The Shadow of Fire
Chapter 26: Showdown
Vale Border
Underground Complex
9:58 PM
"What in the world are they thinking?" Weiss hissed out quietly as Ruby nearly fell from the ceiling. "They are going to get us all killed."
"Hey, she's your girlfriend." Yang countered, staring at Blake as she climbed upside down.
"And your sister you brute." Weiss countered back, rolling her eyes. Ruby's dunce moments made it hard for Weiss to recall why she fell in love with the girl. Regardless, she did, and she couldn't complain. She really did love Ruby.
"I will never understand what odd things your team talks of." Ulysses stated bluntly and simply, merging his blades together to make his quarter staff. "Teens and their drama."
Weiss rolled her eyes at the man and glanced back at Ruby and Blake, who had stopped moving.
"So what's the plan?" Yang asked, looming over Weiss. "Are they gonna give us a signal?"
"I would." Weiss said, pondering the method that she would use. "I'd throw a rock or something, maybe make a noise to draw out the guards."
But this was Ruby.
"BANZAI!" Ruby exclaimed as she released her grip on the ceiling, falling towards the floor, above one of the roaming drone guards. Crescent Rose elongated, and spun it in a wild arc.
As Blake fell with Gambol Shroud, ready to impale another roaming guard with Ruby, Weiss and Co decided to act. All three raced from the tunnels exit, weapons at the ready.
Yang made two punching motions in the air, sending two blasts from Ember Celica flying across the room towards the drones by Team CRDL. Weiss spun her Dust chamber, causing her blade to glow light blue. Weiss pointed the rapier at one of the guards and pushed forward, sending a blast of light blue energy towards a drone. Ulysses was the last, holding his staff in hand before throwing it like a javelin at incredible speed, the electric ends hissing as it flew towards its target.
All the targeted drones were destroyed at the same time. The blasts and weapons fire from the trio from the tunnel ruined the drones guarding Team CRDL at the same time. Meanwhile, before the other drones could react, Blake and Ruby had descended upon them. Crescent Rose tore through its target, slicing it in two. Blake impaled her target through the head, right down to the memory core. The drone hissed and shuttered a bit before it collapsed, killed.
The new Hunter and Huntresses made a wall around Team CRDL as they retrieved their weapons, protecting them from the remaining drones.
Weapons were slashing through metal, blasts of Dust were sent across the room, and gunfire was echoing in the enclosed room. In no time, all the drone forces were eliminated, leaving the group left unscathed an awaiting the last team to join them.
"Are you all alright?" Ruby asked, holding out a hand to Cardin, a concerned look on the Huntresses face as he sat on the carpet.
Cardin thought for a minute about grabbing her hand, eyeing her ears upon her head. Momentarily, Cardin reverted back to his hatred for the species, smacking Ruby's hand away, avoiding eye contact.
Ruby was stunned, what had she done wrong? As the other Hunters and Huntresses were organizing themselves, Ruby extended her hand to him again, almost shaking it in his face.
"Cardin..." Ruby said in a gentle tone. "Don't be like this, we all gotta work together here. At least for this one time." Ruby suggested, pushing her hand closer to the man.
Cardin met Ruby's eyes and gave a small huff, taking her hand as she pulled him up with her incredible strength.
"We good?" Ruby asked, looking up at the tall Hunter.
Cardin opened his mouth to say some racist comment towards the girl, something about her stupid ears. However, he found his throat dry, as if he couldn't be so mean to such a good person. Instead of speaking, Cardin simply gave a grunt in agreement before walking over to his team, leaving Ruby standing there blinking.
Weiss walked over to her leader, giving her a big hug. "Nice job, team leader." Weiss said, planting a soft kiss on her cheek. "Next time, tell me the whole plan."
"No problem best teammate." Ruby said, returning the kiss. "But uh, I sort of came up with that with Blake at last second... Hehehe..." Ruby said with an awkward giggle, tapping her index fingers together.
Weiss stood with a blank face as Ruby awkwardly giggled a few times, failing to notice Team JNPR come charging in through the tunnel, expecting a fight. Her mind was in overdrive, beginning to fail as she slowly began recalling the dunce side of her girlfriend.
"You are SUCH a dunce, Ruby Rose." Weiss said simply, pinching the bridge of her nose as Ruby's tail wagged happily.
The younger girl had brightened up, hugging Weiss tightly. "But I'm your dunce." She said with a giggle. "Now let's go get Orion."
Saturn's Throne Room
10:21 PM
Saturn rubbed his eyes as he plucked up his personal Scroll with his Guardians, taking a sip from a new coffee mug. As his eyes met the camera feed, his lips grew into a wicked grin.
"It seems that Gore will have some more company after all. I sure hope he slept well..." Saturn spoke with a chuckle. "Ah who am I kidding, nothing can penetrate that armor." He added, his Guardian holding the Scroll behind him as he walked toward the light switch.
As his fingers connected with the white switch, the room sparked to life, the world around him becoming noticeable again. As he blinked a few times with his good eye to adjust his eyesight, he grinned and scanned his personal room.
The throne room, as per his design, rested upon a platform connected by several metal wires which in turn were connected to the walls. Under the platform, from a nearby railing, was a 100 foot drop into a waterfall abyss, which would wash one into a unknown area. Saturn had pushed several unwanted associates off the railing to test his theory, and he was right. It was a one way trip.
As the man looked up to the balcony that rested above, he could see the area that the chained form of Orion rested, pipes taking his golden blood out of the room towards his foundry to be processed.
