The Shy, The Meek, and the Cardinal
No one knew just how long Roman had been pacing. Sure, he started when they got back from the mission, but he had not stopped. It got to the point where he paced a divot into the floor of the warehouse, fuming and mumbling about "Red" as he called her. Neo tried at first to help him but noticed the most unholy hour of night slipped out to get to sleep. She needed Trivia to at least attempt to be functional the next morning.
Normally Kong would be of the utmost annoyance at the behavior of his "superior," but he had his own fuming to engage in. He sat in a wheelchair with his legs in boot casts, his left arm in a splint, his entire chest bandaged and currently bandaged around his head. He would have fumed into the wee hours of the morning, until a call came in. From his boss.
"Put Sir Taurus's call through." Kong sighed deeply, knowing he would not be able to hide his shame any longer.
On the nearest laptop screen, Adam's face appeared with his trademark mask. What was his normal stoic demeanor quickly shattered into surprise at seeing the frankly sorry state his enforcer was in.
"Kong? What happened to you? You look like you picked a fight with an Arma Gigas, and it stepped on you." Adam asked, mild concern leaking through.
"Some little Huntress-in-Training bitch brought part of a warehouse down on me…" Kong grumbled angrily, the wound to his pride only being aggravated by having to admit it.
"I'm sorry, can you repeat that over the sound of a horrible excuse?" Adam asked, his head cocking to the side a bit in annoyance.
"I wish it was an excuse, sir. It is the truth." Kong admitted reluctantly.
"Interesting. Perhaps then, if we could sway them to our side…" Adam mused before Kong cut him off.
"It was a human. A five-foot-four human wielding a comically large scythe." Kong said, breaking the news to his superior in frustration.
For a moment, anyone in that warehouse could have dropped a pin and it would have sounded like a bomb dropped. Even though Kong could not see his leader's eyes, he could feel his gaze boring into his soul.
"I underestimated the little bitch, and my arrogance cost me. A mistake I will not make again. The next time I meet her; I'll be taking her head before she can try any of her tricks." Kong assured his leader, making no excuses for his failure and simply admitting the truth.
"Do you think that will be enough for the damage you have wrought to our cause Kong? DO you seriously think that, for a failure of this kind, I will let you off so slightly!?" Adam roared, forcing static through the laptop's mic.
Kong flinched at that, knowing that Adam was furious at this moment. "No. I will accept any punishment you deem appropriate, sir." Kong sighed, accepting his fate.
"Good to hear, Kong. Because you're not being rotated out of that position until you do." Adam sternly ordered.
Kong nodded with his head down so that Adam could not see him gritting his teeth, then took a deep breath. "Yes, Sir Taurus…" He replied, trying to hold back his own frustration.
"A further thing. I want better performance out of you in that position. You will not fail Roman as you have failed me. At least he wasn't defeated by that little red rocket." Adam ordered.
"Wait, what?" Roman asked, getting snapped out of his funk from all the screaming and whining.
"Fear not, Torchwick. My second-in-command will not fail you going forward." Adam explained, trying to keep his temper somewhat under control.
"Well, that's oddly kind of you. What brought this on?" Roman asked, raising his eyebrow.
"Unyielding rage." Adam growled before ending the call.
"Well then, big guy. Looks like we are partners in crime from now on. Now go and rest. Can't have you on the job injured." Roman said with a sigh, waving him off.
Kong clenched his hand into a tightly balled fist in rage as he thought of the little red hellion that put him in this position. She would pay. He would see to it PERSONALLY…
Next Morning in Beacon
Ruby groaned as she slowly shuffled her way to the great hall for breakfast. Though she beat Kong and stopped Roman, it felt good to thwart him after the dust shop incident. However, it also left her horrendously wounded, with many deep gashes, bruises and her stamina completely spent. She swore it would take her Aura days to recover after that clash. Despite getting up and taking a shower before the rest of her team and getting dressed, her friends were catching up. And the concerned voice of Yang swiftly followed.
"You okay, little sis? You look like you got your shit kicked in." The blonde pugilist said, concerned for her baby sister.
