Jaune Arc exited the main Beacon building with Blake and Pyrrha behind him. It was the end of the school day. They were going to infiltrate the Fang base but they first needed to prepare for it.
An excuse of partner training between him and Pyrrha eased Nora and Ren. Blake didn't hadn't said anything to her team. They knew that she went wherever she wanted to but would come back safe.
The sun slowly set over the horizon. In an hour or so it would be nightfall. He fished out his scroll and checked the time. It was still relatively early. For the last few weeks, the sun has lowered earlier and earlier. Winter fast approached.
Chilly wind batting against his combat gear gave credence to the coming cold. Blake walked closely on one side. Pyrrha took up the other. They wore their combat armor and held their weapons sheathed.
A slow procession of Beacon students trickled out of the building and towards the dorm room or Airship docks. No one bat an eye at them. After all, they looked like a trio of friends coming back from training or going somewhere in Vale.
There were a few groups like them. A boy and two girls walked a few feet from them and another lounged on some free courtyard grass. To everyone else, he, Blake, and Pyrrha were nothing to suspect.
He wished he could laze around with the two women next to him, but he had a mission. He would relax later. For now, they needed to beat the Fang.
He moved to meet closer to his companions. Pyrrha flashed him a bright smile; her emerald eyes glowed warmly. Blake stared straight ahead. But, she did walk close enough that their shoulders rubbed against one another.
In a few short minutes of comfortable silence, they reached their destination. The airship docks of Beacon.
A large mill of students, in a mix of combat gear and regular clothes, filled up the lines for each dock. The sky slowly receded into the pinks and oranges of a sunset. The glow of the horizon bathed his face golden.
He walked into the nearest line. Pyrrha and Blake stepped in behind him. The mass of people squished the two girls into his back, but he didn't mind. The three of them blended in with the crowd.
Although, they were not animatedly talking like the rest of the students. He didn't know why the other two weren't speaking but a building mixture of fear and excitement sealed his lips.
His fingers twitched slightly. Moving his other hands, he locked his hand over the other claiming them. If he kept a level head, they would succeed against the Fang. His urge for action couldn't get in the way.
Blake, who squished into him, steadily breathed onto his neck. The hairs on his neck stood up. The warm air made him shudder slightly from its sudden embrace. He stepped forward to give her space but she followed his step, still breathing on his neck.
Right as he leaned into her, the roar of bullheads crept from the sky. Tiny gray specks in the golden horizon grew larger. The roaring of engines sounded closer.
The gray metal fleet landed on their respective pads. A giant bullhead slowly descended onto the pad in front of the line. The engine loudly hummed but he bared through the noise.
With a hiss, the sleek doors to the aircraft opened. The line moved and all of the students entered.
He found seats slightly far away from the main area, lightly populated. The loudness of the students mildly penetrated their section. The seats weren't too far back to arouse suspicion but just far enough where they could have privacy.
Blake sat down on the seat next to him, while Pyrrha took the seat in front of him. The seat next to her remained empty.
He looked between the two women. No one spoke. They passed each other anxious stares.
The bullhead shuddered for a moment and lifted off. The familiar tug on his gut grew but he controlled it easily.
The ground beneath flew away and they ascended into the clouds. Beacon grew smaller and smaller until the giant ornate school shrank into a speck surrounded by the green of the emerald forest.
Pink and Orange shone through the giant window next to their seats. They flew through the setting sky rapidly. Tendrils of night faintly appeared at the far edge of the sky. They grew longer the more time passed.
Pyrrha fiddled with her long red hair or her golden wrist guard. Blake's blank eyes reflected in the window. She twirled her back bow, wrapped around her wrist, over her fingers rhythmically.
His knee shook up and down like a jackhammer. It wanted to be included in all of the other anxious ticks.
Blake perked a brow at his knee and placed a hand on his bicep. Pyrrha also noted his shake, and she put her gloved hand on his knee.
He calmed down and looked into the emerald and amber eyes of his teammates.
Their pupils danced with hidden fears but also sparked a need for action. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Opening his blue orbs back up, he tried to pass a silent message of calm to them.
Pyrrha and Blake slowly took their hands off of him. They closed their eyes and took deep breaths. Their chests rose in unison.
They opened their eyes back up. Settling back into their seats, they breathed with newfound confidence.
The airship flew closer and closer towards the sun. Golds and purples invaded the ship, creating a dazzling light show. The horizon glowed less. Students in the front gasped at the sight. Flashing scroll cameras flashed in their hands as they tried to capture the beauty of the perfect sunset.
He didn't go for his scroll. He preserved the powerful image in his head.
His teammates gazed out of the window in subdued levels of wonder. He looked out with them until the sun fully set, leading way to the night.
They turned back to him and passed glances between one another.
A few minutes went by, and the sky waxed darker and darker. Hushed voices drifted from the front of the cabin. He focused on some aura meditation techniques Ren had taught him.
He would need every last drop of aura to take on Banesaw.
Suddenly, the bright glow of the city flooded in through the front of the windows. The metal gleaming towers of Vale came into view. The airship flew around the city giving the students a perfect aerial view of it.
The ship landed on the city's airship port. He, Pyrrha, and Blake stood and went to the entrance of the ship.
