"Haven't you heard? They've got us surrounded, the poor bastards."
- Col. Abrams, Bastogne, 1944
Ozpin slumped back in his chair, the lines of exhaustion etched deep into his face. "And where are they now?"
"Penthouse downtown," Percy rasped, rubbing his bloodshot eyes. "With Winter. Safe. Probably catching up on sleep, the lucky bastards."
A bitter chuckle escaped Ozpin's lips. "I envy them." He straightened, a flicker of resolve returning to his gaze. "Thank you for coming. This will be dealt with."
Percy arched an eyebrow, skepticism dripping from his voice. "And how's that?"
The headmaster paused, his fingers drumming a silent rhythm on the polished finish of his desk. "Detention."
Percy choked, a half-formed laugh dying in his throat. "You're joking."
"I wish I were." Ozpin wearily pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll speak to them, of course. But short of arresting them—" He leveled a pointed look at Percy, "—there's not much more I can do."
Percy surged to his feet, a muscle in his jaw twitching. "They could've been killed, Ozpin!"
Ozpin sighed, the sound heavy with resignation. "Risk is a part of being a Huntsman. If you have a better suggestion..."
Percy opened his mouth, then snapped it shut, his fists clenching and unclenching. Ozpin's wry smile was a silent victory.
"Are you really concerned about the letter of the law at a time like this?" Percy finally asked.
Ozpin leaned back, his gaze steady. "That's the thing about the law. It exists even when you wish it didn't." He took a long sip of coffee, the steam curling over his glasses. "And cooping them up wouldn't be good for them. They're children."
"Dying wouldn't be good for them either," Percy retorted.
The tension in the room thickened. Ozpin stared at Percy through the steam that rose from his mug.
Ding.
The elevator chimed, shattering the silence. Qrow burst through the doors, his eyes wild. "Where are they?!"
"Safe," Percy assured him, his voice a low growl as he took back his seat.
Qrow sagged in relief, then straightened with a new tension. "Damn it, I swear when I get my hands on those two..."
Ozpin's assistant, Glynda, followed, her features drawn tight. "We have a problem. People are waking up. Unrest is spiking."
Percy's stomach dropped. "Riots?"
Glynda came to a halt next to Ozpin's desk on Percy's right, pausing for a moment. "Not as such." She regarded him briefly before turning back to Ozpin. "Things have not turned violent," she added.
"Yet." Qrow muttered, leaning back onto the desk to the left of Percy and taking a swig from his flask. The supporting leg of Ozpin's desk groaned and snapped, tilting just enough to spill Qrow onto the floor with a stream of curses.
Percy barely spared a glance. "Can your Huntsmen keep things peaceful?"
Ozpin stared at his ruined desk, his silence a chilling answer.
The small smile that had crossed Percy's face due to Qrow's antics disappeared as the seconds ticked by in silence.
"They can, can't they?" Percy pressed.
"Perhaps," he hummed, his mouth barely moving. "Perhaps not," he continued, placing his hand on his cane and using it to slowly rise from his chair. "My huntsmen will be busy dealing with the Grimm."
"Is the city at risk?" he asked, standing up with a sudden sense of urgency and following Ozpin to the elevator.
"Vale has survived worse," Ozpin said, his voice steady but his grip tight on his cane. "But not without cost."
Goodwitch and an annoyed Qrow joined them, the former pressing the button to send them to the ground floor.
"Vale's huntsmen will be occupied with the Grimm," Goodwitch elaborated, "Meaning it will be up to the police to attempt to calm the populace. Until they do…"
"We'll have to keep fighting," Qrow scowled. "Stem the bleeding until the wound decides to heal itself." he kicked the floor of the elevator. "I swear to the gods, when I get my hands on those two…"
"I can help," Percy offered without hesitation. "My fleet can help handle the Grimm."
Ozpin raised a hand, forestalling Glynda's objections. "Can they fight on land?"
"Within twenty miles of the coast," Percy confirmed.
Qrow straightened. "Might buy us some time."
Ozpin hummed. "And you said you would offer your own help as well?"
"Yes," he confirmed. For once — knock on wood — this wasn't an issue coated in shades of gray. He could just help save innocent lives.
Ozpin nodded firmly. "Very well then. Focus your efforts to the south. I shall mount the defense to the east from Beacon. Glynda, I'd like you to handle things in the city. Qrow…" A silent exchange passed between the two.
Before he could ask questions, the elevator opened and they all spilled out.
"I will explain later," Ozpin promised. "Just… remain vigilant."
With that foreboding advice, the four shared one last look and split in different directions. Weaving through the hallways in-between curious students, Percy pulled out his scroll, hastily navigating to his Vice Admiral's contact and pressing call.
