Vol: 7 Chapter 21: A Well Deserved Break
Jingo Jungle (Saga of Tanya the Evil)
English Lyrics: AmaLee (LeeandLie)
I will lock on love
I will lock on love
(The title Rise of the Iron Wolves: Terramind appears before switching to an image where Cabal soldiers are seen storming across a battlefield as the image slowly transforms to Penny floating in the air as the camera zooms in on her left eye)
Don't go away
There's nowhere else to run
I know that's what we want
I know it's a war we want
(Penny gives the camera a stern look as the camera focuses on her while she sings the next two lines)
So raise your guns
Come on, let's have some fun
I know that's what we want
I know it's a war we want
(Penny stands in front of Wolfgang's grave with Team RWBY, all five of them saluting as Penny sings the last two lines again)
Coming up … Coming up
The eyes that only see prey
An instinct to act on
The bloodlust and it's just
Not enough … Not enough
But that's the chain of command
And now we know we must not hide
(A darkened shot of the Hellas Basin Schnee tech lab appears with a very faint and almost transparent figure of Penny, Weiss and Winter appear in the base standing there and walking towards the screen while their designs change from Vol. 1 to current. Then show's the image of of Penny's old robot body, one of Winters old dolls and a portrait of the Schnee family before the three destroy them)
We honor the JINGOS (oh oh oh)
And the beast we unleash
To indulge in our desires
We are in the JUNGLE (oh oh oh)
With our claws – a killing spree
With our fangs – Can you keep up with me? (Ohh)
(The next images are of Deus, Ironwood and Sky, before changing to Penny and team RWBY standing in front of Rasputin, and then to a shadow shot of what looks like a Knight in robes, a girl in a dress and a giant worm. It then transitions to Penny, Winter, and Weiss's eyes switching rapidly and looking at the screen.)
I will lock on love
I will lock on love
(Bullets fly before the final shot is of Penny, Weiss and Winter standing with their backs to the camera as they stood in the melting snow of the Hellas Basin, before the image burned away.)
-Caves of Solitas not far from the Amity launch-
Augustus and Garuda were both chasing something on foot in the frozen tundra, with Enthralled Beowulfs, Ursai, and several Aura Grimm with them. They were chasing a figure who was in mismatched clothes with a hood over their head, and also had a hunchback.
"This guy is way too fast for a deformed cripple guy." Augustus said.
"Yeah. No kidding. What's up with him?" Garuda wondered as the chase continued. As they started reaching the launch site, a large executioner's ax stretched out from behind a rock in front of the hunchback and clotheslined him, causing him to drop and fall on his back.
Stepping out from behind the rock, Xeronas revealed herself. "This is why you should never send a man…" She said as she stomped her boot on the chest of the figure below her. "To do a woman's job." She finished as the figure groaned.
"At least this guy's caught." Augustus shrugged. However as he reached for the figure's hood, a bright flash of light blinded them before a figure appeared before them.
The figure was female and was wearing robes, and actually she could pass as Jinn's human double. Her robes kind of resembled a priestess outfit with three orbs on it with three different kinds of triangles in the center.
"Who the hell are you?" Garuda questioned, reaching for his sidearm while Augustus reached for his hand cannon.
"I am The Emissary of the Nine." The woman said, her voice echoing.
"Well move aside whore, this doesn't concern you." Xeroneas growled, gripping her ax threateningly and pressing down harder on Xur's chest with the heel of her boot.
The priestess's face was unmoved by the threat. "I beg to differ." She said, stretching out her arm. This just escalated quickly.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile in the Dreaming City, Summer and Fall were both looking at the place where Riven's heart was placed.
"This is impossible." Summer gasped.
"What is it?" Oscar asked.
"Riven… the final wish she granted was to thrust the Dreaming City into a three week time loop." Fall gasped.
"That doesn't sound too bad." Oscar said.
"There's also a plague that worsens as the loop progresses." The third eldest girl added much to Oscars dismay.
"Nevermind." He sighed.
"The first week is plagued by Corrupted, the second is plagued by Hive, and the third by Enthralled." Fall continued.
