Hello again! As usual, thanks for all the support!
Firstly, regarding the poll, I've noticed that some of you have casted your votes on reviews, and I'm sorry I didn't make it clear enough. Please, cast your votes on the poll in my profile. I'm sorry to say, but I can't count the votes on the reviews because I'm afraid of an overlap. With that said, the current standings are as follows:
1. The Boss (13 Votes)
2. Summer Rose (9 Votes)
3. Kazuhira Miller (4 Votes)
4. Akira Nishikiyama (3 Votes)
Secondly, I'm sorry if this chapter came out a bit jumbled up and very short. Lots of thoughts to get through, and writing them down hasn't been easy, and I still don't want to fluff this out too much. Still, I hope it turns out well enough.
With that said, enjoy!
Current Time: Friday Morning, 08:00 AM
The bustling of her tribe resonated around Raven's ears. They moved along the fastest path to Mistral, having no time to waste. Of course, this was helped with her tribe following her every order. They had made no complaints when she told them of her plan. What she told them, they were expected to follow. And that's how it was supposed to be.
Her Scroll rang, a special modification allowed it to receive a signal anywhere. Continuing to lead her tribe down the path to Mistral, she picked the call up and put it beside her head.
"Raven."
"Leo." The bandit leader answered back.
"I trust your tribe is ready?"
"Yes," Raven answered. She looked at the sky above, then at the general area around her. "We should approach Mistral by nightfall."
"Very good. I will prepare a passageway for you to enter. I've… coerced the guards to let you through."
"And we won't need to blend in?" Raven raised an eyebrow. "From the sounds of it, you want all of us to enter the Kingdom. But you can't possibly bribe everyone in the city for this plan of yours."
"…Fine. I'll get some civilian clothing ready. But remember, I want you at my beck and call whenever I need it." Leonardo conceded. "These people are a threat, and I want them gone as soon as possible."
"…Well, to that we can agree on." Raven nodded back. Then, she paused. "Wait, did you say 'these'?"
"He's not alone." Leonardo answered grimly. "He has an ally, one who is as strong as he is. Combined, they can take unimaginable odds and come out on top."
"…"
"Fret not, I already have plans to take care of him too." Leonardo reassured her. "The White Fang have been very helpful in following my suggestions, and soon victory will be ours."
"…Are you sure?" Raven asked sceptically. "Will a Maiden's powers be enough?"
"Yes, you'll catch them by surprise. And besides, they're machines. Susceptible to elemental damage. And they can't fly either. So don't worry.
"Alright then. But I still want backup plans. No taking chances."
"Of course." Leonardo affirmed. "Don't worry. After all, everyone has their own weaknesses. All we need to do is to find what makes them tick."
Meanwhile…
An elder dragon trudged along his path, sweat running down his neck and eyes wide open with adrenaline. It's been days, full of blood sweat and tears, sneaking around any Grimm and avoiding any conflict. His wounds hurt like hell, Aura only coming in just now to start healing his broken body.
But even so, he forced himself to keep going. He carried his cargo by his shoulder, the tape on his opponent's belt playing over and over again. Betrayal, a plan to kill all who trusted that lion, and the implications of that event.
No, he needed answers. He needed clarity, and if it comes to it… revenge.
All the while, his cargo didn't stir one bit. Whatever it was he was dreaming about, looks like he was content to stay unconscious.
He stopped in his step. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He opened them again. Step. Step, one step at a time.
He forced himself through the final sets of foliage. The sun shone down on him, blinding him eyes with light now foreign to him from the dark forest. He rose his hand to block the rays, and as his eyes adjusted, lowered them back down again.
He blinked once, twice. He looked at structure in front of him again, clear of the forest and bustling with guards.
The walls of Mistral…
He grunted and forced himself out of his stupor. Tightening his grip on his cargo, he began to drag himself closer and closer to the walls.
Just a bit more… just a bit more until the truth.
The night was cold, a full moon shining brightly in the sky. He knew his chopper was waiting for him at the edge of the hill, but he just didn't care. Wordlessly, he picked up the cassette hanging from the tree and grasped it with his metal fingers.
