The sound of metal blades clashing echoed across the clearing. Cinder was standing in the middle, one of her swords drawn at her side. She didn't look around as she parried again. There was a flash as both aura infused blades made contact. With a twist and thrust Cinder pushed Emerald off balance. The green haired girl flicked into view for a moment.
'You're still too eager. Don't forget you're trying to stop me sensing you. Not just your body but the way you interact with the world around you. A rustle of grass or puff of dirt and your opponent will know where you are. Now once more before we move on,' Cinder said, letting down her guard.
Emerald drew back slowly and circled for a moment. Nature was a pain in the ass. In the city she knew of a dozen ways she could have crept up on Cinder. But out here with loose twigs and leaves underfoot she made enough noise with each step she might as well be wearing bells and singing.
She waited for the sounds to settle then darted behind a tree before reaching out. It was getting easier to do with more practice. Cinder had insisted on drilling her on her semblance and the improvements were already showing. Before she would have needed to see the person she wanted to use it on and be close. Now she was a dozen or so meters away and facing away from Cinder.
After a moment she had it. A view of the clearing from Cinders perspective. She let the scene play out for a moment then subtly focused on tuning it. The closest she'd been able to describe it was like altering a picture removing or altering what she wanted.
With the image of her removed from Cinders vision she began to move slowly out from behind the tree. Cinder did not react merely looking forward with a blank look on her face. Emerald crept closer, maintaining her focus was hard and multitasking it alongside sneaking was going to tire her out quickly. She raised a foot moving it forward slowly, but she hadn't seen the end of the twig poking out from the dirt.
Cinder's head turned to the sound of the twig snapping. Her eyes came to rest on a squirrel frozen in place and looking back at her. She cocked an eyebrow.
'Not bad in terms of the image. But I'm sure a squirrel wouldn't come to investigate our sparing,' Cinder remarked looking at the illusion. Then she felt a breeze against her back. Spinning around she found she was too late.
Emerald was standing before her panting but with a grin on her face. In her hand was one of Cinders arrows plucked from the quiver on her waist. After a moment Cinder smiled and gave a slow clap.
'Good you've improved since we started. I see you've gotten the hand of adding as well as altering,' Cinder said, holding out a hand.
'Spur of the moment. I guessed if I couldn't stop the sound I could change where you heard it come from,' Emerald said, passing the arrow back.
'Good. No plan can be thought of as full proof. Adaptation to new conditions is key to survival,' Cinder said with a hint of pride as she turned to leave.
Emerald allowed herself a smile. That was a totally approval, score of one for her. Cinder had taught her so much in the last few weeks and it was hard to impress her at the best of times. She jogged to catch up with Cinder.
'So where to next?' Emerald asked as they reached their small camp. Cinder might not tell her everything outright but she tended to dole out bits of information as you needed them.
'We're going to find an assassin,' Cinder said bluntly as she lifted her bag.
'An assassin?' Emerald asked, lifting her own pack hiding the tone of her voice. On one hand a skilled assassin might have some pointers for her. But then again if they were that skilled would Cinder need her help?
'Yes an old drunk by the information we have. But if he's still usable we might as well call in on our way though.'
So old and drunk? Hopeful that would stop this assassin from being "too" useful. And if not… well there were ways to get people in trouble. A few assaults wearing their face would do it. She'd done it before and if it came down to it a knife from thin air had put a stop to her problems before. They had a good thing going and Emerald was not going back to being mere gutter trash.
Blake walked through the camp stopping occasionally to speak with some of the others. Many were still excited to speak with her simply because of her family name. Others had heard about her exploits in the field and were eager to hear a story or two.
Finally she made it to her tent and collapsed onto the bedroll with a sigh. Peace for a few moments at least. She tried to focus on the fact she was helping with morale but it still grated on her to be seen as only a symbol.
Rolling over she grabbed one of her books and tried to distract herself for a short while. But the first one she grabbed was… dry. She wanted something with a bit more flare so to speak. Putting the first book down she picked up a new one she'd managed to get from Mistral which ought to get her heart racing.
Just as she turned the first few pages she heard someone at the tent flap. In a panic Blake jammed the book out of sight and held the first one up before anyone walked in. She sat for a moment to calm herself then glanced up to see Ilia leaning in.
'Blake are you okay?' Ilia asked, taking her mask off.
'Fine. Just you know. Tired from that mission,Blake said, trying to act casual.
'You must be since you're holding that book upside-down,' Ilia said with a laugh.
Blake's eyes darted down in horror and she quickly put the book back into her bag. Making sure to cover the more exciting novel with the first.
'So um. Did you need something?' Blake asked, having hidden her treasure.
'Hmm? Oh yeah Adam is going to be back soon. I figured you might want to know,' Ilia said scratching her cheek.