The doors hissed open and they left. They jogged out of the port and into the bustling city.
A short bus ride later, they loitered in a random neighborhood under the dull glow of a street lamp.
The White Fang base was several blocks away but they needed to hit up a Fang depot first.
Blake held her scroll, zooming through a map. He and Pyrrha sat on metal benches right next to the standing Blake. The streetlamp glowed on top of their heads. Many people roamed the streets in the early night.
People glanced at them but quickly continued walking. They stuck out like sore thumbs. What with the armor and weapons, but most people minded their business. A few even came up to them either thanking them for fighting the Grimm or curious about their wear.
There was a lot of foot traffic in the well-off neighborhood.
He whispered to Blake, "You found it yet?"
She responded, still scrolling through the map, "Give me a moment, I only used this depot a few times. My memory is a bit fuzzy on how to get there."
He leaned back on the bench. Pyrrha peered at the mild amount of people passing by.
Blake turned, "I found it. Let's go."
He shot up from his seat and helped Pyrrha up. Blake set off in a quick walk; he and Pyrrha followed her.
Ducking through alleyways and sprinting through quiet streets, Blake stopped in her tracks, making them almost crash into her back. They stood across the street from a small two-story building.
It was at the edge of one of the many small business districts located throughout the city. A salon situated on the first floor. A small stream of people milled in it. None of them paid them any mind.
Dusty and cardboard-covered windows revealed nothing of the second-floor. Grime and vines caked the outside walls of the second floor while the first floor bricks shone clean
That was a Fang depot if he ever saw one. But it never hurt to check.
"Is this it?" he asked Blake.
Blake nodded, her cat ears moving excitedly, "This is the place. It's all coming back to me now."
"How do we get up to it?" Pyrrha asked, moving her eyes around the building.
"Follow me," Blake responded, crossing the street.
He followed her with Pyrrha by his side. A few feet away from the building, a black door blocked off the entrance to an alleyway. A rusty old padlock locked the door.
Blake went up to it and looked around at the street. He did so as well, no one walked the streets. The people in the salon couldn't see them because the alleyway door embedded itself a few inches into the alleyway.
The feline faunus ninja reached out her hand, grasping the lock. She squeezed it tight and coated her midnight purple aura around her hand. A faint crack echoed from the lock. She opened her hand, letting pieces of the shattered lock fall to the floor.
She went in and he followed. He kept the door open for Pyrrha before he slowly shut it. Hopefully, no one would notice their quick break-in.
The alleyway was dark and cramped. Grass grew between the cracks in the concrete. A puddle of murky water rippled in a hole off in the corner. On the alleyway side of the building, a clean door led into the Salon. Garbage containers and a dumpster leaned against the wall next to the door.
A rusty red staircase started at the opposite end of the wall. It went above the salon door and to the second floor. Blake sneaked over to the stairs and climbed them. He and Pyrrha weren't far behind.
He and Blake didn't make a sound but Pyrrha creaked the steps. Rust shook from under her feet, like heavy autumn leaves. She winced at every step but he urged her along.
She had a lot to learn but that would come with experience. Right now, they couldn't stay exposed out on the stairs for long.
Reaching the small steel door of the second floor, Blake turned to him.
She whispered, "I'll go first and see if there any Fang. If not, I'll come back and let you in.
Before he could protest, she opened the door and slipped in like a ghost. He slowly closed the door but left a small crack in it. He peered in but the dark hid anything of note.
A few anxious seconds passed. His heart beat in his chest like a drum and sweat formed on his hands. Was she okay there? What was taking her so long? Suddenly a gloved hand grasped his own.
He whipped his head back to meet Pyrrha's calm emerald orbs. She squeezed his hand and he calmed down. He smiled at her and squeezed her back.
Turning back to the door, he raised to the balls of his feet ready to leap in an instant. He grinned and shook his head at his previous thoughts. Why was he doubting his partner? Blake was the sneakiest out of the three of them. She would have no trouble dealing with a Fang or several by herself. She would be more than fine.
He was proven right by Blake's head poking out of the door. She waved them in, turning back into the room. He followed her and held the door out for Pyrrha, closing it behind her.
Pyrrha slid next to the door and fumbled her fingers on the wall. Her figure was a shadowy blob in the dark.
Suddenly light flooded into the room from the ceilings. He shielded his eyes, blinking them. His eyes stopped straining and welcomed the new light.
Blake yelped, covering her eyes with the back of her hand. He quickly walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
He asked, "Hey, you okay?"
She leaned into his grasp for a moment shaking her head. She unshielded her eyes and blinked rapidly for a few seconds.
She turned around slightly dazed, "It's nothing, just the sudden change from darkness to light messed with my faunus night vision. But never mind that we have to get out gear."
He raised his hand off her shoulder.
Turning back around, she strode to the corner of the room.
The entire floor was composed of one large open space without any dividing walls. In one corner of the room, the one right next to the door and towards the windows, bunk beds neatly packed the space. They were sturdy and strong. things that would last under heavy use. On some beds, a few bedsheets and blankets were crumpled.
Next to the resting section of the depot was a small kitchen with all of the necessities to make quick but energy-rich meals. A refrigerator hummed next to the assortment of kitchen appliances. They all looked worn and heavily used.
