Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 71 – A Chilling First Mission
Woz was currently sitting on a stool as he had one leg over the other in the white void of narration, "Recent graduate Sougo Tokiwa has made it his mission to help Miss Rose out. Having situated in Atlas, my Overlord and his allies bear witness to a celebration! Rejoice!"
"It seems that Ruby and her friends have become fully fledged Huntsmen and Huntresses," Jinn said as she peaked out from behind the clock that was nearby, "However that is just the beginning…"
"Indeed," Woz gave a nod, "They will have their hands quite busy during our lengthy stay here with making sure the Amity Project progresses accordingly. Of course we Riders will have our own issues now that we are able to resume being on the field."
Remnant – Mantle Streets
"So this is another point we have to check out?"
"Yep, sure seems like it."
"Ugh, the hell is with all this stupid ice?"
The two currently complaining were Atlas Military guards who were currently driving around the streets of Mantle in a military truck. It was currently the very early hours of the morning, the sun barely rising. They were mostly driving through in order to investigate another large patch of ice that had frozen one of their standard landing zones.
"Not sure," The driver said as he answered his partner's question, "Supposedly the higher ups are looking heavily into this but are hoping we might find clues on whatever's making these obstructions."
"Jeez, you're saying that this is on the level of those murders then?" The partner asked, "Because I heard the General's been especially serious about those."
"Well not yet," The driver replied, "But it's getting there that's for sure."
"So how much longer till we get there?" The partner asked.
"We're actually here," The driver said as he went to park the truck, he then pointed to his side where there was a large patch of ice covering a landing zone. The ice was also warped and sharpened, creating a wave of spikes all around to prevent easy removal of the ice.
"Jeez that looks rough," The partner admitted before giving a shiver, "Hey is it just me or did it get colder all of a sudden?"
"Y-Yeah…" The driver said before giving a gasp as the interior of the vehicle began to frost over, "Get out now!"
Both Atlesian Soldiers quickly grabbed their rifles and went to slam their doors to open them, the doors shattering as they had been frozen solid. Both Soldiers quickly rolled out and took aim before looking around, slowly but surely heading to the back of the truck.
"Freeze, you're under arrest!" The first Atlesian Soldier called out as both quickly arrived at the back while aiming, figuring their culprit was behind it.
And they were right as standing behind the truck and having their hands pressed against it was a monstrous black bodied creature with white patches all over. It was the Iceage Dopant, and it began to chuckle as it saw the two Soldiers pointing their guns at it.
"What the… hell?" The second Atlesian Soldier managed to speak up.
"Freeze… that's funny," The Iceage Dopant chuckled before aiming its hands at both Soldiers and shooting out streams of absolute zero gas towards them, instantly coating their bodies and freezing them over, "Because that's what I just did to you two."
Both frozen Soldiers could only stand there as the Iceage Dopant began using the fragile nature of the frozen truck to tear into it, breaking anything and everything inside before tearing its way out the front.
"That should send the right message I hope…" The Dopant chuckled as it walked off.
Remnant – Atlas Academy
It was a hustle and bustle kind of day as Penny had just gotten Team's RWBY and JNR woken up to get started on official mandated missions for the Kingdom. Of course this meant she visited Team Zi-O last after she was done with the initial wake-up protocol. She was to take them to meet with her father down in Mantle, Pietro having gotten an early start to the day.
"Things will probably be slow when it comes to Ruby and the others picking you all as partners for the missions," Penny admitted with her usual cheerful demeanor, "But in the meantime I'm also authorized to allow you to accompany me on my job if my father doesn't need you all there for anything important."
"Do you get missions too?" Sougo asked.
"Sort of," Penny said as she kept leading the way forward, "My duty is being the Protector of Mantle, and as such I deal with any Grimm related threats. Though there are sometimes when I'm requested to go on missions by the General himself."
"That makes sense, you have a day job but also have important missions if the need arises," Tsukuyomi gave a nod.
"So did your dad say what he wanted for us today?" Geiz asked.
"No clue, it will probably be something that is routine however," Penny responded.
It wasn't long before the group would see Winter approaching, "Team Zi-O, Penny."
Penny smiled, "Salutations Winter!"
"Just passing through?" Sougo asked.
"Actually I was hoping to borrow two of your team members if that's alright by you," Winter admitted.
"Borrow?" Sougo tilted his head, "For what?"
"An urgent mission has popped up and I was asked to acquire two members of your team for it," Winter explained, "If Myokoin and Tsukuyomi don't mind I'd like them."
"Sounds fine to me," Geiz gave a nod.
"What do we need to do?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Just follow me for now," Winter said before looking over at Penny, "I know it's rather sudden, but could you let Doctor Polendina know why half of the team is missing?"
"Of course," Penny gave a salute, "I am certain that father will understand."
"If that's all I'll leave the rest of you to meeting with the Doctor," Winter said before taking off, Geiz and Tsukuyomi following after her.
Remnant – Mantle, Time Jacker Hideout
The Time Jackers were currently lounging about in their temporary abode. Swartz giving a smirk as he was watching Uhr flip through a Scroll that they had managed to procure.
"So?" Swartz asked.
"Using our powers it's easy to get into everywhere without being found out," Uhr said as he was currently accessing the camera footage in Mantle without being detected, "Looks like our little Iceage Dopant is causing quite a stir."
"So why are we going small time with our customers?" Ora asked, "Didn't we find out about that communications tower or something already?"
"While our mission is to disrupt Remnant, we still have one bigger mission," Swartz reminded, "And that is to crown a new King. If we are to find a suitable Another Rider then it will be here."
"And we can't do that by going on a full offensive, correct?" Finis asked.
"Exactly," Swartz gave a nod, "Besides, entering this city we already have quite a few interesting targets to pick from."
"That Ironwood guy looks pretty unstable," Uhr admitted, "And this stuff along with all the other reports I'm seeing will definitely push him to the edge."
"But enough about the bigger picture," Swartz said, "How's our Dopant friend doing?"
"Well there's already a suspect starting to be formed," Uhr mentioned as he looked through reports, "Think we should make things a bit more interesting?"
"I say we do," Swartz grinned before going over to the dresser that held the transformation items they were gifted. He took out a Full Bottle that held a Smash essence within it before tossing it over to Uhr.
Uhr caught the bottle, "So we're going Smash this time?"
"It will make a good compliment to Iceage," Swartz replied, "So please do use it however you see fit."
"Got it," Uhr said before skipping towards the door, vanishing instead of walking out through it.
"You seem fairly relaxed," Ora replied, "Not worried about failure?"
"Regardless of whether or not this succeeds we still win in the end," Swartz smiled, "As long as tensions rise we'll be doing our job just fine."
