Pyrrha
The Safehouse was admittedly nicer than they were expecting; it wasn't a mess, and it was larger too. Oriana and misty were sitting close to Pyrrha, and the room was silent. She had her arm around Ori, keeping her close, then looking ahead to see Oscar and Penny watching the windows, keeping an eye out for any sign of the Deacon and his allies. Winter was walking around in one of the rooms on her scroll, speaking with Dutch.
Whilst Winter was filling him in on what happened, Oriana looked up at her mother with concern in her eyes. "Mom?" she asked softly.
"Yeah honey?" Pyrrha responded softly, trying to keep a brave face amidst such an unexpected and frightening situation.
"Who is the Deacon?" Oriana asked with worry. Misty looked up at Pyrrha, too. It was obvious to Pyrrha that this question would come up eventually.
"I don't know..." Pyrrha answered. "I always knew he was a mysterious guy, but... this? I never expected this."
"But he seemed to know you? And dad? He really didn't like Dad." Oriana stated.
"There are things, adult things, that I haven't told you." Pyrrha explained.
"I'm seventeen, mom... I'm sure I can handle it." Oriana stated.
"Doesn't mean that I am... the things that happened when Salem was in charge... a lot of bad happened. And I did a lot of things I wish I hadn't, just to survive. We all did..." Pyrrha explained, and as she thought back on those memories, she could see them flashing before her eyes. The lives they took, the Atlesian Wildlands, making the deal with the Brother of Darkness. How could she even begin to explain such things to Oriana, such a sweet and innocent soul?
Revealing that the Gods actually exist? That they are fallible beings? That they were responsible for Salem's existence in the first place, and if they died, they would have suffered an eternal form of hell they couldn't ever describe?
It was so much...
... and there was so much pain laced into those times.
"Was the Deacon one of those things?" Oriana asked, making Pyrrha sigh, so she decided to give her something to chew on.
"Before the big battle against Salem, we were captured. Me, your auntie Ruby and auntie Penny and... Cinder." She explained, pausing as she remembered Cinder's face, feeling a sharp pain of grief even now. "We were held hostage in one of their cells, and there were seven people in the cell with us. Friends of ours who we thought were killed six years ago, but they were prisoners... and put through so much horrible torture that whole time. We almost didn't recognise them... and one of them was Blake's old lover, Sun Wukong. A very dear friend of ours, and the other was Neptune Vasillias, Weiss' old lover, and Eryka's little brother. And three of them were that man, Cardin Winchester's, team, and he was also one of the people captured, but he escaped first." Pyrrha explained to her, Oriana and Misty listening intently. "The other two were the members of Sun and Neptune's team, Scarlet David and Sage Ayana. We promised to save them all... but when the battle started... one of Salem's most devout followers..."
"... Tyrian Callows?" She asked with fear in her eyes.
He was like the new Jackdaw Branwen to the world, the Serial Killer everyone knew the name of. If anything, he had become more feared than Jackdaw ever was.
"Yes... how did you know?" Oriana asked.
"School. We've had a few lessons over the years about Salem and her Children. He was always described as the most loyal, and the craziest of them all." Misty answered, nodding her head in agreement.
"Well... he certainly was the scariest as well. Because when the battle was over we were too late... there was nothing to find of our friends. Only blood... and a recording of their screams while he laughed. It was only when the flames stopped and the ashes settled did we see bloodied footprints leaving the area, but we never found a survivor. After a few years of searching for them, we all just had to accept he must have been dead." Pyrrha explained to the two of them.
"And... is that why he hates you? Why he attacked?" Oriana asked.
"That's right. He blames us for not saving him, but most importantly, saving the ones who didn't make it." Pyrrha lied.
Oriana furrowed her brow. "But... the way he spoke to Dad... it sounded like Dad did something to him."
Oriana's intelligence was always her greatest strength, and she could always sense when the dots didn't connect.
And most importantly, when someone was lying.
