Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY and all that jazz. I'd like to claim ownership of originals however.
Intro Notes: Man, sometimes I wish I could draw. I really want to put some of these scenes into art, because words can't do it as much justice as my imagination does. I hope everyone is enjoying reading this, and that it's interesting to read. It would rock to see art for this story, no matter how unlikely it'll be. Like usual, please enjoy this part. Welcome to side B: On the Horizon.
XxXxXxXxX
Chapter Two: Devil's Four
Part 7: Vermillion Ridge
Side B: On the Horizon
XxXxXxXxX
The group had slept through the night immediately after cleaning up and drying off from the storm. They had found Blake sitting on her bed reading, as if nothing happened. Weiss accosted her when she came in and demanded an explanation in the morning, to which Blake consented. Now was that morning. The group dressed to get ready for breakfast. A note was slipped in from their residential advisor, saying that professors were called away and classes were canceled today.
Yang was doing her morning stretches as they got ready. The rain had died down from the day before. The storm was still there though, blanketing the sky with its black clouds. It was as if it was waiting to come again. She started on her morning pushups when someone knocked on their door. She stood back up, "I'll get it!" She was in a cheerful mood. Nothing bad had happened to the team, and everyone was okay. Though she had a creeping feeling something about today was wrong.
She swung the door open and looked at the visitor, Jaune and team JNPR. "Mornin' guys! Sleep well?" She gave her winning smile, knowing nothing was going to bring her down today. The group returned the greeting before Yang let them shuffle into the room. Ruby was sitting on her bed and looked up from her notebook.
"Hey guys! What's up?"
"Nothing really. Just thought we could hang out today, considering classes were canceled. We did all our important stuff yesterday." Jaune rubbed his shoulder slightly.
"Sure, I don't mind! What about you guys? Up for it?" Ruby smiled and hopped off the bed, happy to have an excuse not to study.
"Hey man, I'm all down for it! I think the game room should still be open right? We could probably go jack a pool table!" Yang flexed her arm and rolled her shoulder a bit, relaxing it a bit.
"I'll have you warned right now, me 'n Ren are an unbeatable pool team!" Nora smiled at the blonde. Ren was still visibly sleepy behind her and said nothing.
"Then we have a challenger! Who shall be my second!?" Yang announced to the group. The teams laughed and Blake raised a hand. The group looked at her surprised and intrigued.
"I am quite the pool shark from what I've been told. I shall accompany you." Blake smirked. That smirk would give the devil a run for his money in terms of how devious it looked.
"Challenge...ACCEPTED!" Nora bounced up and high fived Yang, who energetically returned it. The resounding crack made the group smile.
"Before that...we should probably go check on Welkin. I'm hoping the doctors were able to help him here...he was in a really bad state even with his aura healing him." Yang froze at Jaune's words.
"Come again?"
"That was our mission yesterday. We were supposed to go find and cover a courier carrying something for Professor Ozpin. It turned out that courier was Welkin and the bad guys managed to reach him first." Pyrrha explained to the blonde, who was shocked.
"No, no I mean that last part. He's dying?" Yang was genuinely surprised. Welkin, taken down. He was incredibly durable as their spars had shown her. "He's here too?" The message from last night made all too much sense now.
"Yeah..at the infirmary. He should be recovering. We managed to get him out fast enough to make a difference I think!" Yang looked at the others. They nodded and headed off for the infirmary.
XxXxXxXxX
Ruby poked her head through the door and peered into the bland looking hospital room. She scanned it and saw only one bed that was occupied. She sighed in relief as they didn't have to worry about waking anyone else up or bothering them. Yang burst in from behind and the door bounced off the wall with quite a lot of force. Nurses glared at them in the corridor, and the others looked at her in surprise.
"Crasher!" The two teams filed in after Yang, who had gone and picked up the medical diagnostic board at the foot of the bed. Welkin was still passed out, unconscious to his surroundings. She read the board quickly and passed it to Blake to go over and see Welkin. She pinched the bridge of her nose with frustration and muttered, "Why do you do this to me man?"
