Chapter 60 Going South

The thunderous noise of explosions combined with the pounding staccato of Dust rounds fired from below punished Jaune's ears. The same artillery tore up the sky with fire, flashes, and several lingering Dust effects that made the space around them more hostile by the second.

Jaune swiftly formulated a plan, realising he would need to change things quickly unless he wanted his ride reduced to a fine paste.

He wrenched fiercely on the left Threaded Canes, the weapon's teeth once more biting into the Grimm's flesh, causing it to cry out as it began to twist as he directed. Jaune bent his knees, pulling his body in closer as the wind picked up, but his concern was less the drag and more the chance of catching a bullet.

Unfortunately, lowering himself also allowed him to hear what the Faunus was doing behind him.

Oto was praying.

Jaune felt his eye twitch at the noise, the Fox Faunus's words grating on his mind like coarse sand.

"Would you stop that!" Jaune snapped through gritted teeth, his demand audible over the havoc around them as he shot a piercing glare back at the Faunus. Oto glanced up, a combination of panic, fear and frustration on his face as he glared right back.

"We are going to die!" the Faunus hollered.

"Not yet," Jaune growled as their mount began to drop rapidly.

"What are you doing!" Oto panicked as the Nevermore descended toward the ground below.

Jaune grunted as he pulled against the Nevermore, the monster fighting against him, but the Grimm was the first to Yield, beginning to roll. This caused Oto to stop talking immediately. Instead, he buried himself against the Grimm's feathers and began to scream into its body.

The force was immense, Jaune felt the skin of his arms pull taught as the muscles beneath swelled and strained, his blood thundering as he held the Grimm steady. The monster was screeching, still falling but now upside down, and all the while, ordnance whipped past them, a promise ofdeath a mere breath away.

Their rapid descent was too much for Oto.

"I'm slipping!"

Jaune blurred.

With immense speed, he had his right hand slapped around Oto's wrist like a manacle. The Faunus was surprised by the sudden catch, with his legs fluttering in the air behind him. Jaune couldn't say anything as his weapon's handle occupied his mouth, but he hoped his eyes communicated his annoyance. He couldn't keep up his silent communication, though he wished to, as he saw how quickly the ground below was approaching.

With a growl, he pulled Oto close, bringing his hand to his leg to give the Faunus something else to hold. Luckily, Oto was already scrambling for something to latch onto and quickly wrapped his arms around Jaune's leg, latching onto it with vice-like intensity.

Jaune didn't wait to see if Oto was secure. Instead, he stopped tugging on the Nevermore's left wing, allowing the Grimm to complete its roll. The monster's intent to survive meant that the avian Grimm could easily right itself without Jaune's efforts inhibiting it.

Just as Jaune planned.

While the Grimm was distracted and still had the speed they had built during their free fall, Jaune reached into the Mist. He knew that while he might be able to fly the Grimm to his sisters, he would not be able to do so while also navigating the many defences firing at him. Even now, they were only being spared thanks to being a single injured Grimm on the wrong side of the wall, but that would not last.

He needed to stop the guns firing at him.

For that, he needed to send a message.

It needed to be bright, flashy, and eye-catching, but afire wouldn't do; there was already much of that going around.

Luckily, he had something brighter.

As soon as his hand wrapped about its handle, he felt the crackle of static as it sparked to life and filled the air around him. The other weapons had roused far slower than this one, or perhaps this weapon was just particularly eager to be utilised.

Jaune didn't mind either option as he pulled the already crackling Mace into the waking world with an amused smirk. Jaune didn't notice how Oto, still clutching at his leg, stared with wide eyes fora moment before he was forced to look away from the bright, sparking blue arcs.

He also didn't notice how every hair on the Faunus's body was sticking up… even more so than before.

He couldn't afford to split his focus as the Nevermore was now flying dangerously close to the rooftops of the buildings closest to the wall. Guns followed them, none firing due to the risk of collateral being so high as to give them pause.

That pause was all Jaune needed to make himself known.

The Tonitrus activated in full, and Jaune felt the familiar caress of its azure bolts racing over his arm and torso. The air filled with the faint scent of Ozone as Jaune began to whirl the weapon above his head, making sure it was all but impossible to miss the controlled repeated motion.

He did this until he no longer could, throwing the mace back into the Mist as he finally pried the handle of one of his Threaded Canes from his mouth. With both hands at the makeshift reins, Jaune foughtagainst the Nevermore again. The large Grimm shrieked, and for a moment, Jaune worried it might slam them into a roof as it refused to heed his commands.

But the Alpha's self-preservation kicked in, and the Nevermore gained elevation, Jaune's attention shifting as he waited for the moment of truth. They were practically on top of the interior wall now, which meant that should they open fire, there was nothing he could do to evade.

But there was no pounding gunfire or hail of bullets as Jaune's display had worked.

