I'm back baby with some sweet new chapters! Well anyway back to the story. I love that all of you like these surprise monthly chapters, but seriously don't expect this all the time. I've just been on a roll with writing this story the past few weeks... anyway, on to the chapter!
Disclaimer: No. I don't own RWBY or -man, I'm just a fan trying to bring entertainment to others.
P.S. I'm about to throw you guys into something fun so get ready.
Chapter 14: Dense as a Rock
Salem felt her eyebrows twitch as she scanned over yet another dense file. Ever since yesterday's meeting she had been trying to dig up information on the mysterious Millennium Earl. However, it didn't take long for her to hit a dead end. There was nothing, no mention, no older articles, not a word associated with the brand new thorn in her side.
Is it just some made up title? Salem thought, but she knew that wasn't the real issue. If all she cared about was the name she would have stopped ages ago. What worried her was the complete lack of any information pertaining to the man's powers. He utilized abilities that she'd never seen before, and his skill with aura was astonishing. There were also those accomplices, the ones wearing the white masks, they were weird as well. Salem gritted her teeth, it wasn't like her to get so angry, but she just couldn't help it. "Damn it!" Salem yelled as she brought her fist down upon her chair's armrest.
"Ma'am. Is everything all right?" A maid asked her. Salem sighed and waved her off.
"Just bring me the next batch of files. I'm getting nowhere with these." She said as she handed the girl the stack of manilla envelopes. A few minutes later Salem found herself running straight into the same dead end. There just wasn't enough information to make any good conclusions. Which meant the only option left for her was to wait for this Millennium Earl's next move; and she despised waiting. The sound of the international news in the background didn't help her headache either. However, she stopped herself from turning it off.
"AJWR has only had one match so far. It's astonishing how quickly they have risen to be one of the tournament's most popular and well known teams." One of the anchors said. Salem sighed and pulled up AJWR's file on a nearby holographic screen.
"I wonder how Cinder's investigation is going?" Salem muttered as she scanned over the team of hunters. If she couldn't find anything pertaining to this new threat, she knew that Cinder wouldn't be able to. However, she didn't blame the girl. For once there simply just wasn't enough information. Which meant that, at the moment at least, all of Cinder's focus would be on the Walker investigation. Salem didn't know why she was so invested in the boy, but she knew he was hiding something. Salem smiled as she stared straight into the hunter's silver eyes. He's too innocent to join us? Salem thought as she recalled what Cinder told her at the meeting. I can tell, there's something lurking beneath the surface. Something dark and twisted.
"Uh Ma'am, Mr. Taurus is here to discuss the White Fang's budget." Salem sighed and waved for her servant to let the leader of the White Fang in.
"What are you hiding Mr. Walker?"
"Oh come on Neptune get your ass out here!"
"For a big bad hunter you sure can be a coward sometimes."
"If you don't go Weiss will have our asses!"
Allen quietly giggled as he watched Sun try to force Neptune out of their dorm room. He knew that Neptune had a fear of water, but he never thought it would be so... extravagant. One look of the dorm hallway said it all; strewn across the walls were various body shaped dents. Those dents were caused by the hydrophobic huntsman throwing his teammates into said walls. Allen had enough sense in him to stay back and watch. Sadly Sun and the others did not.
"That's it Neptune! You got five seconds before we bust down this door. We may be pals but we won't go easy if you stay in there!" When Sun got no response he motioned to his teammates to help him bust in the door.
This is going to end badly. Allen heard Nea groan as Sun started to count down.
"One! Two! This is your last chance!" Sun waited a second before finally bracing himself to charge into the door. "Fine then! Here we come! Thr-!" However, the hunter and his comrades never got the chance to mow down the door. As a very angry Weiss threw them down to the ground before they got the chance.
"What in Monty's name are you idiots doing?!" Weiss yelled. Sun just sighed and pointed towards the door.
"I told you this would happen. You won't get Neptune out of that room unless you drag him kicking and screaming. I warned you but noooo~ Neptune just had to be there! Now we'll have to clean all this mess up-!" Weiss stopped Sun's rant with a quick punch to the stomach. She then turned to the door that Sun was trying to bust down and gave it a light knock.
"Neptune it's me Weiss. Can't you open up please?" Weiss said as sweetly as possible. She still got no response. "You don't have to go if you don't want to. However, I wanted to give you something before we left. Can you please open the door so I can give you your gift."
"You mean it?" Allen heard Neptune's say from behind the door.
"Of course honey." Weiss cooed as she motioned for Allen to hide next to the door. Allen just smiled and rolled his eyes. Soon after they heard the click of the door lock and Neptune finally stepped out into the hallway.
"Weiss thanks-" Neptune didn't get the chance to finish as Weiss quickly tripped him down onto the ground.
"Allen! Sun! Grab him!" The two aforementioned huntsmen nodded and quickly pinned their poor friend down onto the hard floor. Weiss sighed and squatted down so she could talk to Neptune.
"I'm sorry honey but you have to honor the bet. You are going to the beach no matter what you say." Allen and Sun gulped when they saw Weiss's evil smile. Neptune was too busy shivering to come up with a response. "Don't worry. This will be fun. Now come try on some swimsuits!" Allen shuddered as Neptune was dragged off by Weiss, his screams filling the hallways. Sun sighed and plopped down onto a nearby bench.
"Who gave Yang the idea to go to the beach?! I'll kill em I swear!" Sun cursed as he rubbed his stomach. Allen just chuckled and gave Sun a hand. Weiss sure did pack a punch. After taking a few minutes to mend their wounds the huntsmen returned to their dorms. Allen could hear Sun's groans and Blake's evil squeals when the leader of SSSN opened the door to his room.
