AN. Here we go! More Bastion! More action! Here we take a look at the first but not last official Death Korps mission! The goal is simple fine anything from the old world that is useful and brings it back to Bastion for study! Do a good job and you get to live! Fail you die simple as that! Also! We get to see a new recurring character Kage get's a new toy and aliens!? With some dark foreshadowing of future events! All this and more in Bastion!
PS. If you get the reference in this chapter I love you.
"You?!"
Jaune asked in shock as the bright purple eyes of Uzepi looked at him hungrily.
"Yup! Me! Tell me blondie did you miss me?"
The woman who had been his first taste of the horror that was Bastion had to offer him asked as she flashed him a hungry smile.
"Boss!"
Kage said in a rare display of real emotion in his voice as he stepped forward eyes shining? As he walked up to the woman.
"Kage! You stubborn son of a gun! You still breathing?"
"Last time I checked! Unfortunately."
The boy said as the woman laughed easily as Jaune felt the hairs on his back raise up as Kage called her boss. Usually, he called only his boss, and when he did, he never did it like that. Like he was in awe of him. As if the woman was a shining sun as Kage held reverence in his eyes as he looked at her.
"Hah! Sounds like you!"
"Uzepi! You came back to us!"
"Mika! How is my favorite loveable psychopath? You still doing horrible things to people against their will?"
The woman asked as the girl bounced over to her giggling softly.
"Yup!"
"Atta girl! Never change you hear me!"
She said before ruffling her silver hair affectionately as the girl laughed happily like a spoiled child.
"Yes, Mam!"
The girl said saluting her quickly as she turned to Ludo.
"All right Boss what's the drop? Simple smash and grab or are we going hunting today?''
The woman said her face flashing a toothy grin Ludo smiled that under ghostly smile the sent Jaune's hairs on end.
"Today you are simply on a mission to scope out and abandoned old world city. There are rumors of technological advancements from the old world were still salvage and potentially in working order. You are to find any working or salvageable pieces of technology retrieve them for us." The man said as Jaune froze.
Old world technology was beyond rare. It was religiously coveted by every government in the kingdoms. It was usually priceless beyond measure more valuable than all the lien on the planet! And that was just for scraps! To find any tech that was salvageable let alone functioning!?
It was unheaded of and-
"When do we leave?"
The boy asked breaking himself out of his reverie as Ludo nodded.
"Immediately. I want this mission done sooner rather than later so you will depart now."
He said as Jaune nodded as the five of them moved as one as the went out of the office and to heir first real Bastion mission as proud members of the Death Korps elite.
"All right! Team ARKM! On the ship!"
Jaune yelled as he waved his team forward as the large muscled figure of Uzepi followed them from behind a calm smile on her lip and an easy swagger on her hips. As she walked forward onto the craft.
"You heard blondie kiddos! We got our selves a mission to do, so let's get to it!"
She yelled her booming voice easily heard over the whine of the powering up bullhead engines. As the ramp was raised up as Jaune and Kage lept aboard the craft. Followed by Ruby Mika then Uzepi, acting as an anchor as all five of them jumped on board the craft as it began to lift off.
As Jaune felt a fist in his gut as the ship shook once as it began to lift off the ground as the roar screech of the engines filled the air as they began to take off.
"Ok, you lousy bastards! Asses in seats and hands on your guns! We got a mission to do!"
Uzepi said ordering his team around as Jaune glared at her.
"Team Arkm, take a seat. We need to rest before this thing."
Jaune said neutrally with a hint of annoyance as Ruby nodded sitting next to Mika on the far side of the ship as Kage sat next to him as Uzepi gripped a handhold of the ship as it shot forward. As she pulled out a small black Vox from her pale grey flak jacket that was wrapped around her admirably bountiful chest. That was hoisted by her insanely muscled arms that looked like coiled springs as she shouted in the Vox.
"Pilot! What's our eta to our drop site?"
"Five hours mam! We will get there in roughly five hours from now! Assuming our flight path is clear from any flying Grimm, and we have favorable headwinds! I predict we will and around three pm local time!"
"Outstanding pilot!"
The woman said before turning her sharp eyes to Jaune as she smiled.
"Jaune! Say hi to the pilot! You are going to be working with her for the foreseeable future so you might as well get acquainted with her!"
The woman said reaching into her purple vest and retrieving the Vox and tossing it at Jaune as he picked it up and pressed the speak button.
"Hello?"
"Hello! This is your pilot speaking! Jaune! I look forward to working with you in the future!"
The cheery voice of the pilot said as Jaune frowned.
"For the foreseeable future? What does that mean?"
"Didn't anyone tell you blondie? You are in with the big boy's now! Every elite Death Korps team get their very own personal bullhead pilot plus their instructor! This little lady will be ferrying us to and from the various war zones, froze tundras, toxic wastelands, and every other various hell hole Remnant has to offer!"
She said as Jaune clicked the button.
"So you are our personal pilot?"
"Sure am! Name's Kiriko! Nice to meet you Jaune! I look forward to delivering you and team ARKM to this and many more mission in the future!"
The happy go lucky voice said as Juawn turned to Uzepi who took her Vox backs she pulled out her scroll.
"Ok Boys and girls listen up, this is not a complicated mission so let's stick to the basics all right? Simple smash and grab so about two days will work out."
She said switching to her scroll as Jaune blinked thrice.
"Two days? Two days for what-
"You're right! Blondie I should have known! I'll make it four! Just to be safe!"
"Four what?"
"Days until your collars explode! That's what!" Uzepi said as Jaune balked.
"Explode!? You are setting them to go off?!"
"Sure am! If this op goes sideways or you four go, rogue, I got to put my safety net in place. You understand right?'
"No! I don't! We won't' go rogue; we are elites!"
"You are elites that; why I'm doing it! You are smarter than most of the common students here and a are a fair bit more dangerous! So I'm just making sure you know the score!"
"But the poison-
"The poison helps! But this is far more efficient. And hey nothing gets a group fo scare out fighting like seeing their friends heads blown off! You know?"
