RWBY: Light Extinguished

Chapter 21

oxoxoxo

Julia Gaia stared out the windows of Samantha Patton's ship, The Cannae as Vale gradually started to fade into the distance. General Ironwood had given her little information on any of the members of Team FRST, aside from telling her that each member was dangerous, and she soon found out why he was so secretive. Nearly every mission carried out by the team was classified. Her attempt to research them on her scroll revealed little, as they were buried in so much red tape. A part of her was nervous, flying off into danger with these women, but at the same time, she was somewhat excited. Patton had told her she would likely be placed in charge of the ship once they got to The Abyss, as the three of them would be personally looking for their leader. It was that thought that had her standing on the bridge of the ship, watching as Vale sank behind the horizon.

"Enjoying the view?" Patton asked, still slumping in her seat as she watched her crew bustle about the bridge.

Julia turned away from the window and looked to the general. "It never does get old to see world from an airship." The general answered. "Though I never expected I'd see the inside of anything even remotely related to your team. Everything you four have done is classified to the point that I can't even access the operation names."

Patton let out a cruel snort of laughter. "Good luck getting any of that." She said, rolling her eyes. "Girly, trust me, you don't want to know half of what we did during the war, but since you seem so keen about wanting to know what we did, I'll make you an offer. How would you like the abridged version of Team FRST's operations during the last Grimm Incursion?"

Julia stepped closer to Patton and folded her arms. "How much can you tell me?"

Patton shrugged and reached into her coat, pulling out a small picture and handing it to Julia. The general looked it over. "That right there is the only official photo of our team, taken just so Ozpin had a record of us being an official team. Considering that photo and a single page are the only records of this team's existence, that should tell you just how much I can reveal. Do you still want to hear it?"

Julia frowned. On one hand, she knew that just hearing what Patton had to say would leave her only wanting more, but at the same time, she did want to know more about the people she was flying into the jaws of death with. Her decision made, Julia looked Patton straight in the eye and spoke. "Tell me."

Patton let out another snort of laughter and leaned back in her chair. "Alright," She said, sighing slightly. "Let me think. What can I tell you?" The bridge was nearly silent as the veteran scratched her chin in thought, the only sounds being those of the ship's engines as they flew towards the Abyss. "There really isn't much I can say, but I can say one thing: in every war, there are those individuals who will stand against their own best interests, those who want their side to lose the war. They failed."

Julia was stunned by the implications. People who wanted humanity to lose the war? Those who stood against the kingdoms? "Who were they? What did you do?"

"She can't tell you." Said a new voice. Julia turned to the door to the bridge to see Ravencroft and Theodora standing in the door. "Our missions are classified for a reason, General Gaia. If the people of Vale, of any kingdom knew what we did during the war..." Ravencroft trailed off before frowning to herself. "It would not be pleasant, shall we say."

"But if you stopped a cult that wished death upon all of humanity, wouldn't the kingdoms praise your actions?" Julia demanded. "If your actions saved the people of Vale, why classify them?"

The general felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see it was Theodora who placed it there, the brunette woman looking at her with a pained expression. "Julia, trust me, you don't want to hear what happened."

"But what happened may have saved all of Vale!" The general protested.

"But it was classified for a reason." Patton said, slouching in her seat. "Trust me, girly, it's better you don't know."

Julia turned to Ravencroft, hoping that maybe she could get some hidden detail from the black garbed woman. Against all odds, the raven haired professor smiled. Not a joyful smile, or even a cruel one, but one of pity, as though the Atlesian general were walking into her own demise. "I'll tell you what, General Gaia." She said softly, her voice just barely audible over the sound of the engines. The entire bridge seemed to go silent as the professor spoke, her words quiet, but that silence weighed down on Julia like an Ursa on her back. "If we make it out of this mission alive, with Erik safely aboard this ship, I'll tell you more. Until then, we focus on the mission. We have maybe an hour before we arrive at the Abyss, so make ready for your job. It won't be an easy one."

oxoxoxo

Fantine dove on Erwin and threw him to the ground as a shell from the White Fang artillery punched through the walls of the mausoleum, dust raining down from above as the structure shook with the impact. Erwin groaned as he began to rise. "You sure your evac will get here in time?" He muttered.

"I certainly hope so." Fantine said, rising to his feet and dusting himself off. "It would behove them to get here quicker, however."

"What the hell is going on out here?!" Vlad demanded, storming into the main chamber. "Why is the building shaking? And who the hell is screaming at us?"

"Ah, Vlad, so good of you to join us." Fantine said with a roll of his eyes. "It seems we didn't cover our tracks well enough. The White Fang have found us."

Vlad stormed over to the nearest wall and slammed his fist into it, shaking more dust loose from the wall. "DAMMIT! It's the Night Attack all over again! Those animals will be the death of me!"

Erwin chose to ignore his comrade's ravings and quietly made his way to a shell hole in the wall. Carefully, he leaned up and peaked through the hole. In his one moment of sight he saw the entire enemy force, his photographic memory making a record of the force.

Fantine folded his arms. "What are we up against?"

Erwin cringed as his head throbbed. His semblance allowed him to look at an enemy force and instantly figure out the best way to defeat it. However, in situations like this, where they stood no chance, his own ability became his worst enemy, his own mind rending itself as it attempted to form a winning strategy where none existed. "Looks like about forty men." Erwin said. "Divided into groups of ten, each group escorting an artillery piece, all armed with swords and rifles." He cringed again as a shot of pain struck his mind. "Then there's their commander. Taller than the rest with a bigger gun. Looks like it could take down an Ursa in one shot."

"Sounds familiar." Said Fantine. The phantom peaked out the shell hole for a look of his own, masking his attention with an illusion over the hole. "It's the commander from the Firebase." He muttered. "She held her own against Vlad when we attacked them. Looks like she brought her troops, they're all dressed like her."

Vlad snarled at the mention of the White Fang commander. "Well, Erwin, got a brilliant plan for THIS one?" Erwin cringed again as his semblance screamed into his head. "That's what I thought. Alright, you two have seen what they've got, think I could take them with my semblance?"

Fantine crossed his arms and rose to his feet. "You can't hold that semblance forever, and with the amount of guns out there, you'd be a smear on the side of the temple before you reached them."