"Sir." The call was picked up after a single ring.
Percy skidded to a halt as he caught a flash of red hair down a hallway to his left.
"How may I be of service?"
Percy took a deep breath.
"General Quarters."
Tear gas canisters soared through the air, the clanking of their landing on hard pavement drowned out by the roar of the crowds trampling over them. Impacts of thrown stones against makeshift metal shields — trash can lids, car doors, metal panels — rang loudly, but not louder than the shouting. Police megaphones broadcasted orders over the unruly mobs, but not even they could be heard over the chaotic din.
Officer Mercellis winced as his radio crackled, his sergeant's voice coming through and ordering them to hold the line. He wished those orders would be drowned out by the riot so that he could ignore them. To do what, he didn't know — run away? Try to jump into the mess and stop more people from being hurt? Anything, he felt, would be better than watching helplessly as it happened in front of him.
Civilians clashed, fighting with makeshift weapons, violently lashing out and then retreating back into the crowd. Chaos is what it was. Pure and utter chaos.
Thankfully the fighting was not an all-out bloodbath — they were civilians fighting, and most had reservations about seriously hurting or killing someone else. How long those reservations would last he had no idea.
He, like many of the other riot police called to serve suddenly in the middle of the day, had no clue what had sparked the conflict. Mobs formed to clash with the police every day in Mantle it seemed like, but rarely were there civilians fighting each other.
Faunus and humans, clashing in the streets. Not White Fang and SDC — members of organizations with opposing goals — but Humans and Faunus. Distinguished only by their race.
He shuddered. Even a couple months ago something like this would have sounded impossible. Today it became reality.
Mercellis bit back the satisfaction he felt when a ram Faunus wearing a red bandana took a rock to the head, crumpling to the floor and quickly being dragged behind the lines by his Faunus compatriots.
He shouldn't have felt good about anyone being hurt, but after months of clashing with these union mobs, after months of seeing his friends be attacked and wounded by these thugs and being ordered not to do a damn thing about it, it was hard not to find the gangsters getting a taste of their own medicine.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
He instinctively ducked, along with many of the officers around him.
A rippling effect spread across the crowd as the gunshots rang out. Many ran, but many more were only enraged and reinvigorated, surging forwards to meet the other side.
Pop. Pop.
It was impossible to tell who was shooting, or where from — only that it was too far away to tell.
The violence intensified, what had before been a skirmish was turning into a bloodbath. The Humans in the crowd — for once the majority — charged into the Faunus mob. Or, more accurately, charged through them, trampling Faunus underfoot.
The officer held his breath, waiting for the orders he hoped would come. Stop this. End the massacre.
He couldn't stop himself from resenting the Faunus deep down, but this was turning into murder plain and simple. He didn't want this; never this.
The radio crackled again. "Hold steady, men! No shots fired at us!"
He tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry.
Seeing the officer next to him flinch out of the corner of his eye, Mercellis followed his line of sight to the cobbled road beneath them.
It was there, flowing through every crack, furrow, and crevice in the stone, flowing underneath their boots like a spring stream.
Blood.
The bullhead descended onto the penthouse rooftop, the downdraft whipping against Percy's hair as he leaned out the side of the aircraft. Winter, clad in her military-crisp uniform, awaited them with team RWBY arranged demurely several feet behind her.
Percy was the first off, approaching Winter while team JNPR passed them to talk to team RWBY, who were arrayed behind Winter in varying states of embarrassment.
"Vale is in an uproar," Percy explained as soon as Winter was within talking distance. "It's not turned violent yet, but the negativity is attracting Grimm."
Winter nodded curtly, her gaze fixed on the horizon. "As expected. Mantle is experiencing similar unrest."
Percy's jaw tightened. He had momentarily forgotten about the escalating tensions in Mantle. The false news of a White Fang instigator in Vale — he shot a pointed look at team RWBY — would only add fuel to the fire.
He rubbed his temples, trying to ward off the impending headache. "Is Mantle prepared?"
"No," Winter deadpanned. "Their huntsmen aren't organized and their conventional military is paltry."
Percy cursed again. "And things are more tense there — the negativity is bound to be worse, meaning more Grimm."
Winter's eyes passively followed a Bullhead flying overhead. "They had a major spike in negativity during their rebellion recently which attracted a large Grimm migration. The areas around Mantle will be relatively sparsely populated. The city shouldn't fall, if that's what you're worried about."
Percy's scowl dimmed slightly, but didn't disappear. It wasn't a nightmare scenario but it was hardly ideal either. From the sounds of it, Mantle's battle with the Grimm would not be as easily taken care of as Vale's.