"Can it be broken?" The former farm boy asked.
"We don't know." They sighed. "All we know is that the longer this corruption continues, the stronger mother will become." Summer concluded.
Oscar looked at them, and then at the Pool of Creation. "This is not good…" He groaned.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile in Sienna's Lair, the tiger faunus was currently letting Neo lay in her lap, the girl still wearing her bunny 'outfit' as her mistress stroked her bare stomach and she did the same to her.
Why was this? Because both had just found out that they were both pregnant. Sienna with Roman's child and Neo with both Sienna and Roman's children.
"Such a good day, this is." Sienna sighed happily as she snuggled up to Neo.
"It is. I'm so happy, mistress." Neo signed before laying her head on her mistress's chest while the woman held and squeezed her ass. "I do hope Roman gets back soon. He's been so busy lately." She sighed.
"That's kinda my fault. I'm giving him a lot to do." The tiger woman sighed. "But at least you have me to keep you company." She smiled, kissing her pet lovingly.
"That's certainly true." Neo signed, giggling silently. She then sat up and let her naked breasts bounce in Sienna's face as her rabbit ears perked up. "I'm really glad I have our babies. But now I feel so heavy here." She pouted.
"Let me help with that." Sienna purred before she latched her lips onto one of her pet's breasts and started drinking the milk that came out. The ice cream girl held her mistress' head to her mounds and had a look of bliss on her face.
'I love my life…' the girl thought happily.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile in the Iron Temple, Deus, Fey and Leopold were all standing around a cryo pod, in which Wolfgang's currently deceased body was held. It was being perfectly preserved in order to make sure his resurrection was done smoothly.
Sky was there too. He was just trying to help remind himself of why he was going after Xol in the first place.
"Are you sure that you'll be even able to get the secret of Necromancy from Xol and his knight?" Leopold asked, his voice tense as he looked down at his little brother.
"I have to. If we want to beat Salem, I need to get that secret." Sky replied, his voice calm as he gazed upon his rival. "I have to do it, for my friend." He said softly as Deus tried to keep his composure. "Where's Weiss?" He asked.
"With her team, I think. Either that or she's busy with meeting the council with Blake." Fey explained.
Sky nodded in understanding, getting why the heiress wouldn't have wanted to see her fiancé like this.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile with Teams RWBY and JNPR, the kids were helping Penny get used to fighting in her new human body.
Since the girl no longer had the functions of her robot body, Pietro outfitted her with various gadgets that acted as replacements. Magnetic bracelets to control her swords, rocket boots, bionic arm sleeves to enhance her strength, and a visor to replace her scanners.
It made it like she never lost her robotics at all!
"Think fast!" Blake exclaimed as she lept at Penny, only for her to dodge and send her into a simulated pillar.
Penny flew around and started swirling her swords around her, almost as if she was dancing, kinda like she did during the…
"Those are your Vytal Festival moves!" Jaune exclaimed as both he and Pyrrha attacked the former robot and was elegantly and easily blocked.
"I wanted to test their effectiveness now that I'm human. I see no change in them." The ginger noted.
"It's certainly seeming like it!" Pyrrha said as she blocked a blow from the girl with her shield. Meanwhile Ruby was zipping towards her friend while carrying Yang and Nora before splitting to dodge a pillar, reforming and releasing them to slip through Penny's defense.
"INCOMING!" The girls yelled as Yang grabbed her waist, Nora slammed her hammer as Penny blocked her and Ruby tackled her by the neck.
"WAH!" Penny cried in surprise as she was tackled to the ground. The girls all laid there, still a little dizzy before they all started laughing.
"Were you always able to do that?" Oscar asked, noting what Ruby Just did with her semblance.
"No. I just thought of it and… Well, it happened." The girl tried to explain as she got up, not entirely sure of it herself.
"Your semblances are all evolving, and I still don't have mine." The boy sighed, before noticing that two people were missing. "Hey, where'd Blake and Weiss go?" He asked, Blake was just there and Weiss had just been training with Winter, but now both of them were missing.
"They must've gone to get ready for their council related stuff." Yang shrugged.
