Evening came and so did team MACE's dinner along with Holland. With a grin unlike any other, he kept as close as he could to the bars holding the four girls. "Smoke's birdie should have made it to the Kingdom by now. That only leaves us with a week at max together now." He leaned against the bars and let his arms swing back and forth. "It's so sad." He sighed. "I don't think we've ever had such good lookin' prisoners before."
Kris stared at him for a moment. She was prepared to say something in response, but stopped herself when Kagami gently placed a hand on her thigh and squeezed.
"That so?" The jadette smiled back. "Well, we'd be lying if we said you weren't the best guard we've had so far."
"She's right." Cheyenne quickly added when she caught on. "You were even generous enough to bring us some nice sweet cactus juice with dinner."
"Yeah, well," he chuckled while reaching back to rub the back of his head, "what can I say? I'm a nice guy like that. I'd bring you some of Black's whiskey but he don't even let McCree anywhere near it."
"That's really a shame." The Faunus pouted as she lowered her head. "I'd really enjoy a nice cold glass right now."
"You drink?" Holland's interest spiked as he stood up straight.
"Of course." She glanced up at him and smiled. "What do you take us for? A bunch of kids?"
"Kinda. Yeah." He nodded.
Cheyenne let out a very quiet giggle and shifted around. "Oh, well, we're definitely more than just a bunch of kids."
As the two of them started talking, Kris leaned over onto her leader with a snicker. "She's way better at this than you."
"Shut up." She jabbed her in the side. "At least it's working." She then quickly eyed Elise. "Wait for my signal." The two silently nodded towards each other.
"Ya know," Holland waved his hand around a little, "I'm sure it's not nice staying inside there all day and night. Why don't you come out here for a little?" He eyed the other three girls. "If you play nice that is."
"I'm sure they can make an exception." Cheyenne eyed her friends before pushing herself up to her feet. Slowly, she stepped up towards the metal bars. "I would really like to get out of here. Even if only for a few minutes."
"Oh it'll be more than a few minutes." He chuckled while eyeing the door. With a growing grin, he unlocked the cell and held it open. Once the Faunus had stepped out, he quickly locked it back up.
Taking a very deep breath, Cheyenne turned around and softly smiled at him. "Aren't I lucky then?"
"You are indeed." Holland slowly approached her. Bringing one hand up, he gently ran his finger across her antlers. "These are really pretty, ya know?"
"Y-Yeah." She stuttered and bit her lip. She never noticed how sensitive her antlers were until now.
"Heh." He breathed out. He moved in a little closer before blinking as smoke appeared at his feet. "Huh?" He raised an eyebrow before letting out a harsh grunt as fists struck either side of his head. His eyes rolled back just as he collapsed onto the floor.
"Gods, dammit!" Elise stepped back and shook her right arm around. "I think I almost broke my hand I hit him so hard." She hissed.
"Yeah..." Kagami waved her hand around before eyeing Cheyenne. "You good?"
"Yeah." She nodded and smiled before holding up her tied hands. "Want to help me out?"
"Don't forget about me!" Kris waved her hands around inside the cell. "Not all of us can turn into smoke."
"I got her." Elise snatched the keys off Holland.
It was time to escape. Phase one was done; they weren't locked up anymore. Now on to phase two; they needed to find their weapons.
The group of girls silently moved throughout the camp under the shadows casted by the broken moon.
Pulling a tarp up, Elise's eyes widened a bit. "Oh my..." Her eyes lit up.
"What is it?" Kris whispered as she leaned over. Her eyes widened too at the sight of the modified hover bike. It looked like it was built to withstand all the sand. And there was a whole row of them. "Ooh..."
Grabbing the tarp, Kagami quickly pulled it back over the bike. "Maybe." She paused. They still didn't know how far Vacuo was. "Okay." She exhaled in defeat and eyed Cheyenne. "Help Kris get two ready. We'll find our weapons."
"On it." The Faunus nodded.
