54Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY.
Reading: Anarchy Of A Storm
Mur Sin Ari
"So, what's this one called?" Coco asked as the black screen and production credits did little to explain what the show was.
"Anarchy Of A Storm." Jaune mused.
"Ooo." Nora gained stars in her eyes and Ren had a chill go down his spine at the look that had appeared on his best friend's face.
"It's about a boy far from home and winds up in Vale..." Jaune read. He blanched. "Could they get anymore vague?"
"What could this be?" Yang sang playfully with a grin. "Could this be destiny~!"
"No." Weiss glared at the blonde. "He can't be in everything! He can't! I refuse to accept it!"
"Oh come on, Weiss! You and I both know I will always see my Bae-"
"Not in the real world!" Weiss snapped. Weiss and Yang glared daggers at each other before Blake cleared throat made them turn to her.
"Let's watch and see where it goes, okay?" she asked. The two teammates huffed, but settled down in their seats.
The last thing that he remembered before he arrived to Remnant was the heat of battle. The rush of adrenaline flowed through his veins and a painful throb in his chest. His heartbeat rang in his ears. As it did now.
Why was it called a heart 'beat', anyway? A tall figure wondered as he casually strolled down the long, white and pristine hallway. For that matter, why was a beat called a beat? Or the Sky called the 'sky'? A cloud a 'cloud'? Who decided how words were supposed to be used? Questions without an answer, answers that were absent to my question! Question...Question...Quest-on. No, wait.
Quest-I-On.
Quest I'm on.
Quest, a journey, in pursuit of riches, fame or power.
"He's got a weird inner monologue." Ruby mumbled around a cookie. She washed it down with a glass of milk. "It's like this guy has a screw loose or something."
"Need I remind you that the same could be said of us considering our choice of occupation?" Yatsuhashi asked. The first years shifted uncomfortably at the reminder.
One good or evil, or a simple thing like going to the store. At least this pays more...Right! Not a quest!
A job! Focus on the job!
"I think he has ADHD." Nora stage whispered. Ren gave her a dry look and she blinked. "What?"
"Nothing. Just...No, forget it. It's nothing."
He kept his shoulders squared and his jaw set as any he passed by straightened up and gave him a salute. He merely kept his composure as he was expected to by the 'underlings' – Er, wait, no. They're called soldiers. How dull. – that served under his current 'face'. Rounding another corner, he caught a glimpse of 'himself' in the mirror out of the corner of his eye.
Dark eyes, narrowed and calculative fell under steel brows. A bar of metal above the right. A square jaw – which I find so fitting for the 'block'-head, ha! – rounded out the normality of the man's supposedly handsome features. Short dark hair that started to grey along the sides and back covered his head and just the right amount of stress lines kept the 'face' from looking too old or too young.
"Oh my god. Someone's impersonating General Ironwood!" Weiss looked horrified.
"Wow, that's not going to end well." Jaune gulped.
"Yeah..." Ruby rubbed her hands nervously. "Think they're going to steal some tech? Maybe this is how the White Fang got those Paladins."
"Let's not jump to conclusions." Blake said tightly.
And to think, I wanted to do something like this poor bozo does when I was younger! Talk about boring! The man thought, amused, but kept such hints of those thoughts to himself. He continued on his stride, his attention locked firmly on the door at the end of the hallway. Two more soldiers stood at attention outside the door, straightening further when he stopped and rose a brow.
"General." They greeted him shortly, curtly, and distantly. Had he been easily offended, he would've sneered at the last. Had he been unable to school his emotions, he'd have laughed outright.
Instead, he nodded.
"Dismissed."
The two guards shared a look. They took far too long to jump at the free break, but finally – Seriously, I know how long your shifts are, assholes! Why are you still here!? – they saluted him and walked by.
"Far too easy." Coco shook her head.
"Long work shifts get to you." Jaune said with a nod of understanding.
"To the point that this kind of fuck up happens?"
"He looks, acts and sounds like their boss. Their scary, scary boss."
"Point taken, but I'll only admit it this once."
He waited until they rounded the bend at the end of the corridor to enter the proper access code. However, he entered it with a little tune in mind.
Shave...and...a...hair-cut...two bits! Ha-ha! By the Will of Old Magic, I love that gag! The 'General' thought, his amusement hidden by his controlled features as the door slid open. He entered with soft clacks and waited for the door to shut, and lock, before he focused fully on the occupants within the room.
The brains behind Atlas' massive military, the engineers of conquest, the madmen that disrupt the peace of Remnant, call them what you will, but they were certainly dedicated to their work if they hadn't bothered to look up at see that their silent alarm was flashing on the main console. A moment later and the alarm cut out, which brought a very small smile to the 'General's face.
"Genius does what genius does, I guess." Velvet shook her head. "And it will hurt them in the end."
"I think you mean it will bite them in the ass, but you're not that far off, Vel." Coco corrected with a smirk.
"Ah! General Ironwood! I didn't expect you so soon!" 'Ironwood' looked over the very short man that approached him. He was middle-aged with curly orange hair and dressed in a white lab coat with purple gloves over his hands. Glasses with blue-tinted lenses fell over his eyes and a smile on his face. The small man gestured for him to follow. "Come, come! See what we've have made for you to utilize against the ruthless White Fang!"
"Yay." Blake drawled with a roll of her eyes.
Weiss looked a touch too interested in the cat Faunus' opinion.
Please, I've seen puppies and kittens that bore more of a threat than these wannabe terrorists do. 'Ironwood' thought dryly as he recalled a snowy-coated pup that urinated on him more than once and a cat that constantly clawed at his face.
"…Well, now I feel offended."
"I thought you left them." Yang stated, though there was a question hidden within it.
"I did, but I was still part of the group for a long time, so this could have occurred while I was part of the group. I can feel a bit insulted." Blake huffed. "I'm better than a face scratching cat."
"Or a peeing dog!" Ruby brought up.
His eye twitched briefly before he recollected himself and followed the short man. Keep it together, just keep it together for a bit longer...
"When you asked for more firepower, security and mobility for field commanding officers, I initially thought you wanted more drones. Then I realized you wanted a heavy hitter! A shock trooper to lead these drones against any force! Be they Human, Faunus or Grimm alike!" The short scientist rambled, his feet shuffling quickly along the ground. His hands were folded behind him, pride oozing off of his form like it did for most of those from Mantle.