Remnant – Atlas Academy, Ironwoods Office
"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Ironwood greeted as he watched Winter bring Geiz and Tsukuyomi into his office. It was already in its meeting mode as the table was out and hologram screens were projected.
"It's fine," Tsukuyomi said.
"What's this about?" Geiz asked.
"We've got an issue that your group clearly specializes with," Winter said as she gestured to several screens showing various parts of Mantle overrun with ice structures.
"Lately we've been having issues at drop points as they've been iced over with various ice-like structures," Ironwood explained as he cycled through the various incidents, "Now I know you all are outsiders to Solitas, but I can assure you something is wrong."
"Despite it being cold down in Mantle there's still heaters and heating systems in place," Geiz said as he recalled his observations, "So ice shouldn't build up as heavily as this."
"The heating grid is why it also rains in Mantle itself," Winter added, "It generates enough heat that heavy snow and ice isn't something usually seen in the city."
"Normally we wouldn't be concerned but then things got worse," Ironwood said as he began to show camera footage of frozen Atlesian Soldiers alongside frozen and shattered Atlesian Knights. There were also images of various trucks and military equipment frozen and broken, "At first we might have thought it was the work of a powerful Ice Semblance but even I'm not sure anymore."
"You think it's a monster then," Geiz figured.
"The only other person it could be is a Maiden," Winter replied, "And given what Team RWBY has mentioned, it's doubtful it is."
"Sougo also mentioned the Time Jackers could turn others into monsters, so that would be the best assumption, but there's also this," Ironwood said before clicking a few pictures, showing close up and blurry shots of the Iceage Dopant, "We managed to recover these photos from our equipment."
"I can see why you want us on this case then," Tsukuyomi said.
"You two will accompany Winter down to Mantle, I want this threat stopped immediately," Ironwood ordered, "The fact that these dangerous Time Jackers you mentioned are supposedly here, that's another issue I don't need to worry about."
"Yes sir," Geiz managed to bury his pride as he gave a salute alongside Tsukuyomi.
"We'll be leaving at once, sir," Winter said before gesturing for the two Riders to follow her.
Remnant – Mantle Streets
It didn't take long for Winter and both Riders to arrive in Mantle, thankfully one of their discreet landing zones was still intact. The trio exited the Manta that had dropped them off before Winter went to check her scroll for some texts.
"So do we have any idea of where to start searching?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"I actually had an officer working on investigation for the past couple of days," Winter admitted as she led the way forward, using one finger to type as she paid attention to the path in front of her, "Just before I met with your team today he told me he had a lead."
"We can only hope," Geiz said, "I don't like how sudden this monster appearance is given we haven't seen the Time Jackers yet."
"It is frustrating that we seemingly haven't been able to catch any suspicious activity yet," Winter admitted as she continued to lead the way.
Geiz and Tsukuyomi meanwhile noticed that anyone out and about was murmuring and or making sure they were acting fairly normal.
"So…" Tsukuyomi spoke up when she realized they'd yet to arrive at their destination, "Do you come down here often Winter?"
"I usually just stay in Atlas," Winter admitted, "The only reason I'm down here now is because the General saw fit for me to take the lead on these monster attacks."
"I suppose that makes sense," Geiz replied, now figuring the reactions of the citizens were because they were seeing Winter in the flesh for the first time, "You're basically his right hand, right?"
"Yes," Winter said before approaching the side of a building, "Ah here we are."
There was a pale skinned thinly built man in an Atlesian Officer uniform waiting for them. He had black combed back hair and bright striking blue eyes that helped him stand out.
"Officer Pico," Winter said as she approached.
"Specialist Schnee," Pico gave a salute before raising an eyebrow at both Geiz and Tsukuyomi, "You brought help?"
"Yes," Winter said, "I suppose you could say they specialize in what we're dealing with. I was ordered by the General himself to allow their help."
"I see," Pico gave a nod.
"So what's this lead?" Geiz asked.
"Right, well," Pico pulled out his scroll before showing the information to the others, "I'm sure you've seen the extent of the ice damage. I believe even if it is supposedly a monster, that it's still too powerful for that alone. So I was looking into the citizens in order to narrow down it down."
"Oh?" Winter raised an eyebrow.
"Turns out there's a young woman from Mistral who moved here shortly after the attack in Vale to help support her family," Pico explained as he pulled up the profile of a young woman with square glasses, light skin coloration and faded cerulean blue hair, "She moved here just before the embargo hit. Her names Ceila Freze and she seems to be particularly outspoken about Atlas' procedures. Not to mention she has an Ice based Semblance on record."
"Hmm…" Geiz put a hand on his chin, wondering if the culprit would be that obvious.
"That does sound like our culprit," Tsukuyomi said in partial thought.
"Yes, I believe Ceila is masquerading as this monster in order to speak out against Atlas more heavily," Pico deduced, "Her ice based Semblance alongside these ice based powers our culprit is showing feel like they fit together."
"From the way it's been worded it doesn't seem like she entered Atlas Academy," Geiz spoke up, "Otherwise we'd be at the Academy right now, correct?"
"She didn't and it's a shame too," Pico answered, "I'm not sure why she wouldn't choose to help Atlas out further if she's pretty capable."
"I suppose she felt her family was more important than any future career," Tsukuyomi said.
"Regardless our mission is to find and question her. If she really is that monster we need to make sure she can no longer hurt anyone with that transformation and take her into custody," Winter stated as she looked at her partners, "Is that understood?"
"Yes ma'am," Tsukuyomi gave a nod.
"Right," Geiz gave a nod and crossed his arms as something still felt off about this situation.
"Looking into her profile I managed to figure out frequently visited spots," Pico mentioned before gesturing for everyone to follow him, "I'll lead the way."
Elsewhere in Mantle, Sougo and Woz were currently with Penny. The three walked through the streets to explore and keep an eye out for any potential threats. The meeting with Pietro had been very simple, the doctor himself mentioning that he just wanted to do a quick physical.
Once that was done he allowed the two to tag along with Penny after she had gotten back from a quick urgent patrol.
"I must admit I wasn't expecting it to end so quickly," Woz admitted.
"I guess he figured he wanted to try and cross reference whatever he got in the initial scan of our equipment with our bodies or something like that," Sougo guessed since he wasn't about to try and understand Pietro's methods, "Maybe figuring out a connection between our bodies and our gear."
"My dad does like to take it slow and easy sometimes," Penny admitted, "I figure he wants to pace himself since your technology is pretty mysterious."
"True," Sougo nodded, "So what exactly did you need to step out for while we were doing the physical?"
