A lot of the monsters had fun maiming the remaining team of hunters. The scent of their fear drove them wild and they had to stop themselves from getting carried away, all while Ares watched with amusement when the leader started to beg them to stop. The blind one tried to stand but had his leg chewed off by a hungry Behemoth and was left bleeding on the ground. Some of the little ones joined in and had their share of sadistic fun before they all stopped. What was left was a team of traumatized and bleeding huntsmen on the dingy basement floor while the doctor passed out long ago from watching her colleagues feasted upon. His thoughts drifted back to Sistine, how much of her violent side was showing, her killing people for him brought a sense of pride to him, she truly was his significant other. Then those thoughts drifted back to the others, no doubt they were worried about him and wondering where he was at.
"Ares." Buck called out.
"Hmm?" He hummed.
"Is there something troubling you?" Buck asked.
"Just thinking about my family..." Ares answered.
"It doesn't take a genius to find out you miss them." Buck commented. This received a chuckle from Ares as he looked up the stairs and could see the light shining through.
"Yeah, Brock said how my mate killed a team of junior hunters then proceeded to kill a team of veteran ones. She is basically giving them a warning for them." He laughed.
"I thought the queen was a saint?" Buck asked.
"Sistine is anything but a saint. Her, Michelle, and Arachne really dig down to their wild side when pushed far enough; they just have more self control than me." Ares answered.
"Michelle and Arachne?" Buck asked.
"Heh, they're..." Ares stopped when he thought about them, what were they to him? Sure they were friends but he didn't know how to describe them. They were along the same lines as Sistine.
"They're what?" Buck questioned, a grin started to come across his face when he realized what his king was having trouble saying.
"They're something..." Ares whispered.
"Uh-huh. They're something alright, bet they're real special too, huh?" Buck gave a feral grin.
"Shut the fuck up, Buck." Ares growled when he realized what the Behemoth was implying. The larger monster gave a couple of chuckles then burst out into laughter before grabbing the Corpse-eater and whispering in his ear, watching as the Goliath looked at his king before laughing. They were leaning on one another laughing but didn't notice Ares behind them until they felt an overwhelming presence and gulped when they turned around and saw shadows over his eyes and a grin that promised pain.
"Listen, we're sorry. It was a joke." The Corpse-Eater gulped.
"Oh, I'm aware. I'm still going to hurt you though." Ares grinned.
"Corpse?" Buck asked.
"Yes?" The Corpse-Eater replied.
"Nice knowing you." He said.
"Same." The Goliath replied. Both were screaming for dear life as Ares chased them throughout the basement, roaring about how he was going to skin them alive, and some other things not meant for the little ones' ears. Some of the others winced when they heard fists being smashed against flesh and a plead to stop before they saw their king walk around the corner while flexing his fists and the other two drag themselves around. Eventually they spit the remaining blood out and grinned at their king before dropping it for a serious expression, now was the time to discuss escape. Each monster had a roll; Goliaths and Krakens would act as the driving force, Behemoths would act as heavies, and Gorgon and Wraiths would act as scouts and pick off stragglers that tried to blindside them. He didn't exactly know where they were in the industrial district but his gut told him to to head towards the agricultural district, not that he would know where that was but it was where his gut was telling him to go. In fact, that was where all the monsters' guts were telling them to go, it just felt right and they wanted to trust their feelings to the road home.
"Any settler that tries to stop us, kill them. Do not go out of your way to harm ones that hold no value to us, it will only slow down our journey to home. Otherwise... go wild." Ares gave a feral grin, making them give their own wild grins. He gestured for them to go and they all began to rush up the stairs and out of the complex, with him not far behind before he caught up and started to lead them to where his gut was telling him to go. His gut and his heart were telling him to go east, so that's where home was.
"Hang on, Sistine. I'm coming home." He whispered as he vaulted over one of the cars in the parking lot and into the city.
A Goliath roared loudly as cinders poured out of its mouth while monsters ran past it. It soon joined the mass of monsters as they plowed their way through cars and people, knocking or killing anyone that got in their way. All of them had been running through the city towards the agricultural district in an ocean of destruction for the past hour. Local law enforcement weren't prepared for some of the monsters and were torn to shreds for even daring to stop them. Half an hour after some of the law enforcement fell, huntsmen and huntresses arrived to at least make a dent in the horde, they managed to tag a few but it only succeeded in pissing off the older, more experienced monsters who would overpower them.
Ares stood on top of a flipped over patrol car with an officer in his hand before breaking their neck and throwing the corpse to the side, he looked ahead and saw huntsmen and huntresses along with a vast amount of specialized personal from the swat coming towards them. He then looked behind him to see the hundreds of monsters, between 200 and 258, all look at him before he gave out a few loud barks and sent hand gestures to the alleys. Some of them nodded and broke off while others stood by his side, their jaws dripping with saliva in anticipation for the fight. While they were worried about dying, they couldn't help but feel exhilarated, there was enough enjoyment radiating from their bodies to repel the Grimm. A loud, long roar made them snap to attention before a hand gesture from their king made them charge forward, using cars and people as shields from the incoming fire.
Distance between the two parties was covered in an instance as the monsters charged the settlers with untamed fury. Most of the police and swat, and even some of the hunters weren't expecting these faunus to recklessly throw themselves at them. A Goliath was the first to make it over the barricade of cars and tackle the nearest officer, plunging his maw into the woman's neck and thrashing around viciously. Others aimed their weapons at him but quickly swung their weapons back to the horde in hopes of trying to get a few before they could be swarmed. Many tried to block or avoid the attacks but were savagely butchered when the monsters proved to be physically superior. It may look like they were wild, thoughtless beings, they were perfectly capable of coordinating their attacks to take down prey. A huntsman managed to slash at an incoming Goliath and wound it severely but was thrown to the ground by a Behemoth and had his spine snapped, making him scream in agony before it was silenced when it crushed his skull underneath its fists. An officer was abducted by a Wraith and thrown on the ground before gurgling when another one clamped her fangs around her throat.
It was a bloodbath, screams echoed throughout the sky while blood caked the ground. Monsters had sick smiles on their faces as they caked themselves in blood and organs, of the sixty huntsmen, swat, and officers, only about fifteen remained. They did their best to put up a fight but the amount of monsters converging on them made them slowly back up, only to bump into more monsters. As if taking in their fear, some of the monsters shuddered in excitement. Eventually their excitement got the better of them and they charged the stragglers all at once, ignoring their terrified screams and sunk their claws into their bodies. Blood splattered and squirted into the air while organs spilled against the ground as the monsters ripped their prey apart with gleeful expressions. After minutes of mutilating the bodies, they parted as their king walked calmly into the center of the destruction with a severed head in his hand. He looked around proudly at the carnage and raised the head in the air and gave a loud victorious roar, it was followed by a chorus of roars and screeches as the monsters reveled in their short victory.
A bullhead flew over their heads and hovered above them while all of them glared at it as the doors opened to reveal a news reporter. All of them could see as she gestured towards them while the camera man panned the camera over them, he gulped when their stoic gazes followed them. Both of them heard a loud roar and quickly turned to see a monster running along the rooftops and gaining ground as he jumped to taller buildings before he did something they weren't prepared for.
He jumped on the windshield.
The pilot was taken by surprise and tried to shake him off but panicked when the Goliath sent his fist through the windshield and grabbed the pilot's neck and dug his claws into his neck and ripped it out. The pilot gagged and held his missing neck as blood squirted between his fingers before slumping forward. The Goliath climbed inside and turned his malicious gaze towards the reporter and the camera man, smiling savagely before jumping out. They were confused by the action before suddenly realizing the bullhead was spinning out of control. Both their screams were cut off when the vehicle crashed and ignited in a fiery inferno into a nearby building.
