Legal Disclaimer: I do not own Red vs. Blue or any of the show's characters. They are the rightful properties of Rooster Teeth.
Chapter Six:
It was a rather rocky path up to where the airship had been forced to land, making progress on foot rather slow as the traveling party made their way to its location. North and Theta, along with York and Delta, fell behind Kimball and Doyle as they slowly traversed in order to keep an eye out for any unusual activity in the area.
The glacial pace probably frustrated those in their group seeking quick answers. However, it provided North and York with the chance to talk a bit more about current events, with Delta and Theta interjecting their own thoughts into the conversation whenever they felt it was appropriate to do so.
"It was a bit weird seeing Wash again, wasn't it?" York asked his friend.
After all, they hadn't seen the younger Freelancer since the project had fallen and Wash had left to go back to his hometown for recovery.
North sighed, "You can say that again, York." He muttered.
"Health-wise, he appeared to be in much better condition. If that was a concern for you." Delta noted.
Theta nodded his head, "Yeah, that's a good thing! Isn't it?"
York smiled, reaching out and ruffling Theta's black hair playfully as he agreed readily enough: "Course it is, kiddo."
Delta regarded his partner carefully, "But seeing him was complicated, wasn't it?" He asked quietly, "Given past circumstances."
"You really don't beat around the bush, do you, D?" York sighed before asking.
"Washington must have certainly felt that way too." North commented, frowning to himself at the recent memory of their meeting, "He could barely even look at us."
"Yeah, that definitely sucked." The scarred brown-haired man agreed, also frowning in speculative thought, "I wonder if South would do the same if we ran into her somewhere?"
There was a sudden stony silence that descended upon the four as they walked then. In the midst of the new tension that had fallen across their traveling party, Theta raced over to the still frowning North.
The former Freelancer was staring straight ahead, so lost in thoughts of families and being left behind that he seemingly wasn't paying attention to his current surroundings. The young boy touched the blond's arm gently, silently asking if he was all right at the mention of his twin sister.
North turned to regard Theta, smiling slightly in reassurance before turning to glance at a somewhat apologetic-looking York before countering his old friend's question with an emotional punch of his own: "You do know that Tex has probably gone to get Carolina's assistance for this mission, don't you?"
With thoughts of a stubborn redhead from their past suddenly lodged in his mind, York couldn't help but sigh.
The airship that had been attacked wasn't even large. In fact, it was primarily used for taking passengers and small amounts of cargo from Point A to Point B. In the grand scheme of things, the airship never really held anything that would be deemed too dangerous or too valuable by most people.
Someone like Andersmith probably could have said exactly what it was the airship actually contained, but the Guild leader had opted for him to stay behind back at Chorus due to the stress the human appeared to be in regarding his missing ward.
As the downed vessel came into view, Vanessa Kimball almost regretted her decision as the dark-skinned woman was still trying to figure out if the attack had been random, or if it had been planned with this airship specifically in mind.
With the recent attack at Blood Gulch, it definitely seemed likely that Charon was targeting Magic Users. But, why that was still went well beyond her head. She did not like how many unknown variables there already were to this case.
When the Guild leader arrived at the scene, Volleyball and Palomo were already there along with Doctor Grey, a Beast Folk with fox-like features. The two Guild apprentices saluted her as both Kimball and Doyle made their way over to them.
York and the others took up positions that would make guarding Doyle easier should the need arise, though Kimball doubted it was necessary given how only shell-shocked passengers remained in the area waiting for Guild escorts back to town. She supposed it was true that preparation was always the best course of action, even for unlikely scenarios.
"We got statements from all of the passengers still in the area." Palomo informed Kimball, voice a bit too cheery and excited for the task at hand.
Volleyball nodded her head in agreement, "Yes, though their statements mesh with Andersmith and Wash's reports rather well."
Kimball had expected as much given that the two men had been quite thorough in their own investigations even before reporting to Doyle and, subsequently, the Guild. Truthfully, their whole expedition out here was probably going to be a gigantic waste of her precious time.
"I did find something interesting in the airship, though!" Doctor Grey exclaimed as if reading the Guild leader's thoughts.
"Oh?" Doyle looked intrigued by this bit of news.
"Yeah, whoever these guys were that took the Magic Users?" Grey informed them, "They also took the Remnant that powered the airship."
Doyle and Kimball exchanged a look at the Beast Folk's statement. Floating Remnants were quite rare and valuable. One being missing would definitely explain the forced landing of an airship.