She as claimed as Jaune fumed at her and-
"Umm. Uzepi? We won't run so is that necessary?"
Ruby said in a quiet voice as the woman turned to see her.
"Aww, Ruby! You are such a good girl! But I got to do this! It's not just because you won't turn tail and flee but mainly to serve as motivation!"
"Motivation?"
"Yeah! If you know your life is on the line, you will work harder and be more likely to do that extra step to keep your head on its shoulders."
Uzepi said as the girl sat back down as Jaune sighed.
"What are we going to do when we find the place? Just take whatever is not nailed to the ground?"
"More or less. We are to find any old world technology that is either A salvageable. Or B, and much less likely still functional. If we find anything useful at the school will need to bring it back and if you find anything to be personally useful to yourself."
"Feel free to keep in your pocket or cape. I won't object to a little battlefield acquisition of sorts. So long as you do your job, I'll turn a blind eye to any extracurricular activities that you design to partake in."
"Are you saying that we can loot from the battlefield."
Jaune asked frowning as she nodded.
"So long as whatever you take is not what we are looking for, and is too small to be missed I don't particularly mind if a few items are misplaced.'
The woman said calmly as Jaune looked at her curiously.
"You seem oddly relaxed for a Bastion teacher. Most of you are far more strict when it comes down to students."
"Jaune! I am an elite chaperone! I'm a field commander! I'm not one of those stuffy pencil pushers with no sense of humor! So long as you do what I say, keep each other alive and complete the mission with relative ease I don't care what you do in your free time. So long as you don't try to kill me, or threaten, our allies or threaten the mission I'm pretty liberal."
Uzepi said before pulling out a scroll and thumbing through it. As the ship roared silence as Jaune saw her face twist into a frown as she looked at her scroll.
"What's that?"
Jaune asked as the woman glared at her screen before responding in a brusque answer.
"Threat catalog."
Uzepi said not bothering to look up at Jaune as her hands flew across her scroll.
"Threat catalog?"
"Yup! In her is all the enemies ti Rment that Bastion has encounter seen and fought. Be they Human, Grimm, faunus, terrestrial or even extraterrestrial in origin."
She said holding up her scrolls Jaune balked.
"Did you say extraterrestrial?"
He asked disbelievingly as Uzepi nodded.
"Sure did I ki-
"Like aliens?!"
Ruby asked eyes shining like an excited child as Uzepi nodded.
"Yes and no. While we do look out for any and all threats, we have only come into contact with one threat to Remnant that was extraterrestrial in origin. That was not a meteorite from space that is."
"And that would be?"
Jaune asked as she flicked her scroll.
"See for yourself blondie. I just sent you a file of it."
She said as Jaune's scroll flashed as he saw bright, bold letters pop up on it.
Warning. Information classified for Bastion instructors only.
It said as the boy raised a curious eyebrow.
"Confidential? Should I even be seeing this?"
"Officially? No. But I was never one to follow the rules, so they have some fun. I'm not Heil mainly because I believe the more we tell our field commanders, the better they can respond and handle any situation that comes in the field do read up.'
Uzepi said as Jaune opened the file.
Classified Bastion communication regarding the Pavlova passes incident. Otherwise, know as the XK-1335-JC incident. Addendum. Approximately four years ago to this day a meteor crashed in the small isolated village of- Name Redacted- in the northern parts of -Location Redacted-.
The transmission began as Jaune began to read into it.
The meteor that crashed into -Name Redacted- carried with it a strange type of life form. Now know and cataloged as a virus that was extraterrestrial in origin. This virus spread through town of-Name Redacted- at a rapid pace, as it showed the disturbing propensity to forcibly attack and assimilate all organic life into itself. The virus would infect an individual through fluid contact and would begin to assimilate the host body into itself. Converting the host's biomass into more of the virus. Along with being able to rapidly spread throughout any organic vectors be they birds, deer mice, etc. The infected organism shows the disturbing ability to perform rapid and on-demand mutation of thier host body.
The fuck is this!? Jaune thought as he gripped his scroll as he began to see what the hell he was reading.
They were often reports of infect individuals limbs turning into razor sharp blades. That has been seen to be able to stretch over twenty meters in length and slice through reinforced metal. The number of mutations it was capable of is not limited to this, and the creature could continually mutate and change itself to more merely infect other life or defend itself.
As reports came in the virus were almost immune to conventional weapons. It's a bit to dived and replicated itself practically immunized it against traditional weapons, and only intense heat seemed to be able to destroy it. As such flamethrowers and energy weapons are recommended to deal with any encounters with -Redacted-. And only weapons that can produce a high level of heat could destroy it.
Addendum. It is not known if the virus has a preference in the things it infects. But it is known that the virus does seem to prefer higher life forms such as humans and faunus to infect rather just anything. And it has been showed to be able to mimic the intelligence of its victims.
The extent of this power is unknown, but thankfully the virus was only able to mimic the intelligence not take it for itself. The virus will attempt to learn the language customs, and any other social norms to spread itself, at current vector analysis if the virus was ever able to reach a major population in the entire world would be assimilated in less than seventy thousand hours after intail exposure.
Luckily the virus code-named- Name Redacted- Was perfectly contained and destroyed in -Name Redacted- by Bastion fourth year tame -Name Redacted- and despite losing ninety percent of its members the virus was burned from the map.
Warning. When infecting a human and or faunus, the infected individuals will not always paper to be infected. They will wait and blend into society before making a move, and they will not even appear to be any different from normal humans, so detection in the filed without advanced medical equipment is nigh impossible without this improvised yet highly effective method.
If you suspect that there is an infected individual amongst you, there is a simple test you can perform to determine if they are or are not infected. First, you will need a small Petrie dish or a metal bowl of some sorts. Second, you will need a sharp object to cut people with.
Third, you will need a hot flame or if available a flamethrower. If you have a flamethrower have it on standby with either you are a trusted friend who you know to be clean armed with it. You will then gather blood from the people are around you individually. Collecting the blood in the Petrie dish the begin to heat the metal you used to gather it with a pilot light and or other heat source and stab the accumulated blood with it.
