Alright so glad that you guys enjoyed the little teaser I had from before but here's the real chapter 14.
Oh man you guys, I CANNOT WAIT FOR INFINITY WAR.
I am losing my fucking mind over here cause holy hell in a hand basket, the hype surrounding that movie is mind and body numbingly insane to the point of transcendence of the physical realm. And I'm rambling here once again due to my crazy hype. URGH JUST COME OUT ALREADY.
So I've been having multiple discussions on several key aspects that will come into play in my story later on and my comrade BulletStormX has helped me out a great deal with a certain element that will single handedly change a great deal of things to come in the story. This was planned from the get go but I needed something specifically to help me in this twist and thanks to my comrade Bullet Storm I now have what I need. Bullet Club 4 Life everyone.
Now that I have finished my praise of my comrade, let us get on with the show and oh MAN you guys are gonna love this one
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day
Avenging Remnant Chapter 14: You've reached your crossroads here
"How long has he been here?" Watts asked Hazel, the two men idly observing their newest acquisition lay waste to a bunch of Grimm
It was carnage to say the very least as the man did not hold back in his newfound strength complimented by his natural skill.
The man was at the peak form of the human physical condition which was a truly impressive feat in it of itself as he had demonstrated the capability of handling Grimm with his own natural prowess.
He had also inadvertently called upon his aura when a Grimm managed to get through his defenses for a moment.
Since then his skin had considerably paled, with black veins along the left side of his face neck and shoulder.
"He's been at this for a week now" Hazel commented "No training necessary, he beat back Tyrian with a great deal of savagery. Catching a trained individual like Callows off guard is no easy feat, as you and I have seen. Were it not for his aura, Tyrian may as well have died under the man's fists"
"I still cannot comprehend how our queen brought forth such a brute"
"Brute you say?" Hazel eyed the well mustached man "This man is far from a brute. His fighting style, posture, demeanor. They all scream of that of a trained killer. This man is anything but a brute. He could be the equalizer we need in the coming months"
"How did she bring him forth?" Watts asked with intrigue "All she told us was she used an ancient spell and quite literally pieced him back together"
"Black magic" Hazel grunted "Used to bring forth beings from worlds unseen, the dead and worse"
"What could be worse, I wonder?" Watts mused, idly observing the individual quite literally ram his gauntlet encased fist into the head of an Ursa.
Gruesome one might say but effective nonetheless.
The man examined his gauntlet before letting out a huff of satisfaction.
"Are you done making mincemeat out of my creations?" A dry feminine voice said from behind
"I don't know" The man said with a growly voice "Are you done keeping me cooped up in this shithole long enough to tell me just how in the hell I'm here?"
The man gave her an aggravated glare while Salem only deadpanned him, clearly unimpressed by his disrespect towards her.
Salem simply held out her hand, conjuring forth a Grimm Seer from the ground with black tendrils.
"Tell me something" Salem said, an image swirling within the orb "Do these individuals mean anything to you?"
The man's eyes widened a great deal, with a fire of pure fury alighting behind them. His rage was so prevalent that his aura flared up in an explosive manner, making Salem quirk her brow at the reaction.
"I see that not only do you know them…" Salem started but the individual cut her off
"I'm gonna need a few things" He said in complete deadly seriousness "Some equipment, better than the crap I got on me right now"
"What do you need?" Salem asked
"I got a few schematics up in here" The man stated, tapping his temple "Where's that science guy with the mustache, think he's up for a challenge?"
"I'll summon him here immediately" Salem said "But I do wish to know. What is you history with these…Avengers"
"Let's just say I owe them a lot of pain they've caused me" The man said, his black Grimm veins pulsating momentarily "I guess I should be thanking you then. Don't know what the fuck you did to me but since I get to do this, I owe you a lot"
"Your life will do" Salem said despondently "After all, I did bring you back"
"Yeah" The man nodded, not objecting at all "That you did"
"Try not to squander your life this time" Salem said "I went through quite the ordeal to bring me back"
"Yeah, clearly" the man remarked, gesturing to his paling skin, black veins, black sclera and red pupils
Watts up above in the observatory with Hazel only huffed at the blatant disregard this man held towards Salem.
"Let him be, Watts" Hazel said calmly "Our queen summoned him to serve her purpose so it would be best to acquiesce to what must be done for him for the time being"
"What if he's not worth all the trouble?" Watts said
"Then we dispose of him personally" Hazel said like it was obvious
Watts only 'hmphed', leaving the stoic man to meet with the killer below on what it is that he wants him to do. He was paying attention to the conversation after all.
Scene cut one week later
Beacon Academy
Sam Wilson was sitting alone in a three man office that Ozpin had bestowed to him and the other Avengers since they will soon be taking up teaching roles within Beacon. He was reading up on the ups and downs, the ins and outs of being a teacher.
Whilst it will not be full time come the start of the next semester, once the next one begins, they will be professors/teachers in their own right and help aid the younger generation into becoming the future protectors of Remnant.
And the next semester starts next week.
Where he's not gonna be dealing with soldiers or veterans
He and the other Avengers will be dealing with teenagers. Hormonally charged, super powered teenagers.
Groaning to himself, Sam tossed his scroll down and ran his hands down his face, groaning some more in false pain.
"Easy there Sam" Said a familiar voice from behind "Sounds like you ran about 13 miles"
"It was 15 this time Cap" Sam said in good humor "All within my head which is ten times worse"
"Really?" Cap said, clearly amused "And why is that?"