"I'd rather not talk about this subject anymore... it's... hard." Pyrrha requested, closing her eyes to try to block the images out. Ori and Misty grew quiet, but Oriana kept glancing at her mother, suspicion very apparent in her big blue eyes.
Whilst they were talking, Winter continued to speak with Dutch in the kitchen, scroll to her ear as she spoke. Dutch was smart, never fully trusting Amara or the Legion entirely, so he created his own personal connection that he only let trusted individuals have access to. "So they're safe? You got them to the nearby Safehouse?" Dutch asked.
"Yes, everyone is accounted for. Team R.W.B.Y is out looking for Jaune as we speak. With any luck, they should have him back with his family within the next few hours." Winter explained.
"I'm afraid things have gotten a lot more complicated. You have more than just the Deacon, Cardin and Neo to worry about now." He explained.
"He's sending the Legion after them?" Winter inquired.
"He hasn't. Amara has... turns out she's the one behind all this, wanting Jaune dead because she's afraid he could still have Thaddeus inside of him. She's desperate to ensure another reign of tyranny doesn't happen again." Dutch explained.
"Shit... I should've expected as much." Winter sighed.
"Leave Amara to me. She's got good hackers and infiltrators to secure my secret files, but I'm Ex-Black Gallows. Espionage is like breathing for me." Dutch chuckled, making Winter chuckle as well.
"That's why I'm glad you're on our side, old man." Winter said.
"What of the Hound?" Dutch asked.
"Unknown. It flew off at the end of the battle after it tossed Jaune away. Strangely, the thing went straight after Oriana. I'm guessing it's because it sensed her fear? But... I dunno... I've never seen a Grimm get so distracted by sensing someone's fear that it tears their attention away from the prey at their feet." Winter explained.
"Hmm... that is concerning. Okay then, when Team R.W.B.Y return with Jaune, take Penny and Oscar and go search for the Hound." Dutch ordered.
"Yeah, Ruby's already suggested that, and we're in agreement." Winter reassured.
"Heh, she's always one step ahead. Good thing she's sticking with the Nikos family. They're gonna need her." Dutch explained.
"There is a small matter though, Oriana's best friend, Misty. She's involved in all this now... what should we do? She's just a kid." Winter explained, and Dutch was quiet for a few moments.
"Well, hopefully all will be fine and the Safehouse will remain secure. But should the eventuality arise where things are getting too dangerous, I will send some trusted allies of mine to exfil the girl somewhere safe, where she won't be endangered simply by her proximity to the family." Dutch explained, and Winter nodded her head.
"Understood." Winter agreed. "Our first priority with the Hound is to go to the Atlesian Wildlands. Ruby and Penny found shards of Permafrost on its flesh, which was still completely frozen and not melting. Ice that cold only comes from the Wildlands."
"Copy that, hopefully the Hound is the only Grimm which found a way out. I find it concerning that none of our warning systems alerted us of the Hound's escape. Find the Frostwall Bastion and use the central computers for the facility. The updated systems should show where all the marked Grimm are." Dutch informed.
"Yes sir, we'll contact you when we have something. Good luck on your end, and try not to get caught." Winter requested, making Dutch chuckle.
"Please, remember who you're talking to." He chuckled, then they both ended their call together.
Winter walked back inside of the living room. "Alright, Dutch is filled in." She then filled in everyone else on what they talked about and the current plan of action. Pyrrha's eyes were wide with disbelief.
"President Amara is behind this?" Pyrrha asked.
"That's right, she wants to bury all of this deep. Her paranoia is getting the better of her." Winter explained.
"But I don't understand? We haven't done anything wrong." Oriana stammered with confusion. Winter remembered to bite her tongue on this subject whenever Oriana was around.
"You're right, Oriana. You haven't, none of you have. But we will sort this situation out, I promise you. And once Team R.W.B.Y return with your father, my team will begin our investigation on this Hound as well." She sighed, shaking her head. "Seems today is just one big escalation after another."
