Alright, hello! I just want to say sorry I couldn't get this out sooner. This actually turned out to be a pretty lengthy chapter. Hope you don't mind. As always, thank you guys for the support. Seeing you guys enjoy this gives me the warm fuzzies. So go forth and read!
Chapter 10: The Brightest Light
Jay snarled. Her fist smashed itself into the sturdy vault door. The golden metal she wore over it dented from the impact, but barely left a scratch on ten ton steel. She pulled back and punched the door again, small sparks jumping out from her fist. She punched again and again, her seething anger pushing all rationale from her head.
"Jay, that's enough!" Ritch said. Jay threw one last hard punch. The breath she didn't know she was holding slipped out. Her frustrations died out with a weary sigh.
"I should have seen this coming. Why did I even think for a second this would work out?" she asked herself. Pulling herself up, she turned back to face her team. Tephra was lying on the ground, propping herself up with one arm while holding the other close to her chest. Ritch was kneeling next to her, his hand washed with a yellow glow as he held it on her shoulder.
"We aren't to blame for this, Jay. If anything, we should be blaming Torchwick. Everything was going fine until he betrayed us," he said. Jay walked to the center of the room, turning in a slow circle. There had to be a way out. It was only a matter of time before Atlas opened the door with a thousand guns aimed at their heads.
"He only betrayed us because I couldn't keep my mouth shut. I got angry and I said more than I should have. Now we gotta find a way out of the mess I dropped us in," Jay replied, regret pulling at her. This was her fault. She couldn't place the blame on anyone else. Torchwick wouldn't have done what he did if it weren't for her. Her own sense of justice put them in a corner and forced a sick feeling down her throat.
They didn't deserve it. It was all her. She had to make it up to them. She had to do something. It was her duty as a leader to pull them out of the situation they were in.
She traced her eyes along the corners, wringing her hands in nervous tension. She checked the same places over and over as if she was missing a crucial clue each time.
The blackened patches on the floor from Torchwick's flare reminded her how tired she felt. She tried not to show it for her team's sake, but she was running on fumes. Her aura was stretched thin from overusing her Semblance and protecting herself from Torchwick's attack. She knew it wouldn't last in a fight. Running two fingers over her lips, she frowned at the slick red staining her fingertips.
"Could have been worse…but let's not tempt fate right now," she muttered.
Tephra got to her feet in a slouched posture, brushing the ash off her singed robes. Ritch steadid her so that she didn't fall back down. Lifting her bracelet, each beep coming from it was reciprocated by a twitch of her tiger ears.
"No holes, no grates, not even a secret passage. We're trapped like rats. Wish it were the White Fang in here instead. At least then, they'd be right at home," she said. Jay wiped the blood on her tattered blue scarf. The voices coming from the Atlesian forces reached the other side of the door. It groaned under its own weight, shaking slightly as the locking mechanisms were retracted.
"So what do we do now? Surrender?" Spriggan asked. Jay faced her team. She examined every single one of their faces. The uncertainty in them made her chest clench. A deep resolve settled in her heart. They had followed her into something they never expected to be a part of. They watched her back and even saved her life. It was only fair to return the favor. She slid her cracked White Fang mask over her face and shook her head.
"No, I won't let them take us. Not without a fight," She walked up to them, determination swelling inside her, "We haven't backed down yet, Sprig. We're not starting now. I promise I'm going to get us out of this, for all our sakes."
"I assume you have a plan, then?" Ritch asked her. Jay nodded and pointed at their only Faunus companion. She had just enough aura to use her Semblance one last time. It was reckless, but they didn't have the luxury of time to think of a better plan.
"Tephra," she said. The Faunus tilted her head. Jay needed as much time as possible to gather her strength and if there was one thing Tephra was good at other than fighting, it was running her mouth.
…
The vault door cracked open an inch and Tephra listened carefully to her bracelet. Her ears perked up at the new figures taking form in her mind. Countless splotches were bouncing the sound waves back at her. Atlesian forces took shape, their exact number becoming clearer with every beep Tephra's bracelet made. There were dozens of them, each with their rifles raised and their fingers against the trigger.
