Big Issues
AN: This chapter took a bit longer than I had hoped it would but I hope it's worth it to you all. This is gonna be action packed and honestly, if there was a fight I'd like to see animated, this would have to be one of the top on my list. But enough hyping things up, thanks to lolfrte for the follow of this series this time. On with the show!
Blood
The last thing that anyone on Sienna's ship expected to see as they approached was the thin trails of smoke rising from the palace. But they were still a few minutes away from the docks yet could see that fighting was still happening all over the island and beyond.
"If this is Adam's doing, I'll kill him on sight!" Sienna growls, her grip on the railing making her knuckles go white.
"I'm afraid that I'll have to help with that." Ghira wasn't any better as he stood next to her.
The tiger woman cast an eye at the much taller man. Ghira was always someone who tried to play nice and be diplomatic in every situation but he was also someone you didn't want to have negotiations break down, especially if you were on the other side. There had been a point where she had seen him almost casually break a man's arm for trying to stab Kali using a peace talk as cover. The man was allowed to leave with his broken bones, as well as Ghira's claw marks in his back.
Today, Ghira had put aside his cloak and donned steel armor that covered his arms and legs. His pauldron remained on his right shoulder over a heavy black leather sleeveless jacket that had some metal plating riveted into it. The jacket was left open to expose the tight white shirt underneath with a deep v-neck.
Simply put, the already intimidating man got even more intimidating, especially with his gauntlets having claws on the back of the hands and the tetsubo on his back didn't lend to making him look any nicer.
Nearby, Kali was dressed the same as always but now had a pair of ornate pistols tucked into her belt behind her, each following her own theme of being primarily black with a white grip and gold accents. Yet everyone knew that she had several knives hidden up her sleeve and wouldn't be surprised if she had some concealed elsewhere.
Blake and Sun stood together on the deck, Blake having traded her old white jacket for a larger one that stopped halfway down her back with long sleeves that had some gold accenting on the cuffs and edges of the body. Sun hadn't changed his clothes at all, finding no need when he was content with what he had.
Yet that wasn't everyone on the ship, there was the standard crew keeping the vessel on course and going with at least one to man the weapons that were usually meant for Grimm. In addition, there were a dozen of the Menagerie Guard who were chosen for their combat skills and the Albain brothers and Ilia who were brought along for negotiation and combat/infiltration purposes, respectively.
In all, they were a force that should give even the best veteran Huntsman team a run for their money. And they were going after one person in particular.
"High Leader! We have ships inbound!" The helmsman calls out, making both Sienna and Ghira turn to look at her briefly before turning back to see the ships in question. Three speed boats with guns mounted on them were breaking away from the naval battle with weapons already trained on them. A few moments later, a fourth broke away and began to fire at the trio.
"What's going on?!" Sun shouts at the apparent civil war within the White Fang.
"Incoming call for you, Sienna!" The helmsman shouts again as everyone else was readying for a fight.
"Who is this?" Sienna demanded over the consol.
"Sienna? Thank the gods you're back!" The voice of Mari Bell came through the speaker, giving Sienna some peace of mind but the sound of yelling in the background raised more concerns.
"Mari! What happened here? I've only been gone for two weeks!"
"It's Adam! He escaped his room and convinced over half of our people stationed here to fight for him! We've had to fall back to the command center and a few defensible positions around the palace."
"Damn it!" Not only was that curse for what was happening on the island but also because one of the first three boats began to open fire on them, a stray bullet striking the window in front of her, thankfully it was bulletproof and the hull armored.
The fourth boat began firing at the three in front of it as the other two began to join the first in shooting at the High Leader's ship, only for one of the boats' gunfire to be cut off as the engine burst into flames. One of the attacking boats broke off to circle around to face their attacker.
"If they are shooting at us, blow them out of the water! We'll deal with the survivors later!" Sienna hollered at the crew. In seconds, the guns were deployed and taking aim at the first boat that was circling to make another pass. The first two shots from the cannon struck water close to the vessel, the third striking the bow causing it to flip and throw off its own crew.
The two other boats came nearby and the cannon fired on the traitors, striking them dead center causing the entire thing to collapse in the middle and engines explode before sinking below the waves.
The final speed boat pulled up nearby, matching their speed. "Is the High Leader on board and safe?" One of the men called up to the larger ship.
Ghira stuck his head over the railing, much to the men's surprise as they recognized him. Ghira was joined by Kali and Ilia, giving the crew more surprises but they shook that off due to the situation. "We're fine at the moment!" The large panther man told them. "How many of you are left?"
"I-I think we're the last boat left, sir. There may be a few holding out at the guard station at the gate."
Ghira's face fell at the news but he used that pain to galvanize his will. A glance told him that Sienna had heard as well, along with Blake, Sun, and Itazura. "Stick with us and we'll break through their line!"
That appeared to be enough to invigorate the men in the smaller boat to continue the fight as they all saluted, receiving a salute from Ghira, Kali, Ilia, and Sienna in return.
