The members of Team COAL spent the next several days training harder than they'd ever fought before. Their showdown with the Vacuo branch of the White Fang was about to begin, and they knew they'd have to use every bit of strength they had to defeat their enemies and rescue their friends. As they trained, their memories turned toward the plight of their fellow students from Beacon who had been kidnapped. What had the White Fang done to them? Were they even still alive? There was only one way to find out.
Then, they thought about what they would do once they returned to Vale. Beacon Academy was in a sorry state the last time they saw it, and the CCT tower was apparently destroyed during the battle. Therefore, they and any Beacon students they saved would probably have to spend the next several months (or years depending on the true extent of the damage) rebuilding the place before it would be able to function as a school again. If Professor Goodwitch was alive, she would likely be the new headmistress. She had been Ozpin's second in command, and that telekinesis semblance of hers would really help rebuild the school. If she were dead, then they didn't know who would take over. Probably Port or Oobleck. They hoped she was alive.
Finally, Professor Theodore invited teams COAL and IRON into his office along with Tsukiko. When they arrived, they saw that professors Rowena Sunnybrook and Xanthe Rumpole were waiting for them along with a few other professors.
"Please, sit down," Theodore said. "We've figured out a plan of attack. It will be called Operation Sandstorm, and this is how it's going to go down." He pulled out his scroll and brought up a map of western Sanus. "My scouts have located the White Fang base in an abandoned dust mining facility at roughly this location." He zoomed in on an area in the southwestern corner of the kingdom, at the part of the big peninsula in the southwest that connects to the mainland. "I will lead a force consisting of as many huntsmen, huntresses, and students who will be willing to participate. I can't bring myself to force my students to fight. They're just kids, and the school itself isn't being threatened. Sorry about that, but I do think that many of them will be willing to help. Anyway, while that's going on, Lily and Autumn will infiltrate the base and free the prisoners. You will need to wear these." Professor Sunnybrook held up two White Fang uniforms.
"Once they're free, you'll want to raid the armory and get them some weapons. You'll be able to fight your way out, thus forcing the White Fang to fight in two places. They'll be annihilated. Any questions?"
"None, sir," said Lily.
"Good," the professor replied before turning to Tsukiko. "Tsukiko, don't use your Maiden powers during this battle unless you get really desperate. We don't want people finding out you're a Maiden, but we'd rather have that happen than lose you."
"Understood, sir," Tsukiko replied.
"I will address the students at the meeting grounds later today," he said. "In the meantime, I'm going to call in some huntsman and huntress allies of mine. Does anyone have any questions?"
"No sir," replied Colby.
"Then you are dismissed."
They all left Theodore's office. "I can't believe we're really doing this," Colby said. "Honestly, there were several times during this whole journey when I thought we were going to die."
"You and me both, Colby," said Lily. "But we beat the odds, and here we are."
"I knew you all would do it," Irving said. "You're not ordinary huntsman school students."
"I just wonder what this 'great evil' is," said Autumn. "I wish Professor Theodore would tell us."
"That's not important now," Naseem replied. "Right now, we need to focus on the mission. We've got a difficult battle up ahead."
"Indeed," Ouranos replied.
"Yeah," said Tsukiko. "I just wish I had more time to rest before the battle starts."
"You'll have plenty of time afterward, Tsukiko," Ray replied.
A few hours later, Professor Theodore gave an announcement asking all the students to come to the meeting grounds, which were located on the top level of the school and full of all sorts of vegetation to make it look like an oasis in the middle of a desert. Once they were there, the headmaster addressed them.
"Students," Professor Theodore said as he began his speech. "It's time I introduced you all to an extraordinary group of Beacon students, who have helped this school time and time again in its time of need. They are Team COAL. It was these students who prevented the bombing of my office and the CCT transmitter on the night of the Shade Dance. And now the time has come for us to return the favor…"
The students stood there nervously as Theodore continued, hoping that the headmaster would build a good case for them and their mission.
"These noble souls have journeyed across the desert, braving some of the most extreme conditions in all of Remnant to save their friends, their fellow Beacon students who had been kidnapped by the dastardly White Fang and taken to their Vacuo branch's base in the southwestern corner of this kingdom. They have left everything behind and put their lives at stake countless times when the easier thing to do would have been to stay behind and carry on with their lives, and no one would have blamed them for doing so. Not only have they risked everything to save their friends, but they put their lives in jeopardy for Shade Academy and the Kingdom of Vacuo as well. They have gone above and beyond the call of duty for huntsmen and huntresses, and now it is time for us to follow their example. I have located the base of the Vacuo branch of the White Fang, and am preparing a force to raid it and assist Team COAL in the completion of their mission. But I can't do it alone, and neither can they. Can I count on your support?"
