Big Issues
AN: As always, I'd like to thank the new people who fave this series, this time its Ice Emperor. Now onto news for Big Issues... I've been able to somehow return to a weekly schedule, though I'm not quite sure how long that will last so I'll take advantage of it to bring you all the newest chapters. Now, on with the show!
Found
If there was one thing that Ilia hated as being a spy, it was the occasion when she was caught in the act. This time around, and only the third time since she started spy work, she was found and being pursued.
At first, it was just the Menagerie Guards chasing her, nothing for her to worry about but the number of eyes and ears she had to deal with made trying to give them the slip difficult at the best of times.
Even through her masks slits for eyes, she could see their anger; some of them knew who she was. Her outfit never really changed from every day stuff to White Fang missions and her Lightning Lash was unique. Add in her hair style and color changes and they didn't have to ask her name.
Even the civilians got into the chase, blocking alleys and roads, some trying to intercept her on the rooftops. All of that slowed her down and ensured that she remained in sight of at least one person. The occasion when a Guard did catch up to her, she'd use her whip to disarm them and the populace was annoyingly quick to toss back the Guard their weapons or provide a replacement.
Then the real fighters showed up that made her worry: Blake and Sun.
"You're not getting out of this, Ilia! Nowhere to run!" Sun yells as the couple land on the wide flat roof of a business.
"How could you? We trusted you!?" Blake cries, Gambol Shroud in hand.
"I wasn't left with a choice. Now back off and nobody has to get hurt." Ilia warns with her weapon raised in its sword mode.
Half an hour ago, Ilia was searching through Ghira's spare desk in his office, one that Sienna used often for her own work with the White Fang. Her scroll was out and being used to photograph some of the documents before putting them back and finding more. Then she moved onto Ghira's desk.
She was so caught up reading through a page that she had missed the sound of several pairs of feet until the door opened. By then it was too late and she was caught with papers in one hand and scroll in the other, a horned White Fang mask on her face.
"Ilia?!" Blake, Sun, Kali, and Sienna shout as one.
The reaction was immediate, Ilia dropped the pages and ran for the far wall and burst through the wood and paper door to the balcony, barely slowing down before she jumped into the night.
It didn't take long for the chameleon to hear the cat and monkey giving chase after her, breaking through the remains of the door.
"That's no excuse and you know it! Blake shouts as her grip tightened on her sword.
Ryuji Jingu Bang unfurls next to her. "You can't take us both. Give up."
"You have no idea what will happen if I do. Adam will raze Kuo Kuana to the ground if he feels he must. I'm trying to limit the damage." The thin blade twitched from pointing at Blake to Sun and back again, the only real defense she had between them. It didn't help that Sun began to circle around to her right side, cutting off the possible escape route.
"We've seen what he does when he attacked Beacon! We were there!" Blake's scar from that night throbbed from phantom pain, her left hand drifted to cover the marred skin.
Ilia saw the scar caused by the bull and her blade began to lower slightly. But movement from Sun made her raise it again and shift to the left, putting some distance to her unwitting rival for Blake's love. It was a game he never knew he played in yet already won.
"Don't move!" She drew her scroll from her pocket and opened it. "Get any closer and I'll send everything straight to Adam!"
The warning made both Faunus flinch but hold their ground, weapons ready.
"Weapons down! Now!" The couple shared a glance and Ilia moved her thumb to hover over the SEND button on the screen. Slowly, both sword and staff were set on the rooftop. "And the other half, Blake!" The cat flinched at being caught but complied, the cleaver/sheath joining the sword.
"Step back, now." Lightning Lash waved back and forth, ready to be used as a whip at any provocation. Slowly, both took three steps back.
"Good, good." Ilia sweated despite being the one in control of the situation right now. It had been a long chase across the town and she was doing things against her secret crush that she was sure ruined any chance of being friends at all after this. "Now I'm gonna take my leave and- agh!"
A blue fireball flew by her head, scaring her to become bright white.
"I don't think so." Itazura was already behind her with Loki leveled at her head.
Ilia looked around, weighing her options. Blake and Sun had yet to move but had relaxed a bit. On the ground, many of the civilians were gathered in the street, among them stood Corsac and Fennec.
She has a mission to complete.
The chameleon spun on her heel, twisting around the gun, and drove her elbow into Itazura's stomach, pushing the fox back even before the roundhouse kick threw her to the roof. Blake ran for her weapons but Ilia extended Lightning Lash as she swept her arm, the tip cracking across the roof and leaving a gash just ahead of where Blake's hand was. Sun stayed where he was and used Via Sun, the three golden clones rushing at the spy.