Weiss narrowed her eyes. "That's a lie."
"Is it?" Coco asked dubiously.
"Yes!"
"Weiss, do you ever use our mirror, or do you just use it?" Yang asked with a smirk.
"Ha. Ha. Ha. You are a comedic genius, Yang." Weiss deadpanned.
"Duh." Yang beamed, taking the insult as a compliment just to annoy her teammate.
However, that wasn't to say he was right to be prideful.
Some of these machines would've made home a very fun place. Hell, I think I would've had more fun there if we had more guns! 'Ironwood' thought, his small smile still in place.
"Ah, here we are. Behold! My greatest creation!" The short scientist declared as he opened a shutter to display a window into a firing range. Within was what could only be called a large humanoid hunk of metal. Overall imposing to most, sure, but to 'Ironwood'...Well, he was expecting a little something with more 'oomph'.
There's more crap on this thing than in a farmer's field! Do they really think like the White Fang are that dangerous? 'Ironwood' thought with annoyance.
Blake pursed her lips.
"Something to share with the class?" Weiss asked with a raised brow.
"He's somewhat asinine."
"So far? I completely agree." Weiss gained a small smile as she shared a look with the Faunus of her team. "Frightening, isn't it?"
"You can say that again." Blake nodded.
Yes, they were terrorists and yes they'd focused most of their criminal activities within Mantle, – or is it the Kingdom of Atlas now? - but overall, there was a greater threat to concern themselves with. One slipping under their noses simply because it could.
That threat was none other than 'General Ironwood' himself.
"Bum. Bum. Bum." Ren said softly.
"Fine work."
The scientist opened his mouth to thank the General for his praise, when he thought about the voice that came from the General's mouth. General Ironwood had a modulated voice, one that commanded the respect that it showed. The one that spoke, however, had a voice that was much more raucous and amused. Slowly, the scientist turned to really look at the man, who turned down at the same time, in the same manner to look back.
Once black eyes had turned blue and he was shorter than before. His shoulders and broad chest diminished slightly, as did the ever-present glove around his right hand. The left hand lifted up, drawing attention to the tanned peach skin tone instead of the soft cream shade most Mantle/Atlas natives had, and displayed a small device.
The scientist's eyes widened and he made a grab for the device. The infiltrator's right hand clapped onto his face and held him away at an arm's length.
"I think you should have just gone for the alarm man." Jaune shook his head. "Classic mistake."
"Easy there, short stuff! Don't want you to lose your head over something so small!" The 'General' grinned widely, his face slightly misshapen, as he shoved the man back into the window. The glass gave way to the small scientist's body and the sound drew the attention of the other creators. They looked up in alarm as the beloved 'General' spun on his heel grandiosely.
"Good day, ladies and gentle-men...Ha!" The sight of 'Iron Will' Ironwood barking out a laugh disturbed the few people within the lab. "I love that word, gentle-men, as if such thing is possible! It's a joke in and of itself! ...Any who, I am today's slice of entertainment. And, if you'll just give me a second, don't do anything rash now, because the rest of the gang is on the way!"
"Joy, a new group of baddies we have to deal with." Yang groaned, flopping back in her seat. She waved her hand in the air. "Ruby, you better deal with this, I don't need the stress of a new threat."
"You're such a lazy sister!"
"Thank you!"
He displayed the remote in his hand and sauntered towards the center of the lab. His grin wide and his eyes glistening with amusement. The scientists stared, frozen in fear, as the impersonator turned slowly to meet each of their eyes.
"Good, good! I love it when the cattle listen! Saves me the trouble of bringing down the prod," he said, his grin still present. "Now, today's show we're going to play a little game! It's called, Stop-what-you're-doing-or-die! The rules are simple, stop what you're doing, sit on the floor and keep your hands in your lap. Think you can manage that, kiddies?"
"I don't like this game." Nora narrowed her eyes. "It feels rigged."
"...He's just one man! Get him!" One lab assistant cried, rushing forward with a sparking stick in hand. The infiltrator's smile dropped along with his arms and he sighed.
"Fools! He's not just one man, he is the man." Yang said as an elegant guitar played after her accented words.
Blake looked around, her bow twitching and her eyes narrowed. "Where did that music come from?"
"There's always someone that has to try to steal the show. Didn't your mother ever teach you any manners?" He asked. He dodged the swipes and swings the lab assistant sent his way. Fed up with the whole thing, the infiltrator caught the stick just below the sparking tip with his right hand and scowled at the young assistant. "You know, I really hate party crashers. Especially those who don't seem to understand the severity of the crime. Allow me to fix that."
He raised his left hand and pressed down on the button on the remote. There was a loud, but muffled, boom that brought a good portion of the ceiling down. The scientists and the other aids screamed while the infiltrator and his captured assailant stood in the center.
"That's coming out of some paychecks." Ruby mumbled.
"Like that matters!" Weiss slapped her arm.
"Owie…" Ruby rubbed the sore spot with a pout on her face. "It does matter! To the tax payers at least."
The debris narrowly missed the former, who stood without a care in the world as the roof came tumbling down under his doing.
The latter, however, was not so lucky.
A large chunk of concrete with a bit of rebar fell and struck the young lab assistant square in the head. He dropped like a sack of potatoes and blood poured from the wound.
"Did we even get a warning for the gore?" Jaune looked green around the gills at the splatter that hit the camera from the impact.
"No." Ruby covered her eyes. "We really need this network fixed."
"Speak for yourself." Nora scoffed and popped another pancake into her mouth.
The infiltrator stared down impassively at the young man and then admired the stick in his hand. He gave it a few swings before he collapsed it and stuffed it into a pocket.
"And now the barbarian has a stick, how quant." Weiss sneered.
The remote he used was tossed aside and he stepped atop the corpse carelessly.
"Anyone else want to step in on my act? Eh? Anyone? How about you, with the beard?" The infiltrator asked, pointing at a rotund scientist curiously. "No? You're sure? Good. Now, before we start to point fingers–" he said this whilst turning in place and pointing at every person that remained standing
Nora and Coco burst into laughter. The others gave them confused looks.
"It's funny because it's hypocritical." Yang explained with a smirk on her face.
