Chapter 13: Menagerie
Blake was disappointed, even with the moving speech her father had delivered, the citizens of Kuo Kuana hadn't budged. Thanks to Ilia crashing their speech, everything had gone south. Now, people were even more worried about the state of the world and wanted nothing to do with either the White Fang or the defense of Haven Academy. It was the worst possible outcome that could have possibly happened. If Murphy's Law existed, it was clearly in effect now.
It was early evening in Menagerie, and after searching around for her misguided friend, she and Sun had decided to just head back to her home. Blake was starting to wonder if coming to the island had been a good idea, given her previous history with the White Fang. But now that she had seen what they were capable of, what they were up against, she knew it had been the right call. Her cousin Rocket had returned, with his girlfriend Azura in tow, both having followed up on a few leads that had been given to them by her father, sadly they hadn't found anything.
"I'm sorry we couldn't find anything, Chieftain Belladonna," Azura said, bowing her head a bit in shame. "I tried my best to have my scouts search every nook and cranny of that place. But it was squeaky clean. I can't access tech from afar without being there myself and well-"
The man placed a large hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up. He gave her a bright smile. "You have done more than enough, young lady. You didn't need to join our cause but were readily willing to accept it. I am very appreciative of your services."
"Oh um… thank you, sir. It's an honor," she said happily.
Azura was a kind young woman, hailing from a village in Vacuo, south of Feldspar, or so Blake had heard. She had sunkissed skin, with bright blue and white scales dotting various places around her torso, arms, and legs. She had a few of these scales on her cheekbones as well, making it look like freckles. She had long, sky blue hair that reached down to her waist. She was a few inches shorter than Blake but made up for it with thick leather-heeled boots. She wore a pair of blue shorts, along with twin bandoliers, similar to the ones Rocket was wearing. She was wearing a bright blue bikini top, with a poncho on her shoulders. She had brilliant aquamarine eyes, a small nose, and full pink lips. Her most noticeable feature, of course, were the fins growing from her wrists, down to the middle of her forearms, the sign of a Merlin Faunus.
Despite her looks, it seemed she was very popular in Vacuo, being one of the better-known students of Shade Academy. Rocket had claimed she had beaten one of the Professors in a spar when he had gotten cocky, and as per the rules of engagement, was allowed one single chance at sparring. That ended with a grown adult on his backside and a young girl being hailed as the queen of Shade for the remaining two years of her career.
"I tried tailing Ilia, sadly I lost sight of her when she went into the Night District." Rocket said, rubbing his neck. "Sun, you need to be a bit quieter when you are trying to catch someone. You had the upper hand until you told her to shut up."
"I know, but she kept talking smack about the Belladonnas and that got to me. They've been nothing but kind to me since I've been here and it just boiled my blood." Sun said, looking annoyed. "I couldn't let them keep badmouthing them, you know?"
"While I appreciate the gesture dear, you could have caught Ilia if you had kept quiet. But that's all water under the bridge. Don't overthink it, just make sure you remember it for the next time a situation like that presents itself." Kali said, handing him a cup of tea, a smile on her face.
"He does bring up a good point though, mom. Thanks to what Ilia said, we have less sway on the people here. They all see us as weak for wanting to defend Haven Academy. It sucks." Blake said, ears flat against her head. "But we don't have any more options. Adam is still planning that attack, who knows how many more recruits he's gotten since Sienna's death."
"Worrying about that is moot, sweetheart. No matter what steps we take, he's always going to be a step ahead." Ghira said, facing his daughter. "The only thing we can do now is inspire the citizens here to stand up and fight. It will be hard, but we must get them to understand the consequences of what can happen. This is our shot to finally have equal footing with the humans."
"What about the messenger, sir? Do you think he made it to Haven?" Sun asked curiously, his tail swaying back and forth. Ghira sighed, giving him a shrug.
"I'm not sure. Given the situation, he might have been intercepted or worse. We are simply too far away from the Kingdom Capital. We're on our own for now. You best prepare for whatever might come next, got it?"
"Yes sir, I won't let you down," he said, returning to his tea. Rocket and Azura shared a look, both turning toward the door.
"We're gonna go do another sweep of the island, see if we can find anything. I know the service here is shoddy, but if anything happens, let us know," he said, opening the door for his girlfriend. She gave the others a wave, disappearing rather swiftly. Rocket clicked his boots twice before shooting off into the sky.
"I'll never understand why Rocket insists on turning himself into an actual rocket. I've told him those boots are going to get him killed, but he doesn't listen," Kali said, a hand on her cheek as she watched the streak of fire and smoke.
"He loves flying, you know he isn't going to stop," Blake said, sighing. "I think I'm gonna take a walk, I need to clear my mind after today."
"I'll go with you."
"No, Sun. I want to be alone," the ravenette said, forcing a smile onto her face. "I'll be fine, okay? I just need to be alone, fifteen minutes tops."
He sighed, giving her a nod. She slipped through the patio doors, leaping off the railing into the night. Sun finished the last of his tea, setting his empty cup on the platter that Kali had brought in for them. "Do you think she'll be alright?"
"Blake is a tough girl, I'm sure she'll get over this," her mother replied. Despite her cheery tone, the look of worry she sported on her face said otherwise. "Can you tell me a bit about her? It's been a long time since I've seen her. I can tell she's changed but she isn't as open as she once was with us."
"I can do that." the monkey faunus said, leaning against the wall, his tail drooping down a bit. "Blake is… well Blakey if that makes sense. She always kept her walls up, not wanting to let anyone in. The first time I met her, she was wearing this bow on her head, hiding her faunus heritage. She did it to blend in, but I think she just wanted to hide from her past."
Ghira looked up from the notes he was reading, a look of intrigue on his face as Sun continued speaking. "I met her after my boat left me at the docks in Vale. My partner Neptune hates traveling by water, so my teammates, Sage and Scarlet volunteered to take an airship the day before Beacon's second semester started. I ended up bumping into her and her teammates, she told me later she had an argument with one of them that lead to her running away."
"My poor baby."
"Who was it that argued with her? And about what exactly?" Blake's father asked, causing Sun to jump a bit.
"Oh uh… it was the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, Weiss Schnee. She can be a real prickly princess when she wants to be, but she's also kind. Blake told me afterward that the reason Weiss had detested the faunus was because of the White Fang. Apparently, they killed a lot of her loved ones, and people she knew. It made her loathe our race, but she was just being groomed by her father. She's changed a lot and became more accepting of the faunus."
"Blake is… friends with Weiss Schnee?" Kali asked in surprise. Sun nodded, holding back the urge to laugh.
"She is... close friends even. Why, this one time, Ruby and her sister Yang left for a weekend trip to Patch, to visit their father for something, and that left Blake and Weiss alone together. They were still a bit awkward around the edges, but Weiss wanted to get to know her better. So she ended up handing Blake a stack of porno mags and asked what she thought of the men on the cover. Apparently, Blake's face was redder than a tomato."
"What? Why would she hand my daughter porno mags?!" Ghira cried angrily. Sun snickered, taking a calming breath.