"Can Atlas help?" he suddenly asked her. "Would Atlas' military be able to help them cull the Grimm?"
That got her attention. "Why would we?" She recoiled as if slapped. "Mantle is no longer a part of Atlas — they made it very clear that they do not wish to be. They don't pay to support our military, and their people don't sacrifice in service to it. How could I ask my people to sacrifice for them?"
Frustration flared in Percy's voice. "You know why they left! They don't deserve to die for wanting independence!"
"I supported reforms thanks to what you showed me," Winter countered, her voice rising in turn, "but not secession. Things could have been fixed from within."
"How were they supposed to-" Percy's jaw clicked shut, and he cut himself off.
Pausing, he took a deep breath. Yelling would not solve this. Things were stressful, but they were on the same team — they were partners. He had to remember that.
He reached out, gently resting his hand on her arm. "People are going to die, Winter," he said softly. Pleaded.
Winter bit back her own retort. Closing her eyes, her shoulders slumped, the defiance momentarily fading. A silent moment passed between them, filled only by the sound of passing wind.
"Very well," Winter conceded, her voice barely audible above the breeze. "Atlas will provide supplies, fire support, specialists, and automatons. But I won't ask my soldiers to risk their lives for a city that isn't their own."
Percy nodded, relief washing over him. "Thank you, Winter."
Visibly softening, a flicker of a smile crossed her lips. "It's… it's been a long day."
Percy smiled faintly. "Yeah, it really has." he sighed, gesturing to the bullhead. "Speaking of which…"
Winter strode towards the aircraft, pausing to glance back at him with a challenge in her eyes. "Well? Someone has to pull you out of the fire."
A genuine smile broke across Percy's face as he followed her, taking her offered hand and climbing into the bullhead. "Twenty lien says I kill more Grimm than you."
As the bullhead lifted back into the air and began turning to the south, Winter rolled her eyes. "That's a sucker's bet and we both know it.."
Percy quirked a challenging eyebrow. "Well?"
Resistance crumbling, Winter returned his smile. "You're on."
"What's going on out there?" Weiss demanded in lieu of greeting. She was gripping the railing of the roof, knuckles turning white as she looked out over the city. Large crowds blotted the streets, while dozens of bullheads darted over the city.
Pyrrha slowly lowered the hand she'd been waving at her sister team, her smile faltering. "Apparently, something you guys did caused quite a stir."
"Hey Pyr," Yang returned a short wave. "And really? Something we did?"
Jaune shuffled nervously. "That's what Percy said. He asked us to come keep you company while he and Weiss' sister go deal with it."
"Keep us company? In full combat gear," Weiss raised an unimpressed eyebrow.
Jaune winced. "Yeah, about that…"
"Why is Blake blonde?" Nora interrupted, eyes wide with curiosity.
A beat of silence hung in the air as everyone turned to stare at Blake, whose hair was indeed a startling shade of gold.
Ruby forced a cough. "Anyway…"
"What did he say they were going to do again?" Blake asked, her voice tight with unease.
"'Deal with the problem you created.'" Jaune quoted.
Yang yawned, stretching her arms. "Does that mean we get to go back to Beacon? I'd kill for a shower."
"I think we have to stay here until they're back," Pyrrha answered, her eyes fixed on the city below.
Blake pulled out her scroll, her face visibly paling.
Curiously, Yang peered over her shoulder. If the blood rushing from her face was any indication, it wasn't good news.
"The city is entering a state of emergency," Blake informed them robotically. "Packs of Grimm have been spotted heading towards the city."
Both teams stiffened.
"Is… is this because of us?" Ruby asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"I think so, sis," Yang answered sullenly.
The eight stood in silence, half of them pondering the new information and the other half confused. A stiff breeze swept over them, buffeting their clothes. Pyrrha shivered.
Suddenly, the bullhead that had delivered them roared back to life, lifting off with Percy and Winter aboard.
"We need to do something," Yang resolved. "This is our fault, so it's our responsibility."
"No!" Blake snapped, her eyes wide with fear. "I- we have messed up enough. We need to stay out of it!"
"I agree with Yang," Ruby announced. "If we caused this, we should help fix it. It's our job!"
JNPR's eyes bounced from person to person like they were watching a tennis match.
"Our job is to learn," Weiss countered. "We're only students. Trying to expose the White Fang when nobody else can is one thing. Disobeying Winter's orders and running off to fight Grimm is another."
"And who says your sister can order us around?" Yang challenged, placing her fists on her hips.
"Haven't you learned your lesson?" Blake questioned. "This is our fault. We need to stop messing with things we don't understand!"
