All right, we got another chapter for you all today. Like I said previously, this will continue the events from the last chapter. So yeah, let's jump back into the action.
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*3rd Person POV*
Inside the dining room of the Schnee Manor, the Atlas councilmen continue to talk to Ironwood.
Camilla: "General, since the day you were appointed Headmaster, there have been Atlesians who are skeptical of one man holding two Council seats."
Ironwood: "Yes, which is exactly why we have checks and balances."
Sleet: "We're supposed to, but lately you've been running roughshod all over them, making unilateral decisions without us."
Ironwood: "Councilman, I never intended--"
Sleet: "What people intend and what they do aren't always the same, General."
A butler walks into the room, stops at Jacques Schnee's side, and whispers to him.
Jacques: "Hm?" (hushed) "What? For how long?"
The butler whispers again. Jacques' eyes widen.
Jacques: (hushed) "My authorization? Check it again!"
The butler hurries out of the room, and Councilman Sleet looks at Jacques.
Sleet: "Councilman Schnee?"
Jacques tenses. As he speaks, he adjusts his tie and gestures awkwardly.
Jacques: "Um..." He clears his throat. "Yes, I, uh... agree with everything, everything that was, uh, just said. No, uh, no further questions." He quiets down, collecting himself, and Sleet, Camilla and Robyn Hill stare at him for a moment. Robyn then turns to Ironwood.
Robyn: "I'm not quite done yet. You're afraid of something, General. Aren't you?"
Ironwood: "I think that's pretty obvious, Miss Hill. I'm trying to prevent Atlas from becoming another Beacon, another Haven."
While Robyn speaks, Jacques does not appear to be paying close attention. Instead, he clasps his hands in front of his face, then puts his left hand to his face.
Robyn: "Yet, you don't trust your own Council to help you? Operating in secret? These are the actions of somebody who's hiding something."
Ironwood: "I'm not hiding anything."
Robyn: "Let's put it to the test then." She stands up, and Jacques lowers his hand from his face and watches as she approaches Ironwood.
Robyn: "You're all aware of my Semblance. Let's settle it here and now, General Ironwood." She stands next to Ironwood and holds her hand out to him. He looks at her hand, then at the councilmen.
Robyn: "Here and now."
He looks at her hand again, but before he can do anything, the double doors on the other end of the room noisily swing open.
Weiss: "Wait!"
Everyone looks toward the door, and Robyn gains a slightly annoyed expression. Weiss is standing in the doorway, holding the doors open.
Weiss: "You've got the wrong man on trial." She walks into the room and stops next to Jacques.
Weiss: "I know who's been framing Ironwood, who rigged the election. And my father does, too. He's been working with him."
Jacques looks nervous, and Weiss sets the Scroll that Willow Schnee gave her on the table and taps the screen, causing it to project a hologram screen into the air. The screen depicts a paused video of Jacques and the mustached man in Jacques' office.
Camilla: "Is that... Arthur Watts?"
Sleet stands up.
Sleet: "That's impossible! Dr. Watts died in the Paladin Incident years ago."
Jacques: "Wha-- W-w-what is this?"
Ironwood stands up.
Ironwood: "Play it."
Weiss taps the play button on the Scroll, and the floating screen begins playing the video. As it plays, Jacques becomes more and more nervous, fidgeting with his hands and then his mustache, sweat quickly appearing on his brow.
Jacques: (in the video) "That bastard is costing me more money every day with this embargo. I'd lay off every employee in Mantle if I wasn't trying to get their damn votes for this Council seat!"
Watts: "What if I said you could have your cake and eat it, too?"
Jacques: (in the video) "What did you have in mind?"
Watts: "James Ironwood never recognized my genius. After everything I gave him, he still disgraced me. I simply wish to return the favor."
Sleet watches the video in stunned silence and sits back down. Ironwood begins walking across the room toward Jacques.
Jacques: (in the video) "What's in it for me?"
Watts: "A seat on the council. All I need is your login credentials for the Atlas network."
Winter narrows her eyes and subtly shakes her head disapprovingly.
Watts: "You promise to make Ironwood's life a waking nightmare, and I will guarantee you victory at the polls by giving the voters down in Mantle a little... "digital push", if you will."
Robyn watches with widened eyes, then grips a nearby chair and narrows her eyes angrily.
Jacques: (in the video) "I always knew you were a good scientist, Arthur... but I never knew you were such a good salesman."
Ironwood comes to a stop near Weiss.
Ironwood: "Enough."
In the video, Jacques cackles, and Weiss taps the Scroll's screen, pausing the video and making the floating screen disappear.
