Zrocker119: Much like last time, I don't really have much to say here. People are enjoying the story and that makes me happy.
Although, there is one thing that I would like to clarify. One Reviewer seemed to believe that the story Valen told Maria and Pyrrha was something I got from Conan the Barbarian. That is not the case. It's from the Doom Eternal Codex "History of the Night Sentinel's". Valen was literally telling them the history of his people.
Anyway, on with the story!
-Redemption of a Betrayer-
-Start-
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The sun had long since dipped below the horizon, replaced by the shattered visage of the moon. Even in its destroyed state, the fragments reflected light well enough to allow Valen an unhindered view of the vast ocean. The waters were calm, with only tiny waves to lap against the ship's hall.
Maria was nowhere to be seen as she and the Wolf had gone below deck and were sound asleep in their quarters. The young girl had been utterly exhausted from the days training and had barely been able to muster up the strength to walk on her own. She ended up falling asleep in her guardian's arms.
Only once had he tucked her in and the Wolf had lied beside her did Valen return to the deck where he currently found himself. Clasping his hands behind his back, Valen closed his eyes and focused on slowing his breath.
Once he had found the pace he was looking for he began to raise and lower his aura. It flickered on and off, completely in tandem with his breath. This was an exercise he began on the first night they had set sail three weeks ago. While he was able to turn his aura on and off at will, either took a second to accomplish.
A second was too long in his opinion as that was all the time it took to change the flow of a battle. He could always just keep his aura permanently activated but that would just result in any nearby Grimm being drawn to his location. Though his son was free of the curse Valen had unintentionally inflicted upon him, the destruction of one's inner demons was a process that took time.
Valen returned his attention to shortening the time it took to activate his aura. Once they reached their destination and he secured residency for himself and his ward, only then would he be free to challenge the turmoil that dwelled within himself. Not only that, but he would then be able to truly begin Maria's training.
The thought of her brought a smile to Valen's lips.
Though all she had done so far was basic cardio exercises, she had taken to them like a fish to water. He had already known that she was rather fit for her age, with more developed muscles from working on her family's farm, but she had managed to impress him.
Not an easy feat considering he had trained many aspiring warriors, regardless of how long ago those times had been. But despite the eons of self-imposed isolation, Valen never forgot the pride that came with overseeing the next generation. It was a feeling that he had missed oh so much.
Opening his eyes, Valen brought his hands forward and stared at them. Or more specifically the blue hue that encased them. Being able to see his soul was an experience he was still getting used to.
While Valen had initially found the idea of the soul protecting one's body to be complete and utterly ridiculous, and still did to a certain extent, he couldn't deny its usefulness. A personal shield, enhanced strength, speed, and an increased healing factor. If he and his fellow Night Sentinels had had this power during their campaign against the forces of Hell, the demons wouldn't have stood a chance.
And that wasn't even getting into the topic of Semblances.
A unique ability tailored to every individual brought an unprecedented level of unpredictability to the battlefield. The only problem was that it didn't come with the activation of Aura and had to be discovered. Whether through deep meditation or the direst of circumstances.
And Valen had a foreboding feeling that the latter would apply to him.
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The last two weeks of the trip were uneventful in Valen's eyes. He and Maria had continued to work on her cardio with only little breaks in between exercises. When she wasn't working up a sweat, Valen would teach her how to read and write Argenta.
Once she grasped the language, it would make her the only other person on the entire planet that could. Any future messages between them would be handwritten in Argenta, regardless of how vital the information was, as a means to ensure they could never be deciphered should they be intercepted.
While the literal alien language was understandably difficult for her to comprehend, she had already managed to memorize the first few letters of the alphabet within the five weeks they had been at sea. Now it was only a matter of learning the rest of it.
When the ship finished docking into the relatively small port of Kuo Kuana and all the passengers departed, Valen immediately found himself standing out as he and his entourage moved through the crowd.
