The following day Vivian and Neil went straight to the hospital. The black-haired woman was a bit concerned that Nina didn't show up at the Vagabond but was sure she just stayed at Gran's side for the whole night. Before they got at the spot, they talked a bit more about Vermillion and what his plans could be but didn't come up with anything new.
The moment they entered the room, they were greeted by cheerful Nina.
"Gran woke up!" She was jumping in place.
The huge Faunus was indeed awake and eating the breakfast the hospital staff prepared for every patient. When he noticed the rest of the group, he smiled gently.
"So, how are you holding up, big guy?" Vivian sat on his bed when she asked the question.
"Not that bad," he answered, chewing his food slowly. "I really thought that I was going to die."
"What happened?" Neil jumped in after he exchanged a few words with Ame, who also joined in the conversation.
"You don't need to talk about that if you don't want to," Nina stated, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"It's ok," he grabbed it gently and smiled towards his partner. "I confronted Raymond, and he works with the Huntress that guarded the warehouse with the kidnapped people."
"No way," Amethyst was first to gasp out loud.
"What does that even mean?" Vivian was thinking out loud.
"Just let me finish," Gran continued. He told everything that he was doing since Nina left until he woke up in the hospital bed with her concerned by his side. All in all, it wasn't much of a story as it all focused on him trying to find Ray.
After all that, Vivian was first to continue her thought process. "If Ray's working with the guys that were at the warehouse, doesn't that mean he actually is part of Vermillions men?"
"No, he's not," Aria suddenly interjected her. "Don't even know who this 'Ray' guy is."
"Weren't that team working for you?" Neil asked her.
"They were working for me. Stress the 'were' as it's no longer the case."
"Did Ray just recruited them after the fight in the warehouse?" Vivian asked her.
"How should I know? Just leave me alone," Aria turned around with her back towards them.
"I'm confused," Nina stated after a moment of silence.
"Let's just leave it at that," Neil butted in. "Our first concern is Vermillion anyway. We'll deal with Raymond after."
"I agree," Ame nodded. "That dude is a menace. Did you guys come up with something to stop him?" She turned towards Neil as always in situations like that.
The redhead shook his head. "Nothing concrete. We just have to wait for his next move and be ready."
The moment he said it, Jet rushed into the room, panting like he just ran a marathon. "Alabaster, sir!"
The sheriff was silent, almost like he was ignoring anyone in the room. Neil stood up and approached the officer. "What's going on?"
For a second, the black-haired man was confused, but he continued nonetheless. "The Hana boss is on the move. He and his men are marching towards the Black Sheep base of operation as we speak."
Neil looked at Vivian. "So that is his move," he stated.
"We got to act," Black said and moved towards the exit.
"Jet, get every single cop that is on duty now and have them set up a perimeter around the Top Dogs Bar. A fight is brewing, and we need to protect the citizens," Neil recited almost mechanically.
"Roger," the officer nodded and moved out.
"How are you feeling?" The redhead addressed Amethyst.
"I can help," she stated with a note of surprise.
"Great, Ame, Vivian, Nina, and I will be the main strike team. The primary objective will be to catch Vermillion while the secondary to protect any civilians caught in the fight."
"I can help too," Gran suddenly got out of the bed, his movements were sloppy, and he swayed when he got up on his feet.
"You almost died just a few days ago. There's no way I can let you fight right now."
"If not on the front lines, then at least let me protect the people," his eyes shone with pure conviction.
Neil shook his head and wanted to deny his request when Nina jumped in. "I can go with him. Make sure he won't do anything careless."
"Can we handle Vermillion with you, Ame, and me?" Vivian was getting concerned.
"It seems like we'll have to," Neil nodded. "Keep yourselves safe and protect the citizens," he threw towards Gran and Nina.
"That's why we became Huntsmen," it was Granola who first said it, with Nina almost mimicking his exact words a fraction later. They both smiled towards each other.
"Let's move out then," the redhead led the team.
Kain was playing cards with the members of Black Sheep. The events of the night where they devastated the Wave gang didn't impact them much. Still, there wasn't much he could do at this point, mainly because he lost contact with his benefactor. Outside of the bar was getting noisy, which distracted many of the patrons.
"What the hell is going on?" One of the players asked out loud, stretching his neck to see through one of the windows.
"Probably nothing important," another one said casually, keeping a poker face and looking at the hand he was dealt.
They continued to play until a loud voice took them out.
"Cerulean! You wanted a confrontation; you have one!" Many recognized the voice. It was Hunter Ash, the leader of Hana.
The Black Sheep boss came out of his private chamber. "What the…"
A member of the Black Sheep flew through the bar door, crashing into the floor. A loud crash somewhere nearby made Kain refocus. Glass broke somewhere in the establishment itself. While everyone was in a ruckus and started running outside, he looked around.
"Sending out an assassin to take me out was a low blow!" Hunter continued his monologue, surrounded by sounds of fighting.
"First, the Wave, and now those fuckers," Cerulean was pissed as much as when he wanted to personally 'take care of' Lemon. "Guys, we have some more cleaning to do!"
Riling up his men, they started to run out of the bar one by one. The moment Kain was getting close to the door, he heard a familiar voice in his ear.