Jaune, not wishing to linger, roared in exertion as he hauled back on the weapons hooked to the Grimm he rode, tearing its flesh and forcing it to ascend. The Nevermore snapped, whipping its head around, but it rose, even as a fresh splash of its 'blood' painted Jaune's front and flecked across its feathered hide.

Jaune rose until they were level with the top of the swarm of aerial Grimm that were still throwing themselves at the wall. He did not fail to notice how the smaller Nevermore seemed almost drawn towards them, a bulge in the swarm of fluttering wings as if tugged by gravity.

But the wall was simply too tempting, and they made it to the height Jaune desired unmolested.

His muscles burned now, and the exertion of continuously fighting a creature much greater in size was getting to him, but Jaune knew he was nearly there. Onelast direction, one last fight and then he would merely have to keep the Grimm from diverting.

But what a fight it was.

Jaune thought it would be enough to make the creature wish to escape the pain he inflicted on its left wing. It was not.

The Grimm's drive to be near the slaughter, near all the pain and fear below, to feed into the swarm of havoc the other Grimm unleashed.

It was enough to bring it to the brink of frenzy.

Alpha Grimm did not have nearly the same self-preservation instincts as Elder Grimm, and Jaune saw this firsthand as his Threaded Cane hissed in his hand. The weapon was bitting deep now, its unique trait ravaging the Grimm's insides for all Jaune knew,yet it fought. Jaune saw the sizeable gouge in the space where the wing connected to the Grimm and knew he needed to act fast, or he would wind up sheering the whole limb off.

"Oto!" Jaune roared over the wind, a half-mad plan forming in his mind.

The fox looked up, still half hugging Jaune's leg, "What!"

"Stand up; I need your help!" Jaune ordered.

"Fuck!" Oto cursed, but Jaune didn't even have to say anything else as the younger man began to haul himself to his feet. He did so by clambering up Jaune, but the blond couldn't bring himself to care as he was trying to keep the Nevermore from diving into the hell below.

Once Oto was on his feet, Jaune looked down and gestured with his head, "Grap them."

Oto looked at the handles Jaune pointed at, his eyes widened, and his head shot back to Jaune's, "Fuck no!"

Jaune beat down his wrath with patience he didn't know he had and the mantra of 'You're doing it for Jade.'

However, his internal efforts did not stem the entirety of his fury as Oto caught a glimpse of the rage in Jaune's narrowed eyes. The Faunusshakily grabbed one of the handles, running high on pure adrenaline and realising he was far more terrified of the blond giant than the Grimm they were both standing on.

Jaune said nothing, merely pulling the other handle closer, uncaring how the Grimm shuddered at the action. Heeding the encouragement, Otograbbed hold of both weapons and tried not to think abouthow both weapons felt.

He tried really, really hard.

"Listen! I am going to let go-"

"Bad idea!"

"You will keep hold of these-"

"Really bad idea!"

"And I will make the Grimm turn so we don't get mauled to death by the flock below us!" Jaune roared, his patience-wearing thin, as heglared down at Oto, daring him to interject.

The fox shrunk, cringing away from Jaune's wrath, but despite his fear, he spoke, "I- What if I can't hold it?"

"You can," Jaune declared.

"But-"

"You. Can."

Jaune began to lessen the effort he was putting into each Threaded Cane, Oto shutting up ashis focus was pulled to the growing strain each of his arms felt.

"Keep them taught! It will try to dive; do not let it!" Jaune instructed over the rushing wind as he shifted, readying himself for his part. Oto swallowed, his head turned down to keep the rushing wind from straining his eyes. Though turned down, his earsheard the blond's voice as he loomed over him.

"Ready?"

Oto shivered, the Faunus clenching his fists till the knuckles went white as he held the weapons that made his hair stand on end and prickled against his palms. But he nodded faster and faster as he worked himself up, and then he bellowed loud enough that even the wind couldn't steal his words.

"Go!"

Jaune released his grip on both Threaded Canes and weaved around Oto with unnatural grace, his body practically curving around the smaller Faunus as he dashed forward. Oto was brought to his knees, his breath escaping in a grunt as he was forced to his knees. He grasped onto the Grimm with his thighs as he pulled with all his might until he was red in the face.

Each flap of the Grimm's wings made his arms feel like they were about to be torn from their sockets. He could hardly breathe, his chest feeling restricted, and the crash of the wind against his face only made the phenomenon worse. But despite this, the Fox Faunus kept his eyes open, squinting through the wind as curiosity urged him to witness.

Jaune moved, trusting that Oto, as unskilled as he was, still had Aura and could hold the reins for the time he needed. His body was angled to reduce the drag, his profile reduced, and his legs bent as he raced forward. Each step was done with utter confidence and surety as his sense of balance carried him across the unsure footing.

He made it to the Grimm's neck before it reacted.

