Remnant's Mightiest Heroes!
Chapter 14: Ventures and Vampires Part 2
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Avengers Mansion
"Last window," Ruby grits. Her body is stretching out of a window to attach a device to the top of the frame. As soon as she retreated into the mansion, the device descended to cover the window with a reflective sheet. Ruby closed the window and sighed.
"And that's the east wing," Ruby said. Things would've gone faster if she went outside to do the job. But with the threat of vampires, especially Dracula, she couldn't afford to take any chances. Not to mention the fact that they can't entire a home uninvited…if that's how vampires actually worked.
Ruby is still terrified at the revelations that the lord of vampires is real. She should've looked through the Datacrux more thoroughly. Blade is an Avenger so it's likely that they had encounters with Dracula before. Maybe she should look at it later for more information on Dracula. But for now, she'd better prepare herself for a fight.
"Might as well look at the weapons Blade left us," Ruby said. As she walked back to the common area, her thoughts drifted back to the vampire hunter. He reminded her of Blake during their early days at Beacon Academy. Focused on stopping Torchwick and the White Fang so much that she neglected her school life and friends. That unhealthy obsession nearly destroyed her if Yang hadn't convinced her to stop and take it easy. She couldn't help but worry about Blade as well.
"Let's see what we have," Ruby muttered as she sits down on the couch in the common area. On the table is a black duffle bag containing the anti-vampire gear that Blade left them. The moment she opened it is when her weapon fangirl mode took over.
"This is so cool!" Ruby gushed as she carefully spills the contents of the bag onto the table. "Silver hollow-point rounds! Toxin rounds! Hyper-Toxin grenades! Ultraviolet grenades! UV edge glaives! UV trip mines and…oh my god, he actually made a stake launcher! I'm in weapon heaven!"
"The west wing is finished," Daisy announced as she walks into the room. After Fury went back to the Helicarrier, she volunteered to help Ruby with securing the place. When she saw Ruby with the weaponry, she cracked a smile. "I see you finally got to see more of Blades goodies."
Ruby nodded eagerly. "I'm always a weapon nut back on Remnant. To be honest, I was expecting the usual wooden stakes, silver, garlic, and the rest of the vampire-slaying jazz. But this? This takes the cake."
"Blade knows his craft," Daisy said as she sat down beside her. She picked up a spray can of weaponized garlic. "Like innovation, it has to progress. He has to upgrade to stay ahead of foes like Dracula."
"Dracula…" Ruby lost some of her exuberant energy as she held a UV lamp. Daisy noticed this and looked at her.
"Something wrong?"
"It's just…" Ruby twiddled with her fingers. "I get that Dracula is real and he's dangerous as his legend states…but I feel like we should be out there helping Blade. Not staying here, cooped up in the mansion."
"Blade can handle himself just fine," Daisy assured her. "He's taken down various vampires in his career. We'll have to trust his judgment on this one."
"Yeah. I get the whole experience thing, but still…" Ruby trailed off, unable to make a convincing argument. The SHIELD agent thought for a moment.
"Tell me…" Daisy began tentatively. "Has Remnant ever had Grimm similar to vampires? Like human Grimm besides Salem?"
Ruby shivered. Not at the mention of Salem, but about a fairy tale that her mom used to tell her at bedtime. A tale that became a favorite for parents who want to scare their children into behaving. Especially when the centerpiece is a Grimm that would fit partly fit the criteria that Daisy described.
"We call it the Chill," Ruby said a little fearfully. "It's a Grimm that has the ability to possess us. When that happens, they are indistinguishable from another person. While possessed, they can't speak or sometimes repeat their victim's last word over and over. I don't know which is true. What's even scarier is that they can hop between bodies through touch make it even more difficult to tell who has the Chill."
The silver-eyed girl gave a humorless laugh.
"That inspired an old party game. In the game, we have to discover the Grimm in our midst before it's too late. I used to think it was fun back at Signal Academy, but with some of my planets fairy tales turning true and Salem, I fear them being under her thrall."
"Are they really that bad?" Daisy asked.
"Yeah," Ruby nods slowly. "In the fairy tale, one wiped pit an entire village in an entire night. I don't know if it's true, but she has access to Chills, she can have a town tear itself apart."
Daisy nodded at the logic behind that. If there are creatures like the Chills, she'd worry about facing them too. But knowing what you are facing helps with how to deal with them. It sounded easy in her head than executing it.
"Was there any record of huntsmen encountering a Chill?" Daisy asked.
Ruby looks at her as she answered. "No. At least, I haven't seen one personally, but I heard Professor Port mention it in one of his stories. There was this one time where a friend of his got possessed and he had to fight him off."
"What happened next?"
"I didn't get much," Ruby admitted. "I usually tune out his stories. I know, it's stupid, but listening to him drone on and on about his personal life does that to you. Anyway, I did hear that the chill can only possess a person for a few minutes. After that…I don't know…"
"If that's true, then you're lucky," Daisy said grimly. "Because I bet that huntsmen who encountered the Chill before would've killed those it possessed."
"Why would you say that?" Ruby asked in shock of hearing such a thing from her.
"Don't get me wrong Ruby. I feel the same as you," Daisy said. "But fear has always been a factor as long as there is life. From how it sounds, getting possessed by the Chill and being forced to do something bad is a horrible thing to happen to you. If there wasn't that time limit, someone may be forced to kill them. Sometimes out of fear of getting possessed. Sometimes they want to put them out of their misery to save the many. Deep down, they felt torn about killing them. I should know."
Daisy stopped to take a breath. Ruby digested everything that she said with a sad look. Did she kill somebody once?
"Who was it?"
"It's not important right now, "Daisy said. "He's still alive, but he's still sore about having his memories messed with. Again, long story because it would reopen an old wound that's already been healed. It's also why Blade didn't want you to come with him."
"Huh? Why would you say that?"
"Never forget that vampires used to be human before they turned," Daisy said with seriousness. "Blade knew that ever since he began his career. When you face a vampire, can you bring yourself to kill it knowing that they used to be alive? That they used to have a soul?"
Ruby felt conflict as she struggled to answer. She and her friends had fought the Creatures of Grimm and they had no souls. But as Daisy points out, killing something that used to be human didn't feel right with her.