Nearly everyone stared at him with some level of surprise or suspicion. Valen had an educated guess but honestly hoped that he was wrong. Because if his theory proved right then this kingdom might not prove to be the most ideal spot to raise the girl.
He wasn't alone in his observations as Maria took notice of the stares as well. She found herself holding onto his hand. "Why's everyone staring at us?"
"They're staring because I am not a Faunus." Valen frowned when he spotted some particularly nasty looks being sent in his direction. "For generations, Faunus have been mistreated and belittled by humanity. In their eyes, I'm just another human and that's more than enough for me to earn their scorn."/
"But you haven't done anything to them."
"That fact matters little to them."
Maria scowled as they passed by another group that was sending Valen distrustful glares. "They're all dumb."
Valen shook his head. "Do not be angry with them, Maria. Instead pity their ignorance and hope that one day, they will be able to learn that an entire race shouldn't be condemned by the misdeeds of the few."
Maria frowned but eventually nodded. She still found the whole thing to be stupid, but she would take her guardian's words to heart. Regardless of what others believed, she knew that Valen was a good man and that was all that mattered.
The group kept walking and eventually reached a boardwalk filled to the brim with a variety of food stands and other shops. It was also here that Valen saw just how many different varieties of Faunus there were.
While many had mammalian features such as ears, a tail, or sharpened teeth and claws, many had gills, striped skin, and horns. One young lady possessed a lower half that was nothing but that of a serpent, while another flew overhead with a massive pair of eagle wings. The sheer diversity amongst a single species was unheard of and shouldn't have been possible, but all the evidence was before the Sentinel's eyes.
"Excuse me sir, but is there any way I can be of assistance?"
Valen turned to see a dark-skinned man dressed in a moderate amount of armor had approached them. He bore a scar across his right eye and was looking at him with a moderate amount of suspicion.
"Indeed there is." Valen placed a hand on Maria's shoulder. "I am looking to secure a place of residence for myself and my ward. Do you happen to know who I need to speak with about such things?"
The man stared in silence for a moment before nodding. "You would want to speak with the chieftain. I can show you the way if you'd like."
"By all means."
"Very well. My name is Saber Rodentia and I am Captain of the Menagerie Guard."
"I am Valen and this my ward, Maria."
Saber shifted his gaze to the massive wolf that stood beside the two. "Is your wolf-"
"Wolfie's nice." Maria scratched the massive lupine's chin, making him wag his tail in appreciation. "He won't hurt anybody."
Saber raised a brow and looked to Valen who offered nothing more than a shrug. The guard decided to just drop the subject. Motioning for them to follow, he began to lead them down the main street. While the group still drew a fair amount of gazes, the presence of Saber dissuaded many more from showing open distrust towards the only non-Faunus on the island.
Saber noticed them as well. "Please don't hold it against them. Many of those here came from places where our kind is not welcomed."
Valen grunted. "So long that it does not affect me nor my ward, I care not of what they think of me."
The Sentinel paused when a ball bumped against his heel. Looking in the direction it came from he spied a group of Faunus children, each staring at him with a small level of fear. Glancing down at the ball, Valen gave a gentle kick and sent it back towards them before moving on, missing their surprised expressions.
He saw Saber staring at him and raised a brow. The guardsman simply shrugged and continued leading them. They spent the rest of the stroll in comfortable silence, with Valen and Maria glancing absentmindedly at the settlement as they passed by. They eventually reached a large, stone staircase that led up to a very large, multistoried house.
Heading up them, the group came to a large set of wooden doors with guards flanking either side. They looked the group over before their gazes fell to Saber. Only upon receiving a curt nod from the man did the guards allow them to approach.
Saber reached out and rapped his knuckles against the wood. A couple of moments passed before the door opened and a small, dark-haired child with cat ears poked her head out.
"Hello, Blake." Greeted Saber. "Is your father busy? There's someone that would like to talk to him."
