"Olivia, Erol, cover us!" The leader bellowed. "Ozpin needs to know this," as he pulled out his scroll. If there was a time to call the headmaster, it was now, the battle was in a lull.
"Ozpin," the other end picked up.
"Vi is down, we need that backup NOW!" said Dorren.
"Understood, assistance will arrive shortly," assured Ozpin.
The headmaster put down the scroll for a moment, "Not as planned, this is a much greater response than we expected. Team DOVE should have been able to handle this. What was there, a pack of Deathstalkers?" Remembering his new task, he dialed Professor Skyye.
"Yes, Ozpin?" she answered.
"Take flight, they need you five minutes ago."
"Understood, anything else?"
"One of Team DOVE is down..."
"One of Team DOVE!? This is bad," She thought. With an affirmative, she clicked off the line. She turned to the bay of the Academy transport they had taken, a small VTOL jet with room to carry two whole teams plus a modest cargo. Henrietta Skyye, a tall second-year professor and leader of the Staff Team HLFR (Hellfire) at Beacon Academy was often known by her nickname "The Demon Skyye." She was an excellent leader; calm, confident, and strong. She was the most armored of all of the staff, almost head to toe in streamlined steel plate armor with a thick back. The only exposed portion was her head, showing her severe face and bobbed haircut. She reached and drew the mass of blue steel behind her back, Interceptor. Skyye addressed the pair in accompaniment, the pilot, and Professor Linus Caldera, "They're in trouble," Caldera raised his eyebrows in surprise, "I'm getting there as soon as possible, backup and extract the team as quickly as possible on arrival. Pilot, as fast as you can take her."
Finished, she opened the hatch on the side of the cargo jet. They were not too far above the treetops, a hundred meters at most. Interceptor in hand, she extended it to its full length of almost seven feet, a true greatspear if there ever was one. She took a breath, and jumped out of the plane in a nosedive straight for the ground. A moment later, the thick back of her armor unfolded into a set of metal wings complete with red streaks of fire dust canisters and a thrust vent running down her back. Levelling with the ground, she burst forth as a human missile into the morning sky.
Hanging up from Ozpin, he sighed and looked back to the limp form in his arms. She was shivering violently, and only took breaks to cough up more blood and resume shivering. "At least I know she's alive..." he reassured himself, "but for how long?" "Erol, switch with me!" the leader called as the axeman felled a stray Beowolf. Small Grimm were beginning to find their way to the meteorite again.
"And why?" he answered.
"Because you have a shield, use it to defend someone else while you're at it."
"He has a point." Erol muttered to himself.
Dorren laid Vi down on her side in case she had to cough again as Erol approached. The new defender saw her for the first time up close, the worry showed on his face. Before Erol had a chance to break at the sight, Dorren put a strong hand on his shoulder, "there will be time for that when we're all safe." He looked up at Dorren only to see the very same worry written across his broad, tanned face, and grunted his assent.
Soon after the leader joined the fray, Olivia called out, "Nevermores!" and switched to her crossbow.
"Olivia, hold." commanded Dorren as he turned Monolith to its cannon form and brought the first Nevermore into sight. "Damn it all," he said. Monolith's small magazine, while powerful, left little room for error. There were three adult Nevermores in sight and three rounds in his clip remaining, and as their luck was going this was not the end of the Nevermores. Monolith roared as the heavy gunner began his bombardment. The first Nevermore fell with a large hole in its neck, crashing into the forest before them, and the second met a similar fate, it's head destroyed. He had to quickly line up the shot before the last Nevermore was in range to launch its razor feathers upon them. The Nevermore reared back. Hastily lining up the final shot, Dorren swept his sight across the Nevermore and pulled the trigger.
Monolith's huge 20mm round clipped the top of the Nevermore's wing, but it remained airborne. "Olivia, keep it busy!" he shouted. Olivia loosed bolt after bolt at the Nevermore, but not until after it had flapped several spear feathers aimed at the downed Vi and her defender. Erol's shield clanged with each feather shed, recoiling at each impact. He held fast as long as he could stand, until one struck hard on the top of his shield, swaying his guard. The final feather from still incoming, it was en route to completely miss him. Except it would skewer Vi. He steeled himself for impact and threw himself to the side. The defender took the point of the feather on his armored side and was sent tumbling, dropping his shield near his downed comrade.
The final Nevermore was a black pincushion, nearly a dozen silver bolts protruding from its wings by the time the cannoneer had attached his second magazine. He drew Monolith up to bear on the Nevermore and pulled the trigger twice, crimson holes bloomed on the Nevermore and it joined its brethren in death. Team DOVE had lowered their weapons when a deep screech pierced the air as an ancient Nevermore passed over the clearing. It circled back and stationed far overhead screaming once more. The gigantic bird was more than twice the size of the fallen ones, and featured armor plating covering its chest, neck, and the tops of its wings. It sent a gust toward the ground, and with it a feathered flurry covering the entirety of the clearing. Having returned to his post, the defender pointed his shield skyward over himself and his charge. Dorren blocked as best as he could with his blade and Olivia danced between the falling feathers.
Darting over the treetops, the Sky Demon followed the smoke in the distance to her target. The cool morning air broke against her head and slipped down the smooth steel plating of her armor. Her greatspear was held at the ready below her, its large blade making a second wake of wind. The origin of the smoke came into clearer view and she saw three Nevermores rise to challenge an unseen foe and fall one by one. Fighting valiantly, I see, she thought, and then saw a giant nevermore rise above the trees and come to bear upon the clearing, she was less than a minute away at her current power but redoubled her efforts and poured on the speed. This would be her kill.
