Chapter 19…
Vermillion Fiamma sighed as the hot sun beat down on her bare skin. She was lucky enough to have a brief break from training and she was enjoying every second of it.
Off in the distance were the sounds of grunting and exertion, as well as the occasional angry yell. Vermillion lazily turned her head to watch the spar between Teal and Lavender. An elderly Huntsman was watching the match, yelling out suggestions and warnings while leaning against his greatsword.
Vermillion wasn't regretting inviting her team back to her own village… The process was slower than Beacon's curriculum, but they were still learning…
The red haired girl turned her vision back to her body, pleased to see that her tan was beginning to even out. Her fair skin had darkened over the past few weeks of being in the sun, going from pale to a light bronze colour.
"Piccola Fiamma?" A voice spoke out. "Are you listening dear?"
Vermillion gasped in surprise and turned her head, meeting the eyes of an older man. His face was adorned with wrinkles and laugh lines, which complimented the kind quality in his blue eyes. His red hair had begun to grey more and more in recent years but some of the clumps were still vibrant.
"Padre!" Vermillion greeted her father. "I'm sorry… I nodded off for a moment there…"
"No worries dear!" Cardinal Fiamma chuckled, an airy tone in his wheezy voice. "I have something for you! And something for Honey as well!"
"Oh?" Vermillion responded with curiosity, propping herself up on her arms.
Her father reached into his pocket and retrieved three letters, handing two of them to her but holding onto the last one.
"One from your brother and one from your boyfriend!" Cardinal joked, wiggling his eyebrows in a way that made Vermillion blush.
"Crimson wrote back!" Vermillion smiled. "Did he only write to me?"
"He sent us all individual letters," Cardinal explained. "He is a thoughtful boy… I raised him well... Your friend? Is she sleeping?"
Cardinal pointed over to the edge of the forest and Vermillion followed his finger. Honey was relaxing in the relative shade of the tree canopy, wrapped up in a suspended rope hammock.
"I'll go check!" Vermillion offered, accepting the letter for Honey from her father. Cardinal Fiamma smiled and then turned away to leave.
Vermillion clenched the letter addressed to her in one hand and kept Honey's letter in her other hand.
"Honey!" Vermillion called, seeing the rope hammock shift. Honey stuck her head up, green eyes drowsy and golden hair matted. Unlike Vermillion, who had dressed in light clothes and left her skin exposed, Honey was dressed in long pants and a long sleeve t-shirt. Her face had been carefully covered in a fine sheen of sunscreen that made her skin reflect in the sun.
"Whats up?" Honey yawned.
Vermillion held up the letter, snickering when Honey bolted out of the hammock to snatch the paper away from the much taller girl.
Vermillion shook her head as Honey tore the envelope open, deciding to focus on her own letters. She started with the letter Crimson had sent, rooting around in the envelope to find the picture she knew he would include.
The picture consisted of him, stone faced and flipping off the camera. The words "SUP HOE!" had been scrawled on the photo in his messy handwriting. Vermillion read through the letter, blue eyes scanning the page and allowing a light smile to grace her lips.
She really had to thank Rust for this… it was clear he had delivered her letter…
"That was nice of Sage!" Honey interrupted, a big smile stretching her features. "The letter is a little vague though…"
"They can't say much…" Vermillion sighed. "I doubt the General would be happy with them…"
"I guess…"
Vermillion led Honey back to the deck she had been sitting on and relaxed back into the lounge chair. She set down her brother's letter and opened up Rust's, eyes once again scanning the page and reading his neat handwriting. A "P.S" note at the bottom of the letter caught her attention…
"I hope you like the pictures!" - Love, Rust
Vermillion chuckled and rooted around in the envelope, shielding the pictures she pulled out with her hand to maintain some level of privacy. She suppressed the urge to snort in laughter when she observed some of the poses Rust had adopted.
In one particular photo, Rust was sprawled out in a modeling pose, wearing a pair of blue jeans and bearing his nude chest to the camera. His skin was deeply tanned, his pecs chiseled like stone, his abs sculpted like cobblestone rocks…
… there was also a rose clenched between his teeth… because Rust.
Honey must have noticed Vermillion's blush. "Whats going on?"
"Nothing!" Vermillion quickly snapped back, shoving the photos back into the envelope. She would have to hide them somewhere… which would be a hassle… but at least she had something to think about in the shower now…
"I'm going to write back to Sage," Honey smiled. "Do you guys keep paper and pencils around?"
"Yep, follow me…" Vermillion answered, leading Honey into the house and showing her where paper and pencils could be found.
As Honey got to work, Vermillion excused herself and traipsed upstairs to her dresser. She pulled open the cupboard doors and shifted through some spare clothes until she found what she was looking for. Hanging on one of the racks was one of her more revealing bikinis… Vermillion smiled and briefly patted her pocket to make sure she had her scroll.
