Mad Max: Road to Salvation: Volume 2
Episode 10[41]: Knowledge and Spirited Skill
A/N: Sorry for the delay everybody, I've had to work on my other stories and take a break. If you pay attention and are familiar with Jak 3 or Jak X you'll find a few references here and there.
[Guest: You are correct and thank you. Sorry if I'm taking it so slow on catching up to the main story. I promise I'll finish this mini arc and move on again.]
[dirtrevor: Thank you and here is where you will, I hope I did a good job with this.]
[Wombag1786: Indeed, and maybe.]
[Review dude: Thank you so much dude, I'm doing the best I can.]
[Charles: pretty much.]
[pittsacee: I would but I can't.]
[CAD D CHATTERBOX: Thank you so much and I'm sorry for the delay.]
-DOWNTOWN VALE: MISS CRYSTAL'S FLOWER SHOP -
The next day, the girls and Nurse had quickly grabbed Mari before leaving beacon and visiting Vale, leaving Daniel in the good doctor's care. Once they reached the city, the group made their way downtown to a flower shop nestled in plaza with a living space above the shop. The front of the store was beautifully decorated with assorted flowers of many different colors. The one particular group of flora that stood out amongst the colorful plants was a large bouquet of white roses. They were a rare special kind of flower that bloomed in in the harsh snowbound wilderness of Atlas. Strong and beautiful against the cold winters that the far northern kingdom was known for. Weiss had seen these particular flowers before in her mother's garden when she was living at Schnee manor. But for Amy, these flowers had been regular welcoming sight for her when returned home to the shop her family owned. The group of women had stopped outside the store front and Mari looked to Amy.
"Amy, my love, you know I love you and all. But your dad..." The foxy huntress said to silver haired nurse as her ears twitched anxiously.
"What's wrong with her dad?" Ruby inquired with a quizzical look.
"*sigh*It's...complicated." Amy muttered.
"That's one word for it. *sigh* He doesn't like me because I'm a faunus. That and... well...I'm a woman as well." Mari recalled her unpleasant moments when in the presence of Amy's stubborn father.
"At first, he just didn't like you. But I like to think mom, and you taking care of Daniel like he was your own might have swayed his opinion of you." Amy spoke reasonably.
"Then what does he have against faunus?" The cat eared girl in black growled.
"He's… faced off with faunus criminals and the 'white fang' when they became militant on more than one occasion in the past, okay, that's it." The calm hearted nurse explained and crossed her heart.
"That's not an excuse. What's his name?" Blake twitched her ears in displeasure and pressed for more information.
"Erwin Kalt, and before I fell in love with Mari, last name was Kalt."
"Did you say Erwin Kalt, as in 'the' colonel Erwin Kalt of the Atlas 2nd specialist battalion?! You're a member of the Kalt family?!" Weiss shouted hysterically.
"Who are the Kalts?" Yang raised an eyebrow.
"The family who owns and controls KALT-SCHMEIDE MFG! Their company KS has been the SDC's chief rival in metal and ore production in Atlas for decades! Not only do they have wealth that rival's that of my family, they have deep ties to the Atlas military!" Weiss put her hands on her hips as she ranted about the family who gave the SDC a run for their money.
"But your family has a lot of the dust mines, like you told us, right? So, shouldn't you be richer?" Ruby was a bit confused when it came to the amounts of money either family accumulated.
"We own many of the dust mines, but they have the Iron Valley. That region is chock full of their facilities and one of the largest concentrated groups of metal ore deposits in Atlas, both common and precious. They dominate metal production, not to mention Weapons development and manufacturing, you dolt! We Schnees have our own manufacturing plants, but many things we build are made from KS metal! It pains me to say it, but they are our equals." Weiss griped at the thought of the family that stood on equal footing against the Schnees financially and politically.
"KS also uses faunus labor, but they tend to be kinder than the SDC. But because of that, it's difficult to even get a beginner's position for anyone who wants to work for them." Blake provided some of her own background information on KALT-SCHMEIDE and their faunus friendly approach.
"Okay even I didn't know that. So, now I'm the heir to a fortune of my own? All I ever knew was that my father was a soldier." Amy said with wide eyes and then scratched her head in confusion.
"Your parents have a lot to hide, Amy. Makes me wonder why they're here and not in Atlas with all those connections and that status." Mari said insightfully as she crossed her arms over her bust.
"That doesn't matter right now, let's just go inside and get this straightened out." Amy said firmly as she walked through the door with Mari, and the girls followed behind them.
"Mother, father, I'm home!" Amy called out to her parents.
An older man with short grey hair and a beard climbed down the stairs. He wore white military cargo pants, black boot with white toes and a black T-shirt. An eyepatch hung over his right eye and there was a claw-like scar on his right cheek. "Ah how has my little girl been doing? I've missed you so much. What is it that brings you back to our home? …What is she doing here and who are these young girls? The one in white is very familiar if I'm not mistaken." The Man greeted his daughter with a warm hug before pausing and glaring slightly at the rest of the group.
"I'm happy to see you Papa, but don't be rude to my wife and our guests." Amy returned the hug and wagged her finger at the older man.
