Sorry this one took a while– I still had to figure out how to stitch a few plot threads, but I did and I think it'll turn out pretty well. Let me know what ya think
"So Sterling, there's only two weeks until the Vytal Tournament comes around to your hometown. People are on the edge of their seats waiting for your rematch against Lazula Skye. Do you have any words for her?"
"We'll see if she makes it to the final, then we can talk."
Lazula took a break from whetting her blade to change the channel. If she was headed to her death, she wanted to watch something good first.
"I want nothing more than for you all to make it home safely," her father repeated in her mind. "But the Red Claw's attack will be more intense, on a much larger scale, than any to date. Before the mission I urge you to speak with your loved ones, and make any arrangements you see necessary."
She almost chuckled at the thought, and wondered whether she should be more nervous. Her instincts, her father, and Condor himself told her she'd confront the Red Claw's leader, now in just a matter of hours. But she wasn't nervous– she couldn't be, because she couldn't die. Condor, apparently her equal already, would then possess four hundred and sixty souls' worth of aura. Failure wasn't an option. So long as it was impossible in her mind, she felt nothing but the whetstone grinding against her sword.
She raised Impetus, met her eyes in its silver, and wiped the oil from its blade.
As soon as her door slid open, Mrs. Chino shut off the baking program that spread across the foot of her bed on a Holoscreen. She stood to meet her daughter, appreciated the way her hugs were always a bit gentler than usual when she hugged her mother, and pointed out the chair by the window. "Hi, sweetheart," she greeted. "Your finals are coming up soon, right? How's studying going?"
"Hm? Oh, right. Finals."
"You have been studying, right?" her mother pressed. "I appreciate you visiting, but your classes should come first."
"No, it's fine! Cas and I have been studying a lot," Moka assured. "I actually think I have a chance to do pretty well." She swallowed a knot in her throat, and her tail swished like an uneasy metronome. "I just wanted to come visit."
"You're always welcome. Any exciting plans for summer?" she smiled. "You're always on the go, so I'm guessing there's something."
Moka paused, and looked out the window to the city. "Not really," she said. "There is the Vytal Tournament, so I'll be getting ready for that, I guess. Did you hear dad and Latei are gonna visit soon? They want to watch the tournament with you."
"Yes, I heard! I've been counting down the days, honestly."
"Good." Moka forced the corner of her lips upward. "I'm glad they'll be here for you." Her tail flicked. "And, um, thanks for always being there for me. And supporting me, and always fighting for what's best for me. I try really hard to be like you, you know?"
"Of course, sweetheart. And I think you're doing a great job of being you, too." Her own smile faded. "But… what's wrong?"
Moka's tail flicked harder, then stopped. Her fidgeting hand tensed. "What do you mean? I'm just so lucky you're my mom."
"And I'm lucky you're my daughter. But you seem worried about something. Did something happen? Or is there something I need to know?"
Moka sighed. "Nothing happened yet," Moka said. "But, there's gonna be another attack soon. This time we know about it already. But we were also told this would probably be our most dangerous mission yet, and I'm not sure how things will turn out." She sighed. "You should be okay here, though."
"Moka…" Mrs. Chino mumbled. She shook her head. "Do you have to go?"
Moka stiffened her lip, and nodded. "Yeah. I've committed. There's no going back, even if I wanted to. But this should be our last fight. If all goes well, we'll finish the Red Claw for good by the end of the day!"
"My daughter really is a superhero," Mrs. Chino replied. "Please be safe."
Moka blinked away the unease clouding her face and bounced forward, taking one of her mother's hands into both of her own. She managed to smile. "I'll be okay. Promise. And as soon as this is done, I'll come back to visit again."
Caspian and Snow stood side by side in the shadow of Seacrest bridge, watching waves lap up on the shore and the city beyond it. A lazy breeze coaxed along a sailboat, the two on board kicking back with a drink where a year before an explosion rattled the city.
"Are you nervous?" Snow finally spoke.
Caspian breathed in, and realized the tightness in his chest. "Could you tell?"
"Yes. But I think everyone is a bit nervous."
"Are you?"
"I think so," Snow answered. "Yes, I know I am. I don't want to lose anyone."
Caspian nodded. "The Headmaster hasn't told us to talk to our loved ones before. That's not a good sign." He swallowed that thought. "Have you talked to your mom?"
"No."
"The mission begins in a few hours. Are you planning to?"
Snow shook her head, and it lowered toward the waves. "She lost someone she loved dearly a month and a half ago. She's still recovering. I don't want her to worry about losing me, too." She looked up again. Past the city, to the sky.
