Remnant and Runeterra: A Tale of Two Worlds

by Eccentric-Okami-Rose

When the Aspect of Twilight discovers the planet of Remnant, she succumbs to her playful nature to meddle with reality. Without much thought, she opens a portal and transports Remnant to her home-planet of Runeterra. As the two worlds merge, the Star Forger Aurelion Sol and Zoe watch in anticipation of the ensuing chaos to come. The two universes of League of Legends and RWBY meet!

44. Senseless Chaos

Chapter 44 – Senseless Chaos

'Who?' Oobleck looked at Ezreal and squinted.

"Noxians." Ezreal repeated. "They're an expansionist empire from Runeterra. Bunch'a self-entitled freaks if you ask me."

"Well… that's not good." Coco grimaced.

"Right, then we need to stop them before they take over the whole of the city!" Oobleck exclaimed.

Pantheon rested his hand on Oobleck's left shoulder. "They're an army in the hundreds, possibly even in the thousands. We're not taking them on all at once."

"But we can't just stand here and let it happen!"

"What about Zoe?" said Yatsuhashi. "Can't she do something?"

Eyes all turned to her, including Fox's. She giggled awkwardly. "Why would I be able to do anything? It's like Atreus said: we can't beat an entire army ourselves." The tone in her voice belied nothing.

"But you can tamper with reality itself, right?" Oobleck knelt down and grabbed Zoe firmly by both of her shoulders. "Don't let this city be overrun by invaders! There may be plenty of casualties too if you don't!"

Zoe shuffled her feet. "But… why would I do that when it's more fun to watch and see what happens?" She knew this was not the answer they wanted to hear, but she didn't expect a sharp pain on the right side of her head.

Pantheon viciously kicked Zoe, and she fell out of Oobleck's grasp. "You are an insolent, little chicken!" he snapped. "You have already put millions of lives at risk by sticking Runeterra and Remnant together! And you intend to let even more tragedies happen like this?! Just to satisfy your own amusement?!"

Zoe's head rolled and throbbed. She sat with one hand on her head, and another in the sand. Pantheon had his spear pointed directly at her throat. "That was what I meant to do, ye-"

Pantheon kicked her squarely in the nose with the sole of his boot. Zoe yelped and clutched her nose tightly.

"Atreus, that's enough." Oobleck clasped Pantheon's non-spear wielding hand. His instinct as a teacher to put a stop to violent, classroom behaviour kicked in. "She won't be able to do anything if you knock her out."

Pantheon grinded his teeth, "You're right." and lowered his spear.

"Are you okay?" Oobleck cradled Zoe's head.

She nodded, but didn't say a word. Tears were trickling down her cheeks, and when she removed her hands from her face, everyone could see blood over her nose and mouth. Velvet, and even Ezreal went over to help. Despite being the cosmic rascal that she was, this looked and felt like child abuse. Pantheon was a man and knew better. However, a man also means a human, and Pantheon winced when he saw Zoe's face.

All of a sudden, Zoe giggled and wiped her left hand over her face. When she unveiled it, the blood was completely gone, and it was sparkling. She stood up and blew a raspberry.

"Ugh." Pantheon growled, tempted to kick her again.

Coco stepped in, "Zoe, I'll ask you nicely. Are you able to stop this invasion?" knowing that time was of the essence.

"I actually can't because I don't know what I'm looking at. The best I could do is make everything vanish, but I can't single out all the people from the empire and the people who live here."

"Great…" Coco sighed.

"Wait a second!" Oobleck raised a finger and stood upright. "Ezreal, you said that these Noxians are an expansionist Empire, correct?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"If they're expansionists, wouldn't that characterise them as people who would want to enslave and adopt, rather than just commit unnecessary bloodshed?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Then I have an idea." He ushered them all to come closer, as if to prevent anyone from overhearing. "If an invasion is inevitable, then Vacuo should quieten down when the conquest is over, and I can confirm that no help is coming any time soon. Once that happens, we can try to infiltrate the city and find a way to defuse the takeover from the inside."

"What, you mean, like, we take a few guards out stealthily, put their uniforms on and sneak in?" said Ezreal.

"Exactly that."

"Huh. Sounds kinda exciting." he grinned.

"Maybe so, but we need to take this seriously."

"I mean, yeah. If we get caught, we're definitely screwed."

"Hopefully our collective combat skills should buy us some time if that happens."

"I can enable us to communicate telepathically." said Fox.

"Wait, you can do that?" Ezreal ogled.

"Yep. And you can communicate with everyone else here via this as well." Fox sent as an example. "It's what's known as my Semblance."

Ezreal concentrated on Fox's face. "I can? Oh, I can! That's sick!"

"You try it out, Atreus." Coco suggested.

"…umm. Yes, and I can hear you three in my head. That is rather impressive and useful."

"Yeah. Comes in handy." Fox grinned.

"And we have Zoe's power, don't we?" Yatsuhashi listed, returning the discussion to being conveyed orally.

"Well, that depends if she's on our side or not." Pantheon frowned. "If you dare double-cross us, I promise you that the Aspect of Twilight will not have a successor."

"I won't betray my friends, and especially not my boyfriend."

Ezreal didn't bother arguing. It was reassuring to know that, if she felt that way about him, then he was far less likely to die.

"Fine. Does anyone have any better ideas?" asked Oobleck.

Brooding silence followed, so Oobleck nodded after nothing new was presented. "Then it's settled. We'll have to wait this out before we can attempt to make a move…

The gang had retreated to the airship, getting out of the heat and into some shade. They took the time to eat some food. Coco and Yatsuhashi also had a few snacks and unwisely offered some to Zoe. Enabling her to have a sugar rush was nothing short of folly. But team CFVY in particular were delighted when she provided them with chocolate mooncakes in return.

The wait was agonisingly long, accentuated by the constant screaming within the walls, the crumbling of buildings, and the negatively tantalising inability to see exactly what was going on. What if it went on until nightfall? Would it be easier or harder to get inside in those conditions?

"Are you okay with doing this, Atreus?" Oobleck asked Pantheon, all of a sudden remembering what their original mission was.

"Okay with what, Doctor?"

"Trying to save this city, instead of seeking Aatrox."

"I would feel guilty leaving a city to succumb to a horrific threat, so I am content with it."

"We've already established that we probably can't do much. Sneaking in as impostors won't be easy."

"I advise you not to try and dissuade me from this plan, Doctor."

"Yes, that is good advice."

They could hear the sounds inside the city slowly diminish. The invasion might have been successful, but when was the right time to even attempt a break in?

"Maybe at some point there'll be guards who stand vigil at the walls?" Coco wondered aloud. Boredom was emitting its horrific visage, brewed with nervousness and dread of what was going on behind the walls.

"Do you think that's the best time to try and sneak in?" Ezreal asked, expecting neither a right nor wrong answer.

Coco shrugged. "No idea, but it'd be the easiest way to get access to uniforms."

"Wait. Look over there." Yatsuhashi pointed towards the city wall.

"What? What are you looking at?" asked Fox.

"Black birds. Like, ravens or something."

There were about five of them. They flew together in a straight line before deviating from one another.

"I think they're scouting the area." Ezreal speculated.

"Oh, that's not good." Oobleck realised. "Zoe, can you do something?"

Zoe put down her mooncake she was munching on. "Yeah, okay." She placed her palms on the floor, and a giant bubble encapsulated them. Their visibility was reduced only slightly.

"A bubble? And this will prevent them from seeing us?"

"Yep."

Well, if it had or hadn't, they couldn't tell based on the bird's behaviour.

What they did notice however was the raven that had been in the centre of the flock cawed the attention of the others. It flew back from the distance, and they regrouped and returned to Vacuo. Not too sooner, two men strolled out of the city, looking alert. One of them had grey hair, wore black robes, and his left hand was red and looked like it should have belonged to a demon. The other man had slick, dark hair, was armoured and carried a large axe with him.

Simultaneously, everyone noticed four people walking in the opposite direction, towards city. It took her four seconds to realise, but Zoe recognised them all, including the witch who'd sat at the head of that table. And Zoe still hadn't found that crazy man with the scorpion tale. The six adults convened next to the sole tree in the entire area. They couldn't tell if the meeting was planned or impromptu.

"Hey, I know those guys on the right!" Zoe announced.

Oobleck's eyes widened. He couldn't get his vision to focus on them properly, but he could tell by the colour of the person at the front who it probably was. "You do?"

"Yeah. I was exploring this planet, and stumbled upon them. Well, I burst into their meeting room and gave them chocolate mooncakes."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know if they were talking about anything in particular at the time?"

"Only really about our planets being stuck together, and I told them afterwards that it was me who did it."

"And they believed you?"

"I showed them some magic tricks to try and convince them. Although I kinda annoyed them in doing so."

"Excuse me, you two." Pantheon interrupted them. "But I think it would be more useful to hear what they are saying right now, rather than discussing what you already know. Is there any way we can listen to their discourse?"

"We'd need to get in earshot before having any chance to hear anything. But obviously we don't want to be seen." Oobleck reminded them.

"Fox, can you use your Semblance thingy to eavesdrop on them?" Ezreal suggested.

"My Semblance can't interact with them at all." said Fox. "I need to open a channel in their minds, but it's more difficult from range, and they need to do it willingly. Otherwise I'd give it away that there's someone listening in on their conversation telepathically. Plus, the more people in the channel, the more it drains my Aura. And just in case you didn't know, Aura's basically our energy levels."

"Damn. That sucks."

"You know, this may be a longshot, but would it be possible for Zoe to enhance your Semblance?" Yatsuhashi put forward.

