Chapter 1: Change
Tragedy is a result of weakness. Weakness of self, weakness of will, weakness of society. A fortress can be tall and looming as a mountain, yet is only as strong as its weakest structure. And in many cases, life will find a way to unravel, as though by chance rather than consequence. Such is the way of things.
But such tragedy is necessary in life. To be faultless is not only impossible, but impractical. Only through struggling do we flourish and grow. The howling winds that topple trees are the very same as the ones that temper the bark of another. Mistakes should remind and drive men forward. Strength is not a result of overcoming trials. It is a result of overcoming weakness.
To maintain the resolve to continue, the perseverance to strive is what it means to live. Living is not something that happens to the unchanging. There is something to be gained in every disaster, every loss. The world is not so unfair as people claim it to be. At least, man must try to hold that ideal, lest they be undone by the despair meant to temper them.
(-)
There's never enough time. Not when you need it. Oh, but once there is time, you need less of it. Stupid fate. A Nevermore's corpse splattered against the metal frame next to Coal, sending black feathers everywhere. Coal ignored the impact, wires and tools held between his lips while his fingers worked through the tangle of cords. Stupid Grimm. Stupid robots.
"Keep your thoughts to yourself and hand me that wire stripper." Seraphina chided over the howling of the winds. She shivered in her harness, trying to clear gathering snow from the screen connected to the metal shell they both sat at. The blizzard continued to pelt them relentlessly.
"Are you gonna drop it again?"
"Just hand it over!"
But the moment he did, Sera's fingers failed to clasp around the tool. It fell down, banging against Azure's helm before spinning further down the radio tower. Azure flinched, looking up at them in confusion. She turned away, flinging a dagger at a fledgling Nevermore barreling towards them. The wire stripper descended further than they could see, which was already limited by the snowstorm.
"You had one job." Coal muttered.
"Shut it! How do you expect me to work in this-" A chilling wind coursed through them both, making the psychic shudder. "Ugh! I hate the cold! My fingers are too numb to work the screen menu!"
"Aren't you wearing gloves?!" Coal shouted. He noticed the thick leather surrounding her hands. "You can't possibly have anything more to complain about!" She stared back at him with wide eyes as if he had turned inside out. Oh, good grief. Suddenly, the tool she dropped was thrust in between them.
"No fighting!" Zafiro reminded with a smile. Once the smoke faded, gravity took effect, pulling him downwards. "Teamwork makes the dream woooooork!" He shouted as he fell. Coal almost forgot to grab the tool, quick to overcoming the surprise visit from their faculty supervisor.
"Just work the stupid programming, I'll fiddle with the-" He was interrupted by a screeching Griffon, with it's eyes set on the two vulnerable Hunters. With vicious claws raised, the avian quadruped charged forward. Another Griffon zoomed in, gnawing apart the throat of the first. An oversized sword dug into it's nape, beheading the foul creature. Viridian pulled back his sword, mounted upon his newly enthralled Grimm.
Aren't you two done already?! He shouted in their heads. I can keep these damned pests off your backs for days, but I'm starting to feel its better to let em tear you layabouts to pieces! The gladiator swung the flat of his sword against a swarm of Nevermore. Like a ball struck by an athlete, they whizzed off into the distance.
Cool your jets, Grouch, we're working! We'll have the droids up and running once we get this stupid transmitter active again! The mission team Canvas was tasked with, repairs and maintenance of a transmitting tower in a town further north, brought them to this distant and secluded village. As part of the test trials for the AK-200, donations were made to local townships not protected by Atlas' barrier. The cluster in the area were all managed and controlled by an artificial intelligence program, emitting a signal from a single beacon.
But, as with everything in early testing, something went wrong. The Atlesian Knights were active and on duty until recently. They wouldn't respond to any given commands and weren't even shooting down any Grimm. The AK-200 sat there like tin soldiers. If that were enough to daunt the Grimm, they wouldn't be in this mess.
The growing Grimm numbers and the frigid temperatures left the job too dangerous for normal workers to fix. Coal and Sera's job was to get it running again. Viridian, being the only one with air mobility, was to fight off and distract the airborne threat with support of Azure's daggers. What has the Professor been doing all this time, anyway? If he had the spare time to teleport up to return the wire stripper-
Why the hell did we even take this job?! Viridian groaned.
Lord Sorrell requested more information on the newest models of the Atlesian Knights. The psychic answered. We could have gone and stolen said information, but this was far more convenient. A Nevermore squawked at her, inches from her face. Azure's dagger pierced its body within an instant. Hey, you let that one get through on purpose!
Oh, quit your whining! You're still alive, for what it's worth!
