Hello Everyone! I apologize for the long hiatus, but I'm sort of back now? There will still be heavy delays between each chapter but hopefully not as long as it took to make this one.
In the spirit of Ruby's Birthday, I dropped this chapter!
Chapter 73: Kidnapped Princes in a Flying Fortress
Traveling through the mail tubes was quite the experience. Enclosed in a cramped space moving at high velocities was unnerving yet, not unwelcome for most of the team. Narrowly speeding through tight corners that shouldn't be physically possible was thrilling, to say the least... for everyone except Randolf.
Once the canisters exited the pneumatic tubes and lids were popped off, the first one out was a shivering old wolf with his tail standing on end.
"NEVER AGAIN!" he vowed, striking his fist to the heavens in an attempt to retain what little composure he still had.
His first real mission with the infamous team ASHNRWBY, and despite the members missing, he was already hating every second of it.
"Why did I sign up for this...?" he lamented quietly, sulking to the corner.
The room was large and empty save for the pneumatic tube ports, ample lighting and a partially dust-covered floor suggested that whatever was in here previously had been moved out to facilitate their arrival.
Ruby, still encased in her canister, couldn't see outside but she could hear the faint sounds of footsteps echoing across the room, the pitter-patter of shoes against the metal floor, rebounding off the empty metal walls.
"I think this is them!" a male voice echoed closer. A rapid rapping of knuckles against the plexiglass coating of the capsule came soon after, "Hello?!" the voice asked, "Guys?"
Ruby's eyes lit up with recognition at the voice, "Yeah! It's us!"
The lid was pried open to reveal the grinning faces of Nitro and Hex Zephyr looking down at her, "Nice to see you again Red."
Ruby felt a genuine smile creep onto her face for the first time in several days as she climbed out of the tube and embraced the siblings in a tight hug, "Oh gosh… how are you?"
Nitro blinked rapidly, "Us?! Ruby… how are you holding up?"
The red leader rubbed her arms sore, "I… I'll manage somehow."
Randolf stumbled toward them shivering like a leaf, "A-Alright l-let's get this over with…"
Wasting no time Nitro said, "So here's the plan," he brought them toward the company garage, "We're delivering some new security bots to the academy, you guys will be in the shipments, once inside, you sneak in, jack the system and get out. Simple plan."
Weiss was confused, "What…? How is that even remotely a good idea?"
"Well dad "swore fealty" to the god-emperor James Ironwood so he could earn his trust but from what you guys said, James is on super paranoia mode. No doubt they'd be scanning the shipments so we're bagging you guys in those," Hex pointed to the mail tubes.
Randolf shuddered, "Uh… why?"
"Because I can fortify the hulls to prevent Infrared and X-Ray scanning under the pretense that its solid fuel sources. Everyone knows that fuel type is super sensitive to any form of external frequencies and must be stored in air-tight, impervious containment." She shrugged as if it was common knowledge.
Everyone deadpanned.
"Anyway... how are you parents with all of this?" Ruby asked concerned.
Nitro grimaced, "They seem to be taking things with stride but I can see the worry on their faces. They're already taking big risks by letting us do this. In the event this all falls through they'll be thrown under the bus along with us..."
"And we have a plan for that!" Nitro's father, Achilles came with Flora striding next to him. "You shouldn't worry about us son, your team needs you more than we do, and the cities do as well."
The redheaded boy clenched his fists, "But dad! What about...?!"
Flora smacked her son on the head, "What did your father just say? We're prepared for what's to come. It's not the children's job to worry about the parents, it's our job to worry about you! That goes for both of you," she said turning to Hex and placing a hand on her shoulder, "Please look after your brother sweetheart. You know how reckless he gets..."
"HEY!" Nitro went ignored.
"I will mom, don't worry," Hex beamed.
And with that, the mission was underway.
The streets of Atlas had become lifeless and gloomy. No one was walking about anymore, the pristine utopia had fallen into a silent graveyard as the majority of citizens were under house arrest by order of the General. The ZSC truck loaded with its precious cargo casually moved through the streets undisturbed in silence.
Hex sitting at the wheel grimaced at the dismal sight, "This isn't what safety looks like..."
"Keep focus sis, the gate is up ahead," he pointed toward the looming gates of Atlas Academy. Security stood the tightest around this area.
Ruby and the others piled in the back held tightly onto their weapons, ready to spring a fight should the situation call for it, but all was calm until they got to the gate.
"Halt! This is a security checkpoint, all deliveries to the academy are to be inspected, orders from The General." A soldier instructed as they approached the large metal gates barring entry to the facility.
The driver was none other than Hex wearing an elaborate disguise. Normally the tech expert would've sat in the back, but given that she was the only one capable to manipulating the truck's unique entry codes she was forced into the fray.
"Ah sure, go ahead but do not touch the fuel capsules." Hex indicated to the cleverly disguised mail tubes in the back.
"Why? You got something to hide?" The soldier narrowed his eyes through his helmet at her.
Hex snorted, "Oh yeah sure go ahead, but when we blow up to kingdom come because someone used the scanner frequency on the volatile fuel cells well…"
The man instantly recoiled, "OH SHIT IT'S THOSE?! FUCK GET GOING BEFORE WE ALL DIE!"
Hex saluted, "Thanks, buddy."
The gang inside the pods all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
The truck made its way through the supply drop-off point. The moment it parked, more guards came to inspect and offload the equipment.
Once the back was opened, however, Hex triggered her handheld, the cameras in the area cut off, and with a mix of shuffling and grunts, the team was out in the open with a pile of unconscious guards.
