A/N well this must be some kind of new record for me, getting another chapter out so fast. Would have liked to have had this out yesterday but reasons.
Well just sorry in advance for those expecting some other things but I feel this chapter was necessary, and we will return to our little Primarch next chapter.
But stay tuned anyway, you might be surprised. (Blood for the Blood God! Oh wait, wrong god. Phhpt... I kid, I kid but that's normally what I whisper to psych myself up to post nowadays)
Anyway, thanks for a great year and I'll see yall' in the next one
Seven of the largest airships ever built on Remnant were slowly drifting towards their flagship, pride of the Atlesian military, still burning over the city. Thick smoke from the spreading flame poured out of the hangar making it nigh impossible for any meaning full reinforcements to make their way over.
But the other commanders were still frozen in indecision, communications were silent leaving the wider world unaware of what was happening onboard.
"Weiss, I need you to listen to me," Jacques Schnee tried to say,
However his eldest daughter however was in no such mood to do so. She angrily stamped down her foot and finally let loose with her emotions.
"No, you listen! You talk about honor and then go to run away? We need to be here!" Weiss shouted and argued,
"It will only be for a few weeks Weiss," Her father countered,
"And then what? We just pretend that nothing happened? How-"
She never got to finish her thought, red alarm lights flared all over the bridge accompanied by a loud blaring siren which drowned out the new shouting voices of the bridge crew attempting to figure out what was going on.
General Ironwood turned and shouted out to his bridge, "Report!"
Hands flew across holographic stations. But only silence answered the general who quickly stepped to the closest console and the man behind it frantically tapping through commands.
Ironwood leaned close "I said report airman…"
The poor trooper wiped away some sweat running down his cheeks with the red sleeve of his suit, "I'm trying sir… But… it…it…"
"Pull yourself together son," Ironwood said, grasping the soldier's left arm.
He swallowed and nodded, "I can't… It's like someone rewrote all the controls for… Like everything. I try to do one thing the buttons go all wrong. I try to dig deeper but it seems all the passwords and reset keys, and a bunch of code routes have been scrambled as well."
"That alarm?"
"Fire I'm assuming, separate useless benign automated system."
On the other side of the room, all thoughts of the near future were put aside for Weiss's father. He moved past his girls, gently laying a hand on their shoulders as he headed to the general. Ironwood heard his footsteps approaching. Mentally groaning at the coming verbal exchange. He needed the three of them off his ship.
Before Schnee could say a word the general rounded on him, "Sir, my major will escort you to the V.I.P hangar and you will disembark immediately."
The older business man's eyebrows went up slightly, "Without even knowing what is happening? Isn't this the safest place on the ship right now?"
"You will be even safer off my ship. And out of my way…"
Both Ruby and Penny had quickly realized that neither of them were going to fit through any of the vents scattered around the lab. Now they merely stood by the still closed door, watching the red lights flash silently across their little room. Giving the doctor sometime to work on the computer before they resorted to more drastic solutions.
"Eureka!" Geppetto suddenly exclaimed clapping once then rubbing his palms together in excitement.
"Father?" Penny asked.
"I managed to access some security circuits," He told them.
"Can you get the door?" Ruby asked.
The old man tapped a few holographic buttons. But the door remained adamantly shut.
"Worth a shot," He muttered.
Penny went back to the door while Ruby leaned close and studied the terminal.
"What else can you do?" She asked.
The doctor stroked his chin for a moment before resuming his search, "Well let's see… Comms… No, lights whoop dee do. Cameras… Not very…"
Ruby jumped a little bit and cut him off, "Wait! Go back."
"To what?"
"Cameras. Maybe no one is answering from the bridge because there is no one there?"
He thought for a moment and then decided that there was nothing to lose from humoring the girl. Geppetto struck a few more sequences and brought up a feed from the command bridge.
Realizing that their traditional channels of communication were getting them nowhere one of the airships in the fleet began drifting closer to the flagship and switched to a more tried and true method of messaging.
