Chapter [42]: Madness of the White Rose
Shirobara no Kyouki
Part 4 - Semi Finale
That weapon. It has to be.
Yang's mind was reeling.
"Emergency! Emergency!" a frantic voice sounded over the intercommunications device on the bullhead, crackling with static. Red-shaded alarms blazed throughout the bullhead, painting everything in a horrid crimson hue. "We're going down!"
"…A rather callous entry, is it not?" Laplace mused idly, surveying the scene.
Weiss and Blake were looking around in confusion at all of the alarms going off, their eyes slowly being drawn towards Yang and her discovery of the tri-shaped blades.
"…Those… what in the world…" Weiss muttered, clearly lost. It took a brief moment for her to register exactly what the blades actually meant, until it registered and her eyes widened in alarm. "Someone's attacking the ship!"
That weapon… That's Null Value. It has to be. But how… It can't be. It was destroyed. I saw it. Did somebody remake the design?
As if in response to her worried thoughts, a sudden explosion rocked the ship, on one of the left-hand sides. One of the engines? A sudden jerk ripped through the bullhead, twisting them to the side as civilians and trainee huntsmen and huntresses alike cried out in alarm. Yang barely held her ground, as her two remaining teammates gripped each other for support.
Shaking her head, she looked up.
The blades are gone.
No. Not gone. Retracted. Ripped out from the hull through sheer force alone.
It... it can't be... But who else… who could possibly be wielding Null Value?
"Repeat! We're going down!" the intercom flared to life once more. Yang only had a brief second to glance out of a nearby window and see the crystal-laden terrain of the war-torn state of Vale rapidly approaching. It was going to be a rough collision. "Everybody, brace yourselves! If anyone hasn't already, activate your aura!"
At the speed they were going, there was no way they would-
"Weiss!" the idea came to the forefront of her mind in an instant. "Quickly! Semblance! Now! Slow down the bullhead!"
The heiress nodded curtly, not taking the time to verbally respond, before scrunching up her expression and flaring her semblance. A rich black glyph briefly appeared underneath Weiss's feet, before stretching and expanding out around the ship. She could make out the terrain getting closer-
CRASH-
Screams and shouts flew about, amidst a far stronger jerk of moment than before. People were sent flying off their feet, colliding and crashing about against walls or other bands of wayward passengers. Yang's vision muddled as she dived to the ground, narrowly avoiding a piece of metal that had dislodged following the collision.
Laplace remained standing in place, remaining steadfast and seemingly undeterred by the crash as the creature possessing her Father eyed the surrounding chaos with an idle look.
Whatever- I need to- Weiss! Blake!
Ripping her eyes across the carnage she looked around for-
There!
Pushing herself up- when had she fallen down?- she forced her aching body over to where she could see the two girls. From what she could see, Blake had tackled the Schnee at the last moment, shielding Weiss from the debris of the collision with her own body. The tell-tale flicker of her aura indicated that while Blake had taken a heavy hit, she was still relatively in the clear. It hadn't been enough to trigger an aura break.
Weiss, however, was littered in small cuts and bruises- likely a result of the final use of her semblance alongside her already dwindling aura causing total aura exhaustion for what would be the second time in recent memory. But, the girl was still breathing, though perhaps unconscious given Blake's frantic attempts to shake her awake. Had it not been for Blake's intervention, however…
"Blake! Look! She's still breathing!" Yang shouted out, before downright grabbing the faunus and pulling her back. Widened panic-stricken eyes stared at her. The girl was in shock. Oum, Yang thought that she might also be in shock at the moment. "Look, Blake. She's just unconscious. Look. She's breathing. She'll be alright. But, shaking her like that won't help."
"S-She…" the ebon-haired faunus muttered to herself, before shaking her head and visibly snapping back into understanding. "…Right… W-What… what happened? What's going on? Who's attacking…?"
Yang shook her head. "Look, it doesn't matter right now. We need to get everyone off this bullhead. We've crashed somewhere in Vale and with the grimm, crystals and potential White Fang running around everywhere, someone or something is bound to have noticed the crash. This place will be swarming any minute now."
Wearily, the faunus nodded, periodically glancing down towards Weiss's unconscious body as if forcing herself to reaffirm that the heiress was still alive.
"Right… what… what do you want me to do?"
Taking a glance over to Laplace, who was standing there and eyeing them silently, Yang grimaced and tore her gaze away from the creature in her Father's body. Now was not the time for heroics. She needed to make sure that her team was still alive at the end of this.
"Take Weiss and get out of here. Get her someplace safe, if you can. I'll be…" Yang trailed off as another sudden slice of the tri-shaped blade their attacker pierced the bullhead, narrowly avoiding a clustered group of civilians by a hair's breadth. "…right behind you. There's something I need to do, first. Something I need to find out."
It was a testament to how utterly fucked-up the situation was, that Blake Belladonna didn't bother to argue with her request. Instead, her partner simply nodded and shifted Weiss's unconscious body to carry the heiress on her back, having adjusted Gambol Shroud's sheathed position to avoid her weapon getting in the way.
"Right. Stay safe, Yang."
She almost laughed. "…You too, Blake. Keep her safe."
With a curt nod, the heiress and the faunus were off, Blake bursting forward and quickly disappearing into the slew of passengers that were all looking for the emergency escape hatch. She knew that the faunus would protect Weiss, along with ensuring that everyone found the proper escape. Yang could trust her teammate to do that. Easily.
Laplace moved towards her, the sound eerily audible to her ears despite the panic suffusing the area.
"…Was it wise, to stay behind? You could have gone with your team, you know. Nobody would fault you."
Yang took one look at the odd entity, before shaking her head and glancing over to where she had last spotted Weiss and Blake. She could tell by the shouts and cheers that someone had found and successfully opened the emergency escape hatch. And, judging by the flicker of white-hair at the front of the crowd amidst the sea of varying shades of hair colour, that it was likely Blake that had been the one to unlock it in the first place.
"No. It's better this way. Blake and Weiss are able to escape and get everyone out. Whoever is wielding Null Value is holding back. That weapon could have easily torn though the bullhead with enough force. Instead, they only crippled the engines and waited for the bullhead to go down. I… I need to know who's behind it."
"Hm. And what of the strike just before? They almost killed those human civilians. It didn't seem like they were holding back to me, regardless of whatever absurd cutting power that weapon possesses."
"…But they missed. It was a scare tactic. To get everyone out."
Laplace eyed her. There was a curious glint in the creature's eyes that set her on edge.
"Very well. I will not fault your tactics, blinded by emotion and denial as they may be. Through what is essentially sheer dumb luck, your decision was correct. However, had it been anyone else attacking, you would have sent your teammates to their deaths."
