Chapter 15 – The City in the Sky
Vir Nominis Umbra
With the sky darkening, and ash falling over the snow…
Vir Nominis Umbra stared up at the rising City of Atlas with a sinister smirk on his face, holding his hands together. "Well, well… Jacques Schnee… you have surprised me. Turning your Kingdom into a floating fortress… but not impregnable." Vir Nominis Umbra sinisterly chuckled.
He looked up at the fleet of monsters that came descending from the hellish heavens above him. Massive flying Grimm Whales – named Monstras – swam through the air, howling as they flew overhead, alongside a terrifying swarm of flying Grimm that headed towards both Mantle and Atlas. One of the Monstra Beasts opened its cavernous mouth, and from it spilled an ocean of black tar, spilling out across the white snowy tundra, spawning more and more ground forces. The ground also cracked open, revealing the hellish depths of the Charred Forest as the two Universes collided.
Unending numbers of Grimm surged through towards Mantle, still unprotected and filled with innocents.
He could taste the fear from here, and it made him smile.
Until a bright blue flash was set off, and suddenly, the Shield Dome had been activated. He hardly even flinched. He just chuckled. "Hmph… valiant… but only prolonging the inevitable." He stated, but he looked away from Mantle as his forces charged towards it, and he just held his hands behind his back.
Behind him, the Knights of Grimm approached, lead by Death. The four of them all knelt, but Loss was the last to do it. She still did, though, all of their souls still bound by the curse of their weapons. "Vir Nominis Umbra, what is your command?" Death asked, bowing his head down to him.
Umbra stood there, staring up at the city of Atlas in the sky, and he narrowed his faintly shimmering red eyes. He studied its structure, noticing that the shield pylons were protected by the same shields as well, meaning they could not just target them. But he also appeared to have expected such a defence already, the same as the one surrounding Mantle.
"Nothing… yet." He answered.
"Sire?" Death responded, sounding confused.
"Nothing we can do, not yet. Mantle's technology is not as advanced as the city that floats above. We just have to wait until the shields run out of Hardlight Dust, then we can lay waste to the city if we must." Vir Nominis Umbra explained.
"And Atlas?" Fear questioned.
"Different story, but we have already prepared on that account. Soon, the shields will fall just as I planned… thanks to our little friends inside. And once those shields fall, so will Atlas. My Monstra Fleet will land on all sides… and envelop our enemy. The Relic of Destruction shall be ours, one way or another." Vir Nominis Umbra assured, smirking sinisterly.
Loss stared at him, tightening her grip on her bow, a Starla nearly taking control of her body for a moment there, but alas the curse still had its grip over her form. Vir Nominis Umbra continued to glare up at Atlas, down from below, pondering. "But… I will speak with them. Offer them a chance to avoid further unnecessary suffering." Vir Nominis Umbra assured as he walked across the ice past his Grimm.
Starla scoffed, making Umbra stop in his tracks. "Avoid further unnecessary suffering? I thought that was the thing you desired most." She challenged, rising back up, fist clenched, and a glare filled with hatred.
Fear stood in front of her, and he snarled. "Be quiet." He warned.
"Why the hell should I?" Starla questioned. "You turned us into monsters, to do your bidding despite it being the very thing we fought against. And now you expect us to believe that you don't want people to suffer?"
He stood as still as a rock, then finally turned and faced her.
"There is a lot you don't know about me… child." Vir Nominis Umbra reminded, eyes glowing red. He then turned and walked away from her, saying no more.
Starla gritted her teeth and stared at her bow, but even now she still felt the curse in her bones. They all did. But unlike them, she was the only one who was actively fighting against it.
And more and more…
… the curse was weakening, and Starla Schnee was bleeding back through and taking control of her body back.
And Vir Nominis Umbra knew it…
But he was not thinking about that, and once he was far enough away from them, he stared back up at the City of Atlas.
