Chapter 71
Explosions rocked the small white room where soldiers had gathered. Sparrow, conscripted to fight in a battle he was far from prepared for, gulped as a tense-looking officer entered the room. After a salute, and an "at ease", the officer gave them their orders.
"You are to advance to the front line, wait for a gap in the Grimm and then move to the designated position. There you will dig out a new trench."
"Sir!"
"Yes, Private Slate?"
"How do trenches help us here, Sir?"
The officer smiled a sad, depressed smile. "It won't help you at all… no. The trenches are so that Huntsmen and Specialists will be able to retreat to a nearby, mostly safe position to recover Aura and ammunition. You soldiers will then have to jump in and fill the gap while they recharge. Is that clear?"
Everyone in the room chanted: "Sir Yes Sir!"
Shit. Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. Sparrow's head went round in a circle of curses. The implication that they would practically be fodder to buy time for the Huntsmen to recover filled the minds of these poor soldiers. But they also knew. They knew that they had no choice.
If the Huntsmen could not recover, they would die.
If the Huntsmen died, the soldiers would be crushed.
If the soldiers were crushed, Atlas would be defenceless.
And that would be the death of their beloved city.
So despite his fear, despite his worry, despite it all, Sparrow took up the rifle handed to him and marched out the door. Damn it! I'm just a scout! I'm not supposed to be stuck in the trenches like this! Gaaaah! I want to go home!
"Incoming Nevermore flock. Uranus Squadron, take them down."
"Cronus Squadron, focus on those Manticores."
"This is Hyperion Squadron, we are taking heavy losses! A new kind of Grimm is tearing us apart! Silhouette shows some kind of winged variant of the Mistralian Beringeel! Repeat! A winged Beringel!"
"Crius, we need you to provide CAS for Gaia Battalion."
Communications flew in and out of the office turned command centre as Ironwood oversaw the entire battle. He saw the movements of his soldiers. He saw the Grimm unleashed by the latest of Salem's monsters. And he saw the casualties already piling up. After only a few minutes of fighting, dozens were dead and hundreds were licking their wounds.
We… can't win this. Not if it remains as it has been. But… we have an ace up our sleeve. "R&D. Status on the bomb?" He spoke into his scroll.
"Sir! We should have it ready in half an hour at best. At worst, two hours. However, we are progressing well sir. I don't doubt we can get it within the hour."
"Get it done. But get it done right. We have one shot at this."
"Sir yes sir!" The scientist called back.
Ironwood hung up the call and turned to the side. "Ciel. Gather our reserves. I want you to put together a force. They'll gather around the bomb and supply the main thrust for the attack to plant it. Your force will be codenamed: Hammer. Get it done."
The girl saluted. "Understood Sir. Hammer shall be ready to deploy in exactly twenty-nine minutes and thirty-two seconds." The moment she finished speaking, she turned and marched out of the room.
James shook his head for a moment, then dialled another number. "Winter. Report."
"Sir. We've captured Arc, Nikos and Ren. We're currently-"
"Winter, drop them off with the supply chain and get to the front lines. I need you to secure the front and hold the line. We're preparing a bomb. It will destroy that thing. I need you to prepare the Anvil for our Hammer. This is top priority."
"... Understood, Sir."
With that, James hung up once again and turned his attention to the holographic display showing the battle. Now… how long can we last?
"Oscar is still there! We can't just leave him!" Jaune argued. "Please… you don't need us! We can go in there, save him and get out before the bomb arrives!"
Pyrrha furiously nodded. "You stand to lose nothing! We aren't your enemies! We just disagree on dealing with Salem! Once the bomb goes off, we can talk and come to a compromise!"
"Don't… don't reject us. We were allies and can be again." Ren added.
Harriet glared in rage. "Bullshit! It's because of all of you that Clover died!"
Elm clenched her teeth. "If you had simply followed orders, none of this would have happened."
Vine and Marrow remained silent. The latters fists were so tightly clenched around the airship's controls that his Aura nearly flared. The former simply observed their new leader.
Winter looked down at the trio. At the three who only a couple of months ago were little more than errant students. She saw the hope in Jaune's eyes. The determination in Pyrrha's. And in Ren's…
She saw a newfound understanding?
His eyes flicked between them all, before landing on Harriet. "If Clover was in there, you would do everything to save him. You wouldn't reject a desire to save him. His life was important to you. He wasn't expendable. Neither is Oscar. Or anyone. We all want the same thing: For Atlas to remain standing. Please… don't let your anger blind you."
