AN: Here we go! Another chapter of Bastion just waiting to be read! In this one we see how the boys get out of one tough spot and we see Jaune finally begin to take a turn as enough stress slowly begins to eat away at him...
"Why does this shit always happen to me!? Specifically when I'm around you lot!"
"Don't complain. You like fighting."
"That doesn't mean I want to die!"
"Who said anything about dying?"
Kage asked as he fired another bolt round into a fang blowing their skull apart and blasting clean through him only to explode five feet behind him in a storm of shrapnel rending the surrounding faunus into a thin crimson liquid as it broke them apart in a pop! Of gore.
"Oh, now you want to be an optimist!"
Zach said firing a barrage of green lasers into the fang as the shook and jerked as bolts of emerald energy punched clean through them melting their flesh.
"I'm always an optimist."
Kage said as he fired twice more, as twin bangs! Erupted into the damp corridor as he shot twice blowing twin holes into the faunus line as the men were yanked off their feet only to be shredded by the wall of shrapnel from the rounds as they ran through the corridor.
"Six! What's our location!"
Jaune yelled as he backpedaled his sword and shield out as he covered the rear of their formation as the small group of Bastion students fought their way into the Kernel.
The four students had been trapped inside enemy lines as Jaune's near-disastrous attempt at calling in an air strike had landed them smack dab in the middle of a literal fortress as the student's soo found thems alone isolated and without contact to the rest of their allies.
"Sir! We are progressing along the main pathway into the Kernel proper! At this rate, we will reach a large chamber that I assume to be of some strategic significance in approximately five minutes!"
Six yelled back trying to work his badly damaged Vox set as he tried to manage the dials and knob of the black smoking machine that was strapped to his back as Jaune covered his rear.
Whatever plans Jaune had about being more useful in close quarters were dashed almost as soon as they made their breach. Jaune saw that since the vast majority of fang offenders that bared their progress were at the front of the tunnel.
Making Kage and Zach's range weapon a necessity to clear out the stuffed hallway. The students barely got less than five feet into the enemy base; they had been swapped by a wave of fang that had come to overwhelm them much to the fang's peril.
The faunus came in waves rushing for the front in a line dozens strong only to be just as quickly annihilated by them. Kage's powerful pistols barked into the fang sending glowing yellow softball sized shells into the fang line. The anti-armor charges easily breaking past the line of faunus killing any enemies in their path punching a straight line stopping only for some type of onboard monitors kicked in and the rounds hit their maximum travel line and exploded during the apex o their trajectory and turning the surrounding fang into a fine red paste as they were laced with burning white shrapnel.
Meanwhile, while Kage blew apart scores of faunus, with powerful shrapnel blast. Zach maritaled himself much more precisely. As he shot lines of viridian death at the fine. His energy bolts blew straight past aura an nd armor. Not giving the slightest of cares about any protection of the faunus defenders defense. As the energy slammed into them taking down one faunus per strike.
Every time the angry lances hit the bored deep holes into the fane blase them back and creating small but long holes of smoking bones and popping and sickly charged flesh as he fired a seemingly endless amount of green into the lines.
As the two fighters blasted apart the fang killing the fang just as quickly as they arrived painting the wall of the tunnel red, and filling the groin with gore and corpsed. Hell even some site lining but grievously injured faunus cried out for help before Zach silently but efficiently put energy shot's into their heads or chest as he executed the wounded.
Normally Jaune would have been incensed at the flagrant violation of their rights, and if it was earlier in his time at Bastion might have even attempted to orient hey treat the wounded Fang members or at least not just let them die.
But that was when he was young, and now Jaune just didn't care. Well, that's not true. He did care but just not a lot. These men and woman were terrorists. They made their choice in life, and now they paid the price. Jaune thought taking a bloody assault rifle form a fang member whos blood was still warm as the money woman's eyes rolled up at Jaune.
Her admittedly pretty yellow eyes where now murky and cloudy as her eyes glazed over staring off into nothing. He took the weapon from her grip with little effort shoulder the blocky gun and aiming down their rear.
