Chapter 12 – Kingdom Divided
Jacques
Snow floated in the air, yet the building felt colder than the Kingdom itself.
He held a small tumbler of whiskey in one hand, a cunning smirk hidden behind his white moustache. He held his other hand behind his back as he looked down on Mantle from the balcony of the Schnee Manor. He could see the columns of smoke rise high into the sky, and bullets firing off in multiple directions. But nothing pleased him more than the sight of the Resistance Fighters being knocked out of the sky by his defences.
His eyes then focused on the Drift of Wandering Star as it made his approach, but his smirk did not fade. He silently turned to his computer and sent a command before he approached his chessboard and knocked down one pawn of the enemy team.
"And so the game begins…"
Weiss
Her large blue eyes stared through the window of the Airship that left the hanger of the Drift of Wandering Star. Fires burned in multiple districts, and gunfire was everywhere. Anti-Air defences relentlessly shot up at the sky around them as they came in. The flak rounds exploded in the air, causing major turbulence. But Weiss didn't even flinch. She just stared at the place that was once her home. She held onto the bar above her head to steady herself, then she exhaled, feeling her hand slightly tremor.
Yang gently squeezed her shoulder. "Hey… you alright?" Yang inquired.
"I don't know how to answer that question…" Weiss sighed, answering as honestly as she could. "Six years ago I ran away from this place… six years after my father took away my rightful heirdom to the Schnee Dust Company and gave it to my damn brother. I never wanted to come back here… and until now, I didn't. But now that I'm back… I can barely recognise it anymore." Weiss explained. Blake stood next to her and softly smiled at her.
"Well, you're not alone this time. We've got your back, Weiss." Blake promised.
"She's right. Team R.W.B.Y's not gonna leave your side for a second… I promise." Ruby smiled, which warmed Weiss' heart. The airship shook once again. The team looked to the other Airships that descended towards Mantle, dodging incoming flak rounds. They saw Mantle's Resistance in the sky as well. Fighter jets and other airships all roared across the sky, blasting their cannons at the enemy Acolytes of Lien ships. One jet shot the enemy dogfighter out of the sky, ripping its wing apart with bullets. Fire belched from its wounds as it spun out of control and crashed into the tundra dunes of snow outside of the city.
From above, they could already see the Grimm clawing at Mantle's walls, natural stragglers unlike the spawning Oncoming Shadow variants. They then heard the voice of Admiral Darren Ortega come through the speakers of their airships. In the many other descending Airships were the rest of their team, alongside reinforcements for the Resistance.
"This is Admiral Ortega. That S.D.C Facility holding the border is lined with Anti-Air Cannons, they're knocking the Resistance Fighters out of the sky before they can even do any damage to our enemy. Removing this facility from the picture is our top priority. Speak with Robyn Hill, help her take the place down." Ortega commanded to all forces.
Ruby stared through the window and gasped as the Anti-Air Cannons fired, and one of those cannons emerged from the centre of the facility. The huge turret extended from its transforming body, and it swivelled around. The many Artillery Turrets repeatedly shot bullets and missiles up towards the Resistance fighters in the sky, blowing them apart one by one.
"Gods! There's so many! Argh!" a pilot screamed through the universal comm link. They watched as her Bullhead exploded, knocked out of the sky by the turrets. More and more emerged from the facility.
"I think we know why Robyn's forces haven't been able to push past that base…" Yang assumed.
"My father really has been busy since I left." Weiss growled with anger, clenching her hand tightly into a fist. Ruby kept her eyes on that big Cannon that ascended from the centre of the compound, then it aimed towards the Drift of Wandering Star.
"Oh, shit… ORTEGA GET OUT OF THERE!" Ruby yelled, but the cannon charged up a powerful shot. It had spiralling rails, circulating energy into a single shot.
It was a Mass Accelerator Cannon.
Massive amounts of energy formed into a shell, then it all blasted out from its rails with a deafening crack. The hardlight shields around the Drift of Wandering Star shattered instantly, and the bolt of energy went straight through the hull and out the other side. Huge plumes of smoke and crackling orange flames could be seen from here as the Dreadnaught descended towards the tundra.
"DAD!" Penny shrieked through the comms.
"Damn it! Taken serious damage! We're going down!" Ortega yelled in anger, and before long, the Drift of Wandering Star crashed down into the snow outside the city. Smoke rose from its wreckage, and Ruby paced back and forth.
