A/N: To the person who asked me if I intentionally shipped Arthur and Sienna while on a ship...no. That was not my intention, and they aren't shipping...yet. Eye of the Tiger is still a prospective ship, not set in stone. At least, that's what I tell myself.
Chapter 6
The Kingdom of Mistral was full of beautiful country, Grimm, and hardy people. Arthur had seen dusty towns grow up and collapse within a season back in America, but the villages they passed through on the way to Menagerie had stood for much longer. Sturdy, planned log houses were encircled by wooden walls, and the people that lived within them were cautious and strong. Many were happy to see the White Fang coming through, and Arthur handed out a few hard candies he had left over from America. The village children loved it, and they all clamored around Famine. The horse took their attention well, though he did get skittish if they got to close to walking underneath him. Arthur guided him away when they got close, but he still waved and tipped his hat. Arthur was pleased to see Faunus and human children playing together, and he was sure that Sienna enjoyed it as well. Sometimes, you needed little victories like that.
Two days passed on the road, the convoy only stopping to eat and rest. The fuel for the trucks was plentiful, but the fuel for the people was somewhat less so. To accommodate for the loss of truck number three, it's supplies had been split between the remaining vehicles. As such, Sienna had made the difficult call to leave behind some food move faster, hoping to reach Ghira's team before they ran out. Arthur was no drain on their supplies as he still had a few tins of biscuits and some canned foods from his time in America, but it was still a problem that burdened Sienna. The leader insisted that they take small calorie deductions for the group meals, and Tukson had reluctantly agreed.
The end of the second night, Arthur was brushing Famine down a few hundred feet away from the circle of trucks next to an old burned out house. The village they had stopped in this time was abandoned, and had likely fallen to Grimm or bandits years ago. It was saddening to have seen so many successful villages, then stand in the ruins of one that had not been so lucky. Worse still, bandits and scavengers didn't tend to take children's toys, and left them lying where Arthur could see them. From what he had seen of the Grimm, Arthur doubted that a small child could survive in the wilds for too long. Cold and afraid, huddled for warmth and their despair drawing in the creatures from all directions... it made Arthur shudder just to think about it. When little Jack had been taken by the Braithwaites in Rhodes, it had filled him with a cold rage to even think that the boy was in danger. Children in peril messed with most people on an instinctive level, and Arthur was no exception.
"Least I know he'll be safe now. Right, boy?" Arthur gave Famine an extra pat, and the horse nickered appreciatively. Grinning slightly, Arthur turned toward the camp to see if they had the fire started yet. When he did, he heard the faint rustle of foliage being moved behind him. Arthur turned quickly, tucking Famine's brush into his saddle bag and placing a hand on his revolver. He didn't call out, but slowly scanned the area for any signs of mischief. Sienna had chosen the village just as the sun was setting, so there was little light for him to see with. With his back to the camp, however, he wasn't blind to the night.
Another bush shook to his left, and Arthur drew. He kept Death pointed at the ground, but he knew more than anything that a Grimm would have attacked by now. Friend or foe, it was a person stalking him now.
"Come on out!" Arthur barked, loud enough to get attention from the White Fang. No one answered his challenge, but the forest remained quiet and still in the wake of his outburst. Behind him, he could hear questioning voices from the White Fang, though he didn't dare to take his eyes off of the trees. Here at the edge of the abandoned village, he was the most at risk for an ambush or attack, and he couldn't afford to be lax. Someone was watching them. The birds had stopped chirping and the squirrels and other small creatures had all hidden away, just like when a predator entered the area. The eerie calm that pervaded the area was a false one, and Arthur kept himself ready to react at even the slightest sound.
Pounding feet alerted him to backup arriving, and it came in the form of Adam Taurus. The teen slowed his pace as he reached Arthur, and looked around at the forest calmly. His hand remained on his sword, ready to draw it at any moment. The two sat still and quiet for a few minutes, then Adam turned toward Arthur slightly.
"What did you see?" Adam asked quietly, keeping his attention on the surrounding forest out of caution.
"I don't know." Arthur murmured, searching the darkness for any further sign of the threat. "Woods got real quiet, then I heard some rustlin'. If it's a Grimm, it's more patient than the ones we're used to. And if it's not..."
"We're being followed." Adam finished, a sneer on his face as he looked back toward camp. The trucks were circled as usual and most of the White Fang were bedding down in one of the burned out structures, but Arthur and Cain were the only ones outside of camp at the time. The only reason Arthur had seen anything was because he had wanted some peace and quiet.
"We need more guards." Arthur kept his voice low. "If someone's after us, we need at least two people up and watching at all times. They can sleep in the trucks when we're moving. Who all out of us can fight?"
"Cain and Tukson are proficient with pistols, and Felicia is adequate with a blade. Other than that, it's just you, me, and Sienna." Adam may not have liked Arthur, but at least he knew to put their differences aside this time. Still, six people that could fight out of nearly twenty was a bad number. If they were going to do two shifts at a time, they would need to get the others up to snuff.