"And what about Sun, Neptune and Foxxianna?" He wondered.
"Oh, Neptune and Foxxianna are trying to get ready for their security mission at Robyn's rally tonight." Jaune replied. "And Sun is trying to get everything ready for a White Fang rally tonight with Blake when she's done." He added.
Meanwhile Ren was busy meditating when he sensed someone coming. The two people were Ironwood and Clover.
"Hello, everyone." The general greeted the group. "Wow, Clover wasn't kidding when he said you all were putting everything into training."
"Well, we have to with how things are going." Ruby said. "If what Oscar and the girls says about the last wish Riven granted was true… if Salem really is making herself stronger by creating a 'murder battery'. We need to be ready."
"Can't really say I blame you. It's a pretty big deal." Clover shrugged. "But a part of all this is making sure you don't burn yourselves out." He added.
"Additionally we need to be prepared. This election doesn't bode well for stability." Ironwood noted.
"Better Robyn then Jacques." Yang said, crossing her arms.
"No argument here." Jaune's agreed, Pyrrha nodding in agreement.
"It could give us an opportunity to work with Robyn." Ruby noted.
"If we opened up to her, she'd know you're being framed." Oscar added.
"And it can help you seem better to Mantle." Nora and Penny added.
"I would, if it were that simple." The man sighed.
Nora was about to retort, when Ren interrupted. "I take it you're here for new mission assignments?" He asked.
"We're giving you the rest of the day to recuperate." Clover told him. That took everyone by surprise.
"Is this an offer, or…?" Nora asked.
"More like an order." Ironwood clarified. "Tomorrow we'll be waking up to a very different Atlas, so we need you to be ready."
(Elsewhere)
At about the same time, Weiss and Blake were currently meeting with the two current members of the Atlas Council: Councilman Sleet and Councilwoman Camilla.
"These are the two representatives you and your 'partner' Sienna Khan chose to intercede for the White Fang, James?" Sleet, a bespectacled middle aged man, said in a clearly Atlassian stern voice.
"Yes, my hope is that they should be more than sufficient for the role." Ironwood nodded. "Introduce yourselves girls." He told the two.
"They already know me." Weiss shrugged.
"I'm Blake Belladonna." The cat faunus girl said. "I look forward to making this kingdom better with you." She said politely.
The two council members nodded. The girls didn't seem like the nervous children they had expected. Maybe this could actually work…
(Later)
Later on everyone was back at Atlas Academy, and they were getting ready to do what they were all planning to do for the night. Weiss watching the news on her scroll.
"The streets are buzzing with activity as people begin voting. Things would be more tense after numerous SDC employees were rendered unemployed due to Jacques Schnee shutting down various stores, but it was defused when Sky Obsidian opened his ship, the Immortal Rage, to new employees from Mantle seeking work." The report began. "Now, things are very calm and everyone can think clearly as they vote. And as a citizen of Mantle, I think we owe the Enthrallen King and his forces a debt of gratitude for the help he's given us. Now onto news of the Iron Wolves's continued efforts to suppress the advances of Xol on our city..."
"I don't know what my father was thinking. How could he think that lay offs would do anything but hurt him?" Weiss asked as she read that the percentage was now 20 to 55.
"Maybe it was a power play. One that backfired, I might add." Yang shrugged. She'd seen the new workers on the Immortal Rage and took a moment to speak with them. A good number of them were ex-SDC workers that were not happy about Jacques' decision to shut down their places of work, and exhibited gratitude for being able to work on the ship. Some even thrived in their new jobs.
"So where are you guys going?" Ruby asked.
"We're going to the White Fang rally that Sun, Foxxianna and I are holding to rally support." Blake said as she worked on her makeup. Yang smiled as she hugged her girlfriend from behind.
"And I'm going for moral support." The blonde added.
"Neptune said he's going with Team FNKY, Autumn and Emerald to a dance club." Weiss mentioned.
"I thought Autumn said that Team FNKY was annoying?" Ruby asked.
"That's the good thing about dance clubs: you can't hear what's being said." The blond brawler grinned.
Just then, Nora and Ren entered the room. "Ruby come on!" Nora said impatiently.
