Chapter 2: Stranded

AN: Bold is for Japanese, Italics is for the Imperial Language, and regular is English/Valic for RWBY characters.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Gate. Any resemblance or mention to existing properties is part of the fic, a reference, or just something that I thought would be cool to include.


The fighting was seemingly endless.

Well, that is if you could call it fighting. The local military expected to fight an invading force that was well within their reasonable ability to combat, yet they were rapidly and mercilessly cut down by bullets, shells, artillery, and grenades. They were hopelessly outmatched compared to the JSDF's pure firepower, military might, and technological advancement. Not a single enemy soldier could possibly hope to manage to reach the base of the hill, much less storm it and drive the JSDF back through the Gate and make a reversal.

But if they were so weak compared to the green-camouflaged military, then why were they still fighting? Why send more and more troops to the front line, just to be slaughtered?


Location: Imperial Capital -

A single man stood in the center of a large, ornate room, surrounded by other men, facing a solitary, outwardly-bored figure. He stood upon a blood red circle, which was, in turn, surrounded by a simple triangular repeating clockwise arrow crest. From the circle sprouted many teal spokes, which connected with the audience, who sat in rows upon rows of bland beige stone chairs, listening in rapt attention to the speaker in the middle of the room.

He, as were almost all the people present, was dressed in official tunics, sashes, and. They all came in a wide variety of colours and materials, identifying what particular part of the Empire they belonged to, or rather what part of the Empire belonged to them. The man, Marquis Casel, wore quite a few layered robes and cloths over his tunic, causing him to appear in a broad spectrum of colour, with orange, regal purple, and a subdued teal being among the most prominent on his body.

These people were all a part of the Imperial Senate. They, together, were supposed to make the Empire's decisions through a democratic vote, but it really was no surprise that the Emperor himself, Emperor Molt, called the shots, at least indirectly.

"It was an embarrassment, Your Majesty," Casel stated, "We lost more than 60% of the Imperial Army fighting over Alnus Hill. What should we do in response? Surely, we cannot stand back and let them trounce us without some sort of punishment. How would you guide the state?"

"Marquis Casel, think about how the people must feel," replied Emperor Molt. The aged ruler of the Empire sat in a padded stone throne of marble, and dressed in a truly luxurious outfit. No doubt the Emperor himself would choose only the most expensive, most comfortable cloths for his personal wardrobe. Behind him hung the Imperial flag, a golden cross, adorned with dragon's wings, set upon a dark violet background. The monarch rested his head on his fist in a lazy pose, offering indifference to the gathered Senate. "It's true that our most recent losses have cost us our military advantage. The people worry that the vassals of our state, as well as others, may revolt and attack the Capital itself." The king paused.

"How pathetic." Casel let out a gasp, but said nothing. "Every single time our empire is in danger, the Emperor, the Senate, and the people become as one to confront the danger, and bring about more progress. No war is won without loss. As such, I will hold no one responsible for our recent losses. To think that another nation dares surround the Imperial Capital..."

The man glanced at the floor and paused so as to add more weight to his next words.

"I trust that none of you will waste time in a court."

The Senate started excitedly whispering and conversing among themselves, baring their teeth in ferocious grins, or otherwise showing their approval. However, Marquis Casel growled in annoyance.

"To pass over all responsibility..." he muttered in disapproval.

"But what do we do?" a voice spoke. A Senator approached the center, his age and naturally shrewd appearance giving him the impression of an old man. "The army we sent was defeated in a mere two days. Now the Gate has been captured, and the enemy is trying to set up a base on this side. Of course, we attempted to retake the Hill, But the enemy in the distance... I've never seen such sorcery."

"We've got to fight them!" another Senator shouted, this time a burly man with a clean-shaven head and armor. "If we do not have enough men, we only need to recruit them from our tributaries. We'll attack the other side of the Gate once more!"

"What good will brute force alone do?" asked another Senator, a young man with dirty blonde hair. "It'll be another Godasen!"

The circular room was soon filled with shouts and cries, demanding for war, until Molt's hand was raised to silence them.

"I do not wish to sit idly by," he said, "Therefore, we must fight. Send delegates to our tributaries and neighboring states. Ask for their help in defending the continent from these men from another world. We will lead the Allied Army of Godu Rino Gwaban in an attack on Arnus Hill." At these last words, he stood triumphantly, eliciting cheers from the gathered Senate.

Casel cautiously approached the throne. "Your Majesty, it will be a bloodbath," he said in a low tone. The king merely gave a smirk in reply.

Emperor Molt was about to adjourn the meeting when the doors of the Senate Building were flung open by a lanky messenger. He cried out to the king, who merely gave a sideways glance in his direction.

"Your Majesty!" he breathlessly called out, "The Forest Elves have urgent news to bring to you! They say that another Gate has opened somewhere in the Western Forests!"

"Do not speak until I have addressed you, soldier!" the Emperor admonished.

"I am sorry, Your Majesty."

"You may speak."

