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Chapter 42: Ace Holes
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The streets of Mantle were narrow and cold. The dimly lit city was heated by subterranean vents that emanated a soft orange glow, steam wafted from the various pipes and drains around the lower-class neighborhood. A rather hapless green-haired girl and a moody grey-haired boy wandered aimlessly; a mustachioed man in a rather nice suit walked beside them. The mustachioed man had been to Atlas and Mantle before as was trying to lead the two of them through the alleyways. It wasn't working.
"Shh! Do you want them to hear us? If anyone knows who we are we'll be worse off than when we were trapped in that hole that Arden threw us down!", the green-haired girl whined.
"Arden? Who the hell is Arden?", the Mustachioed man exclaimed.
"Hello, again… It is so nice to see that you've managed to escape. Not many escape the 'hole'.", a voice from behind them announced.
"Aww crap! Watts, we said his namethree times and summoned him!", the moody boy shouted.
"Shut up, Mercury!", the green-haired girl cursed.
"Emerald, Mercury… Is this Arden?", Watts asked.
"It is! What a pleasure to meet the infamous 'doctor of death', Arthur Watts. And you perhaps, do not know me by name?", Arden noted.
"You- You're- You're the Mad King! Mistress Sal- Her majesty regards you with adoration.", Watts stuttered.
"Oh yes. I did imprison these two minions, but only to test their loyalty. They did not run off to join the others, so I can only conclude that they are loyal.", Arden mused.
"We are!", Mercury and Emerald exclaimed.
"Oh, do be good little minions for your queen. I have much to do in town tonight… Do not cause me any grief. I will be watching you as always…", Arden mused.
Arden turned and walked around a corner. Watts, Emerald and Mercury chased after him only to find a dead end with a few bins in it. Arden had disappeared again, like he usually did. A few black feathers on the ground heralded his actual presence.
"Dammit! What the hell is with this guy!?", Emerald cursed.
X
The night was loud and full of tremors as a small local tavern erupted into laughter and glee. The small, somewhat hole-in-the-wall pub was located between two heating vents and was significantly warmer than the rest of Mantle, a sign above the door noted the name of the establishment as Hephaestus' Forge. The pub, once upon a time and very long ago, had apparently been a blacksmith shop in ancient Mantle and had a small placard embedded in its footsteps with a few interesting facts about the place. Inside, a local band played raucous tunes on makeshift instruments. The local working class gathered here to drink their stress away from a long day of building things. The tavern was also full of licensed Huntsmen and Huntresses, the local hero Robyn Hill and her Faunus Friends sat in the corner and eyed everyone warily. Team ATAK sat around a table with the newly reunited Team MRJJ. It was a nice night.
"Rhames! What've you been up to? How's the new family?", a large hulking man asked, Jonk was his name.
"Ehh, more of the same. I even found out I've got a younger brother! Oh, he's here right now! Hey, Adam!", Rhames announced joyfully. The Faunus across from him winced.
"You're related to Adam Taurus!?", A loudmouthed man in blue armor yelled, his name was Minstrel.
"Adam Branwen. We're both related through my mother, Raven. Kinda crazy, I guess. I've got a heroic sister, Yang, and a real bastard of a brother, Adam. We're still family, so that's what really matters in the end.", Rhames mused.
"Awk! Family is nice. I've got a brother in the Ivory Fang back in Vale. He's doing his best. Awk! I miss Georgie…", A pigeon Faunus exclaimed, most of his face taken up by a large beak. This was Javelin, the final member of Team MRJJ.
"So, how was Helios? I heard you went up there…", Rhames asked.
"Ehh, a lot of propaganda and some dancing robots. We thought there would be a huge fight since the City-Wide Sirens were blaring when it touched down. Turns out it was just a test of Atlas' proximity sensors.", Jonk noted.
"Alright, that's enough talk about how you've been gone and all that shit! Let's get our drink on! Jonk still thinks he's better than you, Rhames!", Minstrel exclaimed.
