Not sure how many of you know, but Takashi Kazuki the man who created the popular Yu-Gi-Oh series, died from drowning. Like Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh was one of my introductions into the world of Anime, but seeing as I was young, I thought it was American until years later, kind of like how I thought Thomas the Tank Engine was American. I was young after all.
Anyway, I think I'll throw in a few music scores from Yu-Gi-Oh this chapter, mostly from the US Dub since I think they'll fit well for the action this chapter. But before I begin, let me give you all a little clarity, New Argus is like Haven City from the Jak and Daxter series, primarily consisting of the port section, the New Haven section from Jak 3 with the sidewalks between rivers, skyscrapers, apartment buildings, water fountains and such including the canal from the Main Town section from Jak 2, the stadium from the second game included which will play an important part in this chapter. Hope that clears things up for those who played the game.
Alright, let's see what kind of trouble Weiss, Arthur and Kara get into this chapter and Yang trying to play matchmaker and the return of two faces from Cinder's past. But first, onto the reviews.
54godamora: Well, considering we don't know what happened to Kalani in the legend's universe, I figured I would bring in a Super Tactical Droid, one of which will help our heroes out, but you are right, Kalani does remind me of Shockwave myself.
SunPhoenix90: Really? I didn't notice the humor I put in last chapter. I take it you are also a Transformers Prime fan? If so, I plan on doing a Transformers Prime story in the future, with some more Autobots and another concept I've been thinking of. My jury's still out on Naruto for the moment, but I never really watched a whole lot of Bleach, especially since that was one of the only anime's we watched in my high school anime club, which seemed to cut me out of the members list in my yearbook.
Mr. Shades42: I haven't had the chance to watch the RWBY anime yet, but it's on my list of anime to check out.
BlindFaunusGirl: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. Speaking of which, that RWBY pairing you like so much, I think I might use that for my RWBY Bad Batch story one day, maybe try something new. While it is true that Cody would have tried to attack Kalani, I figured I'd wing it. As for the cult worshiping Salem, I took a que from the Los Iluminados from Resident Evil 4 and their worship of Las Plagas, the parasite that makes some ugly monsters. Wonder how ugly they will be in the remake coming out next year? Also, if you're looking for another Star Wars/RWBY crossover, I suggest you check out The Way of The Maiden, by Court of Talons.
Luffy L Deathwalker: Kalani will explain Salem's weakness which will also result in the Holocron that Oobleck gave Galen finally being unlocked. But that will have to wait for a while, but I think you've probably figured out what Salem's weakness is.
Jack Smith1: Which Clone Defectors are you talking about? Surely, it's not Howzer and his company?
Spartan-626: Well, I figured if I would have a droid ally themselves with the rebellion and remnants of the clone army, Kalani would be the more logical choice, especially if they were to learn the truth.
Alright onto the chapter.
Songs this chapter are 'Arena Combat' from Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal, 'Step up' by Jean Rodriguez, 'I'm not gonna panic' two of which are from Yu-Gi-Oh.
Disclaimers are the same as always, please enjoy.
Chapter 94: City of Sin
When they finally returned to Argus, Able was debriefed by his brothers who told him about the fall of the Republic, Anakin's turn to the dark side, the rise of the Galactic Empire and the inhibitor chips they had implanted in their heads, Able's world was thrown for a loop. Everything he was created for was nothing but a lie and the real mastermind behind the war used them as expendable pawns all to eliminate the Jedi, who saved his home planet not once, but twice. "I still can't believe it, the Chancellor was secretly using us to not only gain more power for himself within the senate, but also turned the Republic citizens against the Jedi not just by leading us into battle, but by claiming they were trying to assassinate him. What kind of an idiot would believe a lie like that?" he asked, taking a seat on the couch inside the Cotta-Arc house.
"A lot of senators apparently, save for a few of them." Rex answered. "Thankfully, not all of our brothers followed through with Order 66, thanks largely to Fordo and Fives who alerted us to these control chips and started removing them from all of our brothers as fast as possible. I'm beginning to think that General Skywalker's fall also happened because of the Jedi Council's refusal to believe that Commander Tano was innocent or even apologized to her, especially General Windu."
"Calling my ordeal, a great trial, he didn't have the nerve to admit he was wrong or even say he was sorry. Not like he's ever made a mistake in his life." Ahsoka added in agreement. "At least Master's Plo, Fisto and Kenobi apologized. They knew I was innocent, but no one even questioned my alibi."
"Sounds like this Mace Windu guy was a real stickler for the rules and traditions." Yang pipped in, carrying a mug of coffee for Able. "Here you go, soldier boy. Drink this, it will warm you right up. Might want to let it cool down though, it is hot."
"Thanks, kid." Able said, taking the mug from Yang's hand and put it down on a coaster. "So, where's your sister and her boyfriend? I thought they would be down here talking with us?" he asked.
"Probably showering off that mud they landed in after the mine exploded. Honestly, I don't think Galen is the type of guy who would force himself onto Ruby. He's too much of a good guy then most people thought he was at Beacon." Yang answered. "Besides, I was only teasing them anyway."
As Yang, Able, Ahsoka and Rex talked about other things, above them in the bathroom, the hot water ran down Ruby's naked body as the mud trickled down her body and into the drain. She grabbed the soap and started to clean her body but as she did, she began to think about her mother. If Summer was alive, why was she hiding from Salem and not make any contact with her family? Did Raven really not want Yang and abandoned her family the moment she was pregnant? Would Galen do the same thing if she ended up getting pregnant in the future? Her face turned red at the thought of getting pregnant with a child given to her by Galen. She wasn't ready for marriage yet and they still had a job to do.
"Still, the idea of marrying Galen… it kind of sounds romantic… What am I saying? I'm not ready to think about those kinds of things! I'm still only sixteen!" she exclaimed to herself, dropping the soap on the ground of the shower. As she picked up the soap, she could have sworn that she heard the bathroom door open and then suddenly close. Thinking it was someone trying to catch a glimpse of her naked body, she reached out with the force to sense their presence but felt nothing. "Must be my imagination." She shrugged and went back to her shower.
After she cleaned herself off, she pulled back the curtains of the shower and stepped out to find herself staring at a type of clothing that sat on the toilet seat in a neat pile and a note on it. 'Thought you'd like to wear something sexy for your boyfriend. No need to thank me, I love helping out my baby sister. Love Yang.'
"Really, Yang? You decided now of all times to do this to me? How many times do I have to tell you, Galen and I aren't ready to take that kind of step in our relationship." She groaned as she picked up a piece of clothing and sighed. "Well, I can't walk out of the bathroom naked, especially with Adrian and Grogu wandering around. I'll probably scare them for life if they see my body."
While Ruby changed into the 'clothing' her sister had left her, Galen sat on the bed in one of the guest bedrooms wearing a white t-shirt and black shorts with the Holocron in his hands. "This Holocron, there has to be something important about this. Maybe it has a clue to what Salem's weakness is. If only it weren't so hard to unlock, must be a security protocol installed in the damn thing." He said to himself before he thought about asking Jinn, but then remembered that even she didn't know what Salem's weakness was.
The guest room door soon opened, and he heard the sound of heels clattering on the floor as Ruby walked into the bedroom, wearing the same type of lingerie that Ahsoka wore for Ray only colored red like the rest of her clothing and wore a pair of heels. "Uh, why are you wearing clothing meant for lovers?" Galen questioned.
"Yang. She took my bathrobe and underwear and replaced them with this." Ruby answered annoyed. "She's trying to play matchmaker, again. Just like she did when she set up our date in Vale."
"Well, you do look good in red." Galen complimented. "But I thought you said you don't like wearing heels?"
"Actually, I think I'm starting to get the hang of walking in them." Ruby answered, only to trip the second she took a step and landed right in Galen's chest. "Wah! I'm sorry… I didn't mean to… I mean I didn't…. I wasn't…." she tried to explain.
"Relax, Ruby. I get it. It was an accident and not intentional." Galen assured her, noticing her face was the same color as her clothing. "So, what do you think? About Salem's weakness? You have any idea what it is? Jinn didn't give us any kind of clue as to what it is, other than she can't be killed by conventional means."
