Okay! RGQC here! Back with another chapter for you all, and as I have said in the previous chapter, things will go differently. So, expect the fluff you're all used to being burned to cinders here.
Just a warning for you.
But before this chapter explains how things will go differently, there are comments to be addressed first!
Also, yeah. A part of me feels that I rushed with Blake and Jade kissing a bit too early now that I think about it in the previous chapter. But I'll just handwave that Blake acted rashly without thinking it through, and it worked out to an extent. In addition, Kali is also to blame for teasing her daughter so much about her attraction to Jade that it made her realise that she loves him.
DragonL0RD: Well… You did not shoot the dog. I did. Because this is part of my plan for the future of Jade's adventure, let's just say our little cat Faunus Protag, will not have a good day. As for the sensitive stuff, it is mainly because R*pe is kind of a Mature thing, yeah? I wasn't sure if it's appropriate since this story is tagged for teens.
BrimazKing: Yup! As for Jade's extended family, they are well… complicated. I'm not going to spoil the fun for you. :3
Fenrir's Fang96: Well… no story can get too wholesome (Though I liked it to remain that way…) Without characterisation moving on. So yeah, in the next few chapters, Jade's character will undergo some changes… Some great others… Not so much. And there is nothing like having a complicated background to make things interesting.
Don't you agree?
Gavinkurtmendoza990: Thanks!
Now that we're done with the reviews, let's get this chapter on the road!
As with all my other stories, I do not own RWBY. Only my OCs are in this story, while the rest of RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.
"The so-called 'heroes' of the world are nothing more than glorified superpowered mercenaries who can turn their back on their purpose if it suits them. How do I know this, and where's my evidence? Because my master was one of them."
- Jade Grayson on the topic of Huntsmen -
It has been weeks since Jade left Menagerie with his family to visit his grandmother on his mother's side, with the journey mainly on the sea before a few days on an airship. And it was a completely new experience for the little cat Faunus, who had never been outside his own continent for his entire life.
Until now, that is.
Even then, Jade was observant enough to see the dread on his mother's face, and she hid it behind a joyful look and assured him whenever he asked if she was okay. The thing is, Jade was not fooled by her assurance. The little cat Faunus could only wonder what was so scary about his grandmother to make her afraid of seeing her again.
That did not change the fact that his mother had begun to show visible signs of agitation as the days passed. Of course, Melo was there to soothe her, with little Bianca drawing most of her attention since the little bird was a needy one. Nevertheless, most of the travelling was safe sailing, and Jade got even more excited once they finally reached the shores of Anima.
Though he will never admit it, he quickly got bored on the ship after a day or two as there was nothing to see there! Just endless seas that stretch as far as the eyes can see, with every passenger keeping to themselves and his mother mostly staying in their cabin alongside Bianca.
Only his father was there to keep him entertained for most of the day before both would do a nightly spar on the deck once everyone had returned to their cabin to sleep and justified it as to keep the cat Faunus on his toes and not slip up on his training as long as both could keep it quiet to avoid attracting attention.
And that worked for the most part.
Of course, that changed once the Grayson family finally reached one of the outlying settlements with a dockyard in the continent of Anima. Jade could only smile as he had a taste of the local culture of Mistral, with its houses with sloped roofs and the locals wearing cloth robes similar to home. Then they had to board the nearby airship due for take-off quickly, and Jade could only find himself in awe.
For it was mainly made out of wood and metal, with wings and fins that were built to give the appearance of fabric sails supported by masts and spars that reminded the cat Faunus of the wooden ships he had seen just outside the shores of Menagerie fishing in the distance. Only this time, these ships were meant to fly.
Somehow.
It puzzled the little Faunus how such ships could fly since this was his first time seeing such a ship capable of flight. Of course, Melo has to tell Jade that all Kingdoms have their airships. It's just that the kingdom they're in mainly prefers this design for cultural reasons, even if it looks incredibly odd to a first-timer.
But that didn't last long after the airship took them to Mugunghwa, and the cat Faunus's confusion was replaced by glee as he felt the air blowing onto his face. Though… It still bothers him how much he misses Blake. Yes… To think that the both of them would admit to loving each other on the same day he was about to leave.
