Volume CRBN!

by Dancesnapple

Four individuals. Four different people of different walks of life resulting in an adventure. Hopefully, a bond that can last. Team CRBN (carbon). Features: OC Main character, main team has two OCs alongside a lovable crime duo, and some family drama on all sides. Features a 'soundtrack' element for the fic. ENJOY! Story begins on third listed chapter. Very slow start.

72. 70 Still Stood

This is the longest chapter yet. By a wide margin. I make no apologies.

So, my two vacations may have set back my writing a lot more than I intended. Sorry for the wait everyone. On the one hand, Clerks 3 is a good movie! Saw that in Richmond, VA with Kevin Smith, and it was great... not nearly as good as Dogma or Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back. But, LEAGUES better than Jay and Silent Bob Reboot and much of his other works of the last five years. That covers my vacations...

As far my other setback, I got a Digimon game. (Digimon Survive) and beat it... four times. It's... amazing. Amazing characters, two of the four endings are astounding, anyone who enjoys board turn based strategy text scroll games should definitely check it out on Steam... It isn't quite to making me want to start a fic for Digimon, but it sparked the beginning formations of stuff like that.

But yeah, I also picked the best time to have this extended wait, because I guess Fanfiction has been imploding the entire time I've been gone. Hopefully, it's settled by now.

Finally, I only just a few days before posting this chapter realized some problem of uploading with the formatting last chapter. A lot of sections that weren't supposed to be in Italics were italicized. That has been fixed on both Fanfiction and AO3. I have since discovered that this issue occurs during uploading of Open Office documents to Fanfiction, as a whole section of this chapter was initially italicized from a single italic line until a single bold line. The bold line appeared to end the automatic change, so I fixed it before posting this. This site has so many issues.

Right... enough me excusing my laziness. Here's my chapter! Enjoy and onward!

Chapter Seventy: Still Stood

Gunshots ring. Over and over.

Kallen jolts at the sound, instinctively crouching low and halting his conversation with Nell. The shorter director blinks at nothing, completely oblivious to the danger. Kallen pulls her behind cover, but she remains standing up, head poking out over the cover. "What are you doing, Mr Kallen?" The air headed response comes out perky.

The sniper double takes. "There's gun fire. Get down!"

She giggles, waving his concern off. "Oh, don't worry. I'm more than tough enough to handle some thug with a gun." Her eyes twinkle as her glasses tilt down just enough to see the orbs. "But thank you for the concern!"

Kallen purses his lips and sighs. He begins arming his sniper as it unlocks and extends its barrel out, slung over his shoulder. He frowns at his missing sight, but he can make due. "Be that as it may, it would be best to stay down."

A gun shot, closer, explodes off a chunk of rock just over a small raise in the land not far. From around the rocky landscape, Makara jolts and tumbles around to cover. The disheveled woman rolls on the gravelly dirt, stopping to her stumbling into a crouch run.

Kallen perks wide eyed. "What the- What happened?"

Makara peers over, breathing in relief. "They're distracting us and taking us up the mountain to isolate us!"

The faunus gives a stink eye, confused. "Who is isolating us?" He's oblivious to the woman's gaze shooting to panic and looking behind him.

The woman cries out. "Behind-"

He feels the barrel of a gun come against his center back. He jerks to his left, but the gun fires! A blast of aura erupts and punches right through his right shoulder blade and out his right collar! His defenses were down... but that shot was a lot stronger than a small arms shell.

He hits around the rocky cover, whirling around and gripping his right upper torso in pain. The man turns wide eyed to see Nell holding her high caliber handgun. Its barrel is smoking as she stares innocently. "Oh~ Good reflexes, Mr Kallen!"

"Ah!" He howls out in pain. A panic sets in. "Why?! Why would you shoot me?!"

Nell cocks her head. "Cause it was the plan, Silly." She turns her head, brightening. "Sis, did you get caught?"

Makara sucks in a breath, jerking and sprinting as gun shots blast at her heels from a nearby high ground. Ellen has arrived, scowling at the dodging AZRL retiree. Her clip ends, so she removes the clip, a flash of yellow aura warps in hand, and she slaps it back in! She opens fire, but Makara manages to duck behind cover in time.

Ellen huffs. "We've been compromised. We gotta do this here until that scumbag can help clean them up." She opens fire on the cover as Makara hunkers and shrinks in, the rock cover chipping away at each shot landing.

Kallen stares horrified. He tries to manipulate his rifle from being at his right arm to his left, his right disabled currently. As he does, Nell smiles and salutes her sister. "Aye Aye!" In a single chipper motion, she kicks up, striking Kallen's rifle out of his single hand and effectively disarming him.

Nell then aims her gun at Makara's cover. The lavender haired woman feels like something is coming, so she tucks and rolls! Nell's gun erupts with the shock of a beyond fifty caliber blast, golden. It strikes the cover, completely vaporizing half the rock.

Exposed, Makara freezes, not having a ready spot to hide from both sisters aiming their guns at her. Both the older women fire, blasting the amnesiac girl to dust... Oh fading glass?

SHATTER!

The gun shots continue on, blowing chunks out of the ground!

Nell perks, glasses falling enough to reveal wide blinking eyes. "Eh?"

"Get down!" Ellen yanks her sister behind cover themselves as two shots miss just short of the women! The taller woman pokes out, scowling daggers forward. "Alright, which one has the balls?"

Makara opens her eyes behind cover a distance off. In front of her cover, Carmine stands with smoke trailing off Heulin Noon's barrel. His own scowl matches the woman's. "Apparently you! We wondered if you were going to try anything up here." He glances over to the injured Kallen. "We'll have you out of there in a second! Didn't think they'd do anything with you here!"

Kallen double takes, unable to decide who to scream at. "You knew they were dastardly?! Wait, what do YOU know of the illustrious Prosky sister- Wait, why am I defending them- THAT BITCH SHOT ME!"

Ellen huffs. "Yeah? Get used to it." She raises her gun from an angle to fire upon him, opening fire!

As the man curls away from the shot, Hush opens out, deflecting the shots dispersed around the barrier of the parasol. Neo stands between the man and assailants. He grumbles at being saved by the girl. "I'm not saying thank you."

Neo smiles and signs. "Neither will I."

The faunus purses his lips through the main and grumbles. "Cheeky little..."

Another shot. Neo braces behind Hush as another of Nell's shots explodes off the barrier. Nell sing songs a tune and bobs her head while firing. Another massive blast hits the open parasol. Neo's eyes widen as she tanks the first... then the second. Third. Fourth. Fifth.

These shots are too powerful. Too big... She has what appeared to be a fifty caliber barrel, yet it feels like the blast of a cannon! Neo's feet begin to crack into the rock while bracing herself. What the hell? This isn't dust!

Click. Nell blinks. "Aw..." She flicks her empty clip magazine to Ellen. "Need a clip!"

While the magazine is in the air, Ellen pops the half full magazine of her own gun. The bullets aren't dust. Instead, glowing bulbs of yellow aura show in the clip, like marbles almost. In a clench, the bulb like shots push down into the clip as new additional ammo bulbs form above them. Ellen then throws the full clip to Nell, then catches Nell's empty clip.

As Nell catches Ellen's full clip, Ellen begins reloading Nell's with the aura bullets.

Carmine gasps as he absorbs the process... He's seen this before. "Neo, they'll outlast you! Pull back with Kallen! I got this!" Neo is surprised at that, but quickly ducks back to the faunus. She hunkers down, allowing the man to hook his good left arm around her.

Nell slams the clip into her gun and fires, but Neo and Kallen both shatter in the large blast.

The boy raises Heulin Noon, opening fire! Nell tucks and rolls right. Ellen takes aim of the boy, returning fire. Carmine ducks, two golden shots whipping over his head. He fires a double shot at Ellen.

The woman forms a handful of the yellow bullet bulbs in her hand, throwing them out and igniting them. The shield of pulsing explosions detonate the double shot before it hits! The fireworks of explosives makes a smoke cloud, blinding both sides for only a second. It disperses as Nell fires a massive shot.

Eyes wide, Carmine cries. "Jager!" His armor flashes as he boost jumps up! The large shot strikes the ground under him.

Nell's shots are stronger by a wide margin. However, they're the same ammo.

Mid air, Carmine growls, blue eyes shifting golden. He kick boosts with his leg armor to propel himself around another shot! He returns two more shots before Nell can send another of her massive rounds. Nell yelps as she back step dodges the two shots.

Ellen aims up, but Carmine kicks down, striking her gun down. The shot misses as Carmine lands! As his right hand takes Heulin Noon and snap reloads in a flick, he calls. "Zero!" In that second, Ellen steps back and aims point blank! Carmine's left arm flashes armored as he curls and blocks the shot!

Throw the spark of the shot, Carmine's right arm whips up to aim at Ellen! The woman, in a jerking panic, swats his gun aside as it fires and misses. She aims and fires, but Carmine ducks back and strikes the gun up, both shots whipping by his hair.

Both grip the other's gun arms with their off hands, staring momentarily before Ellen smirks. "Checkmate little boy." She jerks back, revealing Nell smiling and aiming at the boy's head.

"Bye, bye!" She fires with her cheerful outburst!

The shining gold shot cracks out from her gun, over Ellen at the boy! Recall. Carmine warps out from Ellen's grip and out of the spot. The shot flies into the rocks behind, vaporizing them. Instantly, Carmine lands again, having Recalled back to the air.

He kicks Ellen onto her back and aims at Nell! Double shot! The blast strikes the shorter woman, throwing her back. Three shots out from Heulin Noon, three left.

Ellen twists and kicks Carmine's leg out from the ground as she gets up with a growl! She rises and opens fire three times. Carmine twists to dodge one erratic shot, deflects the next with his armored arm while regaining balance, and twirls Heulin Noon to pistol whip her weapon down!

He stops the weapon spin to fire at her, but Ellen knocks the gun from his hand! His right hand grabs hers, pulling her as he Recalls Heulin Noon to his left hand, aiming at her side. One shot into her side, her free left hand forms a golden yellow pellet while she yelps in pain.

She throws the pellet between their feet, bursting both their footing apart. Both twisting away, his grip releases as both try to shoot, missing. Regaining their footing, they aim at each other! Both pull their triggers.

Click. Click.

Both their weapons empty. Carmine snap reloads, Ellen snap pulling her empty clip out as golden bulb shots form and load into it.

Carmine finishes his quick reload first, aiming up! Then his eye catches the golden flash. Shit... A burst of yellow explodes off his armored side from Nell! She's back on her feet, breathing heavier than before. The shock throws Carmine tumbling along the rocky land!

"Gah!" He coughs out and ricochets off the ground. "Schneider!" His armor warps into bladed arms. He jams the blades into the ground, stopping himself with the anchor.

Nell stumbles up, aiming and blasting again with her cannon like fire! The shot hits and disperses in front of Carmine, blocked by the appearing Neo. Nell grunts, focusing as she unloads on the parasol barrier. Neo's feet plant as she holds the shield up.

She sends a worrying glance at Carmine, receiving a thumbs up. Carmine grimaces as he stands tall. "I'm fine. I think I almost have their semblances worked out. They're similar bases, but very different in application."

Neo nods, flicking her eyes forward.

He understands. "Get me at them as a distraction. Place a shatter illusion at Nell. If she does what I expect, we'll have them where we want. And, I'll know exactly what they can and can't do."

"Hmm!" Neo affirms and smirks.

Nell fires one more time as both Neo and Carmine shatter! The two teens disappear from the blast. Both sisters furrow their brows before Ellen gasps.

"Look out!" Ellen shoves Nell away, then ducks back! Carmine's Schneider blades slash down, scraping the ground as he charges a retreating Ellen.

Neo lands and pursues Nell, each CRBN member charging their opponent.

Ellen gasps as she forms more of the yellow bulb shots in each hand. She drops them on the ground before stomping on them. The burst of energy from them propels her at an angle up the rocky slope, gaining a large distance from Carmine.

The boy grumbles as he continues the charge. The woman lands and aims! Carmine raises both arms up in an bladed cross guard. She opens fire, the boy shifting his guard as he sprints up! The shots explode against his Schneider armored forearms and blades, pushing, stumbling, and sprinting through the shots.

Closing the distance, he uncrosses his arms in a front sweep, slashing her back, though her aura tanks it! He continues his assault on her.

Nell recoils back from a Hush slap across her jaw. The girl shakes it off, ducking a Hush slash and aiming her gun at Neo point blank. Neo smirks, eyes swapping colors before her image shatters. The flashy change of her eyes makes Nell flinch, the shatter leaving her double taking each direction around her.

Neo appears behind, fading into existence from her semblance shift. Nell hears her land, whirling around with a kick. "Wha-!" She yelps, spooked by the mute. SHATTER! Another illusion. Neo fades into view above, coming down with a slash of Hush's blade!

Nell realizes and twists up. Frowning, she reaches with her off hand and grabs Hush as it comes down! The entire image of Neo crackles, attempting to Shatter, but a yellow pulse washes over the Shatter illusion.

The real Neo appears a short distance off, wide eyed. Her Shatter illusion should break the moment it receives an impact or she wills it to. Yet, she watches as Nell holds up the now frozen stiff illusion! Yellow pulses around the shape begins to pain the illusion Neo in a soft golden yellow aura.

Nell grins, looking over to see her sister getting hounded by Carmine. "Hey, Sis! Heads up!"

Carmine and Ellen halt, each looking to see Nell holding the illusion Neo coated in yellow aura. Carmine smirks. "Knew it..." His eyes flash gold again, accessing his Overlap... A copy Carmine slides out of the first, moving behind cover while the sisters look at one another.

Ellen herself smiles as well. "Nice, Nell! Let 'em have it!" She leaps away, clearing from the first Carmine.

"Aye, aye!" Nell calls as she heaves and throws the energy coated Shatter illusion directly at the boy. Neo watches in horror. What the hell is this semblance?

However, Carmine simply smirks. Called it. With his Overlap self already out of sight, this Carmine fades away, ending the magic just as the thrown projectile hits where he stood.

BOOM!

The shattering of the illusion is accompanied by a massive bursting of aura, blasting a crater into the landscape! Neo, Nell, and Ellen all have to shield their eyes from the bright flash that shakes the rock beneath their feet!

Nearby, Kallen and Makara poke their heads out in shock at the display. What the hell are they dealing with.

As the bright flash dims, only a large crater is left where the Overlap Carmine stood. Nell claps her hands excitedly as she faces an alert Neo. "Wow, your aura constructs can hold a lot! Let's do that again!"

A short distance off, Ellen chuckles and stands. "Yeah. Serve you arrogant brats right!"

The real Carmine aims Heulin Noon directly into Ellen's back. "Funny thing: Arrogance."

She flinches. He fires. A double shot bursts into her back, blocking her jacket apart and sparking her aura shield to its breaking point! Ellen is thrown forward and lands by Nell in a cry. "Sis!" Nell cries, crouching to tend to her.

Carmine and Neo exchange looks as he nods. "Thanks for letting me figure her out. I got it from here."

Neo frowns. She can see sweat coming off him from the magic use. That and taking one of Nell's shots already... his aura is significantly taken down. But, he seems to be confident for some reason. She nods, taking a few hesitant steps away.

Ellen snarls as she turns to look at the boy. "You damn brat! Who the hell do you think you're messing with?!"

The boy gives a dull look back. "Two fools who clearly can't use their semblances right."

Both sisters jolt at the insult, glaring at the boy and standing. "Hey! What do you know?"

"That you don't use closed clip magazines for Kinetic semblances. Amateurs make that mistake." Carmine rattles off forming a smirk. Ignoring the sweat dripping off him, he huffs a breath in a scoff. "I mean really. A revolver works so much better for it."