"– I want each and every one of you to know, I tried to keep this clean. What happens next, well...it's out of my hands."
Six ropes dropped down from the hole and as many figures, each varying in height and girth, soon descended down them. All wore simple black balaclava masks with a variety of animals imprinted on the face.
"I think the White Fang is going to sue some body." Ruby blinked.
"Not really." Blake dryly quipped. "We'd be kicked out of a courthouse before the case would even be considered."
Their clothes were dark in shade and armored. They wielded basic automatic rifles, the sort that could be produced en mass.
"Boo to cookie cutters!" Ruby ragged. "No individuals here! Just sellouts!"
"She really gets into this." Yang chuckled awkwardly, looking embarrassed when she was given questioning looks.
"So, now that the gang's all here, time to get the party started. Jackal and Coyote. You two get what they want. Br'er, Pan and Neko, keep some of our guests company and make sure they don't try anything silly. Spider," The infiltrator hopped down from the corpse and approached at the smallest figure, putting a hand on either shoulder. He ignored the rest of the group as they went to do as he instructed. Taking a deep breath, the infiltrator rolled his neck. "Oh, my pretty little Spider... please do go make sure we're not interrupted. Kay?"
The masked figure nodded curtly and the infiltrator smiled wider, patting the shoulders of his subordinate before he let them go. He turned and put his hands on his hips, looking at the rest of the scientists turned hostages. He frowned and rubbed his chin, the skin visibly pulling as he did.
"This guy is fifty shades of weird." Jaune muttered as he and a few others.
"Man, how long do you think it'll take for them to mount a counter-strike? Five? Four minutes?" The infiltrator pursed his lips in thought and then sighed.
"Give us a name!" Yang complained. "Wanna know if my bae is crazy or not."
"Please, if there is any god in the heavens watching over me, do not let it be that dolt." Weiss muttered with eyes sealed shut in prayer.
"It's so hot in here...anyone else feeling the heat? ...No? Just me? Must be all these layers."
The infiltrator pulled off the General's uniform to reveal a dark leather combat vest that conformed to his lean physique, and had a small rectangle of orange that wrapped around his back and sides only to stop at the center of his core. Rustic shoulder pads protruded from the straps of his vest. A spiral was printed onto the right shoulder while the left remained bare.
"No..." Weiss cursed under her breath. "No, no!"
"I recognize that spiral." Jaune pointed out.
"No you most certainly do not!" Weiss glared at him.
His arms were toned and revealed to the hostages, and both had intertwining tattoos inked along them. The left showed a frog pressed to the bark of a tree that had long twisting roots, each represented various people in a certain angle. The right arm held the visage of a snarling beast that was foxlike in appearance with nine long tails that twisted and curled around ancient lettering that couldn't be read properly. The ink was not shaded in, and many more common other shapes could be made out among the sleeves, such as bullet casings, smiley-faces, dust crystals and various groupings of 'Ha-Ha-Ha'.
"I want a tattoo like that! And that! Oh, that one looks good, too!" Nora hummed in thought.
"Why me?" Ren asked himself.
Fox stood up, walked over and gave him a pat on the shoulder. Whether it was out of sympathy or mockery, the tired looking youth couldn't figure out, but he was grateful for it nonetheless.
In a surprising move, he dropped the general's pristine white pants to reveal a set of well-concealed orange pants underneath. The white shoes once on his feet were swapped out with black toe coverless boots.
"Ah, much better." The infiltrator sighed and dusted his hands off as he tossed the uniform so coveted and admired by Mantle/Atlas' people – Seriously, what do they prefer to be called? He wondered – to the ground. He pursed his lips and squinted his eyes. "No, something still doesn't feel right...what could it be...what could it-Oh! That's right!"
Both of his hands went to his Adam's apple, pinching the skin and, to the amazement or horror of those watching, slowly peeled away the face that covered his head. James Ironwood's visage vanished, a relief to the hostages, and revealed the face of a youth well into his teens, if not already breaching his early twenties.
His face was round, much rounder than Ironwood's, so how he pulled such an amazing impersonation was left up to question. Black paint seemed to be sloppily wiped around his bright azure eyes as a makeshift domino mask and three whiskers were on either cheek. Sun-kissed yellow covered his head, his hair was cut short and lightly matted down by sweat, but shaved to fade out of sight along the sides of his head the lower you went.
"Oh, find me in the Atlesian Mountains! Does anyone up there even bother listening to me?!" Weiss shouted to the all mighty powers that be. Why were they so against her?!
"Doesn't that just mean: Fuck me in the ass?" Coco asked with a titter.
Ruby glared at her. "Swear jar!"
"…I was trying to censor myself for Ruby, but yes, it does."
Overall, he was a roguishly handsome individual.
"Lies!" Weiss shouted on reflex.
"Truths!" Yang grinned, but soon frowned. "Aw man, he's a bad guy, and not in the hot way. Like the crazy way. He's hot, but...dammit."
"Swear jar!"
"Oh, yeah." An almost orgasmic sigh escaped the youth's mouth. He shook his head out like a dog and tossed the mask aside, where it smacked into the previously pointed out rotund man. The young man ran his hands over his head and he flicked the particles he gathered forward. Blue eyes twinkled with amusement as another, louder, muffled bang shook the building and a chuckle escaped his throat.
"Ooh, Coyote loves to make noise, doesn't he, Br'er?" the youth looked towards the individual with a rabbit's face on their mask. The person, massive in size and twice as broad as the apparent boss, nodded.
"And he wears the bunny mask." Coco looked at Velvet in amusement.
The rabbit Faunus blinked in confusion. "What?"
"You know what."
"I-I don't."
"…You are adorable."
The youth laughed and caught a small duffle bag tossed to him by the short Neko, the cat-masked individual, which earned the person a bright smile. "Aww, thank you, Neko! I love it when you remember my toys!"
He dropped to the ground his legs crossed and began to sort through the bag. To the hostage's growing horror, he began to hum a tune while he pulled out a duo of pouches that he strapped to either thigh. Opening and checking the contents, he revealed that both contained short spade-shaped blades that had long taped handles and rings on the pommels.
Next came a black utility belt, which he quickly slipped on. Acting as his belt buckle was a small yellow smiley-face button. He flicked the button and grinned when the yellow flickered to orange. Within the pouches were strings and various throwing stars, one as small as the tip of his pinky, and one that unfolded to be as long as his forearm.
