Ch. 18 – Cerberus
Wassup boyos and girl-os… It's ya boi, Nightmare, back in the cut. Man, it feels like forever. Anyway, you know the motha fuckin' drill, I don't own shit except for the OCs and such. Also, show my boys some love and check out their shit. Rebel got a new chapter and Ruler… well, he's here too. Anyway, let's get this shit started already.
"Oh, you're alright, Falco." Carnel said as he slapped Falcon on the back, Falcon looked up and faced Carnel "Hey… uh, who are those people?" Falcon asked in a hushed tone, Carnel held up a finger and shushed him before he whispered "Later." Carnel said before he folded his arms on the table. "Man, I'm exhausted." Falcon said in a debilitated tone of voice. "Yeah, I hear it takes a lot of energy out of its victims." Carnel said in a nonchalant manner as he stood up and picked Falcon up and tossed him over his shoulder. "Hey! What are you doing?" Falcon shouted in protest, Carnel chuckled "Taking your ass to bed, you need to sleep." Carnel said as he carried him back to the dorm room. "Put me down, asshole." Falcon protested as Carnel pushed open the cafeteria doors "I either carry you or I toss you back into the Lock-Up." Carnel warned, Falcon pipped down "This is fine." Falcon said as he quieted down.
Carnel pushed the dorm door open and carried Falcon inside before he tossed him onto Falcon's bed. "Geez, thanks asshole." Falcon said as he rolled over on his bed. Minutes later, Alicia and Crys walked in behind them "Yeah, he's gonna have a good sleep." Carnel said as he sat down in his bed and leaned against the headboard. Crys laid down in her bed and pulled out one of her manga books that Velvet gave to her as Alicia laid down next to Carnel in bed.
*Vacuo, seven hours earlier*
Two nuns knelt in front of an alter and prayed to the God of Light, their hands clasped together as they prayed to their god for holy protection. "Amen. Well Sister Noir, shall we clean the pews for communion?" Sister Iris asked, Sister Noir nodded "Yes Sister Iris, let's do that. I'll get the wax." Sister Noir said as she stood up and moved toward the closet but stopped when she sniffed the air. "Sister Iris, did you remember to snuff out the candles on the wall?" Sister Noir asked, Sister Iris nodded "Yes Sister Noir I… did…?" Sister Iris started to say before she trailed off when the church started to fill with black smoke. Suddenly, the front doors were engulfed in flames as a raging inferno roared as it started to rip through the wooden beams on the roof.
"Sister Iris, the side door! Go!" Sister Noir said as she pushed the door open and guided Sister Iris out of the building that was now filled with jet black smoke, the sisters coughed as smoke had filled their lungs. The collapsed to the ground and coughed as they turned around to see the cathedral was engulfed in fire, wooden beams cracked and collapsed in on the cathedral as black smoke filled the night sky. Sister Noir turned around and looked up to see large man in a silver suit standing in front of them as he held a flamethrower.
"Wha… Who are you?" Sister Noir asked as her eyes focused, the man adjusted his flamethrower and moved closer to the two sisters "Judge, Jury, and Executioner. For the crime of studying the occult, adultery, and worshipping false idols, I sentence you to death by fire." The man in silver said as he lifted his flamethrower. "False idols…? Oh god! Iris, run!" Noir said to the other Nun as a plume of fire erupted from the barrel of the flamethrower and engulfed Sister Noir, she screamed in agony as the fire charred her flesh and eviscerated her clothes, her corpse shriveled into the fetal position as it continued to slowly burn and pop. Iris had gotten up to run but the man's flames swallowed her up and incinerated her skin, she flailed her arms around as the fire ravaged her body, she dropped to her knees as the skin on her body peeled off in burned and charred chunks that fell to the ground below. Her hair was singed from her head as she gasped for air as her throat closed, she clawed at her throat as she slowly choked to death. Slater walked out from behind the man in silver and approached Iris who looked up at him, her body shook as the flames dissipated from her charred body. He knelt next to Noir's burning body and lit a cigarette from her body, he moved over next to Iris and looked at her charred body as she struggled to catch her breath. He took a drag of his cigarette and flicked some of the ashes onto Iris's face "You see sweetheart, this is what happens when you don't pay on time." Slater said as he pulled a piece of charred flesh from her arms.
"It's a shame really, I heard you were a nice fuck. Well, there might not be too much damage down there." Slater said with a disgusting grin, as he reached for her lower region, he felt a hand grab his shoulder and yank him backwards. Slater hit the ground and faced the night sky as the man in silver glared at him, Slater's face reflected off the man's visor. "You touch her, and I will burn you alive." The man threatened the gang leader, Slater held his hands up "Fine, I'll find some other women to 'fulfill' my needs." Slater said with a smirk, he stood up and looked over at Iris, but saw that she had succumbed to her injuries.
"So, Traveler, have you ever been to Beacon?" Slater asked the man dubbed 'Traveler' as he flicked his cigarette butt onto Noir's corpse. The Traveler shook his head as cut his flamethrower tank off "No, but I assume you want me to go there?" The Traveler asked, Slater chuckled "Ahh, the tin man knows math and can put two and two together." Slater said in a sarcastic tone, The Traveler shook his head "I'm not killing kids, that's where I draw the line." The Traveler protested; Slater chuckled "But Nuns are on the list? Okay, hypocrite. Anyway, you'd be going after one person: Carnel Melone." Slater said as he showed The Traveler a picture of Carnel on his scroll.
"Fine, and just know this. The moment my contract with you is up, I'll be coming after you to make you pay." The Traveler warned, Slater scoffed "When I found you, you were torching men in back alleys!" Slater yelled, The Traveler shook his head "Yeah, rapists like you." The Traveler said as he walked off into the night as the cathedral fire roared behind him.
*Beacon, current day*
Hours had passed since Falcon had passed out in his bed, Carnel was in his bed cleaning his mask while Alicia was curled up next to him, Crys had moved from laying in her bed to watching anime on the TV. "You know, I don't get it. What's so interesting about those shows?" Carnel asked as he polished the horns on his mask. He looked up in time to see a bald man in a cape punch a large monster and deflate its body, spewing blood everywhere. "What the hell was that?!" Carnel asked as he watched more intensely, Crys chuckled "It's called 'One Punch Man', I thought you'd like it." Crys said as a cyborg showed up on the screen and destroyed a huge part of the city with a single blast.
"Huh, neat. I'll have to check it out later." Carnel said as he got off his bed and sat his mask on the desk by the TV. As Carnel stood by the door, his scroll went off with a message from Redeye, he opened the scroll and read her message 'Slater was spotted at the harbor warehouse, now is the time to get him.' Carnel closed his scroll before he pulled out his golden 1911 and cocked back the slide to load a bullet into the chamber. He opened a Rift and reached inside before he pulled out a heavy trunk that slammed onto the floor, Carnel knelt next to the box and opened the lid before he pulled out a black Kevlar molle vest, black Kevlar KVA pants, and black ballistic gloves. He unfastened his belt and dropped his pant to the floor "Dude, use the bathroom." Crys said as she rolled over, but Carnel said nothing as he pulled on the pants and zipped up the fly as he buckled the tactical belt around his waist.
He pulled the vest on over his black hoodie and zipped up the vest before he pulled the gloves on and covered his wrists with the jacket sleeves, he snapped his fingers and opened the Rift again before he pulled out a full metal XM8 assault rifle along with spare magazines and a Glock 24 that he inserted into the holster on his chest and the 1911 into the holster on his hip. "Yo, where's the fire?!" Crys shouted which woke up Falcon and Alicia. "Huh? Yes mom, I'm ready for school." Falcon said in a haze. "Carnel? Baby? What's going on?" Alicia asked as she rubbed her eyes, Carnel sighed as he inserted a fresh mag into the XM8.
"Slater was spotted near a warehouse, so I'm going after him." Carnel said as he picked up a backpack out of the trunk and put his arms through the straps. Alicia jumped out of bed and blocked the door with her body "I'm not letting you leave and throw your life away. I love you too much to watch to you essentially kill yourself. We can take him together." Alicia said as she started to tear up, Carnel sighed as he rubbed the back of his head "If I don't do this, dozens of people will die. Potentially all of you, he'll do whatever just to hurt me. They took Angel, Maple, and Stephon, I'm not letting them take you too." Carnel said as he pleaded with her. Alicia sniffled as tears streamed down her cheeks "If you leave now, then we are THROUGH!" Alicia yelled as her voice waivered from emotions flooding her body. Carnel looked down at the floor as he held the assault rifle in his hand, he exhaled slowly as he looked up at her "I guess we are." Carnel said solemnly as he stepped forward and moved her aside before he opened the door and walked out.