Pyrrha's eyes widened as an idea popped into her head. "Hey... can I use your scroll? You have that secret line Dutch made, right?"
"Of course, why?" Winter asked.
"Well... I trust Ruby and her team... but we're gonna need extra hands on deck if the Legion attacks us." Pyrrha explained, and Winter nodded her head understandably.
"Anyone you have in mind?" Winter asked.
Pyrrha just smiled.
The Deacon
He stood at the large window of his office, looking out at Vale, seeing the city stretching out before him. His eyes gazed directly upon the belfry, remembering the day it was built on top of one of the largest crystallised Tar Pits. He remembered the tension in the air when the Belfries were built, afraid that disturbing the Tar Pits could awaken the Grimm and begin a whole new level of slaughter.
But thankfully, it remained dormant and sealed.
He sighed, shaking his head. "You goddamned idiot... you let your personal vendetta push you away from the very reason you made this organisation. And you let that... bitch... manipulate you into doing her dirty work." The Deacon growled to himself, clenching his hand into a fist.
He felt his anger build, and then he punched the bulletproof glass with all his might, nearly shattering it, his metal knuckles scraping against the concave wound inflicted upon the pane. Cracks spread across it and he sighed, shaking his head.
Neo watched from the corner, sat on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other, peeling an apple with her knife. "Wow, what a worthy opponent!" Roman chuckled, appearing beside her, stroking her leg.
He sighed, closing his eyes behind the helmet, lowering his head. "Not a word, not from your ghosts." He snarled, walking away from the window.
"You say you were always ready to face the consequences of your actions... I guess these weren't quite the consequences you were expecting, huh?" The pink haired Neo said, appearing round the corner, seductively leaning her back against the pillar, resting her head back as well.
He did not even look at her, and she giggled as he passed. "Just remember... you made a deal with her... you don't wanna break it. Not like all those who broke their deals with Roman."
He stopped, then kept on walking, locking the door behind him.
"I've turned my damn office into a prison cell." He scoffed sarcastically, walking on. But he had new plans. His anger was still flowing through his veins.
I need to know who I can trust; I know Dutch isn't working for Amara, at least. He may be pissed off with me, and he's right to, but he's able to keep things level-headed.
I need more, though. Amara is clearly very effective at injecting moles into my company.
He turned a corner and saw Marrow having a cup of coffee in front of him. The Deacon approached and stood beside him, making Marrow jump. He stood straight and immediately saluted. "Sir! Forgive me, I didn't see you there." Marrow stammered, making the Deacon chuckle.
"At ease, Marrow. I'm not General Ironwood, remember? I'm way more chill." He reassured, making Marrow sigh with relief.
"Ugh, sorry, sir. It's that President Amara, she seems to expect that kind of respect around here. Makes sense, I guess. She is Atlesian." Marrow said. The Deacon looked at him.
"Tell me Marrow... I can trust you, right?" He asked, staring at him. Marrow raised a brow, then turned to him.
"Of course, sir." Marrow responded.
"Drop the formalities, this is off the record. Man to man. Can I trust you?" He asked again. Marrow loosened up and crossed his arms.
"What is this about, Deacon?" He inquired.
The Deacon waited as some soldiers walked past. Once he felt like he could say anything he liked without consequence in the Legion's Headquarters, but now he had no idea who was under Amara's payroll. He gestured to a quiet hallway by a vending machine to not look suspicious. "Amara." He answered.
"The President?" Marrow asked.
"The very same." The Deacon answered.
"What's she doing?" Marrow inquired.
"Dutch and I think she's planning some kind of coup. I know she has people in the Legion who report directly to her, and she's sending large military forces after the Nikos Family, against my orders." The Deacon explained, this was a lot for Marrow to take in but he caught onto something the Deacon was hesitating to mention.
"Why the Nikos family?" Marrow asked.
"... you know what Jaune was twenty-five years ago, don't you?" The Deacon asked, and Marrow nodded.
"Possessed by Thaddeus Rex." He answered.