"Fine, but that doesn't answer my question." The man released her and crossed his arms.
"Colonel Kalt, I am Weiss Schnee and these are my teammates. Our leader Ruby, Blake, and Ruby's sister Yang." Weiss curtsied in front of the grizzled soldier and introduced her friends.
"Schnee, you have a lot of nerve being here." The man growled rudely at Weiss. Just as she was about to snap at him, Amy beat her to it.
"Do not insult my cousin! Who are you to talk about nerve Papa, when you and my mother never told me I am a Schnee!" Amy roared at her parent.
"What?! How did you find out?!" Her father was taken by surprise.
"Why did you hide that from me for all these years and the fact of who else I'm related to?!" Amy continued her campaign against her father, bombarding him with questions.
"Crystal! Our daughter is home and she brought… company." The old soldier called out for his wife. A woman then emerged from the back greenhouse and into the store. She had snow white hair and Blue eyes exactly like Weiss's. Her attire consisted of white overalls, work gloves, boots and a white shirt.
"Amy, it's so good to see you! What have you been doing, and where is my darling grandson?" The nurse mother hugged her tightly.
"I've missed you too mother, Daniel is fine but-" Amy hugged her back and tried to explain but her father cut her off.
"She's come seeking answers about her heritage, Crystal, it's time." Erwin put his hand on his wife's shoulder.
"I… I see. Let's go upstairs and we'll explain everything." Crystal's happy expression disappeared and sorrow took its place. They all ascended to the second floor and sat down in the cozy living room. "WE always hoped to keep this hidden, but I suppose it was only a matter of time. The reason Erwin and I are here in Vale instead of Atlas is because of my despicable brother-in-law and the rest of Erwin's family." Crystal said as she sat down in her chair beside her husband who slouched on a couch opposite the one occupied by the girls and two grown women.
"Never had we intended that life to be for you, as a father it has been my responsibility to protect you. While some members of our family were understanding of the matter, more powerful members had it in mind to use you to control both of Schnee and Kalt fortunes. Your mother though had begun leaving to try to and escape Jacque before he could put her in the same situation as Weiss's mother." The colonel explained in a serious voice locking his fingers together.
"But why did you come here to Vale, why not stay in Atlas?" Weiss inquired.
"If I had stayed, I would've been Jacque's prisoner like my sister Willow who helped me escape. When I met Erwin, he protected me from Jacque's attempts to capture me with his position in the military. But Jacque had his ways of using the system to his advantage. The only solution was to get me as far away from Atlas as possible. Vale being a far more viable option than either Vacuo or Mistral." Amy's mother told the sad story of her escape from the home she knew.
"But just like your discovery of the truth Amy, time was against us. When we had you, that left no choice but to never return lest we risk your abuse by either side. Whoever controlled you, be it my family or your uncle… well it goes without saying. Not to mention all the possible attempts on your life by the white fang, and you had to irritate them by running off with 'her' to the middle of the desert! With my young grandson no less!" The old man spoke calmly at first but his angre rose when he recalled hearing of his daughter's exploits in the wilds of Vacuo.
"H-How did you know about that?" Amy stuttered, her mouth agape.
"I kept tabs on you, and that's all I will say. When I heard about the man who gave your uncle a beating though, well I had to lend him and Ozpin a hand for keeping you safe and striking fear into him. But now that you've grown up and are in the care of Ozpin and this mister Max I've heard about, I know you're safe." The old man smiled warmly.
"Wow those families are messed up." Mari growled in disgust.
"*sigh*It's an understatement, and we we're lucky Erwin's cousin Lieutenant Colonel Elias Rorshach in the Atlas Border Guard also helped us get here." Crystal agreed and reminisced about Erwin's cousin.
"What a coincidence, we know two people named Rorshach who go to beacon right?!" Yang chimed in to brighten the dour mood.
"Titus and Sally, Bruz's teammates." Blake added.
"Those two? It's a small world, it truly is." Amy crossed her arms.
"No doubt Elias sent them there, but for what reason I have no idea. But now you know the truth of your origins daughter of mine." The old man sat up straight and cracked his neck.
-MEANWHILE-
Bruz was busting his ass working on two of his pet projects in the garage, one of them being covered by a mysterious tarp. The other project though, was a rugged yellow assault buggy of some sort. The vehicle had two turbo rocket exhaust tubes and various slabs of yellow armor plating. Dual machine guns were mounted to the upper support bars beside the seats with one gun for each side. The tires were obviously made for rugged desert terrain, although a slick tread-less set was visibly placed next to spare parts for a more compact conversion kit for non-desert combat racing. The metallic skeletal frame held an engine right under the large booster exhaust tubes. Bruz rolled out from under the vehicle on his creeper, with a wrench in hand and his face covered in grease. He was enjoying the solitude for once as his parents were busy with either work or a discussion and Anya had gone to play with Daniel. Yang though hadn't told him where she ran off to though, leaving hm free to do his thing as a mechanic. But he remembered he'd be helping Jaune to practice his skills behind the wheel on the beacon track as a favor to Pyrrha. He supposed it was alright, the leader of JNPR needed a good drive anyway to take the edge off even though he wouldn't admit it. After taking a quick break and changing the tires, the car that the young mechanic had been working on was finally ready to tear up the dirt track behind the academy.
