A team too LARJ

by Johno 343

This is a story about a team of four students at Beacon Academy and their adventures. Life at beacon is about to get interesting. With RWBY and JNPR along for the ride, it's certainly isn't going to be normal. Their past, growth and trials will shape these characters to become great hunters/tresses. This is the story of team LARJ.

13. Chapter 13

Hey Everyone! Johno 343 is back with a new Chapter, this continues the first mission, and it's been handled by my buddy BugDevil, so all credit go towards to him!

Have fun reading guys!

---

Arc 3: Re-start, Chapter 13: Cult

Beacon Academy, Gymnasium – Many hours ago

It was a sunny day at Beacon like always and the students were lazily sitting through their last lectures before semester break. The general mood was filled with unrest and a wish to get to the promised free time already. In this utterly unproductive atmosphere one team resisted the populous' collective mind and did the unthinkable: Training.

"I don't get it, why are we doing this again Anto?" Jasna complained from her elevated position.

"That, dear Jasna, is because I read in a book about team-work that this is foolproof workout to increase our bonds." He explained calmly again, albeit a little out of breath.

"Come on, if Alex and I were bond any tighter we would be conjoined twins!" The short-haired brawler boasted.

"..." Alexandra who was standing next to her made a complicated expression.

"How are you holding out Kirk?" The leader of AKJA whispered towards his comrade in suffering.

"O-ka...y..." He put up a brave face. Antonio nodded in sympathy.

"Alright I think we have been in this position for long enough, let's switch." The well dressed hunter said.

"No way, it's pretty comfy up here. Us girls have to bond some more!"

"Didn't you just complain about it?" Antonio barely managed his standard smile.

"Cry me a river. This was your idea, so you get to carry the burden." Jasna gave him one of her very Jasna-like smiles.

The two boys sighed.

To explain the situation it would be appropriate to go back about an hour. Antonio Chessa was a man of vast reading. To compensate for his general lack of motivation and ability as a leader he had been urging everyone to do teamwork improving exercises. With little results one might add, but as long as Ozpin didn't go on his case again he would gladly do these everyday. And looking back, he at least managed to bring Alexandra back from her unresponsive mood and prevented Jasna from 'punishing' Kirk too harshly anymore.

One of the many suggestions in the books was to do team gymnastics. Human pyramids and other formations of the sort for example. Now clearly he had overestimated the girls', especially Jasna's, shyness. He thought they would not want to go into any 'strange' or complicated positions, but he was soon taught otherwise. After roughly 30 minutes they had gone through almost every position in the book and at all times the girls were on top and the boys had to carry their weight and go into the awkward positions.

One such position was this one where they were holding a huge log on their shoulders (Kirk's shoulder was so low that Antonio had to kneel down just to be on the same height) and the girls balance on it with one foot each while holding each other's hands to counter the weight.

Basically the only one profiting from all this was a certain tomboy, who still had the gall to complain even so.

"I believe Kirk's shoulder will give in soon." Antonio warned the two above.

"Don't be so weak pipsqueak. I don't want to let go of this... sensation of bonding."

'The only thing you don't want to let go is Ms. Wilfred's hand...' He knew his old friend all too well. Looking at the small guy Antonio noticed that he was shivering and his eyes were going blank.

In that moment of impending doom somebody else made their appearance.

"Kirk! I just saw something really cool and you have to come. Bring the camera too- eh?" Jaune Arc made his appearance in the gym and looked at the startling picture. Seeing team AKJA in their gym clothes performing weird gymnastics could startle a person.

This was the trigger for the turquoise haired boy to faint. He had been focusing his mind solely on keeping the balance, but Jaune distracted him.

"What a sha-" Antonio didn't manage to finish his sentence.

The sound of a crashing human formation could be heard throughout the gym.

---

A few minutes later they had left the hall, now accompanied by Jaune.

"Sorry about that. I didn't know about your special training." He rubbed his head with an apologetic expression.

Antonio nodded understandingly. It looked not as graceful as usual with both of his cheeks swollen brightly red.

When the structure tumbled down for some reason Alexandra managed to land on his face... butt first. That was truly a miracle considering she was balancing on the other side above Kirk and was leaning even further away from him. Needless to say that he got slapped hard by her.

"This man! Always sees me in embarrassing situations..." She mumbled angrily while walking ahead.

Right after that he got a second slap from Jasna for good measure.

"Only I can bend the laws of physics to make Alex land on my face!" She said angrily while sprinting after the black-haired beauty.

"Sorry." Kirk apologized again. He seemed exhausted.

"Don't worry about it. It's impossible for Ms. Wilfred to hate me more than she already did. And Jasna will forget about this in about 20 minutes."

"You guys have it rough." Jaune crossed his arms and tilted his head.

"How is your team faring? I'm just asking from leader to leader."

"Uhm... I can't complain? Pyrrha is helping me with my training, n-not that I need that much help of course! It's kind of a sparring for both of us to keep in shape." He tried to give a reassuring smile. "Nora is... how should I put this...?"

"Nora."

"Exactly! Then there is Ren. I really like our deep conversations. He is a real chatterbox."

"R-really?" Antonio stared at Jaune with a wry smile. He didn't have much contact with Lie Ren, but from his experience he was far from talkative.

The three hunters reached the main building and stopped.

"Jaune?" Kirk said.

"Oh right! The thing I want to show you... well it can wait." He said while glancing at Antonio. "By the way has either of you seen Weiss around?"

"Not that I can remember. In fact I have not seen a single member of team RWBY today." Antonio cupped his chin in wonder. "Why do you ask? Do you need something from her?"

"N-not really. I just.. wanted to see her. It feels weird when she is not around... y-you know I am just worried- Not because of anything special, just... worried." Jaune stumbled over his own tongue.

Antonio raised a brow knowingly.

"Vale." Kirk suddenly said.

"Huh?"

"Saw Ruby go to Vale." Kirk repeated. "Weiss is probably with her?" His beautiful eyes looked up from behind his sweaty hair that was hanging down his face.

"That's weird, haven't they been to Vale just yesterday?" Jaune looked full of thought.

"Do you want to check it out?" Antonio put one arm on his hip and leaned back.

"Ah that's okay. I am not too worried. What's the worst that could happen?" Jaune laughed.

The three of them walked into the main hall and split up.

---

Roxford Village, Outskirts - Present

The campfire was slowly burning down. It's light was much smaller than at the beginning already. Riza threw in another piece of wood, which hit the pile with a crackling sound as it caught on fire instantly.

"What are you going to do to her?" She asked with a stiff voice. Her eyes were focused on the shivering girl bound to a tree not too far away.

"Press her for information." Maryjane answered without delay.

"I don't like this. We can't just kidnap people!"

"...the village is deep into something bad. Tahli told me that they were almost attacked. It is crucial to question her."

"Still! Don't hurt her." The fox faunus' sense of righteousness was strong.

"I make no promises." Maryjane closed her eyes and stayed rigid like a wall.

"Now now, Jane. Don't be a grumpy pug. Leave the questioning to me and the Mayhiro boy, alright?" Tahli had appeared and patted her friends shoulder. "Don't worry too much sweety pie. We aren't the monsters here ~" She winked at Riza and walked towards the tree. Akashi and Juge followed behind.

The three of them surrounded the girl and got into position.

"W-what are you going to do to me!? Please let me go! I won't tell anything!" The girl was close to losing her mind at this point. She was scared of them... but there was more.

"We just want to ask you about the truck and the accident yesterday. Your people must have known about it, right?" Akashi gave his best to sound nice and comforting.

"NO!" The girl struggled in her bound position.

The two boys shrugged at each other, but Tahli closed in on her instead.

"Listen girly, we are not as nice as this boy makes it look. We will do anything to complete our mission. And if you aren't going to spill the beans we will just use you as a hostage against the other villagers." Her smile was genuinely scary.

"...!" The girl got tears in her eyes and looked like she was going to wail, but she managed to say something. "They won't..."

"Come again?"

"They won't say anything! Even if you threaten to k-kill me. It would break the second rule..." She looked deeply vulnerable.

"Rule? What do you mean by that?" Juge asked in a neutral voice.

"I already said too much! If you sick people will kill me anyway... just do it already! I am dead either way...!" Tears were trickling down her face.

Tahli grabbed the binding rope and made it tighter. The girl cried out in pain.

"Death is not the worst thing that can happen to you, sweety. Tell us about those rules."

"Come on Tahli, that's too much!" Akashi intervened vehemently. He loosened the ropes and even freed the girl.

"Aren't you benevolent, sugar?" The veteran huntress looked at him in amusement.

"She can't run away anyway." Juge said without taking either side.

"That's right. No need to hurt her."

"Keh. If you think you can make her talk... go ahead." The huntress raised her arms and just watched. Still she was playing with a knife while doing so.

The girl had sank down the tree and was shivering, looking back and forth between the strangers. Her eyes stayed on Akashi who was crouching down next to her and smiled.

"Please... let me go..." She sniffled.

"Sorry, but we really need to know what's going on." Akashi apologized.

"I can't tell you!" She repeated.

"Hah! What a joke!" Tahli glared at her. The girl jerked back.

"Uhm... how about you tell us your name first?" The young Mayhiro tried to ease her worries.

"..." The girl stayed quiet. After looking back and forth between the three of them she leaned closer to Akashi. "My name is Aria." She whispered with a downcast expression.

"Aria... I like it." Akashi said. "It's a cute name."

The girl averted her eyes.

"Tell us about these rules, Aria." Juge said calmly. He didn't sound as nice as Akashi, but he didn't glare at her either.

"They will..." Her voice faded.

"You are going to die if you tell us? And you probably expect us to kill you if you don't cooperate." Tahli said without mercy.

"But if you tell us we will put you under protection!" Akashi cut in. "We won't let them touch you and I will make sure that nothing happens to you either." He glared at Tahli.

Now Aria was looking torn.

"What use do rules have if they are not spread? Why would they kill you for spreading the law?" Juge asked.

"... It's... complicated." She was biting her nail. "Y-you won't hurt me?"

"I promise." Akashi gave her a sincere smile.

She looked long and hard at him... and then nodded.