"…as in, amplify its strength and modify what it can do?" Fox scratched his head.

"Yeah. Is that even an option?"

"I could try something." Zoe stepped forward.

"Very well. Let us do this now so that we get as much information as possible." Pantheon agreed.

Coco guided Fox, and he sat with his legs dangling from the ship. "I want to listen to one of them speak. If I can get into the mind of at least one person, I should be able to hear everyone else when that one person listens and interprets the words of others."

"Got it." Zoe placed her right hand on his left shoulder, and closed her eyes.

Fox shivered at the cosmic energy enveloping his body. It felt like a very, very strong Aura, overlapping his own. He remained composed though and held his index fingers to his temples, hoping that he would be able to hear anything at all, even without knowing who was who.

It wasn't perfectly clear. Fox had discerned that there were two speakers primarily, but he was depending only on one person to process the other's words. Thankfully everyone else was able to listen in virtue of him.

There was a momentary breakaway, where the discussion paused, and the two factions stepped back from each other.

"I've given them the illusion of a choice." said the lady who was called Salem. "They could retreat, or fight or cooperate. Based on their ambitions and behaviour though, any deliberation they make will inevitably result in them accepting my offer."

Another awkward pause followed, but everyone's eyes (even Fox's) remained scrutinous of what they could see.

The men known as Swain, Darius, and a woman who had managed to sneak her way into the conversation earlier, Katarina, reconvened with Salem.

"Well then, what is your verdict, Swain?"

"So then, do we have a deal?"

Swain shook Salem's hand.

"Allow us then to come to Vacuo with you. We will help you secure the area and establish the colony you have sought for so long."

The conversation between them ended, and they returned to the city.

"That is not good." Oobleck remarked.

"No kidding, Doctor." Coco said whilst adjusting her shades.

"I've been told to keep this information a secret by Professor Ozpin, but with everything that's going on, you ought to know that Salem is one of the most influential and powerful forces on Remnant to have ever existed. And if she's acting as a well-oiled gateway for a powerful empire to conquer the whole planet, then I can tell she will succeed with whatever her true motives are."

"So what you're saying is that we really need to get inside and deactivate their plan before it gets out of hand?" Ezreal breathed through his teeth.

"Precisely. Oh if only we could still communicate with the rest of Remnant, or even just get Ryze, and Teams RWBY, JNPR and SSSN back. Then we'd stand a better shot." Oobleck punched his fists together.

"We still got Zoe's magic." Yatsuhashi brought up, once again.

"Yes." Pantheon said loudly. "And I hope that what you said about having no incentive to betray your friends and partner is not a lie." He squinted at her.

"It is. I promise." Zoe pouted.

"Good." Although he was not wholly convinced.

"I honestly think we are going to have to wait until night, everyone." Oobleck surmised. "Hopefully there will be some people sleeping by then, and it should be easier to blend in with any guards on night duty."

"Indeed, I think you are correct about that, Doctor."

"Got some more waiting to do then…" Ezreal groaned.

"You should take a nap." Velvet propounded. "All of us should probably. So that we're wide-awake tonight."

"Good idea." Oobleck concurred. "We just need someone to keep watch for now."

"I shall do this task." Pantheon volunteered.

"Very well. Wait for about an hour before switching with someone else. Who's gonna go next?"

"I will." Yatsuhashi raised his hand.

"Great. That'll do for now."

It wasn't easy sleeping without pillows and in the intense heat. Fingers crossed though that tonight, all would go according to plan.

---

Two seats on the council; the military was hers and she was the headmistress of Atlas Academy. Effectively she was the most influential person on the whole of Remnant at the moment, with General Ironwood presumably now in Runeterra. Winter hoped that she and the kids were all okay, especially her sister.

It wasn't literally two seats, but being at the head of the table implied it enough. To be honest with herself, it wasn't as if Winter sought this position. She was a soldier at heart and politics were not her forte. But she had enough competence to be a stand-in for the General. The Atlas council was an oligarchy with only four people (but five seats in total) governing the Kingdom of Atlas and the City of Mantle below. Winter would not be surprised if an election was held to fill the vacant seat soon. Although she might be the one calling the shots.

Winter brushed her hair out of her eyes, took a deep breath and sat up straight. "We have an exceptionally serious issue on our hands," she tried to act in character of Ironwood. "and it requires immediate attention."

"What is it?" Councilman Sleet was a man in a suit; he wore rectangular spectacles and had sideburns, which were losing colour. He adjusted his glasses and focused his eyes firmly on Winter.

"We've already noticed that days and nights are longer, and that there is a second moon in the sky, but the General and I have discovered why this has happened."

"Do tell." Councilwoman Camilla urged. Camilla had a red cardigan over her black shirt, and her hair, unlike Sleet, was greying at a much faster rate.

"The big demon that was televised before it destroyed the Tower at Beacon was not from this planet."

"Excuse me?" Camilla squinted.

"Remnant has been physically merged with another planet. During the tragedy at Beacon, three other individuals arrived on the scene and helped us ward off the Grimm and the monster with the sword that brought global communication to a standstill. It wasn't enough, but their efforts must not be understated."

"Hmm… This sounds incoherent. Are you're sure that she these three people and the monster aren't from Remnant?" Sleet questioned incredulously.

"General Ironwood spoke to the three of them. He said that they definitely were, and I trust his word. Moreover, have you ever seen a monster like that with the sword? It definitely was not a Grimm."

Camilla frowned and Sleet placed the palm of his left hand on the table. To be fair, it wasn't as if Remnant was completely absent of supernatural activity, but this transcended the happenings of Remnant solely.

"Assuming this is all true, do we know how or why it happened?" Sleet tapped his fingers on the table repeatedly.

"The explanation for those has yet to be answered."

"Hmph…"

"But that does not matter right now. As per usual, the General is concerned with the bigger picture and not just his own Kingdom. That's why he went to this new planet himself, which is apparently called Runeterra. We need to think about the consequences of this event and how we respond to it."

"Do you think the public, and Remnant as a whole for that matter, deserve to know about this?" Sleet asked.

Camilla shook her head. "Surely it would cause panic and lure in even more Grimm. Moreover, this might paint a bad image over us, because not everyone will believe that we're telling the truth."

"We'll use the monster with the sword as visual and explanatory evidence for this." Winter suggested.

"But even if we think it's the right thing to do, we're incapable of doing so. I don't think we can rely on Vale to fix their tower anytime soon."

"I was about to address that. Professor Ozpin's initial idea was to find a way to put a transmitter above Remnant's atmosphere. It would then give us access to global communication without depending on four towers to all be operating at once. The satellite would be mostly likely safe from threats beneath it, and even if it did get damaged, the four towers in Remnant could still function as backups until the transmitter is fixed."

"Interesting in concept, but I have my doubts in execution." Camilla said. "The three of us are not scientists, and although I imagine ours could devise a way to get this to work, how would it stay in the air? Surely it would require a constant source of Dust because that is presumably the only way and power source to keep it airborne?"

"That is the theory." Winter confirmed.

"But if I'm not mistaken, no Dust is currently able to survive above Remnant's atmosphere." Sleet brought up.

"General Ironwood followed on Ozpin's idea to repurpose Amity Colosseum as the flooring for a new communications tower that could reach all corners of Remnant. It is of course an idea that we're only stroking at the moment, but our scientists have already given it an official statement of approval."

"Except that Remnant is now sewn to a different planet. Wouldn't that complicate the idea somehow of trying to globalise it?"

"All valid points which I will inquire with to our scientists. They will most certainly be more adroit than us. We can only nationally inform the Atlesians and citizens of Mantle about the situation. Let us move on then to other matters."

"It's not something that I or Sleet know much about, but is that long path of ice on the east side of Solitas any bother to us?" Camilla wondered.

"Hard to say, since few of the Atlas Military or anyone else has gone to investigate it beyond the coastline. Any expedition would have to be done by air; in case the ice is not stable. Quite possibly it leads all the way to Runeterra. We simply do not know at the moment."

"How about the Dust embargo?" Sleet questioned. "Do we still think it's necessary?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure, but the General insisted that it was needed in case war breaks out. And by the looks of things, the possibility of it could extend beyond Remnant at this point. Even Ironwood with his propensity to use the military and hoard of ships would probably not want to fly it over to Runeterra in case it is seen as a threat, so I won't issue that command. He wants to make peace with this new planet if he can, and going by a small craft hopefully will not come across that way. Therefore, I also will not lift the embargo until he thinks it is safe to do so."

"What about fixing Mantle and the damage dealt by the earthquake?" asked Camilla.

"The people of Mantle are relatively self-sufficient and there isn't much wreckage left down there compared to the continents in the east or west of Remnant, but I think there isn't much else we can do. I think that Atlas' efforts should therefore be on re-establishing world communication and helping Mantle."

"If that's what we wish for, then surely helping Vale fix the Beacon Tower is of the utmost importance?" Sleet suggested. "Especially since we're not depending on a tower being put into space to be a swift process."

"This was what I was thinking also. From what we know, the monster at Beacon Academy is still a major threat. Even in stasis, we don't know if the spell keeping it in place will remain for much longer. But assuming that it does not, then I suggest we try and organise a campaign to go due south with resources and tools to rebuild the tower. A percentage of the military would also need to go, in case of more Grimm or the monster being freed."

"How soon can we make this happen?"

"The instructions can be delivered today, giving the military time to refuel and restock the ships. But we will need more than a few engineers and builders. It takes years to build a tower of that size. We need volunteers who can actually stay in Vale as the job is undertaken. Having support from Vacuo and Mistral would be helpful ideally, but we do not have jurisdiction over them and their respective councils."

