The mother scowled at her child as the family sat down for dinner. Her son's constant leg bouncing was causing the entire table to shake. An impressive feat considering how long the expensive piece of mahogany was.
"Asher stop." The harsh and clipped tone caused the boy to stop. Instead, he took to twiddling his thumbs.
The father entered the room and sat at the head of the table, dressed in a decadent brown and gold suit. Matching with the gaudy interior of the grand dining room. A maid followed afterwards, serving each member a plate of food. When the father started eating, the rest of the family mimicked in silence. The room was silent minus the scraping of cutlery on ceramic. The father finally spoke to his son, asking what he had done that day. His son smiled and excitedly talked about his adventures with a wolf Faunus. Their journey into an abandoned warehouse and sneaking a peak at the huntsmen training in Shade again.
The father frowned, and his cold blue eyes settled on his son. He spoke again. "I told you to stop going to the academy."
The child grumbled and disputed the order. He aspired to be a huntsman. He needed to go to watch and learn. His father shook his head. It would not do. There was a business to inherit and wasting time on stupid fantasies would not do. The child still didn't give in. He talked about how smart his new friend was and how cool the huntsman were and… His mother silenced him this time. Telling him how his delusions needed to stop. The boy was shaking with rage now. He shouted out at how he would become a huntsman and they couldn't stop him. He didn't notice the burn marks where his hands had been on the table and he didn't hear his parents shouting at him as he left.
When Mr Rosco had told them about an excursion, this wasn't exactly what Ash had envisioned. Sat on top of a rock, listening to a botanist regale them on the wonders of Vacuo's plant life. The plant life in question being tumbleweed and a long list of forgettable cacti. Well, forgettable for everyone that wasn't Mr Cato (the botanist) and Tidus. Probably Kai as well, but it was never clear when he was taking notes to be studious or was genuinely interested. In fact, the entire lesson was just a rotation of those three men at this point. Mr Cato asked a question, Tidus answered. Everybody else had resigned themselves to sit and watch, knowing that if they let Tidus answer the questions, they could get this done faster. Now and then, Kai asked a question, which was enough to convince the botanist that everyone was taking part. The man was just to into his plants to realise it was only Kai and Tidus talking.
"Now, for my last question. What is the tallest recorded species of cactus?" The overly enthusiastic botanist was grinning ear to ear at the sea of blank stares in front of him.
"The Pachycereus Pringlei. People have recorded them at heights of up to sixty-three feet." Tidus felt a little shiver run down his spine after he said that. He sounded more and more like Kai each day.
"Correct, Mr Raijin. You are certainly on the ball today." Mr Cato stood from where he was squatting next to a cactus and readjusted his safari hat. "Now that wraps up our lesson, I hope everyone had fun and learned a lot." Not a single person said yes in response. Some members of the class had already started heading back. "Tidus for being so studious today, you and your team will get a reward when we get back."
That at least got a brow raise out of Ash. As their class set off back to Shade, he turned to Tidus excitedly. "What do you think the reward will be?"
Tidus thought about it for a few seconds. "I don't know. Maybe we'll get those new curtains we've been asking for." They needed a new set after they used their current ones to smother a fire during the BAG's creation. The minor explosion had burnt a sizeable hole in the curtains that let light in at the exact angle to shine in Tidus' face in the morning.
Jett showed up next to them and scoffed. "No chance. We'll be lucky if it's an extra serving at lunch."
"Really? I have a good feeling about this," Ash said.
"You always have a 'good feeling'." Jett made some air quotes with his hands. Ash ignored Jett's negative comment, as usual. He was sure this was going to be good. His incorrect prediction on their excursion had been a one-time thing. Although, now that he thought about it, he also incorrectly predicted their first week going well. And there was that one time he thought that Sunnybrook giving them a 'treat' meant anything other than doubling their training. There was also that time… Ash ceased his thoughts and shook his head. He was overthinking things. His 'good feelings' never lead him astray.
"Holy shit." Tidus said as his jaw hung low.
"I think I'm in love." Jett was on the brink of tears. "Those curves, the beautiful sheen, that domineering presence." He fell to his knees on the street outside Shade, taken aback by the heavenly form in front of him. If this was their reward, he could truly die happy.
Gwen wrinkled her nose at the sight. "I can't believe you compliment cars like you compliment us."
Jett dragged his gaze away from the super car in front of them, shooting Gwen a deranged expression. "That is no simple car." He gestured to the bone white machine. The entire thing was an ode to decadence, aggressive angles and a frame that was far too close to the ground to be practical. "That is the Schnee Frostwalker. One thousand five hundred horsepower packed into an eight litre sixteen cylinder engine."
Kai nodded along in appreciation. He to shared Jett's keen eyes for cars. "Nought to sixty in two point three seconds and a top speed of two hundred and sixty-one miles per hour. I must admit, it is a wonder of technology."
"I even read in a magazine that there were only forty ever made," Tidus said as he got closer to inspect. Also to make sure Ash didn't start putting his grubby fingerprints on the car or drool on it.
"Yeah and of course they handed them out to atlas elites." Jett let out a sad sigh. "What a waste of the only decent thing the Schnee Dust Company ever made."
Kai also moved forward to get a better look. "It is a shame, but it served its purpose for the company. The entire creation of a personal transit vehicle was to allow the company to avoid market restrictions. By making forty of these, they could avoid being classed as a solely military manufacturer and became eligible as a cross product manufacturer. Therefore, getting access to multiple tax breaks and government funds. As well as removing required monitoring from Atlas officials."
Out of Kai's in-depth breakdown on the significance of the vehicle to the economic and political climate in Atlas Jett took one thing. "Can't have shit when Atlas is involved."
"True that." Ash leaned into the window to get a clearer look inside. His breath lightly fogging the tempered glass.
"Absolutely not! Absolutely not!" The four were quick to step back when a short, green-haired woman came barging in. She dressed smartly in a blazer and a pencil skirt, looking ready for work in an office rather than the desert. Freckles painted her scowling face and a pair of circular glasses sat on her nose. "You must not stand this close! Master Rouge will not stand for his car being anything but pristine! And he will most definitely not stand for the likes of YOU ogling it!" The woman's face was beet red, and she was panting after her brief outburst.