Both women freeze stunned at his naming of their semblances. "You don't know anything about our power, kid." Ellen seethes.

Carmine smirks.

. . .

Years ago... Jared Uhlric smiles as he stands before his five, turning six year old, son. The tiny Carmine looks on interested.

"Of a sort." Jared looks away, seemingly to play it smooth. He looks back at Carmine, a smirk on. "Like this." His hand opens in front of the boy. A small ball, no bigger than a marble, sits in the center of his palm. It shines, no brighter than a dull glow stick, but glows dimly white, tinged faintly blue.

Carmine's wide eyes watch the ball, waiting with anticipation. "What's that?"

Jared snickers, shaking his hand so the ball rolls on his palm. "This... is my Semblance." He holds his hand up out over the counter, aimed towards a range cutout of a Ursa. Jared smirks, his off hand coming up, thumb restricting his middle finger in front of the ball. His thumb releases, middle finger flicking into the ball in the other hand.

The ball sparks, firing out towards the Ursa. The ball flies and strikes the Ursa in the chest. On contact, the ball sparks and bursts, blowing a small hole in the center mass of the cutout.

. . .

Carmine snickers, meeting both women's gazes with a confidence unlike him. "A revolver's exposed chambers as it rotates allows your energy condensation to reload the shots as they fire. You'd never have to actively reload ever again. Yet, instead of that, you'd rather be forced to expose your clip and form the reload in. It's even slower than my reload method."

Ellen's breath freezes, a chill running in her as he perfectly describes the critique. Nell double takes between the boy and her. "He... He has a point, Sis-"

The boy huffs. "I mean, sure. You can pre detonate your pellet shots like you did as the screen shield earlier from my shot. I guess you have SOME tricks I haven't seen before." He surmises as his eyes move to Nell. "Unlike her... So, you can take control and super charge your aura inside already existing aura constructs. You can't make your own ammo, but can make it stronger. Am I right?"

Ellen flinches and gulps. Nell blinks and scratches her head nervously. "Um... Sis..? I think he's got us pegged." The taller sister growls at her sister's optimistic tone about the boy's accurate assessment.

Neo perks at the situation, impressed. Still, she can't gather how he managed to put it together so well. It's like he's familiar with this, but they've never fought someone with a semblance like theirs, have they? Also, why specifically brag about the revolver-.

She sucks in a breath... Oh... Her realization is followed by a soft smile. His confidence makes sense now, so she'll enjoy the show.

"So, anything you guys are holding out on me with? Or should I go ahead and embarrass you?" He mocks the two.

Ellen staggers and reloads her gun before passing it to Nell. "Cocky punk. Nell, give him everything we have!"

Nell accepts the second pistol, aiming both up and smiling. "Aye, Sis!" She fires one gun at a time for a continuous fire! High powered shot after high powered shot!

Carmine flinches alert, focused. "Jager!" He uses the Jager boost side to side, ducking and weaving the high pulsing cannon like blasts! Chunks of the rocky land behind him explode and vaporize taking the hits!

Mid dodge, he snap reloads for a fresh cylinder of ammo. His gaze eyes the effect of the shots. If he had to put a number to their effect, a single Nell shot was worth two of his double shots at least... So, the equivalent to four regular shots. He smirks.

Nell stops shooting, huffing with a pout. "Hey, you gonna dodge all day?"

He slides to a stop and catches his breath with a smile. "Nah. Think it's time for the embarrassment. PANZER!" His armor flashes from his legs to his weapon, forming to off balance cannon! He grins and aims up. "Care to stress test this?"

Both sisters flinch at the display, but Ellen growls. "Whatever. Blow him away, Nell!"

The shorter sister smiles and aims. "Aye!" Both guns aim at the boy.

He hums. Approximately eight shots worth against his Panzer's total of ten...

B-BOOM!

All three weapons fire, dual charged pistols' blasts together crashing into the burning wave from the boy's cannon. The clash is a single chaotic second, rocking the land. In the next second, the yellow blasts disperse, overwhelmed as the dust powered blast rips through!

Both sisters, wide eyed, are hit by the blast, a large blast sending them like bullets into the rocks behind them! Both women hit the rocks, hard, dazed as they fall unconscious from the massive shot!

Carmine stumbles back and drops to a knee, catching his breath and smirking. "Hell yeah! Dad would put you amateurs to shame." He wobbles to his feet and looks around. Finding Makara tending to Kallen, he approaches. "So, what set this off?" A quick look to Neo. "Go strip anything useful off them. Definitely scrolls."

Neo nods and happily rushes to the unconscious enemies. Makara watches her go and addresses the boy. "I was... suspicious of how often Ellen would scrutinize you two in particular. I followed her when she was receiving a call, and I saw who she spoke with." Kallen winces in pain, reminding her that his shoulder has a literal hole through it. She ties a dressing on it tight, earning a growl from him.

"She wouldn't have blasted through if I'd had my aura ready. Damn it!"

The woman frowns. "I've tightened the dressing. Your aura healing with time should stop the bleeding and begin repair."

"And I'll be out of my right for days." He snarls.

"So use your left at night." Carmine cuts in, getting a glare from Kallen. He looks to Makara. "You saw who she was talking to. Who?"

"Um-"

Ring Ring...

They each turn to see Neo stand from Ellen, holding the woman's scroll as it rings. A video call. She directs it towards the boy so he can answer. He taps the button. Why not? Worst case scenario, say she's busy. Best case scenario, they get some information.

Wrong...

Worst case scenario is seeing a familiar face instantly chilling them all...

"Well, can't say I'm surprised." The green haired head on the camera was one he already didn't want to see. The orange eyes light up. Spyyra Barnall. "Well, CRBN boy. Howzit going? Tell me, is my girl there? Yoohoo~ 2814~..."

Neo freezes in place at the voice, still holding the scroll away. She suddenly feels happy knowing he's not looking at her.

"Oh, I bet she's behind the camera, isn't she? The prideful rascal."

She bristles at him picking through her without even needing to see her! Makara shivers lightly in view of the man. Kallen sees the reactions and hums. "Oh, so this is an AZRL thing?! I'm not even a part of this!"

Carmine ignores him, glaring as his eyes flicker golden back to blue. "You have an awful habit of showing up after everything is taken care of. Your associates weren't exactly up to snuff." Carmine eases into a dismissing tone. "In fact, you've done nothing but lose lately. What happened to your organization's training programs. So weak."

Cheerfully, Spyyra replies in a perky tone. "Oh those sisters weren't part of us. They're two of our more loyal customers, so we ask favors. No training on our end." He chuckles a closed eye smile as he holds up a finger. "Keeping you in place was just the most recent one."

Kallen jerks a scowl up. "Wait, so my movie deal isn't even happening?!" He shrieks.

"I am sure I don't have the slightest clue about that." Spyyra answers honest.

"Oh, I'll have a word with the producer about this." The faunus vows, shifting his posture.

"So, your clients are down and gonna be turned in. Is there anything else you'd like us to take off your hands?" Carmine retorts in a customer service voice, ending with a smirk.

"You can sit still and wait for me. That cannon shot just now sounded refreshing."

All four of the conscious members present tense. "What?" Carmine speaks wide eyed.

"That's right!" Spyyra chirps happily, turning his camera around to show...

… to show the exact mountain that they're on. From the distance shown, he's perhaps only a mile or so out...

The camera turns back to him as he happily smiles. "See you kiddies soon-"

Carmine hangs up, shutting the scroll off and swiping it from Neo. The girl is equally wide eyed. "Tie those two up and chuck them in a tight hidden spot. We'll send their scroll and whatever evidence we find to Atlas authorities to come after them."

Neo gives a curt nod. She whips around to set to work.

Kallen grumbles. "What are you-"

Carmine talks over him, turning to Makara. "Help him up and get him to that gondola that goes to the mountain peak. We need to move to a location that we can loop around and flee down. We can't fight Spyyra by ourselves protecting Kallen and compensating for the aura I just lost."

The faunus quirks and growls. "I try to salvage my career, and you torch it with your damned crusade. To hell with our deal!"

Sighing, Carmine looks to him. "We'll get you out of here, and fuck it. I'll pay you for the trouble. We didn't want to wrap you up in it." He then quirks a brow. "Actually, you worked with Killa. How much DO you know about AZRL and their operations?"

The man staggers up, assisted by Makara. "That they are stingy with delivering promised payments. They only ever communicated directly with the bastard, and he had a tendency to ignore them for large periods of time."

At that, the boy face palms. "Of course..." He growls. "Alright. Move!"

. . .

Isla Candidus

Roman huffs as he moves. His footing barely handles the downhill turn with the added weight. Blair is slouched around him, piggy backed by the man with their weapons slotted between his back and her gut. His pockets are stuffed with Setante's phone and some choice documents that caught his eye in the island temple.

Blair's normally strong and imposing nature was still completely gone. Her zoned out gaze and weak hold on him barely let him know she was still awake. She was shut down. He grimaces smelling the blood still. Her aura was near absolute zero, so her open wounds barely had any attention, save for a half hearted wrapped bandage. Her blood was coating the back of his jacket.

Finally, the two make it to the edges of civilization. He quickly hikes off path, getting to a flat area to rush around. Zigzagging to the nearest parking lot near one of the gun ranges Blair and Carmine used, he rushes out to find their van. He barely gets the back open and turns to shift back, letting Blair fall gently on the back bed of the vehicle.

Roman huffs a breath, looking at the woman simply stare off at nothing. "Hey, Barbie. You still with me?" He smirks, but loses the mirth with the lack of any response. "Come on, Blair." He mutters low.

Finally, a response. Blair's gaze shifts to him, meeting his eyes as she wheezes out. "The... others?"

He perks and blinks. After a moment, he smirks. "Right, right. Mama Barbie." He pulls out his own scroll and begins typing out his message.

R – Barbie and the dog had a fight. Pyrrhic victory. Turned into Bloody Barbie. She'll recover, but we're coming to nab you and leave.

He hits send and sighs, rubbing Blair's back in what he guesses is comforting. He pauses as Blair's hand weakly comes up to lace their hands. He blinks in shock. She's not one for... needing comfort. Whatever happened must have messed with her head something awful.

Bzz Bzz.

A message responds to him. Roman perks. "Hmm. He must have been as worried as you. You rub off on your boy there-." He gasps at the messages coming in. "Shit..."

Blair narrows her weak look at him, so he turns the scroll to her...

C – Spyyra is on Vallis!

C – Need extraction now!

C – Sisters taken out. We called it!

C – Get Blair help, too!

Blair's gaze widens, then looks to Roman.

He's already getting up. "You're staying in this van, and you're going to like it." He slams the back doors shut and moves up to the driver seat. The woman is left laying on the flat of the van back, barely enough room to shift to a comfortable position. "I gotta barter for help again. Damn it. This might actually tap my money." He curses under his breath.

. . .

The yellow clad pirate, Ciara, steps out from the deck shack with a sack over her shoulder. She blinks at Roman, only freshly showered and wearing a clean set of clothes. She scowls. "Oh, for the love of- what now? I JUST called my ride to pick me up."

Roman, standing in front of the van on the deck, the sky darkening beyond sunset above, speaks simply. "75,000 of my savings. 20 additional from each of my teammates."

Ciara sucks in a breath, wide eyed. She takes in the blood on his white jacket. She smiles. "Now... this has to be good."

"I need you to convince Drewski to ransack the ferry as it leaves the islands for mainland. We want your all's ship to transport our van to Isla Vallis, get our other teammates, and get the hell out of here."

"Pft-HA! And what keeps Captain from gutting you on the spot? You're asking us to risk the nearby Atlas navy attacking us!" Ciara lets out her incredulous response. "For 135 thou? Not worth fighting the military."

Roman hardens his gaze, holding up a freshly packed homemade device in hand. "You forget who you're talking to. Simple with the right dust, and an EMP to stop anyone from letting the military know once they get a mile out. It'll be quiet, and the military won't know." He then smirks. "Plus, whatever you wanna grab to sell off the boat."

Ciara gives him the stink eye, wondering. "Make it 30 thousand for each of your mates."

"Deal." He answers without hesitation, surprisingly.

"Wow. You actually care for people?" Roman glares back at her, so she moves onto something else sure to bother him. She tosses a black bandanna from her bag to him. On it is a skeleton hung at the gallows. At his heated glare, she smirks. "You gotta fit in. Today, you're agent orange in our little rainbow."

"I said no to this last time." Roman growls at her, but she smiles wider.

"You were under Senior last time. That gave you leeway." She points off to a shop visible at the streets. "Swipe an orange coat, and I'll make the call."

Roman's green eye twitches as he grumbles, stomping back to the van and tossing his hat inside...

. . .

Isla Vallis

The gondola carries its inhabitants further up the mountain. The night sky is settled fully in, the cloudy dark sky darkening the world around. The carrier had two stops on its course. One, the tourist peak for sightseeing. The other, higher up the mountain was the CCT outpost controlling the telecommunications for the archipelago.

Thankfully, the time of day meant a distinct lack of population on the mountain. On the other hand, without crowds, the act of confusing and losing Spyyra was going to be... tricky. Carmine scowls at the darkness, seeing lights for the gondola landing ahead. "The tourist location is also a filming location, right?"

Neo perks around him, seeing the mountain's ascent into the clouds begin to show some white. High enough yo start collecting snow? From their view before, the clouds obscured any snow, but the general weather at sea level was only perhaps in the forties. She hums before a realization. She signs. "The boxing movie montages were filmed up here."

Carmine gives her a quirked look. "Really? I thought those were in one of the more northern mountain ranges. There were huge backgrounds."

She puts a hand to her chin. Where does she recognize the scenery?

"What's it matter?!" Kallen snaps from the side. His arm and right side feels numb as he growls under his breath. "Shouldn't we be focused on avoiding this agent after you?"

Annoyed, Carmine purses his lips. "Well, pardon me. I figured knowing what kind of stunts and practical things done here before might give some inspiration for ideas." He growls. "I know I remember some bad children's sports movie or something like this. During a stay-over in Lanning."

Neo purses her lips, deep in thought, but Kallen snorts. "Wait. You're seriously wanting to take a page out of Wave-riders?"

Carmine and Neo both jolt! The metaphorical bulb lighting over their heads. "Yes! Didn't they shoot the mountain sequence here? There should be a stretch we can ride down without the gondola." He looks to see Neo perking brightly. "Yeah?" A look to Makara who is blank and shrugs her shoulders. He looks confident at the actor. "Yeah!"

Kallen gives a glower. "You realize that the snowboard trek you're speaking of was shot in winter. We're in spring. The snow levels atop the mountain are peeling back, so the area of the path is part melted with rocks. It'd be deadly."

Both teens pause. The boy sighs and grumbles. "Well, fine. It's a backup plan. What's your idea when we got a top tier hunter level psychopath hiking up to kill us?"

The faunus snorts. "I give you to them and barter for freedom? The second act twist- AH!" He wails as Neo grabs his right arm and begins pulling back to place pressure on his handicapped shoulder.

"Speaking of twist." Carmine speaks normally before nodding to Neo. "That's enough."

Kallen falls away from them, furiously scowling. "My arm, you barely pubescent harlot!"

Makara helps him up, looking sympathetic to him. "We'll get you out too. Right?" She ends looking at Carmine. Carmine seems surprised that she'd ask, lightly recoiling, but nods. The affirmation brings a smile as she lightly inspects the man's bandaging around his wound.

As the man grumbles, the boy eyes him. "So, which spot was that shooting location? Are there any other stunt spots that could be useful to us?"