Then came the 'toys'. First it was shotgun shells that he slid into place into the straps along his shoulders. Then two dark leather bands he wrapped around his elbows followed, a quick jostle his arm showed that the portion protecting his joints could harden and soften at will.
"I call them dust bands. They use Earth Dust to harden for stronger blows." The infiltrator grinned at the hostages as he pulled out a bandolier of dust grenades, all bright orange in color, that he settled to cross over his torso. Following that came the most frightening of the toys.
"I think one wrong move and he goes ka-boom." Yatsuhashi noted.
Nodding, Coco lowered her shades and examined the material. "I completely agree. Talk about a job hazard."
One was a massive revolver that snapped open with a massive clang to reveal the four empty round chambers. Four shells went in before it snapped shut and was slid into a concealed holster at the base of the infiltrator's back. Upon closer inspection, the word, Samaritan could be seen scrawled along the exposed grip of the revolver in fine cursive lettering.
Next was a frighteningly more versatile and modern weapon. It was a grenade launcher, the hostages were frightened to discover as the infiltrator cracked it open in order to load it. The chamber only fit one shot per round, but depending on the scenario, that's all their host might need. In any other case, he had the melee variant to fall back on.
"Too many weapons to care about." Blake rolled her eyes. "Talk about compensating for something, or lack there of."
"Bite your tongue!" "You speak nonsense!" Yang and Ruby exclaimed, for completely different reasons.
One protested in defense of her self-proclaimed Bae and the other shouted at the crack at weapons.
"You could never have too many weapons!" Ruby argued.
"Ladies and gents, this is my Baby. My pride and joy. Awkward, sure, but she's damn good at what she does." The infiltrator told the forced onlookers as he slid his grip up the handle and jerked his arm forward. A concealed latch unlocked and the stock flipped up to rest along the base of the barrel, the edge exposed to be sharp steel that glinted in the light. "It's in your best interests to keep your mouths shut, because she's not forgiving when someone wakes her from her nap."
While the youth slid Baby onto his back and the hostages trembled, Br'er ducked his head down for a moment and put a hand along the side of his head. He then looked up and nodded at the infiltrator. The youth's grin widened.
"Oh, they got past Spider, did they? Good thing that spider bites have venomous consequences."
There was a muffled boom followed by muted screams. The youth laughed and rose up to his feet. He dusted his hands off and then hung onto the collar of his vest, looking around at his hostages.
"I don't like him." Pyrrha frowned. "This is truly a poor way to start a story."
"I don't know, it's conflict right off the bat. I think it's exciting," Nora said.
"Well, well, folks. Good news! Show's over and we've got party favors!"
"I love party favors!" Nora cheered. "Candy? Soda? Pancakes? Oh, they'd better come with extra syrup!"
"Who gives out pancake party favors?" Velvet asked.
Ren, Jaune, Pyrrha and Team RWBY pointed at Nora.
"That's...disturbing."
"I give out extra syrup, too!"
"Good for you."
The infiltrator cheered as Br'er, Pan and Neko dug around in their vests and pulled own small spherical grenades. The pins were pulled and then forced into the hostages' hands. "Now, the fun thing about these favors is that they go boom! But, they've also got quite the radial explosive capability. What's that distance, Pan?"
"Four Kilometers." A gruff voice grunted from the man in the ram's mask. The infiltrator whistled.
"Four kilos? Damn! Coyote wasn't kidding when he wanted them to refrain from doing anything with their hands," he said. He caught a couple grenades tossed his way and began to juggle them with a laugh while he walked towards the portly scientist he continued to abuse. Stopping in front of the man, he crouched down and grinned, still juggling his grenades.
"Are you afraid of me?" The man nodded. The infiltrator stopped juggling and pulled the two pins, his smile wide. His hands clasped tightly around the grenade's safety levers. "More than the White Fang?" The portly man's head and chins bobbed frantically. A toothy grin revealed the prominent fangs that the youth had and his previously round pupils became slits as his eyes turned red. He leaned in and slipped the grenades into the man's hands, while his lips brushed over the scientist's left ear. "Good, because compared to me, they're just a bunch of kids throwing tantrums. Understand?"
"I think we're watching the wrong show. All in favor!" Jaune raised his hand.
"I want to see where this is going." Blake told him curtly.
The man whimpered and the infiltrator leaned back in order to cup his face. The youth's feral features had vanished and he patted the frightened man on the cheeks.
"Good boy. Now, when you're done here, do a favor for me, will you? Try dieting." The infiltrator hopped back with a laugh as his accomplices finished and began to scale the ropes they initially descended from.
The infiltrator reached the ropes just as the lab doors were opened and the real General James Ironwood stormed in with his soldiers at his flank. The General was scuffed slightly and had a lovely shiner around the corner of his left eye.
"He decked the General…wow." Yang whistled with wide eyes, along with everyone else. "That takes balls. Proof he's not compensating."
"Shut up, Yang." Blake muttered half-heartedly.
His dark eyes locked with the infiltrator's glistening blues.
"You!" Ironwood pulled out his sidearm and took aim. The youth grinned and pulled out a small cylinder, the top flipping open to reveal a red button. His thumb hovered over it and he looked to the hostages. Ironwood followed his gaze and his eyes narrowed.
"Now, now, Jimmy. Keep that temper in check. You wouldn't want to blow this out of proportion, would you?" The youth asked, a foxlike grin on his face.
"Oooh, he has puns." Yang smiled.
"Stop smiling!" Weiss scolded the girl. "He also has hostages."
"Darn, you've got a point." Yang pouted.
"...Stand down." Ironwood ordered his men, his hand extended out to the side while he lowered his sidearm. His gaze narrowed as the rope the young blond held onto began to rise up. Slowly he and his men advanced to look up through the created skylight. A larger than average Bullhead was rising up, with the youth dangling meters below it.
"You can remember this as the day you almost caught Captain Jack Swallows!" The young criminal laughed before he disappeared out of view. A falling object caught the General's keen eyes.
Paper? Ironwood wondered with narrowed eyes as he watched the slip drift down from above. He caught the item and found it to be bare, save for a small cartoonish fox on one side. Ironwood's eyes narrowed. A calling card.
"Sir, the-the explosives-!" One of the soldiers called out to the General.
