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SCWR Short: “Diamond in the Rough”

Series: SCWR Shorts Rating: PG-13 (Foul Language) Takes Place: During Volume 1, between Episodes 3 and 4 Summary: (1,589 words) “After an unforeseen schedule change, Haddy finds himself with an afternoon off. Deciding to use his time wisely, he tries to navigate the confusing halls of Beacon Academy to find a weapons lab to tune up Sleigh... instead, he finds two of his classmates...”

Why must Beacon Academy be set up like a maze? Never in his life did Hadrian think he would ever miss the rigid, overly organized, structured planning of Atlas… but here he was, turning corners in vain as he wandered around like an idiot. All he wanted to do was tinker around with his rifle, but that meant having to find the Weapons Lab, which was hidden away somewhere within the bowels of the Huntsman Academy…

It was a Friday, but his afternoon classes had been canceled after Mrs. Heather and her assistant, Mr. Port, were called away to deal with a minor grimm attack outside the city. Robyn and Ryder were playing videogames in their shared dorm and Monroe claimed she had some errands in Vale that needed attending, leaving just after lunch. So, he was free to finally roam and explore, deciding that the first thing on his list was to try to buff out some of the scratches on Sleigh’s stock.

After finally finding a holographic map that he could download to his scroll, Haddy could navigate to his target… on the fifteenth floor. No wonder he couldn’t find it. 

Opting out of the stairs, Hadrian stepped out of the elevator and into the hall. It was the same as every other hallway in Beacon, but the classroom doors were spaced further apart from one another. He peeked into the first open door he saw, finding a large, open training room with a complex, aerial obstacle course; that could be fun to try out later. With a smile, he continued on, reading each nameplate as he passed.

As he came closer, he could hear voices in conversation. Hadrian’s shoulders slumped as he quietly sighed, he’d really hoped that he’d have the Lab to himself. It sounded like only two people. If the Lab was as large as the other rooms on this floor, he could probably just sneak in and take a station in the corner.

“... I’m just saying, Golden Boys makes more sense…” one voice said with a very slight, but deeper drawl.

There was a chuckling scoff as the other voice, much more beautiful and smooth, but definitely also masculine, “That could be for any of us. That could be our whole team’s nickname for all we know. Chatterley’s Knights sounds so much more sophisticated.”

“Did you even read that book?” the deeper voice asked, exasperated, seemingly offended by the mere suggestion. 

“Of course not,” the other laughed, “That’s what I have you for…”

There was a brief pause, before the deeper voice flatly said, “You’re trying to distract me, aren’t you?”

“Mmmm… if you lose your train of thought, we can leave.”

By this point, the husky had reached the door to the Lab. It was cracked open, allowing the sound to roam free– and entry if his feet would move– but Hadrian just stood outside dumbly staring at the door with a raised brow. He knew the voices inside, they belonged to one of his quite popular classmates and said classmate’s teammate. However, the tone they were using made him question whether or not they’d welcome him in right now…

The deeper voice purred back, “If that’s your plan… you know so many better ways to make me lose my mind…”

Okay. Nope. He was not doing this today.

Hadrian turned on his heel to walk back to the elevator in embarrassed silence. He hadn’t even taken a step before his scroll went off, the loud cawing of Qrow’s text message alert screaming through the crystal quiet hallway. He froze, tensing up as he refused to turn his head back towards the now silent Lab. 

After a long moment, the deeper voice muttered under his breath, “Shit…”

“You can come in,” the, now embarrassed, softer voice said.

With a short grumble of his own, the dark-haired faunus pushed his way in through the open door, sticking his hands as deep into his pockets as he could as soon as he was inside, letting the heavy door close behind him. A few stations into the Lab were two blond boys. Gene Aurum and Lambert Aur of Team GOLD. Lambert was sitting in a roller chair, his katars disassembled on the workbench in front of him. They were out of his reach as Gene was sitting on the table blocking his view.

Lambert was slightly shorter than Ryder, but almost as lanky as Hadrian. He was very well toned with tight, compact muscle built to dance around foes and deal blows rather than avoid them despite his height. He had his arms crossed against his chest with a thin-lipped frown scowling his face with lines. He had shoulder-length, curly, dusty blond hair that he usually kept tied up in a tiny, high ponytail with the rest flowing down. 

Gene, on the other hand, was drop-dead gorgeous. He was easily the most popular guy at Beacon because of his stunning beauty and charm, not to mention his fighting capabilities. His blond hair was brighter and a tad longer than Lambert’s, usually held up elegantly with a braid or two thrown in. His skin was tanned and flawless. Average height, a body sculpted from marble, and thighs that Ollie would have KILLED for. He usually wore a small amount of makeup to brighten his already stunning face, highlighting his killer cheekbones, jawline, and beautiful amber eyes.

Had Hadrian not found out about “Diamond in the Rough” before he met Gene, he would have died at the mere sight of him. It did make his heart ache just slightly from time to time when he saw him in class though.

Like, seriously, the man looked like how Haddy imagined a male version of Aphrodite would look. 

And that wasn’t even getting into the model of a man’s personality and charm. How could one person be so perfectly beautiful, both on the inside and–

Focus. Bi-panic later. 

He must have been lost in his thoughts a LOT longer than he thought because both of the golden boys were staring at him with crossed arms now. Haddy quickly motioned back towards the door and stammered out, “I was just coming to do some work, but I don’t want to interrupt, so I’ll just be going…”

“Wait!” Gene called, reaching out to stop him, “Uh, would you do us a favor and… not mention this to anyone?”

Lambert scoffed, throwing his head back before he flicked it over to Gene and harshly stated, “Oh c’mon. Of course, he’s gonna tell. He just transferred here, he has absolutely no friends or street cred, no life– I mean, seriously, it’s a Friday afternoon and he’s in the Weapons Lab– and now he has the world’s biggest scoop on the most popular dude in school? We’d be lucky if the whole school, Ozpin included, didn’t know before dinner.”

“A. Ow,” Haddy stated, a little dumbfounded by the blond’s bluntness, “B. Rude. C. I’m not a dick, I’m not gonna out anyone. D. What do you mean no life? You’re here too, and you have a freaking boyfriend you could be out on a date with right now–” Which got a short, hardy laugh out of Gene, “– And E. Why does it matter? Everyone already knows?”

Again, Lambert snorted in irritation, “Wow, you really are new here. Dude, no one knows.”

He felt his brow furrow as he turned to Gene. The handsome blond nodded, agreeing with his boyfriend as he hopped down from the table, “I appreciate that you won’t say anything, but, Lamb’s right. Ru and Doron– our teammates– don’t even know.”

Hadrian stared in disbelief for a beat-and-a-half, almost letting his jaw drop, before he quickly snapped back to reality and explained, “You– You guys do know my dorm is right beside yours, right? We share a wall.”

“Yeah?” Gene replied, confused, “What does that have to do with anything?”

Again, the husky just gaped for a minute before he stated the obvious, “Uh, I live with Monroe.”

He watched in slight amusement as all the color drained from both their faces instantly, realizing that Monroe had probably known for a LONG time about their relationship given her semblance. Lambert quickly stammered out, “Cade wouldn’t say anything! Hell, she didn’t say anything to us.”

“Yeah, but, we share a room with Robyn and Ryder too.”

“Oh shit.”

Hadrian smiled softly, adding, “I know I haven’t been here for too long, but I’ve been here long enough to know that Robyn has an extremely hard time not talking, and Ryder isn’t very good at keeping secrets...”

Lambert ran a hand through his hair as he sighed, “We are so screwed…”

“Um,” the husky added, “If it makes you feel any better, I’m pretty sure it’s just our class that knows.”

“That would explain why Pygmy stopped hitting on me in second year…” Gene muttered. 

“... And why Doron and Rupert never seem to bother us on a date night…” Lambert added.

With a smile, Hadrian turned back to leave the pair to grapple with the fact that their secret relationship was the worst kept secret in all of Beacon, pausing as he looked back and said, “Oh, and it’s not Golden Boys or Chatterley's Knights, by the way.”

When the blonds looked up, Haddy smirked, “It’s Diamond in the Rough. That’s what we called you guys…”

Without another word, he walked out, catching Lambert’s drawl just before the door closed, “Wait. Who’s the Diamond and who’s the Rough??” followed by Gene’s howling laughter.

