Disclaimer:
The works of Rooster-Teeth and their characters are their own and that of the mighty Oum. The only thing I own are the one-shot ideas that popped into my head and whatever OCs I would create for them. This is a work of pure fiction made solely for fun, constructive reviews will be welcomed, flames will be ignored. Any references to characters in real-life or fiction are purely coincidental. If I could make money out of my ideas, it would be nice...
Oum Damn It!
Date Published: 19 February 2023
Chapter Title: Fight Night by the Docks - Part 1
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Scene 1
The sounds of a flute playing were what told Jaune that he was in another one of those dream memories he had been having for some time. Having grown up in a town on the outskirts of the city, Jaune was familiar with the different instruments played during the late nights of the local bar, so he knew the flute being played was not one of the flutes used from his hometown. And the setting he was in was nowhere near Vale, that was certain.
Jaune turned to face the two people that were near a cliff overlooking the ocean with the sun setting in the distance, watching the man in some ceremonial warrior outfit playing the flute dagger that he had gotten from the cave, while his companion sat on a flat rock with a smile on her face as she listened to his playing. The tree they were under swayed lightly in the breeze that came from the ocean with some of the flower petals from it dropping down around them or blown back towards Jaune and to the mountains that reminded Jaune slightly of Vacuo mountain region.
The sounds of the grass rustling drew Jaune's attention to the side where a white furred wolf threaded along the path and paused next to him, the blue eyes looking upon the duo by the cliff solemnly. As the music reached a crescendo, the wolf threw back its head and let out a howl that appeared to resonate with Jaune's soul.
The setting was calming, almost surreal in the ambience.
And yet, why?
Why did it feel like this peace between them would not last long?
Why did it feel that this was the last time the man would be happy with the woman?
Why did it feel that the man would suffer in the near future?
Scene 2
Jaune let out a sigh as he walked about the streets of Vale, his mood affected by the dreams he had been having recently and the task he was handling at the moment. The dreams he had as of late kept giving him some form of heartache that one would associate to knowing that peace was fragile before the coming of war, and that it would tear loved ones apart without mercy. The first few mornings waking up from that had Jaune's team a little concerned due to the tears that were leaking out of his eyes while they tried to wake him up. Jaune had to assure them that he was not hurt but merely having dreams that made him sad. Nora had the weird idea of trying to make him happy in the form of giving him lots of pancakes and syrup, which according to Ren shaking his head, was just typical of her.
It was still nice of her to try and cheer him up.
And then there was the issue with Team RWBY, specifically Blake running away from an argument. From what he had gathered from a teary-eyed Ruby, the argument between Blake and Weiss had gotten quite explosive after a recent spate of robberies that implicated the White Fang trying to gather Dust for their militant actions. Weiss and Blake had been arguing all the way back to their dorms where Blake ultimately revealed her true heritage and her past links to the terrorist group to her team by accident. Without giving them time to compute that information, she went out the window and fled the campus. That had been 2 days ago and Ruby had to ask his team for aid when she did not appear on the second morning. So far though, they had no luck finding her in the city.
"What a mess this is." Jaune sighed heavily as he paused at the fountain by the road junction leading to different districts. "It is like trying to find a needle in a haystack."
"You can say that again."
"WAH!" Jaune jumped high before turning to face Nora. "Damn it, stop doing that!"
"Aww~ but how else am I going to see you jump so high with such a high voice?" Nora smiled cheekily at him before yelping from a hand chop on her head.
"Nora, be nice." Ren admonished her. The girl whined while cradling her head.
"This is a problem." Pyrrha came forward at this point, being the most dressed out of the lot in order to hide her identity and move about unnoticed by possible fans and paparazzis. "She had a two day's head start, and she is likely staying low to not get spotted by any of us."
"And she is likely to be very stubborn if she wants to prove a point." Ren gave that comment.
"Okay, let us think about this." Jaune clasped his hands and placed his chin on them. "We know that she is trying to find proof that the White Fang is not doing the recent spate of Dust heists. Given her apparent links to the group, she would know best their methods and what are their likely targets around in the city."
"Ruby told us that Roman Torchwick was more likely to be the one dealing the robberies since she bumped into him." Pyrrha observed their surroundings while they talked it out.
"That's what I don't get." Nora chimed in with a serious expression and tone for once. "They keep hitting the stores for the Dust, and not once take the money or other valuables. Even the store documents would be more useful in the long run."
"Not to mention the other stores are getting tighter with their security with each break-in." Ren spoke up. "The police are currently keeping an eye on the upscale parts of the city where the Dust stores are selling the higher grade Dust rounds and other types." Jaune hummed before pulling out a map that had the stores marked by Ruby to show which stores were hit.
"The pattern indicates they are going to the more wealthy side of the city." Jaune had a finger on the latest target before moving along to the district boundary of the city. "It would be logical to think the next target will be the big stores."
"You don't sound convinced." Ren observed.
"I am not sure, this feels a little too linear and too obvious." Jaune tapped his finger. "And if Roman Torchwick is actually involved, would he really go for small stores? He seems very…" He waved his hand trying to find the correct word.
