A Living Myth RWBY X Child!Dragon Faunus! Male! Reader

Chapter 34: Out in the Open and Gravity

I own nothing.
Chapter 34: It All Falls Apart

After a nasty run in with a flying Grimm that left the group one Manta short (a Manta everyone agreed was coming out of Hare's paycheck this time), the team split up into groups to help route the Grimm and lead the evacuation. (Y/N) was paired up with Qrow and Clover. They were supposed to be tracking Tyrian, but Ironwood had told them to wait for the signal to start since he had an idea. The boy flew around, picking off weakened Grimm. He drove his blades into a Sabyr as it charged a group of civilians taking cover.
"Go east!" He directed them, like Clover had told him. "There are still shelters open there! Hurry!"
The people nodded as he flew back to the roof the two men were set up on. Qrow sniped a Teryx trying to chase after him as the boy landed.
"It's getting bad out here! It's like every Grimm kill we kill, 10 more show up! And no one should be here when the Megoliaths break through."
"Right." Qrow agreed. "(Y/N), Clover and I will cover your back. Focus on getting people out until we get the signal."
"I'm trying, but they're attracting Grimm faster than I can kill them!"
Clover was about to give input, only for his com to go off. He nodded.
"Yes sir. Understood. Over and out."
"New orders?" Qrow asked.
Clover ran towards the edge of the building. "Let's go!"
The two followed after him as he jumped off the building. They weaved through the battle field, picking off Grimm where they could. All around them, their friends and allies were fighting to keep people alive. (Y/N) was angry. The only reason he agreed not fight alongside his sisters was so he could lead Clover and Qrow to Tyrian, who was arguably more dangerous than the Grimm. Just running around wasn't going to solve anything.
"Clover, we have to do something!" (Y/N) yelled. "It's getting worse!"
"Hang in there, kid. The General's got a plan that will make this a lot easier."
"Well James better do it quickly!" Qrow yelled back.
It was then that the city's emergency broadcasting activated. The three males stopped to watch as Robyn began addressing the city.
"Atlas! Mantle! I know you're scared." The video then zoomed out to show Robyn standing besides the General, hands locked and her Semblance activated. "I'm here with General Ironwood. We have a message for you. What he has to say may sound unbelievable, but it is all true."
Ironwood then took over. "An ancient and terrible evil lies outside our Kingdom. It was responsible for the destruction of Beacon, the attack on Haven, and the recent attacks on Mantle. This powerful force goes by the name...of Salem."
"And there we go." (Y/N) whispered, not believing the truth was finally out there, even if it was just for Atlas.
"Salem seeks only to divide us, to turn us against each other. If she can insight hatred in us, then we will lure in the Grimm and destroy ourselves."
"Salem herself does not work alone." Robyn added. "Her minions have invaded our very city."
"Dr Arthur Watts and Tyrian Callows, these men are the ones responsible for the recent murders in Mantle and sabotaging the heating grid." Ironwood revealed. "We cannot allow ourselves to give into fear. That is what she wants! Instead, we must unite! Fight back! Together, every single one of us! This, my friends, is why I was forced to divert resources from Mantle, for the Amity Communication Project. Amity Tower is now completed and ready to launch. We can now reestablish global communications and spread this message across Remnant. I will divert all defenses from Amity to assist evacuations in Mantle."
"We must put aside our differences and band together to beat this threat! I fully support General Ironwood's plan!"
(Y/N) could hear the cheers from blocks away. There was change in the atmosphere. Fear still lingered, but something was challenging it: hope. He could feel the people beginning to rally together.
"I think they just changed the tides."
Clover nodded. "Not only that. With our friends now outed, they're gonna need to get their hands dirty if they want to cause any more panic."
Qrow nodded. "So James is trying to bait Watts to Amity, I'm guessing?"
"That's the plan. And with Watts busy, Tyrian will probably try to make a big strike to counter us, something that's gonna leave him vulnerable. (Y/N), you're up. Find him and we'll bait him out with a little backup." Clover smirked. "We tried to dissuade her, but Ms Hill insisted on being here. Don't let the lady down, kid."
