All of the students from different schools lied on the transport that was headed for beacon. All of them sharing one common feeling, fear.
Some of them were sitting in the passenger seats trying to calm themselves, others were pacing through the open area were the windows revealed a flock of nevermores and griffons that seemed uninterested in them as they head to the city in flames. Another ones were trying to raise their teammates, friends or family.
Confusion and panic displayed on their faces yet they all shared the same resolution for stopping whatever was happening.
Little Ruby had it worst as she had witnessed the death of her friend Penny, she hugged herself as she tried to keep it together.
"This is crazy!" Sun said as he was one of the students that were standing and walking around the space. "How the hell did this many grimm even passed the perimeter!?"
"Yeah, I thought that Atlas was in control of the situation" Treynor nodded in agreement, he was leaning against one of the railings with his axe on his back, scanning the outside of the ship.
"Whatever's happening I'm sure well get some answers once everything settles, Atlas is helping the huntsman back in the city" Kairi explained as she stood in the middle of the ship.
"Yeah. We just gotta keep calm and go to Beacon, I'm sure evacuation is going to be underway soon" Irina smiled, in the hopes to lift the spirits of her fellow students.
The only one that was silent was Riz, he was kneeling on the ground with his Windbreaker laying at his side on the ground, the jet had an open compartment with a box of bullets that he was currently using to refill the last magazines as he had dumped already two in the heat of the colosseum, he had loaded one and he was currently on the second and there was still a third one to be refilled. He caught a glimpse of someone coming close to him
"What caliber are those?" The girl he recognized as Mei Zedong from team BRNZ. Her beanie covering her left gray-violet eye as she kneeled at his side grabbing one round.
"Seven six two, standards. Why?" He answered without looking at her, focusing on his task as every click from the sound helped him keep his cool. The mechanic arm with the rocket attatchment protruding from his left shoulder was rather weird to look at.
"Those are the same I use on my sniper" she grabbed the sniper rifle that sported a blade on the low end of the stock making it also an axe. "I already emptied some clips on the way here, you mind?"
He shook his head. "Open the box completely, the ones in the far corner have grav dust in them, take em all."
She did just that before throwing him a puzzled look. "What about you? Why use the normals when the ones with gravity dust hit harder?" She questioned as she grabbed a handful of bullets with her hand and began doing the same process he was.
"I don't need them, not with my semblance." Rizzer explained. "Rather have someone else that might need the edge have them."
The Zedong girl looked at his calm expression, but she could see the turmoil in his eyes. She only managed a slight nod with a small smile "Thank you"
Riz nodded as he finished to load the second clip and began to work on the third and final. "Kairi" he turned his head. "How much till Beacon?"
"Not long" the leader of KRTR answered "couple of minutes."
"We should probably think about our steps from here on foward, no?" Wukong stood in the middle of the room, every student agreeing with him.
"Sun's right" Coco got up from her seat. "From the sounds of it the place is a warzone, we gotta make a plan fast"
Kairi walked up to Sun and Coco "Evacuation is priority number one, we need to gather the students and-"
The sound of a scroll ringing cut her off. Riz looked at his buzzing pocket. In his kneeled position he took it out "A moment please" he pressed the button on the scroll and placed it on his ear. "Mom?"
Kairi, Treynor and Irina looked at each other, relieved to hear that Rizzer's mother was alive. Coco sighed along with Yatsuhashi, whilst Velvet and Fox managed a smile.
"Okay, good to hear that" Rizzer smiled, everything seemed okay. A wave of relief washing over the students. "Where are you heading right now? Is everyone alright?"
Ruby got at his side curving her lips with a grin at the sounds of good news.
"What?" Rizzer's voice cracked, his eyes narrowing. Something was wrong, the students shared a concerned look "I-I...I don't understand."
A loud explosion shook the aircraft along with the students inside, however the transport was alright but not the atlesian dropship that was known for carrying the general Ironwood.
"Wait a moment I'm putting you on speaker." Azure set his scroll on the floor and pressed the speaker function.
The sounds of explosions, of gunfire and the cries of people for help could be heard from inside Riz's device. The voice of a mature woman prevaled amidst the chaos in the background. "THE ATLAS'S ROBOTS HAVE TURNED AGAINST US- I REPEAT ALL THE ATLESIAN MECHANIZED STATIONS HAVE BEEN COMPROMISED AND ARE SHOOTING CIVILLIANS IF YOU ENCOUNTER THEM JUST OUTRIGHT DESTROY THEM"
The loud words had a shocking and horrifying effect on all the present students, some of them were shaking on their feet at the audible gunshots that seemed to be getting closer and closer.
"EVERYBODY FIND SHELTER, NOW!" Her mother's voice was heard once again as she was probably ordering the citizens to hide. "DON'T STAY ON THE STREETS!"
"Mom were the fuck are you?! I'm coming for you!" He shoved the box of bullets to a shocked May that regained her senses rather quickly. His hand grabbing the magazine and pushing it far into his rifle, reloading it.
"SECTOR NINE! RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT! TELL THE GENERAL OR OZPIN OR SOMEONE WE NEED HELP-" The call ended abruptly as Riz grabbed the scroll and stood up. He swallowed the lump despair down his throat
"Vis what happened?!" He asked clutching the device in his hands with dread as he tried to call again.
"Eril's scroll is disconnected, it's a posibility that she may have dropped it" the words of his companion only made him more paranoid.
He was already panicking as he began to adjust his jets into his back. Rizzer felt a pair of hands helping him. Turning his head to see he found a very concerned looking Kairi.
"You go, and you come back okay? We need you here too. Got it?" She looked at him, a stern but concerned expression as she strapped his back with Windbreaker.
"Yes, I understand" he stood up tall as the humming of his engine made him hover above the floor.
"And be careful. That's an order" she commanded.
After all the things that happened between them they were still teammates, friends...they still shared the same goals and concerns for each other. That would never change.
"Promise" he nodded with a faint smile as he turned and started of his jets outside the aircraft and into the city.
A shadow of red in the form of a ball, Ruby's semblance drifted away at his side but took another direction as she headed towards the colosseum once more.
...
Coco was right, there was only one way to describe the current situation of the city. A full-on warzone.
The energy shots from the soldiers of Atlas going of repeatedly throught the streets. Death smeared on the walls and floors of the city as Riz ran his way through the streets.
He decided to make a beeline for the ground due to the flying threats that loomed over the black sky. He managed to save a poor guy that was trapped on the top of a building just in time and took it to a military outpost, one of the few that were still standing thanks to the cooperation of the Vale military in conjuction with Atlas.
At least they were still working together. He thought.
He stopped upon realizing that his feet made a splashing sound, looking down on the floor a pool of red lying beneath him. He scouted his surrounding trying to find the author only to see a girl wearing the Atlas uniform, her mouth open as her upper torso leaned againts the wall of a building and her mangled legs over yonder near a car that had crashed a little bit far ahead. The gruesome display of death made him shiver on his boots, the only thing he could do was keep running, hoping that his mother had not run into the same fate.