"Surely they would understand the enormity of the situation though." said Camilla. "This is a global crisis, that could extend beyond Remnant itself. If Atlas comes to Vale's aid and indicate that this is a legitimate project, they will be willing to help expedite the process."

"True in theory." Winter nodded. "I just hope then that they won't be too absorbed in their own internal affairs. Luck will truly be on our side if Vacuo budge an inch."

"We'll do what we can." Camilla agreed.

Winter pulled out her Scroll and typed a message to the Atlesian Military, as well as rerouting it to a PSA. "The Beacon Tower has fallen, and therefore global communication has been brought to a standstill. As a unified planet, it is within our best interests to go to Vale and help them reinstall the Tower. Military aid will be essential for transport and security against Grimm or other threats. Volunteers and assistance from medical personnel, construction works, caterers and project management will also be needed. I urge you to please sign up for the program, so that we can move out as soon as possible.

-Standin General Winter Schnee.

"Meeting adjourned then." Winter stood up. "Goodbye, Councilman Sleet and Councilwoman Camilla."

"Goodbye." they both waved.

Winter walked out of the hall. Thank goodness it had been short.

Having so few council members felt surprisingly more burdensome than reassuring. You would think that a handful of people would avoid having and your viewpoint being completely overlooked. Deliberation between more people and compromise though often resulted in the best decision, because they almost always took longer than the current format of Atlas' council and bypassed any bias you may have. Regardless, Winter was satisfied with her decision. It seemed almost too obvious what the Kingdom's priorities were.

---

Winter approached the grand entrance of the Schnee Manor and was about to twist the doorknob of the right door, but it was pulled away from her before she could wrap her hand around it. Expecting Klein, she was surprised to see Whitley Schnee on the threshold instead. Her brother was roughly the same height as both of his sisters. His white hair was neatly combed; and he wore a light-grey waistcoat over a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and black tie, black trousers and matching shoes. "Hello, sister. Welcome back home." he smiled. Whitley though was purposely not concealing his insincerity.

"Hello to you too, Whitely." she stepped inside and made a move for the staircase without so much as a glance back at her brother.

"How was your meeting, now that you are effectively the queen of Atlas?"

Winter stopped halfway up the staircase. "It was good."

"What did you discuss?"

"…it's none of your business." Winter still made no eye contact with him.

"It isn't?!" Whitely dramatically put his hands over his chest, even if Winter was not looking at him. "But Winter, I am your dear brother, and I am interested in your life. Please tell me something." His patronising tone did not help.

Winter at last turned herself around and looked at Whitely. "It's classified."

Whitely snorted under his breath. "I don't believe you. Oh, by the way, Father wants to speak to you."

"He does? Well, I will go to his study right away."

"Do be careful though; he's not exactly in a… good mood, let's put it."

"Thank you." Winter nodded and went up the stairs.

Whitley smirked. She was a grown adult, but he secretly liked the idea of Winter getting into trouble with their Father as if she was still a teenager.

Winter strolled along one of the main corridors filled with chandeliers inside the manor. He approached Jacque's study door and knocked.

"Come in." a muffled voice came from inside.

Winter gingerly twisted the knob and stepped inside. "You wanted to see me, Father?"

"Indeed I do. Sit." he ordered and pointed at a chair right in front of his desk. "You know, I think it is very ludicrous what your boss has done."

"Elaborate please, Father."

"This Dust embargo is utterly senseless and is crippling my business; he believes this nonsense that Ozpin is spouting? Nonsense about some other planet; and he took away my daughter without my permission to this alleged new planet! Has he lost his mind?!"

"The evidence for this new planet is undeniable, Father." Winter said calmly. "And Weiss chose to go."

"Hmph. What evidence is there? Do you honestly also believe Ozpin's unverifiable garbage?"

"I do, Father."

Jacques Schnee growled. "I suppose it doesn't affect me as much as Ozpin's letter to me suggests. What is a problem is that stupid Dust embargo James has enforced! Like I said, it's costing me millions! Workers are losing their jobs, and it's not doing any good for the rest of Remnant who are dependent on my exports and my company! I was going to host a charity here in Schnee Manor, with Weiss singing for sponsorship, but that's been flushed down the drain too."

"With the situation and potential doubly global crisis, panic and war could break out at any moment, as the General has said. Keeping Dust away from other Kingdoms will avoid any insurgencies."

Jacques grunted. "Utterly sound logic. The way I see it, the complete opposite is the best course of action. If we get invaded by whatever resides on this 'new planet', would it not be better for all Kingdoms and continents to be able to defend themselves? Was anyone using Dust-powered weapons when Beacon fell; when that winged monster destroyed the CCT?"

"Some did, including Weiss."

"But I digress. I want to ask you to lift the embargo for me."

Winter's eyebrows furrowed. "I can't do that." she said frankly.

"What do you mean you can't?!" Jacques exploded, causing Winter to jump out of her seat. He stood up and slammed both hands on his desk. "You are the leading figurehead of the council! What's stopping from removing it?! You genuinely believe that it's the right course of action?!"

"No, Father. It's because Ironwood was the one who implemented it, and I don't intend to do anything that he wouldn't approve of when I am filling in for him."

"He didn't even consult anyone else on the council! He just… did it." Jacques sighed. "Come on darling. You have autonomy and the ability to reason. Surely you can make decisions for yourself as well as realising how absurd this embargo is?"

"I am only a substitute. When Ironwood gets back from Runeterra, he'll take his seats back from me, and I want to make sure that they're warm for him and not cold."

"Maybe it is only temporary, but conversely, you will always be my daughter. Therefore, as your Father, I demand that you lift the embargo."

"You have either forgotten or ignore that I am an adult with her own life as a Huntress and soldier. Also, were you not the one who said merely moments ago that I should make decisions on my own?"

"Grr…" he sighed. "Fine. But until such time as you withdraw the embargo, I will not help you in any endeavours you make."

Well, it wasn't like she needed him anyway. "I understand, Father. Do you need anything else from me?"

"No. Consider us as being on bad terms until you come to your senses."

Winter made no further comment, stood up and walked towards the door. Before she could open it though, her scroll rang. She unfolded it and held it to her ear. "This is Winter Schnee. What is it?"

"Miss Schnee, it's an emergency!" cried out the voice of an Atlesian Soldier. "There's a hoard of Grimm coming from the south and east! They've already made their way into the city!"

"Stay calm. What kind of Grimm are we dealing with?"

"Borbatusks, Beowolves, Razorwings, Ursa and Death Stalkers it looks like."

"Manageable then. I'll issue Atlesian Knights to go and deal with them."

"There's quite a lot though, ma'am."

"I will deploy plenty." she pressed a button on her scroll. "Atlesian Knights, roll out to Mantle. Stop the Grimm, and deploy the shields!"

"That's not it though. There's also this pack of hulking creatures in Mantle, but I don't think they're Grimm."

"What do they look like?"

"They're not as large as Goliaths, but they're substantially bigger than Beowolves and Ursa. They look very ugly, with rough skin."

"I see, that will require more direct analysis. Send down a battalion of soldiers too and get citizens to evacuate towards the central part of the city."

"Understood, ma'am!" and he hung up.

Winter turned around and looked at her Father. "Duty calls." she said.

"Yes, yes, I get it. Now go an-"

SMASH!

A deafening sound erupted from just outside the study. Weiss and Jacques burst through the doors of the study, into the corridor and stumbled back in terror. A long, thick line had torn through the row of windows in the corridor. Partially embedded into the floor was a giant, red, pulsating sword…

---

"What are all these black creatures?" one of the trolls wondered aloud, looking left and right.

"It doesn't matter; let's smash this place to pieces!" roared Trundle, shaking his club above his head and released a bone chilling war cry.

They charged with brute force to the wall of the city. Ahead of them, the black creatures were already climbing and flying over the wall. It wasn't big honestly, but Trundle felt the unnecessarily destructive behaviour crawling into his hands. He held Boneshiver like a baseball club and whacked the wall as hard as he could. Bricks and stone went flying. Trundle stepped inside the city. The environment was completely different from anything that Trundle had seen in the Freljord before. But even a creature as intellectually challenged as Trundle could infer that this place was constructed by hands and was probably meant to be occupied by things. Not that it mattered. It would all go tumbling down soon enough.

Trundle laughed and swung the club horizontally at the nearest structure. It tore through the brickwork like a hot knife running through a stick of butter. He grinned and swung again repeatedly. Its foundations were gone, and it toppled forward, crashing into the building on the other side of the street. Meanwhile the black creatures paid no attention to what the trolls were up to and persisted their fleet into the city. Trundle and the trolls laughed at the wreckage.

But Trundle's interest was piqued. What were these creatures so interested in? Yet he wanted to cause as much demolition as possible. Maybe there were more things to destroy where these black beasts were headed.

"Follow those monsters!" he ordered. "We're destroying whatever they're up to."

The other trolls roared with excitement and followed the Trundle. They all ripped poles from the ground with lights, which immediately went out after they had been pulled clean and carried them on their shoulders.

One of the trolls took a shot at a nearby wolf-like creature passing by him on all fours. He smacked his head in with the lamppost. It tripped onto the ground, skidding several metres. The troll smirked. It ran up to where the wolf lay, grabbed it by the chest and bit its head clean off its shoulders. The troll swallowed the head and the corpse dissipated into ashes. "Whoa! That was amazing." he marvelled.

Trundle's ugly grin expanded even more. The nearby creatures suddenly stopped their dashes and turned on the trolls. "Get'em!"

