A/N: Chapter 52 of REKT. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or teams of RWBY, they belong to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum. What I do own are the characters and teams of my OCs: REKT, GTSY, KACE and DAZE. I forgot to put Ingrid, Teo, Reina's parents and aunt on this list for quite some time; I own them too.
Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it. This chapter's a bit longer than usual so hopefully it makes up for not updating as quickly as I could.
Chapter 52: Fighting for Survival
In the skies...
The dragon circled around the vicinity of the city, jaws opened wide in a mighty roar and black goop dropping from its body. More and more Grimm popped around the city, bringing misfortune for all students, teachers and soldiers. No matter how hard they tried to mow down their enemies more and more take the place of those who had fallen. It was so repetitive that some of the fighters were losing stamina and energy, barely lifting up their feet to move.
"Dust, that's a huge one..." Ruby muttered, watching as the creature dipped out of sight. She had broken off from the main group when she decided to go after Roman herself. Hitching a ride on one of the lockers, she managed to launch herself from the arena and land on her intended target with a 'thump'. Since then she had to deal with swooping griffins and Nevermores.
"CRAAAAAAW!"
"HIYA!" Ruby, somersaulting backwards, avoided being clawed apart from a griffon as it landed on top of the ship. There were a slew of griffons flying behind the dragon, but one detached itself to challenge the huntress; she wasn't surprised and had had her eyes fixated on it. Refueling Crescent Rose and in a flash of sharp claws both fighters separated to opposite ends, waiting for one to fall down in defeat. Letting out a last screech of defeat, the griffon fell, revealing the presence of another.
So it was her. The one in red.
"Huh?" Ruby turned around, seeing Neo standing there with a Scroll in hand and a playful smirk on her face. "Isn't she that...same person with Roman?"
Hello there~ The Atlas uniform disappeared, replaced with the girl's normal attire. Taking a picture of her opponent, Neo tilted her head to the side and winked, the smug expression on her face. Heh, that was a cute dumbfounded expression!
"Son of a bitch, you can't be serious." Roman growled with annoyance, watching as an image of Ruby appeared on his Scroll. The text underneath from the small ice-cream villain read, 'Guess who?'. Swiping his Scroll off the panel, he tipped his hat and left the control room to meet up with his associate.
C'mon! Hit me like you mean it! Neo couldn't keep her teasing smile off her face, meeting Ruby's attacks blow for blow or making a mockery out of her opponent by dodging easily. She could sense the difference in skill, so her only focus was the keep Ruby occupied for Roman to make his entrance. I didn't have any difficulties beating that blonde...you aren't anything different if not weaker!
"Stay still dang it!" Twirling Crescent Rose even more, Ruby approached Neo as a blur of red. However, she was ready. Dodging the symphony of bullets, she baited her opponent to fire one more time. Enraged, Ruby fired as a response; the bullet hit Neo who burst into a pieces of shattered glass. It set up the perfect disguise for Roman as he fired off a greeting shot. Surprised to see him, the huntress took the brunt of the force and tumbled back, sticking Crescent Rose into the metal surface to stop herself from sliding further.
"Little Red, Little Red..." Roman tutted as he appeared, swinging his cane around and shaking his head with feigned discussed. "Isn't it way, and I mean waaaaaaay, past your bedtime? That's not good in improving one's mental status, if you get what I mean."
"Roman, I'd say nice to see you again...but I'm not sure if my current predicament does that statement any justice." was the quip reply. "Now tell me what are you doing here."
"You are so determined to be the hero of Vale, aren't you?" The ginger-haired male frowned at her, making a clicking noise with his tongue. "You're really outta your league, kid!"
"How can you do such a thing?! Without these ships, the Grimm will destroy everything!"
"That's the plan! Little Red, you really really need to stop being so naive! It's all in the 'evil bundle', comes with being the bad guy!" Roman crackled before he stumbled due to the ship tilting without warning. Scrambling to her feet, Ruby noticed Neo coming straight towards her and took a swipe with her scythe. Jumping over the blade, the smaller girl rolled across Ruby's back before sending the huntress crashing with a kick.
