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Chapter 98: Race to the Finish
It had been four days since the refugees had moved into Schnee Manor and everyone was settling in nicely. Most of the adult refugees had managed to get jobs working in the manor. Some, such as Elsie the Okapi Faunus, became cooks to help feed the considerable amount of mouths that needed to be fed and it was easy enough for Willow Schnee to get the necessary amount of food delivered straight to the manor. Others became servants in the manor, or out at the airfield hangars or in the garages, anyone who had wanted a job was given one.
Tamara Zaru had, as Ruby had suggested, been chosen to be the maid for Weiss's floor as well as the area where Team Beacon were staying in the manor's East Wing, which meant the Maidens had to be sure to keep up their personas of Adara and Violet around her even as they befriended her. Qrow couldn't help but admit that he found the woman quite attractive, especially in her maid outfit, easily causing the Lemur Faunus to blush. However, she politely made it clear that she wasn't looking to start a new relationship anytime soon.
Olgaren the Mongoose Faunus had taken up the role of zookeeper for the Schnee's small menagerie and despite his Faunus nature, Weiss, Winter and some of the other servants had helped the animals warm up to him quickly due to letting him give the various animals their favorite foods. Meanwhile Irwin, the Kangaroo Faunus that Yang had escorted, joined the ranks of the estate's guards along with a few other refugees with security experience.
Several of the refugees happened to be teachers, and so they had agreed with the rest of the parents and guardians to take up their children's education much to the dismay of the younger generation.
The Schnee Patriarch was quite pleased to see the refugees settling in quite nicely and despite some initial awkwardness, the new employees were slowly warming up to the Manor staff and the various members of Team Beacon.
"Well, this is something our ancestors and my father would never have expected to see in the family manor." Willow had mentioned to both his daughters and Klein on the first night once he had arrived home from the S.D.C Headquarters, and nodded a polite greeting to his new employees when they walked past the group in the hallways.
"Well, if I may be so bold to say so, I believe that circumstances have changed significantly since their time. Besides they're not here now; grandfather had passed on many years ago and I don't think he or our great grandfather truly understood the changing world beyond our manor or company completely." Winter stated plainly.
"Nor did they really care, for that matter." Weiss added a moment later.
"Hmm…harsh as it might sound, the truth is undeniable," Willow admitted after thinking for a few moments, "While some of the old ways shouldn't be forgotten, there are still certain things from the past that are best left behind, especially old prejudices. Of course, I'll put forward my best efforts to be better than my forefathers, just as my daughters have already proven themselves to be wiser than myself in certain aspects."
Weiss smiled back at her father, still amazed by how much he had changed in a matter of months. For many years they both knew him as a strict, vindictive and overbearing father, seemingly more concerned with his reputation as the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company and the amount of wealth it has produced for him. It wasn't surprising that Winter chose to join the Atlesian military forces when she had the chance, with Weiss doing the same thing by attending Beacon Academy in order to escape his altruistic behavior. Now it was as though he had a clear change in personality, and had clearly become a better person than before.
The standing of the Schnee Dust Company, once known for its 'controversial labor forces and questionable business partners', had also been improved after Willow's recent company reforms and careful checks on those he had collaborated with in terms of partnerships. With the SDC now aiding in sending out essential food, water, medical and Dust supplies to the other refugees that have been evacuated into Atlas City, public opinion towards the SDC as well as the Schnees had been mostly positive on the whole. Although there were still some Faunus people who distrusted them, Weiss was nonetheless hopeful that they would change their minds in time after seeing the noteworthy humanitarian efforts rendered by her family's company.
Then they told him about Neo.
All things considered, he actually took it better than they had hoped. It was a tough sell, but after emphasizing her role in saving Ruby, Jaune, Pyrrha and Ozpin from Cinder in Haven City and how she had helped them infiltrate the White Fang's secret prison in Vacuo, the Schnee patriarch had eventually relented and agreed to let the thief stay much to her relief.
Most of the young kids were all quite enamored with Team Beacon, the group of Hunters-in-training took advantage of the hours the children were in 'school' to get their own school work done, which also allowed Heliosia and Amethyst to drop their maid personas for a while. Qrow also helped out with their combat training, by teaching Ruby and the others to improve their CQC skills so they wouldn't be helpless should they find themselves weaponless in a combat situation. For Jaune's part he had improved significantly at using his Semblance, learning to project shields which he used to cover others.
After four days of hard work, Team Beacon were more than halfway caught up with the schoolwork they had missed out on.
Speaking of school, their clothes and other personal items had also arrived from Beacon Academy. Any article they had requested was delivered, much to the relief of Coco and Weiss, who had hoped none of their treasured outfits would be left behind. Jaune, for his part, was being very secretive about whatever it was he had asked Glynda to send him, and despite her curiosity Pyrrha decided not to pry. However, it didn't stop Nora from trying to guess what it was, but Jaune refused to give an answer.
During the day, the members of Team Beacon went through an intensive routine of schoolwork; having to listen to long lectures in the manor's study room, complete tests and undergo combat training supervised by Qrow and Winter, with Sharp Strike mostly observing and also giving some pointers on their fighting styles. After going through so much studying and training, the various members were happy that they could just relax for the rest of the night.
On this particular night certain members of Team Beacon have gathered around one of the manor's many large drawing rooms where the Schnees could entertain their guests. This particular den had an expensive video game system that had been a gift from an Atlesian technology company for Weiss's birthday about seven years ago. It had been replaced by the current generation a few years before, although the modest collection of games Weiss had for it were still more than worth playing. The Schnee heiress knew that when she had been studying at Beacon Academy some of the manor servants had frequently played games together in their downtime, which she didn't really mind.
Others, however, had decided to engage in the practice of meditation to recuperate after the long day of studying and training. And so Pyrrha, Ren, Yatsuhashi and Blake were elsewhere, silently meditating together in peace. Neo had joined them, as she also needed to meditate in order to maintain her physical illusion Semblance.
There were also a small number of refugee kids who had also managed to finish the accursed task known as homework, and so were allowed by their parents to join the group of Team Beacon members in the drawing room. Naturally Zephyr was among them and he was seated happily in front of Ruby, watching the video game characters on screen and struggling to pick who to root for.
"You know, Sun, you didn't have to go that hard on me when we sparred today." Ruby said as she rubbed her sore shoulder which had taken a hard blow from the Monkey Faunus during CQC training earlier
"Oh come on Ruby, you can take worse hits than that. I mean, if you can survive Cinder's attacks you can survive my punches," Sun dismissed casually with a shrug as he kept his eyes on the screen, holding one of eight controllers as the huge holographic television screen before them showed the game 'Speed of Light: X-1'. The huge screen was split into eight smaller screens, showing futuristic cars racing through a strange alien world.
Besides Sun; Weiss, Yang, Amethyst, Nora, Sage, Jaune and Neptune were all participating in the virtual race, their individual vehicles all racing at incredible speeds throughout the strange, treacherous course they had selected after seeing the various difficult racing arenas available.
"Yang! Weiss! As your team leader, I'm ordering you to kick his butt!" Ruby demanded, using her best authoritative voice as she grimaced at Sun a little.
"As you command, oh fearless leader." Weiss replied in a deadpan tone, allowing herself a small smile.
"Eh, I won't go too hard on him. After all, that butt belongs to me and Blake now." Yang laughed as she overtook Neptune's racing vehicle.
"Oh, so you're going to let him win?" Ruby asked, giving her sister an inquisitive look.
Yang glanced at her sister, her beautiful face growing serious, "I never said that, Ruby."
"Oh no, now you've done it." Jaune commented with a laugh. After all, he had seen Yang get serious when it came to certain video games and he had never seen anyone take a racing game more seriously than her.
"I'm coming for ya, Sunny boy!" Yang announced, her voice sounding rather devious as her racing vehicle shot past the others.
"Try and catch me, Yang!" Sun shot back as he swerved out of her way and tried to keep up with Weiss and Nora's virtual vehicles, both of which were just ahead of him, as they shot into a gravity tunnel where the walls were made of lava so they had to be careful to not touch them.
All of a sudden Amethyst's virtual racer came up from behind and bashed into Sun's vehicle, causing him to spin out of control. Yang followed up by landing the killing blow, her racing car slamming into the Monkey Faunus', sending it crashing into a nearby lava river where it exploded.
"NO! That was my last life!" Sun cried out as he stood up, a distraught expression on his face.
"That's what you get when you mess with my younger sister." Yang replied, holding her hand out for Ruby to high-five.
Sun slammed back onto the couch, still glaring at Yang and Amethyst, "Oh, it's personal now. Next round I'm gunning for you both!"
"Bring it on!" Yang retorted, eager for the challenge.
"I might be a pretty maid, Mr. Wukong, but I'm no pushover!" Amethyst also declared as she tried not to let Yang overtake her.
"One thing you're going to have to learn about Yang, she takes racing pretty seriously." Ruby advised with a knowing smile.
"So I've noticed," Sun replied, he had lost more than a few racing games to Yang back at Beacon, and was reminded of the fact that whenever anyone beat Yang in a video game she wouldn't stop until she reclaimed her victory.
"Hey, I was the undisputed champ back at Signal thanks to Bumblebee. No one could ever hope to outrun us." Yang boasted, grinning.
"Who's Bumblebee?" Zephyr asked.
"That's the name of Yang's bike." Ruby answered.
"Why did you name your bike?" The young Faunus inquired.
"Because anyone who's serious about riding names their bike." Yang explained as she overshot Amethyst and now struggled to keep up with Weiss, who knew that particular race track like the back of her hand.
"Don't question it Zephyr, everyone's got a passion they're really intense about." Coco advised from the other side of the drawing room as she watched the competition, her aviator sunglasses off as she reclined on a fancy curved chair. Fox sat next to the fashionista on a stool, reading a small book he had picked from the nearby shelves and only occasionally looking up at the game's progress.
"Heh, kinda reminds me of how my sisters would behave whenever we played games together." Jaune remarked.
Heliosia, Penny and Velvet sat off to the side with a few of the younger children, happily playing a simple board game together. The Summer Maiden, the android girl and the Rabbit Faunus especially love getting to spend time with the young children, doing what they could to lift the youngsters' spirits after losing their homes. Pyrrha would have joined them, but due to the exhaustion after a long day of studying and combat training, she opted for the meditation in order to relax.
Heliosia moved a small figurine on the game board before looking up in amusement, watching her friends in Team Beacon continue to play the game, "Are you winning, Violet?"
Amethyst answered with a grunt of concentration as her race car made a tight swerve on screen, while Yang called out, "Not if I have anything to say about it!" which made the kids laugh.
The Summer Maiden looked over at the open entrance of the drawing room and happened to see Sharp Strike walking by, no doubt on patrol to keep a watch over herself and Amethyst.
"Hey, Sharp Strike," Heliosia said, raising an arm and gesturing for him to come in, "Don't be a stranger, come in and join us."
Some of the younger children looked up at the armored figure, and even though some shied away there were a few who looked at him with awe or surprise.
Sharp Strike paused at the doorway for a moment before turning to walk inside, "Very well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to rest for a while."
"That's the spirit!" Ruby glanced in his direction, smiling, "Hey, you wanna play the next round?"
"Yeah, come and join us!" Neptune added.
"Huh, do they even play video games in the Knight Order?" Sun wondered.
"Well, not exactly. There's some training programs for the foundlings and squires, but that's about it." Sharp Strike answered as he walked further into the drawing room and stopped by the couch where the other members of Team Beacon were seated.
"Ah, so you would be completely helpless against the rest of us when it comes to gaming," Sage remarked, a smirk on his face, "Even Penny's no slouch at video games."
"Yeah, she's wiped the floor with us more times than I want to admit." Scarlet confessed.
Penny giggled, "I'm a force to be reckoned with!"
Sharp Strike simply shrugged, "If you're looking for a friendly spar, then I would be more than happy to oblige, but these video games seem a bit…trivial."
"Aw, come on! Live a little!" Amethyst pleaded as her virtual racer was left far behind by Yang while Weiss was currently trying to keep Sage behind her.
Sharp Strike turned to look at the holographic screen for a few moments, observing how the racing game was played. He would be lying if he said he wasn't a little tempted to play it himself.
"I think he's scared he would get his butt kicked by the rest of us." Yang commented, looking back at the Knight Errant with a playful look in her lilac eyes.
Sharp Strike stiffened for a moment before he walked forward, "Very well, I'm not one to decline any kind of challenge."
He took a seat next to Zephyr, sitting cross-legged with his gauntleted hands resting on his poleyns as he patiently waited for the current race to end. Soon enough, the virtual race came to a grand finish with Yang in first place and Weiss as the second place winner just shy of a few seconds.
"Blast it!" Weiss cried as she slammed her hands and her controller onto her lap.
"YES! Mark up another victory for me, Scarlet!" Yang shouted over to the redhead who was keeping score.
"That makes the third win for Yang, one for Weiss and one for Penny." Scarlet said, even though the female android had retired from the game earlier to play with the children.
"May I have a controller?" Sharp Strike asked, while trying not to sound awkward.
"Here, now this is something I've gotta see." Neptune quipped as he handed his controller to the young Knight before getting off the couch so the latter would have a proper seat.
"Thank you, Neptune," Sharp Strike replied as he took the seat. Ruby leaned over and, with Nora's help, began explaining how the game's controls worked. The Knight Errand listened carefully, before giving a nod and said, "I see. Yes, I can remember that." He then noticed Heliosia, Jaune and the others were now gathered around the couch to watch, since even the kids were clustered around the ends of the furniture.
The virtual race began shortly after, and while Sharp Strike had some difficulty at first he gradually did far better than the others thought he would have, but he was an easy target for the more experienced players. He eventually came in last place after being bashed into several times and knocked off course all throughout the duration of the race.
"Yes, I'm on a roll!" Yang cheered happily.
"Hey, don't feel too bad Sharp Strike, you did better than most." Nora comforted, "Ren told me that you're really good at Go and Chess. He said that he and Yatsuhashi have to really push their skills to the limit in order to stand a chance against you in those games."
The Knight Errant was about to reply when Zephyr said, "Wow, even I could beat you…"
Everyone laughed, but Sharp Strike simply tilted his helmet-covered head down at him. The young child felt bad and quickly offered the armored knight an apologetic, "Sorry…"
"This…is nothing. It's just a simulation," Sharp Strike asserted, "In a real race, Swift Wing would be able to outrun anything."
"Oh, is that a fact?" Yang asked with a questioning look.
"It is." Sharp Strike answered firmly.
Yang smirked, "Then how about we put that claim to the test? I've been itching to race you ever since I first laid eyes on your bike after the White Fang mission. Besides, tomorrow's Saturday and since we don't have to do combat exercises until late afternoon, why don't you and I race to see whose bike is the fastest?"
