Chapter 13
"So." Aldric grunted, slowly making eye contact with all of the thugs in the inn. "We going to stand around here all day? Or are we going to fight?"
A beat, and then someone at the back of the dining area threw their hand in the air, "I surrender!" He shouted, a crazed, terrified look in his eye, as he no doubt saw the lack of hesitation in Aldric's.
That opened the flood gates, and the rest of them charged Aldric, pushing and throwing aside chairs and tables as the sound of boots and wood slamming and scraping against the floor filled the air. One particularly sloven man threw a wide right at Aldric one he reached him, but Aldric saw it moving so slowly that he didn't even need to use his semblance to help him dodge it. He jerked his head back and reached forward, locking one hand around the drunk's wrist and yanking him towards Aldric, before burying his fist into the man's ribcage. From the cracking sound he heard, he was pretty sure none of these people were aura users, and with that in mind, he followed up the first blow with an elbow to the side of the man's face. He fell back, but that didn't ease the flow of drunken goons.
Aldric ducked under another punch and lunged forward, landing two blows to the man's sternum before he jerked his head to the right - avoiding another punch coming in from behind him, which then surged forward and slammed into his target's nose, sending him stumbling back. Aldric grabbed the arm hanging over his shoulder and grunted, heaving the man over him and slamming him into the ground, before jabbing him in the face twice. Someone came charging in with a front kick, but Aldric elbowed it out of the way and into another man's knee cap. They both fell to the ground and managed to pull a third man with him.
Aldric sprung to his feet, his radar pulse telling him that there were ten men left still able to fight, including the three that had just fallen to the ground. Two of them charged him from the sides, but Aldric simply hopped backwards and they tackled eachother, their heads slamming into eachother and bouncing off like a cartoon. Aldric kicked the back of the knee of the goon on the left and slammed his fist into the head of the goon on the right - both fell to the ground, but he couldn't follow up the attack as another man came sprinting at him with a chair in his hand.
Even if Aldric hadn't sensed it, he would have heard the man's deep bellow. His gunmetal gray eyes locked onto the man, and with but a thought, he used his semblance to trip the man up. The man stumbled forward, careening towards the ground - Aldric deftly caught and ripped the chair out of the man's hands, before righting it and planting it right back on the ground, trapping the man's head between its legs. Aldric then sensed a man charging him with a knife, but he swung his hand in a wide circle, deflecting any potential stabs, locking his hand to the man's wrist, and twisting. The knife tumbled out of his hands, and with a pivot, Aldric's boot kicked up, catching the knife by the flat of its blade. With another kick, it flipped back up into the air - Aldric caught it with his free hand, and then slammed its handle into the man's forehead, before he pitched it over his shoulder, it landing right next to his gun.
Seven left... Aldric kicked the man who was struggling to get out from underneath his previously weaponized chair. Six. Gruno was starting to recover. Seven again. Aldric frowned, and the goons wised up - now charging him en masse.
Aldric planted his hands on the back of the chair and hopped up, bringing his legs up and through the gap in his arms and appearing for a moment as an ape. He slammed each of his boots on a different chest and pushed off of the chair, careening forward and smashing the goons on the ground, he heard cracked bones and groans of pain, but one had the wherewithall to grab at his leg.
"I got 'im!" He coughed.
"Fuck him up!" Shouted another, as they closed the gap made by his attack.
Aldric didn't even hesitate, throwing up his forearm to block a cross from a goon to his right, before countering it with a powerful punch to the man's gut. Another tried tackling him from behind, but Aldric ducked down. The tackler stumbled over him and Aldric smashed his fist into the nose of each of the goons he was standing on, the first to knock him out and get his leg free, the second to make sure he stayed down. When he came up, the goon that tried tackling him was flipped end over end, and Aldric was fast enough to land another punch to his chest that sent him flying several feet, scattering chairs and landing on a table, before sliding off of it and hitting the ground with a pained grunt.
Four. Aldric hopped off of the unconscious goons as the rest backed up, many hosting bruises, all hunched over in defensive postures.
Aldric knew one had gone for his gun, and allowed him to grab it and press it to his head. He would admit, however, that the man pulled the trigger first and didn't try to get him to stop fighting instead. Regardless, as expected the gun jammed, and Aldric spun around, locking his arm to the man's and slamming his open palm into the goon's throat, sending him down to the ground, gurgling. Aldric tossed the gun back to the table, and turned to the two still standing.