You see it was shown by team leader -Name Redacted- after combating and eventually triumphing over the virus, it was proven that every part of the virus is its own independent entity all working to better spread itself. You will gather then heat up the blood. If an infected blood sample is heated to it will leap int the air to avoid the flames, if that happens the burn the infected individual for safety. Repeat as necessary."
"The hell!? An alien virus that assimilates people?"
Jaune asked his face blanched as Uzepi nodded gravely.
"Sure was. Fucking hell kid, you should have been there. I'm just glad we clean that mess up before it spread."
The woman said shaking her head in a disconcerting fashion as Jaune gulped.
"Did... did you see it?"
He asked as up let out a low laugh.
"Up close? No. I was lucky with that. I was only on clean-up duty back then. I only saw the aftermath but man. Let me tell you kid it was ugly."
The woman said with a voice that could cut steel as he ground her teeth.
"When we got there it was a hell hole. The town was in smoke. The entire area was covered in ash. There... were... these.. amalgamations of bodies. Broken twitching pile of flesh transformed into hideous deformed stretchy things. I saw entire blocks full of burning charred flesh, as the horrible Hodgepodge of flesh fille the street.
"What... what was the virus? Really."
"It was just that kid. A virus from beyond. It landed in a small town and for two weeks nothing. Not a damn thing wrong then the whole town goes dark for a few weeks. No com traffic no nothing. Then it comes back on the grid. The town comes alive and is requesting help with a Grimm issue. Luckily there was a Bastion team in route returning from a mission. They went to investigate and landed in a nightmare."
"What happened to the team?"
Ruby asked her face paled as Jaune saw the naked worry on her face as she grimaced.
"Wiped out. Only thier leader survived. The mad bastard practically burned every living thing in a ten-mile radius with a homemade a flamethrower. He watched his team butchers as humans turned into monsters and converted his teammates. When we found him, he was half mad laughing his ass of and paranoid to all hell."
"Has there been any more cases of infection?"
"Luckily no blondie. We got lucky there so far there has been no further cases of that thing yet." She said as Jaune frowned.
"But it came from space. There's not tell how many of those things could be out there! Or how many of them might come here-
"Easy! Easy there kid! It came on a meteor, so we are guessing it's not a damn species living in the damn void. And we are watching the sky for any such anomalies so you can rest easy ok? We got this."
Uzepi said as she leaned back in her chair as Jaune felt added sen of palpable terror reached into his heart and gripped his soul as the ship roared into the air.
"Ok boys and girls! It's go time!"
Uzepi said as the bullhead roared over the drop zone as the hatch lower as blinding daylight filled the cabin.
"Team ARKM! Go!"
Jaune said as his team slid off the hovering craft on depending plastic cables. As they fell off the ship, descend two by two by one.
As Jaune and Kage landed first, followed by Ruby and Mika and finally their leader. Uzepi landed as the voice of their people come over the speaker.
"Ok! I'll be back in two hours or evac! Good luck!"
Kiriko said as the craft pivoted and flew off as Jaune squinted to see past the now deep blue sky as he hard Uzepi laugh.
"Alright, kids! You know the drill. We are looking for anything shiny that looks like it's still in good order. Take whatever you can carry and mark down thing that you can not. Knowing this place? It won't be hard to find.
Uzepi said as Jaune nodded. As his vision cleared he finally saw their location and gasped. It was a city. A massive, sprawling city. At least mile long and wide as Jaune was stand in the middle of an abandoned street with team ARKM and Uzpei around him as he turned his head.
She was right about finding shiny things being easy. The building mainly massive towering dilapidated skyscrapers were old and failed. Once shiny metal and polished rock, now broken cracked things. With an unhealthy brown coating on the as massive vines came from the base of the build to the top. Giving it a strangely organic nature. Like some massive organic jungle of rock and plants as Jaune looked around the city, it felt wrong.
Jaune didn't know how to say it but this enter city just felt off. And it wasn't the massive crumbling skyscrapers and bombed out buildings that gave him this eerie feeling of uncertainty as he looked around the area as Uzepi spoke up.
"Ok! This is how it's going to go down! Kage! Rose!"
"Yes!?"
"Yo."
"You two are a team. You will follow this route, and you will report back everything you find ok?'
She asked as Ruby nodded and Kage shrugged as she turned to Jaune.
"Blondie! Mika! You and I are in the center! I'm getting power readings on my scroll that should not be here, and we are going to find out what the hell is going bump in the night."
She said as Jaune frowned at the woman as he opened his mouth to speak.
"Why are we dividing up right now?"
Jauena sked as the woman runner her bright purple eyes on him and grinned.
"Simple! I need you two with me, and those two work well together. We have a limited window of opportunity to search so let's get to it!"
She said as Jaune went to argue as Ruby stepped up.
"Don't worry about me Jaune. I'll be fine. I'm with Kage so I"ll be ok!"
Ruby said as Kage nodded.
"We got this boss. Just make sure you make it out ok, k?"
Kage asked as Jauen frowned.
"I don't like to, but I guess so."
Jaune said not comfortable with splitting up with his teammates as Uzepi nodded as Kage and Ruby received their scroll coordinates as Jaune, and his group turned as one to march down the broken cracked vine covered asphalt of the city Jaune paused as he scratched his ear.
Piano? Jaune thought as he paused briefly as he swore he heard the thin ghostly melody of a piano playing from somewhere as the three made their way into the city.
"Kage? What do you think we are doing here?"
Ruby asked as the two marched on the thin shaky and in Ruby's opinion dangerously fragile metal grates. That leads down to the black bottomless void of nothingness so deep that not even her eye could see too far into it as the two teens walked with Kage in the lead as he read his scroll.
"We. Are going to look for anything shiny and steal whenever is not bolted down. And unbolt the things that are. So we can steal them later."
Kage said as his boots clinked! On the metal grates as he looked at his scroll. He and Ruby had been walking for well over an hour now, and thier path had led them into a dark subterranean area. Kage initially had super out some type of above train tunnel, and now he was convinced to be some ancient maintenance shaft.
