Prologue Part 8: Resolve
"Only you can do this, for you are my greatest creation…Project Therion. Jurabi Therion. Vastel's Guardian. My precious son."
~Nitorin Alisen
Jurabi's new found power began to flow through his body from the hair on his head to the soles of his feet. His red irises began to glow as his white eyes turned dark. The aura around his body caused the ground beneath him to shake.
The soldiers of the Twilight Syndicate began to tremble in fear as they kept their guns aimed at Jurabi alone.
Gerald, too, felt his heart beat faster upon feeling Jurabi's power down to his very bones, "Wh-what in the hell am I seeing?!"
Jurabi began to look at the aura surrounding him, perplexed, "This power…"
"Jubi…!" Aoife shouted pointing at Jurabi's clothing, "Your outfit changed too!"
Jurabi then looked at his own outfit, completely surprised.
The male Twilight Agent stared at Jurabi, almost in wonder instead of fear, "The design of that outfit and the spirit-breaking aura…Is this what Alisen wanted to hide?"
But the female Twilight Agent smacked her teeth in annoyance, "Like that matters at all! Let's just focus on sending little Alisen home to his daddy! We'll think about the rest later." She then takes out twin, purple daggers with lightning sparking off of them.
The male Twilight Agent nodded as he took out a white lance, "True. This new phenomenon may prove a hindrance to our cause."
Gerald took a deep breath and calmed his nerves as he glared at each Twilight soldier, "All of you better hold your end up the deal and dispose of them!"
Upon hearing Gerald's orders, Jurabi glares at the man, "Hiding behind others, Gerald? My dad would never stoop to such levels!"
"What your dad would do holds no meaning to me, Jurabi," Gerald said, "All that matters now is your death."
"Those faunus you had in cages…the fight against 'the Eclipse' you always talked about…" Jurabi's grip on his new sword tightened, "How many of them did you trample over? How many lives did you exchange for your wealth?!"
Gerald smirked at the question, "More than enough."
"Then no matter what it takes, I will bring you to justice!"
"Go ahead and try. You'll be disappointed by the results."
Gerald took steps back as the Twilight soldiers moved closer to the three.
Seeing this happen, Ken moves beside Jurabi with Fujin, "Aoife!"
"Right," Aoife responded, moving to the other side of Jurabi with Dust Malika at the ready.
"Mr. Vongarus, Miss Chandani…" Jurabi said, shocked to see the two moving to his side.
"Don't worry, Jubi. Kenny and I are here to support you."
"We'll handle the heavy fighting," Ken said, "This power of yours may prove helpful, but this is your first time activating it. Focus on getting used to it and don't take any unnecessary risks."
"R-right," Jurabi said, getting into a battle-ready pose.
"Fire!" Shouted a Twilight soldier. On the order, the soldiers fired a volley at the hunters.
"Get behind me!" Aoife shouted as she spun Dust Malika, "Aqua Shield!" A curtain of water sprung up and stopped the bullets. The water then transformed into a bubble, "Burst!" The bubble erupted, spitting the bullets back at the soldiers, who fell to the ground screaming as the projectiles found their mark.
At that point, Ken had prepared to shoot a wind arrow at the two agents, "Wind Astral!" Suddenly the shot arrow turns into five wind arrows all aimed at the agents.
In response, the male agent spun his white lance, "Holy Wrath!" He collects light dust and forms it into several waves of light to intercept the wind arrows, creating an explosion.
During all that, Jurabi quickly rushes over to try and attack Gerald, but a blink of electricity gets in his way. Two pairs of purple daggers held his sword in place.
"Out of my way!" Jurabi demanded.
The female agent chuckled as electricity formed around her body, "You should know your place, runt!" A shockwave burst from her body, forcing Jurabi back.
Jurabi planted his sword on the ground, stopped the momentum carrying him backward, and pounced again. Dark energies coiled around Jurabi's sword as his eyes began to glow again, "I won't tell you again! Out of my way!" He screamed as he swung his sword, nearly smothering the room in dark miasma.
The female agent's eyes widened as she ducked underneath the sword wave.
Gerald instinctively moved back as his guards moved in front of him to protect him only to be sent flying into the wall.
"Unbelievable…this power of his…" He muttered to himself.
Jurabi began panting heavily after using that attack, not understanding where it came from or how he even did it.
"Not strong enough, it seems," A voice spoke.
"Huh?" Jurabi looked around to find the source of the voice he heard.
"Jubi!" Aoife shouted, rushing to Jurabi's side.
"I thought I told you not to overdo it," Ken scolded.
"I…I don't know what happened…" Jurabi panted as his eyes returned to normal.
Seeing Jurabi begin to weaken, Gerald let out a smirk, "Look at you, Jurabi. All that talk and I am still unharmed. Nitorin would be so disappointed in you."
Hearing the man who manipulated him use his father's name sent a surge of anger through Jurabi's body as he glared dark daggers at the corrupt man, "Gerald…!"
"What scary eyes you have. Unfortunately, you are in no position to back up the threat in them now. You've gone and used up your power like a rookie."
"Don't…count me out…yet…" Jurabi gasped as he struggled to keep himself standing.
"Oh, I believe I can. It's a little earlier than I wished, but I believe now is the time to be rid of you completely." On his signal, more Twilight soldiers showed up and surrounded the three.
"More of them?" Aoife asked as she readied Dust Malika in the event they all shoot at them; however, she saw Jurabi struggling to keep to his feet, but ended up falling back to his knees, "Jubi!"
"Don't pass out on me yet, Jurabi. You've yet to see your own downfall," Gerald said as he took out his phone, "I've already announced that a fraud posing as the late Jurabi Alisen has been causing trouble."
"Fraud?!" Jurabi was in complete shock, "Me?! But I'm…"
"In the eyes of the world, you have been dead for a long time; I'm just making an official announcement. You will be seen as nothing more than a fake."
"Does he actually have the authority to do that?" Ken asked.
"But…how…?" Aoife asked.
"Geez, how utterly cold of you," Said the female agent to Gerald with a smirk, "But it is the best way we can wipe our hands of this mess."
"As for you two..well, Gerald, have you an explanation for their disappearance or death?" Asked the male agent.
"You can both leave that to me. Just make sure they're actually dead, it's my reputation here," Gerald said.
"Gerald…!" Jurabi growled.
"You tried and failed, Jurabi, but don't be sad. Those faunus prisoners the other day will be taken good care of by my future customers."
A dark aura surrounded Jurabi's body as he glared daggers at Gerald as his irises glowed, "…I will…make you pay for this…!" He growled before taking in a deep breath and speaking in a calmer but bone-chilling low tone, "I swear it."
Gerald unconsciously took a half-step back after seeing the change in the Jurabi, but he seemingly recollected himself, although his stutter sold him out, "I-I've grown tired of seeing that look on your face. Reminds me of that damn woman…Eliminate them and dispose of the bodies." He said as he turned to leave, "Goodbye, Jurabi. It was a pleasure doing business with you." On his signal, the Twilight soldiers raised their guns.
"Kenny, what do we do?" Aoife whispered.
Ken looked up at the ceiling and noticed a small opening that allowed a bit of air to flow through. He then whispered back, "Aoife, your semblance."
"My semblance, but we have nowhere to go," Aoife said.
"Leave that to me," Ken said, preparing a wind arrow, "A fire dust crystal dropped out of his sleeve and was infused into the arrow. Ken aimed the result at the ceiling even as the guns in the Twilight soldiers' hands started charging up. Before they could react, Ken fired the arrow at the crack in the ceiling.
An explosion tore through the room, scattering ash and debris everywhere. All of the Twilight soldiers lost sight of the three as well as their composure as they unintentionally breathed in the ash, causing them to cough.
"What the hell are you all doing?" Gerald asked, having slapped on a face shield, "Shoot them!"
"Aoife, now!" Ken shouted, holding onto her waste as he grabbed Jurabi with his other hand.
Aoife clapped her hands together as her amber eyes glowed and she shot into the air with Ken and Jurabi in tow. Below, the soldiers began firing in the ash cloud, unaware that their targets were not there.
"Look up, Aoife!" Ken shouted.
Aoife looked up and saw that the ceiling had a gaping hole leading to the outside, "Nice work, Kenny!" She shouted as she flew through the opening and as far away from the prison as possible.
Once the ash cloud disappointed, Gerald let out a disappointed groan, "Ugh, all that firepower and you can't kill two hunters and a boy?"
"Those two are craftier than I gave them credit for," Said the male Twilight agent.
"We don't have time to hand out unheard compliments! Let's go after them!" Shouted the female agent.
"No, wait. Let them go," Gerald said.
"What?! Why?!"
"We had the chance to kill them here and now, but that explosion will likely alert others. The risk of exposure increases the more we drag the fight out. Please tell me you at least know that or are you so eager to throw everything into a fire?"
"Tch!"
"Careful with the overconfidence, Achilles," The male agent warned, "Not killing them may prove to be your downfall. So long as Jurabi Therion lives, we are all at risk. What happens when the boy makes a public appearance? You may have announced the 'imposter', but I doubt it will take much for him to prove his identity. He is, after all, the real Jurabi Alisen."
"All of that has been taken care of," Gerald said with a grin, "I have trusted friends in the guards stationed all over Oroseia. No one gets in without me knowing."
"Really?" The female agent scoffed, "That's your safety net? I hope it holds, for all our sakes."
"You underestimate the power of money, my friends," Gerald said, "Now, I've received word that the faunus prisoners should be arriving at a separate location. I assume that your secret base in Vulna is secured?"
"Indeed. Even if you get exposed, there are no leads to the prisoners…so long as you don't sell us out," Warned the male agent.
"I am a man of my word, my dear clients. Jurabi may have surprised us with that power, but it is of no use to him and no threat to us if he can't handle it properly. Once everything is in place, we will deal the finishing blow. A silent one."
Meanwhile, Aoife had gotten far away enough from the prison to set Ken and Jurabi down.
"That was too close for comfort," Ken remarked.
"We…shouldn't have run away…" Jurabi grunted.
"Jubi, calm down," Aoife said, realizing that Jurabi was in a terrible state, "Oh my, you're sweating a lot. We need to get you somewhere to rest."
"Forget about me! I need to-"
"Aoife is right," Ken interrupted, "We can't stay here. Get on my back so we can relocate to a safe place."
"Please, Jurabi," Aoife said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulders, "I know how important this is to you, but we can't afford to have you collapse in a danger zone."
"…Damnit…" Jurabi grunted as he allowed Ken to lift him up on his back.
"The question, now, is: Where do we go?" Ken asked, "We can't get to our car and Oroseia is seventy miles out."
"…There's…an old safehouse…" Jurabi whispered, "…about twenty miles from here."
"A safehouse?" Aoife asked, "Are you sure?"
"That can't be right," Ken said pulling out a map, "If there were one, we would have detected it."
"…That's the point…" Jurabi said, "…It's…my dad's…" But Jurabi didn't finish as he succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep.
"Jubi?" Aoife asked.
"Seems like he was just tired," Ken said, "What do you think, Aoife?"
"That safehouse is our best bet," Aoife said, "Anything is better than staying out here in the dead of night."
"Alright, let's hurry," Ken said as the two make their way to the safehouse.
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Three Days Later: July 16th [Sunday Noon]~~
~~Unknown Location~~
Jurabi opened his eyes, feeling nothing but soreness throughout his body. He grunted in pain as he tried to sit himself up to see both Aoife and Ken speaking to each other before they noticed him moving.
"Jubi! You're awake!" Aoife shouted.
"Miss…Chandani…Mr. Vongarus…"
"Oh thank goodness! Can you hear me, Jubi?!"
"Ow, with your loud screaming, yes," Jurabi said, covering his aching ears. He looked around the room, "Where are we…?"
"You don't know?" Ken asked, "We're in that safehouse you mentioned before."
"Safehouse…oh! My dad's safehouse!" Jurabi realized, "This room doesn't look half bad, now that I look at it."
"Getting back on topic, how are you feeling, Jurabi?"
"My body aches all over," Jurabi said, "Plus I have this weird headache…and I'm also thirsty…"
"Don't worry about that," Aoife said, "Stay here and I'll go fetch you some water."
"Okay," Jurabi watched as Aoife left the room before turning to Ken, "How long was I out?"
"About two whole days," Ken answered.
Jurabi's eyes widened, "Two days?!"
"Yeah, whatever it was you did back there, it took a lot out of you," Ken said, moving to sit down at a chair next to Jurabi with his arms crossed, "Not surprising, considering that was the first time you fought."
Jurabi now remembers what he did and the attack he used on the female Twilight agent and Gerald, "That power…the surge of energy going through my body was so overwhelming. I…I don't know what came over me at that time."
"Evidently, It took a lot out of you to pull off such a powerful attack," Ken said.
"By the way…did you hear a kid's voice after I did that attack?" Jurabi asked.
"A kid?" Ken asked, tilting his head in slight confusion, "I never heard anything except for the people in that building. If there was the distinct sound of a little child speaking, I would have picked it up through the chaos of that fight."
"Huh…then maybe I imagined it…" Jurabi thought to himself.
"I'm back~!" Aoife cheered with a large glass of iced water, "Here you go, Jubi."
"Thanks, Miss Chandani," Jurabi said as he downed the water in one go. Once finished, he placed it on the table next to his resting bed. A brief silence followed before he looked up at the two hunters, "So…none of last night was a dream?"
Ken shook his head, "I'd say 'I told you so' but I'm not that cruel. I don't know what Gerald did for you, or rather, what you think he did for you, to deserve your defending him as hard as you did, but it's time you faced reality, Jurabi."
