Chapter 44: Melting the Iron

Ironwood was in his office, watching the onslaught of the war going on. He wasn't doing anything to help, expect staying inside keeping the relic safe. But he knew this wasn't going to be easy.

The lights in the academy and Ironwood's office started flickering, as what remaining Atlas troops were around the academy were eventually dragged into the darkness. Muffled screams and splatter of blood could be heard down the hall, Ironwood had his hand on his gun as he turned his head to the side.

Scarlet walked down the hall, dragging her cleaver on the ground. Neo and Watts followed behind her, Scarlet snickered. "One Two...Scarlet's coming for you...three for better lock your door...five six grab your dust and gun..seven eight gonna stay up late...nine ten never sleep again."

"Why are you signing?" Watts asked. "He already knows we're here."

Scarlet shrugs. "I know." She was still dragging the cleaver down the hall, making ear piercing sounds that would cause bleeding.

The lights flickered more, Scarlet sniffed the air as she looks at Neo. "Get ready, we'll need your semblance."

Neo nods as she smiled a little, she was glad Scarlet was with her. But she was a little concerned about how half of her body was Grimm, but she was going to go out of her way to protect her love at all cost.

"So, what's the plan...aside from barging into his office?" Watts asked.

Scarlet thinks for a moment. "Go in guns blazing, he's wanted dead or alive."

The entire power in the Academy went out as the only thing that could be seen in the dark was Scarlet's glowing Grimm eye. The atmosphere was getting heavy, Scarlet swung her cleaver forward and smirked as she pointed at the door to Ironwood's office.

With a flick of her wrist, Scarlet threw her cleaver at the door. Cutting into it, her Grimm eye glowed in the dark as she grabbed the handle of the cleaver and dragged it down. "General James Ironwood." She stuck her arm into the hole she made reaching for the switch. "I've come for you."

Ironwood scoffed as he fired a warning shot at her. "You're just like your mother, murder on the mind, no mercy for those around you." He aimed his gun at her hand and was about to pull the trigger. "You two think you're god, but you're wrong."

Scarlet snickered as she tore off the door. "This...is God." She threw a dust vial at him, which shattered after Ironwood blocked it. This gave the other two time to get into the room with Scarlet.

~~~

Outside amongst the chaos in Atlas, Julien Gemstone ran around the city in a panic, looking for safety. "I come here to build one arm, and I get stuck here doing more jobs than I bargained for. Now look at me, stuck in a bloody Grimm invasion!" He shouted to himself, negative emotions flowing off of him like wildfire. He suddenly got cut off by a Centinel, forcing him to backtrack away from the route he was going. Spotting Atlas Academy he began to run towards it. "If I can make it there, I can hopefully get protection from this nightmare..." He panted as he ran. "I don't want to use this stupid prototype, but I might have to." He told himself as he proceeded closer to the academy.

What Gemstone didn't know was that, all the power inside the academy was out. Leaving it empty and pitch black, however inside Ironwood's office. Scarlet, Watts and Neo had Ironwood cornered. Three against one, there was no way the General could hold his own.

Scarlet snickered a little. "Ara ara, what's the big bad General going to do now? Run for his life?" She aimed her flintlock and musket at him and grins devilishly.

"You won't get no where." Ironwood said as he shot Scarlet in the stop and back handed her, before kneeing Watts and Neo.

Scarlet's wound healed up as she grabbed him by the neck and bashed his head against the window before lifting him up off the ground. "That wasn't very wise of you...old man, I'll kill you, just like how I killed Yang."

Ironwood's eyes widen. "You monster."

Neo noticed Ironwood cock his arm back and make a fist, she used her semblance right on time. Ironwood threw his arm forward punching Scarlet square in the jaw, only for her to shatter into glass. Neo took her hidden sword out from her umbrella and slashed at Ironwood, cutting at him.

Ironwood stumbled back from both Scarlet shattering into glass and Neo's surprise attack, Watts smirked as he walked forward and slammed Ironwood's head against the wall. Scarlet appeared behind Ironwood like a shadow from the darkness and aimed the flintlock at his face and pulled the trigger firing a dust bullet into his mouth.

Neo dragged Ironwood to the other side of the room and put him against the wall, Watts fixed his collar as he brushed himself off. "Are we done here?"

Scarlet turned her musket into it's cleaver form. "Not yet...Salem want's his head remember?" She lined up the blade of the cleaver to Ironwood's neck and swung back, before swinging forward. Slicing through his neck, she grabbed his head and smirked. "I win, Fatality...now we can go. We've gotten what was requested, all we have to do is hack into Penny and have her unlock the vault."

"Of course, that's where my intelligence comes in." Watts said as he left a chess piece on the desk. "A reminder to those who wish to oppose us."

Scarlet took what blood was leaking from Ironwood and used it to write on the wall in big red letters. 'Xiao Long and Ironwood are dead, fear us..for we will end you.' She looked at her hand and licked the blood off. "There, a nice touch to warn those who also come."

~~~

Through the dark empty halls of the academy, Julien was illuminating his path with his scroll. He called out, "Oi! Is anyone around 'ere?" His voice echoed through out the hall as he continues to walk. "Gods this is only going to get worse and worse..." Julien spoke in a shaky tone, continuing to search aimlessly in the dark.

Scarlet, Watts and Neo had jumped out through the window making their escape. All that was left in Ironwood's office was the chess piece, the bloody message and Ironwood's body. Scarlet carried Ironwood's head with her while Neo went to prepare the airship to take off.

The door to Ironwood's office was left open as the light started to flicker again in the room. Which would give creepy vibes off to anyone in the building. The dead bodies of the Atlas guards were like chunks of meat on the walls in the halls of the academy as well.

"Oh I am so dead..." Julien stammered in place, before slowly continuing forward doing his best to avoid stepping in dead solider guts. Noticing the open door, he ran towards it. He swung the door fully open and shined his light around the room, "General Ironwood!? Are you-" He gasped as he drops his scroll. "N... No way..." He said in shock, as he picked his scroll up. Going to investigate further he mutters, "Guess the payment for my work won't be on the top of his to do list... Seems he lost his head." He chuckled softly to himself to try and not panic further. His attention shifted to the bloody message.

The bloody message Scarlet left was still fresh and wet, Yang's name was in bigger than Ironwood's. The sound of the airship taking off could be heard from outside as it flew off to the Monstra, flying over the war going on outside.

"Yang Xiao Long?.. Where have I heard that name before?" Julien pondered as he soon realized who she was. "Oh great, the girl who's arm brought me here is dead, and the man who hired me is dead. Good to know most of my work here has been wasted." Julien sighs and facepalmed. His eyes wandered towards the window through the cracks in his fingers as he looked towards the airship. He stepped towards the window and watched the ship fly towards it, "Either they've got a bomb, or they're behind this... Oh what am I saying? It's obvious they have a bomb... right?" He continued to observe the airship, hoping that his first thought was correct.

Scarlet flew past the window and followed behind the airship, since she had her Nevermore wing still and her Fall Maiden powers. She didn't get a ride in the airship, she wanted to see the chaos going on below. But her sense of smell picked up Julien as she glanced back to the window, flipping her middle finger up.

"Ah-Fuck you too!" Julien returns the favor and flipped her off, believing her to be a Faunus of some kind at first. However, once he noticed the Grimm trait his hand slowly lowered, "Oh what in the God of Shadow's name?.."

Scarlet had flew into the Monstra's mouth as more Grimm came out leaving no trace of her to be seen by Julien. This was indeed a warning that Ruby and the others needed to know, and fast.

A/N[I don't own Julien's character, credit for his character goes to my friend on Discord.]