Chapter 1: Planting the Seed

'Dang, lost him again.' Auron stepped around the corner, his eyes peering into the dim light of dusk. 'Either he knows he's being followed, or I have no idea how to tail someone.'

Either option was possible. The guy he was tailing was known for being slippery and cunning, but Auron wasn't exactly considered espionage material. Auron was raised in a rural village, where the easiest way of finding someone was to send smoke into the air. Here, smoke signals are indistinguishable from the rest of what billowed from industrial buildings, so Auron had to rely on his sheer tenacity.

Or, perhaps, just plain luck. Auron caught a glimpse of silver hair disappearing into an oaken doorway.

'Hah! He's got nowhere to go!' Desperate to finally catch up to his quarry, Auron sprinted down the street. He entered a door labeled with a sign that read, 'The Bleeding Drake.'

This establishment was a lot different than the rest of the city. Instead of varnished wood or carpet, the floors here were left untreated, with uneven boards and knotted wood causing trouble underfoot. Auron actually found this to be quite comforting in comparison to the rest of the unfeeling city. It reminded him of his rural home.

However, the rest of the tavern was far from comforting. Unruly fellows lined the counter, all hunched over their drinks. Scowls permanently were etched into their faces. Except for one big fellow. He seemed happy with his whiskey. He didn't look like he was drowning his sorrows, just killing time.

A rowdy group of regulars were creating a racket off in the corner. Apparently some betting was going on. However, Auron didn't have time for any of that, he needed to find the man called Aegis. According to his last source, he may have been the fastest way to find his brother.

Metallic coloured hair isn't exactly subtle, so Auron was easily able to spot him. Aegis was in the corner with the betting crowd, sitting smugly in a chair.

He was wearing a dark, loose fitting cloak with a hood hanging loose behind his head. Aegis leaned back in his hardwood chair and adjusted his jacket sleeve. It looked like his focus went toward a young Faunus that was trying her luck at darts. His eyes went from the Faunus, to a table covered in credits, to the dartboard, and then back to the Faunus. He had the most arrogant look in his face. It was the look of a house-cat that has found the secret workings of a birdcage.

The rest of the crowd went silent as the young Faunus girl prepared her throw. The Faunus didn't look the type to go cruising bars, but for some reason she looked confident standing across from the dartboard. She had red hair and bright purple eyes. Her most distinguishable feature was her long bushy tail. It twitched as she studied the dartboard with a knowing look. She weighed her projectile on her fingers. She measured the distance mentally and took note of the shape of the dart. Every person watched with an unbroken stare. The moment had so much intensity that even Auron stopped in his tracks to watch. There must have been a lot of money on that throw.

Then, in a rapid motion, the dart flew from the Faunus' hand. The dart sailed with a perfect spin, and in a smooth clean arc...

WHACK!

The dart landed directly in the center of the bulls eye. The tail of the dart quivered slightly before finally remaining still.

Nobody spoke. Nobody moved.

The silence was finally broken by silvery laughter, "Hehehe.. What do you know? She's a natural."

Auron's quarry stood up next to the bounty of credits piled on the table.

"Well, it was a long shot bet, but it looks like I got lucky. Hehe, hey girly, what say we split the earnings 50/50? I can't carry all of this." His laughter continued on.

One of the grouchier tavern goers slowly rose to his feet. He rumbled in a low gravelly voice, "I thought you said she never played before."

"That I did. Right girly? You've never played darts have ya?"

The Faunus was indignant, "My name is Rouge. And no, I have never played before. I just have good aim."

The large irritated man wasn't convinced, "No one who hasn't played darts throws like that. You knew she could hit the bulls eye. You hustled us!"

Aegis acted offended, "Hustled? Oh, I am so sorry. I thought you knew. Squirrel Faunus are known for their excellent depth perception. I don't know about you, but I make it my point to only make deals when I know what I'm getting into. Had I known that you were so ignorant, I wouldn't have bet so much money!" He barely could finish the sentence before he doubled over laughing. Rouge started packing her share of the money into a burlap bag. She didn't seem impressed with Aegis' rude behavior.

'This doesn't look good... They look like they're gonna tear him apart!' She thought, feeling the slightest bit of worry for the guy.

