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Team ZERO Rewrite	By : CaradocKaine Category: +M through R > RWBY Views: 11278 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY in any, way, shape, or form, nor do I make any money from this story.

Chapter List
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- 2
Here it is, the rewrite of Team Zero. Now with less typos, and a more structured storyline.
In reply to Ryvius’ final review of the original Team ZERO, the only character bashing that might happen is Sun and Neptune, cause while I didn’t have anything against them, the fact they did nothing but show off, and then shit themselves, during the Breach changed that. Not sure what I’ll do with them just yet though. Maybe just have them spar against Zero and get their asses handed to them.
In reply to Matthew Drolet’s final review of the original Team ZERO, thank you. I try to work hard on both my original characters and established characters when I write.
The beginning of this Intro is basically a reference, but scroll down past the bold text to get to the first chapter of the story.
DUST TYPES
Red=Fire
Dark Blue=Ice
Yellow=Lightning
Green=Wind
Bright Orange=Lava
Dark Orange/Brown=Earth (reasoning=Red + Brown/Dark Orange =Bright Orange, which is lava, which is molten rock)
Light Blue=Water (it’s been mentioned as one of the elements)
White=Energy (been mentioned as one of the elements, but energy and lightning ain’t necessarily the same thing. Also, Weiss’s white glyphs propel things. They might just be her natural Glyph though…)
Purple=Mass (Weiss’s Black Glyphs stop things by seemingly drawing them in, but there is no black dust in her weapon, or anywhere else (EXCEPT maybe the Red trailer with Ruby’s special bullets with the black muzzle flash…), so Purple makes the most sense to me.)
FAUNUS SEXUALITY
Faunus can be sexually defined in three categories: Alpha, Beta, and Omega. These categories related to how Faunus give off and react to pheromones.
Alphas are very rare and emit strong pheromones unless they take special medication. These pheromones are strong enough to effect humans to a small degree.
Betas are uncommon, but not unheard of. They are highly vulnerable to mating pheromones, even the weak ones given off by humans, but find Alpha pheromones almost irresistible. Alphas are sexually dominant, while Betas are sexually submissive.
Omegas are by far the most common of Faunus, and can choose to ignore the Faunus side of their sexuality, however a sexually repressed Omega can sometimes be just as vulnerable as a Beta.
When a Faunus mates, the dominant one, or in some cases the human if they are persuaded to do so, leaves a mark on the other. These marks are not just physical, but spiritual and protect the Faunus from their instincts in regards to others, while also strengthening those same instincts in regard to their mate.
TEAM ZINC
Zero Ebon
An 18-year old Alpha Wolf Faunus, and former leader of Team ZINC. He has a genius level intellect, but often times could care less about it. He was orphaned by Grimm at a young age, and adopted another orphan of the attack as his sister. He did not go any Combat School but still scored a perfect score on Beacon Academy’s rigorous entrance exams. If asked what his reason is to become a Huntsman is, his answer would be to destroy the Grimm while protecting those he cares about.
Aura Levels=High
Emblem: A grey wolfs-head.
Appearance: Medium height and build. Brown hair, buzz cut style. Short beard, barely longer than stubble. Violet eyes. Two parallel scars running diagonally down his face, leaving gaps in his hairline, eyebrows, and facial hair. Left arm ends just above where the elbow would be. Various scars across his body.
Outfits:
- Normal: Sleeveless hooded zipper vest, purple in color, with emblem on back. Black cargo pants. Brown combat boots. Grey rivet belts crisscrossing across waist, with attached ammo pouches. Battle-scarred white pauldron and bracer on right arm. Grey strap going from pauldron to under left arm. Tattered crimson scarf tied around left bicep.
- Pre-Incident: Same as above minus armor and scarf. Also still had his arm. Grey chest strap was instead a black on going from right shoulder to left armpit.
- Uniform: Normal Beacon uniform, but with armor and scarf added. Also a white glove on left hand.
- Pajamas: Black pants with grey lining around waist and cuffs, and grey stripes running down outside of legs.
Weapons:
- Gypsy Danger: Multi-Action Dust Whip-Sword. Segmented black blade, segments connected by grey chain. Rotating (not revolving!) Dust chambers, vaguely resembling a clock face on both sides. (Two of each color of Dust loaded in mechanism.) Hand-and-a-half handle, wrapped in faded bandages. Sheathed across back.