"Um," Tidus gave a quick look to his left and right. "Don't know if you realised this, but you've parked a white car in the desert." The woman seemed even more infuriated by the comment.
"That is besides the point. Now leave! I will not tolerate you anywhere near Master Rouge's car any longer."
The four reluctantly left the car and the "Fucking nut job" as Jett put it to join the rest of their class inside Shade. Jett had to pull Kai away by the scruff of his neck before he could give an apology. When they were out of earshot, Jett spoke, "How do you reckon someone will have vandalised it when we get back? My moneys on the classic 'Go back to Atlas'."
It was a solid point. The question was never if something nice in Vacuo would be ruined. It was always when.
"Maybe, but one time my dad left this really expensive car he had unattended and came back to 'Nice car jackass'." Ash snickered a bit at the memory. It was one of the few times he had seen his dad so flustered. "From that day on, he always has a valet to watch it."
"Yeah, but that's a lot of writing. I think the people are feeling lazy today. 'Corpo stooge'." Tidus let out a substantial yawn after the statement. It was more likely that he was just feeling lazy.
"Kai, what's your prediction?"
"I believe there will be no vandalism." The other three looked at Kai in surprise. He knew where they were, right? Nothing left Vacuo without a little something to remember them by. "A sandstorm is approaching. The sand will bury it before anybody gets to it."
Jett sighed. "I hate that you're probably right. Can't you get that bird you've been training to just take a dump on his windscreen?"
Kai's face scrunched up in confusion. "I see no use in training a bird to do such a thing."
"Of course you don't."
They were in Shade for only a minute before the owner of the car made himself known. The man was hard to miss with the massive commotion he had caused in the upper gardens.
"Who the fuck is this clown?" Jett said as he stared at the man. He stood before them in the centre of the garden like a marble statue. Despite the swarming mass of people clamouring for his attention, he was completely still, posing with his hand in front of his face. Built like every prepubescent girl's greatest fantasy, a pretty boy through and through. Jett's least favourite genre of guy. A poor attempt at a smoulder sat on his face that his hand partially concealed and a gaudy gold earring hung from one ear. His hair was a crimson red, kept in a stylish mess that appeared unkempt while somehow remaining perfect. All completed in a garish white and blue overcoat with far too many tassels and flaps.
He gave a simple flip of his hair, and a series of squeals from the crowd followed. Ash gagged in disgust at the sight. "A pretty boy? From Atlas? And they like him?" The entire scene in front of them went entirely against how this was supposed to go.
To the side of him, Octavia gave a dreamy sigh. "Of course they do! Don't you guys know who he is?"
The four looked at one another before finally settling on Kai for an answer. "I am not aware of who this man is and I believe I am very well read on Atlas politicians, businessmen and huntsmen."
"How?! That's Artoris Rouge, the Huntsman Superstar." Nolan gushed next to them.
"A huntsman superstar? That's a profession?" Tidus asked with crossed arms and a confused expression.
"No, that's just who he is. He is the Huntsman Superstar. One of the most famous and biggest huntsmen to ever live."
The team looked at each over sceptically. This guy was so big, yet they had never heard of him. Looking at him now, they figured they had probably been living inside his massive ego and that's why they didn't know he existed. "Ok, so he's famous, but he doesn't seem as cool as someone like the Dragon." Ash said.
"Who was that again?"
"You know that really epic huntsman from our kingdom?"
"Oh, yeah him. He's alright. But that's Artoris Rouge, and he's here at Shade. Oh man, this is so cool!" Nolan was straight back to gushing and being starry-eyed, along with many other people.
Ash gave a snort as he went back to watching the pompous superstar. What a joke. This guy clearly wasn't all that. He wasn't exactly a huge Atlas hater like most of Vacuo. But the fact these people could go from vehement hate for the place to worshipping the face of it was baffling to him. Where was this level of support for their own national heroes? What a disgrace. Like, according to the article he was reading over Kai's shoulder, this Artoris guy was an abject failure of a huntsman. Kiss up to him because he's your favourite celebrity all you want. But a huntsman? He was an insult to the profession.
"How are you boys liking my special guest?" Mirage said as she approached the group from behind, giving each of them a pleasant smile.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but for once, I kinda wish it was my brother."
She raised an eyebrow at Tidus in surprise. "Oh, don't like him very much?"
"Got no love for Atlas mutts." Jett said simply.
"I expected as much from you, Jett." She sighed and placed a hand on her hip. "But this may cause an issue for your reward."
Jett gave a dismissive wave and sighed in disappointment. "If it's autographs and a picture, I think we'll pass."
"Lucky you, it's not that. You see, Artoris is an old friend of mine from my time modelling for the Huntsmen Herald."
"No way you were a model! But you look so-" Tidus' hand clamped over Ash's mouth before he could finish. He gave a nervous laugh as he weathered the intense stare she was giving them.
She took a deep breath to compose herself before clearing her throat and continuing. "As I was saying, he's come here for a recent project, and I recommended a team from Shade to act as his escort. After Mr Cato gave you such a glowing review, I hope that will be you."
At that, the team perked up. After being cooped up in shade for the past months, a chance for some actual field work was an easy sell. Even if it meant having to put up with some Atlas pretty boy.
"Well, let's not be too hasty then. A huntsman protects all, no matter his beliefs or alignment."
"I'm glad you remember that, Asher. So can I rely on you to escort our esteemed guest?" Ash gave an exaggerated nod in response. "Good. Now remember, Vacuo doesn't get opportunities like this often, and people from every kingdom read this magazine. I would rather not have Shade in the headlines because Remnant's number one best boy had a less than adequate experience."
Ash stood to attention and gave a mock salute. Kai copied him, probably thinking that was what they were actually doing. "Absolutely! AMBT always comes out on top. We'll make sure Vacuo receives glowing reviews."
"Good. Artoris!" The scarlet haired man broke his pose at last to acknowledge Mirage. "Your bodyguards are ready when you are."