Raw speed turned the landscape into streaming colors centered on the massive Nevermore. The bird reared and launched a barrage of feathers at the ground below. Only a few more seconds, as she neared the clearing. She was flying directly towards the attacking Nevermore and prepared to strike. At the last moment the Demon withdrew her wings and levelled her spear to strike. Her spear struck a plate of armor which quickly gave way under the weight and momentum behind Interceptor. The greatspear sank half of its full length into the Grimm, sending it reeling in pain. Holding on, Henrietta set her feet against the Grimm and pulled with all of her might. Interceptor came free from the Nevermore, along with a portion of its chest and Henrietta began a free-fall back to the ground.
The feather bombardment abruptly stopped and Team DOVE looked to the sky to see the flailing Grimm and falling Professor. Not missing a beat, Dorren took the opportunity to finish his magazine into to Nevermore. Seeing a losing battle, the ancient bird turned to flee. Not far off, however, it succumbed to it injuries and crashed to the forest. Still falling, the Professor made no attempt to slow herself. Instead, she righted herself and landed on her feet, cracking the ground beneath her.
Standing up again, Henrietta was about as tall as Dorren. She addressed the tired team, "The transport will arrive shortly. We should be fine now that I'm here, but Professor Caldera will arrive with the transport as well." She paused. "How is the girl."
"She's alive, that's about the best of it." said Dorren.
Henrietta sighed, "at least there's that much. And everyone else?"
The leader looked around to his team, "Fine, for the most part."
"That's good to- " she began as growls surrounded them from the forest. "They really want to kill you all. Don't bother conserving ammo, the transport is not far behind me." With that, she switched her grip on her spear as it folded into an assault rifle. From all around them came a swarm of Beowolves.
"Erol, on me," called the leader. "Olivia can slaughter Beowolves." The four formed a wide triangle centered on the downed Vi consisting of Olivia, Henrietta, and the pair of Erol and Dorren to hold their ground. Quick bursts chattered from the lancer's rifle and crimson holes bloomed from the Grimm. The familiar twang of Olivia's Windlash intermittently sang, followed by a death cry from each precise shot. Dorren and Erol, however, had a tougher time, each having a weapon favoring single large targets or very close ones. The best the pair could manage was thinning the crowd and meeting the rest head-on. Beowolves kept coming from the trees for them, holding them off was the best the team could manage. Beowolves were slowly gaining ground on the gunners and the warriors were growing tired.
The Beowolves were getting uncomfortably close when new gunfire rang out from above them, Professor Calderon. He was every bit the cowboy that he looked like in his leather vest, his duster, and jeans. The ensemble was completed by his thin, birdlike features and short-trimmed beard. Falling from the sky, one hand held his cowboy hat from blowing away while the other held his gun Cerberus. Cerberus was an odd piece of engineering. A glorified combination of a shotgun and a club, it totalled about four feet long and had a transforming grip favoring either being swung as a club or fired as a gun. The weapon got its name from its odd capacity as a gun. On the end of the club, three barrels were visible. From an internal magazine shotgun shells were drawn into a rotating chamber attached to all three barrels which could be fired singly or all at once in a devastating spray of shot.
As he fell, he unloaded round after round unerringly into the Grimm below while simultaneously slowing his descent. Landing still at an angle, he skidded to a stop and hefted Cerberus to rest on his shoulder. "I hope you saved some for me!" he called over to Henrietta. Having landed away from the group, he was in Grimm territory. Several turned back to face him and more poured from the forest to surround him. Over a dozen Beowolves had formed a circle around him, he sneered and brought the gun down from his shoulder. Pointed directly at a Beowolf before him, he pulled the trigger. The Beowolf was shredded by the shot and Cerberus recoiled very high, almost over his head.
Observing from afar, Olivia was concerned for him until his unusual firing style came into play. The professor then turned and brought the gun down, facing a Beowolf opposite him and firing. Riding the recoil, he unleashed a storm of fire all around him. Fighting like this, he was slaying them almost as quickly as she and Henrietta combined. Thanks to the cowboy, the two of them were able to push back their own horde and assist Dorren and Erol. The arrival of the two professors signaled a turning of the tide against the Grimm, seeing only death awaiting them many turned tail and fled. Those that didn't met the death the others narrowly avoided.
Having passed to avoid Grimm, the transport slowed over the clearing and descended to the ground. Dorren walked over to Vi, still where he had left her. The shivering had not stopped and there was a small puddle of blood from her continued coughing. Gently as he could, he slipped an arm under her shoulder and tucked the other behind her knees and picked her up. A weak, pained groan escaped her mouth, "I'm so sorry, Vi," he answered the limp form in his arms. As he carried her to the jet, he couldn't bear to look at his old friend's face. Gazing at her face would be staring at his failure; as a leader, a warrior, a friend, and a man. Tears welled in his eyes, he thought "Am I so weak that I can't protect my teammates beside me? How will I be able to save those that can't fight for themselves? I can't even save those that CAN fight..."
Inside the jet, a row of seats was left open to lay her down. Disturbing her as little as he could manage, he laid her fully across the bench. He knelt beside her and took her hand in both of his, repeating slowly "I'm so sorry." A small pale hand grabbed his shoulder, Olivia's.
"Sit down, we're taking off," she said coolly. Her eyes betrayed her usual tone, she too was deeply worried for her teammate.
"Right," he managed, and going to place her hand on her chest, he saw it. Dorren turned the hand to see her open palm, the blood drained from his face. He broke down into monosyllables.
"Dorren..." Olivia was growing stern with him.
He shifted aside and displayed the angular bright purple scar covering most of Vi's right hand.