As luck would have it, that proved to be the correct course of action as half a doze fang came from somewhere out form their rear. Most likely hidden passage or a uncheck door s the team was fighting for speed, not thoroughness as the terrorist raised their rifles.
"Behind us!"
Jaune yelled aiming his rifle and pulling the trigger.
BANG!
Once again his atrocious lack of aiming showed it's ugly head. As his gun bucked and kicked evil one bright angry flashed into his vision as his sprayed bullets all over their line.
Luckily unlike the outside, the inside of the Kernel was a literal kill box, and he gunned down four of the member in puffs of red wounding the other two granting Zach enough time to spin around firing twin bolts into their heads double tapping the faunus in an impressive display of dexterity killing the stragglers as he slid back to the front without missing a bet.
"Where did you learn to aim!?"
Zach shouted virid bolts firing freely as Jaune grimaced.
"I never did."
Jaune admitted as Zach nearly choked.
"You what?! How do you not know how to aim!? Kage how do you let your boss as you call him not know how to shoot a weapon!?"
"Never seemed like an issue."
Kage said firing again taking a moment to slide as Zach and he shifted positions going back to back without a moment of verbal communication as Zach covered his friend back as Kage reloaded before they switched positions again now with Zach reloading and Kage covering him, as the two acted in flawless synchronicity as the fought back to back along the hallway.
"You never thought that having a full team of people who know how to use guns was a good thing!?"
"I can see now how that might have been slightly short-sighted."
"You don't say."
Zach said sarcastically as Jaune frowned.
He needed to learn how to shoot. That fact was clear as day. The only real reason Jaune did not know how to shoot was actually quite simple. He thought guns were used for killing and Jaune was no killer. Well not then and even now! Jaune did not think of himself as a murderer! Sure he killed, but that was self-defense! I'm not a murderer! I'm not like Ruby-
Stop that! Jaune slapped himself internally for even think that Ruby was monster as he checked the assault rifle. He had no idea what to look for let alone how to even reload the thing, and he made a mental note to ask Ruby how to shoot when if he ever got out of the Kernel that is.
As the boys fought, he made sure to take time to grip every spare magazine the fang left behind. Ignoring the bloodstained black boxes as he picked them up from the ground and moved on.
He would admit saying that he did not be to use a gun because it was used for killing was hypocritical in the extreme, seeing as he used a sword, that was also made for killing. But it was different! Or so he thought.
He always saw the word as a defensive weapon. Something that you used to defend yourself and your family! Not something that you used to kill others. Not that you couldn't use a sword to attack someone!
Jaune was naive, but he was not that foolish. He knows people committed attacks with swords and guns in an almost equal measure, but it just seemed different!
Like if he used a gun some part of him would die, and another part would be born. He felt like if he finally gave in, finally let himself be a killer that he would lose some integral part of himself that he did not want to lose.
Now that idea seemed foolish. Childish and ridiculous! His refusal to learn practical combat techniques had not only put himself, but his allies in danger and Jauen refused to let that happen twice vowed to become at least proficient if not a near Ruby level marksman up his triumphant return to Bastion.
Assuming he did get back to Bastion as the floor went red with gore as the four students made their advance they soon found themselves in the large room that the saw on their map, briefly stolen from the fang's own systems as the burst into the room.
"Well, at least we can rest."
Zach said as they entered what looked to be a command center of some type. Probably an old one or a noncrucial one seeing as how it was hastily evacuated.
The four sutured wanted no time securing themselves inside the building as they set up a small perimeter.
Kage blockaded the doors leading into their newfound shelter; Six began working on his Vox device. Trying to get it back in working order so they could have the off chance of contacting the outside, Letting their allies know that they were in fact still alive and that they had successfully infiltrated the Kernel.
Not that Jaune had high hopes for that route leading or anything remotely helpful. Thier mission was not to destroy the fort not to infiltrate. It. Hell, he and kage were not even supposed to be here! They were supposed to be far above the battlefield traveling to Arcadia to settle a much smaller engagement.
As Zach and Six were most likely presumed dead and Ruby was undoubtedly worrying her head off about him. He wondered if Mika was worried? He had never seen the girl express much emotion being joy and irritation.
