New Faces, Higher Stakes (RWBY AU RP) (IC)

[Flarbinia]

Beacon Academy, a school built to train teenagers to fight soulless monsters known as the creatures of Grimm, has been reclaimed, but it is no time for celebration. Beacon Academy was heavily damaged during the battle where it fell to the Grimm, the campus is littered with the corpses of those who died to retake it, several teams are left leaderless or otherwise decimated after the Fall of Beacon Academy and the battle to reclaim Beacon Academy, new students are being rushed to replace those who were killed in weeks following the Fall of Beacon, the acting headmistress is being kept on a short leash by the Council that rules the Kingdom of Vale, and the powers that be have shifted their priorities to a new purpose: capturing the silver eyed arch traitor Ruby Rose, a former student and a cohort of Cinder Fall, the golden eyed woman who had instigated the Fall of Beacon Academy. She continued to stay off the grid, the mountain of mangled, battered, and mutilated corpses that were unfortunate enough to pursue the price on her head when they were still alive being the only evidence of her still being alive. Many members of the White Fang, the civil rights group turned terrorist organization that is only aligned with Cinder Fall because she strong armed Adam Taurus, who was the second-in-command prior to the Fall of Beacon Academy, into joining forces with her, have considered betraying Ruby Rose for the reward money and a full pardon for their actions, but none have acted on those plans out of fear of retaliation from her current allies. The Slavers Guild fights amongst itself, blaming the other half of the organization for the death of one of its leaders. The White Fang has allied itself with the Wolf Lords Tribe, the Storm Blade Tribe, and the Crimson Moon Clan in preparation for the battles ahead. Secrets will be revealed, Stakes will be raised, and new players will step out of the shadows.
OOC: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=426278&p=32721274&sid=a585a95159407674878235e19a06117b#p32720802

[Widgetalia]

Salem's Tower. Unknown Location
"The Arch Traitor did well. We are currently striking back at Slavers Guild caravans and bases wherever we could find them. Within a few weeks, the areas near Mistral will be cleared of Slavers and the White Fang will be able to continue its preparations. However, the policy of executing White fang members who have been captured by the Slavers Guild is going to be revoked." Tiberius said to the rest of the Dark Council. "You were fighting a war against an organization that prefers capturing its enemies over killing them, so executing the prisoners was meant to show your comrades that being captured was not going to be tolerated. Of course, with the Slaver's Guild's operations in Mistral on the verge of being exterminated, the White Fang needs every Faunus it can get its hands on. As for the Arch Traitor, Cinder Fall is acquiring an informant in Vale using deniable assets. If Ruby Rose is in Vale, the informant will contact her immediately. Meeting adjourned." Salem said in response t the statement.

[Flarbinia]

Beacon Academy. Vale
"Haven't you heard of knocking, Alastor? Now I will have to wait until tomorrow before I can take my inheritance out of this thing." Gyo said to his teammate, his voice and stare filled with anger. The rest of his teammates then entered the room, having overheard what Gyo said to Alastor, Mauve closing the door behind her. "That is one big fucking safe. Your family must have been loaded." Ash said to Gyo as he gazed at the safe, his eyes filled with greed. "It contains the coffers of the Phantom Corps. They were mercenaries before they were all massacred by a rival PMC. Tell no one of what" Gyo said to his teammates, quickly hiding away the safe.

[Higher Japan]

Vale

Walking back to his room after a round of training, Alastor held his staff as a support stick as he walked up towards his dorm room, part of his body being bruised after he had forgotten to turn the safety on his gun off. Reaching his dorm room without even knocking to check if people were inside, he sighed when he was told off about knocking as he walked over and landed on his bed face down before rolling to face their ceiling. "This is my room too y'know, and it's not like most people even stay in their room at this hour." After a while, he took note of the face that Ash had, one that would make people think that he was the sin of greed. "Don't go stealing now, i don't want to have to knock someone out trying to steal."

[Flarbinia]

"Okay, Alastor. I won't." Ash said to Alastor as he scoffed before heading to the controller, the video game cartridge (most people would think it would be on a CD, but I have very little to work with when it comes to video game technology in RWBY) still on the shelf. He blew into it, turned on the TV, changed the channel until he hit the screen used to play the game, and placed it in the cartridge, Gyo heading over to play it. "Soaring Ninja is the coolest character. I am going with him." Gyo said to Ash as he selected the yellow ninja, his voice filled with joy that had not been felt since he played the game with his half-brother Connor a year before the destruction of the Phantom Corps. "You are on. Frost Ninja is superior in every way." Ash said to Gyo as he selected the light blue ninja. "Will you turn the volume down. If this bookshelf has any good reading material, I want to be able to read it in fucking peace." Mauve said as she picked up a book with the words "Ninjas of Love" on it. "That is the property of Blake Belladonna, my current teammate. Hand it over or I will kill all four of you and feed you to the neighborhood dogs. On an unrelated note, your door doesn't shut all the way. I would suggest calling maintence, but they are waist deep in repair orders and complaints, so you will have to do a little home repair." Lie Ren said in a frighteningly calm and logical voice after entering the room, Mauve handing over the book before he gave his suggestion.

[Widgetalia]

"Our infiltration is going to go better than expected. Once word gets out that Team AMAG has met Lie Ren, our popularity will soar just by being Gyo's "Faunus concubines". Sure, that new popularity will mean more suspicion from the headmistress, but the drama will keep the dumb asses who visit this school distracted while we continue complying a dossier of potential threats." Katniss said to Salamis, her semblance enhanced senses allowing her to hear everything in Gyo's room. "Yes. The fact that he has settled back in means I am going to bump him up from potential threat to minor threat." Salamis said to Katniss before the two headed back to their dorms.

[Flarbinia]

"Thank you. Good day. By the way, my name is Ren. Lie Ren. I was a member of team JNPR before the Arch Traitor and her new allies killed my teammates. You don't recognize me because I have the same beard as my father." Ren said before he headed back across the hall, book in hand. "Holy shit. Do you know who that was?" Ash said to Gyo. "No, but I can safely assume that he was the teammate of Pyrrha Nikos." Gyo replied in confusion. "I heard that he is the new leader of Team RWBY." Gyo said to Ash. "I don't give a shit. My cousin would have won a regional tournament if the "invincible girl" hadn't rabbit punched him." Mauve said to the rest of the group after Ren left the room. "We get it. You had a grudge against Pyrrha. Can you please shut up? We are trying to kick each other's asses." Ash said to Mauve, Mauve ignoring him and grabbing one of the books off the shelf.

[Flarbinia]

Olivia's Apartment. Downtown Vale
"We have secured the asset, boss." One of the masked men said as they escorted Olivia Mei out of the building. "Excellent. You know where the rest of your payment is located." Their employer's messenger said right before hanging up.
New Einherjar Tavern. Vale
The two detectives who had been sent to investigate the bloodbath went outside and puked on the ground before heading back in. The interior of New Einherjar Tavern, a subsidiary of the World's largest dust provider, had been smashed to pieces, Huntsmen and Huntresses lying dead on the bloodstained floor with their broken weapons still in hand, spilled drinks pouring over the bar, the brains of the bartender splattered all over the wall behind the bar. Security footage had shown that a masked man had entered the bar, asking questions about a "Giovanni Shimazu " and beginning the killing spree when he didn't get the answers he wanted to hear, the alcohol inebriated Huntsmen and Huntresses attempting to eliminate him, the glove on his sword hand destroyed by a stream of fire from a Huntsman's pitchfork, the mask's voice modulator making it impossible to find a voice print. When examining a weapon the masked man had grabbed with his ungloved hand, they found no fingerprints, indicating that the culprit had burnt his fingerprints off with acid. Once they were done, the Vale Police Department put out an APB on Giovanni Shimazu. The media would be all over the New Einherjar Tavern Massacre.