Oh how he wished he was right.
Rizzer made a left on the corner where the signal of the call had vanished. His eyes widening behind his visor as he found four atlesian humanoid mechs standing a top a pile of corpses scattered in the middle of the road.
He tried to make some sense into what they were doing until he heard something coming from the kill zone.
"W-wait, no p-please don't-" the sound of a gunshot silenced the poor man who was begging for his life.
Motherfuckers are finishing them off his thoughts racing.
Failing to notice how fast his rifle was on his hand as he fired the first shot, a direct hit on the mechanized soldier's neck splitting it's head clean off.
The other three machines didn't take that lightly as they turned to face Rizzer inmediately firing on sight.
Azure reacted, his feet leaving the ground as he vaulted towards a near car taking cover. He dropped to the ground lying face down the concrete and aimed his weapon from under the automobile spotting the metal legs of one of the soldiers he fired again, making it tumble and drop it's torso against the floor, the blood still wet on the floor splashing around it. Rizzer fired once more creating a hole in it's forehead.
Getting back up on his two feet he took a quick peek outside of his cover only to be greeted by an energy shot that bounced over the car's hood forcing him to hunker down again but he already got what he needed, the info.
He grabbed the stock of Hornet and folded it as he extended the bayonet foward and pushed the grip back he grasped his spear with one hand as he placed the other over the roof of his cover and jumped his way out of hiding and ran head on.
Three quick shots were fired his way, deflecting them with a twirl of Hornet proved to be easy yet a fourth one managed to hit his left thigh, he shrugged it off leaving the work for his aura as he turned in a complete 360 while swinging his spear and slicing the machine's head in half. He grabbed the metal plate on the upper chest of the robot and used the body as cover for the other droid's shots as he rushed the attacker.
He shoved the deactivated mech onto the hostile one making in fall back against the ground, without taking any chances he pierced through the mech's head with a quick stab of Hornet before something else could happen.
The sound of his breath was the only thing that could be heard, the momentum died as the adrenaline stopped flowing through his veins. He patted his thigh and his aura shimmered in a light green in response, he was fine.
The main objective took a hold of his mind as he put away his weapon on his back and began to search for the corpses.
"Hello?! Anyone alive?!" He shouted. looking at the floor and franctically shaking his head from one side to the other. The hope of finding someone alive fading with every second of silence. "Everything is fine! I'm a huntsman! If you're alive you can come out now!" Nothing, not a sound.
His heart began to ache as he felt a painful weight on his chest.
"Riz" Vis said yet his ears were numb just as his body, only his feet were the ones that were working as he continued to turn around and around for something, anything that wasn't dead.
He heard a clattering sound, someone hitting the ground with something. A call for help? Maybe it was just a grimm but...maybe it was not.
He rushed through the sea of death without thinking as his feet tumbled on the corpses of machines and people alike. The noise coming over from an alleyway and getting louder with each step he took, as he walked down on the dark corridor he spotted the source of the noise. A slim pair of female white boots with heels, resting on top of another pair of longer legs behind a dumpster.
Riz quickened as he moved the dumpster out of the way. His legs gave out the moment he saw the face of her mother, her back leaning against the wall as she sat on the cold floor. Her chest moving ever so slightly with each weak breath as she couldn't longer hold the air through her nose and had to do it from her mouth. She was holding someone in her arms, a girl Rizzer recognized instantly as he began to crawl over to her side.
"S-son..." His mother said in a faint voice, struggling clearly. Rizzer rushing his way to her as he grabbed her hand and kneeled in front of her.
"Mom, what...I-I" He inspected her, there was a hole in her shoulder going through her bloodied sweater one that had stopped bleeding but he noticed another one in her abdomen. His jaw began to tremble as he noticed the amounts of blood pouring out of her and smearing her blue jeans. "I-I'm gonna get you out, ju-just gotta take you to a hospital"
A smirk in her lips was her answered as she struggle to say no with her head. "Think we both know that...it ain't happening..."
"Of course we can I-I just gotta fly over and-"
"Riz..." Her voice made his heart skip several beats. She raised her hand to his face and dried the tears that were pouring out without his consent, the salty water kept flowing despite her efforts. "This girl...take her..." She grabbed the shoulders of an unconscious short girl with pink and brown hair, Rizzer clenched his fist upon realizing who she was, the things she was involved.
"Mom this girl is-"
"I know..." She shushed him, making him gasp.
His words coming out abruptly "Then you should know that a piece of shit like her should be left alone and die!" Rage building up, the thought alone that she was one of the people that made all of this possible, the attack, the death, his mother's condition...he couldn't as his hand drifted to his handgun in his waist.
"I just..." Her voice stopped him "I'll be damned I-If I die here without saving anyone..." His thoughts stopped along with his actions. His hands dropping at his sides as he hung his head. "P-please..." She coughed, a drop of blood staining his cheek as she tried to push the little woman into his arms. "D-don't let her die..." Eril pleaded once more.
Riz shook his head, many feelings passing by at this moment as he stared the blood in his hands, her mother's blood. He took a glance at the pink-haired girl, unconscious, mouth closed. Her face was a mess of dry makeup along with dirt and a bruise on her cheek, she had been hit rather bad. The clothes were no better either, the black undershirt she was wearing along with the white jacket shared the same pattern of a large claw mark indicating that she was probably attacked by a griffon. Her legs were the worst part as her white pants were torned and filled with small cuts, the fact that the right leg beneath her knee was bent in a way that wasn't supposed to be quickly helped Rizzer to make a guess about her state. Even in her punch-induced slumber she was holding something with her fingers, a bowler hat with a red lace around it, the hat had a torn on the side of the wing.
He could just leave her here, with a broken leg she wouldn't be able to go anywhere. Perhaps the grimm would find her, maybe not, after all with the things she did...
"R-Riz..." Yet he couldn't deny her mother's wish, her last wish.
He knew, the very same person sitting in front of him had taught him to recognize someone that was on the verge of death, someone that couldn't be saved anymore...he knew...yet he couldn't bring himself to believe it.
He carefully wrapped his arms around the girl, doing his best to not aggravate the state of her broken leg.
"Take her...to my place... Just a few blocks..."
"I know..." He said, looking at her. Eril had little to no strenght remaining in her yet something kept pulling her from the threshold of death as she leaned in front of him and placed something on top of the body of the girl, a closed parasol, that was the thing he heard, her mother hitting the floor with the parasol. "that's...her weapon."
"Don't lose it...heh...she might get angry." Eril said with a smile, the woman proved her strenght once more as she leaned once more at his side and kissed his son on the forehead. "Go...I don't want you to stay here any longer...you need to...to go..." Her legs giving out as she was shoved back against the wall once more, her breathing getting more quiet, more slow.
His son just remained there, his tears falling down to the closed parasol as he watched the light fade out of her mother's orange eyes. "I love you, mom...so much..." His voice said with a crack, his shaky breath unable to stop as he clenched his tongue using his teeth.