Gruno was now slowly lumbering to his feet, his head bleeding from having a glass smashed against it. The other two exchanged a glance, one shook his head, but the other nodded fiercely. Aldric, however, took the initiative, and in the span of a second, his shield was summoned and was flying through the air. They managed to hear it humming through the air, but couldn't do anything to it - and it slammed into Left's face, before bouncing onto Right, knocking them both out as it came zipping back to Aldric.
The moment Aldric caught it, he quickly hid behind it as Gruno drew a gun and unloaded, first firing three shots at the shield, then adjusting, trying to hit Aldric's unprotected feet. Aldric, however, simply crouched down and those bullets were too blocked, falling to the ground in flat masses. Gruno's gun clicked on empty, and Aldric sensed him look from it, to the unconscious, groaning bodies on the ground, and then up to Aldric, who slowly stood to his feet, the top half of his face staring menacingly from behind his red, white, and blue discus.
"Oh fu -" Aldric beaned him in the face before he could finish speaking, the shield loyally returned to him without delay.
Aldric stared at the destruction, nodding to himself with a brief impressed expression, as he turned to the gangster who had given up. He had a witty remark to give, but he soon sensed and saw why he'd surrendered: To get Aldric's attention off of him so he could grab the faunus bartender, a gun pointed to her head.
"Al - al - alright! Now drop the shield!" The man stuttered.
Aldric's shoulders slumped, and his frown returned, but he humored the man, and dropped the shield. It hit the ground with the sound of glass hitting wood.
"Alright... Now I want you to - uh... Turn - turn around!" He barked.
Aldric crossed his arms, and pointedly looked over the man's shoulder, waiting. The man took the bait and, with a yelp of fear, wrenched the bartender around, expecting to see some kind of backup. When he noticed he'd been tricked, however, Aldric had already kicked the curved edge of the shield, bouncing it back up into the air. With a grunt, he spun around on his foot and slammed it into the shield's edge, sending it hurtling through the air. It smacked into the back of the man's head as Aldric hurried forward; he caught the shield mid-flight and then rammed it into the back of the man's head again before it had even finished recoiling.
The man collapsed into an unconscious heap, and as Aldric's shield vanished in a shower of embers of light, he reached forward and caught the doe faunus as her legs collapsed underneath her. It wasn't one smooth motion, but Aldric did manage to get her seated in a chair and, once she was situated, he fell into one of his own, his breathing quickened. He looked to his left and saw his drink still sitting where he left it. He reached forward and picked it up, sliding it back across the table and downing it in one go. It didn't do as much for his thirst as he would have liked - it being soda and all - but it helped satiate him for the moment.
"Phew..." He murmured. "Sorry about that." He said, setting the mug back on the table. "How much do I owe you?"
The faunus blinked her big, brown eyes. "Are - are you a huntsman?" She asked, her voice shaking.
Kingsman... Actually, considering. Aldric frowned, turning to look at the collection of unconscious bodies, and noting the old man behind the main desk making his way towards him. "Nah." He shook his head. "Huntsman are good men. I..." He nodded to the side, "heh, well, I won't fit the bill for very much longer." He said, with a deep, slow breath, to get it all back under control. "I'm just a figment of your imagination." He nodded.
"By the brothers, sir, I cannot thank you enough!" Said the old man, rushing forward and grasping Aldric's callused hand, shaking it vigorously. "Those hooligans, they've been harassing us for weeks!"
I think that will probably get worse, considering the display. Shit, he probably hadn't thought this through. "It's no problem, sir."
"No, please!" The old man said, "if there's anything I can do - anything at all, please do not hesitate to ask! I can... I can give you a room! A meal! I can give you the money from the register, if you want it!"
Aldric shook his head, "sir, I get the feeling their boss is going to come back for this. You're going to need that money to hire a real huntsman." The room sounded tempting, but if Emerald woke up and didn't see him there, she'd have a panic attack.
The old man, however, laughed. "Nonsense! That was the gang, and by the time they wake up they'll find themselves in the back of a Vale Police van, worry you not, good Huntsman!" He assured, cupping both hands and curving his back, all but bowing to Aldric. "Please, sir. At least accept a warm bed, you look as if you have travelled far, and after this display I am certain you could use a bed and a meal! On the house!" He smiled, warmly.
Aldric shook his head, "there's..." Wait, this was supposed to be place him and Emerald were going to. "Well..." He reached into his right back pocket, "maybe you can help me." He pulled out the picture of Amber; and as he placed it on the table, he half wondered how Cinder had even gotten it in the first place. "Myself and some friends of mine are looking for her. You wouldn't happen to have seen her?"
The picture was in the old man's hands in a second, and he squinted at it. "Why... I think that's Miss Amber! Yes sir, we did see her, just last night!"