"Well... I have never been able to let that sit with me... considering the fact I'm... one of the survivors he and Tyrian tortured." The Deacon revealed to him. Marrow's eyes widened with disbelief. He felt like he was being let in on National Level Secrets, but he quickly digested that information.
"You went after him, didn't you?" Jaune asked.
"I did worse than that... I threatened Blake and Yang... all because Amara anonymously sent me images of Jaune being happy, to set me off. To force me into backsliding after all the therapy I've been going through to improve." The Deacon explained, Marrow would have looked shocked, if he hadn't had been forced into working for a man who did something very similar to what Amara is doing.
"Sounds... very familiar." He said with anger in his eyes, looking at a holographic feed in another room of Amara's speech.
"I need allies if we're going to stop Amara from turning the Legion into another Black Gallows. Can I trust you to help me stop this?" The Deacon asked, and Marrow nodded.
"I worked for them for six years and I still have nightmares about it. Yeah... I'm with ya." Marrow promised. "I'll be discrete and find others. I know the Happy Huntresses will help us. You've done a lot to build the world that Robyn Hill wanted to create. I'll also talk with Sienna." Marrow explained.
"After attacking Blake and Yang, do you really think she'd agree to help me?" The Deacon asked.
"This is more than just a personal matter now, Deacon. This is a matter of national security, and like you said. Nobody wants another Black Gallows, not after everything we've sacrificed."
"Okay. Thank you, Marrow. I won't forget this." The Deacon said, then Marrow left, patting the Deacon's shoulder.
The fact that Marrow didn't judge the Deacon for his actions... oddly enough... meant a lot.
But now he knew... there was a man he really needed to see, to apologise to, privately.
He approached Dutch's office, and he knocked on the door, looking at the camera which focused on him. It took a few moments before the door remotely unlocked for him, and he opened it to walk inside. The door closed and locked behind him, and he looked around. The cameras inside had been disabled. In fact, Dutch had manually taken them off and dismantled them, and by the state of his office, he had been searching for any bugs she ordered to be planted in here to spy on him.
Dutch was sat at his table, searching through his terminal still, finding any signs he could of tampering and figuring what had been stolen from his files. He did not raise his head to look at the Deacon, he just kept on searching. "You're angry with me." The Deacon said plainly, which made Dutch pause, and finally he looked at him.
"You attacked an innocent family. Two innocent families, people who, if they knew you were alive, would have fought the very gods to help you. But instead you let your own personal vendetta against Jaune control you. Amara may have manipulated you, but your actions are your own, son. You're not possessed by a madman, you were forced at gunpoint. You decided. And that makes it all the worse." Dutch explained as he stared at him, sighed and shaking his head.
He picked up his stress ball and started squeezing it repeatedly.
"I know what I've done, and I know there's no undoing it. But I will not stand by and let Amara ruin what the Legion is." The Deacon stated.
"Well, at least we're in agreement with that subject at least." Dutch stated, standing up from his desk and walking towards him. "But you need to make this right. Put Neo in a cell. And claim responsibility for you actions."
"We even try anything like that Neo will be out of here before we can even make a move. Arresting her won't be easy." The Deacon explained. "And as for me? Well... I will do what has to be done. But first Amara must be stopped. I see that now."
"That and the Hound must be stopped, wherever it has gone. I'm going to send some of my best trackers out there to locate the beast while Winter goes to the Atlesian Wildlands to find answers there, with Penny and Oscar." Dutch explained, walking to his window. "I need you focused, Deacon. Now more than ever... bury this shit with Jaune. We have really serious problems now."
"I'll try..." The Deacon said.
"NO! You will." Dutch shouted, spinning around to stare at him. "I've seen all too often what revenge does to people, son... it never ends the way you want it to. Only continues a cycle, leading to more and more death, more and more chaos. If you kill Jaune, you will make Oriana and Pyrrha just as vengeful as you, and then they kill you. And when that happens, someone will twist it against the Huntsmen once again... and before we know it... we're right back where we started." Dutch explained.