"Alright, Hex, where do we go from here?" Ruby asked as she dusted herself off.
They had what was essentially a small army behind enemy lines.
"Considering the cameras are still cut I say we have about 15 minutes before they realize it's not a glitch. That should get us to the 2nd floor… then I'd say we have about four minutes before the Ace Ops catch up with us." Hex said as she crunched the numbers on her pad.
Nitro waved his hands in the air, "WELL WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?!"
As they moved from floor to floor, the party met with little resistance, be it due to May's semblance as she guided the team, or their overall stealthiness, things were progressing smoothly... a little too smoothly.
Weiss and Neo hung back as the latter tugged on the ex-heiresses sleeve.
Weiss paused, " Ne- 'Ana'? What's wrong?" she whispered.
Neo signed, 'Is this alright? I can't keep lying to them forever...'
Weiss frowned and signed instead, 'Why are you bringing this up now?'
'I'm getting a bad feeling. This whole thing has been too smooth. I've broken into my fair share of facilities like this and there are just way too few guards in here... if shit hits the fan I might have to use my powers and if it comes to that...'
Weiss slipped her hand into Neo's and squeezed tightly, "It'll be alright... we'll get through this somehow."
Their conversation was interrupted when Ruby called out, "Hex how are we looking on time?"
"Ten minutes."
"Fucking hell…" Randolf cursed as he stared at the room that was currently across a long bridge. There was just something very off about this whole ordeal, his instincts told him this was a trap, and judging by the tension in the group they all felt the same thing... so why were they just walking into it?
Quickly making it across the bridge they filed into the room filled with many isolated servers and one large mainframe. There were several scorch marks and bullet holes in the area from when Ironwood fought Watts. The door opened and behind it was an electric field powered by dust that turned off after a slight delay.
"Alright I'm in, it should only be a few seconds..." Hex wasted no time moving toward the mainframe.
The door closed behind them and the field filled in after. Now they were isolated and had a few minutes to spare.
Time ticked by as Ruby leaned against the wall, her hood pulled over her head. Weiss felt her heart tug for her friend, since Nova had disappeared she'd become so broody and distant.
"Hey-" she was about to call out to her but Neo stopped her, pulling her hand back.
'Just give her space. She's overwhelmed and dealing with a lot right now. It's not something you can help her with,' she signed.
Weiss frowned, 'I just... I hate seeing her like this...'
Nitro smirked noticing the two, "So... when did you guys become a thing?"
The duo turned pink, "W-we're not a thing! Just friends... right...?"
Neo still in the form of Anastasia twisted her lip a bit, 'Well actually...'
Before she could sign any further the doors to the room flew open on their own, instantly everyone was on alert as standing across the bridge stood Harriet and the members of the Ace-Ops... or what was left of them.
"For kids who beat us before, you guys are so gullible…" the voice of Harriet reverberated across the room.
"You really saved us from doing all the hard work by trapping yourselves… honestly…" Marrow smirked behind her.
Randolf snarled, "So this was a setup? Looks like my instincts were on point..." he glanced sideways to the party, and sure enough none of them were surprised.
"I don't know who you are doggy but I can see you're quick on the uptake," Elm folded her arms smugly. "The moment the truck entered the loading bay we'd been prepared."
Weiss grimaced, "I knew this was too easy…"
May nodded, "You and me both..."
Ruby made a 'tch' sound and ripped her hood off again, stepping out onto the bridge, "You don't have to do this Harriet. You know Ironwood has lost his mind. Abandoning mantle? Really? Our strength against Salem comes when we're working together! Not… THIS!" she gestured around her.
Harriet flinches, "I trust what the General thinks is right. He knows what's best for our people. Your ideals will get us all killed."
Ruby looked offended, "Our ideals?! That's what you're calling reason? Ideals?! Since when was saving millions of innocents from certain doom considered and ideal Harriet?! Are you listening to yourself?!"
The speedster clenched her fists in rage, "ENOUGH! Why should we even trust you?! CLOVER TRUSTED YOU AND LOOK WHERE THAT GOT HIM?!
"What…?" Ruby looked confused.
"Your precious uncle killed him. He's gone…"
"No… that can't be. Qrow would never do something like that!" Ruby was enraged.
Harriet spat on the floor, "Well he did. Our leader is gone and from the looks of things… yours never came back either."
Ruby's eyes widened, "He's still alive…"
"Are you sure about that? Our scanners haven't picked up hide nor hair of him since Mantle fell. Either he's run away… or…"
That was the last straw, the nail in the coffin. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Ruby screamed out, her silver eyes flashing out of rage.
She launched herself at Harriet, Crescent Rose clashing with the speedster's fists, her necklace, the Silver Heart, glowing fiercely in reaction to Ruby's emotions.
"RUBY!" Weiss cried out as she tried to run out after her but suddenly the electric field shut in front of her forcing her back, she could see the hand of Marrow waving the remote.
The reaper on the other hand was already dodging around the four members of the Ace Ops, rose petals flying everywhere as she dodged in and out of their attacks.
"FREEZE!" Marrow yelled out as Ruby reared her scythe, ready to strike at him. Her frame was now stuck mid-air, at the mercy of all the others.
Time seemed to slow down as they all stood helplessly behind the gate, unable to help their leader.
"I refuse to stand by while she's out there fighting for her life!" Nora said as she eyed the control panel for the gate.
Weiss saw what she wanted to do, "NORA NO! That's could fry you!"
