Mistral.
The land lies in the east, separated by an ocean, and has concerningly hard-to-traverse terrain. Battling both geography and Grimm, settlements constantly struggle for survival. Those outside the main city have to fend for themselves, which is why individuals who operate outside the government tend to be... extreme.
However, anyone or anything from Earth pales in comparison.
A conversation sparks between two tanks—one a main battle tank, while the other a smaller light tank. Despite existing in the same century, the two tanks are divided by ideas. One belongs to the old school, where tanks are specialized, while the other embraces the modern approach, with the main battle tank taking precedence.
One of them, known by name alone, needs no introduction. He says, "Oi frog, where's the old man?"
The other tank retorts, "Why ask me? Can't you find out yourself?."
"You're the light tank, and I'm not the best with this kind of terrain... reminds me of Nam. Every day we try to find our location, the more I feel like someone is watching. It's like those people who tried to announce something before we found these criminals... can't trust anyone claiming to be an ally these days."
The other tank points out, "You didn't even fight in the war."
"I might not have fought in the Vietnam War but my grandads did. Now find the old Brit before we run out of time to hitch a ride with these people."
"Yeah, yeah... Abrams, always working me like a farm horse. Also, I fought in the war, are Americans lacking respect these days just because you became a superpower?."
"Hah, it's a bit of tough love. Either you choose certain death or mild driving. The only respect I give is to dead comrades; you're not dead, you're just French - to be honest I'd rather be dead than be French."
"Oh shut up."
"I know you like me."
"…I'm going to find Mark IV."
"You can't deny American ass, AMX!"
"I'm not interested!"
"That's not what you said after the Marshall Plan!"
A few minutes pass, and the group of bandits, Abrams, and his small squad of tanks, prepare to leave once again. They've witnessed the terror of raiding and destroying villages, but they can't act recklessly. Unfortunately, without ample ammunition and refuelling, the American who wanted to bring the might of democracy to these criminals have to hold back on going guns blazing.
"Finally," Abrams mutters. "Where did you go, gramps?"
"Nowhere mate. Thought I'd get closer to the person who leads this camp," the old British Mark IV responds. He has been unusually active for someone who moves at a snail's pace, at least compared to more modern tanks.
"Why?"
"Dunno. You know how we followed this one because we felt something that could be related to Ruby? I don't see how they are related. So, maybe if we find someone else who could help us, we could ditch these bandits."
Abrams sighs. "Believe me, I want to put dozens of rounds into their bodies too. But what else can we do? I just have a feeling that they could be related... somehow. I don't even know how 'feeling' things works. It's not like I know."
"It could be something else we're feeling," the French tank interjects.
"Well, then we better keep staying on this caravan and hitching rides... The real issue is how long it'll take."
It would take a while before Abrams, Mark IV, and AMX-13 reached their destination. Getting there was a problem, as each individual tank had its own approach to reaching Ruby.
Some may trust strangers, while other times they'd rather go there themselves, or in Abrams' case, he'd follow his instincts and stay, no matter how undesirable it is.
A little bit of waiting didn't hurt anyone.
Back in Vale...
The sun was past its apex, skin cancer be damned; these people were up for another round.
Many teams had been eliminated and moved to the loser's bracket, hoping for another chance in the singles round.
Team JNPR had obviously been moved up; they were another crowd favourite. It was going to be an eagerly awaited legendary match between RWBY and JNPR, as they were the main focuses of the tournament.
Unfortunately, lady luck had intervened and set their battle for another time.
It instead became RWBY against SSSN.
"Welp, buddy ol' pal, it looks like it's the end for us. Neptune, you're like a brother to me... no, that's too much... maybe the estranged uncle or something."
They were nervous; the last team they fought were first-years. Despite Sun's insistence, SSSN was no ordinary team, probably... but staring down their impending doom washed away all confidence.
"Dude... I agree."
"The end of us or being the estranged uncle?"