The vault opened even further and Tephra squeezed through, mask over her face. Atlas didn't know what they were up against. She could use that to her benefit.
"Put your hands in the air! On your knees now!" she heard one say. She did as she was told, dropping to her knees and holding her hands up. Jay had insisted that she take the extra precaution of leaving her shield in the vault. Looking harmless would make her distraction all the more effective.
Silence reigned over the room. It was a good sign. It meant they weren't trying to open the vault door anymore. The corners of her lips tugged upwards slightly as she spoke.
"Uhh…something, something, the one armed Faunus did it," She said. She sensed the Atlas soldiers looking at each other in bewilderment. To illustrate her point, Tephra waved both arms in the air. One soldier piped up, voicing the disbelief the rest of his comrades had.
"This can't be it, right? How the hell did one Faunus infiltrate a high-security military compound?" he asked.
"You left the back door open," Tephra remarked. One of them walked up to her and she winced as an armored glove smacked her across the face.
"Think you're being funny?" the soldier asked her. He stepped back, motioning towards the other guards in the room, "You riled up an entire base and this is what we find? One flea-bitten Faunus that gave up without a fight? You wasted our time for nothing."
Tephra scoffed and righted herself. Her cheek stung from the slap, but still she managed a smile, "I'm sorry if my robbery was inconvenient for you."
She sensed the man reeling his fist back. But she didn't feel the crushing force hit her. Instead, he lowered his hand, his posture straightening as his tone took a more authoritative manner, "You're under arrest for trespassing and stealing from the Atlas Military. You are hereby a prisoner under Atlas jurisdiction and subject to her laws. You have the right to remain silent-"
"And I respectfully ignore that right." Tephra interrupted him, "I have to say, if anything I did you all a favor. I found a flaw in that armor of yours. Now the good general can take my constructive criticism and make sure it doesn't happen again. I deserve a medal for my outstanding civilian service. Just FYI, I'm more partial to the gold ones myself."
The soldier's face twisted into a tight frown. His patience was running thin.
"Someone shut her up and toss her in a cell," the man said. He walked away while two other soldiers came up to her with their guns raised.
"I still don't buy it. Who else was working with you? Do you have any accomplices?" one of them said.
"Yeah, the heiress of the SDC and Lisa Lavender. We were going to make our getaway on our talking borbatusk," Tephra replied. One of the guards sighed and walked towards her as he pulled a pair of handcuffs from his belt.
"You really are a handful," he said. He grabbed Tephra's wrists and slapped the handcuffs over them. Then Tephra heard it, the sound of metal hitting the vault door behind her. She looked up at the man towering over her and smiled.
"Do tell."
A stream of yellow dust shot out from her sleeves and coated her gloves. Tephra grabbed the man by his arms. Arcs of lightning jumped from her hands. Fifty-thousand volts wracked his body, his muscles locking in constant spasms as he howled in pain.
Tephra let him go and shot her cuffed hands out, wrapping the chain that held them together at the back of the man's neck. She pulled him towards her and launched her knee upwards, smashing his chin. Tephra kept her hold on him, using him as a human shield between her and the dozen rifles being pointed at her.
Her leg kicked out behind her at the vault switch and the door flung open. A sudden rush of cool air hit her. Tephra released her hold on the soldier and jumped out of the way as an enormous blast of blue smoke knocked everyone caught in the blast off their feet. The basement quickly filled with mist. The air around Tephra rippled as three crossbow bolts appeared from nowhere, embedding themselves into the ground in front of the downed Atlesian forces. The thin coat of red dust covering them exploded and scattered what little guards were left trying to aim their rifles.
Ritch stepped out of the vault, mask on his face and crossbow in hand. He folded it back into a sword and cleaved through Tephra's handcuffs in one clean swipe. A masked Spriggan was the next to come out, her arm wrapped around Jay who was panting in exhaustion.