"My semblance remember? I'm pretty sure I can handle it…"
"NORA NO!"
But it was too late. The orange-haired Valkyrie swung her hammer at the panel and absorbed every joule of energy in it. The resultant force overloading her semblance, burning through her aura causing her to scream in pain as her very skin cracked like lightning arcs.
She collapsed onto the ground unconscious and her skin smouldering as thin grey streaks of what looked like lightning burns ran across her pale skin.
"OH, GOD!" Randolf exclaimed as he instantly checked her vitals, "She's alive… but barely. She needs immediate medical attention now!"
"We don't have time to spare. Wulf and May, protect Ana, Nora, and Hex, we'll handle this..." Nitro said as he stepped onto the gate. He clicked his wristbands and Atomizer covered both arms, jet thrusters out and ready.
A sonic boom reverberated as Randolf was forced to stand between the non-combatants and Nitro, the redhead shooting off and the speed of sound his fist crashing into Elm's sturdy body sending her flying.
Marrow was caught by surprise from the shockwave when in the midst of the confusion Weiss was on him, Myrtenaster in one hand and a blade made entirely of ice in the other. He was dodging the flurry of blows but barely, and just when he thought he was beginning to read her movements, black glyphs appeared beneath his feet anchoring him down. Ruby was freed from the semblance and resumed her fight with Harriet.
"What the?!"
"Light's out puppy..." Weiss was about to land a blow on his head when she was suddenly caught by Vine's pale semblance arms and wrapped in tight restraint.
"Gotcha!" he exclaimed as he swung himself over to the edge of the bridge and held Weiss off of it, "Alright. Surrender or I drop her."
Neo felt her heart stop at the sight of Weiss' bones being practically crushed in Vine's grip.
"Using hostages?! Really?! That's cold..." Nitro sneered as he dodged a swing from Elm's hammer.
'Anastasia' looked nervously between them. Weiss was trapped and now the fight was shifting in the Ace-Ops' favour, normally she wouldn't care about other people… but this was Weiss and while her rational side wanted her to call Vine's bluff, her heart refused to take that chance.
She was caught between her mind and her heart, her instincts, and her feelings. Her criminal mind was telling her to abandon the situation and escape alone, but her heart refused to leave Weiss, to leave the friends that she'd just made. For once in her life, she was surrounded by people who genuinely cared about her, and the thought of losing that was too much.
She was willing to risk it, even if they hated her. They were going to find out eventually anyway...
'Anastasia' stepped forth, brushing past them all.
"Ana what are you doing?!" Ruby called out to her.
It started with the shoes, flat military uniform boots turned into pristine white heels. The black Atlas uniform pants became white soft jeans, the military overall turned into a white top under a black cardigan.
Everyone gaped, fighting seemed to halt as everyone's gaze was now fixated on what was happening. Brown hair had transformed into a mix of pink, white, and brown as the eyes became a mismatched pair of strawberry pink and chocolate brown.
Neopolitan stood in her full form, her heterochromatic eyes staring deathly into Vine's.
"YOU?!" Nitro exclaimed.
Shock and surprise were mirrored on everyone's faces, but Neo's expression only read 'Drop her or else..'
It seemed that Vine couldn't read it, however, as his grip only tightened causing Weiss to scream in pain.
Neo felt her rage hit boiling point as her eyes began to glow with the power of the Winter Maiden as a storm of ice and wind collected in the air like a hurricane of cold.
"WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Ruby looked ready to jump into the action but Weiss managed to croak out, "She's... on... our... side!"
Ice shards formed in the air like blades, ready to hurl down onto them.
'Release her! NOW! Or you all go down...' Neo signed.
"What's she saying?!" Marrow was confused.
"She says to release her or else..." Harriet shuddered under the ice-cold gaze.
Marrow looked around. They were outgunned, in less than a minute Hex would be done with the mainframe and join the fight. They didn't have the man power to handle the team AND the Winter Maiden at the same time...
"FUCK, Harriet we should do as she says... Vine stand down," Marrow ordered.
"WHAT?! NO! WE CAN'T JUST-!" Harriet argued but Marrow shouted, "Freeze!" and just like that Harriet stood stiff.
The canine Faunus sheathed his weapon, "Stand down Vine. We've lost... I take full responsibility for this call and will accept any punishment," he looked at Harriet, "For now we need to get out of here..."
Vine nodded and released Weiss onto the bridge.
"This isn't over..." Harriet said as she was finally released from Marrow's semblance.
The Ace-Ops regrouped and quickly took off leaving the party to finish their task.
Weiss gasped for breath, Neo quickly rushed up to her side and helped her up, cradling the Schnee in her arms.
Ruby and Nitro however had their weapons aimed directly at Neo, "We need an explanation... now..." the red leader ordered.
-Onyx's Mantle Outpost-
The harsh bitter cold crept onto Oscar's bruised skin, the sheer temperatures freezing his shackles to the point where they had cemented to the upper layer of his wrists. Should they ever be removed, he had no doubt in his mind that they would be horrendously scarred.
It had been quite some time since he'd been captured, he was cold and starving. Whatever they injected Nova with to inhibit his Aura had been done to him as well.
He craned his neck upward to the center of the room where Nova was hanging, seemingly lifeless, only the shallow rise and fall of his chest was an indication that he was alive.
The beatings were becoming less frequent since Nova was much weaker than he was at the start, but no torture was being applied to himself, at least not yet he figured.
Harsh coughing erupted from Nova, his cold shackles rattling from the shock as the poor dragon spat blood onto the floor, he was internally bleeding. Oscar guessed that Nova wouldn't die, but whatever damage would be permanent.