Powerful strobe lights began flicking on and off rapidly in an old Atlesian code. The airship moved in front of its sister ship. Still several hundred meters off and at a higher altitude. Blinking its request for status directly into the bridge.
"General!" Winter called over, pointing up to the other ship to inform him.
He looked up and frowned then turned back to the airman he was standing by.
"Can you…" Ironwood started to ask,
Before he was violently interrupted.
Down the cavernous bridge the thick steel doors leading to the rest of the vessel suddenly exploded outward in a burst of red flames and flying molten shrapnel.
Both Ruby and the Doctor flinched back at the burst of static and the explosive crack that shot through the little speakers.
"Uh-oh…" Ruby said quietly. Fear and concern threatening to choke her throat.
Penny figured that something mechanical was placed on the other side. Keeping the three of them trapped in the lab. She ran her palm along the center seam trying to find a point of purchase for her finger tips. But out of the corner of her eyes she saw the sharp outline of an airship coming up. She tried to read the strobe lights flashing frantically but Penny had never taken the time to learn any of the military's signal codes.
Reading those however became irrelevant when she saw the flash of movement far away on The Wall. And she surmised what the other ship was signaling about.
Weiss flinched and ducked, raising an arm to shield herself. Red hot metal fragments flew through the air. She heard the hiss of split air as several flew by close enough to touch.
Others in the room were not as lucky. Several crew-members fell to the ground, clutching soon to be bruises in pain. Drained by the tax on their strength their auras just took to save their lives.
Ironwood was one of the more unfortunate. A large piece of metal flew and glanced off the side of his head with a red spray of bloody mist. He fell down to the deck unconscious.
A dozen dark clad figures poured out from the smoking door, raised their rifles and opened fire.
Other Atlesians drew their pistols took what cover they could and retaliated. Auras on both sides dwindled rapidly from the exchange of bullets and energy bolts.
Weiss pulled Winter close on her right, drew Myrtenaster and raised a black glyph to shield them both. Sparks flew from the opposite side of the swirling barrier. One intruder shifted his aim. Away from the soldiers and the impenetrable glyph. Over to the Schnee patriarch standing outraged, out in the open.
The bulky carbine barked three times. Three bullets shredded through the businessman's collarbone and shoulder over his heart. Jacques gave one short cry of pain and fell backwards clutching the wound.
Both sisters looked over in shock, but then back to the door. Drawn by the malicious laugh that had just flown through from the hallway.
"Ruby look at that,"
Penny pointed out the window, her friend in red couldn't make out what she was pointing at from the desk. But once Ruby got over to the window and focused she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
One airship had broken off from the pack and was flying over to the breach in The Wall. Doctor Geppetto looked up as well.
"Girls?" He asked,
"Someone just blew up the cliffs out there," Ruby told him.
She turned over to her android friend. Penny nodded in unspoken understanding.
They had to get out.
Weiss narrowed her eyes and focused on two silhouettes in smoke waltzing out onto the bridge. One short and feminine with a large blob of hair on her head. Holding an indistinct length of something casually back on her right shoulder. With another, taller most likely a man at her side.
His features soon became shockingly clear as Roman Torchwick stepped into the light.
Torchwick tipped his hat to the Heiresses. Grinning like a schoolyard bully. Confident and thoroughly amused at the carnage around him. All the violence and fighting stopped for a moment waiting to see what would transpire.
"Ice queen…" Roman said with a deceptively friendly tone.
Weiss bared her teeth, bringing her rapier up with a flurry of clicks as the Dust cylinder spun. Winter drew her unfamiliar sword and tried to mimic her sister's form with almost shaking hands.
Roman laughed once again, "Well it's good to see you brats. But you are on my ship…"
"It's not yours," Winter told him, trying to be defiant.
"Minor details girl. And irrelevant now."
He looked back to his troops standing idly, "Well don't just stand there… Kill them all!"
A dozen hands reached down and drew a dozen short swords in one almost fluid motion. Neo smiled carnivorously and opened her parasol to lean back on her shoulder with a flourish.