What?
"Ah, you didn't realise," Laplace noticed her surprised anger. "Had it been anyone other than Summer Rose attacking, they would have slaughtered both civilians and trainee alike the moment they exited the bullhead. A single method of escape makes for an excellent killing field, after all."
Summer Rose.
…Summer Rose?
Summer…
SUMMER FUCKING ROSE IS WHAT-
Hehe~
A distorted giggle twisted around them. Her heart beat painfully in her chest as Yang wildly looked around, trying and failing to locate the source of the horrific tainted copy of her Mom's laugh.
"There is no need to hide, Summer Rose," Laplace spoke aloud, maintaining eye contact with Yang despite projecting its voice around the bullhead. With all of the civilians having escaped, or at least those that hadn't been killed by the collision, the only sounds that remained were the crackle of small fires, the growls of grimm in the distance and… footsteps.
A nearby section of rubble was cleaved in two, drawing both Yang and Laplace's attention as the two turned to focus on the sound.
"I should have known that there was no hiding from you, Laplace-no-ma. It would seem that Kirakishou was right after all. You do have quite the presence, don't you? Enough to recognise me, at the very least. A shame."
Summer Rose.
It was her.
She was here.
More so, unlike what her teammates had recounted from the first time Summer Rose had appeared at the docks when fighting the White Fang, this time it was most certainly made apparent that she possessed her actual weapon, Null Value. A weapon that she personally knew had been melted down during her funeral service. Yang had witnessed it with her own eyes.
Yet, there it was. And it was most certainly not a recreation. That was the original weapon, through and through.
Null Value. A tri-shaped spear with three individual blades, fitted in a triangular angle. Made of a unique tungsten-titanium blend, developed for exceedingly high sharpness and edge retention, without care given in regards to weight. The weapon was extremely unwieldy in combat- utterly unbalanced and weighing far more than most sets of armour- coming it at just slightly over twenty-two kilograms. Without a semblance-empowered individual behind the wheel, there wasn't a chance whatsoever of possibly wielding such a weapon in combat. Aura alone struggled to handle such a beast of a weapon.
And it was absolutely massive, as well. The closest comparison Yang had been able to find was to imagine her Uncle Qrow's weapon, Harbinger, in the single-edged greatsword configuration. Each of the three blades housed on Null Value was equal in length to Qrow's greatsword- midnight black in a sharp contrast to the vibrant white colouration of Qrow's Harbinger blade.
The blades themselves, while sharp, weren't the main facet of the weapon itself. Oh no, that would have been too easy. From what Yang could recall from Tai's numerous stories about Summer Rose's weapon, Null Value possessed a built-in thermic lance housed as a base, with the lance itself functioning as the shaft, while the exhaust shot out from the centre of the three blades in a thin beam of superheated dust, effectively turning what would be a simple spear into an overly large beam weapon with the flick of a trigger.
Meanwhile, the shaft of Null Value that housed the superheating elements of the thermic lance component could be extended to just under three damn meters. It was an absolute monster to compete against in melee combat, were anyone foolish enough to allow Summer Rose to close in for a close-quarters assault. However, if one believed themselves safe in medium to long distances, they would find themselves suddenly up close and personal with the beaming capabilities of Null Value instead.
"M-Mom…?"
Summer's silver eyes darted to her in an instant. They were cold cold cold. Wrong. Utterly wrong. There was no love in her eyes. No smile or frown to be seen. She didn't even look like she was alive. The expression looked more like a still image- a neutral expression one would make when taking a photograph for some government photograph or something. Completely lacking the warmth that makes a person who they are.
A doll.
She's a Rozen Maiden, after all. An artificial being, like Kirakishou. They are dolls. Who knows what they're like. How much of Summer Rose is even left in there? Regardless of what Laplace said before, the Summer Rose that I knew would never have done something like this.
"Yang. Hm. Hello. Would you mind leaving? I would very much like to kill the person you're currently standing beside, little bloom."
Laplace merely chuckled at the callous statement, while Yang's eyes widened in a hurt outrage.
She was reminded of the one time she had been able to speak with Summer Rose following her revival on the docks. From what Yang could recall, she had gone looking for Ruby and stumbled across Summer Rose. At the time, she hadn't noticed, but Summer had also acted mostly indifferent to her presence. There had been no overwhelming relief, no joy in her eyes. She had seemed almost subdued.
Now, however, there was something hidden inside Summer's eyes. A deep chill. A lack of remorse. Or-
No. That wasn't it. There was something going on here, in the way that Summer Rose continued to stare at Laplace. It was almost as if-
Ah. That's right. Laplace was the one behind Summer's reveal as a doll. According to Kirakishou, Laplace had killed her.
Was this form born out of revenge?
But it was more than that. She was sure of it. There was hate in Summer's eyes, but it didn't seem entirely directed at Laplace. Something else had happened. Even if her Mom was trying to get revenge on Laplace, she knew that Summer would never attack a bullhead filled with innocent civilians and trainees.
She had to figure out what was going on.
"…I'm not leaving until you tell me why you're doing this," Yang growled out. It wasn't a question. She needed to know.
Summer frowned, the expression twisting her features unpleasantly, before she gave a great put-upon sigh not unlike the sighs Ruby did and-
A flash of movement-
Sparks-
Her world was spinning-
-What was…
Laplace was standing in front of her prone figure, arms raised in a cross. A defensive position.
"…Hm. You're fast, I'll give you that."
Summer, her mind realised. That was Summer. She attacked me.
SHE WHAT-
"M-Mom…" Yang bit out a choked sob, confusion and betrayal clouding her eyes as fat tears spilled down her cheeks. "…Why..?"
Summer paused, relaxing her grip on Null Value and staring down at her through Laplace. Yang absolutely could not look Summer Rose in the eyes. Not now. She didn't want to see the expression on her face. She couldn't bear it. The cold did not match the warmth. It was all wrong.
"…I'm sorry, little bloom. You must be terrified right now. I'm sorry. But... I cannot allow Laplace to ruin things for Ruby and Kirakishou. Nor can I possibly stand the thought of both of my daughters being trained by that man. If you won't listen to me and step aside, then I will do what I must," Summer tightened her grip, spinning Null Value until the end of the tri-tipped spear was pointed at both Laplace and Yang herself. "…I wish it didn't have to come to this, truly I do, but I must protect Ruby and Kirakishou right now."
It was funny. Summer had almost sounded sad. For a brief part, she had wanted to believe that her Mom was truly remorseful. But the sudden whirl of displaced air and the rush of movement that soon followed had immediately displaced that potential theory. This wasn't her Mother.