The Nevermore began to shake its head, Jaune dropping to all fours to avoid the swipe of the avian Grimm's horn that otherwise would have clocked him in the skull. Instead, he pounced from his near-prone position, leaping into the rushing wind as his hands disappeared into the Mist.

He had learned from the last time he had been atop this monster's back that it wasn't enough to tug at its wings.

If he wanted it to go in a direction…

You had to lead from the front.

Though Jaune lunged to the left, his arms reared back over his right shoulder as they brought forth yet another piece of his arsenal through the Mist. The weapon emerged, already transformed, its long, slender haft touching his shoulder as Jaune wound his whole body back for the coming blow.

He was halfway over its skull when he swung, the weapon just barely missing its horn as it travelled in a downward arc.

Grimm have a well-documented ability to recover from injuries very rapidly. Yet another trait ascribed to their unnatural biology is that any injury shy of lethal can, in fact, be recovered from given enough time.

But it is not perfect. Many Grimm have been recorded boasting scars, and older Grimm who have endured many injuries have been noted to, on occasion, still have weapons impaled in their bodies or bulbous tumours where flesh has grown over and around something still lodged in their anatomy.

There have been Grimm, mainly those who have boasted the title of Elder, who have even been noted to be missing a piece of their anatomy or, worse, have been twisted by their many injuries.

Jaune was well aware of this fact, and his parents made it clear that he should always ensure that any Grimm he downed was well and truly dead. Elders are survivors, one and all; it's the Grimm you don't get that comes back an even bigger problem.

That was why when Jaune swung his weapon, he aimed for the upper right eye of the Nevermore, his weapon's head slamming home into the socket that should have been bare. But it wasn't. Instead, the mauled eye socketwas already filled with bulging fresh meat that was no doubt already in the process of attempting to become a new eye.

It would not get the chance.

Jaune's Church Pick dug deep, past the Grimm's mask, into the eye socket laden with bulging black meat, rupturing it anew. The nevermore screamed as a spray of inky viscera exploded out of the reopened wound, painting the air black for an instant.

Jaune was still in motion, though.

The pick head moved, dragged along by Jaune, scraping along the inside of the Grimm's eye socket to devastating effect. When it stopped, it did so jarringly, and the Grimm's head jerked to the side as it did all it could to try and escape the ravaging Jaune was inflicting inside its skull.

The Grimm turned at last, Jaune standing at the base of its beak, his body leaning to the side as he kept one hand firmly secured to his weaponas if it were the rudder of a small boat. Steadily, the sounds of the wall and those that assaulted it faded as the roaring of the wind became more and more prevalent.

Jaune spared a moment longer to ensure that the Grimm would not turn about before he kicked the haft of his weapon, dislodging it and bringing it up to rest on his shoulder. He moved far more casually back towards Oto, the Faunus not taking his eyes off him even though his face was flush with exertion.

Even when Jaune returned his Church Pick to the Mist and took back his Threaded Canes, Oto watched him.

Jaune didn't care, though.

He was on his way to his sisters.

That was all that mattThe brief halting of gunfire on the inner wall had not gone unnoticed by any, and more than one Home Guard had to be ordered back to work, including the Huntsman. But inside one of the many command bunkers along the defensive structure, the two leaders of Bastion's defences peered out at the retreating form of an Alpha Grimm serving as a mount.

"I know you, Huntsman, aren't exactly the sanest lot," Misty began, her head still turned upward as she squinted to see the retreating form of an Alpha Nevermore. "But could you kindly tell me which one of your Huntsman that was… cause that's a level of crazy I don't need to be around."

Jericho looked in the same direction as Misty, the rest of the wall and the defences fading away as he considered what hadjust happened. "That wasn't one of mine…" Jericho finally answered, confusion evident in his tone.

"Huh?"

Jericho tore his eyes from the distant one-legged Grimm to face the Captain of Bastion's Home Guard. "If that was one of my Huntsman, why didn't they jump off the bloody Grimm while they were over the wall? Why fly back through that?"

Misty turned to look at the swarming black wings that were once more being hammered by a wall of bullets, keeping the Nevermore from gathering.

"… They flew south," Misty pointed out.

Jericho's face hardened as he sucked on his teeth, a finger tapping on his harpoon as he once more looked over the cityscape overrun with Grimm. "Yeah, I know… I don't like it," Jericho announced, his head swivelling about with narrowed eyes as if puzzling something out.

"What?"

"Something ain't right," Jericho declared.

"Think it's the horde of Grimm trying to kill us all?" Misty quipped.

Jericho wasn't amused, though, "First it was the reports about that earlier attack, then the Breach, which I still don't have a clear fucking picture of… then we have an armoured caravan hauling ass out of Bastion in the middle of a Breach-"

"And now our Grimm riding friend, who just so happens also to be flying south for winter," Misty added.

Jericho sniffed, "Say you weren't Home Guard; where would you want to be during a Breach?"

