Less Than a Hero, More Than a Gamer Chapter 17: Solo Mission Part 1, a rwby fanfic

Less than a Hero, More than a Gamer

Chapter 17

Six Months Later

Max stared up at a large open stone gate with a perplexed scowl on his face.

The boy had taken another dive into his soul-scape for what would be the hundredth time since his discovery of it nearly six months ago. He made sure to take a dive into his soul nearly every day right after his daily training/beatdown with Neo.

Getting there was the easy part, as it tended to take five minutes of meditation to reach his inner soul. The hard part was not accidentally booting himself out every three seconds. Apparently maintaining one's presence in their soulscape took discipline and inner peace and a bunch of other stuff that Max, despite his calm demeanor, was pretty bad at.

It took nearly two months to be able to stay in his soulscape for half an hour. And most of the time he wouldn't be able to stay for that long, either from him looking focus or Neo trying to "help" by blowing a noisemaker in his ear or something equally annoying.

"Roman asked me to get you in shape anyway I can." typed the 'Annoying ass midge-' girl with an impish smile on her face.

As much as it pained the boy to admit, her excruciatingly loud methods were helpful in a sense. Eventually he was able to go an hour or two before slipping up and returning to the real world.

Max took a lot of time just walking through his soul, marveling at the wonders of his inner being.

At first he believed it was nothing but a snowy valley of memories, thoughts, and color, housing large clumps of ice that played out memories and spires of blue grass that had his most valuable possessions laid on them.

He dived deeper every day and looked for something different to break up the scenery to no avail. It was the same old valley with the same unscalable walls.

At least that's what he thought until today.

The ground started to become steep as Max went deeper. At first it was barely noticeable, but over time Max's lazy stroll to an uphill climb that lasted for what felt like hours until he finally hit a plateau.

That was when he came face to face with the gate.

It was oddly ornate and stylized which was very out of place compared to the simple, almost messy nature of everything before it. It was a smooth, deep silver covered in ancient emblems and words Max couldn't make heads or tails of. The number twenty shone brightly between the doors, drawing Max's attention almost hypnotically.

Max pursed his lips and walked to the gate completely unafraid. It was a part of his soul, albeit an odd one. It wasn't like it would hurt him. The boy set one foot across the gate's border. He nonchalantly walked through the giant twenty and everything went white.

Scattered memories flew through Max's head, so fast that he could barely process them.

A proposition from The Voice

A frantic run through a ruined city

A look into an empty blue void

A life-threatening leap into a wreaked tower

A terrifying plunge to the real world

A hooded boy looking down on him

The boy's stumbled as he made his way across the gate. He blinked and looked behind him. The gate looked didn't look any different, no bizarre glow or weird energy to be found. He shrugged and looked kept moving forward. There was still so much to find.

He drag his feet forward with a not-so-small amount of difficulty. The ground was even steeper than before! He stopped moving forward and sat on the cold, soft ground. He had made good progress today, maybe he should call it quits.

The boy noticed something glowing near the edge of his vision. He narrowed his eyes and looked up to see the top of yet another silver wall of stone, this time glowing with the number forty glowing brightly on it.

Max got back to his feet and began to jog towards it, but was stopped by some kind of invisible wall. He groaned and jabbed at the wall with his considerable strength. It didn't budge.

The boy's eye twitched. Why couldn't anything about his soul make sense? It was starting to really grind his gears. He mentally loosened his grip on his soul and felt the world fade away. He could deal with the whole invisible wall thing tomorrow.

Max's eyes fluttered open. He was sitting in a standard meditative position on his side of the rookie bunks. He let out a deep relaxing breath and reigned in his Aura. Diving that deep was one hell of a workout, spiritually speaking.

[Maxwell Argentum: Level 36 (31,893/42,500)]

[HP: 2,178/2,178 | SP: 1,958/1958 | Aura: 2,525(100%) » 2,550(100%)]

The boy swatted the stat panel away and ran a hand through his hair.

'I swear. The moment I think things are starting to make sense, shit like this happens.'

Max leaned back on his hands and cracked his neck. Roman had exempted him from training for the whole day for some reason, Melanie had dragged Miltia to the mall, Maverick was out of town for research, and Neo hadn't shown up to "help" with his meditation.

No crazy midgets to deal with, no bickering twins or mad scientists making him put in earplugs, and no egotistical superpowered mob bosses to get on his nerves.

The boy scooted next to his bed and 'Unpocketed' a box of pizza with a leisurely sigh. Finally he had some time to kick back and relax! Time which was becoming rarer and rarer each passing day.

