章 733: 76
Chapter 76:
Day 2:
"Raven was warning me about Ozpin," said Yang, as she and Qrow made their way back to where the rest of the group was rendezvousing.
"Let me guess, she said Ozpin was treating you like pawns," growled Qrow.
"Pretty much," replied Yang.
Qrow sighed. "Well...on that, she ain't entirely wrong."
"What?" gasped Yang.
"Like it or not, Firecracker, we're all pieces on a big board," said Qrow. "That ain't to say that Ozpin isn't taking this seriously, 'cause he is. But, the general needs to stay in the back for a reason."
"What do you mean?" asked Yang.
"Trust me, Oz would like nothing better than to charge in and do the fighting himself," said Qrow. "It ain't that he can't fight. Hell, he's one of the best I've seen by a mile. But commanders who charge right into the fray alongside their rank-and-file may be romantic...but ain't all that effective."
"Why?"
Qrow huffed. "If you're gonna command something on the level of a war, like the one Oz is fighting, you've gotta keep back, not to stay safe, but to keep a wide view of what's going on. If you're right out in the thick of things, it closes off your view to what's going on elsewhere. Ozpin has to keep his distance from the fighting, so that he can help the people who do the fighting to get to where their strengths can do the most good.
"So, yeah, he technically sent Summer off to die, but that wasn't his intention. And Oz feels it, every time he loses someone on a mission. It may not be as personal for him as it was for us, but he still feels it...and he's lost way more people...'cause he's been at this for a long time."
"How long?" asked Yang, beginning to feel very out of her depth. Between Raven's warning, and Qrow's statements, she was getting the impression that things were much bigger than simply stopping the White Fang's terrorist plot, that this was all part of something even bigger than the White Fang itself.
"You ain't quite ready to hear about that, Firecracker," said Qrow sadly. "Maybe someday, you'll get to learn about the bigger picture. But now ain't the time. For now, we've gotta stay focused on the mission, and the mission's already gotten more complicated than we were banking on." He gave a Yang a pointed look. "Can you manage that?"
"Yeah," said Yang, reluctant to give up on her questions so easily. But, like it or not, Qrow was right. They had more immediate problems to focus on, rather than a vague, larger conflict. Hopefully Qrow would be willing to tell her more, once this was all over.
She and Qrow were the last to return, the others having already gathered in the same abandoned building that had served as their camp the previous night. Immediately, Yang could feel the tension in the air, and it wasn't hard to identify the cause.
Said obvious cause was standing beside, and a little behind, Blake. Ilia's posture was taut and nervous, her right hand hovering by the handle of her weapon, though she'd yet to pull it free. Blake's posture was slightly more protective, prepared to ward off anyone who impulsively attacked the White Fang member. At the very least, Ilia had chosen to keep her mask off, which was apparently what had kept the members of CPPR from attacking her on sight.
Speaking of CPPR, the team from Atlas was arrayed in a loose arc in front of Blake and Ilia, their weapons at the ready. Ren and Nora were there as well, standing slightly off to the side, though, from their position and posture, they were ready to leap to Blake's defense in a second. Professor ("Doctor!") Oobleck stood off to the side, watching everything unfold with a dispassionate expression.
"Wow...little tense here, huh?" mused Yang rhetorically, as she and Qrow approached.
As she approached, Yang noticed Qrow hanging back, watching things calmly, but cautiously. It appeared that the adults here were waiting to see just how the students resolved this apparent conflict, perhaps hoping that they could do so without them needing to step in.
At the sight of Yang, Blake's eyes betrayed a measure of relief, though she remained wary. "Please! Lower your weapons. Ilia isn't here to fight."
"Regardless, she is a member of the White Fang," said Ciel, her tone hard, not hostile, but determined, giving everyone the impression that this was the result of her by-the-book mentality at work, more than any actual enmity towards Ilia. "She needs to disarm and submit to custody."
"I'm not here to surrender," declared Ilia, her tone stubborn.
Not helping, thought Yang ruefully.
"Look, Ilia is here to help," said Blake firmly. "This information is critical, and the safety of Vale depends on it."
"We cannot take the statements of a known criminal at her word," declared Ciel firmly. She kept her pata sword leveled at Blake and Ilia. On her left, Rain stood, his shield deployed, its elongated tip running out along his forearm, but angled down. His expression was wary, but not hard. Instead, he regarded Blake with renewed interest. Piper worked the fingers of her right hand, casually directing four of the orbs that made up her unusual weapon in a loose orbit above her upturned palm. Her expression was one of curiosity, for the most part. And Penny...Penny was the only member of CPPR who hadn't deployed her weapon in some fashion, looking cheerfully oblivious to the gravity of the situation.
"Okay! Timeout!" declared Yang, holding her hands up, striding right between the two opposing factions, before holding a hand out to either side. "I know things are weird, but I get the feeling that this is really not the time or place to be having a Vacuoan standoff."
"She's not wrong," agreed Ren, joining Yang in standing between CPPR and Blake and Ilia. "We can't let our feelings get out of hand, or we could wind up drawing the Grimm to us."
Not that there seem to be any Grimm to draw, right now, Yang noted, though she kept that thought to herself, if only to keep from undermining her leader's argument.
Ciel frowned firmly, the stubborn set of her mouth indicating that she was not planning on backing down easily. However, beside her, a series of clicks announced Rain compacting his shield, before slipping it back into place on his back. From there, he rested his hand on Ciel's forearm, gently pushing her weapon down.
"I am in agreement, I must say," he said softly. "Procedure cannot account for every possible situation. Let us at least hear them out, first."
Ciel turned her head to meet Rain's eyes. There was something, almost like a silent conversation that passed between them. Then Ciel closed her eyes and relaxed her arm, retracting her weapon. "Very well then," she said, folding her arms behind her back, looking past Yang and Ren at Blake and Ilia. "However, there is a great deal you need to explain." On her other side, Piper put her orbs away.
Yang, Ren, and Blake sighed, relaxing, while Ilia remained wary and on-guard, understandable, considering her insistence that she was not surrendering or defecting from the White Fang and, thusly, was technically still dealing with enemies.
Rain sent a wry, yet still polite, smile at Blake. "Ms. Belladonna, does this mean that I was correct...about you having a personal stake in this matter?"
"Um..." Blake tensed.
"You seem a little more protective of Miss..." Rain turned his gaze to Ilia. "I apologize. What was your name again?"