Aldric arced an eyebrow, "oh?"
He nodded, "yes, good Huntsman. She said she was passing by on her way to Gurstheim!"
How the fuck does Vale get such a Norse sounding name? "How far is that from here?" Aldric asked, pulling out his scroll and pulling up a map.
The man slid on a pair of glasses and looked at his scroll. "It's quite a ways, I'm afraid, but if with haste you may be able to catch up with her." Aldric sensed the doe faunus looking at him with no small level of concern, probably for his earlier, careless comments. Damn it. "But it's still down the main road, Gurstheim, as I said." He leaned up from the map.
I was hoping you'd mark it, but okay. Aldric stowed the scroll, "thank you, sir. I'll probably stay here a little while longer, and get out of your hair before the police show up."
The man nodded, turning to the faunus. "Please Rosa, serve him whatever he likes, do not charge him a cent!" He said, before sliding away.
Aldric cast another glance at the bodies on the floor, wondering if he shouldn't move them, or something. He turned back to look at the faunus, now named. "Just another one of these, please." He said, nodding at the mug.
For the Record
My ass just got into a bar fight. Sweet Jesus, am I in a bad movie?
No, wait, I'm in an anime. All of a sudden the clicheness makes a little sense.
Shit, all of my wish fulfillment does, too, now that I think about it.
Anyways, pissed off Emerald (BOOOOOOOOOO!), learned to fly (YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!), found the inn we're looking for, and promptly got into a bar fight (BOOOOOOOO!).
Seriously - just showed up, sat down for a few minutes, and all of a sudden I'm caught up in some little crime ring and I'm beating the shit out of everyone. I didn't even need to use my shield, that's the scary part!
Maybe Cinder has a point, I am just underestimating myself.
Anyways, figured out where TFM's heading, some norse-sounding village north of here. Gurstheim. Emerald is going to be amazed when she wakes up, figures out I did her job for her.
...
Actually she's going to be pissed. God damn it.
But the police will be here in an hour or two, so I'm going to want to -
"Excuse me... Mister Drake?"
Aldric looked up from his tablet, and saw Rosa there, drink in hand. He nodded, "thank you, Miss Rosa." He said, accepting the refilled mug.
"Can... I sit down?" She asked.
Aldric frowned, but nodded, as he switched the tablet off. The silence between them was uncomfortable, to say the least, but she did break it after a few minutes.
"You said you weren't a good man, Mister Drake... Would you be mad if I said I don't believe you?"
Aldric arced an eyebrow. He had no right to angst, and he at least thought he wasn't, but he also was pretty sure he didn't fit the bill for a traditionally 'good man'. 'Good Men' didn't join terrorist groups and plan on helping them, winning their trust, and ripping them apart, after having been complicit in the murders of many people. He'd also been responsible for a lot of property damage, but considering team RWBY's future reputation, he was somewhat certain that didn't necessarily count.
"I mean..." Rosa broke eye contact with him, her pasty cheeks growing red as she looked off to her left, down to the ground. "Bad men wouldn't have helped us like that."
What if I said I actually got a kick out of it? If I said I'm actually starting to learn to like the fight? Aldric shook his head, "I appreciate the sentiment, Miss -"
"Rosa." She said, turning back to look at him. "Please, just Rosa." She insisted.
Well I can't tell her to call me Aldric, Cinder would shoot me. "Then call me Nate."
She tried to suppress a grin, "that's a funny name." Before she blinked, and a horrified expression crossed her face, "uh, but, it's -"
Aldric chuckled, "it's fine." He said, "you're not the first to say that." He wondered what she'd said if he had told her his name was Nebo. Even he thought it was ridiculous. "But like I was saying, I appreciate the sentiment, but..." He shook his head. "I disagree." Case in point: While he felt the man had a point, he didn't agree with Ozzymandias. Initially, at least - since he was actively drawing inspiration from the man, that opinion had lessened a bit, but the fact remained the same: He wouldn't call Adrian Veidt a 'good man'. "I just happened to be the right man in the wrong place." He shrugged, taking a sip of his drink.
"Sometimes that's all it takes." Rosa swallowed thickly, "can I ask why?"
Aldric shook his head, "I appreciate what you're doing, Rosa, but the shit I'm involved in..." He shook his head, and set his mug down. "It's going to make the news. And not in a good way." He would actually feel bad if he had to force choke this woman to make an escape.
At this, Rosa gave him an incredulous raised eyebrow. "Nate, I'm a bartender. I hear bad things." She shook her head, "I'd argue that your attempting to tell me 'no' is only further proof. You may not think you are, but I do." She said, with a firm nod. "How - how old are you?" She asked.