That girl Emerald really gave them one nasty idea didn't she? Forcing you all to go to the beach wearing swimming suits they picked. Those boys should just kiss their social status goodbye now. Allen smiled and plopped down onto his bed. He was the only one in the room. The twins and Wisely were off doing god knows what, and Road was busy picking swimsuits with the other huntresses. A few dorms over he could hear Yang's evil laughter echoing through the walls. Soon afterwards he swore he heard Jaune crying.
"Good lord Pyrrha must have gone all out." Allen mumbled as he stared outside the window. The sky was a splash of vibrant blues and greys as the sun periodically pierced through the clouds. A light breeze wafted through the forest rustling the red leaves atop the red canopy. It was the perfect day for swimming.
"No I am not wearing this! Blake please the reporters will eat me alive!" Sun screamed from across the hall. Allen didn't need to look. Judging by the boy's tone he could already guess how hideous Sun's chosen outfit was.
You sure are relaxed. Allen yawned and nodded. Why wouldn't he be? All they had to do was go and swim in some beach. This sounded more like a vacation than anything else. Even if his swimsuit was hideous it...
"Oh hell." Allen mumbled to himself with wide eyes. He completely forgot! Swimsuits of course! How many swimsuits had sleeves on them? How many swimsuits came with gloves? Allen could hear the rumble of Nea's laughter as he began to panic. "What do I do?! If they see my left arm then-" Sadly he didn't have the luxury to wait. In a matter of seconds he could hear the sounds of evil laughter and the clink of heels coming towards his room. He was stuck. Allen grunted and rubbed his head. He could feel a sharp, unfamiliar pang in the center of his forehead. Probably just a migraine.
Ruby
"Oh this one just looks fabulous on you Sun! Here try it on!" Ruby giggled when she saw the color drain from Sun's face. The swimsuit Blake had chosen was absolutely disgusting. It was a putrid shade of green and was baggy. The pockets almost reached down to Sun's knees.
"No I am not wearing this! Blake please the reporters will eat me alive!" Sun screamed. Yang exploded with laughter when Sun said that. The boy looked absolutely terrified.
"I'm sorry Sun but I have to disagree! This is a designer swimsuit, Weiss helped me pick it out just for you!" Blake said as she tried to force down a chuckle. Sun sighed and finally conceded. There was nothing he could do at this point.
"That reminds me. Pyrrha how did it go with Jaune? Did he like our little present?" Pyrrha's cheeks reddened a little bit as she scratched the back of her neck.
"He actually still won't come out of the bathroom." Pyrrha said to Road's laughter.
"That means you succeeded Pyrrha." Yang said as she opened up a window. "What beach did Emerald recommend again?" Yang asked Weiss as she leaned up against a nearby wall.
"It's called Jade Beach. It's nearby the western coast of Vale." Weiss said as she stared at her scroll. "Apparently it's quite the tourist hot spot." Weiss smiled as she scanned over pictures of the beach. The actual beach was covered in gray sand and red palm trees. Dotted around the coastline were numerous volcanic pools that were famously used as hot tubs. However, the most interesting aspect about the location were the rocks. Around twenty meters out into the ocean the coastline was covered by small rocky islands. Each island was covered in bright green trees and flowers, which is what earned the beach its name.
"You could make Neptune swim to one of those islands and back." Ruby said as she stared over Weiss's shoulder. Weiss just shrugged and put her scroll away.
"I don't want to torture him that much." Weiss said with a sarcastic smile.
"Yeah you do. I thought that was the reason why you are forcing him to come with us." Road chimed in from her spot on one of the dorm's beds. After taking a second to stretch out her arms Road then got up and walked towards the door.
"Have you given Ren his swimsuit already Nora?" Ruby asked the ginger huntress.
"Yes I did! He absolutely loved it!" Nora squealed.
"Then that means we're almost ready." Yang said as she looked at her watch. "Ruby, Road, you're up. I can't wait to see what you two got Allen." Ruby smiled and skipped out the door.
"Hey Allen open up!" Ruby yelled as she knocked on the door. "It's your turn to try on some suits!" When she was met with silence Ruby pouted and began to knock harder. "Allen open up!" Finally after what seemed like forever Ruby finally got a response.
"Uh yeah! I'll be right there!" Ruby raised an eyebrow when she heard Allen's voice, he sounded afraid, and his voice seemed to tremble. She wasn't the only one who heard his response though. As the other huntresses and the huntsmen were also walking down the hall to see what Ruby and Road had picked.
"What is Allen actually scared?" Sun chided with a grin. Ruby had to stifle a giggle when she saw Sun wearing Blake's picked suit in all of its glory. "Yeah thanks for laughing. That does wonders for my self esteem." Sun rolled his eyes and began to knock on the door. "Allen open up! It's time for you to experience this hell!" They heard a sigh from inside the dorm room before Allen finally opened the door.
"Yeah I know. Well then come on, what do you two have for me?" Allen asked Ruby and Road. Yang smiled when she saw Allen's face. The boy looked as pale as a sheet. After Ruby and Road handed him their chosen suits. Allen headed into the bathroom to try them on.
Well this situation definitely isn't ideal. Nea said as Allen looked at the two swimsuits in the mirror. At the very least it looks like they actually chose some decent clothing. He was right. Unlike the other huntsmen Ruby and Road actually picked some appealing suits. The one Ruby chose was white with black streaks; the design was simple but it got the job done. Road, knowing about his left arm, actually got him a long sleeved swim shirt. Said shirt was as blue as the deep ocean and was a perfect fit. Do you think your arm will show through this? Allen shook his head.
