters in three days." One of his officers reported to James and he gave a sigh of relief. The emergency tech that he had been using since the fall of the CCT tower in Vale had been spotty and already starting to burn out. Atlas was still a long way off from perfect worldwide communication without being dependent on those towers.
"Good. What is the status of Headmaster Ozpin?" James thanked the Brothers that Ozpin had survived. He disagreed with the man on many things but losing him on top over everything else would be a nightmare. Not only would Vale's government be uncontrollable and a massive power vacuum be left in Ozpin wake, but James simply knew that it was better to have Ozpin's steady hand then to not have it.
"Currently we have begun transportation of the headmaster back to Atlas. He is in an intensive care unit aboard the ship returning him to Atlas. The last report before they left close radio range was that he was stable but still in need of surgery." Good… good, that could be the news he needed to get people to stop leaving Vale in droves. None of the other kingdoms needed a refugee crisis. All those people would be a drain on resources and a beacon of negative feelings that would attract the Grimm even more. Vale was now in a unique situation in that Grimm was an absent threat, so the negative emotions currently pooled around here weren't as much of an issue.
If he could get the people to rally behind a symbol like Ozpin, then Vale could at least have a chance to recover. He knew that not everyone would stay but he needed the majority to. He would spread the news that Ozpin was alive as much as he could along with the news that the entire Kingdom of Vale was Grimm free. If all went well then enough people would stay and help rebuild, and if things went great maybe some people from outside would be enticed to come here.
But the thought of outside influence was in of itself a danger. The other three Kingdoms were watching and he knew that his own was watching with hungry eyes. One of the first things that he had done since taking control over the situation was sending a messenger back to Atlas to use all of his political power to deter the threat of war. Embargoing Dust, delaying military plans, and increasing funding to more peaceful minded sections of the government. Anything and everything he could do to mitigate the possibility that Atlas would try and annex Vale. Vacuo was very unlikely to do anything aggressive, they had always been a defensive player in history's wars. Mistral was a coin flip, it was possible that they would try to take advantage of the situation but doubtful.
"I want broadcasts and news of Ozpin's recovery to be going nonstop. If Vale is going to survive then they need to know he's alive. Remember everyone, our top priority is getting Vale back on its feet before more Grimm come back to replace those that were killed. We have a window of opportunity and we are not going to waste it." He got nods of acknowledgement from his command staff aboard his flagship. With the threat of Salem ever present, James knew that the Kingdoms couldn't be weakened by losing one of their number. Not when they now had proof that Grimm could be killed on mass.
"Do you think this might be a little too easy?" One nameless bandit said to another, their band of robbers currently were picking apart a trade caravan that had been heading toward Vale. Things had been easy pickings ever since the crazy beam in the sky, there had been no Grimm. So those that lived outside of the cities for a change of pace were living it up.
"Don't question things if they are good man. With the Grimm gone and the new boss slaughtering the Atlas tin soldiers, don't fuck things up by sending out bad vibes." Another bandit grunted as he ripped an Atlesian rifle out of the hands of one of the destroyed robots that had been guarding the caravan. Not a single one of the bandits had to fire a shot and they were getting more loot than ever.
"Yeah I know but… he creeps me out. People don't smile like that." Several days ago the band of highwaymen had tried to rob a strange looking man only to be all beaten within an inch of their lives. Then he killed their previous leader and told them they all worked for him. None of the bandits were willing to speak against him then and now that he was bringing in so much loot they weren't ever going to. For years they had been living off the scraps of looting settlements in the mountains and now they were riding high.
"Shh. You remember what happened to Duck, I still miss that guy's jokes." One of the few Faunus of their band, unironically a Duck Faunus, had made the mistake of trying to cozy up to the new boss. He had always been something of a jester to the rest of the band, never really a good fighter but he could lighten the mood when things got really down. But then Duck made a comment on the new boss's… abnormal looks. The entire band still had nightmares about the screams that came from the boss's tent. "Just take good when it comes rolling in."
"I got it I got it. I don't want to go back to looting abandoned houses as much as the next guy." The two continued to pick at the ruined caravan, unaware that they were being watched. A victim of their looting had returned to his house to find all of his supplies missing, and now had finally tracked down the thieves. A groan of pain escaped as he continued to watch his prey, he would need to change his bandages later. But while might have crawled himself out of the gates of Hell, he was stronger for it. And now vengeance was what fueled him.
"How is she doctor?" Salem, the Queen of the Grimm asked as she looked out onto the Grimmlands from her palace. Grimm pools were spawning their vile creations nonstop as half a continent's worth had been killed in a single night. Including a Wyvern, one of the more ancient and powerful Grimm. And it was not to a Silver Eyed Warrior nor any other threat that Salem could have expected but something entirely unexpected. Something unknown and never before seen.
"Stable, however her left eye, arm, and vocal cords have all been heavily damaged." Dr Watts lazily reported to her, a pointed warning glace back towards him had him straighten up. The doctor was invaluable but never above reproach and irreplaceable for her. She knew his feelings on the matter, his perfectionist nature and hatred of failure was what made his skills as sharp as they were. However, his tendency to impart those values on all others was a hindrance.
"I have confirmed that she holds the Fall Maiden's power. It would be a great loss to us should she die." He nodded his head, likely biting his tongue to avoid saying anything he might regret in her presence. "What of the Vale Incident, how is it that so many Grimm died all at once? I could feel a pull… something drew them in like moths to a flame."
"Ah yes, the Grimmsbane Light. That is what the Atlesians have been referring to that as. I'm afraid I'm as in the dark as anyone else my lady. At most I could give half brained theories but none that would be grounded in actual fact." That was not what Salem wanted to hear but she could not do with easy lies and falsehoods. What happened in Vale could never happen again. Vale should have been destroyed and instead it was crippled. If that was all that happened then it would be easy to finish the city off but the lack of nearby Grimm posed a serious problem.
Was this some power or plot that Ozma had come up with? That was a big possibility, a last ditch effort to stop the destruction of Vale. It seemed the most likely answer however she could not shake the feeling that there was more to it. She had felt something in that pull. A voice that called to her, that spoke to the darkness in her heart. For the first time in a long time, her desire to die was put on hold. This was something that she needed to discover before her end. If it was indeed her ex-husband's work then he might have proved useful for once.
"There is no clue as to what it could have been?" She asked as she turned back around and walked down to where he had been kneeling. There had to be something, anything to give her a lead.
"Yes, but it raises more questions than answers." She watched as he pulled out a Scroll and held it up for her. Taking it, she found a picture of two men with a striking similarity to her own form fighting. Both dressed in a symbolic fashion to bats, with one being more sinister than the other. A second picture was blurrier but it was of another pale man but this one in a purple suit and green hair. "It would seem Ironwood believes that these three are connected to the Grimmsbane Light. He is organizing a manhunt for them."
"Interesting. Begin our own efforts to find them." Their resemblance to her could not be a coincidence. Something happened, a dark force had decided to intervene in the affairs of mortals. Perhaps the Brothers were returning? No. But maybe something else had decided to look upon Remnant.