Jurabi went silent for a moment, his eyes losing a bit of their color as he stared at his hands, "I know. The Gerald I thought I knew…never existed. I know that now."
"Jubi…" Aoife said, "You must have suspected him and questioned what he was doing, right? I find it hard to believe you were completely oblivious to all of this."
Jurabi let out a sad sigh, "I'm no fool. I've always wondered why Gerald would never allow me to venture outside the home he provided me. I believed…or, I made myself believe back then, that it was for my protection, but now I see it was so that Gerald could keep me in a controlled environment."
"It's as we thought," Ken said as he stood up from his seat, "Jurabi, I know this may be difficult for you, but there's something we need to know from your perspective."
"From my perspective?" Jurabi asked.
"After the incident at Alisen Industries ten years ago, did you find yourself inside a hospital? In Oroseia hospital, to be specific?"
Jurabi shook his head in response, subtly trying to remember what happened ten years ago, "No…no, it wasn't a hospital. If it was, it sure didn't look like one. I was recovering from severe injuries while Gerald watched over me. The next thing I knew, I was inside a house and Gerald had taken me in after my parents died."
"But that was all a lie," Aoife said.
"…Since then, Gerald has given me everything I needed to learn the process of building weapons. I did everything he told me to and more. He was a kind father-figure to me, at least on the surface…but somewhere deep inside, I could feel a sense of…disdain from him."
Ken's eyebrow raised at the last sentence, "You could sense disdain?" He asked, wondering if that was a statement he should take seriously.
"…I can't explain it myself, but at the time, I thought that was me being paranoid. However, it was only until recently that I realized that Gerald was hiding something from me. He has recently been asking me to design and build weapons far more dangerous and advanced than any I'd made before. He said it was for the Twilight Syndicate's fight against the Eclipse as he always had," Jurabi's face hardened as he gripped the sheets of his bed, "But given what I've learned today, I now understand the gut feeling I had before."
"Jubi…" Aofie whispered.
Jurabi turned to Ken and then Aoife, "When you both showed me that post about Gerald's management of my dad's company, I knew you were right. In the end, though, I denied you both of you and lashed out. I felt that I owed my life to him, but even that is a poor excuse. I was just running from the truth. I'm sorry."
"We all have times when our emotions get the better of us, but you can't change what you have done," Ken said.
"That's right," Aoife nodded, "You made a mistake, but you can still make a difference starting now. Now that you've seen Gerald's true colors, we must put a stop to his crimes."
"Can't you simply arrest him?" Jurabi asked.
"Did you forget?" Ken asked, "We hunters do not have the same authority to arrest criminals as police officers do. We are only tasked with protecting Vastel from the Grimm and other supernatural threats."
"Oh, that's right…" Jurabi said.
"Besides, even if we could arrest him, it wouldn't be easy. I scouted the entrance to Oroseia City earlier. Gerald wasn't kidding when he said he would keep us out."
Jurabi gritted his teeth, "I have no doubt he's got friends all throughout the city's hierarchy. Friends that were bought with my company's money," Jurabi then slammed his fists onto his bed, "That low-life weasel!"
"Then what are our options?" Aoife asked, "We can't just sit here and wait things out."
Ken closed his eyes, "I'm afraid that might be our best option if we want to stay alive. Our comms were damaged by the shockwave that agent lady used, and even if we could repair them, who knows how many friends Gerald has at the academy snooping into the open frequency channel to catch us trying to make contact; in short, we have no safe means of contacting Nebula or the Academy."
"And we're living witnesses to his crimes. No way Gerald is willingly going to let us live given what we know. Plus, think of the poor faunus he has captive! We have to save them as soon as possible."
"First, you have to think about us, Aoife, and if you won't, at least think about Jurabi. If we walk headlong into certain death, who will save those faunus then?"
"But it's not like waiting will do them any good either, Ken. We're running out of time and supplies."
"I know, but we all need to face the reality that there's not going to be an easy solution to this—not with our limited resources. Our only choice right now is to stay put, try to keep this roof over our heads, stay alive, and wait for someone to come looking for us. It's still a risk, but it's better than the alternative."
Jurabi raised his head as if he figured something out, "…Maybe…we don't need to wait at all. In fact, I think we should go on the offensive."
Ken turned to Jurabi with a confused expression, "Did you not hear what I just said, Jurabi?"
"Wait, Ken," Aoife said, "He might be onto something. Offensive in what way, Jubi?
"…I'm not about to let Gerald ruin my dad's company as long as I live," Jurabi continued, "I also can't sit around knowing those faunus will be sold off to the black market and live by their buyer's whims; I won't bet on the hope that there are good people among them. Gerald must know where they have been sent."
"Do you even realize what you're suggesting, Jurabi?" Ken asked, crossing his arms, "The only way we're going to have Gerald spill the information is if we go to Alisen Industries and get it from him."
"That's exactly what I'm suggesting," Jurabi answered, looking directly at Ken.
Ken went silent for a moment before letting out a sigh, "I don't wish to be that guy, but it's best to leave the planning to people experienced in the field."
"I know you and Miss Chandani are better at adapting to situations like this than I am, but…"
"I think it's a solid plan, Jubi!" Aoife declared.
"Huh?"
Ken sent a little glare at Aoife, "Aoife…"
Sensing Ken's disapproval, Aoife smiled and wrapped her arm around Ken's shoulder, "Kenny, my sweet, Kenny. How could you be so cruel to shoot down Jubi's plan like that? Weren't you also the one who made plans as bold as his when you were but a freshman?"
Ken slapped Aoife's hand off of his shoulder, "That's what you call…inexperience."
"Teehee, now I will admit that Jubi's plan is in dire need of some polishing. Thankfully, he has two experienced hunters here to guide him." But seeing that Ken didn't respond with naught but a silent stare made Aoife sweat awkwardly before she clapped her hands and smiled at Jurabi, "Sorry, give us a moment." Aoife then took Ken's hand and took him outside the room and into the hallway. Looking back at her partner's doubtful expression, Aoife sighed, "Look, I know you're not okay with asking Jubi for help, but…"
"That's not the issue, Aoife," Ken said, "If Jurabi goes through with this plan, he will be exposing himself to the world."
"I know that…but hasn't he been isolated long enough? And why should that stop him from doing the right thing?"
"He won't have the chance to do the right thing if the Council finds out about his unique power. What do you think they'll do to him? Kill him? Not before they take him apart to see what makes him tick. I hope you didn't forget that we finally got Jurabi back after ten years and I'm not willing to throw him out into battle with no experience. Don't you feel the same?"
Aoife's expression turned gloomy, "I would be lying if I said I wasn't afraid for Jurabi. A boy as young as him should never have a reason to pick up a weapon. But in this case here…I can feel his resolve to help those innocent faunus, and I know you can too. He wishes to right whatever wrong he thinks he's committed even if it costs him everything. He's not an innocent kid anymore…"
Ken silently listens to Aoife.
"I don't know if we will be able to do anything to help him once the world knows of his power, but as long as Jurabi knows and is okay with the consequences…we should allow him to do what is right, especially if it's the last thing he can offer to this broken world."
"…We do everything we can to ensure he gets out of this mess unscathed," Ken said, "Nothing less than that."
"Definitely," Aoife said, "Thanks, Kenny."
"I don't know if you'll be thanking me if things go wrong…" Ken whispered as they both walked back into the room. Ken looks at Jurabi and crosses his arms, "If we go through with this plan of yours, Jurabi, we are not to do anything reckless. We go in, arrest Gerald, get the information we need, and you make sure to get out afterwards, understand?"
Jurabi nodded, "Of course."
Ken glanced over at Aoife, who gave a nod and a smile. Then he turned back to Jurabi, "Alright, your plan is solid, but we'll need to outline and improve some of the steps to actually pull it off. It's clear that Gerald isn't going to focus all of his attention on the three of us for a reason. Any guesses why?"
"Hm…maybe because of those bribes he gave to the police?" Aoife asked.
"I don't think so," Jurabi said, "As long as we know the truth, we are still a major threat to Gerald and there are people for whom bribes surely won't keep down the bile when they see the evils Gerald is committing…I hope."
"Yes, there are such people but we'd be fools to count on it," Ken said, "Do you think it's possible that Gerald can't afford to gain attention by eliminating us?"
"Oh yes! That's right!" Jurabi released, "If I recall correctly, Alisen Industries should be in the middle of a weapon showcase event."
"A weapon showcase?" Ken asked, "I've heard about it. Isn't that when your people present the newest green-lit inventions to the public?
"Yes. I doubt Gerald would want to make any risky moves towards us during an event like that, when all eyes are on him. But once it's over…"
"He'll be coming for us," Aoife said, "How long do we have?"
"The event starts tomorrow and will last until next Sunday, as far as I know," Jurabi said.
"Then we have a full week to take care of Gerald without any resources."
Ken nodded, "And there is still a chance the Twilight agents will be looking for us during those days. As long as we don't do anything reckless, we should be able to get things done."
"Then that will leave us the question of what kind of preparations we need to do with the time we have," Aoife said.
"Let's start with figuring out the loose ends, Aoife," Ken said, turning to Jurabi, "Now you said we can make Gerald give us the information on the faunus and to do that, we would need to get into Alisen Industries HQ. Now…how are we going to get into Oroseia, let alone the complex?"
"That's a good question…" Jurabi said, pausing for a moment to think before continuing, "Do you happen to have a map of the city?
"I have something better," Aoife said as she pulls out a layered hologram display of Oroseia City."
"Let's see…Alisen Industries HQ is here…" Jurabi said, pointing at the building, "The closest entrance I can see is in the Entertainment District."
"But even that isn't a short walk," Ken pointed out, "Every second we're outside will put us at risk of being spotted."
"Hm…do you also have a map of the sewer system?"
"That I do have as well," Aoife said as she pressed a few buttons and another layer was added onto the map.
After studying the new addition to the map for a few seconds, Jurabi pointed at a specific, highlighted path, "There! If we use the sewers, we'll be able to get into the city through a water hole out here."
"We'll be right next to Alisen Industries all without exposure," Ken said.
"I'm worried the path into the sewers will have some sort of protection, but I don't think there's a better option."
"But after a tour of the sewers we're going to reek," Aoife said, "Even someone who's blind will know we aren't supposed to be there. Do we have a way to get fresh clothes, and keep them fresh?"
"Hm…the smell is going to be unavoidable," Jurabi pondered, "We could use the fresh clothes we have here, but we have to not get them smelly somehow, and even then we would need disguises if we are to get into the building itself."
"It is a difficult situation—one with no easy solution," Ken said, "Aoife and I have been through planning stumps like this numerous times on our hunter missions.
"Hmm…" Jurabi felt frustrated staring at the map without the best solution.
"Try and think about it this way, Jurabi. Our goal is to get to Alisen Industries via the sewers, but our obstacle in that plan is the smell and our need for disguises. What is it that we need to clear these obstacles?"
"Oh, and one more thing," Aoife said, "Even in disguise we're going to need to deal with the non-human security. I doubt the advanced security installed at Alisen is going to be fooled by hasty disguises."
"A way to avoid the smell and get through security," Jurabi repeated. He took thirty seconds to think deeply about it.
Aoife wanted to speak up, but Ken kept her from saying a word.
Jurabi's eyes opened again, "The only thing I can think of will be risky. If we can make our trip through the sewers quick by taking a detour here." Jurabi points at another spot on the map.
"To Oroseia Hotel?" Aoife asked.
"Yes, the owner of this hotel knows my dad…I think. We might be able to rent a room?"
Aoife let out a sly smile, "Oooh~! Is it a looooove hotel?"
Ken sighed and elbowed Aoife's arm, "Take this seriously, Aoife."
"Kenny no fun…" Aoife muttered with a pout.
"So, what do you think, Jurabi?" Ken asked, turning to Jurabi.
"What do I think?" Jurabi asked, tilting his head, "You two are the experts here."
"Yes, but you're the one who proposed this plan. If you aren't confident in your chances, I will prefer to follow my plan of staying here. I'm not willing to commit to a plan if no one is confident it will succeed."
"You're right. I shouldn't second guess myself like this." Jurabi took in a deep breath, "The first thing we will need is a way to get into the sewers, then out where we want to, and then we have to get rid of the smell. The hotel rooms have a bathroom in them, along with soap and shampoo to help clean ourselves, and I have the money for it. For this to work, we will need to disembark on Sunday morning. Is everything clear?"
"Perfectly clear," Ken said.
"Teehee, Jubi," Aoife giggled, "Disembark means 'to get off a ship or plane'."
Jurabi's eyes widened, "Oh…did I say that? Uh…was I too into it?" He started scratching his head, "We…don't happen to have a plane, do we?"
Aoife let out a small laugh, "Oh, I wish, but don't worry. You did amazing. I think this plan is going to work if Jubi is so confident in it, don't you agree?
"Yes, I think so as well," Ken answered with a nod, "Now how are we to get into Alisen Industries? No doubt Gerald has long since deleted your account. Even if he hasn't, we shouldn't count on it."
"True…" Jurabi said, "If he is smart, he would have deleted my account ages ago…but I don't think he would have the foresight to delete the private account of the deceased.
Aoife's raised her eyebrow, "The deceased?"
Jurabi began typing away at his computer, "My dad's private account. No one in the company has the authority to delete it even after he dies. If my hunch is correct it should still be up."
"Ooooh," Aoife said, looking onto the computer screen.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Jurabi?" Ken asked, "I'm no tech expert but certainly Gerald would have eyes on who enters and leaves the system, even a private account."
"No worries about that," Jurabi said, "My dad's account has a special function to deal with that. Now to just enter the password…I'll have to be quick…" Jurabi inserted the password: 10J21u18r1a2b9i. The moment he got into the system, Jurabi quickly inserted a black drive into the computer, and quickly downloaded everything before shutting the account down, "Done and disconnected. You're a lifesaver, Dad.
