Menagerie, an island nation tucked away in one of the more isolated regions of Remnant. A once barren and thought to be in-hospitable landmass untouched by the progression of man and Faunus alike, that is until the days following the events of Remnants great war. In response to their victory over mankind, the Faunus received this island in conjunction with their demands of equal rights.
While much of humanity saw this as a fair and just reward for their participation in the great war, others did not feel the same due to almost two-thirds of their new "homeland" being an almost uninhabitable wasteland, far from the rest of the world.
Despite this, the people that now called the island their home banded together, determined to make something of it, and despite the obstacles that stood in the way of that, be it the creatures of Grimm that inhabited the island or humanities attempts to rob them of the freedom they had rightfully earned, what began as an insult to their people was now a bustling community that stood as a safe haven to all of Faunus kind.
Faunus young and old moved about the streets of the oceanside city of Kuo kuana, working to clean and repair the damage their homes had received during the strange electrical storm that had plagued their island. Some were clearing fallen trees from the paths, while others had taken up hammer and nails repairing fences, windows, walls; anything the gale force wind and rain had seen fit to destroy.
Even the younger generation did their part however small, be it cleaning windows or simply sweeping away any smaller debris that littered the streets, at their current rate the village would be returned to its usual normalcy by evening.
That alone was enough to bring a smile to one Ghira Belladonna, the chieftain of Menagerie was a tall and muscular man with Black hair, a beard and yellow eyes. He wore an open dark violet coat that exposed his hairy chest, with white fur trim and a silver spaulder resting on his left shoulder linked with two silver claps on the opposite front panels of his coat. Over his beige pants tucked into a pair of black leather boots was a matching sash wrapped around his waist, that was held in place by a large, silver buckle.
The mountain of a man's chest swelled with pride as he made his way through the marketplace, some paused in their work as he passed by greeting him with a gentle nod or wave all of which he had returned.
He'd left a similar scene behind at one of the smaller villages on the western outskirts of the main city, the people there had fared little better in terms of damages as they had here, fortunately, no one had been injured during the event, still, he would need to arrange for a small detachment of the island militia to reinforce the villages while they worked to restore their homes, it would take time, a day or two at most.
However the creatures of Grimm would remain an ever-present threat and while the islands natural terrain may have guarded their settlements against some of the much larger and more deadly beasts, attacks were still an all too common occurrence and he doubted the Grimm would offer them any respite while they were dealing with the aftermath of mother nature's wrath.
The storm had caught them all off-guard, there had been no warning or any signs of what was coming, it was as if it had just come into being. It was... well he didn't quite know how to explain the phenomenon, one moment the skies were clear then the next a series of black clouds manifest overhead blotting out the sun and had vanished just as quickly as it arrived.
He would join with the cleanup himself shortly, but first, there was a matter regarding his meeting with The White fangs representatives. While he and his wife were no longer directly involved in the White Fangs operations, he still preferred to be kept up to date on the organization's progress, if only to ensure that despite their new "methods" they were still on the right path.
Pausing at the small hill overlooking his home, a large manner situated at the very center of the city its sheer size dwarfing all others, his eyes roamed over the structure taking a good look at how it had faired against the storm, a long sigh left him.
A tree had fallen against the archway over the main entrance, the arch itself seemed to have held against the weight of the tree, although some of the roof tiles had come loose and now lay in a small pile of rubble at the foot of the tree. A few of the windows were cracked but fortunately, none had been broken, however, they'd all still need to be replaced before the next storm hit.
It was an annoyance, but nothing that he was truly bothered by, the storms the island had weathered in the past had been far worse.
Pushing open the front door Ghira made his way into the entrance hall. "Kali!" he called out "I'm home."
"Oh!...there he is now." Her drifted from the living room, she almost sounded... relived "Excuse me for a moment."
Ghira turned towards the two wooden doors at the end of the hallway, a curious look in his eye, there was still sometime before the Albian brothers were supposed to arrive, time, while brief, he'd hoped to spend with his wife. His work directing the relief efforts for the island had already taken up much of his time over the past few days, to the point the two of them had barely seen one another, although judging by his wife's words it seemed that would have to wait.