"On the freight elevator, now!" she ordered. The whole team piled into the wide elevator, Ritch slamming the button to send them up. The confused clamor of the guards was reduced to muffles before fading away. Jay braced herself against the elevator wall. Her legs felt like jelly. The blast of smoke drained what little aura she had left. It was a miracle she hadn't fallen over.
"How are you feeling?" Spriggan asked, her hands glowing a bright green as she transferred some of her aura to Jay.
"I'll feel a lot better once we're out of here," Jay replied. The surge of energy coursing from Spriggan's hands invigorated her. She made herself stand upright and pulled Hydra Spike free, "Stay sharp, guys. We're not out of this yet."
The elevator ground to a halt, opening to the wide open space of the loading bay. Tephra was the first to step out, using her bracelet to look for any hostiles. She nodded and signaled an all-clear.
The team scanned the area. Box trucks outfitted with large cargo containers were parked evenly on one side of the room. At the opposite side of the elevator was a small ramp that led to the outside. Jay didn't fail to notice the tire marks that ran down the room's length. Torchwick made a clean getaway. She wished they could say the same thing
"Anyone know how to drive?" Tephra asked. Ritch sheathed his sword in its scabbard.
"I had to be a getaway driver for Pyrite's thugs a few times. Let me take care of it," he said, heading to the nearest truck. Tephra followed after him, giving him a soft punch to the shoulder.
"A thief and a getaway driver. Next you'll tell me you stole candy from a baby," she teased.
Ritch jumped into the driver's seat of a truck with Tephra taking the passenger's side. The cabin was small, with only two seats separated by a small door that led to the cargo box. Ritch cursed under his breath. There wasn't a key in the ignition. He reached under the dashboard and pried the paneling off, a mess of tangled wires spilling out. He snapped the plastic cover off the steering column, disconnecting and rewiring the ignition cables.
Tephra heard shouting and turned her attention back to the other half of her team. A squad of Atlas soldiers barged into the room with weapons raised. Jay and Spriggan dove behind a concrete divider as they opened fire. Tephra kicked the passenger side door open and unleashed a storm of ice at the incoming guards. Their feet were encased in ice, some of them falling over from the sudden stop in momentum.
The truck's engine purred to life. Ritch threw the gear stick into drive and sped towards the other half of their team. Jay ran out of cover and grabbed the open passenger door. Her other hand caught Spriggan's. With a grunt of effort, Jay pulled them both in and shut the door behind them.
Ritch swerved towards the exit, crashing through the flimsy security barrier and into the open road. He watched the rear-view mirror, the base growing smaller and smaller. Before long, it was completely out of sight.
Jay fell back into the seat and sighed. She peered through the window at the empty streets, their truck reflecting off the passing storefront windows. The serious expression she had worn ever since they entered the base softened and she couldn't help but laugh, "You see, guys? Totally foolproof. Just goes to show that when push comes to shove, I can strategize with the best of them."
She placed a hand over her pounding heart as if it would burst out of her chest. The adrenaline coursing through her veins made her jitter. She fought to keep it all down. It all felt unreal. When she was in the thick of fighting, she only focused on the goal. But now that it was over, Jay couldn't believe what they did. Her mother always told her that a Huntress' life wasn't normal. She just never expected it to go that far.
"What are we going to tell Pyrite when we return? Do you think he'll be forgiving about the whole incident? We certainly weren't anticipating being betrayed by Torchwick," Spriggan said. Ritch furrowed his brow. He drove them into a highway ramp, his thumbs rapping against the steering wheel.
"I don't know. Pyrite's a business man through and through. If we don't fulfill our end of the bargain, he might not fulfill his," he said.
"Torchwick didn't fulfill his end either. It's not our fault. If he doesn't see that, I'm cracking his skull open," she said. Ritch shot her a glare then turned his attention back to the deserted road.
"Let's just get back to him. We'll figure out what to do from there," Ritch said. Spriggan nodded and propped her elbow against the armrest of the door, staring out over the sleeping city.
"I just hope we don't run into any more trouble. I've had enough excitement for one night," she said. A glint in the side mirror caught her eye. She squinted and her heart dropped when she spotted two bullheads flying after them, "I may have spoken too soon."