"There are three rules that have to be followed. Disobeying them means death by sacrifice." She folded her hands in fear. "The first rule is that 'One sacrifice shall be chosen at the end of each cycle to appease the Great One.'"

"The 'great one'?" Juge raised a brow.

The girl shook her head.

"The second rule is 'Do not speak about the sacrifice to anyone.'!"

"They are running a tight ship here." Tahli looked bored. "Go on or I might lose my patience."

"T-the third rule is to 'Never enter the Swamps of Depravation, lest thou shall become a sacrifice as well'."

"Swamps of..." Juge mumbled. Just who named these landmarks? This person really tried their hardest to make the place look evil.

"Th-that's all I can say..." The girl named Aria was hugging her legs and holding back the tears.

"This sacrifice... am I right for assuming it's a living sacrifice? The rules do state that one will be sacrificed if they disobey." Juge deduced.

Aria shook her head and stayed quiet.

"Can't speak about it, huh?" Akashi looked apologetic.

"Well munchkin, it's a little late for that." Tahli had returned to sitting right next to her and grabbed Aria's head. "Now that you told us about the rules you already have broken them. You are dead when you return to the village."

Aria's eyes widened in shock.

"Like I said!" Akashi pushed Tahli's hand away. "We will protect you. There is an air-ship waiting for us outside the village once we give it a signal. I promise we will get you out of here if you want. But in exchange please tell us all you know."

"You don't have a choice though." The dirt-blonde woman added meaningfully.

"I-I... but..." The orange-haired girl was about to cry again.

"I can already assume that the ritual includes human sacrifices by the rules alone. Now the question is who is this 'great one' and why does he demand sacrifices. This seems to be some sort of cult." Juge used the information they already got. "And those swamps are their base of operation."

The girl was uneasy, but she didn't object.

"If they kill people then we can't ignore it. Please tell us more." Akashi looked serious.

"I don't know who the 'Great One' is. Those are just the rules... My father asked too much and he... he disappeared..." She couldn't bring herself to say what happened to him.

"Are you living by yourself now?" Akashi asked shocked.

"No... my aunt is taking care of me... but she is very strict about the rules and she knows the mayor well."

"The mayor... can I assume that he is the leader of the cult inside the village?"

Aria nodded.

"Looks like we got to pay that guy a little visit ~" Tahli said with a smile. Then she walked over to the girl and moved her hand towards her. With the glow of the camp-fire behind her expression was hidden in shadows.

"...!" Aria sank to her knees and put her arms over her head in fear.

But the blonde huntress just patted her shoulder and looked guilty.

"Sorry 'bout that, darling. I drew the short stick this time."

"...eh?" The girl looked perplexed.

"And that guy could play prince charming all he wanted too." She pointed her thumb at the brown-haired hunter.

"Aha...haha..." Akashi scratched his cheek with his index finger.

"Good going with the neutral stance Jugey ~"

"...I just acted like I normally would." He said with a frown.

"Eh? What...?" Aria still didn't understand.

"We played good cop, bad cop plus one neutral guy. I would never threaten a cutie like you, sweat pea." Tahli threw one arm around her and smiled friendly. She softly rubbed the spot on Aria's arms that had been hurt by the tightened rope. "Truly, I'm sorry."

"We were never going to hurt you." Juge added.

"It was all a bluff." Akashi raised his hands and shrugged.

Aria's eyes widened and like a volcano close to eruption her body started rumbling.

"YOU JERKS!" She exploded and puffed her cheeks.

---

Vale City – A few hours earlier

At a certain cafe three faunus were having drinks. Two of them were listening to the story of the black-haired girl who was hiding her cat ears underneath a bow. After she ended her story Sun, a monkey faunus, asked her a question.

"Have you told any of this to your friends?"

Blake looked down in discomfort.

"I have not. They wouldn't understand. Especially that heiress. In her eyes all faunus are thieves and criminals."

"This may sound really weird coming from me, but she sounds pretty prejudiced." Sun said. He was probably talking about being a stowaway and small-time thief himself.

"You have no idea."

"Ho. Is that so." Reiko Utage who was sitting very low on the chair that was created for bigger people was barely visible.

"You sure that you don't want a pillow or something to elevate yourself? You are so sma-AIEE!" A fan hit him in the face.

"It's not my fault that these chairs are made for giants. Mind your manners monkey boy."

"Yes ma'am..."

"Will you try to bring me back to Beacon now?" Blake asked still looking into her cup.

"No."

""Hah?!"" The two teens looked surprised.

"I was supposed to check up on you and see if you are alright. Now that it is confirmed I don't have any business with you. Your story is not very unique either. The same thing happened to a bunch of people." Reiko stood up, which didn't increase her height at all. Her pink hair was rustling and then her kitty ears showed.

She looked at Blake and grinned. "You said that you didn't tell anyone about it, but I am sure that some of them have already guessed the truth."

"...possibly." Blake finished her coffee. "I think Riza already knows."

"She knows you better than any of us. And you told her about your friends in the White Fang, so it's pretty obvious." She nodded. "But don't you think your own team also knows by now?"

"Why do you think that?" Blake blinked.

"That Ruby girl isn't stupid. Same goes for Ms. Schnee." Reiko shrugged. Then without another word she spun around and walked out of the cafe.

"H-hey! Aren't you going to pay?" Sun yelled after her.

"Consider it payment for keeping my mouth shut. Don't get into trouble, because I don't feel like fixing someone with such a silly face up." She waved goodbye without looking back.

"She is so not cute." Sun said while leaning his head on his arm.

"Maybe... she is trying to be considerate." Blake looked after her. "...let's go."

"Right behind you ~" The two of them also stood up and left to talk about their plans for the White Fang.

---

Roxford Village, Outskirts – Present

Now everyone was sitting back at the fire, including Aria. She was clad in her green hood and hid her face behind it. The food in front of her was untouched.

"You guys are really weird. Was that necessary?" Riza said with a sigh.

"Better us than Jane, that much I can tell you plum-pudding."

'Her nicknames are getting worse...'

Maryjane was just sitting on her knees with a straight back and stared at the flames. Her tight outfit was giving of an even stronger contrast between light and shadow.

"So we have to find Mr. Mayor ~?" Lucy started the meeting.

"He's the cult leader... or at least that's what Aria believes." Juge confirmed.

"Human sacrifices? That's just messed up!" Riza looked disgusted. "This 'Great One' must be some psychotic serial killer. Why the hell would the villagers support him?"

Aria winced and hid her head between her legs.

"Ah! I... I mean not everyone wants to... you don't have a choice after all..." She raised her hand, but let it sink down again. She didn't know how to comfort the lonely girl.

Tahli and Akashi looked sad.

"So can we assume that Mario was supposed to be this 'cycle's' sacrifice?" Juge finally asked what everyone thought.

The hooded girl nodded.

"The man in the truck came by here the day before yesterday. The mayor told him the fastest route through the swamps... but... but..."

"Those were the Swamps of Depravation."

"But it didn't go as planned... the committee was mad because the sacrifice escaped... and they had to choose someone from inside the village as a replacement." Aria raised her head. "It could have been me too."

Her expression was like a hit in the stomach. It hurt.

"They are sacrificing outsiders and traitors... to protect themselves?" Juge closed his eyes in thought.

"Sounds desperate to me." Maryjane said.

"Then maybe they really are just scared of the 'Great One' and they don't really want to support him."

"That doesn't justify their actions." Riza gritted her teeth and even Lucy nodded.

In that moment Tahli stood up and looked at her scroll. Her facial expression said 'You won't like this.'

"The coordinates?" Maryjane asked perceptively. Tahli nodded.

"What are you talking about?" Akashi looked at them.

"Mario gave us the black box. It has captured the whole route and all information that the truck took on the trip. With this we can locate the cargo and the place of the accident." Her face looked grim.

"Could it be...?"

"It's in the Swamps of Depravation."

Shadows laid on everyone's faces. The silence was oppressive.

"Time to bust the mayor's kneecaps and get some info ~" Lucy had stood up and declared this cheerfully. Everyone looked at her in surprise.

"If our leader says so." Juge got up and stretched.

"Right behind you. My Black Eclipse is perfect for support."

"You are so full of spirit it makes me jealous, hun-buns ~" Tahli pulled Maryjane's arm and raised it for a cheer. "Let's go!"

"..." The blue-clad huntress' expression was slightly annoyed.

---

Roxford Village, Town hall

Juge, Riza and Maryjane were positioned behind a house close to the Town Hall. It was extremely dark, because the moon was mostly hidden behind clouds. The date had already changed, so it was almost certain that everyone had gone to sleep. The lights were out in almost every building too.

A crackling sound came from the communicator in Mary's ear.

"Are you in position?"

"Affirmative. You?"

"...we are on the roof of the store on the opposite street. I can see everything through my scope." Tahli and Akashi had positioned themselves on a sniping spot to give support.

Another call interfered.

"I don't like thisssss ~" Lucy cried into the conversation.

"Sorry honey, but your friends said you are the fastest in the bunch. Being a decoy has its perks to, you know? You become instantly popular with the crowd! Everybody wants a piece of you." Tahli laughed.

"Lucy... just run away as soon as they come for you. I know you can do it!" Riza gave her a virtual thumbs up.

Munching sounds could be heard.

"Are you eating pocky again?!"

Gulping sounds.

"No?"

"Just distract them already, decoy!"

"Riza is angry... ~" They could hear something loud crashing in the other part of the village and then it got even louder. Lights went on and people were entering the streets. Luckily that was all happening in the southern part of the village, far enough away from the Town Hall.

The distraction was only supposed to divide the cult's forces. They would use this opportunity to surprise the mayor in his quarters. But even when the commotion was somewhere else...

A man came running towards the Town Hall. He was probably a messenger, with the job to inform the mayor of the intruders. Tahli pulled out a certain bullet from her jacket pocket, spun it between her fingers and inserted it into her rifle without even looking. It clicked and then her eye was already looking through the scope. The cross-hair was focused on the man's neck.

She pulled the trigger.

