Guess these updates are permanently irregular now, exams ruined every schedule from my sleeping to my eating patterns to my writing. I have no idea when I'm going to return to normal functionality, probably the day I stop going to bed at 5 a.m and waking up at 11.
So those of you who may have already noticed, I'm not taking Ilia's character the same way they did in the series. The problem for me, especially as I was rewatching the seasons was that Ilia's character was too filled with anger and willingness to actually shed blood in the name of the Fang, to suddenly have all that chalked up to the idea that she was just jealous of Blake falling for Adam the whole time and it was just rage fueled by jealousy and hurt for abandonment. Her motives just didn't fit with the way she was redeemed, it was all sudden and they made her character seem too bitter for such a sudden case of the good guy syndrome. At least that's how it came off for me. I think if they made it seem like she cared about other people and actually show compassion outside of just Blake that it would have made more sense to give her a sudden redemption.
Chapter 49: Under Cover of Darkness
The encroaching darkness of the night settles over the skies as the last stray rays of sunshine disappeared behind the evening horizon. The time of action was approaching.
"Are they still not back yet?" Sun asked popping his head into the main room.
Ghira looked at the clock, "They've been out for about six hours, Ellie did say it was in the basement so I guess they must be moving out rubble… Still, it does leave me slightly worried…"
"Oh they're fine, knowing Ellie, being the quack doctor she is, she's probably too engrossed in her gadgets." Kali smiled.
Blake and Adam strolled into the room, with their weapons equipped, "It's about the time we're supposed to meet Ilia…" the cat Faunus said as she tightened the straps on Gambol Shroud.
Adan pulled his gloves over his hands and put on a mask, it was different from his old White Fang one, it was black, and had one eye uncovered while the other was blocked off, it was wide with pointed edges and red accents curled around it (Think a smaller version of Joker's Mask from Persona 5, except it's black and the eye trims are red).
"Are you sure you're up for this?" Sun asked as he stepped toward Blake, he was a few inches from her, his eyes staring into hers with concern baring intensely.
Blake had to avert her gaze from the sheer intensity, "What other choice do I have?"
"You could send me instead? I'll take your place in a heartbeat." Sun said folding his arms.
"And do what? Ilia doesn't know you, let alone trust you. She wanted to see me because there's something wrong. If things go wrong, we might lose a possible ally." The catgirl tried to explain.
"Lose her? What if I… we, what if we lose you?!" Sun countered and Kali's ears perked up, and her eyes widened a little in surprise, covering her mouth to prevent the chuckle from escaping. The golden monkey Faunus wasn't very good at hiding his emotions, and he was certainly dedicated to her daughter.
"Sun, I can more than handle myself." Blake folded her arms, and Kali almost facepalmed. Out of all the things that she could've taken from that sentence, she took it as a question to her capability.
Sun retracted, "That's not what I mean Blake… I-…" he was stopped when Adam placed a solid arm on his shoulder and shot him a steady gaze.
"I'd die before I let any harm come to her. She's under my protection and I can guarantee that means something," he said trying to reassure Sun.
Sun felt a twinge of jealousy sting him, "I still don't trust you… after everything you've done…"
"Then I ask you to give me the chance to prove myself. Just give me the chance to prove that I can be trusted, I'm not asking for forgiveness, all I'm asking is you let me do my job."
"I'm sure as hell willing to give you a chance just not with her life on the line… if it was me then!"
"Just shut the fuck up you two… holy shit," Bell said entering the room munching on a sandwich. "You catfight over the cat girl later, it's almost seven and we all have jobs to do!"
Sun and Adam retracted grumbling simultaneously.
Ghira had to roll his eyes at the scene, not once in his life did he think he would see the ex-captain of the White Fang, Adam Taurus, and some kid from Vacuo arguing over his daughter in his own home. Though from the body language of Adam, he'd say that the boy was more leaning to protection out of a sense of obligation whereas Sun was more leaning toward jealousy. Still, there was some history between Blake and Adam and he wasn't exactly too keen on that idea.
"I'll bring her back in one piece, don't worry," Adam said as he and Blake left through the door, Blake spared one last glance at them before she turned away.
"Alright, now that they're gone… we should start preparing for the worst." Sienna sighed as she now joined them.
-With Blake and Adam-
The night sky was clear, and starry, not a cloud in sight and that brought an icy chill whipping through the atmosphere, which was uncommon for their tropical island. The two Faunus followed their route, same as the day previously, to the very rooftop where Ilia said to meet. All the while Blake's thoughts were plagued by the thought that Ilia might be in danger, that things weren't as they seemed.
"No one's here," Adam said as he scanned the area before checking his wristwatch. They were five minutes in and no sign of Ilia. "So this was a trap to lure us away… we need to…!"
"No! Wait, I see her," Blake said as she pointed to the alleyway below them. The two jumped down to see Ilia standing in her White Fang garb, no mask.
The chameleon Faunus' face was worried and she looked nervous. "You came…"
"Yeah, we're here. What is it you wanted Ilia, what's got you so scared?" Blake asked tenderly.
Ilia looked around and clutched her arms together, "The White Fang… they have my family…"
Blake's eyes widened, "WHAT?!"
Ilia nodded, "It happened when I joined up with them, I wanted to be just like you, Blake, so I worked hard to prove myself... Onyx said he saw my Faunus traits as potential, a special soldier… so he placed my family under his protection… what it really was… was an incentive to keep me working for them. They could turn the guns on my family the moment I step out of line…"
"That's why you're working for them so intently, why you advocate for them so highly…. Such underhanded tactics sound exactly like that monster," Adam spat as the face of Onyx appeared in his mind.
"Ilia… thank you for coming to us with this… we can protect your family, just point us in the direction and we'll take care of it… I'm sorry you got sucked into this because of me… this all happened because of me…" Blake cursed.
Ilia shook her head and raised her arms in the form of surrender, "No Blake… I'm sorry… you shouldn't have come back…"
"What?" Blake was confused.
