Couple of things I want to say before I get started. First off, I started writing my Halo/Star Wars crossover; Star Wars: Hyper Lethal Vector so you can probably expect the first chapter of that story to be uploaded some time soon. I won't spoil anything for those who ask me for details about the story.
Second, I've decided to include another character from Star Wars: Visions into the story, but they won't appear until Oscar meets up with the group. So, again I advise all of you to please be patient in terms of Oscar's entry into the story.
Third: I've been trying to come up with an idea for a Transformers Prime story based on both the tv series and the War for Cybertron/Fall for Cybertron games, seeing as they are both part of the aligned continuity, if you are interested in the details about said story, shoot me a PM and I'll give you some details about the story.
Alright, onto the reviews.
Monster King: Thanks
Jack Smith1: Though I haven't read the comic featuring the Battle of Jabiim, the battle's outcome reminded me of several battles in certain wars that had the same outcome; heavy casualties. I also completely agree with you about Palpatine. There should have been more people who could see that all Palpatine was doing during the years leading up to the Empire was gathering his power so he could create said Empire. If that doesn't raise any red flags for some people, then I don't know what will. If you're watching Anime on Netflix, I recommend you watch Sword Art Online, both the original series and the spin off Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans and Mobile Suit Gundam: Unicorn. They are some good anime's.
Spartan-626: Thank you. Trust me, there is a lot more to Hanzo than you've probably already deduced. You'll just have to wait until it's time for a proper sensei/student reunion.
SilverFox3456 or SilverFox45678: I agree, the Nuckelavee is one of the scariest Grimm that Salem has ever created, but I think that Kor's true form from Jak 2 is far scarier for a first-time player of the Jak and Daxter games. I do agree that the Hound is also one of the scariest Grimm she also created, but as to who would win in a fight, I'm not so sure.
Darth Cody: I'm still trying to figure out how Qrow will help in the fight with the Nuckelavee, if you have any thoughts, please send them my way.
Luffy L Deathwalker: I think what Ren is feeling is fear, fear he has not felt in a long time when it comes to that monster of a Grimm.
Ok, onto the chapter. Disclaimers are the same as always. Please enjoy.
Chapter 57: Taking Control
An irregular circle of flame bursts outward from a panting Cinder Fall as she stood in a large empty room. Behind her is a darkened arched hallway with a low ledge that bear several burning white candles on each side of the arch.
Four Beowolves approach Cinder, moving in a semicircle formation, but Cinder swung her left arm at the wolf Grimm, sending a slash of fire that cut through the middle of all four Grimm which disintegrated from her attack. Still upright, she panted but her brief breather didn't last long as the heavy footsteps of a Beringel approached her from the left. She gasped as the bear Grimm leapt into the air and delivered a devastating blow onto her Aura. Her anger was strong as she tapped into both the maiden's power and the force before she pulled back her right arm and pushed a ball of flame right towards the Grimm, causing it to disintegrate as well.
As the body disappeared, Cinder fell to her knees and breathed heavily as Salem walked forward, unpleased with her training. "I thought you were the girl who wanted power. Did you lie to me?" Salem demanded as Cinder continued to struggle for normal breaths. She winced on the force of Salem's question before she looked up and turned to face her mistress. "Then stop holding back. If you wish to master your new powers, you must -"
She was cut off when Cinder sensed the presence of Maul who entered from the stone hall. Taking notice of his apprentice's state of tiredness, he gestured for her to leave, something that Salem allowed before the former Sith Lord knelt down. "My lady, I regret to inform you that Tyrian has failed in his mission." He told her.
"He is dead?" Salem questioned.
"Yes. But it wasn't the silver eyed girl. It appears that Galen Marek, the Demon Lord of the Round Table has returned to Remnant. As for a certain Qrow, he still remains alive and well." He continued.
"The last eye hasn't been blinded… Tyrian has disappointed me." Salem said without even caring that one of her associates was dead.
"However," Maul continued causing Salem to stop in her tracks and turn around to face him. "Tyrian may still be of use to us. I believe now is the time for Tyrian to transcend into a more dangerous opponent, one who's abilities would rival that of the most infamous Jedi hunters in the galaxy, one whom could hold his own against even the most powerful Jedi."
"You speak of your project?" Salem inquired.
"Yes. With your permission, I would like to not only begin the project but call in for a 'replacement' until Tyrian can be of use to us again." The Zabrak requested. Salem thought long and hard for a moment. Tyrian's desire to kill was useful to her cause and he would indeed prove useful for when the time came for her to turn her attention to that fool Ironwood and his kingdom. Though he did disobey the orders she gave him when he was sent to Atlas, around the time that she became aware of Vader and the Empire, he was the most loyal follower she had.