After all, from what Nova told him, they just needed him alive, not fully functional.
"Oscar…" Nova croaked out, "How you holding up man?" his voice was a hard rasp.
Oscar shook his head in disbelief, "Me? What about you?! It's… hard watching this! Every time that robot… your dad… keeps coming back, I keep hoping to god that you break out of those chains, do the impossible like you always do…"
Nova shot him a bloody smile, "Not this time kid. I'm gonna need a real rescue here… or I guess, both of us do."
Oscar looked genuinely mortified, the seemingly invincible Nova Flareheart was looking more and more mortal by the second. "I'll figure a way out of this. I'll get in contact with the others. Ruby will surely…"
"Don't waste your energy. If we break out of here, with me in this state, no weapons what can we do? There's an army of bots out there, Onyx and Salem are also standing between us and our team."
"So… what do you suggest…?" Oscar simmered down.
"Honestly kid? I got nothing. Just… wait for a rescue I guess… it's weird being the damsel in distress this time." Nova relented with a sigh.
The young boy bit his lip in frustration, "And I swore to myself I wouldn't be the one needing protection ever again…"
"Speaking of which… What's the deal with you and my sister huh?" Nova raised an eyebrow at him.
Oscar turned bright red, "N-Nothing! W-We're just friends!"
Nova laughed but it flinched from the pain, "Calm down dude. I know you're crushing on her pretty hard. I know the look of a fool head over his heels a mile away, I mean I was the same way once. Fuck I still am."
The Pines boy recoiled, "Are you mad?"
"Pfft, why would I be mad? It's not my business to get in the way of you two, especially when she looks like she's also made up her mind."
"What does that mean?" Oscar looked bewildered.
"It means that I won't do the stereotypical older brother move and like fight you to test your strength or whatever. I know you, and I trust you. You've proven your strength both mentally and physically multiple times over. You've also proven that you're someone we can rely on when it matters most. Honestly? I feel comfortable leaving her in your care when I'm not around, and I think she sees it in you as well."
"Wait does that mean…?"
"Yes, you have my approval. I know for a fact you won't do anything to hurt her, but that being said… should that ever happen I'll probably kick your ass from Atlas to Vale and back again."
Oscar blinked in wonderment, "Really? I mean… this is all provided she likes me back…"
Nova burst into a fit of laughter, "Oh that's a good one! Listen, if you're unsure of it just be forward with her dude. Trust the words of the person who knows her best."
"I… Once we make it through this. I'll tell her."
"Good. And by the way, it goes without saying but no sex until you're eighteen." Nova said it with such a straight face Oscar felt shame for him.
"Understood. But you and Ruby aren't eighteen so does that mean you broke your own rule?" Oscar asked in confusion.
Nova almost choked on oxygen, "Holy shit dude no way! We haven't gone that far yet!"
Oscar looked genuinely surprised, "Really? I wouldn't have guessed…"
The sounds of footsteps echoed across the icy floors and the large visage of Onyx appeared before them along with the giant Grimm that threw Oscar in the cell.
"From the sounds of that talking you're healing up nicely Nova." Onyx grinned, cracking his knuckles. The Grimm behind him snarled viscously.
"Uh.. *cough cough* I don't know what you're talking about. I'm obviously half dead." Nova said sarcastically.
"It doesn't matter either way. The queen wants you both to see her personally." Onyx grimaced.
Nova feigned amazement, "Wowie! Auntie Salem is coming to see us?!"
"No, you're going to her," Onyx said as he opened the cage, the Grimm beside him took him down from the shackles while Onyx slugged Oscar over his shoulder.
-Mantle-
Back at Mantle D Block Luna and Yang were standing face to face with a centaur-like Grimm towering double their height.
The black smoke billowing out of its head caught in the wind as it raised the spear high above its head before having t come to rest at its side. It gave off an air of menace as its right hoof stamped onto the ground, grating away at the asphalt.
"It's coming…" Luna said pulling Galaxia into a defensive stance.
Yang followed suit, she could feel the tension in the air between the two parties. At the drop of a hat, that thing would come rushing toward them, and given its speed, they had no doubt in their mind that these streets were not wide enough to deal with the truck-like horse.
The stamping grew louder and heavier as the road beneath its feet began to crumble and crack, the menacing aura radiating almost physically like green flames.
*SNAP* Came the sound of the ground without so much as a wind up the creature bolted toward them with a green and black blur.
Yang and Luna's eyes widened in surprise simultaneously as they were forced to jump out of the way, latching onto the nearby building walls with their weapons.
Had their Sensory fields not indicated the subtle change in the creature's muscle movements they would have been street pizza.
"Holy shit its fast!" Yang exclaimed as she released her hold from the building, falling onto the street just as the creature rocketed past them, the wind whipping behind it with such violence that it shook the very street lamps.
Again without warning it pivoted one-eighty and came charging back, this time its spear was stretched out such that it covered whatever dodge room on the street.
"IT'S LEARNING?!" Luna's eyes wanted to bug out.
She had no choice but to block, planting her feet firmly on the ground and conjuring all her Aura into her Semblance she turned herself into an iron wall.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" she screamed as she took the charge head-on, the great battle-ax in her hands blocking the strike. The moment the two weapons connected a shockwave reverberated across the battlefield, shattering every window and cracking every wall, however, her defense was just barely enough as the momentum of the charge still pushed her back, grating through the asphalt leaving a trail of broken road, her feet still firmly planted on the ground.