[raebaekaedae]

Since I’m in the process of studying for my HAZMAT finals, I’m probably gonna have a little less time to work on personal projects than I’d like... so...

Introducing: SCWR Shorts!!

I have a few canonical short stories for SCWR written out that don’t really fit into the story fluidly. I figure that some people might still be interested in them though, so I’ll just post them from time to time. Most of them have to do with side characters or characters who just don’t get a lot of screen time (as of right now), like Checkers or Fynch.

The Short that’s going up today is going to be about Gene Aurum and Lambert Aur! (oh, and, uh, Haddy’s there too, I guess)

We won’t get to see a lot of these two until Volume 2, so I figured that a little flashback before then to flesh out their characters a bit might be helpful!

Oh, and I should probably mention that these SCWR Shorts are going to be Tumblr exclusive! I won’t be posting them on Wattpad. I don’t really have a reason for this other than I’m lazy though 🤷‍♀️

Ciao!! -Raebae

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Grass wave

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snork mimimimi

LET THE CHILD SOLDIERS SLEEP

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Have you seen Tiny wby in Ruby's hood??! Tiny Weiss (and bmlb chilling out in the front).

yep!!

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i survived the rwby v9 hiatus & all i got wwas this kitty cat.

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another round of messy sketches inspired by rwby v9 trailer to do a magical Oscar, he’s just trying to find a way to reach his friends

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Neo is an absolute terror

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FEBRUARY 18 EVERYONE!!

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hope you guys like my pfp

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I’m excite (But oh God that TONE SHIFT--) (I worry 🙃🙃 )

HOLY GOD DAMN ITS HAPPENIGGGGGG

[raebaekaedae]

Team SCWR Masterpost!

Character Introduction Shorts “Snow” “Seafoam” “Cardinal” “Topaz”

SCWR Shorts “Diamond in the Rough”

Volume One “Back to Square One” "In the Dog House”  "Icebreakers” "Pericles” "Lupophobia” "Stark’s Secret” "Extracurricular” "Gae” "Favorites” "Wyndham” "Pedigree and Proposal” "Brave Face” A Look into the Past: “Snow” "The Wrong Kind of Tournament” "Bond” Character Short: “Rosewood”

Volume Two Coming Soon...

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fair beauty

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Volume One, Character Short: “Rosewood”

Series: SCWR Rating: PG-13 (Foul Language, Alcohol Use, Drug Use Mentioned) Summary: (703 words) “After several students are kidnapped and taken hostage, Fynch visits an old friend to see if he wants to offer any assistance...”

Read on Wattpad

The feral alley cat sauntered around a table, wiping it down with a rag before he disconnected the tubes leading into the smoker and flipped the chairs up so he could sweep and mop later. Various vapors still danced through the air, but that was normal in Wonderland, even when the doors were closed to customers; he'd gotten used to that a long time ago. The lights were dimmed and the music had been cut a while ago.

He'd sent his staff home early tonight... a lot on his mind that he wanted to clear up on his own time. However, he didn't turn when he heard the telltale creak of the lounge's doors opening and closing quietly. He could feel a pair of eyes glaring him down, but he didn't stop his meticulous cleaning of the table he was working on.

Once he was satisfied, he stuck the rag into his back pocket and started moving towards the bar without looking back. He plainly motioned towards the figure behind him and stated, "Y'know, Songbird, you just missed your sister."

Fynch didn't say anything as he continued to slightly frown and cross his arms. After a moment, he harshly sighed and moved up to the bar as well, taking his usual stool as Checkers reached up towards the top shelf and retrieved an expensive bottle of rosé. The feral uncorked the previously opened bottle of wine with his teeth and began to pour two, generous glasses as Fynch continued to just stare at him.

He didn't wait for the Huntsman to say anything before he downed a hefty mouthful of his drink. The feathered faunus took a swig before he plainly asked, "Did you tell Robyn where to find 'Diana'?"

"All business tonight, I see..." Checkers purred. When Fynch didn't do anything other than frown and glower, the feral rolled his eyes and sighed, "No, I didn't tell her. You don't have to get your pretty, little feathers in a twist."

"Good," The Huntsman replied, taking another sip of his wine before continuing, "Where is she?"

The lavender-haired broker scoffed, "Now, I didn't tell your little Chickadee, so what makes you think I'm going to tell you? Do you know what kind of businessman would I be if I just went and told you all my clients' secrets, hmm?"

"Sterling..." Fynch warned, setting his glass down on the bar.

"Junior..." the feral returned in a mocking tone.

"I know you're smart enough to know what she's doing to those kids. Do you really want that on your conscience?" he asked.

Checkers swirled his drink before replying, "I don't really have one of those, remember?"

"That's not what Annalise thought."

He felt his fingernails drag across the wooden surface of the bar, leaving little marks, as he clenched his fist and scowled. Without a second thought, Checkers snapped, "Get the hell out of my damn bar, Fynch."

With a soft sigh, the Huntsman took one last sip of his rosé and stood. He pulled some lien out of his pocket and set it on the bar, "For the damages."

Fynch then slowly turned and made his way back towards the door. He paused as he opened it and let some cool, autumnal air breeze through his hair, half-turning his head as he sighed, "You don't want to admit it, but you wouldn't have been helping those kids if you didn't care... and you know that they aren't gonna come out of this unscathed unless you do something... just think about it, Minou..."

Checkers didn't say anything as the pale-haired Huntsman closed the door behind him. For just a moment, he gripped onto his glass and glared daggers at the empty space Fynch had left behind. Before he even registered what he was doing, he hurled the flute across the lounge and watched it shatter against the door with an irritated hiss. Rosé coated the walls and dripped down to the floor in a puddle with broken glass.

He snatched up the lien and shoved it in the "dropped glasses" fund under the bar. With another scoff, he scooped up the bottle and shoved the cork back into its stem as he downed the rest of Fynch's wine in one gulp.

"Godsdamned bastard..." he mumbled to himself under his breath.

[raebaekaedae]

Volume One, Episode Fifteen: “Bond”

Series: SCWR Rating: PG-13 (Foul Language, Violence against Fantasy Monsters, Violence) Summary: (5,190 words) “In part two of the thrilling finale, an unforeseen bond just might be the edge Hadrian and Blue need to save themselves. With one bleeding out and the other severely injured, it’s going to take a miracle to get out alive...”

Read on Wattpad

The sound of his desperate scream echoed back at him. He felt the ground beneath himself shake as tiny particles vibrated and bounced near his feet. Suddenly, the air in front of him shifted into waves. Blue was thrown forward onto her stomach with a start as the deafening sound beat into her back. With only his voice, Haddy managed to push the grimm back as they had to dig into the ground with their claws to keep from flying away.

Ollie...?

He had no idea what was happening, but he wasn't going to let this opportunity slip. Haddy continued his scream, taking a few hesitant steps forward before breaking into a full-blown sprint. He felt his aura priming as he charged ahead. His lungs were on fire, his ears bled, but he kept up his sonic attack. He couldn't hear the scratching of claws on dirt as the Beowolves and their Alpha were suddenly thrown from their desperate attempts to stay grounded.

The creatures of grimm were flung back into their cage as they slammed into the wall with a painful crack of concrete. The door could no longer hold as it crashed down, trapping the beasts inside. Haddy was starting to see double, unable to breathe as his voice slowly dimmed and returned to normal. He fell to his hands and knees, gasping in desperate breaths as he tried to regain what little composure he had.

He wasn't sure if his eardrums had ruptured, but for the first time since he and Blue were flung into the arena, it was silent and he was left grappling with the ghost of his past.

She was at his side in an instant, skidding down and placing her good hand on his back. It didn't burn. As his chest rose and fell in jagged motions, he reached behind him and ran a hand down his spine... it was healed; scarred, but healed. That was when he felt a punch to the gut as his aura began to drain away, seeping off of him in waves.

"What was that??" Blue asked in disbelief, well, that answered the question of whether or not his ears were busted, "H-How did you--?"

She was cut off when an irritated yell tore their attention back up to the stands. Many of the patrons who'd paid to see their fight to the death had fled. Haddy witnessed the true extent of his sonic scream as cracks crept up the concrete walls, dislodging the chain fence trapping them, and into the stone bleachers. People who had been sitting within the range of the blast were doubled over, holding their ears as they cried and shouted.