"My orders haven't changed. Get us to the docks and we'll fight our way to the palace. You do what you can to clear out the traitors until we call for pickup!" Sienna orders her crew.
"Yes madam!" And the engines roared as they accelerated to full speed, the intent of smashing their way through the blockage that was forming being made clear. Add in the cannons that were aimed and waiting for a clear shot. Their allies keeping up and riding their wake with their own machine gun ready to fire.
—-
Yang sat in her bed in the hospital with her scroll on her belly to prop it up. She was alone now since her father and Denko had been shooed out due to visitors' hours being over. This was the night before her surgery in the morning. The last night that she'd have two arms. Possibly the last night that she'd feel whole.
Though she hadn't felt whole since losing use of her arm. It wasn't just because of her right hand being dominant; her writing with her left hand being rough but improving as she had been forced to use it. It was partly because of how badly she had been beaten by Adam. Partly because she had nearly lost her arm that night. Partly because she could have been killed if he had aimed a few inches to his right. Partly because she couldn't do things like she used to.
Combined, it fed into her depression and bad mood over the past three months. She regretted taking it out on her family and friends when it peaked but couldn't be more grateful that they stuck by her side. A glance to her bedside table showed that she already had several good luck cards from her friends and teachers from Signal and Beacon.
But what was on her scroll gave her some bittersweet memories. It was a little video from a little after Denko and his team arrived at Beacon, with just her having some fun by herself with the addition of a bit of background editing as she danced on the screen. The dancing itself wasn't anything special or wild, not like when she had danced with Denko that one night. Just her in her mission gear and chubby body shaking and swaying and turning on the screen.
"They see you as small and helpless
They see you as just a child
Surprise when they find out that a warrior will soon run wild!"
She couldn't stop the small smile at being small again but that almost seemed to be a distant memory when she was as thin as she was when this video was made… and she was hardly what most would call small then. Heck, she was probably twice as big now as she was then.
"Prepare for your greatest moments!
Prepare for your finest hour!
The dream that you've always dreamed is about to flower!"
With the way things have been going lately, it seemed that preparing had been done in the past, her best moments now behind her. As for her dreams… it seemed that dreams were going to remain dreams.
"This will be the day we've wanted for!
This will be the day we open up the door!"
This may not have been the day she wanted, always having thought of other things going on at this point of her life; mostly being still in Beacon, maybe having won the Vytal Tournament or coming closer than she already did. At the same time, she was now about to open a new path in her life. She was just glad that she had excellent support at home.
The video played a few more times before she called it a night and did her best to relax and go to sleep. She had to ignore her nerves at going through this operation as well as her empty belly, this being the longest she'd gone without eating in years- let alone the past few months where she rarely was without a snack nearby for more than an hour. The thirst didn't help either but she wasn't allowed any fluids until after the surgery.
Gggrrrrrrrrrooooowwwwwllllll
"Shut up." She mutters to her stomach as she closed her eyes in the dark, letting the music from her scroll cover the noise of the hospital on the other side of the door.
"We'll be waiting for you when you get out of the operating room." Denko had told her before he left, giving her a hug.
"We'll see you on the other side, my Sunny Little Dragon." Taiyang said, punctuated with a kiss to her head.
—-
Weiss almost couldn't believe that she was going home. It would be the first time she'd be setting foot on the property since she left for Beacon last year. 'Come to think of it, Blake's birthday is tomorrow. Too bad I can't call her up and a letter would take weeks to get to Menagerie.'
Then again, Winter was walking next to her seemingly indifferent to returning to the estate they had grown up in. But Weiss could see that her sister was watching the gates carefully for anyone who would alert their father, expecting to only find Klein waiting for them.
Jaques Schnee had been called away for a business deal that required him to fly to Mistral, giving them at least two days to visit their mother. It was also lucky for them that Whitley had been brought along for the trip, neither of the sisters finding their brother particularly good company over the past few years; no doubt to their father's influence.
But it was also almost surreal to be back again, seeing the Schnee Manor after a little over a year away. The white marble that made up the majority of the exterior, the large windows, crystal chandeliers that could be seen from the gates, the well maintained grounds with trained and pruned bushes to form a variety of shapes and figures and dotted with fountains connected by clean white concrete paths and snow adding a glitter finish to the sight.
This was the place where the sisters had grown up in. This was where they had been educated by private tutors in all subjects from mathematics to history to business to sciences. One that was stressed was to teach them everything about Dust and its properties and capabilities. Their training extended into arts such as singing, painting, and fencing.
Obviously, both sisters took to the swordplay quite well and they used those skills taught to them to break away from their father.
The man who had no qualms about turning the extravagant home into a gilded prison for his family with himself as the warden.
The same man who had wormed his way into a relationship with their mother and grandfather's trust all so that he could be one of the richest men in the world. The man who changed the business practices to ensure that he would have a near monopoly on Dust in the world, crushing all competitors legally or with very questionable circumstances.
