Chapter 18, have fun
Blake ran her hand down the white claw marks on the wall, peeping around the corner. Sun stood pressed up against the wall beside her, the two hidden from view.
A bouncer stood at the entrance of a dimly lit warehouse, ushering in a young faunus couple with a gentle bow.
'This is it.' She told the blond, slipping back out of view.
'You sure?' Sun replied instinctively, earning a glare from the bow-headed girl. He raised his hands in surrender. 'Y'know, I'm just gonna take your word for it.'
Blake glared at him, pulling her bow off as she stepped around the corner. The bouncer barely gave them a second glance, ushering them in without question, and Blake nodded to him in thanks. The pair rounded a corner, spotting now the white uniforms of the White Fang members.
'I don't get it. If you believe what you're doing is right, why hide who you are?' Sun asked, taking the mask Blake handed him, observing it critically. Blake turned to him quietly.
'The masks are a symbol.' She explained, producing a mask for herself. 'Humanity wanted to make monsters out of us, so we chose to don the faces of monsters.'
'Grimm masks. That's kinda dark.' Sun commented, grinning at the dark-haired girl.
'So was the guy who started it.' She replied, slipping the mask on, walking to the door. Sun sighed, staring at the object cradled in his hands.
'Always sunshine and rainbows with you.' He said to himself, slipping the mask over his eyes.
The two stepped forward into the main storage area, where a massive throng of faunus was already gathered. A White Fang member, clearly a leader or person of influence, stepped up onto the stage.
'Thank you all for coming.' He addressed the crowd. 'For those of you who are joining us for the first time tonight, allow me to introduce a very special comrade of ours. I can assure you, he is the key to obtaining what we have fought for, for so long.'
As he spoke, a gaudy man in a white coat stepped up onto stage, twirling a cane in his hand. Roman Torchwick smiled broadly at the crowd, even as jeers began to resound from them.
'Thank you, thank you! Please, hold your applause.' He jested, waving his hands at the crowd as if he were a star, ignoring their cries of protest.
'What's a human doing here?!' An antlered faunus woman in the front row gestured at him, antagonism clear in her voice. The boos resounded louder, but Torchwick only grinned wider.
'I'm glad you asked, deerie!' He punned, clearly amused by the small antlers sticking out of the woman's head. He raised his hands, turning back to the crowd.
'Now I'll be the first to admit, humans are the WORST. Case in point.' He announced, gesturing at himself. 'So I understand why you would love to see us all locked away. Or better yet; killed! but! Before the claws come out...'
Sun leaned closer to Blake.
'So, is he going somewhere with this or...' He trailed off as the crowd quietened down, Torchwick beginning to speak with more confidence and charisma.
'I would like to mention the fact that you and I ALL have a common enemy.' He declared, waving a fist in the air. 'The ones in control, the people pulling the strings, the dirty rotten humans that run our kingdoms.'
He spun his cane in the air, spreading his arms in a welcoming gesture.
'Government. Military. Even the schools! They're all to blame for your lot in life.' There was a clear shift in the crowd as he spoke, and a few small calls of agreement rang out.
'And they're all pests that need to be dealt with. Fortunately, I'm the best exterminator around.' He declared, holding a hand over his heart dramatically. 'No offense to any rodents in the room.'
He snapped his fingers, and the large tarp behind him with the White Fang's logo was pulled off, revealing a massive mech, loaded with all kinds of heavy weaponry. Blake grimaced at the sight, her grip tightening, as the crowd burst into thunderous cheers and applause.
'Uh…that's a big robot. Is that the thing Jaye was talking about? The thing that was really bad news?' Sun whispered, and Blake nodded.
'Unfortunately. How did he get that? Of all the times Jaye had to be right.' Blake groaned, slightly panicked.
'As some of you may have heard, this right here–' He rapped his knuckles on the metal plating. 'Is Atlas' newest line of defense against all the scary things in the world. And thanks to my employer, we've managed to snag a few before they, uh, hit the shelves.'
He stepped forward to the edge of the stage, leaning over the crowd.
'Now, many of your brothers have already moved down to our new operation in the south east.' He mused, pulling out a cigar, lighting it. He puffed on it a few times, pausing for dramatic effect.
'If you'd rather stay within the city, that's fine. But if you're truly ready to fight for what you believe in, this is the arsenal I can provide you. Any questions?' He finished, and the cheers only grew louder. Blake glanced about, searching for an escape route.