"This is the day you die, Jacques Schnee…"
Jaune
"GET THE SHIELDS UP! THE ONCOMING SHADOW ARE COMING!" Jaune yelled at the top of his lungs, sprinting down the concrete steps of the Schnee Dust Company facility. Robyn rushed down with him and immediately brought up her scroll.
He ran ahead, jumping up onto the burning wreckage of the Hellfire Tank that was destroyed in their attack, and he saw just how many were coming. The fleet of Monstra Whales that were getting closer and closer.
But what haunted him most was the sound of all the civilians screaming in terror of the cataclysmic front of Grimm that was headed straight for them. They had never seen this many Grimm before…
… and in truth…
… this looked even worse than what hit Vale.
How?
How is that even possible? How can there be even more Grimm now than at Vale?
Umbra never released the Monstra Whales on Vale. He had already been planning to unleash them on the Kingdom, but clearly he hadn't anticipated Jacques' bold play to levitate Atlas above Mantle like this. Jaune heard the voice of Robyn, ordering the same thing he had just yelled.
"Look out your fucking window! The Oncoming Shadow is here! We need to get the Shield Dome up now!" She ordered.
"Ma'am, we've successfully reconfigured the Anti-Air Defences to specifically target incoming Grimm!" One of the technicians called.
"Get them online. If they can't get the shield up, we'll need them!" Robyn ordered. Jaune looked up at the walls behind him, seeing the massive guns come back online. A deep electrical thrum ran through them, and the barrels lifted, lights flickering on. But the Grimm were not close enough to be in range yet. Jaune watched with terror as they grew closer and closer to the city walls.
But finally, he heard that sound that brought immense relief to him.
The Shield Dome coming online from that central facility in Mantle, which also had a tall spire that projected the hardlight dust out into that form. It was a blinding blue flash at first, but when it faded, he saw the dome forming and hardening around the city walls. Jaune sighed, nearly falling from the tank he was standing on, but Pyrrha caught him with a gentle smile.
"Thank the gods for that… if that had been a few seconds later…" Jaune sighed.
"It wasn't… let's focus on what to do next, okay?" She softly asked.
Penny paced back and forth with fear on her face. "Dad? Dad? Are you okay up there?" She stammered, but luckily his voice came through.
"We're alright, don't worry. The Grimm seem to be focused on Mantle right now, but some of the air forces are headed up to Atlas as well. Seems like Umbra is specifically focusing on you right now." Ortega explained.
"Of course they are… weaker target and all…" Jaune sighed as he got down from the tank, safely this time, and walked with Pyrrha over to the rest of the team. Kassius, Oscar, and Sun both were staring up at Atlas with concern on their faces for the safety of their girlfriends.
"Not precisely, Mr Arc. The way they are advancing? This is definitely Umbra's doing. He is holding most of his fleet back… circling Atlas as we speak." Ortega explained.
"Alright, do not engage any of them. Just keep an eye on them, only fire if they attack." Jaune replied.
"Heh, don't have to tell me twice." Ortega chuckled.
Jaune lowered his scroll back and down and shoved it in his pocket, turning to his three friends. "You saw them get onto Atlas, right?" Kassius asked in a worried voice.
"Yeah, I nearly got crushed when it started rising, but they got onto Atlas first." Jaune assured. "Them and the Ace Ops."
"Damn it… that really screws things up." Mazen growled with frustration. "Jacques is gonna have a massive defence up there. The rest of the Acolytes of Lien will be waiting for them. But now they have no backup." Mazen explained. "And as good as they are… I don't think they can hold up against the defences he will have in place to stop them from killing him."
"I dunno… if they're smart, they could reach Jacques and take him out, but the Academy? That may be a harder one to crack." Jaune explained, pondering the situation.
"Can we contact them?" Oscar asked.
He raised his scroll and tried calling Ruby, but the distance that Atlas was from Mantle now had cut off local signal. And with the Cross Continental Transmit Network offline… they had no way of calling them. "Even if we could call them, the shields are up. There's no way of getting up there." Qrow sighed.