"I...I love you as well...my little flying wingman..." Her smile soon disappeared from her mouth as she took a more comfortable position, her breath coming to a stop as Eril's head tilted to her right shoulder. Her eyes remained closed.
"Riz" Vis said yet the machine did not dare to speak another word. Rizzer leaning a bit to close his mother's mouth, closing it shut. "We need to go..." The lack of words from the machine were possibly the most human thing she had ever accomplished in her life.
"Yes..." He glanced at the girl, her body still warm as she clinged to life thanks to Eril...this was her wish and Rizzer was no longer able to decline. His jets came to life as he took off, not caring about the grimm or any threats.
The shadow of the Wyvern in the distance made him drift his eyes to Beacon if only for moment as he guided himself towards his mother's place.
"Where's the others?" he said, his voice clearing up as he felt the tears drying in his cheeks. "Are they okay?"
"For now, although their auras are depleting from time to time. You should drop the female quickly and make your way to Beacon."
...
It wasn't quick, he couldn't help it as he was currently tending to the girl's wounds. The fact that she was knocked out it made it easier for him to work as he was currently working on the slash in her upper chest. He had to rip through her clothes, the girl now was lying on the couch with her naked torso...whatever it was the thing that attacked her it had sliced through her bra as she sported a long yet not deep cut on the upper part of her left breast.
Good thing it wasn't the nipple, it would've been really akward. He thought, trying to push aside her mother's death out of the way.
Eril was always prepared, the pristine and very well equipped first aid kit made it clear as he skimmed through the required tool for the job.
The leg was a hard one though, first he had to rearrange it and remove her pants. Undressing a girl was not something he was really versed but this time was not even as fun like the last one, he smirked at himself at the thought of that.
Doing his best to ignore her black, and so fucking thin thong covering her genitalia "seriously?" His cheeks flushed as he shook his head and focused on the leg, carefully turning it and trying not to do something stupid with the pervy thoughts still in his mind. "Can't believe I'm actually doing this..." He muttered as he managed to find the correct way to the leg, now he only had to press it together. He shouldn't be doing this, this was madness. If he made the wrong move she'd probably had to get her leg broken again just to rearrange it correctly, once her aura came back it would stick the bone back together...however if the bone is not in the right place when that happens they would have to go to a hospital and get a surgery, break the bone again and all...he was all but fond of that idea.
The sound of an atlesian gunship crashing, the apartment shaking altogether into the streets only served as a reminder to keep him on his toes, to hurry up and go back to help his friends.
With a swift movement he heard a soft 'crack' sound, her body shivered as an instictive reaction to the pain yet she did not woke up. Rizzer sighed and wiped the sweat of his brow. "alright...almost done" He muttered as he began to place the splint around her knee to keep it still and wrapped it with bandages. Once that was taken care of he was mentally prepared for her boobs, grabbing a bottle of alcohol and gauze he started wiping the blood out of her chest, earning some slight jerks from her torso in response from time to time, her pale white skin was so smooth, warm, it felt good to the touch. "huh, bet that Torchwick and you sure had your fun together." He said out loud, she wouldn't hear so it didn't mattered.
"Rizzer, we got a situation" He heard his scroll turn on with the voice of his female robot companion.
"Speak" Riz said, as he grabbed a white cloth towel to wipe his hands clean, with little success however due to the blood already dried and imprinted on his hands and jacket alike, the front part of his black and red jacket looked like a four year old tried to paint on Rizzer's chest using their hands. Riz began the process of wrapping the cut around with the dressings, he had to go above her right shoulder and under her left armpit for it to be effective, he also managed to wrap her breasts so she wouldn't feel so...uncomfortable.
"The students along with team KRTR have engaged in combat, the resistance appears to be quite- fiERssssssmee." Rizzer's eyes shot up at the scroll, he tied the bandage to secure it and quickly jumped at his device and grabbing it with both hands. "Vis?" "Vis?!"
"WarNING, multi-ti-ti-tiple grimm, physical loc-location compromised." A weight of fear upon his shoulders. The hangar, bastards were at the hangar.
"Can you do something? Can you call for help?!" He started to wrap things up as quickly as he could, carefully setting the pink-haired girl's head on a pillow and managed to slide her in a white shirt from his mother that was lying around of a chair from the dining table. he grabbed a brown heavy blanket.
"I-I am currently attempting to do so as we speak. White fang have infiltrated the school grounds, the security has been compromised"
"Yes, that's a bit of an understatement Vis" The only way he found right now to cope with all the shit that was happening was sarcasm, the cheap one. Thank goodness Vis could hear him but he had to hurry up if he wanted to keep it that way. He pulled a piece of paper and wrote somethings down in it, he left the note on her forehead and headed out through the window. "The grimm are attacking the white fang?"
"I-I do not possess that information, although Kairi has informed that the atlesian mechanized troops are not engaging on the white fang"
"Shit, course they not..." He leaped out the window and flipped in the air for his jets to catch him as soared above. "Full speed, can't waste anymore time." Windbreaker's engines flared as they shot him up towards the academy.
As he began to gain altitude and speed he found that he was quickly matched by two flying opponents, the looming threat as he noticed that a dark shadow was cast upon him he flicked off his thrusters just in the right time to avoid a diving griffon that tried to swallow him in one movement. "Shit!" His jets turned on again as the two flying grimm stood in his way, bating their wings in an intimidating manner. "Guess I gotta fight then..."
"Rizzer, I do not recommend E-E-E-Engaging on an air battle, the probabilities for more grimm to show are tremendously high."
"So I'm a pigeon in the middle of a swarm of eagles. Fantastic" He huffed.
"I suggest engaging on evasive manouvers until you reach solid ground on the academy, you will have the advantage there."
"understood" Riz shoved his hands under his waist, grabbing Hornet as his backpack began to speed him up once more, going through the two grimm.
The black winged monsters seemingly confused for a moment released a terrifying screech as they began their persecution. "Fuck!" Riz cursed, he turned around to face the grimm and fire at them, the shots either missing or bouncing off their bone armour covering their most delicate places, his movements zigzagging around the air as he twirled right out of the way of the bone-white beak of one of the griffons. The other one pushing it's partner out of the way. "heh" he said looking back "Great thing teamwork's not their thing" He quickly regretted his words as the two griffons quickly separated and surrounded him from each side. "no good..." He muttered, his jets flaring as he dived trying to escape but to no avail, as he felt the claws of the beast swiping at his back, knocking him off his balance and making him an easy prey.
Another swipe, this time it was the tail, it's bone fragments collided against his head, cracking the visor of his helmet, his aura flickering at the devastating blow, as his body began to spin around the air with no control whatsoever. His semblance kicking in as he suddenly felt the threat of death on his neck, Rizzer managed to make a backflip in the air and ignited his thrusters with a red burning flame that pierced through the bone plating covering the eyes of the griffon that had gotten close to devour him. He pushed out the magazine into oblivion as he loaded a new full clip.
Using his semblance to make his shots count he managed to clip the wings of one of the horrors, making it more slow. The other one made use of this time and went for an attack, Rizzer had predicted this as he deactivated his jets in the right moment as he began to spam his trigger, riddling the back on the damned thing with bullets. It was not going to be enough, but it would slow them down significantly as he regained his control over the air and began to rise, heading to the school.