He stood high at the edge of the hill, gaze empty as he looked out on the barren desert. The cold night wind blew a chilly breeze. No sign of life out there, just him and him alone.
He put the cassette on the player on his hip.
Click.
"I did not choose to be Quiet."
"I wanted to express my feelings to you."
"If only we could truly shed our negativity, and live happily ever after."
"Vengeance was what drove me to them. The only language left to me, hatred, revenge. But the words we shared… no, that was no language at all. That is why I chose the language of gratitude instead, to go back to silence and speak the language beyond words."
"I am Quiet."
"I am… the absence of words."
Current Time: Friday Night, 20:00 PM
"Ack!"
A bloody hand reached out to the person's killer. The Hunter spat out blood, lungs pierced by a glowing yellow sword.
Raiden tch'd and withdrew his bloody sword. The opposing Hunter's body slumped to the ground, eyes quickly fading and body losing all heat. Dead. Raiden kicked the body away and looked at his surroundings.
He was currently in 'The Meeting Room', a shady establishment in the middle of Mistral. The place was wrecked beyond repair. Shattered walls, blood splatter all over, not to mention slices and bullet holes along the entire structure. One more explosion and he was sure the entire thing would collapse in on itself. And, the most damning evidence of all, bodies of dirty Hunters and Huntresses scattered dead and lifeless.
First, he had tailed them to this location with them being none the wiser. Then, he stuck to the shadows, listening in on their discussions of the upcoming contracts.
But then, as he heard the details of what they were, as well as the pending targets, then he knew he had to step in.
Before they could react, Raiden had jumped to the middle of the room. In less than a second, he had cast away his coat, drawn HF Crocea, and unleashed The Ripper.
They fought long and hard, using teamwork to gang up on him and strike him from various sides…
But in the end, The Ripper pulled him through any injury he got. Sheer rage kept him running, forcing him past all forms of pain and eliminating all of them as efficiently and as quickly as possible. Their weapons, useless. Their Dust, never given a chance to activate.
And that was where he was now. Heavily battered and damaged, yet still the last one standing.
Raiden rolled his neck and deactivated his visor. Honestly, there must have been around more than twenty Hunter-level combatants around here before he cleaned house. Looks like, from this sector at least, lots of shady Mistralian Hunters were participating in this event. Which makes it a lot sadder when one thought of the implications.
Wordlessly, Raiden pulled out one nanopaste pack and applied it to his wounds.
That was the first one he had used since he got here. Now he only had two left.
The ninja then pulled out some Electricity Dust and crushed it too. Good, back to full capacity in both metres. Now all he needed to do was bring the intel he just found back to Jaune.
And what damning information it was.
Current Time: Friday Night, 22:47 PM
"So this place was set up by a group called Spider?" Jaune said, sitting with his legs drawn out and leaning against the sewer wall. "Couldn't think of a better name?"
"They won't need good names when we're done with them." Raiden said back. "The gang's led by one Lil' Miss Malachite. We take her down, and we take the entire organisation down too."
"Alright." Jaune nodded. "So then, your point?"
"They've got people all around the Kingdom. Spies everywhere, eyes and ears on everyone and their mother. Thing is, they've also been dealing out contracts."
"Contracts?"
"Yeah." Raiden growled and clenched his fists. "Contracts to sabotage missions, kill the participants, and then cover it up to make it look like an accident… all through Leonardo leaking intel to them."
"So basically what we got-"
"That's not all." Raiden interrupted. He clenched his teeth, eye flashing red. The Ripper almost came out. "Lately, they've been issuing new contracts for specific kinds of missions. Hunter-in-Training missions."
Jaune's eyes widened. "You're kidding."
Raiden noted Jaune's more panicked tone, but didn't acknowledge it out loud for now. "Yeah, that's right. Apparently it's been for the fourth-years; kids who're really just waiting on their licenses. Thankfully, none of the newer students are in the line of fire."
Jaune hung his head low, a stray bang covering his eyes. "Not in there just yet." He whispered. "…Why? Why? What does he gain from all of this?"