'Really? I'll be right there,' Blake said as she jumped to her feet and checked her uniform.
'Um. Blake di-' Ilia started to ask shyly with a faint pink tinge forming on her freckles.
'Do you think Adam is still, you know, available? I mean I don't think he's dating anyone else. Not that I've been asking anyone,' Blake babbled cutting Ilia off.
'I don't think he's in a relationship now,' Ilia said with a sigh, 'Not unless you count Judith.'
'She's hardly a good team member let alone partner,' Blake said with a snort.
'Yeah. A good partner,' Ilia mumbled.
They both went quiet as their ears pricked up with the sound of an engine approaching. Exiting the tent they saw a Bullhead heading for the landing area. Blake set off dashing to meet it on the ground. Ilia sighed and started to jog after her.
The Bullhead landed a few moments before they arrived. This one didn't have the White Fang insignia on its nose to avoid attracting attention. Some generic company logo was painted in its place.
As the craft settled and its engines slowed the doors opened. A set of ramps lowered to allow its passengers off. Adam and a few others disembarked, some of the other faunus were injured and were leaning against each other. None lent on Adam for support; he strode straight off the ramp and left the wounded for the others.
'Adam,' Blake called as she ran over to him
Adam's head snapped around then he relaxed as he spoke, 'Ah Blake. How nice to see you made it back. How was the mission?'
'Oh it was nothing really,' Blake said with a faint blush.
'You're sure? We don't want you to get hurt,' Adam said resting his hand on her shoulder.
'Speaking of being hurt, what happened to the others?' Blake asked, looking past him.
Adam looked over his shoulder and grunted, 'It seems Schnee is upping their security. More androids than we planned for. We finished the mission though and casualties are another part of our struggle.'
'Is there anything we can do?' Blake asked as the injured headed to the medical tent.
'You can go to one of the nearby towns. Perhaps they would be willing to donate some medicine to the cause.'
'We'll get changed and take the Bullhead,' Blake said, pulling Ilia to her side.
'I. Um. Yeah we. We will do that,' Ilia said happily as she was wearing her mask.
But Adam shook his head as he spoke, 'I'm afraid not. This one's already due for an important mission.'
'Another mission? We hadn't heard anything about another mission,' Blake said deflatingly.
'It's important. We've got something big in the works. But I can't say more I'm afraid. Ah here comes the passenger now,' Adam said, nodding behind them.
Judith was walking over from the command tent area. At her side was a faunus Blake hadn't seen before. He wasn't wearing any kind of White Fang uniform. Instead he wore a blue tunic and matching cap with a pair of canine ears with stripes poking out.
Adam gestured for them to wait a moment then walked over having a word with Judith and the newcomer. After a few moments they split up once more the unknown faunus boarding the Bullhead. Judith and Adam walked over to watch the craft take off heading south.
'Who was that?' Blake asked.
'One of our brothers. His mission might change the way the world sees us,' Adam said with a hint of pride.
'I don't recall him being around here before now,' Ilia said looking at Adam.
'He normally reports and gets his orders remotely. But we wanted to give his latest assignment a personal touch,' Judith said with a smile.
'Well if it's for the cause. I wish him the best,' Blake said with a weak smile.
'Don't worry so much Blake. Everything is going to plan,' Judith replied, resting a hand on Adam's shoulder.
Zane had been worried about his father and Erwin. The last few days he'd been restless. After he finished work for the day he'd collect Erwin and they would head to the hospital.
Entering the recovery room where his father was he saw the same scene as each time before. Foist Serac was lying in a bed. A device affixed to his chest, they had called it a Stim vest. A small box sat on top emitting soft pulses of white light that flowed through the vest. The light formed hexagonal patterns as it flowed, if that was because of the material or some other reason Zane didn't know.
They would sit for a while and just talk about their day. Dr. Blerinca had said that spending time talking might help comfort him. Even now though as Erwin spoke softly about his art project Zane's eyes drifted to the drips next to the bed.
Rather than a simple bag there was a large multi bag rack. Each had a tube leading to his fathers arm where a set of needles let the stuff go directly into his bloodstream. Zane had asked one of the nurses if it was a bit much for an old man to take.
'It's standard for something like this. Most people who have Stim tech used on them don't notice the effect it can have on your metabolism. Your body burns through its reserves to achieve the effects. All those new cells need to come from somewhere. Too much without monitoring is a risk,' The man had said.
He guessed it made a kind of sense. They were pushing his body to fix itself whilst he wasn't able to eat. Zane glanced up seeing the time and tapped Erwin on the shoulder.
'Oh. It's time to go, Grandpa. I'll see you again tomorrow,' Erwin said, giving his sleeping grandfather a hug.