"I said, I'm sorry…" then she clenched her fists and in an instant, White Fang soldiers sprung from the darkness pinning Blake to the ground, while Ilia threw an automatic chaining device that locked down her limbs.
"BLAKE! I KNEW THIS WAS A TRAP!" Adam roared and made a reach for his blade when a purple blur shot out of the dark and nicked his arm causing him to flinch back.
"Tsk, tsk, we can't have any of that now can we? Adam." Edan said stepping out of the darkness as well.
Adam's eyes went wide, "YOU!"
Edan took a light bow, "Still kicking! Or should I say… ticking!" he laughed madly, as his neck jerked robotically.
"Blake… I'm so sorry…" Ilia choked as she held her hands to her mouth.
"You did good kid, sold it hook, line and sinker," Edan smiled waltzing up and standing next to her, staring down at Blake.
"You coward! How can you live like this? How can you people follow that man who thinks the death of innocent civilians is a justifiable means to an end?!" Blake sneered as she stared down the two.
Ilia's eyes were beginning to water but the tears didn't fall, Blake could see she was hurting.
"Innocent?! HA!" Edan chortled, "There are no innocents in this war, there is no good, or bad. There is just master Onyx and those who support him… and the maggots who seek to oppose his rule. Those same 'innocent' humans that you're saving with all the 'good' you're doing… are the same ones who will spit in your face and mock you for being different. You and your people, those fucking dragons, are nothing more than shackles that prevent the Faunus race from glorious evolution under the rule of Onyx 'Steelmane'!"
"You're delusional!" Adam said grabbing at his katana prepared to slice Edan in half when he held up a finger and pointed to Blake, showing that there was a knife to her throat, causing Adam to pause mid grasp.
"Me? Delusional? Take a look in the mirror Taurus. What's more delusional? The concept of a world where Faunus take their rightful place as the top of the food chain? Or a world where we live as 'equals' in 'harmony' with the race of weaklings that treated us like slaves for half a millennia when we are clearly the superior race! We are stronger, faster, smarter in every way! WE WERE CREATED BY THE GODS TO BE BETTER THAN THEM! AND YOU WANT EQUALITY?! WE'RE NOT DELUSIONAL, YOU ARE!" Edan roared maniacally, Blake could see the madness clear as day in his eyes, this man believed every single word he was saying.
"And you think killing us is for the greater good? Or is it that you just want treats from your master. Lapdog." Adam seethed.
"No… killing you means nothing… after all, no one will care if a dead man goes back to being dead… or some kid gets killed in the streets by a serial killer… or whatever tomorrow's headline says. What matters is that while you're out of the way… we can kill those dragons, and the family that supports them…" the weasel Faunus continued.
Adam and Blake's eyes went wide, "You can't! We won't let you!" Adam cursed.
"Exactly! That's why I said I was going to kill you! Pay attention sheesh!" Edan said twirling a dagger in his hands.
"Ilia… you can't possibly believe him... there's good in you! I know it!" Blake cried out staring at her friend.
"Then your knowledge is wrong…" Ilia said solemnly, not looking at Blake. "This is who I am Blake."
The cat Faunus could see right through her friend, Ilia was lying through her teeth but it was really convincing, the only difference was the slight muscle twitch in her left eye when she lied, something Blake realized when they were kids, a trait that seemed to have followed her to this day.
"People change, Blake… but I guess you were too busy falling for him to notice…" Ilia continued gesturing to Adam.
Blake felt her breath hitch in her throat, "Ilia, we weren't… it wasn't…"
"You think I didn't notice you? I was watching you, Blake, I saw the way you looked at him… I wanted you to look at me the same way…" she blushed, her spots turning pink and Blake's heart broke slightly, Ilia's eye didn't twitch. She was telling the truth.
"Ilia… I didn't… I'm sor…"
"Save it… apologies from the dead don't mean anything…" she turned away.
"Awkward~" Edan sang as he gripped his spectral dagger. "Well… that's pretty crazy finding out your childhood friend whom you abandoned had feelings for you, but you had feelings for the mentor whom you then abandoned as well! YIKES! Sucks to be you honestly." he brandished the dagger dangerously close to Blake's eyes, "Let's hope you made peace because I'm going to gut you like a pig and throw the entrails on display at the local playground! Imagine little Timmy's face when he finds a stinking pile of flesh inside the funhouse?" he began to cackle madly.
"YOU'RE BATSHIT CRAZY!" Adam roared in anguish.
"Hey I resent that!" one of the Faunus soldiers who were pinning down Blake said, who apparently had bat wings.
Adam spat on the floor, "Good..."
"Ilia, you take these guys and head for the house, the two of you holding on to the girl, cut her. I'll deal with the mad cow." He said with an evil glint.
"DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HER!" Adam's voice boomed, his aura flaring up a dangerous manifestation of blood red and black, making the ones holding Blake down flinch away in fear. The moment the blade that was hovering around Blake's throat was let up, in that instant, Adam drew his sword and blasted the soldiers away, freeing Blake and cutting her restraints.
Ilia was already gone with a group of the other soldiers all that was left was Edan.
"Blake! Get to the house and stop them! I don't know how many they sent after them but they might need more backup!" Adam yelled as he got into a combat stance.
"But what about you?!" Blake countered.
"I can handle him on my own. You get going and save your family!"
Blake was hesitant, but nodded in confirmation and ran off.
"Where do you think you're going, missy?!" Edan said madly as he sprinted off behind her on all fours, only to have his pathing blocked when Adam dashed in front of him, red steel clashed with spectral daggers.
"Out of my way you washed up deadbeat!"
"No can do you mechanical rat. Your fight is with me!" Adam pushed him back with a fierce swing.
Edan got up and dusted himself off, "Fine… I'll just kill you then go after her, makes no difference."
The weasel-Faunus threw several daggers at Adam, then made a mad dash on all fours to tackle Adam.
