Apologies for the very late chapter. This week has been super busy for me and I barely got any time to write.
In response to EthosTheET, yeah I know Agniseki sounds super familiar, but if you google search it the first thing that comes up is this story, so I have no idea where I've heard it before. It could be because it sounds like Agnikai from The Last Airbender but still...
Also we hit 108 Followers and 106 favourites as of the writing of this chapter so... I have no idea when this happened but I think it 's cause for small celebration!
Chapter 43: Politics and Crazy Faunus
-On A Farm somewhere in Mistral-
A lone farm boy stood in the early hours of the morning, draining water from a hand pump in the golden morning sun. His skin was a light brown, freckles spotting his cheeks under his brown eyes and matching brown hair. He wore a white shirt and grey pants held up by orange suspenders.
He sighed heavily as he lifted the bucket of water, he was filling overflowed due to his wandering mind. With little to do besides his everyday tasks of tilling the soil, plowing beds, and doing the occasional weeding, his young teenage mind drifted, thinking about the possibilities his life would hold if he were anything but an average farm boy. According to his mother, the father whom he'd never actually met was a Huntsman, who lived a life of danger and excitement, fighting Grimm, taking down terrorists, going on adventures.
The more he thought on it the more his mind began to daydream, what his life would be like if his mother had sent him to one of those Huntsmen training academies... he's not sure how he'd fare in a fight, heck he didn't even have his aura unlocked, but what he did know though, is that anything was better than being stuck on a farm committing to the same chores day in and day out.
He trudged back into his barn, carrying his pitchfork behind him, and as he passed a rather old and dirty mirror, he could've sworn he saw someone else.
Double backing, he pathed to the mirror and stared into his reflection, as if half expecting there to actually be another person. What was strange to him, however, was that his usual brown eyes had an underlying green, though he assumed it was a trick of the light.
"H-Hello?" he called, scanning the mirror. Upon receiving no response, he brushed it off as mere paranoia, that was until, "Hello, I'm professor Ozpin!" the voice of the headmaster said as if coming from out of nowhere. The boy jumped back in a mix of fear and surprise as one would do when the spectral voice of a man who was supposedly dead suddenly echoes from thin air.
"I do apologize dear boy I didn't mean to startle you…" Ozpin's voice said, causing the teen to turn around wildly.
"What?! Who?!" he began covering his head and looking around for an intruder.
"You will not find me with your eyes, Oscar. I am, and please don't 'freak out' as they say, in your head," Ozpin concluded.
Oscar, as the boy was named, went wide-eyed, "What?! I'm hearing voices in my head… I've gone crazy… all this farm work has made me insane…"
"Not insane, and do bear with me, your reaction is quite… expected. I am technically dead after all."
Oscar began to hyperventilate, "Okay Oscar… there's a dead guy in your head… how do you explain this to your mom?"
"Please refrain from that as it may only cause more unnecessary confusion. Please control your breathing so that I may explain what is now happening to you," Ozpin said calmy.
Oscar bit his lip, weighed his options, on one hand he listens to the voice in his head, on the other he ignores it and still has a voice in his head. He didn't like his options. Deciding upon the former he sat on the bail of hay that was in the barn beside him. "Alright… I'm listening…" he said hesitantly.
"Good. Now, as you know, the professor Ozpin of Beacon Academy 'died' during the fall of Beacon correct?"
Oscar nodded.
"Right. Now, I know this may sound hard to believe, but I'm going to share with you information that will explain everything…" Ozpin said.
"What do you…" Oscar faltered when memories and images began flooding through his mind. Ozpin was no ordinary professor, but one that possessed magic, and upon his death he was reincarnated into the next suitable body, Oscar. The boy in question wanted to deny this information, he wanted to chalk it up to fantasy, but the fact is that he was now being flooded with memories of someone that wasn't him… and yet… they felt so familiar as if he experienced these events himself. The information swirled and gathered into his brain until he reached a point of complete acceptance and understanding.
It felt like brainwashing, if it applied to memories of yourself, but also not yourself.
"Ugh my head hurts…" Oscar groaned.
"Yes, that is to be expected…"
"Um… if I may ask… if you've reincarnated into my head… what happens to me?"
"A viable question. The answer is nothing, I will simply reside in here like a vocal consciousness unless you allow me control of your body." Ozpin explained.
"So… no complete erasure of yours truly?" Oscar asked.
"Nothing of the sort. You will remain as you are, just… now there's two of us, so to speak. Unless you give me permission, I am unable to override your consciousness completely and become you." He continued.
"Wait… why would I give you permission to take over my completely?" Oscar asked hesitantly.
Ozpin psychically shrugged, "My last host body gave me control, and in times of dire peril, often on the verge of death, my previous hosts gave me control over the body. It is entirely situational, and optional."
"DEATH?!" Oscar asked alarmed.