Jay saw the Bullheads' reflection in the mirror and her cheerful expression dropped like a rock, "Sprig, what did I tell you about your doom speak?"
Spriggan couldn't get a word out before a salvo of bullets rained down on the truck. The truck swerved wildly as Ritch tried to avoid the hail of lead. Bullets punctured the driver's cabin and Tephra hissed as a few grazed her aura and ricocheted across the dashboard, shooting out chips of plastic and metal.
"Atlas just doesn't know when to quit," she said.
"Tephra, get into the back. Maybe there's something that will get them off our tail!" Jay ordered. Tephra pushed the small door behind her open. She jumped into the cargo box with her bracelet raised, but an eerily familiar feeling welled up inside her. Vibrations ran down her arm and to her skull. The sensation was intense, far more intense than anything she felt before.
It was the feeling she felt when Dust was nearby.
Another barrage of bullets hit the truck and the realization dawned on her, "Chief! We got a serious problem back here!"
Jay jumped inside and pulled her mask off, staring wide-eyed at what was inside. Mountains of dust cases were piled inside. A few cases had dents and shell casings littered the floor. She understood what Tephra meant. Powder dust was extremely volatile. One vial could ignite into an enormous explosion. And there were hundreds of them.
If even one of those bullets hit them, the entire truck would be annihilated. It would take a whole city block with it too.
"Ritch, step on it! Do whatever you can to avoid that gunfire!" she shouted.
"Is something wrong, Jay?" Spriggan asked from the cabin.
"We uh…may be sitting in a literal bomb," she replied. Silence ticked by until Spriggan shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Wh-what!?"
"Don't panic, Sprig! We just gotta take care of those Bullheads. Get back here will you? I may need some help," Jay said. Spriggan came inside while Jay opened a nearby case. The truck rocked side to side, making it difficult for Jay to keep her balance. Cases of dust fell from the constant swaying, making her flinch every time.
"I thought we got through the worst of tonight. How stupid I was to think that," Spriggan muttered.
"Out of the frying pan into the fire, Daisy," Tephra said. Jay fished out two vials of ice dust. Tephra was right. They couldn't hope to outrun the Bullheads and it was only a matter of time before one of them hit the truck and vaporized everything unfortunate enough to be in the blast radius, including them.
Jay handed Spriggan the vials before grabbing two of her own, sliding them into a pouch on her belt.
"Sprig, you're with me. Tephra, stay here and protect the truck. Ritch, keep her steady!" Jay said, determination flaring in her tone. Tephra nodded and went to the back of the truck, kicking the double doors open and revealing the two Bullheads pursuing them. Jay and Spriggan went back to the driver's cabin, opening the passenger window.
"Don't get yourself hurt, Jay," Ritch told her. Jay threw him a small smile and nodded. She grabbed the top of the window and pulled herself out and up. The violent winds whipped against her as she stood on the truck. Spriggan followed after her, stopping by her side.
"And here I thought we were going to have a normal school life in Beacon," she said.
"We're huntresses, Sprig. We gave up normal a long time ago," she said. The two Bullheads flew closer, one slightly behind the other. Jay planted her feet, pointing the blade of her staff skywards. She ran towards the truck's end and thrusted her staff forward.
The blade fired out and impaled itself on the Bullhead's wing. The massive VTOL groaned like an injured animal. Its propellers pivoted towards them as the nose of the ship tilted upwards. The sudden jerk pulled Jay off her feet. Spriggan ran after her and jumped as Jay's feet ceased contact with the truck's roof.
Spriggan wrapped her arms around Jay's waist. Both girls held on for dear life as the Bullhead climbed higher into the air. Jay reeled herself in, climbing atop the wing. Spriggan let go of her waist and hoisted herself up, nearly falling over from the constant rocking of the VTOL.
"Jay, this has to be the stupidest thing we have ever done," she shouted over the roaring wind.