"Yeah right. Did you learn by doing? Or are you just talking out your ass again, Jonk!?", Rhames said as he slammed his mug onto the table.
Team MRJJ began to engage in their second favorite past time, binge drinking. Team ATAK just stared at them with reproach.
Nobody seemed to notice the pure white assassin return from wherever she'd been hiding. Alabaster Blanche sat down next to her teammates.
"Back.", Alabaster noted.
"Augh! You just appear like that! Like a ghost or something!", ATAK's fourth member, Kindel Fyre screamed.
"Hap!", a strange and shorter man in purple armor noted. Timmy Rim was probably an alien, a robot or a Faunus in disguise. Nobody knew.
"Why do I get myself into these things?", Adam asked to nobody in particular. He thought for a moment, his adventure had effectively ended in Argus. Blake was alive and well and didn't hate him, and Yang had begrudgingly forgiven him. He also wasn't dead. Now his life was just random chaos and weird adventures. He had a feeling he'd done something to deserve this ridiculousness, but couldn't place a finger on it. It probably had something to do with his 'redemption' and the fact he wasn't dead. He sighed.
"Soooo! Spill the beans, Alabaster! What did you do now!?", Kindel asked.
"Secret. Cannot tell.", Alabaster mused.
"Hap hup hap. Hap!", Timmy groaned.
"Uhh… Bad stuff?", Adam noted.
"Secret…", Alabaster mused, putting a finger to her lips.
Robyn Hill and her Faunus Friends sat and watched the two teams like a hawk. They were players in the game somehow, but she didn't really know how. Team MRJJ seemed to bicker with each-other constantly and never get anything done. Team ATAK had two competent members, one of which seemed to hate being a Huntsmen and the other couldn't be tracked. Robyn sighed and motioned to her two most trusted.
"Follow the chick with the haircut and try to keep an eye on the one in white. They're up to something, I can feel it."
X
In the alleyways outside of Hephaestus' Forge, Alabaster Blanche slinked around a corner. She had left again, citing to her team that she had taken another Huntsman Contract. Not waiting for her team's speculation, she used her Semblance and slipped out the front door. Her Semblance, Crypsis, allowed her to literally fade from view. She remembered times past, and early life as an assassin. Young and struggling in the foothills of Mistral with nothing but her ability to steal in plain sight to assist her. After that, it was contract after contract dealing death to those that may or may not have deserved it. The world was a cruel place and Alabaster brought death unto those she was paid to. She didn't really care, everyone died eventually, cold and alone. She stopped musing for a moment and began down the narrow alleyways towards her target.
"You, know… We're not so different…", A voice from behind noted.
Alabaster turned around, before activating her Semblance again.
"Who?", Alabaster hissed.
"A friend. You've got quite the ability. It's similar to mine, but it seems like you can only use it on yourself.", the voice noted, a bluish haired woman looked around the alley cautiously; she couldn't see Alabaster, but she could hear her.
"Doesn't matter. Leave.", Alabaster stated.
"But who are you working for? Why use such an incredible gift for this? Wouldn't you like to be heralded as a hero to the people?", the woman asked.
"People die. That's what people do.", Alabaster stated in fluent Mistrali.
"Oh, a Mistrali. Good to see another one up here…", the woman mused.
"You do not know me. You are impeding fate. Leave before I take action.", Alabaster hissed, she wasn't expecting someone else to speak her native tongue.
"Oh, I will. As soon as I know what you're here for. You're the White Death. Why are you in Atlas?", the bluish haired woman asked again.
A dagger whipped by the bluish-haired woman's throat, a grazing blow that drew a small amount of blood. May Marigold whipped around and brandished her staff against her unseen foe.
"Leave. I work for fate. I am destiny. I have become death, destroyer of worlds.", Alabaster hissed from the shadows. "Final warning."
