CHAPTER 8: OPERATION FIGHT THE FEAR

2132 Hours, August 11, 2557 (Military Calendar) / Unknown System, Planet Remnant, Continent of Sanas

The Master Chief heard Ruby discharge several rounds from his M6D. He then saw her run out into the open space that they had designated as the kill zone. It would be the place where the Grimm would be lured to their deaths.

This trap had been hastily put together and there was no time to do a runthrough. They had to get it right the first time or they would be forced to retreat.

The girl had done her part; she had caused a distraction and had drawn all of the monsters toward her. She was now surrounded on all sides.

Now it was time for him to do his part.

Spartan 117 took off into a momentary spring, gaining just enough speed so that he could enhance his jump. He emerged from the forest, nearly ten meters in the air. While he did this, he casually tossed the large fire crystal he had reappropriated from the dead bandit. He saw the object being pulled by gravity to the intended destination. He waited as second and a half before firing a couple rounds at the crystal. This ignited the object, turning the area surrounding Ruby into a ring of fire, instantly incinerating all the hostiles caught in the circle.

Usually, controlling fire was hard to do unless one placed easily flammable material in a certain way, which was what they had done. They had taken some dry wood and other dried up leaves and other forest items that burned easily and set it all up in a circle. Because this was an artificially-created fire being created with some degree of control, it hopefully wouldn't spiral into a wild fire.

The supersoldier landed within a meter of Ruby, placed his MA5D on his back and quickly activated his hardlight shield, the blue surface projecting in front of him. He maneuvered himself so that he stood behind Ruby and placed his defensive tool in front of her as well as himself. From her reflection off the shield, she looked absolutely awed by what was currently happening.

"Don't fire unless I give the order." John warned her. "I don't have enough bullets to last through a prolonged engagement."

"R-right!" Ruby gripped the M6D, holding it down to the ground, her finger ready to move to the trigger. "Ready!"

The mini inferno the two of them had created served as a beacon to other Grimm, most of them not smart enough to conceive of another way forward other than directly through the flames. Because of the intensity of the fire, most couldn't even get through it before being burned severely and turning to ashes without so much as getting close.

It almost felt like watching some sort of hellish ritual occurring as bodies came flying from all sides and were either instantly burned to a crisp or made it through the ring only to collapse on fire and then disintegrate. The air was beginning to fill with so much smoke and the odor was absolutely foul.

Both spartan and budding huntress remained as they were, only shifting to check blind spots. The former kept his hardlight shield active while the latter held her weapon close to her chest.

The snapping and crackling all around them was enough to mostly muffle the sounds of roars and howls. Orange and yellow and red danced in their field of vision. Strangely enough, neither of them seemed perturbed by the potentially deadly fire all around them. If anything, the two of them slowly began to adjust and fall into the rhythm of watching their enemies come flying at them only to drop like flies.

The Master Chief deactivated his hardlight shield once he felt sure that he wasn't going to have a need for it. He readied his MA5D, pointing it at the ground as he kneeled.

Even in his current posture, he was still taller than Ruby.

And speaking of the girl in question, she was quivering, albeit not fiercely. She must still be feeling the fear of facing the Grimm, but she was failing in her attempts to ward off that fear completely.

The effort was appreciated, even if the attempt was misguided.

"Stop fighting the fear." Spartan 117 grasped her shoulder and squeezed with minimal pressure. "You'll never get it under control."

From personal experience, fear was the ultimate enemy, yet at the same time it was a presence that was always following him no matter what. At first, the best way to contain that fear was to just let the survival instinct take over, but that could only get him so far; intelligence was a necessity to emerging from numerous life-threatening situations, so he had to find another way.

Over the course of his military career, John found that the best way to deal with that fear was to admit to feeling it, then remember that there were more important things than being afraid. By constantly reminding himself of what he was supposed to do as a spartan, he was able to push forward despite the adversity he faced.

Eventually, as his time on the battlefield increased, so too did his ability to control his fear, but he never stopped feeling that fear. Anyone who valued their life or the lives of others never truly ceased to feel fear.

Now that he was contemplating how he was able to cope with his own fear, he felt that his words to Ruby were not ideal. How could he reasonably expect a child with no experience in life and death situations to simply control her fear like he could?