Unable to find their weapons on their own, Kagami and Elise both agreed someone had to have them. And that was most likely going to be the gang's leader, Black. Very cautiously, the two approached his tent.
Taking a deep breath, Kagami locked eyes with Elise before the two of them disappeared into smoke. They both reappeared inside the tent without so much as moving the flap. Kagami glanced around and took note of Black sleeping heavily and snoring with an arm behind his head and blanket only halfway covering his torso.
Elise reached over and silently tapped her. She eyed her before pointing with her eyes at a chest with a lock.
Her leader nodded back as they both slowly walked over. Each step they took nearly drove them insane. Their hearts pounded with fear.
Staring at the lock, Kagami glanced at Black. She waited for him to snore before gripping the lock and quickly twisting it.
It snapped.
Black shifted.
Both girls froze in place and stared at him. When they heard him snoring again, they both exhaled in relief.
Inside the chest were their weapons along with coins. A lot of gold coins. Grabbing one, Kagami eyed it curiously. Shaking her head, she set it back down and grabbed her gauntlet and sword. With them both on her person, she grabbed Kris' dual weapons as well. Elise quickly slid her rifle and Cheyenne's onto her back while grabbing the knife the Faunus made for her and her baton. Reaching in, Kagami grabbed Cheyenne's club and quietly closed the chest.
Just before they were about to leave, they flinched as they heard the tent flap open up.
Stepping inside, McCree scratched at his messy head of hair. "I hate when I gotta go in the middle of the night." He grumbled to himself. Blinking, he stared at Elise and Kagami. "Huh...?" He looked confused. Tired and confused. "Wha...?"
"Nope." Elise muttered as she placed a hand on her leader's shoulder.
McCree blinked very slowly as the two girls disappeared into smoke. "Ugh." He reached up and rubbed his face. "I think that pie I had saved went bad." He groaned as he crawled into bed beside his husband.
"What are you going on about?" Black mumbled as he shifted a little over.
"I dunno." He shook his head and closed his eyes. "Think I'm hallucinating. Those girls were in your chest then poofed into thin air."
"What?" He sat up slightly and stared at him. Looking over at his chest, his eyes widened at the broken lock. "What!?" He partially raised his voice. Tossing the blanket off him, he jumped up to his feet and grabbed his hat with a growl.
"How do you think we drive these?" Kris asked as she sat on top of the hover bike. She leaned back and forth to see how it felt.
"You are literally the only one of us who has ever driven anything." Cheyenne stared blankly at her before smiling. "How in the world am I supposed to know?"
"Hmm..." She tilted her head around. "Do you think it's like riding a bicycle?"
She shrugged. "I wouldn't know."
"Whaaa??" She looked over with wide eyes. "You've never ridden a bike before?"
"No? Not exactly." The Faunus blinked a few times before jumping at the sound of gunshots. "Well, now's a good time to learn." She hauled her leg over the hover bike and quickly turned it on.
Watching as the engine roared to life, Kris grinned and started the one she was on. She wobbled a bit as it raised up and off the sand. "Oh this is gonna be fun." She chuckled.
Sprinting around a corner, Kagami and Elise skidded across the ground. "Time to go!" The jadette shouted as she swung Cheyenne's club around to deflect a few bullets.
"Floor it!" Elise yelped as she jumped onto the back of her Faunus friend's hover bike.
Biting her lip, Cheyenne revved the engine and leaned forward just as they took off. Behind them, Kris took off with Kagami jumping on her.
Phase three: escape.
Coughing as he came running up, Black waved the kicked up sand out of his way. With a low and deep groan, he pulled his mask up and over his face. He grabbed a hold of a tarp and pulled it off a hover bike and immediately jumped on. "Let's go." He mumbled towards the four men behind him.
As the group took off after team MACE, Hawkes made his way over towards Holland. Staring down at the charming young fella, he sighed and picked him up. "You goofed this time." He patted his back. "Let's go get some ice for your head."