"YES!" the students all cheered in unison. After everything that COAL had done, they were more than happy to assist them. They weren't typically fond of students who transferred from the other schools, but this team had saved their home and done much more. In addition, they respected their headmaster. Whoever was a friend of his was a friend of theirs as well.
A/N: I realized while writing this that I haven't done a good job depicting Shade students' dislike toward students who transferred from the other schools as depicted in Before the Dawn, and I hope that hasn't ruined the story for you. Although this takes place chronologically before that story, so the resentment may not yet be as severe as it is at the time of the book. Also, Team COAL saved Shade from being blown up. That has to earn them some respect.
"I've commissioned some troop transports to take us to their base. We leave at dusk. Anyone who wishes to fight, report to the transports that will be parked just outside the walls then."
Team COAL were quite pleased with the speech. It seemed that Professor Theodore had managed to convince his students that they should support Team COAL's endeavor. They all went back inside the school to make their final preparations.
A few hours later, the airships arrived. Theodore went to Team COAL's dorms shortly after the transports had arrived.
"Lily, Autumn?" he said. "It's time for the two of you to go over to the base. We need you to go ahead so that you're in a position to free the prisoners while the Fang are tied down fighting my forces."
"Understood," said Lily.
Colby feared that this might be the last time he saw his two faunus teammates alive. As such, he stood up and attempted to tell Lily what he had tried to tell her at the dance.
"Lily," he said. "I have something I wanted to say."
"It'll have to wait, Mr. Castanho," Theodore replied. "But don't worry, she and Autumn will be fine. They've handled everything this kingdom's thrown at them."
Lily was disappointed at not getting to hear what Colby wanted to tell her, but figured it was best not to question Theodore. "See you on the other side, guys," she said to Colby and Ouranos.
"Good luck, Lily," Colby said sadly. "You too, Autumn." He hoped they'd come back alive. He'd never forgive himself if anything happened to any of his teammates.
Lily and Autumn went to the locker room on the way out and put on their White Fang disguises. Then, they went out and boarded one of the armored trucks. It had the White Fang's colors and symbols on it, and the driver was a huntress who was also disguised as one of them. The truck drove off after a few minutes of preparation. As drove further and further away from Shade, the faunus girls' anxiety increased. They knew that they were about to enter the main base of the Vacuo chapter of the White Fang, and would be done for if they were caught. They also wondered if their friends were even alive or if they'd gone all this way for nothing. Even if they were alive, the Fang had likely abused them in the most horrific ways imaginable. In addition to all this, Lily knew that she was about to go up against her childhood friend Polaris, who had become her enemy since then, and might even have to kill him. She hoped she wouldn't, but she would do what she had to despite her previous friendship with the polar bear faunus.
After driving for about three hours, those in the truck would see the White Fang base. It was a huge facility on the side of a mountain surrounded by walls with machine gun turrets on them. There was a gate up front. The truck drove up to the gate.
"You're cleared to enter," said the guard at the gate. Then, the truck drove past and entered the base proper. "This is it," the girls thought to themselves. "We've come this far. It's do or die."
They stepped out of the truck and headed into the base. The White Fang members around them paid them no extra attention. The disguises seemed to be working.
"Hang in there, friends," Lily thought as she and Autumn went inside.
Meanwhile…
Shade Academy's main force boarded the other transports shortly after Lily and Autumn's left. Hundreds of students had signed up to assist in the operation, even at the risk of their lives. A few professional huntsmen had also chosen to help, and even a few members of the Tachibana Clan did so as well. Two noteworthy huntsmen who decided to help were Bernard Beaumont and Brenton Boyd.
"Colby Castanho. Ouranos Chryseos," Bernard said as he approached. "You saved my life back at that trial. And now it's time for me to repay you."
"Indeed," said Brenton. "These boys and their other two teammates brought down the Beast. They vanquished a great evil in this kingdom."
"Thanks for your support," Colby said. "You're helping save a whole generation of Vale's huntsmen and huntresses."