"I'm really starting to regret forcing this idea on you of being a teacher" Sam said, resting his forehead against the table "Cause I realized to late that that meant all of us and we would also be involved in this"
"Well teaching is prestigious honor that many aspire to" Steve said gallantly
"Except we're not just teaching anybody" Sam said, raising his head up to face Cap "We're teaching kids Cap, and not just any kids. Teenagers. Hormone induced, teenagers who also have freaky powers and can more than likely have a freak out against us"
"You worked at the VA with veterans" Steve pointed out
"Those were soldiers Steve" Sam deadpanned "Our types of people, easier to relate to and help"
"Maybe" Steve said with a shrug "We'll find out when we give it a try"
"I'm probably gonna regret it"
"Hey if you can handle and help out veterans with their own problems, I think you'll do fine with a couple of teens" Steve assured his close friend "If anything, we'll sick the others on them. Clint and Scott are fathers so they already have mileage in comparison to us and Wanda and Pietro are young enough to have some relatability to the students"
"I guess" Sam scratched his chin absentmindedly "Here's to hoping we don't fail spectacularly"
"Could be worse" Steve said, moving to leave
"How?" Sam challenged jokingly "How could it be worse?"
Steve opened his mouth to answer before shutting it promptly.
"You know what, I'm gonna keep that one to myself for now"
"Ok, now I really wanna know" Sam egged on
"My lips are sealed" Steve went off
"Yeah well say his to Glynda for me then"
"Hilarious" Steve dryly said with Sam chortling
"I'd rather you not do what Nat did for weeks on end"
"What, leave you all alone in the world with nobody?"
"How can I be alone when I'm stuck with you?"
"It's more like I'm stuck with you. Do you know how many decades of baggage you have on you that drags down my game?"
"You didn't seem to mind with the front desk lady at the VA"
"Which I thank you for, but that was a one-off"
"Whatever you say wingman"
"Oh now that's just cold"
Scene cut
Watts watched with narrowed eyes of suspicion towards the man that Salem had summoned from her ritual.
This person was currently overlooking the body suit that Watts had delivered to him that was built by Doctor Tes.
He pumped both hands and the his impact gauntlets surrounded his fists. With a pleased nod, he checked to see if the blades he had asked for were installed as well and was satisfied to see two pop out on each gauntlet.
He recalled the knives and then lifted up the helm that he had requested. It was a simple one, pitch black with shades covering the eyes.
Wordlessly, he picked up a spray can of white paint and carefully sprayed out a pattern onto the helmet without going over the eyes.
"May I ask what is the meaning behind that?" Watts spoke up
"When they see they'll know" Was all he said "Where's that scorpion freak show? Still sulking about after I kicked his ass?"
"He's out on a mission right now" Watts informed "Why?"
"When he comes back he's coming with me" He stated firmly, beginning to outfit himself in his new suit "Already tired of being cooped up in this shithole and I need to stretch my legs out"
Watts only bristled at this man's attitude, finding it more and more grating with every passing day. He just knew there was a lot about the man he did not like.
In many ways, he reminded him of Tyrian with his ruthless edge and capabilities. Yet his constant disregard and disrespect towards the Queen Salem was really beginning to anger him.
"You would do yourself a service in showing the queen some courtesy" Watts said bitingly "Judging from your previous conversations, she gave you a second lease on life with the addition of your new capabilities"
"Oh Yeah?" the man said challengingly, setting the helm down "And what if I told you that I don't give two shits about what you have to say or believe in with that old hag"
"That old hag went through a great ordeal bringing you here" Watts said snipped
"Do I look like I really give a shit about that?" the man gestured to himself "I was ready to die last time and I'm pretty damn sure that I did. No, I did die. I got ripped apart only to pulled back together with some black shit in me now. The only reason I'm doing anything for her is cause I got a chance at payback now"
"So you have a history with these Avengers" Watts said, now intrigued
"Something like that, yeah. Mainly with flyboy and blue boy scout"
"Hmph, were it not for your character I would wish you the best of luck in your endeavor for your revenge"
"Don't need that shit. Just gonna go out there and kill those bastards no questions asked"
The man was now fully geared up and slipped on the helmet to now display a more intimidating visage.
"Now point me in the direction I need to go in"
"Pray tell, how do you intend on gaining their attention"
The man let out a sinister chuckle.
"That's an easy one" He stated "Heroes and their bleeding hearts"
Scene Cut Several Days later
Steve kept striking the reinforced hanging body bag with his intensity rising after every strike.
Sweat dripped and poured out from the super soldier in his unrelenting training session, switching up to a flurry of kicks that connected with echoing snaps within the gym.
Growling in challenge to himself, Steve stepped back before hitting a jumping knee strike followed by a roundhouse kick to finish off his workout and the body bag as it was utterly ripped from its metal hinges.
The bag flew back and banged into the wall, leaving some cracks in after falling to the wall.
Steve leaned on his knees, taking in deep breaths feeling his heart rate slow back down to normal.
Moving over to grab his bottle of water, he heard a tired sigh and a flick of a crop.
In mere seconds the wall was crack-free and the punching bag was back on its metal hook no worse for wear.
"Am I going to have to make sure that I'm always present for your 'training sessions' to clean up after you?" Glynda irked "I'd rather not come to this room every time see something shattered or destroyed"
Steve had the decency to look sheepish.
"Well, I have been keeping it a bare minimum" Steve said good naturedly
Glynda gave the man a withering stare "And three times a week is the bare minimum? I understand you value keeping yourself in shape but how does once in a year sound?"
"I'll try to curb my enthusiasm" Steve said with wit
Glynda stared until she relented with a huffing chuckle. She did a small service to Steve in completely drying him.
"That still amazes me" Steve said with appreciation "Thanks"
"No need for thanks" Glynda said, a joking grin appearing "It was mostly for me anyway. That pure smell is a bit too much for me"
"It's not that bad" Steve argued back with humor
"You'd rather not know the truth behind that" Glynda remarked making Steve give her a faux scowl
Amused by his behavior, the two walked side by side as they left the gym.
"I hope you have been reading over everything I have sent you" Glynda asked, idly checking over her scroll
"Most of it, yeah" Steve nodded "The others are as well. Pietro finished first obviously, but he did that just to show off"
"There's one in every group" Glynda said
"In ours there was one to many" Steve snorted "Then again, I've been guilty of it once or twice"
"At least you're no longer a dancing monkey" Glynda said
Steve smirked as he did shudder from his memories as a travelling stage act during world war 2.