"Keep everyone inside the village. We don't know the land out there, and stepping into those trees levels the playing field. As long as we remain here where they have to cross open ground, we have an advantage." Adam nodded along with Arthur's instructions, for once not getting all huffy about a human telling him what to do.
"Why don't we just challenge them? Go after them and push the attack?" Arthur shook his head.
"As soon as we step into those woods, it's their territory. We don't know how many of them there are, what weapons they have, or what they want with us. Considering the fact that we have six people capable of fighting, we can't afford to risk anyone. We play it defensive and play it safe, and hopefully they move on when they see we're being careful." Following his own advice, Arthur and Adam slowly backed up closer to the camp, keeping their eyes open and ears perked for any sign of attack. Sensing their mood, Famine remained quiet as well.
"And if they don't move on?" Arthur sighed heavily at that question. Adam voiced it like he was looking for a fight, but raids and bandit attacks didn't have the same flair Adam seemed to crave.
"You ever killed anyone before, son?" Arthur knew the answer when Adam didn't immediately answer, stiffening up at such a direct question. "Because if they break that treeline, killing will be the only way to stop them from doing terrible things to our people." Adam was silent the rest of the slow retreat, and when they got close to camp the forest had returned to its usual noise and activity. Crickets chirped, birds sang, and no one leaped out to kill them.
"You keep saying 'our people'," Adam stated just before they turned around. Arthur paused, waiting for the boy to finish his sentence. "Do you really consider us Faunus to be your people?" Adam's distrust was flaring up again, but the boy couldn't hide the faint flicker of hope that was in his voice. He was used to be lied to and talked down upon by humans. If Arthur really was different, then maybe things weren't as bleak as they seemed for the White Fang.
"I eat the food y'all make, I turn my back on you when I sleep. I'm out here, pointing a gun into the dark so you can be safe. If that don't make you my people, I don't know what will." Arthur left Adam on the perimeter to think, though hopefully he'd continue to keep an eye out for intruders. No matter what the boy thought, Sienna had to be brought up to speed on the new development.
Two more days passed at a hurried pace, the White Fang abandoning every concession in favor of speed. The sooner they reached Ghira, the less time was spent dodging whatever pursuer that had picked up. The mystery intruder stayed with them, though there was little sign of them besides the occasional rustling in the foliage and the general feeling that they were being watched. Arthur and Adam had started clearing and scoping out the areas near camp. They wouldn't stray for long, and always went together, but it helped to reduce the advantage of whomever was following them. The one good news was that the long time without an attack pretty much eliminated the chance that they were being stalked by a Grimm.
The other good news was that Arthur had finished his meds for treating his TB. After setting up camp next to the calm waters of a river, Arthur sat down heavily onto a log near the edge of camp. He took the last pill and stashed the empty bottle with a smile, glad and in more than a little disbelief that he had beaten the deadly disease. It reminded him of why he was helping Summer, and Sienna by proxy; he had been given another chance at life. Had it not been for Summer Rose, he would most likely have died the night he had met her. Instead, he was protecting a Faunus Rights Group from some unknown stalker. The crazy world we live in. He mused as he sat on a stump near the fire, watching everyone else offload the night's camping supplies. Tukson and Adam had volunteered to take first watch, and with Sienna tied up giving orders to her people, Arthur had nothing to do.
Curious about Summer now that she had come to mind, Arthur remembered that she had asked him not to delete the pictures of her family. When he'd first gotten the scroll, he hadn't had much idea on how to use it. Now that he was a little more seasoned with it, maybe he should see the faces of the family he had sworn to help along the way. Arthur retrieved the device from his satchel and pulled it open, the home screen showing numerous icons. One them looked like a handful of pictures, and Arthur tapped it. The icon clicked, and a whole gallery of pictures opened up. Underneath each collection of images, there were titles. Arthur pushed aside 'places' and 'Grimm' and settled on 'birthdays'. With another click, that which was most important to Summer was revealed. Dozens upon dozens of pictures opened up, and when Arthur tapped each individual one it opened to fit the screen.
A young girl with dark hair and silver eyes sat at a wooden table, an older but still quite young blonde girl sitting next to her. Arthur knew the younger one was Summer's daughter in an instant, if not for the matching eye and hair color, then for the little girl's over sized red hood she wore, very similar to Summer's white one. The blonde girl next to her wore her hair in pigtails, and had on a brown sweatshirt of some kind and brown shorts. They both were laughing and having fun, and in front of them on the table was a gigantic cookie, chocolate chip if Arthur was guessing. Written on the cookie in frosting were the words 'Happy Birthday, Ruby!' along with six candles. A blonde man in a brown vest and yellow shirt stood behind the girls, smirking at the camera, and Arthur assumed that it was her husband. The last person there was a haggard man with gray streaked black hair and red eyes, leaning forward with a satisfied smile of his own. He wore a long sleeved shirt, but the sleeves were rolled up and the shirt was untucked. He also wore a small cape, making Arthur wonder if it was some kind of fashion.
