Delicious in Dungeon is a very fun series. A majority of the staff started watching it because some guy from Smosh (Damien Haas) was the main protag, but now we're fully invested
Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
Things were not working out for Yang's team of Outcasts.
By now, the sentient Grimm had left behind the industrialized maze of Mantle's streets and had flown into the tundra. The Rhinos and Rex Ride were in hot pursuit, with some of the passengers firing off a few rounds to try and slow the beast down. Even Albedo, still as Jetray, fired off some neuroshock blasts to try and stun the creature. No matter how many bullets or energy blasts flew its way, the Hound swerved and dodged them easily, its wing-beats echoing out in the open air.
Open snow started to become dotted with rocky pillars as the nightmare made flesh raced towards a small mountain range, flying over a rocky chasm.
"We're gonna lose it in these mountains!" Kylie shouted, "The bikes can't keep up!"
"And they cannot handle the cold that well either," Rook added.
"Not even our flyer can really keep pace with whatever the fuck that is," Yang said, pushing her Rhino to its limits when it came to speed.
"I think we need two fliers right now..." Min frowned.
"Wait, hold on!" Rook yelled, deploying his Proto Tool's shield form on his arm. He hit the brakes on his bike, moving back to drive parallel with Yang.
"Any takers?" Rook asked.
"Know what? Sure!" Kylie said, getting True Rebel prepared, "Min!"
"Already on it!" Min said. With that, Kylie jumped up on the Rhino before leaping over and onto Rook's shield, letting the chaos demon take control of the Rhino.
Rook lifted his shield up, and Kylie leapt from her hoverbike to land on Rook's shield. The Revonnahgander charged the energy in his shield and blasted Kylie toward The Hound. As she flew through the air, Kylie launched True Rebel's chain and wrapped it around one of The Hound's hind legs.
"GOTCHA!" Kylie yelled. The Hound growled and tried to shake off the chains, but they were wrapped tight around his leg. It was actually starting to slow down!
"Nice one!" Yang grinned, high-fiving Rook. The Hound snarled as it looked over its shoulder, seeing one of its pursuers try to stop it. Its flying became more erratic, sacrificing a bit of speed so it could shake Kylie off. Kevin's sister found herself slamming into some of the cliffs because of its mad flying, but her grip held strong.
"Ok, not as nice," Yang admitted.
"Gonna take...more than that...to get rid of us!" Kylie shouted.
The Hound slammed Kylie onto the ground and against pillars, continuing on its way through the chasm. Yang and Min spotted an incline to their left and drove up it onto a cliff parallel to The Hound. As soon as the beast was in sight, the two girls started to pelt the beast with gunfire and magical hexes.
The Hound lowered Oscar from its mouth into its hands and flew faster, leaving Yang confused. The walking nightmare then let out a loud roar, echoing through the canyon for a few moments, before the earth began trembling. The tremors were just the warning for a horde of Centinels that emerged from the ground, cliffs and archways.
"It called for backup..." Albedo frowned, as his eyes and tail lit up.
It wasn't just Centinels that heard the Hound's call to arms, either. Right as he was about to fire, Albedo heard the familiar reptilian screech of a Teryx from his left. He shifted targets and blasted the Teryx apart with the neuroshock blasts, leaving behind just a cloud of black ash in the air. Rook shifted his weapon into its sword mode and began cutting through Centinels while Rex just plowed through them with the Rex Ride.
Kylie looked back to the fight on the ground before turning back to look up at the Hound. In between wing beats, she could see Oscar held in the beast's arms.
"Okay, okay! You can do this. Just...just gotta figure out a way to get up there..." Kylie huffed. She took a deep breath, before morphing into her gaseous form.
As she did though, things took a turn for the worse down below. Two Centinels managed to get lucky hits in, firing off globs of acid at Min's and Rook's Rhinos. The green slime began eating through the Rhinos' thrusters, causing warning alarms to start blaring and their speed to decrease.
"That...is not good," Rook muttered, looking back at the acid corrode the metal and wiring. A pair of Centinels locked onto Rook and launched into the air, coiling around each other in that signature corkscrew-like attack while a Teryx narrowed its eyes at Min. It dove towards her, talons at the ready to rip her apart.
Min immediately threw up a few magic blasts and flung them at the Teryx. The mana circles passed through the flying reptiles and bisected them instantly.
Rex, meanwhile, was struggling for some reason. It felt like his Rex Ride wasn't going as fast as it needed to go.
The former Ace-Op looked behind him, thinking there was a problem with the engines on his ride and he was unfortunately right. His eyes widened when he saw a trio of Sulfur Fish using their super-heated stingers to begin searing through the thrusters.
"Really?!" Rex yelled. He huffed, deciding to ditch his wheels. He quickly morphed into the Boogie Pack and took to the skies to help Kylie and Albedo.
"I'm hoping this works!" He winced, firing the bolas at the Hound's wings, only for a Teryx to fly in front of the Hound and sacrifice itself for the nightmarish beast.
"They're protecting it?!" Rex yelled.
"How intelligent did Salem make this beast!?" Albedo growled, lasering the Teryx to ash.
A pair of Centinels twisted around each other, heading straight for Min from behind. Min dismounted from her bike, then used a magic blast to bounce off a Centinel's head onto a stone arch. She tucked, rolled and teetered on the opposite edge before Yang drove by and grabbed her, swinging himself onto the back of her bike.