"Damn it! Woah!" Coming to a screeching halt, Ruby glanced down as she precariously hovered over the edge. The darkness with flickering lights of the city flooded her vision, not to mention how far of a drop it would be. Looking up she backed away as soon as a Nevermore screeched past her. Turning around she watched the pair of villains stand before her and her hands tightened around Crescent Rose. "Answer me this Roman, what do you get out of all this mess?!"
"No no! You're asking the wrong questions, Red. It's not what I have to gain. It's that I can't afford to lose!" Roman replied.
"Are you saying you're scared? Of what?! Not being able to live?" Ruby shouts back as the beating of wings whistled past her ears. "You're doing all of this just for survival?!"
"You wouldn't understand Red...and I don't expect you too. In your eyes I'll forever be considered the 'bad guy'!" Roman narrowed his eyes in a taunting manner as the huntress rushed at him. Bending half-way, he acted as a leverage for Neo to attack; the smaller villain vaulting over her partner to deflect the downward swing of Crescent Rose.
Tch, her again! Ruby snarled, no doubt catching the faintest hint of a devious smirk on the girl's face. Lunging forward again she attempted to go for the neck, only for Neo to block with the hook of her umbrella. With her weapon locked the smaller of the two had no trouble disarming her opponent, adding an extra kick to disorient the larger.
"You seem to be troubled Red! Are the two of us too much for you to handle?!" Roman taunted as Neo kicked Ruby in his direction. With their unparalleled teamwork, they tossed Ruby back and forth like a chew toy. Once she felt as though she's had enough fun, Neo grabbed the back of Ruby's cloak and threw her to the side with all her might. Feeling as though her body was going to leave the ship, Ruby latched onto Crescent Rose whose blade gripped onto the ledge and budged only slightly.
"Eep!" The huntress swallowed nervously as she hung precariously over the edge, praying that her weapon would pull her through. Glancing down once more she couldn't help the unwanted images of falling to her own death flash before her eyes.
"I may just be a gambling man, but even I know there's some bets you just don't take." Nodding his head to Neo, he watched as she made her way over to the huntress, the tip of her weapon slowly dragged itself across the metal to make an irritating screeching noise. Rummaging around his coat pockets, his eyes lit up with happiness when he found a cigar. Lighting it up he placed it between his teeth and began to smoke. "Like it or not, the people who hired me are going to change the world."
"Oh is that...so!" Ruby grunted, observing a Nevermore coming right towards her with its beak wide open; the intention of the creature was pretty clear, it wanted to eat her.
"You can't stop 'em." The ginger-haired male fired a bullet to keep the Grimm at bay, not even batting an eyelash as it disappeared in He wasn't going to let some mongrel creature interrupt his important monologue, much less eat his sworn enemy in front of his face. "You know the old saying. If you can't beat 'em-"
"Join 'em!" In a flash Ruby reached up and pressed the red button on Neo's weapon. Immediately it opened up and with a gasp, Neo was blown off the ship before Roman could do anything about it.
"NEO!" Roman watched as his partner, with her own eyes wide open, was whisked away. Neo for her part glanced back over her shoulder with fright as she disappeared into a cluster of Grimm, tightly clinging onto her umbrella weapon. Soon the massive amounts of dark bodies crossed his field of vision and once they had cleared, his partner in crime had vanished. "NEEEOOO!"
"I'll stop you Roman, and we will stop them with our own powers." Ruby said as she got back onto stable ground, narrowing her eyes with determination. "So you can Bet. On. THAT!"
"How dare you, Red!" Roman focused every fiber of his being on the girl, enraged beyond belief. The cigar that had been held with his teeth fell to the ground and he angrily smothered out the dying embers with a foot. "Why must you take things away from me?!"
"I could say the same to you!" Rushing forward, Ruby left a trail of fallen petals in her wake as she tried to blindside her opponent. However, she found herself unable to hit the man for he countered her blows. It was like she was an open book, allowing her opponent to read her quite effectively.
"You want to be a hero! You want to save everyone! However...have you ever thought that your enemies could've been misguided individuals as well? Sometimes an enemy would want to be saved by a hero, but not me!" His eyes flashed briefly and he lashed out at her when it was his turn to go on the offense, utilizing his weapon Melodic Cudgel as an anchor. Without thinking of bringing Crescent Rose with her, she was at the mercy of his attacks no matter how fast she was; it seemed like Roman was just a step or two ahead of her. "I don't want anything...I want absolutely NOTHING from YOU!"