Jade could only feel how lonely he was without her by his side and how she must have felt without him by his side. Perhaps buying a gift back would be a lovely thing to do! He's sure Blake would appreciate it! Little did he realise that this trip with his family would not go how he expected it to go.
Not by a long shot.
Jade POV
It has been weeks, and finally! We're almost at Mugunghwa! I can see the town just up ahead on the deck of this airship with many others, and wow! It's so pretty from up here! I think I spotted some pink trees in the distance up from here! I giggle with Bianca in my mother's arms and father behind me!
Oh! I wonder what stuff they have there I can return as a gift for Blake!
Then, I felt another breeze wash over us as something white fell on my nose, which was cold! "What's this?" I blinked as more white and fluffy stuff slowly fell onto the ship's deck and all over the land below us. "Is this snow?" I couldn't help but ask aloud as another clump of snow fell onto where I was standing.
As a necessity from my mother, all four of us were wearing winter clothing we bought back when we reached the docks since it was surprisingly cold, and the locals told us that winter was coming days from now. Bianca was also covered in warm clothing with mittens and wrapped in another cloth to keep her warm.
I don't know why, but she reminds me of a burrito.
What even is a Burrito? Some sort of food?
I don't know.
As for me, I was wearing multiple layers of long-sleeved shirts and pants over me, as I also had mittens of my own and socks to keep my hands and feet warm. There was also this head warmer mummy got for me to keep my cat ears warm. Finally, I had the silk scarf Blake made for me wrapped around my neck.
Till now, I still haven't taken it off me yet.
Blake making it with her hands just means that much to me.
"Yes, dear." I heard my mother confirming me as a clump of snow landed on my little sister's cheeks before her red eyes opened in confusion, and she let out a slight, adorable whine. "This is snow. it's cold and soft and gets everywhere, especially when a snowstorm hits." That earned a chuckle from my father as he smiled at me while I looked at him.
"Reminds me of when my team was forced to hide in a cave because of a heavy snowstorm. It turns out a bear made it her home, and we happened to trespass on its territory. Yeah… we had to flee since it was worse than we thought, as it was a mama bear guarding her cubs there." Daddy nearly got into a fight with a bear? As in, the actual bear and not the Faunus bear back in Menagerie?
"Then what happened?" I ask as my father has a wistful look on his face.
"Well, we ran for our lives. She was pissed that we interrupted her sleep and happened to stumble across her kids, and we only succeeded at escaping her as I left some jerky behind as a distraction. And it worked! Soon, we found another cave to hide in while waiting out the snowstorm. Good times…"
Cool!
Who knew you could use food to distract bears?
"Are you forgetting the part where you and your team nearly starved to death? Didn't you tell me you dumped all your food supplies to distract that bear and not just the beef jerky?" Mother points out with a raised eyebrow. Wait what? Daddy nearly died because he gave all his food to the mama bear.
Father sputtered with his cheeks red. I think he's embarrassed mummy called him out. "What? I can't just tell our son that I nearly died in one of my adventures, now, can I? Besides, that's the life of a Huntsman. You live on the edge."
"Well, I just did. And I can't forget the other time your team decided to fight a tower of Ziraphe while cut off from help. Because clearly that was a smart idea." Mummy points out while I could only blankly blink before they both began bickering about his adventures while I was still there.
Ah… Okay. I think it's best I leave them to their flirting.
I turned and looked back at Mugunghwa growing in size in the distance.
I wonder where my grandmother is staying. Mummy has been very quiet about who she is or where she stays, except it is somewhere in this town. It is so alive from up here. And as I continued to watch over, I spotted what looked like a mansion similar to Blake's home. But it's made of stone and lacks the sloped roofs of the other buildings.
"Mummy, where does grandma stay?" I call out to see my mother perking up from my words.
"Your grandmother…" I noticed her gulping for a second as her eyes went over towards Mugunghwa. Is… Is mummy scared of Grandma? "She stays there…" She says as she points at the same building, I spotted a while ago. Also, is Grandma rich? How else can this be the reason she has a big home?
"Is she a nice person? Like Aunt Kali and Uncle Ghira?" I could only ask what and how my mother replied surprised and scared me.