The red-head easily deflected the blades but was blindsided when the hard body of Edan crashed into his stomach sending him dragging across the dirt. Adam kicked upward sending his opponent flying.
Edan regained his composure in the air and threw some daggers at Adam, who was forced to whip his head to the left to avoid them as they sailed past his ear and sank into the dirt. He was about to stand up when he heard a distinct whizzing sound.
"Just because you deflected them doesn't mean they're out of my control…" Edan chuckled as he raked his fingers downward in the air and the dozens of daggers that had been sent flying came raining down like a hailstorm of blades.
Adam's eyes widened as he saw the purple shadowy onslaught and rolled over onto his back. The daggers shredded through his suit like paper turning it to ragged straps, scratching and digging at his bare skin until they finally began penetrating his aura, sinking into his back.
"ARRRGHHH!" He screamed out in pain as the last few pieces wedged themselves into his shoulders. Blood began to leak from the open wounds as the daggers fizzled out of existence, leaving the tears in his skin ajar.
"Can't stop blood loss from a stab wound if the knife isn't even there!" Edan chortled.
"Hmph, neat trick, but you forgot one thing…" Adam said getting up and stretching himself off, blood spurting from the wounds though they weren't very deep.
"What's that?" Edan asked amused, sure about his victory.
"My blood is made from the failed Aegis formula, and even if I don't have the stone… I still have access to some… properties… like rapid regeneration!" Adam smirked as the wounds began to close and the blood flow began to stop, though the wounds on his lower back weren't healing as fast due to the depth of the damage… there was a limit after all.
Edan clapped, "Oh that's brilliant! I was almost sad, it would've been quite the shame for the great Adam Taurus to go down so easily!"
"You seem to forget I once outranked you..." Adam cursed.
"Once... but back then you still had power, you were still far from our great leader, but you were still powerful... but then you had the stone... the Lunar Fragment..."
"I can beat you without that thing..." the red-head tried to counter.
Edan snorted, "Really? You're just a shell of your former self, a husk suffering the withdrawals of parting ways with a stone that was never meant for him in the first place... a walking corpse... weak and feeble!"
Adam saw the deranged look in his eyes and shook his head, "You are one crazy son of a bitch…"
"Crazy?! I think I'm quite sane… and you're not the only one with… enhancements!" Edan chuckled madly as Adam's ears twitched, picking up the sound of hydraulic movement. Before he could even react, Adam was blasted with a punch so fast he couldn't even see. The impact sent him crashing into the nearby concrete wall.
"Like that? It's amazing what cybernetic limbs can do!" the weasel Faunus said. As the dust cleared Adam could see what hit him.
Edan's left arm had shot out like a cannon, the fist attached to a wire, retracting it back into place.
"Rocket fists… great…" Adam groaned as he got up, feeling his ribs bruised.
"Get back down and sit like a good little cow!" Edan yelled as his second fist shot out, forcing Adam to dodge and roll on the floor. "OH NO YOU DON'T!"
Edan then began to rapidly fire off his fists like a barrage of strikes, this time Adam was ready.
The red-haired boy drew the katana strapped to his waist and blocked the left fist and sent it off to the side before spinning and catching the right one in the blade as well. Sparks flew as the steel collided and the red of the blade began to glow brighter and brighter.
"Hmph, your resistance is futile! JUST GIVE UP AND DIE!" Edan began to mix in his flying daggers with his fists, but Adam was ready again.
Whatever speed I still have leftover, just… help me out here… he pleaded to the nanomachines in his body.
As if answering his calls, he began to increase in speed until he was almost as fast as his former self, blocking every dagger and fist in rapid succession, the collisions generating a thick cloud of dust, obscuring vision. Adam couldn't block everything, some hits did land, but he still blocked the majority of them.
Edan had exhausted his supply of aura on his offense and the mechanisms in his fists were becoming strained, so he retracted him, pretty sure that he'd pulverized the man.
"How'd yah like that? Tenderized beef!" Edan chortled.
"Really now… you think… those pathetic hits… were enough to kill me?" Adam said through laboured breathing, as the dust began to clear.
Edan's face morphed into a grimace, "Didn't realize you were part cockroach 'cause you just won't fucking die!"
"It was a good fight… though I can't say beating up the mentally unstable brings me joy… still… it ends now."
"Huh, what do you…" Edan's face paled as the dust cleared.
There stood Adam, beaten and bleeding from all angles, his clothes torn, his skin covered in red, his face bruised, but the look in his eye said anything but defeated.
"And what do you hope to do in that state? Just give up, and I'll make it painless." Edan said hoping his bluff would work. In truth, the mechanisms in his body were beginning to overheat and shutdown. His arms were beginning to creak and if he overworked it, the artificial heart might stop as well…
"Sorry… but I don't give up that easily…" Adam said drawing out his blade into view, and Edan felt his world shatter. The blade was glowing bright red, almost like a star… it had stored almost eighty percent of the attacks that were thrown at it, as power… and Adam was about to unleash hell…
"Oh fuck all kinds of duck…" were Edan's last words as a blast of red, like a crescent of death, cleaved through the air and sailed toward him, shredding his armoured body like paper and splitting the weasel Faunus in half. He was dead… for real this time.
"Don't fuck with me or my allies ever again…" Adam cursed as he sheathed his blade and fell to his knees in exhaustion. "I hope you made it in time Blake…"
Not that far off Blake was running toward the Belladonna household when the sky lit up with the distinct red of Adam's aura, causing her to pause.
"I hope that means he won…"
Back at the house things were… quiet… too quiet…
The lights were off, the doors were locked and so were the windows. Ghira had three bodyguards placed on the perimeter while the rest of them waited indoors. It was almost like the house itself was empty, not a soul dared move.
"How much longer are we going to wait?" Sun whispered loudly. They were separated into different rooms with Kali and Sienna in the tea room, Ghira and Sun were in the kitchen while Bell lurked in the upstairs area.