[Widgetalia]

"I saw Salamis and Katniss pick up a safe left by Gyo's "secret admirer" if I have heard them correctly. It could reveal the identity of the double agent your boss is looking for. I will tell them immediately." Professor Ephialtes, a Huntsman who was loaned to Beacon Academy by the Headmaster of Haven in order to fill the void left by the death of the previous History Professor said to Caligula before hanging up, Salamis and Katniss entering his soundproof office. It was more luxurious than one could expect on a Professor's salary, rare masterpieces painted by unknown artists covered the wall behind an elegant and ornate fountain carved by artisans who had faded into obscurity while classical music composed by a maestro whose name faded into obscurity played in the background, everyone who had worked on all three all having died in an accident or committed suicide according to the coroner (a dead serious consummate professional, not someone who has a morbid sense of humor and makes fun of the deceased). "Your supervisor informs me that you are to retrieve the contents of a safe that is currently in the possession of Gyo, even if it means a breakup. In case you were wondering, I always have the cameras off during these conversations." Ephialtes said to Katniss before Salamis turned a stream of water from the fountain into a tentacle and used it both strangle and gag him. "I never understood you Huntsmen, always plotting, always scheming, always fighting amongst yourselves, always happy to sell out your own kind. No wonder potential Huntsmen and Huntresses choose to join the White Fang instead of attending the academies. You are worse than the SDC. You're worse than Roman Torchwick. And yet you claim to be heroes. And they call us the bad guys." Salamis said before snapping the history professor's neck, Katniss looking at Salamis with a wrathful gaze. "What the fuck, Salamis? Caligula is going to be pissed that his contact at Beacon Academy is dead and when he finds out that it was us, it will be impossible to maintain our cover with White Fang hit squads trying to whack us!" Katniss said to Salamis, constantly turning her head to see if anyone was going to enter. "Don't worry about Caligula. The order to kill Ephialtes came directly from Adam Taurus himself. We can always claim that he tried to rape us if Glynda ever found out we killed Ephilates." Salamis said to Katniss right before both Faunus left the room, Ephialtes lying dead on the floor.

[Flarbinia]

"Due to the untimely and unexpected demise of Professor Ephialtes, history class will be cancelled until we can find a suitable replacement. However, you are expected to use that time to complete any homework assignments he gave you. Failure to do so will result in you not being able to go on the field trip next week. Have a nice day." Glynda Goodwich said over the PA as Gyo watched his comrades fall asleep, reaching for the safe he hid under his bed once Alastor was asleep. Gyo opened the safe and retrieved the scroll, then headed outside with the safe and the letter, taking great care to not wake up his teammates. He then tossed the safe off the cliff and burnt the letter. "Better not use this scroll while I am on campus. Glynda has hired men to patrol the school grounds to ensure that there were no vandals or Fangers on the premises." Gyo muttered to himself before heading back inside, quickly putting the scroll in his pocket.

[Widgetalia]

Dorm Hall. Beacon Academy. Vale
"Hey, Gyo. Looks like we are going to be one class short for the foreseeable future. Dinner or a movie tonight? Tyrannus Nero is going out with Salamis, so I decided to make things easier on their wallets if we go on a double date." Katniss said to Gyo in a flirtatious tone, her gaze filled with lust. "Hurry up, Katniss! We are going to be late!" Ares said to his team leader, the rest of Team KATE waiting outside. "Looks like I have got to go. See you later." Katniss said to Gyo before running off to join the rest of her team.

[Flarbinia]

Beacon Academy. Vale
"It's a date." Gyo said to himself before he and the rest of his team headed to class.
Shion. Anima
"The Slaver's Guild is here! Man the defenses!" A gloved Huntsman in the sleeved gray and black jacket with yellow trim said at the top of his lungs, a chest plate with large dark gray sturdy straps concealed by the jacket, his white and grey gun pointed towards the approaching enemy soldiers, the leader of the assault wearing a gray cloak, bronze gauntlets, and a copper medal with the Slavers Guild Insignia. Warriors immediately ran to defend the settlement, some carrying spears while others were armed with bows and arrows and even a few heavily armored ones drawing swords. "Wake up, Hannah! Slavers are coming! All hands are needed on deck immediately!" The chieftain of Shion said to the mercenary in what the locals assumed to be a green dress uniform, the rifle in both of her hands.

[Yekrenia]

Beacon Academy. Vale
"It's a date." Gyo said to himself before he and the rest of his team headed to class.
Shion. Anima
"The Slaver's Guild is here! Man the defenses!" A gloved Huntsman in the sleeved gray and black jacket with yellow trim said at the top of his lungs, a chest plate with large dark gray sturdy straps concealed by the jacket, his white and grey gun pointed towards the approaching enemy soldiers, the leader of the assault wearing a gray cloak, bronze gauntlets, and a copper medal with the Slavers Guild Insignia. Warriors immediately ran to defend the settlement, some carrying spears while others were armed with bows and arrows and even a few heavily armored ones drawing swords. "Wake up, Hannah! Slavers are coming! All hands are needed on deck immediately!" The chieftain of Shion said to the mercenary in what the locals assumed to be a green dress uniform, the rifle in both of her hands.

Hannah shot up from her olive-green blanket upon the Chieftain shouting her awake. Having arise immediately to the call of arms never got old for the militarized Feline Faunus girl, especially when she was napping. Consequently, she was always ready.

No words were exchanged between Hannah and the Chieftain as she arose, grabbed and equipped her stalhelm and Trofastegin in one go. As she got ready to join the other defenders, her semblance kicked in. Twenty clones of herself spawned before assigning them their defensive objectives via armbands.

She passed five bands in four different colours - red, blue, green, and yellow. Her clones were either busy fastening their loading bearing harnesses before they caught their assigned armbands. All attached to their right arms, Hannah proceeded to give her clones assigned teams:

"Rotestein, Blausstein, gib den Verteidigern Verstärkung. Sie werden so schnell wie möglich Feuerunterstützung brauchen. (Red-Stein, Blue-Stein, give the defenders reinforcements. They'll need fire support, ASAP.)" Hannah barked to her clones bearing the red and blue armbands.

"Grünstein, holen Sie sich zum höchsten Punkt und unterstützen Sie uns mit Scharfschützen. (Green-Stein, get to the highest point and provide us sniper support.)" Hannah commanded to her clones bearing green armbands, with their reply being a kurt nod just like red and blue teams.

"Gelbestein, Du bist alle bei mir. (Yellow-Stein, you're all with me.)" Hannah sternly said before hastily giving the mission the go, "Jetzt aber los! (Now let's go!")

The Hannah-clones all made haste to their assigned objectives while the five remaining clones of yellow team followed Hannah herself. It was just lovely how Shinon would be attacked at this time. After all, such an attack reminded Hannah of the old days as a militia operative...