"R-Ri-Ri-Riz, we ha-ha-have a situation" This time it was worse than before, Vis voice was not only lagging but now it had some sort of interference...something was on in his hangar. He regained his balance as he hurried his way towards Beacon before the griffons began to chase him once more.
"What? Vis what's going on with you?!" His voice was one of panic, his jets suddenly stopping and making him free fall "SHIT!" he screamed, moving his arms around. hitting his back for windbreaker to reignite.
"RIz...I-I have be-be-been compromissss. The ha-ha-hangggrrrrr in no longer sssssasasafe. Relaying Wi-Wi-Windb-b-b-breaker's control to pilot." A gun handle similar to the one of Hornet but with buttons in the top instead of a trigger and a small directional stick bursted out to Riz's left side of his backpack, his manual control. The student looked at the handle for a moment, the thought of loosing Vis pushed him to grab the damned thing, he pressed a button and jerked the control to the side, firing up the side thruster and getting out of the way of the on coming grimm.
He couldn't say nothing, this was not the time to be shocked. He could worry about that later. "It's okay Vis...I can just repair you, don't worry...I-I'm sure I can do it again." He said, but only to himself as the machine was no longer with him. The sight of the school getting nearer as he watched how the airships began their landing, several human soldiers from Atlas turning their way to face him, they pointed their weapons and Riz raised his arms in defense. "W-WAIT, NO!"
The soldiers did not listen and fired, a volley of only energy shots flew past him to strike down at wings of the griffons that were chasing him as the beasts wings were torned apart they felled to their certain demise as they could only flail their paws and screech in protest, they were soon nowhere to be seen as Riz ascended to the landing platform. He decided to take a knee for a moment, or both knees maybe as his ears kept ringing from the adrenaline as time seemed to be moving slower. He took out his scroll, checking his aura he found out that he was in the yellow with only a third, maybe more, remaining. "Not...not good..." He said in a huff. Some soldiers tried to help him up but he refused as he pushed himself out of the floor, he spotted some familiar faces and began to walk their way. He noticed some of them standing, others lying in the ground. It certainly didn't help to his spirits seeing them in the state they were, battered, filthy with dirt and dustpowder, their clothes torn apart along with their defeated and exhausted expressions.
The first one he recognized was Weiss, how could he not? Her white dress giving away her identity almost inmediately, she looked tired and her skirt had burn marks on the edges, she was holding her side with one hand as she was leaning weakly on her Myrtenaster in order to remain standing.
Rizzer quickened his pace as he saw Nora and Ren from JNPR sitting in the ground, they both looked completely out of fighting shape.
"Rizzer!" Weiss waved her hand, a faint smile was a smile none the less as she saw him jog his way over to them.
"Weiss" He said, dropping his helmet at the ground. Quickening the pace when he noticed the heiress loosing her weak balance, catching just in time. "Got you"
"Thank y-you..." She flashed him a grin but it wasn't enough to reassure him, the girl was trembling. "You...you're late." He noticed her eyes looking away at his blood stained jacket, she didn't ask any question for the physical condition of Rizzer was fine so the red dried stains had to be from someone else.
"Yeah" he chuckled "sorry I missed the party" the grip of the heiress seemed to get stronger as she leaned on him. He walked over earning some glances and looks from other teams, he noticed the monkey faunus talking to...a certain someone. "Blake?"
"Rizzer?" Her eyes widened as she held the unconscious blonde brawler in her arms. Her arms wrapping around Yang.
Riz's happiness was quickly swiped away when he noticed the state they both were, Blake had a cut on her abdomen...and Yang. "Oh dear..." Was the only thing he managed to say as his legs gave out, dropping to his knees and dragging Weiss along with him as well, fortunately he realized this and managed to get a better grip of the white-haired girl in time. "S-sorry, Weiss...I just..."
"No, no. it's fine..." she said, releasing herself from his grip and taking a seat in the floor just like her teammates. "Take your time Riz"
He ran a hand through her beautiful yellow hair, her breathing was still he could tell. She was stable. Looking down at the blood soaked ribbon that Blake had used to stop the bleeding he picked Yang's remaining hand and kissed it on the back. "I should've been here..." He said in a low tone but his words being loud enough for Blake to hear.
The cat faunus shook her head "No...this...all of this is on me...you can't blame yourself for this, Rizzer"
"And what gives you the right to do it then, Blake?" He said, a particular tone of anger in his voice.
"Because the white fang are here for me!" She yelled, a saddened look on her face as tears began to race through her cheeks, ruining her eyeliner. Sun ran to her side, placing a comforting hand on her head as he patted her.
Riz was taken back by this, he took himself a moment as he stared into Yang's hand, trying to cope with the facts. He shook his head. "No...No Blake...it's not your fault."
"What...?" The raven-haired student looked at him, looking for redemption, for salvation, something he couldn't provide as it was just not possible for him...
yet his words had similar soothing effect. "Everything...all of this...the white fang are just a part. This would've happened with or without them"
"B-but I-"
"Blake..." He placed a hand on hers, gaining her attention as he shook his head. "It's not your fault."
Blake's sobs began to get louder as she held Yang in her arms, Weiss joining in as well. The heiress looked at him and nodded.
Riz let go of Yang's hand and caressed her cheek if only for a moment before standing up. "Anybody knows where's my team?"
"Yeah..." He turned around to see Coco, the girl had lost her black beret along with some of her accesories. Her face had a bruise on the right side of the forehead. And her cocoa colored shirt was torn in the sides along with one of her belts that seemed to be missing. Riz hurried his way to see if she needed help but fortunately she seemed to be in a better state than the rest of their friends.
"Coco...you're hurt" he said, having a look on her face and despite the girl's efforts for play it cool it was rather obvious that she was not okay.
"Yes" there was no point in lying "your team...Riz I..."
"What?" He looked at her, the anticipation was tearing him apart. She removed her glasses, oh no...oh shit this was serious. "No..."
"Treynor went to check your place, he said that he saw some White Fang entering your hangar a-and..." The stuttering, god the stuttering. It was the first time he had ever heard Coco stutter in his two years together...this couldn't be happening. "There was an explosion" she pointed out at a large column of smoke coming out from the back of the main building, passing the courtyard where the hangars were.
Everything made sense, Vis's behaviour, her disconnection she was gone. Everything was gone, his inventions, his ship, his computers...his friend Treynor. Riz's eyes remained focused on the smoke, taking in the information he received.
After all this time, no matter how much trouble the big guy gave him he was a brother, someone to rely on, the one he'd go to talk about girls at Irina and Kairi's backs. Treynor was sometimes a pain in the ass, an idiot too, always putting up excuses to slack off and then Kairi would end up yelling at him so they'd get into big heated arguments that he just enjoyed while Rina was usually the one standing in between the two, risking her head in an effort to stop the idiots from tearing each other.
He was a brother.
And now he was gone.