"I don't know…"
"Exactly. I think the saying is that they who hesitates are lost. That's why Blade didn't want you to become involved with the vampire hunting business. He wanted to spare you from that pain."
"He does?"
"Blade may not say it out loud, but he cares for people. He's able to handle the pain because it's been with him ever since he was born. Right when his mother was killed by a vampire."
Ruby held a hand to her mouth. She was young at the time, but she remembered how devastated she and her family were when they lost her mother, Summer Rose. So that was what set Blade off on the road he walked.
"All his life, he hunted vampires so that no one will suffer as he did. Nor carry the burden when he puts the vampires out of their misery."
"But aren't there good vampires?" Ruby asked. "I mean, not all of them can be bad. Like, maybe we can find a cure for vampirism."
"It's not a bad thought to have," Daisy said with a smile. "As for good ones, Blade tends to leave them alone if he ever finds them. He still holds a grudge, but he will leave alone any who don't give in to the curse by spreading it and killing people, provided that they can convince him. We'll have to thank his time with the Avengers for that. I should know because we have a biochemist who is a vampire."
"Really?" Ruby asked excitedly.
"Yep, and you might call him a living vampire. He works at ARMOR, and if anyone can find a cure it will be him. Until then, we do what we got to do to defend people from vampires."
Ruby smiled at that. It was good to know that Blade does care for them in a tough-guy routine. Not to mention he has a heart of gold even during his hunts. Especially when he didn't want, she and her friends to be exposed to the dark side of his profession. She frowned as that thought crossed her mind.
"On another note," Ruby said. "Where is everybody? I had to rig the west wing all by myself."
"Me too," Daisy said with a. frown. "JARVIS, where are the others? It's starting to feel like we are the only ones in the mansion."
She only meant it as a joke. So, imagine their surprise when JARVIS answered. "You are correct Agent Johnson. You and Miss Rose are the only ones in the mansion."
"Wait…WHAT?" Ruby jumped out of her seat. "Where did they go?"
"Miss Xiao Long said that she wanted to test out her new Sky-Cycle, which she affectionately named Bumblebee. The others wanted to join in to spectate."
Both of them knew that excuse was as lame as the dog one. Daisy narrowed her eyes in realization. Ruby read her mind.
"They went after Blade didn't, they?" Ruby asked.
"Yep," Daisy said with a small pop and a snarl. "I'm going to kill them."
"Me too," Ruby growled as well. "I mean…not literally kill them. Just…you know, berate them. I mean, how could they just ditch me like that?! We're a team!"
"Why don't we ask them ourselves?" Daisy said as she fiddled with a wristlet. "Contact them and get their location. Once we have it, I'll get Lockjaw."
Ruby nodded and pulled out her scroll. Daisy tapped a button and from the centerpiece sprang a projection of Director Fury.
"Director," Daisy said. "We have a problem."
"Something tells me it's going to give me another sore," Fury groaned. "Report."
"Aside from Ruby and myself, they've gone after Blade," Daisy answered to which Fury slapped his head in frustration.
"Dammit! You two find them immediately. I'll check with STAKE on the HC's ETA. Full moon or not, it's time to monster up."
With that, the Director of SHIELD cut off communications. Daisy turned to Ruby as she tried to get in touch with her team. She can only pray that they are not too late.
Meanwhile…
Yang slammed into a wall of the warehouse so hard that it caused cracks to appear. The force that sent her flying sent a ringing in her skull. She rubbed her head where the blow struck as she got up.
"I'm going to feel that in the morning," Yang groaned. She checked her aura meter on her masks HUD. "Fifty percent?! What the hell is that car made out of?"
Things had gone south fast, especially since the Shadow Colonel summoned that flaming skull guy whom Blade called Robbie. Taking advantage of his apparent shock, he proceeded to punch him across the floor. Fortunately, he recovered in mid-air to reorient himself so that he lands on his two feet. He took out another katana and engaged the flaming man head-on.
The others moved to help him, but the Shadow Colonel made things difficult by summoning what the vampire hunter called shadow vampires. Unlike regular ones, these seemed to be made of darkness which made them difficult to fight.
Speaking of Shadow, she is currently being chased by what Blade calls, the hellhound. The giant mutt bounded after her at the heels. Every time his jaws snapped at her; a shadow clone took the blow. Yang was about to help her before getting rammed by the flaming car, which is now coming towards her again.
"I don't have time to pick a fight with a car!" Yang growled as she sidestepped to avoid the oncoming automotive. As it passed by her, she felt the heat coming off it. It didn't seem to feel like the fire she found during campfires. IT felt as if it were trying to attack her soul. Whatever it was, she doesn't want to be near it. As the car rams into the wall she previously crashed into, she ran to help her partner.
"Get away from me!" Blake shrieked as she is chased by the hellhound.
"Hey, I just wanted to live up to the dogs chasing cat's routine," Sarge, as the Colonel named, argues as he continues his pursuit. "Is that really a crime?"
"Yes!"
As much as Yang wanted to laugh at this, she needs to save her partner. Yang rushed over to intercept the dog before he could catch up to Blake. Rearing back her mechanized fist, she slammed it into the beasts left flank. Thanks to the power boost from her semblance stored in her arm, it sent the dog flying away from her and into a wall as she had been minutes ago. She didn't stop to look as she turned to check on Blake.
"You okay Shadow?"
"Y-yeah," Blake nodded. "I just can't stand dogs…"
"Now that really hurts," The girls turned to see Sarge picking himself up. Yang detected a slight wince. "That cutting remark and that last blow blondie land on me. She packed a hell of a punch."
"Oh, I can do more than just that," Yang snarked as her eyes turned red. "Want to see what I can destroy when I go all out?"
"How's this for an answer?" Sarge asked as he leaped towards them, jaws wide open to take a bite. Blake hid behind Yang who stood in front of her protectively.
Then, right in the maw of the hellhound, a grenade flew into it. The moment the hellhound bit down in surprise, it exploded. He crashed into the ground, coughing out smoke. The girls turned to see Blade walking towards them, another grenade ready in his hand.
