Vale had finally fallen and Ozma was dead for the time being. That should have been an occasion to celebrate. It should have been a triumphant success. Yet it was not.
She had been cheated. Her pawns had betrayed her. All of them. She had hoped that the necromancer would have had the wisdom to stay with her. They could have accomplished so much with his powers.
But no, he had betrayed her. And for what ? Even if he somehow managed to survive the following days, what then ? Vale was no more, and the others would follow soon enough.
All in due time. It would all come in due time. He would fail, like all others before him. A mistake was all she needed from him, and he would make one. Today, next week, in a month, or a decade. After all, she had all the time in the world.
"Get your girl out of there Roman, we have to get somewhere safe !"
"And where would that safe place be O wise sorcerer ?" Complained Roman with a grunt, before trying to find Neo amidst the Bullhead's burning remains.
Kieffner looked around in search of an escape route. They had been stranded outside of Vale. The only things around were wide grassy hills, a few rocks here and there, and a forest.
The distant shriek of a Nevermore put end to the silence that had surrounded them until now. They didn't have much time. However, Roman was still struggling with saving his companion.
"We have to get under the trees before it's too late !" Yelled Kieffner.
"Then fuck off ! I'm not leaving Neo behind !" Answered Roman with a middle finger.
"Argh !! Why are you so dum..." Began Kieffner, before realizing that he'd done the same thing with Adam not even an hour ago.
What a fucking mess... Neo was probably still unconscious. Flames were slowly creeping towards her. Roman had let his cane fall on the ground. Something white was shining through the weapon's edge.
Gears inside the necromancer's head began spinning. Unconscious, fire, ice dust... Everything clicked into place, and he knew what he had to do.
He picked up the cane, aimed it at the Bullhead, and shot. The flames were almost entirely snuffed out, and those left wouldn't pose a threat for some time.
"Roman..." He began, with a tone that left no room for discussion. "We leave, now."
Roman didn't respond, even if he flinched at the words.
"Stop this, you're the only thing putting her in danger now. She's not injured, at least not badly. The fire has been dealt with. She's unconscious at the moment, so she won't attract the Grimms."
Roman stopped digging through the debris.
"We can go get her after, but we need to go..."
A Nevermore's shriek brusquely interrupted him, this time right above them.
"... Now !"
He pulled Roman up with his only arm. Yet even once standing, Roman still wasn't moving. Meanwhile Adam had hesitantly started to limp towards the nearby forest.
"Run you fool !" Yelled Kieffner before kicking the thief in the back, enough to finally send him running.
The three of them made a beeline towards the forest, but a still limping Adam was slowing them down considerably. The Nevermores were closing in. The treeline was almost within arm's reach.
But just before they finally reached it, Adam stumbled and fell down. The three seconds it took for him to get up was all the time the nearest Grimm needed to catch up on him. It plunged beak closed in an attempt to impale the faunus.
Adam's life was only saved when, at the very last moment, Kieffner threw himself between the two. The Nevermore's beak stabbed right through the necromancer's torso without difficulty, pinning him to the ground in the process.
"Holy shit !" Gasped Roman while reaching for a weapon that wasn't there. A weapon that was in fact still in Kieffner's hand. A weapon that he was now aiming at the Grimm's neck.
"You're hungry ? Then eat this." And the round of fire dust left the cane.
A blast of fire shook the air, and when the dust settled, the only thing left of the Grimm was a cloud of black smoke.
This entire process lasted less than ten seconds. Before anyone could question what had happened, Kieffner was already back to rushing towards the forest. A second after, the two others broke out of their stupor and followed him, leaving their questions for later.
The lone Nevermore had apparently been a vanguard of some sort, as the trio thankfully managed to get into relative safety without further attack. But even as they got deeper into the forest, the Nevermores' infernal bickering still followed them. Always nearby, always barely out of sight.
"Stop. This is useless, those bastards are still following us, and Neo is still back there." Stated Roman.
At this Adam staggered to a halt, and Kieffner followed after a few steps, but not without letting out a sigh of disappointment. To be honest a part of him had hoped that Roman would forget about Neo, or lose any hope of her still being alive.
"I won't leave her behind. So unless you have some kind of plan..."
'...I will go on my own' ,was the underlying message.
"If you go back there you will die." Stated Kieffner as a matter of fact, trying to push Roman to act rationally.
"If I don't, she will die ! It's because of you that we're down to this. Because you wanted to go back for Adam."