Sharp Strike rested a few fingers on the lower section of his faceplate in contemplation. Since he had made the claim and it would reflect badly on him should he refuse, the young knight stood up, "Very well, I accept your challenge, Xiao Long."
Yang rose to her feet as well, "Wanna make a deal? The loser has to help maintain and polish the winner's bike for a full month."
"I'll agree to that." Sharp Strike replied, offering his gauntlet-clad hand to Yang. The Blonde Brawler accepted it, her flesh-and-blood hand took hold of the gauntlet and gripped it hard.
Weiss shared a look with Ruby, asking, "Is there any chance of talking them out of this?"
"Nope." Yang's younger sister answered bluntly, smiling.
Weiss sighed and stood up, "Very well, if there's no way of talking you two out of this-"
"RACE, RACE RACE!" Team SSSN chanted, quickly joined by Amethyst, Nora, Penny and many of the kids. Weiss sighed after she heard Ruby join in the chanting as well.
"Ugh, fine! If you must, you can use the main driveway-"
"No way, that's not exciting enough." Yang refused as she crossed her arms.
"Okay then. If the driveway is too short and mundane, then you'd best do it on the trail that goes through the nearby woods; it's fit for riding horses, more than wide enough for you both to race, there are no major climbs that should prove dangerous and the manor staff also keep it well-maintained, but I would also suggest that you prepare your bikes adequately with snow tires and plows," Weiss told them, "You wouldn't want to get stuck in a drift after all."
"Sounds good to me!" Yang agreed, while Sharp Strike gave his assent with a nod.
"Indeed. That way we won't damage the innermost lawns of the estate," The armored knight agreed before he turned to leave, "Excuse me, I need to make the appropriate modifications to Swift Wing for the upcoming race."
"And I better make sure my baby is all set too!" Yang added, jumping off the couch and rushing ahead of Sharp Strike.
"Well, sounds like we're going to have quite the show tomorrow," Heliosia mused, a smile on her face.
"So…even a Remnant Knight names his bike?" Zephyr asked, a little amused
"Seems like it, Zeph." Ruby answered with a grin.
"We should contact Ciel and Mr. Ross to let them know they'll have company soon." Penny suggested, taking out her scroll and calling her old teammate.
Amethyst smirked as she leaned into the couch, "You know, I honestly thought we'd have to prod those two a little harder if we were finally going to get them to race."
Despite herself, Heliosia smiled at her sister Maiden. "Well, it's certainly going to be a show I don't want to miss."
"So, who are you going to root for, Adara?" One of the young girls asked.
"Ha! As if you needed to ask." Coco answered as Heliosia blushed lightly.
Yang and Sharp Strike spent most of the rest of the evening inside Hyperion One's cargo bay where their bikes had been kept. They worked on their bikes with such fervor that even the stoic Ciel couldn't help but admire their dedication.
Yang and Sharp Strike replaced their bikes' usual tires with special snow tires that were kept stored in the Schnees' garages, with Weiss' permission of course. They made sure the engines and all mechanisms of their vehicles were all tuned up to their satisfaction and they were both properly filled up with combustion Dust. They had also fastened on snow plows that happened to be stored aboard Hyperion One, Yang making sure to spray paint hers the appropriate color
They worked close to the open ramp, but the ship's own internal heating system was enough to keep them warm as Ciel and Ross watched them work before the former returned to her room.
Around eight p.m. Ruby, Blake, Qrow and Argentius had one of the new chauffeurs drive out to the parked ship to fetch the pair.
Ross, clad in a heavy coat, was leaning against the frame of the ship's doorway, smiling down at the new arrivals.
"Ruby, Blake, Qrow, how nice of you to join us. Good to meet you, sir Knight." He said, giving Argentius a nod as a greeting.
"My name is Argentius. You must be Robert Ross, glad to make your acquaintance." Argentius returned, offering his gauntleted hand to the pilot.
Ross accepted and shook it, "Likewise. I've seen your stealth ships parked around here but only caught a glimpse of the knights. How are you guys adjusting to life now that you're no longer stuck in the realm of legend?" He asked.
"It's a challenge for some of us, many still prefer to stick to the shadows, but I'll adjust just fine. My apprentice already has, in my opinion."
"Doing okay out here?" Ruby asked him, "You know, you and Ciel can come in with the rest of us, there are enough rooms…"
Ross smiled at the girl, having grown quite fond of her, especially due to what they had shared during Winter Solstice.
"It's sweet of you to worry, but we're doing just fine. This ship is a luxury cruise compared to some of the birds I've flown in my time, Ruby and trust me, I have slept in environments a hell of a lot worse than this. We're doing just fine, Ciel's actually quite a nice co-pilot, I've taught her a few things and she's taught me." He told the girl.
"That's great. Where is she?" Blake asked.
"Turned in already, she likes to read before she goes to sleep. Funnily enough you noticed before those two did." Ross said, nodding over to Yang and Sharp Strike, who hadn't seemed to notice the new arrivals.
Qrow smirked and shook his head, Ruby unintentionally copying him as Argentius subtly walked over, not making a sound, moving to honk the horn of Swift Wing to startle the pair to attention. Before he could lay his fingers on the horn button on the slim control panel, Sharp Strike's arm suddenly shot up and grabbed his mentor's wrist.
Sharp Strike looked up and said "You're still a master, but my skills are quite sharp thanks to your teachings. I'm no longer the novice apprentice."
"Clearly not." Argentius said, his voice sounding proud.
"Yo Yang!" Ruby called, making her sister look over.
"Hey, sis. Dinner time?"
"Past that, actually. You guys missed it. Don't worry, Blake and I saved you some food." Ruby assured her.
"Thanks sis and thank you, babe!" Yang said as she stood up, stretching out as she unleashed a loud yawn, "Whoa, excuse me! Must be more tired than I thought."
"We've both been working hard for the past few hours, and you worked hard enough in your studies and training. We both need a good night's sleep if we're going to be ready for tomorrow's race." Sharp Strike voiced.
"Yeah, your race," Qrow laughed, "Word of it spread like wildfire thanks to the team and the kids. Apparently we're going to have a crowd to watch you two tomorrow."
"Awesome! This time there'll be no Mercury or Emerald to mess with me." Yang said.
"No, just a worthy opponent. We'd best retire for the night, I want you at your best tomorrow so I can earn a victory." Sharp Strike told her.
Yang scoffed, "Don't be so certain, Sharp Strike. I don't plan on going easy on you, you're gonna have to really fight me to reach the finish line first."
"Seriously, don't underestimate her. Lot of racers had their pride destroyed going up against her." Ruby warned him.
"I'll keep that in mind, I can tell this will be a race to remember, Yang." Sharp Strike told her, before offering out his hand.
Yang smiled at him and accepted, shaking it vigorously, "May the best rider win," She looked over at her sister and uncle before adding "Now let's get back to the mansion! I didn't realize how late it got and I'm starving!"
She threw a tarp over Bumblebee and Sharp Strike did the same for Swift Wing. "Goodnight, Ross," Yang bid him, "Make sure nothing happens to our rides."
"I'll bump it up to the top of my to-do list" Ross joked as he walked over to the panel that would raise the ramp, "Have a goodnight everyone."
"Same to you, Mr. Ross!" Said Ruby.
"Sweet dreams." Added Qrow, while Sharp Strike and Argentius bowed to him before following the Qrow and three fourths of Team RWBY into the lightly falling snow towards the car waiting to take them back.
"Weather will be clear for the first half of tomorrow, which means it should be clear for the race." Argentius mentioned as he glanced back at Hyperion One's ramp closing up for the night.
"Good, wouldn't want anything to slow us down." Yang said as she leaned against Blake for warmth, the Cat Faunus softly purring against her.
"We're rooting for both of you, so play fair and no cheating. I mean it." Ruby told the two, using her stern team leader voice, not joking like she had been earlier.
"Don't sweat it, sis. I'll win fair and square." Yang promised her little sister as Qrow closed the door and the car began its return journey to the manor.
"I will also race without using any underhanded tactics," Sharp Strike assured the girl, he looked up at Yang and added "I can tell it's going to be very close."
"Good. I can tell it's gonna be one heck of a race." Ruby said with a smile.
The next day was fairly sunny for an Atlesian winter, though a large cloudbank loomed in the distance and the people of Atlas knew to savor the good weather while it lasted.
Alexandria Maximilius sat in her private study at her estate, intently going over the digital paperwork to approve Ironwood and Ozpin's request to appoint infiltration agents to maintain surveillance over the capital city of Atlas and keep an eye out for any agitators, be they Red Fang or human, that could possibly try to start a race riot.
Maximilius agreed, seeing that it was incredibly likely Salem would have her agents embark on such underhanded plans without keeping her informed. Well, if that was the case, Maximilius knew she had no good reason to tell Salem about this operation. Anything to keep the people of her city from being hurt.
After all, the Kingdom was hurting enough.
She sighed, knowing she still had a big day of work to go over, what with making sure her own company's businesses were still running to full efficiency and all. Suddenly there was a beeping coming from her computer, notifying her of an incoming message.
She accepted and a chill went down her spine when she saw it was a signal from Salem, sent through one of the various shell companies the Grimm Mistress owned so it would look completely mundane to anyone who happened to be looking in.
Her fingers tightened as she slowly stood up and made sure her door was locked and closed the curtains of her tall windows before returning to her desk and pushed the secret button hidden under a hatch that caused the grandfather clock to slide away and reveal the tank where the accursed Grimm Seer floated
She would never stop cursing the day she met Arthur Watts.
She released the Seer and it floated out in front of her, its cold tentacles reaching out as it shuddered, right before Salem's face appeared within its eye.
"Alexandria, the time has come. We will attack Schnee Manor today." Salem told her, the Grimm Queen's wearing a serious expression on her white face.
"T-today? So soon?" Maximilius asked, surprised as she looked up as she knelt before the Mistress of Grimm.
"Yes, four of my Grimm Commanders are preparing for the assault. I have a job for you; access that incognito account we created as a door into the Atlas City power grid. I need you to disable the Schnee Estate's outer perimeter security systems, that way they will be taken completely by surprise," Salem explained, a satisfied look in her blood-red eyes.
Maximilius felt so horrible she repressed the urge to vomit. The incognito account that Watts and Cadmus had helped her create gave her access to certain parts of the capital's power grid, as well as the grids for some of the surrounding areas. She had been left in control of it, as a sign of faith from Salem and had been assured that it would never be used to topple the city itself, only to disable security for certain places that needed to be raided. She had always wondered when she would be called upon to use it, and now that she was, she was mortified.
She didn't want to be party to this evil anymore
"Mistress…there are refugees there, families and children who have-"
Salem cut her off, her voice colder than ice. "Ah, I see you have second thoughts about our arrangements." The look on Salem's face was one Maximilius knew she'd be seeing in her nightmares.
"No! No, forgive my temporary lapse, mistress! I just remembered that the Schnees have a state of the art security system and I trust that the refugees will be safe. Besides, it's not like you're targeting civilians this time…right?" Maximilius said, her face pale and sweaty as she mentally prayed Salem would be placated.
Salem slowly nodded, "Very well, I can forgive you, this once. Just make sure the deed is done and remember what else you are to do today. You know what will happen should you fail." She told the woman in a grave, warning tone.
"I understand, Mistress. I won't let you down, I will see to it that Ironwood takes the Resolute to help." Maximilius promised, bowing her head, doing her best to suppress the shame she felt within.
"Good. Don't feel too bad, Alexandria. After all, by the end of the day, Odinson, Crawford, Uji and Nordstrom will all be dead."
"Crawford and his lackeys? Not that they don't deserve it, but why would you have them killed as well?" Maximilius inquired, curious.
"Well, the Red Fang have served me well as of late, and they do want those men to die for their crimes against their kind. It's a request I am happy to grant." Salem explained.
"Very well, I will do as you command, Mistress Salem." Maximilius replied, bowing her head once more.
"Very good. Enjoy the rest of your day, Alexandria. I have matters to attend to, so I must bid you goodbye." Salem said before her image vanished from the Seer.
Maximilius grimaced as she stood up, watching as the Seer returned to its tank. After sealing the Grimm away and returning the clock to its proper place, Maximilius went back to her desk and accessed the window into the county's power grid.
"May Oum forgive me for this." She prayed quietly.
It was nearly eleven o'clock in the morning when Yang and Sharp Strike lined up for their race. It was as cold as expected, so luckily the clothes Glynda had sent were more than enough to keep the members of Team Beacon warm. Those who weren't used to the cold, like Sun and Sage, were bundled up in thick jackets and trousers, rubbing their gloved hands together, missing the heat generated by the inner-city of Atlas that kept them from getting this cold.
"Errrgh!" Sun shivered as he stood next to Blake, who had gotten used to the cold over the years but the Monkey Faunus still struggled, "Yang better hurry up and win this!"
"You better hope and pray our next mission doesn't take us to someplace even colder than this." Blake told her boyfriend with a sly smile, "Just look at Yang, that should be more than enough to warm you up."
Yang wore a fashionable yellow coat with her emblem on the right shoulder over a black sweater with brown trousers, finishing off with black boots with dark yellow soles. Her orange scarf hugged her neck and chin. Sun couldn't deny, Yang looked hot no matter what she wore.
Sharp Strike wore his usual armor, which had certain technology inside of it to keep him warm in harsh environments.
Everyone in Team Beacon, along with many of the kids and more than a few of the servants had gathered atop a wide hill a few hundred meters to the left side of Schnee Manor. Many of the parents in attendance or older kids bore the smaller children up on their shoulders so they could get a better look.
Tamara was there, dressed in warm clothes and holding tails with Zephyr, who stood in front of her, bouncing excitedly despite the cold. Risa was also there, holding hands with her adopted Goat Faunus brothers Peter and Christen who had both become quite fond of her despite her temporary muteness, but seemed happier than she had been, smiling at Blake, Ruby and Fox.
"Go Yang!" Ruby cheered as her sister led her bike out to the starting line she had made in the snow with Crescent Rose. "Sorry, Sharp Strike, gotta stay loyal to your family, but I know you'll be great too."
"It's all right, Ruby, I understand." The Knight dismissed.
"Well, I'm rooting for you, sir Knight." Heliosia said, who wore a light jacket over her maid uniform, the powers of the Summer Maiden kept her warm seemingly wherever she was, while Amethyst shivered slightly despite the heavy coat and pants she wore.
"Thank you, Adara…" He returned softly, being careful to use her fake name.
Argentius stepped forward, he had decided to show up in support of his former apprentice knowing that the crowd would likely favor the popular, and rather beautiful, young Huntress-in-training.
"Do your best out there, and remember not to take it too seriously, it's just a friendly race." He told Sharp Strike.
"I understand, master. Perhaps Yang and I can make this a regular thing." Sharp Strike voiced as he got onto his bike.
"Make us proud, Yang!" Qrow called, grinning from beside Ruby, a long red scarf flowing from around his neck. He held out his scroll to record the race for Taiyang.