As he and the young girl walked single file along with a long metal catwalk. That stretched over a yawning black maw that was a void in the earth.
Kage had no idea what the hell was down that hole, but he had no reason or intention to find out. As the two marched in relative quiet.
"What are we going to do when we find them?"
Ruby asked holding Crescent Rose close to her chest as the boy looked forward. His hard brown eyes staring ahead as he looked down this scroll.
"We will find what we can carry take that back to the bullhead. We will then mark the things we can't take back. And! If we are lucky we can take whatever we need to take for us."
Kage said as he flicked the direction from his scroll to her own. As her scroll beeped! In confirmation as she got the message.
As the girl got her message much, to her relief they exited the catwalk to a landing on the other side of the cavern.
As they stepped of Ruby was relieved to be on solid ground once again as Kage went to a large moss covered door that he yanked, of its hinges as a shining light came through Ruby followed him though.
"Come on Red."
He said as he and Ruby stepped into a low cavernous room. As they step in it was thanks to her eyes enhanced sight and analysis clear to Ruby that this was some type of ancient factory of some sorts. Long rust covered assembly lines filled the room. With massive broken down machines.
That if Ruby was to guess. And her eye was to be believed meant that this was an old assembly line that had fallen into disrepair some hundreds of years ago and-
"Kage? Where are you going?"
Ruby asked as Kage made the opposite turn to where their scroll indicated path dictated them to go as the boy pause once as he turned around to her.
"I'm going that way."
kage said as he pointed to the opposite direction to the path, as he leads them in a way that leads them not outside of the factory where the broken ceiling let in a sing ray of sunlight that illuminated the seeming miles of rust covered assembly lines and broken mechanical constructs.
"But our mission says we should go that way!"
"I know. That's why I'm going this way."
He said as he pointed to an oddly maintained? Silver door. At the far end of the factory that looked like it was brand new and not part of a thousand years old factory as Ruby frowned.
"But! But what about the mission?"
"What about it?"
Kage asked simply as Ruby stomped her boot on the ground kicking up some of such as he coughed violently.
"Warning! Hazardous material detected! High amounts of led, rust, asbestos and several other hazards detected! Don't stomp like that again Ruby!"
Her eye warned her as she coughed violently as she glared at her friend.
"Kage! We need to stick together!"
"Why?"
"So we can finish the mission!"
"We are finishing this mission."
"But you are going the wrong way!"
"I am going the right way for my mission."
He said as Ruby blinked at him owlishly.
"Your? What mission are you on?"
She asked innocently as Kage sighed.
"Red. Let's just say that I have some influential friends in Bastion. And now and then they want me to do thins on befie our relations ship. Mainly they want me to bring them things that the could not get any other way. And they have the nasty habit of being more than a bit perturbed if I am not able to bring them their prized back in one piece and-
KERRANG!
A loud clattering sound filled the air as fall metal box fell from somewhere. As Kage and Ruby both raised their guns, twin bolt pistols and sniper rifle scanning the still factory as Kage hissed.
"Red! What do you see!"
"Nothing. I see no lifeforms in this room."
"Then what the hell made that box fall!?"
Kage asked his back up with Ruby as the two slowly but firmly made thier way to the door.
"I don't know, but my eye is not seeing anything."
She said her world dyed red as her eye attempted to see anything in the distance. So far it was nothing to be seen, as-
"There!"
Ruby shouted as she saw was a blur of black somewhere int he dark far of reaches of the factory floor as her eye detected movement.
"Something is in here with us!"
Ruby said grip her gun as she aimed it down the factory floor, as Kage clicked a button on his shoulder plate as small lens popped out with a click!
As a small flood light came, form her armor as a sickly yellow light flashed out revival, even more, rows after rows of ancient rusting metal machines as he hissed.
"Dammit. Figures come with me Red; we can get out of here together.'
He said walking up the silver door as Ruby heard it beep! Loudly as he came to it as it slid open with a loud pneumatic hiss! Of steam as Ruby gulped
"Kage! That's not the right way!"
"For me it is."
"But if you go there I'll be alone!"
Ruby said not wanting to venture off the mission path. Especially with the threat of death looming over her shoulders. Literally. As her explosive collar was fit tightly onto her neck.
"Well then come with me."
Kage said as Ruby frowned once before nodding as she held up her gun scythe and began to walk behind them.
"Ther now-
Kage froze as eh hear it. A voice was in his ear. Whispering softly flowing into his mind like a spring breeze as he heard music?
"~I'm just walking with a gohst. And I say walking by my side. My soul is dancing on my chest...
The voice said as Kage blinked twice. The hell was that? He thought shaking his head as he and Ruby walked into the room leading down to those swirling shadows, which came ever closer to them encroaching on the humans with a steadily encroaching advance. As the two went to the door leaving the factory floor alone...
"~Every day is just the same. And I don't know what to do.~"
"Do you hear that?"
Jaune asked as he and his team made their way through the city.
"Sure do blondie. Sure do."
Uzepi said her light flak jacket absorbing the pounding daylight of the sun as she wiped her for her, her massive muscled arms glisten in sweat as the three of them walked their way into the city.
"I like music! I think we are lucky!"
Mika said happily skipping along broken, cracked city streets as Jaune frowned.
Mika's energy was nice, but it was misplaced. They had been walking for the better part of three hours now, and so far they had found nothing. The city was dead, utterly and completely abandoned and forgotten. Cold and dead city streets lined the area.
With severely rusted buildings, cars, and just about every other things, you could expect to see in a city. As they inspected building filled with vines, the massive growth of plant life infected the city. With roots large than bullheads and reaching up well over thirty stories into the air that defied all explanation as they moved into the abandoned city.
The city was so quiet so ghostly and unearthly still in a way that bothered Jaune to his very core. The city was silent. No more than that it was still. Utterly and completely still. The air was heavy and dense. Filled with a complete silence as Jaune noticed that despite the massive vegetation there was no discernable animal life to the city.
And the entire city was dead quiet, will it would have been without the music...