A moment of silence materialized as Kieffner facepalmed and Adam looked between the two others with confusion.
"Here... I said it." Muttered Roman, almost with relief.
"You were dead for all we knew, and I at least wanted for most of us to leave while we still could. But this... this... He threatened us, you know. He threw a tantrum to go back, leave no one behind, like in a fairy tale."
"Look how the turntables now... So I think I'm allowed to have this tantrum. And while I don't have the means to threaten you, know that the last thing that will be on my mind when I get mauled to death by a Beowolf, will be for you to be next."
"Alright, alright." Started Kieffner.
"I know, you're right. I was blinded by my own personal feelings at the time, and then failed to take yours into account. I'm the hypocrite here I guess."
"Good, and what are you gonna do about it now ?" Asked Roman.
"A diversion, I will make a diversion."
Silence stretched for a few seconds before the thief answered.
"You're probably gonna die, you know that ?"
"You're saying this to the guy who just got stabbed in the heart a few minutes ago." Interjected Adam.
"Right, I guess you're not as weak as you look. How did you even do this ?"
"Eh eh... A magician never reveals his tricks. I'm just that amazing." Said Kieffner with an unbelievably smug look.
"Yeah yeah, whatever. Keep your secrets. Just do what you have to do, and we will meet again... Where are we going to meet again actually ?"
"This poses another question. How are we going to reach an actually safe place, like my city as was initially planned ?" Asked the necromancer as he laid back against a nearby tree.
"Bullheads are obviously out of question, either the Grimms or Atlas will kill us on sight." Stated Adam as everyone tried to think of something.
Just as the situation started to appear as hopeless, Roman spoke out.
"Hey Kiff ?"
"Mmm ?"
"Can you still order your skeletons back at Mountain Glenn around ?"
"I can, why ?"
"To answer with another question, can your boners take control of the railway tunnel ?"
At those words Kieffner's eyes lit up and he began to walk in circles at a rapid pace.
"Yes, I see where this is going. It could work. Not only that, but it's probably our best chance. Now we just have to get back in Vale."
"You'll manage. And Adam and me ? Well let's just say I have my own tricks."
"Okay, so we meet up at the tunnel's entry in Vale. Is everyone on board with this plan ?" Asked Kieffner while looking at Adam, who still hadn't voiced his opinion.
"They will notice us... You're little explosion back then wasn't exactly subtle, or even little. Others will get the same idea."
"Adam, what do you think they're gonna do ? Go to Mountain Glenn ? No army could survive there for more than half an hour, even less for a crowd of panicked civilians."
"Fine, but don't let some misguided pity guide you when the time comes." Adam agreed somberly.
Roman and Adam then began to walk back to the Bullhead, before Kieffner interrupted them.
"Oh and one last thing Roman. You still have my book, I hope ?"
"A book ?" Asked the thief with confusion. "Ah, that book. Yeah it's right there, why ?" He said while pulling the ancient tome out of his jacket.
"That's good. Now keep it safe with you, and do not let anything happen to it ! It's the key. Without it none of us will survive the day. Do I make myself clear ?"
"Geez, I'll take care of your little diary if it's so important to you."
"Argh !" Let out Kieffner while swinging his clenched fist in the air. "God you're unbearable."
Roman's dignified answer was a loud snicker, soon joined by Adam as well
"Calm down... calm down..." Muttered Kieffner while taking deep breaths. "They're just messing with you..."
"Anyway. I don't think it's the right time for this when you're little girlfriend is in danger Roman." The later's smile faltered upon hearing this, all while Kieffner's smile grew. It was incredibly petty, but he would take this small victory.
"Yeah, right. Time to leave." Whispered Roman.
Kieffner handed him his cane back, but not before taking a single fire dust round for himself.
"Don't die while I'm not there you two." Said the necromancer on a final note.
"Just be careful." Asked Adam.
"And don't play hero, bony head." Continued Roman while patting the former's shoulder.
"Of course." Ended Kieffner.
The duo began to head back to the Bullhead. Roman was walking at a slow pace while Adam limped behind thanks to a walking stick he pulled out of god knows where.
Sadly a group of Nevermores immediately followed them over the treeline. It was time for a diversion. Kieffner took the glowing red dust in his bare hand, and crushed it. Pain immediately flared up in his mind as his hand burst into flames. The pain was such that he fell down on his knees and had to grit his teeth to prevent himself from screaming too loud.
