A/N: Back with another chapter RWBY fans. Volume 8 certainly gave Deviljho's Hatred and I a lot to think about for future events of this story, but for now lets just continue with the current volume going on in this fic. Enjoy.

The engine of the truck Inori had… "borrowed" roared as she drove through the desert sands. So far, she had moments of good and bad luck on this mission. The good luck was finding the Summer Maiden much sooner than expected. The bad luck was losing her and allowing her to escape into Vacuo where she would be far more guarded. While Inori had spent plenty of years in Vacuo, she knew that the kingdom would be on the lookout for her and her crew. That meant she needed a backdoor into the city, and she couldn't take any unnecessary chances.

Luckily, she knew of one person who should still be living in the area and would be able to help them.

Sitting in the passenger seat was Crimson, her favorite member of the team. Though that wasn't too much of an accomplishment considering the rest of her team consisted of a girl who held a mean grudge, a criminal whose smart mouth was gradually beginning to amuse her less and less, a mute girl who was like the daughter she wished she had, and two tagalong kids that she would sacrifice the lives of in a heartbeat. With that lineup, it wasn't hard for a masochistic old friend to be her favorite.

In the back of the truck, the rest of her merry little band were cluttered together and growing very impatient with how long this detour was taking.

"Are we almost there yet?" Isuka asked.

"My, my, I wasn't aware you were so eager to meet my old friend." Inori said. "If you're looking for potential dates though, I think you'll have better luck elsewhere. You're not his type."

"Doubt he'd be mine either if you're so chummy with him." Isuka retorted. "I just want to finally be able to stretch my legs a bit. This ride is taking forever."

"Well sorry, but I always consider safe driving paramount. It's important to follow the rules of the road and never speed."

"What road, we're in the middle of the desert! And since when do you care about laws?!"

"Hey, it's not like I hate all laws. Just the boring ones, like saying it's wrong to kill or experiment on people. Those ones are just buzzkills." In the distance, Inori finally saw their destination come into view. "Better hang on tight. The home stretch tends to be a bit bumpy."

"What do you-" Torchwick was cut off guard as an explosion sounded and the truck rattled. "What the hell was that?!"

"My bad. Accidentally set off one of the mines."

"MINES?!" Emerald exclaimed.

"Yeah. My good buddy has a minefield set up in front of his house to keep away unwanted visitors." Inori explained. "Didn't I tell you?"

"Oh yeah! Cause these are the faces of people in the know!" Isuka shouted sarcastically.

"Oh keep your pants on. I only accidentally set off the one." Inori told them. Seconds later however, another mine went off, shaking the truck again. "Ok, two."

Torchwick and company held their breath as the last couple minutes of the ride went on, the truck twisting and turning to avoid the mines. All it would take was one wrong move from Inori and they would be blown sky high. But whether it was Inori's "safe driving" or just their luck saving their butts, no more explosions followed.

Inori parked the vehicle in front of the house and got out with Crimson. "You all should probably stay out here. Our friend can be a little… shy around new people."

"Is that your way of saying he'd try to kill us?"

"See? You're understanding me more and more each day. Now that's what I call team bonding."

Inori and Crimson walked up to the front door together. The female scientist knocked on the door. "Hey Rust! The two beautiful maidens of your past have come to say hello." Several seconds passed as no sound came. Inori knocked louder. "Hey! Open the damn door you imbecile! It's hot out and I don't want to be out here longer than I have to!"

"Maybe he died? It has been awhile." Crimson suggested. The two girls shared a glance before breaking out into laughter at the thought.

"Ah Crimson, I swear you could have a future as a comedian." Inori said. She still heard nothing coming from inside. "Alright, I'm done being polite. We're going in!"

With a forceful kick, Inori burst the door open. She and Crimson walked inside, finding the house to be empty with the lights turned off. It wasn't anything fancy, considering the house itself was pretty much just a wooden shack.

Though most houses Inori knew of didn't have an assortment of traps meant to kill anyone that tripped them.

