Chapter 13 – The Crumbling Cove
Ozpin
Glynda felt her hands shake, only slightly, but the sensation was there.
In fact, she had felt the feeling come over her every few moments ever since Vale. But she kept herself focused on the task at hand, and her attention was drawn to the screen in the corner of her display, showing the distance they were currently at from Queen's Cove. "We're only a few minutes out from Queen's Cove… I'm scared to see what state the city will be in when we get there." Glynda shuddered.
"I know it doesn't help… but… just try not to think about it, Glynda. We can only do the best we can in the moment. If we can save people and give them a fair shot of surviving out there in the wild, then we take it. But we have no hope of stopping the surge of Grimm, they will simply keep on coming." Ozpin explained.
Glynda nodded her head and turned her gaze to Maria Calavera. She was sitting in one of the seats with her Scythes rested on her legs, and her mask in her hand. She stared down at the ornate skull she always used to hide her identity. "How are you feeling, Maria?" Glynda knew all of this was a lot to take in. To tell the truth, she wouldn't even blame Maria if she did not really believe it yet.
An unending army of Grimm invading their Universe from a hellish one?
A being hellbent on wiping out every trace of their universe?
And that is just touching on the surface of current circumstances. Explaining everything else was even more complicated, like the fact that Ozpin was in fact a Former Knight of Grimm. Maria had not said a word since they left her home and made way to Queen's Cove.
It took Maria a few moments to reply to Glynda, but eventually she did, running her hand down the sharp edges of her Scythes. "This Vir Nominis Umbra… tell me about him. What are we up against?"
Glynda looked at Ozpin, and he tapped his fingers on his cane. "He's evil incarnate. I have never faced something as ruthlessly evil and methodical as him. He will not hesitate to kill people and until now he has merely been toying with us, waiting for the Shivering Dominion to begin. Laying the plans for his mission." Ozpin explained.
"I meant in terms of fighting him, what're his weaknesses? I know you don't know how to kill him yet but he must have some kind of weakness for us to exploit so we can get more time." Maria explained.
"Well… he has very few. The only one we know of for certain… are Silver Eyes." Glynda answered.
"That so?" Maria sounded curious, like an academic student trying to solve the problem in her head, standing up from her chair and pacing around the room, leaning both Scythes against the wall.
"Yes, we saw Ruby do it a few months ago. She snapped and unleashed the power of her eyes and it weakened Vir Nominis Umbra to an almost mortal status. Ozpin could finally land an actual blow on Umbra, which made him retreat." Glynda explained.
"Are we sure it's any Silver Eyed Power and not just her for some reason?" Maria inquired.
"In truth, no… only Ruby has managed to land a hit with the Silver Eyes. But I believe the power of the light is enough on its own to weaken him. Perhaps due to how connected he is to the Grimm, but I'm not entirely sure." Ozpin explained.
"So we're still in the dark against him? Even after everything you've all been through?" Maria questioned.
"Vir Nominis Umbra is very smart at keeping his secrets hidden from us. The Embered Grove is our best bet. Whatever it is that Umbra doesn't want us to see in there… it has to be linked to killing him." Ozpin hoped.
"And if it isn't?" Maria replied. The two Hunters fell silent for a few seconds, and Ozpin stood up, walking to the cockpit.
"Then we're going to face the same fate as every Universe that came before us… and the same fate of all the Universes that will follow us." Ozpin explained.
Maria lowered her head, letting out a long breath, probably just trying to comprehend everything that Ozpin just said. That they could simply be yet another universe for Umbra to tick off? That was scarier than the event they were suffering in right now. Then Ozpin's eyes widened as he saw the clouds darken, with a blood-red hue and embers trailed in the air. Glynda saw his hand clench into a fist as he stood by the chair.
"We've arrived…" Ozpin said.
Maria stood up and approached the cockpit, and she gasped audibly for the first time after hearing all of this. Because now she could see the truth…
"By the Gods…"
The Oncoming Shadow was here in full force, and Queen's Cove was ablaze, with thousands of Grimm swarming the city from the air, the ground and from the sea. They saw the burning wreckages of Naval Ships at the harbour alongside the destroyed remains of all their defences.
"All those defences… wiped out…" Glynda felt like she was going to be sick when staring down at this.
Maria covered her mouth in horror at it all, seeing the Grimm swarming the place, seeing the level of destruction. "Is… is anyone left down there?"