'That we will. Don't worry dad. We'll be here to see you when you wake up,' Zane said, patting his fathers hand before leaving.
The rest of the week passed in a hazy blur. But then the day arrived when Foist was due to be brought out of the coma. Erwin had been making a card for his grandfather and Zane had spoken with his boss who all but insisted he have the day off.
They reached the hospital and headed up to Foist's room to find it empty. Zane took a moment to look at the bed then around the room. Erwin looked worried as they walked to the nurses desk to ask about if he had been moved.
'Not to my knowledge. Let me see if they took him in for tests,' The nurse said, tapping at a terminal, 'Hmm. Strange. He's not down for tests nor do I have a transfer order. Hold on.'
The nurse leaned over and called over a DeeBee that was pushing a trolley past.
'Have any of you seen Mr. Serac?' The nurse asked the machine.
'Mr. Serac is currently in the garden with unit PB-GH-52,' The android replied.
'He's what?!' Zane snapped shocked.
'Mr. Serac is currently in the garden with unit PB-' The machine started to repeat.
'No. I heard you the first time. Can you point us the way?' Zane asked.
They were led through the building to the garden. It was in a courtyard with a set of paths winding through it. Of more interest were the two old men pacing the paths, following behind them was another DeeBee pushing a wheelchair. One was Dr. Blerinca the other was Foist.
'Dad!' Zane shouted running towards them.
'Zane. Erwin,' Foist called as he turned.
'Grandpa! You're all better!' Erwin cried tearing ahead of his father and impacting his grandfather like a small cannon ball,
'Oof. You're a bit happier than when we last spoke,' Foist said ruffling Erwin's hair.
'We came to see you in the room but they didn't know where you were,' Zane remarked.
'Ah. That would be my mistake. Your father woke a bit sooner than expected, must be this "Aura" am hearing about. He was about ready to try and walk out. I suggested he pace self first,' Blerinca said with a shrug.
Zane glanced at the old doctor but shook his head. This wasn't a time for anger.
'So how are you? Does your chest still hurt?' Zane asked his father.
Foist took a deep breath, deeper than either of his family had seen in a while.
'It's a bit tender and a little dry but otherwise I feel fine. Better than I have in a long while,' He said finally with a sad tinge to his voice.
'Dad?' Zane asked, resting his hand on Foist's arm.
'Oh I'm fine, just a bit of grit in my eye,' Foist said, rubbing his face. Tears had started to form.
'Grandpa. Are you hurt?' Erwin asked.
'Oh no. Sorry I'm just. Oh by the blessed shallows,' Foist said, becoming unsteady on his feet. The DeeBee moved into place behind him and he dropped into the wheelchair.
'Twenty years. Two decades of that, wretched feeling. Like the mines had stolen a part of me,' Foist said sobbing softly, 'Fixed in a week. A week. Ha. Ha. Oh it would be so much funnier if it wasn't so damned sad.'
'Feelings are normal. You have, what is phrase. New rent on life?' Blerinca remarked.
'Thank you. I. We can't thank you enough,' Zane said, nearly crying himself.
'You don't need to thank me. This is payment enough. Seeing how my work fixes lives is beyond any amount of money. Will give you privacy. When you're ready, come see me in office. We'll arrange discharge and after care.'
With that the doctor left them to celebrate the new found future and the hope it offered. He liked happy endings such as that. His wife said it made him a big softy but she still liked to hear him tell her the news at dinner so she was a big softy too.
He paused for a moment and smiled to himself, he would need to get that plaque made now.
Weiss was short of breath for a moment before she parried the next strike. Her riposte hit home with a clack of metal on metal.
'I yield,' Her opponent called from behind the fencing mask.
The two of them lowered their rapiers and removed their masks.
'I think that went rather well,' Weiss said smiling.
'You've definitely improved your fundamentals. Next lesson we can move onto more advanced portions,' Her instructor remarked.
'Thank you again for keeping the lessons discrete. I know this is a bit… unorthodox,' Weiss said as she returned the fencing equipment.
'Not a problem Miss Schnee. I feel I have an idea about the reasons for your request for fencing lessons when we're booked for the history of Atlas.' The instructor replied, packing the equipment away into a travel case.
'Miss Schnee,' Klein called, poking his head through the door, 'Your father has returned, I thought you might want to know.'
'Thank you Klein. We're already finished for the day but I do appreciate you letting me know. Would you see to next week's arrangements?' Weiss replied. Klein had helped her keep these sorts of classes away from her fathers attention.
'Of course Miss. I'll see to it,' Klein said with a proud smile.
She gave a final thanks and left to greet her father, no doubt he would be in a foul mood. However on the way she had to pass the courtyard where her mother was. Weiss had made sure to leave her heels off so as not to make a sound as she passed the doors.