Yang scoffed, "I understand Grimm well enough."
Nora nodded her agreement with the sage comment.
Weiss rolled her eyes. "At this point I wouldn't be so sure."
Yang narrowed her eyes, clenching her fist and taking a step towards her icy teammate. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Yang!" Ruby jumped in front of her, doing her best to run interference between the two. Blake looked on with crossed arms and an unimpressed glower.
As the squabbling dragged on, Jaune cleared his throat.
Four angry pairs of eyes snapped to him.
"So, ah, what is it exactly that you guys did again?"
Percy winced as Riptide took off the head of a centaur. They looked similar enough to Chiron that it felt a bit uncomfortable to slaughter one like that, but seeing as how they were trying to kill him…
He ducked under the swipe of a Beowolf, swinging Anaklusmos in a deadly arc through the air to take the arm off an Ursa, decapitating it with a flick of the blade.
Winter was a whirlwind of ice and steel, her glyphs shimmering in the air as she deflected a barrage of attacks. The Beowolf he'd dodged lunged at her, its jaws snapping, but she froze it solid with a flick of her blade, shattering it into a thousand icy shards.
He and Winter continued to work their way through the masses of Grimm, to no noticeable progress. There were a lot of Grimm — though it was far from a siege, he could see why Ozpin had been concerned.
He ran up the trunk of a Megoliath — a Grimm he'd been told could only be found in freezing climates — and lodged Riptide in its skull, sliding down its back when it reared up to roar in pain, Riptide dragging behind him all the way.
Rolling off its back and under the strike of a King Taijutsu, with a roll of his wrist he swiped back and took one of its heads three quarters of the way off, thrusting upwards and burying Riptide to the hilt in its chin.
Jumping, he grunted as he used a charging Boarbatusk as a springboard, soaring several feet into the air and slicing through the left wing of a Griffon that had been diving on Winter, causing it to swerve into a tree and then plummet to the ground.
He hit the ground in a roll, standing and slicing the heel of a Beringel in one fluid motion. It crumpled to a knee, and he hopped up onto its back to shove Riptide through the back of its neck, sliding off to stand next to Winter.
"Eighty seven," Winter panted.
"I lost count at a hundred and three," he admitted, out of breath himself.
Percy tapped his earpiece. "Any injuries?"
A cacophony of negative responses resounded back to him, and Percy brothe a sigh of relief. Their defensive line was a dozen or so miles south of the city and just outside the CCTs range, making a potential extraction less than convenient.
The communication link between teams they used was probably rudimentary compared to what Atlas had — or even his own forces — but it got the job done over their short-ish range.
"Aura check." he spoke into the earpiece.
"Average 46%, lowest 28%." Reported one team.
"Average 62%, lowest 36%." Reported another.
The reports kept coming, Percy taking mental note of the different levels. He glanced at Winter, who was leaning against a nearby tree listening in while she caught her breath.
As the last of the reports came trickling in, Percy let himself relax. They wouldn't need to pull any teams off the line yet, if the size of the waves stayed consistent. He accepted the offered bottle of water from Winter, guzzling a few gulps and tossing it back.
The brief break in fighting brought the sounds of distant explosions back into focus, Mistral's three ships occasionally shelling packs of Grimm wherever the scouting bullheads reported.
He was brought out of his haze by the sound of his scroll buzzing in his pocket. He and Winter shared a glance. That was… odd. They should have been outside Vale's CCT range, if only just.
He pulled it out and quickly showed it to Winter. Unknown ID.
Skeptically, he answered, though remained silent.
"Per-us?" the staticy voice said, distinctly female.
"Who is this?" He demanded.
"This … G-a Good-ch..."
"Glynda?" He deciphered, frowning. What could she want?
"Li-en, there is… migra-... south… Leave… Evac-... on the… Return… Vale."
Adrenaline flooded Percy's system. He was not the absolute sharpest knife in the drawer, but there were only so many ways to interpret 'leave' and 'return'.
"How long?" Percy asked her, hoping any of it got through.
Alternating silence and static answered him.
"How long do we have?" he spoke louder.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Connection lost."
Cursing, Percy clicked the scroll shut and turned to Winter. "We need to leave."
She bolted upright. "Why?"
"We need to return to Vale," He said. "The connection was weak, but from what I can gather there's more Grimm than we thought."
"Are there bullheads coming?" she asked.
Percy shrugged hopelessly. "Not that I heard, and I lost the connection right after."
Winter's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "If you were being called from the CCT itself, there should have been no problem with the signal."
When it was clear Percy had no answer, she shook her head. "We need to get moving."