"Blake likes reading adult books, she was reading this one called Ninjas of Love, and Weiss ended up skimming parts of it when Blake was in the bathroom. Weiss assumed that's the kind of reading material she liked and decided to… procure some, from a friend." the monkey faunus said, bursting into laughter. "Oh man, Blake's screams could be heard across the campus."
"What else can you tell us?"
Sun rolled his eyes, ignoring Kali's excitedness as he picked another story. He rubbed his chin with his tail as he thought back to Beacon Academy. "Oh… there was the food fight."
"Blake was in a food fight?"
"Yes sir, she was. And it wasn't just them throwing food around, it was a literal fight. I don't think I've seen anyone fight with baguettes the way Blake did. Ruby was the one who won, of course. Her Semblance, Petal Burst, let's her zoom around at blistering speeds, so she ended up winning against Team JNPR." he said happily. "There was this other time when Blake needed help with something, and there wasn't anyone around, so she was our friend Pyrrha to-"
He paused a bit, stiffening a bit at the name. It had been a while since he had actually said it. He hadn't known Pyrrha very well, aside from meeting her in Sanctum Academy when he was still training there.
"Something the matter, boy? You seemed rather jovial speaking about Blake's friends." Ghira said, causing the young man to deflate a bit.
"Yeah… I'm alright, it's just… I'm thinking about another of Blake's friends, Pyrrha Nikos. She died during the Fall of Beacon. She always talked about Destiny and Fate. Ever since that day, all of us have been wondering if she knew she was going to die. We weren't that close, but all of us still felt her death. She tried to stop Cinder Fall, but wasn't strong enough." Sun said, rubbing his arm a bit. "Blake hasn't been the same since then. It wasn't just that, Adam ended up hurting her partner Yang. He was about to kill Blake, and Yang ran in to save her, the bastard ended up taking her arm."
Ghira and Kali shared looks of concern, both thinking about their daughter. Sun pushed himself away from the wall, facing the patio doors, looking out into the distance. "Blake made sure everyone was fine, but after that, she left. She wanted to disappear, leave everything behind. But I followed her here. I know that after traumatic experiences, you can't just… disappear. I wanted her to be safe, but what do we run into? A White Fang sect with delusions of grandeur."
"You care a lot about her, don't you boy?"
"Yes sir, I do. She's been through hell and high water. Her journey isn't over yet, and I sure as hell won't let her hide anymore. Blake is a good woman, she's headstrong and knows what to fight for. But she has this tendency to run away when the going gets tough. She needs to understand that she isn't alone. She has friends, friends that will never turn their backs on her. She extended her hand in friendship to me, and I'll be damned if she's the one who runs away." he said, standing tall and firm before the pair. Kali gave Ghira a look, looking directly into his eyes. The man nodded, a smile gracing his lips.
"Boy… no, Sun. You're… an alright fellow. I still don't like you! But I don't hate you either. My little girl doesn't need some prince charming to watch over her. She's capable of defending herself, but don't let her regress into who she was a year ago. Keep being there for her."
"Don't you worry sir, I won't let her out of my sight!"
"Excellent, just know if you get her pregnant, I won't stop beating you until you cry tears of blood."
"Eep." Sun squeaked, shying back from the hulking form of the panther faunus. He heard his scroll beeping, and quickly pulled it out, flicking it open. He clicked on the green button, holding it to his ear. "Eheh, hey Blake? What's up? You need help with food or something?"
"I'm being followed."
"Huh? Are you sure?" he said, becoming serious. Ghira and Kali's attitude changed after a moment, both listening in on his conversation.
"Yes, Ilia left me a note. I'm pretty sure it's a trap. There's a guy following me, a male bat faunus. We're nearing the back end of the downtown district. Get here fast, and have my father call the police."
"I'll be there soon," he said, ending the call. He turned around, opening his mouth only for Ghira to raise a hand up.
"I'm already on it, you make sure to bring her back here safe and sound, you hear?"
"Of course. I won't be too long," he said happily. Kali gave the young man a kiss on the cheek, making him flush red.
"Good luck!" she said, lightly pushing him toward the door. He sprinted toward the edge of the balcony, vaulting over the railing into the trees. It was time for him to do what was best, jumping from tree to tree and running across rooftops.
xxx
Staying calm while being followed was something Blake had experience in. After all, she had conducted plenty of raids on SDC facilities in the past to know how to avoid being spotted. This time, however, she knew what was going to happen. It was an ambush and she was the bait. She honestly wanted this to be over with, but she knew it was only the beginning. Without proof of what Corsac and Fennec were doing, they couldn't be arrested. Who knew how many more members they had managed to recruit and send to Mistral.
It was all just a giant hodgepodge, adding to the mess of watercolors that was her current life. Things had changed so drastically since the Fall of Beacon. She had been hoping to retreat to her home for a bit before finding the courage to visit Yang in Patch. But with the actions of the White Fang being on her home turf, she had put all of that on the back burner in order to focus on what was in front of her. Something she should have taken care of months ago.
Despite the situation, she found herself in, the salty sea breeze was enough to calm her down. She felt her hair being blown back a bit, a soft whistling in her ears from the otherwise quiet breeze. She had missed these things. The wailing seagulls, the scent of fresh seafood, the pleasant company, and even the boringness of being on an island. She preferred this to Vale. But there were things about Vale that she missed too. The hustle and bustle of the city, the seafood restaurant she and Jaune had found on a dust run, and of course, her friends from Beacon.
She pushed these thoughts out of her head as she drew Gambol Shroud from her back, not bothering to grab its sheathe. She made sure the ribbon was taut around her wrist, in case she needed to fight, which given the situation, was more than likely. She stopped in the middle of the path, staring straight ahead, amber eyes scanning every direction.
"So, this is where you plan to do it?" she asked, keeping her eyes peeled. She heard rustling to her left and slowly turned in that direction, spotting the cloaked figure of her former friend, Ilia Amitola. She stopped at the edge of the path, taking her mask off of her face. "You don't have to do this, you know."
"Save your breath, Blake. Nothing you say will change my mind."
"You have to understand, Ilia. What Adam is doing is wrong, you know it, and I know it." Blake said, keeping a firm grip on her weapon. "Do you think bringing Haven Academy down will solve anything? All it's going to do is give the humans more fuel against us. That isn't the road to progression. That's the road to regression."
"You're wrong! What Adam is doing is for the betterment of faunus kind. The humans should fear us, Blake. They should serve us. They're the ones who put our loved ones in cages and forced us to work in their damned dust mines. They're the ones who branded us and treated us like property!"
Blake cringed with every word Ilia spat, knowing everything she said was true. "They drugged us, hunted us for sport, treated us like slaves, and worse. They forcefully sterilized us so we couldn't reproduce. Our women were turned into sex slaves while our men were castrated and worked to the bone until they died. Do you see why I want nothing more than to destroy that academy?!"
"Of course I understand!"
"No, you don't! You left us behind Blake, and for what? For a shiny huntress title? You decided it would be better to leave us behind, and joined an academy that spread hatred of us all over the place!"
