章 35: Uninvited Guests
A/N: Just a reminder, new chapter here means two more chapters over on my P atreon, where my patrons are currently voting on the future direction of this story.
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Her first instinct is to immediately swerve the bullhead into the Nevermore and hopefully splatter it across the windshield. All of her training is screaming at her to do so. This was a member of the Grimm after all. For the vast majority of Winter's life, they were THE enemy. There was no possible negotiation. There was no opportunity for diplomacy. When you saw a Grimm, it was either kill or be killed.
… And yet, for the past two years and some months, there hadn't been a single Grimm sighting in any of the four Kingdoms. Winter couldn't say for sure what the unofficial Faunus Kingdom of Menagerie looked like, but she imagined it was much the same. Somehow, the Atlesian Specialist didn't think the Grimm Queen would prove to be racist towards faunus after hundreds if not thousands of years of being an equal opportunity murderous maniac.
That said, the Nevermore currently keeping pace with her bullhead was positively tiny, and not at all aggressive. In fact, now that it was sure it had her attention, it slowly began to peel off… clearly trying to lead her somewhere. With the moment to actually ram it having passed her by as Winter held off on reacting with her first instinct, all the Atlesian Specialist can do now is let out a disgruntled sigh and follow the Grimm Bird down.
"Specialist Schnee? Are we descending?"
Winter glances back to see the other three members of her ragtag team all looking at her. Trust the android to know the moment something changed in their altitude. Giving them all a nod, Winter's lips thin out.
"Yes, we're making our descent now. It would appear we're expected… get ready and gear up for a hostile situation, everyone."
To their credit, none of the three make a single noise of complaint. Penny Polendina simply nods and begins looking herself over, doing some prefight diagnostics. Yang Xiao-Long, meanwhile, grows a wide and wicked grin and quickly grabs for her wrist shotguns, fitting them onto herself. Of the three, only Ruby Rose has a negative reaction, the young silver-eyed girl biting her lower lip as she clutches at her massive scythe that doubled as a sniper rifle with both hands.
Winter still didn't fully understand what a student from Signal was doing here, only that she was apparently the lynchpin. Ruby Rose was the reason that a student from Beacon was here in the form of Ms. Xiao-Long. And she, along with Penny, were supposed to be the secret weapon capable of taking down the Grimm Queen.
All Winter could really do was her own part. As team leader, it was her job to keep the squad together until they reached the target, and then distract Salem long enough for everything to play itself out. Headmaster Ozpin and General Ironwood had both assured her things WOULD play themselves out from there. She just had to get Ruby Rose into the same room as the Grimm Queen.
… Yes, okay, it was fucking suspicious. But Winter was a soldier, and soldiers followed orders. She wasn't about to back out of a mission as important as this.
Still, of all the reactions to their presence that she'd been expecting, this was not one of them. But Professor Glynda Goodwitch was said to be dead at the Grimm Queen's hands so if anything, it was probably a trap. That was why, even as the small Nevermore led them to a massive Palace and more specifically a landing pad for their bullhead, Winter didn't let her guard down, not even for a moment.
"… This is kinda weird. Are they rolling the red carpet out for us or something?"
Standing from the pilot's seat, Winter shakes her head at Yang as she grabs her own gear.
"It's undoubtedly a trap. Be on your guard."
Ruby balks at that.
"I-It's a trap?! And we're just… going to walk right into it?"
Laughing, Yang gives her younger sister a pat on the back.
"Don't worry Rubes! We can handle this. 'Sides, everyone knows the best way to handle a trap is to spring it!"
That was most definitely not true. But Winter wasn't about to say as much when Yang's words were clearly having a noticeably positive effect on Ms. Rose. The truth was, the best way to handle a trap was to either disarm it from a distance, or never engage with it at all. Springing the trap, even in what you might think was a safe way, was just asking to get your face blown off. You could never know for sure exactly how a trap might go off, after all.
Unfortunately, Winter quite literally didn't see a better option in front of her. They were here to deal with Salem once and for all. They had clearly been made by Salem's pets. If the Grimm Queen wanted to, she could swarm them with an endless tide of monsters and they would never even lay eyes on her. That she seemed to be slow rolling things was their only saving grace.