[Flarbinia]

Archers loosed their bows, unleashing a volley of arrows onto the charging attackers that killed many of them and halted the charge. The Slavers Guild soldiers fired their guns in retaliation, killing many of the warriors defending the village. Flaming rocks were catapulted into the enemy ranks, burning many alive. Many of the enemy troops, after receiving the order to close the distance, charged into the enemy phalanx, men on both sides being skewered, blood drenching the streets as corpses fell to the ground. The battle quickly devolved into a massacre as both sides began to engage in brutal close quarters combat, swordsmen decapitating riflemen and officers blowing out the brains of spearmen with their pistols, riflemen disemboweling swordsmen with their bayonets and spearmen stabbing NCOs with their spears, the ground covered in bloodstained corpses as the battle dragged on. The chieftain charged into the mêlée with his bodyguards, boosting the morale of the warriors engaged in the fighting. However, the brave chieftain's life was ended not by a dust cartridge fired by a lucky soldier or the blade of a worthy opponent, but a poison dart fired from the enemy commander's right bronze gauntlet that struck his neck, the poison stopping his heart in thirty seconds, the enemy commander slicing open the throat of his bodyguards as the Huntsmen who had warned them of the attack dragged the body out of the carnage. When he saw two red and blue figures opening fire on his troops, the enemy commander immediately mounted the chieftain's horse, charged at them, and swung his officer's sabre when he got close enough, slicing their heads open, blood gushing out of their wounds before they began to decompose into ash and dirt. He was knocked off the horse by a shot from a nearby roof that hit him in the chest, knocking him off the horse, his ill-gotten steed running into the wilderness. "Marksmen, they have more sniper support than we anticipated and considering that they decompose to ash and dirt, It is safe to assume that they are the clones of a very skilled Huntress. Take them out. We will be retreating once I have dealt with the Huntress who created them. We have suffered too many casualties to continue the engagement after that point. If I am the one to die, just know that it was an honor to lead you and that my second in command is to order the retreat in my stead." The enemy commander said into the concealed communicator inside his left bronze gauntlet as he stood back up, dodged a second shot, and headed deeper into the village. "Noted, sir." One of the NCOs in charge of the Slavers Guild Marksman who had been kept in reserve just in case the villages he attacked were more heavily guarded than the reconnaissance reports indicated. Being an Instructor for the Assassin's Branch of the Corsairs prior to the Massacres, he had memorized the fighting style of the Huntsmen and Huntresses he had killed during his career, but the use of clones that could think and fight for themselves made this opponent more difficult to defeat.

[Yekrenia]

Red and Blue Team

"Holt diese Leiche hierher, verdammt! (Get that body over here, dammit!)" Red Leader (Rotestein) barked while giving a 'come on' gesture at two of the remaining clones of Read Team, whom were carrying a corpse over the Red Leader's defensive position in mind.

Two other clones of Red Team have gone missing in the chaos, and so did a pair of other clones from Blue Team. Blue Leader was still alive of course along with two of her remaining clones among her squad. Unfortunately, both teams were in trouble.

The Slavers Guild soldiers were reducing the village defenders to a pulp faster than a smoothie can be made in a blender. Subsequently, rotting and bleeding corpses were all over the place. Plus, it didn't help that Red and Blue team had been pushed back.

So to prevent any further casualties and prevent any mounted infantry from mowing down any other defenders, Red and Blue team retreated into the confinements of a house tucked away in an alleyway. The confinements were tight, but the playing field was even.

Despite all the chaos, Red and Blue Team quickly had the advantage in limiting their visibility from the Slavers Guild soldiers via gravel, dirt, mud, and blood smeared all over themselves. Plus, the limited confinements allowed both teams to one more thing.

Because of the high body count, Red and Blue Team took advantage of the situation and decided to use the bodies as sandbags. Also, Red and Blue Team used the corpses to barricade any doorways or entries throughout the house.

On top of that, some of the fire arrows from earlier had been turned against the village via makeshift torches. Subsequently, Red and Blue Team had recently hurried to put on their gas masks - instilling a psychological effect to both friend and foe alike.

To the defenders, the clone Hannahs appeared like distorted moose heads; however, to the Slave Guild soldiers whoever saw the clone Hannahs, there was the confusion that poison gas had been released somewhere.

Nevertheless, Red and Blue Team did to the best of their abilities to deter the Slaver Guild soldiers as much as possible while on the defensive. Using the corpse brought by the two Red Team clones, the body was stacked on top of a barricade - which was already laid out in an overlapping layout.

One layer of corpses were laid out across with the next layer being laid out in front -
with the feet facing outward - before the process starts itself all over again. So far, the doorways had at least four or more layers of corpses as the only barricades separating the defenders from the invaders.

While the two red team clones got back inside the house and setting the corpse on top for the next layer, Red Leader provided covering fire and managing to pick off a couple Slaver Guild soldiers. Blue Team were busy shuffling throughout the house to ward off the attackers from all sides.

Some stray bullets from out of nowhere were lucky enough to smash to the right side of the window that Red Leader was shooting from before the wood fragments harmlessly bounced off her stahlhelm. Subsequently, Red Leader slipped away to the side before reloading her weapon (Trofastegin).

"Wer hat die Haustür? (Who's got the front door?)" Blue Leader shouted from upstairs as Red Leader retreated outside of the front area of the house and towards one of the barricade entryways.

"Ich mache! (I do!)" Red Leader hollered up as she vaulted behind the barricade of corpses blocking the entryway.

"Halte deine Kameraden von den Fenstern fern! Die Bastarde haben MG auf uns gerichtet! (Keep your comrades away from the windows! The bastards got machine guns pointed at us!)"

Red Leader then shouted towards the two red team clones, whom were lying prone on the ground and shooting through the tiny gaps left from the barricades of corpses and the bullets holes in the house, "Kameraden, hast du das gehört?! (Comrades, did you hear that?!)"

"Ja wir haben! (Yes we have!)"

"Okay, dann behalt die Köpfe runter! (Okay, then keep your heads down!)"

---

Green Team

Green Leader and one of the other clones of Green Team were hiding within the cellar of a house as they overlooked almost the entire centre of town. Both clones were lying prone as they shot through loop holes (sniper lingo for 'holes in the wall') in the roof.

So far, the Slaver Guild soldiers didn't know how they were dying so quickly amid the chaos. The slanted roof either deflected any stray bullets/projectiles that came at the house's direction unintentionally. Plus, the sniper shots were difficult to spot as well.

Having removed their stahlhelm to reduce their visibility to the enemy, Green Leader and her partner were picking off any of the heavy infantry or commanding units that were getting close to the center. While that was happening, the rest of Green Team were out and about in the other parts of town.

One of the green team clones was moving from another house to achieve a better firing angle. Dirt and foliage had gotten upon the clone Hannah's attire and equipment, so it was difficult for some if not all the Slaver Guild soldiers to see her as she dashed through one of the buildings and through a central courtyard.

The green team clone bothered not with her mottled olive-green trousers and anklet boots (including gaiters) as she ran through a small pond while shooting back at an incoming Slaver Guild soldier. Then, she was quick to deploy the bayonet on her weapon...

...right in time to impale another soldier not paying attention to where they were going as they ran down the staircase to the left. The telescopic bayonet went through his throat and up his head before the clone pulled it out in a swift motion and continued up the stairs.

A small and weak kick from the clone was enough to send the poor bastard's corpse rolling down the stairs as she walked up and entered the room. An enemy presence was felt as the clone entered; however, her weapon (Trofastegin) was knocked out of her hands as she entered and knocking in her into the wall.

If Hannah was like any ordinary Huntress, her clones wouldn't have been able to handle for themselves without her commands; however, the clone was quick to avert her own death as she grabbed the enemy shotgun, pointed it down, let it discharge, before she punched the soldier in the chest (hard and fast), flip the gun towards the soldier's gut and then firing it again to kill the soldier.

Like a polearm, the clone Hannah grabbed the shotgun from the wounded soldier's hands and smashed the buttstock into his face before firing again, this time in his head. The shotgun smashed the soldier's head open like a watermelon before the clone stepped over his remains as she walked towards one of the windows.

Another Slaver Guild soldier had just jumped down a hole in the roof behind the clone; however, she was quick to hear him and turn around to shot at him and knock him into the wall with shotgun pellets riddling his torso and neck. The glass from a couple of the windows behind the poor bastard shattered as the soldier fell backwards and bleed to his death.

Then, there were more footsteps thumping up above on the wooden floors - prompting the clone soldier to fire the automatic shotgun up at the ceiling and let loose all the ammunition. Six of the remaining buckshot shells from the 12-round-box magazine were quick to empty before one more Slaver Guild soldier fell from the hole in the ceiling and slamming his back into the room below...bullet holes riddling his torso and legs.