One clone was hit by the razer-sharp tip of the whip and exploded. The second made it almost to melee range but Ilia had retracted her whip to its sword form and blocked one punch before countering with a slash across the chest. The third clone was able to tackle the girl while she was distracted by the second explosion and knocked her scroll from her hand in the process.
"Get the scroll!" Sun shouts, doing his best to maintain his last clone as it wrestles Ilia. Keeping her weapon arm from moving was one thing but she had three other limbs that flailed, one leg catching Itazura in the leg as she was standing up, resulting in her losing her balance and falling off the roof.
Blake hesitated, looking between her boyfriend, where her other friend had vanished over the edge, the scroll, and Ilia, obviously torn about which one she should prioritize.
"What are you doing?! Get it!" Sun orders as sweat poured down his face as he made another pair of clones, pushing his limits with split concentration.
His shout knocked Blake to her senses and she ran for the scroll, picking it up in time to see the clone with Ilia vanish before the fresh ones could reach her. The clone produced its own staff from under its 'shirt' as the original would do and swung. Ilia dove and rolled under the staff and exchanged blows several times before the chameleon got in a lucky hit and made the clone vanish. The other attacked without a weapon and was soon defeated, though both explosions rattled the girl as her aura was stressed heavily.
Sun collapsed to his knees as his aura broke, gasping for air from being taxed from using up so much of his aura so quickly. And Ilia saw her chance to get away.
A flick of her wrist and Lightning Lash extended until the tip buried itself into the blondes upper chest and a quick squeeze of the trigger channeled electricity directly into the wound, making the young man scream in pain until he blacked out and collapsed.
"No!" Blake dashed past her weapons and used her shoulder to slam her way past Ilia, nearly throwing the girl over the edge of the roof, and dropped to her knees by Sun's side as she placed her hands over the bleeding wound to stem the flow of the red fluid.
Ilia watched for a few moments as Blake wept over the unmoving body of her lover, finally unable to stand that she was the one who caused those tears and ran just as Itazura climbed back over onto the roof, a smoke pellet tossed her way kept the fox from following.
"Help! I need help! He's bleeding!" Blake cries out as Itazura kneels to help her, soon followed by concerned citizens ready to help. "Stay with me, Sun!"
—-
For Denko, Anya, and Talon, three hours in this middle of nowhere town had gotten them no results.
"Hmm… a young woman with brown hair and blue eyes you say?" An old man asks.
Denko stood in the market holding up his scroll to display the most recent photograph taken of the Spring Maiden. Long brown hair barely contained by the green ribbon that held up her bangs and knotted at the back before the ends wrapped around the trailing hair in a weaving pattern. Naturally tanned skin and bright blue eyes stood out from the white gi she wore. She was in her early teens and was posing for the camera with her arms outstretched and right leg in the air, her smile teasing.
"It's been about ten years since this picture was taken. Know anyone who might look like her?" It was obvious to most that he wasn't expecting a positive outcome.
Some others walking by would pause to look at the picture before moving on with their day. It wasn't as though this place was much bigger than the towns from yesterday but it was easily twice as large as the pair combined. Anya and Talon had gone separate ways to cover more ground, hoping that this town would be good for their search, it did do some frequent business with Mistral.
"Can't say that we know her, young man. Sorry about that." The old farmer tells him with a shake of his head.
"Thanks for your time." Denko says before moving on to another stall. The next three had the same result before a little girl around eleven stopped him.
"She looks like the lady who lives in the woods!"
"Lives in the woods?"
"Yeah! She and her friends come here sometimes. She's really strong!"
"Which way does she live?" Denko couldn't hide the excitement he had over a lead, even if it was a long shot. Though if this kids says that she swings by town on occasion, why did nobody say they know her? Besides not everyone knowing everyone, that is.
"Ummm… Sun sets in the west, so… she lives west! Probably not too far from Lake Mashu!"
"Thanks kid. Here, let me get you something." Denko quickly pays for some candy from the nearest stall and gives her a few of them.
The girl waved goodbye as she ate the treat and Denko walked away, bringing his scroll up to text. "Talon, Anya, I think I got a lead to go on."
—-
Yang pulls up to the station and wasn't surprised by the old model Dust dispenser they have available. But so long as they had what she needed to refuel her Bumblebee and took Lien, she'd be happy, and the dispenser did both. Figuring that she had some time on her hands until the team called, Yang rolled her bike away from the dispenser and up to the building where she went inside.
"Howdy there, Miss! What can I get you?" The man behind the counter asks, presumably the one who ran the station. The station doubled as a small restaurant and bar, given the small kitchen setup and the beverages on the displayed menu.
"How about two grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, and some sweet tea?"
"Alrighty then. Take a seat and I'll get it to you soon." At least the man was as professional as he looked, white collared dress shirt, dark grey pants and matching vest and bow tie. The slightly thinning brown hair was made up for by the well kept but large mustache, though it was small compared to the one held by Peter Port.