"Really?" Blade directed that at Blake with a raised eyebrow.
"She has a thing with dogs," Yang defended.
"And she has no problem facing Beowolves?" Blade asked in a deadpan tone. "I read the files on the Grimm."
"I get it, it's ironic," Blake said as she steps out from behind Yang. "Can we focus on other matters, like that flaming skull guy? It sounded like you know him."
"I do," Blade said as he looked to where the aforementioned skull man is fighting with Ms. America. She dodged the skeletons blows, throwing out some in return. Her blows did little effect other than briefly forcing him back. Just as Yang is wondering why she's having problems with a skeleton, the hot head punched her. Despite being invulnerable, the force was enough to send her flying and crashing through a wall to the outside. The skeleton moved to pursue only for a barrage of missiles to hit him in the face. Growling, the skeleton turned to see Patriot as he receives his shield exiting drone mode.
"Come on!" Patriot shouted in a challenge. Beneath his mask, his eyes widened when the skeleton conjured a fireball in his right hand and threw it at him. Knowing that this isn't like Inferno's flames, he rolled out of the path of the fireball. The fireball exploded on the floor, burning so hot that the crates left no ashes, but a smoking crater with the smell of brimstone.
"His name is Roberto Reyes," Blade gives the long-delayed answer as he tosses the grenade behind him. Right when four more Shadow Vampires manifested, the grenade exploded in UV light evaporating them. "He's a fellow Avenger. In the field, he is known as the Ghost Rider, a spirit of vengeance."
"Ghost Rider?" Yang asked. "You make it sound like he stepped out of a ghost story."
"He might as well have," Blade answered. "While he's the Ghost Rider, he's strong enough to go toe-to-toe with Thor and Captain Marvel. In the Colonel's hands, he can turn New York into a smoldering crater by exploding in a mass of hellfire."
"Okay, I get it. We need to free him from the vampire's control," Yang said with her hands raised in surrender. Blake's ears twitched as she picked up the last thing he said.
"Wait hellfire…as in…"
"Yes, hell is real and so is heaven," Blade said dismissively. "Now do you want to spend the rest of the night wondering if you are damned or do you want to prevent hell on earth?"
Both of the huntresses-in-training gulped. Pushing away from the thoughts of eternal damnation to the deepest part of their brain, they focused on the Ghost Rider as he and America once again exchanged blows.
"So how do we beat him?" Blake asked nervously. "Without getting…burned up by him, I mean?"
"You don't," Blade said, much to their surprise and somewhat thankfulness. "The Ghost Rider is too dangerous for you to take on. I want you two, Knighthood, and Invincible Girl to go after the one pulling his strings."
"The Shadow Colonel," Blake said, turning her head to see the vampire-fighting Jaune and Pyrrha. The Colonel kept his minigun trained on both of them. Inferno is guarding their backs by bathing shadow vampires with his flames. "Judging by what he said back then, the Ghost Rider must be under some kind of spell."
"A satanic spell," Blade said in agreement as he drew his blades. "I'll take care of Robbie."
"Are you sure you can handle him?" Blake asked. She was still spooked that hellfire is a real thing. Especially Hell.
"I have an idea on how to get him back to his senses," Blade answered. "As for you, I'd rather let your opponent be the colonel than Robbie. Your aura is a manifestation of your soul as I am told. Which, by your definition, makes you more vulnerable to hellfire. Trust me, it's nasty stuff."
"No kidding," Yang groaned. "But wait, what about the mutt? Wouldn't he know the spell as well?"
"I have a name you know!" The three of them turned to see the hellhound back up. He had finished coughing out smoke and is glaring at them with his empty eye sockets. Crouching his legs, he leaped towards them.
"Yes, we know!" Patriot shouted as interposed himself between them. He raised his shield to block the front hands of the hellhound. The moment they made contact; he reorients himself so that he redirects Sarge into another direction. As the hellhound twisted himself to face them again, America came out of nowhere and slammed into him.
"You two deal with the Colonel," Patriot said to Yang and Blake. "America and I will keep the mutt off your backs. We'll assist Blade with the Ghost Rider as much as we can."
"Just get out of the way when he starts fighting with fire," Blade warned, He pointed his blade towards where the vampire is fighting with the rest of their friends. "Ignite. Shadow. Get to it. I'll clear a path."
As he said this, he charged into a horde of shadow vampires. With his vampiric speed, he hacked and slashed at them. Like being exposed to UV light, the shadow vampires faded the moment they are cut down. Occasionally, Blade would throw a glaive with UV edges at a group of snarling shadow vampires.
"Bet Thorn would love to see what those blades are made of," Yang commented. "Come on Shadow, we can't let him have all the fun."
Together, she and Blake charged ahead to get to the fighting. Before they left Avengers Mansion, they made the necessary modifications to their weapons to better combat vampires. Blake shifts Gambol Shroud into blade form, no longer feeling to hold back against these monsters. The edge of her blade glowed with the purple UV light. Yang's arm and gauntlet glowed at the knuckles. They stood against the snarling vampires before them.
"Come and get some!" Yang cried out as she punched the nearest shadow vampire. The moment her fist connected, the ultraviolet turned the vampire into smoke with a hiss. Yang didn't break a sweat as several more came at her. A few managed to slice at her, but her aura protected her from the damage. The blonde knew that she couldn't afford to let them overwhelm her and wear her out. It felt like a video game boss level where the minions are meant to wear the party out.
She vaguely remembered that combat session with ants. Time to try out that new move she cooked up with Ember Celica. Vampire slaying addition.
The light of her weapons glowed brighter as she stretched out her arms. With all the strength she could muster, she clapped them together. A shockwave shot out, infused with the UV light. The shockwave passed through them, causing them to turn to the dust they call darkness. The wave of light continued until it evaporated. Yang looks at her handiwork and whistles.
"What do you know, it worked," Yang grinned. "Got to thank Hulk for showing me that one."
