Arc 4: Gods and Immortals
Chapter 25: A New Strategy
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: What is happening on Remnant? Good question. As for JNPR, Oscar, and the others... I'm already juggling 20+ characters. The plot is already far messier than it needs to be. I can't handle another 5, especially when you include the supporting characters, plot, and all that stuff.
"You... Shut the Gate down? I thought it was destroyed by the Grimm." Tai said.
"It is not so easy to destroy such a thing. Even I had to expend some power to close it," Hardy told him.
"Then why open the Gate in the first place? Why to Remnant? Why invade my home?"
"This world stagnates. Humanity has ruled for too long, so much so that it has forgotten the conflict that has allowed it to reign. By opening the Gate, I set a new variable into this world. I could have sent them to so many other worlds, but yours was simply the most compatible. Opening portals like this one is not easy, hmm? As for the invasion, well, I had no part with that. You humans do love violence."
"And why did you close it, then? Wouldn't keeping it open be better for whatever you want to do?"
"Yes, I wanted to throw this world into chaos. But I felt a presence in your world that could not be allowed to enter this one. There is a powerful being of pure darkness in your world, one that can fight gods. It cannot be allowed here, or it would consume all that we have."
"Pure darkness? The Grimm?"
"Those things? They are little more than pests to us. But they have a leader, and it is this leader who threatens the safety of our world. The corruption that she brings cannot be allowed into my garden."
"Salem..."
"You know of her," Hardy stated. "Then you know the threat she brings."
"But, can't you kill her? You're a goddess, aren't you? If you open the Gate again, then trap Salem, you can destroy her once and for all!"
Hardy shook her head, "No. A power equal to that of ours protects her. Even we cannot bypass her immortality. She cannot die, and while our Apostles can suppress her alone, the dark creatures that she commands will spread even without a leader. The Gate remains shut. You will never see your home again. "
"But-"
"Enough. I tire of this conversation. I will not reopen the Gate. Leave, before I make you," Hardy demanded. With that, she deemed the conversation over, her spirit form dissipating into nothing.
Giselle stepped up and spoke for the first time since they had all entered the shrine. "You heard her. Let's go."
"It seems that we must find some other way, then. Come on, girls," Tai said, signaling for them to follow Giselle out of the shrine.
Once they all left the chamber, Tai looked back at Rory, who still showed no signs of leaving. At his curious look, Rory answered the unasked question, "I have something to discuss with Hardy. I'll catch up later."
"We'll wait outside," Tai agreed.
Once they stepped outside, Tai pulled Ruby aside. Now alone, Tai turned to Ruby. "Alright, Ruby, what's wrong?" he asked, "You've been acting strange since Italica, and you promised me that you'll talk to me about it. Talk to me, Ruby. What's on your mind?"
Ruby was silent, looking down at the ground.
Quietly, she began, "It's... complicated. Since they... invaded, I've... I didn't like it. Why? They forced me to... I didn't... and I was planning to talk to Qrow about it, but then Rory suddenly invited us to reopen the Gate which I know is important and we had to go immediately so I tried to find Qrow but he was busy and then we left and -"
"Woah, woah, slow down there, Ruby. I'm here. Start from the beginning," Tai assured her.
"I've killed people!" Ruby blurted, "Huntresses are supposed to protect people, not... not that. Why? Why do the soldiers want to attack us? We didn't do anything to them."
Tai sighed. He had been fearing this question. He had been trying to keep Ruby sheltered from the harsh reality of life, and knew that Yang was protecting her as well. With Ruby's determination to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a Huntress, as well as the unforeseen disappearance of said Huntress, Tai knew that such a conversation was inevitable. He just did not expect it to be so soon - because an otherworldly invasion was just something that could not be accounted for.
Tai began somewhere less traumatic, "Have you been bottling this up since Italica?"
"The first was in the Vytal Festival Fairgrounds. When the Gate opened. I didn't know that they had no aura. I... killed them. So much blood..." Ruby broke off here, her breath hitching as she buried her head in Tai's side. "It's my fault..."
Tai patted her lightly, doing his best to reassure her. "You did what you thought was best for your friends at the time Ruby. No one will fault you for that. You were strong enough to protect your team."