Bruz opened the garage door and drove away to meet up with JNPR at the track, the door closing shortly after he was gone. He ignited the turbo boost and blue flames erupted from the rear of the vehicle, thrusting him forward. He grinned madly as he left a trail of dust and exhaust in his wake. He took a jump or two along the way to get a feel for how the car would handle them. The manic mechanic whooped as he soared across the sky and felt the suspension satisfyingly rock as he touched down. He then skidded onto the dirt racing course and reached the starting line in spectacular fashion. Jaune approached the vehicle and Bruz slid into the passenger seat. The leader of JNPR gripped the steering wheel which was more like a set of two handles.
"How do you like my ride, mate? She's a beauty, isn't she? I got the color from one of my girls." Bruz bragged about the vehicle he'd built with his own two hands and a fistful tools n' grease.
"Got a nice feel to feel it, what'd you build it for?" The leader of JNPR asked the faunus rev-head.
"She's all terrain but a little better suited for the desert. But I made it to train the newbies on this track if that's what you're asking. Anyway, let's quit jawing and get rolling, I want to see what you've got my friend. The clock starts when you cross the line." Bruz explained a bit more about the hot-wheels and gave the spiky blonde in the driver's seat the rundown on the practice race.
"Oh, you're on man!" Jaune said as he pulled the countdown started on the lights. When green struck, Jaune stomped the pedal and engaged the boosters. The vehicle screamed as it raced down the track through the woods. The rest of team JNPR were watching their leader tear up the practice course wand cheering as a screen displayed the time he was taking to race against the clock. Jaune saw a turn coming up and put the buggy into a well-executed power slide. Using the leftover momentum from the sliding turn, Jaune fired the boost again and blazed ahead on a straightaway stretch. The sounds of the engine were being heard from the far side of school grounds and other students began to make their way to the track to see who was causing the commotion.
"Time for a little trial by fire!" Bruz pulled out a small switch from one of his cargo pockets and triggered some drone vehicles to activate.
"What!?" Jaune shouted as he was rounding a corner, then the drones burst out from the trees to chase the buggy. Immediately after that, the drone car began to fire their own guns at the buggy. "Those things have guns?!"
"So, what?! If you haven't noticed, we've got guns and defenses of our own, so use them slaghead!" Bruz barked harshly at the younger boy sitting next to him. Taking the manic mechanic's advice, Jaune saw a panel of weapons at his disposal and flipped on the rear mine drop. The red and white checkered land mine plopped onto the ground and a drone failed to swerve around it. The automated attack vehicle erupted into a ball of fire, scattering parts and bits of burnt metal everywhere. The attack drones continued their relentless pursuit of the buggy down the track with Jaune doing his best to defend against the incoming fire using the defensive weapons. A thought popped into the young leader's head and flipped the vehicle around 180 degrees. He rapidly moved the stick into reverse and started firing the machine guns at the first drone in his sights. When the drone backed off to let its teammates attack Jaune turned around again and braked. With the drones getting ahead and trying to deploy mines, Jaune opened fire again, disabling a drone causing it to flip and blow up. Another drone appeared from behind and tried locking on with heat-seeking missiles. The driver of JNPR engaged the emergency flare and the explosives took off after it, blowing up shortly after. Jaune looked through the onboard arsenal and deployed his own missiles to attack the drone out in front.
"Nice fireworks display, but you've still got more targets to handle." Bruz complimented the driver's skill and pointed to the remaining drones.
"Please tell me we're almost to the finish!" Jaune shouted to his passenger.
"Oi, quit your whining and drive! Keep your bloody focus on the road!" Bruz replied.
"I'm not whining!" Jaune griped.
"Then get to the finish line if you want to shut me up!" Bruz egged on the road raging Jaune.
"A shortcut!" Jaune smiled as a detour came into view that would help him lose the opposition on his tail. He swerved onto the other path and took a jump, activating his boosters just before leaving the ground. The drone right behind him lost control and crashed into a wall right before the jump.
The crowd that was spectating was enjoying the show on the track, especially the first years who were cheering as the clock ticked down while Jaune tore up the track. Second years that had shown up to watch were used to the time trials that Max had instituted, but the combat element was certainly new to them. The rest of Jaune's team were also enjoying the show on the screen in front them that was tracking Jaune's progress throughout the race. Max arrived to observe who was racing on his track after hearing the sounds of battle. He stood back, away from the crowd evaluating the display of combat driving by Jaune. The road warrior could see a fair amount of skill in Jaune's driving performance.
Jaune entered the final straight away with one drone left in the race. He braked and slammed into eh side of the enemy vehicle, knocking it out of the way with a crash. The buggy crossed the finish line arriving to a standing ovation of the student body who witnessed the vehicular carnage. Bruz gave him a well-earned pat on the back.
-END CHAPTER-