Welcome to chapter 4! Eh… um… That's it.
Oh yeah, I'm going to be moving this a little fast, because going through the entire scouting process is too tedious without much action, so here:
He could hardly see out of his undamaged eye. Not that it mattered; there was barely any light in the room anyway. All he needed were his ears to hear the sound of Nora breathing.
He tried turning to look at her, hoping to see her face in the dim illumination, but every tiny movement made his body roar with pain.
"Are you awake, Ren?" Nora's voice drifted into his ears, strangely out of focus. He wondered if his eardrum was still working properly, and if it ever would again.
"Yeah," he muttered, his throat dry as a desert. "H-"
"How're you feeling?" Nora asked, beating him to it. She sounded almost like her usual self, but Ren could tell from the subtle differences that the pain she was enduring was by no means lighter than his.
"Like I could ride an Ursa," Ren replied, forcing out a smile. "Is my queen of the castle doing alright?"
"Royally in pain, but yes," Nora replied cheekily.
A heavy silence followed, broken every now and then by the wretched screams down the corridor, coming from the room that they had all come to be familiar with as well as dread.
"Jaune's holding out," Nora pointed out, her voice cracking up. "They've been at it for an hour now…"
Ren shut his good eye in an unsuccessful attempt to drown out the sound. All that accomplished was conjuring a myriad of grotesque images, eloquent in the terror they enforced, inside his head. The more he tried to shake them away, the more they rammed against his skull, demanding to be seen. On some nights, it nearly drove him mad.
Please, he begged wordlessly. Please, just make it stop.
Some part of him knew that they were better off dead. Some part of him wished that Jaune would just die right then and there, just so he would not have to suffer anymore. Some part of him wished that he was strong enough to kill his own teammates and then commit suicide.
But regardless of physical strength, Lie Ren could not muster the heartlessness his usual stoic demeanor might have reflected. Even if it hurt to hell, he still could not bear the thoughts of them dying. He was a person who sought to depend on no one, but right now, he was willing to toss aside that pointless pride and beg for help.
Please, he pleaded in his head, not to the White Fang, but towards the four girls who were not even there with them. Please, save us. Please.
Nora had never heard Ren cry before, and thought it was just her hallucinating at first. But when the darkness of the cell amplified those muffled sobs, she had no choice but to accept that sound which tore brutally at her chest.
Team RWBY sat huddled around the stump in their cave, looking through the pieces of paper with odd scribbles that were their days of hard work. Ruby thrust one on top the rest, pointing at a line of rather neatly written words above a sketched diagram.
"This is the rough layout I got," she said. "They have two Paladins, and they're spaced apart so we don't have to worry about fighting both the battlesuits at once. After Yang's disturbance, only this one here moved. That means this one at the back of the camp is guarding something so important they won't move unless an attack is confirmed."
"So you're saying that the building it's guarding is where Team JNPR is?" Weiss asked.
"It should be," Blake replied, pulling out a few pieces of paper. "According to my source, Team JNPR were treated as Class-A Defects-"
She stopped, evidently disturbed by the words she had just said. 'Defects' was a term used by the White Fang regiment for humans – who were 'defective trash of nature that failed to evolve' because they did not have animal parts like Faunus did. A higher class of Defect simply meant that they were a greater degree of trash than the common trash was. Granted, it was arguably a far better term than the other far more degrading ones, but it had grown to replace the word 'human' over time. The thought of it being something that the White Fang came up with made Blake feel like throwing up.
"Blake?" Yang asked, reaching out gingerly to pat her shoulder.
"I'm fine," she replied, giving the blonde's hand a firm squeeze. "As I was saying, they were kept here under suspicions of plotting terrorist activities, and they are questioned for any information they had on… us. They're the number one lead that the White Fang has, so the guard on them is extremely tight."
"What about the guards?" Weiss prompted.
"I spotted no less than fifty out in the open, with about thirty Grimm," Ruby replied. "I can't be sure how many were indoors at the time, but they patrol in pairs. We should be able to beat them easily once the Paladins are out of the picture. The Ursi they have shouldn't be a problem either. They don't change the patrol routes every day, but there're no uncovered grounds either so we can't sneak by them."
"It's strange, though," Yang pointed out. "This isn't going to be much of a fight, but I can't see the White Fang underestimating us like this."
"Maybe that's the point," Ruby thought aloud. "If the defenses are so weak, no one would suspect that they'd keep such dangerous criminals there, right?"
"Perhaps," Weiss mused. "But if that's all we have to deal with, then we should be able to succeed even with a frontal assault. We can trash the place up and free all the humans there in one go."
"Well then, let's go now!" Ruby said, slamming her palms on the table. "We don't have time to waste!"
"We'll wait till daybreak," Blake said resolutely. "The Faunus have an advantage over you three at night, not to mention over Team JNPR as well. Weiss, you better rest up; we're going to need your glyphs badly tomorrow."