Summer's family. The people she had asked him to lie to, all to protect them from some greater threat. She hadn't expanded exactly on what that greater threat was, or how exactly he could help them. Maybe there was more to 'get the Relic to Ozpin' than he had first assumed? He hadn't really looked at the thing since his time in the desert, as much a lack of curiosity as it was that he'd had bigger things to worry about. Now though, after seeing everything else that Remnant had to offer? Maybe that Relic had more to it than it appeared.
Considering the possibilities, Arthur absently swiped his finger across the picture, this time showing young Ruby opening her presents. It was a different party this time, since she was even smaller. A tiny little stuffed dog was inside of a colorful red and black box, and Ruby was giggling madly as she held it up. She was the only one in the picture this time, and Arthur could only grin at the childish innocence on display. It wasn't something he'd experienced a lot of in his life, as a child or an adult. Jack had been a welcome breath of fresh air in an otherwise suffocating lifestyle, but Arthur's own brief tenure as a father had ended in tragedy.
So wrapped up was he in looking through the pictures from Summer's life, he never heard the soft footfalls of someone approaching. He did, however, hear the muffled curse when someone looked over his shoulder. Arthur turned his head and stood, and only barely avoided a large sword that came for his throat. Stumbling over the log he had been sitting on, Arthur cursed and dug for his revolver. When he drew it and aimed, however, he paused.
Standing over him, sword drawn and eyes blazing with drunken fury, was the dark haired man from the photographs. One of Summer's family members, and he was clearly very angry at Arthur.
Don't tell them I'm still alive. The full implication of what she had asked finally hit him, and Arthur struggled not to curse the woman that had given him a second chance at life. With her family hunting him down because of her lie, it made it really difficult to speak well of Summer Rose at the moment.
"Where did you get that scroll?" The man snarled, and Arthur detected the faint scent of booze on the wind. Whoever this guy was to Summer, he liked his drink even more than Arthur did. The gunslinger scrambled to his feet, wondering how the man had snuck past the entire White Fang camp.
"A friend gave it to me. She saved my life." Arthur couldn't say more than that without admitting that Summer was still alive. The answer did little to mollify the man, and instead only seemed to enrage him further. He swiped his weird ornate sword across Arthur's front, forcing him again to backpedal into the stream itself. The splashing and angry conversation attracted attention finally, and Arthur could see people moving behind the strange man.
"That's a lie! Summer died years ago, so try again!" The man raged. Arthur grimaced as he cocked the hammer back on Death, keeping Life holstered as he considered his options. The guy was clearly very upset about the alleged death of Summer, and if Arthur blew the whistle on her he had no idea what would happen. She had asked him not to, obviously, but since he didn't know anything about the people after Summer, revealing her to her family had no guarantees either. But he also promised to protect her family if possible, and the White Fang were prepared to fight for him. Shit...
"Arthur!" Sienna's voice carried from the camp, and he could hear the clink of chains as she readied her weapon. The man turned his body to the side so he could watch his back, but he never truly took his eyes off of the gunslinger. Yeah, this guy had a grudge to settle.
"Get out of here!" Arthur barked, and he strafed toward the camp to keep any rounds he fired from striking friendlies. Summer's friend could take a few hits, assuming he was a Huntsman, but Arthur couldn't afford friendly fire at this point. Sienna and Tukson ran to him, and Adam stepped between the unknown swordsman and Arthur. The two gauged each other carefully, and judging by the fact that they didn't attack neither one was confident they could win. While the stalemate went on, the White Fang hustled about packing up camp.
"Arthur, who is this man?" Sienna demanded, her amber eyes smoldering in anger. Tukson seemed less angry and more concerned, watching Adam and the stranger circle each other warily.
"He's one of Summer's people. I guess he managed to track her scroll somehow. I'm sure I messed with it the wrong way." Arthur shook his head. "He's after me, and we can't afford to fight a Huntsman. Y'all gotta get out of here." Sienna balked at the idea, and Arthur could already sense an inconvenient argument brewing.
"Absolutely not! You are coming with us, and if he thinks he can beat all of us, he-" A scathing look from Arthur cut the raging tiger Faunus off mid sentence, but she still glowered at him.
"Listen. You owe it to your people to get to Menagerie and follow the plan. If you fail, the Faunus are gonna get a bad deal. You can't throw that away for one person." Arthur held up a hand as she tried to protest. "He's only after me, and if he was willing to stalk us through the forest for two days, he's good and he ain't willing to just give up. He's got a fight or an explanation coming, and I'm the only one who can give them to him."
"Why don't you just tell him, Arthur? It's hard to believe, but it's better than fighting a Huntsman when you didn't have Aura two weeks ago!" She hissed angrily. There was a rasp of metal as Adam drew his sword, and the stranger stepped back into something akin to a stance. He looked half drunk, but Arthur knew better. His balance was perfect, and his shoulders held a tension in them he couldn't fake away. Hopefully, Adam could see that the angry drunk persona was a ruse.
"I made a promise, Sienna. Just like when I told you that I'd get you to Menagerie, Summer asked me not to tell them. It's for their protection, though I don't know how." He physically grabbed her by the shoulders, his pistol pointing up in the air as he shook her gently. "Take Famine and get back to the White Fang. Once you're done there, then you can come find me."