With the automatic shotgun falling silent to the infamous click, the green team clone stepped back just as another Slaver Guild soldier jumped down, expecting to find a fleeing defender. Unfortunately, the clone smashed the buttstock into the soldier's face like a club before running backwards to grab her original weapon (Trofastegin) and roared at the surprised invader, "Stirb du Scheißkerl! (Die you motherfucker!)"

The Slaver Guild soldier only managed to grab the bayonet as it sliced through his fingers and stabbing him in the left eye before it pierced through his brain like a fork cutting through a New York Steak. A small amount of blood gushed onto the bayonet for a moment before the clone soldier pulled it out to momentarily shot once to reduce the poor bastard's head to paste.

---

Yellow Team and Hannah Blikdase

Hannah had placed her gas mask on her face as ash and dirt from her dying clones billowed towards her amid the smoke and chaos of the battle. One of the clones among Yellow Team had been killed via shrapnel to the torso, so there was only Hannah, Yellow Leader, and the three remaining clones of Yellow Team at her command.

Spattered with blood, mud, gravel, and foliage on their clothing, Hannah and Yellow Team were in gas masks. and it wasn't the smoke from the fires that Hannah and Yellow Team were protecting themselves from. The Slavers Guild's offensive was slowing down; however, in a last ditch attempt, the Slavers Guild were unleashing tear gas upon the populace in order to regain a victory.

Tear gas may have been laughable by comparison when it came to toxicity; however, Hannah and Yellow Team were not underestimate the non-lethal gas, since some of the defensive lines were falling apart. So in the best of efforts to reduce the tear gas, Hannah and Yellow Team either shot the canisters back to the attackers or threw them back when given the chance.

One of the Yellow Team clones happened to have obtained a wine bottle and then filled it with the alcohol kept on one of the Slaver Guild soldiers to create a makeshift incendiary grenade. With a burning rag at the top of the bottle, the clone was quick to hurl the incendiary cocktail at a house filled with Slaver Guild soldiers before being the last clone to flee to the safety Yellow Team.

Hannah and Yellow Team were held up in the town hall, with the barricade consisting of corpses and scraps of wood (similar to Red and Blue Team's barricades). Some of the defenseless inhabitants or wounded defenders had took shelter in the town hall as well, and they were in hardly any condition to fight back - not when they didn't how to defend themselves or get themselves back up.

With the amount of chaos and blood being shed, Hannah had to disguise herself as being one of the clones of Yellow Team, which was why she was wearing the yellow armband that once belong to the dead Yellow Team clone moments ago. Of course, any bystander or enemy alike wouldn't tell the difference, even if the gas masks were to be removed; however, Hannah was only sparing her aura to make more clones when needed.

Subsequently, every piece of debris, shrapnel, heat, and projectile were all going to hurt her real good; however, that was the whole point of appearing like an ordinary clone. No English was to be spoken at all times, not only to prevent the enemy from figuring out what was going on, but also mask the identities between clone and the real Hannah.

[Flarbinia]

"Turning the attacks of my soldiers against them? This Huntress assisting these warriors must be very powerful if they can think and fight that well. Unfortunately for them, what they will see as a rout is a strategic withdrawal that precedes the monsoon of fire the artillery will unleash on the defenders of this village." The leader of the attacking army said to himself as he glanced back at the battle right before a full platoon of men armed with assault rifles ran forwards and opened fire, the man in the gray cloak teleporting behind each soldier and cutting them to shreds with surgical precision. "The uniforms of these men belong to Mistral's elite shock troops. It appears that this Huntress deserted the Mistralian Militia. It was a shame to slice them up like the beef served at New York Steakhouse. They would have made fine additions to the Slavers Guild. As for my worthy opponent, I will find her, she will face me, we will fight, and only one of us will be leaving Shion alive. I made my peace with death when I made my deal with the Devil and I will embrace him if I cannot triumph over this Huntress. May the best warrior win." The man in the gray cloak said to himself as he gazed at the roof of a nearby building and teleported, continuing to teleport until he saw some women in gas masks who were firing at the Slavers Guild Marksmen, jumped behind them, and sliced them in half, the bodies quickly decomposing to ash and dirt. Then, without saying a word, he signaled to his men to begin the withdraw before teleporting to roof of the building on the other side of the battlefield as one of the clones on their opened fire, the dust cartridge harmlessly flying through the air as the one who fired it was decapitated.

[Flarbinia]

Outside Shion. Anima
"Everyone who could withdraw has withdrawn. I hope our commander realizes the risk of staying so close to the artillery barrage. Open fire." The artillery commander said to his men as the artillery crews loaded the shells and raised the rocket launchers of the Banshees to the right elevation so that the missiles can deal the most damage when fired. Despite being antiques that had been left to rot in storage facilities that were abandoned after the Great War due to budget cuts, the Banshees were still the most devastating weapons in the Slavers Guild's arsenal.
Inside Shion. Anima
"It can't be! Those things have been decommissioned for Raiden knows how long!" One of the older warriors said right before being blown to smithereens by a short range missile, a bone chilling screech-like howl being heard before the impact. "Holy shit! The Slavers Guild has fucking Banshees! Get to cover!" Another warrior said as more of the horrifying howls could be heard, several of the missiles splitting open before impact and unleashing a rain of fire onto the defenders below, the Hannah clones who had used tear gas canisters against the Slavers Guild soldiers that had thrown them being burnt to ashes. "That just leaves my worthy opponent and her remaining clones. I can't teleport all over the entire goddamn village. I need to conserve as much aura as I can before I face her." The man in the grey cloak said as he watched the warriors who had been valiantly fighting and killing his men were being devastated by the Banshees, twisting his blade as the last clone on the roof he was standing on trying to claw at him while being impaled with the officer's sabre made one last attempt to grab him with her slippery blood soaked hands, blood coming out of the mouth before dying and decomposing.

[Yekrenia]

Hannah Blikdase and Yellow Leader

Yellow Leader was bleeding from her abdomen as she held her left arm onto a blood-soaked cloth and belt from her possession. The real Hannah Blikdase was acting as a 'human crutch' for Yellow Leader, exemplified by Hannah grabbing onto Yellow Leader's right arm while wrapping her left arm around Yellow Leader's left hip. Unsurprisingly, a little bit of Yellow Leader's blood soaked onto Hannah's fingers of her left hand; however, it was only due to the belt fastened around Yellow Leader's blood-soaked cloth that the bleeding remained all under control.

The audacity for the Slaver Guild to unleash rocket artillery upon the small Mistralian town of Shion was no different from a time when Hannah first became a militia operative long ago. Of course, incendiary explosives only triggered the outbreak of fires throughout the town, there was one kind of thing that all artillery munitions had difficulty destroying without a direct hit was the safety and filth of trenches. The town hall was already being reduce to a smoldering wreck as Hannah and Yellow Leader took cover within a house still unscathed by the fires.

Hoping to outsmart the fires and avoid smoke inhalation, Hannah was quick to eventually find a flight of stairs that either lead upstairs or downstairs. Fires can only burn the oxygen was plentiful, and a vertical diagonal flight of stairs was like a one-way street - the air would only push the fires upward and away from anything else behind it. To a highly trained firefighter, this was simply known as the Trench Effect - and Hannah was about to make good use of that effect before the fires swept towards her direction.

Wasting no time to move herself and Yellow Leader down the stairs, Hannah eventually found herself inside the dark and recently vacant basement before letting Yellow Leader sit and lean against the wall. Yellow Leader had managed to tank her messy injure very well for a clone herself, not to mention that the shrapnel in mind was a piece of metal from one of the rockets. The only thing that saved Yellow Leader from a nasty ticket to the afterlife was her frontal magazine pouches slowing down the shrapnel just enough where it only pinched open her abdomen rather than smashed through it like an axe cutting a log in half.