"I… don't know. I mean, her weakness could be something so rare that she destroyed it or something that we don't even know about and doesn't exist on this planet. Maybe it's something only she has in her domain. Ugh! I don't know! It's all so confusing and it's making my brain hurt." Ruby groaned before she fell backwards onto the bed. "What if Ironwood doesn't believe us or won't even allow us into Atlas after we help the Commander?"
"Honestly, I'm a bit concerned about that myself. Based on what I heard from Weiss, Arthur, Artoria and Dante, it's the elite of Atlas who run the kingdom's council and Ironwood has two seats on it. Mantle has no one representing it and none of those 'elite' have even decided to lend a hand to Mantle, leaving them to fend for themselves. It sounds like Coruscant, the wealthy and important people live in luxury while the rest of the planet live off their scraps. Weiss and Arthur might have the right idea. Maybe we should just forget going to Atlas and go to Shade instead." Galen explained.
"But if Atlas is Salem's next target, a lot of people will die, and she'll get the relic that's stored in the Atlas vault. Plus, we'll need their army if we stand a chance against Salem's forces, Maul and the Empire. I've got a feeling they'll be coming back and with a lot more firepower than before." Ruby added.
"Let's just hope that Weiss's father doesn't do anything stupid and try to take his daughter back by force. After everything I've heard, I don't think he'll be an ally, more like a hinderance. Weiss's brother on the other hand, I don't know." Galen said. He then noticed Ruby's outfit. "Hey, doesn't it look like something that Weiss would wear for Arthur?"
"Probably? Maybe in a million years." Ruby said with a laugh.
A few miles away, Weiss sneezed loudly as she, Arthur and Kara sat in the compartment on the train taking them to New Argus. "Achoo!"
"Bless you." Kara said, handing Weiss a tissue as the train entered a tunnel. "Sounds like someone's talking about you, think it's your family?" she asked.
"I doubt it." Weiss replied as she blew her nose. "My father only cares about the company, the profits he'll make or lose. He's callous, snide, vindictive, overbearing and cold. Basically, the last person anyone would want for a father and believe me, there have been people who told me that they wished they were born a Schnee. They have no idea what kind of man my father is."
"Let's not forget he's also racist, like the rest of the Atlas society." Arthur added as he looked out the window of the train. "A lot of New Argus is much like Atlas, but I've heard rumors that the man in charge of New Argus, Carter Burns is more than just your typical high-class member of Atlas society. Rumors are that he sells weapons, Dust, vehicles and people on the black market. Not just Faunus, but also humans. I even heard it's possible that he runs an illegal fight club where people compete against the Grimm and sometimes even fellow fighters."
"So, it's like the Vytal Festival, only gladiator style and fights to the death. How come someone hasn't arrested him yet?" Kara asked.
"From what I heard, he has some powerful connections within the Atlas and Mistral Councils, even the police department which allows him to pin the blame on innocent people who have been sent to jail and have their reputations and families destroyed because of Burns. He's a man who's always careful not to leave any loose ends or leads to his activities. Which is why we'll need to be careful about this." Arthur added.
Clouds of steam poured into the air as the train exited the tunnel and traversed a long viaduct that held a great historical significance as it was constructed by both humans and Faunus in the days before the White Fang turned into a terrorist cell. The viaduct measured almost two-thousand feet and was double tracked allowing two trains to travel across it. Another passenger train zoomed past them as they crossed the bridge and ahead of them, they saw the walled city of New Argus. "So, New Argus is basically a resort city with gambling, entertainment, shopping, nightly entertainment and fine dining on the surface, but underneath it's all just a cover for smuggling weapons, Dust, people and illegal gladiator matches. Should we be worried about getting caught and sold?" Kara questioned.
"We don't need to worry about Mr. Burns. I met him once when I was a little girl and he's one of those people who believe that the only place woman should belong is at home serving their husbands, as well as one of the people who believe the Faunus should be hunted down and exterminated as sport. I even heard he tried to pitch that idea to the Atlas Council, but it was flatly rejected." Weiss explained as the train chugged through the marshalling yards towards the main station. "Still, we should keep our guards up. He has his own private army which isn't exactly known for its treatment of the Faunus or those who break the law." She added.
"A private army? We're all gonna die." Kara groaned. "That is if we get caught. If Chang and Burns were working together when they murdered my father, I'm going to find that proof and bring those two down." She declared just as the train began to slow down and gently glide into the station. The three of them collected their luggage and exited the train once it came to a complete stop before they walked towards their hotel, an exact copy of the famous Glass Unicorn, a luxurious multi-story hotel with various kitchens, five floors and a glass ceiling and according to Weiss prohibited the Faunus from even setting foot in such a place.
It was said that the owner of the original Glass Unicorn in Atlas was murdered along with a Huntsmen who frequented that hotel fifteen years ago, while the owners' daughters were spared for some unknown reason. The hotel was also known for its lack of staff, which when the police launched an investigation into the murders, found out that the former owner was using an orphaned child as a sort of slave labor. The daughters denied such accusations, but statements and recorded footage from several of the hotel's guests proved these allegations to be correct. As a result, the original hotel was placed under new management and the daughters, Amanda and Lee fled Atlas and rebuilt their hotel in New Argus with the exact same features as the original.
Entering the hotel, the three saw the various glass sculptures of Grimm adored the lobby while guests checked in and checked out and maids wearing the same type of outfit that Weiss once wore tended to the requests of the guests. Approaching the reception desk, Weiss asked the receptionist for their room keys having made a reservation before they left Argus. As the receptionist checked her terminal, Weiss felt Kara elbow her in the back and pointed out Amanda and Lee dressed in clothing similar to their late mother watching them from the second floor before they collected their room key. "I sense something off about those two, it's like they know who we are. Didn't the commander say she had a contact in the police department who would be helping us?" she asked.
"She did, she said their name was Holmes." Arthur replied. "Let's hope they are one of the honest police officers in this city."
"An honest cop in this city is rare. My father and I came here a few times to buy supplies for constructing weapons, a lot of police officers tried to 'arrest' him for 'supplying' certain undesirables with weapons, namely the White Fang. But that was all so they could have him build some of his weapons and then sell them on the black market." Kara shrugged as the three entered their room on the third floor. Once inside, they locked the door and checked for listening devices. They found none and placed their suitcases on the beds. "Please tell me I'm not going to be wearing that maid uniform you brought along with us?" Kara asked.
"Only when Arthur and I are out in public and acting like we belong in this city." Weiss said with disgust as she looked out from the hotel rooms window towards Burn's mansion. "However, if we are to attend one of Burn's extravagant parties, that will give you a chance to investigate the warehouses in the port for any…" she began before there was a knock on the door. All three of them looked towards the door before Weiss walked up to answer the door.
Standing in front of the door, was one of the hotel maids with a letter in their hands. "Forgive my intrusion, Miss Schnee, but I have a letter from Mr. Burns here addressed to you." The maid said, handing the letter to Weiss who took the letter. The maid bowed and left the three alone after Weiss closed the door.
She opened the letter and found it contained a pair of invitations to a party being thrown by Burns. "It looks like that old man hasn't changed one bit. He still throws these extravagant parties when someone of importance comes into the city." She scoffed. "This just might be the lead we need. Arthur and I can attend the party while Kara check's out the warehouses in the port. Winter told me once, that Burns has smuggles his goods out through crates marked as food relief. He claims to be a charitable man, but he only cares about money. We tag a few of those crates, we can turn them over to Commander Cordovin. Not only will she be able to replenish the supplies at her base, but she can also track the buyers and arrest them."
"So, while you two play dress up, I play cat burglar and gather intelligence when I'm not playing the part of the maid for the Ice Flower and Wolf Knight? Is that about, right?" Kara asked.