"I'm fine. Just had a rough night last night…" Ruby answered, woefully underselling what happened to try and not cause a firestorm of concern.
"Well, you take it easy today. Okay, Ruby?" Blake's voice replied as Ruby felt a pat on her back that was a little too firm.
Immediately Ruby tensed and locked up, gritting her teeth to prevent the pain from showing. She clearly failed miserably as the rest of her team rushed in front of her to get a better look at her. Despite Ruby's school uniform covering up most of the damage, she could not cover it all up. The glimpses they saw filled her team with dread.
"Alright, you are not going to class today. Team leader or not, you obviously need a lot of rest." Weiss told her team leader and partner, her voice firm but filled with a surprising amount of concern.
"I appreciate the concern, but I'll be fine. I'll just take it a bit slow today." Ruby answered, trying to keep going forward, but being stopped.
"No buts, baby sis. Now back to bed with you." Yang told Ruby just as firmly and worriedly as Weiss, having placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to stop her in place.
"Guys, it's not that bad, I'll be fine." Ruby said, trying to put up a front of strength.
"Ruby. Please. Just listen to us on this. If not for your own sake, then at least to put our minds at ease." Blake told her, concern leaking into her normally stoic voice.
"O-Okay… Can you guys take notes for me today? I don't want to fail the test Professor Port has next week." Ruby asked her teammates.
The three nodded as Weiss spoke up like a second-in-command. "We'll take care of it, Ruby. You can count on us." She told her team leader.
"Thanks, guys." Ruby said with a small smile, pulling the three into a gentle hug that they gingerly returned.
"It's so sweet I could throw up." Rena muttered to her team.
"I think it's sweet." Ember answered.
"Of course, you would." Rena sighed.
"Can you not be a grump for a day?" Zhan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I agree with Zhan. It shows that they are all bonding. Honestly, Lady Rose has a good team for them to be looking out for her like that." Azura replied with a smile.
"It helps having the cheat code that is her sister." Rena answered.
Azura rolled his eyes at that. "Details, details. The point is that she has a good support network among her team." He said drolly.
As Ruby slowly began her trek back, she got stopped by the gentle arm of Ember. Ruby turned to look at the shy, petite girl with a smile.
"Sorry I won't be able to make it to the hobby club. Send Trivia and Velvet my regards." Ruby said sadly.
"Well, the club president had to cancel it with you and Trivia being out of action. I'm worried about her too. I've never seen someone so tired after a night of sleep." Ember answered.
"Well, have fun with Velvet in athletics class and tell her I said hi. I'll make sure to be there early next week." Ruby said with a sigh.
"You have a good one, Ruby. Rest up." Ember answered with a warm smile, that did make Ruby feel a hint better.
"Allow me to carry you back to your room, Lady Rose. You seem as though you could use the rest." Azura politely offered with a gentleman's smile.
"I-I-I d-don't want to slow y-you down…" Ruby tried to deny his offer, but Azura cut her off.
"Nonsense. I can still make it back with plenty of time for breakfast." Azura gently insisted, stepping in front of her and kneeling to let her get on.
"I-If y-you insist…" Ruby nervously answered him.
"Don't worry, Ruby. He'll keep insisting if you let him." Zhan answered with a smirk.
"Hush now, Zhan. I am helping an injured, pretty lady get back to her room in a timely fashion." Azura told his partner politely as Ruby blushed.
"And when does the pretty lady owe you a kiss in the shadows?" Zhan asked him, making Ruby blush deeper.
"Mind. Gutter. Out." Azura told his partner with a smile.
"This is like the beginning of a romance novel Blake let me borrow." Ember said sweetly.
"THAT BOOK WASN'T CANON!!" Blake yelled from down the hall.
"It was still adorable!" Ember yelled back.
"I'm going to hurl if this saccharine crap keeps up." Rena groaned, hurrying off to the dining hall to get away from this.
Azura chuckled at his team's antics before looking over his shoulder back at Ruby. "Climb aboard when ready, Lady Rose." Azura told her with a smile.