"They're on their own…" Cinder sighed as she paced back and forth.
Then their eyes all flitted up to the dome that stretched across the sky, seeing it flickering, that's when Cinder flew up into the air and she stared out across the City of Mantle to see the nightmarish view of the Oncoming Shadow slamming into the shields. They were attacking them relentlessly, biting, slashing and hammering it. "Damn…" She sighed, before descending back down to the ground and walking over to Robyn.
"How long will this Dome last?" Cinder asked her. Robyn looked at her nervously, then called her technicians inside of the control centre.
"Shield Techs – I need a sitrep. How much time do we have before the Grimm cause the Shield Dome to break down?" Robyn asked. The first thing she heard was a shocked gasp.
"Gods… only a few hours. Nightfall, tops." The Lead Technician answered.
Mazen grumbled, then turned to see White Fang helping the Faunus Slaves who were held captive inside. Very few were in any position to be fighting, but some were already picking up weapons to help them defend the city.
Jaune contemplated the situation, and he walked to the street, staring at the wall where the Grimm were focusing their efforts. Then he had an idea… it was a scary proposition… but it could save lives.
"Ortega, are the Grimm focusing on that side of the shield?" Jaune asked.
It took Ortega a second to reply, most likely checking in with the other Resistance Airships for an accurate answer. "Affirmative. They're not spreading around the city." He confirmed.
"What're you thinking?" Kassius asked.
Jaune continued to think of a plan whilst Qrow, Kassius, Sun and Coco walked over to him, the main people who knew how to lead a group here. "Alright… I have a plan, but… it's a scary one."
"Hey, look around. No plan is scarier than any scary plan. If that makes sense." Sun commented, making Jaune smile.
He exhaled, then turned to Robyn. "Robyn, start evacuations to the Northern side of the city, get them to the Mines like you planned." Jaune explained, but May's eyes widened.
"The Grimm will tear us apart if we leave." May explained.
"No, they won't, because the rest of us and all our forces will hold Mantle for as long as we can. Once that shield breaks, you go. Don't look back, save as many people as we can. We'll jeep the Oncoming Shadow focused on us." Jaune explained. Robyn walked towards him.
"That's likely a one-way trip, Jaune." She warned.
"I know… but it's the best shot Mantle has of surviving. I don't know about Atlas… if Ruby and the others can find a way to get them off, they'll take it. Maybe Airships, I don't know. But this is our best bet to save as many people as we can." Jaune explained. Robyn exhaled, and she squeezed his shoulder.
"You're a brave bastard, aren't ya?" she questioned, sounding impressed.
"Either that or stupid." He shrugged.
"Well, whichever it is… Good Luck Jaune Arc." Robyn extended her hand to him, and he shook it.
"You too, Robyn Hill."
Robyn walked away with the Happy Huntresses, and before they leave Fiona stopped and looked back at them.
"Good luck." She also wished, then they all left. Jaune stood there and clasped the hilt of Crocea Mors.
"Bold move, Jaune." Qrow said with a proud smile and his arms crossed.
"I'm sorry… I just… it's the only thing I could…"
"Hey, we're with ya to the end pal." Kassius promised, patting his back, then he cracked his neck. Ready to kill some Grimm.
But only one thing rattled around his mind.
How many people are going to die because of this?
Ruby
Ruby looked down at Mantle as it grew smaller and smaller, but the air became no thinner.
Clearly Jacques had thought of this and had them create some sort of artificial climate and oxygen supply to keep the people alive. Or to keep himself alive. Ironic, since they did not come here to let the man survive, this cowardly decision had already allowed them to sign his Death Warrant for him.
Ruby watched in horror as the Oncoming Shadow arrived, but luckily, the Shield Dome formed around Mantle, making her fears subside, and she exhaled with relief. Ruby pushed one hand through her hair, then turned as she heard the echoing screams of terrified civilians in the city. The Monstra Whales floated through the air, spilling oceans of Grimm Tar across the tundra, and from up here they could see how many Grimm were out there.