"No!"
A voice shouted in ice cold rage. Both Schnee girls looked down to their father. He managed to pull himself into a sitting position, hand on his ruined shoulder with sweat pouring down his face. Obviously in a great deal of pain.
"You won't touch my girls…" He snarled through clenched teeth, "Not while I'm alive…"
Roman chuckled and tried to think of a snarky remark. But Jacques stretched out his right hand.
White light curled around his fingers and a glyph shimmered to light hovering above his palm. Out in front of him two other giant glyphs burst open on the polished metal floor. All those with their auras unlocked felt the buildup of power heavy in the air.
The symbols spun and twisted. Misty clouds of something supernatural curled from their centers. On each glyph claws summoned a nonexistent space stretched up and down gouging into the floor. Broad shoulder and many spiked limbs slowly stood to their impressive height.
Two white glowing Ursa stood and roared together at the criminal group.
Weiss looked back to her father, the old man fell backwards again. Exhausted from his semblance use.
Then his summons charged.
A brilliant beam of emerald energy burst out of the side of the Atlas and flew harmlessly out into the sky. The edges of this new perfectly circle portal glowed almost white hot.
Ruby carefully stepped over the molten metal bits and looked out over the city.
"Nice work Penny!" She called back.
Penny stepped out cautiously as well, "What are the airships doing?"
They could see three ships moving into a diamond formation heading north to Forever Fall and the breach. Three more took up a similar flight pattern spread out behind them, while the vessel hovering over the flagship continued to try and get a response.
New reports were coming in from the monitoring stations out in the forest and villages relatively close to the city. All of the transmissions ended in sudden bursts of static. But the message was clear.
As was the massive wall of blips covering their long range radar screens on the airships.
"Oh man, we've got to go!" Ruby said.
Penny looked back to her father, busy stuffing data drives into his pockets and rounding up scattered folders.
"Father?" She called out.
"One moment child," He said returning to his work station to hammer out a few more commands on the system.
"We need to leave," Penny told him, not thinking he realized the urgency of their situation.
He nodded with understanding, "Just one more thing."
"We don't have time for any of this…"
"Always so impatient… Here," The doctor reached down and pulled a little flat palm reader out from under the table and laid it flat.
"Give me your hand Penny," He asked holding out his own.
Now understanding finally dawned in Penny's eyes as she put her slender palm down and he placed his hand atop hers. She seemed to freeze in place, and after a moment closed her eyes and bent her head down in a pose of fierce concentration.
Dr. Geppetto never knew what it felt like when Penny connected to another device. He could only speculate since his daughter rarely ever spoke about such experiences. Perpetually wondering if it was just like reading code, or something else more dreamlike?
Penny finished and looked up once more into his eyes.
Geppetto smiled back, and kissed the top of her head, "Just in case my dear…"
Ruby shouted, "Penny! Come on!"
The ginger android looked back to her friend but up again to her father silently seeking permission to go.
He sighed softly, "Go on, make a difference."
"But what are you going to do?" She asked,
"I'll find an escape pod, there's some just around the bend. Then launch down to the city… Go on… The world's not going to save itself."
As shocking as the sudden presence of two Ursa were, Torchwick's men had spent most of their early training fighting Grimm. They knew what to do. When confronted with the beasts on their own.
Some of the Atlas soldiers still standing were boosted by the sight of unexpected reinforcements. Together they drew their small short swords and attacked.
One ex-Hunter in black raised his sword and stopped the downward swipe of a giant paw. Only to be gutted by an Atlas trooper swinging up and slicing straight through his aura and stomach.
Saboteurs split to find the best way to engage the multiple threats. Neo spun back under a high swipe by a blue trooper, drew her slender blade and backhanded it into his right leg as she twirled back. The poor man fell to his knees, and his cry of pain turned into a choked gurgle as Neo's sword speared through his neck.
Roman saw other Atlesians taking aim. Bright red flares screamed through the air keeping their heads down as he fired. Giving him time to turn his attention back on what was controlling these ghostly apparitions.