"Hmm...several bruises and cuts, looks like a nasty gash on his leg, and a rather nasty stab wound." Blake walked over and looked at the bandaged areas. "Also it looks like he had some cuts from claws on his back, as if he fought a beowolf."
"He must've gotten that at Alistier, he was at Firebase Magnum after all." Yang said. The group hovered over the injured courier, "Huh, I guess he's got enough energy for his aura to be working. Surprised he didn't use his power..."Welkin had an almost holy looking glow around him, his aura working overtime to repair damage.
"Wait, I thought you had to concentrate to use your aura?" Jaune raised an eyebrow and looked at the others. Ruby nodded in agreement. "Isn't that a little weird?" Nora was bent over looking at him, and poked him gently.
"Some people have it passively." Yang immediately explained, "It just kicks in on its own, like when there's an emergency." Blake looked at the blonde, who gave her -that- look. Blake nodded in agreement and played along.
"I have heard the case that some people actually can do so, whether consciously or not. He may be just one of them." Blake gestured with her hand and crossed her arms. No reason for the others to know a full truth. Blake could guess that Welkin was awake, she saw him shift a bit when Nora poked him.
Jaune and Pyrrha looked around the room and found Welkin's pile of gear. The two dug through it again to double check. Jaune looked at Pyrrha and sighed, "It really is gone. Damn, I was hoping he hid it somewhere on him..."
"I agree. This is very bad. That package was supposed to be really important. Professor Ozpin wanted us to go make sure it was safe. We have to go find it!" Pyrrha looked at the group seriously.
"...I think I know what's going on." Blake sighed and pulled out a paper, the flier from yesterday. "I have a confession to make guys...I promised you one Weiss, so here it is. I was actually at Crassius Street Market yesterday. I decided to go find out what Adam wanted. I snuck out that night, when we were going to the cafeteria. When I got there, Adam was no where to be found. Instead, people were handing out these fliers for a rally tonight. Adam also called me when I was there and told me he wanted me back for White Fang." Blake could feel the hard glare from Weiss at the mention of that. She handed out the paper for the others to look at before continuing, "I rejected his proposal. I...I thought I could stop whatever they were planning by myself, but it seems I was too early for that. Adam said to me that he wanted me back because they had a weapon now. A thing that would make the Faunus Revolution real, and not just a 'terrorist group.' He said that he stole something from a dead courier." Blake gestured at Welkin, "And you said his bag was missing and he was dying when you found him."
"I...I know I should have come to you guys first. I'm sorry. But it doesn't matter any more. He has a weapon that would cause untold amounts of damage to the city. Not to mention the fact that it would destroy any reputation the faunus had left in the world. White Fang needs to be stopped, and I intend on stopping them."
After Blake finished, the room was quiet. They were all lost in thought, but they knew they all shared a common goal now: stop the super-weapon, save Vale. It was almost story book really. A group of teenagers forced to fight a battle for their lives. Weiss was the first to speak and put her hands on Blake's shoulder, smiling somewhat, "See? That wasn't so hard now was it?"
"It's a fools errand though, I don't want you guys to be hurt because of this ambit-" Ruby cut Blake off immediately.
"We're a team Blake. Your goal is ours. We're all family here now after all. And I for one don't want this place destroyed."
"Yeah. Exactly." Weiss nodded at the cloak wearing girl, "We're in this together now that you told us."
"We're in too." Pyrrha said. Jaune looked at her in surprise, wearing his 'seriously?' face. "Yes. Seriously Jaune. As Ruby said, we're all friends here. I think we all share the common goal of wanting to protect Vale. After all, what would be the point of becoming hunters and huntresses if we knew of a danger and did not make the effort to stop it?"
Nora chimed in immediately, "Yeah! We're gonna go kick ass and make sure nothing happens to our home!"
"...Yeah. Yeah, we're in. It's probably going to be dangerous, but...I'm sure we'll succeed." Jaune smiled at the team.