Alicia dropped to her knees and bawled into her hands while Crys was sat up in bed and Falcon had bolted out the door after him "Come back here, mother fucker!" Falcon yelled as he sprinted after Carnel, he caught up with the underboss and grabbed him by the shoulder. Carnel spun around and placed the barrel of his 1911 under Falcon's chin "Don't grab me like that again." Carnel said as he cocked the hammer back. Falcon raised his hand and handed Carnel his black steel horned mask "Go kill that mother fucker." Falcon said as Carnel pulled on the steel mask and covered his head with the hood. He turned around and made his way toward the door, as he walked, the horns on his mask bobbed up and down 'So that's why they call him Cerberus.' Falcon thought to himself before he returned to the dorm room to console his sister, when he returned; he found Team RWBY and JNPR in their room consoling Alicia.
Carnel walked out into the courtyard as he pulled out his scroll, he tapped on Diam's picture and called his Lieutenant. "Yo, Diam, ready the crew. We're going after Slater. Also, call Third Street and tell them to ready up. We're hitting them with everything." Carnel said before he closed his scroll and placed back into his pocket. He climbed on board an airship destined for Vale, the pilot looked back at him "Hey kid, this is the last flight out." The pilot said as the airship thrusters started up, Carnel remained silent as the airship took off into the sky and landed in Vale in a matter of minutes.
Carnel stepped out of the airship to find a Dodge Ram 3500 waiting for him with Bones standing outside of it, Ray was in the back manning the mounted M2 Browning HMG mounted to the roof, the truck had a heavy duty brush guard on the front and roof mounted fog lights that shined bright in the foggy night. The engine rumbled as it idled, Bones opened the door for Carnel to get into the passenger seat, he jogged around and climbed into the driver's seat before he shifted it into drive. The heavy-duty truck slowly pulled away from the air docks as it made its way toward the harbor, as the truck drove down the road toward the warehouses, a black Hummer H1 and a GMC Yukon Denali pulled out behind it and followed the heavy truck. "Where's Red at?" Carnel asked as he adjusted his gloves, as he looked up, he saw a group of dirt bikes scream by. "He's at home, he and some of the other Undead are keeping an eye on the downtown area." Bones said as he shifted the gear. "Good, I have a feeling they'll do something to try and distract us." Carnel said as he moved his feet and rolled his neck.
The Dodge pulled up outside a chain-link fence that fenced off part of the harbor and the rest of the warehouses, Carnel jumped out of the truck and shut the door as other vehicles pulled up next to them. Masked men with guns disembarked from the vehicles and stood ready, Diam rose from the ground next to Carnel as the underboss stared at the warehouse that had multiple shipping containers out in front of it. "Barney and Third Street are on their way, lucky for us, they were nearby when I called." Diam said as multiple airships flew overhead.
A VTOL landed nearby before the back opened and armed militants stormed out and formed up with the Undead. Barney walked out slowly holding an AK-74 in his hands "I swear man, you are just like Angel. Let's fucking do this." Barney said as he wrapped Carnel in a bear hug. "Mom said she was worried and wanted to see you soon, and that the girls you rescued are doing fine." Barney said as he let go of the masked man. Carnel backed up as they all faced the warehouse "He's in there?" Barney asked as he took count of any major feature around the warehouse, Carnel nodded slowly as multiple heavily armed vehicles pulled up behind them, most of them baring a white spade on the side, the emblem of Third Street.
"How'd you get all this?" Carnel asked, Barney chuckled "Well, after Angel died, Dad wanted to annihilate the Vajo, so he stocked up and supplied us with AMPLE supplies. He gave us a literal fuckton of supplies and vehicles." Barney said as two MI-28 Havocs and two MI-35 Hinds flew overhead, they all watched as the helicopters seemed to line up and unleash a barrage of missiles that screamed through the air and peppered the harbor, the explosions lit up the dark sky like fireworks. As they watched with great intensity, the sound of two gunshots ripped through the air as a sniper round whizzed overhead and hit a man on the roof of the warehouse.
"Alright Undead! Third Street! Ready up!" Carnel yelled, Barney smirked as Diam spun the cylinder on a M32 Rotary Grenade Launcher. "A big fuck you?" Carnel asked with a chuckle, Diam chuckled "Nah, more like a 'to whom it may concern." Diam said as he rested the grenade launcher on his shoulder. "So, should we worry about the cops?" Carnel asked as he held his rifle by the handgrip, Barney shook his head "Nah, I slid them a couple racks and told them not worry about it if anything happens at the harbor tonight." Barney said as three BTR-4s pulled up slowly and drove over the chain-link fence, the four helicopters pulled back and circled back around the warehouses before they took off into the night sky.
Carnel climbed up into the back of the Dodge and manned the mounted M2 "Alright boys! For Angel, Maple, and Stephon!" Carnel yelled before the crew took off toward the warehouse. Within minutes, they were met with a wall of gunfire coming from some of the shipping containers. "BTRs, form a wall!" Carnel yelled into a mic before the BTRs maneuvered around the raiding party and formed a wall to block the gunfire. The main guns turned and returned fire as the Undead and Third Street engaged Vajo foot soldiers that ran out to engage them.
"Ray! Take the M2!" Carnel yelled before he jumped out of the truck and raised his own rifle, Ray hopped up into the gunner seat and opened fire, the M2 heavy hitting sound echoed but was drowned out by the BTR gunfire. Carnel opened fire and put down Vajo thugs one by one, he ran forward and slammed the stock into a foot soldier's throat before he put one in the man's head. "Push up!" Barney yelled before two IVECO LMVs raced around the corner and opened fire, their 12.7mm Armor Piercing rounds ripped through the shipping containers like paper as the wall of gunfire became less dense. The Joint force of The Undead and Third Street moved up as they closed in on the warehouse. Carnel rounded a corner and was caught off guard by a man with an axe who swung at him, but the man's head exploded in an eruption of blood, bone, and brain matter. "Thanks, Redeye." Carnel said as he pressed his earpiece.
Carnel moved in between a wall of shipping containers where he found multiple Vajo militants with melee weapons in hand. "Well, this seems unfair." Carnel said as he opened a Rift and tossed his rifle inside before he pulled out Honey Badger, he rested the bat on his shoulder as the portal closed beside him. Within seconds, a man ran at him and swung a machete at him but Carnel countered him and cracked him in the neck with the bat, the crack of the man's vertebrae echoed throughout the containers as he slammed the bat into another man's sternum and cracked him in the back of the head. "Two down, five to go." Carnel said as he motioned them to 'come get some'.
They all charged at him and tried to hit him, as one sliced at his head, he dodged the blade and slammed the bat into the man's knee which shattered his patella. Carnel spun the bat around before he slammed in down into the side of man's head, he pulled back and cracked into another man's head which dropped him like a sack of rocks. The three men left looked hesitant as Carnel gripped his bat tighter and ran forward before he slammed the steel bat into the first man's chest, the force impact fractured his sternum and stopped his heart. The second man dropped his weapon and turned to run; he got a couple steps away before his head just fell off. "What the fuck?! You really are the devil!" The last yelled as he stumbled backwards and backed himself into a corner. Carnel chuckled slowly as he approached the last man "You have no idea." Carnel said before he slammed the bat down into the top of the man's skull.
"Good job, Ghost." Carnel said as his ethereal bodyguard took form next to him. "Thank you, sir." Ghost said in his ethereal voice as he sheathed his katana before he disappeared again. Carnel snapped his fingers and tossed his bat back into the Rift before he pulled his XM8 back out and closed the Rift again. Carnel walked out and jumped back into the fight, the BTRs pushed up and eliminated gunmen on top of the containers, a 30mm round hit one of the gunners and ripped him in half while the coaxial LMG shredded another person, after minutes of a continued combat, the gunfire finally came to a stop. "Alright, status check!" Carnel yelled as he dropped the spent magazine and slapped another one into the receiver before he pulled the bolt back. "Well, couple injured Undead, we lost two others. Third Street lost four and have three injured." Cedric said as he walked up from within the crowd.
"Alright, take care of the injured and see that the fallen get proper burials. Diam and Harlequin, on me." Carnel said as Diam and Harlequin followed him. "Quin, how much ammo do you have and what gun do you have?" Carnel asked as they walked toward the warehouse. "I got a PP-19 Bizon and I got about three drums left. I also got a CZ. 75 on my hip." Harlequin said as he flipped his safety off on his SMG. The trio approached the main doors and came to a stop in front of the double doors, Carnel snapped his fingers and opened a Rift, he reached inside and pulled out a brick of Semtex before he closed the Rift again.
He pushed the brick onto the double doors and inserted the wires into the Semtex, he flipped the switch and primed the charge. The three ran and slid behind cover before Carnel detonated the charge, the explosive charge ripped through the metal door and caused it to fold in on itself. The trio hopped out from behind cover and ran into the warehouse where they engaged more Vajo inside. Carnel slid behind cover while Diam jumped into the air and disappeared into the floor, he appeared immediately behind one of the Vajo gang members and snapped his neck before he disappeared again. "Redeye. Happy hunting." Carnel said into his earpiece, seconds later Vajo bodies dropped left and right. "Ghost, you're up." Carnel said as he took the proverbial leash off his bodyguard.