"It's only stupid if it doesn't work!" Jay said as she crawled on all fours towards the Bullhead's right propeller. She reached for the ice vial on her belt until the other Bullhead came into her sights. Its side doors opened and a squad of droids jumped out, brandishing their arm blades. Jay rolled back as a sword came down on her, the blade missing her by inches. She got to her feet and jumped forward, her staff angled for a stab to the midsection.
The droid parried her attack and swatted her staff away, following with a kick that sent her reeling back. The Bullhead suddenly tilted forward, knocking Jay off balance. The droid took its chance and closed in on her. Its sword slashed downwards only for Spriggan to catch it with her axe. She twisted the sword and yanked it up, leaving the droid's midsection exposed. Jay aimed her staff and shot her blade clean through it and into the head of a droid behind it. She reeled it back in, yanking the dead droid and crashing into its counterpart's back, sending it into a stumble.
Spriggan pulled Chrysolite free and swung at the droid's neck. The sword fell from its hand and its head rolled after it. The lifeless droid slumped over and tumbled off the Bullhead into the streets below.
Thumbing the switch near the head of her axe, Spriggan changed it to its shotgun form, quickly dispatching two more droids. Jay reoriented herself and jumped back into the fray, Spriggan following after her.
A small smile grew on Jay's face. She ran right at a droid and dropped into a slide, taking its feet out from under it and sending it flying into the air. Spriggan pointed her shotgun and shot a fist sized hole through its abdomen.
Spriggan ducked as a sword sailed over her. In one smooth motion, she reverted her shotgun back into an axe and swung upwards, severing its arm. The shaft of her axe smashed into the robot's face, forcing back as Jay drove her blade through its back and out its chassis. She kicked it free as Spriggan grabbed its dying body by the neck and flung it at another droid. Both toppled over, leaving them vulnerable as Jay drove her staff blade through them both.
Their teamwork was impeccable. They flowed like water, weaving around each other in constant motion while droids fell at their feet. They worked in perfect tandem, communicating their intentions without ever saying a word. Just like many times before, they were an unstoppable force.
Jay dared to call it a lethal harmony. They completed each other. Her fast and precise attacks flawlessly complimented Spriggan's more heavy-handed approach. Her agility and acrobatics lent itself to Spriggan's slow, but firm style. Grace danced with raw power every time they fought together.
She couldn't have asked for a better partner.
Jay adjusted her stance and maneuvered the end of her staff between a droid's legs. A quick swipe to the back of its mechanical joint dropped it to a knee. Jay moved out of the way just in time for Chrysolite to come down and cleave through the droid's head like an executioner. The droid emitted a high-pitched squeal as its electronic components popped and shot sparks from the wound.
Spriggan pulled her axe free and unceremoniously tipped the droid over with a boot. With the last of the droids taken care of, Jay made her way to the Bullhead's thruster. She fished out the vial of ice dust and threw it hard as hard as she could.
The bottle shattered into pieces. A thick layer of ice swallowed the thruster entirely. The sudden dying of the Bullhead's engine coupled with the added weight of the ice forced it into a tilt. Thinking fast, Jay buried the blade of her staff into the Bullhead's thick armor, holding on with all her might.
Spriggan kept a firm grip on one of the Bullhead's metal fins. She pulled her own vial of dust out from her pocket and hurled it at the remaining thruster.
Jay's stomach flipped when she heard the crack of glass and the dying whines of a frozen engine. Her heart leapt into her throat as gravity snared the VTOL back down to earth. The frantic beeping coming from the Bullhead's cockpit coincided with the pilot's even more panicked shouting. The Bullhead dipped down, plummeting into a collision course for the highway.
Yanking on her staff, Jay followed Spriggan as the both raced towards the end of the Bullhead. The other still flew high above them, firing its payload into the truck as Tephra deflected it with waves of ice and fire. Jay aimed her staff, took Spriggan's hand, and shot her blade.
She missed her mark. The blade flew wide as the Bullhead accelerated further down the highway without warning, turning to face the truck while flying backward.
Jay's heart skipped a beat. She could only hold on as they fell out of the sky. A sudden jolt knocked her into the air and the last thing she saw was the remaining Bullhead priming its turret to fire.