"Wait, you can't just kill him-" Akashi looked shocked at Tahli's ruthlessness. When they looked at the running man getting hit and pulling out something from his neck Akashi realized what happened. The messenger was wavering and then he fell to the floor. He was knocked out by a tranquilizer.

"Don't worry, I won't kill anyone. For all we know they are being forced into this." She reassured her partner.

Now that the messenger was out cold they could storm the building quietly.

"Even if they don't get informed immediately they will find out soon enough. We need to hurry inside." Juge said. "I suggest we go through the back do-" Before he could even finish his sentence Maryjane advanced towards the main door.

"Huh?" Riza and Juge looked after and then proceeded to run. They couldn't get split up now.

Maryjane stopped in front of the entrance, skidding over the pavement from her speed and then prepared her fists. She took one deep breath with closed eyes and then in one fluid motion hit the gate with the palm of her hand. Her gloves were glowing in a dark blue and her stance was strongly grounded. On contact with the old wooden gate the force was released and like that, the door was flung out of it's place as if a truck had just broken through. Bits and pieces of wood were flying everywhere and the floor under Maryjane made cracking sounds as she was pushed back slightly through the solid concrete.

"Unbelievable...!" Riza muttered. They had kept their distance after noticing the glowing gloves. This strength was superhuman! If a person had been hit with that they would have been smashed apart.

They walked to the entrance and saw the gate flung all the way to the end of the hall.

"Sorry for the intrusion." Mary said coolly as she proceeded to enter...

… and got her outfit stuck on a piece of splintered wood. She noticed it too late and a big rip appeared in the side of her skintight outfit. She looked at it and fumbled around trying to get the stuck part out and then fell on her behind when it gave in.

Akashi and Tahli saw everything from up the roof. "I have noticed this before, but could it be..." Akashi smiled wryly. "Is Maryjane a clumsy person?"

"You have no idea, sugar." Tahli could barely contain her laughter.

---

On the other end of the village a girl with a red ponytail was running for her life. The villagers did notice her destroying the huge water-cooler on top of the roof and the electric fuse-box on the wall of the department store. The explosions were loud enough, but the alarm that went off was also helping.

Lucy was truly the fastest in her team, she could easily outrun marathon runners and maybe even a marathon biker. Still, this wasn't a straight line with everyone behind her. People were appearing all over the place, from inside the houses and the alleys. All of them looked awfully displeased with being interrupted in their midnight sleep and most of them were showing it by carrying all kinds of improvised weapons.

"Stay where you are intruder!"

"You will pay... become a sacrifice!"

"The Great One will be pleased."

Their yelling and threatening was not very encouraging. It seemed like all the cultists where leaving to kill her, while the normal people stayed inside. This was a very bad selection for her taste.

With a last second leap she moved over a parked car and then slid into a dark alley. Something sharp and large had just drilled itself into the red vehicle where she had been standing a second ago.

"Hey, that was my car Bill!" At least one person was still not fully absorbed in the witch hunt mood.

Lucy looked around and seeing no other way out she ran up the right wall and proceeded to jump to the left. Several of these leaps led her to a metal pipe that she could grab onto. With strength that didn't fit her slender build she flipped herself over the edge and landed on the rooftop.

Carefully she glanced over the edge, but a bullet or something grazed her hair the instant she so much as moved one atom in the visible spectrum.

"This sucks... ~" She was pouting while looking for another roof to jump to. Her goal was to pull the masses away from the Town Hall and then return to the camp-site close to the air-dock. It was obviously locked up and guarded by villagers, but they would worry about going home once the mission was over. For now they were just camping in the forest nearby.

"-... I got it! Here we go." A voice from down on the street peaked her interest. The sound of something hitting the roof's edge made her jerk back. A ladder had been placed for the villagers to climb up on.

Lucy walked towards it and then as if she was pushing a swing moved the wooden thing over. It fell backwards and the surprised screams of people falling onto each other could be heard. At the same time three more ladders were placed on the other edges of the roof.

So much for that plan.

"Where do they get all these ladders~?" Lucy wondered and then proceeded to step on one of them. With the kinetic force behind her the ladder tilted over and moved towards the next building. The people climbing it fell off and Lucy reached the next roof with ease. "Thank you ~" She exclaimed and continued jumping rooftops like a ninja.

If she kept up her pace now she would be safe in no time...

In that moment her dull eyes sparked and she barely dodged a bullet aimed at her forehead by backflipping. She landed on her hands and then shifted her weight to roll to the right when another bullet hit the roof tiles. It grazed deeply through the hardened material and left a scar in it.

Lucy focused her eyes with her 'Zone' ability and tracked the person who fired the shot several hundred meters away on the clock tower. From her perspective she could see the travel line of the projectile all the way back to the sniper-rifle in the person's hand. They jerked back when they felt Lucy stare at them despite the impossibility of that action. For other people this sniper would only have been a dot in the night's darkness, but even the weak light from the stars and the clouded moon was enough for her to see the shape.

The red-head ran behind a smoke release pipe to hide from the sniper's eyes. Even if she could dodge their shots, it would become increasingly hard with all the other villagers moving to the rooftops too. Many of them had guns at their disposal. Despite her super-human sight and reaction time she still wouldn't be able to dodge bullets from several directions.

So the rooftops were out of the question. She would have an easier time running through the streets again and keeping to tight alleys to confuse them. The leader of team LARJ was confident that she wouldn't lose to anyone in a close-quarter fight.

"Alright. Go Lucy ~" She psyched herself up and jumped out of her hiding spot. Immediately bullets grazed every inch of her escape route, but she was too fast. With a magnificent jump she rolled over the roof's edge and fell downwards into the darkness.

---

(Insert Music: Resident Evil 4 OST – Ganado 5)

The trio under Maryjane's command made it into the Town Hall that was similar to a mansion, very carefully. After smashing the door in nobody came to greet them and that was almost always a bad sign. If the mayor was just hiding that would be fine, but a cult leader was always protected by his acolytes.

Juge moved towards the staircase and leaned his back against the wall. Using the reflection of his polished dagger he looked around the corner. Nothing to be seen. The weak moonlight shining through the windows was not enough to contrast the shapes of things very well. He gave the other two a hand-sign telling them to move over carefully.

The atmosphere in the dark mansion was eerie and the sounds of creaking in the corners made them turn back many times. On sound in particular was constantly itching in their minds.

Crrrshhh...rrrrrshh...

And then the chandelier dropped from the hall's top and crashed down on them. A crashing sound mixed with the breaking of glass and metal bending reverberated in the hall. Between the chandelier's broken remains a blue glow was bursting through and then the remains of the expensive decoration shattered in half. Maryjane stood in its middle holding her palm upwards in a fighting stance. Her glove didn't have a single tear and her body was unharmed.

Juge and Riza had ducked behind her and were now looking at the destroyed heavy looking fragments. The young Velmón pulled Riza up and then turned his gaze towards the upper level. A black silhouette was standing on the upper level and didn't move, probably because of shock.

He wasted no time and threw a dagger at the figure, but they ran away as soon as they saw him move. Several other people appeared from the windows and from the upper level, all armed with a variety of weapons.

"So he had a whole bunch of subordinates in here after all." Riza said with an annoyed expression. The first person in a black robe was jumping at her with an oversized sickle. She didn't know if these tools were actually used on the fields anymore, but it certainly fulfilled its purpose as an intimidating weapon!

The curved blade was aimed at her throat, but got easily deflected by the staff of her spear. She overpowered the cultist and pushed the sickle away with Ryuyari and the spun the back-side against the hooded person's head area. The impact was loud and painful and the opponent immediately fainted. Their body fell to the floor with a thump.

"Don't kill anyone. They might be innocent." Juge said while kicking another cultist in the ribs and pulling their weapon away with Morte Consumptis.

"I know!" Riza yelled and rammed her shoulder against a guy with a rusty pitchfork. The man was pushed back out of the ground level window and crashed into another attacker.

Maryjane on the other hand stayed quiet. Every movement of her hands crushed improvised weapons and knocked out people first try. With an almost machine like precision she ducked under a sword and punched the enemy in the gut. It send him flying against a painting and both crashed to the ground. A second cultist got to know her leg better than he ever wished for as his nose was broken.

More villagers came from the broken entrance and it seemed like they were starting to get surrounded.

"We have to keep moving. It seems like everyone is in on this mess. Even with Lucy's distraction we will still have to fight dozens of them if we stay in one place." While saying this Mary jumped up the stairs and pulled one of the robed cultists up and threw him at the incoming villagers.

A man with a beard and another with a striped shirt caught the cultist and put him down safely.

"Are you alright?!"

"Ouch... sorry... t-they are monsters!" The cultist said and ran out of the building.

'No tenacity... no will to fight. These are just normal people after all.' Juge surmised.

"Didn't you hear Mary? Move!" Riza pulled him on his short white scarf and dragged him up the stairs. They ran through the long hallway, looking for the mayor's quarters. But every time they turned a corner more cultists came from inside the rooms. One of them appeared right behind Maryjane, holding a knife.

Juge moved his hands and the man's cloak started to move by itself. It covered his face and tightened around his arm making him lose his grip. Mary noticed it and kicked him backwards right back into the room. She nodded at Juge which he interpreted as a 'thanks'.

They burst through the last door in the hallway, but were only awaited by two bulky man with assault rifles. They didn't look like they would care about the other villagers right behind the trio.

"Shit!" Riza got ready to deflect as many bullets with her spear as she could, but in that moment the windows behind both giants burst apart and two tranqus hit their necks. The left one still managed to pull the trigger, but Maryjane rolled below the muzzle and kicked the rifle upwards so that the bullets skewered the roof instead.

"Got 'em." Came Tahli's voice from the radio. They were probably busy with shooting down as many of the villagers as possible, but she still got time to cover them. Impressive.

"The Mayor isn't on this floor. At this rate we will be completely overwhelmed..." They closed the door and locked it up.

"... it's no use. We will have to split up." Juge declared.

"What?! Are you insane?"

"He is right." Maryjane agreed. "If we want to get this over with as soon as possible we will need to search all floors at once."

"I will cover the basement, Mary please distract the villagers and cultists. Riza you go to the second floor and the attic." The young hunter explained his plan and readied his whip.