"Gah!" Ruby yelped, tumbling backwards from a kick to the ribs. Sliding on her back, she laid there trying to catch her breath.
"You got spirit, Red. I'll give you that." Roman praised, tapping Melodic against his shoulder. "But this is the real world! The real world is cold! The real world doesn't care about spirit! If you continue to follow your flimsy dream like ever other pathetic child I've come across, then play the part and die like those from your history books!"
"The world isn't all black and white!" Ruby spat back, rising to her feet.
"I don't care. I'll do what I do best in order to remain at the top. Lie. Steal. Cheat! Anything that increases my chances of survival!"
GULP!
Ruby watched with wide eyes as a gargantuan griffon seemingly plucked Roman in one go with its mouth, swallowing the ginger head without a hitch. Once the small bulge eased its way down the gullet, the griffon slammed its talons against the steel covering of the airship and let out a deafening screech.
"Well...I didn't expect that to happen."
Elsewhere in the city...
"How in the world is every Atlesian Knight unit connected within the same network? You ever wondered about that?!" Efram yelled, swatting away a rouge Ursa with his trident. He was separated from everyone but Timber and the two males were attempted to find their way around. Impaling the creature through the chest and watching it disappear into dust, he added, "Linkage of every single bot should have fried the system or at least slow down connection so bad that sending messages via our scrolls doesn't work!"
"Perhaps it's some kind of override code that's preventing the system from frying out! That or that's some extremely strong wireless signal...but I highly doubt that's the case!" Timber replied as he quickly sent two arrow bolts flying right between the eyes of an Atlesian Knight. He visibly shuddered, feeling uncomfortable seeing the exposed robotic parts and flashing back to seeing Penny's dismembered body on the arena floor. "Man...fighting against them just doesn't feel good."
"...thinking about Penny?"
"Yeah...I just...I don't feel like a hero." The bow user sighed with misery, his shoulders hunched over and a small pout on his face. Feeling a small weight on his right shoulder he looked up to see his battle partner giving him a sympathetic expression.
"Hey, it's okay if you feel like that. Not everything have to be done in a heroic fashion. Sometimes it's not about doing some good deed but rather, doing actions as a mean of survival. Right now we're doing all that we can saving civilians while also trying to survive ourselves."
"But...what about those who don't make it out alive? We can't possibly save them all..."
"Then we'll survive for those who fall here." The huntsman nodded his head as if to comfort himself. "The world is a cruel place and this is our reality but we must do what we can now. While it is a daunting task, we're gonna do what we can to save those near us."
"...yeah...you're right. Sorry, I kinda lost what was in front of me." Timber laughed, lifting a hand and gently smacking his own cheek. "I guess, in this situation where everything just comes at you out of nowhere, split second decisions really are a pain in the ass."
"Don't beat yourself up over things that you can't control, focus on the things you can. Now c'mon, we have a lot of Grimm to cut down." Sharing a quick fist bump the two of them rushed off, cutting through Grimm while keeping a look out for fellow fighters or distressed citizens that couldn't make it out.
"Is anyone else realizing that the number of Grimms are getting bigger and bigger by the second?" Neptune said loudly to be heard over the carnage, blasting a plasma ball at a charging Ursa. He could see Sun fighting not too far away while the other members of his partly were currently wrestling with a large Creeper. "I mean, when has Beacon had anything like this happen before?"
"Ummm...never, especially not one of this caliber. C'mon dude, keep your cool!" Sun yelled, somersaulting backwards before smashing his weapon upon the head of the Ursa he was fighting. The creature let out a snarl of pain before disappearing into a cloud of smoke. "If you let them get to you, then everything will go down hill! Stay positive!"
"Y-Y-Yeah! Of course!" The blue-haired male replied, getting into position and charging up for another shot. "I'm already ready for anything! Come and get me you filthy...Uwwwwwwahhhhhhhhh!"