Hair-Raising… that was the best way to describe how they felt when they saw the darkness drowning out the white of the snow down below. And they were getting closer and closer to Mantle, but they had the Shield Dome operational. Then her eyes stared ahead at the colossal Flying Whales headed directly for them, alongside that endless swarm of flying beasts. Tempests swarmed the sky as well, forming a horrifying storm of blood red lightning that darkened the sky more and more.
And the Charred Forest was spreading like a disease. She stared at the sky, seeing the darker version of this land… and the Reality Splits down below…
… no matter how many times she saw it, it scared her to her core.
In fact, seeing it from up here? The amount of Grimm being spawned by the Monstra Whales and the Reality Splits? It somehow made it all worse… because now she truly saw what they were up against.
How do you even begin to stop something like that?
They're infinite, they just keep coming.
Ruby swallowed her fear, burying it deep, and she turned around, seeing Weiss already staring at the city with Myrtenaster tightly in her grasp. "Okay… let's stay focused…" Ruby sighed, also turning to the Ace Ops.
But they were all staring at the Oncoming Shadow, eyes bulging. "Was it… like this at Vale?" Marrow stammered.
"Worse… they showed up in the centre of the city. Hit the Kingdom by surprise… at least Mantle and Atlas have some kind of defence." Blake answered, staring at the swarm as they eventually made impact with the shields around Mantle. The impact of all the Grimm barraging into the Hardlight Dust formation alone was enough to make the entire dome flicker.
"H-How are we supposed to fight… that?" Elm questioned with shock and awe on her face.
"We don't. We hold them off as long as we can. Like we explained – Vir Nominis Umbra is our target. We kill him, and we can all wake up from this nightmare." Weiss explained. She walked forward and stared at the City of Atlas. She steeled her nerves and took a step forward.
"So what's the plan now?" Harriet asked.
"Nothing's changed. We still need to get to the Relic of Destruction. But we need to take down Jacques too. The man's definitely got the Vault locked down. If we can bring down the lockdown, we can get inside. But my bet's on that lockdown command is in his office." Ruby explained.
"Are we sure that is the most logical course of action? We're on our own now, it's just us left in the city, and Jacques has the rest of the Acolytes of Lien up here with him. They're not going to go down without a fight." Vine explained, holding his hands together.
"We don't have a choice now. We have to do this. If Umbra gets his hands on that Relic, he could finish us all here and now." Ruby explained.
"She's right. We need to stay focused on the mission at hand. So get your heads on straight." Clover agreed, but then they all spun around from the shock of hearing the Oncoming Shadow attacking the shields of Atlas. The airborne beats relentlessly attacked the shields, slashing their claws, breathing fire at it or just throwing their bodies into it. But it did not even seem to weaken.
"Jacques' Shields are definitely stronger. How much Hardlight Dust must that thing be using?" Yang gasped.
"My father's the head of the Schnee Dust Company. He's got all the dust in the world at his disposal. Those shields aren't going down any time soon." Weiss assured, which was very reassuring indeed. Since the Grim were now circling the Floating City. Ruby watched with shock as the fleet of Monstra Whales orbited the city constantly, waiting for their opportunity to attack.
But what was more chilling was hearing the terrified screams of the civilians in the city. Seeing how many were trying to get in was absolutely terrifying. Moreso… they were already beginning to block out the setting sun. "By the gods…" Elm gasped.
"We need to hurry, before they darken the city completely." Ruby stated, and Weiss nodded, walking ahead.
"Wait… what about the innocents? After we get the Relic?" Vine asked.
Ruby froze and her silver eye widened, but then she squeezed it shut and sighed. "I… I don't know."
The Grimm have already surrounded Atlas…
… these people are trapped in this thing now.
They would have had better chances down in Mantle than up here.