Boarded-up windows above the kitchen blocked sunlight. The only source of illumination, in the room, came from the lights affixed to the ceiling.
Other things relating to the Fang crowded the rest of the room. Two large workbenches made a significant portion of the other wall. Tools and protective wear littered the top of the workbenches. On the floor near the legs of the workbenches, crates of raw materials, weapon parts, and dust created dangerous tripping hazards.
The most prized section of the room was located at the wall opposite the door, the furthest wall. Blake rummaged there.
Sleek metal boxes ranging from black, gray, and white lined the bottom of the wall or were stacked upon one another. The piled cases created mini steel mountains. Atlas and Vale's emblems marked the cases proudly or hiddenly. Dome cases were free of any branding.
Above the cases, someone had graffitied a large version White Fang logo. White graffiti lines fell down the wall behind the cases. The symbol made the cases look like a treasure trove guarded by a fierce creature.
He and Pyrrha moved over to Blake.
His faunus partner had already opened up a few cases around her. Inside, of the cases, plush black cushioning held an assortment of gear similar to those he and Blake used during their factory infiltration.
Blake turned to them and spoke, "Check these out.."
He slid next to Blake while Pyrrha took her other side. He gazed over the equipment, looking for better under armor.
"Pyrrha, I'll show you what gear to use and explain them to you. Jaune you already know about all of this so you can get your gear," Blake said, turning over to Pyrrha and bringing her down to the floor in front of the open cases.
He moved in the opposite direction leaving the two women excitedly talking amongst themselves.
He rummaged in the crates, grabbing the stealth gear but his eyes didn't catch any good under armor.
Reaching the end of the cases, he sighed in defeat. He turned back, ready to meet Blake and Pyrrha, but right at that moment, a glimmer of black captured his attention.
A small bit of black shone behind a stack of wide crates. He moved the crates aside, revealing a small black case behind them, on the floor. It hugged the wall at a crooked angle.
He picked it up and cleaned off a thick layer of dust. It was the size of a notebook but thick like all of the other cases. The black material of the case reflected his face and glimmered like black obsidian.
Emblazoned in the corner of the front side of the case was a gold version of the atlas emblem.
He opened the case up, revealing stark white push cushioning holding a black piece folded of cloth.
He took the cloth out, gently lowering the case off to the side. The fabric was soft like silk.
Unfurling it, he revealed a black battle shirt with gold trimmings around the collar and edges. It looked to be made out of the same fine material as the stealth suit. Running his hands through it, he brushed against the soft yet stretchy fabric. He stretched it out, flexing aura over his hands. It didn't make a noise and stretched longer and longer until his arms were wide open.
Letting go, the shirt slowly folded back into its original pristine state. He hummed, rotating the cloth in his hands. This could make a good replacement for his hoodie. But he had to try it first.
He took off his torso armor and stacked it on top of the nearest crates. He took off his Pumpkin Pete hoodie and the tank top beneath that. He laid them on top of the armor.
Flexing his muscles, he allowed himself a brief amount of vanity at his now bulky yet toned figure rippled with every flex. He wasn't the wet noodle that had first come to Beacon.
He stopped flexing and put the black and gold shirt over his tank top. It tightened around him, snugly outlining his body. The material inside was the same silky smooth as the outside. He did some cursory swings with his sword and found himself unrestricted.
Going through the large room, he practiced more. The cloth stretched and moved fluidly, sticking tightly to his muscles. It was like having a second skin.
He went back to his armor and put it back over his new wear, He stuffed his Pumpkin Pete hoodie inside his armor. He would stow it away later, but, for now, it would act as an extra layer of padding.
Turning back to the girls he found them both staring at him. They only held half of the gear but didn't make a move towards more cases. Their mouths were wide open and their eyes blazed with something he couldn't quite place.
Pyrrha's cheeks were bright red like Ruby's cloak while a lighter red dusted Blake's. They finally seemed to register his gaze and quickly turned back at the cases. Blake coughed into her hand while Pyrrha bit her lip, still blushing.
He raised his brow. What was that about?
He went over to the girls and asked, "Are you two alright?"
Pyrrha jumped and squeaked, "Oh we're fine. We just got a bit…"
"Distracted," Blake finished, barking out a strained laugh.
He shrugged, "Well do you guys need help getting the gear?"
Both girls nodded and he got on the floor with them. With his help, they quickly found gear for both of them. He and Blake explained their functions to Pyrrha who eagerly lapped up their information.
They tested their gear and weapons, now fully suited up. Blake and Pyrrha helped him test out his new battle armor. It didn't tear against their huntsman-level gear and even withstood an aura attack.
They tested their gear for a few more minutes. They stopped and he turned to the two girls, "Are you two ready?"
They both nodded stoically.
He led them out of the black door into the night sky, towards the White Fang Base.
They didn't take any transportation to the Fang hideout; instead, they opted to run through hidden alleyways and on rooftops.
He breathed softly while they ran. Blake led the charge, he ran in the middle, and Pyrrha lagged behind him. He was able to keep up with Blake, although Pyrrha did stumble here and there.
He stopped at certain spots and helped his partner along. She thanked him profusely and they continued. But she lagged less and less, closing the distance between them. He stopped fewer and fewer times for her.