"Very few…" Ozpin assumed. It somehow looked worse than Vale, probably since it was a far smaller city compared to the Grand Jewel of Sanus. Maria and Glynda both stared at Ozpin, noting how cold he seemed to be towards all of this. Or… simply prepared. But Glynda also noticed his hand was slightly twitching with nervousness, just like hers.
He just did a better job at hiding that fear.
"There's no way in hell those prisoners are alive, Ozpin…" Maria stated, but Ozpin continued to observe the destruction of this once beautiful city. Then he spotted something, pointing down at it.
"Incorrect…" They all looked at what he was pointing at, and they gasped.
Gunfire, not much but signs of life inside of the flames. "There's people still down there…" Glynda gasped.
"Those survivors are holding off at the last district, trying to get civilians out, and by the looks of it they are also trying to release the prisoners too." Ozpin explained. "They could still be alive… and we need their help."
Ozpin sat down in the cockpit seat and he descended the vessel down towards Queen's Cove. "Get ready. We're going to have to run as fast as we can to get to that district. Don't stop for anything, do you understand me?" Ozpin asked them both. Both Glynda and Maria had that scared look in their eyes, but they hardened themselves and drew their weapons, nodding their heads.
The Airship opened its landing gear and set down on the grass, yet there was very little vegetation left. Ozpin, Glynda and Maria got out and shuddered immediately as they felt the raw power of the Charred Forest. Maria stared up at the sky in horror at it all, seeing the blood red sky and the ash falling like snow from it. She saw the charred trees as well. They all looked alien to their world, and now she had no illusions.
Ozpin was not exaggerating. This was really what was happening to the world.
If she ever needed further motivation to help, this was it.
"Come on!" Ozpin called out, sprinting ahead and passing by the old ruins towards the road that entered the city. Ozpin stood and stared ahead at the horror that was this city's fate. But he sucked it up, and focused on the mission at hand, and he ran down the steps towards the pathway. "The city isn't stable anymore! Keep moving!" He yelled, but suddenly a Blind Worm erupted through the wall, smashing the platform holding the buildings up apart and it dove into the lower sections, tunnelling deeper into the ground.
Entire buildings fragmented and crumbled, plummeting down into the lower districts. The ground was constantly shaking, making them stumble and have to hold on to whatever they could find. "Look out!" Glynda shouted over the carnage, and Ozpin stared at the vast tunnel that the Blind Worm left in its wake. They saw Sulfur Fish swarming out from within it, hundreds of them. Ozpin spun Mihi Vindicta through his fingers, forming his cog armour around his body.
Maria's eyes widened at that.
How many other tricks has the old man got?
The Sulfur Fish all spiralled together, and they all gasped as they formed into a giant horrible monster, fusing their bodies into one creature. The black flesh melted together and the white bone armour shifted across the body, created some kind of a giant worm like mouth. It roared at them and blasted a cloud of hot air from its jaws.
It then belched flames from its mouth, which ignited the hot air into an explosion, but Ozpin drove his cane down into the floor, creating a protective barrier of green energy, deflecting the incoming damage. Glynda jumped up and yelled, throwing a powerful pulse of purple energy into the creature. It recoiled back, then Maria launched forward, roaring with rage as she spun through the air, slashing her dual scythes straight through the middle of its body.
The Sulfur Fish Worm screeched in pain as the top half plummeted off the edge and crashed down into the ground below. The lower half broke apart into the Sulfur Fish, and as they tried to attack her, Ozpin blasted a magical pulse into them all, blowing them away. That action also had consequences, and the path cracked and buckle. "Go!" Ozpin yelled, and they all sprinted as fast as they could, jumping ahead and tumbling across the floor on the other side.
Glynda looked back as that side of the cliff collapsed completely, sending a landslide down, consuming the flames and many buildings beneath them, burying it all. She got back up and they kept on running, turning as they saw Grimm swarming around the sky. An Airship that was still running hovered nearby, people inside shooting their guns at the Grimm to thin the monsters out. But as they shot at the beasts, a Shrieker launched itself directly into the back of the Airship, blowing the rear apart in a piercing crack of an explosion. The Airship spun out of control, throwing one man out of it. He shrieked in terror, only for a pair of Griffins to attack him as he fell.
