Big Issues
AN: Time for things to get really dark. Just a fair warning. Things are going to be this way for a bit before anything gets better. And thanks to ZE Bri-0n for the follow of this series.
Vytal Tournament – Canceled
The posting in the watchtowers outside the walls was rarely a glamorous assignment, one meant for those needing a wake-up call to take their duties seriously, those with poorer people skills, and those who actually wanted to have a taste of being like a Huntsman without being one.
But tonight, was another round for the Vytal Tournament and nearly every tower around Vale had the broadcast playing in some way. It was a bit odd that the usual three person crews had been bolstered by a fourth member in most cases, a few received a fifth in key areas. They had appreciated the extra help when the aftershocks of the first round of the finals brought Grimm towards the city. The night had largely been spent getting a lot of target practice with the mounted guns until the surviving creatures retreated.
But now, they had some more trouble since the Grimm had already been agitated. The next round had ended with the Atlas student being killed, sliced apart with her own weapons thrown back at her by the Beacon star student. But after the events of the night before, that set all of the guards on edge; something that was well founded as the alarms from the sensors began going off in nearly every watchtower around the kingdom.
Everyone took to a gun and already Grimm were racing past them for the city walls. Hundreds could be seen from any tower and each tower could see where the closest was to them. The main gate into Vale had a pair of towers on either side of the road leading in a fair distance from the wall to ensure that threats would be taken care of or the gates closed before a threat could reach them.
But there were so many Grimm that some rarely took time to aim but simply swept the ground with bullets from the three-story high perch. The crossing firing arcs meant little with a horde of this size. Grenades were fired into clusters but there were too many to make much more than a dent in the charge. The paired towers near the gates faired better as they had more firepower concentrated in a smaller area.
Then the Goliaths burst from the trees, forcing the guards to split their attention between the many dark masses or the far larger but smaller in number threats. The numbers of Grimm that passed the towers grew as Nevermore of all sizes along with Griffons flew overhead. Some of the towers became targets of the Beowolves and Ursai, overwhelming them with sheer numbers. Others were rammed by the Goliaths, few of the structures withstanding the raw strength of the beast that didn't even bother looking back at their 'handiwork', leaving their smaller kin to finish off the mortals within.
The guards on the walls fared better as the Grimm approached them. They had gotten the alerts from the towers, those that didn't could see the weapons being used as the shadows seemed to come to life and surge at the bastion of civilization. Mounted guns and cannons were deployed on top of the wall. Panels slid down to reveal balconies with their own mounted guns. Each of them manned and began firing as soon as the Grimm were within range.
The pair of Atlas soldiers that were stationed outside of the main gate weren't lucky in the slightest. They had been too immersed in the scroll they were sharing to watch the fight and the message that followed, enough that they had missed the horde of Grimm charging at them until the guns above started shooting. But for the pair being outside of the now closing doors, they were in a no-win situation and drew their guns to take out as many as they could before the Grimm could reach the gate.
They may have bought some time but the doors hadn't fully closed yet when the Grimm ran into them. Some were killed as their kin rammed them into the steel walls but their sheer mass kept the doors from closing. Ursa Majors reared up and pushed on the gates, slowly fighting against the motors straining to close the doors. Those at the gates were out of the firing arc of the defenders of the wall but that wasn't the last of the Kingdoms defenses.
A pair of rotary cannons dropped from panels within the tunnels ceiling, the automated turrets letting loose a hail of bullets into the Grimm that were now swarming into the funnel of death. Meanwhile, the guns and cannons on top of the wall were occupied with the aerial threats. Griffons dived at the defenders, picking up soldiers and dropping them on either side of the wall or tearing the weaponry from their mounts so they couldn't be used again. Nevermore launched their feathers that acted like artillery against the artillery firing at them, skewering some of the soldiers, their weapons, piercing parts of the wall, or simply acting as a nuisance as they fell across the wall where the mortals were fighting from.
In short, they were simply being overwhelmed, slowly but surely. The Goliaths reaching the wall and ramming it sent shockwaves through the structure like small earthquakes, testing the integrity of its construction.
Things in the Atlesian warships weren't much better. Their scanners suddenly were lighting up with hundreds of incoming aerial Grimm. The Vale Defense Force calling them for assistance. Some of the crew had seemingly forgotten their training in the face of such a massive attack while others scrambled to their stations. Already, Nevermore and Griffons were swarming around the ships, one Nevermore even having landed on the bow of one to peck at the armor plating.
"Damn it!" The commander of one of the ships curses in his bridge as he tried to ascertain the situation. So many Grimm coming all at once was almost unheard of and he was glad that the broadside cannons were already creating a dull roar through the vessel. With every round fired, another Griffon was removed from Remnant in a black explosion of mist and flames. Between the three ships available in the skies over Vale that meant that dozens could be destroyed every few seconds. Even the biggest Nevermore couldn't withstand more than a few rounds before dying.
He marched over to the main display within the bridge that displayed the current battlefield, so many red dots representing the Grimm in the air compared to the white triangles of the Atlesian ships. Dozens of smaller white dots spread from the triangles- the Manta gunships had been deployed as per the Generals orders. Each Manta were on their way to drop the Knights and Paladins that they carried.