Soon she easily leaped over rooftops, matching him and sometimes pushing past him.
In front of them, Blake ran through tight alleyways and scaled up buildings like a shadow. Her black catsuit cloaked her in the dark. The small amount of moonlight, which flowed through clouds, turned her into a barely discernible black blob.
About three-quarters of the way there, Pyrrha had fully mastered the art and kept pace right next to him. He and Pyrrha moved closer to Blake, forming one cohesive black cloud that swept through the city.
No one spotted them one account of their nigh invisibility and their complete silence. They flashed their auras over their bodies, like lighting matches, to help them leap onto and over buildings and other obstacles that stood in their path.
The light only appeared for only a moment, barely visible. Although, a few days later a small story in the news would run about strange flashing, purple, gold, and red lights, traveling across the city that day. No one would pay any mind to it.
The buildings became more derelict the closer they got to the office building neighborhood. The lights grew far and few until he, Pyrrha, and Blake traveled in complete darkness. The sounds of the city softened behind them until they faded.
Passing by the last intact house, they leaped into the dilapidated neighborhood. He jumped onto the roof of a boarded-up store. Pyrrha and Blake took up positions around him on the other corners of the roof.
No street lamps, of the very few around, were on. The lack of light didn't provide any visibility of the ground or other buildings. He used the night vision mode in his goggles to gain insight through the night.
He surveyed the neighborhood from his perch. Broken down and rusty cars littered parking spaces. Heaps of trash piled next to gutters, unattended except by rats and flies. Chilly winds picked up heaps of loose trash and wrung them against the sides of decrepit buildings.
Unlike those in the abandoned industrial district, the buildings in this neighborhood weren't empty.
Life moved on in them. His heat sensors showed faint traces of light inside of the buildings. Not any distinct shapes, but enough heat to surmise that people were inside of the buildings. It wasn't anything like the pale blue his heat sensors caught in the industrial district.
Although the buildings in the neighborhood were in much worse condition than the ones in the abandoned district. Crude graffiti laced the exterior of almost every single building, scarring the place.
Windows were either jaggedly broken or were boarded closed by a myriad of materials from wooden planks to metal. Weary eyes and some rays of oily light peered out from the cracks between the boarded windows. None of them looked up at his position.
Nothing stirred except for the sound of rustling wind.
A finger tapped his shoulder and he turned around to meet the blue lensed goggles of Blake.
She and Pyrrha, in their black catsuits, faintly resembled women. His suit outlined him in the vague shape of a man. He was able to identify the woman who tapped him to be Blake, because of the puffs inside of her headgear. Her cat ears.
Blake spoke into his head through an earpiece that connected to his and Pyrrha's earpieces.
"The base is over there," she whispered, pointing to a structure a few blocks away.
Even though it was short, it was one of the tallest buildings around. The derelict apartment building next to it, the one they were going to scale to jump onto the office building, was a similar height.
"Then let's head there," he responded, flexing aura around his feet and quickly leaping over to the next building.
The girls followed lept behind him and, in a few minutes, they approached the apartment building on the ground.
No one came out to greet them. They hurried behind the building into a dirty narrow space. Sure enough, just as Blake said, a fire escape latched onto the wall. It was in a similar state to all the other things nearby. Broken, dilapidated, and on the verge of crumbling from the faintest whisper of wind.
Blake scanned her head around. Nothing else moved except for them. She turned back to him and Pyrrha and confirmed the clear coast.
She faced the hanging ladder connected to the escape and squatted down, flexing her legs. Flashing her aura around her thighs, she jumped towards the thin ladder. She sailed to it and grabbed the red iron rungs with her gloved hands. A small creak rang out from the rusty structure.
She acrobatically pulled herself and spun onto the first level of the escape. Looking back at him, she gestured to follow. She climbed the next levels in rapid succession.
He took a deep breath and folded his legs in a similar position to her. He pushed his aura out and jumped up, grabbing the ladder easily. A small groan, louder than Blake's attempt, echoed off the ladder.
He climbed onto the first level and turned back to Pyrrha. She nodded and jumped, but, in some acrobatic wizardry, she rotated her body going past the ladder and landing on the first level with him. Her feet impacted the steel creating a sound much louder than either his or Blake's impacts.
The quiet void of the neighborhood amplified the small sound throughout the streets. He stopped midway to the second level and, from above, Blake's quiet footsteps also stopped.
He waited with bated breath for something to happen, for someone to investigate, for them to be caught. But nothing happened.
He slowly, careful enough not to wake the dead, leaned his head against the nearest boarded-up window. Muffled movement shuffled inside but it wasn't oriented towards the windows.
Letting out a deep and shaky breath, he turned to Pyrrha. She winced and looked away from his gaze, shame struck over her face. His expression softened and he beckoned her to the next level. She nodded, following him quickly.
She didn't need to be told twice to keep silent, careful not to do any flashy tricks. He climbed quicker, closing the distance between him and Blake.
Blake, at the level above him, vaulted onto the roof. He climbed the thin rusted steps to her level. He flexed his legs ready to jump up but, right at that moment, Blake put down her hand.
He grasped it, pulling himself onto the roof. He turned back and helped Pyrrha up.