"Behind some big fucking walls, with a big fucking gun in hand," Misty answered quickly.

"But not for this lot… the Caravan was one thing, weird as fuck, but I have seen some weird shit, and Breaches can make folk crazy-"

"But not ride a fucking Alpha Grimm out of the city crazy," Misty surmised.

"That's a new one…" Jericho nodded. "I don't like it."

Misty jabbed the old Huntsman with an elbow, "So what do you want to do about it?"

The Hunter Commander of Bastion turned his eyes skyward again, looking out from the bunker to see the sky above. It was still fraught with danger, the cloud of Nevermore constantly moving as the guns kept them from being able to stay still for even a moment.

There were Griffons amongst the deadly flock, but any that slowed or tried to dive were swiftly torn to shreds, their mangled forms raining down on their kin below. The aerial Grimm couldn't advance, and with the strong Huntsman presence atop the wall serving as lures, none seemed eager to disengage either.

This staying patternmade up Jericho's mind on the best course of action.

"Give me a spot check. Do we have any more Alpha Nevermore up in the sky?"

Misty quickly checked her Scroll, the device showing her a live feed of a litany of data related to the conditions at different inner wall sections, though theirs was the most active. A quick order to the Home Guard for an Alpha count turned up zero Nevermore variants.

Hearing this, Jericho straightened, "Call up Central, tell them to load up some Bullheads and strafe the base of the wall."

Misty's eyes widened, "That's some pretty dangerous flying conditions, old man."

"We're gonna clear them a path," Jericho explained. "They are going to give us some breathing room, and then your lot will paint me and mine some targets. We are breaking this Horde now."

Misty seemed surprised at Jericho's declaration, "We could wait for the reinforcements."

"Our friend just took the last of the aerial Alphas with him; if we wipe the ground ones out, those that remain will follow the Nevermore's lead," Jericho explained. "Whether they meant to or not, our mysterious Grimm rider is going to lend us a hand."

"That'll work?" Misty asked.

Jericho made a 'sort of' gesture with his hand as he replied, "The Nevermore is what will clinch it; if enough breakaway trying to follow our rider, then other Grimm will copy them. For that to work, we need to eliminate any other influences."

"So your Huntsman cull the Alpha, and then there is only one 'voice' to follow," Misty caught on, already tapping away at her Scroll.

"The reinforcements will still be needed to secure and seal the Breach, but we can start sending out recovery teams… and maybe someone can find out just what the fuck is going on out there." Jericho finished once more, looking to the far south of Bastion.

"Matter for later," Misty cut in. "You better get your killers ready; Central already sent me an E.T.A. They are eager for this to be over."

Jericho nodded, "We'll be ready." Jericho walked out of the bunker, casually indifferent to the hostile space he was moving through. He turned to address Misty one last time, this time in a far more light-hearted manner. "Be sure to pick out something nice for me."

Misty cackled, "Oh, don't you worry, you silver fox, I'm gonna make you sweat!"

Jericho snorted as he began to move towards where his Huntsman reserves were based, pausing in his stride to drive his heel down on the skull of a still-moving Nevermore.

Despite the moment of levity, a lot of frustration remained about the oddities that had plagued this night. He wanted answers but knew he wouldn't get any until the Grimm were dealt with.

Lucky for Jericho, they also made for a great substitute with which to vent his frustrations.

A saying about birds and stones came to mind.

YVYVYVYVY

Jade felt distinctly uncomfortable in the airbase.

Linda had brokered no argument in bringing them inside the base, though there had been some petulant complaints they were all shut down viciously. It turned out that the Atlesians, or 'Milkys' as Linda was fond of calling them, didn't have any Huntsman of their own.

This made Linda the only Huntsman currently on site, and more importantly, it made Linda the only Huntsman on site.

Jade's group wasn't wanted, and it was only thanks to Linda bringing them in that they weregranted entry. The byplay enraptured Jade as she tried to gather all pertinent information but also found herself entertained.

The Valean Huntress had approached first with a casual strictness, a sort of calm expectation that what she was saying would happen. It boiled down to merely their group residing on base until things blew over, but itwas told in far more formal terms.

The base's higher-up turned it down nearly immediately, declaring that as the base was technically Atlas's domain, the decision rested solely with them.

After that, Linda's voice dropped all pretences of amicability. She stated plainly that they would be staying until further notice, which was final. She continued reminding them that the base was Atlesian, but the land it was on was Valean.

Then came the threats—nothing too blatant, but Linda's patience ran out, and her words came out unyielding and severe. A brief reminder that she was the only one on the base with Aura and that there were currently issues with the radio, and suddenly, there were no more complaints. They were all let in, but Linda pulled Jade and Sky away assoldiers and workers descended on the fire truck.