Jacques: (stammering) "That, that is-- I--" He quickly stands and moves next to his chair, putting his hands up.
Jacques: (stammering) "I can explain that." He clears his throat. "That... isn't real."
Sleet: (angrily) "Jacques, take your seat."
There is a brief pause before Jacques frantically runs for the double doors behind him. He swings the doors open, only to stumble backward at the sight of an Arma Gigas summon. He sputters a little, then turns and looks at Weiss.
Jacques: "Weiss..."
Weiss: "Jacques Schnee, you're under arrest." She withdraws her Scroll and displays her Huntress license to him with a very serious expression. A few moments pass, and she looks over her shoulder at Ironwood.
Weiss: "Can I do that?"
*Azure's POV*
In the Schnee Manor dining room, Jacques was sitting in a chair on the side of the room, with Winter, Ironwood, the councilmen, Robyn and Clover standing around him. Me, my team, Team RWBY and Penny were standing together at the end of the room. Clover received a contact on his communicator and placed his fingers to it, listening.
Ironwood: "I knew you'd stoop low to get what you wanted, Jacques. But this?"
Clover glanced at Ironwood and then walks out of the room, continuing to listen to his communicator.
Jacques: "This is all a great leap, James."
Ironwood: "No, it's quite simple really -- now that I know Arthur Watts is alive. Working with a madman like Tyrian Callows, it would be easy for someone like him to coordinate an unthinkably heinous act like the one in that warehouse. Watts designed Mantle's entire security network. He used that access to hack the surveillance system and frame someone else for the job."
Every one of us but Jacques look at Penny, who looked away sadly. Ruby placed her hand on Penny's shoulder. Ironwood looks at Jacques again.
Ironwood: "All while stealing an election." He moved closer to Jacques, who gets nervous. "And once you became a Councilman, your newly granted clearance gave him a backdoor into Atlas' secure network." He slammed his hands onto the chair's arms. "But you probably hadn't even considered that, had you?"
Robyn: "The people that died that night, their blood is on your hands."
Sleet: "Jacques Schnee must be tried, not only for treason, but as an accesory to murder."
Jacques: "These are outrageous accusations! I only intended to win the election. I had nothing to do--"
Robyn: "Only?!"
Enraged, Robyn grabbed the nearest chair and slams it into the wall. Penny put her hand to her lips, and Jacques, Ironwood, Winter and the councilmen looked at Robyn. Ironwood straightens up.
Camilla: "What else will he be able to do with the access Jacques' given him?"
Ironwood: "With enough time... whatever he wants."
Jacques, Camilla, Sleet and Ironwood's Scrolls all buzz and ping, with Jacques' Scroll lighting up in the pocket of his coat. The sudden noise caused him to jump in fright. Ironwood, Camilla and Sleet withdrew their Scrolls. Camilla deployed her Scroll's screen, which displays an emergency alert, and Sleet answered a call on his.
Sleet: "Wait... wait, what? What do you mean the heat has gone off?"
Weiss and Rosa gasp and put a hand to their lips. Blake, Vert, Ruby and I look worried, and Yang and Nero look somewhat angry.
Jacques: "You have to believe me, I-I-I didn't know he was planning this."
Winter slams her hands down on the arm of Jacques' chair, and he flinches away from her.
Winter: "You are going to shut your mouth and get the heating grid up and running again."
Jacques: "I... I've been informed that we can't get into the system. It's... it's been blocked off."
Ironwood has been staring at the alert on his Scroll's screen. He lowers his Scroll and turns away, while Robyn walks over to a window and places her hand on it, looking outside.
Sleet: "Without heat down there... people are going to die."
Penny, Ruby and I look at each other worriedly. Ironwood had his hand to his jaw, covering his lips. Ruby walked over to him.
Ruby: "General Ironwood? How bad is it?"
Ironwood types something into his Scroll and then scrolls through some screens.
Ironwood: "He's using Jacques' credentials. We can follow that activity on the network. If he's found his way into the Amity system..."
Robyn turns her head and looked at Ironwood.
Ironwood: "No, the secret is safe. For now. But if he learns about Amity, she learns about Amity."
While he spoke, Ironwood walks past Ruby, Robyn and I as we watch him.
Weiss: "Can you block his access?"
He walks past Weiss, Blake, Yang, Nero, Vert and Rosa, swiping through pages that keep bringing up an "Access Denied" alert.
Ironwood: "It's too late. He's already starting to lock us out."
Blake: "Can we trace him somehow? Find out where he's hiding?"
