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Beta(s) :

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Rather than land on Mountain Glenn itself like the scouts River said had been sent out by Beacon - just a day or so ahead of the Breach, apparently - each team of soldiers had a landing point about two miles out from the ruin. There were twelve of them in total, half launched from an Atlesian warship in a defensive position between Vale proper and its would-be extension and the rest from Vale itself, and they were arranged in a semi-circle perimeter around their target. The soldiers fanned out as soon as the rear ramp lowered, sliding into whatever nooks and crannies in the trees around them they could find and watching the forest as their dropship lifted up and away.

Cerulean, for his part, simply stood and waited until the airship withdrew, engines whining mutedly as it shot away at speed. Then he shouldered his rifle and asked, quietly, "What's the plan from here?"

"We infil." River sighed, apparently annoyed at him for some reason. Just as tersely, she added, "Quietly."

"Alright." He nodded, checking the scope on his rifle one last time and adding a final, "Lead the way."

The forest was quiet as they approached, and darker than Cerulean had expected given the mid-morning time. But the canopies overhead were thick, with trees that grew in close little groups surrounded by root-gnarled dirt embankments and shrubbery. Occasionally they would pass a bush and squirrels or other small animals would scurry away, or birds would go flapping up into the trees, but if they even surprised the soldiers, none of them showed it. At least, beyond calmly tracking the movement with their rifles.

They moved in a sort of spearhead formation, with Cerulean smack in the middle where he could move to assist either of the two curved flanks or cover their rear and River in the lead, guiding the way.

"She knows the way." His Ghost said when he asked, muted by his helmet, why the officer was in the lead. "Also, important people usually take the center, so…"

"I'm bait." He hummed, stepping up onto a low rock as they made their way forward.

Now, they were close to Mountain Glenn's great supporting wall, which stretched up in front of them like a cracked, pitted megalith. Even as damaged as it was, it was an impressive sight, topped by ancient defensive works lined by heavy cannon emplacements and crumbled watchtowers. River seemed to be leading them to a spot where a huge crack ran down the wall, opening up as it got closer to the ground and, he assumed, where an entrance could be found.

Barely a second after it came into sight, River called out over the communications line they'd set up on the ride in, "Grimm. Three Creeps, forward, left, about fifteen feet out. Hunter, you're on."

He nodded and slipped forward, to where the Corporal was kneeling behind a wider tree fallen across a bit of more open ground at about shoulder height, held up by two clusters of the thin trees to either side just at the edge of the forest, where the woods grew sparse and more scattered on the way to the towering, ruined wall. Looking over it he spotted the Grimm where River had described, two of them lazily meandering about while the third loafed on a rock, belly-up and sunning itself. It was strange, to see mindless beasts like the Grimm acting this way, but he supposed that without any other real instinct they would just wander and laze about like any other animal would.

It made sense.

"You want this silent, I assume?"

"Preferably." The Corporal answered, "If we make too much noise, we'll alert any Grimm nearby. And the Faunus, too."

"The Fang, you mean." He grunted, ignoring the unamused little sigh he earned and adding, "And if they're here at all…"

"I'll whistle, draw 'em in, and think about some nasty shit." She sighed, chuckling when he cocked his head at her. "Old trick. Grimm are attracted by negative emotion so, this close, we should be able to get 'em to close the gap."

"I see." He nodded, setting his rifle aside and drawing his axe. "Do it, then."

Quietly, as her team spread out in the trees around them, breaking their spear-head formation into a semi-circle on facing the Grimm, the woman whistled. It was low, muted, but sharp enough that Cerulean saw the Grimm stiffen and turn, heads cocked oddly in their direction. Another moment later they seemed to get agitated and came for them, loping quickly as they closed the distance. He waited until they were five or so feet out and pulled himself up and over the fallen tree, sinking to a knee with his axe in hand and smiling behind his helmet as the Grimm took note of him.

"Come on, then." He smiled, "Let's see what you've got."

As soon as they saw him they snarled, vicious now they knew exactly where the person they thought they were sensing. He let them come, dropping his waist and holding his axe out to the side, watching the fastest one as it closed the distance and Light crackled along his arms and legs, charring the dirt and grass under him. Grimm were stupid, but he knew they were smart enough to watch the obvious weapon so as it closed with him he stepped back, bringing his axe behind him as he turned and snapped out a kick wreathed in Light-charged fury that melted away the monster's face as it was thrown away.

He used the Grimm itself as a platform to kick himself off of, spinning back the other was as the second Grimm came and caught his axe in the side of its skull. It was pitched to the side, maimed and mangled as it staggered away, wounded, and Cerulean moved to the third which leapt onto him. It tried to drag him down, hind claws settled on his waist, but he caved in its throat with an elbow and then brought the base of his axe around, driving the vaguely pointed edge down into a heel at the same time, breaking its hold so he could throw it off.

He let it choke, turning and stepping over the second as it tried to rise, one eye missing and its jaw hanging at an angle. Two more strikes caved its skull in and, as vapors began to rise, he turned to bring his axe down on the last again. This time into its spine, severing it cleanly and leaving it to shudder and spasm in the dirt as he turned back to the tree-line.