"Ortega? Ortega, do you hear me?" Ruby desperately called.
"Argh… damn it… we're alive, but my ship has sustained heavy damage. We need to start repairs as fast as possible." Ortega explained.
"How bad is it?" Ruby asked.
"Drive Core's damaged, and the shot knocked out most of the ship's power. Lost a few engineers in the attack too. Don't worry about us. We'll have her up and running soon. Just get that facility under our control and that Mass Accelerator Cannon disabled." Ortega ordered.
"Okay, stay safe." Ruby replied. She walked to the cockpit. "Where's Robyn's base?"
"We're nearly there, just a few clicks out." The pilot responded. She could hear the nervousness in his voice. Then he gasped. "INCOMING!"
A missile roared towards them and exploded into one of the Bullhead's Wings. The wing broke apart, flames bled from the shredded metal and the vehicle descended in altitude towards the wall of Mantle. "Damn it! Everyone jump!" Ruby grabbed the pilot but gasped, finding he was killed by shrapnel. Ruby closed her eyes in grief for the poor pilot, then turned and sprinted out to the back of the Airship and jumped out, dashing through the air in a cyclone of Rose Petals.
She drove Crescent Rose into the side of a building, ripping open the brickwork to slow herself down. She then fired her Sniper Rifle as she dropped towards the road, using the recoil to soften her descent.
Then she heard the explosion, turning to see the large fireball created by the Bullhead crashing into the wall. Her eyes widened as she saw the wall collapse, massive chunks of concrete and internal rebar plummeting down into the streets. A tall pillar of smoke rose high into the sky. Civilians screamed in terror, running from the flames and into the street, but as Ruby stood tall, her silver eyes widened, hearing the roars of Sabyrs at the hole in the wall.
A Sabyr suddenly launched into the side of a civilian, clamping its jaws down onto his throat, shaking him around like a toy. Blood sprayed across the floor and over the black fur. It ripped his neck open, growling softly as it glared at Ruby Rose. She spiralled Crescent Rose through her fingers, gritting her teeth.
"Everyone! Get inside!" Ruby ordered, the Grimm all roared and charged towards her. Ruby launched forward at the Grimm, firing a Sniper Rifle Bullet through the eye of the blood smothered Sabyr. Ruby darted forward in a flurry of red petals, then she erupted out from the cloud, slashing her Scythe through the small bodies of the next Sabyr. Their bodies crumbled into dust extremely quickly. She then threw her Scythe ahead, and the huge spinning weapon cut down multiple Sabyrs at once before it dug down into the tarmac. Ruby shot forward again, grabbing onto the hilt of her Scythe and with all her might, she swung it over her head and buried the blade down into the skull of the beast.
With the pack of Sabyrs dead, she turned to the civilians in the building. "Get somewhere safe! More Grimm are gonna be here soon!" She warned, and of course she did not mean naturally born Grimm… she meant the Oncoming Shadow. But the streetlights flashed red, and alarms blared across the district. She walked across the road and gasped, seeing more and more Grimm incoming.
The Resistance were already inbound to thin out the herd. "Not already?" She gasped, but she checked the sky. "Not red… this must be a natural herd… damn it."
Ruby saw a vast herd of rampaging Megoliaths headed straight for them. The Resistance flew overhead and bombed the herd with missiles. The ordinance killed some of the enormous beasts but they continued to advance. Gunships flew overhead, making Ruby look up at them as they headed for the Grimm horde. It was holding the big ones back for a while, but the smaller Grimm were headed straight for them. Three Beowulves leapt into the town and roared, only for a glowing White Arma Gigas to cut the three of them clean in two. Ruby turned and saw Weiss stood atop one of the buildings, Myrtenaster in hand. She jumped down and slid down the gutter to stand with her best friend. The Arma Gigas deflected incoming quills fired from Spikers that ran through the snow. A Beowulf leapt onto the side of the glowing suit of possessed armour, knocking it into the wall, only for it to vanish.
As the Beowulf fell, the sword of the Knight rammed straight through the body of the creature, killing it instantly. "This is so much worse than I feared…" Weiss admitted.
"We've literally stepped into a war, and we don't even know what's been happening here…" Ruby explained, shuddering slightly. "Heh… and this is my first time coming here too."
"Well, shame this is your first impression of the Kingdom." Weiss shrugged, they turned when they heard Yang Xiao Long, punching a Winged Beringel into the wall, then Blake wrapped her grappling hook around its throat and slammed it down onto a broken streetlamp, impaling the beast.
