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Amygdala Ch 1

"'deep inhale' Ahhhh, what a nice day!" said Byakko as he looked up into the sky. "The sea breeze is filled with the smell of soon to be caught dinner."

A moment later a cannonball fell from the sky and smashed into the deck of the ship by his feet.

"And a life or death sea battle against a band of marauding pirates."

"Thank you for getting the civilians below deck" said Lan as he dodged under a pirate's sword swing and swept her legs out from under her. "Now please focus on making sure projectiles don't hit the safe room."

"What projectiles?" said Byakko a second before a steel cannonball slammed into his face.

"OH! These" he said, as he casually pulled off the cannonball which now had an imprint of his face on it and chucked them over his shoulder, breaking the face of a pirate who had been attempting to jump him.

The two of them were currently on an unregistered passenger ship heading towards their new destination and were currently in the midst of a battle against a group of pirates who were attempting to take the ship that they were sailing on.

After leaving the temple, Byakko and Lan had set about finding transportation to the location that Byakko had in mind for helping Lan's reconnection with the mundane world. To do this, Byakko had entered the two of them into an underground wrestling circuit in a small port in Mistral, where he and Lan had donned purple masks and speedos (against the boy's will I might add) and proceeded to brutalize their opponents in the most comical ways possible as they took on the stage names Master Disaster and his young ward Chaos Lad. Admittedly though, it was mostly Byakko who performed the brutalizations while Lan simply stood at the sidelines where he would casually stick out his foot and trip any wrestlers who were attempting to escape bodily harm after which they would be seized the ankle by Byakko and used as a bludgeon to beat their comrades over the top of their heads. Their post-match shows were also well received as Trey and the little ones would add insult to injury by cavorting around the battered forms of their defeated opponents while the crowd broke into fits of laughter. There had been a few times some individuals attempted to convince the two to throw their fights, but they soon found themselves and their hired help in painful and/or embarrassing positions.

They eventually were recognized by the promoter for a special underground fighting tournament held at their destination: Amygdala, an underworld metropolis located on a hidden island in the ocean surrounded by the major continents. The promoter had been very surprised when Byakko had shown up to the designated docks carrying a whole house on his back, but had quickly acquiesced due to the simple fact that his hired muscle dared not tell the old man off. The added weight of the house had greatly slowed the ship down, however, and allowed a marauding pirate ship to catch the vessel which brings us back to present time.

"I'll let you guys handle this one for now" said Byakko as he seized a pirate who was foolish enough to get too lose by the jaw, force the poor fellow's mouth open by skillfully applying pressure to his jawbone, and proceeded to use the struggling man's teeth to scratch his armpits. "Been a while since you had a good fight, and I bet you got a lot you need to test out"

"That's an understatement" said Lan, as he shot down a cannonball with a crystalline wrist mounted bow on his left arm. He then caught a sword swing with a crystal shield on his right hand while the bow dissolved into light revealing a scaffold protruding from the gauntlet that the crystal bow had been built around. The scaffolding then changed configuration and with a flash of light a pair of long crystal claws extended out from the back of his hand which he used to quickly stab his enemy in the leg before retracting the claws and upper cutting the enemy in the jaw with an essence blow which ripped through the rest of their aura and sent them flying off the deck.

"It seems that your new weapon is working out for you" said Veritas from within him. "But it is highly dependent on my crystallization ability, I think you may need to think of something specific to your own semblance."

"My semblance is too variable" thought Lan back to Veritas, as he deflected an enemy sword thrust and used the momentum to flip the individual onto their back "If I think of a weapon type that suits the semblance I just harmonized with, then I can just use yours to make it."

"It takes you significant effort and aura to harmonize with more than 1 semblance at a time. I'm just making this suggestion for efficiency's sake."

"I agree with that point, but let's talk about this later, we've got a fight to focus on right now"

Lan then turned and looked at the enemy ship which had pirates walking across cables that were buried into the side of their transport vessel's hull.