"How amusing, little false doll. I can hear her influence in your words. Kirakishou has made quite the mess of the Alice Game, so it would seem."
Laplace had blocked Summer's strike once again, having used Summer's momentum to readjust the strike at the last second and send Null Value's blades ripping into the floor of the bullhead. Judging by the sheer depth that the blades had penetrated, Summer had clearly been intending to rip right through her.
"Go, Yang Xiao-Long. Find Kirakishou. Sever the contract of the Rozen Maiden to save your sister. End this, once and for all."
She didn't have a moment to respond before Laplace shoved her away, a golden lock of hair being the only sacrifice to Null Value's sudden strike. Landing on her bum, she could only stare wide-eyed as the revived doll of her Mom clashed with Laplace.
What in the world was-
"Go, now. You will find your trip to Beacon Academy unimpeded, but only if you go at this very moment."
"R-Right!"
Deep within Kirakishou's fabricated world, Ruby sat on the ornate stone bench, stock-still and silently reeling at the revelations that Kirakishou had bestowed upon her. Meanwhile, the doll herself has rested her head atop Ruby's lap, playfully batting at Ruby's hair like a particularly amused feline of some kind. It was a bizarre action given the current situation, but it was one that she barely registered at the current moment, too overwhelmed with thought to actively process the situation.
The N-Field…
Not only was the N-Field more than just a weird little reading room housed within a mirror, nor the basis for the Rozen Maiden's powers, but it was the entire garden that Kirakishou had spoken about. Her seedlings, her energy, had come from the souls of numerous aura-enhanced people, that Kirakishou had captured and confined into her power- to spend their eternity dreaming precious dreams as they unknowingly fed and sustained both her doll and the N-Field itself.
Kirakishou is an astral being. She's told me this before. She was confined to this… N-Field… by her Father, Rozen. Manifestation is a costly endeavour… requiring energy… thus, she needed the energy of others in order to even move. To interact. What kind of person forces a doll to do something so… so…
Oum. I don't even know what to think…
She stared down at her doll, at the pleasant smile that flourished on her face as Ruby's eyes met her own lone slit amber eye.
Despite everything, despite all that Kirakishou's Father had done to make things difficult, to separate Kirakishou from reality, the doll had endured and forced herself upon the world. She had patiently waited as people grew sick, grew close to death, before capturing themand allowing them some degree of peace in a world of pleasant dreams…
…Was that so wrong?
No. It couldn't be. Her doll wasn't some baddie, hurting people. She couldn't be. She was only doing the one thing that could grant her some degree of freedom. Ruby could understand that. When her mother had first d-disap… when her mother had died, Ruby would have done anything to see her again. No matter how grave, no matter how morally unjust. She just wanted to see her Mom again. She would have sacrificed the world, to feel the warmth of her Mother's arms around her just one more time.
Trapped in a different world… isolated from everyone…
At times, it scared Ruby just how similar she was to Kirakishou, how similar their pasts were. She didn't understand exactly why the idea frightened her so much, only that it did. However, she couldn't deny that their similar history made it easier to understand exactly why the doll had done what she had done.
Had she the power and the strength, Ruby may very well have done something similar. Even if the very thought of doing such sent a ripple of discomfort through her body, muted as it was. Only, in Kirakishou's case, the action was necessary in order to prolong her very existence. She could not afford to hesitate.
Now, the N-Field, thrust into the world, needed the exact same thing. Only, unlike Kirakishou, it was most certainly not patient enough to wait until people were sick. Following what her doll had explained about her powers and what Cinder Fall had done, she could easily ascertain exactly what was occurring outside.
The N-Field, in search of energy, had realised one particular fact.
…Why wait for people to grow old and sick, to grow injured, when it could just injure people itself?
People were being attacked, not out of some errant use of Kirakishou's semblance, but out of her N-Field desiring stability. In order to manifest in the world, now that it had been cast out of Kirakishou's anchored space.
"…I…" she muttered lowly, drawing the doll's attention. "…I think I understand. A-About what happened…"
Kirakishou smiled warmly, reaching up to cup her cheeks. "…I knew you would, Master," she smiled to herself in some strange, inwardly-yet-outwardly pleased manner. "Now, please, if you would, tell your doll what you think. I want to know."
"C-Can it be stopped? The N-Field? Can everything go back to the way it was?"
Kirakishou pushed herself up to a sitting position, registering the urgent tone of Ruby's voice practically before even she did.
"As I said before, Master, I cannot return things back to their original way. However, I do know of a method which may prove useful in harnessing enough power to ensure I am able to eventually overpower the N-Field and regain control. I had mentioned it briefly before."
Ruby blinked to herself, momentarily confused. Kirakishou had said something about it, right...?
Ah. That's right. She did mention she had a plan. Involving General Ironwood of all people… guess I was just reeling so much from everything that's happened that I just didn't even register what she's said. Oum, how silly of me. I'm such a bad Master.
"O-Oh, right. Yes. I remember. Something about General Ironwood, right? What was it again?"
Kirakishou giggled at her. "Silly little Ruby, I didn't tell you in the first place. We became distracted~" the doll teased, having clearly seen through Ruby's vain attempt to pretend like she'd even remembered Kirakishou's initial comment about Ironwood.
Pouting in embarrassment, Ruby crossed her arms and looked away, only seeming to drive Kirakishou into yet another series of bell-like giggles. Despite herself, she felt her flustered thoughts melting away at the sound. She couldn't help but be reminded of her first time out in the cold of night with Kirakishou, sitting at this very same stone bench. It had been one of the first and only times she had been able to simply enjoy the moment with Kirakishou, rather than having to stress about something or other.
They had been happy.
Even now, despite everything that was occurring outside of this pleasant little moment, Ruby could still see herself enjoying yet another moment with Kirakishou. She wanted, more than anything, for all the stress outside to just end, so that she could spend her time with the doll she loved. The foolish little Rozen Maiden that had risked everything and done all manner of strange and morally dubious things, yet was still able to find pleasure just by being in her very presence.
"R-Right… Sorry… I-I just, just a lot on my mind… um, can you tell me what your plan is?"
Kirakishou smiled warmly at her. "Master, I thought you'd never ask. Why, my little red rose reaper, I plan for you to secure the Fall Maiden powers from General James Ironwood of the Atlesian Military."
"T-The Fall Maiden powers? B-But why?" she blurted, silver eyes wide in surprise. Honestly, with everything that had been happening recently the General's plan for her to become the next Fall Maiden had been put on the backburner in her mind. She hadn't even really thought about it, not since the Vytal Festival Tournament had taken up priority.
What possible connection could there be between everything that was happening outside and the Fall Maiden powers, of all things? She hadn't the slightest clue.