Ghost took a visible form and unsheathed his sword before he started to slice through his enemies, he crouched toward the floor before he sprinted toward a foot soldier and sliced him right up the middle. "Oh fuck!" One of the militants exclaimed before Ghost decapitated him. "Ghost! At ease!" Carnel yelled, Ghost stopped right as he had his blade at a Militant's neck. He sheathed his sword before he became Ethereal again and took his place as Carnel's second shadow.
"I think that's it." Carnel said as he looked around the warehouse, he looked up and saw Slater in the window of an office. "Alright mother fucker, time to fucking die." Carnel said as he placed the XM8 on his back and pulled Honey Badger from a Rift with the snap of his fingers. He threw the door open and walked into the office, as he closed the door behind him, he heard a heavy-duty lock engage. He jiggled the handle, but it was to no avail, he turned around and came face to face with a wall of monitors that lined three walls of the large office. "What the fuck…" Carnel said as he looked at the blank screens, the screen buzzed to life as Slater popped up on all the screens.
"Hey there, Cerberus. Welcome to your own personal hell." Slater said, Carnel gritted his teeth as he tightened his grip on the bat. "Where the hell are you!?" Carnel yelled, Slater laughed as he lit a cigar. "Well, not here. Because I won't give you the satisfaction of getting revenge." Slater said as he took a drag from his cigar and exhaled slowly. "But I will give you one satisfaction, I'll give you the guy who recorded Maple's last moments." Slater said as the camera zoomed out to show Slater amongst women chained against the wall with defeated looks on their faces, hopelessness filled their eyes as they stared into nothingness. Slater flicked his cigar and dropped some ash onto one of the women's leg.
"What the fuck do you mean 'recorded'?!" Carnel yelled, Slater chuckled loudly as he picked a remote and held it in his hand. "I think it be better for you to see it for yourself." Slater said as he pressed a button on the remote, as he did, all the monitors changed except for one that remained on Slater.
The other monitors changed to a video of Maple chained and dangling in the middle of a dark room, she slowly woke up and realized she was chained up. She tried to get loose desperately but found it was to no avail, she looked around the dark room until her gaze rested on the camera man "Where am I?" Maple asked confused, but the cameraman said nothing. "You can thank Carnel for this." Slater said as he walked on screen. "Who are you?" Maple asked confused and scared, he walked up to her and brushed the hair out of her face, she jerked away from his hand, but he grabbed her by the neck "Don't! Resist me." Slater said as tears started to form in her eyes.
"Shh shh shh. Don't worry, you're safe." Slater said before he licked a tear off her cheek, Carnel felt himself well with anger as he watched the girl he loved get molested by his sworn enemy. "Please. Please, let me go." Maple pleaded as she started to cry more, but Slater chuckled before he groped her chest. "Hmm. Daddy likes." Slater said as he walked around her and put his chest against her back before he grabbed a handful of her hair and took a deep breath in. "Mmm, your hair smells nice." Slater said as he moved his hands down to her waist as he started to slide his hands up under her top.
She started to move more as she tried to stop him, he removed his hands from under her top before he ripped her top open to reveal a red lacey bra underneath. Slater pulled the now torn shirt from her body and tossed it onto the ground before he pulled down her panties, he balled them into his hand and took a deep breath in "Ooohhh, smells so sweet." Slater said before he placed them in his pocket. He reached up and pulled her bra off, revealing her rather sizeable breasts which jiggled as he pulled the lacey bra off. Slater reached his hands up and cupped both of her breasts in his hands "Well, I can see why Carnel is so head over heels in love with you." Slater said as he kissed her neck, she tried her hardest to fight back against him but the chains around her wrists were too tight. "Please, don't do this." Maple begged with tears streaming down her face.
"I'm gonna really, really enjoy this. Watch closely, Carnel." Slater said as he unfastened his belt and dropped his jeans around his ankle. Slater placed his hands on her chest as he slowly inserted himself into her, she started to cry and scream as he began to thrust into her with mild intensity. "Yeah bitch, cry my name." Slater said as he breathed in her scent, blood dripped onto the floor below them.
Carnel dropped to his knees as he watched in horror, powerless to do anything to stop the psychopath who was raping his beloved. Carnel pulled out his XM8 and fired at the screens, but the rounds merely bounced off and impacted the wall. Maple's screams and cries for mercy echoed through the room as it was mixed with the sound of Carnel sobbing. "Remove your mask, Carnel, so I can see what kind of broken man you really are." Slater said as he stroked himself next to the chained-up women. Carnel reached up and slowly pulled his mask off, he sat it on the ground next to him as he stared at the screens that displayed Maple's torture.
"Ahh, there you are. The once terrifying man that they called 'Cerberus', but now look at you." Slater said as Carnel lowered his head. As he sat in silence while the video played, the sound of metal twisting and bending came from the door behind him, the door suddenly exploded in blast of fire that sent it slamming into the wall. Carnel turned around to see Falcon, Alicia, Crys, RWBY, and JNPR enter the room where he was. "There you are, we were… looking… for… you." Falcon said before he trailed off when he saw the video playing on all the screens. Falcon clenched his fists and gritted his teeth "Carnel, is that Maple?" Falcon asked as anger filled his voice, Carnel nodded slowly. "And that's Slater?" Falcon asked, Slater pipped up "How ya doing? How's your mother?" Slater asked before shot his nut butter onto one of the chained-up women. "What kind of sick monster are you?!" Yang said as her eyes started to turn red, Slater zipped his pants up and sat back down "I'm just a man who fulfills his deepest desires and gets them. Mmm, look at the ample breasts on you, blondie. I might need to go back to school." Slater said as he licked his lips.
"If you come anywhere near my family, I will find you, I will rip your testicles off with my bare hands and shove them down your goddamn throat!" Falcon yelled at the rapist on the screen, Slater smirked "Good luck, but I think I might find her first." Slater said as he held up a picture of Falcon's mother on his scroll. As Slater finished in the video, he pulled out as his spunk dripped from Maple's nether regions, she looked up at the camera as her makeup streamed down her face. "Carnel, if you're seeing this, god forbid. I just want you to know that I love you with all my heart and will never stop loving you. I will always be with you." Maple said to the camera, Carnel felt a fire ignite in his heart as her words echoed through his soul.
Slater walked back into view of the camera as he buckled his pants "Ahh, thanks for the fun." Slater said to Maple before he shot her in the chest twice and once in the head. Maple's body fell lifeless as Slater holstered his pistol before the video cut out, Slater on the only functioning screen was grinning from ear to ear "Carnel, you should know, she was so warm inside. After a while, it got juicy, well, after the bleeding stopped." Slater said to Carnel, but Carnel had no reaction.
He grabbed his mask and pulled it on over his face before he pulled his hood up, he cracked his knuckles as he started to laugh "You know Slater, that would have affected me before, but now, I was able to say goodbye to her and she's both in heaven and in my soul. So, now I have nothing holding me back. Now Slater, when I find you, I am going to rip you limb from limb, starting with little Slater. Watch your back, because I'm coming for you." Carnel said as he stared at the camera on the wall, Slater smiled "I'd expect nothing less from Cerberus." Slater said with a slight chuckle.
"Oh, before I go and rip that little shit head apart in the next room, I gotta ask one thing and be 100% honest with me. Did you or one of your henchmen shoot an RPG at Beacon?" Carnel asked, Slater thought for a moment but shook his head "Cerberus, you know we like to be personal with our attacks. We're not like my traitor of a sister." Slater said with a laugh, Carnel scoffed "At least she's a better shot." Carnel said before he shot the camera on the wall and destroyed it.
"Sister? Wait is Redeye?!" Falcon asked loudly, Carnel nodded "I'll explain later, but first I have an ambush to walk into." Carnel said before he kicked the door in front of him open. As he walked out of the room, he felt a force slam into his back, he turned around to see that Alicia had wrapped her arms around his waist. "Please, don't leave like that ever again." Alicia said as she held onto him tightly, he placed his hand on hers before she slowly let go. "We'll talk after I finish up here." Carnel said before he hugged her tightly, he turned around and walked into a clearing of a warehouse lined with shipping containers.
Suddenly, multiple container doors slammed open before Vajo heavy gunners walked out with LMGs, Carnel did a quick count and figured at least thirteen heavies. Carnel pressed his earpiece before he spoke up "Do it." Carnel said calmly, seconds later both sides of the warehouse exploded. The heavies faced the directions of the explosions as smoked filled the room, the sound of rumbling engines filled the night air as three BTR-4s pulled in through the holes in the wall. Multiple Undead and Third Street militants stormed the warehouse before they surrounded the heavies, they quickly stripped them of their LMGs and gear. "I'm looking for the man who filmed Maple's rape and murder! Come out now or everyone here gets executed one by one." Carnel yelled as he approached the now hog-tied heavies. He looked around the room but saw no movement, Carnel pulled out the Glock on his chest and cocked the slide back. "Sit them up and have them face each other, like a circle." Carnel said as the Undead and Third Street moved the captured gunners into a circle and had them face one another.