"This is Blue Four! Blues Two and Three fall into defensive position!" He orders over the radio to the other commanders.
"Roger! Blue Three into position!" The woman in charge relayed back to him immediately.
But the silence he was receiving grated on his nerves.
"Blue Two! Come in!" The commanders voice could be heard in the bridge of the ship he was contacting. The problem was that there was nobody to answer him. Bodies of soldiers were strewn across the floor and a console, some bearing deep stab wounds and slashes. The captain sat slumped in his chair, his neck twisted in an awkward angle. "Someone answer me, damn it!"
Technically, there was someone who could answer the Commander but they didn't say anything as they walked out of the bridge. The cannons shooting at the Grimm outside didn't cover the sound of her heels on the floor as the woman walked through the ship. Eventually, she stopped outside of a cell and opened the door.
"Well… its about time." The voice of Roman Torchwick came from the shadows before the man leaned into the light. The conditions of spending the weeks in the cell didn't lend to him keeping up his usual standards of his appearance, skin pale from his solitary confinement without the sunlight. He looked a bit thinner from the rations he was given rather than eating the fine foods he preferred when he was free. The few showers he was allowed had left his hair greasy and his clothes were rarely washed, leaving them stained and wrinkled.
But he was glad to see Neo standing in front of him, her umbrella open and held over her shoulder in one hand. The other held Melodic Cudgel and his hat being spun on the end. She was wearing an Atlas uniform and a proud smirk, not that he expected anything less from the one person in the world he trusted most.
A few minutes later, Blue Two made a sharp turn so that it was facing Three and Four. Its main cannons fired the Fire Dust rounds in a quick volley into the primary antigravity thrusters of Blue Four. The ship immediately keeled over and the broadside cannons stopped firing as the crew were tossed around.
"We're hit! We're hit! We're going –" The Commander of Blue Four managed to get out before his ship crashed into Blue Three, taking that down with the other ship. It may have been a good thing that the vessels made contact with the ground outside of the population centers.
Back in the bridge of Blue Two… "Woohoo-ho-ho! Oh, it's good to be back!" Roman Torchwick was cheering for himself as he worked the controls of the military aircraft. He didn't exactly know how to work everything but he was a quick learner and had some experience thanks to some of his other jobs against Atlas that they preferred to keep the basic controls as similar as possible for all of their toys.
Behind him, Neo stood there to watch his back in case she had to eliminate anyone coming up to the bridge. It made her happy to be with Roman once again and to see him happy sticking it to those who had locked him up… she'd take on the entire crew of this ship to keep him with her. The only reason they were letting the gunners at the broadside go was to keep the Grimm from attacking them; that would be highly inconvenient.
"Focus fire on their knees!" An officer orders within the recessed balconies and the men adjusted their aim on the Goliaths. High caliber rounds pounded into the thick hide of the massive elephantine creatures' legs. In response, the Grimm swiped its trunk at the gunners, only for a hard light shield to spring to life around them. The beast snorted at the defensive measure as the guns fired again into its legs, causing one to finally buckle under its own weight.
A rain of bullets slammed into the Goliaths side as a Manta flew along the wall before it launched a pair of missiles into its underside. The resulting blast knocked over the Goliath, as well as leveling more than a few smaller Grimm on the ground with the blast wave. Some of the cannons on the wall turned to finish off the fallen Grimm before they could rise.
"Thank you!" The officer says on an open channel to the pilot as they fly by. He watched as the Manta flew back and began an attack run on the Grimm on the ground, the rotary gun belching bullets. Then a stream of bullets struck the Manta as several dozen Bullheads flew overhead as the Manta crashed.
"What the hell?" The officer and plenty of those serving with him were surprised by what they thought could be reinforcements attacking them at a time like this.
Those Bullheads flew over the city in a loose formation before scattering all over. If anyone took the time to look, they'd see the red logo of the White Fang. Some of the airships dropped low to deploy White Fang soldiers who were heavily armed. Soldiers who began opening fire on anyone not wearing their uniform. Others ships dropped to hover over the roads, opening their bay doors so that Beowolves and Ursai and Boarbatusk could leap out and attack the fleeing population and the soldiers of Vale and Atlas from behind their defensive lines.
"Bring them to their knees!" Could be heard as a Bullhead releases its payload of White Fang onto a building rooftop. A tall man walks out after everyone else carrying nothing but a sword in its sheath, wearing a black tailcoat, with matching pants and shoes. He was distinguished by a customized mask that covered his eyes from the outside world as black horns rose up from among his red hair.
"Let's see if I can find you." The man sneers with a small smile that promised pain to anyone he came across.
Among the fairgrounds, Atlesian Knights and soldiers provided cover fire as civilians ran past them. The small Nevermore were more of a nuisance than a danger to the average person but they created spikes of fear in those they attacked which acted as a signal for the larger Grimm to attack that area. Some vendors were taking cover in their stalls, some providing a hiding place from the Grimm.
Bonelli had simply reached under her counter and drew a pair of submachine guns and a short sword. Any Grimm that came close to her as she patrolled the fairgrounds was killed with brutal efficiency and she began to gather a small but growing gaggle of civilians and some soldiers as she led them to create a safe zone near the docks. All the while, some of the Grimm occupied themselves with smashing the stalls.
