While satisfying, the last battle had not been a complete success. He had underestimated his quarry's skill, and the faunus had recovered quickly from the deception. It made the fight more even than it should have been. His arm was a reminder of his hubris. It would be the last time.8964 copyright protection599PENANAtaYIcB2pFb 維尼
He would break her, and her sorrow and pain would satisfy him for another eighteen years, but the others were not necessary. The loss of their emotions was acceptable and would only serve to break her faster.8964 copyright protection599PENANAvchmYDhFLo 維尼
Finding these White Fang had been simple. Negative emotions were like a drop of blood in the water was to a shark. These had enough hate and anger he could sense every single White Fang enclave in Vale. This was the largest, and it had been close to the last battle.8964 copyright protection599PENANALe19EWp4WP 維尼
They were perfect. They were simultaneously an excellent food source and added muscle. With them he could finish his plans which were now on an accelerated pace. Unlike the black one's army, these had resorted to theft to fund them. That meant they had no need for jobs which made up for their smaller size.8964 copyright protection599PENANAFuv78OOatZ 維尼
They also already had a defendable lair. Unfortunately it was in an active neighborhood, so traps leading to the building could not be used. Instead they relied on blending in. There was nothing that indicated this was anything more than a large house from the outside.8964 copyright protection599PENANALBvWkssnkQ 維尼
When approached his new underlings were wary of them, then scared as they revealed themselves. One attacked out of fear and was quickly killed. This added to the fear and several tried to escape. Those had been stopped with warning fire from their forearm spikes. The fear was nothing like the Red one's hate and anger but it still was delicious.8964 copyright protection599PENANAyZOPhHg7yJ 維尼
Once they were properly cowed he spoke, which had only scared them more. Of course it had. In their limited experience grimm didn't speak, nor were they capable of reason for that matter. Revealing themselves was guaranteeing their deaths once they were no longer needed, but that was not for them to know. Instead when he spoke he made promises of power equal to their own.8964 copyright protection599PENANAhajO8F3SuM 維尼
The power of a hybrid which they would bestow upon them once they proved themselves worthy of that gift. He was not prone to mirth, but he did find this deception amusing. They were no hybrid. The possibility was ridiculous. They were grimm of the highest order, no closer to the ones just beyond this city's walls than a human was to a gorilla.8964 copyright protection599PENANAkuV3nDDDmJ 維尼
With a choice between death or power the decision had been simple. Naturally they kept an eye on all of them for an attempt to escape, and dispatched the couple who thought it possible. Two examples was all it took that night.8964 copyright protection599PENANAi13ZboXef1 維尼
During this one of his subordinates secured the huntress. She was useful. The fact it would add to the faunus's anger and despair when what was left of her was put at her feet was a nice bonus.8964 copyright protection599PENANAFJtnQvjhYM 維尼
Thompson was sweating in fear, but so was everyone else in the building watching the monsters in front of them. He had been searching for the White Fang cell as ordered. There was no doubt that these three were what had been his actual target all along.8964 copyright protection599PENANARcNCly71ay 維尼
He had been thanking his good luck at finding this group. More accurately, this group found Thompson to recruit him. His reputation as a hot head had served him well. He'd gone along with it to find their base of operation so he could report it back. What he found was a network of cells. It was nothing like Phoenix in size and scope, but it was growing. He had stayed hoping to find where all of them were. He really wished he had left right away now.8964 copyright protection599PENANAHXJuytprJq 維尼
What caught his attention once the initial shock passed was the limp form over the big one's shoulder. The top half of the body was hidden behind him, but he could see the purple pants and the black leather soled shoes. For all that she tried to keep her appearance as normal as possible those shoes were rare. He kept his head facing towards the one talking, but his eyes stayed on her. He hoped his grimm mask would prevent anyone from noticing his interest. Once he got confirmation that it was Alice and she was alive he returned his attention to the grimm.8964 copyright protection599PENANAG3GFKCvTVL 維尼