"Now, I'll ask again. Where's the person who recorded Maple's rape and murder?" Carnel asked as he walked around the circle, but no one answered. Carnel holstered his pistol and pulled Honey Badger from a Rift, a placed the slightly bloody bat against one of the heavy's head which caused him to wince. "Oh, you know what this is?" Carnel asked as he spun the bat in his hand and circled the men, one of them gulped "Well… yeah, you're Cerberus. There are stories of you killing a man with full aura with one blow from that bat." The man as he recounted the street fairy tale.
"Well, you're right." Carnel said before he slammed the bat down into the top of his head, killing him instantly. "Where is he?!" Carnel yelled as the Undead dragged the dead Heavy away from the circle. "Nobody? Okay." Carnel said before he cracked another man upside the head and slammed it into another's back, fracturing the vertebrae which he finished by slamming the bat down into the back of the man's neck. "Ten left." Carnel said as the two other men were dragged away. "Fine! He's in that container." The heavy said as he gestured to one of the closed containers, Carnel tossed his bat to Diam as he grabbed the man by the top of his mouth and dragged him toward the container. He reached down and cut off the zip tie around his ankle and pulled him to his feet "Now, open it." Carnel said as he backed up from the container, the man was hesitant as he started to shake. The man gulped as he grabbed the latch and slowly lifted it, he twisted the lever before he started to open the door slowly, suddenly the front of the container exploded and swallowed the heavy up. A man with a grenade launcher walked out of the container and spit on the floor "Damn, I was hoping that would work." The man said.
"So, you're the man who recorded Maple." Carnel asked, the man sighed "Yeah… listen kid, I'm sorry about that. I had no idea he was gonna do THAT to her. He said it was to scare his enemies, but that… that wasn't human." The man said as he walked out into the middle of the warehouse. "But I understand that you want me dead and I've made peace with my gods." The man said as he knelt before Carnel, but Carnel scoffed "Nightstalker, you think I'm gonna believe your lying ass." Carnel said as he circled the man, Nightstalker smirked "What?! I thought I was convincing." Nightstalker said as a sadistic look replaced his somber one.
"Let's do this then, no guns." Carnel said as he tossed his rifle and Glock into a Rift, he unholstered his 1911 and tossed it to Diam who caught it and returned Honey Badger to him. "Oh no! No Honey Badger!" Nightstalker said, Carnel shrugged as he placed it into his Rift. "Carnel! Catch!" Falcon yelled as he threw his block of metal across the warehouse, Carnel jumped up and caught it before it took the form of a metal bat.
"Let's dance bitch!" Carnel yelled before sprinted toward Nightstalker who had a metal baton in his hand, Nightstalker swung at Carnel, but the devil dodged and slammed the bat into Nightstalker's leg. "Falcon! Machete!" Carnel yelled before the bat morphed into a razor-sharp machete which he used to slash at Nightstalker's back. "Dagger!" Carnel yelled as he watched the machete morph into a small dagger which he used to stab Nightstalker in the back repeatedly before he swung back and caught Carnel in the shoulder.
Carnel moved out of the way so he was face-to-face with Nightstalker, Carnel flipped the dagger around and held it upside down before sprinted forward, Nightstalker swung his baton and narrowly hit Carnel but he moved and struck the man in the jaw with his elbow before he slammed the blade down into his shoulder. Carnel hopped back and flipped the dagger around in his hand "Falcon! Katana!" Carnel yelled before the dagger turned into a full katana. Carnel sprinted forward but ran in a serpentine motion as he tried to outmaneuver Nightstalker, Carnel slid to the left and sliced down at Nightstalker's head but the man blocked the strike.
"Old tactics die hard, huh?" Nightstalker asked as he panted lightly, Carnel shrugged before he slammed his knee into Nightstalker's face and followed it with a double slice at Nightstalker's chest which he ended with a swift kick to the jaw. The man stumbled backwards as his aura began to pulse. "Falcon! Chained Kunai!" Carnel yelled as the katana changed forms again, this being a throwing knife on a chain. He spun the blade slowly and quickly gained speed before he launched it into Nightstalker's chest, the blade hit his chest and broke his aura as the blade quickly retracted.
"Falcon! War Hammer." Carnel said, Falcon shook his head "Sorry, not enough metal there." Falcon said, Nora pushed past him and pulled out her own hammer "Carnel! Catch!" Nora yelled before he threw the hammer with both hands, the hammer hit Carnel and slammed him into a shipping container. "I got it." Carnel said as he pushed himself out of the crater in the side of the container. Carnel walked toward Nightstalker as he dragged the hammer behind him, he walked up beside Nightstalker who stared at the ceiling. "You make peace with your gods?" Carnel asked the henchman, Nightstalker nodded as he closed his eye. Carnel backed up and swung the hammer back to get all the force he can get, he exerted force through his legs as he slammed the hammer down onto the man's head, smashing it like a watermelon. Carnel dropped the handle before he picked the hammer up and handed it to one of the Undead "Go clean this." Carnel said before the man nodded and ran off with the hammer. "Hey!" Nora yelled as the Undead foot soldier ran around the corner. Carnel limped over to Falcon and handed him his block of metal back, Weiss covered her mouth as she stared at the carnage as a box truck backed into warehouse through the hole in the wall. The back opened as four large men jumped out of the back and pulled out a rolled-up tarp, a shop broom, and a large bottle of bleach. "Who are they?" Blake asked as she stood next to Falcon and gripped his arm, Carnel turned around and looked at the men in jumpsuits.
"Oh, those are the cleaners. They uh… clean stuff up for us." Carnel said as a grey-haired man approached him. "Mr. Melone, you take care of another one?" The man asked, Carnel chuckled as he shook the man's hand "Dodge, how've you been?" Carnel said before he let go of the man's hand. "So, I see you got some revenge?" Dodge asked as the four men picked up Nightstalker's body and placed in on the tarp, another man doused the area with bleach before he used the broom to clean the blood, chunks of sinew, and an eyeball off the warehouse floor. The Undead foot soldier appeared minutes later with Nora's now clean hammer.
"Uhh… Thanks." Nora said as she took it from the hooded man who nodded to her. "Thanks, Meric, where are Shane and Grall?" Carnel asked, Meric gestured behind him "Grall is on the roof providing overwatch and Shane is back there with Ray, Bones, and Cedric." Meric said before he left to rejoin them. Carnel turned his attention back to Dodge "So, two thousand as usual?" Carnel asked, Dodge nodded "Yep yep yep." Dodge said as the four men loaded Nightstalker's corpse into the back of the truck. Carnel reached into his pocket and pulled out a stack of Lien that he handed to Dodge, Dodge counted the cards before he put them into his pocket and nodded to the underboss. "Pleasure doing business with you." Dodge said as the cleaners finished cleaning up the floor. Dodge got back into the driver's seat as the other four climbed into the back of the box truck.
"So… you guys have cleaner crews for this?" Crys asked as she watched the truck pull away and leave out of the hole in the wall. Carnel nodded "Yeah, we have cleaners on speed dial, whenever we need someone taken care of, we call them to take care of the mess." Carnel said as Diam, Bones, and Harlequin walked up to him and the students from Beacon. "What happened in there?" Diam asked as he approached the underboss, Carnel shook his head "Slater had this all planned out from the beginning. He had recorded the rape and murder of Maple, set up a wall of monitors, and knew that Redeye would inform me that he was in the area. It was a trap and he threw Nightstalker under the bus." Carnel explained.
"Well shit, are… you okay? You want to… maybe, talk about it?" Diam asked as he stepped closer, Carnel shook his head "Nah bro, I'm alright. Thank you, though." Carnel said as he took his mask off. "So, what's the cargo here?" Carnel asked as he looked around at the cargo containers, Diam nodded to Meric who pulled open one of the containers. "Looks like weapons in this one, dust in that one, and that one has an artillery cannon in it." Diam said as Meric and another foot soldier pulled the cannon out of the container.
The cannon had a long barrel and was on two wheels, the barrel was surrounded by an armored plate, it had a six-cylinder port in the rear for six artillery shells. The cannon's barrel had two plates that could extend and retract on the sides of the barrel along with a muzzle brake at the end of the barrel. "Holy shit, what do you think they were gonna do with this?" Carnel asked as he walked toward the cannon, Diam shrugged "I couldn't tell ya, but it probably had something to do with killing innocent people." Diam said as he rubbed his hand along the barrel, Carnel nodded his head "Yeah, probably. Well, ours now." Carnel said as he snapped his fingers on his right hand, Diam and Harlequin got behind it and pushed it into the Rift before it closed again. "Uhh… Should we be concerned?" Ren asked confused, Diam shook his head "Nah. You're good." Diam said nonchalantly as Carnel turned to face the students.
"So, I guess we should get back to Beacon to get ready for the Vytal Festival, right?" Falcon asked, Carnel shrugged "I mean, I guess." Carnel said as Barney walked into the warehouse. "Carnel, I need a word with you." Barney said as he gestured Carnel over, the underboss held up a finger to the students before he went to speak with Barney. "Wassup?" Carnel asked as he approached the head of Third Street. "Listen, we gotta go to Atlas for the meeting." Barney said, Carnel looked at him confused. "You mean the meeting of the bosses?" Carnel asked, Barney nodded.
