Chapter 26 – A Storm Approaches…
Kassius
The Elasmosaurus roared with fury as its long serpentine neck arched back, with gallons of oceanic water flowing through the throat. They could see the water flushing up and down the translucent veins in its neck, alongside glowing red markings that shone across the beast's body. Kassius firmly gripped Lash Equinox, waiting for the monster to make its first move.
And it did.
The Plesiosaur lunged towards him, its long neck effortlessly allowing it to make the attack, but he rolled out of the way and slashed the blade across the side of its neck. The Elasmosaurus smashed through the crumbling building that they were standing atop, causing it to break apart all around them. "Scatter!" Kassius called out. He turned and jumped across the water towards one of the sinking buildings. He nearly slid into the water, and a Syren suddenly erupted from the water and landed in front of him.
Lacking the mythical feminine beauty, the creature only looked ape-like from the top half, with a nightmarish face with a split jaw and razor-sharp teeth and glowing red eyes. It shrieked at the top of its lungs at Kassius, bringing him down to one knee. The Syren slashed its claws at him, but he raised his cybernetic arm, scraping the claws over the steel and throwing sparks across the sky. The Syren bit its jaws at him, but he rammed the sword through its open split jaws, cutting clean through the skull.
"Behind you brother!" The voice of Hyde called out. He spun around and gasped to see the Elasmosaurus erupting from the water. The breaching threw chunks of debris into the sky, sending it crashing down all around them. The creature crashed back down into the deep, the waves capsizing the structure he was standing on top of. Kassius jumped, but just before he fell into the water, Cinder flew towards him and grabbed onto his collar, throwing him towards more structures to stand on.
He bounced on his toes and tilted his hat with gratification towards his sister, spinning the swords through his fingers as he looked for the creature, but also kept his eyes peeled for other Grimm lurking beneath the waves. He could see the spines cutting through the waves as it circled the area, keeping its eyes on them, growling deeply as it waited for its next opportunity. Kassius looked across to see Sun and Oscar stood together, fighting off Syrens as they emerged from the water.
They shrieked as they launched themselves towards the Huntsmen, but Sun roared with rage, smashing Ruyi Jingu Bang through the face of one of them, and as it fell, he smashed his foot down onto its head. He turned and fired, only narrowly missing Oscar. The Last Traveller's eyes widened when he saw just how close that was, yet Sun said nothing. No apology, not even a second glance.
Hazel and Mazen fought back to back as Grimm continued to come after them, Thralls jumping across the falling rooftops, but being effortlessly broken apart by his fists. Mazen geared his Chainsaw up a notch as a Nevermore dove towards them and he sliced straight through its wing. As the creature spun out of control into the water, the Elasmosaurus burst from the water once again.
It arched its neck back and hissed, breathing deep as it channelled now boiling water into its mouth, and fired a pressure hose like beam of hot water at them. Mazen quickly got in front of his ally and slammed his fist against the ground, activating his semblance and crystallising his aura, shielding both himself and Hazel from its attack. The Elasmosaurus snarled, and it dove back into the water, spinning in circles so fast it was creating a vortex. The growing current tore the buildings apart, throwing chunks of concrete and even sunken vehicles against what they were standing on.
Each impact from the submerged materials broke the buildings apart, making it harder and harder to stay afloat as cracks spread across what they were on top of.
Slowly but surely, the Elasmosaurus was going to leave them with no other choice than to fall into the water and become easy prey. Cinder soared across the sky, freezing the flowing water to trap the creature in the subzero temperatures, but as a creature which patrolled the Solitas Ocean, this was an environment that it could not be frozen in. The body ran like a boiler, constantly setting the water it swallowed and stored in its body to boil. It smashed through the ice with ease, and it surfaced once again.
But this time, they saw the pores in its black flesh open and it blasted scorching hot steam from its body, and spraying boiling water into the sky, making it rain with burning water. Kassius grunted as the boiling water burned against his aura. He slid across the floor and took cover beneath some rubble, which was just high enough to protect him. Hazel grabbed a piece of rubble and lifted it above his head, blocking himself and Junior from the rain, and Sun slammed his hands together, casting a group of Via Suns to shield himself and Oscar from it.
