Unsung Heroes (RWBY)

Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck was a man of history. It was his job to tell the story of the past to future generations. To tell them what transpired. What sorts of people there used to be, traversing Remnant in its golden days as Vytal.

And among those stories were the ones in the Great War, the greatest and most epic battle in recent memory.

"As you all know!" Oobleck began, as swift and motor-mouthed as always with cup of coffee in hand. "The Great War was regarded as one of the most brutal battles in the entire history of Remnant! Some even refer to it as the point in which Vytal became what it is today! Remnants of a bygone age.

The cause of the war was Atlas, known as Mantle in those days, demanding that Mistral erase its cultural aspects! After which, the two Kingdoms began an assault on Vale, leading to Vacuo pushing out it's Mantlean occupants and joining the fight!

Now, then!" Taking a break, and a sip, Oobleck turned to address the class. "Which of you young scholars can tell me what was perhaps one of the most important battles that took place during the Great War?!"

Weiss Schnee, member of Team RWBY and heiress to the largest energy propellant company in the world, raised her hand and answered swiftly, "The Battle of Ridged Mountain, professor."

"Doctor!" Oobleck sternly reminded her before smiling. "And you are correct, Miss Schnee! Ridged Mountain was perhaps one of the most crucial outposts in Vale during the early days of the Great War! And it was also here that one of the most memorable heroes in that time first made their mark!"

With an excited grin, at the prospect of regaling the class of this tale, Oobleck addressed the class again. "Now, who can tell me about this individual? To which Kingdom did they serve? And more importantly..." He adjusted his glasses, grin growing wider. "...how, exactly, did they change the tide of the war?"

This time, it was not just Weiss who raised a hand.

---

In the days of Vytal, they didn't call it the "Great War."

No. They simply called it the "Grand Conflict."

You were just a denizen of the kingdom when it happened. A mere bystander that was dragged into a battle you wanted no part of. But you had no choice. The rules had changed, all because a kingdom became too greedy for its own good.

Your life was changed as well. You no longer had an ordinary life, once the fighting began. Not after Mistral and Mantle began its attack on Vale.

But at the time, you had no idea just what was about to happen.

---

Your head was swimming. Everything was blurry. You woke up to the sound of panicked yells and agonizing screams of pain. Your whole body was burning up, like it was doused in fire.

"Oh, thank heavens you're awake!"

You turn to your side, finding a man beside you. You were apparently lying in a bed, vision partially obscured. For some reason, the right side of your face felt unusually warm and wet. The man was a doctor - at least, you think he was. He was wearing a white coat with a red cross on his breast pocket.

"You suffered a terrible concussion after the last battle." the man tells you with concern. "Are you feeling alright?" You shake your head. It hurts to move, and your neck feels so stiff. "Understandable. Do you know who I am?" You shake your head. His face and voice were unfamiliar to you, though he looked quite pleasant, bearing a frosty gray beard and thinning head with round glasses. "My name is Colt Surgen. I'm the doctor here at the camp. Since you suffered a head injury, your brain is quite rattled. Do you know what happened to you?"

You shake your head, groaning in pain. It felt like just moving an inch will cause your neck to snap.

"Do you remember your name, at least?"

That, you could remember. You were...

Who are you?
[] Gardener "Greenie" Mason
[] Krimzen Fevur
[] Gaea Pacelle
[] Blanc Riverdale

Which Kingdom do you belong to?
[] Vale
[] Vacuo
[] Mistral
[] Mantle

Are you a Man or Woman?
[] Male
[] Female

 

[X] Blanc Riverdale
[X] Vale
[X] Male

Spoiler: Image

​

- Report -

Name: Blanc Riverdale
Nationality: Valean/Mistralian heritage
Age: 22
Hair: Light Brown
Eyes: Cobalt Blue
Military Rank: Private Second-Class

Personality: Even prior to being conscripted into the military, Blanc was known for his pacifistic nature. Much like the few who supported the king, he wanted a peaceful resolution, though following the events at the Borders, peace quickly became unobtainable. Since joining the military and being exposed to many brutal conflicts, be they encounters with Grimm or with fellow sapiens, his moral has dropped to the point where he would openly beg his opponents not to fight.

"Must we point our blades at one another?" he would often ask. In turn, he would receive only blades and guns.

To him, fighting against one another was pointless, for the true enemy was the one they were attracting with their actions. The Creatures of Grimm that became enticed by their negativity. As the war nears its last days, Blanc begrudgingly accepts his role now, though he prays for the day there will be one person who will see reason.

- Skills -

Aura: Dark Blue
Semblance: Phase Shifting

Though the term is misleading, it is the best comparison to his ability. For a brief few seconds, Blanc can destabilize his body and convert it into a dark, shadowy substance that can phase through solid objects, making it perfect for infiltration or evasion. However, during the "shifting" Blanc cannot see or hear anything, much less feel whatever is happening or touching the shadowy substance he converts himself to. It is unknown what may happen, should any part of his body become stuck in a solid object after he recomposes himself - and he is not keen on finding out.