Nothing in her posture indicated that she had gone off the rails. As long as her sanity remained intact until this was all over, she would have to be okay. Perhaps this was the sort of experience that was critical for her. Maybe then she would discard any lingering traces of her idealistic notions and focus on what mattered as a huntress.

All what-if scenarios that were irrelevant to the current task at hand, but still something that came to his mind.

Maybe there was something in this girl that reflected himself.

The Master Chief noted that the artificial flames created by the fire crystal were beginning to subside, but at this point, the number of Grimm had been thinned out to only a handful and these were easily dispatched with several accurate bursts of MA5D fire. By the time the fire had all but extinguished by itself, there was nothing but a black and charred landscape all around.

"Hostiles suppressed." The man in armor stood up and did another sweep, keeping his rifle trained until he confirmed no more targets.

"Y-yeah." Ruby rose to her feet unsteadily. "We're done."

"We need to head back to the village and search for any stragglers that might not have evacuated." John pointed his left hand back in the direction of the village. "Stick close to me. More Grimm could be on the way. If you see anything suspicious, speak up."

The supersoldier turned on his external lights in order to give Ruby something to follow. Thankfully, she remained close to his side, so he didn't have to concern himself with watching her from behind.

The trek out of the forest was relatively quiet with the occasional clatter of weapons making noise, the sound of MJOLNIR as each footstep was taken, and Ruby regulating her breathing, returning it to normal levels. Aside from those things and the wind that rustled the branches and leaves, there wasn't much else to hear. The animals in the forest had all but abandoned the area.

The Chief took note of his motion tracker, glossing over the yellow friendly at his five o'clock. There were no tangos according to his HUD, but he didn't let his guard down. In the dead of night, it was especially important to be alert. The Grimm were already dangerous enough during the daytime, but at night, they could attack like a ghost. Their bodies provided for excellent natural camouflage against the darkness.

That was when he heard a roar unlike any he had heard before. It made him stop for a second and his compatriot followed.

"Chief?" Ruby's voice was anxious.

"Another one." Spartan 117 checked how much ammunition he had left. "Three hundred fifty meters out."

"I've n-never heard that kind of Grimm before." Ruby chimed in. "A-are we going to check it out?"

"We have to." The spartan responded. "We can't leave anything to chance, especially not an unknown."

He did agree with her on one point; he didn't recognize the type of noise that he had heard. He had to assume it was Grimm because he wasn't aware of any species of animal living in a temperate environment that made such a noise.

"Do a weapon check." The Master Chief ordered. "A malfunction in the middle of a fight is the last thing we need."

He tilted his head down to see if she would follow the proper procedure. She first made sure that there was no chance of a negligent discharge before removing the clip, inspecting the weapon for any jams or obvious signs of problems before reinserting the clip back into the mag and cocking back the slide. She pointed the weapon at the ground and held her trigger against the side of the M6D.

"It's good." Ruby was now calm.

He stared at her for a few seconds, then resumed his pace and she followed suit.

Halo - - - RWBY

2200 Hours

The only thing keeping her from experiencing even more unsettled nerves was her guardian angel that led her. He was a walking personification of a soldier: serious, focused, and professional. Nothing seemed to phase him and nothing seemed to get in his way for long.

A silent, but strong warrior.

How did he do it?

Ruby could only ask herself that question constantly as she followed alongside him. These past few hours had shown her what he was capable of doing and she had a feeling that she was only seeing some of the things he could do. Not once in this entire ordeal had he even so much as flinched. He was a stone wall that couldn't be broken down no matter what was thrown at him. She wouldn't be surprised if he could inspire the fears of the gods into the Grimm.

The girl heard his boots hitting the ground and she remembered that they were still in a danger zone and that she was relying on him to see in the dark. Unlike some faunus, she didn't have the ability to see in the dark naturally. She was forced to rely on the Chief's helmet lights as her guiding light.

She felt so helpless in a situation like this. She couldn't see without him. She couldn't remain calm without him. She couldn't even fight properly without him. Everything that she was doing now was because of him and if not for him, she would be dead and she wasn't about to waste that generosity and go die.

She really wanted to live.