He didn't make any moves right away. Three bodies on the floor later made it clear his caution was warranted. They were not to be tested. They had Alice; it was possible they would know him too. He kept his grimm mask on and slouched slightly to change his overall feeling of confidence and his height. He hoped it would be enough to hide his identity.8964 copyright protection599PENANAPLzMKMgsnN 維尼
All that was left was to wait for an opportunity to either escape or to get a message out. Until then he would observe them and learn. They weren't shy on showing off their abilities and it was impressive. The one he identified as the leader was missing one of his arms at the elbow, yet that wasn't enough to make Thompson think he had any chance against him.8964 copyright protection599PENANAl1vNlnPoKe 維尼
"Are you sure about this Raven? I know how difficult facing them will be for you," Ozpin said with concern.8964 copyright protection599PENANAHxK146fX8c 維尼
Raven had a stoic face at all times. She'd learned to control her emotions to such a degree that it took a mental effort to feel, and that was her greatest asset. "I will not be facing them unless my daughters allow them to escape."8964 copyright protection599PENANAf9Zm8AyvrL 維尼
Ozpin was quiet for several minutes. He came off as aloof to most people, but Raven's level of distance was miles further along. There was a chink in that armor though, which is what caused his concern. "Ruby and Yang being involved makes this personal."8964 copyright protection599PENANA5lJxZObpmp 維尼
Raven nodded. "Yes, but it has always been personal. This time none of them will escape me."8964 copyright protection599PENANAANTg3aNpal 維尼
Yes, this was personal, for both of them. He had not wanted RWBY to get involved, but had to admit they had gotten closer to them than he had. Whether it was by luck or by plan did not matter. He would allow them to finish the job if they could and step in only if needed.8964 copyright protection599PENANA4eJDDaOfPy 維尼
"They're ready," she said into the silence. Ozpin really wanted to know how she knew that. He had come to understand that she only could do it with Yang, so it was some sort of mother's bond. Perhaps she had figured out how to use dust to boost the natural bond most mothers had. Her time hunting the reapers had given her an understanding of dust that surpassed the greatest expert Ozpin had ever known, and that was far longer than most suspected.8964 copyright protection599PENANAG9c0QZcnDL 維尼
"CFVY in position," Coco said into the com. Her team's position had been the easiest to get to undetected, and their entry was the one they were least likely to expect. She looked over at the roof hatch and gave a slight smile. No, not there.8964 copyright protection599PENANA5G8OjCJbhG 維尼
A minute later she heard Jaune over the com. "JNPR in position."8964 copyright protection599PENANAoizqpHHvd7 維尼
"RWBY in position," Ruby said immediately after. "Entry in 3, 2, 1, GO."8964 copyright protection599PENANAIrf4esgCGT 維尼
Yatsuhashi brought his massive sword down on the roof while below them several explosions and one loud boom of Ruby's Scythe was heard. His attack had been restrained. Only the portion of the roof directly below them disappeared. Prepared for it, all four dropped safely. Each looked in a different direction to assess who was in the room and where. Of the rooms upstairs this was the one most likely to have Alice. It had no windows and only one door, making it the most secure.8964 copyright protection599PENANAHLAGTWMtFE 維尼
They had been prepared for the floor dropping out from under them. The White Fang members had not been prepared for the roof falling on them. CFVY took advantage and rushed the six stunned members inside. "Room cleared but Alice isn't here. Sweeping the floor."8964 copyright protection599PENANAkt0ah3PJrY 維尼
"Roger that Coco," Ruby replied. Like her semblance she was quick to adapt to the ever changing chaos of battle. It made her the best to lead and coordinate them on the field. It was why Coco had little reservations to her taking the lead, just as she hadn't during the grimm incursion last summer.8964 copyright protection599PENANA8OQYoAovVf 維尼