"Those were strange days for sure" Steve said, the two entering the faculties lounge "Feels like a lifetime ago if I'm being honest"
Glynda gave Steve a slight sympathetic glance, taking a seat in a chair at the center table of the room.
Steve sat beside her, bringing up his own scroll.
The two sat there in comfortable silence, occasionally making small talk or comments with one another. Glynda was reviewing some grades over the summer assignment while Steve continued to study up on the multiple students in this academy, the history and formulate his own ideas on teaching.
'Still can't believe I got roped into that one' Steve internally mused
Their time alone ended upon the arrival of Hawkeye in gym pants and shirt, looking a bit winded.
"What happened to you?" Steve asked curiously
"Pietro" Was Clint's reply
"Ah" Steve gave an understanding nod, knowing how Pietro and Clint always pushed each others buttons in ways that only they understood how.
"Mr. Barton" Glynda greeted cordially
"No need for that Mr. stuff Glynda" Clint waved off "Pretty sure we're all past that point"
Glynda paused momentarily before conceding to Clint's logic with a nod.
"Very well Clint" Glynda said "I hope your training wasn't as destructive as Steve's was"
Clint collapsed into a chair, wiping his brow off with his towel on his neck.
"Just had to remind Pietro that he may be fast but he doesn't have eyes like mine" Clint bragged, looking to Steve "Still reading up?"
"Wondering just what exactly could we contribute to the academy" Steve said, a bit frustrated at the topic "Oobleck does history, Port has Grimm studies, Glynda has combat…what could we do?"
"Scotts actually considering focusing specifically on mechanics and weapons study" Clint said with a shrug "Which makes sense if you think about it. He's got a masters in engineering, Got the hang of the tech here after studying it and if I think about it…"
Clint turned to Glynda "Does this place have a mechanics teacher?"
Glynda furrowed her brows, surprised at that aspect of this school
"In all honesty, no" Glynda said thoughtfully "Which is a surprise all things considered. You'd think we'd have something like that in a school for Huntsmen and Huntresses"
"That never came to mind?" Steve said with genuine surprise
"No" Glynda actually felt a little embarrassed at her answer
"Well, there's a first time for everything" Clint said "And looks like Scotts gonna be the guy"
"I think that's a good idea" Glynda nodded, impressed with Clint's observation and quick solution to this unseen conundrum
"What did the students do before if their weapons were damaged?" Steve inquired
"They usually went down to Vale and paid the smith shops to have their weapons and equipment fixed" Glynda blinked "But now I think we may be putting a great deal of people out of business"
Clint laughed at that thought, waving his hand assuredly
"Don't worry, we'll figure something out" Clint said "It won't be as bad as you think"
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the faculty room door opening. In came Sam, Pietro and Ozpin.
"Hey guys" Sam greeted, the group now seating themselves around the table "Mind if we join you?"
"Well you already sat down without asking" Clint stated
"Oz, what brings you here?" Glynda asked the headmaster who was over by the small kitchen area of the room, sifting through the cupboards
"It appears that I am running low on my coffee beans in my own office" Oz said casually plucking out his favorite brand "Luckily, I always have stashes all across the school"
Glynda only rolled her eyes at the man's inhuman obsession with that coffee.
"Why do you always drink that stuff Oz?" Steve asked
"I am curious about it too" Sam said "All I ever see you drink is that coffee. Must be something special"
"Then I shall make an extra-large pot for us" Oz said with a slight cheer, getting to work on it
Goodwitch only looked to Sam with slight annoyance at encouraging Oz's coffee obsession to spread to others.
Pietro in the meantime sat at the couch, turning on the tv. He began flicking through the channels to see if anything interesting was on.
"Where's your sister and Amber?" Clint asked
Pietro shrugged
"I think they either went to see what Scott was up to or to the Sanctum" Pietro vaguely answered "Or they went to take a shower after training"
"Hmmm" Clint hummed
"So what are you all up to if you don't mind me asking?" Ozpin inquired, setting down empty mugs in front of Steve, Clint and Sam, returning to the coffee machine
"Just discussing class ideas" Steve said, leaning back into his chair to relax a bit more
"My suggestion is still on the table Steve" Sam said knowingly making Steve roll his eyes in amusement
"Not sure that would fly with Glynda here" Steve said gesturing to the confused witch
"Oh? And what would that be?" Oz asked with interest
"Ultimate fighting" Sam said with a shrug earning a right straight deadpan from one Glynda Goodwitch making Sam and Steve share a laugh
"That's the exact face you said she'd make" Sam said with a mirthful chuckle
"Clearly" Glynda said, half-irritated yet also half-amused
In the background, Pietro's flipping through channels and what they had on made ambient noise making the room slightly more livelier.
"There are other things you could try" Sam said to his friend
"Really?" Steve said, quirking a brow "What would that be?"
"Stage theater" Sam said, grinning madly at Steve's face fell into one of clear rejection of the idea
This of course garnered a boisterous laugh out of Clint and Pietro, a chuckle out of Oz and one that nearly made Steve slump over in defeat, a small giggle from Glynda.
"With the newest I-Scroll 7, now with clear HD camera and video features"
"You could try other subjects" Ozpin suggested, bringing over the ready pot of coffee
"Like what?" Steve asked in a challenging manner
"Well, what else are you good at other than heroics?" Oz asked
"Kicking, punching, Frisbee" Sam listed down "Running, especially running and making sure that you're aware of it"
"Gym teacher?" Clint threw out, though there was glint in his eye
"All New Dust ointment, the efficient way of getting rid of those wrinkles"
Steve blanched at that thought and deftly shook his head.