"As long as I don't take my gloves off I should be fine." Allen thought as he clenched his fist. He didn't think that Ruby and the others would care about his left arm. However, he still had to be careful. In the past he had many so-called 'friends' who spat in his face the second they saw his arm.
"Well~ don't leave us all in the dark Allen~" Road cooed from outside. After taking a moment to straighten his gloves Allen steeled himself and opened the door.
"Oh what the hell?! Why is he the only one who gets a good getup?!" Sun yelled as he punched a hole in one of the nearby walls. Allen scratched his head, he must've just been lucky. Ruby sure was disappointed though. She'd never say it out loud, but she was quite curious to see what lay under Allen's heavy clothing. Yang smirked and gave her sister a pat on the back.
"I don't know why Road bothered to buy that swim shirt, but look on the bright side. Now he's wearing what both of you picked. Neither of you lost any ground." Yang whispered. "Look he's still wearing his gloves. You should ask him to take them off when we get to the beach." Ruby sighed and shrugged Yang off.
"Ruby. Road. Thank you for showing mercy." Allen said as he gave each of them a small bow. Ruby and Road just nodded and coughed into their hands. "Well then what's next?" Allen asked the huntresses. Yang smiled and pointed towards the door.
"Now you all go wait outside." Yang said as she began to push the huntsmen out of the room. "And no peeking!" Once the door was closed Yang smiled and turned to Ruby and Road. Neither of them had any idea what was happening.
"Wait what's going on?" Road asked her as she heard Weiss lock the door.
"Sis... what are you doing?" Ruby mumbled as she backed up against the wall. Yang just smiled and pulled out a bag.
"Well we're going to make sure you two have good beach fashion sense. I know you don't have anything good to wear Ruby. So we're going to pick for you!" Weiss giggled with glee as she opened Yang's bag. Road just rolled her eyes and was about to walk out. However, she was stopped by Blake.
"You aren't going anywhere." Road could feel a shiver going down her spine as a evil smile appeared on Blake's face.
"Now." Yang started, "it's time for a makeover!"
Allen
"I still think it's unfair that you got off so easy Allen." Sun grunted as he readjusted his belt. Allen just laughed as he found a spot to sit next to Jaune.
"I was just lucky is all." Jaune and the other huntsmen just looked at him and rolled their eyes. After a while Allen could finally hear the roar of a familiar engine off in the distance.
"I'd say we have about ten minutes before our taxi gets here. Allen do you know what's taking the girls so long?" Neptune asked as he checked his watch. Allen shook his head, he had absolutely no idea. The huntsmen waited in silence for a few more minutes before Yang and the others finally exited the dorm building.
"Thanks for waiting~" Weiss said as she took her spot next to Neptune. The large white sunhat she was wearing wafted in the breeze as Neptune tried his best to keep his composure. Sun sighed and pinched the bridge of nose, for once Neptune would have to face his fears.
"I swear I'm going to kill that woman." Road said as she plopped down next to Allen. Ruby seemed to be in a similar mood. Allen smiled and patted Road's shoulder.
"Well what happened? Don't leave me in the dark." Road just blushed and rolled up one of her sleeves. Allen's eyes widened when he saw the sleeve of a dark purple top. "I'd never thought I'd see the day." Allen started with a hearty laugh. Road blushed again and pulled up her sleeve.
"It wasn't my idea! It was that blonde!" She yelled before turning away in embarrassment. "She's more of a devil than I am..." Road made sure to whisper that last part.
"Still it was nice of her to give you a swimsuit." Allen said. Road just rolled her eyes and went back to glaring at the horizon.
You know I've never seen her this happy. Nea said, Allen raised a confused eyebrow at his uncle's words. She may not act like it but I can tell, here in this world she can act like a normal person. Allen smiled as he thought about that.
Lenalee and the others would probably love it here too. Allen thought as a melancholy wave of emotion washed over him. He couldn't help but wonder how his friends back at the Black Order were doing. It had been so long since he'd seen any of them. Was Krory still drinking tomato juice? Did Lavi discover anything new? Was Kanda still an asshole? All of these thoughts just wafted around his mind like bumblebees as he sat on that bench. Although he knew that Road and the other members of his new family must have been thinking the same thing. Everyone gets homesick every once in a while.
"Hey Allen the ship's here!" Ruby said as she shook Allen out of his thoughts. Road and the others were already on board and were waiting for him.
"You okay Allen?" Road asked him, Allen just waved her off and walked into the ship. Ruby was hot on his heels and quickly found her seat. However, he didn't join her. As time went on Allen seemed to enjoy standing while a ship took off. The seemingly weightless feeling he got made him feel giddy. Or maybe it was just pure wonder.
I wonder how the science section would react if they saw technology like this? Allen thought as the ship exploded forth into the clouds above. Beacon soon drifted off into a small dot on the horizon; and it wasn't long before the only thing Allen could see was the blue sky. Absolutely breathtaking.
"You know when we get to the beach we really should try out those hot springs. I heard they're to die for." Weiss said from her spot next to Yang. The blonde huntress just smiled and brought up a few pictures on her scroll.
"I was thinking you should make Neptune swim to this little island here." Yang said with a giggle, Neptune overheard this and instantly recoiled back in his seat.
"Hell no! That's where I draw the line!" Allen overheard Jaune and the other huntsmen laugh at their comrade's fear. It felt familiar.
"Ow~" Allen whispered as he rubbed his head. His migraine was back in force; however, now it came with a second symptom. Oh great now my left arm's going numb. Allen wondered as he opened and closed his left hand. His left hand was moveable, but it was sluggish, almost as if it were half asleep. As quickly as the symptoms came they subsided, and Allen was left confused as to what just happened.
