CELEBRATING 100 FOLLOWERS! WOOOOOO! PARTY! MILESTONE! WOO!
Hello there people of the internet, welcome back for the 44th chapter of The Darkling Thrush! I'm sorry that this chapter is coming in a bit late, there's been some major shake ups in my schedule, which has made writing for fun increasingly more difficult.
But, that's alright now, new chapter!
As always, I'd like to thank those who left a review last chapter. Thank You noone297, jin0uga, Baoh joestar, Archilean, ZHsteven, Clockwork Giant and VergilXSparda! It's reading what you all have to say that makes writing worth it.
Things to discuss? I see my take of Emerald has been controversial. I don't have any plans for an Emerald and Mercury redemption arc. As soon as this arc is finished, this story will focus primarily on plot points established in previous arcs and resolve those. So, sorry.
And, In regards to the fates of The Iron Nail and Pangolin, I'm one of those believers in 'they're alive until you show me a body'. So, good chance he's still kicking for that rematch.
Further notes down below! Now on with the show!
XLIV
The Fall of Vale: Part 4
With howling winds and exploding cannons, puffs of dissipating black smoke and screeching creatures of nightmare, Dove streaked through the sky. Even in the face of tragedy, nothing could suppress the childish grin on his face. Up here amongst the clouds Dove's laughter was uncontained. Where winged demons thought themselves unmatched and conquered instruments of widespread devastation were peerless, there was Dove. Armed only with his sword, a fresh semblance, and the determination to see the night through to the end.
Dove shouted at the top of his lungs, crying out a taunt to any nearby Grimm that dared to strike down upon the people Vale. Here was there in the skies, amongst beasts who for too long had moved unchecked, unchallenged. And yet there he was, right beside them, meeting them in a place where no man or woman had gone before.
Tilting his weight to his left, Dove made a wide turn, flying over a murder of Griffons. By their flight path, the young man suspected they aimed to bombard Beacon and the valiant students that made their stand at Main Avenue. So he took a deep breath and flew down. Extending his sword forward, Dove rammed it through the Griffon at the front. The Grimm let out a sharp shriek in response, spinning its body in an effort to throw loose whatever had pierced through its skin.
Giving way to the force of momentum, Dove kicked himself free of the Griffon, withdrawing his sword in the processes, and flew at the closest adjacent Grimm. He then proceeded to slow himself, letting the Griffon fly past him before finally thrusting his blade downward and impaling it in the Grimm's back. Another shrill shriek pierced the air around them, but Dove preserved and reached for the trigger of his weapons secondary function. Before the Griffon could attempt to shake Dove off, a pair of dust rounds shot out of the underslung revolver attached to Dove's sword, completely ripping through the beast.
With a dying cry, the Griffon began to plummet downward. Dove removed his sword and launched into the air once more, throwing himself at another Griffon. But now the reaming Grimm had caught wind to his presence and averted their attention away from the school and to Dove. The wounded Alpha Griffon spun around in the air, letting out a blood curdling screech in an effort to instill a measure of fear in Dove's heart.
But Dove scoffed, not all impressed. Up here amongst the clouds he and the Griffons were on an even playing field. Where they could swoop down and tear at a stationary target, Dove could weave through the air alongside them and outmaneuver them with his slim body. So Dove shot forward, his sword extended forth and trained on the lead Griffon. The Alpha then met Dove's challenge, flapping its wings and flew forward.
The inevitable head on collision ended with Dove thrusting his blade forward, impaling it through its armored forehead and then driving it through the rest of its body as he kept flying on. The Alpha then fell, its body splitting, coming undone, before finally bursting into black dust and scattering to the wind. With the Alpha dealt with, Dove then spun around, heading the threat of Griffon screams. What remained of the murder converged on Dove, but he remained undeterred.