He walked right up to the Deacon and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I need you to be the man I know you are... not this monster you are pretending to be."
The Deacon was quiet, and he nodded his head.
Suddenly, he heard his comm unit in his helmet activate, and a familiar voice came through. "Deacon? It's Fiona!"
She sounded panicked. "Yeah, I'm here. What is it?" He asked.
"There's been a massacre in the Market down here in Vale. A bunch of Legion soldiers have been cut down. There's blood everywhere!" Fiona warned. The Deacon looked at Dutch, then turned to walk away.
"I'm on my way with some reinforcements." The Deacon said.
"Others can handle this, Deacon." Dutch stated, but he stopped.
"If this is the Hound, then I need to kill it. Soldiers clearly weren't capable. And... if it is Jaune? If I have started something? Then I have to be the one to fix it." The Deacon stated as he walked away, opening the door and closing it behind him. Dutch sighed, sitting down in his chair and spinning it around to look out the window.
He buried his head in his hands.
"I'm getting too old for this shit."
Nora
The matriarch of the family was in her bathroom, putting on her eyeshadow as she prepared for the day, helping however she could in getting Kuroyuri back on its feet. She smiled as Ren appeared behind her, his shirt off and wrapping his arms around her stomach with a loving smile, kissing her cheek. "Good morning." He whispered in her ear.
"Good morning to you too, sleepyhead." Nora teased with a bright smile. "Someone's in a good mood today."
"Every time I see you, I'm in a good mood." He shrugged, she smirked.
"My, my... flirty too. Today is gonna be a good day." She said with a smile, planting a passionate kiss on his lips. They held each other for a few blissful moments before she groaned. "Gotta take Mushu to school in a minute... why can't he grow up faster so we don't have to drag them to school anymore?" She whined.
"Nearly there. Speaking of which, I've already made his lunch for school, so that's one less thing to do." Ren assured.
"Oh thanks, baby." Nora cooed, continued her makeup, and Ren helped do up her braids in her long ginger hair. After a few minutes, or more accurately, an hour, Nora was ready for the day. She walked downstairs and saw Mushu getting ready for school, getting his backpack whilst Thrudd was watching the television.
"Anything interesting going on?" Ren asked.
"Nah, nothing. Just more of the St. Falls Day stuff. And that terrorist attack in Vale the Deacon sorted out." Thrudd answered.
"Yeah, I was gonna call your Auntie Pyrrha about that, heard it was close. But considering she didn't call me in a blind panic, everything clearly was fine." Nora said, shrugging her shoulders.
She felt her scroll vibrate in her pocket. "Uh oh, it's Winter. Gimme a sec kids." She said as she walked away. "Heyyyyy Winter, how's it going?" Nora asked her, but her tone changed immediately when she heard Pyrrha's serious voice.
"Nora?"
"... Pyrrha? Why are you using Winter's scroll?"
"Nora, I'm so sorry about what I'm about to say..."
"What is it? Is Ori okay? What about Jaune? What's happening?" She listed with fear in her eyes, but Pyrrha paused, closing her eyes. Only then did Nora realise they were on Dutch's secure line, and she knew that this was serious. "Pyrrha?"
"We've been attacked, our home is destroyed and we're hiding in Dutch's Safehouse. Oriana and Misty are with me, but Jaune's missing. Ruby, Blake and Yang have gone to find Weiss so they can find him... but... I'm so sorry for dragging y-"
"We're on our way." Nora interrupted.
"Wh-Just like that?" Pyrrha stammered in disbelief.
"You're kidding me, right? Team J.N.P.R sticks together." Nora stated as she walked upstairs and found Stormur Skeggox hanging off the wall, and she picked up Magni as well. Ren was dressed, but he looked surprised to see Nora taking her comfy clothes off and pulling out her Huntress gear.
"What's going on?" Ren asked.