"Wow…it downloaded that in an instant," Aoife said, her mouth gaping open.
"Yeah, and unless Gerald was watching the network himself, it'll just be a random blip that went away as quickly as it appeared," Jurabi explained, "We get those all the time, what with how popular our products are. No one will suspect a thing."
"Hot Fudge! Rinny thought of everything, didn't he?" Aoife asked.
Jurabi safely took out the drive, "He really did. All for me…He even kept all of these files for me containing all of his projects."
"His projects? I thought they were all destroyed," Ken said.
"The computer that had them in its hard drive was destroyed, but Dad was smart enough to keep the important ones backed up in his private account. I've only managed to skim through them, but a particular project caught my eye. The Therion Armor Project."
"I've never heard of that before," Aoife said, "Rinny definitely never mentioned it."
"Must have been a private project he planned on doing after Project Therion," Ken said, "But why would your father put something that sounds so important in the secret section of his private files?"
"That's right," Aoife said, "If it's armor with material stronger than the ones our soldiers currently use, this project would have been helpful to all hunters in Vastel."
Jurabi stared at the blueprints to the armor, completely engrossed into reading it.
"Jubi?"
"Huh?"
"Too focused on the blueprints?"
"Sorry…this happens whenever I stumble upon a new invention or project. I just lose my touch with reality and focus only on what I can build." He turned his attention back to the blueprints, "If this armor can help us in some way, I think we should use it. Although…I think I only have enough time to make one."
"Then you should make it for yourself, as you are the least experienced in this group," Ken said, "Besides, even with the armor and that special power of yours, it won't mean much if you don't know how to swing a sword or dodge an attack."
"Wait, you mean…" Jurabi's eyes widened.
Aoife gave the boy a pat on the head and smiled, "That's right, Jubi! You better get yourself ready for a week-long training session with two A-rank Vastel Hunters! I'd say…six hours of exercise and basic sword training per day should help you out."
Jurabi sat there in complete silent shock.
"What's the matter?" Ken asked, "You didn't think you would slip past hunter training with that Grimm power, did you?"
"I-I wouldn't want to. If I could smile like I could as a child, I would be doing so right at this moment," Jurabi said as his eyes softened, "I've always wanted to be a hunter like Mom…but she would never let me. But now I finally have the chance to be one. Thank you! Thank you both so much!"
"I don't know if you'll be thanking us after the rigorous training," Ken said, "We won't be going easy on you, fair warning."
"Yeah, and usually a newbie's first mission isn't this dangerous, but you've got us on your side," Aoife said.
"Get as much rest as you need today," Ken said, moving to leave, "Tomorrow morning at eight is when we'll begin."
"Right!" Jurabi said as he watched Ken leave the room. He then turned to Aoife, "Is it me or does he not seem enthusiastic about it?"
"Don't worry about that, Jubi," Aoife said, "If Kenny wasn't excited, he wouldn't have accepted your plan, let alone offer to train you. Putting that aside, I'm so happy for you! You finally get the same training as a hunter!"
"Yeah…it's the simple basics but…I never thought a chance like this would come," Jurabi said before he thought to himself, "It makes me wonder if it's possible…"
"I'm happy for you, Jubi, and I look forward to working with you. Be sure to get a lot of rest, because you'll need it tomorrow."
"Of course," Jurabi said as he watched Aoife begin to leave.
Before passing through the door, Aoife stopped and looked at Jurabi one last time, "One last thing. I'm so glad to have you back, Jubi."
"And it's good to be back, Miss-"
"Oh please, I don't care for all that formality stuff. Just call me Aoife."
"Are you sure?" Jurabi watched Aoife nod and took it as a yes, "O-okay, Aoife. I'm glad to be back.
Aoife gave a smile as she closed the door behind her.
Alone, Jurabi took in a deep breath and lied onto the bed to stare at the ceiling. He takes another look at the Therion Armor blueprint, studying the design, the materials needed, and the instructions to build one. So, I'm the result of Project Therion…and you brainstormed this armor for me, didn't you, Dad? I didn't know Honkai Girl had that much of an impact on your ideas, but I'm glad it did.
XxxxxxxxxX
~~The Next Day: July 17th [Monday Morning]~~
~~Alisen Industries~~
Gerald had finished preparing the presentation for his next project. He sat in his office before he received a call from a private channel. After locking his door, he picked up the call, "Yes? Gerald Achilles, speaking."
"Gerald, you know why I am calling," Said a female voice from the other side.
"I-I am well aware, Lady Surtr," Gerald said, sweating at the sudden familiarity of the lady's voice and the fact that she called without prior notice, "The construction of the Archammer 200 is proceeding ahead of schedule, as I promised you."
"An informant of mine told me that you had been discovered by two hunters from Oroseia Academy," Surtr said, "Make no mistake, Gerald. If trouble ever finds its way to your doorstep, I'm going to make sure I remain clean and unrelated."
"Th-that only happened because of a minor error my subordinates made. It won't happen again," Gerald said, "I had already instructed your soldiers to search for the two hunters. Their communications were damaged so Oroseia Academy is unaware of our activities."
"It had better remain that way," Surtr said, "Keep me updated on the Archammer. That project must not fall into the hands of the military or the hunters."
"Of course, Lady Surtr. I will contact you soon," Gerald said as he ended the call but let out a worried sigh, "Of all contracts I've been a part of, that woman is the worst one by far. Even if I get Lady Surtr the results she wants, her voice will still have this silent rage dripping off it. The Twilight Syndicate isn't as active as the Eclipse are, but they're still a force to be reckoned with."
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Alisen's Old Retreat~~
The plan for the trio's preparation is to have Jurabi spend his mornings on exercises and sword training with Ken. During the evenings and nights, Jurabi will work in creating the Therion Armor.
The three moved outside the house and into the relatively small backyard.
Ken scanned around at the surroundings, "This place should do," He turned back to Jurabi, who was wearing a light outfit more fit for training and mobility, and tossed a training sword at him, "Are you ready to begin, Jurabi?"
Jurabi catches the training sword and examines it from top to bottom before nodding, "Ready."
Ken adopted a battle-ready position, "Then let's gauge how much you know about fighting. Come at me."
Jurabi's eyes widened, "Already? Isn't there a process for all this?"
"In order to properly teach you to fight, I must know what your advantages and disadvantages are," Ken said, "Now adopt a battle stance."
"O-okay…" Jurabi said hesitantly, "Damn, I don't know much about battle stances. I guess it's about looking cool. So, what stance did Honkai Girl take…? I think it was…this." He thought this to himself as he moved himself into a stance with him holding the training sword as a katana.
Ken shook his head, "Already you're showing that you have a lot to learn, Jurabi. Now come and attack. I will only be blocking."
Jurabi nodded, "Crap. I guess that wasn't right…Well, here goes nothing!" He immediately rushed Ken and tried to hit him with a sword strike from above.
"Hm." Ken blocked the attack, and when their weapons crossed, pushed back. Jurabi found himself stumbling backwards and falling flat on his butt.
"Ngh!" Jurabi grunted in pain.
Ken lowered his guard and extended a hand to Jurabi, "It's clear we have a lot of work to do, Jurabi."
"Sorry if I disappointed you," Jurabi said as he took Ken's hand, "I've never fought an actual battle before."
"That's fine," Ken said, "Just from that exchange alone I was able to tell what to focus on. Let's start with stances."
While Ken begins explaining the concept of sword stances to Jurabi, Aoife watches them both from the house. She could see an image of a younger version of Ken scolding a battered-up Dana from all those years back. Her lips grew into a faint smile.
Once Ken finished his explanation, Jurabi nodded.
"I see. So, should I adopt more of a defensive stance and then quickly switch to an offensive one?" Jurabi asked.
"It all depends on how you choose to approach an encounter with a foe," Ken said, "I prefer to let my enemy make the mistake first before capitalizing on it. Your approach was simple and easy to predict, but once you've grown accustomed to using your weapon, you'll eventually find yourself adopting stances we've yet to consider."
"That's…overexaggerating a little," Jurabi said, scratching his head.
"I know. My sense of humor is a little off," Ken said.
"Wait, you were trying to crack a joke?" Jurabi asked.
"Moving on," Ken said, "Let's get started on warm-ups, then forty laps around the house, and one hundred push-ups and sit-ups."
"All on the first day?!" Jurabi asked, his eyes widened.
"Aoife and I had to do double on our first day as official hunters," Ken said, "Be thankful we're on limited time. Now get moving."
"Y-yes sir," Jurabi said.
And so Jurabi spent the morning on exercises and sword training with Ken.
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Later that Night~~
Jurabi was in his personal tech lab where he plans on making the Therion Armor; however, his body was aching all over from the strenuous training he had to go through.
"Ugh…if I had known I would be doing this much…I wouldn't have committed to making the armor," Jurabi groaned as he sat down at a chair and rubbed his sore arms and legs, "But still…Mom must have been amazing to have done double what I just did. In that case, I'll have to triple that number when I become…." Jurabi's eyes lost their confidence and he looked at his hands, "Like that's ever going to happen…"
He then began his construction of the Therion Armor. This project is unlike anything he's done as the materials were acquirable except for one: The Zenith Core. This puzzled Jurabi as he didn't understand what that meant. He knows that aside from Dark Atoms, the substance the outer body of the Grimm are made of, Grimm have bone plating. The only Grimm cores Jurabi could possibly think of would be the ones found in the dangerous Grimm such as the Nucklevee and Sea Feilongs.
"Hm…" Jurabi couldn't put his confusion into words. He let out a sigh as he readied to start the construction process, "Okay, Dad. You gave me a challenge and I intend to complete it."
For the entirety of the night, Jurabi spent his time focused on using the basic materials he had to make a test version of the Therion Armor.
XxxxxxxxxX
~~The Next Day: July 18th [Tuesday Morning]
On the next day, Ken and Jurabi continued their training on stances. It was a slow process for Jurabi to grasp the concept of sword stances, but he was beginning to formulate his own stance; although, it's not without its flaws.
"Your legs are too far apart, Jurabi," Ken said, kicking Jurabi's feet two inches closer, "Relax your muscles, but don't let them be too loose. Your sword's power will reflect on how well you can balance the energy you put into holding it."
"This is a lot more complicated than I thought it would be…" Jurabi thought to himself as he struggled to keep himself from overexerting his grip. However, he still ended up doing just that as the sword then felt too heavy for him to hold and he felt out of breath from having to keep it up.
"What do you think the problem is here, Jurabi?" Ken asked, testing Jurabi to see if he's been paying attention.
"I've…been struggling to find a balance," Jurabi said in between his breaths, "I have to relax my muscles but not allow my control on the weapon to falter."
"Correct," Ken said, "Relax for a moment and let me show you how it's done." The blonde faunus took in a deep breath as he held up the training sword in a balanced stance, both hands on the hilt and the sword close to his cheek.
"Whoa…" Jurabi whispered, "Just like Honkai Girl, but you make it look even better!"
"Ah, so that is where you got your inspiration from," Ken said, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you're as attracted to such a thing as your father."
"I would be chuckling at that remark if I could," Jurabi said, "All that aside, inspiration doesn't mean much if I can't back it up. So, I'm going to keep trying. I'll get this stance stuff right, I swear it."
"Then show me you can get it right," Ken said, allowing Jurabi to continue on with the sword stance training.
Watching this from the house, Aoife couldn't help but shake his head a little, "Oh Kenny, even with that cold façade you always put up, the real you always shows when you teach someone to fight. At this rate, Jubi won't make any real progress." She said with a mischievous smirk.
After training with Ken for the day, Jurabi returned to constructing the Therion Armor's test prototype. He was close to finishing until the sun came out without him noticing. By then, it was time for the next training session.
XxxxxxxxxX
~~The Next Day: July 19th [Wednesday Morning]~~
"Okay, Jurabi, you're close to mastering stances," Ken said, "I say we-"
"Now hold on, Kenny~" Aoife chimed in, "You can't hog Jubi here all to yourself. Where's my share in training him?"
"Oh no…" Ken muttered.
"Oh yes," Aoife said with a smirk, "Jubi's got the basics of stances down and I think that's what matters in our situation."
"That's right, Aoife hasn't had a chance to train me yet, not that I don't mind being trained by you, Mr. Vongarus," Jurabi said.
Ken let out a sigh and whispered to Aoife, "Aoife, I don't think Jurabi is mentally prepared for your training methods."
"Ah don't worry about him," Aoife said, "He's Dana's kid and if my hunch is right, he can take it."
"And if your hunch is wrong?" Ken asked.
"Hmhm…" Aoife said, "That's right! I think it's best that you take time to scout the area, Kenny! Who knows what dangers are lurking around us!"
"Um…Miss Chandani…?" Jurabi asked, confused as to what the woman was doing yelling the way she was.
Ken facepalmed and shook his head, "Good luck, Jurabi. You're going to need it…"
"Huh?" Jurabi asked.
"Awesome!" Aoife shouted as Ken began leaving the training area, "Alright, Jubi. Today, it's my turn to train you for your upcoming battle. I think it's time for you to move on to the next step: One-on-one sparring."
"Wait, what?" Jurabi asked in shock, "Isn't it a little too soon to start that, Aoife? I still haven't perfected my balance and stances yet."
"Pfft, balance spalance!" Aoife said, "We have three days left until we start our plan, just to remind you. You've done a decent enough job of listening to Kenny's instructions and keeping up with his instructions, so I think a little hands-on experience wouldn't hurt."
"You mean actual combat training?" Jurabi asked, "With you? Not to sound rude, but you don't look like the fighting type, Aoife."