"That isn't true and you know it. You have to learn something, Ilia. It's that no matter how much progress you make, there will always be someone who doesn't agree with it. You can't change their hearts, but that doesn't mean they alone ruin an entire race is bad. There are lots of good humans, I've met them, fought alongside them, and became close with them. You have the ability to do the same. Don't let your anger about what happened blind you to what's in front of you!" she said, causing Ilia to growl in anger.
"Shut your mouth! You'll never understand the pain that I went through! You still have your family, all I have is the White Fang, and Adam! I won't let you destroy it all!" she shouted, flinging her electrified whip at Blake.
As if by instinct, Blake reacted, parrying the attack with ease. She jumped back, leaving a shadow clone behind, dashing toward Ilia. She aimed a diagonal slice at her shoulder, but Ilia was quicker, clashing blades with her. The two clashed blades repeatedly, neither giving a millimeter. Ilia let out a furious scream as she brought her blade down on Blake, only to slice apart one of her clones.
"Stop avoiding me, you coward!" she shouted. Ilia looked up, ducking back in time to avoid an ice bullet. It struck the palm, freezing half of it in a single strike. Blake fired several more, all of which Ilia managed to dodge.
With a flick of her wrist, Blake sent Gambol Shroud forward, the blade curling around a tall palm tree. She jumped around it, using the ribbon as a means to pull herself toward the tree's canopy. She fired the last of her magazine, leaving thick patches of ice on the ground where Ilia had stood.
"Ilia please, we don't have to do this. Fighting isn't the way, that's just what Adam wants. We're supposed to be fighting together, against him. Look at what he did in Vale. Humans died, but so did Faunus. Beacon Academy was invaded by Grimm thanks to what he did. Do you really want a repeat of that in Mistral? Do you think it's right of him to take innocent lives whenever he wants?"
"If it furthers our goals then so be it! It doesn't matter to me how many he takes, just as long as we succeed!" She howled angrily, flinging her whip outward. Blake dodged it with a backflip, spinning around mid-air. She landed on the ground, holding Gambol Shroud outward.
She let out a cry, running straight at Ilia, who angled her weapon to parry her attack, when suddenly, another faunus appeared, slamming his legs straight into Blake's back. She let out a cry as she struck the ground, her weapon falling out of her hands. She turned around, eyes widening a bit as she saw his foot coming down on her head. She flipped out of the way, letting her clone take the hit.
Reaching behind her back, she pulled her scabbard free, swinging it at the Bat Faunus, who ducked and weaved out of the way. Blake pulled her arm back, aiming a strike to his neck only for him to shoot into the air. Her sword struck the trunk of a palm tree, remaining embedded in the center. She gave it a few tugs but was forced to abandon it when it didn't come loose.
"What are you going to do now, Belladonna? You have no weapons and no backup. It's two against one. You aren't going to defeat the two of us." the bat faunus said. Blake flexed her fingers, knuckles cracking as she did so. She threw her fist forward, connecting with the man's cheek, his head slamming into the palm tree behind him.
Blake groaned in pain as she shook her first, but adopted her stance, moving forward. She threw a left hook at the man, following it right a right cross. He rose his arm in time to deflect her cross, only to get her boot right to his ribs. She stepped back in time, avoiding the electrified strikes of Ilia's whip. She looked around for a moment, spotting a pair of coconuts on the palm tree her sword had struck. Thinking fast, she raced forward it, using her sword as a springboard.
"Yuma, what the hell are you doing?" Ilia shouted angrily.
"I could ask you the same question, dumb ass. Wasn't it your job to lure her into a false sense of security?!" he exclaimed. Blake grabbed a hold of the coconuts, tugging them free.
Ilia growled, raising Gambol Shroud up. She pulled the trigger, only for it to click loudly. Realizing the magazine was empty, she stepped back only to take a coconut straight to the face. Blake kicked her weapon out of Ilia's hand, spinning around with all her strength, she drove her fist into her chest, sending her flying back. She turned around just in time to avoid Yuma's attack. Jumping into the air, she caught Gambol Shroud, flinging it at a nearby building.
"You aren't getting away, bitch!" the bat faunus shouted, spreading his wings. Blake thought quickly, throwing her remaining coconut at the man, who easily avoided it. This gave her enough time to exchange magazines, swiftly raising her weapon.
"You used to be my father's close friend, how dare you betray him like this?!" she shouted, aiming at his face. He chuckled as he used his wings to deflect every bullet, causing Blake to backtrack.
"He used to be my friend too, but when he put down his sword and started accepting humans, that's when things changed. My parents were killed by slavers, my little sister had her wings ripped off by some Atlassian asshole, all because she looked at him wrong. Why the fuck should I care about those humans?" he cried. Gambol Shroud clicked empty, causing him to chuckle. "Outta ammo already? I was beginning to have fun."
"Haah!" Blake cried, throwing her weapon as hard as she could. Yuma dodged it, letting it sail past him. He didn't notice it wrapping around the canopy of a palm tree. He smirked, cracking his knuckles.
"I'm going to rip your ears off, Belladonna. Just like my sister had her wings ripped off," he said with a sneer. Blake gave her ribbon a tug, jumping up, letting the palm tree pull her forward. She drove her heels into Yuma's chest, sending him flying off the building they were on.
He tried to catch himself, only to realize his wings had been frozen by ice dust. He let out a scream as he slammed onto the ground, feeling a few bones in his wings crack. Before he could react, he saw a flash of yellow jump above him. Everything went dark moments after. Blake raced to the edge of the rooftop, looking down at Sun with a grin on her face.
"You were late, Monkey butt."
"I was having a riveting conversation with your parents about your porno mags," he said with a wink, causing her to gasp.
"Sun, please tell me you didn't?! You promised to keep that a secret!" she howled back, shaking her head. "Whatever. Tie him up so that we can call the police, did you see where Ilia went?"
"Ilia was here? I didn't see her."
Blake looked around in worry for a moment, only for an explosion to rock the area. She followed the bright flash, jaw-dropping when she noticed where it was coming from. "Sun, that came from my house!"
"What?"
She jumped down, giving her sword a firm kick, pulling it free from the tree. She sheathed it onto her back, turning back to the monkey faunus. "Forget him, my parents are in trouble. Let's go!"
"I already called the cops, this guy won't be getting away," he said, dashing after the raven-haired cat faunus. "Do you think they lured you here so they could attack your house?"
"I dunno, maybe. It doesn't matter right now, what matters is getting back to my house." she cried.
When the pair arrived, the front entrance had been swallowed up by gunfire. They noticed a few of the Belladonna's personal guards lying on the ground, seriously wounded. A fox faunus was leaning back against the wall, clutching a bullet wound to her chest. The pair moved up, Sun kneeling down before her.
"Are you alright, Miss?"
"Forget me, there are assassins inside the house. Master Ghira fought a few off, but I don't know where Madam Kali is," she replied. She coughed loudly in pain, blood flowing from the corners of her mouth. "My aura will sustain me until help arrives, go!"