He raised his cane and sighted up on the prone Schnee.
But as he squeezed the trigger, a blue bolt of Dust flew out and covered the end of his weapon. And the flare exploded in the barrel, shattering the blockage. Torchwick flinched and ducked at the smoke stinging his eyes.
That was when Weiss made her move.
She sped across the floor aiming for the criminal Kingpin. Her rapier scoured across his middle and aura. Roman grunted in surprise and turned around to follow the streak of white.
When she came in again, the narrow point of her sword was brushed up by the cane in his hands. Undaunted she summoned another glyph and shot away out of Roman's reach then quickly back again from a different angle. But Roman blocked again, stuck out a foot and sent the Heiress tumbling to the ground.
Roman turned whistling for his companion. Neo met his gaze and grinned in understanding when Roman flicked his head over at Jacques.
One Ursa turned back and made a swipe for the little criminal. But she disappeared in a flash, rematerializing farther away. But as she turned to draw her sword out Neo had to make a sudden mental adjustment for the other blade swinging up at her face.
Winter had never drawn a weapon to truly fight in her entire life. She knew basics but generally in passing. Yet looking at her sister confidently moving against the terrorist this whole raid was centered on filled her with courage.
Neo parried and grinned once again, flicking her pink parasol closed. Waiting for the little girl to make the first move. Winter didn't take the bait, aiming her blade trying to look brave.
Weiss darted and jabbed at Roman, trying to find a way past that spinning cane in his hands. She struck left, he blocked, she lunged down, he kicked out and threw her off balance. Weiss struck again.
Roman twisted aside, wrapped the crook of his right elbow around Myretnaster locking the rapier in place. Then punched Weiss in the face with his free hand.
The saboteur's blades where having a hard time bringing down the bulky form of the Ursas. Even when they managed to land good hits nothing seemed to hurt the beasts. But almost all of the bold Atlesian soldiers were lying wounded on the ground, some slowly falling silent and others trying to pull themselves out of the way.
Eight men were left in Roman's force. One struck again trying to open an Ursa's stomach. The Grimm stamped down with both forearms and flattened the man into the floor with a dreadful crunch of breaking bones. It then lunged forward and bit down on top of another. Rearing back up and shaking its prize like a ragdoll, before spitting what little was left out and looking for another target.
Winter lunged forward, but Neo spun away unharmed. Striking her parasol across the younger Heiress's head as she moved. Winter spun back slashing low. Neo jumped and remained unharmed. It was clear to anyone watching that the tricolored criminal was merely toying with the little heiress, like a cat with a mouse. But Winter valiantly came back swinging after every hit she took.
Swinging through empty air as Neo flashed away again. The criminal reappeared right over Jacques lying limp on the floor. Winter froze, wide eyed and helpless from afar, seeing the little blade come up and then descend.
Right into her father's chest.
The glowing Ursa shimmered and froze. Their creator no longer able to focus on anything other than the lances of pain shooting through his body, and all of his life blood slowly spilling out onto the floor in a growing puddle.
And the summons began to dissolve just like the Grimm they had once been.
Winter couldn't stop staring. But as Neo sleekly turned around with a carnivorous grinn, Winter's shock was replaced by anger.
Weiss shot to her feet and resumed her attack. But Roman still held his own, swiping down her sword strokes and smoothly giving ground across the room.
Neo slashed down with her own blade, deflecting Winter's frenzied lunge into the floor. Her pink parasol smashed into Winter's head.
The younger Schnee slashed up blindly, Neo stepped over the razor edge and kicked out. Her pointed heel struck Winter high on her chest. Quick jabs and fast cuts with her blade stunning slaps from her parasol kept Winter's slowing strikes away. Smirking in her blatant superiority, Neo savored playing with the younger girl. Nothing she did was a fatal stroke, she left only superficial cuts and bruises on the pale skin of Winter
Neo struck, a brutal two handed swing with her parasol that sent Winter tumbling backwards to her hands and knees.
Finally she was moving past her little games, moving in for the kill.