"You got it, Uncle Qrow!" Yang called as she fastened her helmet over her head, making sure her flowing hair fit through the slot so it could hang out freely.
"I've got a lot bet on you, blondie, don't let me down!" Neo called. Yang could only laugh in response
"This is so exciting! I've never attended a race before!" Penny voiced, lifting herself up on the balls of her feet.
"Something tells me this will be one to remember." Jaune remarked to her with a smile as Pyrrha kept close to him, rubbing her hands together to keep warm. He smiled at his girlfriend and warped an arm around to help warm her up.
Weiss walked up to stand in between the two racers, wearing a rather expensive looking silver skirted coat with black pants and a scarlet scarf.
"All right! The race will go beyond the forest to the end of our estate's property line, three miles off and then back here. Obviously the first one to climb back up this hill and reach the finish line is the winner. No weapons are to be used and no dirty tricks, I trust both of you to follow those rules." She announced as she held out Myrtenaster.
Yang and Sharp Strike both nodded as they leaned into their bikes, getting ready to take off, revving the engines of Bumblebee and Swift Wing loudly.
Weiss held Myrtenaster aloft with both hands, "Ready…set…" She suddenly swung her blade down to the snow covered ground, "GO!"
The two bikes raced off, engines roaring like beasts, whipping snow up into the air. Weiss had the foresight to protect herself from being buried by using a small shield glyph to cover herself from the snow, allowing it to fall off as the two bikes dashed down the hill in yellow/black and silver/black blurs.
The gathered crowd cheered loudly, clapping and shouting for the one they favored to win, with Yang being the clear favorite.
The Blonde Brawler could just barely hear the crowd chanting her name, she smiled under her scarf as they both made it to level ground. They were neck and neck, the snow tires they had borrowed allowed them to drive through the heavy snow drifts that covered the ground with ease, their snowplows easily sent any piled up snow flying out of the way and doing very little to slow them down.
Sharp Strike had a minor lead on Yang due to Swift Wing's front wheel extending in front of the body and despite herself, Yang knew Bumblebee was at a disadvantage considering how tricked out the Knight's bike was…but she wasn't going to make it easy for him.
Her boot slammed down the acceleration pedal, causing her to shoot forward as they closed in on the forest and the cleared path that while made primarily for walking, was indeed wide enough for the two bikes and had been cleared up for them by the servants earlier that morning, though it would still be a little slick.
Grinning, she glanced back to see Sharp Strike keeping up with her and soon overtaking her. Yang wasn't one to be outdone and sped up again. The two began crisscrossing each other until they were very close to the treeline.
Yang pulled up close to him, her snow plow driving away the drifts as she looked over at him, giving him a wink as she revved her engine up before she managed to get ahead of him, her rear tire sending a rooster tail of snow into the side of Swift Wing.
Sharp Strike couldn't help but smirk behind his visor as he sped up, a burst of energy causing him to surge ahead as he caught up with Yang and managed to surpass her and enter the forest first.
Yang swore under her breath as she chased after him, letting go of the brake as she threw caution to the wind and accelerating Bumblebee. Sharp Strike came to a steep curve on the path and as he slowed down to turn safely, Yang shot past him and braked hard, Bumblebee's wheels sliding on the ice until she shot forward ahead on the path, managing to retake the lead.
Trees and bushes zipped past Yang as she kept a steady handle on her bike and made sure to be aware of everything around her. She had probably crashed with Bumblebee several hundred times over the years as she had trained on it, almost as hard as she had trained in weapons and combat. Something told her it had been the same for Sharp Strike, one didn't have a bike like Swift Wing without some serious passion for riding.
She went down a slope that was only about five feet all the way down, but the sudden burst of an engine caught her attention. Glancing back, she caught a glimpse of Swift Wing taking off from the edge of the hill and shooting up into the air. The bike soared gracefully through the sir, snow falling off the tires and snow plow before it landed with a heavy thud in the snow mere feet in front of Yang. Sharp Strike slammed his foot on the speed pedal and the rear tire sent snow directly onto Bumblebee's front as Swift Wing briefly jerked to the left before drifting straight and shooting ahead.
"Nice! But it'll take more than fancy moves to win this!" Yang shouted as she sped up to catch him, making a smooth turn as the path went straight up ahead towards a large clearing.
Yang raced ahead to catch up with him, her front tire directly across from his rear as she did her best to keep up, but it was now obvious this was going to be a very close race.
Winter and Soul Seer were in the third floor's tea room conversing with one another. The elder Schnee sister sat in a comfortable wing chair at the table, taking a sip of hot herbal tea and letting out a sigh of content after feeling the warm liquid flow down her throat. "Ah, just right." She murmured before looking over to Soul Seer, who was watching the race begin from within the room through the window.
"Quite a view, isn't it?" Winter asked.
"Of course, Specialist Schnee," Soul Seer admitted, "It is, and my duties have taken me all over Remnant. You're very fortunate to have been raised in such a place."
"I suppose so," Winter explained, "Although a part of me disagrees, as some of my ancestors weren't exactly altruistic people despite being very wealthy and influential within the social circles of Atlesian society, since they collaborated with some…dubious people in business. Those particular members of the family have unfortunately tarnished our name significantly with their unethical actions, which gave their descendants no shortage of trouble or enemies."
Soul Seer gave a small nod, "While that may be true, your father's recent charitable actions speak otherwise. It seems that he wasn't as…apathetic as others thought he would be."
"I haven't always seen eye to eye with him for the better part of a decade, up until eight or so months ago? My father became a rather cold man after my mother was killed by Faunus extremists, and his controlling nature eventually became too much for Weiss and I. He all but disinherited me when I joined the military against his wishes, and I intended to stay away from this place even when I was on shore leave," Winter looked at the Chief Prognosticator, "However, my stays here have become more frequent ever since my father's change of heart and efforts to make up for past sins."
"That's good to know, Winter," Soul Seer told her calmly, "I'm glad to see that you and Weiss have mended your relationship with your father. I myself lost my family many years ago in a Grimm attack, Argentius is the only relative I have left. Though I have come to view the entire Knight Order as my family."
"Ah, so I suppose you're rooting for Sharp Strike?" Winter guessed, a small smile playing about her lips, "Or has your gift of foresight already told you the victor?"
" Winter, I rarely get visions for frivolous competitions…but I'm hoping that Sharp Strike wins. I suppose I'm guilty of being biased, but there is still a chance that Yang's skills could surprise me. Quite frankly there are many factors at work here which would affect the out-" Soul Seer suddenly went silent as her gold eyes glowed brighter for a second or two. She reached up to grasp her head with one gloved hand as a soft groan escaped her lips.
Winter quickly put down her tea cup and rose to approach the Chief Prognosticator, "Soul Seer, are you all right? What is it?"
The Atlesian Specialist's scroll unexpectedly went off. At first she was about to ignore it, but something in her gut told her that the call would be important. She took it out and heard her father's voice upon answering, "Winter, the security chief has just contacted me with some worrying news. It appears that the manor's outer perimeter security system on the east side went down out of nowhere about five minutes ago and something's preventing her from reactivating them. She suspects it could be an internal systems fault, but the maintenance checks are all in order."
"Has she sent a repair team to diagnose and fix the problem?" Winter asked.
"Yes, a repair team has already been sent," Willow Schnee answered, "Do you think it's something serious?"
The part of Winter that had seen her through her time in the Atlas military began to worry, as the east side of the Schnee estate was covered by a dense forested area that stretched over several kilometers. It was also the very same area that Yang and Sharp Strike had just raced into a few minutes ago.
Before she could give an answer, Soul Seer cried out, "Grimm!" and staggered back from the windows. She nearly collapsed against the table, but steadied herself and looked up at the elder Schnee sister, "Grimm are coming…massive several hordes of them…and I saw in my visions that the Grimm Commanders are leading a charge with them!" The prognosticator turned and looked down at the large crowd outside before adding quickly, "We need to get everyone inside! Now!"
Winter's eyes grew wide with horror, and from how serious Soul Seer looked she knew not to underestimate the Chief Prognosticator's visions when it came to something as serious as a Grimm attack. "Father, I'm with Soul Seer, she says that she had seen a vision of a major Grimm attack on our estate! We'll need to get everyone outside into the Manor. Get the staff to guide them inside, contact the military right away and have Klein initiate the lockdown protocol. Get yourself and everyone else into the saferooms!" Winter spoke quickly as she grabbed her sword, which she had propped against the table, "Soul Seer and I will do what we can back here!"
"Of course, Winter. I'll sound the alarm for the estate's security forces to mobilize as well. Get your sister and everyone else back inside right away!" Willow said, his voice slightly tense.
Soul Seer gestured with her gloved hands and the nearest windows were instantly shoved open, with gusts of cold wind immediately blowing into the tea room, "No time to take the stairs, we need to hurry!"
Before Winter could say anything, Soul Seer waved her gloved hands to create a series of glyph-like golden magical circles that she briskly stepped onto and moved down from the open window onto the first level of the Manor. Winter summoned a large white black glyph on the ground below just before Soul Seer dropped the last few meters, softening her fall. She then leaped out of the window gracefully, landing in another black glyph beside the elder prognosticator as they moved off as fast as they could.
Back at the top of the wide hill, Penny asked "So, who do you think will win?"
"Sharp Strike, easy," Said Coco, "No offense to Yang, but just looking at Swift Wing, I think our Knight Errant has the advantage."
"Agreed, if the games of Go Ren and I have lost against him are anything to go by, he has quite the tactical mind." Yatsuhashi added firmly.
"That all may be true, but Yang's the best rider I've ever seen, outside of professional racers," Blake voiced, feeling a little annoyed they didn't share her confidence in her lover/partner.
"Yeah, when it comes to real racing, Yang hasn't lost in years!" Ruby remarked confidently, "Trust me, Sharp Strike's good but my big sister is probably going to come out on top today."
"G-got that right, Ruby." Sun said, smiling despite shivering from the cold.
"I hope so, I've got like fifty lien bet on her." Neo voiced, crossing her arms.
"I think both of them have a good shot, the snow could be the deciding factor in this," Jaune voiced before he stopped, getting a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach and the back of his head.
Pyrrha looked at him, her face grave, "Did you suddenly get a very bad feeling?" She asked.
"Yeah." The blond answered quietly, hoping no one else noticed. Ren, Ruby, Blake, Coco, Fox, and many of the others, however, did, including the Maidens.
"I did too," Pyrrha replied, "Something's coming…"
"What's wrong?" Blake asked as she and Velvet got closer to them.
"Right, Faunus hearing…" Pyrrha muttered as the others drew closer.
"What's up?" Ruby asked.
Jaune and Pyrrha took out their scrolls and quickly texted to the rest of Team Beacon, deciding not to risk the crowd overhearing them and causing a panic. 'Our Grimm halves are acting up, we think we sense Grimm in the area.'
"Shit." Qrow muttered under his breath, looking over Ruby's shoulder at her scroll.
'How close?' Typed Coco.
'Don't know exactly, but close enough for us to sense.' Jaune answered through text.
'You didn't sense any back at Vacuo.' Velvet pointed out as the others began huddling together, trying to be inconspicuous.
'That's because they were deep underground, which messed with our senses.' Pyrrha answered.
'Where do you think they are?' Sun asked.
Jaune was about to answer before Penny spoke up.
"Look! Yang and Sharp Strike!" She called, pointing out to the treeline, where the two races suddenly burst out of the trees, branches scattering out onto the snow with rooster tails of snow bursting behind them as they raced back at top speed.
"What the bloody hell are they doing?" Neo wondered.
"Yes, it shouldn't have taken that fast to get back," noted Tamara. Argentius, who happened to be standing next to the Faunus mother, could tell something was wrong and looked back to see the forms of Soul Seer and Winter running towards the crowd.
"Something's wrong…" He noted, reaching for his sword.
Heliosia and Amethyst looked at each other, fear on their faces as they began to suspect why the races had returned prematurely.
Penny used her enhanced vision to look into the trees and gasped at what she saw. She quickly turned to her friends and said "We need to get everyone back to the manor now!"
"Why?"
"I-is something wrong?"
"What is it?"
Jaune and Pyrrha both tensed up as they could sense creatures approaching them. Jaune turned and shouted "Everyone go! Go! Now! We've got-"
Just then, numerous Grimm exploded out from the treeline; Beowolves, Boarbatusks, Ursas, Beringels, Sabers, and even the obscure horned-rabbit Grimm of Vacuo known as Jackalopes led the stampede. Worse came yet as Griffons, Nevermore and Vampires rose up from the treetops along with the harpy-like Razorwings.
"GRIMM!" Screamed a young voice, so loud that it made many of the Faunus with animal ears flinch despite the terror spreading throughout the crowd.
Blake turned, seeing that the voice belonged to Risa, who was now screaming hysterically. Many in the crowd grabbed their children and began running back to the manor as fast as they could, some were shoved out of the way in the chaos and knocked down.
"Everyone hurry! Don't shove! Get the kids!" Cried Neo as she tried to keep the chaos from getting out of control. She helped up a human boy who had been knocked on his stomach in the rush.
Blake ran over to Risa, who had fallen to her knees as she cried while Peter and Christen struggled to move her, both Goat boys seeming almost as horrified at the young Cat Faunus. She dropped to her knees and grabbed Risa's shoulders, "Risa, listen to me. It's Blake, listen sweetie! You're going to be okay! I promise! We're Hunters!" She said, trying to console the girl.
"We can't get her to move! I think she's paralyzed with fear!" Peter told Blake, clearly scared out of his wits as the young girl kept sobbing in fear as Blake had managed to get her to stop screaming.
Fox came over and said "I'll take her to the mansion, you two run! Let me take her, Blake."
Blake wanted to protest, but knew that Risa liked Fox so she nodded. "Make sure she gets there safely."
"No problem," Fox promised her before looking at the boys and ordering "Run for it!"
The boys let go of Risa, but waited for Fox to kneel down, "Hey, remember me? I'm going to get you to a safe place. Nothing's going to hurt you while we're around, I swear it," He promised the girl, who nodded as tears ran down her face.
Fox wrapped his arms around her, held her to his body as he took off running with Christen and Peter as Soul Seer and Winter finally came up to the top of the hill.
"By the Brothers and Sisters!" Exclaimed Winter.
Ruby quickly took charge, "We need to open fire! Anyone with a ranged weapon stays with us and shoot down as many of those Grimm as possible! Everyone else helps the civilians get to the manor!"
"Good idea!" Neo said as she started back, drawing out Hush's estoc and ready to battle whatever Grimm came close enough.
"Do your best not to hit our bikers!" Coco said, watching as Yang and Sharp Strike maneuvering around on their bikes, opening fire on the Grimm with Ember Celica and Vanquisher respectively.
