A.N: Happy 2022 everyone! Since I know that A LOT of people have looked forward to this chapter (particularly its content) I'd say let's get right into it. Enjoy!
Chapter 45: Red and Blue
The blizzard began to let up on the outskirts of Mantle. A lone prisoner shivered amongst a pile of snow and corpses as the winter hell began to envelop him. "We never had a chance." He murmured in disbelief as the cold winter numbness began to overtake him. "This is…the power of a Legend…we were doomed from the start."
"King of Diamonds…were we…expendable…from…" The snow covered him entirely, soon, he would be dead.
Klaus Rot remained impassive at his latest victory. After years and years of combat, rising up to the level of power he was at now, this was just another Saturday for him. "I don't know why so many of these prisoners were out and about…but ultimately this changes nothing. I will act in my duty as I always have as the Winter Hermit. For the sake of Atlas, for the sake of Mantle, for the sake of all of Remnant."
"And most importantly, for the sake of you, Nicholas, my oldest and dearest friend."
"For such a strong Huntsman, it seems even you are mortal. Please, eat, drink, regain your strength." Nicholas Schnee had said to him back then.
"You are helping me? Why?"
"We are the same, are we not? We both do our best for the world in our own way. You fight to protect it from the winter winds, while I work to provide the people of this world stable jobs that will allow them to provide for those we love." Nicholas laughed. "Now that I think of it, it's probably not the same. You do much more than me."
"You are far too modest. You are Nicholas Schnee. You work in the mines with laborers and protect them with your hired security detail."
"And yet, that is unfortunately the extent of my powers. We are mortal men, you and I, Klaus. Even you, a Huntsman whose strength could one day rival that of a god, is limited. But perhaps together, we can be something more."
"Is this a proposal?"
"One of friendship, if that is how you wish to interpret it. Continue protecting the people of Atlas and Mantle, Klaus, and in return I will use all my resources and influence to build a just land of hard-working men and women who are treated with the respect earned from an honest day of labor."
"And your endgame?"
"I am very much a 'nose to the grindstone' kind of man as my colleagues put it. As such, I believe the key to a better world is for everyone to participate. It's not about species, gender or anything like that. It's about sweating side by side. The more people with differences spend working side by side, the more they realize how meaningless those differences are."
"Look at you, a goat Faunus who has risen up through his own efforts. No doubt you have earned the respect of your fellow Huntsmen for your efforts. If we both continue working hard, I truly believe we can make a better world. We'll start with Atlas and Mantle, since it's in our own backyard, and eventually, we'll spread this mentality to the rest of Remnant."
"And perhaps…you and I can call each other 'friend' as we do this?"
Since then I have fought hard for this land. Klaus acknowledged. Because I too believe that the key to a better world lies in togetherness like snow falling together, not just breaking up in tribes.
Deep down, whether we are human or Faunus, we are just like snow. Pure and unblemished, one in the same. And the more we toil together, fight together, live together, the more we realize it if we just allow ourselves to believe it is true. Fools like the White Fang and that damned son-in-law of yours who want to continue perpetuating the myth that our differences are important…that they should be celebrated or despised, must never be allowed to succeed. Differences should be meaningless, because inside we are one in the same. Just like snow.
Nicholas…no matter the cost, I swear to continue your mission…my friend.
Unbeknownst to Klaus, a lone figure was standing far away from the carnage that had resulted. She wore a single crimson red cloak, and a mask with the number 6 on it. A single dagger tied to her leg. Her long, silky black hair cascaded down to the back. She then spoke into her scroll. "I take it you have received the footage, King of Diamonds?" She inquired.
"Excellent work, Number 6." Came the King of Diamonds voice on the other end.
"Your orders then? If you wished, I could simply wipe him out of existence with a single shot to the head."
"My orders as your king have not changed in the slightest." King of Diamonds sharply responded. "Your orders were simply to observe. Your Semblance certainly would make you a fine assassin if used correctly, but even you could not hope to pierce through a Legend's Aura in a single shot. I doubt Klaus Rot would even allow an attack to get that close. Our research on him notes that his sensory abilities are nearly second to none, especially in territory such as this."