What should he do? Should he go out and buy some comics? They were having a sale on the older issues of Superbman downtown. Maybe he should just sit back and chow down on pizza all day. He burned through a ton of energy on a daily basis, a half a dozen pizzas wouldn't do much in the long run. Perhaps he could lie in bed all day, no meditation, no stressing, just pure unadulterated relaxation.

Max pulled out a slice of pizza, sweet, delicious pepperoni, and dug around 'the pocket' for an old Crimson Hood comic. The boy smiled, who said he couldn't do all three? His auntie always told him that extreme multitasking was "The shit". Time to put it to the test.

The silverette licked his lips and brought the slice of pizza to his mouth with a smile. He could already taste it! The cheesy goodness! The delectable crust! The tangy but not too tangy sauce.

He slammed his jaws shut around the slice eagerly, preparing himself for a brilliant barrage of flavors. Unfortunately it was not to be. His teeth passed through the slice as if it wasn't even there. It slowly dissolved under Max's stupified gaze, turning into small multicolored shards of energy floating in the boy's face, almost mockingly.

A sharp, prickly sensation glided along the boy's gums and throat, forcing Max into a dry coughing fit and making him lightly beat his chest. More shards shot out the boy's mouth, slowly turning from infinite shades of red yellow and orange into three distinct shades of pink brown and white.

Max's ears shot to attention, and an annoyed growl emanated from behind his grit canine teeth. A small white boot came into view from the edges of the boy's vision.

His eyes shot up, right up to the ever mischievous Neo, who was sitting on the top bunk with her legs crossed and a gloved hand over a poorly concealed smirk. Her parasol rested casually on her shoulder and her scroll shone brightly with her signature text.

"That was a dreadful performance, Wolf Brain. I've been sitting here for two minutes, and you JUST now notice me? Get it together kid."

Max scoffed and crossed his arms, "Who the hell are you callin' kid, ya damn midge-"

Neo shattered and appeared in Max's face with a threatening hand gripping her parasol.

The boy stared at the girl silently before sighing and resting his arms on his bed, "What do you want, Neo? I ain't in any mood for a workout and you're a bit too late to "help" with my Aura Training."

The girl rolled her eyes and, after a second of lightning-fast typing, presented her scroll to Max. The boss wants you for something. He says it's important.

"Seriously?" Max grumbled, "I thought today was my day off or something."

Neo held a hand to her mouth and stifled a silent laugh as if the concept of a day off was amusing to her. Max's eye twitched and he rose to his feet. He dusted off his pants and looked down at Neo. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Tell Roman I'll be there in a minute, got it?"

The girl in question smirked and threw Max a peace sign. She quickly placed a hand on the boy's arm and Shattered, causing Max's vision to go white and his body to start tingling all over.

Max found himself in his employer's office the moment the world came back into focus. The boy palmed his face. 'Looks like the midget teleported me. Dammit, now I gotta deal with Roman's shit unprepared.'

"Think fast, kiddo!" Speak of the devil and he shall emerge.

Max shot to attention, just in time to see Roman swing melodic Cudgel at him like a baseball bat.

He ducked under the weaponized cane, feeling his hair rustle from the displaced wind. A small simile bloomed on Roman's face.

Max shot his fist toward Roman's face on instinct. A sloppy move, but effective all the same. Well it would've been had Roman not caught his fist in an ironclad grip.

The master criminal laughed, not mockingly for once, and released Max's fist. "That's the spirit, kid!" he said with amusement, "I actually had to try to block you. Granted I didn't have to try very hard, and your punch was sloppy as hell, but A for effort." He gestured to a chair in front of his desk. "Go on, make yourself comfortable. You definitely won't be by tomorrow, so enjoy it while it lasts."

"What the hell are you getting at?" The boy said as he took his seat.

"What I'm getting at," he pulled out a cigar and looked Max dead in the eyes, "Is your initiation into Torchlight. Your real one, anyway."

Max's eyes narrowed, "What the hell are you talkin' about? Didn't I already join you when I signed that stupid contra-"

"Up, bup, bup," Roman verbally shushed him, "What did I say about talking back to your superiors?"

The boy rolled his eyes, "Not to say shit back to you unless it's something smart."

"Yup, right on the money." He took another drag of his cigar, "And that little comeback lacked any attention to the context of our chat. D plus."

"You're grading me now? Last time I checked you weren't my damn math teacher."

Roman smirked and tipped his hat, "That's more like it, kiddo. B minus."