"Are you sure, Doctor Grey?" Kimball asked.
The dark-skinned woman scoffed, red-trimmed ears flicking slightly to the sides of her head, "I've seen enough Floating Remnants to recognize when one is missing." She stated matter-of-factly.
"Looks like more evidence pointing to Charon." The Seas mumbled in response while avoiding Doyle's eyes.
Kimball wasn't sure just yet if she wanted to voice her suspicions loudly enough that the Unsc ambassador in their midst overheard them given that she still didn't trust him one hundred percent. She had to remind herself that he had been the one to call for this investigation, so it might be best to act like she was willing to cooperate.
After all, for all her animosity towards them, this particular incident at least seemed to not be a result of the Unsc. It was becoming more and more apparent that the blame was on Charon, a group that pilfered Remnants and Relics before the Guild or other organizations could get to them. Keeping that in mind, a missing Remnant certainly raised flags.
"Seems that way." Doyle murmured before turning to Doctor Grey, "How have you been doing besides that, Emily?"
Before Doctor Grey could respond to the human's inquiry, Kimball couldn't help but look at him incredulously, "You mean following the Unsc Empire kicking her out for being both a Beast Folk and a too low-level Magic User?" she asked defensively.
Of all the insensitive things he could ask…and just as the Seas had been trying to give the Unsc ambassador the benefit of the doubt too!
Doyle raised his hands up in surrender, "Miss Kimball, please. I was asking precisely because I was concerned for that very reason."
Kimball couldn't help but snort in disbelief, not even deigning to reply with words.
"Not everyone who lives in the Unsc agrees with all of their policies, you know." He reminded her.
That only served to fuel Kimball's anger as she countered Doyle's comment with a question of her own: "Then why don't they do something about it?"
"Because not everyone can be as brave as you, evidently!"
Doctor Grey nodded her head enthusiastically as the two argued, almost as if this was exactly what she had expected to happen the second the question had left Doyle's mouth, "I'm doing great, thanks for asking!" she stated happily over the shouting between the two leaders that was now taking place.
Volleyball and Palomo glanced at one another then, no doubt hoping that the other investigation team was making better progress than they currently were.
The Remnants that had been collected recently in some ruins by the Insurrection were brought to the storage facility without incident. C.T. watched the door close with an impassive expression on her face. While it might have been deemed boring by thrill seekers, the brunette was grateful to have been on that last particular recovery mission. It certainly left a better taste in her mouth than many of the other assignments that Charon had been passing around to the Insurrection lately were.
As a matter of fact, a team from one of those missions had just returned while she was getting things sorted from her outing.
"Put her in one of the holding cells." A familiarly accented voice ordered, though C.T. made sure not to turn around and look his way until many of the multiple footsteps she overheard had left the area.
Honestly? It was always preferable to the former Freelancer to not have to see whichever poor soul the mercenaries had targeted this time.
"Ah! C.T.!" Wyoming greeted her jovially, as if they were meeting in the training hall back in Valhalla instead of in the center of a mercenary stronghold, "It's been too long, my dear."
"I'll say." The brown-armored fighter remarked back, "I was surprised to hear you had joined the mercenaries."
"I would say it was a surprise to find out that you had cast your lot with the Insurrection, but we both know I'd be lying…wouldn't we?" The former Freelancer countered her just as quickly.
C.T. held back on taking the bait, not wanting to talk about just how much of her past activities the mustached man had been aware of even back then, instead looking around the area for his familiar shadow, "Where's Gamma?"
After all, the last time she had seen them both, the two had been inseparable. Now, however, it seemed as if the dark-haired young man was nowhere to be found.
"He's seeing to the accommodations for one of our guests." Wyoming informed her, "You'll see him soon enough. No worries. We've both had to make some hard decisions in order to survive."
The brunette noted an odd tinge of regret in Wyoming's voice that didn't quite fit with his usual past outlook regarding any decisions he made. She couldn't help but wonder at the hidden meaning behind his words just then, and could even feel one of her eyebrows raise up in inquiry.
Of course, due to her combative nature she asked: "…You mean like aiding in kidnapping?"
The brown-haired man nodded, "It's a bit more distasteful than a clean kill, yes. But, you get used to it when the paycheck comes."
C.T. glanced in the direction of the holding cells, somehow doubting that. She let out a sigh, "The Insurrection would never have been involved in something like this before."