Sienna bit her lip and looked away, clearly angry with him and the situation at hand. Still, he knew she couldn't fault his logic. The whole trip had been for her to take over the White Fang. If she was delayed or interrupted from returning, it could jeopardize their whole plan. The needs of the many outweighed the desires of the few. She brushed off his hands angrily, but she also stowed her chain.
"You're a stubborn fool, Arthur Morgan." She hissed angrily, and there was real heat behind her words. "If promises are that important to you, then promise me that you'll make it to Kuo Kuana."
"I promise." He said with a forced smile. Sienna glared at him for a few moments, searching his face with those burning eyes of hers. He didn't know what she was looking for, but she apparently found it. Turning with a frustrated growl, Sienna began barking orders.
"Everyone pack up! We are leaving now! Adam, withdraw and protect the trucks!" The young man twitched at the order, clearly annoyed with the interruption. Still, there was relief in his stance as he slowly backed away from the strange man. The Huntsman let him do so, his red eyes straying back to Arthur once Adam was far enough away to not be an immediate threat. He was focused on him now, and Arthur had to make sure the guy didn't get any funny ideas about hostages.
"Come on, boy! I don't tell stories for free!" Arthur yelled aggressively, sprinting across the stream and firing Death as he went. The man dodged the rounds and gritted his teeth, sweeping his sword around and giving chase. "You're gonna have to earn this one!"
In camp, Sienna mounted Famine quickly, tugging on the reins as the loyal animal struggled to follow his master into the woods. He protested and stomped, but in the end yielded to Sienna's instructions. The tiger Faunus watched her people run around in a directed frenzy, then cast one last look toward Arthur.
"Be careful, Morgan! You promised me!" She called angrily, and he stopped to look back despite how close the stranger was.
"Ride! And don't look back!" He hollered. And with that, he was in the trees and gone.
With Sienna and the Relic safely on their way to Menagerie, Arthur could focus his full attention on the Huntsman chasing him. The man was dedicated to Summer in some way, that went without saying, but the complicated request the woman herself had made put Arthur in a bind. Even if he only offered half truths, there was a chance the guy could figure it out. But if he just refused to answer, the Huntsman's imagination would tell a far worse tell than the truth.
He wasn't running as hard as he could, but he wasn't moving slowly either. If he kept the current pace he had, the Huntsman would have to put some effort into chasing him instead of doubling back and hurting the White Fang. Arthur knew that Huntsmen were usually honorable by Sienna and Tukson's standards, but the guy was seriously pissed and thought that he had killed Summer. That created enough anger for him to do something normally reprehensible.
"How do I keep getting into these situations?" Arthur complained as he ducked underneath a branch, and unwittingly ducked a sword swiped. The dull thunk of metal sinking into wood was his only warning, and Arthur turned to see the Huntsman pulling his blade free. If he had gone around the branch instead of ducking it, he'd have lost his head.
"You can't run forever." The man snarled, twirling his blade and holding it to the side. "Give up and tell me what you did to my squad leader." Yeah, not happening. Arthur cursed and aimed Death, the six shooter angled upward toward the branches above.
"I made a promise, pal. I can't do that." He fired twice, dropping two thick branches onto the man. The swordsman dove forward to avoid them, and ran straight into Arthur's Aura-infused boot in the process. The gunslinger backed off and retreated, heading deeper into the forest as opposed to attacking the Huntsman while he was down. He heard a frustrated growl behind him, and he knew that if he looked back, Arthur would see the Huntsman after him with even more fury. He had to find a clearing, somewhere that didn't have all this cover. If he was going to fight it out with an actual Huntsman, he'd need every advantage he could get, and the ample cover worked more in the other man's favor than it did his.
Sienna winced as she heard the gunshots, and the forest creaked with the sound of metal on wood and men cursing. Even with the trucks' engines running and Famine's hooves pounding the dirt, Sienna's ears picked up every gunshot. Arthur was leading the Huntsman away, but he was putting his life in danger in the process. The Fang had finished gathering camp, stowing only the essentials and leaving behind the rest. They were close to the coast, and a few pots and pans could be left behind if they could leave faster. Just like she had left Arthur behind...
That damnable man. He was so infuriating, she could just choke him. How dare he give her orders, as if she were some common grunt? To push her away and offer himself up like that, it made her blood boil. He had spent the last week working together with them, supporting the Fang and Adam and herself. Now, when the time came that they could help him for a change, what did he do? He told her to take care of herself first and charged into the woods! The next time she got her hands on him, she'd give him a thrashing to put him on recovery for weeks!
Adam hung onto the side mirror of the front truck, his feet on the railing as he kept an eye out for any new threats. Just because Arthur had sacrificed himself to distract one foe, it did not mean there couldn't be another waiting in the forest. He scanned the trees as they passed, alert and ready for any further contacts. He also watched Sienna as she rode the cowboy's horse, and the shifting emotions that danced across her face. She was normally reserved, especially when they were in the field. Arthur was adept at drawing out unusual reactions from her, it seemed.