"Neptune!" Sun turned just as he watched a sightly larger Beowolf take the taunt and pounced, its fangs eager to puncture flesh. Out of the blue another creature crashed into the airborne Grimm, sending the two tumbling away. The huntsman got to his feet, watching as the two wolves continued to tussle. Even the fighters around paused to watch what might be the strangest thing they've ever saw, a small pack of Beowolves taking on a wave of various Grimm.
"No way..."
"What the? Grimm on Grimm fighting each other?"
"I don't remember any records noting this kind of behavior...but what do we do now? Do we just continue fighting like we have always been?"
"If those wolves are on our side, we shouldn't get in their way right? But it's hard to tell them apart..." The huntsmen and huntresses watched as the small group of Beowolves slaughtered their targets, claws extended and tongues hanging out of their maws. When a wolf killed off one Grimm, it simply moved on to its next target and ignored the baffled humans.
"Ummm...WHAT?! How?!" Sun exclaimed, his outburst caused those next to him to jump slightly. "When did this turn into a 'dog eat dog' mess?! Since when do Grimms do this, somebody explained it to me!" Then an idea popped into his head and he cracked a grin, "Unless...hehehe I know exactly who's behind this! This must be one of Reina's powers and all!"
"Good job Detective Wukong, that's exactly how it is. They're following my orders." Heads turned as I ran up to them, slightly panting with strands of hair in my face. Pushing those aside I added, "Please tell me I made it on time, never would've made it just by listening for explosions on my own."
"Atrocious timing but it could've been worse. Glad to have you here!" The monkey faunus replied, puffing out his chest with pride, "And thanks, it took me awhile to remember the information you told us back at Schnee's summer home."
"What do you mean they're 'following your orders'?" Arslan questioned with interest, folding her arms over her chest. "Is this what that voice who took over the broadcast meant by someone who had potential of controlling Grimm?"
"If I'm to be honest this small group is the limit I can handle for now. My power of control didn't spread to the wolves that were out of range."
"And they actually...obey you? Like literally obey?" Nadir questioned, placing a hand on his hips. "Sounds made up if anything. There's no way Grimm would follow the orders of their sole enemy, which is us."
"Look if I didn't think we'd get bombarded by Grimm, a faunus cult, enemy-controlled Atlas robots and a giant dragon, I wouldn't have taken the offer and sent them packing. But since we're fighting all of the things I just mentioned, I'm willing to do what I can to try and increase our chances of survival!" I frowned at their still unsure expressions. "There's a saying: An enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"...not sure if that works since you're basically using Grimm against other Grimm." Nadir said while Arslan nodded her head in agreement.
"Whatever the case, we should be grateful. That dragon's been giving us grief beyond reason, breeding Grimm directly from its backside and then letting them fall to the ground like some black goo." Neptune hastily cut in before I could say something else to fuel the fire. "It's like that thing is the mother of all mothers!"
"I'm gonna agree with Neptune, and not because I'm his teammate. With the small amount of Beowolves helping us fight against the ones that are already prowling on the ground, it'll give us some time to try and find a way to knock that beast out of the air." Scarlet added, giving the blue-haired male a nod. He and Sage managed to dispatch the Grimm they had been fighting against and joined in on the conversation. "Besides, we still have to deal with the machines and White Fang."
"Then with that much on our plates, it takes at least one or two of us to even kill the Grimm. We probably won't have the luxury to deal with the dragon!" Nora exclaimed as she stood next to Ren. "Also it's probably not a good time to say this, but we're also running low on energy...we can't possibly keep this up for much longer."
"Not only that but everyone's practically scattered." Velvet pipped up from where she stood by her leader. "Some of us are here, others are elsewhere. Some even abandoning their duties to save their own skins...there's no way we can protect every patch of ground, I know you understand that."
"I do...I understand that, but we're gonna try to do our damn best or die trying." Taking in a deep breath I allowed the deepest part of my consciousness to open up, allowing a plethora of Auras to flush through without filter. Multiple signatures, all at once, bombarded my senses and I felt as though I was drowning in a network of colors.
"What do you see?" Nora's voice told me she's somewhere behind me, no doubt watching my back with her weapon in hand. "Anything interesting?"
"Well it's a real mess to be honest, it'll be awhile till I sort it out." I admitted, cracking a smile despite the current circumstances. "I can see those here, machine and Grimm alike. However, unlike the last two, they don't have unique signatures that tell them apart."