So Dove shot forward once more aiming his sword at the heart of the encroaching Griffons. He slammed down hard on the trigger of his revolver, shooting out a trio of dust rounds that ripped through a pair of Grimm. The pair of Griffons fell, but the others continued forward, not at all dissuaded. But still Dove remained resolute and cried out bloody murder before engaging the Griffons head on.
Slamming his blade into a screaming Griffon, Dove ripped the blade through its wide open beak, cutting through its cheek. Another Griffon aimed to swipe him from the left, but Dove saw it coming. He reached out and grabbed the maimed Griffon by the back of its head and flung himself over it while at the same time throwing it in the path of its attacking compatriot. The two Griffons violently crashed into each other. Dove spun his sword in his hands and struck at the neck of another Griffon, cutting its head clean off.
The bodies of Griffons rained from the sky as Dove embraced a new form of acrobatics. Free from the restrictions of gravity, he spun pas the Grimm, cutting them with his sword and shooting them with his gun and all they could do was lift up their stubby little claws to defend themselves. The apex predators of the sky now became the prey as Dove established his supremacy, gliding through the sky once more and thrusting his sword into the back of another Griffon. It wailed and cried out in pain, but it fell on deaf ears as Dove slammed down the trigger of his weapon, blasting into its back until it exploded into black dust.
Though out of breath, Dove cracked a proud smile as the last of the murder of Griffons fell. He floated, drifting for a moment, as her regained his faculties and comprehension of his state of being. He broke out into a fit of laughter, having not even realized he'd been upside down. But then something odd caught Dove's eye. Unable to make heads or tails of some far off object from his current vantage point, the CRDL boy reoriented himself. With the blood no longer crashing down on his head, his vision cleared and Dove could fully see the object that caught his eye: a woman with half pink and half brown hair, wearing a similarly colored jacket and bottom, slowly descending to the ground below through the use of a parasol.
"Huh." Dove muttered as he stared in confusion, watching the woman's slow descent. "What a strange day." He mused.
Before Dove could speed off to the woman's aid, a sniper round whizzed by, nearly blasting through his head. Glancing upward, Dove stared in disbelief as Ruby Rose rode her sniper-scythe Crescent Rose like a pogo stick while the Atlesian Flagship nosedived behind her. "Oh crap." He murmured as he watched the crashing ship gain on Ruby. At its current speed and Ruby's attempts to delay her descent the warship would no doubt crash into her like a car hitting a fly on a highway.
So Dove blasted upward, racing to catch Ruby and push out of harm's way. His approach went unnoticed, easily overlooked by Ruby who was too busy preoccupied with masterminding her great escape from the Atlesian Flagship's path. But before the ship could collide with Ruby, Dove swooped by, catching the crimson reaper and flying off.
"Dove?!" Ruby exclaimed in surprise.
"Hey Ruby." He greeted the RWBY leader as he flew them out of the ill-fated ship's path. "Don't worry, I've got you."
"You've got me?" Ruby questioned in confusion. She then looked around Dove, finding no means of propulsion or anything to explain his flying. "Who's got you?!"
"Turns out I could fly." Dove shrugged as shifted his weight, veering to the left and heading north. "Crazy, huh?"
"Wait, where are we going?" Ruby asked, looking over Dove's shoulder and seeing Beacon miniaturize as the distance between themselves and the school increase.
"I'm getting you out of here." Dove simply said. "We've got a safe zone established on the edge of the city."
"No, no!" She began to protest. "We need to get to Beacon! Everyone needs our help!"
"I'd argue with you, but the whole city needs our help Ruby." Dove nodded to buildings below, where men, women and children all huddled on rooftops holding out flares and with flags, shining the lights from torches all in an effort to get the attention of some Airship for rescue. "Our fellow students can handle everything on the ground, I'm more worried about what's up here with us in the skies." He said, casting a glance at some dark winged figure gliding through a far off fog bank over Mt. Glenn.
"Then at least drop me off at Beacon!" Ruby pleaded. "I can do more good there than sitting around at some safe zone."
