Disclaimer: Definitely not mine. Yeah. Not sure where this will be going from here on in.

Road to the End, Volume 3

By: athrunzala

10: Reclamation I

In the early hours of the morning, the assault began. Caos led her team slowly through the gloom, their feet making very little noise as they approached their first targets. True to Yang's fears, the White Fang was, in fact, still present, their advance guard meeting a swift end at the hands of Lapis and Dante in the middle, Yatsuhashi and Fox on the right, and Dew and Nebula on the left. There was barely a sound made until the force encountered the Grimm in the city. While still light in terms of opposition, there were enough there to present a definite threat to anybody who would dare to walk through unaware.

As they neared the halfway point, Dante spoke up.

"This is seeming a little... I dunno..."

"Easy?" Lapis inquired.

"Definitely. Get Coco and Nebula over here."

"Got it."

"On it."

Both other members headed off towards the leaders of Team CFVY and Team NDGO, while two soldiers stepped up to fill the temporary void. They weren't trained huntsmen and huntresses, but they would fill the purpose of covering her back while her team mates were away.

And serve their purpose they did, as two Creeps burst from the ground directly behind them, only to be gunned down almost instantly.

"Thanks, you two."

"No problem ma'am."

Caos whipped around and continued walking. "Let me make this clear: Call me that one more time, and I will end you."

"Understood."

On the opposite side of town, the members of Team BRNZ, who had gone against the orders of their headmaster and returned to Vale, were leading a smaller group to plant explosives to re-seal the caves around the city. As this was their goal, they had been affectionately dubbed 'B-unit'. Additionally, they were also the only biologic members of their group, Ironwood being convinced by Winter to entrust them with 120 AK-100s. While the robots weren't as advanced, they were able to function without the presence of a control unit, which was a downside to the newer AK-200s.

As they neared the caves, their movements were determined to have not gone undetected, as several White Fang members were there.

"Oh no. No way are you gonna lock this down for your pathetic race to escape!"

It was then that their plan went into action. They rushed into the cave entrance, traveling a good distance before ducking off to the side in the dark, throwing off their pursuers, who ran right past their newfound hiding spots and deeper into the caves, which drew a few of the larger Grimm in after them.

Exiting the cave, they placed their cargo in the locations they had been told about by Oobleck, and, upon reaching the entrance, May pulled the trigger, releasing a Burn round into the ground and onto the fuse that led to the explosives. Beating feet as fast as they could, they had barely cleared the area when they were knocked forward by the largest explosion they hoped to ever see in their lifetime.

With a loud cracking and rumbling, the side of the mountain shifted several degrees forward before shattering as it fell in on itself, the rubble effectively sealing the exit of the cave, and taking out several members of their opposition.

Satisfied with their work, they headed back to the staging area, their mission done. They were waiting for the start of the assault on the school to really show off.

Back in the area with the first wave, All three teams were beginning to wrap up their assault. The B-Team maneuver proposed by Oobleck had gone off without any issues, allowing them to focus on the smaller force that was in the town, leading up to the docks.

Once the path was secure, Caos pulled out the flare gun she had been given by Ironwood, loaded a round, and pointed it up. Pulling the trigger sent the Phosphorus-filled round skyward, where it exploded, signaling the start of the next attack.