Thankfully the negativity created from this pain was more than enough to attract every Grimm in and around the forest. With the distraction now created, the necromancer used a nearby tree to pull himself up. Despite the fire eating away his hand's flesh at an alarming rate he could still use his fingers to dig into the dry wood.
Brute forcing his way through the pain, Kieffner slowly took a step forward. His body was as heavy as lead. He stumbled and almost fell down once again. He couldn't even ignore the pain, as he still needed to attract the Grimms.
His legs still worked fine. He just had deal with the pain. Humans weren't made to live through so much pain, but he wasn't exactly human anymore. He had to harness this pain. Turn it into hate. Use it to fuel his will.
They almost killed him. They turned him into a puppet. And when he dared to escape their grip, they couldn't even leave him alone. But they will pay. No matter how long it will take. One step at a time. They will pay. She will pay.
He managed to start walking properly. His body felt lighter. The pain was just like an old friend. A proof that he was still made of flesh. A proof that he was still alive, that there was still something human about him.
He started running. Hate and purpose fuelled him. Only bones were left of his hand now, and even though the fire was weaker, it was still burning through his forearm. He didn't even notice the heat behind him. Nor did he notice the thick smoke above the trees. At least until he got out of the forest.
The city of Vale was now in sight, just a leap away. Problem was, the leap in question would probably end with the death of any normal human being, aura or not. While he should technically be able to survive the fall, he wasn't exactly eager to test this. The cliff that had taken only a few minutes to bypass with the Bullhead now seemed like an impassable barrier.
However Kieffner wasn't left any time to come up with a solution before the insufferable shrieks of Nevermores reminded him of his situation. He turned around just in time to witness the first Nevermore emerging out of the smoke.
It was quickly followed by around a dozen others, many of which bore burn scars. Just when Kieffner thought that it couldn't get any worse, a pack of Beowolves along with a few Ursas appeared out of the forest.
"Well this is rich."
The only good side in this was that the fire on his arm had finally died off, leaving only bones out of it.
"Mmm... I think I've faced worse." He had killed a dragon a few hours ago after all.
"Come at me boys ! I'm fucking immortal !" And there was that too.
The Grimms were polite enough to take up on his offer apparently, as they immediately began to charge at him like a single synchronized body.
The first Beowolf quickly met it's end after Kieffner plunged his bony (and by extension pointy) fingers through the beast's throat, cutting it's head off in the process.
He pulled his arm out quick enough to send it into the next Beowolf's maw, it's teeth chewing pointlessly on the necromancer's solid arm. Everything moved slowly around him. He felt like he had the strength of a thousand. Beowolves fell one after another without much trouble.
However Kieffner was suddenly taken by surprise when Nevermore plunged upon him from behind. He turned just in time to see the Grimm's wide open beak, before it closed on his head.
Kieffner felt his feet leave the ground for a moment before his back slammed against a burning tree. The bird tried it's best to decapitate him. But of course the necromancer didn't leave it such a chance and instead forced it's beak open by holding the upper half with his hand and biting the lower one with his mouth.
He pulled and pulled, until a sickening crack resounded, and the upper half broke off. Still not letting the body piece go, he instead used it to hammer the Nevermore's face until it stopped moving.
As he pushed the dissolving corpse off him, an Ursa used this opportunity to try to ram him against the same tree as before. Kieffner managed to dodge the attack from an hair's breath. The poor tree collapsed under the Ursa's charge, throwing the latter off balance. This momentary weakness was more than enough for the necromancer to end the beast miserable existence.
He looked back at the clearing. There was still one Ursa, two Beowolves and four Nevermores left. Kieffner picked up a burning branch from a nearby tree, which he immediately swung at the remaining Ursa. The wood skidded off it's thick skin, but it's already dry and slightly burnt fur immediately took fire.
Kieffner instantly reported his attention on another Nevermore that tried to decapitate him. It quickly got the same treatment as the Ursa and was left to burn in a literal ditch.
The remaining five Grimms were still in the clearing. Kieffner waited a few seconds, but none came at him. They were being cautious, unnaturally so.
"Hey Salem ! I don't know if you're listening, but if you do, there one thing I want to tell you."
Fourteen red eyes were staring at him like one. He could see hate and resentment in them, yet it did not stop him from slowly walking towards the small pack.