As she seemed to live for a purely hedonistic lifestyle and while she did show some concern to her teammates he was not entirely sure the ranking of importance she placed on them.
Really anyone besides Kage seemed to be an accessory to her life rather than an equal part and-
"Ok! Room's clean! Let's take fave and figure out how it the hell we got out of this cluster fuck of a mission."
Zach said hopping down from one of the two metal walkways that lead to the upper floor of the room. It was a what Jaune thought not now be a typical fang outpost. The room had several dozen computer monitors hook of a grated metal floor. ALnogn with one central processor that Six was meddling with as Zach got down.
As the students set up shop Kage cam back from securing the doors with a grunt as they went over their plans or in their case just how the hell they planned on escaping.
"Door's locked. They won't be coming in through there anytime soon."
Kage said in a firm but bored tone as he checked his massive pistols.
"Six you got something yet?"
"No, sir! But I am still trying! I anticipate that it will be at least another ten minutes before I can breach their security codes and hack inot their audio traffic! After that, I can have more relevant information for you." Six said as Zach called them to order.
"Ok! Ok! You miserable lot what do we have to work with? I mean anything! Tell me what you know what you want to now and if you do have any idea on how the hell we get out of this nightmare alive I am all ears!"
Zach said as Jaune grimaced.
"We don't have coms so we can't call for help."
"You don't say? Not that that would do us any good. Bastion does not do rescue operations for first years usually. No matter how good they are." Zach said pointedly as Jaune as Kage glared at him.
"Don't be mad that we got promoted. Mister major? What the hell had a stoke and decided you of all people should be in charge?'
"Hey! I earned my damn rank! I'm not a major for no reason! Unlike you glory boys!"
"Glory boys?"
"You heard me blondie! We can't; all be fancy toy soldiers like you guys!'
"First of all, we are not glory boys. I didn't even want to be in the death korps in the first place. I was just following my leader and teams voices who were insistent on going despite my many, many objections to the course of action."
Kage said given Jaune a glare that he kept and returned.
"I chose for the team. And the majority of its members believe it was right."
"Was it? I would like to point out we did it for the food, not the safety. And while the food I much better I still do not think it was worth risking our very lives for."
"I think we made the right choice. The food saved us. If we didn't have it, we might have broke."
Jaune said silencing the argument as Kage nodded.
"Fair point."
"When did you learn to compromise? Are you going soft? Did the reaper finally get to you? I've seen you her and Hino together sparring. She's gotten better actually. Speaking of her! Where is the hell the little reaper? And you damned pet psychopath?"
"They are still on the plane."
Kage said as Zach raised an eyebrow.
"Still on the plane? The hell? If they are on a plane going to god knows what hell hole why in the seven hells are two bastards here?"
"We fell off."
Kage said plainly as Zach's mouth dropped as even Six's usual difference of authority fell as he raises an eyebrow at them.
"You... you fell off a plane? How...
"There was an anti-air strike that sent him off. I love to catch him, and another round sent us both spill out."
"Wait! Wait for one second! You could keep your fee on loaned blondie, and you made Kage's for some reason sentimental ass jump out to save you only for you both to fall out!?"
"Yes," Jaune said look Zach in the eys pointedly as he began to howl in laughter.
"Oh my god! You two suck! Are you telling me that you were not even supposed to be here?!"
"No. We were supposed to fly over the fight and go on another mission altogether."
Jaune admitted as Zach began to gasp.
"How the hell do you fall off an airplane!? Why weren't you holding on the damn railings? Or the zip lines!?"
"We didn't have any."
"Why!?"
"Becuase Arcadians don't like outsiders. And besides that, we just fell. Our partner is still back on the plane safe."
"You think they are safe. I mean hell they could have been shot down minutes after you fell! You don't know anything!"
Zach said as Jaune glared at him.
"They are fine."
"How do you know that?"
"Becuase I know it."
"Oh? When did your balls drop blondie? That's mean sure you got. If I was not the man I am, I might be intimidated by it. Might."
"Speaking of partners. Where is Hino? I don't see her here, is she-
"Dumb broad's probably somewhere in the hell hole of outside. If you are worried about her don't be. It takes more than a small sea of chemical fire to kill her. She's made of tough stuff. Not as dense as your head, of course, my friends but still pretty dense."