Rolling her eyes, Inori pulled out her butterfly knives and tossed them in specific directions. Each one triggered a trap, from part of the floor opening up into a pit of spikes meant to skewer whoever fell in, to a series of tasers that likely had enough voltage to kill a Goliath.

"Seriously?! These are the best traps he was able to set up?!" Inori exclaimed. "Geez Rust, when did you get so sloppy?"

"I wanted to be the one to trigger them though…" Crimson pouted, disappointed that she missed the opportunity to experience the alluring pain of the traps that would kill most normal people.

The duo walked further inside, stepping over the triggered traps in the hall as they came into the kitchen. Just like the entrance hall, the lights were off and everything seemed empty.

Though the latter was quickly proven wrong when a machete blade came swinging from the left.

A swift kick knocked the edge of the blade away, giving Inori the opening to throw a knife at the offender. A dark shadow dodged the projectile and sunk into the deeper darkness of the house.

"Come now, Rust. Is this really how you want to greet your old gal pals?" Crimson said with a tut. "While I more than welcome the pleasure of pain, unfortunately we're on a business call."

It was silent for but a moment before a speaker blared to life with a robotic sounding voice. "Business call? The last time we had business together I ended up having to do all the dirty work of hacking and slashing bodies while you got away."

Inori rolled her eyes at the pettiness of the man. "Oh, let that live forever why don't ya? So ya got caught by the police. We came back to break you out, didn't we?"

"And while that gesture is appreciated, I shouldn't have gotten caught if you had my back." Another speaker hissed as it activated near Crimson. "Now how do I know that you'll keep your promise if I decide to listen?"

"You don't. Rust, we've been friends for decades. You should know how this goes down in the end. Always watch your own back and never let your guard down."

"I couldn't have said it myself."

A gleam of steel caught Inori's sight just as it was about to quite literally backstab her. She threw off her lab coat to obstruct Rust's vision and drew her sword. "Crimson, find some way to brighten this place up. I wanna look him straight in the eyes as I gouge one of his kidneys out."

The other woman looked mildly disappointed she wouldn't get to fight but supposed the scientist would make it up to her somehow. She stepped into the kitchen just as Inori started kicking the other furniture away to give herself some space. As well as activating any remaining traps that were embedded into the walls.

"Alright, come out here Rust baby. If you come out now I'll only stab one non vital organ with the kidney removal."

A machete came spinning at her like a buzzsaw. She didn't even bat an eyelash as the shadowy visage of her husband came out from the ground and grabbed the blade before it entered her personal space. The shadow disappeared as it handed the machete to his wife, leaving the ambusher without a weapon.

Inori closed her eyes as she listened for even the slightest creak of a wooden floorboard or sliding of feet. A step from her left caught her attention as she counted the seconds.

One.

Another one seemed to come from the roof, an impossible feat for most normal warriors. But if there was anything that Inori's old gang was not, it was normal.

Two.

This time from the direction of the couches behind her that she kicked away. He was closing in.

Three!

She opened her eyes just as the blade of a new machete came into her view and she grasped it in her bare hands. Rust struggled to get the blade loose but was even more surprised when she cut her own palm willingly with the edge. It didn't become clear until she threw a splatter of her own blood onto his clothes.

"Gotcha, dear Rust."

Rust nearly threw up his lunch from the force of the impact of Inori's fist in his gut. The Stryker family strength being used full force at point blank was dangerous even at full Aura. Thankfully her grip loosened on the blade enough for the shadow clad figure to yank it out and retreat back.

"Oh this fight is over now Rust. I know the smell of my own blood and well… blood in general. You can't hide from me anymore. Because I know that you're now… HERE!"

This time he did throw up his lunch from being roundhouse kicked in the side of his stomach as the assassin attempted a stab at her legs. Inori's hand reached to grasp at his hair but was ironically a hairs length short from reaching him until he bled into the shadows. Deciding she liked this game of cat and mouse now that the tables were turned in her favor, she toyed around for a bit. Deflecting and counter attacking any attempt on her life with the greatest of ease and tossing Rust around like a ragdoll.