Saturn adjusted the chairs to the long table in the center of his throne room, making it presentable for his possible guests.
"Today is a remarkably good day." Saturn stated to himself, placing his katana pen in his pocket of his suit from the table, brushing his black hair from his face.
"Let's see if it can get any better."
Vale Border
Underground Complex
10:30 PM
"Is everyone ready?" Ruby asked, looking at the group of Hunters and Huntresses around her, holding her scythe in her hands.
"Yeah, we're ready to move when ya are sis." Yang said, cocking Ember Celica back.
Ruby nodded towards her sister as the group turned to the exit door, slowly approaching it.
"Something feels wrong..." Ulysses spoke quietly, holding his staff in hand as it crackled with electricity.
Ruby slowly pushed open the door to the next room, poking her head in to see what awaited them.
Ruby let out a high pitched scream.
As the team quickly flowed into the room, everyone took in the sight that was before them, each having a similar reaction among the sea of emotions in the group of warriors.
Disgusted.
The room was soaked in a red color that could only be blood, dripping down onto the floor from the walls. Bone and stray limbs were all around the room, torn and broken. The cause of all of this wasn't around, but the victims were.
Gale's body was cut to pieces, his left arm halfway across the room, a giant hole was right through his chest. His dagger was laying by his bloody body, covered in blood, most likely his own. His face wore the look of absolute fear, his mouth open in a silent scream.
Warren was laying face down and still on the floor, his left leg missing from below the knee along with most of his hip and torso. Blood was flowing from his body like a river, traveling around the floor.
"No..." Ulysses said in a low tone, moving towards Gale. "No no no no no..." He added before he broke into a full sprint.
He knelt beside his old friend, shaking his shoulder. He couldn't be dead. While they hadn't been the best of friends, or on the same team, they still had a long past as friends who worked on assignments together from time to time. Some of his best memories were with Gale...
"Gale..." Ulysses said quietly, sending some Aura into the mans body.
Nothing happened, Gale was gone.
He took the man's dagger in hand, gripping it with all his might. He couldn't count the number of times that that dagger had saved his life.
And now it was useless.
Ulysses closed the man's eyes and mouth, wearing a look of false calm. He took the man's body in his arms and walked towards the door, the others moving out of the way as he placed the man's body in the other room. As he walked out, the dagger fell from his hand, nearly landing on the floor. Weiss caught it in her hand, waiting for Ulysses to turn back and take it. When he didn't, Weiss hooked it to her belt, feeling that she should keep it and get it back home to Beacon.
Ulysses couldn't believe it. Gale was dead, his friend. Warren was most likely dead as well, but the man still walked over to the still form.
Ulysses shook Warrens shoulder, sending his Aura into his body.
"Warren?" Ulysses asked, fearing the silence that would follow.
A liquid filled cough answered him.
"Warren!" Ulysses said shocked, the others running over to the pair, not caring about the puddles of blood that they stepped in.
"U-Ulysses?" Warren asked, more blood leaving his mouth as he coughed again.
Ren knelt down next to the man, placing a hand on the wound on his hip. His Aura flowed into his body, stopping the blood flow.
"Yes, it's me old friend." Ulysses responded, helping Warren up to a sitting position.
"You... You all need... Need to get out of... Here." Warren said in slow gasps as he breathed in quickly, enveloping into a coughing fit.
"We have a mission, you did your job."
"G-Gale?"
Ulysses shook his head. "Dead." He said with remorse, closing his eyes momentarily before opening them again, hoisting Warren up.
"CRDL!" Ulysses ordered, the team running over to his side. "Take Warren and Gales body back to the surface, call for Ozpin and update him on the situation. Coms aren't working."
"Yes sir! Alright boys, let's move!" Cardin shouted to his team, holding the man in his arms as his team handled Gales body, Warren moaning as Cardin walked.
"I-it's a monster... A monster..." He groaned as the pain from before returned, echoing around the room as Cardin's team left the others.
"We've still got a job to do, now let's keep going and find tha-"
Ulysses paused as the sound of hissing filled the room, the circular platform in the middle of the room opening up. A large platform rose up from the circle, a large mechanical beast emerging, recently awakened by the looks of it.
"Gore." A cold voice echoed around the room, causing Weiss and Ruby to go tense, gripping their weapons.
"Saturn..." Weiss growled under her breath, hating the sound of his voice.
"Please deal with our guests, and do leave them somewhat identifiable." Saturn said before breaking out into a cackle, the speakers in the room turning off moments after.
The massive beast, Gore, roared in understanding, flashing its metallic claws at its victims.
Teams JNPR and RWBY all took a few steps back as the creature stayed at its platform, growling at its enemies.
Ulysses calmly walked in between the beast and the Hunters, twirling his staff in hand, the metal transforming before hooking it to his arms as his gauntlets, letting them change back to his watches.
"You all go on ahead." Ulysses spoke with a dark tone, running his fingers along the rim of his hat, raising it up to show his blood red eyes to the massive Cyber-Ursa Major. "I'll handle this monstrosity."
"Ulysses, we can help. We-" Ruby began before being caught off by Ulysses.
"No, this is personal." He said calmly, looking towards her. "I'll catch up."
Ruby wanted to reject his idea, but before she could even let out a word, Weiss was already pulling her towards the exit to the next room with the others in tow. Gore growled and attempted to follow, but the sound of Ulysses tapping his foot on the ground drew its attention, and claws, to him.
"You ready to dance partner?" Ulysses asked, cracking his knuckles.
Gore let out an angry roar.
"Touché."
And with that, Gore charged.