Harriet bristled. "HOW DARE YOU!?"
"Harriet." Winter interrupted and held up her arm, blocking Harriet from the prisoners. "Elm. Free them. Give them their weapons. Marrow, land at the front." She looked at Jaune. "You have until we use the bomb to save Oscar. We will not stop for you."
"But that's not what Ironwood ordered!"
Winter turned to Harriet with cold eyes. "We are the Atlas Military. Our mission is to protect Atlas. It is not to stop people from saving a child. If they wish to risk their lives, then so be it. Our objective is the subjugation of the Grimm monstrosity. If you have a problem with how I am running this, then write a formal complaint once the mission is over. Am I clear?"
Harriet scowled, but nodded. "Understood, ma'am."
Winter held back a sigh and repeated her orders to free the trio and land at the front. When they did, she watched them rush towards the beast for a moment.
Go. Save Oscar. Do what I couldn't. Her heart panged for her dear sister. But no matter how much she regretted not being there, or not training Weiss enough, nothing could change what had happened. Save him.
She'd live with the consequences.
"She doesn't want… to change the world…" Oscar mumbled, spitting blood onto the floor. "She wants to… end it…"
Hazel scoffed. "Sure she does. Then why hasn't she killed us all yet?"
Oscar shook his head. "Humans make good pawns… and nothing unites faster than… a common enemy… she can't allow humanity to unite or… Oz wins…"
Hazel stopped for a moment and stared at the injured boy. "Explain."
Oscar smiled slightly and began to explain. About the Relics and their true purpose. About the Gods. About the Day of Judgement. Everything. Hazel frowned but listened intently. As the story came to a close, the door opened…
And Emerald walked in, right up to Oscar. "... She really wants to end the world?"
"Yes…" Oscar nodded.
"... And we… were we all just pawns? Expendable?"
Oscar nodded again. "Yes. She… doesn't care about anyone. She has given up on it all and wishes only for death…"
Emerald hung her head. "Cinder… was just a pawn… used and thrown away. Damn it! Damn it! What am I going to do!?" She clutched her head and cried out.
Hazel reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. "We will survive. Boy… can you prove your claim?"
"Yes. The password to the Lamp. It's Jinn."
Hazel blinked at the boy. "Just like that?"
"Yes…"
"I see… come, we shall test this." Hazel pulled Oscar from the hook and dragged him out of the room. Emerald, tears falling from her face, followed. The halls were almost silent, aside from the distant sounds of battle. Hazel led the pair through, deep into the belly of the whale.
There lay a chamber, where the Lamp of Knowledge floated.
"Do it," Hazel said, shoving Oscar forward.
"Right… Jinn." His voice cut through the room
And then it froze. The bubbling of the pit. The sounds of battle. It all fell silent. And then the fog came, and out of it appeared the form of Jinn.
"Ah… the old man summons me once more. I am Jinn, Spirit of Knowledge. One question remains in this era. What would you like to know?"
Hazel swallowed. "I… believe my question is answered."
"Really?" Jinn almost pouted.
Oscar chuckled. "Sorry. I… we'll have something for you soon, maybe?"
"Fine. Don't summon me if you don't have a question. At least you haven't used this to abuse the time stop…" Jinn grumbled as she faded once more.
Oscar turned to his new companions. "So?"
Hazel sighed. "I… have to believe you. If only because there is a good chance you are telling the truth. Revenge against Ozpin… can wait. We must leave."
Emerald stepped back. "But… Salem she… she'd kill us."
Hazel frowned. "We'll die either way at this rate. Come, Emerald. This is no place for children…"
The girl shook her head. "But… I… I came here for Cinder! I… what am I supposed to do!?"
"Live," Oscar said, looking at her with earnest eyes. "Live. So that what you remember of Cinder remains. Whatever you saw that you cared about… if you die, then it does too. All that will remain is how we saw her."
Hazel grabbed her shoulder again. "Find your own path. You're young… you shouldn't have to fight to survive. You can take the time to find it. Your path. Let me handle the rest until then."
Emerald swallowed. "Hazel…"
"Ooooh, how touching! It makes my eyes weep!" A new voice chilled them to the bone. They turned as Tyrian Callows entered. "Oh, don't mind me. I just came because the Goddess requested your presence, Hazel. I couldn't find you in the prison, however…" His grin sent shivers down their spines.