Diana Gae was furious. Her golden eyes flashed with rage as she yelled down, "YOU!" He knew that she was talking to him. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

Hadrian used his forearm to wipe some of the sweat from his brow as he shakily stood in defiance. He puffed out his chest as he pointed up at her and declared, "You haven't won! You will never win! So long as I breathe and stand; I will never allow you to take another life!"

She glared down at him with a mix of anger, disgust, and a hint of what looked like concern before she grabbed a remote from one of her goons and jammed her finger into every button. Suddenly, metallic screeching echoed around the pair as all of the remaining cages began to open.

Antagonizing the bad guy... great idea, Hads.

He glanced down at Blue as he extended an arm out to try to block her– futilely since there would be grimm coming from all directions. Her breathing was labored, arm shaking and hanging limply as blood ran down her shoulder and pooled at her feet. Haddy could see her blue eyes trembling, but she just held on tighter to the shield as she pushed her back into his.

The husky loaded his remaining dust shot into his sling as a cacophony of harsh growls and shrieks tore through the arena. Four or five grimm-laden cages remained, and he could already see several of the monsters trying to claw their way out to get to them... they could probably smell how anxious he and Blue were.

A trumpeting screech tore his attention away as a Megoliath gored its metallic cage door and flung it open. Haddy quickly jumped in front of Blue as he flung the fire capsule at the elephantine grimm. It exploded and rained down embers as it struck the masked scale plates of the Megoliath's face. It was momentarily stunned before it shook off the smoke and set its crimson eyes on the students.

Angry steam burst from its trunk as it charged. Haddy had a shitty hatchet and an empty sling, to say that the odds were not in his favor was an understatement. He could already feel the last bits of his aura draining away. However, he took a confident step forward as he took in a deep breath before he let out a gut-wrenching howl in hopes of activating Ollie's semblance once again.

He yelled until his voice was hoarse and a lightheaded embrace threatened to make him pass out; but, nothing happened. He could feel the ground shaking with each pound of the mammoth's feet. He always wondered how something so large and lumbering could move so damn fast. All he could do as it came closer and closer was draw his wooden hatchet and pray to the Brothers for a miracle.

It never slowed down as it raised its tusks up high, its eyes glinting in the setting sun's dying light– wait, the sun?

A force of nature landed with a resounding crater, kicking up dust and debris as he stopped the Megoliath's charge with nothing more than the energy of his entrance. Not even a moment later, a rush of wind came crashing down around them, nearly throwing Blue and Haddy to the ground as chunks of the high ceiling rained down from a hole that had been punched straight through the rock.

Haddy could only watch as the mammoth backpedaled a pace and the dust started to clear, revealing a pair of outstretched wings and fluffy, blue hair.

Fynch half-turned his head back to the pair as he pulled his sword from his crater and forced a small smile, "Sorry for the wait, Snowball... but, I'm here now."

The husky let out a shaky breath as he unsteadily smiled, "F-Fynch!?"

He'd almost forgotten what relief felt like.

The brief reprieve was cut short as several of the other cages were thrown open and the Megoliath shook off its shock. Before the students could even open their mouths to say anything, Fynch had already swung his greatsword around and closed the distance between himself and the elephantine grimm. With one swift swing, he took out the front legs of the Megoliath, causing it to fall to the ground with a shrill shriek. He didn't hesitate as he adjusted the large blade in his hand and whipped it up, severing the grimm's head from its body before it hit the arena floor.

He looked up to see Hadrian already turning himself between an approaching flock of Nevermore and the younger girl. With a smirk, the Hunstman raised an arm towards the pair and activated his semblance with a vacuuming whirlwind of air. The students hardly had any time to react as they were suddenly pulled towards him. He unfurled his wings and jumped into the air, clearing both Haddy and the girl easily as he let loose a flurry of furious slashes and stabs into the grimm.

The husky watched in awe as an explosion of black feathers rained down from the experienced swordsman, harmlessly showering both him and Blue. As Fynch unclipped his sword, allowing it to fall in half into two separate weapons connected with a thick chain, he turned back to Haddy and said, "You'd better get outta here. There's a landing pad on the lower levels..." he paused to swing into a Boarbatusk, before adding, "Don't worry about the other students, they're safe. I'll take care of Gae."

He briefly wondered how Fynch knew the name of their abductor, but given the direness of the entire situation, it wasn't hard to believe that Monroe and the R's had come clean about how they'd been spending their free time. Haddy grabbed Blue's hand, making sure not to hurt her, as he smiled and started to run with her towards the trapdoor that had brought them here in the first place.

The buckled walls of their copper prison had been blown away by his sonic scream along with some of the dirt obscuring the trapdoor. Haddy used his tail to wipe away the rest of the dust and knelt down to examine their escape. It was flush with the floor, hinges hidden on the underside of the floor, but there was a small space between the doors that he might be able to pry open.

Hadrian tried to get a grip with his nails, but couldn't manage to slip his fingers between the slot. He thought about trying to pry it open with the wooden blade of the hatchet, but there was no way that it was going to fit. Blue winced as she pulled her hand free and reached around behind her, taking the training dagger from her tattered belt. She handed it over quickly before she brought her palm up to try to quell the pain radiating from her torn torso.

With a deft swing, the husky easily placed the blade between the doors and pried it open. There was about a twenty-foot drop down into the dark hallway. He spared one last glance back at Fynch, watching him easily slash his way through the hoard of grimm, before he turned his head up to the announcer's box. Unsurprisingly, Diana Gae was nowhere in sight. Haddy nodded to Blue before jumping down into the shadows.

As he landed with bent knees, he felt a burst of pain run up one of his legs. He stood up straight and scanned the area. There wasn't anyone around, thankfully. A moment later, he turned his head back up to the arena and motioned for Blue to follow. The frilly skirt of her dress fluttered as she dropped down. The husky caught her before she hit the ground.

"Hey!"

The pair whipped around just in time to see one of the brutish guards rounding the corner, raising his shotgun. Haddy froze, Blue's arm tightening around his shoulder. The brute kept his gun trained on them, motioning with the barrel for the husky to put the girl down. Hesitantly and slowly, Hadrian lowered the younger student down so that she could stand on her own.

"Hands where I can see 'em," the armored man ordered, "and turn around."

The blue-haired teen glanced up at her elder briefly. Haddy hesitated but forced a smile and nodded as started to slowly raise his hands, open-palmed to his shoulders, and turned around to face away from the brute. Blue followed his lead, doing the same. Once they had their backs to him, he hummed out an approval.

"On your knees," he ordered.

Blue, again, looked to Hadrian for confirmation. He subtly nodded and she lowered herself down onto her knees. However, the husky took a deep breath and stayed put. The man motioned with his gun, even though neither of the students could see.

"I said, on your knees, boy!" the brute nearly shouted.

Haddy didn't say a word, closing his eyes as he focused on listening to the quiet shifts. Angrily, the brute started to stomp forward, hands tightening on his gun as he continued to shout at the husky to follow his demands. However, the dark-haired faunus wasn't paying attention to that. He listened carefully, waiting until the man was directly behind him. The thick smell of sweat getting ever closer.

As soon as the armored brute pushed the cold, metal muzzle into Haddy's exposed back, he reacted. In an instant, his eyes flew open as he whipped around, pushing the barrel of the gun towards the wall just before the explosion of gunpowder and lead tore through his ears. He knew that Blue had fallen back and yelped in surprise, but he couldn't apologize just yet.

Haddy used what little time he had left in his sneak attack to take his other arm and bring his elbow down onto the brute's hands. He shouted in surprise, but that momentary ease was all the husky needed to disarm him and flip the shotgun around in his arms. He aimed the gun at the chest of the armored man and took a good few steps back as the brute stared at him in disbelief.

"I have some questions, and you're gonna answer them, deal?" Hadrian asked, motioning for Blue to get up and stand behind him.

She quickly scampered up and ducked behind his back, holding onto her bleeding wounds. In the back of his mind, Haddy knew that she probably wasn't going to last much longer if she kept losing blood at the rate she was now... the only reason she was still up and moving was pure adrenaline. His first priority was getting her out of here; he'd just have to trust Fynch and the other Huntsmen to gather intel.

As Haddy opened his mouth to ask the quickest way to the landing pad, the brute jumped at him. In that brief moment, only one thought crossed his mind; by the Brothers, I hope that this bastard's armor is bullet-proof.