Virtually effortlessly the trolls punched, bit and smashed the black creatures. Trundle came face-to-face with a bear with red eyes and large spikes on its back, and reminded him somewhat of a thunder god of the Freljord. But this was nowhere near a great storm. It swiped clumsily at him with its claws. Trundle stepped back and swung Boneshiver with all his might. The club hit the bear's head with so much force that it completely decapitated it. The skull rocketed away like a baseball and crashed into an upper window of a nearby building. Trundle screamed with delight. He grabbed the bear by the left leg with his free hand and tossed the body into the building. It made a large crack in the wall and fell to the ground afterwards. Trundle then jumped into the air and bashed the part of the building where it had been dented by the bear; it collapsed into a devastating wreckage.

Moments later from above, Trundle and the trolls heard a hauntingly loud roar. It seemed to have occurred even beyond the giant rock above them; not quite as deafening as the roar of Valhir, but comparable.

"What was that?!" a troll breathed heavily with a compound of fear and excitement.

"Not sure, but we're still breaking this place down, one piece at a time!"

Abruptly, some kind of big, flying object came down to roughly the height of the nearby buildings. A hatch on the side of it opened, and a group of white, metallic soldiers with no faces, carrying guns opened fire at the black creatures. They howled and disintegrated. The soldiers next turned their attention to the trolls. The metal bullets that flew out of the barrels were more irritating that painful, so Trundle snarled and threw Boneshiver at the flying object. A noise, some kind of alarm, sounded inside the object and it fell to the road and exploded. The other trolls expressed their praise and triumph.

"Pathetic!" Trundle picked up his club and swung it at the debris. One thing Trundle was certain about was that he and his trolls would have no shortage of fun here.

---

The sword retracted from the line it had made and was then brought thundering down through the ceiling, not far from where Winter and Jacque had been standing. Winter screamed and pulled Jacque away from where the sword had slashed. It was extracted moments later. Jacques tiptoed to the largest gap in the wall after a few seconds of silence. "There's nothing there anymore." he said with gritted teeth.

A huge crash from directly above them erupted. "Might want to reconsider that statement." Winter said arising panic. She could feel the whole building shake. She pulled her scroll from her pocket and swiped the screen. "Everyone, this is Winter Schnee! Evacuate the premises immediately!" addressing everyone in the manor. "We have a crisis, and it may collapse at any mo-" Whatever it was that wielded the sword made an ear-splitting roar and both Jacques and Winter felt the accelerating quake of the manor. Winter grabbed Jacques' left hand and pulled him out the wall that was no longer there.

"Winter, that do you think you're doing?! his eyes widened.

Winter put her other hand around the handle of her rapier. She flicked it and conjured five glyphs beneath her. With remarkable finesse, she jumped gradually down from one another to the grass below like a game of aerial hopscotch. She landed on her feet delicately, whilst dear old dad rolled several metres forward and came to a stop on his back. He held his hand over his chest and stood up a few seconds later, then looked above, as did Winter. She had suspected it, but her suspicions, which she'd pleaded to not be the case, were confirmed. The hulking juggernaut at Beacon during its fall, was flying with its wings and demolishing Schnee manor as if it were a plastic castle for children. She couldn't even physically give a sigh of relief at the sight of Willow and Whitley running out the front door with Klein and other servants and maids, because her instinct to fight and fear consumed her body. Nevertheless, she was still able to run towards them and embrace both her mother and brother in a tight hug. "Thank goodness you're okay!" she coughed, finally breathing out. The hugs were reciprocated, but not for long.

"Where's Jacques?!" Willow panicked.

"There." Winter pointed. Jacques was wiping dirt and soil off his jacket. Aatrox emitted an ear-splitting roar, which threw them off their feet. He made one last horizontal swing. Schnee Manor broke apart as if it had been hit by a giant wrecking ball. All Dust containers and power sources also exploded. "Everybody, RUN!" Winter shouted. They all scrambled away, narrowly missing being consumed by their own luxurious home, turned against them.

"HAHAHAHA! THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF THIS PLACE!"

An unsavoury concoction of emotions went down their throats. The manor had stood for so much, but Winter was level-headed enough to know what was coming next. The Atlas Tower of Atlas Academy stood high above anything else. Winter didn't want this to be Beacon all over again. She took out her scroll and swiped. "All personnel, we have an even greater emergency situation than we originally thought! Protect Atlas Tower and evacuate all people inside! I repeat; protect Atlas Tower!"

"Understood! The military will be in the air as soon as possible, Miss Schnee!" a voice replied.

Winter gritted her teeth. Aatrox was nearing his next target alarmingly quick; there was no way for the military to be in operation in time. Moreover, the firepower needed to take Aatrox down was likely too detrimental to the citizens in the immediate vicinity. "There isn't time, and the Grimm are beginning to swarm Atlas too! Get the Ace-Ops into the fray as well! Have them focus the red beast on its way to the tower, and the military should deal with the Grimm! I am on my way too!" There was no more time for hugs. Winter waved her rapier. An icy Beowolf rose from the ground beneath her feet, and she rode it like a horse to the tower.

Willow and Whitely looked at Jacques, who was on his knees and with his fists clenched. They couldn't even hear him howling with despair over the wind and another horrific laugh from Aatrox in the distance.

---

"We're needed now. C'mon, team!" Clove Ebi gestured to his teammates. He and the rest of them ran down the corridor of Atlas Academy, shuffling in and out of the rest of the fleeing students. The Manta aircraft was docked beyond the stairs from across the courtyard that led into the school grounds.

Clove was the leader of a small group comprising of the best of the best graduate Huntsman and Huntresses from Atlas. The Ace Operatives were renowned for their exceptional combat prowess, individually and cooperatively. Their Semblances were among the strongest in all of Remnant; their uniforms of white with some red and blue were icon and recognisable; and their choice of weapons cemented their ironic status as being the elite.

Clove, was tall, well built with brown hair, wielded a fishing rod of all things, and carried a good luck charm on his person at all times in the form of a very useful Semblance. He bloomed with leadership, confidence, morale and most importantly in his eyes (as well as the majority of the other Ace-Ops) unwavering loyalty and a sense of justice.

"What's our target?" asked Harriet Bree with her teeth grit but a cocky smile on her face. Harriet was moderate in size by comparison to Clove. Her mohawk hair was styled in a way which sort of resembled an eagle; she fought with collapsible, robotic arms and fists; and her Semblance let her run at speeds that outclassed all other pale imitations. Harriet was competitive by nature, mostly warm to those who she trusted, but hot-headed when confronted by displeasure, and obsequiously loyal to her duties and Ironwood.

"It's the giant beast that was seen worldwide at Beacon before the CCT went offline. We have to stop it from doing the same thing to Atlas Tower by any means!" issued Clove.

"The one with red wings and a giant sword?!"

"That's the one!"

"Heh." Harriet activated her Semblance and shot like a lightning bolt to the Manta and stood by the hatch door. The rest of the team caught up and momentarily regained their breaths. "What kept you?" Harriet smirked.

Clove opened the hatch, immediately took helm of the cockpit and wasted no time in taking off. "We need a plan of attack."

The Ace-Ops' synergy was often so immaculate that they did not need to vocalise how to approach an enemy. Just saying a name usually did the trick. But this monster was a new kind of threat. They weren't even sure if they were adequately equipped for this encounter.

"It's got a huge sword, and its bodily is probably very hefty too. Disarming it won't be easy or sufficient." Vine Zeki surmised. Vine was very tall and slender, with also very pale skin and hair. His weapon of choice was a blade with three hooks and could also be tossed like a throwing knife. Vine's Semblance allowed him to elongate his limbs, giving them radically increased strength, flexibility and grip. Vine was arguably the most level-headed of all the Ace-Ops. He lived by nature of merit by self-improvement and not competition with others. He was reluctant to take unnecessary action when negotiation or compromise could be accomplished instead. Ironically, he was sometimes vexated by the rest of his teams' cockiness, but stayed loyal to his teammates and Ironwood.

"So let's rush it down and overwhelm it." Harriet grinned and punched her knuckles together.

"Yeah. Surely it can't be that strong." commented Marrow Amin. Marrow was the oddball of the Ace-Ops. He was moderately tall had dark green hair, and stood out for being the only Faunus on the team, possessing a canine tail. He used a boomerang blade that could be thrown, used in direct combat and was also a gun; capable of being turned into a rifle. His Semblance allowed him to freeze entities in place on literal demand. Marrow by comparison to his teammates was the most naïve and manipulatable. He could throw banter, but more often than not was on the receiving end, and struggled to supress how he truly felt in situations where his job and obedience should have took precedence.

"I don't think brute force will work." commented Elm Ederne. "Before the Beacon Tower fell, you saw how so many people focused their weapons and attention on it and it didn't take him down. Specific coordination on particular points of it might just about work. Elm was tall and buff for your average woman, with short and dark hair. Her personal weapon was a rocket powered hammer and was, say it with me: also a gun. But Elm's hammer in particular was a rocket launcher. Her Semblance allowed her to use Aura and anchor her feet to any surface she was currently on. Elm was comparable to Harriet with how toady she was towards Ironwood and authority, and similar levels of spunkiness. If push came to shove though, she would break your toes without question. Teammates were just teammates and nothing beyond her job; at least that's what she told everyone.

"Does it even have any specific weak points to begin with?" Vine contemplated.

"I guess we'll find out soon. Anyway, the thing is almost dead ahead." Clove pointed through the cockpit window, and everyone gathered to see it too. Even from this distance, it was the most intimidating thing they'd ever seen. "I'm gonna get us to its side. Try and stop it from flying so we can combat it on the ground."