"Get an EOD team in here. The sooner the better. ...Where's Dr. Baloratori?" Ironwood asked as he looked around.
"No, sir, look." A soldier approached with one of the grenades in hand. Ironwood opened his mouth to question the intelligence of his subordinate, when he saw the safety lever unhook.
A moment passed and then nothing.
"They're all duds! The scoundrel!" Nora waved her fist in the air. "At least use real ones you bum!"
"Nora!" Ren scolded her.
Another moment.
"So, they weren't real bombs and the only one who bit the dust was the one that didn't listen to him. How many people died in total?" Coco asked, a brow arched. Fox lifted his index finger, indicating only one. She nodded. "Thus far, he's a lot better than some of the hostage takers we've had in the past few years."
"How do you know that?" Weiss asked.
"Criminology 253, girl. It's required in the second year." Coco rolled her eyes. "Because god forbid you become a dark huntress or huntsman after you graduate."
"Check the rest of the bombs," Ironwood said firmly as he returned his attention to the card in his hand. He grabbed the nearest officer and pulled him aside. "Get these people out of here and take inventory. And find Dr. Baloratori! I will be in my office."
Adam Taurus was not one who enjoyed being told what to do.
"Shocker." Blake muttered while rolling her eyes.
"You know him?" Yang raised a brow.
"Unfortunately."
It was one of the reasons he rose so swiftly through the ranks of the White Fang when it became more militarized. He did jobs well enough to warrant his own command, and until recently, had been followed faithfully by everyone under him. A respect he returned fully.
Then, the train robbery occurred. Betrayed so suddenly and left to be apprehended by the police, all Adam felt now was a constant seething rage.
"Wow, wonder what happened?" Ruby asked.
Blake shifted in her seat uncomfortably, but tried to remain subtle about it.
His blood boiled and he was constantly on edge. The last few raids had gone more than awry, and he knew that his temper was at fault.
So, being called out to some random warehouse within Vale by his associate, it was needless to say he was ready to cut ties and make his own plans. An arrow of dust impacted in front of him and Adam stopped, his hand going to his sword's handle.
"My, my, so quick to anger. It would seem that my sources are right." The sensuous voice made Adam's already coiled 'spring' tense further. A raven-haired woman clad in a ruby dress stepped from the shadows. Her golden eyes glistened and his concealed gaze narrowed.
"So Cinder is the bad guy again?" Ruby guessed. "Man, there are too many universes we are watching."
"Makes you question everything." Pyrrha frowned.
"Does this mean I can go punch Emerald?" Yang asked.
"NO!" the other first years in the room shouted at the girl.
"Easy! I was joking! ...Mostly," she muttered.
Were it not for the power this woman possessed, for the way she easily defeated his men, he would've simply cut his losses and left her to the wolves. However, she had the means and ability to end him before he could've tried to retaliate. Knowing this, though, did little to soothe his rattled nerves.
"Why did you call me here?" He asked as he forced himself to rise out of his defensive stance. The woman's lips pulled back into a smirk and Adam did his best to keep his anger in check at her smirk of superiority.
"That, dear, would be telling." The woman's response made Adam bristle, but he stayed his mouth. Despite what she thought, he wouldn't risk his people for a small thing such as pride. She turned and began to walk away, her hips swaying hypnotically as she did while her heels clacked along the ground.
"I'd tap it." Coco grinned lecherously.
Fox nodded in agreement.
They shared a fist-bump.
Adam withheld a growl and followed, as he was expected.
His associate's two young lackies waited for him, both standing in front of a massive white curtain that hid the remains of the warehouse behind it. The young man in silver that smelled of blood and metal raised two fingers in greeting while the green-haired thief-girl gave him a small grin. Adam sneered at them, his lip curling in disgust at their willingness to serve the woman that forced him and his subordinates to submit to her plan. He stopped and kept his blade at the ready while the woman continued until she stood directly in front of the cloth.
Should they try anything, he would go down fighting.
It's all he knows how to do nowadays. Blake thought sadly.
"As you are well aware, your group's actions in Atlas have left quite the mark," the woman in red said. She turned to face him and folded her arms under her bust. "That mark inspired the military to invest in more weapons developments. Some rather nasty ones, according to my sources."
You mean my spies. Adam's nostrils flared briefly, but quickly quelled. Let her arrogance get the best of her, it will be her downfall and the fall of the rest of the Humans.
"This first episode is lame, we're not even in it." Ruby groaned, throwing her head back in her seat.
"Maybe they're just showing the situation for the main character? I'm sure we'll show up eventually Sis." Yang assured her.
"So, I acted preemptively." The woman looked at the silver clad teen and he grabbed the curtain. A pull and it fell to reveal a massive bipedal mech that was armed to the teeth.
Adam's grip around his sheath tightened. To think Humans would go so far to keep Faunus submissive through fear.
"Hello pot, meet kettle." Weiss muttered in distaste.
"I believe it's called a Paladin." The woman said thoughtfully.
"This hunk of shit has a name?!"
Adam tensed and reached for his blade as his gaze went back to the machine. Seated atop of it, with a Scroll open in his hand, was a blond youth. He was armed to the teeth, looked to be ready for war, and – most curiously to Adam – appeared to be a Faunus. Well, if those whisker marks were anything to go by.
"He isn't." Blake rolled her eyes. "So tired of that misconception for him."
"I think it makes him look cute." Yang smirked.
"Just want to pinch those cheeks, right?" Coco grinned.
"You mean those cheeks on his butt?" Yang asked, getting a wider grin from the older girl. "Yeah, you know it!"
At worst he was one of those odd Humans who fantasized about being a Faunus, did extravagant surgeries to blend and mingle. Adam...actually would've preferred it if he wasn't. Those Humans, the oddballs that they were, freaked him out.
"There are people like that?" Ruby asked Blake.
Blake blanched and Velvet answered with a weak smile and a nod.
He may have been biased due to a fiasco that occurred when he was much younger, but it still bore some fruit.
"Ah, yes, and I acquired it with this man's aid." The woman spoke again. The youth snorted and continued to fiddle with his Scroll, adjusting himself to lounge on his side with his head propped up by the arm.
"Lady, until I see some Red, Blue, Yellow and Green, you don't get the machine."