Team R.W.B.Y stood together, back to back as more Grimm surrounded them all, snarling viciously as they came through that hole in the wall. "You girls ready to kick some butt?" Ruby asked. Yang chuckled, smirking, and pumping Ember Celica, loading fresh shells into the chambers.
"Always."
The Grimm rushed towards them, and Yang smashed her cybernetic fist into the paw of an Ursa, breaking its arm instantly. She then shot her other gauntlet, using the recoil to propel her underneath its legs. She punched and fired her weapon into the back of its knee, causing it to collapse with a heavy thud. The Ursa roared but Yang grabbed the beast by the mouth and with all her might she pulled its jaws open so wide that she broke its skull, snapping its neck with one twist.
Weiss skated across her glyphs, forming multiple glyphs that shot multiple icy projectiles into the creeps that burst through from underground. Their bodies hardened with a casing of ice around them. She then rushed forward, slashing straight through them with Myrtenaster, breaking them apart into thousands of tiny icy pieces. Weiss slowed and twirled around on the spot as a large pack of Beowulves surrounded her. As they all jumped, claws open and jaws filled with drooling saliva.
But Weiss just smirks, and drives her sword down into the ground, conjuring huge spikes of ice from her dust, which impaled the Grimm through their jaws, killing them all.
Blake swung forward, slashing through the wing of a Teryx, sending the beast crashing down behind her, then she threw her grappling hook towards one of the traffic lights, swinging herself back towards the beast. It roared, but she kicked off one of her shadows, and the shadow ignited with explosive fire dust. The shadow detonated in the Teryx's face, breaking apart the armour plating. Smoke trailed from the burns covering its face. It snarled in agony before immediately blasting another fireball at her, but she vanished once again, before suddenly slicing clean through the beast's jugular.
The Teryx roared in immense pain as its head came crashing down, and Blake flipped backwards, drawing her sheath, and she shot forward and spun through the air, cutting clean through the rest of its neck and beheading the monster. She slid across the road and stared ahead, her long black ponytail gently blowing in the wind.
Yang jumped up in the air and fired Ember Celica, launching rockets into the Grimm as they climbed over the debris to get into the city. But then a Megoliath suddenly charged in, roaring with its trumpet at her. It scraped its heavy, flat foot across the tarmac, growling gutturally. The Megoliath's trunk wrapped around an abandoned car and it flung it towards Yang. She sprinted forward and then slid across the road, narrowly dodging the incoming car as it toppled across the street behind her. The golden brawler blasted towards the beast as it charged towards her, roaring with rage.
It swung its tusk towards her, but she caught onto it, and swung herself up into the air, smirking as she blasted Ember Celica behind her. Riding the recoil, she arched her mechanical arm back and roared with defiance, slamming her knuckles into the face of the Megoliath. The plates of white bony armour cracked and crumbled, breaking away from the black flesh underneath. It staggered back a few steps, roaring in anger at her, but Yang cracked her neck and grinned.
Nothing made her blood pump more than a good fight.
Yang ran forward, and she grabbed a piece of rebar that fell from the destroyed wall, and rocked herself up in the air. She drove the piece of bar into the eye of the beast and then pummelled it deeper into its brain with a shot from Ember Celica.
The Megoliath roared in pain before it toppled over to the ground, squashing a truck underneath its corpse. The gigantic beast crumbled away into a cloud of ashes and smoke, leaving Yang with a piece of rebar left behind, and she stretched her arms with a smile. "Ah… still got it, you beautiful badass." Yang sighed with satisfaction.
Ruby turned and saw more Grimm still headed towards the breach, she ran towards the breach and stood her ground, her silver eye staring ahead at them as they got closer and closer. She gripped Crescent Rose tight, and the herd of Megoliaths got closer and closer to her. "Ruby!" Weiss called out, then she realised what she was doing, and she just smirked. "Oh…"
The Bull Goliath roared as it rushed her, but Ruby closed her eye, and when she opened it, blinding white light erupted from within. The light made her team and the civilians shield their eyes. The Goliaths roared in pain as their bodies were hardened to stone, inside of the breach caused by the crashing Bullhead. When the light faded, the Grimm were throwing themselves at the statues, clambering over to get inside.
"That should buy us some time!" Ruby called. She turned and smiled to see Oscar firing his gun at the Grimm that nearly got to the top of the huge frozen Grimm, killing them.