'We should get out of here.' She whispered to Sun, and glanced up as the White Fang leader spoke.
'Will all new recruits please come forward?' He called, and the pair were pushed along with the crowd, leaving them no choice but to follow.
'What are we gonna do?' Sun whispered panickily, and Blake grit her teeth.
'I'm thinking.' She shot back. Sun glanced at Torchwick, and realized the orange-haired man was staring right at them. Torchwick chucked aside his cigar, starting in their direction.
'He sees us!' He cautioned, waving nervously at the crime boss. Blake glanced around, spotting a fuse box on a close by wall.
'He can't see in the dark.' She told the blond faunus, yanking Gambol Shroud off her back and firing. The bullet slammed into the fuse box, and the lights instantly shot out. There were sounds of panic and confusion, voices jumbled over one another, and the sound of an engine starting.
'Sun! The window!'
The two faunus smashed through the window, Blake rolling as she hit the ground. They charged off at top speed, just in time as the giant mech smashed through the wall of the warehouse. They dashed across the rooftop, the massive machine displaying astounding maneuverability as it kept up with the pair as they ran.
'So you wouldn't happen to have, oh I don't know, some form of backup?' Sun yelled desperately, hopping the gap between two shophouses.
'On it!' Blake pulled out her scroll, flipping to her team chat group.
'Everyone! If you can hear me we need back–' She started, but was cut off as Sun snatched the scroll out of her hand.
'HEEEEEEEELP' He screamed into the microphone.
'They've got a robot. And it's big! Really big!' Ruby, standing by a dumpster with her scroll, lit up in excitement.
'Oh, I am not missing this!' She squealed, breaking into a run.
'The Torchwick guy's in it! But not like, it didn't eat him-he's like, controlling it or something!' Yang glanced at the scroll in her hand, still glaring at Jaye. She shoved a finger into his face, as if to say "this isn't over", and hopped back onto her own bike. Jaye quickly started his.
'Where are you guys?' She yelled into the scroll, and glanced behind her in surprise as the two faunus dashed past the mouth of their alley, the mech hot on their tails.
'WE'RE OVER HEEEERREEE' Sun yelled as he dashed past. Neptune pointed at them quietly.
'I…think that was them.' He pointed out, and Yang put her scroll away.
'Yeah I got it.' She kicked her bike into gear, spinning on the front wheel and darting out of the alley, Jaye close behind, nearly tossing Neptune off in the process.
Blake and Sun leaped between cars, jumping off them to increase their speed. The huge mech was close behind them, charging through cars as it ran. Yang, Jaye and Neptune closed in from behind.
'We've gotta slow it down!' She yelled, and Neptune nodded.
'Got it.' He replied, reaching for his weapon. Jaye started as cars suddenly began flying towards them.
'Look out!' He called, swerving his bike to avoid them. Yang evaded the flying cars, but Jaye was forced to slide down to avoid a low flying one, the wheels passing narrowly over his head. He hit the floor, his bike skidding forward away from him. He activated his Semblance, creating a path of ice under him and his bike. Relieved of the friction, he spun on his back and onto his hands, springing off them and onto his feet. He snapped his fingers, creating a small ramp out of the ice, and he and the bike went shooting over it and into the air. Reaching forward, he grabbed ahold of the bike's handlebars, yanking himself back into the seat. He created another downward ramp, dropping onto it wheels first, and sped down back into the chase, nearly crashing into Yang in the process.
Neptune yanked his weapon off his back, spinning it in his hand as it transformed into a rifle. He took aim at the mech, charging it, releasing several densely compacted electric bullets. Several struck the back of the mech, jolting it but not slowing, and Neptune spun his weapon again, extending the handle into a long pole. The barrel of the gun opened, and a blade extended. He backflipped off the bike, raising the polearm, and the blade split into three parts, turning it into a trident. He shot forward, slamming the blades into the mech's back. The blades wedged into the mech's plating, and Neptune, still holding on, was tossed around like a rag doll.
'Neptune, hang on!' Sun called, slapping his hands together. Two glowing images of himself appeared, darting toward the mech. The copies slammed into the mech, dissipating on contact, but rocking the massive automaton nonetheless. His semblance having done no significant damage, Sun charged the mech, pulling out his staff. Torchwick spun the mech around, dislodging Neptune and sending him flying into Sun. The two boys tumbled over the edge of the highway, yelling as they went.