"And he rhythms. Yay!" Weiss mock cheered with a flourish of her hands.
Nora groaned. "Not another musical one!"
"Of course. Emerald?" The woman looked at the girl, who grimaced. She disappeared to the side of the room, into the shadows, and returned with a trunk in her hands. The trunk was dropped to the ground and then pushed to rest in front of the mech.
The youth folded his scroll up and slipped it into one of his many pouches along his waist. He dropped down and landed, almost silently to Adam's amazement, in front of the mech. He popped the lid of the trunk and hummed to himself as he began to sort through the money stacked within.
From what he could see, Adam assumed there to be a small fortune in the trunk. He gave the woman a disapproving look that she ignored. Funds of that magnitude could've helped the White Fang's efforts in other lands.
"Hm, hm, hm...Looks good to me!" The youth grinned, his fanged teeth reflecting the night's light that came through the skylights. He pulled out one of the dust grenades from his bandolier, primed the bomb and dropped it into the trunk before the lid was thrown shut.
"…He didn't just incinerate that." Weiss said with wide eyes. The rest of the room shared the disbelief. "Tell me I didn't just see that."
"Yeah, you saw it. Because I saw it." Yang blinked. "Bae literally blew through his paycheck."
"That isn't funny." Blake, who was slowly coming to terms with what she saw and wondering what that meant, admonished the blonde.
This was all done much to the shock of those watching. So much of a shock was it that they barely jumped when the grenade went off. As the container burned from the inside out, the youth started to laugh.
"Oh! The looks on your faces! Y-You'd think I'd really bring you something as massive as this thing on that dinky little Bullhead?" The blond asked between his snickers. He snapped his fingers and the machine combusted into a cloud of smoke. The smoke cleared and the machine was gone, vanished without a trace.
"He can make illusions?" Blake knitted her brow in thought.
"That's scary." Pyrrha grimaced.
"But if it's illusions? Why is there smoke?" Nora asked.
"Ninja magic?" Ruby suggested. She got a firm punch to the arm from Weiss. "Ow!"
"He. Is. Not. A. Ninja." Weiss grit out. "Ninja. Do. Not. Exist."
"I disagree." Ren and Blake deadpanned.
Well, Adam thought as he looked at the woman he was subordinate to. At least she isn't smiling anymore.
"Going back on our deal-?" The woman in question began, only to be cut off by the blond.
"Now, now, don't be so quick to jump to any nasty conclusions. After all, assumptions make an ass out of 'u' and 'me', if you'll recall." The boy smiled toothily again. He interlocked his hands behind his head. "Oh, Br'er! Bring out our luggage!"
From the other side of the warehouse emerged a large man with a rabbit mask over his face. Thrown over his shoulders was a kicking set of feet, presumably attached to a body. The muscled giant grabbed the person by the ropes that bound him and held him out, dangling him above the ground.
"Put me down you oversized buffoon! Unhand me! Do you have any idea who I am!? What I am capable of!?" The small man screamed as he attempted to get free. The boy snickered again and moved to stand in front of the captured scientist.
"What's up doc?" The blond asked, gaining the scientist's attention.
"Heh, classic." Jaune snickered. Pyrrha gave him a disapproving look and he cleared his throat before clapping his hands over his cheeks. "I mean, oh no! Kidnapping! H-how dare he?"
The scientist's eyes went wide and his struggling ceased. Then there was a sudden unpleasant smell in the air.
"…Ew." Nora wrinkled her nose. "It's like that one time Jaune was stuck doing the pee-pee dance at the dorm bathroom."
"That was because I let you go first!" Jaune complained to her.
"And my bladder still thanks you for it."
"Mine sadly doesn't." The blond grumbled and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"Oh, god." Adam covered his nose and turned away from the human in disgust.
The blond blinked and then began to chuckle.
"Holy crap! You pissed yourself! Wow! I've never gotten that reaction before!" The teen scratched his head. "That's actually kind of gross, now that I think about it. Funny as all shit, but damn. You must eat asparagus by the cart-load or something for your piss to stink so bad."
"Can we not get blow by blow details on the scent of this man's urine?!" Weiss exclaimed.
"This isn't that, it could be more graphic." Blake admitted.
"What?!"
"She's right." Velvet nodded. "A Faunus could be describing it."
Weiss' argument died on her lips and she paled.
"Uzumaki!" the woman barked, finally able to find her voice. The blond boy turned to look at her, his hands still behind his head.
"Yeah?"
"Who is this man and what about our agreement?" The woman asked shortly. Her two lackies, as Adam labeled them in his mind, had tensed in preparation to strike. The boy, Uzumaki, looked amused.
"Silly Neechan. This is our agreement!" the teen cheered as he stepped aside and held his hands out. "Introducing the creator of the Paladin: Dr. Dexter Baloratori! Ta-dah!"
"...Uzumaki..." The woman's hands glowed with fire. Uzumaki kept his smile on his face.
"Now, now, Neechan. Think about this for a minute, I grabbed the brains behind the machine and already trained him for you. I think that would be fair enough for, oh, say, triple the original deal, wouldn't you?"
"He dances with the devil in the pale moonlight." Ren muttered and Nora laughed.
Jaune whistled. "Man...he's crazy."
"We knew that."
"But he's bargaining for more after he destroyed what he was going to make!"
"Jaune." Ren gave his leader a pointed look. "What do you think Nora and I would be doing if we didn't have the grades to go to Beacon?"
"...Yeah, but you're...you!"
Ren just arched a brow.
"...Okay! Point taken! Please stop scaring me with your hypothetical situations!"
"I promise only to try."
"Triple!? You just incinerated what we gave you for the initial job!" Emerald snapped as she lifted her pistols. Uzumaki's grin didn't waver in the slightest.
"A job I didn't finish," he said. "It would be theft if I accepted your money, and you'd be swindling me if you took this man with just that pay. And, you of everyone here should know this, Mr. Black, never do anything you're good at for free."
The silver themed teen smirked. "Maybe, but it doesn't do you much good when you're dead."
"You know, knowing he sniffs boots doesn't make his threat very scary." Yang noted, recalling the first time Team RWBY caught him checking out shoes while they walked through Vale. "I mean, he's not that tough."
"He is very skilled though, and skill can make up for strength," Pyrrha said.
"Yeah, okay. I can take him."