"Your mom"
"Huh?" He gaze looking down on her face, he wasn't listening.
"Your mother, Riz what happened to-"
"Gone" he simply said, but it wasn't simple. It had depth to it, the single word he used had a lot more of pain contained that Coco somehow was able to comprehend.
She only nod her head, as she understood that this was not the time to ask about the subject but the fact that her mother was dead only left a sour taste in her mouth and a dark reminder in her head.
No one was safe tonight.
"What about Kairi and Rina?" He asked, his eyes drifting at Coco once more, she frowned upon seeing his tired expression.
"They...they went to help team BRNZ with the evacuation on the eastern side of the school...we lost contact a few minutes ago"
"You...you didn't send help?" He raised an eyebrow, his tone getting upset.
"Nobody's in condition and we can't just-" he held up a hand as he hugged his friend.
"No, forgive me...I'm just...taking it all in. Yeah?"
Coco couldn't help but respond in the same way, wrapping her arms around his torso as a sob escaped her lips. "S-stupid idiot always trying to flirt...ma-making moves on me..." She was trembling. She meant Treynor of course she did. Riz could feel her pain as he patted her back.
"He said that you had the best butt on the entire school." Rizzer's word made her burst into laugh only for her to fall on her knees into crying.
He decided that it was best to leave her be for now. Yatsuhashi silently nodded at him as he kneeled at Coco's side and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Eastern side eh?" He contemplated at the school, several other students making their stand against the grimm. Luckily the robotic forces seemed to have shut off for good. The White Fang also seemed to be retreating, now was as good as any moment. He removed the clip from Hornet, pulled out the last one he had and reloaded. "Don't fret, Riz...they are probably hiding, yeah..." He said to himself, trying to build up his confidence in his team.
He walked back to where the RWBY team was, they seemed to be discussing something, something was amiss and he couldn't bring himself to bother now that Ruby had returned, she was lying infront of Yang, small faint cries he could hear coming from the redhead. He took a step back, he didn't dare to interrupt.
Yet he was running out of time.
Grasping Windbreaker's control felt wrong, he wasn't used to it since Vis always had worked in conjuction with him minus on missions that took them out of the kingdom, she was the one to control it only for him to move, to rise and guide himself through the wind. Not hearing her voice anymore was something that was aching him. He pressed the button on the handle making his engines hum as he sped off towars the eastern side of the school.
...
Irina was a good girl. She was taught good manners, a wealthy life on Atlas secured that. The Silden name opened a lot of doors for her since she was little, plenty of oportunities for her to explore throughout her life. Although that life was meant to be one of a doll, a prize destined to marry a businessman.
She had learned how to play the piano, how to sew, how to arrange the table for a proper diner.
She was taught politics and also she was taught to held her head high over the common people, over faunus mostly...something she never liked about. People was people and that was that, was it so wrong for the rest to accept that everyone was equal in a way? That everyone was a person despite a pair of ears or a tail...
Oh her parents were not happy when she enlisted in Beacon, and certainly they were not happy when they learned that, with the help of Riz, she had syphoned part of the family's money and the business down to the charity working for the faunus rights in Mantle. Her parents never knew it was her doing never the less, why? Because she still loved them and she couldn't bring herself to make them hate her.
She never hated anyone, hate was a strong word. A very very strong word she didn't like, a word not to be used lightly.
Because once you hate someone it becomes very difficult to un-hate them again she had said to Kairi one time. There are things she repented, like everybody else in the world, and then there was things, wrong things, that she didn't believe she was capable of doing such as hating someone.
Yet there she was, lying back against the ground. Clutching her stomach with her arms. Her erratic breathing only growing stronger as she watched the masked man plunged his sword into the back of her friend, her best friend. A strong desire to rip a throat, something she had never imagined. If only she had a knife in her hands instead of trying to keep her guts in place.
The faunus man was tall and was wearing robes, very different from the usual white fang attire yet the logo on his back was the same. He kept his mistralian resemblant red kimono robes tied with a white piece of linen cloth around his waist. There were two sword sheaths tied to this piece of cloth, two katanas. The first one was in place and had a antique black handle with blue cord strap decorations around the grip in the form of a spiral. A white piece of cord tied up in the middle of the scabbard and a reptile's tail decoration around the guard.
The second one he held in his right hand, more simplistic as it had no hilt guard whatsoever, the handle seemed to be made of plastic or ceramic, she didn't knew. It was painted with blooming pink flowers of a kind she didn't recognize in a blue background with white dots, could they be clouds maybe? The blade she couldn't see as the sword was currently perforating Kairi's chest.
This man unlike the other faunus she had seen today was sad, the expression on his mouth and despite of being unable of seeing his eyes she could tell that he didn't want this, that he didn't want to be here. The wolf's ears on his head lowering down to his dark blueish short hair, the left shaved side of his head revealing a knife cut that had healed a long long time ago but the scar remained never the less.
As time seemed to stop only for the sake of torturing Irina as she stared at her friend. Her whips escaping her grip as her arms lied wide open, Kairi's effort to protect her, her duty. The proud look on her eyes knowing that she was doing the right thing, the right decision fitted for a leader.
Kairi Amethyst's violet eyes did not shed a single tear in regret or in pain for her situation as her legs gave out into the stone of the courtyard. Her lips slowly curving in a half-assed smile, the best Irina ever watched her gave.
Her decision of giving away her life in the protection of those which she loved in single combat. Her last display of skill, even if wasn't a good one still filled her with pride as she crumbled in front of Irina's eyes. Her blood escaping her body yet her dignity and honor burned inside her like never before as she closed her eyes.
The faunus slowly sheathed the katana back in his scabbard. A single tear running away from his mask. His lips moving and if only ever so slighly Irina had caught his words clearer than the waves of the ocean. His voice raspy yet soothing and calm, like a strong wind of a cold morning. "Your honor remains untarnished...yet mine has been stained in a way that cannot be washed away." His face turning away from Kairi's body and towards the three remaining students left to die. Making his mind with a shook of his head. "Coming here was a mistake" he said as he turned around and began to walk away.
Irina was not able to comprehend what had happened just now, why Kairi had to die, for him to leave them alone. Her eyes began to water "K-Kiri..." She had never hated anyone in her entire life...until now.
Three white fang members approached their superior and nodded his way. "I will take my leave now, tell brother Taurus that I do not wish to partake in any remaining skirmishes on this moon or the nexts ones to come and if he wishes to settle this another way..." He grasped the hilt of his white sword, making the deer female faunus that was leading the other two shudder in fear. "Then so be it. There are three wounded humans there" he pointed at them, the three white fang soldiers fighting their urge to smile. "Put them out of their misery." He said simply as he began to walk away towards an incoming bullhead, ignoring the nods of acknowledgement from his subordinates.
"F-fucking soldiers..." Irina cursed her second since getting into Beacon. She looked around, the Zedong girl had a cut on her lip, her arm and a piece of brick rubble keeping her lower waist pinned, she was in a much better condition than herself only if she had a little aura remaining to free herself...no, it would do them no good either.