"The Northeastern side of the mountain is the slope used for many mountain side scenes. It can be accessed from either of the gondola stops, but the tourist spot access is likely to be mostly rock." Kallen hums and considers, vaguely aware of Neo's rapt attention. "The winds this season won't lend themselves to some of the cliff style stunt locations. Those are best done in Summer. Parasailing is a recreational activity done in Fall. So, no to all those methods of descension."

Carmine's glare at the wall intensifies. "So, literally everything is a dangerous move. Using the slope is still my go to option if we could add some snow from further up."

Kallen snorts. "Yeah? What, like causing an avalanche from the peak? Cause that idea would give me an aneurysm out of sheer stupidity."

"I would dislike anything making us even colder." Makara mumbles, flexing her hands for blood circulation.

Bzz Bzzt.

Carmine and Neo instantly look to their scrolls.

R – Ride attained. Don't ask about it. Just accept it. Can't pick you up at the regular docks. Pickup will be an hour off, minimum.

The boy blinks and shakes his head. "Oh, why do I feel like tonight's gonna be a migraine night?"

Neo purses her lip. They need to stave off and avoid Spyyra for over an hour! Cat and mouse isn't going to be fun with him of all people. Still...

Carmine glances over. "You got an idea?"

The girl mulls it over before determination takes over with a nod. She lets a smirk come on.

. . .

Higher up the mountain, the earthen rough landscape frosts over in a light dusting of Atlas snow. Night is in full swing, the reflection of moonlight off the white dusting outlining the landscape. The cable gondola runs, the shifting line transporting the small carrier cabin up. The reach of the lift comes to a small platform stop off.

From the roofed stop off, a larger peak summit shows with decorative stalls and attractions set up. The dog faunus workers are about, wearing heavier clothes and tearing down some signage and props. A signal to the end of a work with only a handful of tourists still about.

A black dress shoe clacks on the ground, a light wind from the step unsettling the dusted snow away. The black suited man steps out into the open. Spyyra Barnall. He lets his polite smile and hollow gaze show for all as he tilts his gaze left and right. His look stops dead ahead. His smile drops ever slightly in confusion, but he shakes it off.

His wrist flicks before both hands go into his suit pockets. He smiles and marches ahead as a loud metallic clang sounds. The attendant of the gondola behind him jolts as he begins looking at the gondola wire.

The wire that leads down the mountain... stopped.

Spyyra smiles as he moves forward, kicking up white dust like snowflakes around his legs with each step. Thirty yards from the gondola, he stops.

Ahead of him, twenty yards off, is one of his targets.

Carmine stands dead ahead of Spyyra, facing him. The boy stands center of the road path ahead between the stall attractions. Spyyra's confusion invigorates a smile. The two simply looking back at one another. Carmine sweats lightly, but maintains a small smirk.

"Well... what exactly is this?" Spyyra starts loud enough for the boy to hear. His eyes flick side to side. "No way this is a straight confrontation... Where's my girl at?" He turns fully toward the boy, smiling with the pause.

The boy maintains his stare, tilting his chin up in a cocky sneer. He shrugs.

"Silent treatment?" Spyyra chuckles. "oh... You know that doesn't deter me..." His visage surges as his aura flexes! A metal spike forms for the metal dust sleeve, shooting forward with a flick of his hand! He shouts out. "2814!"

The spike spears directly at Carmine, striking true!

SHATTER!

The people nearby jolt at the attack, flinching as Spyyra's spike impales the ground a distance further. Spyyra smiles and looks around. "You should know by now. I know you, 2814. I know you in and out. To think a few years of play time with new friends would make you think I couldn't see through you." He feigns a look of hurt at the statement.

He knows she can understand him. If she's using an illusion, she's close enough to either hear him or read his lips. His false hurt gives away as he catches movement. It's Carmine, further off. The boy huffs before turning tail and running.

Spyyra chuckles. "Alright, girl. You always hated being open, but using a boy's face to me?" He clicks his tongue shaking his head. "I'll have to learn you some manners!" He adds a mocking southern tone as he kicks off after the image of the boy.

As they move further and further off... Makara and Kallen poke out and move for the gondola station. They pause, looking at the halted cable. The ride is no longer working...

Kallen growls. "He disabled the line. It cannot go down hill." A huff comes out as he looks to Makara. "So, that pretty much just leaves..."

Makara frowns, looking over. A small distance off is the second Gondola... the one to the CCT station atop the peaks higher above. "That man is experienced. He's limiting our options on purpose." She glances around the line. "Maybe if we find what he did? He manipulates metal with his semblance."

The two snipers eye the wiring before Makara gasps. The metal thread wiring itself was ripped, now caught in the pivot at the station that turns the carrier around. "That won't be fixed easily..."

The faunus slouches. "So... cliff diving from here, climb to the top for the slide of death, or we fight him here." He glowers at the woman. "We're between a rock and a death drop." Makara deflates with a frown.

. . .

Spyyra smirks as he rushes after the boy. Or rather, the image of the boy. Why 2814 is bothering with this display of illusions, he can't say. She can't seriously think his eye will miss it, can she?

Oh well. Just another lesson to teach her once he nails her down. The best he'd ever seen trained... It's such a shame.

His smirk gaps into a toothy grin. She's so close to being just as much a prodigy as him. That's why. That is why.

The man's right sleeve shifts, the blackened metal shavings warping with his semblance down I to a gripped whip! Now with a white shirt sleeve exposed, he cracks the metal whip forward. With his control, the lash cracks from at Carmine's back.

The Carmine image turns, seeing the lash coming and ducking it. He curves around a stall in a sharp ninety degree turn. No true mass for momentum. Definitely an illusion. Spyyra considers stopping, but the illusion turns around and aims its gun at him.

Boom! All the people present release yelps and screams as they begin to take cover and clear the area.

Spyyra sucks in a breath! His jacket completely warps off him, forming a metal barrier off his left side. The double shot explodes off the block, shocking him. The shield dissipates and reforms his suit jacket. Wide orange eyes watch as the Carmine image smirks, turns, and runs.

The man blinks in surprise and slowly smirks. "Really?" He looks about. The Carmine image disappears around a corner, but Spyyra gives it no care.

That shot came from a different angle... Orange eyes find their target. Another Carmine between an opening through the stalls smirks and disappears behind the structures. However...

Another one disappears around a different corner... A few seconds later, he cranes and looks over his shoulder to see yet another Carmine image run around a corner... So that's the strategy. Spyyra finds himself chuckling. "Oh, girl... This is an oldie and a goodie." He grins. "But don't think I don't know your limitations. Improvements aside, orchestrating multiple illusions takes far too much aura." His orange gaze finds another.

He continues. "So, rather than maintaining them... you must be shattering them, soon as they leave my field of vision. Then, remaking a new illusion from another angle. All so your boy toy can get an angle on me."

Boom!

His suit warps back, a metal sand shield blocking another double shot from behind! The knock back still shakes him forward with a satisfying grunt. Spyyra grins back as his suit jacket reforms. The boy is already gone.

"Of course." He drawls out, a giddy trill to his tone. "Rapid activation and reactivation I know from experience with you is mentally draining. Requiring top focus. It's why you's never managed an illusion from my experience maintained over more than three locations alternating. And that was simply two illusions of apples alternating. Improvements or no, you'll only lessen your limitations, not be rid of them."

His eye catches movement from the right! Spyyra ducks back!

Boom! The double shot zips by his head and blasts the corner of a carnival stall! Spyyra grins as he kicks off into a sprint in that direction. "I have you!"

He kicks over a stall, landing in another path between stalls. Civilians yelp and hide as he locates the retreating boy in the distance. Grinning, he chases after. The gunshot most certainly came from this one!

The chase runs for a few minutes. Rapidly, the cat and mouse moves to find itself near the edges of the cliffs. Each stride kicks up a clouding of the loose snow flakes. Carmine stops, looking out into the darkness for something, anything.

Spyyra comes to a halt. His suit reforms fully as he huffs a laugh. "Alright, boy toy. You got nowhere left to go." He widens his stance, ready to attack. "Make this quick and let me know where my girl is at."

Carmine eases, coming still as his back is still turned. He appears to sigh, then turns. His face is... unnaturally blank. A small polite smile in place. He lightly tilts his head at Spyyra, giving nothing away...

The man pauses... That posture, that expression is..?

This IS the boy, right? He fired at him before! A rare moment of self doubt, Spyyra flinches when the boy blinks his eyes. Blue orbs become pink and brown.

He followed an illusion?! He couldn't have been fooled by her, right! Spyyra realizes he's in a perfect position to be shot from behind. He twists. "Shit!" Whipping round, he finds another Carmine far off near the stalls! The other Carmine raises Heulin Noon.

Spyyra growls as his jacket forms a shield, bracing for the shot-

Boom!

The Double shot hits... from behind. The original one he'd followed to the cliffs. The blast throws Spyyra forward, scraping on the ground on all fours in a grunt of pain! His metal sand momentarily dissipates before reforming a shield around him.

Wide orange eyes snap up. The Carmine by the stalls is already fading. An illusion. "What the..?" He growls out as he turns. The white undershirt for his suit is torched at the back, his aura taking enough of the hit and healing any light damage almost instantly. He turns and stands, facing the original Carmine still standing by the cliffs.

The Carmine with a smoking gun trained behind pink and brown eyes. "Hmph!" He chuckles once with a cocky smirk breaking the neutral look. "Neo is a lot more than you know, but more than that..." His pink and brown eyes close, right arm coming up.

Shatter! A cracking of the illusion over his face breaks away, disappearing.

Carmine opens his golden eyes, magic active, as he growls. "But you don't know a thing about me, Bitch!"

. . .

Neo huffs, sweating despite the cold. Her blood is boiling, lungs bereft of breath.

Spyyra was exactly right. She'd hidden in the shadow and read each word off my lips. She couldn't maintain too many illusions, and the constant switches taxed her reserves more than she's like. The migraine in her head also wanes at her. But still, her plan worked.

She know her illusion couldn't fool him. At least, not by itself. However, not only did she know that, but she planned on it. A small shatter illusion on Carmine's face perfectly set the trap. Make Spyyra believe her illusion actually tricked him, only to psyche him out.

At least, that gained them one blow on him. Now, if they could manage that another ten or so times, perhaps they could beat him in a fight.

Fat chance, there.

Neo sprints back to the gondola, finding Makara and Kallen. Coming to a halt, she stops for breath.

Makara perks. "Did the trap work?" Neo breathes in and out before smirking back with a thumbs up. The woman brightens. "That's wonderful! Good work!" She then pauses and frowns. "However, we were right that the gondola going down would be disabled. He damaged it beyond function." She casts a worried look to the workers.

Kallen grumbles, nursing his injured shoulder. "So, we sit and die, or keep going up and die sliding down a mountain." He briefly glances off. "Honestly, not a bad set piece for a bio pic."

Neo glowers at him, but looks to the second gondola station leading up to the CCT station further up. Makara catches the gaze and addresses her. "Could your parasol drift get us out?"

The mute purses her lips, wagging her free hand before looking to their one armed ward. The faunus glares back. "Ah, yes. Allow my one hand to keep a grip on you as we drift to safety." He grumbles. "Yeah, right."

Makara sighs. "So, the only alternative is... Wait." Neo and Kallen both turn to her, alert. The mute and faunus share a look before giving the woman full attention... Makara lets her head drop to the side, bashful. "What was the next step in your plan again?"

Neo stumbles and catches herself, all tension lost. Right, Makara has memory issues. Kallen groans and hits his head into a metal post lightly. "Try not to hurt yourself thinking, dear." Neo whacks his shoulder quickly for insulting the woman. "Y-OW!"

. . .

Spyyra rises, metal crackling on and off him, suit shifting into a dust cloud around him. He smirks, cocking his head. "Alright, boy. You wanna get my blessing to see 2814? Impress me-" BOOM! His metal dust cloud contracts and solidifies to block another shot! Spyyra loses the smirk. "Being rude won't earn a blessing."

Carmine snap reloads Heulin Noon, scowling. "First of all, stop acting like you have any parental connection to Neo. It's creepy." He brings the gun up to aim. "And secondly, every time you say that damned number, I promise you a broken bone. Her name. Is. Neopolitan you monster!"

The forceful declaration washes right off the AZRL agent, Spyyra bringing a thoughtful hand to his chin. He nods once with a hum. "Okay. You impressed me with the protective macho stuff. I approve of her choice."

The boy growls under his breath, eye twitching.

"Oh, lighten up, Kid!" Spyyra grins wide. "Death is inevitable to everyone. In theory anyway. I'm here to kill you, you want to kill me... it doesn't really matter. Look at it as seeing just how far one can go." He waves his arms around relaxed. "A competition, if you will."

"So, what? The moment you kill someone is the part where you figuratively high five and say 'good game'?" Carmine snidely retorts.

"Of a sorts." The man shifts his arm as a metal blade forms out of his sleeve. "Of course, it only means something when against someone who gets it, ya know? Killing mindless fools no more equipped to kill a spider is just busy work." His grin widens. "Those who fight back, that have spirit? That's the rush I love." His eyes gain a light twinkle of life. "And those able to put that off make it that much better."

"You know? I'm sensing a pattern of absolute psychopaths within your organization." Carmine retorts.

"While correct, I believe most would say I am more on the sociopath side." Spyyra shrugs, looking off in a relaxed admission of guilt. The ease of the admission irks the boy.

Just keep stalling. Carmine takes a step back as he tilts his head. He can't need that much longer. "Maybe find some other hobbies? We are at a film festival, you know."

Spyyra's gaze locks down at the boy's feet, noticing the slight back step. Orange orbs direct back up as he smirks. "I'm not one for mundane enjoyment. I make my own fun!"

He surges forward!

Carmine gasps, leaping back as he aims Heulin Noon. The man saw through the stall? Shit! He fires twice! Spyyra zigzags to weave around the shots as they strike the ground, kicking up dust snow. Carmine leads the next two shots!

The man sucks in a breath and stops short. The first of the next two shots zips by his head, almost perfect aim. He swings his blade arm, using the metal to block the next shot! The iron dust warps into a cloud of spikes. With a palm thrust, the spikes fly forward at the boy.

"Sh-!" Carmine ducks back, tumbling under the spikes. He continues the momentum into a roll, spikes digging into the ground, and kicks off the ground further off. Back on his feet, he gasps, Spyyra closing the distance!

The spikes crumble and flow back into the air as dust particles after their owner as he closes the distance on the boy! Carmine aims Heulin Noon, firing the last two shots as a double shot! Spyyra smirks, the iron dust particles flowing in and constricting a closed ball around the double revolver's barrel.

Boom!

The double shot fires inside the containment of the iron dust! The pressure mounts as the metal blasts open in a large spark! The shock throws the weapon out of Carmine's hands with a pained yelp! Spyyra flicks his blade arm up, striking Carmine's armored arm up!

Left open, he can't stop the man step kicking into his chest armor! The force presses on his chest, compressing it almost! It launches Carmine tumbling over the uneven landscape until smashing back flat into a slanted rock! The stone cracks and splits, though Carmine does not go through.

The boy winces as he sucks in a breath. Even armored, that kick must have cracked parts of his rib cage. He collapses onto his knees, arms crossed over his chest as he wheezes. How the hell could a kick be that-

He spots it. The metal dust warping around the man's pant leg and foot, shifting back to normal. Ah, so he amped the strike with the metal.

Spyyra grins as he lets the dust warp back into his suit. "How did you describe it?" He chuckles, raising his hand, metal shifting over his right hand into a blade. "Oh, right. Good game."

Bzzt. Bzzt. Carmine's scroll vibrates in his pocket. Time!