"Adara, Violet, come on! We need to go!" Tamara called to the young women she believed were fellow maids. The Lemur Faunus held her son to her, her tail wrapped around him as she was resisting the urge to bolt for safety while he kept begging her to run.
"No…" 'Adara' said as she began walking over the edge of the hill. A glowing energy began to form around her eyes in the shape of the sun as she stalked forwards, tossing her false glasses to the ground.
"Adara… 'Sia! Snap out of it!" 'Violet' called, grabbing her fellow Maiden's shoulder, but the Summer Maiden ignored her, a look of anger dominated her beautiful face.
"No! You will not hurt them! You won't harm anyone else!" Heliosia shouted as she placed her hands together, using her Maiden powers to form a small but powerful ball of fire that shone and intense yellow. She suddenly leapt forward and slammed her arms forward, launching the fireball forward.
The fireball zoomed past the racers and hit an Ursa, which exploded and the flames spread outward, licking and engulfing Beowolves, Sabers and Jackalopes.
"Heliosia!" Shouted Amethyst as she grabbed the taller young woman from behind, forcing her around to face her, "We need to go and prepare for battle! Don't lose control!"
Heliosia took a deep breath to calm herself, the aura shape around her eyes dimming as she snapped out of her stupor. She looked back up to see the rest of Team Beacon, Argentius, Soul Seer, Winter, Qrow, Tamara and Zephyr, the last two looking down at the Maidens in shock.
"Well…looks like the cat's clawed its way out of the bloody bag," Scarlet muttered before he turned to help get the civilians back to the manor.
"W-what was that?" Zephyr asked, baffled.
His mother, however, was quicker on the uptake, recognizing the now unhidden face of the younger 'maid'. "You're the Maidens…aren't you?"
Heliosia glanced down, not wanting to meet the Lemur Faunus' gaze, "We are…I'm sorry we deceived you…"
"You can make amends later, right now we need to prepare for battle and get everyone inside!" Jaune told them.
"Right, right!" Tamara said, before looking back at the Maidens, who began moving back with them.
"Come on!" Amethyst said, leading them on. Heliosia looked back at Argentius and Soul Seer, dreading what their expressions under their makes could be.
Jaune looked at his team as Ruby began opening fire with Crescent Rose and Coco was blasting away with Gianduja. "I'll get the Crystal secured, you do your best to hold them off!"
They all nodded, "Make sure to bring us our Dust reserves, pur room should be unlocked." Ren told him.
Jaune nodded back before he looked at Pyrrha. Without another word he launched forward and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips, which she was more than happy to return, "Try not to destroy all of them before I get back." He said.
Pyrrha laughed, "No promises. Go!"
Jaune nodded and took off after the Maidens. Pyrrha took out Milo and transformed it into its rifle form and began picking off any Grimm that entered her crosshairs.
Sun grabbed Blake and kissed her before saying "Go make sure everyone gets inside, we'll help handle these punks until you get back."
"Okay, make sure Ruby, Weiss and Yang stay safe!" Blake said before she took off.
Sun shared a look with Ruby before he smiled, "Don't think I'll have much to worry about there," He muttered.
Argentius tapped the side of his helmet, activating the communicator built into it, "Attention all Remnant Knights! There is a large horde of Grimm, multiple species, approaching from the east side of the manor. I want all detachments ready for battle immediately, and I want a member from each squad to keep an eye on the North, South and West to make sure we are not attacked from behind or our flanks. I also want all three of our stealth ships in the air immediately! Make sure all of the refugees and house servants are accounted for and safe. For Remnant, we go to battle!" he told his fellow Knights fiercely.
More and more Grimm kept pouring out of the forest, including lesser known ones such as the bizarre three-headed Giraffe Grimm known as the Ziraph, the sickly bull-like Grimm called the Catoblepas, along with the Jackalopes which darted about wildly.
Yang growled as she used Ember Celica to blast away any Grimm that got close to her. She slammed her finger down on a button on the dashboard, activating Bumblebee's Gravity Dust boosters which caused it to shoot up briefly into the air and then Yang leaned forward, her bike slamming down upon the head of a Beowolf, crushing it before she drove off towards a Ziraph.
She fired on the three heads that lowered down to bite on her, forcing them to flinch away, but the middle head was tougher and went to bite down on her, which proved to be a fatal mistake. Yang slammed her robotic fist forward as hard as she could, smashing the head away as it let out a growl of surprise. Driving her biker under the tall Grimm, Yang lifted both her gauntlets up and opened fire, shooting the Ziraph to death.
She drove ahead, blasting away as any Grimm that came close before she spun-out, firing wildly at all Grimm within firing range in a 360 degree barrage of Dust bullets. A fierce circle of Grimm black dust formed around Yang before she rode forward.
Sharp Strike rode up alongside her on Swift Wing, just as he ran over and killed a Jackalope, only for another one to leap up high and attempt to attack him, but he grabbed it with one free hand before tossing it over to Yang, who shot it to nothingness midair.
Yang grinned and shot him a thumbs-up, which he returned much to her surprise.
Sharp Strike swerved around and opened fire with Swift Wing's mounted machine guns, blasting limbs and heads off of various Grimm or blasting smaller ones in half. A large Saber began chasing after him, but Sharp Strike wasn't concerned, he pushed a button on the dashboard, causing a mini-missile to fire out of the bike's rear, blowing up the tiger Grimm's head.
A loud screech caught Sharp Strike's attention and he glanced up to see the harpy-like Razorwing Grimm swooping down with the intent to snatch him away, its long bird-legs and arms on the end of long black wings both sprawled open with deadly claws. He whipped up Vanquisher and shot at its long neck, blowing the upper head and head from the rest of the body. He ducked and allowed the fading body to flop down to the snowy ground behind him.
He quickly became aware that he had followers once again, as Beowolves, Ursas, Boarbatusks, Jackalopes and Sabers began following him, eighteen all together. He made his way towards a tall pine tree, opening fire on the base of the long trunk.
After enough bullets tore into the tree, it began to tilt towards Sharp Strike and his pursuers. The Knight Errant waited until the last second to swerve out of the way and by then, the Grimm didn't have any time to escape, so most of them were crushed under the weight of the tree or ensnared by its many branches. Sharp Strike quickly opened fire on the survivors with Vanquisher, blasting them through their heads or chests until all the Grimm that had chased him were dead.
Ruby and the others kept firing from the hill, Pyrrha reached out with her powers and began turning the Grimm against each other, a trio of Sabers began mauling a Beringel and a little swarm of Jackalopes swarmed over a Boarbatusk and a Vampire bit into the neck of a Beowolf.
"How many do you think there are?" Nora asked as she smacked a grenade over to the Grimm with Magnhilde, blowing up a Griffon in midair.
"I don't know! There's-wait, more are coming!"
Sure enough, three large Alpha variants of a Saber, a Beowolf and a Tarantula Widow emerged from the forest, and were being ridden by the familiar forms of Sheer Kaa, Steppenwolffe and Anansi respectively.
"Oh no…This is no random attack! How did they get past our outer security systems?" Weiss asked as she impaled a Beowolf, the Ice Dust inside freezing it solid before she used a Glyph to send it flying into an Ursa, killing it and sending ice shards scattering into surrounding Grimm, stabbing some of them to death.
"They were disabled!" Winter answered as she sliced off a Beringel's arms and then its legs before slashing off its head, "I suspect our mysterious traitor is to blame!"
"The one who planted that mind control bug inside Ironwood?" Qrow asked as he slammed Reaper up to slice a Griffon in half lengthwise.
"Precisely," Winter answered, "I've already instructed father to summon help from the military, backup will be here soon!"
"We already have some," Said Argentius as Snow Blade charged towards them, leading a group of Knights consisting of Spirit Dreamer, Flame Weaver, Hawk Shot, Spear Dance, Stone Claw and Steel Punch to join them.
Back in the fields Yang kept riding, she noticed another Razorwing go down next to her, writhing as it faded away. She glanced over to see Ruby and the rest of Team Beacon, minus Jaune, Blake, Scarlet, Fox and the Maidens, were doing all they could to keep the Grimm hordes at bay, shooting and cutting down any Grimm they could, helped by Qrow, Argentius, Soul Seer and Winter, now joined by more Knights.
She briefly wondered where Blake was, before she heard the familiar roar of a Beringel. She looked up, to see the ape-like Grimm about to come down on top of her, fists coupled together. Yang banked to the left to avoid being crushed, but the impact of the Beringel upon the ground knocked Bumblebee off balance and it fell over, Yang leapt clear and landed in a crouch before standing up, just in time to see the Beringel leaping on top of Bumblebee, hammering its chest to challenge her.
"You messed with my bike," Yang growled as her eyes and hair began to glow a bright gold, "Big mistake."
She and the Beringel both charged and she ducked under its huge fist before slamming her Semblance-driven robotic fist into the spot between its ribs and the boney armor over its chest, tearing through its chest and causing a burst of flame to explode out its back. Yang allowed the beast to slump over as it faded away, but she had no time to recover.
She punched Beowolves and Sabers into oblivion before something came down on top of her, claws scratching her jacket as something pecked at the top of her helmet. Yang ducked down and rolled away to see an Owl-like Grimm known as a Lechuza, with a bone-armored face with elaborate red markings, razor-sharp claws and beak and wings that were nearly as sharp, with boney horns emerging from the top of its head. It screeched at her and lunged at her neck, but Yang grabbed it and slammed it into the ground hard enough to make it explode into black dust.
Yang looked back up to see four more Beringel, five Beowolves, four Boarbatusks, two Ursas and a Ziraph approaching her, surrounding her…along with a huge Tarantula Widow ridden by an eight-limbed Grimm Commander that was unmistakably Anansi, his arachnid limbs that had been cut off by Amethyst during the Battle of Vacuo were now replaced by mechanical appendages.
This was a lot, even for Beacon's Blonde Brawler.
Anansi laughed mockingly, "Hello there! I don't think we've properly met. I am Anansi, Grimm Commander and you must be Yang Xiao Long, it seems we have a few things in common." He remarked, flexing his mechanical spider legs.
"Can't say it's nice to meet you," Yang growled as she tried to formulate a plan before shouting "Sharp Strike! Could use a hand here!"
She watched as Anansi's Tarantula Widow stomped on Bumblebee's side, resulting in a great dent with a groan of metal.
An idea popped into Yang's head. An idea she hated, but it was still a way of getting out of the do or die situation. She let out a scream of fury as she held both arms akimbo, firing her Ember Celicas wildly, forcing Anansi to cover himself as his Tarantula Widow steed took a shot to its eyes, making it squeal in agony.
She blasted away a Beowolf and dashed past its fading body and then swung around to open fire on her precious Bumblebee.
The Dust within Bumblebee ignited and it exploded, engulfing all the Grimm close enough, the Alpha Tarantula Widow's huge abdomen exploding right after Anansi leapt off with all his might and landed several meters away, rolling around as his mechanical limbs before they dragged into the snow to slow him down.
The Grimm let out screaming roars as Yang attacked any survivors with furious blasts from her Gauntlets, blowing them away into nothing. One Beringel, its body consumed by fire, charged forward, trying to attack the rageful Yang, but she slammed her robotic fist forward to meet its fist, she fired and the Beringel's meaty fist exploded and Yang jumped up high to use her other arm to punch through the left side of the monster's head, finishing it off.
Yang stepped aside and let it crash to the snow and fade away as she took in deep breaths, her anger and grief over Bumblebee's fate acting as a beacon to the Grimm, as more began to stalk towards her. Anansi, eyes glowing red with fury, came forward, "A clever move, I must confess, but you're out of luck now!"
"You still want some? Bring it, you bastard!" She shouted, just before a handful of the Grimm were blown away by Swift Wing's machine guns.
Anansi gasped and retreated as Sharp Strike rode up, slowing down slightly as he shouted "Get on!"
Yang didn't have to be told, she leapt up and sat behind her armored friend as she opened fire on the Grimm that tried to attack them. Sharp Strike took off, annihilating a Boarbatusk that tried to ram them from ahead, Swift Wing buckling as the ran over its dying body, crushing its head to finish it off.
"You'll pay for that! If it wasn't personal before, it sure as hell is now!" Yang shouted.
"I'm sorry I didn't get to you faster. My condolences for your loss." Sharp Strike told her, speaking loudly to be heard over the roar of his bike's engine.
"I'll feel a little better once we've wiped the flood with these monsters," Yang replied as she kept firing on any Grimm she could get a good shot at.
"I think I can help you with that, but I think we'd better regroup with the others for now." Sharp Strike said as he swerved to the right after blowing away a Catoblepas which tried to attack them by vomiting out toxic gunk.
They drove towards the hill, but Yang quickly took note of a Nevermore diving down and leveling out as it flapped its mighty wings, trying to catch them, its deadly claws reaching out to grab the pair. Yang leaned back and fired upon the massive bird Grimm, but while it did react by screeching in pain, it wasn't enough to kill the beast or drive it off.
"Duck!" Sharp Strike. Yang didn't question it and did, glancing up just in time to catch a huge blast of green laser blast that buried through the Nevermore with such power that the beast fell apart, practically cut in half down the middle from beak to tail feathers.
Sharp Strike and Yang sat up and looked ahead to see Penny, smiling as the swords of Floating Array circled around her. Yang cheered and waved to her android friend, who happily returned the wave.
Sharp Strike brought Swift Wing to a halt as they made it to the rest of the group and Yang hopped off, allowing Ruby to run into her, "Yang! Are you okay? I saw what happened to Bumblebee, I'm so sorry!"
Yang hugged her little sister with one arm, "I'm fine, Ruby. Really pissed but I'm okay."
"Good. Don't worry, we'll rebuild it." Ruby promised her elder sister, who smiled down at her.
"Damn right we will," Said Sun as he came over, Ruyi and Jingu Bang in both hands, "But first thing's first; we've gotta teach these things a lesson."
Yang nodded and accepted a kiss from her fellow blond before she began opening fire at the surging Grimm as Goliaths emerged from the forests, their huge tusks ripping trees from out of the ground.
Ruby, Pyrrha, Velvet, Neptune and Soul Seer were firing into the air to shoot down the airborne Grimm or at least draw their attention, while everyone else did whatever they could to take on the beasts that were still charging, while Sheer Kaa and Steppenwolffe began to regroup with the other Grimm to prepare for the next wave.
Jaune, Blake, Fox and Scarlet approached the manor with the few lagging members of the crowd, Heliosia and Amethyst were bringing up the rear, keeping a watch for any flying Grimm that managed to get past Ruby and the others. The manor's security alarms were sounding off as Klein and several other servants stood at the doorway as the windows were being sealed off with metal barriers. Neo was already there with some guards, while small automatic turrets emerged from the towers on the mansion's roof, gunning down any Grimm that came within the line of fire.
"Get in, carefully, please!" Klein said as children ran inside, "Follow the adults, they'll lead you to the saferooms!"