"Dear Salem, queen of the Grimms, master of everything that is unholy, fuck you ! I'm coming for you, and nothing's gonna stop me. Not even death itself you hear me ! You. Will. Pay."
As soon as he finished, and before any of the Grimm had the time to react, Kieffner leaped at the last Beowolf and impaled it, extinguishing his stick in the process.
He then used to dissolving body to jump at a relatively small Nevermore that was trying to take off. Kieffner managed to grab one of the bird's leg. The added weight proved to be too much for the Grimm and the latter's host soon touched the ground once again. The beast quickly touched the ground too when Kieffner used his grip on its leg to swing it into the dirt.
Another Nevermore chose this moment to impale him from behind, with the same results as the one half an hour ago. However this attack also had the effect of pushing him to the cliff's absolute edge.
With Vale right in front of him, Kieffner realized that he still had to come up with a way to get down there without getting too damaged. He then looked at the last remaining Nevermore, and got an idea.
Its past carefulness thrown out of the window, the Grimm plunged on him in another attempt to impale him, or decapitate him. In the end it didn't matter as Kieffner took a step back at the last moment and started falling. The moment the bird flew over him the necromancer extended his arm and took hold of the creature's leg.
Once again Nevermores proved unable to fly correctly while carrying an human being. But Kieffner didn't need it to fly correctly, just to fly well enough to slow his fall. Despite this, the asphalt bellow kept approaching fast, too fast.
When he finally crashed against the ground, he felt like he'd fallen off a building's third floor the normal way. Every single bone bellow his hips was either broken, or somewhere it definitely shouldn't be.
However Kieffner was once again amazed by his newfound powers, as when he instinctively tried to get up, every misplaced bone of his hovered back into place. Bone shards fused together to recreate the bones they had once been, before those too flew back to their place.
During the few seconds the process took, Kieffner witnessed his body rebuild itself with a melody of disgusting snaps. At the end of it, his body looked just like before the fall, with the exception of deep cuts where the bones had come in and out of his flesh. Sadly his cloak and robe were pretty much beyond recovery, hiding his bony nature would prove quite difficult without it.
The Nevermore above him survived the fall relatively unscathed. It however wasn't able to survive losing its head. Those bones really did come in handy.
Kieffner looked around and tried to find his way. Most building were little more than rubbles by this point. Many were flattened by defective atlesian artillery, others had simply been burnt to the ground. There was not a single moving thing in the area around him, only the very distant sound of gunfire revealed that there were still living people in the city.
Those survivors probably wouldn't survive for long, and Kieffner was on a tight schedule. Vale was dead for all he knew. Now he only had to find a way to the tunnel...
An explosion suddenly echoed far behind Adam and Roman. Immediately the small flock of Nevermores that had been following them until now left in the explosion's direction.
"What the... Was that Kieffner ?" Asked Adam to no one in particular.
"Probably. Just another stupid plan of his. He's going to be fine, like always." Retorted Roman. "He has his part, we've got ours. Let's focus on it."
Adam simply nodded in acknowledgment. The duo then continued their leisurely trek through the woods in silence. No Grimm noticed them, nothing happened, and that was exactly what worried them.
No bird was singing, no insect was buzzing. Even the wind seemed to have gone silent. The smell of ash soon reached their nostrils, along with a sudden wave of heat.
"We must be near the wreckage. I hope the fire hasn't reached Neo." Stated Roman, the last part more for himself than Adam.
And surely enough, they finally reached the forest's limit. The downed Bullhead was now right in sight. No Grimm stood in the area at first glance. Nonetheless the duo left the trees' relative safety with their weapons ready.
Slowly they walked towards their objective. Constantly on guard, looking all around them. Though they where not intercepted by anything or anyone, reaching the wreckage amidst an unholy calm.
Of the powerful fire that had once threatened to swallow the entire wreck, remained only a pile of half extinguished embers. Roman advanced even more while the faunus kept an eye open for any Grimm.
"Neo ?" Asked the thief with eyes full of hope.
There was no answer.
"Neo ?! Are you alright ?" Asked Roman, this time louder and with fear in his voice.
Again, there was no answer.
Roman rushed to the debris and began frantically digging through them. First with his cane, but quickly he reverted to using his bare hands instead.
"Neo ? It's me, Roman, can you hear me ?" He screamed at the pile of junk.
A very weak groan came out of the debris.
