Chapter 12: Let's Just Live
Daria's gaze rose up the length of the building- a monolithic structure, arranged like a pyramid, with four layers, each smaller than the last. The building towered over the city center, itself abustling street, packed tightly with people rushing to and fro busily. Shouts echoed out over the buzzing murmur of the crowd; some insults, others simply yelling to be heard over the music of the city.
Lance's body jerked, suddenly shouldered out of the way as a man quickly passed him- the swordsman turned with an irritated, and warning, scowl, swiftly met by the man's own irritated, and warning, glare. The huntsman cocked his head to the side, drawing himself up to his full height, one hand reaching to idly rest on the handle of Iron Maw. After a moment, the man continued on, hissing out a curse under his breath, the encounter ending as swiftly as it began.
The greatswordsman let out a scoff, turning back to his companions. "...Welcome to Vacuo City. The same shithole as always; where all the Vacuoans hate the other Vacuoans- but they hate us a whole lot more. Peachy keen."
Gail's eyebrows furrowed, the archer looking around at the packed square, taking in the massive, high-rising buildings that dominated the downtown, central section of the city- shaped as if several, separate buildings stacked atop each other, reaching high into the sky. "This place is... absolutely packed. How do people live like this?"
"This is the centerpiece of Vacuoan society. I mean that totally literally; we're in the center of the city. Safest place in the kingdom that's not wolf territory, and in that regard, most Vacuoans don't respond well to the Platinas' specific brand of totalitarianism... gods, hate this fuckin' place."
Daria shook her head, beginning her way forwards. "Alright, alright, enough of that; let's go. We wouldn't want to keep the headmaster waiting." She nodded to the others, and the quintet began their way towards the stairs leading up into Shade Academy.
"...Ho- Holy shit! ...Daria? Lance?!"
The huntsmen stopped in their tracks, the aforementioned warriors' eyes widening in shock and confusion. Something collided hard with Gail, nearly taking the archer off of her feet, the wind rushing from her. She looked down to the source of the impact, peering between a pair of tall rabbit ears; and warm brown eyes met warm brown. The archer let out a soft gasp, lips curling into a disbelieving smile.
Velvet Scarlatina- dressed in her browns and golds, looked up to her with a brilliant smile, then pulled back, speaking in her light, lilting accent. "It's so good to see you again!" She cried, taking Gail's face in her hands.
"Velt!" The archer said, pulling the shorter huntress into an embrace of her own; voice rising to a giddy, near squeak.
Before they could react, Lance and Daria were dragged towards each other, drawn into tight embraces themselves- between the duo, lifting them both off of the ground, was Coco Adel; her beret pushed back on her head, dark sunglasses nearly falling from her face. She set the huntsmen back down, and turned to pull Daria close, pressing a kiss against her cheek, before turning up to Lance, dragging him down to the do the same.
"What the hell!" She yelled, pushing the duo away from her, beaming grin never fading from her face. Walking up behind her was the towering form of Yatsuhashi Daichi, his green armor gleaming, and the lithe Fox Alistair, his hands in his pockets, head bowed with a small, bemused smile of his own.
The opposite trio of Beacon huntsmen gathered around Team CFVY, Shinai and Ulysses standing behind them. Daria pulled Coco back into a tight hug, before pushing her to arm's length, face split with shocked glee. "What the hell, yourself! Gods, it's been so long!"
"Yeah it has! what are you guys doing here- did you guys just get in?"
"Yeah, last night; what about you?"
"We've been here a couple of weeks now. Looks like we made pretty good time after all," The leader of CFVY said, giving her teammates a grin- before her gaze turned from Daria to Ulysses and Shinai. Her expression wavered for a moment in concern. When she brought her attention back to the other leader, it fell slightly, looking her over. "...What happened to you guys?"
Daria's own expression dampened slightly, letting her arms drop from Coco. "...It's, uh... it's been a long six months," The warmth returned to her quickly, though, looking the other huntress over as well. "But you guys! What are you all doing here?"
Coco stepped back towards her trio, arms crossing, smile twisting in satisfaction. "After Beacon fell- we decided to come out here to join Shade," She nodded, looking around at the packed city. "Lot of Vale refugees headed out west, so Vacuo needed all of the huntsmen it could get. That must be why you guys are here, huh?"
"I..." Daria began, before trailing off. She looked to her teammates, her elation fading back to solemnity. "...Not exactly- but that's not really important! It's... it's so good to see you guys again."
Fox stepped forwards, eyebrows furrowing. "You're... missing a few people."
The quintet fell into silence, before Gail gave him a slight smile. "...Oracle took some... heavy hits last night. She's fine, though! And... and Nash and Rainier... they didn't come with us."
"Oh..." Velvet said quietly, features softening. "...I'm sorry."
"It's fine," Daria cut in quickly, raising a brusque hand, waving them off. "They left for their own reasons. We had a job to do, so we'll do it- with as few or as many people as we need to."
"Speaking of," Coco continued. "If you guys aren't here to enlist, why did you come all this way? I can tell it wasn't much of a fun, off the cuff road trip."
"Ah, yeah- we're here to meet with the Headmaster," She said, eyes going hard with determination. "It's about what happened at Beacon, and it's a matter of urgency."
This time, it was CFVY that went quiet, looking to each other uncertainly. Finally, Coco sighed, gesturing towards the stairs leading to the Academy's first floor. "Yeah, you'll... you'll... you'll really want to talk to Professor Phoenix. He can explain better than I could. Come on, his office is top floor; it's a long walk."
The Beacon huntsmen shared mirror frowns, before following after the newly-ordained Vacuoan huntsmen, beginning the climb towards the mega-building's summit.
The oak doors towered over the warriors, dominating the far end of the hallway, closed to the outside world- the interior of Shade, like the exterior, was made of rough, dark stone, packed in tight bricks, lit up with warm lights flanking each side of the hall, and hanging from the ceiling.