This bought enough time for Yang to get out of the way over its head, blocking off the creature from behind. Now it was forced to make a choice on which to fight… or so they thought.
Yang focused her Aura into her fists creating an explosion added onto Ember Celia's shot blasts, hammering into its thick hide crippling its hind legs.
The creature roared out in pain however it was but for a moment as the broken bones of the horse seemed to reform in a grotesque series of noises.
"Oh fu-!" Yang was kicked hard sending her flying across the street.
"YANG!" Luna cried out but she didn't have time to be distracted as the creature's torso raised the spear and smashed downward forcing her to raise her defenses again.
The pressure was bearing down on her like ten tons of force, her arms struggled against it.
"ARGH! GODDAMNIT!" Luna screamed out as she forced back. She needed to use her powers, she had to, but she needed to concentrate and that was impossible with this thing's constant attack.
Out of the corner of her eye, Luna saw it, the blinding yellow blur.
She smirked, "You should look behind you…"
The creature seemed to heed her words turning around, but it was much too late as running at Mach speed was one Yang Xiao Long, her eyes a violent red and her Aura in full bloom having absorbed all that damage into her Semblance, she was powered up.
The creature didn't have time to make a plan as it was forced to take the blazing exploding fist of Yang to the face, cracking straight through its helmet and sending the towering creature flying like a rubber band across the battlefield, landing in a smouldering crater.
"Phew! That was rough," the blonde said as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. She looked exhausted having used that much Aura.
Luna grimaced as her dragon eyes peered through the dust, "It's not over yet…"
Through the smoke, the disfigured form of the creature slowly began to reform, as exposed in its chest was a beating black core similar to the crystal ball Salem used.
"Oh no…" the brawler mouthed.
Luna had enough. A bright blue Cyan power began to radiate around her as the air began to shift and tremble.
"I am sick and tired of this BULLSHIT!" she screamed enraged.
"…Luna?" Yang felt her voice caught in her throat. For the first time in her life, she felt genuinely afraid of the not-so-little girl standing before her.
"First it was that dipstick, Jacques, at the party, then Ironwood goes crazy and Mantle goes to shit. Then my brother goes missing and he could be dead! Just when I'm trying to figure things out, YOU AND YOUR FUCKING PALS KIDNAP THE ONE DAMN THING I STILL HELD OUT HOPE FOR!" cyan blue scales began erupting over her skin, her eyes sharpening into dragon slits and her claws began to grow out.
Her horns on her head elongated as she snarled, her fangs became more prominent, "YOU MOTHERFUCKERS TOOK MY OSCAR AWAY FROM ME!" she walked up to the now fully reformed creature, staring up at it intensely. "You're going to pay for getting in my way…" she seethed, gripping Galaxia in one hand she extended her left arm outward and concentrated.
The creature reared its spear to stab through Luna, coming down in a swift striking motion.
"LUNA! LOOK OUT!"
However, nothing came as, the creature was now frozen in space, seemingly struggling against some invisible force.
"Begone…" the blue dragon said darkly as she clenched her fists, the space around the creature began to distort as its arm holding the spear began to cave inward, crumpling like a paper ball.
It attempted to move, screaming out in pain but an invisible weight bore down onto its head, the groundbreaking into a deeper crater as it squealed an unholy scream, its body being squished around itself exposing its core.
Luna then reared Galaxia and with one swift strike, shattered its core like glass. With one final howl, the centaur exploded into black dust and smoke, leaving nothing of its existence but the shattered remains of its spear.
The dragon then calmly left the crater, her expression dark and deadly, any shred of the innocent girl was gone in that moment and Yang felt as though she was looking at a completely different person.
"Luna that was incredible…" the blonde gasped as she was hesitant to approach her friend.
The blue light around Luna disappeared and her scales retracted, she fell to her knees gasping for air as if she had been drowning before.
"LUNA!" Yang rushed up to her and helped her to her feet, "What was that about? Are you alright?!"
She shook her head, "No… that was the first time I've used my new powers to that extent. I just… felt something inside me snap… I… think I need some sleep…" she said with a weak smile, her expression returning.
Yang breathed a sigh of relief knowing that she was alright. She scooped the smaller girl into her arms, "Come on. I'll carry you on my back. Let's see if we can catch up to the others."
Luna nodded against Yang's warm embrace. She felt the safety of her older sister figure and was able to relax, "Thanks… I don't know what made me snap like that…"
"You sure? I think it was the whole 'MY OSCAR' point." Yang teased.
Luna turned bright red, "AAAAAH I SAID THAT OUT LOUD?! Oh my god…"
"Hehe, don't worry kid, I think it's cute."
-With Nova-
It was uncomfortable and dark, the blindfold over Nova's eyes may have restricted his vision but his sharp senses were still on alert. The rushing of wind, a sense of weightlessness, and the smell of ozone. He was definitely high up, the question was where?
If they were on a ship he could try to overpower the pilot and get out with Oscar but he doubted Onyx and Salem were stupid enough to bring him on a small craft. From the way, the wind closed off and the feeling of isolation occurred, the deep rumbles of what he assumed to be an engine, Nova was almost certain they were on some sort of mobile fortress.
Suddenly he felt his weight being tossed into the air followed by his body crashing painfully against a coarse somewhat malleable floor. Now he was extremely confused.
"As you requested my queen, I've brought them to you," Onyx's voice said above him, suggesting Nova was most definitely on the floor. The sound of something soft hitting the ground followed by a groan suggested Oscar had been thrown next to him.