The Goliath rolled on the ground before walking up to everyone else and watching as the flames danced against their eyes.
"Such destruction, such suffering it's beautiful... cause more as we make our way home." Ares smiled wildly and turned to the others, who in turn mimicked their king's face and ran off with him towards the way home.
Ozpin dropped his mug when he saw the amount of death surrounding the monsters. Glynda gasped when she realized who was leading the attack. The girls were frightened by the amount of monsters and the destruction they were currently causing. Brock... Brock was affected but he wasn't affected as he should be. He knew Ares wasn't doing this out of fun or spite, he was doing this to get home. From the moment he met the Goliath, he knew that he hated civilization down to its very core. He knew Ares wouldn't just go into civilization and cause chaos for fun, he was either brought there unwillingly or tricked, the former was more likely.
"O-Oh my Oum..." Glynda breathed, witnessing a monster kill innocent news reporters.
"He needs to be stopped." Yang said with red eyes.
"As much as I don't like to agree with Yang, she is right." Weiss nodded.
"Indeed. Brock, I need you and the girls to-" Ozpin sighed.
"No." He interrupted.
"What?" Everyone exclaimed, seeing him eerily calm for some reason.
"I'm not going after Ares. I'm not fighting him, detaining him, or killing him. I'm going to let him go home. It's clear it's what they all want." He said.
"He's killing people!" Ruby shouted.
"I'm aware. He's killing people that get in his way." He waved.
"What is wrong with you?! You do realize how much negativity he's drawing from all that death?! The Grimm could be knocking on the walls right now!" Weiss gestured.
"Then that means hunting season is early. You girls do realize that he's going out in the wild, right?" He asked.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Glynda seethed.
"Don't know if you all noticed but we literally use Grimm for rugs. Beasts that disappear right after death and we're using them as rugs and clothes, it's probably a good thing for all that negativity to be rolling around. It's more clothes on those monsters' backs." He shrugged, his armor taking a massive blow when Yang punched him in the face.
"He may be your brother, but he is definitely not a good person. Killing people to get to the wild isn't the way to go! He's basically attacking our home, Brock! Why don't you care?!" She screamed in his face. A memory appeared in his mind when he thought back to Shear, when the hunters invaded and killed everyone. He died on the first day but he still remembered the humans' faces of joy when they killed a monster, no matter the age.
"You want to know why I don't care?" He asked, turning to them all.
"Because why should you all get to live comfortably while us monsters don't. Did I ever tell you the story of my home? Before I got here?" He asked. All of them looked at each other and shook their heads, he couldn't care less if he told them about Shear.
"It was taken from us. We were the apex predators there and it was robbed from us by some greedy fucking humans." He cursed, tensions were rising from that but they all remained silent. "You hunters and settlers didn't care what territory you crossed, you didn't care how many little ones died, and you certainly didn't fucking care when our race was already staggering from your damn pollution!" His voice rose.
"What are you talking about?" Ozpin asked.
"My damn planet! My planet used to be full of life and us monsters were comfortable. That was until you settlers showed up and ruined it all! You want to know something? It was bad enough that our race wasn't common like you humans but what made shit worse was when you all started polluting our environment. Expanding when you weren't allowed and killing all that got in your way!" He shouted.
"Brock, you're acting hysterical. There is no other planet-" Glynda said.
"Shut up! Remnant is so far behind in everything that it's embarrassing! Not only do you not have space travel but you don't have any other resource than Dust, and to top it all off, you all haven't even solved racism in this place!" He interrupted. All went quiet as his breathing was hard, his face was contorted into an angry snarl and his shoulders were tense.
"Brock, are you sure there's life outside this world?" Ozpin leaned forward.
"Yes. There's barely any fucking prejudice outside this rock yet there's always the same amount of destruction. My home was robbed from me because you all couldn't keep your fucking fingers off the land and my race was pushed to fucking extinction because you all didn't want to leave. So you're wondering why I'm defending Ares, that's the one of the reasons. Those monsters look up to him because they see him as someone who'll get them home but seeing as to how you want everyone to kill him, I'm not so sure that's going to happen." He seethed and walked to the elevator.
"Where are you going?" Yang demanded.
"Going to tell Sistine that her husband is alive and coming and pay my respects to the Eli." He whispered and entered it, not even bothering to see their faces. All was silent for a while before Glynda spoke up.
"Who is Eli?" She asked.
"It's Ares' son..." Ozpin answered.
"What?" She asked again.
"He had a son, from what Qrow told me... he said that when he spoke about the infant, Ares reacted poorly and attacked him, almost killing him in the process." He answered.
"What?!" Yang and Ruby shouted in unison.
"Yes, I did not wish to tell you in order to keep you two calm but yes, Ares did fight your uncle and almost killed him. He had been stabbed with a poisonous knife from an unknown mixture of plants. Luckily he was able to run to safety before the paralysis could come in." He explained.
"I'm going to kill him!" Yang bellowed.
"Yang, calm down." Blake said.
"Calm down? Calm down?! Blake, he almost killed my uncle! He's killing people to get out of the walls, which he could have done peacefully, and last but not least, he's making Brock basically turn against us!" She argued.
"I have my doubts about that last one but semantics." Weiss said.
"Shut up, Weiss!" Yang snapped.
"Girls, tensions are high but your attention is needed elsewhere." He gestured towards the muted TV. They looked at one another and nodded before heading out into the elevator. When the doors closed Ozpin sighed and leaned forward before speaking up after a couple of minutes of silence.
"We might need James' assistance, we are dealing with a true monster." He said.
Brock finally arrived at Ares' home after a couple of hours, he first went to Eli's grave and paid his respects then walked towards the cave. The first two to greet him were Kyla and Lilith and he smiled as they hugged him before getting the others. Pretty soon, all the children were hugging him and asking him if he had any stories but to their surprise, he said it wasn't that kind of visit. They were a little confused before they climbed on him and walked alongside him as he walked towards his father's hut. After a few moments of telling the children to go play and do their own thing, he was finally able to talk to his father in private.
When he walked inside, he saw his father sitting near that little creek in his hut, just watching the water pass gently as he polished his stick in some oil.
"It's been a while, Brock." Mathias commented.
"Yeah... it has..." He said.
"No hunter stories to tell?" Mathias questioned.
"No." Brock sat down on the bed, making Mathias look at his son.
"I take it things aren't going too well at that school?" Mathias asked.
"Heh, not at the moment..." Brock sighed. It was quiet for a while before Mathias shuffled over and sat on the bed with his son.
"This may sound like I'm not concerned with your problems but if I may ask, where is Ares?" He asked.
"Came to all about that. He's in the city and is currently making his way back with hundreds of our people." talk to you Brock leaned forward.
"Oh thank God... but what's the catch, there's always a catch." Mathias said.
"The catch is that the 'school' either want to have him detained or killed by me." Brock answered.
"Did you agree?" Mathias narrowed his eyes but widened them at the answer that was given.
"Of course not. I declined and merely stated why we were on this rock. I said I wasn't going to stop him and that I wasn't going to reveal his location. I'm probably going to be either arrested or shunned once this whole thing is over with." Brock said.
"At least you're still a monster." Mathias nodded.