"Are you okay Allen?" Road asked him. She sure did notice things quickly. "It looked like you were having a headache." Allen just smiled and shook his head.
"No it's nothing to worry about. I'm probably just dehydrated." Road frowned when she heard that and crossed her arms.
"You know that's not how this works." Road whispered. "Noah's don't get headaches. Is something wrong with your inner noah? Is it rejecting your innocence?" Allen just grinned and shook his head.
"Trust me if it was I'd know. It's definitely not my inner noah, he's been quiet ever since we went to that mansion." Allen returned to staring out the window. "Who knows? Maybe I'm just hungry."
"But-" Road started. However, she had to quickly silence herself when a certain blonde huntress butted into their conversation.
"Well what are you two talking about over here?" Yang asked them with suspicious eyes. Road just shrugged and walked back to her seat. "Well I'm waiting Allen. Did something happen between you two?" Yang asked him. Allen shook his head and proceeded to lie through his teeth.
"No. We were just looking out the window at some birds. Neither of us flew much back home, so something like this is always an experience. Especially when we're with a big group like this." Yang smiled and leaned up against one of the airship's walls.
"I swear you two must have been raised in the back country. You seemed to be amazed at every little thing." Allen blushed a little and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Really? I guess I'm just easy to please." Yang grinned and patted his back.
"Well that's a good thing. Just make sure you're strapped in for when we descend. The beach is just a few minutes away." Allen gave her a thumbs up and nodded. When Yang finally did return to her seat Allen took a moment to stare at his left hand.
It's definitely nothing.
"Wow! It's so pretty~" Ruby cooed as their group walked onto the beach. Allen had to agree, the beach was unlike anything he'd seen back home. It was full of color and was dotted with wonders of nature the likes of which he'd never seen before. It didn't take long for their group to start attracting attention. Pyrrha was already dogged with requests for autographs. Sun and the other huntsmen were also getting swarmed by a few of their more affectionate fans. Ugly swimsuits or not they were still a popular group. Although Sun's suit did manage to dredge up some giggles from his crowd.
"Are you Jaune from JNPR?" One girl asked. Allen couldn't help but laugh when he saw Jaune blush. This would be a good experience for the shy huntsman. Much to Ruby and Road's relief Allen decided to stay near the back of their group. He wasn't in the mood to be swarmed today.
Hmm? How odd. Allen thought as he scanned over the beach. There were quite a few people out and about. However, he didn't see many faunus. It wasn't until he searched quite a bit did he finally find members of the half animal race. They were all pushed back to the far edges of the beach, completely separate from the human groups. Allen heard Nea sigh.
Even though it's illegal discrimination is still rampant. At the very least it looks like they're still having fun. Allen sighed and turned back to his friends.
"Allen over here!" Ruby yelled. The wave of fans must've died down while he was scanning the beach. Ruby and the others had already discovered a sublime spot in the shadow of a large rocky island. After taking a moment to pull himself back into reality Allen jogged over to his friends.
"Hey Neptune I want you to do something!" Weiss yelled over to the huntsman. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she wanted. As the shadow of the large rocky island loomed over them. Weiss sighed when she saw Neptune slowly try to inch away and pointed to Allen and Sun. "You two go grab Neptune for me." In a matter of seconds the fleeing huntsman was pinned. "Come on Neptune lets go swimming~" Weiss cooed as she dragged him off towards the shoreline. After watching Weiss tease Neptune for a few minutes. Allen got up from his spot and began to walk down the shoreline.
"Hey where do you think you're going Allen?" Yang asked him when he got up. Allen just grinned and pointed towards some coves in the distance.
"I was just going for a walk, anyone care to join me?" To his surprise everyone shook their heads.
"Sorry Allen but I'm not going near those coves. That area is pretty infamous for its hostile jellyfish." Yang said as she held up a small shell she found. Allen nodded and turned to Ruby and Road. The two girls seemed to be absorbed in watching Neptune flounder on dry land. Weiss and Sun finally managed to convince the boy to go into the ocean; and to put it lightly. It was not going well...
I'll just let them enjoy the show. Allen thought as a few seagulls flew overhead.
"Don't go running off now. We were planning on trying out those volcanic pools after this." Allen nodded and gave her a wave. He wouldn't take long. After a few minutes of walking Allen finally arrived at the cove. Although it was more of a cave than a cove. The large overreaching rocks created a roof that blocked out the hot sun; and every moment or so Allen could see a fish diving up and out of the water. It was a truly peaceful place.
This world never ceases to amaze me. Allen thought as he lowered his left hand into the cool water. Even the unlikeliest places teem with life. When he was done Allen got up and began to explore the cove. Timcampy and Thrain were gone already, the two creatures were exploring the cove from above with an almost childlike curiosity. Surprisingly the inside of the cove was completely green, its rocky walls covered head to toe in a strange moss. Dotted around the walls were a multitude of water bound flora; this combined with the periodic hole in the ceiling gave the cove an almost magical atmosphere, as sunlight poured in from above.
For a second Allen thought he was completely alone in this wondrous place. He spent at least half an hour exploring every last nook and found nobody. Although he did find plenty of jellyfish, their multicolored bodies shimmered in the still water beneath the rocks. "Hello~" he called to no response. "There's no way I'm the only one in here." Allen could feel it, there was someone else here besides him. "Huh what's this?" Allen mumbled as he moved a large sheet of hanging moss out of the way. Hidden behind it was a small partition in the cove's wall. He could feel the breeze of the ocean wafting past him as he stepped into the thin passageway. Careful not to make much noise, Allen held his breath and went deeper into the passage.