It had been the right call, no matter how much she wanted to dispute it. If the Huntsman's quarrel was with Arthur alone, it made sense to send the rest of them ahead. Endangering the entire group for the sake of one person was foolish, and Arthur knew that. Still, Sienna looked split between getting back to Menagerie as fast as possible, and turning around and beating Arthur into a bloody pulp. The Huntsman as well, if he got in her way.
Still, Arthur's influence over Sienna was worrisome. In the times that Adam had spoken to the cowboy with the mysterious origins, he had found him to be a weary but honorable man. Adam had constantly been on the lookout for some trickery or deception, but he had never detected any ulterior motives. Still, people could change, and someone having so much sway in so little time over the future White Fang leader was disconcerting. He would have to pay special attention to the two in the future, should Arthur survive and return to Menagerie. If he didn't, well...he had been an honorable comrade. Adam didn't just hand out compliments, but Arthur had earned that at least.
Up ahead, the path forked in two separate directions. One led to the capital city of Mistral, while the other one headed to the coastal city of Shiroyama. It was the main naval hub for the southern portion of Anima, and the most common destination for those seeking passage to Menagerie. The truck slowed in anticipation for the turn, and that was when Adam saw it: movement in the trees, close to the path they were about to take.
"Stop!" He commanded, jumping down from the truck with a hand on his sword. The driver heard him and slowed immediately, though he couldn't stop instantly without damaging the cargo. Beside him, Sienna jerked hard on the reins, forcing Famine to come to a sliding halt. The horse whinnied in displeasure, stamping the ground with his front hooves and shaking froth from his mouth. Sienna looked around the trail, trying to see what Adam had seen.
"Show yourself!" She ordered harshly. "We know you are there!" She trusted Adam's judgment when it came to security, and sure enough, a man stepped out the trees from near the signpost. His head was bare and bald, exposing a wicked scar that ran from his right temple across his nose and down to the left side of his chin. He wore leather clothes and padded armor, and a nicked machete hung loosely in his right hand.
"Dangerous to come around these parts." He stated conversationally, as if he weren't dressed like a bandit and stopping them in the middle of the wilderness. "If you leave the trucks and any valuables behind, we may just let you pass." The self-satisfied smirk told how true his offer actually was. Adam frowned and pulled his sword a few inches free from its scabbard, but the rustle of chains halted him before he could charge.
The scarred bandit's eyes widened in surprise as Sienna's battle chain wrapped around his throat. The White Fang leader wrapped the chain around her forearm with a feral snarl and pulled, hauling the man off of his feet and toward her. He dropped his weapon as he flew, wrapping both hands around the chain in a futile attempt to free himself from her weapon. As such, he landed hard on his face directly in front of Famine, choking and gasping for air as Sienna refused to give him any slack.
With their comrade in peril, the rest of the bandits revealed themselves, charging out of the woods with a slew of battle cries. They wielded a variety of weapons, from pistols to hatchets to the occasional rifle. More than ten of them rushed the convoy, they they slowed when Sienna tightened her chain threateningly. Her captive's eyes bulged out of his head, the veins bulging out around them as his skin turned purple.
Sienna had had enough of the constant abuse to her people. Samuel Winchester, the Huntsman, these bandits; all of them had targeted the White Fang and its allies. A simple supply run, and yet she had been assaulted by all the things she hoped to change in humanity. Greed, hatred, a selfish drive for wealth and power, all at the expense of the Faunus under her protection. Her patience had reached its limit with Arthur's stupid choice, and these highwaymen were about to learn how the White Fang approached their enemies from now on.
"These men stand between us and our home! Show them that the White Fang does not run from our enemies!" She roared as she pulled back on the reins and dug her heels into Famine's sides, prompting the horse to rear up above the strangled bandit. "KILL THEM ALL! LEAVE NOTHING BUT BLOODY STAINS IN OUR WAKE!" Adam drew his sword and rushed the incoming bandits, his blade flashing red. Tukson and Cain drew their pistols and exited their trucks, standing between the other raiders and the White Fang. Sienna's eyes flashed, and Famine's hooves came down with a savage crunch.
Arthur found his clearing, a shallow pond near a large rocky outcropping. He'd kept ahead of the Huntsman for the most part, though he'd been forced to put a few rounds into the man after some close calls. The Huntsman's Aura had taken the blows, but he was now more cautious. Arthur panted as he entered the clearing and turned to face the direction he'd come from, pushing more rounds into his revolver as he did so. The forest had long ago gone silent, his running fight with the man from Summer's past scaring away most of the wildlife. A few Beowulfs had tried to get in on the action, but they'd been nothing more than casualties and distractions between the two.
"Come on out, kid." Arthur hollered as he flicked the action closed on Death, drawing Life from its holster as well. Just like with the sea dragon, his rounds weren't sufficient to put the Huntsman down for good, and Arthur was kicking himself for not bringing his rifle or shotgun to the party. Still, they were with the Relic, and the last thing he wanted was to draw attention to the whole reason he was going to Vale.