Blake looked past the captain, her eyes widening fearfully at Valen's scarred visage before retreating back inside and closing the door. Saber blinked. He had not expected that kind of reaction.
Turning around, he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry about that. She'll probably grab one of her parents."
The moment he finished speaking the massive doors were thrown open with such force that the guards had to step aside to avoid being pinned to the wall and Valen, for the first in a very long time, found himself having to look up to meet someone's eyes.
The man was certainly massive, but not in an insulting way. He stood nearly a full head taller than Valen and was just as muscular with black hair and a thick beard. He sported a violet coat with white fur trim, the front of which was open, exposing the patch of black fur on his chest.
His yellow eyes were alight with a barely contained fury as he looked around. "Who's the bastard that frightened my daughter!?"
Valen took a step forward, making the mountain of a man focus his attention on him. "My apologies, but it would seem that my appearance gave your little one a scare."
"Who's there, Ghira?"
Called out a feminine voice from within the house. Out from behind the man stepped a woman. She was quite beautiful, with short black hair and yellow eyes. Like the young girl from before she too sported a pair of cat ears atop her head, both of which were a piercing gold.
Her outfit was simple, consisting of black hakama, sandals with white tabi socks, and a single-sleeved black shrug with gold trim.
The girl from before was present as well, though she was now peaking out from behind the woman's leg. Just from their shared physical traits, Valen immediately knew they were mother and daughter.
Valen wouldn't admit it aloud, but he found the glare the girl was shooting the Wolf to be quite humorous.
"Don't know yet, Kali."
Saber placed a fist to his chest and gave a small bow. "Sorry for interrupting your day off, Chieftain Belladonna, but this man, Valen, wished to secure a place of residence."
Most of the heat had left Ghira's gaze by now. With narrowed eyes, he gave the scarred man standing before him a scrutinizing look over, pausing momentarily on his cybernetic arm before moving onto his face.
"Are you really here to seek residence?"
"I am," Valen answered immediately. "Is that a problem?"
Ghira was quick to wave off his question. "Not at all." He turned his attention to the captain of the guard. "You can return to your work, Saber. I can handle things from here."
"Sir," with one final bow, Saber turned on his heels and left the premises, but not before shooting Valen and Maria with an encouraging look.
"Well then," Kali spoke up, offering the duo a kind smile. "Why don't you and your daughter come inside and join us for lunch while you talk with my husband. Come on, Blake."
Grabbing her daughter's hand, Kali woman spun on her heel and retreated inside before Valen could begin to correct her on her misunderstanding of his and Maria's relationship.
Ghira chuckled. "Well, you might as well come on in. Once my wife's made up her mind, there's no changing it. But I'm gonna have to ask that your weapons and pet remain out here."
While Valen's first instinct was to refuse the request, he understood the man's reasoning. None would be comfortable with inviting an armed stranger into their home, prospecting neighbor or not. And besides, it wasn't as if he was helpless without his weapons.
So with a nod, he looked at the Wolf. The mystical beast gave a slight twitch of the ears before padding over the side of the steps where he sat.
Grabbing his deactivated warhammer, he leaned it against the railing beside the Wolf before setting his duffle bag down. He then detached his shoulder-mounted cannon and retrieved the handle of his sentinel energy sword from within the confines of his armor, setting both on top of his bag.
Valen paused, looking over his cybernetic limb before turning to Ghira. "I don't suppose you want me to leave this out here as well?"
Valen's flat, deadpan expression caused a chuckle to slip from Ghira. "No, I think you can keep the arm."
The Night Sentinel gave a nod. Placing a hand on his wards shoulder, Valen and Maria followed the man into his home, the doors closing behind them.
The guards resumed their posts, but it was kind of hard to remain vigilant when one had a giant wolf sitting just a few feet away. Even more so when the beast let out a yawn, flashing them its fanged maw.
One of the guards would later swear that it had laughed afterward.
