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Chapter 88: Neutral Ground
The sound of weapons being drawn and readied provided an adequate measurement of how well the current discussion was going, which even still was better than some of the possibilities Roxy had been preparing herself for.
What she was suggesting was anathema to the beliefs of all those present.
A matter of a few short days had passed since Roxy had found where Petrol was being held, for there were now no doubts that the avian Faunus was being held captive by a truly sick individual, the discovery coming at a price which had continued to be paid even after those who had survived the initial bloodbath had managed to escape from a mech-suit rampaging seemingly of its' own volition. Upon her return the leader of what had been little more than a small time band of drug dealers and petty criminals before being subsumed into something larger had found her territory under attack, a clear and violent retribution for the spate of attacks that had been launched against those who might have used Petrol's absence as an opportunity to rise to prominence within the cities' underworld; regaining control of the situation had taken every ounce of Roxy's remaining, frayed and overexerted willpower and shrewdness as she sought to both outplay and counterattack her enemies whilst seeking to keep business running as smoothly as possible despite the presence of heavily armed Hunters, whose efforts to keep the peace the gang leader found herself gratefully welcoming.
In such a situation it had been only reasonable that Roxy had heard nothing from her contacts in the cities' other gangs for several days, those who had elected to side with her under Petrol's banner; each of them struggling to whether a similar pummelling from the foes they had angered whilst the shadowy Benefactor seemingly at the heart of so much of the cities' crime remained detached from it all, content at the moment to let things proceed without favouring one side or another by supplying them with new weapons or machines of war; all whilst those who had ventured out of the city to the location of Petrol's cryptic message were forced to wrestle with the losses that they had suffered, the gangs being what they were meaning that each loss was a person that their companions had known since childhood; with the memories of what that had seen and heard in the warehouse as Petrol screamed for them to run promising to hunt each of the survivors for a long time.
Roxy had used the time, what little of it she had managed to spend alone and plotting, in a way that she hoped would exemplify the traits and potential Petrol had seen in her upon promoting her to a position of leadership; arranging a meeting with her fellow gang leaders in a recently closed diner where she delivered the plan she had concocted.
One which another gang leader succinctly described as he rose to his feet, waist-length dreadlocks flying out dramatically as he pointed an accusing finger.
"She wants us to snitch!"
"When you say it like that it sounds bad" Roxy managed to sound at least somewhat aloof and detached as she lowered her hood, giving herself a wider field of vision to anticipate any sneak attacks and peered around the tables at which her fellow criminals were gathered; amber eyes seeking out any aid or support despite her attempts to seem nonchalant.
"Any of you bitches got a better idea?" the sneering retort came from Hierro who had positioned himself behind Roxy and at her right hand side, the abrasive and contentious mech-pilot prodigy having earned his place amongst Roxy's entourage of close and trusted allies after being the one to spur her into motion and ensure she escaped from Petrol's mecha. Others however were less impressed by the young criminal, with the long-haired gang leader who had made the initial accusation amongst them.
"Of course you wanna snitch, we already know you've got no fucking loyalty; you were in a different crew last month" the observation was met with a round of muttered agreement and quickly followed up with a boastful response to the question "The idea's simple boy, I'm saying we should get all of our people together; hit that warehouse and shut Petrol's suit down. Let's take all the suits that are there as well, we run the city remember? This time we'll do it with someone capable in charge"
It was an idea Roxy herself had considered and was ready to explain the reasoning against but before she could do so one of her own followers, emboldened by Hierro's cockiness interrupted.
"Wait, you can't mean you? Swear your people have been getting run ragged all week by-"
"Punk ass bitch-" the vehement cursing was joined by the sounds of weapons being readied once again, this time with several guns being aimed at heads and torsos across the divide between various gangs until silence fell once more; ushered in by the booming impact of a fist against a table which turned all eyes towards the source of the noise, namely the acting leader of Petrol's gang who was clad, as ever in black and keeping his face covered.
"We're all getting way too amped up and getting nothing productive done" the words were something Petrol might have delivered, yet lacking in the certain flair that the acid-spewing Faunus possessed "We're talking about what to do about Petrol. More ammo and dealing with other crews comes after that. Roxy….What the fuck are you talking about snitching for?"
"I don't mean that we snitch on everybody" Roxy stated flatly, wishing that the question had felt less like a veiled threat but pressing on regardless "I'm saying that we give some Hunters a tip off and let them go and hit the warehouse-"
"Even if they manage to take the mech-suit out he'll be arrested, he'll be in prison for the rest of his life" the black-clad gangster noted.
"But they'll take him to a doctor….Come on man, we both saw what he was like in there" Roxy allowed her growing sense of hopelessness at the situation to seep into her words "Even if we rescue him, what the fuck are we supposed to do? We can't just show up to a doctor and ask for cybernetics. the only person who can get him a new pair of arms is the fucker who took his!"
Silence lingered heavily in the air for a moment after that.
"Alright" Petrol's lieutenant nodded slowly "Alright I get where you're coming from….Snitching is snitching but there's exceptions and I feel like this has gotta be one of them. I'm not saying I fully support this but-"
"So how the fuck are we gonna find a Hunter without getting arrested ourselves?" another gang member from near the back of the gathering called out incredulously "We've got beef with so many people we can barely go outside, if we get known as snitches it's gonna be even worse!"
"Faunus Pride is tomorrow" Roxy answered calmly with a faint grin "I've already got this part figured out. Anyone who takes a shot at us there becomes an even bigger target than us and there's gonna be Hunters there; I already know who to look out for….There's some Hunters who're gonna want to settle up with Petrol and they won't pass up the chance to know where to find him"
Faunus Pride had come and brought with it a rolling tide exuberant and cheerful business which surpassed Neo Vale's normal bustling energy by orders of magnitude. Where the Capital City of Neo Vale was normally active in a constant and predictable way common to all major cities the present plethora of sights, sounds and smells was something else entirely; with entire commercial districts within the monolithic Hive Towers being rendered impassable to cars and dozens of streets being officially closed entirely to make way both the roiling mass of celebrating bodies, consisting of the cities own inhabitants, those who had arrived early from other Kingdoms for the coming Vytal Festival and those who had travelled from surrounding settlements just for the occasion along with the countless hastily prepared stalls and stages that had been set up. Neo Vale was an explosion of colour and music from its' beating heart, reaching down into the lowest depth of its' slums where banners and flyers could still be found and up into its' echelons where even the aerial platforms supporting its' most exclusive establishments joined in the festivities, with the monorail network spreading the message all throughout the city in the form of slogans and artwork decorating the carriages.
The entire affair leaving Team MARZ somewhat overwhelmed as they tried to take it all in.
"Heh….this is definitely bigger than the one in Port Alistair" Regalia managed to breath out, her purple eyes wide and darting around as though unsure of what to look at first even as she huddled close to her friends and especially Astra, her time in Port Alistair had allowed the nomad to acclimatise to living in a city after a life spent in the wastes broken only by visits to outlying settlements but what she was witnessing presently went entirely beyond anything she had imagined; each street the four teens managed to squeeze and press their way through containing more people than the Racoon Faunus had met or spoken to in her life.