"Ugh." Dove groaned. He acknowledged Ruby's case, they were Huntsmen and she was perhaps the greatest sharpshooter he knew. To Ruby at the safe zone was to deprive the people of Vale a considerable asset, one that could save more lives. So Dove conceded to Ruby and shifted his weight, making a wide turn through the air and heading back to Beacon Academy.
In the wake of Amity's collision with the surface of Vale, Russel was throw down the empty street by the resulting shockwave. Skidding across the pavement, Russel finally came to halt by slamming against the back of a parked minivan. He then fell back onto the concrete, the rear windshield gave way and rained glass down upon the Thrush.
Silently cursing, Russel combed his right hand through his hair, brushing pieces of windshield out of his mohawk. Next, he took flicking shards off his person and the tri-horned damaged shoulder pad. Russel took to inspecting the piece of protective gear, noting the metal spikes were all but gone. Two of them were messily stumps, showing obvious signs of breakage, probably lost when he'd rammed into the Ursa prior, or perhaps bashed off by one of The Iron Nail's mighty blows. And then there was the shoulder pad itself that Russel had to asses.
Upon closer inspection, Russel discovered a bullet lodged in the armor with tiny cracks surrounding it. Russel had to think for a moment, recalling when exactly it was he'd been shot, eventually recalling the moment he'd been flung off his feet by a White Fang soldier after messing up his surprise ambush. He honestly didn't know what had happened at that moment, he didn't even see the gun get fired. Russel was too fixated on The Iron Nail to consider his allies. But, if there was any consolation, it was that his one flimsy piece of protective gear had taken the brunt of the attack.
He reached for one of his daggers, clasped to the belt around his waist and unhooked it. He raised the weapon's blade and wedged its edge against the shoulder pad, before driving it in and using it to pry the bullet out. With an audible 'pop', the bullet jumped out, skittering onto the pavement, and along with it, an entire section of the shoulder pad.
Russel sighed at the sight of half his single piece of protective armor laying in the street beside him, in the gutter atop of glass. He tapped the back of his head against the minivan's bumper and glanced up at the sky, up at the smoke clouds and Grimm, and up at the faraway stars. He breathed an exhausted sigh and closed his eyes. He drifted back to the first time he'd ever really seen the sky of Vale, when he'd first bothered to look up away from the city lights. When he'd waited by his dorm room window and just stared up at the peaceful sky that looked down over this wonderful city he adored.
It seemed to as if it were so long ago, but it hadn't been. It hasn't even been a year since he'd left Oakwood. And it hasn't even been two hours since all this madness kicked off. And all the while, Russel lay while others gave their lives for the city they loved more than he and people they didn't know. So, with a scoff, he opened his eyes and with his left hand, unclasped his shoulder pad's strap for the last time. What remained of his armor fell to the floor while Russel rose.
Hearing the sounds of nearby violence, Russel set off to do all that he could do for the city he loved and for the people who resided in it. Such as any other Huntsman, Russel walked forth to lend his aid wherever it was needed. And so through the empty streets of the residential district he found himself, following desperate grunts and Grimm wails.
Turning a corner, the Thrush found a horde of Grimm and the remnants of the residential evacuation effort fighting for their lives. Amongst fallen Huntsmen, Police officers and civilians alike, Russel found Cardin at the heart of the mess. So without further delay, Russel threw himself into the fray.
"Russel!" Cardin shouted in surprise, catching sight of his mohawk sporting partner rushing into the conflict from the corner of his eye. "Where the hell did you come from?" He questioned before bashing his mace against a Beowulf's, raining the Grimm's jagged fangs across the street. "You look like crap."
"Eh, I feel like crap too." Russel shrugged.
"You two kids can catch up later! Focus on the battle!" A greying dark haired man wearing a red tattered cloak shouted angrily at the pair of CRDL boys while he copped a nearby Grimm's head off with his sword.