Yang drove off the arch and onto a cliff, where a group of Centinels burrowed up from the ground ahead of her. She accelerated and expertly dodged past them, only for a Teryx to land up ahead. Min quickly made a ramp fro the two of them to ride. The bike was sent flying over the Teryx's head before it could stop them. There were two Centinels behind the Teryx, and Yang fired Ember Celica just before landing, sending the bike into a spin and hitting one of the Centinels with the engine. Before she could regain control, the bike slammed into a rock. The engine started smoking, and a tank on the side of the bike began leaking a glowing purple material.
"Oh, damn it!" Yang cursed.
"Uh, not the worst thing we need to worry about!" Min yelled, "We're RUNNING OUT OF CANYON!"
"YOU'RE MAGIC! DO SOMETHING!" Yang called back.
Albedo raced after the Hound, getting closer and closer. Kylie was about to bring her axe down on the creature, going back to her solid form, but the Hound was ready for her. Its black, sludge-like flesh erupted as it grew another defense, a familiar scorpion-like tail with a golden glowing stinger. It reared back and struck at Kylie, but she was able to dodge out of the way. Stinging her wasn't the main goal though, as the stinger fired off a jet of black sludge that struck Albedo and knocked him out of the sky.
Kylie saw him fall and slashed the scorpion tail off, before jumping after him, turning into mist to be fast enough to catch him. But that just freed up the Hound to fly back to its home.
Back to Monstra.
Kylie and Albedo crashed into the ground, with Kylie's aura shattering upon impact. Kylie began to shake and shiver like crazy the second the tundra hit.
"KYLIE!" Ceres yelled.
"Grab them! I'm doing something VERY stupid!" Min said, her hands surrounded by magic energy, "Because we're going over!"
"We're what?!" everyone yelled.
"Hey, it's a quick fix, not the best one! Now hold on and dive off!"
Yang snagged both Albedo and Kylie, and held Kylie close to keep her warm. As they plummeted toward the ground, Min's magic began to swirl and glow even brighter. Her eyes were tightly shut, and she was muttering incantations under her breath. Just when it seemed like they were about to hit the ground and meet their doom, a gust of wind suddenly lifted them up, carrying them safely to the ground.
"That...holy shit," Yang panted, still laying in the snow.
"Glad that worked..." Min sighed.
Kylie was shivering like crazy in Yang's arms. "C-cold. Cold...cold...help...help..." Kylie muttered.
"S-shit." Yang cursed, as everyone else assembled.
"Gimme a sec," Min said, clasping her hands together and changing the color of the magic energy around them from dark purple to an inviting orange. She held out her hands and Kylie found herself surrounded by the energy, warming her up a bit.
"Can't keep that up forever," Min admitted, "but I'll keep it up for as long as we need to find shelter."
"Think I something actually," Rex mentioned, "Old tundra outpost. Atlas had little waystations like that in the old days before they upgraded."
"But Oscar-" Rook began.
"...he's gonna have to wait. This tundra could very well kill Kylie if we don't get her somewhere to recover." Albedo huffed. "Do you know what the lowest recorded temp is here in Solitas?"
"No." Rook admitted.
"-69.6°C on December 22, 1991." Albedo frowned. "Nowadays it averages around -18°C. Be thankful for global warming-"
"D-don't say that," Kylie shuddered.
Yang still held Kylie in her arms, trying to extend her Aura a bit to make it easier for Min to keep the warmth spell up, but the blonde couldn't help but look to the horizon, to see that small speck flying closer and closer to the gargantuan whale surrounded by a storm.
"I'm sorry, Oscar..." Yang muttered.
"We will retrieve him later," Rook said. "Let us just get Kylie to the base right now..."
Min huffed. "Yeah- I'm already feeling weird...should've drank some more blood before setting off..."
"Here," Rex said, building up the Rex Ride again, "Makes it easier if you don't have to walk, right?"
"Much," Min said, hopping onto the build. Yang carried Kylie over and placed her between Rex and Min. The Omosian held on tightly to the former Ace-Op, her body still shivering a bit, even as Min kept the warmth spell going. Yang brought out her Scroll to keep track of her own Aura. Out here, the cold would be biting away at it slowly until it broken. Then she'd be in the same position as Kylie.
"Alright," Yang said, "Which way?"
The Schnee manor was empty and eerily quiet. The only real people here were Willow, who was doing...something, and Whitley, who wasn't exactly in the mood to go and check on her. As harsh as that sounds, especially coming from her own son, Whitley was, for lack of a better word, estranged. Ever since Jacques and Willow divorced, the youngest of the Schnee siblings never really saw any of his other family. He never visited Winter or Weiss, despite ample opportunities, nor did he ever really see Ironwood outside of a professional setting like that victory party from the night before. He was just stuck in the same house as Jacques. And many would say that was a fate no one should have to endure.
The young son of the Schnees walked through the hallways of the empty mansion, feeling nothing, here. It was like being in a stranger's house. Only thing that felt even remotely familiar was the foyer. Whitley looked down on it from the staircase above and just sighed. Everything felt so alien, so lifeless.
And then he heard a knock at the door.
"Ugh," Whitley rolled his eyes and marched down to see who it was. Whoever they were, they were impatient, knocking at the doors again and again.
"May not be what I remember, but this is still the Schnee home, not some public shelter," the Schnee brother said as he opened the door, only to be met with a familiar face.
"So its doors should be open to me," Weiss said with a smirk.
Whitley stepped aside and groaned as Ruby's group walked into the manor. "Things are already bad enough after what you did to father, now you want us to harbor fugitives too?" Whitley crossed his arms. "Our family has a reputation."
"You're worried about your reputation NOW?" Blake frowned, watching the knight bring Kevin and Elm upstairs. "The apocalypse is happening, you know."