"It's the least we could do," Brenton replied. "But where are your other teammates? Those two faunus girls?" he looked concerned, as if he were worried something had happened to them.
"They had to go ahead. They're carrying out a special part of the operation," Colby explained. "They'll be fine. They always survive." He was trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to convince the two huntsmen.
"Well, they do seem to be highly skilled," Brenton said. "It takes an awful lot of skill to vanquish a seven-headed Grimm abomination."
"And to go up against the corrupt Council and win," replied Bernard.
"We have one more enemy to vanquish," Ouranos added.
"Come on, we need to leave soon," said Colby. They all boarded one of the troop transports. These trucks were larger than the one that Lily and Autumn had departed in so that they could carry more combatants at once. Once everyone was in, the trucks drove off. As they drove, Colby's thoughts shifted again not just toward his friends who were being held prisoner in the base, but also toward Lily and Autumn, who had ventured in to save them. He hoped they'd survive. His thoughts also turned toward Deegan Garrick, the traitor who was surely in the base plotting his next atrocity. He'd made up his mind to kill Deegan to avenge his father, but not before the wretch told him about this "Queen" that this "W" had mentioned in his or her letter to Councilman Winfield. If this "Queen" person was such a "great evil" as Theodore said and had connections to both the White Fang and the Vacuo Council, then she was most likely connected to the Fall somehow. Once Beacon was rebuilt, he swore he would go after her.
A few hours later, the transports would arrive a few miles out from the base. The huntsmen and huntresses all got out, and lined up in an attack formation. Those with melee-focused weapons stood in front, while those who preferred more range-based combat hung around the back. Before getting in formation, Colby asked Professor Theodore if he could do something before the battle began.
"Well of course you can!" Theodore said before going to the front to address the army. "Our friend Colby Castanho has some things to say before the battle begins!" he said to everyone.
Colby walked up to the front. "Huntsmen and huntresses of Vacuo," he said as he began to speak. "If there's one thing I've learned during my time here in this kingdom, it's that you all are living proof that the White Fang is wrong about humans and faunus. Never before have I encountered a group of people so willing to come together despite their differences and work toward the common goal of attaining justice and safety for their kingdoms, and indeed all of Remnant. Now, we will prove our righteousness once more by saving our friends, and removing the hateful White Fang from our land. Do not fear their numbers! We huntsmen and huntresses are unbeatable when we work together. So long as we fight together for the common good of our world, victory will always be ours!"
The members of the army all raised their weapons and cheered at this.
"To victory!" Colby shouted as he drew his axes and charged off into battle. Everyone followed after him, eager to drive the White Fang out of their land and seize victory.
Inside the base…
While the army was getting into formation and preparing to attack, Lily and Autumn were inside the base and on their way to the prison section of the base where their friends were being held. As they walked through the halls, they went past several male and female faunus all dressed in the traditional White Fang uniform. Even after all the trouble they'd caused, Lily couldn't help but take pity on them. She wondered what kind of lies they'd been told and what kind of abuses they'd suffered at the hands of humans that would lead them to join the terrorists. They approached the door to the prison section, which was guarded by two male faunus.
"You don't have clearance to go in there," one of them said. "You should turn around."
"I thought you might say that," Lily replied with a grin behind her mask. "Did the boss tell you that there was some Papa Jaune's Pizza in the breakroom? You should go get some before it's all gone."
"PAPA JAUNE'S PIZZA?!" the guard shouted in response. "I gotta get some! Come on!" he and the other guard ran back toward the breakroom, leaving the door unguarded.
"Hahahahaha," Lily laughed. "Idiots."
The two girls went through the door and encountered a dimly lit stairway with concrete walls. They walked down the stairs, and when they reached the bottom they encountered a jail-like area with cells all over the place. Looking around, the two faunus girls saw some familiar faces. They had found their friends.
Lily and Autumn looked around and saw that there were no other White Fang members around. They removed their masks.
"Everyone, we're here to rescue you!" Lily announced. "We're Lily and Autumn from Team COAL of Beacon!"
"Lily?! Autumn?!" shouted a familiar voice. It belonged to Brick, the leader of Team BRWN. "You came all this way to save us?! Where are your teammates?!"
"They're with the main unit, which should be storming the gates of this fortress any moment now. We got Shade Academy to help us."
"Shade Academy has my thanks. But to unlock our cells, you'll need to use that computer over there. You'll need the password."
"Where will we get that?" asked Autumn.