"As long as it takes to catch them by surprise," Ghira said then shushed the monkey. Both of their ears pricked up at the sound of footsteps.
"They're here…"
The stomping of boots became louder until it was muddled together. It wasn't a few soldiers… it was a squadron…
In an instant, like a timed event, soldiers erupted from the doorways to every room simultaneously, lights were thrown on and suddenly, every member inside the house was staring face to face with three soldiers, each.
They weren't sporting the traditional White Fang masks, their masks were black, and so were their uniforms, their weapons were all high-tech assault rifles with bulky builds, most likely fresh off the Atlas market. Their bodies were covered in thick armoured clothing that left no open skin.
"These guys don't look like White Fang…" Sun murmured as he drew his staff and stood ready to engage with Ghira.
"Black ops division… looks like they got an upgrade as well…" Bell said from above them, though they couldn't hear her.
The soldiers were stoic and unmoving, their weapons trained on them with extreme discipline.
"Ghira Belladonna, by order of his greatness, High Commander Onyx, we ask you to surrender and come with us quietly," the soldier at the middle said. His voice was deep and commanding, most likely the squad captain.
"And what if I don't?" the panther Faunus asked folding his arms.
"Then you shall perish here…" the man said and without warning, pulled the trigger. All others followed suit and Ghira and Sun were caught directly in the line of fire.
The two barely had a moment to react when they ducked onto the floor and rolled out of the way. The soldiers' aims were so well trained that the hailstorm followed them as they split off with pinpoint accuracy.
Ghira took cover behind the kitchen counter while Sun used his clones to try and deflect bullets.
"Do these guys run out of ammo?!" Sun exclaimed as he tried to avoid getting shot. Just as he said it the guns stopped firing and all three soldiers dropped the rifles and began charging at them, two went for Ghira while one ran at Sun with full speed.
"WHA?!" Sun cried out as the man tackled him to the floor. "Holy shit these guys are heavy!", Sun could feel the weight of the man on top of him, it didn't feel like the weight of a person that size, their bodies were hard and rough like steel.
Sun summoned a clone to rip the man off of him while he recovered, kicking upward to disorient him then spinning around and smacking the man hard on the shoulder with his staff. Instead of a solid thud, the staff twanged like striking metal, and vibrations reverberated through his body.
"They're some kind of cyborgs!" Ghira roared as he tried to shake the two trying to lock him down.
"Yeah, thanks for the tip…" Sun said as he rubbed his sore arm.
Suddenly three soldiers came flying through the kitchen wall, sparking, and bleeding simultaneously.
Sun and Ghira turned surprised to see standing in the hole in the wall were Kali and Sienna, looking rather pleased with themselves.
"You boys need some help?" Kali asked folding her arms smugly.
"Nope… just about done here...!" Ghira grunted as he grabbed the two soldiers in each arm and nodded at Sun who got the unspoken message. The soldiers cried in alarm as they were spun like a carousel and thrown at Sun who summoned two clones, and together the three staffs collided with the third soldier, sending him flying into the two that were airborne, crashing them together in a pile of circuits and heads.
It seemed as though the soldiers' bodies were made of robotic parts but their heads were still Faunus.
"This is awful…" Kali mouthed as she saw the state of the soldiers.
Sienna's fists clenched in rage, "That monster… does he know no compassion?! Turning his own soldiers into… weapons…"
"No… he doesn't…." Bell said as she joined them, in tow were two soldiers, tied up in steel bindings, her shield being used as sled to drag them.
"Let's hope that's the last of them…" Sun murmured as he bent his hands on his knees exhausted. At that moment footsteps began drumming outside until more soldiers poured in, only three but they were more heavily built than the first batch. They were as tall as Ghira and built more muscularly, which was impressive in its own right.
"I need to learn to shut up…" Sun groaned.
Blake approached her house to see the lights off, and the front door was broken in. The guards that were on the outside were lying on the floor… unconscious, thankfully. It seemed that they weren't completely out of passion for their fellow Faunus.
Without wasting a breath she stormed inside, following the main room where they all used to gather to discuss strategy. The room was pitch black, except for the moonlight that streamed through the windows above.
She could hear the distinct sound of fighting going on in the next room and thus she made a mad dash for the door only to have a steel whip crack in front of her face, halting her movements.
"Ilia…" Blake said as her eyes adjusted to the dark, seeing the chameleon girl step out of the shadows, brandishing her weapon.
"Blake, I see you've made it…"
"Ilia please… you don't have to do this! You can still change all of this! We can help you!" Blake pleaded.
Ilia's eyes darkened, "I'm sorry Blake… but you had your chance to stop this all those years ago… but you chose the wrong side…"
"Yes, Miss Belladonna… maybe it's you who needs to change sides… we'd be happy to welcome someone of your skill back into our ranks..." the voice of Fennec said as he appeared beside Ilia, his brother Corsac, following closely behind him.
"You two?! What are you doing here?" Blake seethed, "I knew you were working for him!"
"Why Miss Belladonna, we are here to tie up loose ends…" Corsac smiled.
"Starting with… you!" Fennec snarled as he and Corsac launched themselves at Blake.
The cat-Faunus backflipped out of the way of the simultaneous claw swipes only to be blindsided when Corsac snuck up behind her and kicked her in the back.
Using her cat-like reflexes, she used the momentum of the kick to cartwheel into a kick that crashed onto Fennec's head. Similar to last time, Corsac swiped at Blake's side scratching her left shoulder causing her to hiss in pain. She threw Gambol Shroud's ribbon in an attempt to bind Fennec but he was too quick to dodge, ducking low and sweeping at her legs while Corsac aimed at her face so she would have nowhere to dodge.
Blake's eyes widened in fear as the fist came colliding with her face and her legs were swept from under her. The two male Faunus pinning her to the floor, their claws aimed at her face.
"It's all over Miss Belladonna, you and your family will not see the light of day again… such a tragic loss…" Fennec snarled as he reared his hands.
