Hello everyone!
As promised, the clash of the three fighters proceeds in this chapter! As usual, thank you for all the support in all kinds!
Hope this turns out well...
Enjoy!
The Next Day, At Around 13.00…
Beryl lounged around her and Raiden's room alone. They had told the guards that they'd like to stay in the room for the day, citing the need to rest and gather their thoughts. Of course, this was only partly true. Raiden and her had spent the night planning how to take the Wild Storm down, pooling the intel they had and figuring out the best way to engage with no civilian casualties.
She huffed and plopped down the sofa. Honestly, this was such a pain. If she had it her way, she'd take the fastest way to finish the mission. Everything's just business, and the best remains on top.
She glanced at the window, the one Raiden opened before as he snuck out to confirm the intel once more. He didn't want to take any chances and decided to do one last check. Fine by her, that meant she could check up on her private plans too.
And, just as she hoped, a raven bird flew into the room from the open window. It stopped in front of her and transformed into a human being.
Beryl grinned. "So, you listened in on everything last night?"
"Yes." Raven nodded. "Creating a counter-plan to eliminate him shouldn't be hard."
"Careful, don't'cha underestimate him." Beryl got into a more serious sitting position. "The best job is the quickest and the cleanest, and I don't wanna mess up the pay I get from Leo."
"It's no matter." Raven assured her, "After all, the strong survive while the weak perish."
"Ah, but you met him last night, didn't ya?" Beryl asked back. "I figured you two must've fought for a bit. So, that's the conclusion you came up with?"
"He's hesitant, too considerate." Raven stressed. "Weak."
Beryl shook her head and sighed. These people just don't get it. "You bandit types are all the same. Murder and death, left and right. It's all you think about."
Raven narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?"
"If you kill everyone, then who's left to do business?" Beryl spoke, "That's what I think, why I helped Soma and built the Wild Storm."
"Don't compare your weaklings to the Branwen tribe." Raven retorted. "You people don't know when to do what's necessary."
Beryl ignored her and continued to speak, "Look at the rain, Raven. It'll come whatever we do. Now, the question is, who's gonna be on top when it comes?"
Raven stayed silent, and Beryl took that as her cue to continue. "The world'll always go around, doesn't matter what we do. Times go on, and conquerors will always be the righteous. But a conqueror needs subjects."
"Glory is irrelevant." Raven rebuked. "Survival is all that matters."
"Ah, but surviving happens when you have somethin' to offer, right?" Beryl continued. "People need others, that's a fact. But in the end, all that matters is who's usin' who. It's like rainfall, Ravy. When someone manages to take and it, make it to drinking water, then thirsty people will come flocking to those who've got the goods. They'll pay anything, and all we need is to just stay on top."
"And when all of them is dead, where will you be?" Raven asked back. "What will you do when the drought comes, when summer heat burns down on your skin?"
"I dunno, where are you now?"
Raven tch'd and turned around. "I didn't come here to speak philosophy with you. Let's get back to the topic. How're we going to take down the target?"
Beryl smirked and leaned forwards. "Well, here's the thing…"
Later In the Afternoon…
Raiden snuck back to his and Beryl's room from the open window, carrying two locked briefcases. He closed the window behind him and turned around, finding Beryl waiting eagerly on the couch.
Raiden smirked. "Here," He put the two briefcases on the table, one facing him and the other facing his associate. "Finally managed to get these back."
Beryl put her hands forward, still cuffed by the restraints. "If you would do the honours?"
Raiden put his hands on her cuffs, his already taken off back before he snuck off at noon. He sent a quick pulse of electricity through his arms, frying the cuffs' circuits and forcing them to unlock.
"Thanks." Beryl easily pried the cuffs off and rubbed her wrists, feeling Aura flowing back through her veins. "So, anything new?"
"Nothing's changed since yesterday." Raiden assured. "I checked it when I took a peek about the guard schedules. The plan shouldn't change."
"Nice." Beryl crushed the padlock on her briefcase and opened it, Raiden doing the same. Gingerly, she took Visionbuster and ran her hands over it, inspecting its finish. She smiled in relief; no signs of wear or fingerprints whatsoever.