"Tch. If we must." Riza moved towards the broken window. With an agile flip she got a hold of the windowsill above and crashed right through the second floor window.

"I will open up the path to the basement." Maryjane said and broke through the door. The villagers behind it who had tried to break the lock were surprised and fell down. With an incredible charge the blue clad huntress pushed through the stream of people shoving them apart like it was nothing. The few of them who managed to swing their weapons were simply punched in the ribs and left coughing on the floor.

Juge didn't fall behind either. Jumping and dodging the falling enemies he stayed in close proximity to the veteran huntress. When they came back to the main hall he immediately jumped the guardrail and landed on the ground floor with a tactical role. From there he jumped directly towards the door to the basement from his crouched position. His whip hit the door guard who flinched from the pain and then it got unnaturally stiff as if it had been hardened. This new staff like whip was used to hit the next two villagers in the back and make them fall over.

He looked back one more time to see how Mary was doing, but his worries were unfounded. She was standing in a pile of bloodthirsty villagers and easily parried their weapons with her fists. She even gave him a nod before suplexing a man twice her size into the ground.

"We are not supposed to seriously injure them..." He furrowed his brows, but left the hall anyway. A simple swipe of his dagger opened the lock and it was getting far darker than even in the unlit rooms above. The stairs were slim and curved, not allowing one to see straight ahead. Juge moved very carefully. In the end he decided to use his whip's fire mode despite it feeling like a waste.

The fiery whip was stiff as a torch and shone a bright light into the depth. Even so the darkness was unnaturally thick. As if it was trying to swallow the light it was only giving way very reluctantly. This place was not natural, that much Juge could tell by intuition alone.

(Music END)

Clank!

Lucy's white Ying katana deflected another of the enemy's wild swings. This man seemed to have at least some fighting experience and wasn't just lucky to be holding the weapon on the right end. His swings were unrefined, but definitely well aimed. She kicked up some dirt from the ground, but he just raised his long sleeve and blocked it without letting her out of his sight.

"Aren't you a feisty little sacrifice. Stop struggling already, would you?" His smile was creepy and his eyes looked mad. This was a full-fledged cultist. Not one of those normal run of the mill followers. The robe he was wearing was a lot prettier than the standard black model. It reminded of the elegant dresses seen at festivals around the remote towns. The main difference was that this one had a lot of dark red and brown spots. Dried blood...

"Don't wanna ~" Lucy sang and gave him a teasing smile.

"In that case I will be a little rough! Ahahaha!" Now he let go of his sane appearance and full on laughed like a maniac. His execution longsword was glistening with fresh blood as it sank down towards its next victim.

Only that the victim was already out of reach. Lucy ran up a tree and then pushed herself towards the next branch.

"I'll get you either way! I will split your tiny head and the rest of your body with it in one swiiiiiing!" He declared as he cut off the branch she had been standing on. The sword truly had an impressive reach. The piece of wood fell down and left a perfect cut mark.

Lucy climbed higher and disappeared into the leaves.

The cultist lost sight, but where could she possibly run? With a crazed expression he hacked at the tree from all sides. The wounds he slashed into the giant plant were deep and destabilized its trunk.

"Watch out! This tree is going down hahahaha." Indeed the thing was wavering and then with a kick by the maniac it fell towards the ground with a loud rustling sound. Leaves and twigs were flying everywhere and Lucy rolled out of the crown.

Or at least she should have.

"Huh? Where is she?!" He looked around, but nobody left the fallen tree.

"Over here." A voice way closer to him than expected made him turn around. The red-head was falling from above and spinning. "Wind Edge!" Both her katanas blinked in the moonlight and then she stood behind the cultist. His huge sword broke into two and his clothes had deep marks in them.

"W-h-a-t?" His eyes, still widened in surprise, dulled fast. He fell on his back and two deep red wounds could be seen.

The leader of team LARJ sheathed her blades and walked away.

"D-d-d-id you kill him!?" Aria asked with a shivering voice.

"Uh-uh." Lucy shook her head. "He passed out from the pain." She went towards the green hooded girl and smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry!" Aria was close to tears again. "I just wanted to see if my aunt was alright. I shouldn't have left the camp..." Her face was buried in her hands and she was still under shock. "Everything went so fast... he just cut down those other villagers who wanted to... protect... me..." The warm sensation of Lucy's body suddenly enveloped her. She hugged her softly.

"It's okay." It was a sincere hug and it calmed her heartbeat down a little.

"Are the others...?" Her voice faded.

Lucy let go of her and walked towards two men and a young woman who were cut down by the cultist. She softly rolled the woman over first... but her eyes were emptily watching at a distant place that was not visible for the living. Next she checked the older man, who was cut through the throat. No hope for him.

The last guy... was breathing! The sword wound was just superficial.

"He is alright." Lucy heaved him up and walked towards Aria. "Can you do something for me? Please bring him to the camp and treat him as well as possible. Can you do that ~?"

Aria wiped her tears and nodded.

"I will do it!" With her slender arms she supported the unconscious man and carried him away. "Will everyone be alright...?" The thought was bothering her.

"We are hunters and huntresses. There is no way we can lose to evil." Lucy gave her a thumbs up like Akashi would. The orange haired girl nodded. With that the two of them split up again. This was the edge of the village right at the forest entrance. Lucy had baited the villagers as far away as possible, but when she saw the cultist with his blood-covered blade standing close to Aria she changed her priorities and moved here.

Even without her around the other villagers were probably still searching the houses nearby. Still she was worried and called Riza over the communicator.

"Lucy? What is- it!" The other end of the line was rustling and Riza seemed to be moving around fast.

"Mission accomplished ~"

"What- do you... HAH! Mean? Aren't you still pulling them away?"

"Aria was in trouble. I had to save her. But the bad guys are probably still searching for me anyway ~"

"Probably?!" Riza sounded angry, but was too distracted to really chew her out. "Listen... come back and help us if you can. There are a lot more... whoops... of them than we expected."

"Roger ~" Lucy saluted even though they had no video feed.

Another person cut in line to say something.

"Good job, muffin. We have things under control. But before you go could you please send a message to our team back in Vale for me?" Tahli sounded pretty relaxed for a mid-battle conversation.

Little miss Stripes tilted her head.

"Why ~?"

"Because we need someone to look after these criminals once we are done. The police here can't be trusted, they are all in on it. It might get tricky with jurisdictions in this remote place, but we worry about the legal stuff later."

With that said she dictated Lucy the message and added something extra that she didn't quite understand.

"You will have to break into the air-port I fear. For that kind of special transmission scrolls won't do. Sorry, munchkin." She sounded more amused than sorry.

"No problem. I left my secret stash there too."

"What's that?"

"Nothing ~~" She hung up and moved towards the new goal.

---

Akashi who had waited for a long time to finally use his new bow was a little disappointed. That was because Tahli was sniping everyone down and left her back to him. That meant he kicked everyone off the roof who tried to climb up and shot down one or two people holding rifles at best.

Right now another ladder had been placed that he kicked down unceremoniously.

"They never learn..."

"It's almost as if they are desperate." Tahli said jokingly.

"What do you mean 'as if'?" Akashi laughed and walked towards the roof entrance. It was a flat rooftop with all kinds of linen hanging around. The door had been broken minutes ago by a rather rough explosion. Now the enemies streamed in regularly without much success.

Black Eclipse was a bow with all kinds of functions and modes, but even at its base it was still a pretty good club. Additionally it could extend blades from both tips and even split into two sword like parts that were linked by a chain.

Using those deadly moves would be unlike Akashi though, so he mainly used his semblance to improve his hand to hand combat. Occasionally he hit someone with the bow too.

Now a man wearing a helmet crashed into the roof and used his extremely deadly looking brass knuckles to split the concrete. Right behind him were two other men with guns. Akashi clicked his tongue and aimed his bow at the entrance.

"Don't ignore me!" The brawler rammed his brass knuckles against Black Eclipse, but his fist felt incredibly heavy. It sank down before it could hit the young hunter.

"Sorry, I will be right with you!" He shot the rope arrow at the top of the entrance and was pulled towards it with high speed. His legs kicked the hunched brawler into the chest and catapulted him against his buddies. With a loud crashing sound they rolled down the stairs. In that time frame a boy with a shotgun had appeared behind him.

"Isn't that a little too big for you?" The brown-haired hunter asked.

"Shoot him Peter!" From out of nowhere a guy appeared behind him and held his arms locked. His strength was enormous and Akashi could barely struggle. The boy aimed the gun at him and pulled the trigger. A loud 'blam' signaled the release of the bullet. There was no other way than to try it...

"Gravity change: Lightweight!" He yelled and the attacker as well as himself turned light as a feather. Akashi pushed both of them off the ground and the bullet only grazed his lower leg. Then he let go of the semblance and both of them crashed down, but in the last moment Akashi used the momentum to spin their positions and crashed on the man's back instead.

The boy was hit with the recoil of the shotgun and fell down. He tried to get up, but before he could do so an arrow hit the weapon and flung it down the roof. "Go home pal. This is too much for you." Mayhiro looked at him with sympathy and then pushed the big man under him towards the boy.

As they left with minor injuries Tahli kept shooting precisely. Not even once did she turn around.

"You really are easy-going, huh?"

"You think so? Perhaps I just trust you with my back." The dirt-blonde huntress whistled.

"And I got it!"

"Then I can be as easy-going as I want to be, no?" She giggled.

---

"Just... leave... me... alone!" Riza was getting exhausted from all the running and hand-to-hand combat. She sucked at extreme close range fighting, which is why she preferred to use her spear. But using Ryuyari on these potentially normal villagers seemed a little harsh, so instead she only used it to block attacks.

With a kick to the... family-gems of a pursuer she released some of her frustration. The man's eyes turned white and he was holding his most precious body part in agony while sinking down ever so slowly. As if the sight made them reconsider, some of the other male attackers stopped in their tracks.