'Weiss darling. Is that you? Can you come here for a moment,' Her mothers voice called.
'Yes mother,' Weiss replied. How had she known Weiss was even there? There was no view from the courtyard into the hallway.
Willow Schnee was reclining on a couch looking at the garden. The space alone would have been a luxury even for Atlas but with the scale of Schnee Manor this was a tiny portion of it. The space was enclosed and temperature controlled allowing an indoor garden to flourish. A slice of perfection, with a price tag to match Weiss had seen the heating bill.
'Be a dear and fetch me another bottle would you?' Her mother asked, holding up an empty bottle of vodka.
'Isn't it a bit early to be drinking, mother?' Wiess asked. She hated seeing her mother like this. Drunk and melancholic all because she never stands up to father.
'To be honest I hadn't looked at the time. If it's early, ask one of the staff to bring me something fruity then,' Willow said, waving her hand dismissively.
'Yes Mother. I'll have someone bring you a drink,' Weiss replied, turning to leave. She left out that she would leave it as long as she could before she asked though. It was a faint hope her mother might sober up enough to do something.
'Thank you dear. And give your bother my love,' Willow called turning back to the garden.
Weiss left quickly, no longer needing to hide her footsteps. Willow waited until she was out of earshot before she lifted her scroll and checked the cameras again. Klein had gotten her message in time to alert Weiss. If he'd arrived home and found her practicing any kind of combat skill he would be livid.
Content nothing was happening she checked Jacques schedule against Weiss's next lessons and sent the new dates to Klein. He would arrange the lessons for when her husband was away. She might not have the courage to face that monster down. But helping her children slip his grasp was something she had sworn to do as a mother.
He had managed to get Winter out but that had only made Jacques more controlling of Weiss and Whitley. Her thoughts turned to her youngest child. Jacques had been bombarding him with affection and tutors. No doubt he saw a miniature version of himself in the boy. She shivered despite the warmth of the room.
Watts knew this lead would be good. He'd managed to track down someone that would be able to help with his… problems. They were meeting in Mantel at his request, his hand the security system gave him the ability to move about unseen.
He'd taken an airbus down and set off for the old districts. The heating grid was out in this area, no doubt due to lack of maintenance, so few people were outside at all. None paid any mind to him as he walked the streets. His fur lined coat and demeanor likely made most think he was a manager down from Atlas proper.
Reaching the old warehouse had been easy enough. The rolling door was frozen open and looked like it hadn't been used properly in decades. He glanced around then down at his scroll checking the street cameras before walking in. There was a small group of people at the end of the road gathered around a small fire but no signs he had been followed.
He looked around the abandoned shelves and pallets strewn around the room. This place might as well have been the text book image for delict. Checking his watch he was ten minutes ahead of his contact. Enough time to get things ready. Reaching into his bag he pulled out several small cameras and set them about the room.
With his preparations made he retired to the office above to wait. After six minutes his scroll vibrated. One of the cameras had detected movement. He checked the screen and saw a pair of figures in tattered clothing walking towards the building. Strange his contact was meant to be alone.
Watts removed his revolver from his bag and checked the cylinder. A full twenty shots but any gunfire would attract too much attention. He lent against the wall and strained his ears to pick out the sounds of the interlopers.
'-ell you. I saw that guy come in here.' A voice said.
'I say you should lay off the antifreeze. There's no-one here. Let's go back to the fire,' Another voice replied.
'Hold on now. We haven't checked the office,' The first said.
There was the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Watts glanced around for an exit but the only way out was the door leading to the catwalk and he would be spotted the moment he set foot through the door.
'You look like you need some help,' A voice whispered from above him.
Watts snapped to look up. The ceiling tiles of the office were long gone and he could see into the rafters. A pair of golden eyes gazed down at him. Before he could respond the figure vanished into the shadows. There was a cackle of laughter that seemed to echo all around.
'What was that?' The second voice asked.
'I don't know and I don't want to,' The first replied.
The sounds changed as the footsteps started to descend the stairs. The laughter came again.
'Oh don't leave. I want to play. Let's play tag,' The shadowy voice said with a giggle.
Watts glanced down at the scroll and checked the cameras. The two figures were down the stairs and trying to run though the junk spread around the place. Then a flicker of movement on one view caught his eye.
There was a crash as something struck the door dislodging the ice. It dropped down before the two runners could reach it. They banged on it for a moment shouting in terror. Then he noticed the third figure drop down behind them.
'Tag you're both it,' The shadowy voice called with glee.
It was over in a heartbeat. A flash of movement and both the ragged figures dropped to the ground. The one standing over them did a twirl, flicking blood from a pair of blades attached to each wrist. Then turned and bowed to the camera Watts was watching from.
'Please do come down, Doctor. My Mistress is interested in your little plans,' The man called.