"I have trained considerably even after rising from 4 to 6, Your Majesty." 6 reminded him. "I'm sure if I used my Semblance correctly…"
"Your Semblance is also your trump card, my dear, or have you forgotten that? Until I decree otherwise, it must be kept a secret. It's very potential would bring Gray Jackal unnecessary attention, both from our enemies and our allies."
"It would remain a secret if I kill Klauss Rot, Your Majesty."
"Do you not trust my judgement? After all these years, I thought you believed in me more than any other god, Xun Huayue."
Xun flinched at hearing her real name. "I would never insult you by having my faith in you falter, Your Majesty." She promised. "Not after everything you've done for me. It's just…leaving a job such as this to those monsters…"
"Then you believe that we are ready to begin eliminating the Ten Legends?"
"...I do. I trust you too have come to that same conclusion?"
"That I have. I must admit, even I find myself in awe at the full strength of an S-Class warrior." King of Diamonds acknowledged. "But soon I too will reach my full potential."
"Your Majesty, if I may, placing too much trust in that monster concerns me."
"Keep your faith in me, Xun. All this is for Gray Jackal's sake. All of this is to reinvent the world, to bring our ideal world to fruition."
"Kingdoms, councils, Huntsman Academies, all shall be wiped away to make way for the new ruler." King of Diamonds vowed. "Now, give the order."
Xun took a deep breath. "As you command, my king." She said softly before hanging up. She then typed a single message into her scroll.
End this winter forever.
Minutes later, applause rang out across the snowy battlefield, getting Klaus' attention. "Bravo, bravo!" A giddy voice cackled. "You are truly splendid! A man worthy of his rank and title!"
Klaus turned to see a man with the appearance of a jester walking through the snow, applauding him. "And who are you, clown?" Klaus demanded, immediately put on guard by this man's presence.
"Clown? Oh no, no, no. I am Joker." Farben introduced himself by his codename, as 'the cleaner' of Grey Jackal.
"I offer you this red balloon, Winter Hermit, a gift to congratulate you on your victory and your strength." Farben brandished a balloon out of nowhere.
Klaus looked unamused. Farben looked disappointed at this. "Oh? And I was going to give you this gift as a final kindness." Farben's expression then turned maniacal. "You know, before your untimely death."
"There must be something wrong with you to challenge the Winter Hermit." Klaus noted.
"Mmm, tempting, but alas I am something of a coward. I'm certainly quite strong, but I don't want to tussle with a Legend. The joker's job is to entertain after all, not fight. I'm a comedian, not a fighter."
"Of course, if I did engage in battle, I would emerge victorious, undoubtedly. That being said, Winter Hermit, your opponent is above you." Farben gestured upwards.
Klaus looked up and his eyes widened in disbelief. Floating above him was a single horse-like Grimm. However, it was not this monster that had him in shock. It was the rider of this mount. Black robes and black armor. A shining silver sword. A propped up collar. And most importantly, no head. A very recognizable and very terrifying individual.
"What are you doing here?" Klaus demanded.
"Answer me, Headless Horseman!"
Meanwhile, Hansel Kobalt and Ruby Rose steadied themselves to rush their shared foe. Said foe, for his part, gazed at the wound on his chest from that flying slash of pure silver energy Ruby had fired at him. My Aura has not healed this wound yet? Why? Is this her Semblance? Disrupting the ability to self-heal with Aura? Rainn Biggs wondered before shaking his head. No, that's not it. I know what her Semblance is, thanks to the week she and her teammates spent in Atlas.
Silver energy…wait…Lady Ace mentioned something along those lines to me when I first joined Gray Jackal. I think it was when she was explaining the endgame for Remnant…but what was it?
Ruby and Hansel then took off towards Rainn simultaneously. "Don't you dare fall behind, kid!" Hansel exclaimed before rocketing into the air with black flames.
