Arc II - Barons Rising
Chapter 18: Black and Blue
"And then there's you...a reputation that has flourished with each passing day." Una spoke in such a smooth voice it was almost misleading to believe her to be another of these 'Horsemen', my guess is that there's two more representing Pestilence and Death, she was Famine...not good. "A man from beyond this world, yet so adapt without an Aura or Semblance, merely a tool once created as a sword, but is now a shield."
"Someone's been doing their homework." I muttered
"A man used as a pawn, hurt in a way not many would survive mentally, yet here you are." Her hand rose to me at that, and I steadily clenched my fist
"That was a long time ago." Keep calm, don't let it get to you
"I am actually a Grimm, you know? I have just reached the peak of evolution, it is the same with my brothers and sister." That's...woah...a Grimm that looks, talks, acts human...but they don't have souls so...are they human? I...I don't understand this. "Once a king cobra, now I am Una."
"And? If you haven't noticed, Grimm can't become human." I questioned, and she smiled at that, looking up at the sky
"I always felt different, not because I lacked a soul like my siblings, but when I looked to the stars, I felt something...of worth, that I could discover something no Grimm could live to see, I would be able to understand the boundary between Humanity and Grimm without the need of rejection, with my ability to shed into this human form, I can see a world without walls, like you."
"You don't know me."
"I only have so little left in this world, I've watched others die for a cause I don't believe in, I don't want to give in too, I nearly lost my mind." I...
I felt something at that, maybe a small remnant of sorrow, even for a Grimm...was she really though? Then she placed a hand on her chest.
"I killed them all." My head shot up again. "When I saw innocent lives, Grimm or otherwise, I slaughtered those responsible, and I was really good at it...my form makes me invisible, a snake in the grass just waiting to sink my teeth through their necks."
"You killed extremists, Human, Faunus, Grimm too?" What the hell was she? That did make her grin
"It is who I am, I kill for justice, to bring a plauge to purify that which shouldn't be allowed to live anymore. An eye for an eye. Life for Life. Simple." She brushed off, my bladed arm raised to her
"You'd kill those wanting to make the world safe, Huntsmen and Huntresses that can't stop monsters that lack any reason like you?" I snapped at her sadistic way of thinking. She had morals that made sense, but too much so it's almost poisonous
"This is my calling, the reason I am here now like you. My ideals give my a reason, so what is yours?"
"I will live by the examples my Team gave me, I'll fight to save people from that abyss I felt." She paused in her step, looking at the stars with a small laugh
"I see...then..." Her hand grasped something behind her back, pulling out a black staff with red symbols carved into the face, the runes glowing at her touch as to make the staff grow, twin prongs on each end, forming a black polearm with silver blades on either end. With this, I stood firm with my arms to my sides, blades at the ready. "If these are our conflicting ideals, let us see who's means more to their being."
"Gladly."
[No one's POV]
Sky backed away immediately, avoiding the crash of the polearm from above, with Una twisting it around from behind her to thrust it into his arms, the metal screeching as Sky was pushed back to the roof again. She then leaped over his horizontal strike, placing a hand on his right arm to leap above Sky, before she brought her polearm down with both hands, missing Sky's left side my millimeters, yet another twist had brought the polearm around, making Sky freeze in his stepping, as he rose his left arm to his side, the polearm skating across the face and away from him.
Using the momentum, Sky spun his body around, swinging both arms in a massive, illuminated arc of blue light, only for Una to tilt her polearm in her left hand, parrying the arms with the prongs, causing blue sparks to fly, pushing Sky backward, Sky's feet digging into the roof. Then Una thrust forwards, swinging her polearm upwards to the left from the bottom right, and in instinct, Sky blocked, the polearm cracking the blade before she twisted to uppercut him with the bottom blades, throwing his body into the roof with a thud. Sky sat up again, grasping his chin where a small cut damaged the armor, she had a weapon strong enough to cut through Cognitum, then Sky was in trouble, even as she swung her weapon slowly as if she were testing him.
"Damn she's good..." Sky muttered under his breath, the wind brushing harshly across the building as Una scraped the twin prongs through the roof, stepping slowly towards him. "Of course you're unfazed."
"I will admit you are very impressive, you got this far with strength, there's no denying that, but your technique...it lacks something." Una hummed with a determined smile, but bloodlust was written in her eyes as she sprinted towards Sky again
She bent backward, ducking under Sky's strafe lunge, dodging to his right, as the polearm was driven downwards, but as she thrust her weapon towards Sky's side, he hastily blocked the blow with both arms, pushing back hard enough to slide his body towards her, elbowing Una in the face and grabbing her from under her chest, lifting the Horseman in a suplex. Una pushed her feet against Sky's chest with a shocking amount of flexabilty, but it dawned on him again.
She was a King Cobra Grimm.
Her body snaked out from under his arms, legs wrapped tightly to his stomach as she placed her polearm and hands on the ground to lift Sky up, the boy yelling as she threw him over the side of the railing and to the entrance of the industrial mine. Flipping back up, she pursued her prey.