Jaune spoke up on his situation, which Coco tuned out in favor of her portion of the mission. The only thing that would bring the chatter on the com back to her conscious thoughts was mention of her name or her team's. Outside of the room they split, Yatsuhashi and Velvet went right while she and Fox went left. Her head count of the White Fang they encountered was higher than estimated, but they were easily defeated and didn't slow them. She cleared each room to the right and Fox took the left.8964 copyright protection599PENANA2EkuOLbNF6 維尼
She only had a split second to react to the black and white blur barreling down the hall, but it was enough to roll into the room she had just checked. She finished on her feet, and turned ready for another attack. Calmly she reported to Ruby "Grimm located in hall, heavily armored." That last was to indicate which of the grimm she had found. During previous fights they had noticed that the reapers were of different sizes and body types, just like humans. It was part of the reason it hadn't been clear they were grimm until Ruby had seen one with her own eyes. No other known grimm differed in this way.8964 copyright protection599PENANAS4vnZgIG07 維尼
The plates on this one were so plentiful seeing his black skin was difficult, and thick as a Death Stalker's. What was also evident was his size. His shoulders nearly touched both walls in the hallway with the muscle to match.8964 copyright protection599PENANAJ9Erq7btRI 維尼
"Coco engage, everyone else continue sweep," Ruby commanded instantly.8964 copyright protection599PENANAuDGnMgApxp 維尼
It was the right decision as far as Coco was concerned. Only herself and Yatsuhashi had any chance of breaking through that armor. Her teammate's sword was large enough that in this cramped environment he'd either destroy the walls around him, and whoever was on the other side of those walls, or have to go hand to hand.8964 copyright protection599PENANADc9aOrdEv1 維尼
Her handbag was going to have a similar issue in the hallway but not as badly. Heading into the hallway she looked to her left. "Velvet down," she told Ruby calmly, then at the grimm. "You are a fan of cheap shots I see. Let's see how you handle a fair fight," she said with a sneer, ready to remove the hindrance of the cramped hall entirely.8964 copyright protection599PENANAHBIknkaF1f 維尼
Ruby was issuing a command as Coco had taunted her opponent. "CFVY Continue your current objectives, retrieve Velvet once the floor is secure." The order was met with three roger's in unison.8964 copyright protection599PENANA9WlcCVzBYa 維尼
The grimm took the bait as he gave a condescending laugh and charged her. She sidestepped him back into the empty room and was rewarded with him following. "Silly little fashion queen playing the tough girl. Without your gun you're nothing."8964 copyright protection599PENANAJcMQ2HMy7s 維尼
Coco took in his size a second time. It was more impressive up close. While not as tall as Yatsuhashi, it was only by a few inches and his shoulder span was easily wider. She was instantly itching to transform her handbag to its much more destructive gun form, but held back. She didn't want to bring the entire building down.8964 copyright protection599PENANAp48BoutMmm 維尼
Taking one step forward she led with a snap kick using the forward momentum to add some extra force. He was quicker that he looked. He dodged backwards in time, then disappearing in a familiar ripple of black energy. Ignoring the incongruity, she pulled her leg back in then kicked backwards, feeling a satisfying crunch under her heel.8964 copyright protection599PENANArs3GYBqzPZ 維尼
The force of the kick knocked the grimm down, his head hitting the ground before her. She rewarded his fall to the ground by swinging her bag up in a circular motion that ended on his head which left a hole in the floor. "I don't play," she said with contempt.8964 copyright protection599PENANAEIUESnG9Wi 維尼
"Floor secure," Fox said over the coms.8964 copyright protection599PENANA7ATZYCZuWy 維尼
"Yatsuhashi check on Velvet," Ruby said without hesitation to Fox's update. "If she needs medical attention get her out of here, otherwise assist Coco with the Grimm. Fox assist Coco immediately." The fact that Ruby was able to figure who was closest to Velvet based solely on their original plans, while in the middle of combat, was proof she was the most suited to running the operation. Coco had been hearing Jaune giving reports, and getting his own set of commands. She was keeping both teams separate in her head while commanding her own.8964 copyright protection599PENANAeGmvZ5hWcP 維尼