"Well, that's one way of putting it, but yes." Arthur replied, opening his suitcase and pulled out a dinner tuxedo that he bought from Argus before they left. "It appears that the lady will need time to change into her attire. I suggest you change in first then I will follow afterward. Kara, it would be best if you change into the clothing Cinder wore at Beacon after us." Arthur told the two girls, who both agreed.
Arthur waited for a few minutes before Weiss came out dressed in an evening gown similar to Cinder's but was as white as her hair as opposed to the midnight black that Cinder's was. It included the same long gloves, heels and sash, all in the same color as the dress. "Wow, who knew Cinder had a thing for fashion? If she weren't dead or working with Salem, she'd probably be a nice person. Then again, you look way better in that dress than Cinder did, not that I ever saw her in that dress." Kara complimented as Arthur entered the bathroom to change into his attire.
"You think Arthur likes it?" Weiss asked with a small blush on her face.
"Well, I can't say for certain about him, but I think he likes it." Kara replied shortly before Arthur exited the bathroom in his dinner tuxedo. "You two might want to take these with you." She said holding out a pair of Model Q2 hold-out blaster pistols for the two of them. "Keep these with you, just in case of trouble. I don't trust those sisters, or this Burns guy. I sense a lot of darkness coming from this city."
"At least we'll have some protection." Weiss said in agreement, tucking the blaster into the back of her dress. "I'd rather not be caught naked in a fight without a weapon."
"Please do not put the thought of you naked in my head again. I already had to witness that once when you almost drowned because of that bastard Champ." Arthur asked Weiss.
"Right, sorry about that." Weiss apologized, thinking that Arthur looked rather handsome in his tuxedo. "I probably shouldn't have to mention it, but Burns is a very racist man. If he finds out your half-faunus he'll probably throw you into the arena and make you fight for the entertainment of others." Weiss said with concern.
"My Faunus traits are not that easy to detect with the naked eye. Even if someone were to disrespect my family, I'll control my emotions and keep myself in check." Arthur assured his girlfriend and then turned to Kara. "Once we head for the party, we'll send you a signal via our Scrolls. Lock the room door, exit the window and don't forget the mask. We can't let the enemy know who you are." He reminded.
"Got it." Kara nodded before she headed into the bathroom to change herself. As she entered the bathroom, Arthur took Weiss's hand and the two walked out of their hotel room and out of the building where a limo was waiting for them, sent for them by Burns according to the limo driver. Though Weiss didn't want to admit it in person, she already didn't like Burns now as she did when she met him years ago, especially considering that the man was close with her father.
As the limo drove away Kara, now dressed in the black sleeveless jacket, stiletto heels, long gloves, black pants and mask that the deceased Cinder had worn watched from the window after she locked the hotel room door. Her scroll beeped as the limo disappeared from sight, her signal for her to make her own move. Opening the window and looking around, she fired her grappling hook at the fire escape of the nearby restaurant and leapt off the building. Using the momentum from her jump, she swung in the air before she released her grip on the launcher and landed safely on the building, grabbing the cord and launcher before anyone down below noticed it. "Time to get moving." She said to herself before running towards the edge of the building and jumped, using the force to land on another building.
As Kara ran across the roof tops, the limo transporting Weiss and Arthur to the party pulled up the mansion which looked almost like an exact replica of the Schnee Mansion as if the architect who constructed her family's home was hired to build it. Both of them stepped out of the limo and walked towards the entrance where they were scanned for any weapons. The guards who were providing security for this party, were decked out in reinforced combat armor, helmets with a polarized visor and were armed with what appeared to be imperial blaster rifles, shotguns, handguns and submachine guns. "Looks like Mr. Burns spared no expense in providing security to protect his guests." Arthur noted with distaste.
"Those are his own private security guards. He's got enough money to create his own private army, but not an air force. He's even tried to buy New Argus but has been stopped numerous times by the Mistral Council." Weiss explained as they walked into the mansion. Once inside, they saw numerous guests dressed in extravagant clothing, drinking cocktails and gossiping about their money, hair and other needless things. "Ugh, I'm getting a serious case of Déjà vu, this is exactly like the party my father threw after my concert." Weiss groaned.
"At least try to act like we actually belong with these idiots. The last thing we want is to draw unnecessary attention." Arthur whispered as a guard passed them and nodded in their general direction before they continued with their patrol.
No sooner had the guard left, the host himself entered the party. The man in question was in their late sixties or early seventies with graying hair and large bald spot on his head, black eyes and wore a lavish tuxedo walked towards his guests with a cane in his hands before he spotted Weiss. "Ah, Miss Schnee. It is a pleasure to see a young lady amongst my fellow guests tonight." He greeted warmly, taking her hand and kissing it which made Weiss want to gag. "Is your father here?" he asked.
"No, it's just me and my… bodyguard." She said, trying to keep Arthur's identity a secret from this individual.
"It's too bad, I really wanted to discuss something with your father." Burns sighed. "Are you still trying to continue your foolish dream of becoming a huntress? Young ladies such as yourself shouldn't try to become something more suited for a man's line of work." He continued.
"Well, you haven't changed one bit, Mr. Burns." Weiss said as politely as she could. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Burns. I'll be sure to send your regards to my father when I return to Atlas."
"Oh, pish posh! Why return to your cold mansion when you could stay here, in New Argus with a real go getter like me. I've still got plenty of life in me and I'm about to come into more money than your father could ever acquire. Oh, I almost spoiled the plot, don't tell anyone." Carter said with a wink before he went to talk to some other guests.
Weiss let out a sigh of relief as the old man left. "I really hate having to act polite in front of men like that. I'd rather be the person I want to be instead of the girl my father wanted to be. I'd rather have much more interesting conversations with Hardcase." She admitted.
"Just bear with it. The sooner we complete our mission, the sooner we can get back to the others and leave this godforsaken city." Arthur whispered before he noticed the same guard from earlier gesturing for the two of them to come over. They were about to do so, when music started to play, and a pair of guests bumped into Arthur who caught Weiss in his hands as if they were dancing. "Well, the music is playing, we should dance at least once." He smirked.
Weiss had to agree and soon found herself dancing with Arthur, enjoying the time she was spending with him.
Meanwhile, Kara peered through her binoculars as she sat on top of a building directly across from one of the warehouses Burns owned in the port. Guards wearing the same type of combat armor and armed with imperial weapons patrolled the docks and from what Kara could sense, were eager for some action. She watched as the guards disappeared into the warehouse while another patrol exited the warehouse, probably to relieve the two of them of their duty.
"….so have you seen Burn's latest cargo?" a guard below her asked.
"Yeah, got some nice product with this shipment. Lots of refined dust we got from Atlas, seems that Schnee managed to bypass Ironwoods closure of the borders and Dust Embargo. I heard the last ship that came in was loaded at the port of Rosamond and get this, the cargo was brought in on a train run by a guy that Robyn Hill knows well, if Burns ever needs a scapegoat for his operations he can use the hero of Mantle. Good luck getting onto the Atlas Council now." Another guard laughed.
"Better her than us." The other guard laughed. "So, did you here. The former heiress of the Schnee Dust Company was seen entering the city. I heard from the owners the Glass Unicorn that they saw her with guy in armor and some kid who's probably her maid. Betcha we'd get paid big money for returning her to Atlas. Maybe we can sweeten the deal and get some more money from her old man."
"Don't bother, I heard he disowned her and revoked her claim as the heir to the SDC. Still, we're going to get a lot of money, not just from the Dust and weapons, but the haul of Faunus we got. Lot of slaves ready for the market. Let's just hope there are some people who are looking for some slaves, Chang and Burns had a good deal, but with Chang behind bars, he's not getting his cut of the money." The first guard snorted.
"Yeah, well if they aren't looking for some slaves, they'll make good gladiators in arena. Too bad we don't have anyone with skills like the Penwolfs or a Huntsmen. Those would draw in the big crowds." The second huffed in agreement. Just seconds later the two guards had their heads knocked against each other by Kara who snuck up behind them.
"Slavery, weapons deals, Dust trade, underground gladiator matches? Sounds like Chang and Burns are in a lot dirtier activities than we thought." She mused to herself as she dragged the unconscious guards out of sight and hid them in an empty crate. "Least these two won't be reporting back anytime soon. Now let's see what they were guarding."
