Chapter 6: The Reaper
Disclaimer: I do not in any way or form own Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There or RWBY. They belong to their respective owners, Takumi Yanai and RoosterTeeth Animations respectively.
A/N: I'm back! Yes, I am now aware that Amber had a horse. I get it. I am also aware that dust is canonically confirmed not to work off Remnant. I have taken this into account and will address it later in the story. Eventually.
"Just over one week ago, invaders from another world, now known as Falmart, arrived to conquer Vale. Today, reinforcements from the kingdoms of Mistral, Vacuo, and Atlas have arrived to lend their aid to our kingdom. It is a truly heartwarming sight to see the four nations working together. Tragic as the otherworldly invasion may be, it has brought humanity closer together in an unprecedented corporation.
But some believe that the other nations' intentions are not so noble. Some say that Atlas aims to expand beyond their icy kingdom, into a new world. The skeptics claim that General Ironwood wants complete control of Falmart and its secrets. The General has been quick to refute these rumors, claiming them to be complete falsehoods. While the arguments rage, perhaps it is best for us to let his actions speak for themselves.
In other news, several recon teams have been sent throughout Falmart to learn more about their culture. One such team, named third recon, has reportedly entered combat with a dangerous beast known only as a flame dragon while helping local refugees evacuate. The beast was successfully driven away with no huntsmen casualties, though many of the refugees lost their lives. This brings up the questions: were the casualties preventable, and what will be done with these refugees?"
The allied armies, gathered under the Empire's banner, had vanished within a single night. With many lords and nobles dead, there was a rise in bandit activity. Until recently, they had to skulk around in the shadows, but now they could move around freely. Not only that, but among the scattered remnants of the Army, many had chosen to turn their backs on the Empire, instead choosing to turn to banditry.
In a particular area, over a dozen bandits gathered around a campfire and gleefully rummaged through their spoils.
That was, until the leader's head fell from his neck, removed by a massive halberd.
Its user was a young girl, no older than 13. Her skin was so pale it was nearly translucent, her hair and clothes were black and her eyes were bottomless pools of obsidian. Her weapon was massive and extremely heavy, but that did stop her wielding it deftly, sometimes with a single hand.
"I am Rory Mercury. Apostle of Emroy, God of Darkness," she introduced herself. With that out of the way, she got to work with her halberd.
As ordained by the gods, Apostles were simply caretakers of the world. They existed to protect the land and weed out its less desirable elements. In this case, despite the fact that her god did not condemn banditry, Rory herself found it detestable and had thus decided to eliminate them.
With the group of bandits dealt with, Rory continued on her path to the gate, attracted by the sense of violence. As morning came, she noticed a strange metal vehicle. Curious, she went to the road to wait for them.
"Can't this thing go any faster?" Yang complained. Along with the five other members of fourth recon, she was in a jeep on a bumpy dirt road. "And why are we using this crappy path, anyway? Why not use the main road?"
"Language, Yang," Tai reprimanded from the driver's seat. Vela had called shotgun, so RWY and Oobleck were in the back. "Besides, this is the main road, and if we go any faster we'll crash. This road is really bad."
As if to confirm, the jeep hit a bump and bounced up, jolting its passengers.
To the silence from the back, Tai responded, "I know you're worried, but this is the best we can do." Turning to face the back, he kept one hand on the sterling wheel as he looked at the team. Doctor Oobleck seemed to be dozing off, Ruby was anxiously fiddling with Crescent Rise, Weiss spinning Myrtenaster's dust cartridges and Yang with her fists clenched, ready to smash something. "I know how you feel, and I know that it doesn't help."
"Eyes on the road, Mr. Xiao Long," Vela reminded him from her seat, "There appears to be someone waiting for us."
Tai returned his attention to the road and saw the issue immediately. A girl was squatting in the middle of the road, with dozens of small black shapes flitting through the air around her. Ravens.
Slowing the jeep down, Tai took a look at the mysterious girl. She was young, looking twelve to fourteen years old, yet strikingly beautiful. Her eyes were like black jewels, staring at the approaching jeep without the need to blink. Despite the jeep bearing down on her, she showed no intention of moving.