"This is by far the largest Faunus Pride I have ever witnessed" Zirconia murmured, clutching at Athena-Jade's hand to ensure that the two of them were not separated; face covered beneath her customary shawl hiding the gentle smile she wore and the faint blush at her cheeks as Athena slipped her hand free of her partners' and looked it around the taller girls' waist instead; her conversation with Nero days prior allowing her to remain more relaxed than the rest of her team with the knowledge that there be little more than petty and uncoordinated crime for them to intercept.
"Same" Astra breathed out, a giddy smile on their face as they stopped for a moment to take in the sights around them "It's because it's the Vytal Festival soon as well; it's like the normal Faunus Pride turned all the way up to eleven, I heard a rumour that apparently the city is just keep all the decorations up for both festivals until the end of the tournament….It's awesome"
"Yeah, unless you're looking for someone" Athena-Jade noted pointedly.
"Or unless you're short and can't see over most of the crowd" Astra countered with a mocking wink in response to the perceived effort to ruin the mood.
"You're not tall, your antlers and Mohawk don't count" the Bear Faunus shot back "And also you suck….But seriously, it's so crowded how are we supposed to find anything in this?"
"My Semblance won't help much in a crowd like this" Regalia added, forestalling the obvious suggestion before it could be made, to which Astra responded with a carefree shrug and gestured for their team to continue following them as they took a turn into a less busy side-street that would serve as a shortcut.
"Already talked about it with Professor Branwen" the Deer Faunus assured their friends, popping the collar of their sleeveless red and black leather jacket as they spoke.
"Then tell us the plan" Athena sighed, her tone suggesting that she though having to make the request was a chore.
"We don't need to watch everything in the city" Astra began, letting the irritable tone go unchallenged "We only have to watch the places that are most likely for something to happen, the big speeches, the city centre, music stages….Maybe some of the monorail stations-"
"That makes sense" Zirconia nodded, privately using the opportunity to see how Qrow Branwen formed plans; knowing that it would be useful information to report back on.
"Well Professor Branwen can get into the cities cameras and watch those places, the person behind everything going on the city can do the same thing, they've already proved that but at the same time if they try and lock the Professor out of anything then he'll know that something's going on and put Hunters on high alert in the area; get it?" Astra paused and waited for their friends to nod in understanding "So all we need to do is visit a few of those busy spots and keep an eye on things in person-"
"Because it's so crowded that Professor Branwen might miss something" Regalia surmised.
"Exactly" Astra nodded "That's why we took a flight that meant we'd need to get a monorail to get here and why we took the long route through all those stalls-"
"And why we're gonna be backstage during the main speech….It's my Aunt Blake giving it, nobody would be surprised by us being there" Athena added, large shoulders rolling back as she gave a toothy grin "Well, the press are gonna be all over us today but it's good to use the family connections for something useful"
"And my parents love the fact that we're meeting 'em there, seriously my Mum's been excited since I called her about it" Astra beamed happily, evidently extremely and rightly proud of themselves for managing to make their mother proud.
"Okay, so if we're heading to the main stage" Athena-Jade paused to get her bearings only for both Astra and Zirconia, natives of the city to speak in tandem before the could collect her thoughts
"This way" with that the four of them continued onwards through the side-street and entered into another street which in turn allowed them to venture closer towards their destination, a massive and recently constructed stage within an open area within one of the cities' hive-towers boasting a lighting rig which promised to illuminate everything in sight; the crowds around it already comparable to any major music festival and as they went Team MARZ caught brief glimpses of several familiar faces, firstly almost bumping into the team of Second Year Students from Shade Academy of Vaccuo led by a shirtless Flying Squirrel Faunus who gave Astra a warm smile as they passed and then catching sight of Teams SHMR and TRQS in quick succession, the fleeting glances offering no more than a chance to wave and give nods of recognition whilst noting that Stygian Blue was apparently thoroughly enjoying his first foray into Faunus Pride, partaking in both the culture and several attractive young women talking to him at that moment whilst Tiger Santara could be seen managing to hold a surprisingly civil conversation with fellow team leader Snapdragon, who was in turn leaning against Tiger's twin brother.
Another chance encounter however caused far more fanfare on Team MARZ's part, the four of them catching sight of a tall and muscular women who the crowd parted almost reverently for only for the woman in question, clad in a black suit for the occasion with a golden yellow shirt and a deep purple tie around her neck to offer the people around her finger guns, overhead lighting reflected from the golden surface of a prosthetic arm.
"AUNT YANG!" Athena-Jade bellowed, all but dragging her team along in her wake save for Astra who sprinted alongside her with matching enthusiasm.
"Professor Xiao Long!" the Deer Faunus exclaimed almost breathlessly, skidding to a halt and standing straight, almost at attention before the legendary Huntress who shook a mane of golden hair out of her way and fixed the group with a bright smile before simply throwing her arms around Athena-Jade and pulling into a crushing hug which saw the Bear Faunus lifted over a foot into the air.
"I wasn't expecting to see you here" Athena managed to wheeze out, trying to return the hug whilst also fighting for air "I thought you'd be with Aunt Blake"
"I'm heading that way now, I was just doing the rounds and making sure everything's going well" Yang answered as she set her niece down, sleeves tugging up as she did so just enough to reveal the collapsed form of Ember Celica at one wrist.
"But look at you, it's been too long; look at how much you've grown….Ruby wasn't lying when she said you're built like a tank now" Yang continued, Athena positively preening at the comment "And I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting yet; although I have seen the two of you together in the news….And heard from Weiss about how sweet you are together"
"Thank you Professor Xiao Long" Zirconia answered, eyes downcast whilst she was silently thankful that her sudden nervousness could easily be explained away by being in the presence of a living legend who was also related to her girlfriend.
"It's just Yang, I'm not at Signal right now. That goes for both of you" Yang's amethyst coloured gaze turned to Astra who she regarded with clear pride "I see you're growing into the potential I always saw in you Astra, I hear a lot of good things about you from your brother and your Professors….And I like what you've done with your hair"
"Thank you Pro-Yang" Astra faltered, the idea of using the given name of their teacher who had been a mentor for them as they found themselves and was also the adopted mother of Astra's brother felt strange and yet they pressed onwards; pulling Regalia to the fore so that their partner would not be left at the periphery "This is Regalia, my partner on Team MARZ"
"Heh….Hi, it's nice to meet you; I've heard a lot" Regalia fumbled her way through the words, caught in something close to the same awe she had felt upon meeting Ruby Rose, a Huntress of such renown that even the nomad clans were familiar with her deeds only for that awkwardness to be washed away as Yang gave her an easy smile and an approving nod.
"The one with the jetbike? Nice….I'm looking forward to seeing first hand how well the four of you do in the Vytal Tournament" Yang replied, clearly already familiar with the members of Team MARZ she had been yet to meet and leaving Regalia puffing up with pride before turning her attention back to Athena "Come on if you're looking for Blake she's backstage...Astra your parents will be there shortly"
"We're meeting them there" the Deer Faunus answered happily before adding "You're gonna be a the tournament?"