"Are you okay?" He asked, from inside his Bullhead.
"Yeah, we got out just in time! What about everyone else?" Ruby asked, and Blake smiled up at Sun. Yang looked at Kassius and he just smiled, tipping his stetson at her.
"They're fine. We told them to keep moving to Robyn's location. But the Acolytes of Lien have more forces holding that facility than we expected. We're gonna have to come up with a good plan." Oscar explained.
"The hell happened to Ortega?" Kassius questioned.
"Is my dad okay?" Penny whimpered fearfully.
"The S.D.C facility has one powerful gun, cut straight through its shields. We need to get that base under our control." Ruby stated.
Sun turned to the comms, and Blake saw his eyes widen. "Sun? What is it?" Blake called up to him, but he turned and yelled to the pilot.
"Get down there! We need to get them out of there!"
"What is it?" Ruby called.
That's when they heard it, the sound of a Dreadnaught making its approach. Team R.W.B.Y stared up at the sky and saw one of the Acolytes of Lien Dreadnaughts getting in position, aiming its broadside cannons down at their district.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" Ruby yelled.
"No, we're not leaving you!" Oscar yelled.
"Go! We'll find a way!" Ruby ordered, and Oscar gritted his teeth with pain, but the pilot turned and flew away. She looked around, then saw the civilians hiding, and she gasped. "Come with us! This District is about to be buried!"
The civilians took the famous Huntress at her word and ran to the team, then Weiss turned and saw their salvation. "Come on! The Metro Tunnels! We can use them to escape!" Weiss called. Nobody argued with the Ex-Heiress and they all sprinted to the staircase that lead to the underground network. Weiss guided the civilians ahead, then turned as the stone Megoliath exploded, and the herd came charging in with deafening roars. She looked up to the sky as the Dreadnaught charged up the Broadside Cannons, preparing to level the district of Mantle.
Then it fired, launching shell after shell of high explosive dust ammunition down into the civilian area. One of the towering buildings exploded, sending the top half crashing down into the street with a deafening bang. The shells created massive explosions everywhere, growing closer and closer to their area. Weiss staggered as she ran with them, stabbing a Beowulf through the chest as it went to attack a little girl that was with them.
Weiss looked back as a Goliath charged towards her, only to be hit directly by one of the shells. Being so close to the explosion caused her aura to flicker, and it blew her across the ground. She groaned as her ears rang, but her team all rushed back to her. They all pulled her up to her feet. "WE NEED TO GO!" Yang yelled, and Weiss shook the shock off.
They threw themselves down the stairs just as the shells completely annihilated the street they were on. Destroying everything around them and burying it all in burning rubble. Team R.W.B.Y grunted and yelped as they painfully fell down the marble steps before sliding to a stop on the ground. Dust and rubble collapsed above, burying the stairs and cutting off their entrance.
The Dreadnaught relentlessly bombarded the district they were in, and Ruby stared up at the ceiling, waiting for it to cave in above them. But it never did, luckily. But dust fell from above with every quake from the explosions, and the lights were constantly flickering. The little girl who was with those civilians was shrieking with tears, covering her ears as her mother hugged her tight.
Then… finally… the bombardment ceased.
Ruby closed her eye and blew out a shaky breath, feeling her hand shaking as it still gripped onto Crescent Rose. "Gods… Jacques really has lost his mind, hasn't he?"
Weiss exhaled, rubbing her sore head and wiping the dust from her body. "Yeah… I always knew he was capable of unspeakable things… but doing that? He's nearly as bad as the Oncoming Shadow now." Weiss stated, rubbing her knees as she let the shock fade away.
That's when one of the civilians stared at her, standing up. "Wait… you're his daughter… you're Weiss Schnee." The man said. Weiss stared at the civilian and she sighed, standing back up.
"By blood only…" Weiss stated, hate filling her heart for the monster that was her father. "… but that man is no father to me."
"Do you know? About what he has put our Kingdom through? In the time since you ran away?" He questioned.
"Careful with your tone, pal… she saved your life. If Weiss hadn't told us to come here, we'd be dead. You'd be dead." Yang reminded, pointing at him.
"You don't understand… that man? The things he's done? To us?" They looked at the other civilians down here, and they realised something. One of them was a Faunus. And he had a lot of scars on his face, and on the side of his neck was a brand of the S.D.C Symbol.