"You may remove their blindfolds," the commanding, sultry voice sounded in his ears. He instantly recognized, Salem.
Light penetrated his irises as he painfully glared at his surroundings now, and his confusion was just cemented even further. The walls and floor seemed to be made of some type of flesh? He couldn't quite tell.
Sitting in a throne made of blackened skin and bone was Salem herself, to her left stood a woman he so very wished to never see again, clad in full grimified horror was Cinder Fall, and to Salem's right was another figure, hooded and seemingly not looking at him.
"So we meet face to face, at last, the infamous Nova Flareheart..." as she glanced toward Oscar, "Ozpin, it's been a while."
"Sorry to disappoint..." Oscar winced as he tried to sit up, "He's not here."
Salem's eyes glared, "A coward... as always..."
Nova smirked as he fixed himself into a cross-legged position, propping his chin on his arm, "Salem, hon, can you get any more cliche with these introductions? 'wE mEeT aT lAsT', really?" he mocked her.
This caused a snicker to escape from the hooded figure on Salem's right, and the Grim Queen herself was unaffected. Cinder on the other hand was furious, "How dare you insolent-!" she attempted to attack him but Salem held her back.
Nova grinned baring his fangs, "You know Cinder, the whole dog on a leash gimmick is a good look for you, though I much preferred it when you were dead..."
"So you do have a smart mouth, the rumors were true..." Salem said with amusement.
Nova shrugged, "Hey it's a defense mechanism," he glanced behind him to see Onyx had left but he had no idea to where.
"What's the plan huh? Why did you bring us here?" Oscar inquired.
Salem snapped her fingers and from the shadows emerged Thorian Callows, his villainous demeanor had not changed at all, "It seemed that Onyx's methods were simply too ineffective. I think it'd be much more beneficial for your cooperation if you had a front-row seat to watching your friends die..." suddenly a loud groan echoed from deep within the aircraft and the walls began to pulsate, a crystal orb came floating out and projected a screen showing what and where they were.
Nova's skin paled as he witnessed what exactly he was in. A gargantuan Grimm leviathan, a flying fortress of living death. Thousands of Grimm circling the clouds and just off in the horizon stood the city of Atlas and Mantle.
Escaping this place was most definitely going to be impossible.
"Thorian, take these two to the cells. How you 'extract' information from them is entirely up to your discretion..." she instructed causing a crazed gleam from the man's eyes.
As he was being carried off, Nova snuck a glance at the hooded figure, and he swore that she sent him a thumbs up? What did that mean?!
-Atlas Academy Ironwood's Office-
The General sat with his hands clasped together at chest height, in his leather chair shrouded by the darkness of the night sky he ceased looking like a protector and was more akin to a dark lord brooding.
The Ace-Ops stepped into his office nervously. The hairs on Harriet's neck stood on end from the chill that ran down her spine, they had failed their mission and while excuses could be made, Ironwood was no longer an understanding man. Failure was equivalent to catastrophe given the current state of affairs, how could she bring herself to drag them out of this ordeal?
"Ace-Ops. I am to understand that capturing team RWBY was a failure." Ironwood was the first to speak through the tension.
Harriet stood at attention, "Yes sir, for that we-"
Ironwood raised his hand to stop her, "No need. For the most well-trained and decorated team in all of the Four Kingdoms, you disappoint me."
Harriet felt cold sweat forming on her nape, Ironwood's glare was soul-piercing.
"I no longer tolerate failure, Harriet," he got up from his seat and walked around the perimeter of his desk, dragging his gloved iron hand across its glossy wooden surface, "Things are bleak, I've lost the confidence of the people and protecting the staff from Salem is further than ever!" he slammed his fist down onto the desk causing everyone in the room to flinch.
"I would have hoped that you all would have learned from past mistakes, and not exhibited the same weakness that your former captain did, causing him to fail miserably and lose his life..."
The sound of Harriet's heartbeat stopped, her eyes widening in horror. She was sure of it now, the man she was looking at was no longer James Ironwood. The Good General would never, never, besmirch Clover's identity and name like that. Clover was his best soldier, the most loyal of them all, and to not even recall him by name, on top of stating that he was weak, was... heartwrenching.
If it was just her, she would've run, but sneaking a glance behind her, the equally horrified faces of her team said they were all more scared than she was. Being Ace-Ops was all they knew, it was all they knew how to do. They couldn't leave.
She closed her eyes and steeled her resolve, they were in too deep, it was either go with the flow or be swallowed. Their chances of escape had gone out the window.
"Sir, we may have failed but we discovered some crucial information." Harriet found her voice.
Ironwood threw his eyes upward, "Really now...? What might that be?"
"The Winter Maiden sir, that girl who was with Weiss Schnee, Anastasia? It turns out that was a disguise, sir. Her real identity is the wanted criminal Neopolitan," she pulled out her scroll and displayed a picture of Neo.
James stroked his beard thoughtfully, "Good... now that we know who we're looking for, you can begin a manhunt..."
"Sir she possesses the ability to don the appearance of anyone. Finding her would normally be a problem but... with your permission I have an idea."
"Go on"
"Sir, that Neopolitan seems particularly fond of the younger Schnee sister. We also know that Weiss shares a close bond with captain Winter Schnee. Her mother and brother also reside within the Schnee manor. WIth your permission... may we exploit this weakness?" Harriet hesitated in saying her plan aloud. She was mortified by the fact she was suggesting taking hostage of someone's family to achieve their goals. They were still the good guys... right?
