The trio met in the morning, just a little ways from the front gate and headed out only to see Mark and two other bandits guarding the entrance.
"Hey, Mark!" Aron said with false kindness.
"OH! This guy! What are you doing out here?" Mark said with pure hate.
Before Aron could answer, someone calls out from the forest, causing the group to turn to the woods.
"Hey, ugly!" A silver-hair person said.
"Oh, You gonna take that Marky boi?" Aron said glancing at Mark to just looked at him.
"Is Raven Branwen home?" A green hair girl called, following the
silver-headed lackey.
"No, sorry, she's at her summer villa, Miss Green hair," Aron said crossing his arms, with a sarcastic grin.
"You hear that boss sounds like they don't want to cooperate." Grey haired shrew remarked.
"Then make them, ya grey haired bitch." A woman emerged from the darkness like a slime wanker.
"Oh! Cinder, it's nice to SEE you!" Aron said with fake excitement.
"I want to kill you so damn much for that, so I'll have Mercury do it." Cinder said unbridled hate overflowing just like her ego.
"My pleasure boss," Mercury said like an ass-kisser he is.
"Need some help?" Caspian said only to answered by Sasha.
"No, I wanna see how this plays out," Sasha said leaning against a gate in the shade.
"Mercury, is it? I'm saving myself for Cinder, BUT you can
fight my friend here." Aron said patting Caspian's back.
"Hey! If he gets the old guy, I'll take that chick." Sasha said jumping up from her shady spot, stomping over to Aron.
"By all means, ma friend. Just don't kill 'em, Raven might have some words for them." Aron said talking over his shoulder.
"Old guy?" A man with a mustache called out behind Cinder, "I'm not that old!"
"Not you! Him." Sasha said brushing off the man's comment and pointed to Mercury.
"Hey!" Mercury remarked after the insult.
"Well, Sasha? Caspian?" Aron looked at his friends than to their opponents.
Both nodding, and the emotions on their faces change entirely. Sasha's was drained of emotion, an empty husk. Caspian turned into a sadistic, blood hungry, smile. The very sight of them, disturbed Emerald and Mercury, slightly to where only Cinder and Aron noticed.
Sasha and Caspian step towards the grey and green warriors. Their faces calm and collected but a little stirred. Caspian stretched out his hands and mimicked holding a weapon. Out of his sleeves, black shadows, extending into his palms. The darkness then took the form of two battle axes, his grip tightening to show that it was genuine.
Before rushing to Mercury with blinding speed, Caspian let out a chuckle that like a madman. Mercury startled but reacts just in time before launching his series of attacks, only to be deflected or dodged.
Emerald watched before turning her attention to Sasha instantly to see Sasha's forearms oozing with blood. Twin blades formed from the blood, exiting her arms. Disgusted by the display, Emerald fires a volley of bullets directly to Sasha but were instantly cut down by Sasha's blades. Sasha just kept walking, unaffected, and unharmed she drew closer and Emerald started to panic and causing her semblance.
Within seconds Sasha is surrounded by dozens of creatures of GRIMM, stopping in her tracks Sasha looks from left to right, eyeing each Grimm with a stone dead expression on her face. Then starts to walk again in a straight to Emerald.
"What?! She keeps coming!" Emerald said, as fear runs through her body and making the Grimm charge Sasha.
The Grimm pounce toward Sasha who spun with enough speed to create a vortex that sucked in the Grimm and ripped them to shreds. As the battles rage between either side, Aron and Cinder are locked in a stare. Arms both crossed, glares like fire burning through a mountain filled with gasoline.
As the battles come to a halt due to either side not able to gain any ground, both team evenly matched. Aron sets forward, as does Cinder.
"You know, I heard about what you did at Beacon, Cinder," Aron said looking deep into her eye.
"Have you now?" Cinder glared back, " And what's it to you?"
"My brother went to Beacon," Aron said straining.