Aldric grinned dully, it didn't reach his gunmetal gray eyes. "Eighteen."
Rosa blinked, looked down to his scarred arms and callused hands, and then to the men still lining the ground, before looking back up to him, eyes wide.
"Yeah." He said, raising his mug in a toast, before he took another sip. "Point something out, though?" He leaned forward, "I haven't said I am a bad man, just that I wouldn't fit the bill of a 'good' one for much longer." But Rosa shook her head again.
Christ this woman is persistent. "How old are you, then?"
She grinned coyly, "isn't that bad manners, in humans?"
"I'm pretty sure beating the holy hell out of fifteen men in a bar is, too." Aldric deadpanned.
Rosa frowned and nodded, "point." She said, "I'm almost thirty."
"Well you certainly don't look a day over twenty." He said honestly.
Rosa smiled, but still looked deflated. "I still feel like I should help you, somehow."
I'm planning on killing god, lady. With a little 'g', but an 'o-d' right after it nonetheless! "I appreciate that, but what I'm doing is something I've made peace with." He said, emptying out the rest of his glass.
"What are you going to do?" She asked, earnestly.
As tempted as Aldric was becoming to give this woman exactly what she wanted, he hadn't entirely ruled out the possibility that this was a set up by Cinder. Yes, the possibility was a remote one at best - how could she have predicted he'd learn to fly and go off to find the inn on his own? - but considering the other setups she'd made, he was also willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. As such, while he appreciated the chance that Rosa here was genuinely a nice person and was trying to help, he wasn't in a position to take said help.
So, he shook his head. "Call me paranoid, but I've got to keep some of this to myself." He paused a moment, "I appreciate what you're trying to do. I do, and I'm not trying to come off as the proud holier-than-thou 'don't need your help' kind of a guy, but..." He hummed, "I'm not in a position to take help. I'm sorry."
"Are you sure?" She asked, "you just... You remind me of someone I used to know, and I lost him. If I can help you, I want to." She stressed.
But Aldric again gave her a negative shake of the head. "You can get me a rag, to clean my gun, and a pen and paper to write on, but aside from that?" He decided to throw her a small bone, "the people I'm involved with... They aren't as nice as I am. If I tell you anything and god forbid it somehow gets back to them, it won't be pretty. I don't want to put people in danger unnecessarily."
Rosa gave him a long, solemn look, before nodding. "Okay." She said, "I'll be right back."
Aldric gave her a thankful nod, and turned back down to his tablet.
- leave soon.
Just had an interesting conversation with the bartender lady. She was pretty adamant that I confide in her, and I came this close to doing it, too. But, Cinder's pulled off strange, miraculous ass-pulls before, so I wouldn't doubt it if this entire thing were some kind of set up. See what I do when I'm not directly under their watch. If I go spilling their secrets and mine, I'm screwed, this bartender's screwed, probably the inkeeper is screwed, too.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have someone beyond this journal here to get this shit off my chest to... And having it be a bartender would be pretty poetic, in its own way, but as much as I'm planning on being complicit in a lot of people dying, I don't want to be the cause of any unnecessary deaths if I don't have to be. If I can avoid killing people, or having them be killed, I will.
Shit, Neo seems to be into me, maybe I'll tell her.
Not like she'll talk, amirite?
I'm kidding, of course, but still. I'm in serious need of allies at the moment, and the Legion of Doom only kind of counts. I'm pretty sure if it weren't for this journal here, I'd have gone mad by now - and the journal in and of itself is one hell of a risk. Any of them figure out how to read Earth English and I'm fucked.
Regardless, right now I'm cleaning my gun, and once I'm done with that and this, I'm going to write Qrow's note. Or at least start it, I need to know what we'll be doing, where, and when, before I can set up a meeting with this guy.
And I still kind of want some armor. Gave it a little more thought, I know I'm not going to be able to find my ass an armor that will let me survive big hits, but it should at least be able to relieve the smaller ones. I'm talking regular punches, knives, bullets grazing me - things that, if I can't deflect with me semblance, and that hit my barrier, will then hit my armor and be fully blunted. Big hits - things like Yang punching me, or Ruby's fuck-awful sniper rounds (did I mention I'm pretty sure Ruby's one shot broke more bones than the last half of mine and Yang's fight?) - I'll still take damage from that, I can't avoid it. But small hits, if they get through all of my defenses an armor should be able to negate any of the remaining force.