"Agreed." he tapped his earpiece. "All teams begin moving back to the city. I say again, we're being recalled to the city. Make haste, but stay in line with the teams to either side of you."
He quickly followed his own orders, beginning the jog north and keeping in line with teams to his right and left whenever he got a glimpse at one of them through the trees.
It hadn't been an hour before his earpiece began lighting up with reports from team leaders of Nevermore beginning to harass them.
Coming to a standstill and looking to the sky to see for himself, Percy saw Nevermore, but not just the few close enough to pose an immediate threat.
Percy nudged Winter. Wordlessly, she followed his gaze.
"Oh," she articulated.
While he normally would have made a witty remark, Percy found his sense of humor somewhat dulled by the situation.
There, a few short miles away, was a cloud. A massive cloud of black on an otherwise clear day.
And it was heading right for them.
Damn it.
Damn it, damn it, damn it.
Blake cursed herself for letting herself be dragged along. This was such a stupid idea.
The forest floor squelched beneath Blake's boots, the damp leaves clinging to her leggings like desperate hands. Ahead, the sound of her teammates' bickering echoed through the trees, an irritating soundtrack to her forced march.
The only other one with a modicum of awareness was the quiet boy from their team — Ren, she remembered — who was silently making his way through the trees somewhere to her left.
"Why are we even doing this?" she muttered under her breath, frustration gnawing at her. This impromptu mission, fueled by Yang's ignorant stubbornness and Ruby's naive optimism, was a recipe for disaster.
Really, Blake had no choice. She could stay and not be there for her team, or follow and improve their odds that much more. They were essentially threatening her with their lives. But the moment she had complained to Weiss — seeking a kindred spirit — she snapped that Blake was 'finally getting a taste of her own medicine'.
Blake had stopped trying to talk to Weiss after that.
A shadow flickered in her peripheral vision, and she instinctively drew Gambol Shroud, her senses flaring.
"What are you doing here?"
Before she could bring Gambol Shroud to bear, a blade appeared from behind a tree to her right and came inches from her face, hooking into Gambol Shroud's ribbon and yanking it out of her hands just as she got a shot off which went careening into the forest. Dancing backwards, Blake registered that her weapon was pinned to the ground by a large, metal scythe held by a tall, dark haired man who stepped out from behind the tree.
The sound of her teammates rushing towards them could be heard, but her assailant — why did he look familiar? — just stood and waited, no longer paying her any attention.
Behind the man in the trees above, she caught a brief glimpse of dark green and quickly diverted her eyes. But it was for naught, because a few seconds later Ren fell to the ground directly behind the man with a loud crack, half a tree branch falling behind him.
He landed on his feet, but couldn't stop the man from kicking him in the chest and disarming him with a swipe of the scythe.
"Unlucky, kid," the man grunted.
Blake prepared herself to dive for Gambol Shroud now that the scythe was no longer pinning it to the ground, but before she could a red stream of roses burst into the clearing. Ruby skidded to a halt a few feet in front of the man with wide eyes and a pale face.
"Uncle Qrow?"
"Don't you 'Uncle Qrow?' me. What are you doing here?" he demanded.
The rest of RWBY and JNPR burst through the treeline.
"Uncle Qrow?" Yang parroted her sister, her surprise quickly morphing into a sheepish grin.
"Tai's gonna kill me," Qrow muttered. His eyes found Pyrrha, and then widened in alarm. "Oh shit, Percy's gonna kill me too." He scanned over the rest until he met Weiss' eyes. "And Winter… yeah, I'm dead."
"Um, you see, we were just-"
"There's no time for explanations," Qrow interrupted Ruby's half-hearted excuse with a wave of his hand. "You kids need to turn back. Now."
The two teams exchanged hesitant glances. Were they really going to give up that easily?
"This isn't a discussion!" Qrow barked, his voice echoing through the trees. "Run! Now!"
Skreeeeeeeee!
A bone-chilling shriek pierced the air and a massive shadow swept over the clearing, blotting out the weak sunlight. The ground trembled and wind picked up as a colossal Nevermore passed over them high above.
"It's too late!" Qrow cursed. "All of you, follow me! Quickly!"
Blake's heart pounded in her chest as she scrambled after him, the monstrous shadow of the Nevermore passing over them.
If they made it out of this alive, she was going to kill Yang.
"All teams, gather at my position!" Percy ordered. "Double time!"
By the time the last of the dozen huntsmen teams in the southern section had arrived — harrowed and exhausted — the black mass of Nevermore was almost upon them.
"Hold," Percy ordered. "Rest, rearm, and share supplies. We don't know the next time we'll be able to regroup. Prepare yourselves."