Carnel turned around and walked back over to the group "Alright so, I have to go to Atlas. So, y'all go back to Beacon and I'll be back in time for the Vytal Festival." Carnel said before he kissed Alicia on the lips. "Wait! You can't just…" Falcon started to say before Carnel, Diam, Harlequin, Bones, and Barney disappeared out of the hole in the wall. "What the hell was that about?! Weiss, do you have any idea?" Crys asked confused but Weiss just shrugged. "I couldn't tell you." Weiss said as she crossed her arms.
As Carnel followed Barney and the others to an awaiting SUV, he pulled out his scroll and called Red. "Aye, Red. We got a meeting, get to the air docks and wait for us." Carnel said as he spoke into his scroll. As he finished the call, he closed the scroll and placed it back into his pocket before he got into the passenger seat of the SUV. Bones climbed into the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition to fire the engine up, he shifted it into drive and pressed the pedal before the SUV pulled forward as it drove away from the now Undead controlled warehouse. Carnel looked at the passenger mirror and saw his team standing in the open as they watched him pull away.
As the SUV drove down the road, Carnel felt his scroll buzz as a text message came through, he pulled it out and opened it to see it was from Alicia. 'Babe, what's going on?' The message read, Carnel opened the scroll as he typed his reply 'Don't worry, it's just a meeting I have to attend. I'll be back in a day or so.' Carnel typed before he tapped send. His scroll buzzed minutes later with a message that read 'Okay, just be careful. I love you.' Carnel smiled as he replied, 'I love you too, Alicia.' Carnel typed before he tapped send.
"Alright, we're here." Bones said as he put the SUV in park, Carnel slipped his scroll into his pocket as he stepped out of the SUV to an awaiting private VTOL. Red stood nearby as the crew walked toward the air docks, Red shook hands with everyone as they boarded the air ship "So, what's this meeting about? It's kind strange that your being summoned now." Red said to Carnel as they took their seats in the airship. "I couldn't tell you, man. This has got me confused as well." Carnel said as the airship lifted off into the sky and jetted out toward Atlas.
"Alright gentlemen, get comfortable, it'll be about thirty minutes." Barney said as he poured himself a glass of champagne, Diam pulled a small box out of his pocket and slid it over to Carnel who opened it "Thank you, Diam. It's unfortunate that my semblance doesn't work up here." Carnel said as he started to roll a blunt using a cigar papers from Vacuo. Carnel licked the edge of the paper and rolled it tight before he lit the tip with a fire dust lighter, he took a deep drag before he passed it to Diam who followed suit until it made its way back to Carnel.
The VTOL landed about thirty minutes later in the upper part of Atlas, the side door opened as the cold Atlas air rushed in. "Thank god I'm wearing a hoodie already." Carnel said as he stood up and flipped his hood up over his head. He stepped out of the VTOL and out onto the snow-covered air dock, Barney stepped out next to him and gestured him to a white limo that was ready for them. "Alright gentlemen, let's go." Barney said as he guided them to the limousine, the mobsters climbed into the limo one by one before it took off toward the meeting.
The limo pulled up outside a large mansion that had multiple luxury cars parked out front "Well, looks like the others are here." Barney said as the limo came to a stop. Two men in suits opened the doors before Carnel and the others climbed out of the limo and ascended the stairs, Carnel opened the door and stepped into the mansion that was wall to wall marble flooring with marble pillars and a giant chandelier in the middle of the ceiling. Carnel looked around the room before his eyes focused on a blonde maid in the middle of the room.
"Excuse me, gentlemen. If you'll follow me." The maid asked in a sweet, delicate voice, Carnel smiled and chuckled "Honey, I'll follow you anywhere." Carnel said with a wink, the maid blushed as she brushed some hair behind her ear. The maid guided the men into a room with two guards in suits outside, the guards pushed the door open as they all walked inside the room. The room was dimly lit as a large light illuminated a large table that was surrounded by chairs that were occupied by men in suits. Barney took a seat near the end of the table with three chairs open for Carnel, Diam, and Red.
"Bones, I want you on that wall, and Harlequin, I want you by the door." Carnel said before the two men went to their designated points. Suddenly, a set of double doors opened and a man with jet black hair wearing a white suit walked out, everyone stood as he took his seat at the front of the table. "Please, everyone sit." The man said, there was what seemed like a simultaneous sigh of relief as everyone took their seats again. "Cerberus, my boy. How are things in Vale?" The man asked, Carnel smiled "Everything is going great, Mr. Lion. The Undead and I have established our foothold in the area and have took over distribution from the now defunct Sanus Serpents, one of my henchmen, Bones, is an ex-member and says he loves being with the Undead." Carnel said to the head of the Golden Lion.
Silver smiled "That's great, but I wanted to know how YOU were doing. I heard that you got into Beacon academy." Silver said, Carnel smiled "Yeah, after I fled Atlas, a Nevermore ripped me out of the sky and I crashed landed in The Emerald Forest, I fought the Nevermore and was then brought to speak with the Headmaster. He extended an invitation to the academy and I accepted, with some terms of my own. I started attending classes and I even met a girl; her name's Alicia and she means the world to me. Her brother is also on the same team as me so it can make some awkward situations." Carnel said, the room all seemed to chuckle simultaneously.
"I'm glad that you're living a happy life, I'm sure Angel would be proud of you." Silver said, Carnel smiled "Yeah, if it wasn't for him and Diam here, I'm sure I'd probably be in a gutter somewhere or dead. Mr. Lion, your son saved my life and that is something I can never repay." Carnel said humbly, Silver smiled "Carnel, you can call me Silver if you want." Silver said with a warm smile. Silver's smile turned to a straight face as he turned to the rest of the table "Now, down to business. The White Fang and The Vajo, these are our enemies and we will do whatever it takes to snuff them out. I called this meeting because the White Fang have started to do what we swore we wouldn't do; they have started to dabble in human trafficking." Silver said as he turned to Carnel.
"Cerberus?" Silver asked, Carnel nodded "Right, approximately four weeks ago, the Undead and I responded to an attack that had happened. The White Fang had killed one of my Sergeants and we wanted our revenge, so we set out to wipe them clean and that is what we did, but we also found other things like plush dolls filled with Cocaine and a VTOL filled with kidnapped women that was ready to be shipped out, so it was shipped out, just not to where they wanted it to go." Carnel explained, one of the suits at the table grumbled something that caught Carnel's ear and was heard loud and clear by Harlequin.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Carnel asked, but the man said nothing. Harlequin stepped forward and cleared his throat "He said 'that's where my whores went.' Sorry for speaking out of turn." Harlequin said as he backed up to the wall. Carnel's and Silver's attention were both focused on the man in question "Vega branch, was it? Angelo, you got something you want to tell us?" Silver asked, but Angelo remained silent. "Angelo, I swear to god, if I find out you've been dealing in human and Faunus trafficking, there WILL be hell to pay." Silver said as he slammed his fist down onto the table. "Don't worry, sir. As I speak, one of my technicians is pulling all his sensitive data." Barney said as his scroll started to download file after file.
"Hmm, let's see. Yep, here it is. He's been doping women up and pushing them into prostitution and… oh my god." Barney said before he placed his scroll on the table and slid it over to Silver. Silver picked up the scroll and read the information before his eyes went wide "Child pornography!" Silver yelled as he slammed his fist on the table. "Angelo! How many members are involved in this!?" Silver asked enraged, Angelo lowered his head as he closed his eyes. "All of them." Angelo said as it seemed like a cold silence washed over the room. Silver closed his eyes and looked over to Carnel "Cerberus, release the phantom." Silver said in a somber tone.
"Ghost, go clean house. Vega branch." Carnel said, a large shadow formed on the wall before it disappeared under the door. "Angelo, the blood of those men is on your hands. Harlequin, take him out back." Silver said, Harlequin nodded before he dragged the man out of his chair and out a side door. After a couple minutes of silence, two gunshots went off outside before Harlequin walked back inside. "Cerberus, do you know anyone that you trust personally to head the Vega branch?" Silver asked as he looked at the underboss, Carnel thought for a moment.
"I'd say Ray, he's another one of my Sergeants from the time of the Sanus Serpents. He's been loyal to me and has never tried to betray us, I think he'd make a good addition to the syndicate. Bones, what do you think?" Carnel asked as he looked to his Sergeant, Bones nodded "Ray is very reliable and he's always on time." Bones said, Silver smiled "Then it's settled, Ray will be the new underboss for the Golden Lion, under the command of Cerberus of The Undead." Silver said before the table applauded.