Meanwhile, Valen and Maria were being led through the house. Although, to simply call it a house would be a disservice as it was more like a mansion with how grandiose it was. They eventually entered a large, circular room with a low-sitting, square table with seating mats on either side.
Kali and Blake were already seated, the table set with several plates, glasses, and what appeared to be a tray loaded with what he assumed to be some kind of cooked fish.
"I hope that you don't mind tuna," Kali said as she began to make a plate for herself and her daughter.
Valen didn't know what tuna was but it smelled appealing enough to him. Taking one of the remaining matts, he made sure to leave enough space for Maria to sit beside him. The wolf Faunus was quick to do so. She gazed around the room curiously before focusing on the food.
Maria looked at Ghira, who had taken up the seat across from them. The man gave an encouraging nod. With the go-ahead from their hosts, Maria quickly put together a plate for herself. Valen meanwhile, unsurprising to his ward, simply rested on his knees and watched as everyone else enjoyed the food.
Ghira noticed this but didn't comment. If the man wasn't hungry, then he wouldn't make a scene of it. "Now then, Saber said that you were looking to find a home here."
Valen nodded. "A man I consider a friend told me of Menagerie. That this is a place where Faunus can live free of the scrutiny of others."
"But you are no Faunus."
"Will that be a problem?"
"For me? No, no it won't. But for others," Ghira scratched his beard. "Many of those that live here came from places they would rather forget. Seeing a human walking the streets might bring up some unpleasant memories."
"I care not what others think," Valen said with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. "The pasts of those I do not know are of no concern of mine. All that matters is that I find a suitable place to raise Maria and teach her my ways. Menagerie was merely my first option, but I can find another should this place not meet our requirements."
Ghira's eyes narrowed. "And what exactly are your ways? You don't exactly strike me as a simple farmer."
"Maria wishes to be a warrior. I will teach her all the skills necessary to be as such. She has already begun to take the first steps to achieve her goal."
"Isn't she a bit young to be training as a huntress," asked Kali.
Maria paused in her eating to frown and began to speak but was halted by Valen placing a hand on her shoulder.
Giving her a reassuring smile, the old warrior turned to their hosts. "When one is robbed of childhood innocence, they are left with little option but to grow up and move forward."
"...I see." Ghira let out a sigh. "Based on your appearance alone, I can already tell that you've spent a majority of your life fighting. I won't ask who or what, as it isn't any of my business. But I must know if you will be willing to fight to protect Menagerie."
"If it is against the forces of Grimm, then my assistance will be of little issue. But should Menagerie come under attack from other outside forces," he stroked his goatee in thought, "should that occur, I will interfere as I see fit."
"Even if innocence were at risk?"
"If it was an unprovoked attack on the town, then I would respond accordingly and do what I could to minimize casualties." Valen narrowed his gaze. "Why ask such a thing? Are you planning on doing something that would provoke such a response?"
"Purposely? No." Ghira shook his head. "Tell me. Have you heard of the White Fang?"
"I can't say that I have."
Ghira's chest rumbled in quiet laughter. "Can't say that I'm surprised. We only just became active a few months ago. I'm sure that you're aware of how mistreated the Faunus are in other kingdoms. We're a peaceful activist group that seeks to bring an end to it all."
"Having a human, a huntsman at that would send quite the message to the rest of the world."
"Hmm, I see. There is just one problem." Valen's hosts looked at him in open confusion. "I am no huntsman. Just an old warrior trying to make his way in the world."
Ghira waved his hand. "Semantics. Even if you aren't a huntsman, just getting a human to join and show open support of our cause would show the rest of the world that peaceful coexistence is possible."
"And I'm guessing that my request for residency will be denied should I refuse?"
"Not at all!" Now it was Valen's turn to be surprised. "While the help would be appreciated, I'm not about to turn away a man and his daughter that are just looking for a home."
His words earned a nod of agreement from his wife. "We're always looking to help those in need."