The same man who wasn't even in the Kingdom of Atlas anymore… for now. And they were going to use what time they had.
"Oh! There's my Little Snowflake! And Snowbell too!" A familiar voice rang out from the gates that opened as they drew near.
"Klein!" The younger sister wasted no time to close the distance and give the surprisingly shorter man a hug.
"It's good to see you too, Winter." Klein extended his arms as the elder sister stepped closer and gave him an embrace as well.
"How have you been? I can't imagine that things have been too easy." Winter smirks at the family butler as she looks at the man. Klein Sieben had always been of short stature with naturally tanned skin and a brown bushy mustache, though his hair had receded a bit more than she remembered, giving him a large bald spot on top. As always, his suit was impeccably pressed and cleaned, even managing to keep it so after a day's work… somehow.
And both sisters had no doubt that his particular quirk was still in effect as it had been as long as they had known him. The ability for him to change his eye color and attitude with a simple sneeze had always been amusing, along with what the man would say for one shift to another. They even had names for each of them; his normal brown eyes being Doc, red for Grumpy, blue for Sneezy, yellow for Happy, pink for Bashful, green for Dopey, and purple for Sleepy.
"Things around the manor have been a bit too quiet without you girls around to liven the place up." Klein responded jovially, prompting the two to roll their eyes as they both kept themselves to 'proper conduct' as much as possible, even if Weiss had managed to let that slip during her time away at Beacon while Winter became a bit more aloof thanks to being in the military.
"Now come on in and I'll bring you both some coffee and something to eat for your visit." The short man told them as he led the pair into the Manor and navigated the place with practiced ease.
It was much the same as when they were last inside; the same white marble floors and stairs, white walls and ceilings, blue rugs dampened the sound of their steps while adding some color. White marble pedestals held busts of people of importance through the world and ages while others had vases and other antiques on display. Several large statues dotted the 'home', adding some variety to the decor like the life size King Taijitu or the suits of armor. Paintings hung on the walls every so often, adding some more shapes and color, usually landscapes of far off places or even Atlas at night. There were several portraits of the Schnee family when they were younger, either alone or together in some combination.
Due to the size of the building, it took the three to reach the garden. Normally, it was open to the air but the plants here didn't fare well in the cold, requiring the glass wall that slid into place with a matching roof. Honestly, there was a stark contrast between the vibrant vegetation and the snow separated by the glass that made the room even more relaxing than normal.
But they were also here for the woman sitting at a large table, alone. It was easy to see where the sisters got their looks from, the white hair being a family trait rather than a sign of age, as with their father. The same pale skin and blue eyes and facial features, there was no question that they were mother and daughters.
Willow Schnee is a woman who has aged gracefully and her figure is slightly thicker than the average woman, no doubt from having three children combined with a decade of relatively sedentary lifestyle. Though she was thin compared to her oldest children.
With only a few lines around her eyes to really show her age while wearing a loose sleeved white shirt under a dark blue vest that has a high collar and several white lines to accent it held closed with a black waist wrap and a belt around her waist. A darker blue skirt graced her hips with a pair of black low-heeled shoes on her feet with matching stockings up her legs. Around her neck, she wore a white ascot held by a red brooch with silver edges, the cloth falling over her chest in rippling waves.
She turned from looking at the flowers at the sound of approaching feet. Klein was expected but he was without the breakfast he normally brought at this time. Instead, he was leading her daughters to the table. She was understandably shocked at not just their appearance at the home to see her, but also at their appearances- being much larger than she ever was when carrying them.
But she was also quick to steady herself. "Well, look who finally came home. Looks like you've been on a tour eating some restaurant's full menu."
"Hello Mother." The girls greeted together.
"At least you still have some manners." Willow was sarcastic as she waved to the other seats available at the table, the sisters doing so and glad that they had always been rather wide chairs. "What do I owe this visit to?"
"We came to spend some quality time with our mother, is that too much to ask for?" Winter replies cooly as she leaned back and crossed her legs. She was both used to a few comments about her weight and ignoring those comments, knowing that she was better for not rising to the bait. Weiss narrowed her eyes as the only sign that she was bothered by her mothers jabs as she waited for Klein to return.
"Hmm… you picked an interesting time to visit. Can't imagine why you'd do so." Willow mused. She smiled in amusement as her girls gave her looks of feigned ignorance. "But since you're here, what do you want to talk about?"
"Since you have already been rather blunt about it, do you know why we got fat?" Weiss asks politely.
"I've heard a few things but your father doesn't speak too much to me. Can't imagine why." She scoffed at the last part.
"We do have some time on our hands and a large house to ourselves to have a girls day. Let's make the best of it." Weiss chirped happily.
"Very well, it would be the best entertainment I've had in months. Perhaps the two of you could show me how proficient in combat you still are."
The sisters visibly brightened up at the suggestions. They had no problems with telling their mother about what had been going on in their lives over the past year. The addition of a request to watch a spar would be an excellent way to show how much Weiss had improved in her skills, especially in the Schnee semblance.