"That's the part of the plan," it was Rory using her semblance to mask her presence from all others around. "We need to kill Cerulean. If push comes to shove, I prepared an escape route through the back."
The voice didn't surprise him. The sound of the breaking glass made him aware of her. Kain took a deep breath and raised his sword. He was just a few steps behind the leader of the Black Sheep. Without any hesitation, he smacked his weapon on top of the huge man.
"Wha?" Before the bald giant could say anything comprehensive, Kain pulled the blade releasing his guillotine. The boss' head started flying through the bar as his body hit the floor.
In stunning silence, the rest of the gang members looked at the newest member. Then, after a moment of consternation, which many would say looked like an eternity, they all converged on the guillotine-sword wielder with all their weapons raised. Kain deflected the first two blows with his blade and the third with his elbow. The slash chipped on his aura, but he was unmoved and commenced his own offensive.
With a wide swing, he hit two of the attackers, sending them flying behind the bar. A patron dashed behind him to attack his blind spot but was suddenly stopped by something. A savage slash across his neck made him choke. Still, it did not break his aura.
Kain took another swing creating distance between him and the Black Sheep members. He eyed the surroundings. Counted twelve fighters and no real opportunity to use the terrain for an advantage. Eleven, Rory worked in the background while they were focused on the huge warrior standing before them. He swung his blade again. One of the enemies dashed under it to reach Kain with an attack of his own. The sword grazed the giant warrior, but Kain did not stagger and grabbed the assailant by his head. With the momentum from the swing, he tossed the fighter through one of the windows.
Another attack that he had problems deflecting. Headcount this time came up with eight enemies. Four of them continued the relentless assault while the rest moved behind Kain to surprise him. Teal trapped one of the attacker's hands in his blade. He then pushed through and activated his guillotine. Enemy's weapons were connecting with his body, chipping more and more of his aura while his weapon broke through the aura and cut off the hand of the enemy he trapped. A scream of pain quickly stifled when an invisible predator slit the man's throat.
Five fighters left, all panting heavily, exhausted, and looking terrified as they now discovered there was something else here with them. Kain was getting tired himself. Still, if it wasn't for his semblance, this situation would look much worse. One of the enemies screamed; his aura broke as something slashed across his chest. He started to run, and Kain intercepted him with his sword, cleaving the man in half. With the momentum of the slash, Teal slammed his sword down upon the remaining combatants. Completely terrified, they were no longer a match for the brutal duo, and only Kain and Rory remained on the battlefield.
"That was a good fight," Rory congratulated her teammate.
The huge warrior simply nodded, leaning his weight on the guillotine-sword. A sudden sound of clapping startled both of them.
"What a display of skill and power," a hulking man in an animal mask made his way slowly towards them. "It seems Raymond knew who to trust with the task."
"Who are you?" Kain asked, taking a deep breath before he did.
"The King," he stated and dashed towards them.
Rory again activated her semblance to avoid the blow. Kain, however, wasn't quick enough and took a direct punch to his face. The impact woke him up, and he raised his sword to defend himself. The enemy vanished. Disoriented by the fact, Teal got hit again. The force of the attack made his head spin, and he almost fell to the ground. With a glimpse in the direction he felt the attacks coming from, he noticed a dancing shade. A sensation familiar to the one he felt training with Rory. He raised his arm to block another blow. A tremendous force made his arm tingle. If it wasn't for his aura, the arm would most likely be broken right now.
"Some help, Rory?" Kain asked into space, frustrated.
"Can't really fight someone I can't see… ugh." Suddenly, something broke through one of the beams supporting the building.
Kain was befuddled at what just happened. "Rory?"
Another blow to the side of his head made him stumble and fall back-first on the bar. His aura broke. Then, again a shadow before him with a raised fist. With enough presence of mind, he moved his head to the side and avoided a punch that crashed through the wooden furniture. Kain dashed forward, using the momentum to swing his sword in a wide arc. The blade connected with something, and the attacker heard a grunt.
Following the sound, he attacked again with a vertical swing. Unfortunately, his weapon was deflected to the side, and he heard another grunt. Before he could continue his attack, a female grunt came to his ears, and an explosion of debris and splinters as the bar was now completely ruined. Rory appeared as her aura broke, and with her, the brute who attacked them as well. Kain raised his sword, ready for an attack when a fist landed in his stomach.
The blow was enough to stop him in his tracks. He let go of his sword and took a few steps back to uphold his balance. However, he was unable to maintain his composure and fell to the ground. The man in the animal mask was slowly getting closer, and Kain was unable to move.
"That was a valiant effort," the beast warrior started talking in a boisterous voice. "However, you lack the character to be a match for me."
"And how about me?"
A voice from the back of the establishment surprised Vermillion. When he turned around, he recognized who was speaking to him.
"Ah, the devil himself. So you took it upon yourself to confront the current ruler of Kuchinashi?"
"Wasn't sure what I'll see here, but the great Vermillion stepping out of the shadows himself? Probably the best compliment I could've gotten."
"Don't flatter yourself, Raymond. Still, you shook the city more than anyone in ten years, so some recognition is due," Vermillion started slowly clapping.
"Enough chit-chat," Ray slid open his eye-patch blinder and activated his semblance. "It's time to settle this."
With confidence, they both dashed towards each other.
