RWBY: Light Extinguished

Chapter 14

oxoxoxo

As Professor Fantine instructed, Team EMAD met him aboard the bridge of the dustplane where a table and six chairs were set up, one at the head of the table and the others along the sides, three on one side and two on the other, a massive window behind the head chair showing the progress the airship made as it flew them toward their destination. The masked professor had taken the seat at the table's head, without a word he gestured to the other chairs. The young hunters took their seats, Maria and Ben sitting on one side while Alison, Thatch and Francois sat on the other. The chamber was eerily silent, the only sounds being those of the engines outside propelling the aircraft into the unknown. No one seemed to want to break the silence, the students having learned to respect when their professor wished for silence. Fantine, however, seemed to enjoy the uncomfortable silence, enjoying the sight of his pupils occasionally fidgeting in their seats. However, as much as he enjoyed the discomfort of others, he was a huntsman first and foremost. "I'm sure you're all wondering just where it is we're going and why it is I chose to bring you five in particular with me." No one said a word. No one needed to respond, the answer was already obvious. "Allow me to answer your questions. However, nothing said here can leave here unless I tell you otherwise, understood?"

Team EMAD gave a collective nod, but their newest member gulped heavily. He had a bad feeling he knew where this was going. His discomfort was quickly noticed by the phantom, however and he fixed his icy blue eyes on him. "Is something the matter, Mister Aparte?" He asked. "Is it that you, as a soldier do not like flying into the unknown?"

Ben coughed awkwardly and cleared his throat. "Uh, yes sir, that's it."

Fantine smirked. "You're a terrible liar, Mister Aparte. I suppose it's a good thing no one asked you about this mission before we left. You might have given away that big, international secret you were tasked with keeping." The members of Team EMAD turned to Ben in shock, while the soldier seemed to want to sink into the floor. "Don't worry about him." Fantine continued, getting the attention of Team EMAD. "After all, he was warned not to reveal what he knew on pain of death."

That got the attention of EMAD, the students turning to face their professor. "I'm sure you're all wondering exactly what I'm talking about and what it has to do with this mission. Well, let me explain." Fantine said, pulling out a map of the kingdoms of Remnant. A casual glance at the map told Maria all she needed to know: it was an exact match to the one her team had taken from the White Fang. When he pointed to the island off the north eastern coast, Maria knew that that's where they were heading. "Ten years ago, my team along with the team of Professor Marlow ended up marooned on this island which was, until then, unknown. Upon landing we discovered that this island had no human life on it, though it was far from uninhabited."

"The Grimm?" Alison hazarded a guess.

Fantine closed his eyes and gave a bitter smirk. "If only it were just them. No, this island was home to an even greater threat. Tell me, how many of you know the legend of the Kings of Grimm?" Alison tentatively raised a hand. "Miss Zu?"

"That's the story about the strongest of the Grimm who took control over the creatures in the early days of Remnant, right?" Alison quietly answered.

"You should learn to speak up, girl." Fantine replied. "However, all but one detail of your answer is correct. The only flaw in your response was that this was not a legend. The kings did, in fact, exist. They led the creatures of Grimm in a mass charge against the fledgling humanity, nearly wiping them out before the discovery of dust. With that power in hand, humanity engineered a massive string of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that locked the kings away under the earth itself. To this day, they rest there and the Grimm search tirelessly for them, drawn to their feelings of hatred and resentment for the humans that sealed them away."

The room was silent as Fantine's words sank in. Eventually, Thatch spoke up. "So, are these kings imprisoned on this island?"

Fantine chuckled bitterly. "No no no. If they were all there it would be suicide to even approach the island. No, the Kings were imprisoned all across Remnant, their prisons of earth scattered by early man. However, some have managed to escape their prisons with the aid of their followers, and when one emerges, a Grimm Incursion follows as the King leads his forces across the planet in a rampage of destruction. The first freed was Lycaon, the First Beowolf. He led his pack in a march of destruction that was only halted by the Mistrali generals Leonidas Nikos and Horatius Gaia. Yes, they are exactly who you think they are. The most recent king to rise started the last Grimm Incursion and he made this island his home."

"Wait, sir." Maria piped up. "I thought the last Incursion came from the Ognoc forest."

"You paid attention in class, didn't you?" Fantine said. "In part, that is true. The Grimm forces emerged from Ognoc, and Team AGTM was sent in to deal with that. However, the King made his home on the island we are flying to now. It was called The Abyss." At the mention of the name, the room descended into silence, even the roar of the engines outside seemed to die down. "The island is teeming with Grimm, and when the King awoke, he began to populate the island with creatures of his own design, creatures created using cursed humans and faunus. They were called the Inferri, Old Mistralli for 'The Dead.'"