Sky spun around, firing both gauntlets to wrap the chains around a rusted scaffold, his body rolled under a pipe and down onto the concrete below, the scaffold broke from the strain, and a platform of barrels fell from their perch, it didn't take much for the old, volatile dust and oil to erupt into flames, casting the dark mineshaft in a fierce, golden glow. Above him, standing beyond the raging fires was Una, her polearm resting in her right hand as she motioned for Sky to stand, all the while sounds were blasted with nothing but roaring flames and the screams of metal.
"Let us end our game, Kai!" Sky couldn't agree more, especially when he watched the serpent Grimm somehow move fast enough to raise her weapon high above his head, but he wasn't foolish, crossing his arms, Sky neutralized the strike with their weapons locked
"You're not the only one full of...tricks!" Sky pushed back, shoving the polearm into her face and blinding her for a second, in that moment Sky shot both blades to sink clean into the concrete wall through the fires, wrapping his arms once around the chains
When Una looked back she was left to grunt as Sky's feet drove into her abdomen, throwing her body through the fire and into the wall with a painful snap of bone that sent chills up Sky's back. Retracting the blades, he waited for her to stand tall again, only to hear her laugh aloud through the fire.
"Very good, but now it's time to part ways, Kai, enjoy your tomb." Sky had little time to react under the sudden lurch of the land sinking inward, his foot caught between two slabs of the concrete as it dragged him under, the small portion of the ground caving in as he yelled out in fear for the darkness underneath
The screams soon grew silent, and Una stood to dust herself off as she grazed her left cheek, feeling the black mist leak from the wound, this prospect brought a frown to her face.
"Be safe, Huntsman."
[Barrows of Mountain Glenn]
[Sky's POV]
Ugh...that hurt a lot...
"Good, I thought you were out completely." Wait...Specter? "Of course, I was the one who warned you of what the White Fang were doing up here."
"But you failed to mention the fact that I just met not only the creator of Cognitum two nights ago, and now Una, both of which are Horsemen of the Apocalypse." I dryly spat back, standing back up to view my new surroundings
"I...no, they're here?" Specter sounded frightened at that, almost sorrowful. "Okay, I'm giving Cognitum a file of the subterranean layout of Mountain Glenn, use this to navigate to the railroad."
"Wait, hold on-" I tried to interject
"No time, if you don't regroup and stop the White Fang this could very well be the end of Vale." I felt my heart stop for a moment, my foot frozen mid-stride. Specter, explain now. "Okay, but continue towards the railroad and keep to the shadows."
The whole area was built under Mountain Glenn, the mineshaft was an entry point...buildings hard finished and those left in ruin by time, the mines...Grimm must have slumbered here and they woke them, releasing a swarm that made this place Vale's largest burial ground.
"Long ago, back when Mountain Glenn was being established, a small company by the name of Merlot Industries stood with the construction of Mountain Glenn, working on artificial intelligence and genetics. However, they began experimenting on live Grimm which resulted in them attracting Grimm to the town, this result lead to the loss of both their primary facility and the whole of the Mountain town. No-one survived." Okay...that was the big building. "Yes."
"What does this have to do with the White Fang and the Horsemen?" I asked, moving into the shadows to see three White Fang members walk by, so they were here, but what does a train track have to do with this? No rail-lines lead to Mountain Glenn
"Mars may be a Grimm, but his intelligence in mechanics is nearly as deadly as the Atlas military, if he sent Una here it means he was after Merlot Tech and research...this includes their experimental Grimm files." Ok, that's bad. "If he were to replicate their work, it could be an army of Grimm controlled by all the Horsemen, if that happens...well, I don't know what we could do."
"Okay, if we live through today I guess that would be our next objective, but why are the White Fang here?" I was growing tired of waiting for an answer, I need to know
"They plan to use the rail system that runs under Vale as a breach if they can gather enough Grimm into the tunnel, and a train to breach a point where the land above is thin, they could send a horde of Grimm directly to Vale." Specter elaborated and I felt my urge to move faster kick in. "Sky, whatever happens next, please keep your team safe."
"I will...and thank you, Specter." I didn't get a response, so she must have been gone. "Okay, Iota, any signs of our team?"
"Your team. But yes, seems they too found a way in and our just up ahead actually." Great! Let's -
"Well if it isn't Kai, funny seeing you here, I thought Una had killed you." Mars... "Like it? I may be locked out but I can still access your coms, but don't worry, your friends are unharmed...mostly."
"If you have nothing good to say I-"
"But I do! Consider this a warning, you dare to delve any farther into finding me and word of your...dilema might just slip out." Mars spoke clinically, but I stopped moving at that, hell my whole body froze. "I see...you haven't told them, have you? About how you come from a world without Grimm, have been lying to them all...I wonder, will they accept that? That you are like any other human, a liar?"