They waited a few minutes for Klein to return with cups of coffee for the three women along with a tray of fruits and waffles for them to share. The butler was then invited to stay with the family for their breakfast, as soon as he retrieved some food and drink for himself. It was interesting that the usual glass of wine had been forgotten.
—-
Blake was disappointed that her thoughts of the worst case scenario involving the White Fang was coming to pass. Actually, it wasn't the worst case scenario as there were still those who were loyal to Sienna and even Ghira and they were fighting back against those who turned to follow Adam; something that gave her some hope for the future.
The run for the docks had been an adrenaline rush on its own and all she did was sit with Sun, Ilia, and the rest of the forces from Menagerie as the ship literally plowed through the dozen of now enemy boats. From what she heard from her mother and Sienna shouting over the gunfire, at least three speed boats had been hit by them, two of them actually sinking. Many of the others were either hit by the larger vessels' guns and sunk or damaged, driving off the few survivors by the time they pulled up to the pier faster than they should have.
But that was what the fighting force needed to disembark as fast as possible. The force of over twenty rushed through the small port with some emphasis on stealth, sure that whatever forces Adam had were already on alert.
Sure enough, patrols had been sent out across the island and were sticking to groups of four or five each. It was left to Blake, Sun, Ilia, and Sienna to deal with any groups coming close as fast as possible, helped by Kali on the occasion that she was needed to disable radios to keep the squad's location from being revealed.
The front doors were only guarded by two men, Ghira and Sun taking them out swiftly. Sienna marched up and used a keypad to unlock the massive doors, inputting a certain code.
On the other side of the door, several of the defectors were milling about. While they had been warned that Sienna had apparently returned with some backup, they hadn't heard anything about where she had gotten to. The last that they heard, she was still on her ship fighting her way to shore. Add in that they knew about the patrols outside and a pair of their team just on the other side of the doors, they were confident that they had nothing to worry about.
Then the doors opened slightly on their own, thoroughly confusing the five. They drew their weapons and moved closer to peek through the crack.
"Hey Buck, something going on out there?" The apparent leader asked as he looks out into the bright daylight.
"Maybe they caught Sienna?" One asks.
"You idiot, we would have heard something over the radio by now if they did." Another reprimands.
"Will you two shut up! Get over here and help open the doors!" The leader commands and the bickering duo moved for the massive bars that made up the handles. The remaining pair standing back and quiet to see what happens.
With a whine of a motor running, the great doors flung themselves open, catching the three closest off guard, hitting them solidly while also throwing them into the two standing back resulting in a pile of limbs.
Sienna was the first to step inside to witness her handiwork, looking like the cat who caught the canary.
"You punks can't even guard a door without messing up. How disappointing." She teased. "I always wanted to use that little feature."
One of the men managed to find their pistol, or someone's from the pile, and aimed it at the tiger woman. But he never got the chance to pull the trigger before a red and gold staff came down on his head to knock him out. Two more were taken care of by Sun as Itazura got the other two and the five were stripped of their weapons along with their own uniforms used to bind and gag them together, as the rest of the unfortunate traitors had been.
"Where to now?" Itazura asks as she wipes her hands on her pants after jamming a sock into their captives mouth.
"The main control room is behind the throne room. It's also meant to serve as a bunker just in case some humans got the wrong idea. Houses nearly all of the communications and information that passes through the palace, has enough supplies to last at least a year, and bunks for one hundred and fifty people. Also has enough weapons and ammunition for double that number, it's own power supply, and source of fresh water." Sienna explains as Kali and Blake scout ahead.
"Sounds like you were expecting a war." Sun comments to the side.
"You should know the history between the Faunus and Humans; conflict has been inevitable and has been what convinced them to even take us seriously enough to give equal rights… on paper." The High Leader countered.
"Yeah, I get it." Sun grumbled as he tightened his grip on Ruyi Jingu Bang. Blake took a moment to place a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Unseen by them, Ilia was watching with sad eyes. Contrary to that, Kali was looking rather proud at the sight.
"You three, guard this entrance. If you need to, fall back to our position." Ghira orders some of the Menagerie Guard. "The rest of you, spread out in pairs and make sure we aren't flanked. Captain, you're with us." The Faunus with rather large buck teeth and darker complexion and closely shaved hair saluted and made some gestures to his men for which ones should pair up.
The rest of the squad grouped up on either side of the main doors to the throne room, Ghira, Kali, Corsac and Fennec on one side with Blake, Sun, Ilia, Itazura, and the Captain on the other. Sienna took the center and pressed her hands against the wood, Cerberus Whip on her waist but ready for use.
Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she got the signals that the squad was ready and she pushed hard.
Inside the massive room, several Faunus in the standard uniform of the White Fang stood around the throne. Others near the doors in the back, focused on trying to get through to the bunker but their efforts were halfhearted as they were almost content for it to become a prison for those who were loyal to Sienna. But it was the central figure reclining on the throne that took Sienna's attention- Adam Taurus.