I also would very much like something lightweight and flexible, so I can keep up my agility in combat. This also plugs into something else - if possible, I'd want it to be non-magnetic, probably something like carbon fiber, or kevlar. Some kind of non-metal plates, maybe a liquid layer too, some kind of non-newtonian liquid, to add onto it, that way if I ever go up against someone like Pyrrha, I can drop the Power Glove and my sidearm, and they won't be able to do jack shit against me.
In other words, I actually am looking for a Batsuit. I swear I was joking, earlier, but the more thought I put into it the more I realize that that is pretty much what I'm looking for.
In a perfect world, there will be time enough before the fight with the Fall Maiden that I can fly to Vale (or maybe Atlas, I'll have to ask for opinions now that the goddamn planet is my playground), get a suit, and get back in time for the fight. Considering what world I'm living in, though... I'm pretty sure it won't be until well after the fight that I get something for myself.
I think Mercury may be able to help me out a bit, though. While we were training together he said his shirt had some light body armor, so he may know where to point me.
And yes, since I'm basically looking for a batsuit, I may very well make the armorer, or blacksmith, or whatever they're called here, give me a fucking bat symbol on the chest. I also find it somewhat entertaining how monochromatic my clothes are turning out to be (black shirt and coat, beige/khaki pants), and yet my Cap Shield is red white and blue. That's like if Batman - you know, 'Does it Come in Black?' - pulled out a rainbow batarang.
Made me giggle, and now the bartender is staring at me like I'm nuts.
I should go.
'Till next time.
He managed to take off from the inn with a few minutes to spare, before the police arrived. It was only through sheer luck that he found his way back to the campsite, but he'd spent so much time out and about that he only got two hours' sleep before the sun came up. Emerald decided to wake him up with a gunshot, and though it was unintentional, he got his revenge when he beaned her across the face with his shield, having thrown it out of his tent on instinct.
"Ow! Damn it, Aldric!" Emerald growled, kicking the hardlight discus away. "That thing actually hurts!"
"I make no excuses, you people have been training my reflexes, and you woke me up with a gunshot." A beat, "besides, you say that like I haven't hit you and Mercury with it repeatedly." Aldric grumbled, as he stumbled out of his tent, rolling his sleeping bag up.
Emerald recoiled her head, as the shield zoomed back to the crash survivor and vanished in a shower of light embers. "How late were you up last night?"
"Pretty damn." Aldric yawned, stretching his back. "I felt bad about us getting lost, so I hunted down the main road." He nodded over her shoulder, "about a kilometer that way. But I felt a... Walk, was in order." A pause, and then a grin. "A very enthusiastic walk."
Emerald's face fell into a wary frown, as she disassembled her tent. "What did you do?"
"I got into a bar fight and beat the living shit out of a bunch of pirates." He deadpanned, "but I figured out where the chick we're looking for is going."
"Wait, back up - what?!" Emerald turned to look at Aldric over her shoulder. "Say that again?"
"I got into a barfight, knocked out about... One and a half dozen gangsters dressed up as pirates. The innkeeper thanked me by telling me where the woman we're looking for is headed." Aldric elaborated, as he folded up his own tent.
He sensed Emerald now turning to face him fully, her face the picture of shock. "Well?!"
"I got out before the police arr -"
"That's not what I was asking and you know it, Aldric." She barked.
He chuckled, "she's heading off east, down the main road to a town called Gurstheim. She left just the day before yesterday."
He heard Emerald shake her head and let out a soft sigh, "w - wow, Aldric." She said, "I'm... Sorry for doubting you."
Aldric gave her an incredulous look, "why Emerald, was that awe I heard?" He asked in a singsong voice.
She rolled her eyes, "you ruined it." She said, finishing the packing of her tent. "So you got into a fight? You don't look nearly as bloody as you usually do." She pointed out.
Aldric stood up, stuffing the packed tent into his bag. "It wasn't aura users, just a bunch of gangsters."
"Do you believe us now?" She asked, as she too stood up, her red eyes shining with interest.
"Yeah yeah." He shook his hand, "we going back to the ship?"
She nodded, "I trust you know the way there?"
He'd seen the cave they had landed in during his flight the night before, he nodded. "Better than I did the road, yesterday." He said, nodding off in the direction. "So."
"Hm?"
"I know Mercury joined up because you two... Preeeetty much hired him after he killed his dad. I know Cinder's a riddle wrapped up in a mystery inside an enigma. But I don't know much about you... Said you lived on the streets." He itched at his nose, the mid-morning chill settling into the air.
Emerald gave him a blank look, "a far cry from you trying so hard to get under my skin." She pointed out.
