Their descent was in no way stealthy.
That was the goal.
Jet engines on the airships screamed in protest as the pilots pushed them to their limits. Flying fast as the wind all but blind using their instruments only. As the mid-morning sun failed to pierce through the heavy unnatural cloud cover that surrounded the kingdom's namesake city of Vacuo.
Ruby was poised on the edge of the crew bay in the Bullhead dropship her team had been assigned to. Breaking off from the air fleet that had flown as high as they possibly could over the Grimm until the time came.
Her heart pounding loud and wild. The day upon her, that she had waited her whole life for. Gone was all the quiet mired dread, and anticipation the young Huntress and her comrades had sat with on the long flight over the mountains and seas, after bidding farewell to those they left behind.
All the doubt and shackled fear disappeared in a rush at this very moment.
What the young girl truly held as her first day as a Huntress.
Their ship dove low, dull thuds hammered against the hull as the Bullhead plowed through an unknown Grimm. The rattle of auto cannons firing came soon after as ash laced wind from the razed city stung Ruby's face. But she banished the minor discomfort.
She spied their target,
"Go!" Ruby shouted, pulsing her semblance taking to the air.
Petals rained in the floor of the watch tower a split second before a Griffon's head landed amidst them. But before either struck the ground Ruby had launched herself forward with a shot from Crescent Rose. Spinning and cutting through the rest of the nest.
An explosion sounded behind her, as Yang dove and fired both shells from her gauntlets into the back of another Griffon's skull. Slaying the winged creature and blasting herself up out of the deadly fall with a flip to land behind her sister.
The Alpha of the nest, alert, and very angry added its howl to the cacophony ringing through the city. A hurricane of hungry hateful noise sounding out alarms that the Hunters had arrived.
The Griffon's roar turned into a pained squawk when the pointed tip of Gambol Shroud sunk into the back of its head on the end of its long ribbon. The weight of Blake falling from the sky right over the edge of the parapet pulled the creature down. Right onto the spike of ice conjured up from a glyph Weiss laid beneath the creature.
The heiress held herself in the air with her high heeled boots planted in the ghostly blue palm of the armor construct she had summoned. But already feeling her strength waver she dissolved the glyph and easily made the smaller jump down to the walls. Through the death cloud that her first kill left behind. And with Gambol Shroud now free Blake pulled the weapon down after herself.
Ruby and Yang having dispatched what remained of the small nest, without skipping a step leapt after their Faunus teammate. The extra blade back in her hand greatly appreciated by Blake as she fenced away at a swarm of claws.
When she landed with a shockwave of flaring soul fire and a shower of red petals, Yang immediately grabbed hold of both her sister and partner's arms. Using all her strength to throw the two of them up past the living black wall penning them in place. Their guns barked a deadly song shooting as the two girls sailed away again on the air. White skull masks split and fragmented amidst the rubble strewn back alley. The creatures that weathered the barraged were incinerated in a wave of red flames when Weiss landed beside the blonde, gave a pirouette, spun the Chamber of Myrtenaster and stabbed the narrow blade into the ground.
With no foes immediately in sight, the girls had a moment to pause and breath.
And feel the ground rumble beneath their feet,
Their little scythe wielding leader placed a finger to her right ear, "Hey Alicia, its Ruby. Tell Kad we got one. We're right by our drop site."
Her ear piece buzzed with interference but Ruby picked out the other Huntresses' reply, "Gotcha, that was fast. Congrats on getting the first catch … Standby."
Moments later. Out on what remained of the street a flash of light slightly above Team RWBY's collective heads came before a familiar red vortex opened up and Kad Amaranth stepped through. Battle ready with sword on his back. The dark skies mirroring the lines of steadfast determination on his face muted the usual vibrant tone of his most colorful piece of clothing. Followed closely by the creator of this portal Raven, drawing her own red sword.
Taking the slight drop in stride Kad did two things. The first shifting the messenger bag on his right side over the giant fighting knife, preparing to take up the arcane Dust shard from within. The second, casually gripping and tearing a still standing street lamp free from the ground with his left as he moved to face the city center.