The other one, with dark-red hair and light blue jean jacket. Nolan Porfirio also from team BRNZ, was barely alive, with multiple cuts in his torso, and bruises on his face, his lower left had a sharp piece of wood coming out of it, he was in no condition to move and was surely regretting being part of BRNZ right now. They had joined Kairi and Irina in an attempt to gather survivors...
Brawnz, the leader was the first one to encounter this swordsman, and the first one to bite it, a large cut in his chest was the proof of that. The death of their team leader brought the grimm, and they got stuck into a fight between fang and grimm where the second casualty was their teammate Roy Stallion who was picked off from the head by a Nevermore, the crunching sound being the most horrifying thing the rest had ever heard at least gave them the certainty that he was now in a better place...unlike the rest of them.
Irina tried to move, her bow was far away from her grasp as she was kicked in the shoulder forcing against the ground again and her into a pained scream as she clutched her wound.
"LEAVE HER ALONE YOU FUCKING ANIMALS!" May Zedong screamed, throwing all the sticks, stones and pieces of concrete she could hold in her hands, not caring if she got cut. The fangs laughing at each other as they changed they target, heading over to the purpled haired girl trapped with rubble. Her eyes burning with fire.
"What do we do about this one, Tygs?" The male faunus at the right, with black bunny ears asked at the one in front of them, the deer one that had red long hair.
"Oh this one" she said as she smirked and crouched in front of her. Leaving her weapon at the side she pulled out a pocket knife and slapped May, making her weep, and grabbed by the hair as she brought the knife closer to her eyes. "I'm gonna have fun with this one." Tygs smirked.
Irina's breathing quickened, her eyes glued to the scene as she watched how it went down.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" The sharpshooter cried "GET AWA-" Irina must have blacked out at some point because otherwise they would not be an explanation as to why Rizzer was planting both of the soles of his boots into the face of the Tygs faunus. The low humming of his jets dying out as he made a flip on the face of the deer fang and kicked her away, making her crash against a tree. Irina only just realized that she had only blinked.
"RIZ!" She beamed a smile as she began to cry upon her salvation. The next few seconds for the other two fangs were confusing as hell from watching their friend get kicked in the face and thrown into a tree by an unknown huntsman all in the span of one second.
May kept blinking, as if he was an illusion oh but he was not. He was very real.
And he was really angry.
Rizzer raised his rifle with his right hand and grabbed the energy weapon that the deer faunus had left. The other two fangs regaining their senses and pointing their weapons at him. Riz focused the barrels of the rifles at the armed faunus, one for each. They all stood there for a solid five seconds in deep silence. Only the screams from not so distant grimm could be heard. Rizzer scanned the situation with his eyes, looking at everyone, his eyes stopping at the sight of her leader, face down against the floor and her arms sprawled at her sides. "No..." it had escaped him as he watched the pool of blood only growing in size around her lifeless body. "K-Kai-"
"KILL THE HUMAN BASTARD" Tygs yelled in angry, as she got back in her feet
The bunny-eared faunus squeezed the trigger only to have his hand, and gun shot out of the way by Rizzer. "fucker!"
The third brown haired faunus with a cat's tail did manage to fire, but missing his target as Rizzer dodged easily with the use of his semblance. His body dancing, dodging the incoming shots around as he fired at the three fang with incapacitating shots of his own.
He let go of the energy weapon as his hand reached for the knife in his thigh and slashed at the way of the feline faunus. The thing is Riz failed to see the man's aura going down as he was too focused dodging and firing at the same time so by the time that the knife had reached it's target it was too late to stop the swift movement that slitted the throat of the man.
Liquid spurted out like a fountain of red, a gagging sound was heard as the faunus reached for his throat with his hands. His legs failing on him as he fell to his knees.
The two of his comrades along with everyone else including Rizzer paralized at the desperate attempts for the fang to keep himself alive. The air that remained inside his lungs was quickly replaced by blood.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Tygs screamed at the top of her lungs as she began to run for him, her mask coming off revealing her teary chocolate eyes and a face full of contempt.
Rizzer however did not react, not instantly. The red sprayed on his face smearing his right cheek, brow and lips. He felt the knife in his hand, but what he felt was not a knife but something else. An extension of himself.
He gasped for air, he had to. In the next few seconds as he contemplated that men's eyes being deprived of life he understood something. Something he had kept locked so far away inside that he had forgot that it existed in the first place. And for a moment he grasped it, the reason, the knowledge.
In that fraction of a second as he turned around to grab the deer faunus's hand with his own he felt a wave of relief washing over him, his struggle, his losses, his pain all trapped inside him for all the people, the good people, that died today instead of him. He had let that box open for a moment as his feelings escaped him and were now poured all over the ground, letting them scatter away. He could feel himself smiling if only for a moment.
It felt like the first time he went up far above the clouds. When he realized what he wanted to be. A huntsman.
Is this what a huntsman does? He asked, looking for an answer inside his mind.
These people, these students were learning to help people, how to protect them from the horrors from outside. The white fang, the many faunus striving for equality, and the other many who just wanted to see humans dead.
This man that was deprived from living, who was he? He had family? Any kids? Did he wanted a better future for his race? Or he felt like some dirty humans just needed a beating, some payback, some murders, to equalize things, to fight violence with violence. Was the dying man repenting of choosing the path that lead him to his demise?
All of this questions flying around his head and there was only one answer.
That it didn't mattered anymore.
He diverted the fist from Tygs and threw her against the bunny faunus, both of them tumbling down and falling to the ground. The male's bunny ears perked up as he raised his rifle from the ground only to be met with a bullet on the head from Rizzer's own rifle which he was grasping with one hand.
Tygs screamed with horror as his partner's brains scattered in her face.
Irina could only watch, her hands closed in a fist. She never wished for anyone to die but this time, as she contemplated his teammate drop his weapons and walk over to the shocked girl. Her mouth closed, not emitting a sound, not trying to stop his friend as he bent over her and pulled out his sidearm.
"W-Why!?" Tygs yelled at him, her puffy eyes from crying as she hugged his dead friend in her arms. Glaring at him with such hate Rizzer had never seen before.
"Why?" The huntsman in training said in a calm voice as he pointed the end of the gun against the forehead of the powerless deer faunus. His face was expressionless but his eyes were like staring at hell itself. "That's the same question many people wondered themselves today. Why? Why me?" Placing his free hand on the girl's neck he began to squeeze with every word, making her cries more loud "Why can't I be spared? Why do I have to die? WHY IS NO ONE HERE TO SAVE ME?!"
Tygs broke down in tears as she began to shiver in terror, closing her eyelids and shaking her head. "P-PLEASE, PLEASE I'M SORRY! I DON'T- I DON'T WANNA DIE!"
"THEY SAID THE SAME THING AND WHAT WAS YOUR ANSWER!?" He screamed, grabbing her collar and pulling her closer to him. Pressing the barrel against her neck. Earning a desperate bawl in between sobs and weeps. "FUCKING LOOK AT ME AND THE EYES AND TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK WAS YOUR ANSWER TO THEM!?"