"Clear."

"We can see that, geez…" The Corporal sighed, shaking her head and grunting, "Back in formation. We need to keep advancing."

Her team grunted their quiet affirmations and Cerulean waited for River to reach him, accepting his rifle back from her with a grunted, "Thanks."

"Yeppidy." She quipped back, "Stay sharp."

"Mhm."

Back in formation, they moved through the last bit of foliage before the open, naked rock and dirt at the foot of the wall. Kneeling in what cover they could find in the shrubs and fallen hunks of rubble, River surveyed the ragged maw they'd come toward with a frown. The entrance was right there, and he was anxious to move in, and from the way a couple of the soldiers were fidgeting he could tell they were, too. But the Corporal just waved the two down, calming them with a gesture, and so Cerulean simply waited.

When whatever she was waiting for didn't come, Corporal River spoke up, "Quiet and slow. It should be dark in there, and the animals have night vision. Hunter on point. I'll direct as needs be." He bristled at the slur and stared her down until, finally, she sighed and amended, "The Faunus have night vision."

"Well she's ever the bright spot, hm?"

"Hmph." He grunted, stepping forward and letting them tighten the spearhead formation until it was more like a dagger, straight and thin and ready for the thrust.

The ragged gap was only ten or so feet wide down here, at its absolute widest, and admitted them straight into… Some sort of old home. They were in the bedroom, with a rotted out bedframe and mattress shoved away from the breach and a rotted pile of what had once probably been a wardrobe off to the other side. Deep gouges had been ripped and clawed into the rotted carpet and concrete of the floor and, in the corner, the door had been smashed down into a pile of rotten splinters in the doorway.

"Fuck…" One of the soldiers, Avery if he remembered right, grunted as they all stepped in and filled the room. "This must be one of the breach points, from back in the day."

"Gods damn it all…" Another murmured, looking at the hole and asking, "Hey, you know what time it started in?"

"Why?"

"Looks like they saw the crack and tried to barricade it…" The man grunted, "Right?"

"Yeah…"

"Lock it down, both of you." Corporal River snapped quietly, gesturing at the door, "All we know, there could be Fang right around the corner. You really wanna keep ringing the damn dinner bell?"

They all shut up at her words and, with a wave, Avery moved to the door with two others behind him while River and the others all kept their rifles primed on the door.

"Hunter, you follow the point man in." River ordered quietly, "Avery, you get point, since you're so chatty. Clear and find out our address. We can check the old map and get our location with that."

"Why is it always me…?"

"Because you never shut up." She grunted, "Now sweep."

With Cerulean close, and another soldier behind him, he followed Avery around the corner and into a short hall with another door across from the one they came out of. It was filled with rubble so they ignored it, moving into a ruined living room with an aged, decrepit television against the wall and the couch pushed out into the middle of the room, a rotted out shaft of wood collapsed over it. The door was just behind it, forcing them to meander around it to get out, and Cerulean paused as they did.

The skeletons were old, missing bits and crushed in places, but one had obviously been the parent. Trying to fend off Grim, coming in, no doubt. The other, though, was smaller, with an old and rotted stuffed rabbit on the floor a few feet away.

"Why wouldn't they evacuate?" Guiding Light asked quietly, voice muted in his ear, "Why stay?"

"They must have been trapped, after the tunnels were sealed." Cerulean grunted, kneeling in front of the Corporal to gently pick up the ruined rabbit. Running an armored thumb over its eye, he sighed, "So they came home to hide and… Hope?"

"Bad way to go." River hummed, "But we need to go ourselves."

"We can't give them a moment?"

"Time is precious, Hunter." River countered, "Longer we wait, further we fall behind."

"Hmph." He sighed, laying the little rabbit with the little skeleton and rising. "Fine. Let's keep moving, then."

Outside - as odd an idea as that was while inside a massive construct like this - they found an old, rubble-strewn road barely wide enough for a small car. Above them, the buildings were broken and crumbling, collapsed into themselves in places all the way to the distant ceiling. There were huge chunks of that ceiling missing, too, casting streams of light and vines down into the near darkness they stood in.

"Strange." He murmured, pointing at one of dozens of flickering lights scattered along the buildings' exteriors. They were wide and rectangular, and blasted wide beams of sputtering fluorescent light down toward the ground. "Why are those working?"

"Fang must have found the district reactor, pumped some Dust into it." River shrugged, waving them forward and smiling under her visor, "Means we have a lead. PLace like that, they won't give up fast. Good eye."

He shrugged and followed after her as they moved forward, back in the slim dagger-like formation they'd had before, checking every window, door and hole for surprises as they went.

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Blake clambered down the crumbling apartment block like only a woman who had grown up doing just that could have, before she slid into the tiny bit left of an old apartment bedroom. It was mostly ruined, covered in dust, and the smell of wood rot - and other rots she didn't want to think about but filled every inch of Mountain Glenn - filled the space. But it was safe and, in the distance, she could see the open space where, only a couple days ago, they'd boarded a train and fought their way to Vale. To prevent…

She shook her head, sighed, and fished out her old Scroll.