Many people complained about Mirage's decision. Brawnz called it favouritism despite Mirage and Ash's less than favourable relationship. As Nebula eloquently put it. "Entrusting the safety of Remnant's favourite superstar to the team that almost burnt down their own room was beyond stupid." Another valid point, some would say. Unfortunately for them, a reward was a reward regardless of the fact they earned it via plant facts. AMBT's first task as Artoris' security detail was getting the man out of Shade. Easier said than done, they found out. Without Mirage dispersing everyone, they probably wouldn't have made it out at all.
"So Mr Superstar, we going to be using your Frostwalker to get around?" If there was anything Jett was hoping to get out of this, it was at least an opportunity to sit in the masterpiece of a vehicle.
"Preposterous! Driving my beloved Snow in the desert would get her far too dirty. No less to have someone as dirty as you inside it." Artoris' first words revealed the man's shrill voice. Like Kai, he was well spoken, but his voice contained a comically posh and emasculate tone.
"Um, if that's the case, why did you bring your car-"
"Snow. Her name is Snow."
Tidus had to stifle a sigh. Naming the car was one thing, making everybody else use the pet name for the car was something else. "Why did you bring Snow here if you will not drive her? In fact, how did you get it-" Artoris cleared his throat and glared at him. "I mean her here without driving?"
"I had her airlifted, of course." He said nonchalantly, while picking at some sand beneath his nail. He acted as if airlifting a car all the way to Vacuo just to not drive it was the most sensible thing to do.
In spite of everything, Kai still kept up his impeccable manners to the man. "Forgive me, Mr Rouge, but does it not seem rather pointless to fly out a car you will not use?"
"We will have no more talk on the subject. You are here to guard, not chitchat." The group had returned to the aforementioned car with the short green-haired woman still in front of it. To Jett's and Ash's displeasure, the vehicle was still intact. Give it another hour, they thought to themselves. "Virescent, call the crew over. Oh, and make sure they prepare me a new pair of shoes." He looked down at his own pair of polished dress shoes and shook off a few grains of sand. "This filthy place is already taking its toll on me."
"Right away Master Rouge." The woman pushed her rounded glasses up before busying herself with her scroll. "Excuse my asking Master Rouge, but what are they doing here?" She turned her nose up in disgust as she pointed to the four boys.
"My security detail, unfortunately." He gave them all a once over and wrinkled his nose in disdain. "Violet's finest, but I'm not too sure about that."
Jett gave a growl and opened his mouth to retort. A slap on the back of the head silenced him. When he turned to get at Kai, a second slap from Tidus shut him up for good. It wasn't ideal, but they would have to put up with the Atlas elite experience. The whole thing was going to be arduous. Especially so, considering that, out of all of them, they had it out for Jett the most. The four waited in reluctant silence for the crew to arrive. In the ten minutes they waited, Artoris had already accrued an impressive number of demands. Ranging from coffee and muffins to his favourite CD already playing when his personal trailer arrived. When his personal trailer arrived, it was as bad as him.
Tidus uncrossed his arms and gently massaged his temples. His voice was strained when he spoke. "Holy fuck, this guy is nuts."
Jett stared in equal awe, confusion and disgust. "You know, if I ever get this full of myself, just off me."
The entire convoy included the trailer, a van, and a pickup. With the trailer by far the biggest. Bone white just like his car, with a crude image of Artoris' likeness painted on the side. If you could call the horribly scaled features in the painting a likeness. From the back of the leading van, a man wearing a suit, sunglasses, and a beret emerged. He had a pencil like build, with rather weaselly features, greasy black hair, and a pencil moustache above a sleazy grin.
"Hey! There's my favourite superstar! Did your promo at the academy go well?" His raucous voice was much like Ash's. The only missing feature being any authenticity.
Artoris ignored the man and made a beeline for his trailer. "Are my new shoes and coffee ready?"
The man removed his beret and ran a hand through his hair. "Of course, buddy, all prepared for you."
"And my 'love on the rocks' CD?"
His grin was faltering and there was a twitch in his eye, but he kept up the act. "Prepared just as you asked."
"Good." He took the mini staircase up to his door before turning to address them. "You will not disturb me until the shoot." There was no time for anyone to answer before he locked himself inside.
The suited man finally let himself go, grumbling a series of complaints to himself. He placed the beret back on his head before pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. "You guys security?" The false upbeat tone was gone, now replaced with a hoarse voice.
"Yup that's us!"
"Listen, that's great, kid, just dial down the energy." Ash's face fell a bit, but he remained undeterred. "Also, you." He made a vague gesture in Jett's direction. "Do you have to be here? Because I'd rather you weren't."
The team blinked in surprise, taken aback by the upfront comment. This guy really wasn't playing about trying to hide his prejudices. Ash stepped forward, an unfamiliar seriousness on his face. "He stays. Doesn't matter what you say, he's part of the team."
The man snorted and threw out his cigarette while wiping some sweat from his brow. "Watch your tone, kid. I'm the director, so you take orders from me, alright?" They gave reluctant nods. "Good. Now you guys are in the pickup." AMBT followed his gaze to the most dilapidated vehicle. This pickup made the one Tidus' family owned look like some grand chariot. The pickup was more rust than paint, and any paint left had long since lost its original colour. Now it was just a horrible brown mottled mess. The man in the driver's seat was also clearly Vacuan. Obviously, this pickup was a temporary hire for the more disposable members. While they climbed in the back of the pickup, Artoris' personal assistant went with the director to the main van.
The director climbed in the back before turning around and spotting the woman. His eyebrows lifting as he remembered her existence. "Oh yeah, Virescent" The green-haired woman stopped at the open doors of the van. "You're in the pickup."
Virescent's face went through a multitude of emotions before settling on outrage. "What you can't do-"
"Sorry, no space" The director slammed the double doors in her face, leaving the woman in shock. She massage her brow as she made the walk of shame to the pickup. Jett grinned and chuckled when she reached them.
"Just shut up, you stupid mutt." Jett let the insult slide. Her current predicament was more than enough for him right now. She made a few attempts to climb but failed because of the constrictive skirt impeding her ability to lift her leg. At last Kai offered a hand that was reluctantly excepted. She didn't even utter an apology before distancing herself from the other four in the back of the pickup. Most of the first quarter of their journey had her moping in the corner furthest from them. After a while, Ash tired of arguing with Jett and tried to make conversation.