She was tempted to check out the warehouse across the bay, but Kara decided to investigate the building the two knocked out guards had exited from. "That old man probably has some records or something inside this building. People always leave something important lying around in plain sight, something incriminating. Here's hoping there aren't any Grimm hiding inside, not like these morons could capture a Grimm anyway." She muttered to herself, pulling from her hip a suppressed version of one of Triggers submachine guns. "Hope I don't need to use this."
After checking her weapon, she crept into the building searching for anything that would be incriminating to the old man and expose him for the criminal he is. Her search took her into the office of the building where she started searching through the paperwork on the desk for anything useful. "Damn, only thing on these papers is just a list of the businesses he has a share in. This doesn't tell me anything." She cursed, putting the papers down. As she did, she noticed a safe next to the desk. "I wonder…" she then pulled out the scroll of one of the guards she knocked out and found the combination for the safe.
Cracking the safe was easy and what she found proved to be very useful. The documents she found inside the safe contained the list of transport routes used by Burn for transporting his wares. "Looks like someone has an extensive fleet of airships, including unmarked versions of those new airships Atlas has been developing after Beacon. They bypass all the war factories, like they know their locations." She noted as she skimmed through the documents. "Vale, Atlas, Vacuo and Anima. He's got transport routes mapped out all across the world and this is only for weapons and Dust. Clever bastard." She admitted before she took photos of the documents with her scroll and then placed them back in the safe before she locked it again. "Now, let's check out those warehouses."
Exiting the building quietly, Kara dashed across the quay and hunkered down behind a rock to avoid the spotlights from above. "Can't risk raising the alarm, I need to be silent but deadly." She reminded herself as she waited for the right moment before she pulled herself up and ran into the warehouse. "I sense a few guards in here. I'll need to avoid them or take them out to avoid being spotted."
She moved up behind one guard and wrapped her hands around the guard's neck, cutting off their air supply and gently guided them to the floor, kicking away their weapon and moving the body out of sight. "That's one guard who's going to wake up with a headache. Now let's…" she stopped mid-sentence when she sensed something coming from a nearby container. Opening it, she found dozens of Faunus and humans inside the crate, all of them in tattered clothing. "What a creep." She muttered.
"Please, you have to help us. They're going to sell us." One of the faunus, a man with a wolf tail begged.
"Don't worry, I'll get you all out." Kara assured the people before she was pulled back out of the crate by a guard and thrown to the ground. "That's going to be easier said than done." She groaned as she got back to her feet.
"I've got…" the guard started before a blade pierced through their chest. To Kara's surprise, her savior was none other than Ryu himself.
"Are you alright?" Ryu asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. But when did you get here?" Kara asked.
"Kasumi and I were sent to investigate the spike in weapons and Dust trade. Holmes sent a message to Master Hanzo and he was concerned that the individuals Commander Cordovin sent wouldn't be enough to disrupt the trade." Ryu explained as several other containers were opened up by Kasumi who had dispatched the remaining guards. "It appears that Burns is smuggling not only people and Dust, but also weapons. The crates are marked with the SDC logo, so it's logical to assume that the company is involved with this transaction to some degree."
Kasumi soon landed on the ground, clad in her basic clothing with the addition of a mask. "We need to get these people out of here. I may have disabled the alarm, but there will no doubt be more guards on the way when these guards fail to check in." she advised, handing something to Kara. "Found something you, Weiss and Arthur will want to take a look at."
"How did you? Oh right, you two are ninjas." Kara remembered before she turned to the people that were locked in the crates. "Do any of you know how to operate a train?" she asked. The man with the wolf tail said he knew. "Take that freight train to Mistral and inform Councilman Taro about what's happening here. He'll mobilize the MSDF as quick as possible. We're going to shut this operation down." She promised. Those that were trapped in the containers for days believed her and climbed aboard the freight train parked nearby which rolled out of the docks after she sent a message to the stationmaster that a freight train with precious cargo was bound for Mistral. "Weiss and Arthur should be finished attending that party, I better get back to the hotel. You two staying in the city?" she asked the two ninjas.
"We are. We have a safehouse that no one but the two of us know. We'll send you the coordinates at a later date." Kasumi said. Kara nodded and bolted back to the hotel before she was missed.
At the same time, the party was nearly over when Burns invited his guests to the arena where he presented to his guests a very amazing spectacle. The arena was packed to the brim as the guests watched as a gladiator match between of Burn's gladiators and a pack of Beowolfs. The Wolf Grimm were all cut down, but the gladiator was exhausted that they didn't notice Alpha type Beowolf approaching behind him. The Alpha slashed at the gladiators back, stripping them of the rest of their Aura before they finally died. The spectators cheered while Arthur and Weiss looked on disgusted by the disregard of life. "And I thought the White Fang were evil before, this is just worst." Weiss said in disgust.
"It's worse than you think, Snowflake." The guard from the party whispered into Weiss's ear. "I'll meet you and the Penwolf tomorrow in the city, we'll discuss more privately there." The guard said before disappearing into the crowd, leaving Weiss confused.
"Now then, Miss Schnee." Burns said as he turned his attention to her. "I think it would be quite corking, if your bodyguard were to step into the ring and test his might against the deadly creatures of Grimm and my gladiators. He'd bring in a lot of profit, that I am sure your father would like a cut of." He added with a wink.
"My bodyguard wasn't hired to entertain the crowds in these types of matches. He is my protection, and I will not allow him to die in something as disgusting as this." Weiss said as politely as she could without trying to sound angry.
"Well, let's see what your guard has to say about it." Burns countered and turned to Arthur. "How about it whippersnapper? Would you be interested in earning a little bit of spending money?" he asked.
"I'll decline. I'm not interested in participating in death matches for the amusement of others. It's repulsive and I am here to protect Miss Schnee, nothing more, nothing less." Arthur responded coldly before he and Weiss decided to leave the party. Neither of them noticed Burn's look of annoyance as they left.
"Jenkins, call the twins at the Glass Unicorn, I want to know exactly who Miss Schnee's bodyguard is." He told his butler who nodded and walked away. "One way or another, I'll have that bodyguard for my arena one way or another, he smells of blood."
By the time Weiss and Arthur had returned to the hotel, Kara was already waiting for them in their room, still in her infiltration gear and her mask removed. "So, did you two love birds enjoy the party?" she teased.
"It was more annoying then enjoyable." Weiss admitted as she sat down on one of the beds, still in her dress. "Everyone of the guests seemed to enjoy the sight of a gladiator being killed by the Grimm after coming so far. I don't want to think what kind of life they used to live before they were taken from their families and homes. Forced to fight for their lives? Who would allow such a blood sport to take place?"
"People will turn a blind eye to just about anything for the right price. Police officers, politicians and businessmen, they'll do anything for money even if it means being accessories to criminal activity." Arthur snarled, removing his tuxedo pants and putting on his pajama bottoms before he removed his jacket. "It's one of the things I despise about the people of this city and Atlas, if they are like Burns and your father. At least your brother is a better person than your father will ever be."
"Don't remind me." Weiss groaned.
"If you guys are done talking about people like Weiss's old man, then you'll want to take a look at this." Kara told the two before she placed her scroll on the second bed and showed the transport routes she found. "Burns has a lot of connections across the globe to all four continents along with a massive airship fleet. Anura, Arcion, Littoria and the new 205 class military models, all unmarked with a lot of room for cargo. He's even got some of those land battleships in his fleet. Perfect for traveling across hostile terrain, especially with all the Grimm. He's even marked out the areas where those war factories are hovering and plotted courses around those damn things, it's like he knows where they'll be and when the right time to move his cargo is." Kara explained.
"How is that even possible?" Weiss asked.
"Don't know, but he had a lot of people he was planning on selling in one of his warehouses in the port and it wasn't just Faunus, but humans as well. This guy has no respect for life of any kind." Kara continued. "They were all in pretty bad shape before I sent them away on one his freight trains. I just hope they make it to Mistral."