"Oh? You want to fight me to give your brother death meaning?" Cinder said with a chuckle.
"My brother isn't dead!" Aron said as anger boiled within, his eyes narrowing and zeroing in on Cinder. "He managed survived, but has been hospitalized for weeks now."
"And fight you? No, I'm gonna kill you." Aron continued as a flash of orange light appeared, engulf him.
Cinder and the other block out the light with their hands, only to see Aron had taken on a new form. Aron had grown eight more tails, and his aura and power increased immensely "This is what I like to call an 'Ascended Faunus.'
"What!? You think growing eight more tails is enough to intimidate me?" Cinder said chuckling to herself. "Guess again."
"No, but this might," Aron said smirking before entering a stance. His arms bent at his sides pointing outward, his fists clenching, feet spread apart.
Aron bellows, summoning all of his power, the anger from his Brother, not being able to help him, unable to protect him made his rage at himself and Cinder for causing him this pain. Aron's very energy became visible, circling his feet and lightning courses across his body, chunks of earth and rock rise out the ground.
Aron instantly appears in front of Cinder and unleashes a barrage of punches and kicks send her flying back and crash into a tree. As the dust settles, Cinder picks herself from the ground not a scratch on her, chuckling to herself, wiping her face of mud and dirt.
"That tickled. tell me, boy, do you want to anger a god?" Cinder said menacingly, her only eye narrowing.
Aron starts to chuckle to himself then smiles, "What's a god to a demon?"
The very words brought an unyielding hateful and lust to ablate Cinder. Around her eye starts to glow like feathers, and with a powerful forward thrust, multiple shards fly out of her hands. Volley after volley Cinder threw at Aron, clouds of smoke and dust engulf him. Thinking the fight was over and done with, Cinder let out a sinister laugh.
"That's the power of the Fall Maiden." Cinder said as if her point had just been proved.
As Cinder turned to walk back to the front gate, to her surprise a voiced called out from behind her.
"So that's the power of a maiden? Honestly, I expected more."
"What!?" Cinder said as anger and shock run wild in her veins.
"You're supposed to be dead!" Looking back at the still smoking crater, Cinder saw Aron slowly walk out, his clothes slightly torn.
"I'll tell you what. After I'm finished with you, all there'll be your ashes." Aron said cracking his knuckles and his neck, glaring at Cinder. "Then one of your lackeys can take you back to your master in a box."
"How dare you!" Cinder yells ready to attack again but is cut off by a voice calling from the front gate.
"That's enough, Aron!"
Cinder and Aron look towards the voices to see Vernal, anger in her eyes. Aron knew that Vernal was Raven's right hand and what the consequences would be angering her, a second time. Immediately Aron let out a long exhale and returned to his original form, and back to only one tail. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, walking past Cinder, who look on in disbelief. Reaching to Caspian and Sasha, Aron signals them to follow. Eyeing Aron and his group leave, Vernal tells Cinder and her followers that Raven will see them.
Looking back over his shoulder, Aron checks that Cinder and Vernal are out of sight, before turning to face Caspian and Sasha.
"Alright team, scale the wall, listen to their conversation, we got a score to settle," Aron said, oddly strategically. "Stay out of sight, by the rest and Vernal."
As Aron and his squad, make their way up the wall. They perch on the spikes, just as the sun sets. They see Cinder and Raven talking, the rest of the bandits watching.
"Pack up camp! We're leaving." Raven ordered the bandits before they dispersed.
A short while later, listening to their conversation, Cinder talked about teaming up and accomplishing their goals to use the power of the spring maiden to achieve an ancient relic.
"You and your bandits will attack Minstrel with the White Fang, and we will handle the relic." Cinder said with confidence. "Also dealing with your brother, of course."
Hearing the words, White Fang, cause a spike of anger to shoot through Aron. The peak of the wall to gripped to keep from falling started to crack and break. Caspian and Sasha noticed but decided to talk about it later.