"Maybe both. Although I'll admit, I don't mind getting beaten by a pair of beautiful ladies." Neptune snapped a gleeful look at the opposing team in earnest. Only Yang seemed to give a nod, while Blake remained neutral in her expression.
"One can dream, man, if we don't register pain faster than happiness, that is. Hey, at least it's not Pyrrha. Not that fighting JNPR is bad, it's just that we don't stand a chance."
They were already saying their prayers at that moment. If only they had more information about who they were going to fight.
The best-case scenario was Ruby and Weiss since that would be two back liners fighting on the frontline. But pretty much everyone on Team RWBY was capable; it was just a matter of luck if they were going to get an advantageous situation.
As for Weiss, she begrudgingly accepted that against Sun, whom they predicted would fight, her stamina would run out fighting his clones, so Blake was the other choice.
"Yo! No hard feelings when we end this, right?" Yang playfully gave a thumbs up, and Neptune returned a similar one, though Sun followed suit with much less enthusiasm due to the inevitability of getting punched.
Professor Port's voice came back for another round of commentating. "Everyone, please give a round of cheers to our next contestants. A crowd favourite, Team RWBY, has sent out their representatives..."
Dr Oobleck nodded along. "Indeed, Port, and while our huntresses Yang Xiao Long and Blake Belladonna present an extreme challenge, let us not forget to give the same respect to the other team: Team SSSN, represented by Sun Wukong and Neptune Vasilias!"
Sun looked to his uncle-in-arms and prepared himself by wielding his gunchucks. "Hey, we got this. Want to get a banana sundae after our match?"
"Sun, I gladly accept. We didn't have any hiccups during our last fight with those first-years."
As graphical landscapes cycled through the display, Sun grew increasingly concerned. So far, their terrain was favourable. Then again, trouble always found them.
"Yeah... nothing bad." Sun looked at Neptune with worry. "You gonna be okay if, y'know... we get some H2O?"
Neptune visibly recoiled at the thought before calming himself with a deep breath. "I'll be alright! Everything will look like a small puddle to me-"
Maelstrom!
Sun quirked an eyebrow. "What's that?"
"A-a-a..." Neptune stuttered into an incoherent mess. "C-can we surrender?"
"Huh?"
"Haha! It seems our special little addition has finally sprung into action! To shake things up from every other year, our headmaster generously 'donated' his earnings from selling questionable legal coffee beans, which financed our 'disaster events'!"
Oobleck added, "I was pleasantly surprised when Professor Glynda Goodwitch found three tons of it hidden under the school, but I digress Port. Ahem, to explain, there is approximately a 1/70 chance for this to trigger. Instead of the usual scene change, disasters simulate highly dangerous but totally safe recreations of life-threatening events! Confirmation pending. Ranging from wildfires, earthquakes, and even a meteor strike."
Sun was surprised. "How do they even have a budget for a whole meteor? Coffee beans? I feel like RWBY's headmaster is just sitting inside a mobile home making millions cooking coffee without wearing pants."
Neptune grabbed Sun's shoulders before violently shaking the Faunus. "SUN! WE HAVE TO GIVE UP!"
"Why? I'm sure it's not that bad."
"Because thaa-a-a-"
The arena shook, and the audience was screaming for blood... not really, but at this point, Neptune was hallucinating from pure fear. For an uninformed person, it would be a mystery as to what a maelstrom is. In short, the intellectual was positively horrified.
The most merciful thing in the world is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.
Neptune wished he'd follow that thought.
The platform split; RWBY and SSSN separated into opposite sides. Neptune had collapsed on his knees and in place of solid ground...
...came water.
Lots and lots of water...
Which started to deepen in depth...
And then spin...
Violently.
"Oh." Sun reacted. "At least there's loads of small and slippery ground between us and them, right?"
Neptune whimpered.
"It's just going down... towards that vortex."
Neptune closed his eyes.
"Ah, there is a tightrope over there!"
Neptune's heart raced faster than a father avoiding child support.
"Hm, I think we forgot the rain and thunderstorm! Made of water! A very heavy amount of droplets, I must say!"