"He'd probably wake up better with a shot of whiskey under his nose." Asher stood with crossed arms in the doorway. With it being the middle of the night she only had on a crop top. Her thighs were bare with her pistol holsters over her hips. "Told ya we should have taken them more seriously." She scoffed while using her shoulder blades to push herself away from the frame. "But no, pa didn't wanna."
Blazing through the dusty wastelands of Vacuo, Kagami pulled her bandana over her face. She glanced over her shoulder and groaned before looking ahead. "They're catching up!" She shouted over the hum of the engine.
"I'm going full throttle!" Kris hissed back with squinted eyes. The sand was being kicked up and was scratching at her cheeks.
With a groan, the jadette looked over at her friends beside her. "Elise!" She glanced back at the incoming cloud of sand. Taking a deep breath, she eyed Cheyenne's rifle.
Elise furrowed her brow and blinked a few times back. The lightbulb in her head suddenly went off as she smiled. "On it!" Placing her hands on the seat, she pushed herself up and flipped her legs around. Now back to back with Cheyenne, she pulled out the Faunus' weapon. Switching the setting to fire Dust, she took aim.
Hori leaned forward with narrowed eyes as he followed his allies. Hearing the sound of a weapon being fired, he perked his head up. An explosion of high heat went off in front of him. "Shit." He bared his teeth. Locking up his wheels, he leaned towards the left. The hover bike's back wheel shifted around towards the front as he braced his left foot against the sand.
The burst of heat against the sand caused shards of glass to form. Realizing he wouldn't stop in time, he took a deep breath and placed both his feet on the seat. He took a moment to brace before launching himself up into the air just as the hover bike slid to a stop into the spiky glass.
With a calm expression, Hori flipped through the air and landed on top of a smokey falcon. With a frustrated sigh, he jumped off the bird and onto the back of Smoke's bike. "Get me closer." He heavily exhaled through his nose.
"Hm." Smoke glanced back at him. "You are angry. I can feel it. So will the Grimm."
"Do not patronize me." He narrowed his while reaching for his katana.
Seeing the duo coming for them, Elise swapped out Cheyenne's rifle for her own. She quickly fired shots to which Smoke swerved between. "Crap, crap, crap." She reloaded and went to fire again.
Gritting his teeth, Smoke gripped the handlebars tight. Behind him, Hori let the edge of his sword glide across the surface of the sand. He pulled his arm back once he was within arms reach and went in for a swing.
Suddenly, Kris swerved between her friends and the two men. With Cheyenne's war club out, Kagami swiped up against the katana. With the engine revving, the redhead spun around the men and caught up beside them.
Struggling to keep his balance, Smoke flashed a glare and growled.
"Heh." Kris winked knowing it would only fuel his anger more.
"Hm." Breathing in, Hori jumped up onto the seat and stood calmly. "Very well then." He spun his katana around.
With eyes widening, Kagami clenched her jaw and stood on the back of the bike with a little less balance. She spun the club back before holding it out towards him.
"Whoa." Elise blinked as she watched the two clash. She smiled faintly in awe before flinching and ducking underneath a few bullets.
"These guys really won't give up!" Cheyenne glanced over her shoulder to see McCree and Black with side arms out and firing away at them.
"You're telling me!" She took aim and went to shoot back. Though farther back she noticed a faint glint. Blinking, she lowered her weapon a bit before looking between the two gunslingers. Slowing her breathing, her finger gently scratched at the trigger of her weapon. She ignored everything else for a few seconds before suddenly firing.
At the same time, Snape fired from the back line.
Their shots collided between McCree and Black in a sharp but small explosion. Both men gasped and swerved while slowing down to regain hearing in their ears.
"Hmph." With a proud smile, Elise pulled away from her rifle and waved.
Blinking, Snape stared down his scope at her before sliding his rifle onto his back. "Nice shot." He mumbled under his breath before taking off on his hover bike towards them again.