Ruby nervously got herself in position, and Azura helped her up onto his back. Swiftly he made his way to Team RWBY's room, carrying her piggyback. The whole time Ruby blushed as red as her cape. She remembered when she was younger when Yang used to give her piggyback rides. She never thought a boy, certainly not one as handsome as Azura, would ever do that for her. Soon they arrived, Azura helped her off and opened the door for her.
"I will come by and check on you after classes are done for the day, Lady Rose. To make sure you are okay and see if you need anything." Azura politely offered with a gentlemanly smile.
"Y-You don't have to… I don't want to make you late for your martial arts club meeting…" Ruby nervously said, trying to politely deny.
Azura gave Ruby a sweet smile at that. "I can afford to be a little late if it's for you." He told her honestly.
"Well… if you insist…" Ruby nervously said, her knees getting a bit weak at that. Whether it was her exhaustion or Azura's honesty, she could not tell.
Azura then gently took her hand and kissed the back of it. "Take care for now, Lady Rose. I will see you after classes." He told her with a smile.
As Azura left and Ruby entered her room, she could not get her heart to stop beating so hard. She sighed, hoping some sleep might finally allow her to handle her nerves.
Later at Athletics Class
"Where the hell is the professor?" Rena groaned as they all lounged about, getting close to the 15-minute auto release clause.
"Patience, Rena. I am sure they will be here soon." Azura told his teammate, hiding his own impatience since this was one of his favorite classes of the day.
"Do you seriously want to run an obstacle course that bad?" Zhan asked his spartan counterpart.
"Listen, tons of fun. If you ate a salad occasionally, then maybe you could actually run it." Rena growled.
"Now that's just uncalled for." Zhan muttered as he sulked against the wall.
"Would you two just kiss and get it over with already?" Yang annoyedly asked Zhan and Rena.
"I ain't risking my balls over it." Zhan grumbled.
"First wise thing you said all day." Rena grumbled in kind.
"Blake, this is just like that other book you let me borrow." Ember said excitedly.
"That one wasn't canon either!" Blake insisted.
"Then which ones are?" Ember confusedly asked.
"I'll tell you when you're older!" Blake replied nervously.
"We're the same age." Ember answered, still very confused.
"I'm three months older than you!" Blake reminded her friend quickly.
"Blake just because you got to live the high life doesn't mean you can boss my clubmate around in her literary pursuits." The kind, but fair voice of Velvet said as she walked up to them.
"I'm trying to spare Ember's innocence, Velvet…" Blake muttered to her upperclassman.
"Sounds like sweaty, ninja loving filth to me!" Yang called out from across the giant gymnasium.
"It's not filth, it's literature!" Blake called back with embarrassed anger.
"Literature that displays profane amounts of human, Faunus, and even human-on-Faunus procreation to a frankly less than sanitary degree." Velvet answered with a mild tone of sass.
"You can't prove that!" Blake said quickly, blushing red.
The tirade of literary debate was halted by a sudden chaotic clanging, and the unmistakable sound of someone fighting Grimm. Eventually the lion-esque roars and claws on metal sound were muffled as a different man than they were expecting walked in. Wearing a trimmed down version of the professor's uniform for more heightened activity, he sported a tanned complexion, red shaggy hair, and droopy red eyes. He walked in with no shoes, revealing the taloned feet of a great raptor. Yet weirdest of all was how… young he looked. He looked no older than a third year and was around Blake's height.
"Sorry about the wait everyone. Normally I'm more punctual, but Mr. Teeth and Claws McGee over there decided I looked just like a piece of fried chicken. Didn't think Grimm could be racist, but here we are." He said in a charismatic if sardonic tone.
Azura looked in disbelief at the new professor. "Red? What are you doing here!? Since when are you a teacher!?" He asked in disbelief, much to the shock of the rest of the class.
"You know this guy?" Weiss asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, that is Akazaru Red from the Kaze Family of Mistral's Akazaru clan! He is one of my oldest friends! I did not know he had already graduated and gone into teaching though…" Azura admitted, having not heard from his friend in a few years.
"Neither did I, but considering the previous professor was fired for reasons I can't legally say… Well, let's move on from there." Red said, pulling out his clipboard and taking attendance.