"Neo ?! I'm coming Neo !" Screamed Roman before redoubling in his efforts with a renewed energy. Then, a flash of pink appeared.
A piece of pink cloth was slightly sticking out of the rubble. The moment Roman noticed it, he instantly began to remove the pieces of metal around it. One by one what laid under was made more apparent, until it became clear that it was Neo's umbrella.
Roman tried to pull it out, but something was holding it back. The handle was still hidden by one of the Bullhead's engines. He tried to push it away, but even using all his strength, weight and aura wasn't enough to move something that heavy.
"Adam, could you lend me a hand for a moment ?" Asked the thief between two breaths.
"Well I'm not sure if I can be of any help..." Taurus looked at his badly damaged leg "... But I can try."
Adam cautiously limped through the wreckage until he got next to Roman. Together they managed to roll the engine away, revealing Neo under it.
She didn't look good. Most of her body sported bruises. A steady stream of blood was coming out of her mouth. Some of her torso had been partially crushed by the engine. And she was clutching her umbrella like her life depended on it.
Despite all of this the mute had survived. Her eyes were staring at her two saviors, even through she was visibly struggling to keep them open.
"It's alright Neo, I'm here." Whispered softly Roman as he crouched down to clear the last few debris before giving the girl a tight hug.
Neo looked like she wanted to say something, but her usual illusionary signs didn't appear as she was still out of aura.
"I know. I can explain everything later, but for now we need to go." Roman answered calmly. He then gently put Neo on his back, where she finally passed out.
"The city's wall shouldn't be far this way. 15 minutes at most I would guess. That is if we don't get intercepted by those fucking Grimms." Said Adam while nodding in direction of a seemingly normal hill.
Roman swiftly nodded back and the now trio began to move as fast as their condition would allow them to. Adam's leg was still mostly unusable, aura couldn't regenerate lost muscle tissues, at least not in such a short time.
A few minutes later the group had walked up the hill. Behind it laid the city of Vale in all of it's destroyed glory. Strangely enough the walls seemed completely untouched by the brutal fighting taking place behind them. The only trace that something had happened were the two puddles of blood in front of the door.
Despite this grim sight, no actual Grimm was in sight. As a matter of fact there was absolutely nothing notable for as far as they could see. One might even believe that this was a normal day, were it not for the thick columns of smoke hovering above the city.
The trio passed the puddles of blood without a word. What they found beyond the door however, was even worse now on the ground than what they saw from the air.
Blood and corpses littered the street. Every house had at least it's door broken. Fire was spreading through whatever wasn't already turned to ash. In the street before them laid a crashed atlesian airship, which was easily crushing a few housing blocks on each side of the road.
No one was left. Even the insects seemed to have disappeared. What Adam and Roman felt knowing they had each played a part in this slaughter could not be described with mere words.
After standing there in silence for a few minutes, an unspoken agreement was reached between them and they continued moving forward. But they barely walked a few steps before being interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Stop right there criminal scum !"
"Red..." Roman let out a tired sigh while turning around to face the Huntress in training along with three other girls. "I see you've brought some friends."
Facing them was the entirety of team RWBY. Four trained fighters with their auras unlocked. Worse than that, unlike the criminals they were facing, the girls not only had a numerical advantage, but were also more used to fighting as a team.
"Blake..." Adam stared aghast at the black haired faunus in the group. "I wasn't expecting anything, yet you have still managed to disappoint me. Seriously ? Associating yourself with a fucking Schnee of all people, how far have you fallen ?"
"I've chosen my path Adam. There's nothing between us anymore." Said a visibly uncomfortable Blake.
"Between us !? Whatever was between us disappeared the moment you betrayed our people ! You think you're one of them ? Fine, then I will kill you like one !" Shouted Adam while pulling out his katana and trying to get into a combat stance despite his leg.
"Wow wow wow, let's calm down here." Interrupted Ruby.
"Yeah, this isn't very fun. So why don't we skip to the part where we kick your ass ?" Continued Yang.
"And then what ?" Interjected Roman. "What will you do once you've defeated us ?"
"Throw us into prison ? I think the nearest working one is in Mistral right now." Roman briefly put his hand on his chin and faked thinking about it.
"And let's be honest here, you don't have to balls to kill us."
"Well... well... Are you suggesting we just let you go ?! Cause that's not going to happen !" Said a panicking Ruby.
"Look, of the three of us I'm the only one in fighting shape. Neo and Adam are both gravely injured and in need of medical assistance. We're not here to cause trouble."