None of the students spoke after Fantine explained the name. "Once it was discovered that the King was hiding on The Abyss, my team, along with AGTM and a cartographer by the name of Derek Blanch were sent in to investigate and set up a base of operations after mapping out the island. However, after Blanch's job was finished, we were attacked by the Inferri. Blanch didn't make it, I watched him get dragged off by the creatures. After that, AGTM was called off to deal with the Grimm at Ognoc, leaving my team alone at The Abyss. Eventually, we were successful in defeating the King and returned to civilization. However, last year it was discovered that our work was not yet complete. The Inferri still lived."

"What happened then?" Francois asked.

"I was getting to that, don't interrupt." Fantine snapped. "I'm sure at least some of you know about the great general Erwin Frundsberg, hero of the Faunus War and the youngest general in the Vale Army? I know at least two of you know about him, after all, Mister Aparte was his protégé during the war and Miss Gaia wrote an entire paper on him for Marlow's class last semester. Anyway, Frundsberg and another general, Vlad Paler, led an army of men into The Abyss to deal with the rest of the Inferri and make the island safe for colonizing. Their attempt failed, the army vanished and The Abyss was kept a secret from the public as to not scare the populace. However, now we have a theory that someone has returned to the island and is meddling in affairs they should not even know about. This mission is entirely off the books. No one knows where we're going or what we're doing."

"You're taking us to a hostile island where an entire army went missing?" Thatch demanded.

"Calm down, Mister Edwards." Fantine replied. "The army was a massive force that was betrayed from within, so the reports say. A group infiltrated their camp and set fire to it in the night. No one knows who it was, but should we encounter them, we have several ways out. And each and every one of you have a crucial part to play in the operation should we encounter the enemy and be unable to defeat them. Mister Edwards, your semblance should be able to keep them occupied, Mister Delatrois, you will be able to keep us motivated during the mission and our possible escape. We don't need any deserters. Miss Zu, your accuracy will allow you to take down any priority targets we may encounter. Finally, Miss Gaia and Mister Aparte, you two offer a very simple service to our mission: firepower. You alone can outgun any enemy." The phantom explained. "The five of you were chosen for a reason, and on this island you will prove just why you were accepted to Beacon. Are you ready?"

The hunter initiates exchanged a glance. Maria could see it in all her teammates' eyes. They were more nervous now than ever. Even Ben looked uncomfortable. She took a deep breath. "Francois, this is why we need you."

The nobleman nodded and took a deep breath, his eyes turning gold as the sense of calm spread from him to the rest of the team. Her confidence rising, Maria turned to the professor and nodded grimly. "We're ready when you are."

Fantine smirked. "Good. We'll soon be arriving. Prepare yourselves for landing."

True to Fantine's words, the dustplane soon pulled in for a landing. Maria watched from the bridge window as they made their final approach onto a small, wooded island, no more than ten miles across. As the airship pulled in for a landing in a large clearing, the centurion caught sight of several structures dotting the island through the trees. One was clearly a modern structure, likely dating back to the war. It looked to be an old Atlesian Mobile Firebase. These were large dreadnaughts designed to be a mobile fortress on the ground for land based operations. The enemy could fit an entire army into one of those, and the massive clearing it was situated in could offer a lot to their operation. Another looked a lot older, looking like an old Mistralli mausoleum. It was massive, though clearly only one story. However, that meant little, as Maria knew the structure could have several levels below the ground. It could even lead down into caves such as those her team fought in during their initiation. In either case, either of those structures would be good places to start their search for the enemy. The Firebase was closer, so they'd begin their search there. As she lost sight of the structures past the trees as they landed, Maria turned from the windows and walked toward the exit. It was time for her team's first mission. Never had she been happier to be able to walk as she would have no one else leading them.

Ben stood by as the centurion walked past, falling into step behind her as she exited the bridge. "Are you nervous?"

Maria took a deep breath, but didn't turn back. "In truth, yes." Maria confessed as the two of them continued down the halls of the airship toward the exit. "But with my team behind me and a real huntsman to lead us, we'll be done in no time."

"You sound confident." Ben said. "You do know an entire army vanished here, right?"