"So let me run it over one more time," Beryl began, resting her shotgun against her shoulder. "We sneak off in the night and go to the Dust mine. Then, we make a distraction there so the guards'll come running after us. Then, once all of em's there, we take 'em out."
"Exactly." Raiden took HF Crocea out of the briefcase and checked its charge. Not even a single percent down. "The Dust mine's out of civilian's areas. If we do this right, none of them will get hurt."
"And you're sure that security over there's light? I mean it is a Dust mine, after all."
"Positive." Raiden confirmed, snapping his briefcase closed shut. "The Dust there's enough to last generations, but only for the people who live here. If the Wild Storm want to keep making a profit, then they have to keep it running."
"And yet since it's just to keep the village running, they don't post a lot of people there." Beryl hummed in agreement." I see your point. I mean, who'd be stupid enough to rob Dustin some small village?"
Raiden shrugged.
"Well then…" Beryl closed her briefcase shut too. "Guess all that's left is to wait 'till night time?"
"Yeah." Raiden nodded. The ninja was about to turn around, off to do his own stuff, before Beryl spoke again.
"Why do you try so hard?"
"Hm?" Raiden paused mid-step.
"I mean, we could just off Soma right now and no one'd stand in our way." Beryl added, "Just got me thinking, why go through all of this effort?"
"The innocent didn't ask to be raided." Raiden spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "If we drag them into this, then the whole mission's a bust."
"The job was to liberate Higanbana. It never specified how we do it." Beryl responded. "I say the faster we do it, the better the pay we get."
"And what would it cost?" Raiden rebuked. "Property damage? Broken homes? Death? Even if I have to suffer, dragged through the dirt and forced to eat shit, I'll make sure no innocent lives suffer because of my fights. My choices. I won't tear their world apart, make their lives a living hell."
With that, Raiden turned around and went off to do his own thing, leaving the room accompanied by guards. Meanwhile, Beryl sat contemplatively at the sofa.
In the end, she chuckled and shrugged. "Well, you're you and I'm me."
"May the best of us win."
Night Approaches…
Raiden strolled through the marketplace, hands cuffed again to fool everyone. He looked up and saw the sun beginning to set. Around him, most of the merchants were packing up. The civilians hurriedly shuffled around, walking fast and going straight to their houses. It seemed everyone was afraid of the guards, and rightly so. After all, what's some Lien in exchange for getting to live another day?
But in this case, panic and fear were good. It meant that everyone was moving quickly, everyone was lost in their own minds. People bumping around left and right, stumbling forwards after quick missteps. With the flood of people rushing the walkways, it was easy to get lost, and easier to blend in.
As such, Raiden used this opportunity to walk faster. He could sense that his guards were falling behind. Good. He made his steps more silent, his body language more discreet. As people walked towards their homes, Raiden blended in from one group to the next. If someone was going to make a stop, he broke from them and blended in another group whose house was closer to the Dust mine. On and on and on and on, until finally, he felt his guards lose him. And just in time too, the sun had fully set.
Darkness had fallen on Higanbana.
Before the guards could see, Raiden moved fast and ducked into an alley. Breathing a sigh of relief, he climbed to the roof of the house and perched on top of it. He flipped on his AR Vision.
"They're already starting the extortion runs…" Raiden muttered as he saw Guards one by one enter the village homes. He looked away and mapped out the rest of the village's guard locations. With a wordless nod, he ran across the rooftop and avoided all contact, sticking to the shadows and making not a single move against the guards.
Eventually, he stopped as he came to his final rooftop. Around 200 metres from there, he could see the Dust mine below, a cave opening with all of its guards surrounding the entrance.
A drop of water fell on his visor. "Huh?" Raiden looked up and saw clouds forming. Thunder crackled ominously, the sign of a storm that was approaching. The clouds were dark, almost black in isolation. More and more clouds formed as the raindrops increased, going down from the cloud to the small humble village. Then, in mere seconds, the rain became heavy, the sounds of falling rain almost deafening to average ears.
Raiden's vision was partially impacted, but not overly so. The guards he could see before were slightly blurred, but the outlines were still clear. In fact, as Raiden scanned the area again, he could see another person laying prone quietly on the top of the cave entrance, lodged smartly between some trees and foliage.