Blake and Sun shared a nod, the pair moving into the foyer. They barely avoided gunfire as a pair of White Fang goons leveled their rifles at them. Sun reached for Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang, throwing himself into the fray. He swung them to and fro, the combustion rounds aiding in his attacks. He wrapped one around one of the men's rifles, leveling Ruji Bang with the man's face, pulling the trigger. He screamed in pain, striking the back wall, his aura shattering with ease.
"Hyah!" Blake cried, finishing off the second gunman. She turned around, dropping her empty magazine for a new one, pulling Gambol Shroud's slide back. "Let's move, Sun!"
Suddenly the door burst open as Ghira leaped through, pinning a man to the ground. He let out a furious roar as he punched his face in, knocking him unconscious. As he was getting up, another jumped onto his back, stabbing him in the shoulder with a dagger. He let out a scream of pain as he felt the knife sinking into his shoulder.
"Daddy!" Blake cried. Sun growled in anger, grabbing the faunus attacker by his hood, slamming him to the ground. He joined his weapons together, spinning them over his head. He slammed it into his forehead, knocking him unconscious.
"Are you alright sir?" he asked. Ghira reached behind his back, pulling the bloodied dagger from his shoulder, tossing it to the ground.
"I had it handled." he deadpanned, ignoring the fact there was a bloody hole in his body. He turned to face his daughter, giving her a firm look. "Your mother is still inside, I don't know where she is. Find her and get her out of here. Me and Sun will take out any stragglers."
"But dad-"
"No buts, Blake. Go. We have it handled." he said firmly. She turned to Sun, who gave her a smile and a thumbs up. She sighed, sheathing her sword, dashing deeper into the house. Just as she did, several more men raced into the house, weapons at the ready.
"You better not disappoint me, boy. I'm starting to like you."
"Hehe, I knew I'd grow on you eventually. How about we take out the trash, sir?"
"Yes, let's," Ghira said, punching his fists together.
xxx
Blake swiftly moved through the house, clearing all the rooms she could. A few parts of it were on fire, due to the initial explosion. She hadn't found her mother yet, but judging by the sounds of metal accompanied by gunshots, she was doing alright.
She opened the door to the meeting room, looking around for a few seconds. Her eyes scanned her surroundings, narrowing a bit as she took in every single detail. As she moved forward, she noticed something out of the cortner of her eye, and turned around, spotting Ilia on the second-floor balcony. She was crouching on the railing, a look of sadness on her face.
"So, you were the one who did this. That little fight out in the streets was meant to be a distraction. Get me out of the house so you could kill my parents. Is that it?"
"I'm sorry, Blake. But in order for things to flow smoothly, your parents have to die."
"No, they don't!" Blake returned, a furious glare on her face. "You don't know what you are talking about! Can't you see this is what he wants, Ilia? He's just using you!"
"Shut up," she mumbled.
"Adam is after me because I left the Fang and him. He attacked my friends because of what I did to him. He brainwashed you into believing his philosophy so you'd turn against me-!"
"Stop it!"
"-I'm not going to stop, Ilia. Because it's true. Look at what he's turned you into. You used to be so kindhearted, and loving. You are still that person. But he's turned you into a toy soldier! Another senseless machine on the assembly line that will follow every order without question! You aren't a machine, Ilia! You are a person. Follow your heart and do what you think is right!"
"I said shut UP!" she shouted, launching herself at Blake. The raven-haired cat girl jumped back, letting her copy take the brunt of the impact. She drew Gambol Shroud, throwing a horizontal slash at her chest. Ilia screamed in pain, unphased by the hit as she swung her whip. "You think you can badmouth him? Huh? You think you can keep talking shit without knowing what you are even talking about?!"
"You know exactly what I am talking about, Ilia! You've seen it with your own eyes. What he did at Beacon was a tragedy, but to him, it's all a comedy. He doesn't care about you, he doesn't care about the White Fang, and he certainly doesn't care about justice. He's a spiteful person who wants nothing more than the suffering of innocents because it brings him pleasure!" Blake cried, clashing swords with each word she spoke.
"You are so full of it!" Ilia cried, thrusting her sword at Blake, only to be met with a shadow clone. She looked around, her sword sparking with electricity. "COME OUT HERE AND FIGHT ME LIKE YOU MEAN IT!"
Blake raced around the edges of the room, firing every last ice bullet left in her magazine, all of them being deflected by Ilia. Her gun clicked empty, causing her to dig her heels into the wood floor. She flung her sickle outward, launching herself at Ilia who threw an electrified slash at Blake, only to realize her blade had been frozen. She reacted too late, being sent flying back into a support column, which shattered the moment she struck it.
Ilia dashed away the moment she got her bearings straight, avoiding the rock bullets being fired at her, medium-sized boulders whizzing past her. She looked around for a moment, spotting the light switch nearby. She moved toward it, shutting the lights off, her skin turning black as she slinked into the shadows.
"Did she forget what kind of faunus I am?" Blake briefly wondered as she moved toward one of the planters, kneeling beside it. She slipped her magazine out, reaching into her back pocket for a new one, only to see only had fire bullets left. She sighed, sliding into her gun. "If I set this house on fire, I'm so sorry dad."
She started crawling forward, keeping her ears raised, listening to every single sound in the room, trying to ignore the sounds of fighting. Gambol Shroud shook a bit in her grasp, her finger wrapped around the trigger. She caught something at the edge of the room and quickly stood up, firing two rounds at the corner, missing the silhouette by two millimeters. The pots shattered into pieces, the dirt thankfully absorbing the flames.
"Shit." she hissed in her mind, ducking behind another pot. She moved across the room, spotting the silhouette again, opening fire on it. Her bullets struck the wooden furniture, setting it ablaze in seconds.
Spotting the end of Ilia's ponytail, she rose to her feet, deliberately firing at the wooden bench she was hiding behind, causing her to scream in pain. Blake dashed forward, throwing her weapon at the ceiling, using her ribbon as a rope swing to close the distance between her and Ilia.
Their blades clashed again, sending sparks and ice in all directions. They kept fighting, slash after slash, parry after parry, anger, and hate blended together into a beautiful flurry of blades, the flames serving to illuminate their surroundings. After a few more strikes, Blake managed to strike at Ilia's wrist, giving her an opening. She slammed her fist into her chest, sending her flying back through a pot and some furniture, her aura flickering for a moment.
The cat faunus panted a bit, staring at Ilia's prone form, as the flames around her continued to worsen. They were licking at the walls, engulfing everything they could. Plants and furniture started to burn, a cloud of smoke slowly gathering in the room. She stepped forward, heels clacking softly as she stood over Ilia, who had been crying softly.
"Ilia, I'm sorry."
The girl looked up, her sobs turning into laughter, her eyes shimmering a brilliant red. "You should be."
She spun around, driving her leg into Blake, sending her flying back. She darted forward, grabbing her discarded weapon, throwing wide slashes at the cat faunus. Blake did her best to dodge each hit but ended up slipping on a piece of pottery giving Ilia the upper hand. She cried in pain as the chameleon faunus punched her across the face, sending her flying back into a support column.
"You used to see things the way I did. The way Adam did! If no one is going to do anything about what the humans did to us, then the only choice we've got is to attack back!" she shouted, sending an electrified lash at Blake, who used a shadow clone to avoid it.