May Marigold shrugged and put her weapon down. "If it's all the same to you, I think you're in over your head. You have no idea what's going on here do y-"
May was cut off midsentence as a dagger stabbed her in her thigh, hard. The blade twisted in the wound, sending her to her knees. Another dagger stabbed her in her side, also twisted and eliciting a cry of pain and agony.
"Told you. In common tongue. Final Warning. Not targeted. Leave.", Alabaster hissed.
A subtle sound of footsteps leaving the alleyway heralded Alabaster's escape. May just laid against the cold stone ground in agony. "Keep an eye on the one in white", she remembered Robyn telling her. That was a huge mistake. The Happy Huntresses and their Faunus Friends were up against something else entirely. A third party in their game of war? An unknown faction? May's Aura began to heal her wounds slowly, a surprise attack, albeit not one to kill but to disable. She had a lot of interesting things to tell Robyn about their mysterious Huntsmen once she'd healed up.
X
High above the world, atop Atlas' floating island, Jacques Schnee attended a large campaign party. He was trying to win over the Atlesian Council and ultimately seeking a seat on said council. He had a lot of choice words for Ironwood's Embargo and closing of borders. He walked and talked amongst his peers, taking in all of the limelight. He briefly held up us champagne glass for a toast.
"To Atlas! And to Schnee Dust! We are making moves here! Soon, if I am elected onto the Council, changes will be made. The poor folks down in Mantle will have what they need, food and supplies! Discounted dust prices across the continent! We won't have to deal with General Ironwood and his Iron fist of injustice!", Jacques rambled, the crowd cheered.
"If I am elected, I shall Make Atlas Great Again! We will be the most powerful and wealthy Kingdom in the entire world! I will stop the rising unemployment rates and ensure local jobs are strong! I am personally funding my electoral campaign for a seat on the Atlas Council! I will stop illegal immigration and build a massive wall around Mantle. We will make the Grimm pay for their attacks on us!", Jacques roared, the crowd seemed a little hesitant, Jacques Schnee had the tendency of talking out of his ass.
A pale woman in white robes watched the crowd. Nobody seemed to know she was present. She knew her contact was waiting nearby and began to make her way to him. Jacques Schnee had been chosen. He would be the next to succumb to fate.
X
General Ironwood paced around his office, he was nervous and expecting all the wrong answers. The person he'd summoned to his quarters was the son of one he had despised, yet had to work with for so long. This person had also revealed deep secrets that caused his mind to itch. It had to be worth it, though.
"Handsome Jaune. I have some questions for you.", Ironwood noted. Jaune Arc just stood in front of the mechanical man.
"And?", Jaune asked.
"Why did you overthrow Titania?"
"It was my destiny. My own and one I made up myself. I am not a pawn to fate, General. And neither should you be.", Handsome Jaune mused.
"Alright, I suppose that is a respectable answer… However, I am fairly certain that you have a hidden agenda. You can tell me.", Ironwood noted.
"I'm not hiding anything, General. I do what is best for myself and my friends. Hyperion will still aid Atlas and Atlas will still be my kingdom. We're still in this together. Let's go get supplies for Mantle. Even though Salem is immortal, she's still human. I'm sure there's something we can do…", Handsome Jaune mused.
"Hmm… Fine. What do you know of Arden Greyblood?"
"Not much. He's Rhames' dad? Never met him. Seems like a pretty weird dude.", Handsome Jaune noted.
"That's what I thought. It would seem that not even Rhames knows what his father's plans are… Regardless, you are to aid the Ace Operatives in retrieving Dust from an abandoned mine north of Atlas. No doubt, some Grimm have moved in. I would prepare for a fight.", Ironwood noted.
"I wouldn't expect any less. When do we begin?", Jaune asked.
"As soon as possible. Please go down to the briefing room and meet with Clover Ebi. He is going to lead this operation. Thank you for your enlightenment on the current situation, Handsome Jaune.", Ironwood concluded.