"Ilia," she said, a little reluctantly.
He continued. "...Ms. Ilia than one might expect of one who is merely protecting her informant. It suggests to me that the two of you have a more personal relationship."
Ciel and Piper both threw Rain a surprised glance, while Yang, Ren, and Nora all looked nervously at Blake. Penny continued to beam pleasantly, not seeming bothered by this conversation in the slightest.
Blake let out a defeated sigh. "You're not wrong," she admitted, reaching up to untie her ribbon, revealing her cat-ears.
Piper gasped softly, and Ciel's eyes widened fractionally. However, Rain's pleasant expression didn't falter in the slightest. "I see," he said. "So now it becomes more clear...You do have a personal stake in this affair."
"I do," agreed Blake.
Rain glanced at Ciel, who looked back and nodded. "Very well," she said. "Let's hear what your friend has to say, Ms. Belladonna."
Blake gave Rain a grateful smile. "Thank you," she said softly.
From there, the tension mostly dissipated, though everyone still regarded Ilia somewhat warily, which she didn't seem to mind too much, seeing as she was still making it clear that her presence did not indicate she was defecting from the White Fang.
Ilia and Blake explained what the White Fang were doing, in the caverns beneath the settlement. At they spoke, the faces of everyone else, even those of the veteran Huntsmen, paled starkly, the implications of what the White Fang was doing sinking in viscerally.
"Those monsters!" exclaimed Nora, her eyes threatening to spill over with tears. "How could they?"
"They're not monsters!" protested Ilia. "They're just misguided!"
"Willingly leading a horde of Grimm into the middle of Vale is 'misguided!'?" scoffed Nora with uncharacteristic fury. "Only a monster would do something so terrible! How can you even say that? How can you have anything to do with something like that? Do you have any idea what it's like, to see the Grimm destroy everything you know, to watch as they rampage and slaughter everyone around you, and...and..." Nora's breathing was growing heavier and more frantic with each word she spoke.
Then Ren reached out, gently resting the tips of his fingers against Nora's shoulder. There was flicker, and the colors of Nora, and everything she was wearing, faded, her expression relaxing as she came down from the emotional high. Turning his gaze back to Ilia allowed her to see the hard look in Ren's own eyes, a sign that he definitely shared Nora's sentiments, even if he was less vocal about them.
Ilia glowered back at them, her expression not faltering. "And I'll ask if you know what it's like, to spend your entire life being stepped on, just because you were born different? Do you know what it's like to have to hide what you are, just to be able to attend a decent school and have a snowflake's chance in Hell of earning a better life for yourself?" Her hands balled into fists, red and yellow washing across her body. "Do you know what it's like to hear someone you've gone to school with; someone you've grown up beside, played games with, gone to sleepovers with; snicker when they learn that your parents died in a mining accident?"
Now Nora was leaning away from Ilia, shocked and dismayed at what she was hearing. Even Ren looked discomfited by this revelation. Yang had covered her mouth. Piper frowned darkly. Even Penny's expression appeared to wilt before the force of Ilia's anger. Ciel's expression was flat. Both she and Rain's faces both showed signs of recognition.
"The Titan Prep incident," said Ciel softly. "That was you?"
"What?" asked Yang, looking to Ciel.
"Titan Preparatory School was a prominent prep-school in Atlas," explained Piper. "It's certainly a pretty exclusive place."
"Several years ago, a scandal broke that cost the school a great deal of its reputation," said Rain pensively. "A faunus had infiltrated the school as a student, and befriended several other students, before attacking them viciously."
Ciel frowned darkly. "The parents of the victims, many of them affluent and influential members of Atlas' upperclass were outraged. Several prominent donors pulled their funding, and the school nearly went under."
Noting that Ilia's anger was not abating at hearing this story, Rain pressed on. "The official report was that it was a deliberate infiltration, and represented an early sign of the White Fang's shift towards violence, though that appears to have been a story meant to assuage the parents of the students, as the administration would not want to admit that they had been fooled into allowing a faunus to attend."
Ilia nodded, before turning her glare back to Nora. "Make no mistake. We tried being nice. We tried to peacefully encourage change. But that just made the humans arrogant. It made them think that they could just push us back, beat us, oppress us with violence, all while hypocritically calling us animals and savages. That showed us the truth. The only time we made any meaningful gains was during the Revolution. If we really wanted to change things, to make the humans understand that we have the right to be treated equal, then we needed to fight.
"I'll admit that Adam's faction is taking things way too far. But they've been led astray. There's someone else pulling the strings, using them as a means to an end. I'll even admit that Adam is no longer suited to lead them, and that he has become dangerously unstable. I've reported as much to High Leader Khan, which was the reason I was here to begin with. But we are not monsters."
Nora and Ren appeared somewhat contrite, though their gazes still sparked with anger. Knowing what little she did about their history, Yang knew that they had personal experience with the devastation the Grimm could wreak, so she could understand their anger, even if she could also sympathize with Ilia's stance.
"Still, at the moment, it's pointless to debate the ethics and morality of the White Fang at present," said Ciel, calling attention back to the matter at hand. She looked to Oobleck and Qrow. "Doctor, Mr. Branwen, this situation is clearly more tenuous than we were expecting. Your thoughts?"
Qrow hummed, before turning his gaze to Ilia. "From the sound of things, that little operation of theirs is almost ready to go, right?"
Ilia nodded, her angry colors fading back into their normal hues. "The operation is in its final stages. We are just stocking the last of our munitions, and awaiting the arrival of the last personnel, before the attack is launched. The attack is scheduled to commence next Monday. It was meant to be earlier, but progress has been slowed by certain...setbacks." She grimaced uncomfortably at the memory of some of those setbacks, namely the ones Adam was responsible for.
"But the train is able to get underway at any moment, is it not?" asked Oobleck.
Ilia nodded again, her expression much graver. "The tunnel has been cleared, the tracks repaired, and the train itself is fully operational. Though it wouldn't have the planned full force behind it, the operation could be commenced as-is, and the train could be launched with only a moment's notice."
"In other words, if James comes storming in with his ships and troops, he could wind up triggering the attack prematurely," said Qrow, frowning darkly. "It wouldn't have as much oomph, but it would still do a hell of a lot of damage."
"That's right," agreed Ilia.
"Perhaps, if he sent his troops in through the tunnel," suggested Oobleck. "Then, even if the train is launched, they would be in a position to intercept it."