Two tables with chairs were available aside from the bar and stools but she didn't feel like making the man walk and she could ask him some questions about the area to kill some time. Maybe the other guy in the corner would know something.
Though judging by the bottle in front of him, he may not be the best source of information if he's drinking and was only nearing noon.
"Here you go." The owner says as he sets the large cup of tea on the counter, ice clinking against the glass.
"Thanks." Half the cup was drained by the time the man walked to the stove. "Yum, good stuff."
"Just about everything is from here in the Lake Mashu area, fresh off the farms." The man comments as he works.
It wasn't long before the sandwiches were delivered on a plate with a side of potato chips and her now empty glass refilled. Payment for the meal was exchanged as she began eating.
"I'm not from around here, anything in particular I should know?" Yang asks before starting the second sandwich.
The proprietor paused as he washed the pan and spatula. "Well… if you don't mind driving across the countryside, we have some great views that get a bit of tourist traffic. Other than that, there's the towns for fresh food and handmade items. Can always try going up to the lake and see the islands, that's a two days ride from here."
Yang finished the sandwich and moved onto the chips. "Anyone in the area I should know about?"
"Hmm… the Evergreens over in Wushu have some of the best woodworks that you'll ever find. There's a little place just up the road on the shore of Mashu where Pisces has an excellent restaurant, if you don't mind most of their dishes having fish." He lists off as he dries his hands. Then his eyes went wide as he remembered something, but kept his voice low as he spoke. "But there is someone real dangerous that you should keep an eye out for."
That piqued her interest. "Who?"
"Raven Branwen."
The name made Yang freeze for a few moments. The woman that she had spent the past thirteen years of her young life trying to find and only recently did her father finally talk about her. To think that she was so close without realizing it and not even looking for her. Yang had to temper her instincts to jump at the chance to meet her, remembering that she was on a mission but keeping a note that she'd have to come back.
"Good to know. Got one more question while we're at it." She brings up a picture on her scroll, the same one the team all have, and shows it to the man. "Know her? The pics about ten years old."
"Hmm… can't say that I do."
"Alright, thanks for your time and the meal."
"Hey! Lemme see that!"
Yang turns to see the man in the corner waving at her to come over. With a shrug she stands and walks to him. 'Not like I have much else to do.'
The man looks at the picture for a few seconds and begins to laugh.
"What's so funny? She's been missing for over ten years." Yang was not happy at that reaction.
"Haha! Missing? Girly, she may be missing from the big Kingdom but she was found a long time ago." He was a tall and skinny man, thin face with stubble around his chin and dirty blonde hair that reached his shoulders. Dressed in brown pants and boots, a grey long-sleeved shirt under a sleeveless dark blue jacket, a red bandanna around his neck, fingerless gloves, and a leather shoulder pad.
"What do you mean?" From the corner of her eye, she saw the owner moving away to the far corner and ducking down as if expecting a fight.
"What I mean is I find it funny to think she used to have ribbons in her hair! Probably had makeup and had tea parties too! Haha!"
"And you really do know her?"
"I sure do, Big Girl. But nothing is for free." He grins. "I'm sure we can make a deal."
Yang said nothing but quirks an eyebrow. 'Please don't tell me…'
"Ya see, you've got a great face, good voice, and beautiful hair. It's just a shame that most don't 'appreciate' bigger ladies. I'm sure that we can both be… satisfied… and I'll take you to her." He puts on what he assumes is a charming smile.
'And he did.' Yang let's out a sigh of exasperation, though by his expression he took that as a good sign.
"Look pal."
"Shay. The name is Shay D. Mann."
"Shay. I'm no whore now if you won't tell me what I want for lien, then we're done here."
"C'mon! A girl of your stature shouldn't be so picky. Never know when you'll get an offer again." Shay says as he stands up and puts his arms out to show off his physique.
"Not from you, dream on." With that, Yang turns on her heels and starts walking away.
"Oh hell no! Don't you walk away from me! I ain't goin' back empty handed!" Shay shouts as he marches up to her retreating back and grabs her hair.
In an instant, he began to regret doing that as the golden strands burst into flames that forced him to let go. But he had other problems as she spun around with a right haymaker in mid swing and her lilac eyes now a bright red that looked far too familiar.
Then the fist impacts with all of the subtleties of a high speed car crash into his face and the force threw him across the room. The only thing that saved him was his Rebound Semblance… which caused him to bounce around the diner like a kids Saturday morning cartoon before one final bounce took him out the swinging doors.
"Sorry about the mess." The blonde apologizes to the owner as she calms herself and sees that a few culinary tools had been knocked to the ground and a table was tipped over and what looked to be a small blood splatter on a wall.