"Oh great. First Bunny Buns over here, now we got a bird toed weirdo as our teacher." Cardin growled.
"Foul language like that mister will get you no were." Red answered, shocking everyone as there was virtually no way he could have heard him.
"Seriously. How did he get let in?" Ember asked Velvet.
"Well, I guess he's blunt enough to get in." Velvet answered.
Blake raised her hand. "Um… Professor Akazaru…?" She called out only for Red to interrupt her.
"Professor Akazaru is my father. Please just call me Red. I don't need the formal crap." Red said simply before going back to attendance.
"Are we going to get to class already or we just going to stand here, boss?" Dove whispered.
"Doesn't matter. We will whoop whoever we run into on the course. I'll make sure of it." Cardin answered softly with a grin.
"Boss, are you really going to use it?" Dove asked, concerned.
"Semblances are allowed. And there's nothing in the rules on stopping your opponent from getting over the finish line." Cardin chuckled.
"Ah, some volunteers for the first round. I love adding new meat to the grinder." Red said, pointing his pen at the duo.
"Wait, what?" the two asked.
"It's not just an obstacle course. Each round I get to sick a new Grimm on each pair of two's. Call it beneficial motivation." Red answered.
"How is that beneficial!?" Dove yelled in fear.
"Keeping your life is a good start." Velvet shot back.
"Shut your mouth or I'll tape it shut." Dove growled.
"Ladies, ladies, there's equal opportunity pain in the course. Ms. Scarlatina, you get to pick your partner for this." Red said.
"Um…" Velvet looked at Yatsuhashi, but Yatsuhashi nudged her towards Ember.
"Kick their butts now, or they're going to mess with you two for the rest of your time here. Show them what you're made of Velvet. You got this in the bag." Yatsuhashi whispered encouragingly.
"I'll pick Ember." Velvet said.
"Alright. You two teams step up to the start line." Red said simply.
"Time for the meek to disinherit." Cardin chuckled, clearly thinking himself cleverly.
As they got up to the thick white line, they saw the course ahead of them. The first part was a running ramp leading to a multi-rig swing, sets of individual hoops with lines that they would have to brave like a monkey. Below them was a pit to allow the Grimm to jump up at them and drag them down. The second portion was a long stretch of a balance bar, with the pit still there to allow the Grimm to further cause trouble. The final part was a large and uneven rock wall arrangement, with the pit finally leveling off, allowing the Grimm to be free to chase them up the rock wall.
"Whoever finishes the course and isn't getting mauled by the Grimm wins. If both of you don't get it that far, then the tie breaker is who got further in the course." Red explained simply.
"What's the pit for?" Ember asked, gulping nervously.
"Oh, that's for the Grimm that will be chasing you to lunge at you from." Red answered simply.
"This will be a piece of cake." Dove said, cackling a bit as he rubbed his hands before starting to stretch.
"Enthusiasm in the face of near certain death. I'm slowly beginning to tolerate you, kid." Red answered before pulling out a button to release the Grimm, and a starting pistol.
"What kind of Grimm do you think it will be?" Ember whispered nervously.
"Don't think about that. Don't let the fear creep in. Keep your mind in control." Velvet said sternly.
With a nod, the two pairs lined up. Red looked at the boys, then the girls, and then fired the start pistol. As the two pairs ran up the ramp, he pressed the button, causing a set of railings to rise. As they finished, everyone went to the sides to watch as a thick metal door opened, and two volcanic orbs could be seen. The four reached the first set of many swings, and that was when it made its first strike.
Quickly, out of the cage, bound a great, four-legged feline predator. Its furry hide, thick with muscle, was as black as the darkest void. Its black paws with white claws, caked with dried blood, glistened in the light of the gymnasium. The mane of white fur around its head, neck, and shoulders was as pale as fallen snow with spots of reddish brown where more dried blood was present. At its rear was a long, black whip-like tail with a white tipped tuft of fur at the end. But the most striking part of it was its size and what covered its muscled hide. Twice the size of a lion with spots of white bone armor that looked as hard as stone dotting its body, red streaks in the armor that glowed like magma. With a mouth full of fanged teeth as long and sharp as daggers, the beast snarled before letting out a mighty roar as loud as a rock concert. This caused everyone to flinch, to the point where Dove nearly lost his grip and fell to the pit.