- Grimoire: Weaponized Cybernetic Blaster-Arm. Gunmetal grey prosthetic left arm. Shifts in ‘blaster form’, palm irises open to allow barrel to emerge, while fingers spread out and rotate. Changing spacing of finger tips allows firing of small, medium, or large energy bolts, powered by Dust Cartridges.
- Boom Sticks: Weapons of Cheshire Ebon, wrapped in faded bandages. Sheathed at lower back.
Semblance: Wraith
Partial activation causes eyes to burn with black fire, and multiplies physical strength. Drains Aura quickly. Full activation causes black and purple flames to engulf Zero, increasing speed exponentially to the point where movement resembles a fireball. Rapidly drains Aura and often results in unconsciousness afterwards. Speculated that overuse could possibly result in death. Another effect of full activation is that Zero becomes an irresistible target to nearby Grimm. Rumored that Wraith might possibly be a split personality, but since he does nothing but fight when in this state, there is no proof except eye-witness accounts of how ‘scary’ he is.
Inara Serra
An alluring archer who was looking for love in all the wrong places before she joined Team ZINC and meet Zero Ebon. Confident and flirty, she would still flirt even after becoming Zero’s mate in order to rile him up.
Aura Levels=Average
Emblem: Chinese character for Serenity in gold. Look up the TV Show Firefly.
Appearance: Long black hair pulled into a messy bun when working or fighting. Curvaceous figure. Brown eyes. Red lipstick and black eyeliner.
Outfits:
- Normal: Dark green toga-like dress with long tail skirt, emblem on said tail skirt. Crimson tight-fitting shorts that stop above knees. Leather-strap heeled sandals that stop below knees and leather-strap gloves that stop below elbows. Two round quivers with automated rotating mechanisms for attaching various Dust arrowheads, one slung across shoulder, one on lower back. Crimson scarf and sash.
Weapons:
- Artemis: Folding Compound Bladed Bow. Curved blades at the bow tips. Finger-activated controls for the Quivers.
Semblance: Wings of Light
Wings of golden light burst from Inara’s shoulders and ankles, giving her increased speed and limited flight capabilities. Can also be used to block or deflect attacks.
Nel Verde
The body of a grown woman and the mind of a little girl is how most would describe Nel, though never to her face. Unpredictable and somewhat immature on the outside, Nel is actually incredibly smart, even more of a genius than Zero. She also believes in only fighting for a reason, such as protecting those one cares about or who cannot protect themselves. She also fights for revenge, but does not believe it to be a good reason. Liked to play pranks on people with her partner Cheshire Ebon.
Aura Levels=Strong
Emblem: Stylized number three in black.
Appearance: Buxom and curvaceous figure. Long green hair that flows down back. Brown eyes. Scar on forehead that goes down to nose. Paints a red line under eyes and across bridge of nose before mission or battle. Emblem tattooed on back.
Outfits:
- Normal: Green halter mini-dress that leaves back and stomach bare (Adult Nel outfit from Bleach, but with wide strips covering sides instead of a single strip across front. White pauldrons and bracers. White greaves. Broken Grimm mask on top of head, off center. (How she shows support to mistreated Faunus while also showing lack of support for the violence of the White Fang)
Weapons:
- Gamuza: Double-Ended High-Caliber Gun-Lance. Lances and hilt can telescope inwards to reduce overall length when not being used. Gun barrels off-center just below tips.
Semblance: Cero
Similar to Yang’s ‘berserk’ Semblance, in that it absorbs the energy from attacks. Except instead of increasing physical power or manifesting as fire, it manifests as a purple glow in her eyes and is released in a powerful beam from her mouth. If she holds too much energy it starts to leak out of her body, with destructive results, so she would often times release a “Victory Cero” into the air after a battle, usually scaring the shit of people who were not expecting it…
Cheshire Ebon
A Cat Faunus and the adopted younger sister of Zero Ebon, she and he were the only two survivors of a Grimm massacre of refuges trying to gain entrance to Vale. She is actually younger than she claims, as she added a year to her age for fear of being separated from Zero. Very playful, takes almost nothing seriously except when it comes to the safety and happiness of her big brother. She loved using her Semblance to play pranks on the other students at Beacon, especially the bullies. Like her brother, she never went to a Combat Academy, but still passed the entrance exams, though not with a perfect score.
Aura Levels=Average
Emblem: Grinning cat face in purple and pink.