"I ain't a kid, cowpoke." The raspy voice came from behind him, and the Huntsman was standing behind him, the heels of his shoes barely submerged in the shallow pool of water. How he had gotten behind Arthur, there was no telling.
"I really hate that name." Arthur muttered. "You don't have to do this. Summer asked me to help protect her family, and I can't let you get in my way. I have to get to Ozpin." He tried to reason with the man, but a snort cut down that dream before it even began to grow.
"Bullshit. Summer's been dead for years. You showing up now has nothing to do with her. Now, where did you get that scroll?" Dammit, how was he supposed to play this? If he fought, there was little question who would win. Sienna and Summer had both said that Huntsmen and Huntresses spent years training to fight and use their Aura. He'd had the stuff for all of two weeks, if that. His experience with the Van der Linde gang didn't really apply to people that didn't die the first time you shot them.
"I told you, she gave it to me after she saved my life. I can't say more than that." Arthur pleaded, internally begging the man to believe him. The last thing he wanted was to blow the whistle on Summer, but at the same time he couldn't fight her friends without either hurting them or himself.
"Why not? Summer was a mother and a team leader; there's no way she'd turn her back on family like that!" The man denied with conviction, pointing his sword directly toward Arthur. "Maybe you'll feel like telling the truth once I beat it out of ya." Arthur resisted the urge to roll his eyes as the Huntsman took up a stance, blade forward in one hand with his other held out to his side. Well, if that's the way he wanted it...
Arthur's vision washed gold as he focused on the man's sword, or the hand wrapped around it. His pistols came up and he fired four shots, each meant for a finger. The world returned to normal as the rounds struck, though only two of them found their targets. The Huntsman had moved between Arthur pulling the trigger and the bullets hitting home, though he still shook his hand and swore.
"Nice shot. Now try it again!" The man challenged, charging towards him with the sword in front of him. As broad as it was and as fast as the man could react, Arthur knew better than just throw lead and hope he landed a hit. Still, there was more than one way to skin a cat.
Arthur fired two shots toward the man's face, forcing him to bring the blade up and block. It stopped the rounds, but also hid Arthur from him for a moment. It was all the gunslinger needed to dump three more bullets into the man's knee and thigh. The Huntsman stumbled, cursing as Arthur stepped forward and slammed Life into the back of his head. He tumbled forward, but Life's action also broke open unexpectedly. Before Arthur could do anything about it, the remaining rounds in Life dumped out onto the ground, leaving him with only one bullet left in Death. The Huntsman rolled away before Arthur could capitalize on his stumble, rubbing the back of his head with a free hand. He eyed the rounds on the ground, and the incredulous look on Arthur's face as the gunslinger examined his faithful sidearm.
"That's some rough luck, cowpoke. You should take better care of your guns." He swept his sword in front of him, causing Arthur to back up as he struggled to reload. Arthur on the other hand was dumbfounded. He took almost religious care of Life and Death; never in the years he'd carried them had they failed him in such a way. It was impossible, and yet it had happened anyway.
The Huntsman didn't let him finish reloading, and instead pushed the advantage. With Life's action broken open, the only way Arthur could retaliate was the one round left in Death. The man slashed at Arthur with uncanny speed, forcing to retreat and focus his Aura in ways he hadn't had to before. Every blow he took was a hair's breadth away from being fatal, and he could feel his strength flagging with each hit. His Aura wasn't limitless, and until he got a spare moment he couldn't attack.
The Huntsman got greedy and stepped a little closer, grabbing his weapon with both hands and preparing to cut Arthur in half with a single horizontal strike. Before he could follow through with it, Arthur's eyes flashed gold once more. The Huntsman was started when Arthur's black pistol was shoved down into his thigh and fired, taking Aura with it and leaving a nasty bruise. It forced him to check his attack, and with both hands out to one side he couldn't stop Arthur from headbutting him in the nose. A loud crack filled the air as forehead met face, and it stunned the stranger long enough for Arthur to follow up with a knee to the face and a kick to his temple, sending the man into the pond.
The Huntsman rolled to his feet groggily, though he couldn't attack right away. There were three cowboys standing in front of him, and he was doing his best to figure out which was the real one. Arthur dumped his rounds into Life's cylinder quickly, and had Death reloaded as well by the time the man stood back up.
"Give up, friend. I don't aim to kill you, and killing me won't get you any answers. Why don't we just go our separate ways, seeing as how you won't listen to a goddamned word I say?" Arthur counseled, stepping back to give himself more room to react. The Huntsman spit into the water that surrounded him and stood up, dripping from his impromptu bath. Cold fury burned in his eyes, and he gripped his sword with renewed vigor.
"That's it! I'm done holding back. If I have to drag you back to Vale broken and bloody, I'll get answers out of you!" He made to step up and charge again, but the sound of gunshots and clashing metal in the distance attracted both combatants' attention. Arthur grimaced at the sound, aware all to well of what direction it was coming from. Was the convoy under attack? Who else was out there, besides this Huntsman and himself? Irritated beyond belief, Arthur turned back toward the man with an angry growl.
