WARNING- DARK THEMES, DEATH, LIGHT GORE, SUICIDE, TRAUMA.
READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Roused from my sleep, I could feel everything around me shaking. Intense vibrations were maddening. I could feel my limbs restrained, bindings biting into my wrists and ankles, a sort of belt around my waist.
I could feel myself sweating, burning almost.
Suddenly I was pulled from thoughts as I felt movement stop, the vibrations end, and judging from how it felt... I was falling.
All to suddenly for me to gather my bearings, I was pushed up as the restraints released.
The first thing I saw was blinding light of the sun. Reflexively my arm went up to shield my eyes, as my eyes adjusted and the absurd light was blocked I was greeted to the sight of snow... Endless fucking snow and ice in every goddam direction.
Looking down, I saw a pod, specifically a helldiver pod.
"Fuck..." Which explained the gun in my hands, the pistol at the side of my hips and the thick grenades on my left side that I'm familiar with as giga grenades.
I'm a moment of panic I threw the giga grenades deciding in that moment I don't want explosives that big, held together by duck tape and dreams on me.
I winced as I was greeted by the sound of 4 massive fucking explosions from the direction I threw them, then silence for a few moments as I breathed a sigh of relief.
Almost as if to mock me I heard the sound of a roar in the distance.
Doing the only reasonable thing I could think of, and assuming those were terminades, I instinctively turned away and began. springing through the snow the heavy yet plastic like equipment I was wearing didn't make trudging through snow any more fun.
I could feel my body tiring out as panic built.
Drawing my double barrel, I held the weapon in Shakey hands weighing my options.
"Please, to any god out there, save me from whatever's going to happen- or at the very least please let there only be one..."
My breath was more Shakey than my hands as I whispered my plea.
And I could hear something approaching through the snow as I trudged up the hill.
With Shakey hands and the shotgun in hand I took aim in the direction of the sound.
I was greeted to a burrow warrior popping out of the ground, it's frontal carapace a bright white with red accents and red eyes staring at me.
Behind the carapace was the body of the creature, inky and black.
I didn't give myself anymore time to ponder it's sticking abnormal appearance as I pulled the trigger. A volley was released from the shotgun in my hands as it fired from both barrels at once.
Unfamiliar with the recoil was I lost my footing and fell backwards into the snow.
There was a new ringing in my ears but not as bad as I thought it would be, like this body was used to it and could almost filter it.
Not wanting to take the time to reload I drew my pistol dropping the shotgun in the snow and carefully approached the bug I assumed dead.
I was greeted with its corpse, lying in the snow.
It's carapace like face was destroyed, what resembled it's head was missing, and the black inky body was... Disintegrating.
I nudged the body with my foot experimentally. It's apparence was very clearly reminiscent of helldivers, but it looked like a grimm from RWBY...
And there definitely weren't any rupture strains on frozen planets when I last played.
I sighed as I turned my wrist and saw the pad on my wrist, it showed me the time, gave me a map of the area and there were four different arrow keys I assume for strategems.
Jarringly though there was a large red dot practically on top of me as a radar ping went out from the pad.
I hastily turned around only to have a massive scorpion stinger sink through my chest and impale me.
I grasped at the tentacle like structure instinctively as I gasped. "D-deathstinger?" The thought escaping my lips as I think it flicked me off and into the cold snow.
And it all went black.
I woke up, in the restraints, in the pod, the vibrations loud, the heat unbearable.
My breaths panicked as I tried clutching at my chest to see if there was a hole present.
My breathing remained panicked and mad even as I was pushed out of the pod.
I fell to my knees and tried clawing my way back into the pod, trying to get back that uncomfortable safety to no avail.
"Fuck fuck fuck!!!"
Sweaty, in despair, and exhausted from my efforts, I turned as I heard the sound of animalistic clicking and saw a pack of smaller grimm that still resembled buds, specifically hunters and scavengers.
I fumbled for my shotgun desperate to ready it in my hands as the creature lunged through the air at me, it's front long claw like leg pierced through my left thigh and I screamed in pain as I pulled the trigger, the shot blew the creature apart and blocked the pellets from hitting my foot though it's claw remain stabbed through my thigh.
I tried turning and limping away as I began reloaded as I heard the mocking and predatory clicks from the creatures surround me.
"Well? COMON THEN, I HAVENT ALL DAY YOU DIRTY FUCKING BUGS!" the words left my mouth in a angry scream as I tried to funnel away fear and dread, hoping my adrenaline would help my determination make me seem more bold as I turned and fired another shot at a bug I heard clicking from in response.
I saw a burst of black like mist disperse despite the thick heavy snow that blocked direct view.