She spun around Ilia, firing several rounds into her back, making her growl in anger. Blake ducked down, avoiding the slash thrown at her neck, grabbing Ilia's wrist. She punched her repeatedly in the chest, slamming her into the ground. The wood beneath her shattered, her aura flickering once more before staying active. Blake grit her teeth, pinning the young woman down with her body, staring straight into her eyes.
"You're wrong, Ilia. There's always another choice. Is this really what your parents would have wanted for you? For you to join the White Fang and kill other people? Do you think they wanted their little girl to become a senseless murderer?"
"IT'S ALL I HAVE LEFT! I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO!" she shouted, her eyes brimming with tears. She looked away from Blake, holding back her sobs. "I don't know what else to do, Blake."
A loud crash caused Blake to jump, her eyes shifting to the back of the room. Her father burst through the hole in the wall, having pinned Fennec to the ground. His brother Corsac raced after them, holding a large piece of wood overhead, bashing it over Ghira's back.
"Dad!" the cat faunus shouted, only for Ilia to push her off, kicking her into a nearby table. She stepped away, gaining some distance between herself and Blake.
The building rumbled a bit as the roof caved in. She held her arm up to shield her face, seeing a large raccoon faunus towering over a defeated White Fang member. He shook his head a bit, spotting Corsac holding a dagger over Ghira's prone form. He reached for his revolver, popping three rounds into the fox faunus, sending him flying back.
"Uncle Ghira!"
"Did you take care of Kali?" the man asked, as he forced himself to stand up, having pushed Fennec away. The raccoon faunus nodded.
"She's outside tending to the wounded, all we have left to do is mop the stragglers up," he replied, spinning his revolver around his finger. The Albain twins stood up, sharing a look before dashing at the pair.
Rocket launched himself forward, blocking Fennec's wayward dagger slash. He flipped him around, aiming his revolver at the man's chest, only for the fox to kick it out of his hand. He managed to flip himself around, wrapping his leg around Rocket's neck, sending him sprawling to the ground. He held his dagger over his head, about to thrust it downward when several drones slammed into him, all of them detonating on impact. He looked up at the ceiling, giving his girlfriend a thumbs up.
"Thanks, honey!"
"Kick his butt, sweetheart!" she said, ducking back. Rocket swept his legs around, jumping onto his feet, scooping his revolver up. He flicked it forward, the barrel bending downward. The cylinder sprung out, rolling across the ground uselessly as he replaced it with a yellow one, filled with lightning bullets. "Alright Foxy, let's get it on."
Ghira growled as he met Corsac's attacks, their fists clashing with each punch, sending waves of aura through each of them. The panther faunus threw a slash at the fox faunus, who dodged it with ease. The younger, lithe man threw several kicks at Ghira's upper body, hoping to land a decisive blow. Corsac reached behind his back for his fire dagger, charging it with aura. He threw it forward only for Ghira to grab it, flipping it around. The blast of fire struck Fennec, who had been dodging a volley of gunfire from Rocket. He howled in pain as he was sent flying back.
"Brother!"
Corsac growled as he tried to overpower Ghira, the large man already feeling the strain of the prolonged battle. His foot slipped, giving the fox faunus the advantage he had been looking for. He was about to capitalize on it, only for Sun to jump into the fray, sending the man flying back. He looked around for a moment, spotting Rocket fighting Fennec. He caught Ilia near the back of the room, just watching what was going on.
"Help Blake!" he heard Ghira cry, causing him to spring into action.
"You got it!"
He joined his weapons together, throwing a slash at Ilia, who raised her sword in time to parry the attack. She swung it to and fro, trying her best to avoid as many hits as possible. She noticed the ice breaking off, allowing her to retract her whip. Just as she was about to counterattack, Sun pushed her back, pinning her onto a support column.
"Give up, you aren't getting away with this," Sun said, as he pushed her back into the beam, not noticing it was beginning to crack.
"Sun, stop!"
He glanced over his shoulder, gasping a bit when he saw Blake crying. He grit his teeth, stepping back, allowing Ilia to breathe. The pair suddenly heard a crack from above them, seeing the upper shelf beginning to collapse. Sun leaped back, using a backflip to get some distance. Ilia could only stand there and watch, eyes wide as she waited for her life to end.
Only it didn't, a black blur had rushed forward, catching the shelf in his grasp. Ghira had saved her. She only stared at the man, who growled at her. "Go!"
She nodded dumbly, racing out from underneath. Sun closed his eyes, clasping his hands together, shimmering golden copies of himself raced forward, grabbing a hold of the shelf, which was threatening to crush Ghira under it.
Rocket growled angrily as he fought Fennec off, struggling to keep him from leaving. He fired off his last round, flipping his gun around, using the handle to bash the man's forehead. He looked back, seeing Ghira about to be crushed. He holstered his weapon, beginning to move forward. "Uncle Ghira!"
He felt a blast of fire on his lower leg, causing his aura to shatter. Rocket howled in pain, watching Fennec racing forward. He had fire in his eyes, about to finish off Ghira with both his and his brother's weapon. Blake was faster, wrapping Gambol Shroud around her father, pulling him back with all her strength. Fennec jumped forward, only to realize what was going on. Sun's copies shattered, dropping the wooden shelf on top of him. He was swallowed by a fireball, his daggers detonating the wood around him.
"Fennec!" Corsac screamed, reaching out to his fallen brother. Rocket forced himself to stand up, aiming his revolver at the man, having loaded a new cylinder into it.
"He deserves what he got. It'll teach you what it feels like to people like the ones who have lost their loved ones in Adam's petty attacks."
"Tie him up, Rocket. We need to get out of here, get the fire services to put out these flames." Ghira said, leaning most of his weight on his daughter.
"Let's get out of here dad, Sun, help me out?"
"Sure thing Blake. Hope you don't mind sir, I know you'd like to walk outta here by yourself but I don't want you to strain yourself."
"Shut up kid," the panther faunus spat, causing Sun to zip his lip. Rocket hauled Corsac onto his feet, forcing him to walk. He looked back at Ilia, who had just been standing there, a look of fear and anguish on her face.
"What about her?"
"Leave her, she's just misguided, like I once was. I want her to learn from her mistakes, and put this all behind her." Blake said a smile on her face. Rocket nodded, pushing Corsac forward, the man continued crying, muttering his brother's name over and over again.
xxx
The fire crew was already on the scene when Blake and her family stepped out of their home. She glanced back for a moment, watching as her home slowly burned to the ground, all because of her. She had a lot of things to reflect on, and this attack had finally made her realize the one thing she had been running from, herself. She had been running from her past, but it had come back to haunt her, and now it had put more lives at risk and ended others. It needed to stop. She noticed the faunus that had gathered out in front of her family home, taking a deep breath. She started walking forward, briefly hearing her father call out to her.
She stopped halfway down the stone steps, taking in the sight before her. The faunus were sporting looks of concern, of worry, some had fear in their eyes, others indifference. But they were all the same, curious gazes. The ones that were filled with the desire to stay home and not put themselves in harm's way. To hide from the world, but that needed to end. She took a deep breath, pointing toward her home.
