Chapter 21: Fear
Penny's sensors were beeping loudly in her head. The further she walked into the room, the colder it got. The frigid air had fallen down to such a degree, that human life would be hindered without an aura strong enough to resist it. All around, thick shards of ice and snow were floating, the edges of the room covered in thick ice. She looked at her hands, seeing the synthetic skin that covered her fingertips had turned blue. As she walked forward, she felt her movement being hindered, and when she looked down, she noticed her foot had been frozen to the ground. She activated her thruster, shattering the ice. She walked forward, with no hesitation as she approached Fria.
Her hand moved on its own, pausing for a moment before her fingers wrapped around her ankle. The Winter Maiden looked down at her, eyes glowing with magic. Penny looked back up at her, a neutral look on her face. Her green eyes were filled with concern, glittering brightly in the light.
"Are you… okay?" she asked. The woman narrowed her eyes, the flares around them disappearing.
"I… had a job to do. I was supposed to protect the power of the maiden until I was ready. I worry I may have lost track of time. But you can tell James that I'm ready."
"M-ma'am… if you do that then…"
"I'll die," she said, matter of factly. She smiled at her, slowly floating back down to the floor. "I know I have a hard time remembering. But I remember that."
The woman shivered, losing the feeling in her legs. Penny caught her before she fell to the floor, holding her tightly. Fria looked at her, sweeping the hair out of her face, placing a hand on her cheek. "What's your name?"
"My name… it's Penny."
"Penny… What a lovely name. Are you the one?"
She hesitated, opening and closing her mouth as she looked away. "I… I-"
The room shook, the ice that had sealed the doors and walls shattering. Cinder roared angrily, spitting flames as she reentered the room, her hands swirling with flames. "SHE'S MINE!"
Her shadow hand shot toward them. Penny hugged Fria tightly against herself, using her body as a shield for the strike that never came. Cinder's screams filled her ears, causing her to look over her shoulder. Winter had jumped into the room, sword in hand. She growled as she swung at Cinder, who was still clutching her shadowy arm. She opened her eyes in time to dodge the attack, planting her foot firmly on the ground.
"You fucking bitch!" she spat, forming several glass swords. She flung them at Winter, who shattered them all with ease. She grit her teeth, fighting back with everything she had. Winter pushed her forward, slipping on a piece of ice, giving Cinder the opening she needed. She swung her glass sword, slicing her arm open, blood shooting from the wound. "I should have ended you ages ago!"
A gunshot tore through the room, the glass above them shattering. Weiss shot into the room, Myrtenaster in her grasp. She swung at Cinder, who blocked the attack. She spun her blade around, throwing several speedy jabs at the woman, glaring daggers at her.
"I am not going to let you kill you my sister you goddamn bitch! You have done enough harm to us, to Remnant!" she shouted, a massive glyph erupting behind her. The Armor Knight appeared behind her, a massive sword in its grasp.
"Grrrr! You fucking Schnees are the bane of my existence! DIE! All of you!" Cinder shouted, launching hundreds of fireballs forward. The Knight angled his sword, protecting Winter and Weiss from the attack.
Penny looked away, looking back down at Fria who gave her a smile. The woman closed her eyes, slipping her hand in Penny's grasp. As she did so, their Auras sparked to life, the soft blue glow overtaking her body.
Weiss held her ground, summoning her Queen Lancer, the massive Grimm flung its stringer at Cinder, but the woman easily deflected it, slicing it apart with ease. She moved back, avoiding the large icicles firing at her. She let out a scream, sweeping her arm around, firing hundreds of fireballs around the room, shattering all of her glyphs. The former heiress didn't miss a beat, darting forward, swinging her rapier with skill and precision, each swing swirled with her aura, each one being deflected by Cinder. The Fall Maiden stomped her foot, the sheer power of her magic caused Weiss to stumble.
Cinder quickly disarmed her, throwing a slash across her chest. Weiss screamed in pain as her aura shattered. She rolled out of the way of a fireball, grabbing Myertenaster in her grasp, picking up Winter's sword as she did so. She raced forward, swinging both blades with all her strength.
"Weiss no! You have no aura, you can't fight!" Winter cried, her voice raw with fear.
"You want to die, Schnee? Remember back in Haven when I threw a spear through you? This time you won't have that silver-eyed boy toy to protect you!" Cinder mused, avoiding a cross-slash from the woman.
"You don't scare me, I won't let you keep hurting the people that I love!" she cried, landing a strike on Cinder's face, making her scream in fury. She threw an uppercut at her, sending her sprawling back.
"I'm done playing games with you!" she said, a swirl of orange magic flowing around her. Her eye flared as she tapped into her magic. Weiss picked herself up, spitting some blood on the ground before taking a swing, bringing Winter's sword down on Cinder.
"Weiss no!"
Cinder caught her arm, punching her in the chest, hard enough to crack one of her ribs. She cried in pain, Winter's sword falling from her grasp. Cinder smirked as she ignited her hand, Weiss's scream of pain filling her ears as she burned her flesh. "I'm gonna have fun burning you to a crisp, Schnee."
She suddenly shivered, seeing a snowflake float by her face. She glanced over her shoulder, Fria's hand was glowing brightly, her magic transferring into Penny. Her eyes flared up, green aura pulsing from them. She threw Weiss back, darting toward the cybernetic girl. "NO! THAT POWER IS MINE!"
She stepped forward, a bullet striking the floor in front of her. Cinder shifted her gaze, gasping in shock as she locked eyes with Ruby. She said nothing, merely smirking as her eyes flashed silver, bathing the room in brightness. She fell to her knees, holding her head as she looked around the room. Cinder was gone, leaving only Penny, Weiss, Winter, and Fria. She dropped down into the room, kneeling next to Penny.
"Penny, are you okay?"
She nodded, her eyes still on the woman before her. She turned to Ruby, a look of distress and sadness on her face. "She's gone."
"No."
She looked at Winter, who was forcing herself to sit up. Her arm had a nasty cut on it, and had some burn marks. She had a cut on her face, and her right eye was swollen shut. She rested against the back wall, taking labored breaths. "She's a part of you, now."
"Winter… you're hurt."
"Speak for yourself." the woman said, glaring at her sister. She followed her gaze, staring at her right arm. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw it. It was hardly recognizable, her flesh had been seared, she could barely even move it. She touched it with her other hand, causing her to cry in pain.
"Oh… Gods, Weiss…"
"Don't worry about me, Ruby. I'll be fine," she said, looking back at her sister. "I'm sorry, Winter."
"I suggest you all surrender and do as the General says," she said.
"We can't do that,"
She looked away from her sister, bowing her head in defeat. "Then I suggest you run."
Weiss forced herself to stand up, almost falling as she looked at the injured woman, a helpless look on her face. "But you're hurt, I am not leaving you."
"You are hurt too, if you don't go, you'll lose more than just that arm," she said, coughing loudly as she leaned back against the wall. "You aren't leaving me, I'm giving you a headstart."
Weiss backed away, watching as she activated her communicator. "This is… Special Operative Schnee, requesting medical assistance. Send reinforcements."
Ruby stopped in front of Weiss, a roll of gauze in her grasp, she started fashioning a sling out of it, the tired woman ignoring the searing pain racing across her body. She just sighed, giving her sister a firm look. "We must all carve out our own way."