Not so much the women though. A girl with twin knifes was stepping over her 'fallen' comrade and slashed at the faunus without reserve. She deflected the incoming attack with Ryuyari, but the flurry of swings was fast and precise. One of the knifes scratched Riza's clothes and cut her skin superficially. A drop of blood trickled down. The pressure didn't let up until she was pushed into a corner.

When fighting with knifes against a spear it's obvious that as soon as one lets up even once they are finished. So it's essential to keep the pressure going until it's over. That being said as long as there was no room for Riza to move her long weapon she couldn't do anything but block and deflect the slashes.

"Guuuh... Are you never going to stop? Then I will..." Her ears twitched and with a reflexive swing she moved her spear with both hands. The staff part deflected the knifes and pushed them upwards leaving the girl wide open. Her eyes widened in shock, but there was no time to curse the blonde huntress as she was already kicked into the stomach and sent flying towards the door. "...make you." Riza finished her sentence.

With a satisfied expression she turned towards the hallway...

… and stared right into the barrel of a bazooka.

"Sleepy time!" The man with a mask didn't seem to care about casualties anymore.

"I'm actually a very nocturnal girl." Riza said with beads of sweat on her face.

An explosion followed.

---

Roxford Village, Town Hall – Basement

Putting out the flame Juge sneaked towards the old looking entrance inside the basement. Whatever was hidden here was not supposed to be seen by outsiders. All the more reason for him to check it out.

'The lock is rusty and ineffective, so there must be some other mechanism...' Juge pondered if he should break in Maryjane style or investigate the lock more.

"...not... cept... Great... sacr..." Almost inaudible voices were coming from the other side of the thick wood. From the few syllables that he could hear it seemed to be serious talk. The voices were probably male.

Even though Juge always acted on reason he couldn't stop himself this time. The darkness around him was eating at his composure and the sounds of fighting from above made the situation feel even more tense. Whoever was in there would need to answer him a few things. With a well placed kick he forced the surprisingly heavy door open. The moment he did so, a weird nauseating feeling overcame his body. For a second his vision blacked out, but he managed to regain his balance before hitting the floor.

Now that he could take a look inside the room seemed awfully empty. Why was nothing in here...?

"I told you to capture them alive! If we don't find a new sacrifice soon the Great One will punish us all! If you fail one more ti- What? The alarm has been activated. Someone broke in." The voice of a very angry man was coming from somewhere. There was nothing in here and yet... Juge held his forehead. For some reason he had trouble thinking straight.

And then without warning a knee hit his guts, followed by a punch against his jaws. The surprise attack caught him fully off-guard and made him roll over the floor. A foot was placed on his back to keep him in place.

"Who is it? Answer me! I won't accept any more opposition!" The angry voice came closer.

"...it's one of the outsiders, sir." The deep voice of a man came straight from above. He must have been the one who was holding him down.

"Curses! How did they make it this far?! All the villagers are supposed to capture them... everybody is useless, can't I trust anyone to do their damn work? Always, always, always... do I have to do all the work by myself?" The tirade continued for some time and the pressure on Juge's back only increased.

"What am I to do with him, sir?" The deep voice asked with slight irritation.

"Do you even have to ask, idiot? Bind him and give him the drug. After that we will use him as a hostage and get the others into our hands as well! I swear if he doesn't even get something so obvious... lowlife..." The angry man was continuing to insult Juge's captor.

The man crouched down and grabbed Juge's arms in a tight lock, while inspecting him for weapons. He whistled.

"Not bad. This boy here is like a mobile arsenal." His gruff voice showed amusement. With expertise he pulled out all the daggers and other hidden weapons from Juge's outfit. Just when he seemed to be about done he pulled off the white scarf as well. "Hehehe almost forgot about this." He picked up the secret metal cord used for last resort situations with a smile. "Looks like you really know your stuff little hunter."

Now that Juge was picked up from the floor he finally saw his captor's face. It was a bald man with a long scar ranging diagonally over his face from his left eyebrow towards the right half of his chin. His eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks almost hollow. Also his skin seemed to be leaning towards gray.

"You are... Flinch. Atrobius... Flinch." Juge mumbled with his hurting jaw.

"Ho? Some fledgling like you knows my name? Such an honor." The sarcasm from his mouth was almost corrosive. "That whip you got there is pretty fancy. Looks well-made. What's your name boy?" But before Flinch could question him further a man in his late 40s with a terrible mustache was closing in with unrest. He was holding a strange object in his hand and didn't seem to feel very well, both physically and mentally. The dark circles under his eyes were almost as deep as bullet holes.

"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! You fool, we don't have time for your personal interests! Just bind him already and give him the drug. I'm tired of playing around... I'm tired of this whole mess, I'm tired of YOU!" His voice was switching between tiredness and hyperactivity. Without reserve he was punching Flinch's back. The huge man probably didn't even feel it, but the disrespectful gesture made him grunt.

The old man took a few steps back and then held out the object towards him. "D-don't you dare defy me now Atrobius! I have the artifact. I HAVE THE CONTROL!"

Flinch glared at him for a few long seconds and then his dry lips perked into a smile. "But of course, Mayor Ross. My contract is very clear about that part." He managed to make those obedient words sound like a threat. Without further ado he pulled Juge towards a hidden door inside a wall.

'So that's where they came from...' Juge's vision was a little blurry. A terrible throbbing pain in his head prevented him from thinking straight. When he was placed on a wooden chair and bound to it with metal laces he didn't even budge. The feeling of all-surrounding heaviness was exhausting him.

"I don't think we need to drug you... the effects are already quite strong as is." The scarred man was adjusting something in a syringe. The needle seemed unusually long... or was it extremely short? Juge wasn't sure anymore.

"What-?"

"You want to know what this is?" Flinch pointed at the syringe. "Hehehe, but where is the fun in knowing beforehand? Test it out yourself." His hands moved expertly as he pulled up the sleeve of Juge's right arm and put the syringe at his skin. A pricking sensation hit the young heir to the Velmón clan and he was feeling a little uncomfortable for a second.

Isn't this bad? He shouldn't let this happen right? But such thoughts didn't get much room in his tortured head. He just wanted peace and quiet. Everything felt so lethargic. What could a little prick possibly do to make it worse?

And that's when the explosion happened. It wasn't a small one either. A rumbling went through the whole basement and dust was raining down from above.

Luckily Flinch had a very calm hand, because he managed to pull the syringe away before it could stab Juge in a bad way. His eyes focused on the roof and he clicked his tongue.

"Those nobodies are losing their calm." He seemed to be seriously annoyed with the villagers above. Like a scared rabbit the mayor came running in and hid behind Flinch.

"They are bombing us! Atlus, Aliens, I don't care. Somebody is trying to BLOW US UP! Do something Atrobius!"

"It's probably Argo with his bazooka. I told him not to use it indoors..." The scarred man sighed and put the syringe down. "If you would be so kind as to take care of our hostage, sir mayor." Flinch managed to make the title sound like an insult.

"Are you mad!? What if he attacks me?"

"His mind is already clouded from its energy. Meek as a kitten in the rain. Give him the syringe and he will be completely gone." Flinch waved his arm with his back turned to the mayor and left the secret room.

Mayor Ross stared after him with a desperate expression on his face. "Damn you Atrobius Flinch! Damn you and your group of mongrels and curse your whole clan of ingrates!" While cursing after his subordinate the fickle mayor took the syringe in his right hand while still holding the 'artifact' in his left. "I'm doing this for Roxford! You have nobody to blame but yourself boy. If you people hadn't put your nose in our business I wouldn't need to..." He raised the needle very high apparently intent on ramming it into Juge's body. His aim was probably so bad that he was happy if he hit his hostage no matter where.

Juge's blurry eyes focused on that terrifying image, but his body stayed unmoving. It was over in a second. A terribly painful sound and hole in the arm.

His... arm? No there was no sensation. No prick and certainly no pain.

He focused his weary eyes and then gasped at what he saw. Maryjane stood in front of him, holding the syringe in her hand, crushed beyond recognition. The mayor was on the floor crying in pain. His right arm was stabbed through by a few spare syringes that fell down alongside him.

"NonononoNONO! Now I will be marked, my life... my duty... I can't, I can't I can't... whyyyyyyyyyyyy?!" His wailing got unbearable and Mary hand-chopped his neck. The mayor immediately turned limp.

She easily unbound Juge and pulled him up, checking him for injuries. But there were no external problems.

"Mary...jane..." Juge mumbled and held his hurting head.

"Mental interference?" She asked. "Probably hormones in the air." She looked around and then picked up the strange artifact that was lying next to the mayor. "This seems to be important." And with those words she crushed it. The shattered object gave off a mysterious sound and then everything felt light. For a second Juge lost his balance from the relief. It was as if his body had just lost half its weight. "Better?" The blue clad huntress asked.

"Yes.. yes everything is back to normal." He shook his head. "What was that?"

"I am not sure." She closed her eyes.

"Are you okay? What about the villagers?"

"I'm in perfect shape. After a little dispute I convinced them that further opposition is futile." She explained dryly.

'Just what did she do to them...?' He remembered the image of her suplexing a grown man with ease.

"That's good. We should look around and see if we find anything suspicious. Especially that thing you crushed..." He looked down at the pieces.

Maryjane instantly went to pick them up, but she was too close to Juge and headbutted him in the stomach. He winced and when she got up they clanked heads with each other.

"Ouch!" Juge held his still hurting jaw that now experienced another unjust impact. Maryjane on the other hand...

...held her head in pain with tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. Her face was incredibly pitiful.

"I'm sorry Ms. Hart! It was my fault, please don't cry!" Juge apologized.

Mary stiffened up and put her hands over her eyes. When she pulled them away the tears were gone. "What are you talking about? It wasn't painful." Juge's doubtful expression apparently bothered her. "Here, my head is very robust." To show him she purposely hit her own head with her fist.

Her eyes turned white and she spun around kneeling down while holding her head. "Ow ow ow..." She whispered.

"I... see." The young hunter thought it best not to comment on it. To distract himself he picked up the shards and looked at the mayor's unconscious body. This was probably the first time he slept in days. Not that being knocked out was any healthier than sleep deprivation. With tender hands he pulled out the syringes and placed them back on the table.