What drew Tai's attention most, however, was the halberd that lay on the ground beside her, polished to a gleam and taller than the girl herself.
"Is there a problem?" Doctor Oobleck asked from the back, having noticed the deceleration. The back seats did not give a good view of the front, so the doctor and RWY couldn't see the girl waiting for them.
"Someone's in the way," Tai replied, bringing the jeep to a stop about ten meters from the girl. "Wait here, I'll go talk to her."
Opening the door, Tai got out and headed over. As he approached, the girl stood up as if she had been kept waiting, dusting off the dirt on her dress and casually picking up her huge halberd. Without further delay, she began to speak in the local language.
Unable to understand her, Tai held up a palm in a gesture to stop. The girl seemed to understand it, even if she cocked her head curiously. From his pocket, Tai pulled out his scroll and activated the General's translator. Making sure it was working, Tai carefully began to speak, "Hello. My name is Tai. Can you understand me?"
The scroll translated his words, repeating it in the local language. It was crude, but an acceptable temporary solution while Ironwood's engineers and linguists worked out a better system.
"That thing lets you speak different languages? Interesting," the girl replied. The translator promptly repeated it in English for Tai.
"What's your name?" Tai prompted.
"My name is Rory Mercury," the girl replied, "Apostle of Emroy, God of Darkness."
Tai had no idea what that meant, though it probably had to do with the local religion. Politely, he said, "We're in a bit of a hurry. Would you mind stepping aside?"
The conversation was interrupted by a blur of red. "Ooh, is that a halberd? It looks so heavy. Can I holditdoesithaveaguncanitshootmissles?!"
Rory blinked, at a loss for words, stepping back as she faced the bundle of energy known as Ruby. Tai, however, was more used to her hyperactivity.
"Ruby! I told you to stay in the jeep!" Tai reprimanded her. Then Weiss, Yang, and even Oobleck made their way over to join him, and he sighed. Vela was the only one remaining in the jeep, where she seemed perfectly content to watch the whole thing play out.
"Who are you people? Where are you going?" Rory asked, ignoring Ruby's outburst.
Restraining his eager daughter with a hand, Tai replied, "We're visitors from... far away." For some reason, he felt that it was best to keep their true origin secret. "A friend of my daughters' was taken by the Empire, and we're going to find her."
"The Empire? Who are you, to challenge such a powerful fraction?"
"Just some travelers searching for a friend."
Rory laughed, "I like your spirit, mortal. Very well. I'm coming along."
Mortal? Before Tai could say anything, Ruby blurted out, "Oh, can she? I wanna see what her weapon does!"
"Ah, excellent idea!" Oobleck added, "Having someone with knowledge of local customs and history will be most beneficial for our purposes!"
Rory raised an eyebrow as the translator attempted to translate the Oobleck's rapid speech.
"Fine," Tai relented, closing his eyes. "Why not? But-" he broke off when he realized that Ruby was already dragging Rory over to the jeep, where Vela directed them to the back. Sighing, he motioned for everyone else to get back on board.
These strangers were definitely interesting, Rory decided. They had never heard of the Empire, which dominated the continent. They spoke an alien language unlike any other. They didn't recognize her name, nor the word Apostle. Wherever they came from, it was far, far away.
Their vehicle, though, was interesting. It traveled much faster than a horse-drawn carriage and its interior was comfortable and cool, despite the beating sun outside. Rory had absolutely no idea how it worked, and her queries had yielded only evasive answers.
"Can I hold it?"
And then there was this girl, Ruby. She looked barely older, physically, than Rory herself, yet seemed to have an unhealthy obsession with weapons. Perhaps she was some kind of demigoddess as well?
Giving in to her demands, Rory answered, "Sure. It's a little heavy, though." 'A little' as in beyond the capabilities of most men to lift, Rory thought to herself.
Ruby bent down to get a good grip on the halberd that lay on the floor of the jeep, between then two rows of seats. Taking Rory's warning seriously, she braced herself as she hefted the weapon up. Used to Crescent Rose's considerable weight, Ruby had no problem lifting the halberd to examine.