Daria came to a stop, looking over the set of doors with a hesitant frown, hands gripping tightly at her sides. Coco placed a hand onto her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Phoenix is waiting for you. Quick warning, though- he's a little... prickly's probably a good word. Hey, and just remember that this isn't Beacon. People work a... lot differently here, and he might... rub you the wrong way," She gave the other leader another comforting squeeze. "Good luck. Hey- maybe tonight we can all go out and get drinks. My treat. It's... it's nice to see some old faces again," She smiled around at the other Beacon huntsmen. "...Anyways, have fun."
Coco turned with a wave, making her way back towards the stairs- her head held high, a bright smile painted across her features, joining her team as the quartet began the descent again. Lance watched them go, before turning back forwards. "...Well... shit. Here we are."
Gail smiled up to him. "...Not terribly bad for a few kids from Beacon."
"Yeah. Not bad at all."
Daria took a deep, steadying breath; her shoulders squared, her chin lifted high, her eyes went hard, and she made her way down the remaining length of the hallway, the rest of her team behind her.
She knocked hard twice against the great doors. There was a moment of silence- and they slowly creaked open, wisps of smoke curling off of the door handle, and lead out into a simply massive office. The room was square in design, warmly colored and decorated, a hulking window dominating the far side looking out over Shade Academy and the busy city beyond.
A series of large portraits spread across one wall; a girl in a polka-dotted dress holding a dog, grinning; an older man, smiling, his hair and beard long and gray; a man standing ramrod straight, his suit stark white and tailored against his form, dark hair combed neatly backwards, hard stare looking out over the office- General James Ironwood- and beside him was a man in a dark suit, cane held in front of him casually; green scarf disappearing down into his jacket. His silver hair was wild around his head, his brown eyes soft.
Professor Ozpin stared out towards the huntsmen with a sly grin, his features- even painted- warm and affectionate; a mug held in his free hand, even its steam painted.
The warriors stared back for a long moment, transfixed by the old Professor until the sound of someone clearing their throat echoed out over the room, drawing their gazes back forwards. A massive desk dominated the center of the room- hardy and square in design, its surface littered haphazardly with papers and folders, a cold cup of coffee left long forgotten.
Sitting at the desk was a man; lithe in frame, skin dark, his hair deep red, struck through with brilliant gold; he was dressed in a fine tailored red suit, embroidered with teal and gold; his brilliant blue-green eyes were hard as they met the huntsmen's own.
He leaned forwards, elbows on the desk's surface, hands steepled in front of his mouth, his gaze flitting over each of the warriors. He took a deep breath, leaning back, his face stoic and unmoved. "...So," He said, voice flat in tone. "You're the huntsmen from Beacon I've heard so much about."
Daria stepped forwards. "Yes, we-"
"-Have come a long way, yes, yes, I've heard it all before. Let's get this over with- did you bring your transcripts?"
She looked to her teammates, eyebrows furrowing. "...Uh... our... transcripts?"
He rolled his eyes. "Yes, your transcripts, which you'll need to enroll for next semester. You didn't bring transcripts? Did Glynda not give you transcripts? Is her memory going in her old age?"
"...We're... not here to enroll."
That brought him to a stop, blinking, stoic features finally falling in a modicum of surprise. "...Oh? Then... why are you here?"
She stepped forwards again. "We came to talk to you. We left Beacon after it fell on a lead from Qrow Branwen- we know that the people who attacked Beacon are going to attack Haven Academy, and after that they'll be coming to Shade. It's why we trekked across Sanus; we needed to warn you."
Phoenix stared at her, face stoic and still, gaze unblinking. He slowly leaned backwards, eyes averting from the huntsmen to stare idly into the distance, chewing on a thought quietly. After a heavy breath, he cleared his throat again. "...I'm sorry to disappoint you."
"What? Why?"
"Because I'm not the man you came to see."
Lance raised an eyebrow. "And that means what, exactly?"
"You're looking for Professor Theodore; the headmaster of Shade."
The quintet went quiet, their gazes locked onto the professor. After a long moment, Daria cleared her throat, stepping forwards with a frown. "Uh... and where is he?"
"...We don't know."
Ulysses suddenly let out a bitter bark of a laugh, throwing his head back, before turning and marching from the room, shaking his dark locks from side to side- all the while chuckling sardonically. Gail turned towards the retreating giant, features twisting in consternation; Shinai put a hand on her shoulder before she could do anything else, giving her a small shake of his head.
Daria didn't watch Ulysses go, immediately striding forwards to press her hands against the surface of the desk, leaning towards the professor; her expression twisting in confusion and irritation. "What the hell do you mean you don't know?!"
Phoenix looked from her hands to her eyes with an unimpressed stare. He leaned back, clearing his throat, taking a moment before speaking. "...We don't know."
"How long has he been gone?" Shinai asked, stepping to the side.
The professor looked up as the samurai spoke, blinking as if just noticing his presence. "Since not long after Beacon fell."
"You're shitting me." Lance spat, body slumping in dismay.
"I'm not, and watch your tongue in this office," Phoenix said, tone ever dry. The huntsmen simply stared across at him- Daria not moving from her position bearing down over him. Finally, he let out a sigh. "...Shortly after we received news of Beacon's fall, he went... pensive- this was unusual for Theodore, as he's a reckless, impulsive man on the best of days. A few days later, he called a meeting of staff and announced that he was going to find a way to protect the Academy, protect the Kingdom and then... he just disappeared,"
His gaze turned over the quartet again, taking a sip of his coffee. "...That was five months ago. Since then, I've had to step up and take control of Shade, trying not to let it burn to the ground, because of course Theodore was too thick-headed to put a plan into place for after he left-" The temperature of the room began to rapidly increase with each word, waves of heat visibly waving off of the desktop, his coffee beginning to reheat. The professor stopped his tirade, closing his eyes tightly. The room began to cool, and the tension left him with another sigh. "...Anyways. That's all we know. We've had scouts striking out all across the kingdom- to no avail. No one has seen hide nor hair of the man,"
He spread his hands out. "Welcome to Vacuo, Valemen. I hope that it was worth the travel."