The sound of an engine filled their ears, causing them to look at the gaping hole in the side of the room. The door to the manta flew open, Yang standing at the edge of it. "Guys come on, we need to…. What the hell happened here?"
Ruby looked at Penny, grabbed Myrtenaster from the floor, and slid it into her belt. She placed a hand on her shoulder, the orange-haired girl looking back at her. "We need to go, Penny."
She gave Fria an apologetic look, before forcing herself to her feet. She paused for a moment, looking back at Winter, frowning. "I'm… sorry."
"Don't be. Just run."
She stepped into the ship, the doors closing behind her. She looked around the ship, seeing the tired looks on everyone's faces. She met the gaze of her father, who gave her a heartwarming smile. She returned it, though it was more forced than she intended. She looked away, closing her eyes as she sat down in between Ruby and Weiss, both girls settling next to her, trying to comfort her.
"Where's Levi?" Blake asked, causing Ruby to look up. She shook her head. "We can't just leave him!"
"He'll be fine," Weiss said, leaning back. "Something tells me Trivia is with him, she'll get him out of here."
"I sure hope so," Yang said, a frown on her face. Maria said nothing as she shifted her course, flying away from Atlas Academy.
xxx
Oscar came to, mere seconds after James had shot him. His eyes flashed, causing him to look around. All around him, the only thing he could see was worn metalwork. He noticed the Long Memory falling alongside him. Ever so slightly, he reached for it, finally grasping it in his hand. He extended the cane, grasping onto the trigger, the gears beginning to spin. He looked down, seeing the bottom of the shaft, and with a roar, he unleashed a bit of his magic power, blasting the metal apart.
The cold wind struck his face, making his eyes tear up as his vision brightened. He found himself free-falling, a distant hole miles beneath him. He looked up, seeing the bottom of Atlas, the broken shaft where he had emerged. He placed the cane behind his back, staring down at the ground. In an instant, hundreds of memories started filling his mind, scenes he had never seen, people he had never met. Countless encounters with men, women, and children across the years. He shook his head, trying to stay focused.
"The single quality that is common across every living creature on this planet is fear; it's funny then that as common as fear is, we so easily underestimate its power."
Levi hissed as he climbed into the Manta, leaning back in his seat. Neo finally dropped her transformation, sitting at the pilot's seat. She typed something on the screen, grabbing a hold of the yoke. She took off, the ship unfolding its wings as she blasted forward. She spared a glance at her partner, who looked relieved.
"Thanks for getting me out of there, Neo," he said, giving her a smile. She frowned, holding her right hand out, sighing a series of letters for him.
"Call me Trivia… Just Trivia." she signed. He stared at her for a moment before nodding, staring forward. The clouds began rumbling, crimson bolts of lightning raced across the sky, unlike anything he had ever seen. The radio sparked to life, causing him to frown.
"Are you seeing this? There are multiple hostiles on the radar!"
"These numbers have to be exaggerated, there's no possible way there are this many."
Levi and Trivia shared a look, similar looks of fear written on their faces. She reached for his hand, holding it tightly in her own, shifting her focus back ahead.
"Fear of growing close to someone, the subsequent fear of loss, fear of failure; and as more people depend on you, those fears can take on greater power."
Qrow stared at his balled hands, regret written on his face. The Gravity bolas wrapped around his wrists continued pulsing with low violet light. The Prison ship he was on slowly rose to the sky, bound for Atlas. He opened his hand when the Guard finished his rounds, staring at the bloodied pin.
He felt movement beside him, seeing Robyn in the corner of his eye. She forced a smile onto her face, resting her hands over his. He looked away from her, taking a shaky breath. He opened his mouth to say something, but he bit back his words. Far too bitter to say anything.
"Fear itself isn't worthy of concern, it is who we become while in its clutches. Will you be proud of that person? Will you forgive them?"
Sonata shook her head as she came to. She looked around the office, seeing the destruction that had been left in the wake of her fight with Levi. She tried to move, realizing her arms had been bound together. She fumbled a bit, reaching for the deactivation button on her prosthetic arm. She popped it off, shimming it free, twisting it back in place. She undid the bolas, forcing herself to her feet. Grabbing Carolloo from where it had been stabbed, she moved forward.
She stepped into the corridor, seeing the Ace-Ops had all been bound together. She shoved her hand in her pocket, searching for her scroll, only to find it was missing. She looked around for a moment, moving toward Marrow, the nearest person to her. She took his scroll, carefully removing his earpiece from his ear, shoving it in her own. She held her finger over it, clearing her throat before she spoke.
"This is Special Operative Sonata Piccolo requesting immediate medical assistance. Reinforcements are needed at General Ironwood's office," she said, ending the call. She moved about the room, pulling the bindings from the Ace-Ops, and laying them on their backs.
"Piccolo."
"Yes, General Ironwood?" she asked.
"You are to take over the leadership position for the Ace-Operatives, effective immediately." the man said, his tone was dead, emotionless. She bit her lip, looking up at the ceiling.
"Sir… what about Clover?"
She didn't get an answer. It was deathly quiet as she looked around the room. She heard Harrier beginning to awaken, forcing herself to sit up. She clutched her head, looking around for a moment.
"What the hell…" she mumbled. Sonata looked away as her communicator crackled.
"Sonata… Clover's dead."
The scroll slipped from her grasp, clattering to the floor. She felt her legs give out as she dropped to her knees. Harriet was immediately by her side, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"What? What's wrong?" she asked, only to get a teary-eyed look from the blue-haired girl.
"Clover is… he's-" her voice cut out as she started crying. Harriet's face hardened, her fist shaking. Her eyes sparked, labored growls leaving her body.
"Those kids… it's all because of them."
"Will you understand why they felt the need to do the things they did? Will you even recognize them?"
"You're an idiot for leaving the Academy," Octavia said, earning a laugh from her sister.
"Maybe, but did you see his face? How could I say no to that? Besides, I'll have more chances to get back at him. Now that my Mistress is here, I'll be able to lie in wait. Cinder doesn't know that I exist, and I plan on keeping it that way," Cadence said, shifting her gaze toward the incoming dark clouds. "Oh, there she is, fly into that storm, would you? I have to speak with her before Cinder gets there."
"You want me to fly in that? Are you insane? These Mantas aren't built for storm travel, you know."
Cadence glared at her, making her sigh. She shifted her course, flying straight into the storm. As she got closer, her eyes widened, seeing the massive beast that was beginning to poke through the clouds. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. Octavia had hardly felt fear the last few weeks. But in that instant, she felt it. It was telling her to abort, to run, to hide, to leave, and get away. But she couldn't. She took a shaky breath, grasping the yoke tightly as she kept flying forward.
"Isn't it beautiful, sis?" Cadence asked, looking gleefully at the massive beast. She remained silent, fearing that if she spoke, a scream of terror would come out instead.
"Or will the person staring back at you be the very thing you should have feared from the start?"
Cinder let out a furious scream as she stared at Atlas Academy. Fire shot out of her mouth as she was consumed by her own fury. She shot down into the city, her energy beginning to wane from her previous fight. She touched down on a rooftop, dropping her knees, slamming her fists against the ground.
"Dammit, all! How could… that Robot be… that shouldn't be possible, she isn't even human!" she shouted into the heavens. She dug her nails into the ground, leaving deep smoldering scratches behind. Thunder boomed behind her, causing her to glance over her shoulder, breath catching in her throat.