"You told me the Fang's been working together with Leo too. That they're messing around in Vale, but keep getting busted by some in-Training team or whatever." Raiden proposed, "Maybe he wants to prevent that from happening here."
"But then what does he need the Fang for? He's got almost the entire council in his hands." Jaune butted back. "He's sending us all to die… all for something we don't know…."
"…A fifth of the graduating class this year's already dead." Raiden added. "The rest have pending hits on them too. Some once they graduate, some in a few months, some in a year. Either way, he wants them dead."
Jaune didn't respond, staying silent and looking intensely at the ground.
Raiden stayed silent.
"He's killing us all…" Jaune finally whispered, eyes empty staring at the ground and shoulders sagging down.
And yet, Raiden noted the undercurrent of range flowing in his tone.
Jaune got up roughly and stared into Raiden's eye. "Sending them to die… All from his cushy corner office…!"
Jaune growled. "You know what I wanted to be, Raiden? A Hunter. I sacrificed everything for that dream. All I wanted was to see the world become a better place. Make it safer just a bit more, do a bit of good. AND HE'S CRUSHING IT ALL TO SAVE HIS OWN ASS?!"
Jaune lifted his left hand and smashed the wall beside him. It crumbled easily, even if that hand was made of flesh.
"All of us came to people like him, to show us the right way… and he's worse than any of us now combined. People put their trust in him, their hopes and dreams of a better future… and all for him to cower behind a wall and hide like a coward. All while we pay the price and the others stay oblivious to the truth."
Jaune continued, "We just wanted to help people… to save the world… but then, he's no Hunter. He's no warrior, not even a fighter. If in reality he's someone like this…" Jaune began to chuckle. "Heh, then I guess Remnant or U.C, nothing's changed."
"Saturday night, Raiden. Security'll be laxer. We're killing a cowardly lion." Jaune smirked and rolled his neck. "And besides, I've got nothing else to do. With you by my side, it should at least be fun, right?"
"Heh, you bet." Raiden held up his fist. Jaune smiled and met it with his own. "Let's do this, Jaune."
"I'll be by your side, don't you worry." Jaune answered. "We're in this together."
"But back to the point, we better scatter. He knows you're alive, and I don't doubt he's got his own suspicions for me. " Raiden responded. "I've got some things to take care of. Get some more Dust, take the suit back. Meet back here tomorrow night before heading off?"
"Sounds good."
With that, the two swordsmen scattered, getting ready for their final bout. One with clear objectives to prepare, and the other wandering aimlessly to pass the time. After all, he had no one left.
In her cage, Beryl stirred. It seems things were getting interesting… and a tad bit too close to home.
Current Time: Satuday Morning, 02:30 AM
"Greetings, General." Leonardo spoke. He took a seat across the Mistral's White Fang General, an eagle Faunus by the name of Aquila Gold. They were currently in The White Fang's main underground hideout, in a room with two chairs and a table between the two of them. Being an underground hideout, lighting was sparse, but the room was just well lit enough that they could see each other. "I appreciate that you're willing to listen to me in such a short notice."
The eagle Faunus grunted.
"Yes," Leonardo coughed into his fist. "well, this is of utmost importance, regarding our continued collaboration."
"We've followed your recommendations for years now." Aquila stated. "And yet, we are no closer to achieving our goal, our numbers dropping like flies." He narrowed his eyes." And we've been having our own suspicions, so how about I ask you now. Are you holding us back?"
Leonardo could hear several guns click behind him, trained right on his head. He did his best to surpress his flinch, to hide his nervousness. He had to act confident, assert his position. "That's why I'm here right now. To offer you a chance to eliminate our common enemy, once and for all."
Aquila raised an eyebrow. "Not tempting enough."
"But if you don't take this, then the chance might never come at all." Leonardo bit back. "We both know he's been slaughtering your numbers since the day he arrived. And this is the chance I'm offering you, the best shot at taking him down. With my plan, you'll be able to avenge your fallen comrades."
"And what is this plan?"