Femi, who had been employed as a maid, was waiting with Klein, eagerly watching for Risa, Peter and Christen and was so relieved when she saw Fox carrying Risa, with the boys just behind them, dashing towards her.
"Oh thank the Brothers and Sisters!" She cried as Risa reached for her.
"She's all right, just scared." Fox told her as he handed the girl off to her caretaker. Risa instantly buried her crying eyes into Femi's shoulders, crying.
"Thank you! Thank you!" Femi said to Fox as she hugged Risa.
"Femi! Please get us away from here! They're gonna eat us!" The young Cat Faunus cried.
"No they won't, not as long as we're here." Fox assured the child.
"He's right, baby. Come on! There's a safe place we can hide until this is over!" Femi said, following Chirsten and Peter inside and asking them if they were okay.
"Klein!" Jaune cried as he ran up.
"Mr. Jaune! How bad is the situation?" Klein inquired as calmly as he could.
"On a scale of one to ten, I'd say seventy-five!" Cried Scarlet as he skidded to a halt.
"Almost everyone's in!" Neo told them, "Some might be scattered about the mansion, but we're doing our best to make sure everyone's accounted for!"
"Is there enough space in the saferooms for everyone?" Blake asked Klein.
"Yes, but just barely," Klein answered, "Given the size of said rooms and the number of the new residents we have, it will be a tight squeeze."
He glanced over at the Maidens, quickly noticing Heliosia's lack of her false glasses, "Oh dear, I take it your cover has been blown?"
"I'm afraid so, Klein." Heliosia confessed, feeling embarrassed as Tamara and Zephyr made their way to the entrance.
"Mr. Seiban, you knew about them?" Tamara asked as a Vampire overhead was blown to bits by the auto-turrets.
He sighed and nodded, "My dear, I'm privy to many things in this manor, so yes I knew of our Maiden guests. Please forgive our deception but it was necessa-"
"Griffon!" Cried Scarlet as the large flying Grimm swooped down towards the Faunus mother and child.
"No!" Cried Klein as she shoved the pair down to the ground so it missed them.
Jaune crouched down and, powered by his Semblance, he jumped up and with a yell slashed the Griffon across the chest with Crocea Mors, causing it to fall over on its side.
As the Griffon attempted to get up, Blake and Scarlet ensnared it with Gambol Shroud's Kusarigama and Hook's grappling hook to keep it down, allowing Neo to jump up and stab it through the neck while Fox slid under the beast, severing its limbs and cutting its underbelly open with Sharp Retribution. He slid out on his knees as the beast faded away behind him.
"That was so cool!" Exclaimed Zephyr, "Thanks, Mr. Sieban!"
"Yes, thank you all so much! You saved us!" Cried Tamara, tears forming in her eyes as she understood how much of a close call that was.
"Please, call me Klein," Klein said as he helped them up, "Now please, get inside!"
Tamara ran inside, leading Zephyr who called back "Good luck everyone!"
"Lady Heliosia, Lady Amethyst!" Called the familiar voice of Fire Walker as he came up with other Knights. He came to a halt with Wind Runner to speak to the Maidens while Snow Blade led a group of Knights to engage the Grimm.
"I take it your cover is blown?" Wind Runner asked.
"Yes, and it's my fault, I allowed my emotions to get the better of me," Heliosia confessed, "I'm sorry, but I saw Sharp Strike and Yang at risk as well as the people, I just lost control of myself."
"It's okay, 'Sia," Amethyst assured her. "I get caught up in the moment and do things without thinking it through a lot, I understand."
Heliosia smiled at the younger Maiden before Fire Walker spoke up, "This attack may be the result of our enemy knowing you're here. It would be best if you were to go into the safe rooms with the civilians."
"No," Heliosia said firmly as she walked into the manor, "If these beasts are here because of us, then the safety of these people are our responsibility. I will not hide like a coward, I will stand and fight!"
"I'm with you! We kicked their butts at Vacuo and we'll kick their butts here!" Amethyst said, walking after her sister Maiden, heading to their rooms to change into their combat outfits and retrieve their weapons.
Fire Walker was about to object when Wind Runner looked at him and said "Forget it, my friend. I've learned that when a Maiden sets her mind to something, it's very difficult to change it. Besides, we'll need their powers to win this battle."
Fire Walked sighed heavily and said "I suppose you're right. We'll help defend the front of the manor until they return."
Blake, Scarlet and Fox ran inside to grab the Dust and ammo supplies for their teams but Jaune went over to Klein.
"Klein, I need your help. Do you remember that case we brought in when we first came here? The one Pyrrha and I insisted on carrying ourselves? There's something in it that really needs to be kept safe. Could you help me place it inside the vault tower to make sure no one can steal it?" He pleaded.
Klein nodded, "I understand, Mr. Jaune. Lead the way! Gretchen, stay here and make sure everyone is accounted for!"
Gretchen agreed, knowing she'd be all right if Neo and the Knights were there to protect the manor's entrance, along with the guards who were opening fire on any airborne Grimm that attempted to attack, including Irwin the Kangaroo Faunus Yang had met, who wielded an advanced assault rifle, blasting away and shouting "Come get some, you bloody bogans!"
After a mad dash towards the area where Team Beacon were staying, Jaune quickly reached under the bed and grabbed the case that housed the Aura Crystal.
"Blake!" Jaune called as he exited his room, "I've gotta get the Aura Crystal to the vault! Can you take my Team's Dust supplies?"
"You can count on me," The Cat Faunus said.
Jaune thanked her before he followed Klein around a corner.
After several minutes of running down halls and stairways, around corners and through corridors, Jaune and Klein finally arrived at the entrance to the Schnee vault. Klein wasted no time, leaning in for the retinal scanner to survey his eyes, then placing his hand against the handprint scanner before finally jabbing in the passcode on the door panel. After all that, the heavy vault door began to slide open.
Jaune's eyes widened as he saw past the antechamber into the first floor of the vault, a large circular room, walls totally covered in tall shelves stacked to the brim with documents, books, data disc cases, artwork, heirlooms and old artifacts that looked like they belonged in a museum. A long, winding staircase wrapped around the tower, going high towards the top, old artworks carefully mounted on the wall.
"Whoa, the Schnee family's own personal museum." Jaune remarked.
"In a way, sir," Klein noted with a smile, "The walls of this tower are strong enough to withstand a bombardment from a ship of the Resolute's calibur. No one can get inside save myself, Master Willow, Miss Winter or Miss Weiss. Whatever sort of relic is inside of your case, it will be safe here, I assure you."
Jaune smiled at him, "Thanks so much, Pyrrha and I really owe you." He said as he went over, kneeling down to hide the case under a table where several old artifacts that had been purchased by the more academic Schnee family members from the years long past were being kept. Suddenly Jaune stopped, looking down at the case.
He felt he needed to open it. To touch the Crystal.
He opened up the case, revealing the dazzling lights of the Aura Crystal. Something in the back of his mind spoke to him, urging him to touch it.
"My word…it's beautiful…" Klein said, gazing upon the Aura Crystal in astonishment.
Jaune placed both his hands upon the Crystal and then he suddenly threw his head back as his eyes began to glow a bright white, then blue, then purple. He remembered the chant Ashe had taught him back at Haven Academy, the one that helped him power up for his final battle against Jude.
'Jaune Arc…our guardian,' The voices of the souls within the Aura Crystal said to him, the voice of the Crystal's Avatar, 'We see into your mind, we see a grave situation. We cannot allow this to threaten you or your partner. Take some of our energy, so that you may prevail in battle. We all wish you luck.'
"So Sol Zah Tih Lm Ac Nol Yod Utt Amaj Vah Sen Ur Kai!" He chanted as some power flowed from the Crystal into him. He shut the case and locked it before he stood up, he turned to face Klein, revealing his eyes were glowing a brilliant blue.
"Mr. Jaune, what happened?" Klein asked.
"Let's say it's a bit of a power up. Now please lock this tower down, I've got places to be and evil to stop." Jaune said as he walked past Klein and then began running down the hall to the main entrance.
Klein glanced back at the case, "I hope this helps things take a positive turn," He murmured before he quickly entered the lockdown code into the door's panel and the archive tower was quickly sealed off.
"I can't believe a follow-up attack happened so soon," Clover muttered as he followed General Ironwood down the hall towards the command bridge of the Resolute.
"Believe it, Specialist Ebi. Salem has virtually no mercy." Ironwood said, walking as quickly as he could to the bridge with the five members of Ace Ops along with Specialists Blair and Yin trailing behind him. Holograms of Willow Schnee, Alexandria Maximilius, Headmistress Maple, Councilman Sleet and Councilwoman Camilla hovered before the command chair, waiting for Ironwood as he sat down.
"Schnee, are you all right? Are there any casualties?" Ironwood asked.
"None yet, we've already activated the lockdown protocols. All of the Manor's entrances save the main one have been locked down and that includes the windows as well. We're getting all the refugees into the safe rooms and I'll be joining them once this meeting is over. I have several security officers with me now and the manor's security defenses have also been activated." Willow mentioned.
"Good to hear," Ironwood nodded and thought about the situation, "Considering the fact that Salem's agents and the Grimm hordes haven't appeared near either Mantle or Atlas City, it's safe to assume she's directly targeting the Maidens this time.."
"Doubtlessly!" Cried Councilman Sleet's hologram.
"Where are the Maidens now, Willow?" Maple asked the Schnee patriarch, "Have you gotten them to safety?"
"They were out with many others watching a race. Yang Xiao Long and that young Knight were having a race before we noticed something strange happening to the security systems," Willow replied, "I don't know if they're back yet."
Maple's holographic form placed a hand on her chin, "Hmm…either this attack is aimed at the Maidens or perhaps their presence at Schnee Manor is merely an unfortunate coincidence. Maybe Salem is just fed up with Team Beacon interfering with her schemes and wants them eliminated."
"We can deduce the reason for this attack later. Right now you need to get there right away," Alexandra Maximilius's hologram urged Ironwood, "I want you to lead the counter-attack personally, James. The people of Atlas need to be assured that they're all being protected and we need to ensure that the remaining Maidens remain uncompromised."
"Understood Chancellor Maximilius, the Resolute will lead the mission-" Ironwood began.
"No, the Resolute must go alone," The Head Chancellor countered, "News of this attack will likely spread quickly and we need the rest of our fleet to stay above the capital city to repel any further Grimm incursions the fear and panic may attract. Besides, the Resolute is the flagship, with the amount of troops on board, it should be more than enough to drive those beasts away."
Ironwood sighed, he didn't like taking the Resolute without a proper fleet, but he knew that if any ship alone could repel such an attack, it could. "Very well, I suppose you do have a point. I already have the Ace Ops, Task Force Omega, and more than enough troops and military airships on board to fight a full-fledged battle. I'll issue the deployment orders shortly, Ironwood out."
The Atlesian General dismissed the other holograms and turned to the navigation officer, "Break off the Resolute from the main fleet, and make best speed for the Schnee estate. Executive officer, raise alert status to red. I want all available troops ready to deploy once we reach our destination."
"Orders received, General!" The navigation officer answered smoothly, giving Ironwood a salute before turning to the controls and ran his fingers across the various green holographic screens rapidly. There was a gradual loud thrumming sound reverberating through the Resolute as its engines spun up to full power, while the executive officer nearby was activating the intercom system and about to issue the raised alert.
He turned back to see Chancellor Maximilius's hologram still there, "Are you deploying Task Force Omega as well?" She asked, her face was bland but her tone of voice gave away her concern.
Ironwood nodded, "Yes. I need a decisive and powerful team to combat Salem's agents, and Task Force Omega is just the team for the job. You can rest assured Commander Central will be fine, he's a very capable leader. I understand your worry, but Central's proficient enough to handle a situation like this." He turned to face Willow's hologram and said "Reinforcements are coming, Councilman Schnee. Get all your guests and personnel into the same rooms immediately and get yourself to safety as well," He then looked at Maximilius' hologram to add "I have a battle to get to, so if you'll excuse me."
Willow Schnee's hologram gave a nod and vanished, followed by Chancellor Maximilius'. Ironwood brought up his scroll as he opened its link into the Resolute's public address system, "This is General Ironwood speaking, I'm declaring a red alert. All hands to battle stations. The Schnee Estate is under attack by the Grimm and we are to respond right away. All Atlas Eagles are to be fully fueled and ready for battle, all squads of ground troops are to board your assigned dropships immediately. Task Force Omega, you are to lead the ground forces on the. Weapons officers, spin up the turrets and as soon as you see a flying Grimm I want it blasted out of the sky! Oum's speed to you, Ironwood out!"
He sat back in his seat before looking over at the assembled Ace Ops, "You're going to protect the surface of our ship from any Grimm that tries to land on it…and anything else that tries to get aboard."
"We won't let you down, sir." Clover said with a salute before leading his team off the bridge.
"Any idea why Chancellor Maximilius would be so worried about Central?" Marrow wondered with a soft whisper.
"I forgot you didn't know, we'll explain later," Harriet whispered while Vine rolled his eyes.
Ironwood then addressed his other Specialists, "Specialist Blair, take some troops and stand guard by the main brig."
"Sir?" She raised an eyebrow.
"It's Odinson. He believed that Salem would likely come after him and have him killed for his failure after what information he had divulged to us. On the off chance something does come for him, I want him fully protected." Ironwood explained.
Blair nodded, "Right away, General." He said before hurrying off.
In the meantime, down in the Resolute's cavernous hangar Commander Central was standing to attention with N1CK3L, Jammer and Raider. He turned to the rest and said, "You heard the general. Raider, get the Retribution ready for take off. The others will be coming back from the rec rooms and training rooms within minutes, so make sure everything is ready because we will be deploying with the rest of the ground troops." He saw them nod back, before he and Raider went up the ramp into the Strike Corvette to make sure it was battle-ready.
Jammer glanced at N1CK3L, noticing an odd expression on the combat android's face. "You okay there, Nick?" She asked quietly.
"I am functioning within normal parameters," N1CK3L explained, "However, Penny is staying there and I am concerned for her safety."
Jammer gave him a sympathetic smile, "Ah, worried for your little sister huh? Good, that means you aren't totally an emotionless machine," She said, patting him on the armored shoulder, "Don't worry about it, just focus on the battle. We'll have you acting like one of us in no time."
Inside the Retribution Raider sat in the cockpit, running a quick diagnostic to make sure everything was ready, "Dust supplies and tanks are full, all weapons are functioning, engines are operating at an optimal capacity. We're fully prepared, Commander."
"Roger that," Central said as he strapped on his helmet while Jammer and N1CK3L came in to prepare.
"You worried, commander?" Jammer asked.
"The two remaining Maidens are there, along with Councilman Schnee, plenty of human and Fanus refugees, Team Beacon and that Aura Crystal thing. They would all be some pretty high-profile targets for the enemy. So yeah, I can't help but be a little worried." He admitted.