She couldn't tune out Nora's victory yell as JNPR found Alice and began getting her out. Primary objective complete, the secondary was still laying facedown before her.8964 copyright protection599PENANA9uacr003PI 維尼
Incredibly the Grimm was still moving. Every grimm she'd done the same move with was instantly dead. The armor was more effective than she had counted on. The itch for her gun went up several notches. She went to bring her handbag down a second time and encountered air as the Grim teleported again. Expecting him to learn from his last use of a semblance not his own, she jumped backwards two feet to where he had been last time. She was rewarded as he materialized to the right of where she had been.8964 copyright protection599PENANAax9ZsTJERo 維尼
If this is the same as Alice's semblance he won't be able to use it again for ten seconds. I'll need to make it count, she thought to herself. If Fox gets here after that he might decide he is outmatched and make a break for it, and we wouldn't be able to stop him.8964 copyright protection599PENANACYBYTglO8X 維尼
She went at the Reaper quickly. The surprise of not finding his victim where she was supposed to be was enough to get the starting kick to connect with his gut. With him bent forward she followed up the attack by connecting with his chin in an upward strike. That returned him to a standing position, presumably stunned. She had noticed an unarmored spot on his knee and tried to connect with it. He recovered faster than she had anticipated though. He dropped downwards with all of his weight and connected a double fisted attack on her right shoulder. The added momentum of him dropping and the mass of his heavily armed fists made the hit massive. Coco heard her shoulder crack, and felt her handbag leaving her deadened fingers mid swing to fly to the other end of the room.8964 copyright protection599PENANALUh7uA1Sbe 維尼
Fuck! She yelled mentally. Fox get your ass over here already! She managed not to scream from the pain. She wouldn't give this asshole the satisfaction.8964 copyright protection599PENANAwHXjzxEUZ9 維尼
She shunted some of her aura to her arm to deaden the pain as she rolled to her right. She used the momentum from the hit to speed the tumble trying to get some distance from him. She was unarmed and injured against something she hadn't made a dent in when at her best. The fight went from difficult to impossible in a matter of seconds.8964 copyright protection599PENANA34tZ3mQeY5 維尼
"Ah, I broke my new toy already," he chuckled, obviously secure in his victory, and why shouldn't he be?8964 copyright protection599PENANAkT4FZMn1Yc 維尼
Those taunts are much more annoying when you're the one getting them, she thought irritably.8964 copyright protection599PENANA845Yp0Mx62 維尼
As much as she hated the role, Coco went on the defensive hoping Fox would arrive in time to help. Yatsuhashi had already left with an injured Velvet so he was her only chance at winning. No, he was her only chance at surviving. She eyed the window behind the Reaper trying to decide if she could make it their and out. It meant the grimm would have a chance to escape, but both her primary and secondary objectives were not a priority over her own life by Jaune's mission parameters. The issue was the booby-traps that were on every form of entrance and exit. Their exit strategy was her breaking it at range by throwing her now absent handbag. Diving through without it she had a fifty-fifty chance of getting killed from the explosion, but in here her odds were considerably worse.8964 copyright protection599PENANAeYC7OSQuhX 維尼
She made a feint with her left fist then ran to her right hoping to get closer to her escape. The punch was awkward and without force. She couldn't put anything into it without causing more damage to her right shoulder, and her aura was barely holding the pain down to sufferable levels as it was. He didn't even try to avoid the punch. He knew just how hurt she was and had no fear of its impact. Instead his left hand shot out to block her true intent. Seeing the swing coming and lacking any way of blocking it she kept her forward momentum going. She dropped to her knees just in time to slide under the arm and still move past him.8964 copyright protection599PENANAFLAWYWjZSX 維尼
It would have worked except her limply hanging right arm hit the floor and jarred her shoulder. The blinding pain was enough to stop her from popping back up to her feet and running at the window for two seconds too long. Feeling the fist coming down behind her she rolled again, this time to the left to protect her right arm as much as possible.8964 copyright protection599PENANAGkCSgEwLZC 維尼