Appearance: Purple hair with pink highlights, in two pigtails. Purple cat ears. Pale grey, slit-pupiled eyes. Purple cat rail with faint pink rings. Petite figure.
Outfit: Pink tank-top with emblem on front, leaves midriff bare. Purple cut-off jean shorts, with bottoms of pockets visible. White sneakers. Purple and pink striped fingerless gloves that go up to elbows. Purple and pink striped knee socks.
Weapons:
- Boom Sticks: Dual Ballistic Escrima Sticks. Imagine the Boom Stick from Army of Darkness, merged with an Escrima Stick, and painted in bright colors. Can fire short-range Dust Shot from the end of sticks. One has a purple stock and pink barrel. The other has a pink stock and purple barrel.
Semblance: Evaporate
                Cheshire can quickly turn her body into an intangible purple mist for short periods of time. Her near constant grin is usually the last to change and first to reappear. While using her Semblance, she moves very quickly and is capable of limited flight. She can slowly force herself through solid objects. She must exercise caution when this power fades to avoid serious injury or worse.
GENDER BENDED CHARACTERS
Joan Arc
                Female Jaune Arc, with longer smoother hair and more feminine features. Medium bust. Still screams like a girl. Has High Aura Level.
Lie Ren
                Female Lie Ren. Basically the same, except a tall, slim, small breasted teenaged girl. More feminine features. Has moderate Aura Level.
OTHER OCs
Joy Quartz
                A Nurse and Huntress at Beacon Academy. She and her cousin Jenny Marble were born on the same day. She is a very cheerful and helpful person, but can be very serious and protective when hunting.
Aura Levels=Strong
Emblem: Red arc over inverted white arc, resembling a circle.
Appearance: Pink hair down up in two looping pigtails and pink eyes. Hourglass figure.
Outfit:
- Nurse: Pink nurses uniform with skirt and white apron. White nurse hat with emblem on it. White shoes. White latex gloves when working on a patient.
- Huntress: Pink jacket over white blouse. Pink skirt over white leggings. Pink boots. White gloves. White belt. White backpack with emblem on it, full of medical supplies.
Weapons:
- Mercy: Aura-Focusing Scepter-Staff. Golden scepter with a ping, egg-shaped orb on top. Extends into staff. Can be used to cast pink energy bolts in the same style as Glynda Goodwitch’s riding crop. When in Scepter form it can create a pink circular shield. When in Staff form, it can create a pink dome-shaped energy shield, and maintain it even when planted in the ground, allowing Joy to protect herself and her patient(s) when working in dangerous areas.
Semblance: Healing
Manifests a pink glow coming from her hands. Uses equal parts of her Aura and her patients Aura to increase the healing process by a high degree.
Jenny Marble
A police officer turned Huntress at Beacon Academy. She and her cousin Joy Quartz were born on the same day. She is helpful to all those in need, but also strict when it comes to rules. She is very protective of others as well, so much so that she was banned form supervising duels. She taught the students about the laws of the various of the Kingdoms, and how they applied to Hunters.
Aura Levels=Strong
Emblem: Same as Joy.
Appearance: Blue-green hair in braided ponytail and blue-green eyes. Hourglass figure.
Outfit:
- Normal: Blue vest with gold trim. White, short-sleeved collared shirt. White gloves. White boots. Blue mini-skirt over black bike shorts the end just above knees. Police style hat with emblem on it.
Weapons:
- Judge & Jury: Dual Ballistic Nightsticks. Two black police-style high-tech nightsticks that shoot Dust Rounds from short-ends. Judge shoots High-Explosive, Jury shoots close-range Dustshot.
Semblance: Chains
Creates bluish-green chains out of her own Aura. Can emerge from any part of her body.
Gaige Steele
A weapon designing prodigy from Atlas, Gaige could be described as excitable by some, bat-shit-crazy by others. She was expelled from the Atlesian hunting academy for causing one too many accidental explosions, but immediately recruited by the headmaster, General James Ironwood, into the military Research and Development division. Gaige quickly became infamous for both her genius designs and penchant for accidently blowing up labs and workshops. She also became the leading expert in still-infant field of Cybernetics. She was the natural choice to develop a weaponized prosthetic for a promising Huntsman-in-training from Vale.
Aura Levels=Strong
Emblem: White cartoonish skull.