"I do wish you would not call her that. It's offensive int he extreme."
"And since when did Venke Kage care about offending people? Did you really go soft?"
"Sirs! I got something!"
Six yelled as the bean to cow around him.
"What do you have Six?"
Jaune asked as the boy chek his dial as an s of voice exam over his head she.
"Don't keep us in the dark kid! Tell us what's up!"
Zach orders Six began to talk.
"They think that we are a full contingent of students! They don't know that we are only four! They are gathering a large force to purge this room as we speak but are hesitating because they have no idea how far the breach has spread."
"Perfect! They have no idea how many of us there are!"
"That buys us an hour max. Once they know, there is only four of us? We are going to get swarmed and killed."
Kage said firmly as Jaune stepped up.
"No, Zach's right. we can use this to our advantage.'
"See! Even blonde over here see's my wisdom! But seriously tell me Jaune how in the hella re we getting out of here alive?"
"Like this. Six do you know how many Fang are in the base? Can you give me a rough number?"
"Do you want an exact number or just a rough estimate."
"A rough estimate will do."
"Two thousand. And that's a minimal estimate. Maximum? It could be up to five thousand Fang, all with some level of training and the majority in some way armed."
Six admitted as Zach whistled loudly and Kage grimaced.
"Oh fuck me! That's just great! They have more bodies to throw at us then we have ammunition! What now?"
"Now we make a plan."
Jaune said as he looked at the screen.
"Six do you know if they have any centralized leadership? Where is their command structure?"
"I think it would be three levels above us. This base is honeycombed into the entire mountain. It's a lot like our school in that way if you think about it."
Six said as Jaunegrimaced.
"It's like a second Bastion?
Jaune also said as Zach spat angrily on the grated floor.
"Great. We left the hell we knew for one we don't' Fanfuckingtastic! So what's the plan wonder kid? We waiting to die or are you the go out guns blazing in one last blaze of glory way! Or whatever the hell you kids are calling your damned martyrdom these days. Fucking kids, dumb ass ideas."
Zach asked sarcastically as Jaune smiled.
"Neither. I have a plan that's going to get all of us out of this damned place. You just need to listen."
Jaune said as he began to explain their ticket out of here.
"So Six do you have any family?"
Jaune asked the initiation student who's gosht pale skin was illuminated by the dim blue glow from the terminals as he worked his Vox set into the enemy communications.
"Actually I do! They live in Mistral at the moment, but I doubt that they know much about me."
The younger boy who Jaune guessed to be an early teenager. Maybe twelve to thirteen years at best said as he put a headset over his ears and dialed in a frequency.
"Really? I you have a family then how did you come to Bastion? It's a long way form, Mistral."
"That's an easy one, sir! I wanted to be a hunter, and I was too young to join Haven!"
"So you joined Bastion instead?"
"Sure did! It was the best decision of my life!"
Six said happilly as he began to turn his dial more carefully as Jaune grimaced.
"How did you even find out about this place?"
Jaune asked as he frowned internally. Bastion was in the middle of no was, and it was not lying they just handed out flyers and-
"I found a flyer for it!"
"Speak of the devil. You what?"
"I found a flyer for the place, sir! They were handing them out in Mistral near where I lived! They asked if I wanted it to become a hunter."
"And you said yes?"
"Sure did!"
"And they took you with no training?"
"They said that previous training was unneeded as I would be trained there!"
"Six! You shouldn't just join a huntsmen academy with no-
Jaune trailed off as he bit back that particularly ironic statement as Six tilted his head. His light brown eyes and black hair bobbing in the room.
"With no what sir?"
"With no... your family! Didn't you family miss you? What did they say about you coming to an unknown hunstman academy! They must not have been thrilled with you right?"
Jaune asked desperately trying to change the subject matter as Six shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't know. Don't care you know?"
"No, I don't. I know my family thinks I am dead along with my team and they probably spent nights if not weeks crying over me. What about yours? Don't you think your family is worried about you right now?"
"Ehh? Maybe? I mean I didn't have much family, to begin with. It was just me my mom and my cousin working our farm in Mistral."