Vlad snarled again. "So what, do we just wave the white flag? Hope they don't just execute us?"

Another shell slammed into the mausoleum's wall, dust and small stones raining down from the ceiling. "I don't think they have an interest in taking us alive." Fantine pointed out. "What we need is a way out. Erwin, are there any other exits to this temple?"

Erwin got to his feet and nodded. "There's a passage out through the bottom level. It leads into a network of caves that run throughout the underside of the island. We could escape through those, but..."

Fantine raised an eyebrow. "But?"

The general sighed. "The caves are full of the inferri."

"Oh, is that all?" Vlad spat. "So it's either go out there and get our everything shot off, or make our grand escape and ring the dinner bell!"

"The front door is the only entrance to this building." Fantine said, cutting off Vlad's ranting. "If we leave through there, we'll be shot. However, we've all fought our fair share of inferri, and have a chance to get through them alive. I say, take the option of the non intelligent enemy. Erwin, show us the way out."

Outside the temple, Caroline nodded to her men as they fired another of their cannons, the shell breaking another hole in the wall of the temple. She would give the humans inside another minute before she led her troops in and took them dead or alive. The commander had chosen to personally lead this attack, leaving Wun back at the Firebase with an elite guard of ten of her best soldiers. After losing Micca, the last thing she needed was to lose Wun as well. Part of her did still feel guilty though. She had left the young snake behind, taking her men at first light and charging into the forest in a trio of APCs, following the instructions provided by her scouts. Not a word was said to the snake before they left, the lioness simply leaving a note telling Wun that they had gone after the humans and that she was sorry for leaving her behind. The guilt gnawed at her, but she knew that she couldn't afford to lose Wun like her sister.

"Ma'am." Caroline was jerked from her thoughts by the Carolean who approached her and spoke. "The humans are still not responding. What are our orders?"

The lioness frowned. "Bring me ten men from each artillery unit and tell them to form up on me. We're breaking down the door."

The soldier snapped a salute and ran to tell the other men their orders. Caroline pulled her rifle off her back and checked to make sure the gun was loaded. She knew for a fact that Shining Roar could kill anyone in that building with raw firepower, especially since their targets had been moving all night. She and her men were well rested and ready for action, while their targets had likely had little to no sleep. Hopefully they surrendered, but if they didn't, she and her forces were prepared to kill.

It only took seconds before the soldiers were formed up on their commander, with a small advanced guard approaching the door, Caroline following close behind them. A pair of soldiers stepped up to the door with a breeching charge in hand. Working quickly, the two set the charge on the door and armed it. The force stepped back as the detonator was handed to Caroline.

Erwin led Fantine and Vlad into the lower levels of the mausoleum. They had just reached the lowest level when the building shook with an explosion. "I do believe that was the door." Fantine said.

"Hurry up." Erwin urged. "The entrance to the caves is just ahead.

Fantine looked ahead through the dim light of the single torch they had taken and saw what Erwin was talking about. Just ahead of them was a large iron hatch in the floor. It was locked with a par of massive iron bars, bars that he and Vlad immediately set to work moving. All the while, they could hear White Fang soldiers moving about the floors above them.

"Got it!" Vlad said in a harsh whisper.

Erwin nodded and gave a mighty heave on the hatch. With a mighty groan, the door opened, and the three men immediately set to work holding their torch into the cave. The moment they brightened the cave, the men immediately regretted even looking.

The entire cavern was filled to the walls with inferri, and as one the ghouls turned to face the new source of light that shone down on them. At that moment, the entire cavern was silent. The three men were speechless at the sight of the sheer number of monsters in the cave, and the inferri simply stared back, silent and motionless, their dead eyes locking with those of the men, their expressions blank. It was perhaps more disturbing than if they had charged, because that was what inferri generally did. This unnerving, unblinking stare... that was different.

Vlad was the first to move, shoving Erwin and Fantine back and slamming the hatch shut. "Well, that was a bit more than we thought, wasn't it?" He hissed.

"I don't understand..." Erwin muttered. "There were always inferri down there, but I've never seen that many, and I've never seen them act like that."

"Hey! I heard something down here!"

The voice from above caught the attention of the three survivors, all three turning to the stairs as the sound of hurried footsteps grew ever closer. Fantine grabbed Vlad and Erwin, covering their mouths and hauling them back.

A pair of Caroleans entered the room only a second later, both instantly raising their rifles as they searched the room for any sign of life. "You sure you heard something?" One asked, rifle still raised.

"Yeah, something big." Said the other. "Hey, look at that." He said, pointing to the iron hatch. "Maybe that was it."

"Think they escaped down the hatch?" The first man asked.

"Help me get it open, let's see if they could." The second said. Holstering their rifles, the two men made their way to the hatch. As they walked past, Fantine held onto Erwin and Vlad as his power of illusion disguised them as a large rock. As the two soldiers pulled open the hatch, Vlad tightened his grip on his halberd. Fantine quickly grabbed the former general and covered his mouth, shooting him a frozen glare that held him in place. At the sound of movement, the two Caroleans turned to face the illusory rock, weapons raised. The two faunus shared a look as they advanced on the rock. Fantine held his hand over Vlad's mouth as the soldiers approached, all three men desperately trying to remain silent as the two soldiers circled the stone. Eventually, the two men shared a look and nodded, holstering their guns and walking back to the iron hatch.

Erwin bit his lip to resist the urge to sigh in relief as the two men pulled open the hatch and gazed inside. Within seconds, they threw the door shut, an expression of near terror on their faces. "Something tells me they wouldn't have made it ten paces in there." One said.

"Then what was the noise down here?" The other asked. "It sounded just like the door."

"Maybe something fell on it." The first man said, knocking the butt of his rifle against the door.

The second man looked like he was about to reply when another voice called down from above. "You two find anything?"

The two soldiers turned to the stairs to see a third man enter the room, rifle held loosely. "Doesn't look like there's anyone down here, sir." The first man answered, the two soldiers snapping a salute.

The new soldier gave a nod to the man who answered. "Come on, let's get back to the commander. We've got men all over this place. If those three humans show their faces, we'll catch them."

