Hello everyone, it's me, ReaderWarrior. I know (and hope) you are all excited for the newest chapter of Metal Like Roses so I will try to keep this as brief as I can.
One year ago today, June 22nd, I uploaded the first chapter of this FanFiction (or any Fanfiction for that matter). This was my first 'published' story and I really wanted to give all of you my thanks. This has been such an amazing evolution for this story as well as writing in general for me. From my very first follower (3rdDegreeBurns), favorite (OpticalWallbong) and review (an unknown guest who wished to show his pleasure in seeing a Mistborn FanFic), to the most recent ones (Alluere, Ductran06, and ShadowUnturned), this progressed further than I ever thought possible.
Things were different back then. I was mainly publishing daily with only 3 pages of content. Now I try to do so monthly with near 20. This story now has over 50 followers with almost as many favorites and reviews. I even have an editor who is honestly been more of a life-saver than he probably knows (thank you so much Icarus).
And thank you. All of you. Everyone who made me think I could do this. To all of you who believe in me. From the lengthiest reviews, to the simple notification I have a new follower, it all means a lot to me. Thank you for making me feel accepted. I know it probably sounds petty, but it really does mean a lot to me.
Thank you, one last time. Now, let's get back to the show before I start crying again.
Metal like Roses
By ReaderWarrior
I do not own Mistborn or RWBY.
A Raging Battle
Beta'd by: Icarus720
As always, please comment! It honestly makes my day to read your thoughts and opinions.
Tell your friends!
Happy 1-year Anniversary of this story! Thank you to all of my followers. I never expected to exceed 10, much less almost 50! Thank you all so, so much.
Yang froze as she heard footsteps.
Shit.
Once again, the blonde looks to her left and right. However, this time there's nowhere for her to go. There are no rooms, only a continuous tunnel for her to run down or away from. With nowhere else to go, Yang did the next best thing.
She dashed forward.
The blonde did her best to get the jump on the person walking towards her. Her hope was that this was some no-named grunt of the White Fang without their aura unlocked, otherwise this might turn into a difficult fight.
Yang's victim didn't seem to be cutting her any slack, however. As quickly as Yang leaped into the air and threw her first punch, they started dodging. Yang felt her arm pulled forward as the assailant ducked, twisting it in an arch and throwing Yang onto the ground.
With a gasp and a grunt, Yang winces and looks up at the blurry shape of her opponent.
"Vin?"
"Yang?" her teammate mumbled back. The Mistborn stops and holds out her hand for Yang.
Taking it, she asks, "what happened to you?"
Vin stays in the shadows, keeping herself close to the wall. "Someone disguised as Ruby attacked me with a wooden club. The next thing I knew, Cinder was there with her teammates. They wanted to know about Allomancy."
Yang rubs the back of her neck and nods. "Yeah. I took care of Neo, she's the one who can turn into other people. But I did see White Fang members and one of their leaders. I think we need to…" The blonde's jaw drops when she finally gets a good look at her teammate.
Without her Mistcloak, Vin's features were easier to make out than most days. Even with the darkness of their location, Yang could still get a good look at her wounds. Bruises, already turning purple and black, were visible along the Mistborn's arms and neck.
But worse than that were her eyes. Normally, her right eye was a small brown dot surrounded by white. Now, all the white had been bathed with red. It wasn't anything permanent as Yang had similar instances where she had a broken blood vessel in her eyes when she was younger. However… Vin's left eye…
Oh, gods, Yang held back bile.
It was gone. Kind of. Part of her eye, whatever was left of it, was still in the socket. However, it was deflated, as if it had popped. Dried blood surrounded the wound, but fresh droplets still oozed down her cheek. It was a miracle to Yang that Vin wasn't screaming in pain right now.
"Where?"
Vin frowned and gave Yang a sideways glance.
"Where in the fresh HELL is the dead carcass who did that to you?" Yang growled, her eyes starting to glow a dark red, casting light in front of her. Before it could burn any brighter, Vin placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder.
"Yang," she whispered, "I have no metals. And neither of us have weapons."
Eye twitching, Yang cast a glare down the tunnel Vin came from. "I. Don't. Care."
Vin leaned on her teammate and groaned. "Please. We need to go."
With a slight gasp, Yang realized her teammate was in pain. She may not have been showing it, but Vin was most definitely barely holding herself together. Yang quickly grabbed hold of Vin's arm and wrapped it around her neck.
"Okay," she whispers, her eyes returning to their normal shade. "We'll go. But you need to promise me you'll let me get first dibs on whoever did this." Yang could feel Vin relax slightly in her arms.
"Fine by me," the Mistborn commented. "But I-" she coughs violently "-get to watch."
Yang offers a small smirk. "Deal. Let's get out of here." With a grunt, the missing members of team RWVBY begin to march the way they came.
Weiss planted her rapier back into the ground, forming another ice wall around them as the army of White Fang soldiers continued to march forward. Using a good majority of her ice-dust, she did her best to create a shield to protect the unarmed Valian civilians.