"This can't be happening." Weiss says to nobody in particular as she looks to the hard light barrier keeping the Grimm out.
Blake drew her scroll from her pocket as she felt it vibrate in her back pocket. She opened it to find that Yang was calling her. "Yang, are you okay?"
The blonde was running through the halls of the dorm building with Ember Celica ready to be used. "I'm fine. Is Ruby with you? She's not answering her scroll!" The worry for her sister was as clear as when the girl had been lost at Mountain Glenn.
"No, she isn't." Blake responds through the devise, bringing Yang to a jiggling stop as some of her worst thoughts ran through her head. Apparently, Blake understood her protectiveness of her sister and tried to assure her teammate. "Yang, I'm sure she's fine. She's our leader, she can take care of herself."
The blonde squeezed her unoccupied fist as tears were held back by clenched eyelids. "Right." She accepts and begins running again.
"This can't be happening." Weiss repeats, this time looking to her teammate. She was in shock from seeing one friend killing another in front of her and the sudden invasion of Grimm. At least during the Breach, she had time to prepare for the onslaught… here, there was none, and she had no weapon on her. She looks to the fallen girl in the arena with sad eyes as the reality began to sink in. "Penny."
"I'm heading towards the docks near the courtyard!" Yang calls out through the scroll. "The White Fang are releasing Grimm into the school!" She had seen the Bullheads dropping their payloads from her window.
"The White Fang is here?" Blake tries to get clarification, already fearing the worst of her past coming for her.
The sounds of gunfire and Yang grunting filled the speaker for a few seconds, followed by the yelps of a few other people that sounded like they were on the wrong side of Yang's fists. "Gotta go! Be careful!" The blonde warns her friends before hanging up to leave the black and white duo staring at a blank screen.
"Blake… what are we going to do?" Obviously, Weiss was still in shock from the attacks but worry about her teammates and friends were starting to overwhelm that.
"We're going to the docks and we're doing our job." She tells the Heiress with a firmness that seemed reserved solely for when the White Fang was involved as she led Weiss through the stadium tunnels. On their way, they put in the commands for their lockers to deliver their weapons, meeting the rockets as they impacted on the edge of the dock.
It may have been the presence of the two Huntresses ready to fight that helped to calm the passengers of the transport that was filled beyond normal capacity, the two girls riding on top to deal with any Grimm that would harass the ship as it made its way to a lower dock on the ground.
Once they landed, there was an Atlas soldier and a VDF guard waving for the people to follow them. "Over here! We're setting up a safe zone so we can evac!" It didn't take much for the pair to go with them as that was where they were heading in the first place. But neither seemed to remember that they had left their other friends back in Amity… or trusted them to look out for themselves.
Back in the stadium, the Giant Nevermore was still trying to pierce the barrier as the automated warnings of the Grimm attack continued. The fact that now it was saying that the safety barriers were failing was worrying.
But Ruby couldn't bring herself to care. She stayed kneeling on the floor as she cried as the last of the people in the area ran past her. Her silver eyes burned with the sight of Penny laying on the floor in four pieces.
In the arena, Pyrrha shakily stood up, unable to look away from the girl she had killed. The fact that she wasn't organic didn't matter to her, she was real enough in everything she had done.
"Pyrrha!" Jaune shouts from the stands but the girl stood unmoved by his voice. "Pyrrha! That thing's going to break in! You gotta move!" The blonde didn't even seem to notice that Nora held his shoulder, though whether that was to try to comfort him or prevent him from falling over the wall was anyone's guess.
But the sound of the Nevermore hitting the barrier again drew their attention upward, the hard light projectors flickering as they struggled to maintain function. The Grimm bird took off to hover over the stadium, watching the shield fail before starting to dive.
"Jaune!" Nora screams as the blonde jumps the wall and runs for his teammate.
"Pyrrha! Please, snap out of it!" He shouts as he runs across the arena as the Nevermore smashes through the remaining barrier beak first and twisting to land on its limbs.
The taloned feet and the clawed wings absorbed the impact of the landing, the air it displaced pushing both teens back and blowing Penny's body to the side. The Nevermore let out a screech of victory within the mostly empty stadium with wings spread wide, nearly touching the stands on either side. Then it locked its four eyes on Pyrrha as it lowered itself before charging at the Spartan with a screech.
A red blur intercepted the Grimm, impacting its chest with enough force to push it back a few steps, revealing that it had been Ruby using her semblance to zip down, snag one of Penny's swords, and stab the bird. While the blade sank deep, the girl lacked the strength to push it much further into its flesh and so pushed off with her legs and ripped the sword free. She landed nearby Pyrrha with the acquired weapon at the ready.
"Ruby?" The Spartan asks as she slowly begins to rise, making it to one armored knee.
"Leave her alone!" Ruby shouts at the overgrown bird of darkness. While everyone knew that a Grimm couldn't be reasoned with in any sense, the Grimm she was facing off against was old. Old enough that it wasn't about to take chances unnecessarily, especially after the plump mortal in red had already hurt it. It took off and circled around the stadium that was barely large enough for it to really fly in. It made a few laps around before attacking, skimming just above the arena floor with the full intent to swallow the girl before she could counter it.