Blake was choking with fear, her head leaning to the side to brace the oncoming blow when her eyes landed on Ilia, standing at the side looking fearful and sad.
"Ilia… please… help… me…" Blake choked out as her throat was being pressed down by Corsac.
"She won't help you, Miss Belladonna, for you see, we have insurance on our side… if she so much as moves a muscle to help you… we can issue the order to have her parents executed on the spot…" Corsac smiled darkly.
Blake was shocked, "So… it… was… true…" she choked, looking to Ilia for answers. The chameleon girl just solemnly nodded, with tears in her eyes, mouthing the words, 'I'm so sorry'.
The black cat felt her luck was about to run out. How could she ask her friend to give up her own parents to save her skin? Blake realized, she couldn't rely on help from others… not this time… she spent her whole life trying to be isolated to fight on her own, but everywhere she went someone was there to catch her when she fell. Whether it was Adam, Nova, Sun, her team, she always had someone she could unconsciously rely on… but at this moment she had no one but herself.
There had to be a way out of this, "I.. refuse to die… by the hands… of a pair of… two-bit lap dogs…" she choked out.
"Well, I'm sorry to say that you are Miss Belladonna," Fennec said, as thrust his hand downward with blinding speeds.
Time seemed to slow down for Blake as the sharp claws drew closer and closer to her throat, and then something clicked in that fraction of a second, a smile played on her lips throwing confusion into Fennec, making him falter for a split second. It was in that second that everything was sealed.
As the claws struck down, instead of sinking into the flesh of Blake, they sunk into nothing, missing completely as his hand passed through the body like it was made of air.
"What?!" Fennec exclaimed as Corsac's hand which had been gripping Blake down had been slammed on to the floor, phasing through the girl.
Even Ilia had to rub her eyes in confusion to make sure she was seeing things correctly.
"Looking for me?" Blake said smiling as she stood up against the wall, casually leaning on it.
"What?! But how?!" Corsac snarled as he looked back and forth between the intangible Blake on the ground and the one leaning against the wall.
"Look again," Blake said causing them to stare at the one on the floor, which then fizzled and dissipated into wisps of shadow.
"When did you?!" Fennec looked afraid.
"In that split second you faltered, dim-wit."
"That's impossible, no person can do such a thing!" Corsac continued.
"Pay for your deceit in blood Blake Belladonna!" Fennec roared as he and Corsac wasted no time in getting up to attack Blake again.
The cat-girl just smiled calmly, "See there's something you're wrong about…"
"And what's that?" They asked simultaneously, stopping their assault.
"I'm not just a Belladonna… I'm also a Nightshade!" Blake said as she was suddenly in front of them, in an instant she wrapped her ribbon around the two and sent them crashing into the wall.
They recovered quickly and sprung at her, swiping but hitting only thin shadowy air as the cat-girl reappeared behind them, slashing them with Gambol Shroud.
"RAAAHH!" they yelled out in pain as blood sprayed from the open gashes in their backs.
"Brother… I think it's time we used that…" Fennec said and Corsac nodded.
"Enough of this…" Blake made a move to deal the finishing blow when the two disappeared in a wisp of shadow and reappeared behind her.
Blake's instincts kicked in and she used her shadow clone to jump back, avoiding the sneak attack.
"Now it's my turn to ask how," Blake hissed.
"A little gift from our master… he granted us… power…" they said simultaneously as they began to move and attack as one unit.
Blake was caught off guard by the sheer force of the power and was forced to be defensive and striking when she could.
It was like trading shadow for shadow in a battle of confusion that left Ilia in a mental strain to keep up.
If things stayed as they were, Blake might lose…
On one hand, Ilia would lose her friend, and someone she cared deeply for in her heart. On the other hand, if she helped, it could mean the loss of her family… did she really want to take that risk?
But would Onyx even let her go after this was all over? Would he let her family go? There was no guarantee that she would be safe even if things went smoothly. What type of person would she be if she let her friend die only for Onyx to turn on her and kill her and her family as well… then Blake would have died for nothing.
If Blake survives then there's still hope… not just for her but for her family as well… yet the risk was too high…
"Fuck this… whatever happens, happens!" Ilia exclaimed and, just as Fennec and Corsac were focused on Blake, Ilia thrust out her whip with lighting dust, striking them in the back, the sparks flying as electricity reverbed through their bodies.
"NOOOO!" Fennec and Corsac said simultaneously as they whipped around in pain and yanked the whip from Ilia picking up her and her weapon and throwing her against the balcony above.
"ILIA!" Blake yelled out as she saw the girl lying unconscious on the upper balcony. The sparks from her whip flying out of control, the wooden railings and ceiling began to catch on fire, but that wasn't Blake's main concern.
Fennec and Corsac made a move toward Ilia, shadowy tendrils forming at their feet, "You foolish girl! You and your family will die for your actions!"
"You will NOT touch her!" Blake yelled, her eyes began to glow a bright purple, and the shadows around Fennec and Corsac began to shift and become unstable.
"Wha… what's happening?!" they yelled in unison.
"Monsters! All of you! You will not touch her, nor her family… you won't hurt even a single hair on my friends' heads ever again!"
"Then try and stop us, deserter!"
"No more running… it's time I faced things as they are, with unwavering resolve!" she reached out Gambol Shroud, the blade pointing at them.
The shadows around them began to twist and morph into an uncontrollable mass.
"What are you doing?! Stop!" they yelled but it was too late, the shadows around them covered them like a thick blanket, constricting around their bodies like a plastic bag, flooding into their eyes, ears, nostrils and mouth.
The only thing that could be heard was the anguished wails as blood began to leak out of every orifice of their bodies. Once the shadows subsided the two lay broken on the floor, bleeding, with their eyes rolled back until you could only see the whites. Foam coming from their mouths but their bodies jerked and pulsated like they were having a spasm, signifying they were alive.
