"You know, this guy is no joke." Cheyenne softly spoke as she looked at her scroll. "Former military turned mercenary after he was discharged and his Huntsman license expired." She exhaled slowly. Her breath visibly escaping her lips in the crisp night air. "Wasn't the smartest in his unit but he was by far the most physically able."
"Are you still reading over the messages Azure sent us?" Kris glanced back with a quiet chuckle. She and her friends walking down a street with several run down apartment buildings down it.
"I'm just making sure I'm prepared! The people Azure is sending us after... they're getting tougher." She defended before sighing and sliding her scroll away. "We already don't have the best luck. I'd rather us be ready for anything."
"That's why we're doing this at night." Kagami looked back at her team. "He'll be sound asleep. We'll be silent. No one will even know what happened. And Azure will be one step closer to putting Rey and his army of goons behind bars."
"You guys are going to jinx us. I swear to Oum if you do..." Elise shook her head. "I swear I'll kill all of you. I'm tired of things going badly for us." Her green eyes narrowed as the four of them moved off to the side of the quiet street and towards a building with outside stairs.
"Well now that you've said that, it's definitely going to go wrong somehow." The short redhead eyed her. "So thanks a lot. Everyone, prepare for chaos." She rolled her eyes.
Staring blankly at her friends, Kagami brought her hand to her face with an audible impact. Closing her eyes, she took a moment to take a deep breath. "This is why no one takes us seriously. This is why everyone thinks we're childish and irresponsible."
"We are children though." Cheyenne held up a hand as the four leaned up against the side of the apartments. "At least, right now we are." She sighed softly. "Sometimes I really wonder what the other students from Beacon are doing right now. To train normally at a different academy..."
"Normal is overrated anyway. You learn better from experience." The jadette mumbled while she took the lead and silently made her way towards the stairs. Before heading up, all of them paused at the sound of soft and quiet thuds from above. Looking up with her brow furrowed, the leader of team MACE tilted her head slightly. "What's..." She trailed off.
Suddenly, a large man in a white shirt and boxers fell from the top and onto the ground below. His body giving off a heavy sound on impact. The same man the four of them were after. He let out a low groan as he lifted up his head. His hand reaching up to rub the black scruff on his chin. As he went to push himself up, a blur came down and landed on his back.
Watching with wide eyes, Elise took a single step back with her left arm raising in front of herself as her right hand went towards her baton. Her shoulders only began to relax as she noticed who exactly jumped down from above.
Kneeling on the wanted man's back, Captain Julia Caesar was quick to grab his wrist and pull them behind his back. Restraining him, she stepped off while pulling him up along with her. Her Atlas uniform was tinted with dark colors. "The general is finally tired of your actions down here." She pulled him close with a firm grip. "Him and a bunch of people down here in Mantle."
"What?" He looked back with a small jerk. "Now that bastard wants my attention after all this time? Was I not enough before?" He spat out.
Rolling her eyes, she struck the back of his head with a sharp thump. "You still run your mouth endlessly. No respect." She mumbled under her breath as he fell limp. Beside her, three others jumped down with near silent landing.
"Apartment's clear." Magno bluntly said as he stood up straight. His armor is very similar to hers. In his hands, a large firearm with a bayonet attached to the underbarrel.
"Everything considered dangerous or hazardous has also been removed." Litios spoke quietly with his hair pulled back into a ponytail. In his hand was a bag with several Dust items along with the materials for bombs.
"His scroll is completely clean, ma'am." Jess stood up straight as she swiped over the device in hand. "There's nothing here. No messages or anything. Not even contacts."
"We still have enough on him." Their captain sighed. "Let's get him-" Cutting herself off as she heard a sound behind them, she quickly turned around on her feet with narrowed eyes. With her shoulders squaring and body tensing, she blinked once before exhaling slowly. "Damn you four..."
"Hey." Kris lightly waved with a weak smile in her sister's direction.
Glaring back at her, the older redhead didn't even greet her back. "What are you doing here?" She demanded as her arms crossed. The sounds of the city during the night humming in the background.
"Um, we were actually..." Nervously reaching up to rub the back of her neck, Kagami glanced at the unconscious man before looking away. "We were..."
"Planning to wreck Mantle property again?" Magno raised an eyebrow. "Or are you planning to attack an Atlas officer again?"
"Actually, you need to add several agains to that." Elise held up a hand with a chuckle. "It's kind of her thing to do that." As she said this, Cheyenne facepalmed with a heavy breath.
"That's... alarming." Litios shook his head. "And a major red flag."
"Quiet." Julia snapped before sharply exhaling. Setting the man down, she then took several steps forward. "I've told you kids several times to stay out of this. This isn't your fight. This isn't your problem. Why are you-" She went to ask only to glance at the man she apprehended then look back at them. "Who is even giving you this information?"
"A friend." The leader of MACE lowered her arms to her sides.
"Right..." She shook her head as her arms wet behind her back. "Listen. I've been nice. I've asked several times for you to stop this. The last time really didn't end like it should have. Please just listen to me. I don't want to have to arrest you. You guys are good kids. But if you keep breaking the law..." She too slowly lowered her arms to her sides.
The two leaders' both locked eyes for a moment. Several seconds of silence passed with nothing more than the wind howling before the sound of a blade unsheathing was heard. They both blinked once before lunging forward out of instincts. With their swords drawn, both held onto their weapon in a reverse grip as the blades clashed.
Looking at her friends, Elise blinked a few times with wide eyes. A look of did this really just happen glazing over. Silence fell upon the three of them before they each drew their weapons and got in a ready stance. In front of them, the three Atlas specialists in dark uniforms did the same.