The messenger gave a crisp salute before continuing, "The Elves haven't been able to pinpoint the exact location yet, but they assured the local government that they'd detected another Gate with their magic!"

"Ignore them. They are probably just trying to trick us. Gods know we've been a thorn in their side for a while. This is probably their attempt at distracting us from the real enemy. You are dismissed."


Unknown location, Western Forests -

Team RWBY finally emerged from the Gate, though they did not expect to find that the structure was some sort of portal to another realm. Indeed, they had expected to find a miniature dungeon, at the most, but imagine their surprise when after a very long trek through the darkness, it suddenly gave way to harsh, blinding sunlight and a forest of bright green-leaved trees.

Team CFVY was nearby, each team member doing whatever they could during this situation. Velvet was busying herself by inspecting a tree for something, Fox was practicing his fighting technique, rapidly throwing jabs, slashes, and kicks at the air around him. Yatsuhashi was meditating, sitting cross-legged upon a flat boulder, and Coco was on her scroll, an expression of confusion and mild disgust upon her face.

"Hey, Coco," Ruby said, "I would say 'what's the holdup?', but I think I know why you didn't go back in, so instead I'll say, 'what are you doing?' ".

The older girl grimaced and gave her a sideways glare. "Trying to find out where on Remnant we are," she replied, "We probably got turned around while walking through that damn building, which begs the question... Why can't I get a freakin' single bar of reception around here?!"

"Maybe it's just your scroll," said Yang, who activated her own scroll, only to be met with a "no reception" screen. "That's weird..."

The other three girls of RWBY did the same, only to find that their scrolls could not find any service whatsoever, anyway, which was nearly impossible, since the four kingdoms of Remnant had, in recent years, been making great strides in getting CCT access to even impoverished and far-off villages and areas of each continent, in efforts of increasing governmental Public Relations among the people. Plus, it wouldn't really do to have Huntsmen in the field not be able to call for backup in a heated battle. That would look terrible on any kingdom's track record.

"Yeah, the same happened with our scrolls, too." Coco shook her head. "We should probably head back and report this to Ozpin. I'm sure he'll have some answers now that we know what this is."

Everyone gave various grunts and sounds of agreement, but just as they were about to head back through the portal, they heard several screams emanate from inside the darkness. Within seconds, the source of said screams was made apparent when the figures of team JNPR flew through the opening and crashed onto the ground in front of the gate. Needless to say, teams CFVY and RWBY looked at their friends in confusion. Hadn't they told them to stay behind and get help if necessary?

They were ripped from their moments of confusion when a heavy groan sounded from the interior of the gate. A giant pair of stone slabs swung from the inside of the walls, previously hidden in the shadows, and slammed shut, turning a sea of darkness into a stolid marble wall, effectively barring entry back into the Emerald Forest; back into a Remnant that they were familiar with.

The Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training were left stunned by the sudden occurance before them, before instantly springing into action. Weiss drew her rapier, Myrtenaster, in her left hand and moved her right hand in a series of complicated manoeuvres, causing a dark, jet-black glyph to appear right in the middle of the doorway.

Yang immediately understood, and sprinted forward, unfurling her gauntlets into their combat mode, cocked back a fist, priming a shell for firing, and rammed her fist towards the dark glyph, when suddenly a figure ran in front of her fist. She could vaguely hear a voice saying something like "Wait, Yang! Let's think this through!" before she tried to stop herself and slow her attack.

However, the laws of physics, coupled with the black glyph had other plans. Unable to fully stop herself, her strike was sent, albeit with much less power than it would have, into the face of one Jaune Arc, who slammed into the wall face-first.

"Oww..." he groaned before being helped up by Pyrrha, who merely giggled in amusement.

"What are you doing?" Yang demanded, eyes flaring red for a split second, "Don't you want to get back?!"

"As much as any other of you would, Yang," Jaune replied groggily. He shook off his ache before continuing, "But we should think about what we're doing, though. We don't know what this thing is! What if, when you punch it at full force, it creates a black hole that destroys all life in the universe?"

"That doesn't exactly seem likely, Jaune," Pyrrha rebuked.

"Okay, well what if when she punches it, it causes the portal to collapse, stranding us wherever we are?"

"That makes more sense," Pyrrha agreed.

"Look guys, I say we try to head for the nearest civilization. Maybe we can find someone who will know how to open this thing back up - safely - or at least will be able to point us to the nearest airport, so we can take the next airship back to Vale."

"He's got a point," Ruby agreed, "But first, we gotta find out where the nearest civilization is. By the way, weren't you guys supposed to stay back and call for backup, just in case?"

"Nora wanted to go spelunking, and she ran inside," Ren answered, "I ran in after her, and somehow, the portal pulled us all inside."

"It was weird," Jaune added.

"It was as if gravity itself had turned sideways, and we just fell into the gate," Pyrrha added, more helpfully.