"Team JNPR and team RWBY! Together, we're UNBEATABLE!" Ruby cheered!
"Oh yeah! We gotta get prepped if we're gonna go stop that weapon." Yang jumped slightly, grinning. "It'll be a blast I bet!"
"That was so bad..." Ruby muttered. Yang looked at her sister and raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Nothing! I just said I have to go fix Crasher's gear right now, and make sure the rest of our stuff is ready!" Ruby was about to turn and leave when Yang wrapped her arm around her sister.
"Not yet, that doesn't take that long. Remember? We were gonna relax before we go. We don't want to tire ourselves out from over-preparation!" Yang grinned at Nora, "And I believe I still have that game of pool to win." Nora's face lit up immediately.
"You're still on! And we're definitely going to win!" Nora pointed dramatically. "But first...let's go get some breakfast! I heard they have pancakes!" Nora turned and left, humming all the way. Ren sighed and smiled faintly, before following her off. The morning drowsiness was glued to him from what it looked like.
"You guys go on ahead, I'll be right behind you." Yang gestured to them. She grabbed Blake's arm for a moment, "Thanks, you know, for earlier." Blake smiled and nodded.
"Just give me the details later." Blake followed Ruby out and shut the door behind her, leaving Yang with Welkin. Yang turned around and frowned. She sat down next to him and sighed, trying to keep the moisture from her eyes.
"What the hell is with you and almost getting killed? You know this is about the fourth time by now?" She asked him. "I swear, first that bike crash, then you almost get killed by a nevermore...and don't even get me started with your stunt in Alistier. You make it so hard for me to not worry when you're away, you know that?" Yang leaned on the bed, hand on her chin. She watched as Welkin's aura continued healing him, when she decided to actually talk to him. She thumped him on the chest once. "Hey! Wake up!" Yang thumped on his chest again, a little harder this time.
XxXxXxXxX
Welkin was leaning against the wall, thinking hard and long. He was looking out over the field from the roof as usual. He needed some time to himself after Mike and Sunny accidentally detonated his lunch on him. He had managed to clean himself off and was fuming. Why in all of Vale was it today. He was reallllly pissed. First he finds out that he didn't do as well as he had though on the midterms, then he screws up during combat practice, and now his lunch had exploded on his face. He stalked the halls, brimming with rage. People could feel the electricity just ready to pop out and torch anyone unlucky enough to be near.
He took a deep breath, hoping to calm himself down. Nope! Didn't work. Okay maybe a stress ball? Wait no he destroyed it earlier, when his lunch exploded. Okay, how about something more relaxing and therapeutic. He continued thinking...and then it hit him.
"Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee.
Even though it shall be a cross that raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be,
Nearer, my God to thee; Nearer my God to thee..." Welkin began singing. He knew he was not that great, but that didn't matter. It was relaxing. He continued onto the second verse, singing to himself on the roof. Welkin also didn't notice Yang come up. When Welkin finished the third verse he immediately stopped and realized he was being watched.
"I didn't know you sang...or that you were religious."Yang walked closer to the brooding man. His turned his head, still frowning. "Aww, com'on, turn that frown upside down! Things will look up!"
"Yeah, if my lunch didn't explode on me. That seemed to have made everything worse." He growled. Yang walked over and looked out over the field. He noticed she still had that winning smile, and felt his anger abate slightly.
"Well lucky for you I got extra." Welkin raised an eyebrow as Yang dug through her school bag. She handed him a packet. He looked at the package as Yang opened one up. Chocolate cupcakes filled with creme...Welkin broke into a grin, damn his weakness to sweets.
"Thanks. Really. I owe you one."
"Nah! No problem! Consider it payback for that time you took over for cleaning when I had to go for that emergency!" Welkin laughed raucously at that.
"Really? Do you think your cupcake can satisfy that debt? You realize the hell you put me through yes?" Welkin bit into the super sweet cupcake.
"Yep! 'Cause it's the 'yeast' I could do." Welkin groaned, "Aww, com'on, that was a good one!"