"He's a tyrant… anyone who tried to stand against him he had them all executed. And my kind? He's been pushing the Faunus harder than ever before… and honestly, I don't even think it's for the company anymore. It's just for his own enjoyment… he wants us to suffer. He had his men torture us for no reason… we worked in the mines as hard as he wanted us to… but they still beat us. Still tortured us." He explained, hugging his knees.
Blake gritted her teeth in anger, clenching one hand into a fist. "And now he's killing us all, using his mercenaries to enforce his rule however he wants. There are very few who see his way as the right way anymore. Most of his forces joined the Resistance after a while. Anyone still loyal to him now? They're evil… it's as simple as that." The man explained, sitting down on a box.
"What have you done… father?" She felt ill even referring to him by that word. "The Schnee name was supposed to be better than this… this isn't what my grandfather ever wanted for us. He's destroyed everything we ever stood for…" Weiss stared ahead and narrowed her head. "No more. I will not let him walk away this time… he needs to pay for everything he has done."
Yang walked over to Weiss and gently caressed her shoulder, which calmed her down. Ruby and Blake did the same, comforting their friend. But then they heard the Dreadnaught passing overhead, and Ruby sighed.
"We need to keep moving… are these tunnels still in use?" Ruby asked.
"Not by civilians. The Schnee Dust Company has been using all tunnels to quickly transport all dust to Atlas." The Faunus explained, Blake helped him stand back up. She then took out her scroll and immediately tried to call Sun, then Mazen. But neither could respond.
"How are we supposed to get to Robyn now?" Ruby asked.
"Hmm…" Weiss crouched down, and she picked up a crushed can in the trash and threw it down into the Gravity Rails. But the can just bounced onto the rail, and she smiled. "We walk."
"What? But… what if a train?"
"There won't be one. The rails are offline. If they were on, the can would have floated in the gravity field. We just have to follow the tracks." Weiss explained. "And then get off at the station closest to Robyn's Base." She then pulled out her scroll and luckily she still had the map that they were sent, and showed their location, and she added a waypoint marker to show them how far they need to walk before they can get there.
She was the first to drop onto the tracks, Myrtenaster in hand. She exhaled and stared into the darkness. She still kept her scroll handy, using her flashlight to shine the way. She looked up at the others. "Come on, it's safe. I promise."
Ruby jumped down next, then Blake and then Yang.
One by one, the civilians that they saved follow their lead as they walked into the metro tunnels. They looked around as they walked, listening to the war raging above them. Ruby looked at one of the civilians. It was the mother holding her terrified daughter in her arms. She had short brown hair and was a beautiful woman. By the looks of her, she used to be a model, but with the state of the Kingdom, she had to do whatever she could to protect her little girl.
"Can I ask you something?" Ruby inquired.
"Of course…"
"Did… our message reach Atlas? Or Mantle?" Ruby inquired. The lady gasped, and she nodded her head. Ruby could see the fear on her face. It was very easy to spot.
"Yes…" she stammered, then she looked at Ruby as she looked ahead. She could see the scratches in her clothing, even some still healing cuts and bruises. "Wait… is… Vale?"
"It's gone… the threat I was talking about? It's here… and soon it will come to Solitas. I'm surprised that it hasn't hit the Kingdom yet already. We need to get to Robyn so she can start evacuations." Ruby explained.
"She's been trying to. She sent out a message a few minutes after your warning went live. She was hoping to get us all evacuated from the city. She got a few thousand out… then Jacques ordered his fleet to control Mantle. He doesn't want anyone leaving." The woman explained, and Yang gasped.
"What? Gods, he really has lost his mind…" Yang stammered.
"I don't understand. Why would he do that? It's just a waste of his resources if he knows what's coming for him." Weiss explained, but Ruby pondered that question in her head for a few moments. That's when she just scoffed in disgust.
"I think I have a pretty good idea." Ruby spoke up.
"Huh?" Weiss replied.
"He's using Mantle as bait. He wants to buy himself enough time to… do whatever this Project Ascension of his is gonna do. I doubt Vir Nominis Umbra is gonna spare him anymore. He's outlived his usefulness. Jacques must have some sort of plan ready to survive this…" Ruby theorised, and Weiss nodded her head as she walked.
"My father would do whatever it takes to win… to survive. It's always been the main thing on his mind." Weiss agreed. It made her grip on Myrtenaster tighten even more.
What have you done, father?
How have you let things end up like this?