She was going to send Rust a nice letter too…
Back in Atlas, in Ironwood's office...
Sage never thought that he would be holding a severed arm… even if it was an android arm.
The replica of Penny Polendina's left arm was held carefully in his hands, the pale lights of Ironwood's office shining and reflecting off the artificial skin of the severed limb. Where the shoulder connected to the torso was a frayed clump of wires, carefully twisted and sliced to sell the appearance that it was still battle damaged from the events of Beacon…
"You did an amazing job," Sage congratulated, lifting his gaze to find the kind eyes of Doctor Polendina. The man was physically in Ironwood's office this time, wanting to deliver his work personally rather than natter over a holo-screen.
"We worked overtime to make it believable," Polendina adjusted his glasses with a light smile. "I just hope it's enough to fool your uncle."
"It has too," Ironwood mused. "Thank you Doctor Polendina… while I still think we should just hand over a real piece-"
Ironwood paused when he noticed Doctor Polendina's glare.
"-this will be perfectly sufficient."
"It's not perfect!" Polendina warned. "We had to leave out the software and aura receptors… they were far too complicated to recreate… and highly classified technology."
"I understand that," Sage nodded. He gently placed the arm inside the briefcase he would be carrying it in. "I'm ready…"
"Good," Ironwood nodded at Polendina, the Doctor taking it as a cue to leave the office, Sage moved to join him in the elevator. "Remember to use your recording device!"
"Of course!" Sage called back, his view of the General obstructed by the closing doors. He was now alone in the elevator with Doctor Polendina, standing awkwardly with the briefcase that contained the replica arm.
"I never got the chance to properly thank you," Polendina spoke quietly.
"What for?"
"Ironwood didn't tell me that your team was made aware of the contents of the crate," Doctor Polendina explained. "I would have thanked you four properly… if I had known."
Sage managed a smile. "You gave us brand new equipment… that serves as a sufficient thank you."
"Perhaps," Polendina chuckled as the elevator doors opened, revealing the sparsely populated atrium. "But still… thank you for bringing my daughter home to me… you gave her a future again."
Sage smiled and held out his free hand; Doctor Polendina reached forwards with his own to grasp the hand. The two shared a firm handshake, lasting for a few moments before Sage pulled away.
"Your uncle is a dangerous man," Polendina whispered under his breath. "You should know that better than me… under all those pleasantries-"
"He's an animal…" Sage whispered back. "I know…"
"Be careful!" Polendina warned.
"Of course…"
Polendina gave Sage one last look before turning away on his robotic mech, the four metal legs clunking and rattling as he rounded a hallway corner.
Sage gulped as he watched the aging professor leave, his grip on the briefcase handle feeling uncomfortably tight. Sage relaxed his hand and began walking towards the bullhead docks, where he was expected to catch a flight down to Mantle.
Just as he was about to walk into the open air of the docks, Sage felt his scroll begin to buzz and ring. He sighed and unclipped the device, unfurling the screen and spotting the smiling face of Rust.
"Sage!" Rust grinned, the roar of a crowd in the background. "Where are you man?"
"I went out for a walk," Sage lied. "What's going on man?"
"It's crazy! Crimson showed us that Atlas academy holds tournaments on the weekend! You need to come see this man!"
Rust sloppily panned the camera to face the bleachers, showing hundreds of cheering students and personnel. Sage briefly spotted Mauve and Asher among the crowd, the two partners roaring along with the rest of the spectators. Rust once again panned the camera, briefly hovering over the cheering face of Crimson Fiamma before settling on the fight below.
An upper year student with a massive spiked bat was currently dueling against another student with a… chainsaw whip?
Sage felt the massive urge to join his partner… even to sit next to Mauve if it meant getting to watch a fight like that. But he couldn't...
"I'm sorry," Sage muttered. "I'm just not feeling it right now…"
Rust did a good job hiding his disappointment. "You sure?"
"Yeah," Sage nodded. "See you later!"
Sage ended the call and sighed as he slipped the scroll back on his belt.
The ride down to Mantle only took a few minutes, Sage didn't hesitate as he stepped off the ship and began walking towards the Omega nightclub. The hum of streetlights and heaters became a nasally drone after some time, with Sage growing increasingly desensitized to the world around him.
He was very deep in thought… remembering Polendina's warning about his uncle. The Doctor was right, for all of the posturing his uncle did… he was an animal with violent tendencies…
Sage had seen him let loose once… drop the facade of an intelligent man to brutalise someone, it was an event that had left him traumatized… but not as bad as Verdant's victim had been.