"That joke has 'mushroom' to improve." Welkin bit into the cupcake again, savoring the taste. Yang let out a little giggle at his bad pun.
"I think that's worse than what I thought up." The two shared another laugh as they finished the packets. "But seriously, where did you learn to sing that and like that?" Yang licked the chocolate glaze off her fingers.
"Well...I guess it has to do with my parents. My mom used to sing that as a lullaby to us when we were little. She was fairly devote, and learned the hymn when she went to church. I ended up learning from her cause it was such a soothing song."
"Oh wow! That's sweet!"
"Mh...it's really cheesy to admit it. A song I learned from my mom 'cause she sang it all the time. As to how I learned to sing it...she took me to one of the religious meetings once. They were having choir practice so they decided to have me join in. After a few of those, I memorized the hymn thoroughly and was able to use it to put my brothers to sleep." Welkin rubbed the back of his head gently. "Though we were devils incarnate. It would take forever and it was really hard for them to sit still long enough to hear it."
"That sounds adorable, you singing your brothers to sleep! Also, I don't think much changed. You're still the devil incarnate." Yang punched his arm lightly. Welkin rolled his eyes somewhat.
"Well yes, of course. People say I'm devilishly handsome after all." Welkin made some joke poses and flexed.
Yang laughed and shifted her stance, as Welkin adjusted his stance. She noticed he stood up straight and that he fixed his posture. "Why are you so formal looking man? You should relax."
"Oh believe me I am. I just got in the habit of standing like this. A perfect posture makes a man infinitely more imposing, no?" He did a mock gentleman's voice.
"Riiiight. You know that story kinda reminds me of me. I used to have to sing Ruby to sleep."
"Really now? The great and powerful little dragon had to sing for her sister? Now that I cannot imagine." Welkin joked, cracking a grin.
"Aww, my voice is perfect for singing!"
"Yeah and yelling battle cries. Seriously I could hear you a mile away." Yang punched him again lightly, causing Welkin to laugh.
"Right right, 'cause my foes should -always- know I'm about to beat em up!" Yang brought her fists together and pounded them. "So what was that you were singing?"
"Huh? It's a hymn. As to what it means...I'm not entirely sure. From the lyrics I think it's saying that no matter what happens I'll be closer to God. Like in the first verse it says 'Even though it be a cross that raiseth me.' I'm willing to interpret that as the singer saying no matter what happens my love for God will never change."
"That's...really religious. Are you sure about being agnostic?"
"Well I don't know. It's half and half some days. I just know these things because of my mom." Welkin shrugged. "I'm not one to judge beliefs, especially religion."
"Well, that's cool. At least you think you have some meaning of it."
Welkin nodded in acknowledgement. "My mom always says that it's good to have a sense as to the things around you. Learned a lot of spirituality from her honestly." Welkin took a sip from his water canteen.
"If you don't mind me askin', why were you so pissed?"
Welkin hung his head and sighed, relaxing a bit. "Just everything I botched up today. It really shouldn't be as big of a deal as I make it look, honestly. Chris told me to shake it off and pick myself back up but...it isn't that easy. I did really badly on my midterms, even though I studied really hard for it. Right after that I got whooped in combat training because the teacher decided it was free-for-all day. And finally Mike n Sunny blew up my lunch."
"Ouch...wait, how'd they blow up your lunch?" Yang tilted her head and raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I know the food is bad, but it's not made of explodium."
"The idiots made their first shotgun shells in class. Biiiig mistake. They put em down next to something, a hot plate or something. So when they realized it was about to go off they threw it. They landed in my flippin' tray and exploded, showering me in gunk."Welkin rubbed his temples in misery.
"How...how do you do that? I thought you have to trigger it from the back?" Yang was even more confused now. "Bullets don't just explode from being too hot...well, they do, but you know what I mean."
"I dunno! Exactly why I was so confused! One minute I'm about to enjoy a nice lunch with those clown shoes and suddenly I'm covered in mash potatoes and gravy, with a huge hole in my tray." Welkin threw his hands into the air. "I swear those guys are idiots and smart at the same time!"