"Shh, it's meant to be a surprise….You'll see" Yang gave a wink and set off, leaving Astra following along after her as she started walking once more as though caught in the gravity of the blonde woman's charisma. As Team MARZ collectively fell into step Astra caught sight of Athena and was left silently gesturing at her to ask why the snowy-haired girl was shaking her head and snickering each time she looked in Astra's direction.
"You almost saluted when you saw her" the Bear Faunus explained as leaned close enough to whisper "I mean she's my auntie and I haven't seen her in over a year so I missed her….But you turned into a fan, do you want us to get selfies later?"
"Oh fuck off" Astra hissed back, fully aware that both Zirconia and Regalia were grinning though before Athena could continue with her teasing Yang spoke up, possibly to spare her former student as they collectively drew close enough to gesture to the security positioned closest to the main stage.
"Okay, let's start this party with a Yang!" hearing this both Athena and Astra shared a look and silently agreed that neither of them would discuss Yang Xiao Long's love of puns.
Carmesi Hueso strode into the chamber clad in attire far more comfortable and comforting that the suits' and silken shirts he had been wearing of late; instead sporting attire far more reminiscent of the combat gear he had worn whilst in Menagerie, neutral tans and browns intended to give a degree of camouflage in open terrain, weapons at his back and arms bared to reveal the craggy scales at his shoulders, whilst his chest whose scales had been left permanently gouged and scarred by the Semblance of Athena-Jade Slate was covered. With his hair tied up in a tight and practical bun the reptilian Faunus felt almost like himself again, though he felt that the two-day stubble coating his jaw was a poor substitute for the full and thick beard he had been forced to shave away in order to keep from being recognised whilst living as a wanted man.
It was none of these which drew the eye of Albion Herringbone however, instead the dark-skinned and white-haired scientist turned to face Carmesi and gave a sceptical nod towards the collection of Faunus Pride pins, patches and bracelets the tall and burly Komodo Dragon Faunus had chosen to adorn himself with.
"I see you took the scenic route to get here….Were you seen?"
"Not identified, I left my hat and jacket upstairs with the luggage I'll be taking. A vehicle has been left for me outside of the walls….All I need now is the modified containment device; you have it ready?" Carmesi's hellish red eyes hardened and he gave a guttural snarl as if daring Albion to tell him that there were complications though once Nero's old friend simply turned and began readying his latest experiment the younger man was left to silently take in the condition of the Chamber.
The Cyber-Grimm were, as expected hunched over and dormant in a darkened corner of the room and would remain so unless deployed; Carmesi studied the pair of monstrous creatures and noted that despite being repaired the Cyber-Grimm which had been left with gouged armour bore a battle scar similar to his own. From there the reptilian turned to Gestalt-Prime's containment tube and found that the Hybrid Alpha was seemingly inert and similarly dormant, likely conserving and building their strength for events that would come following Carmesi's successful return from beyond the cities' walls which suited the Faunus perfectly as it spared him from having to interact with the abominable creature whose existence he was only willing to suffer to further the great plan that Nero had put into motion; finally Carmesi turned his attention to the expansive array of computer screens which Albion spent much of his time stationed at and found them oddly silent in the rare instance that Carmesi was present without either Nero alongside him to give or demand an explanation of an unfolding situation or Aefen Cruor showcasing her madness to the world from the other end of a video call.
The momentary silence within the Chamber was broken as Albion came staggering back into view, huffing with exertion as he hauled behind him a trolley containing the collapsed form of Carmesi took to be the new equipment he required.
"This-" Albion panted, clearly far too accustomed to plotting and unfamiliar with physical effort "Is my latest design, more compact "Was designed with the help of Gestalt-Prime to be better suited for containing the raw, unformed Grimm essence which makes up Spawning Pits….Remember that whilst this machine may be able to extract the substance without disturbing the Pit as a whole that they are still-"
"Don't tell me how to be a Hunter" Carmesi growled threateningly, making Albion flinch reflexively as the larger man reached over and hefted the device he had been struggling with one handed and with ease.
"Of course, quite right" the scientist adjust his gold-rimmed glasses and cleared his throat, muttering something which sounded suspiciously like 'Knucklehead' under his breath as he did so though Carmesi chose to let the insult slide, raising his stubbled chin defiantly.
"Is there anything else I need to know before I depart?"
"Let me see" Albion returned to his customary place in front of the myriad computer screens and began accessing a startling array of camera feeds from what Carmesi quickly realised were key points across both the city as a whole and also its' defensive perimeter; a moment later several other icons presented themselves which would allow the scientist turned conspiratorial right hand to listen in to or jam various communications and ensure that any plans that might be put into motion went unhindered.
"Your vehicle is beyond the southern wall yes?" Albion finally breathed.
"Yes, the Spawning Pit that I have a lead on is located further towards the Vaccuan border but still within no man's land….Which is why the it hasn't been spotted by Neo Vale or acted on yet" Carmesi explained.
"Then you should be okay, although if you spend too much time enjoying the festivities then I might have to raise a false alarm elsewhere or find other ways to redirect the guards on the wall if you miss the opening in their patrols" Albion murmured, studying various data points and adding "Don't take all day getting to the wall….It's almost certain that Qrow Branwen has some additional actors in the field; we already know that he's using students to keep an eye out"
"Of course" Carmesi snorted, currently in too good of a mood to allow the older man's habitual needling to irk him.
"Zirconia is one of them" Albion added "Nero asked to me remind her that if you happen to accidentally cross paths that-"
"That I should stay out sight" Carmesi breathed out, finally allowing himself to show some annoyance "Rest assured that I have no intentions of dealing with Nero's favourite today….No matter how much he might wish the two of us could be siblings."
Albion allowed that statement to linger in the air for a moment, taking some time to gauge the Komodo Dragon Faunus's temperament before finally deciding to sate his curiosity and ask a question that had been on the tip of his tongue since Carmesi had entered the Chamber.
"Frankly Carmesi I didn't expect you to celebrate Faunus Pride, you tend to dismiss all politics with the usual 'Kill them all and start over' rhetoric"
"Should I not celebrate it?" Carmesi challenged, cricking his neck "Do you ask Zirconia these questions?"
"No, well I-" Albion faltered but quickly recovered "I was simply curious"
"I'm a Mistrali born Faunus….From a family of Faunus" Carmesi ground the words out, an intense sorrow filled them "Moments like today are a link to my culture and family Albion. It's good to remember what I've lost, what was taken from me….It reminds me why I do this and ensures I don't lose sight of what's important"
"I see. I understand" Albion nodded slowly, feeling in that moment that he had finally found some connection and common ground with the fanatical brute Nero had trusted as a protege "I practice something similar on my late partners' birthday….The one who perished in the same accident which wounded Damascus"
"Cherish the rage Doctor" Carmesi rumbled out, head bowed solemnly "You'll need it when the time comes"
Albion paused, considered the words before finally speaking again.