The huntsmen followed his advice morosely, most low on aura. Thankfully nobody was out of it entirely, but it wouldn't be long.
"Are you going to… you know." Winter asked, sitting on a nearby tree stump.
He took a deep breath. "Yes."
Slowly his gaze found the cloud rapidly closing in on them. There must have been thousands — tens of thousands. And unless this was just a freak swarm of Nevermore, where there were that many Grimm in the air, there would be just as many on the ground not far behind.
"I'm going to need to." Gunfire picked up as more Nevermore began to get close enough to attack them — 41 professional huntsmen crowded into a defensive perimeter, bracing for the horde that was to come. "But how much, we'll see."
He joined the action soon after, leaping into the fray. He slashed and sliced, formed whips of water and walls of ice. Even as the sun was blotted out by the sheer number of Nevermore, the group remained steady. The Grimm numbered in the thousands, but one veteran huntsman was worth a thousand Grimm, and he had dozens.
He dashed between sections of the perimeter, relieving teams wherever they began to flag. He sliced through a Nevermore that was diving on the back of a Woman with a mechanical arm, not sticking around to hear her thanks before he was several feet away stabbing through a Nevermore that had grabbed hold of a huntsman's arm.
A shadow passed over them, and Percy looked up. An Elder Nevermore, its eyes glowing with malevolent intelligence, descended from the swirling clouds. Its massive wings cast a shadow of despair over the defenders, its presence a tangible wave of terror.
He grabbed hold of the groundwater and prepared to shape it into a defensive barrier for his fellow defenders but Winter was there before he could blink, her face pale but determined. A complex array of glyphs formed around her, swirling and merging into a shimmering dome of energy.
The Elder Nevermore slammed into the barrier, its talons raking against the glowing surface. The dome shuddered, the glyphs flickering erratically.
Skreeeeeeeee!
The glyphs held, and the Elder Grimm was forced to pull upwards lest it risked careening into the ground. With a powerful flap of its wings, a powerful torrent of wind heralded its departure.
Leaves and sticks flew from the shockwave and Percy covered his eyes, ducking to the ground to avoid the debris.
CRACK.
Trees dozens of feet in every direction were snapped in half, the weakest being uprooted entirely. The smaller Nevermore that had been harassing them were brutally flung out of the air into trees, stone, and earth, each of them melting into darkness.
And suddenly it was over.
The besieged huntsmen, given a brief respite from the lesser Grimm, focused their attention on the Elder Nevermore.
Percy rushed over to Winter, who was busy waving her sword in precise patterns, glyphs forming rapidly in front of her to no visible effect.
"Can you take care of it?" he asked her, eyes warily tracking the rapidly encroaching swarm of smaller Nevermore.
"Leave it to me," she told him breathily, a bead of sweat trickling down her forehead.
He nodded, rushing off to meet the first of the returning swarm. If she said she could handle it, he trusted her.
Within the minute they were completely engulfed once more, and everywhere Percy looked there was a Nevermore to slice out of the air.
He found himself unconsciously turning to his godly abilities more and more as the numbers increased, and made no effort to stop himself. He'd learned his lesson.
Riptide cleaved through one Nevermore that had been diving for him, but before the second reached him a bullet tore through it, shredding it to pieces. Another that came in for a low sweep never reached him, a steel scythe reaping it out of the air.
"Use a hand?" a familiar voice asked.
Qrow cut his way towards Percy, who spared him a brief look of surprise before he had to return his attention to culling Grimm.
"Why are you here?" he shouted over the clamor. "I thought you were doing something for Ozpin?"
"Goodwitch has it handled," he shouted back. "I'd rather be here making sure you don't do something stupid."
Percy barked out a laugh, but internally his stomach sank. Qrow was worried that Percy wouldn't make it out of this alive.
"What are we dealing with?" he asked, swiping at a low-diving Grimm but only managing to skim its talons.
"I'll tell you," Qrow promised, still shouting to be heard over the sounds of combat and the masses of Nevermore. "But first, you might want to see something."
Percy glanced at Qrow the next time he had a spare moment. He felt the blood drain from his face.
Oh, he was going to kill Qrow.
Despite having been caught red-handed sneaking out of the city to help fight, Yang was having the time of her life.
Every swing of her fist met a Nevermore, an unending tide of them providing unlimited entertainment. She knew she was wearing a stupid grin, but didn't care. How many huntresses in training could say they had ever seen this many Grimm, much less fought them?
She danced through the battlefield, alongside Blake. They had tried a team formation at first, but the fighting was so chaotic that their tactics proved useless. Instead they split up into partner pairs where they could have one person to watch their back, but go wild otherwise.