"Yes."
"Understood."
"Okay."

Clove steered the wheel sharply left and then to the right slightly softer. It seemed like so far Aatrox had not even acknowledged them. This could be the perfect time to strike. The hatch opened and the Ace-Ops braced themselves for battle. Elm rooted her feet to the ship and fired a rocket at Aatrox.

Aatrox grunted and turned his attention to whatever had just flicked him.

Vine extended his limbs and tried to pry the sword from Aatrox's hands, with Elm holding him tightly around the waist. Aatrox grabbed the handle with his other hand, where Vine's own hands were and squeezed and repeatedly shook the sword as hard as he could. "Grr, GET OFF ME!"

"Clove, get us closer to it. I have an idea." Marrow said. Clove nodded and steered to the right. Marrow put his left hand on the side of the hatch frame and clicked his fingers with his other hand, shouting "Stay!"

Aatrox froze in place and stopped flying. Vine instantly felt the immense weight of the beast hanging from his hands. He wrapped his own legs around Elm and tried to keep him aloft, suspended by the handle of the sword.

"Woah. That was easy." Harriet wiped her left cheek with the back of her hand.

"Yeah. Hehe." Marrow grinned. "You didn't even have to do anything."

"Pfft. Hang in there, Vine. And Marrow, keep focus on him."

"Will do." Vine was struggling to not drop him; his eyes were clenched tightly, and his teeth were gritted hard. But aside from that, all they had to do was lower him to the ground, and Marrow not take his eyes off him.

"Get a move on, Clove." Elm ordered.

"Roger." Clove lowered the ship, moving back to the courtyard of Atlas Academy. Vine needed to rest his arms as soon as possible, and Marrow had to keep his attention on Aatrox for as long as necessary.

"Wait. What's it doing?" said Elm.

"What's what doing?" Clove peered out the cockpit window.

"The sword. It's pulsating very rapidly."

Marrow dared not look away from Aatrox, but Elm and Harriet saw how unsettling it was. They had merely noticed it earlier, but now it was pulsating four times a second.

The sword suddenly yanked itself backwards without any input from Aatrox. He was frozen, but his hands were still around the handle. It made Aatrox raise the sword above his head and swung itself down, slicing the Manta cleanly into half.
Everyone aboard the ship screamed. Vine let go of Aatrox and Marrow lost his focus on him. They plummeted to the earth. Aatrox flapped his wings again and followed their descent with a sinister cackle.

The ground was rushing to give them a deathly greeting. Vine took a deep breath and extended his legs downwards until his feet were cemented. Then he looked up and extended his arms to catch the rest of his team with his hands – Elm and Marrow in his left, and Harriet and Clove in his right. He lunged out of the way of the falling ship before bringing his team to their feet.

"RARG!" Aatrox appeared from above the ship halves and slammed his sword into the ground, knocking the five of them off their feet, including Elm. "HAHAHAH! YOU CANNOT STOP ME, MERE MORTALS!"

The Ace-Ops spread themselves out and lowered their knees in a stance ready for battle. Marrow shot blasts from his rifle and Elm fired rockets out of her hammer. They made him grunt and rub the areas he had been struck for only a second. Clove threw out the fishing line and hook from his pole, and the end wrapped around the tip of Aatrox's sword. Clove tried to yank the sword out of his hands; instead, he found himself being torn from his own feet. "Woah, woah!"

Aatrox took his sword and swung it in a circle. Harriet sprinted out of the way and dashed towards Aatrox.

"Ow!" Elm cried when Clove's feet bashed into her at full speed. It was only her Semblance that prevented her from being sent across the courtyard. She felt some of her Aura immediately knocked out of her.

Vine extended his arms and grabbed Aatrox's legs, and attempted to trip him. He wasn't even paying attention to the incoming Clove. Vine let go when Clove collided with him and forced him onto his back.

Marrow was also unprepared. Clove's legs kicked him squarely in the stomach, which sent him flying like a frisbee across the courtyard. Vine still lay on the ground, but extended his right arm to catch him and bring Marrow to safety.

Aatrox raised his sword and prepared to slam it into the ground. Clove let go of his rod and Vine caught him. Clove gulped when he saw the rod hitting the stone with so much force in one go. That kind of impact would surely rob almost the entirety of his Aura.

Clove and Vine turned their attention to Marrow. He was on his knees. His eyes were scrunched up, breathing very heavily and clutching his stomach. Marrow's Aura was flickering.

"Stay out of the fight." Clove ordered. "You're badly injured."

"No…" wheezed Marrow. "I can still-"

"We can't risk losing you." Vine agreed. "Leave this to us." He and Clove jumped back into the action.

"You're… hardly winning this…" he thought, and flopped onto his back. His tail wagged even beneath the stone and his own rear.

Elm was pounding Aatrox's legs with her hammer, and Harriet meanwhile sped around him while repeatedly punched him at lighting speed. Aatrox tried to swat Harriet like a wasp buzzing around his head. Harriet made a prolonged grunt. His bulk was too durable.

Aatrox then kicked elm with his left foot. Her Semblance kept her in place, but the hammer went soaring out of her hands, and she felt her Aura dip and a rib on her left side crack. Elm retreated to retrieve her hammer, wincing as she ran.

Harriet grew frustrated and gradually tired. She'd already had enough. Aatrox saw Harriet on his left shoulder… and clasped to his right one instead. Harriet ran straight into his grasp. "AHAHAH! YOU ARE MINE NOW, FOOLISH GIRL!" Aatrox clenched his fist.
Speed wasn't going to get her out of this situation. Harriet pounded his index finger. "H-HELP!" she wailed. Only her Aura prevented her from being crushed, but she still felt her life bleeding out of her. Harriet's strength weakened drastically, and her punches in an attempt to escape were pitiful.

Vine stretched his limbs, grabbed Aatrox's ankles and pulled. No matter how hard he tried though, Vine could not topple him.

Clove tried to retrieve Kingfisher. The hook was still wrapped around the tip of the sword however, and Aatrox wasn't staying still. Moreover, it was no doubt too dangerous to get in such close range of that sword. "Vine, get my pole."

Vine let go of Aatrox and reached for Kingfisher instead.

"Thanks."

"What do we do now?

Elm came back, staggering and clutching her ribs.

"Someone, please! Get him… off me…" Harriet wheezed. Her eyes closed, and the three of them saw blood dripping from underneath Aatrox's hand.

They couldn't tell now if she was still there. But even if she was…

"I can't get Hare out of his fingers, because I might injure her further, and we can't knock him over either." explained Vine.

"We need backup then." They all retreated, and Clove opened his scroll. "Atlas Tower! Backup needed asap!"

Harriet was limp now in Aatrox's grip, and Marrow lay on the floor. There was nothing they could do. Aatrox was outclassing them all combined, and Harriet was effectively a hostage now, virtually beyond saving. Aatrox laughed. Maybe it was from the look of defeat on their faces; he took to the skies, still holding on to Harriet.
Vine extended both his arms and legs. He got hold of Aatrox's ankles again and made a desperate attempt to drag him down. Aatrox completed ignored him. They knew what was coming next. In the air, Aatrox took a "step" back… and swung with the force of a meteor striking at terminal velocity. A devastating crack ran halfway through the circumference of the tower. Aatrox swung again, and then the whole thing came crumbling down like a sandcastle being kicked, and avalanched into the city below. Collective screams ensued, followed by an unending bang of concrete, bricks, metal and debris cascading across the city.

Aatrox's heinous laugh was the loudest yet. To think that his hunger for carnage and destruction was still nowhere near sated.

Out of the corner of Clove, Vine and Elm's tearful eyes, they saw something bright. An icy Beowolf with someone riding on top. Winter paid no attention to the tower now. All she saw was getting Aatrox under control. Moreover, three military airships rose from the city and came to the destruction zone. Well, they were more than a bit too late. The Beowolf disappeared and Winter was back on her feet again. "Squadron, Atlas Tower is now gone. Use everyone you've got!" she ordered into her scroll. You could hear the spite in her voice; she was no longer just a stand-in commander, but a subject who had been personally attacked.

"Yes, ma'am!"

The ships opened fire, pelting Aatrox with what should have been used at Beacon to begin with.

"Wait, no!" Clove put his left hand in front of Winter as if it would stop her from doing anything. "That thing's carrying Harriet!"

Winter's eyes widened. "Stop! We have an Ace-Ops in the line of fire!"

"Understood, ma'am! Cease fire!"

The cannons retracted, but it looked like in that small window, Aatrox had been properly phased for the first time. He had used his arms and sword to protect himself from the shots being sent from the airships. Thank goodness they had narrowly missed Harriet. Maybe this was it though.

"Try and get them to aim at his legs and wings." Vine piped up.

"Why?" Winter questioned.

"I have an idea."

"Alright… squadrons, split up to focus both the legs and the wings."

"On it!"

One of the ships lowered the angle of its cannons and fired. Meanwhile another circled around Aatrox and shot his wings.

It had yet to work, but now was as good a time as any. Vine extended his limbs and grabbed hold of Aatrox's ankles… and pulled.

With his concentration split and agitated, Aatrox found himself falling.

"GAAAH!"

BANG

He hit the ground with force not too far removed from his own blows with his sword, sending a shockwave through the courtyard. Aatrox let go of Harriet and she rolled uncomfortably across the stone. Vine grabbed Harriet and brought her to them. They didn't have long to inspect her.