"There are alarms set to warn if the tunnel is breached from the far end," said Ilia in a warning tone. "If that happens, the train is to be launched immediately, and Ironwood's forces will be walking right into an incoming train, leading a small army of Grimm behind it."
"Still a strategy worth considering," mused Oobleck. "However, the number of troops he would be able to send through the tunnel at once would stymie their effectiveness."
"Is there something we could do?" asked Yang, looking at the two Huntsmen.
"If we try, there's a chance we could set off the attack," said Ren. "There's no way we could fight our way through the White Fang to reach the train before they get it underway, especially if they employ even a single Paladin to forestall us."
"That's if we go for the train directly..."
Everyone's eyes went to Ciel, who was cupping her chin pensively, her gaze angled down. "Regardless of what is on the train, what weapons it has, or how many Paladins are accompanying it, the simple fact of the matter is that the train cannot go anywhere, unless it has tracks."
"Oh!" gasped Piper, her eyes lighting up. "I see."
Ciel turned her eyes back to Ilia. "Is the tunnel alarmed on this end?"
"It isn't," said Ilia, her own eyes widening at the realization. "We were worried about intrusion from the opposite end, in Vale. But, with the encampment around the tunnel mouth, alarming the tunnel itself was seen as superfluous."
"And you could get us through the camp's security," noted Blake, looking Ilia. "That's how you were able to show me the operation in the first place, without anyone finding out. Do you think you could get us into the tunnel?"
"I could," replied Ilia. "Once we're past the perimeter, the tunnel entrance isn't actually guarded, so it would be possible to slip in with a group this small."
"So we take out the tracks," said Ren, "and then the train will not be able to go anywhere."
"More than that," said Piper, her eyes slipping to Penny. "If we hit it in the right place, we could cave in the tunnel again. That would set back the White Fang's schedule by weeks and, if we time this right, we can do it so that the General's forces can come in and roll them up before they could pull out." She flashed Ciel a playful grin. "Look at you, Boss, bucking convention like that."
Ciel coughed, her expression softening. She favored Rain with a small, yet fond, smile. "Procedure can't account for everything," she said, prompting a sheepish grin and blush from Rain. Then she turned her eyes to Qrow and Oobleck once again. "Of course, we still require your approval to move forward with this."
Qrow chuckled, grinning and shaking his head. "Well, you kids have a damn good handle on things. What do you think, Bart?" He looked at Oobleck.
"It is a legitimate strategy," said Oobleck. "And it is a matter best left in our hands. I'm afraid that General Ironwood may not be as...flexible...in regards to procedure, should we seek to have him send a force in for this, in our stead."
"Got that right," agreed Qrow, glancing at Ilia. "He sure as hell won't want to put his trust in someone from the White Fang, especially since you're not a defector. We don't need that kind of conflict weighing us down."
"It represents a substantial risk, but one well worth taking," said Ciel. "Doctor, considering your specialty in history, I presume you know the proper place to collapse the tunnel that would enable us to block it off again."
"Correct," agreed Oobleck. "Considering the strategy Ms. Amitola has informed us of, the White Fang will be looking to collapse areas where the tunnel is near the surface, in order to create openings for the Grimm. However, the tunnel runs under Mount Glenn itself, which means that, if we choose the correct location, we will have an entire mountain's worth of stone to fill the tunnel with."
"Aside from the getting-past-the-guards-with-eleven-people part, we've got a pretty good handle on this," mused Qrow.
"Ten, actually," said Oobleck, adjusting his glasses.
"What?" grunted Qrow, looking at his fellow Huntsman.
"Someone needs to return to Vale, and report this to Ozpin and Ironwood," replied Oobleck. "The General will need to muster his forces, so that the White Fang can be corralled, before they escape."
"Oh...good point," conceded Qrow.
Ilia frowned, looking down. It was one thing to head off an absurdly violent attack like the one Vale's White Fang was currently preparing. But arranging for them to be caught and arrested, on top of all that, was practically a betrayal, something that Sienna Khan might not forgive, even though she would not have approved of what Adam's people were doing in the first place.
Still, there was nothing to be done at this point. She had already stepped past the line, simply by revealing the situation to Blake, then following her back to fill in the rest of the group. She had to see this through now. The one thing she was sure of was that she could not be party to such a hideous act of senseless violence. She had to stop it, as much for the sake of the White Fang itself as for their potential victims.
"All right then," said Qrow, stretching his arms over his head. "I'll head back to inform Oz and Jimmy."
"Actually, it had better be me," said Oobleck.
"Huh?" blurted Qrow, staring at the doctor in confusion.
"Qrow, you're better suited for this kind of operation than I am," explained Oobleck. "Therefore, it is best if you remained with the students to supervise them through this. In the meantime, I shall signal for pickup by bullhead, and fly straight back to Beacon."
"Well...if you're sure..." said Qrow uneasily. He supposed that he couldn't outfly a bullhead, but he figured that his departure would at least be more discreet.
"Okay then," said Ren, calmly laying things out, "the plan is for us to slip past the perimeter of the White Fang's encampment, then enter the tunnel. Following it down until we are under the bulk of Mount Glenn, we'll trigger a collapse, and block the tunnel, as well as take out the tracks the train would be using."
"Sounds like a plan," agreed Yang, nodding to herself. "So, that leads to one more question..."
"Which side of the cave-in do we want to be on, after we bring it down?" said Piper.
"It would probably be best to be on Vale's side, when we destroy it," said Ciel. "Destroying the tunnel will undoubtedly be noticed by the White Fang, and they will probably investigate in force, probably including the stolen Paladins. If we are caught in that situation, we will be trapped, with no means of escape, our only hope being holding out until the General's forces arrive."
"But, if we are on the other side, we can simply retreat the rest of the way down the tunnel, straight into Vale," finished Rain, nodding in agreement.
"Kind of a shame, really," grumbled Yang. "I mean, after going through with this, I'd really like to be on hand to see the whole thing go down. It feels weird to just do one part, and leave the rest to someone else."
"It's the best approach," said Ciel frankly. "In operations with so many moving parts, the best you can do is the part that you are assigned, and trust in the others to do theirs."
"Though, in this case, we would be the ones who cannot be trusted," Ren pointed out, "this plan of ours is coloring outside the lines, as it were."