The two laughed. Mike and Sunny were indeed some of the brightest people on campus...but sometimes common sense just didn't register for them. Yang once claimed that they just didn't have any more room for common sense after memorizing so much math.
"Oh yeah, SPEAKING of idiots, you hear about the fight between those two brawlers?" Yang grinned, suddenly remembering the scene from during her combat training class.
"Yeah I did actually, who won? I heard it was quite a thing."
"Yep! I was there when it happened. It was so weird seeing them in the ring. It was like watching a combination sumo and wrestling match!"
"...I don't even understand. How is that even a thing?!" Welkin asked. "Wait, was it that guy who wears a mask and calls himself Los Tiburon? And that other guy, the really big one?"
"Yep! It was totally a thing. That's what it was so funny. You ever heard of a luchadore being able to grab a really fat dude and drop him on his rear? It was great..." Yang continued sharing her story with Welkin. They shared laughs and traded stories for the rest of lunch, and at the end of the day Welkin felt a lot less angry (though that anger may have come back when Mike and Sunny accidentally destroyed his first bike.)Before leaving for the day, he ran again into Yang.
"Hey...thanks for earlier. You know? If you ever need anything...uh...I'll be there for you. I...I...yeah...just let me know. Rain or shine, heaven or hell, nothing will stop me from getting back to you. I promise." Welkin held out his hand for a handshake.
"Idiot, I already know that. And I'll always hold you to that." Yang instead pulled him into a tight hug. "Now you should go before Sunny and Mike can ruin any more of your day."
XxXxXxXxX
Welkin was meditating when the group arrived, thinking about the past and how much he enjoyed the simpler days. He decided to keep meditating instead of joining the group's conversation, after all his semblance and aura needed a superfluous amount of concentration to work on overdrive. He could feel his powers had healed enough of his injuries for him to be able to move. It still hurt. Alas the healing he was capable of doing only had limited pain reducing capabilities. The stab wound was really bad, he knew it probably punctured something that shouldn't be. The other cuts and bruises were not as bad, despite what it looked. The bandages the doctors had put on were more of a formality for him at that point.
He stopped concentrating immediately when Yang thumped his chest after complaining about how much he almost dies.
"I know you're awake Crasher." Yang had her arms crossed and was seated next to the bed. She smiled at him, though the worry never truly left her face. Welkin sighed and opened his eyes, smiling back at the blonde.
"A smile really does fit your look better than a frown. Hey Yang. How's my little dragon?" Welkin smirked weakly at the blonde. He knew what was co- Yang immediately punched him in the face, decking him really hard. 'Gods, did her punches always hurt this much?'
"And don't even complain about that!" Yang huffed before cracking her normal smile. "I'm...really glad to see you're alive." Yang hugged Welkin as soon as the young man sat up on the bed. She felt him wince from her touch, but returned the hug just as tightly.
"You know I'll never let you down. Remember that promise? Even near death I'll make it back to you." Welkin ran his hand through her golden locks, making sure not to break any. He really didn't need to stay in the hospital any longer. Yang laughed at the mention of that.
"Oh jeez, that old promise. That was so cheesy." Welkin smiled and rubbed the back of his head gently when they let go.
"I never said it wasn't. But I think it got the point through. And from the sound of things you'll need my help."
"Welkin..." Yang looked at him seriously. "I really was worried. This was worse than the last time...and just thinking that you might have not even made it out of Alistier."
"...I know. I'm sorry for making you worry so much. I...nothing can really absolve it."Welkin looked down at the mention of Alistier. He could feel the guilt over Firebase Magnum...and what other places he might have delivered a box to. Deep in his heart he knew that it was his fault. If he had only checked the packages before delivering them. If only he had stayed to help evacuate Firebase Magnum. Who knows how many people wouldn't have died, how many he could have s- Welkin felt Yang lean against his shoulder, placing her head against it.