"You have a cousin?"
"Yup! Only one of my family anywhere close to my age! His name is Oscar, good kid. Kindo of he likes farming way too much but I like him at least."
"Does Oscar know you are here?'
"Nope! And neither does my mom! They didn't approve of me being a hunter, they both wanted me to stay on the farm. And continue the family business! I said to hell with that! I jumped on the first dropship that was taking kids to Bastion and was there on the next day!"
"After that, I met my team got to know them and joined the Death Korps for better food! Then I met you sirs and know I am on my way to becoming a better hunter!'
"Now that you mention it where is your team Six? You've never mentioned them before where are they?'
"Grimm ate em!"
"What?!"
"Grimme ate them. Did I not say that loudly?"
"Are you ok?!"
"Yes? Why wouldn't I be?"
"Your team got eaten!"
"It's like Zach always says, Shit happens, you're not special."
Six said in a nonplussed manner as Jauen began to argue before a loud Wham!
Filled the area as Zach tossed a massive book with the words, The seven Psalms on it to the floor making Jaune wince.
"Zach? The hell is this?"
"That! My blog friend is what I like to call int he thief business a problem. A big fucking problem that is going to make our lives a lot more difficult if we don't treat this carefully."
"Kage? what's going on?'
Jaune asked as the boy stalk over his armor making hissing noises like there was kind of servos? Of all thing inside of it as his natural rock-like face became pure granite as he frowned heavily.
"We have a problem Boss. It looks like this isn't just any fortress that we found ourselves in."
Kage said flipped his foot of the books Jauen gave it another look.
The seven Psalms of the light. The guide to a batter life and the worship of our Lord. First edition.
"What's so wrong with this? It's just a book right?'
"No jaune this is not just a book! This is the damn seven Psalms! Do you know what that means!?"
Zach practically growled as Jaune picked up the book and began to thumb through it.
"Not really no. What does it mean?"
"It means we are not just surrounded by a group of deranged terrorist. We are now! Surrounded by a group of deranged religious fanatic terrorist who might see our very existence as a sin that needs to be cleansed!"
Zach said as Jaune gulped as he began to read the book.
"So this is how we die? I got to say I never expected to go quietly, so I'm ok with this."
Kage said as he fired twice to blow the brains out of two faunus as he and Jaune sprinted down a narrow hallway. After the discovery of the book of the Psalms Jaune's decision had become clear.
As he had been hoping beyond hope that he could convince the fang leadership that they had the superior numbers, and use a string of harrying attacks the break their will and make them surrender their fortress to them.
"We aren't dead yet!"
Jaune sail sliced for took the leg from a dear woman making her scream in agony as bleed passe this face before he sliced down train her jugular as he and Kage fought their way to their objective.
"Gotta be honest Boss. I'm with Zach on this one. I didn't expect you to go full madman with us here. I mean I expected his type of plan form Mika, not you."
Kage said referencing Jaune's new plan to get them out of the fort that was a bit unethical by well everyone's standards.
After the reveal that their enemies were fanatic and that negotiation was a non-issue, Jauen was faced with an interesting problem. There was no way in hell that they could fight their way out of the Kernel. No way in hell.
They were severely outnumbered and even if they adopted his strategy, and they did adopt it to cannibalize the guns and bullets using their ranged firepower as a last resort the odds of fighting their way out was slim to none.
Not to mention the fact that there was an unknown amount of fang reinforcements on the outside? Things were not looking good for the four teens. And seeing as his option was limited Jaune made the only decision he could as a leader. They were going to kill them. They were going to kill every last Fang in the damned Kernel, and this was how they were goi n to do it.
"You don't have to like it you just have to do it!"
Jaune hissed swinging his stolen assault rifle letting loos half a magazine of rounds tearing down half a dozen faunus in a short controlled burst. His aim while nowhere near those of his friends had been steadily improving and with Zach helping him for a brief if not touching moment to quote. "Get his shit together, and stop almost shooting them in the ass."
As they fought their way into a narrow ladder that Jaune had to agree. The plan to kill every last Fang in the base was insane to the extreme and the fact that Jaune had been the one to come up with it was a sharp display to the effects Bastion had had on him as he played his plan through his head.