"One of the guards might have it on them. See if you can beat it out of one of them. I saw one of the guards go to the bathroom a while ago. See if he knows it."
"Will do," Lily said as she and Autumn headed toward the bathroom. The White Fang grunt inside had left the door unlocked, and the two girls crept open the door to find the faunus washing his hands with his back turned toward them. Wasting no time, Autumn grabbed the man from behind and flipped him onto the ground. She wrapped her hands around his throat.
"Wha- who the hell are you?!" he asked.
"Tell me the password to unlock the cells," Autumn said threateningly. "Now." She tightened her grip.
"Okay, okay! Don't hurt me! The password is 'teamcoalmustdiepainfully!' small caps, one word!"
"Thank you," Autumn said before delivering a knockout punch. She and Lily moved his body back into the bathroom and closed the door.
"If they have a password like that, they must consider us a threat," Lily said smugly. "Let's see if it works." She and Autumn walked toward the computer and typed in the password, "teamcoalmustdiepainfully" in one word with small caps. The computer accepted the password, and the screen displayed a number of options. Lily selected "unlock all cells," and all the cell doors came open. The students all came out. They looked tired, hungry, and scared, but very much alive.
"Now, we need to raid the armory," Lily explained. "Does anyone know where it is?"
"It's out that door at the far right end of the hallway," Brick explained. "And before we go, I must tell you that the White Fang are plotting something that will be catastrophic for the whole kingdom of Vacuo."
"What is it?" asked Autumn.
"There's no time. I'll explain later. But we'll need to talk as soon as the battle is over."
"Okay, let's go!" Lily said as she and Autumn led the students out of the prison section. Alarms were going off in the hallway, but there were no White Fang in sight. They would hear the reason why on the speakers a few moments later.
"Our base is under attack!" shouted a voice over the loudspeaker. "Huntsmen and huntresses are outside our walls! All troops, respond!"
"That's the main unit!" Lily said happily. "Colby's doing his job well. Let's keep going to the armory!"
They ran down the hallway to the armory. There were a few White Fang grunts that they encountered along the way, but the grunts were quickly and easily overwhelmed by the sheer number of students. Their bullets did little other than lightly damage a few students' auras.
On the front lines…
The huntsmen and huntresses who charged in were met with heavy machine gun fire from the turrets on the walls. Ouranos fired his rocket launcher at one of these turrets, destroying it. The other huntsmen and huntresses opened fire with their guns, killing the White Fang grunts who were manning the machine guns. With another rocket, Ouranos blew a hole in the wall that allowed the army in. The other students who used explosive weapons blew similar holes in the wall, and the army started rushing in. Inside the wall, the White Fang engaged them in close-quarters combat with various weapons such as swords and spears while others shot at them from behind cover. The grunts were easy to take down individually, but no one on Team COAL or on any other team in the unit had dealt with this many in one place before. They were everywhere, some in the open fighting up close and others shooting from behind crates or from atop the roof. This was going to be a difficult battle.
Colby put his weapons in gun mode and fired a bullet at each of two White Fang grunts who were shooting at him from behind two different crates. They were both hit and fell to the ground. While he kept shooting at other enemies, Ouranos, Irving, and Tsukiko were fighting against three White Fang lieutenants up close. These lieutenants all had long glaives and were holding their own against their opponents and appeared to have fought their opponents down to a stalemate. As per Professor Theodore's orders, Tsukiko did not use her Maiden powers. The moon activated her semblance and made her a bit faster and stronger, but her opponent was still managing to hold her off.
Naseem was behind cover with Oakley and Ray watching this scene take place. He wanted to help, but the Fang were providing some brutal suppressing fire that kept him from being able to assist. "Could you do something about those shooters?!" he asked his two teammates.
"On it, partner!" Oakley shouted cheerfully before emerging from cover and activating her semblance. What happened next took place over a few short seconds for everyone else, but a good ten seconds for Oakley as she aimed her pistols at just the right spots and opened fire, bringing them down. She then deactivated her semblance, returning her perception of time to normal.
"Yeehaw! I got em!" she shouted triumphantly. "Go help our friends, partner!" Naseem drew his weapon and charged forth to assist his allies. He helped Irving first, kicking the lieutenant who was fighting him to the ground and then knocking him out with a well-placed punch. Irving then threw a blue-colored golf ball into the air and whacked it toward the lieutenant who was fighting Tsukiko. The girl jumped out of the way in time to avoid being caught in the ball's area of effect, but the ball landed near the feet of the lieutenant and froze him in place. Once that was done, Tsukiko ran over and hit Ouranos' opponent from behind, knocking him out. The faunus fell to the ground, unconscious.