He pulled the trigger back to the guard and expected the kick of an explosion, but was instead met with the soft click of an empty chamber. The husky hardly had any time to even widen his eyes before he was tackled to the ground, the air from his lungs shooting out of his mouth and the empty gun clattering to the side. Hadrian shouted in surprise just before a fist found itself colliding with his jaw.

Stars exploded across his vision as he threw his arms up to protect his head. He was pinned down with this armored asshole straddling his torso, raising another closed hand to strike him again. Before he got the chance, Blue had grabbed his wrist and was desperately trying to pin it with her good arm. She didn't get the chance as the man threw her back violently into the wall, causing her to yelp.

That was the last thing he was going to take. Hadrian growled as he nearly screamed in anger, flinging his legs up as he wrapped them around the brute's neck. He linked his ankles together and jerked his feet back, hurling the man back with a surprised shout. Haddy just barely had enough time to get to his feet as the brute scrambled up.

The husky raised his fists defensively, protecting his head and neck as he swayed and watched the armored man's movements. Gae's goon threw a mean hook towards Hadrian's jaw, only giving him seconds to react, ducking just as the man's fist flew over his head. The dark-haired faunus tried to retaliate with a kick but was met with a solid mass of muscle that probably bruised his shin more than the man's.

Haddy couldn't pull his leg back before the brute had grabbed his ankle and was flinging him at the wall. His back slammed into the stone, cracking it as he felt several of his ribs creak. The husky crumbled to the floor, gasping as he feebly tried to catch his breath. The man brought his boot back to kick the snot out of him.

The Huntsman-in-training barely had time to raise his arms in an attempt to shield himself as the steel-toed sole slammed into his chest. Suddenly, his aura sparked to life as his nose was flooded with memories of earthy polish. The man screamed in pain as his boot connected with Haddy's torso, grabbing onto his knee as he heard a painful crunch of bone-on-bone snapping.

That's Tadashi's semblance... Riposte. He'd just countered the attack and delivered it back full force without even trying.

He didn't have any more time to think about it as the brute glowered down at him with flames in his eyes. He looked as if he was about to retaliate before there was a meaty slap and the armored man lurched forward. A brief moment passed before his brown eyes rolled up and he fell limply to the floor, only giving Haddy a short window to avoid being crushed beneath his weight.

Hadrian looked up to see Blue using the discarded shotgun like a club, struggling to hold it up before it dropped to the ground and she fell to one knee, gripping onto her injured arm. The husky quickly scampered up to her, gingerly lifting her hand to examine the wound as she winced and whined.

It didn't look good. The tears in her skin were so deep that he could see her shattered collarbone beneath the weeping blood. She wasn't crying, but he could tell by the pained twist on her face that she really wanted to.

"C'mon, kid..." Haddy soothed, lifting her up into his arms so that she could rest her wounds, "Let's get outta here."

They walked in stealthy silence down the halls, every once in a while pausing to take a whiff or listen for enemies.

As Haddy peeked around a corner and tried to decide if he wanted to go left or right, he felt Blue shift. He turned back to her as she whispered through clenched teeth, "H... How did you do that? With your semblance?"

He paused, before he quietly admitted, "Honestly, Blue... I... don't know."

"That was... Echo and Riposte..." she commented softly.

His eyes widened as he looked to her. She weakly smiled, "Ms. Ombre's and Bēju-senpai's semblances..."

"Yeah..." Haddy drew out quietly, "... but, how'd you know that?"

"Because... Team Solitude... you're what inspired me to become a Huntress..." she admitted with a slight tinge of embarrassed blush.

As the husky stared at her without a word, Blue quietly explained, "You probably don't remember, but when you and your brother left Mantle, you inspired a lot of faunus. I used to wait by the post office every Saturday just for the chance to read about how you both were doing. I watched as you both excelled to the top of your class and showed those stuck-up Atlesian elites that us faunus didn't need some 'Outreach Program' to become great Huntsmen and Huntresses...

"And then... you saved my life..."

She paused as she fondly smiled, "I was volunteering at the clinic with your mom when the Ice Fever broke out. I was fine for a while, but... well, I ended up catching it towards the end... Dr. Thompkins says that I wouldn't have survived another night without the cure that you and Solitude got to us... me and so many other people..."

He listened with wide eyes and a slightly slack jaw. After a long moment, he breathlessly replied, "Blue..."

"Y'know..." she continued, "Cliff, my brother, used to say all the time that Huntsmen weren't worth anything. That they'd never protect the little people down in Mantle like they would Atlas... but, you guys managed to inspire even his sour heart... and, honestly, I think that's the greatest thing I could have ever asked for."

For a moment, the beagle looked as if she was going to continue, but instead, she sucked in a sharp breath as she grabbed onto her bleeding shoulder. Haddy sighed with a soft smile, "C'mon... we can talk about it later... after we get that arm looked at..."

As he stood up straighter and peeked around the corner to make sure it was clear again, Blue quietly asked, "Do you... do you even know where we're supposed to go?"

"I'm never lost," he lied with a confident smile, trying to ease her worries.

Hadrian stepped around the corner and started to creep towards the hallway to the left. He got maybe two steps before he felt the air shift. The husky leaned back just as a flash of silver and royal purple sliced into the wall in front of him. A small metal playing card with a crescent emblem blocked his path.

Before he could look back into the dark from where they'd come, another few cards came flying at them. Haddy scrambled back, the blue-haired Atlesian student gripping tightly onto his shoulders as he backpedaled down the opposite hallway, avoiding the onslaught. He could hear the soft patter of footsteps following behind them, but he never saw anyone when he looked back.

The pair ran down the halls, Haddy feeling his semblance kick in as he slid around a corner. He swore he heard a soft curse as he sped up, but he was too busy trying to dodge flying cards. It was a little weird, because they weren't a constant threat, only occasionally coming at him when he tried to duck behind corners.

"Look!" Blue motioned with her head towards the end of the hall.

There was a large door with a sign that read "Landing Bay Two". He nodded to her, before steeling himself and speeding up to throw his shoulder into the door, throwing it open.

He glanced back down the hall and saw a brief flash of color as someone called out, "Wait! Kid! Don't!"

Haddy didn't have time to register whether he was being played or if this splash of color was actually trying to help him because he skidded into the open bay of an airbus garage. There weren't any planes, but there was one with the Beacon emblem landing at the entrance; a wide-open cavern that lead out into the mountains where the sun was setting behind the horizon...

And they weren't alone.

Tens of goons and brutes turned to look at the pair as they came crashing through the door. Everyone stared at one another for a moment, each startled in a different way, before Haddy took off towards the airbus. He heard angry shouts as he activated his semblance with his rapidly draining aura and sped off.

His lungs were killing him as his legs burned, but he pushed on. Haddy didn't dare look back as he focused on getting Blue out of here. Just as he felt himself weakening, he felt one last push. Suddenly, he took in a desperate deep breath as his mind danced in the freshly fallen snow of his memory; fresh caramel gracing his nose with a beautifully pleasant reminder.

"HADDY!"

For a moment, he thought Leo had called out to him, but as he looked up he nearly cried. Cascade was leaning out of the plane, reaching out for him as Robyn helped another injured Huntsman into the cab, Ryder securing Gene with bandages and gauze. They all looked up at him. The blonde's hair was whipping around, but he could see that relieved smile crinkling her nose as she screamed for him.

That was when the ship jerked, its engines roaring. It was getting ready to take off. He watched as Robyn whipped around and yelled something unintelligible at the pilot, to no avail. Haddy could feel himself tiring. They weren't going to make it if he didn't do something drastic.

"Have you worked on a landing strategy?" he asked suddenly, looking down at Blue.

The blue-eyed girl looked up at him between taking ragged, pained breaths and hastily nodded. As he sprinted towards the airship with her in his arms, Hadrian looked back to see the hoard of goons gaining on them.

He turned back to Blue and swallowed hard before nodding, "Okay. I'm going to throw you then."

"But," she replied, with tears forming in the corners of her eyes, "What about you?"

"Don't worry, kiddo," he smiled with a wink, "I'll make it."

She hesitated, still looking up at him with her big, blue eyes before she briefly nodded. Hadrian smiled and looked back towards their escape. They were only about one-hundred feet or so from the airship, but the baddies were gaining ground quicker than he could run while carrying Blue. If he could make sure that she got to the ship, he could use his semblance to speed himself up. He was too exhausted to use it on both of them at once, so this was the only option.