"Go!" She yelled over her shoulder as she focused intently upon her craft. Behind her, Weiss hears the continuous sound of trampling footsteps and shouts of panic. Save who you can, she remembers.
Luckily, she could also hear her fellow classmates help move the crowd further towards the airstrip. Coco was spraying her purse-sized Gatling gun through the holes formed by the White Fang. They scattered as she did, giving Weiss enough time to focus her attention on the next defensive zone.
Nora stood on the opposite side of Weiss as well, shooting cover fire over the wall and directly into the enemy's advancing line. She laughed maniacally as each grenade exploded with pink smoke and shrill screams.
"Fly!" She screamed with a large smile on her face, firing shot after shot of explosives. "Fly and go boom! All of them go boom, boom, BOOM!"
Weiss couldn't help but offer a smile small at the girl's explosive glee. Next to her, Coco laughed too.
"Let's show these passé thugs what it means to have real power!" Coco smirked, directing her weapon's spray through another hole. This time, it spammed bullets directly into an Ursai's chest. The Grimm let out a soft roar before falling onto its back and disintegrating.
Nora nodded excitedly. "Heck yeah!"
And so they continued to hold the line. Nora and Coco proceeded to keep the large army at bay while Weiss used the last of her dust to create barriers. When she ran out of ice, her Myrtenaster rotated to earth, now forming pillars and bars of stone and rubble.
Panting loudly, Weiss fell to her knees. She barely held herself up with the help of her blade but her strength was fading. She'd never practiced using her glyphs for such a long time, especially not this continually. As she struggled to stand, Weiss felt a pair of hands grab her by the shoulders.
"Are you okay?"
Weiss looked up at Jaune's matted blonde hair. "Yes. I'm fine." The heiress pushed off of him and pulled herself to her feet, steadying her shaking legs with the help of Myrtenaster.
Jaune frowned. "Nora," he barked, "take Weiss back a bit. I think she's got aura deficiency."
"I'm fine!" Weiss snapped, pointed her blade at the wall she created. Her hands shook slightly, causing the blade to shake as well.
Sighing, Jaune walked over to Nora and whispered something in her ear.
"You mean-?" Nora asked. "I can't-... Please, no, don't…" The trigger-happy thunderer of team JNPR's eyes went wide as Jaune backed away. She stared at her team leader for a moment before giving him a hug.
With a sniffle, she grabbed the heiress by the arm. "Let's go, Weiss," Nora whispered, pulling the girl by her arm. Normally, Weiss would have put up a greater fight while being man, er, womanhandled, but she was already exhausted from utilizing her semblance for the past…
How long has it been? Weiss wondered as she and Nora backed away towards the airstrip. Sighing, she turned back towards the stone pillars blocking the White Fang's path. I hope it holds.
However, her prayers went unanswered. With a loud slicing sound, a red-tinted wave of energy curved over their heads. The attack destroyed Weiss' blockade, leaving only small stumps of rock left. Now, with visibility unimpaired, they could see a man in black with a red sword in hand.
He waved his hand, ordering the White Fang members to stand at the ready. They all arose from the ground, probably having ducked down to avoid his swipe, and readied their guns once more.
Weiss let out a cry as she noticed her friends all lying on their backs. Most likely they were knocked prone and their aura absorbed most of the attack. However, Weiss wasn't too confident in everyone's aura levels to absorb a tirade of bullets for long.
Struggling, Weiss tried to run back to the front lines, only to have Nora continue to drag her away.
"No! Stop!" The heiress cried as her blade scraped behind them. "I need to help them. Nora! We need to go back!"
"I can't," Nora mumbled back.
Weiss fought against her hands, trying to push away from Nora.
"I can't let you die. Your aura is in the red and Jaune said not to let you die!" For the first time in ever, Weiss saw tears streaming down her face. "I promised… I can't."
Realizing what Jaune had done, was doing, Weiss began to push away with more haste.
"NO!" Weiss yelled as she turned and saw Jaune and Coco charge at the horde of Grimm and Faunus.
And then there was light.
Pyrrha formed a sword of flame in her hand as she charged at Cinder. Behind her, Ozpin was stupefied as Pyrrha rushed forward.
Cinder, however, was not.
She was angry.
Rage was sprawled across Cinder's face as Pyrrha raised her 'blade'. Instead of blocking, however, Cinder reached forward and grabbed at the weapon. As soon as her fingers touched it, the flames dispersed and reformed in Cinder's hand.
"You don't know the first thing about this power," Cinder snarled, bringing the flaming sword downwards in a striking motion. How dare you think yourself to be equal to me?! This power belongs to me! ME!
"But I do know how to fight."
Just as the point of the blade was about to strike the Invincible Girl's chest, a large metal plate flew in between them, deflecting the blow. Cinder looks to the side and notices the machine is now missing a large square of metal.