Winter removed her uniform to evaluate the damage. Harriet's Aura had been completed depleted; her skin was heavily bruised; and several bones (mostly her ribs) were broken, causing her to bleed from her abdomen. "Harriet Bree is severely injured! I repeat, Ace-Ops Harriet Bree is severely injured! We need medical attention now!"

"Ma'am, all medical personnel are on their way to the city. The tower has fallen, and hundreds of people have been killed and injured, and we're dealing with Grimm. Mantle is also in grave danger."

"Ugh." Winter disconnected the call.

Aatrox grunted.

"Okay, Vine, take her away from here, and keep pressure on those wounds."

"Understood." Vine strode away until they were out of sight of the battleground.

Aatrox slowly got his heavy body off the crater he had made. Winter gazed at his towering figure up close for the first time. There was something so petrifying about his size and spiteful gaze. But it gave her an idea! She stuck her rapier into the ground and conjured a large, Arma Gigas. She pointed the tip at Aatrox, and it lunged at him with its sword raised high above him, and Aatrox did the same.

In their minds, the two hulks lunging at each other played out in slow motion. The Gigas was calm and emotionless, whereas Aatrox was overwhelmed with emotions of anguish. But their swords were both about to strike. This could be what they needed, something that could match Aatrox's bruteness. A piercing, metallic clang briefly enveloped the area, but was immediately replaced by the distraught sound of a statue of ice being shattered. The Gigas hadn't even withstood a single blow.
Both disappointment and fear shoved all hope aside. There seemed to be nothing they could do. It was all up to the military now.

"The creature is completely exposed! Give it everything you've got!" Winter shouted into her comms.

"Yes, ma'am!"

The cannons were adjusted, and they unloaded every single bit of firepower they had.

Everyone retreated and Aatrox was enveloped in smoke and dust from the ground being pulverised by the blasts from the ships.

Clove looked over at where Marrow lay and jogged to him. He kneeled down and put his right hand underneath his head. "Hey, how'ya doing?"

"Not great." Marrow coughed. I don't understand why my Semb-blance didn't affect the sword. Even if it's alive or something, it should've froze it too."

"I don't understand it either, but I think we need your Semblance again, regardless. If you can focus on both the sword and the beast itself, that might do the trick."

"Okay, okay."

Clove helped Marrow stand up.

Growing more irritated, Aatrox rose into the air and swung his sword at the closest airship, slicing it into two layers of burgers.

The pilots jumped from the ships and deployed their parachutes while the vessel plummeted down and exploded.

Marrow stepped forward. He looked directly up at Aatrox; with his mind astutely focused on both Aatrox and the sword, he yelled "StAY!"

Once again, Aatrox nosedived down, causing another miniature earthquake.

The other airship stopped firing.

Winter, Elm and Clove gingerly approached when Aatrox had shown no signs of movement for about fifteen seconds. He'd frozen in the exact same bodily position he had been when Marrow used his Semblance before. His wings were extended and curled behind him, and he had his arm outstretched, holding the sword horizontally after Aatrox had made a swipe. He had become a gigantic statue.

The other airship came down to pick up the surviving crew members and offered them a rope ladder. "Grimm are swarming Atlas as well. We're heading off to deal with them too."

"Very well. And good job on your efforts." Weiss applauded.
The ship turned around stiffly and flew away. The commander wasn't wrong. That unpleasant screech of herds of Grimm could be heard from the courtyard, and it made them cringe.

"What do we do now?" Elm questioned.

"I'm not sure, honestly." Winter confessed. "If we could just obliterate this thing, then it would be one less issue to deal with."

"We can't leave Marrow alone though. He's the only one keeping this thing under control, and he's injured." Clove added.

"What happened to him."

"When we were fighting Aatrox, my hook got caught around the sword, and he swung me in a circle around him, and I kicked Marrow squarely in the stomach in the process."

"I see. Marrow, are you okay?"

"Okay." he simply responded.

"Someone supervise him." Winter commanded. "We'll try and get some medical attention for Harriet too. Any airships still in Atlas are to deal with the remaining Grimm. Our attention will then shift to Mantle. Everyone understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'll stay behind, because a few of my ribs got cracked." Elm offered. "But I can keep him focused."

"Very well. Clove, you come with me then."

The Ace-Ops soon found Vine cradling Harriet not too far away from the scene; Vine was actually doing a good job of keeping pressure on her wounds with his extending arms. It was a pain though that they had nowhere to take her. What were they supposed to do?

Marrow took deep breaths, blinking as little as possible. He had positioned himself far enough back so that he wasn't in immediate range of being obliterated, but he dared not look away in case Aatrox unfroze, or his sword came to life. Every breath was deep and slow. He tried to block out as much background noise from below in Mantle as possible, focusing only on the word 'stay.' Marrow almost exclusively used his Semblance on a group of much smaller foes at most, and only utilised it to reposition himself or set up for a good attack. He wasn't accustomed to holding something so big stationary for so long: not helped by his injury and Aura being lower. Hopefully, so long as he maintained concentration and attracted no Grimm, they would be okay. But now was a time more than ever where Marrow wished whatever it was that had frozen Aatrox in gold at Beacon would strike again.

---

The chaos in the streets of Mantle was rising exponentially.

"Good golly, what the devil is going on out there?"

"It almost sounds as if there is a war outside, father." said Penny. "It must be serious if there's an alarm. I don't think I can sit around much longer. I must go out there and help defend the city. And to think it was only a few days ago when this happened previously." Penny Polendina had felt rather bored ever since Beacon had fallen and she had been taken away from her friends and back to Atlas, away from her friends. Away from Ruby. Away from Weiss. Away from Blake, Away from Pyrrha. Away from… her friends. She had no idea what her friends were up to. Were they in danger, or doing fine? Getting in touch with Ruby with the CCTS offline wasn't exactly possible.

"You're probably right, Penny. But please, do be careful." her father Pietro Polendina said worryingly. His hair was white and balding, and his skin was wrinkling. He typically wore a pair of spectacles that didn't properly go over his eyes, and his clothes of choice were a green cap, and creamy coloured shirt, with a maroon vest coat over the top, and murky trousers. Pietro also used a chair with mechanical legs to move him from place to place. Pietro was kind and gentle, as well as and boyish for his age, but firm and serious when it was necessary. Contained within this interior charm too was some of the finest intelligence and ingenuity on the whole of Remnant. Pietro had once been a leading scientist in Atlas, and still worked as an engineer. In fact, Pietro was not Penny's father by biological birth, but instead by craftsmanship (plus some heart and Aura). Not everyone knew that Penny was synthetic, but this was a testament to how well Penny had been built.

Penny stepped out the front door of Pietro's workshop. Hordes of people were running like headless chickens further into the city, followed by the distinct noises made from creatures of Grimm. "Father, I think you should leave too. Everyone is fleeing, and I can see smoke in the distance too."

"Well, if you insist, but I warn you that I cannot go very fast, as you know."

"Then I will escort you and make sure nothing happens to you then."

"Oh darling, thank you so much."

"Anything for my father."

Pietro's chair made its way to the door. It was far from being swift, but it was at least mobile. Grimm were finally catching up. Luckily though they were pursuing the terrified civilians and not the two people on the sidewalk with a calm and collected mind by comparison. They walked in the direction of the crowd, going not too fast to prevent overwhelming the chair's legs.

The Fall of Beacon had only occurred mere days ago. Why was there another swarm of Grimm so soon?

Well perhaps this was part of the reason? Thundering down the streets were a group of bulky, ugly monsters, which neither Penny nor Pietro recognised.

"Woah, look at all those people running!" the biggest monster snarled with glee. He entered a brief sprint to catch up to the nearest straggler and picked her up with his left hand – the one, which wasn't occupied by his icy club. "Look at this little thing!"

He was holding a young, pregnant lady. Her husband was screaming in terror.

The lady wailed at the top of her lungs. "Please! Please let me go!"

The monster simply laughed and opened his mouth wide.

"Argh"

His fist holding the lady was pierced by a very sharp pain, extending into his wrist. It was then pulled away from him towards the side of the street. Several blades on wires had dug into his hand. Penny wrenched the wires towards her, causing the beast to drop the lady beside her. Penny offered her hand. "It's not safe here, madam. Run."

The lady did as she was told, looking back for a fleeting glance, which kind of implied a 'thank you.' Her husband did the same. They held hands and ran into the city.

Meanwhile though, the monsters' attention were now completely redirected to Penny. The biggest one with the club's glowing eyes in particular had a cocky, vindictive feeling. "You lot go on ahead! This one's mine!"

"Father, you should go ahead without me. Take refuge somewhere."

"But Penny, darling! You'll die if you try and fight that thing!"

"Don't worry, father." she smiled. "I'm combat ready!"

Pietro bothered not to argue and instead moved his walker as fast as he could into the nearest alleyway, away from the ensuing duel and the other trolls.

Penny and Trundle met eye to eye, but there was no time for customary sportsmanship or a countdown. The latter made no hesitation in beginning his fight.

Trundle smashed his club into the ground. Penny jumped out of the way with ease to the left. Trundle swiped horizontally this time, whilst Penny jumped upwards. Her back opened and she retaliated with her blades levitating next to her. She guided them with her arms and swiped at Trundle's ankles. Trundle on the other hand took another swing with Boneshiver. He completely knocked Penny's blades aside, and she leapt out of the way with less than a millimetre between Penny's feet and the club.

Trundle was secretly impressed by her mobility. This was unlike any humans he'd seen in the Freljord before.

Penny sent a gust of blades straight at him. He held his hands and club out to protect himself, and it seemed to work; her blades made little effect.