Ciel shrugged. "Sometimes that can't be avoided," she admitted, seeming more comfortable with the fact now. "One of the first things we were taught in strategy and tactics class is that, once the battle begins, nothing goes as planned. While this isn't an outright battle, it is a conflict of another kind. A dynamic situation requires that one be able to react dynamically."
"So we have a plan," said Piper. "We sneak into the tunnel, bring it down, then follow it back to Vale, and leave mopping up the White Fang to the General."
"Then I shall leave forthwith," declared Oobleck, pulling out his scroll. "Assuming a prompt response to my beckon-call, I should be back at Beacon before nightfall. With that, we should set a specific time, tomorrow, for the operation, so that Ironwood's forces can move in promptly, after the tunnel has been destroyed."
"Ilia…?" said Blake, looking to her friend.
Ilia sighed, looking down with a despondent expression. "The noon lunch-break would be best," she said. "Since most of the soldiers will be eating, their response will be delayed. The lookouts won't be paying as much attention."
"Very well then," said Oobleck, regarding the students. "Your team will collapse the tunnel promptly at twelve-fifteen then. The General will be moving his forces in before that, so they will likely be spotted before that. If you notice any signs that the train has already begun moving, bring the tunnel down immediately."
"Understood," said Ciel.
"We're counting on you to help us get past the sentries then," said Yang, throwing a nervous smile at Ilia.
"I can't believe I'm actually doing this," grumbled Ilia, cradling her face with her hands.
"You have a way, don't you?" asked Blake.
"I do," said Ilia. "It's going to be tricky. You'll have to pass through at least part of the encampment to reach the tunnel mouth, which means that you'll have plenty of chances to be spotted, even past the sentries."
Pulling out her scroll, Ilia opened it up into tablet mode, bringing up a map of Mountain Glenn. It was an interactive map, which allowed her to overlay the surface streets and structures with those in the caverns below. She linked her scroll with those of RYNB and CPPR, sharing the full map with them, as well as Qrow and Oobleck. Oobleck was especially impressed, as the White Fang's map of the ruined settlement was far more complete than his own, outdated, one.
"I need to head back," explained Ilia.
"Unacceptable-!" Ciel began to exclaim, before she was stopped by Rain, gently brushing his fingers over her knuckles.
"She has to," he explained. "They will be missing her, if they are not already. I am guessing that, if she does not return within a prescribed period of time, they will suspect something is amiss."
"That's right," agreed Ilia, nodding. "I don't have much time left, really, so I need to leave in just a few minutes, if I'm going to make it back before they suspect something." She tapped the image of the map on her scroll, highlighting a particular point, which appeared on the scrolls of everyone else. "I'll meet up with you all here, tomorrow, at ten. From there, I'll guide you past the sentries, and into the cavern.
"From there, I'll split with you. I'll cause some kind of commotion on the opposite end of the encampment, which will hopefully draw everyone's gaze away from the tunnel, which will allow you to enter it. Once inside, you shouldn't have to worry about anymore security. Make your way down the tunnel, and wait at the target point. Then bring it down."
Ciel frowned. "The way that is set up makes it very easy for you to get away, once your part is done."
Ilia returned her gaze. "That's right," she agreed. "I told you that I am not surrendering or defecting. We are cooperating to put a stop to this particular operation. But I will not abandon the White Fang."
"We don't have much of a choice," Piper pointed out.
Ciel sighed, lowering her head. "I suppose not." She raised her gaze. "As strange as it feels to say this, Ms. Amitola, we shall put our faith in you. Our lives are in your hands, with this operation."
Ilia didn't know what to say in response to this. She wasn't just hearing this from a human, but from an Atlesian, a student of Atlas Academy no less. To hear this girl express faith, however reluctantly, in her, was jarring to say the least.
Blake rested a hand on Ilia's shoulder. "Remember, humans aren't beyond redemption," she said.
Ilia frowned, but then sighed and nodded. "I suppose not," she said. "But one person doesn't stand for a whole race."
"That goes both ways," Ren pointed out. "The humans who have fought against the rights you seek do not represent all of us."
"I guess that's true too," admitted Ilia, reluctantly. "I'll need to think about things, after this is over. Hopefully High Leader Khan can sort things out with the Vale faction, once this is stopped."
"Well then, we are in agreement," said Oobleck. "Ms. Amitola, it's best you were gone. I shall go to call the bullhead immediately."
Oobleck and Ilia left simultaneously, leaving RYNB and CPPR alone with Qrow.
Yang sighed. "Well, so much for this just being a scouting mission, huh?"
"You said it," agreed Nora with a laugh.
Day 3:
It was a tense wait. The rest of the afternoon passed rather uneventfully, which was unnerving in its own way, given that their surroundings should have been crawling with Grimm. The inability to participate in the familiar, if strenuous, activity of Grimm extermination not helping to pass the time. The only reassurance that day was when they received confirmation that Oobleck had been picked up by the bullhead, and that he was one his way back to Beacon to report to Ozpin and Ironwood. That night, they took up their watches as before. But everyone's sleep was fitful, the prospect of the upcoming operation, impromptu as it was, leaving them with frayed nerves.
Morning dawned on a Mountain Glenn that was, once again, silent and strangely devoid of Grimm. That silence only added to the tension in the air as the two teams, and Qrow, ate their breakfast. After that, they made their way, cautiously, to their meeting with Ilia. Given the nature of their mission, they wound up leaving most of their luggage behind, instead taking the bare essentials to make sure they could move as quickly and quietly as possible.
The designated point was what had once been an office building of some kind. Its crumbling facade had been knocked down partway up. Entering the building, they looked around warily, their weapons at the ready, in case this proved to be an ambush.
"You're right on time," said Ilia, melting out of the shadows, her black skin melting back into its normal shade, removing her mask.
They relaxed a little at the sight of her, though none of them lowered their guard completely, especially not the members of Team CPPR, though Penny seemed almost oblivious to the danger.
"Follow me," said Ilia, beckoning the others towards an innocuous-seeming door. It was metal, but it had rusted over the years, looking warped and non-functional. Pulling it open, Ilia revealed a stairway that descended down into the darkness.
As they cautiously followed Ilia down the stairs, Blake realized that this was one of the underground buildings that rose straight up from the cavern below, and into the settlement above. They descended the stairs for several minutes, before emerging into an underground lobby. The pervasive gloom of the cavern surrounded them, made all the more intense by their inability to use lights, lest they attract the attention of the White Fang, relying on Ilia and Blake to guide them through the darkness.