The three of them went over to the edge of the flat roof. There weren't any barriers protruding from the edges. They needed to watch their steps or risk falling and alerting every soul in a wide radius of their presence.
With the high vantage point, he looked over the bundles of structures. All of them were just as dilapidated as their neighbors. In some regards, this place was worse than the abandoned factory district.
But at least it was the same amount of quiet.
Across from his side, the office building stood slightly higher than the apartment building. It was a hulking mass of gray bricks with an array of small windows. The windows, surprisingly, were not broken or covered in wooden boards; Instead, thick coats of dust covered them making the interior impossible to make out.
Nothing on it caught one's attention. The perfect place to remain inconspicuous.
A black alleyway divided the apartment building and the office. Trash and other nicknacks filled the alleway. A few dumpsters and broken appliances littered the alleyway, deadly cushions if they didn't make their jump.
The gap between the buildings wasn't that large; they would be able to make it with a healthy dose of aura.
Blake suddenly squeezed his hand. He squeezed the gloved hand back in comfort
Gazing into her blue lensed goggles, he tried to convey pure confidence. He let go, backing away from her. Pyrrha backed away in the opposite direction.
This left a sizable gap between them, a landing point for someone to jump onto the office building.
Blake walked a few paces away from him and Pyrrha. She turned back and lowered into a runner's position. Wither her hands on the roof, she looked between him and Pyrrha.
Suddenly, she stamped her feet down. She shot forward, running across the roof to the gap. Her feet, even though they hammered down, made almost no noise. It was like flower petals being scraped on stone.
Reaching the edge of the roof, she flashed her midnight aura and leapt into the air. She sailed, like a black comet. In a flash, she gracefully thudded her feet onto the roof of the office building.
She turned back around and beckoned them forward.
Pyrrha went next and executed Blake's maneuver step by step. Although she dramatically flipped in the air and landed with a larger thud. The two girls looked back at him.
Steeling himself, he walked over to the spot the other two started and crouched onto the floor. His gloved hands touched the concrete roof. He stretched his legs getting any kinks out. He would need all of his mobility.
He took a deep breath and, like a wound-up bomb, exploded from his spot as quietly as possible. He barreled to the edge of the roof and, at the last minute, washed his golden aura over his legs.
He jumped to the other roof. The wind plummeted his face but his headgear protected him from its iciness. He sailed higher and higher yet also closer and closer to the roof.
Gravity took hold, pulling him back down. His legs were pulled down and he plummeted. He landed further away from the girls with a quiet thud that matched Blake's. He turned back around and waved them forward.
They walked towards him and to the stairway entrance behind him. He put his shoulder to the door to the stairway, his face squishing against a green sign of a man going down some stairs, and slowly tested the knob.
It didn't move an inch.
He took a deep breath and used Blake's trick. Pushing aura to his fingertips, he cracked the knob open. The sharp twist created a small metal grind but nothing more. The two women stood to his sides ready to intercept any threat.
He held one hand on the broken knob and placed the other on the surface of the door. Slowly, he crept the door open. It squealed like a dying animal. It hinges seemingly not oiled in millennia.
Wincing, he quickly shoved the door open, minimizing the amount of time the door squeaked. Hopefully, the stairs muffled the sounds of the doors. Otherwise, there would be a welcoming party down there.
He whispered into the two women's heads, "Our cover might be blown. Stay on guard and ready to take on a Fang ambush."
The two women hummed in response, leaving his side. Blake entered through the door first, he entered second, and Pyrrha took the rear.
Blake was the stealthiest and would be undetected by threats better than they could, he would tank any damage with his massive aura pool, and Pyrrha would deal out ruthless attacks while he took most of the blows.
The stairs were pitch black, but thanks to his goggles every step was illuminated by blue and greenish light. He saw everything with clarity. From the peeling paint of the walls to the thick dust skin that grew on all surfaces. The air was dry and coarse. His headgear must have some sort of filtering system or he would be hacking onto the floor.
Even with the filter, he could barely breathe.
The dust on the stairs piled on top of one another, undisturbed. Whoever had locked that door must have done it long ago. The Fang must not come up to the roof often.
Blake carefully walked down the steps, silent as a mouse. He followed with Pyrrha right behind. They slowly crept down two flights of stairs, stopping at the floor below the roof.
A white light flashed into his night vision. It wasn't a strong light so his goggles adjusted its night vision levels around it. He blinked a few times, clearing up the light's blurriness.
The light source came from a broken glowing sign above a door that stood across from the stairs, leading into the floor. The sign read the number of the floor.
How was the light working? Did they forget to turn off the lights when they abandoned this building? Or did the Fang reroute power?
Blake interrupted his thoughts by crouching to the door. She grasped the handle and slowly pushed. The door freely swung open, not making a sound.
She stepped slightly inwards and swung her head around. After a pause, she waved her hand and they entered the highest office floor.
Thick walls divided the room into sections. The main portion of the room, where the walls divided up the most, held most of the working space. Individual cubicles or open areas fitted with three or more desks created a maze-like complex.
Blake crept into the maze-like walls. He followed right behind her, keeping an even distance. There wasn't much space between the walls for ample swinging space.
If they crowded around one another they would do more harm to each other than a Fang member ever could, so they needed to keep their distance.