Blake grimaced at the gruesome scene she had committed but was grateful she hadn't killed them in her rage. Sparing no time she collected Ilia from the burning balcony just as a piece of the ceiling came crashing down, barely managing to get her to safety.
The chameleon girl murmured in Blake's arms, her eyes peeling open.
"Ilia! Are you okay?!" Blake asked concerned.
Ilia nodded, "I think so… what about the other two…?"
"They won't be bothering anyone again… but what about you? You attacked them! What about your family?!"
Ilia smiled, "I… believe in you… please… save them…"
Blake hugged her tightly, "I will Ilia… I'll make sure of it."
Just then Ghira, Kali, and Sun burst into the room, with a half-broken cyborg sparking and fizzling out.
Blake flinched in surprise as the wall was burst open, and another cyborg of a similar build came flying through followed by Sienna Khan and Bell.
"HOLY SHIT BE CAREFUL WITH THOSE!" Blake yelped as she got to her feet.
"BLAKE?! Are you alright!" Sun exclaimed as he rushed over to her, seeing her beaten and bruised, with a barely conscious Ilia lying next to her.
Blake stood up and leaned on him for support, "Barely… we need to get these guys out of here, the buildings gonna come down on us if we stay in here for too long! We also need to find Ilia's house and stop the White Fang from harming her parents, they should be okay for now since those two are out of it, but still..." she gestured with her thumb to Fennec and Corsac.
Sun almost threw up at the sight, "What did you do to them? Are they...?"
"Dead? No... unfortunately..." Blake was about to continue when a large cracking was heard followed by a popping of bursting wood.
They all looked up to see the burning ceiling, "Oh… that's a problem…" Sienna murmured.
"AH! MY HOUSE!" Ghira exclaimed.
"Kids to safety first! House later come on!" Kali beckoned as she began ushering them to the door. Blake wrapped her arm around Sun's shoulder and tried to limp away.
"Damnit this is too slow! Uh, don't hold what I'm about to do against me okay?" Sun turned to Blake.
"Hold what against you? Sun what are you… WAH!" Blake yelped in surprise as she picked up bridal style by Sun, blushing furiously.
"Sorry Blake, but we need to get out of here as fast as possible!"
Bell picked up Ilia which was comical considering her short stature, but nonetheless, the party made a mad dash for the door when a large chunk of the ceiling came crashing down from overhead.
Ghira was the first to react catching the massive block of wood with his own hands, his knees almost buckling under the mass.
"GO!" He said with a strained voice.
"We're not leaving you!" Kali and Blake exclaimed simultaneously.
"JUST GET OUT OF HERE!"
Kali glanced back in pain as she was forced to take the others and run to the door. Just as made it outside Sun suddenly stopped.
"Sun what're you…?" Blake was confused until she saw him shoot her a sad smile.
"Sorry about this again…"
"Kali catch!" Sun said yelled as he tossed Blake to Kali who caught her daughter, both making high pitched 'eeps'.
Sun made a mad dash back through the door then swiftly ran under the beam with Ghira and summoned his clones to support.
"We. Are. Not. Leaving. Without. YOU!" Sun grunted as he and Ghira struggled under the mass, before finally managing to toss it off of them.
Ghira looked at the young man, "You came back for me?"
Sun smirked, dusting off some soot from his clothes, "Why wouldn't I? If something happened to you it would make Blake sad… and I hate seeing her depressed…"
The older Faunus chuckled, "Still a long way from getting on my good side… but this is a step in the right direction."
They were about to leave when more of the ceiling collapsed around the doorway trapping them inside the raging inferno.
"Oh shit…" Sun cursed.
"Having any regrets about coming back for me now?" Ghira asked as he tore off his shirt that was practically burned to the cloth.
"None because we're gonna make it out of this."
"Hmph, you are one optimistic monkey…"
Outside Blake was staring teary-eyed at the burning building, the explosion that rattled the door, and no sign of either of them made her stomach feel like it had a rock wedged inside of it. Nothing but worry and fear wormed its way through her mind at the thought of losing both her father and one of the closest friends she'd ever had.
Sun had stuck by her, even when she tried to run away from everyone. He was the first one to find out her secret, about her heritage, the White Fang, all of it, and the first one to stand by her when he barely even knew her. Then when she tried to push him away, he stuck like glue, refusing to leave her alone because that's just the type of person he was. An optimistic, fun-loving, idiot who stood by the people he cared about regardless of what happens to him. He was her golden ray of Sunshine to her bleak world…
She was caught off guard by the thoughts flowing through her mind. It was funny how when faced with death that a person's true feelings begin to surface… he wasn't just a friend to her… he was something more.
As the thought crossed her mind the one thing that rang out was that she wasn't surer about anything else, and she hoped to Oum that he and her father would survive.
"Yeesh, I leave the house for one day and suddenly everything's on fire!" a new voice said tearing their attention behind them.
They all turned around to see Luna and Elain striding up the road, with smug faces.
"You're back!" Kali exclaimed as she rested Blake to sit on the stairs while she met her friend.
"Save the greetings for later Kali, what's going on?" Elain asked seriously.
"They attacked us just as we predicted, but they brought powerful soldiers. We took care of them but Sun and Ghira are trapped inside!" Kali exclaimed.
Luna looked at her mother, "I told you those things would come in handy, come on let's go save our favourite Monkey and Blake's dad."
Elain rummaged in her bag and pulled out a sphere that was about the size of a tennis ball. It was silver and mechanical with a slit down the horizontal middle.
"What're you…" Sienna studied her curiously.
Luna just walked up to the door, her body began to glow cyan blue as did her eyes. With one swish of her hand, the doors flew open and fire began to pour out like a furnace.
"If my brother were here, the fire wouldn't be a problem, but since he's not…" she turned the top half of the sphere until it clicked and began glowing, she then tossed it into the fire.
On the inside Ghira and Sun were surprised to see the door fly open with tremendous force, all burning debris blown away and suddenly a sphere was thrown inside, that began floating.