"I just feel like we need to do something..." Allen's eyes widened when he heard a high pitched voice at the end of the rocky corridor. It sounded like a young boy.
"Well he told me we have to keep moving forward on our own two feet. If someone like him can get so powerful. Why can't we?" It was a girl who spoke, and she sounded familiar. Finally Allen turned the corner and found the source of the two voices. A young faunus girl and a boy sat at the base of a small pool. The water flowed in from a small hole in the cave, and was completely hidden from the outside world.
"All of that's well and good Jamiene, but there's not much we can do. It's not like we can just ask him." The boy said as he tossed a stone into the water.
"Trust me Mr. Walker may not seem like it, but he is willing to talk to people like us. Don't you remember?" The young girl said.
"Yeah I know you wouldn't shut up about it when you got back." The boy scratched his neck. "Do we have any more juice? I'm getting thirsty." The girl, Jamiene, smiled and began to walk back towards the exit of the cave.
"Yeah we should still have some. I placed it in the shallow water back here to keep it cool-" Jamiene stopped suddenly and pointed towards the back where Allen was, she must have seen him. Allen nearly punched himself. It was her! The young faunus girl with the small knife back in the commons! Unsurprisingly she remembered him as well. "Mr. Walker?"
"Mr. Walker? What are you talking about Jamiene?" The boy asked as he turned around. The poor lad nearly jumped out of his skin when he noticed who she was pointing at. Allen sighed, he didn't want to scare the kid. "Y-your..." The kid mumbled.
Well I guess it's time for me to introduce myself. Allen thought as he got out from his hiding spot and waved at the two kids. "How's it going you two? Jamiene was it? How have you been?" A massive smile exploded onto Jamiene's face as she rushed up to Allen.
"Jacob look! It's Mr. Walker!" She squeaked as she jumped up and down. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be preparing for the tournament?" Allen smiled and pointed towards the exit.
"Me and my friends decided to visit this beach on our day off. They're all hanging out near one of those giant rock islands." Allen crossed his arms and leaned up against one of the cave's walls. "And here I thought I was the only one in this little cove. I definitely didn't expect to see a future huntress hanging out here." Jamiene blushed at his compliment and motioned for her friend to come closer.
"Yeah! Me and my friend come here all the time. It's like our secret place." She said.
"Well it's not so secret anymore now that someone's found it." The boy mumbled. Allen laughed and pretended to zip his lips shut.
"Don't worry I promise I won't tell anybody Mr.?" Allen knew his name already because of his eavesdropping, but it was always good to be formally introduced. Jamiene was quick to take the hint and pushed her friend towards him.
"Mr. Walker this is my friend Jacob! He also wants to be a hunter when he grows up." The girl said as Allen shook the little kid's hand.
"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Jacob. You sound like quite the warrior." Allen smiled when he saw the boy's lion-like tail begin to move back and forth at his compliment. "How are your studies going Jamiene? Well I hope?" Allen asked her. Much to his surprise Jamiene frowned and plopped down near the pool's edge.
"Not so well Mr. Walker. Your advice definitely helped for sure. I now have the motivation to push myself harder. However..." Jamiene stopped.
"However?" Allen waited for her response, but it was Jacob who answered for her.
"No matter what advice you give it won't change the fact that we're faunus." Jacob said with a frown.
"Jacob don't be rude!" Allen smiled and motioned for Jamiene to calm down.
"It's fine, and he's right, I can't change the fact that you were born a faunus. However, you shouldn't let that stop you." Allen said, but that wasn't enough for the boy. Jacob opted to rudely turn away from Allen and sat next to Jamiene by the water's edge.
"I'm sorry Mr. Walker, but while you are an amazing huntsman, your advice really doesn't help." Allen sighed and walked over to the kids.
"And why's that?" The boy just put his nose in the air and motioned to his tail.
"It's because you aren't a faunus, you can't just tell us to work harder and hope that will work. We faunus have a whole other wall to climb compared to you humans. So forgive me if I don't trust your advice."
What a rude child. Nea said, but Allen remained silent. The kid was right. However, that couldn't keep Allen from laughing.
"What's so funny?" Jacob asked him. Allen stifled his giggles and turned back to the two kids.
"Oh it's nothing, you just remind me of myself when I was your age." Allen smiled and looked around the cave, nobody would see if he was quick. "Hey... would you like to hear a secret?" He asked the two. Jacob and Jamiene, obviously confused, turned towards him. He had their attention now.
"If it's more advice I don't want any." Jacob said with a pout. Jamiene was quick to shush him and turned towards Allen.
"What sort of secret Mr. Walker?" She asked him. Allen shook his head.
"Not yet. First I need you two to promise me that you won't tell anybody." When the kids nodded Allen smiled and grabbed his left sleeve. "Well I just want to show you two that we have a bit more in common than you might think." Allen said as he rolled up his sleeve to reveal his left arm. The kids eyes almost popped out of their heads when they saw it.
"What?! Mr. Walker a-are you..." Allen stopped Jamiene and nodded. He may not technically be a faunus, but in their minds this was more than enough proof.
"I was born with this strange left arm. Throughout my younger days I was constantly hounded as a monster among monsters. Some people even called me the devil's child." Allen said as he rolled his sleeve back up. "But you know what? I never let that stop me. I kept moving no matter how many rocks they threw, I kept moving because that was all I could do. So don't let me hear that you are out of options alright?" Allen told Jacob.
"A-alright." The boy said. Allen smiled, the kid was still in shock over what he saw.