"That… is highly confidential at the moment," Penny admitted as she recalled the mysterious gate she found in a lower underground portion of Mantle, "All I can say is that I was investigating something the General was curious about. And I can at least admit that it did make me very curious as well when I investigated…"
"Huh, sounds cool," Sougo remarked, "Speaking of missions though, what are the others up to? Are we able to know about that kind of stuff?"
"Well Jaune's Team is currently riding transport trucks to get supplies to Amity," Penny listed off, "Meanwhile Ruby's Team is investigating a summit in Solitas due to oddities in Grimm activity."
"What kind of oddities?" Woz asked.
"There are more Grimm appearing than usual," Penny said.
"Is it really that odd?" Sougo asked, "I figured since Solitas was pretty barren that it'd be a normal occurrence."
"Apparently it is way more than usual," Penny admitted, "Though even then there are enough scattered villages, settlements and structures that prevent Solitas' vast lands from being a Grimm paradise."
"Huh, cool," Sougo replied as they continued to walk, "So what do you usually do on these patrols?"
"Oh I just survey and scan the area to make sure there are no Grimm in sight," Penny replied, "Normally I would fly but I do not think you two can."
"Nope," Sougo shook his head with a light laugh, "Still this is a nice way to explore the city."
"Indeed!" Penny agreed, "Plus it is always fun to hang out with new people."
"Exactly," Sougo smiled before getting a curious look, "So Penny, how exactly did you and Ruby meet?"
As soon as he asked this he suddenly slammed directly into Penny who had suddenly stopped in front of him. The two falling to the ground though Penny didn't seem to mind.
"Ow…" Sougo gave a groan as he began to pick himself up, "Penny?"
"Salutations," Penny exclaimed with a wave while she was still lying on the sidewalk.
"Excuse me?" Woz asked.
"Wait, what?" Sougo asked.
"And that is how I met Ruby and her team," Penny spoke up as she stood up straight suddenly, "Weiss ended up bumping into me and then we just hit it off from there."
"Oh, oh…" Sougo said soon realizing why she did what she did before laughing, "You must have made quite the first impression."
"I always try to," Penny smiled, "I hope my entrance during your arrival was also greatly received."
"Yeah you were really cool," Sougo admitted before aiming his fingers, "You were like pew, and the Grimm were like whoosh because they turned to ashes and stuff."
"I suppose that is one way to describe that…" Woz remarked with a bored stare.
"Speaking of making friends though," Sougo said before walking over and holding his fist out, "Penny, you want to be BFF's?"
"BFF…?" Penny asked.
"Best Friends Forever," Sougo smiled, recalling his dreams of Kamen Rider Kikai, "I mean you and Ruby are already BFF's I think."
"I knew we were friends but she and I are actually BFF's? That makes sense…" Penny gave a gasp of realization before looking down at Sougo's fist in excitement, despite this she paused and looked back up, "But wait, can I have more than one? Is that allowed?"
"Of course you can," Sougo said as he kept his fist out.
"Ooh, then of course I will Sougo!" Penny quickly reeled back her fist before bumping her fist quickly against Sougo's.
Sougo's smile turned to a wince as he shook his hand a bit, Penny's strength was next level even with Aura active.
"So what should we do as we patrol around?" Penny asked.
"Hmm… I'll leave that up to you," Sougo suggested.
"Then I know just what we can do!" Penny called out before pointing forward and marching off. She then suddenly stopped and held a hand up to her ear, suddenly getting an alert via her sensors, "That will have to wait. It appears as though some flying Grimm are attempting to cause trouble near the wall."
"Then we should get going and stop them," Sougo replied.
"My Overlord we cannot fly," Woz reminded.
"Oh right," Sougo slumped forward.
"It is rather far for you all to try and catch up to me too…" Penny trailed off before giving a gasp as she snapped her fingers. She rushed over to the two, suddenly lifting Woz over her shoulder while taking Sougo underneath her arm, holding onto both Riders tightly with little issue, "Please hang on!"
Sougo and Woz yelped as they were grabbed and before they could even protest they were yelling out as Penny launched skyward with little issue.
Elsewhere, Pico was currently leading Winter, Geiz and Tsukuyomi to one of Ceila's usual spots. Ceila herself was currently minding her own business, looking through her scroll on the steps of a defunct building that wasn't being used anytime soon.
"That looks to be her," Winter said as they watched from a distance.
"How do we go about this?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"If she has nothing to hide she'll be fine with us walking up to her suddenly," Pico said before leading the way forward, Geiz and Tsukuyomi could only glance at each other in a worried fashion before following after him with Winter.
"Huh?" Ceila saw movement out of her eyes before looking up, giving a bit of a worried glance, "Um… what can I do for you all?"
"I just have a few questions, if you don't mind," Winter spoke up as she decided to take the lead.
"Just… questions…?" Ceila asked.
"There's no need to be nervous," Geiz spoke up as he stepped forward with Tsukuyomi, hoping their presence would calm her down, "We're just curious about a few things and you're the best person who can answer."
"Hey, hey," Pico called out as he held a hand out to Geiz, "Let the professionals handle this alright."
"What is this about?" Ceila asked.
"I'm not sure if you've heard but there have been some ice related incidents in the city as of late," Winter mentioned as she pulled out her scroll and showed the pictures, "Would you happen to know anything about them?"
Ceila however frowned, knowing what this was about, "This is because of my Semblance isn't it?"
"Unfortunately yes," Winter said, "Normally we wouldn't jump to conclusions but we've taken a look at your record and we just want to…"
"No, no, I get it," Ceila held her hands up to force Winter to pause before giving a glare and standing up, "So, what? Are you all here to silence me like you've been doing to the other people who speak out against your Military?"
"Oh no," Geiz muttered before speaking up, "Listen-"
"That's why Winter Schnee's here, right?" Ceila asked, "The most we see of her are those warnings."
"I can assure you that we are not in the slightest involved in that," Winter said as she kept calm and withdrew her Scroll.
"You say that but no one's been found yet," Ceila countered, "And every time there is one the Atlas Military is on the scene."
"Hey, no need to get agitated," Pico gave a glare, "We're just trying to get some clarity on the situation here."
"Let me guess, you plan on blaming me aren't you?" Ceila took a step back as she looked around, "I'm the perfect scapegoat right?"
"Please just calm down for a second," Tsukuyomi said, "We don't want to believe it's you."
"We can do this calmly," Winter added.
"Like hell I'm letting you all silence me!" Ceila yelled out in panic before slamming her hands into to the ground and creating a patch of ice across the ground before quickly sprinting off into a winding series of alleyways.
"Hey wai-" Geiz gave a yelp as he tried to move forward before slipping and tumbling into Tsukuyomi.
"Get back here!" Pico yelled out as he quickly jumped over the ice before rushing off after Ceila.