Ruby kept her eyes ahead of her, using her senses like she had never used them before. She listened to the sounds her ears picked up. She took a deep breath in and exhaled, taking note of the smells she could detect. She felt the warm air all around her and the slight breezes against her skin. With her sense of sight somewhat muted, she was unusually attuned to the rest of her senses, far more so than she had ever been in her life.

The sounds of snapping branches and grass crunching against their feet eventually slowed and stopped completely. That's when the feeling of confinement went away. The moon became visible once more. They had finally exited the forest and were somewhere open, maybe even back on the path originally taken to get here.

"Stop." The man in armor ordered suddenly. "Don't move."

Not wanting to cause unnecessary trouble, she did as she was told and halted. Something in the air felt heavy. It could be her state of mind, but her gut was telling her that something was about to happen. She took a breath in, then held it. It was the only way that she could silence herself and keep some measure of poise.

"Relax." The Master Chief spoke to her quietly. "You're no good to me if you're not calm."

"Sorry, chief." Ruby muttered, then exhaled slowly. "Relax."

He made it sound so easy and to his credit, he made it look easy. If only she could actually see a face instead of a visor. That might allow her to get a better read on what he was really feeling.

Then all of a sudden, a strident animalistic cry boomed and judging by the intensity of it, the source was close.

"Movement right!" The armored giant called out. "Nine o'clock! Fifty meters!"

Ruby barely had enough time to process this information as she felt the ground shake beneath her feet. That's when she looked into black and saw two red dots and some red lines heading towards them and they only got bigger as it got closer.

"Dodge!" Chief urged.

He sideskirted to the left and she did the same only half a second later. Something came through the space they had just been standing not even three seconds ago.

Another thundering growl was emitted. The Chief was able to shine his lights at their newest contact.

"M-m-megoliath!" Ruby cried out.

"Weaknesses?" He questioned.

"I-I don't know!" Ruby huddled closer to him. "I've never seen one let alone fought one!"

He fired his rifle at the towering elephant-like Grimm, but the shots had little effect on the bone plating. Sensing that its enemies weren't able to damage it in a significant way, the four-legged beast began another charge. The two of them once again took evasive action, but this time, the two of them split off in opposite directions.

"Regroup on me!" The Master Chief called out to her. "Follow my lights!"

"Okay!" Ruby acknowledged.

Training her eyes on the set of lights flashing nearby, she used a bit of her semblance to promptly return to his side. Thankfully, she had trained to use her aura and semblances to the point that she could use them almost as easily as breathing. A few days without heavy use hadn't diminished her abilities.

Ruby looked up at him. "What now?"

When he didn't relay any instructions immediately, she studied his helmeted head. She could see him looking around with slight turns and twists. It looked like he was figuring out what was going on relative to their position.

Now really wasn't a good time to be questioning the one man that she was staking her life on, but she was getting a bit antsy.

"Chief?" Ruby tried again.

After she uttered that single word, he powered off his helmet lights and she could see his outline as he crouched down. Instinctively, she followed his example, not really knowing what he was doing. A few seconds after both of them got into a crouched posture, the Megoliath appeared to have lost sight of them. It was within their general area, but now wandering around in a sort of aimless state.

"We need to expose its underside." He finally said something. "That's its weak point."

Ruby blinked. "How do you know that?"

"I managed to see enough of it to figure out the most likely place where its weakness is." He kept his voice to a whisper. "This thing doesn't appear to have many options for offensive action other than using its own body to crush enemies and charging full force. That would explain the protection to the front. That means that its weak point needs to be somewhere its target isn't likely to get at."

"But how do we get it to expose its own belly?" Ruby's whisper contained a lot of worry. "I don't think we have the strength to pull it off."

"We won't need brute force to do this." The Master Chief quietly. "All we need is one chance to get under it."

"...I'm guessing you have a plan?" Ruby hazarded a guess.

"Naturally." Even with the dim moonlight, she saw him place his rifle on his back. "But we need more time."

"...what can I do?" Ruby fell back on her trust in him.

"I take it you can't see that well?" The giant assessed.

"No." She replied.

"Then I'm going to be telling you how to move." His golden visor reflected some of the moon's light. "But this time, I won't be nearby. You'll need to be mindful of your surroundings to the best of your ability. If all fails, do whatever it takes to survive."

"Yes, sir!" Ruby nodded. "So what do I do?"

"First, stand up." He began. "Then face ninety degrees to your left."

