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Beta(s) :
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All his life, Oscar had been told all about Atlas. Its people, its culture, its money - money that kept his farm afloat through more than a few years - and, most of all, its army. An army that he'd always been told was indestructible. 'The Might of Atlas' and all that… He'd seen it on posters all over town, when he went in. And the train out from the village near had been just about plastered in Atlesian posters, pictures and flags. 'Atlas Protects', 'Guardians of All', 'Eternal Vigilance'...
And 'Be a Hero'.
That one had been an Atlas Academy poster.
And here he was, too. Sitting on a firm bed in a cool dorm room in Atlas Academy, kicking his legs boredly and folding his spare clothes. And the other's, too. Well, at least aside from their undergarments. He did have limits… The room had come with a set of drawers, and with everyone else out, he'd figured he could go ahead and get the boring stuff more or less out of everyone's hair.
They saved the day…
...He did the laundry.
"Be a Hero…" He muttered under his breath, scowling and tossing one of Jaune's padded jeans onto the bed. "Yeah, right."
He blinked and, when his eyes opened, he'd turned around to look at Ozpin's cane, leaning against the wall beside the door. He took a step towards it, hand reaching out… And stopped, shaking his head and turning to look at the floor. He wasn't any kind of hero… He wasn't even a fighter. Not like the others, at least.
So why did he feel that urge to pick up the cane and go to work…?
"O-Ozpin?" He asked nervously, looking around the room as if he expected to see the man somewhere. He didn't, of course, but then he never did. But normally, that prompted… Some kind of response from him.
This time, though, nothing came.
But he could still feel Ozpin's presence, just the slightest bit, in the back of his mind. But he didn't do anything. He didn't take control, or ask for it. He didn't even offer any words of support. Or push his own confidence into Oscar, so that he could feed off of it and relax. Honestly, Oscar really could have used that…
But Ozpin didn't offer him anything.
Instead, Oscar had to decide what to do all on his own… Which was great.
"I'm not a fighter like the others…" He murmured again, crossing the room and picking up the simple seeming cane. Letting it rest on his palms, he stared at it and frowned. It felt so comfortable, there… So right. "Ozpin's memories, probably."
But either way, it was there, and holding it made him feel so much better… Right beside the feeling that he couldn't just sit on the side-lines and wait. Not when people needed help, and he could do something.
The hallway outside the dorm room was just as empty as when they'd gotten there. The student body had already been off in classes, so aside from a handful of work drones and larger, heavier security drones, no one had been here. Most of the security drones were gone now too, probably off handling security somewhere else, but a pair had been left outside his door.
"U-Um…" He stammered, unsure of how to talk to the things. No one had gotten around to explaining that, yet, but they had to be able to interact with people. If only to take orders and relay information. Sighing, he settled on an obvious, "S-Security droid?"
"Yes, Sir?" The machine he was looking at rattled off, turning to him stiffly.
"Where is…" He paused, thinking quickly for somewhere he might be able to do something, and finally asked, "Where's the medical wing? I want to volunteer."
"The medical sector does not require-"
"Send my request to General Ironwood." He snapped, pointing at the machine and adding, "A-And I am ordering you to take me to the medical area."
"The medical area-" Oscar snarled and turned, slamming his head into the door as hard as he could. His Aura flared and protected him from it, but he cradled his head in his hands and looked the machine in the face.
"I'm hurt." He lied, feigning pain as best he could. "Show me to the doctor."
"...Understood." The machine turned, stalking off stiffly, "Follow."
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"They'll be fine." Qrow said as they pulled away from Juniper's drop and around, over a thick row of tight-nestled buildings pressed in back to back. Crammed in by a world that wanted to force as many into as little a space as possible, here in this frozen tundra.
"I know this." Thel rumbled as they moved over the buildings, crossing several of the back to back buildings as they went. "But knowing they will be well is, I fear, not enough to stave off the creeping anxiety."
"Don't I know it…" The Huntsman sighed, clapping him on his armored shoulder and turning to call out to the pilot. "Any word on what's out there? Or are we goin' into the shit blind?"