"You may proceed with your project. When Watt's returns from Mistral, you will take his place. It's time for you to stop hiding and make yourself known to our enemies. Kill them all, don't show any mercy or hesitate." She instructed.
"It shall be done, my lady." Maul answered turned to leave Salem alone, passing by Cinder who had stayed behind to listen to the entire conversation. Maul didn't pay any notice to her until he reached his ship and keyed in a certain frequency he had acquired when he was building the Shadow Collective into his ship's communication relay. It took some time before he finally contacted a bounty hunter, well known for their ruthless work ethic, boldness, skilled tactics and skills that rivaled many other bounty hunters, including the deceased Jango Fett. "I have need of your services, bounty hunter."
"This had better be worth it." the bounty hunter said in a gruff and annoyed voice.
Back in Patch and standing outside of her home, Yang spray painted her robotic arm in the same yellow and black color as the remaining half of her gauntlets. Once she was finished, she went to the tool shed and took the tarp off her motorcycle which hadn't been used in months.
"I don't remember saying that you were ready." her father pointed out, leaning against the frame of the shed door with his arms crossed. Behind him was Kix, Echo and Ahsoka. Yang didn't even turn around before asking her father if she planned on stopping her. "No. I think I'm still too sore after our last fight. I just wanted a better goodbye than a letter. And, I also have a question for you." Tai answered with a chuckle as his oldest daughter turned around to face him.
"Where are you going?" Tai questioned.
"What do you mean?" Yang questioned back.
"Well, despite asking him numerous times not to, I know Qrow told you where your mother's been at these days. I know how much you want to see her. I've stopped you in the past, but I won't anymore. And we all read the note. We know your sisters headed to Mistral. So, where are you going?" Tai asked as he moved into the shed. Yang looked down at the tarp as Tai made his point before, she narrowed her eyes in determination.
In the clearing behind the house, Alice finished loading the last of the supplies into her Gauntlet fighter while her younger brother watched. "Do you really have to go? I only just found out my big sister was alive after seventeen long years of thinking she was dead and after all these months, you decide now is the time to leave?" March questioned, clearly not taking a liking to the situation.
"I've been away for far too long. Bo already contacted me about the Empire's increased pressure on our my fellow Mandalorian's. They need all the help they can get and so does the rebellion. You can bet that they are also getting as much attention as my fellow warriors." Alice replied, checking that each of the supplies were aboard. "Besides, you've clearly proven to me that you're capable of handling yourself, even if you are insane." She said teasingly with a light jab at her brother's shoulder.
"Eh, only a little." March replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Still, it's not going to be the same without you around here."
"You have your own task to complete. Yang and your team are going to need all the help when they get to Mistral. Besides, I'll still be with you, both in spirit and your new sword. Remember, you did ask me to incorporate the same shotgun mode into it." Alice reminded her brother, eyeing to the secondary sword sheathed to his side. "Don't worry, we'll see each other again. I'm sure of it." March smiled as his sister powered up her ship and departed Remnant and headed to Mandalore. He knew she was right and headed back to the house.
At the same time, half a world away, Weiss stepped out of her bedroom, carrying a white suitcase and Myrtenaster. She looked around cautiously as her footsteps loudly resounded in the ornate hallway. She didn't get far before she jumped and gasped when Klein appeared right behind her. "Let's go. Your brother and friends are waiting for you." He whispered.
The two were quick to move across the carpet which muffled their footsteps. Walking side-by-side, they made it down the staircase darted across the entrance hall before they moved down another hallway. However, Klein's scroll buzzed and right away, Klein could see that it was from one of the maids who had found Weiss's mother, passed out and drunk in the dining room. Klein then turned to Weiss and whispered for her to meet him and the others at the first-floor library.
Both of them went their separate ways and it wasn't long before Weiss found herself creeping outside the door of her father's study when she heard a crash of glass from behind the door, causing her to crouch behind a cushioned chair against the wall as she listened in to the conversation.
"You need to control yourself!" Ironwood shouted to a very pissed off Jacque.
"You're talking about control? Do you even hear what you're saying?" Jacque spat back.
"I'm basing everything on my reports from your daughter." Ironwood clarified, causing Jacque to accuse him of stealing his daughter from him. "Oh, we are not getting into that again."
"Oh, yes, we have far more pressing matters to discuss, starting with your apparent lunacy!" Jacque pointed out.
"Winter is one of my best. If she's telling me there's a threat in Mistral, then I am not going to take that news lightly. She's been there for weeks, people are mobilizing, sudden spikes in weapons and Dust trades. Someone is about to make a play and I do not trust Leo to stop them."
"You never trusted anyone other than yourself!" Jacque roared.
"And for good reason!" Ironwood shouted, slamming his fist onto the table in the office before going on about something involving Ozpin.
"You need to get a grip." Jacque stated.