"So you mean you can't see something that's without a beating heart?"
"All the machines look alike and the creatures of darkness are placed underneath the same category of chaotic black mass." I paused for a minute, watching as some of the colors untangled themselves and disappeared, "Luckily, with the amount of damage we're dealing it's lighten up my head."
"If anything, the only thing that's lighting up is your right shoulder." Nora commented, smashing Magnhild into a Creeper that had wandered in too close. The creature let out a painful roar before its head was crushed into the ground. "Does it do that when you 'control' your wolves?"
"I guess it does, this hasn't happened before." There's just so much I don't understand about my mark...and the library here doesn't have many answers. If the voices are correct, then I'll have to go back home. Father's library has to be my best bet.
"Hey guys...LARGE PALADIN INCOMING!" Sun's voice cut through before the pounding of pistons followed suit, shaking me out of my thoughts. The whirling of gears indicated that something was about to release, and I threw up a shield in time to catch the flurry of bullets. The monkey faunus skidded backwards, sticking his weapon into the ground to slow himself down. "Wowie, and I thought I didn't have to have my ass kicked a second time! Neptune, you remember this bad boy?"
"Ugh, don't remind me. Had me breaking out in cold sweats for a week..." The blue-haired male groaned with annoyance, hopping back and shooting an Ursa right in the face. "I think I still have a mark somewhere..."
"No time to look for it, we have a more pressing issue right now!" Coco said as she approached, her weapon already in hand. The upperclassmen had very serious expressions on their face, the latter excitedly griping her camera with her hand. "We have to find some way to shut that thing done! Or at least, destroy it before it destroys us!"
"Then hit it harder than any other normal Grimm!" The icy blue glyphs that made themselves known indicated the appearance of Weiss as she attacked the Paladin who raised its arms to block; she also aimed for the legs to prevent it from moving. Ice soon encased all of its limbs and a triumph grin made itself known on the heiress' face as she watched. After a few minutes cracks began to ooze their way across the surface before it shattered its ice confines. "Well, I shouldn't be so surprised. Roman's toy broke out of this attack before."
"I wonder if they improved it since then! Move over and let me try!" The heiress glanced over to see a flamed symbol burning brightly in the air, its owner positioned right behind it. Scooting over, she gestured with a hand for the faunus to go ahead and let it rip. Grinning wildly Kairos unleashed her move Red Burst, sending the attack right at the Paladin where an explosion ensured.
The other huntsmen and huntresses raised their arms to shield against the heat wave, their eyes narrowed in anticipation as the smoke clouded the area. Before they could breathe a sigh of relief, the whirring of gears reached their ears and the Paladin stormed out with a streak of burnt metal paved along its chest like a trophy.
"Well, did that satisfy your curiosity?" Weiss asked, a small hint of smugness in her voice.
"Damaged it much better than you did." came the sharp retort, making the heiress grumble with agreement. "Got any other brilliant ideas?"
"Guess it's a good time as ever." Coco mused before turning her head to the side and barked, "Velvet!"
"Really?! You mean it this time?" The rabbit faunus perked her ears up with excitement when she heard her leader's voice. Her eyes lit up, radiating with unwavering determination. "You're allowing me to use it?!"
"Just make them count. Wouldn't want it to go to waste, you've been building it up all semester." The brunette grinned and cocked her head to the side. "Show these adorable juniors what you can do!"
"What are you doing?!" Weiss gawked at Coco as Velvet walked with confidence up to the Paladin. "She's gonna get hurt!"
"Watch and you'll see." was the answer. Feeling very skeptical the ice heiress had no choice but to oblige. Velvet stood and held out her right hand, not bothering to bat an eye as the outline of a familiar scythe rested in the palm of her hand. Bunching her legs she jumped, avoiding the round of fire embedded where she once stood.
"Hold out your arms and receive your reward!" Gripping both hands on the body of her version of Crescent Rose, she twisted her body midair and slashed along the body of the Paladin; it seemed to have sensed her object of attack and allowed the bulkier portion to take the hits. Once she landed, Crescent Rose disappeared and in its place was Myrtenaster. Weiss watched with her mouth slightly opened as Velvet handled her weapon with ease.