"Trey! Time to get more data for Sammy, man those cannons!" shouted Lan.

"You got it bro!" came Trey's voice over a speaker sitting at the top of the house. A moment later, many boards in the house slid to the side, and barrels of dozens of cannons and guns slid out of the openings.

"It's just like a video game" said Trey as he sat in the control room in his underpants while using a custom video game controller to control the turrets. "Only things are actually blowing up in real life…which makes it even more Rad!"

A barrage of bullets and cannon fire then began spewing out of the various weaponry, cutting through the lines connected with the ship and tearing apart the pirate ship's armor. One of the pirates on deck who seemed to be in command then barked out orders for the rest of the crew on deck to focus on the guns. However, they were quickly routed by Ignis, George, and Edel whenever they go close to the house. Ignis, who was now the size of a golden retriever, darted between enemies, biting them in their vitals and nethers while also tackling them with the explosive power of his explosive semblance. George would harass enemies by turning invisible after which he would catch his opponents unawares by beating them over the head with his stick when they least expected it, or if they were unlucky, they would find 40-pound monkey hanging off their rear ends with its teeth. As for Edel, she would rain elemental projectiles from above using her supply of Dust.

Seeing that they were at a disadvantage, the pirates back on the ship hit a button which raised a giant cannon that they had hidden below deck.

"You want to take this or do you want me to?" said Byakko, who was now using the screaming struggling pirate to scratch his unmentionables down below.

"It's okay, I got it" Said Lan, as he slid a dust cartridge into a chamber in the elbow of his gauntlet. He then recreated his bow construct as dust particles began to flow out of micropores in the scaffolding, causing his crystal bow to turn a burning red color. He then pulled back on the bowstring, causing a blazing red arrow to form. He then took aim at the target, and closed his eyes, spreading out his spiritual energy to enhance his senses and better perceive his surroundings. It didn't travel as far or give him as clear a picture as it did while he was in the dream world due to the physical world being more static and unmalleable, but if he really focused, he would be able to detect slight reverberations and movements on the very periphery of the field he was generating.

'click'

Opening his eyes, Lan let fly the flaming arrow which shot straight down the barrel of the cannon and struck the explosive shell that had been just been loaded. The resulting explosion burst the firing chamber, and set off the ammunition that was in the reloading area, which exploded and caused massive damage to the interior of the ship, even blasting through some of the outer plating here and there.

"Nice shot" said Byakko, who gave the boy a thumb's up as the pirate he was holding finally passed out while foaming at the mouth.

"Retreat!" shouted a pirate who seemed like the captain. "Retreat!"

Not needing any additional coaxing, the dozens of pirates currently on board began diving off board into the sea and swimming towards their ship.

"…So, we chasing them, or…" started Lan.

"No need" said Byakko, who hefted the comatose pirate in his palm, "but for this guy's sake, why don't you try that aura boosting thing you've been learning in the scrolls Meng left you."

"Uh, are you sure? It said I'm not supposed to try it on other people until I've perfected using it on myself." Said Lan

"Aw don't worry about that" said Byakko, "the biggest problem is self-destructing from overcharge! And I got a way of handling that if it happens."

"…Okay, hand him over" said Lan, who shrugged his shoulders. He then placed his index fingers and thumbs together in an arrow like shape as the comatose pirate was dropped at his feet. Closing his eyes, he began to stir up and spread up his spiritual energy, spreading it out around him like a net. This allowed him to better detect the ambient amounts of spiritual energy that were constantly floating around. He then began to gather up any particles that got close to his nets and channeled these small iotas of energy into the space encircled by his fingers. After gathering a good amount, he altered it into a form that was easily convertible into aura, placed his fingertips on the comatose pirate's head, and injected it all into him. The man glowed the azure blue color of Lan's aura for a moment, but a moment later began glowing the sea foam green color of his own aura. He then bolted up into a sitting position, his whole-body trembling.