"Emerald," Hazel said, "take the boy and run. His cane is in my room. Go!" He roared and threw himself at Tyrian, who cackled, activated his blades, and leapt at Hazel. Hazel slammed into Tyrian, sending him flying back out the door.
"I… we have to go!" Emerald called as Hazel gave chase.
But Oscar did not run to the exit. He couldn't leave the Lamp. He ran over and jumped, pulled the Relic from its altar and turned to sprint out of the room. But immediately the room shook as a wail went up through the whale. An alarm.
Salem was on her way.
Wrrrraaaahhh.
A massive wail shook the halls of the gigantic Grimm, sending Jaune and his friends to the ground for a moment. "What… was that!?" He asked nobody in particular.
Their greyscale returned as Ren recovered and clasped his hands on their shoulders, shrouding them once more. "Not sure… but I can… feel people. Over to our right…"
Pyrrha nodded. "Then we go that way!"
Jaune jumped up, drew his sword and shield, and ran down the hall. "We can forget the stealth! Let's move!"
Ren shrugged and let go of Pyrrha. The two quickly gave chase, following their leader. The sounds of battle drew closer and closer until…
The wall to their right exploded with flame and ice and a Tyrian, who went on to crash through the next wall as well. Hazel charged after him, Burn and Frost Dust impaled into his arms. A moment after the burly man broke into the next room, Oscar and Emerald came through the hole.
"Oscar!"
"Jaune!? Pyrrha!? Ren!? I'm happy to see you but we gotta move!" Oscar replied with a strained smile. "We got the Relic, but I need my weapon!"
Emerald nodded. "This way. If we're quick we can get it before-"
A horrid scream like that from a horror flick tore through the air as red glyphs appeared on the walls. From them spawned dozens of Imp arms that reached for the conversing group. Pyrrha reacted in an instant and blasted them all with fire.
"Quick reaction. Impressive." A cold voice spread through the hall as she arrived. "But that won't be enough."
Jaune swallowed and moved, taking a defensive stance in front of Oscar. Pyrrha and Ren joined him a second later. "You won't take him! Go! Get the Relic out! We'll be behind you!"
Pyrrha floated into the air and started to launch wave after wave of elemental power. Ren opened up with his guns, trying to pin down the immortal. Jaune stood firm. After a moment, Emerald and Oscar ran to the side, escaping down a passageway.
If they could avoid the fights, retrieve The Long Memory and escape…
Salem said nothing as her body was incinerated, impaled, torn apart and crushed. She simply took the blows and reformed a moment later. She… really can't be beaten. So… how do we get out of this? Jaune had no answer.
But they could keep this up for a while.
"Pyrrha! Keep her pinned!"
"Got it!" Pyrrha took a deep breath and then exhaled, summoning a storm cloud behind her. It crackled for a few moments before it launched several bolts of lightning down the hall. For a brief second, the entire hallway was painted yellow with electricity.
And then it slammed into Salem and shredded her body into pieces.
It bought them… five seconds. That's all it took for her to reform and stand up. And then she summoned a spiralling tornado around herself, spinning so fast that bullets, icicles and even fireballs were nullified. That was when she charged forward.
Jaune swallowed and jumped into the tornado. He used his weight to push through the cutting winds and slash, carving Crocea Mors deep into Salem's torso. So deep, in fact, it got lodged in her ribcage. His eyes widened as her hands grabbed his head and began to squeeze.
His Aura flared, protecting him from having his head crushed. But it hurt. Oh by the Brothers did it hurt. Jaune gritted his teeth and held on, however. He pulled and pulled and pulled and finally wrenched his sword free, before cutting down again.
Suddenly he felt free. His head was no longer being crushed, and the tornado had faded. He stumbled back panting and looked at Salem.
Who was now headless. Said head was rolling around the floor. Before he could do much else than recover, the head deformed into goo and rejoined the body, regenerating her head in seconds.
But it gave time for Pyrrha to unleash another series of attacks. Now that she was a full Maiden her powers had doubled and it showed in how quickly and powerfully she struck at Salem. Ice, fire, wind, rock, water, and lightning piled onto the immortal witch.
Who kept creeping forward, inch by inch.
Damn it! All we can do is slow her down!
As the Fall Maiden and her friends battled Salem, another duel took place.