"The N-Field desires stability. It desires aura. Energy. There is no greater source of energy in all of Vale, than those from a Maiden. The Fall Maiden power possesses this type of spark that most do not. At least, none that are accessible in the coming moments. Were you to possess the Fall Maiden's power, then I could use that energy in order to fully stabilise the N-Field and regain control."
"S-So… you're saying that we could use the power of the Fall Maiden to prevent the N-Field from going all ballistic and growing any bigger?"
Kirakishou stared at her a moment, before nodding. "If that is what you wish, Master."
She nodded absentmindedly, the dredges of a plan starting to form in her mind. She didn't question exactly how Kirakishou knew what the Fall Maiden powers were like in comparison to any ordinary aura, nor did she particularly care to investigate. Any second loss could spell more and more souls that were captured by the Rozen Maiden's wayward N-Field.
"B-But they said that the Fall Maiden's power was divided. Split. Stolen, whatever. I forget the exact details. Um… i-is that going to be alright? Will it mess up anything?" she fretted. Ruby felt that she was lucky that she even remembered that particular part of the Beacon Academy staff's explanation about the Maiden's power.
The doll gave off a slight placid smile in the face of her concerns. "It will be more than enough, Master. Even a mere half is more than enough for me, darling. We can always get the rest later, if we want. For now, a mere half of the Fall Maiden power should placate the N-Field."
Sighing in relief, Ruby moved on. She hadn't really wanted to have anything to do with General Ironwood or the Fall Maiden after learning about how the Atlesian military man had captured her Mother's body for study and was treating her like some object. The very idea of conversing with such a person, who would think of Summer Rose in such a manner, was utterly abhorrent in her mind.
Yet… if it would placate the N-Field, whatever that meant, and stop all of this madness from continuing… was it worth it? It didn't seem like there was any other choice, really. She couldn't see any other option.
"T-Then… we should really get going then, shouldn't we? We've waited long enough. How do we get out of here?"
"...My presence in the outside world will dramatically increase the development of my N-Field, Master. Do you still wish for this?"
Ruby paused. Swallowed. She knew what Kirakishou was saying. It would be better if she remained inside.
But she couldn't. She just could not allow such a thing. She needed her.
"...I understand, Kira. I... please, just come with me. I don't think I can stand another second without you by my side. E-Even if it makes things difficult out there, I want you beside me. Please."
Kirakishou smiled, before standing up and gently pulling Ruby up to a standing position in front of the doll. She could see tears beginning to appear in Kirakishou's lone eye, the warm smile signifying they were happy tears.
She was pulled into a hug.
"Very well, Master. We shall be together. Now, please, prepare yourself…"
"Even to a creature like me, that was rather cold. Poor Yang Xiao-Long seemed so confused with your actions."
The ruined environment of the bullhead echoed around them both, flames and folded steel the two main visible fields. Both Laplace and Summer Rose circled one another. One figuring bearing the stolen eyes of Taiyang Xiao-Long, while the other bore hate-filled silver eyes brimming with fury.
Laplace's Demon and Summer Rose.
"…It is better if she hates me. In the direction she's going, the direction you've set her down, it will be the only way to keep her from cracking."
"I did nothing, foolish girl. It was your daughter's partner, your Master, that set her down this path."
"Don't you dare try to deny your involvement," Summer hissed threateningly, brandishing Null Value with an iron grip. "Raven abandoned us. Abandoned her team, all for her damn tribe. And, within a night of my return to Tai she's there, waiting for me? There's no way she couldn't have learned of my revival so quickly. Not without… help."
Laplace smiled, shrugging. "Hm. Hmhmhm… I can see why she chose you. Such strength, such determination, even for one so fragmented. It is quite an amusing display to witness. You are naught but a misguided puppet, playing a part in a game that was not meant for you," it gave a roll of Tai's shoulders, before relaxing into a loose stance. "Very well, if this is what you wish, then it falls to a butler to participate. How very unfitting. Yet, one cannot help but notice how our youngest has forced my involvement several times, now. I wonder why, hm?"
Summer glared, falling into her own stance. If that was how it must be, then so be it. She could care less about what Laplace said. That was not why she was here. Baddie speak was all the same.
In an instant she crossed the distance between them, lunging forward with Null Value in an attempt to skewer the beast inside her husband's body. Her weapon displaced the air, slicing forward with strength unrivalled.
Laplace merely leaned to the side, a wry smile on the creature's stolen face.
Reacting quickly, Summer slid her feet across the surface of the ruined bullhead, converting the momentum from her jab into a sideways sweep that forced Laplace to jump backwards in order to avoid being tripped.
"Hm. Impressive. You handle your artificial body well. But, you still have much to learn."
Then, the creature moved.
Summer's body was ripped through the ruined wall of the downed bullhead before she could even recognise what was happening, the sudden harsh trajectory of her body displacing both metal and circuitry alike and sending her broken form careening out into the war-torn battlefield of Vale's crystalline landscape.
Her body impacted harshly against a crystalline spire, Null Value clattering against the ground beside her, ripped from her hands by the sheer pressure of her impact. The shaft retracted, shifting into a smaller frame.
From the wreckage of the bullhead caused by her forced eviction, Laplace approached her, completely unharmed by both flame and jagged metal alike. The creature's stolen face had twisted into a small smile of amusement while the eyes of Taiyang glittered a malevolent crimson hue.
"And here I thought that Kirakishou's chosen champion would have posed more of a challenge," Laplace mused aloud, voice indifferent. "Perhaps it was foolish of me to wait for so long. But, it is difficult for a referee to join the battle. You must understand. It was not my intended purpose. Though, perhaps I should not be surprised. Doing what was intended has always been a matter of difficulty for all aspects of Rozen."
Summer glared fiercely, lunging forward and grabbing Null Value before Laplace could reach her. Adjusting her movement into a roll, she kicked back to her feet and extended Null Value. As the creature began to move, Summer activated the thermal lance embedded within her weapon, catalysing the dust inside and firing off a thin beam of superheated dust directly towards her opponent.
The shot ripped through the landscape, far faster than regular dust rounds, forcing Laplace to dodge to the side in order to avoid a sudden bisection curtsey of the agitated round of superheated dust. However, the creature was unable to perfectly dodge the shot given its current trajectory, sustaining a harsh scrape on the side of its stomach where the heat generated by the beam had been able to burn through Tai's rudimentary clothing.
Laplace paused, glancing down and eyeing the wound curiously.
"Hm. And here I thought you would be more of a pain to deal with," Summer reflected Laplace's words back at it, darkly amused. "I know you predictive types. I've encountered semblances just like it many times in the past and they all thought the same. Everything is always going all according to plan, up until it blows up in your face."