She heard something behind her, causing her to turn around. Standing before her was none other than Neo, a smirk on her face as she held her hand out. The Relic of Knowledge floated above it. Cinder couldn't help but laugh. She walked past her, swiping the Relic from her grasp, staring up at the incoming cloud of Grimm.
"Finally, something good happens to me," she said, oblivious to Neo's smirk.
"I suppose we all find out sooner or later."
The ground was fastly approaching. Oscar let out a cry as he spread his arms, his body becoming enveloped in a bright green glow. He landed hard on the ground but took no damage from the landing. As he slowly got to his feet, the air around him buzzed with magic, his body coursing with green lightning. He stared at his hands, opening and closing them for a moment.
"This power… these memories… you're back… aren't you? You saved me." Oscar said, earning a small chuckle from Ozpin.
"Actually, you saved us."
Thunder rumbled above them, causing him to look up at the sky, at the massive storm that was approaching. Though he should have been scared, at that moment, he didn't feel an ounce of fear.
"Oscar, I-"
"Stop," he said, cutting Ozpin off. "All I want to know is how we save Atlas next."
Just as he asked those words, the clouds parted, revealing the true extent of what was coming for Atlas. It wasn't just a horde of Grimm. It was a massive floating whale, the likes of which he had never seen. It was massive, black and red, ghastly and disgusting, surrounded by pulsing veins of red and black. It was the most horrifying thing he had seen in his life.
"I don't know." was Ozpin's only reply.
Location: Mantle
The alarms around him continued blaring, an incessant screech that echoed through the districts. The lampposts, normally glowing a soft yellow, were now a bright crimson red. The Grimm Invasion Alert was something he had grown accustomed to hearing during the past few months. Grimm of all shapes and sizes poured into the streets of Mantle, the screams of humans and faunus echoing through the half-abandoned city. The skies above were littered with Atlas Military Ships, gunfire, missiles and the roar of Grimm drowned his thoughts for a moment. He was reminded of Vale, one year prior… on the day Beacon Fell… the day his life changed forever.
Who would have thought that in a year, a young boy from Vale would be standing at the precipice, watching as a war between humanity and Grimm was about to start? The dark clouds were beginning to roll in, as the great evil that was hidden from Remnant was about to reach Atlas.
Salem.
That single name was enough to strike fear into the hearts of even the strongest of warriors. To say he was afraid was an understatement. He was terrified, absolutely terrified of what was about to happen. His hand shook the cold breeze of Solitas making it even worse. He loved the cold, adored it, but now, the cold was just another grim reminder of where he was. What he was doing, what he could see, hear, smell. It was the sight of a war, one he wished he wasn't a part of.
He almost jolted as he felt someone wrapping their arms around him. His ears twitched, recognizing their breathing, soft and calm. He continued staring at Atlas for what seemed like an eternity, the roars of Grimm beginning to drown out the alarms that were meant to warn people of their arrival, all but disappearing under the ominous cacophony of the invasion.
"We're in a pickle, aren't we?" he asked, chuckling at the absurdity of his statement. He felt his arm being squeezed rather hard. It was clear his friend and partner did not appreciate that joke. He tore his eyes away from Atlas, meeting her concerned gaze. Cream. It was the first time he had seen this eye color. "Hey, don't give that look. I'm fine, promise."
She quirked a brow, her lip twitching slightly in annoyance. She knew him far too well for his own good and could tell he was lying. He sighed, looking away from her. "Alright, alright. No need to give me that look. It's clear, isn't it? I'm scared shitless, but what else do you want me to feel?"
The young woman released her grip on his arm, holding her own up. He paid close attention to each motion as she began 'speaking'.
"Okay, look. Things aren't going well… the General called for our arrest, we're separated from the others. Cinder is out there with the Relic of Knowledge, and Salem is here. But it could be worse, right?"
"What could be worse than Salem invading Atlas on a giant ass whale?" he exclaimed, a look of disbelief on his face. The young woman tipped her hat back, crossing her arms in annoyance. She signed a single word with her left hand, resting it against her arm.
"Death."
"Death? Yeah, well we'll be coming in close contact with that in a few minutes. I…" he stopped mid-sentence, turning away from her. "This isn't like in Vale, like in Anima. We could fight back there, we at least had some freedom of movement. But here in Solitas? We have nothing. The Atlas Military is against us, we're separated from our friends, labeled as criminals and now there's an invasion about to hit us. We're disorganized, disoriented…"
"We could have died in Brunswick Farms you know… we were close too." the woman signed, making him frown. He noticed her reach behind her back for something, already knowing what it was. "We could have gotten killed by that Train Crash, the Apathy, fighting Tyrian in the streets of Mantle on our day off… about a thousand things could have happened. But it was our quick thinking and our wits that got us here, right? So why not use that against her." a mechanical voice said. She hated using her scroll to speak, but it was the best way to communicate her thoughts, without getting arthritis from signing multiple words.
He sighed, shaking his head. Sometimes he wondered where she got her spunk from. She tended to have a very overactive imagination, but it was that quirk that had saved their lives in the past. He placed a hand on his hip, a firm yet curious look on his face.
"Alright, what do you have in mind? Since you seem to have all the ideas tonight."
She couldn't help but smirk, gesturing for him to follow with a wave of her hand. He reached behind his back for his weapon, keeping it in its gun form, just in case he needed it. By the time he made it to the fire escape, she had already been down on the street. He jumped off the side of the building, softening his landing with his aura.
He quickly and quietly followed after his partner, he had grown used to controlling his breathing and how much noise he made with her. She was silent and deadly, and that was a technique that she had taught him, along with refining a lot of his fighting style. After avoiding a few creatures of Grimm, they made it to what he assumed was their destination. An open plaza with an abandoned Atlas Manta. His partner swiveled on her heel, giving him a grin as she pointed to it with her thumb.
"This? This is your plan?" he said, adding some air quotes to accent his sarcasm. Her joyful smile turned into an annoyed lopsided scowl. He was quick to add. "Forgive me for withholding my enthusiasm. But I don't exactly know what you intend to do with this."
She held her hand up, pointing at him. She pointed to herself, gesturing to the ship. She joined her hands together, forming a bird, before pointing it to the sky, in the direction of Atlas. He narrowed his eyes for a moment, giving her a nod.
"Okay, so we take this ship and head to Atlas, and then what? Wouldn't reconvening with our friends be more important?" he asked. She rested her weight on her left leg, giving him another annoyed look. "You aren't being clear with me, just tell me what you want to do!"
She grabbed her scroll, hastily typing a message on it before hitting the "Speak" function, holding it out to the man. "You idiot, we're going to steal this ship and head to Atlas. Then we'll hijack one of the bigger ships and use its armament to attack Salem directly. We may not be able to kill her but that doesn't mean we can't hurt her!"
The man remained silent, almost gaping at the woman. This plan was insane. She wanted to not only steal this Manta, but fly up to Atlas, steal an even bigger ship, and then face Salem head-on. Was she insane? He remembered at that moment the fact that she was a former criminal, which was also why there was so much stealing involved in this plan. He shook his head, glancing over his shoulder at the dark clouds still approaching Atlas.