He wailed, begging for mercy as they ripped into him, ripping him in half, then limb by limb and eventually pulling off his head with its beak. Maria gritted her teeth in hatred at the beasts, seeing how they were playing with him. This slaughter was fun to these monsters, and nothing angered the Huntress more than seeing suffering being treated like a game. Maria sprinted alongside her two comrades, but as they ran ahead, a Lesser Wyvern suddenly landed against the side of the building they were about to enter, where civilians were still inside.
"Run!" Glynda begged, but Ozpin put one arm around her stomach and pulled her away just in time. The Lesser Wyvern bellowed, blasting a cloud of searing flames into the building. Maria shuddered as she heard the blood-curdling screams of the people inside. Then they saw the nightmarish sight of a burning woman.
She clawed away at her burning skin and hair, shrieking endlessly as she staggered towards the edge. Only for her shrieks to be silenced as a Teryx flew towards her, biting down onto her upper torso, carrying her away to devour her whole. Ozpin gritted his teeth in anger as well, but he knew they needed to stay focused. He released Glynda, who just stood there; it took her a second to shake that off.
But what they found inside was more haunting than that… all the people still inside. They were all dead, but they could see the torment they were in. Flames crackled around their corpses, and the stench… it was unlike anything that could be described. Ozpin blasted a powerful bolt of magic into the melted door, breaking it off its hinges and he walked outside.
Suddenly a Nevermore flew directly towards him, but he transformed Mihi Vindicta from Cane Form to Sceptre Form, and he blasted a powerful beam of green energy into the beast. The beam cleaved the Nevermore in half like a hot knife through butter. The collossal crow came crashing down. The heavy corpse caused the path they were on to dislodge and form a lower ramp down towards the direction they needed to go.
"Come on." He calmly said, and the two Huntresses followed him. They all ran down the paths that connected to the walls, and they could see where some houses used to be, only to be knocked down into the lower regions of the city, causing so much destruction beneath them. Maria looked down, and she saw the hordes of Grimm down on the lower levels. There were so many of them down there, feasting on the corpses of the dead.
"Damn…" Glynda sighed as she stood beside Ozpin.
The path had been collapsed already, and this was the safest way to get to that district. Maria stared up at the sky, spotting the Giant Nevermores, then she glanced down at her Scythes, as an idea sparked in her mind. And then she smirked at the possibility. "We can't stay up here, Professor…" she warned.
"I know…" He continued to formulate a plan, but he was struggling to think of anything. It was too far for them to jump and too far for Glynda or Maria to make it. And if they stayed up here for too long, the airborne Grimm would pick them off one by one, and all of this would be for nought.
"I have an idea, but it's insane… I can get us to the district fast. Just make sure you have a good grip." Maria explained as she stood at the edge of the cliff, and aimed the barrel of the gun built into her Scythe at one of the Giant Nevermores.
"Care to elaborate?" Glynda asked.
"We're going to ride a Nevermore. I can use my Scythes' Gravity Dust Connection to direct the thing wherever we need to go. All you have to do is make sure you hang on… it won't be what you'd call a smooth flight." Maria warned. Glynda's eyes were wide at first, then she just sighed.
I'm getting too old for this crazy stuff.
She looked at Ozpin as she aimed the Scythe up, and he nodded his head. "Awesome." She smirked, then fired, blasting a purple projectile across the sky and nailing the largest Nevermore. The enormous beast immediately turned and flew directly at them. Then she held both her Scythes down by her side, waiting for it to get closer, and then she put her Skull Mask on and cracked her neck.
The Nevermore roared as it passed through the smoke, eyes burning red, but she instantly launched one of her Scythes at the creature and activated the Gravity Dust laced into her weapons, and the one lodged into the feathers suddenly became unbelievably heavy for the creature. The Nevermore tried to fly up, but it descended at a jumpable height, and they all jumped onto the body of the creature, grabbing onto whatever they could hold.
Maria held onto the Scythe lodged into its body, then threw her Scythe into the side of the cliff ahead of them, using the Dust Connection like magnets, yanking the Nevermore wherever her other Scythe was located. The Nevermore screamed in protest as she smashed them from formation to building, throwing chunks of rocks down into the city beneath.
With only Grimm left down there, all they had to worry about now were Grimm being squished. A small Creep looked up as a gigantic chunk of debris came crashing down on its head.