Nobody expected the rain of rocket propelled lockers that fell from the sky and slammed into the Nevermore. The Grimm certainly didn't and it hit the floor as more lockers rammed into its back and wings, causing it to screech in frustration as it slid to a stop just before reaching its target before collapsing.
Ruby stood in shock once more today, but this time it was for the joy that she was being helped by friends, acquaintances, and former opponents. The young Huntsmen and Huntresses in training all climbing on the back of the beast to retrieve their weapons. Each of them looking confident in their abilities and ready to help her, filling her heart with hope once more.
Behind Ruby and Pyrrha, Team DAIT leapt down into the arena where Itazura gathered up Penny in a few discarded coats, tying them together in a crude backpack that weighed her down heavily.
But the Nevermore hadn't been killed, only stunned. Now it was angry and rose up with a screech. The Huntsmen's reactions varied with some bailing off while others moved to attack. Ren ran up its back and neck, jumping off with a twist to stab both blades into the eyes on the left side, leaving it half blind.
Arslan threw her dart into its neck just behind the skull mask and used the bandages to swing to grab Yatsuhashi, her own mass keeping her from losing much momentum from adding his own. On the other side, Sage saw what she had done and with a deep breath, jumped high with his sword. On the Grimm, Nora followed soon after Ren to run over its head and used its pained thrashing to help her jump high off its beak, twisting around and adding a flip to build centrifugal force as she came back down with her own full weight behind her hammer, firing off a grenade on impact for additional force.
The strike slammed the masked head into the stone floor of the arena, the wrap around its neck suddenly pulling tight and allowing for Arslan to swing Yatsuhashi around herself faster than expected, coincidently matching with Sage as the large young men fell with their massive blades in hand, twisting as they fell. The force behind the sharpened steel easily cut off the pained croak from the Grimm as they passed through its flesh, decapitating it and the creature of darkness began to fade to smoke and ashes.
Ruby had watched all of this happen right in front of her, making the youngest around glad that she had such good people around her. With the threat gone, she turned to Pyrrha who was still on her knees but when green eyes met silver, the green welled with tears that overflowed their boundaries.
"Ruby… I-I'm so sorry." She hung her head as she looked at the small scrap of Penny's shirt in her hands.
"Me too." Ruby threatened to break down again as she looked to the floor. Then she looked back, her eyes and voice hardening. "But it wasn't your fault!" The encounter with Mercury in the maintenance tunnel and finding that Emerald was involved at every moment where things went wrong made things come into sharp focus.
"She's right." Jaune declares as he marches over to his teammate, carrying Milo and Akouo to her. She rose as he drew close. "Whoever was on the microphone, they're the ones that did this. And we have to make sure that they don't take anyone else." The blonde holds out her weapons for Pyrrha to take. The spartan took them back with little hesitation, her face changing from distraught to determined.
Off to the side, Itazura was busy with her scroll and furiously tapping away at the devise. She eventually sighed in relief as she was able to use the backdoor codes at the short range to get into Penny's systems and assess the damage. She found that the main processor and memory units with their own backup power systems were intact within her head and had sent them into a stasis. The aura core had been visible within her torso but luckily that hadn't been damaged either and sealed, meaning that it could be salvaged along with the rest of Penny's important parts. Though the fox had gathered all parts of her body, the swords were scattered about.
That would have to do, weapons could be replaced but a person couldn't.
Ruby finally felt her lips pull upwards for the first time since she arrived at the arena tonight. So many people stepping up to help her and her friends when thousands had left them all. She couldn't be prouder of that when she had thought that she had left the few friends she had back at Signal. Team JNPR, SSSN, CFVY, ABRN, FNKI, and DAIT all stood at the ready, looking to support her and Pyrrha when they needed it most.
Roars from the roof above made everyone look up to see that a couple Griffons had landed there with a few more already swooping in to circle their way down at the Huntsmen and Huntresses. The hexapodid beasts with four eyes were known to be intelligent for a Grimm combined with high mobility thanks to flight and ground attacks. Adding to that were their forelimbs bearing long and sharp talons and beaks known for crushing bones.
"Griffons." Ren certainly sounded enthusiastic.
"Anyone got a plan?" Neptune was quick to ask as he seemed to drawing a blank beyond keeping his rifle raised and ready.
Ruby had walked over with Jaune and Pyrrha to join the safety of the group, making the Griffons less likely to attack with so many weapons pointed at them. "Sun, I need your scroll." The girl asks her fellow team leader.
The monkey boy responded with a smile at the fire in her eyes, using his tail to pick the devise from his own pocket and toss it to her. Thankfully, he still hadn't locked it and it was open to the weapon locker recall page, which she used to have hers delivered in short order.
The door automatically opened for Ruby to take and she moved to retrieve her weapon only to pull up short thanks to a Griffon landing behind it with its forelimbs gripping the locker, roaring a challenge at her to move. But it was a shell from a shotgun impacting its flank that drove the beast away from its target.
"Students!" Professor Peter Port lowers his bladed blunderbuss to his side as he spoke, garnering everyone's attention to him and Oobleck standing by his side with his own weapon ready. "I think it would be best if you would leave."
"But we can help!"
"Miss Rose!" Oobleck interrupts her sharply before speaking slowly and eerily calm. "This day will certainly go down in Remnant's history. I'd prefer it that my students would live to talk about it."