"You're insane, there is no way in hell I am stealing an Atlas airship and flying right into Salem's little army. I want to live, dammit, not die!"
"Who said anything about dying? I've been on an Atlas Airship before, and I know the punch that they pack. The upgraded ones have all-new thanatonium missiles, missiles that were created by combining gravity, combustion, wind, and rock dust. A bomb of that caliber will at least kill that giant whale. We can't have it make land on Atlas, because if it does…"
"The whole country could fall on Mantle, and that would kill everyone," he said, finishing her thought. She nodded, clenching her fist tightly. He closed his eyes for a moment, before glancing back at the approaching Grimm Army. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, standing up straight.
"Her plan is a bit insane but… if we can take down that whale before she makes land, then it would give everyone a bit of an edge. Then again we don't know how many of those things she brought with her. She did say she could make Grimm at a whim, but even so, creating a Grimm of that size would take a lot of power. Meaning she should only have one… if we can't defeat her, driving her back is the best option…"
He said nothing as he strode forward, tapping the side of the ship with his hand. The door slid open, and the gangplank came out. Wordlessly, he and his partner entered the ship, heading over to the cockpit. He held his hand out, his partner placing a black scroll in his hand. He was thankful Pietro Polendina had returned it to him before he, Ruby, and Weiss had taken off.
"I am seriously glad we didn't get rid of this thing. Now then, let's get into the air, shall we?" he asked, earning a grin from his partner. He placed the scroll in the port at the center of the console, tapping the screen. It bypassed all of the systems, igniting the engine in rapid succession. It didn't take him long before he was airborne. "Heh, who said video games couldn't teach you valuable life skills?"
His partner shrugged, her hands tightly grasping the stick before her. Flying Grimm were starting to swarm around the city, and she needed to be ready to fire if necessary.
"Manta 8-6, this is Central Command. We have an unauthorized take-off from sector seven, Manta 6-5 has gone AWOL. We need you to intercept, over."
"A ship that's gone AWOL and an unauthorized take-off? I think we know who's responsible for that," he said with a chuckle, grabbing a hold of the radio. He cleared his throat, pressing the button. "Central Command, this is Manta 8-6. We acknowledge Manta 6-5's AWOL status and formally request coordinates to comply with your intercept order, over."
The radio remained silent for a few moments, before it sprung back to life, crackling for a second before another voice filled the radio. "Levi Athan! What the hell are you doing aboard that ship?!"
He cringed, jumping slightly in his seat at the voice. He rapidly shifted the frequency, glancing back at his partner, who had a look of annoyance on her face. "What? How was I supposed to know she was in Central Command?"
"Once again, you are an idiot." she typed, returning her gaze toward the skies ahead. Levi squeezed the radio receiver in his hand, gritting his teeth. He shook his head, pressing the button on the side. He took a deep calming breath, staring out at the skies above Mantle, the ones rapidly filling with Grimm.
"I don't know if there's anyone listening, military or not, this is something that I need to say…" he said, pausing for a moment. "We're standing at the edge of a great war, unlike anything we've ever seen. I'm sure all of you are scared, I am too. But now is not the time to falter, now is not the time to give up. Atlas may have declared martial law, Atlas may have decided to abandon Mantle, but we haven't… I haven't."
His partner looked away for a moment, eyes widening a bit as she watched him speak. It was as if he had turned into a different person. Sure, she had seen him act confidently, fight aggressively, and be a loving person as well. But this was something she had never seen before. An hour before, she had seen a hopeless man standing before her, but now, there was a spark in his eyes that made her giddy. He hadn't given up yet, meaning they were still in this fight.
"The coming hours are going to be trying ones for all of us. Many of us will fight, many of us may die, but never forget, we are all one joint people. We're no longer men, women, children, human, faunus. We are one army, the army of humanity, joined together to fight the great evil that stands before us. The Grimm may be scary creatures, but they can be killed. Salem may be a frightening woman, who cannot be killed, but that doesn't mean she can't be stopped…
And we will stop her. We will drive her back, we will fight with everything we have, and we will show her just how strong we can be. For too long, she has hidden in the shadows, sending her minions to attack us. For too long, she has toyed with Remnant, thinking that she has total control over us. But she doesn't. We are not alone! When we are alone, we are fearful, frightened people, but right now is not the time to fear. It's time to join hands!
And in the warmth of that hand, we'll find strength and solidarity, camaraderie, and power. We will hold hands and fight, not just for Mantle, but for Atlas! For Mistral, for Vale, for Vacuo! We will fight for Menagerie and the islands inhabited by what's left of humanity. Let us fight together, to send this bitch back to the place she should have never left! Let's show her we aren't scared anymore!"
Though he didn't hear anything through the radio, he did hear voices. Glancing out through the window, he could see people who had been left behind by Atlas, all cheering loudly and grabbing whatever could be used as a weapon. He could see soldiers fighting and doing their best to protect defenseless civilians, he even saw a few ships change course, heading toward the outer edges of Mantle, firing at any and every Grimm they saw. He glanced at his partner, who had a look of admiration on her face, her eyes had settled on their usual pink and brown. She had a confident look on her face, a face that said "I'm going to fight alongside you!"
A moment of silence passed, before the radio crackled, bringing their attention back to it. He waited with bated breath, wondering who was going to speak. He hoped it wasn't General Ironwood, but even he knew anything was possible at this rate. Thankfully, the person that spoke wasn't the General, but it was someone else. Someone he recognized, someone he had grown to love over the last year of his life.
"Levi, you're an absolute dunce, you know that? Do you think rallying the troops is going to do anything to solve our immediate problem?"
"Well, it's nice to hear from you too, Snowflake. Here I thought you were radioing in to tell me how much you missed me," he said, chuckling.
"Oh piss off you…"
"Okay, time to get you off the line." another voice said, a brief shuffling being heard. "Levi, is Oscar with you? We haven't seen him for a while now. Jaune, Ren, Alto, and Nora told us he had to do something back at Atlas."
"Sorry to disappoint you, Ruby, but he isn't with me. Just me and Trivia. She got me out of the Academy, after that cave-in near the Winter Maiden's room. We had to leave, we had no choice." Levi said, sighing. "Sorry, I feel like shit for leaving him behind. But how could I have known?"
"Don't worry about it, what's important is reconvening." the voice of Blake said, causing him to sigh in relief. It seemed all of his friends were together, safe and sound. "We're thinking about landing soon, but we can't disclose our location, we'll be found easily."
"Right, right… hmm… I got an idea. You choose the place, the moment you land, have Weiss use one of her Glyphs, she knows the one. We'll meet up and go from there." he said firmly.
"Roger that, we'll see ya in a few minutes. Stay frosty Kitty Cat, things are about to get dicey."
"Goddamn it, Yang." was the final thing he said before ceasing communications.
He couldn't help but sigh as he took full control of his ship. As he looked on ahead, ready for whatever the world threw at him, he couldn't help but think back to the previous year, to when this crazy journey began. All with him rescuing his partner and best friend, a silent girl who looked like she had survived the worst day of her life.
A loud screech filled his ears, causing him to look to his right, a Nevermore had descended from the heavens, flying directly at them. He grit his teeth, forcing the ship to the right, avoiding the hail of feathers that would have pierced their ship. Trivia looked angry as she took over, forcing the ship high into the air. She did a barrel roll, firing her main guns at the massive bird.