Fully engaged in looking over the weapon, Ruby completely missed the wide-eyed look on Rory's face. Placing the halberd on her lap, she ran a hand over it, muttering to herself.
"Heavy, but well balanced. Polished, sharp edge, well maintained. Counterweight in the base, useful for swinging and balance..."
Ruby's analysis of Rory's halberd was interrupted when Yang draped a hand over her sister's shoulders, saying brightly, "Come on, sis, stop obsessing over that. At least talk to the girl, yes?"
"Yang!" Ruby complained, pushing her away, "I don't even know her! It's going to be so awkward!"
"Hey, you wanted to bring her along! And it can't be worse than fangirling over her weapon."
"My name is Rory Mercury," Rory interrupted the sisters' bickering with an amused smile.
"And I'm Yang!" she replied cheerfully. When Ruby didn't follow up, Yang continued, "This is my weapon maniac sister Ruby, and that's Weiss 'Ice Queen' Schnee sitting beside you."
"Hey!"
"Oh, and this is our history teacher, Professor Oobleck," Yang concluded.
"Doctor," he corrected sternly, then asked Rory, "Miss Mercury, would you mind answering a few of our questions?"
"Like where did you get this halberd from? What's it made of? The material's unlike anything I've seen. And the craftsmanship is-"
Ruby's excited questions were cut off by Rory, who replied, "It was a gift from my God, Emroy." Before anyone could question that, Rory effortlessly reclaimed her weapon from Ruby and continued, "What do you know of weapons, Ruby?"
"Oh! I've got this thing," she replied, retrieving Crescent Rose. Rory was unimpressed by the weapon, in storage from, but her expression changed quickly when the full scythe unfolded. "My baby Crescent Rose."
There was silence in the jeep, with everyone trying to process various amounts of information.
Doctor Oobleck took charge, "It appears that you and I both have many questions about each other's worlds, Miss Mercury."
"Call me Rory, please."
"Very well. Rory, let me suggest a trade. You ask a question and we answer it. Then we do the same. An answer for an answer."
Rory locked her lips. The deal was definitely interesting. It showed just how little they knew of the workings of Falmart, which meant that their friend must be important. A noble, maybe even royalty. Rory almost refused, out of the sheer confusion - and personal amusement - that it would cause, yet she wanted to know about that scythe.
The jeep suddenly jerked to a stop, cutting her thoughts short.
"Weapons ready, team," Vela's commanding voice rang out, "We have trouble."
Each day, hundreds of lords and nobles would visit the royal castle. Senators, nobles, and courtiers would gather in meetings while enjoying delicious food, graceful dancers, gambling, and courting before discussing the affairs of the Empire.
However, with the recent defeats haunting their minds, each of them had a grim look on their face. The beautiful pieces of art now looked like pebbles on a road while the graceful music sounded hollow and meaningless.
What had allowed the Empire to hold its dominant position among the many countries under the reign of Emperor Molt Sol Augustus was its overwhelming military force and immense wealth. Even a child would know that these were the reasons that the Empire was feared by the other countries. Now, the Empire can be said to have lost an arm.
"Your Majesty, the Colation Army has suffered a major defeat. The dead and missing have reached sixty thousand. If we include the ones who were wounded but are still able to resume their duties, it increases to a hundred thousand. The survivors have each returned to their respective countries."
These numbers had not included the ogres, goblins, giants, and other demi-humans, which had limited intelligence and were treated as cannon fodder.
Listening to Domestic Minister Marquis Marcus's report, the emperor nodded his head tiredly, "Just as planned. The cowardly senators who were afraid after we suffered some losses have nothing to worry about anymore."
"However, the movement of the enemies from beyond the gate is a concern."
"Hmm, are you getting paranoid?"
"I was born with this paranoia of mine. I will never attain such magnanimity as Your Majesty."