"Focus Ignite!" Blake shouts as she slashed another shadow vampire. The Faunus threw Gambol Shroud in kurasagima form, the edges of the ribbon lined with UV light like the edge of the blade. Gripping the end of the ribbon tightly, she swung, turning her body as she did so. To the oncoming shadow vampires, it was like a tornado of death for them. Any that got foolish enough to get close to her ends up being evaporated like the rest. One got smart enough to get above her. Rather than let a shadow take it, she dodges it to preserve her aura reserves. She reverted her weapon into the katana form and slashed it.
"Let's not waste any more time," Blake declared. "We need to get to Knighthood and Invincible Girl."
"Right, no smaller fry," Yang nodded in agreement. She had just punched another shadow vampire when JARVIS spoke.
"Incoming call from Thorn."
Yang winced at that. She knew that this was supposed to be expected, but this really is a bad time to be chewed out by her little sister. But might as well get it over with.
"Put it through," Yang said. No sooner than the call came through that she heard Ruby's angry voice.
"YANG!"
"Hey, sis," Yang said a little too carefree. "Look, I get that I ditched you again and you're ticked at us. But right now, it's not a good time. We're fighting vampires as we speak."
"Vampires?" Ruby's tone changed from anger to concern. "Is Dracula there?"
"Nope. Just some guy calling himself the Shadow Colonel. He has something called a game-changer and has taken control of this guy called the Ghost Rider. Long story, but we are trying to get to the Colonel so we can stop him."
"Where are you now?" Ruby demanded. "Tell me so that we can come and assist you."
"Will do," Yang said as she recited the coordinates.
"Getting Lockjaw now. After this, we are going to have a serious talk about the stunt you pulled. Got it?"
"Okay sis," Yang said as she signed off. She gave a big sigh. This is kind of like the time she ditched Ruby at the beginning of their first semester. She can worry about it later. Right now, they have a vampire to slay.
Just as that thought crossed her mind, something came flying towards her. Her eyes are wide as she realized that it was Jaune that is flying towards her. Acting quickly, she caught him in her arms. Jaune's helmeted head turned towards her. Underneath the visor is a thankful look.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome," Yang said as she sets him down. "How's the fight?"
"Going badly," Jaune answered. "He has every ability that vampires have according to legend. Invincible Girl managed to get his minigun away with her semblance. But then he stole my sword."
He pointed towards the Shadow Colonel. Sure, enough the Colonel is holding the sword of Crocea Mors. As Pyrrha rushed towards him, he got into a sword fighting stance. As he did, the sword began to shift as the nanotech's security protocols took effect. So, it's to the Colonel's surprise that he held a sphere of the sword he once held.
"Clever, the Shadow Colonel muttered as he tossed it away and held out his arms. The plant thing on his shoulder slithered vines along his arms. From the palms of his hands sprouted wooden stakes.
Pyrrha thrust Milo in spear from, the tip glowing with UV light. The Colonel parried the strike with one of his stakes. He slashed at her midsection with the other one. Her aura protected her, but she didn't let up. Due to the stakes, she couldn't manipulate them with her semblance as she did with the bullets. Blocking his second stake strike, she transformed Milo into sword form and slashed at him again. With his vampiric speed, he was able to avoid her strikes. She could keep up with him barely The Invincible Girl threw Akouo at him, edges brimming with the UV. To her annoyance, he began to dodge again…only to be blasted by a well-timed fireball.
Pyrrha looked up at the catwalks to see Inferno giving her a cheerful wave.
"Thank you!"
"You're welcome!" Inferno called back as he resumed fighting several more shadow vampires crawling towards him. Pyrrha looked back at to face her adversary, but the vampire wasn't there. He likely retreated if only for a moment to recover. That begged the question as to why he's not leaving the battle. He had whatever he got from those vampires, so why stay here. She assumed that he wanted to kill Blade than let the vampire follow his trail.
As she pondered this, the others converged upon her location.
"Sup, I.G," Yang greeted. "How's the fight against the Colonel?"
"One of the toughest I faced," Pyrrha said a little out of breath. "His speed makes it nearly difficult to strike him. Not to mention that even if I do, he turns into the mist to avoid it. It's everything out of vampire lore."
"Then we have to trap him," Jaune said. He reclaimed his sword and transformed it back into weapon form. "Everyone, can you come here for a second?"
"Sure," Yang said as everyone leaned in. Jaune whispered his plan to his teammate's ears. Beneath her mask, Yang's eyes are wide with excitement. She gave a devilish smile as she ran off.
"Okay," Jaune turned to Blake and Pyrrha. "Invincible Girl, you're on overwatch. Fire only the signal is given."
"Got it," Pyrrha nodded as she rushed to a tower of shipping containers.
"Shadow, you're with me. We need to keep his attention on us."
"Got it," Blake said.
"Now, to find him…" Jaune muttered. They kept their weapons up as they scanned the area for the vampire. A slight movement caught their attention to a column of crates. Jaune shouted to Inferno still fighting on the catwalks. "Inferno! We need area deniability! Scorched earth maneuver!"
Inferno nodded and shot out two streams of fire. Around them, a ring of fire is formed. Knighthood and the Shadow jumped in just as the ring closed. From behind the crates, the Shadow Colonel emerged, looking completely healed from the flames. Even his armor didn't look damaged.
"A ring of fire," The Colonel drawled as he gazed at the flames before settling on the two Remnantians. "So, you mortals are that content to meet your end."
"That's rich coming from the guy using wooden stakes on his palms," Jaune retorted as he and Blake readied their weapons. "Why fight with those? You could've torn us apart with your vampire strength."
"I can tell that you have some kind of forcefield surrounding your bodies so that would've been pointless," The Colonel answered. He looked down at the stake at his palms. "As for these, I usually resort to them when I conduct the culling."
"The culling? What are you talking about?" Blake asked. That word brought a sinking feeling to her stomach. Only Jaune had the courage to ask the obvious question.
"You mean…you use those to kill your own kind?"
"Of course," The Colonel said without a hint of remorse.
"How could you?" Blake asked vehemently. "What kind of man kills his own kind?"
"One who intends to root out the weak from the crop," The Colonel replied. "Only the strong are fit enough to come to the promised land."
"Promised land?" Jaune asks, still incensed at the callousness of the vampire. "What are you talking about?"
"I believe I've said enough," The Colonel said as he crouched down. "Why don't we get back to business?"