In between the walls, they passed by secluded cubicles with lone desks or slightly larger spaces that held three to four desks pushed against one another. It looked like the office tried to go for everything. Unfortunately, it didn't pan out.
The desks were all the same and devoid of anything except for thick paintings of dust. Not a single piece of trash littered the floor, a sharp contrast from the dirtiness of the factory building.
All of the furniture, of very few that were available, had an untarnished quality. Like they were unwrapped from their boxes and placed in the office a few moments ago. But it had been years since the building was first constructed and filled.
They exited the maze of walls and into a wider corridor space. A large clear window took up the wall in front of them. Through the glass, they spotted the meeting room from the floor plan. A giant smooth oval oak table took up the middle of the room. Some puffy office chairs circled the meeting desk. Off to the side of the large window, a wooden door led inside.
He went to it and slowly entered it, this time taking the lead now that the space was so small. Blake and Pyrrha followed. He would be able to take the brunt of a surprise attack while Blake and Pyrrha retaliated from behind him.
The room smelled like a forest filled with discarded pieces of rusted metal. Now that he noticed it, the entire building smelled the same. He crouched over to the chairs and table, inspecting them. Dust covered everything in a fine layer, like most of the things in the building.
Nothing of note popped out to him. They all split apart and searched the room top to bottom but didn't find anything. He even lifted the oval table with his aura but it was spotless beneath.
Sighing at their fruitless search, they exited the room
At the other end of the wide corridor, the main office looked over the entire floor. He steadily walked towards it.
Although every single ceiling light was unbroken, they didn't give off a single iota of light. Thankfully his night vision made the room clear, albeit with a blueish-green filter.
Suddenly, about halfway there to the main office, a sound screeched from the walls behind him, the walls that sectioned up the main flooring. In the office's void of noise, the sound rang off like a tolling bell.
He stopped dead in his tracks.
He slowly craned his neck to his teammates. They passed each other tentative looks before green and amber eyes landed on him, urging him. He sighed, someone had to investigate it and he led the charge.
Creeping forward, he tried to embody all of Blake's stealth lessons. He needed to become a ghost.
He passed by Blake and Pyrrha. They both nodded appreciatively, Blake even went so far as to squeeze his hand in assurance. He returned the gesture and continued to the source of the noise.
Right at the wall, he carefully leaned his ear against it like it was made of fragile glass. Silence greeted him. He waited a few seconds but nothing stirred. Waiting for longer, he backed away when no response came from the walls.
He turned to his partners and whispered into their heads, "It's nothing. Must have been a rat tunneling through the walls."
He tiptoed forward and stood between the two women, assessing them. Blake gazed back to the wall with a crease in her forehead. Pyrrha looked forward to the main office.
Blake's amber eyes landed on him.
She responded, "We should be careful. The Fang will do anything to get an advantage, maybe even tunnel into the walls. We never know."
Pyrrha nodded, "I agree, let's keep on moving but be ready to strike in an instant."
He hummed and moved back to his original position at the point of their little troop. They moved to the main office. An ornate frosted glass door led into it. Opening it, they entered a medium-sized room.
Like the rest of the floor, the office was bare except for a dust-covered desk and a cushioned office chair behind the desk. The one additional item in the room was a tall ornate vase in the corner.
They searched the room but didn't find anything noteworthy. Disgruntled, he led them back to the exit and into the staircase. Blake took the lead once more and went down another level to the next floor.
They continued until they arrived at the lobby. All of the floors they passed were, just as the floor plans said, exact replicas of one another. They didn't find an ounce of information regarding the Paladin or a trace of the Fang. It seemed like the building was well and truly abandoned.
Although, the sounds of scuttling inside the walls periodically echoed throughout their search. When they went to investigate the noise it disappeared.
The sounds created a ghostly symphony that echoed throughout the building like the acoustics of a cave.
In the lobby, right as he turned towards the secluded side exit, a loud crash boomed several floors above them. The quiet of the building amplified the sound into a mini-explosion, which shook the dust off of the ceiling and furniture.
His eyes widened and he turned back to his teammates. A silent message passed between them and they vaulted back up the stairs.
They narrowed down the sound to the third floor. They entered through the stair doors and into the all-familiar layout.
It was pitch quiet. But the sound did leave an impact. Small piles of dust pooled on the floor and flowed freely through the air. They followed the recent piles of dust into the office space. Through the maze of walls, they arrived in front of the main office.
Thick piles of dust surrounded its entrance.
Taking a deep breath he slowly crept open the main office door. An almost clean office greeted him. Dust, which had previously painted the desk and chair, drifted in piles on the ground not far from their original positions
Near the corner of the room, shattered pieces of the glass vase littered the ground. He went over to the broken object and crouched down. Carefully rifling through the broken pottery, he couldn't make heads or tails of what happened to it.
A finger tapped his shoulder. He stood up and turned to Blake pointing at the wall the vase originally covered. He went over to it. A small, almost missable, dark line sunk into the wall. The line formed a rectangular shape, which reached the top of his chest.
He pulsed his aura to the front of his fingertips and applied force to the black edge. The wall slowly creaked open, remarkably heavy.
The entrance opened to a tunnel dug into the walls.