(Y/N) grinned. "Yes sir!"
The small dragon flew up to a vantage point and began to concentrate. He had never tried tracking in such a large area, and the mayhem wasn't exactly helping his focus. All around him, he could hear the fighting, and every instinct he had told him to go help everyone, to protect people. Even still, he knew he had to help take out Tyrian. No one would be safe so long as that maniac was on the loose. As the Air Force began pouring in to start fairing citizens back to Atlas, he abandoned the ledge in order to start searching. Qrow and Clover followed closely behind as he tried to pick up the scent. He just needed a whiff, that was all. And in a stroke of luck, he finally found it. He picked up speed to lose the trail, eventually stopping at a rooftop nearby the district where evacuations were underway. Clover and Qrow landed next to him as he stared intently at the maze of alleyways.
"You sure he's in there?" Clover asked.
(Y/N) nodded. "Positive."
"Doesn't surprise me." Qrow growled. "He's going after civilians to rile the Grimm more."
"Well, we'll just have to head him off." A familiar voice said.
They turned to see Robyn there, a coy smirk on her face and her crossbow at the ready.
"Glad you could make it, Ms. Hill." Clover greeted as (Y/N) tilted his head.
"You got here really fast."
She walked up to his viewpoint and roughed up his hair as she gazed down at the city.
"Recordings, Wings. Good for making sure you get your message right. So, the the psychopath's down there?"
"I'm not gonna lie, I'm not exactly experienced with using my nose to track, but I don't think I could mistake Tyrian's scent for anything else. He's nearby, that much I can tell you."
"Well then, let's go give him a Mantle greeting, shall we gentlemen?"
"Are you sure about this, Robyn?" Clover asked. "I can't insure your life won't be in danger."
She brushed him off. "This freak attacked my city, my people. I'll make sure to put an end to it."
She then jumped off and bolted into the alleyways. The males all looked at each other and shrugged. Really, none of them could've talked her out of it. They trailed behind her, sticking to the shadowy skyline so they were out of sight of Tyrian. Fortunately for them, Robyn being alone was way too tempting for the psychopath, so it didn't take long for the scorpion to announce himself.
He leapt from one of the buildings, getting her attention. "Robyn Hills. For such a little bird you have quite the impact around here."
(Y/N) hissed quietly, earning him a nudge from Clover.
"Hold it back, (Y/N). You'll get your chance."
Tyrian advanced on Robyn, becoming more unhinged (if that were possible) as he continued to speak, even as Robyn fired bolts from her crossbow.
"Bring hope and a smile wherever you go!" He growled, this time catching a bolt between his fingers. "I find it upsetting."
He bent the bolt and ready his weapons, charging with an enraged shriek and cutting through the shots she fired at him. At that moment, Clover gave (Y/N) the all clear to go all out. With the grace of a diving hawk, the boy shot at the serial killer, his speed giving him just enough of an edge to catch him off guard. Tyrian dodged his punch, only to get nailed in the face as (Y/N) pivoted off his foot and tail whipped him. The serial killer was forced back, landing on his tail, as Clover and Qrow joined them on the street.
"Sorry, Callows." Robyn taunted as (Y/N) moved to join them. "I really wanted to pummel you on my own, but the General insisted I share."
"Well you're not the only one with a grudge." Clover informed her as Qrow aimed his shotgun at their enemy.
"You'll both have to get in line."
"Don't think I'm satisfied with just that hit either." (Y/N) joined in as his weapons unsheathed the blades.
Tyrian growled angrily at them, clearly not expecting to fight a four on one. He had easily picked apart Team RNJR in Anima, but Qrow had been a match for him in that same fight, and now he was backed up by two fully trained Huntsmen and a very angry little dragon.
"Tyrian Callows, you're under arrest." Clover stated firmly.