Weiss saw her twin in trouble, Roman swung at her again. But Weiss threw a glyph in front of his cane. She turned and circled her sword collecting dust bolts which she cast at Neo.
The first three unexpected red bolts struck Neo full in the chest, draining her aura. But thus alerted to the rest incoming, Neo opened her parasol and shielded herself. Roman side stepped around the white glyph and seized Weiss by the throat. She was light and Roman had no trouble lifting her up to sneer at her.
Neo closed her weapon and took the blade in her hands once again, shaking slightly. But Neo ignored the feeling. Winter was still vulnerable, down on her knees blinking and stunned.
Winter opened her eyes. Watched Neo smile one more time then leap at her, thin sword high.
Winter could only flinch, bringing up her left hand in a futile attempt to shield her face, forgetting about the other hand coming up.
The hand still holding her sword.
While she never claimed to be any type of fighter, this slender blade was still as sharp as any functioning weapon in the world.
It had no trouble sliding through Neo's weaken aura. Through her coat, through her heart and out her back.
General Ironwood gasped as he finally regained consciousness.
But his first thought wasn't panic or a cold calculation. He just wondered what the damn smell was. Thick metallic smoke had replaced the normally antiseptic aroma of his bridge.
Then he noticed the other airship still signaling into the chaos. And recent events came back to the fore front of his mind with a jolt of adrenaline. And then Ironwood started to get worried as he mentally translated the blips.
Imminent invasion,
Imminent attack,
The flocks of Grimm crested The Wall. Shrieking ecstatically, pumping their various wings as hard as they could building speed.
The six airships pressed on, weapons spooled up and armed as the beasts came within range.
Dozens of molten lines of light made from hundreds of thousands of high caliber rounds flashed out, shot by rotating barrels on the airship's defense turrets. Carving lines of destruction through the giant flock of monsters. Massive laser cannons picked the largest targets out of the horde. Small missiles darted out seeking targets.
Puffs of fire bloomed where they detonated. As every single weapon on the hulls tried to turn back the tide. But for every Grimm that fell burning and torn from the sky an uncountable number flew forward trying to close with the airships.
Atlesian gunships launched and took up stations in the formation, waiting to add their weight of fire to the fight if the flock got any closer. Massive hatches on the under bellies of the first line of airships opened. Advanced targeting computers plotted out trajectories and damage assessments. Waiting for the right time to launch.
Three dozen cruise missiles streaked away from the airships racing straight for the heart of the horde. These weren't aimed at any specific beasts. The rockets only flew a relatively short distance before the onboard timers hit zero.
Three dozen false suns exploded over Vale, vaporizing Grimm after Grimm as the balls of fire expanded consuming all they touched. Many creatures combusted from the heat before the blaze actually reached them.
And when the infernos died out, the whole wave had to flutter and readjust as the vacuums left by the bombs suddenly sucked all the air back into the voids they had burned over the city with violentforce.
The airships and their little flyer escorts pressed forward. Sending more and more creatures plummeting from the sky. Many were completely dissolved before they even hit the ground. Others died from the sudden stop at the end of their fall.
Pilots smiled as they felt their confidence growing. No one dared break off the practiced calculated code of battle-speak they were all communicating in. But victory seemed inevitable.
Nine black shadows suddenly dove from the clouds over head. These giant Nevermore were easily twice the size of any Atlesian gunship flitting around, barring the massive flying weapons platforms that had just decimated the first Grimm.
Pilots looked up in panic at the specters of death descending. Several banked to escape but crashed into their comrades instead. Claws pierced through armor plating. The Grimm pulled the gunships up out of formation, and hurled them back at the airships.
Turbines and pilots both, screamed trying to steady their crafts. But smoke belched from the damaged engines, and the aircraft met their doom.
Explosions rocked the hull of the lead airship. Turrets and missile racks exploded. The volume of outgoing fire dimmed, and then the horde made its move.
One Nevermore landed on the massive viewport and shattered the glass with its white razor beak. Then beast pulled itself inside widening the opening behind it and screaming at the terrified bridge crew.