The silence was agonising, then Ruby sighed. "I don't know if we can… hell, I don't even know how we are getting off this city now." Ruby admitted.
"We'll figure it out. We always do." Weiss assured, smiling as she held Ruby's shoulder. Ruby walked on ahead, with Weiss and Clover beside her. From here, they could see Atlas Academy. The massive tower was extremely difficult to miss.
"Weiss, how far is Schnee Manor from Atlas Academy?" Ruby inquired.
"A few miles west of it." She pointed in the general direction. "I know the city like the back of my hand, I can get us there."
"I'm thinking we split up. Two teams attacking both spots at the same time. We know Atlas Academy and all the ways in and out. We can beat the Acolytes at their own game, whilst you all take out Jacques Schnee." Clover explained.
Ruby looked at Weiss and she sighed.
I've always hated splitting up…
… but maybe it's the right call.
"You guys sure you can handle it?" Ruby asked.
"We weren't named The Best Huntsmen in Atlas without good reason." He assured with a smirk, resting his Fishing Pole on his shoulder.
"I mean he has a point." Weiss shrugged, making Ruby snicker.
"Alright… good luck." Ruby said to him. He nodded and then turned to the Ace Ops, whistling to get their attention away from the Oncoming Shadow, which was quickly surrounding the city.
"Ace Ops! Form up!" He called. The rest of his team rushed over to his side and he filled them in. "We're heading for Atlas Academy, and we're gonna do what we do best. Team R.W.B.Y will get rid of Jacques for us."
"I hope you know what you're doing." Harriet commented.
"We've fought Demons, we can handle Mercenaries now." Ruby shrugged. Marrow chuckled, unable to argue with that logic.
The two teams split up, but Ruby stopped as Yang caught up.
Blake was staring up at a building, and Ruby had noticed specific details in Blake's body language which communicated more than her words. Her ears were rigid, and she stood stiff as a rock, glaring in a single direction. "Blake?" Ruby walked over to her and followed that focused stare of hers. "What is it? What did you see?"
"Not… what I saw… what I heard…" Blake corrected, narrowing her amber eyes. "Someone or… something… is watching us."
Ruby stared at the building and aimed through the scope of Crescent Rose to try to spot what Blake was talking about.
Concrete… some windows… air conditioning units… heating grid…
… can't see anything else, though.
"I can see anything… but I trust you. Let's keep our wits about us… I wouldn't be surprised if either Umbra or Jacques have something ready for us." Ruby explained, and Blake walked with her to join the team.
"Or both." Blake added, sounding concerned about that possibility.
They didn't realise it yet… but Blake was right.
Something was watching them, as a deep savage growl rumbled from the roof of the building, and saliva drooled down the side of the concrete wall.
Jacques
His heart was pounding with fear…
The numbers of Grimm were breaking their sensors, even the most advanced technology for Grimm Detection systems were crashing at how many Grimm were pouring through. He stared at the sky as the Grimm were swiftly covering the surface with their numbers. And the screams of terrified people in the cities did not help matters one bit. He then turned to the Holo-Table he had in his office, with his chessboard on the desk at the front.
He brought up the live feed of the floating city, and the red dots of Grimm were everywhere, just red all over the map of Atlas. If it weren't for that Shield Dome, Atlas would have probably fallen by now. "Damn you, Umbra…" He growled with anger. He turned when he heard his door open and the last of the High Ranking Acolytes stood behind him. Clearly one who had been chosen simply because there were so few else to choose from, because of his lack of experience and general lack of composure as well.
"Sir… our forces are armed and ready for whatever you command…" The trepidation was very easy to notice.
He was terrified, whether it was Jacques or the Oncoming Shadow which had him this way was unclear. Most likely, it was both of them.
"Good…" Jacques sighed, but then he noticed something on the map. There was a ping at the city's edge, where motion sensors had been placed. It was clear he had motion sensors all along the perimeter of Atlas. He walked around the table and selected the cameras on that point to find out what had triggered them.