The two men nodded and followed the third man back up the stairs to the upper levels. The second their footsteps could no longer be heard, Vlad shook himself loose of Fantine's grip. "What was that all about? We could have easily killed those idiots and thrown them down the hatch!" The deserter hissed.

"And had the entire force know our location?" Erwin asked in a similar tone. "Your semblance won't last forever, especially against that much firepower."

"Enough." Fantine hissed. We need to get out of here somehow. I say we follow those men and walk out of here in uniform. I can disguise us, but don't speak unless spoken to, and don't move until I give the order. Got it?" Erwin nodded, and Vlad snarled in affirmation. "I can make this hallway look empty as we leave, but you need to stay quiet. Let's move." With that, Fantine's eyes glowed bright blue, as Carolean uniforms materialized over the three men, their weapons disguised as those employed by the White Fang, with Erik's rapier becoming a White Fang sword, Erwin's revolver-kukri becoming a standard issue pistol, and Vlad's halberd becoming a long rifle.

The three men quietly crept up the stairs to the upper levels, constantly on the lookout for any soldiers. They knew full well this was where their plan could go completely wrong. If even one enemy soldier caught them, even their illusory disguises would not save them. After all, the White Fang knew how many soldiers went down to the lower levels. Luckily, they didn't cross any soldiers as they climbed the stairs to the main level, however, their fortunes soon changed as they arrived on the main floor.

Erwin took a quick peek out the entrance to the lower levels before immediately coming back around the corner, wincing as his semblance tore at his mind once again. "We've got a problem." The general whispered, sitting on one of the stairs and holding his head.

Fantine crouched down to face level with the diminutive general. "And that would be?"

The general looked up from his hands and into the phantom's eyes. "The entire White Fang force is in there. If we step out, we'll be spotted instantly."

"And then shot." Fantine mused. He stood up and scratched his chin in thought. "We need to remain hidden until their force moves on." With a frown, Fantine activated his semblance once again, the Carolean uniforms disappearing as the professor put up an illusion over the entrance, making the stairway look empty. "And now we wait."

Caroline stepped into the center of the main chamber of the mausoleum. Her men had decided that this chamber would be their rally point in the search for their enemies. With over half her force still outside on lookout and the rest of her force stationed here, there would be no way for the humans to escape, not without first being spotted. "All squads, report." The lioness ordered.

"Upper levels are clear." One soldier announced. "We found a stash of ammunition and rations, so there might be someone else in this place."

"Ground level is clear." Another soldier reported. "No signs of life."

"Lower levels clear." A third soldier said. "We found what might have been an escape hatch, but it was full of rotters."

"Think they could have made it out through there?" Caroline asked.

"Not a chance, Commander." The Carolean answered. "The cave was full to the walls. If they went in, they weren't going to come out."

Caroline frowned. She looked like she was about to speak again, when her scroll began to ring. The entire chamber went silent at the noise, even Caroline herself seeming to be surprised. She pulled the communicator out of her pocket and answered. "Leon."

"Commander!" Caroline's eyes went wide behind her mask. It was Wun. "You need to come back!" The snake hissed over the communicator.

In any other situation, Caroline would have told the young snake that she was on a mission and could not be distracted, but the tone of Wun's voice told her this was absolutely serious. "Wun, what's going on?"

"Commander, the base has been evacuated." Wun whispered. "The humans took off this morning after you left, Blanch, Bartholomew, all of them are gone." Wun was silent for a moment after that, but Caroline didn't speak, part of her in fear of what the snake girl might say. She could hear hushed tones form the other side of the call and the sound of a door being shut and barricaded. "They locked the rest of us inside the base, Commander. We're trapped here, and those... things are crawling all over the base."

"Wun, what do you mean?" Caroline demanded, her grip tightening on both her rifle and scroll. "How did they get inside?"

"We're not sure, but they're all over the base. Commander – Caroline – please. Help."

Caroline was about to answer, but the sound of a shattering door and gunfire from the other side interrupted her. She heard the scroll fall to the ground and the call was cut off. "Wun? Wun? Are you there?"

"Commander?" One of her soldiers spoke up. "Your orders?"

The lioness grit her teeth. Of everything that could have happened today, this was something she never imagined could go wrong. With the end of the call, she was left with two choices: stay and search for the humans, hoping Wun could handle herself, or retreat and save her sister. Caroline snarled at the thought of these humans escaping, but at the same time knew that after losing Micca, she couldn't bear to lose another sister. "Men, move out. Give the order to set the charges by the base of the mausoleum and retreat, we're saving our comrades!"

A collective shout arose from the room. "Yes ma'am!"

Fantine and company watched as the faunus soldiers began to disperse, the phantom waiting until just the right moment before switching the illusions, making them look like Caroleans once again. Silently, he gestured for Vlad and Erwin to follow him as they made their way through the mausoleum towards the exit. They never dared to allow themselves to get too close to the faunus, knowing that many of them possessed a superior sense of smell, and scent being something Fantine's illusions did not cover. The three of them managed to make it to the door and exit the temple, walking into the light of midday to see the bustling forces outside the temple. Several soldiers were still on guard duty, with rifles at the ready just in case they tried to make an escape, and the artillery pieces were being packed up one at a time, in case the Caroleans needed some extra firepower. Soldiers were moving quickly, however, with two of the pieces already packed up and soldiers already setting demolitions charges at the base of the mausoleum, it seemed their work would be done before long.

"I know they were trying to kill us not five minutes ago, but you do have to admire their hard work." Erwin noted as the three men quietly entered the woods, Fantine shifting their illusions to make them invisible among the trees.

"No." Vlad answered. "No I don't. Animals are meant to carry burdens sometimes. These ones just do it faster than others."

"Be silent!" Fantine hissed. "The last thing we need is to be spotted thanks to your bickering!" Fantine cast his gaze back to the mausoleum, where the last of the cannons was being packed up, and the soldiers were finishing setting the demolitions charges. Caroline stepped out of the temple behind a throng of her soldiers and gave the men outside a nod of affirmation. As the final cannon was packed, Caroline and the last of her men piled into the APCs, one soldier handing the commander a small remote. As the truck she sat in roared to life, Caroline muttered just three words to herself. Three words that were silently echoed by all the men and women she brought with her that day.