Of course, the psycho only answered with maniacal laughter, making an already trigger happy Qrow charge in, (Y/N) flowing behind. Qrow swung at him, giving (Y/N) an opening to strike Tyrian in the back. The scorpion struck his tail at the boy, only for him to roll away from the hit. He tried to then swing his tail Qrow, but the Huntsman was already well out of the way. Tyrian pursued the attack though, dodging several of Qrow's strikes, before going for a jump attack. Qrow blocked, only for Tyrian to roll off him to counterattack in his weak spot, but (Y/N)'s fire breathing forced him into a retreat, straight into Clover's fishing hook. Clover yanked him back as Robyn fired another bolt. Tyrian caught it with a smirk, only to a right hook from Qrow. That strike setup (Y/N) to punch him back down to Qrow, who kneed him in the chest and then another punch to send him skidding. Tyrian glanced around at his opponents, each blocking his escape routes, but he smirked madly. He fired bullets at Qrow and (Y/N), keeping them in place, as he ran at Clover. The two engaged, Clover managing to dodge a jump and a tail strike consecutively, before hooking his hook on the underside of Tyrian's weapon and sliding under him, trying to make an opening for Qrow and (Y/N). The scorpion Faunus managed to block them with his free arm. Qrow punched him again, but Tyrian used his tail to balance as he kicked the older males away as he singled out (Y/N). The boy rolled away from the jump strike and tried to counter, only for Tyrian to push off his tail and leap onto one of the balconies. Robyn attempted to pelt him with bolts, but Tyrian's tail easily batted them away. This also made it that much easier for Clover to hook his tail and pull him back to the ground. The serial killer landed on his feet as (Y/N) and Qrow moved in to tag team him. The nimble bastard wasn't making it easy, so Qrow lured him in by tossing Harbinger in the air, knocking Tyrian away with a kick as he was distracted and catching his weapon in one fluid motion. The scorpion Faunus started to become angry as his eyes glowed purple. He dove at Qrow and attempted to sting him, only for Clover to again hook his tail, yanking him back so Qrow and (Y/N) could punch him in the face. He rolled away, only to quickly recover and lock blades with Qrow once more. Robyn approached, firing two bolts which ricocheted off the walls in an attempt to confuse him. Tyrian managed to dodge the first, but the second bounced off Harbinger and straight into his face. As he stumbled, (Y/N) slid into to sweep his leg. As the serial killer rolled to get back to his feet, Qrow kept up the assault, landing blow after blow and basically juggling the scorpion Faunus. Clover and (Y/N) grappled Tyrian as Qrow punched in the gut, enraging him enough that he broke free and knocked the older males away as (Y/N) flew up. It also seemed to drive him over the edge as he began laughing crazily, eye twitching. Robyn fired yet another bolt, which Tyrian caught with his mouth. However, the bolt began beeping before exploding in his face. His Aura flickered before breaking as he finally went down, still cackling. Robyn walked right up to him and kicked him in the face, knocking him out.
"Where's that smile now?"
The males all looked at each other, not sure how to top Robyn's savagery. Eventually, they just shrugged as Clover turned on the com again.
"This is Clover. Requesting prisoner transport."
Qrow nodded before looking toward the dragon.
"We got it from here kid. Go help the others with the evacuation."
He nodded. "You got it."
He flew off towards the main evacuation site of Mantle, things noticeably calmer now. Grimm were still crawling all over the place, but their was a much more hopeful atmosphere. He saw Ruby and Weiss directing civilians into the transport.
"Weiss! Ruby!"
"(Y/N)!" Ruby greeted him with a hug as he landed. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. We took down Tyrian."
Weiss sighed in relief. "Well that's one less problem to take care of. Go help the others search for any more stragglers in the city."
He saluted. "You got it!"
Just before he took off again, the com went off in his ear.
"General Ironwood?"
"I need all personnel back at Atlas Academy. Now." His voice was cold and firm.