His eyes landed on the dark-skinned faunus as he shouted, his voice cracking, "RyDE-R!"

His scaled friend's head swung to attention. With a deep breath, Haddy yelled, "Blue Bird! Catch!"

That was Hadrian's and Robyn's recently minted special move, so he knew that Ryder would know what to do. Expectantly, the armadillo briefly nodded and hunkered down into a defensive position. The husky faunus looked down at his blue-haired charge. She'd been so strong for so long, but he watched as fat tears rolled down her cheeks. He smiled to her and took her uninjured hand in his. She looked up at him, and with a sniffle, gave her affirmation.

In an instant, Hadrian skidded to a halt, activating his semblance through one of his feet as he used the other to pivot. Using Blue's momentum, he gripped onto her wrist tightly as he swung her around in an arch twice. As she crested the last time, he let her go and sent her flying with a strength he'd never used before towards their escape. She didn't yell or scream, but when she landed in Ryder's arms, he could tell that she was whimpering.

With a brief smile, he took a few ragged breaths and just relaxed for a fraction of a moment. However, as he snapped back to reality, he activated what was left of his semblance and sped off towards his escape. He watched as Ryder handed Blue off to another student– probably Lambert, one of Gene's 'friends'– and kneeled down at the edge of the ship, reaching out for him to jump up and grab hold.

The airship started to ascend as he drew ever closer.

But, he was gonna make it. As his eyes ran across Ryder's hopeful face, he felt a grin creeping onto his face. He caught sight of Cadie and Robyn behind him, holding him steady by his overall straps as he leaned as far out of the ship as he could, with smiles of their own. As he neared the edge of the cliff, he pushed off into the air just as his aura reached its limit and shattered, extending his hand out to reach for his home.

His fingertips reached ever closer to Ryder's as the scaled faunus leaned out even further, threatening to fall out. He was so exhausted, but he didn't really give a damn right now.

A sharp pain momentarily stung the back of Hadrian's neck. In the brief moment he had, he didn't think much of it. However, a surging shock raced through his entire body. He couldn't control himself as a scream pooled in his gut and cut off before it was anything more than a strangled gurgle. His muscles tensed as his chest arched and arms grew stiff. The pain was so immense. As his eyes rolled towards the back of his skull and his vision grew darker, he was forced to watch as his team's happy expressions turned to horror and they screamed out for him.

He hit the pavement of the hangar with a hard thud that he couldn't even feel over the electricity coursing through his nerves. He tumbled twice and skidded to the edge of the cliffside, nearly toppling over before he came to a limp, twitching stop on his side at the end. Suddenly, just as soon as it had appeared, the pain vanished and left him shell-shocked. Hadrian couldn't help but yelp and whine as he took a few shaky breaths and weakly pushed up on one elbow.

As his senses groggily came back to him, Hadrian looked up to see the approaching hoard already upon him. They had surrounded him, blocking all escape except a plummet to the bottom of the ravine below. The brutes parted and revealed the smoking gun that had struck him in the back of the head. The magenta-haired temptress smirked as she holstered the stun gun and looked down at Haddy like a wolf hungry for an injured rabbit.

That was when he saw the translucent wings connected to Gae's back... well, wing would be a better analysis. She was a faunus...?

The airship was already moving off to leave, he could still hear his teammates' screams for him over the roar of the engines. In that brief moment, he decided that he wasn't going to let this bitch of a woman take another friend from them. Before she even had time to order her forces to take him, Hadrian rolled backwards, allowing himself to fall towards the bottom of the craggy basin.

He felt the air rush from his lungs as the wind whipped past him, tearing the remnants of his shirt to shreds. He twisted around, spreading out his arms and legs to try to slow his descent. He had to have faith. His heart pounded against his chest wall as the ground came ever closer to him.

That was when he heard the deafening boom of thunder. He didn't need to look back to know what was happening. He felt the shock wave push him further downward just before Robyn latched onto him, wrapping her arms around his chest and legs around his waist. In an instant, a tornado of wind hurled them back into the sky, only tens of feet above the rocky crags. The pair shot through the air as they hurtled past the hangar. However, that was about as far as they got before the redhead's surge faded away. They crested their ascent and floated for just a moment before returning to their freefall.

Haddy reached around and wrapped an arm under Robyn's shoulders as he extended his hand towards the creamsicle clouds above. A thick, steel line whipped around and latched around his wrist. He only had a moment to grab the base of the wire before it ripped his arm out of its socket, but he managed. Both he and Robyn jerked as the line pulled taut. The airship burst into the sky, escaping Ataxia Arena as Haddy and Robyn were whipped around by the sheer winds.

Slowly, Cadie pulled them in, straining as she reeled in the line. As the pair came close enough, Ryder reached out and grabbed onto them, desperately pulling them into the chassis and into his lap.

The team was suddenly engulfed in a group hug that none of them seemed to initiate, but no one didn't seem to mind. As they sat there, they were jolted as the sobbing, blue-haired student threw herself into Haddy's back.

With a shaky smile, he reached around and ruffled her hair, confidently saying, "See...? Told you I'd... make it back in one piece..."

[raebaekaedae]

Volume One, Episode Fourteen: “The Wrong Kind of Tournament”

Series: SCWR Rating: R (Some Foul Language, Violence against Fantasy Monsters, Excessive Violence, Drugged, Death Mentioned, Subtle Themes of Racism, Prominent Themes of PTSD) Summary: (5,679 words) “In part one of the thrilling finale, Haddy faces his deadliest challenge yet. When he and some other students are kidnapped and held against their will to fight in cruel battles against creatures of grimm, Hadrian must find a way to escape and keep everyone safe at the same time...”

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"Mr. Snow... Mr. Snow, please, wake up..."

The soft voice slowly lolled him back into consciousness. For a moment, he was too weak to open his eyes. His head felt light and loopy like he was spinning through the air and the only thing tying him to Remnant was the musty, muddy smell pounding through his nose. With some effort, he managed to force his blurry eyes open and look up at the ceiling. Or what he thought would be the ceiling. Instead, he was met with the fuzzy visage of a blue figure staring down at him.

Once he blinked the drugged sleep out of his eyes, he found himself laying on a cement floor with his head resting in the lap of a blue-haired faunus girl. She had tears running down her cheeks in waves, absolutely ruining her makeup. She had scratches and bruises on her face and arms from a fight. Her dress was torn in places and dirty in others, and he was willing to bet that was what he looked like too.

She was familiar though... he'd seen her at the dance.

"Blue...?" he weakly asked through parched lips once he found his voice.

If she wasn't already sobbing, though he thought she might have burst into tears when he finally spoke. She frantically nodded, unable to find words as she smoothed his hair back with one hand and wiped her face with the other. After a moment, Haddy managed to push himself up into a sitting position and get a good look around.

It was dark, there wasn't a lot of light, only the dim luminescence from a few scrolls. The walls of the cramped room were lined with steel reinforcement and no windows. The walls were bare with the exception of an iron door sealed on one side. He and Blue weren't alone, there was another girl sitting in the corner with her arms wrapped around her knees. She was wearing a green dress with a golden necklace draped across her chest. She didn't look much older than the faunus girl.

"Where... are we?" Haddy asked, scooting a little so that his back was resting against one of the walls.

"I dunno," Blue said quietly, following him and bringing her own knees up to hug, "I was just walking back to my dorm from the dance with my brother and then everything goes black..."

The husky closed his eyes and tried to remember what had happened. He was at the dance, and then Ozpin revealed the memorials and he bolted. He ran. He was sitting on the edge of the school, crying, when Monroe, Robyn, and Ryder showed up and told him... told him that they knew... and that they didn't blame him.

He fumbled around with his pants pocket, pulling out his scroll and opening it. His lock screen was blown up with messages and missed calls.

CADE: Whoever shot you got away, we're coming, hold on

-Missed Call from RBYN-

RBYN: Are you okay?? Haddy, please respond!

RYDR: Your map is offline, we can't find you. Please, we need you to respond

Haddy watched as about five minutes passed before the messages resumed.

QROW: Haddy! Robyn just burst in here and told us what happened! Are you okay? Where are you?

-Missed Call from RBYN-

-Missed Call from RBYN-

CADE: We're coming, I swear, please hold on

TAIY: Dude, Summer is talking to Ozpin rn. Gene and a couple other students are missing too. Are they with you?