"Dude you're the fucking reason everything's like this." Yelled Yang.
"I mean I don't know if you specifically had something to do with it, but Adam literally brought down Amity arena ! Do you know how many people were still on that thing ?"
Adam let out a small chuckle before getting elbow butted by Roman.
"You're not really helping our case here." He whispered to the faunus.
"Listen girls, it's complicated. We didn't really have a choice at the time. Now we just need to pass, and you won't hear of us ever again."
"Wait a minute, where are you even trying to flee to ? Like you said everything is already destroyed, by your fault if I may add." Asked Weiss.
Roman and Adam exchanged a glance. While the latter definitely wanted to fight, they had virtually no chance of winning, even he would see it. Roman noticed this silent concession and spoke in the group's name.
"We have a secure base back at Mountain Glenn. It's heavily guarded, no Grimm will be able to get in there."
"Mmm... That's good for you, but how's that linked with our situation ? ...Weiss ?" Ruby uttered out loud.
The Schnee puffed for a second, before her features softened. She sighed and breathed deeply before giving an answer.
"Look Ruby, Vale's lost, there's no point in staying here. It's our duty to save as many as possible. If we have to rely on criminals and terrorists, then so be it. Even if it leaves a particularly bad taste in my mouth."
"But what if they betray us ?" Asked Yang. "We can't trust murderers !"
"While I like to think of myself as a gentleman thief, I doubt this will be enough to convince you. But think of it this way, if we turn on you once we're at our base, the ensuing negativity will undoubtedly attract a great many Grimms. Defeating both you and those Grimms will prove very difficult at best " Argued Roman.
"Now that I destroyed your argument with facts and logic, could you, please, let us go ?"
"What do you think girls ? Can we trust them ?" Asked Ruby to her team.
"I don't believe this shit. He might have been lying all along ! Are we even sure that this safe base even exists ? I vote no."
Ruby then turned to Weiss.
"You already know my position. I don't trust those guys at all, but it's still better than leaving civilians here. And I'm pretty confident in our capacity to beat them if push comes to shove."
"Rights, let's put a group of panicked civilians in the hands of a bunch of terrorists and mass murderers. What could possibly go wrong ?" Almost yelled Blake while staring daggers at Weiss for even entertaining the idea.
"That's two to one. It's finally time to fight." Said Yang, already getting ready for the fight.
"Wait a second. Ruby, what's your opinion ?" Interrupted Weiss.
"Me ? Well... didn't he say that they were being forced or something like that ? I mean sure they've done very bad things, but look at them, they're already one step in their graves. We should give them a chance."
"Argh ! I can't believe you're defending them ! And now we're at a deadlock !" Yelled Yang.
"Hey Roman," Whispered Adam. "shouldn't we... you know... sneak away ? While they're still distracted ?"
"Don't worry, I think I know where this is going. Let's just be patient."
"But Ruby is the team leader, surely she has tiebreaker vote." Weiss was the one being loud now. " There has to be a rule saying this somewhere ! I mean there's one saying that a leader has final authority over every action of her team. Surely our situation is implied in this..."
"Yeah, I know the rules..." Grumbled Ruby. "But it doesn't feel right ! I thought we were all supposed to be friends ? Can we really be friends if I start ordering you around ?"
"Of course we're friends Ruby, but we need to solve this quick. Every second we spend on this stupid debate is a second we aren't saving people. So please Ruby, do what you need to do."
The poor girl meanwhile was practically having a panic attack and was on the verge of tears. She was holding her head with both her hands while jerking it around. She muttered a lot of unintelligible words before suddenly letting out a scream.
"Arghhh !! Fuck it ! I'll do it. I Ruby Rose, by the authority given to me by my position as the leader of team RWBY, decides that we will spare those three injuried criminals and use their lair to protect civilians."
Ruby grasped for breath as everyone else stared in silence. Eventually Blake walked forward and put her hand on her leader's shoulder.
"Very well. If that's your choice, I will follow you. I still don't trust those monsters of course, but I trust your judgement of them."
Meanwhile Yang was looking left to right with an embarrassed look.
"Sorry, but I still think this is the wrong choice Rubes. You're too kind for your own good. If we let them go away, how many will they end up killing ? How many will die because of your choice Ruby, how many ?"
"How many will die if I don't do it Yang ? We need their help as much as they need our pity. I've made this choice in full understanding, and I'm the only one responsible for any consequence."