Ruby did as she was told.

"Walk forward for a minute and then stop." His voice quickened with the sound of the Megoliath. "Use the magnum to get that thing's attention and that's all you need to do. I'll handle the rest."

Ruby did well to hide her timidity as she proceeded.

Internally, she had many doubts about this entire plan, but when he spoke what he said with the calm and collected tone that he never once stopped using, she couldn't help but think that he was going to make it work somehow. It was nothing more than a baseless assumption, but it was so damn easy to be sucked in by it considering she was sorely lacking in any sort of self-hope.

Ruby began walking into the dark, turning up her alertness to eleven. With every step that she took, her heartbeat hammered more in her chest. She had never been so skittish in all of her life. This kind of loneliness felt starkly offbeat from the times that she was used to hunting Grimm solo. She may as well be at the mercy of everything and everyone.

The only comforting presence was the pistol held in her hand. Its weight was hefty and its metal against her skin were rough to the touch, nothing that would traditionally be associated with the feeling of comfort.

But it was all she had now.

RWBY - - - Halo

2209 Hours

John watched as Ruby took some more steps into the night. At the same time, he was systematically keeping watch over the mammoth-like Grimm that was rambling nearby, trying to find them.

After replaying what this entire encounter had entailed so far, he had come to an unpleasant conclusion: neither the MA5D nor the M6D had sufficient firepower to kill the beast. That meant either they would have to retreat or they would have to find another way to eliminate this thing.

The first option was out of the question because with the village now vulnerable, leaving it would no doubt invite it to flatten the homes of the many people that lived there and there were no doubt people still inside. In any scenario, it was a disaster waiting to happen, so option one was out of the question.

The second option to kill was easier said than done. Without a proper weapon to deal with it, they were spinning their wheels in some deep mud. The only reason that this option was even up for consideration was for one reason: the ability to summon weapons.

In any typical combat engagement, the Master Chief would have shaken his head at the thoughts going through his mind. Here was in the middle of an engagement and he was banking everything on an ability that he had only used once, an ability that he used in his dream, not in reality. The absurdity of it was staggering.

And it was their only chance.

The super soldier counted twenty seconds since Ruby started walking. He needed to hurry and do what he was supposed to do.

Standing up to his full height, he forced his breathing to become level while closing his eyes. As his mental processes slowed down, he felt time itself begin to slow for him. He began to reach deep into himself. Everything he knew about combat, fighting, strategy, tactics, weapons, all of it came forward, but he sifted through it all with cold efficiency.

He was looking for a very specific piece of equipment, the most powerful man-portable weapon that the UNSC had ever deployed. He knew its shape, size, weight, and capabilities and he knew that if there was one weapon he could count on to bring down even the most resilient enemies, it would be this one.

Spartan 117 brought forward every single detail that he could about what he needed. The length was 120 centimeters. The width was 20 centimeters. The height was 39 centimeters. It weighed 19.07 kilograms empty and 20.4 kilograms loaded. For ammunition, it utilized a Series 6971 battery cell. When the trigger was first pulled, it would emit a targeting laser. The actual laser that would inflict lethal damage would result after three seconds of holding the trigger and the result would be several lasers made to look like one single laser. The weapon could be fired four times before it was depleted.

As he methodically ran through the details, he could see the weapon forming in his mind. It was almost like he was actually seeing the weapon firsthand.

Twenty more seconds ticked off his clock.

He then recalled the many uses of the weapon he had personally partaken in. He knew exactly what type of damage it did to individual enemy personnel and to vehicles. It was unmatched in terms of raw destructive power. When taken to its Nth degree, it could turn the tide of battle very quickly, taking out any single individual enemy and cutting through the toughest vehicles.

Ten seconds.

John felt a weight in his hands, something that he had not felt before. He opened his eyes and in his right hand, he found himself holding the weapon that he needed.

It was an Anti-Vehicle Model 6 Galilean Nonlinear Rifle.

Or as many UNSC personnel knew it as, the Spartan Laser.

Five seconds left.

The Master Chief got down to one knee and dedicated all of his attention to the Megoliath, which was now heading back in the general direction of its two human enemies. It looked like it had picked up some telltale signs of where they were and it was moving accordingly. He didn't aim the weapon at the thing, simply observed its movements.

Time was up.