"Good. Now please don't go telling people about my left arm. This will just be our little secret okay?" Allen told them, Jamiene and Jacob both nodded. Allen let out a sigh of relief, he knew these two were trustworthy.
"I can't believe Allen Walker is a faunus!" Jamiene giggled from her spot in the tide pool. Jacob was in a similar state of stupor. However, now Allen saw the light of hope burning in his eyes. It seemed like his little trick had worked, but Jacob still wanted more.
"What's your second half Mr. Walker? I've never seen any faunus mutation quite like yours!" He asked; however, he got no reply. "Ummm Mr. Walker?" Jacob turned to him. "Oh my gosh you're pale as a sheet!" Jacob yelled. "Is something wrong?" Allen chuckled and shook his head. Something was wrong, but he didn't want to worry the kids.
"I'm honestly a bit scared right now. One of the huntresses I was with wanted me back soon, and I think I might have overstepped her deadline." Allen lied. In truth his pale complexion was due to his suddenly poor health. His migraine had returned with a vengeance, and his left arm was now so numb he could barely move it.
"Oh do you need to head back Mr. Walker? Me and Jacob can show you the way out. Right Jacob?" Jamiene said as she turned to her friend.
"Yeah we've been here multiple times, if you need to get back to the beach I can show you some shortcuts." Allen just smiled and waved them off.
"No I should be fine on my own, thanks for the offer though." Allen said as got up from his spot. "Jamiene and Jacob I wish you two the best of luck. Hopefully we'll run into each other again during the tournament. The two kids nodded and returned to their seats near the tide pool.
"Well if you say so Mr. Walker. Good luck with that huntress of yours. Hopefully she won't beat you up too much." Jamiene said, Allen laughed and made his way towards the exit of the cave.
"I promise I won't tell anybody about your spot!" And with that Allen disappeared into the maze of trenches and tide pools that made up the cove.
"God what is going on?!" Allen yelled as he frantically patted himself down. For some reason his whole body felt like it was on fire. Nea I thought I finished the noah transformation. Allen thought.
I can tell you right now that this isn't a noah transformation of any kind. I'd tell you if it was. Allen grunted and squeezed his left arm. His parasitic appendage was now much heavier, it felt as dense as a rock. What in the world was going on? It was around this time that Allen noticed the dark purplish petals floating off of him. Just like that time in Emerald Forest when he activated both his noah powers and the crown clown. However, this time they exploded forth from his being with a much higher viscosity. Quietly Allen activated his innocence. Maybe his inner noah had gone haywire?
What?! Allen thought as he stared at his left hand. His innocence did activate, but it was... different. Now instead of a pure glossy white his cloak was a shimmering dark gray. His claw now had a few purple wisps of dark matter floating around it as well; and he felt something growing on his back. When Allen looked up he nearly gasped. Wings?! He thought. The Crown Clown's cloak now came with a pair of gray wings, and that wasn't all. For when Allen looked at his reflection in the water, he noticed something strange. His skin was gray and stigmata had appeared on his forehead, but he didn't remember activating his noah powers. It almost felt like...
You're evolving... Allen heard Nea say.
What do you mean evolving?! Has this happened before?! Allen yelled. However, Nea remained calm.
This is just a theory, but when did you start having headaches again? Nea asked him. Allen racked his brain until he finally came upon an answer. Right after he got back from that anchor's mansion he started to feel a strange tension in his forehead. Could this be it? You might be onto something. Nea said as Allen's strange transformation continued. The migraine kept getting worse and worse until finally... it stopped.
Huh? What happened? Allen wondered as he got back up. His migraine and the numbness in his left hand had vanished, and was replaced with a strange surge of energy. Looking at his reflecting again Allen found his innocence had completely changed. The cloak was now completely dark gray and the wings had finished growing. His skin was gray and his eyes glowed yellow. He felt like he did that time in the forest, in fact he felt better. Great even. What in God's name happened to me?! It wasn't until he heard Nea laughing did Allen finally start to calm down.
It's fine my nephew. I think I might know what just happened. It seems like the two sides of you have now fully combined.
"What the hell does that mean?! Plus, how do you know this?!" Allen yelled.
Remember I'm the one who can most easily communicate with your inner noah and your Crown Clown. So I can tell. The innocence and the dark matter have combined. Just trust your uncle on this. Nea started, but Allen stopped him.
"That changes nothing! I can't go back to the others looking like this!" Allen heard Nea sigh again.
Just calm down and act like your deactivating your innocence. You'll see. Allen did as Nea instructed and was relieved to find that his innocence did deactivate. However, unlike before, his noah powers seemed to deactivate as well.
What the- I didn't deactivate my inner noah. Allen thought to Nea's laughter.
Like I told you before, your two halves have become one. Unless you want to doubt your uncle. Trust me when it comes to your powers I have a front row seat. Nea sighed. This is good, for a second there I thought you were about to become a fallen one.
"Any guesses as to why this happened?" Allen asked him as he deactivated and activated his innocence over and over. Each time he got the same transformation. "It feels like there isn't any difference now." Allen mumbled.
It's because you've fully accepted your inner noah. Road told you that last night did she not? Allen went silent, it was true that he did accept his new fate, but how could that cause this new transformation? Luckily Nea seemed to have some answers. It feels like your inner noah and your innocence now fully trust one another. Think about it, unlike that time at the White Fang base, you were in complete control at that anchor's house. You accepted your duty as a Millennium Earl and as a noah at that time; and through all of that your innocence did not retaliate. Allen's eyes widened, truth be told he was curious as to why his innocence didn't react when he slaughtered those bodyguards. Could this be the reason? I think your new transformation is the result of that trust. Unlike that time in the forest where your innocence and inner noah had to be activated separately; now they have fully become one. I'm honestly intrigued, this has never happened before in history. You've become a true hybrid.