"No thank you" Steve said as politely as he could force out "I've already done my fair share of that"
"Now I really want to know" Oz said with a joking grin
"Believe me, my patience was tested to the limit with those videos" Steve said with a slight groan
"Maybe arts and crafts" Glynda threw out there, making everyone turn to her
Glynda ignored their stares, focusing on Steve instead "You did go to an arts school beforehand and have shown me exceptional illustrations"
"That actually sounds like a grand idea" Oz said, surprisingly really into the idea "After all, the great war was fought for the belief of arts and self-expression"
"…Coming up, the newest trailer for Spruce Willis's new fil….We interrupt your daily scheduled programming to bring you this newsflash…"
"You know, that actually sounds like something you could pull off" Sam said, actually picturing Steve in a classroom doing just that "So long as you do it in your uniform"
"No" Steve deadpanned "And if we're going in that path, I'll make sure to use your wingsuit as my canvas"
"Still, that does sound like fun all things considered" Clint stated "I mean, it could be like a little side lesson for anyone interested"
"…Now have confirmed that these recent string of bombings are not linked to any known terrorist organizations such as the Cleansers nor the White Fang, this is a separate figure…"
"Guys" Pietro said aloud, tone clearly conveying alarm
His eyes were laser focused on the screen, using his arms to gesture for the others to come watch now.
Clearly startled by Pietro's serious expression, they obliged and gathered around the couch to watch the newsflash on the television. There stood the news reporter Lisa Lavender, standing in front of a destroyed Dust Shop.
"As you can see the wreckage of the establishment behind me, at first one may assume several situations that may have occurred here" Lisa spoke professionally "Perhaps a bombing by the White Fang, a Dust explosion that one did not foresee, the generator in the basement overheating. However in light of recent security footage captured by the store owner who miraculously survived with his life has revealed to us that this is the works of an independent man who has now been spotted in several locations, Twin oaks village, Vale, Patch, each with the same incentive. I would like to advice caution to the viewers, some of this footage can be disturbing"
What followed was a brief montage of the same set of events being played out in separate shops and areas.
A man clad in a black body suit and enhanced tech wearing a helmet with a type of skull spray painted over the helm barging into the public areas. It cut over the fact that an unfortunate number of people died from this man's hand.
One was very disturbing, with the site of the attacker holding a blacksmith up by the neck. Though the sound was static like, the words spoken were still heard well enough.
"Why..Urk, Why are you doing this?!" The poor blacksmith choked out, struggling to free himself of the madman's grip
The man held the blacksmiths face close to his own with a barely heard statement.
"It's a message"
The screen cut back to a clearly disgruntled Lavender as she herself found the footage a bit too much.
"Local police officer had also noted of a strange marking carved into the walls of the structures"
What they saw deeply alarmed the Avengers.
It was a rugged carving of their signature emblem, the large A, with an x-slash over it.
"What the hell is this?" Sam said, troubled "That's our logo"
"One we haven't necessarily made public" Clint pointed out
"We haven't even used it since we got here" Sam added "Cap even removed the logo from both shoulders"
The room went silent.
"So then…" Glynda broke it "…Who could this possibly be? He clearly knows you, doesn't he?"
"He sent us a message" Steve spoke in grave seriousness "I think it's pretty obvious that this is someone from our universe. Someone who knows us personally"
"But who could that be?" Pietro asked in bewilderment "Most of our enemies are either dead, missing or imprisoned"
"Could it be someone else?" Oz ventured, eyes wary "Someone who comes from your universe who? You stated originally that one individual contributed to the dismemberment of the Avengers"
"Last we checked, Zemo was still being kept in Vienna" Sam stated "I think King T'challa last told us of this"
"But who knows how much time has elapsed from the perspective of your universe" Glynda pointed out "Perhaps that aspect flows differently"
The Avengers actually did not consider this and it was easy to tell as their expressions basically told the whole story.
"We need to get out there" Steve said sternly "Investigate the areas, see what else we could find"
"I'll notify the others" Pietro said, running out of the room already
"Maybe we could discern something from the footage as well" Ozpin said
"I'll do it" Clint said
"Give us the coordinate of each attack" Steve said "We'll split up into groups, investigate each one"
"Glynda, I would like you to accompany them as well" Ozpin said "Since one of the areas was Patch, Qrow shall be informed of your arrival as he is more than aware of the bombings occurring on the same island of Signal"
Scene cut
Steve, Glynda and Qrow were currently within the rubble of the once small forge shop that stood here
Clint had taken Pietro and Amber with him to the Twin Oaks village while Scott and Wanda were led by Sam at the Vale end.
Steve was currently crouched down in front of the head sized, slashed insignia of the Avengers.
Behind was Glynda who was speaking with the authorities while Qrow was looking around the area himself.
He had called out from Signal without hesitation as this was WAY too close to home for him. His old friend and teammate along with his two beloved nieces lived on this island and he'd be damned if some terrorist son of a bitch was going to destroy the relatively peaceful island.
Taiyang insisted on coming but Qrow simply reminded him on making sure he was home to keep Ruby and Yang safe. That shut the blond man up and he conceded with Qrow's words.
Steve had his hand glide over the deep gash on the wall.
His helm was on but his expression was grim and clear.
Standing up, Steve momentarily glanced back, seeing a small crowd at the barricade set up by the police.
Moving through the wreckage, Steve stepped out in front to examine the surrounding area. There were scorch marks and other debris littering the area but nothing else was damaged as badly.
This was a concentrated blast.
But still, what was the point of all this?
During their quick rundown of this mission, they had discovered that these bombings had taken over the course of five days in rapid succession. He wondered if this bomber was not as independent as the media portrayed him as.
To hop around that quickly in such short periods of time while manageable, greatly off put the super soldier.
Whoever this was clearly had some type of help in one way shape or form.
"Steve"
Cap turned back to see Qrow approaching him.
"Find anything?" Steve asked
"Nothing" Qrow said, arms crossed "Wasn't really expecting to. Just was hoping that maybe the lunatic was still around the area"
"He's probably long gone by this point" Steve said, looking over to see Glynda do some small services in repairing a few areas that were easy to do so.
"What the hell was the point of all this?" Qrow said in annoyance "To call you guys out? To 'send a message'? What?"
"Honestly" Steve's eyes narrowed, overlooking the rooftops of some of the other areas "I'd like to find that out myself"
THUNK
Steve snapped his head back to his shield on his back and saw something was attached to it. Something that was ticking down.