From there, Ilia led them along a convoluted path that wound around rubble and through dilapidated buildings. As they moved, Ilia quietly pointed out the positions of sentries, telling them when to move and where to move to. They moved cautiously, dreading each and every click of dislodged stone. The crumbling caverns were actually full of tiny ambient noises, which would help to mask the sounds of their movements, but did nothing to sooth their frazzled nerves.
After several minutes of skulking, they found themselves crouched behind the remains of a shattered building, looking around the corner at the line of the cavern wall, which ran all the way up to the entrance of the tunnel. From there, they could see the White Fang's encampment. As Ilia had promised, there were no sentries. However, their position afforded them a view of numerous soldiers moving about, carrying out various sundry tasks. At any given point, there would be several White Fang members looking in the general direction of the space they would have to move through to reach the tunnel entrance. On their own, there was no way they could reach their destination unseen.
"I'll have to cause a distraction," explained Ilia softly. "I'll do it near the other end of the encampment, so that, hopefully, everyone's gonna be looking over that way. That'll be your window to make for the tunnel."
Ilia turned to go, but stopped when Blake rested a hand on her arm, arresting her for a second. "What?" she asked, looking back at Blake, only to balk at the sad and worried look in her old comrade's eyes.
"Be careful, Ilia," said Blake softly.
Despite herself, Ilia found herself wiping away tears, before she slipped her mask on to. "You too," she said. "Just hurry."
With that, Ilia's skin turned black, and she faded into the shadows.
"She's not so bad," said Yang, giving Blake's shoulder a friendly squeeze. "I think we could be friends even."
"She might like that," mused Blake, before sighing.
RYNB, CPPR, and Qrow settled in to wait, tensely counting the seconds as they passed, while keeping their eyes and ears peeled for anyone who was in danger of finding them. They were within the camp's perimeter after all, so there was nothing stopping a random White Fang member from wandering into their hiding place. No one was patrolling, this far in. Instead, they were working. But that only made their movements all the more unpredictable, and impossible to tell when they might or might not be looking towards the wall along the tunnel entrance.
Then it came. They had no trouble recognizing Ilia's distraction. A flash strobed from the other end of the camp, followed by a loud explosion, sending a vibration running through the floors and walls of the entire cavern. Loose stones dropped from the ceiling above, and building walls crumbled slightly, even the wall the students and Qrow were hiding behind.
Naturally, the explosion drew everyone's attention in its direction. Every member of the White Fang stopped what they were doing to stare.
"That's our signal!" announced Qrow as loudly and harshly as he dared. "Go! Go!"
They darted out from behind their cover, running along the cavern walls. As they did, they watched the nearby soldiers intently, looking for the slightest sign that they'd been noticed. As they did, snatches of conversation drifted their way.
"-the hell happened?"
"Some idiot screwed up with a crate of fire-Dust, nearly sent the whole stash up!"
"Let's get over there, before it spreads to the cars!"
"Good thing Adam's not here. Last thing we need is him sending some other poor schmuck to the infirmary over this."
"Some poor schmuck might be going there anyway."
Then they were in the tunnel, quickly running along the tracks, until the entrance fell away behind them. After a few minutes of running, they slowed down to a walk, then stopped, looking back the way they came, eyes and ears straining for any sign that the alarm had been raised. Fortunately, all they heard was silence, even the aftermath of the explosion dropping away.
"Looks like we made it," said Ren, letting out a soft breath.
"Looks that way," agreed Qrow, checking his scroll. "Let's get moving. We ain't got a lot of time, and we've got about five miles to the target point. We need to get there before Ironwood's forces launch their attack, so we've got a march on our hands."
"Understood," said Ciel, the others nodding alongside her.
"What on earth happened?" demanded Ilia, watching as the soldiers put out the flames. She was sweating from the effort of carrying crates away from the threatened zone, in order to keep them from going up as well. It had taken over an hour to get the situation under control.
"No idea," declared Meinrad. "My first thought was that we were under attack. But it seems that someone was just clumsy."
"Maybe a crate stacked wrong," suggested Perry, a member who stood out for his wearing of glasses over his mask.
"Let's just thank God Adam wasn't here to see this," said Ilia with a sigh. "There's no telling how many he'd put out of commission, if he saw this."
"Someone might well die," said Meinrad gravely. "Something like this could give us away to those student teams in the vicinity." He looked to Ilia. "You're certain that they're just here for Grimm extermination?"
"That's right," confirmed Ilia, before frowning. "Though they seem to be short on targets all of a sudden."
"I suspect the Grimm population will return to normal soon," mused Meinrad. "Whatever this phenomenon is, it's certain to be temporary. They'll be back before we launch the operation, I'm sure."
"And if they aren't?" asked Perry.
"Then we go with what we have," declared Meinrad firmly. "We can't afford to put things off anymore than we already have. Even if we don't have the Grimm, we still have eleven Paladins. We shall simply have to focus on causing as much damage as we possibly can before the authorities respond. We'll have surprise on our side, so there will be plenty of human and house-pet blood flowing, by the time they get there."
Ilia grimaced, once again reminded of how glad she was she'd been able to get Blake and the others into the tunnel. Adam had stoked his subordinates' hatred of humans to a fanatical degree. This branch of the White Fang no longer had any interest in coexisting with humans, merely inflicting as much violence on the humans as they could...with the eventual goal of killing or subjugating them all.
It had been simplicity itself to sneak in amidst the stacked crates of Dust. Finding the smallest crate of fire-Dust she could, she'd carefully agitated the crystals, then balanced it atop another crate, one set a ways from the others, before bumping the whole thing with her shoulder, and making tracks. She was aiming for the smallest explosion she could get, not wanting to set off a conflagration that would send the entire camp up, just something that would get everyone's attention with the utmost urgency.
And it had worked like a charm. Now the fires had been put out, the other crates were being tallied to see what they had lost and saved; and, most importantly, no one had noticed the eight students and one Huntsman slipping into the tunnel. At least, Ilia hoped that was the case. The fact that the alarm hadn't been raised meant they hadn't been found yet. However, they could have simply missed their window, and stayed hidden, or retreated. She supposed she'd find out later on, assuming the tunnel caved in on time.