"Don't cross that line, I'd rather you talk about it instead of brooding over it. I know the way you think Welkin. Weren't you the one who told me to not mire in our own despair? To not sink yourself into the guilt and what could have been?"
"I'm...no you're right. If I do that then I would be a hypocrite wouldn't I? I don't know. It still hurts...the guilt from just leaving so many behind. I mean, some of those people didn't even deserve what happened to them. I just...I just can't stand it. How can people get away with this too? Where's the Bureau of Intelligence in all of this?" Welkin gripped the blankets and frowned angrily. He let go slowly, and took a deep breath, "I won't let their memory die away, but...like you said. I won't sink into misery. We've got a job to do, we've got a city to save." Yang grinned at these words.
"Good. We'll definitely need your help! Nothing like two scary brawlers to pound some face in!" Yang offered a fist bump, which Welkin gladly took. "I think your gear is over there. You think you're ready to move?"
"Well even if I wasn't I was gonna sneak out anyway. I'm well enough to move. If it's tonight, then I have enough time to be combat ready." Welkin gritted his teeth as he swung his legs off the bed. He stood up weakly, unstable from the numbness of his legs. Yang just watched as he proceeded to go through his things. "Have you guys told Professor Ozpin?"
"Even if they did not, I suspect I would have found out anyway. Good morning Mister Fenrir, Miss Xiao Long." Professor Ozpin appeared at the door. Welkin and Yang jumped and turned in surprise. "I'm quite honestly surprised you are not in bed still. Alas, the wonders of being quite a capable healer. It is good to see you survived the ambush."
"Thank you sir." Welkin bowed his head politely at the wiser man.
"There is no need to thank me. If anyone is to thank, thank team JNPR. They were the ones that brought you out alive." Professor Ozpin took a sip from his mug. "Ah...yes. There is a matter of business I wanted to discuss with you for a moment. First, the good Professor Port had managed to bring back your motorcycle. He says he left it at...I believe the Biker Shark's machine shop. Secondly...there is a task I would like you to do." Professor Ozpin handed a paper to Welkin, who immediately unfolded it to look at. "When you return from tonight...I want you to take a team and immediately start with that plan."
Welkin read the instructions, his eyes widened slightly. "Yes sir. Consider it done."
"Wait, Welkin, aren't you a courier? I thought you didn't just take jobs like a mercenary?" Yang looked at him, concerned for how quickly he accepted the task.
"I believe Star of Polaris was based in Alistier. Until the city is liberated...I can only assume the worse. That leaves you without much to do, correct?" Professor Ozpin turned to leave. "Please get it done Welkin. It is vital that you see the task through." He closed the door behind him and walked away, his hard sole shoes clacking against the linoleum flooring.
"What is it? What's the job?" Yang tried to peer at the paper inquisitively.
"You'll find out. But first, we have breakfast to catch, a hospital to break out of, and a weapon to find and disarm. How about we get that done first?" Welkin stepped behind some curtains and changed into his normal clothes, since repaired by the staff there. He adjusted the clean coat. "You know, it feels so weird to wear clean clothes for once...oh, and not have -any- of my weapons and armor."
Yang stifled a laugh, "Yeah, you -do- look funny without your gauntlets. Ruby's going to fix it later I expect, along with the other things you have. You should thank me for having such a darling little sister!" Welking laughed and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly.
"Or I could thank you for both having an awesome little sister, and for worrying so much. How many dinners do I owe you now? I'm really grateful..." Yang hugged him tight in response.
"Hehe, you're welcome! And I might just take that dinner offer to-!" Yang was about to finish when Ruby burst into the door.
"What's taking you so long? We could've been done eating if y-" Then she immediately saw Yang and Welkin hugging each other. Welkin mouthed an oh shit as the two broke apart quickly. "Wait, why's Crasher u-? WAIT! Yaaaaaaaaannnnng!? W-what's going on!?"
"Nothin-" The two said immediately. Ruby raised an eyebrow and pointed at the two accusingly.
