A Deathly Silence (RWBY/Drakengard 3)

[X] "Get in contact with this Cent guy if you can, I'll call Winter. Co-ordinate the efforts against the leader while we keep looking for people."

Two nodded at Yang's suggestion.

"Yeah, this'll work." Two said. "Cent can make sure Ren survives and nothing bad happens, I can save everyone else, everything will be fine."

She nodded vigorously, as she pulled out a scroll and activated it. Following her example, Yang reached for a pouch on her belt.

Signal had wanted to make sure nothing went wrong on the trip, so each of the supervisors had been assigned some special scrolls. Linked up to each other primarily, with the ones for the students hooked up not to communicate with anyone else by default. It' be easy enough to hook up another number if needed, but as they were, it was designed to have good reception to getting in touch with anyone else on the trip. Primarily Winter, but also each other in case something happened.

Yang's scroll didn't take long to get in contact with Winter's, but it kept ringing for a while. Winter must have been busy.

Two's scroll answered first. "Two? What do you need?"

"Hi, Cent!" The blue-haired girl cheered. "Hey, everything's alright on your end, yeah?"

"So far." Cent replied. "I've had some... Polite conversations with our attackers. Haven't found their leader yet, but give me time. How about you?"

"Mostly good." Two replied. "Safe place is still safe. Ren's run off to go fight, though. Could you keep an eye out for him?"

"Ren? The one who always wears green, right?"

Two looked up at the orange-haired girl with a broken arm, who nodded. "Yeah, that's him."

"I'll find him." Cent said. "I'll drag him back to you after I deal with the mercenaries."

Yang's scroll finally stopped ringing, and Winter's voice spoke. "What's the situation, Yang."

The huntress in training cleared her throat. "I've gotten in contact with some locals, and some of them are hunting the merc leader as well. I thought it'd be a good idea to trade off any information we have."

"Oh yeah." Two said. "Cent! We've got help from the Kingdoms!"

"More help?" Cent asked. "I'm going to have to be more impressive than usual now, Two. We can't have your Disciple looking anything but his best in front of outsiders. I'd hate to reflect poorly on you."

Two blushed slightly, but Winter spoke up, louder, so as to make sure Cent caught the message.

"You're hunting as well, then?" She asked. "I've been sweeping the village, but haven't had much luck. The thrust of the attackers seem to be gathering to the north right now, so I suspect the leader will be leading the charge there."

"I wouldn't be too sure." Cent replied. "I encountered an attacker who had an unfortunate sword accident and was missing a leg. He seemed eager to trade information in exchange for not dying. He said the leader would be using the attack as a cover to do his own business elsewhere."

"Well, he's not to the east of the bakery, at least." Winter said. "My summons have swept the area, and it's empty."

"I've checked the treasury in the centre of town." Cent replied. "It was damaged, but the people near it weren't important, so I don't think the leader's just gonna try and pillage it while people burn elsewhere."

There was quiet for a moment. "The buildings over here are rather damaged. Burning, some explosive remnants... Have you encountered anyone who could be responsible?"

"There was a guy with a fire Semblance." Cent replied. "But nothing that could have caused an explosion."

"And the area to the north looked rather damaged as well, from the airship." Winter mused. "So I'd say the one in charge would be marking out areas right now, getting ready to detonate places ahead of their men hitting the area."

There was quiet for a moment. "There's only a few places left undamaged, and those people have probably run by now, so there's hardly a point in looking for them. I'll sweep the north, keep an eye out for anyone suspicious moving in. You said you had summons? Keep them sweeping the area. Have any more specific ideas?"

"The mercenaries seem rather focused on ensuring no survivors..." Winter noted. "And if they've gone out of there way to cause so much devastation... If they really wanted to ensure maximum casualties, their next move would be taking down any walls keeping the Grimm at bay."

There was quiet for a moment, as everyone processed those words.

"...Well, shit." Cent said.

"I'll head south." Winter said. "If they're gathering in the north, that seems the most likely place for them to devastate. If you have any information you need to pass on... Yang, I'm sending my scroll's contact information. Pass it on."