With his vampiric speed, he launched himself at them. Just as Pyrrha testified, they could barely keep up with him. Jaune raised his shield to block a stake strike while Blake had a shadow take the blow for her. She reappeared behind him and swung Gambol Shroud in katana form. Once again, it missed as the vampire turned into his mist form, partially to avoid it.
"Time, we dealt with that," Jaune said as his shield expanded to reveal several LED bulbs. They glowed violet before emitting a flash. The Shadow Colonel grunted as he raised his hands to shield his face. Whether it was from pain or surprise, Jaune didn't wonder as he thrust his sword into his chest. While he and his friends are against killing, he knew for a fact that vampires are already dead. Plus, this guy sounded as bad as Salem.
The Colonel registered the fact that he has been skewered before retaliating. He grabbed the hand holding the sword and threw Jaune over his shoulder. The boy tumbled on the ground before landing on his front side. The Colonel pulled out the sword and tossed it over to Jaune.
"Not bad," The vampire said. "Didn't see that coming."
"Let's see about us," Jaune said. He briefly noted that the vampire didn't seem to be in pain from that attack. Vampire's, despite being dead, can heal exponentially if given the time. The ultraviolet energy should slow the process as he isn't like the shadow vampires.
A gunshot drew him out of his thoughts. Blake had taken advantage of the Colonel's idleness and fired a hollow-point round. The Colonel shouted in pain and clutched at the area where the bullet fragmented. The wound was beginning to heal, but at a slow rate.
"Garlic…" The Colonel hissed as he turns to look at her. "There was garlic in that bullet."
"You can thank Blade for that. He's the expert," Blake snapped as she fires another bullet. This time, the Colonel was ready as he turned into his mist form. The transformation was slow at best, but it was enough for him to avoid the bullet.
Good, Jaune thought. He's focused on us as planned.
While he and Blake continued to scrap with the vampire, Pyrrha is fulfilling her role in the plan. Using her semblance, she began levitating the metal shipping containers in the warehouse. Back on Remnant, lifting this many heavy metal objects puts an enormous strain on her. Thanks to the training at SHIELD Bootcamp, she can handle the strain. Further training will strengthen her further. Carefully, she began to arrange them into a crude circle before lowering them. She used the ring of fire as a marker.
The Colonel had just pushed Blake back when he noticed the metal encirclement closing in on him. "What is this?"
"Shadow!" Jaune called. "Blake nodded and she swung Gambol Shroud in ribbon form. When it caught something on the ceiling, she grabbed Jaune and pulled themselves out of the ring of metal. "Ignite!"
"Alley-op!" Yang called. She came running with a bag stuffed with all the UV explosives that she could gather. With a few swings, she throws them over the metal walls and right near the Colonel. "The rest is yours Invincible Girl!"
Pyrrha nodded as she raised her Milo in rifle mode. Aiming, she fired at the bag, using her semblance to guide the bullet. Moments before the bullet hits one of the explosives, Jaune lets go of Blake and activates his shields barrier field. He turned it so that it lands facedown, preventing the Colonel from escaping as the explosives went off. UV light filled the small area created by the metal ring, along with shrapnel and explosive force. Jaune's barrier flickered but held. After several seconds, the light faded. Jaune took a step back onto a metal crate and deactivating the energy barrier. Smoke rose from the spot where the Colonel once stood.
Pyrrha and the other two girls came up behind him and gazed at their handiwork. "Is he…"
"He must be," Jaune said. "He couldn't have survived with that many explosives. The UV was enough to make my eyes burn if it weren't for my visors protection."
"Shadow Colonels down for the count, Yang said. "So that leaves us two people left. Sarge and the Ghost Rider."
At that moment, they heard an unearthly roar behind them. The four hunters-in-training turned to see the Ghost Rider moving towards them. His eye sockets are looking straight at them.
"Speak of the devil," Yang muttered. Blake slowly turned to her and gave her a harsh glare.
"Really?" She hissed. "We find out Hell is real, and you want to make a joke about the devil?"
"It was just an expression!" Yang hissed back. "You really think I would make a joke about the devil? What do you take me for?"
"Wait…Hell is real?" Jaune asked with surprise mixed with fear.
"Not now Knighthood!" Yang snapped. "We got a ghost to deal with!"
"You!" The Ghost Rider spoke directly to Blake. "Murderer! Betrayer! Coward! You have evaded punishment long enough!"
"Hey! Blake is no murderer!" Yang shouted indignantly but Blake couldn't hear the rest of what she said. She was looking up at the Ghost Rider. Somehow, Blake was drawn to where the eyes should be. The Faunus could feel her eyes heating up. Her ears could hear faint screaming. Yang is looking at her in concern. She appeared to be asking if she is alright, but Blake couldn't hear her.
"Penance," The Ghost Rider rasped. "Know the power of the penance stare. For the sins of the people who suffered because of you, Faunus. Feel the pain of the people whose lives you destroyed. Burn in the fire of—"
He didn't get to say much more as Blade suddenly appeared at his back. The vampire hunter is gripping him by the shoulders, being careful to avoid the heat of the fiery skull. With his mouth open wide, he sunk his fangs into the flaming neck of the spirit of vengeance. The Ghost Rider roared as Blade held his grip with both hands and mouth. Then, the size of the Rider began to reduce. He got smaller and smaller until he became human-sized and less demonic. Then, the flames died out and the skull is replaced with flesh and blood, complete with black hair with white strands.
The voices in Blake's head faded away, as did the heat in her eyes. She fell to the ground on her knees, feeling drained. Hands grasped her by her sides, shaking her. Her vision cleared and she looked at the lilac eyes of Yang.
"Shadow!" Yang cried out in concern. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Blake said, still shaken by what happened to her. She glared at the hands holding her shoulders. "Can you let go of me now? It's starting to hurt."
Yang complied but kept her eyes on her. Blake stood up and glanced at the man who she assumed to be Roberto Reyes, the host for the Ghost Rider. Just what did he do to her?
Blade stepped away from the Ghost Rider and spat out a glob of spit. Strangely, it was on fire. "That oughta do it."