"Well, you're going to have to take the chance." Leonardo answered. "I'll tell you, if and only if you agree to follow my every command. So tell me, are you in, General Gold?"
"…Fine." Aquila growled. "Let's hear it."
"Splendid." Leonardo smirked and leaned in, hands on the table. "Here's the plan…"
Current Time: Saturday Noon, 12:30 PM
Leonardo arrived at Haven, having just coordinated the final steps of his plan. All was in place, both the Fang and Raven's tribe were in position. Now, all he needed to do was to find Raiden and Jaune, then signal the Fang and the Branwen tribe to strike at their targets-
"Um, Headmaster?"
Leonardo shook his thoughts away and looked at the student in question, accompanied by his team. They appear to have been waiting a while for him, and he was happy to oblige the students. "Ah, Team BLUE. What is it?"
"Um, well, it's just, we've been wondering." Blu began. "Since we're getting missions next week, when are we going to get some real training?"
"Oh?" Leonardo raised an eyebrow. "Do you not think you're ready, Mr. Blu?"
"Well, yeah, Headmaster." Blu answered back. "It's just, we've barely had any proper practice sessions since we started the year. I'm worried about the safety of my team, and for all of us students."
"Then rest assured, Mr. Blu. The Hunters accompanying you are highly skilled." Leonardo reassured the student. "They'll be able to provide proper support for you in that mission. Think of it as true on-field experience."
Leonardo was so absorbed that he didn't hear the footsteps approaching… nor the sound of a cassette recording clicking in to place.
His voice played loud from behind him, some static coming from that very same cassette player.
"Your mission is to kill one Taiyang Xiao-Long."
Leonardo froze, as did everyone in the surrounding area. The lion slowly turned around, facing someone he thought was already dead.
The dead man threw the playing tape at Leonardo's feet, eyes gazing into his own and filled with fury.
"This is one of the Queen's orders, I trust you understand? A sabotage mission, just like usual. Kill all the participants of this decoy mission. He must die."
Tai's eyes burned with hatred at Leo's. The dragon was hunched over from tiredness, with bandages surrounding his wounds. Sweat and blood trickled down his brow, yet it did nothing to deter the sheer rage in his expression. Venom Snake was slung over his shoulder, eyes closed and breathing low.
The only thing keeping the dragon up was pure rage.
"Once he's dead, return to me. I've got more targets, Hunters and Huntresses lining up for you to take care of next."
Taiyang continued to stare down Leo, unflinching and ready for anything. Leonardo stepped back. What-
"Headmaster-!"
Leonardo grit his teeth.
There's no other choice!
The lion gnarled and readied his weapon. Stalwart transformed on his right wrist, from just a Dust-tipped X to a metal shield with the X at the centre. Using his Dust, Leonardo ripped a rock from the ground and flamed it, then aimed it straight at Tai.
Fire-!
Bang!
'Damn!' The lions' eyes widened and he lowered the rock, instead bringing his shield up just in time to block a shot. The bullet ricocheted off of his shield, and he lowered to glare at the shooter.
Blu had his weapon trained dead on at Leonardo, barrel smoking from the shot. "Mr. Xiao Long!" Blu shouted. He aimed his revolver again, dead-on at Leonardo. "Get to cover!"
Leonardo growled.
With that, Blu fired again, and his teammates readied their weapons too.
Bang Bang Bang Bang!
RATATATATATA!
"Rargh!" He had to fall back, at this rate everyone would attack and overwhelm him! With no other choice, he aimed Stalwart at the ground and fired a round of Fire Dust.
BOOM!
Leonardo blew up the ground right in front of him. Concrete dust scattered across the surrounding area, blocking everyone's vision and clogging their senses. With everyone distracted, he used this final chance to escape.
"Uang!"
A strong wind blew across the area, clearing the dust and restoring everyone's vision. Taiyang's eyes danced around.
No lion in sight.
Tai let out a breath. Then another. Then, he collapsed in a heap, Venom Snake falling too at his left.
"Mr. Xiao Long!" Blu rushed to his teacher and assessed his injuries. "You need medical attention-!"