Daria found her way to a chair opposite Phoenix, dark gaze going distant, staring past him towards the window. She moved to speak several times, mouthing moving soundlessly, before finally mustering the words. "...So..." Her features returned to their hard gaze. "So, you're the headmaster now?"
He let out an empty laugh. "No. Headmasters have to be confirmed by the others- Ozpin in particular- or by the Council, which is one of the only things that cabinet is good for. Or, if you're Theodore, simply beating him in a fight would do. Ozpin's dead, there's no way to contact the others, and our Council has long been broken in disarray. So, no. I'm terribly sorry that you've come all this way for nothing. However," His gaze softened. "Marching across Sanus is an impressive feat, and you came here for a reason. Tomorrow, we'll discuss further actions, and a unified plan going forwards; for now, we will allow you dorm rooms to stay in, until further notice. Now- will that be everything? I have work to do."
The huntsmen's leader shot to her feet, turning to storm out of the office wordlessly, hands white knuckled fists. Lance rolled his eyes, following after her, Shinai a step behind after offering the Vacuoan a small bow. Gail hesitated, giving the professor a small smile. "Thank you." She said, before taking off after her teammates.
Phoenix watched them go for a moment, his light eyes going tired and heavy as he turned back to the papers strewn across his desk.
Daria sat down onto the stiff mattress of the lower bunk bed, her gaze washing over the tiny dorm room, built of the same dark stone as the rest of the Academy. She slumped down, burying her face into her hands- she exhaled deeply, the tension draining from her.
Gail sat down beside her, and placed a hand onto her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. "We'll be alright. A missing Headmaster, all things considered, is low on the list of terrible things that's happened to us."
The leader shook her head as Lance and Shinai joined them. Her gaze rose- dark irises filled with exhaustion. "I'd just... like a break. Just one. Just one, tiny break, where everything just turns out okay, and we do everything that we want to. Just one."
"Yeah, well, we kinda pissed that away when we decided to dig our heels in and do the whole 'hero, saving the world' thing," Lance said, leaning against the door frame with a small smirk. "And now we're neck deep in the most frustrating, backwards ass academy in the world, with no real idea where to go next. Hooray!" He accompanied the final word with a small gesture of jazz hands.
"Lance, you're not helping." Gail muttered, giving him a sour look.
The greatswordsman shrugged, his grin never fading. "Course I am. Look at us- we fought our asses off at Beacon. Yeah, we mighta lost, but we sure as hell gave it everything we had. Now we're here- and we're still fighting our asses off. And you know what? We might lose. Maybe we can't stop Shade from falling- they kinda deserve it, honestly. But we'll fight our asses off even then. And we'll keep fighting, and keep fighting. We'll fight our asses all the way to Mistral and Haven if we have to, and then we'll fight our asses off across the north to Atlas if we have to,"
He pushed off the door, drawing even with Shinai and standing across from the huntresses. "We're goddamn huntsmen. We've been through worse than this, and we'll get through it too. And if we have to drag Theodore, and Phoenix, and all these overly prideful, asshole Vacuoans to safety, kicking and screaming- we'll do that too. Shit looks bad, it always looks bad. We're pretty used to that at this point," He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck.
"I know I'm the one who usually tries and keep us pragmatic, but look- we're here. Six assholes from Beacon made it all the way to Vacuo City. I'm godsdamned proud of us. And if you all wanted me to march my ass to hell- I'd do it with a smile on my face, because I'd be doing it with you," He grinned broadly again. "You guys are my family. I'd absolutely be willing to die for you. And yeah, shit looks bad; yeah, shit just seems to fall apart no matter what we do. And yeah, I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go, or what our next steps are. I don't know,"
"All I do know is that when I'm with you guys; I'm at home. And I'll keep fighting my ass off, if you guys'll do it with me."
There was a beat of silence- and Daria's face split with a grin, wiping away the tears welling in her eyes. "...Sappy bastard," She sniffed hard, rising to her feet, the archer beside her. "...Alright... you're right. You're always right, somehow," She looked around at the rest of her team, nodding. "So we keep moving, then. We'll meet with Phoenix tomorrow. And we'll save this stupid kingdom, if it's the last thing that we do. We made a vow to keep what happened in Beacon from happening here, and damn it, I'm keeping that vow,"
"Tonight, we get to take a break; because tomorrow, we get back to fighting."
Rainier stared out across the warm waters of the Pianure Sea, the surface rocking and bucking in large waves, before coming crashing back down. He picked a few notes idly on his guitar, expression lost in thought, watching the tide washing in towards his feet. He sat in this absent reverie for a moment, until-
"Rain?
The young wolf jolted back to reality, turning over his shoulder- to Remy, the White Wolf walking forwards with a concerned look; and a few meters away, staring out towards the horizon, was Leo, hands buried in his pockets, though still keeping his sons in his peripheral.
"Where've you been?" The veteran warrior asked, drawing even with his brother. "It's been days. No one's heard anything from you."
Rainier looked back towards the sea, nodding in agreement, eyebrows raising. Finally, he rose to his feet, brushing sand off of his legs. He turned back towards his brother, slinging his guitar over his shoulder. "I had to go do a... little bit of thinking. Introspection, I suppose you'd say. I needed to be on my own for that."
"...And?"
"And... I apologize," He looked past his brother to his father, the eldest Platina looking over with a cocked eyebrow. "I... I'm sorry. Truly. I've been so... lost, buried in my own misery that... I let the world overtake me. I've been standing still, refusing to move on for months now," He looked back out over the ocean. "...And while I sit at home, people die. Grimm and bandits and now the White Fang? And... and the people who attacked Beacon. They're out there, doing gods know what, while I... sit and watch. And I won't have it, not anymore. I'm a huntsman. That meant something to me, once; and it'll mean something again,"
He looked back to his family. "So, I'm ready; to move on, and to move forwards. I'm ready to fight; I'm willing to fight. Because that's what huntsmen do," He began to step away from them, making his way back towards the cliffs suspending the Platina villa high above the beach. "We've the end of the world to stop, as far as I'm aware, and I have a few people I need to pay back for taking my school from me."