He started simple. Work was always a suitable topic. "So this Artoris guy, what exactly does he do?" Probably would have been better if her job wasn't just being Artoris' slave.
Virescent ignored him at first. But she quickly learned how skilled Ash was at pestering. Having Jett as a best friend for ten years had taught him a thing or two, after all. "Master Rouge is a multifaceted man of many talents. His skills know no bound and he achieves whatever he sets his mind on. As you are probably aware, he is the holder of many world's first achievements."
"Uh-huh." Jett watched as the woman got more and more starry-eyed the deeper she got into her explanation.
"He's a huntsman, model, actor, artist, activist, writer, comedian, dancer and so much more. Most recently, he released his first ever album, Love on the Rocks, where he acts as the singer, songwriter and instrumental all by himself."
At the mention of the album, Tidus sat up from slouching in his seat and removed his headphones. "Love on the Rocks?"
"Yes!" Virescent clapped her hands together in delight. "Are you familiar with it?"
"Unfortunately." Tidus shuddered and slouched back down with a sombre look on his face. "Ten minutes of my life, I will never get back."
Ash moved the conversation along before Virescent could fully comprehend the comment. "That's fine, but why is he here specifically? Like in Vacuo?"
Straight away, she was back in business mode. "Master Rouge is here to do a photo shoot for the next issue of the Huntsman Herald. The first one in Vacuo in over three years."
"So, if this is a photo shoot, where are we going? Wouldn't a studio be more appropriate?" Kai asked, while running a finger over the head of his bird. At some point, his new friend had taken to sitting on the pickup for the ride along. The bird suddenly turning up to hang out was quickly becoming a common occurrence.
"We considered that option, but we chose only the best for Master Rouge. The problem with Vacuo is all the scenery is the same, and it makes for drab promotional material, so we are doing the first ever shoot set in the Badlands." She said it with such a cheery tone that at first they thought she was joking. But when her demeanour didn't change, they realised she wasn't.
"The Badlands?! You can't be serious." Ash almost fell out from reeling back in shock.
"Of course we are! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity." Her cheery nature persisted despite the shocked faces.
Tidus had only been half listening in with one of his headphones off his ear. But now that she had revealed their destination, he was leaning forward, fully engaged with the conversation. "You know, it's called the Badlands for a reason."
"Of course, but that's why we have you guys. Plus, we came fully prepared."
Jett gave a once over of the group. "I'm sorry to break it to you, but none of us have been to the Badlands."
"Well, I have once," Tidus chipped in. "When I was like twelve. Wasn't a fun trip."
"That doesn't matter. You just need to protect us from bandits and the sort. We've already prepared for the rest."
Jett was getting exasperated with the woman now. She really wasn't understanding how in over their heads they were. "Bandits? What bandits?! There's nobody in their right mind living there. We should be more worried about the weather."
"Like I already said, we prepared for this." She showed them some charts on her clipboard. "Our world class meteorologists have studied Vacuo's weather patterns and today it's going to be clear blue skies."
The four of them burst out into laughter at the bold claim. Clear blue skies? Vacuo, let alone the Badlands, had never known clear blue skies. Ash licked his finger and raised it to the sky. "Really? Because there's a sandstorm brewing."
She stared at him and shook her head. "No, there isn't we predicted-"
"He's right, you know," Tidus interrupted.
"How is he right!? We have studied extensively for a month and compiled intricate data. There will be no sandstorm!" Virescent was getting flustered. Why couldn't these Vacuans understand the gap in advancements between their technology and Atlas's?
"You can feel the wasting winds in the air. Also, we haven't even considered Badlands bias." Tidus said.
"Badlands bias?" She sounded a little more worried now. Nobody on the tech team had mentioned anything about a Badlands bias.
"Yeah, the place has an entire climate of its own. Not sure if you can call it a climate, but it just includes stuff like sinkholes, earthquakes, sandstorms…" Ash said while counting them off on his fingers.
"Acid rain." Jett added.
"Lightning storms." Tidus said.
Kai finished some deep thought before saying, "Tornadoes."
"Flooding. But specifically acid floods from the acid rain." Jett continued.
Tidus' face lit up as he thought of another. "Extreme heat, by that I mean more extreme than usual."
Even the driver got a word in. Shouting back to them through his small window. "Heard there was some mutant Grimm about as well."
Virescent gave an audible gulp as the men continued to list various threats. When the weather team had given their debrief, they hadn't mentioned half the problems that were being listed now. She didn't even realise how much it was effecting her until there was a light hand on her shoulder.
"Are you alright?" Her head snapped to the side to look at Kai. At some point, she had raised a hand to her heart. The organ was beating like a rabbit in her chest.
"I'm fine, I just-" Suddenly she broke out into a scream. "IjustdontwanttodiesoyoungIhavesomuchtoliveforandthisismyfirstbigbreak!" The sentence left her mouth as a jumble of words. Her shrill screams and constant bawling made it far too incoherent for the boys to understand.
They looked at each over, panicked. None of them had been prepared for sudden hysterics. Tidus made some vague gestures towards Kai to get him to speak up. "It's ok, you will not die." Kai placed another hand on her shoulder to calm her. "Statistically speaking, the odds of other weather anomalies occurring after a sandstorm are just above fifty. That is a lot lower than average."
Tidus watched in disbelief. Kai's idea of comforting someone was not what they needed right now. He spoke up, trying to salvage the situation. "We were joking about the weather. Well, most of it."
"Yeah! The acid rain doesn't actually cause acid floods. At least there have been no recent records of it." Ok maybe Ash needed to shut up as well.
"The point we're trying to get across is that you'll be fine. Trust us. We're the best hired help in Vacuo." Jett's words finally got Virescent on the calmer side.
Kai handed her a handkerchief from his pocket that she used to wipe her eyes and glasses. "I just don't want to die. I'm only sixteen and have so much to live for."
"Wait, you're only sixteen?! I thought you were like thirty."
There was a collective sigh from the other three men when Ash chuckled nervously. Virescent had already gone from shaking in fear and sadness to rage. It truly was amazing how he could consistently make the same mistakes and have this effect on the opposite gender.