Despite this, Yellow Leader was reduce to a partial fighting condition, since one of her hands had to keep applying pressure to the blood-soaked pad secured by the belt wrapped around her torso. Plus, despite Hannah retaining an aura, it was evident that she was still sticking with the disguise of being one of her clones, via the fact that she had bandages wrapped around her right forearm along with traces of dried blood on her arms and clothing. Such injuries were no stranger to her, so it was only natural for the former Mistralian militia operative and Beacon graduate to easily muster the pain without using her aura at will.

Both clone and real Hannahs were still wearing their gas masks and stahlhelms, whom held up as usual like any other hell that their user's had been through. Their moment of relief, while free from the enemy's gunfire, was spontaneously interrupted by the sound and might of the rockets up above crashing into the village. Each explosion shaking the house and sending some tiny bits of plaster and dirt crumbling through the slits in the wooden floor up above; only continuing mercifully until disaster struck too close for both real and clone Hannah.

The real Hannah, hoping to get a bearing of her surroundings outside of the house via her hearing, took off her stahlhelm and her hairband underneath. Her gas mask was still on her face just as she took both headwear off her head and allowing her rounded-edge feline faunus ears to stand themselves up. The moments of rockets shrieking through the sky and crashing into the town remained so for five long minutes before the sound from one of the rockets appeared to be closing in far too close than usual.

Instinctively, Hannah Blikdase herself tossed her hairband towards Yellow Leader before putting on her stahlhelm and diving towards her injured clone. Yellow Leader barely had time to register her commander's actions before she found herself being slid to the left of the wall and having the full weight of the real Hannah Blikdase fall right on top of her. Then, before either clone and real Hannah Blikdase could completely hit the floor, the rocket in mind made its mark...

An explosion ripped the house to pieces and sending the entire house crashing down into the basement like a stack of wet crackers. Wood and dirt smashed down upon the basement like an ordinary icy avalanche, giving both the clone and real Hannah Blikdase no chance of escaping as wood and dirt piled on top of them. Smoke from the fires slowly followed suit as the wood and dirt slowly came to rest as suddenly as it came from the direct explosion.

---

Remaining Green Team Clone

There was only one sound that defined the eeriness of a gas mask in just one breath. Muffled yet prominent from both the user and bystander alike, there was nothing more creepy and psychological than hearing the tensed breathing of a person inside a gas mask. The breathing was like a low pitched valve leaking air out into the atmosphere before gently shutting tight again, which was merely reminiscent to the slow pulse of the beating heart amongst human and faunus alike.

The lone clone Hannah of Green Team had no one around her to either fight or accompany into battle as the sound of rocket artillery pounded the town into submission. Here she was trapped in a foxhole only concealed by a fallen tree that had conveniently concealed much of the improvised cover from the artillery above. The remainder of the cover concealing the foxhole was nothing more than wooden planks thrown clear of the explosions or bits of mud that had splatter onto the tree and into the foxhole.

Her fellow comrades amongst her team were either dead or still out there, which applied very much to the real Hannah Blikdase and Yellow Team as well. Unfortunately, for a clone Hannah herself, while she was safe and hidden from the artillery and the remaining Slaver Guild soldiers, she was all alone and left to fend for herself while safety remained out of reach. There was no way a clone like herself could left that heavy tree that was blocking much of her only exit out of her foxhole, and it doesn't help by the fact that the mud acted as a weak glue to hold the tree in place.

The fragments of wooden planks and foliage all together from the surface made it impossible to tell that there was a foxhole in the first place, so there was no way in telling that a person was hiding underneath. Unfortunately, it was only as the rockets finally ceased that the real challenge of leaving safety became an important priority. As a clone, thereby having no aura at all, the Green Team clone was essentially trapped underneath and no way of being found for as long as the tree remained on top of the foxhole among the wreckage.

The sizzling of fires from the rockets' incendiary payloads were the new sound that slowly replaced the screeching and explosions from earlier. Smoke was what filled the air along with the stench of blood and gore, which was all but suppressed from the stuffy leather gas mask of the clone Hannah. The air was stuffy and warm inside the gas mask; however, that would've all been okay for the clone Hannah to survive the aftermath had the canister holding the extra filters weren't shot out from her load-bearing harness.

The gas mask could only give the user two (2) hours of protection from any foreign/dangerous vapors and smoke, so it was only a matter of time that the clone Hannah had to eventually take off her mask and face the dangers outside. Consequently, having no choice aside from suffocating inside her gas mask with an expired filter, the clone Hannah slowly removed her stahlhelm before taking the gas mask off her face...complemented by the nearly inaudible yet gentle crinkling and rustling of the leather from the mask as well. An brief exhale had escaped the clone Hannah's lips as she removed the mask and ditched into the dirt floor of the foxhole.

She cared not to put her stahlhelm back on as she undid her load-bearing harness and removed her spade fasten to what was her anterior hip pouch. If she couldn't lift the tree and travel among the war-torn surface, the best thing the clone Hannah could do was dig her way around. Of course, her hands and arms were already smudged with dirt and mud, she cared not as she dug her spade into the dirt underneath her and burrowing a diagonal vertical hole.

The diagonal hole may have taken her five minutes to make, but it was only large enough for her to crawl in head first and continue as she dug her way down. Having to crouch, lie down on her back, and then turn around on her stomach and then crawl her way into the hole, the clone Hannah now made herself look like a mole faunus as her legs stuck out from the hole. Slowly in the next five minutes, the clone Hannah slowly disappeared into the hole as she dug deeper and deeper into the ground...

That was only after half-an-hour passed by that she eventually came back out of the hole head-first to grab her stahlhelm, gas-mask, load-bearing harness, and Trofastegin before using her stahlhelm to shovel the dirt amongst the entry way. Using a pair of planks she obtained from her exit, she shoveled up the remaining dirt onto the plank with her bare hands before disappearing into the darkness of the hole. Subsequently, the foxhole was now left to its fate as the tree was eventually lifted by a particular Slaver Guild commander in mind...only to find an empty useless foxhole.

As for the clone Hannah in mind, she was immersed in nothing more than shit-fouling mud and dirt along with the heat underground as she slid down the hole and hitting the end underneath her anklet boots. She leaned forward after landing down to the bottom and slowly crawled her way back up diagonally upwards towards her makeshift exit up above. The light was extremely faint, considering that she had connected her exit into the ground floor of a collapsed manor in the town.

The manor in mind was reduced to rubble and thankfully having its fires burn out in the meantime, so it was safe to now venture among the ruins. Unfortunately, shortly after the clone Hannah emerged out of the hole back in her full attire and equipment (minus the gas mask canister and gas mask), the clone Hannah slowly came to realization that there were still some stragglers moving about the town - unaware of the dirty and shaken yet otherwise healthy clone Hannah emerging from the ruins. While the Slaver Guild soldiers were wondering about thinking that there were no survivors left in their area of town, the clone Hannah couldn't exactly go about reappearing guns blazing now that she was alone.

Therefore, it was only following upon her instinct that she took cover among the manor's ruins and crawling underneath a small tunnel of rubble as a perfect spot for shooting foes undetected. From there, she knew for sure that just one shot will give away her position all over again, so it was here that she reached her right hand into her backpack among her load-bearing harness and pulled out a silencer. Of course, she couldn't apply the silence when the flash hider was attached at the muzzle, so she only placed the silencer to her right in front of her before using both of her hands to unscrew the flash hider and proceed with screwing on the silencer.

Setting Trofastegin down with its suppressor attached, and with the original flash hider tucked away in a pocket, the clone Hannah didn't have to wait for long to find that a new target had walked into her sights. An ordinary Slaver Guild soldier of course was wandering the streets for any survivors it could get their hands on; however, the poor bastard was not aware of the well-armed and healthy survivor hiding in rubble as a stealthy 5.56mm bullet sliced through his head before he could even register the action to scream. Instead, the soldier jolted quietly as his corpse slammed into the ground and dropping his weapon that subsequently fell in his miniature puddle of blood.