Sky had asked why the soldiers didn't seem to want them around almost as soon as they had a modicum of privacy. Linda had been very forthcoming, explaining that earlier in the evening, before the Breach, a group had broken into the base. They had not only stolen an aircraft but had hurt people, with two winding up dead and a handful more injured.

The explanation had left Jade feeling even more drained as she wondered if there was anywhere that hadn't gone to hell on this awful night.

Linda hadn't been able to remain long. There was still a Breach in Bastion, and the airbase was practically on top of the city. Jade had, in truth, been mostly neutral to her departure, though Sky seemed to be discomforted by her rapid exit.

Left on their own, they had begun to gravitate back towards the fire truck and the activityaround it.

This had been a mistake.

A triage station was set up adjacent to the still somewhat smoking truck. Soldiers stood on guard around the area, armed and vigilant, with a tenseness that would have been enough to make Jade keep her distance… but that wasn't what had rocked Jade to her core.

It was the bodies covered by sheets.

Jade couldn't believe it. She had thought they had done it, that they had succeeded, that she had helped save people.

But she hadn't.

She hadn't gotten any closer after she saw the covered bodies. Sitting down with her back to a building, her head resting in her palms as she processed, Sky had stayed right at her side, doing her best to comfort her, though it couldn't stop the spiral.

She didn't know how long she stayed like that, closed off and curled in, but eventually, another person joined her. Still, the new presence wasn't enough to pull Jade from the pit she was in, as she remained unmoving.

"Thank you."

It was two words Jade had not expected to hear, the sound of appreciation like a slap in the face. She slowly looked up and to the left, her eyes taking in the sight of Salmon's hairy visage, slumped against the wall next to her, his arms resting on his knees. The large Faunus had bandages around his head, a bit of blood tainting their white colouring, but otherwise seemed to have only light injuries.

Jade didn't say anything, staring at the man with utter confusion.

"For vouching for us," Salmon clarified, "Egg made it; they got him hooked on some blood bags and are taking him to a proper medical site on base."

Jade's expression didn't change.

"If you hadn't convinced your brother, he probably would be dead, so thank you… Egg's a good kid," Salmon finished, his head falling back against the wall.

Jade's tongue felt heavy in her mouth, but she struggled to get the words out, "I don-"

Slamon shook his head, "Please don't say anything, kid; I just wanted to make sure you knew I appreciated what you did for us."

But Jade couldn't stop now that she started, "It was stupid."

"Maybe," Salmon conceded, "But it saved me and that kid's life, so I am grateful all the same."

This sparked Jade's anger, though. "I don't deserve your thanks; I already regret doing it," she snapped.

Salmon didn't reply immediately, his head tilting so he could meet her gaze, "Yeah… yeah, that figures. I probably would, too, in your shoes."

Jade was stunned.

Salmon gave her a half smile. It was an ugly thing, somewhat hidden under his beard, with his lip swollen and split, but it carried a levy of emotion. "It don't take a genius to see you'd rather have your brother here right now."

The words hurt.

Sky piped up from Jade's other side, "He'll catch up."

Those words hurt more.

'He isn't dead,' a part of her screamed defiantly in her own mind, but it was all but drowned out by her guilt and doubt.

Jade tried to change the topic; her vision once more focused on those covered by the sheets. "I should have listened to Jaune… I didn't do anything."

Salmon turned to see the triage sight that Jade was still looking at, "Ah… yeah, those were the lot that Huntress and the emergency people were trying to save."

That didn't matter to Jade as she was instead thinking of those she had far more to do with who died. Salmon picked up on this, too.

"That Huntress," Salmon began, "you're thinking about her, right? And the others?"

Jade's silence was affirmation.

"… That ain't on you, kid."

Her silence was denial.

"You gave them a shot, a real one, did your best… and your brother was never anything but honest with us," Salmon continued.

Her silence was guilt.

"… You still feel like shit, though, huh?"

She said nothing.

The crunch of grass under footsteps halted their one-sided conversation as Linda approached, her truly massive rifle once more slung over her shoulders. She stopped a few feet away, her casual demeanour halting the serious and depressive atmosphere. Her focus first fell to Salmon the Huntress giving the Faunus a nod.

"Hey there, I didn't catch your name earlier, but I'm Linda Blue, Valean Huntsman," she said, introducing herself.

"Salmon, ain't got a last name, sorry. I'm a courier, doing a delivery when I got caught in tonight's mess," Salmon explained.

Linda nodded, "you said that their brother asked you to watch over them?"

Salmon cleared his throat and nodded, "Yeah, he said he'd catch up, or someone else from their family would…"

"Yeah, their parents will likely beeline for them as soon as they find out where they are," Linda explained, her face shifting as she continued. "That's kind of where the issue arises."

Jade and Sky both looked up now, their expressions cautious at the Huntress's announcement.