"Y-you know, I actually don't mind. He's had that coming to him for weeks."
"Really? Then I'm glad to be of service." And Yang walks out to make sure the guy wasn't doing anything to her bike.
Outside, she barely spared Shay a glance as he was struggling just to sit up, spitting out a tooth and a bit of blood. Obviously he hadn't had the chance yet to do anything and she threw her leg over Bumblebee and put on her helmet.
"Hey!" Lilac eyes deadpanned at the man who staggered to his feet. "You still wanna know where to find them?"
Orange tinted glasses slipped over her eyes. "Talk fast."
—-
Talon was in a restaurant sampling some of the dishes and asking the various patrons about the girl they were looking for. There wasn't much luck beyond a few people who said she looked familiar but couldn't place where.
"Oh, this might be another bust." She groans before moving onto the next establishment.
—-
"You have got to be kidding me." Anya smacked a hand to her face and dragged it down. The reason for her frustration, beyond having no luck at finding the slightest lead for the Spring Maiden, was that she was dealing with a trio of mimes who were blocking her path out of this area.
She was sorely tempted to let her Semblance to be loosened of its normal tight control, just to get rid of them. Then her scroll rang.
*Got a lead that Spring is in the forest west of here. Meet up at the Scarab.*
"Thank you, Denko." She sighs before typing out her reply. *Good. Wasn't getting anywhere here.*
*Same here sis. See you later! ;)*
*Ok, I'll be there in 5.*
"Didn't think we parked that close." Anya scoffs as she walks through the nearest mime to meet up with the team, the contact was enough to drain him of what little aura he had and he collapsed to the ground exhausted.
It didn't take long for her to cross paths with her sister. "No luck?"
"You think I'd get answers from mimes?"
"A mime?"
"Three of them."
A chime from there scrolls alerted them to another text received. *Found a guy who knows her and is going to show me where she lives.*
"Damn! Yang got lucky!" Talon was clearly excited and Yang had turned on her locator so they could follow her easily.
"Better hurry up or our ride will leave us behind." Anya warns as they break into a run.
—-
Weiss couldn't complain too much. She had a bed to lay on, was provided with food and water, though she could question exactly what was she was eating since the interactions were kept minimal with the rest of the camp. The only time she could leave the cot was for the bathroom breaks she was given where Vernal would keep her on a leash and in sight, three times a day.
She thought she was caught when she was strapped down again thanks to the weakened leather snapping in her hands. But all Vernal did was curse and get a new one to hold her leg muttering about dry rot.
But a week of this cycle was aggravating and Weiss would have lost her temper a few times if she wasn't doing everything she could to plan her escape.
But she could count at least fifty people in the camp at any given time, could estimate that just as many were out hunting or searching for things based on the snippets of conversations she heard, and everyone walked around armed.
Vernal in particular didn't just carry Myrtenaster but has a pair of odd pistols with dual barrels set within a blade ring.
Still, she believed that she could manage to get out, though the likelihood of escaping with her weapon diminished her odds. She'd need to choose her route carefully when the time comes and hope she didn't run into Vernal or the Boss of the group.
"Three more days should do it." Not only had she heard that many were getting ready for a big job and were going to set out then, leaving the camp much emptier than normal, but she had been getting a lot of practice in with her summons, their miniature size making them her best companions during these long days.
Maybe a tiny Queen Lancer could sting Vernal in the rear a few times? That would be very satisfying after the girl refused to call her anything but Wide Load.
—-
If there was one thing that Ruby truly hated, it was seeing her family hurt. And right now, she was escorting her uncle in hopes of finding a doctor or hospital before things got worse for him. Since this morning, his condition had only gotten worse with frequent coughs and chills.
Jaune and Pyrrha were currently carrying the stretcher while Ruby walked alongside to care for him on the move and ensure that no Grimm made it to the sick man. She has already dealt with three Beowolves so far.
Ren and Nora were scouting ahead and ensuring that they were on the most direct route and it was safe. Markers were left in their wake, the last one the trio had passed indicated that the pair were going to wait for the shift change, presumably at a fork in the road.
It took a few minutes but they caught up to them looking up at a signpost. Qrow was set down gently before the tallest members of the team used the break to work their arms and shoulders.
"Guys? What are you looking at?" Jaune asks as he rubs his wrist a bit.
"Ku- Kuroyuri? Is that a town? Maybe we can get help there!" Ruby suggests after reading the sign.
"There won't be anything there." Ren may have been quiet when he spoke but the harsh tone caught everyone's attention.
"But there could be someone there who can help!" Ruby counters. She missed Nora taking hold of Ren's hand but Pyrrha didn't.
"I said there's nothing there!"