The three looked at each other in confusion, but Ironwood went offline before any of them could question him. Quickly, the rest of their teammates along with the remaining Ace Ops arrived and next thing they knew, they were flying back to Atlas, even though the evacuation wasn't nearly done yet.
"I don't understand." Weiss voiced as they approached. "Why would the General call us back without giving a reason?"
"Especially with the evacuation still going on in Mantle." Ren added.
"Maybe Watts was a bigger problem than we thought?" (Y/N) suggested before Elm butted in.
"You don't need to understand orders, kids. You just have to follow them."
"Civi transports won't be stopping anytime soon." Harriet assured as she piloted them. "The General says he needs us now, he needs us now."
"You all get to the General and find out what's happening." Jaune spoke up. "We'll bring Oscar and see you soon."
Everyone nodded, agreeing to it. As they landed at the academy, the two groups split up, heading to different areas. As the Ace Ops and Team RWBY rode the elevator up to Ironwood's office, (Y/N) could feel something stir in him. Something wasn't right with this. As they entered the office, that feeling only worsened as Ironwood was facing the window, sitting in his chair.
"General Ironwood?" Harriet greeted.
He turned to face them, an unreadable expression on his face. His human arm was wrapped in a sling. That didn't concern (Y/N) as much as the eeriness of the General's soul. The cracks were bigger now, and there was an underline hostility in it.
"We have made a critical error." He placed a black chess piece on his desk. "The black queen, the symbol Salem showed us before we lost everything. Her way of telling us she was inside and it was too late. We stopped Watts, we stopped Callows, but someone was here! They put this in my office to tell that...what if Mantle was just a distraction? What if it was to draw us away from the Academy to..to-!"
"Sir!" Weiss interjected. "I-It's going to be okay. We've got Mantle on our side now, and-,"
"How do we know that wasn't part of their plan?" Ironwood stood, becoming more aggressive. "How do we know if they wanted us to bring people into Atlas by the thousands?"
"In trying to save everyone, we left ourselves most vulnerable." Vine stated, not helping in the slightest.
"Salem has been one step ahead of us this entire time!" The General slammed his fist on the table, knocking the chess piece over.
(Y/N) took a better look at it and growled, his tail lashing as he recognized the material.
"Black glass. Cinder was here."
"She's alive!?" Yang exclaimed. "And she's here!?"
Ironwood sighed. "If Cinder's here, then...for all we know, Hazel's here too."
"Sir, this isn't over yet." Blake assured him.
"Cinder is trying to make us panic." (Y/N) assumed. "She's probably still weak from Haven, so she's trying to derail us."
"(Y/N), can you track her?" Yang asked.
He nodded, snarling. "If she's here, I'll find her."
"General, we're with you." Blake insisted.
He looked at them sharply. "Are you with me?"
Weiss, Ruby, and (Y/N) looked at each other in confusion as Yang and Blake seemed to shrink back in guilt.
"Sir?" Vine asked.
"How did Robyn know about the Global Communications project?"
(Y/N) eyes widened as he turned to Yang and Blake.
Yang glanced away before looking up at the General. "We told her, the night of the ambush."
"You did what?!" Elm yelled.
"We were trying to help!" Blake argued.
"By going behind our back?" Marrow shot back as Harriet approached them.
"Does that mean you let her escape?"
Yang met her challenge. "Robyn is on our side! She always has been!"
"We didn't know that for sure!" Ironwood growled.
"I did!" (Y/N) responded instinctively as he heard something weird.
His gaze fell to the bag on the General's desk as Weiss gripped her head.
"None of this matters right now!"
"Loyalty always matters!"
In an instant, a Grimm shot out of the bag, narrowly slashing Ironwood. (Y/N) recognized the Grimm, it was the same one he had faced in Lionheart's office. As the General took aim, making (Y/N) shout.
"No, don't!"
"General Ironwood." A familiar voice hummed as the Grimm fell to the floor.
The glass orb cracked as dark fog spewed from it. (Y/N) backed away, knowing exactly what was going to happen next. Salem appeared, mocking them.