"Can't say I'm one either. I'e been around the settlers so long that I've become one of them." Brock laughed sadly. He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw his adoptive father look at him before pulling him into a hug.
"You're a monster, Brock. Everyone here knows that, they know that when it all boils to it that you're still a monster." Mathias assured.
"Thanks, dad." Brock smiled.
"Anytime, I would suggest that you go talk to Sistine about Ares. She's been rather violent lately and it's beginning to worry me." Mathias rubbed his chin.
"Yeah, both Ares and his wife are scary." Brock agreed. Both shared a laugh for a few minutes before he got up and exited the hut, giving a last wave before he took a deep breath and made his way towards the cave, it seemed a lot scarier up close now. Before he could enter it, he was stopped by the spider monster of the group.
"Holy shit, when did you get here?" She asked as she hung upside down by a web.
"Just twenty minutes ago." He answered.
"Well damn it all to hell, why didn't you say you were coming? Wait... you didn't bring those girls, did you?" She asked, flipping her body around and landing on her feet.
"No. They got mad at me because I wouldn't stop Ares." He answered.
"Tch, typical hunters." She scoffed.
"Aside from that, where's Michelle and Sistine?" He asked.
"We're in the cave, grooming." She answered. He nodded and followed her inside, he wasn't interested in the cave at the moment due to him getting the message but he was confused to see Michelle sitting on the bet while Sistine brushed her hair from behind. For as long as he knew Michelle it was kind of a perplexing sight to see anybody else touch her hair. Gentle purrs made him raise an eyebrow to see such a docile sight.
"She's been awfully tame these past few weeks. It's almost like she was a kitten to see her purring this much." Arachne whispered.
"I don't see you complaining when I groomed you." Sistine glanced up.
"You have that effect on people. Ares didn't seem to mention you could do all this." Arachne retorted.
"Because he'll never let me groom him. He does it himself and he does it to Rei and Ken, speaking of which, where are they?" Sistine asked.
"Last I saw, they were near the lake fishing." Brock finally chimed in. He kept his ground when Sistine fixed a gaze on him before turning back to Michelle's hair.
"Where is he?" She asked.
"In the city, currently wreaking havoc to escape with hundreds of monsters." He answered, making all three look at him.
"How do you know this?" She asked.
"From Ozpin. He wanted me to either stop him or kill him." He said, making their hair stand up.
"Did you agree?" She asked suspiciously.
"No, I'd rather inform you then go after him. The girls are heading after him though." He answered.
"... Thank you..." She sighed.
"I'll let myself out... I paid my respects to Eli, by the way." He said as he walked outside. Once he left both of the girls saw Sistine's face covered by the shadows, they knew the rage she was holding in. They knew that Ares was kidnapped when the went searching for him and found a needle with his scent on it. There was another scent that bothered them, it was one that reeked of alcohol and Dust. A plume of smoke seeped out from her mouth and flames could be seen but calming hands on her shoulders made her look to see both of them sending her reassuring glances.
"He'll make it out. It's just a matter of time." Michelle stated.
"And besides, he owes all three of us a treat." Arachne snickered.
"Excuse me? You deserve a treat, how many tasks have I done to earn this? You've done like three things while I've done dozens." Michelle snapped.
"Maybe because you don't have enough junk in the trunk~" Arachne wriggled her rear.
"Why you little-" Michelle barked and tried to move but found herself running in place when Sistine gripped her tail and kept her in the same spot. After sending snaps and barks, she finally managed to sit in front of Sistine again. Her purring picked back up and she couldn't help but lean back, it was almost like sitting in a chair that fit her perfectly.
"Michelle, lie on the bed." Sistine ordered.
"But I'm just getting comfortable..." She whined.
"Just do it." Sistine deadpanned. She saw Michelle look up at her with questioning eyes but eventually sighed and lie flat against the bed. She then sat on top of her back and moved her hands against the grooves of the spikes before finding the right spot before pressing it harshly, drawing out a cry of pain.
"What the hell?!" Michelle shouted. There was a burning sensation across her back before it suddenly went away after a few minutes, she felt the weight on her back roll off and turned to glare at Sistine.
"Your spikes were getting too long so I shortened them." She said.
"By tearing a muscle?!" Michelle outraged.
"Not really, more like... relieving stress. Your spikes turned to dust so it's easier for you to sleep. Now let me finish grooming you." Sistine gestured. Michelle fixed another glare at her before leaning back into Sistine's chest and began purring when she felt the brush go against her hair. Arachne laughed at the sight before jumping and flopping on the bed next to them, she got underneath the fur blankets and started to fall asleep but felt a smack against her face.
"What the actual fuck?" She hissed.
"Get up." Sistine said flatly.
"No, I'm comfortable." Arachne hissed again and curled into the blankets again.
"Get up before I make you." Sistine said with more force.
"Guess you'll have to make me~" Arachne teased. The air went silent for a while as the three monsters just stared at one another before Sistine spoke up, saying something that was completely unlike her.
"Ares and I mated there. You're lying in the spot where he got me pregnant." She said.
Silence was what she got in return before a embarrassed shriek made itself known in her ears.
The streets were filled with fear as monsters jumped across rooftops and barreled through buildings with reckless abandon, ignoring the people who scrambled to get out of their way. The children were usually latching onto their parents' backs but one had fallen behind and was in the streets, observing a flipped over car with a person in it. The tiny Goliath tilted their head at the person's fearful scrambling before a large net launched itself around them, making them shriek in fright and fall to the ground. A gruff voice threw slurs at them and ignored their tiny roars as he dragged them across the street and threw them in the back of a van, next to a orange-haired man with a white coat, then slammed the doors shut and got in the driver's seat. The man looked at the feral child and scooted away a bit when a small stream of flames erupted from their mouth. Pretty soon the catcher became fed up and threw open the doors and glared at the child.
"Shut up, you little shit!" He ordered.
"Wow... real professional. Screaming at a kid." The orange-haired man laughed.
"Can it, Torchwick!" The catcher barked.
"Last time I checked, I wasn't a can. I'm thinking... dashing thief fits me better." Roman rubbed his chin.
"The only thing that'll fit your ass is a cold cell." The man retorted.
"Like I haven't heard that before." Roman chuckled before seeing something in the distance slowly creep up behind the guard. He saw this and a grin spread across his face, if he was going to get out then the best bet would be to distract the guard for the person behind him to get the drop on him. As he was opening his mouth he tried to cover his ears when the child suddenly gave a shrill roar that made both of the adults' ears ring. Roman felt his ear drums getting ready to bust while the guard's eyes started to roll to the back of his head from the pain. A few more seconds and the child stopped, Roman could finally see why. A massive faunus with jagged spikes on his back and tail along with bone armor made from animals and humans on his clothes. His face was painted like a skull and it was clearly working in intimidation because he himself felt wary. The guard was still recovering before he yelped in surprise when his legs were dragged from underneath him and his face slammed against the edge of the van, breaking his nose in the process.
The scene that Roman witnessed made him wince when the faunus suddenly stabbed the guard in the stomach with a stone knife and began to drag it up savagely. Muscle and bone being ripped apart as the knife was dragged up made him wince but what made him scoot back was when the faunus opened his mouth and let a jet of fire burn the man alive slowly, cooking his flesh and charring it. The man screamed in agony and flailed around with his entrails hanging out as he was being burned alive. His screaming stopped when a sickening snap of his neck made him drop faster than a rock.
The beast of the man climbed into the van and began to cut away the net from around the child. Once the child was free he flicked their forehead and listened to the growls and whimpers before sighing and placing them on his back.