I started trying to reload another shell as I felt something bite through the cheap armor I wore and take a chunk of my right calf.
The pain overwhelmed me and I fell to my knees unable to stand on the wounded legs as I swung the gun in hopes to wave the creature away.
I felt the gun connect knocking the small scavenger away moments before a hunter stabbed once of its serrated claw like legs through my gut then ripped it free, the force causing me to fall forward.
The snow enveloped me, the cold seeping in like before, but I still felt... More aware.
They began feasting, the pain of them biting through and feasting on my living body was numbed by my fading condition, barely able to comprehend the horror of what was actually happening to me as I slowly and weakly managed to grasp at my side where the giga grenades I had were stored and managed to trigger the stick with duck tape.
There wasn't anything else as I suddenly woke up in a pod again, strapped in, sweating profusely .
I felt tears prick from my eyes... Sobs wrenched themselves from my throat, I could barely hear the sound of my distress because of the vibrations and entry of the pod.
The sounds eventually ended as a jolting thud of the pod hitting the ground occured shaking the pod before I was expelled from the pod.
The cold snowy landscape was splayed out before me, the cold, almost biting through the shitty plastic like super earth armor.
I turned to my left arm which held the pad, and saw the arrows once more.
If I couldn't get back into the damn pod, making myself area full of turrets, mines and everything I could think of would be the best I could do.
I typed in auto cannon sentry from memory, tossing the ball, a blue beacon lit up in my vision and a pod fell from the sky, the lid popped off and an auto cannon sentry formed on top.
Unable to stop myself, a grin came to my lips, disregarding my growing madness, I began mashing buttons, bringing in gatling, rocket, flame, machine gun, laser sentry's along with the 3 different motars. I of course followed that with the one true flag.
If I wanted to still have a semblance of me left, of who I am through all this? I need to be mad, insane even, shove the fear away, extinguish the distress and doubt.
Super earth defends.
Democracy protects.
Tyranny will cower.
And so I picked up super earth's flag and I planted in in the ground.
I began throwing strategem balls for mines on the outer edge of turrets as I heard the roar of a hoard, much louder and more of them than when I foolishly threw the giga grenades.
My grin grew more pronounced as I open my arms wide as if welcoming and I screamed my words of defiance and false bravery, beginning to believe my own words, my anxiety and fear weakening in a sense.
I welcomed the creatures approaches with napalm garage and airstrike, a 380 HE barrage to accent the fire coating the snow with thunderous cracks and animalistic screams.
The defeaning sounds only grew with
"COMON SALEM YOU WHORE! LETS SEE HOW MUCH OF YOUR PATHETIC GRIMM CHILDREN I CAN KILL BEFORE YOU PUT ME IN THE GROUND!!"
God screaming that feels good.
With the continued hoard I noticed some- slightly unfamiliar forms compared to the others, I saw chargers moving in with beowolves, dragon roaches flying alongside nevermores, a few deathstalkers in front of impalers that stuck their faces into the ground.
I could almost feel the blood drain from my face, I was confident in the strategems handling terminids, but actual original grimm? Not so much...
I could treat the bugs like fodder, not the grimm.
Democracy protects
I serve super earth
I won't fall
The short mantra does little to calm my nerves as I call in the recon vehicle hoping the turrets draw enough aggro and attention for me to be fine.
I hate pain, I hate it so damn much.
I see the windowless wide car drop into the snow, bounce on its wheels and the mounted turret Bob in place as I rush over sliding into the driver's seat, I slam the gas pedal and start driving in a rush as I hear the sound of one of my turrets getting destroyed behind me.
Democracy protects.
Super earth defends.
Democracy protects.
Super earth defends.
Dem-
My mantra is cut off as I hear the sound of literal fire being sprayed in the path behind me from a following dragon roach.
"WHAT THR FUCK!"
I spin the wheel in an effort to swerve out if it's dive bombing path only to have spin the wheel to hard and flipped the unwieldy car in the snow as I turned.
Burried in snow, under the car I knew was likely to blow up on top of me, from game logic if nothing else, unsure of how many followed me, where they are or if they know where I am.
I took a quick look at the radar like map on my left arm and saw one large red blip leaving and rotating back, probably the dragon roach, two more red blips approaching the area slowly with a massive red sea taking over the edge of the radar pings slowly moving inward.
"Fuck me..." The mutter leaves as I inhale sharply and begin hurriedly digging my way out as the vehicle's engine started smoking.
I managed to get my head poked out from the snow, seeing the sky again as I felt something pierced through my lower back.
I found myself in a pod again, the vibrations a reminder of what's to come, of what's happening. But regardless it serves as a contractodictory moment of peace...