With lightning reflexes, Steve threw his shield up in the air just in time as the bomb blew up.
People screamed in panic at the sudden explosion while Steve had the freakiest sense of Deja-Vu.
Snapping around, Steve felt the wing get knocked right out from him by an emphatic boot to the chest.
"C'mere you son of a bitch" His assailant roared out, stomping right towards him.
He didn't get very far as Qrow jumped in to intercept him but this man proved faster as he grabbed the man by his collar and threw him into the destroyed store.
Steve was already back on his feet, eyes wide in complete shock. He did have the where with all to shout out to the crowd.
"CLEAR THE AREA NOW" Steve said as the man clad in black moved to attack.
"I've been waiting for this" the man yelled in manic glee, swinging his fist at Rogers who parried the strike, trying to get some space between himself and the man he could only guess as…
"Rumlow?" Steve said whispered in stunned disbelief
"That's Crossbones to you" Brock Rumlow said with venom slapping a circular pad on his shoulder, calling for a familiar set of armor from when Steve last encountered his old enemy.
Crossbones held up both his hands and cocked his fists, his gauntlets at the ready for Steve.
What Cap also noticed was Rumlow's legs gained an additional set of armor as well.
"Let's go you son of a bitch" Brock roared, charging right at Steve who returned in kind.
Both pivoted their heads to the side as their fists sailed past one another.
They both attempted to knee one another which stopped short as they both struck their opposites knee.
Crossbones changed it up by switching into a boxing stance, swinging with precision at Steve who blocked every strike, grunting back the pain.
Steve countered with his own string of attacks, kicking the side of Rumlow's stomach followed by a swinging elbow to the face with a bicycle kick to the chest.
Brock stumbled back, giving Steve some breathing room and the chance to see that his shield was resting several yards behind Rumlow.
Gritting his teeth, Steve ran at full speed towards Rumlow who held up one of his gauntlets, his other hand turning a dial.
Steve blinked in stunned silence, reflexively rolling out of the way of a grenade Brock fired at him.
The blast radius however proved to be a lot bigger than Steve had expected, sending him flying in the air.
Thankfully though, Rogers was stopped in midair thanks to Glynda who had returned from helping the police clear the area of civilians.
She glared spitefully at Crossbones who barely regarded her with any interest. Brocks own instincts then kicked in as he ducked in time from what would have been a decapitating scythe slash.
Qrow skidded to a stop beside Steve, holding out a disk like object for Steve.
The super soldiers blinked to see that Qrow went to retrieve his shield for him and gave the Huntsmen a grateful nod as he now had his signature weapon back.
"Steve, who the hell is this kook?" Qrow said, eyes narrowed at the dangerous individual.
"Brock Rumlow" Steve announced, stunning the two. They both looked back and forth between Rogers and Rumlow, trying to figure out just how this was possible.
"Brock Rumlow?" Glynda whispered "The one who called himself Crossbones and committed suicide just to try to kill you?!"
"The very same" Steve said evenly, not taking his eyes off of him
"How in the fuck is he alive?" Qrow asked "Can't exactly survive a suicide bombing
"Oh" Rumlow called out tauntingly "You wanna know the secret to my second chance eh?"
Crossbones proceeded to remove his helmet before them
What they saw was slightly terrifying to say the least. The burnt visage of his face remained but on top of that was the fact that his face was now turning into a shade of ghostly white with black pulsing veins on the left of his face with his left eyes being black and red.
"See this" Rumlow had a deadly smile while trailing his hand over the black veins "This is my new lease on life. I'm pretty sure I was dead but now I'm here and I got a second chance. One I'm not gonna fuck up"
"Salem" Glynda murmured
"Oh so you know that raggedy bitch to huh?" Rumlow said tauntingly, slipped his helmet back on "Yeah, some voodoo mystic bullshit and bam, here I am back amongst the living and my chance to finish what I started"
"In case you haven't notice asshole, you're outnumbered" Qrow remarked, twirling his scythe around
Instead of verbally answering back, Crossbones wordlessly held up his left hand with his suit retracting to display his bare hand with the same black veins. With his right, a blade shot out from the gauntlet and he casually cut his hand open, allowing a black viscous to drip out from his palm.
With morbid and trepid fascination, they watched as the black substance hit the ground and spread out slowly.
Their fascination turned into abject horror as the substance bubbled and grew into the form of a dozen Grimm, all of which were large Beringels.
"Neat new trick on top of my new life" Brock smugly declared, hand healing up with his suit reforming around it.
"That's just fucking ridiculous"
The Beringels all roared at them, charging forward.
"Qrow, Glynda" Steve called out "Take on the Grimm, I'll take care of Rumlow. I'm the one he's after"
"Are you sure about that Steve?" Glynda asked in concern
"No time for that" Qrow yelled out as the Grimm closed in on them
Spinning his scythe rapidly, Qrow swatted aside several of the Beringels. He slid his grip down to the end and with a wide arching swing upward, split a Beringels head down the middle. Not done with his attack, Qrow continued his wide swing by impaling it upon the back of one of the Grimm he deflected. The blade was stuck deep inside the back of the Beringel as it roared out in pain.
Qrow cared little as he swung the beast on his weapon with all his might, flinging it at the other Beringel that first attacked him.
Glynda flicked her crop in the face of an unfortunate Beringel, sending it flying back.
Her face was masked with a cold, concentrated fury as she walked forward to engage the Grimm that now were a threat to the town.
They needed to end this quickly otherwise, these Grimm will undoubtedly attract more and she was not gonna let that happen.
Steve in the meantime was running forward to engage with Crossbones who more than happily obliged.
The two met head on with Steve immediately using his shield to holding back the hydraulic powered fist of Rumlow and the two shifted into a dance of close quarters combat.
Steve batted away Brocks arm with his shield, going in for an uppercut punch which Brock caught and shoved back. Cap however remained undeterred, swinging back up with his elbow this time which connected to Rumlow's jaw.
This managed to stun Brock temporarily allowing Steve to unleash a flurry of attacks.