"Port, we haven't rolled for that yet... there we are, the arena is going to get sharks!"
"What!?" Neptune cried out.
"Nevermind looks like the wheel is skipping over it."
"Phew!"
"The arena will instead be filled with intense columnar vortexes! To those at home, you call it a tornado made of water. How fitting!"
Neptune became comatose.
Jaune silently watched, offering a prayer as each of the disaster's added challenges made its way into the arena. "May your soul rest, Neptune. I know we haven't been bros for long, but I feel you."
Pyrrha chuckled. "A whole whirlpool, that's far more exciting than what I had in mind. I imagine the professors adding in an air-battle-themed arena. This year's tournament is filled with so much grandeur compared to my fights back in Mistral."
"Augh... I feel sick imagining that. I'll be less useful than normal."
"Nonsense, Jaune. Projectile vomit does have its benefits. I think Maus said it well, 'It's not biological warfare, it's an advantageous necessity'."
Jaune gave her a blank stare. "I'm not even surprised that even someone like Maus somehow sneaked conversations. I feel like he's much like a mechanical, politically controversial and extreme Ren."
True to his name, Maus was as silent as a mouse despite being a massive tank. The world worked in mysterious ways.
"I do get that sometimes," Pyrrha said with a smile. "Oh look, SSSN isn't backing out. We're going to see them fight."
"Cool..." Jaune continued to watch the match.
It was mostly Sun carrying Neptune's unconscious body while utilizing a tightrope between elevated platforms. Honestly, it was pretty exciting to watch a suspenseful fight.
"Hmm, Pyr, do you think the tanks will discover their semblance before I discover mine?"
The question took the redhead by surprise. "Is this about our last training session? I'm sorry if I couldn't help you as much..."
"No, no, no! I was just thinking if Ruby would want to do a joint training-"
"What's this about Ruby, friend Jaune?"
"-gah!" Jaune's frightened face turned to see a very ecstatic Penny mere inches from his own face. "Penny! Hah... you've got to work on greeting people without being so silent."
"Oh! Then I'll turn off silent mode."
"A what? Did you just say silent mode?"
"Yes, friend Jaune. In this mode, I have my energy decreased to lessen sound emission and my sensors maxed to become the ultimate noiseless flesh-being liquidator." Jaune would've run for it if it weren't for Penny's innocent smile.
"Energy? Sensors?" Jaune followed.
"Err... my senses, of course!" *hic*
"Penny, you act... odd. How do you even turn on silent mode?"
"Just like any normal human." *hic*
"I don't have any experience like that..." Jaune continued to question.
"It's what you call mental switches." *hic*
"Penny... you're not secretly a tank, are you?" Jaune guessed.
"No, friend Jaune."
"So you're not secretly a mechanical death machine primed for combat? You do say 'I'm combat ready' sorta like a catchphrase. Huh, Ruby started doing that too... you two are really similar."
Thankfully, before Penny had to answer, Pyrrha came to the rescue by patting Jaune's shoulder. "Jaune, do you ask all ladies that question? We're all just a bit quirky in our own way, right Penny?"
"Yes, best friend Pyrrha!"
Pyrrha didn't know they were best friends, but she accepted it. What's one more genuine friend added to her life?
Jaune backtracked. "Oh... yeah, okay. Did I just start being uncomfortable to be with again? I thought I would fix that kind of stuff... I guess I'm still really awkward when it comes to basic human conversation."
"It's okay, Jaune," Pyrrha consoled. "That's what quirks do... they make you special. And I like that."
Before Jaune could reply, the speakers blared with the old professor's voice. "Oho! And they have sunk! Team SSSN has gone out of bounds and into the whirlpool. I'm glad I don't have a phobia of water! Do we have any trauma specialists on hand? I think we gave that boy quite a scare."
"We do not! I will personally attend to him after this. Goodbye, ladies and gentlemen." Like a blur, Oobleck dashed away from the camera's sight but came back a few seconds later. "Oh, and don't worry, they signed waivers that include grave harm, dismemberment, and psychological damage as potential risks!"
