Note: This series is a sequel to GRAE, and picks up right where the former series left off. Characters already introduced will not be described again.
Greyson stood in front of Rusty, Azure, Ember, Raven, Dustyn, Ezelia, and Kita, the founding members of the newly formed Twilight Crusade. Greyson flicked the overhead light off, using his scroll to project onto the wall a holographic map of Remnant.
"...First of all, am I leader? If anyone else would care to take my position, please. Speak up," Greyson offered. The room was silent for the next several seconds. Rusty shook his head, and Raven glanced around at the others. "Alright. Guess that settles things. Now, it's obvious we can't stay here. The news is spreading about the Burgundy Bandit appearing, and Grimm still swarm Beacon. I believe it would be best for everyone if we take time to unwind. With that being said, I think our safest bet would be Vacuo. The lack of urban centers compared to Mistral and Atlas makes it most likely the last priority for whoever was behind today."
"Vacuo at this time of year is almost literally hot as hell. What would we even do there?" Ember questioned, not keen on the idea of spending her Summer in the middle of an arid desert.
"Well, I'm personally not sure, but Raven is from the area. Do you have any suggestions?" Greyson asked, turning to Raven.
Raven stiffened up as everyone in the room looked to her. "O-Oh. Uh... Well, th-there's Lago Del Sol Park," she nervously suggested. "I-It's a few miles away from this big dam, a-and it's next to a lake, so it might be a little colder... A-Almost all my good childhood m-memories come from there."
"That works. And the lake is a plus for sure," Greyson agreed. "We'll head for Vacuo tomorrow. With what money we have, we'll buy tents and food to last us as long as possible. For now, try to get some sleep."
"One more question," Ember asserted. "How are we going to get there?"
A sly smile came to Greyson's face, one that instantly worried Azure, as she knew just what it meant. It was the smile Greyson gave just before introducing one of his insane strategies.
"Bear with me, because this is going to sound crazy. We're going to steal an airship from the White Fang."
"Wait, that was a joke, right dude?" Rusty asked, forcing a laugh to keep the nerves at bay.
Azure let out a resigned sigh. "Something tells me he's serious..." she remarked.
The next night, Greyson led the others to Vale's docks. Greyson perched on the edge of one shipping container with the rest of Twilight Crusade behind him. A maze of crates was laid out in front of the eight teens, patrolled by several White Fang soldiers with rifles in hand. He tried to make out the safest path in the limited lighting, provided by the lights of the massive shipyard cranes above. Past the maze, one guard circled a smaller model of airship, one Greyson figured to be originally used for private travel, or perhaps medical personnel.
Either way, it was the perfect target to steal.
"Here's the plan. We'll make our way down, then make our way to that ship," Greyson quietly strategized. "But keep in mind, these are faunus. They can see us better than we can see them. We'll have to rely on sound."
Greyson took a last look to both sides, then snuck down the shipping container's side. Ember donned her Burgundy Bandit mask, and followed close behind.
"I still can't believe I agreed to this..." Azure mumbled, climbing down the side and planting her feet on the concrete ground. The rest followed.
"One more thing," Greyson declared. "I want no blood. If we should be caught, absolutely no lethal force." He snuck forward, hugging the shadow to the side of one container, and listening intently for footsteps. The maze of crates continued forward until reaching a right turn. At the corner, Greyson knelt down, peeking the first inch of his face out. A White Fang grunt looked directly his way.
Greyson pulled back quickly, turning to his friends with index finger pointing in the air. He then brought it to his mouth.
"Huh? I could have sworn I saw something..." the White Fang grunt noted. He kept his eyes forward, then turned around. "Must have imagined it..."
Azure dashed out from hiding, firing a single electric arrow into the grunt's back. He stiffened like a board, and began to fall forward. Greyson lunged forward, grabbing the grunt and lowering him to the ground without a sound. He looked up to the next left turn, where he swore he heard voices.
"Man, why are we even here? They should have given Boss the key, I'm tempted to fly out and get food somewhere..." a female grunt complained.
"And what makes you think I'd fly out of here to buy you food?" a male grunt snapped. "Boss is new. Sure he's tough, but the higher-ups don't trust him yet."
Greyson peeked out around the turn, making out the forms of two more White Fang grunts, both facing away. Greyson raised two fingers to his crew, then pointed forward. Ember nodded.
Greyson and Ember dashed out in front of the rest, taking the two grunts by surprise. Greyson gracelessly rammed into the girl, knocking her to the floor and sending her dust rifle clattering noisily across the concrete. Ember jumped onto the male's back, covering his mouth, and ripping a golden scroll from his pocket. She kicked him forward, and the rest of Twilight Crusade sprinted around the two, and through the last several turns.
An alarm sounded, and a spotlight shone on Twilight Crusade, who continued running forward. Azure fired another electric arrow into the last guard as gunfire erupted from all directions, glancing off crates and the airship in front of Greyson. He jumped onboard, shoving the scroll into its slot on the dashboard. Once Greyson saw the rest of Twilight Crusade on the ship safely, the airship clumsily rose from the ground, pitched its nose upward, and flew between two containers toward downtown Vale, gunfire still assaulting the sides like a brutal hailstorm.
"CEASE FIRE!" A distorted, deep male voice growled, echoing throughout the shipyard. The bullets stopped instantly. Curiously, Dustyn made his way to the back window, looking down at the docks. A cloaked figure with a full-face mask stood in front of a dozen White Fang soldiers, looking up toward the rapidly ascending ship.
"That's strange, why would the White Fang stop shooting at humans that just stole their airship?" Greyson asked. "The only reason I could think of is they're there secretly."
"Probably it," Ember agreed. "Speaking of secrecy, aren't these things tracked?"
Greyson swore. "Didn't think of that. Rusty. Is there any way you know to block the tracking system?"
"Here, let me see," Rusty said, making his way over to the dashboard. He looked it over for a few seconds, messed with his scroll for a bit, and returned to the dashboard. "Yeah, I think I have something. System override should take a few minutes though." He inserted his scroll into the second slot on top of the dashboard, just in back of the key. "Hey, if we're gonna do more dope stuff like this, I can get used to being a member of Twilight Crusade!"
Twilight Crusade flew the several-hour long trip to Vacuo, Greyson's limited aviation skills proving themselves to be adequate. Azure occasionally read paragraphs from Greyson's aviation handbook as he asked, making sure the team landed safely.
Greyson landed the airship on a patch of dirt just outside Lago Del Sol Park, just as the Sun began to rise. Nearly everyone had fallen asleep, leaving only Greyson, Azure, and Kita, who Greyson had never seen asleep but always seemed to be perfectly well rested. Ember had nodded off in her seat, her face showing an unusually peaceful look. Raven had fallen asleep with her head in Rusty's lap. Dustyn and Ezelia lay on the floor a few feet away.
Greyson, Azure, and Kita stood just outside the airship together, taking in the early morning air, the first hints of desert heat floating in on the light breeze. The Sun rose over the crest of a surrounding cliff, painting the sky several shades of deep blue, orange, and red.
"Kind of symbolic, isn't it?" Greyson said, holding his hands behind his head. "Watching the Sun rise on our new life. Really, I haven't even thought yet about how much our life will change..."