…
A raucous crash shook the road. Ritch didn't have time to look in the rear-view mirror. Not when he was staring down the last Bullhead as it charged them head on.
Tephra climbed back into the driver's cabin. Sweat trickled down her brow and her breathing was reduced to short, weak gasps. Her attempts to keep the truck protected kept them alive, but Ritch could tell she was exhausted, "I lost it. One of the Bullheads crashed into the highway, but I can't find the other one."
Ritch jerked the steering wheel to the side and slammed on the brakes. Tires squealed as he turned the truck around and sped towards the downed VTOL. Asphalt kicked up behind them as bullets rained down over them. Tephra was thrown back into her seat, grunting under the invisible force of shifting pressure.
"Nevermind. Found it," she said. Ritch swerved from one side of the road to the other, his knuckles turning white. Bullets pinged and tore through the truck's body. Thick black smoke poured out from underneath the truck's hood.
The crashed VTOL came into view. Jay and Spriggan were lying on the ground in front of it. Ritch cursed inwardly and jumped out of the driver's seat.
Sparks jumped from the Bullhead's destroyed console. Fires spread over its mangled body. The heat scalded Ritch's skin. He grabbed Jay and Spriggan by their arms and dragged them away from the wreckage. Tephra ran up to the flaming ship and doused the flames with bouts of ice. She reached inside the smoking remains and got the unconscious pilot out.
"Uh..wha-…o-ouch," Jay mumbled. Ritch rolled her onto her back. A few scrapes marred her skin, but her aura could easily heal it much to his relief. Spriggan pushed herself up. A green glow visibly pulsated from her body. It was a good sign. It meant that her aura had taken the brunt of the damage.
An intense light engulfed them. Ritch shielded his eyes. High above them was the last Bullhead, shining a spotlight on the four of them. Over the constant hum of its engines, he heard a metallic thunk reverberate from its steel belly.
"It's reloading. Tephra, stay with them," Ritch said. He walked towards the Bullhead, hand wrapping around the hilt of his sword.
"You better not get yourself killed, Golden Boy," Tephra said. Ritch shook his head, his eyes never leaving the Bullhead flying over them.
"Wouldn't dream of it," he said under his breath. He reached deep down inside himself. Warmth spread over his chest. A brilliant luster shined across his sword as he pulled it from its scabbard. His aura coursed through his fingers, enveloping it in a gold glow.
Ritch pointed Au Helios at the Bullhead. Copies of his sword, formed from pure light, peeled themselves off of it. He waved his sword like a conductor, commanding the copies to gather in a large circle. Ritch held his sword in the air and brought it down.
The copies fired off in a barrage. Each one impaled itself into the Bullhead's thick armor, slicing through it like a hot knife on butter. It tried to back away, but Ritch's light swords followed after it, cutting the hull and smashing the thrusters.
Ritch held up two fingers, curling them towards his palm. Two of the swords swooped down and jammed themselves into the twin jets. A burst of flames exploded from within, the Bullhead losing altitude with every passing second.
A final whine of the engines signaled its demise. The Bullhead crashed into the street, rocking the entire freeway.
The light copies retreated and melded with Ritch's sword. The blinding light dulled and Ritch's sword reverted back to its normal state.
"Golden Boy…way to step up to the plate," Tephra snickered. Ritch turned to face them, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
"I just…figured since I had my hands free I'd…help out," he said. Jay rose to her feet and clapped Ritch on the shoulder.
"You took the initiative, Ritch. Did a pretty good job of it too. Nice work," she said. She glanced at the downed craft and sighed in relief only to have it knocked back out of her when the turret began to whir, "Ritch, get out of the way!"
The turret spewed another flurry of rounds. Jay tackled him to the ground, the bullets whizzing past her. She reached into her pouch and withdrew the last ice vial she had, "Tephra, take it down!"
Jay tossed the bottle into the air. Spriggan threw hers up, narrowly avoiding the onslaught of lead. Tephra planted her feet on the ground and raised her shield, bullets bouncing off it as she took command of the ice dust. A swipe of her hand was followed by the dust launching out of their containers and freezing the turret solid.