I wonder what the folks over at the science section would say. Allen thought as he stared at his hands. So this was what it felt like to be truly connected to both his inner noah and his innocence. The migraines and tremors were gone. It felt like... he was now completely at peace. Allen gasped when he realized something, if he really was now completely connected with his inner noah. Did that mean he could use the ark again? Allen wasted no time running through the ark's song in his head. I can feel it! Allen thought with glee. Unlike previous attempts Allen could actually feel himself connect with the ark. It was a faint and fragile connection, but it was there. Maybe if I just... Allen tried to pull harder. He was so close but...
Snap~
Allen sighed. He still couldn't make a gate, and he was so sure he connected. However, now he had hope. He now knew that there was a chance. Allen smiled and checked his scroll. Yang was probably hunting for him by now. Allen sighed and walked back out into the sunlight. He'd have to tell Road and the other noah's about his transformation. They'd be ecstatic.
"Hey guys I found him!" Allen heard Sun yell from the opposite end of the cove. "You sure did find one beautiful place. Come on Yang's gonna have my ass if I don't get you back soon." Allen smiled and gave Sun a wave. He nearly forgot about the others what with the new transformation and all. However, there was something Allen didn't realize as he walked back to his friends. Namely, that he actually did succeed with opening a gate. It just wasn't where he expected.
Komui pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he rapidly walked towards Hevlaska's chamber. The hallways were covered in the central agency's crows, and near the end of the hallway Reever was waiting for him. "How long has Hevlaska been resonating?" He asked Reever as the two of them walked into the large chamber.
"For about ten minutes straight. Director Bak and General Tiedoll are already in there. Should I notify Lvellie?" Komui nodded as he got on the elevator that led down to Hevlaska's platform. He could already hear the moans from halfway up. "Bak what's going on?" Komui asked him as he walked up to him and General Tiedoll. Bak just shrugged and shook his head.
"I don't know. According to General Tiedoll he was just having a chat with Hevlaska before all of this started." Komui nodded and turned to Tiedoll.
"Tiedoll what happened?" Instead of answering him the General just pointed down at the curled up form of Hevlaska.
"She'll tell you." He said. Komui nodded and moved towards Hevlaska.
"The cube is thrashing inside my belly! He's arrived! The exorcist who has achieved a synchronization rate over one hundred percent!" Komui gasped when he heard what she said. If that was true then that meant.
"Someone fit to be an exorcist general has arrived. Komui, do you think it's your-" Komui stopped Tiedoll in his tracks. He knew it wasn't Lenalee, call it brotherly instinct, but he knew.
"Was it one of the new guys? Bak asked him." Komui shook his head yet again. He couldn't think of any exorcist that was close to one hundred percent. Well... there was one person, but that was impossible!
"Chief do you think it's Allen? During all that chaos with the ark I heard that Hevlaska felt the cube push again. Some people told me that they thought it was Allen. Do you think that's..." Bak asked him, but Komui remained silent. There was no way it was Allen. He disappeared months ago. In all honesty most of the personnel thought he was dead. They scoured the mountains where he was last sighted, but they came up with nothing. However, Komui couldn't think of anyone else. Could Allen be...
"Sir Director Lvellie request your presence for an emergency meeting. All generals and branch directors are also expected to attend." One of the crows said. Komui sighed, of all the times to hold a meeting...
Komui sighed when he walked into the conference room. He never did enjoy these meetings. They almost always involved bad news. Lvellie and the generals were already there, as were all of the other branch directors. Lvellie smiled when Komui took his seat. It was time for the meeting to begin. "Well I assume you all know why we're here." Lvellie said.
"I heard that Hevlaska felt quite the kick today Komui. Is that true?" General Klaud asked him. Komui nodded.
"As all of us know that means another exorcist has reached general status. Finding this individual is of the upmost urgency. Komui, do you have any idea of who this exorcist might be?" Komui shook his head.
"The only one I can think of is Allen Walker. However..." Lvellie sighed and opened one of the files that lay in front of him.
"Ah Allen Walker, owner of the parasitic innocence the Crown Clown. He disappeared quite a while back did he not?" Komui nodded. "It's a shame we lost one of the Black Order's most promising exorcists; however, right now we need to focus on who we have."
"Don't you find this strange?" Lvellie turned to the source of the voice. It was the director of the North American branch Renny Epstain.
"What should I find strange Ms. Epstain?" Lvellie asked.
"It's just that ever since this Walker kid dropped off the face of the planet, the Black Order has grown much stronger. In the past few months there have been a drastic drop in noah sightings, and in that time we've managed to find six new accommodators. Doesn't that seem strange? The Earl had us on the ropes for a good long while. Then we lost one of our most accomplished exorcists and he just goes silent. I just can't help but feel we're walking into a trap."
"Well even if we are we have no way of avoiding said trap; and speaking of the six new exorcists, how goes their training?" Lvellie asked General Klaud and Socalo.
"They should be battle ready within a month or so. However, I can tell you right now that none of them are anywhere near general level yet." Lvellie sighed, this was going nowhere.
"Well if that's all then we're going to have to cut this meeting short. The pope wants to know who this gifted child of god is, so be on your toes people." With that Lvellie got up and exited the meeting room. A few minutes later the only people left were Bak and Komui. Both men lost in thought.