"She is nothing like Kali." I noticed her body tensing up while cradling my little sister tighter. Though it was not tight enough to hurt her accidentally. "They may share a commonality over my familiarity with them. But my mother is NOTHING like Kali. Please do not associate your aunt with her." I… must have said the wrong thing…
Mummy would never behave like this.
Never in my life have I seen her act this way.
"Is Grandma really a horrible woman to make mummy call her nothing like Aunt Kali?"
I shrank, and my ears sank in response to Mummy's stiff gaze. "Dear, calm down." I watch as my father rests his hand on Mom's shoulder with worry in his eyes. "Remember what I said numerous times?"
"Yes… I'm sorry, I'm still worried about this."
"I will be there to protect you and our children."
Okay… I think Grandma must be an evil person to make Daddy swear to keep us safe. Perhaps I should be aware of her before I get close… Then again, I'm more worried about my little sister than myself. She's so tiny. I wonder what Grandma did to make Mummy so afraid of seeing her?
Eventually, the airship landed at the airport and we finally reached Mugunghwa and wow! It is even prettier up close! Yes, the airport is full of humans and Faunuses in winter clothing, but its designs look so good! "This is so cool!" I couldn't help but giggle with a smile as we walked through the streets towards Grandma's house. The roads are made out of square stone, and these lamps show bright lights that do not use fire!
I wonder how they do that?
Even the houses are made out of stone and have sloped roof tiles! Or at least that's what mummy says they are. Is this what the kingdoms are like? But why can't Kou Kanna be the same? It seems strange that back at home, everyone stays in wooden huts, but people have much nicer-looking homes elsewhere.
I wonder…
Is it because they can't make them or won't?
"Looks like our kitten is losing himself to the view." My ears perked up when I heard him muttering behind me. I mean, how can I not? This is my first time outside of Kou Kanna, and I see many things I had never seen before growing up there!
"Yes, it's rare to see him this excited over anything. I suppose it can get boring to see the same thing every day since you were born. Perhaps next time, we should take him out more often."
"Yes, please! I wanna see the kingdoms! Like the big cities like Vale, like what Blake told me about them!" My parents giggled at my outburst before I felt my father's hand over my head as he gently rubbed me. It feels nice when he and Mommy do that.
"Perhaps we can do that more often in the future."
"Mmm… That will be great."
With that, we spent another half an hour walking to Grandma's house, and wow! It's so big! Almost as big as Blake's mansion! But I wonder why mummy stayed so far away from her mummy. Maybe I can ask her later once she calms down…
"So… we're here… It's been so long, yet it never seems to change after twenty years…" I heard Mummy muttering as she held my hand while Daddy held my little sister. In front of us was a big gate that reminded me of Blake's mansion door. Again, it is similar but different, as this gate still blocks us from entering Grandma's house.
Also, twenty years?
Wow… That's long.
But it appeared that we didn't have to wait long as a woman wearing white and black with blue hair walked towards us before I picked up mummy gasping at her. What's so surprising about her? "Lady Amranth. It is good to see you again."
Who is she? And why does she know mummy?
"Leathad? Is that you? You've… changed." The woman I now know as Leathad nods her head slowly as I glance at her features. She's old. I think she is in her fifties? I dunno. But she's giving the same caring feeling that mummy would give to me and my little sister.
"Yes, it is, Amranth. Time does that to everyone, and I can say the same about you." She said with her eyes closed.
"Mummy, who is she? What's that clothes she's wearing?" I couldn't help but ask before I got my answer from my mother while that Leathad lady let out a soft giggle.
"Ah, Jade! Her name is Leathad. She's the housekeeper who has served my family for years. She was more of a mother to me than my mother before she… help me be free." She whispered towards the end, but I was still confused.
"Housekeeper? What's that?" I couldn't help but ask before Leathad herself spoke and caught my attention.
"I am responsible for the supervision of the mansion's staff. I've cared for your mother when she was younger when no one else would and assisted in her escape when she was old enough. Child of Amranth." Eh? Mummy was treated so poorly that she ran?!
"Uhm… Uh… Thank you for taking care of Mummy!" A small smile grew on Leathad's lips. Right, I should introduce everyone as well! "I am Jade Grayson! That is Melo Grayson, my Daddy and Bianca, my little sister!"