"Do you think your parents would be proud of the man you've become Carmesi?" the Reptilian gave a dangerous look, knuckles audibly cracking as the sheer fury that washed over him manifested itself as a shuddering of his Aura and Semblance which filled the air with crimson spikes of light before finally, just as Albion's hands twitched towards the automated defences of the Chamber in fear that Carmesi might attack him in retaliation for his daring question the Faunus scoffed, turning and walking away with a response uttered calmly over his shoulder.
"I am certain".
Team MARZ had been escorted backstage and the rest of the team had once again been treated to the sight of Athena-Jade being pulled into a crushing hug and fawned over in a way which contrasted starkly with the toughness with which she often conveyed herself as she met with her Aunt Blake, that had been some time ago however and the four of them had since set about their task of being Professor Branwen's eyes and ears.
Currently Athena-Jade and Zirconia were elsewhere, with Blake and Yang having informed the Bear Faunus that some of her other relatives were present in the crowd which saw her leading her partner away so that they could find Rover and Artemis Tan who were likely performing a similar manner of low-key surveillance on the festival. With their friends departure and Blake Xiao Long the Huntress, hero, activist and author known all across Remnant needing to prepare for the speech she intended to deliver which had naturally required the presence of her wife, Astra and Regalia had found themselves once again in a publicly accessible part of the festivities though still remaining close to the main stage.
Where Astra's parents had been waiting for them.
"It really is amazing this year….Your partner seems to be enjoying herself" Myrtle, Astra's mother noted, the middle-aged reptilian Faunus giving her child's partner a fond and faintly bemused look as she watched the Racoon Faunus. Astra, their partner and parents had found themselves situated close to the front rows of the stage from which Blake would soon deliver her annual speech, though at present it was being used as one of many live music venues scattered throughout the hive-city; a massive crowd flocking around the stage located in a plaza in a commercial district surrounded on all sides by bars and restaurants whilst there was open space above it for several levels which allowed those unwilling to brave the press of bodies below to look on from balconies. The band were a local act and, much like the crowd cheering raucously for them were largely comprised of Faunus, their heavy and aggressive sound driving the audience to form a surging, frenetic pit where enthusiasm bordered on unruliness and it was here where Regalia Russet could be found; the Racoon Faunus thrashing as wildly as anybody else with her Aura flickering faintly from collisions with others who quickly either backed away or cheered even louder upon spotting the obvious Hunter in their midst.
"Yeah she is….But she's still working though" Astra noted, the fond and gentle smile tugging at their lips fading away as they uttered the final few words. The Deer Faunus was situated between their parents only a short distance away and positioned so that they could see into the moshpit and the stage itself whilst also being able to scan the balconies for any signs of trouble without drawing too much attention, Astra and Qrow both having come to the agreement that given Petrol's use of particular weapons in the past if the avian Faunus's gang did choose to attack the event it was reasonable to assume they would either shoot into the crowd or throw an explosive from above.
"Little street punks that have been running riot across the city lately wouldn't dare" Redwood, Astra's father who currently wore cologne and a shirt and a shirt far presentable than his usual stained overalls huffed, folding his arms as he added "Stealing cars, selling dope, fighting and setting fires have been bad enough but if they actually did something here….Well, then maybe some of their parents would actually step up and be parents, give 'em a cuff round the ears"
"Maybe" Astra shrugged, sea-green eyes scanning the balconies overhead and upon finding nothing suspicious returning to where Regalia was continuing to attract attention. Privately the Deer Faunus agreed with their fathers' assessment or at least hoped sincerely that it was correct and that they would be able to enjoy Faunus Pride with their friends and family without incident however they still intended to do everything in their power to ensure it rather than rely on idle hope; to that end Regalia's role in the plan was to serve as both a clearly visible and unmistakable presence in the heart of the crowd in order to dissuade any potential troublemakers and to search for anything that seemed unusual or suspicious which, Astra noted with a sense of pride, the nomad could be seen doing as her eyes peered around her ceaselessly even as she danced with enthusiasm that surpassed her skill.
"It's a shame that you two are having to do any kind of Hunter work at a time like this" Myrtle sighed, shaking her head before regarding her youngest child "I bet you're overworking yourself as well….I can never tell with all that makeup you wear but I bet you've got rings around your eyes from not sleeping haven't you?"
"I think that's why they wear the makeup" Redwood chuckled.
"I wear it 'cos it brings out my eyes" Astra answered glibly before wrapping a lean but muscular arm around their mother's shoulders and giving her a reassuring hug "Seriously Mum it's fine….All we're doing is keeping an eye on things in places that the cameras might miss, we basically get to come and do what we were gonna do anyway, but then say afterwards that we were undercover"
"They send people who've been on TV to do undercover work now? Seems a little counterproductive to me….That's more like a decoy, or bait?" Redwood noted, giving the younger Deer Faunus a pointed and concerned look though before Astra could offer a sarcastic but playful retort Myrtle stepped in, reaching up to grasp her partner by the antler and waggle it gently, a gesture both of Astra's parents had done to them countless times.
"Don't you say things like that, honestly as if we don't have enough to worry about" she huffed before turning her gaze back to the stage and the crowd in front of it where she found Regalia had paused and was currently panting for breath and doubled over with her hands on her knees "Astra call your partner over in a minute, I'm going to go and get that girl a drink of water before she passes out"
"Thanks Mum" Astra said, certain that the gesture would be appreciated by Regalia herself. Once Myrtle had left Astra and Redwood simply looked on for a moment, no words passed between them though it could not truthfully be called silence whilst a truly sensational guitar solo was being played through speakers larger than a person until eventually Redwood gently nudged his child with his elbow.
"You don't have to act big and tough in front of me kid, how're you holding up really?"
"I'm good" Astra nodded reflexively before pausing, a briefly guilty expression flashing across their face before they stuffed their hands into their pockets "Had a couple rough weeks after everything that happened at the dance, kinda let things get on top of me y'know but I'll be fine….I spoke to Professors about it, I've got good friends, a good team, a great partner-"
"I see that" Redwood chuckled, nodding towards were Regalia was moving deeper into the press of bodies as another song started "Your mother likes her by the way, just putting it-"
"Please don't, we already had this conversation" Astra groaned, popping their collar in a painfully false display of nonchalance to distract from the twisting feeling that came with the thought of having to explain how events had transpired between themselves and their partner to their parents.
"Uh huh, we talked and you said plenty of words….But I see the way she looks at you Astra" the older Deer Faunus gave their child a stern look "I can tolerate a lot of the stupid shit you've done over the years, but if you're mistreating that girl in any way at all I swear I will-"
"It's not that" Astra shook their head forcefully, appreciating the bunt honesty their father had chosen to tackle the issue with and deciding to simply plough through the awkwardness and respond in kind "She told me she likes me before the dance and I told her I wasn't really over breaking up with Wolfie; I needed to get my head clear"
"That's good of you" Redwood slapped a hand on Astra's shoulder firmly "But if your head clears and you still just want to be friends then do the right thing at tell her that Astra 'cos I've only met her a couple times and I can tell she's head over heels…..I remember looking at your mother like that when-"
"Alright, I get it" Astra hissed through clenched teeth, certain that their father was now deliberately trying to make the conversation unbearable.