Aoife then made a bone-chilling smile, "Oh…? Then let's see you try to hit me, Jubi. That will be your training for the next six hours."
Jurabi didn't need his senses to tell that Aoife was up to something. Taking a small swallow, he readied himself with his own basic stance. Though the sword is still difficult to keep at a level, Jurabi was doing better at maintaining balance than he was yesterday.
"Any day now~!" Aoife chimed.
In complete silence, Jurabi runs at Aoife and prepares to strike her. However, Jurabi only managed to hit dead air.
"What?!" Jurabi shouted.
"Over here~" Aoife called, a few feet away from him.
"H-how did you? You were right in front of me!" Jurabi shouted.
"Indeed I was," Aoife said, as she took out a magazine that contained pictures of hot men with exposed chests and abdomens.
"I-Is that…" Jurabi asked.
"The latest installment of the Pretty Boys! Ah! Aren't they the loveliest of princes?" Aoife asked, squealing in excitement, "Oh how I would love to be their beloved princess."
"A-Aoife…my training?" Jurabi asked.
"My…look at those abs~!" Aoife said, drooling a little.
"Aoife…" Jurabi was beginning to lose his cool at Aoife not paying attention to her.
"I swear you can grind meat on those. I wonder if I can…" Aoife said, "Jubi, do you have any meat? I want to try something with Kenny!"
Jurabi growled as he lunged at Aoife, "TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!" He swung his blade, but Aoife was already out of sight, "Gh!"
"I'm going to take that as a no," Aoife said from behind Jurabi, her attention still glued to the magazine, "By the way, do you think Kenny has magazines like this but it has girls on it?"
"Like I care!" Jurabi shouted, "Are we going to train or not?!"
"We are training, Jubi," Aoife said, "As I said before, you need to hit me. Nothing else."
"How am I supposed to hit you when you keep moving around like this?" Jurabi asked, "And how are you able to see with your eyes glued to that magazine."
"How indeed?" Aoife asked with a playful smirk, "Catch me off guard and you might get your answer."
Jurabi's eyebrow twitched in slight annoyance before he swung at Aoife, but no matter what angle he took or how fast he was, he still couldn't lay a hand on the woman.
This persisted for an entire hour.
"What's wrong, Jubi?" Aoife asked, "Run out of steam?"
"In…your…dreams…" Jurabi said, sweat running down his cheeks, "I'm…going to…get you…I will!"
"Aww, it sounds to me like you're getting all tired," Aoife said, "I was hoping you would have caught me before I finished my first read through of Pretty Boys, but now I'm on my tenth. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing for a beautiful woman's eyes, don't you know?"
"Oh, don't give…me…that crap…" Jurabi growled, "You're complaining about that…but not about the…lack of progress…we made…? Maybe…if you took my training seriously like the adult you are…instead of playing games like a child…we wouldn't be so far behind…!"
Silence followed as Aoife closed her magazine, "What was that again, Jurabi?"
"I said…" Jurabi started regaining his breath, "Maybe if you took my training seriously like the adult you are…"
"Uh oh…" Ken whispered as he watched this from a distance.
Aoife faced Jurabi, her eyes covered by the shadow of her hair. She lifted her head up and gave a smile, "Okie, then. Try to hit me now, Jurabi. This time, I won't move from this spot."
Jurabi raised an eyebrow at Aoife's sudden change in mood, but decided not to question it. He got himself ready to strike. Taking a deep breath, he rushed forward and ready to slash Aoife.
However, Aoife caught the sword with her fingers like a claw snatching onto an object.
Jurabi's silent, shocked expression told her everything she needed to know.
"Jurabi, you sweet little child," Aoife said with a smile that turned into the smile of an insane woman, "You think I wasn't taking your training session seriously? It may scare you to hear that in the past four hours you were unable to hit me, you would have died at least…eight hundred seventy-five times if it were a real fight."
"Wh-wha…?" Jurabi asked.
"And now…" In an instant, she pulled the training sword out of Jurabi's hands and then karate chopped him on the head.
"Gah!" The impact was light but Jurabi still felt the wave of overwhelming strength coming from the woman.
"Eight hundred and seventy-six."
Jurabi fell to his knees, trying to regain his composure.
"So…what have we learned today?" Aoife asked.
"L-learned…?" Jurabi asked, "I was concentrating on hitting you like you instructed. I didn't feel like…I learned anything aside…from how skilled you are…"
Aoife shook her head, "It may seem like I was impossible to hit for you, Jubi, but I was doing my best to move in a manner where it was still possible for you. So it wasn't that your opponent was far too skilled, it was that your movements were too predictable."
"My…movements?" Jurabi asked.
"Yes, your movements are too straightforward," Aoife said, "If you can see the attack coming and your body can respond properly, it's likely you can avoid it. That is why when we go on the offensive, we perform special dashes that make it difficult for our enemies to predict our movements."
"Special dashes?" Jurabi asked.
"It's something you can't learn at the moment since you are not an official hunter," Aoife explained, giving the training sword back to Jurabi, "But for now, try to make your angle of attack less obvious. Measure the distance between you and your opponent and find the perfect time to swing your sword."
"Find the perfect time…" Jurabi repeated.
"Try to hit me again," Aoife said.
"Alright…" Jurabi said as he got himself ready to strike her again.
For the next four hours, Jurabi spent his time trying to hit Aoife, but no matter how subtle he tried to be with his movements, he still couldn't lay a single strike on the skilled huntress.
"I…I still can't…" Jurabi said.
"Don't throw in the towel, Jubi," Aoife said, "You're working hard to improve yourself, and that's what counts."
"I don't know about that, Aoife, you probably have experience fighting Grimm a lot faster than me," Jurabi said, "How can I possibly compete with that?"
"The moment you start doubting yourself, young Jubi, is when you begin to give up," Aoife said, "I may have experience as a huntress, but I am still a teacher and it's my responsibility to make sure you don't get overwhelmed by the tasks I give you. So believe me when I say that you can catch me, Jubi."
"Huh…" Jurabi felt his heart beat for a moment upon hearing Aoife's words of enthusiasm.
"It's starting to get a little late, so we will call it for today," Aoife said, "Tomorrow, I'm expecting improvement on your speed and approach. The operation day is fast approaching."
"Right," Jurabi said, "Thank you for teaching me, Aoife."
As Aoife watched Jurabi enter the house, Aoife turned to the side, "Such potential. I've never taught a young one as bright and earnest as Jubi. Wouldn't you agree, Kenny?"
Ken stepped forward from his hiding spot, "So that is the method you chose to train Jurabi with? Your usual game of tag?"
"It's not a game, Kenny," Aoife said, pouting, "I'm improving Jurabi's agility and offensive capabilities."
"I am aware…" Ken said, "I was simply jesting."
Aoife sighed, "You really need to work on your sense of humor. Anyways, as you clearly saw, Jubi showed great promise. To think he was able to spend five hours training with me when most would give up before half an hour."
"It is unusual," Ken said, "Perhaps it has something to do with his powers?"
"No…I don't think so," Aoife said, shaking her head, "I think Jubi is trying his hardest not to use his powers, and if so, I don't blame him."
"Then what other possible explanation is there?" Ken asked.
"I think…Jubi has yearned to be a hunter all his life," Aoife said, "Dana always talked about how he wanted to be one as a kid."
"If that is the case, then that part of him remains strong even after everything he has experienced," Ken said.
"Kenny…do you think he can…?" Aoife asked.
Ken remained silent and let out a small breath, "We don't live in that kind of world, Aoife. He is…an unknown and thus will be treated as such once this is all over," He then turned to Aoife, "Don't let your compassion blind you from reality."
"Compassion is what keeps me fighting, Ken," Aoife said, seriously, "Because if I don't stand by his side, who will?"
Silence followed. Instead of talking further, Aoife entered the house.
"Who indeed?" Ken asked himself.
XxxxxxxxxX
Later that night, Jurabi was already in the process of building the outer skeleton of the armor. Jurabi wore these two parts on his body as he went to the test floor. He turned on the testing camera and stood on a steel mat, "Okay, this will be the first test of the new armor set. Hopefully I won't give off any Grimm signatures while I'm doing this," Jurabi then stepped in front of a cannon and prepared a shield for himself just in case. "Let's start off nice and easy using ten percent power capacity in three…two….one."
*BOOM*
The cannon sent Jurabi flying straight into the wall. The impact left a little crack, but not too much damage to be anything deadly.
"…Ow…." Jurabi moaned.
It didn't take long for Aoife and Ken to rush into the room.
"Jurabi, is everything okay?!" Ken shouted.
"I'm…okay…" Jurabi said, struggling to stand up.
"My goodness, do you really have to be a part of the testing process on these things?" Aoife asked, helping Jurabi up.
"Getting an injury before our mission is the last thing you want," Ken advised, "Especially when you're the whole point of the mission."
"Yeah…you have a point," Jurabi said, rubbing the back of his head, "I'll…be careful with the testing."
"Please do," Aoife said, "Let me go grab some bagged ice for you."
"Thanks…but I don't think I'll-"
"Not another word, Jubi," Aoife said, "Kenny, help him sit down on that chair. I'll be right back."
Ken did as told and helped Jurabi sit onto the nearby chair while Aoife left the room.
"It's not that bad, guys, really," Jurabi protested.
"There's no point arguing with Aoife," Ken said, "She knows an injury when she sees one. While yours is not serious, you could get a concussion as a result."
"I see…" Jurabi said, "Then I won't argue further. At least I made some decent progress on the armor."
"Will it be ready by Sunday?" Ken asked.
"…I would be lying if I confidently said yes," Jurabi said, "I'm still missing an important piece to it: A Zenith Core."
"A what?" Ken asked, his eyes widening.
"A Zenith Core," Jurabi repeated, "But after looking into it, it seems what I'm searching for will be impossible to obtain. I've heard about the Zenith Grimm…about how powerful they are. So the best I'll be able to manage is an armor that can withstand some damage."
"…If you think you can pull it off, then we'll help however we can," Ken said.
"I'm glad to hear that," Jurabi said.
Ken watched as Aoife returned with the bag of ice and began lecturing Jurabi. As she was busy with the boy, the faunus thought to himself, "That's weird. Why would Nitorin design an armor that needs the core of a Zenith Grimm?"
XxxxxxxxxX
~~The Next Day [July 20th Thursday Night]~~
Jurabi is close to finishing the armor. Aside from the Zenith Core, all Jurabi needs to do is touch upon the issues he found in the armor's defensive capabilities.
"Alright, Day Four! Test Number Thirty of the defensive strength of the new armor. Alright, we'll start off nice and easy with ten percent power capacity once again. Fire in three….two….one."
A cannon was shot at Jurabi again, but this time Jurabi skidded across the floor upon impact instead of being sent flying. He felt pain from the impact, though, causing him to lose his balance a little along with the wind, making him pant.
"Almost…there…" Jurabi grunted.
For the entirety of that night, Jurabi spent time improving and adding the final touches to the armor.
"Okay, now to amplify the durability of the armor with the combined dust particles," Jurabi said as he activated the device. The device proceeded to mix all of the elemental dust particles and then applied them onto the separate pieces of the armor. Afterwards, the armor pieces were attached to each other to complete the full set.
Jurabi stepped close to the finished design. He could almost feel the armor's vibration from the energy being applied to it.
But then he heard the sounds of yawning as he turned around to see Aoife walking into the room.
"You're still up, Jubi?" Aoife asked, wiping her tired eyes.
"Sorry for waking you, Aoife," Jurabi said.
"Still working on that armor?" Aoife asked, "I know how important it is that you finish it, but it's not a wise decision to stay up for so long."
"I know, but this is much more important," Jurabi said, "Besides, I had already finished the armor by the looks of it. I just need to recalibrate some things and run triple daily checks on the durability, then it'll be ready to go."
"That…sounds really complicated," Aoife said, scratching her head.
"Which is why Gerald won't see it coming," Jurabi said.
"Even so, I still think you should take time to rest."
"Alright, I will," Jurabi said, "But it will be a short break. Every second we have will count to our confrontation with Gerald, and there's no telling when we'll be found out."
"Well, we're lucky your father never told anyone about this little hideaway he had," Aoife said.
"Makes me wonder what he was going to use it for," Jurabi said.
"There's no way to know for certain," Aoife said.
"Yeah…" Jurabi said as he silently went back to work.
"Jubi…" Aoife said as she walked up to him.
"I'm fine," Jurabi said, "You should get some sleep as well, Aoife."
"Sorry…I just wanted to tell you that your parents…they would be so proud of you," Aoife said.
"I'm not so sure of that…" Jurabi said, still working in the armor and not paying attention to Aoife.
"Well, I am," Aoife said, "And I am telling you that they would be happy their son is going to make things right again."
"Even so…I'll never be as good as they were," Jurabi said, "I don't deserve to be."
"That's not true, Jubi," Aoife said, noticing that Jurabi was partially in his own world at this point. She shook her head as she waved Dust Malika around.
Suddenly, Jurabi's hands were locked by water chains.
"What?!" Jurabi shouted
"I don't appreciate children who refuse to listen to what I have to say," Aoife said, "Especially if what I am saying is what they need to hear!"
"A-Aoife…" Jurabi whispered.
"Take a moment to think about everything you went through up until this point, Jurabi," Aoife said, "Separate the truth from every lie you were told. What do you see?"
Jurabi, knowing that Aoife is serious this time, took time to ponder on her question before giving his answer, "…What I see…is that even if I was lied to, it still doesn't change the fact that I helped in the murder of innocent faunus."