"Blade?" Blade asked as she and the others came down from the crates and approached him. America and Patriot came running as well. "What did you just do?"
"I'm a vampire. Sorta. So, I did what vampires do. The Rider had a sickness in his veins, which is how the Colonel was controlling him. So, I sucked it out," Blade explained. He pointed a finger at them. "Anybody who makes a joke will be the training dummy for my nunchaku."
"Okay. We get it. No vampire jokes," Yang held up her arms in surrender. The others gave her dark looks for lumping them with her. She ignored them and turned to Patriot and America. "Where's the dog?"
"Took off running," America answered with a thumb over her shoulder. "Looks like he got cold feet when he saw his master get taken down."
"Really?"
Every head whipped around to the source of the voice. To their astonishment, standing on top of a shipping container is the Shadow Colonel. His armor is smoking and peppered with shrapnel. Exposed parts are already finishing the healing process. Red eyes glared down at them.
"Dogs are known for their loyalty as you know. Including Hellhounds. As such, I put my trust into Sarge."
"How?" Jaune demanded. "That blast should've reduced you to ash!"
"This has something to do with your game-changer, doesn't it?" Blade asked calmly. The Colonel regarded him for a moment before showing them a red pendant around his neck.
"That's right," The vampire confirmed. "This is the thing that will change the tide between humans and vampires."
"Your secret weapon is costume jewelry?" Yang scoffed. "How's that going to help?" The Colonel chuckled darkly at her questions.
"You see, Ignite, was it? Light is a rather complex thing. Waves and particles. An entire spectrum—well, I won't bore you with a science lesson seeing as your mind couldn't handle it." That statement irked Yang so much. Was he calling her dumb? "Let's just say that it can be bent. Oh, the tech boys put in overtime on this one. A computer-electronic device. It emits a field which bends a narrow part of the sunlight spectrum—the armful part—around the vampire wearing it."
"In short, it's instant sunscreen," Patriot surmised. "Meaning you can walk around in broad daylight without feeling any pain. Which is also how you survive the blast."
"That is correct."
"Well, it's not going to do you good if it's smashed!" Yang shouted as she charged at him. She pulled out the stake she got from Blade. She didn't get one foot near the Colonel when something crashed into her side. Hot breath breathed down on her as she looked at the face of the Hellhound.
"Ignite!" Blake called. She tried to rush over to her, but she is peppered by minigun fire. As a shadow took the bullets, the Colonel fired upon the rest of them with his recovered minigun. Jaune and Pyrrha stepped forward and activated their barrier fields. Their barriers interlocked and protected the people in the back. They may have an aura, but some of their friends didn't have that luxury. The vampire kept up the suppressive fire as he looked towards the pinned Yang.
"Your powers and abilities are unlike anything we've ever seen," The Colonel said. "Now that the Rider is no longer under our control, I've in need of replacements. Since I can't bite you…"
Sarge stepped off her as the Colonel seized her by the throat and lifted her. His eyes glowed brightly as he stares into hers.
"Let go…of…me…" Yang tried to shout, but her voice slowly became less defiant and fell into silence.
"What is he doing to her?" Blake asked.
"Mesmerism," Blade answered. Blake looked at him quizzically.
"Mesmerism?"
"Your mask," Blade said quickly. "Are those reflective?"
"You mean my lenses?" Blake asked. Her mask had them to protect her eyes from the sun. In some cases, bright lights. "Yes. Why?"
"You're about to find out." Blade said as he turned back to the Colonel. The vampire had dropped Yang. She fell to the ground on her behind. Slowly, she got up. Blake knew right away that something is wrong. The Colonel pointed towards the vampire hunter.
"Destroy Blade," The Colonel ordered.
"Yes…milord…" Yang answered in a monotone voice. Then, she charged straight at Blade, fists swinging wild. Blade sidestepped her as she smashed into the ground, causing it to crack. She didn't let up as she continued to chase after Yang.
"Ignite!" Blake shouted. "What are you doing?"
"She's under his control!" Blade answered as he parried Yang's strikes. He knew that the remnantians aura had to be broken for her to be knocked unconscious. Blake began to assist him in the effort.
"Ignite! Snap out of it!" America called as she and Patriot came to help. The Colonel suddenly appeared in front of them. They didn't have time to react as the Colonel put them under the control of mesmerism.
"Destroy Blade and the rest of the interlopers."
"Yes, my lord," They eerily replied. They continued forward to attack Blade and Blake. Blade had just dodged another strike when America socked him in the shoulder. He smashed into a wall and fell to the ground.
"Blade!" Blake cried out. Her ears perked as she heard the shifting of air. She stepped back as the Colonel swiped a hand at her. She had just converted Gambol Shroud into pistol form when she felt something heavy press it's weight over her. The faunus didn't need a look to know that the hellhound is on top of her.
"Dog catches cat," Sarge boasted as the Colonel loomed over her.
"Do not resist," The Colonel said as he began using his mesmerism on her. Blake stayed perfectly still, her fear of dogs helping her. When the hellhound got off her, she slowly stood up and looked towards the Colonel.
"Destroy Blade." The Colonel ordered. Blake chose to raise Gambol Shroud and aim towards the vampire instead.
"No," Blake said as she shot him several times. Thanks to his surprise, she managed to get three shots before he faded into mist. Blake faded as a shadow took the jaws of Sarge. She reappeared behind him and fired an armor-piercing round. It was made of silver, otherwise, it wouldn't have affected him as much.
"Aargh!" The hellhound roars as he limps away from her. Blake glared at him before running off to help Blade, who is struggling between Yang and America. Both of them trying to smash his skull in.
"We need to get them back to their senses," Blake shouts as she wraps Gambol Shroud around Patriot. "Anyone got eyes on the Colonel?"
"Nope," Inferno answered as he readied another fireball. "But when I see him, he's getting one to the face!"
As he was saying that, mist gathered behind him and formed the very vampire he was talking about. It would appear that he had recovered from the bullet wounds. The Colonel grabbed him the neck and force him to face him.
"I've had enough with you playing with fire," The Colonel whispered as he puts Inferno under mesmerism. Inferno's face adopted an expression of lifelessness and the flame in his hand died out.