"Hraaaaaah!" Hazel roared, voice augmented by the Dust flowing through his body. He punched and punched, unleashing fire and ice in equal measure.
Tyrian cackled as he ducked and dived, avoiding the surge of strikes. "To betray the Goddess! It's an act of sacrilege most foul!"
"If she seeks the end of the world, then I will refuse her!" Hazel threw back at the deranged serial killer.
"What? You didn't realise? Oh, poor you! Hahahahahahaha! Of course, she wants the end of the world! Who doesn't!? This pathetic mound of earth is little more than a festering wasteland! To see it purged, wiped clean as all life ends! Such is a beautiful result! A divine cleansing!" Tyrian's tail stabbed at Hazel, who was forced to cancel his attacks and dodge.
"You truly are insane!" Hazel jumped back and pounded the floor, kicking up a wave of flame that pushed Tyrian back. "I should never have trusted Salem!"
"Mhahaha! True! But your foolish trust in her was oh so entertaining! You, Cinder, Watts… none of you understood her! Only I understand the Goddess!" Tyrian let his laughter overcome him for a moment, filling the halls with his insanity. And then the crazed man charged.
Blades and tail swished and stabbed, over and over. Hazel was far from the fastest, and he struggled to keep up with Tyrian's speed. He had to focus and ensure that the tail never got him.
The fight would be over quick if he was poisoned.
Power thrummed through his body as the Dust crystals embedded in his arms expended all they had. That power coalesced in his fists as he combined fire and ice into a powerful strike. As Hazel stepped to the side, barely allowing the tail to slip by, he slammed a fist into Tyrian's stomach.
The scorpion let out the air in his lungs as he was raised off the floor. Ice screeched across his body, covering his torso for a brief moment before the fire within exploded. The pair were momentarily consumed by a ball of fire. But Hazel didn't stop.
Because no matter how much it hurt him, he didn't feel any pain.
Another fist collided with Tyrian's scarred face before the fireball faded. A third crashed into his chest and a kick booted him through another wall. Hazel huffed and puffed as the red and light blue crystals shattered. He let out a heavy breath, grabbed another set of Dust and stabbed them into his upper arms.
Only as the powers of lightning and stone coursed through his body did he take another breath of air.
Tyrian was coughing and laughing in the next room. It was a larger circle room, with half a dozen pits of Grimm liquid. A birthing nest, for the seers and other Grimm used to patrol the halls of Monstra. The sound of bubbling liquid filled the air, accompanying the heavy breathing of both men.
"Maybe Rose did more than scar your face if you truly believe in cleansing the world," Hazel grumbled with the force of a thunderstorm.
Tyrian stumbled to his feet with a laugh. "Human… Faunus… I could go on about them being a blight upon the world. Monsters who destroy nature for their selfish desires. But… I don't believe any of that. No… no I don't care about any of that! I have one singular reason! It's what the Goddess wills! AHAHAHAHAHA!"
Hazel clicked his tongue in frustration and charged the insane man. He threw out a haymaker, charged with lightning, which struck Tyrian's raised arms. The Faunus gritted his teeth and held even as electricity surged through his body.
The scorpion grinned as his tail wrapped around Hazel's leg and pulled, forcing the larger man's leg out of position. The change in stance allowed Tyrian to leap up and dropkick the other man's face. As Hazel stumbled back, Tyrian landed on one hand and then sprung back up with a twist, turning himself into a spiral of blades.
Hazel's Aura sparked as it protected against the attack. But still, he stumbled and almost tripped. Tyrian took advantage the moment he landed by racing back across the room, slipping behind Hazel and cutting into the back of his knees. The massive man fell to the ground.
But he wasn't done. He used the momentum to punch the floor, using earth Dust to create a wall of spikes around himself. Tyrian grunted as one cut into his arm when he tried to escape. Hazel used the brief respite to tear one of the stone spikes from the ground, turned and threw it at Tyrian.
The spike, thrown with a charge of lightning in addition to his raw strength, crashed into Tyrian. With a flash of light, a crack of thunder, and a shower of stone, Tyrian's Aura flared brightly as he was yet again sent through a wall.
The fight was close to ending with Tyrian's protection almost broken…
What he had hoped was a never-ending barrage of elemental attacks was slowly coming to an end. Pyrrha was using all her energy to keep Salem back, but she couldn't last forever. No matter how much Jaune wanted her to.
So he made a decision.