Max pinched the bridge of his nose and proceeded to regret his life choices. Why could no one in his life cut the bullshit and just get to the point!?

The mob boss held his hands up in surrender, "Alright, I give. I'll cut to the chase."

'Took you long enough, ya damn ginger'

"You've made a lot of progress in your training, Max. It hasn't even been a year and you're already able to give Neo a half-decent workout. And your reflexes are pretty up to snuff. But my teacher always told me that the best training is experience. Do or die battles that get your blood roaring."

'I don't like where he's going with this'

"You haven't been through a lot of real battles," The man continued, "You got close with that Gary guy, but you have yet to face anyone who is a real threat to your life. That needs to change, A.S.A.P"

"And why is that?" a pit began to form in Max's stomach.

Roman took another drag of his cigar "This city's gonna go to hell in a few weeks. The odds are against us, big time. I need to tip them in my favor. That's where you come in." He fished a manila folder from his desk and tossed it to Max.

Within it were several hastily taken pictures. Well dressed men walking toward the docks, several pictures of the strange super steroid Gary had on him, and dozens of pictures of a strange woman with light blue hair.

"Who the hell-"

"Misty Azure," Roman interrupted, "An…old flame of mine."

"Old flame?" asked Max with a raised eyebrow.

"Ex-Fuckbuddy, but that's irrelevant right now. She was a subordinate of mine two years ago. She was something of a mad scientist, always tinkering with the mooks we brought home. The crazy broad thought hat she could science up a fix for anything. Medicines, weird painkillers, adrenaline packs, steroids."

Max's eyes narrowed, "She made that shit Gary was on, didn't she?"

Roman nodded "They call it Chemical Buio-768. Misty found a boatload of a strange chemical on the black market a few months before she disappeared. She proposed the idea to engineer it into a highly addictive steroid, one that would make us a fortune and help get the cops off our backs if we sold it to 'em. Naturally I was curious, so I let her test it on some of the henchmen. The results…weren't pretty."

"Define not pretty."

"You ever seen someone's muscles implode, Max? Basically that."

"..."

"Yeah, pretty gory. Neo was freaking out for about a week after the fact. We went through about a month of testing before I told her to scrap the idea. She was pretty adamant about keeping the project running, but I didn't budge. A week later she died in a skirmish with some of MacRein's men."

Max waved the folder at Roman, "She sure as hell doesn't look dead. It says these pictures were taken about a month ago, and I doubt anyone would cosplay as a dead chick."

Roman nodded in acknowledgment "I heard rumors of some kind of wonder drug going around. The rumors sounded too familiar, and I started connecting the dots. My suspicions were confirmed by that scrawny guy you brought here a while back. Misty completed the serum and, if my hunch is correct, is selling them to MacRein. Your job is to rectify that."

The mob boss tossed Max a small Holo-Map which showed a bird's eye view of Vale's industrial district along with a set of coordinates.

"Neo and the twins have tracked Misty's base of operations to an abandoned chemical plant on the east side." He tapped a highlighted building on the map for emphasis, "Your mission is to track her down, grab whatever data you can find on the Buio Formula, and terminate her."

"Mission?" Max's eyes turned pensive for a split second before flashing with realization, "You mean…"

Roman flashed the boy a megawatt smile and spread his arms out theatrically. "That's right, kiddo! This is your first official mission for Torchlight! Consider it your final test to join my ranks! Your entrance exam in a sense! Don't let me down, got it?"

[Quest Received]

[Operation: Azure Assassination | RE: Roman Torchwick]

[Master thief and criminal extraordinaire, Roman Torchwick has assigned you a mission to assassinate an associate turned traitor. Are you up to the task?]

[Main Objective(s): Find and kill Misty Azure, Get data on Chemical Buio-768 | Reward(s): 10K Experience Points, 25K Lien]

[Challenge 1: Finish the assassination in less than 1 minute(s) | Reward(s): 8K Experience Points, 20K Lien]

[Challenge 2: Finish the Assassination in less than 5 minute(s) | Reward(s): 3K Experience Points, 10K lien]

[Challenge 3: Eliminate at least half of the henchmen in the area | Reward(s): 9K Experience points, 15K lien]

[Challenge 4: Eliminate every single henchman in the area | Reward(s): 9K Experience Points, 15K lien]

Max sat on his bed, staring at the quest screen pensively. This was it, the very first real mission he's gotten since his time directly under Cinder. He didn't understand why he was so stressed out. It wasn't that weird compared to the other missions he received during his time on Remnant all things considered.