"Hm, fair point. I on the other hand have a counter-argument," Uzumaki said. In a blur of speed he moved forward, his hand around the woman in red's throat and a blade pressed sharply between her mouth so that the corners of her lips began to bleed. She was held against a steel pillar, lifted from the ground just over Uzumaki's head.
"Now that's what I call sword swallowing!" Nora laughed, but paused while stroking her chin. "Or is it blade swallowing?"
"Nora, not the time." Ren told her.
Adam stared in slight awe. That sort of speed, he'd never seen anyone move so fast before. And on a side note, he could clearly see, much to his relief, that Uzumaki's whiskers seemed natural.
"Great." Blake drawled. Looked like Adam had a new recruit he wanted. And that recruit wasn't sane. ...That said a lot about the Bull Faunus.
"Oi, Fang-head. You going to keep standing there with your hand on your sword or are you going to make a move?"
"Innuendo!"
"Yang!" Blake hissed.
"What? It is!"
Adam's jaw jumped as his gaze, concealed by his mask, moved between his associate and the cause of her predicament. After a moment, he stepped back and released his sword's handle.
The woman paid this no mind and kept her wide eyes on the blond, who stared up at her, his grin still in place.
"Now, I've altered our previous deal to stand to your favor. I've even kept us from swindling each other out of a little bit of useless paper," Uzumaki said. "You can do one of two things, Neechan. You can accept the new deal and bring me my money in two days, or...you can die right now. Clock's ticking!"
"Deal or no deal chickadee." Coco smirked as she leaned back. "Tic-Toc."
"As much as I hate to say it, I'd say deal." Weiss frowned. "He has her in a precarious position and backed into a corner."
"The second you kill her, they will try to kill you," Adam said. He ignored the glares the lackies sent his way for not including himself in his statement.
"Yay violence!"
"Nora!" Everyone complained.
"They'll try, and they might succeed, or they might not. Who's to say?" Uzumaki shrugged. He kept his grinning attention on the woman in his grasp. "But, I do know that in a few seconds, my patience is about to give out, and seeing as you're a bit tongue tied, Neechan, I'll tell you what. If you want to live and pay me my money, just nod. You'll just get a little cut. Nothing too serious. Don't, and, well...I'm pretty sure that's self-explanatory."
"Aw, tell us in detail." Coco looked interested.
"Dark." Ruby muttered around another comfort cookie.
The woman's eyes narrowed into a glare and Uzumaki's grin widened.
"Just try and call my bluff."
"No! Don't taunt her, Bae! She wants to choke on your hard tool!"
"Oh my God, Yang!" Weiss looked at the blonde in shock. Yang shrugged without any regret.
"That was the perfect set up. I had to take it. I was compelled to."
That seemed to settle whatever was going on in the woman's mind. She gave a gentle nod and cringed. Uzumaki was gone and she dropped to the ground, coughing and rubbing her throat. Narrowed eyes locked onto the grinning blond.
"Now, see, that's the beauty of knives. They let you see all of the little emotions most try to hide. Your surprise, anger, fear, wrath, guilt, I saw it all! Guns are too quick, but they're fun in their own way. Like my Samaritan here," Uzumaki said as he drew a massive revolver from behind him. He admired the behemoth of a gun for a moment before he holstered it again and then smiled at the group.
"Twenty-three hours, fifty-nine minutes and forty-eight, forty-seven, forty-six..." Uzumaki continued to count down as he and his associate backed into the shadows.
A moment of silence ensued as the woman in red rose back to her feet. She turned to reassure her lackies that she was fine, but Adam saw it.
Briefly in that moment she was held aloft by Uzumaki, all of her wit, her skill, her power, was made useless when he held her. She was afraid for her life, caught off guard by the charge.
"And that emotion was delicious."
"Coco, I think we need to talk." Velvet looked worriedly at her team leader with her ears flopped down slightly. The leader of Team CFVY merely let her smile widen.
As we all were, Adam thought. He kept his eyes on the woman as her confidence returned in the blink of an eye. Were he any less able to control his features, he'd have smirked. Were he any less sure she'd kill him for not coming to her aid, he'd taunt her.
In that moment, though, Adam confirmed that his associate was not as special as she made herself out to be.
She was just a human. A very powerful and very clever human, sure, but just a human nonetheless.
"Because humans are weak and puny." Weiss sarcastically said in a rough mock male voice.
"If semblances or dust aren't in the equation, there's a lot that can be left to
It seems she's forgotten the Fighter's Universal Truth. Adam thought, recalling a line from one of his former subordinate's favorite series. There's always someone stronger out there.
"Mysterious~!" Ruby wiggled her fingers.
"It's a truth we should always be ready for." Pyrrha nodded.
"Says the Invincible Girl." Nora teased. Pyrrha could only flush in response.
Two children stood opposite of each other, a waterfall between the banks they stood upon. They were far from normal in any sense of the term, even by Remnant's standards.
The first, a boy with long dark blue hair and slate-colored skin, stood on the left bank. From his back were two massive webbed wings that looked more like enormous hands. A blue collared shirt, navy open-toed sandals and white shorts protected him from the elements. His grey eyes narrowed and the black four-pointed star on his face scrunched up.
Across from him was a runt of a blond, clad in an orange outfit that seemed out of place in any society, and his nails had elongated into claws, ruining the open-toed sandals on his feet. Around the boy's body bubbled an unnatural red shroud that had taken the form of a beast with a long tail and two long ears. Fangs of abnormal size were bared at the one across from him. Red eyes with slit pupils seemed stuck in a glare and the three exaggerated whisker-like markings on either cheek gave him a ferocious appearance.
"This looks oddly familiar." Yang narrowed her gaze.
"Like the flashback from Veritas Aequitas," Blake said.
Both boys had one thing in common, and that was that they each had a navy headband wrapped around their foreheads. Attached to the band were metal plates that had spiral leaves carved into the center.
"That wasn't there in the other one," Blake said notably.
The two stared at one another as energies grew and took form in their hands. The Winged-Boy had black lightning covering his claws, like a lance ready to strike, and the shrouded blond had an azure sphere in his palm that swirled with malicious intent.
They leapt at one another and drew their arms back before they thrust their attacks forward.
"CHIDORI!" "RASENGAN!"
"I'm getting a strong feeling of Dijon mustard right now." Yang hummed and rubbed her chin.