"I'm getting better." Tai interrupted him. "What… about…"
"He's gone, sir." Blu said. "Headmaster Lionheart's gone."
"…No…" Taiyang's eyes flicked to his left. To Venom Snake. "No… He'll be back."
"…Teach?"
"Have you…" Tai wheezed. "Have you had any contact with Jaune and Raiden?"
"No, sir."
"Damn it… then we're on our own." Tai grit his teeth. "Leo… there's no way he's gonna let us go. Whoever this Queen is, he's got him on the ropes. The moment she finds out Leo lost… him." Tai's eyes shot to Venom Snake. "Then he won't survive another second. He's going to save his own ass… no matter the cost."
Blu's eyes widened "You don't mean-!"
"He tried to kill me…" Taiyang coughed. "…All because he suspected me of something. But then, now that we know his true colours... he's going to throw subtlety to the wind. And he has incriminating evidence here too, I bet. He has get this guy back, has to destroy the evidence, and we. Must. Die."
Tai took deep breaths. "Get… get everyone ready." Taiyang spoke with finality. "Leo… 'The most powerful man in Mistral' is going to kill us all, throw every man and woman he's got at us. We need to defend ourselves… Any contacts you know in the city, if they can help out then get them here. Stock up on weapons and ammo, medical kits and Aura syringes."
"He's going to come with an army, use everyone he knows." Taiyang spoke. "He'll raze this place to the ground to save himself. And we…
"We need to be ready. We're on our own now…"
XXXXX
Mother Base, Outer Oceans. 2684.
"Fire!"
Bang bang bang bang!
"You're doing good, all of you. But your aim's still miles off!" Kazuhira Miller said, watching over the new recruits in the firing range. "I might not be as good at shooting as Ocelot, but he's not here so I'm all you got. Now, again!"
Bang bang bang bang!
The sounds of gunfire continued to resonate across Mother Base, though that did little to Kaz's hearing. A lifetime on the battlefield will do that to you. He checked the recruits from behind his signature aviators. Good form, but still jittery. Nervous, even, to serve under the legendary Big Boss.
And he could hear the legend approach from behind him.
But even so, it's not like it mattered to him anymore.
Venom Snake approached his friend from behind. "Kaz, a word?"
Kaz gave a side-eye glance at Venom. After a while, he nodded and turned around. "Keep at it!" He called out to the recruits, "I want to see you better when I'm back!"
Venom nodded.
"After you." Kaz growled lowly.
Venom led him to an isolated room, deep in the lower levels of Mother Base. As Kaz entered, he noted the total isolation of the room. No cameras, no windows, nothing but cold and dark steel walls and a table with chairs in the middle of the room.
He stepped deeper into the room, he heard the door close behind him. Kaz turned sharply around and saw Venom motion for him to sit. Kaz grunted and did so, Venom following suit not long after.
"So what's this about?" Kaz growled. "No need for me anymore, phantom?"
"It's not that." V sighed. "Listen, for what it's worth, I'm sorry, Kaz."
"Is that Big Boss talking, or is it The Medic?" Kaz shot back. "You played your role, fooled everyone here. Only reason this place doesn't collapse is because you." Kaze slammed his cane on the ground. "Keep." slam. "Playing it." Slam!
Pause.
Then, Kaz barked a laugh. "We're fools, all of us."
"You're right." V said. "We're all chained to these roles."
Kaz raised an eyebrow.
Seeing he had his attention, V pulled out a file and a tape. "But I've got a proposition for you, Kaz. Away from our roles. Just you and me. Man to man."
"And what makes you think I'd want anything you've got?" Kaz scowled. "You screwed us once before. What's say you won't screw me again?"
"Because this is the only time I'm gonna make this offer; the timing's just right. Ocelot's not around, and Mother Base's too busy to notice the two of us gone. If we don't take too long, that is." V continued. "So either take this now or don't, I'm not gonna make the offer twice."
"…Fine." Kaz spat. "I'm listening."