The black metal pole crumpled easily around his powerful fingers. Cables torn free from their conduits resisted the Huntsman's might for a moment before snapping free.
Far above the aerial battle still raged as dropships having disgorged their compliments of youths turned and burned back to the larger airships not yet in the fray. The Grimm horde spreading out wildly racing to the small groups dropped all around their periphery. Team RWBY moved to flank the giant waiting for this monstrous approaching Grimm.
New unfamiliar Grimm emerged from the shadows to lead their evil charge.
A small flock of black flying Grimm skimming low over the ground, no legs on their flat manta like forms. Deep purple flame belched from their pincer jaws when they hissed open and closed in hateful hunger. Stray Beowolves loping forward on long limbs behind them.
The rumbling drew closer.
The Grimm were by nature, a chaotic foe. Whose tactics did not range at all from the singular doctrine of overwhelming numbers.
And the Hunters planned to use that to their advantage. Spreading their forces across the once grand city, knowing the evil creatures would respond to every attack. Opening up gaps that the young forces of Remnant could exploit.
Isolating and giving the Primarch room to find and engage their largest foes only he stood a chance against one by one.
The Huntsman trying to sooth nerves by kindling a sentiment more of pest control in their grand strategy.
As all his friends and comrades looked expectantly towards him in the final moment before they were to depart. Waiting on any more words Kad would offer. And the giant simply asked them.
"Do you want to hear me run my mouth? Or do you want to kill some more fucking Grimm?!"
And the source of the increasingly violent tremors finally appeared.
Low slung and heavily armored. If the giant monster stretched the spikes adorning its back would have crested any building at Beacon. It was many times longer than its height. Four powerful legs dug deep and propelled the beast forward, its long jaw filled with row after row of spear like teeth.
The Primarch's arm moved in a long unused but not forgotten pattern. Shifting the street lamp back like a javelin locked in a ballista. And when the giant crocodilian Grimm let out another blast of hot air in a roar laced with the rotting stench of the dead Kad hurled the pole into its mouth.
The creature gave a wretched gag as its mouth failed to close down on the metal. And the more it tried the deeper the sharp point digging into the roof of its maw went.
Now taking the crystal shard in hand, Kad grit his teeth and reached out with the power flowing into him. Closing his left fist like he could grip the sky itself.
And with his eyes aflame in glowing power he did.
Drawing a bolt of lightning down on the monster's death mask.
The beast writhed in agony and uncontrolled spasms. Losing control over its earthly body to crush many but not all of its lesser brethren into pulp. The wild power being channels directly into its brain through the metal beam lodged within. Team RWBY still set their feet, and readied their weapons to engage the other Grimm.
Unnatural fire shout from the fliers' mouths. Ruby, Blake and Yang nimbly dodged out of the way.
Weiss flicked a trio of blue ice bolts to explode midair over them all as she took cover behind the Huntsman with Raven. Dampening much of the Grimm attack. And with a blast from his semblance Kad smothered the Warp fire heading his way. Riding another wave of elemental power he pulled down a final finishing lightning strike to the colossal Daemon.
The girls flinched and tried their best to shield their eyes and senses from the blast and the monster's brutal death scream. An awful sound cut short as the daemon's brain fried, and quickly turned to smoking ash along with the rest of its body.
Shaking off the effects Ruby jumped from monster to monster, felling them with ease beneath cleaving blows and dodging more guttered flame jets. Letting out a quick laugh when she saw the big Grimm die,
"Yeah!"
The last Beowolf fell with Blake's katana in its throat and the cleaver sheath between its eyes as she kicked it of her blades. The girls moved to regroup as Kad put two fingers to his left ear and the small microphone within, linked back to his teammates feeding him reports from the airships.
Seeing the Huntresses looking to him expectantly Kad told them, "Stay on target. Keep pushing into the city."
Ruby gave him an excited smile. Knowing what news their distant comrades we're supposed to be giving the giant, "You got another one already?"