What happened to worrying about the future of Atlas? Look what you've done to our home…
Weiss gritted her teeth, trying to comprehend the things that were happening around her, but she kept on walking. The tunnels kept on going for a while, but they refused to stop moving. Weiss flicked over to her map again. They had been walking for roughly twenty-five minutes now… and they were getting closer and closer to the station that lead to Robyn's hideout. Weiss closed her eyes, and she thought about more than just her father.
Winter… Mom… Klein…
I can't even imagine what you all would have thought about what Father has done.
I miss you all… so much…
Then Blake stopped her, grabbing her shoulder, and they all noticed her ear was flicked up slightly. She was listening, and her eyes were focused intently. "Blake?"
"I can hear something… sounds like… drilling…"
"Drilling?" Yang asked. She looked around in confusion. Then she gasped and pushed Ruby out of the way, and suddenly a Centinel burst from the tunnel wall. The creepy Centipede Grimm shrieked and spat acid at them.
"Damn it! Everyone run! Get to the next station!" Ruby commanded, transforming Crescent Rose into Rifle Form. She fired two shots at the Centinel, breaking off one of its mandibles before nailing it in the mouth. The Centinel crumbled away, and they ran to keep up with the civilians. But one of them shrieked as a Centinel burst from the wall and bit into his face, spitting acid all over his face. He wailed in terrible pain as the flesh melted and bubbled. The Centinel crawled across his body and stared them down.
"Go!" Ruby shouted to the mother, and she ran with the Faunus Man and the other survivors. Weiss launched forward and sliced straight through the Centinel. More Centinels burst through the walls, spinning around like a mining drill, screeching at them as they crawled down the walls to challenge them.
A Centinel lunged towards Yang but she caught it by the pincers, gritting her teeth then her eyes widened as it brought up acid and went to spit at her face. She ducked down just in time, then she threw it against the wall. The Brawler stomped down onto the creature's underside and she blasted it twice in the head to kill it. She gasped and spun around, raising her cybernetic arm up to catch the jaws of another Centinel. Its many legs cracked and undulated repeatedly as it forced itself against her. Yang growled and then kicked it in the middle of its long body, before punching up its head with her free fist.
Ruby skated across the rails, and sliced clean through two Centinels, killing them instantly. She then spun her Scythe around, deflecting an incoming projectile of acid. Ruby then locked her Scythe Blade down into the floor, firing multiple shots at the Centinels that scuttled towards them. Each shot she landed killed one of them, then one burst through the wall beside her. The Centinel toppled her over, and she rolled onto her feet, swiftly drawing her knife from her boot. The Centinel lunged towards her but Ruby raised her hand and grabbed it by one mandible, forcing it away and then she rammed the blade of her knife up into its mouth and dragged the blade down its body.
The Centinel shrieked in pain as it crumbled into dust around her. She sheathed her knife back in her boot and swiftly pulled Crescent Rose from the ground.
Blake rushed past, running across the wall and shooting Gambol Shroud at the Centinels that crawled across the ceiling towards them. They all fell and died from her bullets, and when she landed, suddenly something much worse erupted out onto the track.
"DEATHSTALKER!" the huge Scorpion snarled, snapping its pincers repeatedly at them as its massive eight legs easily walked through the tunnel towards them. The arching tail nearly hit the ceiling of the tunnel, but they all stood their ground. Blake and Yang both fired their weapons at the creature's face, but it blocked the eyes with its heavily armoured pincers, still advancing on them. Ruby went to blast her Silver Eyes at the creature, but it swiftly slammed the stinger at her, knocking her away.
She drove Crescent Rose down to the ground, firing multiple shots back at the creature. Weiss drove Myrtenaster down into the ground and she closed her eyes, suddenly forming many Centinels around the Deathstalker. It turned its gaze at them as the summoned creatures made their attack. The Centinels drilled their jaws into the side of the Deathstalker, making it shriek in pain, and it opened up its arms, giving Yang the shot she needed.
She blasted forward and landed on its face. "Hey ugly!" She repeatedly blasted remotely detonated rounds into its face, then she rolled back. Just as the huge Scorpion slammed its stinger down at her, Ruby nodded at Blake and she held Crescent Rose out. Blake jumped onto the curved blade, then Ruby fired the rifle, throwing Blake towards the creature, and she slashed straight through the vein that connected the Deathstalker's stinger to the tail.