"We can't fight them, Trivia! These things are dangerous and the both of us are exhausted. Just take us-" he was cut off by a massive feather piercing the cockpit, going straight into the control board. Almost instantly the ship lost all power, falling to the ground like a rock. He took his seatbelt off, pulling the mute woman with him. "Come on!"
They managed to leap out of the vehicle, the miqo'te using some glyphs to soften the landing. The Manta exploded the second it made contact with the ground. He shook his head a bit, glancing up at the air, seeing the Nevermore circling around. Trivia narrowed her eyes as she unfurled Hush, staring the creature down. She took a hold of Levi's wrist, holding onto it tightly. He merely closed his eyes for the strike that never came.
He felt himself being pulled along, and when he looked back, he saw pieces of broken glass left behind. Trivia gave him a wink, a satisfied look on her face. He rolled his eyes, forcing himself to run.
"We need a place to rest, just for a bit."
She merely nodded, guiding him along.
xxx
Somehow, they had managed to make it to Midtown. Things weren't as bad there as they were in the other areas of Mantle. But with Salem's forces directly above them, he didn't know how long that would be. Trivia withdrew a key from her scarf, inserting it into the lock, opening the door. She told him to wait outside, slipping inside rather quickly. He looked around for a moment, being pulled in right after, the door being slammed shut.
He shivered a bit from the cold, noticing his breath as he exhaled. He stepped into the living room, where Trivia was busy throwing logs into the fireplace. With a wave of Hush, they sparked to life, covered in flame within seconds. She gestured for him to get close, forcing him to sit before it.
"So… this is your safe house? Where Cinder stayed?" he asked. She nodded, heading out of the living room. She came back moments later with some thick blankets, wrapping them around his shivering form. "Thanks."
She nodded, sitting down next to him. Neither said a word, just letting the day's events finally crash over them. So many things had happened that they didn't know how to keep their thoughts straight. It had all started with that banquet at Schnee Manor, and it ended with all of them being Wanted Criminals. He hadn't heard from Qrow, Clover, or Robyn, and Ironwood had changed. He hated to admit it, but Ironwood doing what he did was warranted. Their mistake of keeping secrets from him had led him to distrust them. Why wouldn't he? Not telling him about Salem was a mistake, but Yang and Blake going behind his back, speaking to Robyn?
He wanted to understand them, ask why they had done it, but he already had his answer. Robyn wanted to help Mantle, and they felt the need to tell her about Amity. So that she'd stop taking materials and the tower could be finished. That was his thought process at least, but those actions had led the General to distrust them. And now…
Levi opened his scroll, for the first time in several hours. The Wanted Bulletin was still active, containing his mugshot, along with that of his closest friends. Trivia leaned over his shoulder, staring at the pictures, only to blow a raspberry, making him chuckle.
"What? Don't like your mugshot?" he asked. She shook her head, patting her cheek with her fingertips. "Oh, I think your makeup is fine. You know, I really like the little touch around your eyes, the green really makes them stand out."
Her eyes widened a bit, she looked away, her cheeks glowing red. She turned back to him, giving him a smile. His eyes fell back on the scroll, tracing Weiss's picture. He sighed, closing the device. "Well… our first ship was shot down, and the second one was attacked by a Nevermore. Maybe the world is telling us that attacking the Grimm Whale is a bad idea."
"What exactly are we supposed to do then?" she asked, causing him to frown.
"I dunno… I haven't lost faith in James, I know he can be reasoned with. But right now, he's still raw with what is happening." he said, drawing Sonata's scroll from his pocket. He searched through it, finding what he was looking for. "Atlas activated its Hard-Light shields. Only Atlas vehicles can go in and out without issue. They'll hold, but not for long, I give them about a day or two before that thing shatters them, maybe less."
"That doesn't really leave us with much time. If we want to give Atlas a chance, we need to destroy that Whale. If Salem is on it, it's likely she's created Grimm from it. Take out the whale, she loses the ability to make more." she said, glancing back at the fire, typing into her scroll. "Of course, there's more to consider. I sent one of my copies to give Cinder the Relic."
He stiffened a bit, remembering that detail. If everything was going according to plan, Cinder would give Salem the Relic. But then what?
"She doesn't know how to use it. All she knows is that it can answer 3 questions. There's one left, and I'm betting she'll use it to figure out what to do about all of us and Oz." he said, resting his face in his hands. "If all four relics are brought together, the Brother Gods will be summoned and humanity will be judged. If they deem that we haven't redeemed ourselves, all of us will be destroyed."
Trivia frowned, rolling her eyes. "What else is new? We're born, we live and then we die. So what if the Gods judge us? At the end of the day, we're gonna end up turning to dust."
"But that isn't the point, Triv. The point is to prove to them that humanity can be redeemed. You got me fucked up if after all this suffering we end up being turned to dust by the Gods. I'll fight them too if I have to."
"That's a funny way to say you want to die a brutal death. Here I thought you were scared to die?"
Levi looked at her, giving her a firm look. "Death isn't what I'm scared of, dying is. To die is to suffer, and I am not going to suffer. I am the Captain of my ship, not the Gods. I am the master of my fate, not Salem. We have to fight, even if we suffer the consequences."
The ice cream-themed girl giggled silently, shaking her head. "You my dear, are all over the place. You wanna die but you wanna fight, you are scared yet brave. You are an enigma, Levi Athan."
"I'm as big of an enigma as you are, Miss Trivia Vanille," he said, giving her a wink. She shook her head, closing her eyes as she leaned against his shoulder. He gave her a pat on the head, as he looked toward the fire.
xxx
Levi jolted awake, groaning a bit as pain shot through his body. He looked around for a moment, seeing the fire had died down, being nothing more than embers. He forced himself to stand up, stretching his tired limbs as he looked around the house. "Trivia?"
His ears twitched a bit, listening around, but he didn't hear any movement. He didn't even hear her breathing. He looked around, spotting a note on the floor. He knelt down to grab it, reading the words written on it.
"I had to go, my doppelgangers don't last long so I needed to meet up with Cinder without her noticing. I might not be able to check in for a while but trust me. I'll figure out a way to bring the Lamp back to you. Take care of yourself, Levi, don't do anything risky, okay? I… I love you, okay? Don't get hurt, or you'll be sorry."
"Signed, Trivia Vanille… she really has changed since we first met, hasn't she?" he muttered, placing the note in his pocket. He opened his scroll, seeing a message from Blake, telling him where they were. He nodded to himself. "Alright, gotta meet up with the girls."
He drew Overture, cocking it, only to remember he had no ammo. He checked his cylinder, seeing all of his crystals were empty. He dug his hands in his pockets, seeing all of his spare dust vials were empty as well, all save one, a vial filled with Plant Dust. He popped his Wind Dust crystal out, filling it to the brim with what remained of his Plant Dust.
"Well, I only used this Dust a couple of times, but right now, it's better than nothing," he mumbled, shoving the empty vial into his pocket. He peered out the window, holding his weapon tightly in his grasp. The streets were cleared, allowing him to leave without being seen.
He moved as quickly as he could. The short nap he had taken had thankfully allowed his body to rest. His aura wasn't at full, but he was capable of movement without feeling like an anchor was tied to him. He moved through the empty streets, broken droids and debris littering the streets. He slowed to a light jog when he saw one of the holo screens next to him spark to life, a familiar face on screen.