"I knew you two were together! Why didn't you tell me this Yang?! How could you keep your sister in the dark about this!?" Ruby huffed and crossed her arms. The blonde bombshell rubbed the of her hair gently, totally nervous.
"W-well, you see, it's because we're uh...not together! Yeah, that's right, we're not!" Yang beamed at her sister. Ruby just frowned at that.
"I'm not a kid any more! You don't have to lie to me like that!"
"Well, what your sister is saying is tru-" Ruby was immediately in his face.
"AND YOU! Don't even get me started on you! You're almost a complete stranger to me and suddenly you appear and cause all this?! Don't you -dare- touch my sister!" Ruby punched him in the stomach, but causing Welkin to flinch and move slightly. Yang raised her eyebrows in surprise, she had never seen anyone make Welkin flinch so bad from a gut punch. Excluding her of course, but she has shotgun cestuses.
"Ow. Ow. Alright. I won't."
"Hey, uh, Ruby, aren't you overreacting a bit?" Ruby glared at her sister.
"I demand a full explanation later! First, we're all hungry! Take any longer and we won't leave you any!" Ruby bolted off. The two looked at each other awkwardly as Welkin retied the scarf around his neck and pulled the goggles onto his neck.
"...Well. That could have gone better." Yang finally said before breaking out into a nervous chuckle.
"Yep...yeah...I hope she realizes we're actually not together...ugh she can throw a punch." Welkin rubbed his stomach lightly and fixed his coat again, before peeking out the door. The nurses were all busy at the moment. "Let's move while we're unseen." Welkin and Yang quickly made their way out, and towards the cafeteria. "You know, if this works out, I'm definitely taking you out to dinner."
"Hah, I fear for the restaurant. We're too shockingly hot together I bet." Welkin groaned slightly, "But I might just take you up on that." The two grinned at each other and went along their way, two close friends reunited. Yang let one more comment slip out as they walked down the stairs, "Seriously? A stab wound?" Welkin groaned and claimed it was a legitimate wound, leaving Yang laughing.
XxXxXxXxX
Roman Torchwick lit his cigar, clearly displeased. Those traitorous bastards. Cinder walked up behind him, "And your master plan? How has this been affecting it?" Torchwick jumped immediately and turned around. Cinder grinned at the surprised man.
"O-oh. Hello there. And nothing changes. It will simply speed up the process. Nothing will change." Torchwick pretended to still be in control of the situation. He was ultimately expecting to be betrayed by White Fang...but to have them steal one of the Devil's Four...
"I will not tolerate our plans to be slowed down. Exodus is waiting on the Horizon. You will either recover it and use it...or use it all when those damned Faunus do."
Torchwick frowned, "You saw we were able to do it to Alistier. Couriers are too proud to bother checking any packages, and they will never hand it over either. We'll get it done, don't worry." Cinder glared at him, before smirking.
"Good. Carry on." Cinder turned to leave. Torchwick wiped the sweat off his brow, glad he was not turned into a piece of charcoal. Torchwick turned around and checked his information pad. The other pieces were in place. He just had to correct this one stump in the plans. He double checked the map pieces. "Ah yes...Ozpin...I wonder what you're going to do...I know you won't sit still long."
Roman Torchwick smiled to himself. Things will be rolling along, and their goal was . The box was out of place quite badly. If the full effect was going to be realized, it had to be moved. Damned Faunus, they were definitely stupid beasts.
XxXxXxXxX
Adam scratched the bandage on his chest. The bruises were still very prominent on his chest, and his shoulder still stung badly. The White Fang medic had since retreated away, leaving Adam to his own devices. The rain had come to the base and soaked the area, ending the blaze around the forest. The air, even inside the bunker, smelled heavily of charred wood and rain. He looked at the device on the table. They were ready. He hoped that courier had died, he did not wish to fight him again.
He flipped through some maps as minions prepared the ride to Vale. He was busy contemplating how to approach this. Blake was against him, and he could assume she would try and stop him. He was willing to be she would bring all her little friends along for the ride as well. Adam rolled the crystal from the package in his hand. The device was waiting. His minions managed to secure the box for their use.