We are going to gas them. Jaune said as Kage raised an eyebrow, while Zach's jaw dropped and Six shifted nervously.
They thought he was insane, but it was not so. Or maybe it was? Maybe Jaune was finally losing it as all the pent-up Bastion stress had finally made him snap!
But now the plan was simple. Jaune had ordered Six to find the base's power supply. After a quick look, the boy discovered that the base had a large supply of natural gas. That was one part extremely toxic to anything that was not a Grimm. And was incredibly flammable.
The gas was being pumped inot the base's power generators as the lack of dust from the fans isolation from their main body, and their lack of crude fossil fuel courtesy fo the first mission had driven them to this place the Kernel for it's rich amoung of natural gasses.
The gasses that Jaune was planning to use against them. He had ordered Six to see if it was possible using the knowledge he gleaned from the intercepted transmission and the know that Zach had hacked from captured scrolls, and terminals Jaune had come up with a strategy that bordered on insanity.
They were going to gas them. Jaune had with the information gather decided that if they could flood the base with the natural as they would suffocate the faunus to death asphyxiating the entire base and killing the entire garrison in a few minutes. Allowing them to leave with not only thier lives but the base intact as a reward for the Death Korps command!
The best part was the fact that Jaune was banking of the faunus heightened sense of smell. He was banking that the faunus would need considerably less gas to be killed then human due to their animal treat s and since Six had located a storage room full of gas masks and other time kept in case for gas leaks, Jaune had ordered the attack.
Zach had been able to sabotage the gas pumps main intake valve and as of now, gas was slowly seeping into the room that pumped it. Following that, He and six would go and secure the gas masks and any other survival gear for them While Jaune and Kage would go and kill the command group.
Jaune had learned that the central command hub of the Kernel had a singular shut off switch that if tuned off usual shut down the gas flow killing the plan before it even began so they had to neutralize it.
While Zach and Six secured the survival gear, Jauena and Kage would go kill the command staff.
Which were a group of size elites guarding the command center and Jaune and Kage were going to go there and kill them.
As they sprinted up the metallic catwalk break past the thing metal doors to make the final run out the door, Jaune banked it all on this. He and Kage needed to hit and hit fast as the reached the door, Jaune nodded to the boy who nodded once back before reaching back and kicking down the door in a loud WHAM!
Sending the thin metal door frame down with an armored boot as the two rushed into the chamber's harsh light.
As soon as they enter there was a muted silence as six towing faunus in a mask shot their head up at them making Jaune grimace as a loud BANG!
Filled the air as instantly one of their heads was turned on pula s Kage fired once, kill one elite and make the two scrambled for cover.
They never got the chance as Jaune opened fired on them with his assault rifle kicking not as wildly in his hand as he let the full magazine go hit the remaining five faunus wounding them but not killing any as their aura flared and blocked the bullets.
Instantly a hail of bullets slammed into them as other guards and even some technicians drew rifles and small arms as the boys slid under cover of a nearby terminal. Narrowly escaping the angry return fussilade of lead as they dove into cover.
BANG!
"That's two of them!"
Kage yelled as he killed another elite as he ducked behind cover a wall of bullets slammed into them making Jaune grimace as the harsh pings! And things! Of projectiles filled the air making him glare at them the enemy.
The four surviving elites had taken cover behind a wall of a terminal as Jaune eyed them.
As he glared through the hail of lead that was impacting their over Jaune saw them clearly for the first time. Two of the four seemed like normal fang Troopers yet slight bigger and with red marks indicate rank on their chest, on was a brute with a chainsaw like the one form the dead lands as the other?
The other looked more like a priest more than anything. He was clad in long flowing white robes and held a bile of the Psalms in his hand along with a long ordained staff with a shining golden eagle on its tip.
As they were fired upon Jauen saw the end.
One fang unit had a grenade launcher and was aiming it right at them.
"Kage!"
Jaune yelled as he heard the tell-tale Thump!
Of the grenade launching follwed by a small whooshing sound as his world turned into flame.