Cinder formed a bubble of ice around her, which slowly melted but the boiling rain came to a close as it crumbled around her. She immediately blasted lightning down from the heavens and into the Elasmosaurus' body. The electricity was conducted through the water and across its body. The Plesiosaur roared in immense pain as the forks of purple light coursed through its body. But it broke free and fire a beam of boiling water towards Cinder, knocking her out of the way, and it swung its head towards Oscar and Sun.
Oscar dashed into Sun, pulling him out of the way just in time. Junior rolled downwards whilst Mazen and Hazel were hit by the beam. He gritted his teeth and glared with hate in his eyes, aiming his Rocket Launcher at the monster and firing a missile towards its head. The rocket screeched as it arced across the sky and exploded against the side of its head. The Elasmosaurus recoiled away as chunks of armour plating broke off its black flesh, and the long-necked head smashed against the structure Kassius was on.
He screamed, and he fell into the water, but just as the current dragged him towards the jaws of a Grimm Shark, Neo's hand burst through the surface and caught him, pulling him back onto land. He had lost sight of her in the early stages of the fight against this monster, but somehow he knew she was still alive.
"Thanks! I owe you one…" He chuckled, Neo smirked.
"Just one?" She signed.
It made him chuckle, and he stood tall, watching as the Elasmosaurus slammed its head down towards where Sun just was, but he rolled aside and fired his Gunchucks at the creature whilst Oscar sprinted towards it and slashed at its face. But its long neck retracted, keeping it safe from their blades, making them have to use long range against it, hissing as it kept its enormous eyes on them.
"We need to take this thing down… there's gotta be a way…" Kassius mumbled to himself, looking around at the rising waters and crumbling ruins. Soon, the city was going to be fully submerged, and with the land itself sinking into the ground from the earthquakes and destruction, this whole place would soon be a gigantic lake. They had to get to the tundra, but there was no way in hell they would make it with the Elasmosaurus hunting them.
As he looked around, his eyes focused on something, and his eyes widened with inspiration. "There… we could use that." Kassius said to her and Neo looked at what he spotted. It was the remnants of the Mass Accelerator Cannon that were stationed here.
"That?" she signed.
"The gun itself is fucked, but we can still use the cannon. Look at it. The Elasmosaurus is directly beneath it." He explained, then he gestured, sending it crashing down to her. "SPLAT!"
Neo smirked and nodded.
"Guys!" He yelled across the arena of rubble. Only Oscar could hear him, though. "Keep the bastard occupied! We've got a plan to take it down!" He yelled, and Oscar nodded, relaying the message to the others. Kassius and Neo stood side by side before sprinting towards the destroyed ruins, and they rushed towards it as waves crashed against the buildings. Neo rolled across the remains of a car bonnet and jumped forward, stabbing a Syren in the mouth before it could screech at them.
As they ran towards it, everyone else continued to battle against the Elasmosaurus. It descended back under the waves and erupted out, leaping high in the air and crashing onto chunks of land which fell from Atlas. It hauled its body towards them as the landmass floated onto the waves, and they all jumped over to face it head on. The chunk of land was luckily large enough for them all to move around on.
The Plesiosaur roared and blasted a beam of boiling water towards Mazen but he hardened his aura once again, absorbing the damage, and once it stopped firing, Junior vaulted over his shoulder and smashed the face of the beast against the ground with great force with his Rocket Launcher is bat form. The Elasmosaurus barked in pain as the head smashed against the soil, and then Cinder flew towards it and formed an Obsidian Axe, driving it into the side of its face, flying to the side, and dragging it across the land.
As it slid, Sun fired as many shots as he could at it, and formed Via Suns which threw Oscar towards it and he slashed through the flesh and down one of its water veins. Boiling water and super-heated vapour erupted from its wound and it shrieked in immense pain. Cinder ripped her axe free, leaving a deep gash in the side of its face and ripping some teeth out as well. The sharp needle-like teeth dropped and snapped against the ground, and the monster roared with fury, turning towards Junior and snapping its jaws at him. He caught the jaws and held it back, only for it to blast more water from the secondary vein. It could not unleash as much water as before thanks to Oscar's blow to its weaponry, but it was not out of the fight yet.
The Elasmosaurus swung one of its flippers at Sun, smashing him against a chunk of rock, before turning and swiping its huge paddled tail towards Hazel, who slammed both hands against it, stopping the tail dead and creating a shock wave. He growled with rage as he held the beast back, its glowing red eyes glaring down at him with boiling water drooling through its teeth. "Cinder!" Mazen roared, and she flew towards him and extended her hand, and grabbed onto him.