The answer… was the second worst plausible scenario. Just beneath it being Vir Nominis Umbra himself.
It was Weiss.
Anger flowed through him like the blood in his veins, and he growled, before flying into a rage. He grabbed his glass and threw it across the room, panting as sweat trickled down his skin. But he slowly composed himself and exhaled. "Persistent child…" He sighed, then turned back to the cameras, watching them as she spoke to Ruby and Clover.
He then turned on the audio of the cameras to listen to what they were talking about.
"I'm thinking we split up. Two teams attacking both spots at the same time. We know Atlas Academy and all the ways in and out. We can beat the Acolytes at their own game, whilst you all take out Jacques Schnee."
"You guys sure you can handle it?"
"We weren't named The Best Huntsmen in Atlas without good reason."
"I mean he has a point."
"Alright… good luck."
Suddenly there was a snarl through the camera, and it just went dead. His eyes widened, and he took a step back, tugging at his collar slightly from the fear he felt welling in his chest. He paced around the room, then grabbed the back of his chair and lowered his head, breathing through his nose, trying to ignore the screaming of panic from the city and the endless roaring of Grimm around them.
"Sir?" The Commander asked, sounding just as afraid.
Jacques exhaled and stared at the man, then he pulled out his chair and sat down, clasping his hands together over his table. "If those brats are so determined to stop me… then let them try. I want my forces divided to defend the two locations they intend to attack. My Manor and the Academy." He ordered.
"But sir… if the Grimm get inside the city will be vulnerable." The Commander questioned. Jacques stared right back and slowly stood up from his chair.
"I know." He coldly answered. The Commander stammered, then saluted his employer.
"Y-Yes sir." He nervously answered before leaving his office. Jacques looked back at the ended recording and he played back to the part before it broke, seeing claws just before the screen went dead.
Grimm claws…
"Damn you, Umbra… what are you planning?" Jacques did not want to wait around to find out, and he approached the comm link and he contacted his people at Atlas Control. "This is Director Jacques Schnee – I am ordering the activation of all Atlesian Defences. Keep the Grimm at bay."
"Roger that." The soldier on the other end responded.
Within a few moments, the rock around the exterior crumbled away, revealing the metal underneath and multiple powerful Dust Cannons folded out from the structure. They fired, blasting powerful lasers of raw Dust Energy, burning through the Grimm with ease. Or blowing them apart with the explosive shells. The defences were firing repeatedly at the Grimm, causing their numbers to disperse, but the Grimm still just kept coming.
Whilst the Monstra Whales continued to just circle the sky.
"What of our Dreadnau-"
He got his answer already, watching as the Tempests had already attacked them, and he watched as one Acolytes of Lien Dreadnaught was caught in its tentacles and crushed from the force. And another was devoured by a Monstra Whale, fire erupting through its jaws and dropping burning rubble down into the tundra below.
One by one, his Air Force was being wiped out by the Oncoming Shadow. His blue eyes widened in fear of what was coming, and he filled up his glass again and continued to drink so he could calm his nerves, letting out a trembling exhale of breath. The door opened once again, and he looked ahead to see the Atlesian Drone which had the Personality Construct of Whitley Schnee uploaded into it.
Only with two lives left now.
"Your sister made it aboard Atlas before we initiated the Project…" Jacques immediately revealed to him. Whitley growled, clenching his hand into a tight fist.
Jacques stood tall, and he brought up the holographic image of what Whitley had been working on for the past seven years…
… the weapon to finally match his sister.
Deimos.
"It's time." Jacques told him.
Whitley chuckled sinisterly.
"Finally."
His mechanical body sat down and the lights shut off as he transferred his consciousness out of his form and into this next one. Jacques watched the live feed from the chamber where his massive M.E.C.H had been built. He had specifically designed it to mock the Arma Gigas, which Weiss had fought when she was younger. The very Grimm that gave her the scar over her eye.