"Rory spoke to me about that. She said that because she was immortal, she could judge the mortals, and... and she said that with my aura and skill, so could I..."
A child with the ability to defeat and kill large numbers of trained soldiers. Effortless and unstoppable, much like the Apostles of this world. But Rory, despite her appearance, was nothing like Ruby - the former had been chosen by gods who could make their presence felt in the physical world, while the latter, despite her training, was still just a child. His daughter.
Yes, her desire to become a Huntress would eventually put her into this situation. Remnant was a cruel place, and Falmart doubly so.
"You wanted to be a Huntress, Ruby. You knew the responsibilities it would bring. Furthermore, you are the leader of your team. You did your job well, protecting those around you."
"I let Blake get captured!"
"You made sure that Weiss and Yang were safe. That you were safe. Besides, we went and rescued Blake, and she was very capable of fending for herself in the meantime."
"It's just that I never thought..."
"Never thought that you would have to end up killing people? Unfortunately, this is not a fairy tale. We Hunters are more than just elite soldiers who slay Grimm. We are the protectors of humanity, and to do so, sometimes we have to do what we must, and bear the burdens of our actions. Now in this world, you have the responsibility to wield your power properly. None of us want to have to kill anyone. So when faced with someone intent on killing you or your friends, you, as the more powerful of the two, must be the one to find a peaceful resolution. Most people can be reasoned with. Make them back down, or just retreat out of their reach."
"But..."
"But if all else fails, if they cannot be reasoned with, will not back down, and your friends are in mortal danger, then do not hesitate to strike. Protect your friends' lives, because that is the most important thing."
Ruby was silent as she thought about it. Out of the blue, she asked, "Have you ever killed anyone, dad?"
The question caught Tai off guard. "I have."
"Then... How do you handle it?"
"The burden we bear is a heavy one. I have killed, yes, but only in self-defense. Think of it not as taking someone's life, but preserving your own. Life must be treasured."
Ruby smiled, her silver eyes shimmering. "Treasure life. Because life can give you strength. I think mom used to say that."
Tai returned her smile. "Yes, I remember that. Remember who you are, Ruby. Use your strength to protect those you love." He stared wistfully into the distance, "Summer would be proud of you."
"Thanks, dad."
"Power up the tower. Let's give it a test," Winter ordered, looking over the hastily built device in the Alnus base. With the unexpected closure of the Gate and the uncertainty of the future still weighing heavily on everyone's minds, Winter had tried to keep them focused the only way she knew how: she put them to work.
As the majority of Alnus base's occupants were from the Atlas army, their military bearing kicked in and they threw themselves into the construction of a communications tower as ordered. Engineers, soldiers, and builders all worked together, eager to be of some help, and the tower, a miniaturized version of the great CCT towers back on Remnant, began to take shape.
Was it a good investment of their rapidly declining resources? Winter was not sure about that, but her proposal had gone through quickly enough, so she assumed that they were all in agreement with the plan. Once the tower was set up, it would allow them to coordinate their forces around Falmart much more easily. Without a central focal point, their scrolls had very limited range, and as of the current time, any scouting party they sent had almost no good way to communicate with the main Alnus base.
Tai's group attempting to reopen the Gate at Hardy's shrine, Vela's group attempting to conduct diplomatic operations in the capital, Qrow hunting down a flame dragon in some unknown location, as well as the many small scout teams sent out to try to learn more about Falmart and its resources. Information was scarce at best, and the tower was hopefully going to fix the issue. It had to, otherwise, they would have wasted a lot of their precious remaining dust.
"Powering up," an engineer reported.
Everyone seemed to collectively hold their breath as the makeshift communication tower began starting up. It was nowhere near as large or impressive as a CCT tower, with significantly less power, but it would be enough to let the scattered teams around Falmart talk. That was assuming that it worked.
There was no external change or sound, save for a quiet hum. It was impossible to visually tell if the tower was working or not, but the engineers looked over their displays and reported, "All systems green. Everything's working nicely. What should we send, Ms. Schnee?"
Winter gave it a few seconds of thought. She decided, "Send a message to all active teams. Inform them that communications have been established and ask for a status report."
"Yes, Ms. Schnee," the soldiers replied, and got to work. A few taps later, he said, "Ms. Schnee, the engineers recommend that we o lu connect to a single scroll at one time. We don't have the dust to spare for multiple connections; it is too draining on our systems."