"Theatrical?" Pyrrha supplied a word and got a finger in return.
"Exactly. I have seen this guy a couple of times on the television while coming to Vale, and what little I know, he thrives on the attention placed on him especially when he can get away with it low-key. Yet these attacks are not his style. He wants to beat the police and those chasing after him, and he wants the public to know who is the one doing it with minimal bloodshed." Jaune hummed as he straightened his back.
"A diversion." Ren supplied the idea.
"That makes sense. With how the police force is dedicating their strength to the case, and recently a couple of semi-retired Huntsman came out to help out, odds are good that any spot that is lacking security will be targeted by other groups." Pyrrha mused.
"And if Torchwick or the White Fan is working with someone, they would go for those other Dust stores that are not being protected." Nora spoke. "Still, it is weird he keeps going for Dust Stores. Dust rounds and grenades are one thing, but the quality of Dust Crystals from these stores are not the best."
"We are only going in circles trying to think what he is doing." Pyrrha shook her head on this. "Unless we can get a definite spot to look out for, we are forced to try every store." Jaune hummed before perking up.
"I might know someone who can do that."
Scene 3
"Erm, Jaune?" One could hear the hesitation in the query made by Pyrrha.
"When I first came to Vale, I arrived a few months early for the initiation and needed a place to stay. That also meant that I needed a job to pay the rent." Jaune answered as they made their way to a famous nightclub in one of the more questionable districts of the city. "For a while, I was the bartender and waiter for this joint."
"Based on the location, I would imagine this would be a place for others to get information. Legal or otherwise." Ren commented.
"Oh, this is just like that TV series Ren and I watched the other day." Nora seemed excited at this. "We are like that group of detectives who need information on some cases, and the only way to do so is to go into the depths of the criminal underworld and find the boss to chat with." In a blink of an eye, Nora somehow got a trench coat, a fedora hat, and dark glasses. "Let's go get some information, boys and girls!" Jaune and Pyrrha blinked at this before turning to Ren.
"Don't, you can save your sanity that way." Ren just moved on with Nora following. The other two looked to each other and shrugged at yet another attempt by Nora to break some fourth-wall she could see.
"I just hope they are able to help us on this search." Pyrrha spoke as they got closer.
"They should, the manager always has a finger of most if not all that is going on here in the city." Jaune answered. The spartan turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "What?"
"If I can be honest? I am having a hard time equating you to a place that as Nora would put it, belongs to the criminal underworld." Jaune chuckled in good humor at that statement.
"Well, when I came to Vale, I was a little down on my luck. The travel fare to come here was not the cheapest even though I chose the economy class." Jaune talked as he looked at the evening sky. "I could not find a Lien exchange machine and had to hold back a couple of meals. So there I was in the park a day after my arrival in Vale, trying to stave off my hunger with one of those cup noodles when this big guy with a manly beard appeared and looked at me like I was a hobo." Pyrrha smacked a hand to stifle the giggling from that description. It was rude, but she could not help the image that popped in her head.
"Laugh it up, Pyrrha." Jaune rolled his eyes at her reaction. "Anyway, when he saw me like that, he pretty much dragged me to the club, gave me a meal and asked what was the problem. He then got me doing various odd jobs there until I could find my role in that place. Even though I was already planning to go to Beacon, he still offered a spot for me in the event I ever needed a part-time job. I also offered to come and help him out if he needed a spare set of hands."
"That was nice of him." Pyrrha nodded at the gesture.
"There is that, the other reason is a lot funnier." Jaune chuckled as he considered what he had been told back then. "It has to do with his nieces."
"His nieces?" Pyrrha blinked at that odd remark.
"A pair of twins who worked at the club as part of the security. Same age as us. Apparently I am the only one in the establishment who can make the perfect drink for them and they were not pleased that I was leaving for Beacon, so their uncle was effectively begging me to come back every so often to make them the drinks before they got cranky." Jaune shook his head at the memory. "They also tell me that if I needed to take up bartending, they got the place warmed up for me."
"Is that so?" Jaune blinked at the odd tone and turned to look at Pyrrha, slightly shivering at the closed eyes smile expression she had while the aura from her Semblance was lightly coating her, giving her a very scary disposition. "How nice of them."
Why was she acting like this?!
"Hey guys, are you coming or not?" Nora called out to them, prompting Jaune to move along and thanking her mentally to break Pyrrha out of whatever mood she was in. He did get a bit of a surprise when he arrived at the front entrance; the club looked like it got hit by a hurricane and had a few scaffoldings in place for both the repair work and to supposedly hold the wall itself. Then the guard by the door yelped at the sight of him and rushed in with the door slammed and locked shut. He blinked slowly before turning to the others who looked at him the same way.
"I thought you said you were welcomed?" Ren asked.
"I did. That is an odd reaction." Jaune scratched his head. That had to be a new guy that came in after he left for Beacon, otherwise it would not have garnered that type of reaction. The doors unlocking brought him back to another man in a similar suit looking at his group.