Linda looked over her shoulder, seemingly taking the lay of the area before she moved closer and kneeled. She kept her voice low as she addressed the three but mostly looked to Salmon, "So earlier, I told the girls that the reason the Milkys were acting like pricks is that someone broke in… but it's way more complicated than that."

"Of course it fucking is," Salmon cursed, his shoulders slumping.

"The lot that broke in… they were White Fang…"

Salmon slammed a fist into the grass, looking like he wanted to bellow a slew of obscenities. "You've got to be kidding me," he hissed lowly.

Linda shook her head, "No, I was off-site when it happened. But it wasn't just a break-in either… it was an infiltration."

Jade wanted to let out her own slew of curses as the White Fang once more dogged the horrid night with their presence.

"Oh… that's not good," Salmon uttered, looking around nervously.

"It gets worse," Linda whispered, voice grim. "I said earlier that they stole an airship… that airship was what caused the Breach."

Jade looked up, eyes like knives, as she comprehended the Huntress's words. The realisation that everything that went wrong tonight could, in fact, be traced back to the White Fang…

Jade found the feelings concerning her brother's earlier killings that night becoming a lot less complicated.

Her eyes darted to the left for an instant as she recalled that Salmon had once been affiliated with the group. What she saw was enough to temper her rage momentarily as she saw the Bear Faunus's expression.

He was terrified, his bruised face paling as he stared at Linda.

"N-no… please no…" Salmon whispered.

Linda nodded once.

"This… this… gods be good. This will set us back decades," Salmon muttered.

Linda didn't say anything, but Jade picked up the fact that the Huntress agreed with the truth of theFaunus's words.

"… I'm going to need to leave," Salmon quickly declared, "As soon as the Grimm have died down."

Jade observed as Salmon began to ramble, his words picking up pace with his panic.

"I'll have to leave the girls with you; I'm sorry, but- I need to grab the others, fuck!" Slamon cursed, still keeping his voice low as he glanced towards the direction of the fire truck surrounded by the base staff. "The ladies, I need to warn them, but then I gotta grab Egg and Te-"

Slamon stopped suddenly as he stumbled over the second name, his throat constricting as the large man stilled.

Jade felt that pit in her guts open up again.

"… Fuck." Salmon huffed his panic stolen as reality slammed home.

Jade cringed as she apologised with a broken voice, "I'm sorry."

This made Salmon cringe, "I- No… no kid, that's… shit… Jade, it's not your fault."

Linda enquired carefully, "Someone you lost?"

"Yeah, work mate, I'd been working with him for a few months," Salmon responded.

"My condolences," Linda answered succinctly.

Salmon gave a weak shrug, "We knew the risks; just part of being acourier." Jade seemed horrified, but Salmon gave a somewhat pained smile, "Like I said, this isn't on you."

Linda cut in quickly before Jade could even begin to think of a response to Salmon's attitude. "Back to the matter at hand, you have the right idea, and I'd even be happy to help you and yours get out of here… but like I said, things are complicated."

"There's more?" Sky asked, horrified.

Linda grimaced but continued to speak, "After the White Fang made off with the airship, those that remained behind went on to sabotage several key targets."

All three looked to the Huntress with varying degrees of severity, but Linda didn't leave anything up in the air.

"Not only can we not contact anyone, but the base defences are severely diminished. This base is situated nearly directly south of the Breach. If the hoard breaks, this is their first stop… should that occur before reinforcements arrive, the base will likely be overrun."

Sky looked like she might cry, Jade's fists shook as she pressed them against her temples, and Salmon looked like he wanted to pass out.

It was Salmon who spoke first, "Don't suppose this airbase has any spare ships?"

"None that can fly. I think I saw some the techies tearing out one's cockpit to work on getting the base's communications back up," Linda disappointed.

"The turrets?" Jade asked, looking at the imposing cannons atop the base's sizeable walls.

"About half of the AA work, and the big ones can move, but the firing mechanisms are FUBAR," Linda sighed.

No one said anything as they all seemed to digest the further details, and then Jade moved. The older of the two Arc girls pushed herself off the wall and stood on her own two feet, ignoring how her muscles ached at that simple motion.

Jade was a mess, her thoughts a conflicting splurge of guilt and remorse, a string of longing for the night to end. She wanted to do nothing more than crawl into a hole and stay there, but at the same time, she wanted to scream and rage and break something.

But those weren't options at the moment.

She might be a stupid little girl who got her brother-

'He's not dead.'

Jade took a breath and cleared her mind, at least as much as she could manage, before speaking.

"So what's the plan?" she asked.

Because she was Jade Euphoria Arc, and her sister needed her.

Linda smiled, "The Milkys are focusing on getting their communications back up. They have moved all non-essential staff to the centre of the base, but otherwise, it's a lot of hoping and praying."

"Can't even blame them," Salmon groaned.