"Officer Pico, wait a minute!" Winter called out before bringing out her sword and stabbed it into the ground, forming a fire glyph and unleashing a brief wave of heat to melt the ice, "We're pursuing now!"
"R-Right," Geiz called out as he got to his feet, helping Tsukuyomi up.
The three quickly rushed forward to try and catch up to both Pico and Ceila into the maze-like alleyway. They eventually broke out into a more open lot within the alleyway before Winter quickly formed a glyph in front of her while coming to a halt, a burst of ice impacting against it.
Geiz and Tsukuyomi both quickly stopped when they saw Winter stop, the two staring out in surprise to see their culprit.
"Hello there," The Iceage Dopant chuckled in a distorted voice as it held its hand out, patches of ice all around it, "I think it's time I taught you all a lesson."
"You don't have to do this Ceila," Winter gave a firm glare as she kept her sword pointed forward.
"Oh I think I do," The Iceage Dopant gave a yell before launching sharpened icicles at Winter, Geiz and Tsukuyomi, the three quickly dodging out of the way. The Dopant gave a hiss however, "Just stay out of this alright? I know what's best!"
Geiz narrowed his eyes before he saw the Iceage Dopant leap up onto a building, "You aren't getting away!"
"Geiz, wait!" Tsukuyomi called out.
"Myokoin, do not pursue!" Winter ordered.
"Like hell I won't!" Geiz called out as he rushed forward to follow the Iceage Dopant from the ground.
"Is he always like this?" Winter gave an annoyed growl as she began to follow after Geiz.
"Unfortunately," Tsukuyomi sighed as she followed after, as they made it into the busy streets however she soon noticed something off, squinting before giving a gasp, "Wi-I mean, Specialist Schnee!"
"Huh?" Winter was keeping track of Geiz primarily to keep following him only to turn, "What is it?"
"I think the situation is more complex," Tsukuyomi pointed in another direction.
Winter turned as her eyes widened, despite the semi-busy street she could tell what exactly Tsukuyomi wanted her to see. It was Ceila who was hurrying and making her way in the opposite direction of where Geiz was going, "What is…"
"Something's wrong," Tsukuyomi said.
"Very," Winter agreed before looking around and pulling out her Scroll, trying to call Pico only to get no answer. She then glanced to where she was keeping track of Geiz only to have no sight of him anymore, "We've lost contact with Pico and lost sight of Myokoin."
"That isn't good," Tsukuyomi grimaced before looking back, "What do we do?"
"We follow her," Winter said before changing directions to pursue Ceila, "Try and contact Myokoin to let him know."
"Understood," Tsukuyomi said as she went to call Geiz while following after the specialist.
Geiz meanwhile began to slow down as he stopped in an alleyway, having lost the Iceage Dopant, "Damn, lost it…"
The Iceage Dopant suddenly dropped down behind him, "Not exactly!"
"What?" Geiz turned before gasping out as he was grabbed by the neck.
"You're a liability to my plans…" The Iceage Dopant hissed out as it began to gather energy in its free hand.
"Like hell you're freezing me," Geiz gasped out as he barely managed to draw out his Driver and place it on his waist, loading in his Geiz Ridewatch before rotating his Driver, "Henshin!"
"Hen-?"
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER GEIZ!]
The hiragana launched out and struck the Iceage Dopant, causing it to stumble backwards.
"What the hell?" The Iceage Dopant gasped out, its distorted voice faltering briefly as it was caught off guard. It pointed forward, "You're not supposed to do that!"
Geiz raised an eyebrow behind his helmet, recognizing a distinct male tone to the voice when it faltered. He shook his head, yelling and punching the Iceage Dopant in the neck, the Dopant choked out as it held its neck in pain. The Rider quickly drew out his Zikan Zax in its bow mode, pulling back the string and unleashing an arrow against the Iceage Dopant.
The Iceage Dopant yelled out as it was struck in the chest, tumbling to the ground. It gave a growl and stood up, stepping forward only to wince and hold its right leg.
"Hmm," Geiz tilted his head as he noticed that the Iceage Dopant had a lingering injury that he didn't cause. He pulled back on the hammer of his weapon and initiated its special attack, "We're ending this now."
[ZERO TIME! GIWA GIWA UCHI!]
Geiz gave a yell as he released his grip, unleashing a powerful yellow arrow towards the Dopant. The Iceage Dopant responded with a yell as it unleashed a flurry of sharpened ice spikes. The arrow collided with the spikes, there being enough to where it couldn't get all the way through. The collision had caused the ice to shatter and form a small mist.
Geiz quickly ran through the mist only to find no Dopant, he looked around before stomping his foot, "Seriously?"
Ceila meanwhile gave a gasp as she panted, managing to find her way to a more vacant part of town. She slumped against a wall and slid down it, putting her hands over her knees, "Great… now they'll really think I did it…"
"Sounds like you could use some help," A voice said, Ceila looking up to see Uhr skipping over to her, "Interested?"
"What kind of help could you possibly give me?" Ceila asked.
"The ability to defend yourself and protect Mantle from the tyranny of the Atlas Army," Uhr smiled before holding up the Smash Bottle and gripping it tightly, pouring some of his energy into it before tossing it over.
Ceila caught it before looking it over, unaware of an invisible pulse going through her, "What's this?"
"It'll help you fully realize your powers," Uhr smiled before skipping off and turning the corner.
"Fully realize my power?" Ceila asked as she looked at the bottle, she then gave a gasp as she heard footsteps, soon seeing Winter and Tsukuyomi approaching, "You…"
"Listen," Winter held up her hands, "We don't want to do this the hard way."
"We just want to talk," Tsukuyomi said, "We're starting to-"
"Shut up… I'm tired of running," Ceila hissed out as she stood up, "Your kind always blames us who are below you because it's convenient. There's a reason I chose to not apply for the Academy, because I don't want to be part of a group that step on people who are only in distress!"
"Wait a minute," Tsukuyomi held out her hands, "We don't need to do this. We can talk things out."
"I'm also tired of talking…" Ceila admitted with a tired expression before bringing out the Smash Bottle, "You want something to blame, I'll give you something to blame…"
Winter and Tsukuyomi could only watch in surprise as Ceila twisted the Smash Bottle before showering herself in blue sparks, the bottle dissolving and a flash of light occurring as she had transformed into the Ice Smash.
"That wasn't the same one in the reports like the one we saw earlier," Winter said.
"I was right, something is wrong," Tsukuyomi said as she drew out her Driver and readied her Ridewatch, "She isn't our culprit."
"Regardless we need to stop her," Winter stated as she drew her sword and pointed it forward, "Culprit or not she's using a dangerous power and assaulting us."