The lights flickered as power surged into the huge Robotic Body, and all the workers left the room. A few moments passed, and then… the four slitted optics flickered online with a piercing blue hue.
It came to life like Frankenstein's Monster, ripping itself free from the station it had been built inside of. Energy coursed through its immense body, forged from sharp pieces of armoured metal. It turned to the wall and pulled the sword from the wall, channelling multiple elements of dust across the blade, and Jacques could hear his son laugh maniacally as the power flowed through his new body.
The roof opened up, revealing the sky shrouded in Grimm, and then the legs of Deimos opened, revealing powerful rockets that blasted flames out, filling the Construction Centre with smoke. And then Deimos flew up into the air and headed directly for Schnee Manor.
Jacques smirked, leaning back into his chair.
"If you want me, Weiss… come and get me…"
Ruby
The situation in Atlas was degrading fast, they sprinted through the streets of the city as fast as they could, eyes on the sky as the Grimm battled against what remained of the Acolytes of Lien Airforce, but they were being blown apart one at a time. A jet roared across the sky, only to have its wing blown off and sending it crashing down into the shield dome, causing it to ripple and flicker.
But worse than that was what was happening with the people.
Terror had overcome them, and they had descended into anarchy. Weiss looked around as she ran as fast as she could, seeing people breaking into stores and stealing things. Cars rushing through the streets as fast as they could. "This is bad!" Weiss yelled as she ran. They turned a corner, all of them following her.
Unaware of what was stalking them from above.
Weiss ran down a path and gasped, finding people fighting each other as they tried to get somewhere. The panic was unlike anything they had ever seen before. Weiss turned, hearing the sound of another deafening explosion as a Reaper blasted a beam of fire down into the core of a Dreadnaught, causing it to go critical and explode in a blinding light.
"How far is Schnee Manor?" Yang called out.
"Not far! Just follow me!" Weiss yelled, but as she turned a corner, an Acolytes of Lien truck suddenly roared towards them. Yang shoved her out of the way and roared with fury, eyes flushing red as she slammed both fists into the bumper of the vehicle. The impact stopped it dead, launching the soldiers through the windscreen. The Truck rattled on the spot as the two mercenaries tumbled across the floor.
But they were not alone, as two more vehicles showed up, clearly trying to slow them down.
This was the Last Stand for the Acolytes of Lien…
A Seeker suddenly shot across the road towards Ruby, slashing across her aura protected body so fast with her sword that it knocked Ruby across the floor. Ruby looked around as the Seeker darted from side to side. Leaving a trail of orange electrical energy in her wake, zigzagging towards her.
She slashed upwards, but Ruby deflected the incoming sword, then kicked her in the stomach.
Blake stared ahead and gasped as a Quartet Trooper aimed his machine gun at her, and his activated flashed its lights, activating its Hardlight Duplicates, all matching the different colours of Flynt Coal's Semblance. They all fired at her, but she flipped backwards, casting a shadow to take the hits for her. Then Weiss thrusted her arm forward, creating a barrier with her Glyph to take the shots for them.
Yang blasted overhead and fired multiple shots down at them. She then came crashing down, smashing both fists into the floor, creating a powerful explosion which threw the Quartet Trooper up in the air, and destroying the Duplicates. As he came plummeting back down, Yang grabbed him by the heel and threw him face-first onto the floor, knocking him unconscious.
Yang gasped, suddenly being shot in the shoulder by a sniper. Luckily, her Aura took the round for her, but the impact still threw her back. The Marksman fired once again, shrouded in a black cloak which blew in the wind.
Ruby spun Crescent Rose through her fingers, blocking the incoming bullets from the Seeker's Submachine Gun, but she turned when she spotted Yang being thrown across the road by the impact of that bullet. She swiftly spun around and aimed at the Marksman, who was aiming at her now, and she fired. The bullet flew straight past the incoming one fired by the Mercenary.