As things quieted down, another sound reached Ilia's ears, soft and nearly inaudible in the wake of the ruckus she'd set off; the sound of sandals scraping against the stony ground in the unmistakable pattern of footsteps, their soft shushing noise distinct from the crunch of something with harder soles. Frowning, Ilia turned towards the source of the noise.
There was no way Ironwood's forces were mounting an attack now. Even if that were likely, there was no way that one of his soldiers, or even one of his pet Huntsmen, would be wearing sandals. It could be some other Huntsman, Ilia supposed. Perhaps someone else had been active in the vicinity of Mountain Glenn, and had been drawn by the racket caused by the explosion she'd set off. If that was the case, they would have to kill him quickly.
She wasn't the only one who'd noticed. The other soldiers in the vicinity were looking towards the source of the sound as well. They all watched intently, hands straying towards the handles of weapons.
The first thing that appeared from the gloom was a pair of brilliant crimson eyes, which shined faintly in the darkness. A young man materialized from the darkness, his black kimono seeming to melt out of the shadows. His scruffy hair was, likewise, black. The simplicity of his garb marked him as someone who was probably not a Huntsman. However, there was no mistaking the shape of the sheathed sword he cradled in the crook of his left arm, its handle extending up past his shoulder.
The man's expression was pleasantly serene, as though walking through the empty caverns of a dead settlement was the most normal thing in the world, and that happening across a terrorist encampment was completely mundane. He didn't even flinch as rifles were trained on him, alongside the click of safeties being disengaged.
Ilia pulled her own weapon free, the flexible blade extending out. Beside her, Meinrad revved his weaponized chainsaw menacingly.
"My," said the man, smiling politely. "I thought I heard some sort of commotion. I never expected the White Fang."
"Who are you?" demanded Meinrad.
"Just a traveler," declared the man calmly. "Perhaps you can help me. I've been looking for a discreet way to enter Vale. I have family there that I'd like to visit."
"You will find no help here," growled Meinrad, hefting his weapon. "Now that you've seen us, there's no way we can allow a human like you to go free. You shall be silenced, for the sake of our work, human scum."
"Well...that won't do at all," replied the man, his smile actually widening at the threat. "I'm afraid I can't die, right now. I'll ask you to lower your weapons and allow me to go in peace. Otherwise...I shall kill anyone who tries to kill me."
Gripping the sheath of his sword, the man maneuvered it so that his right hand closed around the handle, ready to draw the o-dachi free.
"Kill him," ordered Meinrad grimly.
They set off down the tunnel at a brisk pace. All told, it shouldn't have been a hard task. As student Huntsmen and Huntresses, they'd trained their bodies for the task of extended battles against the Grimm, which could, and did, last for hours at a time. Compared to that, a simple walk along a straight, level path was child's play. Of course, the tension of their situation contrasted harshly with the mundanity of their current action. The monotonous journey down the tunnel seemed to take forever.
They walked in silence, speaking only when necessary, and whispering softly. Even though the tunnel was empty, the confined space created echoes, which could channel loud noises a considerable distance in either direction. The last thing they wanted was for some soldier making an inspection near the tunnel entrance to hear something suspicious.
Nearly an hour into their journey, Qrow checked his scroll. "We're gettin' close," he declared. "Maybe another half an hour, at this pace."
"Thank God," Yang groaned. "I'm getting sick of this tunnel."
"You'd best get used to it," said Ren. "We'll be taking it all the way back to Vale. That's a full twelve more miles."
"Once we cave in the tunnel, we won't have to worry about keeping the noise down anymore," said Piper. "That'll make things easier on us."
"The worst'll definitely be behind us," Blake agreed.
Abruptly, Penny came to a stop.
"What is it?" asked Ciel, looking at her partner warily.
"There's a commotion from behind us," said Penny, her tone becoming strangely flat. She turned her head to look back the way they'd come, the way it rotated almost independently from the rest of her body coming off as slightly unnerving. However, no one had the time or energy to comment on that. Instead, they all tensed, looking the same way Penny was.
"I don't hear anything," said Nora.
"I might," said Blake, frowning and closing her eyes untying her ribbon to fully expose her feline ears. "It's hard to say, but there are some low sounds."
"Mighty impressive set of ears ya've got there, kid," noted Qrow, giving Penny a slightly suspicious look.
"Thank you," said Penny, her expression flipping back to cheerful in an instant. Then she gasped, whipping her head back around towards the way they'd come from. "The alarm has been raised."
"What?!" gasped Blake.
"Did Amitola betray us?" asked Ciel.
"She wouldn't do that!" Blake insisted harshly.
"Definitely not after waiting this long," Rain pointed out. "If she was truly planning treachery, I doubt she would wait this long, and allow us to get so close to our target."
"If the alarm's been raised though, they'll send the train out," said Piper.
"Can we bring down the tunnel here?" asked Yang, looking to her uncle.
"Nope," said Qrow, consulting the map on his scroll. "It's too thin. We'd just knock open a hole for the Grimm. We've gotta get farther under the mountain, before hitting the ceiling."
"Then let's pick up the pace," said Nora. "We've gotta move fast."
They broke into a light jog, heading down the tunnel quickly, while still moderating their pace in order to eat up more distance. It was hard going, only Penny seeming unbothered by the now-blistering rate of travel.
After a few minutes, Penny frowned. "The train is coming," she declared.
"How can you hear that?" asked Blake, giving Penny a confused look, her own ears only able to pick up the tiniest hint of low noise.
"Talk later," said Ciel. "We need to pick up the pace."
They broke into a run. Now their breath was coming in ragged gasps. Their legs and lungs were burning from the exertion. Again, only Penny seemed unaffected by the strain. Before long, the rest of them began to hear the train too. It was a low rumble, gradually, but swiftly, building behind them. The ground beneath their feet began to vibrate.
"Are we close enough yet?" gasped Ren, looking to Qrow.
"Almost there," said Qrow, checking his scroll as he ran.
Looking back, Yang saw a light shining out behind them, the rumbling and screeching of the approaching train only getting louder with each passing second. As student Huntsmen and Huntresses, they might have been quick on their feet. But, over distance, that didn't compare to the power of a Dust-propelled locomotive. Behind that powerful light illuminating the tracks ahead, she could make out the shadowed outline of the train itself. "We aren't going to make it!" she shouted.
"How far?" asked Ciel, looking to Qrow.
"Another couple-hundred meters!" Qrow shouted back. "I can see it now!"
"Penny!?" Ciel whipped her head around to look at her partner.