The living room door opened; Kali emerged closing them behind her as she left. She had short black hair and yellow eyes with three gold piercings in her cat ears, two on the right and one on the left. She wore a black hakama and sandals with white tabi-socks. Along with a matching gold and black sash wrapped around her waist, the ends of the sash trailing behind her with a gold flower shaped buckle on the end. On top of that, she wore a black shrug a gold leaf trim adorning the front with a long right sleeve and short left sleeve that revealed her long black arm warmers that extended down to her middle finger.
Turning to face him she moved forward crossing the distance between them in seconds. "Kali?" Ghira asked in a mix of confusion and concern.
"The Albian brothers are here." She whispered her voice filled with concern
"What?" Ghira asked in both surprise and some concern, their meeting wasn't scheduled to take place until later that afternoon, if they were here early then it had to be something urgent, Ghira frowned, at that moment almost a dozen different scenarios ran through his mind concerning the reasons behind their arrival.
Noticing her husband's sudden concern Kali reached out, laying a comforting hand on his arm. "A messenger from the White Fang arrived shortly after you left this morning" She began drawing his eyes back to her "He asked to reschedule the meeting, apparently there was an incident outside the city early today though that's all he would tell me, I tried to get through on your scroll but the tower is still down because of the storm."
Sighing heavily Ghira pinched the bridge of his nose. "How long have they been waiting?" He enquired; he dreaded the thought that something else had occurred on top of his people dealing with the fallout from the storm.
"They arrived not that long ago, ten, fifteen minutes at the most." Kali replied earning a relieved sigh from her husband, there was that at least.
"Well then." Ghira began taking a calming breath he pushed aside the remnants of his foul mood before sending a small smile Kali's way, a silent thank you for occupying them in his absence. "Best not to keep them waiting any longer." Adopting an air of professionalism, he moved forward, Kali at his side as they approached the living room door, both husband and wife would admit to being both eager and fearful of finding out just what had transpired while he was outside the city.
Pushing through the doors into the living room, upon his arrival, the two Fox Faunus sat around the coffee table immediately rose to their feet, both men were clad in almost identical black tunics, sandals and red hoods with white lining, gold buttons and string. Were it not for Corsac's high the only defining features between the siblings would be Fennecs ears in contrast to his brothers tail.
"Good day, your grace" Corsac said he and his brother bowing their heads to Menageries chieftain.
"To you as well." Ghira replied, gesturing to the floor cushions around the table the Albion brothers returned to their seats as Ghira and Kali took the remaining two across from them. "I apologize for keeping the two of you waiting, organizing the island's relief efforts have taken up much of my time as of late."
"Your dedication to menageries people and your position as chieftain is nothing to apologize for, your grace." Fennec replied, his brother taking a sip of the tea Kali had offered them while they waited. "The poor timing of this meeting is our own doing, so any fault lies with us, though the situation at hand required we speak with you immediately."
"Hmm" Ghira hummed in response before gesturing to his wife "Onto more pressing matters, Kali mentioned you were here to discuss an incident of some kind that that happened early today."
"Ah yes" Corsac began setting his tea aside " The White Fang have been offering what aid we can to some of the more isolated villages surrounding Kuo-kuana, as they recover from the recent weather event that plagued the island." Retrieving his scroll, Corsac typed away at the screen before presenting a copy of the image's Yuma had supplied him with some hours prior.
The image itself was little more than a few photos taken of a billowing black cloud rising over the jungle canopy that guarded against the creatures of Grimm on the other side. "One of the groups sent to aid the villages to the northwest reported a large explosion-" Both Ghira and Kali's eyes widened at the brother's words. "-emanating from the desert regions of the island the cause of which is still unknown."
Ghira's brow drew together "You are absolutely certain. "He pressed "What your men witness is accurate? "He had known the Albian brothers for many years, the fact Sienna, an old friend and his successor as high leader had assigned them as the White Fangs representatives on Menagerie, had already garnered some of his trust, however the situation they described to him was... delicate to say the least, he needed to be more than certain this report was accurate, before any action could be taken.
"One of our most trusted agents, Yuma, was present at the time the event took place." Fennec replied much to Ghira and Kali's growing worry.
"I see" Ghira replied his face twisting in growing unease.
"Do we have any leads on the cause of this?" Kali inquired
"The reasons behind such a spectacle still remain unknown, as does the identity of the ones responsible" Corsac continued "However the sheer magnitude and flare behind this act, along with the level of armaments required to cause such a violent display, has led some among our ranks to the conclusion that a Huntsmen, may be the one responsible. However, the assumptions some of the more, shall we say, passionate recruits have made are less than... favorable." Ghira's eyebrows knitted into a thin line in response to Corsac's words.