Cinder jumps backward and, using her semblance, forms a pair of glass scimitars. She points one at Pyrrha and smiles. "Surrender the power to me, and I'll be sure your boy toy doesn't suffer too much."
In hindsight, this wasn't a smart idea.
With speed she didn't even know the redhead had, Pyrrha runs straight up to Cinder and smashes her fist into Cinder's mouth.
Knocked backward, Cinder's aura flashes. She looks up just in time to see the metal 'shield' flying towards her at a high velocity. However, Cinder sidesteps in time to dodge and access the Maiden's power. It fights back for a moment before falling into submission.
Flames form beneath Cinder's feet and propel her forwards. As she flies forwards, Pyrrha makes no move to dodge. Cocky little bi-
Cinder is caught off guard when something smashes into the back of her head. Once again, her aura flashes and she is knocked down. Looking up, she watches as the metal disc flies back into Pyrrha's awaiting hand.
She looked down at Cinder.
She's… looking down…
Sending a guttural scream into heaven and hell, Cinder rose to her feet with her eye burning bright. "Die!" Waves of heat began to roll off of her, causing the air to go hot and heavy.
Pyrrha stumbled slightly, Her focus wavered for a moment, causing her to drop the makeshift shield. Behind her, Ozpin remained as statuesque as ever and stepped forward.
"Ms. Nikos," he commented, his voice a faint whisper in Cinder's ear as power flowed around her. "I will handle this. Please return to your friends and keep Beacon safe."
"But sir!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "I can-"
"You have no weapons- at least, none you know how to fully utilize yet -and I fear Ms. Fall is a few leagues above your current skill set." Out of the corner of her eye, Cinder sees the old man brandishing his cane as a sword once again. "Please, I do not wish to lose another student today."
After a moment of pause, Pyrrha nods her head in understanding. "Yes sir." She makes a short dash back to the elevator shaft. "What about Cinder?" The Invincible Girl asks before stepping inside, her voice echoing across the walls.
Ozpin falls into a deeper stance, one more fit for agility and speed. "She's no longer my student."
With the power of the Maiden spiraling around her, Cinder looked down at Ozpin from within a spiraling, crimson cyclone. "I was never your student."
"Then allow me to teach you a lesson," he remarked before disappearing. Cinder's eyes went wide before feeling the sting of his dueling cane against the side of her neck. Without thinking, she turned the tempest in that direction. The flames roared as they crashed into the chamber's walls before dissipating.
When Cinder looked, only scorch marks remained.
The old fool. That was easier than expected. I don't know why Sa-
"When fighting an opponent stronger than you, utilize their greater firepower away from anything damaging."
"What!?" Cinder snarled, her eye still wreathed with flames as she formed another set of blades in her hands. Suddenly, Beacon's headmaster was directly in front of her with his cane raised in a striking arch.
"And be sure you are actually, in fact, the stronger opponent."
Gods dammit, Jaune, Nora cursed as she dragged Weiss by the arm. Why do you have to be the hero? You shouldn't sacrifice yourself just so we can run! I want to fight!
However, she understood why. She knew that Weiss was already low on aura. And she also knew that between her and Coco, the second-year student had more experience. That left her with the job of taking an unyielding Schnee heiress away from the front lines.
Even if she didn't want to.
Nora kept glancing back, both to make sure Weiss hadn't escaped her grasp and to see if Jaune was okay. She caught glimpses of him raising his sword, of a Grimm falling, of him shielding himself from a barrage of bullets.
It hurt every time she looked. Tears formed in her eyes, building for the first time since she was a young girl.
"No! Stop!" Weiss cried. "I need to help them. Nora! We need to go back!"
"I can't." Nora felt her hands squeezed as Weiss tried to pull away from her. "I can't let you die. I promised… I can't."
"NO!"
And then there was light.
Nora's eyes went wide as the ground beneath them began to shine in white light. A Glyph, far bigger than any Nora had seen before, spins beneath their feet. With a blinding flash, the Glyph is replaced by a far larger and imposing image.
Towering in front of them was a large, old-fashioned Atlesian knight. Sporting armor of a white-glowing hue, it towers above them; at least a good 20 feet tall. Not to mention its gigantic blade which stands almost as tall as it is.
"Help them!" Weiss yelled after a moment of shock (which Nora was still in). "Save my friends!"
The knight didn't nod. Instead, its eyes, or where its eyes would be, shone brightly as it accepted the command. Heaving the blade onto its shoulder, the knight charged forward and into battle. Thunder rolled off its steps as it ran towards the advancing army.
Weiss turned to Nora and snapped her arm from Nora's slackened hand. "I don't care if I die," she snapped, "but I'll be damned if someone treats me like glass and tries to keep myself from helping them!"
Looking from the knight to the girl, Nora reminds herself what Ren had told her all those years ago when they first met.
Don't be afraid. Fear is the enemy. Be strong.
So strong she became. Strong enough to wield a hammer as tall as she is. Strong enough to bench press five of herself. Strong enough to protect Ren when they made their way from Kuroyuri Village to Vale.