"Do not worry too much, sir," N1CK3L voiced calmly, "I myself witnessed the combat capabilities of Team Beacon and the two Maidens during the Battle of Vacuo. Along with Specialist Schnee and the formidable Remnant Knights stationed at the manor, I estimate that their combined strength and skills will allow them to hold out effectively until we arrive."
Central gave a nod of his helmet-covered head, "Good points N1CK3L, but the forces we're dealing with are as deadly and underhanded as they come."
"You both raise good points," Jammer said before a small smile crossed her features, "Though I meant to ask if you're worried about…her?"
Central glanced at her as he grabbed his multi-purpose assault rifle and inserted a new magazine into it, "Specialist Schnee? No, she and I came up together at Atlas Military Academy, and I know her skills. If there was any Specialist in all of the military forces that could handle a situation like this, it's her." He told his Tech Op teammate.
"How sweet, we'll be sure to tell her you said that." Came the voice of Javelin as he walked up the ramp.
Central fixed Javelin with a stern glare before saying, "You breathe a word and I swear you'll wake up in the middle of the ocean."
"Make sure to put me near Menagerie then, the Faunus girls over there are smoking hot." Javelin countered with a laugh.
"I do not believe Faunus women are flammable, Javelin." N1CK3L pointed out, making the sharpshooter burst out laughing.
"Oh N1CK3L, you've got a lot to learn, and hopefully not from Javelin." Jammer said, shaking her head with a wide grin.
"All right, enough with the jokes! People are in grave danger and we need to help them." Central barked, his face becoming serious.
Javelin's face became apologetic. "Understood sir, sorry. Just don't want the situation to get to me. I know full well how serious it is."
"Good Javelin, and I want you to prove it by taking out as many of those beasts as you can. Take the Silver Bullets with you." Central gave his orders to the sharpshooter.
"Understood, I won't let you down." Javelin replied as he went to get his armor on while Fieros came aboard.
"Sorry if I took too long, Commander. I just got off the video call with my little brother, he's still undergoing treatment at St. Kranken Hospital for his blood condition." He mentioned to Central even as N1CK3L stepped into his Mark II Full Armor Defense System, the armor panels sliding closed all over his body as the Enhanced Tactical Android interfaced with his battlesuit
"Just get armored up and properly armed Fieros, we might need your heavy firepower for this." Central told him, knowing that Heavy Warfare Specialist's younger sibling had an unfortunate chronic medical condition known as sickle cell disease. Fieros had signed up with the Atlas military since he had the aptitude to be a great Specialist, and since he served in Task Force Omega the Atlesian authorities had fully funded his brother's treatments.
"My pleasure, sir." Fieros replied with a salute.
Elsewhere on the Resolute, within the brig, Garrett Odinson was sitting up on the bunk in his cell, panic spreading across his face as he heard Ironwood's announcement through the public address system.
"No no no…it's a trap, a trap!" He shouted as he ran over to the shielded doorway of his cell, "Tell General Ironwood to send another warship, this is a trap!"
"Shut up!" The brig guard on duty shouted, not wanting to hear his prisoner's whining, "Not that you care, but there are innocent people who need help and the General intends to do so with the entire might of everything and everyone the Resolute has got!" He tapped the shock baton holstered at his waist meaningfully, "Now sit down and remain silent, or I will give you a zapping."
Odinson groaned and slumped back down on his bunk, covering his face in exasperation. He was stuck in this cell, and the Resolute was going into battle. It didn't take a genius to know that Salem's agents would also be present there, and if they somehow manage to board General Ironwood's flagship…
"Odinson," Crawford from the next cell, "What do you think is going to happen?"
The former crime boss of Mistral looked over and answered morosely, "I think we're all going to die."
Blake, Fox and Scarlet had just returned with the Dust and ammo supplies, making sure to give everyone an equal amount of both as the members of Team Beacon worked with the Knights to fend off the Grimm.
"Don't let the Catoblepas get too close!" Shouted Qrow, "If you inhale or touch the gunk those things spew out, you'll get sick with a cough and a high fever!"
"We know, Uncle Qrow! Don't worry, I've got 'em!" Ruby said as she operated Crescent Rose's sniper rifle mode, making sure to blow the heads off of any bovine Grimm she could see. Her bullets ripped through their heads, causing them to die with a loud moan as their dark bile splattered all over while it faded away.
"Not many of them out in the field now, they're back there with the Commanders," Winter noted, looking out in the distance at the horde of Grimm, growing in size.
"What are they waiting for?" Neptune wondered.
"Reinforcements, I'd bet," Sun answered, "No way this is all they're throwing at us."
"Probably right about that, Sun," Pyrrha said, reaching out with her abilities before adding "I can sense more Grimm coming. Yang, Sharp Strike, what did you see?"
"They were coming out of portals with those three Grimm Commanders," Yang answered, "There's probably more on the way!"
"I'm here!" Called Jaune as he ran into the group to join them, "Sorry I'm late!"
"It's all right, Jaune. Is the Aura Crystal secure?" Argentius asked.
"He wouldn't be here if it wasn't," Pyrrha pointed out before facing her beloved partner and quickly noticing his eyes, "What happened to your eyes?"
"The Aura Crystal gave me some of its energy, to share with you," Jaune explained before he grabbed Pyrrha's hands and half of the energy granted to him by the crystal flowed into Pyrrha's body. She gasped as her eyes began to shine a bright green, feeling the power of the crystal surge within her.
"Whoa! That's…incredible!" She said, "I take it this won't last long?"
Jaune smiled at her, finding her eyes even more beautiful than usual, "Long enough to help us live through this." He answered before he grunted, "Do you feel that?"
"Yes I do…" Pyrrha said as she looked off to the side, "An Elder Grimm…"
Suddenly there was a loud, ear-splitting screech that made most of Team Beacon cry out in surprise as they covered their ears, especially Velvet and Blake both of whom were practically tortured by the scream.
"What the hell is that?!" Cried Sage as the scream began to die down and a large, winged figure appeared over the treetops.
Ruby and Yang looked up, their eyes widening in fear and horror as an old memory was forced back to the forefront of their minds. It was something they had only heard once before, a long time ago on Patch, and even then only from a distance.
"No…that's impossible…" Ruby muttered.
"It hasn't been spotted in years," Yang said, "It's supposed to be dead!"
"What's wrong?" Weiss asked.
"What is it?" Asked Blake, trying to ignore the ringing in her ears.
Qrow was frozen stiff, he felt his blood run cold as he saw a large Alpha Razorwing, bigger than a car, land on top of a Goliath.
"Celaeno…" He said.
"Celaeno?" Asked Argentius, "The Elder Harpy? It hasn't been spotted in over a decade."
"That's right," Said Ruby, her voice quiet and serious, "Not since the day it attacked Patch. The day our mom was killed."
Everyone went quiet until Weiss managed to ask, in astonishment and horror, "That thing killed your mother?"
"No…she was killed by a Deathstalker…but Celaeno was there that day," Ruby answered, her normally bright silver eyes beginning to shine.
"Oh Ruby…" Said Penny, feeling so sorry for her friends.
"It might not have killed our mom…but it helped kill her, and now we're gonna make it pay!" Shouted Yang as she slammed her fists together.
Blake and Sun nodded, the former saying "And we'll do everything we can to help you."
Sheer Kaa looked up at Celaeno, it had been years since he had seen it, as it had been dormant inside its mountain hideaway for ages, but it was still a sight to behold.
It had long, black avian legs about five feet long that ended in talons that were like curved bowie knives. Its body was covered with bony armor and what was uncovered was masked with inky black feathers that became slightly gray further up the six foot long torso and its rear armor was even thicker with long spines emerging from its back. Large black wings spread out of its black and the feather tips were even sharper than a Nevermore's. It had a three foot long neck that was lined with bony armor, a wild mane of gray at the base that was badly matted and its face was utterly hideous. The face of Celaeno was a strange mixture of an ugly old human woman and a dog that ended with a sharp, hard black beak while its head was topped by a bony crest with two floppy black ears.
Its horrible face was, however, badly disfigured; the left eye was missing with a large scar, looking almost like a stony burn mark. A parting gift from Summer Rose on the day she had faced the Elder Alpha Harpy.
Celaeno let out another screech as Sheer Kaa held out his scissor blade, his eyes glowing red, and shouted "ATTACK!"
The army of Grimm raced forward, Sheer Kaa, Steppenwolffe and Anansi riding the beasts, with Anansi now riding a Boarbatusk. Beowolves, Ursas, Jackalopes, Beringels, Goliaths, Sabers, Boarbatusks, Ziraphs, Tarantula Widows and Catoblepases all charged forward while above them flew Celaeno leading an armada of Nevermore, Griffons, Razorwings, Lechuza, Vampires and Scavengers.
Everyone got ready, "Pyrrha, Jaune, can you tell how many there are?" Ren asked them.
"I can't say for certain, but at least a few thousand!" Pyrrha answered.
"I think we can handle that," Came Heliosia's familiar voice as she, Amethyst, Wind Runner and Fire Walker arrived. The Maidens had dressed in their winter combat gear and were now bearing their weapons.
"Hope we didn't miss anything too spectacular." Amethyst commented.
"Nope, just in time to help us inflict some pain!" Said Coco.
The leader of Team CFVY opened fire, Gianduja spat out dozens of bullets that ripped into the front of the Grimm army. Penny used Floating Array to let loose a massive blast of green plasma towards Celaeno, intent on helping Ruby and Yang avenge their mother, but the Alpha Elder Harpy banked out of the way and a trio of Scavengers took the blast instead.
Ruby, Yang, Blake, Nora, Pyrrha, Ren, Sun, Neptune, Scarlet, Sage, Sharp Strike, Soul Seer, Wind Runner all fired away, blasting down dozens of Grimm in their opening salvoes, but merely denting the huge horde approaching them.
Amethyst charged up an arrow with Maiden energy and let it fly out where it slammed into the forehead of Catoblepas and as it died, vines grew rapidly despite the winter climate and it reached out to ensnare any Grimm it could. Heliosia used Flameguard to send fireballs out, which instantly incinerated almost every Grimm she managed to hit.
Sheer Kaa reached up towards the sky to mentally persuade the flying Grimm to dive bomb the defenders, so Nevermore, Scavengers, Lechuzas, Griffons and Razorwings began swooping down to attack the defenders.
Argentius shifted his weapon Iconoclast into its double-barrel shotgun form and began blasting Lechuzas into clouds of fading black dust or blowing the heads off of Razorwings and Scavengers. Hawk Shot's careful aiming blasted off the left wing of a Griffon, causing it to crash into the ground where Qrow finished it off by slamming Reaper through its torso.
Soul Seer, Spirit Dancer, Flame Weaver, Snow Blade and Fire Walker all leaped high into the air, all using their blades or guns to cut or shoot down any flying Grimm they could, slashing through wings and heads, blasting through or smashing into the Grimm's armored bodies, coming down and slamming their weapons or armored boots into Beowolves, Ursa and Sabers.
Sharp Strike operated Swift Wing's guns, blasting away at the oncoming beasts non-stop, but they just kept coming, only to be cut down by Jaune, Blake, Yatsuhashi, Fox and anyone who had a bladed weapon.
As Celaeno approached, Heliosia and Amethyst began attacking it, hurling arrows and fireballs at the beast but it was quite fast, swerving out of the way of their projectiles. With another ear-piercing scream, it dove down towards them, followed by a pair of Nevermore.
Ruby saw her chance and ran over to the Maidens, her silver eyes shining bright as she attempted to kill the Alpha Elder, but Celaeno had seemingly felt Ruby's powers and it quickly ascended, allowing the trailing Nevermore to take the blast for it.
Ruby let out a cry of fury as her silver energy shot out, consuming the Nevermore and causing them to slam into the ground, shattering into chunks of frozen rock. The blast of her silver eyes caused many of the charging Grimm to stop, some like the Beowolves managing to shield their faces while others cried out, those close enough to the front were slowly consumed by the light, allowing the defenders to take them out with ease.
Celaeno and many flying Grimm flew by overhead despite the best efforts of Ruby, Pyrrha, Velvet, Penny and the others to shoot them down.
"They're heading for the manor!" Cried Weiss.
"Don't worry, they won't go unchallenged!" Said Snow Blade as seven airships roared into action. Hyperion One was followed by all four of S.D.C. security patrol ships that Willow kept on the estate, along with the Knights' trio of Stealth Ships; Andromeda, Breath of the Wild and Endless Inferno. All the ships began firing away at the Grimm flock, managing to shoot several down in their opening salvoes.
Celaeno screamed in fury as it flew towards the small fleet. Many banked out of the way, but one of the security patrol ships wasn't fast enough. Celaeno's sharp talons grabbed the small ship and it tore the small ship in half, the pilot and gunner falling towards their deaths, only to be caught and devoured by Nevermore.
"No…" Weiss said, eyes widening in horror as she witnessed two of her family's employees die gruesome deaths, but her attention was quickly stolen away by the loud, horrible bellow of a Goliath as it charged towards the hill, bullets bouncing off its mask of bone.
"Scatter!" Ordered Coco as she hauled Gianduja up and ran with her team. Everyone got out of the way as the Goliath swung its deadly tusks, slamming them into the hillside with all its might, sending snow, grass and dirt flying into the air.
Winter and Argentius were on its right side, "Specialist Schnee, use your Glyph to get me onto that beast!" Argentius told her.
Winter quickly caught onto Argentius' plan and created a Glyph as the silver-eyed Knight crouched down. She sent him flying into the air as he transformed Iconoclast back into its double-bladed scythe form and he detached the two halves as the sensor within his helmet sensed his Silver Eye energy and the visor opened up, allowing the incredible silver energy to pour through. He slammed one scythe into the Goliath's ear, burying it in its head as his silver eyes buried its head, making the huge beast cry out in pain before he slammed the other scythe deep into the pachyderm Grimm's eye, killing it.
The Goliath, its body freezing up due to Argentius' Silver Eyes, fell over, crushing several Grimm as the Knight ran down the dead Grimm and leapt off to land in the midst of several Grimm, spinning around to cut them all down.
"How long can we keep this up?" Neptune asked as he blasted down a Vampire.
"Until they're all dead!" Sage answered as he blew apart a Jackalope that had tried to jump into him.
Jaune and Pyrrha used their Grimm Hybrid abilities to manipulate as many Grimm as they could. Pyrrha made an Ursa slam into the legs of a Ziraph, causing the tall Grimm to topple over and allowing Coco to kill it while Jaune managed to get a Jackalope to leap up and bite into the neck of a Beowolf.
"Gods, those rabbit Grimm got a vicious streak a mile wide," Scarlet muttered as he used Hook's Grappling Hook to ensnare the legs of a Scavenger before yanking it down and then slicing it in half with Darling.