A long sigh slipped from Menageries chieftain "I see" he said a rare look of annoyance flashed in his eyes. He was aware that some of the younger, more rash individuals on the island were not fond of the idea of mankind being allowed to set foot on their homeland, the same could be said for some of the White Fang members he had known during his time in the organization, a certain red-haired young man immediately coming to mind.
He knew many of them or their loved ones had suffered at the hands of the more callus members of humanity and he understood why they were angry, but if they were to paint an entire species with the same brush as those that had harmed them in the past, how were they any different.
The islands huntsmen population was slim in number, and as such Ghira had taken the time to get to familiarize himself with the brave men and women, Human and Faunus alike that chose to reside on the island and aided in watching over his people. If any of them were responsible for this, he was certain their actions today were justifiable.
"Indeed, it is rather distressing that our own are so quick to cast the protectors of our world in such a light." Fennec replied his disappointment towards his men's actions clear in his tone. "We know of the lengths our islands huntsmen go to, in order to ensure what little land is occupiable remains this way. The incident our men reported may have been an attempt to cull the Grimm that have been drawn towards the city, in the days following the recent storm. However, we are unaware if any have stepped forward to claim responsibility."
"You're the first to bring this to our attention." Kali confirmed much to her growing concern, while her husband had been visiting the more remote villages surrounding the main city in the days following the storm, she was the acting chieftain in his absence, and so far no huntsmen had stepped forward to claim responsibility or deliver a report regarding such an event.
"Unsurprising, communications across the island have been shall we say sketchy since the storm has subsided." Corsac said before turned his attention towards Ghira, the Belladonna patriarch had been quiet for some time now, his gaze drifting off to the side as a troubled expression made its way onto his face, the brothers shared a glance.
If... When news of this finally travelled down the grapevine and became open to the public, the people would want answers, answers he could not provide at the time until either the culprit stepped forward or they had managed to route them out, and in that time people would make their own assumptions, he imagined some would come to the same conclusion as the Albian brothers men had at the time, and all that suspicion fear and doubt towards the accused would act as a beacon for the monstrosities that occupied the remaining two thirds of their island.
"Your grace." Corsac continued, the fox Faunus voice pulling Ghira from his though and back to reality. " My brother and I came here not to just to inform you of our finding, but to ask your permission for the White Fang to conduct its own investigation into the matter." It was a risk to even consider bringing their findings to the chieftains attention, the village that had first brought this development to their attention had long since been used to house and train those loyal to brother Taurus cause, something his grace would neither approve nor sanction on Menageries soil.
Its close proximity to the more desolate part of their island ensured most of the populous steered clear out of fear of their own well-being, but the smoke billowing on the horizon wouldn't go unnoticed forever, had they not addressed the issue quickly it would most likely draw some unwanted attention to their operations. By being the first to inform the chieftain of this incident they may yet be able to work this to their advantage and ensure their operations went uninterrupted.
" The islands militia has already been stretched thin dealing with the aftermath of the storm" Corsac went on " It would not do to pull them from their posts not while the threat from the Grimm is still prominent, especially when there are others that can attend to this matter." Ghira took a moment to soak in the brothers offer, they had raised some valid point about the severity of the situation, that much was obvious. By the time he would be able to gather and organize the necessary resources to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, the perpetrator whoever they might be may have had time to slip away or worse...detonate another device.
As always, the safety of his people came first, if the White fangs involvement helped ensure that came to pass, he had little issue with them taking the lead with the investigation. "Very well, I'll grant you authority over the matter until it's been settled." Ghira said, much to the pleasure of the Albion brothers. "However." Their lips twitched down slightly. "You mentioned before that after learning what had transpired, some of the men under you were rather quick to anger."
"Regrettably." Fennec admitted; he could already see what was coming.
"With that in mind." Ghira continued "Should you apprehend the one responsible do I have your assurance that they won't do anything foolhardy until we manage to get to the bottom of all this." While ensuring his people safety was paramount, he would not condone any harm done to said individual, regardless of the perpetrator's earlier actions that day.
The brothers gave a respectful nod in response, they expected nothing less from the former high leader he had always been one to seek out a more peaceful resolution to such incidents in the past... never the less they may yet be able to use that to their advantage "We would have it no other way."