"AAAARGH!" Cinder yelled, pulling the far larger and heavier man up with her. "Gods, you're heavier than you look!"
She flew around the beast and shot directly at the creature, and launched him towards it. He roared and drove the Chainsword into the side of its neck. The Elasmosaurus screeched in agony as it swung its head around, trying to throw the White Fang Lieutenant from its body, and eventually it succeeded, throwing him and sending him tumbling across the ground. He drove his Chainsword into the soil, stopping himself from falling into the water beneath where Sharks thrashed around the water, trying to devour the brave warriors.
"We just gotta buy some time for Kassius and Neo!" Oscar yelled, and the Plesiosaur turned and glared at him, blasting another beam, but he slowed time and ran underneath it, and slashed through one of its flippers. The creature jumped and crashed back into the water, circling them once again as the soil cracked and crumble apart. More chunks of atlas broke off and crashed into the rising water, making everything more and more unstable, sending vast waves crashing into the few skyscrapers that pierced the waves.
Up above…
Kassius and Neo sprinted into the collapsing remains of the facility they had only fought their way to control a few hours ago. Sparks and flames filled the building, but seawater was rushing inside as well when waves slammed against it. The impact caused the entire building to rock like it was a seesaw, and they both slid across the slippery floor and against the wall. Kassius stopped himself and supported her, using his metal hand to press against the wall of the now diagonally levelled building.
"It's… just through here. We need to cut the supports and send this thing crashing down." He explained, and he approached one of the rooms, but just as he was about to open the door, massive cracks spread through the wall and the entire part of the building broke away, plummeting into the water below, which was not very far away anymore, unlike before. Parts of the landscape where Mantle stood were still higher than most, but soon it was going to collapse into the mass grave that was this Kingdom.
Kassius stepped out, and he exhaled shakily. "Damn it… alright be careful." He said to her, and they both carefully edged across what little floor remained, staying away from the edge itself as it was crumbling more and more with every second that passed. Neo nodded ahead to the Mass Accelerator's Barrel and then looked down to see the Elasmosaurus circling the water beneath them. He loaded Vulcan Nox with an explosive round and he exhaled, and aimed round to get a shot on the only supporting cable, but it was too far round for him to reach.
"Shit!" Kassius exclaimed.
Neo tapped his shoulder and raised Hush, and then put her hand in his. He quickly figured out what she wanted him to do. She was lighter, and he was strong enough to support her. He stabbed Lash Equinox into the wall and held on tight, gripping her hand tight as she leaned out, aiming Hush towards the cable which kept the Barrel from breaking loose and falling.
Despite looming over a fall which would spell certain death, Neo was calm, just focusing on her shot, and waiting for Kassius to give the call.
Down below, Oscar rolled aside as the Elasmosaurus sprayed another beam of boiling water at them, the impact of which made Hazel's aura finally flicker and break, sending him crashing across the ground. Sun jumped and caught his hand. With the help of Mazen, he stopped him from falling into the water and being ripped apart by the Sharks below. Oscar looked up at the cannon and he saw Kassius and Neo from here, seeing they were waiting on them now.
"They're in position! We gotta lure the thing under the cannon!" Oscar yelled, shooting at it with his dual pistols, doing no meaningful damage to it, but enough to get its attention. It vanished under the water again and swam around the landscape to attack, and its head suddenly erupted through the softening land and narrowly missed him. Oscar stood where the edge was, knowing he was gonna have to run the second that it drops.
The Elasmosaurus swam beneath the floating mass of land, and its head suddenly erupted behind him, roaring deafeningly at him. "NOW!" Oscar screamed, slowing time just as Neo fired. The explosive shell detonated as it hit the cable, and the damage worked exactly as planned. The barrel was already severely damaged, but the support cable kept it from crumbling. But the titanium alloys shattered and electrical flames burst from within its cells. Kassius yanked Neo into his arms and they sprinted as fast as they could.
The remnants of the S.D.C Facility were coming down as well, tipping over with the cannon and causing a huge collapse. "Don't stop!" Kassius yelled, and he shoulder-charged through the door, which swung shut. They both jumped as the chunks of land tipped over the edge towards the beast.