Ironwood: "He's going to be mobile. We need his access point. We need to get him out in the open."
Robyn: "Okay, so let me get this straight."
Ironwood stops, and he, Blake, Yang, Weiss, Nero, Rosa, Vert and Penny look at Robyn. She held up her hand and then did a finger gun gesture as she spoke.
Robyn: "Yep, still here everyone." She resumes her serious expression and walked toward Ironwood. "How do a disgraced scientist and disappeared serial killer find each other, General? Why would they target you? And why are you working so hard to hide the Amity Communications Tower from them?"
Ironwood: (surprised) "You know?"
Robyn stood face to face with Ironwood.
Robyn: "I used to think you were hiding something to protect yourself. But I can tell there's something much bigger going on here. Now I think it's to protect something else. Us... Atlas, maybe even all of Remnant. And you're afraid of what might happen if you tell the truth."
Ironwood frowns. The double doors on the other end of the room opened, with Clover and Oscar on the other side.
Clover: "General, the Grimm are all over Mantle." He and Oscar hurry across the room to stand near Ironwood.
Clover: "The air fleet's doing everything they can, but they can't easily target Grimm in the city without risking casualties."
Ironwood: "This... this is what I was afraid would happen." He puts his hand to his jaw and walks away.
Clover: "Sir, we need ground support now."
Robyn: "What we need is to start evacuating Mantle. If it's completely overrun, it's not going to be safe anywhere. Use the fleet to get--"
Ironwood: "If I move the fleet, then Atlas is vulnerable. I... I tried to keep the kingdom safe. And now we're losing everything." He placed his right hand on the wall and leans on that arm, covering his face with his left hand.
Oscar approached him, resting his hand on the Relic of Knowledge.
Oscar: "General? Earlier, you asked for my advice."
Ironwood: "I wanted Ozpin's advice."
Oscar: "And his advice probably would've been to keep your secrets. When we first got here, you already knew that wasn't the right course. You had a new plan."
Ironwood: "It's time to give up on that plan." He straightens up, lowering his hand from his face. "It's all falling apart."
Oscar: "The panic you were worried about? It's already happening. The secrets you're keeping? They're about to be in the open anyway. It's time."
Ironwood turns and looks at Oscar.
Oscar: "Tell the truth."
Ruby: "You're not alone."
Ironwood looks over to see that Ruby and I have approached him with an encouraging smile.
Azure: "We can do this together."
Ironwood nods and smiles.
Ironwood: "Thank you. Oscar, I think it's time you get back to the Academy."
Oscar: "I think you're right." He rested his hand on the Relic again.
While Ironwood spoke, Winter brings out her Scroll and starts using it, heading over to him.
Ironwood: "Miss Hill, Councilman Sleet, Councilwoman Camilla, there are some things you need to know about. Let's figure out how we can help Mantle... together."
Winter held up her Scroll, with "Transport Authorized" displayed at the top of the screen.
Winter: "I've called a transport."
Vert: "What about Watts and Tyrian?"
Ironwood: "You leave them to me. Right now, you're needed down below."
Ruby and I step towards the others and she posed with her hands on her hips.
Ruby: "Alright everybody, it's time to do our jobs. All of us."
Azure: "Let's protect the people and destroy the Grimm."
Nero, Rosa and Vert nod at us. Weiss, Blake and Yang look at Penny, who smiled.
Clover: "You heard them. Let's make it happen, Huntsmen."
Clover heads out of the room with my team, Team RWBY, Penny, Oscar and Winter following him. In the hallway, we passed by a dark-haired waitress.
The last remaining party guests run out the manor's front door, which Marrow was holding open. Jaune, Nora and Ren head outside, as well. In the foyer, Ruby and I run to catch up with Oscar.
Ruby: "Oscar?"
Azure: "Wait up!"
Oscar turns to face us as we nearly bump into him.
Ruby/Oscar: "I--"
The two awkwardly interrupted and spoke over each other.
Ruby: "Oh." She awkwardly laughs.
Oscar: "Oh, you guys first."
Ruby: "Sorry. We didn't meant to interrupt--"
Oscar: "You didn't, actually."
Azure: "Well... We just wanted to say--"
Oscar: "I had thought that maybe--"
All 3: "We should tell Ironwood."
The three of us laughed awkwardly while Ruby's and my teammates run past us.
Ruby: "Well, uh..." Another awkward laugh. "I guess we're on the same page, huh?"
Oscar: "Guess so. He's finally choosing the truth over fear. We should do the same."
Azure: "You're right."