"Citizens of Mantle, my name is Johanna, and I am part of Robyn Hill's Happy Huntresses. The Kingdom of Atlas has abandoned us. Gather all possible supplies, including food, water, blankets, toiletries, and Dust, if possible, and come to the Mantle Crater. It is our strongest chance for survival. Do not lose hope, we haven't lost the fight yet."
The woman's words made him frown. He looked back up at Atlas, wondering just where it all went wrong. Of course, he knew the answer to that, but he didn't want to think about it. His ears folded back a bit, the thundering storms approaching Atlas were growing by the second. It won't be long before Salem's forces made contact with the outer edge, he didn't look forward to what would happen next.
Location: Mantle Crater
Pietro frowned as he finished his examination. He had been quietly looking Weiss over the second they had found a stable place to rest. It had been near the outer edge of the creator, a spot where they couldn't be spotted. They had been contacted by the Happy Huntresses not long ago, but he thought it best to stop. Everyone was wounded and tired after all of the fighting, and he couldn't in good conscience let them keep going. With every poke and prod, the white-haired woman hissed in pain, to the point where he had to inject her with an anesthetic, just to stop her from crying.
Penny hadn't said a word since they had landed, she kept staring at her hands, not exactly knowing what to say. Yang and Blake had gone off in search of Oscar, while Team ORNJ took watch, wanting to ensure they had ample time to leave if any of the General's forces came hunting them down. That left Ruby, who had been worriedly standing by the doctor as he examined her partner's arm. He finally finished, pulling his gloves off his hands, lips pressed into a thin line.
"I'm afraid I don't have favorable news, Miss Schnee."
She let out a dry laugh, looking away from him. "I figured that was the case, an overwhelming silence accompanied by silent thoughts… I knew it would end up this way."
"Is there nothing that can be done?" Ruby asked, trying to remain optimistic.
"There isn't much, if Miss Schnee had an active aura when Cinder grabbed her arm, then with medication, she'd recover. But she didn't. Cinder's magic burned several layers of her arm, down into the deep muscular tissue. The tendons in her arm no longer work, which is why she can't move her fingers, and what's worse, some of her flesh has already started to decompose." Pietro said, hanging his head. "I'm afraid, if we wait any longer, you'll get septicemia, or worse."
"I trust you brought all the necessary equipment?" Maria asked, earning a nod from the man.
"I did. I made sure I was prepared for anything that could happen. Sora packed my bag, just in case. I wonder what that boy is doing right now? He was very worried about Penny." he said, glancing toward his daughter, who hadn't said anything. "I never expected her to become the Winter Maiden… it shouldn't even be possible."
"The fact that she did become the Winter Maiden proves that she is human. Doesn't matter how many screws, gears and dust is powering her. She's got a human heart inside her." Ruby reassured, earning a smile from the man.
"I'm glad she's met such wonderful people like you," he said, becoming serious. "However, we must focus on the here and now. We're gonna have to perform a very precise procedure, we have the medical equipment but it'll be dangerous. Before we do anything, Miss Schnee, I must ask-"
"Doctor, you are free to do what you need to do. Just don't let me die, alright? I have a silver-haired dunce I need to get back to." she said, making the man chuckle.
"Alright then. Ruby, Maria, I'm going to need your assistance. Normally, we'd use General anesthesia for something like this, but we don't have that luxury. We're gonna have to make sure she's drugged up before we do the procedure."
"This is gonna be fun," she mumbled, sighing audibly. "What a mess."
"Hey, it would be worse, right?" the brunette said, making Weiss nod. She looked away from her partner, staring off into the distance. Though she was glad her friends were fine, she was still worried about Levi. She hoped nothing bad had happened to him.
"There's nothing to worry about, Miss Schnee. The prosthetics Sora packed for me are state-of-the-art, the latest in technology. They were made with dust-infused lightweight steel, the most advanced QuantomCore microchips as well as a neutral link so it feels as good as possible. You'll be able to feel residual heat, cold, and the texture of things, but you won't feel pain. It'll take time to get used to but I'm sure you'll adapt to it." Pietro said cheerfully.
"Good thing we're in good hands. If we were anywhere else, I'd likely have to make do with a stick for a hand," she mused, making the man laugh.
"I'm sure the techs in the other Kingdoms would have come up with something. The new models were created by a young woman named Sarcelle Arc. She was one of our brightest minds, but she had to leave for Sanus when some personal matters occurred. The closure of borders happened and well… you know how that happened."
"Sarcelle Arc?" Ruby asked, narrowing her eyes a bit.
"Mhmm, she's a very brilliant child, she's fourteen in fact. She isn't interested in being a Huntress but she's quite the skilled technician. She was capable of solving some complex computing algorithms for a lot of our tech." Pietro said, leaning back in his seat. "I believe she's related to your friend Jaune, they share a last name."
"We might have to ask him about that later." Weiss said, a look of intrigue on her face. The beeping from Ruby's scroll caused them to jump. She chuckled, reaching for the device, pulling it open.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Hey Rubes, we managed to make contact with one of the Happy Huntresses. We've agreed to join forces, they've got a hideout lined up for us and everything. A place where we can rest and restock." Yang said, making her sigh with relief.
"That's good, any news on Oscar?"
"Sadly no. We've searched around the base of the Crater, and we haven't found anything. There are pieces of metal around the landing zone, and the bottom of Atlas has a hole in it." Blake added, ears folding down. "We're hoping he made out okay and isn't hurt, but with everything that's happened… I dunno."
Ruby remained silent for a moment, eyes narrowed in thought. She shook her head, expression becoming firm. "We need to have faith in him. He isn't the weak boy we met in Mistral, not anymore."
Yang and Blake didn't say anything, instead, the subject was changed entirely. "How's Weiss doing? Is her arm-"
"She's gonna have to get it removed, Cinder burned her so badly that it doesn't work anymore." the red-clad girl said. "Guess she'll join you and Levi in the cool mechanical arm club."
The blonde brawler didn't say anything. Blake on the other hand forced a smile onto her face, trying to remain calm. "It's a good thing we've got people to help us out then. I don't want to lose anyone else important to me."
"And we won't, we need to have faith. Once all of us are together again, we'll be able to come up with a solid plan of attack. Figure out how we're gonna convince General Ironwood to work with us and not against us."
"That'll be a fun topic of conversation, given everything that happened. Let's just focus on recuperating for the time being. Me and Blake are gonna meet up and do some more searching around the outer edge. Hopefully, Oscar is nearby. See you soon, sis." Yang said, dropping out of the call. Blake remained, looking away from the screen.
"She's taking her fight with Levi pretty rough. She realized we made a mistake, and Levi shouting at her made her realize what we did was wrong. Maybe if we had kept Amity to ourselves if we had been more open."
"No Blake, not telling General Ironwood about Salem was my call, not yours. Yes, you can own up to the mistake of telling Robyn about Amity. But at the end of the day, all of us messed up. We all need to own up to what we did and come together to fix it. We might never regain the trust the General had in us, but we can try to mend that bridge before it's too late. I haven't lost my faith in him."