Oscar ran through slowed time as it all slowly plummeted towards the Grimm, which was still roaring at where he was standing, but it slowly looked up to see the barrel dropping towards it. It let out one final screech as it was skewered and crushed against the rubble smothered ground with massive chunks of Mantle crashing onto it as well, killing it instantly. "RUN!" Oscar screamed, and they all ran towards the buildings. They were close to the edge now.
Kassius and Neo caught up, jumping from building top building as a massive tidal wave from Atlas' reservoir came bursting through, and a tremendous explosion cracked Atlas open like an egg, rupturing those reserves of water and increasing the amount of water more and more. They got closer and closer to the edge, and Sun jumped first with Oscar behind him, and they fell, tumbling down the swelled land and towards the snow. Hazel, Junior, and Mazen were next, with Cinder flying behind them as the rest of the city was swallowed by water behind them.
Kassius and Neo both jumped, and Neo held onto him with her umbrella open, softening their descent. They both rolled across the ground, panting with relief as they looked back. Everyone stood tall with wide eyes as they watched… watched the end.
The water started to fully swallow what remained of the destroyed Kingdom, rising so high that even the broken skyscrapers were claimed as well, and Atlas' flames were finally extinguished beneath the icy waves. Ortega watched from above with shock as one by one… every building that could be seen was completely submerged.
Now…
… Atlas would be forever remembered… as the Sunken City.
Ruby
The frigid air bit at their skin as the blizzard tore across the land, swallowing the Sunken City of Atlas.
Ruby held her side and groaned in pain, struggling to stand upright as the pain pulsed through her entire body, and with the cold just growing and growing, she could not even generate enough aura to heal her wounds. Yang groaned, pressing her hand against her bleeding head, and Weiss crawled through the ship to help Penny up, who yelped, her hand pressed against her thigh where some metal had slashed her.
Ahead of Ruby was Starla Schnee, with a billowing black smoke surrounding her body at all times. She stared the Grimm down as they approached, but the eyes of the monsters were not focused on the Knight of Loss, but only on the team. She gritted her teeth, her face still hidden behind her translucent black veil, and she spun the Tonfas of Arcus Autem Trisitia around before she walked towards them.
A Beowulf lunged towards Ruby but she drove her Tonfa through the creature's ribs, smashing it against the ground, and roundhouse kicking an Ursa across the jaw. The beast stumbled across the snow before she formed two black glyphs on either side of the creature, pulling the arms apart and ripping them clean off, before launching towards its throat and slicing through the jugular.
The Ursa crumbled, and her attacks against the creatures had caught their attention, and they stared at her now, snarling viciously. As Starla stood before the Grimm, she suddenly saw flashing images and screamed in pain, dropping to one knee. She saw them, her family, on the ground, lifeless and covered in thick red blood. She felt the tears stream down her cheeks.
You have to kill them
This is what you deserve for abandoning them
She yelled and punched herself across the face and rammed both Tonfas through the heart of an Alpha Beowulf. The huge monster roared at her but she forced it back and jumped into a backflip, slamming both feet up the jaw, before landing and connecting her Tonfas together into its Bow Form, firing an arrow through its eye, killing it instantly.
"Starla!" Weiss called out as she helped Penny out of the Airship, Ruby immediately coming over to help her. Starla rolled out of the way as a Creep smashed its head into the ground where she was standing, and she kicked a Beowulf in the back, dropping it to one knee, and she jumped onto its back, slitting its throat with both blades from behind.
"Go! I don't know how long I can fight it off!" She yelled, suddenly being knocked off the dying Beowulf by a Sabyr. The beast clamped its muscular jaws onto her shoulder, dragging her through the cold snow. She gritted her teeth and her blue eyes glowed fiercely, before digging her fingers into the ice to stop the beast, and the sudden deceleration threw it forward. The Sabyr tumbled through the snow and scrambled back on its fours, charging towards her. She caught it by the throat as it jumped towards her, and threw it against the ground with all her might.
One of its sabre teeth snapped off and before it could get back up, she used a Wind Glyph to launch that very tooth straight through its eye. The Sabyr groaned as it collapsed to the snow, and she stayed near to Team R.W.B.Y and Penny, keeping them safe as the Grimm continued to charge through the blizzard. "You must go. The fate of this universe… all universes… lies in your hands." Starla explained, aiming and firing three arrows into three Thralls, killing them instantly.
"We won't make it in this storm!" Ruby argued.