"...Let's say that I was to join, what would be required of me?"
Ghira smiled, glad that he was open to the idea. "I would ask you to accompany us to some of our rallies as extra security in the case of something happening. While we have some fighters amongst our ranks, many are just ordinary Faunus looking to improve our standing with humanity."
Valen took a moment to ponder the offer. While it would not affect him all too greatly, Maria's livelihood when traveling between kingdoms could be significantly altered by how successful this group was.
But there was always a chance that this movement could fail, or worse, paint targets on their backs from those who wish to see it fail.
And that was a risk Valen wasn't willing to take.
"I'm sorry, but Maria's safety is my only priority," Valen said solemnly. "If I were to join, those that would see your organization fail would cast their attention to us as well. While I may gamble with my own life, I refuse to do the same to Maria's."
His answer caused Ghira's eyes to widen in surprise. But he developed a look of understanding a moment later and smiled. "Trust me when I say that we understand that sentiment. And while I'm disappointed, I respect your decision. So consider the matter closed."
And so it was. Throughout the remainder of their visit, Ghira and Kali never brought up the White Fang again and instead made small talk. Whilst the adults conversed, Maira came out of her shell a bit and managed to have a conversation with Blake, asking her about what there was for fun around the settlement.
This place just might be what they were looking for.
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As a cat Faunus, Blake was curious by nature. When confronted with something that she didn't know, she couldn't help but want to learn as much as she could about it. It was for that reason and many others that she found herself walking along a path that cut through the foliage that surrounded the outskirts of town.
Unlike the rest of the residents who lived within the confines of the town, Valen had specifically requested for his home to be built outside of the walls.
Her father had shown concern over the location as it was prone to wandering packs of Grimm. Upon hearing that, Valen had given her father a blank look before asking if they could watch Maria for a bit. Her mother happily agreed and Valen took up his weapons and disappeared for the remainder of the day.
When he returned that night, he cited that the location was clear for building. The next day her father had sent a few of the guards to scout the area and sure enough, all the Grimm had been cleared out and a few weeks later the place was ready.
And while Blake definitely preferred the safety that came with living within the walls she would admit that there was something strangely comforting about being surrounded by nothing but wilderness.
Hearing something from the backyard, Blake circled the cabin, the sound growing louder the closer she got. Peeking around the corner she saw the source of the noise.
Maria stood in the middle of the yard. She was panting heavily, covered in sweat and grime. Clutched in her hands was a wooden staff, one end of which was stabbed into the ground so she could lean against it for support.
In contrast to his ward, Valen appeared completely fine. His breathing was even and there wasn't a hint of sweat to be seen. He was without his armor for once, wearing a simple sleeveless shirt and cargo pants. Even his armored boots were nowhere to be seen, leaving him barefoot.
Valen allowed his ward a moment to catch her breath before leveling his staff. "Again."
Wiping the sweat out of her eye, Maria gripped her staff and sprinted forward. She closed the distance between them and swung, but her strike was batted to the side. Undeterred, she unleashed a flurry of strikes, trying to find a chink in Valen's defense. But no matter where she struck, the former Sentinel was always a step ahead of her, maneuvering his staff with a grace befitting that of a master.
Like every Night Sentinel, he had been drilled from a young age to wield all manner of weapons. And while Valen preferred his mighty war hammer overall, he never forgot the lessons that were beaten into him during his youth.
And while those methods were certainly effective, they would not work in this instance. Maria's Aura would shorten recovery time, but she simply didn't have the strength or durability that came from being Argenta to weather such brutal training methods.
But that wouldn't stop Valen from molding her into a warrior worthy of the same title. He just had to go about it a different way.
The spar lasted for several minutes, with Valen playing mostly defensive. This shifted quite suddenly when instead of guarding, he parried her strike.
The sudden weight shift caught Maria off guard, making her momentarily lose balance and fall forward with a painful thud.
Planting his staff into the ground, Valen knelt beside her. "What did you do wrong?"