"I'm just saying that we've already lost all the house staff, running for their lives, and mother locked herself in her room when she heard the news..." Whitley huffed.
"And you haven't even checked on her?" Weiss asked.
"I mean it was clear she wouldn't answer if I just went up and knocked on the door," Whitley huffed, "Besides, for all we know-"
"We are trying to save Atlas, Whitley. No matter what Ironwood says..."
"Right. Clearly hiding out HERE will be fine. I'm sure Ironwood won't look HERE first." Whitley frowned.
"Please." Six frowned, towering over Whitley. "He's far too busy."
"Wait...you're-" Whitley took a step back.
"Not staying long. Just to make sure they get settled," Six nodded.
"Thank you, Six," Weiss said, brushing past her brother and following her knight summon upstairs. She used her control over it to have it shrink ever so slightly so it could pass through the halls unobstructed.
"So what am I supposed to do then?" Whitley called up after his sister.
"I don't know! Go to your room, maybe?"
There was a brief pause before Whitley just sighed and followed her command. He stormed off to his room as Weiss shook her head.
"This way," the heiress directed, walking down a long hallway. Six, Holiday, May and Neo followed Weiss, but Blake walked over to Ruby, who was staring outside through the front doors.
"You okay?" Blake asked.
"I hope everyone's doing alright." Ruby's voice was filled with worry as she spoke.
"If you're worried about Yang, you could always try calling her." Blake suggested.
Ruby winced. "That's the thing. I did."
Ruby turned and revealed her Scroll, which was currently in the midst of an active call to Yang's Scroll. Blake looked at Ruby with concern.
"Did…did she not pick up?" the feline Faunus asked.
Ruby shook her head. "No, it just keeps ringing and going to voicemail."
"Maybe she's just...busy down there?" Blake suggested, trying to be optimistic.
She'll be fine, Neo signed, using her Semblance to disguise herself as Yang for a moment and doing a few shadow boxing punches, I mean she beat me. A couple Grimm are nothing to her, right? She shifted out of the disguise just as quickly as she donned it.
"...don't do that again, that was weird." Blake frowned.
"Aren't you worried about Albedo?" Ruby asked. "What if something happened to him?"
Oh I'm VERY worried! I'm just trying not to show it right now! Neo admitted, Gimme a few minutes and the 'mission focused' mindset will fade and I will be a wreck.
"Uuuuh huh." Ruby said, taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes and decided to call back later.
She just hoped everyone would be fine.
"I...I am sure they will be fine," Penny said, walking up to the duo. Even though she wore a smile for the sake of her friends, Ruby could tell she was forcing it.
"Penny..." Ruby started.
"I...do not know how long we will have. For all we know, I will need to leave in the next three minutes."
"Scarily specific," Blake added.
"But I," Penny sighed, "We wanted to thank you for everything."
Ruby wrapped Penny in a big, strong hug. "Just stay safe...okay? I dunno if I can handle more of my friends getting hurt today."
"I was built to withstand anything, Ruby. I'll be fine." Penny smiled.
And you have me watching your back, Eunice nodded, Eyes in the back of your head, literally.
"Let's just check on Kevin and Elm, and go from there, okay?" Ruby asked.
"Ok," Penny nodded.
"I'll keep the engines warm," Ciel said from the passenger hold of the Manta, waving to the trio.
Elm and Kevin were gently set down in different beds, the former resting peacefully, even if her breathing was still a bit shaky, but the latter...he was scarred all over, the marks snaking their way up his entire body, reaching out over his arms and even up to his neck. They were like Lichtenberg scars, the type of wounds gained from being struck by lightning. After what he pulled that made sense.
"Will the scars hurt?" Weiss asked Doctor Holiday.
"They might for a little while, but we'll give him some pain medication to help with that," Doctor Holiday replied, doing her best to sound reassuring. "Overall, though, the scars shouldn't cause him any further harm."
Weiss nodded, still looking worriedly at Kevin's scarred form. "What about Elm? Is she going to be okay?"
"Yes, she should be fine," Doctor Holiday said with a small smile. "She just needs some rest and recovery time. Berserker Semblances usually have a huge backlash after the first time."
"Especially since she was fighting another Berserker," Weiss muttered.
"Harriet's, you said?"
"Mhm."
"I should've guessed..." Holiday sighed, "I've never seen two Berserkers clash with one another, but I can imagine that would be like a negativity loop."
"How so?" Weiss asked.
"Berserker Semblances are formed from mental duress and trauma. Pitting two against each other could intensify each other's negative emotions and make them spiral out of control," Holiday explained. "It could potentially create a feedback loop where they become increasingly uncontrollable and dangerous."
Weiss couldn't help but think back on what she saw up there. Sure, she didn't see the fight between the two Ace-Ops, but she did see Harriet slam into the wall. Judging by that alone, "negative feedback" was accurate.
"I've got a Berserker Semblance too and so does Yang. Is it concerning that we have them?" Weiss asked.
"It's not necessarily concerning, but it is important to be aware of the potential risks and to manage your emotions and mental health carefully," Holiday replied. "It's also important to remember that having a Semblance that is rooted in trauma or negative emotions doesn't define who you are as a person. We all have our own strengths and weaknesses, and it's up to us to decide how we use it."
"That...sounds like something Harriet should hear," Weiss sighed.
"She has. Multiple times. Thought it would've stuck but," Holiday sighed, "Regardless, having a Berserker Semblance is not a good thing. It means that you've gone through some serious emotional trauma, and that trauma is what fuels your Semblance."