Starla knew that was true, and she growled with frustration, afraid of what will happen if she loses control of her body once again. But as she kept the Grimm at bay, they all felt a terrible rumbling growing closer and closer. The snow smothered ground erupted and the body of a Blind Worm came arching towards them. The immense beast roared, its large hooked mandibles splaying widely before it fired a constant beam of acid towards them.
The snow and ice melted underneath the extremely corrosive fluid, and Starla protected them with a dome of glyphs, blocking the acid from even touching them. She then drew her bow and formed an ice arrow with her glyphs, coating it in ice and firing it with significant force into its mouth. The Blind Worm's body froze solid, and it roared in pain as it recoiled back from the impact, and she blasted towards it, smashing straight through the monster.
Massive chunks of frozen Grimm came falling around them, and she transformed into her Mourning Dove form, flying overhead and returning to Human Form to fire another arrow into the mouth of a Griffin which was headed directly for Ruby. The creature's roar fell silent the second the arrow nailed it through the eye, and it slammed into the snow out of view.
Starla landed and rolled across the ground, looking around, but the Grimm were no longer coming.
She panted with relief, but screamed with great effort, pressing her hands against her head and falling to her knees. The flashing images of her family continued to appear in her mind, causing Weiss to run to her. "Starla!"
"Stay back!" She begged, her hand outstretched, the other clinging to the veil so it would protect her from the curse's effects on others.
"You can… fight it, Starla…" Yang softly said, with Blake supporting her.
"It's… too strong… I can't… hold it back any longer…" Starla stained, grabbing her Tonfa, slowly dragging it across the ice.
But the sound of a Crow brought immense relief to Starla, and they all looked up to see the Corvid Bird circling across the sky, before descending and transforming into Qrow who landed in front of the Team. "Qrow!" Ruby gasped with relief.
"Thank the gods you're okay…" He said, but he kept his eyes on Starla.
"She protected us, but the curse… it's…" Weiss stammered, and Qrow nodded, holding Harbinger tight as he approached Starla.
"I know." He said to Weiss, approaching Starla and crouching down before her with the blade in his grasp. "Thank you, Starla… for protecting them… I won't forget this."
"It's a nice feeling… to have control over what I kill… for as long as it lasted…" Starla strained, her eyes flickering from a natural blue to a fiercely glowing blue, fighting the Knight of Loss back for as long as she could. "Qrow… I need you to kill me… I will not… hurt them…" she stammered.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything." He assured.
"Wait…" Weiss asked, and she walked to Qrow's side and crouched next to him. "Starla… describe to me what it's like… you have control now, right? Do you feel anything when you're like this? Anything that can help us crack the curse?" Weiss inquired.
"I… I keep seeing them… the same scene over and over again. My family… their bodies… I don't know why… it's never happened before…" Starla explained, Weiss' eyes widened and she smiled, taking Starla's icy hand and warming it in hers.
"Then this is good… it may be the key, Starla. If you are able to get away from them again… find us. We can figure this out, and if we can for you? Maybe we can for the others." Weiss promised, which made Starla smile and chuckle.
"I guess it's a deal." Starla promised, and Qrow nodded.
He then put one hand behind the back of Starla's neck and pressed Harbinger's blade against her chest and pushed it through. Starla didn't gasp, she just smiled up at him as he gently rested her body against the snow. "Be safe…" Starla whispered before her body ran cold and crumbled into snow and fragments of ice.
Qrow sighed sadly, knowing that sending her back to the Charred Forest felt like such a cruel thing to do… but she was always so brave and willing to do anything when in control to keep them safe.
Qrow stood back up, turning to them and walking over with Harbinger in his hand. "C'mon, we need to get out of this storm and try to find the others." Qrow said to them, but Ruby gasped, her silver eye widening as she stared into the blizzard.
Even know… seeing him brought the phantom pains in her eye back every single time.
Qrow felt the chilling feeling, beyond the cold of this blizzard, and turned around to see him stood in the storm. He was barely even visible through the wall of snow. The most they could make out was his silhouette and his glowing red eyes. Maybe even the cape formed from smoke and embers blowing in the wind.
The Knight of Death.
He stared through the storm at the team, Ferrum Arctus still sheathed on his back, but he looked ready to draw it. Qrow exhaled shakily, but only trembling from the cold, and not from fear of Death. He drew Harbinger once more, standing his ground against Death to protect them.
But Death never said a word.
He never advanced.