"Ren? Is this… was that your home?" Pyrrha hesitated to ask but it was needed. Ren rarely spoke about his past beyond his time with Nora but it had come up a few times that they are orphans. Given that the largest cause of orphans since and before the Great War has been from Grimm attacks, it wasn't something that really needed to be said.
Ren simply hung his head and balled his fists until his knuckles were white. "It was his home." Nora says softly. There was no missing that she said 'his home', indicating that she wasn't from there herself.
"Er, um… Okay, what does the map say is the fastest way to Mistral?" Jaune suggests as he tries to defuse the tension.
Ruby had the map but soon had Jaune and Pyrrha looking over her shoulders, too many wrong directions because she struggled with reading maps properly. Maybe if she could, they would have been in Mistral by now and not have fought Tyrian.
"Let's see… we're here." Ruby points to a line, only to have her hand moved by Pyrrha from a river to a road, landing at the fork near the marker labeled Kuroyuri.
"Ren… I'm sorry but it looks like the fastest way is through the town." The Spartan says loud enough for him to hear, watching as the man tensed and visibly fought to calm himself, with Nora's help.
"Yeah, if we cut through there we should be able to cut off about a week of walking, especially if we can get a boat willing to take us upriver to Mistral." Jaune adds, his own finger tracing the proposed path and noting that there is a small village just on the other side of the mountain that Kuroyuri was built at the base of.
"Ren? Please, I don't want to go there either but I don't think Qrow would last long enough for us to go the long way." Nora barely spoke more than a whisper so only the ninja could hear.
Ren looked back at the poisoned man to see him coughing again, hacking up more dark liquid from his lungs as Ruby nearly dove to help him however she could. The sight of the dying man brought back harsh memories of others like his own father, when there was nothing he could do since he was just a small child then.
But he had gone through the harsh training to become a Huntsman because he wanted to have the strength to prevent as many as possible from suffering the same losses that he did.
"Very well, but we will move quickly." The proud supportive smile from Nora solidified his resolve, not wanting to see that ever disappear. The appreciative expressions from the others only bolstered that and they stepped to the side as he took up his position to carry the front of the stretcher, Nora quickly taking the other end.
"Let's get going." At his order, the team set out for the ruined town at a trot to cover the distance.
—-
High above the team on the mountain, red eyes searched as it sensed intruders on its territory. Wind blew through the cave that served as its home, carrying the scent of humans.
Humans full of fear, worry, and pain with a trace of anger. Humans who were coming closer.
It rose from its stone bed surrounded by its 'trophies', weapons, banners, and more than a few bones from the places it hunted over the years.
A few cracks of its joints and it left the cave to 'greet' the intruders at the former settlement that it frequently used to fight others passing through. To fight and kill was all it knew and it did them well. It was strong enough that no matter how many humans attacked it, it ALWAYS killed them. Few ever escaped and it had gotten better over the countless years to never let any go.
This time it was going to make sure that there was no escape.
—-
"Hey! Watch it with the stones!" Shay yells over the engine of Bumblebee. He was allowed to ride with Yang, so long as he didn't touch her. That meant he was sitting as far back as possible with his hands clinging to the bike just above the tire. And that tire frequently kicked up stones and sticks that would find his fingers.
Yang ignored his complaint, just as she had the last five or so times and she was ready to do a wheelie just to dump him off.
"How much farther?" She calls back as she throttles down so they were coasting through the forest.
Shay looked around briefly. "Here's good. She's not far but I'll get her."
Yang pulled into a small clearing and parked, watching as the man ran off into the woods on a thin path. "I really don't trust ya buddy." She comments to herself as she stretches a little to kill time and work out the kinks of riding her bike all day.
It was probably fifteen minutes or so until she heard a noise aside from herself or the birds and insects. A small crack of a twig snapping.
BANG!
The rifle bullet was deflected off her left wrist bracelet and it was then that Shay stepped out of the bushes, several more bandits walking into the clearing to surround her, all of them carrying a variety of weapons from rifles and pistols to machetes and knives.
"Alright, now here's how it's gonna go. See, you own me for this tooth and you're gonna take your lumps. And we're gonna take everything ya got so just give up already to make it easy on ya."
The hefty blonde looks around at the enemies, not particularly impressed with what she had to face. "Is this everyone?"
"The whole camp? Ah hell no, they're back that way so there's no way you are leaving." Shay boasts as he brandishes his pistol. Said pistol having a small blade under the grip and it looked like it actually had wire holding the rest together. Something that made him stand out from the others with their own firearms.
"That way?" Yang points behind the scrawny man.
The bandits looked at each other in confusion, put off by her attitude. "Uh… yeah. That way." Shay confirms, pointing back over his shoulder with his free hand.
"Good to know."