"As painful as it is, you're right," Aoife said, "What you plan to do to Gerald won't change past mistakes, but you want to know something? In that moment when you became angry at the lies Gerald told you and the deafening silence when you heard about the faunus prisoners being kept in that prison, was any of what you were feeling at that time a lie?"
Jurabi shook his head, "No…no it wasn't. I was angry and wanted to…to…
Aoife nodded, "Yes, let it all out, Jurabi."
"And just…! Beat the living daylights out of him and save those faunus!" Jurabi shouted.
Aoife let out a smile as she patted Jurabi's head, "If that is how you feel, then push forward with nothing but that goal in mind. There's no point in trying to change the past. Instead, you should use the past as a constant reminder moving forward," She then gave Jurabi a hug, "Don't give up on yourself. Don't shut yourself out from your path. The future is still yours, even if the world says otherwise."
Jurabi let out a gasp after hearing those words. He felt his eyes fill up before tears started falling down to his cheeks, "My…future…Do I…do I really have the right to a future?"
Aoife nodded, "As long as it is yours to take."
"A-Aoife…" Jurabi whispered.
"So, what do you want your future to be like, Jurabi?" Aoife asked.
Jurabi closed his eyes again before answering, "I…I've never thought about that until now. I thought I would be building weapons for the rest of my life, but now…I…"
"Yes?" Aoife asked, wishing for him to continue his train of thought.
"…I want to do more than make weapons," Jurabi said, "I want to make inventions that will make people's lives happier. Once I clean up the mess Gerald has made for the faunus, the first thing I want to do is apologize to them all and make an invention that can heal the pain that I had a hand in causing."
"That's the spirit, Jubi!" Aoife cheered, "See? It's too early to sell yourself short. Everything starts with a leap of faith and that leap of faith starts with you."
"With me…" Jurabi said, feeling his heartbeat as he wiped away his tears, "Thank you, Aoife. I really did need to hear all that. I'm starting to understand why Mom held you in such high regard."
Aoife gave a cheeky smile, "Oh stop, Jubi. You'll make this lovely woman blush! I'm surprised you manage to say all that with a straight face. Could it be, perhaps, that you're used to saying this to other women?"
"Uh…did you forget that I…?"
"I know. You haven't had contact with the outside world. It's called a rhetorical question, silly little Jubi. Anyways, I'll leave you to your work. Try not to overwork yourself, okay?"
"I will. Thanks."
After Aoife left the room, Jurabi looked back at Therion Armor. He then took out the black ring box his father gave to him as a gift and held it close, "My future. Dad…I'm sorry. I know you wanted me to live a peaceful life and not involve myself…but I am to create a world that only knows peace, I would need to endure the worst this painful one has to offer. Peace is not something that is given to anyone for free. So, I will endure. I will fight, bleed, fail, train, and fight again. I will create, find the mistake, restart, and rebuild again. I will do this because it is only through my failings where I will find the path to my goal. The goal…of a world free from the Grimm!"
And so, Jurabi goes to put more effort in his training and building for the remaining two days he has. He's put forth as much energy as he could into making progress from being able to pull off a good, balanced fighting stance to going several hours training with Aoife without running completely out of stamina.
XxxxxxxxxX
~~July 23rd [Sunday Morning]~~
~~Alisen Industries~~
Upon arriving at Alisen Industries, Gerald immediately went to the rooftop where no one would be watching. There, he met up with the two Twilight agents.
"You still haven't found them?" Gerald asked.
"We've had no luck," The male agent said, shaking his head, "I have to admit, they covered their tracks pretty well, and then there was the problem of Grimm everywhere we looked. That certainly impeded our progress."
"I told you we should have chased them that night!" The female agent shouted, "What a stupid choice that was and now it'll cost us."
"The more noise we made that night, the more attention we would have drawn from the Oroseia hunters," Gerald said, "And then it'll be your heads who will go on Lady Surtr's platters if I'm found out and arrested."
"Tch, so what now?" The female agent asked.
"If they have the chance to strike, tonight would be their best chance," The male agent said, "The Archammer is ready to be presented to the public, correct?"
"Indeed," Gerald said, "Even if that foolish boy tries to stop me, I was able to add modifications to the Archammer to not only be suited for sieges against faunus structures, but also account for Grimm as well. He won't be ready for what I have waiting for him."
"Then in that case, we'll deal with the other two hunters," The male agent said, "We'll need to make it swift and deadly"
"Hehe, no problem at all," The female agent said, playing with her daggers, "One strike to the neck is all I need."
"Then I will leave it to you two," Gerald said, "Failure is not an option for any of us, is that clear?"
"Crystal," Both agents said as they left the rooftop.
Gerald let out a grin, "So…your move, Jurabi. Do make it count, because I'll make sure it is your last."
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Alisen's Old Retreat~~
Everything was ready for the trio.
Jurabi had already put on the Therion Armor over his jacket while looking at himself in the mirror. In his mind, he thought of how proud he would feel if he could feel such an emotion before heading outside where Aoife and Ken were waiting.
"Are you ready, Jubi?" Aoife asked.
Jurabi nodded, "As ready as I can be."
"Good," Ken said, "Because from here on, you move, speak, and fight as a Hunter of Vastel."
"We hunters of Vastel have this creed that we are to follow on every mission we embark on," Aoife explained.
"A creed?" Jurabi asked.
"Think of it as a universal rule that hunters share," Ken clarified, "It's something that binds us together whether it be on or off duty."
"Mmhm," Aoife nodded, "We hunters fight so that others may live. We hunters bleed so that others won't have to. We hunters die so that others may survive. Win or lose, we stand for the people of Vastel! That is our hunter's creed."
Jurabi's eyes widened, "That…sounds a little too selfless…" He thought to himself before he nodded, "Understood. I will carry that creed with me even in death."
"Then let's move out," Ken said.
"Right," Jurabi responded.
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Outside Oroseia~~
After a few hours of walking, the three arrived on the outskirts of Oroseia where the outer walls were visible.
Ken uses a set of binoculars to check the entrances to the city to see it closely guarded, "Well, at least the defenses are still up as usual."
"But there's no telling who at the entrance is on our side," Aoife said.
"Yeah, we can't take that risk," Jurabi said, "The element of surprise is our best hope of stopping Gerald."
"Alright, let's go over the plan one more time," Ken said as he showed a hologram map of the city sewers, "We'll be entering the city through the sewer system here. We'll make the trip short by making a left here to the nearest hotel. There we will wash ourselves of the stench and prepare for the infiltration phase."
"Right," Aoife said, "Jubi and I will infiltrate the building complex while Ken tries to contact HQ for assistance. First, we'll search for the main source of power for the building and get ready for the next stage, which will be Jurabi preparing to arrest Gerald during the presentation."
"While the lights are out, I'll be quick and efficient about it," Jurabi said, "If we do this right, we'll have no need to expose ourselves too much to danger. But if the worst should happen…"
"As long as we don't forget the creed, we do whatever is best to put a stop to Gerald and the Twilight Syndicate," Ken said as the three nodded.
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Oroseia Sewers~~
Jurabi, Aoife, and Ken made their way through Oroseia's sewer system. It was dark and the air was thick with smells so awful that the three didn't even want to know what they were smelling.
"Ugh…the smell is so unbearable!" Aoife shouted, pinching her nose.
"Keep it down, Aoife," Ken said, "We don't want our voices echoing to the outside."
"I know…but it sucks that this is our best route. We should've gotten some masks or something."
"Shame that Nitorin's house didn't have any we could use," Ken said, "But I suppose he never planned on going through the stinky sewer system."
"And I don't blame him," Aoife said, "What do you think, Jubi?"
"Oh, um…I suppose," Jurabi said, looking around.
"We should be close to our destination in a few minutes," Ken said.
"It's a good thing we got a map of this sewer system," Aoife said, "We would've wasted a lot of time, or just outright gotten lost, if we didn't."
"To no surprise. Oroseia is the biggest city in Vastel, after all, and it's got the sewer system to match."
"Well, let's just hope it's smooth sailing from here," Jurabi said.
"There's no need to hide it from us, Jurabi," Ken said, seeing through the boy, "Tell us what's on your mind."
"Oh…" Jurabi said looking down at the ground, "I'm sorry. I'm…feeling a little antsy. I'm trying my hardest to take in the fact that we're at the point of no return. It's just…I don't want to fail, but part of me is worried about the possibility."
Ken looked into the boy's eyes before he placed a hand on his shoulder, "It won't happen. The lives of those faunus prisoners and safety of every faunus in Vastel is at stake here. Remember that and make it the source of your determination."
"Mr. Vongarus…" Jurabi whispered.
"What you're feeling right now is pre-battle adrenaline," Ken said, "Your mind is preparing you for a life and death situation at the moment. Every newbie goes through that motion, you a lot earlier than most. Best you can do is steel yourself because we've come too far now, and we smell too bad to change our minds anyway."
"Right," Jurabi said.
After exiting the sewers, Jurabi, Aoife, and Ken snuck their way through the alleyways and managed to reach Oroseia Hotel.
To ensure he isn't recognized, Jurabi put on sunglasses and a blue beret. Once his disguise was ready, they entered the hotel, checked in for a single day and immediately went to their assigned rooms to take a shower and wait for the cover of night.
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Oroseia Hotel [Nighttime]~~
Jurabi, Aoife, and Ken meet back up at the lobby.
"Whew…nothing like washing all the grim off your body," Aoife sighed.
"So far so good," Jurabi said, "Are we ready for the next phase?"
"Aw…but I wanna stay on these soft hotel beds…" Aoife whined, bouncing on the soft hotel beds.
"You have a bed at your own home, Aoife," Ken said, his eyebrows twitching at his friend's antics, "Stay focused.
"Ah, you know I'm always focused, Kenny," Aoife said, "I'm more worried about you, to be honest."
"Don't be. Getting from here to HQ will take time on foot and in disguise, but I'll get back to you with reinforcements as soon as I can. And when I do, Jurabi…"
"I know," Jurabi nodded, "Gerald will be in cuffs and I will be long gone by the time you arrive."
"Speed and efficiency on your part is important here," Ken said, placing a hand on Jurabi's shoulder, "But don't lose sight of what is important. Remain calm and remember your training."
"I…I will," Jurabi said with a nod. To his surprise, the right side of Ken's lips raised a little as Ken looked over to Aoife.
"Both of you be careful," Ken said.
"You too, Ken" Aoife said with a smile as they watched Ken leave.
"Mr. Vongarus…just smiled," Jurabi said.
"A rare gift indeed," Aoife said, "Let's not disappoint our dear Kenny and cause that lovely smile of his to vanish forever."
"That's one way to put it, Aoife, but got it," Jurabi said as the two then left the hotel in their disguises.
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Alisen Industries~~
Jurabi and Aoife arrive outside the main Alisen Industries building. Looking up at the tall building made Jurabi's red eyes soften.
"Jubi?" Aoife asked.
"I'm fine," Jurabi said, "Just reliving some memories. This place is just how I remembered it…"
"…"
Jurabi took a few steps forward, eyes glued onto the top of the building, "Dad always took me to see this place. The machinery, the construction, the weapons, all of it. Or at least, as much as he was allowed to show me. Everything created here was meant to protect the people. It's why my dad founded Alisen Industries to begin with. But now…" The boy clenches his fists, holding in all the anger building up inside.
"Time and place, Jubi," Aoife said.
Jurabi calmed down and let out a small breath, "I know…So long as I live, I will not allow this company to steer away from that path ever again no matter how much of my happiness I have to sacrifice. Let's go, Aoife."
"Right behind you, Jubi," Aoife replied.
The two make their way to the backdoor of the building.
Jurabi checked their surroundings at the crack of the door, "There should be a storage room that has the outfits for the technician workers. We'll need to get there first, but…" He glanced over at the camera on the far side of the hallway.
"Leave that to me," Aoife said as she waved Dust Malika, creating a few small bubbles and sending them underneath the camera. She then made the bubbles rise up to the lens of the camera and completely cover it, "There, we should look like nothing more than small silhouettes to them. Let's go."
Jurabi and Aoife pass by undetected and make their way through the building. With each door they encounter, Jurabi uses Nitorin's hidden password to get through the security protocols. Eventually, they arrive at the entrance of the storage room.
"So far so good," Jurabi said, shuffling through the storage room in search of some unused clothes.
"Now our next step is to shut down the power grid," Aoife said, keeping watch at the door.
"Here they are," Jurabi said, taking out two lab coats, "I'm not sure what size you are, Aoife, but hopefully it's large."
"Not quite, but large is better than small," Aoife said as she put on the lab coat, "Glad you know how to properly talk to a lady."
"Not…sure what talking to a lady has to do with giving them a jacket," Jurabi said, raising an eyebrow.
"Teehee, I'll explain later," Aoife said, "Shall we?"
Jurabi and Aoife proceeded to sneak through the building hallways to reach the fourth level. There, they managed to reach the entrance of the main room containing the power grid.
"Alright, lunch should be in ten minutes," Jurabi said, "Good thing we made it on time."
"Hm…" Aoife couldn't help but scan their surroundings.
"Something wrong?" Jurabi asked.
"A little," Aoife said, "I can't shake off the feeling that this has been all too easy for us."
"You too?" Jurabi asked, "I've been detecting this killing intent for a while, but I couldn't pinpoint the exact location."
"…Let's make this quick then," Aoife said, "Tell me what I need to do to shut down the power."
"One moment," Jurabi said, looking over the panel for a few minutes, "Alright, here are the buttons you'll need to press." Jurabi then gives Aoife a brief instruction on how to properly shut down the power.
"Okay, I got it," Aoife nodded, "We will need a way for the workers and civilians to evacuate the building during our arrest."
"Good idea," Jurabi said, "But how do we do that without revealing ourselves?"