"You idiot, that is the wrong blonde!" That one yelled back into the room. "For one, this one does not have long hair or those gauntlets. And two, that is a guy, he has no tits!" Jaune sputtered at that proclamation that drew some curious eyes at the scene going on. Pyrrha blushed at the crude manner the guard spoke while Nora laughed her head off. Ren remained mostly the same but had a gleam in his eye that may explain how he could handle Nora at her absolute craziness.
The man shook his head and looked at Jaune. "Sorry about that, Jaune. We have some new hires and they were told to look out for someone with blond hair."
"No problem, Kay." Jaune waved at the guard as he opened the door fully to let him in along with his team. "But what happened here? Did someone set off a bomb or something?" Kay scowled heavily at that query.
"Some crazy broad came roughly three weeks after you left. She strolled right in without a care to ask the boss something, and when she did not like the answer, decided to attack him, the twins and the guys, along with wrecking the club. We can't go after her because she is one of those students from Beacon, so we are having issues with the insurance company." Kay raised an eyebrow behind his sunglasses. "Don't suppose you know her?"
"Damn that sucks. What does she look like?" Jaune asked, upset that his former workplace got wrecked like this.
"Blonde female, roughly the same age as yours with long hair. Dressed in a jacket, singlet top that showed off her belly and parts of her chest, tight shorts that showed off her legs. Weapons are shotgun gauntlets. Oh, and she has a mean temper with a right hook to match." Kay answered as he went to grab something, not seeing the expressions being exchanged between the four teens and quickly smoothing their expressions when he turned around.
"Sounds like a few of the seniors. They do like to dress dangerously." Jaune gave his best poker face while scratching his chin to give the impression that he was considering the description. "I can look out if you need."
"Thanks, the boss really wants to sue her for the damages." Kay thanked Jaune before opening the other door to the club. "Watch your step, we are still fixing the floor." The team saw what he meant when they laid eyes on the wrecked floor and partitions to keep people away from the equipment used to repair the columns. The stage itself looked like someone invited a pack of Beowulfs to trash the place. One thought went through their heads at the sight.
'Damn it, Yang!'
"Hey you lot! Look who has come to visit!" Kay called out to the other guards, his voice carrying easily in the club space without any music being played. Pyrrha, Ren and Nora stood by and watched Jaune getting swamped by a tidal wave of black suits and red ties as each one of the men greeted him enthusiastically like a favorite nephew, customer, and even gopher. What was amusing to them was how Jaune was able to identify each and every single one of them perfectly despite all looking exactly the same with the exception of the DJ having a bear suit on for some reason. It took a couple of minutes before they could make their way to the bar area where a big man was standing with his arms crossed and dressed in a manager's suit, likely the boss of this club.
Jaune was right about one thing, the man had an impressive beard if Ren said so himself. Nora had a look in her eyes that spoke of her thoughts of Ren having one.
"Jaune." The man's voice was deep and rough with tinges of amusement as he looked down on the young man. A brief standoff between the two and the man broke into a smile while grabbing Jaune's shoulders to look at him before giving him a hug which he reciprocated happily. "Fancy seeing you on a weekday. Trying to ditch school?"
"No, Boss." Jaune answered as they broke the hug. "Just trying to find someone who had ditched school for a couple of days. The professors are not pleased with it and as my group knows this person, we have been tasked to find her." The others nodded as part of their silent agreement to let him do the talking since he was more familiar with the owner.
"Ouch, to be arrested for truancy. That is a strict academy." The older man remarked before turning to them. "So, this is your team?" Jaune nodded as he turned.
"This redhead is my partner, Pyrrha Nikos." The young woman waved to the man with her "newsworthy" smile, while the man nodded respectfully without the usual fan behavior that she hated, which was nice. "My fellow male buddy, Lie Ren." Ren slightly bowed and to his surprise the older man gave the equivalent bow that he knew from Mistral. "That is his partner, Nora Valkyrie."
"Hi there!" Nora cheerfully greeted the manager who grunted at her enthusiasm but gave a reassuring lopsided smile.
"Guys, I would like you to meet Hei Xiong, aka Junior." Jaune introduced the older man. "He is the boss of one of the most popular clubs in Vale, and the guy who helped me out."
"Oh yes, the kid was really down on his luck when I first met him, acting like some hobo while eating his cup noodles." Junior acted like an old man recalling some history of his youth, ignoring the whine from a blushing Jaune and the cackling by Nora at the possible blackmail. "He was shivering like a leaf and having a hard time getting an apartment or a hotel room in this area due to the time of the year. Since it was the time when potential students started coming to Beacon, all rooms and apartments would be snapped up instantly if not booked well in advance." Ren and Nora nodded at that part since they too had to do that on their own, "So I brought him over and set him up with a hot meal which he fell upon like a dog that has not had a meal in ages."
"Boss…" Jaune let out a whine like a dog. Before he could continue, Jaune had his eyes covered by a pair of hands.
"Guess who~" Jaune felt shivers down his spine when someone spoke very close to his left ear with the breath tickling them. He faltered a little before he caught the scent of the perfume.
"Is it Militia and Melanie?" asked Jaune.