"I see you raised him well," Leathad said as she pushed open the gate while my mother's cheeks were red. Did I do something wrong? "Come, I'll take you to Mrs Evergarden. She wishes to see you all. But do not worry, Amranth, your mother has grown wiser over the years."
"She has?" My mother says with disbelief while Leathad confirms.
"Yes, she has long recovered from her hatred and trauma before she had you. Now, she seeks to renew relations between you and her. As for your half-brother…" Wait, mummy has a half-brother. Why hasn't she told me that I have a half-uncle? "I'd advise caution around him. His distaste for Faunuses hasn't… changed over the years. In fact, I suspect it has gotten worse."
Oh… That's why…
"No surprises there…" I heard my mother mutter as she gently rubbed her shoulder. "He was never one to forgive so easily. Why wouldn't that change?" She continues bitterly as we all follow Leathad into Grandma's mansion.
"It is understandable. Recently, my maids and I heard numerous arguments between your mother and half-brother over you. Your mother wants to fix what she broke between you and her, but your half-brother argues against such actions. A fracture has grown between them, and we fear he may try something rashly against you and your family."
Uh oh.
So, mummy's half-brother is angry at us? "But why? What did we do to him to earn that?" I couldn't help but ask with my ears sinking.
"Your mother's relationship with her family is complex, little Grayson. It is best if you do not concern yourself with it. It is for the best." Leathad advised while I fell silent.
"Oh…" A moment of silence went by before we entered the mansion and took off our extra layers of clothes because it was nice and warm inside. As we walked through the hallways, I felt the comforting grip of my parents before my father spoke.
"If he tries something, I will be there to stop him. I won't let any harm come from my family." And that's true! Underneath his winter clothing was his Huntsman uniform with his swords on his back! If anything were to happen, I'm sure he would save us. And if needed, I can fight back, thanks to his training!
"Understandable. We will join in as well."
"Wait, what?" Will they join in as well? Can they fight, too?
I heard Leathad letting out a soft chuckle. All maids under me were trained in how to fight. Rest assured that if anything were to happen, your father wouldn't be fighting alone." Huh…
"So… battle maids?" I blurt out.
Wait.
How did I-?
But before I could question why I suddenly blurted out those words, Leathad chuckled. "You have a smart boy, Amranth."
"Our pride and joy~." Mummy giggled before patting me on the head, and it didn't take long before we finally arrived at where Grandma was, I think. We watched as Leathad knocked on the door before pushing it open to show a woman who looked to be in her sixes on the other side of the room with pretty purple hair tied up into a bun, sitting on the chair doing paperwork, I think.
Her eyes were a shade of purple, and they glanced at us at the door before widening once she saw Mummy. "Amranth…"
"Mother…"
My mother whispered before her eyes ended on me, and I suddenly felt so small. There's just this feeling I get when she looks at me. It was as if she was trying to get a read of me so badly that I hid behind Daddy and away from her eyes looking at me.
"I see you've finally decided to see me after twenty-three years." She mumbled while we watched her stand up and extend an arm at the small desk in front of her, which also had sofas. "Come. We can have a seat and have tea, but first. I want to apologise for… everything I've done to you. I was a horrible mother, and I let my grievances over your… 'father' blind me."
Yet when I glanced at my mother, she wasn't scared like before but unnerving still. Her eyes and ears were twitching erratically, but the glare she gave her mommy was what scared me most. "Melo, take Jade outside with you and close the door. This is going to get ugly."
Knowing arguing with his wife right now is an unwise decision, especially in the current situation, Melo quickly evacuates the office with Bianica in hand. At the same time, the poor Cat Faunus is both confused and scared about what will happen, and once the door is finally closed, Amranth lets all her grievances out.
"Do you honestly think that an apology for EVERYTHING you've done will fix it? No. I can never forgive nor forget you for making my childhood hell! When I first received your letter, I was terrified that you found me. I wanted to be left alone after all the SHIT you put me through! And now you want to see me after all these years. For what?"
…
"Tell me. Why the sudden change and regret of everything you've done to me? Dianth." Amranth spat as if her mother's name was poison to her. Yet Dianth did not say nor do anything. She remained silent with her eyes closed as if contemplating a suitable answer. "You want nothing with me ever since I was born. Azim included."