However nearly every mission so far was a spur of the moment thing, quests that came up in the heat of the moment and didn't give him a lot of time to think about the ramifications of doing them. The most time he had been given to process the situation was ten minutes, ten minutes that nearly drove him crazy.

This time around he had been given hours to reflect on things, four to be exact. Extra time to think tends to be a good thing, but in Max's case all it did was allow the stress to build up.

Despite his larger than average body count, twelve if he was remembering right, Max had never planned to kill all but one, and that one could barely be considered planned.

There was a clear-cut difference between killing someone out of a twisted sense of self-preservation and deliberately going somewhere for the sole purpose of murder.

He certainly didn't regret his earlier kills and had already resolved himself to his choice in "career", but the impending pressure of ending a life was daunting nonetheless.

A hand softly knocked against his door in sync with a message sent to his scroll.

"Get to the car, furry boy!" it read with, many similar messages from seconds before. He must've tuned them out.

"Quit blowin' up my phone," he said to the door, hoping the mute girl behind it would catch the hint. Another message popped up on his phone, probably the girl's snarky denial, "A'ight fine, I'll be there in two. Now screw off."

Max ignored the resulting message and slipped on his jacket, needlessly checking their pockets out of habit. He couldn't pin down a reason why. It wasn't like anything could fall out of them.

The boy replaced Alpha's drained rocket crystal and ammo and placed the weapon on his back, gripping its pole for some sort of reassurance.

Max walked outside and caught sight of Roman leaning against his car, an orange convertible that wouldn't catch too much attention. Neo sat on the car's roof absentmindedly swinging her legs, confusing Max. He didn't mind the help, but Roman made it clear that this was going to be a solo mission.

Roman's smirked at the boy's arrival. "Thirty seconds late, kid," he said jovially, "We've really got to work on that tardy streak of yours." the man said with a light chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah," Max said dismissively before sliding into the backseat, "We doin' this or what?" he asked while trying to get his seat-belt past Alpha.

Roman got in the driver's seat a moment after, with Neo teleporting into the passenger side soon after with a flourish.

The mob boss looked back at Max with a smile, "I'm so glad to see that you're in such a good mood." he almost sounded sincere, "Don't let that sunny disposition of yours affect your performance, kay?"

"Aye, aye, captain," Max said with a voice that should've been energetic and a weak salute.

"That's what I like to hear!" Roman said before turning back to the wheel. In seconds the trio was off, racing through the neon streets of Vale.

For nearly half an hour they sat in silence. Roman was eagerly chewing on some tobacco. Neo bobbed her head in tune with a musical arrangement on the radio. Max almost repeatedly tightened his gloves while trying, and mostly succeeding, to keep a straight face.

Occasionally Roman would look at Max in the rearview mirror expectantly, not that the boy noticed.

"..."

Max broke the silence by asking, "Anything I should know before I fight this chick? Or are you just sendin' me in blind?" Max hoped the latter wasn't the case.

Roman gave the boy a look that felt like he was saying, "Took you long enough!", before plastering a smile on his face.

"A lot actually, Thank you for finally asking." the mob boss looked as if a weight was lifted off his back.

'What the hell do you want from me, you redheaded cockbite?' Max didn't know if the man was testing him or just doing his usual song and dance.

"You won't have to worry about her directly," Roman began, "She was never much of a fighter, always acting like she was above the concept. Our spy gave us a report on her strength. She shouldn't be too much for you to handle one on one."

The man's face turned sour, "The real thing you should watch out for is her bodyguards. She tends to drug up her goons, so it's likely that they're on Buio too."

Max paled. He was gonna have to deal with a bunch of Roid Freaks like Gary!?

"But," Roman interrupted the boy's internal panic session, "It's unlikely that they're as tough as that guy you dragged to the hideout. He was having a major overdose of Buio when you fought, and I doubt that Misty would let her only bodyguards do something that stupid on the job."

"Good to know. Anything else?"

Roman shook his head, "Nah that's all the importa…wait, no. There was something else…Oh yeah!"

Max leaned forward. Roman's face went serious near the end there, so it must be a big deal.

"Misty tends to keep her research drive in a hidden compartment in her bra, so try not to aim there," he said with a completely straight face.

Neo dropped her scroll and gaped at her boss, dooming her character to a quick death.

Max stared at his employer, unblinking. "What the fuck…?"

Roman raised a hand in his defense, "Look, she may or may not have asked me to watch her undress once or twice. Kinky little minx…" he said with a hint of nostalgia.