Don't get mad at us! Coal retorted. After outfitting the cropped wires to suit the rest of the system, he thrust it inside the metal casket. It's not our fault the droids are garbage.
Who's to blame, then?!
I've taken to blaming fate.
"It's done!" Seraphina exclaimed. She slammed the case shut, and the entire tower reverberated. They were too high up to see, but they knew from the bullets flying past them that the droids booted back up. The Nevermore and Griffons fell from the sky, shredded by bullets. Viridian's own Griffon started to take heavy fire. It didn't end. It became obvious the AK-200 saw Viridian's mount as a Grimm threat as well.
Left with no other choice, the gladiator jumped off, dangling on the metal frame tower they all hung on. As his Grimm vanished and the firing stopped, they all could hear the creaking of the tower.
"Woah woah woah, we just finished fixing this thing!" Coal cried out.
Seraphina glared at Viridian while clinging for dear life. "If you end up toppling this, so help me-"
"Let's toss you off to counterbalance, then." The gladiator spat.
The notion didn't displease Coal. "All opposed?"
His question made her spin his head towards him. Seeing the seriousness of his expression, she shuddered. "Oh my God, there's two of them now..."
(-)
"Meow". The sound bounced around the room, barely audible over the game system Monica and Sylvia dueled over. Their constant grunting and grumbling and whooping made all else difficult to hear, but Ash could hear the cat quite well. After all, it was trapped inside his clothing. "Meow. Meow. Meow." The cat repeated.
"No no no no," Sylvia rambled, twisting her body to steer around the cliff face better. Her racer made the turn successfully, rushing past another racer. "I think not!"
"Meow."
"Leave em in the dust, Sylvia! Smash em!" Monica cheered.
"Meow."
"Get back there!" The berserker shouted, pushing back another competitor. "Know your place, lousy bots!"
"Meow." Ash wondered if the noisy feline was bothering Dusk at all. A quick glance told him he was still focused on his notes. The burned one returned his gaze to the screen, where the checkered line began to render.
"Almost there... Cross... That... Finish... Line... YES!" Monica stood up, bellowing for all to hear. "BOW DOWN TO YOUR QUEEN!"
"Meow."
"Eh? Sylvia?" Monica shook the berserker's shoulder. Sylvia remained as still as a statue. "What's wrong? You won."
"Meow."
"I've just..." She began, tears welling in her eyes. "I've missed this so much. I've missed all of you so much! Oh, Monnie!" The two commenced a teary embrace.
"Good, you're done." Dusk interrupted. "Come over here and we can go over today's homework. Unless you didn't miss schoolwork as well?"
Sylvia's smile cracked. She turned away and quickly stated "Err, sorry, Dusk, I didn't hear what you said. I'm gonna start another round so-"
"Stop. Right. There." The soldier growled with a glare. He marched out of his chair and whisked away Sylvia's Scroll. "Desk. Now."
"Meow." With the game system off, everyone heard the cat's cry, with all eyes on Ash. And still, he sat there, cross legged with the cat somewhere in the heap of fabric amidst his clothes. The burned one stared back, watching their conflicted expressions. The cat gave another desperate mewl.
"Uhh, Ash?" The soldier began.
"Mm?"
"Meow."
The brief mewl in the gap made Dusk uneasy. "I know the professor tasked you with looking after his cat and all, but are you sure you're going about it right?"
"What do you mean?"
"It sounds... Displeased." Shisko gave an agitated sound, as if in agreement.
"Irrelevant. I was ordered to keep an eye on Shisko. This is the best method. Otherwise," Ash parted his cloak, and the cat took the opportunity to flee. The burned one swiftly ended Shisko's escape, sweeping him up into his hands again. Shisko flailed like mad, but was unable to escape. "This happens."
Sylvia eyed her Scroll, inching towards it with Dusk preoccupied. "Shouldn't you keep it entertained or somethin'? I know I'd die of boredom, locked up like that."
"That was not my given objective." Ash replied, pulling Shisko into his prison once again. Dusk caught onto Sylvia's scheme, whipping his hand back. The berserker slammed a clenched fist onto the hardwood floor.
"But, if you play with it, Shisko'll be less prone to escape." Monica pointed out. Her tail started whipping around behind her. "Let me play with him!"
"Professor Vidal trusted me with Shisko's safekeeping."
The Faunus gasped. "Are you saying I'm too rough?"
"You're really taking this seriously, Ash..." Dusk admitted, though his tone held no hint of approval. "The door is closed, as is the window. The cat will be fine in here."
"I was told Shisko is an escape artist. Professor Vidal made it very clear that he will find a way to roam free."