Raiden smirked and dropped down, small bouts of electricity going out of his heels. He ran around the entrance, the rain obstructing the view of the guards and keeping Raiden undetected. Then, he went up the cave's entrance from the side, eventually reaching its top. He smiled a little as he knelt beside the calm prone figure of Beryl, visor pulled back again.
"Kept you waiting huh?" Raiden whispered.
"Took you long enough. I was startin' to think you wouldn't show up." She smirked and handed Raiden his briefcase from before. "Your weapon."
Raiden took off the cuffs again and took the briefcase from her. Then, he opened it and brought out HF Crocea. He strapped the sheath to his back and pulled the blade free, its yellow glow illuminating the darkness. He quickly sheathed it back to not draw attention.
"You were right, y'know." Beryl spoke up. "Six guards, right below us."
Raiden grunted as he knelt beside Beryl, overlooking from above the cave entrance to the six guards below them with their backs turned.
"So what do you think the commotion should be?" The Huntress asked. "Gunfire? Screams? Cut-off contact?"
"Hm..." Raiden's eye narrowed as he thought hard. "How about we take one of them hostage and tell them to bring all of them here?"
"That could work." Beryl nodded. She got up, hefting Visionbuster up "So, on the count of three?"
"Yeah." Raiden put his hand on the hilt of HF Crocea.
"One, two…"
They tensed.
"…Three."
Raiden and Beryl jumped down, weapons at the ready. They landed in a crouch, right as the guards turned around. They hefted their weapons up. "Hostiles!"
The guards opened fire, machinegun bullets and shotgun pellets flying toward them. Raiden deflected the shots with HF Crocea, stepping closer and closer toward the guards.
From behind Raiden, Beryl opened fire with Visionbuster. Her shots hit one of the guards, sending him flying back and Aura flickering. She fired another shot and got another one, joining the same fate as the first one.
The guards ran out of rounds. "Reload!"
Raiden smirked. He lowered HF Crocea and rushed forwards, closing the distance in but a second. Before the guard could react, Raiden flipped HF Crocea over to his foot and kicked, slicing the guard in two.
"You'll pay for that!" Raiden heard a shout from his left. He looked over and saw a guard aiming a grenade launcher. The guard fired and Raiden quickly jumped high. The blast detonated below him and he lunged down, HF Crocea held by his two hands and pointed down. He landed on top of the guard, feet on his chest and hands gripping HF Crocea as it pierced through his lungs.
"Rargh!" Raiden heard a cry to his left and saw a guard rushing at Beryl, machete held high. The Huntress smirked and shifted Visionbuster to its baseball bat form. She parried the machete with ease, forcing the guard to stumble back. She moved in and struck the guard with a bat to the gut. The guard doubled over and Beryl spun around him, stopping and pointing a shotgun to his spine.
Beryl shrugged. "Just business." She fired, pellets ripping through the last of the guard's aura and forcing him to the ground.
Raiden noticed footsteps approaching from behind him and wordlessly lifted his sword to block. It clanged, the predicted attack parried. Quickly, Raiden turned around and swept his legs at the enemy's feet. He heard a cry of surprise as the guard lost footing. Raiden seized the chance and turned around, grabbing the enemy by the throat and slamming him to the ground. The guard squirmed uselessly against his iron-clad grip. In response, Raiden tightened his grip. The guard gasped, just barely getting the air to breathe.
He heard Beryl coming closer to him. "Good job," She cocked her shotgun ready. "All that's left is to clean up the rest."
Raiden nodded at her and growled at the last guard. "Call your friends."
The guard nodded fearfully and used his hand to touch a radio in his ear. "HQ this is Dust Mine, do you copy?"
Static.
"HQ this is Dust Mine do you copy?!"
Static.
"HQ-!"
Raiden slammed his elbow to the man's head, knocking him out. He slumped as Raiden let go of his chokehold, the transmission continuing to respond in static.
"Well that was a bust." Beryl sighed and twirled her shotgun. "And we can't risk waiting for tomorrow either."
Raiden shook his head in regret and faced Beryl. "Got any better ideas?"