Adam moved the chess pieces on the table, examining it to see who was where. He winced when he reached out to grab the farthest one. He shrugged off the pain for now, and reexamined the map that was updated. All the pieces were in place. Now comes the revolution.
XxXxXxXxX
Notes: I recall saying that Side A and B would show different perspectives. I sort of broke that rule here. I decided instead of switching perspective to focus some more on what's happening now for them. I also decided to establish the kind of relationship Yang and Welkin had. Can they be considered a couple? I don't think so. Not yet at least. I'm still hoping they come through as really close friends that like to flirt and joke with each other, but they're really either hesitant, or unsure if the others approaches are genuine. And because of this, they don't actually go check if either side is truly interested. With that in mind, they do care for each other as close friends. I plan on using the next interlude to build some more on that relationship. Give it more back story. If it doesn't work out, I CLEARLY would need to rethink what I'm doing and how I'm writing. Actually, I might just make an interlude chapter that separates Part 7 and 8, and then plug in another one for the end of Chapter 2: Devil's Four (probably not though, considering it would throw the pacing off the kilter for me.) Lemme know if you're interested in some of their past interactions. I know I'll make up stuff for them, but when is the question.
Speaking of which, we're almost there. The Devil's Four is almost at an end. I'm still in the works for Chapter Three, but I suspect it'll probably end more more dramatic than the last two. Things will get "grimm" if you know what I mean. (Yes that was bad, but I couldn't resist.)
Thanks again for reading. Feel free to leave your comments and thoughts as to what could be improved or extrapolated on. I'll definitely take it to heart.
Encyclopedia Entry:
The Frauline, or the Erica Machine Works (EMW) 245 LX. Welkin's second official motorbike. It was a gift from one of the heads of Star of Polaris after Welkin was accepted as the thirteenth courier. This replaced the old Velka G20 bike that belonged to his father, but given to Welkin. The Velka was destroyed when Sunny and Mike decided to have a practice duel at the gym near the parking lot. By unfortunate chance, the two managed to break a section of wall and crushed the old bike. The original EMW 245 LX was brand new a few years ago. It was powered by a Merlina Mk1 engine, which provided more power than most other bikes. However, after a narrow escape from pursuers, the bike was subsequently severely damaged. Ramirez from Biker Sharks took the damaged bike and did extensive repair work on it, transforming it from the EMW 245 LX to the 255 LXR (R for Ramirez.) Ramirez, outside of just body modification and repair, also installed a new engine to it: a turbocharged Merlina Mk2. Welkin uses this bike on long hauls and courier missions, able to effectively make deliveries a lot quicker than before. It's modified to include a few hidden compartments where possible, and has an enlarged fuel tank to carry more dust. Welkin calls it the Frauline in honor of the original makers: Erica Machine Works.
Recent Edits:
I would like to mention that the Frauline is indeed one of the beastier machines I have ever ridden on. It's incredibly powerful, and goes extraordinarily fast without such energy drain. It is also indeed a beautiful machine! However! A severe design flaw I have noticed is that it cannot keep itself in a turn at speed! It simply goes too fast for it. The Edgar Three with it's L86X2 Engine would most definitely be more efficient than this. But I suppose it would fit for a speed demon to have a speedy bike.
- Last Edited by User TheGreatPort224, date withheld.
The Bumblebee's better! A Mustang G400 Engine is so much better n that Merlina! Higher power/dust ratio!
- Last Edited by YXL-Blawndie!, date withheld.
Please stop vandalizing my entry guys, you two aren't that anonymous on the net. PS: The Merlina 2 will wipe the floor with your Mustang. Better engine injection, suspension (for jumps,) and its so much more durable.
- Last Edited by StrykerFenrir, date withheld.
(A/N: it's based off of a BMW F800 GT, but modified to be slightly heavier, a tad bulkier, and longer to fit the huge engine in. Whoops, I said GS, but I meant GT. EDITED!)