Proving to be futile, Rust contemplated retreat for but a moment given that this situation was now out of his hands. But that split second distraction led to his throat being grabbed and slammed into a wall. He attempted to escape until he felt the cold edge of a butterfly knife up against his left pectoral. Right near his heart.

"Ah, ah, ah! I found you, no breaking the rules of Hide & Seek."

In an ironic insult to the injury, the lights turned on followed by the quick footsteps of Crimson back into the living room. But any and all excitement from her face vanished as she saw the conflict was already done. "Oh come on! I wanted him to carve up my skin like a fat prize chicken!"

"Maybe next time Crimmy. Now I do believe we have a deal to discuss, don't we Rust?"

The man in question was finally revealed in all his glory. He wore a plague doctor mask on his face that was decked out with all sorts of cybernetic enhancements. His brown locks of hair were surprisingly well kept despite the squalid living conditions, combed into a neat mullet. A dark tan tattered overcoat was slung over his shoulders with a pure black casual shirt under it. An accompanying pair of blue worker slacks that had several stains of unknown origins comboed well with his dark non-slip work shoes. On his belt line were several archaic yet effective weapons meant for maiming and butchering. Namely knives, machetes, serrated carvers and a pair of claws.

"So what do you want, Inori? Last time I checked you were never one for a house call."

"Well we're sort of getting the band back together! I've been under new employment that's given me the freedom to pursue all my beloved interests while sticking it to Atlas at the same time!" Inori sighed a bit dreamily before getting back on point. "Anyways, we need that insane killer drive of yours! With the four of us back in the game, we'll have Ironwood and the rest of that ungrateful kingdom by the balls in no time."

"Four of us? I only see-" Rust was cut off as the large shadow from before appeared behind Inori. Though the inky black color blanked out any defining features, he recognized that head of hair anywhere. "I see… So is there anything else I need to know?"

Crimson pointed to the door. "We got a couple of kids and a dear new friend waiting for us in the car. They're the ones helping us along this lovely operation."

The man made a rather derisive snort before sitting on his couch. "Well then, count me out."

"Ah Rust, you're being funny again!" Though she was smiling, the several knives in Inori's hands betrayed the sweetness in her words. "Since when did I give the impression that this was a choice?"

"Look, I want to kill people just as much as the next guy but I'm out of touch." Rust made a motion to a newspaper on the table that the scientist threw aside in their conflict. "These kids have all these guns and launchers and railguns attached to them like one of those Mistralian video games. There's no class in the hunt anymore, no skill that determines if someone is truly worthy of being killed by my hands."

Inori made a disgusted face at her friend's ranting. "Ew, he's having a midlife crisis."

"Can you blame me!?" Rust said as he got up from his seat. "No one but the old guard appreciates the thrill of the hunt! The edge of spirit that triggers the kill or be killed mentality that we all had growing up! Now it's all about 'safety in numbers' and 'efficient killing of threats'. BAH!"

Crimson thought for a moment before snapping her fingers. "Oh Rust, darling! I know exactly what you need! You need a public kill again!"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I'm with him. We can't exactly announce our presence here no matter how funny it would be."

The masochist waved them down before continuing. "No, no, no, listen! The people have forgotten the terror that you once commanded before your arrest! They've grown fat on the fake peace brought by petty criminals who never have the balls to pull a trigger! We gotta show them that the old generation still has it! We gotta get your groove back!"

Normally, a sane person would deny such an affirmation and shoo them out of their house. But sanity was just about the last thing considered for people willing to be friends with Inori. "Yeah… Yeah! You're right, Crimson! I let myself wallow in self pity over the changing times that I didn't even notice! Brothers be damned all this isolation and stealing from nearby villages has got me all sloppy and feeling sorry for myself!"

Getting caught up in the hype, Inori hugged her friend and spun him around. "Ooooh Rusty! I knew you'd come around! Come on now, we got some introductions to make!"

To celebrate the miracle of avoiding a tremendous ass beating at the hands of Coco, Ovan decided to take Iris out for a tour.