"Well, that seems to be about everything. I guess I'll see you all eight months from now, dismissed." Silver said, the suits stood up and exited the meeting room, leaving it occupied with Silver, Barney, Carnel, Diam, Bones, Red, and Harlequin. "Good luck at the Vytal Festival, Carnel. I'll be rooting for you." Silver said with a smile, Carnel smiled "Thank you, Silver. But watch closely, I have a few tricks up my sleeve." Carnel said with a smirk as he folded his hand. Harlequin approached the table and tossed a scroll onto the table "I fished this off Angelo's body before they disposed of it." Harlequin said as Barney slid it over to Silver.
"Alright, I'll have it analyzed and I'll be in contact with further instructions on how to proceed." Silver said as he put it into his pocket. "I actually had a question, why not hand over Angelo's territory to Barney?" Carnel asked, Silver chuckled as he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Well, because that's your territory, Carnel. Here, let me illustrate it for you. So, I'm here at the top with the Golden Lion, then it breaks down into you two: The Undead of Atlas and Third Street. Third Street has territory here in Atlas as does The Undead, but Third Street has most of Vacuo while The Undead has most of Vale. Angelo was under my supervision, but apparently he was lying to me." Silver explained as he projected a map with his scroll.
"Wait, what about Mistral?" Carnel asked as he pointed to the continent on the holo-map. "Well, that's actually the controlled by an entire other syndicate called 'Blackdeath' and they, like us, are separated into four other, small syndicates: Crimson Dust controls the north, Charfall controls the south, The Withered Mafia have the west, and The Iron Demons control the east. Together, they make up Blackdeath, but I've been trying to broker an alliance between us and them." Silver explained as Mistral was divided into four sections on the holo-map and shaded in a different color for each group.
"So, I assume that, like with Angelo, standby for more information?" Carnel asked as he crossed his arms, Silver nodded "Yep, I don't want you flying off the rails and jump the gun." Silver said to Carnel who held his hands up. "Now, I want you to have a little something for the Vytal Festival." Silver said as he snapped his fingers, a butler walked in with a box and sat it down on the table in front of Carnel. Carnel opened the box to find a Jericho 941 handgun with three full magazines of armor piercing rounds, Carnel pulled the pistol out of the box and pulled back the slide as he picked the magazines out of the box.
"Wow, thank you so much, Silver. This is so cool." Carnel said as he slapped the magazine into the receiver, he snapped his fingers and opened a Rift to put the new pistol inside. "So, when you put a gun inside your Rift, does it reload them?" Silver asked which caused Carnel to raise his eyebrow, he snapped his finger and pulled out an AK-47. He pulled the magazine out and examined the bullets remaining in the banana clip "Well, I guess not. This is gonna suck." Carnel said as he held his fingers and snapped open a Rift.
Carnel stood up and placed his hands on the edges of the Rift before he pulled sideways, the Rift opened more as it made what seemed like a doorway. "I've never tried this but maybe it'll work." Carnel said as he slowly walked into the Rift, the glowing blue oval enveloped him as he stepped inside of it slowly, Carnel turned around and watched as the Rift closed behind him. Carnel looked around him as he tried to figure out what he was looking at. "Uh… weapons?" Carnel said out loud, suddenly a wall of weapons appeared before him out of nowhere.
"Huh, there's the MG42, there's the Jericho, and there's the XM-8. Okay, how about this; Assault Rifles." Carnel said out loud before the wall of weapons disappeared and was replaced by a wall of just Assault Rifles. "Uhh… How much ammo do I have?" Carnel asked out loud, there was silence that surrounded him before a voice answered him that sounded just like him. "You got like 70,658 rounds and around 80 crates of dust." The voice said. "Wait, what are you?" Carnel asked, the voice chuckled "I'm you, mother fucker. I swear if I wasn't a disembodied voice, I'd come down there and kick your ass." The voice said.
"So, you're my semblance?" Carnel asked as he crossed his arms, the voice sighed "Nah, I'm fucking god. Of course, I'm your semblance. Now, why the fuck is you here?" The Rift asked, Carnel chuckled "Yeah, that definitely sounds like me. Alright, so what all can I do while in here?" Carnel asked, the Rift sighed as a clipboard formed in front of Carnel.
"Here, this is all the things you can do in here. And before you say it! Yes, I am sentient because I am You." The Rift said as Carnel examined the clipboard. "Cool, that's pretty fucking cool." Carnel said as he read the prompts. "Alright dipshit, what do you want to do now?" The Rift asked, Carnel chuckled "Alright, reload all the firearms and vehicles. Also, take some of the dust and form it into dust bullets." Carnel said, the Rift was silent for a moment before it spoke "Done. What else, bitch-ass?" The Rift asked, Carnel crossed his arms as he thought for a moment. "Alright, let me look at Lock-up." Carnel said to the Rift, the Rift was silent before a door formed in front of him.
Carnel opened the door and stepped into a lounge that was lined with black marble walls. There was a fireplace in the center surrounded by two black L-shaped couches, Carnel walked up to a large pane window with a digital touchscreen interface. He slowly swiped to the left slowly as he looked at the status of each prisoner, as each image popped up, their vitals popped up next to them. "Well, I guess some of these guys didn't make it." Carnel said as he observed some of the flatlined vitals on the screen.
"Lock-up, dispose of the deceased." Carnel said, Lock-up chuckled "Bet, anything else?" Lock-up asked, Carnel thought for a moment "Yeah, empty their pockets before you dispose of them." Carnel said before he walked away from the window and back into the Rift area. "Rift, open the exit portal." Carnel said, he looked to his right as he watched a Rift open to the outside. "Good luck, shitfuck." The Rift said as he walked out of the Rift.
"Dude! What happened?!" Diam exclaimed questioningly, Carnel chuckled "Well, apparently my semblance is sentient and has 'abilities' so to speak." Carnel said as he looked around the room, he looked at the floor and saw a large pile of dust. "Uhh, what is that?" Carnel asked as he looked at the pile of dust, Diam shrugged "I don't know, all I know is that a couple minutes later, a large of pile of dust came out of nowhere." Diam said as they looked at the pile of dust. "Oh my god! Those are human remains." Carnel said as he gestured to a tooth on top of the pile.
Everyone's eyes went wide in shock as they stared at the biological hazard "Wait! What the fuck!?" Diam asked confused, Carnel scratched the back of his head "Well, I was exploring the capabilities of the Rift and Lock-Up, and Lock-Up had a terminal that let me see the people in there as well as see who had died in there. I told Lock-Up to dispose of the deceased but to take the belongings off their bodies first before I walked out." Carnel said as he stared at the pile of dust.
"Holy fuck, Lock-Up is a cold, merciless bitch." Diam said as one of the butlers brought over a vacuum and cleaned up the remains. "Thank you, Perry." Silver said to the butler who nodded to the mob boss. "Well, I guess we should head back to Vale." Carnel said as he adjusted his vest. "Good luck, kid." Silver said as he hugged Carnel, the underboss smiled "Tell Poppy I said hello." Carnel said as he patted the blacked haired man on the back.
Carnel turned and walked out of the meeting room with Diam, Red, Bones, and Harlequin following behind him as he walked into the main hall, he looked to his right and saw the blonde maid standing by a marble sculpture of Silver. "I'm Carnel by the way." Carnel said as he extended his hand to her, she shook his hand lightly before he kissed the top of it "I'm Bella." The maid said with a smile. "I got to go back to Vale now, so I guess I'll see you when I come back." Carnel said with a wink, Bella smiled with a seductive look painted across her lips "I'll keep the bed warm for you." Bella said before she kissed Carnel on the cheek.
"Alright lady killer, let's keep moving." Diam said as he pushed Carnel out the door and toward the limo. They climbed into the back of the limo before it took off toward the air docks, Carnel leaned back against the leather seats as the limo drove down the road. "Harlequin, I want you to keep an eye on the Vega situation and inform me of anything that happens. Diam, contact Bress and put him in charge of oversight of the Warehouse we hit last night, leave the other one to Sall and Cedric." Carnel said as he started to give out orders, everyone nodded as they understood their rolls. The limo came to a stop outside the entrance to the air docks before the driver got out and opened the door for them.
"Gentlemen, this way." The pilot said as he gestured them toward the private airship, the five Undead members boarded the airship and took their seats by a table that had Carnel's 'travel kit' still on the table. "So, how do you think the Vytal festival is gonna go?" Bones asked as he leaned back in his chair, Carnel looked up at him slowly "Oh, I mean, I don't know. I might have to give my edge to Atlas." Carnel said sarcastically as he looked out the window as the airship flew through the sky.
"You nervous about the Festival?" Diam asked as Carnel lit the blunt they were smoking earlier, Carnel took a deep drag before he exhaled slowly "No, not really. I mean, I know we didn't really have that much time to train and shit. But hopefully the shit I picked up on the streets comes in handy in kicking their fucking asses." Carnel said as he cracked his knuckles. "Oh, that reminds me. Your weapons are ready." Diam said as he pulled out his scroll and called up someone. "Aye Bress, have Carnel's weapons at the air docks in about four minutes." Diam said before he closed his scroll again.