"I'll work with you, but I want two things," Raven said gripping the hilt of her sword. "I want Qrow dead, and I want you and Salem to leave my tribe and me alone."
The trio hidden in the darkness was dumbfounded, shocked and every emotion for the surprise you can think of, at the terms Raven's said. Qrow was her brother, and wanting him dead, question poured into Aron's mind.
"Done." Cinder said after a minute of thought. "Join us two months from now and aid the white fang in their attack."
Exchanging handshakes that sealed the deal, Raven and Vernal walked back into Raven's tent. The trio made their ways off the wall, and meet up on the ground.
"Aron, what do we do?" Sasha said, rubbing her temple.
"I say, we warn Qrow," Caspian said placing his hands on his hips, and pacing back and forth.
"Same, I like Qrow. Also, I despise the White Fang." Aron said as his hand curling into a fist.
"I guess it's decided then," Sasha said doing a quick stretch. "When do we leave?"
"In 10 minutes," Aron said looking at his friends. "Pack your weapons and gear. We leave tonight."
The three breakaway, rushing to their tents. Aron was making his way back around to the front gate, looking around, outward to the forest, Vernal was emerging from the shadows.
"When did you leave? Did you bring me something?" Aron questioned trying not to raise suspicions.
"I went for a walk, but I did find a stick, do you want it?" Vernal said with an enormous amount of sarcasm.
"Uh, yeah I would like the stick, I could add it to my pile of sticks from around the world," Aron said, with as much as fake enthusiasm as he could muster. "I got one from Menagerie, Vile and even from Mountain Glen.
"Of course you'd do that.' Vernal said, with angst tossing the stick she had toward Aron.
"Hey, don't knock it till you try it!" Aron said, catching the stick with both hands, and flashing a grin to Vernal.
Vernal only let out a scuff before walk toward Raven's tent. After she turned her back, Aron's smile turns to a frown of hate, the stick in his hand, bent until it broke. Casting it aside then dusting off his hands, he heads ready to stuff for the long journey ahead.
The camp was unsettling quiet, even for the night. Aron ignored the eerie silence and continued to his tent. In his tent was barely anything of value, but most of his things were of sentimental value. A medallion of a fox, which an old monk named 'Calin' had given him before his unfortunate death. Its eyes fuse with a gem, take when at the right angle in the sun the pearls glow a bright orange. Another was a ring, a silver engraved with two blade crossing, on one blade a small emblem of a tribal fox was embedded, and the other a tribal fox on the handle.
All in all, Aron things fit in a small sack, but mostly he just the things he cares the most. As he packed the last of his stuff, a voice called from behind him.
" I should have known; you'd leave."
Aron stopped, dropping his head as he exhaled deeply, and set down his bag, turning to see Raven at the door, armor still equipped.
"You should've known the history between the White Fang and me Rae," Aron said leaning back against the table. " After they did! You'd think I'd help them?"
"Yes. If we do this, all of us can finally be free of Salem, and her lackeys" Raven said, placing her hands on her hips.
"I've been by your side ever since you've helped my brother and me, but this… this time I can't follow you." Aron said crossing his arms, with a sentimental look on his face.
"Oh really, then what are you gonna do? Run? Join my brother?!" Raven said chuckling, at the last words that left her mouth.
Aron looked up with sorrow in his eyes, Raven look at him for a second then, a bird whistled outside, Aron knew that it was Sasha and Caspian. Raven took a second to realize, but before she could draw her blade, Aron throws a smoke pellet on the ground, shrouding the tent with thick smoke.
"You traitor! You'd help Qrow?! Over me!?" Raven called out, fanning smoke from her face.
"Yes, you know the story between the White Fang and me. . ." Aron's voice echoed through the smoke. " Before I go. . ."