The blaring of loud music shook the nearby buildings as Sage came within view of the nightclub. He felt a spike of nausea as he approached the bouncer at the front door, the large man allowing Sage entry with a small nod. Sage entered the club and pushed his way across the dance floor, the handle of the briefcase clenched tightly in his hands.
The faunus boy carefully pushed open the staff door, feeling a spike of nervousness as his eyes glanced up the staircase to the office door. Sage hissed under his breath and began his ascent, his legs feeling like lead and getting heavier with each step.
After what seemed like an eternity, Sage found his nose touching the door. He gave two sharp knocks and then paused before delivering the third.
"Enter!"
Sage pushed the door open and met his uncle's eyes, the large man sitting behind his intricate desk.
"Sage!" Verdant greeted, his eyes glittering with anticipation. "Do you have it?"
"Really?" Sage deadpanned. "No 'how are you?' I feel underappreciated…"
"I'm not in the mood for joking," Verdant shook his head, gesturing to the top of his desk. "Please…"
Sage set down the briefcase and opened the locks, spinning the container to let Verdant look at the contents of the case. His uncle's eyes shone with greed as he gently reached in to grab the arm, manipulating the artificial ligaments and feeling the artificial skin.
"So life-like…" Verdant muttered in admiration. "I would never be able to tell the difference…"
"Except for the wires…"
"Right!" Verdant chuckled, setting the arm back into the briefcase and locking the lid again. He then handed the briefcase to a nearby guard. "Take this to our appraiser in the other room… I want it verified."
Sage felt a spike of anxiety as the guard left, but he did his best no to show it.
"There's an appraiser?" Sage questioned.
"Of course!" Verdant responded, sitting back at his desk and gesturing for Sage to take a seat, which the wolf-faunus did. "They wouldn't be happy if I said their name… but they are well-versed in advanced technology…"
"Right…" Sage muttered.
"So?" Verdant leaned back. "What was Beacon like? It's been so long since I've been in Vale…"
"The weather was pretty nice… very temperate."
"It is dreadfully cold up here… it never lets up."
"Well… it's a tundra… so…"
Verdant smiled and nodded, wringing his hands together on the desk. "I can still feel some tension between us…"
"How could there not be?"
"Yes," Verdant nodded. "I want you to know that you did a good job here… getting that piece could not have been easy…"
Sage nodded along. "Well… I was always good at stealing things…"
"It's clear you still are!" Verdant complimented. "But you're not as small as you used to be…" He paused for a moment. "I don't want to hold your debts over you forever. After the arm is sold I'm willing to forgive you."
"Thank you," Sage nodded.
"No worries-" Verdant was cut off when the guard re-entered without the briefcase, a stony look on his hard face. "What's the verdict?"
"The appraiser has noted that the arm is missing many key functions… as if it was tampered with," the guard growled, turning his scarred face towards a shrinking Sage. "Either that or its a fake…"
"I see," Verdant spoke coldly. "Are you sure?"
"The appraiser was positive sir…"
Verdant didn't even spare Sage a glance. "Search him…"
Sage gasped and shot up when the guard approaching the door tried to grab him. He delivered an aura infused elbow strike to the man's nose, hearing a satisfying crunch. The man still succeeded in looping his arms around Sage's waist, lifting the smaller boy up.
The other guard rushed forwards and tried to grab Sage's flailing legs, hissing in pain when several aura infused kicks battered his torso.
Sage gasped again when he was forced back onto his feet, his eyes nearly flying out of their sockets when a freight train punch battered his stomach. Vomit flew from his mouth and spattered the floor… he couldn't breath.
Verdant rubbed his sore fist and glared coldly at his struggling nephew.
"Put him on the desk… hands out."
Sage looked on in horror as his hands were held on the desk by the two guards. Verdant walked behind the desk and grabbed the wall behind the chair, a click sounding as he slid open a hidden panel.
There were two things stored in the panel. One was a beautifully engraved rifle, coloured a dark black and decorated with gold lined motifs of leaves. The other was a rather ordinary looking ball-peen hammer with a sloppily taped grip.
Sage feared that hammer far more than the gun… the hammer had seen more use in the past…
"How does that old quote go?" Verdant mused as he expected the hammer. "Live with a man for fifty years… eat with him and sleep in his house… then one day, hoist him over the edge of a volcano… then you will truly meet the man…"
Verdant twirled the hammer in his hand and slowly turned around to properly address his struggling nephew. "I wonder… have I truly met you?"
"This must be a mistake," Sage gasped out. "Please reconsider."
"Take off the plastic cover…" Verdant muttered.
One of the guards reached under Sage's hand where a protective plastic mat had been placed to serve as an extra layer. Hidden underneath were many dents where the ball-peen hammer had been struck.
"You saw me use this once…" Verdant spoke in a near whisper. "Then I told you to pick it up…"
"You asked me to hit him!" Sage wheezed. "I didn't want to!"