"Sabyrs, mostly, Sir." The pilot reported, her voice loud enough to carry but at the same time… Empty. As if she were a thousand miles from here, on some beach, rather than in the seat of a gunship dropping warriors into combat. "Most of what slips through are Sabyrs. Scouting is scarce, though, so mind yourselves."
"Uh, got it…" Apparently, Branwen had noticed it as well. Turning, the Huntsman explained, "Sabyrs are kind of like Beowolves. Armored, but not much. And damn fast pack fighters."
"Weak points?" The Spartan asked from his place beside the door, where he'd stood the entire time.
"Same as any Grimm, really." Qrow shrugged, tapping his chest, neck and the side of his head. "Heart, throat, head. Get 'em there, they oughta drop dead. Front armor, on their shoulders and heads, is a bit slanted though. So, uh, aim good?"
"...Understood." The Spartan nodded, rolling his shoulders a bit. Tapping a finger on the side of his guard, he asked, "Will the craft be on task for support?"
"Negative." The pilot answered simply, "I'm not fitted. Beyond the nose-gun, anyway. Speaking of… Brace."
The warning came just before Thel felt gravity pull him forward, the momentum of landing turning his stomach. It only lasted a moment before they settled, the forward gun making the cabin tremble as it fired. The twin doors slid open automatically and the faint brrt of the gun shifted into a true roar, splitting the frigid air as it washed in over them. He flicked a look to the Spartan and the great man nodded, taking a single step out into the empty air and falling away. Vanishing below, to the ground.
"Let's get 'er done, then." Qrow called and, when he turned, he just caught the last of the man vanishing over the lip on the other end of the craft.
Sighing, Thel took a step and fell, too.
The ground was just over three meters away. Far enough that pain lanced up his shins and past his knees. He grunted and his Aura flared, easing the pain as he straightened and looked up the street. Black mist filled the air, around twenty yards away, pockmarked by holes torn open by the Atlesian craft's guns. As he watched, the line of fire, interspersed four to one by bright tracer rounds, wound right and left slowly and then came down, churning asphalt and concrete into the air in the same motion.
Then, the gunfire died, and the pilot's distant voice echoed over the ships external speakers. "Area cleared. Bugging out. Good hunting."
Then, with a dull whine and no waiting on a response, the craft angled up and back and soared away. Up, towards Atlas.
"And so it falls to us…"
"Yeah." Qrow nodded, backing up towards him with his great blade, Harbinger, laid across his shoulders. Bobbing his head up the road, he added, "Probably bought us about… Thirty more seconds."
"I see." He murmured, looking up the dark street.
It was remarkably empty and wide, flanked by tall buildings so dark they seemed to loom over it all. Street lights were paced out evenly along the road, casting an even light that left it easy to see, though some had fallen. Broken down by Grimm or gunfire, he couldn't be sure, but they left wide circles of murky black wherever they had fallen. Interestingly, there were very few cars along the sides of the road.
And just as few signs of there normally being vehicles there, either. No old tread marks, or worn places in the brickwork where the people's vehicles should have rested. There were heavy tire marks in the center of the street, though… And more than a few signs pointing out bus stops and 'truck zones'.
It was strange...
"Grimm!" The Spartan standing ahead of them called, turning and sliding a foot back as he raised his rifle. "Ten seconds."
"Qrow-"
"I'll go high, keep the birds back and hit 'em in the flanks when I can." The man grunted, turning and leaping onto a car and then into the air.
The Arbiter felt his eyes grow heavy for a moment and, when they opened again, he watched the little bird soar up and vanish over the lip of a roof. Then, after a moment, he saw Qrow appear, looking down on them. Someone with a greater specialization in pure range, like Ruby, would have served better in the role, but Thel knew that Harbinger's firing function held more than enough range to keep anything airborne away from them.
Which, given he only had a sword, was definitely necessary...
"Contacts, front and fast." The Spartan's words were barely even finished before he opened fire, his rifle cracking out in three round bursts that came so quickly they almost sounded like automatic fire.
Would have, in fact, if Thel didn't have a wealth of experience to tell him otherwise.