"Oh yes, I may have forgotten to mention that, as you are my host, you are now tasked with the weight of the world on your shoulders, good luck…" Ozpin said darkly.
Oscar dragged his hands across his face, "Oh for the love of…"
-Patch-
It was around noon when Nova awoke from his sleep, which was strange considering he was usually an early riser. His dreams were filled with Ruby and the smell of roses. He saw her in the forest talking around a campfire, her face was downcast and a lonely look marring her features. He couldn't discern her words, but he could tell she was sad, they all did. His dream changed scenes and he saw her now, fighting a dark figure, he saw Qrow fighting alongside them. Eventually, his dreams changed to pleasant ones as the night had progressed, dreaming of holding her again, curled in his arms where she belonged, where he belonged
His dreams were rudely awakened by the feeling of something wet repeatedly licking at his face. He opened his eyes blearily to see Zwei sitting on his chest, lapping at his face to get him up.
"I'm up, I'm up! Doggy alarm clock... never thought I'd see the day..." he mused as he tried to force himself to leave the comfort of the blankets. He had opted for the couch for his stay at the Xiaolong-Rose household but Tai and Yang insisted that he take Ruby's bed, much to his embarrassment. Sleeping in her bed had been like sleeping with her in his arms again, though it lacked her warmth and presence, everything still smelled like her, so it was quite effective in knocking him out cold.
"Ugh… Mornin'," he waved to Yang and Tai as he yawned and grabbed the entire pot of coffee that Tai made that morning.
"You mean afternoon? You slept for so long…" Yang mused looking at him. "Also if you plan on drinking that shit swill you might want to reheat…."
Nova just shot her an amused look and boiled the coffee just by holding the pot, before chugging the molten liquid.
"Right… I forgot you could do that…" she chuckled.
"The coffee is pretty good pops, you've gotten better," Nova said, now more like his usual self.
Tai smiled, "Thank you Nova," he turned to Yang looking smug, "At least someone in this house appreciates me!"
Yang just rolled her eyes, "Right… when are we going to start training?"
Tai glanced at her, then pointed to the lack of her right arm and she just made an 'o' with her mouth. "Oh shit, right…"
Yang paced into the living room and looked at the metal appendage sitting on the counter and hesitated. Picking up this arm meant she was going to abandon her peaceful life and dive back into the world of danger.
"Think of what you could be Yang…" she whispered to herself, "Yang the housewife! To the girl that probably hates me now… or Yang the office worker, corporate slave…"
She felt the urge to drive her head into the wall, "Who the fuck am I kidding, I'm meant for one thing and one thing only… kicking the absolute shit out of bad guys!" she instantly picked up the arm.
The moment she touched the cool surface, memories flashed back, of Adam moving faster than she could blink and cutting her down, Blake injured then running away. She almost dropped it, but she held firm.
"No… I WILL DO THIS!"
"Think she put it on?" Tai whispered to Nova as they stared at the empty doorway to the house, from the front yard.
"Think she even knows how? Did you leave instructions?" Nova quirked his brow.
"I…" Tai raised his finger then paused.
Nova facepalmed, "You forgot to give her directions… nice…"
"I'll just go check…" the blonde was about to go inside when Yang came striding through the door, wearing the new arm. "Or not, it looks good on you sweetheart!" he waved.
Yang rubbed the arm, "It's alright I guess, it feels… strange. Like I can move it but… it's like a really numb hand."
Nova nodded, "Well that's to be expected I guess… so… think you're up to testing it out?"
Yang stretched out the arm, then flexed the fingers, curling them around each other, "Honestly? Whoever designed this thing is a genius, it feels like a part of me and I only just put it on. I think I can skip the whole adjustment period and get straight to using it."
Nova glanced at Tai, "What do you think?"
"I think that if my daughter says she's ready, then she's ready." He responded.
Nova shrugged, "Alright then…" he got into a brawling stance, "Come at me Yang, Tai wants to evaluate our CQC,"
"Now?"
"No, in thirty years... YES I MEAN NOW!"
Yang shrugged and launched herself at Nova, swinging her left arm at full speed toward his face. Nova instantly brought up his guard, then directed her weight to his right and countered with a straight right to her chest, this sent her skating backward, but still on her feet.
"Impressive reflexes," Yang commented panting from having some of the wind knocked out of her.
Nova smirked, "Or may you're just getting slow?"
Yang felt her brow twitch, he was trying to get on her nerves. She responded with a right swing to his temple to which he ducked and then countered only to have her right fist blindside him as he tried to move. Nova instantly recovered and threw a left but she blocked and then sent two quick rights and a left jab.
Instead of guarding, Nova jumped back to gain distance. Yang was a brawler, she wasn't one for medium to long-range attacks without her gauntlets, thus Nova was able to duck low and close the distance before she had a chance to register what he was doing, sending a straight uppercut to her jaw, sending her into the air.