"Aww, how'd you guess?" asked the one on the right as they let go, prompting Jaune to turn and find the girls that worked in the club.
As expected of twins, the two girls were identical in general appearances with dark hair with straight fringes covering their eyebrows slightly, green eyes and pale complexions. Outside of that, the two wore different colors to differentiate themselves, provided people actually paid attention to them. Melaine was the long haired twin that wore white as her primary color, with an off-white, strapless dress that transitioned to a cyan towards the skirt having a cyan layered feathery tulle that hangs longer than the dress and a small bow in the top center part of the dress. White thigh high boots drew attention to her long legs, and also the bladed heels that Jaune remembered having discouraged many a hormonal male wanting to score with her. And finally, her accessories included a white flower-shaped pin on the left side of her head above the ear, and the white-feathered scarf that she always wore even on hot days.
Militia was the twin who had short bob style hair with the preference for the color of red, evident with the red strapless dress that had patterns of newspaper headings written in black, red and dark lace lining the skirt of her dress. A pair of dark thigh-high boots and black heels and soles accompanied the lacy black stockings that peaked out of the boots and garter belts that went below her skirt. Her accessories include a large long wing-like red feather and two short white feathers above her left ear, a short black fur shrug held by four beaded chains with a white gemstone in the center, and most importantly, a pair of black fingerless forearm length gloves with red lining around the tips of the fingers that would normally carry a pair of long claws used to fight off other people.
"Your perfume gave it away," replied Jaune, "You two are the only girls I know that use that brand. Actually, you two are the only girls I know personally outside of Beacon ever since arriving here. Which is a little problematic now that I think about it." Jaune tilted his head considering that.
"Hmm, are you implying something?" asked Militia coyly as her hands traced Jaune's jaw.
"Perhaps you should go out more," suggested Melanie before raising her leg, touching Jaune with her legs, sliding it up and down his legs, "Or perhaps you prefer just having us?"
"Uh oh." Nora spoke softly while looking at Pyrrha who was sporting that odd black aura around her body as she looked at the girls with a very scary smile. Ren had the same thought as he slowly walked away from her. The two looked at each other before Ren nodded.
A distraction was needed for the greater good!
Junior raised an eyebrow at the exchange but kept silent in favor of the sheer amusement of watching his ex-bartender getting flustered by his nieces.
"Erm…" Jaune coughed while moving away. "I would like to introduce you to my team. This is my partner in Beacon, Pyrrha Nikos. The other two are Lie Ren and Nora… Valkyrie?" Jaune blinked to find the girl in question only for Ren to point out the girl trying to look at some equipment without proper procedure. "Dang it, Nora!"
Jaune went to help Ren reign in Nora, leaving Pyrrha and the twins to look at each other with tension building to have Junior and the men scurrying away.
"So, you are his partner in Beacon?" The white-themed twin asked.
"Yes, nice to meet you." Pyrrha greeted them with her "competitor" smile, one that was returned in full by the twins.
"Does he know how popular you really are?" Militia asked with a raised eyebrow.
"He only knows that I did some competitive fighting before coming to Beacon, that I am very good at fighting and that I work with some commercials. He does not know the full story." Pyrrha answered with a blush. "Please don't tell him about it. I want to ease him into it slowly."
"Don't worry, we won't. That boy is adorable in a clueless sort of manner." Melaine cupped her cheek with a smile. "He does not really consider how his obliviousness is endearing in some situations. So it would be best not to get him worked up."
"And he wonders why so many girls kept flocking to him when he was here making the drinks." her twin huffed at that memory while rolling her eyes. "Even if he sucks in flirting, it is almost endearing."
"We can talk a little with each other later, I think they need help with their hyperactive partner." The trio turned to find a frantic Jaune and Ren trying to handle their crazy team member who for some reason was wanting to hug the DJ with the bear mascot head. They exchanged nods and proceeded to help the males out, with Jaune bowing and apologizing to the DJ. That was when Junior came along to direct them to the private room near the storage section, waving off the twins as he handled the business. They only left after getting Jaune to promise to come back later and make them their favorite drinks, while their uncle was giving him a speculating look.
Oh boy.
"Okay Jaune. Now that we are done with the pleasantries." Junior looked his previous employee in the eye once the twins shut the door. "What is really going on here? I do not think truancy would warrant this type of search." Jaune merely gave the man a wry smile and a sigh.
"We are not joking about the truancy issue, but you are correct in thinking there is something more to it." Jaune scratched his head while considering his words and apologizing to Weiss in his head. "You see, the person we are looking for had an argument with a Schnee on campus in regards to the recent surge of Dust robberies. There was word about it being done by the White Fang and the Schnee was being her usual cheerful self when it came to Faunus in general." Junior nodded at that, having experienced that from the current head of the Dust Empire. "Our friend who is a Faunus was understandably upset and left the campus stating that she would find proof to prove that it may not be the White Fang and in turn, Faunus."
"You believe that she would attempt to find the one conducting these robberies and bring them in." Junior stated as a statement.