"Burn in hell."

With those words, Caroline pressed the button, detonating the charges along the base of the mausoleum. With a sound like thunder, the charges went off and the earth shook. The noise only grew ever louder as the mausoleum collapsed, the massive structure crumbling to the ground, landing in its own footprint and sending a massive cloud of dust into the air around it. Had Caroline stayed behind just a second longer, the sheer amount of dust would have revealed the human's location, but it was not to be as the lioness and her soldiers frantically drove back to their base. Their brothers and sisters needed to be saved.

The drive out to the mausoleum had taken about an hour as they had to clear a path through the trees , and ensure they set up their weapons in the optimal firing positions relative to the only entrance to the structure. The drive out had been nerve wracking as they had been tracking not only a seasoned huntsman, but also a veteran general of a war against their kind. The force she had taken may have seemed like using a truck to crush an ant, but in her eyes, the force she brought was just enough for the job. They may have been many, but the enemies they had cornered were dangerous, and the cornered beowolf is the most likely to bite.

Of course, there was another reason she had brought so large a force after only two men, but until that moment, she did not want to admit it. What had shaken her the most about the attack two nights ago wasn't that enemies had managed to infiltrate the base, it wasn't that she encountered the man who had butchered so many of her brothers and sisters in arms, and it wasn't even that every intruder managed to escape. No, what had gotten under her skin the most was that she had lost one of the people closest to her. The lioness tightened her grip on her rifle. Micca and Wun had been her closest companions since the first day she joined the White Fang, they had grown close in their commonalities of deceased fathers and hatred for humanity.

Casting her mind back only five years, Caroline could easily remember the first night she met the snake sisters. She was seventeen and had brought herself out to a White Fang recruitment meeting, a dark blue hoodie covering her body with the hood up over her mane of blonde hair, a new Grimm mask over her face and her father's rifle in hand, the massive gun making her seem all the smaller. The meeting had just ended, and she had just left the building, standing under a nearby awning and watching as the meeting's attendees dispersed into the night. She leaned her father's rifle against the wall of the building she took shelter next to and pulled the mask off her face, looking into the eyes of the monster the mask portrayed. She let out a sigh. She knew her father hated the organization, especially its more violent tendencies, but with him gone and humanity all but eager to forget him, someone had to reclaim his honour. However, she knew there were other options. Perhaps a hunter academy would see her skill and recruit her, maybe she could seek out the last man on her father's team and learn from him. Neither option seemed likely, as hunter academies did still hold some amount of prejudice against her kind, with some teachers willing to look the other way when a faunus student was attacked. The last man from her father's team seemed a better option, but from the reports she had gotten, he had become a recluse ever since the end of the Grimm Incursion. There were some rumours that he might be in contact with Beacon academy, but as far as she knew, those were just rumours, as Curtis Marlow was rarely seen in public. She let out another sigh as she just stared at the mask she held, running her thumbs over the eyes of the mask.

The young lioness was torn from her thoughts by a scream. From the sound of it, it was a young girl, and it sounded close. The throngs of faunus had thinned to nothing, but there were still many on the streets, many you still clearly heard the scream. However, many were simply pretending not to notice. It didn't take a genius to figure out why. After all, the only thing that happened here recently was a meeting of the White Fang, so it was more than likely the White Fang meeting participants who were screaming. The animals that much of humanity wanted nothing to do with. That thought made Caroline snarl as she placed her mask back on her face. Taking up her father's rifle, she made for the direction of the scream, her keen sense of hearing leading her to an alleyway near the meeting building, the heavy sound of rain masking her footsteps as she drew ever closer, taking cover by the wall just outside the alley. Taking a deep breath, she risked a glance into the alley and was instantly disgusted by what she saw. In the alley were two young girls, their similar shades of mango coloured hair marking them likely as sisters while their slitted eyes marked them as snake faunus, fast, and likely venomous. However, it is hard to feel the strength of one's venom, when one is held against a wall by the throat with a knife levelled against her throat. A large human was doing just that to the smaller of the two, a small girl who could not have been much older than ten, petite and thin. The other must have been older, as she was taller and her face looked more mature, even while stained by terror. The human brandished his knife, running the blunt end over the younger girl's throat. "Scream again, little snake, and your sister dies. Your choice." Caroline could see tears welling up in the older girl's eyes, but she bit her tongue and held back. "Good girl." The human said mockingly. "Now, the two of you are going to come with me. Make a move to escape or do anything other than what I ask, and she dies. Got it?" The older sister nodded as the human grabbed the younger girl, knife to her back, and began to lead the two girls out of the alley, towards where the lioness hid.

Caroline pulled herself back around the corner and gulped heavily. She knew that if she let the human escape, those two girls were as good as dead, or worse. Taking a deep breath, the young girl employed the special training her father had given her, and activated her semblance, feeling all emotion drain from her as she stepped into the alley ahead of the human, rifle raised. "Not another step, human." She said, voice devoid of any emotion.

The human looked worried for just a moment, staring down the barrel of Shining Roar as he took a step back in surprise. However, that didn't last long, as the human soon cracked a smile and was soon letting out a bellowing and hearty laugh. "Well, looky here, if it isn't the White Fang's baby teeth!" He said before another round of guffaws claimed him. "Word of advice, little girl, it isn't a good idea to get between a hunter and his prey, maybe you know that from your days in the wild."

If the human was expecting an emotional response, he wasn't about to get one, as Caroline just stared down the sights of her rifle at him. "I'll give you one chance, human." Caroline said, once again voice monotone. "Let the girls go. Do it and I let you live."

The human looked between the girl holding the rifle, and the two he held captive. The taller of the two had pressed herself up against the wall of the alleyway, while the younger still glared at him from where she was held, tears in her eyes as he held his knife to her neck. "You're going to make demands of me?" He said, brandishing his knife and pointing it at her. "I see your finger touch the trigger in a way I don't like and this pretty little thing here dies." He said, running a hand over the young girl's face. Caroline could see the girl snarl with revulsion, baring her young fangs as he ran his hand over her chin. "I'd hate to waste such a fine young lady, so I'm going to suggest you step out of the way and let me and my new pets leave. Got it, little animal?"