By the time they reached the Badlands, Tidus was convinced that Ash was secretly a genius. The method of transforming Virescent sadness into anger had been a surprisingly efficient way of improving her mood. When she had gotten past her anger, she had been much more receptive to talking to them on the ride there. And overall, she was a lot nicer than he had expected from their first interaction. It probably helped that right now they were the only thing keeping her from dying out in the Badlands. Much like the rest of the desert, the Badlands were barren. Its only defining feature being the interesting rock formations that had formed. Many in the shape of archways or precarious balancing acts were a large rock barely balanced on a boulder. Also, there was sand. Way too much sand as usual. It really raised the question of how this would be an even remotely unique backdrop. Most people would see it and just think 'desert' as usual.
What was really getting to the crew was the climate. The sun felt even more intense here than it did in the main desert and the air was muggy, making it difficult to breathe. Even the natives were feeling the heat more than usual. But there was an even bigger problem. The sandstorm that was definitely not coming was almost here, and it had caught most of the staff off guard. When they arrived, the staff had been a buzz setting up expensive lights and cameras. No amount of warnings from AMBT or Virescent could deter them from their task. Only when the dust cloud was visible on the horizon did they understand the trouble they were in.
The director paced back and forth, rubbing his head in frustration. The sudden sandstorm had obviously put the man under a lot of pressure. "What do you mean there's gonna be a sandstorm?! We had-"
Jett interrupted the director in a sarcastic tone. "You had world class meteorologists study the weather blah blah. Yeah, we know, unfortunately there is a sandstorm coming, no matter what you say."
The director ran a shaking hand through his greasy hair. The man looked like he would explode at any second. "I'm going to let what you just said slide, mutt. This is on your head, as the locals in the area, you should have warned us."
"Um sir, they did. You just wouldn't listen."
The director pushed a finger into the girl's chest. "And you need to keep your nose out of this intern. You're just here to communicate Artoris' needs." He took a few deep breaths before turning to the other staff members. "Everyone back in the van, we resume after the storm rolls over." The team followed the director to the van, but much like the first time, had the doors slammed in their face before they could enter. This time, they were pretty sure it was out of spite rather than lack of space.
"That's just great." Jett said as he kicked at the ground.
Virescent let out an audible gulp and rubbed her hands together nervously. "What do we do now?"
"There's no need to panic. We have options." Ash stroked his chin as he thought for a second. "Maybe we can bunk with Artoris."
"Yeah, that's not happening." Tidus said as he walked back over to the group. "Just asked him and he basically told me to go fuck myself."
"Well, that's not ideal, but we still have…" Ash turned to where the pickup once was. A set of tire tracks was the only sign it had ever been there. "Never mind. Seems like he's long gone."
Tidus let out a sigh. "I don't blame him. Doubt he was getting paid much."
"At least he's getting paid." Jett said.
"I mean, we're kind of getting paid." Tidus reasoned. Jett didn't look too convinced. "Like in experience?"
"Even better."
"Either way, it looks like we'll be cave slumming it for this one." Ash said, stretching out and moving to observe their surroundings.
"Cave slumming?"
"Yes, we'll take shelter in a cave. You could be seriously injured if you're caught in the open."
Her voice shifted up an octave. "Seriously injured?!"
"Sandstorms can severely burn your skin. Also, open orifices like your eyes and nose can lead to internal damage," Kai said matter-of-factly. He really wasn't understanding that they needed to keep the girl calm.
Before Virescent could break down again, Tidus interjected. "But that won't happen to you. We'll keep you safe." She took in a deep breath, then nodded. Second meltdown averted. "Alright now, let's go find a cave."
Finding a cave wasn't difficult. The abundance of rock formations guaranteed they would stumble upon one at some point. In the end, they discovered a narrow crawl space that lead into a small cave. Just big enough for the five of them to sit in. It took a bit of persuasion, but they even got Virescent to crawl in prone. The cave was kind of cosy in its own way, with the wind howling outside and one of their scrolls hanging from the roof for light. Kai, being prepared for any scenario, even brought out some crackers to snack on. Maybe it was depressing to think, but it reminded her of her old room back in Mantle.
She shivered when some thunder rumbled. That was a bit too much to be cosy. "I thought you guys said you were joking about the lightning storms."
"Oh no, we weren't joking. It was acid floods that we weren't certain about." She looked at the entrance after Kai's answer. Suddenly, this cave felt less like a cosy hole and more like an acid bath waiting to happen.
"I just don't understand why the weather's like this. It can't be natural."
"It isn't, and we've got Atlas to thank." Jett said with a bitter tone.
Virescent looked at him in confusion, waiting for an explanation. He just looked at the floor, slowly clenching and unclenching his fist. When he didn't reply, she looked around to see the other boys were just as sombre now. At least Kai was willing enough to provide an explanation. "The Badlands were once the sight of the largest dust mining and refining operations in Remnant. A joint venture between businesses in Atlas and Mistral to construct not only a mine, but an entire settlement for the workforce. For a time, the project was a success. People from wandering tribes and the capital all migrated at the promise of an opportunity backed by Atlas' technology and Mistral's might."
Virescent frowned. The largest Dust mining operation seemed like a feat that any businesses would gladly claim. "How come I've never heard of it?"
"There are lots of things in Vacuo that the rest of Remnant would rather see buried." Tidus said.
Kai nodded in agreement before continuing. "After the initial success, something changed. No one in Vacuo knows why, but the investors pulled their support. Whether it was a falling out between businesses or lack of money, we may never know, but day by day, their staff returned to Atlas and Mistral. They never informed Vacuo of the change, so the people kept working. But without Atlas' expertise in maintaining the technology for the refineries… It…" The usually stoic man choked up. He cleared his throat to remove the uncomfortable, constricting feeling overtaking him.
"The Badlands are the result and a lucky few are all that remain. Whatever happened burnt up the atmosphere and made a massive hole that causes this freak weather. At least that's the running theory." Jett finished for him.