"…The outcome of a battle isn't decided by a single strike, Summer Rose. You should know that by now, that even the most esoteric of competitive moments can change direction as easily as wind and tide."
Summer smiled, flipping a switch and shutting off the thermal lance. There was no point in keeping that part of the weapon running without any ammunition. It had been an unfortunate trade-off for Null Value, in that the lance would catalyse as much dust as could be loaded, leading to an absolute value of a single shot each time. All she could ever do is change the intensity and duration of the burst.
Null Value was extended forward in a threatening pose.
"I'm well aware. However, it shows you can bleed. That you can be harmed. In the end, I do believe that you can be killed just like anything else," she exclaimed, before shrugging. "Not that I'm stupid enough to think that I can actually permanently kill you. But, I can ruin your plans. Disrupt your influence. One second at a time. Over and over again."
"Oh?" Laplace tilted Taiyang's head to the side. "But, can you bear to do such a thing? Rozen Maiden or not, you were human once. This is your husband you are fighting, even if I am temporarily moving his body around. Can you really harm him?"
Summer Rose's silver eyes narrowed in fury. Null Value shook in her hands as the words came spilling out of her mouth in a pained vitriol. "Don't think you can fool me like you did those children, Laplace-no-ma. Taiyang died a long time ago. I don't know if it was by your hand, or you just happened across him after the deed was done, and to be honest I don't particularly care. But with a semblance like mine, a still heart is as apparent as the roar of all these grimm echoing around us."
Pausing to steel her heart despite her words, Summer shook her head before rushing forwards in a forward plunge.
Laplace caught Null Value with Tai's hands, grabbing the shaft moments before the momentum would have been enough to cleave down and slash through Tai's body.
However, she didn't relent.
"Killing this body would accomplish nothing."
Summer snorted in amusement. "I disagree. It would hurt that man. Anything that would bring him pain is worthwhile," she answered immediately, smiling coldly at the very idea. "Besides, you have caused a significant amount of stress for my daughter in bringing about my second death. That, more than anything, I cannot allow."
"So it would seem that we both are but simple marionettes, bound to a higher purpose. How remarkably fitting," Laplace mused as they remained locked in their struggle for power. "No doubt exactly as Kirakishou intended. Very well then…"
Screams of fear-stricken civilians amidst the roar of grimm and glimmer of crystals echoed around them both. Summer didn't spare the noises a single glance, keeping her silver eyes locked on the beast that lay beneath her weapon.
"You really hate her, don't you?" Summer shook her head.
"Kirakishou?" Laplace questioned. "Do not mistake my words for emotional attachment of any sort. She is a contestant, the same as any other Rozen Maiden. Nothing more, nothing less, despite what she may think. Her failing merely stems from her refusal to partake in the Alice Game, thus forcing my hand."
"She's better than you think she is. She gave me back my life."
Laplace-no-ma gave a brief hum of idle amusement. "It is naught but a life forged at the expense of others. Though, you don't care about such trivialities, do you? Hm… how callous you are. I do believe that Kirakishou has chosen her champion well. But…" Laplace began to push back against her. "…Do not delude yourself into believing that your mere existence is enough to displace me."
Air.
It was so good to breathe again.
Ruby hadn't realised, just how stagnant the air had been inside of Kirakishou's N-Field. Inside of the small little N-Field that the doll had sequestered away, while her Palace of Beginnings ran rampant around Beacon Academy. However, now that she had escaped the mirror and returned to the world of the living, the difference was like night and day to her.
But which was night and which was day? She couldn't help but wonder. Lines were beginning to blur.
She was on her knees, sprawled about on the ground in front of the mirror and greedily sucking in as much air as her poor lungs could handle. Her chosen combat outfit was back on her once again, torn and damaged as it was after the doomed fight with Penny Polendina. Crescent Rose rested comfortably on her hip in its folded state. Despite the weapon having not been in that state prior to her entrance and subsequent departure from the mirrored world, Ruby couldn't bring herself to care about such a tiny detail.
She was back.
Although, there was no denying that Ruby's sudden departure from the strangely distorted reflection of the Beacon Academy dormitory had been a strange one. There had been no graceful movement, no peaceful transition to guide her to the real world. No. Kirakishou didn't have enough power for such things. For the typical enchanting beauty that her powers were shrouded with.
The doll had instead forcefully ejected her, reality coming crashing down on Ruby's existence with all the gentility of a sledgehammer impacting a window. The visage her eyes could see had been rewritten in an instant, the grandiose format of the vine-laden dormitories replacing itself with the ruined truth faster than what her mind could process. It had stolen her breath away as it ripped her back into time.
Peace and quiet had been replaced with madness and screams. And it felt like the worst decision she had ever made, leaving that strange peaceful world. Even if, consciously, she knew that staying inside the reflection would have been far worse, she still found herself missing it. Especially after looking out and seeing what had occurred in her absence.
It was clear that whatever that had been keeping the rubble of the dormitory from being overtaken by crystals had long since faded. All that remained of her previous living quarters were a bunch of teal-green glowing crystalline stones glimmering faintly before her eyes, nestled above a crystal-laden terrain. Yet it was wild. Untamed. Overgrown.
They were on everything. Crystals covered the grass, the trees, the cobblestone, and even the fences that surrounded them. Most were practically bone-white, an odd detraction from the typical teal-green crystals that seemed to dot the landscape. Only the actual crystal masses that were growing seemed to retain the colour. Everything else, that which had been assimilated, seemed to have lost its colour.
Everything except for the rubble- which continued to glimmer. It seemed almost like what Ruby would imagine an unrefined deposit of dust would appear. Very strange.
The fighting seemed to have died down, as well.
It was obvious that there were still battles going on, that much wasn't to be denied, but there was far less noise in comparison to what it had been like when she first entered Beacon Academy this evening. Ruby could actually see, as well, so the fires must have gone out. Or in the very least, lessened immensely.
Were it not for the crystals and the starlight, Ruby could easily see the area being almost pitch black. The complete absence of artificial light in a previously prosperous area was more than a little off-putting to the young girl.
There were still a few Atlesian militarised bullheads flying about, the occasional flashes of weapons firing enough to cause small little flickers of light for brief moments. Regardless, they were heavily outmatched by the horde of grimm, which had seemingly only grown larger in quantity during her time in the mirror. Considering Vale's close proximity to Mountain Glenn, Ruby figured that the constant fighting would have attracted more than a few grimm to the area from all around the mountain.
They seemed to be focusing on the bullheads for now, but she couldn't be certain. The small cracks of weapons in the distance indicated at least a few battles going on nearby, but Ruby couldn't exactly see that far with all the rubble around her. In fact, she couldn't see any land-dwelling grimm whatsoever. It was weird. She would have assumed that a site of such destruction would make the grimm practically salivate, or whatever. But there was nothing.