Weapon: Twin Dust Knife Revolvers

One of the first experimental weapons created, mainly for the sole purpose of defeating Grimm. Blanc had hoped that he would never have to use this weapon on his fellow homosapiens, but such is the harsh reality of war. Capable of switching between knives outfitted with a special alloy infused with Dust-like properties, as well as Dust coating, and a three-meter long revolver, they boast a significant amount of range.​

 

You were Blanc Riverdale. When you were 20, you were conscripted into the Vale Military, though you had gone willingly. It was a necessary sacrifice, you thought at first. That you would be able to protect the Kingdom when it mattered.

You couldn't have been more wrong.

Two years went by, and things had changed. You just wanted for everything to stop. For the fighting to be over. Even now, the bloody and gory battlefields that had become common for you were seared into your mind.

You breathed a heavy sigh, giving the doctor your name. Surgen smiled thinly. "Well, thank the gods for that. You're lucky to be alive, young man!"

"What..." you asked, voice hoarse and throat sore. "What happened?"

"Artillery. Grimm. The same bloody process that's been repeating for the last two years." Surgen answered while he tended to your wounds. You carefully sat up, feeling very agitated. You had never felt so...brittle, before. So broken. "You were stuck by Mortar fire. Mistral, my best guess. They've decided to make themselves comfy at the base of the mountain. No sign of Mantle forces, thankfully, otherwise casualties would have been worse."

You looked at the medical tent. On almost every cot, there was a soldier resting on their bed, wrapped in bandages and blood leaking out from at least one place. On the cot next to you, a man was shivering while medical gauze was pulled over his eyes. Perhaps for the best, as the man was missing both of his legs. Looking down at your own sorry state, you didn't look like you fared any better. You weren't missing a limb, but you looked as if you had just walked away from a Wrestling match with a bear. Or an Ursa, whichever came first.

"How many people did we lose?"

"Sixty casualties, out of the two hundred men here." Surgen answered you. He raised your arm, injecting something into your bicep. There was hardly any pain to be felt, as your body was hurting too much to focus on something as minuscule as a needle. "Forty-two men with severe injuries. Twelve suffered minor wounds. The rest, killed. We're still in the process of recovering the bodies."

You groaned as a brief flare of pain erupted across your leg as you tried to move it. "How...how long have I been out?"

"Three days. So far, the bastards haven't launched an attack yet. Rest, Private. Given your injuries, it won't be long before you'll be sent out again."

~~~
​

"And indeed, he wasn't!" Oobleck said as he leaned against his deck, drinking from his thermos. "Private Riverdale was soon called back into action when word came that Mantle reinforcements were quickly en route. Given their current state, the soldiers stationed at Ridged Mountain would surely suffer quite the horrible loss. Of the two hundred men still capable of fighting, over forty were horrible injured. Yes, students, things were rather bleak for them."

The green-haired professor adjusted his glasses, taking the moment to drink from his thermos, before he continued forward with the lesson.

"However, there was good news to be found. Thanks to Vale's intelligence gathering, which mind you was rather sub-par by current standards, they discovered that a separate Mantle group en route to Ridged Mountain, containing valuable supplies. They believed that Mistral's next attack would be launched once Mantle reinforcements arrived, which would be within two weeks. With this knowledge in mind, the commander of the force, General Marlow, launched a covert operation to steal Mantle's supplies..."

​

~~~​

After six days of rest, you and thirty some others had been pulled aside. Mantle was going to send reinforcements to Mistral, no doubt to deliver the final blow. However, Mantle was also sending over supplies, which your commanding officer plotted to steal.

General Marlow was a bear of a man, wearing a forest green high-collared coat, his cap hanging slightly off to the side. With sunken cheeks and dark rings beneath his eyes, he had to be pushing sixty, yet even so, there was a fire burning in those coal gray eyes. Across the bridge of his nose, there sat a rugged scar, sinking deep into his flesh. He towered over us all with frightening ease, making you question if this was truly an old man or someone posing as one.

"Alright, you little turds. Listen up, because I will only say this once." Marlow began, cracked lips curving into a crooked grin. "You've all heard by now that Mantle's on its way here. And you've also heard that there's a shipment. We're going to steal that shipment. To put it simply, this is a covert operation. Therefore, only a meager handful of you will be joining me on this operation." He paused a moment, looking over everyone with a crooked eye before continuing. "The shipment's heavily guarded. There's even whispers that Second Lieutenant Gaea Pacelle is guarding it."

You froze, along with everyone else. Gaea Pacelle. The Iron General of Mantle. The White Maiden of the Ax. There were a handful of titles that woman was known by, and each was slightly more terrifying than the last. You were certain her titles and feats were but an exaggerations, but even you knew that there must be some truth to those whispers. To know that she would be guarding the shipment of supplies was enough to make you have doubts.

Would this mission even succeed...?

[] Volunteer for the mission. Though a bit difficult, your Semblance would make infiltration quite easy.
[] Argue against the mission. With such a powerful opponent present, the odds of success were practically none. And you have seen enough death to last a lifetime.​