"Yes, and while normally we would be able to calm her down, her argument with Schnee had gotten a little… out of hand." The other three behind him winced at that understatement, unknowingly helping his case. "The problem we are having is trying to figure out where to find her. Our best bet may be Dust stores, but that is a little problematic since there are a number of them in the city and if we were to base it on the stores that were hit, there are no specific placements. We think that the earlier hits were red herrings meant to divert the cops away from the actual target. And considering the location of the club…"
"You approach me to see if I have some possible ideas based on my clientele." Junior crossed his arms. "I figured you know, if not guess my other occupation." Jaune shrugged.
"It's a little hard not to when I keep seeing certain people approach you while I man the bar." Junior scoffed at that reply.
"Fair enough." Junior paused before continuing "No offense Jaune, but I do not want you to know too much on this side of the city." Junior raised a hand to stop any protests. "Understand this, you are currently a Huntsman in training, and I am a bar owner with shady connections to the darker aspect of the city. If people find out before you graduate from Beacon, you could potentially lose your license."
"I just need some idea to find her." Jaune lightly pleaded with him. "My team and I could try and follow all the shops and guess the next target, but something about the targets feels too linear for them to be a coincidence. Maybe I am wrong, but I could really use some advice, and if I had to get it from a man who has connections to the underbelly of the city, that would be helpful." The older man moved to the window and stared out to the city as the sun was waning in the distance. The others kept silent with some effort on Nora's part.
"If I do this, Jaune, you owe me a favor." Junior turned back to Jaune with a stern expression. "And I do not mean the 'buy me a drink' type of favor. I am talking about a potentially illegal type of favor, the type that could land you in jail. I will be nice and make only you, not your teammates, be the one to repay me. Do you understand?" Pyrrha and Nora looked ready to refute while Ren seemed reluctant but more understanding.
"I do." Jaune nodded with a grim expression. Junior looked at him for a moment before closing his eyes briefly and then nodded slowly.
"I do not know who is the one really doing this, even if it has Torchwick's fingerprints all over it." Junior talked as he moved to grab a map of the city. "He came to me briefly for some manpower that got taken away without compensation. I wanted to know what he was doing so I went to tap some connections. What I have heard is troubling. Torchwick is working with some group that keeps on grabbing the Dust repositories from the stores all over the city, and it does not seem to matter whether they are of poor quality or top grade, they will just take it."
"Are they trying to build an army, or a big bomb?" Nora asked in a serious tone.
"Not sure, but given what I know of the stores, both are possible." Junior answered. "In any case, the stores would not be able to provide enough to fund an army unless they attempt to rob every store in the city, but that will take a long time. As for making a bomb? The amount would maybe take out a few city blocks, nothing too major unless they aim for power plants."
"They could be going for a bigger source of Dust then." Ren stated. "One that would yield good quality."
"Somewhere like here." Junior pressed a finger on a spot on the map. "The ports are a point of entry for a lot of trading, but the SDC has their own personal port for bringing in fresh supplies of Dust crystals. I am talking more than just regular Dust for your equipment, I am talking about high-grade crystals with over 90% purity the size of your fists."
"Yeah, that would be a good spot." Jaune looked at that. "But security would be tight."
"Unless they would not expect it." Pyrrha came forward and used her finger to point out other spots on the map. "If the assumption is true, Torchwick is doing everything he can to draw attention away. What are the odds that he has people ready to grab the Dust while he robs another store, or vice versa?"
"Smart girl you have there." Junior nodded. "I heard on the grapevine of a big shipment of Dust coming up by the docks tomorrow night. They will only be there for a few hours, so if someone wants quality Dust, that will be the time to grab them."
"Only one way to find out." Jaune straightened his back. "Thanks for the assist." The others were already moving to the door when Junior placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Jaune. A quick word with you." Jaune paused to let the others move on before closing the door and turning back to the boss.
"Jaune, I will be frank with you. There is something big going on in this city that I do not know about, and whatever I do know, I don't like it at all." Junior took out a cigar to light it, taking care to be near the window for the smoke to leave the room as he knew Jaune could not handle the smoke. "I have been getting odd movements in other parts of the city, and the other groups are getting restless."
"Do you think it could be a rival gang?" Jaune knew that much about major cities, they would always have rival gangs in the darker parts.
"That's the thing. There is no word on such a gang." Junior let the smoke out before continuing. "Whoever it is though, seems to be making them very nervous. Torchwick for one is acting really weird around this one. I know him enough to tell that he is actually afraid of this person."
Well, that was mildly concerning.
"Keep an eye out for trouble, okay kid?" Junior came closer to place a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "I do not know what is coming, but it is making me a little restless. And I do not want my nieces on my ass if something happens to you." Jaune gave a smile at that as he placed a hand on his once boss's shoulder.
"You got it, boss. That is a promise."
And he intended to keep it.
Scene 4
"So Blake is going to try and enter a restricted Dust Supply Port, hoping that the White Fang would not come to that spot?" Yang slowly shook her head at this piece of information granted to her team by Jaune's group when they returned to the academy. "Damn it, that girl is really getting desperate."