And go wild they did.
As fresh and full of energy as she was, Yang had no problem with smacking down waves of Nevermore, one after another.
Until suddenly, they stopped.
Yang looked around, confused as to why there was a sudden lack of things to punch. The swarm of Nevermore still passed over them towards Vale, but none dived to deal with the more immediate prey.
She tried to share a confused look with Blake, but her partner was staring off to their right — in the direction the Grimm were coming from. Yang's only hint that something was wrong was the slight twitch of her partner's ears.
Yang strained her hearing, but couldn't hear anything over the loud flapping of the flock.
In truth, she saw it before she heard it.
Over the trees to the south, Yang could see the tops of trees toppling over one after another. Whatever was knocking them over was large, and it was heading right towards them.
As it got close enough to see clearly through the trees, Yang wasn't too shocked to see the largest Boarbatusk she'd ever seen barrelling towards them at what must have been a hundred miles an hour. Taller than most trees and just as wide, the giant Grimm made a terrifying sight bearing down on them.
Punching the air to reload, Yang settled into a ready stance. She had no clue what she could do against that thing, but she knew she had to try. Around her huntsmen and huntresses did the same, preparing their weapons with a grim, resigned determination.
For the first time since arriving at the battle, Yang felt a bit of the weariness she'd seen so many of the professional huntsmen wear hit her.
But as the giant Boarbatusk grew closer, the weariness slowly but surely turned to dread. Following the giant was a pack of normal Boarbatusk too large to see the end of.
Glancing up as if to make sure it was still there, Yang confirmed that they hadn't even finished dealing with the Nevermore — not by a long shot. How were they supposed to fight off both at once, much less any other Grimm that showed up?
She didn't have an answer to that question, but she may not ever need to — from the looks of things, the giant Boarbatusk would kill her before anything else got a chance to. It was maybe a couple hundred yards away now, and moving quickly.
Yang was starting to understand why they had been told to stay away from the fighting. For once, she wasn't sure she'd make it out of this one.
That is, until the charging Boarbatusk stepped in a shallow stream.
Water erupted, climbing up the giant Grimm's leg and quickly enveloping it.
Reeeeeeeee!
The boar screeched as its massive momentum which had been knocking over hundred-foot trees like they were grass was suddenly ground to a halt and then reversed, as it was dragged back to the small stream it had dared to cross.
Yang's head snapped to find Percy, and out of the corner of her eye she could see others — like her partner — doing the same. His sword hung lazily in his left hand while his right was extended towards the squealing Grimm, clawed upwards. It was hard to see from her angle, but Yang could swear that she could see his eyes glowing ever so faintly.
The boar was lifted into the air, squeals increasing in shrillness and volume as the water enveloping it twisted it in every which direction.
Crack!
Yang winced at the sudden noise of the Boar's neck twisting too far for it to handle, its squealing suddenly falling silent.
The Nevermore beginning to dive again brought Yang back to reality, and she quickly grabbed Blake's wrist to drag her to regroup with the rest of RWBY.
"We need to help hold the line!" Ruby yelled above the noise. She pointed, and Yang followed her finger to a team of huntsmen holding part of the perimeter. From one look Yang could tell they were close to cracking. Their swings were slow, and every moment they weren't fighting off Nevermore they were hunched over in exhaustion. One, she noticed, was even wearing a red-stained bandage. Worse still, when the smaller Boarbatusk got here they'd be taking the brunt of the charge.
Yang nodded her agreement, and the four ran off to relieve the group of professionals. So tired were they, that they didn't even question the rotation, just quietly moved off the perimeter.
When the pack of Boarbatusk did hit a few moments later, Yang was glad they had switched. As it was they barely managed to hold the line. Crescent Rose rang out without pause, taking out one Boarbatusk after the other, but they knew it couldn't last.
Yang rapidly punched explosive shells into a nearby boar, yelling in exertion as she lifted it, spinning on her heel and tossing it several feet to explode in the middle of a group of Boarbatusk.
Cocking her fists back to reload, she heard a distinctive click telling her she was out, and scowled. That was the last time she'd be able to pull that trick.
"Agh!"
Yang quickly spun to her right, just in time to see a member of a neighboring team be thrown back by a charging Grimm, the red flash running up and down their body a surefire sign their aura had shattered.
The boar began to charge the helpless huntress. Yang didn't stop to see why her team wasn't there — pinned by their own Grimm, she was sure. She ran as fast as she could to intercept the boar mid-course.
She wasn't going to make it.
The realization came suddenly and heavily. She pushed harder, but she was just too far. She couldn't reach her in time.