"I'M SO-O-ORRY" She screamed breaking down as her remaining strenght wavered, dropping her arms to her sides.
His finger began moving on his own, the nightmare would soon be over.
"Stop!" The feminine voice said. Rizzer relaxed the his trigger finger and turned his head, not to Irina but to May Zedong, the girl from before. His green iris turning blue as his semblance deactivated. She looked like she had cried a moment ago...but not anymore. Her stern face at the situation was something to admire. "She's had enough"
her words made him realize what he was doing, what he had done. He stared at the open hole in the fang at Tygs's side and felt the urge to throw up. He contained his vomit as he put the pistol away, back into his hip. He tumbled back and sat on the ground for a moment as he looked at his hands, new blood replacing the old one, the thickness of it in between his fingers. An feeling of uneasyness at the cries of the Tygs girl.
"Leave her be. Come, we need help." May demanded and Rizzer obliged as he stood up. He picked his weapons and hanged his rifle over his shoulder. First he helped May get out as she was the nearest, he silently offered a hand which she took. "Are you okay?" She asked slowly, concerned.
"I..." He took a second but he came to it. "I should be asking you that" Riz earned a chuckle from the Zedong girl.
"I'm fine, can still walk. I'll see to my friend" she said pointing to an unconscious Nolan laying in the ground.
"Can you carry him? Evac is underway, grimm are coming." His eyes looking more focused than before as he walked towards Irina.
"Yes, I can. Go with your teammate. Well be fine" Her voice was calm but he knew that she wasn't, not after everything that she saw.
Hell and he wasn't nowhere near fine either.
The blonde archer from KRTR shared a glance with him, her bleeding appeared to have stop if only for now. They both looked at each other as Riz kneeled at her side. "Riz..."
The flying boy grabbed her arm and slung it over his neck. Carefully lifting her up she hissed with pain. "Sorry..." Was the only thing he could say. "I'm so...I'm sorry. Rina..."
"What did it felt like?" She asked, a faint tone of curiosity mixed with dread. Rizzer shook his head almost as a reflex.
"You don't wanna know." His answer made her shake in her sneakers for a moment as they slowly began to walk their way towards the main courtyard.
"Riz...Kairi is..."
"I know..." He said, letting a gasp escape his lips. His heart sinking. The thought of Kairi's smile, the lavender smell of her violet hair. The fights and the laughs. It was over. "I know Rina..."
It was all over.
Suddenly he felt something. He pushed himself and the blonde out of the way just in time before a griffon could snatch them with it's claw. Irina gave out a pained shriek as she grabbed her belly with one hand. "G-ghAAHH!"
"Rina!"
"I'm fine" she lied. Riz let her go as he grabbed Hornet with both hands.
"Can you go on your own. It's not far!" He asked, firing at the winged beast.
"What about you? You can't-"
"I can and I will"
"Riz I already lost two friends today and I-"
He turned his head with a serious look, a look that was telling her she'd be fine...even if it was a lie. "Then let's not make it a three and go fetch some help! Go!" He yelled waving franctically his arm for her to leave.
The blonde didn't answer as she got up and began to slowly walk away, glacing back from time to time until he was out of her sight when she turned into a corner.
"Okay fucker..." Riz opened the receiver of Hornet, making sure he still had bullets in his magazine. He stared at the grimm with tired eyes. Unfolding his rifle into spear. "I've had a really long night...so I'm not in the-"
The griffon screeched at the heavens. Quickly attracting another one of it's kind who landed on his opposite site. He was surrounded. Looking around he realized that May Zedong was nowhere to be seen, good, she got away. His shoulders dropping into a relaxed stance as he flexed his knees. Walking slowly, looking for middle ground so that he could have both beast at his sight he spotted the one at his back slowly coming towards him, circling him, the second griffon doing the same. Riz's head turning around at each movement, his eyes scanning the posibilities. The beast behind him let out a mighty roar, he tightened the grasp in his spear in response.
"So this how I go out, huh..." He said to himself, taking in the facts. His aura was low, and he barely had any bullets left, sure he had the missiles in his shoulder but without Vis to fire them it was totally useless. Some trick or two in his sleeve yeah but it would not change the most possible outcome of this battle. A smug grin growing in his lips as he wiped away the blood in his face with the sleeve of his jacket, one last push in this dark night of hell, a final stand.
The grey-haired's fingers reached the knife in his sheath and as he twirled his spear in one hand he attatched the knife on the opposite end, transforming it in a double-edged polearm which he held with both hands and extending the staff for more reach over maneuverability. "Shame..." he muttered, holding Hornet from behind his back. "Ruby would've loved to see this in action"
The grimm in his back made the first movement, lowering it's legs and pouncing at him. Riz used his aura to make a high jump above the beast. He twirled the polearm around slicing at the thick bone armoured spine of the griffon that reacted by using his tail to whip him out of there and against a nearby wall. "Mmagh! Shit!" He cursed, his back hitting the wall with a loud noise. Rizzer stabbed his spear on the brick wall and planted his feet in the pole, crouching.
Both grimm staring menacingly from below they opened their wings as they took their time to wind up for an attack as Rizzer prepared for a persecution. "Alright...time to run for your money if you want it." By the time the griffons jumped Riz had already dislodged his spear from the wall and began to ran upwards the wall with the help of his aura concentrated in his feet. The grimms eated bricks as they followed Rizzer with the use of their wings as they tried to catch him, Rizzer twirled to the left as he avoided a set of claws that destroyed a good portion of the wall, leaving Riz without a place to run.
Having thought of the chance he twirled Hornet in his right hand and stabbed the nearest griffon with it in the side of the belly, although wishing it was the head he couldn't afford to complain. The grimm howled as Rizzer balanced himself in his pole and kicked the second incoming black terror in the head, knocking it out for a moment. He pulled out the spear and squeezed the trigger on the middle of the staff, firing a bullet and igniting the blades as he began to twirl in the air in a tornado of fire, slashing away at the two beast using the heated tips of his polearm. Hitting one of the grimms in the beak shattering it, white bone fragments coming out of it as the beast shrieked in resentment.
The second one however was not injured in such a way and took the liberty to slash at Riz's side using it's sharp bone talons. The student growled as he covered his left side with his hand for a second to try and soothe the pain away, he barely had any time to dodge the incoming swipe of claws that it was sent his direction. He grasped his jet's controls but before these ones could ignite his left arm was caught in the act by the mangled mouth of the injured grimm. "Oh no" his eyes widening as the mouth closened on his upper arm, making it howl with pain as he was being flailed in the air like a ragdoll, the pain made him loosen his right grasp on Hornet as the weapon fell to the ground.
Trying to regain some kind of stability as the griffon played with him like he was a rat caught between the paws of a cat. Rizzer was tossed aside against the walls, his mind was becoming unable to process the pain he was going through with each bang against bricks, stones and concrete. The griffon decided to make his descent to the ground and whipped the flying boy against the floor, a cracking sound on his left arm made Riz cry with pain. The grimm let him go, he lied on the ground, without strenght as his aura was already out, wounded. He would not live much longer.