The young man is dressed in a dark grey and black jacket with a zippered pocket on the left breast and on each upper arm. Each sleeve ended in a black cuff and he wore black dress pants and black shoes with red soles. Around his waist he wore a pair of belts that held a flap of cloth with a red flower embroidered into the black with red lining and underside that hung on his right side. On his left, Wilt was sheathed into Blush that was clipped onto his left side from the belt. On his face, he wore his usual white mask, reminiscent of the Grimm, but his was set apart from his followers by the stylized red horns painted on it. His red-brown hair was swept back as usual and his black horns were almost lost in the hair.
Her arrival stunned those within the room for a few seconds, the silence was almost deafening. But Sienna didn't have to wait any longer for nearly every gun and blade in the room were pointed at her. And Adam chuckled.
"Sienna Khan. I knew you would come back here eventually." The bull shifted in his seat to prop his chin on his fist.
"That is my throne. Get off and I may show some leniency on you for this transgression." The tiger warns, nearly growling the words out and her hand drifted towards her weapon.
"Ah, your throne. I must say, I appreciate you keeping the seat warm for me." Adam sneered.
That got the reaction he had anticipated, Sienna bristling in anger and her arms shaking as she fought to contain herself. He should be glad that looks couldn't kill otherwise he'd been done in several times over already.
"Guards, take care of our unwanted guests." Adam used his free hand to wave at Sienna and the two dozen grunts began to close the distance to the High Leader that they were overthrowing.
The others with Sienna took that as their cue to surge through the door once the enemies were close enough, taking everyone but Sienna by surprise and swiftly overwhelming them in less than a minute.
Now with the guards defeated and moaning on the floor, if they were conscious, Adam sat up straight in the throne. While he had expected for Sienna to return, more than likely with whatever loyalists she could scrounge up, he never thought that Ghira or Kali Belladonna would interfere on their terms.
Looking at them, he remembered being the little boy who had fled from slavery in the Dust mines and found a home with the organization that they had founded and led. His discovery of his strength being greater than others in his age group. Being taught swordsmanship and taking to it like a fish to water. How he was often praised for his skills when defending his Brothers and Sisters of the White Fang. The disappointment from Ghira when he began to kill those who attacked them. How he took Blake under his wing…
"Hello, My Love." Adam says as he stood up, his attention almost solely on Blake.
It wasn't just the name that he had given her while they were together that put her on edge but the way he said it. A tone promising pain. Directed at her yet she could hear a small bit that seemed to be his own pain from her leaving him.
Yet she simply remained silent as she did her best to fight against the fear to glare at him with all of the frustration and anger she had at him for causing so much pain to the world; the missions she had been a part of with Adam, Mountain Glenn, Vale, the Tournament, her family and friends…
"All troops, come to the throne room immediately. We have some traitors to remove." Adam spoke into his scroll, the message echoing from the downed grunts. Then his attention was brought back to his opponents as he rested his hand on his sword.
"Now, do you really think you can take me on?" Adam waved his free hand across the room. "The White Fang follows me now. They recognize that I have the strength and conviction that you all lack to lead the Faunus to their rightful place."
Just as he finished his little speech with the passion that he was known for, the Menagerie Guards ran inside the room, some of them sporting injuries, shortly followed by the White Fang.
The Captain was able to get his men inside behind the group before barring the door but was shocked that they were now surrounded and trapped.
"What do we do now, brother?" Corsac asks with Cyclone in his grip.
Fennec tightened his hand on Inferno. "What we must." The pair's weapons began to glow from the Dust inside them, hidden behind their backs.
Adam openly smirked at the predicament that his greatest adversaries within the White Fang had were now about to be captured.
"We don't have to fight, Adam!" Blake finally had enough, her aim on her old partner shaking slightly.
"Oh, but where is the fun in that, My Love? Do you really want to stick your nose in a book again so soon?"
"Stop calling her that!" Sun shouts, his outburst making a few more guns train on him specifically.
"If it isn't the street rat from the desert?" Adam began condescendingly. "You know, I was watching the Vytal Tournament for some entertainment before the real fireworks began. I must say that I'm glad that a Faunus made it to the final rounds. Perhaps you wish to test your skills against my own?"
"I ain't a street rat! I'm a monkey and I can't stand how you're treating Blake!" The blonde retorts.
"Did she tell you about all of the fun we had together? How she promised to stay by my side?" Adam's tone turned low and dangerous.
"She doesn't belong to you!"
"Perhaps not yet. But maybe…" Adam trailed off a bit as he noticed that Blake had shifted slightly behind the young man, sending him worried glances. "Maybe I should start with you? See how she does with another friend missing a limb… or head?"
"Your fight is with me!" Sienna roared, her whip ready to lash out. More than a few of the grunts recoiled in fear and some glanced at those around them, questioning their loyalties and decisions.