Rainn instinctively fired several spikes of ice at Hansel, still treating him like the greater threat between the two. Hansel quickly propelled himself around the spikes with the use of his flames. Ruby, meanwhile, transformed into rose petals and picked up speed. Rainn then realized his mistake and quickly formed a layer of ice around his chest like armor that formed just as Ruby slammed into him with Crescent Rose. Rainn grunted slightly before Ruby fired a shell from Crescent Rose to push her away from him.
Rainn then looked up just as Hansel began spinning wildly into a flaming buzzsaw. He leaned back, avoiding a fiery slash. Hansel landed in front of him and glared upwards. He emitted fire from his hands to propel himself back off the ground, driving his foot right into Rainn's face.
Hansel aimed his free hand at Rainn, only for Ruby to suddenly speed past him once more. She hooked Crescent Rose around Rainn's neck and threw him right into the ground. Hansel scowled. My attack would've done more damage.
Ruby then quickly sped after Rainn and threw an axe-kick right into Rainn's forehead. Rainn groaned and stumbled backwards from the force of the kick, but managed to generate a spike of ice to throw right into Ruby's throat.
Ruby tried to dodge the attack only to be suddenly flung into the air by Hansel. The two were rocketing about thanks to his flames acting as thrusters once more. His sword was sheathed. "Hey hey hey hey!" Ruby shrieked before Hansel let go, flinging her further into the air from the momentum.
Hansel then rocketed back down and drove his foot right into Rainn's chest, making the old man yell in surprise and pain. Hansel moved to draw Wolf Fang to deliver a fiery slash while Rainn moved to counter with ice of his own, only for Ruby to get in the way once more. Hansel quickly sheathed Wolf Fang, putting out the flames just as Ruby slashed Rainn with Crescent Rose.
Rainn grit his teeth in pain. Damn it, their builds are too different…and with it, their styles of fighting are completely different too. Styles that compliment their builds.
Kobalt is a mixture of power and technique. He's fast, but it's his creativity with that Semblance of his that gives him his speed. And that covers up the weakness of his rather straightforward abilities. With that destructive Semblance of his to go with his master swordsmanship and that unnaturally strong body, any blows from him are like being hit head on by an armored truck!
But the girl is far different. Her style is centered around speed, grace and flexibility! A perfect compliment to that lithe form of hers. She moves so quickly and so nimbly thanks to that Semblance of hers, and she mixes kickboxing with that scythe and gunfire almost perfectly! With how well she uses that kind of style, she could easily beat a C-Class fighter, and at such a young age too! Give her a year perhaps and she could probably take a B-Class with ease and maybe even go toe-to-toe with an A-Class!
Ruby then dug Crescent Rose' blade into the ground and delivered a spinning kick to Rainn's jaw that sent him spinning and reeling. She then took Crescent Rose out of the ground and took aim, only for Hansel to rocket right past her with a glare aimed at Rainn. Ruby frowned slightly before lowering Crescent Rose. Rainn recovered just as Hansel grabbed his face and hit him point blank with a burst of Purgatorial Flames.
And yet, they're completely out of sync! They don't fight like a team at all! They fight more like two hunters competing to see who can kill the same quarry first!
But because their builds are such perfect complements to each other…power and speed…creativity and flexibility…I can't exploit this lack of teamwork! If I were younger or even stronger…
Ruby ran past Hansel and kicked Rainn in the stomach while Hansel threw a haymaker right into Rainn's forehead. Damn it…no! I can't break out of this!
Ruby and Hansel then slashed Rainn simultaneously, sending him flying backwards. These two…if they could just learn to fight in-sync…
Rainn gazed up to his two foes with an emotion he had not experienced in years: terror. They'd be nearly unstoppable!
"You're kinda getting my way, Professor." Ruby said, half-timid and half-irritated.
"I was about to say the same to you." Hansel replied.
"I mean…we're winning." Ruby pointed out with a small smile.
Hansel sighed. "Yes, I guess we are." He conceded.
Ruby pointed Crescent Rose at Rainn. "Surrender," she said, "umm…please? I think at this point, you owe it to Charlie to come quietly…er, more quietly than you have been."