The gravity of the situation sank into the youngest in the stadium and helped to galvanize the wills of the others. Ruby gave him a nod of understanding as she took Crescent Rose in hand. With a few quick spins as it unfurled itself, Ruby declares "Let's go!", punctuated with slamming the spear-like tip into the stone.
It was a combination of knowing their duty and her charisma that got everyone moving together, running under the swarm of Griffons circling around the arena. Every student left except two; Ruby who was slightly stunned that everyone was taking orders from her so readily, and Velvet who captured her image in her camera.
"Velvet!" Coco yelled to her teammate, who was already looking apologetic for taking the picture to look outright sheepish from being called out. The two girls quickly made their way out through the tunnel to avoid the Grimm.
"Ha ha ha ha! One final match Barty! Place your bets!" Was the last thing they heard from the teachers they left behind. While none of the students felt comfortable leaving them to deal with so many Griffons on their own, the men had ordered them to leave the fight to them and they are veterans of the trade. They should be able to handle themselves.
A Griffon dove at the pair and Peter almost casually spun on his heel as he brought the axe down on the beasts' neck, killing it as it passed by with a near decapitation. Another swooped down and Barty met its charge as it skimmed over the stone, plunging a fireball from Antiquities Roast down its throat when there was no room for it to dodge. The creature was roasted from the inside and it collapsed and writhed for a short time before fading to ashes.
There were plenty of Grimm left for the Huntsmen to fight but they were showing their experience in combat. Movement was conserved for an expected long series of fights through the night. Attacks were precise for maximum effectiveness. No taking chances. No fancy stunts.
Simply getting their job done. And they have a lot of work to do.
Outside of the stadium, there were still hundreds of people on the landing platform and waiting to board the transports that would take them to the ground and hopefully to safety. Atlesian Knights and soldiers from Atlas and Vale kept the Grimm from attacking the civilians. A few soldiers were acting as guides, directing the traffic flow to keep things from getting out of control.
A trio of Bullheads flew up towards the platform, bringing hope to many that more transportation had become available, only for that hope to turn to confusion when they turned to bear the symbol of the White Fang on their sides. Then that confusion gave way to fear when the bay doors opened up and Grimm were released onto the platform.
Knights were deployed to deal with the Grimm, leaving the organic soldiers to deal with the people. James Ironwood joined the machines to supervise the extermination and to show the civilians that he was there to help them. An Ursa was felled by the Knights nearest him but further along the platform, an Alpha Beowolf garnered his attention after easily crushing a Knight under its paws. Its partner fired multiple rounds into its hide but it seemingly ignored the bullets before one arm reached out and grabbed the legs. With apparent ease, the towering Grimm swung the Knight around briefly, grabbing its torso with its other paw and ripping the machine in half with little strain. The Alpha roared in triumph.
But a spot of calm among the fearful masses caught the Grimms attention, its ears twitching as it looked around to focus on Ironwood. The man began to move at the Grimm slowly at first but soon transitioning to a full sprint, the Beowolf charging at him in turn. With a yell, James engaged in combat, his left hand slipping into his jacket to retrieve one half of his paired revolvers known as Due Justice. The Grimm leapt to tackle him only for the General to drop into a slide underneath and his weapon raised to bark twice.
The Grimm slid to a stop after landing, shaking off the bullets that had been shot into its torso with a growl. James rose to a crouch as he spun to face his opponent, his right hand hitting the deck to help keep his balance and stop his slide, fingers gouging into the metal floor.
Once again, the Beowolf roared in challenge before it charged in a full sprint, James holding his ground and firing three times into the Grimm but it seemingly ignored the bullets put into it. It reared up and swiped at his head, forcing the General to drop and spun to avoid the claws. The other paw swung around when he rose, he matched the attack by raising his right arm and stopping the attack dead when the limbs made contact. The Alpha paused in confusion, trying to figure out what just happened.
Due Justice was raised and fired at the Beowolves feet, the explosive round easily lifting it from the floor. Using that lift, James took a strong grip on the Grimms arm with his right hand and twisted it, flipping the beast easily then dragging it across the floor before yanking the whole creature over his shoulder to slam it back first into the deck. From there, with his grip still intact the General pulled the Grimm up and over his head to stop when its mask-like skull was near his own and over the raised barrel of Due Process. The Alpha let out one last pained whimper before the trigger was pulled, the round easily penetrating and killing it finally.
With the Grimm dead, James dropped the body and didn't bother giving it a second look as it began to fade, instead turning his attention to the teams of students with their weapons ready emerging from the tunnel after witnessing the tail end of his fight.
"What's going on?" Ruby was quick to ask as the group came to a halt in front of him, looking for answers and direction.
The General looked over the twenty Huntsmen and Huntresses in front of him and taking notice that the Manta he had requested was ready nearby. "Grimm are crawling all over the city, the White Fang has invaded Beacon, and to make matters worse some… vagabond has seized one of my ships. Until we regain command, the skies are out of our control."
He had noticed that the only warship in the air besides the Manta's and Bullheads was his command ship, the same one that Roman had been locked up inside. The ship had moved out of position to actually fight the Grimm flying around, only able to fire at those attacking the vessel itself. The controls were taken by the criminal and any manual overrides to the engines were locked from the crew. They lacked the personnel to try taking the bridge, not while in the middle of this Grimm invasion.