Aldric rolled his eyes, "I don't mean anything by it, I hope you know that." He said, "life's too serious to take seriously. I like to enjoy the little things, like laughing at people. But you'll notice, I make fun of you three just as often as I make fun of myself. Turnabout is fair play, after all."
Emerald hummed, giving him a once over before she turned back forward. "There's not really much to say." She began, "my parents dropped me off at school one day. By the end of the day I was in an airbus fleeing from the Grimm, I haven't seen them since. Found my semblance pretty quickly afterwards, and took to living on the streets. Cinder found me one day after I took something, and I've been with her ever since."
"How delightfully unrevealing." Aldric deadpanned, "never found your folks?"
She shook her head, "I don't like to talk about that." She warned.
"Lady, I may be a kindred spirit hidden inside a snide asshole. My Dad was on the airplane you three pulled out of the sky." Aldric countered.
Emerald was silent a few minutes, before she finally shook her head. "No. I never found them. They could be alive, they could be dead... I don't know."
Aldric gave her a moment of silence, "keeping the hope alive, right?"
But she shook her head, "if they were worth their salt, they would have found me. It wasn't a secret where the airships evacuated to, and the crews took down names and posted them publicly. If they're alive, they left me, and if they're dead, well..." She shrugged. "That solves that."
Aldric felt like pushing the subject, but decided it best to bite his tongue, and the two continued on in silence.
By the time they found their way back to the cave, the sun was high in the sky and beginning to dip down. The tarp had been removed and now the Aviator was out in the open, save for the cave above it. Aldric saw a few lights on inside, and he and Emerald both made their way in, seeing Cinder sitting at the dining table, and Mercury kicking at a punching bag, the air silent save for the chiming of the chains from which the thick bag hung.
Cinder looked up from a book she was reading, and eyebrow arced. "I was wondering when the two of you would return." She called out, attracting Mercury's attention and prompting him to relax his stance as he turned to them.
Aldric grinned, resting his hands behind his head as he approached Cinder's table. "We got lost something fierce." He said, falling into the chair in front of her. "Figured out her name and destination, though." He said, as Emerald slid into her chair, and Mercury approached.
Cinder closed her book with a light swish, and straightened her posture, interest gleaming in her bright orange eyes. "Do tell." She said, as Mercury turned a chair around and fell into it with a thwump.
"She's heading east, to a village known as Gurstheim." Said Emerald, "Aldric did most of the leg work on this. He learned that she left hardly two days ago, and we can catch her if we move quickly."
Cinder nodded, but said, "no. This woman is the Fall Maiden. New to her role, she may be, but our goal is to engage her in open combat. Charging ahead without a plan would be foolhardy and would get us killed." She said, sliding her chair closer to the table. "Her powers exist separate from Dust, but are tied to her aura. Our goal must be to whittle her down, to beat her to her knees and ensure she is capable of no possible struggle, such that I can steal her abilities."
Aldric wondered if Mercury and Emerald weren't questioning this because they didn't care, or because they felt it beyond their station. Aldric, however, said, "so... Enlighten me, please? How do you intent to steal the powers of the Fall Maiden?" He asked, "some kind of ancient dust ritual, like you used to pull me out of the sky?" He asked.
Cinder shook her head, "there are things I cannot tell you, Aldric. Things neither you, nor Mercury, nor Emerald are yet ready to know."
"Sometime you're going to learn to take things at face value." Mercury deadpanned, swiping a hand through his slightly sweaty hair.
Before Aldric could counter, however, Cinder shook her head. "He has survived thus far by specifically not doing that, Mercury." She said, giving the assassin's son a fierce look. "I would recommend you not question him, as you would not question me." Her tone was firm and low, leaving no room for debate.
Hooooly shit, am I right below Popo on the pecking order? When did that happen? He nodded, "okay. So how do we whittle her down?" He asked, getting things back on track. "You've said several times she operates on different rules than us. So how do we fight someone like that?"
Cinder nodded, "fortunately, we've an advantage. She, while not new, is inexperienced. Many of the specifics of her abilities remain beyond her." She responded.
Aldric gave her a dull look. "So..." He drawled, waiting for an actual answer to his question.
"Consider all semblances you have seen thus far. Assume she has them as well, and an intrinsic mastery of them, and the ability to use them in such a way that she does not deplete her aura."
So she's a tank with nuclear rounds. Fuck me... Aldric leaned back in his chair, "so... Me, if my semblance didn't also drain my shields." He summarized.
Cinder nodded, "as such we must be very careful." She looked up to him, "I pray you have been working on your defenses." She said.