"Alright, that's enough talking!" One of the female bandits yells, raising her rifle to aim.
Ember Celica deployed on both arms, making the bandits flinch as they found that their target wasn't as unarmed as they thought. A man with a short sword moved a bit closer and was halted by Hiryu Shoten activating to clad her arms in armor.
There was an uneasy silence between Yang and the bandits as neither wanted to make the first move. Finally, Shay had enough of the staredown and shot his gun, his target tilting her head out of the way. But that was enough for the others to move in.
The swordsman made it first and swung only for the golden metal to stop the steel easily and the other arm punched his face, sending him to the ground. The woman with the rifle squeezed the trigger twice, both shots missing as Yang spun away and towards the shooter. The blonde jumps and uses the prior spinning as momentum to kick the rifle from her hands and followed that with a roundhouse to the face on her way back to the ground.
Two more came at her with blades only for the hefty blonde to easily dodge the swings and stabs, countering with a jab to each in the solar plexus. One man held another rifle and squeezed the trigger to show that it was fully automatic, forcing Yang to raise her armored arms to tank the bullets off them and her aura as she charged him. His magazine clicked empty just before she reached him, and Yang kept her momentum going to ram him into the nearest tree.
A woman with an axe swung at Yang from behind, only to miss her head as the girl ducked to let the blade bury itself in the tree and barely avoid hitting the man as he slumped to the ground. Standing up straight, Yang grabs the woman's hand on the handle and holds both her and the weapon in place until an uppercut knocked out the bandit.
Then it was just Yang and Shay again and the man had his pistol aimed at her again. "I'm not going down without a fight!" He yells as his arm shook from anger and fear; he had just watched half a dozen of his fellow bandits being beaten easily by a girl who looked like she belonged on a couch stuffing her face.
Yang raised an eyebrow, as if to silently ask if there really was a fight here in the first place. That only spiked his anger and he fired, the bullet being intercepted by a golden gauntlet. As she walks towards him, the next round met the same fate as the last.
Click
It wasn't the sound of the gun out of ammunition but the weapon jamming. By then, Yang was almost within punching range and he made one quick attempt to unjam the gun by slamming it into his palm with no luck. So he resorted to swinging and hoping to take her out with the small blade.
It didn't have a chance to hit Yang as her arm moved far faster to punch him in the chest. Then it was to her amusement to watch as he ricocheted off trees and the ground, smashing the two she had left gasping for air into the ground, before she clotheslined him to stop the bouncing.
"That was barely entertaining at all. Kinda hoped for something better from a bunch of bandits." Yang comments as she dusts off her hands and looks over her weapons to see that the paint was slightly scuffed where the bullets had struck. "Gonna have to buff that out again."
Aura was a wonderful thing to keep yourself from harm, but it had limits. One of which being its reach, the reason why aura had to be channeled into weapons. And part of the reason many Huntsmen tended to wear the same clothes often as the chosen outfit would gradually absorb their aura, in a sense, that would help increase their durability just as the aura protects the one that makes it. And for Yang, her choice of weapons took advantage of those facts so that her aura helped to protect her weapons and her weapons served as armor themselves; meaning that her arms were effectively impossible to break through by most conventional means.
Unfortunately, taking advantage of those defensive properties limited her effective reach without using the shotguns built into the four weapons to just as far as her arms could reach. But that was also her preferred fighting style after going through a few basic weapons back in Signal.
Keeping an eye on the bandits, Yang walks back to Bumblebee and checks the map to see how long it might be until the rest of the team arrives. Judging by the indicating arrows, likely within the next ten minutes. Taking the weapons of the bandits killed the time well enough.
"Making some new friends?" Denko asks through the open window as he pulls up next to the bike.
"Hey babe! Come on over." It didn't take long for the three to be caught up on what happened.
"Looks like you got the best lead after all. Let's see how it turns out." Denko pats his girlfriend on the back.
"What are we gonna do with them?" Talon asks as she points to the bandits nursing their bruises near the treeline.
"They are gonna take us to their camp. Scrawny there seemed to know our girl pretty well and the others had the same reaction." Yang declares with her hands on her hips.
"Alright, let's get going. I'm guessing it's not far from here?" Denko asks as he waves for the bandits to stand.
"No, not too far." Shay replies as he limps away.
Yang and Denko walked with the bandits as Talon and Anya followed in the Scarab, Bumblebee attached to the back on a rack.
The camp itself was fortified yet was easily something that could be moved quickly. Surrounded by a wall of logs to keep Grimm and people out with a few raised lookout posts and a single gate for everyone to enter and exit through. Inside was filled with tents of varying sizes and conditions that were clustered around fire pits. Several wagons meant to haul supplies lined the walls, some filled with items and others empty.