Hundreds more Grimm descended on the stricken airship. Pouring into the command center to devour the Humans. Smashing their bodies against and through blast proof windows. Landing on the hull and crawling towards the still functioning weapons. Making more missiles detonate in their tubes as they laid on the firing ports. Biting through exhaust vents and crawling inside. Hurling their bodies into the spinning turbines. Heedless of their own existence, their only purpose and thought in the world killing this man made beast.
Explosions ripped the airship's engines apart. The burning ship slowly started to loose altitude. Until gravity truly snagged its claws into the now murdered metal monstrosity and began speeding it towards the ground and the city below.
The reserve group pressed forward but the airships couldn't use their largest missiles. Their own brothers in arms were being swarmed under by the Grimm. The last two airships of the first wave fought on valiantly. But soon succumbed to the same fate as their sister ship.
And still more Grimm passed over The Wall and set upon the others.
Colorful flashes of light filled the shadowed corners of the command bridge. But not even those could disguise the shocked look on Neo's face.
Both her pink, and brown eye locked on the hilt sticking from her body, and on the red stain slowly spreading down her clothes. As pain spread from her heart and all the strength flowed out of her limbs.
Winter couldn't move. Her hand left her sword as Neo slowly collapsed, and the pampered Heiress tried to wrap her head around the fact that she had just killed a person.
Across the room Roman snarled and threw Weiss to the floor. Aiming his cane directly at her face as she sat up.
Streaks of energy zapped out at the criminal kingpin. Roman shouted and stumbled back, the beams bouncing and sparking off his aura.
Ironwood kept his pistol pointed as he stood blinking blood out of his eye.
The last few saboteurs standing kept flicking their helmets up to the battle raging beyond the windows and the stand-off that had so quickly gone to shit around them. Stepping back to the ruined door, their intentions clear but silent.
Roman watched them retreat, a sonic boom gently rocked the ship as one of its twins exploded outside. His calculating mind quickly took in the scene, and then factored in his current predicament.
Ironwood glared, his aim never wavering. Weiss had scrambled to her feet, reclaimed Myrtenaster aimed the narrow point at Torchwick.
Roman took one last look at Neo's lifeless gaze seemingly pointed at him and made his decision.
When their path led them close to the outside of the ship again, Ruby and Penny skidded to a halt and took in the carnage off to the north.
Only two badly damaged ships remained out of the once mighty air force, not looking long for the world either. Still several hundred flying Grimm were flying full speed at the flagship. But more and more were starting to break off to start attacking the city.
And support the earth bound daemons appearing in flashes of Warp fire more and more in the panicking metropolis.
"Come on. This way," Penny said tugging on Ruby's black sleeve.
They sprinted through the corridors Penny knew by heart. Both of them hoping they were not going to be too late.
As they rounded one last corner, Ruby slid to a halt. Recognizing the coat of white and the black bowler hat atop the head of Roman Torchwick running away from the bridge and by extension the two of them further down the hallway they were currently in.
Ruby and Penny paused where the doorway used to be. Bodies were scattered all over the place.
General Ironwood was shouting out orders to the survivors trying to get the ship up and fighting again. Weapons rumbled and gently shook the ship as his labors bore fruit.
Up ahead Weiss was frozen in a half turn staring at her sister cradling their father on the floor.
"Weiss!" Ruby called, "What hap-"
Weiss turned back, surprised to see her team leader just standing there. Her reply was swift and full of ice, "Don't just stand there, you dolt! Go get Torchwick!"
"Do you…" Penny tried to ask, but Ruby grabbed her shoulder. She knew Weiss had other priorities right now. They quickly shot off in pursuit.
Weiss carelessly threw her rapier down and knelt on the other side of her father. His head and shoulders cradled back on Winter's lap as her own tears splashed on his face adding to the river of sweat running down.
"Father?" Weiss said, not really knowing what to say.