Linda continued, paying the Bear Faunus no heed, "It gets a little more complicated because there was also a handful of groups that raced for the base as soon as the Breach occurred-"

"They were allowed in?" Salmon exclaimed questioningly.

Linda shook her head, "I personally evacuated them here myselfandpicked them up as soon as I heard the siren; luckily, I was out doing my rounds."

"How'd the moneymen react?" Salmon snorted.

"They fired a warning shot at me…" Linda recalled earning wide-eyed looks from both Arc girls and the Faunus. "They are lucky they stuck to protocol. Otherwise, there would have been a… scandal come tomorrow morning."

Jade gulped, "I am glad you were here when we rocked up."

Linda huffed in amusement, "It's a good thing you remembered the passwords. Now, I can just shove this all in Rust's lap."

"Sorry, but back to the topic…" Salmon interjected.

"Right," Linda agreed,getting back to the point, "So I do have a plan, at least as far as safeguarding you girls, but it all depends on how long it takes for-"

The sharp resonance of an alarm ripped through the air and stole whatever words the Huntress was about to say from her throat.

"No…" Linda breathed. "It's too early!" Her rifle was in her hands so swiftly that Jade did not even see her move.

The Huntress flicked her eyes to the wall andthen back to the two girls, seemingly coming to a conclusion in that very instant. "You two stay here! I'll find you!"

She was off, exploding from her spot, a blur beneath the lights as she raced towards the north side of the base. Jade, for her part, looked back to where she had stood a moment before to see the ground torn asunder.

When Jade looked away from where Linda had stood, she saw Salmon breathing quickly, his head moving about worriedly. Sky was not much better, looking once more pale as her grip on Jade's arm tightened to the point it was starting to hurt.

Jade swallowed, hoping the noise wasn't too audible, "It's going to be okay, sis."

Sky gave a smile that didn't reach her watery eyes, "I know he said he would catch up… but I really want Jaune to be here right now."

"Me too," Jade replied so swiftly she did not even have time to think about her words.

She stood there, feeling far from sturdy, as the siren blared. She wondered if she would survive whatever was thrown at her next… if Sky would. She thought about how they could have runand how they probably could have gotten to safety without issue with just the three of them.

She wanted this awful night to be over.

She wanted to go home.

She wanted her brother.

'Jaune…'

A flurry of wind descended. At first, it was a mere whisper, but it grew until it whipped around Jade. Its coolness cut through the warm night and raised the hair along her arms.

But that wasn't what caught her attention.

The breeze coiled around her, and her hair, though kept short, was made to sway and move, leaving her feeling as if something had brushed acrossthe nape of her neck.

But still, this wasn't what captured her attention.

It was the scent.

Smell is a curious sense if for no other reason than its ability to illicit deeply felt reactions and conjure forth connections that stir a mind as few things can. Memories roused with such ease as to catch one off guard, and that was very much the case for Jade as that odd eddy of air stole her away to a time years gone.

She remembered herself, so young and so small that she could easily hide within the confines of a rotted old stump. She remembered learning that monsters were real and the world was not so safe for little girls who wandered off by themselves.

She also learned that heroes were real.

As she breathed in, that mysterious scent carried on an odd wind, she remembered clinging to her hero as he bled from his leg. The body of a giant monster disintegrated mere feet from his collapsed form as she cried out for help. She remembered burying her face against his back and begging for him to 'get up' for him to be 'okay'.

She remembered how he would scare off the same monster when it came to haunt her dreams, how he would linger by her side if she fell, how he would flutter about if she were sick, bouncing between rooms, bringing her whatever she asked.

She remembered the feel of his arm around her as he said his parting word, the reluctance in his voice, andthe way he stood even with his injured leg. She remembered how she sniffed, fighting back tears, his scent lingering as she watched him again put himself between her and a monster.

It was the same smell.

As the breeze departed and her hair settled, Jade spoke, eyes wide, "Jaune?"

She moved.

"Jade!"

"Oi!"

Salmon and Sky's cries were ignored, though Jade was aware both were pursuing her, Sky more so because Jade was dragging her along. She would apologise later; right now, she needed to get to the wall, she needed to see, she had to.

Jade thought she might have heard someone call out to them, but in the chaos of the blaring alarm, people were running every which way. Those who got in her way were swerved around before they could even become an issue; Jade, for the moment, cursed her short height as she couldn't just barge past.

She was aware enough to see that, like her, many people were running with purpose and direction to areas where gatherings were already growing. Many, in fact, were running in the same direction as her, at least somewhat, as more and more of the Atlesian soldiers headed to their posts.

Her shoulder slammed into someone, but she just kept going, recovering as she moved and not pausing for a moment.

Then Sky screamed.

Jade flashed around her eyes, spotting the hand that had grabbed onto her, and in a flash, her knife was out and slashing through the air.