She was not quick enough and she felt his hand wrap around her left ankle. She attempted to pull that leg in to her chest so her right would be in range to connect with the offending arm. Coco didn't get the chance. He swung her upwards, making her head hit the roof hard enough to make a small hole, then back downwards to the floor. The second impact did more damage to her shoulder, but worse it broke at least three ribs. The attacks had done damage to both her right hip and knee. She wasn't sure how bad but she knew she wasn't going to be able to put any weight on it.8964 copyright protection599PENANALyfBScDb48 維尼
Damn, not the way I wanted to go out. "I'm done," she tried to say to Ruby, but all that was heard was a wet sounding moan.8964 copyright protection599PENANA24sYbF2LTo 維尼
Then the hand let go after a sound she had heard any number of times, and it was followed by the expected muted explosion. Fox had gotten too her in time and delivered his most powerful attack to the distracted and wide open Reaper. "Grimm destroyed," she heard him say in the odd slightly off stereo of him directly and through her com. "Coco is down and in bad shape. Getting her out of here."8964 copyright protection599PENANAIpBcBTQkT5 維尼
"Roger that. Good job." CFVY was out of the fight but all of their objectives had been met. A painful cough forced its way out of her throat along with some blood, and Fox instantly doubled his speed.8964 copyright protection599PENANA7eqtDsT1dp 維尼
Nora smiled with unrestrained joy. Fighting was more than honest, it was freeing. Nothing else mattered but the opponent before her. No worries, no fears, and that freedom was an aphrodisiac to her senses. This battle was going to be quick, but intense. She expected it to be better than sex, and the afterglow when it was over would be just as wonderful. On some level she knew that was a sick way to view a fight, but she had buried that voice very deeply years ago.8964 copyright protection599PENANAjveoB7ZWkX 維尼
"CFVY in position," Coco said over the com.8964 copyright protection599PENANAYaL8k1loST 維尼
They hadn't quite reached their position yet. Reaching the back of the building undetected required a longer route, but eventually they made it. "JNPR in position," Jaune said when they got there.8964 copyright protection599PENANAGAe0sZ5Leb 維尼
"RWBY in position," Ruby said immediately after. "Entry in 3, 2, 1, GO."8964 copyright protection599PENANAjcYP2VPrxz 維尼
Ren instantly split his fire between the two windows on their right side, while Nora let loose with her grenade launcher at the blank wall to their left. The explosions would cause havoc to anyone inside. There were similar explosions happening in the front to complete the chaos. Above she heard Yatsuhashi's own entrance. Pyrrha and Jaune charged in through the hole Nora had created first, shields at the ready to deflect any attacks on their blind entrance. It was a good thing as several spikes flew at them faster than their target's reactions should have allowed.8964 copyright protection599PENANAc7RAcXi0Uo 維尼
"Grimm located at entry," Jaune said.8964 copyright protection599PENANAxnmglObCiY 維尼
Ruby was quick on her feet as always. "Nora and Ren, proceed to secondary entry. Pyrrha disengage and proceed to objective. Jaune engage hostile."8964 copyright protection599PENANAJ0zccWMbUS 維尼
Four rogers were met to the commands and Nora headed to the left window as Ren headed to the right. The explosions had caused the frames to be set ajar but whoever had set the traps had done their jobs well. The structural integrity of the wall had not been compromised. Both of them reached their windows at the same time and dove through.8964 copyright protection599PENANACk0dn7UAtW 維尼
When she landed Nora went into a roll that she ended in the center of four targets ripe for pummeling. Magnhild transforming mid roll into a war hammer. When she came out of the roll she swung a three-hundred and sixty degree arc around her, knocking the stunned foot soldiers onto their asses. It was less flashy than Ren, who was busy performing punches, kicks, leg sweeps, and any number of acrobatic moves. That didn't matter. Her hammer was god in this room and she took out her opponents with ease.8964 copyright protection599PENANAN1dC82wgcd 維尼
Pyrrha's voice came over the radio soon after. "Second grimm located and blocking route."8964 copyright protection599PENANAe5NL3WqnFl 維尼