/
"Well, this complicates things." Brynjolf muttered examining the rows of buildings in the distance from one of the larger tree branches stretching out over the 'Villages' perimeter wall, the branch had been both strong enough to support him as well as providing enough cover to hide his presence from the passers-by below. His gaze lingered on the vessel docked in the city's port, a ship made entirely out of metal?... Well, this place was just full of surprises, now wasn't it. He wouldn't have believed the steel goliath could actually float if he hadn't seen it make port himself.
It seemed he'd found their way off the island, now all they had to do was find some information on where the lad might be holding up... however, it looked like that would have to wait until later.
Lowering his spyglass Brynjolf reached down to his left, brushing aside part of the tree canopy, the master thief glanced down at the village below and the masked figures patrolling its streets. What they'd thought was the only source of civilization in the middle of this god's forsaken desert, was- going by the feel of the place -an outpost of some kind set up by the city's guard, going by the emblem and the almost identical uniforms the men and woman below all wore.
Speaking of said... individuals, even after spending the good part of the last half-hour familiarizing himself with the landscape below, Brynjolf couldn't help but stare at this worlds occupants, at first glance they looked human, however, he'd been quick to notice the extra extremities they all seemed to bear, ranging from a pair of ears, scales, he'd spotted a few sporting tails, hell he'd even seen one bastard walking around with a pair of wings on his back, whether that actually gave him the ability to take flight, he wasn't sure, but he certainly wasn't in the mood to find out.
The clash with the scorpion during their expedition through the desert seemed to have stirred the village's occupants into a bit of a frenzy, he couldn't blame them really. Brynjolf glanced back towards the cloud of black smoke steadily rising into the sky, much like his companions waiting beyond the wall of foliage behind him, the inferno that once resembled the scorpion they faced back in that wasteland still seemed to be going strong, that coupled with the explosion caused by J'zargo's scroll certainly didn't help the situation.
Any passers-by at the time could have easily mistaken their battle with the black beasts as some sort of attack gone awry, rather than them clearing a path through the scorpion and its little friends, and after what he'd seen skulking about that desert, any paranoia the people here had towards that wasteland -and anyone that just so happened to wandered in from that dreaded place- was justifiable.
"Hey" A voice spoke up from beneath him, pulling the master thief from his thoughts, Brynjolf hand shot towards the glass dagger strapped to his side, pulling it from his sheath he turned his attention towards the source of the voice.
In any real fight throwing your weapon away would often lead to a quick and bloody end at the hands of your opponent, however in his current situation he felt that could be forgiven, the man below sounded like he was on his own and Brynjolf was fairly certain he'd be able to nail him from this distance before he had any chance to raise the alarm and be gone before anyone found the body.
"What is it?" Another voice, this one far more feminine then the other asked halting Brynjolfs assault.
"A messenger just arrived form Kuo Kuana." Brynjolf lowered his blade, listening in on the conversation. "Brothers Corsac and Fennec were able to convince the Belladonnas to let us take point on the investigation."
"Huh 'bout time." The woman picked up. "So, what are our orders?"
"Uma's already putting together a team to scout the jungle for any activity, he wants the two of us to help them, with how close the explosion was to the base it possible the ones responsible may be squatting there until things die down."
"And if we do find them?" The girl asked, she sounded far too eager for Brynjolfs liking.
A sigh left the young man below "We're to apprehend them, the Belladonnas made it clear they wanted whoever responsible to be brought in alive."
"Of course." The girl said disappointment clear in her tone.
"Hey, we're doing all of Menagerie a service by putting an end to a possible terrorist's plot." The young man spoke up, his tone filled with some mirth. " But we can't be held responsible for what happens if they decide to...' Resist', for all we know they may not allow them-self to be taken alive. "
The girl chuckled in response "Yeah, I guess so."
And that was his cue leave, he had to warn the others before that patrol could find them. Returning his spyglass back to its position on his belt, Brynjolf edging his way back along the branch, ducking under and around the various vines and offshoots that crossed into his path with the utmost care so as to not disturb the foliage surrounding him, one misstep may not only draw attention to him but could also send him plummeting to the ground below.
Arriving at the trunk, the master thief began his descent back towards the forest floor. Despite the numerous defences he'd seen implemented around the outer wall of the village, the occupants seemed to have neglected to construct any lookout posts, beyond a few walkways built along the interior of the wall, whether that was due to the villages close proximity to the jungle rendering such structure useless, or perhaps it was just their faith in the thick vegetation holding back the larger black beasts on the other side.