But Winter doesn't say any of that. She simply steps down the bullhead's ramp, pausing for a moment at the sight of the small Nevermore hopping from foot to foot, seemingly ready to lead them inside. As it begins to do so, Winter lets out a low sigh… and makes to follow the creature in.
"… Come on."
As the four of them enter the dark, dimly lit, and incredibly ominous palace, Ruby once again pipes up.
"U-Um… should we split up or something? C-Cover more ground?"
Once again, her older sister proves her usefulness in corralling the silver eyed girl, albeit in the most unconventional way possible. Letting out a derisive snort, Yang gives Ruby a punch in the shoulder.
"Seriously Rubes? Haven't you seen enough horror movies to know that you never split up? That's just askin' to get ganked! We're stronger together."
This time, the blonde was at least right, technically. They were in fact stronger together. Though not by much more than Winter would have been solo, she can't help but ruefully think.
"There is also the fact that, according to my downloaded database of Castle and Palace Layouts, the Grimm, Designation: Nevermore, is currently leading us to what is most likely this structure's version of a Throne Room, Friend Ruby!"
Ruby's eyes widen at that, even as Winter tenses up a bit.
"O-Oh. G-Good to know."
That was an understatement. Still, Ruby was right. Good to know. Letting out another explosive breath, Winter checks her gear over one last time. Her swords were at least ready to go, each primed and packed with Dust. She would put on a good showing if nothing else…
… No, she couldn't think like that. They hadn't even encountered the Grimm Queen yet, now was not the time to give in to despair. She needed to focus on the mission, they all did.
Before she can say as much, however, they reach a pair of large double doors that slowly creak open on their arrival. Seemingly opening on their own, Winter's eyes flicker to each door for a second, half-expecting a flood of Grimm to come spilling out from around their edges. When that doesn't happen, she looks deeper in… to what is in fact a Throne Room, just as Penny predicted.
And there, sat upon her throne… is the Queen of the Grimm herself. Winter's eyes flash and she steps forward, entering the long hall with her much tenser team at her back. Penny at least doesn't speak, but the sisters aren't exactly quiet.
"Holy shit… it's true. She's all… Grimm-y. That's so freaky."
"Y-Yang, my eyes are itching…"
Winter puts them out of her mind. All of her attention and every sliver of her focus is on the creature in front of her.
"Well now. More visitors. I swear, I get no one new for hundreds of years, and the moment I decide to leave you all to your own devices, you suddenly take much more of an interest in little ole me. Or is this just another one of Ozma's little gambits, hm? Tell me, children… why are you here?"
Straightening up, Winter grits her teeth. The Grimm Queen is surprisingly mellow. But she's probably just trying to lull them into a false sense of security. Not that Winter will ever let that happen.
"We are here to bring you to justice for your crimes, Salem!"
Even as she says the words, Winter feels a little silly. But her convictions hold strong all the same. However, when Salem arches an imperious brow at her, that feeling of silliness redoubles in strength.
"My crimes. I see. And what crimes would those be? Because frankly, I've never seen any of you in my life."
Winter bristles. So that was her game? She was just going to play dumb?!
"You know what you've done! The Kingdoms are at war, and that's on you! You're behind everything, you monster! Until you're dead, there will never be peace in Remnant."
For a moment, Salem is quiet and Winter wonders if she's made her angry. The Atlesian Specialist tenses up, ready to defend herself. But instead… Salem laughs. It starts as a quiet giggle, before escalating into a full-blown guffaw. Winter feels heat on her ears as Salem damn near doubles over in her throne. However, when she feels movement at her back, Winter holds up a hand to ward them off. Attacking her in a perceived moment of weakness… that was just what the Grimm Queen WANTED them to do.
Finally, Salem's laughter peters out and she straightens back up, wiping a nonexistent tear from her eye. As Winter thought, it was all an act.