"That substance." Mary had returned to her stoic self. "Give me one of these." She asked for a syringe and put it under her scroll. "My team is equipped with a special analysis add-on." She explained. After roughly a minute the scroll beeped and showed a few numbers and words.

"What does it say?"

"Strange. It seems to be normal water... mixed with a strange dust composition and something organic." She swiped the screen.

"Organic...? Some type of parasite?" Juge got increasingly uncomfortable. He had almost be injected with that substance.

"No. Who would come up with such a ridiculous plan?" She didn't look amused. "This is just some organic waste from a organism. The software doesn't recognize it."

"Why were they trying to inject me with that?"

"That's something we should be asking him." She pulled the still limp mayor up and pushed him into the chair that Juge had been tied to before. It looked even less comfortable from the torturer's perspective. "I will go ahead and wake him up. If he screams I give you permission to hurt him."

"You are very eager." Juge smiled wryly.

---

Roxford Village, Town Hall – Second floor

The second floor, or what was left of it, didn't look pretty. The bazooka was a fearsome weapon and should under no circumstance be used in tight spaces. The hooded man didn't seem to understand even that basic concept.

Riza wasn't sure how she survived, but fact was that she was lying under rubble in a room that was far away from the one she had originally been in. After counting three times she was finally sure that she still had all her body parts attached to her. With a crunching sound she pushed herself up in the rubble and coughed a few times. Dust and wall bits were flying in the air. It was hard to see anything aside from rubble and burned furniture.

The rhythmic sound of footsteps was closing in. Those were very heavy and metallic sounding footsteps. Wasn't the bazooka guy wearing metal boots? Riza got up wobbly and grabbed her spear.

"I'm gonna smash this guy's skull in... once I can see straight again..." She grunted.

Finally he arrived in the former room. His beautiful looking robe that reminded one of a festival had been completely burned away. Under it was... a metallic suit?!

'How can this guy even move?' She stared at his metallic mask. Every bit of his body was covered up with armor. 'So that's why he shot a bazooka in close range. His armor reduced the impact.' Now the helmet was releasing some air and then stayed open.

"How did ju do it?" The fat man asked her with something that resembled angry curiosity.

"What do you mean fatty?" She snarled back at him. His mouth was visibly showing anger, as his lips lowered.

"I'm not fat! It's dis armor you mutt! And I was talking about you surviving what else?!" he stomped on the ground like a child. "Nobody survives my shots!"

"Well looks like the saying is true. There is always an exception to the rule. And in this case that would be me." She tried to sound confident, while she in fact had no clue about this miracle either.

"Grrrr... I will just shoot ju until ju is dead!" He exclaimed and aimed the bazooka at her again. If this went on the Town Hall would soon be pulverized. She spun her spear from her right to her left hand in a beautiful pattern and then grabbed it tightly.

"You leave me no choice elephant-man. Here goes nothing!" In the same moment he pulled the trigger Riza threw Ryuyari at the bazooka with all her might. The spear increased its speed with every millisecond and its slim design allowed for little air resistance.

Her aim was impeccable today it seemed. The spear hit straight into the huge muzzle and into the projectile. With a grin she rolled backwards to escape the following explosion. The whole floor rumbled and the rubble was flying around again, but she managed to not get hurt. After the noise was gone she looked over her shielding pile of debris and saw the plump man standing in a circle of burned floor. His armor had protected him from the worst, but the bazooka was reduced to scraps and his mouth protector was malfunctioning.

"My Baw-zooh-kaaaahh!" He suddenly cried out and sank to the floor.

"Is he... crying?" Riza squinted her eyes in disbelief. She got up again and walked over to pick up her spear. The man didn't react. "Let that teach you a lesson." She said unmotivated and left him behind. Just when she showed her defenseless back to him he jumped after her to crush her slender body under his metallic mass!

But Riza had anticipated it and spun her spear around. It immediately went into trident mode and was rammed into the small fractures in the armor. The tips were highly explosive and went off on contact.

"You are not the only one who likes to see explosions from close up." She yelled and then the man was blown away by the exploding tips. The force catapulted him into the next pile of rubble without fail. This much wouldn't kill him, but he sure wouldn't get up too soon.

The fox faunus walked towards the stairs when a cold shudder ran down her spine. A bald man had appeared right before her without warning.

"So you defeated Boris. He is always such a pain." He didn't seem very angered by his comrade's loss. With nonchalance he kicked one of the villager's corpses aside and moved over. "Our greatest problem was always friendly fire. We really don't care much as long as we win." His explanation seemed surreal in front of this much destruction. "And our contractor said nothing about letting anyone but the sacrifices alive." He stopped next to Riza.

Her ears perked up as she followed his every breath.

"I don't like faunus. They remind me of pets that bite their owner." He whispered. And then he pulled out a strange sickle like weapon with a long chain and spun it around in rapid speed. Before Riza even knew it the fight was over.

Not because she had been cut down or the mysterious man had died, but because the fight never started. He threw the chain after the one named Boris and pulled him out of the rubble with it as if he weighed nothing more than a cat. He took his comrade over his shoulder and left.

The blonde huntress was shivering. Her body had just come to a halt by itself. What was this terrible headache? It felt like her limbs had been pulled down by metal weights.

---

Roxford Village, Town Hall - Basement

About an hour later the whole team had gathered in the dark basement. Riza had returned from the second floor and Akashi as well as Tahli had left their position. Only Lucy was still not there, because of her mission at the air-dock.

"So you also fought these weird cultists?" Akashi asked surprised.

"What do you mean 'also'?" Riza stared at him.

"You wouldn't believe it! There was this incredible sniper on the clock tower. He managed to hit us from like 2 kilometers away. He was also wearing a weird robe with a cool motif. I shot his arm in the end and he ran, but that was one skilled bastard." Akashi explained seriously.

"So just like Atrobius Flinch and Boris Argo." Juge put the facts together. "Are those the mercenaries that you hired, mayor Ross?" He turned back towards the old man. He was squirming around a lot, but his lips were sealed.

"Should I make him speak?" Mary adjusted her glove.

"NOOOO I will speak, speak as much as you want, speak until I die!" His inner walls immediately crumbled.

"Go ahead then, sour-plum." Tahli urged him on.

"What kind of nickname is that?! I am a proud man elected by the people of Roxford to represent them- I mean: It's as you say! I hired those mercenaries a while ago." He had stopped his indignation when he saw the leather gloves being pulled tighter.

"Who exactly are they?"

"I can answer that." Tahli raised her hand like in school. "They are from a mercenary clan in the north. Jugey here should have heard of them before." She leaned on the blue vested teen's shoulder.

"Y-yes. They clashed with my father a few times before on his travels. He always beat them." He added with a little pride.

"Anyway those guys are just a handful from a big clan. They take on all types of missions. Some overlap with hunter's business even." Tahli shrugged. "Looks like they were contracted by the mayor because of a lack of... able cultists." Her eyes scanned the mayor's reaction and he nodded.

"Good personnel is impossible to find these days! Nobody can do even a simple job. I tell them to get me the sacrifice and they-" He stopped in the middle of the sentence and bit his tongue.

"Haha about that ~" Now Tahli was giving him one of her dark grins. "Would you tell us just who the hell this 'Great One' is and why you are going along with his ridiculous demands?" The little stone she had played around with was crushed in her right hand.

"I can't tell you! It's one of the three-" His face was dented in with a certain woman's fist. Maryjane didn't say a word, but her fist spoke clearly enough.

"We are talking about human lives here." Riza said and her blue eyes were burning with anger. "No matter how this psycho threatened you, that's no excuse for what you did!"

The mayor was crying pathetically because of the pain and the harsh words. His fragile ego was crumbling down easily now that he lost control.

"T-t-t-thee Great Oooone... nothing can compare to the Great One! Torture me all you want! Dismember my body, render my flesh apart, but know that nothing compares to the great One's presence. Simply being close... erodes the mind... being in the presence... weakens my will... being away... takes my energy..." With every word he seemed to distance himself more.

"What is that thing you were holding?"

"It is part of the Great One. Shed by the Great One to control those weak of will... Deep in the swamps... he awaits... surrounded by lowly Grimm." His eyes were turning more and more hollow.

"What is this drug? Tell us!" Mary pushed one of the syringes towards the balding man.

"They are his... and we took them... needed control... or else...destruction..." Mayor Ross wasn't even reacting to the questions anymore.

"These must be the aftereffects of all the injections he got in his arm by accident." Juge pointed at the pile of syringes that had been stuck in the mayor's arms not long ago. Now the man just looked like a living corpse. Devoid of emotion and vigor.

"The swamps... his resting place... the ritual..." The final words left his mouth and then he turned unresponsive. Tahli checked his vitals and shrugged.

"Physically he is healthy. A little worn out, but that's all."

"Then this drug must only affect the mental state. Will it fade?"

"I have no rightly idea, sweety." She sighed.

In this dampened atmosphere a buzzing sound caught everyone's attention.

"Mission complete. Praise those who are without praise so that one day everyone is praised by someone~" Lucy was talking confusing things as always, but the gist of it was that she had freed the air-dock and send a message to the outside.

"Good job, leader." Juge praised her.

"Great work Lucy." Akashi agreed.

"I guess so..." Riza seemed to be over the blunder from before.

Munch munch munch.

"...are you eating pocky again?!"

"...no?"

"We are coming for you Lucy!" The faunus girl promised and it didn't seem to be a friendly reminder.

Tahli and Akashi snickered.

---

Roxford Village, Air-dock – Next morning

Team LARJ and co. had moved their base of operations from the uncomfortable forest back to the air-dock. Now that the mayor had been dealt with and the mercenaries disappeared somewhere the villagers were finally free again. Not all of them seemed to be happy though...

"How are the casualties?" Akashi asked one of the spokesmen of the village.

"26 people died that night. 16 men, 9 women and one child." His face was struck with grief. "We are aware that you are not responsible. Those horrible mercenaries didn't care about collateral damage at all... about the lives of the people." With that bitter aftertaste he left the group and walked back to work.

Riza looked depressed and leaned against Akashi.

"F-fluffy?"