Pushing herself into a sitting position, Maria thought for a movement and sighed. "I don't know. I was attacking like you showed me."
"You allowed yourself to be lulled into a pattern." Placing a hand on her shoulder, Valen pointed to his temple. "There's more to combat than just attacking. It's about learning how your opponent thinks and acts. When and where they are most likely to strike and how you can avoid it."
"If an enemy fights defensively, chances are that they are simply biding their time for a perfect strike. And when that happens," his grip tightened, not so much so that it caused her any pain but to drive his point home, "their weapon may be the last thing you ever see."
She hung her head in shame, tears trickling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."
Cupping her chin, Valen had her look him in the eye. "Do not be sorry. Be better. For that is the point of training. Every mistake you make now is one you will avoid when it truly counts. And when the time comes for you to take your place on the battlefield, you will be ready."
Wiping her eyes, Maria stood and gave a sharp nod. "I will!"
Valen smiled and ruffled her hair. "Good. Now go and get yourself cleaned up. It would seem that we have a guest."
Hearing that, Blake stepped out from where she had been silently observing. Or she would have had something not picked her up by the back of her shirt, earning a startled yelp from her.
The Faunus had to crane her neck to see who it was. Blake gave an instinctual hiss when she saw that it was the overgrown fleabag. What made her angry though was that this wasn't the first time it had done this.
How is it that something so big kept managing to sneak up on her!? She swore the beast found her frustration amusing.
"Hi, Blake," greeted Maria.
Blake gave a half-hearted wave as the wolf Faunus ran past and into the house.
The sound of approaching footsteps caused Blake to look and see Valen now stood before them. The man in question glanced up at the Wolf, a single brow raised. Though she couldn't see it, Blake was certain the thing rolled its eyes before lowering its head and deposited her safely on the ground.
The moment her feet touched the ground, Blake shot off behind the open back door, peaking out only to glare at the Wolf. It in turn looked back with a mischievous gleam in its glowing eyes but before it could do anything, Valen patted it on the side.
"Enough teasing the young one."
Its ears twitched unhappily before trotting off into the surrounding forest.
Valen shook his head in exasperation. Even after almost a year of dealing with the Wolf's antics, it still managed to surprise him. Pushing the Wolf's childishness aside, he returned his attention to the Faunus before him.
"Hello, Blake. I take it that you are here to visit Maria."
Blake shook her head. "Dad wanted me to come and see if you were busy. He needs to talk to you. I think it has something to do with the upcoming rally."
Valen's had to suppress a sigh. While he had declined membership, every once in a while Ghira would invite him to attend their meets. He probably did so as a means to show Valen how the organization was doing and hopefully convince the man to reconsider his decision.
Ghira had yet to be successful, but Valen admired his determination. Even though it was a bit annoying at times.
"And your father sent you instead of simply calling me?"
"He tried. You weren't answering your scroll."
His face scrunched in confusion. He was certain he set the volume on his scroll to max so he could hear it go off should someone call him while he was training Maria. Moving over to where he had set it down alongside his armor, Valen grabbed the scroll in question.
Upon opening it, Valen scowled when there were indeed several missed calls from Ghira. How was it that he hadn't heard it going off?
Seeing his eyes narrow in confusion, Blake walked up to him and held out her hand. "Let me see it."
He wordlessly passed it over for her to look at. Blake idly noted the screensaver before looking over the sound settings. It only took her a second to figure out what was wrong.
"You had it on silent."
"On what?"
"Silent," turning the screen towards him, Blake pointed to the bell symbol next to the volume controls. "It only vibrates a little instead of the normal alert sound. Your finger must have brushed it when you last adjusted the volume."
"Hmm, I see. Thank you, Blake." With the confusion cleared up, Valen took back his scroll. Grabbing his gear he turned back to Blake and spoke, "it shouldn't take long for Maria and I to be ready. You may head back to your home or wait for us. The choice is yours." With his piece said Valen entered the house and made his way to his room for a quick shower.