"Coming!" The silver eyed girl replied quickly.
"I still can't believe you're going to that thing." Weiss said.
"Hey, just because Ironwood doesn't like Robyn doesn't mean we have to. From where I'm standing they're both trying to help." Nora said. "As for who's doing the better job.."
"Right…" Weiss sighed. It was at this moment that Jaune stuck his head into the room.
"Hey me, Pyrrha and Oscar are going to the movies if anyone wants to-" He started to ask before Weiss cut him off.
"Let's go." She said as she walked out.
"That was fast." The farm boy noted in surprise.
(Later)
Sky decided to put his work on hold to relax as well, but as he was about to meet up with Sun, Blake, Yang and Foxxianna, he was suddenly stopped when Augustus, Garuda and Xeronas appeared before him, battered and wounded.
"Holy shit, what happened to you three?" He asked in surprise.
"The Emissary of the Nine… She beat the crap out of us and took Xur before we could question him." Garuda said. Sky let out a sigh at that.
"Damn. Wasn't expecting that to happen." He muttered.
"She also said… for us to warn you… not to go looking for the Nine again." Xeroneas added. "She said that when the time is right, they'll come to you. And if you keep looking for them, she won't be so merciful next time." She said before collapsing. Augustus and Garuda then followed suit. Sky looked at his generals and sighed.
'Maybe I should've thought this through more…' He thought as he teleported his subordinates to the infirmary of the Immortal Rage before continuing on his way to the rally.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile with Ren, Ruby and Nora, the three of them were also talking about how things were going.
"I do get Weiss's point, a victory party does seem a bit premature." Ren said as they walked.
"How?" Ruby wondered.
"I'm just saying, a lot can happen in one night." The boy noted.
"Aw let them have at least one sure thing, Ren." Nora told her introvert lover.
"Probably the last sure thing before Amity goes up and everyone learns about what we're fighting." Ruby said nervously.
"Yeah. Besides, like Clover said, we shouldn't burn ourselves out." Nora added.
"I don't know. We spent so much time worrying about how Ironwood would react, and now with Wolfgang gone, how are we going to beat Salem now?" Ren said.
"If we help make the prophecy come true, we'll have a way." The red tipped girl said.
"And if that's not enough?" Ren countered.
"It will be Ren. Besides, Sky already said he has a plan B." Nora told him as they arrived at the victory party. The current tally of the votes was now 30 to 70.
"Wow. There's a lot of people here." Ruby noted as she looked around. It was at this moment that Penny appeared.
"Ruby? Nora! Ren!" She exclaimed upon seeing them.
"Hey, Penny." The cloaked sniper replied with a visible blush.
"I'm so glad you could make it. It's just Marrow and I tonight, so more friends means more fun!" The now human girl smiled. Nora meanwhile noticed Ruby's blush and gained a smirk.
'First Oscar and now Penny? Ooh, someone's got a girl cruuuush!' She laughed mentally.
"Where are the others?" Penny asked upon noticing it was only three of her friends present.
"Weiss is out with Pyrrha and the boy's, Blake is at the White Fang rally for political reasons with Yang being with her for support, and the rest of the gang is doing their own thing." Nora replied. "Again."
"Well at least they're all back to getting along." Ren shrugged.
"Really? Just getting along?" The hammer girl asked as Ruby slowly ducked out of the conversation.
'Okay fuck this shit, I'm out.' She thought, going next to Penny.
"I may be confused, who are they talking about again?" Penny asked.
"I'm not even sure anymore." Ruby replied flatly.
"Penny, where'd you go? I need you around back." Marrow called in.
"On my way, Marrow." The girl replied as she turned to leave only for her silver eyed friend to latch onto her.
"Don't leave me!" She begged. As they went around back, they saw that Marrow was there talking to Shan. The gorilla faunus towered over basically everyone in the general vicinity.
"You remember what you're supposed to do, right?" Marrow questioned.
"Keep vigil in case Tyrian appears, yes I'm aware. I'm more than the mightiest faunus you know, I'm also rather good at remembering things. Helps me keep track of just who I need to put in their places." He replied curtly, leaning down to the dog faunus's eye level.
