Chapter 21 (S875)
Team HOPE arrived on the scene with the escort of Rin and Azure, where Optima quickly began operating on Patience. While they were busy monitoring Patience, CAPR moved to the side, trying to figure out what to do next.
Azure yawned and sat on the ground next to Rin. It was nearing midnight, and he was beginning to get drowsy. "Now what? Can we go to sleep yet?"
Celeste sighed, and stuck her weapon in the ground before pondering their next move. "Not quite, we need to talk to Patience first."
The flapping of wings off in the distance suddenly drew Picton's attention. But neither HOPE nor CAPR seemed to notice. Was he imagining it?
Picton's eyes narrowed briefly as he scanned the trees before widening in concern. "They're here."
Dread flooded into Celeste as darkness shifted and growled with the presence of hungry Grimm. Did they make some sort of mistake? Was Patience some sort of trigger? Whatever the case, they were too late, and they needed to move. "Hope, we need to move - Now."
"Just a minute, she just needs a little longer," hushed Hope over her back. "What's the rush?"
She turned around in time to catch sight of the first wave of Grimm cutting through the moonlight. "Optima, Everest, go with them. I'll take care of Patience."
"Good luck with her," smiled Optima before running off with Everest.
When Celeste turned back to the Grimm, Rin and Azure were gone. Before she could start searching, a pinpoint beam of light atop the roof of Beacon raked across the first wave, crippling if not killing those that were struck. It was Rin, with Azure standing guard at the main entrance. "Regroup, now!"
Seconds after they started making their way through, a Deathstalker cut them off and smashed into Beacon, opening up a gaping hole in the wall. Elementa bolts screamed across the sky, tearing apart the masonry and setting ablaze everything they touched.
A direct approach to Rin and Azure had already become too dangerous. As much as it pained her to her teammates and the other half of HOPE, she ducked back into the school to find another way around.
"So, they want to do this on their own," commented Picton.
"Nevermind that, we need to rendezvous or someone is going to die! They're on their own for now. Optima, Everest, give me a rundown at what you're good at."
"Hand-to-hand combat and close-range support," responded Everest.
"Whatever you want. Healing, bombing, smashing, just to name a few," happily called Optima.
Okay, so they had a close-range tank, and a good field medic. All she needed to do now was figure out how to apply them.
Not even a minute passed, and they could already hear the panicked cries of confused students over the sound of Beacon's framework crumbling around them.
Perfect. This was exactly what they needed - A rematch against the Elementas and their friends. How dare they disturb him when he was supposed to be at rest. Such a crime would not go unpunished, and as such they had to pay. "Alright Rin, what's the call?"
A smile grew on her face as she tracked the Nevermores soaring overhead. "I'll take care of our friends above, you take care of the bugs."
Worked for him. Without a second thought, he dropped off the roof and onto an Ursa below, slicing its torso in two. . The stampeding Grimm stopped momentarily, locking onto him as he stood in their way.
He exchanged glares with an Elementa leading the charge before suddenly rushing under its belly and dismembering half of its legs. When he reached the other side, he almost came face to face with a salvo of bolts like he did not long ago. But he knew better this time, and leapt to the side avoiding them altogether, letting them blow apart their crippled comrade and anything unfortunate enough to be nearby.
Found you.
The light emitted from their bolts gave them away even in the dense cover of the trees, and Azure homed in on them. As he jumped over the treetops, he heard a Nevermore screech overhead. A look over his shoulder revealed another beam of Sunshine ripping through the sky, tearing off a couple wings as it split the clouds above.
Though there was no cover on the roof, Rin was holding her ground just fine. She'd lit up the sky with several flares, and several thick umbrella-like ice columns dotted the roofs, giving her places to hide.
He landed at his mark, and sank the Kusanagi into one of its eyes, clenching his teeth into a smile of content. While jumping to the next one in the battery, a ball of fire licked his left arm, nearly throwing him off course. Azure scowled at it, imagining the feeling of ripping its antennae off, but didn't realize until it was too late the jaws of the Elementa he was jumping at wrapping around him.
They clamped on his sides and lifted him into the air, making it impossible for him to breathe. When he tried to thrust the Kusanagi into its eye, a fireball enveloped him, and he felt every nerve on his body scream.
Feeling the near-blinding pain bind him, Azure flushed his body with his aura, and the pain disappeared. He looked down, ravaged the inside of its eye with the Kusanagi, and charged at the last Elementa. "YOU'RE MINE!"
The Elementa fell on its back as Azure smashed into it at ramming speed, letting him open a chasm in its chest.
With the Elementa battery down, he returned to Rin on the roofs. Four Nevermores lay dead, but plenty more flew overhead.
"Don't worry about me, just try to keep them at bay," ordered Rin. "We'll be in touch."