She's utilizing the weapons as if they were her own. She hasn't even held any of the weapons themselves, but she makes it look so easy. The ice heiress made a mental note to herself to perfect her own techniques, noticing the small flaws in her own style of fighting as she observed. She almost couldn't contain her own gasp when the Paladin almost rushed the faunus, but Velvet was ready. Discarding Yang's gauntlets she went for Gambol Shroud, tying up the machine with the ribbon portion and sent it crashing to the ground.
"Vel! Another Paladin!" Coco's voice shouted as the rumbling noise of another came on to the scene. "You got this?!"
"Yup!" The faunus was light on her feet, flourishing in attacking and defending against the Paladin. Switching between different weapons that are unique to their owners was basically a second nature to her. Opting to handle Coco's weapon, she gripped the handle and began firing rounds of bullets, forcing the new adversary into a defense position. Forming Nora's hammer and landing on top of her opponent, she began to pound away at the metal armor. "Just a little polish is all! More like, pounding till it caves in!"
"Do you think it'll be enough?" asked Weiss.
"Velvet has a good grip on her techniques, so I wouldn't be too worried about- Velvet!" Coco had to cut herself short when the other Paladin broke out of its bindings and smacked the huntress with a well aimed punch. Snarling, the brunette began to fire and her action spurred Neptune and Nadir in turn; all three of them aiming for just one of the Paladins. "You're so dead!"
Even with all three of them, it's barely enough. It's armor is quite solid... Weiss' eyes widened as she spotted the other Paladin, taking advantage of its fellow companion taking the brunt of shots, approaching Velvet who was slowly getting off the ground. Balling her hands to her side, something snapped from within and she barely registered the glyphs that appeared below her feet as she charged forth. "Leave her alone!"
A burst of white light began to shine over her shoulder and as she sneaked a peek, her mouth opened in a gasp when she realized that it was a summoner's glyph. She had trouble with it back when Winter was with her, but something inside told her that this time was going to be different. With the extra boost of her glyphs she stood protectively in front, Myrtenaster in hand and waited for an attack. It never came and instead, the Paladin was pushed back by a knight's sword.
"Now that's new!" Velvet chirped from where she was sitting on the ground. Pulling out her camera she took a quick snap of the right arm of Weiss' summon. "For record purposes~"
"Velvet! Are you okay?" Weiss asked as she helped the faunus to her feet, taking her eyes off her opponent for a brief moment. Her mind was still in shock that she actually managed to summon something, and she was hoping to send such wondrous news to Winter when she got the chance. "You're not too hurt are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you for your concern Weiss!" Velvet replied and quickly summoned gauntlets around both arms. Cocking them back she made the movement of locking and loading. "Although I won't lie...a bruise might form on my cheek in the next few days! I'm gonna pay it back for its hospitality!"
"Then allow me to lend you a whole arm and another sword!" Swinging her rapier and summoning a glyph underneath her own feet, the heiress lunged forward with her summon right behind. The Paladin sensed her approach and aimed a punch in her direction, its metallic appendage colliding with the ice sword.
"Keep it up!" Velvet slid underneath the machine, firing bullets as she went through before switching up the style. Switching out of the gauntlets she opted to using Penny's wing blades, orchestrating the weapon at the tips of her fingers. Forming a circular formation she mimicked the android's trademark attack by shooting a plasma laser right into the back. The Paladin stumbled before tripping over a small ice formation that Weiss created at the last minute.
"It's such a klutz." The heiress huffed, shaking her head with annoyance. "Honestly, how can someone come up with a design such as that and think, 'Now that's an amazing idea!'? It's just so...so..."
"Top heavy!" Neon's voice called out as the rainbow huntress roller-bladed past with Reese hover boarding right beside her. The two of them seemed to be having a race while mowing down enemies, wide grins plastered on their faces. Opening her mouth to shout something back, Weiss felt the hairs raise on the back of her neck in warning. Eyes darting to the right she barely breathed a sliver of air when the sound of bullets began raining on the surface of the ice sword.