"Then let's hope our resident scorpion faunus doesn't notice you. That should help you out." The Ace Ops member said before noticing Penny and Ruby. "Oh there you—what are you doing here?" He asked Ruby.
"Oh just hanging out with a friend while she's on the job." Ruby smiled, holding her fist out for Penny to fist bump. The ginger caught the gesture and returned it.
Shan chuckled as he shook his head. "Well just don't become a distraction, we need to stay vigilant in case—." Marrow started to say before May Marigold walked up.
"In case trouble shows up. I think we got it covered." She said smugly. "So feel free to take a hike."
"Oh that's adorable." Shan said, towering over her. "You actually think you can intimidate me, how sweet." He chuckled.
"Oh shut up, you muscle mountain." The blue haired woman retorted… which was rather weak, really.
"Bravo, you actually know what my name means." Shan smirked as he patted her on the head as Robyn appeared.
"Is everything ready, wags?" She asked before noticing Ruby. "Oh goody. The pipsqueak's back." She deadpanned.
"Must you really?" The girl sighed.
"We're concerned about security, ma'am. The general doesn't want any surprises. Especially since there's a serial killer on the loose." Marrow told her.
"I think that guy alone would be sufficient, but that's just me." Robyn shrugged as she gestured to Shan, causing him to chuckle.
"You are correct. I did not get my title of Mightiest Faunus Alive by just standing around." The man nodded.
"Well regardless, if I get elected tonight, we'll all have to learn how to get along." Robyn said.
"Sounds great, as long as you act within the law." Marrow retorted.
"Oh, I assure you, all of my actions are legal." The woman shot back. "Even if the law isn't exactly perfect, or equal."
"Oh trust me. I'm well aware." He replied. It was right about then that the Derelict slowly flew over the rally, the Haul right behind it.
"Looks like Nomad is changing locations again." Ruby noted.
"I don't understand how you get along with that guy." Robyn commented offhandedly.
"He's done a lot for us. Plus he seems to be in the right place." The girl shrugged, right as the Immortal Rage floated over them before settling at the other end of Mantle.
"Is there a Grimm activity spike in that direction? That's the only reason I can see for that thing moving." Marrow wondered with a raised eyebrow.
"No not Grimm." Robyn said. "Hive. There's been hordes of those bastards pouring into Mantle from the Hellas Basin. It's nearly undoing all of the great work that your friend Sky did."
"Really pisses me off. The poor guy worked himself to the bone for us and this is how the world repays him?" May added.
"Yeah, I second that. Not cool at all." The dog faunus nodded in agreement, feeling a little angry at the Hive for their actions.
Meanwhile on the stage, Fiona Thyme was currently trying to turn on a microphone, causing it to screech. "Well… That worked!" She giggled. Ruby, meanwhile, chuckled from the crowd, having decided to keep her eyes peeled for Tyrian from the masses.
As Fiona started speaking, Ruby noticed that Nora and Ren were still arguing. "I should've gone to the movies with Oscar…" She groaned. Moments later Robyn started talking and the polls read 20 to 80.
"Ren, what's going on? We've been doing so well, why won't you talk to me?" Nora said, pleading for him to say something.
"You know I'm not really good at talking." The boy sighed.
"Then screw talking!" Nora exclaimed before she started making out with him. Ren was surprised, but melted into it all the same. Ruby smiled at the display of affection between them, silently hoping she'd experience that soon.
However off in the distance… "Ready Tyrian?" Watts said to his partner as he readied his manipulation rings.
"Always." The serial killer replied with a wicked smile under his hood as he hid in the crowd at the rally. Though he didn't make sure to keep his tail hidden, which was noticed by both Shan and Ruby.
'There you are, you bastard!' Ruby thought angrily as she glanced at Shan, who caught her gaze and nodded at her.
Though before they could do anything, the lights went off, but luckily, Shan could still see. As Tyrian began to make his move, the mountain of a man tapped him on the shoulder.
