Outcasts and Outlaws
Volume 2, Chapter 17
Team Kalos Departs
Update on where I've currently written up to: Almost finished writing the second to last chapter of volume 5. Oh my god it that one turning out well. Can't wait to post it. Anyway, here's the finale of Volume 2!
Opening Music: http/youtu.be/iOsN2FP3-l4
[FMA Brotherhood OP 3]
(Shows Connor with his back to the camera)
Masshiro na keshiki
(He raises his arm into the air)
ni ima
(He clenches his metal hand into a fist)
saso
(Shows Kane)
warete!
(Shows Connor in front of beacon with his arm reaching up)
Boku wa yuku yo mada minu sekai e!
OUTCASTS AND OUTLAWS. (Shows the silver bear pendant around Connor's neck swinging) Maigo no mama
(Shows Connor's eyepatch in his hand)
tabi shiteta!
(Shows Connor and Kane sitting back to back in the ruins of Connor's hometown)
Nezumi iro no sora no shita! (Connor and Kane stand up as light hits the ruins)
Hikariwari ohizu ikutsumo no yume ga nijinde ita!
(Shows Ruby smiling with her hands held together)
Itsuka wa sa!
(Shows Jim stood on the Beacon Balcony)
Chippoke na boku no kono hohaba demo!
(Shows Yang)
Ano
(Shows Ren)
Kumo
(Shows Nora) no mukou
(Shows Pyrhaa)
made
(Shows Doctor Brian)
yukeru (Shows Ozpin)
ka na!
(Shows Connor)
Tsugyotte
(Shows Mars)
kizu tsu ita!
(Shows Connor and Mars outside Beacon)
Kokoro sukashita you ni!
(Shows Connor getting dragged away by Murlough's dark clouds) Furidashita
(Shows Ruby sitting next to Connor's hospital bed)
amastu
(Shows Murlough in front of the bodies of Connor's parents) butachi ga!
(Shows Brook and Damien holding the Kalos Crystal)
Ranh
(Shows Murlough covered in dark clouds)
ansha
(Shows Damien pull out his guns) kurikaesu!
(Shows Connor hit the ground with light on his hands and cause a tremor)
Massugu na
(Brook runs across the tremor) hikari
(Connor starts fighting Brook)
ga kousashite!
(Shows Kane fire off a barrage of dark clouds)
Yukusaki mo
(Shows Murlough run through the clouds)
tsugenu mama!
(Shows Jim fighting off Grimm with his boomerang)
Doko made mo tsukinukeru! (Shows Mars in a sword fight with Damien)
Awai zanzou ryoume ni yakitsukete! (Shows Murlough lunging forward with his blade covered in black clouds)
Kono sora no shita
(Shows Connor lunging forward with his metal hand glowing with light)
donna toko ni ite mo!
(Connor and Murlough hit each other, creating a flash of light) (Connor puts his eyepatch on) Toduku hazu nan
(Shows Connor and Ruby walking into Beacon)
da minu sekai e!
OUTCASTS AND OUTLAWS V2
In the aftermath of the battle, countless medics had rushed into the hall to see to the wounded. No students had been seriously injured, but there were some wounds that needed tending.
In the middle of all the ruckus, Ozpin stood speaking to Connor, whilst Ruby clung to his arm. "According to Team JNPR, after the smoke bomb the two of them disappeared."
"Hmm...that may present a problem, especially since they are still in possession of the Kalos Crystal." Ozpin commented, then dipped his coffee. Even in this situation, he couldn't leave his cuppa behind. "Although I have information that may interest you. I have reports from some members of staff that Brook was seen running down the cliff behind Beacon, headed for the old factory that used to generate power for the entire building."
"He's still here?" Connor exclaimed, eager to find him and teach him a lesson. "Behind Beacon, old factory, got it!" He then muttered to himself before rushing off towards the back entrance, katana in hand.
Ruby immediately gave chase, not wanting him to fight on his own, but was briefly delayed by a word from Ozpin. "Miss Rose." He told her. "If you do follow him, please do not place yourself in the line of fire again. He worries about you greatly."
With that thought swimming around in her mind, Ruby set off after Connor, not knowing if she was going to help him fight or just cheer him on.
Connor slid down the side of the rocky cliff, grinding on stone and jumping from one spike to another, gradually making his way down to the old factory. He saw it now from where he was, the rusted metal frame of it, and the polluted desert land around it which he assumed was the reason for it being shut down. The factory was actually no more than a series of rusty brass pipes hooked up to a central generator, that was now covered in dust and cobwebs. The pipes extended up in the direction of Beacon, but cut off before reaching the cliff.
Connor soon hit the dirt, throwing up dust clouds at his feet. The smell of oil filled the air, almost making him gag. Ignoring the stench, he began to look around for Brook, and quickly found him. He was crouching in the middle of an entanglement of pipes, where there was a small clearing, but big enough for a fight. Connor took a step forward and Brook heard it, twisting round and standing up. Once he saw Connor he began to chuckle to himself.
"Oh, here we are at last, just the two of us." He said in between his chuckles. "Master Damien thought I couldn't do it, left me to die for my failure! He was very mad, he was! Very mad!"
Connor stood and glared at Brook as he continued to mumble to himself. He always been a little potty, but something had driven him over the edge now, he's gone completely insane. He was laughing and muttering to himself, probably thinking Connor couldn't hear him.
"The goddamn war! Ha ha!" He shouted, still somehow unaware that he was speaking aloud, and still laughing between sentences. "So long I've fought, I lost my purpose, I forgot what I've been fighting for! I've tipped over the edge, I'm gone completely barmy!"