"...You know what, just let me out. I'm cool with walking the rest of the way."

The mob boss snorted, "Don't bother, kid. We're already here." he pulled into a dark alley and parked the car.

Max swallowed and slowly got out, steeling his nerves one last time. It was showtime. 'No goin' back.' he told himself.

The boy heard some small grunts from above when he got out. He looked up just in time to see the edge of Neo's boot disappear to the rooftop above.

Max looked at the walls on each side of him and cracked his knuckles, 'Okay then. Just like I practiced.'

He took a deep breath and leaped to the wall to his left, soaring a solid 10 feet in the air. His foot hit the brick wall, allowing him to launch himself further in the air to the other side. The boy jumped, again and again, parkouring his way to the roof.

Max vaulted over the ledge to the sight of Neo twirling her parasol and Roman with his back to him. he walked up to the boss, who looked into the distance with binoculars.

The trio was staring down a relatively small warehouse on a stone pier. Boats could be seen sailing to and from the harbor nearby, illuminating the murky waters and skipping right over the building.

It was relatively unassuming at first glance, nothing out of the ordinary. But those with keen eyes would notice the subtle blurbs of color.

Men wearing city camouflage patrolled the area, carrying boxes and briefcases in and out. Their movements were covered by the almost abnormally loud waves. They probably had fans underwater controlling it.

"That's one of MacRein's storage facilities." Roman said, completely serious for the first time that night, "Normally MacRein has his higher-ups work in the undercity. Luckily for us they were compromised near the end of last year by a splinter cell. Now every crime family in the city is gunning for them twenty-four/seven, including yours truly." he said proudly before handing Max his binoculars.

The boy used them to scan over the warehouse along with 'The Third Eye'.

[Jasmine Violet | Level: 18 | HP: 650/650]

[Ko Zedong | Level: 16 | HP: 700/700]

[Aaron Marillo | Level: 17 | HP: 690/690 | Aura: 320/320]

[Micheal Aurantiaco | Level: 20 | HP: 720/720]

[Patrick Pyre | Level: 15 | HP: 640/640]

[Benjamin Caeru | Level: 17 | HP: 690/690]

'Only six? This chick is more understaffed than we are. Not that I'm complaining.' Max though before handing the binoculars back to Roman.

"We've been slowly pressuring them into different parts of the city." Roman continued, "Most of MacRein's men have been sent to the other side of Vale, leaving dear old Misty wide open."

Max stared at the warehouse with a hand on his chin. He'd have to take out all the guys outside before even trying to get in. But how should he go about it. Flashbangs would cause too much attention, as would smoke bombs or Alpha. He'd just have to pick them off one by one and hope for the best.

"Welp, good luck kid. We're off. Try not to get yourself killed."

"What?" Max turned to his boss with a curious expression. Wasn't he at least going to stay and watch?

"As much as I'd love to stay and watch, it's been six hours since I've eaten, and there are eight burritos at the lair with my name on them." He smirked and leaped away, "Rooting for you, kiddo!" he said before vanishing in a cloud of smoke.

Neo materialized a victory flag with a crudely made version of his face on it before shattering away, grinning impishly the whole time.

Max heard the sound of squealing tires and saw Roman's car zip away into the distance. The boy slumped his shoulders with a groan, 'Why am I even surprised?' he asked himself.

"Hey Mike?" asked one of Misty's bodyguards to her coworker.

"Yeah Jasmine?" said the aforementioned Mike in response.

"You ever wonder why we're here?"

"Well I for one th-" the man began before a gloved hand covered his mouth, snagging his head in an iron grip.

"Wha-" Jasmine began before she was caught in a similar grip.

Their heads were slammed together with skull shaking impact, over and over again, until they lay on the concrete ground unmoving, haphazardly sprawled over each other

Max dusted off his hands from behind their bodies, using 'The Third Eye' to make sure they were unconscious.

'That's one way to do it.' the boy thought as he hoisted them both over his shoulders. The boy listened for footsteps before walking to his right to dispose of them in a nearby dumpster.

He crouched next to the large metal box for a while to make sure no one was approaching before opening it and throwing the bodyguards inside, making sure to lock them in.

"Oh thank god, you're finally here." a voice whispered from a few feet behind Max.

The boy's ears shot to attention. He grabbed Alpha off his back spun it around and held its blade up to the speaker's neck.

The speaker held his hands up in surrender, "Waitwaitwait! I'm with Roman, I'm with Roman! Please don't cut my head off!" the man whisper-shouted, pleading for Max not to decapitate him.