"I'm just saying-"
"I know Dad, alright….Trust me I know" Astra shuffled on the spot, trying to find Regalia again in the crowd "She's awesome-"
"She's coming back" Redwood directed Astra's attention to where Regalia was emerging from the crowd at a brisk pace "She looks upset"
"Yeah" Astra intoned grimly, not drawing their weapons but still suddenly on edge at the sight of the hard, focused line that Regalia's mouth was set into; the speed and urgency she marched towards her partner with and the fact that she had left the crowd to rejoin Astra before the Deer Faunus had called her over both suggesting that something was severely amiss.
"Astra"
"What's up?" they asked, bracing themselves for the worst.
"Petrol's friends are here" the words left ice surging through Astra's veins and after a single heartbeat where the worlds seemed to fall away around them their sea-green eyes became a hard glare as they swept the crowd.
"Shit" the curse word left them before they could think to moderate their language in front of their father "Where are they? What're they doing? Are they armed?"
"Over there" Regalia pointed to a point somewhere on the other side of the crowd, revealing why she had ventured deeper into its' midst "One got my attention, another five backed them up but there's more of them here; all gathered in a huddle near that alleyway-"
"They didn't hurt you?" Astra asked, incredulous and immensely suspicious at the gangsters' behaviour.
"They said they just want to talk" Regalia answered, clearly equally tense "They said that the rules about no fighting at Faunus Pride still stand"
"They've got some sense then" Redwood chimed in, evidently trying to overcome the shock of suddenly seeing his only child in a whole new light as they took on the role of a Hunter that they had been training for and the cocky, charismatic teenager that they had raised and watched grow into a fine young adult dropped away.
"So why approach you?" Astra grimaced.
"They said they want to talk" Regalia repeated "But not here, they want us to follow them"
"It's a trap" Astra spat, glowering as what was clearly a young gang member perched on the shoulders of a friend spotted the two student Hunters and gestured for them to follow in a certain direction.
"So what do we do?" Regalia asked, already suspecting the answer and giving a feral smile.
"Call Professor Branwen, call AJ and Zirconia. Dad, I want you to go and find Mum and then find a Hunter….Preferably Professor Xiao Long if you can, stay with her until I let you know it's safe" Astra then turned to their partner and matched the breathtakingly striking expression she wore "Let's go get 'em!"
'KA-POW!' the exuberant and overwhelmingly cheery yell issued from multiple sources at once, with none of them being the expected origin of the sound; eventually several of the passers-by crowded into the stall-lined street caught sight of the culprit and couldn't help but smile at the childish mischief whilst also being openly impressed at a Semblance being unlocked and used effectively by one so young, even if the girl was clearly the child of the two Hunters, well known figures in the city currently shaking their heads on either side of her.
"Please Tuscan, just eat the damn cotton candy and don't cause any trouble today" Rover Tan, Husky Faunus and veteran Hunter capable of near incalculable speeds, husband to Artemis Tan and former team-mate to Gangrel Slate, father of Athena-Jade Slate gave a long suffering sigh at the antics of his only child.
'What? I'm not doing anything wrong!' Tuscan insisted innocently, the sound of the mute girls' 'voice' being produced by her own footsteps as she skipped happily along between her parents, casting furtive glances towards Athena-Jade Slate and Zirconia Shadowmoon who had joined the family outing a short while ago and whose approval the young Husky Faunus sought hungrily with each effort to show off the powers she was honing, having spent an impressive portion of the last hour turning her Semblance towards any suitably loud source of noise and producing an alarming burst of onomatopoeia, much to the steadily growing annoyance of her parents.
With a fresh opportunity presenting itself only moments later.
Tuscan had never used her Semblance on a moving car before and found herself with some vague and indistinct worries that it might damage the vehicle in some way which she quickly tamped down on, instead watching as the small coupe made its' way down a street which was no longer intended to accommodate it, ignoring both the stalls which it drew perilously close to and the crowds being forced to part to allow the vehicle through she planted her feet and focused, drawing in a deep steadying breath and allowing a cocky smirk to split her features as she decided on exactly what sound she would create with her Semblance.
A large 'Boom' would be perfect.
"Tuscan, no" this time the chiding voice and disapproving shake of the head came not from her parents but from Athena-Jade Slate herself, the Bear Faunus who referred to her as a younger cousin by virtue of their parents being academy team-mates clamped a strong down on her shoulder and gave her a stern glare; in response Tuscan simply looked passed Athena and focused on Zirconia, the Grasshopper Faunus whose style and unquantifiable yet unmistakable coolness reminded the child of the heroes of so many of her favourite stories only to be disappointed as the taller of the two teens gave every sign of being equally unimpressed. Seeing that her continued efforts to improve her Semblance and become stronger so that she might become a Hunter one day were going unappreciated the Husky Faunus crossed her arms across chest and made a point of pouting and sulking silently whilst her tail tucked flat against the backs of her legs, a display which ended when her mother took her hand and began leading her away; the feline Faunus heading over to the driver still trying to make their way through the crowd and ascertain their intentions and using it as an opportunity to separate her daughter from the temptation to act a fool.
"I'm sorry about her….She's being a little twerp today" Rover laughed good naturedly, the older of the Husky Faunus being dark skinned with a full-beard and afro, a faint green glow emanating from his chest where an Aura regulator was surgically attached and icy blue eyes which darted in the direction of his niece and her girlfriend even as he continued to scan the crowds "She was excited about the festival, then she was excited about seeing you again….Then we gave her cotton candy and I think it all got a bit too much"
"Sorry for being a bad influence" Athena-Jade beamed playfully, the toothy grin she flashed her uncle halting any assurances that Rover might have been about to give that she was not to blame whilst Zirconia merely smiled as she leaned against her girlfriend and partner, casting the occasional glance after Artemis and Tuscan and wondering what influences the child might be regularly subjected to in order to produce such a distinct rowdy belligerence though before any conclusions could be made Rover spoke again, words tinged with loving fondness as he chuckled in response to Athena.
"You really do remind me of your Dad"
"Good thing or-"
"For once it's a good thing" Rover continued to chuckle, the answer leaving Athena both puffing up with visible pride and swatting at her uncle playfully only to be left flailing at thin air as he appeared next to Zirconia and on Athena's opposite side in a flash of motion.
After meeting with Blake and Yang and ensuring that nothing was amiss in the central area of the festival Athena had happily used the decision to split into groups and patrol other areas of the city, covering a wider area in the search for any possible miscreants in order to rendezvous with her Aunt and Uncle, certain in the knowledge that the more they interacted with Zirconia the more glowing praise of her girlfriend would reach her mothers' ears, in turn making it more likely for Zirconia to be allowed to visit the manor for a week or two during the summer. Overall the day was going well and the Bear Faunus was pleased to note that the press had thus far either not seen her out in public with her extended family or were simply too distracted by other morsels and titbits, the fact remained however that Rover and Artemis were Hunters too and their presence in the city was as much a part of their job as it was a chance to celebrate their own Faunus culture; as was proven soon enough when Rover answered his scroll, the canine Faunus's features hardening with each passing moment until the call ended and he addressed Athena-Jade before either she or Zirconia could speak.