Yang reoriented herself and backflipped to land on her feet, while Nova moved in using his superior speed, and pinwheel kicking her into a crater.
Yang was about to get up and start fighting again when Tai stepped in.
"STOP!" he said halting the two teens.
They looked at him confused, "What's up pops?" the dragon asked.
"I wanted to evaluate your CQC, not watch you two kill each other. Besides, I've seen enough."
"Alright dad, what's the verdict?" Yang said dusting herself off.
"Well let's start with Nova, you have fast reflexes and really high strength, your semblance also gives you an edge in fistfights since the variety of blows are limited. However, that being said, without taking into consideration your powers, or your semblance… you would lose in a fight against an actual martial artist." Tai said.
Nova was confused, "But pops, I totaled you the last time we fought… I know I'm rough around the edges but come on…"
"You won because I wasn't taking you seriously from the start, and you also used your powers. Your technique is unrefined, you're fighting based on instinct and reaction, not planning on what you want to do to your opponent." Tai explained further.
"But shouldn't the end goal be to beat the shit out of them?" Nova deadpanned.
Tai rubbed his temples, "Yes but fights are taken in steps. Just like how you chose where to aum your scythe to achieve a certain outcome, you need to aim your fists and kicks to the same flow. Every move you make must have a purpose, if there is no purpose then it's just wasted energy and time."
Nova rubbed his chin, "I see…"
"And now you, Yang…" Tai turned to his daughter. "You're problem is that your reflexes are slow at the start of fights. In a fight against faster opponents who could overwhelm you in a second, you'd be dead."
"Dad, how realistic is it to even be taken down in a second? No one has that level of speed…" Yang argued.
Tai folded his arms and gestured with his head to her arm, referring to Adam, and then to Nova.
"Oh right… but they're like super Faunus, not normal."
"HEY!" Nova yelled in protest but he was ignored.
"Yang, take it from me, a professional huntsman, there are more people out there with that level of skill than you would like to believe. Whether you like it or not, if you want to help your sister and walk this path with her, you need to get on their level and fight on the same plain as they are, otherwise, you'll be nothing but dead weight…" Tai said without a shred of remorse.
Yang sulked, "But… how do I become like them? I'm not some insane superhuman with powers or…" her words were cut off when Tai instantly blinked from where he was standing to right in front of her, his fist mere inches from her face.
"You don't need special powers to get stronger. Us regular humans have more potential than you think…" Tai said stepping away from his daughter.
Nova gawked, Tai wasn't kidding about not taking him seriously. If he had used that speed from the start, their battle would've been a lot tougher, with an unclear outcome.
"That wasn't your normal speed, Tai," Nova said observing him. "That was… aura?"
Tai smiled, "So you noticed… guess nothing gets past your dragon eyes eh?"
"Aura? What about it?" Yang asked confused.
"Aura can do much more than just fuel your semblances, or act as a shield. Your body uses aura both passively and actively. You unconsciously have aura act as a shield, and you can actively use it to fuel your semblance. If you apply this theory, then by definition your aura supply is limited by your defence." Tai said.
Nova and Yang were now very interested.
"What if I told you, you could control your defensive aura, and focus all of it into your attack power, or speed? Or even amplify your semblance?" Tai smiled.
"WHAT?!" they both said simultaneously.
"And what if I told you there is more than one way to regenerate your aura, without having to wait on it to naturally refill?"
Now both of their jaws dropped, "TEACH US!"
-Menagerie-
It was night time now in the Belladonna household. Elain and Blake's parents were fast asleep while the others were awake, restless, and disturbed.
"For a tropical country, it's rather cold at night isn't it?" Sun said rubbing his arms. The three teens stood on the balcony, staring up at the clear night sky, each of their minds plagued with thoughts that weighed so heavy it held their tongues firm.
"It's the lack of cloud coverage, usually its warmer than this," Blake mused leaning over the wooden rails.
Luna chuckled, "You know it would help if you put on a shirt."
"Never." He replied with a flat face.
The two girls just rolled their eyes.
"So, mini blue, how does it feel to be back home? You guys are from here, right?" Sun asked turning to the tiny girl.
Luna's face turned forlorn in an instant and Blake flinched, "It seems like a nice place, the environment is clean and the people are so kind…"
"You make it sound like this is your first time here…" Sun chuckled, not feeling the weight of the atmosphere, as usual.
"That's because it kind of is." She replied with a sad smile.
"What?! I thought…"
"Yes, I was born here… but I left before I was too young to remember. You saw the burnt down mansion, right?"
Sun nodded, "Yeah, I've been meaning to ask, your mom said something about the White Fang burning it down… I know it's not really my business but…"
"It's fine, you're kinda dragged into this mess too so you deserve to know my family's history. When I was six, the White Fang burned our house down, kidnapped my parents, and tried to kill us. That's basically the summary. I'll spare you the details…" Luna said looking out into the wilderness.