Spriggan charged the cockpit and broke through the windshield. The pilot tried to fight back, but Spriggan overpowered him, tossing him through the smashed windshield and out into the street. Before he had a chance to scurry away, she planted a foot on the small of his back and brought the other down on the back of his skull. The blow knocked him out, leaving him crumpled on the ground.
"I think it's time we call it a night," Spriggan said. Jay picked herself up and offered a hand to Ritch.
"Couldn't agree more. Let's get back to the truck, guys. The sooner we deal with Pyrite and get the info we need, the better I'll feel," Jay said. Everyone clambered inside and Ritch started the truck, steering them past the crashed VTOL's and down the street at a relaxed pace.
…
The door to Pyrite's office opened and Jay stepped inside with her team. Some of the guards visibly grew tense as she walked up to his desk. The rest of her team sat down, none of them saying a word. As usual, Pyrite was lounging on his chair, swirling a glass of wine in his bony hand.
Jay threw her White Fang mask on his desk. A large crack ran over its length, caused by Torchwick's surprise betrayal, "Your man wasn't the most loyal person."
Pyrite's gaze never left the mask in front of him. His face was still, much to Jay's surprise. Fingers traced over the crack on the mask until Pyrite pulled away and brought his fist down on it, shattering it into pieces, "What a foolish mistake on his part."
"There wasn't anything we could do. When we got into the vault, Torchwick betrayed us and locked us inside. I'm sorry, sir. We never got the payment," Ritch said as he stood before him. Pyrite's neutral expression didn't change, but he knew him long enough to notice the subtle creases of anger and the whitening of his knuckles.
"Trust a snake and you deserve the bite. But I'd be a fool to let it go unpunished," Pyrite said, snapping his fingers. The guard near the door froze, looking to the others in confusion.
"U-Uh, sir?"
"Fetch the man. Now," Pyrite said, his words sharp and cold. The guard quickly excused himself, leaving the others in a wary pause. Moments later, he came back, pushing a man with a burlap sack over his head. His fancy suit was bloodied and his wrists were held together by thick rope. Jay couldn't help but feel some sympathy for him. It was obvious from his limping that they had beaten him badly.
"So you're giving him to us anyways? Just like that?" she asked.
"Of course not, but I'm sure you'll agree that this night has gone wrong for the both of us. So allow me to make amends for putting you in such a situation," Pyrite said. Realization dawned in Jay's mind. He wasn't handing the man over for free. He was making another deal. Only this time, he was fulfilling his end first.
"You want something else now. You wouldn't give him away unless you were getting something out of it," Jay said.
"Believe me, when I say I have every intention of cooperating with you. Neither of us wish to end this night empty-handed, correct? I think we could both benefit from a mutually beneficial partnership," Pyrite said. Jay furrowed her brow. The offer was in their favor now, but for how long?
"So you hand this guy over, we get what we want, then what? What do you get out of this?" she asked. Pyrite cracked a lopsided grin.
"Your vow that when the time comes, you will assist me in dealing with Torchwick. We can't let his treachery go unpunished, now can we?" Pyrite said. Revenge, that was what he wanted. Jay should have known. Criminals lived all their lives backstabbing one another and repaying the favor in kind. Pyrite demanded payback, and she didn't blame him. She had to be honest with herself. She wouldn't mind hurting Torchwick either.
"You're dragging us into a gang war," Jay said. Pyrite was quick to respond, gesturing towards the man tied up.
"And you get your information without lifting a finger. If anything, I am the one risking a loss. All I ask is that you promise me you will lend me your aid when the time comes," he said. Jay stiffened her posture. She gauged Pyrite, but his face gave nothing away as usual. Something moved out of the corner of her eye and before she knew it, Tephra nudged her aside.
"Are you going to send us to fight White Fang?" she asked. Pyrite smirked.
"Absolutely. Torchwick, for whatever reason, has hired them as muscle. Odd that a Faunus supremacy group has decided serve under a human. Of course, it doesn't really matter. I'm sure all you care about is getting your revenge on Torchwick," Pyrite said.