Arriving at the forest floor, Brynjolf ducked into the bushes surrounding the base of the trunk making his way through the brush back in the direction of their camp, it was time to pack up and move on before that patrol found them.
/
J'zargo hummed, stepping back from the small stream running by their camp, his eyes scanning over the surface of his waterskin for any damage it may have suffered during their journey across the desert, or their scrap with the scorpion earlier that day. Satisfied with its condition the Kahjiit mage set his skin down beside his companions, before turning his gaze towards, and began taking stock of the rest of their supplies.
Brynjolf was still scouting the settlement Cicero had discovered- how the mad jester accomplished such a feet from that far a distance still alluded him -speaking of which J'zargo glanced towards the mad jester sat high above him on one of the many branches stretching across the canopy above, keeping watch over the opening that they had both burned through the wall of thick foliage guarding the village against the black beasts occupying the wasteland beyond and into the clearing they now occupied.
Something he was determined to fix before they departed, he had learned enough of the School of Alteration in the passing years to repair the damage once they were ready to move on, he may have shared close relations with one of the most influential members of Tamriel's criminal underground, but he was not some savage that took pleasure in endangering the lives of others, for the moment though, that tunnel acted as their escape route should they need to make a hasty retreat, in the event the locals weren't as welcoming to their presence as he'd hoped.
J'zargo hummed in satisfaction with his findings, the provisions they managed to gather, on top of what they had left from their arrival would last them to the end of the week, longer if they rationed them. More than enough time to uncover any information the people here might know about Mikael, hopefully, they wouldn't have to look fa-
A subtle snap echoed through the clearing, cutting through the piece and quite J'zargo had begun to enjoy. The Khajiit mage paused in his work his ears twitched beneath his hood attempting to pinpoint its origin, a small rustle followed, far closer this time. Cicero shifted on the branch above, the mad jester turning his gaze in the general direction of the noise his hand resting on the ebony dagger strapped to his hip as lightning crackled to life in J'zargo's hand, their eyes met a silent message conveyed between the two.
Cicero rose up to his feet edging his way along to the very end of the branch, J'zargo kept his eyes forward in order to keep up the charade, as who or whatever it was, grew closer by the moment. The jungle may have been able to hold some of the larger Black beasts at bay, but it still remained all too easy for the smaller variants of their kind to slip through the natural barrier, they'd already encountered a few of the smaller wolves after they first arrived in the clearing, it was only a matter of time before more came to investigate, this time however they were ready.
As the foliage to their backs parted, allowing the interloper to step into the clearing they acted.
"YAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Cicero roared, leaping from his perch, descending on his target below ebony daggers in hand. He did not intend to kill the interloper, no, no, he was only to draw their attention so the cat-man could do his work, then and only then would the fun truly begi- Cicero's war cry cut off as the figures head snapped up towards him, followed by a bolt of lightning streaking across the clearing.
Brynjolf threw himself to the side, his years of larceny and combat experience the only thing that saved him from what would have been a fatal case of friendly fire, the lightning bolt sailed overhead incinerating a line of shrubs behind him, before impacting and subsequently obliterating one of the trees, sending shards of wood and burnt foliage sailing through the air, with the remaining upper half toppling to the side.
Brynjolf turned towards the flaming stump eyes wide, his heart pounding in his chest, his head snapped towards J'zargo. The Kahjiit mage staring down at him in a similar state of shock, arm extended forward, sparks dancing between his fingertips.
Brynjolfs eye twitched "Are you trying to kill me!?" He demanded, the first time he'd almost been impaled, the second incinerated and now... now he'd just narrowly avoided being obliterated by a lightning bolt, all three having been cast by the same bloody mage, if the bastard had some issue with him he would both prefer and be more than happy for him to speak up so they could settle things here and now.
Having finally overcome his shock, J'zargo rushed to his companion's side "You are unharmed, yes." He cut in as he knelt down beside the duo, bowing his head to the Nightingale "Forgive this one's carelessness, he believed you were one of the creatures coming back for revenge." The Kahjiit offered a hand to the master thief, Brynjolf stared at the limb for a moment, wondering if it might shock him should he take it.