Seeing no point in arguing with the man, Russel ran past Cardin and charged an attacking Beowulf, tackling it to the ground. As the pair began to struggle for dominance, Cardin suddenly spun around, bringing his mace down on the Beowulf's head, splitting it in two. The Beowulf then exploded into dust all around Russel, leaving the Thrush in a coughing fit.
Before he could tend to Russel, Cardin caught a miniature Ursa flanking him from the side. He then spun around and bashed it with his mace, activating the magma dust crystal within and completely obliterating the Grimm. The CRDL leader couldn't help but smirk, feeling some sort of satisfaction from the kill. As he recalled, he'd almost been killed by an Ursa back in the Emerald Forest. In a way, Cardin had finally found retribution for the attempt on his life.
Cardin then turned to extend his hand to Russel, who greatly accepted his aid. With little effort, Cardin pulled Russel back onto his feet. "I hate it when they explode too." Cardin laughed before patting the still coughing Russel on the back.
"Yeah, what a bunch of assholes." Russel coughed. Cardin and Russel then turned to aid the senior Huntsman, only to halt at the sounds of metallic footsteps colliding with concrete. "Why're the robots aiming at us?" He asked, pointing to a pair of Atlesian Knights emerging from a nearby alley, their guns leveled at the CRDL boys.
Already familiar with the mechanized soldier's rogue actions, Cardin took up arms and prepared to strike at the robots before they could get a shot before Cardin could act, a pair of gunshots rang out loudly, causing the Winchester to freeze up. Before him, the pair of Knights lay on the ground, smoke emanating from their face plates. Both Cardin and Russel then turned around, and to their surprise, they found a shirtless General Ironwood standing there in all his half cyborg glory, holding a smoking gun.
"Mr. Winchester." Ironwood nodded at Cardin. "The area's secure." He spoke aloud as he surveyed the area, spotting Goodwitch finishing the last of the Grimm. "Our next order of business should be-" He paused, catching sight of the graying huntsmen glaring daggers at him. Recognizing the deathly expression the man wore on his face, General Ironwood threw his hands up in defense. "Qrow! This isn't my doing!" He shouted.
But it appeared as if Qrow didn't care, reaching for his weapon and changing it into its second configuration, a scythe. He then dashed past Russel and Cardin, reeling back to swing. Ironwood then reached back for his revolver in order to defend himself. But instead of lunging at the General as Ironwood expected, Qrow leapt upward past him, swinging his weapon at an incoming Griffon, carving the blade through the Grimm's neck, beheading it.
"You idiot." Qrow scoffed in a teasing manner. "I know you didn't do this."
"So what now?" Cardin asked, gesturing to the empty street. "Like you said, General, the areas secure. Where should we head next?"
As if to answer Cardin's question, a nearby storefront with televisions buzzed to life, catching the assembled group's attention. And much to their horror, the televisions began to depict live footage of Atlesian Knights gunning down defenseless civilians.
"No…" Ironwood gasped. "It's just like earlier, in Amity, they've commandeered the broadcasts."
"Except this time, instead of some harpy ranting about her political views, she's forcing the world to watch Atlas' finest slaughter the good people of Vale." Qrow growled lowly, barely able to contain his anger.
"We need to commandeer that broadcast." Ironwood declared, earning a number of confused looks. The good General then turned to answer their unasked questions. "There's a communication blackout in effect. That broadcast is live, we can use it to get word out to the other kingdoms of what's actually happening here in Vale."
"In other words, you want to tell the world Atlas isn't at fault for all the dead. I'm right, aren't I Jimmy?" Qrow snidely remarked.
"Atlas isn't at fault, Qrow. It's whoever took over my ship."
"Hey Cardin." Russel pointed at a charred building in the corner of the screen. "Does that look familiar to you?"
Cardin stepped forward, getting a closer look at the building. He had to squint to discern location. "The Memoria Night Club." He glared. "They're right across the damn street. Videotaping atop an office building." Realizing the location of the broadcast, he then turned to face the good General and his Professor. "General Ironwood, Professor Goodwitch, I would like to volunteer my services."