"The brave Huntsmen and Huntresses that bested Arthur Watts. Congratulations."
The girls were all unnerved, but Ruby was brave enough to speak.
"We stopped Tyrian too. And we'll stop Cinder, and anyone else you try to send here."
"Dear girl, their goal was never victory. It was merely to set the stage."
"For what?" Ironwood asked.
Salem turned to him. "For me. Time isn't on your side, James. It's always been on mine. The people of Atlas have suffered enough. Surrender the staff and the lamp to me, and they needn't suffer any further."
Ironwood blinked. "That's..." He reinforced his voice. "That's not going to happen."
The witch loomed over him. "Simply accept the futility of your situation, and this can all be over."
"We've seen what you're capable of." Ruby said. "The lamp showed us. It showed us everything." She turned to them. "We've seen that you can't be killed, but we've also seen you fail. We don't have to kill you to stop you. And we will stop you."
Salem looked at her intently. "You're mother said those words to me."
It was like a dagger of ice. A few simple words, and the next thing (Y/N) knew, Ruby was on the ground clutching her head as her eyes seemed to malfunction. Yang ran to help her as Weiss and Blake were frozen to the spot. With little thought, he jumped between the sisters and Salem, blades drawn and teeth bared.
"Leave her alone!"
Salem looked at him, smiling eerily. "(Y/N), it's nice to speak to you again. I was truly hoping our next meeting would be in person."
He stayed firm. "Say whatever you want. We won't let you win."
"Still naive, though I suppose that is to be expected from one so young. I would rather you not follow the destructive path Ozpin had led so many others down. It would be such a waste of your gifts. Why sacrifice all that for people who are undeserving of you? Especially with what the Atlesean did to you, to all of you."
He swallowed back the bile. "I might not be human, I may still be odd for a Faunus, and may hate what those people did to me, but this is still my planet too. I won't stand by and let you destroy it, even if it does kill me."
She brushed him off. "We'll meet soon enough. Perhaps then I can convince you otherwise."
She faded away. Ruby sobbed quietly as Marrow began to panic.
"That was Salem?! That's who we're up against!?"
"She's apparently on her way." Harriet reaffirmed.
"But we'd be alerted if any forced were approaching the Kingdom!" Elm argued. "We have long range proximity alarms all along the coast and-,"
Vine cut her off. "They're all offline. With all of the chaos, we didn't even notice."
"Watts must have shut them down!" Marrow growled.
"Or they've already been destroyed." Ironwood added.
Elm looked at him in disbelief. "But...all of them?"
"You said in your speech Amity Tower was ready to launch." Blake stated. "Was that true?"
Silence.
"No." Yang said. "You just said that to lure out Watts."
Ironwood still said nothing, prompting Weiss to speak his name. He sighed.
"I've sent your sister to claim the power of the Winter Maiden."
Weiss's eyes widened in terror. "What?"
"When I realized we'd been compromised, I knew we couldn't wait any longer. The staff and the lamp have to be locked away."
Ruby sat up, regaining herself. "I thought...you said we could keep it."
"Well, that was before you lied to me about the lamp. Before you lied to us about Robyn. Before Salem was right on our doorstep! Before Mantle was nearly destroyed and myself and my army were left exhausted!"
(Y/N) growled at the General's aggression, growing so tired of hypocrisy.
"You're one to talk about lies, General. After all, you've been lying to me for a long time now."
"What?" He growled.
(Y/N) meet his gaze sharply. "Project. Achilles."
Those two words cut through James' aggression. His eyes flickered to shock and shame. (Y/N) didn't waver.
"What's...Project Achilles?" Weiss asked.
Ironwood did not answer, making the boy snarl.
"It was a top secret project meant to create the ultimate soldiers. The first trial run was conducted without permission or knowledge. The test subjects were tortured and experimented on, and ultimately, they all perished. Guess why? The scientists said it was because the subjects weren't young enough." The girls' eyes all widened as they understood. "I saw the photo. Their injuries weren't just similar to my scars. They were a perfect match. So tell me, General, how quickly did you connect what happened to me to Project Achilles?"