Not the new one, the one she'd spent what little Lien she had on. No, this one was old and grey and its frame was cracked. But it worked and, in spite of herself, she'd kept ahold of it after she defected. So she flicked it open and slid through her contacts. Until…

"What?"

"It's me…"

"You?!" Banesaw snarled across the line, rage and anger echoing through the static-filled. But, as ever, she heard him take a shuddering breath and ask, "What do you want, traitor?"

"To help." She answered frankly, leaning against the wall and peering over it. Down below she could see a unit meandering up a wider pathway, fanned out in a thin line with a heavy-set Hunter with a huge sword stretched across his shoulders. "Atlas is already in Mountain Glenn."

"How do you know this…?"

"I'm here, too." She said, feeling every ounce of the fatigue that had crawled into her in her overnight march and climb. "I see them. Standard retaliation layout. A K-Sec squad with a Hunter back-up."

"You only see one?"

"For now." If it was standard, they'd be all over, and she knew Banesaw knew it. "Did you…"

"We've cleared out most of the camp folk." He rumbled, "Grimm are a… Problem."

"If I offer to help, are you going to trap me…?"

"No, you have my word." He answered, and she knew him to be an honest man. If he gave his word, he'd honor it - even if it pissed someone off. "I'm pinging you an address, we have people there and we're stretched thin. Get 'em to the camp, at the tracks, where you ruined Taurus' plan."

"Just his…?"

"Just his." He grunted, "I have work to do. Is that all?"

"Alright. I'm going to take fifteen and go."

"You came straight from Beacon?"

"Mhm…"

"Idiot." He huffed, "You have ten minutes. I'm having someone set some food and drink aside, and sending a runner with a hooded mask to drop off at the site."

"A mask…?"

"Others might not be so lenient with a deserter." He snapped, "Are we done here?"

She didn't answer, just closing her Scroll and leaning off to the side against the wall, watching the Humans below while she stole her minutes of rest. And, quietly, murmured, "Just like the good old days…"

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My Stepfather :

Most likely.

Lea :

But this is an Atlesian operation! Surely nothing would go wrong with Atlas involved…

Helloever :

It's a clash I enjoyed writing, yeah. Cerulean is a Guardian - Winter's rank won't cow him.

Dragontetho :

For all people make the joke, Blake is incredibly competent and aside from her V2 arc doesn't fuck much of anything up at all.

BD Skunkworks :

The Fang and Cerulean's coming interactions with them are something I'm genuinely looking forward to for more than one reason lmao. And yeah, him defending the Faunus is, to me, a great thing. Like, he's a Guardian. A protector. OF COURSE he'd support the marginalised minority lol.

Poofy Ohio :

Yeah but eh. I don't think Goodwitch is the type lmao. Or Oobleck since he calls Cardin out canonically lol.

You can PROBABLY guess how he feels about killing people, yeah, lmao.

Fredgie :

He's gotten close to a proper Super a few times, but closest he's gotten is the Shockwave attack he uses often enough and manifesting Arc weapons.

Kalbario :

I mean even if they find out who he was, he's still a Titan. As for space… I dunno. In game, you use preexisting tech to get to space, and Remnant lacks that. So I dunno how I'd do it.

PS. Blake is doing the right thing. She helped make the Fang what it is, so she feels it's her responsibility and likely KNOWS the people that will get killed if she can't help them.

Rohanvos :

Soldiers, not hunters. Unless you meant Winter, these are all normal people.

Darkdraco :

No, if Coco having moms upsets you, don't turn your brain off. Leave. Read something else. I don't want homophobes.

Scyfly :

Personal incredulity and dislike of worldbuilding doesn't make it bad.

Guardians tend to remember nothing about their prior lives so, like the racism and social strife, take it up with canon. Guardians also heal the way I have depicted, by taking a moment with their Ghosts. This is so canon to Destiny that its why many Guardians - like Cayde - DIE. Someone targets their Ghost when it comes out to heal.

The reason Cerulean is trusted is due to recommendations and success. See, you complained about my story early plotting but him going in to save Coco like he did - like a Guardian would - is why Qrow ended up recommending him for the simple escort job. THAT success lead him to making a good show at the Breach so, combined together, Ironwood was willing to trust him on another simple task.

Because 'go with team and provide limited support as a Hunter' ain't that big a job lmao. He's not, like, going from nobody to bodyguarding Ironwood personally.

Also, yes, he got Qrow's file on Cerulean. Most of which was information he paid to fake, and a very basic description. Believe it or not but, without in depth knowledge of Ghosts, Guardians and the Light, he would have zero reason to suspect it is Jaune. And even if he DID, no one has seen him very well. Why would he assume that this is Jaune as opposed to literally any blonde white man? As irrelevant as that would be.

PS. None of this is meant to be rude, so apologies if it at all comes off as such. I've genuinely appreciated some of your thoughts lol. I'm just trying to respond frankly and simplistically to not bloat word count more than I already have. XD