After a moment he relented, his apology sounded genuine at the least, it didn't mean he liked it, however. Accepting the limb Brynjolf pulled himself back to his feet "It's fine, just watch it, I'm not in the mood to be eviscerated anytime soon." He said
"To be fair..." Cicero slurred picking himself up off the forest floor. Rubbing his forehead, the mad gesture shook his head, earning a small 'jingle' from the bells adorning his cap, before looking up towards the duo. "You did not use the signal."
Brynjolf pinched the bridge of his nose, no matter how many times the jester brought it up he would not, nor would he ever consider clucking like some bloody rooster as a way to signal his arrival to his companions. Sighing Brynjolf pushed his anger off to the side, there were more important things to worry about right now. "How are we looking in terms of provisions?" He said turning his gaze back towards J'zargo.
"What this one gathered should last us a week, two if we are sparing." J'zargo explained the master thief nodding along with J'zargo's words as he made his way over to his bedroll and travel pack
"Good" Brynjolf replied, gathering his belongings "Start packing up, we need to get moving."
"J'zargo is to understand the locals were not as welcoming as we hoped?" The Kahjiit inquired
"Not in the slightest, I overheard a few of them talking while I was there." Throwing his bag over his shoulder he turned to face his companions both of whom were just finishing up with their own. "They're sending out a patrol to find and kill us, and that-" Brynjolf gestured to the toppled tree and smoldering stump. "-just let them know exactly where we are."
"If they are such a threat, why not let them come?" Cicero chuckled clapping his hands together " Yes, yes! Better to deal with them now, then let them become a problem for us later."
"Definitely not." Brynjolf waved off much to the jester's dismay, crossing his arms over his chest Cicero walked off, taking a seat on one of the large tree roots extending up from the jungle floor by the tunnel, a small pout adorning the man's face. Cicero did not understand thieves, always running away from battles and taking someone's things while they were still breathing, where was the danger, where was the fun in it all.
Brynjolf sighed, honestly at times the man was more akin to a child than an assassin. "We don't have the numbers to repel an attack if they come at us in force. "The beasts, despite being a constant threat on their journey still held to a pack mentality making their movements and tactics at the very least predictable, people, on the other hand, could strategies and coordinate their forces to outmatch or overwhelm them, and from what he'd heard from those two back at the outpost they wouldn't be taking any prisoners
"What is our move?" J'zargo inquired idly scanning the foliage around them, his ears could already pick up several voices in the distance, whether they'd heard the discharge or simply spotted the tree fall it didn't matter, the defenders were already rallying, they were no immediate threat for the moment however that would change given time.
"We leave now while we still can and circle back around the side of the jungle" Brynjolf explained. "I spotted a dock at the edge of the main city, that's our way off the island, we make our way through the city and if we're lucky we might be able to slip aboard undetected."
"And what of the listener!" Cicero burst out, mother had given him his mission and he could not afford unnecessary setbacks." We still know nothing of his graces whereabouts, are we to wander aimlessly until such a time that fate decides we should stumble across him."
"That matter will be seen to when ruffians do not pursue us, yes." J'zargo said hoping to quell the mad jester's anger.
The man was loyal to a fault, that much was obvious however he felt that loyalty towards Mikael may also be influenced by the whims of another, while his personal knowledge of the brotherhood was somewhat limited the stories he'd hear of them suggested that the members answered to a night mother, the leader of each den perhaps.
That could explain his constant babbling into that neckless of his, as well as the strange glow of the jewel, a fragment from a crystal ball perhaps. It was possible, while the capabilities of the item would be far inferior now, it would at the very least allow verbal communication between the items holder and the being watching from the other side, he'd need to look into this at another time preferably when they were not at risk of losing their heads to the locals.
"Very well" Cicero sighed, garnering some small relief from his companions.
He did not approve of them abandoning their search for the listener even if it was for such a short time, he only hopped mother would understand... yes, she would, of course, she would. Dear, sweet mother was most understanding even now while she watched over him he felt no malice from her, only content and patience for him and his companions however undeserved it might have been for those cretins, in any case, he supposed a small detour wouldn't be that bad, so long as they made good time.
"Quickly then." Cicero called out his usual cheer returning, the mad Jester jogged over to the tunnel leading back into the wasteland beyond. "We must move before we are discovered!" The sudden one eighty, in regard to the assassins mood threw his companions for a loop although a sudden shout from beyond the clearing quickly pulled them back to reality.