Ruby: "I'll tell him. I'm the one who chose to keep it from him in the first place."
Marrow: "Ruby! Azure! Transport's leaving." He pointed out the door with his thumb.
Oscar: "I think you're needed elsewhere." He started heading to the dining room.
Azure: "You sure you can do it?"
Oscar: "Yeah, I've got it." He gives us a thumbs up and continued on his way, and we head to the front door and leave. Marrow walks out the door after us.
*Later...*
My team, Team RWBY, Team JNR, Qrow and the Ace Operatives are flying towards Mantle aboard a Manta that was being piloted by Harriet. Clover looked out the windshield, then turns around to address us all sitting in the passenger area in the back.
Clover: "Alright, everyone. I need to stress to our new Huntsmen and Huntresses, we are prioritizing citizen safety over killing Grimm. Got it?"
We nod our heads in acknowledgement. Nora looked at Ren, who had his head turned away and his eyes closed. She sets her hand on top of his and gripped it, and he curled his fingers to grip her fingers. They looked at each other and then look down. Yang watched them. Blake looks at Yang, who looks back at her, then turned her eyes away and smiles.
Rosa saw all of this and turned to stare at Vert, who had his hands clasped together as he looked at the floor. He then turned to look at her and they both shared a smile to each other. I saw the two and chuckled a bit before holding Ruby's hand, which surprised her, but when she saw it was me, she calmed down and tightened her grip as she leaned her head on my shoulder.
Suddenly, a Teryx landed on the front end of the Manta and looked through the windshield. It roared and spread its wings. Marrow looked at the back of the ship to us.
Marrow: "Hang on!"
Jaune, Nora, Ren, Blake, Yang, Nero, Vert and Rosa buckled their seatbelts. Jaune is leaning on his sword with his eyes closed in concentration. Elm holds onto Qrow and Clover, activating her Semblance to keep her footing. Weiss created black-and-purple glyphs under herself, Ruby, Vine and myself to keep the four of us steady.
The Manta began performing maneuvers, leaning and spinning in an attempt to knock the Teryx off. Meanwhile, Jaune held back his vomit, and Ren looked at Nora, who was holding onto his right arm.
I heard the Teryx let go of the Manta, but then it landed on top of the ship. It then made its way down the right side of the ship. Blake and Yang heard the noise and leaned away from each other, just in time to avoid the Teryx's claws as they slashed straight through the wall. Yang yelped, looking terrified.
Harriet: "I can't shake it!"
Another Teryx slammed its hind claws through the ship's right wing, and flies away, causing an explosion in the ship's wing. Debris flew off the damaged wing, which begins flaming and smoking, and the ship became unsteady.
Marrow: "I don't think we're staying airborne."
Qrow: "It's time to go."
Clover: "You have your team assignments." He heads over to the ship door, flicking his clover medal with his thumb.
Clover: "Let's go."
He hit the airship's door, making it slide open. On the other side was the Teryx's head, and it screeched at Clover, who confidently stood with his back to it and a smirk on his face. Half of the damaged ship wing snapped off and slammed into the Teryx, knocking it off the ship. Jaune, Ren, Weiss and Nora jumped out of the ship one by one.
Elm: "Harriet, don't stay too long."
Harriet: (sarcastic) "Yeah, thanks for the tip."
Next, Marrow, Yang and Blake jumped out of the ship. Elm and Clover clasped hands with each other, and then Elm jumps up, grabbed onto the ship, and swung herself out. Glass from the front of the ship shatters and flies backward toward Clover, who shields his face with his arms. Harriet was standing on the pilot seat with her weapon deployed, having shattered the windshield. She looked back at Ruby and smirks.
Harriet: "Try to keep up, kid."
Ruby laughed and grins excitedly. Harriet uses her Semblance to jump out the broken windshield, run along the top of the ship and jump off the tail. I grabbed Ruby's hand and she turned back to me. I pulled her into a kiss and it lasted for a few seconds. We separated and looked at each other in the eyes.
Azure: "Stay safe, Ruby."
Ruby: "Don't worry, Cookie. Your Strawberry's gonna be safe." She said to me before jumping out and flying through the air with her own Semblance, following where Harriet went. I looked back at my team and we bumped fists with each other.
Azure: "Team AVRN, let's do this!"
AVRN: "YEAH!!!"
All four of us jumped off of the ship as we separated into our pairs, which consisted of me and Nero on one team, and Vert and Rosa on the other team.
*No One's POV*
In the foyer of the Schnee Manor, Whitley is sitting at the bottom of the main staircase, staring sadly out the open front door.