"I'll be back soon. Tell Missy there's a disturbance at the south wall and they needed a hand" with that Rover donned a mask intended to cope with the immense speeds his Semblance allowed him to move at and then promptly vanished with a whoosh of air and a burst of golden lightning which drew the attention of all present, including his wife who naturally cast a questioning look a the student Hunters left behind.
"Come on" Zirconia rasped out, preparing to lead Athena over only to be halted as the shorter and stockier of the pair produced her own scroll and gestured for her partner to wait as she answered it.
"Professor Branwen" Athena greeted, identifying the caller "Uncle Rover just left, what's-"
"Listen closely" Qrow's gruff voice cut through the question "I have a ninety percent positive identification on Carmesi Hueso at the south wall; there's already a Hunter there and Rover is moving to assist. There's more though, Astra and Regalia called in to say that a group of what might be the gangs we've been looking for deliberately got their attention"
"That doesn't sound right" Zirconia murmured, stomach twisting and dropping as she tried to make sense of this direct contradiction of what she had been told was the case by Damascus Nero.
"It sounds right" Athena growled "If that's Carmesi, then these guys are the distraction to give him a chance to get clear"
"My thinking exactly" Qrow answered "And it looks like they're leading your team-mates away from the festival itself"
"So they can tell anybody who questions it that they didn't start a fight at Faunus Pride" Zirconia realised.
"Whatever they're planning on doing to act as a distraction can't be allowed to happen" Qrow said bluntly but with unshakeable conviction "Astra and Regalia could use your backup, you should be able to track their locations with your scroll"
"Got it" Athena nodded, before chewing at her lip for a moment and adding "Tell Astra we're on the way….And then can you call my Aunt Missy and tell her what's happening; she's got my little cousin with her and I don't want her to worry?"
"I'll call her the moment you hang up" Qrow's answer served to end the conversation and Athena and Zirconia only had to share a single look in order to confirm that the two of them were of the same mind and take unified action.
Sprinting in the direction of their friends as fast as their Auras would allow.
Carmesi had managed to make it through the checkpoint at the cities' perimeter wall, only to be forced to resort to naked violence as a Hunter grew suspicious and sought to detain him before he could leave and retrieve the vehicle he had instructed be left for him.
The latest attack from that Hunter launched the Komodo Dragon Faunus backwards and over a dozen feet into the air, leaving them crashing to the ground with an impact that threatened to damage Carmesi's precious cargo. With a savage, almost feral snarl Carmesi launched himself back to his feet and deployed Retribution and Vindication in quick succession, attacking the areas around the Hunter rather than the man himself in an effort to keep the cities' garrison at bay and keep them pressing the small advantage that they currently held; the smaller of his weapons unfurled from its' forward curved machete form into its' rotating and triple-bladed implement state and slashed upwards with an unnatural path which saw it cutting through firing positions taken by those who sought to stop him and forcing them to leap aside or fling themselves flat against the floor. Whilst the spinning blade was still airborne Carmesi shifted his spiked and broad, flat-faced cudgel of a cleaver into its' shotgun mode before snapping off several booming attacks into a gateway which several small, lightweight and almost skeletal mech-suits were emerging, each shot ripping though mechanical limbs or hitting a pilot whose protection proved to be woefully inadequate, the assault made the reptilian grimace in a way that twisted his scaled features as he truthfully had no desire to hurt those who might well have been amongst those secretly sympathetic to Nero's cause yet found himself with no choice as they continued to fling themselves into his path.
There was no time to dwell on such feelings as he was forced to defence against the Hunter stationed at the wall once more.
The Hunter was a man named Ether Arashi, a member of Team NEON, team-mate to Helios Nikos, friend to all of Team FADE and a participant in the final assault against Salem's fortress; a reputation given context and credence by the expert way the man whose dark attire, long hair and penchant for spikes, studs and chains had lingered since adolescence used his weapon; an almost pendulum shaped blade named Ghost Reverie which doubled as a guitar and employed weaponised Dust crystal picks.
"Stand down!" Ether called out as he leapt from the wall and made a dramatic show of throwing himself into a somersault and drawing another of his countless Dust crystal picks. Carmesi was ready however and braced himself, catching his returning blade and shifting both weapons to melee mode before crossing his arms over his face in order to brace himself for another Gravity-Dust based concussive wave only to be left howling in pain as lightning crackled and arced across his body and left his bloody red Aura rippling around him.
Ether rushed in close and shifted his weapon into its' bladed form, the weapon having been described as both a sword and axe over the years owing to its' odd shape and Carmesi lunged; the only warning the veteran hero received that something dangerous was imminent being that the younger man's Aura continued to flare up around him before erupting outwards into a wave of solid light, forming jagged spikes and spiralling blades which brought Ether skidding to a halt and tore the space between them asunder.
Within the same second that the attack fizzled out Ether rushed in again and the air was filled with the clashing of blades as the two men slashed and dodged with inhuman speed and agility; Ether leaping onto the flat of one blade and kicking the other aside before driving a knee into Carmesi's jaw and throwing him backwards into the path of a downward, overhead swing of Ghost Reverie, the Komodo Dragon Faunus answered by blocking and parrying the blade around his body in a way that allowed him to close the distance whilst spinning and slamming an elbow into Ether's neck and follow up with twin slashing attacks, both of his weapons leaving his adversaries Aura rippling for several seconds as the two circled on another, each of the two men cautious and wary, understanding the threat the other posed.
"Why?" Ether finally broke the silence a genuine sense of loss and confusion giving way to simple fury as he yelled at the renegade Hunter "Why the hell did you do it? I saw your files, we've all been briefed on you Hueso….You were good, a little heavy-handed sure but you were a good Hunter! What could possibly make the things you've done make sense?"
"I wish I could show you" Carmesi rumbled out, the bout of honesty unexpected even from himself though he quickly mastered himself and turned the situation to his advantage by pressing on "There will come a time where it makes sense, where you will not agree but where you will understand-"
"Port Alistair-"
"Was a calculated risk" Carmesi admitted with a sweeping gesture "One I did not make lightly, but one I would make again; like any other sacrifice"
"What are they planning?" Ether demanded "Whoever you're working for?"
"Do you really expect an answer?"
"Bastard!" Ether spat simply and rushed in for another exchange of blows, though this time the advantage was with Carmesi as, despite being less experienced and carrying a heavy rucksack the Reptilian Faunus wielded two weapons and was younger, in his prime with all the power and reflexes that entailed and more importantly, Ether Arashi for all his heroism had been wounded in the campaign against Salem; the fact being common knowledge with Carmesi took advantage of by side-stepping a wild-two handed swing of Ghost Reverie in order to swing the larger of his own weapons directly into Ether's gut, ripping into old injuries before shifting Retribution into its' shotgun mode and firing, the blast sending the older man sailing through the air to land in a crumpled heap and giving Carmesi a chance to catch his breath and bask in a moment of pride at besting such a well-regarded opponent.