With that, the youngest wolf took off across the sands, idly sauntering back towards his home, humming a quiet melody, leaving the elder Platinas standing alone in front of the Pianure. After a moment watching Rainier go, Remy and Leo locked gazes, the former's eyebrow raising, the latter letting out a scoff. "And what did I tell you?" The White Wolf asked, lips curling into a satisfied smile.
The patriarch turned back to the horizon, arms crossing, his expression twisting sourly. "He's lying, you're aware."
"I'm well aware."
"He isn't moving on."
"Of course not."
"So stop being smug."
"He doesn't need to move on; I could give a shit about that," Remy said, watching his brother scale the stairs back up the cliffside. "And he probably never will; you know him. Emotional, carries grudges with fervor. But I'd much rather have an angry, bitter, and vengeful Rainier to the broken, depressed, and defeated Rainier he's been," The White Wolf watched his father quietly for a moment. "...And he's right."
"Hm?"
"The Fang are here. Refugees are flooding the kingdom. Grimm and bandits are treating the wastes like an all you can eat buffet. And the people that attacked Vale? Beacon won't be the only target; whatever they were looking for there, they'll look at the other Academies too; which means Shade's in the line of fire."
Leo grunted his acquiescence, features twisting in deep thought. "...You're both right, more than you know. Except, Theo won't accept our help. The old fool's too damn proud for that."
"Honestly? I don't care. Shade sits on its heels and watches as Vacuo tears itself apart. I'm beyond caring about old borders and old duties. We don't need Shade's permission," Remy said, with a short laugh. "This is our kingdom."
"And we'll protect it," Leo said, giving his son a stiff nod. The duo began to make their way back towards the cliff, the elder's arms crossing over his chest. "...Alright, then, Remyngton. You've convinced me; you've got my blessing to operate outside our borders, with full anatomy. Hunt down anyone who threatens Shade, make sure that if any of those bastards step foot in Vacuo, you deal with them with extreme prejudice. Theo may not want our help, but he'll get it, one way or another. I'll handle any blowback on the other Council members' parts. Do what you have to. And Remy?"
"Yeah?"
"When you find them, throw those fucking White Fang back out of our kingdom."
The White Wolf let out a bark of a laugh. "Trust me, Father; I'll do much worse than that."
Lance leaned back in his chair, idly tapping at his Scroll, blue eyes rimmed with red and surrounded by deep, dark bags. He scratched his chin idly, staring down at the screen below him- Oracle's smiling face, holding her camera away from herself, Ulysses, Shinai and the swordsman in the background, looking to her in surprise; the brilliant green of the Emerald Forest and its massive trees rising high above them.
"...You... jackass."
The voice was weak, and croaking, and broke down into splutters and coughs at the end of the sentence. Lance was to his feet like a bullet, clearing the few feet to the hospital bed in a moment, a glass of water with a straw outstretched.
Oracle slowly brought her head up, wincing with pain, before beginning to greedily drink, sucking the liquid down with fervor. After draining half of the cup, she pulled back with a satisfied 'ah'. She began to push herself up with her elbows, grimacing as she did, arms trembling with the effort.
Lance reached out and helped push her to a sitting position against the copious number of pillows behind her, giving the gunslinger a disbelieving smile. "You're supposed to be taking it easy, shithead."
"Shut up," She muttered, right hand coming up to massage her left shoulder, hissing in a breath at the contact. "Fuckin' ow," She grasped onto the collar of her hospital gown, pulling it down to look at the thick bundle of bandages wrapped around her shoulder, forearm and chest. With a small snarl, she hooked a finger under the wrappings, pulling it away to look at her skin-
Across the upper quarter of her body- a series of red scars stretched across her skin, splaying out like pine leaves, reaching up the side of her neck, down her forearm, and across her ribs. She let out a low whistle, tired green eyes blinking owlishly. "Fuckin' sick scars, though, gotta say..."
Lance shook his head, dragging his chair over to her bedside. "You're the dumbest hick I've ever met."
"...I've a confession to make," She muttered, leaning back again, her gaze falling to meet his own. "...I'm not actually a hick... yea... grew up in a big house, ma and pa had lots a money... I'mma fraud."
The duo shared the stare for a moment, before the swordsman scoffed. "...I really don't give a shit. And it's way besides the point- you took a fuckin' lightning blast to the face for me."
"Yea, well... I owed ya... and it wasn' ta the face, it was to the tit."
"Owed me? Owed me for- for the Vytal Festival? Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Ya saved my ass, I save yours..."
"I saved you from getting hit in a stupid tournament. You tried to sacrifice your fuckin' life for that, seriously?"
Oracle was quiet, heavy eyes looking over his astonished features. "...Yea, I wouldn' buy it either..." She let out a sigh, her hand reaching out to gently rest on his own- the swordsman jolting in surprise at the contact, his eyes snapping between her and their hands. She took a deep breath. "...Lance, I'd've taken a thousand lightnin' blasts for ya... cause right then... I saw you dyin' in my head... and I wouldn' let that happen... not in a hundred thousand years."
"...You dumb fuckin' rich girl," He muttered- his fingers slowly intertwining in hers. "You don't have to do anything stupid like that."
"Yea, well... if you weren' so fuckin' slow, maybe I wouldn' have ta."
"Oh, really?"
"Like a... bag of fuckin' bricks, you are," Tears began to well in her eyes. "...I-"
"Fine, if you won't say it than I will. Cowgirl, I love your stupid ass," He said quickly, pushing the words out as fast as they would come; and the room went very quiet, broken only by the idle whirring and beeping of the cardiograph beside them. "...I came all this way, to this shit-stained kingdom I swore I'd never come back to, fought my ass off, nearly died on a stupid number of occasions, and you know what? I'd do it all again, as long as you were there... O, you are the absolute best thing to ever happen to me. You push me, challenge me, and over the past two years, you've made me a godsdamned good person. You, you stubborn, stupid woman, are the only person other than my dad that I've ever loved- really loved, and you have to stop taking lightning blasts to the tit for me. They're nice tits, and I won't let you do that to yourself."