The silence lasted for minutes straight until Dianth finally said something. "I've done so many horrible things to you. That is true." Amranth's mother's eyes open with the fire within mainly reduced to embers. "But as the years passed after you escaped, I finally realised something. You're not your father, and all those abuses by my hands were because I still projected my trauma of what he did to me onto you. You're my daughter and should have always been from the start."
Yet that did not change the boiling tension in the room, with Amranth's eyes drilling a hole into her mother's. But the rage in them was noticeably less than minutes ago. "Then what about my half-brother?"
"He... "Dianth sighed as if a wave of exhaustion washed over her. "He hasn't changed in the slightest, unfortunately. I have moved on from my hatred of Faunuses, but he hasn't. I fear he may try something against your family sooner than later." Amranth felt her body shudder from the abuses she suffered at the hands of her brother. Even more was the growing worry over her son and newborn daughter's safety.
"Ever since your half-brother heard of your coming, he and I constantly argued over you. I remember he promised to protect us from you even if there was nothing to protect. Part of the reason I had Leathad and her maids keep an eye on you is to ensure your safety."
"I see… Then we should leave now. I don't trust my brother to do anything to my family should we stay here any longer." She mutters with a wavering frown as she turns around, only to hear her mother calling her out.
"I understand. But… can I at least see my grandchildren? I mean, your children. Apologising to you was only part of why I wish to see you again." Amranth pauses. Even if she doesn't want to believe her mother's words over the pain she caused her, there is a small part of her that wants to think that her mother was earnest and has changed for the better.
Perhaps… Just perhaps…
Could they be mother and daughter again after all these years?
Amranth honestly doesn't know anymore. She has come to this place in fear over what will happen to her family should they see her family, and it has been forever since she returned to her hometown. Not much has changed, but there seem to be more Faunuses on the streets.
She can tell that her mother was being honest about changing her ways. "Very well. I don't see any harm, but try anything with my son or daughter, and I'm leaving this place and never coming back." Hearing her daughter's words made Dianth give a bittersweet smile.
"I understand."
Without even looking at her mother, Amranth opens the office door to see her husband watching over her son, staring at the few paintings on the walls. "Dear? You can come in with our kitten. My mother wishes to see her grandchildren. After that, it is wise we leave for our safety."
"Oh really? I was under the assumption we'd be staying with her for some time." Melo says as she walks towards his wife with Bianca in hand. "Our son has gotten quite engrossed in the artworks on display here."
"I understand. But my half-brother still hates Faunuses till now. Staying here longer than we should will only bring problems down the road."
As if it clicked in Melo's mind, his eyes widened in realisation and understanding. "Got it. Then let us see your mother and get out of here. Then how about we visit Mistral while we're at it? I heard they have a festival around the corner."
"That sounds lovely." Amranth couldn't suppress the smile growing on her lips before she called out to her son. "Jade! Come over here! We're seeing our mother, and then we're leaving for Mistral!"
"Okay!"
And so, the Grayson family walks into the office, unaware that Azim is hiding behind the cross corridor with his scroll in his ear. "Yes. They're in there now. Do as you are paid to do. Now get rid of those pests."
Dianth POV
I remain absolutely still as I watch my daughter bring in her children. I knew she had a son, but I wasn't aware she had recently given birth to another child. A young boy who I believe is ten years old with cat ears on his head. He appears to get my daughter's skin tone but his father's eyes and hair.
Once upon a time, I would have hated the idea of a Faunus bearing my blood.
But now that I see my grandchild, I can't help but admire how he looks much like his mother, even if her traits were less pronounced. And from what I can assume, his father is a snake Faunus if I were to guess from the patches of scales on his arms. I can never understand how Faunus biology works.
How does a snake and fox Faunus produce a cat Faunus?
One of life's mysteries, I suppose.
"Amranth, care to introduce me to your children?" I ask slowly as I get off my chair. I simply wish to have a closer look at them.
Yet, my daughter smirked as she signalled to her child, who quickly bowed at me. "Uhm… Hello, Grandma. My name is Jade Grayson. A pleasure to meet you." My, how well-behaved and mature he was for his age. How unexpected.
I gave a gentle smile as I walked and knelt before my grandson. "A pleasure to meet you, Jade Grayson. You may call me Dianth Evergarden. Or Dianth. It does not matter to me." I said as I watched my grandson's eyes widen.