As for the clone Hannah with a silenced Trofastegin, she slowly crawled forward to fully conceal herself under the rubble as the fallen Slaver Guild soldier laid permanently unresponsive before attracting the attention of a particular Slaver Guild commander in mind that was unaware of the hidden clone Hannah. He was wearing a gray cloak, bronze gauntlets, and the unmistakable Slavers Guild insignia on his person - no doubt that he was one of the commanding units of the attack (according to the clone Hannah). She knew that she had definitely attracted one of the commanding officer's attention for sure, and now was her chance to assassinate him while he was checking on his fallen comrade; however, just as the clone Hannah unleashed a deadly silent wall of lead downrange, the officer's aura kicked into overdrive and shielded the particular Slaver Guild officer in mind before he seem to vanish out of thin air.

No doubt that this particular Slaver Guild officer was a huntsman of some type with a teleportation semblance. There was no way the officer could've known where the clone Hannah was hiding and nor did he know where the gunshots came from, there was just no way that could've been possible unless he was faunus (whom the clone Hannah knew just from using her feral instincts to detect the officer's scent). Still, the officer could be anywhere now that he vanished to safety somewhere, so the clone Hannah followed one of the many rules of a sniper - do not shoot more than once from the same location for too long.

Thinking quickly, the clone Hannah slowly crawled out and jumped back down the hole that she dug before being submersed in darkness once again. While it was dark for humans, and definitely foul and dirty without a doubt for a hole no bigger than a crawl space, the clone Hannah could see her way around despite being forced to wiggle her way down to reach the bottom once again and then make a right turn that she spared from earlier. Apparently, after adjusting herself to crawl head-first into the right turn, the clone Hannah had dug another hole, only this one was at a nearly flat angle as the clone Hannah was forced to crawl on her stomach in the dirt and darkness once more.

The tunnels were obviously too cramp for a man to traverse without getting stuck and smudged with dirt in all directions, so it was no surprise that the clone Hannah got dirt on herself as she crawled through the tunnel in the dark underground. There was no way to stand up or crouch either, so the only option to traverse the tunnels were to crawl on your stomach, which was exactly what the clone Hannah did for the next five minutes before emerging on the other side where there was a faint light source from up above. The exit had lead the clone Hannah to the bottom of a water well more than five (5) meters high; however, while there wasn't anything that the clone Hannah could grab onto to get out, the clone Hannah only needed to stretch her limbs out on the stone and dirt walls of the well before she ascended her way up.

Unfortunately, the clone Hannah had to leave her load-bearing harness, stahlhelm, and Trofastegin behind as she stealthily ascended up to the surface to scope out her surroundings. Much to the clone Hannah's luck, a Slaver Guild soldier happened to be standing around next to the well, unaware of the survivor popping their head up from the well and looking at their back with the eyes of a predator. The clone Hannah's feline faunus ears twitched in silence as it scoped out its surroundings for any boogies wandering about the town.

While the clone Hannah could kill the Slaver Guild soldier in front of her, she was without a powerful weapon to eliminate the threat in one go. Subsequently, the only option the clone Hannah had was just to exit the well without her equipment and weaponry; however, this was not to mention that she was covered in dirt and mud from head to toe. Her clothing was barely recognizable as she was covered in mud and destroy the beauty that was among the feline faunus girl's character; however, beauty matter naught when one is covered in mud and green to conceal themselves among the shrubbery and foliage.

The Slaver Guild soldiers that remain better like the smell of green, 'cause the clone Hannah soon disappeared in the mud and dirt of a crater left behind from one of the first rockets fired upon the town...

---

(Author Notes: Okay I guess I had a little too much fun making this post...)

[Flarbinia]

"If any of you spot one of the Huntress's clones, take her out if you can. If you cannot, fall back to a more secure location and await further orders from your superior officer. Speaking of superior officers, my Quartermaster General is to be executed for his incompetence. Not only did he have acquire twenty thousand Banshees from the dealers instead of just two thousand, bringing our contacts under a lot more heat than I expected, but he bought thrice the amount of incendiary ammunition that I requested for this operation, putting a lot of strain on our limited resources and making Shion useless as winter quarters." The man in the partially burnt grey cloak said into the communicator right before he began jumping from one half charred roof to the other, the artillery barrage having stopped, the warriors who had avoided being burnt to a crisp too busy putting out fires or rescuing survivors to notice him.

[Flarbinia]

The man in the half-burnt gray cloak jumped into the building, pulled out his revolver, and shot the woman with the headband in the head, the corpse decomposing to ash and dirt. "So this is the Huntress who has been giving my men so much trouble. Let me introduce myself. I am Abdul Alhazred, know to the cretins in the lower levels of Mistral as "Morgue". Commander of all Slavers Guild operations on this continent, though I am no longer interested in taking prisoners. Former instructor for the Assassins Branch of the Corsairs, an honor most Corsairs trained in the art of assassination can only dream of achieving. Using the intelligence and tenacity of your clones is impressive, but in the end, their efforts were nothing. The Slavers Guild may have lost this battle and Shion may rebuild, but I will have another name to add to the list of Huntsmen and Huntresses I have slain during my long career once you lay dead at my feet. It has been a long time since I have had a challenge like this." The man in the half-burnt gray cloak said as he walked towards his opponent, using the inside of his cloak to wipe the blood off of his sword before taking his revolver back out of the holster.

[Widgetalia]

The forest Outside Shion. Anima
A tall figure in a helm with a visor shaped like the face of Jörmungandr, a snake like Grimm that terrorized the coasts centuries before the Huntsman Academies were founded, was watching the battle, his ability to see someone's body heat from a mile away allowing him to see that his old team leader was still alive. However, despite the urge to rush into combat, he was ordered to observe the Battle of Shion to determine how many Slavers Guild Soldiers the White Fang would have to face during their next retaliation against the Slavers Guild. "This fucker may be a Corsair, but you have faced and defeated worse. Now stop taunting each other!" The Apophis said to himself as he watched the Slavers Guild Commander strike at his former teammate multiple times, only for Hannah to block every blow and retaliate, her opponent parrying every hit.

[Widgetalia]

"Looks like they have stopped taunting each other. Should I go in for the kill?" A Faunus hiding in the nearby buildings said to Apophis via her scroll as she watched the two fighters, having been ordered to observe the two fighters to discern any weaknesses, her Grimm mask hiding a face covered in battle scars. "No. You may desire revenge on Hannah for killing your father in the attack on the convoy, but engaging them both will only result in them teaming up and killing you. Besides, there are too many witnesses to silence if you do succeed in killing them and the High Leader doesn't want a repeat of the Red Horse Mission." Apophis said to the assassin as he observed the two combatants, neither one engaging in combat with the others. "Understood, Belial. I will continue to observe. Poison Talon Seven out." The assassin said right before hanging up.

[Yekrenia]

Real Hannah Blikdase and Yellow Leader

Hannah wheezed and cough within her gas mask before stirring awake to a wreckage on top of her. Much to her luck, Yellow Leader was still alive and miraculously unharmed. After all, the real Hannah Blikdase was laying on top of her.

“Herr, Erlaubnis zu sprechen? (Sir, Permission to speak?)” Yellow Leader groaned awake with the full weight of her commander on top of her.

“Du darfst. (You may.)” Hannah grunted sternly as she brushed aside a board on top of her left shoulder.

“Danke. (Thanks.)” Yellow Leader calmly replied back, knowing that she was still in pain; however, her bleeding had stopped for now, “Geht es dir gut, Kamerad? (Are you okay, Conrade?)”