The Nevermore dropped in altitude thanks to her Scythes pulling the beast down towards the district they needed to go to. Ozpin turned, and he saw the burning remains of the Stanley Hotel, the same place that Kassius, Cardin, Emerald, Velvet and Coco found themselves on their journey – and where Hyde freed Cardin from the Hym that plagued his mind. Fire roared through the shattered windows, and the once beautiful aesthetic of that building was no more.
The Nevermore smashed through one of the ancient Towers that they hunted as well, causing it to collapse behind them, then Maria threw her Scythe one last time, and it slammed the beast down into the ground and it slid across the floor towards her Scythe. "Jump!" She yelled, and they all leapt off the creature as it slid off the edge of the cliff and plummeted down into the ocean below, sinking to the bottom of the sea.
Maria landed on one knee and lifted her head with a smirk hidden behind her Skull Mask. Her Scythe shone purple and her second Scythe flew into her palm. Glynda panted, wide eyed. "Do you… always do that?"
"When it suits me. It's kinda fun." Maria shrugged her shoulder, turning when she saw more Grimm headed towards them. Thralls howled savagely as they swarmed over the burning vehicles, with countless other variants of Grimm as well.
But the three of them ducked down as a tank shell shot overhead and blew the incoming swarm apart. They turned to see there was only a single Hellfire Tank left from their military that was protecting this city, and those soldiers were still holding out. There were a few Paladins remaining too, but down here, they could see just how hellish things were. They all were firing everything they had into that swarm that was trying to reach them, but Ozpin spiralled his Sceptre through his fingers and formed a magical sign.
Suddenly six replicants of himself appeared, and they all blasted that beam of green energy at once, burning the Grimm to embers immediately, and with the help of the Tank and the Paladins, the swarm was obliterated.
Ozpin panted. Using so much magic like this was getting exhausting.
"Are you okay, Ozpin?" Glynda asked, supporting him.
"Yeah, we need to keep moving while we have time. The prison is just down this road." Ozpin turned to one of the soldiers. "Captain! Is this area down this street cleared?"
"Nowhere is, sir… but… it's the closest to it. There's definitely Grimm in there, but it's probably the safest area." He confirmed.
"Is the Prison still operational? We need to extract two prisoners." He explained.
"We've been evacuating them, but Grimm got inside, we can't risk it." The soldier answered.
"Leave it to us then… hopefully Carmine and Bertilak are still alive." Ozpin said, and they all sprinted down the road towards the Prison, and not too long after they ran, they found it. Like everywhere it looked badly damaged by the Grimm with multiple fired, but they could hear gunfire and fighting inside.
The Prisoners were not going down without a fight.
"Come on… we need to get them out of there before they get killed."
Ruby
In the Northern Reaches of Remnant…
Things were calmer compared to the carnage in Queen's Cove, but the war continued to rage around them. Weiss stared at the city, seeing the flames and the smoke, hearing the gunfire and explosions of war. Her home hardly even looked recognisable anymore, and that stung more than anything. She may have despised this Kingdom for the racism against the Faunus, her father and the corruption…
… but so many people were dying… her people.
She squeezed her eyes shut and walked into the building where Ruby, Jaune, Kassius, Coco, Qrow, Mazen and Blake were speaking to Robyn Hill, alongside everyone else who were reloading their weapons. She stood with Fiona, May and Joanna, and in the same room were a team of Atlesian Huntsmen and Huntresses that they did not recognise, though they looked weathered and tired from this war.
"I do hope you all have some answers for me, because my objectivity isn't doing me a whole lot of good right now." Robyn explained as she tried to get the Holo-Table online, having to smack it on the side a couple times. It flickered online and showed the map of Mantle and Atlas, with their primary objective being that S.D.C Facility in the centre of the Border.
"How many people do you have? Reinforcements-Wise?" Joanna asked. Ruby looked at the people in the room with her.
"You're looking at them…" Ruby answered. The entire room fell silent.
"W-What?" Robyn asked.
"The people in this room and that Dreadnaught that big gun shot down? We're all that's left from Vale… everything else is either gone or surviving on their own out there. Either way, the city is destroyed." Ruby explained, the Happy Huntresses could tell from the bruises on their faces, and all the cuts everywhere that they were not lying.
"The entire Kingdom?" Fiona gasped, covering her mouth.
Ruby just quietly nodded her head.
"Fuck… that's… that's bad…" Robyn stammered. "And the Oncoming Shadow? It's gonna be here too?"