There was another pause.

QROW: Come on, man, say something please

-Missed Call from RBYN-

-Missed Call from QROW-

-Missed Call from CADE-

Then, about half an hour later, Summer texted him.

SUMR: We're on our way. We got a tip from someone about some students being seen downtown before they were abducted.

There was a long pause after that. Then, finally...

CADE: I'm sorry

CADE: I'm so sorry, Haddy

He looked to see if he had any reception, not surprised to see zero bars. Reluctantly, he closed the scroll and returned it to his pocket. Haddy turned to see Blue burying her face into her arms, still quietly crying. He sighed before scooting closer to her and putting his arm over her shoulders and pulling her in closer.

"Hey, we're gonna get out of this," he smiled down to her, "Our teams and the Beacon Professors are already looking for us."

"It doesn't matter..." the other girl said from across the room, pausing before she looked up, a haunted look on her face, "They're gonna kill us before anyone can save us..."

Before Haddy could ask her why she was so certain, the sound of a locking mechanism shook the quiet of the room. Instinctively, the three Huntsmen-in-training jumped up and backed towards the edge of their cell. Hadrian stepped in front of the girls, guarding them with his body as he heard Blue whimpering behind him. He braced himself for a fight as the door slowly creaked open, scraping along the floor as it swung open.

The smell of blood hit him like a freight train.

He wasn't expecting the body of another student to be thrown in with them, battered and bleeding. The blond boy's once glittering, golden suit was caked in grime and blood, now half-dyed a muddy shade of crimson. He stumbled into the cell, bleeding from a large gash somewhere in his hair, falling forward. Hadrian just barely managed to jump forward and catch him before he face-planted into the cement. The boy was hardly breathing, his chest rising in jagged motions. Haddy quickly flipped him around to examine his wounds.

His dress shirt and suit jacket were torn and tattered, revealing a nasty, slashing gash from his shoulder down his torso. His arm, which had been ripped from his ribboned sleeve was bruised to Hell, most likely broken in multiple places or crushed. When Hadrian moved his bangs from his eyes to get a better look at his head wound, he gasped.

One amber eye was swollen shut and his nose was broken and bleeding, but staring back at him was Gene Aurum. His glittering golden eye shadow was smudged along with his dark eyeliner. His lipstick was more red than yellow, now glistening with blood instead of gloss. He looked up at Hadrian with the same recognition, reaching up weakly and gripping on to his shirt sleeve.

"H-ddy..." the broken Beacon student croaked as the door slammed shut.

"Gene!" Haddy cried, shaking away his shock to quickly tear away his classmate's jacket, "Oh my Gods!"

The husky wrapped the ruined jacket into a ball and pressed down on the gash that was still weeping blood from Gene's torso. The blond nearly screamed but kept himself from crying out by clenching his fist and pounding it into the floor. Team GOLD's leader took in a sharp, shallow breath, still laboring his breathing. Hadrian pulled at the sleeves of Gene's shirt, checking his wrists and finding them absent of his signature golden bracers.

Haddy turned to the girls and hastily asked, "Gold? Are you wearing anything gold?"

"What? Why?" The other girl asked, still shaken from Gene's entrance.

"His semblance is Golden Touch, he can regenerate his aura when he's in contact with anything gold," the husky quickly explained, "More aura means he can heal faster!"

Blue instantly pulled a ring from her finger, handing it over as she stammered, "I-I think this is real, I-I'm not sure!"

He took it, placing it into Gene's palm. Almost instantly, his golden yellow aura sparked back to life weakly. The girl with the green dress hesitated, but then shook her head and unlatched her necklace, nearly throwing it to the husky as she reached up to take off her earrings as well. With the additional jewelry, the blond's aura steadily grew.

After a moment, he weakly lifted his head and asked, "Had-dy... Lamb'rt... Ru... Doron... where...?"

His teammates. Hadrian nodded down to him, "I dunno, Gene. I dunno. I haven't seen them."

Monroe and the R's hadn't been taken, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to send those texts, which meant that maybe... "I-I don't think they're here... I think they're safe."

He watched as Gene let out a shaky sigh of relief, visibly releasing tension that he probably wasn't sure he was holding. The girl knelt down and took over applying pressure on his wounds as Haddy tore his own sleeve off to start wrapping around the golden leader's head. It wasn't much, but it was all they had at the moment.

"What..." Blue hesitantly asked, "... happened to you?"

He took in a ragged breath, laying his head back down as he struggled to reply, "It w's... some kinda... f'ghting ring... 'gainst grimm... but my aura... my aura wa'n't work-ng..."

Hadrian's blood ran cold. He must have gasped or shuddered or fallen back a pace because Blue looked up at him with her big, sad eyes and asked, "What's wrong? What's wrong??"

"Gene..." the husky asked, steeling himself, "Did you hear the name 'Diana Gae'?"

The blond weakly nodded, "She's... th' anno'nc-r..."

He knew he fell back this time. Hadrian ran his hands through his hair, nearly pacing as he stood up and tried to recall every single thing they had learned about the matriarchal murderer. Semblance; pheromones. Contacts everywhere. Fights don't take place in the city...

"Y-u... know 'er..." Gene said, looking up at him with a sharp determination in his eye.

Haddy knelt back down and nodded, "She's the one who killed Peri..."

The blond leader took a deep breath as he closed his good eye, quietly breathing out, "D-mn't..."

"Peri??" the girl asked, half-crazed, "The guy from the memorial? Oh my Gods, I was right; we're gonna die here!"

Blue whimpered, pulling her knees back up again as she wrapped them in her arms. Hadrian quickly interjected, "No one is dying tonight! We just have to stick together and remain calm!"

Just as he finished, the slow unlocking of the door tore through the flimsy shield of faith that the students had. The green-dressed girl was nearly hysterical by this point, pushing harder and harder down on Gene's chest wound, causing him to gasp and wince with pain. The husky rose again, positioning himself between the girls and Gene and raising his arms to defend them if he needed.

When the metal door scraped along the stone floor it sent little chunks of cement scattering through the cell. Four armed and armored brutes entered the room in a wave. As they approached, Hadrian hunkered down, remembering all that Tai had taught him, as he sharply inhaled and threw a hook into the jaw of one of the men. The brute was sent sprawling back a few paces before another one of his friends slammed the butt end of her rifle down onto Haddy's shoulder.

The husky was flung down into the floor, his aura protecting him from the brunt of the blow. He quickly adjusted himself, kicking forward as he connected his foot with the knee of the woman who had hit him. She screamed as her leg crunched and bent back at an angle it wasn't supposed to bend. Haddy activated his semblance, sliding to the side just as the boot of brute he'd punched came crashing down towards him.

Before he could do any more damage, the other two armored goons jumped on top of him and wrestled him onto his stomach as they dug their knees into his back and pinned his arms there. After a moment of struggling, he was pulled to his feet. No matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't get free. But still, he fought against his grapple, shouting and kicking in futile attempts to escape.

He was almost gifted the strength he needed when the female brute grabbed onto Blue's bicep and pulled her up, despite the beagle's desperate cries. Hadrian snarled, "Leave her alone!"

The golden-haired spartan was pushing himself up onto his elbows weakly, determined that no one would have to go through what he just had despite his injuries. However, the remaining goon put an end to his feeble attempts with a swift kick to the ribs. Gene cried out, falling back as he coughed and sputtered.

Hadrian continued to fight back, now yelling and screaming. There wasn't anything he could do as both he and Blue were ripped away from their cell and pulled along through a dimly lit hall. He could only watch as the thick, metal door was slammed shut and locked behind them, sealing Gene and the female student away. He continued to struggle and fight as he was dragged along.

Soon after, he was thrown forward into a copper cage, stumbling forward and slamming into the opposite wall. Before he could turn and resume his fight, Blue was tossed into him. He caught her before she fell, but not before the cage's door was shut and locked. Just as suddenly as they'd appeared, the brutes were gone, leaving the two faunus trapped and alone.

Blue rubbed the red mark on her arm as she softly cried, "What are they gonna do to us?"

Haddy wrapped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her tightly as he reassured, "I don't know, but I promise that I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Okay?"