Nothing except for crystals both teal and bone-white.
It was eerily beautiful to her eyes, in a morbid sort of way. A safe haven… just like the place with Kirakishou…
Kirakishou…
A start of shock ran through her body as she shook her head and tore her gaze away from the surroundings in favour of looking around for her doll. What was she doing just looking around the environment like some sort of weird tourist? She needed to get everything sorted! She needed to…
…to…
The mirror.
Her eyes found the mirror. And what a sorry state it was.
The once grandiose mirror lay dusted and broken. The gilded golden trim was covered in ash both ash and soot. Her eyes could see all manner of cuts and bumps that had ruined the craftsmanship. The mirror's reflective edge was covered in cracks. Large jagged criss-crossing streams in a circular pattern. It looked like something had impacted it. Something massive. It was a miracle that the reflective surface hadn't fallen apart. It certainly looked like it should have. She couldn't even see anything reflected anymore. It was-
A hand tore through the mirror, bursting out from the centre-
She knew it belonged to Kirakishou. The ball-joints made such a thing readily apparent. At this point in their relationship, Ruby felt like she could spot her doll from a hundred miles away, just from a few short glances.
Which, unfortunately, made it impossible to notice that something was wrong. And it was exactly that impossibility that had caused Ruby to gasp in fright.
There were cracks on the doll's hand. Tears in the delicately-crafted artificial casing of her doll, of Kirakishou. She was damaged. Broken. Oum, there were so many. Most seemed like cuts and scrapes from a tumble, but a few had torn through the single layer of her artificial skin. She couldn't see underneath, as there was no light, but it was unmistakably different to her eyes. Ruby knew that something was writhing underneath, but her body wouldn't process the sight.
Perhaps it was for the best that she didn't see it. She felt like she couldn't handle any more surprises.
As more and more of Kirakishou pushed out of the mirror, more and more changes made themselves apparent. There was so much damage to her doll. Where Ruby would expect to see Kirakishou's dress begin to reveal itself as the doll crawled through the broken mirror, instead marred and cracked artificial skin would greet her eyes. First the upper forearm, meeting at a ball-jointed elbow and going further upwards towards another jointed shoulder and-
Despite the dawning horror and fear of witnessing a broken doll racing through her mind, a bright blush surfaced on her cheeks as Ruby's eyes registered exactly what Kirakishou was wearing.
Her pyjamas.
No, not Kirakishou's pyjamas. Ruby's pyjamas. The same ones she had been wearing inside the artificial mirrored world. She could recognise that black tank top anywhere- with the silly design of a heart-shaped beowolf displayed on the centre. Why was she wearing it now?
…Not that she minded of course…It looked so loose on the doll's smaller frame… she could most certainly appreciate the view….
Well. She could. Were it not for the myriad of cracks and cuts littering Kirakishou's body, of course.
The more of Kirakishou's doll body that escaped the mirror, the more the damage that had supposedly been inflicted upon her made itself known. Had she not escaped the blast-wave of Cinder's explosion as Ruby had first thought? She'd thought the doll was fine! She had looked fine!
But… that had been in the mirrored world… Perhaps there was some difference between Kirakishou's version of the dorm room and reality? Had she been using her power, what little of it remained, to mask her damage for Ruby's sake?
There were so many questions fluttering about in her mind. It hurt to think about.
A faint humming sound momentarily drew Ruby's attention away from Kirakishou's mirror and she found her eyes settling on the ruined form of the Beacon Academy dormitories. The crystalline stones were… singing, for lack of a better phrase. But it was like no song she had ever heard. It was a soft little lilting tone that followed no rhyme or reason. Less of a tune and more of a discordant frequency of some sort. One that was steadily increasing in tempo, the longer she listened.
She could almost swear that the vibrancy of the crystals had also increased. They were never that bright before.
Ruby could not help but be reminded of what Kirakishou had spoken to her, before she had returned to the outside world.
…My presence in the outside world will dramatically increase the development of my N-Field…
Had this been a reaction to Kirakishou's presence? Would there be more? What would occur, now that Kirakishou was freeing herself from the mirror? How fast would the N-Field would develop? How much was dramatic?
Ruby shook her head and refocussed on the mirror. Kirakishou was the main priority right now. Her doll, despite being damaged, was still alive. The explosion hadn't killed her. All of this madness hadn't been enough to destroy her doll. Not Kirakishou, not ever. She was still alive. Just… severely damaged.
Most of her body was pushing through the mirror now, ripples like the surface of a pond fluttering across the cracked and broken reflective surface. Kirakishou had gotten both of her arms though, and it was looking like she was settling her hands on either side of the mirror and pulling herself out. In some kind of morbid sense, it almost looked like she was pulling herself up out of a pool of some kind. Albeit, a murky pool filled with a whole other reality that Ruby had previously been submerged inside of herself.
Finally, finally, Ruby heard the doll's first gasp of air as her head pushed through and was able to pull the rest of her body though. In an instant, the doll was fumbling and falling down on the ground. Ruby raced forwards and caught her before she could impact against the harsh crystal-laden white surface. In the corner of her eyes, she could spot the mirror crumbling apart. Oddly enough, she felt an uncomfortable sense of loss for a brief moment, before her eyes were drawn back to focus on her Rozen Maiden.
Her doll. Bound /bound bound bound/-
Kirakishou stared up at her, momentarily silent. There was a fleeting sense of overwhelming emotion briefly fluttering across the doll's face in an expression that made Ruby's heart clench painfully in her chest. She seemed so relieved. So very-
In an instant Ruby pushed forward, sealing her lips with the doll's in a wordless display of trust, of faith. Of about a dozen other emotions that Ruby couldn't bother putting to mind as she reinforced the thought in her mind that Kirakishou was here. Her hands ran up Kirakishou's back, feeling the soft fabric of Ruby's own pyjama top against her skin. She pulled the doll flush against her, momentarily captivating herself in the doll's ethereal aroma.
When she pulled back, whatever expression that had haunted her doll had departed, leaving a surprised little flush that told Ruby that the Rozen Maiden hadn't anticipated her sudden bout of intimacy. It was enough to make her giggle.
"I'm so glad you're here, Kira… the- the mirror and dorms… I don't… when I came out, I was so confused…"
The doll tilted her head, smiling at her as Ruby tried to refocus her thoughts. A cracked, ball-jointed hand softly caressed her cheek as the doll pulled her into a hug. There was such little strength in Kira's movements, to the point where Ruby had to actively push herself forward to accomplish the hug that Kira was attempting.