The Grimm Sabyrs were a lot like the Rap'teras of his Sanghelios. Small, sleek, and using their speed for protection, weaving between pieces of cover in a futile attempt to protect themselves from the Spartan's fire. He watched as one, then another, then a fourth, a fifth, sixth were cut down. A seventh and eighth joined them before the Spartan turned slightly, grabbed a fresh magazine from his waist, and ejected the spent one in a single smooth motion. Nine, ten, eleven- The Spartan continued, roaring fire ripping down the Grimm as they closed and the Arbiter's blade burned into life.
He stepped forward as the first Sabyr reached them and leapt onto a car and then up, into the air, to try and throw its weight at the Spartan. Qrow slammed into its flank before its could, Harbinger sticking out either side like a pick through a kebab, and carried it off to the side and across the street for both their momentums. A second followed, though, and this one was to be the Arbiter's prey, sword snapping up and catching it just below the chest. The plasma sword carved through it, disemboweling it, leaving its back half to trail to either side in a mess of splaying limbs, spraying ichor and vaporous vanishing.
Another snarling Grimm slammed into his chest before he could react but, so small and light, it could not bear him down. He brought his sword down in front of him in a straight chop, carving the Sabyr in half easily, and then stepped forward and brought the Bane up into the face of another of the black monstrosities. He flicked a look over his shoulder to see Qrow fighting across the street, great scythe spinning rapidly to carve apart Sabyr after Sabyr.
He felt something coming, though, and turned back as three of the beasts leapt for him, maws stretched wide. His hand snapped up, fingers splayed, and they crashed against the wall he threw up. As they fell, the Spartan stepped forward and turned, putting clean bursts into each of their heads and turning to slam an elbow into one that tried to leap for him. It fell, head caved in, and Thel stepped up to the Demon's side to block another pair's leap with one of his barriers.
"Semblances are useful…"
"Indeed, Demon." Thel laughed, letting the barrier fall and driving his blade down, into one of the downed Sabyr's chest while the Spartan killed its partner. Another Grimm rushed them and this time it killed itself on his shield, neck snapping like the frailest of twigs, and he added, "Very useful… We're fortunate not to have to face them."
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They climbed the stairs between the second and third floors quietly, Kelly leading the way with her shotgun while he came in at an angle to her side, so that he had a clear line towards the door. The stairs were only made mostly of wood, though. And they groaned, fighting to support their weight. That forced him to delay, walking further behind her for fear of over stressing the frame, and for a moment he wondered in the back of his head if that was another tactical move on the Faunus' part…
But no, it couldn't have been, since they had no way of knowing how heavy they were.
They could have guessed, though, from looking at them in their armor. But was this base that recent? And what did that imply-
"Fred." Linda's voice tugged him out of his head and he blinked, standing a few feet away from the door while Kelly leaned against its side. "I can see some motion through my scope systems."
"We should pick them off, before we clear floor two." Kelly murmured, quiet in spite of the helmet's muffling capabilities.
"I can't get a positive on them." Linda answered, "Curtains are drawn. Fred?"
"Negative. Hold your fire." He answered simply, after a heartbeat of thought. "Good trump card, but I don't want to play it yet. I'd prefer to surprise someone important with it."
"We do have a third floor to clear…" Linda answered quietly, chuckling under her breath. "Understood."
Conversation done, he and Kelly turned the core of their focus back on the simple wooden door between them and the next floor. Kelly held up a hand, four fingers extended, and waited until he nodded to drop it and turn to the door. Like before, she tapped her foot to count down. And then she slammed the b utt of her shotgun to the side, into the door handle assembly. It came apart easily, its pieces scattered around her feet, and the door swung in like a shot out of a gun.
"Fuck!" He heard someone yell as a burst of automatic fire ripped through the opening of the door and slammed into the far wall.
Kelly shot through the door in spite of the automatic fire, and Frederic followed, rounds sparking off both of their shields as they went. She threw herself to the side as soon as she was through, and he heard the sound of shattering glass and a scream as his rifle came up. A lithe man was standing a few feet from the door, holding a new looking bullpup that clicked dry as Fred's sight landed on his chest.
"Bastard!" He brought the rifle down before the halber could catch the front of his weapon and brought the butt of the rifle down, and his knee up. They crossed each other and the wood of the haft shattered under the force. Then, as his knee came down, he snapped the butt to the side and up, into the spear-man's face.