"Huh?" He uttered as he turned around… And felt his heart nearly implode when he saw Shan gazing into his soul. "Mommy…!" He whimpered in fear.
"Hello, Tyrian. Come to settle old scores?" The blonde asked, cracking his knuckles.
"Oh, um… N-no, just, erm...T-taking a casual stroll. Yeah, that's right." The very intimidated man chuckled fearfully.
"Doesn't seem like it." Shan said before he raised his fist and then slammed it down on the scorpion man's head, causing his face to hit the floor and cause a hole to form… and then Shan stomped on his back, breaking his aura.
"No, ma'am… Seven lumps please…" The serial killer groaned before he passed out. It was at this moment the lights came back on and everyone looked at Shan and the knocked out Tyrian in shock.
"Um, what happened?" A bystander asked.
"Uh, no clue." Another replied.
Ruby couldn't stop herself. The moment she saw Tyrian's state, she burst out laughing. "DAMN! He got knocked the FUCK OUT!" She guffawed.
The gorilla faunus simply flexed his pecks in victory. "As I said before, I did not earn my title by standing around." He chuckled. Robyn walked up to the scene and let out a whistle.
"I can see that." She nodded. It was at that moment that the polls closed.
"The polls have officially closed! And the winner with 85% of the vote is… Robyn Hill!" The newscaster called. Immediately, the crowd erupted into cheers.
"SHE DID IT! SHE WON!" Numerous people in the audience cheered. Ruby ran up to the Huntress/politician and gave her a hug, much to the chagrin of the happy Huntresses, save Fiona.
"Congratulations, Robyn!" She said happily.
"Thanks, kiddo." The woman replied with a smile as she returned it.
"Well, this night definitely ended on the highest note possible." Marrow commented as he walked up to them. "Robyn won the election, and we caught Tyrian. I'd call this a win." He smiled.
"That it is indeed." Shan nodded, currently holding Tyrian upside down by the tail, the man still out cold.
"What do we do with him?" Fiona asked.
"Deliver him to the Immortal Rage." Ruby said, causing everyone to look at her. "Tyrian is the one who killed Sky and Autumn's parents. I'd say they're long overdue for a bit of revenge." She added with a smirk. Everyone else smirked in agreement.
(Elsewhere)
Watts cursed loudly as he watched what just happened to Tyrian before trying to regain his composure as he straightened his tie.
"Damn that stupid ape. Her majesty is not going to like this…" The man sighed, facepalming. "Alright, looks like it's time for plan B." He said.
"And what would that be, Arthur?" A new voice asked behind him. Whirling around, he was greeted by…
"Cinder? Is that you?" He asked in surprise before noticing her appearance. "Wait… No. You're not her." He added, shaking his head.
"Not exactly. You see… I'm her corruption. I am Cinder Fallen." The dark double introduced herself.
"What are you doing here?" The man asked.
"Well, seeing as that you're short handed, I've come to offer mine." The woman said, stretching out her arm. "What do you say? Shall we work together on this?" She asked. The former doctor regarded warily for a moment before accepting the outstretched hand.
"Thank you for coming at the perfect time." He said with a smile.
"I'm always happy to be of service." Cinder replied with a smile of her own.
(Elsewhere)
"Well with Robyn on the team, that means you're free to start trying to get Rasputin's main bunker from Xol and the Hive." Ironwood said to a group standing in front of him. "Can I count on you?" He asked as it was revealed to be Penny and Team RWBY who saluted him.
"Yes, sir!" They chorused in unison.
"Good." The man nodded.
Dragon Emperor0: …. Tyrian just got curb stomped… And I LOVE IT! Ha ha!
ThermalsniperN7: So do I! I'm still laughing about it! Ruby said it best! He got knocked the FUCK OUT!
Dragon Emperor0: Yeah. And it's practically the best case scenario now. Which speaking of will be the name of the next chapter. Where the girls will begin their work to reclaim Rasputin, and Blake will be going back to the Dreaming City to finish making her Malfeasance upgrade for Gambol Shroud.
ThermalsniperN7: Yep. Things are starting to get moving, and it's gonna be awesome.
Dragon Emperor0: Anyway see you guys next week.