Ruby burst into rose petals just in time, and the bullet shot straight through the head of the Seeker before she could dart away. The last remaining soldiers were just mercenaries, all firing their Assault Rifles at them, but Weiss darted forward, cutting them down with Myrtenaster. She flicked the blood off her sword with a scowl on her face, not hesitating against the enemy anymore, and she kept on moving.
Ruby, Blake and Yang followed her, and they kept charging through the streets, avoiding the civilians who were constantly panicking, breaking into stores and fighting in the streets. When things fall apart, people resort to savagery to survive, and it appeared the same could be said even for the most privileged people on Remnant.
They ran across a bridge, which arched over a beautiful river of blue water, but as they turned the corner, an Acolytes of Lien Gunship was waiting for them. It fired a missile instantly, which Weiss blasted off with a powerful gust of wind from her glyphs. The missile shrieked up into the air, exploding into the shield high above. But it swiftly rushed forward, firing its machine guns relentlessly at them, but they kept on sprinting, running through a building to avoid the incoming gunfire.
The bullets shredded through the windows of the department store, sending shards of glass everywhere, but they refused to stop. They rushed up the stairs, and they knew the Gunship was tracking them, since the bullets seemed to always be right behind them. They charged down a hallway, seeing just another wall in front of them. Yang ran ahead and blasted her missiles into the wall, and just as the wall exploded, the Gunship was right in front of them.
The team all landed on the Gunship, and Yang pummelled the left thruster with her Cybernetic Fist, firing a powerful round from Ember Celica. The blast caused fire to belch and bleed from the afterburner, already destabilising the Gunship. Ruby jumped and dragged the curved blade of Crescent Rose down the Fuel Cells of the vehicle whilst Blake cast an Explosive Shadow which broke off the left wing. It spun out of control, and then Weiss cast multiple Black Glyphs on the road, dragging the Gunship down towards the road.
It made impact in a fiery explosion whilst all of Team R.W.B.Y landed together.
Weiss lifted her head as her long tail of white hair blew in the wind, and she walked down this road. And she saw it before them… but her eyes widened.
It was Schnee Manor…
… and it was surrounded by Acolytes of Lien.
Getting inside would not be easy, but the thing that seemed to hurt the most?
Was not the odds that were stacked up against them.
No…
… it was seeing that Family Symbol again… that courtyard.
After all these years – she was back home.
Jaune
He walked with everyone to the gates whilst large organised groups of civilians were guided to the Northern Side of Mantle for evacuation. Jaune held Crocea Mors tight in his hand as he walked out into the frigid Tundra outside the walls. The Shield Dome went further than they realised. They had a large amount of space of flat land to get their massive army in place to defend the walls.
He looked around, seeing the many Colossi M.E. in position, alongside the Paladins, vehicles and thousands of brave soldiers ready to fight to the death against what was out there. He held Pyrrha's hand, and she smiled.
But then they noticed something…
… the Grimm stopped.
They all stopped attacking the shields at the same time. That was when Pyrrha aimed with her rifle… and they saw him stood there at the shield.
Vir Nominis Umbra.
He had that sinister smile on his face like he always did, and he raised his finger, gesturing for them to come and speak with him.
Jaune exhaled, then turned to Pyrrha and Oscar.
He wants to talk…
Author Note - Soon those shields will fall... and when they do... it's gonna be hell
Jacques' days truly are numbered right now, especially with Team R.W.B.Y at his doorstep, but this is one last fight for the Acolytes of Lien, and they are already falling apart with their airforce being smashed to pieces by the Oncoming Shadow. Hopefully Ortega can keep the Drift of Wandering Star safe.
And Deimos is finally unleashed. Been waiting to unleash this cool MECH since Act 2 XD
Jaune had one brave plan there, let's hope it works and Robyn can save as many as she can.
And... what is watching Team RWBY...
So many questions!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!
Stay tuned for the next chapter!
- Matt