"Then you'll be the first to fall." Adam warned as he slid into his stance to draw his sword. Sienna readied her own weapon, the chain being drawn tight between her hands as the rest dangled to the floor, the three blades glinting dangerously.
Without warning, Corsac and Fennec raised their sai and unleashed the elemental powers they were named after. The blasts barely missed Ghira and Sienna's backs, plowing into the front rows of the grunts on either side.
The howling winds flung people off their feet and into each other, resulting in a pile of tangled limbs with few left standing. On the other side, the flames engulfed a few before they could try to evade and they were set aflame. The others near them dove from the fire only to find that a few of them didn't quite get clear and their uniforms were burning.
With the mass confusion that ensued from that attack, Adam was stunned and looked around at his men panicking and the trap falling apart. But he had to refocus as the ones who were trapped were now taking advantage of the disarray to counterattack.
Sun was quick to dart between a pair of grunts rising to their feet with his staff held horizontally, effectively clotheslining the unfortunate duo and dropping them on their hapless brethren. Blake was by his side and used her blades to cut apart the guns before they could be aimed at her before launching a series of kicks at her disarmed foes to knock them back and an incidental hip check launched one into a group that were trying to stand again.
Ilia was a graceful combatant, her Lightning Lash barely able to be tracked as it slashed apart weapons or knocked them out of hands. She was able to wrap up two or three at a time and give them a shock to render them unable to fight. The Albain brothers worked as a team to disarm and throw their opponents away.
Kali was nearly a blur, a shadow that would take out targets with quick, precise strikes to pressure points and weak areas. The Menagerie Guards were armed with swords, pistols, and spears and used them with their numbers to overwhelm their enemies.
But it was the central battle that demanded attention, Ghira and Sienna charging at Adam. In turn, Adam used his greater speed to meet them halfway where his sword clashed with Ghira's tetsubo. The men couldn't gain any ground over the other, Ghira's size and strength being countered by Adam having the better footing to push back. The lock was ended thanks to Cerberus Whip wrapping around Wilt before the chain pulled tight and the tension gave Ghira the opportunity to press the advantage.
Unfortunately, Adam had a lot of experience in combat and was able to push himself away from Ghira and towards Sienna, making the chain go limp and the blade slipped free of the binding. The tiger sidestepped the rising slash and spun away, her whip spinning around her in the process and intercepted the followup attack from the sword, flowing into an attack that had the blades on the end of the whip arcing towards the bulls horns.
Adam ducked just in time, a few hairs being cut from his head to show how close the attack was. But he had no time to worry about that as the whip came back around, this time aimed at his legs. Jumping back to save his legs, Adam found the massive titanium studded oaken bat swinging in from his right, using Wilt to take the brunt of the blow that flung him away several paces.
The bull was able to flip to land on his feet, drawing Blush and opening fire on Sienna. The tiger deflected the bullets with her chain, forced to remain fairly stationary to do so and giving Adam the opening to go after Ghira. Adam delivered a brutal combination of slashes at the panther, all of which were either blocked by his weapon or deflected off his armor.
The exchange was broken up by the bladed whip snapping at Adam's legs, breaking his attack and now having to defend himself from Ghira returning the favor with his own weapon. The defense was only made more difficult by the addition of the blades snaking around the panther to strike at the bull with no sense of pattern.
And the pattern continued with neither side truly gaining an advantage.
—-
Ruby sighed as she walked. According to the map, they hadn't gone very far since they had to try going to Mistral on foot. And at their pace, it would be another two days until the next village. Two days of hoping that the village and its people would be able to help them restock the supplies they used to get there.
And the hope that the village wasn't just another one that rose and fell like so many had done in the past. Usually they fell due to Grimm overwhelming their defenses but bandits were known to be spread out across Anima and take advantage of the accumulating supplies that a village would have or the caravans that would keep them stocked.
Honestly, she hoped that the villages reputation was true about their textiles. The entire team was hoping to change their looks up a bit… partially because what they were wearing was getting worn out. The other reason was that their outfits reminded them of their time at Beacon and they'd prefer to preserve the clothes for nostalgia. New clothes and armor would also help their mindset that they were growing as people and Huntsmen and Huntresses.
'If we're lucky, there won't be any Grimm along the way to slow us down.' She thinks to herself on the otherwise pleasant day.
Then a Beowolf stepped out onto the road in front of them, another from behind. Then more came from both sides with a pair of Alpha's among them.
"Just what we needed." The Rose sighs as she unholsters Crescent Rose.
"Let's get the blood pumping!" Nora belts out as she runs to meet the Grimm to the left, Ren following after her.
"We got this side!" Jaune called as he and Pyrrha ran right.
That left Ruby to deal with those actually on the road trying to block their escape. "Works for me." She shrugs and charges ahead.
—-
"Enough playing around!" Adam yells as he sheaths his sword.