"Hmm…" Penny thought to herself. Next, she sent a maelstrom of her blades slicing in a circle against his back. Trundle grumbled and wriggled about. The blades were harassing and sticking to him like a parasite. By the time he regained some composure though, he reached behind his back and slapped them aside. He managed to catch one of the blades however, between his thumb, index and middle finger. Trundle brought the blade closer to his face to inspect it. "Bah." He pressed down with his thumb and snapped the little thing in half.

Penny's eyes widened. He'd done that so effortlessly, and her blades had seemingly only scrapped his hide at best. Penny was analysing Trundle too. He was very strong and resilient, but not very agile. Already she could tell that neither her nor this behemoth could touch each other. Maybe he could become exhausted though.

Penny became more aggressive with the blades. She separated where they were attacking from. Three prodded him on his left arm; another three on his right, two were slashing his face; four were assaulting his hand holding the club; and five were spinning like a saw wheel on his back.

Trundle tensed his muscles and squirmed, trying to get out of harm's way. "Stop it! Stop it!" he cried. Trundle seemed to be indirectly restraining like a wild animal at the zoo.

But Penny could not see beneath his skin. She was so focused on keeping the blades in position that she didn't see her own mind being bested. "Are you going to calm down then?"

"Yes, yes! I'll beh"- Trundle threw the club at Penny as hard as he could. It hit her and sent both of them straight through the wall of a house. Penny splatted against the back wall and slid down to the carpet, next to a television that had been knocked off its unit. Even as a robot, she felt winded, like an engine running low on dust. If she'd seen it coming, her body might have handled it, but the club was bigger than she was, and the substance had been painful. Not only the impact, but also the ice itself. There was something special about it. Her eyes fizzled and her synthetic Aura flickered. She barely registered Trundle scampering towards the building. Penny slapped herself on the head. Her vision mostly returned. She cartwheeled to the right and grappled herself out of the house to the one parallel with her blades. Trundle went to retrieve Boneshiver. His size and bulky head smashed through the ceiling; furniture, wood and dust came crumbling down, with several objects hitting him on the head and shoulders. He picked up the club and went back into the street. He looked around at the house once more, and bashed it twice before the remains of it became rubble.

Penny shook. She was in a freezer.

Well, he wasn't quite the unstoppable goliath that Aatrox was, but Penny concluded though that there was no way she could take on Trundle up close. Her blades seemed pointless for that matter. They barely hurt him and could not compete with his club. Instead, Penny formed a cannon with her blades and fired blasts of green energy at Trundle. This time, he made a squealing noise. The lasers had made a few minor burn marks in his skin. "Aha." Penny grappled to the roof of the building next to the one Trundle had just smashed. She made a cannon, which formed a concentrated blast that hit Trundle squarely in the chest. Penny kept it up, with the constant laser. It gradually pushed him back to the point where his back was hugging the wall of the building behind him. He screamed a horrific noise that grated her ears. What was she to do now though? She couldn't keep this laser up forever.

Penny didn't even have the option to, however. A deafening and continuous CRASH came from the distance, and shook the ground so hard that Penny fell to her knees. It sounded like an entire skyscraper had been kicked over. The building she stood on continued to wobble, and Penny was unable to get up.

This was not it though. A giant pillar of ice abruptly rose from beneath the building, completely destroying it in one go. Penny fell down and landed on her front. Her head was fuzzy and her artificial skin on her hands and knees were grazed, but the ground was no longer shaking like crazy. She tried to stand up, however Penny didn't even have time when a coarse hand picked her off the ground in the same fashion as he'd done with the pregnant woman earlier. Her remaining Aura descended to a few droplets, and she freaked out, feeling her metallic body parts dent.

"Ahahaha! Goodnight, girlie!" Trundle raised Penny to his mouth and opened wide.

Splat.

"Grr." Trundle grunted. Something cold hit him on the left cheek. He shifted his head to see what it was, only to be greeted by another irritating splat. He was blinded by something with a familiar, cold feeling to it. He wiped his face and saw snow on his palm. Trundle looked up and saw a big, white, fluffy creature with antlers running on all fours towards him. Trundle recognised what it was. A yeti. Riding on top was a really young boy with an orange coat and he was holding a cluster of snowballs.

She was weakened, but Penny took the opportunity whilst he was distracted to push Trundle's fingers away so she could break free.

The boy meanwhile assessed the situation. "Leave her alone, you ugly troll!" he demanded. The yeti made a grumbling noise of agreement.

"Hmph. I don't know what you Freljordians are doing here, but stay out of this, or I'll clobber your skulls in!" Trundle hollered. He looked at his hand. "What?!" Not even realised Penny had freed herself.

The yeti was not as big as Trundle, yet he and the boy invested the courage to approach. They ran at him. Trundle prepared to swing, but found Boneshiver stuck against something. Ten of Penny's blades with wires attached to them were lodged into the ice, and she was pulling them back with extreme exertion. Trundle started to use both hands, starting a tug of war. Penny could feel herself slacking. He was too strong.

"OWW!"
The yeti bit hard into Trundle's forearm, causing him to let go of the club and Penny had to duck to not get hit by the club now rocketing towards her, which struck the pillar of ice behind her that was beginning to melt. Trundle clenched his arm tightly, and staggered backwards as the yeti clawed at him and the boy threw the remainder of his snowballs.

Penny looked at Trundle, and then looked at the club behind her. A smirk was woven onto her face. She commanded her blades to huddle around the handle of the club. It was very heavy, howbeit Penny was unaffected by its weight. She sent the blade and club backwards, and then surged it forwards. The club collided squarely with Trundle's open mouth. He was jettisoned to the end of the street, landing on his back and slid a further fifteen metres prior to coming to a stop. The skin on his back was finally burnt from the friction of the road, and all of his already mangled teeth had fallen out. "I am -a toll kin" he struggled to utter, and grasped feebly at air before passing out.

Penny laid the club down on the floor and returned the blades to her back.

"Woah, that was so awesome!" the boy exclaimed. The yeti made a celebratory hum.

"Thank you." Penny bowed. "I'm glad that you saved me, otherwise I would have been eaten for sure."

"You're welcome. But those swords. How do you levitate them like that?"

The yeti grunted and nodded.

"It's a natural ability of mine. Thank you for asking. But may I ask where you came from, and if you know what these monsters are doing here?"

"Willump and I are from the Freljord, and these monsters are called trolls. They're very nasty."

"Hmmm… I've never heard of the Freljord before. What an interesting name."

"I came here from a very far away land,"
*grunt
"and where is this place?"

"We are in Mantle, right below the Kingdom of Atlas."

"I've never heard of that place either. Have you heard of it, Willump?"

*grunt, grunt.

"Wait. I think I understand. I was recently informed that my planet has been stuck with another. Back where you came from in the… Freljord, did you notice that days and nights were longer, and that you have two moons in the sky at night?"

"I did actually."

*grunt.

"Then it's true. You and I are from entirely different worlds."

"Really?! That's so cool! But I wonder how that happened."

*grunt.

"I don't know either, but you seem very nice. What's your name?"

"I'm Nunu, and this is Willump."

Willump made a happy-sounding grunt.

"My name is Penny. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You too, Penny."

*grunt, grunt, grunt.

"So, what made you come here?"

"Willump and I are always looking out for adventure and new places to travel. So, when a long stretch of ice formed over the sea and we saw a bunch of trolls going across it, we just knew we had to follow them.

*grunt, grunt, Willump nodded.

"That sounds wonderful, but if you have come here, would you mind helping out our city? It's been invaded by these trolls, as well as these black creatures called Grimm."

"We'd love to help, don't we Willump?"

Willump made a slightly less gratifying snort.

"Great. We have no time to waste though. Let's get going."

Penny and Willump entered a jog.

"Also, Penny, I wanna ask something."

"What is it, Nunu?"

"What's a city, exactly?"

---

Despite not being quite the powerhouse Trundle himself was, the rest of the trolls, in addition to the Grimm, were crafting a dystopia throughout Mantle. They were bulldozers mowing over paper rocks. Virtually every Mantle citizen had rendezvoused within the centre of the city, but they were now surrounded, with Grimm on all sides. Even Pietro was amidst the cluster. Nowhere to run, and no way to adequately defend themselves.

"We're screwed!" moaned an Atlesian soldier at the perimeter.

"Where are the Paladins?!" another said.

"All units, backup in the city is required imminently! Are there any available Paladins?"

"We're on our way now!"

The soldiers clutched theirs guns tightly.
"We can't stall… are there any Huntsmen or Huntresses here?!"

"I am! Let me through!" A young lady began shoving her way past the crowd. She had light, blonde hair, tied in a ponytail; and wore an olive scarf, a sleeveless, black jacket over a grey shirt and a red, inner coat. On her left hand, she carried a crossbow.

Following behind her was a shorter woman, who was a Faunus. Her hair was like wool, and she wore a creamy jacket above an olive top. The weapon she carried behind her back was a staff, which could be converted into a crossbow.

The Grimm began their rampage. All the soldiers and knights fended off the Grimm the best they could, with the taller of the two women firing bolts from her crossbow, and the shorter thrashing them with her staff. Six Atlesian Paladins arrived too, and wiped-out bunches of Grimm.

Gradually the Grimm fell, with citizens peering over each other's shoulders to see what was going on.

Meanwhile, Willump, Nunu and Penny caught up to all the trolls. Willump wrestled with them, whilst Penny disabled them when they were occupied. Thankfully these trolls weren't as brutish as Trundle himself.