"Wh-Wha" he mumbled as he stared down at his glowing hands. "I-I wha, I remember something bad then…huh?"

"Well, that went pretty well" started Lan, "Now what are you—"

He stopped as he noticed the pirate's aura begin glowing abnormally bright. The man slowly looked down at his hands, which began to slowly swell as the blood vessels and capillaries in his body began to bulge at his skin.

"AHHHH!" screamed Lan, who pulled out a horribly painful looking device, making the pirate open his eyes and mouth in fright "His aura is overloading, I failed! We must get rid of the excess aura! Grandpa, you hold him down while I begin mutilating his softer parts!"

"No need", said Byakko, who seized the unfortunate man by the skull. Before the man could react, he was hurtling through the air towards the ship that was quickly sailing into the distance. The sound of a loud crash was soon heard far off in the distance, and a moment later the ship sunk into the sea.

"I guess that would dispose of the excess aura" said Lan as he hit a button on the side of the ship which lowered one of the life boats into the sea, "I'll go secure them, you have the crew move the ship closer."

Around half an hour later, the entire crew of pirates was on their knees on the deck of the transport ship, as their own ship continued to sink into the sea.

"Alright" said Byakko, who towered above them with his arms crossed, "you all should know that this is the territorial waters of the Beast Pirate alliance, any other pirates entering this turf knows they can't start any trouble without getting their permission first which I know for a fact that you did not due to my boy over there checking with them earlier. So, why'd you attack this ship despite that?"

The pirates kept their mouths shut and turned their gazes to the sides.

"Alright, let me rephrase the question" said Byakko, "Who ordered you all to attack this ship?"

A few of the men fidgeted a little.

"Come on we all know you wouldn't have the balls to do something like this unless somebody guaranteed your safety from the Beasts reprisal. And considering that you wouldn't be able to plunder in these waters anymore, I expect you'd also be paid some good lien, am I right?"

The pirates continued to stay silent as the transport ship's crew looked up at Byakko with respect and Lan scribbled down his grandfather's reasoning in a compiled log of street smarts that he had begun making a while back.

A few of the pirates made a few grumbling remarks about how they don't listen to nobody and they do what they want, but it was obvious too see many of them were nervous. Considering that they had just been captured it was highly unlikely that they would be getting any kind of compensation from whoever had hired them, and many of them had been quite unnerved by the combat performance that Lan, the little ones, and the house had exhibited. They were none too keen to see what the patriarch of the household was capable of.

Byakko, smiling one of his most sinister smiles, walked up to the man in front who had identified himself as the captain of the pirates.

"Last chance~~" he said as he knelt down and looked the man in the eyes, "You can either talk now or I can start my interrogation process~~"

"Go to hell!" yelled the man, who trembled slightly, but didn't want to look weak in front of his crew.

Byakko's smile instantly grew larger and more terrifying as he put his arms behind his back.

"I have mayonnaise, cabbage, a sock! And a rubber chicken!" he said, his voice filled with barely restrained delight as he pulled the items out as he listed them "Do you know what I'm going to do next!?"

The man began to tremble slightly as he and his men became overwhelmed by the oppressive atmosphere emanating from the crazy old man and after swallowing the hard knot in his throat, he quietly mumbled "No." with his voice cracking slightly.

"ME NEITHER! HAHAHAHAHA!" shouted Byakko who grabbed the man by the face and pulled him to his doom.

Lan slowly walked over to a woman that they had identified as being the first mate, as she and the rest of the crew stared in silent horror at the carnage Byakko was inflicting on their captain, whose muffled screams were echoing around the ship.