"I got it!" Sylvia shouted, startling everyone. "I can look after Shisko in your place! That way I won't have to do home-" She coughed. "I mean, Ash can focus on his homework without worrying about the cat!"
"Before that pause." Dusk interjected. "What were you say-"
"It's settled!" She announced, not letting the soldier get any further. "Hurry, hand me the cat. Hurry, Ash! My life depends on it!"
Ash looked at her, noting her serious, desperate expression. It sure seemed like she would die. He began to sweat, unsure of what to do. Sylvia was in clear danger, though he didn't know what of. In a panic, he opened up to let Shisko free. The cat shot out of his cloak like a bullet, making for the door. Sylvia reacted first, crying out in alarm and chasing after.
Shisko jumped up, paws clasping around the handle. To everyone's surprise, the handle twisted before the berserker could reach him. "No! Don't let him get away!"
"Shisko-oo!" The door opened to reveal the professor, already scooping up the unhappy cat. Prof. Vidal began rubbing his face against Shisko's fine fur. "Ohh, my sweet wittle kitty, I missed you so... Thanks again, Ash! Ooo, let's go see if Lily missed me!" With the door slammed shut, team Mustard grew quiet. Sylvia, herself, was at a particular loss for words, having not moved from the door.
Dusk cleared his throat. "Well. It seems like you'll have nothing else to do but study under my supervision." Sylvia shivered, but her shoulders continued to tremble. When she finally started laughing, Ash felt relieved to see her return to normal. He didn't know what the situation was or why Sylvia was in danger, just glad the threat was passed.
"Foolish Dusk!" Sylvia cackled, jabbing a finger in his direction. "I still have plenty of trump cards in my hand! And there is one activity we've had to put on hold since my punishment! And that is your training!"
"My training? What are you-" With a gasp, the color drained from Dusk's face. "No... You can't mean-"
"Prepare yourself, young padawan!"
(-)
"Well, that wasn't awful." Coal blurted. With his hands stuffed in his pockets, he lead the rest of his team through the halls. Viridian said nothing. Usually, this would be the time where he would make some snarky comment about how useless his company was. Or how this was a waste of time. Maybe he was tired. He did most of the work, anyhow.
The aspiring Hunter pulled up his left claw, staring at the jagged ends. Range was not his strong suit. He had always used his Semblance and his swift speed to dance around targets while tearing them apart. But today proved that ranged capabilities were just as important. Not that this was the first time the thought crossed through Coal's head. He had considered enhancing his weapons further to morph into some kind of gun.
But a lack of attachment towards a type of firearm left him unsure of what to get. He wasn't much of a gun expert, anyways. Coal let his hand fall, sighing. "Hey, Azure. Mind letting me see one of your knives?" Although confused, the assassin fabricated a dagger and tossed it to him. He guided his finger across the surface and over the sharp edge. Then, tested the balance of it. Then the weight, and finally, he tossed it up to catch it.
"It's not a bad choice for range." Seraphina blurted. Coal wondered if she was serious about her promise to stop reading his mind. But, he figured, it was easy for her to guess what's on people's minds. "As Azure proves, they make a great projectile."
"Yeah..." There were others that had excellent marksmanship to vouch for that as well. Edom of team Steel came to mind. He tossed the dagger back, which vanished after it fumbled around in Azure's hands. "I'm just not sure." Coal felt something tugging his sleeve, looking over to see Azure's metal helm.
"I..." She mumbled, strangely hesitant despite her sheltering mask. "If you wanted lessons... It would be no trouble..."
"Nah, it's fine. I wouldn't want to rely on your Aura for my ranged attacks, anyway. It'd be selfish. Plus, I'd be out of luck on my own."
"Then change your weapon or shut up about it." The gladiator barked. Though his words had a bite to them, as usual, Viridian said so without much hostility. "Make the decision."
Holy Hell. Advice from Grouch? The world might be coming to an end. Coal sighed, realizing that beyond the jest, he did need to come to a conclusion instead of sitting on the fence. Do my weapons need to change? He recalled Dusk ranting about how one's weapon is like their identity. Coal realized that he was no longer the person he had been. Over a crazy nine months, Coal had changed a great deal. All of them had.
"I'll go see Dusk about it. He's the expert on firearms." Change isn't bad. Without change, there isn't any growth. Yeah, it's time for something new. With more confident strides, Coal sped down the hall.
(A.N: All right, and for those of you that weren't around when I split this, welcome to the beginning of Book Two. Pretend there's fanfare. Anyway, if you're reading this, just know that I'm very thankful for your loyalty and dedication to reading this series. And now, a warning. I plan to write A LOT more than what I have already. You're in for a long ride... I'll try to keep it interesting, at least.)