"That's exactly what I'm doing. Our people need protection. By this time next week, the Kingdom of Atlas will be officially closing its borders. No one in; no one out. Without the council's permission." Ironwood stated, which Jacque stated that Ironwood meant without his permission. "And if that becomes the case, I would think you'd be want to be on my good side. The last thing I need to deal with is someone who wants to turn to smuggling when I already have a vigilantly to deal with."
Hearing Ironwood approaching the door, Weiss quickly casted a black Glyph on the door handle, locking both the general and her father inside the office while she made her escape to the library.
Inside the office, Ironwood slammed his shoulder again and again into the door, hoping to break it down but had no success. "Is this how you plan on stopping me? Locking me inside your office until you get your way?" Ironwood questioned angrily.
"What the hell are you talking about? I did nothing of the sort!" Jacque stated, getting up from his desk and tried to open the door himself. As he did, a crossbow bolt broke the window into his office and embedded itself into the door. Attached to it, was a note. Taking the note Ironwood read the note.
'You really think that capturing me is going to fix your problems? It won't. Your mettle is driving a wedge between Atlas and Mantle, a wedge that can easily be exploited by the same people who attacked Vale. Either you see reason that's not yours or things will get worse and if push comes to shove, I will stop you. And tell that greedy bastard that his oppression of the Faunus and other people has gone on long enough, you'll know where I am.'
F
Both adults knew who the sender was and locked back outside the window to see a black caped figure tip their hat to them before leaping off the building where he took his shot.
Meanwhile, Weiss had entered the empty library and was looking for the others. "Guys! Guy's where are you?" she whispered. Just then a hidden door in the corner opened up, revealing Klein, Whitley, Arthur, Hevy and Hardcase.
"Keep your voice down, I told you I'd be here." Klein said in a different accent and with red eyes. Weiss didn't care and rushed over to them, dropping her sword and suitcase in order to hug her butler and brother which caused Klein to revert to his basic personality. "Are you sure Mistral is safe?"
"No, but's where I'll find Winter." Weiss replied, stepping back after ending the hug.
"Well, I suppose she'd be the only family you have left after tonight." Klein said sadly, his eyes turning light brown.
"Now that's not even true, Klein. We both have you and you're a better father than our old man." Whitley told the butler, who smiled at the young Schnee boy. Whitley then turned to Weiss. "I believe you are going to need this far more that father will. After all, it's been said that a warrior doesn't rely solely on a single weapon." He said with a smile before handing her a familiar silver object.
"A lightsaber?" Weiss gasped, picking up the weapon, found it's activation switch and ignited the blue blade. "Father had this hidden?"
"Much like the blueprints for the ranged mode of the Penwolf family sword, Father intended to mass produce this weapon and sell it as his own product. Sadly, he could not find the correct type of crystal to use for the power source. I 'liberated' this from his study while you were being 'grounded'." Whitley explained as Weiss deactivated the blade and clipped the weapon to her waist.
Just then, all of them heard a loud bang from further in the house that made all look. Ironwood had managed to finally get himself out of Jacque's study and the father of the Schnee siblings was already calling for Klein. Weiss didn't need any more motivation to grab her things and ran through the secret passageway, pausing to take one last look at her butler and brother as the passageway closed.
"May the Force be with you, sister." Whitley said to himself as the passageway closed.
Halfway around the world, the sun had risen over Menagerie. Birds tweeted in the trees outside Ghira's study while a shirtless Sun laid on the couch, his head propped on the arm and his hands folded over his abdomen while a bloodied bandage was wrapped around his left shoulder, the exact area where Ilia had landed a hit on him. Sun blinked his eyes and raised his head with a groan. "Blake?" he questioned when he spotted Blake sitting in a chair from across the couch, her body facing him and her bowed while her hands were folded in her lap. She wasn't alone as Zett, Rose, Fives and Jesse were standing by her side.
"This… is why, Sun. This is why I left them all behind." She began, much to Sun's confusion as the monkey boy struggled to get up. "I am done with seeing my friends hurt because of me."
"Blake…" Sun began to say before he was cut off.
"Shut up! Do you think I like being alone? Every day… every day I think about them! Ruby, Weiss, Yang… they were my friends! I love them like I never thought I could love anybody. And I hope they hate me for leaving." Blake shouted angrily to Sun.
"You don't mean that." Sun countered, raising himself up from the couch.
"Yes, I do! Everyone thinks they can help me, but they can't. You all saw Ilia last night and she's not ever the worst! No. No more. They're better off without me. I made my choices and I'll deal with the consequences because they belong to me." Blake shouted again.
"You think you're being selfless, but you're not. Yeah, that chameleon friend of yours got me pretty good. But I'd do it all again if it meant protecting you." Sun told Blake, who turned to face him, surprised by his words. "And I can promise you Yang would do the same." He added, getting Blake to turn away, looking down.