"And foolish." Weiss huffed at the information and the stares she got from the others. "While I still think the White Fang are involved, she has to know that going in on her own would likely result in her getting injured if not dead."
"What are we waiting for? We should go to her now!" Ruby stood up with her arm raised.
"Hold your horses." Jaune raised a hand. "First off, the shipment would only come tomorrow night. We still have time to plan our actions. Next, we need to consider what to do. This will be primarily a rescue mission to get Blake out of whatever she will get herself in."
"But we can stop the bad guys right?" Jaune had to sigh at Ruby's innocence.
"Ruby, we cannot afford to get carried away. Blake is the objective, not the robbers hitting the Dust. Sure, if they end up getting in the way, we can stop them and knock them out. But Blake is the person we are going to save from getting herself over her head, okay?" Jaune looked at Ruby with narrow eyes in regards to her fidgeting. "Ruby?" The girl winced at the tone that Jaune found useful in ensuring little sisters listen to their older siblings before they tried something very bad.
Bit of a low blow, but it worked.
"He is right, Ruby." Yang pitched in at this point with an arm around her sister. "As much as I would love to knock a few heads, we are doing this solely to get our friend back. Let's not test our professors' limits, okay?" Yang directed a minor glare at Weiss who snorted at that statement. "Not to mention someone needs to have a long discussion with her." Weiss winced at that and everyone's looks at her.
"Oh very well, I will talk with her." Weiss huffed while crossing her arms and looking away. "I do feel that this is getting out of hand for our argument. But I still hold reservations on her." Jaune looked at his team and shrugged. At least they were getting somewhere.
For the next few hours, they went through what they knew of the robberies and possible groups that could impede their mission ranging from rival gangs to White Fang to other terrorists. Ren, Nora and Pyrrha went through the logistics of their ammunition to ensure they had enough or at least to know if they need to grab more later while Ruby, her team and Jaune tried to map out the best spots for the port. "Guys, I think we need to consider whoever is grouped together to keep an eye out for Weiss," Jaune noted halfway through their planning.
"Why?" Both sisters asked at the same time while the others paused in their planning.
"Well," Jaune explained while scratching his hair with one hand before just getting it out. "I don't mean this in a bad way, but on the off chance it is the White Fang pulling off these latest robberies, what do you think they would do if they spotted a Schnee? What would they prioritize then?"
Weiss gave him a look of understanding. "I see what you mean. You think they'll forget what they were there for and target me?"
"If what you said in your arguments was true, then sentiments must run raging high among their members. Whether the SDC really did the things they are accused of is beside the point; the simple fact that the White Fang members believe it to be true will draw their attention to you in particular." Jaune got it out.
Ren nodded slowly at that. "And if every single one of them decides to target Weiss, she might have trouble handling them on her own."
"I'm not saying that. But it would make for a very difficult situation since it'll likely require most if not all of us to pull back and essentially disrupt any formation we might have in place. Especially with the numbers we're expecting to see. We may be able to hold back a few but if the bulk of their force just rushes past us, there will be nothing to stop them from getting to you."
"So any strategy we use has to take into consideration the very likely possibility that the White Fang will come after me." Weiss winced at that notion
"I got an idea," Yang pitched in. "Why don't we have Weiss lure the White Fang out? Then once we get them all bunched together, we can take them out at once. Since they're going for her anyway, might as well make use of it."
"You want me to be bait?" Weiss demanded.
"Hey, if it works…"
"That is if the White Fang are involved." Pyrrha jumped in to avoid the possible argument. "Based on our information, there is a chance it could be some other group of people doing this. And if you consider how much hate the White Fang have against humankind, it does seem unlikely for them to work with Torchwick."
"Whoever it is, we need to be prepared." Ruby stated. "So let us just plan this operation out properly. If we are lucky, it would not be the White Fang meeting us and we can get Blake back." With that called out, they hunkered down to plan as much as they could for the next evening.
They were going to need it.
Scene 5
"I am just stating this for the record. If it is the White Fang coming tonight, the plan with me as bait is a mess." Jaune could only commiserate with Weiss on this.
They had arrived at the docks around late evening and had prepared as much as they could for what looked to be a long stakeout for the possible robbery. Ruby, Yang and Nora were very energetic for something that came out of the television dramas, while Pyrrha, Ren and Weiss were more serious in the situation and tried to stay focused. They managed to get to the ports closer to late evening, with Ruby, Yang and Nora bringing enough food to help them through the night even though they had an early dinner. A good thing too if the sounds of Nora's rumbling stomach was of any indication.
Jaune spent the time thinking through all he could gather on the White Fang and Blake while watching the dock workers move about the area. Knowing that she was the daughter of the man who essentially founded the once peaceful Faunus group was a little surprising, but ultimately it also spoke of why she was so adamant in trying to disprove the idea that the White Fang were going about attacking the stores, and why she butted heads with Weiss so much. With that said, Jaune was not sure if her denial of reality was going to hit her hard in the worst period.
Jaune shook his head and looked about the area for something to distract, and noted with some confusion with the general layout of the place and the workers moving about. It took a few minutes to realize what was bothering him, and when it did, Jaune had to scratch his head.