Pyrrha manipulated a Beringel and made it fight others of its kind, but after killing two it was slammed down onto the ground by other Beringels, who wasted no time in taking it out.
"There's too many, we can't control them all!" Pyrrha said, frustration in her voice obvious as she shot one of the ape Grimm through the back of the head.
"Not like we can, Fotia!" Called Steppenwolffe as he came up, riding on a large Beowolf, followed by Anansi on his Boarbatusk and Sheer Kaa on a Saber.
Sheer Kaa leapt off the Grimm and came down not far from Argentius, his hands gripping the handles of his scissor-like weapon before he charged the armored Knight. Argentius parried the opening blows with his twin scythes before he forced the Grimm Commander off and then swung, but Sheer Kaa ducked and then they traded several frenzied blows then Argentius kicked Sheer Kaa in the knees. He swung his scythes up at him, but Sheer Kaa rolled out of the way and attacked by swinging one blade and kicking out with his left foot in a sweeping-kick that Argenitus jumped back to avoid.
Sheer Kaa jumped up and slammed both of his blades down, but Argentius parried both. They were in a bind, pressing their blades against one anothers'.
Sheer Kaa smirked as he looked at the Knight with his piercing red eyes, planning to use his hypnotic Semblance on the Knight, "That visor won't protect you. Look into my eyes, Knight."
"I have a better suggestion, look into mine!" Argentius replied as his visor opened to reveal his silver eyes. Sheer Kaa gasped and drew back.
"Your eyes clearly possess a great power, but so do mine. No eyes, agreed?" Argentius asked, cordially despite the circumstances.
Sheer Kaa wasn't sure, but nodded, "On your honor?"
"On my honor," Argnetius replied.
The Tiger Faunus Grimm Commander nodded, "Very well," He then shot forward, striking with both his blades but the Silver Eyed Knight managed to fend off both attacks and then swing with both his blades to slam into one of Sheer Kaa's swords, but the Tiger Faunus quickly swung his other one into the side of Argentius' armored body, making him stagger. Sheer Kaa attacked again, but this time Argentius parried both blades, holding off his opponent in a bind.
Sheer Kaa's eyes shone red as he summoned Grimm to his aid and then he used all his might to push Argentius off of him. The Knight staggered but recovered by spinning around, slashing apart the Beowolves and Sabers that tried to jump on him before impaling both scythes into the chest of an Ursa that was about to slam its weight upon him.
Sheer Kaa charged and he swung, but Argentius jumped over him and as the Tiger Faunus turned he was met with an armored boot to the chest. Sheer Kaa landed on his back but flipped back onto his feet and the two reengaged with a wild series of spinning blades meeting in sparking clashes.
Elsewhere in the intense battle, Anansi used one arm and all four of his mechanical spider limbs to wield powerful revolvers, opening fire and blasting at Team Beacon, the Knights and anyone who got in his way.
Steel Punch cried out as a particularly large explosive slug exploded against his shoulder armor, knocking him flat on his back.
"Steel Punch!" Cried Heliosia as she ran over to him, as he was one of the Knights assigned to protect her, but she still used her Semblance to defend herself, absorbing the heat generated by the battle and sending in back in thin but deadly waves of flame that burned off the necks of a Ziraph at their base. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, it'll take more than that to keep me down, Lady Heliosia!" He replied as he allowed her to help him up, just as a Jackalope jumped towards them, but the Knight caught it in his gauntleted arm and crushed it to death with a hard squeeze.
Sharp Strike rode after Anansi, using Swift Wing's Machine guns to gun down the Boarbatusk from behind, blasting out its thick hide and bone armor, eliciting a high-pitched scream as it died, but Anansi turned and jumped off the dying Grimm, colliding into the Knight Errant and knocking him off Swift Wing.
Sharp Strike cried out as he landed on his back hard, sliding a little in the snow until Anansi spat out gobs of web at his wrists and ankles to keep him pinned down. Anansi's mechanical spider limbs began jabbing at his armor, attempting to stab through with their sharp blades that were embedded into the tips as Sharp Strike struggled uselessly to free himself.
Suddenly Soul Seer rushed to the rescue, using Life's Requiem's staff form to whack Anansi in the side of his head, but he held still and used one mechanical limb to block the follow up attack from the prognosticator. Sage rushed in, using Pilgrim's sword form to attack but Anansi was quick to block that too.
Heliosia ran in and jumped up high, creating four small fireballs and launched them at the pinned down Sharp Strike. They burned away the globs of web that imprisoned him and allowed him to jump up, forcing the arachnid Grimm Commander off of him. He withdrew Hong Long and Lan Feng and attempted to cut into Anansi's sides, but his lower spider limbs blocked them too.
Sun then careened into the battle, he used the combined form of Ruyi and Jingu Bang to clobber Anansi in the face while he smashed his boot into the Grimm Commander's chest, knocking him away.
"That's for my girlfriend's bike, you freak!" Sun shouted as Heliosia followed up that attack by slamming the burning Flameguard into Anansi, knocking him away. He rolled around in the snow to extinguish the small flames that covered him.
Anansi snarled as he ran forward to meet them, kicking, shooting and slashing with his mechanical limbs as he battled Sun, Sage and Soul Seer.
Sharp Strike looked over at Swift Wing which had fallen onto its side but was otherwise fine. He looked back at Heliosia and said "Thank you."
"My pleasure, my knight." Heliosia said with a smile.
Velvet worked with Anesidora to create a copy of Magnhild and smashed a small Beowolf into a large one before she rushed forward, the imitation of Magnhild transforming into recreations of Sharp Retribution to slice the larger Beowolf apart. A Lechuza screeched and moved to attack her head, but Velvet used Anesidora to create a copy of Gembreaker's bow form and shot through the owl Grimm with a hard light arrow.
Ruby and Weiss fought together, slashing down any Grimm that got too close to them when the Silver Eyed girl spotted a small group of the sicky Catoblepas Grimm, attempting to lope towards them, disgusting black bile dripping from their mouths.
"Launch me, I'll take them out with the silver energy!" Ruby ordered her partner.
"Remember not to overdo it, we can't have you passing out!" Weiss reminded her.
Ruby nodded, "I know, don't worry about me!"
Weiss formed a glyph and sent Ruby high into the air. Ruby flew towards the Catoblepases and allowed her Silver Eyes to shine bright as she slammed down into the ground in the middle of them, her Silver Eyes instantly freezing them, even their toxic bile.
The Schnee Heiress grinned at her partner's triumphant attack when all of a sudden Hawk Shot cried out "We've got incoming hostiles and they're not Grimm!"
Sure enough, dozens of humanoid forms appeared flying over the forest. They were a familiar sight that Team Beacon were unfortunately familiar with.
"Grimm Knights!" Said Penny, the scanners built into her eyes quickly counting them, "Sixty-five by my count!"
The Grimm Knights flew into the battle, many of them opening fire, sending searing lasers and small explosives down on the defenders.
Ren, Neptune and Hawk Shot all began opening fire on the robotic attackers, but their initial shots all bounced off or simply dented their armor. Penny used Floating Array to let out another intense blast of green energy at the flying robots, feeling personally insulted that Salem would use robots for her evil purposes, but they all scattered, with only one being hit by it, being sent tumbling to the ground after its right arm was completely destroyed.
"Great, new and improved armor!" Moaned Neptune, noting the difference in their armored plating. The Grimm Knight that Penny had managed to hit landed not far in front of them, it stood up and lunged towards them, its gun gauntlet arm firing away at any target in sight, forcing them to jump clear.
Yatsuhashi ran over and shouted as he slammed Kyodiana Buredo through the robot's torso, sparks flew out, but it kept trying to attack. It aimed its gun arm at Yatsuhashi's chest and fired, knocking him down as he cried out in pain, his aura flaring. Jaune ran forward and with a mighty swing, he slammed Crocea Mors into the Grimm Knight's head, sparks flying out of the torn metal.
Yatsuhashi growled and flung the Grimm Knight off of him, his huge blade ripping through the body and causing the metal to rip loudly as it fell apart into three pieces. He looked at Jaune and said "Thank you."
"Don't mention it! These things are stronger!" Jaune said.
"We'll find a way to take them down, we have so far!" Said Nora as she lobbed a grenade at one, only for the Grimm Knight to catch the explosive and send it back at her. Ren quickly shot the grenade out of the sky before it could hit Nora, who dropped to the snow to avoid being hurt.
"There's too many! We need to retreat!" Winter called.
"You heard her! Fallback! Fallback and regroup at the mansion!" Qrow shouted before he cleaved a swooping Scavenger in half.
Snow Blade used his helmet's built-in communicator to speak to the pilots of the Stealth Ships that were trying to deal with the airborne threats, "Moon Hunter, Storm Bringer, do what you can to cover our retreat from above!"
"Copy that, Snow Blade, we're on our way!" Replied Moon Hunter over the comms channel.
"Go! We'll cover you!" Called Wind Runner to the members of Team Beacon as he opened fire on Steppenwolffe and his Grimm steed with his advanced rifle known as Cyclone Caress.
"You heard them! Retreat!" Soul Seer ordered Sun and Sage, but Anansi lifted himself high with his spider limbs and launched himself forward, slamming his feet into Sun and Sage's backs while body slamming Soul Seer.
"You're not going anywhere until I say so!" He snarled, looking at Sage, "I still owe you for Vacu-"
"Hey, spidey," Came a voice that the Grimm Commander instantly recognized. He looked up and saw Amethyst, holding Gembreaker in its sword form and ready to fight, "Remember me?"
Anansi looked at the Spring Maiden with a slightly scared expression, he knew all too well what she was capable of after the beating she dealt him during the Battle of Vacuo. He pulled away from the three, scrambling to get away from her.
"I know better than to take you on alone, Spring Maiden, but when my comrades and I come for you, you won't stand a chance!" He called as he retreated.
"We'll see!" She shouted before she helped Sun, Sage and Soul Seer up, "Come on!"
As everyone began retreating, Argentius kept dueling Sheer Kaa, their blades clashed several times before Sheer Kaa's natural cat-like speed allowed him to slink forward, his blades twirling wildly in fierce sallies that Argentius was forced to back away from. The leading Grimm Commander lunged forward, but the Silver Eyed Knight sidestepped it. The two combatants traded harsh blows with graceful moves before Sheer Kaa was forced to defend from Argentius slamming both of Iconoclast's scythes forward.
"You don't really think you can win this, do you?" Argentius asked as he kept trying to surge his weapons forward.
"There's always a chance…" Sheer Kaa replied with a sharp grin, before their attention was stolen by the roaring engine of Swift Wing as Sharp Strike rode in with Heliosia holding onto him.
The Summer Maiden used Flameguard to send a burst of fire towards the Tiger Faunus, who flung himself back and began to retreat, knowing he didn't stand a chance against two Remnant Knights and a Seasonal Maiden.
"Thank you both," Argentius said with a grateful voice "Now hurry, we must cover our allies and regroup."
Sharp Strike rode ahead with Heliosia, while the elder Knight ran as fast as he could to keep up, glancing back and using Iconoclast's shotgun form to keep Grimm off his back.
Ruby and Weiss united with Yang and Blake, Team JNPR and Penny not far away from them.
"Hurry! We'll meet up with Neo and the guards and make a stand at the manor!" Jaune said as he ran with his team.
Blake's ears twitched as she heard another motorcycle engine roaring and getting close to them, however, before she could search for the source of the noise…
"On your left!" Cried Pyrrha as she spotted over a dozen Sabers coming in from their left flank, about to charge into them. Jaune and Pyrrha quickly used their Grimm hybrid abilities to make the Saber pride stop dead in their tracks, but before anyone could do anything else, an intense fusillade tore through the Grimm's heads, killing them all instantly.
They all looked up to see a figure clad in a long dark trench coat and wide hat strapped around his head. Blake realized that was the bike she had heard, and as the rider got closer, she and the rest of her team realized who it was.
"Dr. Eastwood!" Cheered Ruby as the bike slid to a halt near them.
"Man, are we glad to see you!" Said Yang.
"Good to see y'all as well," Eastwood said, nodding to them.
"What are you doing here?" Weiss asked.
"I was coming to do a check-up on my patients who had been discharged and took up your offer to stay here, Miss Schnee. The Guard at the front gate let me in once he saw I was armed. I did not expect to find this place becoming a warzone." Eastwood remarked.
"Neither did we, but as long as you're here, want to help?" Ruby asked.
Eastwood smiled at her in the way a kindly old relative would and said "Ruby, it would be my pleasure. I've wanted to see you kids in action firsthand, now's my chance. Get to the mansion, I'll help cover you."
They all nodded and resumed running through the snow towards Schnee Manor while Eastwood drove off towards Qrow and Winter, who were back to back fighting off Grimm. They made quick work of most of them, but they were too preoccupied to notice a particularly large Ursa charging towards them.
Eastwood used Six Shooter's robotic arms to bring the six guns together, the robotic fingers clicking a special button on the side of the guns and activating a special transformation sequence that allowed the guns to combine and form a deadly rifle capable of firing six bullets per shot. He fired and the barrage of bullets flew out of the barrel and exploded through the Ursa's midsection, killing it and taking it by surprise, it roared out as it fell apart before fading away.
Qrow and Winter took notice of the new arrival.
"Doc! You son of a bitch, what the hell are you doing here?" Qrow asked.
"These Grimm are a disease and I am the cure." Eastwood answered as the rifle broke back up into revolvers and he began firing at the Grimm above them and behind them.
"I think I'm beginning to like you, Dr. Eastwood," Winter said to him with a slight smile as a Vampire crashed and died behind her.
"I'm honored, Specialist Schnee, I truly am." Eastwood said with a charming grin, when suddenly a large Beowolf rushed past him, a Beowolf being ridden. "What the hell?! Is someone riding that beast?"
"Grimm Commanders, Doc. We'll fill you in later, just shoot him!" Qrow cried.
Eastwood didn't question his old friend, he simply began shooting, but the Beowolf rapidly but carefully bobbed and weaved away from the shots as several other Beowolves began following it.
"After it!" Cried Qrow, just before a Grimm Knight flew overhead, shooting at them and swinging down with its heavy leg, slamming into Eastwood's back and knocking him off the bike. It fired wildly, hitting the Dust tank of Eastwood's bike.
"Aw, hell! Run!" Eastwood shouted. The three ran from the bike, managing to get away just in time as the bike went up in a small explosion, a little ball of fire shooting into the air. Eastwood looked back, his face dark as the Grimm Knight flew off, "Oh, I am going to make that piece of tin pay for that."
"Later, Doc, we got more important things to deal with. Follow us!" Qrow said as he led the way, following the retreating Teams SSSN and CFVY.
Eastwood smiled as he threw off his helmet, "Right! Let's show these kids how we kicked ass back in our day!"