"I'm sorry... my legs feel weak... can I lean onto you for a bit?" Even if Akashi would have wanted to deny her, this vulnerable looking Riza couldn't be rejected. In the first place he wanted to support his team so he nodded.

"Just... what purpose did this have? So many people died to protect their village... even though we were here to help them." Her face was hidden as she leaned against his shoulder.

"I... don't know." The brown-haired hunter looked towards the villagers running back and forth between the buildings. "But even so..." He suddenly put his hand on her head. "We did the right thing. There is nothing to feel guilty about. We freed them from the control of that maniac and we didn't kill anyone." Even if he didn't understand why it had to turn out this way, he was sure about at least that.

"But if we hadn't broken into the Town Hall...!"

"What then? We would have left them as obedient slaves and cooperators to murder!" Akashi grabbed Riza's shoulders and looked her into the wet eyes. "How do these poor people feel about sacrificing travelers and their neighbors for some illusive 'Great One'? Do you think they wanted to continue like that? There are some things that you'd not agree with even if it meant losing your life."

"But that's..." Riza looked down.

"Unfair? Cruel? I agree." He was pressing his fist so hard that it hurt. "There is no justification for this... no excuse. We will get that 'Great One' and make him pay." His words were filled with unusual fire. Almost like... hatred.

The blonde huntress looked at him and then turned around.

"You are right. We just have to get this monster and make him suffer the pain of all his victims." It wasn't an understatement. She did intend to make this psychotic serial killer suffer a hundred deaths if necessary.

From somewhere out of their vision Lucy appeared running as if her life depended on it.

"Lucy, what's wrong?" They looked at the heavily breathing girl.

"Uncle mustache... haahaahh... he's gone." She said without her usual bubbly energy.

"Uncle... wait. You mean the Mayor?" Riza's tail stood up in a tense manner. Lucy nodded.

"He was in no condition to move at all! We left him with the villager's new council..." Something clicked in his head. "Did someone see those mercenaries around?"

Lucy shook her head. "It happened while everybody was distracted."

Juge came out of the docked air-ship with a bag and some stuff. It looked like he had eavesdropped.

"Did they feel unnatural headaches and semi-paralysis at one point?"

"Eh?" The red-head looked perplexed. "I don't know ~"

"What's up with that, Juge? You got an idea?"

The young Velmón nodded.

"That man named Atrobius Flinch has a secret. And I am confident to have solved it." He pulled out something from the bag.

"Herbs?"

"Indeed. I was affected by his aura. First I thought it might have been his semblance to interfere with the mind of others. Then I thought the artifact in the mayor's hand was the origin of my headaches." At those words Riza remembered something.

"That bald guy? When I met him I also had a headache. And I felt tired."

"I see, so I was right." Juge put some of the herbs in the chest-pockets of his vest. Then he gave the bag to the others. "It seems like he is using the extract of a certain plant to generate a nauseating field around himself. It's smell- and tasteless, that's why we didn't notice. It's a rare flower from the north, so it's even harder to recognize it."

"How did you know then?" Akashi wondered while smelling the herbs.

"Like I said my father fought them before. I just remembered his stories."

"So why is nobody else affected by it?" Riza still looked unsatisfied.

"Either they built up resistances or he gave them something to counter it. It definitely is a fearsome hidden weapon."

"And you just had those herbs lying around, because...?"

"They are used to make tea." Juge said as if it was the most natural thing. The others stared at him and then shrugged. It was not unexpected to see Juge carry around tea-leaves even on an important mission.

"At least they smell good." Riza said while sniffing on one of them.

"Oh? Can we have some of these air-fresheners too, Jugey?" Tahli and Maryjane walked unto the scene and at least the former seemed to be in high spirits. While Velmón nodded they pushed themselves into the circle.

"Any news?"

"You bet, sugar-plum!" Tahli grinned. "Our boys called back and said they will arrive around noon. Taking care of the crazier cultists here and bringing back order will be a breeze." She gave a satisfied smile. "And then we got info on where exactly this ritual place is in the Swamps of Deprivation." At that last part she returned to being serious.

Everybody moved closer.

"You tell them the rest Jane." Tahli said unexpectedly and everyone's heads sunk down. The dirt-blonde huntress took a big bottle of... something and started gulping it down in one stroke.

"Understood." Mary looked like she was used to this treatment. "The black box given to us by Mario stopped recording movement and coordinates right in front of the swamps. The automatic cannonry was set off and released about six magazines before being shut down. The words 'Shut down' in this context could only mean that they were destroyed or the control panel was damaged. We doubt that it was human interference. Probably a horde of Grimm. It is known that the swamps are infested with them."

The others nodded, but one guy seemed unsure.

"Just how do they perform a ritual in that kind of place?" Juge put one hand over his lower face. "Even with those mercenaries, pulling a sacrifice there every cycle would be incredibly hard."

"They probably forced villagers to be their meat shields..." Akashi said grimly.

"I don't think so. If you remember Aria said they would rarely kill villagers. And to get through a Grimm infested area with... 'meat shields' would require unbelievable amounts of victims."

"In that case maybe a secret route?" Riza put the arms on her hips and gave her best guess.

"Probably." The others nodded.

"Either way the location of the truck is not where the ritual takes place. To fulfill our mission and retrieve its cargo we need to go only to the edge. We should be able to deal with the Grimm on our own."

"Huh?" Team LARJ looked confused.

"It's been a blast kids, but now it gets complicated. We can't involve you any further, munchkins." Tahli had stopped drinking and smiled at them. "You did great for your first mission. Even if we couldn't save Mario... you freed a village." Her praise hit walls.

"What are you talking about?! We won't just go home now!" Riza and Akashi objected.

"Here listen now..." Tahli was unfazed. She had probably seen this reaction coming from a mile away.

"Are you going to deal with the mercenaries and the 'Great One' by yourself?" Juge had crossed his arms and looked calm.

"...yes that's exactly right." The long-haired huntress replied.

"That's fine." The other's looked at Juge as if he had just declared he was a new species of Grimm.

"Are you serious, Juge!?"

"We can't leaaaave ~!" Even Lucy was upset.

Juge raised his arms placatory. "Please listen to the end. If Tahli and Ms. Hart feel inclined to take care of those matters by themselves then we can't object." His eyes were shining. "But our mission hasn't ended yet. We might not have been contracted to take care of any 'Great Ones' or to defeat mercenaries, but we definitely have to retrieve that cargo." He shrugged. "Our honor as future hunters depends on it. Isn't that right?"

"That's right!" Akashi stood next to him. "I couldn't look Mr. Valkin in the face if we just left his precious truck lying in some swamp."

"The old man might be more annoying than Akashi when it comes to this stuff."

"Hey! That's uncalled for Fluffy!"

Tahli looked at them with a conflicted expression. "Like I said... we can deal with it by our-"

"Fine." The calm voice of Maryjane interrupted her friend's words.

"Jane...?"

"I like their guts. If they think they have to see this job through to the very end then I will give them my blessing." The edge of her mouth went up just a little bit. Tahli sighed in defeat.

"I can't deny you anything Jane, and you use that against me. I feel so mistreated." She said theatrically.

"So we can come along?"

"Yes, yes." Tahli waved in defeat.

With that they moved towards the half destroyed Town Hall.

---

Roxford Village, Outskirts

A group of men in robes was walking towards the dark forest and the swamps beyond it. Their leader Atrobius Flinch was carrying the unresponsive Mayor with one hand. To his left was an overweight armored man and to his right a guy with two cut wounds on his chest. His mad eyes were filled with disdain.

Behind them walked a fourth robed man with a wounded arm and a sniper-rifle on his back.

"Why are we going to that stupid place again, boss?" The mad warrior asked. His sword had been broken by a little red-haired girl and he was not happy with that.

"That's because we have made a contract." Flinch explained. "And it said that as long as Mr. Ross is 'in control' we will follow his orders." Flinch smirked. "Now that he has been marked we have an obligation to finish our contract by sacrificing him too."

"Kehehehe so we get to watch him die!" The madman seemed delighted now.

"My baw-zooh-kaaaaaah!" Boris cried out all of a sudden.

"We will get you a new one you big crybaby." The bald leader said with more patience than expected.

They now entered the swamp parts of the land.

"So how's the 'Great One' like, boss?" The quiet voice of the sniper was carried with the wind, as if he was not really there. He seemed to be wary.

"It's indescribable." Flinch said coolly. "This aura of domination... I've never felt so happy even in my greatest fights." His words sounded a bit off.

"We are contracted with the mayor though. Will we go home after this is finished?"

"..." Flinch didn't answer.

---

Roxford Village, Town Hall

The group had made it back to the half-destroyed Town Hall and they were surprised to be greeted by a familiar face. Clad in her green hood Aria was waving at them happily.

"Over here!" Nothing of the desperation of last night could be seen on her face. She was standing next to a mature lady and a man about their age. As they walked over they could see that a lot of villagers had gathered inside the main hall.

Fissures in the walls and broken in doors plastered the whole scene. The middle part of the floor was damaged hard and there were bits and pieces of portraits lying around.

One of the villagers was gathering them and mumbled something about a 'herd of elephants having a stampede' in there. Maryjane suddenly seemed very interested in the cloud formations.

"Morning Aria. How are you?" Juge asked politely.

"I am fine, thank you!" She really seemed cheerful. "I have to tell you something amazing. My father he... is alive!" Nothing could be brighter than this girl's smile right now.

"That's great ~" Lucy clapped happily.

"Where was he all this time?" Riza asked.

"He was imprisoned in the dungeon... But he isn't hurt too badly. The doctor is looking after him right now." The relief radiating from her also made the others feel a little lighter. "It's all thanks to you guys. I don't know how to thank you..." Tears started trickling down her face even though she kept smiling.

The man next to her coughed. "I am also in your debt. After that mercenary cut me down I thought I'd been done for. But Aria here carried me to safety and treated my wounds. So if she is grateful to you then I am indebted as well." He seemed like a very straightforward guy.

"Thank you for everything. I was worried about my niece, but in the end you were good people." Her aunt seemed a little more reserved. It was natural, after all Akashi and Tahli had kidnapped her niece.