"Besides, I can't die. Not yet."
And on the Southern Peninsula, Noxis stood alone. A ship's horn blared as it left the harbor. Caspian and Snow heard it as a whisper, Noxis as a shout. He looked past the boardwalk, past the ferris wheel, at the shadow of the Eastern Docks District. He took a deep breath, sunk his hands into his pockets, and turned back toward Sentinel.
At 3pm sharp, Headmaster Skye entered the room in Skye Hall already occupied by Teams CRLN and LSLI. He nodded to the team leaders and flattened his Holoband across the long table at the head of the room as the lights dimmed. "Thank you all again," he started. "I've already briefed you on the basics of tonight's operation, but before it begins I'd like to delve into further details. The Red Claw's attack is going to take place both in the City of Port Cyrreine, and the City of Vale." He nodded to Caspian. "Team CRLN, along with Miss Chino, is to take an airship to the City of Vale immediately following this meeting. Your first objective will be to neutralize three 'Grimm Nexuses,' which have been placed throughout the city."
Caspian gingerly raised his hand, and the Headmaster called him. "Uh, what's a Grimm Nexus?" he asked.
Noxis chimed in. "Since Condor can't create Grimm more than about a half-mile away from himself, the plan was to spawn a bunch of Grimm-goo in vats, and plant those in Vale instead. He's got less control over what comes out of them, but there will be Grimm."
"Eloquently put," the Headmaster commended. "Once those are dealt with, and you're given the signal, cut off all CCTS communication."
"All CCTS communication?" Ichigo repeated. "Like, halt all global communication?"
"Precisely."
"Whoa."
"And that brings us to LSLI. The Red Claw's assault in Port Cyrreine will occur at Empyrean Tower, though we can expect Grimm elsewhere. It's unclear exactly what their aim is, but Kraken is attempting to interface with the central hub of Frontline Biomedical Servers– likely in an attempt to shut them down. Your objective is to stop him before he can do so." His eyes fell again on Lazula. "We expect Condor himself to make an appearance in Port Cyrreine. Secondary objective is to locate him, and apprehend him before he can cause further damage."
Lazula nodded, and after a few more questions the briefing ended. LSLI remained on standby at Sentinel, while CRLN made their way to the airship docks, and boarded a Tuna-Class. Their mumbled conversation faded as its dust turbines whirred to life. They lifted ten, twenty, fifty feet off the pad, and began to move East.
Moka sat next to Caspian, who watched campus disappear behind them. Rowan sat a couple rows ahead, and Lilly read a book across the aisle. She slid a bookmark into place and looked to the back of the ship, where Noxis sat alone.
The Red Claw influence had vanished from his combat uniform. His oversized, high-collared coat was thick black canvas instead of leather, with chains that bound nothing, and buckles that secured nothing. Inside was blood red, contrasting with the black armored shirt beneath and matching the jagged geometric accent staggering down his right side. That sleeve cut off at the elbow, so his prosthetic arm was always visible. Baggy black pants, stitched with armored thread, tucked into combat boots that tapped restlessly on the ground.
Lilly slid into the seat next to him.
"Are you nervous?" She asked.
"I don't know," he returned. "Any of us are stronger than the Red Claw, aside from the Heads. Grimm aren't anything new, either." He shrugged. "But, maybe. Just a little bit."
"It's natural," Lilly assured. "I think we all are. And we have less of a history with the Red Claw."
Noxis only nodded.
"You're doing the right thing," Lilly continued. "Things might still be… tense, but I think we all recognize that."
Even Moka stayed a bit quiet during their flight. Most of the ride Caspian spent looking out the window, listening to music and watching the ocean of pines pass beneath them. Eventually, it gave way to farmland, dozens of sprawling miles of towns and settlements, then finally, the city he hoped wouldn't become their grave. As the Tuna Class began to descend and all took a collective deep breath, Noxis stood.
"According to the plan, Sable will be at the CCTS Tower," he said. "He used to be a professional fighter. Top of the league, until someone kicked his knee backward. Frontline prescribed him addictive painkillers during his recovery, got him hooked on purpose. Tried to make a comeback, but failed a drug test, and got in some trouble with the cops a few months later trying to get his fix. That ended his career." He rolled out his steel wrist. "So, one of the top cagefighters of all time wants Frontline to burn almost as much as Condor himself. Something to watch out for."
"Thanks," Caspian said. "If he's posted up at the CCTS Tower, we'll have to deal with him last. First order of business will be the Grimm Nexuses. Do you know where they are?"
Noxis shook his head. "I didn't get any specifics. They should be close."