"So be it. In that case, I shall act to relieve the worries of my trusted retainer. This is not such a difficult problem. The distance from Alnus Hill to here is far. It will be fine to use the Empire's extensive territory as a rampart," the emperor said, "If the enemies start moving their forces, then all the cities and villages leading up to the Empire shall be burned down, the wells poisoned and the food seized till the last grain of wheat. Therefore, amidst the scorched earth, no army could obtain supplies and are thus forced to stop their advancement. With this, no matter how strong their army and their mages might be, they will be weakened."
Without a doubt, the scorched earth tactic was an effective one. However, such tactics would turn their own lands to a crisp, and it would be hard or impossible to undo the damage. It also disregarded the livelihoods of the people by robbing their food and water, and the support of the people would be lost, causing resentment towards the government that could last for generations. Considering all these effects, it an extremely poor political choice, despite its possible effectiveness. Hence, Marquis Marcus had to try to talk sense into the Emperor, in a way he could understand.
"But...the tax revenue would decrease."
The emperor only said, "Hmph. Just cancel a few parades and postpone the plans for the imperial villa." For the Emperor, the suffering of the people and the approval of the citizens were trivial things.
Marquis Marcus bowed his head respectfully, accepting the order. At this moment, a voice that was clear as a bell cut through the quiet air in the palace.
"Your Majesty!" the princess, Pina Co Lada, called as she stormed through the door. She had flame-like vermillion hair and white porcelain skin, accentuated perfectly by her white silk garment.
"What's the matter?"
"The Empire is now having an emergency. What has your Majesty done to curb this problem? Is your Majesty getting senile?" the princess's sharp tongue spared not even the Emperor.
"Your Highness, what urgent matters do you have to barge into the chambers of His Majesty?" the Emperor's advisor asked.
"Obviously, it's about the bandits occupying Arnus Hill. It seems that until this day Arnus Hill remains under their control. I couldn't imagine that your Majesty would still sit with such a relaxed posture after hearing what happened to the Colation Army. Marquis, have you reported the facts to his Majesty?"
Sighing, Emperor Molt held up his hand to stop their bickering. Thinking quickly of ways to appease the princess, he said, "Regarding the enemies of Arnus hill, what information we have on our hands now is very limited. Why don't you go check it out?"
"Me?" Pina was, as expected, shocked.
"Yes. We are still rebuilding the Empire's army to counter the invaders, so we are lacking scouts and can't draw them from our standing army. The enlisting and training of new recruits will need time. The only troops that are free and adequately trained would be your Rose Order of Knights. If the knights are not your playmates for pretend games, that is…" the Emperor continued, knowing just how to push the rebellious princess into action.
Under the provoking gaze of the Emperor, Pina shut her lips. She was experienced enough to recognize an 'if you don't want to then shut the hell up' tone.
"Well then. Do you accept this order?"
Gritting her teeth, Pina raised her head with a determined look. With no choice, she replied, "I understand. I will do as you say."
"Then I shall look forward to your achievements," the Emperor replied, more out of tradition than actual curiosity.
"Well then, Father. I shall be on my way."
With that, Pina Co Lada turned her back to the throne, dress sweeping behind her as she left the hall.
A/N: Third recon rescued Tuka, met Lelei, helped Coda evacuate, and fought the flame dragon offscreen. Off...text? Basically what happens in canon, except that Rory wasn't involved. It had nothing to do with FORT, but I have a way to get Lelei and Tuka to meet our main characters.
For the rest of this story, unless stated otherwise, when Remnant people and Falmart people speak and understand each other, one of their scrolls are acting as a translator.
Also, for the purpose of simplicity, I'm assuming that the primary language on Remnant is English.
In the Gate wiki, Rory's halberd is described as 'as heavy as a car'. It is also shown placed over a sleeping Tuka and others on separate occasions without crushing anyone. So I'm just going to assume it's not actually that heavy, but about Yastu sword weight. Heavy, but manageable for aura users.
If you read my Gate x Starcraft fic, you may notice that certain scenes, like the one above, are copied word-for-word. I'm lazy, alright? It's exactly the same, unaffected by who the protagonists are, but pretty important to the plot. Also, I wrote that story and gave myself permission to copy it.