Things had changed so much since his death…
"You of all people should know that things change, my dear." Wyoming told her in a sage-like voice, "Best to adapt with them."
The brunette pondered over his words, a frown settling over her features. It wasn't that there wasn't any truth to what her old teammate had said, but…
"Oh, I ran into our old friend Tex while I was out." The white-armored mercenary informed her, nodding at the recollection, "Had to drop a roof on her to keep the conversation civil."
C.T.'s eyes widened at the name. She was about to inquire further as to what had happened, or if he had seen or heard from anyone else from their Freelancer days, when Locus approached the two of them silently. She started, not sure when the steel and green-armored man had snuck up on them.
Considering her own capabilities with stealth, that was saying something.
"We are going to need both of your help on a voluntary recruitment run." Locus told them without preamble, before turning and leaving just as quickly.
C.T. sighed, "At least he said 'voluntary.'"
"Yes, well, I wouldn't be too thrilled yet if I were you." Wyoming advised her with a frown on his features, much to C.T.'s surprise.
Having joined with the mercenaries of Charon and working for them for a while now, Antoine Bitters was seriously contemplating his lot in life.
Honestly, it had been decent jobs at first. Shit like Relic-gathering from ruins, or your standard guard duty for said Relics after the fact. They were the kind of gigs one would do and never bat an eye at.
He'd needed the money. His deadbeat parents had left him with a debt that a standard Guild salary or shop clerk job just wouldn't cover. Charon's pay had been very generous at the start, especially for what he had been tasked with doing for them.
But, Charon's more recent activities, like outright theft and now kidnapping? They definitely weren't what he had signed on for.
Only problem was that now Bitters knew too much to be able to just walk away. He'd either be in a cell himself or dead if someone in Charon so much as suspected he wasn't completely loyal. The dark skinned man sighed, wanting to kick himself for being such a gullible ass.
"Hey, Bitters." One of the other guards had moved towards Bitters while he had been busy contemplating his fucked up predicament, "They want you to guard the holding cells."
Of course they did. As if he didn't need another reminder of how much of a jackass he was for his part in all of this.
"Right." Bitters moved past the guard and made his way to the lower level of the facility, fashioned rather expertly from some ruins that had been surprisingly intact.
The area often referred to as the holding cells, also called the "education chambers" by a man known to most in Charon as only the Counselor, was a depressing place that Bitters hated seeing ever since the first time he had been there.
The Magic Users that Charon collected from all over the Outer Regions were brought here for some time until they were moved who-knows-where-the-hell-else. Even with as apathetic as he was, Bitters was honestly afraid to find out. The cells were barred affairs that offered little in the way of privacy, though the space they were in was soundproof.
"Asshole!"
…Which was probably a good thing, considering that the second Bitters had opened the door he was hit in the face by a string of colorful profanities. They were hurled his way by a winged girl who looked to be both part Beast Folk and part Orc, at least if he was judging by the yellow lines on her tan skinned features.
In a cell farther away from the volatile prisoner was a Seas boy who looked only a few years younger than Bitters and the winged girl. The auburn-haired Seas was curled in on himself, not even acknowledging the guard shift change as the other captive Magic User with him had.
"Hey, don't fucking ignore me! I'm talking to you, jerk-ass!" The half Orc girl yelled when she realized that Bitters' attention had drifted towards the other prisoner instead of her.
Bitters sighed once more, knowing this would be a long shift. He tried to quench the anger that flared up at the sight of the cells since he knew it indicated guilt.
Running a hand through his multicolored hair, Bitters wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.
The ancient ruins of the temple had not very long ago been abandoned by Charon, if the group had in fact ever been there at all.
A report that several eye witnesses from the neighboring village of Peaceful Harbor, named so despite it not being near any bodies of water, had corroborated as they also indicated that some mysterious organization had recently been in the area.
Dust and debris in the temple had been disturbed in several places, so someone had been there at any rate. There were also signs that there had been quite a few dead Plague Beasts around the exterior of the ruins: blood stains too impossibly large to belong to a human body, along with smashed trees and crushed stone as though large and powerful figures had fallen or been violently attacked in the area.
It wasn't hard to figure out what the organization had been after here though, especially given the carnage signs outside the temple proper that signified a barrier had been removed. Plus, there was the lack of the blood red Relics dead Plague Beasts always offered up, as well as the lack of an ancient Elven artifact at the heart of the temple.