After six minutes of flying, the airship came to a stop and landed at the air docks, the side opened as Carnel stood up and descended the stairs before he stepped out onto the concrete, Bress stood beside an Escalade. Carnel walked up to Bress and bumped fists with him before the man opened the trunk lid, he opened a large box and revealed a series of blades made from varying materials. "He also made these using specialty gems from the necklace of an heiress who was murdered." Bress said as he held up a box of gem tipped .45 ACP rounds. Carnel pulled a bullet out and examined it slowly as he slowly rotated the round, he placed the round back into the box and closed it before he placed it into his Rift.
"Huh, I guess I'll have to retrieve the bullet every time I use one." Carnel said with a chuckle as he picked up one of the custom weapons. He unsheathed a katana and examined the blade that was made of sharpened black steel, "Barry said that these won't dull, or at least, it'll take a lot to dull them." Bress said as Carnel sheathed the blade and placed it back into the box. Carnel picked up a bowie knife and pulled it from its sheath, the blade was made from a diamond gemstone "So what's the story of this one?" Carnel asked as he flipped the blade around and examined the serrated teeth on the back.
"Well, the katana is made from the metal of machetes that four miners murdered each other with over a chunk of gold, the bowie knife is made from a diamond that was the crown jewel of the former king of Mistral and his head was bashed in with said diamond. And finally, the brass knuckles are made from the knives that were used to assassinate the emperor of Vacuo, Emperor Romaine." Bress said as Carnel placed the weapons into his Rift.
"Hmm, neat. Bress, I want you in charge of the warehouse we hit last night. Take Meric or Shane with you too." Carnel said before he bumped fists with Bress. Carnel looked up at the giant airships that hovered overhead "So how long have those been here?" Carnel asked as he looked around the sky, Bress scratched the back of his head "Uhh… I'd say they arrived shortly after y'all left for Atlas." Bress explained as they walked toward the Beacon air docks.
"Alright sir, good luck. We'll be cheering for you." Bones said as he bumped fists with Carnel, Bress nodded as Carnel, Diam, Red, and Harlequin boarded the airship destined for the Vytal Festival. As Carnel leaned back against the wall, he felt his scroll go off with a message, he pulled it from his pocket and opened it to see the message from Alicia that read 'Where are you? The festival is about to start.' Carnel sighed as he typed back 'Sorry sweetie, I had an important meeting in Atlas. Be there as soon as possible.' Carnel typed before he pressed send. "Aye pilot, can you step on it!" Carnel yelled, the co-pilot turned around to confront the men in the back.
"Were going as fast as we can." The co-pilot said before he turned back around to look out the cockpit. "Yo, what's your game plan?" Red asked as he crossed his arms, Carnel put his hands together as he thought. "Well, I'll try not to kill the kids I'll be fighting." Carnel said with a chuckle. "Man, that's a big ass piece of dust." Diam said as he looked out the window at the colosseum. "I wonder if anyone ever tried to shoot it down?" Harlequin asked as he moved over to the window, Carnel shrugged "I'm sure they have, but I bet it probably also has numerous countermeasures in case of that." Carnel stated as he pointed to the turrets mounted on the side.
The airship landed slowly on the landing pad, the side opened before Carnel and the others disembarked from the airship. They made their way into the colosseum and passed the concession stands "Hold up, Imma get some fucking nachos." Diam said before the group stopped, Diam disappeared for a moment before he reappeared with a mound of nachos. "I'm gonna destroy these while you destroy them." Diam said as he pointed to the screen that was spinning. Carnel watched as Team BAWM popped up on the left side on the screen and Team CNMN popped up on the right.
"Our next match will be Team BAWM led by Falcon Bliss from Beacon vs Team Cinnamon, led by Cian Riely from Atlas. Both teams please approach the field, thank you." Professor Port said through the intercom. "Good luck, bro." Diam said as he ate a cheese coated chip. Carnel took a left and descended the stairs to the prep area where his team was prepping. "God, where is Carnel at? I swear to god, if he's late, I'll kick his ass." Crys said as Carnel descended the stairs, Carnel looked over at Crys who held her pistol. "Oh, you will, now will you?" Carnel asked as he snapped his fingers and pulled out two frag grenades from the Rift. He reached in and pulled out a Model 1919 with a drum mag and a foregrip, he pressed a button the side and transformed it into a double-headed battle axe.
"Dude, what happened? You just disappeared." Falcon asked as they approached the gate to the battlefield. "Eh… I can't explain, I can just say don't go to Vega anytime soon." Carnel said as the gate started to open. Carnel leaned over and kissed Alicia on the lips "Good luck, sweetheart." Carnel said to his girlfriend, she smiled as she held her mace on her right shoulder.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Please put… uh… someone seems to be at the door. Hey, you can't be in here." Port said as mild scuffle could be heard over the intercom. "Sorry ladies and gents, put your hands together for Team BAWM with the baddest mother fucker this side of Atlas, Carnel Melone!" Red yelled over the intercom. Falcon looked at Carnel who shot him a smirk as he pulled on his black mask.
Rise – The Glitch Mob, Mako, & The Word Alive.
Music blared through the intercom as Team BAWM started to walk out of the locker rooms, the lights were bright as they maintained their focus on the other team.
Welcome to the wild, no heroes and villains. Welcome to the war we've only begun, so pick up your weapon and face it. There's blood on the crown; go and take it, you get one shot to make it out alive, so higher, and higher you chase it. It's deep in your bones; go and take it, this is your moment, now is your time, so.
Prove yourself and Rise! Rise! Make 'em remember you; Rise! Push through hell and Rise! Rise! They will remember you; Rise!
"I thought the refs were supposed to be unbiased?" Crys asked confused, Carnel chuckled "That's not a ref, that's Red and Harlequin. I figure they wanted the best seats in the place." Carnel said as the music faded out. "Uh, sorry about that ladies and gentlemen. We have two surprise guests, advisors from the council, Red and Harlequin." Port said through the intercom which caused Carnel to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Falcon asked as stared down the opponents, Carnel looked up at the booth that was suspended above the crowd. "That's the same personas that Angel and I would use to get into fancy restaurants." Carnel said as they walked up to the line and stood across from their four opponents. Carnel looked over to the leader who also wore a mask "Aye, nice mask." Carnel said, Cian laughed lightly "Likewise." Cian said as the two bumped fists.
"I'm Cian, the blue haired girl is Nav Viri, the bald girl is Meg Baza, and finally, the dipshit over there is Nick Ickle, we just call him Nickle." Cian said as he introduced everyone, Nav stared at him "And why did you tell them that?" Nav asked confused, Cian rolled his eyes. "It's polite." Cian said, Falcon chuckled "I'm Falcon Bliss, this is my twin sister Alicia Bliss, there's Crys Winters, and finally, there's our resident criminal, Carnel Melone." Falcon said as he introduced the team, Carnel looked over at Falcon "Fuck you too, Falcon." Carnel said as he transformed the SMG into its double axe form.
They watched as two dials spun rapidly before they landed on two biomes: Woods and Urban. "Hell yeah! City is where I'm home." Carnel said as the floors rose up with the city shambles behind them.
"Wait, where did you get that weapon from?" Crys asked confused, Carnel chuckled "Stole it." Carnel said with a smirk. "Of course, you did." Crys said as she rolled her eyes as the buzzer sounded. Crys raised her hand and formed a ball of light as Falcon, Alicia, and Carnel covered their eyes, the members of CNMN grabbed their eyes as the light stunned them. Carnel sprinted forward and slammed his shoulder into Nick's gut as he rammed the man into a tree, Nick tried to headbutt Carnel, but he moved out of Nick's range.
Carnel snapped his fingers and tossed the axe into the Rift before he pulled out the Jericho and put three in Nick's chest. Carnel looked up and watched as Nick's aura dropped with each pull of the trigger, Nick pulled his knee up and drove it into Carnel's chest which made him drop the man. Carnel snapped his fingers and threw the Jericho in before he pulled out the MG42, Nick slowly crawled backwards as Carnel laughed loudly as he lowered the barrel of the machine gun.
Carnel squeezed the trigger as bullets spat from the barrel and peppered the ground as they rapidly killed Nick's aura. "Oof! And out goes Nick." Red said over the intercom. Carnel turned around in time to see Alicia get slammed into a tree by Nav, Carnel snapped his fingers again and replaced the MG42 with an NTW-20. Carnel dropped to the ground and pulled back the bolt to load a round into the receiver, he took a deep breath in as he looked down the sight to line up the shot with Nav's chest. He watched as she sauntered closer to Alicia who pushed herself off the ground to ready herself "I say, you got some nice form there, girly." Nav said as she flirtatiously licked her lips.
"Smile, bitch." Carnel said as he squeezed the trigger slowly, the rifle bucked hard as the ear deafening report echoed outward as the round screamed across the field and slammed into Nav's chest, the impact sent her flying into a broken pillar. Alicia extended her hand and brought the rest of the pillar down on top of her, eliminating her from the match. Carnel snapped his fingers again as he replaced the anti-material rifle into the Rift in favor of the Jericho 941, he pushed himself off the ground and started to look for his next target when an arrow whizzed by his face.