"Jubi, there isn't a fire drill planned today, is there?"
"Fire drill? No, those are only held once every beginning of the month. Why?" Jurabi saw Aoife point towards something and followed her direction to see a red electrical grid on the far side of the room with the words "Fire Alarm. Pull only in emergencies", "Oh, of course. The civilians will get sprinkled with water, but it's the best way to get them all to a safer place than here.
"Got it," Aoife said, "Hurry and get into position, Jubi. I'll handle everything here."
"Okay, just remember to shut down everything except for the backup generators," Jurabi said, making his way to the door.
"No problem," Aoife said as she glanced over to her right, "Be careful, Jubi."
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Outside~~
Meanwhile, Ken makes his way to Oroseia Academy with his eyes and hair covered with sunglasses and a red hat. He approaches a crossroad and waits for the streetlight to allow him to walk across the road.
The blond faunus let out a sigh, "I forgot to account for the traffic today. If only I could get there faster…"
However, unknown to Ken, a group of Twilight soldiers in disguise were watching over the city on the rooftop of a tall building. Among the group is the female agent.
"Damnit, where the hell are they?" They let out angrily, "Those annoying hunters are so annoying to find."
"We shouldn't underestimate the three targets, ma'am," Said a Twilight soldier, "According to the client, tonight is the last night before we make a move on them, so if they are enacting a plan, this night is their last chance to do so."
"Then we have no time to waste," The female agent said, "If one of them reaches the academy, there will be trouble. But where to find them…"
"With a crowd like this, it'll be difficult."
The female agent let out a grin as she scanned all the cars waiting for the street light to turn green on their side, "Actually, with a crowd like this…" Her eyes followed the road behind the cars to see an oil truck approaching the crossway, "Bingo." She raised her palms and a surge of electricity flowed through from her body to her palms to form a small electrical ball. She fires the electric ball at the truck and then at the car in the furthest end of the line.
Inside the car was a mother with her son in the back. She immediately notices her car shut down as the light turns green.
"Mommy, why isn't the car moving?" Her son asks.
"I-I don't know," The mother said, getting a little worried as she tried to turn the car on again.
Meanwhile, the truck driver notices that he is unable to turn his truck or slow down.
"Wh-what the?!" He then sees the car ahead of him isn't moving and that he is about to crash into it. He immediately activates the horn which causes all the citizens to look his way.
This includes Ken who notices that the truck was hit by electricity the same as the car in front, "Damnit, they're trying to draw me out!" He then sees the mother and her son sitting inside the car. Without a moment's hesitation, Ken rushed over towards the car and knocked on the window of the driver's side, "Ma'am you need to get you and your son out! That truck's not going to stop!"
Upon hearing that and looking at her rear view to see the truck coming her way, the mother panics and begins unbuckling herself and telling her son to do so as she gets out of the car to pick her son up.
In the meantime, Ken moves to the back of the car to face the truck, "I have to stop it here," Ken took in a deep breath a purple aura circled his body. Hearing the horns of the truck again signaled to Ken that he needed to hurry as he opened his eyes and began channeling the aura into his palms, "Psychokinesis!"
The same purple aura appeared around the truck and in a miraculous moment, the truck stopped in its tracks.
On the rooftop, the Twilight agents are shocked at the spectacle before them.
"Is that…"
"A Semblance," The female agent said, preparing her daggers, "We found one of them at least."
The truck driver was shocked that something as massive as his truck was stopped by this one man, but then realized it was his best chance to get out of the truck.
Once Ken sees the man exit the truck, he then proceeds to put his energy into flipping the truck upside down so that the wheels are no longer on the road.
Ken let out a deep breath as he disabled his Semblance and watched the crowd clear the area.
"There you are, faunus!" A female voice shouted.
Ken looked up and saw an electric sphere coming his way. He quickly backs away from the spot the sphere would have landed.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the female Twilight agent rushing towards his right and throwing purple daggers at him.
Having no possible way to defend himself, Ken quickly throws his arm up to protect his face but at the cost of his arm.
"Ngh!"
"Heh, you made this too easy for us," The female agent said.
"Putting civilians in danger to draw me out," Ken growled as he noticed that he was surrounded by multiple Twilight soldiers, "Can't say I'm surprised…"
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Alisen Industries~~
Meanwhile in the power grid, Aoife readies to disable the power to the Alisen Industries HQ, but then she stops, "Aqua Barrier," She whispered as she instantly created a water barrier that blocked a lance attack that shot out from the dark.
"You're faster than I expected, huntress," Spoke a male voice in the dark as the male Twilight agent walked out from the dark, "Regardless, that speed won't help you against me."
Aoife let out a smile as she took out Dust Malika, "I had a feeling you would be protecting this room. Given how you allowed Jubi to leave, Gerald must have been aware of our plan."
"A cornered animal will lash out with all its strength," The male agent said, "I don't know how the three of you were able to elude us this long, but all of your preparation will be for nothing."
XxxxxxxxxX
~~With Jurabi~~
Jurabi makes his way to the audience chamber where the weapon presentation is being held. Jurabi sees the crowd evacuating, but not taking his eyes off of Gerald.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for taking time to attend this momentous presentation!" Gerald announced, getting ready to present the Archammer to the public.
Jurabi activated his comms and said, "Aoife, I'm here. Are you ready to shut down the power?"
XxxxxxxxxX
~~With Aoife~~
"Step away from the control panel," The male agent said, pointing his lance at Aoife, "I'd rather this not come to bloodshed." Then a group of Twilight soldiers disguised as scientists and technicians surrounded Aoife.
"So even you people know the art of stealth," Aoife said, "Or are you the ones who took bribes?."
"Your efforts here won't yield you the results you want. No matter how this conflict ends, it won't erase what the boy has done. Do you truly believe the world will even forgive him years down the line?"
"No, I don't think the world will ever forgive Jubi," Aoife said as she tightened her grip on Dust Malika, "But I believe he still has the chance to make the world trust in him again."
"Do you hear what you are saying?" The male agent asked, "Our world…trusting a Grimm. The people will call for his death and cheer for it."
"They will," Aoife said, "That is the kind of world we live in. But if believing in him brings about even the smallest hope of changing our world for the better, then I will die on that hill alone if I have to!" She shouted as she slammed Dust Malika onto the ground, summoning a mass of water that looked like crystal before jumping on top.
"Fire!" The male agent ordered as the Twilight soldiers fired their weapons at her, but the crystal seemed to deflect the bullets.
"Wha?! Is that even water?!" A Twilight soldier shouted, "Our bullets should have gone through."
"I'd be a fool to let my water carry the same properties as regular water," Aoife said, "Anyways, this bad boy…is ALL YOURS!" The woman then spun as she smacked her creation with Dust Malika, sending it downwards into an explosion of mist as it hit the ground.
The force of the explosion sent the Twilight soldiers flying and caused damage to the control panel.
Seeing that the control panel was damaged, Aoife let out a worried sigh, "Oh…I forgot that was here." She said as she summed a bubble shield to protect herself from the incoming explosion that followed from the control panel.
Once the control panel for the power grid was disabled, the entire building experienced a complete blackout.
"It's up to you now, Jubi," Aoife said.
XxxxxxxxxX
~~With Jurabi~~
The blackout reached the audience chamber and the fire alarm rang throughout the area.
"Nice, Aoife," Jurabi said as he unsheathed his sword. He scanned the crowd and located Gerald in the darkness.
"What the hell is going on?" Gerald shouted.
"Sir, an explosion occurred in the electrical room," Shouted a guard, "We need to evacuate immediately."
Open hearing their plan to leave, Jurabi took a step back before leaping high into the air and landing into the middle of his guard circle and put his blade up to Gerald's throat, "I don't think so, Gerald."
"Ngh! That voice…" Gerald whispered as he let out a smirk, "So you finally showed up, brat."
"Mr. Achilles!" Shouted a guard as they all pointed their guns in their direction, but were still unable to see a thing.
"Call off your men and do as I say, Gerald," Jurabi said.
"Or what? You'll slit my throat?" Gerald asked, "The difference between you and the hunters you so idolized is really staggering."
Jurabi's eyes hardened as he pulled the blade closer to Gerald's death, "Not another word from you."
"Of course…wouldn't want to ruin your first day on the job," Gerald said, "Unfortunately…you forgot one important thing: hunters have no authority to conduct arrests and you screwed up big time!"
Jurabi sees Gerald drop a small sphere on the ground. Little did he know that sphere was a flash bomb that blinded Jurabi's eyes due to the sudden change from darkness to light.
"Ah!" Jurabi screamed as he stumbled back, covering his eyes.
In an unfortunate sequence of events, the back up generator turned all of the lights back on.
When Jurabi got his bearings again, Gerald was gone and all that was left were his guards surrounding him.
"Tch, where did you go, Gerald?!" Jurabi asked.
"I'm right here, Jurabi," Gerald said, standing above the giant mech he was presenting to the crowd, "I have no intention of running from you."
"In the name of Vastel and her people, you are under arrest, Gerald Achilles," Jurabi said, pointing his sword at the man, "Surrender quietly or I will use force."
Gerald let out a small laugh that led into a hysterical one, "Oh that's a good one, Jurabi! Did you spend the entire week coming up with that cheesy delivery? Heavens above, you couldn't sound any more ridiculous if you tried."
"We'll see how long you keep laughing once you're in handcuffs," Jurabi said.
"Oh please. You act like I'm the only one who will be sent to prison. If anything, that is a far cry compared to what they will do to you, Project Therion."
"…Tch."
"To think, all this time, that Nitorin's most ambitious project was right before me all this time. A boy who has powers far beyond humanity's limitations- far beyond our knowledge! I knew you were special, Jurabi, but you're more than that. You…are a gift."
"My power isn't a gift. It is a curse. A shackle. There was once upon a time when I looked up to you and my dad with the smile of an innocent boy." He looked down at the ground with a sad expression, thinking back to those days he thought were good, "I didn't have any thoughts on what my future might be, but I was still eager to find it…" He whispered as he tightly gripped his sword, "And I was hoping that you could help me find that future! But after everything you have done…I can't look at you the same way anymore!"
Gerald rolled his eyes, "There you go again. Talking about future this, future that. Just like Nitorin, you two never shut up about all of that. Why bother with the "search" if you don't even have any guarantees in your future?"
"Is that why you're so obsessed with money?! Why you are willing to trade away lives for riches?!"
"Yes. All for power and authority," Gerald said as his face turned to disgust, "Something that you and your father were willing to throw away for the sake of an impossible future. With the Grimm growing ever so stronger and the Twilight Syndicate and Eclipse lurking in the shadows, whatever power and authority around is up for grabs, and I will pry it all even from the cold hands of naive men pretending to be heroes."
"…My father wasn't pretending. His faith in a better future is what inspired me to be like him," Jurabi then proceeded to take off his jacket to show the Therion Armor, "I have a long way to go before I even come close to being the man he was, but right now I will not let you trample on his legacy anymore, Gerald!"
Gerald's eyes widened upon seeing the armor Jurabi was wearing. A hint of fear hung in his heart before he shouted, "K-Kill him! Kill him now!
The guards then proceeded to shoot Jurabi with a barrage of bullets.
Jurabi's eyes glowed red as he cut away at the bullets before moving close to the guards. Knowing that they are just men being paid to attack him, Jurabi resorts to knocking them all out with the hilt of his sword with some punches and kicks.
Meanwhile, Gerald presses a button onto the mech to open up the cockpit and enters it.
A bullet grazes Jurabi's cheek, causing black blood to leak from the opened wound, but it takes a lot more than that to stop Jurabi's determination. He continued cutting the bullets and knocking guards out until all of them were unconscious and only Gerald was left.
Jurabi turns to the mech, realizing that Gerald was inside of it now. He growled at the man's cowardice, "Hiding inside something you had no part in creating, Gerald?"
"I just made it a lot easier to squash you, little runt," Gerald answered, "I've put millions into the Arc Hammer 200 and now I have the perfect means to present its full capabilities."
"Even at the end of your ropes, you're still thinking about money. Were you always like this, Gerald?!"
"Heh, as I have said before, your talents were very crucial to my future plans. Even after stuffing through so many life-changing events, you never lost your passion for inventing. Your heart still burned bright and the boundless potential was still there. I merely pointed you into the direction I desired."
Jurabi's eyes widened as his hatred for the despicable man before him boiled hotter.
"Losing your father was a devastating blow, but you were more than enough to fill the gap. If I am to build on my wealth, it's much easier to siphon the talent from brats who won't talk back than adults. It's thanks to you that I came up with this idea."
"If that's how you've always viewed me…then I wonder…" Jurabi said as he remembered the night his father was killed. As a kid he never went deeper into what led up to that moment until he found out the truth about Gerald, so he asked, "My dad once told me that you prefer to "cut ties" with your investments once they outlive their usefulness. Tell me…" He sent a glare towards Gerald, "…did that include him as well?"
Gerald let out a smirk, "He told you that, didn't he? I always had a feeling Nitorin didn't trust me, but that smart decision didn't amount to much in the end for him, did it?"
"Answer my question, Gerald!" Jurabi shouted.
"Emotional, aren't we, young one? Alright, alright," Gerald said as he gave a proud smile, "It was me. I leaked your address to the Eclipse and provided them with the perfect route needed to conduct their attack ten years ago. They gave me such an irresistible offer, after all. With you and your parents out of the picture, I would be able to take over Alisen Industries with no strings attached."
"Siding with one terrorist organization isn't enough for you?!" Jurabi asked, "You had to side with the second?!"
"The Eclipse were a known threat to humanity," Gerald said, "No one would doubt that Nitorin had attracted too many enemies with his fame—the Eclipse especially. It just so happened we had a common enemy, so I did them a favor."