"What happens if you ...get therapy or otherwise come to terms with your trauma?" May chimed in. "What happens to the Berserker? Does it vanish?"
"It's possible," Holiday said, nodding. "Sometimes, with proper therapy and healing, the Berserker Semblance can become inactive or even disappear."
"Sometimes?"
"Sometimes."
"And...what happens other times?" Weiss asked.
"Sometimes that anger just doesn't vanish and it stays with the person forever, changing their semblance permanently." Holiday said.
"How are you so well versed in this field?" May asked.
"I...know a thing or two about it." Holiday sighed. "It happened with Rex once."
"Rex had a...?" Weiss asked.
"It was...actually how we found him, how Six found him," Holiday explained, "Imagine his basic builds, the BFS, the Smack Hands, those ones. Now imagine him using them all at once with no control over his actions."
Weiss shuddered. "That's a bit too crazy..."
"Whatever Rex's semblance was before that, it did not involve the builds." Six frowned. "Something set him off."
"But...you calmed him down, right?" May asked.
Six didn't answer at first. He remembered that day. Vividly. White Knight was still in charge back then, with Ironwood still just an Operative. It was believed that a massive Grimm, unlike any ever recorded, was rampaging in the tundra. Villages, tundra watch posts, and even a few major Atlesian military installations had fallen to this threat. As such, a sizable force of Specialists and soldiers was mobilized to deal with the threat, with Six at the head of it all. He wasn't expecting something that dwarfed the then-still-in -development Colossus project, nor was he expecting that massive machine to actually just be a lost child.
"Uh, Six?" May snapped her fingers, bringing the agent back to reality.
"Eventually, yes," Six finally answered, "Though with some...difficulty. Long story, one I don't have the time to tell right now."
"Right...we have a tower to activate," Holiday nodded, "Conditions shouldn't worsen as they are."
"Just let them rest then, got it," Weiss nodded.
With that, Six and Holiday left, making their way back down to Penny, Ciel and their appropriated airship.
Still nervous? Eunice asked, once she and Penny heard the two double-agents begin to descend the stairs.
Yes...but...there aren't many alternatives, are there? Penny asked, Our message needs to get out there.
Never doubted that.
But...I am still concerned. Even more now...
"Penny?" Ciel asked, walking up to her.
"O-oh! Ciel, sorry, I was talking with my sister," Penny said.
"Sister?"
"O-oh! Right, after everything that's happened, we never fully introduced you! Ciel, I have a sister! Her name is Eunice and she is an alien AI that acts as a prototype of the Omnitrix and, in turn, that serves as my heart in a sense!" Penny explained.
"O-oh. She was...a part of you the whole time? Literally, in this case," Ciel blinked, still processing that idea.
"Yes! She does talk to me mentally, but I do wish she could speak to you as well."
I could. Same function as what Pietro did, but it'd be too weird, Eunice explained. Penny was about to relay that, but Holiday and Six had made their way back to the Manta, the former putting her hand on Penny's shoulder.
"Time to go," Holiday said, giving a small smile to try and console Penny. Again, while the android girl appeared happy on the outside, those lingering fears just kept gnawing away at the back of her mind.
"Do you mind if I flew on my own?" Penny asked.
"Shouldn't be a problem. We'll follow your lead then," Six nodded. With that, Holiday and Six took their spots as pilot and co-pilot, while Ciel took a seat in the back of the Manta. Penny's thrusters and the engines of the Manta roared to life, the sound of the former almost drowned out by the latter. The Protector of Mantle took one last look at the Schnee Manor, its doors now closed, Ruby and Blake safely inside and resting. She let out a small breath before taking to the skies, making her way back to Mantle, back to her dad's clinic.
Yang's team were slowly trudging their way towards the watchpost. Yang had managed to scavenge at least her HVB Rhino, pushing it along slowly next to the Rex Ride. The hover-bike build was going just as slow, so as not to leave anyone behind out in this frozen wasteland.
"Rex, how much-?" Yang asked, shivering a bit and moving to take out her Scroll and check her Aura before Rex cut her off.
"No idea..." Rex sighed.
"But you did see it up there, right?"
"Yeah, but I had something a bit more important to worry about than guess how long it'd take to get there."
"No need to snap at me about it," Yang huffed, pulling out her Scroll and checking her Aura. It was at 34% percent, but she watched it quickly lower to 32%.
"You're right, just...things haven't really been going smoothly have they? Maybe we..." Rex started, before stopping himself, "Forget it."
"Maybe we what? You got something to say, just say it, man," Yang insisted.
"You said before that you expected Ruby to make the right decision, that those decisions got us nearly arrested or haven't worked out. What if she did make the right choice?"
Yang narrowed her eyes, "What are you trying to say, Rex?"
"I'm just saying that maybe we're not as equipped for this as we thought we were." Rex frowned. "Look at us. Already down a member and one of us on the verge of..." Rex closed his eyes. "No, forget it. I shouldn't be saying this."
"Y-you're saying," Kylie shivered, "that we should've just stuck together...a-aren't you?"
Rex didn't answer, but that silence was all the confirmation the group needed.
"So...what, you think we're not ready to strike out on our own? That we need some big army in order to be effective? That without it, we're just a buncha kids with fancy weapons?" Yang asked, holding up and shaking the Ember Celica gauntlet on her wrist just to emphasize her point.
"I don't know," Rex admitted. "I sure as hell don't need a stupid army behind me. But…just...it's so much harder on our own now."
"I get it," Yang nodded, "but we can't just give up because it's hard. Especially now."
"Y-yang...did we...do the right thing?" Kylie asked.