"Pyrrha! Take a break! Ren, we've got to hold her!" With his orders given, Jaune rushed in. Pyrrha's barrage gave way to an eternally regenerating witch. Who Jaune slashed at.
Salem barely reacted to his sword cutting into her chest. She looked down at him with disinterest. "You are the fools I have heard so much about? A Maiden with no independence and a knight with no skill? Pathetic." She raised her hand and created a ball of swirling magical power.
And then she clicked her fingers, causing it to explore in a kaleidoscope of colours. Red, blue, green, purple, white, black and many more beams of pure light crashed into Jaune. Despite being light they had weight and pressure, the kind that forced him back and into the floor.
"Aaah!" Jaune cried out as his back hit the ground.
Gunfire sounded out as Ren came in, covering for Jaune. Salem once again simply took the attacks without care. But then in a flash, she grabbed his wrists. "Weak. Your pathetic attempts to defeat me are an eyesore." She then simply… flung him to the side.
Ren slammed into the wall and then hit the floor. Before he could stand, more red glyphs formed. Dozens of Imp arms reached from beyond the veil of these glyphs and grabbed onto Ren and Jaune, pinning them to the ground.
"Damn it!" Jaune cried out as he attempted to wrestle free.
"Do you see now, child? You never had a hope against me." Salem dismissed them so quickly…
Jaune gritted his teeth and glared at her. "I don't care! We could be the weakest in the world and I'd still stand up and fight you!"
Salem paused and looked down at him. "Truly? And where does that determination come from?"
"I fight! Because of all the people you hurt! You keep coming back and fighting and killing us! I won't let you hurt anyone else! I won't let you hurt someone like you hurt Ruby!"
Salem hummed. "I see. Is that it? A misplaced desire to protect others from pain? Pain is all life is." She shook her head and stepped away from the captured pair.
Pyrrha swallowed and raised herself up once more. "I'll stop you!" She slashed Milo through empty air. Magic coalesced and then expanded and expanded. For a split second, there was a bubble floating in the air. And then it popped.
Hundreds of tiny ice needles flew out from the bubble. Many stabbed into Salem, while others landed in the glyphs themselves. They glowed white hot before setting off miniature explosions. Not enough to hurt someone with Aura…
But Salem didn't have Aura.
Her body was torn apart and flung against the walls, reduced to splatters of blood and ooze. Jaune and Ren were freed from the grasping hands when the glyphs were shattered by the attack, so they leapt to their feet and ran to join Pyrrha. Already they could see Salem reforming before them…
But in her place, Emerald appeared out of nowhere. "On my signal, jump into the room behind and to your left!" She said, vanishing immediately after. The trio had no chance to respond as Salem was walking toward them again a moment later.
Ren opened fire as Jaune stood in front of Pyrrha who held up her hands and formed a dozen massive icicles. She threw her hands down and launched them. Salem frowned, raised her arms and created a ball of magic. From it came a rainbow beam that cut down each of the incoming projectiles. Pyrrha threw up a stone and ice wall to prevent it from hitting them.
It held for a short time before the beam melted a hole. A hole that Salem grabbed the edges of and tore until the whole thing shattered into pieces. Behind her was a massive floating ball of purple flames. For a moment it simply roiled, but then it split open revealing a trio of flame-serpents.
Salem held out a hand where a small pitch-black point rested, floating above her palm. Suddenly it began to drag the shards of all the ice attacks together, forming a haphazard ball. With a smile, she flicked it. The ball shattered, unleashing a shotgun-like blast of ice. As the trio reeled back from the attack, the three serpents of flame came barreling toward them. Jaune threw down his new shield deployer and took cover behind it. Ren raced to do the same while Pyrrha enveloped them in a barrier of wind.
The servants struck the barrier and exploded, sending the three members of JNPR flying backwards. They crashed and rolled against the ground, groaning as they attempted to stand once more.
Salem said nothing as she began to weave a new spell. A massive ball of black flames. As the three stumbled to their feet, they wondered how they were going to survive this…
That was when Emerald appeared again.
"Now!" She shouted.
The trio leapt into the room that once held the Relic, with Pyrrha wrapping them in a shell of ice, stone and wind.
Just as a golden light erupted, consuming the world around them…
Sparrow slumped against the walls of the trench. Blood was oozing from a wound in his chest, below what the armour protected. "Nnng…"
"Don't die damn it!" Neon said as she placed her hands over the wound, around the large feather sticking out from his flesh. The pressure helped to slow the flow a little. "Come on… no dying, you hear!"