Charlie…I guess there really is no avoiding it. You were nothing but a tool to maintain my cover…but I can't deny that our partnership…our friendship, sacrificing it did hurt. However, I can't forget my mission. I can't forget my purpose.
I am a tool. I am a weapon. I exist to carry out the will of the one wielding me. I was no longer a man long before I had these surgical implants. It began when I became a Black-Ops Specialist.
"From this day forward, maggots, you are instruments of Atlas' will! The sharp sword that cuts in the shadows!" His commanding officer had said when he and his fellow recruits first joined the program.
The things I've done to secure peace in Atlas. I've eliminated dangerous elements all across Remnant. I've even killed Atlesian and Mantle citizens who threatened our peace on the orders of the previous general. Once Ironwood dissolved the Black-Ops program, I thought that was the end of me…but they still found use for me.
The truth is, when I was approached with those experiments…I was happy. But once it took effect…I wanted so badly to lash out…to hurt. Like a voice in my head that just kept saying 'kill them, kill them all.' Was my subconscious finally sick of being used by Atlas? Or perhaps deep down I no longer felt as though I was a weapon that should be used by Atlas? Honestly…I don't know. I still don't know to this day.
After I escaped that facility, I just wandered Remnant incognito, trying to see if there was still some sort of purpose for a weapon like myself. Then when she approached me that day and recruited me to Gray Jackal, I knew that I was intrigued. I wanted to see what kind of weapon I could be in the hands of a new master.
"With power like that, you'd be a great asset for Gray Jackal, old man." Ace of Spades had said to him. "How about you come with me?"
Rainn then rose to his feet. "I suggest you run, child." He warned. "Because I refuse to let it end here."
Hansel suddenly sensed danger. Danger in the form of a massive amount of Aura from Rainn. "Kid!" He exclaimed, grabbing onto Ruby and leaping away from Rainn.
Ruby only had time to yell in surprise as Rainn palmed the ground. Suddenly a massive amount of ice surrounded Rainn and then began to spread. Ruby could only watch in shock as what looked like a forest of glaciers appeared in the road. Hansel grit his teeth in anger before landing just outside this forest of ice.
"Damn it, am I supposed to be impressed that my family's experiments went as well as they did for this guy?" He wondered.
"Umm…Professor?" Came Ruby's voice.
"What is it?" Hansel asked.
"N-not that I'm ungrateful that you saved me again. It's just that…well, this is the second time you've picked me up like this…"
Hansel looked down and realized he was holding Ruby under his arm like a sack. Ruby blushed. "It's…a little embarrassing…having it stick up and out like this." She muttered.
Hansel, to his credit, blushed slightly and quickly put Ruby down. "Uh…right, sorry," he said awkwardly, "I'll…try to keep that in mind next time."
Ruby looked at the forest of ice that Rainn had created with his powers. "Incredible…I didn't think that this scale of power was possible." She admitted.
"Spend enough time in the field and you'll see more like this." Hansel replied.
"Do you think you can melt it all? I mean, ice melts before fire, right?"
"I'm running low on power," Hansel admitted, "I've only got enough for short controlled bursts. And besides, even if I could, it'd be reckless of me to let out this much power. I'd start a fire."
"And you definitely don't need more bad publicity." Ruby muttered. "Well, we have to do something, right? He'll get away if we do nothing."
"Using a technique like this probably drained him. He probably can't move."
"So, a desperation attack? Like a boss in a video game?" Ruby smiled. "That means we could probably just go right in and kick his butt, right?"
Theoretically…but what is this bad feeling I'm getting? Hansel cautiously approached the edge of the ice forest.
Hansel then reached out and touched one of the large glaciers, only to suddenly wince in pain as a small spike of ice suddenly sprouted out rapidly and dug into his skin. "Shit!" Hansel yelled, pulling his hand away.
"Are you alright, Professor?" Ruby asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, I had enough Aura to make sure it couldn't pierce me all the way." Hansel watched as the spike that stabbed him retreated back into the glacier.
"That is so creepy." Ruby muttered.
Hansel frowned and waved his hand near the glacier but avoided touching it. "Interesting," he muttered.