Max didn't buy the man's plea and nudged his spear closer to the man's neck causing him to panic.

"Umm, how did It go again," the man quietly asked himself before straightening his posture, "The Torch's light shines from the sun to the moon and darkens the morning sky." the man said just loud enough for Max to hear.

'Roman's code.' The boy placed alpha back on its holster. The Torchlight code was a closely guarded secret, only given to the more important members of Roman's organization.

The man sighed in relief and walked over to Max, "I was starting to think my data got intercepted, glad to see that wasn't the case. You must be Max, nice to meet you."

"Yup." the boy responded simply. This guy certainly switched gears fast.

The man nodded and pulled out a holo-map of the warehouse, presenting it to Max, "Alright here's what's up. I managed to sabota-"

"Hey Aaron, what's all the commotion abou-" a bodyguard began as he rounded the dumpster. His mouth froze once he saw Max. His mouth widened as he prepared to shout but was covered by the silverette, who crossed the short distance between them in a flash and tackled him to the ground.

The boy pummeled the man's head into the ground as he thrashed about, breaking and bruising his face until he passed out.

Max looked back at Aaron with narrowed eyes who cocked an eyebrow in response. The boy tilted his head at the dumpster next to the man, conveying a silent message.

"Oh…" Aaron said as Max raced away to find the other two bodyguards, leaving him to dispose of the bodies.

Max weaved his way through the small pier, around, over, and sometimes through the many shipping containers. He landed on one in particular with a bang, accidentally drawing the attention of a nearby bodyguard.

"Who's there?" the bodyguard said confidently, brandishing his guns with pride. He looked to where he heard the noise, only to find the top of the container vacant. He scratched his head in confusion, not noticing Max lurking behind him with Alpha reared back.

The boy grit his teeth and swung his weapon, impacting the man's head with the side of his blade, knocking the bodyguard out cold.

Max looked up to see Aaron running toward him with ruffled hair and a wound-less bullet hole on his sleeve. The man had a relieved look on his face as he approached.

"That should be the last of them. Good job." he said happily before pulling out his holo-map once more.

Aaron pointed to a highlighted section of the map that let to a sectioned off room, "That's a hidden entrance to Misty's lab. She's pretty caught up with the Buio right now, so she won't notice you if you get to the scaffolding quick enough."

Max nodded and ran away from the man, eager to get this mission over with as quickly as possible.

"You could've at least said thanks…" Aaron muttered as the faunus dashed away.

Max rounded the warehouse, not so gracefully sliding past the tinted windows. He trailed his eyes over the wall until he saw it, a metal hatch on the wall, clearly the entrance. It would've blended in with the wall perfectly had it not been cracked.

The boy mentally channeled Hyper Awareness leaped to the window and wrestled the hatch open as quietly as possible. There was a surprisingly long tunnel behind it. What it was for, Max would never know.

It was a short crawl to the end of the tunnel, which opened up into a large room filled to the brim with lab equipment.

Makeshift cabinets and tech covered the walls, filled with beakers and chemicals full of stuff Max couldn't even begin to name. Vials and mixtures were laid on tables neatly that all converging to a single point, a rather tall woman with blue hair frantically typing at a computer, mumbling things under her breath.

[Misty Azure | Level: 32 | HP: 1,646/1,646 | Aura: 1,125/1,125]

'Moment of Truth.' Max slowly unsheathed Alpha, and got into something resembling a running stance. He shot himself forward, quickly clearing half of the room, with Alpha high above his head.

The boy wasn't able to angle his weapon properly due to his lack of experience, causing its blade to loudly scrape against the metal ceiling and alerting Misty of his presence moments before he reached her.

The blue-haired woman rolled away from her workstation in a fright. Max, unable to fully control his trajectory, stabbed right through her workstation, wreaking her computer beyond repair.

Misty gaped in horror at her lost computer before being forced to duck under one of Alpha's slashes.

The woman stumbled backward and pulled out a large blue handgun. She shakily shot at Max, each bullet being dodged or being so poorly aimed that they didn't even come close.

She caught her bearings and aimed directly at the spot between her assailant's eyes, a mere second from firing. Max stabbed the woman's gloved hand in response, making the shot go wide and causing her to drop the weapon.

The woman hissed and grabbed her aching hand before dodging yet another slash from Max. The boy grunted and started stabbing at her feet, trying to catch her off balance to no avail, face stony and calm.