"... Great. A small tank with teeth. Good luck, girls!" Azura called out, worried about his female friends having to tangle with such a beast.
"What the hell is that?" Yang asked in disbelief.
"That Lady Xiao Long, is a Panoplía Leo Grimm. Also known as an Armored Lion." Azura told her, worry etched in his face.
"What's going to happen if they fall?" Blake asked with clear concern in her voice.
"Then they will have to contend with a thousand-pound lion Grimm with bone armor harder than stone, claws, and teeth that can rip and rend through normal metal. Without their weapons." Azura told his friend grimly.
"I'd say that me not being able to see was a good thing… that's not going to help much." Fox grimly replied.
Back on the course, Ember's lack of reach was making it hard to get to each of the rings. At roughly Nora's height, it forced her to go through it at a slower, more measured pace. The fear gripping her did not help. The great feline terror, sensing her fear, made its first move. Like a house cat jumping at a bird on the wing, it leaped up. Great clawed paws slashing wildly at her, getting within the foot of her lower legs. For the first time in her life, she was grateful for Vacuo stunting her growth.
As Dove snickered at the expense of his opponent, he quickly found himself on the receiving end of such treatment. The armored lion Grimm snarled and leapt up at him, trying to claw its way up to try to attack him. Squealing in fear like a little girl, the Huntsman-in-Training tried to speed up his progress to stay ahead of the armor-clad feline.
"Come on little birdie, keep flying!" Blake mocked from the sidelines.
"Sh-Shut up, Belladonna!" Dove called out in a panic as he kept going, trying to stay ahead of the monstrosity below and avoid becoming a snack.
"Focus, you idiot. This next part, we can win." Cardin said, using his longer reach to power through to the next section.
As the four finished the first challenge, Cardin and Velvet were out in front, with their partners trailing behind. The second section, the balance boards, was about to test all their balance. Cardin knew, loathe as he was to ever say it, that the girls held advantage here. While he was not terrible at balancing, Dove was notorious for being a klutz and would take forever. Well, if he did not fall and got eaten first.
Cardin watched as Velvet started to get ahead of him. The Leo, getting quite furious and it had not gotten anyone yet, began swatting at the support for the beams, sending horrendous shaking up through it. At that, Cardin smirked. Gripping his hand into a fist, everyone saw vibrations and force concentrate around it before he slammed his fist into the air next to him, sending a shockwave heading straight towards her.
"What's he doing?" Weiss asked in disbelief.
"That two-toed rat! He's trying to knock her off with his Semblance!" Zhan yelled in disgust.
"There is no honor in winning like that!" Azura growled in disgust at the tactic.
Velvet's ears perked up at the sudden change in pressure, and she did not have time to think, only act. On pure instinct she leapt into the air as gracefully as a ballerina, flipping in midair to extend her flight. The shockwave harmlessly moved on as she landed on her feet elegantly. While Cardin gritted his teeth at his "cunning plan" not working, the Leo roared in newfound fury. It did not like the vibrations and lashed out at the poles ever more fiercely to show its displeasure.
Ember let out an "eep" as she had to brave the titanic feline's fury as she followed behind her partner. To everyone's surprise, Dove was also moving at a brisk pace across the balance bar. Despite his normal lack of coordination, fear was a powerful motivator. The Grimm, furious just could not get to these meat bags, and unable to escape the pit, followed them as they made it to the rock wall.
The hand holds of the rock wall were erratic and uneven in size, shape, and distance from each other. It looked like an outsider that it was designed by a drunken monkey and a feral dog trying to get said monkey. Mercifully, it was not particularly tall, only about two stories. When the two pairs arrived, however, they noticed the ramp behind them.
"Boss we got to move! That thing will get us!" Dove squealed, beginning to clamber up the wall in a panic.