"Without a doubt, although the fact that Umbra still hasn't unleashed them worries me. That means he's waiting for the right moment… I just don't know what that moment could be." Ruby said as she looked up at the sky, seeing the sun set behind the horizon and the Fully Shattered Moon hang up in the sky.
It was so jarring in the scariest way possible, seeing the moon completely broken apart.
It really felt like the end of days seeing that.
"What defences does Mantle and Atlas have against the Oncoming Shadow?" Qrow asked Robyn, and she brought up the defence plans. Good to see she had been preparing for this eventuality.
"We already have Mantle's Shield Dome under our control. We can activate it whenever we need to from this facility." Robyn explained, pointing at another S.D.C Facility, however, that was one that they claimed from the Company. "With the Hardlight Dust reserves we have at our disposal – courtesy of our raids on the S.D.C Mines and Storage Bases – we can keep the shield up for a long time, even with the Oncoming Shadow attacking it. But… taking that into account? It will probably give us until after midnight. Plenty of time to get all our civilians to the evac point, and once that shield drops, we can get them out to our planned safe zone here." Robyn explained, showing the mountains.
"Mountains? Isn't it too cold to keep people there?" Mazen asked.
"Out in the open, yes. But we have the Mines, and the mines still have lots of dust inside, which keeps them warm. I've got a whole team of constructors in there making it as secure as we can. We'll get everyone inside, hunker down, and wait it out. We can't risk crossing the sea, we don't have enough Airships for that." Robyn explained.
"It's something, let's just hope Blind Worms and other Digging Grimm figure out a way to get around those defences." May explained, tensing as she imagined it.
"The Oncoming Shadow will focus on the Kingdom. They want the Relic of Destruction. Hopefully, once we get it out of there, Umbra will redirect his forces to come after us." Ruby explained.
"I never thought I'd hear someone say that and actually sound hopeful about that scenario." The Huntsman stated with his arms crossed.
"If it keeps people alive, then it's worth it." Ruby stated, which made Robyn smile.
"What about your Military Forces?" Kassius asked.
"We have roughly twenty thousand men and women. Ex-Atlas Military, Ex-Acolytes of Lien, Militia, Huntsmen and Huntresses. And roughly ten thousand automated units." The Huntsman answered as he walked over to the table.
"Who are you?" Qrow asked.
"Clover Ebi. Leader of Ironwood's Ace Operatives." He introduced, saluting him. He turned to his team, all of which stepped forward. "This is my team – Harriet Bree, Marrow Amin, Elm Ederne and Vine Zeki."
"I remember Ironwood mention you guys… sorry about what happened to him." Weiss bowed her head, and Clover smiled, walking over to her and gently squeezing her shoulder.
"It's alright, your father will pay for what he did. To you and everyone else." He assured, which made Weiss smile slightly.
"We also have a bunch of vehicles, too. Paladins, ten Collossus M.E. and a shitload of tanks and vehicles and an entire air force. We stole a bunch of those from Acolytes and Atlas Military bases." Robyn explained. "But I've been holding them back. We need them to fight against the Oncoming Shadow when they hit, which is why our advance on Atlas has ground to a halt."
"And I bet with that big Mass Acceleration Cannon, you can't get your Dreadnaughts in the air, can you?" Mazen assumed.
"Exactly, we can get our fighters and airships up. Too small for them to waste a shot on them, but the rest of the A.A Guns are proving to just be wasting their lives. We need that base under our control." Robyn explained.
"Agreed…" Ruby's face them changed, like she had just had a genius idea, which got their attention.
"Uh oh, I know that face." Blake softly chuckled. "That's the crazy idea face."
"For once, it's not that crazy. We don't actually need to destroy the big gun, we just need to take control of it. When the Shield Dome drops, it will come in handy. If it can knock the Drift of Wandering Star out of the sky in a single shot, then it can kill a Reaper that fast. It will help us a great deal." Ruby explained, and Qrow nodded his head.
"She's right, those things take so much to bring down, having that on our side will be really beneficial." Qrow agreed.
"I agree. It's too valuable an asset for us to waste, but either way, that still doesn't change the pressing issue – taking that base. I can't spare my forces to try to capture it." Robyn explained. Ruby looked at Blake and then at Qrow.
"You won't need to. We'll take it." Ruby answered.