Cap began by decking Rumlow's chest with the edge of his shield, then a strong right swing to the cheek followed by another shield strike to the lower midsection. Rumlow let out a cough, as his head lowered allowing Steve to kick his face back up.
This time, Brock was a bit more prepared, quickly head-butting Steve. Cap was dazed for the moment wherein Crossbones capitalized by charging up and striking Steve in the chest.
What happened next however, shocked Cap as a glowing orb in front of him promptly exploded. Steve careened back in the air, crashing into the wall of a nearby shop.
He let out pained grunts and coughs, slumping down onto his hands and knees with shield clanging down beside him.
Glynda saw this and her eyes widened with fright.
"STEVE" She called out to him.
Sadly her attention was diverted back to the three large Beringels barreling at her.
Anger coursed through her as she thrusted her crop forward, unleashing a powerful telekinetic blast that essentially destroyed the Beringel in front of her.
Steve felt pain course through every fiber of his being, his limbs all trembling as he forced himself to his feet with the aid of leaning on his shield.
His vision was blurry at the moment, slowly clearing while the taste of metal was present in his mouth.
Cap spat out a glob of blood, eyes focusing up on Crossbones who stood there. Though he couldn't see it, Steve felt the distinct air of smugness surrounding Rumlow who now began to approach him.
"You like that?" Rumlow taunted with manic glee "That's another little trick I picked up on since my rebirth here. This Aura crap really has its uses. I feel like i could go ten rounds with your hammer friend and still ask for more"
"Careful what you wish for" Steve grunted, managing to steady himself and stare down defiantly at Crossbones who rolled his shoulders
"Really? Cause what I wish for you is being dead right at my feet with my boot crushing your head"
Not waiting for a response, Crossbones launched himself at Steve. Cap sidestepped in time as Rumlow's fist smashed through the indent he made with his own body.
Taking the chance, Steve repeatedly bashed his shield into the face of Rumlow who then freed his arm with a wild swing that Rogers deftly avoided.
"Come on Cap" Rumlow yelled out, bringing out both blades now "I know you could do better than that"
Rumlow made for an X-slash which was blocked by Steve's shield.
Steve grit his teeth as felt himself back away from Rumlow's assault which consisted of hydraulic punches, kicks and blade swings.
Cap then flailed back at the abrupt explosion from his shield, leaving him wide open for an emphatic punch to the gut by Rumlow.
"This is for dropping a building on me" Crossbones growled, his arms glowing with aura. They flowed to towards the tips of his arms until he jumped at Steve with the intent of killing him.
Cap, who was on his back, scouted this and moved both legs up in time to effectively kick Crossbones away while also getting back up to his feet.
Crossbones called off his Aura attack and moved in once again to duke it out with Steve who was starting to show signs of exhaustion.
That explosive hit he had took earlier apparently did more damage than he had realized, feeling himself run on pure instinct and adrenaline right now.
He was thinking straight thankfully but he could feel the mounting pain and stress of his body begin to mount.
With an uncharacteristic snarl, Steve spun around and cracked his shield across the head of Rumlow whose head snapped to the side.
Steve wasn't finished as he shot out to grab Rumlow, pull him closer and then bashed his shield into his head again.
Crossbones sprawled out onto the ground but reacted in time to punch back Caps shield that was about to hit his chest.
The two combatants clambered back up and both punched one another at the same time, with both their helms flying off.
They now glared at each other intensely, their faces showing exhaustion but with no signs of slowing down. They were battered and bruised yet that did nothing in deterring their ability and will to fight each other to the death. Which Rumlow was more than happy to do so.
Qrow in the meantime cleave in half the last Beringel that he was fighting, effectively ending the Grimm threat on his end as Glynda levitated a collection of jagged rocks, shooting them down to finish off the last of the Grimm that she was facing.
Taking a moment to examine the area, he was glad that there was very little collateral damage on the town as the Grimm remained focused on them.
He heard the clanging of metal and both he and Glynda turned to see Crossbones and Cap still going at it with all their might.
Qrow's eyes locked on with Glynda's and both nodded, quickly moving to assist their ally.
The fight between the two was devolving at a steady pace with both individuals making clear mistakes with only Brock being the one to take most of those advantages. The damage Steve had sustained were beginning to take their toll on him and it was not looking good.
"That all you got Captain America" Rumlow sneered, even though he just took a punch
"Just getting started" Steve managed to state
The two were now locked in a contest of strength. Steve held back one of Rumlow's gauntlets while Rumlow held back Steve's other hand with his own. They both clashed their heads with one another in a show of defiance towards one another.
However, even though Steve had sustained a substantial amount of damage in comparison to Rumlow, that was not enough to bring the Captain down.
Yet Rumlow was not about to just let Rogers regain the advantage. Knee met knee as both men then backed away from one another.
Concentrating on his powers, Crossbones held both fists forward and allowed a rushed flow of his aura at the front of his knuckles. Steve ran right at Rumlow to prevent him from doing so. However, the buildup of power did not last long as the small gathering orbs burst preemptively, sending both men flying back.
"Shit" Crossbones growled out, retracting his gauntlets to nurse his slightly singed hand.
It was clear that he was still grasping his newfound powers. Then again he had discovered his aura and what he could do with it by accident so he didn't know much about it to begin with other than a crash course of the idea of Aura and the possibility that his explosive like capabilities maybe what they called his semblance.
That didn't matter to Rumlow right now, getting back up and allowing his fists to be encased in the Gauntlets once more. Just in time too as he held up his hands to deflect the shield Cap threw at him.
The shield returned towards the sprinting Cap who caught it and jumped up for a downward attack.
Rumlow rolled back out of the way, switching to his grenade launchers and firing.
However, there had seemed to be an unfortunate accident as the grenade he launched was a dud.
Bewildered, Brock didn't have much time to think on it as a shadow loomed overhead. Snapping his head up, Rumlow managed to bring his forearms up just in time as Qrow brought his scythe down.
"AURGH" Rumlow cried out in pain as Qrow's scythe cleaved through his gauntlet and left a deep gash in his arm.