"…Master… I'm… I'm glad to see you as well," the doll whispered as her head rested against Ruby's shoulder, the words barely audible to her. "It, well, I believe everything was worth it, just to see you here. I apologise for the difficulty of your transition into the world."
With some degree of reluctance, Ruby pulled back from the hug. She watched as the doll's arms fell limply at her sides.
"What happened, Kira? Why are you so… so damaged?"
The doll gave a weak chuckle. "…Ah, as it turns out, not even the purest of roses can hope to stand in the epicentre of an explosion and hope to come out unscathed," Kirakishou shook her head, seeming oddly amused by the situation, before a tiny frown marred her face. "I am sorry if this appearance vexes you. Your doll is too weak to heal her Rozen Maiden body during this moment."
"N-No, it's okay. You don't have to apologise… I understand…" Ruby muttered distantly, as the reminder of Kirakishou's body forced her eyes to roam across the doll's ball-joints once again. Her cheeks flushed with heat. "B-But… um, I'm not exactly complaining, but I do have to ask. Why are… why are you wearing my clothes?"
Kirakishou tittered. Less of a giggle and more of a softly amused sound. Her shirt, hanging loosely over the doll's smaller frame, shook from the weight of her laughter. Ruby's eyes traced the movement with seemingly laser-like precision.
"Darling Ruby, a doll's clothes are fragile things. Even those of a pure Rozen Maiden. They could not hope to withstand the force of an explosion. Upon leaving the reflected world, I needed to borrow some of your clothes from that moment in time. The ones that my body was wearing in the dorm room were destroyed in the wake of the explosion, and creating my typical dress would require the use of resources I do not possess at the time."
Try as she might, Ruby couldn't help but admit that the outfit was really appealing on her doll. It was revealing in a way that set her desires aflame. She wanted Kirakishou, more than she ever had before. And it was during the absolute worst time. Oum. It just wasn't fair. And, judging by the small smile curling on Kirakishou's lips, the doll knew of her predicament as well.
…When we get out of this… oh, I'll show you…
Ruby shook her head. She needed to get her mind out of the gutter and back in action.
"So, what do we need to do?"
"It is very simple, Master. First, you need to find General James Ironwood. He is located at the base of Beacon Tower. Find him. He will-"
A flash of gold. A familiar snap-crack. An energetic yell.
She knew those sounds. She'd heard them all far too many times in her life.
After all, she had been there, all those times. Every time, every tournament. Watching. Supporting.
Eyes widening in alarm, she moved to lung as a cry tore itself from her throat.
"Kira! Watch out-!"
The doll barely had time to turn her head towards Ruby's cry before a golden flaming streak impacted harshly against her back, the familiar blast of Ember Celica launching a dust round invading Ruby's senses. Kirakishou was sent crashing to the ground as the form of Yang Xiao Long, her sister, made itself readily apparent.
"…Finally… got you…" Yang huffed out, eyes a vibrant crimson.
This was wrong. It was all wrong. How in the world did everything change so abruptly?!
He had been going so well, too. He had been triumphant, proudly leading his forces deeper and deeper into the heart of the enemy. Naturally, there were some causalities, but such was the nature of war. Sienna Khan had been displeased by his apathy, but in the face of securing a victory for the White Fang, he would sacrifice everything. What was one or two deaths in the face of securing a bright future for the faunus people? A true haven, unlike the disgusting prison that was Menagerie. Sacrifices had to be made, he understood that.
Yet, try as Adam might, the casualties continued to mount. It had soon become far too much to ignore, even for him. There were just so many.
Brothers. Sisters. All of them, both young and old, lost to this horrid dust-ridden landscape. Torn apart by all manner of grimm, crystals, and huntsmen alike. Friends, people he'd had lunch with for Oum's sake, they were all gone. Wherever they went, they received no mercy. How in the world could he be expected to simply put that aside for the sake of the mission? It was all just too much.
As they had progressed deeper and deeper into Vale, advancing past the downtown Vale area and pushing forward towards the entry to Beacon Academy, they were met with greater and greater resistance. Beacon Academy was a damnable fortress, with limited access possible due mostly in part to the location of the academy proper. Being nestled on the ass-end of a cliff surrounded by thick bushland, the only way to reliably approach was through the main gate. Approaching by bullhead would lead only to evisceration by the academy's automated defence systems and the Atlesian Fleet.
And even if the defence systems were down and the Atlesian Fleet was all-but destroyed barring a few stragglers, the grimm would surely pick them off.
However, what Sienna and Adam had failed to take into account would be these damn crystals.
While his blade had been sufficient when dealing with the smaller crystals, even when his semblance was overcharged there was nothing that Adam could do about crystalline spires both larger and thicker than most buildings. All he could accomplish was temporarily damaging the aura protection of a single spire, which would draw the attention of other pursuing crystals away from his allies and onto his lonesome self.
Many of the crystals had seemingly grown in downright terrible locations, sectioning his forces into various choke-points that seemed filled with frenzied grimm and dust-ridden huntsmen and huntresses all fighting to survive. Those that lost were quickly captured by the teal-green crystals, their sacrifices seemingly fuelling the growth of more and more crystals as time went on. It was becoming difficult to recognise the terrain, let alone plot a course to Beacon Academy.
They had been completely overwhelmed on more than one occasion, only surviving through sheer dumb luck and enough ammunition to terminate any difficult threats. However, each failing scenario saw with it the deaths of a great many of his brothers and sisters.
Even Sienna, backbone of the White Fang society as she was, seemed to know that they were fighting a losing battle the more they tried to advance towards Beacon Academy.
Huntsmen. Huntresses. Crazed civilians armed with stolen weapons. The fucking VPD, merciless and armed to the teeth as always.
Everybody was out for blood. It was a slaughter.
Yet, everywhere they went, every battle they fought, the crystals were always there. Picking off the wounded like some twisted scavenger- encasing more and more bodies inside the strange teal-green constructs. When there were no wounded left, only then would they attack. And they would attack in numbers.
Sienna and a still-surviving Perry had deduced that the crystals were the result of a semblance, that feasted on aura in order to remain operational. Either that, or an aura-derived weapon of some sort, one that their former allies had most certainly not known about. Sienna had stated that a person with over-controlling and micromanaging behavioural tendencies like Cinder Fall would never allow something so ravenous to be unleashed. Thus, this was the result of a third-party consequence.
Their inside man (of whom Sienna had revealed was a woman) within Beacon Academy had been silent as well. Whoever had been the girl to tip-off Sienna Khan regarding Adam's activities with the White Fang clearly hadn't survived the events of the night, or at the very least was not in a position to relay information about the situation inside Beacon Academy. Considering what Sienna had said about the girl's supposed faculties, there was a good chance that the girl had died in her sleep. They were completely on their own.