From this vantage point at Amity, he could see the gunships fighting the Grimm in the air and occasionally attacking those on the ground. The telltale blasts from the Paladins could be seen as flashes. The VDF had several of their own Bullheads engaged in combat with those from the White Fang and Grimm at once. All over the city and school, Huntsmen and Huntresses were doing their best to repel the invaders but they were outnumbered and had to deal with a panicked populace that attracted more Grimm to them.
"So, I'm…" He paused to shoot a Creep in the head over the heads of the shorter students. "Going to take it back." He finishes and takes a few steps towards his craft.
"What should we do?" Jaune's question made the General pause.
James slowly turns around and puts his hands behind his back as he looks at the expectant but determined faces. "You have two choices: Defend your Kingdom and your school, or save yourselves." He tells them all evenly.
The varied group all looked around at each other, silently questioning why he even suggested that they could run when they were trained and ready to fight.
"No one will blame you if you leave." He says quietly, almost regretful that he even said it. His face hardened again as he turned to board the Manta. "Let's move out!" He commands the Knights that were waiting for him up the ramp.
The group of students watched as his ship took off towards the remaining warship before they began looking at each other. "I mean… come on!" Sun broke the silence.
"We can take a ship to Beacon." Jaune suggests and they all move for the transports. Team DAIT were among the last to move and not just because Itazura had a heavy load on her back
"I'm going straight for the safe zone with Penny." The fox tells her team as they follow the others a few paces behind.
"Is she going to be alright?" Denko asks, receiving a deadpan look from the girls. "You know what I mean."
"I made sure that she's in stasis mode. If she even remembers getting cut apart I dunno but that will have to wait until someone can put her back together first."
"Fine. Then we'll split up and take out as many Grimm and White Fang as we can once we hit the ground." Denko makes the plan… if anyone could call it that.
A trio of Beowolves came running around a corner, attracted by the fearful civilians and the group of Huntsmen and Huntresses were on the wrong side of the crowd to deal with them. A blast of wind sent Talon over the people and a second sent her back down to the floor to land between them and the Grimm. A trio of punches while the creatures were still at a distance sent compressed blasts of air into the Grimm, not just stopping their charge but also throwing them off the platform to plumet to their demise.
"You guys go ahead! We'll take the last transport!" Denko shouts as he moves to help get the people on board. "Sis! Get down there for the safe zone!"
The fox was allowed to board the airship with the civilians, having a Huntress with them helped to calm them somewhat. Meanwhile, the rest of team DAIT watched as the other students commandeered a ship for themselves and took off.
At roughly the same time, Roman was having some fun. There were so many buttons available and he was feeling like indulging a bit of his childish side, plus he had some mischief built up that he couldn't let out during his time in the cell.
"What does… this button do?" He presses a button with a flourish and the ship rumbled as the thrusters reversed for a few seconds. "Oh! Sweet!" He was practically giddy as he played with the 'Big Toy'.
He turns back to the console. "How about… this one!" He presses it and holds a hand to his ear but hears nothing. Unknown to him, that button opened a bay door meant for fast deployment of the Atlesian Knights stored there. A door that the mechs were standing on when it opened and sent them tumbling out of the ship from a height that they could not survive.
Rather disappointed, Roman turns back to study the switchboard. "Hmmm…. Alright, nothing." He was about to try another when the sound of heels from behind alerted him to Neo coming back to the bridge. She was carrying a scroll with a black casing to mark it as special. Something that he was well aware of. "Oh-ho-ho!" He laughs as he takes it from his partner.
He turns back to the console and inserts the scroll into the slot meant for the device. "Now this… this will be fun." He says as the scroll activated now that it was plugged into the ships systems and the screen turned red with a black queen chess piece. The various holographic displays all turned red from their original pale blue-green, bathing the room in red light.
Things down in the city weren't going so well for much of anyone. Grimm were running rampant through the streets thanks to them breaking through the main gate and being dropped in by the White Fang. Buildings were being damaged by the Grimm climbing over them, vehicles that were abandoned were smashed for existing- let alone the ones that had people in them. The death toll was rising and there were only so many Huntsmen and they could only do so much. The soldiers of Vale and Atlas were mostly occupied with defending the walls to stem the tide of Grimm but the few stationed around the city were faring worse than the Huntsmen. Their only real saving grace were the Knights and Paladins that were fighting by their sides.
Glynda and Qrow worked side by side, not willing to let the other get too far away as they fought without more than a few seconds pause to catch their breath. The blonde was doing better than Qrow had expected from a woman of Glynda's size, the few Grimm that made it to melee range of the fuming teacher were expertly and surgically handled, usually ended with her heel driven into throats or skulls. She had enough weight and strength to make those stomps deadly. That didn't include her use of Telekinesis smacking the creatures around with ease.
Qrow darted around the streets with Harbinger swinging and killing almost any Grimm with a single attack. They had a small team of Knights with them that were to watch their backs, though they generally let them take point.
Suddenly, the mechs stopped their attacks and even the Grimm paused in confusion. Both veteran Huntsmen halted in their tracks as the situation screamed that something was wrong. That something was confirmed as the mechs beeped a few times as their 'faces' flashed red brightly a few times before settling into a dull red glow. Then they turned their backs on the Grimm and had their rifles raised on the humans.