"I haven't either. I'll let you go, for now, Ruby. Thanks for always inspiring us and giving us hope. I know you have a lot of shit on your shoulders right now. I can't pretend to understand, but if you need to talk, I'm here for you." she said, ending the call. Ruby sighed, staring at the contact image for a moment.
She tapped the screen, trying to call her Uncle, only to go straight to voicemail. She was about to call him again when Pietro called out to her. "Ruby, we need you."
"Right… I'll be right there," she said, briefly glancing at Penny. She was still catatonic, not saying anything. She wanted to talk to her, but she knew she couldn't, at least not at the moment. She just prayed things weren't as bad as they seemed on the surface.
xxx
Levi shivered a bit as he walked, clutching his arm tightly. Overture was still in his grasp, blade extended as he moved down the street. The snow was getting heavier by the minute. Several people had resorted to burning whatever they could to stay warm. A few people looked at him, gasping in surprise when they saw him. Some were wondering if he was the one on the Wanted Bulletin while others were just backing away, fearing his weapon. They didn't know he was out of ammo and only had plant dust on him. That's how he intended to keep it. When he had the time, he would make sure to write a new formula for Plant Dust, just in case he ever needed it.
As he turned the corner, he spotted a Scandroid hovering around, its cameras zooming in and out as it floated around. He frowned, ducking into the nearby building, kneeling behind the door. The Scandroids would alert Ironwood if they saw him, and though he doubted he would send people down to Mantle to fetch him, he didn't trust the man not to do it. He opened his scroll, checking on his aura. He had recovered a lot of it thanks to his nap, but he was a hair shy above the green, and with the cold, going down steadily. He sighed, pocketing the device.
Once the Scandroid was gone, he darted out of the building, racing up the street. The faster he put distance between him and it, the better. As he turned up another street, he slid to a stop, arms flailing a bit. Three Manticores were on the prowl, and thankfully, they hadn't noticed him. He stepped back, darting into another street before they noticed him. He hastily started walking forward, looking up at the street name, frowning.
"North 5th Street, great, I'm nowhere near the Crater." he thought to himself. Steeling his nerves, he started moving up North 5th Street, hoping nothing would stop him. He traveled unimpeded for a bit, turning down a few other streets when he spotted Grimm.
Things changed as he turned onto Main Street, passing by the now snow-laden Dynamo Park. Police Cruisers and military vehicles had been abandoned, lights flashing brightly. He looked around for a moment, moving toward the nearest Atlas Military car, and opening the door. He stepped into the back, looking around the storage compartments, sighing when he found a box of .45 mm ammo. He pulled out one of his empty magazines, opening the box, only to see 7 bullets left in the box. He frowned, shaking the bullets into his palm, wordlessly loading them into the empty magazine. He looked around for a few more minutes but was greeted with nothing.
As he stepped out of the car, loading his pistol with the bullets, he slowed to a stop, seeing a group of Police officers heading toward the car. The second they spotted him, they raised their weapons, aiming right at him. "Freeze!"
"Hey listen, I don't want any trouble!" he cried, holding his gun tightly in his grasp.
"Drop the gun, put your hands behind your back, and walk toward us. General Ironwood put out a bulletin for your arrest, kid. Don't make us shoot." he said, making Levi scoff.
"You all think you can bring me down? I just spent the better half of the last 20 hours killing Grimm, not only that but I fought people stronger than you just to get out of Atlas Academy. Do you honestly believe you'll bring me down?" he reiterated, causing the men to second-guess themselves.
"Oi, put your weapons down." a familiar voice said, causing the officers to look back.
"But Chief, he's wanted!"
"He's a good kid,"
The crowd split apart, the familiar scowl of Chief Roth greeting him. Levi sighed in relief, giving the man a smile. "Hey, Chief."
"Been a while kid, mind explaining why the hell you and the Princess are wanted now?" he asked. Levi looked away, frowning.
"Things went awry in Atlas. That woman, Salem… she came far earlier than we expected. Trust between us and the General grew strained, and he put that warrant out for us. He wants to abandon Mantle, and me and my friends didn't agree with him." he said, ears folding down. "I still don't agree with him, but I have faith he'll do the right thing."
"Faith? In a man who stabbed ya in the back? Kid you need to pick better heroes." he said, puffing his cigarette. "Whatever the case may be, the people left behind are in dire straits. Without the heating grid, all of us will die, we certainly don't have the time nor the patience to start wasting honest men."
"So we're just gonna let him go?"
Roth turned to the officer who had spoken, blowing a plume of smoke from his mouth. "It's thanks to him we were able to make headway in the Journo Case. A case that, need I remind you, you failed to close. Before you start asking questions, Lieutenant, I ask that you think."
Levi sighed, looking around for a moment. He turned back to the Chief, a pleading look on his face. "You wouldn't happen to have any extra ammo, would you? I'm all out, and I need to meet up with my friends."
"We're not a charity case, the ammo that we got is ammo that we need," the lieutenant said firmly. Roth, completely done with the man, stepped over to him. He pulled the man's service pistol from his holster, checking it over before tossing it to Levi, who caught it with ease. "Oi!"
"That's all we can spare, kid. Make good use of it. We're gonna keep helping people out. If you need a place to hold out, the police station will welcome ya. Our heaters run on natural gas, as long as the lines don't get damaged, we'll be fine." he said, gesturing for the officers to follow him. The lieutenant gave him a glare, but remained silent as they walked away.
Levi checked the magazine on his new pistol, seeing it was topped off with 20 high-speed dust rounds. 5.7x28mm, a fairly expensive round as well. He looked the pistol over before sliding the magazine into it, pulling the slide back.
"Let's hope I don't have to use this."
He began walking back down Main Street, heading past Dynamo Park, keeping his eyes and ears trained on his surroundings. Thankfully, aside from the falling snow and the crackling of fires, he didn't hear anything. It seemed this area was clear of most Grimm, but the people remained. As he moved, he heard a crackle in his ear, causing him to stop.
"Hello? Ruby? Weiss?" he replied, ear twitching a bit.
"Sorry, but I'm neither of them. The name's Johanna. We met once when you came to speak with Robyn. That blonde brawler friend of yours said you were still out there. We agreed to bring you all to a safe house in Mantle. Where are you?"
"Um…" he paused, looking around for a moment. He darted forward, stopping at the nearest street corner, staring at the sign. "133rd Street and Dynamo Park West."
"Shit, you're pretty far from us. Alright, Fiona is nearby, I'll tell her to swing by you and bring you here. Just stay put, okay?" the woman asked.
"Yeah, I'll do that. There's a cafe nearby, I'll be waiting there," he said, ending the call. He headed toward the cafe, noticing it was the same one he had met Valentine and Metera at, the day they started the Journalist Case. He let out a dry laugh as he slammed his foot into the door, busting it open. He stepped inside, barricading the door with some chairs. "This has turned out to be a very long day."
He peered out the windows, staring straight at the skies above. The darkened cloud of Grimm was still there, several miles away from Atlas. He didn't know when she would make her move, but it was going to be soon. He doubted Salem would negotiate. He clenched his eyes shut, slamming his fist onto the table. "Dammit… there has to be something… anything we can do! General Ironwood, I know we made a mistake but please… it isn't too late."
His words fell on deaf ears. He knew the General wouldn't listen to him.
xxx
"How are you feeling?" Ruby asked, a small smile on her face. Weiss blinked a few times at her inquiry, not knowing how to answer.