The man staggered back and dropped his ruined weapon, blood spurting from the cracks in his mask, and Fred's hand snapped out to catch him by the front of his uniform. He yanked the Faunus in front of him before his fellow could open fire again, and the man swore, turning the weapon on Kelly instead as she rushed him. A burst of fire from the fresh magazine sparked off her form, but she ignored it, taking her shotgun in one hand and using the fist of her other to shatter his jaw and send him flying up and into the ceiling.
He hit the ceiling and then the floor with a limp thwack and lay still, and Kelly sighed.
"Clear. " She said quietly nodding to the quartet of office doors that spanned down the hall. Shouldering her shotgun and peering into one of the offices under the watchful gaze of his rifle, she added, "Clearing."
The offices were target clear, but not empty. All but the last were clean and showed signs of recent use, set up as offices that ran the warehouse and shipping. He didn't stop to look, but a cursory scan said that everything looked relatively normal. But then they got to the last of the offices and Fred found himself frowning.
"Looks like a command deck…" He muttered, watching Kelly pace the room. Each of the walls were set up with monitors, desks, drawers and headsets. And in the center of the room, laid out on a big table, was a map of Menagerie. Covered in little red, blue and white pins.
"Chieftain's Manor, red, target… A few buildings, white, probably Fang… This warehouse is white." Kelly murmured, shaking her head, "But what are the blue pins?"
"We can find out later." Fred grunted, turning to leave, "For now, we have a third floor to clear."
Less than a minute later, they were up the last set of stairs, Kelly against the wall beside the door while he gave it overwatch. Again, she held up four fingers and then turned to the door, counting silently. And again she smashed open and stepped back, waiting for the automatic fire to come pouring in again.
But… Nothing came, at all, and when he checked he didn't even see motion on his tracker.
"Linda?"
"One contact on thermals, back of the possible space." She answered instantly, already more than aware of what he would want to know. After a second, she added, "Nothing else is getting through, though… Unclear why."
He gave Kelly a look and, after a half-second, she nodded and swept through the door. He followed just as silently, stopping just through the door while Kelly paced further away so that one wide attack couldn't hit both.
The room they found themselves in… Wasn't conventional for a warehouse, to say the least. It was open, with the closest thing to a 'room' being a square of stacked crates in one corner big enough for a bed and a set of drawers. The floor was covered in a thick, dark red carpet and the walls were covered in White Fang flags, maps and portraits of Faunus he didn't recognize.
And, in the center, a man sat in a chair, a bright red sword across his chest. He looked up and sighed, shaking his head, "You two aren't who I was expecting…"
"Sorry to disappoint." He grunted, leveling his rifle on the man's chest. He didn't look like one of the grunts, to be sure, and it looked like his sword was all he had to protect himself. And the ones below were wearing different uniforms, so… "Sir, drop your weapon and surrender."
"Why would I do that?"
"The Spartans staring you down?" Kelly suggested dryly, "And failing that, the guns pointed at you."
"Yes, well…" He chuckled and stood, and Fred didn't like the way he turned his hips. His rifle cracked, and Kelly's shotgun did, too. The man's sword flashed, bright red moving faster, almost, than Fred could follow.
Not a single one of their shots landed...
"That was rude… But I guess I shouldn't expect a Human to be polite." The man sighed, chuckling as he sheathed his sword and turned, hand on the hilt. "Now, if you don't mind, it's my turn."
Fred blinked and then all he saw was a flash of red.
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Ruby ducked back and dropped to a knee, spinning Crescent Rose over her head and bisecting the Sabyr that leapt for her. As it fell she rose and stepped forward in the same motion, cutting up and stabbing the pointed tip of her scythe into another's stomach as it launched at her. It crumpled around her weapon and flew over her shoulders, and then slammed into the ground, dissolving into mist as she looked down the empty street.
Smiling, she turned and called out, "Twenty!"
"How many times have I told you, Ruby, we're not comparing kill counts. This isn't some silly game!" Weiss sighed as she paced up the sidewalk and past an alley. A Sabyr leapt out of the dark and Myrtenaster snapped up and turned, a dark glyph yanking it down and into a fire hydrant that buried itself in the Grimm's chest. Smiling and flicking a look down the alley, she turned her back on it and sighed, "And besides, I have twenty five, so you lose."