"Don't try, sis," Yang warned, just as Ruby was about to say something else in protest. "You don't want to get lectured again."
Ruby sulked.
"Everyone ready?"
No one replied, but Ruby had not expected them to. Everyone was too focused on their target to give her a verbal cue. Besides, they were always ready.
"Weiss?" she asked, receiving an impatient grunt in reply.
"Yes, preparations are set," she grumbled, making the glyph beneath their feet glow brighter to emphasize the point. "Let's just go before your stupid red cloak draws any attention."
"I knew this one suits me the best," Ruby said in a very contented tone, rubbing her cheeks on the fabric. The fact that wearing their original attire meant that they did not have to put on Collars was great too. "Alright, gals; Operation Save JNPR begins now!"
"Terrible naming sense as always, sis!" Yang commented, jumping off the edge of the glyph.
One by one, the other three followed suit. They emerged from the cover of the clouds, falling from high up in the sky towards the camp below them. While Ruby was against the idea of Weiss having to do such a sky dive with one arm in a cast, her protests were immediately silenced by Weiss's glare.
Yang, who was the first to approach the camp, fired Ember Celica in rapid succession. The Atlesian Paladin beneath her, completely unaware of what was hitting it, buckled under the impact but not breaking. Using the remaining bullets to break her fall, Yang did a backflip onto the battlesuit's head.
Weiss slowed her descent with a glyph, hopping through the air as she headed for the nearest barracks and freezing all the doors. Blake launched the ribbon of Gambol Shroud at the front gates, pulling herself towards it and slicing the large metal structure into pieces with a glowing blade powered up by Weiss.
Ruby launched herself at the gathering guards, using the rifle fire from Crescent Rose to propel her at breakneck speed. She used both legs to kick the nearest White Fang soldier squarely in the chest, sending him crashing into the side of a building. Before his partner could react, she blasted him away with a point-blank shot.
Before the second soldier even landed, Yang tore off one of the Paladin's arms, using it to clobber the other arm that was flailing about trying to grab her. Weiss, summoning a large wall of ice to slow the progress of more incoming soldiers, guided the humans towards the exit where they ran desperately towards. Blake swiftly took out the guards at the entrance, clearing the Defects a path towards the forest ahead.
"Could use some help!" Ruby yelled, slamming a soldier into the air with the flat end of her scythe; her bullets were not fatal if they used their Aura, but Crescent Rose's sharp edge was a cause of concern.
Weiss sighed. Despite the situation, Ruby still could not bring herself to harm the enemies. That naivety was always frustrating in the thick of battle, but that frustration always died down mysteriously afterward. She was going to have to look into that.
As Weiss and Ruby fought back-to-back against the soldiers, Blake sped across the compound. With the effects of Weiss's glyphs still lingering, she could take down the remaining Atlesian Paladin by herself. Using her clones as a foothold to evade the uncoordinated attacks from the Grimm that were released, Blake used her ribbon and blade as a grappling hook to sail through the air.
Yang had altered the plan a little so that Blake would have to fight as little enemies as possible. She did not have to spell it out for her; Blake understood her intentions perfectly. Truthfully, she was thankful for it; there was no telling what would happen if she snapped right here. In the worst case scenario, she could cost everyone their lives or condemn them to a life of never-ending torture.
Shaking those thoughts from her mind, Blake charged at the Atlesian Paladin, slicing the air between them with her blade and sheath. With a bright ephemeral glow, Gambol Shroud left a cross of pure light in the wake of its movement, tearing across the distance between them and towards the battlesuit like a fired bullet.
Before the pilot could even react, the large suit split into four, cut through cleanly as though its armor was nothing more than paper. There was a spray of red liquid that followed, but Blake had already shut her eyes to avoid witnessing it.
Blake brought up her arms, shielding her from the burst of light that erupted in front of her as the battlesuit exploded. Ignoring the smoldering wreckage, she dashed towards the small building behind it. If her source was correct and their deductions were right, then this was where Jaune and the others would be.
Before she could slice open the door, the piece of metal flew off its hinges, landing on the floor with several large dents in it. Someone had forced it open, and it took Blake a few moments to recognize him.
"Professor Port?" she wondered aloud.
The man had changed considerably. His hair and moustache were nowhere as clean and well-kept as when he was a teacher at Beacon, and instead of his suit he now wore nothing but bloodied rags along with a dark brown Collar. His body was heavily wounded and bandaged at some places, but the most noticeable change was his face. Or specifically, his now missing left eye.
"Miss Belladonna!" he exclaimed, just as surprised to see her. "So it was you! Come quickly! You must help them!"
Blake did not hesitate, but before she could even make a move, another figure tumbled out of the lightless interior of the building. This one had blonde hair, and was carrying another figure with red hair.