"Hey Komui. Do you think we should reopen the investigation into Walker's whereabouts?" Bak asked. Komui stayed silent, he had to think. Bak sighed and grabbed his coat. This was going to be a long night. "At least tell your sister about this, its not much, but it may give her some hope. If I'm not wrong she should be in the cafeteria." With that Bak gave Komui a pat on the back and left the room. Komui rubbed his eyes and stared at some golems dancing in the air up above his head.
Allen... could he really still be alive?
"Hey Yu watch out!" Lavi yelled as a pile of plates came tumbling down.
"Do not call me that!" Kanda yelled as he slashed the falling china to ribbons. A few of the finders laughed at the two's actions, it was just like old times... Miranda watched with a melancholy grin as she looked for a spot in the crowded cafeteria. She had just gotten back from an assignment with Krory. Which meant that there were five exorcists at headquarters. Lavi and Kanda had also just returned home from their assignments; and Lenalee wasn't due to leave for another week. Eventually after much searching she finally found a spot.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" Miranda asked Kanda to no response. The man was eating soba as usual. Miranda sighed and sat down on the opposite end of the table. Krory and Lavi, who were also looking for seats, came to join her a few minutes later.
"Jeez Yu if you got a table give us a holler." Lavi said, only to be met with a katana to the throat.
"You really should stop calling Kanda that Lavi, can't you tell it upsets him?" Krory said from his spot next to Miranda. Lavi just rolled his eyes and returned to his food.
"Nah he doesn't care. Isn't that right Y-" Lavi stopped when Kanda gave him his infamous devil glare. "O-okay, please don't kill me." Kanda just scoffed and returned to his soba.
"Well how did your assignment go Lavi?" Miranda asked him. Lavi just smiled and began to twirl his hammer around in his hands.
"Oh it went great actually! No innocence but me and Yu got to fight quite a few akuma! Also there was this one girl, my god she was so beautiful, I swore I was in love until she. You know. Transformed and tried to kill me. What about you guys?" Lavi asked her.
"It went well. We didn't find any akuma or innocence so it was more like a vacation to Rome than anything else. Allen would have gotten so lost-" Krory stopped for a second. "So yeah it was fun." Lavi and Miranda couldn't help but just stare at their food. Ever since the beansprout went missing all of headquarters had been quite somber. Johnny didn't stop crying for days. It had been especially hard on Lenalee. Right when he came back from the dead Allen went and vanished. Needless to say the wearer of the dark boots had never been the same.
"Oh is Lenalee here?" Lavi said as he hopped up on the table to survey the cafeteria. "Hey Lenalee! Over here!" Lavi yelled once he finally found the girl. "How's it going?" Lavi asked her as she walked up to their table.
"Good I guess." Lenalee said as she sat down. Her eyes were red and puffy, poor girl must have been crying all morning.
"Well that's good. Now that we're all here I think I should tell you all a story! Yeah! It was during a trip to eastern china where I met this really hot-" Lavi stopped when he saw Komui walking up to their group. "Hey Chief what's up? Got a new assignment for me?" Lavi asked him. Komui just smiled and shook his head.
"What do I need a reason now to visit my little sister?" Komui said as he plopped down next to Lenalee. Kanda was about to get up and leave; however, Komui stopped him. "Not so fast. I have some news all of you may be interested in." Lavi perked his ears up at that. Once Komui was sure he had their attention he continued. "Hevlaska felt a kick today, and not just any kick, it was a powerful one like a child in the womb." Everyone gasped at that and leaned in. Even Kanda was all ears now. For that could only mean one thing.
"A new general huh?" Lavi mumbled before turning back to Komui. "Any idea who it might be?" Komui shook his head.
"None. It's somebody not in the Black Order. Although I do have my theories..." Lenalee turned suddenly at that.
"Brother are you saying it could be Alle-" Komui stopped her.
"I don't know. We're searching for the accommodator as we speak. However, I'm not done." After a brief pause to adjust his glasses Komui continued. "Me and Bak have decided to reopen the investigation." Everyone nearly jumped out of their seats at that.
"Brother that's great!" Lenalee started.
"When exactly? Do you have any leads?" Komui frowned and shook his head.
"None at the moment, I don't want to give you guys false hope, but I really can't think of any other exorcist whose surpassed one hundred percent. Bak thinks the same so we've reopened the investigation." Lenalee sighed and fell back into her seat.
"It's better than nothing. Allen... this time I'll find you." Lavi looked at Lenalee again and smiled. This was probably the best news she heard all month.
"Now then I do have one thing I want to talk to you about Lavi." Komui asked. "About your mission, how many level threes did you engage?" Lavi was about to open his mouth, but was stopped when he heard the loud clomps of boots running against the hard floor. Out of nowhere Reever came rushing into the cafeteria, he was short of breath, and it looked like he had ran all the way there from the science division.
"C-chief." Reever said from in between breaths.
"Reever what happened?!" Komui asked him as he helped Reever up. It took a second for him to regain his composure, and once he did Komui asked him again. "Reever! Is something wrong?!"
"The ark..." Reever started. "A massive gate just appeared in the ark!"
Author's note
There we go right on time! I told you I'd be back in a month didn't I? So how's that for some massive revelations! For those of you worrying this story is still no where close to finished. However, I've decided to go ahead and rev up the engine! I've been planning to do this for a while so you better get ready!
For those of you wondering if the story is going to deviate from the tournament or anything like that don't worry! This is all planned. Let me know if you guys would like to see a little LenaAllen as well in the coming chapters. Anyway! That's all for me here so I'll see you guys in the next chapter of Beacon's Exorcist!
P.S. I bet you didn't expect the chapter title "Dense As a Rock" to mean something like that right?
Chapter 15: Searching For the Lost Lamb