She always was fascinated at exploring the place where her boyfriend grew up but his past made it hard to bring up. But seeing him with such a nostalgic look while exploring his old stomping grounds made a warm feeling creep into her heart.

"Ah, this old place!" Ovan shouted suddenly as he stopped at a food booth with stools on the outside to sit on. "Gramps used to take me here all the time after we trained. Their grilled pork is the best."

"Oh really? Then lets fill our bellies with all that hot goodness and continue looking around."

Ovan elected to ignore that one and moved to the booth. "Yo pops! Are you still kicking?"

"I swear you punks never learn any-!" An older man in his fifties came to the front yelling. But his words died in seeing who it was. "Ovan? Geez kid, it's been like what, eight years?"

"Around that time. Gotta say it's a miracle you've kept this old shack running this long."

That statement got the teen a hard whack on the head with a metal ladle. "I see age hasn't made you any less of a punk." His attention turned to the young girl to his left that was currently giggling. "And who is this young lady? Is she Mistralian?"

Rubbing his head, the orange haired teen nodded and gestured to her. "Yeah this is Iris. She's my girlfriend that I met at Beacon."

"Nice to meet you, sir." Iris said with a bow.

The man laughed while ruffling Ovan's hair. "Ha! Looks like your grandpa owes me a thousand Lien then! The old coot never thought any girl would touch you with a twenty foot pool!"

In the back of his mind, the brawler could hear his grandfather's laugh. He grinded his teeth to force a smile as he put some money on the table. "That right? Well get me your best grilled pork skewers before I skewer you on that flagpole outside."

"Scarier than you have tried, kiddo. But consider this one on the house since it's been a while."

The older man left to his kitchen while the teen breathed out a harsh breath of air. He wasn't used to people pushing his personal buttons outside his team and family. But he was willing to let it go since he mainly had focus on Iris today.

"So you know that man?"

Ovan turned to Iris and nodded. "Yeah. Good old Clayton Brandner. Best street food maker this side of Vacuo. He's a mouthy one but you can't argue the food."

"Outta the way, brat!"

And just like that Ovan's mood went from nostalgic to death bringing as he was shoved aside by a group of thugs in their twenties. Iris gasped before she was flanked side to side with two bald guys looking at her lecherously.

One of them sneered. "Damn, look at this oriental. Nice little doll face ya got there."

"And those hips too! Looking for attention I see!"

Not wanting any misunderstandings, the ninja sighed as a heavy gust to sand riddled wind pelted the two goons in the face. As they cried out in annoyance and disgust with sand in their eyes and mouths, Iris gave an apologetic bow. "I'm sorry but I'm here with my boyfriend that you knocked over. Could you please apologize before things get even worse?"

The leader of the punks, a bearded man with an iron pipe in his hands, walked to the much smaller girl and stared down at her. "Oy bitch, was that a threat I just heard?"

"Annnnnd that was a poor choice of words."

The pipe that was once in the solid grip of this bear of a man was ripped from him and smashed directly on his skull. Having hardly any Aura, the man screamed out in agony while rolling on the ground and grasping his skull. Immediately, all of his goons were at his side and tried to get him back up on his feet.

A shadow was cast over the group as Ovan stared at them with a look that could make a Nevermore defecate itself in terror. They all started to back away as he took one step forward. "So tell me you bunch of shivering assholes. Just what were you planning on doing right now?" They were all too terrified to speak but a heavy stomp to the ground incentivized one to speak.

"W-w-w-w-w-w-we were just g-g-g-gonna have a talk with th-the owner, sir!"

Sniveling and pathetic, just what Ovan hated. "What business?"

"P-p-protection fees! It's d-due today!"

And any semblance of hesitation he felt in his body was instantly washed away. The feeling of kicking a sleazy wannabe gangster felt like an instant wave of relief to his rage. The others watched as one of their men rolled down the street like a tumbleweed. "So, you guys decided to harass my favorite place to eat while I was gone? Protection fees as you call it. Or as I call it, extortion. Am I wrong?"

"No sir!"