"That's really messed up… those psychos know no bounds do they…"
"The White Fang isn't a bunch of psychos!" Blake defended after quietly sitting and listening.
"How can you defend them? You saw what they did…" Sun countered.
Blake rubbed her arm, "That's not it… not all of the White Fang are crazy murderers, just Onyx's faction… even then most of them are just following orders without the power to defy them… I was one of them after all…"
Sun's eyes downcast, "Yeah… sorry I…"
"It's fine, I know what you mean, I just… get so frustrated…" Blake sighed heavily. "Those guys are out there making the White Fang look like evil terrorists when most of us just wanted freedom. It's not fair…"
Sun walked up and placed a hand on her shoulder, "You're probably right, it's wrong of me to keep calling them all psychos. If there are people like you still in the White Fang, good people with pure hearts that want nothing but good for their people, then I'm more than sure there's still hope for them."
Blake's eyes went wide, "Sun what're you…"
"I'm saying that you're an amazing kind-hearted person, even under that moody exterior, even though you try to push people away, it's because you want to keep them safe. You're a pure soul, and I just think you should know that" Sun said with a bright smile on his face.
Blake turned beet red, "Wha- wha?!" she began sputtering.
"Amidst all this darkness, you gotta look at the good things to keep strong," his smile was warm and pure as if he held nothing but admiration and respect for her.
"Awww look at you two, being all adorable and sweet!" Luna squealed interrupting them. Both teens blushed heavily and separated instantly.
"Blake, you said the White Fang operate in Menagerie without their masks, but… I found this one wearing one in the market today, I even have a picture," Sun fished for his scroll.
"WHAT?! Let me see…" Luna stepped up to him, but Blake held back.
Blake hesitated, "Sun… I came here to rest, to find myself… I didn't come back home to fight…"
Sun and Luna shot her a look that said 'are you fucking serious? You're doing this now?'
"… But… hearing what they did to Nova… I can't rest until I make those bastards pay… an eye for an eye…" Blake finished with determination. This earned a smile from the two.
Before she could check the picture, her cat vision spotted movement in the darkness of the bushes. She peered carefully, eyeing the surroundings, her night vision adjusting to suit, until she could see it clearly, a White Fang mask in the darkness.
Her eyes went wide, "We're being watched!"
The dragon and the monkey Faunus went on alert just in time to see a figure dashing out of the bushes at blinding speeds.
"A freaking ninja?!" Sun exclaimed.
"No, a fucking spy…" Luna seethed, as she bolted off behind them, Sun and Blake followed suit.
They dashed across rooftops and trees tailing the incredibly fast spy. Had it been anyone but Luna, the spy would outrun them, but unfortunately for the spy, she had a dragon princess tailing her.
Luna's eyes glowed bright cyan blue, she stretched out her hand and suddenly the spy's movements halted, and instead of landing on the next rooftop, she was instantly rooted to the one in front of Luna and the others, struggling to move.
"Good, now that you've stopped moving… maybe you can tell us who you are…" Luna said walking up and tearing the spy's mask off to reveal a brown haired girl with dark blue eyes.
"ILIA?!" Blake exclaimed, immediately recognizing her as one of her childhood friends. "WHY ARE YOU IN THE WHITE FANG?!"
Ilia didn't respond to her question, "You shouldn't have come back, Blake…"
"You know this girl?" Sun asked without looking at her.
"We were friends as kids, I haven't seen her since I left to join the White Fang…" Blake explained.
"You abandoned me, and then you abandoned the White Fang for Beacon, but now it seems you've abandoned them as well…" Ilia taunted.
Blake grit her teeth and clenched her fists in anger, she wanted to argue, but Ilia was right in her assumption. She was nothing more than a deserter.
"Maybe… but it's better than working for a psychopath like Adam, and Onyx…" Blake countered.
"Didn't you hear? Adam is dead. High Commander Onyx has stepped in as complete overseer of our operations now…" Ilia sneered.
All three teens' eyes went wide, "WHAT?!"
"Yeah, cut down by that false prince, what was his name again? Nova? Our master avenged Adam by killing him too…" Ilia smirked, though if it weren't for the darkness of the night, one could tell the evil charade was forced.
"You take my brother's name out of your filthy fucking mouth right now!" Luna growled, her eyes turning bright blue and constricting Ilia's movements, practically choking her.
"You will tell us everything we need to know… now!" Blake seethed glaring at her.
"Or what?" Ilia choked out with a smile.
"You're our prisoner, you will comply…" Sun threatened.
"Is that what you think?" she choked out again.
The three had little time to react as a glowing dagger shot through the darkness and whizzed passed Luna's head forcing her to drop her hold on Ilia to dodge.
Once free Ilia drew her weapon and stared them down. Blake and Sun were on alert looking for the source of the dagger.
"There's more than one of them…" Blake said eyeing the darkness.