By this point, most of the grunts had been taken down with a few more running through the doors every so often to keep their numbers from dwindling too much. At the same time, the Menagerie Guards had been injured and incapacitated enough that they had taken cover behind a pillar. And aside from the area where Adam, Ghira, and Sienna were fighting, the floor was covered with bodies so that it was difficult not to step on someone every few steps.
The three leaders had stepped back for a breather, reassessing their situation and what had been done so far. All three sported some sort of injuries themselves but nothing that would truly slow them down.
Then Adam began to glow red as the grip on Wilt tightened. Time seemed to slow to a crawl for those watching and the blade flashed, the room bathed in red light.
When the light faded, everyone could see a trench resembling a giant claw mark in the floor that led from Adam to the pillar that Ghira had been in front of when the attack came. Or what was left of it as the last ten feet above the floor was gone, as were the few White Fang soldiers who had taken shelter from the fighting there. And a tetsubo lay on the floor, vanishing into red petals starting from the handle.
"Ghira!/Dad!" Kali and Blake shout as all that remained by the trench was the metal cat head that had capped the end of the weapon he used. Both women's eyes filled with tears as they stood in shock.
"One down." Adam declared in his victory, Wilt sliding back into Blush with a click.
"You monster!" Kali screamed at the bull, throwing a dozen knives at once at him.
"Heh, too easy." Adam scoffed as he drew his sword to deflect the flying metal, missing that the one who threw them had drawn her pistols and taken aim. Just as the first of the black blades were about to make contact with his red one, it was shattered by a bullet; the razor shards peppering Adam and making him flinch at the unexpected attack.
And that was the first of the dozen.
Adam had no clear way to defend himself and his aura took the hits of what felt like an entire hive of angry bees in a matter of a few seconds. His only real luck was that his mask covered his eyes and shielded them from the assault.
And the angry woman wasn't done, her long belt being pulled free from her waist and thrown, the weighted end wrapping around the blade before Adam could recover from her initial attack. With a tug on her belt, Kali ripped the sword from his hand and closed the distance with a knife in hand aimed for his stomach.
But by then Adam had recovered from his shock and grabbed her hand before the blade could touch him. "Hmm… like mother, like daughter." Adam sneered as he twisted her wrist with a crack and plunged the knife into her just above her left hip.
As she gasped in pain, he simply shoved her away where she landed on the floor near the remains of her husband's weapon. Adam almost walked casually over to his sword and unwrapped it from the belt, tossing the cloth at its owner before sheathing his blade.
"Anyone else want to try me?" Adam dared as he looked around the room, seeing the dozens of soldiers, Sienna seemingly frozen, Kali clutching her wound, the Menagerie Guards huddled in a corner…
"Hyah!" Blake's shout came from above, her weapon united so she could put maximum force behind the cleaver with her own hefty weight behind it.
Adam managed to block the attack, barely. But the force transferred splintered the wood beneath his feet and left his imprints. As he grit his teeth, he saw that he had another problem dropping at him in the form of Sun with his staff already swinging down.
Red and gold staff met black cleaver and once again Adam found himself pushed into the wood a second time in a second. To make matters worse, the wood gave way under him from the added force on the weakened floor, resulting in Adam dropping knee deep in the timbers.
Blake and Sun landed a short distance from the temporarily trapped bull. "You gonna be alright?" The blonde asks quietly.
"Not now, Sun."
"Just don't go crazy on him, that's what he wants."
That made Blake pause for a moment, remembering the many lessons she had over the years that angry people make mistakes. Mistakes that can be exploited.
"Together."
"Together."
That pause in the fight was long enough for Adam to free himself and stand tall. Sienna was still where she had been, though now had dropped to her knees. The Albain brothers were guarding the Menagerie Guards. Kali was crawling away from the fight taking place with the help from the fox girl.
The fox girl… she had been present when the fight began but she had disappeared soon after. Now she returns.
"Adam Taurus! You are under arrest for treason against the White Fang and murder of yur Brothers and Sisters!" Mari Bell shouts as she and many more loyalists pour out from the back room. And all of them were armed and nearly every gun was aimed at him. Some of them began tying up the other traitors on the floor, binding their hands with whatever handcuffs, rope, or belts they had on hand to use.
With no other choice, Adam was forced to flee. And he would have if he didn't have to deal with a metal staff swinging at his head the moment he turned around. Then he was forced to jump back from a pair of black blades swinging together at his stomach.
"Are you really going to fight me, My Love?" Adam spoke with false sadness, his red blade gripped tightly for use.
"You leave me no choice." Blake glowered back at him.
"Then I'll end this farce now!" Wilt lashed out at her neck, only to pass through a Shadow. But he knew the trick well enough and blocked the two swords coming from his left. That left him open on the right for the staff to connect with his shoulder and elicit grunt of pain. He pushed off Gambol Shroud but wasn't given the time to make space or run as Sun was on him immediately, Ruyi Jingu Bang spinning in his hands and swinging at the bull from different angles and occasional thrusts, forcing Adam to block with Wilt.