"Of course," Tsukuyomi gave a reluctant nod before initiating her transformation, "Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN~ RI~DER~ TSUKU~YOMI! TSU-KU-YO-MI!]
Tsukuyomi quickly took her Rider form and got in a fighting stance, holding her hand out and forming an energy blade of light from it. She rushed in, stabbing at the Ice Smash who dodged out of the way. She spun and slashed a few more times, the Smash gasping as Tsukuyomi had managed to land a few glancing strikes.
"You won't take me in!" The Ice Smash called out while staggering before spitting out, unleashing ice shards that launched out towards the Rider.
Tsukuyomi gave a yelp, dodging back with a spin while grabbing her blade, warping it and pushing her hands forward as she formed a shield to block against most of the projectiles, a few scratching parts of her armor.
"That's enough!" Winter quickly knelt down and stabbed her sword into the ground, forming a summoning Glyph that summoned dozens of small bird sized Nevermore's that launched out towards the Smash.
The Ice Smash gave a gasp as she began to get assaulted by the summons, the Nevermore swarm surrounding and pecking away at her. She gave a yell as she unleashed blue energy while backing up, the energy turning to liquid and ensnaring the summons before she slammed her palm into the ground, forming a pillar of ice from the liquid with all the Nevermore's trapped inside.
"What?" Winter's eyes widened as she saw this.
"Those tricks won't work on me," The Ice Smash hissed out as she stepped out from behind the pillar.
[FINISH TIME! TIME JACK!]
Tsukuyomi decided to use this chance to leap forward, kicking out as gold energy filled her right leg. She gave a yell as she aimed for The Ice Smash who had quickly hid behind the pillar. Despite the defense, Tsukuyomi had kicked against and shattered the pillar in an explosive display. However because of the pillar she didn't end up hitting the Smash.
"It looks like she's gone," Winter said as she looked around, noticing that Ceila had used the cover of the finisher against the ice to make a quick escape, "Just how mobile are these powers?"
"Ugh," Tsukuyomi groaned as she picked herself up and dusted her suit off, "Sometimes a bit too mobile."
"We need to regroup," Winter said as she walked over, "Because now we have two issues to deal with."
"Right," Tsukuyomi gave a nod and dismissed her transformation, drawing out her Scroll and soon seeing a missed call from Geiz. She quickly called, "Geiz?"
"Hey, where are you two? I thought you were following me," Geiz said.
"Sorry, we got distracted but we need to meet up again," Tsukuyomi replied, "Things have gotten more complicated."
"You know I assumed we'd be fighting," Woz admitted.
"Come on Woz, this is pretty cool too though!" Sougo said as he pointed forward.
The two were currently on the wall that was lining the city of Mantle. While the two had noticed the structural integrity of a lot of parts had been compromised, they didn't exactly have time for that. That was mostly since Penny had gotten word from a patrolling Manta that a few stray Grimm had gotten brave and were flying towards Mantle in the daylight.
The Grimm in question had been Razorwing's, harpy-like creatures of Grimm that attempted to try and enter Mantle from above. Thankfully once Penny had arrived and set both her Rider friends down, she leapt into action to confront the Grimm.
"It is a fascinating fighting style," Woz admitted.
Penny was currently using her weapons, the Floating Array, to deal with the Razoring's once they got too close. The eight blades she brought out mimicked her hand movements as they were attached to her back by flexible and responsive wires. She was able to split them up accordingly, either using them all to deal with one target, or using two sets of four to deal with the occasional pair of Razorwings that tried to strike from two sides.
A few more Razoring's began to approach from afar, one rushing ahead to try and distract Penny only for it to get sliced into by two of her blades. The remaining six of the floating Arrays blades began to shift at the tips before separating into two sets. The weapons formed triangular funnel formations before energy began to be gathered, launching out small beams of green energy into the distance. Penny managed to hit the mark, dealing with the remaining Razoring's that tried to rush forward.
"Woo, go Penny!" Sougo called out as he pumped his fist into the air.
"You are very excited my Overlord," Woz noted.
"What can I say?" Sougo gave a shrug, "I kind of always wanted someone like Penny as a friend."
"I do recall you mentioning something similar about a dream after Another Kikai," Woz admitted, recalling how after Sougo passed his make-up, make-up test, he had gone on to tell him, Ruby and Weiss all about the dream he had.
"Looks like we are all clear," Penny called out as she retracted her blades and went to land, "How did I do?"
"Pretty good," Sougo raised his hand, Penny giving a gasp and slapping the palm of his hand with her own for a high-five. Sougo gave a wince as he shook his hand a bit.
"I must admit you are very capable out there," Woz spoke up, "I suppose your title is nothing to scoff at."
"It is nice to hear that," Penny admitted before looking down a bit, "If only because it feels as though some people do not fully appreciate my work."
"Really…?" Sougo asked, now curious.
"Yes," Penny gave a nod, "It is mostly the people of Mantle oddly enough."
"Weird," Sougo admitted, deciding to file that away for later before giving a smile, "Still you did good out there Penny."
"Thank you Sougo," Penny smiled back.
Geiz had regrouped with Tsukuyomi and Winter at the small empty lot where the Iceage Dopant had first appeared. Once there they had been inspecting the ice patches around it. Geiz had thought they were a result of the transformation but something seemed off, especially when he remembered the odd limp the Iceage Dopant had.
"This is just great," Geiz crossed his arms, "So we have two ice monsters running around?"
"Unfortunately," Winter sighed, "But that means that Ms. Freze likely isn't our culprit given her form was never caught on the footage. Regardless she will have to face some consequences for assaulting us."
"I figured," Tsukuyomi looked down.
"So long as she isn't falsely accused then that's fine," Geiz said, he'd rather she get no punishment since it seemed she was the victim. But he didn't need to get any bad blood between him and Ironwood's right hand.
"Still this is worrying," Winter said as she looked at her Scroll, "Officer Pico hasn't reported in and he was nowhere to be seen nearby."
"Hmm…" Geiz began to think a bit, something wasn't adding up. Especially since Pico had seemingly vanished ever since chasing after Ceila.
"Oh, he's responding now," Winter said in surprise before answering a call, "Officer Pico, is everything alright?"
"Y-Yeah," Pico spoke up though his voice sounded rough through the voice only call, "She managed to lose me in that maze of alleyways. I tried to get my bearings but was attacked by her I think. It was that white monster from before, I-I don't think its coincidence…"
Winter narrowed her eyes at this, the details not adding up, "Are you alright? Sounds like you took a nasty hit."
"S-Sorry," Pico coughed a bit, "Just straining my voice a bit."
"Perhaps you should rest," Winter suggested, "Your Semblance has its uses so you should be careful about your voice. I'd rather you not have to be put on temporary leave."