Jaune Arc left the room. Ironwood was left alone again, just him and his thoughts. His meeting with Qrow and Ozpin had left more questions than answers. Ozpin wanted to stick with his original plan. Qrow was Qrow. Everything felt so vague for some reason. Salem was unkillable and Ozpin had no idea how to stop her. Qrow didn't believe that the Queen of the Grimm could be reasoned with. The only option was to quarantine Atlas and Mantle and prepare for the worst. Gathering supplies would be the first task, then reinforcing defenses. It was the only option right now. Ironwood didn't know how many people opposed them right now. Salem? Arden? Robyn Hill? Others? His mind was aflame with theories and conspiracies. He sat down for a moment and dialed a familiar number on his Scroll. He needed to hear her voice and he needed her to tell him he wasn't losing his mind right now.
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Meanwhile…
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Vale City was bustling with exchange students and familiar faces. The Vytal Festival was coming up again, but this time, Vale had built its own arena for the tournament. The Amity Arena was still in Atlas, but the Beacon Arena was ready for the combat to start. A former student walked around familiar streets and remembered times of war when the school had fallen several years ago. Cardin Winchester had a family now and so much had passed since his impromptu 'graduation' from the acclaimed Academy.
Cardin walked with his wife, Pickles, a bulldog Faunus. They pushed a pram filled with four small Faunus, two males and two females. Cardin was lost in his memories again, as he was prone to do.
"You seem lost, Cardie… What's wrong?", Pickles asked, tugging at his arm for a moment.
"I'm just… I can still see her. I hope she's okay out there, the Faunus I saved…", Cardin mused sadly before he drifted into a post-traumatic stress induced memory.
X X X
Cardin saw a time of war, Grimm flooded into the city streets. He was still young and unscarred. He had his mace out and was fighting off Nevermores. They swooped downwards onto some unsuspecting students. He pushed a rabbit Faunus out of the way.
"Get out of here!", Cardin's memory yelled.
"Whuh?", the rabbit Faunus exclaimed, Cardin remembered her name as Velvet, she was an upperclassmen, but naïve and sheltered...
"Don't stare at me like some dumb animal! Go! Get to the airships!"
"You... You'll die… I-"
"Leave now! I'm not worth saving, not after how I treated you! Not after what I did to you! Just get out of here, you stupid Faunus! I can hold them back! You have to trust me!"
Cardin fought that day. He pushed Velvet away from him, pushed her hard and brutally like a bully would do. Shoved her to the ground and away from the Grimm. He remembered when the Nevermore had taken his eye.
"Araaaugh! I'm not done here! Come and get me!", Cardin roared. He remembered how Jaune had saved his life, how personal feelings didn't matter when someone's life was at stake. He fought as a Huntsman. He remembered every blow and the damage it did to his armor and his body. He was back there, in the carnage, during the Fall of Beacon.
He remembered seeing Velvet running away in fear after she'd seen the Grimm maim him. He remembered what that time was like and how he never wanted anyone to feel that way again. He knew what his purpose was. And he remembered meeting Pickles in the infirmary when the other doctors had told him he wouldn't survive his injuries. It was a time long passed and a memory that he would never let go of.
X X X
"Cardie? It's all in the past now. We have our children now. They can only grow up to become what you never got to be.", Pickles mused. Cardin was still lost in his memories. Time had a way of changing who you were. And sometimes it was painful to look back upon those times. Especially the times that changed you.
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Elsewhere…
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A Scroll rang in an office, high above Vale. The clockwork gears had been restored and clicked away softly in the background. Glynda Goodwitch sighed and picked up her Scroll, her demeanor changing immediately as she recognized the number.
"James!?"
"Glynda… Oh my gods. It's you… I saw the news reports, I'm so glad you're still here… I'm so lost right now. I… I just learned Ozpin's secret… Salem…", Ironwood sighed.
"Ozpin has always had his secrets. He did tell me a great deal more, for some reason. I'm thinking he didn't know we knew each-other they way we did. And he had some kind of thing for me. I'm aware of Salem's condition.", Goodwitch stated. A long drawn out sigh was the initial response from her caller.