The next moment was a blur of fired and shrapnel as Jaune jumped out of the way of the blast a wall of bullets slammed into him before the concussive force sent him sprawling backward.
Jaune cried out as seven bullets broke past his shell and aura impacting directly against his armor the as shrapnel found his legs as the bullets found his chest, thig and arm as the harsh coppery taste of blood entered his mouth as he crashed to the floor.
"I'm hit!"
"Boss!?"
Kage yelled as he was caught dead in the open as a wall of bullets found him slamming into his armor making him wince as bright yell sparks filled the air as Jaune saw his own doom looming over him a shadow fell over him.
The priest. The damned faunus priest had jumped out and over his cover forgoing all types of battlefield common sense and was now barreling down on Jaune staff raised high his most feat align with rage as Jaung glared at him furiously.
"If you want to die first so be it!"
Jaune yelled at the man gripping his sword so tight his palms bleed as he fought past his pain as he leaped at the man prepared to meet his end fighting, as the voice of Zach came through his scroll.
"The gas is in the command center! Where the hell are you guys!?
Zach yelled into his ear just as a stray bullet hit Jaune's sword tilting it to the right and making it explode in flame.
In an instant, Jaune's sword was engulfed in a rolling inferno of fire. As he swung the flaming piece of metal ready to strike down the impudent faunus leader only to find that the room had mysteriously gone quiet and the only sound he could hear besides the crackling of the flames was his own yelling as the faunus had stopped firing at him. And we're all currently on their knees in a bowed position almost like they were praying...
"My lord!"
The man yelled as the faunus in the room stop fighting as the also bowed down to the blonde with the flaming sword which looked like the word was turned upside down...
"You're what?"
The sound of a growling engine filled the air as Jauen, Kage, Zach, and Six finally prepared to leave the Kernel. The former Fang now current Death Korps fortress was successfully pacified and now the four students were riding out on a former white fang now officially a death korps APC as Zach looked like he had just seen a gohst
"So... do any of you mind telling me what the fuck! Just happened!?"
Zach asked as the APC growled it's heavy motor filling the air with a rough throat growl as it pulled out of the fortress. As the singing began again...
~Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;~ ~He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on. ~
The voices of hundreds of faunus sang out as they all rod on their back of their individual troop transport as the mass exodus of military forces form the Kernel began in earnest.
The four Bastion students sat on the back of one of the said transports as they rode away like conquering heroes that they actually were. As the four left they found themselves wishing for dear life that they still had their gas masks still on or that they brought them at least as the faunus soldiers undaunted by the sea of ash or maybe in spite of it continued to chant with renewed vigor.
~Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!~ ~Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on!~
The faunus sang their tune as the four students sat in shocked silence their minds barely able to process what had just occurred to them. As the former forest was reduced to a sea of ash and the growling roar of the engines along with the metal track of hundreds of vehicles kicked up the ash water strung them into a noxious sea of storms of dust and waste as they rode out.
~I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps~ ~They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on!~
"They think Jaune's a god."
Kage said as he covered his mouth with his g armed hand as Zach's jaw dropped.
"They what!? The fuck!? Blondie!? God!? I don't think that it's unfair to ask for some god damned explanation here!"
"It is said in the seventh verse of the good book of the seven Psalms. That during a time of great suffering a prophet will emerge. He will have hair the color f the sunlight and eyes that shine like the sea. His skin will be pale mo so much to be snow but more like the tone of wheat. He will come in a ball of fire and will bring his righteous wrath to those that oppose him."
"He will be easily recognized by a sword that will burst into flamed at a moment notice and he will be mighty."
Jaune finished quoting the psalm of the lights Zach balked.
"They... they really think you are a god?"
"That's what I said and who am I to say a damn thing different?'
Jaune asked as the four of them rode off into the ash waste staring the day long tip back on Bastion with an army of surrendered loyal white fang in tow...
~Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!~ ~Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!~ ~Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on!~
AN: There we go! The Kernel is pacified and the boys ride back as conquering heroes! This chapter ended on a bit of an upbeat tone don't expect to many of those, and seeing as it's setting up the rest of the story! The next part is more relaxed and goes a bit into the iner politics that a place like Bastion fosters so until then! Game on is next and thank you for reading.