Caroline didn't take a step. "I'll give you one last chance to let her go." Caroline said. She looked at the younger girl that the human was still holding hostage. "Don't spit on my offer again." She said pointedly. Her plan was a gamble, and she knew it, the success of her plan depended entirely on whether or not she was right about this one young girl and hoping she understood her message.

The human brandished his knife once again. "Last chance, beast. Take a hike, or the little one dies." He said, running the blunt end of her knife over her cheeks. The second the blade left her neck, however, the young girl sprung into action, twisting herself to face him and spitting a spray into his face. The human screamed in pain as the venomous spit hit its mark in his eyes, burning and blinding him. In his panic, he held both hands up to his face and dropped the young girl. She hit the floor of the alley and instantly lay on her stomach, hands over her head, giving Caroline the perfect shot. She squeezed down on the trigger, a large calibre round flying from the barrel of her gun and striking the human dead in the forehead, sending him to the ground and ending his screams.

Letting her semblance deactivate, Caroline examined her handiwork, shaking as she did. She had shot Grimm during hunts with her father, but this was the first time she had ever shot a sentient being. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself as she approached the two girls, the older one pulling the younger off the ground and into a tight hug. "Are you two okay?" Caroline asked, concerned, voice shaking as she asked.

The older girl just nodded, the younger one answering "I'm okay. Thank you for saving us..." She said.

Caroline let out a deep breath and leaned her rifle against the wall of the alleyway. "I wish I didn't have to, but with people like him around, we faunus have to stick together."

The younger girl stepped forward and caught the lioness in a tight embrace. "Thank you..." She muttered into Caroline's hoodie. "Thank you thank you thank you..." She continued muttering. Caroline could feel tears as the young girl continued.

The older sister approached and looked the lioness right in the eye. "You saved us. Thank you so much. Is there anything we can do for you?"

Caroline managed to free her arms from the younger snake's embrace and pulled her hood and mask from her face, revealing her long, blonde hair and golden eyes. She attempted to give a smile and said "You can tell me your names, perhaps?"

"R-right." The older girl said, nodding. "I'm Micca, Micca Sol. My little sister-"

"I can say my own name." The little sister interrupted, pulling her face from Caroline's now tear stained chest. "I'm Wun."She muttered, Caroline straining her ears to hear the young girl's words.

"Caroline." The lioness said, putting a hand on both girls' shoulders. "My name is Caroline Leon." Thunder crashed above, lightning lighting up the sky as the rain above continued to fall. Caroline chanced a look up above them, a smile lighting up her face for a moment. "And it seems I didn't need to save you after all."

Wun and Micca followed her eyes to the rooftops above them where several figures stood. A flash of lightning revealed them for who they were, each one dressed in a white robe with a grey hood and a Grimm mask over their face, all armed and all simply silently looking down into the alleyway. The White Fang had been there the whole time.

Caroline smiled nostalgically as she remembered that night. It had been her first kill, but she had also met the two girls who she held as her most trusted agents and friends even to this day. While one may have been gone, the other remained at her side. And no one, not a human or a ghoul was going to take her away.

"Commander!"

Caroline was jerked from her thoughts by the voice of the APC's driver. "We're just outside the firebase. Cobra's last transmission came from inside, but the base is in lockdown, no one gets in or out. Your orders?"

The lioness stood up as the truck came to a halt. "Ready any remaining breeching charges and set them on the nearest door." She said, readying her rifle. "Everyone else, lock and load. Once we get inside, know that the enemy may well be everywhere. If you have a clear shot for an enemy, take it. Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes, and when you do, put a bullet in them. Remember though, some of our men are still in there, and so is one of your lieutenants. Check your fire. Understood?"

"YES MA'AM!"

"Then get ready. I want everyone inside the second the dust clears from those charges!" Activating her semblance, she repressed the emotions of all her men, the shaking hands of the nervous growing still and the scowls of the angered becoming flat expressions.

(Author's Note: Music begins here. Song: Carolus Rex by Sabaton)

At her words, the soldiers instantly mobilized, scrambling from the APCs and readying weapons. In less than a minute, twenty rifles were aimed at the chosen door, a large garage meant to allow armoured vehicle entrance, as the breeching charges were placed. The demolitions expert turned to Caroline. "Charges are primed, awaiting your command, ma'am."

Caroline nodded and readied her own rifle. "Do it."

The demolitions expert nodded and pulled out a small remote. With a push of a button, the charges on the door detonated. The first thing the soldiers heard from inside was the sound of shuffling feet and moans of pain. before the dust had even settled, several inferri were already shuffling out to greet them. The Caroleans acted fast, each one opening fire, the sheer volume of bullets turning the oncoming creatures to mush. Caroline and her men were inside in a second, rifles raised as they scanned the inside of the garage. No signs of life. "Move to the inner door." Caroline ordered. "Break it down, and get us inside."

The troops nodded and moved into position. A soldier stepped up to the door, reared back and kicked, the door flying off its hinges and revealing the lengthy hallway extending to the right and left. Two squads were instantly inside, each one taking up a position facing either direction, the first men in taking a knee while the others stood behind them, all aiming and firing as soon as they saw the inferri within. As soon as the halls were cleared of the infected, one of the soldiers rose to his feet. "Clear!"

Caroline stepped into the hall once the signal was given. "We don't know which way Wun and her remaining troops are, so we're going to split up. Half of you will go left, while I lead the other half right. Kill any inferri you see, and if you find survivors, you make a call to me. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am." The soldiers collectively and emotionlessly responded.

"One final order." Caroline continued. "If anyone is bitten, protocol is amputation of the bitten limb immediately. If amputation is impossible, make their deaths quick." There were no words at Caroline's last order, only a grim nod of understanding. "Move out, we have brothers and sisters to save."

The Caroleans saluted their commander and let out a collective "Yes ma'am!" before splitting up.