He just stared them down in the storm, almost like he was doing the same thing as Starla, fighting off his curse in the only way he could.
By not killing…
It was unnerving to see him stood there, just staring at them through the storm, but Qrow took the moment, and he gestured to them to get moving. He walked backwards, keeping his eye on Death.
Only for him to disappear as swiftly as he appeared.
Vanishing into the storm.
Without a trace.
Jaune
The Colossus walked through the tundra, Team J.N.P.R and Kaa all looking back at what remained of Atlas and Mantle, now completely submerged as the entire landscape collapsed into itself, becoming a giant lake. Perhaps one day will be home to all manner of life if they are able to ensure a future for Remnant.
But after seeing that?
They could feel that they were thinking the same thing.
If he is able of doing this…
… then what chance do we have?
But Jaune exhaled, holding Crocea Mors on his lap as they sat on the plates of metal on the Colossus. They approached the area that they were using to bring all the survivors of the event. They had some vehicles all around the area with their heaters cranked up to max, and with Coco here, she was using her powers to keep the Blizzard from claiming them as well. Velvet hugged her knees, then gasped with wide eyes as she saw the Colossus approach.
The only other surviving Colossi stood here, only two of them left.
Units 2 and 4.
The others were killed in the collapse, and 1 was killed by Vir Nominis Umbra when he went for Atlas. Unit 2 crouched down and opened its palm, letting the Team and Kaa's team down to join the few survivors left standing. Emerald sat waiting for any news, shakily tapping her foot against the floor, hoping for some kind of word on Cinder's condition soon, or Neo's or anyone else who's still out there.
"You're okay!" Velvet cheered with joy, immediately hugging Jaune, then Pyrrha, Nora and Ren. There were few smiles around, not after what just happened here. Jaune looked around, hearing the crying and whimpering from the soldiers, seeing some with extreme frostbite as well, most likely from the icy water and then being trapped out here in the tundra. The warmth was helping somewhat, but not much. In fact, Jaune was afraid the same could happen to them soon.
She blew hot air from his mouth and into his hands, rubbing them together. Their cheeks were pinking and snow was freezing in their hair. But luckily, Ortega was sending what little Airships he had left from the Drift of Wandering Star to their position. Thankfully, they had fired multiple flares into the sky to help them triangulate their position. Emerald walked over to him with nervous eyes. "Do you know where Cinder is? She went back in with Kassius after she got us over here with Unit 4." Emerald explained.
"No, we haven't… we barely survived. It's only thanks to Unit 2 and Kaa that we made it. Nearly drowned…" Jaune explained, looking over at Nora, who was still rather shaken from that experience.
"Pyrrha?" Coco called out, and the Summer Maiden approached.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"I need your help. I'm trying to warm the area up for the survivors, but this blizzard is proving to be a pain… it's not a normal one." She explained.
Pyrrha did the same as Coco, igniting her eyes and using her magical abilities to warm the air and clear the skies, but there was a factor there that made her nervous. "What do you mean? Not a normal blizzard?"
"I can't stop it, it just… keeps coming…" Coco explained. This made her eyes widen, and she turned to Jaune, who was listening.
He held out his hand and felt the snowflake fall on his gauntleted hand. He looked at the sky as the snow continued to drift in, despite the magical powers at play. "The Shivering Dominion… it's starting. Remember what Ozpin said? The image he saw was Beacon covered in snow… that the final days of Remnant would be buried in the biggest snowstorm the world had ever seen." Jaune explained.
Ren nodded his head in agreement. "This is it…" He agreed.
Kassius
The group walked across the tundra toward the rising flares, which the main Evacuation Group continued to fire into the sky. From here they could see the Blizzard where Team R.W.B.Y had crashed, growing ever closer, and the Drift of Wandering Star, continuing to send Airships down to the survivors so they could exfiltrate them from what remained of this Kingdom.
They were quiet, but none were as silent as Sun, who stayed at the front, fists clenched and glaring directly ahead. Kassius kept his hands in the pockets of his jacket, though every now and then he used his cybernetic hand to stop the wind from blowing his hat off his head. And all he could think about was whether or not Yang was alive.
He couldn't stop… he felt like he was going crazy.
Mazen was near the back, but luckily their group was large and they all looked around, making sure that no Grimm were stalking them. As Oscar walked with them, he felt his scroll vibrate and he pulled it out. Cinder looked at him, with Hazel and Junior behind them. "What is it?" She asked.