"The things I do for this team…" Cardin sighs, following behind him.
"Alright Ember, we will have to work together." Velvet said.
"I know, I know. Its…" Ember tried to say, but Velvet stopped her.
"Grimm are attracted to fear. I know it's hard, but Hunters have to suppress it. Let those two be afraid. True courage isn't not feeling fear, it's pressing on in spite of it. That's what we have to do to not die to that thing." Velvet said bravely, knowing her own fears in the moment.
"R-Right…" Ember said with a nod and the two got to work.
The two pairs slowly began their ascent as the Leo began to break into a run. Bit by bit, they tried to make their way up as quickly and carefully as possible before it was too late. Then, at that moment, the ferocious armored feline saw its opening. At the top speed of its run, it leapt with all its unnatural might.
"It's going to get us, boss! Do something!" Dove yelled to his leader in a panic.
"Alright, furball! Time to rock your world." Cardin said sternly, powering up his Semblance again.
"Ember, stop moving! Brace for impact!" Velvet yelled, forcing Ember to stop as the beast barreled down on the Hunters.
Cardin channeled far more power into his fist than before, to the point where Ember and Velvet could feel it from where they were. The Leo growled at this feeling showing up again.
"Time for you to feel the power of Earthshaker!!" Cardin yelled, punching the rock wall with his Semblance-enhanced fist.
"Anyone going to tell him that that's the lamest Semblance name I've heard?" Zhan asked.
"No. Let him figure it out on his own." Azura replied.
The sudden introduction of massive vibrations shook the rock wall to its core, but it held on barely. Despite its monstrous strength, the feline Grimm could not hang on and fell off onto its back, letting out a growl in pain. The other three were hard-pressed to hang on. Ember lost her grip and began to fall, but Velvet just barely caught her, holding onto her long enough so that Ember could gain a new grip.
"Be careful, Ember! Let's get going now before he has a chance to use it again!" Velvet yelled, and Ember followed her path up.
"Boss! I'm slipping!" Dove yelled, still trying in a panic to get up, but beginning to slip.
"Hold on tight!" Cardin yelled.
"Don't worry, I… uh oh…" Dove said, before he lost his footing and was ripped off the wall.
Cardin reached out and grabbed his partner's hand in an impressive display of accuracy and reaction speed. However, the sudden change of momentum and the greater weights of the boys meant that Cardin could not hold on and the two in sheer terror fell to the bottom. As they groaned after flatback falling ten feet, they heard a familiar growl behind them. Turning, they saw the Panoplía Leo looming over them with vengeance in its eyes.
"What do we do, boss?" Dove asked fearfully.
"Don't move. Its vision is based on movement." Cardin whispered.
The beast snarled hungrily as its blood red tongue came out and licked its lips. Crouching low, it prepared to leap and lunge at the two Huntsmen-in-Training. Right when the two thought they were done for, it suddenly was smashed in the side and knocked into a cage, which quickly shut with the push of a handheld button. To their surprise, Professor Red was standing in its place after having delivered the kick, leaving the beast roaring in fury as it clawed at the bars of its cell.
"So did you two learn a valuable lesson?" Red asked.
"Work together as a team…" The two boys groaned in frustration.
"Exactly. Velvet, Ember, take a water break. You two earned it. Well done." Red said, giving the girls a thumbs up as they climbed down, and began to write scores on his clipboard.
"We… we did it…!" Ember said through pants, her adrenaline coming down from the very harrowing experience.
"Told you we could do it. That's what courage can do for you." Velvet said with a smile, patting her shoulder.
As the two talked, Weiss observed from the railing. Something did not quite add up and she turned to Blake next to her.
"That was a bit out of the norm for Cardin, wasn't it? I know he's a bully and an idiot, but that was… almost too cunning for someone like him." Weiss said with a hint of concern.
Blake nodded at her teammate's words. "Agreed. He's never been that cunning or outright malicious. Something is wrong here." She affirmed with the Schnee Heiress.
"It's not the first odd occurrence, and I don't think it will be the last." Weiss muttered before walking away, leaving Blake concerned about what was going on.