His left arm.
The black bloody ooze fell to the ground and once again, Grimm had sprung up.
This time with a variety of Beowolves, Ursas and Griffons.
"Shit" Qrow grit out while Crossbones taped up his wound. Though he did have aura, right now he didn't feel like trusting it to do a menial job like healing him up. He glanced over to his main foe to see he wasn't alone.
"Steve" Glynda was beside Rogers who looked thoroughly beaten up
He was on all fours with Glynda trying to help him back up.
Rumlow wasn't gonna let this chance slide. Eyeing Qrow who was now distracted with even more Grimm, Rumlow got back to his feet and began limping/speed walking over to Rogers.
Glynda naturally saw this and faced Rumlow with a fierce gaze. Not waiting for him to get closer, Glynda got into a quick stance. Her wand crop glowed with power and she slammed the crop down to the ground, unleashing a shockwave of telekinetic energy backed up with the rubble that she was uplifting from the ground.
Crossbones jumped out of the way and with a moment of ingenuity, utilized a short range grenades shockwave to help blast him out of the way of Glynda's attack.
While in the air, Rumlow fired another set of Grenades at Glynda who swatted them aside with explosions going off around her and obscuring her view momentarily.
The bright fire was just what Rumlow had hoped for, for within the fire was one of his retractable blades from his gauntlet, sailing right for her.
Glynda blinked when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder shoving her aside.
Looking back she saw Steve was the one to push her aside only to see him snap back as silver object embeds itself into his clavicle.
Glynda turns back to see a grinning Rumlow before shifting her attention back to Steve and what she saw made her face turn pale.
On Steve's neck was the same pulsating black veins that Rumlow possessed but it was clearly doing something extremely harmful to the man as he was sweating profusely and clutching the blade in his shoulder like it was the greatest pain he had ever experienced.
With great will and vigor, Steve pulled the blade out which was coated with a mixture of his blood and the black substance that brock had discreetly coated it with.
Steve clutched his shoulder, clearly fighting back what could easily be seen as agonizing pain.
"I think this is the part where I take my leave" Rumlow remarked, making a run for it as he himself knew that he couldn't continue this fight.
Glynda was already by Steve's side, placing a hand over his own where the wound was.
Qrow finished up his rampaging warpath against the Grimm and saw that Steve was down and Rumlow was missing.
But that didn't matter to Qrow as right now he saw black veins on Steve's neck, slowly moving upwards to his face.
Without hesitating, Qrow brought out his scroll and sent an emergency distress signal to Ozpin. This day just went from bad to worse.
He pulled out some bandages he was carrying on him and moved to assist Glynda in helping Steve.
The man was barely conscious, fighting with sheer willpower to stay awake.
It wasn't long before the police and civilians returned to a carnage of Grimm bodies decaying and the trio that came in to investigate with one of them being severely injured.
The individual being none other than the leader of the Avengers
Scene Cut
Beacon Academy
Steve Rogers was rolled into the medical wing of Beacon on a stretched with Qrow and Glynda following after them.
What they found was Ozpin and the other Avengers awaiting them with the team of Clint, Amber and Wanda also injured, with the Archer seemingly sustaining the most injuries. Sam's group was completely unharmed.
Whatever anyone was thinking was thrown out the window at the site of their leader coming in by stretcher, clearly looking like absolute hell.
Ozpin was overlooking Steve personally as he himself more than likely has the best experience with whatever may be occurring with Cap.
The Avengers in the meantime were in a heated discussion over the fact that Brock Rumlow was alive and how could that be possible. This went on and on until night time with the Avengers in the hospital overlooking their currently unconscious leader.
And he did not look any better.
His shirt was off and his entire body glistened with the layer of sweat he was producing from the pain he was enduring right now.
Caps right half now had black veins all around him.
"So what do we do now?" Sam asked, face impassive as he stared down at his unmoving pain.
"I am unsure" Ozpin said solemnly "What is happening to Steve is something I cannot counter so easily. This is the work of Salem no doubt even though it was this Brock Rumlow that had done this to him"
"How'd you even get hurt guys?" Scott asked Clint and his group
"Some jackass was there" Pietro bitterly said "He was waiting for us, acting all weepy when Cap wasn't there"
"That sure changed when Clint nearly cut off his scorpion tail" Amber said
"A Faunas?' Glynda murmured
"Is there anything we could do, Ozpin?" Wanda asked
Ozpin was silent, emotionless eyes on the steam rising out from the mug in his hand.
Clint's expression was furrowed into one of deep contemplation.
Without looking to Oz, Clint asked him one question that threw them all for a loop.
"Is it possible to give or maybe even unlock Steve's aura?" Clint asked the headmaster "Could that maybe cure him of what's happening to him"
No one had an answer to that but Glynda stood up from her seat and went over to Steve.
"Glynda" Oz said warily but she ignored him.
Placing her hands over his heart and forehead, Glynda closed her eyes and concentrated.
"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality" Glynda recited "Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee"
Her entire being glowed in her attempt at either unlocking Steve Aura or in some way bestowing it upon him.
Yet nothing happen.
Gritting her teeth, Glynda recited the saying once more only to get the same result.
"It's not working" Wanda said worriedly
"Maybe you're not saying it right" Scott said
"Or maybe it may not work" Sam said, a bit nervous "We're not from this universe, remember? So maybe…maybe the laws of this universe don't apply to us like it does to those who are from here"
"Or maybe" Ozpin now had a determined glint in his eyes "Maybe we could force it upon him"
"Pardon?" Clint said "That doesn't exactly sound like a plan or something I'd see you guys do"
"But it's the only method we now have" Ozpin said, now determined to see this through "And I will not be taking any chances. Qrow"
The huntsmen looked up from the chair he was slumped in.
"I need all three of us for this" Ozpin said "Right now, unlocking Steve's aura may be the only way for us to purge him of this sickness that Plagues Rogers right now"
"You sure about this Oz?"