"Don't mention it. That's what hunters do. And you are talking to Beacon's number one student after all." Akashi smiled confidently.

"That title does not belong to you. Only over my cold dead body will you become the number one." Juge said with an overly friendly smile that almost seemed malicious.

"Bring it on!" Their eyes clashed with sparks.

"Beacon, huh?" Aria seemed lost in thought. "I also want to become a huntress then!"

"What?!" Both of them looked at her in surprise.

"How old are you...?" Riza asked.

"Seventeen." Aria replied.

"In that case you could already be a freshman."

"Really? Guess I will have to apply soon then." She grinned.

"Nononono no way!" Akashi and Juge shook their heads vehemently. "It's too dangerous. A hunter's life is full of hardship."

"You guys seem to have fun though." She said perceptive. "And helping people is a good cause. I could be a heroine."

"Wow. She sounds just like Ruby ~" Lucy commented. Without question she gave Aria a pocky.

"When did you get that?!" Riza looked shocked. She had taken care of all the pocky reserves... or so she thought.

"Sorry to interrupt..." A man appeared at the entrance. "But here is what you asked for miss huntress." He handed Tahli a small wooden chest.

"Thanks a lot. What's going on in there?"

"A meeting for all villagers. We are deciding what to do from now on." The middle-aged man replied and then bowed before returning inside.

"Let's listen to what they have decided then." Tahli pulled Maryjane along.

"Wait for us!" Team LARJ and Aria's group followed behind them. Inside the hall a heated debate was in full throttle.

A white-haired old man was holding a speech right now.

"...so we have to act. The 'Great One' will not just disappear. We might be free of his control, but not of his threat. First we need to contact the military or hunter's organization. The swamps are filled with Grimm that he controls and they will overrun our village on his orders. The mayor was secretive about it and forced us to obey, but he did it for the sake of keeping the 'Great One' away. He will destroy this village as soon as the sacrifices stop. The last cycle is already over. The sacrifice escaped." His fist hit the wooden guardrail.

A younger man was standing on the other side.

"Stop calling that poor man a sacrifice! Mario Zeppelin was a victim. It was a good thing that he escaped. We have to deal with this now and take measures. I agree that we need outside help. Someone has to take care of the ones who lost their minds completely. Right now we keep them in the cells, but they are in danger of hurting themselves."

Now a woman spoke.

"If the mayor was right... and the 'Great One' will raze the village... we may not have any time left... perhaps... we need a new sacrifice." The villager's below started yelling and chatting away for minutes without letting up. Finally the white-haired man punched the guardrail again and yelled for them to become quiet.

"I'm sorry... it's just to buy time... until a strong force appears to... save us." Her voice was breaking.

"Where's the mayor anyway?" Someone yelled at them.

"We don't know. He has disappeared from the basement. We think he might have fled the village." The people were yelling things like 'coward' and 'incompetent'.

The white-haired man got the attention again. "I think Madelainne has a point. We need to buy time. And if the only way to do that is a sacrifice..."

"No!" The people yelled in dissatisfaction.

"If anyone... somebody... just someone might volunteer..." Madelainne's voice was weakening again.

"Ah if we might say something?" The sweet voice of Tahli cut through the mob like a hot knife through butter. The people turned around to look at them and reacted very diversely.

A whole bunch of man immediately put their hand over their necks protectively. They looked at Tahli in discomfort. Her presence probably reminded them of being sniped with tranquilizers.

Another much bigger group of man were holding various hurting parts of their body while making a lot of room for Maryjane.

One particular man was holding his crotch area when he saw Riza and jumped out the broken window in despair.

Juge raised a brow and the faunus girl shrugged.

"Ah our benefactors. Of course you are allowed to speak." The middle-aged man on top gave her the permission.

"You all seem pretty riled up over that 'Great One'. But in fact it's a very simple matter..." She closed one eye while smiling. "Let us deal with him."

The crowd stayed quiet.

"B-but you are just six people. Four of you are kids." The speaker retorted a little distressed.

"We are hunters and huntresses. It's our job to deal with bad guys and Grimm. This psycho seems to be able to control Grimm, so we get the whole package this time." She laughed heartily.

Now the people seemed a little more convinced.

"Are you sure? I don't want to see you run to your death. Not after you freed us."

"We will not permit more tragedy to befall this village." Maryjane said with a serious face.

"Also we asked for reinforcements. They will take care of your prisoners and the protection of the village. We will deal with the 'Great One' and then we can all have a big party." Team LARJ seemed confident in those words too.

"I... we don't know how to thank you. We didn't expect any help, especially after what we did to all those poor travelers." The mood was changing between hopeful and guilty.

"We know that you were controlled... well most of you anyway. And those that weren't will be punished by law. Leave the rest to us."

The villagers stayed quiet first, but then they cheered.

…...

Some time later LARJ and co. prepared themselves again. This time they didn't need to hold back. Grimm and a murderer were the enemies. No need for mercy. If they caught the 'Great One' that would be good, but if they had to kill in order to stop him nobody would shed a tear.

Aria's father had agreed to lead them there. Apparently the reason why he was imprisoned was that he knew the location of the ritual and was not keeping quiet about it.

"I want to come with you!" Aria said with a brave face, but her legs were shaking a little.

"Sorry sweet-potato, but no harmless girls allowed." Tahli rejected her immediately.

"She's right, darling. Please understand what papa is going through too." Her father said warmly. "I can't bear to see you in danger." He patted her head under the green hood.

"B-but you..."

"Don't worry about your dad. He can go back as soon as we are close enough to the place. We won't involve him." Mary was reassuring her.

"Fine!" She pouted and walked away.

"She is actually pretty hotblooded, huh?" Akashi said and snickered.

"And she was so meek last night too." Riza added.

"My daughter can put on a brave face when she wants, but she always was a crybaby." His words were filled with affection.

"And she wants to become a heroine ~" Lucy sang.

"Beacon... I don't know if that place is right for her." Her father looked troubled.

"Without talent she wouldn't be accepted anyway."

"Oh that's not it. Give that girl a wooden stick and she will beat up a whole group of trained boys by herself. She really resembles her mother in that regard hahaha!" He laughed.

The others looked after the orange haired girl in surprise.

"Are you saying she is actually pretty strong?" Akashi found his voice first.

"Mhm. She beat me up good when I ruined her best dress. Now she always wears that green hood to protect herself from sudden soup splashes."

"..." Again everyone was lost for words. Aria's father was by no means a fragile man. He was a lumberjack with a big biceps.

"Have we actually kidnapped such a dangerous person?" Akashi whispered towards Tahli.

"They say fear can suppress your true strength, but this is pretty crazy." The sniper answered with sweat drops on her face.

---

After finishing preparations the group went on their way. Aria's father lead the way quietly at the front, while Riza and Lucy protected his sides. Maryjane and Juge were in the middle while Tahli and Akashi made up the rearguard.

"I have something that I want to ask you Ms. Hart."

"Mary is fine." She said swiftly.

"Right... Mary. I have wondered about this for a long time now. It's obvious that you don't rely on weapons, but on a special close-quarter-combat style instead."

She nodded.

"I don't want to insult your strength or anything, but your feats just seem... superhuman to me. I can't believe that your body, even if trained very meticulously, could bear that burden." He was losing himself in words, but it seemed like he couldn't get to the point.

"You want to know the source of my strength?" She concluded.

"...yes that's right." He gave in. "Is it connected to those gloves?" He pointed at her black and white gloves. They were tightly stuck to her hands and covered in fine blue lines. These started to glow when Mary used her incredibly strong attacks.

"They are limiters."

"Pardon?"

"They keep the force of my attacks contained on the approximate field of my hands."

Now Juge looked at her with amazement. The gloves... controlled her power?

"Does that mean your strength is...?"

"I won't lie, this strength is not fully mine." She shook her head. Without much ado she pulled one of the gloves off. The look of her slender hands didn't fit the insane power they wielded.

"I don't see anything..."

"Wait a second." She rubbed her right hand rhythmically and soon an oval blue glow appeared in the middle of her palm. The glow was cold and rejecting.

"This is...?"

"Dust crystals."

At those words Juge stopped his legs. He was petrified. Akashi and Tahli stopped too and looked at him.

"What's up, honey?" The dirt-blonde huntress asked.

"She... she fused her body with dust crystals... such a raw art... I don't know anyone who would go that far!" His eyes were wide in shock. Maryjane had put the glove back on and pulled him over to get back into formation.

"It was my own choice. To increase my effectiveness. The force is hard to control, so I asked someone to make me these gloves." Her expression hadn't changed one bit.

"But even with those limiters, isn't it incredibly hard to control? And painful?" Juge was serious.

"Perhaps." Was her only reply.

Tahli put one hand on Juge's shoulder and shook her head. "Jane has made that decision long ago. There are no regrets with that, hun."

Akashi joined in. "So Mary doesn't have a weapon aside form her fists. That means she fought me with all she got!" He seemed happy. "Does that mean I am super strong too?"

"... I didn't use even 40% output in our fight Akashi Mayhiro. If you want confirmation, why don't we have a duel right here, right now?" Fighting spirit appeared in her eyes and her body got lively.

"Eh?!" He started sweating. "Y-you know, we can't do that in the middle of a mission!"

"...true." She seemed to be actually dejected.

"Uhm... if that's okay... let us all have a few matches after the mission. Me and Juge and Riza will all go up against you." He gave her a reassuring thumbs up.

"I just heard my name and I am pretty sure that I won't agree to something that this air-head says. So don't take his word for granted." Riza yelled back. Her fox ears were really something else.

Undermined like that Akashi hung his head.

"Thank you. I will take your offer." Mary said with a rare smile. "I expect great things from both of you. You too, heir to the Velmón name." Her expectant stare made the two boys shrink back.

"Ahaha you got yourself a beat up date boys!" Tahli threw her arms around both of their shoulders and chuckled. "Oh and just for reference... Jane's kicks are totally her own strength. And I am pretty sure she kicked through a brick wall before."

Both of them gulped.

Apparently Maryjane Hart was very superhuman even without her special condition.

---

Till next time!

Johno 343 and BugDevil signing off.