She rubbed her chin and hummed. Then, an idea came to her and she turned to the Dust mine. She chuckled and pointed a finger to the mine. "How about we blow that up?"
"You're kidding."
"Well, either that or you get some Dust in there so we can make an explosion outside." The Huntress shrugged. "Let's face it, this rain's as heavy as it gets. Doesn't matter how many guns we shoot, they just won't hear us."
"…Damn it" Raiden bit bout. "Fine, I'm going in. Cover me while I'm gone."
Beryl nodded. Raiden went past her and into the cave, going down its treacherous paths and through its damp walls.
Once he was out of sight and hearing range, Beryl rolled her shoulders and hefted her Visionbreaker on her shoulder. "You can come out now!"
Almost covered by the night, a raven bird flew down from the trees above the cave, turning mid-flight into a human. She landed gracefully next to Beryl, sword drawn and pushed to the ground.
"Well, this is it." Beryl spoke to no one in particular, "After this, business continues. Like I said, world goes round, and the conqueror is righteous. Now, he should be deep inside enough." Beryl motioned to the cave for Raven. "Now if you'd do the honours..."
"A pleasure." Raven unhooked a grenade from her hip. She pulled the pin open and, after letting it cook for several seconds, threw it to the cave's entrance.
BOOM!
Raiden walked deeper and deeper inside the cave. Colourful crystals surrounded him, from red to blue to green and brown. Raiden carefully plucked some of the red and yellow Dust crystals he saw, placing them in his pockets with care not to scatter them.
In the end, the ninja finally reached the end of the cave, the vision from his visor helping him immensely while looking around the dark paths. He gave the final wall a good few taps. The sound came back solid, no cavities behind it. "So this is the end, huh…"
Raiden glanced at the Dust crystals he had in hand. "Guess this'll have to do."
BOOM!
"Huh?" The ninja felt the ground shake, bits of earth falling from the cave ceiling. It's going to fall! But that sound, that was-!
"YOU BASTARD!" Raiden let The Ripper flare, every inch of his cybernetic body pushed to its limits and then some. He could hear chain explosions going off from the entrance, the cave shaking more and more. He roared and ran as fast as he could back to the surface. He saw fire come from in front, growing bigger and bigger as the rocks crumbled and crumbled.
Raiden forced through.
"BERYLLLLLLL!"
The cave fully collapsed, the sounds of stones crashing roaring loud against the rain's noise. Raven and Beryl stood a safe distance away from the cave entrance. They could still hear the faint sounds of chain explosions, rocks collapsing even more, and a faint scream of rage.
Eventually, everything died down, the only sound remaining the sounds of harsh rainfall.
Beryl let out a sigh. Job finished. She turned to Raven, who opened her mouth first.
"See?" The Beacon graduate smirked. "He's weak. He trusted others, and look where that got him." She sheathed her sword without a word.
Beryl shook her head. And just like that, the world would continue. Sorry, Raiden, but it was nothing personal. Just business-
The cave shifted and the two of them turned around. Rocks began to shake, moving slightly from some sort of vibration down below.
Beryl's eyes widened. No, he can't be-!
Raiden burst forth from the cave, electricity crackling around him and flames burning around the edges of his suit. He flew over Raven and Beryl and landed behind them, landing in a crouch with his back towards them. His hand held the yellow glowing HF Crocea, visor deployed over his eyes. Along the holes on his suit, they could see blood leaking out from his cybernetic body. Dings and bangs scattered his armour, scratches and gashes all around.
Thunder crackled ominously, the rain somehow growing more intense. In the midst of it, they could hear slow mechanical breaths, all the more menacing considering his wounds. But even through all that, Raiden was still strong, his stance stiff and his sword ready for combat.
His entire being became enveloped in a red glow, his breathing growing faster and more aggressive. The flames on his suit were put out by the rain, and electricity seemed to spark around him more than ever.
A static-laced robotic voice reached their ears.
"I am lightning."
Thunder crackled ominously.
"The rain transformed."
Beryl panicked and fired a shotgun blast at Raiden. Raiden dashed to the right, a blur faster than the eye could comprehend. The Huntress felt a presence to her right. She ducked as fast as she can, HF Crocea hair's breadth away from the top of her head. She shifted Visionbuster to its baseball bat form, ready to try melee combat-!