The husky quickly pulled his arm back, yanking his remaining sleeve up to reveal his beaded and leather bracelets. He swiftly unlatched the brown sling, unwinding it as he revealed its hidden weapon properties. Hadrian brought his wrist up to his mouth and tore the beaded string with his teeth. The plastic-coated dust capsules broke free as he caught them in his hand. He had two sets of fire, lightning, gravity, and ice pellets.

It paid to keep some of his Atlas trinkets a secret.

"Stand back," Haddy ordered, clicking his heels together to reveal his crampons.

The blue-haired, blue-eyed girl nodded as she sniffled and wiped her nose with her arm. She moved against the copper bars, shifting herself so that she was braced. Hadrian lifted his boot and gingerly pierced one of the black orbs with his spiked soles. Once it was secured, he brought his leg back and kicked forward. A blast of energy buckled the cage's door as the husky felt a wave of pain reverberate up from his ankle to his hip.

Just as he was lifting his boot up to go again, the ground shifted, nearly knocking him off balance. Blue caught his shoulders as the pair started to ascend with their cage. She whimpered, but she stood strong as she raised her fists for a fight. Haddy quickly stuck one of the colored orbs into his sling and pulled back his arm to fling the projectile if the need arose.

Blinding lights shone down as a trapdoor opened above them and the thumping bass of music tore through his ears. Haddy had to raise an arm to block the shining stadium lights as loud roars of cheering erupted around them. The floor beneath them sputtered and locked into place as the copper walls fell, sending a puff of dirt up as they slammed into the packed floor.

"Welcome," a feminine voice rang out over loudspeakers, "to the Ataxia Arena!"

"Blue..." he whispered, moving in front of her and taking a good look around, "Stay behind me..."

They were in a lowered arena of some kind. The uneven, bumpy floor was packed down with dirt and splattered with blood and viscous grimm goo. They were surrounded by smooth, stone walls that rose about fifteen feet up before a chain-link roof separated them from rows and rows of stands; completely full of raging "fans". The walls were lined with large doors that could be raised up to reveal whatever monsters were making the hurt growls from inside their dark cages.

As he scanned the stands, his eyes crossed a box raised above the sea of onlookers. There she was. Her hair was black with a magenta ombre weaving through her wavy curls. She was wearing tight, black leather pants with golden buttons and zippers. You could see the curves of her hips underneath her deep purple corset with the transparent, flowing sleeves that tied off at the wrists. Her boots rose up to her knees and wore six-inch heels.

And she was staring right at him.

"Hello again, folks," she seductively spoke, "If you were paying attention before then you'll know I'm your hostess, Diana Gae, and that we here at Ataxia have a special, Vytal Festival show here for you tonight!"

Angry cheers rang out before she continued, "Let's give a great big round of applause for the hypocritical, Atlesian figureheads of the famed 'Faunus Outreach Program'! Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between; Isabella Blue and Hadrian Snow!" Her voice was sweet like honey but had a deadly venom to it.

Screams of mixed affirmations and boos rang out through the arena as all the patrons roared with anticipation. Through the pungent smell of blood, Haddy could faintly sniff out traces of gunpowder and steel. He scanned the pit again. He couldn't see any weapons, but as his eyes ran across one of the lumpy mounds of dirt, he couldn't help but think it was vaguely shield-shaped.

He nudged Blue's arm, motioning with his eyes towards the mounds as Gae continued, "We wanted our Atlesian mutts to feel at home, so we have a special selection of grimm chosen for them tonight!"

He made a mental note that Diana Gae wasn't a fan of him, Blue, the Faunus Outreach Program, and/or Atlas. Maybe there was a rhyme or reason the students who'd been kidnapped were chosen. That could come in handy if he made it out of here.

When he made it out of here.

His thoughts were cut short as the grinding screech of metal-on-metal tore through his ears. Haddy whipped around, following the sound, as one of the large doors slowly rose. Icy claws scraped at the ground, trying to get traction before they were fully released. He'd recognize them anywhere; Sabyrs. At least three trying to scratch their way out.

Quickly, he pulled back his sling and prepared to fire, shouting, "Blue! Make a break for a weapon! They're--"

"--Hidden in the floor!" She called back, already making a break for one of the closest mounds, "I've got it!"

Cheering erupted once again as one of the feline grimm managed to claw its way out and began making a mad dash for Haddy. He threw his sling forward, pelting the iced beast with an explosion of fire. It was sent tumbling in the smoke, but it quickly recovered as it rose and shook itself off.

"Looks like Hadrian has a few tricks hidden up his sleeve!" Gae announced with a smirk, watching from above, "I can't help but wonder how he managed to sneak that past security, right folks?"

If there was laughter in the stands, he wasn't paying any attention. Haddy had already pulled his hidden sling and pushed another capsule inside. The Sabyr hissed as it resumed its charge, eager to tear into the husky. Swiftly, Hadrian began backpedaling, throwing another charge at the grimm. However, just as the black pellet was about to reach its target, the cat-like monster skidded to a halt and ducked its shoulder, dodging the impact. The dust capsule exploded on the wall behind it.

Before he could pull another capsule, the Sabyr had closed all the distance between them. It pounced and pinned him to the floor as its red eyes cried with hunger. Haddy felt the wind rush from his lungs as he was thrown onto his back. Gene was right; his aura wasn't protecting him. Just as the beast opened its maw to sink its dagger-like teeth into his flesh, there was the distinct sound of releasing pressure, and the grimm was flung from his chest.

Haddy quickly recovered, jumping to his feet as he watched the grimm begin to dissipate, leaving only the thick stem of a crossbow bolt stuck into its hide. He half-turned his head to see that Blue was supporting a comically-sized crossbow with ease, staring down the sights as she nodded to him.

He didn't have much time to nod back as Gae spoke, "Looks like Isabella found one of our toys! Too bad it's only got one shot... although, she could reuse her ammo, that means running straight toward our little kittens!"

Haddy hated to admit that Gae had a point. He quickly snatched the crossbow bolt as the remaining two Sabyrs clawed their way out of their prison. They circled for a moment, studying their prey before they lunged into a sprint. The husky quickly whipped around, tossing the bolt back to Blue as he pulled another pellet into his sling.

"Find a melee weapon," he called back, "We don't know how many of these things she's gonna throw at us!"

"Yes, sir!" The beagle shouted back, knocking the bolt again.

Together, Haddy and Blue fired their projectiles. On the right, the crossbow bolt tore through the eye of its Sabyr, downing the beast in one hit. The husky flung his sling ahead, striking the grimm on the shoulder. Frost and ice exploded, creating a misty fog as the capsule burst. The feline beast hardly even flinched. Damn it; he really should stick that last ice pellet in his pocket if the grimm Gae was going to throw at them were from Solitas.

He wasn't gonna give the grimm the same chance its brethren had. Haddy ran at the charging Sabyr, jumping just before it pounced. As he kicked, he activated his spikes, slamming his boot into the face of the big cat. It screamed and hissed the husky pushed off and forced the beast into the ground. Before it could recover, Haddy braced and jumped as high as he could, crashing down onto the Sabyr's skull.

As black, smelly goo splattered against his boots and pants legs, he heard Gae announce, "Ooh, that doesn't wash out. Looks like we're gonna have to up the ante if we're gonna see any blood!"

The creaking sound of another door being hefted open shook the arena. Hadrian took the chance to get a better look around. Blue had her arms full of weapons, her beautiful, tattered dress now covered in even more dust and dirt, and she was headed for him. She was good. There was no trace of the shy, skittish kid she'd been up until the fight. No aura meant limited or no semblance, so she wasn't relying on that, which meant she either didn't use it often or she was capable of switching up her style. Either way, she's pretty cool-headed under pressure.

Alright, he didn't have to worry about her as much as he thought he'd have to. He turned his head up. The walls were made of sheer concrete, so they definitely weren't gonna be able to climb out... not that they could get past the fence trapping them in. He might be able to pry open that rising trap door if they could get back to it, but he doubted it.

By this point, Blue had joined him, opening her arms to show a myriad of choices. He asked, "Which ones do you want?"

"I can use anything, sir," she replied sincerely.

He nodded, quickly glancing before snatching a painted shield and wooden hatchet. That left Blue with the crossbow, a training dagger, and a dulled greatsword. Gae really wasn't making this easy for them... That was when he realized he hadn't been paying attention to the next wave of grimm approaching.

Blue was already searching; but, as Haddy scanned the area, there was nothing. The heavy door was chained up, revealing a dark and empty cage. Not good. As the pair slowly circled with their backs together, he continued to look around.