Brook continued to mutter to himself. Inside he knew he'd gone insane, but he couldn't control his insanity. Judging from what he was saying Connor deduced that the civil war had taken its toll on his mind, like shell shock. Deciding it was time to put an end to it, Connor extended his katana towards the madman. Brook saw this and snapped out of his trance. Even in his insanity, he knew danger when he saw it.
Brook lunged out at Connor with his hooks, who blocked with his katana and tried to circle around behind Brook. Brook kept facing him however, drool beginning to drip from his mouth, out of his control.
It was then that Ruby landed in front of the two, after sliding down the side of the cliff herself. She stared in fear at what had become of Brook, his raging eyes, his snarling, primitive face. It was like he's devolved into a caveman. Brook saw the easier prey just as lion would to a zebra and lunged at Ruby maliciously.
He was stopped abrupt when Connor grabbed him by the neck from behind and drove the blade of his katana through his back and out of his chest. He then pulled it out roughly and let Brook fall to the ground as he rushed over to stand protectively in front of Ruby. Brook lay on the ground, looking at his hook hands in front of his face, and then his eyes filled with fear. Fear at what monstrosities were on his hands. He saw himself a monster.
Thinking he was the monster coming to kill him, he began ferociously digging his hooks into his body, digging into his chest and belly. Connor covered Ruby with his back so she wouldn't see Brook ripping chunks of flesh out of his own body, exposing ribs and organs. It didn't take long for him to pierce his own heart with one of the hooks, and after a long drawn out last breath, he died.
As Connor looked down at the body of his dead enemy, many thoughts flashed through his mind. He was glad that he protected Ruby from him, so much so that he didn't see this as a murder. He saw it as self defence. He wanted to believe that, that he had done what he did to protect Ruby, he wanted to protect her forever.
"I want to protect her forever."
Connor turned round to face Ruby, who was still horrified at what she just saw, and put a hand on her shoulder. That made her jump as she snapped out of whatever bloody trance she had been in, and looked Connor in the eye.
"Ruby...you were the first person to be there for me all that time ago. You were the first person to stick by my side and fully trust me. I adored you for that, I fell in love with you because of it." Connor said to Ruby. "Then every time you were in danger, I didn't hesitate to put my life on the line to protect you. I've lost two eyes and a hand for you, but I don't regret that one bit. I made protecting you the priority all those times, and I'd do it again, I want to protect you forever, for the rest of our lives. I'll dedicate my life to protecting you."
Ruby then felt tears well up in her eyes as she watched Connor hold onto her hands and go down on one knee, then mutter the ever fateful words, "Ruby, marry me."
Two hours later Connor, Jim, Kane and Mars all stood in Ozpins office. Ozpin himself sat behind his desk, which was loaded with important papers. He took a sip of his coffee and then set it aside, a sign that something truly important was on his mind.
"As you know, Damien is still loose on the world and is now in possession of the Kalos Crystal. If he uses it, chaos could ensue. You four all have experience fighting alongside each other and against Damien himself. Ozpin began, then looked and Connor, sighed and continued. "I hate to task you all with this, especially you Connor, since you and Miss Rose are now...closer than before let's say. However you are all the best men for the job, and so I hereby decree that on this day, you are Team Kalos. Your first mission, go out and find Damien. Defeat him and retrieve the Kalos Crystal, then return to Beacon alive. For the two of you who are currently studying here, it will unfortunately interrupt those studies, as the mission may take days, weeks or months to complete. It all depends on how easy Damien makes himself to find. Anyway, now that you know the contents of the mission, do you accept?"
Another two hours passed, and Team Kalos were all stood just outside the entrance to Beacon. Mars, Jim and Kane stood by the airship that would take them into the city as Connor stood a ways in front of them with Ruby.
"...How long will you be gone for?" Ruby asked solemnly.
"A few months at most." Connor replied just as solemnly, neither of them wanted to say goodbye. "I'll miss you, Rubes."
Tears welling up in her eyes again, Ruby rubbed her sleeve across her face and shakily replied, "I'll miss you too!" She then felt a few tears roll down her cheeks, unable to hold them back.
"Hey, it'll be ok." Connor comforted. "I promise I'll be as quick as I can."
"It's just...you've only just asked me to...and you've got to go..."
"I'll marry you when I get back."
Ruby looked up wiped away her tears, smiling cutely at Connor. "You promise?"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world."
"Connor! Come on! Pilots getting impatient!" Jim yelled at him from afar, urging him to hurry up his goodbye.
"I'll be there in a minute!" Connor yelled back, annoyed at his friend for rushing him. He then calmed down however, when Ruby grabbed him, then pulled him in close and kissed him. When she pulled away, Connor saw that she was blushing. Even though they'd kissed before, she was still shy. "When I come back I'll be a man worthy of protecting you, even Yang won't be able to say otherwise!"
The two of them then shared a smile and with that Connor turned around and began to walk towards his newly official teammates. Ruby held back tears, trying to be as happy as she could for him, thinking of the day when he would return and take her hand.
Then the four of them boarded the airship, and waved goodbye to Ruby and to Beacon, eagerly anticipating the day that Team Kalos would return.
Ending Music: (Special flashback to start of volume 2, this is the first Volume 2 Opening Music) http/youtu.be/W07UEQopVqw
[Naruto ED 32]
Will Team Kalos defeat Damien and retrieve the Kalos Crystal? Will Connor and Ruby get married? What other evil lurks in the shadows? Volume 3 coming soon! Follow me to get a notification when it's posted!