Jacques: "How dare you! This is highly unnecessary."
Atlas soldiers are escorting Jacques to a prison transport airship, while another soldier speaks with Willow.
Jacques: "I will not stand for this. Don't touch me like that."
Willow turns and looks at Whitley, who gets up and runs up the stairs. Willow turns back around, looking down sadly. The soldiers continue escorting Jacques, whose wrists are bound in front of him by a bolas.
Jacques: "I'll be reporting this rough treatment."
The soldiers push him inside, and one of them slams the door shut.
While this happens, a dark-haired waitress exits the Schnee Manor, and as the ship flies away, she begins cheerfully skipping with her hands behind her back.
In a hallway somewhere, the dark-haired waitress enters the passcode 1210 next to a door. The number pad beeps in confirmation, and the door slides open. She glances down the hall both ways and then enters, walking over to a glass wall with a view of the City of Atlas, where she stands with her hand on her hip. She hears a voice behind her, and a light turns on.
???: "You're back early."
The voice came from Cinder who, along with Quintessa, were leaning against a wall. The waitress rolls her eyes, then turns to face Cinder, who takes a few steps forward.
Cinder: "Tell me you found what we've been looking for."
The waitress strikes a sassy pose, bringing her index finger to her cheek in a feigned thinking gesture. As she does so, pink energy resembling clusters of glass shards moves up her body, dispelling the illusion and revealing her to be Neopolitan. Neo flicks Roman Torchwick's hat atop her head and smirks at Cinder.
*3rd Person POV*
Nero and Azure landed on top of a building and saw a pack of Sabyrs walking down a road. Nero and Azure jumped down and landed behind the Sabyrs, who sensed them and turned around, roaring at the two. Nero stepped on the ground with his right foot, covering the ground with a thin layer of ice. When the Sabyrs tried to rush them, they couldn't keep their footing and lost their balance, landing on the ice on their sides. Azure placed his hand on the ice and sent out blue lightning towards the Grimm, electrocuting them until they disintegrated.
More Sabyrs showed up ahead of them and ran towards them. Azure used Incarnation alongside Lightning as he blitz towards them, both swords in hand. He had three occupied but three other made it past him and rushed Nero, who stabbed his sword to the ground and used 'Permafrost Subzero'. He created two ice golems and some armor around his torso before pulling his sword out and running alongside his golems towards the Sabyrs. The golems were quick and agile, dodging the swipes from the Sabyrs as they slashed the legs and torso, before finally stabbing the Grimm in the head, killing them. Nero traded blows with a Sabyr using his sword, until the Sabyr swiped at his torso, but did no damage to the ice armor. Nero placed his blade to the Grimm's neck and slashed through, decapitating it.
Azure blocked, dodged, and swiped away each of the Grimm's attacks as he jumped back and focused his gaze towards the three Sabyrs running towards him. A bright light emanated from Azure's eyes as it covered the area, petrifying the Sabyrs as they turned into dust. He grinned and placed his swords back into their sheaths around his waist, walking back to reconvene with Nero, who dropped down from his 'Subzero' form. They heard citizens coming out of the alleys, behind dumpsters, and from inside buildings. The citizens walked out into the open and cheered the two.
Citizen: "That was amazing! He vaporized them like it was nothing!" One of the citizens said about Azure's ability. Azure and Nero waved at them with a smile and got their serious expressions back afterwards.
Azure: "Everyone! A landing zone is over this way!"
Nero: "Please follow us in a calm and civilized order. We'll keep you all safe."
The two then gathered the citizens together as Azure used Incarnation to create a golden barrier around them, surprising the citizens. They soon started walking down the road.
Vert and Rosa landed in the middle of some Grimm in the road, who Rosa got rid of with her Semblance. More Grimm consisting of seven Beowolves appeared and ran towards the two. Vert had his sniper out as he sniped at three that got close. Two pounced at him, but he shifted his sniper to its polearm mode and spun it around, slicing the Beowolves in two. Rosa slashed through another one and she bashed the last one in the head with the hammer side of her axe. She and Vert heard a scream and looked to see some Sabyrs walking towards a child and her mother as they panicked. Vert opened his hand towards the three Sabyrs and made them levitate in the air. He pulled them towards Rosa, who had her axe burning with blue fire, and she fired a strong shotgun blast at the Grimm, destroying them.
Rosa and Vert rush to the woman and child, who calmed down when they saw the Grimm no longer there.
Rosa: "It's okay, you two. We're Huntsmen, and we're gonna keep you two safe."