"I-I'm fine," Pico insisted with a raised voice before clearing his throat, "I'm just taking a breather. If you find Ceila then let me know, alright?"
"Alright, Specialist Schnee, out," Winter said before cutting the call and pocketing her Scroll.
"Question," Geiz spoke up as his face had grown more serious in realization as the call went on, "What is his Semblance?"
"He's able to shift his voice's pitch and tone," Winter replied, "It's been useful in undercover operations as a result."
"Are there any limitations?" Geiz asked.
"Only that if he's caught off guard while using it he runs the risk of his original voice seeping through," Winter confirmed, but she could already tell Geiz was onto something, especially with the call she received, "What's wrong?"
"Okay because I'll be honest, that monster I ran into felt off," Geiz said before looking over to his friend, "Tsukuyomi, did Ceila's voice sound heavily distorted when she transformed?"
"It was slightly modified but you could still tell it was her," Tsukuyomi said before her eyes widened, "Don't tell me that…"
"The one I ran into had its voice fully distorted," Geiz replied, "But I punched it in the neck while trying to get some distance. That made it falter alongside being surprised, and I could tell that our first ice monster was male."
"I had a feeling you were getting at this," Winter sighed, "You believe Officer Pico is the one behind the attacks, don't you?"
"Surprised you aren't trying to deny it," Geiz admitted.
"I'd rather not believe that it's true," Winter insisted before her expression faltered, "But… and as much as I hate to say this, the evidence is pointing towards that being the answer."
"One final question," Geiz said, "How did Officer Pico get involved with being your informant for this mission?"
"He…" Winter started to speak before sighing further, "He offered as soon as I asked some of the higher ranking officers about taking on an information gathering mission regarding the ice structures."
"Winter…" Tsukuyomi muttered with a frown as she saw the Specialist give a near defeated look.
"I'm sorry it's likely come to this," Geiz replied, "There's only one way to get our answers though and we need to target him first before moving onto Ceila."
"Very well," Winter took a deep breath and went to send a message, "I know just the place as well."
The three however weren't aware that they were being watched from a distance.
Remnant – Mantle, Old Factory
It had been a good half hour that had passed since Winter had sent the message to Officer Pico. They had apparently managed to track Ceila down to a factory that she had seemingly been hiding at. Pico had requested that he go in first and scope it out, to which Winter allowed it and that they would be in the surrounding area in order to catch her if she got away.
"So this is where she is…" Pico trailed as he opened the door to the dimly lit factory, limping forward as he held his right leg, "Shit, that stupid ice of hers…" he said as he looked around on the inside, "Okay, now if I can find her without Specialist Schnee knowing and just get her to accept my little power box… then I can easily frame her."
"Frame her for what?"
A familiar woman's voice spoke up as the door suddenly shut behind Pico, the lights being turned on. Tsukuyomi was at the power box with her Ziku Driver already on. At the door was Winter who had been waiting in the shadows for Pico to enter.
"S-Specialist Schnee, what are you doing here?" Pico asked as he took a step back before coughing slightly, holding his neck before giving a wince and reeling his hand back, he quickly shifted and raised his collar, "I said I'd go ahead to scope the area out."
"I know," Winter said as she had a disappointed expression on her face, "Unfortunately I had to lie to you."
Pico wasn't expecting someone to come out of hiding and to grab him by his uniforms collar. He gave a gasp as he managed to just barely shove the person off as popping was heard. He soon realized who had assaulted him, it was Geiz.
"What's the meaning of this?" Pico asked.
"That's a pretty bad bruise you have on your throat," Geiz pointed out as he opened his hands, a few buttons dropping to the floor.
Pico's eyes widened as he soon realized his collar was undone, revealing a nasty bruise that was starting to show on his neck, "I…"
"You also didn't seem to be walking right just now too," Geiz decided to add, "Almost as if you slipped and fell."
"What are you getting at?" Pico asked.
"I know what I fought," Geiz said, "And that was a monster with a limp on the exact same leg, and one which I punched in the throat."
"So?" Pico asked, "What's your point?"
"Officer Pico, I need you to empty your pockets right here and now," Winter stated firmly as she stepped forward, "If you do not I will perform a cavity search."
"You can't be serious," Pico gave a light glare, "Why?"
"Do not question my orders," Winter narrowed her eyes, "If you have nothing to hide this shouldn't be an issue."
"I… I…" Pico trailed as he stepped back, starting to sweat.
"Officer… you were one of our best…" Winter's expression fell in realization as his hesitation was all she needed, "Why did you resort to this?"
Pico stared down at the ground before giving a laugh and looking up with a glare, "Because those stupid people in Mantle need to learn their place!"
"But why specifically target Ceila?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Because it's stupid how she'll deny the glory of Atlas and simply help those in Mantle instead of enlisting like a true soldier," Pico called out in near anger, "So I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone, I'd frame her to teach her a lesson and with a Mantle citizen transforming into a monster, that would mean we'd get to force our great influence even further."
"You're damn crazy," Geiz called out, "Atlas is doing enough with its influence on Mantle."
"If we went through with what you just said then we'd be wasting valuable resources as well," Winter added as a spark of fury flashed in her eyes, "You're taking things too far by causing this misunderstanding."
"I don't regret my decision, so I'll just simply get rid of you all here and now," Pico said as he drew out the Iceage Gaia Memory, activating it before plunging it into the palm of his hand.
[ICEAGE!]
Pico gave a yell as he transformed into the Iceage Dopant, coughing slightly but hunching forward with a hiss.
"I'm sorry to say but Officer Pico… your under arrest for insubordination, falsification, as well as obstruction and destruction of military property," Winter glared as she drew out her sword before pushing in on the handle and releasing a second sword to dual wield with.
"Tuskuyomi let's go," Geiz said as he drew out his Ridewatch.
"Right," Tsukuyomi gave a nod as she did the same.
"Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME!]
[KAMEN RIDER GEIZ!]
[KAMEN~ RI~DER~ TSUKU~YOMI! TSU-KU-YO-MI!]
Winter wasted no time in leaping forward, quickly slashing past the Iceage Dopant who turned in response. Geiz and Tsukuyomi both gave yells, the two rushing forward and kicking the Dopant in the back. Winter rolled out of the way as the Dopant ended up tumbling forward.
The Iceage Dopant quickly stood straight, rushing towards the Riders while swiping and punching. His attacks had missed as they had stepped back before both Geiz and Tsukuyomi closed in and punched in tandem. The Dopant yelled out as he was struck in the chest, taking a few steps back. To his surprise he was suddenly stabbed by Winter who had launched forward, but before he could even grab at her she slashed past him.