"You really shouldn't have come back…" Ilia said again before sending her whip-like weapon straight through the unfocused Sun's shoulder, a shock of electricity ripped through his body sending him crumpling to the ground.
"SUN!" Blake yelled rushing to help him.
Luna turned around to find Ilia gone, no signs of her ever being there besides the hole in Sun's shoulder.
"Fuck… she got away…" the blue dragon cursed.
"We need to head back, Sun's in serious pain… hang in there Sun…"
"What happened?" Kali asked after she finished changing the bandages on Sun's wound. He'd taken a damaging blow but nothing aura wouldn't heal.
"A White Fang spy, watching this very home…" Luna said as she gripped the armrests of the chair.
"WHAT?! You can't be serious…" Ghira looked furious.
Blake shook her head, "Without a doubt, and there were more than one of them…"
"A secondary attacker, cloaked in the darkness, brandishing throwing knives… and I have a sneaking suspicion I know who it is, but that should be impossible…" Luna said rubbing her arms.
"Who do you think it is?" Elain asked her daughter.
"That guy Nova and I faced off during the duos round of the Vytal Tournament, Edan, I think was his name." Luna.
"That guy is here?!" Blake looked alarmed. "If he is… then… if the rest of his team are as well…"
"It'll mean serious trouble for the rest of us…" Luna confirmed.
"Wait… if Onyx's main team is here then… no they couldn't be…" Elain gasped in horror.
Kali saw the alarm on her face, "What is it Ellie? What's this mean?"
"They're going after Sienna Khan!" Elain exclaimed.
Everyone gasped, "WHAT?!"
"The White Fang is split into factions, they agree to certain movements as a council of leaders. I've never seen all of them myself, but Onyx and Sienna Khan are two separate factions, with opposing views. Onyx is probably aiming to overtake the White Fang influence here and overthrow her, uniting their two factions under his rule…" Elain said realizing his plan.
"But… that'll mean…" Ghira looked terrified. "We need to do something… but what?"
Luna looked hesitant, then spoke, "If you'll allow it… I think it's time the people knew about what happened." Everyone looked to her in confusion.
"What I mean is… Nova planned to tell the people about the truth, what really happened that night, about the atrocities of Onyx's faction. He wanted to rally people, unite both Faunus and Human against our common enemy," she continued.
Ghira nodded, "That does seem to be our best course of action, we can't track them so we hinder their movements by drawing public attention… Kali, can you relay word to our people, gather them outside, we'll host a conference of sorts, telling the world the truth."
-White Fang Base Menagerie-
Sienna Khan a black-haired, dark-skinned Faunus sporting large pointed cat ears and tiger stripes on her skin, sat on her throne in the grand red hall.
She was reading through the report that was sent to her on the Fall of Beacon and sighed heavily. "What is that fool thinking… a strike like this would undoubtedly paint us as nothing more than warmongering terrorists!" she bashed her fist against the armrest.
"Fergison, what's the status on contact with Onyx?" she asked the attendant to her right.
"We've had no contact due to the destruction of the CCT Tower, all links to his base in Vacuo are down…" the man responded dryly as if he was tired of answering this question.
Sienna sighed, "Of course… I suspected as much… and all attempts at reaching the other council members, any luck?"
"None ma'am, I'm afraid we'd have to rely on our messengers…"
"But that could take weeks! Is there any other form of contact?" she asked, not looking at her attendant.
There was no response, so she asked again, "Fergison, did you hear me?"
"Ack-k, ah…" came the indistinguishable reply.
"What? Something caught in your throat?" then she felt something warm drip onto her shoulder, forcing her to turn around.
There stood Fergison, clad in his uniform, except… his throat was bleeding, his eyes alarmed.
"FERGISON!" She yelled in alarm, scanning the room for the attacker as her attendant's lifeless body crumpled to the floor.
"GUARDS!" She called out trying to sound the alarm, but there was no response. "GUARDS!"
"Oh, you won't find anyone here…" a dark voice chuckled from the shadows.
Sienna was instantly on guard, drawing her weapon, a dust powered, chain-linked whip.
"Who's there?" she glanced around, trying to use her night vision.
"No one really… just… a messenger…" the male voice said now stepping into the light. It was Edan, Onyx's pet squad commander.
"You… I know you… you're one of Onyx's pets…" Sienna seethed glaring at him.
Edan chuckled, "I'm surprised you know who I am, I'm honoured," he gave a mock bow.
"Well… this saves me some trouble… leaving the matter of my dead assistant aside… why are you here?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.
"I think it should be painfully obvious, I'd think the answer was staring you dead in the face!" he began laughing maniacally.
"Of course…" she rolled her eyes, "So… tell me… why attack Beacon? Does Onyx know that he's permanently damned our name?"
Edan looked at her curiously, "Why should I answer you? … Well I guess you'll be dead in a few seconds so why not…" he twirled one of his spectral daggers in his fingers, "He did it for the good of our organization. We don't want equality, we want to overthrow the humans, reign a new world order with the White Fang at the head!"