Strong enough to protect the friends she made here.
Reaching behind her back, Nora grasps the handle of her Magnhild. Its metal is warm in her hand. She smiles before drawing her weapon into her hands. Holding it in a battle stance (the hammer part over her shoulder), Nora lets out a loud cry. "Let's kick some ass!"
Weiss nods in agreement, her exhaustion seemingly dissipated as she readies her blade. Then, the two huntresses charge into battle.
Blake steadied the gun in her hand as she leaped out from behind a bush. After the initial attack, Mercury quickly made his way outside back to the front entrance of the dormitory. At first, Blake attempted to stay inside and fire outward but she quickly learned his shotgun blasts cause more damage if they are funneled into a room.
For example, the long hallway inside the dormitory's entrance.
So Blake followed, keeping herself as hidden as possible with the use of her Semblance. She quickly fell into a rhythm of summoning a clone, hiding, and firing off a quick shot at Mercury's back. It worked at first, but he was starting to expect it.
By the sixth shot, he began dodging to the side after each clone disappeared. On the 8th, he was turning around. And now, on the 10th, he was able to kick a quick shot straight into Blake's chest.
Crap! She thought as she was knocked backward. Using the momentum, the cat Faunus rolled backward and jumped to her feet. She quickly summoned another clone as she rose to her feet, mentally ordering it to lunge at her opponent.
Mercury easily kicks it, dispersing the clone immediately. "C'mon kitty cat," he taunted, "surely you can do better than that!"
Hissing, Blake unfolded her Shroud into its gun form and reached for the sheath strapped to her back. She dashes to the side again, summoning two more clones to cover her movements.
However, her opponent saw through this. He also rushed forward to the closest bush and kicked at it, causing Blake to leap to the side as it burst into flames from the dust rounds he fired. The Faunus tossed her blade at Mercury while keeping its cord tightly around her wrist.
The blade missed its mark, spinning around Mercury's arm instead of his legs. However, Blake continued to use this to her advantage. With a hard yank, she pulls Mercury off-balance towards her. Then, using the sheath, she slices him across the chest.
Mercury grunts as his aura flashes. The force of the attack knocks him backward as her cord uncurls itself from his arm. Not giving him a second of pause, Blake pulls her gun back and grabs it by the grip, aiming once more at her opponent.
He looks up to her and snarls. "You'll pay for that!"
"You and what army?"
Adam Taurus smelled blood.
The metallic scent of bleeding humans always filled him with… joy? Glee?
No, he thought to himself. Triumph. After releasing the second wave (consisting of a large mass of Grimm they captured), Adam started to become agitated. There weren't as many screams as he was expecting. Not to mention there were more huntsmen and huntresses than he was told there would be.
And he definitely wasn't expecting the Schnee heiress herself to be standing in the front.
Finally, I will make them pay for what they have done. Unsheathing his sword, he prepared for battle. However, before he could take a step further, a large wall of ice sprouted from the ground, cutting him, his followers, and their 'pets' from progressing any further.
Growling, he struck at the blockade. The ice chipped briefly, but he wasn't going to make any progress. Adam raised the sheath to his gun and fired a quick shotgun blast into it. The boom of the gunshot was mainly muffled by the sounds of his brothers and sisters also doing what they could to destroy the barrier. Even the Grimm remained focused on the panicking civilians instead of the easier, closer prey of the White Fang.
This continued for a few minutes. When he finally broke open a hole for him to see through, bullets began to berate him. With a grunt, Adam quickly brought his blade upwards and blocked the shots. Where the bullets struck metal, sparks of orange and red burned across the blade.
Adam smiled and continued to block the tirade for a few more moments, fueling his Semblance. Before he could store enough energy, more ice formed around his window. He growled as his blade fell dull. Around him, his followers were having less-than-successful rotations.
Similar to his situation, every time someone (or a Grimm) broke through the ice, bullets were quickly followed and so were some screams. Thankfully, it wasn't enough to distract the Grimm, but it was enough for his troops to begin backing away from their tasks.
"Don't stop!" Adam ordered while pointing his blade at the wall. "We have the humans on the run! We'll make them pay for what they have done to us! Do not falter!"
A cheer went up along the line and they resumed their efforts. But Adam himself did not resume his attack. Instead, he walked back to one of the vans they commandeered. It had been refurbished into a communications station for his own purposes.
Grabbing a hand-held microphone off the wall, he pressed a button and began speaking into it. "Where are my reinforcements?!" Adam snarled. "You promised me an army, Fall."
"..." The speaker crackled but no reply came.
"Fall! Fall!?" Damn! In a fit of rage, the violent general of the White Fang tossed the microphone against the wall.
Suddenly, the system lights up. "I'm sorry," an unknown voice declared, "but Cinder isn't available at the moment. Might I take a message?"
Adam grabbed the device and raised it to his mouth. "Who the hell is this?"