"What? I know you don't mean the evacuation-" Yang started.
"N-no. I mean...running. We h-have no plan, n-no backup. W-we just wanted to help the people in Mantle survive, b-but what do we do after that? W-we have the Winter Maiden...but b-by keeping her away, we've basically trapped t-the whole city. When Salem l-launches her attack, when she s-stops waiting...people will d-die. Is...is that on us? Did...did we just condemn thousands of people to S-salem's wrath?"
"Hey, easy now," Min comforted, "Just the cold getting to you there. You don't really mean that...right?"
But Kylie just shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't know...I don't know anymore! I-I can't take...I can't take anymore of this drama-! I hate everything right now, okay!? I don't like seeing Weiss cry, I don't like seeing Rex betrayed, I don't like seeing Oscar being kidnapped, I don't like seeing Ben get injured, and I don't like how I'm about to die out here, doubting myself and hating EVERYTHING!" She was hyperventilating.
The group rushed to her side, trying to calm her down and reassure her that they were doing what they could- but it was no use. Kylie was freaking out, and that black gas was leaking from her body again.
"S-shit," Rex cursed. "I think she's having a panic attack or something!"
"Kylie, Kylie, hey, listen to me," Yang said, "Ok?"
"How can I actually listen to-?!" Kylie started, the black gas starting to seep out more and more, threatening to decay the Rex Ride.
"Kylie. Look at me. Just do what I do ok? Just breathe," Yang gently put a hand on Kylie's shoulder before taking a deep breath herself. The Osmosian was still hyper ventilating for a moment, but then she took Yang's advice. She took a deep breath and watched Yang do a five second countdown with her free hand before both exhaled. The duo did that a few more times, each with a five second break between inhales and exhales. The corrosive smoke started to fade, Kylie's panic fading with it.
"I know you're worried," Yang said, "Trust me, we all are. But we can't start fixing anything out here. We're taking things one step for now and that first step is getting out of the cold. Once we all warm up, get our Auras back, we can think up a new plan. Ok?"
"O-ok," Kylie said. She was calmer now, but those worries were still there. Was Weiss ok? Had Ben woken up by now? But worst of all...what was waiting for Oscar when he woke up?
The farm boy started to regain consciousness, the first thing reaching his ears being the sounds of chains subtly shifting in and a low but heavy breathing. His eyes slowly opened, vision starting out blurry before his surroundings came into focus. Before he could really take them in, the other soul in Oscar spoke up.
Oscar. Do. Not. Panic, Ozpin cautioned, We're going to be ok.
W-what...where-? Oscar blinked and the reality of the situation started to sink in. He was suspended above a bone-like circular floor, the room lined and surrounded by red flesh, complete with small bony protrusions and large ribs jutting up, acting as columns for the room. Strands of black sinew that curled into boney hooks dangled from the seemingly opaque ceiling. The light that seeped in from above was blocked at some points by strands of wound muscle, the shadows giving off the impression of prison bars. That was when a tinge of panic crept into Oscar's heart, despite Ozpin's warning. The farmboy's eyes widened and, as soon as they did, a low growl sounded out from behind him. The Hound was still holding the young reincarnated ancient wizard by the collar, its fangs mere inches away from his neck.
"He's awaaaaaake~" someone sang from the shadows.
"Thank you, Breach," Salem said, leaning against the fleshy wall, a hand held out in front of her, shrouded by dark smoke. The light from the membrane-covered ceiling barely illuminated the dark queen and her pet mystery. While the thought of being in the same room as both Salem and Breach was a nightmare come to life, the farm boy noticed something about the smoke around the Grimm lady's hand. It was formed into shapes, four moving figures, all running around in a circle and giggling.
Were they...children?
"My long lost Ozma," Salem taunted, walking towards her new prisoner after dispelling the smoky figures, "Found at last. Much smaller than I've ever seen you. It's a wonder my Hound didn't break you. It seems like only yesterday we danced atop Beacon tower, in the smoke and the rubble...and you don't have anything to say to us?"
For a moment, Oscar didn't say anything, but then he decided to try something. He closed his eyes and calmed down, before opening them and looking the queen of Grimm in the eyes, hazel meeting with glowing red.
"I'm sorry the reunion isn't living up to your expectations," the farm boy said, his voice lower, more collected, more...Ozma. Salem raised a brow, only for a red rift to appear in front of her prisoner's stomach, letting one of Breach's arms punch Oscar in the stomach. He grunted in pain before Salem grabbed the farmboy's cheeks and squeezed, threatening to break something between her fingers.
"You can pretend, boy, but you're not fully him. Not yet, anyway. We should know," Salem said, releasing Oscar before caressing his face gently, "Spent more time with him than you ever will."
Why...why does she keep saying 'we?' Oscar asked mentally.
I... Ozpin began, but judging by the tone in his voice, even he was stumped.
"Hmm...still nothing? Surprising. I know a way to loosen that tongue of his and even if that doesn't work, maybe you and I can have a better working relationship...Oscar, I believe it was?" Salem asked, while motioning for Breach to step forward.
"The fancy circlet," Breach smiled, "We want to know where it is. My playmates have looked alllll over, but they can't find it and that just makes me sad."
"And if I know my Ozma, he's put a little extra spin on this one, some means of deception that only he knows how to bypass," Salem said, moving to scratch the shoulder of her obedient bloodhound, "So...tell me where it is."
"I...that's not something I'd know," Oscar admitted. Salem looked him over, judging his tone, his facial expression; it was the truth.
"He would keep that ace up his sleeve for as long as possible, wouldn't he?"