Smoke glared at his partner fighting before his attention shifted to Kris. With a deep breath, he suddenly jerked the bike in her direction and collided it with the one she was driving.
Gritting her teeth, Kris swerved while desperately trying to find her balance. Feeling the weight of the bike shift, she quickly looked back. "Kagami!"
She knew she was going to fall. There was now stopping it.
Kagami felt her feet leave the back of the bike. Her eyes shot wide as she went midair. With a sharp breath, she breathed in and braced. Reaching behind her with her left hand, she pulled out one of Kris' weapons.
She let the blade extend while flicking her wrist. The straight edge flung out by its chain while she gripped the curved part tight. The blade lodged itself into the side of Smoke's bike and caused a few sparks.
Kagami let out a quiet shout as she retracted the chain. Flying towards the coyote Faunus, she brought her knees in and slammed her feet against his body knocking him off. Taking his spot on the bike, she only had a second to catch her breath before she twisted around and used both her friend's weapons to block Hori's katana.
With narrowed eyes, he braced his whole body against hers. Shifting his grip, he held onto his katana with one hand and grabbed a dagger from his belt and held it up.
"Hey!"
He glanced up just as a blast struck him and sent him off the bike in an explosion.
Lowering Cheyenne's rifle, Elise kept her eyes narrowed. "Don't even think about it."
Kagami flashed her a smile before quickly nodding. Feeling the engine of the bike begin to rumble badly, she eyed Kris. "I think I need a ride."
"Well I hope you can make the jump then." She teased. "I'm not stopping." She pulled in a little closer.
She quietly chuckled before hopping onto the backend of the hover bike Kris had. The one she was on quickly lost control and tumbled into a burst of fire. On either side of the fire, McCree and Black emerged.
"Why can't you assholes just leave us alone?!" Kris shouted as she dodged between gunshots.
"Y'all aren't being very nice now." McCree groaned as he emptied his revolver. He tossed it up into the air while reaching for a quick loader in his belt. He tossed it up just as he caught his revolver. Flicking his weapon back, the quick loader perfectly landed inside his weapon. "It's quite annoying!" He went back to firing.
"Says the guy who kidnapped us!!" Cheyenne glared back.
Looking over at her leader, Elise brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. "Got a plan?"
"Of course." She smiled back. She slid Kris' weapon away and gripped Cheyenne's club extremely tight.
Before she got the chance to explain, the ground in front of them began to rumble. Out of it, a dark smokey gray adult mole crab hurled itself out of the ground.
Kris didn't even get the chance to curse as the team crashed the two bikes they were one. Team MACE skidded across the ground in a swarm of kicked up sand. Coughing and groaning, Kagami slowly shifted onto her back. Feeling a boot collide with her chest, she grunted and fell back. Looking up at Black holding her at gunpoint, she groaned and closed her eyes.
Scrambling for her rifle, Elise pushed herself up to one knee and took aim. Though her arms quickly fell as she felt a revolver against her head. "Dammit..."
Still dazed from the crash, Kris slowly pushed herself up. She blinked slowly as she glanced up to see Snape with his weapon aimed at her face. Cheyenne slowly shifted around while on her side. She took a few deep breaths to calm her breathing. She went to get up only to gasp as Smoke grabbed her by the arm and jerked her up to her feet. With narrowed eyes, the archer held one of his arrows against her neck.
So much for escaping.
Farther back, way farther back, Hori sat on his knees in the sand with his katana in front of him. "I underestimated them." He lowered his head. "I am sorry. I did not expect this much of them." He placed both his hands on the blade of his weapon. He mumbled inaudible for a minute before he grabbed it. Slowly, he stood up while sliding his weapon away. "I will not let such foolishness happen again. I swear."
Day four of waiting for Volume 10 to be greenlit: I have never been filled with so much anxiety in my life. I would rather suffer through the infamous hiatus of Volume 9 than deal this these days of uncertainty.
*dies*
In other news, I started a... *counts* ...fourth writing project. Someday I'll finish one.