Appearance: Short, messy orange hair in two pigtails. Steel blue eyes. Various bandages from ‘accidents’
Outfit:
- Normal: Brown goggles with yellow lenses. Black choker with silver studs and gold loop on front. Red t-shirt with her emblem on front and sleeves. Blue denim vest. Red skirt. Leather tool belt with ‘lunchbox’ containing ammo. Red half-finger gloves. Black and white stockings. Blue boots with outer steel-toes.
Weapons:
- B.F.W.: Rocket Maul. Resembles a large crescent wrench. Shoots rocket-propelled Dust grenades from bottom. Top part is bladed but mostly used for crushing, and open end can be used as shoulder stock.
- Deathtrap: Semi-Autonomous Portable Combat Robot. Gaige’s ‘best friend’ and pet project, Deathtrap is a special, heavily armored combat robot with a laser, short range electrical discharge, and retractable claws. Instead of legs, it has multi-directional hover jets.
Semblance: Anarchy
                Gaige super-charges her Aura, becoming superhumanly strong and fast, but also highly chaotic. Advised that allies get the hell out of the way when she activates her Semblance to minimize collateral damage.
TEAM REBEL OF THE VALE MILITARY SPECIAL OPERATIONS DIVISION
Medicine Man: Team Leader and Medical Specialist. Utilizes a Battle Rifle, Magnum, and two folding Tomahawks, as well as a combat knife. Has a universal blood type and is prone to using his own blood on wounded until a blood pack can be obtained. His emblem is a pill capsule. Has a black mohawk.
Girlie: Assistant Team Leader and Close-Quarters Combat Specialist. Utilizes two Magnums and two Machetes. Her emblem is a heart. Has long blond hair pulled into a ponytail, which sticks out from under her helmet.
Demo Man: Demolitions Specialist. Has a cybernetic left arm, skeletal in appearance but strong. Uses a Shotgun, Magnum, and his arm in combat, as well as grenades, mines, and various other explosives. No emblem.
Sharkface: Close-Quarters Combat Specialist. Emblem in shark teeth. Uses an Assault Rifle, Magnum, and wrist-mounted flamethrowers. Is shaved bald and has several burn scars on his face.
Sleeveless: Close-Quarters Combat Specialist. No emblem, wears no sleeves. Extremely strong. Wields multiple Magnums and Combat Knives.
Chain Guy: Heavy Weapons Specialist. Emblem is a frowny face. Wields a Chain Gun. Has “Have A Nice Day, Or Else!” painted on weapons guard plate.
Chain Girl: Heavy Weapons Specialist. Emblem is a smiley face. Wields a Chain gun. Has a pink bow on the side of her helmet.
NOW FOR THE STORY!!!
                The Valley of Bones was always eerie during the day, with its gnarled white trees, leafless branches reaching out like clawed fingers, but as night settled and the shattered moon rose, it became downright nightmarish. Even the seventeen year old leader of Team ZINC, Zero Ebon, found himself creeped out, and turned his gaze towards the Huntress they were shadowing, wondering how much longer they were gonna wander before making camp.
                His unasked question was answered when Jenny Marble pointed through the trees to a cave mouth in the nearest black cliff face, “If that cave doesn’t go in too deep, we can make camp in it. After we clear it of any Grimm.”
                Zero nodded to his teammates, and they returned it, readying their weapons as they approached. Inara Serra the archer, Nel Verde the lancer, and Cheshire Ebon the stick-fighter. Zero, the swordsman of the group, drew his Multi-Action Dust Whip-Sword, Gypsy Danger and led his team into the dark cave, his Faunus night-vision allowing him to see clearly, his sister right behind him using the same gift.
                Zero scanned left, Cheshire right. Satisfied that were no Grimm near the cave opening, but both noticing a tunnel, with very faint light coming from within its shadowy depths, so dark even the two Faunus had trouble making out anything except vague shapes. As their teammates and Professor Marble followed them into the cave, Inara and Nel both light and threw a pair of chemical flares, bringing some feint light to the small cavern.
                “What are those lights?” Inara asked, raising her bow to aim down the tunnel. “Dust veins?”
                A low rumbling filled the cave, making all five of them tense as Nel answered in her serious voice, “I do not think so. They appear to be moving.” The green-haired lancer was right, as the source of lights rocked side to side, moving closer as the ground shook ever so slightly and the rumble repeated, louder this time.
                The Ebon’s danger senses started to warn them before the others, and both were already moving when the rumble became a roar and a multi-colored light filled the cave. “Out now!” Zero shouted, sweeping Inara over his shoulder and dashing out of the cave. Nel jumped backwards, firing her Double-Ended High-Caliber Gun-Lance to propel herself out of the cave, while Cheshire tackled Professor Marble, Evaporating both of them into a purple mist that quickly shot past the others.