"Our aura, we haven't got long before what's left of our reserves runs out in this cold. We need to get there faster, or try to call Ortega." Oscar explained, but with all local signals lost from the entire Kingdom being destroyed, it was very difficult to do that in this growing storm. They all checked their scrolls one by one, but the situation was all the same, no signal. But Sun was at the front of the group and Cinder noticed he was the only one who didn't check.
"Hey, Sun? You have any signal?" Cinder asked him.
But he didn't answer. She raised a brow at that.
I know he heard me. I'm not that far behind.
"Sun!" she called.
"I heard you." He answered.
Yeah… okay…
She sighed and looked back at her brother and he went to walk to talk to him. He reached over and touched his shoulder. "Hey, you alright man? You haven't been talking much in a while." Kassius asked, but Sun just growled and pulled his shoulder away and walked faster. Oscar and Cinder's eyes widened, and he frowned, darting through time and stopping in front of him.
"Alright, enough of this bullshit. The hell is your deal?" Oscar questioned, stopping him from going further.
"Oscar, it's alright…" Kassius defended.
"No, it isn't. You're not the only one who's noticed the way he's been acting. I'm just done tiptoeing around it." Oscar explained.
"Don't. Worry about it." Sun harshly answered.
"Sorry, man, but we're past the point of worrying about it. We've all seen the way you've been fighting lately. You're gonna get yourself killed. We have to work together as a team." Oscar explained.
"Oscar…" Kassius sighed as he tried to walk over, but Sun narrowed his blue eyes with anger.
"I know things haven't gone the way we planned… but we're not out of the fight yet. We need to keep our cool." Oscar explained.
"Are you serious right now? How can you seriously stand there and talk to me like we were ever supposed to be prepared for any of this?" Sun questioned.
"We knew what we were signing up for when we became Huntsmen." Oscar stated.
"No, we fucking didn't! We didn't prepare for this!" Sun argued. "Hell, you never even signed up for this to begin with. You were just a kid who had the voice of a damn Knight in your head." Sun explained. "How were we ever supposed to be prepared for all of this?" He questioned as he pointed at what remained of Atlas.
"Guys…" Kassius said, trying to stop the fight. In the background, everyone prepared for a fight whilst Team K.O.S fought.
"Be ready…" Hazel said, knowing that Grimm could sense the negativity a mile away.
"Were we not ready when we saved Ruby in the Volcanic Chain Isles? When we killed Salem? We still have three Relics!" Oscar argued.
"And now we've lost Destruction! And before that? Mistral was nearly wiped out the first time. Vacuo is already gone and countless Kingdoms have already fallen. Look at Atlas! There's nothing left… all those people who were up there are dead." Sun explained.
"What else could we have done differently?" Oscar questioned as Sun shook his head and walked away from them, staring at the devastation. "We cannot defeat Vir Nominis Umbra conventionally. We have to get as many Relics as we can to the Embered Grove. Even if we only get one of them there, then we win. The only way we do this is by killing him, and the secret is in there." Oscar explained.
Oscar walked up behind Sun. "So tell me… what could we have done differently?"
Sun's answer shocked them all.
"Just let him do it?" Sun answered, and Oscar's eyes widened.
"Now hold on just a minute…"
"Why is that so crazy to question, huh? How many people around Remnant are dying in agony right now? What's gonna be left even if we do kill him?" Sun questioned.
"It's not just our universe we will save, but countless others. So many people will be saved, and we can start again!" Oscar argued.
Sun shook his head and stared at the ground, pressing his hands against his head. "Look, I know you're angry about what happened to Neptune… to Scarlet and Sage… but you can't keep thinking like this. You can't keep fighting like you want to die. You still have Blake. Are you seriously gonna leave her alone in the world?" Oscar questioned.
Sun didn't answer that.
"Submitting is never the answer. Especially not to a monster like Umbra." Oscar stated. "You really think resigning is going to honour your team?"
"NEITHER IS DYING FOR A SUICIDAL MISSION TO KILL SOMETHING WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IF WE CAN KILL!" Sun yelled, storming back over to them, fists clenched. "We don't even know if the Embered Grove has some sort of weakness for him, we have no idea what's in there. What's your brilliant plan then if we get there and there's nothing, huh?" Sun questioned.