"Hooooow about something easier then!" Breach grinned, "A game! Just like old times!"
"Like...old times?" Oscar asked.
"A game?" Salem hummed. "Well, I know someone in need of some good fashioned stress relief." Just as she said that, the membrane door pulled open to reveal Hazel. He looked not just angry, but furious.
"This game is called 'Punching Bag.'" Breach grinned. "How long can you last~?"
"Oh...no..." Oscar's eyes got small. Hazel stomped over to Oscar, who pathetically lifted his hand toward him. Hazel viciously slapped his hands away and angrily punched him, causing The Hound to forcefully drop him on the floor.
"That was for Haven." Hazel growled, as he kicked Oscar towards the wall, then cracked his neck. "Everything else that follows is for Gretchen."
"The rules are pretty simple!" Breach smiled, "In Punching Bag, Hazel gets to beat you to a bloody stain! Unless! You tell us how the nightlight works."
"The...what?" Oscar asked.
"The Lamp, dear," Salem clarified, "The password to the Lamp. Once you tell us, the pain will stop."
"You won't-"
"Get it out of you? Not now, clearly. Let's see how long it takes for you to change your mind," Salem snapped and both of her prized pets followed her out of the room, the membrane doorway sealing shut behind them. Muted and muffled thuds, followed by grunts of pain could be heard, even now, before the trio walked out of earshot.
And then they came across another trio, that of Cinder, Raddock, and Floyd.
"Your grace, I-" Cinder said, apparently so absorbed with mentally rehearsing this request that she failed to notice the beast lumbering next to her master, "What...is that?"
The Grimm queen moved to scritch the abomination behind its ears like a common dog. The Hound looked up to Floyd and the Alpha Geist almost seemed to tremble in fear, moving behind Raddock like a terrified child. The brute of a crime boss, meanwhile, was not taking his eyes off Breach. The four-armed mystery tilted her head creepily, just to mess with the pig-masked felon.
"An...experiment," Salem answered, "And so far, I'm very pleased with the results. Did you need something, Cinder?"
"I...I see. A-and yes, I do. I-I want to search for the Winter Maiden. I think I-"
Salem's low chuckle cut off the Fall Maiden, taking the girl by surprise.
"Did you hear that, my pet?" Salem asked her Hound, "She thinks. She wants. As if she has done anything that warrants me caring about either of those things."
"What the hell are we doing? Just sitting here and waiting?! What the hell is the point of the vault if we don't have the Maiden power?!" Cinder frowned. Salem raised an eyebrow.
"You've clearly gained some thorns...so let me say this," Salem frowned. "I'll decide when and where you're required. I demand to be acknowledged for my immense patience during my countless years traversing Remnant. You know I absolutely despise having to repeat myself...You will remain here. Is. That. Clear?"
"But I-!" Cinder began. Before she could finish, the Hound lowered itself to the ground, snarling and ready to lunge, while Breach had formed a little red rift in her hand, just waiting for the command from her master to drop Cinder into the Dollhouse. But those weren't what terrified the twice-disgraced Maiden into silence, the distinction went to the Grimm queen herself. Her eyes were glowing, boring holes into Cinder's very soul. One more word out of her mouth and she knew that this hallway was where she died.
"Of...of course, your grace," Cinder said, taking a knee, instructing Raddock and Floyd to do the same, "Without you...I am nothing." Salem's eyes dimmed, with the Hound and Breach standing down at the same time. With that, and not another glance spared, Salem and her pets walked past the still terrified trio.
The night had begun, and heavy snowfall was covering the Mantle tundra. Inside the abandoned outpost, Ceres desperately tried activating the furnace until it finally lit up. Rex was staring out of a window with his arms crossed, lost for words.
Kylie was knocked out still. She looked so very cold and tired out from everything. It looked as if she aged a few years from all the stress. Albedo, Rook and Min were examining her for any further complications.
"Hmm." Albedo frowned. "She seems to have a minor case of hypothermia. We need to warm her up ASAP."
Rook quickly pulled out a few blankets from the storage room, while Min started to heat her up with some magic.
Yang stood by the door, having just returned, holding up a purple canister.
"If anyone cares, I found a part to fix the bike," the blonde brawler announced, "So, yay. Good news...next to 30 pounds of bad news."
"Some good is better than none, right?" Ceres asked, not turning away from the furnace, "Oh come on you rusted-! Light already!"
Yang walked over to a workbench, littered with tools and scrap, though most of the space was taken up by the main thruster of the Rhino. The component was opened up, revealing just where that purple canister needed to go. The blonde socketed the canister into the thruster before she grabbed a wrench and started working on it. Hoverbike tech wasn't that different from the usual stuff she did with Bumblebee. She worked on it for a bit, tightening bolts and putting in replacement paneling before pausing and turning to Ceres.
"You don't...think she thinks less of me for not helping with Amity...right?" Yang asked.
"Who, Blake?" Ceres asked, kicking the thing again. "Yang. Be real. Blake understands how you think, maybe even better than you do yourself. If you're worrying about that...then it's kinda...pointless!" Ceres kicked the furnace again and it lit up. "There we go. Bring her close."
Albedo and Rook brought Kylie closer to the fire, allowing her to warm up faster. They all gave a small sigh of relief.
"Her Aura should help, whenever that kicks back in. In the meantime...let's just take a few moments to decompress." Albedo said.
Rex was still staring out the window, just looking at the heavy snowfall blanketing the tundra. The only time his gaze shifted was when he noticed a notebook peeking out of a nearby desk. He grabbed it and just started reading through it, looking at the reports logged in by the former personnel.