"Well, that's it, folks! Team RWBY has yet again won a round and will now be moved up to the singles! As everyone can see... er... the girls seem very much soaked at the moment, so we'll have to cut the feed for a while."
"When did we sign those?" Jaune asked, pointing a thumb at the large screen.
Penny replied with a robotic tone. "Joining the curriculum requires you to have a signed paper containing these agreements. Under Article 3, Section 1A, grave harm is the responsibility of the student and not the professors, especially in officially sanctioned events like the Vytal Festival. So you cannot sue or blame the school for accidents, as it is expected that students are training to be Huntsmen. Broken bones, limbs, and a fragile mind are expected when being in this profession."
"So that's why the headmaster threw us off a cliff... we signed our death warrants!"
"Yes, friend Jaune. You did."
Jaune sighed. "Anyway, why are you here, Penny?"
"Oh! I heard you say 'Ruby.' I want to know where she is!"
"Hmm, if that's the case, then you can find her at the Bullhead station. She sent us a message that she found another of her tanks... actually, it's a ship. Do you know about it?"
"Of course, I will be going now. Enjoy watching wet women, Jaune!"
"What-" Jaune's mind blanked out as he focused back on the screen. He wouldn't be able to see much because just then, Pyrrha quickly snapped his neck away from looking at the screen.
"Whoever is handling that camera, officially, you are going to be fired. Personally, I commend you for your bravery. I hear Professor Goodwitch is itching to vent her frustrations... a-anyway, we'll be back after a break!"
Ruby and her father left the bullhead plenty satisfied by the time they spent. A few more hours were left until dusk and Ruby was ready to head back with her friends.
Planning to part ways, Ruby gave a small hug as she prepared to peel off and leave with her tanks and newly retrieved ship. "Bye, Dad! It's sad you can't come to watch the rest of the matches with us. Even though I already have Yamato..."
Ruby understood the perils of being a fully trained huntsman, everyone wanted your help. Still, she couldn't stop but be a bit saddened that her father couldn't watch the rest of the competition, even if she weren't even part of it anymore.
Taiyang comforted his daughter with a ruffle of her hair. "Well, you know me. I can't always be there, say hi to Zwei for me 'kay? I already set the TV to record so I'll watch it and I'll give you my thoughts-"
With no warning, someone approached Taiyang and loudly slapped his back. "Geez, liven up Tai."
Turning around after recognizing the voice, Taiyang responded with annoyance. "Qrow, Gods you scared me!"
"If that can scare ya then you should probably reconsider being a teacher, gramps," Qrow responded, pointing his flask at the middle-aged father.
"What?! Hey, I am perfectly healthy enough to be an instructor. And we're both close in terms of age, Qrow! I'm still young and spunky, right Ruby?"
Ruby considered. "Mmmmm nope!"
It was instant denial.
"Argh... betrayed by my own daughter!" It might look like Taiyang wasn't hurt by exaggerating his pain but in reality, he actually was hurt by this. It's been only a few moments ago when he realized how old he actually is.
Of course, Ruby's uncle didn't let up and complemented Ruby's blunt statement with a cheer. "Hah, that's my niece!"
"Uncle, you're getting old too!"
D-d-d-double kill!
"I'm not old!" Qrow hunched over Ruby, driving a finger over her forehead.
Ruby retaliated by moving away and starting to turn tail. "You're right... you're way more than that; senile!"
"Oh? In what way? Tell me before I catch you and make your ribs hurt." Fingers curled up, ready to strike, and it was clear Ruby would be in trouble with a whole lot of tickling.
"Retreeaaaaaat!"
Like a certain special technique, Ruby bolted out of the area. Without much of an ability to chase aside from turning into a bird, Qrow smiled at the banter before relaxing himself. It was a once-in-a-while opportunity to joke around and live freely, just like his old days as a student.