The voice chuckled. "Now, now. Is that any way to speak to your savior? Cinder did warn me about that temper of your, but I was expecting more control from you than this." Adam growled, but let the voice continue. "Cinder asked me to, ahem, 'do whatever the beast wants'. While you were sacrificing your lives, very heroically, I might add, I was doing you a favor.
"My name is Arthur Watts, and I believe I have the army you are looking for."
Damn it! James Ironwood cursed as he received reports of an attacking force on the opposite side of the city. While he was chasing bomb threats, an army had somehow infiltrated his security. Damn it, Ozpin.
With more practice than he wished he had, James began ordering his soldiers into place. Hastily, they began to fall into ranks.
"Belay the no-flight order," he commanded into a communicator. "Get everyone to safety as soon as you can! Send all available Knights to flank the invading army from behind. There are huntsmen and huntresses on the scene, so we need to relieve them as soon as we can. Have our soldiers sent down the centerline, focusing fire down their own line. Let the knights corner them, keeping them trapped."
Soldiers, lieutenants, messengers, and even the robots snapped into attention at his orders. Minus the automatons, they all exclaimed "yessir!" before running to complete their duties.
Unsnapping the buttons on his jacket, Ironwood reached into his vest and grabbed one of the two guns he kept holstered. Due Process, his units jokingly called them. As he felt the grip fall into his palm, he returned to the bullhead he borrowed.
"What do you need now, general, sir?" The pilot asked.
Ironwood made his way back into the copilot's seat of his commandeered airship and began strapping himself in. "I'll be providing coverage from the air. You are relieved of duty for the remainder of the day."
"With all due respect, sir," the pilot commented, "I feel I can be of better use with you up here. I did graduate near-top of my class in flight school."
Pausing for a moment, the Atlesian general makes a motion to the chair next to him. "Welcome to the army, soldier."
The pilot smiles and leaps into his chair. Between strapping himself in, the pilot begins running pre-flight checks on the dash. With one last tug on the straps, he grabs the throttle and pushes it forward. The Bullhead roars as its engines whir. Steadily, it flew upwards, offering a wide sweep around the block.
From the air, Ironwood watches as his troops and Knights fall into positions, lining themselves up for the march forward. As he flies above them, they begin to step towards the airstrip. The sound of their marching was audible even from up in the air.
"What's your name son?" Ironwood asked as the pilot began flying them past the city block.
The pilot smiled and offered a slight salute. "Sunshine Sinclaire, sir. And it is my privilege and honor to fly you into battle."
Ironwood returned his salute before gazing out the glass windshield. From this distance, he could see the familiar sight of ice covering the docks. Before he could rationalize any other option, a pulse of red energy sliced its way across the blockade, slicing it in half.
The general's eyes went wide as he watched not only White Fang members rushing across the bridge, but also Grimm. He spun his pistol in his hand and smashed the handle into the glass.
It broke fairly easily. The cabin quickly turned into a whirlwind as the air began to flood in and out of the now de-pressurized aircraft.
"What the-!?" Sunshine yelled as Ironwood propped his head and arm out the shattered window. Without needing to squint, he fired four quick shots downward. Below him, two Beowolves howled and fell.
Ironwood didn't even bring his head back into the cabin as he ordered, "land this, now!"
The pilot quickly snapped into action, pivoting the Bullhead to the right as they began to descend. It wasn't long until pinging sounds began to echo throughout the vehicle.
Better they fire at us than them, Ironwood rationalized. However, Sunshine did wince whenever a bullet pieced the outer shell, causing their ears to pop initially. Below them, White Fang attackers scattered and retreated slightly as the Bullhead landed in front of them, creating another blockade.
It wasn't a comfortable landing, but better than most. Ironwood groaned softly as he leaned back into his seat before unbuckling himself. He then began walking to the bay doors, reaching for his pistol's twin. "Are you all right?" He called out to Sunshine as he grabbed the cargo bay's release lever.
Behind him, Sunshine nodded and gave a soft cough. "Yeah, but I think I'm going to need a minute."
Ironwood nodded and twisted the lever. It squelched as the warped metal struggled to open. However, it swung open with a hard push. Then, Ironwood stepped into a warzone.
"Get down!" Jaune yelled, raising his shield as the Bullhead crashed towards him and Coco. Like it's going to do any good, he thought for a moment as the airship fell down in their direction. Luckily, it broke away at the last moment and landed directly upon a few Grimm rushing at them.
To his left, the second-year fashionista raised her gun in front of her eyes to protect them as ice, smoke, stone, and wood flew into the air as the Bullhead fell from it. "I just cleaned this top!" She growled, pointing her gun at the ship.
To Jaune's surprise, General Ironwood stepped out, gun in hand. "G-general?" He stuttered, his sword dipping.
Instead of responding, the Atlesian general aimed his gun at Jaune and fired. Jaune flinched and ducked. As he did, he felt an Ursai's claws swipe where his head used to be. It gave an injured roar before falling backward as Ironwood fired a second and third shot into its chest.