The terrain itself was barely recognisable at this point. A pale mist had settled over the crystal-laden ground, as several crystal spires shifted and writhed in unnatural movements. The faces of thousands lay below, encased deep within the translucent earth- all displaying the same peaceful sleeping expression. Many of those faces belonged to those within the White Fang, both seasoned veterans and recent conscripts alike. Those that Adam personally knew would never sleep in such a relaxed manner.
"…This isn't a surviving battle," Sienna had eventually voiced, moments after defending against yet another panic-stricken fool with a gun. The kid couldn't have been out of his teens, but in the face of all the madness occurring all around him, he'd charged headfirst at Sienna. Adam shook his head. It was all just so much.
He was just so… tired. Watching all of this slaughter, all of this senseless death. Had this been how Blake had felt, during the early stages of their grand conquest? Had this been why she had left? Even Sienna Khan, who Adam felt was a driving flame in comparison to Blake's dwindling ember, had seemingly lost her fire in the wake of this unending battle.
But, for once in his life, Adam couldn't agree more with the words of the High Leader.
"…What do we do?"
Sienna's response was immediate, as she delivered the killing blow to her would-be aggressor. It was more of a mercy killing than anything. Certainly better than whatever the crystals would have done.
"There is nothing we can do, Adam. If we push forward, we will undoubtedly find ourselves forced into unfamiliar terrain and eventually slaughtered. Beacon Academy will offer no safe haven. The grimm will continue to pour in from the Emerald Forest nearby and the crystals will continue to consume until there are no survivors."
"…And if we were to return the way we came?" Adam threw out the idea.
The High Leader shook her head. "Not possible. With our original manpower, it was possible to push this far, but considering how long it's taken for us to get this far, a repeat journey would only spell our doom. We do not have the manpower to ensure our survival."
"But surely it's worth an attempt, right? We can't just lay down and die."
Sienna frowned. "…If we push back, we will be slaughtered. Either by the grimm, the surviving humans, or by these crystals."
He grit his teeth. Adam knew Sienna was right, as much as he hated to admit it. The grimm would offer no compromise. Having spent the last several months of his life working to cull the damnable creatures from Mountain Glenn, he had first-hand experience regarding what exactly the grimm would do to a defenceless faunus. They were a ferocious opponent at the best of times, yet when maddened by the influx of negative emotions as they were at the moment, they would be a force to be reckoned with.
The surviving humans wouldn't be any better. Most were just civilians lucky enough to have found a weapon or two during the battle, but some were trained huntsmen and huntresses. Their deaths, now that the invading White Fang contingent was as depleted as it was, would be a certainty. Huntsmen and huntresses, especially those fighting to defend their land, would be in no mood to take prisoners. They would fight to the death and slaughter all those who opposed them.
In that way, they were no different from the White Fang themselves. Both were fighting to uphold their beliefs and protect their family. He could respect such callous disregard in the face of annihilation. Sienna had spoken of similar beliefs, of how it is better to intrinsically understand how the enemy functions from a psychological perspective, to better understand how they would operate.
This, however, was a simple fight for survival. A losing battle, yes, but it was a battle that appeared universal for both humanity and the faunus people. It stripped away all titles, leaving either 'us' or 'them'.
The crystals, however, targeted both sides. That, coupled with the grimm slaughtering everything they could, would eventually spell the downfall of every living creature in the Vale area. It was only a matter of time.
Sienna Khan knew this. Adam Taurus knew this. Fucking Roman Torchwick probably knew it better than most, considering how he and his little midget psycho had booked it the moment they'd been able to escape White Fang captivity. Some morose, pessimistic part of him found some ironic amusement in that it had been the weakest member of Cinder's little faction that would be escaping relatively unharmed. Slippery little bastard.
Torchwick's enforcer, that Neopolitan girl, had been a damn monster to fight against, but she was naught but a speedster with a gimmick. Hard to pin down, but easy to damage once you got a hold of her. It had likely been why she'd decided to stealth the rescue of Torchwick. Can't be damaged if you're not detected. After that it would have been child's play for a girl with an illusion semblance to temporarily cloak a bullhead and-
"…That's it," he muttered aloud, "bullheads."
Sienna's eyes darted to him in an instant. "What are you talking about?"
"Ironwood's fleet," Adam forced his jumbled thoughts into words, gesturing wildly towards the airspace of Beacon Academy. "Look. They're still fighting the grimm at the moment. It's a madhouse up there. The fire-fight has spread all around us. With the failing communication and the extend of the battle, I'd bet that they're likely all scrambled, just fighting to survive. If we can hijack one of those bullheads…"
"We can escape during the commotion…" Sienna finished for him, eyes wide. "Yes… that might work. Though, it will be somewhat difficult to board one. Perhaps, it would be better to find one that has landed for repairs..."
"But first, we need to make it to Beacon Academy," he answered, before glancing over at the few remaining members of the White Fang that had made it this far. "Brothers! Sisters! We have a plan! We just need to push forward!" he rallied. "Let us show these humans that the White Fang will not fall over in the face of adversity!"
Weak cheers were sent his way. Adam smiled beneath his mask. He wondered that if he was able to bolster the cheers into a thunderous roar that if he too would feel their determination. But he doubted it.
He was just so tired.
A/N:
Hello again! So, as you all can see, this is the semi-finale. Not of the story, oh definitely not, but of this current event.
Did you all enjoy the idea for Summer's weapon? Describing a weapon, especially a multi-use RWBY-type weapon, is a little bit of a pain. I felt like I was at the beginning of a story, introducing a new character for the first time. There are a lot of moving parts and the tiniest detail can change everything. But, I feel that it was worth it, just to be able to have a showdown with Summer and Laplace.
Ruby and Kirakishou are back in the real world, as well! This would mark the first time in, well, quite a few chapters, that Kirakishou is outside of the dorms of her own free will for an extended period of time. Though, something tells me that Yang is probably not there to provide a guided tour of Beacon Academy. Would make for an interesting RWBY Chibi episode, however.
And, finally, we get to Adam and Sienna. Oddly enough, I quite enjoy the dynamic of those two working together. Even if their little business venture is essentially just them getting stomped by every lunatic that happens to notice them. They've been having some rather bad luck recently, huh?
Well, that's all for this chapter. Thank you all for continuing to support this story, chapter by chapter. I couldn't have done it all without you people. A shoutout to those discussing Laplace in the reviews, by the way. The psychology of the Rozen Maiden characters has always been interesting to me, along with the veiled mystery of their actions. Exploring that mystery is always an exciting venture!
Until next time!