"I probably don't need to tell you this, but you guys will probably be next if you don't tell him what he wants." Said Lan. Many of them looked hesitant but Lan noticed them steel themselves and continue to stay quiet, but from the fluctuations in their aura that Lan was reading with his spiritual energy, he could tell that they were all fearful of something else, afraid enough that they wouldn't talk even after witnessing Byakko's brutality, because even though it was absolutely traumatizing, they could tell that there wasn't any serious desire to kill.

"I can tell that you're all scared of something" said Lan, "I'm guessing that whoever hired you all are also threatening your lives."

A few weaker willed individuals among them twitched.

"Well, it's just that now that you've failed, its highly unlikely that whoever hired you will just let you walk away." Said Lan "I'm not sure how they operate, but even if we let you guys go do you think they'd leave you alone? I mean you'll be fine if they just cut you off cold turkey but if they're the kind of people who tend to 'tie up loose ends'" Lan sucked in in some air while raising his palms "Things may not turn out so well for all of you… but if you're all willing to follow some rules, as controversial as that may be to your pirate nature, I think we may be able to provide you with some protection."

The crew looked at each other, at Lan, then at Byakko who was transforming their captain into a living abomination. After a moment of silence one of the men began to speak "Well uh, -"

"Alright next!" shouted Byakko who suddenly appeared and grabbed a large man by the pants.

"Wait grandpa sto—!" started Lan, but too late "OH GOD GRANDPA NO!" there was the sound of ripping pants and a moment later the ship was filled with screams as the large man danced around with his captain's limp body dangling off his rear. Needless to say, negotiations concluded swiftly after that, after confirming their protection and transfer into the custody of the Beast Pirate Alliance after arriving at Amygdala, the pirates were led down and locked in the ship's brig where they began to organize the information that they would be reporting to their future hosts once the deal had gone through. The Beast Pirates were also contacted using the ships communications systems and promised to send Lan and Byakko the intel as soon as they had it.

The promoter and the crew quickly thanked Byakko for their swift response to the threat before hurriedly returning back to their stations, still unnerved by the cruel and unusual punishment inflicted on the pirate captain and his large subordinate both of whom were recovering in the medical room, and had thankfully been fully patched up with some special mixtures that Lan had acquired from gruncle Meng.

With that finished Lan found himself alone on the ships deck with his thoughts, staring into the moon reflecting off the night sea. It began with recurring worries such as not having a defined dream or goal and fearing that he wouldn't be able to live up to his true potential, then transitioning to wondering about how different his way of thinking is from most people and how that could possibly lead him to making decisions that could hurt people in the future. Before long, his mind began to grow numb as the buzz of negative emotions filled his mind and he began to focus on the waves brushing against the side of the ship, and little by little color faded from the world around him. Before he knew it, he was standing on that beach again, with his back against the massive sheer cliff and the boundless dark ocean spread out in front of him.

"Well how many times has it been now, getting suddenly attacked when traveling?" said Byakko as he walked back onto the deck. He waited for a response from Lan who was staring out at the sea, but when a full 10 seconds passed without the boy saying anything he walked over and took a look at the boy's face.

Lan's eyes were empty and vacant, but at the same time were giving off a sort of colorless glow.

"Oh, not again." Said Byakko, he then picked the boy up and began to vigorously slap him, and after 5 seconds of this Lan began to let out exclamations of pain "Oof! wait agh! stop gran- aye!"

Just to be safe though Byakko continued for another 5 seconds until the boy's aura finally gave out, after which he set the boy back on the deck.

"Agh…why" moaned Lan as his cheeks began to swell.

"You started seeing the boundary of physical plane again, didn't you boy?" said Byakko who smeared some ointment on the boy's stinging cheeks.

"Oh yeah sorry…it's just, so hard to forget what it was like." Said Lan, "How it felt like to have form but at the same time not, the strange smell of those waves, that beautiful…dark yet shining…sea—OH! AGH NO I'm not spacing again I'm still here I'm still here!" shouted Lan as he raised his arms to protect his face as he noticed Byakko raise his hand, about to smack him.