"How?" Joanna asked. "We're not doubting your capabilities, but we've thrown a hell of a lot of firepower at that base and nothing gets through."
"We've taken on big bases before. Best way to get them is with the element of surprise – they're not expecting to have what we've got on our side." Kassius answered, standing with Ruby, and Coco chuckled.
"And what do we have?" Harriet asked.
"Three Maidens. A load of skilled Huntsmen and Huntresses. One super powerful Silver Eyed Warrior. A Higher Demon and we have Penny, who may as well be a Maiden, anyway." Coco explained, her eyes igniting to prove she was one of them.
Jaune walked over to the Holo-Table, and Robyn stepped aside to see what he had come up with. "It can work. We split up into two teams, main bulk of the team will attack the front of the base. That's where our heavy hitters will be, and with whatever you can spare. We keep all eyes on us, whilst an infiltration team sneaks around the back and opens the doors." Jaune explained. "Once the doors are open, we all go in and take the base. We can get the Anti-Air Guns and the Mass Accelerator Cannon on our side, and then we can take Atlas."
Robyn and Clover both pondered the idea and looked at each other.
"Who would be in the Infiltration team?" Robyn asked.
"I can get anyone in undetected." May assured, showing her invisibility semblance off.
Neo stepped forward, spinning Hush through her fingers and resting it on her shoulder. Emerald took a step forward as well, nodding her head. Ren walked forward as well with his pistols drawn, and Blake did as well.
Blake, Ren, Emerald, Neo and May.
"Well, you don't get stealthier than that." Yang chuckled.
"We can get inside and disable the doors, maybe even the guns too." Blake assured. "Mazen, keep the White Fang here with the Attack Team."
Mazen slammed his fist against his chest and nodded his head. "By your word, High Leader."
"And once the facility is under our control, we head for Schnee Manor and Atlas Academy. We need to get into that Vault, and stop Jacques Schnee." Ruby explained, and Weiss stood beside her friend.
"You sure you wanna be a part of that?" Fiona asked Weiss.
"That man was never what I'd call a father to me. And what he's done here? I'll do what I have to do." Weiss promised. Robyn walked over to the end of the Holo-Table and she rested her hands open it, and she sighed.
"There's one more thing we need to consider." She brought up an alternate filter, showing some large red markings around Atlas. "We've noticed Jacques is moving an astronomical amount of Dust to these specific regions underground. My Recon Teams have spotted them using these large Mining Drills to get underneath Atlas. But we still don't really know for what purpose." Robyn explained, Weiss pressed her palms against the table and narrowed her eyes.
"My father never does things without a reason… he's planning something. And I don't like it… he would never waste that much dust like that. Not unless he was confident of success. Winning is all the man cares about." Weiss explained, Qrow grumbled and narrowed his red eyes, staring down at the screen.
"Do you know what kind of dust the company was shipping down there?" Qrow asked.
"All the dust was stored in huge crates that looked identical. We only knew they were dust because of the S.D.C logo." Joanna answered.
"Damn… it could be any manner of things. If it's explosive, he could use it to threaten us… say that he will level the entire city if we don't back down." Qrow suggested.
"I don't know… my father would never sacrifice himself. If that is his plan, then he'll have an escape ready as well." Weiss explained.
Ruby sighed.
It's always getting more complicated by the minute, huh?
"Well, we're never gonna find out by debating. We need that Relic…and he is all that stands in our way. We have to get in there." Ruby explained, and everyone was in agreement.
"Then I suggest you all get ready… because we're going to attack that base in the next three hours."
Ruby nodded, and she felt her hand quiver, only for it to be warmly squeezed by Oscar's, and he smiled at her.
"We can do this." He assured.
She smiled back at him, caressing his cheek and kissing him. "Yeah… I hope so…"
Ozpin
Ozpin, Glynda and Maria sprinted into the prison, and what they found was carnage.
The Grimm were inside, and some prisoners were already dead, ripped up by the monsters that smashed through the windows. One corpse was being ravaged by the jaws of a Razorwing. The Harpy-Shaped Grimm savagely slashed its claws across the dead inmate's body whilst its wide jaws bit down onto his face, ripping his skull clean off. The Razorwing turned and shrieked as it stared at the three Hunters who stood before them, and it launched itself towards them, flying through the block, talons sharp and smothered in blood.