"AH!" She felt a kick to her gut, sending her flying away and landing flat on her back. She groaned, trying to feel around her Aura. In the middle of the yellow.
Raiden growled, lowering his foot. The Ripper was in full effect now, he could feel it. The rage, the wildness, it felt welcoming. Familiar and addicting.
Raven cried out and lunged, drawing her sword from its sheath and rearing it high. Meanwhile, Raiden heard her movements. Wordlessly, he scattered Electricity Dust around his feet. He could hear Raven getting closer and closer now. Just a bit more…
Raven stopped mid-lunge and jumped over him. He could see her face as she flipped over him, landing in front of him and her sword poised to strike him down.
Raiden moved his foot and crushed the Dust crystals scattered around him.
Borderline thunder sparked and hit Raven dead-on, forcing thousands of watts of electricity to course through her veins. "AAAAAAHHHHH!"
Raiden grabbed Raven by the throat as she convulsed. Raven tried uselessly to fight him, Raiden in turn tightening his grip. The ninja roared and tossed Raven to the cave entrance, her back hitting the rocks squarely and painfully. She slumped to the ground face first.
Beryl tried to get up. She pushed herself up with her hands, seeing Raiden approaching Raven. She began to stand up again, slowly getting on one knee.
Raiden didn't even turn around. In a flash, a spark of electricity coursed from his feet then to her body. She spasmed as electricity ripped through her, forcing her back to the ground and losing control of her muscles.
Raiden reached Raven and gazed down on her, vision hidden behind the visor. Raven growled hatefully at the cyborg, hand already gripping her sword again.
"RARGH!" Raven lunged forwards, swinging her sword chest-level at Raiden. The ninja blocked it and Raven jumped, detaching the blade from the hilt. She landed a safe distance away and attached a new one, fresh and ready for the next round.
Raiden held his sword ready, still in a normal standing position. He looked at Raven beneath his visor and growled. "Come."
Raven lunged forwards in return. "DIE!" She swung her sword at shoulder level. Raiden parried it and responded with a slash of his own. Raven tilted her body back, just barely dodging the attack. Raiden pushed on and tried to kick her in the foot. The attack was met halfway by Raven, the ex-Huntress gritting her teeth at the impact. She forced her Aura on her hands and raised her sword high. With a roar, she swung down on Raiden's head.
The sword hit Raiden dead on, forcing him to stumble back with his head down. However, Raven's sword was shattered, indicating the amount of force it took. Raven quickly attached a new one, this time white in colour. Wind Dust. Good, time to keep him on the disadvantage -!
"Heheheh…" Raiden chuckled. He lifted his head up slowly, his red glow growing larger and more intense. He smirked at her. "That all you got?"
Raven grit her teeth and heard footsteps approaching her. Beryl came beside her, Visionbreaker ready. "So what's the plan?" The Wild Storm leader asked, cocking another shell in place. "My boys must've heard the explosion by now. Some of 'em might check."
"But that's not a certainty." Raven muttered. "Two-on-one. Overwhelm him."
"Gotcha." Beryl nodded. "Let's do this."
Beryl fired a shotgun shot loaded with Fire Dust. It hit Raiden head-on and he stumbled back from the blow. Raven dashed behind him and raised her sword high. She swung and used its Dust infusion, striking Raiden with a wind-infused slash. Raiden growled and met the attack halfway with HF Crocea, locking the two in a stalemate.
They grit their teeth, Raiden pushing with cybernetic might and Raven using all of her Aura and the Wind Dust. Slowly, Raiden was winning, pushing Raven back millimetre by millimetre.
"Grk!" Raven tried to hold it back. It's no use, she couldn't hold it too long-!
Another shot hit Raiden's back. He flinched forwards, and that was all Raven needed. 'Now!' She pushed through and slashed Raiden square in the chest. Raiden took a step back. Raven struck him again, this time at the sides. She raised her sword high. Now, for the finishing blow!
Raven swung down on Raiden's neck. But before it could reach, however Raiden swung HF Crocea to hit Raven's sword away.
Raven's sword shattered into a million pieces like glass. Raven's eyes widened. Impossible! It shouldn't be that easy to-!