"Pyrrha and Jaune have been attacked. Their home is destroyed." Nora answered, and Ren needed no further information. He started getting out of his comfy clothes as well, and found his Huntsman gear, pulling out Stormflower from their clean case, spinning them through his fingers. "You all have enough food? We should be there by the end of the day."
"Y-Yeah... and Nora? Thank you... thank you so much." Pyrrha said with a sigh of relief.
"You'll never have to thank us, Pyrrha. Like I said... we're family to the end." Nora promised, ending the call as she found all the dust and ammo she had on hand, loading it into a duffel bag. Once they were both ready, they walked downstairs, surprising Thrudd and Mushu.
"Whoa, Mom? Dad? What's going on? Why are you dressed like you're off to war?" Thrudd asked.
"Thrudd, sweetheart? We need you to look after your brother for a while, okay? I don't know when we'll be back, hopefully not too long. We'll keep you updated, but your Auntie and Uncle need us right now." Ren explained.
"Auntie Pyrrha? What happened?" Mushu asked with fear in his voice.
"Someone has attacked them. I don't know who I didn't have time to ask, but it doesn't matter. Whoever attacked and forced Pyrrha Nikos into hiding must be very dangerous. And we have to help them, so please, be safe, look after each other, keep fed, and don't let this disturb your studies, okay?" Nora said, pointing at Mushu.
"B-But..." Mushu stammered.
"You heard Mom. They've got our mission, and we have ours." Thrudd said to him, smiled at her parents and hugging them tight. "Please be safe, or as safe as you can be."
"Look who you're talking to! Those assholes who hurt my family are gonna sorely regret that choice." Nora promised. They both gave Mushu a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"I better not see any unfinished homework when I get home." Ren teased.
"Yes, sir!" Mushu squeaked, saluting at his parents with a smile.
"Go kick some ass." Thrudd said as she watched her parents leave. Getting in their Airship, it ascended off the ground and blasted away, headed towards Vale.
Ruby
With Weiss filled in on everything so far, Team R.W.B.Y moved through the streets of Vale, hearing the screams of terrified people nearby. The smell of used dust shells filled the air, meaning one thing... this was where they heard those gunshots. They turned the corner and gasped, seeing multiple butchered soldiers on the ground. Blood splattered all over the cobblestones, filling the cracks with thick red blood.
The team walked past each corpse, recognising the wounds being from a blade, a very skilled yet savage blade. If it weren't for Ruby and Weiss fighting the Salem Knight, they would not have recognised such brutality. But it was evident that Jaune did this, and he must have snapped, giving into the darkness that lurked within him. "Shit..." Yang sighed.
"He's losing control. He's angry because they attacked his family and now the Legion is coming after them. I didn't think the Deacon would send his soldiers after him though..." Ruby said, with confusion in her voice.
"No, he wouldn't. Hell, he attacked the Nikos Family with a small team. If he wanted to use strength, he would have sent an army, not a small team... something's not right here." Yang agreed, nodding her head. Weiss crouched down and picked up one of the radios of the dead soldier slumped against the wall, blood still leaking from his fatal injuries.
"We could listen in on this... if we could reprogram it?" Weiss suggested, she had little expertise in this department, but they all knew someone who could easily do that.
"Ori may be able to, could be an early alert system." Blake agreed.
"Nice thinking, Weiss." Ruby said, patting her shoulder, making her chuckled.
"I sometimes have smart ideas." Weiss cheekily replied.
Blake's ear perked up, and she gasped, shushing everyone, hearing the sound of incoming Airships long before everyone else did. The four of them ducked behind cover, hiding round the corner as a Legion Dropship descended upon the Market Square. The door opened, and the Deacon jumped down from it, landing with a heavy thud, standing tall as he looked around, his shoulder cape blowing in the wind.
He walked around and looked at the savagery of Jaune's attack, and it was obvious that the Deacon knew exactly who did this just by seeing the wounds. "Shit." The Deacon growled, shaking his head as other soldiers patrolled the area, searching for any sign of the killer.