"All of his guards are armed with Imperial weapons as well as standard Dust based weapons. Either he raided an imperial camp that no one knows about, or he's being supplied by the Empire. Speaking of which, do the routes say who his buyers are?" Arthur asked.
"No, but some of the routes go right through areas the White Fang are known to have set up a base or two, doesn't make any sense. Wouldn't someone want to avoid the White Fang and not have their supplies stolen?" Kara answered.
"Maybe… he wants the White Fang to steal them." Weiss suggested, getting both Kara and Arthur to look at her. "Think about it. The White Fang under Adam's control have either been captured or forced into hiding after their failure to destroy Haven and it's CCT tower, which means they don't have any supplies to launch another attack of any kind, but if they were able to steal those supplies from transports they know are coming, then it would give them everything they need to launch another assault." She hypothesized.
"Would Burns do really do that?" Kara asked.
"I don't know, I really don't know him all too well on a personal level, but he's the type of person who values making money more than anything, like my father." Weiss answered, her glove hands clenched in anger. "We need to stop him, and I think that guard from the party will have some answers for us."
"And you're going to trust the word of one of Burns guards? Sounds like a trap to me." Kara said with caution.
"They called me 'Snowflake'. Something that only my butler Klein called me when I needed cheering up. It's not just something anyone would call me. I think we can trust him and now that I think of it, Klein told me that he had a brother who was working in New Argus." Weiss told Kara.
"Well, if you trust him then I'll trust him as well." Kara relented before she yawned. "Oh yeah, before I forget, Kasumi and Ryu are in the city investigating the same thing. I don't want to jinx us, but I do hope they don't find any fighter jets being smuggled. I'm going to be, wake me when you need me." She said before going into the bathroom to change.
Arthur then turned to Weiss. "Despite the party being annoying, I thought you were an incredible dancer." He complimented.
"Well, I did learn a lot from the dance from the teachers my father hired when I was a young girl. I'm still amazed at how good of a dancer you are. I didn't think a warrior like you would be such an incredible dancer." Weiss admitted as Kara exited the bathroom. "Perhaps, when we reach Atlas…" she gulped… "We could maybe… go on a proper date…?" she suggested.
"I would love that." Arthur said with a smile as Weiss got up go change.
Meanwhile, after the guests had all left, Amanda and Lee Tremaine, the owners of the new Glass Unicorn, met with Burns at his mansion. "So, we can assume that the bodyguard of Miss Schnee is a Huntsmen. Perhaps they are one of the Huntsman who saved Haven from destruction." Amanda suggested.
"What gave that away? The muscles or the look in his eyes?" Lee scolded her twin sister.
"This is serious, Lee! If this bodyguard of hers is an official Huntsman, then they'll start investigating our activities! We're making a lot of money from these deals and the betting on the deathmatches that Burns has been running since the Fall of Beacon! We can't let our guard down or else we'll all be arrested, like mother would have been if Cinder had been caught." Amanda reminded her sister.
"Yeah, I get it. Speaking of the Fall of Beacon, Miss Schnee's bodyguard, perhaps they are one of those armored warriors that appeared at Beacon. What were they called again, mangolorians or something?" Lee scoffed.
"I believe the term is Mandalorian." Amanda corrected her sister. "If I am right, they live the life of a warrior, meaning they fight and kill on a daily basis. If we were able to 'acquire' one, it would bring in loads of Lien."
"Mandalorian, eh? Now, there's an idea worth investing in, such a butcher of men would draw in the crowds like moths to a flame. The slack jawed troglodytes will flock from miles around to see a warrior of that caliber, even one of equal caliber of the Penwolfs and Arcs." Burns agreed with a smile. "But, if the warrior refuses to fight for the amusement of others, then perhaps we need to persuade him into fighting for us."
"And how would you force him to work for us?" Amanda asked.
"The girl." Burns answered. "The foul stench of youth works wonders in forcing those to work for the superior and most powerful man in all of New Argus. And if they are involved with the intrusion at the warehouses in the port, we need to keep them occupied."
"What about their maid?" Lee asked.
"Oh, the maid is nothing more than a servant. Put her to work in your hotel and give her one of those shock collars your mother always used on that girl who murdered your mother. Your father would reject these actions and it's a good thing I had him killed on the orders of your mother. He would have tipped off the council to my activities years ago." Burns scoffed.
"Uh, sir." Jenkins spoke up. "Not to remind you, but what about the police officer that has been reported snooping around your deals? If he catches wind of this, it could result the distribution of your operations. Not to mention the 501st and 502nd squadrons from Sicario have been attacking our transports lately." The butler reminded his master.
"Oh, don't worry about those war junkies. I've got ways to deal with interlopers such as them." Burns assured before he turned back to the Tremaine sisters. "That being said, I believe I have a plan on getting that young man into the arena and the two of you will have just the means to lure those two into our trap."
Both Tremaine sisters smiled before Burns told them of his plan.
The following morning, the sun had risen high over New Argus as Weiss and Arthur sat in the dining hall of the hotel while Kara, dressed in the same maid's uniform and accessories that Weiss once wore served them their breakfast, French toast and eggs with sides of bacon and coffee. "Your meal, Milady." Kara said with a bow, playing the part of the maid down to the letter.
"Thank you." Weiss said to Kara who poured some sugar into their coffee mugs before Weiss 'ordered' Kara to stay close by. Kara did as she was 'instructed' and remained by the table, having a crepe and hot chocolate of her own. "So, Ryu and Kasumi are in the city?" Weiss asked.
"Yes, they are. In fact, I think I see Kasumi right now." Kara answered and pointed out Kasumi to Weiss and Arthur. The female shinobi was currently wearing a white blouse with lace and frilly cuffs, blue skirt with a corset waistband, black high heeled ankle boots, red bow tie and a black hair bow. "That's the best things about Shinobi's, they are masters of disguise."
"That is certainly an advantage they have over normal warriors and spies." Arthur noted before he turned his attention back to his breakfast. "Based on the information we gathered last night, Burns is looking for a new main attraction for his arena fights, is keeping potential slaves, weapons and Dust in his warehouses in the port and has not only a private army, but his own fleet of airships with routes mapped out all over Remnant. Perhaps he is not the mastermind behind this operation, but merely the middleman." He speculated.
"Then who is running this operation?" Weiss asked.
"Perhaps it's someone no one else knows about. Maybe…" Kara suggested before one of the hotel maids passed by and handed them a letter, they claimed to be from Holmes. According to the letter, the officer said he discovered new information about Burn's plans and had found a secret entrance into Burn's study where he kept all of his important documents. He also said that they were to meet him in the area that gave New Argus its name, since it was where a lot of the casino's, restaurants and shops were located. "Ok, this has to be a trap. Why would he suddenly want to pass on the information close to Burn's mansion, a place that will no doubt be swarming with his private army and corrupt police officers." Kara asked.
"I don't know. But even if it is a trap, we need to investigate it. Arthur and I will check it out. Kara, inform Ryu and Kasumi about this development. See if one of them can meet with Holmes, if they can't go meet him yourself, but keep those lightsabers by your side. Don't use your maiden powers either, you still don't have any control over them so until we reach Atlas, it's best you don't use them." Weiss told the new Fall Maiden.
Kara agreed, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel like something was wrong about this whole situation, especially the meeting location.
After they finished their breakfast, Weiss and Arthur headed for the meeting location while Kara changed out of her maid's disguise and into her regular clothing before she headed into the city, looking for stores where she could buy the components, she needed to construct a tool that Galen would need in the future as well as a new weapon for Ray and Neo.
As she browsed through the various shops, she spotted some of Burn's soldiers walking out of an alley laughing as if they were having a grand day out. Through the Force, she could sense their emotions of delight and from the conversation she overhead, they had beaten a so called 'rat' on orders from their boss. Find this odd, she ran into the alley only to find a battered and beaten guard stripped of his guard's disguise and in great pain. "Hey, come on, wake up!" she said to the unconscious man before slapping him across the face.