All around them, the members of Theodore's army were still exchanging gunshots. The huntsmen and huntresses were gaining ground, but the Fang dug in and fought as hard as they could. Both sides were taking casualties, but the Fang suffered more.
Inside the base…
The students all raided the armory, making quick work of any White Fang grunts in it and grabbing as many weapons as they could carry. The armory wasn't located far from the army's entry point, and the students could hear the sounds of battle from inside the base.
"Let's go help our friends!" Lily called out. "We're not far from their point of entry! If we bust out from this part of the base, we can flank them!"
"Alright, let's do this!" Autumn shouted.
Lily loaded her bow with an explosive arrow, took aim at a nearby wall, and let the arrow fly. It blew a huge hole in the wall through which the students poured into the area where the main unit was fighting and opened fire with the guns they had grabbed from the armory. They flanked the White Fang troops, many of whom were shot and fell dead to the ground. Those who survived fled into the base. The huntsmen and huntresses all cheered.
"So you're the students that Team COAL came so far to save?" Professor Theodore asked with a smile.
"Professor Theodore!" Brick shouted as he approached. "I have something very important to tell you!"
"Not now, boy!" Theodore replied. "We have a battle to win! Any who wish to help us finish off the Vacuo chapter of the White Fang, come with us!"
Practically everyone chose to continue fighting, and the huntsmen and huntresses all stormed into the base. The hallways were filled with White Fang grunts. They fired at the advancing army and fought back with all they had, but they were no match for their far more skilled opponents. Before long, the huntsmen and huntresses came across a larger room with machine gun turrets in their path, several barriers set up for the Fang to take cover, and flights of stairs leading to the upper levels of the complex. The turrets, however, were easily destroyed with the use of some grenades that the students had stolen from the armory. As Team COAL pushed into the room with the other huntsmen and huntresses, they saw a familiar face in the crowd of White Fang soldiers. They spotted a white-haired polar bear faunus wearing a blue variant of the White Fang uniform.
"Polaris!" Colby shouted as he put his axes in gun mode and fired a few shots at the polar bear faunus, who ran out of the way and retreated up a nearby flight of steps.
"My teammates and I will deal with him!" Colby called out to his allies. "You all press the attack on this floor!"
"Understood!" Irving called out. Colby and his teammates pursued Polaris up the stairs. A few White Fang soldiers came out to stop them, but they were quickly defeated when Team COAL deflected their bullets back at them. The hallways were like a twisted maze that seemed to go on forever, but the team eventually pursued Polaris to what appeared to be a meeting room. It was an office-like space with a large table in the middle of it and glass windows providing a clear view of the outside of the base. Polaris was standing in front of the table with his iron claws drawn and was flanked by two White Fang lieutenants who each held large, two-handed swords.
"So you made it," Polaris said, seeming genuinely surprised. "I'm impressed." He turned toward Lily. "It's a shame you decided to waste your talents fighting for the humans, Lily. But it's not too late. You can join us and bring the humans to justice. You and your faunus friend over there." He pointed to Autumn.
"I think not," Lily replied. "It's my friendship and teamwork with the humans that has made me so strong, and indeed all of Vacuo has become strong because its humans and faunus are able to put aside their differences to fight for what really matters. And I hate to burst your bubble, but even if I did join you it'd make no difference at this point. I estimate a 100% probability that this fortress will fall. This is the end for the Vacuo chapter of the White Fang."
"You're wrong, Lily. You may have taken this base, but the White Fang are one step ahead of you. We have one final trick up our sleeves, one that will be the end of this wretched kingdom. But you won't live long enough to know what it is. I'm only telling you this so that you'll die knowing that you failed," he said with a wicked smile.
"Enough!" Lily shouted. "Time to end this!" She drew her bow and fired an arrow at the polar bear faunus, who knocked it out of the air with one of his iron claws. The two lieutenants charged forward, swinging their swords at Autumn and Ouranos. The two blocked the incoming attacks, and continued to swing at their opponents.