"Honest, I like that. Now Iris, could you be a dear and throw these losers away like the trash they are?"

"On it! I'll blow them off real good!" Ovan's red faced shout was overshadowed by a whipping wind that picked up all the thugs and scattered them across the area. Into trash bins, gutters and cabbage carts alike.

The two of them decided to ignore the scream of the man mourning for his cabbages and walked back to the front of the shop. "Yo pops! You still alive back there!?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Geez you kids sure are…" Clayton stopped in his tracks as he saw the scattered about gang all groaning and nursing their injuries. The two kids in front of them had not even a scratch on them. "Did you two do this?"

Ovan shrugged and gestured to his girlfriend. "Mainly her that did the work. Shouldn't be a problem anymore. Now, that food?"

Ignoring his one track mind, the older man let out an amused laugh before handing over the grilled meat to them. "Just the Stryker way to take care of things in a hands on approach, eh?"

"Yup!" Iris confirmed with a smile. "I learn from the best!"

"Well make sure you keep an eye out for this kid. Guy has about as much tact as a bull in an antique shop. Has the rage of one to boot."

The leader scoffed while taking a bit from his skewer. "That's the old me. The new Ovan is better and badder than ever!"

"About as bad as a grouchy pup. See ya later kids!"

The two waved their goodbyes as they proceeded deeper into town with their food in tow. Making sure to step on a few of the low lives that littered the ground. The date continued on as a normal date would. Seeing the locals, checking out hot spots and seeing all of what Vacuo had to offer. Admittedly, it wasn't much but there was a certain charm to the people when they weren't threatening to stab you for an organ or wanting drug money.

At the end of the day both Ovan and Iris sat on a rooftop to see the sunset. It was a nice sight as the sky slowly went from a bright orange to a darker shade of dusty red while the sun hid behind the sand dunes in the distance. The ninja leaned her body against her boyfriend and let out a content sigh. "This was nice."

"Yeah, things have been way too nutty to enjoy something as simple as this." Ovan agreed as he brought her in closer. "Hopefully we can go on a few more before it's time to regroup with Ruby and the others."

A content silence washed over the two of them as they sat still until the sun had fully set. A deep purple going across the horizon as the darkness of night finally came. The leader got up from his position, hoisting his girlfriend up on his shoulders much to her surprise.

"Well, time to get going. I got some prep to do if Coco or Leon try to jump me for not paying."

Iris giggled while snuggling in deeper into his back. "Well don't leave me out of it! I wanna have fun with them too!"

Deciding to ignore the calling of a debt collection 'fun', the two of them made their way back to the Academy. Small little breaks like these were such a rarity these days. But Ovan and Iris wouldn't trade this together time for anything in the world. Even to avoid the eventual ambush he would suffer at the hands of Coco and her team.

Alana hummed to herself as she foraged through the woods near Rosemary. The Vance's apothecary was once again starting to run low on their supply of certain herbs. Typically, this would be Tanner's job since Leon and Naomi were off in Vacuo. But Alana had been welcomed into their house despite being a complete stranger. She wanted to do what she could to help out around in order to show her appreciation.

The young fox faunus didn't have to worry about threats in the woods like Grimm either. After all, she had her own personal bodyguard to help her in the form of Vizune Stryker.

"You have a surprisingly sharp eye for herbs, Alana." Vizune commented as she grabbed some plants and tossed them into the basket. "I think even Leon had trouble identifying some herbs when he was your age."

"I was a medic in the White Fang's medical corps. I learned a lot about medicine there." Alana explained. Thinking back on her old life caused the girl to sigh. "If only I knew what was really going on."

Vizune put a comforting hand on Alana's shoulder. "You couldn't have known, child. And besides, you should never feel sorry about trying to save lives. It's up to the people you heal to decide what they do afterwards."

"I suppose so."

The old woman and child continued foraging around for herbs. It was a rather peaceful way to spend a few hours. The nature around them was quiet and beautiful as long as the Grimm stayed away. Vizune had her own garden at her home in Mistral so this was as close as she could get to dealing with plants here.