But it was the number of people that were in the camp that was notable, easily over fifty, and they surrounded the four as they were escorted to the open area near the center of the camp, Scarab being parked just outside the gate with full security measures activated. But it was the large tent on its own platform that really drew attention with the red canvas and the steps needed to climb up to it.
A young woman who looked a lot like the girl they were looking for walked out from inside the tent before she walked to the side of the platform where a very tall and bulky man stood on the ground and still matched her eye level.
Then all conversations halted from the tribe as the tent flaps opened once more and out steps a woman garbed in black and dark red with a large helmet that resembles a Nevermore skull that masked her features from the world. A large barreled sheath with a sword hilt was attached to her hip.
And Denko could feel Yang grow tense next to him as both blondes recognized the woman.
—-
"What do you mean she hasn't arrived yet?!" Winter was furious, though thankfully it wasn't directed at General James Ironwood who was sitting across the desk from her.
"Winter, I'm concerned about the safety of your sister just as you are."
"Have you sent out a search party for her yet?"
"Not yet." He held up his hand to silence her this time, he'd let her vent enough for now. "As of this moment, I need the information from your investigation."
Farkas and Winter handed over their memory sticks and the General plugged one into his consol. It took him a few minutes to read through to the conclusion the team had come to so far, he'd have to go over the details later and get some techs to analyze the data and cross reference with what information was in Atlas.
"Now, speaking as your commanding officer I congratulate you for completing the mission that was assigned, Farkas Lupin. We will analyze your information and make our decision on our next step based on that."
"Thank you, Sir. And Weiss?"
Ironwood sighed as he looked at the screen displaying the collected data. "Our search for her will have to be done carefully, if what you found is true about Jacques. Using this information I'll have the reasonable suspicion capabilities to tap into his calls and a few other things. At the same time, I'll send out a search party to retrace the flight path of her Manta."
"Permission to join the search party?"
"Denied, Schnee. I'll need you here to help me deal with Jacques. You know him personally better than I do and you may find something that others may miss because of that.
"Permission to join the search party, sir?"
"Granted. Bring home your missing teammate, Farkas. Be prepared to leave in six hours. You are both dismissed."
In the elevator the two Specialists descended to the barracks to the level reserved for those of their ranks. The entire ride was filled with a heavy atmosphere with the heavy woman as the source.
"Winter? Are… um. Will you be okay?"
Blue eyes flashed a glare at the taller man before taking a deep breath to calm herself, "I'll… try. It's just that Weiss is the one person I care about more than anyone else."
"I understand, I feel the same about my brother and sister."
"Please find her, I don't know what I'll do."
Winter rarely expressed herself, showing little more than stoic or irritation to those around her. So for Farkas to see her openly worried and tears brimming in her eyes, he knew that someone with any lesser control of their emotions would be a wreck. And if she was like this just because Weiss was delayed or missing, he couldn't imagine how she'd handle things if she were told worse news or for it to happen with her nearby.
He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently, "C'mon, I'm the best tracker in the Ace Ops. Have a little trust in me… and your sister. She's a tough one and I'm sure she'll be back with you soon."
"Thank you, Farkas." The elevator stopped at their floor and she quickly wiped the tears away, she wanted to uphold her image at least in front of the others.
—-
Blake felt helpless right now. She sat next to Sun's bed as he lay there sleeping and held his hand.
They were in the small hospital that was in Kuo Kuana after Sun was brought here for treatment and required some surgery to close the wound. Thankfully it hadn't been very deep or large, though the blade had nicked his ribs. But it had been the shock that had been the real problem with his heart thrown out of rhythm and nearly stopped once.
She was just glad that he was saved, she had no idea what she'd do if Sun had been killed. First thoughts turned to hunting down Ilia, followed by anyone on the island who belonged to Adam's branch of the White Fang, then go after Adam himself with some sort of fail safe in place in case she couldn't kill him personally.
She knew the suicidal thoughts weren't good to have but the fact that they crossed her mind if she'd ever lose him… she knew that she'd fallen hard for him.
The heart monitor remained steady as he slept and it was everyone's hopes that he'd wake up soon since it had been a full day after the attack.
"Blake, you really should get some sleep." Her mother had silently entered the room to find that her daughter had barely moved in hours.
"I'm afraid to come back and not find him."
Kali could only sympathize with all of the times that Ghira had been in times of trouble, from fights with bandits to an assassination attempt. As much as she hated him in danger, the fact that he was the one telling her filled her with relief, no matter the injuries he may have sustained that time. The latest incident was the battle at the White Fang Palace, where she wound up with the far more serious injury than he did.