"Mummy's surname was Evergarden? So Amranth Evergarden?"
"Yes… that's about right." I stood and gave a nearby maid a signal as she walked off. "I'll have one of our maids bring in some refreshments in the meantime." I watched as my daughter's husband passed her newborn child. But her hair is white, and her skin's unnaturally paler than usual. Is she affected by Albinism?
How curious… Many generations before me suffered the same disability. It's in our blood and now is in my granddaughter.
"Mother… This is Bianca. She's born with Albinism…" My daughter says guilty, as if I would be offended as she shows me the sleeping newborn in her arms.
"I suppose this will eventually happen…" I mutter and catch both my daughter and her husband off guard. "The Evergardens were known to have albino children occasionally. Your great-great-grandmother was an albino. Not like that stopped her when she settled in these lands and soon created a community that eventually became Mugunghwa as it is today.
A smile grew on my lips while my daughter stared dumbfounded at me. Soon, my granddaughter caught everyone's attention when she let out a small whine and opened her red eyes. "I never got to ask, what kind of Faunus is she? You never mentioned it earlier."
"She's a bird Faunus. But she was unfortunate enough to be born with only one wing." Oh dear. Now I can understand why she sounds so depressed. In addition, why is Marcie taking so long? She's not one to usually take this long…
Unless…
Something's not right here.
CRASH!
Something crashed outside my office, and I picked up someone fighting out there! "Everyone get away from the door! Now!" I order out as the door slams open to see my son walking in with several unidentified men.
Azim…
No…
"Azim. What are you doing here?" Dianth could only ask while baffled at her son as he walked in with a pistol and men wearing clothes she had seen before when they were here.
Bandits!
He let them into their home?!
"Brother…" Amranth murmured with her arms protectively around Bianca while Jade hid behind her, scared out of his wits, while his father drew his sword protectively.
"Amranth… You shouldn't have come back." Azim growls as he cocks his pistol with his eyes full of hatred and disdain for his half-sister and her family. Melo immediately responds as he steps in front of his wife and children.
"Put the gun away and have your men retreat from here. Or I will be forced to fight back." The Grayson Patriarch orders, yet Azim smirks when another man walks with a cloak covering most of his body except his face. Having bronze hair and a goatee, he has scars all over his face, with a notable one over his nose and teal eyes.
To an ordinary person, that man appears to be another bandit. But Melo knows that face to his horror. For that man is his partner after so long! "Harl?" Melo felt his arms grow weak and couldn't believe it. The man who betrayed his team and was responsible for the dissolution of the entire team now stood right before him after spending so long hunting for him before giving up after years.
Now he is here alongside bandit scum.
"Melo. What a surprise." Harl grins as if seeing an old friend for the first time in forever. "I see that time hasn't changed you much. Well… except for having a family."
"You know him? I wasn't aware that you worked with animals before." Azim snarled while Harl simply laughed at him.
"And what are you going to do about it? The original deal was to deal with these 'pests', as you call them." Harl points out before looking at his partner. "Besides, the world must be quite small for us to see each other again years later, buddy."
"After you sold us out to bandits to save your goddamn life! Coleen didn't make it, and Bress committed suicide afterwards, thanks to you!" Bitterness left Melo's lips before her snarls. "And now I see that you have become the very monster we were meant to go against."
"AZIM!" Dianth screeched out like a harpy and earned everyone's attention. "Why did you hire them?! Are you so desperate to protect us from a non-existent threat that you are hiring bandits?! They're no ordinary bandits! They're slavers! They steal children and use them as entertainment, and you allow them into Mugunghwa! Our town!"
"I'm doing what must be done, Mother!"
"No, you are not, boy!" Dianth hissed before turning towards her daughter. "Amranth! You need to get your family out of here! Now!" She orders before pulling out a remote and pressing it, triggering an alarm before fighting can be heard from behind as the maids under Leathad clash against any bandit that stands between them and their mistresses' office.
"Come on, dear! Let's get out of here!" Melo orders before a crack can be heard as Azim fires a shot at Melo's chest.
"Melo!"
"Dad!"
Amranth and Jade cried out to their husband/father as the Grayson Patriarch hissed while getting up while Bianca woke up and began bawling from the sudden chaos ensuing.