Oscar couldn't answer that question, but he stood his ground.
"Alright, both of you cut it out. We need to keep moving."
"I'm just saying what nobody else wants to. We're all in way over our heads. I'm just some Faunus trash from Vacuo, you're just some kid from the middle of nowhere…"
"SUN THAT'S-"
"AND YOU'RE THE LEADER WHO FAILED TO PROTECT HIS TEAM!"
Sun's words echoed across the tundra, and silence filled the air soon after. Everyone stared at Sun with shock in their eyes, and Sun quickly realised what he said to him, closing his eyes with regret.
Kassius stared back, his amber eyes flickering faintly with Hyde's glow, but he never said a word. He just walked past Sun and Oscar and continued to walk on. They all followed one by one, and Oscar was the last to go.
"The one thing we can't do is turn on each other. I thought by now that you would have understood that." Oscar stated, walking away from Sun.
He stood there on his own for a while before catching up with them, hanging back.
Vir Nominis Umbra
He sat upon his throne of ash and bone, the Relic of Destruction just rolling around in his palm like it was some pebble he picked up on the floor. He stared off into the distance whilst the Knights of Grimm argued with the Higher Demons behind him. The Hound was beside him and Kannix was sitting on a rock, just enjoying the show.
"You question his actions? The world will be erased, anyway. What's the point in complaining?" The Onyx Phantom scoffed.
"He didn't have to do it! He could have just taken the Relic and left! But instead, he let all those people die in agony!" Starla argued with rage in her voice.
"My, my… the little bird has a pair of lungs." The Onyx Phantom chuckled.
Fury and Fear both stood up and drew their weapons, Fury snarling viciously. Even Death stood beside her, ready to defend their friend to the death.
"Atlas had to be destroyed. Ruby Rose is forcing our hand by not giving us the Relics outright." The Whisperer explained.
"Oh no, what a shocker. Can you blame her for wanting to defend the very existence of her universe?" Starla questioned.
"It's bloodshed. That is completely unnecessary." Death stated, which made Kannix chuckle.
"That's ironic." Kannix stated.
"All of this is! You're doing this, and for what? To satisfy a hatred for an enemy you defeated a long time ago?" Starla questioned.
"It is done to save their kind from the curse that the Gods left behind." The Whisperer stated.
"Oh, fuck." Fear scoffed, shaking his head. "Curse? You wanna talk curses right now?" He stated, gesturing at his body. "THIS is a curse, but time? Age? Life itself, the way it works? That is no curse. It's a blessing." Fear argued.
"It is not a thing you can comprehend." The Onyx Phantom said, whilst the Lord of the Wood remained silent in the corner, just watching the argument continue.
"Wanna bet on that?" Starla asked.
The Knights of Grimm glared at the Higher Demons. Their souls may be claimed by a curse, but the people they were still remained in there, and that was no clearer than right now.
Starla turned to Umbra, clenching her fist. "How long is it gonna take for you to realise that you are fighting a battle for no other reason than your sick obsession of watching people suffer?" She yelled.
Vir Nominis Umbra's eyes widened, and he twisted around, staring past Starla.
They all fell silent, but quickly realised that he didn't even care about what they were talking about.
This was something else.
He smirked.
"The enemy has made their next move…"
Author Note - The question is... what did Vir Nominis Umbra sense?
Sorry this chapter took a while, work was either a pain or Writer's Block was being a pain (of course). But alas, got it done. Loved writing the Elasmosaurus Boss Fight, always wanted to do a Plesiosaur Grimm just never knew when to fit it into the story but I finally found the place. The environment was a very challenging but fun thing to work with as well, writing an arena which is constantly moving and falling apart was really fun.
And thank god for Starla, I love her so much. Hopefully though, these visions can be the key to free the Knights of Grimm from their curses, and as we saw at the end, more of the real people they once were are appearing. They just need to find that thing that links to their curse to lift it, the question is what and which?
Plus that part with Death was chilling but awesome, always loved writing how unpredictable he can be. Easy to forget that back in the day he did cover for Oscar when he unlocked his semblance back in Act 2.
And man... Sun... my dear boy, we cannot start thinking like that. And let's be real here, was that directed at Kassius? Or yourself? Did enjoy writing that argument too. Was originally gonna be Cinder instead of Oscar, but I wanted that fight to be between their team, instead of the others here.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!
Stay tuned for the next chapter!
- Matt