As Alana grabbed another cluster of herbs, the sound of a twig snapping caught the attention of both her and Vizune. It was possible that it was just a wild deer or some form of wildlife. But there was also the possibility that it was a Grimm. Vizune kept her guard up, trying to sense the presence of anything nearby.

Just as the quiet sound of nature seemed to be staying, Alana's ears twitched as she looked up towards the high tree branches. A gasp of fear etched across her face when she saw the duo standing on top of those branches looking down at her. One she had seen briefly in Menagerie. The other was someone she was all too familiar with.

Cyrus and Vanta.

Cyrus showed a smirk as he looked down at the younger of his two siblings. "Hello there, dear sister. It's been awhile, hasn't it."

Vizune looked up at the faunus duo standing in the trees. "So you're the brother of Naomi's I've heard so much about."

"Honestly, it's bad enough that you're associating with humans of all things Alana, but you couldn't at least find one that doesn't have one foot in the grave already?" Cyrus asked mockingly.

Vizune let out a chuckle as she cracked her knuckles. "Why don't you come down here and we can see who's going to be needing a grave soon?"

"Very well. I was going to deal with Naomi first when we got to this backwater village she's been staying at, but I suppose I can kill a minute or two." Cyrus said as he engaged his weapon. "Try and make this at least a little entertaining, old hag."

Cyrus leaped down from the trees, his blades ready to tear Vizune apart. But Vizune wasn't having any of that as she brought her hand up to catch the blade. The special gloves she was wearing were the same weapon she used back in the Great War, and were more than capable of preventing a sharp blade from cutting through them. They also packed a mean punch, which Vizune showed as she swung her free hand into Cyrus's gut, sending him flying back.

"Cyrus!" Vanta exclaimed. She grit her teeth as she leaped down to fight as well. "Raaaahhhh!"

Vizune dodged the swing of Vanta's polearm and quickly found herself in a close range exchange, dodging and blocking each of the badger faunus's attacks. She called out to Alana. "Get out of here! I'll handle these two!"

Alana couldn't help but be worried for Vizune's safety, being outnumbered and up against fighters much younger than her. But she knew that if she stayed here, she would only serve as a liability due to Vizune having to protect her while fighting. So she grabbed the herbs they had collected so far and took off running as fast as she could towards Rosemary.

Cyrus watched his sister run away, but didn't pay it much mind. "No matter. I can hunt her at my leisure. I'll find her and Naomi at that village anyway."

"Hate to break it to you, but Naomi isn't here anymore. She's got more important things to do than deal with her sad excuse of a brother."

Cyrus growled upon hearing this news. "And where exactly did she go in such a hurry?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yeah! We would!" Vanta yelled as she aimed her polearm at the old woman and fired off a blast from it. Vizune saw it coming however and ducked under the shot before reaching out her arm and grabbing Vanta by the head. With a great show of strength, she lifted the faunus up into the air before slamming her into the ground, a small crater forming from the impact.

"Pah… damn hag…" Vanta spat.

"Now, now, didn't your parents ever teach you to respect your elders?" Vizune asked. She saw Cyrus running towards her and picked Vanta up once again, throwing her straight towards him. Vanta crashed right into her partner, the two of them falling onto the ground.

The faunus duo got to their feet just as Vizune reached them. They jumped away in opposite directions and began attacking Vizune from both sides. Their coordinated movements made it a little difficult for Vizune to dodge and block, resulting in her taking a few hits from their weapons. But Cyrus and Vanta didn't have the advantage for long as Vizune took her right hand and slammed it into the earth. The resulting shockwave blew Cyrus and Vanta back slightly, but before they could get too far, Vizune grabbed each of them by the arm. She began swinging them around like a couple of ragdolls, slamming both of them into the ground before slamming the both of them into each other. She then threw both of them at a tree, their bodies crashing painfully against the trunk.

Cyrus and Vanta both picked themselves back up as they glared at the old woman who was currently kicking both of their butts. "Damnit… how is this grandma so strong?"