Carmine winces as the blade raises. To counter any panic, he speaks the command. "Rewind!"

He warps away in a flicker of blue! Spyyra is left paused, right bladed arm raised. He blinks twice, processing that he's now alone. His eye twitches. Breath in. Breath out. His smile grows. "I'm going to enjoy this."

. . .

Carmine's Recall warps him into place directly by the gondola stations. He immediately sucks in a breath, lungs feeling like they're coated in needled pin pricks. Least his ribs were fixed with the Recall, but his aura is going to suf-

Oh... there goes his balance.

The boy collapses forward, eyes half drooped when Neo snatches him. Damn. That was only a ten minute Recall. Sure, it should make a migraine, but was his aura that low from facing the sisters before? He breathes in and out and looks over. "We got a minute before he doubles back this way." His raspy voice comes out.

Neo tugs him away, stepping onto the functioning gondola station. They move into the cart, the girl sliding the boy into a seat as the cart cabin shifts. The gondola is moving... up the mountain. Makara and Kallen settle next to them. Carmine's gaze lands outside the gondola, seeing fuzz with blurred vision due to his onset migraine. "We're... going up then... damn it."

Makara gives an uneasy smile. "He broke the gondola going downhill, so we can only go up or nowhere at all."

"Or over the hills, to our deaths, where you're bringing us now." Kallen continues to be the negative voice.

A short rest, minutes ticking as they travel, and Kallen adds in again. "We better survive this, or Hell shant contain my fury on your eternal soul."

The boy grumbles and rolls his eyes. "Oh, I'm quivering." Sarcasm drips from his tone. He looks to Neo. "Looks like soloing the sisters took more out of me than I expected. That super hit from Nell. Ugh!" He sways lightly and glances at Neo. "Kallen and I will find a way to make the mountain descent easier. Makara, be a lookout for Spyyra. Eventually, he'll know we're not there anymore, and he already made it so the only way to go was up before we can get down."

Kallen snorts. "You act like you can order me around."

Carmine gives a dull look, despite the blurred vision. "Doth thou hath any better ideas?"

"Hmph! Whatever."

"Yeah. That's what I thought. Shutteth the hell up." Carmine glares before turning to Neo. The girl is stiffer than before. "... Your first plan worked like a charm. Think you can hold him if just for a minute if you need?"

Neo's face blanks, then hardens. Despite the stiffness, the anxiety building, she manages a mute nod. Last time, she'd nearly gotten herself killed, having Carmine to thank for her life. She needs to contain her emotions and play smart...

"What about the CCT station workers?" Makara chimes in, worried.

"We'll have to spend a minute knocking them out and placing them somewhere out of the way." Carmine adds, sparing one more worried look to Neo. He moves to stand, swaying lightly and gripping the seat for balance. "I'll be good by the time we get there, but... think I'm tapped for aura." He frowns at Neo. "How bout you?"

Neo smirks. Using the rapid Shatter trick just down took a chunk out of her, but she's still sixty five, going on seventy five percent. She nods.

Kallen rolls his eyes. "All my aura is spoken for. Can't even use my weapon, those... those..." He twitches, trying to insult women who were his heroes. "Those wenches in their... their... whore clothes."

"It hurts to insult your heroes?" Carmine comments, sharing a look with Neo.

The man looks back, eyes misty. "They were perfect artists!"

As the two bicker, Makara shrinks back, frown deep. Her body is ill suited to use of her aura... she tries to remember... does she even have a semblance? She has no weapon, either. No way to help those that saved her.

Still... her hand tightens its grip on the hunk of metal in a satchel hooked to her belt like on her back. Hidden, but her cloak... the Soul Servo still stocked full of aura. HER aura.

Her focus on the object holds her until the gondola begins to close in on the exit at the top... Carmine hums to himself, looking off. "How bad would it be to break the gondola ourselves when we get up there? Buy us some more time?"

Makara blinks and returns to the conversation. "How long would it take for any workers up here to receive help?"

He purses his lips. "Hmm... Right. There goes that point-"

Clunk...

The gondola travel holes, carrier lurching at a cold stop...

All four occupants lock eyes with each other in a double take. Kallen twitches in panic. "Looks like the choice was removed from us."

"Neo." Carmine calls, looking at struggling to focus his vision on the station just a short distance off. "Can you hop back and forth to get us each across?" He gives a quick glance. "Jager is out after Panzer consumed its thrust dust. I can't make the jump myself."

Neo looks to Hush, then back to her leader, giving a vigorous nod. She moves to find a quick open spot in the carrier to open a window. To climb atop the carrier and make the jump from as tall a height as possible.

Makara quickly assists Kallen up as the boy looks back to the lower terrace where the festival crowds were. Still a few lights, but mostly too dark to make anything out. "Shit... He's a while off, but he'll be here soon."

Within the minute, Neo uses Hush to drift jump across the distance to the landing platform, letting Kallen down after having gotten Carmine across. As the two men get their bearings, Neo turns and leaps back onto the gondola carrier. She lands next to Makara, who stares back in the darkness.

The mute glance asks the question as Makara puts down the scope. The scope still in her possession from Kallen's rifle. "He's hovering himself up this way on metal dust platforms using his semblance." She frowns. "Not too fast, thankfully."

Neo hums and signs. "Medium and large objects, while susceptible to his semblance, require physical manipulation. He ripped a tower corner into a large warped sword, but every movement required his arms and body to move as if really wielding it."

Makara raises a brow. "And without using such dramatic movements?"

Neo shrugs and signs. "Anything small to low medium he can flick around now problem without much focus. Mostly using his metal sand suit for small projectiles and quick shields, piercing spikes, empowered physical attacks."

"The fact that he can meld the ground sands into objects and grind them apart means he's controlling metal itself, and not simple polarity. It isn't magnetism or anything of the like he's using, no?" Makara chimes back. Neo merely shakes her head to answer no. She turns and lets her arms wrap Neo as the two leap together. Hush opens to drift them back over.

Neo hums. Soon as they land, they see that Kallen is getting lay of the layout for the station base. Carmine's already knocked out the gondola area operator and opened a gate into a relatively small complex of structures connected by cat walks. The larger buildings have dish radios and receivers built about. The snow up here is quite thicker, piling around the station while parts of the walk ways show heating ducts keeping them from icing over.

Carmine calls out. "Double time! We got our jobs."

. . .

They moved quick.

Four station workers total were quickly located at two checkpoints, a break room, and a control room for the station. All four were knocked out easily and placed in a remote closet space in one of the warmer buildings. Across the compound, Carmine walks a short distance into the snow, hugging his arms in as he squints over the edge.

"This it?"

Kallen stomps over, lightly shivering and wincing at the movement. He glances over and looks. The drop over the edge turns into a steep incline. While the top is healthily covered in white snow, the spikes in the distance show that the amount must decrease at a fairly quick pace. "Yes. And we have less to work with than I thought. We'd tumble to our deaths."

"Got any ice dust?" Carmine asks, glancing around to look at the slope slanting above the CCT station. The mountain is not too much taller than the station post, buy the thickness of the snow exponentially raises the higher on it gets, icing into a crunchy surface as the winds blow more on top.

Wary, Kallen dead eyes the boy. "Why..?"

"Hmm... Thinking of ways to make more ice or snow in our way to make the descent easier."

Kallen double takes between him and the mountain peak. "You will NOT drag me down an avalanche!"

"Fine!" Carmine throws his hands up in surrender. He grumbles. "Anything that we can ride on? Down hill ride?"

"You think a base like this has sleds? Pft!" The faunus scoffs and looks around the area. "Could make something from surrounding metal."

Carmine hums. "So, we gotta either be mobile enough to slide around the spikes, or in something tough enough to plow through. Then what do we deal with?"

"The slope curves near the lower terrace to continue down the mountain towards the eastern coast direction. The hot springs wouldn't be far off. But, if you don't make the curve, that least to a cliff drop off... dead down the Northern cliff that dead drops one thousand feet into the ocean."

The boy poker faces. "So... prolonged death and not direct ocean access for our ride... or dead drop." He scratches his head. "If I had dust for my Jager armor and you had a good arm, the dead drop almost sounds better."

Kallen glares at the boy. "I dislike you."

"I know." Carmine sighs as he takes out his scroll. "I'll contact Roman to coordinate."

. . .

As Carmine and Kallen chat among themselves, Makara steps out of a door to a high cat walk. The path connects the control room section of the base to the main transmitter tower. Taking the high spot, she pauses.

Balance sways ever lightly as she blinks away a numbness to her head. Between blinks, the station around them disappears and reappears. In its place, she finds herself on a balcony, surrounded by towering structures as far as can be... an inner city?

"Hah!" She gasps, eyes widening as she looks around. The station is present. Reality. Was that... a memory? She struggles to think of what she just recalled... but nothing comes. What was she standing on? A balcony? No, was it a beach? Wait, it was a city... or a village? Her mind fries, haywire as she winces in pain. Her hand grasps her head, eyes squinting to look.

Why does her mind do this?

Oh, right. She's ill.

She should be concerned knowing she needs to remind herself of that fact. Take a deep breath. In through the mouth- She snorts. It's through the nose and OUT the mouth! She contains a wince as she looks out at the gondola platform a distance off.

Mental exercise. She needs to calm and ground on something concrete. Her name is Makara Ri... River. Riva! She always feels heat rise dwelling on her last name. Is that not truly it?

Once more, her hand in her cloak finds and clutches the Soul Servo. Aura untainted by her illness. Would she remember if she had it? But, then that might break the Servo. Blair would be unable to properly study it that happens.

But she could help.

The grip tightens. If she could remember her training in full, her life to give information, or even remember her semblance, then she could be a tremendous help...

But instead, she just feels like a watcher. A viewer to the chaos around her.

Chaos... That resonates with her. But, before she dwells on the word, she sees the movement in the darkness. From her high perch, her view of the gondola area is clear.

A human shape slowly rising, standing straight atop a metal disc comprised of iron sand. Spyyra raises until the disc halts its ascent over the platform. Hands in his pockets, he maintains complete relaxation as the sands reform the black layering on his suit pants. He drops down and lands on the metal platform with a loud bang.

It echoes out, reaching the ears of even Carmine and Kallen on the other side of the complex.

Spyyra stands tall, letting out a puff of air, visible in the mountain temperatures. "My... what a chill change from the beaches." He chuckles, suppressing a shiver. Only taking two steps, he perks, face positively brightening.

Ahead of him, standing at the open gate of the CCT compound, is Neo. The girl is leaned against the open railing of the entrance, staring back at him. As he takes her view in, Neo shifts off the lean and steps openly square in the entry way. She twirls Hush and leans into a stance. With a blink, her eye colors swap.

Spyyra smiles wide. "Oh, not a fake this time! Girl it really is you!" He coos, taking a step forward.

Neo remains stalwart in her expression, but the fact he can instantly tell she's real concerns her. She isn't a Shatter illusion... Yet. She needs to be ready for his first move. She'll use the initial displacement of herself upon creating the illusion, dodge the attack, and try to kite him towards the mountain peak.

From there... She prays for the snow fall and environment to allow her to successfully confuse him.

"2. 8. 1. 4." He drawls each digit out as he takes another step. "I didn't get the chance to speak too much to you back in Malum. In fact, I'd almost..." He mimes a finger cutting across his throat. "Yet you slid from me yet again. Always a surprise. That's why you're my girl!"

Neo's visual composure cracks, an ever slight twitch of the eye. She swallows the lump in her throat, ignoring his muscles tensing. It never fails for this man's twisted affections to make her sick to her stomach.

Spyyra stops his slow approach, blanking. "What's this?" A skewed look as he quirks a brow. "My, oh my... Is this fear?" A flash of hurt comes across his features. "Where's the fight?" A single rye chuckle comes as he takes another step.

Neo's gut sinks as she flinches back, her blank facade starting to fail. Her teeth clench... Damn him.

Another step. "Girl, not once since we've met have you been this cowardly... Why, just one teeny near death experience, and you're quaking in your boots talking to dear Dad?"

Her gut lurches at his self reference as a parental figure. Her facade crumbles as her eyes begin to dart back and forth. A bubble of anger rises at her showing of fear, feet unwillingly shifting back.

The man begins to pass through the compound entrance, Neo a show distance in. He frowns and sighs. "Well, I suppose I'll have to whip you back into SHAPE!" Spyyra blitzes forth, metal sands of his coat jacket warping into a hook blade as he swipes at the girl!

Neo watches wide eyed as the much faster, much more dangerous man closes in, blade approaching. Closer. Closer. Just before the blade reaches within inches of her eyes, her aura activates. Her body displaces, replaced with-

SHATTER!

Spyyra slides to a halt, orange eyes locking right as Neo reappears and lands further off. Landing, adrenaline takes over. She needs to move! The metal pathways begin to crack and rumble as Spyyra raises and twists his clenching hand.

The ground metal rips up and out towards the girl! Neo immediately cartwheels then flips around and over two jagged hunks of debris! She kicks off one piece of metal, leaping high and catching a cat walk rail to twist and land a level up. From the moment she orients herself, she duck rolls right as a large metal slag rips through the cat walk path.

All the thrown metal debris hunks pause in the air as Spyyra flips over and lands on the elevated pathway himself. He smiles over flicking his hands up. Scraping metal rings as sharp projectiles rip up and towards the girl! Neo opens Hush to deflect all the projectiles.

Closing the parasol, Neo flip rolls back as a jagged hunk of the railing soars through the space previously occupied by her torso. Rolling and kicking up into a run, Neo rushes away from the man, juking left and right as more projectiles whip by her.

Neo leaps from the walk way, opening Hush to glide a quick distance, then close to drop on a top wall. She leaps up as another metal projectile launches through that wall. Neo rises and lands on another cat walk two levels above the ground. Immediately, the girl moves into a sprint.

Spyyra chuckles, moving into a sprint of his own. His hands wave, shifting floating pieces of metal ahead of him. Using them as a stair case, he rises up a level and hops onto the same path Neo is moving away from!

. . .

The ripping of metal rings through the air, Carmine and Kallen twisting in reaction. The boy almost jerks towards the danger, but stops. Control yourself. He looks down. "How sturdy are those lines?"

Before them, Kallen appraises broken off pieces of metal paneling. Each have drilled holes throughout, with thick, coiled cables strewn about. Kallen grumbles. "Steel cable can keep the panels together, but really? Connected sleds? What happens when one of us gets caught on a rock?"

Carmine purses his lip. "The rocks will be covered-"

"I said no to the avalanche idea!" Kallen snaps at the boy, eyes bulging. Carmine flinches back with a pout.

"Alright, alright! Just... back up plans." He shrugs, watching a vein bulge on the faunus's temple. Another loud bang pulls attention away. "Shit. We gotta get the lines properly tied double time."

Kallen holds up his one hand. "Temporarily crippled, boy."

Carmine frowns, eyes flashing golden. He momentarily thinks about using his Overlap... but that would sap all his remaining aura. Magic likes to be a bitch, sometimes. He instead looks to Kallen's rifle, still slung off his shoulder. "Alright. I'll keep attaching the cables. Can you go set up dust charges up the peak? Neo could use the traps to keep him busy."

The faunus scowls at him.

Carmine groans. "It doesn't have to be in spots that could cause an avalanche!" He waits a moment as Kallen keeps scowling. "I mean... it would help." The faunus keeps up a small resistance until another metal bang pulls their attention.

Kallen groans. "Fine. I choose a grander death than metal assassin."

The boy lights up a grin as the faunus moves off. "Go, team player!" He quickly sets about attaching the cables as quick as he can.

. . .