“Nein, bist DU, okay? (No, are YOU, okay?)” Hannah coldly grunted as she kneeled to her clone’s right side.

“Die Blutung hat aufgehört, Kamerad. (The bleeding has stopped, Comrade.)” Yellow Leader groaned while still applying pressure to her medical cloth on her abdomen.

Unfortunately, Yellow Leader was barely awake, since blood had soaked her entire lower shirt and upper pants. Plus, a puddle of blood had recently formed underneath the clone Hannah, which was only a bad sign to the real Hannah.

“Mein Gott, ich werde es nicht schaffen. (My god, I not going to make it.)” Yellow Leader wheezed lowly from under her gas mask, “Bin ich nicht? (Am I not?)”

“Es wird dir gut gehen, solange du dich nicht viel bewegst. (You’ll be fine, as long as you don’t move much.)” Hannah Blikdase nodded back with her usual ‘drill-sergeant’ presence, “Für jetzt muss ich- (For now, I need-)”

A sudden gunshot nearby abruptly smashed through the front of Yellow Leader’s stahlhelm. The dreaded metallic ‘cling’ ring momentarily before a splash of blood behind the gas mask was seen by Hannah. Yellow Leader was suddenly dead as soon as she awoken.

Hannah Blikdase dove past the dead clone and rolled with Trofastegin’s back in her hands. She took cover under what remained of the floor above her as she rolled. The dirt and ash of Yellow Leader was billowed in her direction and removing every trace of the clone’s blood and existence.

Driven only by adrenaline and feral instinct, Hannah turned around on the floor, lie on her back, and aimed Trofastegin at the bastard who shot her clone. The perpetrator was wearing a half-burned grey cloak, and he had a saber and revolver on his person.

Unfortunately, Trofastegin only uttered the dreaded ‘click’ the moment Hannah pulled the trigger. Empty and dead as she was on the spot. Fortunately, the boogie in mind happened to introduce himself as the Commander of the Slaver Guild force that attacked this town.

What audacity was it for him to introduce himself in front of someone who could’ve killed them had the gun been loaded? Better yet, what arrogance did it take for this man to challenge a former elite militia and huntress to duel where there is none on the battlefield?

He introduced simply as Morgue. Hannah wasted no time to use his speech to perform a tactical reload, while she rolled to the side behind some rubble. Not a second after she finished her reload and rolled to cover, Morgue wasted no time to reply back either.

A gunshot from his revolver struck very close to Hannah’s left before a nasty trick followed. Hannah had quickly stood up to fire upon Morgue before he suddenly vanished before her eyes. Then, Hannah’s feline senses flared into a frenzy and sent her turning around to duck under Morgue’s incoming saber before using her momentum to elbow him in the abdomen.

Again, Morgue disappeared again moments after being struck. Suddenly, Hannah’s senses freaked out again just in time to warn her of another incoming attack from behind. Unfortunately, Morgue had fired a gunshot from his revolver, which was a near miss from Hannah’s left ear; however, Hannah swung Trofastegin behind her to knock Morgue’s revolver out of his hand before he vanished again.

The revolver clattered somewhere in the rubble before Hannah stepped forward onto of the pile of rubble she was taking cover behind moments ago. Suddenly, much to Hannah’s lost surprise, another gunshot rung before Hannah was knocked forward.

Morgue had managed to find his revolver and attempted to shot her in the back of the head. Unfortunately for Morgue, Hannah’s stahlhelm was sloped and thick enough to effortlessly deflect the pistol bullet. Many opponents with pistols that Hannah faced before never realized how reselient an 8-year-old Germanic helmet would be - as much as it was a modern symbol of Germanic militarism.

Hannah’s aura barely flared up as she fell forward onto her stomach. She was quick to turn around onto her back to face Morgue; however, she was too late as always as he vanished again. She barely leaned forward moments later as another gunshot struck her on top of her stahlhelm.

It was Morgue. He was so close to ending the Steadfast Tin Soldier’s life, when she leaned forward in time to have the bullet bounce off again. This time, however, a headache had struck Hannah as she fell forward and then suddenly turning her waist around to plunge Trofastegin’s bayonet in Morgue’s boots.

Again, Morgue vanished as he appeared in front of Hannah to try in shot her again. Unfortunately, this only annoyed the tin soldier as she quickly tossed Trofastegin at Morgue before he could even shoot.

20lbs of steel and wood smashed into Morgue’s torso; however, this only prompted him to teleport once more as he stumbled backwards. Then, at the last second, just barely standing on her two feet, Hannah’s feline senses flared into a frenzy as she turned around to face Morgue again.

Though much to her surprise, she unintentionally spawned a new Hannah clone behind her. Subsequently, while Hannah only turned around too late to dodge Morgue’s incoming saber, the clone had spawned grappling behind her and pulling her backwards onto the ground.

Then, Hannah rolled off of her suddenly spawned clone, expecting Morgue to already teleport; however, he was still standing before the real and cloned Hannah. Though knowing that her clones had no aura, Hannah despawned her clone just in time before Morgue fired a gunshot.

Luckily, the clone Hannah had tossed Trofastegin back to the real Hannah just in time before disappearing back into her commander. The real Hannah in the meantime disappeared behind a pile of rubble before Morgue disappeared again.

(NOTE: I’m going to stop here for now and see if this is okay)

[Flarbinia]

"Trying to play hide and seek with me, my worthy opponent? A predictable strategy that didn't save the Shapeshifting Huntress I killed in Vale during my first mission." "Morgue" said as he began pursuing his prey, walking instead of teleporting in order to conserve his aura just in case he was ambushed. "I can tell by your dialect and the design of the helmet that you are descended from the Germanic Tribe, the strongest and most warlike Faunus Tribe on the continent prior to being conquered by the Kingdom of Mistral. It is a shame that I will have to end that proud and powerful bloodline, but you have caused me more trouble than you would be worth as a partner. How do I know about your heritage? I am descended from the Wayfarer Tribe, the most loyal and most powerful of the Germanic Tribe's allies. However, that does not change the fact that if you don't kill me, I will kill you." "Morgue" said as he shot in the direction of what he assumed was a footstep, only to hit a half burnt toy that had hit the ground after a shelf's weakened supports gave out.

[Yekrenia]

Lone Green Team Clone

The sound of gunshots in the distance in town only stirred a small formation of grass. While the real Hannah fought the Slaver Guild Commander, one lone Hannah clone from Green Team was very much alive.

A pair of boots from a dead Slaver Guild soldier was dragged away into a grass formation. Apparently, the Slaver Guild soldier misused his chance to kill the clone, since he happened to walked to his death.

One giant slash mark from a spade had sliced open the back of his neck before he was dragged away into the grass. Then, moments later, the lone clone Hannah crouched-walked from out of cover...

Or...at least, it looks like her.

The lone clone Hannah was smudged from head-to-toe in mud, dirt, leaves, and blood. One would mistaken the clone Hannah as a mud monster - whom was neither faunus or even human.

Her once brown hair was covered in blood, mud, and leaves as well, which was further enhance by the olive green color of her clothing and headband. Even her face was spattered in smeared dirt as well.

She eventually arose in a crouching position, revealing a dirty and bloodied spade in her possession. Moments ago, she had tripped the Slaver Guild soldier before slicing his neck before hiding his corpse.

Nevertheless, there was no hostiles around, which allowed the clone Hannah to return to the well to retrieve her equipment. Though to reduce noise, the clone only lifted her load-bearing harness and Trofastegin.

She eventually went back down the well for one last time to retrieve her stahlhelm. Unfortunately, she only held her stahlhelm in her left hand while slinging Trofastegin on her right shoulder.

All together, her helmet and load-bearing harness would generate so much noise if she ran. This was mostly due to the fact that the straps were loose than usual. Despite this, the clone had to keep moving.