"For what, Mr. Winchester?" Ironwood raised a brow.
"Like you said, we need to commandeer that broadcast, and I know where they're at." Cardin jotted a thumb over his shoulder at the television screen.
"Mr. Winchester, what you're volunteering for is dangerous." Professor Goodwitch spoke in concern, viewing Cardin not as an equal, but as one of her students. "There's no telling what or who's behind the camera. You're still a first year student, you're too ill prepared for this."
"Don't worry, Professor, he won't be going alone." Russel said stepping forward.
"That's a nice sentiment, kid. But like Goodwitch said, you guys don't know squat." Qrow remarked as he reached into his coat and pulled out a flask. "There's too much uncertainty." He said before opening the container and taking a sip of its contents.
"This isn't up for debate, old guy." Russel sneered. "The whole cities under siege and you three got better things to do. Cardin and I can handle getting in front of a camera." He said before turning to walk off.
"We'll get it done." Cardin assured the trio before running off to join Russel.
"Good luck boys." Goodwitch said as she, Ironwood and Qrow watched Cardin and Russel race off for the merchant district.
"Did that punk just call me old?" Qrow questioned, a look of disbelief on his face.
"Heh." Ironwood couldn't help but chuckle.
"What's so funny, Jimmy?" He glared at the Atlesian General.
"Nothing, no, it's just Mr. Thrush reminds me a little of you, old guy." Ironwood smirked. "On too other business, I need to get to my ship." But out in the distance, an eerie whistling noise caught the trio's ear. They all turned to look up in the sky, and to Ironwood's dismay, they found the Atlesian Flagship hurdling towards the ground.
"Well, at least you won't have to walk far." Qrow laughed.
Beneath Beacon Tower, Pyrrha found herself in the familiar confines of an elevator, descending downward to the vault below. Just like before, the ride to the bottom was filled with an unsettling silence. But unlike before, there were three less bodies to occupy the claustrophobic space. So Pyrrha stood far away from Ozpin, and stood as far away as she could from Jaune, practically taking a corner for herself.
Though she had accepted her fate, to become something that others needed her to be, Pyrrha still felt uneasy. She couldn't look Ozpin in the eye. A man she'd revered due to his occupation as the Headmaster of Beacon, she now felt something akin to disgust. And Jaune, simply stood by, too focused on the elevator key pad, watching as the digital display rapidly flew by, showing the number of floors they passed before they reached their final destination. And Pyrrha herself couldn't help it as her eyes lingered to that mute display, as if she were watching a clock count down in reverse.
The elevator soon began to slow, the trio had reached their destination. The elevator doors opened and out stepped Ozpin with his cane. Jaune was the next to depart, leaving Pyrrha alone in the elevator for a moment longer. She glanced at the control panel, at those holographic floor buttons. The temptation to hit one and depart was great, but Pyrrha was too overwhelmed by this duty, this responsibility that had been entrusted to her, she couldn't turn back now. So, reluctantly, she stepped out of the elevator, the doors closing behind her.
"What is this place?" Jaune asked, staring wide eyed at the enormous room filled with diverging pathways.
"It's... a type of vault." Pyrrha answered,
"You've... been here before?" The blond knight asked cautiously. But Pyrrha didn't answer his query, she merely turned away, unable to face him. "What would this school need to... hide?"
Jaune sared wide eyed at the comatose Amber, a flurry of questions running through his head, all vying for a way to be expressed. But all the knight could do was stumble over his words. "What? Who?" He frantically gestured to the dying Fall Maiden.
"Jaune..." But there was no time for Pyrrha to explain. "Pyrrha! Get to the pods!" Ozpin shouted from where he stood by the machine's control panel. Heading the Headmaster's call, Pyrrha quickly did as she was instructed and jogged to the machine. She reached out for the vacant pod beside Amber's and pulled down on a latch, prying it open. And Pyrrha lingered for a moment, staring into the metal tube, knowing fully well that should she get in, she would never be the same.