V nodded and opened the file. "I managed to get the intel team to photograph some of the beasts around Liquid's island. We both know that when we got there, the island was desolate except for Eli, his soldiers, ST-84, and the remaining XOF. But then, we saw those weird… things, didn't we?"
"I remember." Kaz nodded, albeit hesitantly. "Black fur and bone armour, right? So what's the matter? We're not going back there anymore." Then, Kaz's eyes widened. "You don't mean…"
"Take a closer look at the pictures." V tapped at a picture of a bear-like creature. "Those claws… they're bloody. That means they're hostile."
"That could just be animal blood." Kaz denied. "This doesn't prove anything. And even then, so what? Bunch of wild animals aren't a problem."
In response to that, V wordlessly played the tape he had placed on the table.
"Mission Control, this is XOF Unit 1. We've spotted some weird creatures. Should we engage?"
"Engaging!"
BANGBANGBANGBANG!
RATATATATATATAA!
"Bullets don't work! We can't get through that bone armour!"
"Fall back! Fall bac-! AAAAAAHHHH!"
"THEY'RE RIPPING US APART!"
"AAAAAAAAAA!- Crush!"
"THEY-THEY'RE HUNTING US! WE CAN'T HIDE! HELPPPP!"
Static, and the tape came to an end. With that, V decided to speak again.
"Seems weird that we got fewer XOF members than expected when we landed, right?" V said, "These things killed them. It's almost a miracle we didn't face them at all back when we landed."
"Black fur and bone armour… Just like the VOIDs." Kaz noted. "So Skull Face wasn't spitting bullshit. The legends are real." Then, he narrowed his eyes. "So you're saying we should take care of the problem ourselves?"
"…To a degree."
"If this is about the girl-"
"She isn't coming back." V interrupted. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Quiet's gone… I know. Maybe a part of me's looking for something else, maybe just a stray hope…"
Kaz stayed silent.
V shook his head. "Regardless. Zero's scared to death of these things. He's not touching them with a ten-foot pole. They've already blockaded the Pool at Lufwa Valley to hell and back." V began, "Meanwhile, Big Boss' so enveloped with his vision that he's outright ignoring these things."
Kaz's eyes widened when he heard V spat the name hatefully. Him too?
V continued. "As long as they don't bother the U.C, then they can keep existing for all I care, he said. And of course, Ocelot's who he is and will do anything Boss says."
Kaz listened on.
"He wants a world with soldiers at the forefront. But ff the Grimm take control, then there won't be any world to begin with!" V slammed his mechanic hand on the table. "And what about Remnant? Am I to believe that there aren't any other people there too? Or if the Grimm suddenly decide to attack us here and now, do you honestly think that we're ready?!"
V took a deep breath again and calmed himself. "Listen to me, Kaz. I think, for just a little bit, we break out of our roles for the New Age and take care of the future ourselves. Because if all anyone thinks is about the present, then there won't be a future."
Kaz continued listening.
"Will we see that future in our lifetime?" V chuckled. "Probably not. But someday, the world will no longer need us. Won't need a gun, or a hand to pull the trigger. We'll have to drive out these demons, inside and out. That's what we-, heh." V motioned to him and Kaz, "No, what we will leave as our legacy. So what do you say?"
V offered his left mechanical hand to Kaz. "Another mission, right Kaz?"
Silence.
Then, a hollow chuckle.
"You son of a bitch." Kaz grabbed V's hand and shook it firmly. "Fine then, I'm in. Let's go save the future one last time."
Haven to Hell.
A little "teaser" for Kaz too, but remember, the poll is still up. Dead or not, this particular part would've come in either way.
Thank you for reading!
As always, write your responses in the reviews!
See you next time!
Review responses:
To The10thDoctor1964, and you just got that little tidbit! And ye, he did 'support' Venom, but still in a conditional type of way post-Mission 50.
To Ryank00pa, if you hadn't already, vote in the poll at my profile! Thank you for voicing your opinion!
To ThanoSstinks, you can vote two, so if the two of them win, they you can 'breaking the law, breaking the world' while playing everyone like a damn fiddle!
To Bahh, coming next chapter!