"I can see the target!" Penny confirmed.
"Then hit it now!" shouted Ciel.
"We'll be trapped on this side, though!" Piper pointed out.
"Stopping the attack takes priority!" Ren shouted. "Do it!"
"Affirmative!" exclaimed Penny, coming to a stop.
In a flash, her blades deployed, shifting swiftly to their gun-modes, arranging themselves in a cylindrical formation in front of her, revolving around as an orb of crackling green energy built in the formation's center.
The train was rapidly bearing down on them, the sound of its approach almost deafening.
Penny pulled her arms back, then punched out into the sphere of energy, sending a beam of emerald-green lancing out to strike the tunnel ceiling a few-hundred meters down. The beam struck, shattering stone on impact and scoring a deep line along the ceiling. Cracks split out from either side of the channel Penny had just carved. Then, with a loud roar, the ceiling broke, crumbling down, sending countless tons of rubble spilling down onto the track, more and more falling, until the tunnel ahead was almost completely filled in.
"Get clear!" shouted Yang, jumping and tackling Blake, throwing both of them well clear of the tracks. The others followed suit, leaping to either side, allowing the train to barrel past them. A deafening shriek of straining metal filled the air. The train's conductor must have seen the cave-in, and was now applying the brakes for all he was worth. But it was too little, far too late. The massive tonnage of the train meant that its forward inertia was such that, at its present speed, it would take more than a mile for the continuous application of its brakes to bring it to a stop.
As a result, its speed hadn't even really begun to drop when it slammed right into the unforgiving mass of stone. Being forged from steel, the train actually punched a good ways into the pile blocking its path. But it wouldn't be going any farther. The locomotive crumpled like an empty can, everyone one watching flinching at the sight, realizing that the conductor, and whatever crew were in the first few cars, were probably dead.
Behind the locomotive, the first few cars; carrying the munitions, weapons, and personnel for the operation; piled up against each other. Clearly, at least one or more of the crates of Dust loaded into those cars was set off by the impact, and a chain of explosions rippled down the length of the first one, tearing it apart, the destruction spreading to the car behind it, and so on...
Behind that came the flatbeds, upon which seven of the eleven stolen Paladins were still standing. The mechs were already moving, four of them jumping clear, though the remaining three weren't quick enough to fully escape, and were flung into the twisted mass of metal and fire the lead cars had become, fire that was soon joined by crackling arcs of lightning, sudden outcroppings of stone, and jagged peaks of ice, as different Dust-types ignited all at once, turning the whole affair into a giant elemental conflagration.
But the real horror was behind the flatbeds, the cars carrying the large bombs, each one meant to set off an explosion large enough to punch a hole through the tunnel ceiling in their own right. There were six such cars, and not a single one had been detached yet.
"Team Copper!" shouted Ciel, her voice barely carrying over the cacophony. "Full-Defense Formation! Everyone else, behind us!"
They all rushed to comply, struggling to overcome the disorientation that came with being subjected to the outrageous jolting of the destruction up ahead. Rain took the lead, fully opening his kite-shield, and planting its pointed tip firmly in the floor, the sharpened metal punching through the concrete and stone to anchor it securely in place. Ciel crouched down beside him on his left, prompting him to wrap his free arm around her shoulders and pull her close, to help cover as much of her with his shield as he could.
Even as she did so, Ciel tapped the face of her watch, the blue screen turning white. She interlaced the fingers of her left hand with those of Rain's right, and a shimmering barrier of glowing, hexagonal plates extended out from the edges of Rain's shield, while the shield itself began to shine white, increasing its coverage dramatically.
Then Penny and Piper joined in. Penny deployed her swords once more, the blades flying out past the edges of Rain and Ciel's combined shield, and orienting with their points outwards into a circular formation, which began to spin clockwise, the blades leaving trails of green energy in their wake, which solidified into a single, circular plane of emerald energy, which seemed to merge with the curving plane of Ciel and Rain's barrier. Piper deployed her orbs as well, which formed an orbit, just beyond the tips of Penny's swords, revolving counterclockwise, shimmering black joining the green and white.
The rest of the group sheltered behind the powerful shield, the whole barrier having been raised without a moment to spare, as the large bombs in the back of the train went off, one after another, filling the tunnel with roaring flames, the shockwave shattering the legs of one of the four Paladins that had managed to dismount before the crash, bringing it down, while throwing the other three ahead of its passage.
Continuing on, the shockwave struck the shield, breaking against its curving surface. The waves of flame followed behind it. The sound was all-consuming, and the air became unbearably hot, searing their lungs with every breath. Yang was sure she was screaming, but she couldn't hear it over the unbelievable roar of the explosions, focused and channeled by the tunnel walls, which were now functioning like the barrel of an enormous gun.
The shield began to crack, all those merged fields of Dust-energy beginning to crumble under the strain. It was successfully ablating and deflecting the majority of the explosion's force, but it wouldn't be able to hold out completely. As the shield gave way, Rain pulled Ciel tightly against himself, covering as much of her with his shield as he could. Behind them, Penny turned and pulled Piper into a tight embrace, placing her body between the other girl and the incoming explosion. The shield shattered, and all four of them were blown off their feet.
Behind Team CPPR, Yang stepped forward, slamming her gauntlets together. The searing heat that had filled the tunnel was scorching her Aura. But it was also feeding her Semblance. In an instant, Yang unleashed that accumulated power to hit the incoming energy head-on. Behind her, Ren planted his hands against her shoulders. Yang gasped, feeling his Aura flowing through her, manipulating the energy of her Semblance. Realizing what he was up to, Yang allowed him, Ren's magenta Aura merging with the gold of her own, creating shimmering plane of energy that held off the incoming shockwaves and flames...briefly.
However, after just a few seconds, Yang's accumulated strength was tapped out. Her and Ren's barrier shattered. Behind them, Nora protectively hugged Blake, while Yang quickly spun about to do the same to Ren. Nearby, Qrow held his sword in his hand, spinning it until it became a gray blur, dispersing the explosion's force...for a second...before he too was blown off his feet.
Yang felt the fires burning away her Aura, not giving her any chance at recovery. The world was unbearably hot, and she was sure she was about to turn to ash.
And then it was over. The explosion had barely lasted a tiny handful of seconds, but it had felt like an eternity to those who'd been hit by it. In its wake, it left ringing ears, as everyone lay prone, trying to pull their faculties back together and find the wherewithal to get up again.