"And you think you'll get away with this?! If he thinks he can challenge the might of the entire of Remnant then he's nothing but a delusional fool, and you're an even bigger idiot for believing his bullshit!" Sienna roared, brandishing her whip.
"I'd like to think that his power is real… and you're the fool who sits on a throne trying to spread ideals about equality…" Edan said darkly, more daggers erupting from his hands as he readied to fight.
"A fool I may be, but at least I didn't send my lackey to do a job that should have been done myself!" she launched herself at Edan, but he quickly sidestepped and countered with a punch to her gut that sent her flying back, cratering into the wall above them.
"What the fuck?!" she choked out as she struggled to her feet. That blow had gone straight past her defences and struck her for real damage.
Instantly without a sound, Edan was on her again, closing the gap of several meters in less than a second, as if he just blinked.
Sienna's eyes widened as his fist came barrelling down onto her head, smashing her face into the floor.
"I'm going to enjoy killing you…" Edan said darkly as he continued to beat her until all tension in her body left and she crumpled. He picked her head up by her hair and stared eye to eye with her bloodied visage.
"You feel that? That's true strength… you are nothing but a weak, spineless…" he never got to finish when a blast of red energy shot by his face, causing him to whip his head around.
Standing at the grand doors to the room were none other than Adam Taurus and Bell Wings.
"You get the fuck away from her you hellspawn!" Adam roared as he blinked through the air and clashed is katana against Edan, now seeing his face up close, Adam's eyes widened.
"YOU! YOU'RE ALIVE?!" he said in alarm.
Edan snorted, "I could say the same to you… you fucking cockroach!"
Bell saw Edan jump into the air and came straight for her, "Hello little fairy! Nice to see you again!" he snarled.
Bell was shocked, "I saw you die… your body was mangled. Beyond repair… HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!"
Edan smirked, "Well unlike you, I didn't have the luxury of a big wall of ballistic flesh to protect me… so I was 'dead'…" he said referring to Dune.
"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT HIM LIKE THAT!" Bell roared in anguish, punching him so hard in the face that she felt skin tear beneath her fist. The blow sent him flying back into Adam's waiting blade, and Adam impaled him mid flight, sending the red sword through his stomach.
"Well… It doesn't matter how he survived… he's dead now…" Adam said looking at the limp body on his sword.
"I WOULDN'T BE SO SURE ABOUT THAT!" Edan yelled in a half-mad, half vicious manner as his head shot up with a smile.
Adam dropped his sword in alarm, even Bell watched in horror as the man they just impaled, got up calmly, and took the sword out from his own stomach. They expected him to bleed to death from the wound, but instead there was no blood.
Both ex-White Fang members watched in horror as instead of internal organs and blood there was steel and wiring, and on the face that Bell hit, where the skin was torn off, revealed a robotic skull.
"What… are you?" Adam asked mortified.
Edan chuckled, his skinless mouth speaking through nothing but chattering teeth, "Your worst nightmare… but for now… ta ta!" he waved at the two who just looked in confusion as smoke began to erupt from his body. Soon the entire room was covered in thick white steam. Once it was clear Edan was gone.
"Fucking hell, he got away…" Adam cursed.
"Never mind that, go check on Sienna, see if she's alright…" Bell said.
The two ran over to the fallen leader and breathed a sigh of relief, "She's alive… we got here in time…"
"T-Taurus? And… blonde kid?" Sienna choked out through the pain as she lay on Adam's lap while Bell tended to her wounds. "Thought you were dead…"
Adam chuckled, "Seems to be a lot of that going around here…"
"W-Why save me? I thought… you work for… him…" she said through fits of coughing.
Adam shook his head, "Not anymore… we're here to help…"
-Mistral Forest-
The road was dark and dismal, ever since they'd arrived at the broken town, the weather hadn't let up. No sign of clear skies for miles and the awful stench of death and decay followed them everywhere they went.
Something was amiss. The area was quiet… too quiet…
Ren held up his hand for the team to stop.
"There's something wrong…" Ren said, now everyone was on alert, drawing their weapons. "Follow my lead…" they all watched as Ren cautiously stepped out into the open, looking around for signs of danger. Nitro followed closely behind as they scouted around.
The moment they were in the direct open area, they were tackled by two blurs, crashing them into the cobblestone path.
Instantly the team followed up, getting into a formation around their allies. The two blurs came again from seemingly nowhere, striking at them at inhuman speeds. Ren ducked and rolled to avoid a swipe by what appeared to be blades and he shot in response.
The two enemies danced around the team striking at all angles, rebounding off of their strikes and attacking without warning.
Eventually Nora managed to counterattack sending the two enemies crashing through a nearby building.