"Weiss, I am not knowledgeable about business practices, but I would think that huge shipments of Dust would have more security to protect them while coming in." Jaune commented while looking at the guard house that only had a team of four looking outside and two other guards moving about the perimeter. The heiress grimaced at that before giving out a sigh of frustration.
"Father… he implemented a number of cost-cutting measures several months back that he said would benefit the company's bottom line. Things he said were redundant or in excess. He did not elaborate on what he meant at that time. I didn't think he would even cut back on security, and to such an extent." Wiess shook her head with a look of disgust. "I find it hard to believe this myself. This is unbefitting of the SDC. It is like he is begging for someone to come along and snatch it away in their pockets."
"Look at it this way, Weissy. Once we stop the theft from happening, you can lord it over his head that if not for you, the White Fang or Torchwick would have made off with his precious Dust," Yang suggested.
Weiss looked genuinely thoughtful and for once did not comment on Yang's use of her nickname. "That is actually a really good idea. I'm surprised, Yang. You do have a brain after all."
"Hey!"
"Shh!" Multiple voices quickly shushed the indignant brawler, Ruby going as far as to clamp her hand on Yang's mouth. They glanced back to see that the workers at the docks had not heard Yang's outburst, continuing with their work without pause.
It was another hour before the last container was transferred from the freighter onto land. The workers slowly shuffled away in groups, shutting down equipment and turning off the lights. At Ruby's signal, they each went to their designated points with Weiss still grumbling about her part.
This next bit was the hardest part of the plan: waiting. They did not have an exact timeframe as to when the White Fang or Torchwick would arrive, only that they would. Jaune knew that while it was unlikely to be a problem for him, Ren, Pyrrha or Weiss, the sisters and Nora were likely to get impatient soon. He just hoped that whatever patience either of them had was enough to last them until the fight started.
Thankfully they did not need to wait long. Twenty minutes later, a low-flying bullhead arrived, flooding the area with lights from the airborne craft. It hovered lower until it touched the ground, whereupon the hatch lowered and a group of men in white-and-black matching uniforms and Grimm masks exited. Each held either a thin sword or a Dust-powered rifle and had a symbol of an animal's head painted in red on their backs.
'The White Fang.' Jaune identified the symbol from atop his perch, his eyes narrowed at the sight. 'Looks like the information was right after all. Though Blake is going to be gutted at this.'
The bullhead was followed up by several more, each depositing a handful of White Fang grunts. More streamed out from the surrounding warehouses, having likely trekked to the location on foot. He was unable to tell the exact number, but there were easily forty individuals present with more still arriving. From the looks of it, there would be one bullhead that would remain out of sight to act as insurance if things went south for them.
"What's the hold up, people? Get moving, we don't have all night." A male voice rang through the still air as a man in a white suit and bowler hat emerged from one of the bullheads. Jaune actually blinked and rubbed his eyes at the sight of the man he recognized from the news.
'Roman Torchwick?' Jaune thought in surprise. Ruby had told them that Roman was the one who attacked the stores, and they had speculated it, but Jaune had not expected the thief to be affiliated with the White Fang, a radical group known to hate humans. The fact seemed contradictory by itself. Yet reality was spitting them in the face of those beliefs.
"Grab the Dust! Come on! Move!" He waved his cane about as the White Fang, again to the surprise of Jaune and the others, followed his orders without complaint. There may be a few whose movements suggested that they were not pleased to listen to him, but they still did what he told them to do.
Jaune looked back to where Ruby was staring back at him with uncertainty in her eyes. He guessed that Torchwick's appearance with the Faunus group caught everyone off guard. He took a breath before he gave her a nod and a thumb's up.
Ruby's eyes hardened as she looked across to Weiss and gave her the signal.
Plan B for White Fang was a go.
With a huff, Weiss stalked out from her hiding place, keeping along the wall of the nearest building until she was close to where the White Fang were going about, attaching tow cables to various containers while raiding others and retrieving the crates stored inside.
Weiss paused, seemingly taking a deep breath to force herself before she yelled out at the top of her lungs.
"Hey! What are you animals doing?!"
All activity stopped as every face turned in her direction. In the silence that followed, a cricket could have been heard and even Torchwick stood slack jawed at her appearance with his hat tilting to the side and his cane loose in his hand.
"You heard me! Get away from my Dust, you… you… you mongrels!" Weiss shouted again, obviously uncomfortable in her role and this time it triggered several reactions in the crowd.
"That's a Schnee!"
"What? A Schnee?!"
"Slave driver!"
"Murderer!"
"Get her!"
"Kill that Schnee!"
"Gut her open!"
At that, the vast majority of the White Fang goons rushed forward to chase Weiss who turned and ran as hard as she could, Torchwick's startled protests ignored by the Faunus in their rage. Jaune signaled to Ruby and Nora to get ready on their end as he and the others prepped on their part of the plan; apparently he had underestimated how much hatred the Faunus group had towards the Schnee.