Virescent sat in silence for a while at a loss for words. All these events were in complete opposition from what she had understood until now. Had her kingdom really been responsible for such atrocities? She knew Atlas had mined in Vacuo during the great war, but that had been a two-way street. This sounded far more malicious. "I don't know why we would do that. I'm so sorry."
"Don't apologise." Jett said, letting out a moody huff. "I hate it when people apologise for shit that isn't their fault."
"Yeah, it's not your fault. Out of all the people on this trip, you're the only one I actually like." The other three hummed and nodded in agreement at Ash's comment. "In better news, I'm pretty sure the storm's over. Now let's get this show on the road!" Virescent had to stifle a laugh when he sprang to his feet and immediately bashed his head against the cave roof. If it hurt, he wasn't showing it.
With the sandstorm over, they could get the actual work underway. Which for AMBT meant a lot of sitting around and watching. The crew rushed around, setting up cameras and canopies for the shoot, while the man of the hour emerged from his trailer at last. He spent the next forty minutes in and out of his trailer donning different robes and armour. Apparently, the Huntsmen Herald did a lot of advertising for new weapons and armour. Most of which were sourced directly from the leading Atlas suppliers, although a few armour sets from Mistral made an appearance. Artoris and the director kept Virescent busy, making her go back and forth at their whims. At one point, she had been on the brink of fainting before giving up her blazer at Kai's advice. It was ultimately doing her more harm than good with the heat. The question, however, of how Tidus got away with wearing his black overcoat in the heat remained a mystery to her.
After a while, Jett got bored and snooped on the engineering crew. He wanted to see this top of the range equipment that had been so brilliant at predicting the weather. He was back and sitting on top of a rock with the rest of the team within two minutes.
Ash was unusually antsy, constantly popping his fingers while bouncing his knee. "I swear, when are we going to get some action?"
"You should be happy we haven't run into any major issues." Tidus sat up from his lying position. "Makes our job nice and easy."
"I don't want nice and easy. I want an army of Grimm to burst out of the ground and give me a fight to the death. Hordes of them surrounding me as I burn them all to the ground in an epic blaze of glory."
Jett sighed as he removed his gaze from the horizon. "You two just had to jinx it. Looks like we've got some Grimm incoming."
"Really! How many? What kind?" Ash eagerly rubbed his hand together.
"Eight Dromedon."
Ash's smile dropped. Camel Grimm weren't exactly the cream of the crop in combat. At most, they had some nasty acidic vomit and a funky smell to them. "You actually had my hopes up. Kai, your with me. We'll go deal with them before they get too close."
Kai gave him a salute. "Yes, sir."
"And Jett, you're in charge while I'm gone."
"You say that like you're going really far away." Tidus said. The Grimm couldn't be any further than half a kilometre away.
"As team captain, I can never be too careful. Kai taught me that." Ash gave the mentioned man a pat on the back before the two started towards the approaching herd of Grimm. It wasn't long before there were signs of combat in the distance. Jett assumed they were winning when either Ash or Kai launched a Dromedon into the air over the cloud of combat. He was ready to place bets on how long they were going to take before his wolf like ears twitched. Through the chattering of the crew and the orders of the director, he could barely make out a skittering. Not unusual, but also notable. Jett couldn't describe it, but he could feel it. He hopped off the rock and followed the sound. His ears twisting and turning as the noise grew louder.
The Director made a harsh whistle when Jett walked into the middle of the shot. "Hey dog boy, what are you doing?!" Jett continued, unfazed by his shouting. "Will someone get this mutt out of the shot?!" No one moved to do anything while Artoris only stared with an eyebrow raised. Nobody really felt like trying to interrupt a huntsman, no matter how novice he was. "You!" The director pointed a spindly finger at Tidus. "Get your lazy ass up and get your friend out of here!" Now that the director was screaming himself hoarse, it was impossible for Tidus to ignore. He removed his headphones and approached Jett, who had stopped just past where Artoris was posing.
He draped an arm over the blonde's shoulder before whispering into his ear. "Dude, what's gotten into you?"
"You hear that?"
Tidus looked at him, confused. Jett's eyes never left the ground in front of them. It was like he was looking for something. "Hear what?"
"That noise. It sounds like-" The earth in front of them erupted, shocking the two. From within its depths, a large glowing stinger shot out. They both jerked their heads in different directions as the stinger stabbed between them. The sizeable pincers that emerged next snapped at them, forcing them back. An unnerving set of around seven glowing yellow eyes peered at them through the cloud of dust. The initial shock quickly lost its hold on the huntsman and the two sprung into action. Tidus brought down Sky Piercer on the outstretched stinger, severing the glowing tip. Jett wasted no time following up, diving into the dust cloud. By the time it cleared, the Death Stalker lay dead with Reaper lodged in its side.
The whole commotion was over before the crew had fully understood the situation. The fading corpse of the Grimm clued them in to what had happened.
Tidus raised his hand for a high five. "Lightwork."
"Lightwork indeed." Jett said, meeting Tidus' hand. Their celebration ended quickly, however, when a scream filled the air. On the other side of the camp, a new Death Stalker stood over Virescent, who desperately scrambled back. Tidus and Jett sprinted toward her, only for another shout of terror to divert their attention. A technician was in much the same situation as Virescent. Jett gave a wordless nod and the two of them split. Tidus continued for Virescent while Jett went to the technician.
Tidus' arm glowed with lightning as he launched a bolt at the Death Stalker. It struck the Grimm in the head, leaving minimal damage to its bony plating but causing its body to vibrate and go rigid. The BAG burned against Tidus' arm, but he pushed through the pain. The paralysis gave Tidus enough time to get between the Grimm and Virescent. He swatted back a pincer before it could find a death grip on the girl. "Would be helpful if you ran away." Virescent broke from her stupor and gave Tidus a nod, scrambling to her feet as Tidus barely blocked another swipe from a pincer. He jumped backward to avoid a stab from the stinger before bringing his halberd down on its exposed head, splitting it down the middle and killing the Grimm.