"WE'RE NOT LOOKING FOR A FIGHT!" Jaune called as the dust cleared, the crumbling of stone and wood was the only other sound accompanied by what was apparently simultaneous maniacal laughter. "WHO ARE YOU?!"
"Who are we? Oh, my dear friends, to think you'd forgotten me…" one said, the shorter of the two, as they emerged from the crumbling building.
Standing before Team MNRNJR, were two individuals, a teenager around their age, with rust coloured hair and amber eyes, and a taller brown-haired man with an elongated face and similar eyes.
Nitro and Hex's eyes widened, "Thorian Callus?!" Nitro seethed.
Thorian laughed madly clutching his face, "FINALLY SOME RECOGNITION! But… it's not Callus, it's Callows…" he bowed and gestured to the older man, who also made a mock bow.
"Tyrian Callows, it's a pleasure…" The older man snarled with a devilish smile, a large scorpion tail coming out of his back.
"What do you want from us?!" Jaune yelled defensively.
Tyrian and Thorian chuckled simultaneously.
"Want with you? Nothing actually… well except maybe you… you interest me…" Tyrian said stopping at Jaune.
"The only person we're concerned about… is you…" Thorian continued, pointing at Ruby.
"ME?!" Ruby asked in alarm.
"Yes… our queen has expressed her utmost interest in you…" Tyrian eyed Ruby.
"Cinder…" Jaune snarled in response, assuming that's who their boss was.
Both Tyrian and Thorian looked at each other before bursting out into a fit of mad laughter, "SHE WISHES!" they both said simultaneously.
"No… our queen is much more… refined…" Thorian said.
"Much more… powerful…" Tyrian played off his brother. "We need you to come with us… she wants you alive if possible…" he pointed at Ruby.
"What if she doesn't want to come with you?" Hex asked raising Loki and Eres in a fighting stance.
The brothers sighed, "I guess we have no choice…" Tyrian launched himself at Jaune, tackling him to the ground.
Ruby reacted by swiping at his abdomen but he easily jumped and kicked her aside.
Thorian aimed himself at Nitro, throwing his chakrams at the red-haired boy's face. Nitro sidestepped and rushed at him with his semblance and boosters but his fist only connected with air as Thorian sailed over his head, slamming his feet into his back.
Hex tried to retaliate by hooking him, managing to wrap him tightly in the chains.
"Ooh… neat trick…" Thorian smiled looking at his arms and legs restrained by the chains, "Too bad… my tricks are better…" he instantly slipped out of the restraints as if they weren't even tight, ducking low and slicing with his bladed chakram. Hex barely managed to dodge in time as the blade passed mere hairs away from her face.
Meanwhile Tyrian was thoroughly juggling RNJR at once. Easily ducking and dodging around their blades like they were moving in slow motion. His agility and overall flexibility made it impossible to hit him or catch him off guard.
He moved in a wide sweep, knocking away all of them in different directions, then launched himself directly at the downed Ruby.
"RUBY!" Nora yelled out in alarm as Tyrian's blades closed in on her.
Ruby closed her eyes, expecting the inevitable pain, but none came. Standing in the path of her demise was none other than Qrow Branwen.
"Uncle Qrow?!" Ruby exclaimed in alarm. "When… how…"
"I'll explain later, right now we need to deal with these guys…" Qrow said not looking back and readying his scythe.
"I… I'll help!" Ruby said getting to her feet and readying Crescent Rose.
Qrow shook his head, "No Ruby, you guys handle Tweedle-Dee over there," he gestured to Throian, "And I'll take care of Tweedle-Dum,"
"This complicates things…" Thorian muttered under his breath as he was locked in a stalemate against Nitro and Hex.
"Qrow Branwen! A real Huntsmen, as I live and breathe! It is an honour…" Tyrian said smiling.
Qrow visibly shuddered, "Listen buddy, I don't know who you are… but you're going to have to leave my niece alone…"
Tyrian made a tsk sound, "No can do, see my brother and I were assigned by her grace to retrieve the young girl…"
Qrow's eyes narrowed in anger, "Salem…"
"Who?" Ruby piped in from behind, completely confused, but her question went unanswered.
"Looks like I'll have to kick your ass then…" Qrow glared at him.
Tyrian batted his eyes, "Aw, you can try…"
Qrow felt a nerve twitch in his forehead as he thrust himself into battle. Tyrian got down on all fours and launched at Qrow at incredible speed, spinning in a dangerous bladed pirouette of death. Qrow blocked with his scythe and flung him back. Tyrian simply used the momentum as a rebound to launch himself again even faster, gathering force behind him as his bladed fists clashed against Qrow's Harbinger, resulting in a shockwave that rocked the nearby buildings.
Ruby stood in awe at the display of raw power between the Huntsmen, and she realized, just how weak she was. Her experience and technique were nowhere near the level she was seeing being displayed before her, and for the first time since leaving Patch, she thought I might be in way over my head…
Behind her, HNJNR had begun their own battle against Thorian. He wasn't as skilled as his brother, and it was clear that the difference in numbers was proving difficult, still, he made it seem effortless as he cut across Nitro's chest and kicked him into Hex.