                Once out the cave, Cheshire and Marble went right, Zero and Inara left, while Nel planted her weapon and feet firmly and took the beam head-on, absorbing the attack with her Semblance. As Zero let Inara down, he turned to see Nel on one knee, eyes too bright to even look at directly as arcs of violet energy crackled around her, leaving scorch marks on the ground.
                “CERO!” she shouted as she opened her mouth wide and shoot a purple beam back into the cave, earning a pained roar unlike any they had ever heard. It was followed by an angry roar, loose dirt and rocks cascading down the cliff face at is shook from the force.
                “Inara, close the cave!” Zero shouted, his partner quickly drawing three explosive arrows and firing them at once. They were joined by high-explosive shots from Professor Marble’s Judge, who had quickly recovered from the sudden nausea being rapidly turned intangible and back had caused her.
                The cave mouth collapsed, cutting off a third roar just as Nel spotted the head of a Grimm she had never before seen emerging from the darkness of the tunnel. “Fall back!” Jenny ordered, a slight green-tinge still on her face, but being a trained and experienced Huntress, she was able to easily shake it off.
                Though Team ZINC never liked to run from a fight, they knew all this new Grimm wasn’t to be taken lightly. Nothing had ever pushed Nel’s Semblance to its limit with a single attack before. The first-years formed up around the Professor, but unlike their usual formation with Inara in the back while Zero took point, they reversed it, seeing as how the enemy was behind them.
                They barely made it a dozen yards before the world exploded around them, Zero lifted off his feet and thrown over his team. Before his face could meet the dirt, he was surrounded by a purple mist which quickly materialized as his sister. The Cat Faunus wrapped her arms tight around her brother before reactivating her Semblance, moving them a short distance to land safely.
                Zero and the rest of Team ZINC had trained extensively with each other’s Semblances, so it took only a second for Zero to reorient himself after rematerializing, and he felt no nausea. The others had been far enough from the blast front to stay on their feet, but all but Inara had been forced to hunker down against the cloud of rocks and dirt that had followed it.
                The team’s archer was already firing arrows at the lights becoming visible. She was focusing her fire on the two small red ones next to each other. A roar ripped through the valley, the soundwave clearing away enough of the dust cloud to reveal the Grimm.
It was twice the size of a common Deathstalker, those being large themselves. It had a reptilian appearance, black scales under bony white plates. A row of spikes ran down its spine and long, serpentine tail, which ended in more spikes, similar to a morning star. Its ‘mask’ was thick, heavily armored and had two wide horns curving back from it. Across its back were several Dust crystals of various sizes and colors embedded in its scales, all pulsing faintly.
“No fucking way,” Cheshire whispered, before loudly exclaiming, “Grimm can’t use Dust! They don’t have Aura!”
“Grimm are evolving all the time,” Marble stated, her voice hard as steel, “but this doesn’t make any sense! We need to retreat, now!” She ordered before sheathing her nightsticks so could remove a smoke grenade and the transponder that called back the Bullhead they had flown in that morning. She activated and threw both, the grenade in front of the group as the Grimm stomped its way towards them on its four stumpy legs, the three students with projectile weapons laying down a barrage of fire to slow it down. The transponder she threw at Zero, who quickly pocketed it while the Professor drew her weapons again and started to fire.
Zero spun the cross guard of his sword to Earth Dust and switched to whip-form, striking at the ground behind the rapidly growing smokescreen and raising a jagged wall of rock between them and the Grimm. With their retreat covered, the five turned and ran for the clearing where the Bullhead had dropped them off, it being the nearest spot where the VTOL would have enough room to land.
But they had been walking for hours, and even at their top speed, it would still take at least an hour to reach the Evac point, not to mention the time it would take the Bullhead, which even at its top speed would take at least a half-hour longer, depending on the weather between Vale and the Valley.
The ground shook as the Grimm blasted its way through the wall of earth, dispersing the cloud of smoke in the process. Team ZINC and the Professor immediately began a game of cat and mouse, dodging and weaving through the skeletal trees as they attacked and retreated, avoiding the energy blasts and tail swipes of the monster.