A familiar bronze javelin struck the boar's side, followed by a flash of red hair as Pyrrha dove in front of the downed huntress, taking the charge of the injured boar on her shield. She skidded back a couple inches, but held her ground.
A large hammer crashed down on the boar and it was history, Nora quickly moving onto smashing a Nevermore out of the sky.
Yang skidded to a halt, only watching long enough to see JNPR relieving the team on their right the same way they'd relieved their team.
She jogged back to support her team, taking the time to quickly take stock of the overall situation.
Everywhere she looked she saw the same thing. Exhausted hunters, and endless hordes of Grimm.
Well, almost everywhere.
Uncle Qrow and Winter — both hovering nearby — were holding their own, but Percy was holding an entire flank himself against Nevermore, Boarbatusks, and a growing number of other Grimm. A small storm surrounded him, the same way she'd seen during his fight in Mistral. Every swing of his blade sent out arcs of electricity to strike Beowolfs, Boarbatusks, Nevermore, and Ursa, seemingly dissolving everything they touched.
Soon she had no more time to watch, joining her team and driving back into the fray.
Despite herself, Yang was starting to believe he really was half god.
They might just make it out of here after all.
Weiss was starting to doubt they would be able to make it out of here after all.
Her dust was nearly gone, Ruby was out of ammo, and Yang was either out of ammo or low enough to ration what she had.
Every swing of Myrtenaster was a little less precise, a little slower than the last time. Every dodge seemed to be a little closer, and the Grimm seemed to come just a little faster. They would reach a breaking point sooner or later.
Something had to give.
Weiss was embarrassed to admit it was her.
A Griffon dived at Ruby's back while she was swiping at a Beowolf with Crescent Rose, and Weiss lunged to intercept. She had barely made contact when a Sabyr pounced, leaping over its fellow Grimm to deliver a brutal swipe to Weiss' midsection.
The Griffon was turned away, but the Sabyr met its mark, claws scraping across Weiss' aura and drawing sparks as it batted her into the ground.
She cried out in agony as she was slammed against the ground, her aura breaking with the sound of shattering glass.
All she could think as she looked up from the muddy ground at the two-ton killing machine staring down at her, was that she didn't want to die.
The Sabyr raised its claws to finish her, and Weiss couldn't bring herself to close her eyes. Before the final blow came, however, the ground erupted beneath her.
Dozens of spikes of ice rose from the earth to skewer the Sabyr, water surrounding her in a protective layer for all of a second before withdrawing.
When the protective layer receded, Percy was there standing over her protectively. A storm surrounded them, harsh winds buffeting all within it and lightning smiting any Grimm who dared come in range, but in the center with Percy it was calm. Peaceful. Like they were protected from everything outside.
She looked up at him, but he wasn't looking at her. He looked straight ahead at the masses of Grimm, eyes glowing an abyssal blue.
And even though he had just saved her life, Weiss found herself rooted to the spot in fear.
POP!
All around their perimeter, trees — on the ground or still standing — exploded, shards of ice expanding in every direction but miraculously only hitting Grimm. A moment later the ground a few feet away burst upwards, the entire forest outside of their little circle seeming to give way to a rush of water that carried Grimm with it before coming to a standstill several feet above the ground. Weiss watched in awe as Grimm drowned in mid-air.
The water that held the Grimm went flying away rapidly, sending the dissolving corpses of the stragglers far away from the surviving hunters.
Her eyes were drawn to the sky by a sudden series of flashes, doubtlessly lightning striking into the Grimm flock. The winds picked up, carrying flying Grimm along with them against their will. They span in circles above, and even from here Weiss could see Grimm crashing into each other at violent speeds; Griffons crashing into Nevermore and Sphinxes crushing Razorwings. Whatever wasn't crushed was destroyed by rapid strikes of lightning, evaporating the helpless Grimm.
One by one, bit by bit, the sky began to clear until soon enough she could only see the dark clouds above them.
Once the shock began to wear off, though the awe lingered, Weiss looked at the clear sky and began to think they just might make it out of here after all.
ROOOOOOOOOOAR
We're back!
Hello everyone! Thank you to my old readers for sticking around, and welcome to the new ones!
I have no guarantees for a consistent schedule at the moment except that I will be posting once a month of my usual chapter length, at minimum, for the time being.
Thank you to everyone who stuck with me for so long, I really mean it. I hope you all enjoy what's to come.
That's about it for now. If you have comments about the chapter, please put them below; I'm getting back into the swing with FG and writing, so if you notice anything I'd love to catch it early. Also, would just love to hear what you think and from you guys in general.
Hope you all have had a great last year!
(VERY tentatively) next chapter June 15