"Summer never taught you that. Distracting me while you had someone else attack my people! Where's your honor, boy?" He cocked the hammers on his pistols and raised them once more. The Huntsman's eyes widened as he brought his sword up to guard.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I came here alone. And you're the last person to lecture anyone about honor, grave robber!" He yelled back just as hotly. The two stared each other down, the sounds of distant combat weighing on Arthur. He had to finish this. The sooner he handled Summer's little teammate, the sooner he could help Sienna and the others.
"You came alone. I did not." A woman's voice echoed from the forest, causing Arthur to pause. He wasn't sure where it had come from, but the Huntsman he was fighting looked around wildly. He clearly recognized the voice, though Arthur was lost.
"Raven?! What are you doing here?" He demanded, and there was little warmth in his voice. No love lost there, whoever the mystery woman was. Arthur kept his eyes peeled, but his attention was divided between his opponent and the new arrival. As such, he didn't hear a thing until the voice came from right behind him.
"Hello, dear brother. Did you miss me?" Arthur whirled, guns raised, but was unable to stop the pommel of the sword from driving into his forehead. The strike was forceful, powerful, and broke through his Aura like a train through a wagon. Arthur slumped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, and only got a glimpse of his attacker as the light faded from his eyes. Red and black, a lot of messy, wild black hair, and crimson eyes behind a Grimm mask.
Summer was horribly, irrevocably bored with the situation already. The Sisika Penitentiary was defended only by its remote island location and a few riflemen in guard towers, and it had been child's play to knock them out and drag their bodies inside of the guard shacks. Of course, when you can jump up to the top of a tower with ease, things were a little different from what the architects had in mind. Sadie hadn't witnessed her make the jump at either of the two towers they had neutralized, so focused was she on spotting roving patrols. All the blonde knew was that Summer had cleared the towers impossibly quick, and she was searching for any sign of John Marston.
Since they had knocked out the snipers without the alarm being raised, most of the day was spent watching chain gangs go by as Sadie profiled the inmates. At least Arthur isn't here. Summer mused, lying down inside the guard tower next to the unconscious sniper she had surprised. It's kinda hard to sneak past prison guards when you're coughing up a lung. Mrs. Adler had proven capable enough, but her demeanor was abrasive at best. Despite the little bit of bonding they did on the boat, Sadie was still slow to trust. Summer had told her how she had met Arthur and that she had sent him to get medical help, but her reluctance to say more didn't earn her any favors with the widow. Summer had been as ambiguous as possible, but it still left Sadie thinking that she was either a mercy killer or a convincing liar.
"Still no sign of him." Sadie whispered, wiping her brow amid the humid heat of the day. Summer was less effected, what with being a Huntress and all, but even she had to say that the day was hot and sticky. Her Huntress attire made it a little easier to handle, but she was already craving a shower.
"You know, I could just walk up and ask for him." Summer said with a sigh. Sadie offered her an incredulous look, then shook her head and went back to people watching.
"Real funny. Now are you gonna lay around all day, or will you help me look for John?" Summer groaned and rolled over onto her stomach, her feet idly swaying back and forth.
"Considering we only have one pair of binoculars and I have no clue what he looks like, I'm not sure what I can do to help. You want me to scream his name at the top of my lungs? That might help." Suddenly, it was less of a mystery where Yang got her sarcasm. Summer hadn't been around to teach her daughter much in a while, but even when she had left she knew that the little blonde was learning to be snarky. The silver eyed woman couldn't help it, though; this was so boring!
"I don't understand it." Sadie threw her hands up and stalked back into the relatively cool shade of the guard tower. "I watching him work in the fields all day last time. Now, I ain't seen hide nor hair of him. What changed?" Summer stood up and took Sadie's offered binoculars, finally getting her first look at the Sisika Penitentiary proper. It was an old building, comprised of as much concrete as stone. High walls with rusted catwalks at the top, and at least three gates leading into the interior housing area. Armed guards walked the catwalks and watched from the three other guard towers that she could see. On the ground, they never moved in groups of less than three. For someone like Sadie, it would be nigh impossible to break a man out of this place. For a Huntress, however...
"Yeah, I'm done waiting. I promised Arthur that I would save his friend, and I'm not going to let some prison fight turn me into a liar." Summer tossed the binoculars back to Sadie. "You might want to go get the boat ready. We're going to be leaving quickly."
"The hell are you gonna do, girl? That sword ain't worth beans against snipers and shooters!" Sadie moved to block Summer from descending down the ladder and ruining the only plan they had to break John out. Imagine her surprise, however, when Summer physically picked her up as if she weighed no more than a sack of grain and moved her out of the way. For such a lithe and small young woman, miss Rose sure had some strength to her.
"We'll be fine." Summer reassured her. "I've got more up my sleeve than just a blade. I'll get John, you get the boat ready. We're probably going to be running hard." With Sadie safely out of the way, Summer dropped down the trapdoor that led to the ground, grabbing every fourth or fifth rung to slow her fall. Not that she needed to, but the last thing Sadie would need to see was Summer dropping forty feet with no problem. When she reached the ground, Summer dusted off her cloak and began a leisurely stroll toward the main facility. Behind her, she heard miss Adler swearing and cussing the whole way down the ladder.