A number flashed on the screen, which Yang quickly read out.

"Did you get that?" Yang asked, once she had finished.

"Got it." Cent replied. "My information should come through once I enter this in, right? That's how this new scroll stuff works?"

"Seems right." Yang replied.

"Let's get moving." Winter decided. "I'll pass this information on to the rest of the group, Yang. Keep getting people to safety."

"Got it." She nodded. The line went dead.

"Bye Cent!" Two called. "Hey, hey, come back soon, okay?"

"Miss me?" Cent asked. "In that case, I'll make this quick. It shouldn't take too long, if I stop being sneaky about it."

"Be safe!" Two ordered.

"Don't worry, Two." Cent replied. "I said I'd never die on you, didn't I?"

"Yeah-"

"And I've never lied to you before, have I?"

Two nodded. "Don't start now!"

"I won't, my love. After all, if I died now, I wouldn't be able to admire your beauty anymore."

Two stammered for a moment, blushing heavily, before the line went dead.

"...Man." Yang complained. "What have I got to do to find a guy like that?"

Two shook away her embarrassment, then looked over at the crowd. "Okay, everyone, I'll be back soon. Don't worry, okay? I'll find everyone I can."

The children waved goodbye, and Two turned to leave.

"Hold on." Yang said. "Hold up your scroll for a moment?"

Two stopped, and did so. Yang tapped the two devices together.

"Give me a call if something goes wrong." Yang advised. I'll be looking for people two, okay?"

Two nodded, not reacting to the pun, and Yang ignored her disappointment.

"Be safe!" Two called. At the front of the group, the orange-haired girl with the broken arm nodded, holding up her hammer as it quickly changed form into a gun.

...That didn't look like something that could be fired one-handed, but who knows.

Giving a quick salute to the crowd as well, Yang set off a moment after Two. Taking note of how Two was heading to the left, Yang ran towards the right, to cover more ground.

The empty buildings around Yang were close enough to the safe space that they should be empty, so she headed back towards where she had found the girl, before encountering Two.

Hearing a gunshot nearby, Yang quickly changed path, heading towards it to see what was going on. It took a few moments to get there, but eventually, she slid into a large street.

Standing there, holding a weapon in the opposite direction to Yang, was Piran. Behind him, a group of survivors was resting. They were injured, down the the last man. That guy had a strip of cloth bandaging his arm. That woman was being propped up by other so she wouldn't have to walk on her bloodied leg. Those children were covered in burns and bruises.

"Hey!" Yang called. Piran reacted, but didn't turn around.

"Watch out." He said. "Invisibility Semblance."

Yang froze, a distance from the ground, and immediately fired Ember Celica downwards. The resulting explosion kicked up some dust around her, but nobody grunted in pain or became visible through the dust.

Good, nobody around to ambush her.

Piran's scroll vibrated at his side, but he didn't reach for it. "Did you check the message from Winter?" He asked.

"It's just a note of where the mercenary leader might be." Yang said. "Can you handle thi-"

Piran interrupted her by quickly firing his pistol down the street, the bullets striking the ground in the distance.

"...Got away." He grunted. "Can't go on the offensive, I'll miss him coming closer, I won't be able to cover people."

"I can take them to a safe place?" Yang offered.

"Not while he's still on the move." Piran rejected. "He might follow you and take advantage of the opening."

He slowly swept his gaze around, from one building to another. "Did you hear a door open, Yang?"

The girl blinked, and shook her head. "No, sorry."

He pursed his lips. "Might've been the wind. Might've been the guy moving. Keep an eye on the left, I'll keep an eye on where he was."

Yang kept an eye open for a moment, before an eye came to her.

"I can go on the attack, if you want." Yang said. "You watch people, I'll go in and search.

Piran took a moment to consider. "Go ahead, Yang. Give me a shout if you find them, I'll provide covering power."

Yang smirked, hitting her fists together. "If I find him, just get the people out of here. There's a safe place nearby, and the old man should still be heading there. Find and follow him, you'll get there."

Piran considered it for a moment. "If you wish, Yang." He replied.

The girl didn't wait any longer, running in towards the building Piran had looked towards.