"Alright. But before that," Winter announced, "The calls I am about to make are classified. Everyone not involved in the running of the tower is to leave."
Some of the soldiers were unhappy about that, but they followed their superior's orders and exited the room.
"Right. First, Vela Fauxen, Imperial Palace, Sadera. Scroll ID 611454."
"Yes, Ms. Schnee," the remaining soldiers replied, and began to work the tower. Winter did not even notice that she was holding her breath until Vela's voice came over the speakers.
"Winter Schnee. You're not in the capital now, which means that you have a working CCT. I assume that you want a report of my operations in Sadera?"
"Yes. How goes the negotiations?"
"They have yet to-" there was a grunt, interrupting her. A moment later, Vela continued, "officially begin. The crown prince is a fool. I have a plan to TAKE ADVANTAGE" - Vela seemed to yell as she exerted herself - "of him, and I. Will. Have. A full report drafted up as soon as I can."
Winter raised an eyebrow at Vela's speech. "Ms. Fauxen, are you all right?"
"I am occupied at the moment, but yes. Once I'm" - metal clashed - "done, I'll draft my report."
"Very well. I will await your report."
That went well, regardless of whatever Vela was up to. She had Sedeg and Arta with her. She would be fine. On to the next one.
"Harriet Bree, Elbe Kingdom. ID 2855."
The Ace Ops had been split, each leading a team of soldiers and several locals to various parts of the continent in search for Dust, the lifeblood of the Alnus base. One by one, Winter contacted them for news.
"Negotiations with Lord Duran are ongoing. The Elbe kingdom has many resources, but none of them seem compatible." Negative.
"Marrow Amin, Akusho, Sadera. ID 1294."
"It's not been easy, but I'm making progress with the crime bosses. Unfortunately, they seem to have nothing we can use." Another negative.
"Vine Zeki, Italica City. ID 6519."
"Count Formal's being cooperative; apparently they really liked our support in defending them. No luck so far, but they're willing to help up ask around." Negative, although the connections could help in the future.
"Elm Ederin... She is in Alnus. No need to call him, we can get his report later."
"Clover Ebi, Rondel. ID 529."
The leader of the Ace Ops with his luck Semblance. If anyone had a chance to succeed, it was him. Winter held her breath.
"Specialist Schnee, what can I do for you?" Clover's voice came up. He had been deployed to the mage city of Rondel in search of resources. Winter would have liked Lelei to accompany him, but she had gone off with team RWBY to find Hardy.
"Specialist Clover, I would like a report on your operations. Dust supplies are low, and we need an alternative."
"Ah, then I've got good news for you," the reply came. "We've found something very similar to Dust. I'll submit a detailed report once we're more clear of the capabilities of this mineral, but preliminary analysis shows that it has a composition similar to that of Dust. It contains large energy reserves within its structure. We're working with a local mage to try to adapt our systems to it or vice versa."
A positive, at last. "Excellent.
"Taiyang Xiao Long. Belnago Shrine. ID 49152547."
The call connected.
"Hello, Winter. Why are you here? Don't you need to run the Alnus base?" Tai's voice came over the speaker.
"I am at Alnus base."
"What? The scrolls only have a few hundred meters of communication range without the... You made a CCT tower?"
Winter smirked the disbelief in his voice. She replied, "We haven't been just sitting around here. We've got a tower up and running, and although it's smaller than those back on Remnant, it will allow for some communications around Falmart. So, have you reached Hardy's shrine? Did you talk to her?"
"About that," Tai's tone gave Winter a good idea of what was coming. "In short, we managed to convince her Apostle to get us in, but Hardy refused to open the Gate. She said that there was a... what, a powerful evil or something on Remnant, and she had to close the Gate to prevent it from corrupting her world."
Her posture did not change, but the atmosphere around Winter seemed to change. She gave a glance at the soldiers scattered around, working with the machinery. Qrow had told her of Salem's existence, but the troops did not yet know. However, they would have all either seen Salem walk into Beacon, or heard it from someone else, even if they did not know exactly what she was. Tight-lipped, she said, "The woman who controls the Grimm."