"You…helped them…" Jurabi growled as his body shook as he remembered the look of pain Nitorin had before he was killed, "Dad died…because of you…"
"And you were unaware of that for ten years," Gerald said, "You didn't think at all about how odd it was that I kept you concealed from the outside world for that long? The reason why I took you from Oroseia Hospital and raised you was to keep you from finding out the truth of your father's death. You had very little time to mourn and even less to wonder or investigate. Honestly, I think you should thank me for saving you the heartbreak."
"…"
"With all that said, I'm afraid I've grown tired of this conversation. It's unfortunate but I will have to be rid of you to prevent the truth from coming out. An Eclipse member disguised as the late Jurabi Therion attempted to kill the new head of Alisen Industries. That would make a great headline for tomorrow's news, won't it?"
"…Thank you, Gerald."
Gerald raised an eyebrow at the sudden response from the boy before him, "You have something else to say?"
"I'm thank you, Gerald," Jurabi said, "I can finally fight you without a single shred of guilt or hesitation…" He tightened his grip around his sword and immediately got into a battle stance, "…because the last reason I had to forgive you has disappeared without a trace at this very moment! You aren't just some rotten businessmen! YOU ARE A DESPICABLE FIEND WEARING THE SKIN OF A BUSINESSMAN!
Gerald sent a glare back at Jurabi, obviously angered by his words, "The nerve! I've had enough of you too, you brat. It's about time I reunited you with your father!" He shouted as he activated the Archammer 200.
Jurabi readied himself for the battle that will be the major turning point of his life.
XxxxxxxxxX
~~With Ken~~
After a few minutes of fighting, Ken was able to hold off the Twilight soldiers, however he was hit in the legs by two daggers from the female agent who was taking pot shots at him from a distance.
Trying to hold himself up with Fujin, Ken was still trying to dodge the agent's daggers by a hair.
All the while, the female agent was enjoying every moment of her advantage, "Look at you. A filthy faunus who went through all that trouble to save a bunch of humans only to die in the end."
Ken let out a small chuckle as he smiled, "Die? By your hands? No. I prefer to die against an actual threat," He then readied his bow, despite blood leaving his open wounds.
Hearing these words made the female agent laugh again, "Bold words. I wonder if you'll keep this bravado once I take your other ear! And don't worry about your lady friend and that brat. Whatever it is you planned with them, we'll make sure it fails, and I'll make the opening act your death."
"You sure talk a lot," Ken said, "Kinda like my friend…the only difference is you're not as smart as she is."
"Tch, out with the insults?" The female agent asked, "That snark isn't going to save you as I cut out your organs!"
"Heh," Ken let out a small chuckle as his Psychokinesis aura appeared around him again.
"Crap, his semblance!" The agent shouted as she immediately rushed towards Ken, prepared to kill him before he could use his semblance.
"Too little too late," Ken said as he used his psychokinesis onto the female agent, stopping her in her tracks.
"D-damnit!" The female agent shouted, "Let…go of me!"
Ken was panting heavily as he kept holding onto the woman, "Threaten…Jurabi…and Aoife...and I'll make you...regret it! Psychokinesis: Suffocation!" Ken made a gesture with his hand as if he was choking the woman.
Suddenly, the female agent felt like someone was choking her as her windpipe was being constricted.
Ken kept this up for a solid minute before the agent lost consciousness. The blond faunus disabled his semblance and watched as the woman fell to the ground.
But then, Ken's vision began to blur as he felt a liquid onto his mouth and cheeks. He checked and saw blood.
"Well, what do we have here?" A voice called, "A Twilight agent and a bloodied Ken."
"That…voice…" Ken turned to see a figure walking towards him, but Ken's vision was so blurry he couldn't make out what the person looked like but he knew who it was.
"I leave the city for a week and this happens," The voice said as Ken saw several blurry figures behind the first, "Be that as it may, you did good work, Ken. Go ahead and get some rest."
Ken fell to his knees and was close to passing out, "…Director…Kurosaki…"
XxxxxxxxxX
~~With Aoife~~
After the explosion in the electrical room, Aoife let down her bubble shield as the ceiling sprinklers alarm cleared away the fire in the room.
"I hope no one saw that…" Aoife said, scratching her head in worry. But then she heard a sound in the smoke and instinctively jumped to the left. Not a second later did a lance shoot out from the smoke and connected to the wall Aoife was at a moment ago.
The male Twilight agent rushed out of the smoke and grabbed his lance, "I've grown tired of this nonsense!"
"Whoa, you sound really mad there," Aoife said with a smirk, "And wet too. Want me to get you a towel?"
The Twilight agent ignited his lance with light dust and shot a wave of light energy towards the woman.
"I'll take that as a no," Aoife said as she spun Dust Malika and summoned a bubble shield to protect her from the incoming attack.
"That bubble can't protect you forever!" The Twilight agent shouted as he jumped into the air and slammed his lance down, causing the floor underneath Aoife's shield to break.
"Oh no!" Aoife shouted as she fell down to the bottom floor with her bubble shield. The impact onto the ground caused the shield to dissipate.
"I have you now!" The agent shouted as he descended in Aoife with his lance ready to be plunged into her.
Aoife quickly rolled out of the way before swerving Dust Malika to be ready to block the next incoming strike.
As a result, Aoife had to remain on the defensive as the Twilight agent continued his offensive onslaught until the red-haired huntress was backed up against the wall.
"If defending is all you are capable of, you should have known this battle would be lost for you," The Twilight agent said.
"Perhaps, but I'm a really stubborn woman," Aoife said with a crazy smirk, "In fact, I've been testing out the waters of offense, but I'm afraid you won't like the results."
"Nor will I want to give you the chance," The Twilight agent said as he prepared to shoot another light energy wave at the huntress.
"Teehee, sorry," Aoife said as her expression turned into a dark smile, "But I never said anything about you having a choice in the matter." In a sudden turn of events, Aoife split Dust Malika in half as it began transforming into twin daggers.
"What the?!" The agent's eyes widened in shock.
"Kahaha, you're screwed now!" Aoife shouted as she darted towards the agent at incredible speed.
"Tch, I won't be intimidated by you!" The agent shouted as he tried to make the initiative first by striking the incoming woman first.
Aoife jumped on top of his lance and used her foot to slam it hard onto the ground, breaking off the blade part.
"Wh-what?!"
"I don't mind you not being afraid of me…" Aoife whispered as she stared at the agent with eyes that held a fire that could burn anyone but also had the coldness of the ocean depths, "…Having the courage to face my wrath only prolongs the inevitable." She prepared her daggers as water bubbles formed around them, "Water Tornado!" In an instant, Aoife's water bubbles came together to form a huge water tornado that broke off the ceiling above and sent the male agent flying high into the air.
"Kaha, you think I'm done?" Aoife asked as she jumped high up after the agent and grabbed his leg before slamming him down onto the roof floor.
"Ah!" The agent gasped.
"Take this as a message to the rest of you terrorists—Twilights and Eclipse both!" Aoife said as she then dived down to the man, "Mess with Aoife's loved ones…and you face Aoife's wrath!" She shouted as she delivered a kick straight onto the agent's back, bringing him crashing down through the building.
Once finished, the agent was left unconscious with a broken back.
Aoife let out a deep, exhausted breath as she reverted Dust Malika to its original state, "Ugh…I can't wait to pay all of the damage I just caused with my paychecks…" She whined, scratching her hair, "Guess it's ramen for the next five months."
XxxxxxxxxX
~~With Jurabi~~
Meanwhile, Jurabi was doing everything in his power to damage the Archammer, but every single strike from his sword bounced off the mech's outer shell.
"Hah…" Jurabi felt a rush of exhaustion from all his failed attempts.
"What is this pathetic display of swordsmanship, Jurabi?" Gerald asked, "With attacks as weak as those, you'll never be able to leave so much as a scratch on the Archammer."
"Dammit…I've never expected Gerald to create something with armor as tough as this. Did he keep this mech a secret from me for this exact reason? Regardless…everything has a weakness! Focus, Jurabi. Keep your balance and find a way!" Jurabi then rushed at Gerald again but swerved to attack him from the right side.
"Whatever you're trying to do, you'll only tire yourself out," Gerald said as he activated the shields around the mech's body, "Give it up!"
Jurabi's quick sword strike bounced off the shield, "Wasn't fast enough…" That was when Jurabi saw the mech turn around and throw a punch at him. He quickly holds up his sword to block the attack, but is still sent flying across the ground. "Ah!" Jurabi could taste the blood that split from his mouth.
Seeing the boy suffering on the ground, Gerald smiled and pressed a button. The Archammer kneeled and two missile launchers appeared on its shoulders, "So long, Jurabi!" He shouted as he fired the missiles at Jurabi.
Jurabi gets back onto his feet and sees the missiles coming his way. He quickly dodges each one but realizes that all the missiles exploded in the area behind him. Looking back, he breathed a sigh of relief knowing that no one was in the auditorium. He glared at Gerald for his recklessness, "Are you crazy, Gerald?! You'll bring the whole building down if you use those weapons irresponsibly!"
"Fine by me!" Gerald shouted, "This mech will keep me safe from the collapsing rubble. Can't say the same for you!" He then shoots another barrage of missiles at him.
Jurabi looked down at all the men he knocked down. Instead of dodging the missiles, Jurabi intercepted them, cutting each one in half before they got the chance to explode, but some of them exploded regardless in Jurabi's face, causing some damage.
Gerald smirked at the smoke where Jurabi once was, but his smirk turned into a shocked expression as the boy began diving towards him. He quickly tries to reactivate the shield, but Jurabi has already reached him.
"No more missiles for you!" Jurabi shouted as he cut off the missile launchers on the mech.
"No! I spent thousands to have those installed!" Gerald shouted as he turned around and tried to punch Jurabi with the mech.
Jurabi jumped away from the punch and then lunged towards Gerald's cockpit, "Wide open!"
"I think not!" Gerald shouted as he pressed a button, activating a small minigun on the cockpit that opened fire.
Jurabi's eyes widened as he tried to block each bullet, but the speed of the bullets combined with his momentum made it nearly impossible. One of the bullets managed to hit Jurabi's right leg, "Ah!" Jurabi stumbled and lost his momentum as blood began gushing from his left leg.
Gerald then grabbed Jurabi with the Archammer's hands, "Damn, brat. It took all my bullets to finally hit you. Well, let's see how far this thing can throw you!" He then threw Jurabi straight into the air and watched his body break through the ceiling.
Jurabi's body reached the rooftop, slamming into a wall before falling down on the roof grounds.
"Ngh…" Jurabi whimpered as he tried to crawl to his sword that fell a few feet in front of him. His vision blurred as his mind began processing the excruciating pain he was in from colliding with several feet on concrete.
That was when Gerald jumped up to the rooftop, smiling down on Jurabi, "Look at what's become of you, Jurabi. Nitorin would be ashamed that you lost to me so pathetically.
Jurabi said nothing but let out a low growl at Gerald.
"I am ashamed as well, you know," Gerald continued as he picked up Jurabi's sword, "You had such untapped potential. The sky would have been the limit for you, but you just had to throw it all away." He said this as he threw Jurabi's sword off the rooftop.
Jurabi tried his hardest to stand back up and fight, but his body was in a bad state and the most he could muster was getting onto one knee.
"What? You're still trying to defy me?" Gerald asked, getting mad at how persistent this child is being, "Look around you, you naïve child!" He shouted as he picked Jurabi back up again and punched him into the wall, "All that power gone to complete waste!" He shouted, punching Jurabi again before picking him back up only to slam him into the ground, "You would have had it all had you stayed where you belonged—had you known your place! My mistake for not getting rid of your parents when you were born. Now you have the immature dreams of a washed-up man with a fragile heart."
Gerald looked down and saw Jurabi was still trying to stand back up despite the heavy beating he had just received from his powerful mech. Gerald gritted his teeth before taking in a deep breath, "…You were a natural, Jurabi, all talent and brilliance and usefulness…but…all good things must end too soon, I suppose." He said as he picked Jurabi up again with both of the mech's hands, "It was the same with those naive parents of yours. It was the same with your friendship with that faunus girl. And it'll be no different from your friendship with those two hunters. Any final words?"
Jurabi opened his eyes, only glaring at Gerald, "…I…will…make…you…pay…Gerald…"
"You've long lost your chance, boy," Gerald said as he threw Jurabi again, but this time into a building on the other side of Alisen Industries HQ.
Jurabi crashed into an office building, causing the workers there to scatter in confusion and shock.
"Ugh…I…I…" Jurabi's vision began turning black, "…I'm sorry…Dad…"
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Unknown~~
Jurabi felt different all of a sudden. He felt a breeze hit his face as he opened his eyes to find himself inside a white room.
"Huh? Where…where am I?" Jurabi asked as he looked around, "Did…did I die? I failed?" He looked at his own hand and scanned his entire body to see that everything was still there, but Gerald, Aoife, Ken, or anyone he knew was nowhere in sight. The boy let out a sigh, "I guess I wasn't cut out to be a hunter after all. I was just a kid…playing hero like a fool."
"What's this? Throwing in the towel already?" Asked a kid's voice.
"Huh? Who's there?!" Jurabi shouted, looking around the room frantically.
"Who indeed? I have no name, nor do I care for such things. But I know you, Jurabi. A boy who lost everything and has only his own darkness to keep himself company."
"My…darkness?" Jurabi asked, "No, that can't be true. I don't even know what you're talking about."
"Are you sure of that?" The voice asked as a black hole appeared in the far side of the room and a little boy with black hair with red highlights walked through, "Even in the face of one you are familiar with?"