The metal of one of the towers rips up in a sharp motion! Neo leaps up, running along the misshapen rail to jump into a flip? Jagged metal floats up, ripping into shuriken and slicing after Neo! The girl twists and coils, narrowly dodging each of the projectiles.

Dropping down, she lands in an alley between buildings. Immediately, she tucks and rolls as Spyyra punches down into the ground. She rolls to her feet, turning and slashing Hush at the man.

Spyyra smiles as his iron sand jacket pulses up, bulging out and catching the blade poking from the parasol! The light clang rattles Neo's arm at the sudden stop as the metal stand begins to flow over her weapon.

Panicked, Neo yanks up the parasol function of Hush, sinking the blade inside as the fabric opens! The flapping fabric bellows the iron sands out and up! Neo redirects the sands up! The left half of Spyyra's jacket is pulsed up from the redirect, leading his left suit shirt exposed.

Neo pirouettes into a side kick at the man's ribs! Metal sand peels up from his pants leg, blocking and pushing her kicking foot back. Neo ducks back into a cartwheel away for distance. Closing Hush, she flourishes the blade out while she flips, forcing Spyyra to deflect the blade as the sands retract in to form his suit once more.

He smiles wide. "72!"

The girl's face scrunches. What is he..? Wait, no. Her eyes widen. Does he mean..?

"That's the score you had on your final evaluation before this extended vacation, 2814. It's a bit outdated, isn't it?" He hums and chuckle, taking a slow step forward. "Not to mention, your evaluation was performed by Miss Gale... sorry, Goodwitch." He drawls with a widening smirk. "Still, I think it's time we update this then."

Neo gasps. Not willing to wait for the next attack, Neo Shatters away. The girl appears from above, drifting with Hush a short distance off. She lands silently and shifts around a corner to hide.

Amused, Spyyra chuckles. "Alright! Lets begin! Category 1... Subtlety, the art of subterfuge and misdirection!" He looks around, gleeful. "Last time, you scored-"

He suddenly whips around, throwing a back kick! The metal sand fires from his leg, smashing through the metal structure nearby! The ripping metal snaps apart as the strike pierces Neo! Shatter! The girl was already gone...

Spyyra smirks. "-a score of 16." His orange gaze flicks up.

His sleeve metal shifts around his hand like a glove as he raises his hand! Neo drops from above, thrusting down! However, the blade of Hush clangs and catches between the man's index and middle fingers!

Neo lands, wide eyed. Her weapon is snatched by a mere two fingers coated in his metal?!

The man grins at her. "You've definitely improved. I'd say you earned a 17 from me! Next..." He jerks the blade aside. "CONTROL!" He punches forward with his other hand, a metal blade forming over the first!

Neo twists Hush, bashing the bladed punch aside with Hush's hilt! Twisting her blade free, Neo flourishes into a sequence of strikes, but Spyyra bats aside the hits with simple flicks of his arm.

One is a feint. She twists and hooks Hush's handle hook around his arm and yanks! She successfully pulls him forward, twisting and shoulder throwing him over!

CLANG!

His metal sand suit warps and fires spikes into the ground to halt him before he hits the surface. He twists and jerks her off, the metal warping spikes letting him break dance spin into a kick! The girl barely puts up a block before getting rocketed away!

With a yelp, she's launched into the railing of a raised platform, her back denting the cat walk as she ricochets down and into the ground a distance off. Spyyra pats himself off and smirks. "Alright. Last time, you earned a 10... Definitely improved that since then. 12 for the initiative there." He pauses in thought. "But next comes Forethought. The capability and creativity to form plans of attack and operation. Last you had a 15. Should I go ahead and bump that to a 16 for the trap you're trying to kite me into? I'm excited to see what you're luring me to."

Neo glares back up. How?! How can he read her?! No one can read her like this! He even knows she's trying to trap him! Just... HOW?

Spyyra snickers. "Next up is both our bread and butter; Adaptability." His grin grows wild. "You got an 18 last time, so you'll have to impress me really hard to raise it." His iron dust suit ripples around as he points both hands in a laced finger gun. The metal forms around both his hands and warps into a large ball, the size of a cannon shell.

The girl immediately jolts to her feet.

The man's green aura flashes in a pulse as he 'fires' the metal hunk over his hands like a cannon! The shot flies in a single thick projectile, thrown by his semblance!

Neo leaps up! The metal ball smashes into the plated flooring, cracking it the smooth surface. Neo opens Hush to drift back! However, Spyyra isn't done, flicking his finger gun hands up. The metal ball spews up as iron dust in the air, forming a blade at the girl!

She can barely close Hush and deflect the slash in time. The block still knocks her off her initial trajectory. Neo twists and catches herself on a tall light pole, breathing out.

Creak...

The pole begins to topple as the girl sucks in a gasp and leaps off! She lands, wide eyed and alert as Spyyra walks nearby. He places his hand on the light pole. The light sparks out as the shaft of the pole crunches in. The entire large pole condenses, the top shattering and ripping off into a point.

The particles of iron in the air slowly flow and form back into his jacket for warmth while he smiles. "Now allow me to show you..."

The metal of the surrounding area rips and tears up in ringing screeches. The chunks of metal begin to flow in and slap themselves into place. As the metal pieces form, tiny jagged spikes point up from the shaft as Spyyra twirls the massive pole by the end.

Neo backs up, fear filling her at the massive weapon forming...

A drill. A massive, spiked drill with rotating segments, with Spyyra holding the base pole at the bottom like it's a giant lance! The man cackles, eyes manic. "Here's the difference..!" He raises the massive elongated drill, rotating with his power, up. "Between an 18 and a 20!"

And he lunges at the girl with the massive weapon...

. . .

A large plume blows upward in impact.

The high cat walk rattles as Makara holds tight. She watches in fright as Neo is left only dodging the man's manic and devastating attacks. The woman leaps from path to path to drop on down to ground level. She moves to chase after the loud crashes of the fight.

Mid stride, she sees one of the buildings contort and shift with an impact! She halts, peering around to find the massive drill chewing into the station.

As debris clears, Neo is revealed, crouched and heaving breath by the far wall. She's not far from the snow covered slopes leading further up the mountain. Makara scans the area for anything use- Oh! Kallen?! The faunus has slunk off into the fields, keeping low. He must be doing something. Satisfied, she hopes Neo can work with whatever he's doing.

Spyyra raises the drill and swings it down at Neo. The sniper sucks in a breath. "N-Neo!"

The drill smashes down and rips the area of the wall down. The massive strike blasts a plume of a white cloud out of the compound and into the snow. Spyyra stops at the precipice, looking before him. The cloud settles, showing the while landscape before him.

No Neo.

Makara blinks and looks about. Neo's hidden herself... The snow! The sniper brightens and smiles. "I see... That man seems able to pick her out of her illusions so easily, but a blanket of white? How could he hope to discern her out of the snow under a Shatter cover?"

Spyyra appears to notice the same, frowning in thought. "Well, girl. This is clever. Yet, I'm disappointed..." He cracks a smirk. "If your grand plan is a way to finally hide, you're sorely lacking!" He hauls the massive pole weapon drill up and swings it down! The strike flattens the snow before him, crunching it down as a white cloud puffs out.

Around a bend of the slope, Neo slides out beside Kallen. The faunus flinches at her appearance. She blinks at him and quirks her brow.

The faunus blinks before recovering. "Lead him to that bend over there. I've set lightning dust charges that should conduct off his metal." He then looks to the ridges above. "I'll be setting up some fire and wind charges on high if we need to bury him. Any other needs?"

Neo double takes before rolling with the help. She signs. "Earth charges near the compound to trap him on this side?"

Kallen purses his lips and mulls it over. "Keep him sufficiently distracted, and I may take you up on that."

Another strike blows out a cloud near them.

"Move!" Kallen commands as he slinks off.

Neo feels a rumble. A quick blink with shocked white eyes shows before she flashes in a Shatter. Spyyra's drill rips through the mound of cover, blowing the snow and some rock about! The man slides into the open blow out, glancing about. His orange eyes track a shift right.

Charging after, he sweeps the pole arm, scooping and blasting the snow out! Soon as the impact settles, Neo strikes. The girl exits out a Shatter spot of snow, almost breaking into existence from the sheet of white. She thrusts into the man dead on-

CLING!

Hush's point strikes and bites into a flowing layer of iron sand. The iron shifted from his previously open jacket to cover his gut! A snicker comes out as he bends slightly to look down at the girl. "Aw, couldn't wait to get at me?"

His jacket warps and spikes out as Neo flips out from the man. She turns and begins dashing through the sea of white. Spyyra chuckles and charges after her. Charging after, he swings the mighty weapon down.

Neo smirks as she dodges. This should be where the lightning dust charges are...

A spark lights in the snow as Spyyra's strike misses her. An explosive pulse of electricity blows out, striking the drill to shock the man like a lightning rod! Spyyra's eyes light with shocked pain as he's blown back the way he came!

The charge blasts the man clear into high snow, obscuring him. Neo leaps on high, drifting with Hush before dropping to strike! Her attack lands on yet another shield of iron sand. The sand flows up, throwing her away!

The girl skids along the snow, leaving a kicked up trail, coming to a halt. Then, she leaps aside! Spyyra brings the pole drill around after her. She's nimble, but he's faster as he lashes out upon standing! "HA!" He roars, connecting a strike!

Neo's aura sparks visible as the drill bites into the shielding. The girl stumbles, catching herself in a groan.

Spyyra straightens, peering over to her and taking a breath. In a blink, his playful demeanor returns. "Ah! Sorry, girl. You actually made me react on instinct there..." He chuckles, brandishing the gigantic heavy machinery sized drill pole up. "Consider me impressed. You know what? 19! But, I think I need to cut this all short."

Instinctively, Neo activates her semblance. Better now while she still has any aura to hide and gain any measure of distance from the man. She Shatters... leaving Spyyra alone.

He snorts. "Tch. Come on. Now, you're pulling the same tricks!" Raising the spear drill, he works it over with his semblance in a flash of green. The metal once more whines and squeals! Stretching and pulling the stiff material. Flattening, elongating, the shape begins to warp into a curved, indented blade. Or... like a blend of a scythe and shovel in massive size.

In a cackle, he swings into a spin! The weapon scoops down, like a long sickle, as all the snow around kicks up in a violent spurt! In one grand twirl, the weapon blasts away all the snow from Spyyra in a twenty yard radius! The blow back, throws the snow up into a massive shroud!

The blast clears, Neo revealed at the very edge of the massive blank circle in the mountain side! Her wide eyes stare out, a cut appearing on her corset just under her chest. Any closer, and she'd have been cleaved in half!

Spyyra smirks as he locks on to her. Weapon raised, he charges. "Examination's over!"

Neo flinches, double taking around her to check her positioning. She'd managed to circle closer to the station with those last dodges! Close to where she asked Kallen to plant the charges. Hopefully, he did... She leaps towards the station, Spyyra closing in from behind.

"HYAH!" Spyyra swings the massive weapon down! Neo gasps as she finds disturbed snow in front of her.

PERFECT! Neo dashes just past it, turns, and opens Hush for defense!

The strike lands... BOOM! The earth dust charge erupts, caught in the same attack as the massive slash hits Hush's parasol!

The blast blows out with a thunderous crack... as the entire elongated scythe in Spyyra's hands shatters, blasting metal shards all across the mountain side!

Neo breathes in relief as she slowly closes Hush and looks ahead. She sees for the first time in her life a wide eyed, surprised Spyyra. The man is frozen at the end of his swing, staring at the vaporized end of his shaft hilt. The entirety of the weapon was scattered away by that charge.

He blinks. "Well..." He slowly looks from his broken hilt to her, seeing a rarely seen smirk. Rarely seen by him, that is... He can't help a small bit of pride. "Now, hold the self applause." He stands up straight, examining the broken pole of metal in his hand. "All you managed to accomplish was ruining my fun." His orange gaze peers to the side... finding Kallen setting up another charge up hill a distance off. "With some help it seems. Tsk tsk... Outside interference? Can't give you that 20."

He quips as he begins twirling the broken pole in hand. Neo sucks in a breath, realizing she in panic that she really wishes she could speak... Quickly, she pinches her fingers together and puts them in her mouth, eyes squeezed shut as she blows as loud a whistle as possible!

Spyyra shifts his hold to a javelin throw, his semblance smoothing the broken end into a fine point. He pitches the makeshift projectile directly at the sniper from behind.

Kallen hears the whistle, turning to look from his spot on the ridge. A gasp escapes as he ducks right to dodge. The javelin clips his good shoulder shredding the strap hooking his rifle to him. Kallen drops down the ridge in a growl of pain, tumbling through the slanted slow until coming to a halt a short distance off from the other two.

Hindered, he shifts to a sitting position, grabbing one handed for his rifle-

Spyyra comes down upon him, lashing a forming metal whip from his iron dust to strike the weapon aside! Leg up, the human stomps his dress shoe into Kallen's injured shoulder! "AH!" The faunus cries out in pain, squirming as the metal sands spread and slowly flow in to constrict his throat!

Neo charges the man, blade spearing out from Hush as she lunges!

The man smirks, his jacket completely dispersing into a whipping flow of black to strike her lunge up! Opening her guard, Spyyra steps off Kallen into a side kick, booting the girl in the ribs and sending her tumbling off. Kallen takes the split second to roll out from under Spyyra, only for the cloud of iron dust to condense in the enforcer's hand. A braced metal fist forms as Spyyra strikes Kallen aside with back hand. The faunus is sent off to the side.

"Now, is everyone calm? Done wasting everyone's time?" The green haired man sighs dramatically, despite the wicked smirk. He looks down his nose towards Neo, giddy as he begins to stalk towards her. She barely manages to get to her knee as he approaches. "You've improved. Greatly, in fact. Buuuut, I'm afraid orders are orders. You missed your chance to be a part of us." He shakes his head with each next step. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk..."

Neo stumbles and flounders to get to a knee, gasping for air and sweating despite the cold. She glares up as the man comes to a halt in front of her. She needs to move. She needs to do... something! She needs...

. . .

"I already can't lose you, but any closer... I won't be the only thing that goes... You won't be the only thing that's gone. I won't be the only thing that's gone if that happens." Carmine's voice rings in her mind...

. . .

She forces it. She forces her remaining aura to work! The girl Shatters, surprising the man looming over her! He turns, finding Neo dashing and nabbing Kallen, dragging him towards the CCT station.

However, she makes it only half way as she turns on a dime to deflect a formed metal shuriken! The weapon bashes her down to collapse, Kallen landing painfully beside her. The two wince and cry in pain as Neo forces herself to turn.

Spyyra recalls the shuriken back, letting it reform into his missing sleeve. "Very impressive!" He chuckles. "But, I have places to be, so..." He stops just before her, hand twitching with iron dust wafting around the hand. "This is goodbye-"

His lunge for the girl is halted as another figure lands. Neo flinches back from the new body appearing.

Makara was the one. She landed and blocked the man's open hand with a cross block! The iron dust has formed a sleek coat around Spyyra's hand, latched around Makara's forearm in a tight clench! The grip tightens, sending Makara's panicked features wide eyed! She squeaks in pain as Spyyra begins to lift her by the arm.

"Well! Look what we got here!" The man laughs at his find. "Frank's play toy is here too!" He chuckles, completely ignoring the other two. "I really hit the jackpot of your split group, didn't I?" His orange eyed gaze twinkles as he looks about. "Am I more lucky? Where's Miss Gale?"

The lavender haired sniper winces and kicks forward, pulling herself free from the man's metal grip. She flips back, but Spyyra steps forward after. He lands a forward kick on her gut before she can land! Makara tumbles back, but rolls to her feet in front of the others. She sways before widening into a haphazard boxing stance.