"It's because you were weak!" Verdant growled. He reared up his arm and slammed the head of the hammer down only inches from Sage's fingers,, denting the wood.
"I couldn't torture someone! I was just a kid!"
"YOU WERE A LITTLE BITCH!" Verdant roared as he slammed the hammer down several more times, damaging and rippling the wood.
Sage felt sweat collecting on his neck and dripping down his face.
"Search him!" Verdant demanded.
The two guards roughly began to pat Sage down, grabbing his legs and arms to search for weapons or equipment. The faunus boy prayed that they wouldn't look closer at his watch, which was currently recording the entire interaction. Thankfully, the two guards paid little mind to it.
"You're working with Ironwood aren't you?" Verdant demanded, slamming the hammer down again.
"No I-"
"SHUT UP AND ANSWER!"
"NO!" Sage wailed.
Verdant seethed in rage, spittle flying everytime he exhaled. He surprised Sage when he lowered the hammer and slowly shook his head from side to side. "I'm not going to break your fingers off…"
"What?"
"You're still going to need them… I'm going to give you one more chance."
Sage gritted his teeth and fought back angry tears. "Do you think I'm going to come back… that I would help you after this?"
"Oh you will…" Verdant gave Sage a cold grin. He pulled open one of his desk drawers and reached inside, withdrawing a picture and slapping it on the desk.
Sage wanted to cry in terror… it was a picture of Honey…
More specifically, it was her Beacon transcripts, complete with personal information and her student picture.
"Honey Aurum," Verdant gasped out, his lips pursed in a tight grimace. "Did you think that you were free when you ran off to Beacon? That I didn't have eyes and ears there watching your movements? For goodness sakes… you must have at least expected me to watch the Vytal tournament…"
"Fuck you," Sage seethed under his breath, but Verdant payed his struggling nephew no mind.
"Why didn't you tell me you had a girlfriend?" Verdant smiled slowly, lifting up Honey's transcripts to examine her picture. "I must say… you made a good catch… she is a stunningly beautiful young woman."
"Fuck you!" Sage spat and struggled.
"You're going to listen very closely to me," Verdant leered closer, tapping the hammer near Sage's fingers. "Honey is a beautiful girl… do you want her to stay that way?"
"FUCK YOU!" Sage roared. "You can't even hope to touch her! She's a huntress-"
"IN TRAINING!" Verdant roared back, his blue eyes filled with malice. "YOU THINK I DON'T HAVE ACTUAL HUNTSMAN AND HUNTRESSES IN MY POCKET! IF I MAKE A SINGLE CALL SHE WILL HAVE A BOUNTY ON HER HEAD!"
"BULLSHIT!" Sage roared back. "YOU AND I BOTH KNOW THAT THE CCT IS STILL DOWN!"
Verdant chuckled lowly. "I don't need the CCT boy… I have eyes and ears everywhere that can carry a message for me… and all the resources to find her."
Sage fell silent, he knew that his uncle was right… finding and hurting Honey would be well within his power.
The final statement gave him a little bit of hope though, Verdant wasn't sure where Honey or her team were… there was that, at least.
"Here's what's going to happen," Verdant growled. "Somewhere in Atlas is a very valuable piece of Remnant's history. It's an ancient golden crown with several encrusted gemstones."
"Let me guess," Sage seethed. "It's worth a lot of lien…"
"So much more than that," Verdant whispered with a shake of his head. "So much more…"
"Why me?" Sage questioned, wheezing again as one of the guards pressed down harder on him. "Why give me another chance?"
"Because you have been talking to Ironwood… don't bother trying to deny it," Verdant responded coldly. "I'm willing to look past that for now… because I know you would do anything to protect your girlfriend… even go behind the back of the General..."
Sage was silent.
"It appears I'm right," Verdant smiled. "Love makes us do crazy things..."
"Tell me about it…" Sage hissed, glaring upwards at his imposingly tall relative.
"You have another week…" Verdant responded coldly. "If you fail… or try to run… I will have her killed with prejudice… do you understand?"
"Crystal…"
"Good!" Verdant's eyes flicked up to the guards and gestured to the door. "Give him a hand gentlemen…"
Sage's world spun was he was violently hefted up by the burly men. He was roughly dragged to the door and thrown down the stairs, his aura flaring up to protect him from the brutal fall. He lay in a crumpled heap at the foot of the stairs, blood roaring in his ears as the door to Verdant's office clicked shut.
Sage shakily got to his feet and wobbled out of the staff door. His head swam with nausea and anxiety as he pushed through the patrons and out into the cool night air.
He had to report to Ironwood… in time.
Sage stumbled into the nearby alleyway and promptly threw up…