[6/22 (Sunday) - Night]
[Vale — Zone 8 (Commercial)]
"Did I miss anything?" Sun asked.
Perched atop the rooftop, Blake kept her eyes fixed on the docks below, watching the activity with unwavering focus.
"Nothing." A frown crossed her face. "They unloaded the crates from the ship almost half an hour ago. Now they're just sitting there."
She finally glanced away from the harbor and noticed the fruits tucked beneath Sun's arm. With a grin, he held out a green apple.
"I stole some for you!"
Blake stared at the offered fruit.
"... Do you always break the law without giving it a second thought?"
"Well," Sun shot back defensively, "weren't you in a cult or something?"
The glare she gave him made Sun slowly look away.
"Okay, too soon."
A moment later, another figure climbed onto the rooftop.
Clerval stepped over the ledge carrying a grocery bag filled with bottled water and calorie bars. After setting it down beside them, he immediately plucked the apple from Sun's hand and replaced it with a small receipt.
"You owe me seven Lien."
"Dude."
Just as Sun slumped his shoulders in defeat, a sudden gust of wind swept across the rooftop.
The three looked up at the roaring sound of an engine humming.
His eyes narrowed as a pair of searchlights cut through the night sky, their beams sweeping across the docks below.
A Bullhead circled once overhead before locating a suitable landing zone among the rows of cargo containers. Slowly descending, its powerful VTOL engines roared as its wings shifted vertically.
The landing gear touched down with a heavy thud.
A moment later, the side doors slid open.
A figure in black hopped down from the Bullhead, their face concealed behind a metallic mask with jagged fangs. A second later, the masked individual reached for a control panel and deployed a loading ramp from the aircraft.
More figures began filing out behind them.
"Oh no..." He heard Blake gasp as Clerval's eyes locked onto the symbol haphazardly painted across the back of their clothes.
"Is that them?" Sun asks.
Blake's eyes remained fixed on the White Fang emblem. The symbol seemed to drain the color from her face. "...Yes," she whispered after swallowing hard. "It's them."
"All right, grab the tow cables!" One of the White Fang members motioned with their rifle, receiving nods of acknowledgement as they swiftly moved to follow their orders while the rest patrolled the area.
Sun glanced sideways at Blake. "You really didn't think they were behind this?"
Blake stared at the scene unfolding in silence. "No. I think deep down I knew." She closed her eyes. "I just didn't want to be right—"
"Hey!" A new voice echoed from the Bullhead. "What's the holdup!?"
A man stepped down the loading ramp, dressed in a white, flamboyant suit and a bowler hat. The ginger-haired man adjusted his cuffs before impatiently tapping a finger against his wrist.
"We're not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment, so why don't you animals try to pick up the pace?"
He recognized the man.
"Roman Torchwick?"
"You mean that's Roman Torchwick? The Gentleman Thief of Vale?" Sun stared at the man with a baffled expression. "That's a lot of eyeliner—"
"This isn't right," Blake said sharply, gripping the edge of the rooftop. "The White Fang would never work with a human. Especially not one like him."
"Hey, what're you doing—"
Before Sun could call her out, the cat Faunus had already unsheathed her weapon and vanished off the edge of the roof.
"Blake—!" Sun whispered loudly, immediately leaping after her.
With a quiet, resigned exhale, Clerval shoved a calorie bar into his pocket before following suit.
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[6/22 (Sunday) - Night]
[Zone 8 (Commercial) — Docks]
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"Brothers of the White Fang!" Blake called out to her brethren, her ears in full display while her katana was on the side of Roman Torchwick's neck. "Why are you aiding this scum?"
Surprised at her heritage, the White Fang members lower their weapons a little in surprise, unsure of what to do, when Roman gave a chuckle.
"Oh, kid." He addressed with eerie calmness in his tone. "Didn't you get the memo? The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture together!"
He flinched as Blake pressed the blade slightly closer; the edge sank in just enough to make his Aura flare instinctively, stopping the blade from breaking skin.
"Tell me what it is or I'll put an end to your little operation."
"I could..." Roman began, still smiling despite the pressure against his neck—
Suddenly, the air filled with the roar of turbines as gusts of wind whipped violently through the docks.
"But I wouldn't exactly call it a little operation...!" Roman added when two more Bullheads emerged overhead, their searchlights slicing through the night as they hovered into position above the docks.
Blake's eyes widened in alarm at their arrival.
And before she could react, Roman's cane snapped down, the barrel firing a Dust shot straight toward the ground, an explosion blowing up beneath her.
Dazed, Blake's ears snapped upright as she forced herself into motion, rolling just in time as another explosion detonated where she had been standing a split second earlier.
Looking back, her expression shifted as she broke into a run, weaving through Roman's relentless barrage of Dust-infused rounds of ammunition. Using her Semblance, she darted and propelled herself across the docks, slipping behind stacks of cargo containers for cover.
Amused, Roman started to approach. "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty..."
His taunting gets interrupted by a banana peel that lands on his head. Throwing it away, Roman looked behind him, only to widen his eyes when Sun dropped from the container above, twisting midair before landing feet-first directly into his face.
The impact sent him staggering back, and Sun rolled through the landing smoothly, popping up into a ready stance as he faced him head-on.
"Leave her alone!"
The Bullheads overhead turned slightly, their side doors sliding open as ropes and harnesses deployed.
More White Fang members began descending rapidly into the docks, boots hitting metal platforms, and within moments, they regrouped around Roman Torchwick as he straightened up from the drop kick attack.
"You are not the brightest banana in the bunch, are you, kid?"
A brief silence followed. Then he turned his head slightly toward his men.
"Get him?"
At the command, the White Fang surged forward.
Only to get blown away by a powerful burst of visible green particles of wind.
A black blur cut between Sun and the incoming attackers in an instant, metal screeching as steel met steel while deflecting the bullets that tore through the air toward them.
"You took your time!" Sun called out, flashing Clerval a thumbs-up before turning his attention back to Roman.
Clerval gave him a nod before turning his focus on the White Fang.
Adjusting his grip on his sword, he sliced through the air at his side, then launched himself straight into the disoriented terrorist group.
Just as Roman was about to fire his cane at the prone Sun, his attention was suddenly pulled away by a familiar voice.
"Hey!"
"Well, hello, Red!" Roman smirked at Ruby, who appeared abruptly on the rooftop overlooking them, Crescent Rose in its combat mode. "Isn't it past your bedtime?"
In the midst of it all, Blake slipped in silently, dragging Sun clear of the line of fire while Roman was busy with Ruby. At the same time, Clerval dealt with the White Fang members with ease, taking them down one by one with just his swordplay.
The three of them managed to regroup at a safer distance just as Ruby was launched back from the explosion by Roman's Dust-infused rounds.
And then Penny came crashing onto the ground, combat-ready.
The beam of green energy that tore across the sky a moment later was not something he had expected to witness tonight.
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NEXT UPDATE: 23 July, Thursday
A/N: Sorry, I had a lot of things to do IRL. I posted a short update in the latest announcement on Patre0n talking about it.
Please enjoy this replacement chapter from last week's!
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