Spyyra snickers. "HA! Puh-lease. I know your condition, 3672. We were on the cusp of giving your number to someone else after you'd kick the bucket. Do you even remember any of your training?"

Makara flinches back, eyes darting about for something, anything to take advantage of... in a snowy plain. Yeah, no luck there. She grits swallows the lump in her throat, ignoring the cold sweat in her gloved palms.

"Hey, Maiden!" Kallen shouts from behind her. She looks over her shoulder, spooked by his outburst as he stands. The man winces in pain, grunting with his breaths. His left arm hoists his folded quad chambered rifle. "Here!" He sling throws his rifle in a low toss!

The woman's face brightens in realization, almost reacting too late. She plucks the sniper from the air, twirling the weapon as its long barrel folds out! She brandishes the weapon as her off hand removes an object from her pocket... the scope Kallen had given her. She locks it in place to be the sights and locks the weapon mode.

Makara aims the sniper up at Spyyra, who merely blinks back. She can tell that he's arrogantly just waiting to see what they got. She allows a small smile. "I remember one thing you monsters taught me." One click. A pulsing whir sounds from the sniper as a line in the barrel pulses violet and green. "I'm a sniper!"

BOOM!

Spyyra's iron sands peel fully from his legs and torso, bracing and forming a shield on his arms as he cross blocks! The bracing helps as even he's pressed by the blast. A condensing of fire, lightning, wind, and earth dusts in a single quad blast! Spyyra's feet scrape along the snow as he remains standing while blown back!

He grinds to a halt, opening his guard with wide eyes. He shakes the numbness in his arms out and chuckles. "Well, that's interesting."

Kallen brightens. "My baby in combat! My Almighty Circuit!"

Makara cocks a lever as a steam heat release spews out the side. The barrel lights, ready for another shot. She looks to the others. "I'll hold him! Move!"

Neo and Kallen stumble up, sharing a look. The faunus calls out. "Remember the mixer switches by the left hand grip. Using the max power of all four is great, but using only lesser combinations gives unique benefits." He turns and rushes back to the edge of the CCT station.

Spyyra chuckles. "Interesting as that is... too late." His voice dips as he lurches into a charge!

The woman brings the gun up. Just by the left hand's spot on the barrel, her fingers interact with switches, activating and deactivating the different dust cores at the firing mechanism! Following Kallen's instruction, she fires one dust type at a time. Fire, earth, then lightning!

In order, Spyyra jerks left to dust a heated fire dust shell! Then zigzags left, ducking an earth dust slug shot! Then the swaying cloud of iron sand forms a lightning rod twirling by him. As a lightning dust shot bursts out, the lightning rod takes the hit, jolting back behind Spyyra's charge! All within the span of two seconds!

Makara cocks the rifle down, firing the wind dust loud to propel herself up! Just in time as Spyyra's swipe of a bladed arm tastes only air. As she ascends, she hits the steam release, a stream of the heated exhaust spewing out as she raises. Charges ready, she aims back and fires the wind again to throw herself a distance away from the man.

Spyyra smirks and charges her, iron particles reforming his full jacket. He pulls a hunk of shredded metal from the snow and reshapes it into a throwing star. He launches it directly at the woman!

She gasps and ducks the star, then rams the barrel of Almighty Circuit into the snow. Fire dust shot, the heated blast erupts a massive cloud of steam to shroud the entire area! Spyyra comes to a halt as he loses sight of the woman.

He darts his gaze about, back and forth scanning the cloud around him. His iron sand shifts around him. Slowly, a barrier forms around him, thin. Supported primarily with his aura holding it in place.

With Makara, she comes to a halt at a different spot, taking aim. The enhanced scope shifts between different views: regular with a wall of steam blocking it, infrared seeing the man disappear behind the shroud of iron, then finally... sonar. A sensor locks out and begins to ping. The sight screen on the scope begins to show the ping radiating off objects, giving Makara an outline of the iron dome barrier.

If he's going defensive, then that makes this easy.

She activates both earth and lightning dust. Using the physical earth slug mixed with conducting electricity increases puncturing power. She allows a disassociation as she lines the shot... A complete shut down...

She fires!

The blast zaps directly and strikes the dome! Her shot rips right through the dome, in and out, blasting out the other side! The barrier lowers and dissolves... revealing nothing.

Spyyra isn't there...

Makara jolts up in a panic. She hits the steam release, cooling the charges! She thought she had him in her sights...

But he just turned her into the hunted.

. . .

Carmine finishes tying the last of the steel cable wiring between the four makeshift sleds. He hears another blast in the distance, turning towards it. "Still fighting is a good thing." He double checks his work, satisfied as he huffs and moves. "Done! Just gotta bounce." He looks at the upper snow covered areas of the mountain.

Is this a bad idea? Maybe...

But... a small part of him admits to wanting to do this. Here's hoping they have enough firepower to cause the slide.

He rushes across the complex as the fighting continues, finding Neo and Kallen at the edge of a wrecked compound edge. He comes to a halt beside them. "Hey! What's our status?" He comes to Neo first and steadies her.

Neo, rather than rely on her signs, nods to Kallen to answer. The faunus addresses the boy. "That monster is being difficult, and Makara has taken my baby into battle."

Another boom takes Carmine's attention as he yelps. "Makara's fighting him alone?!" He shakes his head, groaning. "Right. Stopping that. We're ready. We just need a trigger for our ride down." Neo blinks and looks between them, so Carmine nods. "Yeah, we're making an avalanche. Do we have anymore explosives or anything that can trigger it?"

Grumbling, Kallen sulks. "I set up some explosives up the ridge that Makara isn't aware of. They've yet to be used."

"We gotta get Makara out of there then!" He looks to Neo, seeing her condition, then Kallen's. "Right, stay here. I'll be right back-"

Neo snatches his arm and halts him. She breaths out and pulls up with him, shaking her head.

"What?" The boy cocks his head, confused. "Neo, I need to get her out-"

Neo signs with her free hand. "Don't try and do it yourself." The boy's furrowed brow answers her as she sighs. "Dumb Dumb, give me your aura." She smiles at him.

His eyes widen, jaw going slack. "N-... No. That's not-" He pauses at her serious face. "No no no. I don't- I-I can't!"

She frowns at him. "Without Panzer or Jager, you lack movement. If he hits you... WHEN he hits you." She reiterates as a certainty with a more dramatic gesture. "Your aura will give out before you can Recall, and it'll be you left behind."

Carmine grimaces, knowing she's right, but knowing he can't hang back. "And you're no better. You barely have any aura left. Just look at you."

Neo can nod at that with a wry grin. She holds up a finger before signing again. "But even if my aura gives out... you can get me out."

Fear grips his heart at that. "D-Don't say-"

"I trust you." Neo smiles as reassuringly as possible. "You'll get me out."

No. Not again. Do NOT trust him.

His perception is already cracking. Like static, his senses already begin to hurl him back... then. The last time someone 'trusted' him to use his semblance on them. Summer-

Neo's hand cups his face, pulling his attention to the present. She smirks as he focuses solely on her. The girl pokes his temple with her caressing hand before pulling back. Her finger wags in front of him. Translation: Don't think...

Her hand comes over her chest. Translation: Feel it.

She signs. "You already did it before."

"You don't get it! Blair hasn't found a way around it! Living aura rejects my semblance!" He shouts at her, almost hysterical.

However, she merely smiles at that. She chuckles, even. She signs slowly. "Mine won't reject you, Dumb Dumb."

His heart could stop at that.

Carmine's mouth clamps shut, frowning deeply... but ever slowly, his aura begins to flow to her, placing his aura within her. Neo smirks and winks.

. . .

Makara comes to a halt, crouched low as she uses Almighty Circuit's scanning sonar to inspect the area. She's indeed alone... and that terrifies her. She absolutely cannot be alone. Spyyra would never let her be when he isn't going for the others. "Where are you..?"

Right? No. Left? No. Forward? Behind? No and no. Above?

She glances up, seeing nothing but clouded and murky blackness above. No.

"The answer?" Spyyra's voice chills her more than the cold ever could.

Metal blades spear out of the snow on each side of the girl... No way. He's below?! Makara leaps aside as the blades whip by her previous position. She tumble rolls to a crouched position and fires at the blades! Her shots blow up plumes of snow up, obscuring the blades. Yet, when the snow settles, the blades aren't there.

Makara backs up, still not seeing where Spyyra could be hiding. She lets the steam overheat of her weapon spew out, ready, and then activates fire and wind dust cores! The elemental combination allows her to blast a great spout of flame like a flamethrower. The air from the wind dust blows the fire wider and feeds the flames oxygen.

The blast waves out and blows another massive steam cloud out from the melted and boiled snow before her. Makara grimaces, still looking about.

And Spyyra still speaks.

"3672, Series Black. Nineteen years old. Obtained at the age of fifteen. Fourteen trainee mission assignments. Thirteen successes. Medical hampering removed you from service and sale. Your worth to us became null."

Makara gulps, getting flustered as he rattles off simple facts about her... yet, a part of her is listening to this as if for the first time. She'd forgotten her true age. She's nineteen? She was taken four years ago? A worried brow comes as she tries to focus on the task before her.

"Evaluation score: 63. Score one: Subtlety was a 15. Typical of a sniper..."

The woman huffs and darts her gaze around. Where is his voice coming from?!

"Score two: Control... get to that later..." He chuckles off, causing a chill to run up her spine. "Score three: Forethought was a 13. Above average since your skill set lent itself to a plan... just not much else. Score four: Execution was a 14. Reliable... But Score five: Adaptability?! HAHA! A 5!"

Makara grimaces. A five for adaptability? Some part of her feels angered at that, but some other part of her feels like it's... confirmation? Like she'd heard this before.

"Take out an enemy at range? Oh, just point you in the right direction."

A blade pokes from the ground a distance off the side. Makara flinches and fires at it, blowing out another snow space.

"But, never once were you able to get around that rigid, 'Mission Confirmed' mentality. That weapon in your hand has given you more creativity than your entire run with us ever had. It was quite pathetic." He laughs at her, yet his voice still doesn't have a true source! "Oh, but there was at least one silver lining. Score two: Control for a 16. Oh, how blessed you were with a semblance like yours."

A semblance?

She has a semblance?

She clenches her teeth, a flush of shame and anger coming. No! She needs to focus.

"Oh, when in control of a situation, you were very impressive, but that was the catch. The moment you couldn't keep control... the moment you lacked direction is when any plan with you falls." He chuckles. "Like so... just look around yourself, and perhaps you'll understand."

Makara grimaces and looks around. Nothing. There's absolutely nothing-

A texture on her cheek. She pulls back. It was like a speck of dirt. Wait... there's more. Small dots only visible when looking at the white background of snow. Tiny, minuscule particles... iron sand? Just a single grain. Just a single tiny speck in a four inch space before another one... and another... and another.

"No way!" Her breath is choppy. "No way? How can you control it like this?! She stumbles back, looking around. The dust particles are spread all around the battlefield. "When?!"

"Oh, when your shot blew out my barrier..." Spyyra chuckles.

She realizes... He'd buried himself before she shot through his barrier. Then, he must have dispersed his dust particles in the direction her shot came from. Tiny, nigh microscopic pieces of iron under his influence and control, spread like a wide net over the area...

Feeling any time she moved through them...

He'd spread them as a makeshift radar to find her as she moved!

Immediately, a spike of iron forms and rips up from directly under her, spearing into her gut. Her aura shield flashes from the hit as Makara is thrown thirty yards off her feet and tumbled across the ground. She cries out in pain as she comes to a halt.

Her chest is numb as aura begins to heal the damage dealt. She struggles to get up, wincing in pain. The woman successfully stands and manages to glare forward.

Snow blows upward a distance off as Spyyra gets up from the ground. His white suit shirt and gray pants are bereft of his iron dust. He huffs a visible breath out in chills and cold, but smiles wide. As he begins to walk, blackened particles begin to flow in out of the air, painting his gray pants black and giving him most of his black suit jacket.

"Hoo... The chills." He chuckles while approaching. "And by the by, you lost control the moment you thought spamming your new toy gave you a position of power. In fact..." He smiles wide. "You won't be firing one more shot at me."

Makara gives a skewed look, bringing Almighty Circuit up to aim-

"AH-!" She chokes out a scream. PAIN! Pain in her chest and lungs! Pain in her throat! Pain in her nose and mouth! A spiking needling all through these areas cause her to choke and gag out a scream as she falls to her knees.

Spyyra snickers. "Oh, yeah. When you were walking through my little field radar? You also breathed in plenty of my iron." He chuckles with his fully formed jacket... Almost fully formed, missing the left sleeve end. About one inch of material is absent from his iron jacket.

THAT'S INSIDE HER RIGHT NOW?!

Makara grabs at her neck, eyes wide with fear as she can't bring herself to move. Each and every breath stings with intense burning pain!

The man looms over her. "Alas, while it's been fun, I'm afraid that I can't continue this charade." His right arm covers with a metal blade, the rest of his left sleeve disappearing to be the right arm's blade material. "Goodbye!" He brings the blade down on the lavender haired girl!

Metal strikes metal...

Neo comes into existence, blocking his blade and standing between him and Makara!

"Oh? Come back- GAH!" Spyyra's mirth is cut short as one of Carmine's double shots strikes him in the side, sending him into a flip to the side. He flips and recovers on his feet a short distance off. He looks to the distance.

Carmine made that shot from a hundred yards... That'll show him to sit still and gloat. Spyyra looks back to Neo and Makara. Neo is grabbing the woman, but stopping short as Makara begins to scream in pain again. Oh, so they're in full retreat mode, eh?

Can't have that.

Spyyra holds up his hand, clenching it. Controlling the dust inside Makara, it tightens and stresses her inner lungs and throat, a resurgence of agony! Woman's aura focuses entirely on undoing and preventing the internal damage! Yet, Spyyra knows how vulnerable the insides are. It takes a LOT more aura to prevent this sort of damage than it takes to cause it.

Satisfied, Spyyra begins to approach, wary of Carmine's shots from the great distance. "Sooner or later, her aura is going to give out, and I'll make her drown in her own blood." He speaks this scenario out with a lighthearted tone. "You could try to drag her out, but..." He brings his arm up.

Makara's body lurches, chest pushing out as she screams further! He's pulling on the iron sands inside her, pulling her closer!

"I'm not about to let that happen." He grins. "So, what'll it be?"

Neo double takes between the man and Makara. Gritting her teeth, she realizes that she needs to force his attention off of her. Enough to lessen his control of the iron inside her now. So, Neo gets ready to charge...

"W-ait..." Makara's scream cuts as she keeps one pained eye open to look at Neo. The mute turns to her, ready.

Spyyra is about to charge when his peripheral vision catches the flashes. He dodges Carmine's shots, mildly annoyed.

Makara struggles to get it out, ignoring as much pain as possible. Her hand ceases gripping for her throat and instead reaches into the pouch behind her... she produces the object. The Soul Servo.

"De-...stroy it!" Makara cries out, holding the device in her palm up. "Give me... back my... aura, and... AH!" Her blood curling wet cry out cuts short. "I could... resist him and flee!" Neo double takes between the Soul Servo, Makara herself, and then the charging Spyyra. No time to lose.

With no more delay, Neo brings up Hush and swings. Her blade slashes into the metal casings of the Soul Servo. A ripped out chunk blows away from the device as sparks begin to short circuit from it...