She let out a hoarse laugh, reaching up with her good hand to wipe the stray tears from her cheeks. "...That was a... real nice speech, blondie..." She struggled to move for a moment, then lay back, giving him a side-eye. "...I can' get up, so yer gonna have ta come here."
He returned the short scoff, and leaned down, pulling her into an embrace, their lips meeting; and there, the two huntsmen stayed for a long moment, holding each other tightly to one another.
Lance finally leaned back, smiling down at the gunslinger, wiping a single, renegade tear from his own eye, and she grinned toothily back at him. "Alright, hell, now I have to say it... I love ya, blondie. I've loved ya for a real long time now… just too chicken shit to tell ya. I can face down a fuckin' sea dragon no problem, but can't tell my best friend I love 'im. Life's funny like that."
"Yeah, well... same. Also, if you thought that that one was good, you should've seen the sickest speech I gave earlier to the others- oh man, was it good."
She let out a laugh, wincing in pain as she did, before emerald green met sky blue again. And the two warriors sat there, reveling in that moment quietly, softly embracing each other.
Ulysses leaned against the metal railing, staring down at the lower level of Vacuo City, lit up with thousands of lights against the darkening night, its highways running through the city jammed full of vehicles, its airspace similarly a rushed flurry of activity. He took a deep breath, feeling the cool desert air enter his lungs, refreshing, eyes closing.
"Nice going back there."
He snapped back to reality with a snarl, hands reflexively clenching the metal bars tightly, his entire body going taut with tension. There was a beat of silence, as he said nothing- and a hand gripped his shoulder tightly.
"You look at me when I'm talking to you, boy!" He wheeled around, and dark eyes met dark. Ludwig gave him an ugly, satisfied grin, stepping back, his massive arms crossing over his chest. "You can't ignore me. I'm part of you. That thing in you? That rage? That's me. It'll always be me. I own you. Even when I'm dead."
Ulysses drew himself up to his full height- still standing shorter than the hallucinatory figure of his father. "That's right. You're dead. Because I killed you."
"Heh. Like I said," Ludwig said dryly, turning towards the busy streets of the city below. "Real nice going back there, with the dragon. You were so close, weren't you? If those soldiers hadn't shown up... you'd have been dead. That thing would've torn you to shreds, and it'd be over. So damn close," He peered over the edge. "...You know; that's a real long drop... hell, I don't know if even you could survive it," Ulysses let out a growl, storming away from the edge, face twisted in dark fury. The image of his father looked up, sneering bitterly. "No, you won't- because then it'd be your fault, huh? You wouldn't be able to pretend that you went out a hero. Y'know, I really was right! You are a damn coward!"
The hulking huntsman stopped, eyebrows furrowing, eyes going dark. He turned on his heel, and marched back to where his father had been, coming to a stop next to the railing. He peered down over the edge, hands gripping the metal tightly again. He stared down at the rushing lights below, taking a deep breath. The tension drained from him, his grip loosening, and his head dropped low. "...I'm not a coward," He muttered, voice soft and cracking. "...I'm strong. Strong. Strong... stronger than you. Stronger than..."
"...Ulysses?"
The giant jolted back to attention, turning hard on his heel- and Gail stared over to him, her eyebrows raised and features twisted in concern, one hand reached out towards him slightly. She swallowed hard, taking a few tentative steps forwards. "...Is... is everything alright?" She asked quietly
"I..." He trailed off, his tone still soft, turning back to the highway below. When he spoke again, his voice had returned to its deep growl. "...I'm fine."
"...No..." She said quietly, stepping up with him, gaze not moving from his face. "...No, I don't think you are... and... that's okay," He looked up, dark eyes hard, guarded; but curious. "...I don't know that I'm okay. I know that Daria and Shinai definitely aren't okay... and Oracle's half dead... but we're here, aren't we?" She met his gaze with a small, sad smile. "I... know that you're going through a lot. I know that there's a lot you won't tell us. And that's okay. You hurt... and I think that that's okay too. You have to hurt to heal."
He let out a low laugh, gaze casting over the darkening skyline and the dense urban jungle surrounding them. "...Hurt... see, you don't get it... you've never gotten it, none of you have ever gotten it. And I don't get you."
"...O- oh?" She asked, face falling in confusion.
His expression went pensive. "I rage. With every fiber of my being, I rage. Against everything, anything that hurts. It's- it's what gets me up in the morning, what gets me through the day, what lets me suffer through all of this horror and struggle. But you? You don't..." He snarled in distaste. "I get Lance- he's got that same anger; he hides it, under bravery, and humor, and . I get Daria- how do you think she got out here? Spite. Spite and fury. Shinai's broken, Oracle fights for justice- but you? There's no pain. No hate. How? How could you survive Beacon, survive this trek, without anything to push you?"
Gail was silent for a moment, dark eyes slowly drifting from him. She swallowed hard, leaning against the railing; and when she spoke again, it was barely more than a whisper. "...Because pain's a cycle; we take our pain, and we give it back to others. Like a... a self-fulfilling prophesy. And if I don't heal, if I don't love, if I don't try and move on... how can all of you? I... I try and be a- a source, for you all. Something good and loving to hold onto. It's... I see it like- like you're all drowning, and... I'm treading water. If I don't try and bring you to the surface, then... what good am I? I might as well drown too..."
She turned to walk away- but hesitated, placing a hand gently onto his shoulder. "...I... I can't save you, Ulysses. I wish that could. I want to, with every fiber of my being... but I can't save you, or Shinai, or Daria... all I want to do is... show you that you can save yourself. Try to get some sleep, okay? I'll see you in the morning."
Ulysses watched the archer go, slinking off into the darkness back towards the monolithic Shade Academy. His mouth fell slightly, heavy features lightening in shock. He swallowed hard, dark gaze turning back down to the highway below. A voice burned in the back of his head; heavy, dark, enraged- but he didn't listen. Refused to listen. The burning intensified, drawing a frustrated scowl to his face, and he let out a frustrated growl through grit teeth.