Ironwood didn't smile, but grunted an approving noise, "Do with them as you see fit. Just get me the Winter Maiden. Use whatever means necessary... by any method available..." his voice sent fear and shivers through their cores.
"Right away sir!"
"Don't fail me again... or there will be consequences..."
-Salem's Flying Fortress-
Nova and Oscar were separated and carried away in opposite directions, it seemed Salem refused to let even a sliver of a chance of their cooperation happening. Nova had to admit it was an effective fear strategy.
By separating them, neither would know the status of the other and on top of losing morale, it was easier to make threats. The question was, how much could he hold out on his own?
Thorian dragged Nova into a fleshy walled cell that looked cleaner than he thought it would be. Had he not known he was in the belly of gargantuan Grimm Whale, he wouldn't have guessed that this was anything more than a strangely decorated room. The only indication it was even a holding cell was the fact that there were no windows, only one door and a pair of shackles hanging from the ceiling.
"So... it's been a while," Nova attempted to make conversation as Thorian strung him up.
The younger Callows snorted, "You know, after our little upset in the colosseum, I was almost... afraid of you..."
Now it was Nova's turn to snort, "Really, and here I thought feral animals didn't feel fear."
"Jest all you want, but if it wasn't for the orders of her majesty, you would already be dead."
Nova rolled his eyes, "Oh please, you know you can't kill me because if you did the power would go straight to Ruby or my sister. You need me to co-operate..." he glared daggers directly into the Callows' eyes.
Thorian smiled slyly, "Indeed... and while torturing you might be ineffective... I'm going to have a whole lot of fun anyway!" he cackled madly drumming his fingers together in excitement, "Besides, my brother and the others are going to have their fun making the boy scream..."
"If you hurt him I swear to god I will burn you so bad there won't be anything left to identify."
"Make threats all you want, you can't escape. You're in no condition to get out of here, especially with those nanomachines in your blood deactivated you've become more mortal than you've ever been. Even on the off chance, you break out of here, where are you gonna go? We're a couple of hundred feet in the air and standing between you and the exit is the most powerful being on this planet. Face it hatchling, you're beaten."
Nova clenched his fists in rage, the tension causing the cold metal cuffs to dig into his flesh. Nova thought that being moved would've provided a sliver of hope, but that had been crushed before it even had time to bloom.
Thorian chuckled a little at his distress, "Enjoy the music~"
"What music?"
"You'll see~" he left creepily, the door shut behind him.
Minutes later the sounds of Oscar screaming in pain could be heard through the walls. Nova paled, torturing him was one thing, but Oscar? He was just a kid!
"RRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" the screams continued for several more minutes, Nova could hear Oscar's voice getting hoarser by the second, even the exact moment when the boys vocal chords gave out and only deafening silence followed.
This was hell.
As what he could only assume to be night encroached, the temperature within the room began to drop significantly to the point of freezing. If this were any other creature besides a Grimm they'd have died from hypothermia.
His head drooped as his muscles were sore from holding himself up. He was pretty sure if he relaxed the weight of his body would dislocate his shoulders putting him in even more pain.
"Hello?" a soft voice spoke, it was mature... almost motherly.
Nova figured he was hallucinating from days of no water and food, "Great, I'm hearing things..."
"No, you're not. I'm over here," a pale finger poked his cheek causing him to glance upward. Standing in front of the closed door was the same hooded figure who stood at Salem's side earlier, the one who he swore gave him a thumbs up.
He strained his focus onto her, "You're the one who was with Salem? Come to torture me too? If so I'd much rather you remove these shackles, I don't think I can fight back right now..." his stomach grumbled loudly.
The figure made a 'tch' sound, "You poor thing... I wish I had some food but all I have is this..." she pulled out a small thin vial of clear liquid. She popped the cork and reached up but Nova refused to go near it. "Calm yourself it's just water..."
Nova sniffed it cautiously before slowly sipping the liquid.
"That's it... slowly..." she soothed.
Once he was done he hesitantly asked, "Who are you? Why are you being so nice to me...?"
The figure removed her hood and Nova felt his heart stop. Staring him in the face was the spitting image of Ruby Rose, except her eyes were black with red irises, her face pale as the snow and the black marks of the Grimm etched into her face like Salem and Cinder.
He choked back the sorrow, feeling the hydration refueling his brain and bringing his mind out of delirium. The woman was much older than Ruby, despite her features looking almost exactly the same. Her hair was much longer, and she was a bit taller now than he estimated.
It didn't take long for him to put two and two together, his eyes widening in realization, "Summer Rose?!"
She quickly covered his mouth, and made a harsh shushing sound, "Quiet!" she shout-whispered, "I'm not really supposed to be here..."
Once he calmed down he resumed, "Summer?! As in Ruby's mom?! But... I thought you were dead?!"
Summer scratched the back of her head, "Well... technically I am... or rather I did..."
"How..."
"The same thing that happened to Cinder, except I was the first. As for how it happened..." the sound of footsteps on the distance could be heard, Nova blinked and suddenly Summer was gone in a puff of smoke.
Cinder stepped through the door, the sound of the clopping suggested heels but Nova could neither discern shoewear nor her feet from the shrowd of darkness surrounding her lower half. Her stride was one of purpose and dignity now, the woman who once saw the world as her enemy and a thirst for power was gone. She looked as if she had the world in the palm of her hands now, just waiting to crush it with her exuding confidence, but Nova knew she wasn't like that, no matter what mask she put on, he knew she wasn't someone who liked working for people.