"Fine, do what you want. I won't fight those three without my team." Grumbled Yang while finally lowering her weapons.
"Good, now let's hurry up shall we ? We've lost enough time as it is." Said Roman in the calmest tone he could muster despite the girls' endless bickering.
None of them bothered to answer him, but they neverless turned away from the trio to head down the street.
What followed was an unremarkable mix of fighting small group of Grimms, rescuing survivors, and Roman trying to keep the Huntresses from venturing too far to save people. Meanwhile Adam was fuming through the pain of his broken leg, often glaring daggers at either the Schnee or his old companion.
By the time they reached the tunnel, their group had reached around fifty members, a little under half of which were Huntsmen or of some other combat related profession.
"Well, here we are. Now we just have to wait for our ride." Stated Roman when he realized that the tunnel before him was empty.
"He should already be here. Something must have gone wrong." Said Adam while doing his best to look calm and relaxed in the middle of a human horde. The fact that this would remain so for an unknown amount of time wasn't really helping.
"Don't worry, they should be here within a few minutes." A figure behind them suddenly said.
Adam and Roman jolted around in a flash, and by reflex raised their weapons at the cloaked individual.
"Nice to see that you've missed me." Sarcasm filled his voice as Kieffner threw back his hood, revealing his face.
"Dude, you almost gave me a heart attack." Complained Roman.
"Good to see you alive. What's up with the outfit ?" Asked Adam.
"My old robe got shredded, so I got this to hide my more... problematic members." A few bony fingers briefly appeared to illustrate his point.
"Anyway, what the fuck happened here ?" Asked Kieffner while nodding towards the group the others had brought.
"Hum... How to put it..." Started Roman.
"He let us get captured." Interrupted Adam while literally pointing fingers at Roman.
"It was a common decision ! And we would probably be dead otherwise !" Screamed an apparently outraged Roman.
"What !? How ? By who ?" Continued Kieffner while completely ignoring Adam's intervention.
"It's those Huntresses from Beacon, they somehow managed to find us and forced us to disclose the location of our escape route."
"What Huntresses, you seem to know them ?"
"Pff, they're not even real Huntresses yet. We could totally have beaten them had I had it my way." Once again Adam was proving himself a champion at throwing dirt on others.
"Where was all that confidence back then ?" A nearby blonde suddenly asked.
"Here they are !" Screamed a panicked Adam, before quickly recovering. "Kieffner, time to use your minions to overpower them, quick !"
"Wait a minute Adam, let's not make hasty decisions. They could still prove useful." Was the necromancer's answer. He then turned to the blonde Huntress.
"So, if I understand everything correctly, you guys want to flee to Mountain Glenn ?" Asked Kieffner while pointing to the general crowd around them.
"Yeah, basically. Why ? Got a problem with this ?"
"A few, actually. As you might know this tunnel leads to Mountain Glenn. As you probably don't know, Mountain Glenn is my territory. You and your friends can go there, but only if you obey my rules."
"I don't even know who you fucking are. So tell me, why should I even listen to you ?" Yang growled while readying her arm attached weapons.
She cocked a shotgun shell, but the sound of it was suddenly drowned by the infernal screeching of metal rattling against metal. Everyone except Kieffner reflexively put their hands on their ears.
A beast of steel raced into the tunnel. It seemed like it would crash against a wall at this rate, yet the brakes painfully managed to do their job and the train came to a stop right before hitting the wall.
"Why should you listen to me you ask ?" Kieffner resumed visibly undisturbed by the train's sudden arrival.
"Because I'm your ticket to leave this place."
The Huntress didn't get the time to respond before someone in the crowd let out a terrified scream. It was a middle aged woman, and she was currently pointing at one of the undeads manning the train.
Soon the rest of the crowd too noticed the skeletons. Screams quickly multiplied and as one the group began rushing back towards the surface.
That was until the dangerously close shriek of a Nevermore reminded them of their situation. The group collided on itself, each half trying to flee the threat closest to it.
The only exceptions to this behavior were the members of Kieffner's group, as well as little over a dozen Huntsmen. The latter included team RWBY and, of course, Yang.
"So what do you say, are you willing to be civil for the safety of all those poor peoples, or can't you even do that ?" Kieffner smugly asked.
Each member of the team glanced back at the panicked crowd. What had once been only half of them fleeing the Grimms, was now quickly growing in size as the Grimms moved closer.