Ps. In case you were wondering yes team ARKM will go back to Beacon for the VYTAL festival with some friends in tow and spoiler alert! The next time you see the Kernel is the last Bastion arc before the return so until then! Have your self an Omake!
PSs. If any of you thought I am hard on Ruby in this fic so far? You have no idea how dark this is going to get...
Omake Hero of Remnant Part four. Hard times.
"This is ridiculous! Less the one full cycle and there is already a riot!?'
Jaune asked as he Ren, Ruby and this Falka girl sprinted through the hallways of the Ruby began to panic.
"This never happened before! The soldiers usually get along great with one another!"
The young commander practically yelled as the four of them tore through the narrow ball colorless wall and floors to the one hundred and eight base as they made their way to the cafeteria.
"What do you mean sir? We always have fights! Even before the men came we use to give one another a good beating!"
"Falka!"
"What do you mean by that Falka? Are brawls commonplace in your unit?"
Jaune asked the trooper as the rouned a corner their boot skidded to a half producing aloud sickening sound as they heard the sounds of chaos coming from the cafeteria.
"Of course! We always did love to give one another a good bloody nose! It's even better with the men around! Especially this one...
Falka said given Ren bedroom eyes as the man looked positively terrified of the woman s Jaune sighed.
"That was not in your report Miss Rose. Do you have a habit of keeping thing form your regimental commissary?"
"No! Not at all! I just did n' think that you would find that tidbit particularly fascinating! Or relevant!'
"I see. Next time Miss Rose do share any and all information let me be the judge of whether it is or is not particularly relevant all right?"
"Sir! Yes, sir!"
The woman said as Jaune finally reach the doors where the sound of human shouting, glass breaking and the sound of flesh tearing filled his ears as he took a deep breath.
"Here goes nothing."
Jaune said as he raised his boot and kicked down the door.
It was madness. All around him men and woman bit and clawed into one another, using whatever they could get their hand on for weapons, forks, knives, shattered place, and glass. Even chair handles filled the air as blood flowed like wine and Jaune saw well over a dozen toppers ins serious condition bleeding out on the ground as he glared at the choose.
"ENOUGH!
Jaune yelled firing his las pistol one inot the air silence the fight instantly.
He soon regretted the action as like a mad beast senses a new threat the entries of the cafeteria looked at him with angry eyes.
It was common knowledge that one of few things that the men and women would hate more than one another was a commissar. A figure of authority and oppression that was here to judge them.
Seein the potential catastrophe of his situation Jaune decide to act.
"Who is responsible for this!? I said who is responsible for this! I said WHO!?"
Jaune bellowed in his so intimidating voice as the men and woman of the one hundred and eight flinched in fear as he walked forward menacingly give his number one stare as he crunched both food glass and wood under his boot pistol drawn as Ren covered him hell pistol out as Ruby and Flak coward behind him.
"I do not hear any answers... I Said who?!"
Jaune bellowed at the now cowed troopers as he saw his answer. The answer for who was responsible was clear as day as he saw the two fight in the middle. One was a tall woman with brown skin and golden hair fight a monster of a man that looked like he was built form sold granted as Jaune glared at them.
"Sir... I-
"Yes, trooper! You were going to tell me who is responsible!?"
Jaune asked as the woman eeped!
"No, sir! Iw as just going to say I do not know! Sir!"
The woman said as Jaune sighed.
"Very well since no one will step forward, there is only one thing for me to do!"
Jaune said drawing his las pistol make the room gaps before he picked up a stray mop.
"Well then! Come on! Get to work; this place won't' clan itself up now will it?"
Jaune asked as the room balked.
"Ummm... Sir? You aren't going to.
"Aren't going to what trooper? Spit it out! And tell me your name!"
"Sir! Reese Chloris private first class! I was wondering if you were going to discipline any of us! Sir!"
"Well, Reese, since you asked so nicely the answer, is no. For now. I won't have my mess hell amess so come on now! Hop to it!"
Jaune barked as the room slowly like a glacier turning into a stream the tension of the room melted away as the men and woman of the one hundred and eight began to clean up their mess...