"What about me?" Roman asked as he jiggled the cuffs. He saw both of the feral faunus look at him before leaving without a word, making him curse but sigh in slight relief when he saw that the doors were open. At least he had a chance to make a break for it.
While the man was running, Ares and the little one were scaling buildings and jumping across the rooftops, avoiding the people and some of the law enforcement trying to stop them.
"Why were you away from the others?" He asked.
"I wanted to explore." The tiny Goliath answered.
"It is dangerous in here. I want all of us to get out and we can't do that if any of the little ones are missing, do you understand?" He asked sternly. He didn't need to hear the little one say it but he could tell that they felt guilty about straying from the rest. The truth was that he cared about the others as much as he cared about his family, and this little one reminded him of Frost. Someone he considered a sister and losing family is his one fear. For the next several minutes the two scaled across rooftops and avoided bullets before they caught up to the rest. The little one hopped off his back and made their way to its parents as Ares brushed through the monsters and saw their destination. The massive wall that was in between them and home, a bridge across the water was needed to be crossed before they could climb over the massive barrier.
"There." He pointed to the wall, all of them following his finger. "That is what we need to climb over in order to get home." He said. Excitement built up in all of them, the thought of being free from civilization made them all giddy, almost as if they were children being rewarded. Buck and the Corpse-Eater were next to him and jumped off the side of the building followed by the rest of them. He stood as watched them all jump before his foot swung over the side and the rest of his body followed. Gravity took a hold of his body and he closed his eyes before snapping them open and landing on the ground, creating a spiderweb of cracks. He took off on his feet before he went down to all fours and began to run, quickly catching up to them and even surpassing them. All of them vaulted over cars and even climbed up rooftops to get by faster while avoiding traffic. Some of them had been having too much fun while climbing, he guessed it was from being cooped up in that lab for all that time that made them happy.
Before any of them knew it they came across the bridge, where a thick fog covered it. The stench of fire Dust and lead built up in their noses and they could tell that there was opposition within the fog. He looked up and saw beams that held the bridge then looked over the edge to faintly see that there were beams they could hold onto before a plan popped in his head. Gesturing for Gorgons and and Wraiths to head up the beams and watching as they climbed up quickly, he then turned towards some of the Goliaths and Krakens for them to go underneath and watched as they did so. He then climbed up on top of a car and threw both his hands forward to signal for Behemoths to push a public bus as cover. They pushed cars out of the way with ease and slammed their bodies against it then strained a bit to tip it over. He then turned to see a mounted horse standing there before a feral grin made itself known and he climbed on top of the horse.
Huntsmen and huntresses stood behind patrol cars while SWAT and officers stood at the ready with their weapons aimed at the fog ahead of them. Some of them flinched when they heard scraping across the pavement. At first they were calm before one of them started firing along with the rest soon after when they saw the bus scrape against the ground, providing significant cover for the Behemoths pushing it. One of the huntsmen ordered them to stop firing and the rain of bullets stopped a couple seconds after the order was given. All was silent for a minute before they heard galloping and soon saw a horse come out of the fog, but upon closer inspection it looked like the horse had spikes coming off of its back. Needless to say, a majority of them were frightened when they saw Ares suddenly raise his body up and roar loudly as he looked like the true embodiment of death.
His roar was terrifying enough to stun a few of them for a second but that all that was needed for the Gorgons and Wraiths to drop from above with their claws ready. By the time the opposition was able to shake their shock, it was already too late when the monsters were upon them. One huntress tried to aim her weapon at the Gorgon but screamed in agony when a stream of acid landed on her face and melted the skin off. A Wraith quickly warped through an open patrol car and dug her talons into an unsuspecting victim, reducing his torso into a steamy pile of flesh. Some of the remaining forces backed up and began firing on the two monster species but weren't prepared for the Krakens and Goliaths to jump up from the ledge of the bridge and tackle some of them to the ground before burning them or electrocuting them. Fear was basking in the air and it made the monsters shudder in excitement at the thought of their prey putting up a fight before realizing they were outmatched physically.
Most of them realized the futility of the situation and tried to fight still but were eventually backing off when they saw Ares' form stand on top of the flipped bus and stare at them with that mask and those orange, malevolent eyes. One of them turned tail and ran but fell when a fire arrow got stuck in his back and he fell to the ground, screaming in agony when monsters converged on them and tore into their body. The others saw this and widened their eyes at the savagery these faunus displayed before trying to make a break for it. They stopped when molten bombardments of lava landed in front of them and cut off their escape, making them turn around fearfully.
All the monsters were staring at them with savage expressions while blood and saliva dripped from their maws before parting when Ares slowly walked towards them. He could feel the fear in their bodies and watched with amusement as they quickly uttered that they surrendered and begged for their lives. These people tried to stop them from going home so why should they? He ignored their pleas and lifted up his mask, flames poured from the corners of his mouth before they suddenly jet out and burned the remaining SWAT, officers, and few huntsmen that tried to escape. All of them screamed out in agony and tried to put out the flames but eventually fell underneath the heat while others tumbled over the sides of the bridge.
He then walked through the flames methodically with the rest of the monsters, eventually they finally exited from the fog to see the wall in arms reach. All of them could smell the forest from here, it only made their hope skyrocket as they put the children on their backs and jumped towards the wall. Their claws dug into the concrete and they hefted their bodies up quickly. They were almost home, they were almost free from the clutches of civilization and they wanted to see the beauty of the wild again.
A loud noise made them look behind to see multiple bullheads rocketing towards them, making them climb faster in hopes of beating the vehicles. They saw the vehicle doors open up and huntsmen and huntresses aim their weapons at them while ordering them to get down from the wall. They were greeted with snarls and growls from the monsters as they continued to climb the wall. The huntsmen and huntresses gave their final warning for them to get down and waited a few seconds before one of them fired a single shot, hitting a weak Goliath and knocking him off course then sent his body falling to the ground. His roars echoed throughout the sky and a lot of the monsters widened their eyes when they saw his body plummeting towards the ground, before a loud crash made them close their eyes when they heard his slam against a car. The impact alone had killed him but at least it was a quick death.
The monsters eventually reached the top while avoiding the gunfire and glared at the Bullheads. A mass of monsters peered over the edge and realized that they could see the wild, but they couldn't enjoy it, not with civilization breathing down their necks. Another shot made the cement below their feet explode and all of them whipped their heads to see the air vehicles rising up and blaring at them. Cameras were aimed at them and they all knew they were metaphorically surrounded. The people in the Bullheads saw Ares bark and send growls at the monsters and all of them tilt their heads then grin savagely at the Bullheads before backing up closer to the edge. Their eyes widened immensely when they saw the monsters free fall over the edge with children on their backs until it was only Ares left.
There were orders barked at him, telling him to stop and step away from the edge. He then looked to his right and left to see huntsmen and huntresses step closer to him, almost as if they tried to coax him into stepping away from the edge. They thought they had him until he reached in his satchel and pulled out four black objects and opened his palm, some of them stepped closer until recoiling when he threw them at them. They were foolish enough to slice it in half but when they did, a red mist covered the area and made them howl in pain as powdered spices blinded them for a second. He quickly brought out his bow and drew a fire Dust arrow then let it fly towards the closest Bullhead. It struck the engines and exploded, sending the vehicle spinning out of control and spiraling towards them.
They dove out of the way while he waited for it to get close to him and let it crash into the wall, by God did it do some damage. Combined with the fire that had severely weakened the wall and that explosion, it managed to create a large hole in the wall. Big enough for Grimm to enter it easily. Perfect.