"~My soul is jarring on my vest.~"
The same ethereal music that crept into his head as Jaune heard the sounds in his ear as Uzepi called up a hand to stop.
"Halt! Looks like we got something here."
Uzepi said as she stopped in front of what looked like a large silver door? That propped up from the ground. It was over fifteen feet high and ten feet wide.
And there was a massic skull and cogwheel? Adorned on the door as Mika smiled happily.
"Yay! We found something! What did we find?"
The perpetually happy girl said as Uzepi narrowed her eyes.
"No idea. But it looks like we found something interesting."
The woman said as Jaune walked over to the door and-
"Boss! Boss comes in Boss! We got problems!"
A voice suddenly shouted breaking the silence as the ancient voice of Kage came over the scroll as Jaune yank his form his pocket.
"Kage?! Kage?! What's wrong!"
Jaune shouted aa the normally calm boy was nice not he another end of the scroll. If Kage was panicking, that means.
Jaune thought as the boy began to speak.
"Grimm! Everywhere! We are outnumbered and-
BANG! BANG!
The sound of raging battle spilled from the other side of the scroll. As the harsh Bangs! Of Kage's bolt pistols followed by the sharp Crack! Of Crescent Rose as Jaune heard Ruby's weapon fired as he heard her voice.
"Kage! Ther's too many of them!"
Ruby cried out as Kage swore.
"Dammit! Don't let them get around us! Back to back!"
Kage shouted as Uzepi yanked the scroll from his hand as she began to back into it.
"Kage. This is Uzpe what your sitrep? Now!"
"Boss! We are surrounded! We got Grimm pour from the walls and-
A Monstrous roar came over the scroll as Kage swore.
"Oh hell! Red! We got to go! Now!"
"Kage?! What the hell is that thing!?"
"Hell if I know but it needs to die! Aim for its head!"
Crack!
"It's not going down!"
"Keep shooting!"
Kage yelled as the scroll's speakers were filled with gunfire and roars as a battle raged onward.
"Kage?! Rose?! Fuck! Ok life just got a bit complicated!"
"What the hell is going on!? What's attacking them?"
Jaune shouted as Uzepi sighed.
"No idea blondie. But we are lucky enough to be close. Where ever the hell they are it's almost right behind this door."
She said point to the large silver door with the skull and cogwheel on it as Jauen gulped as he gripped his sword as Mika sighed.
"Why do they get to have all the fun?"
She com; and as the Uzepi walked up tot he for holding our something small and white? In her hand, as the door began to beep...
"Kage? What... What is this place?"
Ruby asked as she looked around. She was sure by a shining white room. At compete, odds with the rests of the dilapidated building.
The wall made of pure silver and the air was inhumanly clean. As she and Kage walked side by side the oddly not rusting hallways of wherever they where.
"This Ruby is why I am here."
Kage said pointing to the impact whit hallways, lit by underground light as Ruby gulped.
"What do you mean why you are here?"
She asked as she saw that a sliding silver door open as the entered a less pristine room.
This room was more like the original factory floor. Covered in a dingy red light, flooding the room that was filled with rusty metal and ancient metal as the two walked inside.
"Red. Have you ever heard of an S.T.C.?"
"STC? What's that?"
Ruby asked as the boy sighed.
"Standard. Template Construction. Basically, imagine the blueprint to end all others, and you get a basic idea of what I'm looking for."
"So you are looking for the blueprints to something?"
"Sure am Red, I-
Kage froze as he and Ruby saw a blur of black somewhere in the pitch black ceiling as Kage narrowed his eyebrows to the ceiling.
"Kage? Do you see-
"Down!"
Kage yelled firing his pistol.
Bang!
A gun went off as mass reactive round fire out blind the air with a lush of ell and the acrid smell of gunpowder as something. Exploded in a red mist.
As the thing, that and lunge for Ruby vanished in a puff of blood.
"Kage!? What was-
"Red! Above us!"
Kage shouted a Ruby looked up and gasped as the air left her lungs as she gripped her scythe. There were tens, dozens no hundreds! Of glaring yellow eyes looking down on her as the first figure fell onto them.
Were these things Grimm? She thought as the large chitinous things fell from the ceiling. They stood over six feet tall and walked on two feet. They had six large arms with razor-sharp claws attached to themselves. They held no fur and thier skin was a thin sickly yellow. Almost translucent as Ruby could make out shifting organs and flowing blood on the insides of them. As thier six leering yellow eyes glared as they hissed at them.
But -
"No mask?"
Ruby asked out loud as she saw six sickly beady yellow eyes regarding her as the monster mouth open revealing row after row of razor-sharp teeth as a long serpentine-like tongue slithered out and-
"Down!"
Kage yelled as Ruby ducked hitting the floor in an instant as twin Bangs! Came from behind her as Kage fired on the things that stood in front of her.
As he fired Ruy kept up to her feet guns blazing.
Crack!
Crescent Rose fired again and again. Each round blowing the head off a monster as she shot into them as the beast blew apart and became a messy red stain on the dusty floor. Dying the already red floor a darker stain of red as Ruby whipped out her scythe.
In one moment she went form a shocked ball of red on the flor into a real whirlwind of death and destruction. As she turned the are into a messy whirlwind of blood and bones.
She smiled as her scythe's blade cut whatever the hell these things were easy enough, as more and more of the things fell into her human made blender and-
"RUN!"
Hey, eye suddenly yelled as it saw the end. Ruby was surrounded the high that fell were far too numerous to be killed all once. As she ducked into a ball. Poeirn forward into Kage. Using him as a shield to cover her retreat as Kage slammed a fist into a door as a shape hiss!
Filled the air as a door opened as Ruby dove past it as Kage fire twice more it not the enemy. Blowing them apr tin large bloody burst of interest and bone. As he quickly ducked into the room before smashing small panel as the things slammed into the door.
As the monsters roared from behind it. As the door bucked under the weight of their talons as they attacked it, Kage sighed in victory as Ruby screamed.
"What the hell Kage?! What were those things!?"
Ruby asked as Kage looked up at her as he smiled.
"No idea. But it looks like I found my payday."