The two were slightly shivering, and Rosa saw this and ignites her hands on fire, which started providing warmth to the two, who looked at her with appreciation.
Vert: "If we go this way..." He points down an alleyway. "...we should be able to reach an evacuation point."
They led the two across the alleyway, making sure that no Grimm would appear and keeping them warm with Rosa's Semblance. There was a loud ping noise, followed by a cyan glow, and they stop and look up at the wall, where a giant hologram screen depicting Robyn Hill has appeared.
Robyn: "Atlas, Mantle. I know you're scared. I'm here with General Ironwood, and we have a message for you."
The camera filming Robyn zooms out to show that she is holding Ironwood's left hand, and their hands are both glowing with green Aura.
Robyn: "What he has to say may sound unbelievable... but it is all true."
Elsewhere in Mantle, Ruby and Harriet work together to kill a Beowolf. They then stop and look at a nearby hologram screen showing Ironwood.
Ironwood: "An ancient and terrible evil lies outside of our Kingdom. It was responsible for the destruction of Beacon, the attack on Haven, and for the recent attacks on Mantle. This powerful force goes by the name of Salem."
Ruby: (grinning) "He's doing it."
Somewhere else, Ren fires StormFlower's blades to swing from a traffic light, drop down on a Sabyr that is chasing civilians and stab it with his guns' blades.
Ironwood: "Salem seeks only to divide us."
Jaune uses his shield to slam another Sabyr against the overturned armored truck that Ren had leaped over. He then cuts the Sabyr in half.
Ironwood: "To turn us against each other. If she can incite hatred in us, then we will lure in the Grimm and destroy ourselves."
A group of Sabyrs charges in from the direction that the civilians are fleeing in. Vine jumps onto an armored truck and uses his Aura arms to split the group of Sabyrs and pin them against the buildings on either side of the road.
Robyn: "Salem herself does not work alone. Her minions have invaded our very city."
In their hideaway, Cinder, Neo and Quintessa are watching Ironwood's live broadcast on a Scroll.
Ironwood: "Arthur Watts and Tyrian Callows."
Neo looks at Cinder, who looks away. Quintessa continues to watch the broadcast.
Ironwood: "These men are the ones responsible for the recent murders in Mantle and for sabotaging the heating grid. But we cannot let ourselves give in to fear and panic. That is what she wants!"
On the screen, Robyn and Ironwood are still holding hands, and the Aura coating their hands continues to glow green.
Ironwood: "Instead, we must unite, and fight back, together. Every single one of us!"
Vine still has the Sabyrs pinned, and Jaune calls out to the civilians in front of him with a commanding tone, pointing his finger at them.
Jaune: "Alright, single file line! Place a hand on the shoulder in front of you, eyes forward, move, move, move!"
As he issue his commands, the citizens look back at him and then begin following his instructions. A pair of small children stand in front of Jaune, who kneels down and gives them a thumbs up and a grin.
Jaune: "Show them how it's done, kids!"
The child in a red coat salutes him. The two kids then turn on their heels, the kid in the red coat placing their hand on the other child's shoulder. They then begin marching with serious expressions on their faces.
Vine: "Where did you learn to do that?"
Jaune stands back up.
Jaune: (awkwardly) "Uh, morning school route?"
Jaune places his hand on Ren's shoulder, and they both close their eyes and concentrate. Ren uses his Semblance, which Jaune amplifies, allowing it to conceal the civilians' emotions. The two children grin while they lead the line of scared adults.
Ironwood: "This, my friends, is why I was forced to divert resources from Mantle - for the Amity Communication Tower."
At the moment, the screen is only displaying Ironwood from the chest up.
Ironwood: "Amity Tower is now completed and ready to launch. It will re-establish all global communications. Because the safety of every citizen is imperative, the council and I have decided to evacuate everyone in Mantle to Atlas. I am withdrawing all defenses from Amity in order to assist with repelling the Grimm in Mantle."
Azure and Nero were surprised that Ironwood lied about Amity Tower's completion. They grew suspicious of his intention of saying that, but had to focus on leading their group of citizens to a landing zone close by.
Robyn: "We must put aside our differences and band together to defeat this threat. I fully support General Ironwood's plan. If you've made it to your local shelter, stay put. Help is on the way. And for those of you in Sector 17, I'll be seeing you personally."
Vert and Rosa were currently heading there, with the woman and child looking forward to seeing their hero Robyn in person.
Rosa: "We're almost there, you two! Just a few more minutes!"
*Over with Cinder, Neo, and Quintessa...*
Cinder: (angry) "I still can't believe those idiots beat us here." She angrily turns on her toes and walks over to the window, crossing her arms.