"Inferno," Jaune called as he and Pyrrha ran towards them. The Colonel sent him after the rest of their mind-controlled friends as he faced them. He lifted his minigun and fired upon them. Jaune and Pyrrha raised their shields and activated their barrier fields.
"Invincible Girl!" Jaune called out. "You think you can take him down without looking at him?"
"I can try," Pyrrha said as she turned Milo into rifle form. Pointing up into the air, she fired several rounds. Dropping it and extending her hand, she used her semblance to manipulate the bullets and changed their trajectory. She redirected them towards the Colonel as he continued firing upon them. Pyrrha didn't see, but she could hear the sound of bullets hitting undead flesh.
"I think I got him," Pyrrha said to Jaune. Then, she heard the sound of the beating of leathery wings. Her eyes are wide as they are swarmed by bats. They flew into the visor of their helmets, blocking their view. Pyrrha swatted her hand at them in an attempt to get rid of them.
"Where did these bats come from?" Pyrrha asked in exasperation. Eventually, they went away. Memories of DND vampirology surfaced in her mind with fear. "Knighthood, are you alright?"
Her terror increased when she got no answer. She turned to see her leaders shield on the ground. The latter is walking towards it slowly. He bent down to pick it up.
"Knighthood?" Pyrrha asked again. She already knew the answer to her unspoken question as the Colonel appeared behind her.
"Restrain her," He ordered.
"Yes, milord," Jaune muttered as he raised his sword and shield. Pyrrha got ready to fight her partner, as much as she hated the thought of fighting him. She knew that she could take him down in a fight. The problem is his aura reserves, which are the largest that she ever felt when she activated it. She'll have to restrain him with the metal in the area.
Instead of fighting her head on as she expected, he activated his shields flash mode. Caught unprepared, Pyrrha is blinded by the light. Disoriented, she felt arms restrain her from behind. Turning her head, she saw the mind-controlled Jaune holding her as the Colonel approached. She closed her eyes.
"Closing your eyes may help you," The Colonel said. "But not for long."
He grabbed her by the throat and applied pressure. The loss of air made her gasp for breath and open her eyes. Soon, she too is put under the Colonel's spell. She slumped and Jaune let go of her. Together, they marched to where the fighting is taking place.
Blade and Blake stood back to back. They are surrounded by their friends under the thrall of the Shadow Colonel. Blake once dreaded her friends turning against her when they learned of her past and heritage. She never expected it to happen like this.
"Any ideas out of this?" Blake asked Blade. The vampire hunter didn't answer. Rather, he was gritting his teeth in this situation. This is why he preferred to fight alone.
"Finish them," The Colonel commanded. Their friends moved in to attack when a bright light flashed behind them. It faded to reveal the forms of Lockjaw, Quake, and Thorn.
"There you are! We've been—" Ruby stopped in mid rage when she saw the scene before her. "Umm…why are you guys ganging up on Blade and Shadow?"
Daisy looked at Blade and seemed to have a silent conversation with him. She groaned. "They're mesmerized…great…"
"Uh…Mesmer-what now?" Ruby asked.
"Good. More Slaves," The Shadow Colonel said as he points toward them. "Deal with the interlopers."
"Whatever you do, don't look into his eyes! Stay away if you have to!" Blake warned.
Without a word, their friends charged at them. Daisy sent blasts of vibrations to knock back Patriot and Jaune. Ruby found herself fighting her own sister. Her weapon is deployed in scythe form.
"Ignite? Listen to my voice! He's just Mesmer…Mesmer…whatever it's called! You have to fight it!" Ruby pleaded. Her pleas fell on death ears as Yang growled at her, still keeping her assault.
"No use kid," Sarge called as he leaps up and bites the head of Crescent Rose.
"Eek! Bad dog!" Ruby cried. Sarge kept chewing on her beloved weapon until Lockjaw tackled the hellhound off. The bigger dog growled at the hellhound as it munched on the bit of metal in its mouth.
"Thanks, Lockjaw," Ruby said to him. She looked down at her ruined weapon before glaring at the hellhound. She transformed it into both staff configuration. "You'll regret that!"
As Lockjaw and Ruby fought the hellhound, Daisy made her way to Blade and Blake. She blasted America away from them and threw a vibrating punch at Jaune. She turned towards Blake.
"Sitrep! Now!"
"Vampire is called the Shadow Colonel," Blake said as she lets a shadow take a blow from Pyrrha. Her aura is yellow. "He has a pendant to block sunlight! He has taken control of our friends!"
"So why is he still here?" Daisy asked as she used her vibration blasts to extinguish a fireball thrown by Inferno.
"Likely because he wants more slaves," Blade said as he fought off Pyrrha. The girl is seriously giving him a hard time using his swords with her semblance. He switched to dual stakes to remove that advantage. "And to get rid of me in one fell swoop."
"Alright, screw this!" Daisy growled. "You two, stay close. Thorn and Lockjaw, get clear!"
Daisy slammed both her hands onto the ground and sent out a series of tremors into the earth. The force resulted in a quake that knocked nearly everyone off balance. Lockjaw can teleport himself and Ruby out of the area and harm's way. Blake and Blade stayed close to Daisy the epicenter. The ground turned to quicksand which had their friends-turned-enemies sunken in. After this, Daisy stopped.
"That oughta do it," Daisy sighed. Right as those words left her mouth, the shadow Colonel appeared behind her and picked her up by the throat.
"Garlic like the rest of them." The Colonel said despite his mask filtering out the garlic. "Not that it matters…"
His eyes turned bright as he began to mesmerize Daisy.
"Quake!" Blake cried out as she feared that another friend of hers is about to be put under the vampire's spell. Daisy became limp…and then punched the colonel in the upper torso. This is followed by a shockwave that blasted the colonel off her. In the process, the pendant shattered from the force.
"Yeah," Daisy growled as she pushed herself up. "Not interested in being your mind slave thank you very much."
"How are you not mesmerized?" Blake asked as Ruby and Lockjaw appeared beside her. For once, she was glad to have the big dog's company.
"Psychic shields," Daisy tapped her head for emphasis. Pretty handy when I come across a situation like this."