Then things were mixed up when the staff separated mid-spin into the pair of gunchucks that now came at the taller man with less power but faster hits. Then the situation for Adam got worse when Blake leapt in, her own two blades doubling the number of weapons Adam had to track and defend against, pushing him to use Blush in his left hand.
Neither side were able to gain any advantage, Adam unable to attack through the onslaught but the pair unable to land any significant blows on him.
"You're only delaying the inevitable. Did you really think that those here were the only ones loyal to me?" Adam taunts, hoping to make them slip up.
"Not really." Sun responded almost casually in the face of the heated exchange… and started using the shotguns to stun his opponent.
Adam grunted as the shots crashed into his aura in rapid succession, making his levels drop fast towards dangerous lows. He was unable to deflect many of the gunshots due to Balke continuing to occupy his hands in a clash of swordsmanship. One lucky shot gave her the opportunity as Adam flinched to smack his weapons and leave him open for her thick legs to make impact with his chest thanks to a drop kick.
Blake managed to land in a handspring and flip to her feet in time to watch as Adam clawed his way upright once more. The grunt when he was hit from both her kick and hitting the floor was very satisfying to the cat and monkey.
"What do you even see in that girl? She's turned herself into a pig!" Adam yelled at Sun, still ready to continue the fight as he raised his sword.
"Better a pig that gets treated like a princess than a man chasing after a girl who dumped him because he went nuts." There was no humor in Sun's voice, only a dead seriousness that Blake rarely heard from him.
Adam grit his teeth and leaned forward, ready to attack. Only for a length of silver chain to wrap around his arms and pull them to his body. His head whipped along the chain to find Sienna holding it with a grin.
"Made you look!" Itazura stepped up towards their battleground with her voice being far too chipper for the situation, making some nearby question the fox mentally. Near the partially destroyed pillar, a blue bonfire faded away.
Adam barely had time to notice the growing shadow before something large and heavy slammed into him from above, hard enough to leave more than a few flooring timbers as little more than splinters.
From the dust, Ghira Belladonna rose to his full height and dusted off his hands from the double handed strike he used.
"Dad!" "Mr. B!" "Ghira!" The trio of shouts caught his attention and the panther turned to smile at his daughter and her friends, but that was dropped as he ran over to his wife's side. Kali was already being treated by the reinforcements for her stab wound.
"Kali! How bad is it?" He was in full caring mode now rather than the fearsome warrior from a few moments prior.
"I'll be fine. I'm glad that I don't use larger knives or it could have been worse." Kali was able to weakly joke.
"But how? How did you survive that attack?" Sun asks the large man.
"Heh, your tricky friend managed to make it look like I was killed and Sienna shocked into a statue. I just climbed the pillar and dropped in once Sienna had him immobilized. Good job you two." Ghira explains, ending that with patting their shoulders. "Sorry I made you worry."
The two younger faunus couldn't find the words to say anything to him but they did notice that the armor that had covered his arms was mostly gone and he had a few deep gashes in the skin. Obviously, he hadn't fully escaped the attack that had led to his 'death' but it was far too close for comfort for them.
"Nobody had to die today." A deep and gravelly voice spoke from a far door. There stood a massive human, as tall as Ghira but with larger muscles donned mostly in browns and greens.
"I-I disagree." Adam sputtered out as he staggered to his feet in the ruined floor, weapons still in hand and aura flickering from the abuse.
"You! You're that human who wanted to talk to me!" Sienna shouts as she points at the man.
"I am. But I see from this that my offer has and will remain to be refused. Goodbye."
"Damnit Hazel! We can defeat them here and now!" Adam insisted.
"No you can't." Hazel retorted. With that refusal, Adam staggered and Hazel closed the distance in two quick strides to catch him and toss the younger man over his shoulder. "I apologize for the damage to your palace, it was very beautiful. Good luck on your recovery, you're going to need it."
With that, the man walked away and few had the energy to after him and chose not to in favor of taking care of the injured and lock up the remaining traitors.
"Mari Bell! The enemy boats are leaving!" A woman shouted, obviously someone was left to monitor the control room. What was shown on her scroll made Sienna and the others pause in concern as Adam and Hazel were in boats carrying nearly as many soldiers there were defeated in the room… and they knew that he had the entire Vale branch waiting for him along with many more from the other branches.
"This will be a problem." Ghira mutters.
"One step at a time." Kali reminds him, taking his hand.
"We got your back, Mr. B." Sun adds with an arm over Blake's shoulders and a hand on Itazura's.
"Heh, thank you." Ghira couldn't be more sincere in those words if he tried. Now he had to deal with the traitors and his own injuries.
AN: I really hope you enjoyed the fight and it was followable for everyone. But I'm looking to get the next chapter up on Thursday for no particular reason 'whistles innocently'. I hope you're all ready for the heat to be cranked up... on the pages, there's been far too much heat around the world to be enjoyable for most, even for summer. With that in mind, try to stay cool and hydrated when you can.
As always, reviews are welcome!