To frolovkrill7, ahhh so that's what it was. Read that it's been deleted, though. That's a shame :(
To TheOneWhoSimulatesFantasy, hmm… still thinkin' about that…
To SolSparda369, oh that Jaune vs Adam is coming alright. And everything's counting down, both in Mistral and in Vale.
To Victorius435, Wait, so Ren x Jaune?... Huh, genuinely never heard of that pairing before. As for The Boss… well, I'll still have to wait and see. Remember, two votes!
To NeroAlmia, remember, 1) please vote on the poll if you haven't, and 2) "Eyes on Kazuhira", lastly 3), two votes per person! Thanks for reading!
To TheNineNerdGhouls, Thanks for the compliment! And, of course, main cast interaction on the coming-soon next Arc. Just gotta go through the finale then tie-up loose ends via "Debriefing". Again, thanks for the compliment!
To Aelemellin, thank you! Glad you liked it!
To Salamandra134, Taiyang's alive, and RWBY+JNPR interactions coming soon in the next arc! And Nishiki, well, we're gonna have to wait for the poll…
To Gwynx, thank you! I'll make sure to continue!
To Kabuto S. Inferno, yeah, I agree with you on Jaune's part. He's not gonna go back to Non-Lethal, 99% of the time. Still, things are still happening around him, and his opinions aren't set in stone just yet, at least until after the finale. As for your opinion on the polls (thanks for the trust! :)), Miller's, well you just got a clue at what he's been doing post-MGSV. He could still die in MGS1, that's still up to the poll. The Boss, I can certainly see your point! Salem's force lacks someone who genuinely cares for them, and in-canon that's certainly understandable. But with The Boss, her role could definitely be monumental in morale (especially with Cinder and Em & Merc; They've all got some sort of parental-figure issues). Summer's role, of course, is more or less Tai's Phantom Pain. Lastly, about Nishiki, (I know this is kind bs but…) Aura Yakuza and shit, really. With him as a villain or not, his role's gonna be the motivation for another character (another thing motivates him too, but whether he wins the poll or not it's gonna change a bit). Like a Youtuber said, we like Nishiki because of who he is to…. (well, fill in the blanks yourself! I'm sure you know!) If you haven't, vote in the poll on my profile! Thanks for reading and the reviews!
To UnlawfulGentleman, yeah things might've improved, but then again, the next question would be "If a 15-year old shot and killed Roman, then will Ozpin be held accountable?" And about something happening to Jaune? HOHO it's coming alright. Yeah, Raiden is kinda the better of those two. An accepting family, "good" mindsent… But of course, everyone's their own person. As usual, thank you, thank you for the compliments!
To Big E, he's okay… I guess :)
To Guest (1), That's true!
To austrintristan16, thanks for that! Vote in the poll if you haven't already!
To Maniacalharp747. :)))))
To The Storm Master 567, exactly! I think that's a major theme in MGS too. Solid Snake never thought himself as a hero, and he's all the better for it. Big Boss, though, ended up as the villain of the series due to him setting himself up as someone who'll change the world.
To Gonsmoss, That's true, to a degree. They wanted to fight so they better have the guts to lose. And next, you know, the Malachite mention is thanks to you, even if it wasn't much. I feel like killing her in barely one chapter wouldn't do justice, but we don't have time for a multi-chapter adventure anymore, so she's sidelined to post-Haven. Asides from that, Raven's syringes were just something I added for her scene with Vernal, nothing more nothing less, so you're probably right that she didn't need it.
To Guest (2), that's pretty much true, since they're in wayyy over their heads. Add to that that this isn't Salem's most powerful force either, just a bunch of backstabbers. CEMN and Adam, though, are a different story combat wise (a bit more willing to throw down). Oh, and especially Adam…
To Nacho The Supreme, that is true, the moment you think your enemy is a human then you lose. Simplifying someone in combat is necessary, like it or not. I'm sorry about the Metal Gear parts btw, they mayyyy have just dragged on a bit too long. And thanks for the vote of confidence, truly truly. And nah, he's not gonna go face-heel turn. It's gonna be about love. Thanks for reading!