Ruby had ceased walking and now was firing the M6D. It immediately grabbed the attention of the Grimm and it once again began its charge, this time much faster than any time before. It saw that she was alone and was likely looking to capitalize on the opportunity that resembled a divide and conquer situation.

That was not going to happen.

The man in MJOLNIR began sprinting forward, briskly covering the distance that the teenage girl had covered in a fraction of the time. His boots thudded heavily against the ground, his grip on the Spartan Laser tightening.

Everything was going to work out.

He would make it work.

The spartan stepped directly in front of Ruby, who squealed at the abrupt appearance. Just seconds before the Megoliath could send its foot crashing down on the two of them, he activated his hardlight shield, using it as a surface against the colossal weight he was dealing with.

For a few moments, it was a battle of strength and the first time in a long time, John felt his strength being tested acutely. Every single muscle in his body screamed as he put everything into not being overpowered. The weight of this Grimm combined with its leg strength was simply immeasurable to him.

But he couldn't afford to lose now.

He needed to put even more into it.

Winning was all that mattered.

The Chief pulled the trigger on the Spartan Laser, hearing it begin to charge up.

Three seconds.

He forced his body past the limits, pushing the foot of the Megoliath back, causing it to rear up at the unexpected push back.

Two seconds.

The hardlight shield deactivated and the Spartan Laser was aimed precisely.

One second.

The Grimm was starting to stabilize its footing, but it was too late.

Zero seconds.

A blood-red torrent of light discharged from the weapon, effectively burning a hole through the stomach of the mammoth-resembling beast. The laser exited out of its back and flew into the sky.

A guttural howl of pain echoed for all to hear, and then it ceased to be. It was now nothing more than deadweight about to slam into the ground.

"Get back!" The war veteran called out.

Backing up, the two of them were just barely able to avoid being trapped underneath the hulking mass, but even if they were, it wouldn't have lasted long. Expectedly, the Grimm dissolved into black dust that was scattered into the night.

It was over.

They had won.

One more time, John checked his motion tracker and looked all around. From the look of things, that was the last enemy contact. For now, they were in the clear.

This fight, it had been another reminder that likely, there were more powerful species of Grimm out there just waiting. If things like ancient and extinct creatures could be made into abominations, then there was nothing saying that even mythological creatures were exempt from being made into monsters.

He would need to prepare himself accordingly to face those threats when they came because they would come. He didn't know when, where, how, what, or why, but they would come, there was no mistake about that.

The Master Chief looked down at Ruby, who was on her knees, looking exhausted. She was drained physically and mentally. He had expected quite a bit out of her and despite her less than stellar performance overall, she had pulled through. She had found the inner strength to push past her terror.

He could respect that, even admire it.

"Are you injured?" Spartan 117 kneeled down.

"No, I'm okay." Ruby heaved a sigh. "I'm just… tired."

Looking her up and down, he could say with certainty that she looked fine physically speaking aside from her exhaustion. That was good; she was lucky this time around.

John placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him. Her eyes had a look that suggested that she was focused entirely on him. That expression compelled him to say the right words to her, but he wasn't sure what could be considered the right thing to say given the situation.

So he fell back on something that he was familiar with.

"Well done, soldier."

He took note of how her eyes as they widened marginally. This was yet another familiar face that he had seen many times in the new soldiers and marines that fought with him. Many times, he was made aware that he was humanity's hero. As Johnson had once said, folks needed their heros, but the man in armor never once saw himself as anything but as a man doing the job he was made to do: be the sword and shield of humanity.

"Let's make sure that the villagers are secure." The Master Chief stood up and gazed at the location of the village. "We'll sweep for any stragglers and kill any more Grimm that approach."

"Rright!" Ruby got to her feet. "Lead the way."

So he did.

Halo - - - RWBY

1200 Hours, August 13, 2557 (Military Calendar) / Unknown System, Planet Remnant, Kingdom of Vale

Nine days ago, she had set out on another typical exercise to hunt some Grimm and get some training in. She had believed that her skills, while still needing more improvement, were considerable. She possessed a simple but pure viewpoint of how good and evil worked in the world. She believed in her goal of becoming a huntress and saving people all around the world.