"Jaune!" Blake instantly sheathed her weapon, rushing to help them to their feet. Pyrrha was unconscious, and Jaune was fading fast.
"Help… them…" Jaune muttered weakly, his eyes hazy and out of focus. He held on to Blake's clothes tightly, desperate to get his message through. "Pyrrha… Nora… Ren..."
"Blake!" Yang's voice called from behind, only to be cut off by her own gasp. "C-come on; we've got to get them out of here."
"Clear us a path, Miss Xiao Long," Peter instructed. "I'll help Miss Belladonna move them."
"But- you-" Yang began, but stopped her own sentence halfway. Now was not the time to be indecisive. "Understood. Come in, Ruby, Weiss, we have…"
Carrying both Jaune and Pyrrha on her back, Blake waited for Peter to emerge with Ren and Nora in a similar fashion before making a mad sprint for the entrance. Their way was hardly barred, save the occasional corpses of Grimm and the unconscious White Fang soldiers. Halfway there, Ruby and Weiss jumped in, covering their rear as the group neared the exit.
"We must hurry!" Peter urged. "We need to get out of the effective range of their Leashes!"
Taking over the duty of carrying Ren and Nora, Ruby ran ahead, almost tripping in the process. Weiss supported Peter as Yang plowed through the enemies ahead, destroying the entire camp as she went. Blake was tired, of course, but the adrenaline pumping through her system kept her feet stead as she sprinted.
Yang punched the last few guards into the fortified walls, where they left a small hole upon contact. Ruby made it through the entrance Blake had made in destroying the gate, but as she did, Jaune whispered something:
"To your… left…"
Out of reflex, Blake turned, but even as her eyes acknowledged the presence of the White Fang guard and the Leash in his hands, she could not do anything. Everyone was carrying or supporting someone, and Yang was too far away to notice. If he pressed that button now-
"RUN!" Peter roared, shoving Weiss away and charging at the nameless Faunus soldier with surprising speed. He managed to tackle him and send them into the air briefly, away from the fleeing group. But the Faunus still managed to push the button.
Peter's whole body flew into odd spasms, twitching violently as he slumped over the soldier. He could not speak, but small, choked gargles emerged from his lips as he fought against the pain.
Weiss froze for a few seconds before grabbing Myrtenaster and running towards the soldier, who managed to push Peter off of him. As the former teacher continued to struggle against the electricity from his Collar, Blake could feel a weight slipping off her back.
With a strangled war cry, Jaune joined the fray with nothing but his bare hands. The White Fang soldier, seeing a worthless Defect running towards him unarmed with a Collar around his neck, smiled as prepared to activate his Leash. The moment Jaune took another step, he would be within range and he would share Peter's fate.
Weiss would not make it in time. Blake could not stop him with Pyrrha on her back. All she could do was watch as Jaune rushed into his doom, helpless to the events unfolding before her.
Just then, they stopped. Weiss and Jaune, who had been so intent on attacking the enemy, halted in their tracks. Blake briefly wondered why they had stopped, but she understood the moment she looked at the soldier's feet.
Peter Port lay unmoving on the dirt covered ground, his fingers not twitching in the least. Blake stared at his chest, hoping to see some sort of movement – anything to indicate that he was still alive – but there was no such comfort to be found.
That split second's pause was all it took for him to act. Without an ounce of mercy or hesitation, he brought down his heavy mace to the back of the soldier's head, producing a sharp cracking sound.
"Shit," he cursed, checking for a pulse from Peter's wrist. He lifted him onto his shoulders, turning to a dumbstruck Weiss and Jaune as they continued standing like statues where they were. "Let's go; there're still more goons around."
Ignoring their confused words which sounded more like weird gibberish, Cardin Winchester ran towards the gates.
"Ma'am! The southwestern-"
"I know," she replied flatly. "They've escaped."
"Yes ma'am," the soldier at the door answered, waiting for her instructions.
"Tell the guards to give up the chase," she commanded. "Give them a few days to feel safe before they retreat to their hideout. Then track their locations with the signal from JNPR's Collars."
"Yes ma'am!" the soldier saluted before walking off, leaving the door to close by itself.
She sighed. Team RWBY was indeed strong, but they were so predictable at the same time. In a matter of days, they would be able to wipe them out. They would never be able to remove a Collar without the proper means, and it would just be their demise when the time was ripe. She could only hope that they would somehow manage to pull through-
She shook those thoughts out of her head hastily. She could not be thinking about that right now; she had a mission to carry out. She could no longer entertain those weak-minded thoughts.
Repeating that in her head as though trying to hypnotize herself, Velvet Scarlatina leaned back on her chair and heaved a troubled sigh.
Well, yeah. I had to decide whether to let Peter Port die in a dramatic way, go down in a blaze of glory, or just killing him off quickly in a way that reflected the status of humans in this current society. Wasn't a tough choice, but how well did it work? Do let me know!
Till next chapter!