Makara uses both hands to grab the ball device in hand, closing her eyes and hoping beyond hoping to will her aura back into herself... Seconds tick as the device sparks... a dark yellow aura begins to haze out from the device. The aura matches Makara's hazel eyes, but the lavender haired girl is too focused on hoping she's right. That this act will return the aura to her.

Spyyra sucks in a breath. "Ah, damn it. I'll hear from Frank about that!" He charges, but Neo rounds to meet him! He dodges another shot from Carmine. Neo clashes with the man, Hush locked with his hooked blade arm. The man pulls Neo in, then uses his fluid like blade to jerk Hush aside! He brings his knee up, a spike forming on it as it strikes her gut!

Neo chokes out, air leaving her from the gut hit and spit flying from her mouth. Spyyra pulls back as Neo drops to her knees.

. . .

Carmine sucks in a breath. No... He didn't want to have to... Don't make him have to...

. . .

Neo wheezes as she looks up at the man, smirking. At the very least, she successfully got Makara's aura out. She believes so, at any rate. And so, she turns her nose up at the man, a confidence that actually strikes him. Strikes him harder than anything she'd ever managed to do to him.

Spyyra gives an almost... annoyed look. "How disappointing. Goodbye girl." His grin returns, blade in hand turning into a sickle blade. "I'll always remember you!"

. . .

The boy can't help but reach out. Panic fills him, but he knows one thing. He can't lose her. The way he felt as her hand gripped his arm... Focus. Locked in. "REWIND!"

. . .

In a flash, Spyyra's blade closes in on Neo... and she disappears... He whiffs the swing, stumbling at the lack of purchase. Wide eyed, he looks up. "AGAIN?!"

. . .

Carmine himself warps back to his spot just moments before. In the bright flash, he comes into place, eyes clenched shut. Please... Please... A hand grips his arm. He risks it, turning up and opening his eyes.

Neo stands beside him, eyes slightly wide, but her smirk still there. She snorts and signs. "Told you so."

He can only stare at her for the moment. Completely flabbergasted, he can't process the fact that it worked. Suddenly, a numb soreness to his skull. Light headed, he sways, clenching his head. Two people, double the adjustment for the Recall! "Fuck..." He looks up, seeing Makara still standing with her Soul Servo in the distance. "MAKARA! GET OUT OF THERE!"

. . .

The shout reaches her ears as her aura floods through her...

And not just that. So, SO much more floods her. The off dark yellow hazes and sinks into her from the Servo... With each passive second, another experience. Faces she's met. Experiences she's had return to her. Her middle name. Her FULL name. Her mother, father... Not everything, but enough.

Enough...

Like one thing in particular. Makara's eyes open, locking on the man standing across from her. Her off hand grips Almighty Circuit, but her main hand holds out the Soul Servo, fervently drinking in reservoir of her own power. She remembers the one thing she needs in this situation.

A determination sets in as she gains a modicum of confidence. "You made one error in your evaluation of me."

Spyyra raises a brow. "Yeah? What's that?"

Makara dips her head, raising the Soul Servo. "You called my semblance 'blessed'. It's anything but. It brings nothing but Chaos."

The man's smile goes away... She remembers. SHIT! He surges forward at the woman. His jacket fully warps into a fist weapon around his right arm! He moves at full speed, faster than any member of Team CRBN could hope to match. He has to stop the activation.

"But I do one thing with that Chaos!" Makara shouts out, holding the Servo to smash it fully into Spyyra's oncoming fist weapon strike!

In one massive burst, the device shatters, its pieces barely existing between Makara's palm and the hunk of iron.

Yellow aura begins to pulse from Makara as she calls upon HER power. HER semblance. It's no different from Carmine. Word association. An activation phrase. She yells out one single word.

"CONTROL!"

The chaotic burst of dark yellow pulses out in a blast over the entire battlefield! The shock burst blows out and out and out! The eruption of the semblance pulses and quakes over the snowy landscape. The dust charges upon the ridge placed by Kallen explode at once! The white sheet covering the land quivers up the whole stretch to the mountain point.

But even more evident.

The pulse completely shatters Spyyra's iron dust weapon! All his iron dust bellows out in a black spray, completely scattering in the wind. This blow back also takes all the sands coating his suit pants, blowing the black off them as well! Her pulse blows to the others, Carmine, Neo, and Kallen all three holding their arms up to block or defend. Yet, they pauses when nothing happens.

Carmine blinks as he looks at Heulin Noon... Then his armor. The semblance settles... Carmine stares wide eyed at himself. "Uh... Jager!"

Nothing.

A sinking feeling comes. "Oh... Jager?" He opens Heulin Noon and moves to snap reload...

Nothing.

"Oh, fuck..." The boy mutters as Neo and Kallen give him odd looks. "She just disconnected all objects from foreign auras... I can't switch armors or snap reload..." He then sucks in a breath, looking forward. "Wait, then that means-"

Spyyra looks at himself, hands reaching out and he grimaces. His connection to his iron was severed at the source! His iron sands aren't responding! Panicked, he reaches out with his aura.

He needs to reconnect with his sands! He needs to call them back in and spread his aura anew! He needs-!

Makara throws the remaining pieces of the Soul Servo aside and twirls Almighty Circuit up. All pain from the internal sands is gone, Spyyra's control of it severed completely. Her face is devoid of any emotion. Dissociation of a sniper. "You said I wouldn't fire again?"

BOOM!

A quad blast from the sniper hits Spyyra dead on, launching him away! She breathes out in relief and sighs. Perhaps they could deal with Spyyra now and-

Rumble...

She blinks. Oh... Her semblance disconnected the connection between any aura and object, but the dust charges. Dust not currently tied to one's aura reacts to aura upon introduction. Her semblance ignited the charges... rumbling the mountain... the snow covered peak...

Rumble..!

"MAKARA! COME ON! AVALANCHE IS COMING!" Carmine shouts out for her.

She exhales in fright. Right. Moving. She steam releases for the weapon, turning tail and sprinting. Aiming the gun back, she fires a wind blast, propelling her across a portion of the distance. The ground around them is already starting to slide! She repeats the process, closing the distance to meet the other three!

All four of them move into a sprint, bodies aching from the day's events.

Makara huffs out. "Will the buildings withstand the avalanche?! Those workers are still unconscious inside!"

Kallen responds. "It's Atlas grade. They'd withstand a meteor! We need to go NOW!"

Carmine shouts next. "We get to the sleds and we ride down! Roman said the ride will be on the North side, so they'll know when we come down!"

That makes Kallen stare daggers at the sprinting kid. "Oh?! So you expected to ride over the drop?! I told you to account for NOT doing that, you- Ah, I'll kill you if we make it out of this." Neo perks at the idea of riding the avalanche too, though. Kallen notices her positive reaction and snarls. "Don't you start either!"

Makara looks to Almighty Circuit in her hands and nods. "Neo and I have methods of preventing a drop from killing us!"

Neo nods vigorously, caressing Hush in her hands.

Carmine nods as the four round a corner of the compound. They close in on a drop off the mountain. Snow begins sliding in all around them as the peaks above loose their contents down below. "Right! Neo, drift with Kallen if you can. Makara, you got me?"

"Of course!" She huffs out, tired.

The four come upon the sleds, all linked together by the steel cabling. "Alright, grab your sled and be ready to go! No one lets go until we reach the drop to the ocean. Link with your fall partner and land as safely as possible!" Carmine orders. He glances up at the mountain as a massive pool of white begins to come into view. His eyes widen.

And his racing heart can't help some type of smirk...

"Don't you DARE be excited about this!" Kallen shouts at the boy.

"I can't help it! Here it comes!" Carmine grabs the first sled, Makara the second, Kallen the third, and Neo the fourth! The storm of white blows over upon them. "HERE WE GO!"

. . .

Isla Vallis, far view

The island view from afar is blackened in the dead of night. Under the moon's glow peaking through the clouds, the white of the mountain top shifts. The blow of the mighty force of nature slides down the length of the North mountain side...

As Carmine's voice echoes out...

"BOOOOYAAAAHAHAHA! WOOOOOOO!"

. . .

The flow of white down the mountain travels like a downstream flood! The slope of the North side of the mountain curves slightly until a harsh swing. The curve shifts towards the Eastern side of the island, but the snow only barely follows that trail. The painting white over the rock and stone instead chooses a different path.

Like, flowing off the turn into a dead drop. A thousand foot drop off the cliffs and to the ocean. Ice and slush crashes into waters below. The breaking surface bellows large splashes from the impacts.

Within the cloud of white leaving the cliffs, the four connected sleds rocket out as if from a ramp! All four of the individuals tumble out into the air with screams.

Neo reaches and grabs Kallen. The man's one good arm hooks her torso as she opens Hush! She feels her breath wheeze, the man's grip crushing out her air. The two lurch down, but begin to drift. She can thankfully control one person on her easily enough...

By contrast, Carmine and Makara tumble near one another until Carmine manages to tug himself closer by her cloak! Makara twists as he grips her round the waist. "Alright! We're good!"

Makara purses her lips, barely keeping Almighty Circuit in hand and aiming. "I do not know if this will work well with two, but..." She fires the wind blast jerking their descent from straight down to barely vertical at all. The two jerk and flow down again as she releases the steam to cool. Just before they hit the water, she repeats, the two jerking before hitting the waters!

The waters bubble, the catastrophic downpour of snow a distance behind them acting as a back drop. Slowly, Neo and Kallen sway in and roughly hit the water similar to a parachute drop. The water breaks as Carmine appears to gasp for air, Makara hauled up beside him in his arms.

"C-c-c-collld. It's f-fucking freezing!" His teeth clatter.

"W-why would y-you ever... in a m-million years scream, 'W-woo' in a d-damned avalanche!" Kallen snaps at the boy, letting the cold waters numb his wound.

"It was f-fun when you ignore the chance of death!" Carmine defends.

"What Ps-psycho would agree with you?!"

Neo grins wide, teeth clattering as she hums a laugh. "H-hmm hmm!"

"Oh for fu-" The man cuts himself off, choosing not to engage in the conversation. He looks over, wary. "Is that our ride?"

Carmine, Neo, and Makara glance over to see a large ship in the night sailing towards them. "Oh, thank you, Roman!" Carmine yells...

Then he notices the sail of a skeleton at the gallows...

"Oh, damn you, Roman!"

. . .

Atop Mount Vallis

The aftermath of the avalanche voided the mountain top of the white sheet previously covering it. Down from the peak, the CCT station is coated. Half the barriers, fencing, and towers are toppled, having been swept down the mountain. On closer inspection, one of the exposed towers whines lightly. The sound barely rings as the metal twitches with an invisible pull.

From the white, a blowout sends a cloud up. Inside the parameters of the compound, Spyyra walks out from the snow. His skin is paled, chilled and cold, buy he's still very much alive. His eye twitches. His iron sands are wound tightly around his torso as he hugs himself for warmth.

He slowly turns tilts his head right, popping his neck loudly.

"Alright... Now, I have to admit... The next time this happens... I might actually get a little pissed."

. . .

One of the ship's life boats lowers into the waters with two individuals on it. Quickly, they scoop Kallen out of the water into the small raft. The sniper faunus shivers and nurses his disabled right arm. The two individuals then nab Makara, collecting the sniper rifle before pulling her on.

In the water, Carmine remains in disbelief. The next hand that offers for him hesitates... A familiar pirate in green. The Hangman pirate, Zim, sneers at the boy before they grab hands. "Get on in here, damn it."

Carmine is roughly tossed onto the boat, growling himself. "The hell is this?"

"A hire." The female voice behind him pulls attention. The valley girl pirate clad in pink. Christie? "We were compensated to get you lot to the main land." A wet splash lightly sounds as Neo is hauled into the raft next to them. Immediately, Christie's posture tenses. Oh right, Neo and Blair were the duo that embarrassed the pirate girls. "You..."

Neo huffs a breath, looking done with the day, but recovers. She winks at Christie, eyes swapping color.

"Hmph!" Zim grumbles. He looks up. "Got them! Reel in!" The raft surges up, a mechanical reel winding up the wire lines connecting the raft to the boat. The group comes up for the raft to dock fully.

Carmine peeks over-. "Y-Ah!" A yellow visor glows at them. "What the hell is that?!" He, Neo, and Makara all flinch back from the view of a large, strong humanoid robot connecting its limbs to the pulley system. It controls the wires connected to the raft. It's sleek silver body is coated with small etch markings of the pirate group. This includes a long and large silver long coat draped over it. Complete with a commodore hat.

Zim snickers. "Easy there, Auer. Ease us down."

The robot lines the raft with the boat deck, allowing Christie and Zim to walk easily onto the ship. Suspicious, Carmine helps the others to their feet, moving on one by one. Makara and Carmine help Kallen on as another pirate steps up. Clad in blue, it's Mark.

Mark huffs. "Anyone needing medical..." He looks at the hollow looks from all four and chuckles. "Which at this point is all of you, sit tight and I'll grab some supplies. Ciara?"

The yellow clad woman marches up with a pile of warm blankets. The woman spares a look to Neo, then takes the whole group it. "That all looked like fun. Here." As she gives out the comfort blankets, she looks to the teens. "Alright, your remaining teammates are in the lower deck at your van."

Carmine and Neo share a look before he responds. "O...kay. So, Roman... hired you guys?" He sends a wary glance at Zim, the two glaring. "This isn't some shtick of you guys being hired by AZRL too?"

The blonde pirate glowers. "After spending a hellish couple nights on the island that started this all, I just want out of this." She then shrugs. "But, money talks. Come."

Leaving Kallen to Mark for medical treatment, the three follow Ciara down into the depth of the ship. On the lower deck, the three find... a massive quarry of loot. Civilian items are strewn about all over the floor. The center of the room showcases a lift to the main deck above, while the far end has a door way presumably to connect with docks.

Dead center of the room is the CRBN van, the three perking upon seeing it. However, before they can approach, the red clad pirate leader stalks away from it. Lyle glares at the teens, stopping in front of them.

"..." The teens share a look before meeting his.

"... Don't touch anything." Lyle grumbles out as he stomps by them.

Neo mocks a salute as Carmine smirks. "Aye, Aye, Captain."

"That's Captain Lyle to you!" He snaps back at them before disappearing out of the deck.

Neo rolls her eyes and thumbs towards the van. Her brows bump up and down.

Snickering, Carmine nods. "Yeah, he definitely just had a Roman conversation."

Makara frowns. "I don't understand. Roman has been exceptionally thoughtful from my perspective." That gets a wide eyed look from the boy, but Neo smiles wide at the sentiment. The three approach the van, moving around to find the back open.

Peering around, Carmine's face purses before blurting into a laugh. "No freaking way! What are you wearing?!" Neo hones in and freezes, wide eyed, mirroring the shock. Makara blinks, cocking her head confused.

Roman sits shirtless in the back of the open van... with an orange durag wrapped fully around his head. Beside him is a tattered orange jacket that none of them have seen before. He looks back unhappily, still mildly dirty from his overnight and day adventures. He snorts. "Bold of you lot to address looks right now."

Immediately, Carmine, Neo, and Makara look themselves over, all three in tatters with light wounds all over. The boy sighs. "Spyyra is... a really, really, REALLY big piece of shit to deal with, okay?" He gives a light bump to Neo to earn a small smile out of her. "But, we pulled through together." His gaze lands on Makara, nudging her as well.

The lavender haired woman's gaze was off at nothing in particular, but she flinches and meets the boy's at his inclusion of her. She blinks twice before smiling and nodding.

Carmine suddenly remembers. "Right. Where's Blair? Is she okay?" His tone gets more serious as he begins to worry. "You said she was messed up. Did they help her at all?!"