"You're not leaving here! Capture them!" Azim growls before Harl snorts and cracks his neck as he and the bandits with him stalk towards Jade and Amranth. "And keep your hands up where I can see them," Azim says before doing the unthinkable and pointing his pistol at his mother, who could only despair from how hard her son fell to his grudge against Faunus kind.
"Azim, please! This is going too far! How could you do this!"
"You've gone soft, mother. Compared to you, I'll do what needs to be done…"
"Mistress!" Leathad suddenly jumped over Azim and several bandits as she landed before Dianth, defensibly with a sword in her spear in her hand, pointing straight at her master.
"Azim, you will not harm your mother. You've crossed the line with what you did today."
"Get out of my way Leathad!" Azim pulls the trigger as Leathad deflects the bullets headed for her. While that was happening, Melo growled before drawing out Beta, an obsidian black short sword, and passing it to his son while gripping Alpha, a white sword. "Jade! Take this and defend your mother and sister!"
"Dad, but-"
"That's an order! Remember your training and if you can get out of here with your mother! It's too dangerous!"
"Don't let them escape!" Harl's orders echo in the office for all to hear. "Leave Melo to me! Capture his wife and children!" He orders before unfolding his halberd and clashing against his former partner, whose eyes were filled with rage.
"Jade! Look out!" Upon hearing his mother's callout, Jade felt his instincts take over as the little cat Faunus naturally dodged and slashed one of the bandits in the knee! Blood spilt out of the open wound as the bandit cried out before collapsing onto his still functioning knee while Jade froze at the sight of blood!
The little cat Faunus begins to feel sick to his stomach and stumbles back from the shock he is feeling. The stench of something metallic entered his nose as it finally settled in that this was no longer just a spar, and the little cat Faunus felt horrified that he had hurt someone!
But this did not last long before his instincts screamed again. He ducked underneath a club that was aimed at the back of his head and slashed the other bandit in the arm.
"Ah!" The bandit cried out while Jade gasped for breath as terror began creeping up his back. He's not ready for this. He was not ready to spill blood, even for self-defence. He was unprepared to be in such a stressful situation, with adrenalin flooding his veins to either fight or flight!
Jade was so distracted by his thoughts and the current situation that he failed to realise he had earned Harl's curiosity and attention with how he could fend off and injure his followers despite it being his first fight after he had landed a haymaker that launched Melo flying back into a wall.
"Boss! The police and Huntsmans are almost here! I highly suggest we retreat now!" The earpiece in Harl's ear rang out as he hissed before another bang echoed through the office, followed by a thump. Dianth's body collapsed onto the floor with a bullet wound to the chest, with Azim seemingly stunned with his arm bound by Leathad.
His eyes widened in shock at his dying mother on the floor.
"Mistress!"
"Mom!"
As for the ex-huntsman, he frowned before his eyes ended up on Jade fighting off more of his bandits by himself while Amranth was against the wall trying her best to calm Bianica, who had begun wailing loudly the whole time. There's no point sticking around here with the cops and Huntsman attracted to the carnage in the mansion. It's time to leave.
But before that…
There's an opportunity to get something out of this mess.
Amranth POV
"Melo! Get up now!" I could only cry out to my husband after witnessing my half-brother shooting our mother! I don't even know if this was on purpose or an accident, but please!
If there's a God out there! The Brothers! Anyone! Help us! Help my family!
I knew sticking around longer than I should be was a bad idea! Never did it stick to me for my half-brother to be this crazy to do this! He not only hired slaving bandits to get rid of us, but he also shot our mother! How could he? Does he seriously hate me so much that he's willing to go to such extremes to get rid of me and my family?
"I need to get Bianca and Jade out of her!" My daughter continues to bawl in my arms while I cradle her close to me. And my kitten, he's not only fighting for his freedom but mine and Bianca's! I wish I could do something, anything! I can tell he's terrified of what he has done to keep not only me but himself safe…
"Get away from me!" Hearing my son crying out made my head snap in his direction, and I saw my son slicing a bandit's throat open with his father's sword in a panic, with blood splattering all over his face. The whole office went silent except for the choking sound of a bandit drowning in his blood, and the realisation soon set in that everyone that my son had taken his first life.