"Oookay then," Ruby said, "Hopefully you guys aren't pulling my leg." She turned to Blake, who being a Faunus, had among the best eyesight of the group. Acting quickly, she had already scaled a nearby tree when Ruby mentioned needing to find the nearest civilization, and was now scanning the horizon. "Blake, you got anything?"

"I'm seeing faint smoke over to the East. Probably a village," she responded.

"Okay guys, we have a place to head to, so let's move it!" Ruby announced, "That means you too, Jaune!" The addressed teen groaned in annoyance, but nonetheless gathered the Dust and supplies he had dropped in the commotion.

The rest of the group moved to start their trek, and with the use of a small compass, began heading East, hopeful in finding someone, anyone, who would be able to help in their predicament.

"I wish we had a car," complained Jaune.


Alnus Hill, JSDF Special Region Base of Operations -

The fighting had finally died down at Alnus Hill. The fighting, while lasting for weeks, was decidedly one-sided, with about 60,000 enemy casualties, and no Japanese KIA. However, there were a few cases of wounded soldiers where lucky longbow arrows had managed to find their mark among the shrubbery and foliage. The smell of sulfur, smoke, and rotting meat was overpowering, and vultures and carrion birds, numbered in the hundreds, were feasting upon the remains of once-proud Imperial soldiers.

First Lieutenant Itami Youji was currently standing in the Fifth Division command tent. He was surrounded by other soldiers, who were individually doing... something... on their laptop PCs. He couldn't really tell what exactly was going on with them, but he assumed that it was something important. The tent was a drab green, and was a building designed to be set up and torn down rapidly. Thus it was, in essence, a tarp thrown over an aluminum frame.

Itami was currently reporting into his Commanding Officer, who was now giving him his new assignment.

"So, we've come to the conclusion that we'll need to investigate the people, industries, politics, and economics of this region," he stated.

"An investigation, right? That makes sense," Itami replied nonchalantly. He was momentarily taken aback by the CO's stern words not a moment later.

"I'm not messing around! You're the one going to investigate!"

"No way."

"What?"

"Don't tell me I'm going alone."

"Now why would I say that? We're going to form six deep reconnaissance teams. You will be in charge of one of them. Make contact with the nearby townspeople in your area and determine their nature. If possible, try to establish a friendly relationship with them."

The First Lieutenant scratched his head and sighed. "Right, I guess."

"Good. First Lieutenant Itami Youji. I hereby grant you command of Recon Team Three."

Itami ceased his headscratching, and gave a huff of annoyance. His was going to be a long tour of service, wasn't it.


Later -

"Fall in!"

"Recon Team Three reporting in!" announced an older JSDF soldier, Soichiro Kuwahara, Sergeant Major, Age 50. He gave a crisp salute to Itami, who hastily answered with his own.

"Pops, uh..." Itami mentally moved along the line of soldiers, being sure to memorize their names and ranks.

Kurata, Sergeant Second Class.

Tomita, Sergeant First Class.

Tozu, Leading Private.

Katsumoto, Sergeant Second Class.

Azuma, Leading Private.

Kuribayashi, Sergeant First Class.

Nishina, Master Sergeant.

Sasakawa, Leading Private.

Furuta, Leading Private.

Kuwabara, Sergeant Major.

Kurokawa, Sergeant First Class.

"I'm Itami, commander of the Special Region Recon Team Three," he said, introducing himself to his new subordinates. "All because I missed the Yurikamome at Shinbashi that day," he muttered to himself, "And now I'm a squad commander."

"Alright, Let's get going," he said, intent on getting this over with. It wasn't like the Doujinshi convention was going to come back if he moped around all day anyway.

"What's wrong with this guy?" muttered Kuribayashi to herself, easily picking up on her boss' lazy demeanor, who sighed tiredly.

Soon, the team was mobilizing, and had manned two APCs and one Lightweight Attack Vehicle. They intended to arrive at the nearby Coda Village before sundown. Hopefully, the language booklet that had been assigned to them would help them out with communicating with the locals.


AN: And there's another chapter! Hope you guys enjoy it. It's kind of tough having to juggle so many different languages, but I think I'll manage. I know it probably feels like I'm taking a bunch of liberties with the RWBY characters' circumstances, but please bear with me. Also, you probably noticed the language is different for the Gate characters, and that was because I wanted to make them sound more realistic. Now, I try to make longer chapters, but it's a little tough. I'm keeping them kind of short right now 'cause I'm pressed for time, but that will change during the Summer. Then, I'll be able to cram more story into less chapters.

Also, this is definitely not the last you'll see of Remnant.

Oh, and if you're confused about when this takes place, it's between Volumes 2 and 3 of RWBY.

Reviews:

Hunter63: Dang, sorry, but thanks for the good luck.

Thaqif: Ignoring the insults, this story is completely under my control. What I say goes, and for now, you'll have to wait and see about what I can and can't do. There probably won't be a lot of OCs, but if I do add any, they'll be background characters. Canon pairings and Canon characters only.

Don't forget to read, review, yadda, yadda. Have a good one. Bye!