The magenta murderess said she'd be using creatures of grimm from Solitas, which narrowed the pool of potential candidates down. He couldn't currently see them, which meant they were invisible or currently undetectable. He took a deep breath in through his nose. His senses were bombarded with what felt like ten thousand different smells. Popcorn, blood, metal, sweat, honey, pollen, make-up, crowds, death, and... something sharp. He focused, inhaling as his nose told him an acidic story.

Centinels.

On cue, the creepy crawlies burst from the ground. Both he and Blue barely managed to push off into the air as the ground exploded. The beagle girl shouted as she twirled around with the sword horizontal at her hip. She easily slashed the head off of the nearest Centinel, clearing a place for the pair to land as Haddy threw another capsule with his sling.

Lightning jumped from grimm to grimm, stunning them long enough for the husky to quip, "I hate these damn things..."

The faunus split, each jumping off in separate directions to try to thin out the hoard. Hadrian slid on his knees as he slashed into one of the scaled grimm, slicing it in two with a jagged cut. He managed to twirl up to his feet to avoid the corrosive blood that splattered to the ground, sizzling as it landed. As he twisted, he used the edge of his shield to partially decapitate another. The arthropod nearly ripped its own head off to turn and drench the husky in a generous bath of acid. The beagle girl landed, bringing the large sword through the remaining tendons.

Haddy danced around the Centinels, striking the back of their necks with the dulled blade of his hatchet, aiming to injure them while Blue followed his lead and finished the job. They worked well together despite having never fought side-by-side before. Atlesian training, he suspected. In his mind, he counted down the number of fallen grimm, trying to keep track of how many enemies were left.

The blue-eyed girl ducked under a wide swing of his shield as she sunk her dagger into the eye of one of the arthropods. As she pulled back, a few drops of the corrosive blood boiled on her skin. Haddy quickly pulled her around as he bashed the grimm back with the painted shield, finishing it off with a strike in the break of its segmented, scaled armor. He quickly turned his head back to Blue, only to find that she'd easily recovered and already stabbed the greatsword through the next grimm. He couldn't help but wince at the growing burn on her forearm.

"Ooh," Gae commented, "Not quick enough on the follow-through, ladies and gents."

He didn't let it distract him though, instead, he pulled his sling back as he easily slipped one of the icy blue pellets into its cradle. With no effort at all, he flipped clear over the beagle, flinging the projectile at the ground in front of her. It exploded with a frosty mist, which once cleared revealed that he'd frozen the remaining Centinels in place... or so he thought, at least.

As Hadrian approached the ground, upside down no less, he flung his shield like a discus straight through the segmented torso of one of the grimm where it slid around on the ice, bouncing off the trapped grimm and back to Blue's feet. He had planned to finish his aerial feat with a graceful landing atop the shield to use as a sled or ski along his icy path. What he didn't expect was the gentle rumble of burrowing as one of the Centinels burst from the wall, apparently just able to avoid being frozen.

He watched in slow motion as it opened its proboscis maw stretched open and a spray of green acid came flying at the pair. Blue had already started to fall to her knees, dropping her sword in favor of going for the shield to attempt to protect herself. Haddy wouldn't be so lucky, and he knew that she wouldn't either. No matter how fast the beagle was, she wasn't going to be able to prevent herself from being coated in the corrosive spit.

Instead, Hadrian used his falling momentum to twist around and push his back towards the Centinel. He pushed down a scream as the viscous venom splattered onto the back of his shirt and easily burned through into his skin. The acidic sputum tore through his muscle and forced an explosion of pain to tear through his nerves, but he didn't care. Haddy worked through the pain as the world sped up again.

He clicked his boots together, activating his crampons as he slammed into the dirty ground and couldn't hold back his pained scream this time. He didn't hesitate though, just pushed through as he used all his strength to push back up into the air, connecting his spiked boot to the underside of the Centinel and goring it through. He barely managed to keep his balance as he continued what had morphed into an attacking back handspring and staggered into a landing next to Blue.

Cheers erupted louder than ever as Haddy fell to one knee, straining not to howl with pain. Gae gleefully clapped as she exclaimed, "That's gotta hurt, folks! Looks like our perfect, little faunus-in-shining-armor isn't as indestructible as he'd have us believe!"

By the Brothers, he hated this woman.

Blue had already jumped to his side, putting a ginger hand on either of his intensely burning shoulders. He sucked in a sharp breath before ordering, "Blue, you need to take out the rest of the grimm while they're still frozen in place! I'm fine; go!"

She hesitated but complied, turning on her heel and charging the short distance between her and the remaining arthropods. She had enough sense to kick Mr. Snow's shield back towards him as she knelt down and sunk the flat greatsword deep into the abdomen of one of the beasts. The beagle easily bisected the creepy-crawly, jumping as she carried the blade through the air. Using that momentum, she swung the sword around at her waist and easily decapitated the remaining grimm before her feet even touched the melting ice.

By this point, Haddy had managed to use the wall and his returned shield to push himself up along the wall. His blue-haired partner quickly came to his side, pulling one of his arms across her shoulders to support him as the crowd began to boo and throw drinks and refreshments into the pit.

"Isn't that adorable..."

Hadrian's head rose back up to where Gae's announcing box was stationed high above everyone else. She was staring down at them with an amused smirk, one arm perched on her hip as she leaned to one side. She chuckled, "Let's see how that 'pack mentality' holds up against another one..."

The creaking of more chains quickly drew his attention back down into the arena. Another one of the metallic doors was being hoisted open. He wanted nothing more than to just collapse there and leave whatever was coming at them this time to Blue, but he refused to give in to the throbbing pain pulsing through his back. With a shaky inhale, he pulled himself off the girl's shoulders and brought the shield up defensively. For just a moment she looked as if she were going to object, however, she just nodded and returned her attention to the grimm.

Quickly, Haddy stuck the hatchet into the back of his belt, securing it by the wooden head as he loaded his sling with one of his two remaining shots. He pulled back his arm, readying to fire as soon as the door was high enough for one of them to slip in and take the grimm by surprise. He just needed one more moment... as his arm started to fling itself forward...

A shrieking, bloodcurdling howl pierced his ears as flashes of heartbreaking pain tore through him.

The orb of lightning slipped from the sling just a tad late as Haddy nearly stumbled backward. It exploded harmlessly against the rising door. He couldn't help but shake as a large paw stepped into the blinding light of the arena, followed in suit by many more. The iced Alpha had to lean down to not hit its head on the metallic door as it sulked into the pit, scanning until it found its prey.

When its bloody red eyes met Haddy's, he couldn't help but fall back a pace, nearly dropping the shield as his weeping back painfully scraped along the concrete walls trapping them here. He could feel himself hyperventilating as his entire body shook uncontrollably. He knew Gae was taunting him and that Blue was trying to talk to him, her back turned to the enemy as she gripped onto his shoulders and shook him, but all he heard were screams.

"Y'all have'ta get outta he-AGRHHHHHHHHH--"

"OLLIE! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT, BASTARDS! I SWEAR, I'LL MAKE YOU PA--AHHHHHH!!"

"NOOOOOOOO!!"

Leo didn't even have time to scream out in pain...

That had been his first coherent thought after waking up in that infirmary.

He was jolted back to the present when Blue grabbed the shield from his grasp and twisted around to charge at the murderous grimm. They were still grouped together, circling one another as they howled and waited for the students to make a move. He wanted to scream for her to fall back, to yell and plead up at Gae to release them, because he knew that he and his team hadn't been able to beat a pack like this at their full power with their auras, semblances, weapons, and training... so, what chance did they stand now?

Blue parried away a sweeping set of claws that attempted to gore her as she drove her sword through the chest of another Beowolf. She easily twisted out of the way as another tried to tear into her flesh, pulling her blade from its brethren and swinging it into the lanky arm of her attacker, literally disarming it. However, she couldn't avoid it as the Alpha swung down at her, creating a set of bloody gashes down her torso from her shoulder.

She screamed in pain as she was no longer able to hold the heavy weapon, dropping it into a puddle of her own blood. He could only watch as she tried to grab her wound, apply some feeble pressure to alleviate the gushing tears in her flesh... and as the Alpha's gaping maw dripped with saliva, raising its blood-soaked claw up again to strike her.

"BELLL-AAAAHHH!!"

To be continued...