The door swayed in the breeze for a moment, and so Yang went through it. She didn't look around much. Her Aura was strong, getting hit would only make her stronger, and if she baited the invisible man to hit her-

...She was assuming that the blow would be something she could take. Winter had just chewed her out for this.

Stopping her run, Yang looked around.

Nothing.

Walking slowly towards the door out, Yang kept an eye open. Any footsteps she could hear, any traps she could see, anything being moved as if someone was moving near the-

There was wire covering the doorway.

She'd nearly missed it, but there was a wire in the doorway. A tripwire, it looked like. Taking a step away from it, Yang fired Ember Celia at it.

The wire snapped at the explosion near it, and a moment later, the area outside the doorway detonated.

The explosion rocked forth, collapsing the exit of the stone house, and Yang had to brace herself to avoid being pushed back.

That was some powerful explosive. Looks like being careful had it's benefits.

"Good work." Said a voice, from a direction Yang couldn't pinpoint. "You didn't trigger that trap. Looks like we're doing this the hard way."

A stab of pain his Yang from the left, as her Aura pushed away a blade she couldn't see, but whoever caused it was gone before she could counter-attack.

"Too slow, too slow." The voice said again. "What will you do no-"

"In the room?" Yang asked, reloading Ember Celica.

Then she spun, firing as quickly as possible to hit everywhere possible. Left, right, on angles towards the roof, in front of her, behind her, everywhere. There was the sound of movement from-

Above her!

Slipping backwards, Yang heard the sound of something hitting the ground, and fired again. There was a grunt of pain, and her attacker became visible.

...He was younger than she was suspecting. Only about her age, with a whip in his hand. The end of the whip was bladed, and it was long enough and thick enough that he could probably bring it around to make it seem a blow had come from any direction.

A moment passed, as the surprisingly youthful boy gave her a look, one that reflected terror. He stumbled back, as sharpnel from Yang's blast hit him in the arm, drawing blood.

...His Aura was gone?

"Give up." Yang said. "If you come quietly-"

"You'll have me executed without a fight?" The boy asked. "I don't think so."

He spun his arm around, building up momentum with the whip. More blades emerged along it, and a beeping sound filled the air.

He let it go just in time to throw it at Yang, the whip travelling at an angle intended to ensnare her. She leapt back, avoiding the obvious explosive, and shielded her eyes as it detonated.

The roof collapsed, and on the other side of the room, she could see the boy laugh as he ran.

...Damn it.

As the rubble stopped falling, Yang quickly ran over it, but by the time she got through it and out of the building, the boy was gone.

Turning around, Yang saw that Piran and his group had left. Must've run as soon as he heard the first explosion.

Good. The people needed to get out of there.

Yang's scroll started vibrating, but before she could reach for it, a voice came from it anyway.

"Emergency override." Winter stated. "We've got problems. Grimm are pouring in from the south of the village, and my summons have found groups stalking around the village looking for more ways in. This village is as good as lost. I'm calling the airship in to land in the centre of the village, get everyone you can there so we can get them out of harm's way. Respond immediately."

"I copy!" Piran's voice called immediately. "I've got wounded with me, so if the Grimm get in, I'm gonna have problems. Requesting assistance."

"Sending summons." Winter replied. "Yang? Blast?"

"On my way." Yang said.

Blast was silent.

"Blast, respond." Winter said. "Blast?"

"Damn it." Yang swore. Blast was off the radar, people would need escorting towards the airship, Winter might not be able to hold all the Grimm in the south for long, the people to the north were still...

...Blast went north, didn't he? The most threats, the most glory for pulling people out of danger's way up there...

Damn.

[X] Go North. Find Blast, make sure he's safe, meet up with Cent and try to find Ren. It'll be dangerous, but she couldn't leave them up there alone.
[X] Back up Piran. There were a lot of people in the safe place, and Piran, a girl with a broken arm and a few summons wouldn't hold for long.
[X] Head for the centre of town. The airship would be landing with nothing but whatever automated protections it had. Having someone guard it would make sure no Grimm or mercenaries got any clever ideas.