Thorian then proceeded to dodge Nora's horizontal hammer swing and sweep under her legs, throwing her down before sending his two chakrams whizzing through the air to hit Jaune and Ren.
Nitro bolted with a supersonic punch that flew straight, hoping his speed would be enough to hit the boy, but he was easily sidestepped and sent crashing into a nearby house. "WHY THE FUCK IS HE SO SLIPPERY?!" Nitro yelled in rage as he brushed the concrete dust off of his clothing.
Hex tried chaining him down again but this time Thorian was more than ready, catching the chain mid-air and pulling Hex along with it. The purplette only shrieked in surprise as she was ripped off the ground and swung like a human flail knocking into Jaune and Ren who had just recovered from being hit by the Chakrams.
"SORRY!" Hex yelled as she felt her boot connect with their heads.
Overall Thorian was making a fool out of them, he was clearly more skilled and experienced.
"How the hell did Nova beat this guy?!" Jaune said rubbing the back of his head in pain.
"Yes, without your little dragon friends, you're all weak! You're just normal people, inexperienced amateurs picking a fight in a world you don't fully understand!" Thorian yelled as he tossed Hex into a nearby rock. "So why don't you just give up and submit!"
Back with Qrow, he and Tyrian had been fighting on top one of the houses, along a narrow rooftop. Tyrian easily dodged around Qrow's attacks, while the Huntsmen struggled to keep up with his enemy's erratic movements.
Despite Qrow's words, Ruby got into a sniper position and tried to help her uncle, only to realize she was unable to keep up with the rapid pace of movements.
Tyrian whipped is tail out like an extendable stabbing device forcing Qrow to duck low, then backflip out of the way of the retracted tail swipe. Tyrian made for a flying kick only for it to miss and send him crashing through the roof beneath his feet. Just as he was falling he shot his tail up and wrapped it around Qrow's foot-dragging him down with him.
Ruby rushed over to the building to help her uncle and was surprised to see him come crashing through the solid concrete wall as if he was shot out of a cannon. Qrow threw Harbinger in sword form across the ground anchoring it hilt upward, then used it to catch himself on the blade, stopping his eventual crash. He stood perched, perfectly balanced on the blade, his aura fizzling out depicting that it was depleted.
Tyrian's aura also did the same as he emerged from the wreckage.
Ruby grouped with her uncle and stood by him, together they launched a simultaneous attack on Tyrian who easily evaded their swipes and overwhelmed Ruby in almost an instant, forcing Qrow to block the strike.
"Do you want to be taken?!" Tyrian asked amused and confused at the red reaper joining the fight.
"No… but I can't stand by and watch people get hurt!" she yelled as she attacked him again. Tyrian shook his head and aimed his blade at her, Ruby barely had time to react as Qrow had to forcefully pull her away.
"RUBY WHAT DID I SAY?!" he chastised.
"THIS IS MY FIGHT TOO!" Ruby argued back.
Qrow sighed, "It's not like that it's…!" he was cut off when Ruby again thrust herself into battle only to be knocked back against the building, a large piece of wood randomly dislodged itself from the roof and was about to crush her, forcing Qrow to dash in and knock it away.
Tyrian saw this as his opening and shot his tail out, slicing Qrow across the stomach.
Ruby watched in horror as a large bleeding wound opened up in Qrow's stomach area.
In a grand fury Ruby latched Crescent Rose over Tyrian's tail and pulled the trigger, causing the recoil to cut the tail in half.
Tyrian recoiled in pain, "ARGH!" he screamed as he limped away.
The cry of pain alerted Thorian, causing him to see his brother scrambling in pain on the floor, and sighed.
"Well, it's been fun… but I must take my leave now…" he said to the others.
"You're not going anywhere… WHA!" Nitro screamed as Throrian punched the ground beneath his feet releasing a shockwave of golden energy, knocking them all back. Then, moving with his unbelievable speeds, dashed across the courtyard, picked up Tyrian, and disappeared into the forest.
"UNCLE QROW!" Ruby yelled rushing over to her uncle and checking the wound.
"He… just grazed me…" Qrow said before falling to the ground in pain.
"We need medical attention now!" Ruby called over to the others as they gathered up.
So I realized I crossed over into Volume 5 territory with the menagerie arc, but I think instead of separating volumes 4 and 5, I'll continue along and blur the lines because a lot of the stuff covered in volume 5 could very well have been done in 4 given that they had a 20 min episode length.
For Oscar's character, I realize that he's very OOC here, but at the same time I prefer him like this, because his initial introduction into the series was very bland and underwhelming, at least to me, and I figured he should act more like a 14 year old kid and not a depressed old man.
Next time, Weiss breaks out, Nova and Yang improve in training and much more.