"Bah!" Ruby threw up a hand and smiled, calling out, "Penny! How many did you get?"
"Forty three." The android answered as she landed in the center of the street. "If we are counting the flying Grimm, that is. If not, then I fear I only killed thirty one."
"Well that's not-"
"Ah!" Ruby spun on a heel and caught a flash of Weiss falling, a splash of white clutching a quickly reddening leg.
"Ah, ah, aaaah~!" Tyrian cackled as Crescent Rose snapped around, barrel locked behind Ruby and ready to launch her across the space. Smiling, he leveled his gun on Weiss' chest, tail lashing out to flick Myrtenaster away, and said, "I'm afraid I haven't been very honest with you! You see, My Semblance allows me to bypass Aura…"
"Tch." So that was how he'd gotten Weiss… Ruby flicked a look to Penny as she hovered higher into the air and asked, "Don't, uh, guess you have a way to make sure Weiss is okay…?"
"I do not, no." She answered, "I am sorry."
"Oh, don't worry, I made sure not to sever any arteries that would kill the little snowflake too fast!" Tyrian beamed, bowing as though the kindness was something to be grateful for. Straightening, he gave Penny a pensive look and sighed, tail flicking anxiously. "And before you think about it. Yes, your friend could overpower me… She'd just have to hit me with her lasers, and keep them coming. With the alley, I could hardly dodge."
"Noted." Penny grunted, weapons spinning into laser array format.
"But," Tyrian laughed, "not before I could carve a few more arteries open!"
"No!"
"Oh, don't worry, little gem!" Tyrian laughed, waving a hand at the heiress and planting a foot on her stomach when she tried to scurry away. Reaching behind him, he pulled out a little white case and shook it for her to see, "Why, if someone puts some pressure on the wound, she'll be just fine! I even brought bandages!"
"For…?" Ruby prompted, "You wouldn't give us something like that for nothing."
"Oh, you're a smart little gem! I suppose that explains our little Annie's fixation with you. At least a bit." Tyrian laughed, but then his smile died and his face flattened as he grew serious. "My Goddess wants an… Audience, with you. In private. You come along, I leave your friend here alive and… Well, alive."
"Ruby." Weiss murmured, "Don't you do it."
"Penny…?"
"I can't intervene in time…" Penny murmured, "But if I launch myself at him, I may be able to turn my mass into a weapon. Using it, I can force him back."
And expose herself in the process…
"I want you to swear, you won't hurt anyone else." Ruby growled, meeting Tyrian's steadily spreading, manic grin and adding, "Swear on… On your goddess that you won't hurt anyone else."
"Oh, you're so clever…" Tyrian laughed, face flattening again as he bowed, "Very well. I, Tyrian Callows, do swear on the Goddess' divine form not to lay so much as a finger, knife, or bullet on anyone that doesn't try to stop us leaving. Assuming you surrender, of course…"
Ruby's heart was pounding in her chest, but…
Crescent Rose hit the snow beside her and she sighed, turning a look on Penny and saying, "My friends will find me. I'm sure."
"We shall see." Tyrian cackled as Ruby walked across the street, eyes wary all the way. As she reached him, Tyrian laid a hand on her shoulder that made her feel sick. As he guided her into the alley, he dropped the little case and added, "I, for one, hope they do… I hope so very, very much, in fact."
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Fun fact-
The original version of that last scene, with Ruby, was originally written with Blake and Yang there. Because I'm a ducking maroon.
Also, I hope literally everyone catches the irony in what Thel says and then what happens in the other battle scenes.
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Tanzanite Pony :
I do have plans for Oscar, yes, but for the moment I have removed him. I ADORE my farm-boi, but I dunno what I can manage to work with on him right now. A lot of characters to run through, you know.
He'll still be around, and hopefully I can reverse the change. Or just include him more. FF, sadly, limits how many characters you can tag… Ree.
Joel (Guest) :
Thank you! I'm honored.
Sebine :
Thank you!
Razmire :
*evil cackling*
Khajiit of Lordran :
I'm happy you enjoy it! Warm sands to you.
COBRS DARKNESS :
I have ideas heading in that direction, yes. As time passes.