My panic is still there, but- this is starting to feel like routine, or maybe it's just disassociation?
Am I disassociating from my own deaths?
Shoving that bag of worms to the back of my mind for later, I began calling in strategems once more after being ejected from the pod.
The pods land and my mini base is made as night falls and the sun finished disappearing over the horizon.
Remnant's split moon in full view, with the stars in its 'shadow' damn it's a sight to see.
Time passes, I die, dive again, bring down turrets, bombardments, if I get lucky I manage to survive with two resupplies, stims ammo and grenades before I get torn apart.
Then the cycle repeats.
I'm loosing track of the days that pass, I think it's been about a week by now.
I don't know where, or even when in remnant I am.
Not even sure if it's remnant anymore.
It might just be hell.
Democracy protects.
-line break/POV change-
"But I hate the snow Ozzy!" My voice came out as a whine as I walked through the heavy snow. "I wanna be home and hug my sweet and cute daughters already! But you send me out on expeditions like this."
His chuckle is the first thing that comes through the scroll, we both know and understand the importance of grimm changing pattern so drastically so he doesn't remind me when he responds, "thank you, Summer, connection getting more strained the deeper you go into her territory though... Please, be careful, yes?"
A playful scoff leaves my mouth before I respond, "of course, we both know I'll be fine." With that I hang up and pull up a display on my scroll giving general data on the grimm location.
Utilizing one of the many snowy mountains, I get a better view after spending a short time climbing it.
First thing I take note of is the grim population being so... Sparse despite this being her territory.
She usually keeps their presence dense as a form of intimidation against people, a way to incur fear.
Straining my senses I catch a distant scent of fire and gunpowder.
My head whips in that direction as I pull out a pair of binoculars, and I can't help but grin as I see the massive explosions, blazes, and gunfire unloading onto the grimm.
A few miles out but that's distance I can cover, I need to figure out who's attacking Salem's territory enough to piss her off...
First person to mind is Ironwood but he's never done weapon tests so far out from Atlas, nor has he done such large scale attacks without Oz knowing.
Using my scroll I take a short video, sending it to Oz before dumping it into my pocket and ignoring the onset of notifications.
-line break/POV change-
The symphony of bullets and explosions continued because super earth deemed it so, I still stand because there's trying to undo.
I managed to finish dragging my corpses into a pile before dusk, the idea that they-
That i don't deserve this pain and suffering helps keep me going, so I've been dragging my corpses back, ensuring they don't remain in the tryannical grasp of the grimm.
I've started marking the days by the amount of burned corpse piles I make, it's only been a few more days though.
I sigh as I finish with the last body and look around, grimm haven't been able to approach since I adjusted the setup of defenses, at least I haven't seen any make it through.
Which leads to confusion as I see a figure approach in the distance through the snow.
Instinctively, the eruptor rifle leaves my back and enters my hands, after I figured out how to swap weapons from resupplies it became my go too with how many turrets I place between me and the grimm.
Taking aim I see it closing the distance fast, humanoid shape, pale skin white cloak.
I pull the trigger deciding it's likely one of Salem's goon squad, judging by speed, tyrian callows.
The first shot misses, the figure dodged with a roll to the side moving back into a sprint towards me with ease.
The second shot also misses but the following shrapnel hits and I see aura flare for the first time, it blocks the shrapnel but judging by change of posture, they felt it.
My mind rushes as I ready another shot and fire. Salem has to know by now I keep coming back, so there's no way she would've sent someone to kill me. Capture?
The thought causes me to jolt at the hypothetical, so I pivot to one knee and point the barrel of the rifle up, the end against my chin, the butt against the snow, finger on the trigger and I wait.
Heart pumping, adrenaline flowing. Each moment is comparable to a few minutes by itself as I wait.
I see the figure slow down, hands outstretched as if to represent an effort to calm me down and I see their mouth move.
Pale white skin, like tyrian, but... Boobs???
Is Tyrian genderbent? That might be hot.
Or is this just not tyrian- I don't think it's cinder because I'm pretty sure she would've gotten impatient and tried to murder me already.
Did Salem hire any other white women?
Wait... What if the boobs ar-
My concentration breaks as the woman approaches further and her voice registers over the gunshots and explosions from strategems placed in the opposite direction. Her voice is soft, "Hey... Can you put that down please? I'm not gonna hurt you or anything I just have a few questions if you don't mind?"
"Oh- what's your name? And do you work for her?"
Her posture shifts "her?" She counters my questions and ignored my own in doing so.
"Salem, do you work for hot mommy grimm queen?"