Ironwood gave him a hard look. "That hardly matters now."
"I thought loyalty always mattered?"
He glared at the boy who looked defiant. "The timeline has changed, and we must change accordingly."
"What are our orders, sir?" Harriet asked.
"We're going to take our plan for Amity and apply it to the city of Atlas."
Ruby shot up. "What?"
"It was Oz's plan in a former life, but he didn't take it far enough. If we harness the power of the staff and raise ourselves high enough into the atmosphere, the city's artificial environment will keep citizens and food supplies unharmed, always out of reach of what Salem may try to send our way."
"But we're nowhere near finished evacuating everyone!" Blake argued. "You'd be leaving Mantle to die."
"Scratch that." (Y/N) hissed. "You'd be leaving Remnant to die."
"Yes, I would. We can't allow Salem to capture the Relics. This is our best chance at getting the staff, the lamp, and the Maiden as far away from her as possible."
"But we have an opportunity to reunite the world!" Ruby protested. "If we launch the tower, we can all work together again! We could even call for help! If we could hold out long enough-,"
The General stood in front of her. "Sometimes, doing the right thing means making tough decisions."
"You're not making a tough decision, General." (Y/N) corrected. "You're running away and hoping she doesn't find a way to drag you back down. She will though. She said it herself. Time is always on her side. We know the one way to stop her: unite, and stand our ground."
"He's right." Yang agreed.
"I also agree." Blake said.
Weiss nodded. "Me too."
"Me too." Ruby said.
(Y/N) glanced at the Ace Ops, waiting for an answer. Harriet spoke first.
"We ran ourselves ragged to save Mantle tonight. We try that again against an even larger force-,"
"But you're Huntsmen and Huntresses!" Yang yelled. "You can't just back down from a fight!"
"You can't focus on one single fight to win a war." Vine said passively.
"What's the Council going to say?" Weiss challenged.
"Nothing." Ironwood stated. "Once I declare martial law."
"No..."
"What about Robyn?" Blake pointed out.
"Who exactly are you loyal to?" Elm threatened.
(Y/N) growled. "To the people you're supposed to be protecting! But I guess it's all too obvious now. Huntsmen protect people. You're soldiers, you just follow orders."
"We are saving who we can." Ironwood shot back.
"You are going to delay confronting her."
"Then you're just standing in our way."
The atmosphere was tense as everyone glanced around at each other, waiting for someone to make the first move. Ruby's Scroll went off first.
"It's Jaune! We have a serious problem!"
Ruby and Ironwood glared at each other for a second, daring the other act. As Ruby bolted to the other side of desk, (Y/N) knocked the gun he was pulling out from his hand.
"Ironwood is declaring martial law and abandoning Mantle!" Ruby yelled quickly. "Salem is coming and he's going to use the staff to move Atlas! If we don't stop him, Mantle is going to be destroyed!" The feed was cut off. "What? No!"
Ruby stood up from the desk to see Ironwood with his Scroll.
"I'm sorry it's come to this, but until Atlas and the Relics are safe, you are all under arrest."
He picked up his weapon and began walking out.
(Y/N) was the first to draw his weapons. "Don't think we're going quietly."
The Ace Ops faced them as Ironwood paused for a moment.
"I know."
He walked out, leaving them all permanently divided.

Hi guys, sorry this chapter took so long. It's been a very crazy two months and I just could not find the motivation to write this.
Anyways, I just wanted to give my two cents as to why I always thought Ironwood's was desperate at best: Salem is immortal. That is the single fact that destroys this plan. She has all the time and resources in the world to figure out how to drag Atlas back to the ground, especially if she destroys everyone else first. Humanity being united is the only thing capable of preventing her from destroying the world and Atlas peacing out destroys any chance of that. It's delaying the inevitable. It's either Atlas stands with the world now, or alone later. You don't fight a war of attrition with a immortal, infinitely respawning enemy.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.