The hand let go, and Sky and Jade continued to race to the wall. The cries of alarm were now much more focal. She saw Salmon throw someone out of her periphery. The large Bear Faunus did his best to keep up with them but struggled as he was far broader. It was also clear that he was drawing more and more attention as he forced himself past numerous other bodies to try and keep pace.

They made it to the base of the wall, and as if fate were on their side, she spotted an open and waiting elevator and practically threw herself in.

She looked back in time to see a cluster of white-armoured individuals racing towards them.

"Go!" Salmon bellowed, throwing himself into the group, halting their approach as they went down in a pile of flailing limbs.

Jade, not wanting to waste time, slammed the gate shut and hammered the butt of her knife into the 'up' button with far more force than was required.

The compartment jolted as it began to ascend the wall.

"Jade, what's going on?" Sky asked, huffing, frazzled by the sudden sprint Jade had forced her to undertake.

"It's Jaune!" Jade exclaimed, pulling her sister to her sideandturning her around so they would be ready to move as soon as the elevator halted. She felt jittery, like her body was suddenly overflowing with energy; perhaps lighter was a better descriptor. She no longer felt the oppressive weight of her guilt and instead was driven only by purpose.

Sky, however, was still confused, but hearing Jade's exclamation left her feeling both excited and bewildered at the mention of their older brother, "Wha-"

"Stop right there!"

Sky's question was cut off as a deep voice barked an order at them, but Jade just growled and threw herself forward as the elevator came to a halt. She flew over the waist-high gate and crashed into the Atlesian soldier, who was surprised and had no time to react as Jade swung around him and pivoted him over her hip.

The man slammed into the floor, and Jade wasted no time sprinting away from him, Sky on her heels.

She made it halfway to the top of the gatehouse when she was forced to stop.

The sight of a trio of armed soldiers pointing guns at her turned her limbs to lead.

"You are under arres-"

The soldier who was speaking was silenced as he was slammed onto his back, andthe two beside him were unceremoniously hurled into each other with a crack that made Jade flinch.

Linda was standing over them, her booted foot pinning one to the ground while her rifle was pointed over Sky and Jade's heads. But her furious eyes were looking square at Jade, "I told you to wait!"

Jade would have respondedand said something in her defence, but she couldn't as she looked out into the dark and heard a booming shriek. The noise made her flinch, and she was not alone. It was only as the sound resonated with her that she recalled when she heard it last.

Hope blossomed in all its terrible beauty.

"Look!"

"Is it Jaune?"

Both sisters spoke over each other, and Linda's head, already turned to face the approaching foe, bounced back to the children with a look of pure concern.

Jade saw that, and anger sparked in her guts, making her want to scream her denial for a moment as the Huntress looked at her as nothing more than a foolish, grief-stricken child. But she wasn't a little girl, and despite the night's efforts, she would not break, so instead, Jade pointed with her knife, her Arc blue eyes meeting the Huntress's gaze evenly.

"Look," Jade commanded, sure of herself.

She had to be right.

She could not be wrong.

She would break if she were wrong.

Linda casually stepped off the Atlesians she had thrown to the ground and instead brought up her rifle, looking through the scope in the direction the thunderous shriek had come from. While she looked though the soldiers were not idle, Jade saw how they moved, thinking the Huntress distracted, and Jade felt her grip move around her knife.

Then a voice, high-strung and demanding attention, spoke up: "Arrest those two! What are you waiting for?"

Jade's eyes pinned the person in question, and Sky also looked away from the night sky to glare. The individual in question was garbed head to toe in Atlesian standard issue, but the iconography on his chest indicated him as being a higher rank.

Jade only spared his chest a glance, her eyes instead locking in on the man's exposed throat. Again, she adjusted her grip on her knife as something in her stirred, and she felt as if she was once more atop the racing fire truck, her heart rapid in her chest.

"You can try," Linda warned, her face scrunching up as she continued to peer through the scope.

"I-"

"Shut it," Linda cut the man off and turned back to the girls, her features expressing something like surprise. The Huntress didn't say anything; instead, she pulled her Scroll from her belt and handed it to Jade, who took the device without protest.

With a swipe of Linda's finger, Jade saw what she could through her scope, and it was like her insides did a backflip as her vision swam with tears. She couldn't speak. Her throat was tight as her hand shook; she was so overwhelmed with relief and a hundred other things thatshe was speechless.

Sky, however, was not. Without issue or restraint, shescreamed in pure joy at the top of her lungs, "Jaune! It's Jaune!" She flung herself to the edge of the rail and began to wave while crying out so loud Jade wouldn't be surprised if her brother heard her. "Brother! We're over here!"

Jade wanted to join her but settled instead for letting her thumb caress the screen as she indecisively continued to look between the screen and the pitch-black night, her brother still not visible to her eyes.

Linda, for her part, seemed to be still surprised by what she was seeing, and Jade couldn't blame her.

After all…

How often do you see someone riding a Nevermore?