"It came from over there, spread out and find them!"
Spurred into action by the voice, the Khajiit mage and master thief broke out into a sprint following close behind Cicero as the mad jester raced down the passage they'd burned through the jungle, all the while his sadistic laughter echoed down the tunnel. He was enjoying this far too much. "J'zargo!" Brynjolf called out to the mage as they reached the other side, the vast desert sands spreading out across the horizon beyond the treeline.
Spinning on his heels J'zargo thrust his arms out, cubes of green energy forming in his outstretched palms. Nature itself bent to his command, the blackened roots and vines lining the walls of passage sprung to life, lashing out towards one another and binding themselves together, the path becoming narrower and denser by the second.
A series of startled screams resounded from within the passage, as the walls of foliage surrounding the occupants began to close in on one another, nature reclaiming in seconds, what should have taken months to restore.
"You sure that'll hold?" Brynjolf inquired eyeing the charred foliage wearily, he hadn't spied any mages among their ranks back at the outpost, their forces seemed to be focused on foot soldiers, then again that could have been the point, having your magic users indistinguishable from the common soldiers, would make for a nasty surprise for any raiders
"Most definitely" Lowering his hands J'zargo took a step back from the wall of vegetation admiring his work, even if there was an experienced mage among them, it would take them some time to counteract his spell, they would have ten minutes at the most, more so if they lacked an individual with such skill. turning away from the wall J'zargo gestured back into the desert.
"Come, the inhabitants know these lands better than I, we should not tempt fate by lingering for too long." It would take time for them to loop around to their current position, time he and his companions could use to put some distance between themselves and their pursuers.
/
She didn't know how things had gone so wrong so fast, it was supposed to be a simple mission.
Yuma had supplied each squad with a sector of the jungle to search, in hopes of finding the individuals responsible for the recent attacks, then bring them back to base for interrogation and then disposal, something Trifahad taken satisfaction in at the time. Despite her young age the spider Faunus had served as a loyal member of the White fang for almost five years now, having taken part in numerous raids against SDC mines and convoys, long before she'd been transferred to Menagerie.
Their operations on the Faunus homeland were far more reserved then those she had taken part in back in Anima, most of her time on the island was spent keeping up appearances around the people, fighting Grimm, patrolling the villages outside the main city, stopping the occasional bar fight here or there, everything she needed to do to ensure the White fangs image remained in a positive light on the island.
The only thing that bothered her, was the overwhelming peace and quiet, while most people would see this as a good thing, she was not most people. Ilia had been the lucky one she was out there right now, alongside Adam and her brothers and sister taking the fight to the Humans. And now it was just her and Ronin, stuck in the boredom of paradise.
At least up until recently, I mean it wasn't every day someone set off a bomb in the desert, especially not a second, just hours apart from the first. They'd been getting ready to move out when they'd heard the explosion, this one just beyond the treeline surrounding their base of operations.
The interlopers had detonated another device in the jungle, whether this was intentional or accidental it didn't matter, they'd moved in without a second thought, zeroing in on the epicenter of the explosion within minutes, they'd not only found their enemies campsite but the outsiders themselves, having forced them out of there camp she and her brothers and sisters were hot on their heals, their targets insight as they retreated back into the desert.
That's when everything started to go south.
"Get him out of there, hurry!" Trifa called out to her brothers and sisters, as Ronin's Screams increased in volume.
The young Faunus face twisted in agony and panic, plunging his knife into the vines he desperately hacking away at the foliage surrounding him, the vines tightening their grip around his legs. Two sets of arms wrapped around his waist pulling him back and the vines taught, the limbs coiling and stretching along his legs.
Three more of his brothers stepped into view bringing their machetes down on the roots and vines that clung to him, one by one the vines gave way until there comrade was free from natures grasp, the grunts dragged him back from the moving wall of foliage, Trifa jogged over kneeling at her friend's side. "Ronin" the spider Faunus said concern clear in her tone, turning her gaze towards his legs a low growl slipped past her lips.
His left leg hung at an unnatural angle from the knee down, with a growing patch of red covering his upper right thigh, even with her limited medical knowledge she could tell from just a glance they were broken, he'd been lucky.