"You sure?" said Byakko with a mischievous smile, "Beatin' on your cheeks a little more might help ground you a little better, and I think your Aura's already completely recharged right?"

"That requires a lot of special concentration and spiritual techniques" said Lan as he backed away further "Hard to do when my face is burning from pain!"

"Wasn't talkin about your face" said Byakko.

"Even worse!" shouted Lan leapt back while covering his behind.

"Well that's why we're heading to Amygdala!" said Byakko who backed off while chuckling "It's one of the world's major underground cities, so filled with vice and worldly desires that you'll have your mind bolted back into this reality before you know it."

"I have been preparing by looking into a lot of noir stuff!" said Lan who held up various books, games, movies, and manga. "It is quite depressing!"

"Yes, they are. But that only covers a small part of what you will be experiencing" said Byakko "…You know I do have other material that you could use to prepare yourself" He reached into his Gi and began to pull out a shining magazine.

"Put back the porn mag!" shouted Lan who whipped out a small custom-made flamethrower.

"Alright alright" said Byakko, who chuckled slightly "But I swear to you, not learning of such things will give you a dangerous weakness that your more devious enemies will without a doubt aim for."

"I'll handle that on my own thank you." Said Lan who kept the flamethrower primed.

"Hey you tw— Oh, uh am I interrupting something?" came a confused voice.

The two of them turned and found the fight promoter standing awkwardly at the door leading to the inside of the ship.

"Ah, no we were just finishing. What's up?" said Byakko.

"Ah, just wanted to tell you that we're about to arrive at our destination" said the promoter who pointed at the distant horizon "It's coming up right now"

Staring in the indicated direction, Lan noticed a lonely island in the distance, slowly growing larger as they approached.

"And man after seeing you two fight, I guarantee you two are shoe-ins for tournament champions" continued the promoter.

"At least until the higher ups are bribed to make us lose in the semifinals or something due to the betting odds." Said Lan.

"Eh, if it happens it happens, you'll be paid well either way" said the promoter as she shrugged her shoulders. "But it's great that you understand what you're getting into, I guess being related to the beast pirate alliance has gotten you some know how on how things work, they hire you for a while or something?"

"Something like that" said Lan who finally began to make out details of the island.

It was as if a stone mountain was jutting out of the sea, with all of its sides slowing slanting upwards to meet at a sharp tip. The only entrance appeared to be a small cave that they were currently sailing towards. As they neared, a wave of light emerged from a device hidden above the cave entrance, scanning the ship.

"If it were an unregistered ship or a large Grimm, we'd be lookin at a lot of guns right now" said Byakko as the light faded. "Well, it wouldn't be enough to stop me, but I'd rather not foot the bill for repairs again."

After entering the cave, the ship made its way to a small harbor where those on board quickly disembarked and thanks to Byakko stuffing all the ships cargo into the house, there was no unloading needed. The group then met up with an entourage of armed guards, who nervously eyed the house Byakko was carrying. But the promoter soon handed them the proper paperwork, and after it was checked they were led to a giant freight elevator in the back of the cave. After a few buttons on the command terminal were hit, the giant elevator began to slide down further into the earth and as they descended floodlights lit up on both sides, illuminating an enormous cavern spread out in front of them as the entrance above was sealed with a very sturdy metal hatch. The most notable feature of the cavern was a giant metal dome that seamed to support the very ceiling of the cavern as well as a long well-lit road that led from it to the bottom of the elevator. He could also barely make out what appeared to be a large building at a halfway point on the road.

After reaching the bottom, there were all lead down the road and into the building's walled off courtyard where they met another group of guards. A man in heavier army than what his comrades were wearing walked forwards and addressed them.

"Here is where you will be receiving your neural implants" he said faint smile on his face. "Please come inside and follow the instructions of the staff."

The promoter and the rest of the crew nodded and walked towards the indicated doors, but stopped as they noticed that Byakko and Lan weren't following.