"For god's sake, girl! You nearly blew my cover!" the guard scolded after waking from the pain of the slap.
"Cover?" Kara questioned.
"I allowed myself to get caught so I could make contact with you three." He said before he noticed only Kara was present. "Where are Miss Schnee and Mr. Penwolf?" he asked as he pulled himself back to his feet and his wounds started to heal by the use of his aura.
"You tell me. You're the one who sent them a letter telling them to meet you near Burn's mansion, the last place anyone should meet with a contact about a massive spike in the weapons, Dust and slave trade." Kara answered.
"I sent no such letter. My plan was to meet them at the safehouse of Master Hasashi's students. I couldn't risk meeting you lot at the hotel because the Tremaine sisters are involved with Burn's plot." The guard explained, brushing a bit of dirt out of his sideburns. "Those Tremaine sisters are just as sadistic, amoral and abusive as their mother."
"You mean to tell me that the Tremaine sisters are involved with Burn's weapons and slave deal!?" Kara practically shouted. "That means Arthur and Weiss are walking into a trap! We have to stop them!"
The new Fall Maiden was prepared to run when guard placed a hand on her shoulder. "You can't help them now. They've no doubt been already captured, but Burns won't kill them. He'll want the Penwolf lad to fight in his arena and will no doubt be using the former heiress as a means to keep him in the arena. There's nothing we can do for them right now but gather more information about the planned sale of these products. I'm sorry." He said with honesty. "Also, have you not considered the reason one of burns guards would want to meet with a member of Teams GARM and RWBY?
"Wait what?" Kara said in confusion, ready to whip out her lightsaber as guards' words rang in her ears as the clothing, he was reduced to wearing instantly transformed into a combat armor of his own making.
"Jacob Holmes, my dear lady, at your service." Holmes said with a bow. "I am a master of disguise, so naturally I had to create a persona to avoid detection, my dear young Jedi."
"How did you know I was a Jedi?" Kara asked.
"Elementary, my dear Kara Lah. You carry the lightsaber given to your master several months following the Fall of Beacon. You have also become interested in the warrior culture of the Mandalorian's, a crackerjack shot with your custom assault rifle, have been following the achievements of the Demon Lord ever since he was first revealed to the world and have recently been given training by one Boba Fett." Jacob answered.
"Wow and you knew all of that just by looking at me?" Kara said, completely amazed.
"I am Remnant's greatest detective after all." Jacob said with a playful smile. "Now, I would suggest you head back to the hotel and collect your things, it is no longer safe there and I believe that the safehouse of your two ninja friends would be much better suited for our needs." Kara agreed and the two of them ran back towards the hotel.
Hours later, a groggy Arthur awoke in darkness. The last thing he remembered was he and Weiss approaching Burn's mansion when something shot out from the ground and electrocuted them into submission. Now he found himself in a dark and damp cell with Weiss nowhere to be seen. The door to his cell creaked open as two of Burn's guards walked in and handed him a set of Mandalorian armor that Burns had acquired years ago. "Get that armor on and get your ass ready for a fight. It's time for you to earn your meal." One of the guards said.
"Where's the girl?" Arthur demanded.
"Don't worry about the Schnee bitch. Just worry about surviving and if you even get any ideas about trying to attack us, our comrades will kill her." The second guard boasted. Seeing as he had no other choice, Arthur put the armor on and followed the guards past the other cells where humans, Faunus and Grimm were kept. "Take your pick of weapons. Know that your choices will affect your survival rate."
Arthur was going to opt for a pair of swords, when he noticed a familiar object gleaming in the light and two familiar looking weapons which he picked up. "You're seriously taking those damn things? Well, it's your funeral and it will be a quick one." The first guard laughed before he was led to a large door. "Wait here and then the fun will begin." The second guard sniggered before they left Arthur alone.
Shortly after they left, Arthur heard an announcement over several loudspeakers outside the door. "Ladies and gentlemen, honored guests of Carter Burns, welcome to the arena of sport! Where we get to watch people soil themselves in the face of death against the creatures of Grimm and blood thirsty marauders! Today, we have a special treat for you all." The man on the loudspeaker said as the giant doors open to reveal the cheering crowds of Burn's guests, so of which Arthur believed to be the buyers for the equipment he had. "Entering the arena and hailing from parts unknown, we have a one of the mightiest warriors to ever been blessed by the gods. He is a skilled warrior who loves battle, he hates candy and children, let's give up for the Mandalorian!"
The crowd cheered as Arthur reluctantly out into the arena. While he was against such types of events, he couldn't risk the life of Weiss who he saw was in a box seat with Burns. She was alright, but from what he could tell she was in a less then pleasant situation. "Tonight, the Mandalorian will take on the creatures of Grimm in a no holes barred fight for survival! But for those of you who are joining us for the first time, let's explain the rules shall we. There are no rules except survive! He'll be in for a tough fight. But hey, that's show business for you!" The announcer explained to the audience as the gates around the arena opened up and released the Grimm. "Try not to die too soon!"
(Arena Combat starts)
"I won't be so easily killed." Arthur said to himself as Grimm came running into the arena directly towards him. He waited before he pulled out the blasters he picked up and fired. The blasters in question were a pair of WESTAR-35's like the ones used by Death Watch, but the plasma bolts fired were blue instead of yellow, a fitting choice for the Penwolf who gunned down several Grimm without any hesitation.
"Every creature I kill will force Salem to create more. The more I can destroy, the more she'll have to create." He told himself as he dived sideways and blaster a couple of Ursa's. Landing on the ground and skidding across the ground, a pair of Beowolf claws slashed across his chest only to break when they hit the Beskar plates. Smirking to himself, Arthur raised his wrist and unleashed a stream of fire that burnt multiple Creeps to ashes. "Guess they didn't check the armor for any other features. Pity, it will cost them all dearly." He smirked under his helmet as he felt his aura recharged after he took a hit. His blasters roared to life as he gunned down more Grimm, ducking under the claws of an Alpha type Beowolf before he blew it's head off with both pistols.
A Boarbatusk slammed into his back and knocked Arthur to the arena floor and the blasters out of his hands before it rolled in to try and flatten him. Calling on his semblance, the boar Grimm was pierced through the underbelly by a flaming blue sword, allowing Arthur to recover his blasters only to end up being surrounded by the Grimm. "Damn it!" he cursed as the Grimm growled and prepared to attack. It was at that moment, he noticed on his helmets HUD that he had four salvos of whistling birds, one of which was loaded in the launcher. A smirk appeared under the helmet as he flicked his left wrist and unleashed an entire salvo of micro-munitions that killed the Grimm surrounding him.
"I don't think I've seen anything like that before. Let me tell you folks, I've seen people try to survive a Death Course and they've always come up short but being surrounded by a horde of Grimm isn't something that you'd want to be facing, unless you've got multiple arms." The announcer joked while Weiss watched on from Burn's private box.
"Come on, Arthur. Don't let them get to you." She prayed silently.
It was almost as if Arthur heard Weiss's prayer and decided to go from ranged attacks to up close and personal. Holstering his blasters, he grabbed the lightsaber and ignited its blue blade with a newfound resolve in his soul. Gripping his saber tightly he cleaved a Beringel right in half as it leapt up to pound it's massive fists into him. "A weapon worthy of a warrior. I'll make sure to put it to good use and honor the person who wielded this blade before me." He told himself before he carved up an Alpha type Beowolf into tiny pieces.
The spectators watched in amazement as the boy standing before them in the arena made quick work of the Grimm as if they were nothing more than mere insects. Even the Tremaine sisters were taken aback by Arthur's strength while a hidden Ryu watched from the rooftop of the arena and smirked impressively. Burns on the other hand had a look of opportunity in his eyes that he hadn't had in years. "Jenkin's, make sure our 'guest' is given the proper meal a champion deserves." He instructed his butler.
"Very good, sir." Jenkins replied and left to instruct the cooks on what to prepare.