Caroline turned to her men and looked over each one. "Affix bayonets and be ready. We don't want to shoot our own." At her orders, the soldiers attached their bayonets and turned to the other end of the hall. Caroline broke into a light run, making sure her soldiers could keep up. Rounding a corner, she was immediately met with more inferri. The closest to her was immediately met with a bayonet to the throat. Ii hissed in pain before Caroline silenced it with a bullet into its mouth and out the back of its head, into the head of another monster. As she pulled her bayonet back, the rest of her men rounded the corner. Many of the ghouls were brought down in the ensuing hail of gunfire, with one that was missed having its head crushed by the butt of Caroline's rifle. As the hallway lay silent, the echoes of gunfire fading, the soldiers took only the shortest amount of time to reload before Caroline led them off again, inferri already pouring into the hallway. The soldiers didn't even stop, instead opting for a slow march as they continuously fired, each round finding its place in the head of a ghoul as the undead lines shuffled and shambled, their hunger for flesh driving them forward. As the lines grew thinner, the lioness and her soldiers began to advance faster, some still firing, but others, led by Caroline, drove the bayonets on their rifles into the skulls of the beasts, using them as makeshift firing stands to kill any others still standing.

Caroline kicked the remains of a ghoulish skull off her rifle before turning to her men. No casualties so far. Cocking her ear, the lioness could hear the faint sounds of movement further down the hallway. The sound of gunfire told her just what was going on. "Men, this way!" She ordered. At her words, the Carolean ranks broke into a charge, surging through the base like a tsunami, the sounds of gunfire and screams growing closer with every step. Rounding another corner, the soldiers were met with the source of the noise.

Held up in the commander's office was a unit of ten Carolean soldiers, using the door to her office to funnel the ghouls into an easier target. The commander's force arrived just in time for the final shots to be fired, bringing down the last of the ghouls in the hall. "Good work men." Said a very familiar voice. "Caroline would be proud."

Deactivating her semblance for just a moment, Caroline instantly recognized the voice. "Wun!" The commander pushed her way into her office, past the soldiers to see the sorry state of the operation. About twenty White Fang soldiers were held up in the office, each one wounded in some capacity. The Caroleans by the door were holding the monsters back from the wounded. Running the operation was Wun, the younger snake sister having pulled back her hood to reveal her mango coloured hair, her wrist mounted crossbows on full display. "What happened here?"

"Caroline!" Wun cried, leaping into the arms of the lioness. "I don't know what happened, After you left, the humans disappeared, then the doors locked and suddenly the base was full of these... these monsters! I didn't know what to do, so I thought of what you would do and-"

"And you managed to rally the survivors and put up a good defence." Caroline said, looking at the ruined door to what was once her office. The room was in shambles, an overturned desk acting as cover for three men who seemed to be the last line of defence before the enemy would reach the wounded, the remains of the door lying in pieces by the desk and numerous disintegrating corpses scattered around the room showed that this was not the inferri's first attack. "I'm proud of you." The commander said. "You saved everyone you could."

"It won't matter if we can't get out of here." Wun said bitterly. "The humans took as many ships as they could fly out of here and blew up the rest. Half the wounded here are those injured in the ship destruction."

"There might be another way out." Caroline said. "When I first found out we'd be running this operation from an old Atlesian Firebase, I did as much research into these bases as possible, and there might be a way out of here. First, we need to get to the control room." Caroline turned to face her men. "This battle isn't over, not by a long shot. There are likely many more of these creatures about, and they WILL make another attack on this position. I need all but ten of you men to remain here. Those ten will accompany Wun and myself to the control room of this base. Decide amongst yourselves who will remain and who will accompany us to the control room." Caroline then pulled out her scroll and linked it to all her remaining troops. "This is Commander Caroline Leon. All remaining Carolean forces are to rally at my office and hold the position until notified otherwise."

A chorus of confirmation answered Caroline as she placed her scroll back in her pocket. Wun approached as the commander watched her soldiers deciding who would follow her. "Are you sure we'll make it out of this one?" Wun quietly asked.

Caroline sighed. "We've done the impossible before, this is just one more mission."

"Ma'am." A Carolean said, getting Caroline and Wun's attention. "We've made our decision."

The lioness nodded. She turned to face Wun and put a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "It's now or never. Are you ready?"

In answer, Wun pulled her hood over her head and loaded her crossbows. "I'm ready when you are, commander."

Caroline nodded and the two walked through the mass of soldiers guarding the door to find the ten who had been chosen to accompany them. "Lock and load, men. We have a control room to take." With her words, Caroline activated her semblance, each of the soldiers taking a calming breath as their emotions were pushed to the backs of their minds. "Anything dead dies again. Wun, stay behind us. If there are any larger Grimm, you're going to help me kill them." Wun gave a salute in understanding. "Company, move out."

The Caroleans began their forced march to the control room, Caroline leading them with her rifle at the ready. The first corner they rounded, they were instantly met with a small horde of monsters, but a burst of gunfire put each one down in under a second. The blue coated soldiers increased their pace, moving more quickly as they scanned the surrounding halls for any ghouls. The control room was a floor above them, so they needed to get to a flight of stairs if they wanted to get there. An elevator was too risky, it could open into the bulk of the horde and they would be cornered. Luckily, Caroline knew this base well, having explored every inch of it upon her arrival, and she knew that around the next corner was just the flight of stairs she needed.

The troop rounded the next corner, all guns raised as they did. Seeing the area was clear, Caroline turned to her men. "This staircase leads up to the control room." She said. "Wun, you and I will be heading up there, the rest of you, stay here and dig in, I don't want anything following us up."

"Commander, are you sure you don't want more backup?" One soldier asked.

"I'm afraid not." The lioness answered. "The control room isn't that big, and I don't want to risk damaging the controls with too much gunfire. I'm already sceptical with how long this base has been up here." Caroline frowned. She knew in a normal situation, her plan would work, but this base had been largely unattended for months until the White Fang arrived, and with the inferri loose, it might have been damaged even further. "You men stay here. Wun, let's go."

The snake nodded, and the two broke into a run up the stairs as the Caroleans settled into firing formation at the base of the steps. There were no ghouls on the way up, but somehow, that only put Caroline even more on edge. Nearly every corner they had come through in this base had been full of the creatures, why was this staircase empty. Something wasn't right.

It wasn't long before she realized just what was wrong.

At the top of the stairs, the door to the control room had been smashed to pieces and the very audible sound of slurping and snarling was made very audible. Caroline held a finger to her mouth, gesturing for silence as she and Wun approached the control room, each one taking cover on either side of the door. Silently, Caroline peaked her head through the door. What she saw on the other side left her white in the face.