Jurabi's eyes widened as he recognized the boy, "Y-you're…" He looked upon the little boy who was none other than himself as a child, "Me?!"
"You are only half correct, Jurabi," The boy who looked like him said, "I am you…but you are also me as well."
"That…that makes no sense! Who are you?! You can't be me!" Jurabi shouted.
"Remain in denial all you wish," The boy said, giving him a smile, "But you'll learn the truth of your powers soon enough. And when you do…there will be no turning back."
"Wait…but I died…didn't I?" Jurabi asked, "And truth of my powers? I…I don't understand…"
"You really need me to spell it out for you, don't you?" The boy asked, "But I won't. You're smart enough to figure it out once you look deep within yourself. I will tell you that you didn't die as I wouldn't be here to begin with. No…your consciousness simply had nowhere else to go but here…with me. Unfortunately for you…I hate unexpected visitors, so I'm going to send you back out there, but this time…I want you to take your fights seriously and use the powers granted to you."
"You're not making any sense here, and you still haven't explained who you are!" Jurabi shouted.
"All will be revealed in due time, Jurabi," The boy said as he raised his hands, "Now…unleash the dark powers resting in you. Destroy the man who ruined your life and took your loved ones away from you! Show…no…mercy!"
Jurabi felt a sudden wave of dark energy coursing through his body, "This…this power…No…I won't…"
"Oh, you will, Jurabi," The boy said with a happy smile as Jurabi's form vanished from his sight, "Because…you're me…and I am you."
XxxxxxxxxX
Gerald looked over at where he threw Jurabi and saw the boy wasn't moving. He let out a smirk as he turned his back, "The Archammer is a success."
But suddenly, Gerald heard a strange, slicing sound followed by something heavy hitting the ground.
"Hm?" Gerald was confused at first, and then the alarms inside the cockpit rang off, "What?!"
He looked around and saw that the right arm of the Archammer was sliced off, "Wh-what the hell?!"
Gerald's eyes turned to the figure that was now standing before him. His jaw dropped once he realized who it was, "I-Impossible…h-how…?"
Jurabi, who he just threw to the building, was back on the rooftop standing before him, but something was different about him.
Theme Song: 'Colors' Code Geass R1
He had red horns growing out of his hair, his eyes turned black, and he had dragon-like scales around his jaws. In his hand was an unknown black substance that formed into a straight line, but Jurabi held onto it like it was a sword.
"H-How?! How are you still alive?!" Gerald shouted, in complete shock and horror of what he's seeing, "I could have sworn I broke every bone in your body! Why are you not dead, you…freak!"
"…Like I said before, Gerald," Jurabi said, raising his black mist blade, "This power of mine…is a curse. But you know what, I should appreciate it for what it is to me. The power I need to defeat you and every Grimm in Vastel!"
In the blink of an eye, Jurabi shot a dark energy wave towards Gerald, cutting off the Archammer's other arm.
"No!" Gerald screamed, "Do you know how much it will cost to repair the Archammer?!"
"Still talking about money?" Jurabi asked coldly, "How I was able to put up with you will remain a mystery for as long as I live."
"Y-you're mocking me!" Gerald growled as he pressed every button in the cockpit related to the Archammer's remaining weapons, "D-damn you! When I'm done with you they'll mistake you for minced cheesesteak, you little shit!"
Jurabi remained silent as he watched all the weapons on the Archammer aim at him. In a single flash, he was able to move around the battlefield, avoiding every bullet fired at him as he approached the mech. Jurabi then jumped into the air and dived down to land onto the mech's head.
"Wha? Get off me!" Gerald shouted, moving the mech around to shake him off.
Jurabi was still silent as he curled his left hand into a fist. The same dark energy began to envelop his fist before turning into a giant fist.
Gerald watched this in dismay as the fist slammed down onto the mech, causing the ground beneath it to cave in and send the mech down to the bottom of the building.
Gerald tried his hardest to get the Archammer moving again, but all of the systems shut down, "Millions of dollars and countless hours just for this…and it can't even kill one child?!"
Jurabi followed the Archammer down to the first floor. He watched the greedy man try desperately to bring the machine back online, "You're a sad man, Gerald. If you think everything made in this company has to have the capacity to kill, then there really is no hope for you."
Gerald slammed his fist onto the broken controls, "Shut up, shut up! You don't know the first thing about the art of business! Do you know who you're dealing with?! I am the one who made this company what it is today! Don't compare me to a naïve child like you!"
"You'll die on that hill alone, won't you?" Jurabi said as he let out a small huff, "Fine. You're entitled to your beliefs, but I won't allow the world to remain a slave to your deception! I will expose you for the monster you really are."
Gerald sees one control panel that is still barely active and immediately slams the button to activate it, "You were always the real monster, Grimm!"
Jurabi wasted no time seeing the gun that appeared from the Archammer. He closed the distance and sliced the weapon off, much to Gerald's dismay, "You're right. I am a monster," Jurabi then reached through the glass of the cockpit and ripped the entire part out of the Archammer before grabbing onto Gerald.
"Gah! Get! Your! Filthy! Grimm! Hands! Off! ME!" The man screamed.
"I helped you kill many innocent people, faunus included, all because of my own selfish views on the world," He then slammed Gerald up against the wall, "But now I see everything clearly, and you, Gerald Achilles, are no father of mine! You are nothing…but a cold-hearted criminal!"
"Tch, don't…make me laugh…" Gerald grunted, "You think the people will share the same perspective as you? No…you're the real criminal here, Jurabi. Hehehe…the real demon."
"The faunus prisoners from that night," Jurabi began, "Tell me where they are"
"And why…would I ever tell you…?" Gerald said with a smirk as he saw three hunters entering the building, "Oh, would you look at that. The hunters of Oroseia Academy have arrived. Let's see who they will believe."
"Stop right there!" A voice shouted.
Jurabi turned around to see three police officers with their guns pointed at them.
"Oh, thank goodness you came, brave officers," Gerald shouted, acting like the victim in this situation, "This thing here is the fake Jurabi I told everyone about! It turns out that he's just a Grimm that shapeshifted into Jurabi! It'll kill me if it gets its way! Please help me!"
But the police officers remained silent, much to both Jurabi and Gerald's confusion.
"Did you not hear me?" Gerald asked, "Save me from this monster!"
"Aw, monster?" Asked a familiar voice, "I wouldn't be too hasty to label people, Gerald Achilles." Aoife then appeared from the corner that neither Jurabi nor Gerald noticed.
"A-Aoife! You're okay!" Jurabi shouted.
Aoife let out a smile, "I'm glad you're okay too, Jubi. Now be a good boy and step away from the real criminal."
"Criminal?" Gerald asked in full confusion mode, "Me? There has to be a mistake! The criminal is right there in front of you! Are you blind?!"
"Not at all," Aoife said, "But it was slightly amusing to see you try to pull this victim card in front of me and my friends, Gerald. I rate your act…a four out of ten."
"This…this is an embarrassing display for the enforcers of the law! I will not tell you again! Arrest this Grimm at once!" Gerald shouted.
"Mr. Achilles, we have direct orders from the Oroseia Police Department to place you under arrest for suspicion of selling illegal weapons to terrorists, abuse towards workers, and hosting an illegal faunus trafficking ring," A police officer said, handcuffing Gerald, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law."
"What is this nonsense?! Uncuff me at once!" Gerald shouted, "Are you really going to ignore the imitate threat standing right next to you?!"
Aoife let out a smirk, "What threat? There was never a threat attacking this place. Just a corrupted businessman, right guys?"
"Right," The police officer said, "Take him away."
"Unhand me this instant! Do you have any idea what will happen to Alisen Industries if I'm gone?!" Gerald shouted, "This is all your fault, Jurabi! The people will never forgive you for this! Once my associates hear about this…!"
Jurabi stepped forward and answered, "That's fine by me! Let them all come, and I'll be there and I'll bring every single terrorist you associated my company with to the ground! That's a promise!"
Once Gerald was taken away by the police, Aoife smiled and gave Jurabi a big hug, "Way to go, Jubi~! You did it!"
"Ow! Ow! Ooww! Aoife! Please let go of me! My body is aching all over!" Jurabi shouted in pain.
"Oh, right," Aoife said as she let go of Jurabi, but still held onto him enough to make sure he doesn't fall, "We need to get you medical attention as soon as possible."
"Forget…about me," Jurabi said, "Is Mr. Vongarus…okay?"
Aoife smiled, "Kenny is fine. He suffered injuries, but he won't admit it. 'It's all part of the job', is what he would say."
"That's a relief…" Jurabi whispered as he felt his vision begin to blur, "If he died for my sake…I…"
"Jubi?" Aoife asked as she watched Jurabi fall into her arms, "Jurabi! What's wrong?! Oh no…I need a doctor over here! Don't worry, Jurabi. You're going to be…Oh!" Aoife then realized that Jurabi wasn't dying at all. He was just fast asleep. The woman breathed a sigh of relief as she smiled and held him tight, "If only your parents could see you now. They would be so proud of you, as am I."
But before Aoife could get Jurabi out, a group of police officers came in.
"Huntress Chandani," The lead police officer called.
"Damn, they got here faster than I expected," Aoife said.
The lead police officer showed her his badge, "I am sorry to tell you this, but we have received orders to take that boy into custody on the question of whether he is or isn't the real Jurabi Alisen in addition to causing damage to this building."
Aoife realized that they couldn't get Jurabi out in time. She bit her lip as she looked back at the sleeping Jurabi, "Jubi…"
"These are orders from the Vastel Council," The lead police officer said, "You and Mr. Vongarus will also be placed in suspension under suspicion of being accomplices until this matter is resolved. All three of you are in need of medical attention, and we also have orders to give that to you. Please comply."
"…Fine," Aoife said as she glared at the police officer, "So long as you don't harm a hair on his body, I don't care what you do to me."
The police leader nodded and took both of them into custody before allowing the medics to give them the required medical attention.
But unknown to them, standing above the tall buildings was a figure watching everything that has occurred around the building. This figure was a woman whose appearance was covered by a black, hooded cloak. The woman paid the closest attention to Jurabi throughout the whole ordeal at the Alisen Industries building.
"So…you've awakened to your powers too, Jurabi," The woman said, her blackened eyes and red irises visible through the cloak. She turned and began walking away, "Then your journey through this broken world…can finally begin."
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Three Hours Later~~
~~Oroseia Academy~~
In the director's office of Oroseia Academy, Doran watched the news of what occurred at Alisen Industries.
"It seems even the media is unaware of the full story, Director Kurosaki," Doran said, turning to the figure sitting at the desk, "That's a good sign we needed from this whole mess."
"The public isn't ready for the truth yet," Kurosaki said, taking a sip from his tea cup, "The only thing they are allowed to know is Gerald Achilles's true colors and the crimes he will be tried for."
"But you are aware that none of the accusations against Achilles will hold up without solid evidence, are you?" Doran asked.
"Doran, did you forget who you're talking to?" Kurosaki asked, "I already sent Lindow to collect the evidence we need to put that man behind bars."
"Lindow?" Doran asked, "Ah, I was wondering why he came asking me about the new information Mr. Vongarus had sent me. It wouldn't have hurt to give me a heads up."
"Hehe, my apologies, Doran," Kurosaki said.
"I doubt this will be the last time you apologize to me about this," Doran said, letting out a sigh.
"But still, if what you told me is true, then we may have a bigger problem on our hands," Doran said, "It's hard to believe someone could exuberate so much power. Is Jurabi Alisen really…?"
"I know that power from anywhere, Doran," Kurosaki said, laying back on his chair, "Dark Atoms. There is no doubt in my mind."
"If it is true, then does that mean Project Therion was a success after all?" Doran asked.
"…Only time will tell," Kurosaki said, reading a message on his computer before he stood up, "I've just received word that Chandani and Vongarus are under suspension by order of the council."
"Why does that not surprise me…" Doran said, rubbing his temples, "What do you think they'll do to Mr. Alisen?"
"Knowing the current leader of Staneia, he would move to have him be killed," Kurosaki answered as he stood up from his chair, "The others I can't say for certain, but if there's even one who wishes for Jurabi's death, we have no time to waste."
"You're leaving already, sir?" Doran asked.
"I'm afraid so. My apologies, Doran, but please hold down the fort a little while longer until I return."
"Yes, Director Kurosaki."
XxxxxxxxxX
Director Kurosaki stood alone in the elevator descending to the first floor. The light shined down on this raven black hair and red dress shirt. His irises were black, but the shape of his pupils were a bizarre square shape. He took out a cracked pocket watch and stared into it. The hands that held it were covered by leather black gloves, "I hope I don't end up late. It'd be a shame to lose out on the opportunity…"
…
…
…
"…to invite Jurabi Therion to Oroseia Academy."
To Be Continued...
Jurabi: Hello again, everyone! Geez it's been ages since I updated this story. Sorry, I don't know why this particular chapter took so long. *checks word limit: 20k+ words* Oh.
Yeah, this was a very long chapter for the prologue and man was it a challenge to write. There were so many moving elements I had to juggle, sections I had to write, rewrite, and sometimes delete and go a different route. This took a long time and you can tell by the length and writing quality. So I thank all of you for your patience with me. I truly appreciate all of you. Now we're going into the Class B-8 Arc which won't have a major overarching plot but will more so introduce more main characters in our story that we will be following in future arcs. It'll come across as a might slow, but I will be sure to balance the characterization element and add more fast paced combat and conflict but only if it is needed.
So again, I thank you all for taking time to read this chapter! I've work extremely hard on it and I thank my friend Hofund for helping me out with the drafting phases to make this chapter better than it could have been on my own.
I'll see you all later in the next chapter! Bye bye~!