Aldric nodded, "had an idea, about that. But question, first - when do we want to hit her? Like, how soon?"
She hummed, "assume she is on horseback, but not in a hurry." She pulled up her scroll and began bringing up maps of the area. "She couldn't reach Gurstheim any sooner than a week from now. We would want to attack within three days, such that any town guards or Huntsman staying locally wouldn't see or hear our battle." She gave Aldric a look, her pale face cast in a blue glow by the scroll's display. "Why?"
Aldric shrugged, "I can fly now, I can head back to Vale and pick up some armor. Layer that on my semblance barrier and my deflection tactics, I won't be untouchable, but I should be able to take the same hits without nearly dying every time."
They stared at him, Cinder with pursed lips, Mercury with an open-mouthed expression of shock, and Emerald with slumped shoulders.
He stared back, giving them each a blank look.
"What?"
"You can fly." Emerald deadpanned.
Aldric, in response, slowly began levitating out of his chair, stopping once he was a foot above the table, sitting cross legged with the tail of his coat hanging below him. Once everyone had recovered from their shock, he began to settle back down.
"How fast?" Cinder asked.
"I would assume, as fast as I want. But I can't go too fast, without some kind of pressurized suit to withstand the G-forces. Else all the blood in my body would drop to my feet, I'd black out, fall out of the sky, and probably die on impact." Unless his luck held out and his suddenly not using his semblance reactivated his barriers, in which case he'd survive the fall but would wake up with one hell of a headache.
Cinder looked down to her scroll a moment, thinking, as all eyes turned to her. "Could you return to Vale and be back within three days?" She asked, turning her eyes back up to him.
Aldric shook his hand in a 'so-so' fashion. "Maybe. I would think so, but... Well..." He shrugged, grinning sheepishly. "Never really flown before." He chuckled.
Cinder turned to Mercury, "give him a list of the best armor shops, and ensure he has access to your funds." She ordered, "the moment he gives them to you, I want you to leave, and be back as soon as possible." She turned back to Aldric.
Aldric did a double take, "what about planning? You want me to be gone for that?"
"The plan, is simple, Aldric." Said Cinder, nodding to him as Mercury pulled out his scroll. "Were we lacking you we would have to attack her swiftly and damage her aura, such that I could steal her abilities. But that ran many risks, not the least of which being a slow transfer time. It would have to be a tightly choreographed dance, of sorts. But with you, the plan instead is simply to attack, with, quite literally, everything we have." She folded her hands on top of eachother.
"And... You just expect me to... What... Know how to fight with you three?" He asked.
"What have you been doing these last four months, Aldric?" Cinder asked. "Training with these two, you know how they fight and how to fight with them." She said, slowly. "You do know how to fight with them."
"But I don't know how to fight with you." He pointed out.
"A mistake, but a calculated one regardless." Cinder countered, with Aldric noticing Emerald's head whipping back and forth as they had their exchange. "I have been observing you train and have seen all of your battles. When the time comes for me to enter the fight, I will know how best to use your skills in combination with mine. Together we will defeat her, and we will steal her abilities." She didn't even slack in her posture, "you see, there remains a clause in the passing down of the abilities of maidens." She explained.
And suddenly, as if a button was pushed, Aldric understood Cinder's plans. In canon, she doubted whether or not she could kill the Maiden fast enough such that the last person in Amber's thought would be her. Here, however, she had three people fighting alongside her - one of which being touted as an all powerful Super Saiyan. Her intent was no longer to steal Amber's powers with the Grimm Bug - it was to have the Legion whittle her down so much that Cinder could join the battle at the end and land grievous injury after grievous injury, ensuring that Amber was scared of her the most - as Cinder would be the one making her bleed. Then she would land a killing blow, in such a way that Amber died instantly, the last person she saw, and subsequently the last person she thought of, being Cinder.
Magnificent bitch, I'll give her that. He thought, "and that is?"
"It's done." Said Mercury, a moment before Aldric's scroll vibrated. "Here, you're going to need a few of these." He reached into his back pocket, and pulled out a stack of coins, all of a platinum sheen.
"The abilities of the maidens pass down to those who are last in their thoughts before death. Exclusively female, exclusively young. With your help, layered on top of Mercury and Emerald's, we can weaken her to such a way that I can land a killing strike. The last person she sees, and the last person she thinks of, will be me, and I will be the one to gain her powers."
I have never been so terrified of being right. How the fuck to I fix this? Aldric nodded, "what's our backup? Do we have one?"
"I cannot tell you, and of course." She responded, in order.