Carnel immediately lowered his body as he sprinted across the arena and slid behind a destroyed wall, Falcon used his semblance to rip the rebar out of the broken concrete and flung it at the tree line. "Where are they?!" Crys yelled as she looked around the arena, Alicia held her hands out as she closed her eyes. The ground started to shake as the trees started to burst into flames, the grass was burned down to the root, and the rocks were charred black.
As the fire raged on, Falcon pulled the metal out and formed spikes that floated in the air, he lowered them in front of himself before he sent them screaming into the tree line, the spikes dug deep into the wood as the other spikes flew into the raging fire. "Crys! Flashbang!" Carnel yelled from behind cover, Crys moved her feet so they were parallel with her shoulders before she clapped her hands together. As her hands clapped together, a large flash of light erupted and illuminated all the darkness, Alicia clenched her fists and pulled them inwards as she used her semblance to rip the trees from the ground.
"Where the fuck are they?" Carnel said to himself as he scanned the area as Alicia tossed the burning trees out of the arena. "Oh ho! Looks like an intense game of cat and mouse! I wonder who will win?!" Port exclaimed, Carnel stood up and walked out onto the field as he looked around his surroundings.
Carnel took a step forward and stopped as he tuned out the roaring crowd, the sound of the crackling fire popped in his ears as he listened closely to his surroundings. Carnel opened his eyes and watched as a glowing arrow erupted from the fire and slammed into the wall behind him, the impact left a small crater in the wall.
"Alicia! Snuff the fire!" Carnel yelled before he ran toward Falcon who had his brick in the form of a katana. "Pull the metal back and get ready to hit whatever moves." Carnel said as he moved back to Alicia. "If you can move the smoke, make a dome around that area and close it in." Carnel said as he snapped his fingers and pulled out the MG42, he laid down on the ground and extended the bipod on the bottom of the LMG as a smoke dome formed and slowly closed in on the designated area.
Suddenly, two figures exploded out of the smoke dome as an arch of energy blew past them. Falcon sent the spikes flying as Carnel squeezed the trigger, the bullets leaped from the barrel and peppered the area. Meg sprinted across the arena as she pulled back an arrow on her bow but dropped to the ground as she started coughing and hacking. Cian's feet started to glow before two explosions shot him into the air, he withdrew two swords that he transferred energy into the blades as he exploded an energy ball on the bottom of his foot that propelled him toward the ground.
He drew his right hand back as he flew toward Alicia but was sideswiped by a metal javelin that pierced his jacket and slammed him into the arena wall. "Oh! Down goes Cian! It's down to four on one!" Port exclaimed. Crys strolled up and formed a light orb on each finger on her right hand as Meg pushed herself off the ground "Nothing personal, girly." Crys said as Alicia formed a fireball in her hand and threw it at the girl on the ground.
Within a fraction of a second, Meg switched positions with Crys as the fireball contacted its target. Crys was immediately engulfed in flames as her aura took a nosedive, Alicia extinguished the flames off Crys, but her Aura had dropped too low. "Oh no! Friendly fire! Crys Winters has been eliminated." Port said as the crowd roared with cheers and questions.
"Shit!" Carnel exclaimed as he opened fire at the woman who separated her bow into dual pistols that she used to open fire at the trio. Falcon brought all the metal back and formed shackles that floated in the air as two giant stone pillars erupted from the ground, the shackle chains imbedded into the stone pillar before the cuffs attempted to restrain Meg but she dodged them as she reloaded her pistols and fired some again.
"Alicia! Throw me!" Carnel said as he tossed the MG42 into the Rift and closed it, he pulled the Glock from his vest as a plot of ground around his feet erupted from the ground and shot him through the air toward Meg. Carnel pulled the trigger repeatedly as the bullets hit her aura multiple times, he slammed into Meg and wrapped his arms around her as the shackles clasped onto her wrists and put them behind her back.
The crowd watched as Meg was suspended between the two pillars by the metal shackles "Whatever they're doing, they better hurry because that clock is running out." Doctor Oobleck said as they watched on. The stone columns quickly encased the woman and successfully launched her out of the arena, the stone tomb slammed into the wall and hit the ground before it broke apart. The bell rang as the crowd cheered "Team BAWM is victorious!" Red exclaimed from the ref box.
"Woo!" Carnel exclaimed as he looked up at the board as it displayed all their pictures, Carnel's with no smile and him flipping off the camera. Falcon, Alicia, and Carnel walked off the field to the locker room where Crys was waiting. "Wow, that was something else." Crys said as she still wore her singed clothing. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. That was a total accident." Alicia said as she apologized, Crys laughed as she waved it off "Nah, it's fine. I wanna know what her semblance is." Crys said as they walked back to the crowd.
"Wow Carnel, I expected more from you." Cardin said as he and his team walked by, Carnel spun around and glared at the man "Well Cardin, I'm better at fighting with lethal intent, not just sparring." Carnel said to the man, Cardin turned around to confront the underboss but stopped when he saw he was surrounded by his crew.
"Whatever." Cardin said as he and his team stormed off. "So, I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving." Carnel said as he pulled his mask off and tossed it into his Rift. "I think the fairgrounds has some vendors." Crys said as she played with the burned cloth of her sleeve. "Sounds good, I'm hungry." Diam said as he placed his hands behind his head, Carnel looked over to him "Didn't you just kill a giant bowl of nachos?" Carnel asked, Diam laughed in a slow manner "I'm high as fuck." Diam said as he laughed to himself.
BAWM and the Undead higher ups boarded an airship and took it down to the fairgrounds below that had multiple vendors. "Come on! I know the place." Yang said as Team BAWM and the Undead walked up, Diam nudged Carnel as they stared into the crowd. Carnel started walking forward with the group when he suddenly felt a chill run up his spine, Carnel looked down at the ground and saw that he had two shadows again "Oh, hey Ghost. Glad your back." Carnel said as he continued to walk with them.
"You see who that is over there?" Diam asked as he nudged the underboss, Carnel looked in the general direction that Diam was gesturing to. Carnel chuckled "Yeah, 'Snatch 'n' grab Sustrai' and 'Mugger Mercury'. You see them make a move on us, waste them without a second thought." Carnel said to his crew before they all pulled out their pistols and cocked the slides back. The unison cocking got Crys attention which caused her to turn around in time to see Carnel's crew placing their pistols into their waistlines.
"No, not here." Crys said to herself as she looked over at Emerald who was conversing with Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. "Hey Crys! Let's go!" Falcon yelled as the group had continued walking and left Crys behind. "Yeah, be there in a minute." Crys yelled before ran to catch up with the group.
*Meanwhile in Vega*
Multiple cop cars pulled up outside a warehouse that already had ambulances and firetrucks surrounding it, an officer got out of his cruiser and stared at the warehouse that was engulfed in flames "You ever see anything like it?" The officer asked, his partner took a drag from his cigarette before he tossed it onto the ground and stepped on it to extinguish it. "Once, but it was in Atlas and if this is anything like the other one, I know who's behind this." The Officer said as he walked forward and watched as the firefighters sprayed streams of water onto the burning fire.
An hour had passed, and the firefighters managed to get the blaze under control, the two officers slowly walked through the rubble and looked around "Wow, that's a lot of charred bodies." The second officer said as he looked at the charred remains that were under the rubble. "Yeah, it's a good coverup, to hide a slaughter." The first officer said as pushed ove to reveal a body clutching a pistol. "You know who this is too, don't you?" The second officer asked, the first officer nodded "Yep, and there's not a thing we can do." The first officer said as he started to write an accident report.
"What?! That's bullshit! There's evidence." The second officer said, the first pulled his pistol from the holster and cocked the hammer "Let it go, rookie." The first officer said, the second officer looked horrified "You're a dirty cop, who else is dirty? I'll take this to the chief, and we'll get these scumbags shut down." The second officer said as he started to walk away. Suddenly two gunshots rang out through the quiet warehouse area, the rookie dropped to his knees before he collapsed to the ground in a pool of his own blood.
"You couldn't leave it alone, could you, rook?" The first cop said as he replaced his pistol into the holster. The first officer started to force himself to breathe rapidly before he yelled out loud "Medic! Officer down!" The first officer yelled as paramedics ran up and frantically tried to save the rookie. The first officer walked away and pulled out his scroll as he placed a call, the line rang a couple times before someone answered.
"Is there a problem?" The voice on the other end asked, the first officer's voice was shaky "Uh… n-no, no sir. There's no problem, Silver. It's just an accident, that's all." The first officer said before he ended the call and closed his scroll, he looked down at his cup of coffee as a tear formed in his eye. "To serve and protect." The officer said to himself before he lifted his head and walked back to his cruiser.
A/N: WooHoo! Another chapter down in the saga of BAWM, I wonder what will happen? Will BAWM win the competition? Will Slater get what's coming to him? Will Speedwagon be revealed to be best girl the entire time? Find out, next time on Dragon Ball Z! Remember to Favorite, Follow (Nightmare 6-4), and leave a review, and as always, this is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.