Cinder: "Vacuo was supposed to be the next target." She stares out the window for a moment, calming down.
Cinder: "The timeline has changed." She turns and looks at Neo. "You said the farm boy has the Lamp?"
Still sitting in a chair, Neo nods.
Cinder: "Find him, take it."
Neo stands up with attitude, striking an exaggerated shrugging pose while using her Semblance to look like Ruby. Quintessa walks over to Neo's side and crosses her arms at Cinder.
Quintessa: "And what about us? She wants to take down that girl, and I want payback against that Azure boy."
Cinder: "No! We get what I need first! Then we get what you two want! Now go."
Quintessa: (scoffs) "Fine. But I'm going to get what I want, one way or another." She leaves through an open window, flying away into the night sky.
Neo turns away, crossing her arms. Cinder smirks and walks over to her.
Cinder: "Ironwood's been hiding the Winter Maiden for years. Tonight I'm going to find her." She takes the Scroll from Neo's hand and deploys its screen again, earning an annoyed look from Neo, who drops the Ruby illusion.
Cinder: "The general's as predictable as his androids." She begins walking away.
Cinder: "Threaten what he has, and he'll flock to protect it." She tosses the Scroll back to Neo, who catches it and then looks at her.
*Over with Ruby...*
A large fleet of Mantas arrive in Mantle, and one lands near the crowd of citizens that Nora, Weiss, Marrow and the Happy Huntresses were defending. The side door slides open, and a ramp deploys. Inside are two Atlas soldiers.
Soldier: "Get in, get in!"
Civilians begin entering the Manta in a single file line, while Nora guards the ramp. There is a loud bang, and a bright green streak soars across the sky.
Another Manta lands in an intersection near Blake, Yang and Elm. Blake runs into the Manta, while Yang beckons the nearby citizens toward the ramp. Suddenly, there's a rumbling sound, and the Grimm sirens begin blaring. Three Megoliaths turn the corner and head toward the Manta, worrying Yang and Blake. Elm stands between the Megoliaths and the Manta, holding her hammer.
Elm: "I've got this!"
She roots herself in place with her Semblance and transforms her hammer into a rocket launcher. With a smirk, she takes aim and fires a pair of rockets, her Semblance keeping her stable. The rockets kill the Megoliaths, and the citizens aboard the Manta cheer. Elm turns and looks at them, appearing somewhat surprised. She then grins and does an "OK" sign with her hand. There is a loud bang, and the bright green streak from earlier soars across the sky.
Meanwhile, after Vert and Rosa dropped off the woman and child at Sector 17, they flew using their Semblances towards Nero and Azure's location at a landing zone. They get there several seconds later and see the two escorting the citizens into an airship. They get done and they notice Vert and Rosa in the distance. The team regroups and nod at each other. Azure sees the green streak flying across the sky and uses Incarnation to follow it. Nero, Vert and Rosa watch as their leader heads off into battle as they stay and defend the area.
Ruby and Harriet are standing with some civilians, and Ruby is using her communicator.
Ruby: "Alright, we just need to get everyone to the closest airpad."
Harriet: "The closest LZ is--"
Harriet points down the street. Suddenly, the ground begins shaking with a loud thumping noise. A manhole clatters with each thump. In the direction Harriet pointed, a car goes tumbling across the intersection. Harriet gestures to the intersection.
Harriet: "There."
An Alpha Megoliath walks out from around the corner and turns to face them. It utters a roar and begins charging down the street. However, the green streak from earlier flies by behind it, and then a large green laser swoops across the street in front of it, striking its tusk. This causes it to tilt its head to the side and stop charging. The civilians around Ruby and Harriet run away, screaming, and Penny flies down to stand next to Ruby. Harriet and Penny nod to each other and then hurry forward to fight the Alpha Megoliath.
Ruby closes her eyes and concentrates, partially blocking out the sounds around her. However, the Alpha Megoliath's roar breaks her concentration, and she opens her eyes wide, looking at the fight in front of her. Penny is shooting at it with her weapon in gun mode, while Harriet speeds around it. Ruby glances down at her belt where she used to keep the Relic of Knowledge, then uses her Semblance to get onto a nearby rooftop, where she fruitlessly fires her sniper rifle at the Alpha Megoliath.