"Easy!" Roman holds his hands up as a shift under the clothing in the van catches his eyes. Slowly, draped in Roman's white long jacket, Blair sits up. Her eyes are still glossed, but her expression gains lightly upon seeing Carmine and Neo. Roman smirks at the improvement of spirit. "See? She's... fine... Not as quippy as she should be, but..."

Blair lets out a raspy sigh, blinking slowly. She shuffles his jacket off her, scooting weakly to the edge of the van bed.

Neo and Carmine share a worried glance, the girl stepping forward. She gives a serious of looks over Blair's injured form, then meets the blonde with a furrowed brow and frown. Carmine steps in as well. Bobbing his head to Neo, he shrugs and looks for an answer. Translation: Are you okay?

The blonde blinks slowly again before shifting closer. Both teens blink in surprise as they find arms pulling them in gently. The woman's limbs wrap their head and pull each into a hug on either side of her head.

In shock, the two freeze, each wide eyed at the gesture. Yet, after a moment, they ease and hug her back. Carmine frowns. "Blair, what happened?"

Makara and Roman are aside, but Roman leans towards her and smirks. "With this, I absolutely won an argument she and I had the other day."

Makara snorts. "I'm sure you did."

"Can't tell if you're naively genuine or sarcastic." He sighs. "But, right. Story time. So, from MY perspective-"

But he's cut off.

"Please." Blair says in a tired tone, eyes drooping closed. "Can we wait til tomorrow? Just... rest for today?" She waits a second before allowing one eye to open and glare at Roman. "Also... shut up, fool. You won nothing."

The man simply shakes his head with a smile. "She's going to be fine." He looks to Carmine and Neo, both still trapped in the woman's embrace, seemingly comfortable. "So, kid? Let it wait til tomorrow?"

Carmine blinks and sighs content. "Alright. Everyone, pick a spot to crash... We've got a lot to discuss tomorrow, and it's been a long day."

"Hmm." Blair hums in agreement, releasing the hug after a moment. She smiles for the teens, eyes too tired to open again as she slinks back into the van bed.

"Hmm Hmm." Neo hums in echoing agreement, bumping shoulders with Carmine before reaching and pulling Makara along to the back seats of the van. Carmine snickers and moves round to get in the front passenger seat.

"Right." Roman smirks, slipping into the back van bed down by Blair. He reaches out and finds his bowler hat, placing it over his eyes to rest.

Neo crawls in the floor of the back of the van, spot chosen as she turns the blanket she was given to be a makeshift pillow.

This left Makara with the full back seat to lay across, though the woman muses in thought. "Yeah... a lot to talk about." Still, exhaustion gives as they all drift to slumber.

. . .

Main Land, Following Morning

The washing of waves on the beach sounds out. The rumbling of an engine sounds as the CRBN van rolls out from the ramp connecting to the ship's hull. As it comes to a halt, Blair exits the van and sighs, pinching the ridge of her nose.

She already hears the argument.

"YOU LET THEM RANSACK A FERRY?!"

Damn it, Roman...

Carmine is furious, clearing eye to eye with the conman. "Are you actually kidding me?!"

Roman sighs. "Firstly, no passengers were hurt. Secondly, your welcome. You're alive instead of... what was that? Oh, yes! FROZEN IN THE OCEAN!" He yells back at the boy.

The boy slaps both hands on his head, shaking his head. "GAH! You mean to tell me in ONE DAY, we managed to ruin their island group's CCT capabilities, raid one of their ferries, and kill their number one guardian and tribal leader! Do you realize how bad this looks?!" The boy groans, moving aside.

Blair can't help but crack a small smile. The boy is still thinking about the people at least. He's good like that, but she for once needs to agree with Roman. Morally wrong as it may be, his quick bribery and action saved the teens, as well as Makara and Kallen.

Speaking of... Blair glances over to find Makara and Neo with said faunus... looking shocked. What?

Makara's jaw drops, Neo double taking between them. "M-Mr Kallen! You can't be serious? This is too kind of you!"

Kallen shakes his head and sighs. "I've contacted Mr O'Bryan. Despite the Prosky sisters... less than ideal details and investigation getting opened, the studio still wishes to produce the movie that boy pitched on my behalf. All things considered... I gained a career opportunity, and you lot DID work to save me, and yourselves."

The faunus then gives a regal smile, continuing. "Plus, you've been a darling to work with personally, Miss Makara. So, as a reward, as well as the first to carry her into battle... I bequeath to you my Almighty Circuit."

Makara sits stunned, holding the high customized sniper rifle in hand. She clams up, choking up. "I... thank you." She smiles brightly for the man.

Neo just stares in wide eyed aw at the moment. At least, until Kallen looks to her. The two are neutral for a moment... then glares meet. However, the girl gives first. Neo sighs, allowing Kallen to do the same. "Right. So... I apologize... for being a part of Killian's group and hunting you before... There."

The mute raises a brow, but allows a chuckle. She signs. "Not the first time we befriended someone who tried to kill us before." Her mind briefly wanders to the denizens of Mibu. She sends a glance over her shoulder back to the arguing Carmine and Roman. She then signs further for Kallen while looking away. "Just, if Killa ever pops up again, give us a heads up. I'll pay you accordingly."

Kallen muses on that, stroking his chin. "Hmm. You have a deal, mute maiden." He smirks at her. He glances up towards Carmine, Roman, and Blair. He waves his good arm, his right arm in a sling. "Well, this is farewell."

He turns and marches off, Neo and Makara sharing a smile before returning to the others.

Right back to the argument...

"... is that what I'm saying- Ugh! We're so lucky that Atlas doesn't consider those islands Atlas land! We'd be in DEEP SHIT with General Ironwood right now. Bigger than you already put us in!"

"HA! You realize just how many crimes I'm still wanted for?" Roman snorts. "That's always been a threat to us, Silver Streak. Even when your ole man was pardoning us as fake Huntsmen."

A bell ring sounds off, pulling their attention to the ocean. The pirate ship is pulling away from shore. The group can make out the yellow clad woman giving them a wave from the back deck.

A goodbye. Roman reciprocates with a grimace. His lackluster wave catches Carmine's and Blair's eyes. The other two girls approach for the full five man group. "Problems?" Carmine sarcastically chimes.

The conman slumps and sighs. "I am... completely... out... of money." He trails off and gazes at the beach sand. "I swore I'd never let that happen again."

Carmine smirks, but chooses to drop the subject. He has to recognize that Roman's actions DID save their lives. "Alright... I'll cut you some slack then." He looks them all over. All with bandaged cuts and bruises. All of them need a shower. Badly. "So... team meeting? Before we update, did Kallen not take that back?"

Makara smiles broadly. "He said I earned it." She hugs the rifle to her, shocking all but Neo who knew already.

Blair smiles for that. "Then, we're all capable and equipped." She then directs to Roman. "Do not worry. I will cover your expenses until we find more jobs." The man blinks before nodding in appreciation.

Neo smiles and clasps her hands with a nod. The others take that signal to move on.

"Right." Roman crosses his arms. "So, the dead island was destroyed because of someone who was capable of controlling Grimm." That makes the three youngest of the group flinch. "Yeah, my thoughts exactly. This person also seems to know Beacon's old headmaster before Old Man Superior, leaving a message especially for him. The academies have to be aware of this person."

"So... The island's fall has nothing to do with AZRL?" Carmine grimaces.

"They do." Blair corrects quietly. Her voice has been relatively quiet all morning, lacking its typical certainty. "Aline Zandril was the son of the island's chief when it fell. Setante, the island guardian, was Aline's best friend and guard for some sixty years, hiding their records from world knowledge."

Makara frowns as Carmine and Neo flinch at that. "But... Mr Zandril cannot be more than forty. He's quite youthful."

"My sentiments exactly." Roman huffs.

Neo blinks and snaps for their attention. She then points to her throat. Then she points to Makara. Translation: A certain doctor they all are aware of.

Carmine shivers. "You telling me Dr Freak can give the world's best face lift?" He then remembers that Dr Stein is a cyborg. "Right... maybe." He looks to the adults. "But, wait, this person that controls Grimm is connected to AZRL?"

"Incidentally." Roman chimes in.

"Yes. In fact, AZRL was formed with the express purpose and function to kill that woman and her cult around her." Blair continues. "Since the kingdoms were already aware of her, they did not deem Zandril as a viable ally, so the bastard turned to abuse the criminal underworld. His strategy was to restrict and kill the cult through his business." She then adds with a light smirk. "Something that was on the cusp of succeeding until SOMEONE outed their organization to the world in Vale."

Roman, Neo, and Carmine all double take at one another. Neo snickers. While Roman and Neo enjoy a look of satisfaction, Carmine frowns. "So... this person that controls Grimm... She's still out there?"

"Indeed." Blair says, frustrated. "That bothers me, but since the kingdoms are aware and we don't hear of these things happening often..."

"It would be wise to settle that issue later, then?" Makara chimes in, causing all four to look at her. She flinches. "Ah, sorry. I don't have any say..."

A short pause comes before Blair shakes her head. "No. You're right. Worrying about another enemy entirely that's taken no interest in us won't assist." She then looks to the others again. "But we know Zandril's goal, his methods, and his means. Which will give us insight into how his operations are run better."

"Plus, you mind screwed that bratty guy in Malum already. We know they're targeting the Music Charity Ball this summer." Roman reminds her. "That'll definitely have to be on our list."

"Shit..." Carmine grumbles.

Roman then perks. "Right, so your turns." He and Blair look to Carmine, Neo, and Makara.

Carmine huffs and shakes his head. "We found out that some of Atlas' upper class are AZRL customers. The Prosky sisters hired AZRL to fill out movie roles to enrich themselves." He grimaces. "So, getting help from the masses just became an issue if the elite are against us."

Neo then nudges him. She nods between Carmine and Blair, urging more.

"Oh! Right. Um, Blair... Not to alarm you..." Blair immediately glares at that. "But... I Recalled Neo again."

The blonde tenses, looking between them. "Really?!"

"And Neo thinks she found out why it worked." Carmine nudges the short girl back, though still grimacing. "She's pretty happy with it, and I guess I should be too, but... I don't know. I still hate it."

Blair looks to Neo. "How did you bypass the issue of living aura rejecting his semblance intention?!" She closes the distance, pulling Neo towards Carmine as she begins to look over the dumbfounded boy.

Neo, however, simply signs. "I just knew my aura wouldn't reject him is all." She smiles brightly.

The scientist halts... blinks... then glowers at the girl. "You just... knew it wouldn't... You... hmm." She grumbles, twitching slightly. Her hand drapes over her face as she groans. "Familiarity does make semblance connections easier... But- I... I can't believe you just went and tried that on a whim..." She ends the statement more to herself than to them.

Neo chuckles, but nods. Roman snorts beside her and adds. "So... power of friendship and fairies?"

"If you wish to explain it as such just to anger me... then sure." Blair grumbles. "Aura interactions are complicated. Sometimes, familiarity can allow semblances and casting to work much easier with teammates. It's actually an advantage of the Academy setting to facilitate which people's abilities can combo or connect." She shrugs. "Some semblances and auras find it easier than others."

Roman snorts at that. "So, anything else?"

Carmine and Neo look to Makara, the woman flinching. At Roman and Blair's scrutiny, she gives an uneasy smile. "Uh... We were forced to destroy the Soul Servo... We don't have it for Blair to analyze anymore."

Blair double takes. "I... see."

Roman adds. "Did it return your aura like we figured?"

The lavender haired girl sighs and nods. "It did... I... remember a lot more." She then perks. "Like my Chaos semblance!"

Carmine glowers at her. "Yeah! No. You're not allowed to do that anymore." This causes a double take from the group.

"Sorry!" She gives a smile, but the boy isn't done.

"Her semblance disconnects aura connections to inanimate objects, and detonates dusts that aren't attuned or within someone's aura already. I need to completely redo ALL my Recall set ups for my armors and ammo!" He rants... then gives a smile. "But, it IS super cool. Yes."

Blair double takes between them before closing in on Makara. "Is that so?"

Makara blinks in mild panic. "Uh... you may use my blood for your semblance witchcraft if you like?" She speaks unsure.

Another pause, an auspicious look from the blonde. "... Very well." She pulls back.

Neo giggles and nudges Makara. "Anything else?"

The amnesiac grimaces and nods. "I... remember where I'm from."

Pin drop. The four instantly lock back on her.

"I'm afraid my name isn't full either. Makara Riva isn't quite correct. It's actually Maka Rivera. I'm... the only child of a wealthy family in the City of Atlas." She frowns at the group as they put full attention on her. "So, I believe that means you'll be rid of me once we arrive at the City of Atlas, then."

The four share a look at that, but Carmine speaks up first. "I mean, that's on you."

The woman flinches at that. "Huh?"

"I mean. Obviously, we'll want you to at least meet your family and reunite and all, but... after that, if you want to be a part of the group..." He trails off and looks to the others. "Are we open to that?"

Neo smirks and nods easily, taking Makara's hand and giving it a high five.

Roman snorts. "Just another headache to get used to, but I already tolerate Silver Streak."

Blair hums and nods. "You've as much reason to join this crusade as Neo or Roman. It is not detrimental for you to have your own score to settle."

Makara is silent as Carmine finishes with a grin. "Right." He pats her shoulder jovially. "Glad we have that settled." He looks between them all. "So... we need to be at the City of Atlas in two months for the Music Charity Ball, and Rowa's wedding is next month. I say we build up some funds and do odd hunt jobs on our way to Rowa's wedding, then we head to the big city to work on ousting Stein and stopping whatever they have planned for the Ball. All on board?"

Blair smirks. "I agree. Rowa will kill us if we get ourselves too busy for her day."

Roman snorts. "You had me at money. You sure we can't rob a store or something? Would be super easy."

Neo bounces on the balls of her feet, clapping at his suggestion. She then smiles innocently for Carmine. The boy doesn't buy it for a second, but sighs, shaking his head.

Then, they all look to Makara, who still sits in silence. She blinks again. "You... I..." She gulps, suddenly flushed with embarrassment and... a giddy enjoyment. She nods. "I have no complaints!" She then looks uneasy to them. "Also, who is Rowa?"

Neo hooks the girl in, dragging her with them to the van.

Officially adopting the woman as their fifth team member.

This monster is finally over! The Ostium Mortis arc is over! Dear the gods! I took far too long on this one, I am so sorry to all of you.

More Spyyra. He's basically the attack hound now going after them, but now we have a means of countering his adaptive semblance. Gave him a lot to work with for his semblance. He's meant to be overpowered. I really enjoy him being nigh unstoppable.

Some more Carmine and Neo moments, and Makara getting memories back after the Soul Servo was broken is fun for later. Also, tender moment with Blair after her hell the last two chapters. Awe...

References:

Makara's semblance is called Control. Since I've already said she's based off Maria from the Sonic franchise, I can say her semblance is loosely based off the concept of Chaos Control. It allows her to manipulate the energies connecting aura to physical matter. Does not work on living beings evidenced by Spyyra being unaffected, but broke and shattered his iron sand suit infused with his aura.

She also now owns Kallen's rifle, Almighty Circuit. As previously revealed in notes, Kallen is based on Calculon from Futurama... who starred in a show called All My Circuits... Aren't I clever..?

While the Hangman Pirates don't fight in this appearance, I wanted to specify that their robot addition, Auer, has his roots as well. Auer (spoken like hour) is, like the rest of the Hangman Pirates, based off of the Power Rangers property, Mega Force. Just like the rest of the pirates, he's named after the actor of his inspiration counterpart. In this case, he's named after the voice actor for the character Robo Knight.

We're going to the city of dreams next time in Chapter Seventy One: Neutral Ground.