A pleasant torrent of clean fresh air bathed his nostrils. He stepped back, momentarily, surprised by the sudden contrast increase in air quality.
Blake and Pyrrha stood behind him, peering into the tunnel curiously.
He whispered into their heads, "Looks like I'm wrong. The Fang really did dig out tunnels. Should we investigate?"
Blake stepped forward. She put her head slightly into the hole and peered into the darkness. She slowly slid her hand along the smooth rim of the tunnel.
Craning further in, she hummed and stepped back.
"The tunnels probably lead to the main Fang base. I spotted a small bit of light further ahead we should investigate," she mused.
He nodded and turned to Pyrrha. She conveyed all he needed to know through their partner bond. He bit his lip and faced the mouth of the tunnel.
Taking a steadying breath, he gingerly put a foot over the tunnel entrance. Nothing stirred. He put the other foot in, ducking through the entrance. The ceiling of the tunnel was tall enough to give him an ample amount of headspace.
He motioned to his two teammates and slowly crept down the tunnel. Their light footfalls followed him accompanied by the gentle thud of the tunnel entrance.
The small amount of ambient moonlight light from the office interior instantly evaporated leaving him blind, even with the night vision. Although, the small ember of light far into the tunnel provided enough light for his goggles to intensify, making his surroundings observable.
Smooth white walls constructed the interior of the tunnel. A few metal pipes and wooden beams broke up the walls. No deep lines or grooves from drilling tools marked the walls.
He pondered into his mic piece, "Do you think the Fang found these tunnels as they are, or did they make these themselves?"
Blake whispered, "Most likely. I don't see any sharp edges anywhere, these walls must have been built like this."
Pyrrha piped up, "But why would they make so much space between the walls in the first place? It's strange."
He shrugged. They could think about the mystery after they dealt with the Fang. Walking once more, he kept his sword at his side away from brushing the walls.
The entire tunnel was somewhat spacious. It allowed him to move his arms out to a 45-degree angle before the walls stopped him. The tight space didn't provide ample swinging room. He would rely on thrusting attacks to deal any real damage.
Although there wasn't enough space for them all. They needed to walk single file to move through the tunnel. The only way they would be able to walk side by side would be if they all squeezed their bodies against one another, forming one red, black and gold blob.
Being in the front, he would take the most damage. But his aura pool would easily overcome anything.
The small glow became closer and closer. His night vision slowly grew stronger, making the tunnels clearer.
Large, mostly pristine, wooden planks made up the floor beneath him. The entire tunnel was well maintained, a sharp contrast to the dust and grime-filled office. But it could only stay this clean from living interference.
He took a deep breath. His lungs expanded with clean air. Even though his headgear filtered out most of the dust from the outside it couldn't stop some of the particles from getting in. The new fresh air was a nice welcome.
Some sort of artificial circulation system must make the air in the tunnel healthy. The building didn't have the natural properties to circulate air on its own.
He walked closer to the small glow, which turned out to be streams of light emanating from somewhere. Creeping forward, he stopped in front of the source of light.
The ember of light, which was not an ember at all and instead several rays of light, emanated from a small open space underneath a steel door. The door, unlike the walls, was made out of dark silver. Nicks and old textured waves lined its front. The door embedded itself into the wall.
Muffled voices echoed through the door.
He looked back to his compatriots. Blake stood in the tunnel they came from, holding her blade forward. Pyrrha moved to his side, her back facing a tunnel that branched off further into the darkness away from the door. She held her spear with a strong flexible grip ready to strike down their opponents.
He looked between their eyes. A silent message passed between them and he turned to the door. Pyrrha and Blake closed in on his back. Their anxious energy rolled onto him.
He slowly crept forward, agonizingly slow. He stood in front of the door, breathing on it. Placing his head against the door, the muffled voices became clearer
"-don't care about your excuse. Next time be more careful unless you want the entire neighborhood to know that someone's taken up residence in this abandoned hole," an angry voice said.
"I'm sorry. I'll clean this up right away," a quiet voice mumbled.
The angrier voice snorted and the sounds of shuffling items, like glass being scraped up, filled the silence.
Imposing footsteps traveled towards the door. Jaune backed up and moved his hands towards the grip of his sword. Right at that moment, the door swung open and an ocean of light invaded his eyes.
His night vision goggles flared up at the sudden surplus of energy, blinding him. He closed his eyes shut but, instead of freezing up, he redirected his motion. Thrusting out a fist, he lashed out an aura-infused punch into the outline of the shadowy figure in front of him.
The figure let out a quiet gasp before they crumpled to the floor. His night vision adjusted, giving him a view of a fang member inside of a small room. The fang member sprang up from a crouched position and ran forward. Their mouth opened and their hands shot towards a cleaver at their side, but the butt end of Pyrrha's spear interrupted them by rocketing into their forehead.
Their aura shattered and they fell to the floor with a thud. The thick steel door and the walls muffled the noise of their body hitting the ground.
Blake leaped past him, using his shoulder pauldron as a springboard, and dove into the Fang member he crumpled. She kicked him into the room with an aura-infused knee, shattering his aura.
The Fang member fell next to his partner with a thump.