"Humans didn't do this. We did this, the faunus, we did this to ourselves. Everyone is so quick to say humans are capable of violence and hatred, but faunus can do it too. I don't think anyone here is quick to point that out. So why are we letting Adam Taurus do it for us? By doing nothing and staying silent, we let others fight in our stead. And if we are not proud of the choices they make, then we only have ourselves to blame. This is the message Adam Taurus will bring to the world if no one stops him!"
She walked down the steps, slowly approaching the crowd. "But we can stop him! You have to understand that all of you are searching for answers to a very complicated problem! And I can't give that to you. I don't know how to make hate go away, I don't! But what I do know is that kind of violence is not the solution. I understand that asking you to leave your homes and protect Haven Academy is asking you to put your lives at risk. But that's what's at stake. So I'm going, and I'll stand by myself if I have to!"
"I'll stand by you!"
Blake jumped a bit at the voice, turning around only to see Ilia standing at the top of the stairs, a look of regret and determination written on her face.
"If you'd have me," she quickly added, a look of bashfulness on her face. Blake nodded, smiling.
"Of course."
Ilia stepped down, only for her arm to be grabbed. "Where are you going?!"
"Let her go," Blake said, addressing the guard that had stopped her. He looked at her, a mixture of anger and confusion on his face.
"You're just gonna forgive her, just like that?"
"I am," she said calmly. The man glanced at Ghira, who gave him a nod. He sighed, letting Ilia go, the young woman walking down the steps to be with her friend.
"What do you think she's doing?"
"She's learned a lesson that took me years to learn myself," Ghira said, a look of pride on his face. "She's learned that there is strength in forgiveness."
"I'll go!"
"Me too!"
"Over here, I'll stand with you!"
Sun let out a chuckle, stepping down beside Blake and Ilia, shoving his hands in his pockets as he looked at all of the volunteers before him. "Looks like we've got some work to do."
Blake nodded, giving him a smile. "Thank you, Sun. For being there for me."
"Sure thing, Blake. What are friends for?" he asked, his gaze falling onto Ilia. He glared at her, causing her to shy back. "You stabbed me."
"Oh um.." she began, about to apologize only to feel a sharp pinch on her arm. "Ow!"
"There, we're even. Now then Lizard girl, are you ready to help us train these wide-eyed recruits? You gotta start earning Blake's forgiveness somehow."
"I'm good with a sword, I suppose I can help a few of them out," she shyly replied, rubbing the new welt on her arm. Ghira and Kali made their way down the steps, followed by Rocket who was still limping from his leg wound.
"We have about a month and a couple of weeks before the supposed date of Adam's attack. Of course, we can't be too sure. Now that the White Fang on the island has been dealt with, Rocket and Azura have volunteered to head to Haven Academy ahead of us." Ghira said, causing Blake to look at her cousin.
"Don't worry, we'll be leaving in a couple of days, gotta let the ol' kicker heal a bit. We'll be meeting with Rogue and Tiana in Port Ulysses and will proceed to carry the message to Haven Academy, so they can at least prepare. I can't be too sure we won't meet resistance, but a trained team is better than a single messenger."
"In that time, we will train everyone here to fight and defend themselves. We should be ready before the day of the attack. But we should plan ahead in case something happens." the panther faunus asked, earning a frown from his wife.
"We'll need transportation for everyone. It'll be very hard to secure something that will fit half if not all of Menagerie on it." Kali said with worry. Blake and Sun shared a look, both smiling brightly.
"We know a ship captain that owes us a favor. You all focus on the training, I'll speak with the captain. Once our trip is settled, we'll make plans to head to the Dust Shop in Port Ulysses. We can't be too sure of what we'll face, after all." she said.
"Quite right, don't worry about funds, The Belladonna family will cover it all. Let's all rest for the night, tomorrow is when the true training begins." Ghira said firmly, turning to address the crowd. Blake felt the weight of what happened finally hit her, making her realize just how exhausted she was.
"Hah… I haven't been this tired since initiation… it's been a really long time since that happened huh? Ruby, Weiss, Yang… I hope you are all doing alright." she thought, as she looked up at the broken moon that hung over Remnant.
Location: Mistral Grand Central, Kingdom of Mistral
"Wow, this place is huge!" Levi asked, a look of childish wonder on his face as he looked around the giant train station. Sienna rolled her eyes at his antics, watching as he excitedly moved about, taking in the sights around him.
"How totally uncharacteristic of him," Weiss said, holding back the urge to giggle. Now that she was out of Kuchinashi, she had lowered the hood of her cloak, finally feeling safe without risking being kidnapped. "I've spent a few months with him and I don't think I've seen him get this excited."
"He was like this in Konoha when we first arrived. The man we helped ended up giving us a tour, and the first place he went to was the blacksmith. It's thanks to him that I have these arm and leg guards." Neo's scroll read, the mechanical voice being partially drowned by the ceaseless chatter around them.
"It isn't every day you get to see something like this. The stations in Vale are nice, but nothing holds a candle to Mistral Grand Central. This is the main hub of activity for the entire continent. The Kingdom Capital gets hundreds of thousands of visitors a day, with many more than that a year. It was built thanks to human ingenuity… and of course a lot of faunus labor." Sienna added, sounding dejected at the end.
"Pfft, if you think this place is grand, wait until you see the subway lines in Atlas. Now those things are fancy. As expected for the most technologically advanced place in the world." Weiss said, a proud look on her face.
"Yeah! You go girl, represent that Atlas pride!" Levi said, holding back a laugh as Weiss glared at him. "Anyway, we need to figure out where we're gonna go. Mistral works like Kuchinashi, right? The higher up you go the better the facilities?"
"That's right, Levi. I'd love to take you on the scenic route, but we need to think about our next steps rather thoroughly." the tigress said, the seriousness returning to her voice. "We should be extremely careful, we don't know if there are White Fang members hiding among the crowds."
"Which is also why I kept my hood up. None of the authorities have pictures of me, but I am well known in the Underground. I might have to use my Semblance to go incognito. I think it would benefit all of us in the end." Neo said, frowning.
"Well, you can't transform into that pigtailed green-eyed girl, people might recognize you from the tournament," Weiss said, causing Levi to tilt his head.
"The tournament? You mean the Vytal Festival?" the faunus asked, his gaze shifting to Neo, who had a look of nervousness on her face. "You were at the Vytal Tournament?"
Weiss cringed a bit, flashing Neo an apologetic look. She had misspoken and hadn't meant to bring it up. "She was! She was standing in for a girl who couldn't fight. She got injured during a mission and wanted to be at the festival with her friends. So she volunteered to join in her stead."
"Really?" the miqo'te asked, ears twitching a bit as he gave Neo a firm gaze. She was beginning to sweat, trying to keep her about-face, though she was sure her eyes were changing colors with each blink, something she did when she was nervous. Levi shrugged, lips pursed outward. "Meh, who cares? It was so long ago I probably don't remember the fights. Then again, there were some that were more vivid than others."
The former heiress frowned, being reminded of the battle between Pyrrha and Penny, the one which had ended with the latter's death on global television. Sienna urged them on, making them walk down the stairs and away from the train platforms.