"Weiss!" Thinking quickly Velvet switched out of Penny's weapon and smoothly transitioned into a copy of Kairos' sword Lancelot. Running forward she took a giant leap and cleaved the arm in one fluid motion, letting the blade glow before she sunk the tip into the ground and rested both hands over the hilt. The bullets from the giant machine have ceased, giving the heiress room to breathe and get her heart-rate down.
"T-Thanks!" Weiss said as she and Velvet regrouped, eying their opponent very carefully. It was apparent to the ice heiress that her mechanical opponent was much more than how it used to be when Roman was in the driver seat. There were no room for any marginal errors. "I shouldn't have taken my attention off my opponent."
"Just paying you back for earlier!"
They seem to have that battle covered. I won't lie but their teamwork seems to be somewhat in sync, not as strong as the teamwork between Weiss and Ruby though. I mused to myself, watching their Aura lines weave and dance around one another. There's more pressing issues that I can't seem to put my finger on...like something is pulling for my attention.
"Have you seen the boys anywhere, Reina?" A voice caught my attention and I noted Kairos standing right beside me. "I haven't seen them since they last visited me in the hospital ward."
"They aren't too far from where we are, but it seems like they're held back by some Grimm and soldiers. So it'll take them a bit longer to get here. However, I feel like something bad is going on where Pyrrha and Jaune went." I told her, turning my head towards the CCTS. If there was anything that triggered my senses would be the amount of stress coming off Pyrrha's Aura. It was like a migraine that refused to leave or an itch one couldn't reach. "Their Auras seem to be congregated in this one area, and they seem to be moving at a fast pace."
"And I'm assuming you wanna go and check it out."
"Yeah."
"Then lets get going and see what they're up to." The faunus replied, dipping her head in agreement. "We can leave the rest of this mess for the others."
"Does that seem like a selfish choice to you?" I questioned, mulling over her answer in response to my own. In the midst of all the chaos, I felt as though I was abandoning everyone who were laying their lives on the line. "I mean..."
"Reina listen," I felt strong hands on my shoulders, my own partner's Aura flashing hot within my mind so I had no choice but to pay attention. "In this war, you do what is necessary and do what you believe is the right action. I'll be here to support you no matter what. So don't hesitate. If you hesitate any longer then the situation could take a turn for the worst."
"Yeah, I understand what you mean." I replied, noting the receding heat from my shoulders. I never noticed it before but it's the little things anybody does like a supportive touch from a teammate that means the most. "Let's get going."
"I'm right beside you." was the response and I cracked a smile that she took notice immediately. "What? Something going on inside that head of yours?"
"Yup! The thought of having you as my partner and my friend was probably one of the best things that has ever happened to me!"
Within the lower basement...
The moment the elevator doors open, Ozpin, Pyrrha and Jaune made a mad dash to the back. The walls around them vibrated and trembled, reminding them of the fight for the city above. The silver-haired headmaster bit his lower lip, cursing everything within his mind, he didn't want to scar his students with unprofessional behavior.
"Where are we...?" Jaune breathed with awe, drinking in the sights as he pattered after Pyrrha and Ozpin. "How come this has all been shielded from the public eye? This is amazing..."
"It's...a type of vault." Pyrrha told him, a slight tone of sadness in her voice.
"You've...been here before? And you didn't...bother to tell either myself or Nora or Ren?" He questioned, not missing the forlorn look on her face. "Not only that, but what would this school need to...hide?"
"Don't fall too far behind, Mr. Arc. We're not too far now!" The silver-haired headmaster ushered them, his expression grim and worried. Once they came to their destination the swordsman all but drank in his surroundings the best he could. He didn't seem to acknowledge his other two companions as they tried to make a miracle happen.
"What...is this? Who...?"
"Jaune. Please." Pyrrha implored him, hearing Ozpin type away at the controls. "I know everything's going fast but I can ensure you that it's for the best!"
"How would you know?!"
"Pyrrha!" Ozpin cut in roughly and pointed with a hand. "Get to the pods! We don't have time!" Giving Jaune one last look, the red-haired huntress all but headed her orders and ran towards the unoccupied contraption. Ozpin then turned his attention to Jaune, who continued to stand around with a shell-shocked expression. "Mister Arc, if you would like to be of use, stand guard here!"