Until he saw golden lightning approaching from within the city at a speed he could barely register.
"Shit!" the reptilian Faunus understood the sight to be the approach of Rover Tan, one of the fastest Hunters alive and a member of the famous Team GRAP; though his knowledge of his opponents once again proved invaluable as he readied and unleashed his Semblance again with expert timing; layers upon layers of spikes of Aura rushing over one another like a wave of violence in the exact instant the Husky Faunus collided with him. Carmesi was flung backwards all the same yet Rover was still forced to a painful halt as his own golden Aura rippled and Carmesi's Semblance, made unbearable by Rover's heightened senses and reflexes, began to scrape against the point in the centre of Rover's chest where an Aura regulator had been surgically grafted to keep him alive.
A two-pronged follow up blow came first from Carmesi's shotgun, unleashing a barrage of Ice Dust shells to encase half of Rover's body and the secondly from his rotating blade with slashed into Ether as he tried to rise, sending him toppling to the ground again with his Aura rippling and finally shattering. It took Rover only a few moments to recover those moments felt intolerably long for him, his Semblance crackled into life once again as he performed a technique amongst the first he had taught to Ruby Rose upon meeting her and taking her under his wing as a student; the Husky Faunus's body seeming to blur as he vibrated at a frequency which allowed him to simply phase through the ice encasing him before rushing over to where Ether lay.
"You okay?"
"Yeah….Yeah, I don't think he hit anything vital" the long haired Hunter hissed out through clenched teeth, rolling over to reveal that Carmesi's parting blow had torn a shallow but painful looking gash into his leg; allowing the renegade to escape unhindered and secure in the knowledge that Ether would be unable to give chase and that Rover would not abandon a fellow Hunter.
"I'm getting you to a medic" Rover stated bluntly, dropping to one knee beside Ether and preparing to call for medical assistance whilst applying pressure to ragged and bloody wound on his fellow Hunter's leg with the other hand.
"I'll be fine. Go after him!"
"I'm not leaving you here bleeding with no support and no medic" Rover countered simply "Besides I don't have Artemis with me, without her Semblance I'm just rushing around blind; I'd need her to track his Aura"
"Damn it" Ether spat "So he got away?"
"Yeah" Rover nodded "But we know which way he was heading, that he was eager to run away and that he was carrying something that looked heavy and was too important for him to put down….Qrow will want to know that"
The gang members who had signalled for Astra and Regalia to follow them had broken into a full sprint the moment they had been clear of the ruckus and hubbub of Faunus Pride, with the two student Hunters giving chase and following the main bulk of the group into another Hive-tower and several layers further down into the depths of undisputed gang territory, with Astra unable to shake concerns that they were being lured away as several members of the group broke off, possibly to double back though the Deer Faunus refused to give up and instead focused solely on the apparent leader of the group, figure whose hooded face and baggy attire left little of their identity visible finally following them, along with a group of roughly a dozen young men and women and perhaps a few who were younger still, into residential areas, as deprived and unwelcoming as they were and finally a park barely deserving of the name which was in reality a collection of poorly maintained climbing frames, slides, swing sets and other such mainstays of childhood set into an artificially softened floor layered with a thin coating of wood chippings in place of the artificial grass found in even Astra's decidedly working class part of the city.
Before the group could sprint through the small park and continue their attempt at an escape they collectively found themselves cut off by a familiar, shimmering construct obstructing the way ahead and the brief pause where the group frantically cast their gazes around in search of a way out allowing the glyphs to expand outwards and form a curving wall around the fence making the edge of the park, the only retreat or escape being back the way the gang members had come which would see them forced to fight Astra and Regalia whilst ahead of them Athena-Jade and Zirconia strode into view, the glyphs parting for a moment in a display of control over them.
"Glad you could make it" the Deer Faunus called out to their team-mates, hoping to sound nonchalant and entirely at ease, refusing to give away that they were a little short of breath after giving chase for an extended period; a display that was evidently successful as the various gang members exchanged a series of looks ranging from furious to panicked, each steeped in a measure of bravado as they looked to what appeared to be leaders of various factions or more respected figures who in turn looked to the figure in baggy clothes, whom Astra now saw was a woman a few years older than themselves with brown skin and bleached blonde hair worn in tied back dreadlocks whose amber eyes were hard and determined as a younger, scrawny member of her posse spoke up.
"So now what Roxy?"
"Fuck it" she locked eyes with Astra and lowered her hood "It's been a while since I've had a punch up in the park, this is gonna bring back memories"
"Heh, we're gonna rumble like the sharks and the jets" Regalia beamed, almost giddy with excitement as she turned to Astra "Think she'll say 'Get 'em boys' first?"
"Ask her nicely" Astra answered, eyes never leaving the group now caught between the two halves of Team MARZ though the allowed themselves to relax a fraction, hearing Roxy describe what would come next as a 'punch up' and the lack of weapons being drawn gave them a hope that the situation might be settled without too much difficulty.
Then the gang, over a dozen strong charged.
"Astra now!" Athena gave the warning only because she had not been able to coordinate with her team-leader beforehand as she summoned another glyph directly ahead of the adversaries who attempted to rush at her friends; her Semblance faltering in the next instant as her focus was directed solely on entering the fray and disabling her attackers in hand to hand combat, her weapon being held in reserve until or unless the criminals escalated the violence.
Charging into the midst of the gang the Bear Faunus found herself facing off against four opponents at once, though she quickly began to prove that her fighting style made this more of an asset than a hindrance as she threw herself into a cartwheeling, leaping roll to avoid the first incoming punch using the motion to bring her heel down into the chest of the person next to her attacker before flinging herself back towards the one who had attempted to strike her and driving an elbow below their guard and leaving the gang member sprawled and wheezing. The two remaining gang members spread out and charged again from opposite sides, plainly hoping to have one grab Athena from behind only to pay for the obvious ploy once she fling herself into a handstand which sent kicks flashing out in opposite directions, glyphs appearing at the soles of her feet and sending those she kicked hurtling away which gave the Bear Faunus a chance to right herself and observe her friends.
Zirconia was silent and fought with unusual fury in her determination to keep whatever idiocy the local thugs had concocted from coming to fruition before it could put Nero's plans at risk in any way; the Grasshopper Faunus weaving through rushing bodies with graceful ease and taking out four opponents in a matter of moments; the first being crumpled beneath a mighty kick to the gut, the unique structure of Zirconia's cybernetic legs delivering an incredible amount of force, the second and third falling in almost the same instant as she span and pivoted almost like a dancer to deliver a left handed chop to the throat of one hooded opponent and slam her right elbow into the base of the others' skull. The fourth gang member showed a level of initiative, hauling themselves up onto the frame of the playgrounds' tallest slide with the intention leaping down and delivering a kick to Zirconia's face, the plan failed however as Zirconia heard the clang of their feet against rusted metal and swiftly delivered a crushing kick to the frame of the slide, buckling it entirely and bringing the falling criminal into range of a punch that rendered them unconscious. From there Zirconia cast her mismatched eyes around in search of the leader of the group and was left with a surge of conflicting emotions as she saw her already locked in combat.