The room was possibly the largest room in the base, easily triple the size of her office, with several different control panels lining the room. However, none of those caught her attention. No, Caroline's eyes were immediately drawn to the massive behemoth sitting in the middle of the room. It was the source of the noise they had heard on the way up, the massive human-like Grimm snarling before taking a bite out of one of the many corpses that lay at its feat. Caroline's rage only grew as she noticed that every single one of the bodies was wearing a White Fang uniform, and some of them had been kneecapped before the inferri killed them.

Caroline grit her teeth before turning to face Wun. She knew that her best chance to kill the creature was with her rifle, but one misplaced shot could ruin their chances of escape if it hit the wrong target. She needed to make the best of what she had, and she had the perfect plan to do so. Caroline pointed to the snake girl before gesturing into the control room, particularly, up to the hanging lights on the ceiling.

Wun gave a wordless nod as she crept into the room. Distracted by its feeding, the behemoth didn't even notice as the cobra quietly made her way to a wall and began to climb, grabbing a hold of any handholds she could get, or making her own with her blades, stabbing them into the walls, making sure to do so precisely in time with the monster's chewing as to cover up the noise. One false move, and the monster would hear her, and it would be game over. As she reached the ceiling, Wun let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She pulled one blade out of the wall and turned to face the closest hanging light. She tensed her legs as she judged the distance between her and the light, estimating it to be about five feet out. She needed to get this one right.

Caroline tensed up, hands clenching around her rifle. Part of her knew Wun had made bigger jumps than this, but the rest of her was still caught up on losing one snake, the last thing she needed was to lose the other.

Wun took a deep breath and waiting until the behemoth picked up another corpse. In her head, she counted down the seconds before it put the poor faunus in its mouth. The second it did, she sprung into action, retracting her blade and leaping off the wall, grabbing onto the hanging light and scrambling up onto it.

That was when things began to go wrong. The behemoth, might have missed the sound of Wun climbing, but it heard the swinging lights above it. Snarling, the massive creature looked up to see Wun looking right back down at it. The monster bared its massive, bloody fangs and snarled again, growling in the back of its throat. It let out a roar and hurled the remains of the corpse it held at Wun, the snake leaping to another light as the body sailed past her and splattered against the ceiling.

Caroline took in a sharp intake of breath as Wun dodged the corpse. The behemoth turned to face her again, picking up another body to throw. Wun tensed for another dodge, but Caroline wasn't about to take that risk. Gripping her rifle tight, she charged, stabbing her bayonet into the monster's back as it turned away from her. The beast roared in pain as Caroline pulled her weapon back and ducked under a massive fist. As the monster attacked, Wun struck, leaping from the light and jamming both her blades into the monster's neck. Again, the beast roared and attempted to crush the young snake, but Wun leapt from the creature before it could get its hands on her, vaulting over the behemoth's head and landing next to Caroline, both of them raising their weapons as they stood with their backs to the door.

'The door!' Caroline realized, eyes widening behind her mask. "Wun, I have an idea. We need to get behind him."

"Any idea how to do that?" Wun questioned as the beast wound itself up into a fury, snarling and growling at them.

"We'll need to improvise for that." Caroline replied.

The behemoth was apparently tired with their talk, as it snarled one last time before letting out a massive bellow and charging. Wun and Caroline dove in opposite directions to dodge, but the creature lashed out and slammed a meaty fist into Wun, sending her flying into Caroline, knocking Shining Roar out of Caroline's grip and sending it skittering across the floor. The two recovered just as the creature made another charge. This time, Caroline dove out of the way, while Wun leapt over the creature, driving her blades into its back and dragging them down as she slid down its back. The monster roared in agony as both faunus ran in separate directions, Wun seemingly running for the door.

Predatory instincts taking over, the behemoth charged after its fleeing prey, leaping at the cobra and snatching her up in one meaty fist, binding her arms to her sides. Wun struggled as she attempted to escape, but the creature's grip was too tight. The monster raised her to its face and snarled as it looked her in the eye. It let out a massive roar, spittle and blood flying from its mouth and spraying the young snake, the girl screwing her eyes and mouth shut in disgust and terror. The behemoth began to tighten its grip, trying to crush its captive into a bloody pulp. Wun could feel the pressure beginning to build against her ribs as it became harder and harder to breathe.

Just as she was sure something would crack, a single shot rang out, a bullet tunnelling through the monster's skull and embedding itself in the door frame. As the monster fell limp and released its grip, Wun clambered over its slowly disintegrating corpse to see Caroline, rifle in hand, the barrel still smoking after firing the killing shot. The lioness gave a sad smile. "This is the second time I've saved you from something that had you in its grip. And with another perfect headshot."

"Was that what took you so long?" Wun asked as she tried in vain to clean the monster's spittle off her robe and face.

Caroline stepped forward and hugged the diminutive snake, pulling her head into her chest. "I'm glad you're okay." The embrace didn't last long as Caroline soon held her at arm's length by her shoulders. "Come on, let's make our escape. Start activating these consoles, I'll call up the men from downstairs to help us run them all." Wun nodded and took off, switching on every console not too damaged to work as the commander raised her scroll and made her call. "This is Commander Caroline Leon to the men guarding the control room. The room is clear and your presence is requested inside. We have work to do."

"Yes ma'am!" Came the response. Caroline nodded and pocketed her scroll once again as Wun finished activating the consoles.

"So what's the escape plan?" The young snake asked. "Deactivate the lockdown and steal a bullhead?"

Caroline shook her head. "We've got too many men and far too many wounded for that to work. No, we're escaping my way." As Caroline spoke, her men arrived, filing one by one into the room and standing at attention, each one doing their best to ignore the corpses in the center of the room. Caroline turned to face them. "At ease, men. I want two of you to clear the bodies out of the room and get them into body bags. The rest of you, pick a console. These things are designed to be as easy to use as possible, so you should be able to understand their functions. Move out."

A salute later and the Caroleans set to work, two men working to clear out the corpses (their emotions repressed by Caroline's semblance), while the rest each chose a console while Caroline herself took the central one. Wun stepped up behind the lioness as each man and woman stood at their own station. "So, what exactly is your plan of escape?" She asked.