He opened his eyes and smiled at her. Laughing just a little even though it plainly hurt him,
"Glad to see I haven't lost my touch… Trying to be something I'm not…" Jacques said before he coughed again, wet and bloody, "You… look so much… Like your mother…"
Winter cut back her sobs for a moment, "No… Don't you dare speak like that!"
He tried to chuckle again, "Sorry, dear… Dear girls… Tell… Tell her…"
Stillness froze his features. And his pale blue eyes shifted up to something, indistinct as he passed away.
Winter couldn't even breathe. Trapped in this nightmare that had suddenly crept on her. Barely even cognizant of her sister's arms pulling her close as she cried for their father.
Places past in a flurry of rose petals as Ruby ran Torchwick down.
His men closed doors. Penny blasted them open.
They two girls didn't have time to wonder where the group was heading. But Penny started to have an idea as they drew closer to the lower decks. Finally the strike team rushed into the private airdock. The doors began to slide shut. Penny stopped, reaching her arm back behind her.
Three swords shot forward with a flick of her wrist. The flying blades knocked the other Huntsman down, then retracted to hold the doors open.
Sparks dropped from the frame as Penny forced the door open with her bare hands. Ruby quickly vaulted over her friend and drew Crescent Rose, chambering a round and pointing the little rifle form at the last man boarding the ship.
Torchwick growled in frustration, nodded to someone inside the bullhead then stepped away from the ramp.
The wing tip engines roared to life and the hangar floor opened up beneath the now hovering ship. Sounds of gunfire and explosions drifted beneath the screaming air.
Ruby saw the criminal grin at her, raising his hands like he was going to surrender, Roman's signature cane draped in the crook of his left arm.
"So what's it gonna be Red?" He yelled over to Ruby.
"You're not leaving here!" She shouted back.
"No, I am!" He retorted, "Run along now! The world may be going to hell in a hand basket but I'm not going with it!"
Still smiling Roman, spun on one heel and slowly walked back towards the ramp.
"Hey!" Ruby shouted, sighting up to put a bullet through his leg.
A figure in black leaned out the side of the airship and threw a small silver cylinder at the two girls.
It wasn't an explosive device but the flashbang still blinded both of them for a crucial second. Penny recovered quickly. But stopped in hesitation before she could restrain the ship as it spun its engines up to full power. Roman's foot hit the plank.
Violently and unexpectedly the ship rocked to the side. Penny flattened Ruby against the wall to the left as the floor rolled beneath them.
The Grimm outside had reached the ship.
The bull head banked and threw Roman off balance. His arms flailed as he fell backwards and landed on the edge of the floor doors. Feet dangling precariously over the edge, his cane dropped and lost to the wind.
Down below, one giant Nevermore made its move.
White claws shot out as the flying daemon flapped, turned and latched onto the bottom of the bullhead like an eagle catching a fish.
Men and engines screamed as the bird tore them away. One turbine engine clipped the floor and exploded almost on top of Roman. Fragments scorched his skin and aura. His hands slipped and his hat fell from his ginger head.
Roman shouted but miraculously managed to sink his hands onto a lower piece of the hangar door.
The ship lurched back the way it came trying to level out. Ruby shook the lights from her vision just in time to see her nemesis fall.
Part of Ruby would question why she did this later. In a blur of rose petals she pulsed her semblance and leant down into the void to offer her hand to a man she despised. Even Torchwick seemed shocked that this girl had come to help him.
Yet Ruby's short arms were not nearly long enough to reach him.
Roman would have to jump.
Adrenaline flowed hard through his veins. Muscles bunched and elbows bent he set his strength to jump.
And then his grip faltered.
He took a deep final breath.
And screamed it all away as his fingers slipped and he fell down towards the city.
"No!" Ruby cried, trying to stretch her arm down further. But Roman was beyond her help now. He flailed and screamed in mortal terror. Air whipping past him as he raced to the ground.
Ruby didn't want to watch this,
The young leader flinched and averted her gaze.
A shadow passed below her. As one flying Grimm silenced the dimming screams and snatched Roman out of the air.