She only came to conclusion that she was the only clone left - her commander's fate possible KIA or missing. Now, it was up to a clone herself to pick up the pieces and finish clearing the town.

Nevertheless, it didn't take long for a clone like herself to resume a firing position from the attic of a house nearby. The house had suffered moderate fire damage, since much of its roof was scorched.

While there was partial cover from the sky, the house still retained much of its walls despite exterior fire damage. In fact, the house had many loop holes (sniper lingo for 'Holes in the Wall'), which was perfect.

The silencer attached to the clone's Trofastegin would allow its user to pick off foes from afar without a muzzle flash and a bang. There was some furniture that had survived the fires, one being a couple chairs and a dresser

All that furniture was enough for the clone to create an improvised barricade to prevent intruders from coming up the stairs. This left the clone in a secured sniper nest for the time being until help could find her.

Through the loop holes in the wall, the clone Hannah had a limited view upon one of the town's main roads off to the right. Off to the left loop holes, there was the view of a manor near the corner of the town hall.

The views were limited and certainly difficult to shot through, but it prevented anyone from the outside from looking in. There was little roof left above the clone, but that naught.

A pile of tiles and wood had snowballed neared the windows in the attic, which effectively hid the clone from the outside. The only way the clone could be found was from the roof or through the stairway barricade.

Lying prone on the ground, the clone Hannah set herself up again like before. Her load-bearing harness and stahlhelm laid to her left, while she had Trofastegin aimed towards one of the loopholes.

She didn't have the low-powered scope attached on top of Trofastegin, so there was no glint. Unfortunately, the clone had to depend on Trofastegin's iron sights to pick off her targets down range.

Likewise, she had her hairband off to allow her to retain her feline hearing powers. There was nothing worse than not hearing a sniper hunter sneaking upon one's back as they picked off their targets.

So far, no targets had came into view in the distance, which only made the clone Hannah's ears twitch every so often whenever there was a sound. Every so often, there was gunshots in the distances.

Where those gunshots were coming from didn't bother the clone. She only had to focus upon any target that strayed into view outside. She was alone and had no aura, so she knew her terrible odds as the only defender left...for now...

---

Real Hannah Blikdase

This was certainly upsetting as much as it was bad for Hannah Blikdase. This man, Morgue, happened to have been from a Germanic Tribe as well. Then there was the audacity of him to taunt at her while in battle.

For an ordinary soldier or a battle-harden huntsman, this was a cocky mistake that could cost someone their life when used at the wrong timing. Like his speech, Hannah wasted no time to catch her breath and keep moving.

An opponent who can teleport around the battlefield was a dangerous foe if the victim lacked speed and reflexes. Therefore, Hannah was grateful that her times at Beacon Academy payed off.

Her mixture of training from the Mistralian militia and Beacon Academy enhanced her ability to act as both soldier and huntress. Against an opponent like Morgue, Hannah knew she lacked any exotic weaponry and techniques.

Hannah sacrificed the flashy-dynamic fighting styles and transformable weapons - that were the norm of huntsmen and huntresses - for versatility, reliability, and practicality. Subsequently, up against someone like Morgue, she was like a swiss army knife trying to fight a rapier and dagger.

But then, it occurred to Hannah that she was still wearing her gas mask. She had respiratory and facial protection, Morgue had nothing to protect his head. Subsequently, Hannah had an idea.

While she was hiding behind the same pile of rubble from earlier, she noticed that the only thing that kept the rest of the floor up above from collapsing is a single wooden column.

The column could barely hold the weight of the remaining house up above. Collapsing the house on top of herself may be suicidal, but the collapse can produce plenty of smoke from the plaster and gravel.

This wasn't a way to kill Morgue, it was her escape hatch. So upon slinging Trofastegin and taking out her spade, she walked up to the column and channeled her aura into her swing. Then, all hell broke loose...

The center of the column exploded into many pieces and fragments. Unfortunately, the sound of the house crashing down sent Hannah into diving to the left as the entire floor and walls fell down in front of her.

Fumes and smoke from the plaster, gravel, and dirt spewed all over the place as she narrowly dove out of the way. Not surprisingly, Hannah slid into the wall torso first as the house narrowly avoid falling on top of her.

Morgue had to have been confused by that point. Hannah had threw herself clear of the destruction, so she now had the advantage of using the smoke as to cover her escape. After all, she couldn’t keep fighting in tight confinements against someone who can teleport.

She was grateful to be a Faunus, since she can smell and hear her way through the smoke. Eyesight in smoke generated from plaster, gravel, and dirt was blankly useless, since the eyes were already irritated.

With her gas mask still on, Hannah got herself up to find that there was a way out of the basement. The floor that collapsed had created an improvised ramp despite the wreckage. Though there was smoke, Hannah was safe behind her gas mask as she navigated her way out.

Wood and plaster was all over the place where ever she walked in the basement at this point. Morgue’s presence was somewhere in the smoke; however, his presence was distorted nevertheless, which only indicated that he was either buried or confused..

Then, once Hannah got to the surface, she heard a muffled grunt outside of her gas mask as she stepped out. It had to be Morgue, since his presence was somewhere. Unfortunately, a different person emerged the moment Hannah got out the smoke.

A couple Slaver Guild soldiers had apparently rushed to the scene, not knowing what they just found...except for a partially frightening female in an olive green military uniform and a distorted ‘moose’ head with a stahlhelm.

Hannah rushed out of the smoke towards the nearest Slaver Guild soldier, whom he jumped in fright as she grabbed his shotgun, pointed towards his head, and shot his head open. Blood spattered all over the place before Hannah took possession of the shotgun.

Though instead of wasting her time to turn it around, she swung the shotgun like a club at the second Slaver Guild soldier and knocking him onto the ground. His gun disappeared somewhere in the chaos, which allowed Hannah to swing again onto the soldier’s back.

He wasn’t dead just yet as his friend’s shotgun smashed into back; however, his spine had been cracked and leaving him crippled in the ground. As for Hannah, she stepped onto the soldier’s back and fired the shotgun into the back of his head.

Blood had spattered again all over the muzzle, the ground, and Hannah’s anklet boots (plus gaiters). But with two goons neutralised effortlessly, Hannah now had a secondary weapon for CQC.

Unfortunately, the smoke was beginning to disperse as she walked away from her kills. There was no doubt that Morgue was still out there, and Hannah now had little time to prepare to get the drop on him any longer.

Thinking quickly, another Hannah clone spawned and walked out from behind her. The clone was a gas mask like her commander, and wielded the same shotgun as well; however, that was to mention that no one else could use it.

“Bliv tæt, kammerat. Tilbage til tilbage, nu! (Stay close, comrade. Back to back, now!)” Hannah sternly commanded despite her voice being muffled behind her gas mask.

The clone only gave a curt nod as she and her commander pressed their backs against each other. They were back-to-back, which gave them a clear view of each other’s blindspots from behind. A simple defensive formation it was indeed, but an effective one for sure.

Morgue was nowhere around yet; however, both commander and clone slowly moved away from the wreckage while slowly spinning around to cover their blindspots. Moving out into the streets was not a deathwish by a cautious soldier.

While the fighting has died down to some extent, there were some stragglers that could be perched in some of the houses. Plus, the street made for a perfect shooting range for snipers - one person can cover an area that can accomodate hundreds to thousands of people.

The better idea was to stay on pathways or alleyways. Of course, they made for perfect chokepoints, but they were better than an open street. The buildings didn’t offer much cover either from the fires and artillery, but it was tricky for anyone to hide.

Very few of the buildings that Hannah and her clone saw offered sufficient cover. But even those buildings in mind were weakened by the attack as well. Bullet holes and corpses were everywhere, but this mattered naught to commander and clone.

Both soldiered were clear from the smoke and debris, so it was only a matter of time that Morgue pops out of nowhere...