It slashed its talons at Ozpin but he deflected the incoming blows, then formed a magical glyph underneath his feet which blasted him up into the air. He rammed the bladed end of his Sceptre straight through the ribs of the creature, smashing it down into the ground with all his might. He ripped the weapon from the corpse of the creature as it crumbled away into ashes, then spiralled it around, blasting a powerful beam of magical energy into the chest of a Beringel, pinning it to the wall.
Maria sprinted past him, slashing through the thin bodies of two Razorwings, killing them instantly. She swung each Scythe at a time, and jumped in the air, spinning as she dodged the incoming quills from a Spiker. Only then did she notice an inmate pinned to the wall by those same spines, killed instantly. Maria then rolled backwards just as she saw a Leviathan smash through a building outside, and it turned to the Prison, breathing deep before blasting a beam of electrical fire straight through the block, only narrowly missing her.
She stared up at the Leviathan as it tore the roof off, bellowing down at her, but through the sockets of her Skull Mask, white light erupted out and the Leviathan howled in pain. It staggered back a few steps as stone hardened around its body, freezing it solid. Glynda then gritted her teeth, blasting bolt after bolt of purple energy into its frozen body, before sending a single powerful blast of energy, shattering the behemoth. Large chunks of its head crashed down through the roof, splattering a couple of Razorwings and Beowulves that got inside.
Ozpin walked ahead, and Maria jumped over the frozen jawbone left behind, and they walked further into the prison, searching for signs of their quarry. They found more Prisoners, all alive luckily, and they all looked terrified. Ozpin set his cane down, his hand atop the pommel, and his helmet deconstructed to reveal his face. "W-What's happening?" A small prisoner whimpered, and Glynda sighed.
"They didn't even warn them… the wardens just left…" Glynda realised, noticing they hadn't seen the body of a single Prison Guard.
They just left them to die here.
"Queen's Cove has fallen… and I'm afraid nowhere on Remnant is safe anymore. We have cleared a path. There are some military forces outside who tried to help you, but due to the Grimm attacking, they were unable to get inside. Go, they will help you evacuate." Ozpin assured. "And if I were you… find a weapon. And good luck."
"T-Thank you…" another prisoner stammered, and they all walked past them, picking up whatever they could use to kill a Grimm with. Then Glynda stopped one prisoner. She had a tattoo on her neck and short brown hair.
"I'm sorry, but we're here for two specific prisoners. Carmine Esclados and Bertilak Celadon. Do you know if they're still alive?" Glynda inquired.
"Y-Yeah… they're the reason we escaped. They fought their way to the armoury and grabbed their weapons that were in lockup. They were in the Cafeteria, helping us all get out when the guards ran." The Prisoner explained. Glynda looked at Ozpin and he nodded.
"Thank you… and good luck." Ozpin said to her, and she smiled before running to catch up with the other prisoners who were leaving.
"These are crazy times… letting a Prison Break happen." Maria chuckled.
"Everyone deserves a chance. I just hope they don't waste it." Ozpin stated.
They continued on through the prison, finding more unlucky prisoners, some of which looked like they actually killed each other during the riot. Glynda walked around the dead prisoners with shivs in their necks and she shook her head. "Looks like the worst ones killed each other in the chaos."
"Well… when the end of the world arrives, it shows people's true colours." Maria stated.
"Are we sure Carmine and Bertilak are to be trusted?" Glynda asked.
"They used to be Hunters, they survived the Acolytes of Lien and survived by working for the Crime Lords. It got to them in the end, and that's why Team C.F.V.Y arrested them. But as you heard, they protected the prisoners and distracted the Grimm so they could escape. I wouldn't put it past them if they want the chance to be heroes again after everything." Ozpin stated.
"I hope so… after Raven… after everything… I hope people can be that good." She sighed, and Ozpin sighed as well.
"As do I." He admitted.
As they walked, Maria stopped them, then they listened, hearing the sound of combat nearby. And strangely… heat…
"Bertilak… his semblance allows him to create searing heat around him. And Carmine has telekinesis, like you Glynda." Ozpin explained. "They're close."
They kept on running through the prison together, and eventually they turned the next corner and found the cafeteria… and there they were.
Carmine Esclados and Bertilak Celadon.
They were already in the clothes that they wore before being arrested as well, clearly finding them in the lockup. Alongside their weapons.