Caspian glanced again out the window as he stood, and looked to the other side for good measure. Outside, the CCTS tower broke the sky like a five-hundred foot tall lighthouse. "Well, it makes sense the Grimm would be close to their Nexus. If we can circle around a bit, get a visual on any Grimm hotspots, we should be able to guess where they are." He brought his Holoband to his chin, and called the android pilot. "Could you get us low, and circle the city a few times? We need an idea of where our targets are."
"Understood. Lowering to one hundred and fifty feet and circling."
"Thanks."
"Got a pack of Ursa on our 4:30," Noxis noted.
"I see a couple of Deathstalkers straight ahead," Rowan added.
Moka's tail flicked. "There's a whole bunch of Beowolves on our right!"
Caspian peppered his map with red dots, one for each Grimm. Over the course of the next ten minutes they formed three clusters that bled into each other– one centered a bit West of the tower, one a bit east, the biggest dead center. "I imagine people would have questions if they saw the Red Claw put these things in place," he muttered, looking over the map. "They're probably not in plain sight." He flicked around the West cluster, looking for something abandoned or out of the way. In the middle of the West cluster, Caspian zoomed in on a tangle of overpasses and raised railways. And at his call, they began to descend.
Across two deserted freeway underpasses, up a hill littered with trash, an object bathed in shadow. It looked like a giant steel bucket, five or six feet tall and just as wide. Heavy chains bound it six times over, and sprawled across the dirt at both sides.
"Gotta hand it to you," Noxis acknowledged, nodding up at the object. "You were spot on."
"That's it up there?" Caspian asked. But a sound he'd grown accustomed to cut off their conversation. Claws on pavement, and the snapping of ravenous jaws. Three Ursa tore down the street, flanked by half a pack of Beowolves. The lead Ursa stopped. Huffed the air, and turned to the huntsmen that readied their weapons. It began to charge.
Noxis's eyes narrowed, and he strode forward. He whipped the improved Renegade down to his side, and two dozen spikes sprung from within. Lightning dust crackled around them, between them. He held his ground against the Ursa's lunge, and caved its skull in with a single overhead blow. Renegade snapped the second Ursa's arm, and a backhanded swing to its temple exploded with sparks. The second Ursa faltered for a moment before it too fell. Black spines encased Noxis's left arm and he thrust it into the jaws of a leaping Beowolf. His hand impaled the back of its throat through to his wrist, and he opened a hole in its chest with his shotgun before discarding it.
Sparks flew from Caspian's hard-light shield as the claws of a Beowolf raked it, and he ducked underneath. He recognized an opening, and had enough time for three slashes at its side before a swipe of claws forced him back. He planted his feet and lashed out, and its hand bounced across the pavement before dissolving to shadow. He drove forward, into its chest, as Moka snapped its neck with her boot. They nodded at each other, and each engaged a Beowolf of their own.
They had just finished clearing out the pack of shadows when a deafening crack came from their right, rattled off the concrete ceiling and threatened to pierce Caspian's eardrums. The air screamed with heat an arms' length from his head, and he ducked instinctively. Another crack and Noxis yelped in pain, a haze of black ripped from his shoulder.
His semblance spread across his chest and arm in a black flash, and he whipped around with a look in his eye like a cornered animal. A troupe of figures in thrashed leather jackets pressed forward, guns, bats, and axes in hand. Before Caspian could issue the command Noxis ran forward, split the first grunt's rifle with Renegade and flung him to the ground with a backhanded strike to the jaw. He dropped another with Renegade and claws, and a third bore down with an axe. Noxis's eyes flicked to his attacker and his prosthetic rang out as it caught the blow. He punched it away, then across the faunus's jaw.
Caspian dashed behind Elysian Bloom's cover, which blocked bullets instead of rain, and leapt behind the concrete barrier to offer lightning dust of his own. His shot met one Red Claw in the stomach, and she dropped before Noxis could get to her.
"Everyone else, stay in cover!" Caspian commanded. "Conserve your aura!" with the piercing twang of another dust round, another Red Claw fell.
Two remained standing, a stag faunus and a rat. The rat looked at the carnage wrought in the last ten seconds. The stag looked toward the rat, then at Noxis, back at his partner. "Oh, shit!" he cried. "Is that Wolf?"
Noxis cocked his head back. "Who's Wolf?"
With one more look, the stag tapped his wrist and both ran. A beam from Undertow and an arc from Elysian Bloom dropped both, and Noxis stepped toward their paralyzed forms. He stepped on the rat faunus's back, and pulled his arm at an odd angle to read his Holoband. He swore.
"Bastards called Sable. He's on his way."