I didn't respond, so he laughed. "I look forward to seeing how you fair with what happens next-" The transmission cut out, and gunfire drew my attention again
By the time I arrived, I saw that the intersection had ended with a massive railroad, with a train at the opposite end, and judging by the shotgun blasts, Yang was sure to arrive before long. That gave me all the reason to cut down the White Fang attempting to gun Ruby down. Iota?
"Now it's my turn."
Before the men could even begin to fire their weapons, I had already pinned one of their comrades down, as I threw my metal fist into his jaw, causing blood to spill slightly, then I looked to the last three, and my claws glowed a bright white as watched Iota clip them like scissors.
"Run."
"W-What is he!?" One said, but all he did was scream from the blast of fire that erupted from our palm, sending him to the dirt, then Iota grabbed the others by their faces, pushing them forcefully of their feet, and into the ground, as they belted us in the head, but all that did was rattle our mind's killing instinct. One even blasted us directly in the face, but all it did was bounce back at their weapon, shattering it
"Die lizard! Leach! Bloody worm!" Iota spat before the force Iota put behind my hands knocked them out, as he grunted in disappointment. "At least make it interesting!"
"I-Iota?" Turning back, we looked to Ruby with a cold stare as I felt my vision shift back in my favor
"You owe me, Red." Iota was gone once more and I watched as Yang came out of nowhere with the others
"Ruby!" I heard Yang cry out, as I turned to see them hugging, and then my head turned back to the bodies, all out cold or groaning. Then I saw their weapons, lying next to them, untouched by their hands. Then I looked to my own, as my claws dissipated, along with my pent up anger from Mars' little threat, but if he meant that...no, don't let it get to you now!
With a sincere voice, I looked at the doctor. "Sorry for making you worry, Doc, had a nice chat on my way back."
"As a teacher, it is my responsibility to look after all my students. Including the ones who have a past they are not proud of, and us teachers are ones who carry a lot, what you did was within my reason to allow." At that, I felt less ashamed as my mind reinforced what Specter told me about the train, which seemed to be right
"Ok-Ok listen! I know this a little bit of a drawback, but Torchwick's got all sorts of weapons and robots down there." Ruby quickly reminded us of our mission, as I kept my eye on the train, and judging by the movement, I'd say that they were ready to go
"Androids, mechs-they're all loaded up on the train cars." Ruby explained as she loaded Crescent Rose before Oobleck jumped in
"Ah that is ridiculous, the tunnels are sealed, th-the tracks lead to a dead-end." He explained, but not before the sound of a speaker system came online
~GET TO YOUR PLACES, WE ARE LEAVING NOW~
After the announcement, the train released a burst of steam, before the gears turned on the tracks, as the train slowly made its way down the massive tunnel. Which prompted me to point obviously.
"Well, it seems they have a dead end to meet!" Ha! Love my terrible jokes
"Yeah, it definitely sounds like they're going somewhere!" Yang added as Ruby pulled her scroll out, but I just pushed it back down
"Communications are dead here, all you'll get is static. The best chance we got is to board it and somehow stop the train." I pointed out, as we turned to all face the train
"I believe we only have one option..." Oh, we're doing it!
"Yes, finish the epic line!" Hush Eric, let us hear it
"We're stopping that train." Ruby finished, pulling Crescent Rose to her chest, but I just clapped happily
"Gotta love those epic starters to climaxes!" I happily spoke up, as they all looked at me, and I sighed. "No one ever gets my references..."
"I do!" Don't patronize me, Eric...
~OH? LEAVING SO SOON? BUT I HAVE SO MUCH LEFT TO SHOW YOU ALL~
"Who's that?" Yang asked us, but I felt my blood boil at Mars' voice, while something in the cavern shook the ground under us
~I DO HOPE THIS WILL AID IN MOTIVATING YOU. FRESH FROM AN ASSOCIATE OF MINE!~
From the ground shot forth a black entity. It was a black serpent that resembled the King Taijitu, only the white body was now coated with at least eight, green crystals, with the tattoos on its body glowing the same, sickly mint green. The black cobra head was the same, only red tattoos sunk into its face, with the cracks of green up its body, large, illuminated crystals sunk into its spine and grew smaller down its back.
"A...what kind of Grimm is that!?" Weiss gaped, but I quickly fired two ice blasts to stall the white head from moving closer
"Get to the train now!" Blake called, with all of us, including Zwei, ran, my hand held out to fire more ice dust towards the ground to force the Mutant Grimm to evade with malice hissing
~RAKAN TAIJITU! KILL~
To Be Continued...
Part two of three and boy did I like writing Sky and Una, especially their small skirmish. But now its time for the final act, and many good things are to come of it, but not all good things are good in Sky's case. Hope you enjoyed, seeya in the next chapter!
Next Chapter: More Than You See Act III
Team RWBYS is once more stuck in a tight spot, both in stopping a runaway train and a mutated Grimm resembling that was once a King Taijitu. If they survive, Sky may finally have to ask himself one dreading question, 'Am I a bad person'?