"Déjà vu." Weiss drawled.
Yang grinned. "No, I mean pass the mustard. I'm starved."
With that she started to eat some little pretzels with mustard dip.
Weiss blinked owlishly.
The two boys' blows collided and there was a bright flash of light.
Samaritan and Baby were in his hands before his eyes opened and his fingers were already on the triggers. The two weapons were aimed at the door that had opened and pinned down the cause. Br'er held up his hands.
"Whoa, easy Boss! Just me." The rabbit-masked giant felt sweat go down the side of his head while he stared down the barrels of Uzumaki's guns.
"Yeah, I'll bet it's intimidating. Other me has been on the end of his barrel!" Yang chimed.
Ruby looked green in the face at her sister's words. Those were words that should never be said with a beaming smile on her face.
She would never be able to un-hear them.
The crazed youth's head tilted to the side, his eyes still lidded and heavy from his slumber. To the giant's relief, the guns were lifted away as the nineteen-year-old stretched and yawned.
"Dr. Baloratori all set for tomorrow?" the teen asked as he got out of his chair and tossed Baby onto the fold-out couch bed. The blond made his way over to the hotel room's mini-fridge, scratching the side of his head with the Samaritan's barrel.
"Yeah, he's all set, Boss. He knows that you've got him on lockdown." Br'er nodded and folded his arms over his chest. "Think giving Neechan that ultimatum was smart? You know that She is only letting them do as they please because it makes for good business."
"Yeah and more business means more jobs for me to do to pay off my debt." The youth nodded before he stopped. Uzumaki pulled his head out of the mini-fridge and gave Br'er a death glare. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "...How long have you been active, Br'er?"
"A week, why-Wait, Boss, no, don't!" Br'er's eyes were wide with fear and his hands were held out in defense. The teen ignored him and lifted the Samaritan still in his hand, grinning widely as he backed the larger man into the wall at gunpoint.
"He's going to kill his own men?!" Pyrrha exclaimed in shock and disgust.
"And you want that?" Blake asked her partner.
"Well, yeah. Of course I want Bae." Yang snorted. She thumbed at the screen. "Not this crazy bae, though. Bae is bae, but crazy bae is just too much."
"Need another bae in there?" Weiss asked sarcastically.
"Oh, good point, Weiss! Bae." Yang nodded.
"Nah-ah-ah...Boss Lady said that I shouldn't have you guys around for longer than three days tops. Something about the backlash doing mental damage...not that that's much of a concern anymore, he-he."
"So he admits to be mentally unhinged? That's nice." Ren dryly quipped.
"And admitting it is the first step." Nora nodded in agreement.
"There's hope yet!" Yang cheered.
Uzumaki's thumb pulled down on the hammer of the Samaritan and he pressed the barrel of the gun against the big man's neck. "So, how's it going to go down this time? Want it to be fast? Gun? Or you want it to be intimate?"
"B-Boss, c'mon, think this through! Don't do anything brash! We're in the middle of the city!"
"Yeah, where's he going to hide the body?" Nora asked.
"Incinerate it?" Coco suggested.
"Huh, good call."
They were oblivious to the frightened and horrified looks their comments were receiving.
Uzumaki's smile vanished and he pursed his lips. His lips curled up into a scowl and more sweat began to shoot off of Br'er's head like bullets. Uzumaki growled and pressed the Samaritan further into Br'er's face for a moment before he backed away with a sigh.
"I guess you're right. I shouldn't shoot you in the hotel." Uzumaki nodded as he holstered the Samaritan. Br'er waited for a moment before he started to relax.
It would be his last mistake, because as soon as he lowered his guard, a small obsidian blade was lodged half-way into his skull.
"That monster!" Ruby screamed. "He was so young! And big!"
Br'er twitched for a moment before he exploded in a cloud of smoke. His clothes fell to the ground, the mask pinned to the wall by the blade that was thrown at it.
"He had so-what?" Ruby blinked as her rant came to a halt.
Naruto Uzumaki stared at the spot the man previously occupied, his eyes were fogged over in thought. A moment later and he blinked, snapped from his daze. He hummed and went back to the open mini-fridge, digging around the crammed container until he pulled out a bowl that had been covered with plastic wrap.
"Bastard thought he could hide this from me, eh?! Should've known I'd have gotten it out of him eventually."
"I'm lost." Nora scratched her head.
"Same." Jaune nodded. "Who dies in a puff of smoke?"
"That'd be like dying and turning into dust." Pyrrha shook her head at the lunacy of it all.
"Probably the reason he kept such a thing from you." A deep, gruff voice mused in the back of Naruto's head.
The teenager pursed his lips in thought as he put the bowl in the microwave.
"...Fucker! Should've peeled off his fingernails one at a time!" Naruto cursed and kicked the wall. He grimaced when the sound of plaster giving way rang in his ears and he looked at the awkward position of his foot being rammed into the wall. Naruto yanked his foot out of the wall and stared at the small hole he made.
"Well, okay." He grinned. "That's not so bad. Nothing that'll put a dent in my paych-!"
The hole cracked and spread like wildfire until the entire wall crumbled to reveal the next room over, which was thankfully empty. Naruto stared at the destruction in disbelief and then fell to his knees, a cloud of despair over his head.
"Aw man... I'm never going to be able to pay her back!" he wailed.
"Ha! He's in debt? How does the red feel?" Weiss mocked with glee.
"Not all of us have Daddy's card." Yang shot at her teammate scornfully, ignoring the way that Ruby snorted. That was a total lie from her sister. She used their dad's card all the time or when she could get away with it at least.
A deep sigh broke through several echoing snickers.
"Never thought I'd see the day where I'd miss being sealed within That Cunt. At least when she sobbed irrationally, it was due to hormones."
While all this went on, a dark crow watched from the windowsill before it flew off.
"Okay, that was a weird one." Jaune summed up his thoughts. "So do we continue?"
"Might as well." Ren shrugged, feeling honestly indifferent towards the new series. "The three episode rule."
"Right, right."
"I think we're out of food." Nora poked her empty pancake plate. She grabbed it and hopped to her feet, racing out of the room. "Don't start the next one just yet!"
Now I just gotta ask you all something.
Who the hell is ready for season 4?!
I know I am.
Engie out.