"I'm… okay I guess. It doesn't hurt anymore," she said.
"Alright, let's see it," Pietro said, urging her to raise her arm.
Her dress had to be modified a bit, given the burn marks to it, Ruby trimmed the burned cloth, leaving her right arm fully exposed. The base of her arm was still burned, but not as badly as it had been. Her arm had been replaced, and in its place was a sleek mechanical one, bright blue in color, the underside being a polished white. The Schnee crest rested on the forearm, glowing partially thanks to some Hard-Light dust that had been infused into it. Pietro took a hold of her hand, moving it around a bit as he did so.
"Alright, move your hand," he said. She did so, opening and closing it a few times, wiggling her digits before forming it into a fist. "Well, it seems like everything is in working order! Your nerves accepted the connection beautifully. Given the stress of the situation, I assumed it wouldn't work but-"
"I had faith," Weiss said, holding her mechanical hand in her human hand, staring at it. "That's all we can have, now."
"I took into account your Semblance, and, much like Yang, your arm has added functions. It can't fire shotgun shells like hers can. But you can load it up with Dust. Each one of your fingers has a Dust port, each extending to the back of your hand. You'll be able to form your glyphs quicker and have the added benefit of dust-enhanced punches." Pietro said, making her smile.
"That's wonderful, my glyph casting was getting rather sloppy. If this shaves off another half second between changes, then I'm glad for it," she said, forcing herself off the makeshift bed. She moved toward the nearby mirror, looking herself over. "It's just a shame such a nice outfit had to be modified like this."
"I think it looks cool! You look like one of those really kickass Samurais from those old Mistralian Movies!" Ruby said, grinning. "Or are you perhaps embarrassed because now everyone can see the stubble on your armpit?"
Weiss's eyes widened. "What? That is not the reason why you dunce! Also, I have no stubble, I happen to shave every single day. I just really liked my dress and am annoyed that Cinder burned it!"
"That's a fair point. I think I would be annoyed if my cloak was damaged," she admitted, hugging her cloak closely to herself. "Besides, I'm sure Levi will enjoy it. He's into those smutty books Blake reads, so I'm sure he finds that sort of thing attractive."
"That is not the point."
"Honestly? I think the look suits you," Penny said, speaking for the first time in several hours. She had a genuine smile on her face as she faced them. "No offense, Weiss, but I'm not really a fan of the puffy sleeves. They look kinda silly."
The white-haired girl sighed. "Clearly you don't understand the style behind the outfit. Never mind that we need to focus on what we'll do next. Have Yang and Blake found Oscar yet? What about Levi, has he called?"
"Communications have been a bit hindered since the storm rolled in. The snow doesn't really help, but I'm sure Levi is alright. As for Yang and Blake, they radioed in about an hour ago, saying they were heading to the Happy Huntress's safehouse with Team ORNJ." Maria said, drying off her hands. "We can go for a quick flight around the Crater, see if we spot him."
"That might be for the best, but we need to lay low for a while. The Atlas Inquirer has been running the same news report for a while now. Our faces are plastered all over the Kingdom. We'll have to move carefully, we don't know who might try to turn us in." Pietro advised, earning nods from the girls.
"Maybe… maybe I should go back to Atlas." Penny suddenly said, looking away from her friends. "Cinder saw me gain Fria's power. She also has the Relic of Knowledge, if she tells Salem that I'm the Winter Maiden, they might launch an attack on us."
"Even if they do, we aren't letting them take you, Penny. Going back to Atlas is a bad idea, the General would just abandon all of us and we'd be back to square one." Ruby said, a firm look on her face. "Our best chance of winning this war is to warn the people of Remnant. To that effect, we must launch Amity Tower."
"That's easier said than done, Ruby. The tower isn't done and there's no guarantee anyone will come here. Mistral is in a bad way after the attack on Haven, and Vale is still recovering from the Fall of Beacon. Our only allies are in Vacuo, but I don't think Headmaster Theodore can rally his forces fast enough to aid us." Weiss replied.
"There's the Relic of Destruction to consider." Maria quipped, causing them to face her. "Salem might be here at the moment, but after she's done with Atlas, she'll surely try to get the Sword. If Vacuo comes to aid Atlas, then that leaves Shade Academy out in the open. Like it or not, we can't call on Vacuo for aid."
"Let's just… focus on recovering and meeting up with everyone. Once all of us are together, we'll come up with a plan of action." Pietro said, trying to sound cheerful. This did the opposite, but they couldn't exactly complain.
"Alrighty, let's head out then. We have ourselves a Farmboy to find, then again, Oscar is hardly a farm boy anymore." the elderly woman said, chuckling. "Why, he's become a fine young man, no doubt the eye candy of a certain wolf girl."
"I still can't believe those two got together," Ruby said, earning an eye roll from Weiss.
"She was into him the second they met. She had that look in her eye that just screamed "he is so hot". Not only that but whenever he talks she is hung on his every word, even biting her lip. She is down bad."
"Oh, you mean like you are for Levi? Admit it, you were into him the moment you met." Ruby said, causing Weiss to blush. "As I recall, that was the day of the dance back at Beacon. When he put his hands on your hips and helped you practice your golf swing."
"Can we just go?" the former heiress snapped, her face glowing red as she walked toward the door. Maria rolled her eyes.
"Ah young love, reminds me of the Hunt!"
No one knew what that meant, but if it brought the woman happy memories, Ruby wasn't going to pry. Her mood shifted when she looked up, seeing the massive thunderclouds high above them. She sighed, tugging on her hood. "Don't think about it, just focus on meeting up with everyone else."
They filed into the Atlas Manta, wondering just when things would hit the boiling point. And maybe, just maybe, there was a miracle in sight that they could all bank on.
A/N: Whelp, the story has now reached the point beyond its prologue. I never thought this story would get as long as it is, but when working with a plot like this, I suppose it had to happen. I must explain something, I know it may seem as though I am sticking close to canon events, and for the most part, I am, that is because Volume 7 as a whole is something that I saw as fine. I did feel the need to flesh out Mantle and Atlas, both in a political sense and in a wider sense. It bothered me that CRWBY never bothered to do that with the strongest nation in Remnant. It's like they introduce things and fall short of actually polishing them up, and that ends up with the stick always falling short. For the most part, I feel like I too do that from time to time, but I try to improve a lot when I can. That being said, Volume 8, while following a lot of canon events, received the most changes to fit this particular AU. A lot of things have been changed especially leading into Volume 9, of which I am still working the kinks out. There is a lot of good in Volume 8, but the bad usually outshines it.
A lot of events have been changed, rearranged, and worked on to make it fit better in this context, given that Neo is not an enemy and isn't actively working to kill Ruby, only leads Cinder to believe she is, it makes an interesting way to tackle the narrative. There is still a lot of fluff and things that could be trimmed out, and trust me, after rereading and doing a lot of changes, and being satisfied with what I managed to write, it still could use a bit of work here and there, so posts may be slowing down while I do that. Thanks for the support as always and for sticking with me and this story so far. I know the two-year (was it two years?) gap probably made things worse, but writer's block can be a bitch to work with sometimes. C'est la vie, as they say.
Also let us welcome Weiss into the "Crunchy Prosthetics" club. She is likely not the last one who is going to lose a limb for this most sacred mission.