He said as his scroll beeped! In a rapid fashion as Kage walked up to his mission objective.
As he walked out the pristine silver floor of the small room a grin crept across his face as he put away his guns. age had no idea why the hell the Bastion Mechanic sent his ass on this mission. Or why they needed whatever the hell was in this room located tow mile underground, but he was not paid to ask questions.
And what Crawl said went. Whatever Belasarius wanted he got simple as that. Kage thoguht as he walked up to what looked like twin metal pods?
Of all thing as he held up his scroll and-
"Maintenance refit initiated. Please hold still."
A dull mechanical voice as he blinked owlishly.
"Kage? What's going on?"
Ruby asked a pod hissed! Open as some filled the air as the boy frowned.
"I don't know-
'OW!?"
Kage yelped as twin mechanic arms shot of the pod grip his arm hold theme part like a cross as he began to curse.
"The hell!?"
He yelled out loud as the arms held him in mid-air yanking him off the ground as Ruby recoiled.
"Kage?! Are you ok!?"
"I don't know! I-
Kage was interrupted s another pair of arms came out as a blue flame!? Popped out of one as it touched his armor and began to slice it off.
"The hell!? Ruby! I could use some help here!"
Kage shouted as the mechanical arms began slicing off his armor as Ruby baled
"Don't worry Kage! I'm on my way-
WHAM!
A door on the far side of the room blew open as a mob of the things came in from the side as Kage swore.
"Oh, you got to be shitting me!"
Kage shouted as he felt his arm ripped off from his body grimace as the MasterCraft had made artisan armor was taken from him as Ruby blurted into a fight.
"I'll protect you!"
The young girl said as loud cracks! Filled the air as she began firing against the tide of beady yellow eyes as the loud cracks! Of Crescent Rose filled the area as she began firing into the hoard as head broke apart in a brutal shower of red and white.
As she made pinpricks into the horde and-
"Stage one complete."
The mechanical voice said as it dropped Kage to the ground. As he saw his armor was ripped from his body. And he was now stipped to nothing but a thin black jumpsuit and a pair of the black short as he swore loudly picking up his guns as he turned to face the horde.
"Dammit! Red I'm here!"
He yelled firing into the hood offer a moment of relief to the beleaguered reaper who was getting swarmed by a mass of claws and talons. As he won be apart Grimm? Kage wondered as the high and did not look like Grimm.
For on no masks, two their eyes were yellow, not red. And three their bodies stayed when they died. They did not dissipate as they screamed and squealed in terrible cries of agony as they were blown apart but he hunts weapons as Kage knew it was pointless.
Ruby and his weapon were both meant to take down tough highly armored or high-value targets. His bolt pistol could break apart the toughest armor breaking its part in one shot. And her gun could snipe the head from an enemy miles away.
Both good weapons. But none made to deal with a literal horde of weaker enemies as Kage swore
"Goddammit!"
He yelled firing his gun s fast as humanly possible. His fingers flying on his triggers as he blasted part the horde om abominations. As he departs reloaded his guns, the eighteen round magazine evaporating like water on the sand in his homeland.
As the Vacuoan boy fired another voice filled his ear.
"Phase one complete Initiating phase two refitting."
The voice said as Kage felt a long metal hand grip his waist as he was yanked from his foot and pulled into the pod.
"Fuck m-
He cried before being yanked into the pod as a flashing white light filled the pod.
"Kage?! Kage!? Are you ok?!"
Ruby asked firing her magazine into the mod of following things, as she began backpedaling as the monsters came from the door in a flood of screaming voice and hissing jaws as Ruby began to panic.
The came in the droves, skittering on the floor and up the walls. Their long talons traversing the ground like it was nothing. Clambering up the walls as her eye yelled to her.
"Ruby! We need to run!"
"NO! I won't leave Kage!"
"Ruby we are surrounded! There and hundreds of them coming from that hole and-
Her eye was interrupted one the most leaped onto her boring her down its terrible halitosis filled her nostrils with a vomit inducing smell of breath, as she held the thing six beady eyes leering at her as its slither tongue carries her face making her want to vomit.
"Get off!"
She yelled as pushed her gun under its head and crack! Its head blew off in a shower of offal as Ruby kicked the thing that was not in her mind not a Grimm back away. As its body did not disintegrate as several more came. They came at Ruby form all sides as the girl began to desperately fire into them.
They came like a tsunami of hissing mouths and chittering limbs, flooding over the walls and skittering towards her, making the girl fire her gun wild into them each shot hitting one and each shot killing one. Tearing them in two ripping thier bodies apart in bloody pops! Of offal and bone and-
"AHH!"
Ruby cried as on monster slammed into her, sweeping her leg making her lose balance. As two more monster carried her to the floor. As the creatures beg to be her do as awful hot brath fill her face multi taloned claws gripped her flesh as a tongue slithered over her neck-
VRTTTTT!
All at once it was over. As the thing vanished in a cloud of blood
VRTTTTTT!
The sound of gunfire filled the air as the monsters exploded. It was like someone took a garden hose made of blood and poured it across the room. Spraying the eating with an impressive amount of firepower. As Ruby saw heavy caliber rounds tore apart the monster as the horde of monstrosities were blown apart in a shower of gore.
As Ruby blinked in awe, her bloody vis turned to see what or who had saved her.
As she saw Kage?! Stand in a brand new silver suit of armor. His old armor was gone and replaced with a new armor. As she saw his new armor was a bright silver paint as she saw a massive multi-barreled assault cannon underslung to his left arm.
As his right fist was encased in a glittering field of blue energy. Filling the air with the harsh antic smell of ozone as he fired into the Grimm. Stopping the flood of monsters with a literal wall of led as he gunned down the enemy with a wicked smile on his lips as he found his objective.
As the boy fired into the horde of enemies as he annihilated the enemy. I did it! I really did it! Kage thought to himself as he destroyed the abominations. This was it! This made sense! This was why that mad star Crawl wanted him to see! As the last of the monsters were blown apart in showers of gore as the massive caliber rounds impacted them blowing them apart in a moment as he grinned.