"Um, let's go now fellas" said the guard chief.

"Nah we're good, we'll just be going on ahead" said Byakko, who waived his hand in a dismissing manner.

In response to this, all guards in the courtyard quickly pointed their weapons at the large old man.

"Uh, you probably won't listen to me, but I really suggest that you don't do that." Said Lan who pulled out and began prepping a first aid kit.

"Sorry son, but no one gets into Amygdala without one of these" said the guard as he tapped a neural implant on the side of his head. "Now, will you two cooperate or are we gonna have a problem?"

The moment he finished his sentence he found him and all of his subordinates piled up on top of each other with Byakko sitting on top of them, and their weapons lying in a pile by the gate.

"Wow, that was faster than I've ever seen you move" said Lan as Byakko dusted off his hands.

"Oh, I've been slowly ramping up my shenanigans speed since I started training you, that way you'll be able to perceive things faster and faster." Said Byakko

"I see that you have thoroughly beaten us, but that still doesn't mean you'll be allowed to enter Amygdala without having a neural implant" said the guard with a strangely good-natured tone.

Reaching into his fur, Byakko pulled out an elaborate card and held it in front of the guard's face. The guard's eyepiece scanned it and a moment later a green light beeped on the side of his head.

"Ah I see, it is a pleasure to meet you Master Muteki, please forgive us for our earlier infractions" said the guard in a cheerful tone. "But couldn't you have shown us your identification before dislocating all the joints in our limbs and piling us up?"

"Probably" said Byakko, who leapt off the pile as Lan walked forward and began popping the guards' joints back into their sockets.

"Uh wow, I-I didn't know you had these kinds of connections" said the promoter who nervously walked up to Byakko "w-well I-I guess you don't really need to—"

"Don't worry we'll still be taking part in the tournament" said Byakko as he slapped him on the back. "or at least Lan will."

"How did I know you were going to say that." Said Lan as the boy popped the last guard's arm back into his socket.

After unloading all of the promoter's cargo for inspection, they, along with Trey and the little ones in the 2nd story window of the house, waved goodbye to the promoter's crew, then headed back down the road leading towards the dome.

"So, what was that about?" asked Lan as they walked "Something about neural implants? And the guards also looked strangely chipper for just having their limbs dislocated."

"Oh, you'll see for yourself pretty soon, but I'll give you a hint for now" said Byakko who chuckled "Don't the defenses around the island seem a bit weak? I mean if people started panicking and a large swarm of Grimm came, they'd never be able to protect this place."

Now that he thought of it, Lan did notice that. There weren't any special turrets or barriers between the open ocean and the harbor, and although the entrance leading out to sea was too small for a colossal Grimm to randomly swim through, it didn't look like it would hold up if one started ramming against the walls. Such a set up would be unthinkable for any other harbor on Remnant.

"Well, just come in for now" said Byakko as they arrived in front of a pair or large metallic doors that led into the dome. A moment later a green light appeared above the door, as if sensing their arrival, and the doors slid open. Almost immediately Lan's senses were assaulted by a barrage of lights, smells, and noises temporarily stunning him.

Quickly recovering Lan began taking in the area in front of them. The two of them were standing at the entrance of a large busy street, with almost every shop covered with glaring multicolored neon dust lights and eye-catching signs. It was obviously not the kind of setup you'd see on the main street in a major city, what with the various questionable shops such as mercenary contractors, brothels, and black-market dispensaries being right next to more legitimate establishments such as restaurants, convenience stores, and clothing retailers. There were countless people walking up and down the streets dressed in clothing from all over Remnant, both humans and Faunus.

Things looked altogether peaceful and cheerful here, but as he spent some time looking through the crowd as they began to make their way towards the center of the dome, he eventually felt something amiss. Almost every single person that was in the streets had a smile of some sort on their face, far more than what you'd expect for an underground criminal city, and when he spread out his spiritual energy a short distance to probe at the aura of the people passing by, although he could sense happiness there was also something else strange mixed in. Then as he focused more on physical details, he noticed a small metallic object protruding out of almost everyone's skulls.