"Definitely," Ruby nodded. She glared at the Colonel as he got back up.
"Fools, if you think this is over then you—" He was cut off as a flaming charger crashed into him, sending him flying once again. Everyone watched as the Ghost Rider walked through the hood of the car looking less demonic than before. He held a chain with knife blades at the ends. He glared at the vampire with pure anger.
"Of course, it's not over," The Ghost Rider snarled. "Not when there is hell to pay!"
"Robbie?" Daisy asked in surprise The Rider glanced at her for a moment before returning to the Colonel."
"We'll talk later," The Rider said as his chain is set ablaze with hellfire. The Colonel looked at Sarge and knew that this battle is going to end badly for them. There was only one option left for them and they have what they need.
"You have won this round," The Colonel declared. "But this war is far from over."
He waved his hand and suddenly, mist seeped into the warehouse, blocking out the heroes' sight. Everyone braced themselves for any possible attack that may come. But that attack never came. As the mist dissipated, they found themselves alone in the warehouse. The Shadow Colonel and all their friends are gone. The only thing left is the shattered pendant.
"No…" Blake whispered. "No. No! NO! He took them!"
"Calm down Blake," Daisy said, not bothering with the codename. "
"What's he going to do with them?" Ruby asked. "Turn them into vampires? Wait…would they have aura if they are turned into vampires? I mean, they are dead…"
"That won't be the case," Blade answered. "He'll use them as hostages to keep us off his back. Especially me."
"So, there's still a chance then?" Blake asked hopefully.
"If there's a chance in hell, we'll take it," Robbie added. "We'll track down your friends and the Shadow Colonel. I've got a score to settle with what he put me through."
"Thanks," Ruby said, facing Reyes for the first time. "Who are you?"
"Roberto Reyes. My friends call me Robbie." Robbie extended his hand to which she took. "Ghost Rider. Sorry I couldn't meet you guys during your graduation from SHIELD Bootcamp. I was tracking down a relic for SHIELD."
"Oh, you're an Avenger too?" Ruby asked to which Robbie nodded. Blade coughed out loud into his hand. Robbie got the message and put his fingers to his mouth to whistle. With an engine roar, the charger came rolling up to him.
"Robbie and I will do some investigating," Blade said. He looked directly at Blake. "Meanwhile, you have to face the music."
Blake's ears drooped as she realized what he meant. Behind her, she could feel the hard stares of her team leader and Quake.
"Oh."
"Look, I get it. We shouldn't have disobeyed orders. Can we please skip the yelling so we can focus on saving our friends?"
Blake stood on the deck of the SHIELD Helicarrier, being stared down by Ruby, Daisy, and Nick Fury. Somehow, the darkness of night, the moonlight, and the wing made the Director of SHIELD look more frightening. He was looking down at the shattered remains of the pendant.
"I also learned not to rush in unprepared and should've convinced the rest to do the same," Blake finished.
Fury stared at her with his one eye before he became satisfied with her answer. He put the pendants fragments into a bag and pocketed it.
"I'm still going to chew you guys out," Ruby said. "Just wait till we get everybody back."
"I know."
"Glad to see you learned something from this mess-up," Fury said as he turns around and began walking. "IF that's all you've learned tonight, then you are going to love this. My team of experts has arrived from STAKE."
"Experts?" Ruby asked as she and the others walked with him. "Is it the Avengers? We could really use their help right now."
Daisy gave her a cryptic smile. "Not quite, Ruby. Since this is the time of Halloween, you're going to love this."
She looked at Fury and he nodded as he held his wrist to his mouth. "You are cleared for landing."
Ruby and Blake looked up at the sky. Under the moonlight, a large object came flying towards them. The girls started to get nervous when it didn't appear to be slowing down. When they got a closer look, they nearly began to freak out.
"What is that?!" Blake asked nervously.
"I don't know!" Ruby said. "Daisy?"
"Don't worry," Daisy calmly replied. "This is just the norm for these guys."
The object finally landed, skidding a few more feet before it stopped before them. If it can be called an object. It looked like a monster truck, but with the dragon design complete with leathery wings, it looked alive. The creature opened its maw and a silver tongue rolled out. Out of the mouth, three figures descended on the tongue. With her night vision, Blake could see their appearance. What she saw made her eyes wide as dinner plates.
"Meet the perfect team for this mission everyone," Fury said. "The Living Mummy…"
One of the figures shuffled forward with a raspy groan. It is a man wearing an Egyptian pharaoh attire. Nearly every part of his body is wrapped in linen bandages. The bandages themselves looked to be alive. His fingers look crooked and black at the nails.
"Frankenstein's Monster…"
A hulking figure stomped forward with a guttural growl. He had grey skin with stitches all over his body. He wore a fur vest, blue pants, and steel-toed boots. His left hand is a prosthetic arm with a hammer for a hand.
"Werewolf by Night…"
The last figure stepped forward with a canine snarl. He looked to be a man covered head to toe with fur. His feet are reminiscent of paws while his hands are clawed. He wore a blue suit with the SHIELD eagle on his shoulders. Yellow eyes looked at them.
Fury looked back at the paled expressions of Ruby and Blake. Blake's face is much paler than Ruby's.
"Meet the Howling Commandoes," Fury introduced.
There was only one word they could say at the moment.
"MONSTERS!"
[~][~]
Another chapter is done. I'm sorry that it took my long to make this, I was a little under the weather. I'm hoping to finish the vampire saga before Halloween so I can post it. But just in case that doesn't happen, HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Once again, thank you trestwho for helping me make this possible.
Anyway, several of the Secret Warriors and Remnantians have been enslaved by the Shadow Colonel and it's up to what's left to save them. This time, they will have help from the Howling Commandoes.
Onto Q&A:
Dxhologram: He'll unlock his semblance in due time.
Chaldea: She will appear and definitely make her his love interest.
Finn: They will learn more about the Celestials soon enough.
TheSilverUmbreon: I've taken a cue from trestwho and decided to amalgam the whole thing.
Dinocam3: That all depends on the situation. AS for what it is, I'm not spoiling.
Thank you all for reading, and I hope to finish this arc. Keep the faith that we will survive. See you all next time.