Nine days ago, everything changed for her. She had experienced her first encounter with death and with it, the realization of how easily it could have ended. She had been saved by a man in green armor who was as mysterious as he was unyielding in his strength. She came to rely on his combat prowess and his generosity.

Two days ago, she saw with her own eyes what the Grimm were truly capable of doing. She had seen death and pain and suffering like she had never seen before. Villagers who had no reason to be caught up in such a calamity were casualties regardless. Their only crime was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Two days ago, she had done something that was considered one of the worst crimes in society: killing a man and no amount of trying to forget about it would work. That moment was branded into her thoughts and she would live with that for the rest of her life. The world might forget what she did, but she never would.

After everything that had happened to her over the course of a week and some change, she couldn't continue forward on the path that she had originally set for herself. How could she after everything that happened?

But Ruby couldn't just stop moving forward either. As much as she now couldn't see herself become a huntress, she knew that she couldn't just erase years of training and hard work. She just couldn't accept that all that she had done up to this point was for nothing, especially not after her time spent with him.

The Master Chief. He seemed to know what really happened when a person fought. He looked like he had seen so much action. He felt so imposing and overwhelming. He lived and breathed conflict. It wasn't just a part of him. It clearly defined who he was, what he did, what he said, everything about him.

Ruby wasn't sure what questions she needed answering, but she had a feeling that he possessed the means that would allow her to reach an endpoint that she felt could bring her some amount of closure if nothing else.

So it was with a heavy heart that silver-eyed girl grabbed a backpack, tossed in some new clothes that she had bought the other day, grabbed her scroll, collected all the lien to her name, left a letter on the kitchen table for her sister and father, and set out, not even giving her home a final glance.

In regards to her enrollment at Signal Academy, she had sent an official letter stating that she was dropping out with no chance of return. Going to Beacon Academy and becoming a huntress was now a dead dream. If anyone had a problem about it, she wasn't going to be around anyway, so it didn't matter if her decision upset or angered anyone.

She had retrieved Crescent Rose, but she wouldn't be taking it with her this time. It was just another reminder of her failure that she would prefer not to have with her.

Essentially, she was cutting off almost all ties to what she had known all her life. She wasn't ready to look back yet.

Maybe one day, she would, but not now.

And here she was now, standing outside the walls of the Kingdom of Vale. There he stood, just three meters away, still as dangerous and deadly-looking as ever, waiting for her to arrive.

"I will warn you." The Chief said. "This will not be easy. I will intentionally be making your life a living hell."

"I know." Ruby smiled. "But I'll find a way to live with it."

"This will not only change how you fight." He wasn't finished. "This will change how you perceive the world."

"I'm okay with that." She responded in kind. "No, not just okay with it. I need this."

"There will be no turning back." The Master Chief offered her a final chance to back down. "You will not be returning for a long time, maybe not ever."

"I can't go back." Ruby rebutted. "Not after everything I've seen and done. I have to do this not just for the people, but for me."

A few seconds came and went. A visor and a pair of eyes held. It was a test to see just how committed she was and she knew it.

She would not back down.

Her reward was a nod of his helmeted head.

"Very well." He turned his back and began walking. "We have a lot of ground to cover before the sun sets. Move out!"

"Yes, sir!" Ruby sounded off and fell in line beside him.

What would happen in the future, she didn't know, but if there was one thing that was for sure, it wasn't going to be a static journey.

"Here." The Master Chief held his pistol out and offered it to her. "You're no good to me unarmed."

"Thank you." Ruby accepted the weapon graciously.

So Ruby decided to join the Master Chief in his journey across Remnant, but who says it's going to be as easy as that? There might be an individual who I will not name (but you probably can guess) that won't take Ruby leaving home lying down.

If any of you ask what will happen from here on out, I'll ask you to read and find out. After all, isn't that the whole point?

I look forward to what comes next and I hope you all do as well because it sure as hell ain't gonna be like it is in the canon, that's for sure. At best, you'll find elements from canon and nothing more.

Characterization for Ruby will be the same and different. In a nutshell, she needs to have some of her trademark quirks from the early volumes while I add some new and logical traits. That goes for the Chief too. I think I've said this before, but I want everyone to be reminded that I don't take characterization lightly.

Feedback and reviews are appreciated.

Thanks for reading.

"Leadership is the capacity to transform vision into reality."

Warren Bennis