As it dropped, she threw her grappling hook and swung it over her head, and launched the barb downwards into the top of its head. Weiss sent a summoned Lancer, and it caught Blake, carrying her away from the Deathstalker as Yang detonated her shells. They all exploded at the same time, blowing its head apart.
The Deathstalker shrieked in agony before it crumbled into smoke before them. And on the other side were the scared civilians, who now had that expression.
An expression they hoped to see more of.
Hope.
"Whoa…" The little girl gasped in awe, and Ruby just smiled, awkwardly waving at the kid. They caught up with the civilians and kept on moving, and reached the next station, they climbed up the ladder, catching their breath for a second. It was here that they saw some people were down here as well. More civilians but also some soldiers, all of which looked shell-shocked or were simply catching their breath for a second.
They all walked up the steps and the civilians they saved stayed with the soldiers. They were Resistance, so they would keep them safe. As they walked up the steps, Weiss could smell the stench of smoke from down here. Every now and then, they felt the land shake from more explosions. They could hear people in the offices trying to come up with attack plans, but there was still no sign of Robyn Hill.
This was not her base. It was most likely across the street.
But as they walked outside… Weiss was not prepared to see what was waiting for them. She felt her stomach drop, and she looked around, seeing the flames and the shocking level of destruction. Airships battled in the sky and gunfire erupted everywhere, alongside explosions detonating.
This Kingdom was once her home. She remembered how amazed she always felt whenever she could leave the manor and see the grand scale of the greatest Kingdom on Remnant.
And now…
… it was tearing itself apart.
Divided between Jacques' Tyranny and Robyn's Resilience.
She clutched at her bosom, feeling tears well up in her eyes. Ruby, Yang and Blake could feel the anguish in her, and Ruby gently squeezed her shoulder. Weiss took a few moments to digest what was happening to her home…
When the Oncoming Shadow arrives… Atlas and Mantle…
… they won't stand a chance…
Suddenly an enormous explosion detonated in the street and they all turned, wide eyed, as Acolytes of Lien forces rolled into the street, firing their weapons at them all. But as the Acolytes attacked, the sky darkened and lightning came crashing down from above. They all smiled as they saw Cinder floating overhead, her eyes burning hot with Coco beside her. They both kept the Mercenaries at bay with their magic, and Pyrrha launched Akoúo into the chest of a Mercenary, knocking him onto the ground.
"Ruby!" Oscar cried out, sprinting to her, and he lovingly hugged her, kissing her affectionately in the second he can. "I thought I lost you…"
"C'mon, I'm not that easy to kill." She winked.
But their moment together had to be cut short, because more Acolytes were coming, and they saw her.
Robyn Hill.
Robyn was a young woman with tanned skin and violet eyes. Her light-blond hair was tied in a ponytail. She had a beauty mark under her right eye and another one on the left side under her mouth.
Robyn wore a black sleeveless coat with grey accents over a red double-breasted sleeveless vest, a brown high neck shirt, and a light grey short-sleeved shirt with one right short sleeve that had a black cuff, whilst the other sleeve was longer. She also wore a brown belted waist clincher with matching brown pants tucked into black knee-high boots with dark brown cuffs. Around her neck adorned an olive green scarf with tattered looking tails hanging behind her. She also wore a pair of black archery styled gloves with the index finger missing on both of them.
She fired her weapon, a crossbow attached to her Vambrace, and the bolt nailed a Mercenary through his glowing red T-Shaped Visor. "Huntresses! To me!"
The Happy Huntresses appeared from out of nowhere as May Marigold dropped the dome of invisibility. Robyn had three Huntresses at her side: May Marigold, Fiona Thyme and Joanna Greenleaf.
May was a fair-skinned woman with medium blue hair, a long butt length ponytail wrapped in white bandage-like fabric, and yellow eyes. She wore a dusty brown coat with a small split in the rear, dark brown lapels with the Happy Huntress' brooch emblem on the right lapel over a grey waistcoat and dark brown top. She also wore dark brown shorts with matching forearm length gloves. May wore grey armour padding over her forearms and the backs of her hands. Alongside a pair of grey thigh socks and dark brown thigh-high boots and an orange scarf.
Fiona was a young woman with short and messy swept styled white hair and olive eyes. She had sheep ears as her Faunus trait, with a small hoop earring on her left ear and a small bell earring on her right ear. Fiona wore an olive green sleeveless coat with dark brown lapels with the Happy Huntress' Brooch on the left lapel. She sported a green long-sleeved shirt with a white orange trimmed breastplate over it. She wore an orange belt, which held her coat tightly around her waist. Clad in dark brown pants tucked into grey under the knee boots with the tops folded over, revealing the white lining. The soles and toes of the boots were a darker grey. She also wore dark fingerless gloves accompanied by white and grey forearm armoured pads with the left arm covering up to her upper arm whilst the right only partially covered her forearm.
