So this chapter is long overdue…
Disclaimers and the usual.
Chapter Two: Third Crusade
"Wait a minute… what happened?" Roman asked, his voice laced with cigar smoke and a trace of skepticism. He had been going over the Dust inventory before Cinder's two brats had barged in and derailed his train of thought.
"The Wunders happened." Mercury explained, "We almost had the rat bastard before those two showed up and hauled him off."
"And you didn't think to stop them, huh?" The redhead retorted, wiping the annoyance off his face with a gloved hand. "No wait, let me guess. Cinder told you some crap like, 'Don't think obey'?"
"Indeed I did, Roman..." a sultry voice called from the shadows. An elevator lowered itself to reveal the deadly beauty who spoke. She wore a red dress and an amused smirk. "Emerald and Mercury know how to follow orders. So, why can't you?" Cinder asked, making her way towards the trio. "If you had done what I had ordered, then you wouldn't find yourself in this predicament."
Roman chuckled nervously, "Well excuse me for following a different order of yours," he said, gesturing to the warehouse full of Dust. "Besides, if the Wunders got him then that order is as good as dead."
"Hardly," Emerald spoke up. "They hauled him away, they didn't kill him."
Roman dismissed this fact with a puff of his cigar. "And that means he's alive?"
It was a rhetorical question, of course he was. Assassins don't kidnap people, not unless they're told to. Roman picked up some papers and pretended to look them over. He hoped to play off this situation as no more than a slight inconvenience. "So, he's back at that shit hole of a camp, so what? You know how bull-boy deals with traitors. If our order isn't dead by now then it will be by morning."
"Not before Tukson spills every secret he has to tell." Mercury chimed in. He and Emerald had gathered behind their leader who wore a cold smile as Roman's confidence began to crumble.
"Then call the Wunder. They're mercs, pay them enough and they'll kill him for us."
Cinder silenced him with a look, "No, we're at a loss as it is thanks to your under-the-table dealings with Adam."
A look of surprise quickly graced Roman's face before settling back into his usual smug facade. "You knew about that, huh?"
"Of course I did. You didn't think you could keep secrets from me?" This comment made Mercury and Emerald glance nervously at each other. What did Cinder know about them?
"I may have had that thought." Roman muttered. He waved away his audience who had already begun to leave. "Fine. I'll deal with it." He produced a scroll from his coat pocket and typed out a message to a familiar number.
"Yes, you will." Cinder assured him.
"Something seems off…"
'What is it? The weather?'
"Could be. It's terribly hot out here," Jasper noted as he shifted the unconscious figure of Tukson so he rested more comfortably on his shoulders. "Yeah. I think that's it."
The Wunders were headed back to the White Fang camp with their bounty, one traitorous bookshop owner. Apprehending him was enough, minus the two hiccups that were Emerald and Mercury. But seeing those two at the bookshop was an interesting development, one that will be worth bringing up to Adam when they return.
The two, or rather three, had made a quick stop at an ice cream shop at the behest of Jasper. Ash went inside to order as Jasper stood outside the shop with Tukson slumped over his shoulders. He watched as the pedestrians passed him without a second thought, not that they could see him anyways thanks to Jasper's semblance, invisibilty. His aura could bend the light around himself and anything he willed through touch, turning it nigh invisible.
Soon after Ash came out with a frozen treat in each hand. "Chocolate or mint?" She asked, showcasing both desserts. Jasper thought hard about his choice but before he could decide his sister's eyebrows furrowed, a telltale sign of annoyance.
'Oh boy'
Jasper felt a presence behind him and when he turned he was face to face with the ice cream themed queen. She stood there smirking at him as her eyes alternated colors. His sister cleared her throat and broke the silence that had settled in. "Mint or chocolate?" She asked again in an icy tone. Jasper realised that she wasn't talking to him but instead Neo.
Jasper stepped aside as the girl reached out and plucked the chocolate ice cream cone from his sister's hands. Not missing a beat she went right into licking the cold treat. Ash just glared at her before finally asking, "What do you want?"