Catching sight of Pyrrha's hesitant eyes, Ozpin looked to Jaune. "Mister Arc, if you'd like to help, you can stand guard here." He said, doing his best not to raise his voice.
The JNPR leader looked to the Headmaster and then back to Pyrrha, watching as she slowly pulled herself into the machine. He then departed back down the path they;d arrived, glancing over his shoulder once to see Pyrrha climb into the pod and the old Headmaster type away on the machine's hologram keyboard in front of him. Still plagued with a myriad of questions, Jaune couldn't help but stand at his post halfheartedly.
"Are you ready?" Ozpin asked, looking past the control panel to Pyrrha resting inside her pod. "I... I need to hear you say it." He said, sounding remorseful.
Pyrrha stared out of the pod, out to Jaune standing out in the hall. She placed a hand on the pod's view port, as if she were attempting to reach out to the blonde knight.
"Thank you, Miss Nikos." Ozpin spoke quietly. With a regretful sigh, the old Headmaster then reached over and punched in the machine's activation sequence. The pod in which Amber lay raised up into the air and began to glow orange, her eyelids fluttering before finally opening slightly, revealing glowing white irises hidden beneath.
Down a tube connecting both pods, the orange glow traveled, funneling into the pod Pyrrha resided in. Pyrrha's pod then raised into the air alongside Amber's, and she too began to glow orange, as if she were being consumed by it. Pyrrha didn't know how to describe the sensations she felt, there were no words to express how she felt. For a moment it felt as if this orange energy wrapped around her like the softest silk blanket the world had ever known. But then, what felt like pleasure turned to pain, as the energy began to dig into her very being, down into her soul. And all Pyrrha could do was scream in agony.
Hearing Pyrrha's screams, Jaune came running. "Pyrrha!" He shouted, quickly leaving his post and arriving back by the machine. He looked back and forth from Pyrrha to Amber before setting his gaze on Ozpin. "What's happening?!" He panicked.
But Ozpin couldn't even face the blonde knight. He just stared, teary eyed at the young woman willing to give up her life for the sake of humanity. "I'm... so sorry."
Before Jaune could question The Headmaster any further, an arrow cut through the air around the pair, piercing through the glass of Amber's pod, striking the Fall Maiden in the chest. The woman in the pod gasped, as if the shock of her fresh wound had awakened her from her coma, all while the machine began beeping an and Jaune turned and were welcomed by the sight of Cinder standing halfway down the corridor from them, an obsidian bow in her hand. Cinder lowered the bow, a tiny smirk creeping across her face.
Amber's struggle to breathe soon filled the room, even over the sounds of the alarm, both Ozpin and Jaune were forced to listen to the woman as she died in her pod until, finally, all breath left her. One quick glance back over their shoulder confirmed this, as they found Amber's eyes drifting closed, and her head leaning to the side, her whole body gone limp.
The green flames that eminated throughout the torches that littered the vault suddenly snuffed out. The alarm died out, replaced by the sound of Pyrrha frantically beating her fists against the glass of her pod filled the room. The orange energy receded, leaving Pyrrha and traveling back through the tubes into energy then burst out of the woman, shattering the glass in its way, and flowing out into the room.
The energy then encircled Cinder before finally entering the woman. Now glowing, Cinder began to float, gain long trails of flame around her eyes with orange energy swirling around her. Beats even harder on the glass, Pyrrha was forced to watch as Jaune rose his sword and charged toward Cinder.
"No!" Ozpin reached out to stop the boy's charge but failed. With the flick of her wrist, Cinder conjured a fireball. She then flung the blooming fire at Jaune, who rose his shield to block. Though he was successful, the force behind the blast proved too much and threw the JNPR leader back, skidding across the green floor.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha frantically shouted. She then pressed her hands against the pod and activated her semblance of polarity. Pyrrha then ripped the pod's door off its hinges and stepped out. She held the door in midair for a moment, long enough to get Cinder in her sights before throwing it at the woman. But the energy swirling around Cinder began to intensify and she simply reached out and smacked the door aside.