Raven had a defensive stance expecting an attack, only to feel hands wrap around her waist, pulling her close. The sudden pull, Raven, let down her guard long enough to Aron to land a kiss and a quick grope to her backside and hop out the window, to rejoin his comrades. Rushing to the gates, Aron spots Caspian and Sasha waiting. Looking behind him one last time, Raven makes her way out of the still smoking tent, coughing and dazed.
Nothing in the world could describe the pain he felt that day, leaving behind the things that meant the world to him. The tribe, the ones the took him in when he had nowhere else to go. The friends he made, except Sasha and Caspian, and of course, Raven.
The three gained ground on the tribe, and under cover of darkness, made their way to Haven Academy. They travel for hours until the moon was at its highest peak, while the group set up camp for the night, Aron checks the perimeter to ensure that they were safe.
As Aron walked back into camp, Sasha had already started a fire, and Caspian impaled some meat on sticks, he had found and cleaned.
"We should be safe for the night," Aron said, sitting on a log near the fire. "But we need to get to Haven before, the tribe does."
"Yeah, but for now, get some good meat in your system," Caspian said passing him a meat pike.
"Also we didn't know you had a brother!" Sasha said, stabbing the end of her stick into the ground, leaning it toward the flames, slowly simmering it, until its browned. "Why didn't you tell us before?"
"Ah, because I didn't want to," Aron said sarcastically, turning his meat in the fire. "Since we're probably going to die, in the days to come. I'll tell you." As Aron stared into the flame, he begins to resight his tale.
When I was a kid, about 10, I was a street rat. Scavenging for food and money to feed my brother who was just a baby at the time. Times were tough; I resorted to crime to ensure our survival, I stole, pickpocketed rich people. Most food I managed to buy or shoplift, I gave to my brother. That was day by day for me, but one day I pickpocketed someone, that instead of turning me in and have my brother taken, he took us in. His name was Colin, he was a monk of a human/Faunus monastery, is known for its many warriors, who once fought in several wars, and occasionally protect their village that resided just below their mountain.
Calin saved us, raised us. During this time, I repaid his kindness, by training under the monks, learning basic first aid, tracker and combat, I was the youngest to master their sets of skills. As my brother, got older, we chose a name for him. 'Stryder,' after a few months, he began training with the monks of combat, when he was 13. Though I was turning 19, I watched him excel through training, just as I did, but only a bit slower.
One day, I took Stryder out to the nearby woods to bring ingredients for the monks of healing and first aid. When we came back, the village and the monastery, shrouded by raging flames, the screams of the villagers echoed through the mountains.
Stryder and I ran through the charred ruins of houses and shops of the village, making our way up the mountain. We managed to get into the monastery, but the monks mercilessly were slain, humans and faunus alike. We search room to room, while the smoke clouded our vision and choked at our lungs, trying so hard to find Calin.
In the courtyard, in the middle of the monastery, we found Calin badly burned, draining of life, but he was beaten too, black eyes and bleeding from his nose. With the last of his breath, he said 'Protect each other,' before he passed away he shoved a torn piece of cloth into my hand. The cloth had the symbol of the White Fang, the blooded wolf, and marks. I was so angry and set on a path of revenge. After I made enough money through underground fight clubs and occasional pickpocketing rich people in Vale. Then I applied Stryder to go to Beacon Academy, knowing he'd be safe around trained huntsman, and so he could help other people, instead of following my path. I've hurt people for any information about the White Fang.
When I finally found enough information to make up a plan. I was heading to the White Fang's base, alone, I had no idea about coming back that day, I was going to destroy everything and everyone. The pain and sorrow attracted Grimm, but I was to focus on my revenge to notice until they were right on top of me.
I nearly died. Beowulf's, and Ursa clawed me, until a group of bandits, led by Raven, saved me and nursed me back to fight shape. In return, I taught them all I knew, medicine, combat, and tracking… Aron words trailed, realizing that he taught the tribe exactly how to find them!
"We need to leave now!" Aron said, hearing a stick snapping in the void of darkness surrounding them.