It wasn't long before it finally clicked for the boy.

"So that's what the neural implants were for" said Lan.

"Finally noticed did ya" said Byakko, who briskly walked forwards as the crowd cleared for the house carrying man. "That's right, the vast majority of the residents in this city have neural implants. They keep track of how the person is feeling and then if it detects any negative emotions, starts pumping stuff that calms you down and makes you happy directly into the brain."

"That's inhumane" said Lan, who looked into an alley and saw two many laughing as they punched each other in the face.

"But its what was agreed on when this town was established" said Byakko, as he flicked some lien onto a food cart as he snatched all their skewers. "Practically everyone in this town is a criminal in some way, a lot of them came here since they were too wanted to stay in any of the 4 kingdoms but still wanted the convenience of big city life."

"I see" said Lan, "In that case I'm surprised no one's tried to pick pocket my backpack yet."

"Well, that's because you don't got a neural implant" said Byakko who had finished the skewers. "In this place not having one means one of 3 things. A. You've got connections with the ones who hold the power in this place, B. You're skilled enough to get in here without being detected, or C. You're so strong that even the people in charge can't catch you. In any of those cases, it shows that you aren't one to mess with."

"Makes sense" said Lan, as he noticed the wariness behind the smiles of the passersby. "So, where we headed now?"

"To the headquarters of one of the most powerful organizations in this city! And the ones who will be hosting you for the next while." Said Byakko.

"More Uncles and Aunts I've never met?" asked Lan.

"You know it!" said Byakko who pointed both his pointer fingers at the boy. "Along with many other relatives"

Before long they arrived at the center of the town where a massive pillar designed like a pagoda rose up to support the ceiling. With a loud crash, Byakko set the house down and began smiling one of his most sinister smiles as he leaned forward and cracked his joints.

"Uhm, may I suggest that you don't smash into the building and cause mass mayhem and panic to announce your arrival?" asked Lan who inched away from his grandfather.

"…Alright boy I won't smash into the building and cause mass mayhem and panic to announce my arrival" said Byakko, who tucked his hands into the fold of his Gi.

"Oh, thank god" said Lan who placed a hand on his chest and let out a sigh.

"I WILL SMASH INTO THE BUILDING AND DO ALL THOSE THINGS WHILE NAKED!" shouted Byakko who tossed his arms into the air in a V shape while at the same time stripping down to his birthday suit, which was thankfully so hairy you couldn't see his unmentionables.

"OH GOD GRANDPA NO!" shouted Lan, who placed his hands in front of his eyes.

"Oh, is it time to get naked and roll around on the floor?" asked Trey as he popped his head out of a window upstairs.

"You know it man, go and get the oil!" shouted Byakko.

"WAIT!" came a booming voice.

A moment later a large object crashed down in front of the family, and after the dust cleared it was revealed to be a large muscular man with wild black and grey hair, a short-boxed beard, and who was wearing a fine suit that seemed to defy the cloud of dirt attempting to dirty it. His features resembled Byakko's in a way and he was currently giving the man in question a stern stare.

"Grandfather! What did I say about causing disturbances like this in our territory?" said the man.

"Not to do it." Said Byakko who was cleaning out one of his ears with his pinky finger.

"Then why were you about to break down the front door of our headquarters in your birthday suit?!"

"Cause I thought it would be fun!" said Byakko whose face broke into an enormous smile "But enough of that, come give you grandpa a many hug of ultimate manliness!"

"Wait at least put on some—" started the man, but before he or Lan realized it Byakko had already seized him in an affectionate bearhug "pants" he finished, choking as Byakko's mighty arms crushed his ribs. Wincing, he turned his gaze to Lan and the two shared a knowing look.