Riz clutched his broken arm and placed it on top of his belly as he tried to crawl his way towards the spear stabbed in the ground, violents huffs and puffs coming out of his lungs. Blood coming from a cut on his forehead drained into his left eyesocket, clouding his vision. His legs had multiple cuts and it was very likely that his metal foot had broken in the impact. All in all that felt like nothing for him at the thought of Irina dying. His friend, a yellow, gleeful and sometimes obnoxious sunshine in his life and he was going to be damned if he was gonna let her run the same fate as the rest.
He turned around when he realized the griffon had decided to make the killing blow, the claws landing on his left shoulder Riz clenched his teeth as he used his remaining hand and strenght to push away the claw that was slowly coming into his left eye with nothing else to do about it except to hold it in place for a couple more seconds as it only got closer and closer. Riz blinked for a moment, his sight drifting away at something else, anything that wasn't the bastards ugly face and he stared at something...at inactive missile salvo on his right shoulder. Oh if only Vis was here, he pleaded, even if he didn't had his helmet on he could just tell Vis the trajectory and the only thing he needed to do was press the button on his wrist pad. "WAIT!" His eyes widened. The salvo already pointing upwards thanks to all the flailing around and aiming directly at the fucking winged rat on top of him. Only thing he needed to do was press the button, but for that he needed to let go of the claw which meant loosing his eye or in the worst of cases his life altogether.
Rizzer never liked to gamble, he was no betting person. He always liked to have control of the situation, of his surroundings. Something out of place, randomness just made him angry. But sometimes a gamble was a gamble. Like pushing Kairi out of the way a year ago. A small sigh escaped him as he thought about that moment, about how he unknowingly had gifted her another year, another miserable year, his body filling with rage at the thought that he wasn't able to do it again, that she was dead, Kairi was dead, Treynor was dead, his mother was dead and they'd never return. No matter what. And it was all fault of the fucking grimm and white fang and who the fuck else.
His blood boiling as he let go of the grimm and his hand drifted towards the pad of his broken arm. If he died right now at least the rest would be able to see some nice fireworks, his tears pouring out as the griffon's claw closened in his socket, it's sharp end opening the skin in his forearm, his eyelid but when the tip was about to reach the iris something happened, the grimm's claw removed the contact lense on accident, releasing a blinding white light contained within the fake blue-colored contact. The grimm backed away but not in time as his shoulder hissed, releasing all eight missiles into it's open screeching mouth and silencing it for a moment. The griffon stepped back and tilted it's head at Riz with confusion before exploding, sending dark and disgusting guts everywhere, covering his jacket.
"Ugh, fucking hell..." Riz spat away a piece of black tar beast that had jumped into his lips. Unsure of what the hell had just happened with that white light he decided to save it for later, he knew there was a second one and that it wouldn't wait long until it tried to take it's friends place. Unwilling to play as a main dish of huntsman his feet recoiled as he tried to gain balance.
Taking a hold of his spear with his good hand he got up and leaned on Hornet. Riz tried to pull it out only to find that he had no strenght remaining, all of his remaining energy was suddenly spent as he collapsed on the floor leaning on the pole of the weapon with his shoulder to prevent himself of falling completely. "D-damn it..." He turned his head as he heard the griffon land a couple of meters in front of him, the beast recognizing that the boy was spent, too injured to continue or run away.
He considered the possibility of running, but now as he sat on the ground his legs were relaxed with no signs of responding to him. This is it, he thought. "Guess this is as far as I go..." He muttered to himself as he reached for his sidearm, pointing at the grimm and firing. His three shots missing it's target due to his visibility being crippled he stared at his hand holding the pistol, he was shaking. Upon witnessing the feeling of cold in his fingers he let out a chuckled mixed with a bitter cough, remembering the times when his hands once trembled, when his whole body trembled in fear for the days to come.
He blinked and when he opened his eyes he was back there, his height reduced and his hand was tiny. A knife taking the spot of the gun.
Loud cheering all around him
"RI-PPER! RI-PPER! RI-PPER!"
He stared down to see his victim lying face down on the cold metal floor, the multiple holes of red in it's little body.
Riz took a deep breath and blinked once again, the scenery dissapearing and the only thing in front of him was the open mouth of the griffon coming closer to his face. It's breath smelled like shit, that made him smile. His shaking was over as he embraced his fate.
The grimm suddenly shrieked at the bullets piercing the wing on it's side, it's head turning to glare at an angry looking Coco pouring her heart as she continued to squeeze the trigger on her chaingun
"RIZZEEEEER!" She screamed. His eyes widening at the name, his name.
A surge of strenght finding it's way inside of him, his body felt more light and his left arm pained him no more even in it's current condition. His aura shimmering with a vibrant green.
He pushed himself out of the ground, punched the pad on his shredded wrist and yanked Windbreaker out of his back, pulling from the straps in his chest and breaking them as the engines began to roar in a last desperate effort for victory. The jets melting down as the combustion and electric crystals of dust inside it started to interact very dangerously with each other.
The griffon turned at him but it was a mistake. Rizzer was already on his feet as he swung the backpack to the grimm, stunning it for a moment, a valuable moment he used to wind up his arm as he muttered. To the beast? To himself? or to his ghosts? "I'm no ripper..." Maybe it was to all of them.
He threw Windbreaker over the head of the monster and called out his friend with all the fury of his lungs. "COCOOO!"
She understood, inmediately. Changing her target to the little jetpack transformed into a ticking bomb due to all the dust combusting inside of it. The shots were inacurate but to the fact that she had ammo to spare was enough to ignite Rizzer's pack into a growing ball of fire that engulfed the griffon.
Riz body was tossed around by the shockwave of the explosion, he landed on his butt yet he didn't stopped as he rolled back two times before he finally kissed the grass of the courtyard.
He didn't had the chance to spare a look around, too tired to move his head. The ringing in his ears didn't stop but the voice of Coco screaming and the clackity of her heels in the background coming closer to him served as an all clear sign. He allowed his tired body to give up, time began to slow down as he felt the pain coming back. Whatever the trigger for his aura to suddenly activate again despite being depleted was now gone as the green shimmer broke down around him.
The sounds began to fade along with the sensation of pain and a deep desire to rest laid upon him. "Sh-iet...so tired..." He huffed out. Hands were on him he could feel them as someone talked to him although he couldn't understand a word. Funny, the language seemed oddly familiar but the words he wasn't able to find any sense.
The cold no longer felt like cold, did someone put a blanket on him? From a moment to another he could feel his body resting on a more comfortable surface, a gurney? Had to be but he wasn't really sure due to all of his senses failing on him in his state of slumber that little by little was winning over his mind.
By the time he tried to notice he was already somewhere else, somewhere more calm and quiet. No sound at all. Riz found this very enjoyable and allowed himself to rest. 'feels like paradise...' he thought to himself as a small smile touched his lips.
A soft "beep" sound felt somewhat hypnotic as he drifted into sleep, a more deep slumber this time.