"Right now, it's the only solution I could think of" Oz said "And I'd rather not waste any more time if Steve's life is on the line. Amber, I would like your assistance in this as well"
Seeing that Oz was right, the Avengers backed while the four aura users gathered around Steve and had their hands hovering over Caps body.
"We must say this all together" Oz instructed the others who nodded and concentrated their aura
They all recited as one, channeling everything into this one attempt.
"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee"
What followed was an explosion of light that sent everyone flying back and blinding them for the moment.
Steve's eyes shot open and he screamed out in pain, his entire body spazzing out uncontrollably.
The black veins then glowed a bright white, slowly evaporating off of his skin as aura was jutting around Rogers.
He clutched his head, thrashing around violently with his eyes glowing a brilliant white light.
"STEVE/CAP" Several of the Avengers and Aura users screamed out
And like that, it was over.
Steve was limp once more, lying in his bed unmoving.
The room was silent, with all eyes on Captain America, waiting for something to happen.
"Was that supposed to happen?" Pietro asked Ozpin who could only stare dumbly at what just transpired
"In all honesty" Oz said "I've never seen anything like that in this or any other life time"
"So then what do we do now?" Sam asked
"Honestly?" Oz said, now looking tired "I do not know"
"We'll wait then" Glynda said to everyone "We'll wait and see what happens"
"But what will happen?" Clint asked "Something Good? Or Something Bad?"
"Well, like Goodwitch said" Qrow stated "Wait and see"
Hoo boy, what a wild ride this one was huh?
Man oh man, soon infinity war comes out and I'll be seeing it a few hundred times and all OOOOOH I just CANNOT WAIT.
And to make sure that ya'll don't forget
Up in the sky, a meteor shaped object was descending on down towards the city of Manhattan.
"The entire time I knew him, he only had one goal" Gamora of the guardians of the galaxy spoke
At Avengers tower, Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanov and James Rhodey all stared up into the sky.
"To wipe out half the universe"
Down on the streets, a blind lawyer twitched his head, before looking up. His friends stopped to see why he was looking up.
The reflection of the flaming object was seen on the window of the New York Sanctum.
"If he gets all the infinity stones" Gamora held up her hand "He could do it with the snap of his fingers *SNAP*, just like that"
Tony looked on only in dread "Tell me his name again"
"Thanos"
Salem stared up at Thanos as he removed his helm
Peter slipped on his mask while Jaune grinned, finally able to use his newest toy.
Spider-man swung into action with Jaune right behind him on a hover board.
"We've got one advantage" Tony stated
The ship of Thanos began to depart from New York with Iron Man hot on his trail.
"He's coming to us"
His thrusters morphed together into a singular rocket boost, catching up to the circular ship.
Doctor strange looked back wearily to Glynda and Ozpin before activating the Eye of Agamoto.
"We have what Thanos wants"
Wanda looked back down onto Vision who was breathing heavily.
"So that's what we use"
The Avengers arrive in Wakanda with T'challa personally greeting Steve and Natasha.
Behind them were a contingent of the Avengers with several new faces from Remnant.
"Let's talk about this plan of yours" Peter Quill conversed with Tony with Drax, Peter, Jaune and Ruby looking on in amusement "I think it's good, except it sucks"
The trio of young teens exchanged bemused glances at one another.
"So let me do the plan and that way, it might be really good" Star-lord said confidently
"Wow" Was Tony's response
Down on Earth, the armies of Wakanda flew out from the city into the fields to take on the forces of Thanos with Qrow, Falcon and War Machine flying overhead.
In Remnant, Ozpin and Glynda marshalled their own forces with Hawkeye, Amber and Pietro.
T'challa and Steve looked on in grim determination at the coming battle.
"The end is near" Thanos said
Rocket, Groot, Valkyrie and Nora stood along with Thor who shot up his hand, commanding the lightning to explode around him
"When I'm done" Thanos said slowly "Half of humanity will still exist"
Thanos gripped Thor's head in an attempt to crush it before his Black Order with Proxima Midnight holding her weapon up at Loki's head.
The Mad Titan simply crushed the Tesseract to get to the space stone.
All the while, Winter Soldier loaded his rifle, Qrow brought out his scythe, Steve readied his new shield and T'challa brought out his claws.
In front of Beacon Academy, Ozpin allowed his power to explode at its full might
Black panthers helmet formed around T'challa. The armies of Wakanda and the armies of Beacon roared out as they charged forward towards their enemies of outlanders and Grimm.
Yang was blown back by Cinder, quickly caught by Blake and Weiss with the trio attacking again.
"Perfectly balanced" Thanos said expectantly "As all things should be"
Doctor Strange created platforms on multiple ends allow Jaune, Star Lord and Drax to jump across the field, avoiding the beams being fired at them.
Star Lord was in the air, firing his gun repeatedly while Jaune created an Aura shield to protect him, Ruby, Mantis and Spidey from Thanos's fist.
Amber and Wanda charged up there power and fired with everything they had.
Doctor Strange yelled in complete agony at his torment with Ebony maw only holding up a mocking 'Shh'.
In Wakanda, the fields were a warzone with the outlanders overwhelming the hulkbuster while War Machine, Falcon and Winter(riding atop a glyph platform) flew overhead to fire down upon the outlanders with the rest of Wakanda.
"I hope they remember you" Thanos said in a respectful tone toward a thoroughly beaten down Tony Stark
Thanos brought his hand down only for it to be caught by Captain America who was struggling with all his might and power to hold back Thanos. The giant titan grit his teeth in frustration and anger while Cap roared back defiantly.
Scene cut
"Oh, I'm Peter by the way" Peter said, greeting Stephen Strange
"Ruby Rose" The young Huntress said cheerfully
"Jaune Arc"
"Doctor Strange" The sorcerer said in turn
"Oh" Peter blinked "We're using our made-up names. Then in that case, I'm Spider-man"
Strange only shook his head in amusement.
Scene cut
Spider-man flung Jaune forward with Ruby being a blur of red petals as the trio weaved and jumped in between the floating debris all the while dodging the meteors flying in behind them
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