Pulling back, Kagami ducked underneath the outside staircase. She kept her sword close and in a reverse grip as she slowly stepped back and away. Her breathing was shallow as her jaw tightened.
"Kagami..." Captain Caesar cautiously followed after while keeping her weapon in a defensive grip. "Listen. Just let me talk. We don't have to fight here." She stepped closer towards her.
"Says you." She flashed her teeth while quickly stepping back. Her gaze completely focused on the woman in front of her. "You're the one that attacked first!"
"What? I didn't... You were..." She brushed off the comment. "Look! I don't want to hurt you!"
"I won't give you the chance." She narrowed her eyes before holding her ground. "I don't give anyone that chance anymore. My friends and I are just trying to help. That's all we ever do."
"Kagami. You have no idea what you're doing. Or the forces you're messing with." She stepped up while readying herself in a defensive stance. "You and your friends need to stop all of this and just come with me so we can talk."
"I know what talk means. And my sword here says otherwise." She mumbled under her breath while sliding a foot back. Readjusting her grip, her fingers tightened as she slowly breathed out.
The captain heavily exhaled with a growing look of annoyance in her eyes. In a split second, the two of them shot forward at each other. Both of them parrying against the other's weapon in an upward slash. The metal clanging together with a sharp hum as they pulled away from each other. Without wasting any time, they swung at each other again. This time, both their blades locked together. Pressing against each other with reversed grips on their weapons, Julia bared her teeth at the young girl. "Will you just listen to me!?" She finally snapped in a harsh tone. Reaching up with her left hand, she grabbed a hold of Kagami's sword handle.
Bracing herself, the jadette did the same as she felt her grasp loosening. Tightly wrapping her fingers around Julia's sword in a hammer grip, she jerked it away from her just as her own sword was pulled from her hand. Holding the uniquely crafted weapon in her left hand, she took a moment to fully examine it. The blade was wide and sturdy while the handle was narrow yet still strong. Shaking her head, she turned around with a backhand swing and a small battle cry.
Taking a deep breath, the captain swung the blade downward in her off hand to block the strike. Noticing the almost perfect feel in the weapon, she couldn't help but hide a smile. Pushing her away, she took several deep breaths before raising the special blade while readying herself. "You're out of your league. You know you are. Let's stop this already." She quietly offered.
"And I know you're holding back. I wouldn't be standing as easily as I am if you weren't." She spun the specialist's sword around a bit before catching it in a reverse grip and lowering herself into a stance.
The two of them stared at each other for a moment before Julia swallowed a bit while clenching her jaw. "Kagami..." She eased up her body just a bit. "I don't want to fight you. And I know you don't want to either. I'm just... worried." Lowering the sword in her hand, she slowly knelt down and placed it on the ground. "Okay?" She stood back up while holding up her hands.
Breathing softly, the jadette took a moment before sighing back. After setting the captain's sword at her feet, she stood back up and crossed her arms. "You know you're the only soldier I would ever trust, Caesar. And you know why."
"I know exactly why." She nodded back while taking a single step forward. "That's what I'm worried about. Before I had this rank, before I had my own specialized group of soldiers, I was captured by a group of bandits in my youth. You can imagine what happened to me." She took another step. "I promised them I'd return once I escaped captivity. And I did. I know personally the drive someone in the Atlas military can have. I know exactly what they will do to people who step in their way." Reaching out, her jaw tightened as she grabbed her shoulder. "And right now, the general is scared. He is willing to do anything at this point. I don't know exactly what's going on, but you and your friends can't run around blindly. Sooner or later he will end up hearing about you and send others after you." Her grip tightened. "Others who won't show mercy. You've been hurt by Atlas once already. It does not need to happen again. It shouldn't happen again. Especially with..." She trailed off while glancing away.
"With Cin knowing I'm here?" She quietly asked.
Blinking, Julia sighed while pulling her hand away. "Yes." She nodded.
"I know." Her shoulders lowered as she glanced away. "He's managed to stumble upon my friends and I once during our investigation to stop Rey. He's... worse than I remember. But less aggressive about it. His eyes though... he's..."
"He's a Grimm in human skin." The Atlas Captain said bluntly while taking a deep breath. "Even after being discharged, that man has been a nuisance. Specifically with the women in Mantle." She averted her eyes for a moment as she clenched her fist. "Except he isn't deemed as a threat to Atlas so I'm unable to do anything about him. Even though he was one of my own men."
"You see, this is your problem." She shook her head softly. "You're always following the rules of one man. One man doesn't know everything. What's the point of doing everything as you're told and getting nothing done?"
"What's the point of running off on your own if it hurts the people you care about? Hmm?" Her eyebrows rose.
Blinking, the jadette slowly looked down. Taking a deep breath, she sighed softly in defeat. "It's... about doing the honorable thing." She stood back up straight. "And trying to keep everyone safe. And stopping people from hurting others. And protecting those who can't protect themselves."
Lightly scoffing, she shook her head with a very faint smile. "You may have gotten older and stronger, but you still think the same, Kagami. You're a kind and honest soul. But it's those types of people that get hurt the most... that people take advantage of the most." Her shoulders dropped as her brow furrowed. "Kagami..."
"You can't talk me out of anything. I've already made up my mind." She quickly pointed out.
"I know." She nodded. Taking a deep breath, she reached out to grab her shoulder again. "I know, but promise me you won't do anything I would do. Promise me you will take care of your team. They look up to you and need you to lead the way."
Faintly smiling back, Kagami nodded. "I promise."
Sorry for the late update. I ended up getting really busy. I wrote this 3-5 paragraphs at a time so if it doesn't flow well I apologize. Remember to be nice to everyone.