"Pointless?" Yang asked, her voice bordering on confused and insulted.
"I mean, I doubt anything can break you two apart. Disagreements are gonna happen. That's just part of life. I get the worry, but this won't break your relationship.
"I…hate to interrupt," Rex muttered, eyes not moving from the page of the notebook he was reading, "But I think I found something."
"Why? What's up?" Ceres asked.
"I think...I think I was here before. Listen to this report." Rex said, eyes darting across the page. "Log report, Y728J80. Today, the base was attacked by some sort of mechanical giant. Today marks the seventh watchpost attacked in the giant's seemingly aimless trek. Operative designated Six has been dispatched to deal with the threat. Addendum-1: With Six's assistance, and that of the accompanying task force, the giant has been neutralized..."
"...Rex. Where did you say you were found?" Min asked.
"I...I always thought it was in New Mexico, but...apparently, I was here?" Rex frowned. "That doesn't make any sense."
"...unless New Mexico was a cover," Albedo said, "The nanite project was based out of Arrowfell, wasn't it?"
"I remember it vividly, though." Rex frowned. "I was there-! I was probably there to find my brother."
"It had to be a trap or something." Min suggested. "Like, they know you'd take some bait. Maybe Ironwood or someone set this all up."
"How long has Ironwood served as general, again?" Rook asked.
"A good part of...a decade or something." Rex remembered. "7-8 years."
"His predecessor then," Albedo reasoned, "If Arrowfell was closed by the former general, then there's nothing to say that his secrets didn't become Ironwood's."
"Great, so it's a whole line of people guarding skeletons in the closet!"
"I wish we could have seen what happened that day." Rex frowned. "Maybe we'd get some real answers."
"...allow me," Albedo's eyes lit up as he dialed up the Ultimatrix. He slammed down on the dial once he found the right alien and his body started to glow as he began to transform into his version of Clockwork.
The glow grew stronger, and Albedo's body was covered in a mysterious black material. As the change drew to a close, a crimson glass appeared on his chest, baring the inner workings of his form. This Chronosapien differed from Ben's sample- extra eyes and no mouth. He had a steampunk vibe to him, and his body structure was circular, like planetary or atomic orbitals.
"Hang on a sec," Min said, "Rex, you sure you wanna do this now?"
"Why not? We don't have much else to do in the storm," Rex countered.
"Yeah, in a tundra where the Grimm were called to action by that...thing that took Oscar. Whatever you see-"
"Might...be as a flare to the monsters," Rook finished.
Rex took a deep breath. "I can handle whatever is about to be revealed. Trust me. I can handle this."
The group shared an uneasy look, but Yang sighed, finally breaking the stalemate.
"Well, rather do this now than let you stress about it. Okay, Albedo. Do your thing," Yang confirmed.
"On it," Albedo's thick dutch accent nodded, as the gear on his head started to torque rapidly.
A loud bell-tolling echoed out from Albedo as a red shockwave shot out from him, turning time back rapidly. Moons and suns raced past in the sky for a matter of seconds for them, but in truth years raced by. Soon, the group saw the day of the attack. Manta engines roared overhead as they raced off towards their target, one of those ships no doubt carrying Agent Six.
"Woah. You've got more fine tuning than Ben's Chronosapien sample." Ceres noted.
"I understand Chronosapien physics better than he ever could. Of course, even then...it's complicated." Albedo confessed.
"Guessing we don't need to worry about our 'time doubles' yet?" Yang asked.
"Correct. And before you ask, yes, it is safe to go outside, but I wouldn't go too far."
"Why?"
"Time bubble. The area around this shack should be safe." Albedo explained. "But any further and you may be erased."
Yang shuddered. "I think I'll stay in the shack, thank you..."
"Someone needs to stay with Kylie," Rex said, marching to the door of the outpost, "Anyone who wants to come with, can. But I'm getting some answers…"
"...I will go with you then," Rook resolved.
"We'll stay with her," Ceres said. "I think she might be starting to recover." She propped Kylie up a bit, to show she had a light 'shimmer' to her body. Her aura was replenishing her health.
"I will keep the time bubble up as long as possible. Get your answers, Rex," Albedo nodded. With that, Rex and Rook walked out into the recreated temporal flashback.
It was late evening in this event, the tundra shining with a beautiful, if ominous, orange glow. Rex and Rook watched the Mantas race overhead towards an ongoing battle. They didn't even need to strain their eyes to see what was going on. It was like a scene out of a kaiju movie. Mantas buzzed around the towering creature like flies, firing off machine guns and rockets against the enemy's metallic hide. The creature was undeniably Rex, or at least those were undeniably Rex's builds that made up the creature. One arm was a hooked version of the BFS, almost reminiscent of Black Knight's sword and the other was a Smack Hand. The massive Punk Busters for feet slammed into the tundra, no doubt crushing tanks underfoot. Dual Slam Cannons rested on the mech's shoulders, firing off compacted rock and snow at the buzzing Mantas as bullets sparked against its Smack Hands-like chest-plate, Boogie Pack turbine-like shoulder pads, and a very similar helmet to when he rode the Rex Ride. The mech swung at the airships around it, more annoyed at their assault than anything.
"Rex..." Rook started.
"That's...me, isn't it?" Rex asked, "That's me. Going Berserk. Is that what Ironwood was afraid of? Me going...kaiju?"
"He must have feared you would pull this again if you were to ever find out the truth," Rook frowned.
"I don't even KNOW if I can do that!" Rex yelled. "I look like a cross between Gypsy Danger and a Megazord!"