"What's interesting?" Ruby asked.
"Touching it causes it to attack me, but waving my hand in front of it doesn't. It requires physical contact."
"I'm still kinda stuck on the fact that the ice attacks you like it's alive." Ruby admitted.
"He said something to me, earlier in the fight." Hansel remembered. "The ice dust surgically implanted in his body has become an 'extension' of him as he put it. I think even this ice is an extension of his Aura…his soul. That means, this ice is indeed acting like it's alive. It practically is. The ice is protecting him. It's reacting like white blood cells trying to protect the body from intruders."
"Or like Dr. Squid's mechanical arms in Arachno-Man." Ruby gasped in awe.
"...That's actually a pretty good analogy." Hansel admitted before turning to her. "That said, I don't want to hear another pop-culture reference from you for the rest of this fight."
"So…then why don't we just fly above the ice and track him down that way?"
"We'd be left open to attack if we tried to come in from above. If the ice really is an extension of him, then he could probably attack from these glaciers if he saw us, and then there's the fact he could still shoot projectiles if he wanted to." Hansel scowled.
"But we have to do something, the more we debate on this, the better chance he has at recovering and fleeing the scene entirely." Hansel growled in frustration.
Ruby thought the matter over. We can't fly too high, but we can't touch the ice either. It's like playing the floor is lava, but for keeps.
It only reacts to physical contact…but it's still ice. But the reaction is almost instantaneous. Wait, it's still ice…
The gears began to turn in Ruby's head. Hansel noticed the thoughtful look on her face and frowned. "What?" He asked. "What's going on in that head of yours?"
"Umm, well, I think I might actually have a plan to beat him." Ruby admitted. "It's a bit reckless, but I think it'll work."
"You think?"
Ruby then shook her head as her expression became more confident. "No, I know it'll work." Ruby promised. "But, you'll have to be willing to listen to me on this. For this to work, everything needs to go exactly as I say."
"We're running out of options." Hansel sighed, folding his arms. "So, let's hear your plan, kid."
Ruby smiled. "Let's win this, Professor."
Meanwhile, the rest of Team RWBY could only stare at the forest of ice created several miles away. "What the hell happened?" Yang demanded.
"That has to be where Ruby and the professor are fighting." Blake immediately realized before turning to Weiss. "What do you think? Do we go to help?"
Weiss grit her teeth. A part of her did want to go after Hansel and Ruby, give them the backup they might very well need. However, she remembered the professor's orders. To prioritize protecting the people of Atlas. She also remembered what Ruby said right before going to help Hansel.
"I'm going to help Professor Kobalt. I'm sure you guys aren't thrilled with that, considering it keeps getting us into trouble, but I need to make sure he can win that fight on his own. Don't worry, I'll come back if it looks like he's got this handled."
"But if I don't come back…that means I'm helping him finish this. I want you guys to prioritize Atlas first and foremost. Keep the people safe. Make sure they all get to the shelters. Don't worry, I'll win. We'll win."
"Our leader gave us an order." Weiss reminded them. "As did our professor. We stick to those orders and put our faith in them."
Yang and Blake nodded in unison. Weiss grimaced. Don't you dare let me down you two. I don't want to have to bury either of you.
Meanwhile, at the center of that hellish, icy forest, Rainn Biggs was visibly panting and shaking, bracing himself against a glacier as he tried to collect himself. "Damn it, I've certainly planned on using this particular technique in a pinch…but I've never used it in the field. It took a lot more out of me than I ever could have imagined. I can't sense a single amount of Aura left in me."
"Damn it, to think I'd be pushed this far by a child and a glorified babysitter with anger-management issues. Once I recover, I need to retreat. The only question now is, how do I get out of here. Lady Ace never gave me an extraction plan should the worst happen."
Rainn then started laughing. "Well damn, I guess I was an expendable asset to the very end." He concluded. "The only possible end for a soldier, right Lady Ace?"
Then, Rainn heard the sounds of explosions ringing out from further away. He narrowed his eyes, immediately realizing who it was. "Hansel." He snarled out the name like it was a curse.