Vizune let out a chuckle as she cracked her knuckles once again. "You kiddos haven't seen half the action I have I'm afraid. I was driving my fists through Grimm before either of you were even born."

They were quickly finding themselves on the losing end of this fight, but Cyrus wasn't willing to give up so easily. He whispered to Vanta. "Keep her busy."

Vanta gave a silent nod as Cyrus dashed to the side. Before Vizune could go after him, Vanta lunged at her. She swung her polearm around, focusing more on restricting the old woman's movements than trying to actually land a hit. Meanwhile, Cyrus dashed near them, slashing the blade of his weapon against the trunk of a nearby tree. He then quickly moved around to the other side of the tree before firing a blast of ammunition from it. The shot caused the tree to begin toppling over on the side Cyrus had weakened from the slash. Right to where Vanta and Vizune were currently fighting.

Vanta quickly read Cyrus's plan and swung her polearm against the back of Vizune's left knee, forcing the woman to bend down briefly as Vanta leaped away from the collapsing tree. She stood by Cyrus's side and wore a smirk on her face. Vizune had proven to be a tough old bat, but there was no way she could handle a tree of that size falling onto her.

Oh how wrong she was.

Vanta wasn't able to physically see the feat of strength, but she could tell from her hearing that was improved even further with her semblance that the tree hadn't hit the ground. Instead, it was being lifted up. With nothing more than Vizune's raw power.

"Impossible!" Cyrus gasped.

"I appreciate the gift, but I hope you don't mind if I return it!" Vizune said with a smirk as she threw the tree at them like a javelin.

Both Cyrus and Vizune leaped away, barely managing to avoid the tree. But as Cyrus was midair, he was left helpless as Vizune came at him from behind and sent a downwards punch his way that caused him to crash into the ground. His Aura fizzled, signaling he was at his limit.

As Vanta's feet touched the ground, she gasped at what she had just sensed with her hearing. "Cyrus!" Gritting her teeth, Vanta charged at Vizune. "You damn old bitch!"

Vanta's rage had blinded her even more than her dysfunctional eyes unfortunately as Vizune dodged her attack before punching her right in the gut, a blow that sent her crashing through multiple trees before she finally laid on the ground with her Aura fizzling.

"Hmph. Maybe that'll teach you whippersnappers that age isn't everything." Vizune said. "Had enough yet?"

"Damnit…" Cyrus grunted as he weakly stood, his legs wobbling. "You'll pay for this, human."

Vizune let out a sigh. "To think you're related to such sweet girls like Naomi and Alana. You shouldn't let hatred take control of you. It never ends well, trust me."

"Spare me your lecturing." Cyrus said. "Vanta, we're falling back."

"Yes Cyrus." Vanta said as she got up. She threw down a smoke bomb and the two of them left while Vizune was blinded.

As much as Vizune wanted to go after them, she knew it was probably best not to. Even if she knocked them out, she could only bring them to the village and that could invite unwanted disaster. And as warped as Cyrus was, he was still Naomi's brother. It was Naomi's decision whether he should be given up on, not hers. Letting out a sigh, she began making her way back to the village to make sure Alana had returned safely.

Meanwhile, once they were sure they weren't being followed, Cyrus and Vanta took a moment to recover and catch their breath. Losing to Naomi in both Menagerie and Haven was bad enough, but now Cyrus had lost to yet another human. He hated it with every fiber of his being.

"We won't let this deter us. We just need to wait for the right moment, and we'll ravage that village to the ground." Vanta said.

"No." Cyrus said.

Vanta gasped as she heard this. "Cyrus… what do you mean?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, we can't win right now. Naomi has far too many allies. And besides, if what that human said is true, she isn't in the village anymore." Cyrus said. "The White Fang is no more. So we must build our own group. One capable of giving humanity the justice it deserves."

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

"A few. I've heard stories of various White Fang members that were not as much in the spotlight, but still very beneficial to the organization." Cyrus explained. "And I know just who to start with."

With that, Cyrus began walking away. Vanta followed right behind him, trusting him with all she had.