Caroline took a deep breath and flipped one last switch before grabbing a set of levers. As if in response to Wun's question, the entire base began to shake. "You're about to find out." The commander said, once again pulling out her scroll. This time she linked it to the PA system of the base. "All units, brace yourselves for takeoff."

oxoxoxo

Erwin looked over the small White Fang camp that he and his fellow survivors had taken over. The extremists had left in a rush, seemingly after a horde arrived, and had neglected to take their camp with them, leaving behind a crate of supplies and several tents, most of which had been ripped apart, with the exception of one which merely had a hole in it. At the moment, Erwin was on lookout, scanning every inch of the surrounding forests for any approaching inferri while Vlad and Fantine ransacked the camp, desperately searching for anything that might be usable to either survive or escape.

Erwin took a deep breath and idly scanned the clear afternoon sky. A slight movement and the slowly growing sound of rushing wind and roaring engines suddenly caught his attention, and out of curiosity, he shifted his gaze, along with those of Vlad and Fantine. The three of them watched open mouthed as the Atlesian Firebase rose into the sky propelled by engines beneath it. No words were spoken as the structure took off and slowly but surely flew away from the island, heading northwest and slowly gaining speed as it flew away from the island, the sound of engines quickly fading as it gained speed.

Vlad was the first to break the silence. "And there go the animals." He muttered.

"And the only other living things on this island." Fantine growled. "And the only vehicles left here. Would you like to make any other comments, Mister Paler?" The professor said as though speaking to an unruly student.

"Well, just one." Vlad said, going back into the crate he had been searching. "Before that house of animals took off, I found this." He reported, getting out of the box and holding aloft a single red baton. A signal flare. "A ship comes by, like the one spooky here said should arrive, we light this sucker up, and we'll be out of here before you can-"

"Before we can fight our way out of the horde of inferri that thing will attract." Erwin said, cutting him off. "We'd never survive, it would be safer for Erik to call the transport on his scroll and tell them where to pick us up."

Fantine shook his head before something else caught his eye. "Vlad, light the flare."

Erwin was struck dumb. "What? Are you trying to get us killed?"

"No," Fantine replied. "But my scroll is out of power, and if that ship is what I think it is," The phantom said, pointing behind Vlad and Erwin to where a large Atlesian model battleship was closing with the island. "Then we need to be visible to be picked up."

"What about the inferri?" Erwin asked. "This is a big risk."

"It's either this or risk being stranded until another ship flies over this island that no one ever approaches." The professor countered. "Your choice."

oxoxoxo

Julia and Patton looked out the window of The Cannae's bridge over the abyss as they made their final approach. In the distance to the north, a plume of red smoke billowed out of the forest. "That must be him." Julia said.

"Them, actually." Patton replied. "The message Fantine sent back to your sister said he was there with General Vlad Paler who went missing here months ago."

Julia turned to face the older woman. "Wait, you mean THE Vlad Paler?"

"The one and only, apparently." Patton said with a shrug. She got up from her seat and turned to her men. "Keep us on approach, Jules and I are going to get the others." The men gave a salute and Patton gestured for Julia to follow her. "So, here's the plan. The ladies and I are heading down to get Erik."

"What do you want me to do?" The Atlesian General asked.

Patton pushed open the doors to the hanger where Ravencroft and Theodora stood waiting, several bullhead dropships waiting for takeoff. "You're staying here." Patton said with a shrug.

"What?!" Julia demanded. "You bring me all the way out here just to bench me?!"

"Not quite." Ravencroft said. "We need someone up here to man the ship while we're gone, and seeing as you have experience as a general and we work best as a team, we're going to have you up here. That, and you have one other assignment, the one you received from James."

The memory of General Ironwood's orders came flooding back to her, what she was to do once she had a ship. "The island... I'm supposed to destroy it."

Ravencroft gave a single nod. "We're going to go down into hell as a team. You're going to go back to the bridge and take command of the ship. In precisely ten minutes, I want you to start burning the island."

"But, you'll all still be down there!" Julia retorted. "You'll be killed!"

"We've gone into worse, trust me." Theodora said, waving a dismissive hand and cocking her hip. "Besides, we've got another job after this."

"Radar picked up another ship leaving the island just before we showed up." Patton explained. "We determined it to be an Atlesian Firebase model, a flying fortress likely from previous operations here about six months ago. We don't know who was on it, but based on how far those things can usually fly without the ship that dropped them off, we can determine its landing site. The sooner we finish here, the sooner we can track that thing down and find out if there are any inferri aboard."

Patton walked over to one of the bullheads and pulled open the door while Ravencroft walked to the slowly opening doors to the hanger. Theodora approached Julia and put a hand on her shoulder. "Just think, pretty soon, you'll have your first operation covered in red tape." The belle looked over Julia's form. "At least you look good in red. Oh, be sure to send a bullhead after us when Samantha gives the signal. Look out for a bright blue signal flare, got it?"

Julia looked at the older woman as she raised her voice to be heard over the rushing winds from the now open door. "Wait, aren't you taking one?"

"Clearing a landing zone can get pretty tough, so we have our own landing strategies!" Theodora shouted to be heard over the wind, her hair now blowing in the breeze. "I can catch myself with my weapon, and Samantha's getting a parachute!"

"What about Ravencroft?" Julia shouted, her crimson cape billowing now. "What does she have?" Julia looked over to the professor standing by the now wide open doors to the hanger, her pitch black hair and black feathered cape billowing in the wind.

As though she had heard what the general said, Ravencroft raised her arms and dove out the door. Shocked, Julia broke into a run, prepared to grab a parachute and go after her, but before she could go too far, Theodora grabbed her by her armour and pulled her back to speak in her ear. "Let's just say she has her own landing strategy." At Theodora's words, Ravencroft soared up past the hanger doors again, her massive feathered cape revealing itself in its true form: a giant pair of wings.

Patton was next out the door, with Theodora right behind her, the doors beginning to close as soon as they jumped. Julia, however, remained behind, simply staring at the now closed hanger doors. Just what had Ironwood sent her into? The general shook her head to clear it. She still had a job to do. Turning on her heel, Julia marched back to the bridge, ready to carry out her grisly orders.