Aldric nodded, as he got to his feet, stowing Mercury's coins in his coat pockets. "If I'm to assume we're going to attack her pretty much the moment I get back... Where are we going to run to once were done, to lick our wounds?" He asked.
"We return to Vale." She said, "whereupon I can make contact with our leader, ensure my orders remain unchanged."
Meet Qrow in Vale. Sabotage the fight. A fight with a goddess. Shit. Aldric nodded, "alright." He said, giving his coat a brief look. "Whew... I hope this can handle extreme altitudes." He said, turning tail and walking to the ship's exit.
For the Record
Hey kids! Aldric the Terrorist, here, with a special public service announcement!
Don't text and fly!
Now that I've said that - flying long distance is fucking boring. It's cold, too - but zipping up my coat and using my Power Glove's heat settings keep me nice and toasty. It's also loud as shit, I have to crank the music to max in order to hear it. The good news is that it's not difficult to apply small amounts of pressure to my body, to keep my blood flowing properly. So I'm flying pretty wicked fucking fast, but Vale is still a long way away, so now I'm here writing this.
On my way to get the Batsuit, that way I'll be as ready as possible for the fight with the Maiden. That is literally days away, by the way - when I get back, it'll be right off to battle.
Also, holy shit, are we in trouble. Cinder's plan isn't to suck Amber's powers away, anymore - she thinks with me in the deck, she can kill Amber and take her powers the 'natural' way. Holy fucking Jesus, is that not good. But how do I sabotage a fight against a goddess? If I hold back, I die, if I don't, they get the power, Cinder gets pissed, she kills me, I die. If I don't hold back, she gets the Maiden powers, I lose any and all credibility with Qrow, have to fight for the Legion, and that's as good as dying.
I think I see an airship.
Maybe I can wound her, somehow? Do so in a way that ensures a slow death, and convinces Cinder that she'll be thinking about goddamn anyone but her? Then she'll have to use the bug, then Qrow can swoop in and I can pray for a little Canon time to make further plans.
I guess the question then would be how do I wound her? What fancy tricks do I have? I can... Slow, but not not stop, atomic movement, I can speed it up a bit, but barely enough to start a fire, and that was by striking a fork on dry wood. I can force choke people, but I doubt that would work considering she's this world's equivalent to Doctor Strange.
...
Maybe I could cut her arm off? Or a limb of some sort? Get her bleeding a lot, that would put her in self-preservation mode, and even if she wouldn't be thinking clearly, I'd at least trust this chick enough to have been taught about her powers. She'd be actively not thinking about Cinder or Emerald, then, and Cinder's a smart woman, she'd figure this out, and would try for plan B.
With this option, at least I'd be capable - I'd just need a few hours to find the settings again on the Power Glove, and get some monomolecular/atomic action going. But doing this, I risk Amber being really goddamn weak and not being able to resist so much, but at least then Cinder wouldn't get everything.
Fuck. I'm in trouble, here. How do I get out of this? How do I convince Cinder that she needs Plan B? How can I get her to merge Plan B and plan A?
Yep, it was an airship. I think I freaked out this chick sitting next to a window, she saw me gliding right alongside her, but before she could look again I dropped below it and sped past.
Man I wish she could've heard me, though. I would have totally dropped the 'Wrong turn at Albuquerque' line.
And unfortunately, making a Bugs Bunny joke didn't give me any random ass epiphany.
So, what do I know? I know that the Maidens pass their powers based on the young woman last in their thoughts. Cinder's plan is to use this against her and be the last woman in her thoughts, so how do I convince her she might not be? And though it may seem obvious, I can't try and dress in drag like Bugs Bunny and convince Amber I'm a woman. I don't even want to begin on why I won't do that.
Emerald won't be any help on this either, she's loyal to Cinder like a dog to its master.
Wait, her eyes! Holy shit, her eyes!
I knock out her god damn eyes, she can't see Cinder, Cinder won't take that big of a risk, Cinder will go to plan B!
And I've got an in-built excuse!
"How the fuck was I supposed to know to not gouge out her eyes? There's no honor in a street fight, hot stuff, and I was fighting a goddess. I wasn't holding anything back. I admit I may have gotten carried away, but I return to my earlier point: A fucking goddess!"
And all of my 'victories' so far have been built on me sabotaging my opponents in some way. I put a gun to Torchwick's head, got rid of Neo's umbrella, and jammed up Yang's gauntlets. I've got precedence for this!
Okay... Okay, whew. Now I actually have something of a plan.
I just have to go for the eyes. They're the groin of the head, I'll be fine.
Okay, now I'll focus on flying again.
I think I can see Vale.
'Till next time.