In the end, Blake decided to wait for them and took a seat on the couch. She made sure to keep a wary eye out for the Wolf though, just in case it snuck up on her once again. Thankfully she wasn't waiting by herself for very long, with a freshly showered Maria coming into the room and taking up the seat next to her.
Though she was a wolf Faunus, Blake got along with the slightly older girl well enough. It helped that the two of them were not big conversationalists and were more than content with just sitting in silence.
Blake's interest peaked however when Maria held her hands out with the palms facing each other, fingers curled like she was holding a ball. Maria starred, her brows furrowed and face scrunched in concentration.
This went on for several minutes and just when Blake was about to ask what she was doing, motes of light began to form in Maria's hands. As the motes began to take shape, Blake noticed that the temperature slowly began to grow colder. So much so that she was beginning to see her breath.
Maria seemed to be unaffected by the drop in temperature and continued to concentrate on her task. After another moment the light finally died down. Blinking the spots out of her eyes Blake's eyes widened at the sight of a clear, ice crystal floating between her hands.
"I see you are practicing."
With a startled shout, the girls whipped around to see Valen standing behind them, freshly showered and fully armored. There was, however, a new addition to his usual getup. That being a small, blue standard depicting a symbol that she didn't recognize, one that resembled a 't' with a 'v' connected at the bottom.
Strange symbol aside, Blake kept up a blank look while internally trying to slow her rapidly beating heart.
Maria on the other hand pouted at him. "Stop sneaking up on us!"
He merely chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Then perhaps you should take better care in being aware of your surroundings. Now, let me see."
Completely forgetting about being annoyed with Valen's unique brand of teasing, Maira quickly brought up the crystal she had managed to create.
Retrieving it, Valen inspected it for any kind of flaw. Tightening his grip, he was impressed by how resilient the ice was. He didn't doubt how effective it would be as either an improvised projectile or dagger. It took several seconds of steadily increasing the amount of force he was exerting, but the ice eventually shattered, showering them all with tiny flakes.
"Impressive."
Rather than be dismayed at the crystal's destruction like Blake had expected, Maria was positively radiating with pride.
"Come along now." Making his way to the front door, Valen held it open for them. "We've kept Mr. Belladonna waiting long enough."
Once the girls shuffled out the door, Valen turned and locked it before following after them. The walk itself was mostly uneventful as the group walked along the trail in comfortable silence. The only instance any of them made noise was when the Wolf snuck up on Blake yet again.
She had glared at the Wolf but all that succeeded in doing was earring her a lick on the cheek and giggles from Maria. Blake swore it was the beasts mission to mess with her at every given opportunity.
As they made their way through the town, several residents stopped what they were doing to greet Valen, ones that he returned in kind. Over the last seven months, the lone Sentinel had done a variety of tasks to help improve his standing amongst the Faunus. Mostly eliminating any Grimm that strayed too close to the settlement, but he wasn't above helping others with more menial labor.
It wasn't long before the group reached Blake's home. The guards opened the door allowing them entry, not even bothering to ask Valen to disarm himself as they had long since learned that the Chieftain and his family were as far from harm as one could get when Valen was present.
They did make the Wolf wait outside though much to its continued annoyance.
Once they were in, the girls ran off to do their own thing. Meetings were boring affairs that only grownups had to go to. This meant that Valen was alone when he reached the meeting room.
He gave a quick rap on the door to announce his arrival before letting himself in.
"Ah, he finally arrives," exclaimed Ghira, expressing a good-natured smile.
"My apologies for keeping everyone waiting," Valen said with a small bow before taking one of the empty seats. "I apparently silenced my scroll before today's training session. I assure you it won't happen again."
While most of the gathered White Fang sighed in exasperation at the man's blunder, Ghira merely chuckled. "Well, at least you're here now."