"You humans… are hilarious. Always so quick to blame all your problems on me. I let my Grimm roam free and suddenly it's my fault that you all let those pesky emotions of yours run rampant, drawing them in like flies to honey. But if I dare to leash my Grimm, pulling my pets back and leaving you all to your own devices… oh then it's my fault as well when you lot go to war with yourselves. Because you just can't help it. You need something or someone to fight. If not my Grimm, it will always be yourselves. For fuck's sake, you lot have been fighting each other in Kingdom-spanning wars even WITH my Grimm in the equation these past several centuries!"
The rant is delivered in what feels like one breath, with Winter's face growing hotter and hotter the more Salem speaks. She feels like she's being talked down to. Like she's just a small child in the Grimm Queen's eyes. It's irritating to say the least. Especially given some of her words ring true. On the other hand…
"The current war might be the fault of humans. But at the same time, you admit that your Grimm have been penning us in and diminishing our lands and population for centuries now!"
Salem pauses… and then grins a wicked grin.
"Mm. Guilty as charged, I suppose."
Drawing her sword, Winter points it at the Grimm Queen.
"Then stand, Queen of the Grimm! Stand and face judgment for your crimes!"
Winter is half-expecting the Grimmified woman to refuse. Salem seemed like quite the Prima Donna, but then to be fair, she DID style herself as a Queen. And yet… at Winter's command, the Grimm Queen rises. Tension ratchets, as Salem slowly but surely descends the stairs in front of her throne.
Behind her, the others all ready themselves for a fight. Except for Ruby, who…
"Yang… my eyes hurt…"
"Ruby, stop rubbing at them and get Crescent Rose ready! You're our ranged specialist!"
That wasn't quite true, but Winter didn't have time to correct Yang in this instance. Nor the inclination. In the battle that followed, it was unlikely any of them would survive. But she had been assured by the General and Headmaster that their sacrifice would not be for naught. And on a more personal level, she had been assured by the General that if she didn't make it back… he would look after Weiss for her. Ultimately, that was all Winter could ask.
"But it HURTS!"
"Holy shit! Ruby!"
Startled by the sheer distress in Yang Xiao-Long's voice, Winter finally looks back over her shoulder… and does a double take at what she sees. Ruby Rose stands there, her weapon on the ground before her and the heels of both her palms GRINDING into her eyes. But even with her hands covering her sockets, that's not stopping the glowing silver light from shining out from around them… nor the spiderweb cracks of silver spreading across Ruby's face and down her body, beneath her clothes like… like wildfire.
Winter gapes, staring at the scene in disbelief as Yang completely forgets the battle that's about to take place to try and tend to her sister. But there's nothing she can do. Nothing any of them can do.
"Specialist Schnee! Humanoid Grimm, Designation: Salem, approaching!"
That doesn't stop Penny Polendina from trying. The android might have made friends on the ride over, but she was built and programmed for combat… and specifically for this mission in particular. As the Grimm Queen strides forward, Penny's back splits open and a dozen swords fly forth, all under the control of the android's aura.
They aim to skewer Salem where she stands, but when they all land on the spot she's stepping into… they hit thin air. Between one moment and the next, Salem disappears from the casual yet regal walk she was taking across the Throne Room towards them. Only to reappear half a second later in front of a now-screaming Ruby Rose.
"So this was Ozma's latest plan. Truly, he's getting desperate. Not knowing what I'm up to seems to have driven him half-insane. What a foolish, foolish man. In his paranoia, he's decided to spend his last and greatest resource against me in the form of a pitiful, half-assed suicide attack."
"S-Stay away from my sister!"
Finally registering Salem's presence, Yang goes to try and punch the Grimm Queen right in the face. Only for Salem to catch her fist in her palm, the shotgun gauntlets proceeding to discharge into her hand without seemingly any effect.
Not even sparing Yang a glance, Salem reaches out with her other hand… and lightly taps Ruby Rose on the forehead. In a split second, the glowing light spreading all across the young woman's body blinks out, and like a puppet with its strings cut, Ruby drops to the floor in a boneless heap. Winter's eyes widen as she realizes in that moment what was supposed to happen. The General… the Headmaster… they'd turned Ruby into some sort of living bomb.
That was their plan. To blow Salem up. And it had failed with a single touch from the Queen of the Grimm.
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