"What?" Was all that Glynda could say before they opened fire. The surprise was overcome by instinct as she used her Semblance to freeze every bullet before they could hit either her or Qrow before sending them back with a flick of her wrist. The scatter shot of bullets didn't just take out the Knights that had turned on them but also the Grimm down the streets that tried to take advantage of the confusion.
All over the city, Atlesian soldiers suddenly found their ends at the mechanical hands of the Knights that were meant to support them. Those that weren't the first targets had to split their attention between the Grimm and the robots. A fair number of the soldiers had been escorting civilians to a safe zone and the attacks raised fear among the noncombatants, a new signal for more Grimm to attack.
Itazura was among those having to fight the Knights while carrying Penny. Thankfully the robots weren't very good against any half-decently trained Huntress and she was able to help the organic soldiers finish them off.
"You guys!" She points to a couple people who looked more like laborers by their builds. "Check if any of them are still alive and help carry them. Anyone else willing to fight, grab their weapons and don't point them at anything you don't want to shoot!" There was some hesitation until a young woman picked up a rifle from one of the Knights. After that, nearly everyone who wasn't caring for children or the elderly had taken every firearm and melee weapon available and distributed as needed.
"Alright, lets go! I'm sure we'll find more on the way and now we'll protect everyone ourselves!" The little fox managed to inspire the group enough to get a small cheer, their previous fears from the Knights turning on them now gone.
One of her ears twitched and she looked up to a roof where a Beowolf was about to leap down at them. It hesitated now that she had turned to face it, Loki raised and barked once and the attempted ambush was ended.
The ragtag group began their way to the area near the Beacon docks that was considered the safe zone. Grimm were felled and with each kill, the fighters became more confident and the on-site training made their aim improve with every encounter. They also began to amass more refugees and collected more weapons from fallen soldiers and mechs.
With Weiss and Blake, things weren't much better as they had been assisting and directing a squad of Knights across the Beacon school grounds when their allies turned on them.
"Look out!" Blake yells as she dives into Weiss to dodge the bullets that passed through where they had just been. The faunus immediately used her Shadow when the mechs' aim was adjusted and she had carried her teammate with her, though now they were positioned to land on their feet so they could keep moving.
A small wall was the only cover they had as they were fired upon and the Knights spread out to trap the girls. Grimm nearby that had been ready to fight them now stood back and watched, almost with amusement at the sudden shift in momentum.
As if they didn't have enough problems already but they could deal with the traitors easily enough now that the shock of betrayal has worn off.
James Ironwood piloted his Manta on its way back to his flagship. He could see his soldiers in their crafts combatting the Grimm in the air all over Vale and Beacon. A Griffon flew by with a Manta hot on its tail, the pilot fired his rotary cannon and destroyed the wings to make the creature fall to the ground at lethal speeds.
A pair of Griffons dove onto the Manta from opposite sides and tore into its armor. The pilot tried to shake them off but while they were successful, the Grimm tore enough off to make the craft unable to fly in a controlled way. The pilot managed to spin the ship around and fire a pair of missiles into the Grimm to kill them before 'guiding' the Manta to the ground where there was a concentration of Grimm. They ejected before the crash destroyed the ship and at least a dozen creatures.
He lost track of the pilot as he flew overhead. While he knew that the chances of the soldier surviving this battle right now were slim, he hoped that they would survive. They served with honor to the end as far as he could tell.
Then the Knights that were in the back had their faces flash red and they turned around to face the cockpit, all with weapons in hand and those in the front taking aim at the General. The sound of them moving got his attention and he looked back to see what was going on, only to see the guns leveled with him.
"No! Stop!" He orders, even rising from his seat from his surprise.
The words fell on deaf audio receptors as the Knights opened fire in the confined space.
Ruby and Sun were the ones standing by the windows and so had the clearest view of watching the fights in the air around them. The numerous dogfights over the city and school were as entertaining to watch as they were devastating to watch happening in real life around them. Team CFVY were relaxing as best they could nearby in the chairs. JNPR leaned against the wall in the back while ABRN occupied some seats in the back. Sage, Scarlet, and Neptune were watching through another window on the side.
The pair of team leaders had been watching the ship carrying the General when they saw part of it explode and the craft began to smoke and spark as it fell into an uncontrolled dive. The ship passed in front of their own on its way to the ground, scaring those with how close they had come to being in a crash.
It was from seeing that, where Ruby refused to stand there and watch everything get destroyed around her as she was comparatively safe. The chubby girl spun on her heel, nearly whipping Sun with her cloak in the process as she ran to the back.
"Ruby! What are you doing?" The blonde yells with his arms out.
The scythe-wielder ignored him and everyone else as she ran through the doors, acting fully on instinct as she jumped from the ship to let the wind and her momentum carry her a short distance before using her Semblance to get her onto the lower deck of Amity, glad that she didn't have too far to travel. The transports were far too slow in many ways.
After landing in a crouch and letting the jiggles stop, she rose and looked back at her friends moving away from her. Friends that she trusted and allies working with them to watch their backs. It was only then that she had noticed that Weiss and Blake weren't with them, hoping the best for them. She was sure that Yang could take care of herself and was punching her way through the Grimm.
