Destiny No More

Chapter 63

Mistral was as it always was, humid and cloudy. Pyrrha stepped off the Bullhead unfazed by it, she'd been raised in the Kingdom, and had long since adjusted to the weather. Winter however, looked uncomfortable, even though she'd spent some time in Vale it seemed she still preferred the cold of Atlas. What she wasn't used to, however, and undeniably one of the largest differences between her time and now, was the large group of Soldiers that awaited them upon arrival.

Soldiers weren't the same foreign concept to her they had been before this life, as she'd spent a fair bit of her time with Winter's men back in Vale, but these were different. These men and women didn't wear the familiar white and colored uniforms; their clothes far less standardized. Most wore some type of green body armor, but it was clearly an older design and it weighed them down. The weapons they carried were visibly outdated as well, and they gathered around people who were certainly Huntsmen, that fact given away by their exuberant weapons and the unique clothes they wore. Still despite looking vastly different they did have one unifying element, each one had the flag of Mistral stitched onto their clothes somewhere.

Colonel Aurelian didn't greet them as they disembarked, although she could see him near one of the vehicles near the front of a long line of them. She didn't recognize the trucks, which wasn't surprising because of how rarely Mistral imported such things from the other Kingdoms, and these were clearly designed with a certain idea in mind. Each was larger than a standard truck and made of what appeared to be a far sturdier material; the mounted guns on top of them gave away their purpose. It was a stark contrast to how the Atlesian's tried to operate, their focus always being on air power and automated soldiers.

Colonel Aurelian was no longer in the same dress uniform she had seen back in Vale, rather he wore simple green fatigues, complete with a sword attached to his hip. Unlike his men, he had chosen to forgo the body armor, no doubt relying on his Aura for such protection. He was flanked by several others, each looking down at a map displayed on the hood of the truck they surrounded.

Pyrrha and Winter stopped some distance away, waiting for the Colonel to notice them and gesture for them to approach before doing so. He looked far more tired than the last time she had seen him, even if that had only been a day ago, yet despite that he tried for a smile.

"Amber, Specialist Schnee, I'm glad to see you've arrived safely." He turned back towards one of the men beside him. "Captain, get your men loaded up and ready to move out."

One of the men nodded and stepped back, yelling out orders that the various groups quickly moved to follow.

"Sir, where would you like the men I brought with me?" Winter asked.

"Truck four and five will be for your men, you two will be with me in the command vehicle however." He gestured to the truck he had been bent over. "The driver and gunner know not to listen to our conversation, and there is much to discuss."

Winter nodded, relaying the orders to Clover and the few men they had brought from Beacon. The temptation to bring the whole garrison had been there, even if it wasn't very many men, they were tried and tested as Winter had said. In the end they hadn't, solely at the Colonel's request.

"I trust Qrow has already been here?" Winter asked as her men mounted the vehicles.

"Yes, he arrived a few hours before yourselves on foot." It was clear he wished to ask how and why, but refrained due to their time constraint. "He went ahead to watch the Tribe and make sure they don't get too spooked by our presence."

Winter nodded, opening the passenger side front door of the truck and sitting down. The trucks roared to life a moment later, the sound drowning out almost everything around them. The insides weren't much quieter, and the vehicle shook violently as they settled in. Pyrrha unclasped Allos and her sheath from her belt, holding it on her lap so that she could sit down comfortably in the back. The Colonel took the back seat opposite her.