"But-"
"Don't argue, the fate of Beacon rests upon the success of this operation." Seeing as there's no way to detour the older male, Jaune nodded and stood firm with his shield raised.
"What do we do now?" Pyrrha asked as Ozpin returned to his task, his brows furrowed with concentration.
"We...do nothing." Ozpin spoke after releasing a sigh, his fingers paused so he could answer the question. A few beeps later and the hatch opened up. Pyrrha hesitated as she stared at the empty pod, only to look up as the headmaster spoke. "You, Miss Nikos...have a choice to make."
A choice... Pyrrha looked at the pod and then she turned to look at Jaune, who hadn't moved an inch. The way he had his shield raised and his sword in hand, she had a lot of thoughts running amok within her head. It wasn't fair. If she could she'd want to spend a lot more time with her leader. It is destiny. I can't refute it. For the greater good, I will do this. Wiping away a stray tear, she turned away and got inside the pod, looking around as the top lowered and stayed closed. Taking a deep breath she could only hope that she made the right choice.
"Very well, are you ready?" Ozpin asked, putting in the final touch. Pyrrha, with a small amount of space for head movement dipped twice, giving him a determined expression. Softening his own expression, Ozpin felt as though a part of him was being ripped apart. Here was one of his finest students and she was about to shoulder an unimaginable burden. "I...I need to hear you say it."
"Yes." Pyrrha spoke and looked only forward, no longer able to hold his gaze.
"Thank you Miss Nikos. Let's get started." Pressing a few more buttons, the other pod was raised. Amber, feeling something unusual happening, opened her eyes. Her body glowed in a light autumn hue, as the maiden power began to transfer over. The overwhelming power shook Pyrrha and she couldn't help but scream in agony. Her body began to light up in the same color as Amber's, taking in the foreign power in waves.
"Pyrrha!" Distracted by the scream, Jaune turned around to watch the process. Ditching his post he ran over, his eyes darting around in hopes of finding some way to calm her down. "Pyrrha! Are you okay?!"
"I'm...so sorry." Ozpin spoke softly, keeping his gaze anywhere but Pyrrha's face. Jaune looked at him, confused by who the older male was talking to.
PING~
The sound of glass breaking jolted both men and they turned to see an arrow protruding from Amber's pod. The fall maiden uttered a low gasp, her eyes fully open the moment the arrow tip pierced her heart. Chest heaving for her last moments, she took one last shaky breath and passed away. Her eyes slowly closed shut, never again to open.
"Well well...looks like I came at the right time." Cinder spoke smugly as she lowered her bow. She watched as a part of the power- a glowing mass of ball – fluttered over to her and entered her body. Cracking a grin, flames circled her eyes as she levitated off the ground with excessive amounts circulating her body. When her feet touched the ground, she took a deep breath and sighed with content. "Now this...is exactly what I crave for."
"Let me out!" Pyrrha shouted, banging her fists against the glass. The moment Amber died, the connection between them was severed and she couldn't get any more of the power. "Let me out now!"
"What the hell is she?" Jaune muttered, tightening his grip on the hilt of his sword. He was quivering, his knees knocking and sweat slowly dripping down his skin. This was the first time he's witnessed something way beyond what he's capable of comprehending on sight. "Tell me what she is and what she has done! I don't understand!"
"Jaune, if you had just guarded like I had asked you to..." Ozpin twirled his cane in hand, focusing his sights on the approaching threat. Deep down he was extremely worried for the well-being of his students, but because of the loss of the fall maiden he just couldn't wrap his mind around that fact.
"What?! You're saying this is my fault?! You think I could've taken her on by myself?!" The blond all but gaped at the silver-haired headmaster in shock. "Excuse you but if I'm being honest here, I don't think I could and you have a lot of explaining to do! Don't leave me in the fucking dark!"
"Now's not the time if you haven't noticed-"
"Oh I noticed all right! A woman with burning eyes and burning hands isn't hard to miss, especially after shooting an arrow into what I wager could've been our only chance of winning!" The blond felt his blood boiling over and he could hardly contain himself. "How could you keep something like this away from the public eye?!"
"If you boys are done playing the blame game with each other...you have something that belongs to me." Cinder growled dangerously and took a couple steps forward. "And I'll be taking it back...all of it."