"I'm with Sun on this. Wow that was a bit difficult to say." Rose said in agreement. "You can make your own choices, sure. I mean, everybody has. Fives and Jesse made the choice to disobey orders and attack an enemy ship, saving many of their brothers from being blown to bits, with the help of Hardcase. My Pa and Ma made the choice to leave their old friends and start a new life for themselves. Sun made the choice to follow after you and make sure you were ok. Same can be said for me and Zett. But you don't get to make ours. When your friends fight for you, it's because we want to. So, stop pushing us out! It hurts more than anything the bad guys could ever do to us."
"I agree. When things are at their darkest, you should always have someone you can trust by your side. Whether they are clones or Faunus, friends are a good thing to have. Especially when you need them the most." Zett added in agreement.
"But, if it makes you feel any better, the next time I go up against Lizard Girl, it won't be for you – it'll be to get even." Sun chimed in, trying to point to his wound with his left thumb, only he couldn't finish the motion as it aggravated his injury, causing him to wince in pain while Blake laughed and called him her hero.
"Not to change the subject or anything, but who was that warrior last night? You seemed to know him Blake, you called him 'Master Hanzo'. Who is he and how do you even know him?" Fives asked.
Before Blake could answer, the same door that Sun had crashed through the night before crashed down again, causing everyone to look back. This time, it was Kali who was eavesdropping too closely while Ghira stood behind her with his hand on his hip. "Oh! Oh dear, would you look at that, he's awake! Thank goodness!" Kali said in an affected tone.
"Kali, please." Ghira said, putting a hand to his face.
"Mom!" Blake exclaimed in embarrassment while Sun just greeted her mother as if what she did was normal. "What are you doing?!"
"Well, sweetheart, your father needed to speak with the six of you." Kali answered, confusing her daughter.
The same Scroll they recovered from last night was set down on the coffee table, showing the master folder labeled W. F. with six subfolders labeled 'Assignment, E.L., P.R., E.W., S.F., and Untitled.' "I'm afraid you were right to be suspicious." Ghira began, much to her daughter's confusion. "Adam Taurus is planning to overthrow the leader of the White Fang and stage a full-scale attack on Haven Academy. It would be the Fall of Beacon all over again." He said with much distaste in his voice.
"Does that horned bastard really think that attacking the huntsmen academies is really going to show the rest of humanity that the Faunus are people just like us? All he's going to do is provoke the rest of the world into a war! That damned idiot!" Rose snarled, slamming her fist onto the table, denting it a bit. "Sorry."
"Not if we destroy the White Fang." Sun stated.
"No. We're not going to destroy the White Fang. We're going to take it back." Blake said, full of decision and determination.
"If Adam is planning on overthrowing Sienna Khan, we need to warn her. She may be the leader of the White Fang, but this isn't her will." Zett suggested before he turned to Ghira. "That Dagger your people have, the one with the two-tone brown style camouflage, is it full operational?" he asked.
"Yes. It was recovered and repaired after the pilot was forced to make an emergency landing on the island. They didn't make it, but we repaired it in the event it was needed to be used. Why?" Ghira questioned.
"I'll go and warn Sienna. She'll listen to me, and I have a strong suspicion that she and Fulcrum are related." Zett replied.
"I'll tell the ground crews to have the plane ready for you." Ghira said determinedly. Zett bowed to Ghira, thanking him.
A half-hour later, Zett was seated in the cockpit of the twin-engine fighter and waited for clearance from the tower. He received clearance and the plane rocketed down the runway and out towards the bright blue ocean.
Back in Anima, Ren and Nora ran through the abandoned Kuroyuri, passing underneath the arch leading to the center of town, followed closely by the Bad Batch and Boba. As they all passed underneath the arch leading to the center of town, Ren panted when he finally came to a stop while Nora and the others were hardly winded. In front of them, Jaune, Ruby, Rex, Fordo, Cody, Alpha, Qrow and Galen faced the other way, but abruptly turned to face them. "You guys heard that noise? What was that?!" Jaune asked in alarm.
Ren's eyes grew wide as the sound of plodding footsteps became louder and louder. "No…" Ren spoke in weak protest as the footsteps soon came to a stop, followed by a loud breath. The eight clones and Boba readied their weapons as a bone horse with large black torso with bones sticking out of its spine in a perpendicular angle. Weapons were stuck over the entire body as the torso slowly raised up, revealing the horned humanoid Grimm. Thin strips of Grimm flesh stretched across the mouth while the bones, mouth and eyes glowed Red.
"That's one ugly mother…" Wrecker gasped as the Nuckelavee twitched its head and roared.
And chapter is done. Looks like our heroes are going to be in for quite a fight next chapter. Speaking of which, next chapter is going to be more different than canon and in case you're all wondering it has to do with that tank.
Anyway, until next time, please read and review.