"Now that the human's here, can we finally get this meeting underway? Not sure why we had to wait for a non-member anyway."
The one that spoke was a woman with a dark complexion, amber eyes, and wild black, chin-length hair with an asymmetrical bob style. Her Faunus trait manifested as an extra pair of ears, and her body was adorned with numerous tattoos that resembled that of tiger stripes.
Her attire consisted of a form-fitting, gray sleeveless top with diamond-shaped cutouts on the back and front. A pair of white pants are partially visible under her gray low-heeled thigh boots with a large cutout on the thighs, large light gray diamond detailing around the knees.
She had an exotic beauty about her. Something that even would admit to himself.
Valen gave a small nod in the woman's direction. "A pleasure to see again as well, Ms. Khan."
The two had met on multiple occasions and while Valen held no ill will towards the tiger Faunus, it was clear to everyone present that she and several others were apprehensive about his inclusion in these meetings.
Sienna simply shook her head in exasperation at his formal greeting but didn't bother correcting him as she knew it would do no good. The man was on friendly terms with Ghira and Kali, yet continued to refer to them as Mr. and Mrs. despite being told to do otherwise.
Again, Ghira chuckled at the two's interaction before settling down. "Very well. Now that we are all assembled, let's get this meeting underway."
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How much time had passed since he had arrived in this world? Months? Years? It was difficult for Abaddon to measure the passage of time with the sky stuck in perpetual twilight. All that he did know was that enough time had passed for him to come to terms with his current situation.
As he was no longer a being that required mortal necessities such as food and rest, after speaking with Salem, he had dedicated all his attention to sifting through the castle's massive library. The amount of knowledge the witch had been able to accumulate throughout the ages was staggering. And he had taken full advantage of it all.
To think that actual gods had at one point not only inhabited this rock but had lived alongside their creations. Or at least that's what the ancient texts had claimed.
But the Demon suspected otherwise.
While Abaddon was a warrior first and foremost, he was far from a mindless brute. He had spent eon's living within the first city in all of creation. Immora, capital of Hell itself. There, he too had combed through great libraries built by the Dark Lord himself.
It was there that Abaddon learned the truth that the Maykr's, the false gods, had gone through great lengths to bury.
Were these brothers imposters as well? Had they stood by and watched when the great betrayal took place and simply took the credit for the work of a being much greater than themselves? It wouldn't surprise him if they were.
"My subordinates are gathered and waiting for our arrival. Are you prepared?"
Abaddon blinked. Turning away from the window he had been staring out of, he saw that Salem stood not three feet behind him. He hadn't even sensed, let alone heard her approach. No doubt due to some magical trickery.
"My apologies, Lady Salem. I was...deep in thought."
Salem gave no sign of being surprised by his admission. Despite what his appearance would suggest, Abaddon portrayed very human-like body language. And though he was an expert at keeping them in check, some slipped through every now and they had been in one another's company enough times for her to pick up on them when they did.
They had shared many a conversation during his stay within her castle and had learned much about the other and their past deeds. While the notion of hosting a being that had betrayed his entire race for power would cause many to turn him away, Salem was instead intrigued.
She was no stranger to betrayal. Her own past was all too full of them.
It also helped that Abaddon was a striking conversationalist and was genuinely interesting to talk to. Something that was severely lacking amongst her inner circle.
"Come along." Turning on her heels, Salem silently walked back in the direction from whence she came. A stark contrast to Abaddon's heavy boot falls.
"I'll admit. I'm curious about the type of company ones such as yourself keeps." Spoke the demon as they made their way toward the conference hall.
"One is a self-serving narcissist. Another, a deranged lunatic that worships me as a goddess. I'll leave you to figure out which is which." She answered without a moment's hesitation. "But each of them serve a purpose, so I tolerate them."
Abaddon raised a nonexistent brow. Well then. Certainly seemed like the kind of company he was used to. This was shaping up to be an interesting meeting.
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-End-