(End song)
The last of the Grimm dissipated into mist as the crowd fell silent before one of the spectators applauded Arthurs exploits, followed by several other spectators mostly because they placed bets on Arthur surviving the match. "I don't believe it folks! He survived the arena! This marks the first time in many years of an individual surviving such odds. I guess what they say is true about the younger generation, they do have a step up against the older generation. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this event and remember, don't tell anyone about this. Seriously, don't tell anyone about this or the council will shut us down." The announcer reminded the guests while Arthur panted before he passed out, exhausted.
When he awoke, he found himself resting not in a cell, but a lavish bedroom that he believed to be in Burn's mansion. He noticed his weapons were gone but what mattered to him was finding Weiss. He didn't have to look far as Weiss entered the bedroom, wearing the same dress that she wore the previous night, accessories and all, but was flanked by four of Burn's guards. "Weiss!" Arthur exclaimed in relief and was about to rush to her when one of the guards pressed a button on their scroll and a powerful jolt of electricity coursed through his body.
"Stop it! You're hurting him!" Weiss pleaded. Eventually, the guard did stop the torture which allowed Weiss to run over to his side. "What was that for!? He didn't deserve it!" she demanded.
"Oh, I am quite sure your bodyguard deserved such an electroshock treatment." Burns answered as he walked into the room. "After all, he is a Penwolf after all."
"What are you talking about? He's my bodyguard!" Weiss protested.
"Oh, don't play me for an old fool, Miss Schnee. I smelled blood on him the moment I laid eyes on him." Burns admitted.
"What do you mean?" Weiss demanded.
"My dear naïve girl. Haven't you figured it out yet? I am or rather was one of Chang's business partners and have been transporting his goods on the black market for years, even before the fall of Beacon. Oh, it was quite an interesting proposition and one I was more than eager to accept, especially when there is money to be made. And then the Tremaine sisters find us the perfect type of people to sell from the guests at their hotel, it's a shame their mother didn't have the same ambition that they do. Of course, we do have to keep the police in check, I can't afford to have these operations, so I pay off the police commissioner with fat envelopes of cash to keep him from stepping in, even many of his officers. Of course, there's only so much one can transport by rail, so I have to make some arrangements." Burns explained, unaware that Ryu was hiding in the shadows and recording everything on his Scroll.
"Let me guess, the fleet of airships you have recently acquired can travel along the routes you have mapped out which don't travel past any of the war factories or Grimm territory?" Weiss guessed. "You could have used that knowledge to help others but instead you've only helped yourself. Is money all you care about?"
"Money is what moves the world, young lady. And I will be making more money with the help of your guard." Burns gloated before he turned to Arthur. "Seeing as you refused my previous offer to fight in my arena, I have a new proposition. You will fight in the arena for the amusement of me and my guests, otherwise I'll sell Miss Schnee here. I happen to know several people who would be interested in buying her."
"I'll die before I let that happen!" Arthur snarled. "I don't care what you do to me, but if you so much as harm even one hair on her, I'll kill you."
"Oh, is that a threat?" Burns scoffed and took the scroll from the guard, activating the shock collar once again. Arthur screamed in pain as the electricity coursed through his body, causing him agonizing pain. "I must really thank the Tremaine sisters for their shock collars, it's proven wonders for keeping my fighters under control. So, you can either fight for me or let me sell the girl. The choice is yours."
Arthur's screams ended once the collar was shut off and he saw Ryu in the shadows and smiled. "If you want me to fight for you to protect the girl, then I will do as you say. But know this, by the strength of my will, by the honor of my blades, with courage and valor, I will fight for the innocent and honor, even if it costs me my life." He declared as Ryu vanished quickly.
"Well, glad that's sorted out. Oh, and even if you think of escaping, I'll kill the girl right on the spot." Burns reminded before he and his guards left the two alone.
"Why did you agree to his demands? He'll kill you!" Weiss questioned as she helped Arthur up.
"Because Ryu was in the shadows and recorded everything that Burns said. Once he, Kasumi, Kara and Holmes gather enough evidence and mobilize the MSDF, Burns will have no where to run or hide. I agreed because I didn't want you to die." Arthur admitted.
"If this is all because you love me then you'll…" Weiss began before she suddenly found herself kissing Arthur on the lips and her face was blushing. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean too…."
"It's fine, just try to get some sleep. I don't know how long this will be before this is over." Arthur assured Weiss before the two of them sat on the bed before they both fell asleep.
Meanwhile, Ryu leapt across the buildings with amazing acrobatic skill before he landed on the roof of an old apartment building that served as the safe house for him and his cousin. Using a secret panel, he opened the door to the safe house where he found Kasumi, Kara and Holmes waiting for him. "Arthur's plan worked like a charm. Allowing themselves to be captured allowed us to get a full confession from Burns about his dealings. Arthur kept his identity as a Faunus/Human hybrid a secret so he's safe, same for Weiss. Unfortunately, they are being held prisoner in Burns mansion and he is forcing Arthur to fight in the arena or else he'll kill Weiss." Ryu explained.
"We need to get this information to the Mistral Council at once. They'll mobilize their military and take Burns and his allies down." Kara exclaimed and was about to grab Ryu's scroll when Holmes stopped her.
"If we decide to make our move now, we'll allow Burns to move his wares ahead of time, there are still those amongst the local population who have connections in Mistral who can apply pressure to the council and keep them from acting. We still need the locations of his airship fleet and the rest of the cargo he's got ready to move." Holmes reminded.
"Already took care of that." Kasumi said before she produced a map of New Argus with several locations marked in red marker. "We managed to track down the locations of Burn's airship fleet, the stockpiles of Dust, weapons and the rest of the people he's planning on selling. We kunoichi specialize in gathering information in disguise and you'd be surprised to hear what the guards say when they've had too much to drink."
"That and you're very good at keeping a low profile and not drawing attention to yourself." Kara added.
"I almost thought you were going to say something else." Kasumi chuckled. "But it will take the MSDF several days to arrive and by then we might be too late, not to mention the trip back to Mistral is a long one to."
"I'll go. Council woman Yuki and I are old friends, and she trusts my judgement. She's also had the same suspicions of Burns and the Tremaine sisters as I have ever since the Fall of Beacon. All you three need to do is disrupt his operations and get him to delay the deal. Hit his operations and keep him focused on that instead of the deal. I've already sent the locations to your scrolls." Holmes said.
"Well, that makes things easier, I think. Guess we better keep it on the downlow then and minimize the destruction of property in the city." Kara said with relief, putting down her rifle. "Last thing we want is for the whole city to be destroyed and hope that they don't have any tanks. My rifle was designed to deal with Grimm and droids, not armor."
"Burns doesn't have any tanks. It would be like saying, 'hey I am smuggling weapons, people and ammo.'" Kasumi joked. "Anyway, Inspector Holmes the next train to Mistral departs in an hour. I've already purchased a ticket for you, so you better hurry or you'll miss it."
Holmes nodded and exited the building through the basic entrance and headed for the train station, leaving the two Ninja's and Kara alone. "We're going to need to hit these three places silently. Suppressed weapons and blades only. If they raise the alarm, your friends are good as dead." Ryu reminded.
"Then I'll need to use my SMG only. It's the only suppressed weapon I have and sure a lightsaber is silent, but it does give off a glow that will reveal my location." Kara added in agreement. "Good thing Arthur brought his sword with him. It is the symbol of the Penwolfs after all."
For the rest of the week, Kara, Kasumi and Ryu continued to hit the locations where Burns stored his contraband, liberating potential slaves, recovering Dust and weapons while also tagging the airships that were nestled in the water, waiting to be loaded with their contraband.
As for Arthur, he spent his days fighting in the arena to now end while Weiss could only watch from Burn's private box as her boyfriend cut down Grimm and the occasional gladiator who according to one of the guards were taken from the local jail and were the worst type of person on Remnant, killers of men, women and children.
Burns and the Tremaine sisters believed that Arthur would be dead within several days, but to their dismay Arthur was still fighting, albeit exhausted but still standing strong as he cut down a gladiator with little effort. Panting, he looked towards Burn's box. "You're running out of executioners, Burns!" He panted.