I didn't want this to happen. "Jade…"
I did this to him… I forced my son to take a life to protect me, to protect himself when we came here…
I did this by bringing everyone here…
We… We shouldn't have left Menagerie to begin with…
I felt sweat pouring down my forehead as the bandits' leader suddenly appeared before my son and swung his halberd at him! "Jade, look out!" I cried out as I could only watch helplessly as my son turned with his father's sword up, and then I heard two sounds that shook me to the core.
The first was the sound of a sword shattering into pieces, and the second… was my son crying in agony after the halberd shattered his sword and slashed my son's face. "JADE!" Both my husband and I could only cry out to our son while he clutched onto his face after collapsing onto the bloodied floor.
"Ahh! Mummy! Daddy! Help me! It hurts! It hurttts!" I feel my body becoming cold and useless because I can't do much to help my son right now!
"Not bad for a child to wound five of my followers and even kill one of them." What is he- no… No! "I assume my partner has been training you?" He asked but got no response while my husband charged again from behind.
"Leave my son alone, you bastard!"
The bandit suddenly had his arm around my own with Biancia still in my hands, and I felt something sharp and cold against my neck! No! Please! Don't kill me! "Back away, Melo, or she and your daughter get it." No! Don't harm my daughter! I wanted to struggle, but I then saw my husband's eyes widen over my safety and to my shock, he stopped charging towards us and instead started begging for my life.
"Please… Harl. Let my family go. You don't have to do this. Just let us leave and won't see each other again… I swear it."
"I can't do that, old buddy. But I'm impressed with your son's combat skills. Seeing him not using them to his fullest potential will be a waste. Don't you think so?" No, you can't possibly want my son because Melo taught him how to defend himself! "I sense a fire within him just begging to be released, and I'll set it free. Even if I have to burn the weakness out of him."
"Get away from my mummy!"
Jade?
Harl suddenly shoves me away, and I find myself in my husband's arms. But what shocked us was our son fighting him off with a shattered sword on equal footing! And his face, oh gods… He has a slash mark vertically down his right eye and face, with blood pouring down his wound! Furthermore, I spotted tears in my baby kitten's eyes from the pain, but to my surprise, I saw defiance in his remaining functional eye.
"You will not hurt them!" My son yells as he dodges the halberd before jamming the broken blade onto Harl's back, only to hit an orange aura!
"Get off me, you cheeky brat!" Harl hissed, and before we could do anything, he slammed his back with my son in it against the wall, and I heard him cry out before falling on the floor unconscious! Jade! Don't tell me he hit your head against the wall hard enough to knock you out! I felt myself at the loss of breath while holding Bianca ever closer to me.
"No, Jade!" Melo cried out and charged for Harl to use our son as a hostage with a blade against his throat!
"Please! Don't kill him!" I could only beg with tears pouring down my cheeks, yet the reply we got from him was not what I wanted at all!
"Since you're so insistent on having him alive, I think I'll keep him as a pet." My heart stopped when he said that, and his eyes never left my husband. No… Please don't… "Alright, boys! We're leaving! Leave the wounded and the dead behind! They're weaklings if they were beaten by a child…"
"Get back here with my son, Harl!"
And then he and his bandits were gone. Just like that. With our son in hand.
I… I…
"No! Damn it! You are going to pay hell for that, you bastard! You hear me?!" Melo? I see my husband furious as he points his blade at my half-brother. Like it matters anymore… When does it matter what happens now with him? I think I'm going to have a heart attack at this rate.
But…
We failed our kitten.
We failed to protect him.
I failed him…
"Please be alright…"
…
Well, things just got dark…
…
And before anyone's asking, this was planned from the start. It was bound to happen and was foreshadowed numerous times in the past chapters before this. Let's just say that this is the end of the childhood arc of this story and move on to the life is pain arc or something.
I don't know. Still coming up with a suitable arc name for it.
I'm curious about your thoughts on this chapter since it's much bigger than any previous chapter so far. I'll make them shortish again in the next chapter.
Well, I'm done talking. If you enjoy this story and wish to show your support for more in the future, Follow and Favourite this story. And while you're at it, leave a review about your thoughts on this chapter. I want to know how you feel about it.
With that, I'll see you all in the next chapter. Please let me know what you think of this one!
RGQC out!