"The princeling, caught at last..." her taunting voice dripping with the sickeningly sweet tone.
Nova groaned and craned his neck, "Come to gloat? or are you here to kick me around a few times for old time's sake?"
She smiled, "The former actually~ You'd be glad to know that your little friend on the other side of the hall is black, blue, and bloody all over. Since he needs to recover a bit... I thought maybe I might get some of the answers out of you?"
"When did we get so friendly we get to play twenty questions?"
"Yeah, I'll start. Where's the Relic below Beacon?" her hands morphed into shadowy claws and drew a line under his chin.
"Um? In the vault...? Do you need me to define what a vault is...? Or do you have memory loss from when I dumped your body off the edge?" Nova sneered.
She snarled and slashed across his chest, "Don't kid yourself, you're not a killer... I can see it in your eyes, the flashes of regret, that subtle twitch in your eye. You felt bad for killing me, and that warms my non-beating heart~"
Nova couldn't respond, he blamed it on the blood leaking down his chest.
"Fine if you don't know then what about the lamp? What's the activation phrase?"
"All outta uses, my lovely girlfriend used the last of it to figure out how to use her eyes." Nova lied.
Cinder snarled and scratched across his chest again ripping a symmetrical 'X through his shirt, "Oh that's gonna scar..." he grimaced.
"We'll catch up later then. Maybe you might start talking in a bit when I skewer that little red's corpse on a pike?"
"You hurt her or any of them and I'll make sure I finish the job this time!" he snarled, baring his fangs.
"OOohhh scary... well, later gater~"
With that, she was gone.
Once Cinder was gone Summer reappeared in a flurry of white rose petals and instantly recoiled, "That fucking bitch!" she cursed as she touched the open wound.
"Hearing curses out a face that looks almost exactly like Ruby is still strange."
Summer smiled, "My daughter doesn't swear? I guess Tai did something right after all,"
"Don't sell the old man short. Pops... I mean Tai did a really good job of taking care of those two. He misses you a lot, and even after all this time it still hurts him."
Summer's expression melted into a sorrowful one, "I miss them too... but given these circumstances..."
"Maybe you can tell Ruby what happened when you see her yourself..."
She flinched, "I can't... Salem would have me take her on the spot if that were to happen."
"That brings up the question, why are you different from Cinder? You don't have the irresistible urge to gut me where I stand."
"When I was... changed... Salem still didn't have full mastery over her powers as she does now. I was the first of my kind, the prototype. Unlike Cinder, Salem can't read my mind and control my every action, however I can't disobey her commands nor am I able to resist her influence. If I were to ever see Ruby, my Grimm instincts may manifest and I'd go straight for the throat..."
Nova winced, "So you can't help me escape then?"
She shook her head, "Sorry... that would be a direct violation of my commands from Salem, but I can still at least help you out a little in terms of water and stuff..." she seemed to be apologizing for her inability to control her fate.
Nova chuckled, even under circumstances beyond her control she was apologizing for not being able to do more to help.
"You're smiling! A real smile! What brought this on?"
Nova stopped his chuckle, "It's just that, seeing you like this makes me realize that you really are Ruby's mother."
Summer blushed and waved her hand, "You charmer, here let me get this for you, try not to shake it might sting..." she then brought out what looked to be alcohol and doused the scratches on his chest sending electrifying burning throughout Nova's body as he desperately held back from screaming.
She then proceeded to bandage his torso, "There, now it shouldn't get infected and it heal up quite nicely, I'm not sure if my daughter is into the whole scarred and rugged aesthetic but I'd imagine it be a pain when you have to wear a dress..."
Nova blushed furiously, "You know about that?"
"About your body being both male and female? Or about you dating my daughter?"
Nova coughed in surprise.
"Yes believe it or not I have been keeping some tabs on her, and most of the information I get from Cinder surprisingly. She loves to gloat how one day she's gonna tear the relationship apart or whatever. To be honest I think that girl really needs a vacation."
"So uh... um... I'm Nova Flareheart, your daughter's boyfriend/girlfriend..." he stated awkwardly.
Summer giggled, "Cute. If you're looking for my approval then I'd say I'm already dead so my opinion doesn't have any effect on whether Ruby dates you or not. That being said..." she paused leaving Nova to look on in anticipation.
With a brilliant smile spreading across her pale lips she said, "I'm glad she's with someone like you, and I'm glad that you're the one she's chosen. From the stories I've heard about you, and meeting you in person, I can safely say there's no one better I'd rather her be with..."
Nova felt tears forming in his eyes, "Thanks..."
"Call me mom, please~"
"... Summer."
"Goddamnit..." she cursed, "So... question."
"Hm?"
"Who's wearing the wedding dress when you get married? Is it you or her? Or are you both wearing dresses?"
Nova turned red, "W-We haven't figured that out yet... I haven't even asked... I mean we're so young and there's so much going on and..."
Summer just laughed, "I'm teasing silly. You two move at your own pace," she suddenly got solemn, "I would've liked to one day see my grandkids..."
Nova felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, "What does that mean...?"
She shook her head, "Don't worry about it. I'll swing by tomorrow, try to get some rest. I'll also check up on the small friend of yours."
That's a wrap for this chapter everyone! It might be a little while again for the next one but again as I said I'm trying not to blow through volume 8 before volume 9 gets out, this is primarily due to me not wanting to get cool ideas from volume 9 and then having to rewrite a ton of plot, especially when it comes to exactly how the other relics work, the other reason is that this semester is really hard on me and I don't have a lot of free time.