She shook the thoughts of her friends and family away as she ran back into the stadium with a plan forming in her mind. Once back in the arena itself, she found the nearest locker that was in an upright position. After some quick mental calculations and entering a code into the lockers interface, she opened up Crescent Rose and used the blade to hook onto the top as she hopped up onto the side as it began to launch, the girl holding on for dear life.
The rockets boosters kicked into a second stage, making her go even faster as she cleared the stadiums roof. As she traveled at such high speeds, she was glad that she was used to the wind whipping at her face thanks to her own Semblance. There was a brief questioning of her 'plan' as she flew but she blinked that away as the Atlesian battleship grew closer, hardening her determination.
The rocket ran out of fuel just short of the airborne vessel, forcing Ruby to bail as it began to drop like a rock, thankfully landing on a solid part of the hull. Three hundred pounds of young girl and weaponry landed with a thud, even if she rolled out of the landing. Though the fact that the guns were silent in the warzone was worrying.
In the bridge, Roman and Neo had heard the thump from outside the view of the windows. The man growled in frustration as he was enjoying sticking it to Atlas right now. "Go see what that is." He waves to Neo, who silently nods with a smile. before she left through the door with nearly a skip in her steps.
Roman sighed as he cracked his neck. So many things going on, so little time. The downfall of Vale was something he could shrug off, there were other places that he could set up shop in though he'd miss the balance the kingdom had. He didn't want to go back to Mistral but he was much stronger and experienced now, with a loyal and deadly partner by his side. Atlas might be fun to test their security more often, but he'd rather not deal with the cold so often even if some of the most likely 'customers' of his services could be found there. Vacuo… as much as a thief like himself might be said to fit in there, he'd be surrounded by those willing to steal from him almost as much as he from them. Not to mention the sun and sand potentially ruining his clothes.
The part of Neo plumping up was amusing, the girl was almost a sucker for ice cream and had apparently been paid in it during his incarceration. It made him wonder how many times she must have eaten her own weight in the treat during those weeks they were apart. Certainly, enough to add some girth to the short girl. And he had his fun with the 'Little Teapot' song and dance… the punch to the gut was worth it to see her smile again.
Weiss felt like she was facing a battalion of Atlesian Knights as she fought. The couple that she and Blake had to deal with when they changed their allegiance had only been a warm up for the night. The Knights kept coming, making the girl wonder just how many her home Kingdom had sent to Vale; hundreds at the very least.
But she was a Huntress in training at one of the best schools in the world and among the top students of her year in attendance for a reason. She weaved her way through the ranks of machines, Myrtenaster slicing through the joints with quick and precise strikes, moving in a way to keep up her speed while minimizing movement to last as long as possible for the battle. Some of the mechs exploded from their systems overloading, others were shot by their fellows as they flailed after being struck or trying to track the fast-moving girl among them.
Likewise, Blake found herself dealing with White Fang members who had found the 'traitor' and gathered to take her down with the intent of taking her to Adam personally. But the bottom-heavy cat was far more skilled than the common foot soldier of the organization. She was able to take them down with ease, disarming and wounding all that faced her. But there were dozens coming after her with a few getting a lucky punch in as she dealt with others.
One of those punches landed on her chest, driving the air from her lungs and filling her breast with pain as she had to crouch to recover. Other Fang members rushed to gang up on her only to be stopped by a white blur landing in front of them and a hard light shield was formed that they ran into, staggering the faunus before the wall was rammed into them, the combination knocking them down stunned.
Thanks to the break provided, Blake rose and stood back-to-back with Weiss as they surveyed the damage. They were actually unable to press their backs together given the size of their backsides but the solidarity and trust were what was important right now.
The sound of gunfire nearby along with familiar loud footsteps drew their attention to more than a dozen Atlesian soldiers trying to stop a Paladin with their own firearms. It wasn't going well, especially when the massive machine closed the distance and smacked some of the men to the side. A few of them were knocked out, others clutched their limbs as they called for a medic, sure that they had broken bones.
Near the girls, some of the White Fang rose and began limping away without weapons. The pair were content to let them run as they looked to be in no condition to fight and there was the possibility that a Grimm might handle their punishment.
"Come on!" Weiss calls to her teammate as they began to run to assist the soldiers. Screams of absolute fear from a nearby building made them pull up short as they searched for the source. The whines of failing engines of a Bullhead trailing smoke and flames had them watch as it crashed into a building not too far away… and the screaming had stopped. What distracted them from some of the death around them was that Grimm had leapt from the Bullhead before it crashed, landing on the ground to roar in victory.
Weiss and Blake looked at the other after looking around, seeing how many different battles were taking place that they could see from where they stood. Then they came to a unanimous decision. "Stay safe." Weiss reached up to pat Blakes shoulder, getting a nod and a small smile in return before they split up to cover more ground.
Weiss ran off to assist the Atlesian soldiers deal with the Paladin while Blake went after the closest Grimm near the now burning building.
AN: For those who know the canon series, you probably know that I left at a cliffhanger. So, you can all expect a series of fights next chapter. As long as this chapter was, you can probably bet that the next will be longer yet.
As always, reviews are welcome! See you all next time!