The giant brusquely turned away, stalking off into the night, his hands clenched into white-knuckled fists.
"Okay, easy, now, easy, easy- AH, I SAID EASY!"
Helen Aspis skittered backwards quickly, her hands raised high, bumping into a wooden table. "Sorry, sorry! I'm sorry, did that hurt?!"
Nash clenched his eyes together tightly, teeth gritting against each other. He took a sharp exhale of breath, nodding profusely. "Yuh... yuh huh, yuh huh, yuh huh."
"Kyana, you have to know more about this kind of thing than I do, right?" She said making her way back towards him, idly wiping red smears from her hands onto her skirt.
The girl standing to the side shook her head fervently, amber gaze falling anywhere but the two Aspis'. "Nope, nope, nope- I don't do well with blood, not at all."
"Well, I've got no problem with that part," Helen muttered under her breath, before reaching out towards her son again. "How does it feel, hon?"
Nash took a moment, taking a deep, shuddering breath in. "Oh, yeah, totally, feel's good, feel's good- hey, let's do the other one, yeah?"
"What? Right now? Immediately?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, totally- adrenaline's pumpin', let's go!"
"Alright, alright, hold your horses!" Helen reached to the side, pulling a red and gold device from the sterile metal cart beside them. She raised his arm up and pushed it towards him, their dual blue gazes meeting. "Ready?"
"Yep, yep, yep."
"Okay. Three... two-"
She pushed forwards, and Nash let out a yelp, jumping away from her, ripping himself free from her grasp. He crashed hard into a wooden table, doubling over with a grimace. "Motherfucking- sonuvabitch- piece of shit- ffffraglerock!"
"Nash, lan- you're fine, you're fine, sorry."
He nodded in understanding, reaching out and giving her a thumbs up- and the room froze. Kyana pushed off of her position to the side of the workshop, her eyes as wide as Helen's own. Nash looked down his arm, to the source of the shock.
A red and gold thumb, high in the air. He slowly straightened up, bringing the limb palms up to face him.
A red and gold hand. His forearm twitched, his wrist caked in a small amount of blood- and the fingers moved in response, curling and uncurling experimentally. He swallowed hard, unable to move his gaze away from it. He brought his other hand up; three fingers of flesh- and two of metal. He curled the limb into a fist, feeling the cool steel press against his palm.
He swallowed hard- and slowly, a bright grin began to climb across his face.
"You did it..." Kyana whispered.
Helen summarily exploded into ecstasy, arms spreading out wide. "You did it!" She dashed forwards and pulled her son into a tight embrace, picking him off of the ground and spinning him around. "You did it!"
"I... I did it." He said, voice matching the dumbfoundment in his face.
"Oh," She cried, bringing him back down and pressing a kiss into his cheek. "I'm so proud of you," Her joy slowly faded, being replaced by a look of somber realization. "...I'm so proud of you." She whispered, caressing his cheek.
He grinned to her, before pulling back, stepping to the side, his gaze falling onto the wooden table beside them. He lashed out with a falling fist- and ripped the corner off of the workbench, sending it, and a small cloud of dust, to the concrete floor below.
"Holy shit!"
"Okay, now watch your language." Helen said chastisingly, though her smile never left her face.
"Sorry, sorry," He said quietly, again looking over his new mechanical limbs. "I mean... I feel like a brand new boy. A super strong, brand new boy."
Kyana stepped forwards pulled him into an embrace, smiling giddily down at the red and gold hands. She pushed him to arm's length, giving him a cocked head look. "So, Mr. Two Hands... now what?"
He froze, jubilation fading slightly. He turned out of the corner of his eye- to the object suspended by chains against the far wall, covered in its heavy, dusty tarp. He swallowed hard again. "...First, painkillers. Lots of 'em. And then... I've got... more work to do, I guess," He pulled away from her, shooing both her and his mother away with both hands. "But you've gotta both go for that, it's gonna get weird."
Immediately, Helen turned on her heel, making her way to the broad doors leading out to the yard. "I don't want to know about that."
Kyana lingered for a moment- and then jerked to attention. "Nope, yeah, don't wanna know about that either," She turned and began to follow Helen out of the workshop- but slowed as she reached the threshold. She turned over her shoulder back to Nash, offering a sincere, sweet smile. "...Knew you could do it. Daddy did too. We're both lookin' forward to whatever weird monster-thing comes out of here."
"Heh... yeah. Me too. Okay, shoo, shoo. Shoo."
She let out a small laugh, stepping out and crossing the yard towards his house, disappearing around the corner.
The mechanic watched her go for a moment, his wide smile falling to a smaller one. He looked back down to his hands, slowly flexing them- watching the mechanical joints shift, the soft whirring of their internal pieces. Finally, he clenched those fists, and snapped free from his reverie, beginning to make his way across the workshop- around the cart, the shattered table, across the paved floor, and to the back wall.
He stared up at the covered object, up to the chains suspending it off the ground; across the dirty, dusty tarp concealing it. The former huntsmen swallowed hard, hands clenching into tight fists- and the sensation of cool metal brought his small smile back to his face.
"...I'm not afraid of you," He whispered, puffing his chest up, shoring his resolve. "...I mean, I probably should be... but I won't be. You can't hurt me. You won't hurt me, not now. Not anymore. It's just you and me now, pal... and we've got a lot of talkin' to do. One on one. Mano e mano,"
He reached up with his fully mechanical hand, gripping the covering tightly- and hesitated. He let out a slow breath- and in one swift motion, ripped the tarp away.
And pulled only half of it off, the rest barely budging. He rolled his eyes, beginning to tug hand over fist clumsily, struggling to drag it completely off of the object. Until finally, it fell limply away, bundling up in a pile beneath him. His gaze rose from it-
And stared into the shattered, and halved, glass visor of Phalanx.