Suddenly an awful screech caught his attention. Looking up, his eyes widened as he saw Celaeno flying away from the Andromeda, which was firing on it, but missed most shots due to its speed.
"Is that Celaeno?!" Eastwood asked.
"Unfortunately, but it won't get away this time." Qrow responded.
Teams RWBY and JNPR, along with Penny, approached the entrance to Schnee Manor where Neo was waiting for them along with the estate's newly expanded security force.
"Everyone okay?" Neo asked.
"So far," Weiss answered, before Jaune and Pyrrha turned to see Steppenwolffe and his Beowolves approaching at high speeds with Grimm Knights flying above him.
"Incoming!" Jaune cried. Ruby, Pyrrha, Ren and Yang opened fire, along with the security guards.
The Grimm Knights flew in front of Steppenwolffe and his Grimm at an angle to shield him from the bullets. Nora slammed out Magnhild at the closest Grimm Knight, smashing a big dent in its chest and knocking it to the ground. Blake quickly moved past Nora and plunged Gambol Shroud outwards to impale the large Beowolf Steppenwolffe was riding, activating the electric Dust within her weapon's Dust chamber and shocking it until it exploded into black dust.
Steppenwolffe jumped off before Blake could activate the Dust and slammed his boot into Nora's face, making her Aura flare as he flung himself towards Weiss, a murderous intent in his crimson eyes. Penny, however, was fast enough to stop him, transforming her arm into its cannon form and blasting Steppenwolffe onto his side, knocking him onto the icy surface of the concrete.
He recovered before Ruby and Yang could land hits on him while Jaune and Pyrrha used their powers to stop the Beowolves, allowing Ren, Irwin and the other guards to blast the Grimm away, aided by Klein and Gretchen, who were standing in the doorway armed with old rifles that had been mounted in nearby rooms.
Steppenwolffe got up, drawing out his sword as he readied for battle as the Grimm Knights landed around him, ready to fire.
"Been a while, Steppenwolffe, I'm sorry but I can't say it's good to see you." Pyrrha told him, her eyes shining red.
"Hello, Fotia. Arc. What wasted potential you two turned out to be. Salem wants you back dead or alive, but I'd prefer the former," He spat before noticing Neo, "And you…this is a surprise. I'll be sure to kill you too."
"I'd like to see you try!" Neo said, we weapon out and ready to go.
"I liked you better as a mute, you little tart." Steppenwolffe growled.
"What's Salem up to this time?" Ruby asked, aiming Crescent Rose at him.
"You'll learn soon enough," Steppenwolffe snarled as he looked around at the manor, "This place hasn't changed all that much, save for those eyesore towers."
Weiss looked at him, surprised, "Wait, you've been here before?"
"Long before your father was born," Steppenwolffe answered harshly, "Now, Watts wanted me to memorize a rather pretentious speech about the dawn of the Grimm Age…but the truth is I couldn't give less of a damn about what Salem wants. I'm in this for revenge on humanity! Humans like you Schnees especially! In my time, before I was frozen and then thawed out to be turned into…this, we Faunus suffered greatly because humans like your ancestor Wymer Schnee. The man responsible for the deaths of my wife and daughter!"
Weiss gasped, "Wh-what?"
The Wolf Faunus Grimm Commander glared at her, "You heard me! We were treated like animals, gunned down like animals… Wolves are predatory beasts by nature, so perhaps it's time I act like an animal and give into my primal instincts. I'm going to hunt you down!" He shouted with an animalistic growl.
"Steppenwolffe, I'm truly sorry for what happened to you and your family in the past, but things have changed. Taking your anger and grief out on Weiss is wrong!" Blake told him, pointing Gambol Shroud at him.
"You're fooling yourself, you little pet!" Steppenwolffe rebuked, "I'm going to avenge my family today and I'll kill anyone who gets in my way!"
"Think you can get through all of us?" Asked Jaune, his eyes glowing from red to blue as he gripped Crocea Mors.
Steppenwolffe smirked, "With a little help…" He took out a scroll and pushed a button. Suddenly, a portal opened up behind him, and out jumped Emerald, Mercury, Hazel, a masked Anastasia and Dr. Sherizawa wearing his Atlas Armor. They all had their weapons ready to go, staring ahead at the members of Team Beacon and their allies and ready to leap into action.
No one dared move a muscle, despite the violence happening not too far away. Everyone waited for someone to make the first move. Weiss looked at the scarred Grimm Commander, sympathy and regret in her eyes despite the venomous hatred in his.
Then all hell broke loose as Teams SSSN and CFVY, Qrow, Dr. Eastwood, Winter, Amethyst, the Knights and Sharp Strike with Heliosia riding on Swift Wing, came in from the defender's left, Anansi and an army of Grimm hot on their tails.
Sherizawa made the first strike, firing at the defenders, only to hit a solid illusion Neo had created. It shattered and faded away, as the real things leapt into action. Mercury didn't hold back, jumping up high and slamming his boot into Yang's face, knocking her down while Anastsia's chakrams slammed against Ren's StormFlowers, forcing him off as she attacked with deadly grace, but he was more than capable of fending her off.
Sharp Strike brought Swift Wing to an abrupt halt and allowed Heliosia to go flying at their foes. The Summer Maiden's eyes glowed with intense power as she came down, taking out one Grimm Knight and scattering Emerald, Mercury and Anastasia before she dashed forward and slammed Flameguard through a Grimm Knight, causing the robot to burst into flames. She attempted to attack Hazel, but he caught hold of Flameguard with ease, simply grunting at the heat before he kicked Heliosia in the gut, sending her flying down into the pavement.
Pyrrha flung herself forward, slamming both Milo's spear form and Akouo into Hazel before flinging herself up and stomping both her heels onto his shoulders, making him stagger back but not enough to knock him down. He quickly recovered, grabbing her left ankle before she could follow-up and threw her into Ren. Jaune charged forward with a mighty battlecry and slammed Crocea Mors against the mountain of a man, powered by both his Semblance and the energy of the Aura Crystal, it was enough to make Hazel stumble but he struck back with a mighty punch to Jaune's face. Before he could do anything else, he was knocked down by Nora who slammed Magnhild into his chest as hard as she could.
Eastwood stopped upon spotting Hazel, his eyes widening with recognition before he quickly avoided laser fire from the Grimm Knights.
Steppenwolffe ran towards Weiss with the Atlas Armored Sherizawa at his side, but Blake blocked Steppenwolffe's sword while Yang took a mighty punch from the heavy metal armor, grinning as her Semblance absorbed the force of the blow. Weiss used a glyph to knock the opponents back and sent Yang high into the air, the Blonde Brawler came down fist first, activating Gravity Dust in her gauntlet and the resulting shockwave sent Emerald, Mercury, Steppenwolffe and some Grimm into the air, while Hazel and Sherizawa were merely staggered by the attack.
Velvet hopped atop Yatsuhashi's blade and he flung her at Sherizawa. She used Anesidora to create a copy of TriHard's trident and slammed it hard into the side of the Atlas Armor, knocking the scientist away. Velvet attacked again, helped by Fox who slammed Sharp Retribution into the thick armored legs, merely scratching them.
Hazel slammed his fist down on Yang, making her cry out in pain as her Aura flared up, but Qrow and Sun were launched forward with help from Yatsuhashi, their booted feet slamming into Hazel's chest. Hazel backed away and took a barrage of hits from the Monkey Faunus and the veteran Huntsman, only for Ruby to fire Crescent Rose into the back of the muscular man's head. Hazel glared back at the Silver Eyed girl and quickly reached over, grabbing her by the cape and slamming her into Sun before tossing her over.
Ruby landed with a yelp as she crashed onto the pavement, her Aura flaring briefly as a Beringel charged towards her. Ruby quickly leapt up and raced towards the gorilla Grimm, powered by her Semblance, and easily decapitated it with her trusty weapon.
"No one hurts my little sister, my uncle or my boyfriend!" Shouted Yang as she began firing on Hazel, only for Mercury's mechanical legs to slam into her right arm and the right side of her face, knocking her down again. He stomped his left boot down on Yang's chest, but he was quickly blasted in the side by Penny, who was quick to help Yang up.
"Thanks Penny!" Yang said, glaring at Mercury, "You still want a go at me, Black?"
"Always," Mercury grinned.
Blake kept dueling Steppenwolffe, his wild swings and deadly lunges were hard to keep up with, he was obviously very driven.
"It's obvious you've suffered and that the Schnees wronged you in the past, but they've changed!" She told him.
"Not enough! It will never be enough to undo what they've done over the centuries!" Steppenwolffe snarled as he went to impale her, but she sidestepped it and slammed the back of her fist into his face, making him stagger back as he growled at her. "I'll kill you too, you race betraying whore."
Hazel slammed his fist into Qrow, sending him sprawling on his back, but before he could do anything else, he was hit with six bullets to the chest, making him stagger back again.
"Hazel! Stop this!" Shouted Dr. Eastwood, "What the hell are you doing with these people?!"
Hazel looked at him, confused, "Who are you?"
"It's me, Wayne!" Eastwood cried.
A small look of recognition lit up in Hazel's eyes before he grimaced while Emerald slammed into the doctor with Thief's Respite, knocking him on his butt, but before she could shoot at him, Neptune blasted her away with an energy shot from TriHard.
Emerald landed on her back and Mercury crashed a few feet near her, having received a heavy punch from Yang. Scarlet flew up into the air with help from some Gravity Dust and he glided towards the duo and moved to slam Darling across Mercury's chest but Emerald leapt up and kicked Scarlet off course and caused him to crash into a tree lining the driveway.
Grimm Knights flew by, strafing the area and making everyone scatter to avoid being shot. One Knight swooped down and slammed into Blake, ending her duel with Steppenwolffe and allowing him to charge at Weiss. The Schnee Heiress saw him and was quick to parry his attacks that he swung high and low at her, ducking as his blade swung dangerously close to the top of her head.
Weiss counter attacked, stabbing at him three times but he parried each strike before kicking at her chest but she was quick to avoid it. Winter leapt into action upon seeing her sister being attacked, helping her sister fend off the attacker.
"Good! Both of you in the same place!"
"What happened to you? What did Wymer Schnee do to you?" Weiss asked him, making Winter look at her in confusion.
"Ah, they never told you? Or maybe your family just willingly ignored their darker history," He spat as he came at her again, but she parried and forced him back, holding Myrtenaster firmly as she looked at him pleadingly.
"Tell us what happened!" She demanded before she pulled back, allowing Winter to surge forward, parrying Steppenwolffe's blade. As the two dueled, Steppenwolffe pulled
"It was after the third great war began, because of the Remnant-wide opposition my kind had towards Atlas, many of us who lived in this Oum forsaken land were evicted out of our homes by cruel landlords because we were all suspected of being traitors to the Kingdom," He began as he began to push towards Winter, his sword easily parrying the Specialist's swords, "Some of us gathered together and set up a little shanty town, just beyond this estate. I begged your ancestor and he agreed to let us stay, but it was all a lie!"
He slammed his sword against Winter hard enough to make her slip on the icy pavement, she flipped back to recover and Weiss quickly put herself between the Grimm Commander and her sister, Myrtenaster clashing against the Wolf Faunus' dark blade.
"He reported us to the military as an enemy encampment! In the confusion and madness, my wife and child were killed in the crossfire. The military stopped once they realized they were firing on civilians, but did Wymer Schnee ever pay for his crimes? No, he only got a five thousand lien fine! A bloody fine for lies and murder!" Steppenwolffe shouted to her as he pressed on the attack, swinging blow after blow at Weiss that she blocked with Myrtenaster.
He kicked Weiss in the knee, making her fall into the snow, but before he could swing his sword into her face, Winter blocked it, catching his sword with her pair in a scissor formation.
"You didn't mention any of this when we were your captives during the White Fang affair." Winter pointed out.
"I was trying to keep myself in control, I was planning to tell you the story after we began killing your little friends," He explained as he tried to overpower Winter, but she was no pushover. He suddenly punched her in the face and then headbutted her directly in the nose, knocking her over, "And now, I will avenge my family and every Faunus who has ever suffered under the Schnees by ending your bloodline once and for all!"
"I'm so sorry!" Weiss cried as she got up, her tearing eyes making it clear to the Grimm Commander she genuinely had no knowledge of that particular sin of her forefathers, "I hate the evil things my family did in the past and I'm doing everything I can to make up for them!"
The look in her blue eyes…eyes that reminded him of his own daughter, his little Marie, made the Wolf Faunus hesitate, but he recovered and growled out "The only way you can redeem your family is to let me kill you and all Atlesian humans!"
He was about to swing at her again, only for Blake to slam him down. She pointed Gambol Shroud's katana form at him and said "Enough of this, Steppenwolffe! What happened to your family is abominable, but the man responsible is long dead!"
"That's right, taking it out on Weiss and other humans is wrong," Said Sun as he stood with his Faunus girlfriend.
"I don't give a damn, the Schnees haven't suffered enough for what they did to our people! Any Faunus who thinks they can be forgiven are bloody pets and I'll happily destroy you!" Steppenwolffe roared.
"Bring it!" Sun shouted as he jumped towards Steppenwolffe, attacking with Ruyi and Jingu Bang.
As Blake and Sun engaged Steppenwolffe, Weiss helped Winter up and the sisters retreated towards the main entrance. Weiss looked around at the chaotic battle that was unfolding before their home, made worse by the Grimm that just kept coming.
"Miss Weiss! Miss Winter? Are you both all right?" Klein asked as he gestured for them to get into the entrance.
"I'm all right. What about you, Winter?" Weiss asked.
"I've had far worse. We just need to hold out a little longer, help will be here soon…" Winter said.
Weiss nodded before she noticed a Saber being manipulated by Pyrrha, it ran over to a Grimm Knight, only to be blasted into dust.
Just then, an idea popped into Weiss' head. It was crazy, but if being a part of Team RWBY had taught her anything, crazy could sometimes work.
"I have an idea!" Weiss said.
"What is it?" Winter asked, and her younger sister told them, surprising her sister, Klein and Gretchen.
"Miss Weiss, that's very risky…" Klein said, uncertain.
"We're under siege, Klein. Desperate times and all that." Weiss remarked, glancing back to see Jaune and Ren working together to take out a Ziraph.
"You have a point. We trained him well enough that he could come very much in handy for a situation like this," Winter said, allowing herself a small smile.
Klein nodded, "Very well, go!"
The sisters nodded and ran off into the manor.
Outside, Sheer Kaa stood among the Grimm, watching the intense battle rage on. He looked over towards the distant shape of Atlas City and could see the shape of a large Atlas Battle Cruiser heading towards the estate.
He took out his scroll and said "Mistress Salem, your plan has worked, the Resolute is approaching. Prepare the portal, it should be here in two minutes."
To Be Continued...
This chapter was edited by Relentless Crusader.
Those of you who ride bikes or know anything about bike racing probably wanna strangle me. I tried my best, okay.