"That does have me worried, but with a smaller group it'll be harder for the enemy to track us once we leave this ship." Maria continued. "I don't know if whatever hit those men is still here, but I'll make sure we don't make it easy on them if they are."

oxoxoxo

The Axman leapt out of the dustplane's cargo hold as soon as he was close enough to the earth to not make a vigilante shaped crater on impact. He hit the ground hard, landing right outside the treeline before booking it into the forest, staying just close enough to keep watch over the Beacon students as they landed. If his calculations were correct, and the voices in his head never lied so they should be, he had jumped in just the right spot to avoid any detection. Hopefully. Well, if no one saw him sneaking on the plane, getting off couldn't be too hard, right?

Either way, he carefully watched as the students and their extra creepy professor jumped from the ship as it neared the ground, the professor barking an order for the ship to leave. With a roar of its engines, the dustplane lifted off and flew away from the island, the pilot likely thanking whatever deity he worshiped that he was able to leave here alive.

The vigilante looked about the area. The island was dominated largely by forest, making large group tactics difficult. He had seen a few buildings on the way down as well as a few large stretches of clearing, likely made by the army clear cutting in their short campaign here. Aedan had warned him of what happened here before he left. Usually, when an entire army went missing on an island along with two of the most famous generals of the previous war, it was a bad sign, but to these hunters it seemed they were undeterred. And him, he saw it as a challenge. To boldly go where no man had left alive before. Well, that was a lie, Aedan had told him that two teams of hunters had survived this place. Well, it was time to make that two teams and one vigilante.

Looking around where he landed, the Axman couldn't help but enjoy himself. Aedan had said this place was hell, but by the look of it, the island could have been a national park, green everywhere, shaded by trees, quiet. He could definitely see himself camping here. He took a deep whiff of the fresh air of the island and almost immediately gagged. There it was, the one problem: the smell. While looking like a national park, The Abyss only smelled of one thing: death. The smell was everywhere, making anyone who landed here know that this place was not the paradise it seemed to be.

Strangely enough though, there was something familiar in the scent. Aedan had mentioned that some part of his past was connected to this place, and now he was certain there was. He knew that smell from somewhere, he just wasn't sure where.

'Keep moving.' Said a voice in his head. The Axman had long ago accepted his own madness as a part of him, a constant companion through his solo mission to clean up the streets, and with that madness came the occasional voice in his head. He knew, however, that those voices weren't really there, that they were just a creation of his own mind that would speak to him on occasion. That said, this one was different. It felt like someone was actually speaking to him, talking to him from inside his head. The worst part, it was nearly identical to his own voice, but deeper and angrier.

Whatever the case, the Axman knew the voice was right. If he was going to track down Taipan and find out what the White Fang was up to out here, he needed to get a move on. He looked out towards the team of hunters he had stowed away with. They were headed to the north, one of them saying something about an Atlesian Firebase. As they set off, the Axman followed, giving them just the slightest bit of a head start. He couldn't have them noticing him now, could he?

That said, one part of him was still wondering about the voice that had spoken to him in his head. It had started right after he had smelled the air on the island. It worried him even more when it spoke again.

'Don't worry about me, follow them.'

oxoxoxo

Unbeknownst to Team EMAD or anyone else aboard the dustplane, but two more sets of eyes watched them land.

The first had long been filled with weary resignation, though the sight of the airship had begun to renew his hope. Perhaps someone had finally come to renew his mission. Even without his army, he knew the mission was a vital one that would need to be completed.

The second pair watched the landing with what could only be described as a mad curiosity. It had been over six months since the Night Attack, or so he thought. Time was so hard to tell when you were alone with only the occasional White Fang to kill. He could only wonder if these newcomers were different, or just more of the same. Deciding to find out, the madman picked up his weapon and set off in the direction of the ship's landing site. After all, his first visitors in months deserved a greeting.

oxoxoxo

Caroline Leon sat in her office, sitting at her desk and looking through the data Wun had brought back. The Inferri were certainly an interesting specie, spreading their curse through bites. The second a bite breached the skin and hit blood vessals the curse began to spread, killing the victim slowly and reviving them as one of their own. Apparently, no cure was known and the only sure way to kill these creatures was a direct shot to the brain which now controlled the whole body.

Caroline frowned as she continued reading. These creatures were known for over a decade, but yet, no one outside of a select few even knew they existed. She had to wonder why, after all, these creatures were highly dangerous, lethal even, but yet they governments of the world had swept them under the rug, running the risk that an unsuspecting ship would land here, possibly even try to settle here.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her scroll on her desk, the noise jarring her out of her stupor. She picked up the scroll and answered it. "This is Commander Leon, go ahead."