"What the…?" Ghira tilted his head then flinched back in alarm as the sphere began to beep violently.
Sun and Ghira covered their eyes in fear, as the sphere began to whir and emit a large suctioning sound, and suddenly the fire around them began to rapidly die out, as the vaccum sound became louder and louder until it stopped.
"It's over! The fire's gone, you, big babies!" Luna yelled from the doorway.
Ghira and Sun opened their eyes to not only find out they were clinging to themselves, but all the fire was gone. They detached instantly as if they were both made of hot coal.
"Ahem! Yes… what just happened?" Ghira asked confused.
"Fire Extinguishing Vacuum Sphere… wish we had these when our house was on fire but… it saved yours so… you're welcome," Luna droned.
"Well, sorry it's not my fault your dad was the only one who could open the fault… besides these things have a fifty-fifty chance of exploding when they suck up too much fire…" Elain said waving her hand.
Everyone gawked, "YOU LET ME TOSS THAT IN THERE WHEN IT COULD HAVE KILLED THEM?!"
Elain shrugged, "But it didn't, now did it?"
Luna rubbed her temples and everyone facepalmed, "I think I need life insurance for just having you as a mother…"
Adam finally made it back to the manor limping and bloody, to find it billowing with smoke, a shirtless Ghira laughing with Sun on the front staircase with a pile of bodies off to the side... with Corsac and Fennec leaned against a wall, unconscious.
"Holy shit what happened to you guys?!" Adam asked incredulously as he stumbled onto the staircase and sat down. They all looked at him with alarm.
"Us?! What about you?! You look like someone threw you into a meat grinder then pieced you back together," Sun commented as he looked him over.
"Hmph, you should see the other guy... I'm fine, mostly..." he tried to get up only to yelp in pain and sit back down.
Bell rolled her eyes, "You can't take care of yourself, can you? Reckless, piss poor excuse for a captain!" she grumbled while slugging him in the arm causing him to groan.
"Can you please not? It's still sore..."
Everyone watched the interaction with amusement. They were like siblings or really good friends. It was almost like the past years of them being subordinate and leader were just dust in the wind.
Kali and Elain began tending to everyone's wounds while Sun sat with Adam on the stairs since he was first to get his treatment from the doctor, they were just out of earshot of the others who were so busy focused on each other that the two males could talk privately.
"Hey... Adam..." Sun said turning to him, the bull Faunus tilted his head curiously.
"I know we kinda got off on the wrong foot..."
"Kinda?"
"Okay, so I don't exactly like you... but... ah, shit this is hard to say..."
"If this is some kind of sappy shit I don't wanna hear it..." Adam grumbled.
"Look... I just... I want to say thank you... for protecting her..." Sun said hugging his knees to his chest, not looking at Adam.
The red-head was taken aback, "What?!"
"You heard me..."
"I did but... it's still surprising... Why are you thanking me? I was just doing what I had to do... as her ally..." Adam affirmed.
Sun's tail flickered behind him, "I know... it's just, you're a lot stronger than me, I know that... and you have history with Blake... so I'm saying that I'm okay if you and her, want to you know... pick up where you guys left off... not that she's my girlfriend or anything but..."
Adam burst out into a fit of chuckles, "Hey! what's so funny?!" Sun said annoyed.
It took him a moment but Adam calmed down, "You think there's something going on between me and Blake?"
"Well... maybe...?"
"Kid, there's nothing between us other than bad blood and dark history. Sure there might've been a time when things were different, that I might have had feelings for her, and she did for me, but all that went up in flames the moment she realized the truth of what we were doing. Since then I was nothing but a monster to her, no different from Onyx. I can't look at her the way I used to, all I see now when I look at her is pain, and guilt, for the things that I've done, and all I want to do is make things right." Adam explained, being genuine in his words.
Sun gaped as Adam poured his mind out, he wasn't expecting the stiff ex-captain to open up like that, still despite his words Sun had doubts.
"But what if she still has feelings for you?" he asked, his gaze flickering to Blake who was laughing on the staircase talking to Ilia who was now fully awake, having her wounds tended to.
"Not a chance."
"What makes you so sure?"
"It's that look in her eyes, when she sees me she sees someone who has hurt her too many times to count, but she's willing to move past that for the greater good and try to fix things between us. She doesn't forgive me, and I'm not sure she ever will, but her heart belongs to someone else now..."Adam said closing his eyes.
"And who might that be?"
"It's not my place to say..." Adam smirked peeking at him through the corner of his eye. The boy sure was clueless... they both were.
"Anyone ever tell you that you're a dick sometimes?" Sun asked rhetorically.
Adam chuckled, "Oh yeah... way too many times..." he said as his mind drifted to Nova, wondering just what the crazy bastard was up to now...
"So... Blake!" Sun called turning around to see the girl. Her ears perked up at the sound of her name.
"Hmm?"
"What happened back there? With those two?" Sun threw his thumb at the passed out Albain brothers.
Blake's ears flattened against her head, "Um... it's difficult to explain..."
"You awakened your power, didn't you... I'd recognize that damage anywhere. I used to call that Shadow Infestation, by infesting a body with shadows you can overload their sensory and nervous systems until they are either rendered unconscious... or dead... but there's never that much blood..." Kali said studying them.
Blake bit her lip, "I didn't mean to... well I did it's just... they hurt Ilia and were going to kill me... it was like at that moment I felt feeling welling up inside me, like a thousand voices telling me what I should do..."
"Those are the voices of our ancestors, sometimes in the event of dire peril, our ancestors will lend us a hand through the bloodline connection... it's part of the package deal when you're a Nightshade," Kali explained with a solemn smile as if remembering the times when she had to commit unspeakable acts under the influence of those voices.
"Are they always so... violent?" Blake asked her eyes turning up in hurt.
Kali nodded, "They are, centuries of resentment will do that to a person... it's up to you to control that feeling, and make sure it never overrules your sense of judgment."