Finally, Joanna was a tall, tan skinned woman with masculine features and short dark green partially spiked hair, beige eyes and tattoos on her nose and forehead. She wore a cocoa brown coat with dark brown lapels and white trim and hem detail over a light beige long-sleeved top. She wore artichoke green and white armoured pads with emerald green straps on her arms alongside brown gloves. Sporting a pair of brown trousers tucked into black boots with emerald green cuffs. She also wore a light grey and pale green breastplate adorned with the Happy Huntress' brooch emblem in the centre.
Airships roared overhead, firing missiles down at the invading Mercenaries, and the Happy Huntresses charged forward, firing Crossbow Bolts at the enemy.
Team R.W.B.Y charged into the fray with the rest of their forces. They found everyone they were split up from with them. Kassius punched a Tremor Trooper in the face and then launched Lash Equinox into his chest, pinning him to the wall. He ripped the sword from his ribs and rolled across the ground, firing Vulcan Nox repeatedly at a Seeker, who darted from side to side, and punched Ruby in the face.
The speed of the Seeker's punch threw her back a few steps, but she tumbled back onto her feet, sliding her fingers across the road. The Seeker sprinted through slowed time, leaving a trail of orange energy in his wake as he ran, firing his Submachine Gun repeatedly at her. Ruby spiralled Crescent Rose then launched herself forward, only for the Seeker to dash aside, but Ruby suddenly saw Oscar blast into the Seeker's side, breaking the backpack filled with dust apart.
He smirked and nodded at her, and she did the same back at him. The Seeker growled and drew his short red sword and sprinted towards them. Oscar blocked and parried his strikes, slicing him across the side, before Ruby threw her knife directly into his visor. She pulled the knife from his head and stared ahead as Qrow flapped towards the enemy, and he landed, slashing through multiple Acolyte Drones, destroying them in one swing.
A Marksman in one of the buildings went to take the shot, only for a stray missile to explode into her tower, throwing her off the edge and down into the city below. Emerald and Sun held the line with Blake, firing their weapons at the Acolytes of Lien as they tried to get closer, but the three Maidens all used their powers together, rising off the floor, eyes burning in their own colours.
All three held out their hands and formed a terrifyingly powerful tornado that came crashing down, decimating the soldiers who tried to attack, and forcing them to make a retreat. The Three Maidens descended, and Pyrrha – the least experienced Maiden – panted, needing to take a breather.
Robyn closed her crossbow and exhaled with relief, turning to Ruby Rose, who walked towards her. "Ruby Rose in the flesh… and here I am without my autograph book." She joked, making Ruby blush slightly. "Glad to have some new reinforcements here… Jacques is making a last stand. He knows we're getting close, and I bet he heard your warning too." Robyn explained, wiping the sweat from her brow.
"We noticed. Looks like the bastard really has lost his mind." Ruby stated, and that just made Robyn chuckle.
"To put it mildly." Robyn agreed, leaning against the table. She then looked at her and then turned to Atlas Academy. "You need that Relic you mentioned…"
"Yeah… and we'll do whatever we need to. Vir Nominis Umbra cannot get his hands on it." Ruby stated.
Robyn nodded her head, and she stood tall and held out her hand to Ruby, and Ruby accepted it.
"Okay… then let's talk."
Author Note - Atlas and Mantle are already in a very bad way
It was surprisingly fun to write Atlas again, been so long since we've been back there. And it's always fun to write the Acolytes of Lien, and this is a Last Stand if there ever was one for them (the bad ones of course). Jacques truly has lost his mind, the question is of course what is his plan?
One hell of a shock at the start too! The Drift of Wandering Star! Not destroyed but disabled, that's already one big disadvantage since that Ship is so useful to use against the enemy, and yet one advanced cannon was able to ground it. Hopefully Ortega and his crew can get the Dreadnaught up and running before the Oncoming Shadow hit the Kingdom.
Plus that part with the Dreadnaught firing on the district they were in? That was awesome, I loved writing that part. Love combing epicness with tension.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!
Stay tuned for the next chapter - The Crumbling Cove
- Matt