"Eyes up," Ironwood ordered. "Or die. What's the sitrep?"
Jaune looked up at the man as he pulled out a second gun from within his coat. "Um, we've been pushing everyone towards the ships. Ren is back with Professor Goodwitch and Ruby; he said Sun was able to convince the dockmaster to let us in." He also made me promise to keep Nora safe.
Frowning, Ironwood asked, "where are all of our huntsmen and huntresses?"
Coco snapped to (a relaxed) attention. "Everyone's making sure the people get onto airships safely. Jaune," she glares at the blonde, "just sent Nora and Weiss back because he thought their aura levels were getting too low."
Ironwood turned back to Jaune with a raised eyebrow. Jaune shuddered under his gaze but held his ground.
"Weiss had been using her semblance to stop the White Fang," he explained. "So I asked Nora to take her back to Professor Goodwitch."
Behind them, another Beowolf roared. It clawed its way on top of the crashed bullhead and leaped down upon the three defenders. They all looked up as it spread its arms and claws. The Grimm's eyes were red with bloodlust while Jaune's were filled with terror. Yes, he'd fought his fair share of battles, but he was nowhere near ready for a fight of this caliber.
"RWWAAARG!" it growled.
In the span of a few short seconds, Jaune readied his blade, Ironwood raised his guns, and Coco pointed the barrel of her own weapon upwards.
Then the large sword cut it in half.
The three huntsmen all looked behind them in shock as the giant knight in armor sliced the attacking Grimm in half. Behind it, Weiss and Nora were also running forward. They both let out a battle cry; Nora swung her hammer against the ground, using the momentum to launch herself forward, while Weiss waved her rapier to the side.
The knight mimicked Weiss' motions and moved to the right. As it did, Nora flew through the area where it was standing and smashed into the Bullhead with her hammer. The airship groaned and skidded, sliding backward a few yards. On the other side, Jaune could hear yelps and screams as the large metal container suddenly lurched across the road.
As Weiss rushed back to the group, she halted in front of Jaune.
"I thought I-" Jaune started, worried about his friend's well-being. However, he was cut off by Weiss backhanding him across the jaw. Thanks to his aura, he didn't feel the full power of it, but that didn't mean it wasn't shocking enough to make him freeze.
"Jaune Arc!" Weiss snapped. "I swear to the GODS if you ever try that ever, ever, again, I will personally deprive you of your manhood and feed them to a Beowolf!"
Needless to say, Jaune gulped down a scream.
Weiss grabbed the blonde by the top of his breastplate, pulling him down so he was just inches from her face. "Do I make myself clear?!"
Yes! Yes! Oh gods, please don't hurt me, yes! Jaune nodded frantically in terror.
"Good!" She let go of Jaune and turned back to Ironwood. Weiss snapped to attention. "General!" She acknowledged as her summon also kneels in a respectful manner.
Ironwood nodded. "At ease." He nods at the knight and offers a small smile. "Your sister would be proud."
A slight tint of red warms itself onto Weiss' cheeks. "Thank you, sir."
"Ironwood- General- sir," Jaune stutters. "Do you have anything to help with the, you know, attacking army?" He gestures past the bullhead.
Nodding, the Atlesian General turns around and readies his pistols. "We hold them here. My knights and army are already en route. As long as we are able to hold them back here, all shall be well. While the non-combatants are escorted to safety, we shall hold the line. Advance!"
Ironwood yelled the last word as he charged forward, with Coco following suit. Jaune paused briefly to look at his friends in worry before all three followed suit.
"Are you sure this will work?" Adam asked with a scowl.
"Yes," Watts responded with an almost audible eye-roll. "I modified the virus to spread throughout the entire network as long as it had an entry point. All you will need to do is find a port of some kind to upload it."
Adam lifted his scroll, which now contained the trigger for the Black Queen virus. The code barely took any time to download. And he was assured it would take equal, if not less, time to upload.
"All you need to do is find something connected to the Atlas military line. A direct connection would work best. Perhaps one of their commands ships? Or a server station? Or-?"
Adam's eyes went wide as his gaze drifted through one of the van's windows. "Atlesian Knights," he growled. Through the window, he could see the ever-closing force of Atlas' machines. Jumping up, Adam slammed the doors open and began commanding orders.
"Atlas is here!" He yelled. "They wish to attack us from our noble acts! They wish to capture us and return us to collars and shackles! They wish to force us back into slavery! They wish to have us work for them so they may enslave more of our brethren while killing their own!" Growing and boos interrupt Adam, who waves his hand to silence them. "However! These animals shall know that it is we, not them, who are the true rulers of this world!"
His soldiers yelled in agreement, raising their weapons. The Grimm, however, continued their assault, ignoring the members of the White Fang.
Adam unsheathed his blade and pointed it towards the direction of the Vale inhabitants. "Kill our enemies and let it be known where they stand! They are below us!" He turned towards the opposite direction, palming his scroll while pulling his katana into a battle-ready stance. "I shall deal with these automations," the bull-Faunus snarled.