'The blue bitch can't fight, but she sure as hell can dodge.' he thought as Misty clumsily evaded another stab.

Misty overextended her dodge and accidentally hit one of her worktables, spilling chemicals and glass containers all over the floor. Some chemicals hit each other during the fall, splashing on the floor together can creating a noxious smelling gas. Misty was relatively unaffected but Max, due to his sensitive nose, reflexively stepped away, glaring at her as he did so.

The scientist shivered and looked over at the door. It would be a clear shot from there to her goons, and she was a master at running away. But she doubted the assassin would let her escape so easily, and he would be deterred by the gas for too long.

Surely enough the boy quickly dispelled his discomfort and poised his weapon at her throat once more. He lunged at her, weapon shining in its deadly glory.

Misty fidgeted around in her pockets, seeing the world move in slow motion as Max's blade sailed toward her head. She fished out a chalky purple pellet and threw it at the boy's face in a panic.

The pellet hit Max square in the eye, exploding on contact in a puff of magenta smoke. The boy immediately dropped his weapon and clutched his face, with his tail standing on end his mouth spewing curses.

In the blink of an eye Misty was out of the door and gathering her henchmen.

Max heaved and desperately tried to wipe the chalky substance off of his face.

'It burns! It burns so damn much!'

Spit flew out of his mouth in wet coughs as he desperately tried to keep from inhaling the foul substance.

"That *Cough Cough* shitty blue-" Max ground out between a stream of coughs and heaves, "*Cough Cough* Fucking whore! *Cough*" his back hunched over as he tried to wipe the powdery substance off his face.

"Shit eating *Cough Cough* Fuckin'…haaah…hah…" the boy's stream of swears turned into pants as the smoke finally cleared from his face. He rested his hands on his knees as he blinked painful tears out of his eyes.

Max groaned and looked up at the door, which was slightly ajar from Misty's quick exit. He growled, picked up alpha, and hoisted the spear over his shoulder.

He burst through the door ready for payback, but was frozen in place.

Misty stood in the middle off a crowd of MacRein's soldiers, all of which had either a gun or a dangerous looking blade. They fanned out around the doorway from every angle, giving no means of easy escape.

Max saw the woman rear her arm back ever so slightly as if about to give a command to the soldiers. One that was easy to guess.

The boy reacted in an instant and grabbed a ball off his belt as he saw Misty's mouth take shape. His hand went into a trowing motion.

"FIRE!"

The ball hit the ground.

Dense smoke blanketed the area in an instant, half a second before the guards pulled the triggers. Their shots flew blindly into the smoke. The flashes of their muzzles lit up the area.

One soldier saw a shadow come over him in the smoke. He came face to foot with a large boot, which launched off his face and sent him to the ground, having used him as a springboard.

Max spun around midair and threw another metal ball into the smoke, hoping for the best.

"GRENADE!" a deep voice echoed through the warehouse.

Misty and about two dozen soldiers ran out of the smoke to safety. Many others weren't so lucky and were caught in an explosion of sparks and fire. Pained shouts came from amidst an ashen cloud. Bodies flew through the air, trailing sparks.

Max didn't admire his handiwork and got behind a wide iron pillar. He pulled out a small bullet that was lodged in the arm of his jacket. 'I am so glad I bought this.'

His relieved musings were cut short by a burly man sliding into view. His body was abnormally large, with blacked veins and unnaturally red eyes.

'Oh come on!' Now wasn't the time for another 'roid freak.

The man swung down his axe with a gap-toothed grin, the blade whistling in the wind.

Max brought up Alpha and blocked the attack and pushed the man back with a grunt. 'At least he ain't as strong as Gary.' he thought as the man slid ever-so-slightly.

Max blocked another strike, this time with one arm on Alpha, and punched his attacker in the gut with all his might. The Buio'ed up man coughed and hunched over slightly.

A second punch sailed into the bodyguard's gut, then a third, then a fourth and a fifth, making his body go slack.

The boy batted the man's loose axe away and thrust Alpha through the man's sternum, drawing a rich amount of black blood. Max then placed his foot on the man's stomach and pushed, removing Alpha and leaving the soldier with a gaping wound.

"Don't move, animal!" a rude voice toned from behind the faunus. He looked over his shoulder to see a man pointing an assault rifle at him with a smirk.

"What he said, freak!" Another man said a good distance in front of him.

The boy tensed and prepared to run, but was stopped by a familiar female voice, "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Misty said with confidence. Max looked to her by reflex and immediately felt his heart drop.