"You control those guys ? Just to be sure." Asked the Schnee girl, pointing at the skeletons on the train.
"I do, I do. And if you don't make your choice fast, I will soon control those too." Replied the necromancer, pointing at the mass of civilians. You might not like it, but this is what peak negotiation looks like.
"Alright, fine ! We will do what you want, just let everyone get to safety." Practically pleaded team RWBY's members all at the same time.
"Good." Simply said Kieffner, but it was enough for the Huntresses to visibly relax. This didn't last long however, as they still had to get the civilians on the train.
"Everyone ! Get on the train if you want to live !" Bluntly yelled Yang.
This was enough to convince most to head to the train in a more or less organized manner.
"Don't worry about the skeletons, it's just a semblance." Weiss continued.
While this last argument didn't convince everyone left, it did enough for the remaining few to follow the rest.
People began boarding the wagons under the watchful eyes of Kieffner's clique. The Huntsmen meanwhile busied themselves with stopping the few Grimms that were already reaching the tunnel's entry.
Adam was watching the boarders when someone catched his eye. He stopped the man while the latter was trying to board. It was a fat human wearing a tattered business suit.
"You, I remember you..." Started Adam.
The man began visibly sweating while trying to avoid Adam's eyes.
"I don't know what you're talking about Sir. I've done nothing wrong Sir, I'm just trying to get out of here alive."
"Don't play innocent ! I know what you did ! How many of our kind ended up in the slums because of you !? How many failed to feed their family because of you !?"
"I... I... was just doing business. I don't make the rules, it's not my fault." The man stuttered.
"You exploited the rules like you exploited my people ! You and your kind are behind all of this in the first place ! All for your own benefit..."
"Please... I'm just trying to survive."
"You know what treatment the White Fang reserves for your kind..."
"Please... I... I have a family... don't leave me to the Grimms..." Pleaded the man.
"Don't worry, having you die to those beasts wouldn't do you justice. Get in now, and enjoy the journey." Said Adam with a wicked smile.
The man then whimpered away into the wagon. Adam recognized a few more individuals as they passed next to him, but refrained from interrupting them. He had the luxury to do things right for once, all in due time.
The moment the last civilian got on the train was also the moment the Huntsmen's lines broke. Kieffner ordered his minions to start the engines as Grimms began pouring into the cavern.
"Run you fools !" He yelled at the Huntsmen. "Everyone for himself ! We won't slow down for you !"
His words had the desired effect, all the Huntsmens ceased fighting and began rushing to their only escape. Meanwhile the metal beast was quickly picking up speed. A few Huntsmen were unlucky enough to be cut off by Grimms, soon joined by those who tried to save them.
The dark tide seemed endless. Even now more and more Grimms kept entering the tunnel. Even the train's heavy machine guns proved unable to even thin the herd. Soon the floor couldn't be seen anymore and the Grimms started to climb on the walls.
Just as Kieffner said they would, they didn't wait for everyone. Half a dozen people weren't fast enough to catch up to the train, or failed to get on it while it was moving.
When the tide finally grew small from the distance, the group counted their losses. Of the initial twenty or so Huntsmen, only twelve had survived. Thankfully every civilian that had entered the tunnel left in one piece.
Kieffner looked over everyone he had gained in this not so small journey. Around forty people, that would all have no choice but to obey him once they were at Mountain Glenn. More than a dozen of them were even combat trained. And from a quick glance, twenty more could be molded into something useful.
This was only the beginning. There was much work left to do. He would endure, and one day, his time would come.
Hi everyone !
First thing first, I'm sorry for the wait. I really do not have any excuse, I was just being lazy I guess.
Second thing, I was thinking about pulling this fic out of the crossover category, as it doesn't really have much Warhammer content. But I would like to hear you thoughts on this before doing anything, so please leave a comment.
Now about this chapter and a few clarification.
The people Kieffner picked up aren't Vale's only survivors, far from it. They're just the ones team RWBY managed to find.
Of the Adam part near the end, did you really think the SDC was the only corporation exploiting faunus ? Those guys will be dealt with properly in the next chapter.
PS: I just realized Nevermores are actually fucking massive. For some reason I remembered them as being around the size of an Ursa at most. I really hope this didn't break the immersion for you, and I will try to get it right in the future.
Please let me know what you think of this story by leaving a comment.
Until next time.