The mech suit itself was a rent, torn mess; its helm cleaved in half, red painted steel- flaking away- singed black with heat; its left arm ripped at the elbow joint, leaving wires and mechanics hanging limply; its torso, gouged deeply with singed steel; its right leg, removed from where it had been torn useless by the glowing blade-
The glowing blade held by the man, with the hateful, glowing golden eyes, and the cackle that made Nash's blood run cold.
He took a stuttering step backwards- but refused to look away from Phalanx. He swallowed hard, pushing himself back to a standing position, making his way towards the destroyed mech suit, fighting to steady his breathing, calm his panic.
He slowly reached up, pressing his hand against the shattered chest piece. "...Look at you," He whispered. "Just... torn to shit. This wasn't what was supposed to happen to you. You were invincible, bud... you were supposed to be, anyways..." He pressed his forehead to the cool red metal. "...Maybe that was my problem... I was convinced we were... I let this happen to you... And I'm sorry... you deserved better than that... you deserved better from me,"
Nash reached up, finding his way around the arm hole of the suit, hand grasping onto something, pulling it tightly. He stepped away as the front half of the chestplate fell heavily to the ground, metal clattering loudly against concrete. He looked back up to the mech, blue eyes bright. "...But now... we've got a second shot at this... And I can't do it without you... so whattaya say? We give this one last go?" He was silent for a moment. "...You can't answer, you're a dead robot,"
The mechanic reached to the side, grasping a small controller, pressing a button in; Phalanx lowered to the ground, remaining foot pressing to the pavement below. Nash reached his offhand up, looking over the palm of the mechanical limb- and pressed a finger against the black screen buried within.
It lit up, with the familiar sight of a Scroll's home screen. A few more button presses sounded out, and a high-pitched whirring sounded throughout the workshop. The boy looked across the room, his gaze meeting the black lens of a camera panning down to him and the mech. He leaned forwards against the workshop table ahead of him, blowing out a dramatic breath. "...Alright. I guess class is in session. This is Nash Aspis, recording Log #1 for Project Phalanx, Volume 4.0,"
Nash looked back down to Phalanx, a small grin crossing his features.
Daria's legs hung off of the edge of the second highest layer of the Academy, kicking idly against the sloping side- her gaze rose to the moon high above, clouds rolling leisurely against the night sky. She pulled her hood tighter against herself, the chill desert air sinking deep into her skin. Slowly, she leaned back, looking back out across the horizon, with an exhausted sigh. Vacuo City stretched out in front of her; a labyrinth of narrow roads and alley ways, lit up from street to rooftop in brilliant lights, bursting with sound even at that late of hour.
The huntress took a deep breath in, releasing it slowly. "...What I would've given for you to see this," She whispered. She reached up, and her hand grasped onto the deep red cloth wrapped around her bicep. Slowly, she pulled it free, bringing it in front of her.
Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes, and she brought her gaze back up to the dim stars above, sniffing hard against the rising tide of fresh grief. "You would've loved it," She said, barely making her way through the sentence, before giving way to a choked sob. "Gods... Gods I miss you. Every single fucking day, I miss you so... so much. And- and I keep telling myself that you're still here, that you're not really gone- and I don't know if I'm bullshitting myself or someone else, but I just-" She stuttered to a stop, the words no longer coming.
She swallowed hard. "...Why'd you have to go? It's not... it's not fair... why... why did you go up there? Why? You- you knew you couldn't win that fight you... stupid, stupid girl..."
A hand rested gently on her shoulder, and she jolted at the contact, eyes going wide, adrenaline spiking through her system. Shinai slowly sat down beside his leader, violet gaze staring past the horizon as he came to a still, his hand still on her.
Daria stared at him, eyebrows furrowing, reaching up to quickly wipe the tears from her cheeks. "I- Shinai, w- what are you doing here?"
He was thoughtfully silent for a moment, before speaking in a soft voice: "...She saved my life. Did you know that?"
"I... no. I didn't."
He nodded- and his eyes watered slightly, his face twisting in old pain, muscles in his jaw tightening. He took a steadying breath. "...When... Shi En died, I... hurt so much... and I was so angry, this... deep, burning pit in my chest. And when I'd heard about the Mistral Regional Tournament, I dropped everything to join. I wanted to fight- it's all I wanted to do... just... to hurt someone, to be hurt... to feel anything other than that raw wound,"
He wiped at his eyes, though his face was still stoic and still. "I knew that the tournament hosted some of the best, and I wanted... a challenge? A good fight? To be soundly beaten? I... I still don't know, exactly. But when I reached that final, against Nikos... I lost. But the worst part was... she didn't gloat... she didn't celebrate, or cheer, or go collect her trophy,"
"She came and sat beside me. She..." He shook his head. "She wrapped an arm around my shoulder and told me that it was alright. That... I should be proud. She walked with me back to the locker room. I apologized, and flew home. After... it didn't hurt so much. I could talk to others again, feel, and believe that... maybe it would be alright. That maybe... I could be proud,"
He looked over to her, a tear streaking down his cheek. "Now... now I'm not so certain. But Nikos, she... she did good things, because that was who she was. She... she was a hero, a real hero. She fought at Beacon because... somebody had to. And if there's anything I'm certain of- the only thing I'm certain of now," He turned his gaze to the moon. "...She is still here. Somewhere... and they can never take her from us."
Daria gave him a wavering smile, reaching up to wrap her arm around his shoulders, hugging him close. "...It is going to be alright. I know it is. And you should be proud... you're one of the best friends I have, and we never would've made it here without you."
At that, the samurai shook his head, lowering it, eyes closing. "No. No, that's not true. It's you who we wouldn't have made it without. I... I've done the best I can. And it hasn't been much, but... I'm no leader. Not anymore. You are, though. You and Oracle, and Lance- you make me proud... as little as that may mean. You brought us here. And you'll bring us further... of that I'm certain, and if there's any one person who can bring us to victory in this... it's you."
She sniffed again, clutching her red sash tightly. "...Thanks, Shin... so... what do we do next?"