"Look closely- there is a bunch of your builds integrated into the mech." Rook added. "Your Smack Hands, your sword, even your riding helmet. It is like Kevin's amalgamated form."
"Yeah. But was he ever KAIJU SIZED?!"
"He has not displayed the ability...but he could be. The AntiTrix probably does possess To'kustar DNA," Rook hummed in thought.
"Rook, that's not-! I mean-!" Rex stopped himself, trying to calm down, "No...no. Don't give the Grimm something to find..."
The two watched the mech swat at the Mantas and roar, typical Kaiju things, all of which made Rex winced.
"I just…can't believe it."
"It is very strange." Rook frowned.
"The logbook mentioned-" Rex began. before he watched one of the compact snow boulders be cleaved in half, "Oh...nevermind. Figured out where he is."
"I am shocked none of our weapons ever get damaged from slashing through boulders." Rook hummed.
Rex paused for a moment. ...huh. He's kinda right.
Whoever had slashed through that boulder had gained the mech's full attention. The Manta's were just annoyances anyway, but this fighter was actually something to fear. The mech began using its hook-blade to swipe at the fight, seemingly missing most of its strikes.
"I take it that would be-" Rook started.
"Yup. It's Six," Rex confirmed.
"…would you be mad at Six for keeping this from you?" Rook asked.
"I don't even know if Six knows the whole story."
"When you see him next, will you ask him? Or will you do...whatever your plan is for Clover?"
"Probably ask. For one, I could not beat Six in a fight. No question there. For another...well, he always did trust me more than Clover seemed to...so..." Rex shrugged.
"Fair enough," Rook shrugged, as they watched Six run up the giant's arm. His blade was digging into his robotic circuitry, causing it to spark and snap.
The mech tried to swat Six off, but the spare blade the agent had lashed out and slashed at the Smack-Hand like gauntlet, no more than a sting to the rampaging machine, but enough to make it pull its hand away. The duo watched the fight continue on, with Six easily countering and slashing the giant's slow and lumbering attacks. Somehow, Six managed to get to the back of the mech's neck and, with surgical precision, jabbed both of his blades into the base of the rampaging Rex-mech's neck. Blue lightning jolted out into the sky, shocking Six, as the mech reared back and howled in pain, the sound carrying an unearthly metallic echoing to it.
"He is just...tearing me apart." Rex blinked.
"Let us hope he is secretly on our side." Rook said, closing his eyes.
"...god I hope so."
The sparking on the mech only got worse, its pain forcing it to thrash around like a wild animal. It almost looked like some of the pieces of the mech were falling off, Six must've hit something important.
The ground shook beneath them as the mech continued to thrash about, its movements becoming more and more erratic. Six leapt off the back of the mech and landed smoothly on the ground, his blades at the ready in case the mech decided to come after him again. But instead, the mech seemed to be slowing down, its movements becoming weaker and less controlled.
As they watched, the mech finally came to a stop, its shoulders slumping down as it let out a final, pitiful roar. Smoke and sparks were pouring out of every joint and crevice in the machine's body.
And then one of its arms just snapped off, falling to the ground and shattering into pieces of junk with a thunderous cacophony of metal creaks and groans. Other pieces of the mech's body began to fall to the ground, causing even more problems for the soldiers and tanks on the ground. Some poor soldiers were no doubt crushed by the falling pieces of debris, but Six was able to dodge, weave, even slice through some of the pieces to save as many people as he could.
Finally, the mech was silent and still. Six approached cautiously, his blades at the ready in case it was some kind of trap. But there was no movement, no signs of life from inside the machine.
"...I think this might have caused my 'reboot'." Rex realized. "The guys in Hong Kong mentioned I'd sometimes just…become a totally different person..."
Six sifted through the rubble, moving aside hunks of metal and wiring, until he heard someone coughing. The Atlesian agent rushed to the source of the cough, thinking one of the other soldiers had gotten trapped in the debris. He used his swords to provide leverage, lifting up one of the metal plates and tossing it aside before he stopped. Behind the plate, still covered in oil and wires was a kid. Just some random kid, seemingly wrapped up in the inner-workings of a rampaging giant robot. He couldn't have guessed how important this kid would become.
"That's me." Rex said, not noticing reality was starting to warp a little. "...that's...that's me."
"Rex...I think our time is running out," Rook warned.
Rex didn't answer at first, but then he noticed the more glitch-like distortions in reality. He sighed and started walking back to the watchpost.
"Yeah...guess it is," Rex muttered as he made his way back. Rook followed closely behind and, in a few more minutes, Albedo's time bubble receded, putting time back in its proper place. A red flash from the watchpost was proof that the human Galvan had reverted to his usual self. By now, the snowstorm had lifted somewhat, so Yang's outcasts didn't need to worry about being snowed in.
Rex stood by the window again, eyes locked onto where his massive form was once fighting Six.
"What's scarier, guys...not knowing what you are or knowing what you once were?" Rex asked.
"That's..." Albedo started, "a difficult question."
"Not knowing what you are or what you once were..." Yang repeated the question, "Guessing you didn't like what you saw?"
"Stating the obvious but...didn't really hate it, just," Rex shrugged, "Surprised, I guess. But...guess Atlas is just built on secrets like that."
"In both senses," Ceres said. Rex didn't respond to that, just staring out into the stormy tundra.
But outside, obscured by the snowfall something stirred beneath the ice. The movement was subtle, imperceptible to all those in the small watchpost. The thin sheet of ice creaked before it cracked and that crack slowly started to spread as something bubbled beneath the surface.