His job was done and he roared in victory before running on all fours and jumping off the side of the wall, the Bullhead and the news crew following him over the edge to see his body fall into the trees. Their attention was suddenly brought to the wall when they heard panicked shouted and some of the huntsmen gesturing towards the hole. Since this was live, it created fear. Fear was negativity. Negativity meant Grimm were drawn to it. Which the end result meant death. By the Gods there was going to be death.
The monsters were roaring in victory. They were free! Countless days in that hell and so many broken spirits but they were free! All thanks to a simple savage, who was strangely missing. Where was their savior? Their leader? Their king?!
Laughing was heard above and they all looked up through the leaves to see a form plummeting towards the ground at a great speed, making them move out of the way. Its form slammed against the ground and creating a cloud of dust. Once it cleared, they saw their king slowly rise up with a feral grin on his face. His authoritative aura rolling off his shoulders but there was also happiness coming off in a a strange, but comfortable mixture. They saw their king, happy for their freedom. So much happiness was filled in the air that the other monsters found themselves smiling at that, it truly was a magnificent day. Their gazes were drawn to a loud screech in the sky to see a Nevermore quickly approaching the giant hole in the wall, followed by another one, and another one. It was actually a murder of them approaching the wall while huntsmen and huntresses tried to ward them off. They heard howls and snarls then looked to the bushes to see a mass of Grimm heading towards the walls, ignoring the monsters in favor of the negativity coming from the city.
"That should hold them off for a while. Come, we have a long journey ahead of us." Ares said as he ushered them towards a certain direction. They followed him and couldn't help but gape at the beauty of the wild, a sense of home could be smelled from a mile away. He just knew it was from the wild. The scent of the flora entered their noses and filled them is happiness, they saw him often look around and collect different herbs then mix some of them together while he went around to others and placed the plant against their open wounds. They saw him expertly mix other plants together as they continued on and some were wondering what he was doing.
"My king, what are you doing?" A Kraken asked as she stepped closer to him.
"Mixing plant life together. It creates medicine to help our bodies heal. These forms of ours are not like our monster forms, we are more susceptible to disease and can be harmed easier. But as our bodies adapt to the environment we become more accustomed to it." He explained. Some of them seemed interested in his mixing and wished to know more. It was a majority of the Krakens but it was also some Goliaths, Wraiths, Gorgons, and even a few Behemoths. He explained to them that their primary diet was still meat, much to the relief of them, but he also explained that herbs can enhance the meat in ways that he didn't know of before. Meat wrapped in different herbs could cure an illness but it could also make them taste better and monsters loved the taste and quality of the meat they were consuming more than anything.
He gestured for them to continue on and continued to explain how their bodies could be used differently and the uses in these forms; claiming that mating was easier, food was easier to hunt as they could stalk better, but they could understand what humans would go through. He also explained that they could change back to their original forms but with a catch, they needed to eat Grimm alive in order to gain the necessary nutrients in order to change forms. There was also that it was for a limited time and that the Grimm were scarce as of now. One rule that was set in place was that a select few could change back. Some of them voiced their concerns but quickly backed down when he displayed some dominance then went back to explaining. Food was needed to be cooked in order to avoid infections, but due to their bodies they could withstand more bacteria from the raw meat they consumed.
They understood why he was telling them this, it was his responsibility as a king to inform his people of what needs to be done in order to survive, something they were grateful for. Their journey eventually stretched from tens of minutes to several hours and they still weren't near the valley where the cave was at. The sky darkened and the monsters could only revel in the beauty of the stars, several shooting stars made their eyes sparkle and a majority of the children drifted from their parents to huddle together to watch the sky. Mates would stick close together as they found new beauty in one another, something about their bodies made them drift closer together, almost inseparable. They made it to a cliff and could see one of the valleys in the distance, it wasn't his valley but it was one of them. He sat on the edge of the cliff and was soon joined by Buck and the Corpse-Eater.
"It's even more beautiful than I imagined." Buck breathed.
"Yeah... hard to believe we're actually out here. Free." The Corpse-Eater gestured around. He didn't know why but he found the area around him beautiful, from the sounds of the wildlife, to the rushing of the waterfall in the distance, something about the wild made him feel... happy.
"The valley where I live is more beautiful. Has more space to accommodate for us all. Plenty of food as long as we time the seasons right, Grimm to hunt for clothing and energy for our form transformation, and even places that haven't been explored yet." Ares explained as he looked forward at the distance. He heard shuffling and saw some of the monsters, along with their mates, huddle closely. Some monster couples held their loved ones close while children were nuzzled in the middle of their parents and began to fall asleep. It truly brought a smile to his face, to see so many monsters happy. Both monsters by his side patted his shoulders then walked off to find a spot to sleep at while he just sighed and looked forward.
"I'm coming home, everyone... just you wait." He reached out before standing up and sitting near a tree and falling asleep.
He woke up the next morning and decided to go hunting with a few others. The group consisted of all the monster species, twelve went out into the woods and managed to catch a few deer and an elk. It was enough for all of them to feed on and keep them sustained for the journey ahead. He showed them the process of skinning and what parts were good for them and what parts weren't. The parts that weren't good for them they could use in other ways, such as creating weapons from the bones and other uses. A lot of the monsters were interested in this way of survival and wished to get to the valley quicker.
Their meal was good and plentiful, it was enough for them to fill their stomachs and keep them content with it. The children were hungry enough to eat the leftovers and even some of the scraps. Instead of walking quickly to get away from civilization they all just took their time, took their time and enjoyed the feeling of being free. The beauty of the forest eased a lot of their nerves and made them relaxed enough for them to start talking for a while.
A couple hours into their journey they stopped when they heard Ares disappear into the brush for a while and the sounds of pained whimpers from various creatures resonated and flesh being torn open. He later returned with black flesh on his face and red blood dripping from his maw. His eyes seemed sharper than before and his instincts ran wild but soon focused dramatically. They saw his wounds begin to seal up with black sludge then harden a bit before falling off and leaving the scarred flesh. He stretched a bit before sighing in content when he felt like himself again, he could already feel the monster cells in his body doing their work and preparing to change back to his original form should he want to.
He gestured for them to continue their journey to home and they were all too eager to do so. All of them seemed to be content with the work that would need to be done in order to get them settled in. He explained that their huts would be made out of the surrounding materials such as wood, clay, rock, fur, and even leaves in order to make them feel as home as they could. More hours had passed by and they were closing in on his valley, they eventually came to a waterfall that was directly across the cave, which was still miles away but they could faintly see it, it was a tiny silhouette at best. A massive lake and river that housed countless aquatic animals acted at a barrier between the lake and the cave, which was massive. To their right was more forest but to their left was a great plain with different prairies, grasslands, and steppes. It was where Ares hunted the most due to the amount of food that was located there.
Krakens could only stare at the lake in awe, something about the water below them made them feel special on the inside. He saw this and gestured for them to actually go near it, a majority of them did then they looked back at him as if they were asking if they could actually go. He nodded once and watched as countless ones glided off the edge before letting gravity take a hold of them. Their bodies plummeted faster and faster before the the water engulfed them. The rest of the monsters looked over the edge and could see the Krakens seemingly flying underneath the water with their bodies glowing happily. All he could do was smile faintly before heading to a path he knew that would lead them down to the cave faster.