"Dear, do you really want to scare him with how you look now?" The mother gently teases as she gets a good look at Blake with the red, swollen eyes, her makeup smeared and tears having left their marks. That's not including the deep dark circles from the lack of sleep and the fact that she had yet to bathe since before the incident with Ilia.
Blake leveled a glare at her mother but the parents' impish stare was unrelenting and the younger cat eventually gave in. "Fine."
"Good girl. I'll stay here for you in case he wakes up."
With one last look at Sun and running her hand through his hair, Blake left the hospital and went home for a hot shower. There, she saw plenty of guards around the mansion, just like there were more patrols in town that included a few civilian volunteers.
In the office, Ghira, and Sienna were going through all of the paperwork and records to see if anything was missing while Itazura dug into the recovered scroll for all of the information she could pull out of it.
The shower, no matter how refreshing it was, felt a bit empty without the possibility of having an extra pair of hands to assist. Though to be fair, she did see her helping Sun for a bit as he healed. That gave her something to look forward to calm her as things with Adam's splinter group heated up.
Dressed and feeling better, Blake returned to the hospital room to find her mother reading a book and Sun still sleeping.
"You know, I don't think he'd mind if you lay down with him. Might help him stay relaxed."
"M-mom!"
"You know what I mean." Kali marks her page and sets the book on the table. "I don't expect you to be doing anything like you normally do when you share a bed. You need to let his heart have a break from that excitement."
Blake wished she could just curl up in a ball and shrink away from sheer embarrassment. She settled with her face flushing bright red and dropping into a fetal position.
"Please, you're too big for me to just pick up and hold anymore, you'll be twenty in a few months."
"It's half a year until my birthday." Blake mumbles through her arms.
"Same thing." Kali dismisses with a wave of her hand as she retrieves her book. "Just so you know, the nurse stopped by while you were out and gave him a checkup. All good considering the circumstances."
"Wait, you're going home?"
"It's been a long day for all of us. This was my break from coordinating the search for Ilia. We have increased security at the docks and we're pretty sure there's few who would keep her hidden after this."
"Mom… I don't know what I'll do if I see her again."
"No doubt it will not be something good."
"Most likely. I… I just don't understand why she'd do this! We were friends! We trusted her! She helped us with the fight at the Palace! She was there for everything with the school and tower!"
"I know that." Blake was enveloped in a hug that she readily returned. "We'll find her and get our answers soon enough. For now, you focus on him and let me take care of Ilia."
"Thanks mom. I love you."
"I love you two too."
"Really?!"
"Yep! Good night, keep him warm and safe." With that last round of embarrassing her daughter, Kali left the room to do one final update on the search for Ilia before she turned in for the night.
That left Blake alone with her boyfriend and it didn't take long for her mother's suggestion to come to mind. And with exhaustion quickly making itself known and she wanted some cuddles.
Carefully sliding Sun over, she lay down on his right side so she wouldn't accidentally put pressure on his injury on his left side. The bed wasn't meant for two, let alone for her size, so spooned him as best she could to save space. Hopefully she wouldn't roll and fall on the floor.
—-
"You've done well, Sister Ilia."
"Yes, you removed one of the biggest obstacles in our way."
"Our path to victory has been guaranteed to succeed."
"For now, stay within our compound until it is time to act."
"Everything has been done for the good of the Faunus." Corsac gives her a wide smile in his office.
"For the good of the good of the Faunus." Ilia repeats as she rises from her kneeling position. With the meeting over, she returns to her room on the far side of the compound.
The room was dark and she didn't feel like turning the lights on, her natural night vision letting her see from the window on the opposite side.
A ringing came from her pocket and she pulled out her scroll. The caller ID had UNKNOWN across a shadowed head and shoulders.
"Hello?" There was none of her usual confidence, not after what happened yesterday.
"Good evening, it seems your mission tonight was completely successful." The voice was heavily modified so she couldn't tell if the speaker was a man or woman.
"What do you want? Haven't I done enough?"
"No you haven't. You've only just begun. You know the rest of the plan and I expect you to finish the entirety of the mission. Otherwise, I will release your deepest secrets to to those 'best suited' to receive them." The caller tells her and the threat made the girl turn white in fear.
"Fine. Fine! I'll get it done! How long do I have?" Her colors faded back to normal as she spoke
"You know exactly how long you have to do your part. You may have some blood on your hands because of my plan, but there will be a sea of blood if you don't follow my orders."
"I-I'll get it done."
"Very good. I look forward to seeing the results. Once that is done, I will uphold my end of the bargain."
"You better." With those final words, Ilia heard a click; the call was over but she had work to do.
AN: And there we have it! Some fights, some love, a heaping helping of mystery and suspense. And there's not much that I want to say that may spoil things for the next chapter. So, until next time I hope you all stay safe, have enjoyed the series, and reviews are welcome.