Watching as Cinder descended to the floor, Pyrrha called to her weapon and shield with the power of her semblance and began to charge forward. However, Ozpin puts his arm out, stopping her.
"Take Jaune and get out of here!" Ozpin shouted, a look of fear gracing his face. "Find Glynda! Ironwood! Qrow!Bring them here right away! The tower cannot fall!"
"But I can help." Pyrrha began to protest.
Slowly, the old Headmaster turned his head to stare Pyrrha in the eyes. "You'll only get in the way."
Hesitating for a moment, Pyrrha looked from Ozpin, to Cinder and then to Jaune who struggled to his feet. Biting her lip, Pyrrha conceded to Ozpin's wishes and ran off to pick Jaune off the ground. Now with her two feet firmly planted onto the floor once more, Cinder cocked her head over her shoulder to watch the pair of Jaune and Pyrrha flee, the glow of the swirling orange energy, and the flames around her eyes all disappearing. She then turned her attention back to Ozpin, her eyes still glowing for a moment.
"This whole time... right beneath our feet." She gestured upward, no doubt referring to the building resting over their heads. "She was right about you." She glared as Ozpin turn his cane in his grip, ready for their bout. "Such arrogance."
Sneaking through back alleyways and creeping through shadows, both Russel and Cardin put in a great deal of effort to avoid confrontation with any roaming Grimm on their journey to the merchant district. Over the sounds of ships crashing into buildings and Grim running rampant through the nearby streets, the duo found themselves cautiously crossing the open street and making their way to a familiar alley.
While taking point, Russel ran down the alley, only to stop in his tracks at the sight of a body lying limp in a pile of trash. "Aw shit." He frowned.
"What, what's going on?" Cardin asked as low as a whisper as he checked their backsides in case of a Grimm ambush.
"It's Kevin." Russel sighed as he pointed to the pile of garbage. Amongst the black bags of trash rested the body of the infamous Kevin, whom both Russel and Cardin, as well as many other Beacon students had gone to in search of many items such as fake IDs, fireworks, kegs and even the day to day even schedule of one mob boss' son.
"God damn…" Cardin muttered as he turned to gaze upon Kevin's bludgeoned body. The pair remained still, hanging their heads low out of respect in a moment of silence for their deceased supplier. With the moment passing, Russel turned to continue forward, while Cardin remained. "We can't just leave him here." He said quietly.
Russel stopped in his tracks once more. "We can't bring him with us and we can't burry him." He sighed. "That's the reality of the situation, the city's fucked and we can't do jack shit for anyone. All we can do is save who we can."
"It just doesn't seem right." Cardin said, turning to Russel. "All these people dead. And for what?"
Russel paused for a moment, to think over the question. In truth, he was stumped. How could anyone justify a slaughter of this magnitude? "I don't know, Cardin." He spoke honestly. "We'd better get moving, it's a little ways from here."
"Yeah, okay." Cardin nodded before the pair set off once again. But Cardin couldn't help but spare one last glance, back to Kevin. He sighed, regretful that he couldn't do anything more for the man.
One after the other, Russel and Cardin exited the alley and continued on their trek to their destination. As they drew closer and closer to the remnants of the Memoria nightclub, they discovered what remained of brave officers and off duty huntsmen, attempting to make a final stand at the center of the street. There was no telling how many Grimm fell by their hands before they were eventually overwhelmed. Due to the Grimm's nature of never leaving bodies, they were treated to the demoralizing image of a crushed resistance. Spent shotgun shells and wrecked guns littered the street, as did the men and women who once held them.
"We'll avenge them." Cardin declared in passing as they continued on. "We'll avenge them all."