Ten minutes of walking down the trail and they eventually came to the shore to see the Krakens still happily swimming in the water before they saw their king and quickly got out before following the others behind him. He couldn't tell how much time had passed by since they collected the Krakens but it must have been hours since the sun was starting to set. More time passed by and the sky darkened again, it must have been midnight by the time he was close to the cave. At first he was going to go directly to the cave and all the monsters could see it but they were confused when he took a trail down to the left with a couple of flowers in his hand, was he not eager to see his family again? His home?
Questions racked in their brains as to why he took a small path down to the left but all of them were soon answered when they saw him disappear for a minute, they followed him and saw him sitting in front of a grave while his hand was on it. They then saw him kneel in front of the grave and place his forehead on it then bring it back.
"Hey, son. I told you I'd be back... I told you daddy would be back home. I'm not next to you up there and I won't be anytime soon... I still have to take care of everyone, let them live their lives to the fullest." He whispered. Their king had lost his son? It finally made sense as to why he was so defensive when someone brought up the matter of him having kids, he already had one and lost him to what they assumed unseen circumstances. Some felt pity when they saw this, by the condition of the grave, it meant he had lost him recently and wasn't over his death yet. They could only imagine the emotional agony the queen was in at the moment. Buck finally understood what he meant when he was a father without a son all those weeks ago, he had lost him before he was brought to the lab.
Ares stood up and turned around to see everyone, some of the parents looked at him in understanding seeing how they had lost their children to the doctors and could only sympathize with him. It was one of the reasons why he felt their pain, he had lost a child too and didn't blame them for how they acted.
"Come... we must get you all settled in." He said and they nodded. To say his home wasn't beautiful would be a lie, because it was. Different huts made out of wood, stone, fur, and even clay made them tilt their heads in curiosity. It was human architecture but had a wild take on it, which they were surprisingly comfortable with. They had followed him up until the entrance of the cave, where he gestured for them to stop as he entered it alone. Buck and the Corpse-Eater smelled two scents and turned to each other and sent knowing looks.
When he entered the cave and let his eyes adjust to the lighting, he saw Sistine in the bed sleeping. Another body was there too and anger quickly bubbled up in his system as he quietly stomped over to the said person, only to stop when he saw Michelle there. His anger faded fairly quickly and he tilted his head before climbing in the bed and hovering over them. Their features made him miss them drastically. It wasn't until his first full week in that hell did he start to miss Michelle and Arachne like he missed Sistine. With one hand, he brushed part of her hair to the back of her ear before doing the same to Michelle then nibbled on their ears respectively. Sistine was the first one to slowly open her eyes and look at him before closing them again.
Her eyes suddenly snapped open and she looked at him with them widened. She gasped and quickly sat up and stared at him for a second before she slowly reached out to touch his face, he leaned into her embrace and rumbled gently as tears welled in her eyes. She then gripped both sides of his face and threw hers forward, her lips catching his for a second before she hugged him and started to cry gently. His hand gripped the back of her head and let her cry into his shoulder while he smiled a bit as tears slowly started to fall from his eyes and land on the bed.
"It's alright... It's alright. I'm home." He whispered gently. After a minute she finally let go and stared him in the eyes then looked at him. He seemed more defined than before, maybe it was not seeing him for a while but she couldn't help but stare at him. They heard shuffling and turned to see Michelle look at him tiredly before having the same reaction as Sistine, except she didn't kiss him, only had a heavy red tint to her face. Instead of getting angry at her or telling her to leave, he just simply smiled at her like he smiled at Sistine. They knew that look he had, it was one of longing and he was finally happy to be home and to them.
"I'll go wake them up." Sistine said.
"I'll wake them up. In the meantime, put some clothes on." He smiled at them. Both looked down and turned red while he slowly went up to Rei, Ken, and Frost. Each one sleeping in their bunks with the blankets covering their bodies. He gently shook them each and backed up to see them rub their eyes sluggishly before widening them when they saw him. It took everything in his power to stop himself from falling over when they barreled into him and cried, scolding him to not leave them again and him promising that this would be the last time. He felt a weight on his leg and saw that Mimi was hugging it and he bent down to pick her up also, he missed the little runt like he missed them all.
"Come, we need to get everyone settled in." He said as he set them all down and looked at them.
"What do you mean?" Michelle asked as she stretched her tail. He merely gestured them to follow him and when they got out of the cave their eyes widened when they saw the mass of monsters staring at them with curiosity. They didn't know what to say at them. The monsters could only stare at the queen or queens if you will, in awe. If Ares would be considered a god in terms of appearances then the queens would be considered goddesses. The silver-haired one seemed to be the one he loved the most while the blue-haired on seemed to hesitate on her feelings for him.
"Where did you find them all?" Sistine whispered.
"In the city, where I was taken and experimented on. These people need a home, Sistine." He said.
"... It's going to take time." She said.
"They know that. It's my duty as king to give them a home and help them thrive." He said. His family looked at him before widening their eyes, they were a royal family now?
"Ares... are you sure this is the right time to be called a king? Especially with how things have been going?" Michelle asked.
"I'm sure. There are going to be trials and tribulations but I'm sure we'll survive." He nodded. Both Sistine and Michelle looked at him before slowly nodding then looking at the monsters.
"I guess it's my duty as queen to help you then, no matter what." Sistine smiled.
"I'll help out. Not as queen but-" Michelle began.
"We will discuss this in the morning. The three of us will discuss something in the morning." He nodded then turned back to the sea of monsters that were looking at him. "Spread out and rest, tomorrow and the upcoming days we will build your homes." He ordered and watched them nod at him or bow before doing as they were told. His family looked at him and he gestured for the cave and watched as the children go inside along with Michelle while Sistine just stayed by his side.
"Next full moon, which is in three days, you and I are going somewhere private~" She nibbled on his ear lobe. His rumbles made her purr in delight before he followed her in the cave. He knew what she had planned and waited anxiously for those three days to come. One last glance at the monsters made him crack a smile before he looked at the moon one final time before Sistine snaked her arms around his chest and pulled him into the dark cave.
Two weeks had passed by since the tragic event since the escape of the monsters. Hundreds of people had died to them and hundreds more due to the Grimm. People were still missing and was later added to the body count. The official death toll stretched into a thousand, possibly even a thousand five-hundred. It was a massacre and people were still stricken with fear at the monsters sudden arrival; others were filled with hate. Ones that hated faunus now hated them even more as they classified the monsters as a forgotten faunus tribe. Though the faunus community had dug up records for the past hundred years and claimed there's never been a tribe with those distinct features, then claimed that the monsters were something else entirely.
Ares had kept a tight patrol with some of the others in the forest in case of threats and so far he's only encountered two teams of huntsmen and huntresses. For the so called protectors of humanity, they were very careless when out in the wild. Egos often clouded their minds when they spotted him and recklessly charged him, only to either fall victim to his traps or other monsters who wished to indulge in their violent urges. He knew they were recording and sending the data to Ozpin, which made his blood boil. Each member he killed he would later either feed to Grimm or some of the children.
The children had finally given in to their wild side and began to kill people themselves if they were deemed unworthy enough. Rei and Ken had killed their first person when they threatened Mimi, first sending shards into their knees then shooting arrows into their chest, and finally splitting their skull with a stone axe they had made a couple of months ago. The three siblings and the children and adults from the keep were considered the royal family and were deemed the most dangerous by Ozpin. Every huntsman or huntress that went were butchered and had their bodies either eaten or displayed like a piece of macabre art. There weren't enough huntsmen or huntresses to send that recklessly to their doom.