"You know, then…"
"Of course I do. That's why our initiation trials were so much harder at Beacon. We needed to train the best to think of ways out of an unwinnable situation. I do believe our most recent graduates are the ones to do this, James.", Glynda mused.
"Really? That Arc boy is a little… Unhinged."
"He is, but his head and heart are in the right places. He has a plan. I would consider your people first. Fate has a strange way of working in your favor.", Goodwitch mused.
"I understand… Glynda, when will we see each-other again?", Ironwood asked.
"The Vytal Festival. I sent you an e-mail. I hope you'll make an appearance this year. Everyone is expecting you."
"Ha! I'll attend. I'll prepare a speech and everything."
"You don't need to. Just show up. Just for the opening ceremony. Then you can go back to your boring job as General. And James I'm waiting for you…", Glynda Goodwitch concluded.
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Back In Atlas…
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The massive campaign party of Schnee supporters and other nobles still raged onward. Jacques Schnee had the attention of the entire room. He was rambling again, a well-known business man and Scroll-Net host, talking about how his biased feelings towards how Mantle was being treated seemed to affect the rest of the Kingdom. He rambled onward, seeming to point fingers at the Faunus from Menagerie who immigrated to Atlas in search of jobs. He pointed fingers at all of those who weren't Atlas natives. For a man who had lived his entire life with a platinum spoon in his mouth, he didn't seem to understand how Mantle and Atlas worked together, and only seemed focused on how much money he could make from his election. The crowd was halfway-biased with and against him. The nobles liked the idea of more money and reduced taxes, the working class liked the idea of less immigration and more jobs, the ones who actually had a brain realized that Jacques was talking out of his ass.
Jacques Schnee's microphone cut out suddenly, his own voice being replaced with an electronically modified one.
"Do not listen to this farce. He knows not of what Mantle needs. He only cares from himself, what with his golf-courses and luxuries. I would not vote for him. Jacques Schnee only cares for his fortunes. He will make Atlas worse…"
"Who!? Who dares oppose me at my own ball!?", Jacques raged.
"You needn't know. You shall never see the mouth of the beast. It shall swallow you whole…"
"Who are you!?", Jacques screamed to the heavens. Nobody responded to him. "Guards! Find whoever that was!"
The Schnee ballroom was suddenly in chaos as SDC guards began to barricade the room. No way in or out, everyone would be checked. Klein still walked his usual path around the room and continued to serve drinks despite the sudden interruption. Within a few more moments, Jacques Schnee had taken his personal guard up to the VIP level of his ballroom and mansion. With only his guards and the most trusted nobles around him, whoever was trying to interrupt his election celebration would think twice.
Far down below, in the main ballroom, SDC guards began to scan ID cards of every attendant. They worked methodically as they attempted to route out the interloper. Klein slowly made his way upstairs into the VIP lounge to continue his duty. A single glass stood out from the others on the tray he carried. A special gift for the man who he called 'master'.
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Back in a loud and crazy pub in the working class district of Mantle, a bluish-haired woman stumbled back into the fray ad slumped down at the table next to her companions. Robin Hill looked a little concerned.
"What happened to you!?", Hill asked in shock.
"Nothing. I tripped and fell. On a dagger. Repeatedly.", May noted.
"Really?"
"No. The one in white is gone. She works for Fate itself, or so she says. I lost track of her. Her Semblance is strong and her skills are beyond anything I've seen from a Huntsman team. Something's not right here. Why would an assassin travel with those losers?", May inquired, taking note of the remainder of Team ATAK that seemed to be more focused on getting highly inebriated at this time.
"Hmf. Only time will tell. I can only hope she doesn't interfere with out plans…", Robin Hill concluded.
Across the bar, Team MRJJ's Rhames Greyblood had stepped out for a moment. Jonk and Javelin argued with their other teammate, Minstrel. Another group of hapless idiots. Heroes of another story in more ways than one.