"Well," said Aegis after he composed himself, "I'm off to bigger and better things." He reached into his outer jacket and pulled out a large leather bag. In one swoop, he swept up the rest of the cash and pocketed the pouch. The group around him growled.

"Now now," he cooed, "a deal's a deal. You would have been willing to accept my money even though my betting seemed idiotic. Why can't I extend the same courtesy to you?" Aegis continued to giggle to himself.

Auron knew he had to act fast. "Mr. Aegis, I -"

"Aegis is it?" One of the bar regulars interrupted, "Well, we may have had a deal, but I don't think any of us appreciate your sass." The crowd concurred, rising to their feet.

"Wait!" Auron shouted. The crowd stopped. Several faces turned to look at him.

"You a friend of his?" One of them asked.

"Well," Auron started. He didn't know him, but he certainly didn't want them scaring him off or killing him before he was able to ask some questions. "Yes?" The crowd moved closer. They had their resolve. They outnumbered him. They weren't backing down now.

"Huh," Aegis mused, "I don't remember your face, but you already know my name… Eh, either way, since you're giving me this opening, I'd call you 'friend' anytime."

Suddenly, a flash of flame blasted out of Aegis' sleeve, launching what looked like a chain through the air. Aegis snapped his wrist left, so that the chain latched onto the leg of one of the bigger gamblers. Aegis then pulled himself forward, knocking the man prone. He leaped off of his victim and sailed over the entire group of disgruntled tavern regulars, landing on both feet gracefully like some kind of lynx. After a short moment, he released his hold on the large man, still snickering to himself. "For future reference, my 'friends' call me Nero. Keep in touch!"

Another burst of fire sent the end of the chain out of the doorway and around a lamp-post. He then launched away, swinging around the corner and out of sight. His excited whooping slowly faded into the distance.

"Man, what a hoser."

Auron looked at the drunk who had muttered the remark, but he had already passed out with his head on the counter. Besides, he had bigger things to think about.

The crowd of angry gamblers had closed around him. 'Some "friend" this Nero guy turned out to be, leaving me to take the brunt of these brutes.' Rouge had also cleverly disappeared in the chaos. 'Well, I'm alone. But there can't be more than a dozen. I should be able to hold my own for a while, but I don't want to be around when the authorities show up. Doesn't look like I have many options though.'

After a short time of indecision, one of the bigger gamblers finally charged. Auron gripped his weapon, affectionately named "Splitter". As a twelve gauge shotgun outfitted with an axe blade on the stock, there was little room for error. Auron didn't want to kill anyone. His only option was to to use the flat side to stun his foe, which would limit his fighting quite a bit. Auron prepared his arm for a underhand swing, when suddenly-

WHAM!

The charging man's legs sailed upward as he tumbled through the air. He collapsed and continued rolling until he skidded to a stop at Auron's feet. Leaning left with his arm outstretched, standing at over six and a half feet tall, was a hulking Bison Faunus. He looked at Auron with a kind smile as he flexed his fingers, causing his knuckles to crack loudly.

"Slow down little man." Rumbled the massive figure, gesturing toward the unconscious attacker. The crowd was taken aback, but they didn't back off. A second man stepped forward and punched the massive figure across the jaw. The blow did nothing but make him angry. The Faunus grabbed the man's wrist, wrenched it to one side, and delivered a headbutt that sent the man sailing halfway across the bar.

The crowd growled. Despite the strength of the new figure, the gamblers seemed to think that their numbers would help them out. Their mistake.

The two fighters instinctively stood back to back to defend themselves against the angry mob. They had balanced and practiced stances, and eyed their foes with calculated stares. Auron hefted 'Splitter' with the bladed edge downward. The mysterious Faunus reached into a holster on his back to pull out his own weapon. It was eerily similar to 'Splitter', as it appeared to be a shotgun axe. However, the axe head had a spike opposite to it, and was fastened to the barrel rather than the stock. As a matter of fact, the shotgun had no stock at all. The axe head was also an odd shape, with the bottom half ending further down than usual.

If the gamblers were intimidated with this show of arms, they didn't show it. Some reached for hidden knives, planks of wood, and baseball bats left lying around the tables. A few even had handguns stowed in their inside pockets. Four of them advanced holding their makeshift weapons, with angry sneers gracing their ugly faces.

They didn't know who they were up against.