It was Qrow who spoke first, coughing to clear his throat, sitting up with a groan. "Sound off, everyone," he called out, trying to be heard over the crackling and crumbling sounds that remained in the wake of the conflagration.
"I'm okay...more or less," said Yang, groaning as she pried her arms out from around Ren, then forced the stiffened limbs against the floor to push herself up off him.
"I'm alive," Ren announced more quietly, giving Yang a grateful smile.
"We're okay over here," announced a burnt and smudged Nora as she released Blake, who groaned.
"I feel like a tube of toothpaste," Blake complained, figuring she'd probably taken more damage from Nora's constricting embrace, which would have put a python to shame, than the explosion itself.
"Copper? You kids all right?" Qrow looked warily at the four students who'd been at the forefront of the explosion.
Ciel blinked, feeling Rain's arms still wrapped protectively around her, though the two of them were lying down now, side-by side. "No severe injuries to report," she announced for herself. Glancing at her companion, she felt her breath catch in her throat at his battered appearance, Rain bleeding from a small gash across his cheek. "Rain?"
Slowly, Rain blinked blearily, then his eyes opened and he gave her a tired smile. "I am well enough, thank you," he said.
Ciel let out a breathy sigh, a relieved smile appearing on her face. "Thank goodness," she said. "I think you saved me."
She saw a gleam of mischief in Rain's eye, before he abruptly leaned towards her. Before Ciel could react, Rain planted his lips against hers in a brief kiss, before pulling back.
"Rain!" gasped Ciel, her cheeks reddening, admonishment and astonishment mixing in her tone. This was something she'd never expected of her teammate, and aspiring romantic companion. It was against the rules she'd established, when they'd begun their relationship, which mandated against overt expressions of affection while they were out in the field. At the same time, after the near-death experience they'd just been through, the kiss had been almost intoxicating, and Ciel found herself struggling against the impulse to lean in and kiss him back.
"I figured that, since I saved my lady from harm, I deserved a small reward," Rain replied teasingly.
"I suppose you did," Ciel replied, giving into her impulse, and planting a kiss on his lips. Rain jolted slightly, before relaxing into it. After a few seconds, they relaxed, leaning their foreheads together.
"Well, that's just the cutest thing," observed Piper, sitting up from where she and Penny had been laid out. "I'm okay too, by the way," she added, having been distracted from answering Qrow's feeling by watching the romantic moment unfold before her.
"I am in sen-sa-tional condition," declared Penny, sitting up as well, looking considerably more battered.
When the others looked at her, a chorus of gasps filled the air.
"What is it?" asked Penny, looking around in confusion. "Is there something on my face?"
"P-Penny..." stammered Piper, her eyes bulging in their sockets. "Your s-skin..."
"Huh?" Penny brought her fingers up to her face...and froze. The skin over her cheek had been torn away in a broad patch. However, instead of bloody flesh, what had instead been exposed beneath it was gray metal. "Uh oh..." Examining the rest of her body, Penny saw that her skin had been torn in other spots, especially along her forearms, where the sleeves that normally covered them had been burned away from the explosion, displaying more metal hidden beneath.
"Penny…what…?" gasped Ciel, she and Rain both sitting up and staring at her in shock.
They weren't the only ones. RYNB and Qrow also stared at Penny, whose expression became more and more distressed as she realized her secret had been revealed.
"I...I'm...uh..." Penny struggled to answer the looks and unspoken questions being directed at her. However, the sound of something cracking, followed by a low groan, put paid to that.
"Crap!" snapped Qrow, glancing up at the tunnel ceiling. Cracks were spreading out from the explosion's epicenter, crawling along the length of the tunnel. "We ain't got time for an interrogation now. Get moving, everyone!"
Yang and Nora quickly moved to help their teammates, Yang hoisting Blake's arm over her shoulder, Nora doing the same for Ren, the four of them hobbling back down the way they'd come as fast as they could. Behind them, Penny sprang into motion, not bothering to worry about what had just come to light, instead pulling Piper onto her back, her swords retracting, before wrapping around her to bind Piper there. Then she quickly picked both Rain and Ciel up, tucking them under her arms, and running along in RYNB's wake. For his part, Qrow broke into a staggering run, all nine of them fleeing as fast as their feet could carry them.
The ceiling began to break behind them, sending more stones crashing down, the destruction spreading, caving in the tunnel, and threatening to bury them alive, if their bodies weren't smashed by the tons of rubble spilling down first. They moved as fast as they could, the destruction biting at their heels. Piper flicked her fingers, the black orbs of her weapon rising up and flying behind them, black flashes of energy repelling some of the stones that threatened to catch them.
For a second, they were all sure they wouldn't make it. But finally, after a few-dozen meters, the roar of the collapsing tunnel tapered off, then stopped. Looking behind them, the students, and Qrow, could see that the destruction had finally stopped spreading.
"Holy shit!" gasped Yang, she and Blake sagging down. They weren't the only ones. Ren and Nora nearly pitched over, their legs giving out completely. Qrow fell back onto his butt, taking up a sitting position, before taking out his flask and taking a long pull of its contents. Penny set down her burden, the other three members of her team relaxing, while Penny retracted and stowed her swords, before she bent and began to gather up Piper's orbs, which had fallen and rolled to a stop a short distance away.
As she stood up, Piper's weapon cradled in her arms, Penny saw that the others were staring at her again. "Um...I can explain-hic!" she said nervously.
Ciel let out a long sigh. "Explanations can come later," she said. "We need to focus on the mission now."
"Like it or not, we're doing things the hard way," added Piper. "We just have to hope that we can hold out until the General's forces hit them from the other direction."
Yang let out a wry chuckle, which was cut off by a few coughs. "At least we don't have to worry about those Paladins," she said, grinning.
A rumble came from the pile of rubble blocking the tunnel ahead of them. It tapered off, then came again. All their eyes went to the mass of stones, which began to shift and vibrate. Then, with a crash, a metal fist punched out and into the open air. It was joined by another, then a third. Metal arms planted, and the pile of stone shifted off the chassises of three Paladins, slowly pulling themselves free of the rubble.
"Firecracker...you really shouldn't tempt fate like that," grumbled Qrow. Especially around me.
Their hopes flagging, the students, and their Huntsman escort, watched as the three war machines gradually worked themselves free of the rubble.
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