X
Outside the raucous pub, Rhames Greyblood watered the local flora with urine. He pondered idly why none of the other men had decided to wear kilts. His was working just fine, even better than pants! There was nothing to unzip or tuck away, he could pee as freely as the birds could fly. A loud argument behind him pulled his attention for a moment.
"Here! Here is where the steam pipes converge! This was an old blacksmith's shop in ancient Mantle! Undoubtedly, it has the connection we need!", a male voice announced.
"I doubt, that. This is like, the third or fourth one. You've been locked out of every single one. Do you even know what you're, doing Watts?", an exasperated female voice noted.
"Ehh, it could be worse. We could've been turned inside out by that Arden dude. Or even better, run into those Huntsmen again!"
"Shut up, Mercury!"
Upon hearing their voices, Rhames turned around the corner and took immediate notice of the Emerald and Mercury alongside a confused looking man with a moustache. He'd seen them before… Back at Haven… Right... He slid his signet ring on sliently. If they were here, then…
Emerald barely had time to dodge out of the way. She nearly got a very abrupt tracheotomy as a diamond sword lanced past her head. Mercury took an evasive stance before realizing who was also in the alleyway with him. A large man with dark bronze hair and oddly glowing eyes. He sighed heavily.
"You…", Rhames growled.
"Us! Yes! We're uh… Here to join you?", Emerald stammered. Her Semblance wasn't working for some reason. She began to back up.
"Why are you here!?", Rhames roared, his Semblance amplified by his signet ring. Loud footsteps from inside the bar heralded the arrival of the rest of Team MRJJ.
"We… We're looking for you. We realized the error of our ways and we truly wish to join you!", Emerald reiterated as she felt the cold stone of a brick wall behind her. They were a few blocks from Haephestus' Pub right now, and in a dead end. A few bins and a skip were the only things within reach and one of them would help right now. Later, the bins and the skip would be filled with their remains.
"Liar!", Rhames roared, his rage also amplified by his signet ring. He felt him humanity slowly begin to slip away and struggled to hold onto it. He thought of Yang and Adam for a moment.
A diamond sword whipped sideways, glancing off of Mercury's new metal feet and throwing the moody boy to he ground.
"Watts! Do something! Use your Semblance!", Mercury cried.
Watts, having no idea who these people were or what to do, just held his laptop up to shield himself. The small custom computer was immediately bisected by the same diamond sword that threatened them. It fell to the ground in two pieces just like his own body would soon do.
"Uhh…", Watts gasped.
Emerald and Mercury quickly became aware of how badly they were outnumbered. A massive giant of a man held a morning-star, an angry man in a blue hoodie stared at them in rage and no less than five pigeon Faunus pointed at them mockingly.
"Um. Please don't kill us?", Emerald whimpered as Rhames Greyblood, the Prince of Madness himself simply walked over to them.
Rhames just grabbed Emerald and Mercury by the throats and lifted them into the air. He slammed their two heads together and knocked both of them out, the two minions landing in a dazed heap. Just behind him, Javelin Green and his clones had finished kicking and punching Watts into unconsciousness.
"What now?", Jonk asked.
"Take them. Ironwood will want to have a word.", Rhames glared, his eyes still glowing an icy hatred.
Team MRJJ collected their prone and beaten adversaries. Rhames hadn't killed them horribly, which was a genuine surprise. Right now, if it had been earlier in their travels, he would've been thinking of interesting things to make from their bones and how their organs could've been repurposed into useful items. Perhaps the Madness that lived inside Rhames had subsided. It did seem like the man was on a 'Murder Break'.
"Those who feed on carrion will feast for a fortnight upon the ones that oppose the king and his queen. Shame they will never see the beast as it swallows them whole. But we shall let them live in their filth until they beg for the forgiveness that only death can bring.", Rhames rambled.
Or… Perhaps not. Perhaps Madness was in his DNA. Team MRJJ just shrugged and grabbed the three idiots and hauled them off towards the air-tram that lead to Atlas. Ironwood would be very surprised.
Chapter End. Hiatus sucks.