Power armor! That made sense! That was why they wanted him to get this so bad! Power armor was a myth! A fairly tall you tell your kids at night! To most of Remnant it was barely a myth and by some arcane methods, they had found a gold mine of the stuff along with the holy grail her self!
An S.T.C. for it! Kage thought a large octagon appeared out of his pod as it flashed silver as it hovered in mid-air suspended b some archaic technology and-
"Kage?! What's going on!? Where did you get that suit!? What's happening?! What is that thing hovering in mid-air-
"Ruby. Time for answers later. Just take the octagon and hold on to it for dear life. If we lose that thing, we are both died."
Kage said as Ruby gulped. Taking the S.T.C. from the air as she took the priceless device from him as he grinned savagely.
"Ruby that is what makes out mission here worth a damn!"
Kage yelled in a rare infection of emotion. As another fresh wave of monsters came into the room making him smile as he raised the assault cannon and fired.
"What the hell are these things?!"
Jaune shouted as he slashed into the throat of these things that had attacked them. As he shield bashed one of the abominations as Uzepi cursed out loud.
"No idea! But they are ugly!"
Uzepi said her small pistol flashing purple. As she fired a purple bolt of energy into the enemy her energy round blowing apart their skulls. As she held a defensive stance as Jaune slashed part of the chest of the leering monstrosity in front of him. As he cut apart the thin translucent neck of one slicing open its throat and spilling its bright red blood as it hissed pathticlly as it died a terrifying FWOOSH!
Filled the air as Mika fired her flamer into the hard grinning like a mad woman, a pair of green goggles slid over her eyes as she laughed manically as she made a cordon of fire onto the church they were, in.
Yes, church, Jaune had no other way to describe the place, they were in a church. A massive church that stretched well over ten stories high and half that as long. As the three of them fought back to back on top of a small inkling of red stepped in front of the altar, as almost a mile of broken wooden pews, broken vases and cracked concrete stood between them and the horde as they fought for the lives.
"Uzepi! Where are Ruby and Kage!"
Jaune asked as the woman fired thrice into in enemy horde smiting the creatures that had swarmed them as soon as they went underground driving them deeper into the complex tunnel network of the underground area as she fired at them.
"They are somewhere close! It looks like they are getting closer to us! So that's good!"
She said as one monster leaped at her only for a searing purple bolt to pierce its head sending it skittering to the floor as she stomped on its head with a loud KERSHT! Sound as she broke it' skull with her combat boots. Before raising her pistol and firing again into the horde.
Killing another as she punched, the things head off in a shower of gore.
Turning it into a red stain as another creature leaped into her and sliced open her arm. Making her cry out in pain as a long tri shaped gashed appeared on her being as she hissed once before shooting it in the face killing it in an instant.
"Your arm! You have no aura?!"
Jaune asked incredulously as he eviscerated the enemy in front of his, as the skitter talons ripped open the front of his armor. Ruining his heart-shaped chest plate tearing ti part like it was wet paper and not battle made metal. Making Jaune flinch and curse as he kicked the squirming beast away from him.
"Aura's for pussies!"
She said firing twice into the ever-growing horde of things, which swarmed from the massive open doors that led them into the church or fell from the long impossible ceiling and-
VRTTTT!
A massive amount of the monsters poppled! Into red mist as a glowing orange stream of bullets!? Slammed into them before there was a loud WHACK!
As Jaune lost his balance as a massive crashing filled the room as Jaune turned to see a silver bing? With a tiny girl in a red cape on its shoulders fell into the center of the church with them as Kage?! And Ruby landed in the center of the battler as making smiled
"Power armor?! Do I get some!?"
The girl asked haply roast a hard of Grimm as Uzepi balked.
"Kage?! What part of following the plan do you not understand!"
"The two following hte plan part. I guess."
The boy said as Uzepi glared at him.
"You better ha damn good reason for going solo to hunt or else-
"I got an S.T.C."
Kage said as Uzepi's jaw dropped as for a moment her mouth hung criminally low before low girn split her face. "Well! It looks like we got a fight on our hands!"
Uzepi said as the monsters fell from the sky landing down on them as the thing began to swarm them.
As they fought into the Maune took his place as a leader as he began o shout.
"Mika!"
"Yes ~boss man~! What' up!"
"I need a cordon of fire now! Don't let them get close and do not! Give them a surround!"
He shouted as Mika nodded happily
"Yes, sir! Mister ~Boss man~ sir!"
The girl said before a loud VATHOOM!
Filled the air as the roar of flames filled the air followed by the harsh smell of ozone and the hard antic smell of chemical fire like burning plastic filled Jaune's nose as Mika began to laugh gleefully as the screams of the monsters filled his ears.
"I have no idea what the hell that thing is, or where the hell you got that gun but for now turn it on those things and buy us some time ok?"
Jaune yelled as Kage nodded.
"On it boss!"
He said before turning his gun to the horde as the weapon spooled before VRTT!
A hail of bullets came from tearing apart the monsters with brutal efficiency as Ruby ran up to him.
"Wha-
"Ruby! On the sides! There are still plenty of them on the walls! Keep them from getting a surround on us!"
Jaune shouted as she nodded her eye whing as the loud crack! Of Crescent Rose filled the air as Jaune turned to Uzepi.
"You!"
"Me? You going to order me around blondie?"
"You brought us in here so yes! Yes, I will order you! Help Ruby and keep them off the walls ok? I need you to help keep our asses alive ok?"
Jaune asked as the woman seemed to contemplate her answer before shrugging her shoulders.
"Sure! Why not! I could do with some fun!"
She said as Jaune nodded to her as she drew her energy pistol and began firing on the walls.
"That leaves the stragglers to me."
Jaune said as he began drawing his sword as some of the things clatter down from the walls. Avoiding Ruby and Uzepi's firing arc. As the fired severe half burning monsters stagger past the flames as he began to charge the first of them.
For the next foreseeable future all there was for the five humans was a world of fire, bullets, and blood as they fought for thier lives.