Continuing on through ruined streets, they finally reached their destination. Following their estimation from where the footage was taken, Russel and Cardin turned their attention to a seemingly abandoned office building directly adjacent from the burnt down Memoria nightclub. Barging their way into the building by knocking down the door, they quickly took to racing up the stairs.
After climbing twenty flights of stairs, the pair of reached the roof access. Before continuing on, they paused, seeking to catch their breath and prepare themselves for the showdown about to take place.
"Hey, Russel." Cardin looked to Russel, speaking quietly, lest whoever waited beyond those doors become aware of their presence.
"Hm?" Russel turned to face Cardin as he anxiously gripped onto the handles of his daggers.
"We're walking into Oum knows what. We're probably about to face whoever masterminded all of this madness. And, I just wanted you to know, before anything kicks off, I've got your back." He said extending his hand out to Russel. "And I hope you've got mine too."
Russel stared at the gesture for a moment before chuckling quietly. "Well, we aren't hitting up another nightclub and punching out a mob boss this time, so, we'll see what happens." He said, causing both to burst out laughing. "Yeah, but real talk. We sure as shit didn't start off on the right foot back when all this started, but there ain't another person I trust to walk into a fight with other than you." Russel said before extending his own hand and shaking Cardin's.
"Thanks, Russel. I mean that, you're my best friend." Cardin smiled, proud to call the man standing beside him friend. "There really isn't anyone else I'd picture jumping into hell with."
"Alright, now c'mon," He raised his daggers. "Let's go kick some ass." He nodded at the door.
Cardin smirked and raised his mace. "With pleasure." He said before turning and kicking the rooftop access door off its hinges. With the door open, both Russel and Cardin raced onto the rooftop, weapons drawn.
Slowly, Emerald and Mercury glanced over their shoulders, finding Russel and Cardin standing there. "Oh, look who it is." Emerald smirked. "I was wondering if someone would show up. I was starting to feel a little disappointed."
"You?" Cardin gasped, genuinely surprised. "You're behind this?"
"I wouldn't say 'behind', more like, 'taking part'." Mercury shrugged as he continued to film nearby civilians get torn apart by Grimm.
"Mercury." Russel glared. "You look fine for a man who had his leg blown out."
"What can I say? You should've trusted Yang." Mercury scoffed. He then spun around from the edge of the building, bringing with him his scroll. He pointed the camera at the duo and all over the world, television screens were filled with the images of Cardin and Russel glaring at the pair. "Anything you'd like to say to the world?" He asked tauntingly. But before either CRDL boy could act, Mercury snapped his scroll in half. "Oops, butter fingers." He smirked before tossing what remained of his scroll over the side of the roof. "How clumsy of me."
"You'll never get away with this." Cardin gritted through his teeth as he took a step forward.
"But we already have." Emerald laughed mockingly, gesturing to the city behind her. "And we did it right under your noses too." She turned her gaze to Russel. "You must really hate yourselves about now." She laughed as she discretely drew her pair of weapons.
"Heh." Russel sneered. "Come on then, the both of you." And then they leapt at each other.
Originally, Dove was going to fight a nevermore in this chapter. But I scrapped that. A neat little reference I threw in, when Dove catches Ruby, the following exchange mirrors that of Superman catching Lois Lane in the 1978 film. It's the little things, you know?
I tried to show more of Pyrrha's reluctance in this chapter, to meet this responsibility that's been thrusted onto her. There's no question that she's willing to do whatever is required of her, she's just not 100% onboard with it. So, I hope I succeeded in that.
One of the biggest things I've strived to achieve is to craft Russel and Cardin's friendship. It's by far one of the most important aspects of the entire story. It wasn't not too long ago when they met at odds and now here, it's really come to a head where they're practically brothers now. And I think that's important going forward.
That's pretty much it. Next chapter: Russel and Cardin v. Emerald and Mercury. I can safely say the next chapter will be the longest yet.
Next update will take a while, no more than two weeks. 'Til next time! Later days!