"Neo if you are going to turn into someone you better pick a person who you know well enough, but no one else here recognizes. The last thing we need is to have your cover blown because of your choice. Does anyone come to mind?"
Neo tapped her chin in thought, flicking her scroll outward, typing in her reply. "I have a few. But my semblance is very particular. While I can disguise myself as anyone, it has to be a perfect rendition of that person. Meaning I have to have seen them up close and personal to get all the details right. That girl that Weiss mentioned was one of my former contractors, she was cute and I decided to keep using her form. But people would recognize me easily, it was a common disguise."
"We'll figure it out as we go," Levi said, stopping for a brief moment, stepping toward one of the holographic screens. The Mistral News Network was currently broadcasting, several reports being on the screen.
"Tensions between Atlas and Mistral continue to rise due to the total closure of Borders. Mistral's Council has tried to negotiate with Atlas officials but have remained at a stalemate since last month's border closure. All remaining Atlas Military Forces in Argus Military Base have received direct orders not to let any ships be they Mistrali, Valeian, or Vacuoan enter Atlas Airspace. All Unrecognized ships will be treated as hostile. General James Ironwood had this to say in an earlier statement.
'Due to the many uncertainties left in the wake of the Fall of Beacon, Atlas is prepared to handle any and all potential threats. As such, our borders will remain closed as we aim to figure out who and why Beacon Academy was attacked. All Schnee Dust Mines have been forcefully shut down and all dust shipments are suspended until further notice. Furthermore, a curfew will be established in the city of Mantle starting tomorrow at 20:00 hours. Those who are in direct violation of this curfew will be incarcerated without due process or set bail. You may believe these actions are drastic, but we merely wish to ensure the safety of Atlas, Mantle, and all of Remnant. No further questions.'
In response, Mistrali officials have declined any and all calls from Atlas that are not involved with the closure of borders. All Huntsman and Huntresses from Mistral, Vale, and Vacuo with Class A restrictions are exempt from this order and will be allowed to enter Atlas with council approval. Students in Training or those with Class B, C, and D restrictions will be arrested on sight.
Vale's council continues struggling with the aftermath of Beacon Academy. Nearly a year after the attack, the lower 8th ward of Vale continues being heavily attacked by Grimm. Beacon Cliffs and the Beacon Academy campus continue to be infested despite the efforts of former Beacon Academy professors doing their best to contain the problem. Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch continues searching for able-bodied men and women willing to assist in the complete removal of Grimm from Beacon Academy's campus. She was unable to comment.
Finally, we arrive at the latest news from the kingdom of Mistral. It seems White Fang activity is on the rise since the death of former White Fang High-Leader, Sienna Khan. High Profile Member, Adam Taurus continues to evade authorities and has not been seen since the attack on Beacon Academy. Furthermore, accomplices, Cinder Fall, Emerald Sustrai, and Mercury Black continue to evade authorities. Any and all information is to be sent directly to the Mistral Ministry of Civil Affairs. That is all we have time to share with you today. We do hope you stay safe in these trying times. Thank you all for tuning in, this is Wanda Aeterna, signing off."
The group remained silent, letting the news settle into their minds. Things were starting to get bad. Levi hadn't been expecting General Ironwood to actually close Atlas, to the point where he was forbidding ships from entering its airspace. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, feeling a shiver of anxiousness travel down his spine. He didn't know why, but he felt very uneasy all of a sudden.
He glanced at his friends, seeing their various reactions. Sienna seemed the calmest of the group, the fire in her eyes was burning brightly. She had been focusing on the news about the White Fang the most, and it seemed to have ignited the embers of fury within her heart. Neo had remained indifferent, though he could tell the mention of Cinder Fall had made her poker face crack, if only for a second. Weiss was stunned into silence, clutching a hand over her heart. She kept staring at the images of General Ironwood, seeing the look of stress and fatigue on his face. He was beginning to grow a beard, his once smooth face now covered by dark black facial hair. She could tell the man had changed.
"If we weren't on the brink of war before, we most certainly are now," Sienna spoke, after several minutes of silence. She brushed some hair out of her face, making sure to keep her hood pulled down as far as possible. "Things are getting worse, and the world is seemingly getting worse with each passing day."
"Something tells me General Ironwood is preparing for war. Whatever happened to him in Vale seriously fucked him up." Levi added, a frown on his face as he looked away from the holographic screen. "I don't blame him. That night was especially bad for Atlas. Seeing his own tech harming the ones it was supposed to protect, students dying, his close friend in Headmaster Ozpin being murdered.."
"He was mad the last time I heard him speak… the night I snuck out of my home and came to Mistral. He was talking about closing the borders but I didn't expect him to actually do it." Weiss mumbled, reaching for her scroll. She pulled up her sister Winter's contact, but did nothing but stare at it. "Dammit, if Beacon Tower hadn't been destroyed… I could get more information from my sister."
Weiss jumped a bit, glancing back at Neo who had placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile. She didn't know why, but that look was enough to make her calm down. She stepped forward, pointing to Cinder's picture, gesturing to her eyes. Levi gave her a nod.
"She's right, we need to focus on the here and now. While we should be concerned about Atlas, we aren't there so we shouldn't worry about it. We need to deal with the Fang, the Attack, and Cunty McBitchface." he said, earning a snort from Weiss, who was trying not to laugh. "We're in Mistral now, we need to figure out what we're gonna do. Weiss, do you know of any Atlas Medical Facilities in the area?"
The former heiress sighed, shaking her head. "Afraid not, even if I did, they likely closed the moment Atlas cut off the supply chain. Sienna will have to make do without a prosthetic for the time being. But I promise, the second I can contact my sister, I'll get you a replacement."
"Don't worry yourself too much, Weiss. I'll be fine without it, I might not be able to choke Adam with my hands, but I still have both legs. Let's just say they're rather strong as well."
Neo wiggled her brows as she typed in her scroll, holding it out to Sienna. "Can you sit on my face? Just smother me with that shit, I would totally be alright with you murdering me if it meant my last moments would be between your thighs."
"Neo! Don't be a perv!" Weiss cried, slapping the back of her head. Sienna rolled her eyes, not at all bothered by her comment.
"That's probably one of the tamer comments I've gotten. Believe me, there are faunus out there with feline fetishes, so you can imagine how many of those comments I got growing up. Regardless, we should get a move on. We don't know who could be around us," she said, gesturing for them to follow. The group left the train station shortly after, mesmerized by their surroundings as they walked. Despite this, Levi decided to remain on topic, not wanting to be distracted.
"Hmm… we still need to figure out who Neo can transform into that wouldn't be conspicuous here. I mean… there isn't a single person we know here. Anyone could do, theoretically speaking."
Neo adopted a pensive look, eyes narrowed as she thought back to everyone she had met, threatened, dispatched, or just interacted with. She snapped her fingers, a smile on her face as a shimmer of pink enveloped her body. Instantly she was transformed into a different person, one that Levi recognized instantly.