"Sir!" a soldier called out, helping a surviving soldier walk out from where he was cowering. It was the Captain of this squad, the one Eryka overheard giving the orders. He collapsed from his wobbling legs, before the Deacon who stared down at him.
"I don't remember giving orders, especially not opening fire in the middle of a Market filled with innocent people." The Deacon calmly said, tilting his head and crossing his arms as he spoke. Team R.W.B.Y all looked at each other, noticing something was definitely not right. They now knew for a fact that the Deacon did not order this. "Explain yourself."
"We were ordered to locate and eliminate Jaune Arc... and capture his family. We found him first, and when we opened fire, he slaughtered us... his eyes just started glowing purple and we didn't stand a chance against him." The Captain explained, tripping over his words as he spoke. Ruby and Yang looked at each other knowingly. There was no doubt now, his Salem Knight side was still there, but seemed to activate whenever he was really, really angry.
They knew he had been seeing Dutch about his mental state, but there was no theorising anymore. The Salem Knight still lived. It just was a reaction and not a totally separate and sentient entity living inside him anymore.
Kinda like Yang's Plasma Rage, where she'd lose all sense of friend vs foe, but much, much harder to contain.
"And you opened fire wildly on him instead of bringing him in first?" The Deacon asked, making Ruby scoff.
"By the sounds of it, neither did you, hypocrite." She whispered.
Then they all heard a woman sobbing, and the team saw her cradling the corpse of a teenage boy in her arms, with a bullet hole in his heart. The Deacon turned as well, seeing her covered in the blood of her son. He stared for a few moments, then pressed his hand against the face of his helmet, sighing heavily. "This is why I didn't want the Legion involved..." he sighed, shaking his head.
The soldier stared at him with gritted teeth. "You judge me for my actions, but if you had finished the job yourself, none of this would have happened!" He yelled, only for the Deacon to spin around and punch him in the face so hard that it instantly knocked him unconscious. The crunching sound was undoubtedly his nose collapsing against the Deacon's mechanical knuckles.
The Deacon stared down at him, panting through his mask, then he calmed himself down, straightening out and turning to his soldiers. "Take him away, put him in a cell until we can have him discharged for his actions." The Deacon commanded, and the soldiers nodded, carrying the knocked out Captain to the Dropship.
The Deacon turned to the crying mother, and he approached her, crouching down and softly holding her shoulder. "I'm so sorry this happened, Ma'am. Is there anything I can do that can help you?" He asked her. She stared at him with bloodshot, grief-stricken eyes.
"Can you bring my son back from the dead?"
How he wished he could, how he wished he could bring so many names back from Death's icy grasp.
"Then leave me be..." she cried, hugging her son tightly.
The Deacon stood tall, looking at her, and looking up at the sky, and inside the helmet. He shed tears of guilt. He turned and walked away. His mind was filled with the same words.
If I hadn't done this...
... that woman would still have a son...
... his blood is on my hands.
As he walked away from the scene, hearing the Paramedics arriving, he stopped as he felt the burning sensation of eyes staring at him. He turned and looked back, staring at the dumpster that Team R.W.B.Y was watching him from, but they ducked behind it just in time. He stared at where they were, then turned to walk away, climbing aboard the Dropship as it ascended off the Market Square.
"The rest of you? Find Cardin Winchester and get his drunken ass back to Legion Headquarters!" He commanded with a bellowing and synthetic voice. The Dropship soared off into the sky, and the soldiers moved out to find Cardin, and once it was clear the team of Huntresses emerged and watched the Airship leave the city to return to the Skyscraper.
"Something bad is going down in the Legion. I can just sense it." Blake said as she looked at Yang.
"The Feral Ones, the Deacon, the Hound and now this... so much for enjoying peace." Yang sighed, shaking her head.
"Come on... we need to find Jaune, before more people die." Ruby said, walking ahead, passing by the mother who cried over the body of her poor son.
The cost for the Deacon's actions were already dire...
... what they all feared now was how much more would his revenge cost the world?