Blake felt her body shaking, "I'm not sure I want to be a Nightshade anymore..."
"Sorry to say it kitty, but you don't have a choice, but... as someone who's had to deal with something similar all her life, I'll help you get through this," Luna said smiling, as she sat next to Blake and tussled her hair.
Blake smiled warmly and leaned on Luna's shoulder, "Thanks... your highness."
Luna shoved her slightly, "Please don't call me that..."
The next morning there was a gathering in the town, Ghira had called an emergency meeting following the incident of the previous night, under the same format of their previous ceremony. Faunus turned out in droves, everyone was present... except for Blake. Adam was recovering inside, with Bell tending to his wounds.
While everyone was focused on the gathering, she slipped out through the back, and under the guidance of Ilia, snuck through the town to find Ilia's parents.
"It's good to see so many of you gathered here today, I hope you forgive me for calling you all out so early in the morning, but the gravity of the matter is too great to put off," Ghira said commandingly as more and more people flocked to the scene. Loud gasps and murmurs were heard when their eyes fell upon the beaten state of the people there, and the collapsing house, still billowing smoke even though the fire had long been put out.
"You must all be quite curious as to what's going on... the long and short of it is, our family was attacked, by the White Fang," Ghira said earning more shocked gasps. "Those of you who had your doubts before, well now you have undeniable proof. For the act of speaking out against them, Onyx sent his men to attack my family in an effort to silence them, working alongside them were Fennec and Corsac Albain, the very representatives you revered so much. If not for the efforts of everyone here, my family and I wouldn't be alive to see this day." he continued, gesturing to everyone there.
"Our esteemed princess has a few words she would like to share with you," he said now making way for Luna.
The short girl stepped up to the podium and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, gazing into the faces of every member of the crowd. There was a range of people, from old to young and even some clad in their White Fang uniform looking terrified for their lives, trying to desperately blend in with the crowd by taking off their masks.
"People of Menagerie, I stand before you today as a testament to justice. We are all living proof that Onyx of the White Fang is not infallible, nor is he omnipotent. He is just a man, a selfish, manipulator whose only goal is self-serving. What kind of leader would stoop so low as to attack a family just for speaking out against them? That is not the actions of a leader, those are the actions of a tyrant!" she said with a powerful aura, commanding a tone of voice that seemed to make people want to listen to her. The dragon's tongue, the power to lead.
"They tried to kill us once, the world labeled us as dead, but we are still alive and fighting, and as long as I still have breath in my lungs then I can guarantee you, that I will not stop pushing against these atrocities. I will not stand idly by while our people are forced into fear and war, letting him control the minds of the impressionable. We Faunus are no different from the humans, we both exist in this world, commit the same sins, follow the same patterns. We are just like them, so let not the traits of our race divide us! So don't give in to the lavish words of Onyx's silver tongue when he says that we are superior to humans, and we deserve to treat them like slaves. If we become the oppressors then we are no different from monsters, no different from the people we swore to change the world against.
I'm fighting for you, for everyone so that we can live in a better world. My mother... my friends, the Belladonnas, we are fighting for not just our sake but for yours as well! So... I have just one thing to ask you..." she pulled her fists close to her chest and opened her heart to the people. "Will you fight with us? Will you join us in stopping Onyx from causing another incident like Beacon? I know you are hesitant, and I know I'm asking you to risk your lives, but... if there is but one person among you who will stand with us against them, then it would make all the difference..." Luna pleaded.
The audience who'd been hanging on to her every word was silent and thoughtful. The elderly looked ready to give their lives to her cause but were too old, the youth looked scared and the generation that mirrored them looked anxious. They were peaceful people who'd been fighting for generations. They didn't want to risk their lives in a war even if it was for their sake.
Luna felt crestfallen as she saw no one volunteer.
"WE WILL STAND WITH YOU!" A loud voice boomed in through the crowd causing them all to turn and see Blake and Ilia accompanied by Ilia's parents, a tall man with chameleon spots just like Ilia, and a dark-skinned woman with a head of frizzy hair and reptilian eyes.
"Your highness, Ilia has told us of what's been going on... I, Phious Amitola, and my wife Laurain, as well as our daughter Ilia, pledge ourselves to your cause and your family, in honor of the debt we owe not only to you but to the Belladonnas as well." Ilia's father said as he and his family knelt before Luna.
"The White Fang had us under their 'protection', but in reality they were just keeping us alive to have our daughter on a leash, working for them. No organization that operates like that will bring about positive change, so we ask that you accept us." Laurain said.
"And you shall be welcomed with open arms," Luna said beaming with joy, glad to see that the issue of Ilia's family had been resolved.
She was about to be content with that and close off the meeting when someone called out from the back, "Will you accept me as well?". It was a male dog Faunus, wearing a White Fang Uniform. "After hearing about what the high commander has done, from the crown princess herself. I'm willing to wield my weapon in your honor."
"That's wonderful! Then please step..." she was interrupted when another hand shot up. "I will join as well!" it was a female White Fang soldier.
"And me!"
"Me too!"
"Count me in!"
Soon enough more and more White Fang members began stepping forward, each carrying their masks and throwing them down into a pile on the floor at the foot of the staircase where Luna and the others stood.
They all watched in awe as a total of at least twenty-five people stepped forward and threw down their masks.
Luna felt a tear creep into the corner of her eye. This was the future her brother foresaw for their people, a future where they willingly gave their loyalty to the fight against Onyx, "Thank you... all of you..." she said with a warm smile. They all bowed before her in compliance.
"Chief Ghira will guide you on further instructions. Once again, I'd like to thank you all for coming... together we can change the future... for the better..." Luna said proudly.
AND That's the end of this chapter, I know there was no Nova or anything and I did want to explore their training further, but I'll do that next chapter.
Also as for what they found on that family tree... hehehehee... maybe you guys figured it out, I've been hinting at this for a while, or maybe you haven't picked it up yet... who knows...
Til next time ^_^ Stay awesome!