Regalia had hoped to fight with the leader of the gang herself, though it had seemed almost predestined by the rules which dictated cinema, rules which the Racoon Faunus had often wished the real world followed more closely that it was not to be and instead she rushed across the park and launched herself at what the Kingdoms considered to be suitable practice for children learning to climb, seizing a rusted metal bar and swinging herself through a gap to drive booted feet into two miscreants at once and leave the pair laying face down and unmoving. She was attacked by two more of the gang before she could rise, though the outnumbering was less effective than it might have been given that one of the pair was the small and scrawny teen who had looked to Roxy for advice; his attempt to deliver a running kick to Regalia's face was halted when she surged upwards and slammed her elbow into his chin with a crack and left him slumped on the ground with the second and final of her assailants being only marginally more difficult to deal with, the two fighters trading blows and avoiding one another until finally Regalia saw the opening she needed to duck under a wild jab and simply tackle the gang member to the ground and end things.
Roxy had evaded Regalia and reached Astra, only to be sent reeling back holding her jaw and struggling to remain upright after a spinning heel kick left her spitting out blood; the Deer Faunus showed no sign of relenting however and floored one of her allies by dropping into a low spinning sweep with the same motion in order to kick the legs out from beneath them. Once beset by another pair Astra leapt upwards to deliver a knee strike to the ribs of the first, seizing their head and slamming it against the metal frame of a swing set before turning to the second and delivering a roundhouse kick that was blocked only to be followed up by a wild but powerful haymaker from the opposite hand.
Leaving Roxy alone and surrounded as Team MARZ advanced on her.
"Alright, alright….We're done here, had to make this look good" Roxy raised her hands.
"She's planning something" Zirconia rasped out, glaring at the crook and prompting Astra to nod towards Athena.
"Glyphs ready"
"What do you think I've got dynamite in a pocket over here?" Roxy spat, words slurred by blood that now dripped freely onto her hoodie with the slurring itself giving her pause as she worked her jaw before glowering at Astra and adding "Fucking ass-hole, you broke my tooth"
"What are you planning?" Astra demanded, refusing to believe that the young woman before him was genuine; a predicament which ended when Roxy wiped her mouth and spat blood again whilst still swaying on her feet as she struggled to regain her equilibrium after receiving one of the Deer Faunus's most practised kicks before finally offering an answer.
"I wanna send a message….I know you were looking for Petrol" Roxy managed a smile even with her face already swelling "I know where he is and he wants to settle up with you. You wanna know where to find him?"
Author's Notes:
Well….Play some dramatic music for that ending.
Things are truly in motion now, we have one more chapter to go and then the Vol.05 finale will be underway.
Writing this a week and a half ahead of when I plan to post it has me realising that I am definitely on track to hit my writing goals for the year.
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?
Cold open, black screen and the sound of weapons being pulled out….An immediate and effective way to set the tone.
So long story short Roxy and her people are on the ropes now and have been for the last few days.
Yeah snitching and handing the problem off to the authorities while they run/regroup might make sense but it was never gonna go over well.
Finding Team MARZ at Pride….What's the Doofenshmirtz line about "You're trapped, trapped by social convention".
Yeah, Regalia is absolutely out of her depth here; this is way more people and way more crowded than she's used to.
The plan is simple, effective and Team MARZ are pretty uniquely suited to enact it given who they are and who they're connected to.
I keep throwing the shirtless Vaccuan out there just as a background character so that there's at least a couple of indistinct red-shirts to pull up for tournament fights.
Surprise, we have a Yang Xiao Long cameo.
Yang said she'll see "First hand" how they do in the tournament….I've got a surprise for you.
Astra being a teachers' pet for Yang is just perfect.
Of course I ended the scene with that pun, if I didn't I would be remiss.
Carmesi being back in his combat gear is usually a bad day for somebody.
New, modified containment unit has been obtained….I had to throw in a little bickering between Carmesi and Albion as well, wouldn't feel right to have them be completely civil.
"We already know that he's using students as lookouts" so Zirconia passed that information on.
The thing with Carmesi is that he gets these rare moments to humanise himself and be relatable, but never fails to remind everyone exactly why he is the way he is and why he won't change.
That last question from Albion could very nearly have gotten him killed.
Regalia Russet in a moshpit, enjoy the mental image.
Redwood really is every working class Dad.
And once again the plan to go 'undercover' (Insert the Ruby in Vol.07 line here) makes perfect sense.
Yeah, Astra's parents took one look at Regalia and immediately thought "We like this one, daughter in law material right here".
And here it is, Roxy and co have made their move.
Tuscan is a delightful little shit and her Semblance is just meant for shenanigans.
Of course she tried to show off for her big cousin and the cousins' cool girlfriend.
Yeah, there's always one idiot who tries to drive down a closed road during a festival; always.
We didn't get to see Rover before, we saw Aunt Missy but none of him being a cool Uncle….Although we did get more of Rover back in FADE Legacy.
A disturbance at the south wall, wonder who that could be.
So another case of incomplete information leading to incorrect answers, seeing Roxy's crew and Carmesi acting in different parts of the city at the same time naturally suggest that they're working together if you don't have context.
Ether Arashi of Team NEON, now there's a character that you didn't expect to see pop up in this story.
Okay, so a few of you who read FADE are going to notice that at no point in this fight did Ether use his Semblance, turning his body into smoke and appearing from said smoke….In universe the explanation is that Carmesi's Semblance could counter it in unexpected ways, we've already seen him rip his way out of Zirconia's Semblance so there's no telling what might happen; the actual explanation is just that I forgot about it.
Ghost Reverie in blade mode is basically Megatron's weapon from Transformers the Last Knight.
Knowledge of your opponents makes a difference in a super-power fight and that cheap shot at what is basically Rover's pacemaker was just nasty.
Rover was a secondary character basically to fill out a team roster in Downward Spiral and Ether was in the same category in FADE….Having the two of them fight together was interesting.
But Carmesi got away.
Ah the run down, rusty shithole of a park….Childhood memories.
Of course AJ and Hops made the dramatic entrance.
Fights on the park….Teenage memories.
Okay so the fight here was quick and dirty and honestly the best analogy or comparison I can make would be the pre-morph fights against the Putties in an early Power Rangers episode….In fact put 'Fight', 'Combat' or '5-4-1' by Ron Wasserman on and then read it.
Of course Roxy tried to style it out "No it's fine, you beat us without breaking a sweat but that's because we wanted to lose'
But importantly, the message has been delivered….Note that Roxy changed the context though, made it seem like Petrol knew about what was happening.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.