Wilt becomes a blur of red in his hand. Running as fast as most huntsmen or huntresses, if not faster, Adam quickly finds himself staring directly into the robotic faces of Atlas' army. He slices sideways and effortlessly slices the robot in half. Taking a half-step backward, he raises his blade and activates his semblance.
The automatons quickly fired upon him. However, their attacks are blocked as Adam stops all the bullets with the blade of his sword. The energy of the attack is absorbed into it. With a dark grin, Adam sheaths Wilt into Blush. He closes his eyes for a moment as he focuses his semblance.
Then, with an almost roaring slice, the first dozen rows of marching Knights fall to the ground in two separate pieces.
Weak, Adam smirks as he steps onto one of the machines. Its screen was still flickering, even without half of its body. Adam looks down at it and smiles before pressing his scroll into the back of the machine's head, where it had an available port.
A moment passes as nothing happens. Then, the scroll lights up. The Black Queen symbol appears in a quick flash before disappearing. It quickly reappears, however, on the Knight's HUD. The black glow of its 'face' turns red as the virus begins to course through it.
Around him, the Knights that surround him adopt this change and start marching around the White Fang general. Within moments, they begin to attack their former allies.
Adam's smile grows as he rushes back into battle.
Civilians continued to climb onto airstrips. Penny stood on top of the shipyard master's roof, where she could get an aerial view of the battlefield. Beneath her, she could see her friend Ruby helping move civilians onto ships with the use of her semblance. She could see Ms. Glynda helping the airships go airborne. Waving her crop similar to that of one of Atlas' opera conductors, she catapulted Bullheads upward and towards the Amity Colosseum.
Other stories of heroics were visible with her optics as she kept the skies clear of any Grimm (even if there haven't been any). Ren using his semblance to escort panicked children, her friends from home, team FNKY, doing what they could to keep them happy, and even CRDL's members were lifting elders onto Bullheads
As she looked further away, her optics could see her friends holding back the White Fang forces. A slight whirring sound echoes through her mind as she focuses further than usual. Thanks to her less than natural origins, she could easily make out the shape of a large knight slicing through black objects with ease.
-Error!-
-Error!-
-Error!-
-Hostile software detected, firewalls in effect. All systems are clear. Recommend software inspection A.S.A.P-
Penny's eyes went wide as she clutched her head in pain. A loud whine seems to screech from within herself as words flash across her vision. The ginger cyborg lets out a pained screech and curls herself into the fetal position.
She thumps to the rooftop, clutching her head tighter as the ringing continues. "AAAAAH!" Penny feels herself scream. Moments later, she feels the roof rattle as someone jumps up next to her.
An wraps around her in comfort as the unseen individual asks, "Penny? What's wrong?" Penny looks up and stares into Ruby's eyes. Once filled with laughter and optimism, they now stare back in worry and concern.
"Something's… wrong!" Penny gasps, her arms now wrapping around herself in comfort. It suddenly became strangely cold.
I feel cold?
Disregarding the premonitions she was now feeling, Penny did her best to explain her situation. "There's… something attacking the… Atlas… systems!"
"How!?" Ruby asks, clutching the robotic girl's body.
Penny grabs her friend by the shoulders. "Please, Ruby! Run! Get… help! They… are… coming!"
The power that now coursed through Pyrrha's veins was alien and strange. Yet, it was welcome. As she continues to utilize her semblance to levitate herself up the elevator shaft, Pyrrha can't help but wince at every flicker of green and red light that shines from the shaft's landing.
"I'm sorry, Professor," she whispers. "If only I was stronger."
A tear rolled down her eye. Even after being given the title of the 'Invincible Girl', she wasn't strong enough to protect those who needed it. But she had faith that her headmaster could at least hold his own against a Maiden.
Pyrrha shook her head, knocking the tear off her cheek, and winced as she saw light. Within moments, she was flying out of the elevator's doors back at ground level. She sighed and dropped to her knees, taking a moment to catch her breath.
When she looked up, she saw a small group of Atlesian soldiers heading away from her.
"Wait!" She cried, pulling herself to her feet and taking a few steps forward. "Please, I need help!" The soldiers stopped and turned to face her. "Professor Ozpin! He's fighting a-"
"Miss, calm down," the leader comments as she holds a hand out in comfort. "What's wrong?" Before Pyrrha could respond, they were cut off by the marching of a squadron of Knights.
One of the other soldiers groaned. "Finally! We've been waiting on reinforcements for-"
He would never finish his sentence. The soldier was cut off by the sound of a gun firing. Blood splattered onto the sidewalk as the Knights continued to fire. Within seconds, the soldiers were all dead.
Pyrrha let out a loud yelp in shock. She tried to step in front of the soldiers, but it was too late. She grabbed the leader's hand and felt it go limp as Pyrrha pushed herself into the line of fire.
