(SLOW UPDATES) The Best of Atlas (Male Reader x Rwby Harem)

Chapter 28

A/N: So it's been a bit since the last update but I've got a good reason... college. My school just started up recently and since this is my first year in college it's gonna take a bit to get used to the new schedule. For the next few weeks, maybe months, updates are gonna be a lot less frequent. 

To make up for this I plan on making chapters longer, 5000+ words, similar to the way the first five chapters were written. This chapter is the exception to that rule since it's already done at the time of writing this author's note. 

I hope that answers any questions that people had after the long gap between updates. 

(Y/N) Pov

Focus...

focus...

FOCUS!

My eyes readjusted to the reality around me, like a flashbang in my brain, the sudden rush of chaos caused my head to hurt. I fumbled around trying to pick up my bow, I was back in reality but my arms still felt like jelly. 

I managed to pick up my bow, putting my back against the rock as I slowly regained feeling in my arms. I flinched as chunks of the top of the rock began falling off from the constant gunfire. Becoming a pacifist was well past me at this point, there's only one option. 

I gripped my bow tight in my hands, nocking an arrow, I followed the trail of bullets firing at Cinder's boulder. I quickly peaked around the rock and fired a shot, staying exposed only long enough to watch as the arrow hit it's target. 

The soldiers firing at Cinder now turned towards me, I rapid fired as many arrows as I could before they unleashed a volley of gunfire tearing apart my cover. 

Cinder: "Run! I'll cover!" I could barely make out her silhouette in the dark but I got the message. 

I dove as fast as I could to the next closest cover, an almost flat rock, I had to lay flat on my stomach just to barely stay under it. Cinder's distraction had worked well since they were still firing at the rock I used to be behind. 

Using their tunnel vision to my advantage I threw my bow to the side and began crawling to the other side of the bullheads. As I got to the first bullhead I unsheathed my sword, quietly climbing in. 

Atlas Pilot: "We have multiple kia on our position...combatants are wearing unknown uniforms...reinforcements not necessary we have them pinned." I waited till he finished, the second he put his radio down I thrust my sword through his heart. 

The other two pilots met similar fates, they hadn't expected anyone to be able to sneak up on them. The front bullhead was a combat unit, two large miniguns hung from each door, with a direct line of sight on the line of troops still firing on Cinder's position. All hesitation was gone as I sprayed down the line of soldiers.

No time to even react to what was happening to them.

After a few seconds the ground was stained orange and red with fire and blood. Smoldering corpses were all that remained of people that I had tried my hardest to protect not even a week ago. 

I hopped out of the bullhead, after the booming noise of the gunfight the silence that now filled the air was deafening. The only noise coming from the nights breeze rustling leaves as I walked towards the bodies. 

(Y/N): "They're dead Cinder!" She emerged from behind the boulder her armor, like mine, covered in dust. 

Echo-1: "S-sir...is..." I jumped as I looked down to see Echo-1 still barely clinging to life. "How?" Even through his helmet I could see his betrayal. 

(Y/N): "This is bigger than both of us." A scowl adorned his face.

Echo-1: "I...should have listened..." He took heavy breaths between each word. "you're a coward...through and through." He barely finished the sentence before he began painfully coughing up blood.

His words rattled my core. My normally controlled emotions replaced by a flurry of contradictions. Anger, sadness, fear.

Echo-1: "The way Echo team ends... is shot in the back... by YOU!" His words were laced with enough venom to kill a grimm. "At least I'll have the decency... to die with my team." With one last guttural wheeze he finally succumbed to his wounds.  

Cinder stood by my side looking at the body. 

Cinder: "How'd he know it was you?" 

(Y/N): "He recognized my voice." I took on last look at the body before turning. "Where are we going?" 

Cinder: "One of the villages you marked is a few miles away." She turned and gave me a 'follow me' motion with her hand. 

We walked in silence for hours, Cinder tried to make small talk but I just gave one word answers to brush her off. I wasn't really in the mood for conversation after what just happened. 

I tried to focus on other things but Echo-1's words kept coming back, he was right. I shot them in the back, killed the pilots who weren't looking, even as I snuck around Cinder took the attention while I ran. 

Cinder: "(Y/N)?" I looked at her but I wasn't really paying attention. "You should clean the blood off of your sword." She said in a soft voice. 

I looked down at my sword, only now noticing that it was covered in dry blood. 

(Y/N): "Yeah." She sighed at another one of my short responses. 

Cinder: "Look (Y/N) I know that this probably isn't easy but you can talk to me if it'll help." 

(Y/N): "I'll think about it." The answer was still only a half-answer but Cinder looked proud that she managed to get a whole sentence out of me. 

After another hour of walking we got to the top of a mountain overlooking the small village beneath us. Cinder pulled out binoculars and started surveying the area. 

Cinder: "Doesn't look like any Atlas troops here yet." She went to take the binoculars off but quickly put them back on to do a double take. "What the fuck?"

The mixture of confusion with a little bit of fear was clear on her face. 

Cinder: "What kind of grimm is that?!"

END OF CH.28