"That's my thought too. So, Hardy refuses to reopen the Gate. We can't bribe or threaten her, because she's a goddess. So, what do we do now, Winter?"
Winter gave it some thought. "I want a full report as soon as possible. In the meantime, talk to Rory and Hardy's Apostle. See if there's any other way to open the Gate."
"Got it. Rory's still talking to Hardy; maybe she'll have something. Don't worry, Winter, we'll figure something out."
"I expect you to. Inform me of any results. That is all."
"Got it."
Winter sighed. The connection cut out, but she had no time to rest. There was one more call to make.
"Qrow. Location... Somewhere south. ID 2814354," Winter ordered. Already, the atmosphere in the room was becoming somber. The discovery of an alternative for Dust might allow them to stay indefinitely, but it would not open the Gate. If there was no way home, the people, even the trained soldiers, would definitely lose hope. Unfortunately, there was no time for Winter to handle that yet.
The quiet hum of machinery did little to calm their nerves. With no accurate location data of Qrow, the tower had to scan large areas of the land to locate his scroll. The wait weighed heavily on everyone's already strained minds.
Finally, the tower found a signal.
Qrow did not even question the communications. His voice betrayed the gravity of the situation, "Winter, there are Grimm here."
"On Falmart?! How?"
"I have no idea either. But I'm looking at a Seer and it seems busy. And that's not good for us."
"Qrow. Picture, now. I need to know what's going on," Winter demanded.
"Got it," Qrow replied. He did not crack any joke, and the image came through very quickly, and that was the moment when Winter knew that everything was going to fall apart very soon.
The Seer was corrupting the Flame Dragon.
There was no other word to describe the dark tendrils that spread from the jellyfish-like creature to the dragon. It was lying down, so still that it may be dead, while black ooze slowly spread, consuming its body. Only the head and part of the neck had been affected so far, but the signature white bone plates of the Grimm were already forming.
"Get me the commanders. Now," Winter ordered her aide. As he scurried off to do just that, Winter turned back to Qrow. "How did it get here, and how did no one notice it?"
"Beats me," Qrow shrugged. "But I might have an idea. See this?" he sent another picture as he spoke. This one was slightly further away from the dragon, showing metal fragments. "That's the remains of technology that this place isn't capable of. It's one of ours, probably a Bullhead." Now that Qrow pointed it out, Winter could see more debris strewn around the dragon itself.
"Qrow, are you saying that someone here is harboring Grimm?!" Winter exclaimed.
"That's the only explanation, unless one of the locals managed to sneak in, grab a Bullhead, learn how to drive it and then get out, all without anyone noticing."
"Then I want Alnus locked down tight. No one is to-" Winter had not even finished giving orders when Qrow interrupted her.
"Don't bother," he recommended, "Whoever they are, they've already left. You won't find anyone."
There was silence as the weight of the betrayal set in. If something as massive as the dragon was turned into Grimm, it would doubtlessly spawn more, like the Grimm phoenix that had invaded Beacon. Eventually, they would overrun everything.
Qrow broke the uncomfortable silence, "Well, that saves me the trouble of having to kill it, at least. So, what now, boss?"
Winter focused back on the task of stopping the potential Grimm invasion. "Qrow, can you kill the Seer before it corrupts the dragon?"
"Gimme a sec," he said before the signal got cut off.
A Seer Grimm was very rare, but enough of them had been studied to know that they were mostly non-combatant support Grimm, even if the full extent of their abilities was mostly unknown. A veteran Huntsman like Qrow should take no more than seconds to kill it.
So when a minute passed without a response, Winter ordered the soldiers to reconnect to Qrow. It rang, and rang...
What happened to him?
Metal clashed, sparks flying as a greatsword clashed against heated blades. With a push, the two combatants knocked each other back, skidding across the floor. Qrow regained his balance quickly, triggering Harbinger's transformation. The blade extended and curved, forcing a deadly scythe.
His masked opponent placed one hand on the ground, causing it to glow red as she brought herself to a stop. With a twirl of her sabers, she combined them into a bow and took aim with a trio of heated arrows.
The dropped scroll rang, and both of them turned to look at it.
Cinder smirked beneath her mask, and let loose her arrows.
A/N: Adjusted parts of the tower specifications, and some of Vela's speech.