On the other side, Jett threw his chain out, aimed at the technician. It wrapped around the man's leg and let Jett pull him out of the way. The man got a mouthful of sand as Jett dragged him across the sand, but it was preferable to the stinger strike that had now missed. With the stinger wedged into the ground, he retrieved Reaper, changed it into scythe form, and sliced the tip of the appendage off. The Death Stalker made a swing with its pincer that Jett leaped over, slicing the limb off at the joint on his way over the top. He slid under the last pincer swing and ended up under the main body, making quick work of cutting open the soft underbelly. The crew watched in astonishment as Jett shot out the beast's middle and proudly stood atop its corpse.
There was silence for a minute before the director composed himself enough to give a snort. "Took you long enough. Although I guess I shouldn't expect much from-" An eruption in the earth behind Artoris interrupted him. From within the new hole, the biggest Death Stalker so far emerged. Unlike the usual red, black and white colour scheme, the red was a clear blue that emanated a frosty cloud in the air. It had two glowing stingers that acted independently but joined at the base. One pincer was double the size of the other and kicked up massive clouds of sand when it moved.
"Looks like that guy wasn't wrong about the mutant Grimm." Jett readied himself for combat again, but the new Grimm's first attack caught him off guard. From its back, four ice crystals grew that shot out and launched toward them. They fell fast, and Jett only narrowly avoided them. He and Tidus pushed forward so that the next volleys didn't land near the crew.
Virescent ran up to the director as the two huntsmen dodged back and forth, distracting the Grimm "Sir! What should we do?!"
The director looked around in dishevelment. The hair on his head was actually a toupee, and it was falling off. "I…I… We should-"
"Continue the photo shoot." Artoris said. He walked back to the spot just in front of the fighting, looking bored with the whole thing.
Virescent gawked in surprise. "Master Rouge! But that's insane!"
"Nonsense. They have it under control. This will be the perfect opportunity to get some shots showing the true chaos in Vacuo. The rough and tumble of the outback, as some would say."
"But-"
"No buts. I am a perfectionist and this is perfect. Cameraman continue." He turned to acknowledge the two men fighting behind him. "And you two. If you do a good enough job, I'll see about getting a column wrote about you in the magazine."
That immediately piqued Jett's interest. "Now that's an incentive I can get behind." Done with dodging falling icicles, he reached into his pocket and pulled a red dust crystal. When the next volley came for them, he threw it up in the air and shattered it with Reaper, causing an explosion of flames. He absorbed it and used the burning chain to cut down the ice spikes.
"Hey Tidus BAG me."
Tidus eyed him in surprise. It was a reckless idea, and they hadn't practiced it much. "You sure? We still haven't-"
"Yes, I'm sure!" Tidus heeded his order, lifting his arm covered in lightning. Jett threw his chain to Tidus, who caught it briefly before letting it go. The lightning flew down the chain at breakneck pace to Jett.
"Alright! Now-" Jett's body went rigid when the lightning reached him. Unfortunately, he still hadn't mastered the art of absorption without shocking himself.
Tidus shook his head and focused back on the Death Stalker. He had already charged the BAG, so he made the most of it, releasing a bolt at the Grimm. With the Grimm stunned, Tidus charged forward, ready to bring Sky Piercer down on its head. He winced as he raised his arms. The heat of using it a second time was even worse than the first. The Grimm brought the overgrown pincer in front of its face to block. His halberd bounced off and he changed his plan of attack to above, going for a jump over the top. Or at least he tried to jump. He realised too late that a sheet of ice had covered the sand beneath his feet. The sudden shift from sand to ice disturbed his balance, causing him to slide forward into the waiting pincer.
It lashed out, knocking him back and off his feet, exposing himself to one of the glowing stingers. Before it could stab him, Jett's chain scythe intercepted, forcing the limb back. Tidus attempted to stand up, but the oversized pincer knocked him down again. The second stinger lurched forward to strike, this time a blast of wind knocked it, causing it to only narrowly miss his head.
"Dragons Breath!" Ash shouted out, leaping over the top and firing Fury's shotgun down onto the Grimm. A combination of combustible dust rounds and his Semblance created a fiery shot that exploded onto the Death Stalker's back. The scorpion shook violently and skittered back while steam hissed from its back. Tidus finally got to his feet and regrouped with his team.
"Can't believe we had to fight a bunch of Dromedon while you guys get all the fun," Ash said.
"I feel like our definitions of fun are very different," Tidus said, eyeing the scorpion warily and shaking his still burning hot arm. "Anyway, Kai, you got any ideas?"
The man eyed the beast intently until a frown crossed his face. "I'm not sure. This is unlike any Death Stalker I've ever seen or heard of."
"Well, this place was a Dust mine. Could've had a reaction to the Dust or something?" Jett suggested.
"Possibly, but regardless, we should approach as normal. Remove the stinger and we should be fine."
"Okay, you heard the guy. Jett deal with that massive pincer, Kai, you get the small one. Tidus, is the storm here yet?"
"It will be," he waited a few seconds for his Semblance to activate. When it didn't happen, he rapidly shook his hands and jumped on the spot in an attempt to achieve something. "Just give me a second."
"Right, well, you get the stingers. I'll try to melt away the ice gimmick. Ok AMBT, let's get this shit done!"
The four charged the recovered Death Stalker. Icicles fell once again, forcing them to dodge and weave on their approach. Jett spun Reaper before launching the chain at the bigger claw. It wrapped around the limb, clamping it shut. He then ran to the side, pulling the claw away from its face. Instinctively, the second pincer moved defensively to take its place, only to be met with a gust of wind. The maelstrom struck with such force that it tore the limb open, leaving it limp at the side. Tidus charged down the middle, his body now alight with lightning. He jumped straight over the patch of ice that had stumped him last time, using once slice to remove both stingers at the base.
With no defences left, Ash moved for the kill. "Searing strike!" He brought his flaming fist down on the scorpion's head. All four men were quick to make distance as the Grimm seemed to remain unharmed. The pillar of flame that erupted from the earth beneath it put that to an end. The beast shrieked and hissed as steam erupted around it. For a full thirty seconds, the pillar of flame engulfed the creature. When it had all cleared, there was nothing left but a plateau of glass where the Death Stalker once stood.
"Alright! Mutant Grimm stand no chance against-" For a third time the earth erupted and more Death Stalkers emerged.