Winter turned and slashed past the Iceage Dopant again, but she and her opponent both seemed to notice that her swords were barely doing any damage. She quickly backed away to avoid a grab, "Just what is this level of defense?"
"No one in Atlas can stop me!" The Iceage Dopant yelled out with a laugh before rushing forward, his body beginning release smoke as if it was made of dry ice.
"That's why we're here!" Geiz yelled out as he leapt over Winter while Tsukuyomi rushed past her. He kicked out at the Dopant's head while Tsukuyomi ducked and went for a punch to the gut. The two managed to land clean hits and send him rolling back.
Tsukuyomi gave a shiver before looking at her right hand, giving a gasp as it was frosted over and starting to numb, "What?"
Geiz got up before he felt his right shin go numb, his shin and boot covered in ice as it refused to move, "Damn it, can we not get close?"
"Looks like you all can't beat me," The Iceage Dopant chuckled as he began to get up, his icy smoke growing stronger, "You'll freeze before you can do that!"
"We need to turn up the heat," Geiz said as he drew out the Wizard Ridewatch.
"Agreed," Tsukuyomi gave a nod as she drew out the Agito Ridewatch.
"Nothing you do will work," The Iceage Dopant called out as he rushed forward only for a icy blue Beowolf to leap over both Riders, pouncing on the Dopant, "Get off me!"
Winter meanwhile went to maintain her concentration as she had her Beowolf attempt to pin down The Iceage Dopant while Geiz and Tsukuyomi initiated their new plan.
[ARMOR TIME! PLEASE! WIZARD!]
[ARMOR TIME! AGITO!]
Their Armor Times both kicked in, Geiz's fiery transformation allowing him to melt the ice on his leg while Tsukuyomi brought out the Flame Saber. The fiery summoning of her weapon had managed to melt the ice on her hand.
The Iceage Dopant hissed out as he began unleashing streams of ice against the Beowolf summon, managing to freeze over its upper body before he kicked against its chest, shattering the entire upper half of the summon. The Dopant picked himself up before walking past the dissipating summon.
Winter winced a bit as she saw this, "Just what is this power?"
"Don't get distracted," Geiz called out as he rushed forward, performing a spin kick filled with flames at the Dopant, managing to strike and send his opponent stumbling back.
Tsukuyomi quickly rushed in, her sword lighting on fire as she performed a few slashes against the Iceage Dopant, the strikes forcing him backwards.
"Impossible…" The Iceage Dopant quickly unleashed a stream of cold air to try and freeze the two instantly, only for it to hit a barrier courtesy of Geiz and freeze that instead. The frozen barrier shattered as a wave of fire shot through it, striking against and sending him backwards.
"We don't have to keep doing this," Winter called out as she took a few steps forward, "Dismiss this transformation and stand down Officer."
"That's enough!" A voice yelled out as everyone soon watched one of the windows shatter into ice, the Ice Smash jumping and rolling into the factory. She had been stalking the three after avoiding Tsukuyomi's finisher and planned to finish things once the fight got under way, "I've heard enough, all of you are going to pay!"
"Did she follow us?" Winter asked.
"The hell is wrong with her?" Geiz asked.
"I'm not sure, she's been acting erratically ever since she transformed," Tsukuyomi said.
"You'll pay for framing me…" The Ice Smash hissed out as a dark aura surrounded her transformation.
"Something's not right with that form," Geiz said.
"I'll deal with it then," Tsukuyomi said as she turned and stepped towards the Smash while holding her sword out, "You two deal with Officer Pico."
"Understood," Winter gave a nod, figuring that her best chances at surviving today was to pair up with a Rider.
Geiz drew out his Zikan Zax, coating it in flames before he charged forward. Holding his fire filled axe up he used it to defend against the cold streams of air launched against him. Once he was close enough he began slashing, sending the Iceage Dopant staggering back.
Winter meanwhile kept towards the back, observing the situation as she tried to figure out the best way to enter the fight.
The Iceage Dopant quickly backed away before finding himself near some puddles of water that were around. He gave a chuckle before gathering the water from them into the air and turning them into ice, launching spikes out towards Geiz.
Geiz quickly brought out another barrier, blocking against the barrage of spikes before spinning and sending a wave of fire out at the Dopant who barely ducked underneath it.
The Iceage Dopant got up and gave a wince, his right leg acting up again but he tried not to show it before rushing straight for Geiz.
Tsukuyomi meanwhile was trying to calmly approach the Ice Smash, at least until the Smash began attack her by spitting out small spikes of ice. The Rider quickly raised her blade and unleashed fire from it, rushing forward and slashing at the spikes to either deflect or melt them from the heat.
The Ice Smash was surprised to see Tsukuyomi easily dealing with her projectiles, giving a yell as she was slashed several times by the Flame Sword. She spun backwards and rolled against the ground, giving a scream of frustration as she picked herself up.
"We don't have to do this," Tsukuyomi said, "Stand down."
"No, we have to," The Ice Smash quickly drew out a large rifle and began firing blasts of ice towards Tsukuyomi.
Tsukuyomi gave a yelp and braced against the first shot with her Flame Sword before rolling out of the way of the next few. She was ready to charge forward when she gave a gasp, her sword having been frozen solid by the attacks. Tossing it away she summoned her Zikan Girade Tsu in its gun mode before running to the side and firing at the Smash.
The Ice Smash took aim before giving a gasp as she was shot, quickly strafing towards the side and firing at Tsukuyomi. The Smash and Rider quickly began dashing to the sides and firing at each other while ducking, trying to get a shot on each other. While Tsukuyomi was able to get a few hits in, she just barely dodged out of the way of several ice blasts.
The Ice Smash meanwhile was getting frustrated that her blasts weren't hitting. That was until she had an idea, firing one shot before aiming lower and firing to the side, "Got you!"
Tsukuyomi dodged the first shot and rolled before standing, ready to move before giving a grunt. She looked down to realize her boots and lower shins had been frozen solid.
"Now then," The Ice Smash threw away her weapon before approaching Tsukuyomi with her arms spread, "Time to freeze you forever."
"Not a chance," Tsukuyomi took aim and fired at Ceila only for the Smash to pull out the same trick as before, forming blue energy around the energy shots before warping and instantly catching them within a large chunk of ice, "No way."
"It's over," The Ice Smash gathered energy before kicking the chunk of ice, shattering it and sending large rocks of ice hurtling towards Tsukuyomi. There felt like a sudden pause before she gasped, the ice rocks crashing against the floor and nearby wall.
"Sorry but that won't work as well as you'd hope," Tsukuyomi was now behind the Smash who immediately turned towards her. The Rider didn't hesitate and immediately blasted the Smash in the face the minute she could. Tsukuyomi had used time stop to pause both the Ice Smash and the attack, using the Zikan weapon she had to blast her way free of the ice before going around with ease.