From his box, Burns and the Tremaine sisters sighed with annoyance while Weiss just smirked. "I told you all, he's not that easy to kill and you're only wasting your time." Weiss said.
"Then perhaps we shall try something else." Amanda suggested to Burns who knew exactly what she was talking about, a special combatant designed solely for the arena. "Your 'bodyguard' won't stand a chance against this latest creation." the brunette smirked while the blonde sister was getting ready to record the fight.
The gates to the arena opened up again as a seven-foot and one-inch-tall robot that bore a strike resemblance to General Grievous in terms of armor but compared to the former droid general the robot had no vital organs like a heart, lungs or brain but it carried several lightsabers attached to its waist that were no doubt recovered from a crashed ship that Burns must have found. "Folks! You're all in for a real treat! The Mandalorian is about to face off against the brawler of the arena! I haven't seen this machine in a long time, and it's only brought out for dealing with the most 'troublesome' of gladiators. Speaking of which, our combatant looks like he's on his last legs. I expect him to last about five minutes against this machine. For those of you who aren't familiar with the brawler, it's an Atlas prototype that was built to defend our fair city, but it failed the tests and has since been used in the arena! Place your bets and get ready to rumble!" The announcer shouted over the loudspeaker.
(Step Up begins)
Though he was still exhausted from the constant battles the last few days, adrenaline coursed through Arthurs veins as the 'Brawler' charged towards him with two of its four lightsabers ignited, spinning them across the ground. Holding his lightsaber like a rapier, Arthur parried the brawlers first two attacks before he went for a series of Form IV attacks that he learned from Galen before Beacon fell. Though he lacked any connection to the Force, Arthur made up for it by incorporating his father's style of swordplay into each of his attacks.
The crowd cheered as the Brawler landed a blow on the shoulder blades of Arthurs current armor, but the Beskar held strong as Arthur parried another attack with an upward block before jumping over the machines back attempting to strike it's back, but the machine blocked it as if it knew what Arthur was planning. "This is more than just some machine built for gladiator combat. The moves it's making, there almost human like someone is actually controlling it." Arthur thought before he caught a glance at the box belonging to Burns and the twins and noticed that Burns was controlling the machine with a remote control. "So that's his plan? Using a remote control to operate this 'machine' and make it look like it's completely controlled by machinery when he's using a control to make it fight. Cheaters, always dishonorable." Arthur snarled in his mind as the machine's lightsaber blades chipped the paint on his armor.
"Oh, it looks like our Mandalorian combatant is down to his last legs. I wish I could say it was nice knowing him folks, but that's the life of a gladiator. You die when you reach your limit!" the announcer exclaimed.
However, Arthur wasn't beaten yet. He remembered several pointers that Aayla, Plo, Zett, Kit, Serra and Ahsoka gave him. "Always expect the unexpected." He smirked as he sheathed his lightsaber to his waist and took a fighting stance, gesturing for the Brawler to come at him. With Burns at the controls, the greedy man took the bait and sent the machine charging towards the Penwolf Knight. The sabers of the machine were almost brought down onto Arthur when he grabbed the machines hands and literally crushed them with his remaining strength.
The lightsabers in the machine's hands fell to the ground which Arthur scooped up, ignited and slashed the droid into pieces. "That's more like it." Arthur smirked before he turned to Burns. "Is that all you got!?" he demanded.
(End song)
An angry Burns through the controller to the ground before he pressed a button on his chair that unleashed the remaining Grimm he still had in the arena. A horde of about two hundred Grimm native to Anima swarmed out of the arena cells and surrounded a weak and exhausted Arthur. He had no more whistling birds, his flamethrower was out of fuel and his blasters were out of power. "Damn it! I won't die like this! Not when I have something worth fighting for!" he cursed.
Just when an Ursa was about to swipe it's claws at Arthur, a storm of bullets rained down on the Grimm from the stands. MSDF soldiers had begun their sweep of the city and had already secured the airships that Burns had prepared for departure, arrested his clients and all those who were involved with the corruption in New Argus, including the police commissioner.
"Oh, fiddlesticks! It looks like I'm going to be arrested." Burns said as MSDF soldiers surrounded him and the Tremaine sisters who were already in handcuffs. "Sadly, I won't be taken so easily." He said sinisterly as the soldiers soon started to scream in panic and fall the ground, as did the Tremaine sisters while the old man surprisingly jumped over the side of his box and into the arena.
"What did you do to those soldiers?" Arthur demanded.
"My semblance allows me to show a person's fear, causing cardiac arrest and sometimes death. It works wonders for eliminating any animals who don't know their place. Such as you, Penwolf!" Burns explained before he called on his semblance once more and showed Arthur what he feared the most.
"If you think the darkness will scare me, then you're wrong." Arthur said with determination much to the surprise of Burns. "I now see you for the man you truly are. You think I can't see, but I can see right through you. You are the boggy man, scarring children into being afraid of the dark, until they realize the dark is nothing to be afraid of, like you. Once a person conjures up the confidence not to be fearful of the unknown, they've disarmed the only weapon the dark has. You are the kind of man who tries to hide behind something, for you it's your money like Weiss's father. Your semblance proves that you are a coward and fight for no one but yourself." Arthur taunted just as a familiar object embedded itself into the ground in front of him.
(I'm Not Gonna Panic starts)
Pulling his families sword from the ground, Arthur noticed that in the darkness that surrounded him, some of the Grimm managed to survive the hail of bullets from the MSDF soldiers. His strength had barely returned, but Arthur readied himself for battle.
One of the surviving Ursa's swung its claws at him, but Arthur slashed the creature across the torso before he thrusted his blade into the body of Beowolf. Channeling his semblance into his blade, Arthur illuminated the darkness with blue fire as he cut through the remaining Grimm with his fire infused sword/blaster. "I will not run, I'll stand and fight my fear and come the dawn, the light of day will burn your shadows all the way!" he shouted as he broke through Burn's semblance and ran towards the old man who he knocked to the ground, disrupting the man's semblance and saving the lives of those who were affected by it.
(End song)
"How could you resist my semblance? No one could ever resist the fear of darkness." Burns questioned in fear.
"That's simple. He doesn't let his fear control him." Weiss said as a MSDF Commander and his squad along with Holmes waked towards the old man. "Unlike those before, Arthur uses his fear as a motivation to keep fighting and channels it into his attacks, like a Jedi would." She added before Burns and the Tremaine sisters were escorted away from the arena.
Finally, Arthur fell backwards and collapsed from exhaustion while Weiss held him in her arms and in a hug. "You big strong fool, you could have been killed." She scolded.
"Maybe, but people do reckless things when they are in love." Arthur smiled. "Hey, do you think Boba could incorporate some of these features into my armor?" he asked.
"I'm sure he could." Weiss answered with a smile.
Neither they nor anyone else knew that the weapons and ammo already shipped out were sent to a very eager Adam Taurus who looked at the supplies he had gathered from the new White Fang Anima headquarters. "The end will soon begin." He said to himself.
And chapter is done.
First off, I know that the stepsisters of Cinder were killed in the actual canon, but in this story, they were spared because Cinder didn't feel the need to kill them. I also added a bit more to the type of person the Madam and the way she ran the Glass Unicorn, compared to what we saw in canon and what was mentioned on the RWBY wiki.
Second, Carter Burns is a combination of Mr. Burns from The Simpsons and that bastard Carter whatever his last name is from Family Guy. Look, I hate Family Guy and will never watch it, unless the creator decides to have certain characters arrested and removed from the show for good!
Third, do you know where that Holmes guy came from? I bet you all do.
But what is Adam planning with the supplies he's gathered from Burns? Does it have to do with why Maul is searching for him? And what's Mara been up to? Well, you'll have to wait and see, but Mara will be returning next chapter and if any of you have an idea for the voice actress for Mara Jade, leave it in a review.
As always please read and review and I will see all next time. And to those who love Yu-Gi-Oh, may the King of Games, Takahashi Kazuki rest in peace. Also, I started watching Naruto.