“Dammit!” Zero growled as he dodged another ball of multi-colored light the Grimm kept shooting out of its mouth. “Our attacks are barely scratching it!” It was a frustration they all shared. Though the beast had several wounds, they were all shallow and barely slowed it, if at all.
They were getting close to the clearing, though their running battle had slowed them, and all were relieved when they heard the Bullhead. “Get to the ship and provide cover from the air!” Marble ordered, activating her Semblance and sending two glowing chains to wrap around the Grimm’s mouth, neck, and forelegs, holding the strong beast still as well as he could.
“Go!” Zero repeated, ignoring the order himself and he began to lash his whip-sword at the monsters face, trying to break through its mask, his eyes burning black and the chain glowing purple as he used his partial Semblance and Mass Dust to enhance his strikes.
“Dammit, Zero!” Jenny yelled without breaking her concentration on the chains. “I gave you on order!”
“I can’t provide cover from the Bullhead and you know it!” Zero growled back at her, his voice echoing oddly as the black flames ever so slowly began to spread across his face, the ones in his eyes started to turn the same shade as his eyes.
The Professor of Kingdom Laws silently cursed as she poured more Aura into her Semblance, wrapping her chains tighter around the Grimm while the brash team leader continued his barrage of strikes, leaving scratches in the monsters mask.
Suddenly a spotlight shown on it, Inara and Nel firing their weapons at the beast while Cheshire quickly loaded hers with regular Dust Cartridges and followed suite. Zero expended his first vial of Mass Dust and backed off, dropping his partial Semblance and gasping for breath. Suddenly the Grimm seemed to focus on him, light glowing brightly from between its beaks. With a savage roar it broke through the chains around its head, the light coalescing into a ball, aimed straight at the Wolf Faunus.
‘Too tired from my Semblance,’ Zero thought in a panic. ‘No time to doge!’ But he tried. He pushed himself to the side, trying to get his legs to move but he had not yet recovered from tapping into the power of Wraith. Fear gripped him, a feeling he had not truly felt since he was nine and Grimm descended upon the refugee camp outside the borders of Vale.
“No!” Jenny screamed, yanking hard on her remaining chain, forcing the Grimm to face her just as it fired…Team ZINC watched in horror as he chain shattered and she was flung through several trees. Zero’s Wraith form kicked in fully on pure instinct and he shoot after the Professor as his Team increased their rate of fire.
Zero caught the Professor, his black flames having no effect on those he did not see as enemies. Not that it mattered. The power of the attack, without the benefit of a Semblance to absorb it like Nel had, had depleted her Aura, and the multiple impacts with the trees had left her neck twisted at unnatural angle, her cold, lifeless eyes staring up at the shattered moon above.
Zero gently laid the deceased woman down before howling with fury, taking off like a fireball as he attacked the Grimm from every side. The Grimm ignored him in favor of the Bullhead, sending another ball of energy at it. The girls leapt free, while the pilot tried to evade, but couldn’t. The poor bastard didn’t even have time to eject before he and his ship were consumed.
Now with all the Members of Team ZINC on the ground, and their ride out gone, they focused all their attention on the monster. Inara activated her Semblance, using the golden wings to dart between trees while firing arrows as fast as she could. Nel spun her lance around herself, firing half her ammo at the monster using the other half to propel herself this way and that. Cheshire swapped back to Dust Shot and used her Semblance that same way her brother was, hit and run attacks everyone except the head, trying to avoid those deadly energy blasts.
Their luck didn’t last though. Cheshire couldn’t repeatedly use her Semblance with a break, and though she tried to get far enough away to be safe, the Grimm seemed to focus on her. “No!” yelled Nel as she quickly placed herself between the creature and her partner, taking the energy blast head on.
“Nel!” Cheshire yelled, starting to run to her partner’s aid before coming up short, seeing the green-haired lancer struggling to contain the energy. Then the Grimm fired another, faster than they thought it could.
“CERO!” Nel yelled, intercepting the attack with her own. The resulting explosion sent the other three teens flying, blinded by the flash. But they didn’t need their eyes to see the result. They all felt it, the gut-wrenching sense of loss. None more so than Zero himself, who felt it ten-fold.
“NEL!” He howled, launching himself back towards the Grimm, only to be swatted away by its spiked tail. He ignored the pain in his left arm, charging back into the fight as Inara and Cheshire recovered from the shock of literally feeling their teammate and lover die and rejoined the fight, eyes burning with vengeance.