"Gah," Ceila yelled out as she staggered back, holding her face, "It isn't fair!"
"I'm sorry," Tsukuyomi said as she drew out the Cross-Z Ridewatch and loaded it into her weapon, "But I'm only fighting you right now to help you!"
[FINISH TIME! CROSS-Z JINSOKU SHOOTING!]
Gripping her gun with both hands as blue flames gathered at the tip, Tsukuyomi gave a yell as she pulled the trigger. A snaking blue Chinese dragon projection launched out, roaring out before biting down on the Ice Smash and causing an explosion.
Ceila herself soon fell out of the explosion, her Smash transformation breaking apart and disappearing thanks to the essence removal properties of the Cross-Z Ridewatch. She gave a groan before falling forward only to not hit the ground as Tsukuyomi had rushed in and caught her.
"There, there," Tsukuyomi said as she lowered a barely conscious Ceila, "Sorry if I was rough…"
"Ugh… I feel awful," Ceila coughed out as she was set down.
"Just rest for now," Tsukuyomi suggested before turning towards the other fight taking place.
Geiz was currently on the defensive, utilizing barriers whenever the Iceage Dopant found a convenient puddle to use as a projectile. The Dopant was slowly running out but it was still getting annoying and time consuming for Geiz. At least that would have been the case if Winter wasn't already surveying the situation.
"That's it," Winter said, waiting for her chance as she raised her secondary sword, entering a throwing stance. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the fight intently, another ice spike attack, a barrier to block it and a fire wave to counter. Then The Iceage Dopant would roll and start to get up, and that was the moment where she threw her secondary sword with a yell.
The Iceage Dopant quickly stood and was ready to start moving when he gave a pained yell, his ankle getting struck against by the sword which embedded itself in the ground near him. He tried to move only to cry out in pain as he fell to a knee due to the blade hitting his bum leg.
"Myokoin, finish him now!" Winter ordered.
"No need to tell me twice," Geiz said as he brought out the Accel Ridewatch, loading it into his axe as red energy began to form at the blade.
[FINISH TIME! ACCEL ZAKKURI CUTTING!]
Geiz went for a slash that went from the top to the bottom right, before slashing again from the top and this time going towards the bottom left. He spun and swung low, performing a horizontal slash. Each of the slashes launched out a line of energy that impacted against the Iceage Dopant. Once the slashes all connected, they formed a giant A.
"It's ironic to say in this form, but…" Geiz trailed off as he turned away, "Despair awaits you at the finish line."
The Iceage Dopant could only yell out as he exploded, his monstrous form being destroyed as the Iceage Gaia Memory flew out before shattering. Surprisingly however the shattered pieces dissolved into mere dust the second they touched the ground.
Winter gave a sigh as she walked past Geiz to retrieve her sword, staring down for a few seconds at the Officer who became a Dopant. She gripped her secondary blade and returned it to the primary one she held before sheathing her weapon.
"When you all mentioned the Time Jackers turning people into monsters, the only thing I could think of were lowlifes who wanted to cheat and steal their way to survival," Winter admitted.
"Sometimes all it takes is a little bit of darkness in our hearts for it to be taken advantage of," Geiz said as he dismissed his transformation, "Sometimes you might have good intentions but those can become warped and turned terrible if not kept in check. They might seem fine at first, and you might not even know it yet because they still seem the same on the outside. The minute you become a monster though… that's the minute others can see who you really are inside."
Remnant – Atlas Academy
Several hours had passed since Winter had filed her report on the incident. The day was starting to grow later as one by one, the various Huntsmen and Huntresses of Team's RWBY and JNR alongside Team Zi-O eventually returned to the Academy to rest. Officer Pico had been transported to a high security prison cell due to his treason against Atlas with his self sabotage. Meanwhile Ceila Freze had been handed off to the local police in Mantle and sent to the station where, as said prior, the most she would get in regards to a crime detailing was assault on an officer.
Winter herself was currently in one of the break rooms that the Specialists in particular used. It was one of the many perks of being a high ranking officer in that she could be mostly alone with her thoughts. She was currently sitting at the one table in the room staring at a cup of tea she prepared for herself. She glanced towards the side when she heard the door open and was surprised to see Clover walk in.
"Sneaking some late in the day coffee?" Clover asked.
"Tea actually," Winter admitted, "I could use it after the mission today."
"I managed to catch a whisper about it," Clover said as he went to sit down, "Shame about what happened to Officer Pico, he was one of our best."
"Indeed," Winter said as she went to take a sip, "That was a twist I wasn't prepared for."
"I just hope the General doesn't take it too personally," Clover mentioned, "Given all the other issues starting to pile up."
"Speaking of," Winter said as she wanted to change subjects, "How is that side of things going?"
"Well whoever is causing those murders is a professional because we can't find any kind of evidence," Clover said as he tapped his fingers on the table.
"That's unfortunate," Winter said before taking another sip and sighing and thinking back to the mission, "It's still a bit hard to come to terms with."
"Yeah I know what you mean," Clover gave a nod, "Thought he was a dependable guy, best of the best in his rank. But I suppose that's what happens when you give into your own desires enough."
"If something were to happen like that to the others," Winter spoke up, "Would you…?"
"I'd take them down," Clover gave a nod, "I feel like if you have to turn into a monster to achieve your goals, then it doesn't matter how 'just' or 'right' your goal is."
"Right," Winter gave a nod.
"Regardless I think it was just a simple slipup personally, makes sense that it was an officer as well," Clover admitted as he stood up, "We Specialists are the best of the best. I think that's all that needs to be said really."
Winter could only watch as Clover walked over to the fruit bowl to grab and apple before taking off. She went back to sipping her tea, still deciding to mull on the events of the day, "I suppose so."
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"You get the feeling we're being watched?"
"I'd like to see if we can get any concrete data."
"It's a good idea, but dangerous."
"This is a trap, it has to be!"
"Aren't you the same lady on the posters all over Mantle?"
Chapter 72: Meeting Mantle's Best
Author's Note: This is probably the closest I've gotten to making full on original content for this story. So this one, along with the next few chapters were fun experiments in that regard. Also am I glad that no one really managed to pick any of the monsters I had in mind for these chapters, I got really lucky in that regard. And of course as said, if I can I will reference Arrowfell in whatever way I can via near last minute edits. This time was the conversation with Penny and Sougo alongside the particular Grimm that showed up.
But hey, that's an interesting title for the next chapter, wouldn't you say? Team Zi-O's time in Mantle is going to get a bit more interesting next time. With all that said, thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.