"Neon! We gotta move!" Flynt yelled. The battle was going poorly. The front was collapsing. Neon knew. She'd seen it. The only pocket not fallen was where the Ace-Ops were gathered with Hammer. But the flanks… the flanks were crumbling and pulling back.
Sparrow tried to speak, but no words came out. Neon drew closer, tears in her eyes. "Come on! We can get you out!"
"Hnng… sorry…" Sparrow managed to eke out as the light in his eyes began to truly fade. Neon watched as the young man before her breathed his last.
"No…"
"NEON! WE GOTTA MOVE!" Flynt shouted again. As he did, the corpse of an Ursa fell on the wall and caused it to break. Rubble flew as part of the trench was filled in. Neon bit her lip, took a long look at the dead young man, and then jumped up onto the back ridge of the trench to join her team.
She saw the battlefield. She saw the monstrous whale, vomiting up another wave of Grimm. She saw the carcasses of men and machines, torn apart by the unending stream of monsters. Heard the screams of those wounded and dying. She saw the flanks pulled back to the next trench. She saw the Ace-Ops let up a warcry as they charged, joined by fresh troops held back just for the deployment of a new bomb.
And then she saw the flash of golden light inside the whale, followed by a wave of glimmering golden energy that streaked through the entire city. Everyone was thrown back into the hard dirt.
But yet, for the first time since Salem's arrival, Neon felt a pang of hope.
The room shook as another explosion occurred. They had no idea how long it had been since the battle began on Atlas, but one thing was for sure at that point. It was still ongoing.
The prisoners had no way of knowing what was going to stop the invasion.
As they sat there, stewing, something changed. Outside, the hallway became… silent.
And then the door opened.
"I'll give Ironwood this, it was hard to find you." Mercury Black said as he sauntered into the room. Qrow, Robyn and Tai all bristled as they glared at him. "Sorry, not you. Or you." He faked a retch as he pointed at Jacques. "You." He finished and stopped in front of one cell.
"Hmph. Didn't expect you." Watts muttered.
"You're welcome." Mercury scoffed back as he brought up the keypad and quickly unlocked the cell. "Now come along. We have a robot to find."
"Still? My word… I'll give that tub of lard some respect for resisting this long I suppose." Watts patted himself down and stepped into freedom. "Ahhh… freedom. Shall we get moving then?"
"Yeah sure." Mercury agreed.
"Hey! Kid! Let us out." Robyn called out.
"Hmmmm naaah. See, I'm here for Watts only. The rest of you… eh. Enjoy the cells. You'd just cause me trouble." Mercury shrugged his shoulders and left, with Watts not far behind.
They stepped over the bodies of a few bloodied soldiers. "So," Watts spoke up after adjusting his tie, "what is your plan?"
"We have to get Penny to Salem. Can you do it?"
Watts sighed. "When I had the chance I gave it a command to open the vault and then self terminate. I can't just… change it on a whim. I'd need access again, without Pietro watching over it, to upload a new virus and so new commands."
Mercury stopped. "Wait, you made her do what?"
"Open the Vault, and self terminate. If it was alive we'd call it suicide." Watts said without a care. "It's just a machine though. No need to concern ourselves. And once the Vault is open the usefulness of the Maiden is… greatly reduced."
"Hmph. Not entirely wrong… fine. She hasn't done it though."
Watts's eyes narrowed. "I might have an idea. We should try and get to Pietro's lab. That should have what I need."
As he said it, the world shook and fell silent. They both swallowed. The battle had gone quiet.
An inexplicable shiver ran down their spines.
A/N: So, the Battle of Monstra takes place and it's just a little different. Tyrian vs Hazel. JPR vs Salem. All to buy time for Oscar to use up his ultimate. Sparrow is an OC who was introduced several chapters ago for a brief look at Cinder's ditched airship, but he returns for a bit of a... personal look at the trench battle. The trenches are a bit of a goofy idea, but they did make for a cool-looking battle and I felt that there could be a fun reason. So I came up with this. Allowing Huntsmen to take cover and regen their Aura and restock ammo. But for Sparrow, and many, many others, it ends quite painfully. Poor Neon had to watch his life leave him. Rough.
I hope you all enjoyed it. I'll see you next time.