'Blake! I'm in position!' Weiss declared over the radio, leaping off a highway above. She dropped down in front of the mech, spinning Myrtenaster to strike. She spun in a circle, stabbing the blade into the ground, creating a ring of ice surrounding her. The mech's feet slipped on the ice, careening over her head. Jaye, some distance behind, created a ball of powdered ice, firing it at the mech. Upon striking the ground, they burst into crystals, creating a wall to redirect the mech over the edge of the highway and down below, where Ruby stood in wait. The mech landed on its feet, having managed to right itself in its fall, and poised itself to attack.
Switching his bike to autopilot, Jaye leapt off the seat, backflipping over the edge of the highway, to land beside his other four teammates. The girls poised their weapons as the mech advanced, and Jaye's eyes darted around, searching for hiding spots.
'Freezerburn!' Ruby yelled, and Jaye sprung backwards. Weiss once again created a circle of ice, and Yang leapt, slamming her fist into the ice, firing as she did. The ice instantly evaporated, creating a mist that hid their movements. Jaye concentrated, using his semblance to generate water to thicken the mist, and used his control to spread the mist around evenly. The mist doubled to reveal the laser beams of the weapon's targeting systems, giving them greater ability to avoid them. Jaye darted quickly around the mech, scanning for weak points. He noted the rather sparse armor over the knee joints, as well as the wide lenses on the frontal guns' targeting system, and relayed it to the girls.
Torchwick was growing frustrated inside the mech. The mist had rendered the targeting systems ineffective, and his guns had so far only struck tarmac. He fired again, narrowly missing Blake and Yang, jumping as the explosion masked the approach of Ruby. She slashed at the armor, her scythe glancing off the plating, and she quickly darted out of reach.
'Checkmate!' She yelled, and Weiss and Blake darted forward, slashing at the weak points Jaye had relayed to them. Weiss spun upwards, jamming her sword's thin blade into the lens, disabling the front gun, which had the pinpoint accuracy that posed a threat to them, before backflipping off a glyph and stepping out of range. She pulled Blake out of the way of an attack with another glyph, and sprung backwards repeatedly as Torchwick rained missiles down on them.
Seizing an opportunity, Torchwick targeted Weiss, blasting her out of midair. She fired a glyph into the floor as she flew, and Blake rolled into it. Jaye dashed behind the girls, sliding across the floor to catch Weiss before she hit the ground. He placed the silver-haired girl on her feet, darting forward to meet the other two girls.
The glyph glowed, taking the form of a massive clock face, charging up, and covering Blake with a golden light. She spun, slashing multiple times, severing the remaining missiles as the glyph seemed to extend the range of her slashes. They exploded harmlessly in the air, giving Ruby an opportunity to dart forward.
'Ladybug!' She called, and Blake darted towards the girl. The two darted back and forth, slashing at the legs of the mech. They slid past the mech, falling into place beside Jaye, who had formed a pad of ice. Extending the ice, the three shot up into the air, leaping off one of Weiss's glyphs, launching themselves at the mech. They slashed in unison, taking off one of the mech's arms. The three rolled as they hit the floor, skidding to a stop behind the massive machine.
'Solar Flare!' Ruby yelled, and Jaye slid between the mech's legs, getting behind it again as it turned to face the red-hooded girl. He slid into a crouch, placing his shield above his head. Yang ran towards him, leaping onto his shield, and Jaye shot up as hard as he could, launching the girl upwards. He threw a ball of ice up behind her, detonating it into an ice pad that she sprung off, smashing into the back of the mech. She fired Ember Celica into it several times, rocking Torchwick back and forth in the cockpit. Jaye darted between the legs, slashing at the joints that were proving much more difficult to sever than he'd thought.
The mech launched itself backwards, smashing Yang through several pillars, finally knocking her off its back. Turning as she fell, the mech's remaining gun transformed into an arm, smashing into Yang mid-fall, and sending her through another pillar. She hit the ground hard, a small crater left where she'd impacted. She bounced a few times before sliding to a stop, unmoving.
'Yang!' Blake called out in concern. Jaye dodged a falling pillar, switching his gauntlets to lightning dust. He slashed with his blades, firing off several waves of lightning at the mech, but Torchwick ignored him, focusing instead on the girl rising slowly to her feet.
'Don't worry.' Ruby consoled, planning their next move. 'With each hit she gets stronger, and she uses that energy to fight back! That's what makes her special.'