"Roger. Team RWBY in-route. Ren and Nora proceed to main objective."8964 copyright protection599PENANAB2mKoSCsBF 維尼
An even match with the Reapers had been part of Jaune's contingency plans, and this was the expected response to the situation. Ren and Nora had the shortest route to the only room left that Alice could be in and were going to be there in seconds. They hadn't even slowed down their progress to get their orders.8964 copyright protection599PENANAbyMyp7uK1X 維尼
Entering the room Alice was there looking physically unharmed, but mentally out of it. Only four Fang were in the room, one having already recovered enough to bring a knife to her throat. With another move planned ahead of time Nora jumped and swung downwards at the floor. She pulled the trigger at the last moment causing the floor to jump and buckle. Everyone still standing on it was instantly disoriented, if not outright knocked down. Ren had jumped a second before the impact to not be among them. He went headlong towards Alice and the one who would use her as a shield.8964 copyright protection599PENANAtkfZuiyTc1 維尼
It was a calculated risk. It was possible that Nora's attack would knock him off balance in the wrong direction and slice Alice's throat. The alternative was not to attack and have it devolve into a hostage situation with enemies on all sides. That alternative would lead to all of them dying.8964 copyright protection599PENANAS9XvR95q7S 維尼
The odds landed in their favor as he fell forward, the knife moving away from her throat. Ren was on him before he had a chance to recover. "Woo hoo!" Nora exclaimed into the com. "We got her!"8964 copyright protection599PENANAx9Yo2D0hgX 維尼
"Proceed with extraction. Front entrance is cleared." The explosion she heard over the com came a split second later through the air. Some people get all the fun!8964 copyright protection599PENANAAnTakeDXtT 維尼
"Yes ma'am!" Nora replied with exuberant cheer.8964 copyright protection599PENANANkoBrkGcfV 維尼
Ren had already sliced the ropes holding Alice to a chair and thrown her on his shoulder. "Let's go," he said simply and ran towards the offered egress.8964 copyright protection599PENANAYS8EdO9yAl 維尼
Nora took point clearing any enemies that got in her way. It was a bit of a downer though because there weren't many who were capable of fighting still. One managed to grab her ankle from the ground. He looked relatively well if you ignored the gash on his head that was bloodying his golden mane. Nora was starting to deliver the knockout blow when he pointed. Once she was sure he wasn't getting up she looked at what he wanted her to see out of curiosity. It was a hatch in the floor with a head just poking out.8964 copyright protection599PENANAqu8pA7ocjR 維尼
She hadn't given any real thought about the fact there was more White Fang in the building than there should have been, but seeing a couple come out of that hole explained it. "They're coming in from underground," She said into the com.8964 copyright protection599PENANAf4A7LM7g7z 維尼
"Plug it."8964 copyright protection599PENANAgMtAO6Qjti 維尼
That brought another smile on her face as she charged in and cleared out the guy unlucky enough to be getting out when she got there. She looked down with a grin that obviously scared the hell out of the next guy in line; especially when her hammer became a grenade launcher pointed directly down the shaft.8964 copyright protection599PENANAZo9ub4owU5 維尼
No human casualties was the command, and really she didn't want to take a life. She paused long enough for him to drop to the ground and run out of sight, along with a few accomplices who had been waiting below him, before she pulled the trigger. The tunnel was deep, but dust rose from the explosion to fill the room.8964 copyright protection599PENANAWZhZIzwW1y 維尼
"Primary objective complete," Ren said through the com as he exited.8964 copyright protection599PENANAtQH5cV80je 維尼
Nora didn't waste much time following, but she made sure all of the enemies were unconscious, of course. If anyone asked she was simply being thorough.8964 copyright protection599PENANA6HtmTIzoxe 維尼
She'd been right; it had been quick, simple, violent and successful. Not quite as fun as she'd hoped, but it would do. The members of Alice's wing would be taking care of her from there. Ren and Nora would make sure no one else escaped, especially the Reapers, unless they got orders otherwise.603Please respect copyright.PENANAtgbZaXuqlK
8964 copyright protection599PENANAsrwxnkb2kc 維尼