"Melanie Malachite?" he questioned, earning a nod from Neo, her emerald green eyes glowing brightly. "Well, she could work, except her mother works out of Mistral. What if someone from her network sees you and starts asking questions?"
Neo frowned, dropping the disguise. He had a point, anyone from Junior's club wouldn't work, and by extension that meant anyone connected to Vale's underground. She let out a silent gasp, raising her finger in excitement as the all too familiar shimmer of pink overtook her body. This time she transformed into someone else that was familiar to them. Weiss's lip quivered a bit, her eyes falling to the floor as she did.
"Blake Belladonna huh?" Sienna muttered as she looked Neo over. It was uncanny, she looked exactly like Blake, down to the amber-colored eyes. She was dressed in her street clothes, the same ones she had worn in Beacon Academy, right down to the bow atop her head. "Well, no one here recognizes Blake, so I suppose this one works."
"Could you maybe… transform into someone else? Please?" Weiss asked, causing Levi and Neo to frown. "I know that no one would recognize her but… I don't know how I feel about you wearing her face like a second skin."
"Weiss, I know this is hard but, it's the only other person she can transform into. At least for the time being. Remember what she said about how her semblance works. I don't think there's anyone else she can turn into."
"I know that I just… forgive me, it's just been so long since I've seen Blake, I don't want to recall those memories of Beacon yet."
"Let's get a move on, alright? We can't stay here any more than we should. Let's go rent a place and relax for the rest of the day. We didn't get much rest on that train ride so it will be best if we recuperate. That way we can plan things accordingly." Sienna advised, earning nods from the others. Levi opened his scroll, doing a quick search on the, finding several hits.
"There are some apartments for rent near Haven Academy, normally I wouldn't want to be near the place that's gonna be attacked. But in this instance, it might work in our favor. We'll be quicker to react if anything happens." He said.
"Lead the way then, Levi," Weiss said, sparing Neo another glance. She shook her head, holding her nose high. She swallowed her emotions. It was much more important for the group to move around silently than her emotions about Blake. She felt Neo take a hold of her hand, giving it a light squeeze, an apologetic look on her face. She sighed, forcing a smile onto her face. "It's alright, Neo. I'll be fine."
The group of four continued walking forward, moving deeper into the capital of Anima. Little did they know things were about to start heating up for them. Now that they had arrived in Mistral, the pieces were beginning to line up. The stage was set, and the meeting Levi and Neo were looking forward to grew near. Neither knew it yet, but their friendship and their resolve was about to be tested. The promises they made had carried them this far, certainly, it would carry them to victory. At least, that's what they hoped.
A/N: SAL-U-TATIONS! I am back for a new update. However, I am still not home. Thankfully though, I managed to get a new phone so I can at least check shit from time to time. Still don't have enough signal to log into discord, play my games or anything else, though I did briefly manage to log into Genshin Impact for a little while, to let my sister try it. Thankfully, I got an iPhone XR which can actually fucking handle it haha. That's neither here nor there...
This chapter was a bit of a challenge to write. You see, up until this point, I hadn't considered how I was going to factor Blake into the story. I had an idea of how I wanted to bring Yang in, which is basically the same as canon, only we get an extended scene with Raven, something that I and many others wanted. Ruby is in Mistral, so that wasn't too bad and Weiss is with Levi and Neo. But Blake was off in Menagerie handling the White Fang stuff. I was going to cut it out entirely until I remember how pivotal her story was for the Battle of Haven. So after scrapping, rearranging and rewriting, I decided to just do something similar, yet different to the Menagerie stuff we got in canon. Ultimately, it's still kind of the same, but I did add some OCs to this part, the members of Team STAR, consisting of Rocket, the raccoon faunus who isn't an obvious nod to Rocket Raccoon of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Azura, his girlfriend, who was originally gonna reference the Fire Emblem character, but ended up becoming her own person, it was fun coming up with a fish faunus, and it was an idea I never considered. Of course, the last two members, Tiana and Rogue will appear later on.
You'll probably notice the Blake sections of this story are... not as fleshed out as they could be. The thing is, I really didn't know what to do with it. I wanted to focus on the racism toward the faunus, one of the most underutilized things in the series, because apparently Miles and Kerry can't write proper racial discussions or a racial conflict because they themselves aren't of color or a minority, which makes absolutely no sense, because I'm sure two grown white men can tackle racism in a tactful and tasteful manner without it devolving into something insulting. Believe me, as a minority myself (I'm hispanic), this was something that interested me a lot, especially since we're told about the faunus racism but we never really see it. And the brief times we do, it's just the usual stuff, like Cardin pulling Velvet's ears, or Cordovin saying Blake is a "questionable" character. Hell, there was a good point in Volume 7 where this discourse could have happened, when Marrow met Blake. It would have been nice to see how Marrow, someone who grew up in Mantle/Atlas, and was discriminated, rose to a position of power within the Atlas military, while Blake was the daughter of a chieftain and faced similar things, but went down a different route in life. But nope, the ball was dropped because "Let's have Bumblebee happen you guys". I seriously loathe this shipping, you don't even know.
But since I didn't have much to work with, I decided to try and add more instances of racism, as well as more politically driven talk regarding it. Of course, I am borrowing from real life events, but not adding similar things to the story, that would just be tasteless. I feel like there's a lot of things you can do with the Faunus/Racism conflict. But it was never explored, and that's a shame. Especially since racism, as in the usual skin color, ethnicity and usual religious things, aren't part of the 'racism' of Remnant. In fact, we never even see people being discriminated against for their skin color, which is unusual, but could also serve to make bonds between humans and faunus. Imagine a black human being racially discriminated against, making friends with a faunus who is made fun of for their animal traits? I believe there's something interesting you can do that. Sadly, in canon, that is never going to be seen, same with Religion. Sure, the "Twin Gods" are gone, but are you telling me there's no other diety, (Aside from the God of Animals) who is worshipped here? There are no churches, no religious sects, institutions or mentions of some wacky religion/evil cult out there. This just reminds me of how unfinished and uncharacterized the world of Remnant is. We get quite a lot of information from places like the kingdoms and cities like Feldspar and Kuchinashi, but we also don't get anything else, like religion, human discrimination and other things.
That's enough of that rant haha. I've just been thinking a lot about how to improve this story and the show in general. Things that this series is sorely lacking and would go a long way to make more complete and alive. I just imagine at some point, there would be people who worship the Grimm or someone who still remembers Salem and Ozma and worship them, but their names have gone so far into obscurity that they only remember them by monikers. There has to be someone, right?
Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. I actually just finished the Mistral Arc of this story and am moving onto Atlas, the long awaited part of the story and so far, my favorite part of RWBY. It has been a long time coming, but I am going to have so much fun with it. I hope you all have a good week, have had a good Mothers Day, and if I don't post before it, a happy Memorial day. See you all when I see you!
Also, before I go, were you all aware that the term "Menagerie" is actually a word that means "A collection of rare specimen and animals?", the humans in Remnant are fucked. The faunus fight in this grand war and when reparations are being made, they put them all on an island that is two thirds desert and then name it Menagerie? Why isn't this being fucking talked about. That's like spitting in the face of the faunus who died for this war.