“Zero!” Inara yelled, seeing how reckless her mate was acting. “Slow down! I can’t get a clean shot!” The archer shared a look with Cheshire, who quickly Evaporated to her brother, tackling him and sidelong Evaporating them both out of the way so Inara could fire.
“Let go,” Zero said coldly, his voice so different than normal.
“Fuck you, Wraith!” Cheshire hissed. “You’re gonna get him killed if you don’t calm down and use your fucking head!”
Zero gently but firmly shoved the Cat Faunus away, before charging once more. But he wasn’t fast enough. The Grimm fired another ball of energy, Inara only barely dodging it but not able to dodge the blast wave, getting thrown head over hell and hitting a tree hard.
Her Scroll, attached to back of Artemis, showed only the tiniest sliver of Aura left. Zero’s was in the red too, but she knew he could maintain Wraith for at least another half-hour. Cheshire was in the yellow. She saw all this in the brief glance she took while pushing herself to her feet, trying to clear the ringing from her ears and focus her vision.
She never saw the second energy blast coming, but the Faunus did, both screaming in agony as they felt her death. Zero’s flames turned white, something Cheshire had only seen once, on that fateful night eight years ago. Tears streaming down her eyes, she focused on killing this monster before it was too late.
The White Wraith seemed to be everywhere at once, the Grimm roaring in pain as each strike took a small chunk from its massive body. Cheshire kept her normal hit-and-run routine, but as her Aura levels dropped, so did her speed. She had no fear of the White Wraith accidently attacking her, but she knew from experience what could happen if he stayed that way too long.
‘Not again,’ she swore to herself, seeing one of the Grimm’s legs give out. The monster fell flat, and Cheshire Evaporated onto its head, firing point blank, cracking its mask and trying to break through completely to kill the beast.
As the White Wraith continued to attack its sides, the Grimm suddenly pushed itself up, throwing it head back and sending the Cat Faunus tumbling into the air, Cheshire starting to fall towards its open maw, razor sharp teeth lining the inside of its short beak.
Suddenly she was surrounded by white light, Zero grabbing her out of the air. But the Grimm unleashed another ball of energy, impacting in front of where the two teens landed, throwing them both backwards, and into the swishing tail of the monster, sending them through a tree.
Zero’s world became pain. He could no longer feel his left arm, and his sister wasn’t moving. He looked down into Cheshire’s grey eyes, and she gasped for one last breath. Sticking out of her chest was a jagged piece of wood, soaked in her blood, a large splinter from the tree they had just gone through. Overuse of her Semblance and the near-miss explosion had drained her Aura, left her vulnerable.
And Zero hadn’t been able to save her. He couldn’t save his sister. He couldn’t save Inara or Nel. He couldn’t save his pack. He couldn’t save Professor Marble. He couldn’t save anyone. He could hear the bloodthirsty roar of triumph, feel the ground trembling as the Creature of Grimm grew closer, eager to finish the last of its prey.
And then the world went white…
<><><>
“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”
“What?” Glynda asked the Vale Military Special Operations team leader absentmindedly, surveying the ash-covered wasteland that was once known as the Valley of Bones. The trees that earned its name were nowhere to be seen however.
“A quote, from the old world…” Medicine Man answered just as quietly as he had said the quote, the Huntress only hearing them due to them standing side by side next to the open doors of the Bullhead.
“I see something!” his assistant team leader, Girlie, called out from the other door. “Bring us down!” The pilot complied, bringing the VTOL down near the obvious target. Six bodies, three unrecognizable, laid in what appeared to be Ground Zero for whatever had incinerated the valley.
Team Rebel, Glynda Goodwitch, and Joy Quartz, the head nurse at Beacon Academy’s Infirmary, disembarked while the two Gunships patrolled the area, looking for signs of Grimm. As the group approached the collection of bodies, both Glynda and Joy gasped as they recognized Professor Marble and the Ebon siblings.
“No!” Joy cried out as she ran to her cousin’s corpse, frantically checking for any signs of life. Medicine Man moved quickly to the other two bodies that weren’t burnt almost beyond recognition. Glynda knew Inara and Nel though. She could see the remains of their weapons and armor. Her sharp eyes also noticed what appeared to be Inara’s scarf gripped tightly in Zero’s hand.
“We got a pulse!” Medicine Man shouted, quickly opening his field medical kit and slipping a tourniquet around the mangled left arm of Zero Ebon, the only survivor of a ‘simple’ Survey mission…
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Team ZERO Rewrite