As Jaunce sliced and diced the monster that broke past their cordon. Hacking limbs from screaming leering faces. Slicing apart chitinous yellow plate exposing ropes of purple intestines and red blood. Covering himself with foul smelling ichor as he kicked back the dean enemies and charged the newer ones, there was work to do.
As he fought the cordon form, Mika did its job well. She made sure to set it up so that the enemy would try to be a break down the middle of the floor. As the endless stream of bullets from Kage's new assault cannon filled his ear.
Making the Grimm burst! Into pools of blood and bone. As he laughed them apart. As he massacred the enemies, Ruby and Uzepi fired on the wall keeping them from being they fought ti was a battle of wills, stell, and flames., As still cut files, fire-charred bones, and bullets and energy tore apart the monstrosities at thier door.
As the five human fought tooth and nail not one step was given. Not one inch was given up as Jaune rally his team of him as the waves of enemies slammed into them as the monsters attacked them.
As the monsters attack it was a slaughter. Thye charged the line of ARKM, and they died in the scores. As flames ate flesh, bolts of yellow, purple and silver tore apart their bodies, and Jaune danced in the center. Carvin up any that got too close in a brilliant display of swordsmanship. Severing limbs from sockets and heads form necks as they fought.
The monsters despite their superior numbers. And sheer suicidal attacks were failing. The cordon Jaune set up was a masterful strategic move. And was tearing apart the monsters as soon as they arrived at the humans fought desperately it was not an easy battle.
As Jaune ducked a swing talon similar to the one that har all but destroyed his chest armor before removing it from its arm and skewering the thing on its neck. Whatever these things were they paid no dee to thier own lives or the lives of others. As they fought with a simple pure desire to rip and tear. Time slowed down to a crawl for Jaune as he saw it. Everything mattered here. Their cordon had been backed down from the pews to the area right before the altar.
As she desperately tried to put fresh flames on thier front securing it from enemy advance. Kage fired his massive cannon into the things keeping them back as Uzepi and Ruby did what they could to take down the wall runners and
AN earthquake? Jaune thoguht as he swore and he did! Fell an earthquake! As the ground began to shake? As the flor to r room e began to shake and rock as the entire chapel began to shake.
As Jaune turned around to see he froze in terror as he saw it. The massive metal door adorned with the titanic gear and skull bent, dented and broke apart.
As massive dent appeared in it before it was ripped open. Jaune froze as a pair of beady yellow yew more ap in it. As he froze as the massive door was the fun part, and it came out.
It was a mauve mother stand over four stories tall, stand on two massive legs the size of buildings. As it's massive six limbs monstrosity. It was made almost four stores tall and looked like one of the creatures he fought but more massive as it's six beady eyes looked down at them with baleful hatred as Uzeip cried out.
"Patriarch!"
She yelled pointing at the thing as the monster opened its mouth, and it roared...
AN. There we go! Another day another new Bastion! This time we get some new toys, a reference to one of the best movies ever! And a bit of tease for the future. The story is heating up and the next chapter is the patriarch fight so until then! Finals are coming up sadly so I'm going to be focused on them for the next week. In fact, I'm going to be writing Game on after this, but if I have nothing published by Sunday I won't publish anything for about a week so sorry. Until next time! Omake.
Omake. Hero of Remnant part twelve. Who are you? And why do you have a gun?
"Inquisitor?"
Jaune asked as his face paled as all blood left his veins as he mentally screamed. An inquisitor!? An inquisitor!? Here?! Of all places! Oum Dammit why me?! Jaune thought to himself as he forced his jaw to stay upright as the Chimera lurched away from whatever the hell warzone the inquest had undoubtedly created as he sighed.
"Inquisitor? Really? The jump form gala singer to inquisitor must have been quite the transition. Ren, I thought the investor int he system was a rogue trader?"
Jaune asked his second who was busy cradling the by now seemingly catatonic cat faunus with pale skin and an adorable pair of cat ears as he nodded.
"My apologies sir. I believed that the rogue trader was the inquisitor. I will do better in the future."
"It's no problem, inquisitor is not that hard to spot usually. Epically when they are this beautiful."
Jaune said taking the redheads hand resorting to charm to keep his head on his shoulders as the woman cocked her head to him.
"You are Jaune Arc? The here or Remnant I presume?"
"I really hate that name you know? I'm not a here just some ordinary guy! You know? And you are probably just an ordinary inquisitor like all the rest of them."
Jaune said as the red-headed beauty coughed once as the green haired woman glared.
"How dare you! Do you know who you are talking to!? That is-
"Emerald."
The woman said as Jaune swore he saw her blushing!? But that would mean that an inquisitor had emotions which Jaune had on good authority that they did not. As the woman blushed? As she waved her down.
"Yes, Mam. Be lucky creatin you are big spared-
"Hey! I thought I said don't talk to the commissar like that? What are you hard of hearing? Did all your ms go to your chest or something?"
Mercury asked tapping the barrel of his sniper rifle to her head as she fumed as she turned bright red.
"What?! Why I never! You take that back this instant!"
"Or what?"
"Or what?! Or...
Emerald began before Pyrrha? Calmed her down.
"Enough Emerald we are not here to make enemies. And Blake needs help."
She said pointing to the cat faunus now called Blake? As she whined pathiclly as Pyrrha looked up at Jaune with a hungry look as she nodded her head.
"My my. Mister Arc I am impressed."
She said in a melodic voice as Jaune felt his hands go for his weapons.
"Oh? Why is that?"
He asked in his best poker face ass he smiled at him.
"Well for one I see you reaching for your weapons that is bold of you, and two. Your subordinates even after I revealed what I have yet to lower theirs. You train your soldiers well and you inspire your men Jaune. I am looking forward to working for you in the forseable future and-
"Oh Oum. She's got another crush."
The moch skinned beauty sighed as Pyrrha? Blushed a shade of scarlet to match her hair color.
"Emerald! Stop that!"
Pyrrha saida s Jaune sighed. A random inquistior, an unconscious faunus, a unit divided, a technophile incursion and a full-blown planetary civl war to deal with? He was going to need more tea and he was going to need it fast.