The samurai was silent for a moment, taking a sharp breath in. "I... I don't know. Part of me says... stay. Fight for Shade, help the kingdom. Another part of me says to find Theodore. The rest of me... doesn't know. But whatever choice you make... I'll follow you. We all will."
Daria stared pensively out across the city- and then burst out with a sudden, shocked laugh, getting the samurai to turn towards her with a concerned look. She shook her head, pressing a hand to her lips in an attempt to stifle the bout of laughter. "No- no, sorry, it's- it's nothing. I just... we're halfway across the world, and you're still giving me nuggets of inspiration way too late at night. The more things change, huh?"
That brought a tiny smile to Shinai's face, before he rose to his feet, wiping the last remnants of wetness from his face. "...It's the least I can do for a friend- and my leader." He extended a hand to her, but she instead waved him off.
"I'm alright," She said quietly. "Just gonna... enjoy the night for a bit."
"Of course," He turned to leave, before hesitating. "Don't stay up too late, Daria."
"Course, course- likewise, Shinai."
The samurai continued his retreat, disappearing into the night, leaving the lone huntress sitting above Vacuo City.
She gave her sash one last look, a small smile claiming her face, before returning it to her bicep, retying it tightly. She turned back up to the night sky above, form relaxing as the night breeze washed over her.
Rainier's feet dug into the reddened tiles of the villa's roof, silver claws digging small rivets, his gaze locked onto the stars above, the chill desert air seeping into his form, his jacket flapping slightly against the wind. He pulled his knees closer to his chest, one arm wrapping around them.
The wolf took a steadying breath, his muscles tensing in anxious anticipation. Slowly, he released the breath, raising his hand to his face-
Held tightly within, was a folded piece of thick, waxy paper, crinkled from wear and tear and travel; a small rip in the corner taped over, the half circle of a mug soaking into its surface.
Lupine eyes stared at the paper with terror and trepidation- unblinking as they scanned over the folds. Hesitantly, his other hand reached up, picking at one of the corners.
He pulled the corners away, unfolding the paper from itself-
Emblazoned on its surface was the shining marble and brick of Beacon Academy; a fountain filled with warm blue water the centerpiece of the picture.
And standing in front of the fountain was Team DRGN; Nash, leaping in the air with a beaming grin, Phalanx stalwart behind him; Gail, halfway hidden behind the mech, her head bowed with a small, bashful smile; Rainier, his hands folded behind his head, looking down with a cocked smirk, the last words of a snide remark still on his lips; and glaring back up at him, arms crossed tightly over her chest, mouth wide in a bitter rebuke, was Daria.
He stared down at the image for a long few moments, his breaths coming uneven and shuddering. He swallowed a heavy wave of sadness and shame, fingers tightening around the edge of the photograph.
Rainier's gaze lifted from the picture back to the stars above, sniffing in once. His sadness slowly gave way; filling with determination, eyebrows knitting together, eyes going hard.
He nodded once to himself, before folding the photo back up, reaching inside of his jacket and placing it into the pocket within.
The wolf rose to his feet, turning on his heel back towards the window he'd come from; gracefully climbing back in, shutting it behind him.
And the last light of the villa turned off, giving way to silent night.
"Sir! Sir!"
Burning golden eyes turned at the voice, face twisting into an irritated snarl- watching as a man rushed into the alleyway, eyes filled with urgency. He had barely made it to Vegas when the killer lashed out with a clawed hand, gripping the smaller man's throat tightly, pushing him hard into the brick wall- dust and debris falling from the impact.
Vegas leaned down towards him, his voice low and husky. "...Who else would you like to tell that I'm here, hm? Go on. Keep yelling. See how long it takes them to make it."
"I- I'm sorry." The man wheezed, staring up at the killer with wide-eyed terror.
The golden criminal held the man's throat tightly for another moment- then released, letting air rush back into his lungs. Vegas stepped away, looking around the dark alleyway with an irritated glare. "Why did you call me here?" He asked, turning back to his informant. "I hope for your sake that you've got a new lead for me, and a very good one at that."
"I-" The smaller man hesitated, gaze not rising to meet the killer's own. "I... no, sir, I... have nothing on the Maiden," Vegas growled, taking a hard, threatening step towards him. "But- but! I do have something else! Something that- that I think might interest you!"
The killer froze in his tracks- Dragon's Fang poking out of his heavy cloak, its tip a few short inches away from the informant's stomach. "...Oh? You think you have something that might interest me? This should be very... entertaining."
"I- I managed to- to take this, earlier today! They're- they're the talk of some of the guards and soldiers in town, made a huge buzz coming in!" He stuttered, reaching into the bag at his side to pull out a Scroll tablet, fumbling to bring it to life, its screen brightening the alley around them.
He handed it over to Vegas, the killer giving him a confused side-eye as he took the Scroll. The man nodded profusely, continuing. "They just got in last night! New arrivals; huntsmen, we think."
Vegas looked down to the screen- and his eyes widened, his face dropping in shock.
"Supposedly, they came in from Beacon Academy."
The killer's eyes never left the tablet screen- emblazoned with the blurry images of five people walking along the street, heading towards the pyramid of Shade. His golden gaze locked onto the man bringing up the rear; a samurai, dressed in blacks and purples, a katana sheathe hanging at his side.
Slowly, Vegas' face began to split; a twisted, vicious smile claiming his expression, stretching from ear to ear. He took a deep breath in- and chuckles began to bubble out of his lips, body shaking. He straightened up, those chuckles turning into joyous cackles, stumbling back to lean against the wall for support. He buried his face into a hand, shaking it side to side in disbelief.
"...Um... sir?" The informant asked, voice cracking, eyes wide. "Are you... is everything okay?"
"Haha! Oh, absolutely, everything's perfect," His laughter abated, his body slowly stilling. Once his cackles came to a stop, he straightened back to his feet, handing the tablet back to the man. "...Thank you for your ever dutiful service," He whispered, voice light with elation. "This... this is very, very good. I knew that I had a very, very good feeling about waiting,"
His grin tilted maniacally, golden eyes glowing eagerly in the dark. "Patience really is a virtue."
-Volume 1-