"Tephra, let me handle this," Jay urged her. Tephra glanced at her before stepping back with a slight grimace on her face. Jay turned back to Pyrite, "Fine, we'll play along, but there better not be a catch to this. We're only helping you deal with Torchwick. That's it."
Pyrite smiled a crooked smile and snapped his fingers. The guard holding the chauffeur grabbed him by the arm and yanked him so that he was between Jay and Pyrite. The guard put him down on his knees before her. He yanked the sack off, revealing the bruised face of the man that she met in the alley. His dark hair was matted with dried blood and his left eye was swollen shut.
Despite his battered state, he smiled at her. More than a few of his teeth were missing.
"Well…this is awkward," he muttered. Jay exchanged a look with Ritch and she nodded. She stepped back. It wasn't her conversation to have. Ritch took her place, crossing his arms.
"Remember me?" he asked. The chauffeur narrowed his one good eye.
"High and mighty, Ritch Dorado. How's Beacon treating you? Gettin' the proper training to be a good lap dog?" he snickered. Ritch furrowed his brow. He crouched down so that he was at eye level with the man.
"I'm going to get to the point. You made a deal with those…cloaked people. You led me into a trap and nearly got my whole team killed," he said. The chauffeur shrugged, tapping his fingers against the back of one hand.
"Don't take it personally. Just business, really. They had the cash and all I had to do was lure you out. Perfectly legitimate. Don't know why, don't care. I got what I wanted," he said. Jay couldn't help but scoff. He was reminding her too much of Pyrite. She began to wonder if he hired people that reminded him of himself or molded them into being a blame-dodging thug.
"Who are they? How'd they connect you to me? Where did they go?" Ritch questioned.
"Don't know, don't know, and not telling. They said they'd cut my tongue out if I squawked. I prefer to keep it attached, y'know?" he said. The butt of a pistol smashed into the back of his head. The chauffeur slumped forward, reeling from the blow.
"They'll cut your tongue out, but I will dispose of you if you refuse to cooperate. Your choice," Pyrite interjected. The chauffeur spit on the floor. Jay cringed at the sight of blood staining the wooden planks.
Ritch ignored it and grabbed the chauffeur by the chin, forcing him to meet his eyes, "I don't want this to get any worse. Just answer me that one question and it will be enough."
The chauffeur looked at him, then at Jay, then back to him. He winced at the sound of a pistol being loaded.
"Alright, alright! They told me…they told me that if the plan went wrong before I could lure you out or if you somehow escaped, I had to meet them at a rendezvous point. Their base of operations, they said," he said. Ritch let him go, glaring daggers at him.
"Where is it?" he asked. The chauffeur hesitated, but the pistol's barrel pressing against the nape of his neck had him spewing his words out as fast as he could.
"Mountain Glenn! It was Mountain Glenn! " he shouted. Ritch pulled away, rising to his feet. Jay shifted in place. She wasn't sure if the chauffeur was telling the truth. Mountain Glenn was completely abandoned, left to the Grimm's mercy after it was overrun. While it sounded like a good place to hide, she had her doubts.
She shuddered when she thought of the fate that had befallen Mountain Glenn. Unconsciously, she rubbed her prosthetic arm. The thought of Grimm attacking a settlement made her stomach turn. It was a kind of horror that she didn't wish on anyone.
Jay blinked, and for a moment she saw soulless red eyes staring back at her. Shaking her head to rid the image, she addressed Pyrite, "That's all we need. We'll see ourselves out."
"Keep your promise in mind, Jay. Remember, we are in this together. If, for any reason, you end up backing away from our deal…well, you can already see the steps I've taken against Torchwick," Pyrite said. Jay chose to stay silent as she walked out with her team in toe. The boat ride back to Vale was silent, with Jay pondering over what they learned. If the people who attacked her were really in Mountain Glenn, she had to come up with a plan to attack them directly. The district was the most dangerous place in Vale and getting there wouldn't be easy. But she didn't have much of a choice. They had taken their first step in their fight. There was no turning back now.