Carmine was a young woman with long, back length, wavy auburn hair with a single silver streak. She also had golden eyes, freckles and a black stylish tattoo on the right side of torso running down to her upper leg. She wore a dark navy cropped long-sleeved shirt with a metal chain-like top attached, a silver shoulder cape with crimson trimmed and her emblem on it, crimson torn off booty shorts that matched her tatter scarf and thigh-high black leather boots with folded over tops and small lace-up detailing. In addition, she wore goggles on top of her head, a black belt with sheaths for her Sai weapons, a single belt on the right sleeve, and her left leg. She also wore tattered bandages wrapped around her wrists.
With her Telekinetic Semblance, she spun her Sai around her body, slashing through the bodies of the two Razorwings that flew towards her, killing them instantly, and she floated in the air thanks to that Semblance.
Bertilak, on the other hand, was a tall, broad and muscular man, standing at six feet and six inches tall. He had a green mohawk and matching goatee. He wore a brown, hooded cloak and a green chest plate over a black tunic. Bertilak had a long scar along his right forearm.
Be roared with rage, burning the Razorwings as they tried to get close, then he blasted a shot from the gun inside of his Chained Mace, blowing its head clean off. He then jumped, firing the chains with the mace attached to the end towards the last of the Razorwings, and it wrapped around its skinny body.
He yanked it forward and spun through the air, smashing it down into the tables with all his strength, killing the creature instantaneously. He landed and looked over to Carmine, who landed, giving him a fist bump. Then the two turned and stared ahead, seeing Professor Ozpin.
"Well, well… look who it is… Beacon's very own Headmaster." He chuckled, readying his weapons.
"We're not here to fight you, Bertilak… we need your help." Ozpin stated, holding up his hand.
"Why the hell would we help you?" Carmine questioned.
"You know why, look outside. Queen's Cove isn't the only place that's destroyed." Maria stated.
They both looked at each other. "Vacuo?" She asked.
"Vacuo fell nearly a month ago… this… this is happening everywhere now. The world as we know it is ending, but I need your help to protect what is in this weapon at all costs." Ozpin explained, and they looked at him and then at the Sceptre.
"What do we get if we help you?" Bertilak questioned.
"Other than helping save the world? The world knowing you stood up and did the right thing?" Maria questioned with a scoff.
"The world doesn't forget your past… make it worth it for us… of we'll just try our luck on the road." Bertilak stated, and Carmine crossed her arms beside him.
"Well, I think helping save the world earns you both your freedom." Ozpin suggested. "And if we do win this? You can be whatever you want to be."
"End of the day, we need your help. If our enemy gets the Relic… we will lose." Glynda promised.
The two of them looked at each other as they pondered this until everyone felt the ground shake.
Suddenly, the wall exploded, and they all recoiled back and their eyes widened as they saw what attacked. It was massive and must have just arrived from the Charred Forest. It was a gigantic Grimm, towering over the building, with massive red wings and three long necks with Dragon Heads attacked, breathing lightning and fire from them.
It was a Hydra.
"Well… why don't we discuss this after we kill this big chap?" Carmine suggested. Ozpin narrowed his eyes and his helmet formed over his head once more as the Hydra stared down at his Sceptre, knowing what was in there.
But he stared the beast down anyway.
Vir Nominis Umbra was not getting his hands on this Relic.
And if this meant that Umbra was sending all this to take it from him? Then that was one less thing off Ruby's back.
He channelled magical energy through his body as he stared the giant down, ready to bring the thing to it's knees.
Author Note - Poor Queen's Cove, was sad to show it being destroyed like that.
Although I won't lie, that was half the reason why I made it be such a cool and unique city with it being mostly vertical, because that meant destroying it would also be super fun as well XD But Oz, Maria and Glynda have found the next two members of Team Protect The Relic to give Ruby and her team more time. Always enjoyed Carmine and Bertilak in the Vacuo books, I originally wasn't gonna include them but honestly they were too cool not to use. Plus their abilities and weapons are honestly very fun too.
It's cool writing Young Maria more too, since we only saw her once but we saw how badass she was. It's great to just have her always be a badass.
And now in Mantle they have their plan to take down that base and get into Atlas. Of course the big question is - what does Jacques have planned? The man is not going to go down without a fight... and the bigger question - where is the Oncoming Shadow?
What is Umbra waiting for?
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!
Stay tuned for the next chapter!
- Matt