Yang lightly reprimanded her sister, "Focus Ruby."
"Team YEWL, in the Southern Quarter," Kad still chose to explain, both to Ruby and Raven. Speaking of a team on the very opposite side of Vacuo. Determination focusing his tone like iron. "We'll keep these damn things guessing."
Raven gave him a nod and then slashed her sword down hard to the right. Crimson waves grew on the black edge of the hole in the world she had made. One back to the airship which would let her get a better picture of where to take the giant after the next monster.
The dark haired Huntress gave a weary huff. Concerned, Yang called out to her, "Are you all right?"
"Never better," Raven answered as a few stray beads of sweat escaped down her forehead. But under a stern look from Kad she enunciated with venom, "I am fine."
Upon looking the Huntsman dead in his amber eyes, she felt a flicker of shame. Ego and pride had taken hold of her, and that would not serve them now.
"But I don't want to be doing this all day. Got it?" Raven said.
More Hunters dropped in by the minute, creating a hundred small fronts across the entire grand length of Vacuo as they bypassed the legions of Grimm on the fields beyond the walls.
The metal shards cut coming out from the piles of rubble and they cut again when Pyrrha gathered them into a ball. Leapt up, spun and smashed her bronze shield into the jagged sphere. Launching the shrapnel back at the myriad Grimm in her way like a frag grenade.
Beasts yelped in pain and surprise before they died under the barrage. Clad in thick armor, Alphas growled and shrugged off the worst of it. Twin Ursa majors growled their hatred and rushed the Mistrali champion attempting to flank her.
Unfolding Milo' out to its full length she dove, spun and slashed through a miniscule gap in the neck armor sending both heads rolling to the ground.
The Grimm tide however was as strange as it was endless.
Things of more mouth than body emerged from death clouds ahead of Pyrrha. Many clawed limbs of gangly forms gripping the dirt for purchase with even more tendrils grasping from the back of their heads. Their black skin shiny like it was yet to solidify.
They died all the same when Pyrrha rolled in close and cut one in half from the groin up, in a flash of red she turned back left and hurled the gold and red spear straight through another's head between the glistening red eyes.
Before the rifle spear landed the Huntress had reached out with her semblance and pulled it spinning back through the other Daemons like a blade cutting grass. Finishing off the last of their number with a strong blow from her good left arm and the shield upon. It cracking the not nearly armored enough skull bone of the horror with the firm edge of Akouo.
Jaune, Ren, and Nora stood in slack jawed awe at effortless and brutal display Pyrrha had conjured. Leaping into danger before their leader Jaune could bark out a formation plan, or even draw his sword.
"Awesome!" Nora shouted out in glee. Holding her hammer high in both hands.
Ren nodded in agreement, "Yes that was impressive."
"Hey," Jaune said, trying to keep focus. "Don't run off thinking you're going to fight this whole battle by yourself Pyrrha."
The foolhardiness of her brazen assault on the first Grimm they had seen upon landing in the Western Quarter hit Pyrrha along with an unhealthy dose of self-consciousness. Her left hand made it halfway up to her head of red hair before she managed to speak,
"O-oh, yes. I'm sorry," She apologize to her friends. "I don't know what came over me."
"Don't worry, let's get going." Jaune said as he broke into a run. Prompting his teammates to do the same. The three of them now trailing behind their all-star teammate who sought to quickly cover ground.
"I meant together Pyrrha…" Jaune tried to remind her.
Realizing again what she was doing Pyrrha swallowed down another profuse apology and dropped her pace to run beside her partner. All four keeping their heads on a swivel scanning for more threats.
Aside from a few dangerously close shadows zooming by team JNPR did not encounter many more Grimm. Smaller creatures they shot and killed before the Hunter's presence was truly noted.
Looking down at the streets that had been a calamitous mess even before the Grimm army got to them. Something made Ren pause.
An uncomfortably familiar shape pressed into the dirt.
"Hold on!" Ren called out to his team before stopping where he stood.