The mech raised its arm, sending it hurtling toward the blonde. Raising a hand, Yang stopped the massive hunk of metal, the ground below her cracking from the impact. Her hair now glowing yellow, and her eyes a burning red, she cocked her arm back, smashing the mech's arm to pieces in a burst of fire. Torchwick grunted in frustration and kicked her, sending her flying between the two dark-haired girls.
'Bumblebee!' Ruby cried, and Blake threw Gambol Shroud to Yang, still holding on to the bungee cable attached to it. Yang caught it, slowing her flight, and she kicked off the ground, firing backwards with Ember Celica to build speed. She spun in a wide arc, aiming for the mech, but Torchwick darted out of her range.
'We have to slow it down!' Ruby yelled, Weiss pausing beside her.
'And how do you propose we do that?' She asked. Ruby pondered for a moment.
'Ice Flower!' She declared. Jaye and Weiss spun onto either side of the small girl.
Weiss spun Myrtenaster, creating a series of glyphs like a barrel, and Jaye generated a ball of water, flinging it at the mech. The machine and the ground around it now soaked, Ruby fired Crescent Rose through the glyphs, her bullets transforming into balls of ice, sending them hurtling towards the mech. They burst into shards of ice on impact, freezing the mech's wet legs to the soaked ground. The mech now jammed in place, Jaye spun around, creating a vertical wall of ice surrounding them for Yang to slide on, ending it with a ramp pointing directly at the mech. Decreasing the friction, Yang's speed increased, and she hurtled towards the machine, striking it with her free hand. It shattered to pieces with a loud crack, the cockpit flying clean out of the rest of the pieces.
The cockpit flew a good distance away, smashing to pieces upon hitting the ground. Torchwick tumbled out of the now destroyed cockpit, rolling to his feet, dusting off his coat.
'Just got this thing cleaned!' He complained uncaringly, brushing off his sleeves. Yang cocked Ember Celica, loosing a blast of fire at him. Just in the nick of time, a young woman dropped down in front of Torchwick, the fire dissipated harmlessly against her parasol. She leant the parasol over her shoulder, smirking at the five students. Her hair was three different colors; pink and brown with white streaks on the pink side, and she appeared to have heterochromia. Even as they watched, she blinked, and her eye colors switched several times. She was dressed in a white and pink jacket, ending just beneath her breasts, with a dark brown corset beneath it, exposing the sides of her hips. She wore dark brown pants, tucked into white and black boots with high heels, and an assortment of necklaces hung jumbled around her neck. She was diminutive in stature; even Jaye, who only stood at about 162 centimeters tall, was at least half a head taller than her. She was absolutely adorable. Torchwick stood up straight, smiling.
'Ladies. Ice King. Ice Queen.' He addressed, earning an annoyed "hey!" from Weiss. 'Always a pleasure. Neo, if you would.'
The woman, Neo, bowed to the girls, smirking as she did so. Yang dashed forward, yelling, and swung at the woman. Neo and Torchwick shattered like broken glass, and the five stared in surprise. They spun around as an airship went by, the door open, with Torchwick and Neo standing in the doorway, watching them as they left. Yang huffed in annoyance, and Jaye sheathed his swords.
'So I guess he got a new henchman.' She said, clearly miffed, retracting her gauntlets.
'Henchwoman you mean.' Jaye corrected, turning to leave. Weiss placed her hands on her hips.
'Yeah, I guess she really made our plans...fall apart?' She tried, feebly, to joke, and Jaye shook his head.
'No. Just, no.' Yang told her, and Weiss glared at her accusatively.
'What? But you do it!' She wined, and Yang turned away from her.
'There's a time and a place for jokes.' She admonished, and Weiss stared at her.
'Was this not it?' She asked, raising her hand quizzically, and Jaye rolled his eyes, signaling his bike to return.
'No, it just wasn't very good.' Yang told the heiress, walking after Jaye.
'Well, at least I'm trying.' Weiss huffed, stalking off after them. Ruby glanced about, suddenly remembering.
'Wait, where are Sun and Neptune?' She asked, and Jaye shrugged.
'They're probably fine, right?' Neptune asked. The two were sitting, eating noodles at "A Simple Wok Noodle House", having ditched the battle. Sun slurped up his mouthful of noodles.
'Probably.' He replied, and Neptune turned back to his food.
Okay, that's the end of Chapter 18 guys, new people are showing up next chapter, so BE EXCITED!