Then, almost immediately, Hansel came rocketing into view, almost as though he was flying. He was using his black flames like thrusters to rocket about. And what was more, every time he did just that, he destroyed patches of ice that would then reform itself. However, much to Rainn's shock, because the ice was gone for a brief moment, it could not attack Hansel, even if he did directly touch it.
Clever trick, boy. Rainn praised sincerely. But that level of concentration and the number of times you're doing it is certainly draining your reserves. And also, while I'm out of Aura this ice around us is still an extension of my will.
Which means I just need to manipulate it to attack you. You won't know what hit you-
Rainn's eyes then widened. Wait…the girl? Where's the girl?!
Rainn's eyes quickly scanned for anything that might hint at Ruby's location. If she entered this domain, I'd know! She'd be getting impaled all over by my ice! Unless…
Shit, her Semblance!
Just as Rainn came to that realization, he saw Ruby suddenly come into view in the form of rose petals.
"If it's physical contact that causes the ice to attack, then all we have to do is play: the floor is lava." Ruby had explained to Hansel. "You can do that cool thing you do with your Semblance, and I can use my Semblance. We can fly right through this winter forest of his, track him down, and beat him."
"Okay, pretty good so far, but try to take into account that it might not ALWAYS be physical contact. If Rainn establishes visual contact with us, he might be able to attack anyway." Hansel had then countered.
Rainn was now beginning to look frantic. Damn it, even if I can still manipulate the ice around me, I don't have the strength to concentrate on them both!
Rainn then turned his attention back to Hansel. You're the bigger threat. You always have been from the start! You damn brat!
Ruby then reformed in midair, letting her momentum carry her towards Rainn. Rainn's eyes widened as he remembered Ruby's strange silvery attack from earlier. Rainn hesitated to attack Hansel for a brief moment before turning his attention back to Ruby. Ruby fired a few shells from Crescent Rose to keep herself in midair before spinning rapidly from the momentum.
Rainn frantically created a wall of spiked ice to try and stop her. Ruby then shocked him by letting go of Crescent Rose and allowing it to continue flying towards Rainn, spinning like a hellish red buzzsaw.
"Okay, well, if Rainn can attack once he has visual contact, then we keep him off guard." Ruby had countered. "And the best way to take someone off guard is to do things they would never expect you to do. Let me throw Crescent Rose at him. He'll have to dodge that for sure."
"Throw it? Wow, this plan is reckless." Ruby remembered Hansel's deadpan expression. "And what exactly will you do after he recovers? You're not seriously going to rely on getting close to him without Crescent Rose to defend yourself?"
"Nope, I'm relying on you to get us both close to him. This is where timing is key, Professor. This is where Team Red and Blue shine."
"Please do not call us that."
Ruby then returned to her rose petal form and continued speeding towards Rainn. Rainn gasped as he frantically ducked underneath Crescent Rose allowing it to embed itself in a glacier behind him.
He had to regain his balance due to his exhaustion leaving him unable to balance himself on his ice skates like he usually could. Damn it, I never thought she'd pull something like that! Rainn admitted inwardly.
Still, without that scythe, she's no longer a threat. I can focus on Hansel now! Rainn turned to the Beacon professor, just in time to see Hansel spinning to gain momentum before thrusting his sheathed Wolf Fang forward with tremendous force.
Rainn gasped in disbelief as Wolf Fang shot from his sheathe. The hilt then struck Rainn square in the solar plexus, pushing him backwards and taking him further off balance.
"And how exactly do you intend for me to get us both close?"
"I'll let you be the judge of that. You're pretty good at improv, Professor. You'll come up with something good."
Hansel sighed inwardly as Wolf Fang fell to the side near Crescent Rose while he and his student neared Rainn. You trusted me way too much for this all-or-nothing plan of yours, kid. He mused inwardly. Then again…I guess the only way for it to work was total trust, huh?
Now then, time for the final blow.
The two drew closer to Rainn. I don't have Crescent Rose with me, but it doesn't matter! Ruby declared.
I don't have Wolf Fang with me, but it doesn't matter! Hansel declared.