Flying near the Alpha Megoliath, Penny arranges her swords in a circle and spins them like a buzzsaw, slashing at the side of its head. She then stabs the swords into the side of its mask, and it trumpets in pain and attempts to turn its head away. Noticing the resistance from Penny pulling on the threads, the Alpha Megoliath looks at Penny, who gasps. It then jerks its head to the side, yanking Penny toward it. She slams into its tusk and is sent flying over the buildings, screaming. Ruby watches Penny and then flies after her with her Semblance.
She finds Penny unconscious, having crashed into the road hard enough to damage it. Ruby drops to her knees beside her.
Ruby: "Penny, are you okay?"
The light in the middle of Penny's bow turns on, and she opens her eyes and then looks at Ruby with a smile.
Penny: "Ouch." She hops to her feet and puts her fists to her hips, and Ruby stands back up.
Penny: "Those tusks sure are dangerous."
Ruby: "They sure are."
Ruby thinks for a second, then looks at Penny.
Ruby: "I think I have a plan."
Penny smiles confidently and nods. There is a pause, and then Penny tilts her head in curiosity.
Penny: "What is it?"
Azure: "I would like to know as well."
Azure landed behind the two girls as his golden wings disappeared. Penny and Ruby get happy when they see him.
Penny: "Azure! It's great to see you here!"
Ruby: "Azure! Perfect timing! We could use you in part of this plan."
Azure: "Thanks, you two. Well then, let's hear this plan of yours, Ruby!"
Harriet continues speeding around the Alpha Megoliath. She leaps and reaches for its trunk, but it kicks her in the back, knocking her to the ground. It then tries to step on her, and she holds its foot up above her. However, the red wires on her weapon begin glowing brightly, and the weapon itself begins to spark with electricity. Just as her weapon begins emitting a noise, she manages to push the Alpha Megoliath's foot away from her, sending herself flying backward and tumbling across the road. Her Aura flickers, and she pushes herself up onto her hands and knees.
Penny fires a laser at the Alpha Megoliath's tusk just in time, distracting it from Harriet.
Penny: "Over here, you big bag of bones!"
The street lamps along the road that Penny is on turn red, and the Grimm sirens blare. The Alpha Megoliath starts running toward Penny, who shifts her swords into gun mode and arranges them in a circle. The circle of guns spins rapidly, charging and then firing a huge laser. The Alpha Megoliath tilts its head down to the laser and begins struggling against it, still trying to get to Penny. It slowly makes its way forward, step by step, while Penny slides backward a little. She separates three guns from the circle and uses them to fire a smaller laser directly at the Alpha Megoliath's right front tusk. The smaller concentrated beam begins heating and scorching the tusk, and Penny concentrates while the Alpha Megoliath continues to make its way toward her.
Ruby/Azure: "Now!"
Penny clenches her fists and pulls back, and the concentrated lasers shut off. Now unimpeded, the Alpha Megoliath charges toward Penny once again, and Ruby uses her Semblance to fly past her and stops next to the scorched tusk, hooking her scythe on it. She places her feet against the tusk and then fires her rifle and kicks off, slicing through the burned portion of the tusk. While the Alpha Megoliath rears up and roars, Azure catches the severed tusk using Incarnate Arms and slams it into the road below. Ruby and Azure land next to the Alpha Megoliath's rear feet. Ruby hooks her scythe on its left ankle and fires the rifle to give the Alpha Megoliath a painful cut, while Azure places both of his swords behind the right ankle and he slices it in unison with Ruby's cut. It utters a pained trumpet, before falling over onto the severed horn, which impales its chest. Now deceased, it disintegrates.
The street lamps return to their normal color, and the Grimm sirens shut off. Civilians come out of hiding, looking at Penny.
Guy with dog ears: "Yeah, they saved us!"
The citizens begin cheering and clapping.
Woman in crowd: "The protector of Mantle!"
Harriet rolls her shoulder and then looks around, as citizens approach Penny.
Yang: (over communicator) "Just sent the ship up. Heading to the next LZ."
Harriet rests her fists against her hips and smiles at Penny, who turns and smiles at Ruby and Azure.
Nora: (over communicator) "Ditto!"
Jaune: (over communicator) "Same here!"
Nero: (over communicator) "Same with us!"
Penny then used her communicator.
Penny: "Ms. Hill, the southern outskirts are clear."
Azure looked at the smiling Penny and then turned to Ruby, who smiled at him.
Azure: "We did it, and we helped Penny with her status as Mantle's savior."
Ruby: "Yeah, we did. Thank you, Azure."
Azure: "No problem at all, Ruby."
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And that is it for this chapter. The Jackass gets arrested and we help save the citizens of Mantle from the Grimm. Next up is the finale for Volume 7. That is where the true colors of some people shall be revealed.