He sent Brock to their territory and surprisingly he wasn't injured, he was rather happy. When he was asked about their home, he replied that they were living the way they should have lived in the first place; wild, free, and violent. Numerous times he had been asked if he could get Ares to stop killing people and share some of his land and they were all shocked to hear that he would do no such thing. He said that Ares won't send anymore hunters to their graves if they stay out of his territory, which was nearly all of the forest save for the initiation grounds. Ozpin, and even Glynda, had asked him what kind of people the monsters were and were taken aback when he said they were good people, they just wanted to be left alone and were content with him being the only one from the outside to come freely.
"Brock, the Grimm avoid that area like a plague, think about how much we can expand." Glynda said.
"Not to be disrespectful towards you but I'd rather not be on Ares' shit list. He and I are on good terms again and I'd rather keep it that way, especially seeing how I didn't reveal his location." He said.
"He's killed numerous people, though." Ozpin gestured.
"I know but he said he didn't go out of his way to kill anybody innocent. I'll give you two a little insight on what he's like, along with those monsters under his rule, as a little bonus. They are extremely territorial, I mean I'm not that territorial, but they're willing to kill anyone who trespasses on their home. Huntsmen and huntresses are considered dead men walking, travelers are given a massive warning to leave or they're dead, and dying people are usually left alone to die. Though is willing to let some go if they gain his respect. So he's not that merciless." Brock said.
"Then what are you?" Ozpin asked.
"As far as?" Brock asked.
"I know you can turn into that monster." Ozpin mused slightly.
"Shit..." Brock whispered, even Glynda knew at this point.
"So what are you?" She asked.
"I'm considered sort of an outsider. They don't go out of their way to shun me or harm me but they are wary of my presence. At first they wanted to kill me but he convinced them otherwise so I'm more of a trader." He shrugged.
"So you're neither good or bad." Ozpin said.
"Yep, kind of cool since I have my own little hut. It's not like some of the others but it'll at least keep me cozy." Brock said as he walked off. It was silent for a while and they couldn't help but sigh in agitation, it was clear he wasn't going to give up the location of the monsters. Much of the forest was unexplored due to the amount of Grimm residing in it that kept progression from happening, but when they have sensors that monitor Grimm activity saying that it was lower than it has been in the past twenty years, they wanted to take that chance.
It seemed that Brock was unaffected by the amount of innocent people that had died, which disturbed them and made them shake their heads in disappointment. He was like a young boy, so curious at the world and what more there could be. The only downside of him was that he was so used to the wild that he barely even registered the fact that countless people had perished in the attack and was going about his day like he was getting married.
They didn't know what to tell the council. The price on Ares' head stretched into the tens of thousands for him dead and a hundred for him alive, most likely to be publicly executed. If they realized what kind of threat that the man was then they would see that they were sending people to their doom and costing people their lives. There was even talk of going to war with the monsters. If Brock could turn into that creature then it meant Ares could to and so could the rest of the monsters. If they went to war then the Grimm would be the least of their problems.
The only person who knew of the location of the monsters was Qrow. They weren't really running blind and knew where the monsters lived but if they took this evidence to the council then all out war could be declared, and Ares looked ready to fight one judging by how he's killed huntsmen like they were nothing. The monsters in his opinion were the ultimate beings; smart, physically superior, resilient, fearsome, and even compassionate to their own kind. They were isolationists, they would rather live out in the wild free than be caged like animals and forced to abide by rules that didn't sit well with them.
Both of them knew they couldn't just do nothing though. Those people at least deserved justice for the fate brought upon them. They just hoped that a war didn't need to be started... they didn't want anymore blood on their hands.
A month had passed by and the monsters were finally settled in. It took countless days of hard work, which had stretched into weeks, and collecting the necessary materials but everyone managed to finally have their homes built. They were mainly huts made out of either clay, stone, wood, fur, webbing, and even bones. The royal family huts were closest to the cave while other monsters' huts surrounded the area, going on both sides of the river that led to the massive lake. Gorgons made tree houses out of their webbing and wood while Goliaths stuck to wooden and fur huts. Krakens stuck close to the water for obvious reasons while Behemoths chose stone for their building materials and often heated them with their magma saliva. Wraiths had made their homes out of clay and stuck close to Goliaths and Behemoths for protection.
Roles fit everyone comfortably, some enjoyed their roles a little more than others but at least everyone was comfortable with their role. Behemoths had managed to build colossal barriers made of stone that surrounded the colony, quartz spikes were jammed in the walls and skewered anything foolish enough to try and test their mettle. They acted as guardians of the colony. Their huts were close to the gates and they were usually the first line of defense, thus earning them the names of Behemoth Guardians.
Goliaths were the driving force of the small, but lethal, monster army and would often be the ones on the front lines while acting as hunters also. Wraiths were considered caretakers and made clothes. Gorgons assisted the Wraiths with wraiths with creating clothes but also acted as scouts if needed. Finally the Krakens, who were mostly scholars but they would also power things of interest and usually did everything to create better weapons for monsters to use in either defense or hunting. This was home for them, for him.
It didn't take a lot to make him happy but he felt a sense of pride when he looked over his people, to see them trade with one another or to see them argue over other things. They had built a community where they hunted together, played, laughed, argued, and even fought together... they had built a home. Children were educated with Mathias and some of the other Krakens while the other monsters either hunted and scavenged or patrolled the area. Food was abundant, territory could be increased if needed, and mates were happy with who they were with. He was King and Sistine was his Queen. They didn't have children, for now, but they would soon. They were happy.
He caught sight of a male Goliath trying to attract Michelle then watch her stare at him then walk off towards the cave while giving off some of her scent. It made him chuckle to see the male widen his eyes when he realized who she belonged to, their King. Michelle would often sleep in the cave with them when she wanted to avoid some of the other males that would hound after her and seek him out. It must have been a week when everyone was getting settled in to the territory did they realize that their King was extremely protective of what was his, that meant mates. One Goliath tried to test his luck with Sistine and Michelle, only to be beaten by Ares who made the Goliath put his tail between his legs.
He ruled fairly but it was clear he was willing to display his dominance when he needed to, and it was scary how much he carried.
"Ares, where's Mimi?" Michelle asked.
"In the cave, next to Rei." He gestured as he looked at his home to see everyone getting by. She walked by him and gave him a quick nuzzle. It was often funny how affectionate she was now, often nuzzling him before taking care of her duties. Sistine walked out from the cave and stood next to him while holding a sleeping Frost in her one of her arms. She set her head against his shoulder and gave a small purr while he let out a deep rumble before retreating into the cave with her. He let his eyes adjust to the lighting and saw Rei and Mimi were making shell bracelets near the crafting table in the back while Michelle was just lying on the best with Sistine lying down with Frost sleeping on her chest. Ken was tinkering with some shards and waved at his brother from his bunk before going back to his own business.
"What are you making, Ken?" Ares asked.
"Some more shards. There's been a lot of cool stuff from the hunters that we killed." He answered as he tinkered with the weapons.
"What kind of shards?" Ares asked.
"Mostly made from metal but some that can last longer than the stone ones. It's kind of confusing but I'm sure I'll manage." Ken replied. Ares nodded then turned to see Orca come rushing in the cave with an excited expression and something in his hand.
"Brock's here!" He exclaimed, making them look at him.
"He is?!" Ken jumped off his bunk.