I still have my legs! Ruby reformed at Rainn's left side.
I still have my fists! Hansel used one last fiery boost to give him the extra momentum he needed.
That's all I need! Ruby raised her right leg.
That's all I need! Hansel cocked back his right fist.
Rainn's eyes widened, realizing he was trapped. THAT'S ALL I NEED! Ruby and Hansel declared in unison as they threw their final attacks simultaneously. Rainn could only yell in pain as he was struck in the jaw by a powerful haymaker and the ribs by a quick and deadly roundhouse kick.
TO BEAT THIS GUY!
The two then pushed forward to follow through on their respective attacks. The force of the impact launched Rainn away from them, sending him crashing through several glaciers behind him. The Crooked Man, the man of many faces who had served Gray Jackal undercover in Atlas, could only open his mouth in a silent scream. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he came to a rest against a street light.
Ruby and Hansel both landed on their feet before standing tall, victorious. The long, secret battle for Atlas, that became known to the kingdom towards the end, was finally drawing to a close.
Meanwhile, Winter Schnee breathed a sigh of relief as she sheathed her sword. The last of the Grimm fell to shadowy miasma around her. "Incredible…" The soldiers behind her muttered.
"Gawk later!" Winter exclaimed. "The Grimm threat has passed, but we need to make sure the kingdom is secure!"
"You should worry about your own fortunes, my dear." For the first time in so long, Winter felt a horrible chill run down her spine. The kind of chill that encouraged 'flight' in the 'fight or flight' mentality. The kind of chill she only felt in her early career as an Atlesian Specialist.
Winter steadied her breathing. Wait, her breathing had become erratic? She had not even noticed. She forced herself to look over her shoulder to see a woman with long black hair wearing a mask with the letter 'A' on it strolling casually towards her.
"Who in the world is that?" One soldier demanded. "Is she a Huntress?"
"She doesn't look like any Huntress I've ever seen." Another admitted.
Winter narrowed her eyes. She was scared, but she certainly recognized the mask. If someone like that was here…then they still weren't safe. Nobody in Atlas was safe.
"You're a member of Gray Jackal, aren't you?" She demanded.
"In the flesh, Specialist. You may call me the Ace of Spades." Ace of Spades smiled in an overly-pleasant manner. "But I'm not here for me. I'm here for you."
"Me?" Winter was now confused.
"Oh yes," Ace of Spades' smile was still very pleasant, but every moment Winter spent staring at it, she felt the terror in her heart grow even more. "I heard you've been spending a lot of time with Hansel lately."
"Spending time with him?" Winter frowned. "Unless you're referring to my help in the investigation, I fail to see what that has to do with anything."
"Everything, Specialist, everything." Ace of Spades casually drew her katana from a sheathe strapped to her hip. "Quite frankly, I found the news quite distressing."
"And I need to relieve that stress…the only way I know how." Ace of Spades' voice dropped its pleasant tone in favor of an angry growl.
Winter's eyes fell to the katana and her eyes widened. The design of the sword. She recognized it, and the revelation of just who was likely behind the mask terrified more than anything. And it was something she could not stop herself from vocalizing.
"It can't be!" She gasped in shock. "You're-"
And in a flash, blood splattered on the pavement while Atlesian soldiers screamed in shock and terror.
A.N: It's over! I mean, it's not over. It is, but it isn't at the same time, as you can clearly see. Anyway, where are my manners? Everyone, meet the Headless Horseman. They...are very important.
And Ace of Spades and Winter met. That's great, right? I mean, that's just how Ace says hello. What can I say, she's built different.
And, we've got a surprisingly flawless victory from the duo of Hansel and Ruby with the implication that they could be better, much better. I added that little piece because frankly, they shouldn't be a flawless duo in their first fight together. Hence why it was more them competing than working as a team. Well, Ruby was trying, but she's got more experience fighting alongside Weiss than Hansel, who typically doesn't fight in teams.
Hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter of the new year. We'll be finally wrapping up the Atlas Investigation Arc. Just a few more chapters and we can finally move on.