Neo held up a finger, signaling for the girl Wunder to wait. Ash's eyes went cold towards the mute who apparently was either ignorant of Ash's lethality or just didn't care. When Neo was satisfied with her dessert she answered Ash's questions by pulling out a scroll and showcasing the messages that had transpired between her and an unknown contact. 'Find the Wunders.' and 'Tukson's Book Trade' was all it said.
"You found me," Ash pointed out. "Now what?"
Neo pointed at her and held up two fingers. It took some time before the girl could decipher what she was trying to ask. "My brother?" She clarified, eliciting a small nod from Neo who had gone back to her frozen treat.
"Book shopping." Ash said. Neo narrowed her eyes before slowly nodding again. The three stood together sharing in a tense silence while Neo finished her ice cream.
When she had finished she tossed aside the uneaten cone and plucked the remaining treat from Ash's hands. With a small wave to Ash she left the two Wunders standing outside the ice cream shop and vanished in a flash of light.
Jasper let out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding. His sister rushed past him and crushed the cone lying on the sidewalk. She quickened her pace to the White Fang camp. "No more stops. No more distractions." She said through gritted teeth much to Jasper's disappointment. He huffed in protest but otherwise didn't say a word.
He felt the figure of Tukson begin to stir and a groan slipped from the Faunus' mouth. Jasper quickly silenced him with an elbow to the head and hurried after his sister.
When Tukson woke he found himself tied to a post inside of a tent he knew all too well, and across from him was a man who he was all too familiar with. When Tukson's vision cleared up the figure spoke, "How long did you think you could run, Tukson?" Adam spoke.
The man in question growled in response, but it quickly devolved into a cough fit courtesy of a cracked rib from Jasper Wunder. Adam rose from his seat and drew his sword. It's sharp edge whistled as it cut through the air. "I'm a man of action, as you know, so I won't waste any time. Tell me about her."
Tukson scowled and spat in the direction of his former leader. Adam sighed and let his sword rest on the Faunus' neck. The two stared at each other in silence before Adam dragged the blunt edge of his weapon across the skin of Tukson's neck. He sheathed his sword in an instant and ran a hand through his hair. "I can't bear the thought of hurting one of my own…" Adam whispered. "Not yet."
The tied up Faunus let out a shaky breath of relief before the tent entrance flapped open and a blonde haired beauty walked in. She had a wicked looking revolver hanging on her hip with a small axe fixed on it's long barrel. Adam sat back down in his seat and crossed his arms, "You will tell me about Blake Belladonna." He ordered.
Ash drew her revolver and gripped its barrel like a tomahawk.
Tukson saw his own worried reflection in the head of the axe before it slashed across his chest. He let out a howl of pain that echoed throughout the encampment.
A group of Faunus' who were gathered around a campfire fell silent to the scream of pain that rang through the camp. Jasper cleared his throat and continued his story, "Anyways, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted." He raised his hands and wiggled his fingers, "There, lurking under the Vacuo desert, was a terrible beastie."
'You mean the Haven mountains?'
"Shut up." The Faunus looked at each other in confusion, none of them had spoken. "Yeah, no. I was getting to that. Look. You're ruining the story. Well go ahead and tell it yourself if you know so much." A boy with deer antlers and an abundance of freckles quietly shuffled away as Jasper continued to talk to himself.
"See, you're getting it all wrong. It wasn't winter, it was fall!" The rest of the group followed the young boy's actions and quickly vanished from sight leaving a lone member listening to Jasper's mutterings. The member, who had a large chainsaw planted into the ground next to him, waited patiently as Jasper finished arguing with himself.
"So did you kill it? The beastie?" The White Fang member asked.
The earth under Tukson was stained dark and across his chest were multiple slashes. He was panting heavily and his face was dripping with sweat. He looked to Adam who still sat across from him, watching intently. Finally Tukson spoke in a whispered voice, "Beacon. She's attending Beacon."
That's it for this chapter, sorry for the ridiculously long wait. This story has become my literary car project of sorts, you know, the ones that take a lifetime to complete. Here's hoping it doesn't take that long to finish. Hope y'all enjoy it. Leave me a review please and tell me your thoughts.