Lily, meanwhile, charged at Polaris with her knife drawn. Colby followed with his tomahawks drawn. Lily slashed her knife at the polar bear faunus, who jumped backward before jumping over Colby and attempting to strike at him from behind. Colby then turned around and blocked the attack before it could hit. Colby kicked him down to the floor, but he rolled out of the way and got back up before Colby could hit him. Lily attempted to shoot the polar bear faunus with another arrow, but Polaris jumped out of the way and allowed it to hit the wall instead.
Polaris then turned his attention to Lily, whom he swiped both of his claws at. She ducked under them and attempted to hit him with an uppercut, but he jumped back. Then, Colby fired a few more shots at him with his weapon's gun forms. Although Polaris deflected these shots, Lily managed to get a good hit on him with her knife, slashing it across his chest and weakening his aura. While he was stunned from this, Lily kicked him to the ground.
"You can't win, Polaris," she said. "But it's not too late to undo the damage you've done."
"Enough!" Polaris shouted as he got back up and slashed at Lily one more time. While he was focused on trying to bring Lily down, Colby was standing to Polaris's right. He shot the polar bear faunus in the leg with one of his revolvers, causing him to fall to the floor in pain. At around this time, Autumn and Ouranos defeated the two lieutenants. The lieutenants fell to the floor, dead.
"Polaris," Lily begged. "Please, stop this madness. "Look at everything the people of Vacuo accomplished when we put aside our differences and decided to fight together for the common good. If humans and faunus are going to build a better world, we're going to have to learn to stop fighting each other like this. Shade's victory tonight proves it." She extended her hand to Polaris. "What do you say?"
Polaris thought about her words for a bit, and then grabbed Lily's hand. "You're right," he said. "This fighting is pointless. I have now seen firsthand what humans and faunus can accomplish when they work together. It is only by doing so that we can build a better Remnant." He grabbed Lily's hand, and the fox faunus pulled him up.
"We'll need that strength for the battle ahead," the polar bear faunus continued. "The White Fang have created a weapon that can destroy all of Vacuo. They call it the-"
Just then, a gunshot rang out. A bullet hit Polaris in the back of the head, killing him instantly. His body fell to the floor, and blood gushed out of his wound.
"POLARIS!" Lily shouted in horror.
Standing in the doorway on the side of the room opposite from the one that COAL entered through was none other than Deegan Garrick with a pistol in his right hand. He had a smug grin on his face.
"MURDERER!" Colby shouted furiously as he charged at the snake faunus in a fit of rage with his two axes drawn. Deegan just fired another bullet at him, which hit him in the chest and caused him to fall to the floor. His aura protected him, but the bullet still hurt.
"Fools," Deegan said smugly. "You'll never find our ultimate weapon. I congratulate you for making it this far, but I'm afraid it's all been in vain. Your city is already lost."
Colby climbed back to his feet. "You fiend," he said angrily. "Why would you destroy an entire kingdom? What would you gain from that, other than pissing off the remaining kingdoms more than the Fang already has? How many lives will you throw away for the sake of power?"
"As many as I need to," the snake faunus replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
"We know you don't care about the White Fang or its cause," Colby said accusingly. "We know you're just a sleeper agent for this "Queen" person. Now who is she? Why are you working with her?"
Deegan's face twisted into a wicked smile. "Ah, so you've figured that out. The Grimm have a leader, a being that they all answer to. Her name is Salem."
Colby's eyes widened at this. "The Grimm have a queen?!" he asked in shock.
"Yes. She is the most powerful being in all of Remnant. True power lies with her, not the puny huntsmen or the pathetic White Fang."
"So this is the 'great evil' that Professor Theodore spoke of," Colby thought to himself. "You sold out your team and all of humankind and faunuskind to serve the leader of the creatures of darkness that plague our world?"
"Yes," the snake faunus replied with no hint of shame whatsoever. "I fight for whoever's the strongest, and that happens to be Salem. And the White Fang's plan to destroy Vacuo was her plan all along. Everything from the bombing of Shade to the murder of Gallus Flavius was her doing. I'm telling you this because your kingdom is already doomed. No one can stop Salem!"
"We'll see about that!" Colby shouted angrily.
"Fight all you want, but Vacuo's fate is already sealed. You're too late." Just then, everyone heard the roar of an airship's engines. Looking outside, they saw that there was one just out the window. Deegan kicked open the window and jumped into the airship. "Goodbye, Castanho!" he shouted as the airship flew off into the night.