The response I get from that is a axe-rifle hybrid shooting into her hands and a lowered and she takes aim at me. "Please put the weapon on the ground."
"Nah- if she wants to capture me, she can come herself, maybe ask me out to dinner first." I pull the trigger and suddenly I'm back in a pod, laughing madly.
My laugh dies down into a slow sigh... "Holy shit can't talk to women." A self depricating sigh leaves my lips.
The pod lands, pushing me out back into the snowy lands. I start my rotation of placing defense strategems again.
"Um, hi!?" I hear that woman's voice again, instinctively I turn and aim my weapon at her once more.
"Wait wait wait! I just wanna talk ok?" Her voice was panicked clearly as I she waved her hands energetically.
"Then answer my questions I asked earlier" my voice was colder and harsher than I meant it to be.
"Your questions-?" I can tell she's massively confused and it takes me a moment to realize why.
"I asked you two questions, your name, and if you work for Salem, answer them."
Her eyes widen in realization, thought or panic, I have no clue which or maybe all three.
"Oh um- my name is Summer Rose and i-"
"Your name is Summer Rose?"
"Oh yes an-"
"Shhh. Say no more, I want the fuck out of this desolate snowy expanse and into a goddam city so I can talk to people before the world ends."
"Wha-"
"No time for any more questions, let's go, I want food, not steroids." I ignored her requests and questions as I called in another car and got in its driver seat.
"Use the machine gun please, I imagine your ammo is somewhat limited." I slipped into the driver seat as she slowly and confused moved into the back handling the machine gun and I began driving after having her point me in atlas's direction.
"Ah- sorry for cutting you off, I'm kinda in a rush to get to a city, I've been out here for days alone. If you wanna ask your questions you can now, I don't think she'll send grimm to follow us." I offer as we make our way through the heavy snow.
"Ok-" she speaks almost experimentally "What did you mean 'before the world ends'."
"This is war, Ozpin is loosing, although slowly, his ex-wife is destroying the world and she intends to bring all the relics together to summon the brother gods and if humanity isn't united when that happens they wipe everything, either way, they likely end her immortal life when they come back." My voice is cold to an extent, analytical.
"How do you know all that?!" She questions hurriedly with clear worry in her voice.
"That I won't answer. I also won't answer how I know who anyone is. Next question."
"Ok... Next question then, you said you were alone out here for some time, but I saw you just exit something before saying that."
"Oh, that, hmmm, well you know the way in which Ozpin is immortal? It's closest to that, but I don't inhabit bodies being used I guess." I turned slightly and saw the most bewildered and confused face I've ever seen in my life.
"Yeah they're handing immortallity out like candy, you might get yours too don't worry." I offered casually as I turned back facing the direction we were driving.
"Also, after we get back to the kingdoms you're taking a vacation for a few years, Salem is going to hunting silver eyes down if she hasn't started already, both Ruby and Yang need their mother."
I could practically feel the tense change in atmosphere around us.
"But- I'm a huntress, I can defend myself and someone needs to handle the missions Ozpin needs done!" Her protest though reasonable, I can hear a slight quiver in her tone likely because the line of thought I refrenced.
"Then I'll take your place, I'm an expendable soldier, you have a family-"
Though she harshly cuts me off before I can continue my argument, "no one is expendable."
"We can talk about that topic more later then." My suggestion is met with a huff.
"Ah, next question, I don't sense aura from you- and when you..." She trails off seeming to not want to finish the thought as she waits for my response.
"Because I don't have it, not sure how it would affect me, or if I can even have it."
"You don't have aura- and you've been out here how long?"
"At least a week... I'm not sure how long exactly, but time for questionnaire is coming to an end, we should be in service no? I can see Atlas now at least."
"Ugh! I don't wanna talk to Ozpin right now, I wanna talk to my new friend!" Her voice takes a bratty whine-like tone as I scoff and shake my head.
" You don't even know my name, and we kinda just met, how are we friends?" I fire back trying not to sound harsh with it.
"Um, because I said so? And if I don't know your name you should tell me it!"
I slam on the breaks as I realize something. The sliding to a stop through the snow.
"W-woah! Hey! What's wrong?" Her voice holds a mild panic to it as she moves out of the car to the driver's side door next to me waiting for an answer.
"I... I don't remember my name..." I mutter quietly my breath, there's a breathlessness to my voice.
Suddenly my helmet feels to tight on my head, it feels like I'm struggling to breath as I rasp to get air.
I can vaguely feel a hand on my shoulder and a voice in my ear but I can't focus on anything, the world gets blurry through the helmet.
My hand clutches at my chest as I hear a sob, and I'm not even sure if it's my own.