He turned off his night vision mode and tried to stand. Pyrrha put a hand under his arm and helped him up. He quietly thanked her and walked towards unconscious Fang.
A single old light bulb, the type that glowed like amber but could last for a century, hung from a wire affixed to the ceiling. It lit the room.
The room was small and cramped, veering off in strange angles into thin passages. His and his teammate's shoulders rubbed against one another in the small space.
Old black steel shelves, filled with crates and open shoddy blue containers, lined the walls enclosing them further. Inside of the thin passageways, modified long but non-wide shelves took up any available space. A plastic item grabber leaned against the thin passageways.
Dust canisters, weapons, and other miscellaneous materials like duct tapes and tools filled the blue containers and opened crates. White plastic name tags, placed on the storage containers, denoted what type of dust or weapon were in them. The tags were plastered over messier handwritten sticky notes.
Blake crouched over the unconscious bodies of the Fang. She pulled up their masks and clothes, humming to herself. None of them had any injuries except for deep purple blooming bruises on their stomach and forehead. They stirred and groaned into the air.
Next to the body of the Fang who Pyrrha annihilated with her spear, a broken vial of fire dust spilled out the dangerous red crystal. Black scorch marks marked the edges of the spillage.
He crouched next to Blake and looked over the room.
He whispered, "It looks like the Fang have been stashing in this place up. Let's tie these people up then we'll think of our next steps."
She nodded and stood with him. Pyrrha approached with a handful of duct tape and thick rope coiled around her arms.
In quick succession, they tied up and gagged the Fang members at the furthest point away from the door.
Jaune dusted off his hands. Suddenly a thought struck him and he turned to Blake.
He spoke energetically "I've just realized. If my memory of the floor plan is correct, the hallway outside is on the outer wall and this storage room is inside of those strange walls that divide up the middle of the floor."
Blake hummed, her eyes brightening. She looked around the room; her cat ears, weaving back and forth.
"I think you're right. Those thin passageways must be the thinner walls," she responded.
"So if every floor is the same does that mean that there's another storeroom above this?" Pyrrha pointed out, standing next to Jaune.
They all looked up at the ceiling. It was a normal ceiling.
He looked back to Pyrrha and Blake, "We have to go up there and eliminate any Fang so they don't surprise us from the back. We might also find some info on the Paladin but I have a hunch that it's further below."
The two girls hummed in unison and exited the room. He followed and slowly closed the metal door, leaving the light on. No one but them stood in the tunnels. Not a sound originated from the end they came from. The tunnel went further into darkness in the other direction.
He turned his night vision back on. It was nice to have perfect sight returned to him. He motioned his teammates forward and they set down the opposite end.
The tunnel went on to the end of the wall and veered off into the corner. In the corner, the tunnel stopped at the edge of a long shaft that went both up and down. A pair of thick steel ladders, worn with heavy use and imprinted by bootprints, hugged the shaft walls. Across the gap of the shaft, the wall stood solid, unhallowed.
"I guess this is a shortcut," he mused.
He slowly reached over and climbed onto the furthest ladder hugging the unhallowed wall. Blake and Pyrrha followed and climbed into positions below him.
He slowly climbed up, careful not to make a sound. His teammates followed in the same manner.
They cleared the floors up the roof, finding similar storerooms and one or two Fang populating each one. Although with their combined might, especially Blake's stealthiness and Pyrrha's semblance, they swept through any foe. Even with the Fang's shiny new weapons and advanced training, nothing could beat the element of surprise.
Reaching the top floor, they took a short break before heading back down below the floor where they initially found the hole in the wall. They proceeded to clear out those bottom floors until the lobby.
They stopped at the ladders of the floor above the lobby. The ladders skipped the lobby and passed further below.
He mused into his partners' heads, "Do you think there's some sort of secret basement?"
Blake replied, "Most certainly, the storerooms above don't seem to be the main storing place. They're secondary and there's probably something better down below."
Pyrrha spoke concerned, "We should be careful, we don't know what's down there. Everyone ready to go?"
He turned to Blake who nodded, he turned back to Pyrrha and put a thumbs up.
"It's now or never," he muttered.
He climbed onto the ladder and slowly crept down. Sweat formed under the armor and stealth suit. His muscles pulsed with adrenaline and energy. He could go on for hours.
Reaching the bottom of the ladders, he landed on black stone. He made space for the other two, stepping forward. The black stone extended out into a tunnel that bore deep threads of a giant drill. A strong white glow at the end of the tunnel flared his night vision.
Pyrrha and Blake climbed off the ladder and stood behind him, looking into the entrance.
He turned his night vision off and led them further into the tunnel. It was wide enough for them to walk side by side and considerably tall. He guessed that it reached the lobby floor.
They reached the end of the massive tunnel, through a short walk, and stopped in front of a steel door. Bright white artificial light spilled out from a grilled filtered window on the door.
No grime or dust dirtied the door, although worn creases marred its handle.
He looked back at Blake and Pyrrha. Both stood ready with their weapons out and in fighting stances. Blake's amber eyes glowed with a buzz.
He gulped but quickly steeled himself. Gripping the handle of the door he slowly pushed it open.
A blazing silver flooded his vision.
AN: Sorry for the late upload, but here's the chapter.
I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review, it motivates me to write!