"You!" She called out to the closest grunt, a bear Faunus judging by the ears. "Get back to base and have them prep for wounded..." Her head tilted up back towards the wall of foliage, more importantly, the bodies of her two brothers still trapped in the wall of vines and roots, their faces twisted in agony and terror. Her commanding tone slipped away, a solemn sigh slipped past her lips "And get a team down here to help with the extraction, we're not leaving them like this."
Without another word her brother turned and darted off back into the jungle, turning her gaze back to Ronin, his face contorted in pain as he sucked in one shuddering breath after the other, his aura flaring around him in an attempt to lessen his pain, her fist tightened, they'd pay for what happened here, she'd make sure of it.
She sat by Ronin's side until reinforcements arrived, in that short time offering what little comfort she could to her friend, in hopes, it would ease his pain even if just a little, before watching as he and their fallen brethren were collected and carted off back to base. Yuma was among the next to arrive, sparing a small nod to their fallen brother as he passed, a show of respect in face of their sacrifice, before moving on to her.
"Sister Trifa" He greeted in an even tone, Trifa standing just that bit taller while in his presence.
"Brother Yuma." She replied in a similar fashion.
"What happened here?" He inquired walking alongside her into the clearing
"My team and I were already prepping for our patrol, when it happened, we didn't waste any time getting here, but the enemy was already on the move by the time we arrived, Ronin and two others attempted to pursue them through the passage but, while we secured the site..." Trifa trailed off, the memory and feeling of loss towards her fallen brothers still fresh in her mind, their deaths had been anything but the stories of sacrifice and glory, that had been spouted at their rallies. "One of them must have used their semblance or something, it was almost like the trees came to life and started attacking us, that's when the passage started to collapse, Ronin was the only one to make it out."
"There will be justice after what happened here." He replied, placing a hand on her should "You have my word on that."
"Thank you, sir." Trifa replied, the thought of those bastards getting what was coming to them, helped improve her foul mood even if just a little. "I just wished we'd been faster; we might have been able to take a prisoner and find out more."
Her superior hummed in response, a prisoner would have been useful in learning more of the enemies plans, however pushing their adversary back into the wasteland they'd crawled in from was just as good in his opinion, the Grimm may yet do their job for them. Looking past his subordinate Yuma's eyes glided over what remained of their enemies campsite, only to linger on the scorched stump sitting at the very edge of the clearing, without another word he moved away from the main site much to the confusion of the spider Faunus.
"Sir?" She inquired as Yuma kneel down beside the stump examining its surface with a keen eye.
"No shrapnel or evidence of machinery present in the stump or the surrounding clearing beyond the remnant of the stump itself... strange" He mused, the level of destruction itself was just as unusual, most explosives would have damaged segments of the area surrounding the blast point, but the damage present seemed to be focused primarily on this section of the stump, almost as if it had been struck by lightning, rather than being decimated in an explosion.
A dust weapon, or just crystals in general judging by the scale of the damage done to the tree, maybe even both. If so, their enemy was well armed and well equipped for a battle "How many did you see, when you arrive?" He asked, rising back to his feet.
"Three" Trifa immediately replied, her face twisted in anger " Two humans and a Faunus judging by the tale." It was sickening to think one of their own kind might be involved in all this, that they'd turn their backs on their brothers and sisters in favor of helping the humans attack their own homeland. Yuma seemed to be in a similar state of displeasure, however, he was quick to force his anger aside a focus on the situation at hand, something that didn't quite make sense.
The numbers Trifa had reported seemed far too small in comparison to the level of the ordinance they'd seen used so far, the explosion in the desert earlier that day was a prime example of the level of equipment they had at their disposal, it had to be military or at least huntsmen grade and in large quantities, something that would need at least three times the men and vehicles for safe transport, something neither he nor Trifa had seen evidence of here, unless...
Only now was he beginning to piece together the situation at hand, Yuma cursed under his breath; how could he have been such a fool. The bat Faunus head snapped back in the direction of their base, more importantly, Kuo Kuana, this hadn't been an attack or some form of bad luck on their enemies part, this was a diversion, and with the bulk of their forces now scouring the jungle, that left a clear path for the marauders through their defenses and into the heart of the city.
The motivations behind their actions were lost to him, however, the extent that they had gone to in order to gain unhindered entry into the city painted a rather grim picture for what was to come, even if some of there brothers and sisters did walk among them, that did not secure the safety of there homeland.
The Albians, the Belladonnas, the city itself, they all had to be warned.
To be continued