"This isn't over, traitor!" Colby shouted angrily as Deegan escaped. "We've got to find out where that airship went!" he said as he turned toward his teammates.
"Brick said that the White Fang were plotting something that would be catastrophic for Vacuo," Lily said. "We should talk to him."
"Brick survived?" Colby asked. "Good. I knew he would. Let's go ask him what's going on. He may be able to help us save this kingdom."
The four of them went back downstairs to find that the facility had fallen entirely under the control of the huntsmen. After looking around for a while, they found Brick in the crowd of Beacon and Shade students.
"I'm so glad you're alive, Brick," Colby said happily when he saw his friend.
"And I you, Colby. You truly are an exceptional huntsman."
"Tell me something I don't know. Like what the White Fang are plotting. One of their leaders said they had a weapon that would destroy Vacuo."
"Yes, that is indeed the case. You see, the White Fang used me and the other prisoners as slaves to mine dust, uranium, iron, and other materials to help build their ultimate weapon, the Wormwood Cannon."
"What's that?"
"It's an enormous cannon that can fire dust missiles over vast distances. Could you pull up a map of Vacuo on your scroll?"
Colby pulled out his scroll and did what Brick said.
"The cannon is located at the tip of the peninsula to the southwest," Brick explained as he pointed to the peninsula in the soutwesternmost region of Vacuo. You have to destroy it. They're going to load it with a fire dust missile that can destroy an entire city. If they fire it, millions will die."
"We won't let that happen," Colby said defiantly. "We'll destroy that weapon and save this city, you'll see."
"Good luck," said Brick. "I know you can do it!"
Just then, Tsukiko came forth out of the crowd. "Colby?" she said. "There's someone here who wants to see you." Behind her was a man who looked a bit similar to Colby. He had short, dark hair, a mustache, and a slightly muscular build. He looked tired and hungry, but Colby recognized him immediately as his long-lost father, Corbin Castanho.
"DAD!" Colby shouted as he rushed toward the man and hugged him as hard as he could. "You're alive! I can't believe it!" Tears were welling up in his eyes.
"Yes, indeed," Corbin replied. "I am so proud of you, son. You've grown so much. Who'd have thought that my little boy would become so strong and be able to rally a whole huntsman school."
"Deegan said he'd killed you," Colby said as he let go.
"That was a lie. He sold me and my other two teammates out to the White Fang." He gestured toward two other men beside him. "We've been their prisoners for the past five years now."
"And they forced you to help build that giant cannon?"
"Yes, they did. If they aren't stopped, Vacuo will be obliterated."
"We won't let that happen, dad," Colby replied bravely. "We'll save this kingdom."
"I know you will, son," Corbin said as he hugged his son another time. "Now go show that bastard Deegan what happens when you mess with the Castanhos."
"Will do, dad." Colby and his teammates went with Tsukiko to explain the situation to Professor Theodore.
"Yes, this is indeed a grave threat to our city," Professor Theodore said when he learned of the Wormwood Cannon. Go destroy this weapon. The rest of us will head back to Vacuo to evacuate the city."
"I'll go with them," Tsukiko said. "They're going to need my Maiden powers."
"We'll go too," Irving said as he and his teammates approached. "We'll be with team COAL until the end, win or lose."
"Thanks, Irving," said Colby. "But we'll need to get there quickly. We don't know how long we have until they fire that cannon."
"There are airships parked outside," Theodore said. "You can use one of those."
"But I don't know how to fly one."
"I know someone who does," Theodore said with a smile. "Caelius! Get over here!"
A huntsman walked up. He was tall, muscular, and blond. "I'm Caelius. I served in the Atlesian military for over a decade before coming to Vacuo, and I know how to fly an airship. I'll fly you and your friends to the target so you can destroy it."
"Excellent," Colby said. "Let's go!"
"Good luck, Gray Lightning!" Theodore shouted with a smile. "I know we can count on you!"
Colby and his allies went out toward the base's airfield, where the airships were parked. Looking around, they noticed that there was a disproportionately high number of White Fang bodies scattered around compared to those of the huntsmen and huntresses. It had been an easy victory.
Once everyone climbed into one of the airships and took off, their thoughts shifted toward their goal: to destroy this Wormwood Cannon and save Vacuo. In addition, Colby would slay Deegan Garrick and avenge everyone who had died because of his actions and those of his Queen, Salem. Then he could focus on rebuilding Beacon and with it, the future of Vale.