Yes, from this evidence it was pretty easy to make an educated guess about what this mysterious group had been doing in the ruins. The Guild members investigating the temple stood in front of the pedestal where the Relic or Remnant should have been, trying to process the information as best they could.
"Well, my money's on that they took it for whatever diabolical plans they're hatching next." Sarge remarked without preamble.
"Eso va a ser su contribución a esta conversación? Increíble." {"That's going to be your contribution to this conversation? Unbelievable."}
Lopez seemed as exasperated as they all felt. Richard "Dick" Simmons could certainly understand that sentiment given what their party had found. Or, more accurately, what they had not found.
"It's definitely gone." Donut supplied helpfully, "I searched every hole I could find and, believe me, I am an expert on finding things in holes!"
"...Por favor, deja de hablar." {"…Please stop talking."}
"They could be after Relics and Remnants for a variety of different reasons." Washington, who had insisted on coming with the group for this mission, frowned slightly as he no doubt thought of all of the things a group could do with a stockpile of the magical artifacts.
Fighting his growing anxiety, Simmons was doing the opposite of the blond by trying not to think of those things. For his own sanity it was best if he tried not to imagine a mysterious organization getting their hands on a shitload of Relics and Remnants. He felt his left hand touching his scarred ear and frowned, forcing it down to his side. He really shouldn't give in to his old nervous ticks right now.
Instead, Simmons focused on the growing knots of unease in his stomach. There were definitely two distinct sets of anxious emotions flooding his system, one of which was bordering on disbelief and panic. He glanced over at Grif, the Orc having remained strangely silent throughout the whole conversation.
That silence worried the redhead to no end. Grif hadn't really recovered from Kai being taken and it seemed that, as the investigation into Charon continued, the chubby man's mental state was getting worse. Simmons didn't like it. Not one bit.
"Well, at least we know they were definitely in the area." Tucker said, trying to look on the bright side as the group made their way back towards the temple's exit.
As the party approached the entranceway, Simmons pulled Grif slightly back and away from the others. The tan skinned man followed him as if in a daze.
"We'll…we'll find her, Grif." Simmons reassured him again.
"We better." There was a determined, darkened look in the Orc's eyes just then before he glanced over the redhead's shoulder, back at the empty pedestal the group had just left, "It's definitely them, though." Grif stated softly.
"Who?" Simmons blinked before he put it together, "Charon?"
A dark-haired nod. Grif looked downright pained at the admission.
"How can you tell?" The redhead was genuinely curious.
"This whole operation fits their M.O. perfectly." Grif explained, motioning towards the pedestal once more, "First, you grab the artifacts and dispel the barrier. Then, you nab as many Relics as you can from the horde of Plague Beasts that come to investigate. That's what they always do."
Simmons realized that Grif knew all of that about Charon because he had gone on missions like this for them all the time in the past. The maroon-wearing man swallowed nervously at the thought.
"So they're stocking up." He concluded.
"Yeah." Grif nodded his head, "I never really knew for what or why. Convinced myself it wasn't worth the effort of caring. Maybe I just never wanted to find out, so my lazy ass never pried. But, now I'm guessing it's for something big."
No doubt, especially if Charon was even willing to kidnap people who were Magic Users for it.
Simmons knew better than to say that to Grif currently though. The chubby man looked so pained again. Simmons opened his mouth, wanting to say something, anything, to maybe comfort the Orc just a little…
"Hey, guys!" Tucker's voice called over to them, "If you're done with your pillow talk now, we're going to the inn."
"C—coming!" For some reason, Simmons' face turned red at the teasing along with Grif's own, though the Orc raised his middle finger to Tucker in response.
Simmons was just about to turn to rejoin the group when Grif reached out and squeezed his shoulder, as if seeking more reassurance for himself through the act. The orange-wearing man's hand lingered and, when the redhead turned to face him questioningly, Simmons was both surprised and rather relieved to see Grif having a determined look gracing his features.
"We are going to find her, Simmons." Grif told him, "But, before then, there's something I need to tell you. Tonight."
The urgency in Grif's tone had Simmons swallowing down any replies he might have had. Instead, the lankier man nodded mutely in response, wondering what it was that the Orc so desperately wanted to tell him.
Author's Notes: A few more character introductions were had in this chapter. More are on the way as the plot slowly develops and picks up momentum! Hmm…a village called Peaceful Harbor, eh? I wonder who might live there? XD
I hope that this chapter was as enjoyable for you to read as it was for me to write! Thank you for taking the time to read this! :)