Oh, gods, Pyrrha thought as she watched them die in front of her. She turned sharply around and faced the Knights. Her rage boiled and the Maiden's power sparked inside of her. Her eye went red as the power's flame wreathed itself around her.
A flaming spear formed in her hands. With a yell, she threw the weapon into the chest of the closest Knight. The force of the attack knocked it backwards, smashing it into its comrades. As the robots began to rise, Pyrrha used her semblance to pull them towards her.
Then, with a closing of her fist, she crushed them into balls of metal.
Blake fired another shot at Mercury's torso as he leaped towards her. He growled as the shots connected, knocking him back. His aura flickered softly as he did so, a sure sign of his weakened aura levels.
Good, Blake thought. Her own levels were low as well. She was unsure if she even had enough to absorb another kick. "Stand down," she orders, keeping her gun trailed at Mercury's chest. "Final warning."
He smiles darkly and stares into Blake's eyes. "Or what? You're going to kill me? That won't stop anything. All it will prove is that Ghira Belladonna's daughter is as bloodthirsty as the White Fang's current leader."
Blake's eyes stay as still as ever. "No. But it'll be difficult to walk with two bullets in your legs." Without hesitation, she fires two of her last three bullets into each of his legs. The sound of his aura shattering is quickly hidden behind his howls of pain.
"You bitch!" He yells, falling onto his back and clutching his legs. "I'll kill you!" His gaze unfocuses as he looks over her shoulder. Mercury then smiles. "Or, he will."
"Hello, Blake."
Blake's body tenses up at the voice. His voice.
Adam's.
Pain was an old friend to Vin. Reen used to beat her. Canon used to beat her.
Life seemed to enjoy beating her.
However, this pain was sharper than most. Without pewter, it was difficult for her to ignore it. The throbbing in her head was excruciating. The stinging in her side. The cold feeling of-
Ruby was deathly afraid of Penny's words. Not only did she find her on the ground, convulsing slightly, but was also claiming a larger threat was incoming. Ruby pushed her semblance as hard as she could, speeding as fast as possible to her friends.
"Don't you die on me now," Yang whispers, pulling Vin tighter. The blonde was half-carrying her at this point while Vin did her best to stay upright. Something about this reminded her about that time all those years ago when Kelsier carried her back from Kredik Shaw.
Having passed the last of the civilians, Ruby could almost see her friends.
Passing through the doors, Vin and Yang turn and see the light of day.
"Weiss!" Ruby yells. "Jaune! Nora!" Panting, Ruby stops behind them and pulls out Crescent Rose.
"'Ruby?" Weiss comments with a frown as she- wait, is that a knight?!
That's not important right now, Ruby thinks with a shake of her head. "Listen, Penny said there's something coming. Something bad!" She fires a shot from her rifle, knocking a Grimm down.
Jaune raises his shield and deflects a bullet fired at him. "How can this get worse!?"
"Reinforcements are here!" A voice booms. Even further ahead, Ironwood is tearing through the White Fang's line.
"Thank the gods," Weiss mumbles.
"Thank the gods," Yang mumbles as they turn the corner, stepping back outside for the first time in what felt like hours. Best of all, a familiar face was awaiting them.
Yang smiles and lifts Vin up from another stumble. "Look, Blake's here for us. We're safe now."
"We're safe!" Nora cries with a wide smile, pointing at the marching Atlesian Knights. The light of their red faces reflecting off the spilled blood on the floor.
Wait… red?
The next thing Nora felt was the rapid pressure of dozens of bullets bouncing against her aura.
"Blake?" Vin mumbles, looking up. The light was so bright. And her head, Lord Ruler, it hurt so much.
Ruby's eyes went wide as she saw Nora fall to the ground. Then, she saw the man in red again. His mask shining white against the darkness of his surroundings.
"Schnee!" He yelled, brandishing his blade. "You're mine!"
Weiss frowned. Who is he? Ruby thought as he stepped closer. Weiss did so in kind, brandishing her blade while her knight ran with her.
The figure smiled and waited until Weiss and her summon was right upon him. The knight raised its sword in a wide swing above its head.
Then… it was gone.
"Hey, Blake!" Yang yells as they step closer to her. Strangely, though, she seems to freeze at her words. Then, as Blake turned, her eyes weren't filled with worry and love. But fear and hate.
There was a blast of red. It crescents from the White Fang leader (or, at least, the leader of this attack) and sliced through the giant. As the attack struck it, the summon began to dissipate into snowflakes.
"No!" Weiss yelled. She raised her blade and held the point towards her enemy's chest.
The man smiled as he sheathed his blade. He leaned forward, almost as if he wasn't planning to block the attack.
Then, quicker than even Ruby could see, he was behind her and Weiss' Myrtenaster was on the floor.
Along with her arm.
Vin smiled as Blake turned, thankful to finally see another familiar face. As she turned, Vin noticed her gun come up. For a second, she thought there was someone behind them.
But as Blake fired her gun, Vin felt her body go cold.
Then… she felt nothing.