"Commander," Said Micca on the other end of the call. The elder of the snake sisters had been set on lookout duty on the roof of the Firebase the White Fang had taken over, looking to make sure they didn't get an unwelcome visit from the Inferri. "A dustplane just touched down on the island."

"So?" Caroline asked. "Didn't Blanch make a call for a few dustplanes?"

"It touched down on the other side of the island." Micca continued. "It's not one of ours. Someone else is here."

Caroline's eyes widened behind her mask. If someone else was here, their operation risked being found out and possibly compromised. This could require an intervention. "Take your sister and investigate, report back to me immediately when you find out who landed. Understood."

"Yes ma'am!" The snake confirmed. "The dustplane is taking back off, either they're retreating or, more likely, they've dropped off a team."

"Take Wun and track them down, I want to know who's here and what they're here for."

"Understood, Taipan out."

With the call disconnected, Caroline placed her scroll back on her desk and picked up the datapad Wun had brought to her. Though the information was not complete, there was still more she could learn from it. Closing the file on the Inferri, Caroline looked over what remained, what little there was. One file in particular caught her attention. It was titled Field Reports: E. Fantine.

Caroline frowned as she opened it. She knew that this Fantine character was the man who wrote most of the documents on the creatures that she had, so his reports on the missions that took place here had to be worth something. She opened the first report and began reading.

Fantine's Log

(DATE REDACTED)

(TIME REDACTED)

(LOCATION CLASSIFIED)

My team and I have landed on the Abyss, Team AGTM is with us, as is a cartographer by the name of Derek Blanch.

Caroline's eyes widened as she read the name of the cartographer. So that was how Blanch knew about this place. He had been sent on a mission here, and not only that, her father had come with him. Her curiosity piqued, the lioness kept reading.

oxoxoxo

Team EMAD followed closely behind Professor Fantine as they made their way quietly through the trees, the professor constantly on the lookout for any movement as they continued onward. Following his example, Maria had her team watching the trees for anything that moved. After what felt like hours of walking in silence, Maria tentatively spoke up. "Professor," She said softly. "You never did tell us what exactly the creatures on this island are."

The phantom suddenly called the group to a halt, each student readying a weapon as Fantine held up a hand, ordering them to stop. Maria raised her shield and rested her finger on the trigger. Alison drew the sword that Thatch had given her, knowing her zhua would be of little use here in the trees. Thatch gripped his blades tight, knowing that in tight quarters he would be the most useful of the team. Francois rested the stock of his gun against his shoulder, finger pressed against the trigger and ready to fire. Ben was terrified he knew what was coming, but the giant was determined not to show it.

The team remained tense, yet silent, waiting for the order to strike. That's when Maria realized something: the forest was no longer silent. Something could be heard, coming towards them. It was faint, but it was there. It was the sound of footsteps advancing on them.

Before she could say a word, Fantine spun in the direction of the shuffling and hurled a knife. The noise ceased as whatever was hit tumbled audibly to the ground. Fantine advanced in the direction he threw the knife and Team EMAD got their first look at what he hit as the professor pulled the knife out of its head.

It looked human, but it was clearly dead, the man's clothes torn and one of his eyes missing, a hole in his chest where his heart should have been. His skin was deathly pale and his remaining eye was sunken. This wasn't a person anymore, it was a corpse. "This is your enemy while you are here." Fantine explained. "This is one of the Inferri. Now I know what you're all thinking. This doesn't look very dangerous, does it? It's just a dead man. Well, you'd be wrong. We were lucky this one was alone, or we might have been in trouble. These things are usually in a horde and should you run into the horde, you have three options: fight, run or die. While under my command, we will try to take option two, as it has the highest survival rate. Any questions?"

"Sir?" Asked Thatch, raising a hand. "Why not fight them? You took this thing down easily."

"You seem to have missed what I said about the horde, mister Edwards." Fantine explained. "These creatures usually attack in a massive group and, while weak alone, in a group, their sheer numbers are a threat. There are two things you need to know about these creatures when fighting them. First, there's only one reliable way to kill one: destroying the brain. Decapitation won't work alone, the brain needs to be destroyed. Second, don't let them get close. One bite from one of these creatures could spell death for the victim. There's only one way to survive it, and it's not pleasant."

The students were silent at Fantine's words.

"If there are no more questions, I will continue." Fantine said. "We will stick to the trees while we're here. The horde can't move through the forest easily, so it's our best option for survival." With that, the masked professor continued onward, the hunter initiates following behind him staying silent for fear the horde might be around any corner.