It was deja vu. They were fanned out once more, surrounding him from every angle with enraged looks on their faces. The moved forward bit by bit, making Max subconsciously back up into the wall.

Misty broke through the crowd holding her pistol. She looked at the boy with her nose upturned, not unlike an arrogant noble.

"Who sent you?" she said before snapping her fingers. Two soldiers walked up to Max, holding their smoking gun barrels inches away from his skull. The boy broke into a cold sweat despite his calm facade. His Aura unknowingly flickered in his hands.

'I'm going to die…'

"Tell me and I'll make your death mostly painless!" Misty demanded with narrow eyes and a hand gliding over the trigger of her pistol.

'I'm going to die.'

"Can't say," he responded with a gravelly voice, as if something was caught in his throat. The soldiers didn't like this answer and stuck their barrels on his skin.

'I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die.'

"I'll ask again." the scientist said with faux politeness, "Who! Sent! You!? You have five seconds to answer me before we load you with bullets." she emphasized her point by aiming her own gun at him.

'I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die!'

"Fuck you," Max said with no inflection.

The woman gritted her teeth. "FIVE!"

The world moved in slow motion as Misty counted down.

'This is it. I'm dead. I wish I could say it was a good run.'

"FOUR!"

'I just…I can't get out of this. I'm done.'

"THREE!"

'I'm sorry, auntie.'

Do you really want to get out of this? 'Cause we sure as hell ain't soundin' like it. An Ice cold identical to Max's said from somewhere deep inside him. The boy's Aura sparked in his palms.

'What?'

Do you want to live? Do you want to survive and find a way outta this? I know we do. It spoke with Max's normal brash language but lacked any of the emotion that came with it.

"TWO!"

'Of course.' Max thought, compelled to respond by some invisible force.

Then calm down. Be calm and force yourself to get out of this shithole. That's all that matters. We're all that matters, right?

'Yes.'

Then you know what to do?

'Yes.'

Max stood in the middle of his soulscape, staring intently at the crystalline orb of energy that eluded him so long. He reached out for it, beckoning it with his hands. It didn't fight back. His fingers grazed the freezing surface and everything lit up silver.

In the outside world Max's Aura began to glow a deep silver. Small pulses of ice-cold energy came off him in waves. His eyes were closed and glowed behind their lids.

"ONE!"

Misty's men poised to fire, their fingers right on their triggers.

Max's eyes widened showing off his glowing blue eyes. His skin brightened like a light-bulb, the men next to him were knocked to their feet, and everything went white.

Took you long enough.

The boy took a shaky breath as the haze cleared from his mind. A cloud of frigid air come out. He looked at the floor beneath him and clenched his fist.

It was frozen over, covered by a rough bumpy layer of silver ice. The two soldiers who nearly shot him laid on the icy floor, wrapped in jagged cocoons of ice.

Frozen spikes jutted out from the ground in layers, circling the boy, impaling soldiers and shielding him at the same time. Frost covered Max's gloves and the edge of his sleeves.

Misty's entire arm and some of her chest were frozen to the ground. She gaped at the silverette, her face flushed from the cold. An ice spike rested dangerously close to her stomach, having been protected by her Aura.

Max stared as his hands, watching as mist rolled off it in purposely muted awe.

[Maxwell Argentum | HP: 2143/2178 | Aura: 2325/2550 (91%) » 2100/2550 (82%)]

He looked over at Misty's frozen form with an expression that was almost a glare. His brows knitted and he pointed his spear at the woman with a scowl, watching as she tried to pull her arm out of its frozen prison.

"Let's go, bitch."

Finally! The reveal I've been hinting at since Chapter 1 is here! (I can elaborate if need be). Max's semblance has been revealed! Though it's not exactly what you think. No it is not some secret one-of-a-kind power that can freeze the world over, that would be boring. You'll just have to wait and see. That's if Max survives the next chapter. Just because he has his semblance now doesn't guarantee a victory, nor does it guarantee he knows how to use it…at all.

No Maxy Chibi for this chapter. I thought I would break the flow too much leading into the next chapter.

Sorry for the delay. This whole Covid-19 thing hit right when I was starting this chapter up and killed my mojo. I hope you dudes are staying healthy by the way.

That being said, I have a question for you guys. What do you think of Max as a character? I'm pretty content with what he is right now and I have a pretty decent plan for his arc and backstory, but I'd like to ask what your opinions of him are. Pros, Cons, tweaks I should make to him, ect.

Alright then, that's all from me. Stay…frosty (Goddammit, Barb!)