Raiden grabbed Raven's head and headbutted her. "AH!" She stepped back in pain, clutching her head. She blindly sheathed her hilt back to her scabbard. She needed a new blade-!
"TAKE THIS!" Beryl cried and rushed forwards with baseball bat Visionbreaker. Raiden turned around and parried the strike. Beryl didn't give up and shifted her grip, taking another swing at Raiden's gut. She poured almost all her Aura into it. The bat struck true, and Raiden was force to double down.
Raven had finally gained her senses and attached another blade to her hilt. Blue, from Ice Dust. She swung it down on the back of Raiden's knees. The ninja cried out in pain as he was forced to kneel. Ice started forming around his lower body and crept up to his head, freezing him to the ground.
Raven and Beryl stepped back and took deep breaths. "Good." Beryl panted, "We've got him. Now-!"
Raiden grit his teeth, the red glow growing larger and larger. The ground started shaking. Raven stepped back, eyes wide with fear. "What?!" She gripped her sword tighter. "How?!"
"You froze him solid, right?!" Beryl panicked.
"I did!" She responded, "No one should be getting out from that-!"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGGGHHHHH!" Raiden yelled out and broke free, electricity sparking around him. Shards of ice flew everywhere, melting as they flew and landing as pools of water.
Raven and Beryl prepared their Auras. Both were almost in the red. They needed to finish this, and quick-!
Borderline thunder struck down on them again. They stumbled back, their Aura taking the brunt of it. Still, their vision blurred and their hands trembled.
Was it the electricity, or was it the fear?
Robotic voice echoed again.
"Where's your strength now?"
Beryl was the first to act. She charged, Visionbuster firing shots of Earth Dust. Rocks started to form around Raiden, but he paid it no mind. He crushed it all away just as Beryl reached him. Visionbuster was at its baseball bat form, swinging right for his head.
He could see it coming in slow-motion. Raiden moved HF Crocea to intercept the bat. As it moved closer, HF Crocea came into contact, batting it away…
And slicing it clean in two.
Raiden finished his move with a flourish as Beryl stumbled forwards, Visionbuster's internals red hot and visible to all. She looked at her weapon in shock. "Wha-?!"
She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence. Raiden grabbed her arms and flipped her to the ground, depleting her Aura to zero. She squeaked out in shock, her vision fading fast. With a final breath, she lost consciousness.
Raiden turned and glared at Raven. The ex-Huntress took a step back, trembling. 'W-what is this?!'
"Monster…" She whispered. "You monster!"
Raiden growled. "Look who's talking. Mindless bandits like you don't even add to my body count." Raiden charged, HF Crocea already moving. Raven moved to block the strike, her sword in a parry position. They came closer and closer, eyes to visor. Bandit and Ninja.
Raiden swung down.
Raven parried.
Her sword shattered in one move again.
"Gah!" Raven stumbled back as Raiden landed in front of her, HF Crocea moving again. Raven spun as she stepped back, putting her hilt back in its scabbard and drawing another blade. Purple, Gravity Dust. She quickly turned back to the front.
Her eyes widened as she saw an overhead slash coming down from Raiden. Raven hurriedly brought her sword up.
It shattered once again, forcing her back on the back foot.
Raven's pupils dilated, panically drawing another blade. Dark Blue, Water Dust-!
Smash!
Raiden broke the sword and kicked her in the gut, Raven skidding back from the impact. She breathed heavily, sweat going down her brow. She still had around 20% Aura left. Maybe she could-!
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her. Raiden stood before her, HF Crocea held high above his head with his right hand.
'No no no NO!' Raven quickly drew another blade. Whatever it's made out of, she didn't care! She had to block!
Raven drew another blade from her scabbard, just in time as she saw Raiden bringing his sword down. She swung her blade up, whatever it's made out of, just protect her-!
Raiden blocked Raven's sword mid-swing with his left forearm. Then, he shifted his arm and grabbed the blade with his left hand.
The blade's yellow glow shone brightly in the rainy night.
"Thanks." Raiden smirked and crushed the blade. Raven could only watch in horror as electricity flowed throughout Raiden, coursing through every fibre of his body. He smirked as his visor withdrew, red eye flashing more menacingly than ever before.