"Yeah, he's got so many cool things!" Orca beamed before rushing out of the cave. Ken quickly followed and the girls soon after while Michelle and Sistine just stuck by his side as he stared at the opening of the cave. Frost was still sleeping and didn't have any intention of waking up anytime soon, so Sistine opted to just let her sleep in her arms for the time being. It was nice to feel the small Goliath safe in her arms and she would often talk to her like a mother at times. Is this what Frost saw her as? A mother?
"I'm going to see what the big idiot has." Michelle said then nuzzled him one last time before going out of the cave. They watched her go out of the cave and looked at one another then sat on the bad. She set Frost down on the bed and covered her in the sheets but sighed when she whimpered and reached out towards them. She wanted to be held, to be loved. Her nightmares weren't of monsters or even death, it was what if she was alone without him or Sistine to keep her safe.
"She's been like this since you've come back. I don't know what to do." Sistine sighed.
"Let her be held. Show her that she is cared for and is part of our family, she's not desperate for attention or even to feel superior to others. She's doing this because she's truly scared of what will happen if we disappear one day." He said.
"... It's hard to describe since he died... I feel joy when she's constantly near me and wants to be held but I also can't help but feel that I'm replacing Eli so quickly." She said quietly. Her gaze met his when he lifted her up by her chin.
"You're not replacing him... Eli is not something that can be easily replaced..." He said. Her eyes watered for a second before she wiped them away and nodded at him before picking Frost back up and pulling her to her chest. It must have been a while before she started to nod off and he took the young Goliath before setting Sistine down on the bed.
When he walked out of the cave with Frost still asleep in his arms, he saw that it was dusk at this point. He walked around the colony for a bit, feeling a sense of pride when he saw how many stands there were of monsters trading their goods that they crafted or found. A short walk later he saw Brock standing outside his small hut and a rather large bag sitting next to him and a blanket on the ground with his goods spread out. The monsters saw him as a trader from the outside and would often be excited when he showed up with new things, they were still wary of him but his presence was known now and some had grown used to it.
"How is it that you have a relationship with a hunter?" Buck asked as he picked up some barbed wire from the blanket and observed it.
"Don't know. I met her, we kicked it off, then started having sex." Brock shrugged. Compared to him, Buck was considered an absolute beast of a man, so much that he didn't want Yang to even attempt to fight him. Given how much respect Buck carried when he gazed over the colony, it was clear he held a massive amount of dominance. It still wasn't in leagues with Ares though, who literally beat him in combat a week ago. Speaking of Ares, he was walking towards them with Frost in his arms.
He waved his arm when Buck slightly bowed then shifted his arm a bit so that Frost was more comfortable. He was in his usual attire of that prized hoodie the children made for him but without his bone armor.
"Brock." He said calmly.
"Hey, you want to trade?" Brock asked.
"Just browsing and came to see how things were since we escaped." Ares replied.
"Man, the council want your head. Just last week the price went up from two-hundred thousand to six. That's for you dead. The price for you alive is a million and a half, possibly more." Brock sighed.
"Hmph, so they actually want me but they're too pussy to actually do anything. Fucking cowards." Ares scoffed.
"There's talk of going to war with you all." Brock mentioned, making the other two look at him.
"There is?" Buck's fists tightened.
"Yes. The council are considering bringing in Atlas for help. Word is that they have the strongest military... I saw those files you handed me when you all escaped... I think I don't want to help civilization anymore." Brock said. The other two could see that he was conflicted, on one hand he was enjoying the world for what it had to offer but on the other he wanted to help the monsters anyway that he could.
"I won't go out of my way to sick the monsters on you but should you side with the hunters, I can't help you." Ares said.
"I think I'll stay out of it, for the most part. I enjoy travelling and learning new things but I also enjoy trading with you all. It's beautiful here and I don't want to see it gone." Brock said. It didn't strike a nerve in the two like it should have, they encouraged that he was his own person and couldn't do anything to stop him from being who he was.
"Aside from that, how are things?" Ares changed the subject.
"It's going... decent. Yang and I are having some complications due to my choice, Ruby feels different about me, Blake doesn't care, and Weiss kinda hates me. They're pissed that I didn't do anything to stop you all from escaping but it's like, I would rather a couple thousand people die from their actions than my people dying for trying to escape from hell." He gestured.
"So those hunters you stay with hate you?" Buck raised an eyebrow.
"I had to move out of the room and got my own after that. I got visited by Yang's father and Uncle, needless to say they don't like me." Brock laughed.
"Lemme guess, the escape of our people?" Buck questioned.
"Bingo. That bastard Qrow cut my fucking chest while their dad broke one of my ribs." Brock lifted his shirt to show a rather nasty scar on his torso. He put it down and saw both of them stare at him before their faces twisted into an angry snarl.
"That fucking drunk that drugged me is their uncle?" Ares snarled.
"Yeah, real gentleman. Bastard drank while he was cutting my chest open and their father ain't that much better. Basically had a flat face when he broke my damn rib." Brock said.
"Are they still there?" Buck questioned.
"Will be for a few days, why?" Brock asked.
"That bastard in the tower has something of mine." Ares said.
"What is it?" Buck asked him.
"That music box my mother gave me. I can practically smell the thing from here and I know he has it." Ares answered.
"I can grab it if you want. It'll be a while-" Brock stopped when Ares raised his hand.
"I'll grab it myself. That bastard wanted to speak to me anyways by that note he put on that drone." Ares said.
"Are you sure, especially with tensions so high?" Buck asked.
"If we are to live in peace then we must do this. I will not start a war but I will fight one if they declare it." Ares told them. They could see it in his eyes that he would, he has so much to lose and he considered them as his people. He knew there would be casualties but the monsters knew the woods better than anybody else, not to mention they had Grimm to act as a factor should the need arise.
"This isn't a good idea, Ares." Brock said.
"Relax, I'm full of bad ideas. If civilization wants to hunt us after this encounter, then we have every right to destroy them without a care in the world. We leave tomorrow." He instructed then walked back to the cave. He wanted everyone to be left alone, but in order for that to happen, he needed to do something he really didn't enjoy doing.
Although there was an odd looking Grimm peering at him from the distance, staring at him as he went into the cave before disappearing.
I am so sorry for this, everyone. Not posting this and Johnny Topside, but I promise that this year will be different (I say that every year but it ends up turning into shit). This story will be updated more as will my other so don't think that I'm abandoning them. Now onto reviews.
Specter343: Thank you and next chapter will explain.
kloensy1: Yeah, seen the movie when it came out. It's a lot better than what people say.
mteran305: Thanks for the patience you've shown.
StelarToe6133: WOOT
Thekingrapper: I'll try to provide more for you and don't worry about me stopping, just because I take long to upload doesn't mean I'm stopping this.
Kharnthegreatguy: I hope they try to read it, and thanks.
pedrofaria339: Yep, thanks for reviewing.
Th3DoomSlay3r: I'll admit it's not the best fanfic out there but it's at least decent enough for a short read, thanks for sticking with me.
NightHawk The Warrior: Hope this chapter will give you a little taste of what is to come. And, maybe.
Guest: Thank you.
Drago - X6627: Hope you stick around until the end.
Dogebepis18: Thank you.
I have something else to say, everyone. Volume 6... goddamn, it's a major improvement from the last two volumes. Sure there are a little bit of flaws here and there but it's sparked so many ideas that it makes me want to write more. Chapter 3 was one of the biggest shockers and it made me feel giddy inside. Aside from that, I want to thank you guys for sticking with me this long. It means a lot to me. You remember the golden rule of reviews, don't like it then politely leave, I'm not here to impress everyone.
Anyways, have a good day to you all and I'll catch you all on the flip side. Take it easy.