With everything going on, Qrow was content basking in the setting sun as the conversation died down to what was left of the crowd ambience.
The silence was broken when Taiyang said, "Qrow, I blame you for teaching her to be like that. ...So?"
"Huh?"
The look of confusion cemented to Taiyang that his old team member was probably senile as Ruby said. "Qrow, you waited for me. That's not something you regularly do, only when you're going to say something important. If it's not through a scroll, then it's something about her..."
Qrow raised an eyebrow before an imaginary lightbulb went off inside his head. "Ah, right I was supposed to do that."
Taiyang was close to slapping him across the street. "Y-you... never mind. Just tell me what's going on."
Remembering what he actually was there for, Qrow closed the distance and spoke in a low whisper. "Eyeliner and I found something. It's really bad, I won't tell too much here but Oz decided to extend the competition to tomorrow. We have to sweep the entire city."
Sensing the grave news, Taiyang uttered, "I don't like where this is going."
"Neither am I. Seems like our 'friends' left a buncha goddamn bombs all over the city. They're rigged with timers. Thankfully, or curiously, they aren't ticking which is bizarre."
"That explains the silence... how'd they even get there?"
With the history of the Atlesian military, it's no wonder Taiyang started to doubt and even question the capabilities of Ironwood's force. They almost lost the CCT to a hack, an Atlesian paladin was stolen under their noses and now, it seemed like the military was yet again letting another crisis get sifted into the pile of mistakes they already accrued.
"Don't ask me; ask Jimmy. Ozpin thinks it's because we focused a lot of manpower and resources on the festival and the school. Hence why someone could've slipped in and placed a bag, shoved something inside a mailbox or planted something right under a car."
"Let me guess, you already found those things in those exact places?" Taiyang received a nod from Qrow. "So there wasn't even a warning, they did it so discreetly that they've done who knows how much… I'll help."
"Heh, I knew old Tai wouldn't leave the city hanging. Ozpin even told me it's okay if you don't want to."
"Anything that harms Vale is my problem too."
"Hm... 'course. Get ready for an all-nighter. We don't know if these things will detonate now or never. Delaying the event will let us check if they snuck in anything in the arena. Better safe than sorry."
"So... no more infiltration and elaborate plans? Just terrorism? How can they even set these up... unless it's what remains of the Fang."
"The train incident killed or imprisoned a lot of them but those who survived and stayed would be the worst of their kind. What doesn't kill them only makes them pissed off."
"And... Ruby?"
"Ozpin wants to use her tanks to protect the school and free up some men to search."
"It's like some things are inevitable... that'll make her more curious and want to investigate. When that time comes, I don't want to see her end up like Summer."
"...Me too, Tai." Qrow pauses, contemplating if he should say what's on his mind. "Hey... do you believe in destiny?"
"What?"
"Nothing... just remembering something someone told me. I feel like no matter what we do, someone close to us is bound to get roped into this whole mess. A guiding hand that forces the universe to conform to a set destination."
"I don't know... did fate bring those magical tanks with us?"
"You have a point."
"Also, when did you become philosophical?"
"When I'm drunk!"
Without their notice, an invisible smile shines across. Practically brimming with excitement, the parasol-wielding psychopath takes out a scroll and quickly types inside a notepad app on her scroll before skipping towards the school.
I made a sevewe and continuous wapse in my judgement, and I don't expect to be fowgiven. I'm simpwy hewe to apowogise.
Anyways, I've taken a long ass break (months) even during updating this or any of my stories. For this story in particular, I am very inconsistent. I pretty much have the entire story down and I am probably halfway there, so expect some characters in the show to not be part of this bizarre adventure. What's stopping me is my laziness... unsurprisingly.
As wild as this plot is, I am going to close it properly. (Since I haven't finished any story, lol.) By that, I mean finishing the loose ends and ending with either a confrontation with Salem or a status quo, whichever one I feel like.
Also... P L O T? How in the world?! Imagine having a plot in a weird coffee-infused journey of a story!
Welp, that's all.
Be gone!