It was only instinct that saved her. Raiden brought his right hand down with HF Crocea and she just managed to guard her chest with Aura.
Only it didn't work. Somehow, somehow, it didn't protect her and blood gushed violently from her chest's new wide open wound. Raven skid back as her chest gushed open, Aura beginning to heal the massive new wound.
Her breathing grew ragged, expression clear with fear and panic. There's no choice, she has to get away!
Raiden walked towards her, steps filled with conviction and contempt. "And now here you are. The strong, all alone with her consequences."
He stopped in front of her, sword held high again. Lightning boomed behind him, making his visage all the more clear. There was no hesitation for what he was about to do. "This. Ends. Here."
There's no other choice.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Raven roared and her eyes burned bright, hands sprouting vicious fire. As Raiden brought his sword down, Raven swung her hands in front of her. She cast fire around them all, burning everything in their immediate vicinity.
"Shit!" Raiden pulled back, hands covering his eyes as flames that seemed hotter than any he ever felt licked his metal body. They covered his entire being, covering him and blocking his sight.
Raiden clenched his fist. "GRAH!" He slammed it down on the ground, sending shockwaves that for a moment dissipated the flames. He lowered his hands and looked around the desolate battlefield.
No one, just him and the unconscious body of Beryl.
Raiden gripped his sword tight and grit his teeth in frustration. The Ripper receded, his body falling to kneel from the injuries he received. But even then, his anger bubbled up to a breaking point.
He yelled into the night sky, thunder booming again and again.
"RAVEEEEN!"
Jaune strolled casually off of his Bullhead, Ren's Dad's bow strapped to his back. He whistled to himself, keeping happy mannerisms.
Well, so Leo knew about him and tried to get him killed. Either that or the man was stupid enough to think that he was good enough to take on a Nuckleavee alone, but he was more leaning to the former. No worries, people tried to kill him every day of the week. Especially Tuesdays, for some reason.
But then again, he didn't have any concrete evidence. Sure he could point fingers left and right, but who's to say he's right? And the consequences would just be too severe.
He chuckled. Eh, fuck it. He's certain that he and Raiden could work something out. He didn't doubt that the ninja had his own reservations about the Headmaster too. They can do this.
…Right?
Jaune shook his head. Yeah, no matter how hard it is, they'll figure it out. Taiyang too, now that he thought about it. All they needed to do was get back, which he's sure they will. He just can't imagine the opposite.
Jaune hummed to himself as he continued walking. Eventually, he reached the outer parts of Mistral's landing zones, away from the Hunter-exclusive parts and into the more civilian areas. He saw a lot more people moving about. New arrivals with tons of suitcases, backpackers who're leaving to travel, people saying welcome and bidding goodbye, the place was simply loaded with people.
In the midst of all this, Jaune stood alone. He sighed with a smile and shook his head. Well, all he had to do was just wait for Raiden and Tai, after all-.
A voice he hadn't heard in so long broke him out of his thoughts.
"Big bro?"
Jaune froze in his tracks, eyes wide. He turned around sharply, looking at the source of the sound. In the midst of all the people, he could see her clearly.
There she was. Even after all these years apart, he could still tell her voice, recognise who she was.
His little sister, all grown up with Huntress gears surrounding her.
"Scarlet…"
Uh-oh, what's she doing in Mistral? Find out on the next exciting chapter of Jetstream Jaune! (Too on the nose? Yeah, probably :p)
Thanks for reading, and as usual, tell me what you think!
See you next time!
Review Responses:
To Victorious 435, finally one of Jaune's old faces show up. Now to just wait for how she'll react, *rubs hands together* And yeah, Kojima sure loves his Russian taunts.
To Dhestyra, thank you!
To Brother Ratt, what did you expect?
To SolSparda 369, I hope my portrayal of Raven didn't disappoint. I wanted to give them the fighting chance, though of course they wouldn't win. And yeah, the entire purpose I chose for her was a 'dishonourable Armstrong'
To Rak0s, :)))
To Just a reader now a writer, I hope this didn't disappoint!
To Yeet, thank you!
To Big E, a long long time ago…