At last, Winter and Clove arrived. Winter summoned a white Boarbatusk, which charged and knocked all Grimm in its path above their feet, and Clove grappled the remaining ones and tossed them into the sidewalks.

There was no applause, just relief.

Winter briefly made eye contact with the woman with the blonde ponytail, but quickly darted away. She cleared her throat. "Citizens of Mantle, you are safe for now, but we are unfortunately in a situation similar to what happened at Beacon. The Atlesian Tower has fallen, and both Atlas and Mantle are almost completely in shambles. Therefore, my message to you earlier has been postponed; we will need a tremendous, combined effort to rebuild the tower and fix both Atlas and Mantle. Take respite for now, and return to your homes, but if we are to restore our beautiful Kingdom, a great number of volunteers are required. Does everyone here understand?"

Murmurs of agreement and dejection spread.

Winter turned around, and she raised her eyelids. Penny was striding towards them, accompanied by a furry creature, with a little boy riding on top. "Penny, what is going on here?"

"These are my new friends, Nunu and Willump, and they helped me defeat the ugly monsters that came here alongside the Grimm."

Winter acknowledged the two newcomers with quick gazes, but focused on the news about the trolls the monsters. "They've been neutralised?"

"Knocked out, I think is a more accurate term. So they must be dealt with soon."

"Penny!" Pietro moved towards them in his chair. "Thank goodness you're okay!"

"I'm alright, father. I had these two people to help me. In particular when dealing with that very large monster with the club."

Pietro made a more thorough inspection of Nunu and Willump than Winter did. They weren't exactly two people you would associate with being a duo. "I'm grateful that you two did then. Thank you."

"No problem, Mister."

*grunt.

"Let's not sit around though." said Winter. "If they reawake at a moment's notice, let's shift our priority to getting them rounded up."

She made the announcement to the citizens and the nearby military, and they went on their way to bring the trolls in. The most important question they had though was how to deal with enemies that didn't dissolve upon kill.

Ugh. Why was everything going so wrong?!

---

"How's Harriet doing?" Elm asked Vine. A rare exposure of her emotions squirmed out of her lips and body language. Even with her broken ribs, and she now also realised her ankles were sore too, she had retreated from helping Marrow keep focus on Aatrox. She fell on her left side and groaned, but she was level with Harriet.

"Not good." Vine replied. His limbs and hands were extended so that they completely covered all of her body, minus her head. "She's bleeding profusely, and is probably doing so internally too. So, I wouldn't be surprised if any of her bones have snapped and punctured some internal organs.

Why did he have to say it so matter of fact? "We need to do something! Otherwise, she'll die!"

"You heard Winter; all the doctors are in Mantle right now, and I think the medical ward beneath the academy is sealed off, with the tower having fallen."

Elm reached out and stroked Harriet's head. "Why didn't Clove stay? she sniffled. "His Semblance can save her."

"We can't reach him now, and luck isn't the same thing as certainty. You should be helping Marrow. If Aatrox gets loose, things will get worse for everyone."

Elm uncomfortably sat up. "I can't believe it."

"Believe what?"

"You don't care about her at all, do you?!" she bellowed and pounded her fists into the ground.

"What? Of course I do. But I have to accept the reality of this situation, and I'm also thinking about the bigger picture, just like General Ironwood does. And just like you too."

Elm held her breath until her face turned into a blueberry, and she let out an unpleasant exhale.

"Duty comes first. That's the Ace Ops' motto. That's what you always say."

Harriet then murmured. It was delicate, but loud enough and prickled with pain to be audible. She opened her eyes. Her vision was very fuzzy, but she could still decipher the faces of Elm and Vine. "Did we… win?" she asked. Simply speaking was like being impaled by a shard of glass.

"Yes, we did." Elm responded. She smiled as wide as humanly possible. "Aatrox has been stopped, and the city's been saved."

Harriet etched a grin onto her own visage, even though it felt like it was being sewn on by a needle. "…good. The Ace Ops… have done it again."

"You're gonna be okay, I promise. Your Aura's recharging."

Harriet was not glowing at all, yet she kept on grinning and try to move underneath Vine's arms: putting on a brave face as if she wasn't actually in any pain.

"Don't move." Vine instructed. "You'll only make things worse."

"I'm fine. I can manage. I-" she spluttered and coughed out a mouthful of blood onto Vine's arms.

Vine gulped and elm shrieked. The latter leaned over and grabbed the former's left shoulder. "We need to do something! Let me go and find someone who can help!"

"You can't walk anywhere, and Marrow can't leave his position either. I'm sorry, Elm, but this is it!"

"Don't say that! I can take care of her! Please, just go and find some o-" she stopped speaking. For that matter, she went completely still.

Harriet noticed this, and saw Vine had frozen too. The surrounding area darkened slowly. It was the evening. Was night-time coming early? No, this wasn't the sky. It was on the ground and across the whole courtyard. Fine, dark smoke materialised around them, and a soft tune, which sounded like a piano playing, circled her ears. The smoke became so close that she could no longer see Aatrox or Marrow. However, two pairs of glowing blue eyes appeared, and they stared piercingly at her. Harriet wheezed. Just a tiny bit of flight or fight strength returned to her.

The four eyes gradually emerged from the cloud. One pair belonged to a sheep standing on its thin, hind legs. It carried a bow in its left hand, and wore a creepy wolf mask. The other pair of eyes was owned by a floating creature, like a ghost, resembling a wolf, but it wore the mask of a sheep. The mouth of the wolf also glowed like their eyes.

Harriet paid back the stares, looking utterly mortified.

*Sniff, sniff* "I smell their fear." the wolf said. His was voice was deep, rough and demonic.

"Those who dread us grant us the most power." the sheep said. It was female, and her voice was soft and angelic by comparison, but its presence was still ominous.

"Little Lamb, you promised me that the next one was mine to take."

"Yes, dear Wolf. Let us see though how she reacts."

It hurt like hell was coming, with her body and broken bones begging her to not move, but Harriet managed to wriggle free of Vine's grasp and she shuffled back on her bottom.

"She struggles. Good!" the Wolf snarled.

"Who are you…?"

"Your time is here." the Lamb answered indirectly.

"The hunt begins, and I hope this one has strong legs!"

Her kneecaps could barely bend and unbend, and the pain of moving seared through her like a white-hot knife just dipped in the sun, but she ignored the pain and entered an inelegant jog. Not exactly strong legs.

The wolf growled! "Run if you can! I will give you a head start!"

"Not that it will help."

It was the nastiest invitation she could receive, but what choice did she have? It was excruciating already, and not having her Semblance or the ability to fight back was even more humiliating. Harriet hobbled to the left side of the courtyard.

The wolf growled and floated towards her, laughing mockingly.

Harriet looked over her shoulder. The smug grin on the wolf's face and its harrowing eyes as he was gaining on her blanketed Harriet with the most fear she'd felt in her entire lifetime. "Vine! Elm! Someone, help me!"
She didn't even make it fifty metres. The wolf bit her left ankle. Ethereal though his manifestation was, his teeth snapped it off in one go. She landed on her jaw, cracking several teeth. Blood spewed from her leg, and she spat out even more from her mouth.

The wolf growled and pushed her onto her back with his nose. There it was. He cackled and smiled, then lunged and sunk his teeth into her throat. Wolf remained there for five seconds, biting until he retreated and shook the blood from his face like a dog in the rain. He returned to the Lamb and sighed.

"How are you feeling, dear Wolf?"

"It was a boring chase! I wanted it to last longer!"

"But has your hunger at least been sated?"

"Indeed, it has, little Lamb."

"Let us move on then."

The smoke proceeded to disappear, as did the lamb and the wolf, and the piano stopped playing.

"Every life…"

"Ends with us!"

"And everywhere Lamb went,"

"Wolf was sure to follow."

Elm blinked and let go of Vine. Vine looked down to the horror of seeing nothing beneath his hands. "What?! Where'd she go?!"

"What?!" Elm exclaimed. The two of them swivelled around, instantly seeing Harriet lying lifelessly on the ground. "No…" she sniffed.

Vine and Elm dashed to her side, with Elm falling over again in the process. They knelt by her, and Elm almost vomited at the sight of her missing foot and throat. There was no explanation, but none was needed.

Elm couldn't contain herself. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she sank her face into Harriet's chest that was no longer moving.

Upon hearing this, Marrow shuddered. He'd been filtering everything out thus far: Elm's comments and begging Vine to get further help. But it was this cry of despair that broke his concentration. He blinked and turned his head to see what was going on.

"ARGH!" called out the thunderous voice of Aatrox.

Before Marrow could correct his mistake, Aatrox leaped forward and hit him in the front with the sharpened tip of the sword. Marrow didn't even have time to scream before the impact knocked him out and sent him blitzing out of the school grounds.

Vine had seen it, and his stomach curdled at the sight of Marrow being hit so hard. He couldn't at all tell where he'd been sent.

Aatrox flapped his wings and began to fly. "Nothing shall stop me from destroying this world! NOTHING!"

Vine made no attempt to stop him or even attract his attention. He was deeply saddened by the loss of Harriet, but what upset him the most, was how Elm had let her emotions get the better of her. She was supposed to have kept Marrow focused on Aatrox, and not lose focus herself. Nevertheless, he patted Elm on the back, who was still weeping into Harriet's chest. Had she even noticed Aatrox leave? And now that he had some time to think about it, what had happened to Harriet? She had suddenly just teleported behind them, and looked like she'd been chased by a ravenous wolf. The autopsy was going to be interesting for sure.

It was the first time he'd done so in absolutely ages. Vine permitted tears of his own to stream down his face.