The rest of JNPR skidded to a halt and looked back to the green clad boy. Now kneeling in the dirt running a hand along the deep scratching marks he had found.
Alongside an immense hoof print.
"What is it?" Nora asked when her friend remained adamantly locked his discovery.
The sounds of distant battle were escalating. Another flash of lightning lit the sky called down by the Primarch. The radio crackled to life shortly afterwards. The artificial girl Penny calling their entire little army from the airships.
"Greetings friends! Kad wishes to say well done. I know he does even if he didn't tell me to tell you that he-"
The deep gruff voice of Co'Balt interjected from the background noise,
"Penny!"
Oh, yes. But he did say that we should expedite our progress towards the city center. The Grimm have been thoroughly agitated like my friend Co'Balt here who is coming closer to also congratulate you on-"
"Give me that!" The sounds of a brief scuffle followed Co'Balt's demand.
Jaune however quickly muted the link though the scroll on the back of his shield having received the gist of the message.
"Yeah…" He muttered first in exasperation, "We don't have time Ren, let's get going"
Pyrrha added, "They are going to need us at the center."
Ren stood, "You guys go on without me. There's something I need to do."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa…" Jaune sputtered out. Quickly looking down at the prints Ren was standing over. Not trying to be callous but also speaking with time in mind, "What are those? And why do you care?"
"…If it is what I think it is," Ren began only to be cut off by Nora.
"Then we will take care of it together," She said moving to his side and gripping his right arm gently in her left. Balancing her hybrid hammer by the hilt on her right. Concern plain as day on her face.
The faint memory she held of a dark story Ren once. And only once told to her coming to light again.
In support Pyrrha said, "This is no time to be splitting up."
"I know," Ren replied, "I just want… I need to know."
Yet attempting to coerce some form of explanation from their teammate became a secondary concern for the Hunters.
The clouds overhead let loose a distant roll of thunder. Echoed by the crack of Dust and lightning coming up from a single point somewhere out in the city. Hidden from team JNPR by the many ruined domiciles and burnt out structures. They recognized it, having been dangerously near it before on the night the Dragon fell.
Kad pulling on the strings of the world again. Calling a storm.
Not focused, as it had been when the elemental wielder battled single targets. A new great tempest was being wrought into being over the whole city. Cutting out what little sunlight had been piercing the clouds.
And they all realized that was anything but good.
A new shape pierced the heavy clouds.
Tongues of fire licked at the flying Grimm latched to the hull of this commercial airship the Daemons were currently ripping to pieces. Wreckage from other Bullheads desperately attempting to save the immense craft plummeted to their doom as well behind the crashing ship.
Some shapes of the debris all too Human like. And their cries of terror lost in the distance and cacophony of violence.
Bolts of lightning and harsh winds pummeled the flying creatures but it was too late.
An airliner was going down.
Going down hard.
And an unseen daemon, one crawled from the darkest pit of Ren's buried past and the shadows of every nightmare he ever had gave up a vile echoing howl drowning the city in the silence left in its wake.
A howl which had heralded the deaths of a thousand different hopes and dreams through a thousand years of blood and war.
Rallying its un-numbered kin to this moment.
Their Masters' had played their first hand.
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A/N - Hey hey, it's ya boi.
Alright. Chapter definitely could have been longer. Could have written a chapter entirely about the flight over. (If there is enough interest or feedback, might throw in bits of trip in flashback.) But as you can certainly understand, I have things to do.
Fuck I thought I'd at least have gotten this bit written by now... But I saw something a little bit ago, that had nothing to do with me but quite a bit... And I came to a realization I might be suffering from Emperor's Children syndrome.
Seeking out the negative I get because I want everything to be perfect, and believe me I know it isn't, yet. And that is not being healthy.
So you know, share if you care. Review as you do. Might be getting a new job next week, depending on the lengths of their personal grooming rules. And we'll see how much that effects writing schedule.
Even though being self isolated inside for the last six months hasn't done much. But hey I refer back to my epiphany.