Weiss on her part was doing all she could to lead the White Fang grunts on a merry chase, running through tight quarters and taking sharp turns to get some distance. Weiss soon reached a dead end, turning around to see the angry crowd of White Fang charging at her with a couple absolutely frothing at the mouth. She hid a smirk, realizing that their plan was working exactly as they had predicted. She drew Myrtenaster from the holster and the next moment, the entire path lit up with glyphs. Cries of surprise came from the White Fang grunts while others continued on, ignoring the lightshow and the odd amount of water that reached their ankles in favor of getting their thirst for Schnee blood sated.
Weiss waited a couple of seconds before she plunged the tip of her rapier into the ground and activated her Semblance.
The water was a result of Ruby's tampering with the water tanks nearby. They stored large amounts of water, and were meant to be used to raise the water level of the port in cases of extremely low tide that could hinder the arrival of large freighters. All it took was a small diversion of pipes and opening of spigots to create a minor flood in the port's storage area.
Her glyphs, charged with water Dust, quickly multiplied the water that was present, turning it into a meter-tall wave that rose above and then struck the White Fang. The masked individuals cried out in shock as the torrent washed them back out the way they came from. Retracting her Dust rapier, Weiss used another glyph to leap onto the tower of containers to her right, landing beside a waiting Pyrrha. Seeing the water spread out and reach more of the White Fang members, she took aim with her rifle and fired off a few Dust rounds to cover the area.
The type of projectiles became obvious as electricity coursed through the water, electrocuting the men unfortunate enough to be caught in it and making them drop to the ground with groans of pain. Any Aura they possessed would mitigate most of the damage, but the pain and shock would keep them grounded for a good few minutes, thereby reducing the number of combatants they had to deal with. Even the ones who managed to get away from the main spot were affected by weaker current, making them pause enough for Ren, Nora and Yang to appear and knock them out with their weapons. Jaune had to wince at the haymaker Yang gave to one thug who tried to tackle her, and later crossed his legs when she delivered a high kick to a second thug who let out a girlish shriek while clutching his family jewels and foaming in the mouth.
"You bitch!" One thug had managed to get himself behind Yang and raised his gun at her to fire. Jaune rushed forward with his shield in time to deflect the shot, continuing forward to bash the shield against his face. Without stopping, Jaune spun on his heel to slam the pummel into the head of another grunt and then used the blade to hit a third. Ren helped to deal with anyone outside of Jaune's and Yang's field of focus, while Nora was around to smash the kneecaps of those unlucky to go after her or Ren.
From the start of Weiss's attack to the last body hitting the ground, the total time taken was roughly 2 minutes to take down 43 White Fang thugs.
Damn, that was quick!
"Oh yeah! We rule!" Yang cheered while pumping the air. "We came! We solved it! We kick the terrorist butt!"
"Yang!" Ruby rushed forward. "Did you see that?"
"Yup, nice shooting, little sis!" Yang ruffled the younger girl's hair while turning to Jaune who was still maintaining his position. "Hey Jaune, nice planning with Ruby!"
"Thanks, but we are not done yet." Jaune answered while signaling to the rest to get down. "We got to deal with Torchwick, and find Blake."
"Brothers and Sisters of White Fang!"
Jaune blinked and looked at his partner next to him. "You have got to be kidding me." Pyrrha nodded in confusion. All of them rushed back to where Roman was currently being restrained by Blake with her blade aimed at his neck. Despite the situation, he was smiling like it was a regular walk in the park.
"Why are you aiding this scum?" Blake called out to the other White Fang grunts who had their weapons pointed at her. Rather worryingly, there were still a good number of them left.
"Oh kid, didn't you get the memo?" Roman tilted his head as he acted like the showman he was, "The White Fang and I both got brought on for a joint business venture." Blake seemed to hiss something back at him while pressing her blade against the neck, but the man merely smiled at her effort.
"Guys, I think we are about to have more company." Nora's words drew their attention to the dark skyline where, to Jaune's growing dread, showed the blinking lights of more incoming bullheads. He knew that this was going to be a big party, but this was ridiculous!
"Nora, Ruby! Both of you take the roof and prepare for a shootout. If those are more White Fang people, we cannot let them land here. Do what you need to take them down or force them back." Jaune told the girls who nodded and made their way to the roof by Ruby Rose Express. "Weiss, Pyrrha. Can I ask you two to provide support for the rest of us? Weiss has her glyphs while Pyrrha has the weapons and her semblance. The latter may be more helpful if those bullheads are loaded. Ren, Yang and I will go up close to deal with the grunts and preferably get Blake out of here."
"Should we call for Professor Goodwitch?" Ren asked. Jaune took a few seconds before nodding.
"Make the call." One thing they did before leaving was to tell both Professors Goodwitch and Port that they were going to try and find their wayward friend. Jaune however stayed behind a little to tell the adults of the possibility of getting attacked and wanted assurance that they could contact them in some manner. The headmistress nodded and granted them her emergency contact, while Peter Port went to prepare his axe-gun. Now would be a good time to get the extra help.
Jaune just hoped that this was not coming out of their student funds.