"Uh, I guess he is another one of your grandchildren" choked the man, who motioned to Lan.

"Yes, he is" said Byakko who finally released the man. "In fact, he's the reason I've come to see you today."

"Uh should I still bring the oil?" asked Trey from the window.

"NO!" shouted Lan and the man simultaneously.

After re-clothing, Byakko, Lan, Trey, and the little ones were invited into the pagoda and brought to a sitting room which was lavishly decorated with a Mistralian style. There Lan learned the man's name was Tetsu Hyunmoo, Byakko's grandson and current boss of the 4 Guardians organization, which was in charge of mediating disputes between all syndicates and criminal organizations which made their homes in Amygdala. And after hearing the full story from Byakko and learning a bit more about Lan's character, Tetsu quickly gave a solution.

"Well, I think I know a place where Lan can house up for a while" said Tetsu as he leaned back while stroking his beard. "It is an…interesting place and I believe that the stimulation they provide will be more than sufficient to help anchor himself back in this plane…and hopefully he'll prove to be a good influence on them."

It was soon decided that Lan, Trey, and the little ones would be sent to one of the 4 Guardians businesses in the Mistral Quarter where they would live and work for a time.

"I'll be sure to pop in on ya here and there" said Byakko who slapped Lan on the back "In fact I'll go on ahead and set the house down on an empty lot near it, and remember you are always welcome to join me on any of my jaunts to the red light—Hmm? No? Well your loss"

Before long, Lan and his followers found themselves stomping through the streets of the Mistral district. They were assaulted by muggers a few times, but even without Lan, the little ones had become much stronger and more capable with using their semblances. Even Trey began to help out as he put the boxing lessons Byakko and Lan had given him to practice. And, as per the rules of the city, the troupe helped themselves to their unconscious foes' lien after each victory, eventually arriving at their destination with heavier pockets.

It was a large Mistralian restaurant called "The Sumptuous Orchid", the building looked rather run down in places but still had signs of vibrant life.

"Well, here's our home for the next little while" said Lan with a satisfied sigh. "Why don't we go say hell—"

A cacophony of screams cut him off and a second later a couple of individuals burst out of the building. All of them were naked save for some kinds of bondage straps that covered their bodies (though sadly it did not cover their unmentionables), and as they darted past Lan into the street, he glimpsed a whip dangling out of one of the men's asses.

"Oh, my there they go" came a sultry voice from the doorway. Lan turned his head and came face to face with a tall curvaceous woman with a foxlike face wearing a loose kimono which was designed to draw one's gaze towards her charm points.

"Oh, hello there little boy" said the Woman "Daddy said we'd be getting in some more help today. Come on everybody and say hello to our new friend."

As several other oddballs began to emerge from the shadows, Lan swallowed a hard not in his throat and put on an awkward smile. He had no doubt that his time here would be quite tumultuous, and he prayed with all his heart that his purity, among other things, would remain intact afterwards.

Writings gotten more difficult though, now that I'm in full time employment. Hopefully I can start doing it faster once I get my sleep schedule better adjusted. Would also be nice if I got some more feedback.

Really don't know what to say these days. Life is painful and the things I love are disappearing little by little. Pretty sure that there's no hope in sight for any of my dreams any more, pretty much just gonna live to try and make myself useful more than anything else.

If anyone still likes these stories though, I'll continue to write them. I already got Lan's story pretty much planned out at this point.

A sequel too, with his disciple as main protagonist. I think that writing that one will be a bit easier than writing Lan's story though, because Lan's story is one of hope while his disciple's is one of despair. And I think I can pull more despair out of me than hope. Sometimes I think I should pause Lan's story and just start on his disciples, but I don't like to leave things half done.

And for any RWBY crew people actually reading this, I hear things are tumultuous right now. I'm not sure what I can do with my limited abilities, but if you ever need some help or someone to talk to, I'd be more than happy to.