Tidus let out a tired sigh. "Can we stop jinxing our wins, please?" Five more Grimm now surrounded the camp. Tidus made for the far ones, knowing that his Semblance gave him enough of a speed boost to get there first. The other three split to deal with the rest.
The four hadn't even made it halfway before Artoris let out a yawn. "I bore of this. All eyes on me." All at once, everything came to a stop. Despite their best efforts, every person's head twisted to stare at Artoris. The man was standing there in one of those goofy poses he loved so much. But now he was glowing. Really glowing. So much so that it hurt to look at the man. But no matter what, nobody could tear their eyes away from him.
AMBT were the first to return to their senses. Their necks felt like granite as they finally craned them away. Remembering that they were currently under assault was an effective wake up call. However, when they turned back to the fight, the Grimm were stationary. Much like the people, they too seemed completely and utterly enamoured with Artoris. Even more so, Tidus would find out when he skewered one through the head and it didn't so much as twitch. With the Grimm's will to fight no more, finishing them was a breeze.
Jett made one last gloat to confirm that the fight was indeed over. No more Grimm would pop out of the ground now. Hopefully. Their courageous acts had even gone as far as elevating them from dirty Vacuans to regular people in the eyes of the director. A few of the crew members even came up to thank them, which Jett used to brag as humbly as he could. If that was even possible. The rest of the shoot went by without a hitch, no extreme weather, no Grimm, just Artoris threatening to quit. Which, judging by the reaction, was par for the course.
Before they headed back, Virescent approached them. An uncharacteristic smile spread across her face, a pleasant break from the scowl she had been sporting all day. "I think I owe you guys an apology. So I'm sorry about being so difficult this morning. And thank you for saving my life."
One by one, she pulled each boy into a hug before stopping in front of Jett. She took a deep breath to collect herself before throwing her arms around him in an awkward hug. The blonde stood there rigid, taken by surprise, before throwing an arm around her back to return the gesture. She wrinkled her nose as she pulled away. "You guys kind of stink."
"Listen, you don't fight off an entire horde of Grimm without breaking a little sweat." Ash gave a performative flex of his muscles before giving his armpits a whiff. He was definitely getting a shower when he got back.
"Yeah and you're one to talk," Tidus said. Virescent looked down in embarrassment when she realised how poorly her shirt was holding up. She moved the conversation on swiftly before they realised the back was worse than the front.
"Anyway, the reason I'm here is," she pulled out a camera from behind her back, "I'm going to need a picture for your column."
"We're getting a column?" Kai said in surprise.
"Yup. Thanks to yours truly doing a little negotiating." Jett said as Ash pulled him and Kai in for the photo. "Also, make sure you get my good side."
"You have one of those?" Virescent giggled when Jett made an immature imitation of her. "Ash, could you take a step forward? Kai, please smile. I want you to look happy in the photo. Also, Tidus, could you crouch down a bit… Perfect! Now say Vacuo!"
A month later, the team got to see the finished product. One sent to them personally in a nice picture frame that sat in their room and the other in the magazine they were reading in the common room with the other teams. Halfway through the magazine on the page between the advertisements that nobody read sat their column. It was only a few paragraphs long and Virescent really should have retaken their picture. The four where stood there with their arms over one another's shoulders, smiling. But Tidus had his eyes closed, and Jett was close to being cropped out of the photo. Either way, it was there as promised. What was cooler was the brief glimpse of them fighting in the background of the front cover. It was probably a better image than the one used in their article. Ash was planning on getting that framed as well.
Jett sat with the magazine in his hands, silently reading the column. Everybody else crowded over his shoulder to read with him. Over time, the silence grew awkward as people finished reading. It was no surprise how excited Ash had been about the whole thing, but what was more surprising was that Jett was even more so. In the weeks leading up, he had gloated and bragged about being featured in the magazine. So now reading the article and looking at the picture, it was pretty clear which member of the team got the axe and why. It was disappointing and unfair, but also fully expected out of Atlas.
Nebula put a comforting hand on the Faunus' shoulder. "You know Jett if it makes you feel better. I still think you're awesome. That article's a load of rubbish."
Jett said nothing for a full minute. Suddenly, he threw the magazine down and burst out laughing. "A load of rubbish? You're joking. Everything written in there is the undisputed truth."
Nebula recoiled in confusion. "But all they wrote about you was that you were the co captain."
"Yeah, and is that wrong?" Jett leaned back with a smug look on his face. "They cut to the chase and said it how it was. I like that."
"Really?"
"What? You think I didn't know they would try to give me the cut because I'm a Faunus? They tried right from the get go but here I am in their magazine. Suck my fucking dick, Atlas." That got a laugh out of everyone. Jett really could be the most sour jaded person, but he had his moments.
"I don't know if you can say the same for the others." Dew took the magazine from in front of Jett and read. "His constant aloof and brooding nature gives him a mysterious allure, making him the dark knight of the group." She looked up and gave a pointed look at the culprit. "I thought you were better than this, Tidus."
Tidus almost choked on his drink when he heard the excerpt. "I did not tell them to write that. I just told them to write whatever, that is all their words, I swear." A series of sarcastic agreements and understandings met his explanation. He desperately looked at his team. "Right guys."
"He speaks the truth."
"No, Kai, we've talked about this." Ash shook his head in disapproval. "You're supposed to say something like 'I can't remember' or 'did that happen?' Make him sweat a bit." He gave up on Kai and snatched up the magazine from Dew. "Anyway, that's cool and all, but look at this."
He flipped a few pages forward before showing them all a two page spread advertising the fortieth biannual Vytal festival. They hosted the festival every two years, so it was to be expected. But the revelation still got a few eager murmurs. Especially with the stakes. Vacuo had a rather poor track record at the festival. Most recently, they had gone on a five festival long streak of failing to make it to the final round. Their last victory actually being from Tidus' very own brother. Last year's defeat had been the most embarrassing. Their best hope had accidentally eliminated themselves in the penultimate round, thinking the match was over. But that made the opportunity all the more enticing. To be the team that brought some glory home would make you heroes in the kingdom. Vacuo loved its bragging rights after all.
And Ash knew AMBT would be that team.