At least this will be fun. She shrugged and kept her hand on her sword, idly stroking the mechanism in the guard. Qrow always had been jealous of her configuration. He had been working on a version of his own when she'd had to leave. Suave as he was, Qrow just didn't have Summer's gift for mecha-shift weapons and complex mechanics.
Just as she planned, a squad of four guards found her just before she reached the main complex. They predictably pointed their guns at her and began shouting, and she made no move to hold her hands up. One of them fired his weapon into the air, which attracted the attention of the guards on the catwalks as well. Good, she wanted as many witnesses as possible for this little show.
"Hello boys!" She called out, the smirk on her face making more than a few of them exchange looks of confusion. "I'm looking for a friend of mine. I heard you fellas found him for me." The men in front of her continued to back up, keeping their weapons on her as she showed no sign of slowing her pace. Finally, one of the sergeants barked an order, and they stopped ceding ground.
"Put your hands in the air, or we will open fire! This is your final warning!" A man yelled from behind the gate, his ornate hat matched only by his waxed mustache. Summer's smirk faded, but she knew full well that she had this in hand.
"Not gonna happen guys." She muttered, though the man approaching on her left was the only one capable of hearing her. He kept his pistol pointed at her, but in the end he didn't possess the reaction speed to touch her. Summer proved this by drawing up her right leg and driving her foot into his gut, sending him flying with an Aura infused kick. The guards were expecting her to draw a pistol and die in a hail of gunfire, and there was nothing in that expectation about the small woman sending a man forty feet into a wooden wagon with just a kick. The unexpected outcome gave them pause, and Summer took full advantage of it. She grasped the closest man's repeater and hauled him toward her, clothes lining him with her elbow and sending a kick into the third man's side. The fourth was too far to reach with a single strike, and he finally shook off the paralysis of fear and shock.
"Open fire!" He screamed, and tried to carry out his own order were it not for Summer's fist embedding itself up into his diaphragm. His lungs relieved themselves of air, leaving him gasping for breath on the ground as his pistol fell from his fingers. The men above, however, were now free to fire. Summer heard the audible clicks of hammers and triggers, and she pulled her sword free with Aura-infused speed.
When the hailstorm fell upon her, Summer was ready. She leaped back, forcing the incoming fire into a smaller cone, and batted the rounds away as best she could. Her Aura flared as she took a few rounds to the shoulder and the legs, glancing blows more than anything, but her concentration did not falter.
When the barrage ended, fifteen men stared, devastated that one woman could take so many rounds and still live. Summer flourished her blade and slowly ran it across the ground in front of her in a horizontal line. As she did so, a few of the bullets she had caught on the flat of her blade fell into place on the dry clay.
"Since that worked out so well the first time, are you going to bring me John Marston? Or do I have to come up there and teach you boys how to shoot?" Summer called, her earlier cheer and nonchalance gone in the favor of unwavering steel. The commander swallowed nervously, dropping two bullets that were meant for his revolver as her silver eyes bore into his. Summer held his gaze, and he could see the the determination in those mirrored depths. Against all that and what he'd just seen, could they stand up to such a monster?
Fifteen minutes later, a very confused and scarred man walked out of the Sisika Penitentiary. He blinked in the sunlight, holding his hand up to block the harsh rays from his eyes. His face matched Arthur's rather gruff description in his journal; the man looked like he had survived a wolf attack. When she walked forward to meet him, John Marston eyed her warily.
"Who are you?" He asked, unsure of what to do if he didn't like the answer. The guards had been shaking in their boots when it came to this woman, though all that John had heard was gunfire and yelling. The woman pointed her thumb behind her, toward the shore.
"A friend of Arthur Morgan, and that's all you need to know right now. Let's get out of here before they find their courage and shoot us in the back." John was more than happy to follow along with that plan. He took off at a motivated jog, keeping his eye out for cover just in case Summer's prediction came true. Five hundred yards later, not a shot was fired and Sadie was waiting for them with a rowboat. The two hopped into the boat alongside her, John grabbing the oars and rowing like his life depended on it. When they were a safe distance away, he slowed enough to get a good look at his savior, and the strange clothes she wore.
"You two want to tell me what's going on? What does Arthur have to do with this?" John asked. Sadie ignored him, her own incredulity taking precedence.
"How the hell did you get them to release him? I thought once the fighting started, you were dead." Summer just crossed her arms behind her head and leaned back, crossing her legs and getting comfortable for the trip back to the mainland.
"It's like I said. I asked them nicely." Back at Sisika, the Warden and Senior Guards all signed their resignation letters and agreed to never tell about the mystery woman that threw men like potatoes and blocked bullets out of the air.
A/N: Summer's a badass, and John Marston is free. More trouble looms on the horizon, and how will Arthur get out of this one? The hits just keep coming. As for the (UNOFFICIAL) ship name, Arthur's Semblance is Dead Eye, and Sienna is a Tiger. When I actually said it out loud, the song began playing in my head and hasn't stopped since. Someone kill me.