บท 50: Call to Arms
Torchwick was enjoying a nice bottle of classic Valean wine before he felt a chill from his spine. Goosebumps formed as he quickly sat up from his previous resting position in his chair.
"The hell was that?"
Torchwick feels a jolt and looked around him as if someone just shouted for his name. He swiveled his head around but found no one.
'Whatever that was, I can't even enjoy my wine anymore.'
He sat up disgruntled from the ominous sign and puts back on his bowler hat. Fixing up his clothes, he reaches for his cane and walked toward the basement.
'Guess I'll take it out on our new friends.'
Using the hook on his cane he turns the protruding metal on the door handle and swings it open with his foot.
A loud thud echoes out as the door slams into the wall it's placed on. Torchwick slowly goes down step by step.
The wooden frame creaks as the inhabitants below take notice of the criminal's entrance and approach.
The full view of the room shows itself, cells adorned with steel, the rusted irons of cuffs, and recently bought tools hanging on the walls. Torchwick swung his cane around his hand, twirling it as he closes in on his main target.
"Hei Xiong, glad to see that our little session from yesterday seemed to not disturb you for a bit."
The said man was hanging from his feet. Strung up on the wall, his head reddening not just from the blood he had spilled but from the way he was positioned.
"Oh, I know what would make that look perfect. Let's see…"
He spots a pair of red sunglasses that Hei and his men used. A signature look of sorts for the Xiong family they use for their uniforms.
Torchwick picks it up and affixes it to the upside-down Hei. The pair of sunglasses get let down on his head as Torchwick steps back to admire his handiwork.
"Well, now that's a good look. The red suits you. Now then gentlemen…"
He gestures around the room before noticing the twins being gagged and blindfolded.
"and ladies… let's get down to business shall we?"
A loud scoff grabs his attention. Torchwick looked to his right and sees Adam. Tied up like the rest but with a large cone on his head.
"Did the dog just bark? Oh, pardon me- bull… but animals are all the same aren't they? Need to chain them up to make them docile."
Torchwick taunts him through the cell as Adam lunges for him. The chains and ropes holding him back, while Torchwick doesn't even flinch.
"Don't worry my old associate. I'll give you belly rubs again soon enough. Don't want to play favorites now, do we?"
He turns back around back to Hei and smiles. Torchwick lets go of his cane and place it on a table. He removes his hat and places it on a rack.
Torchwick crouches as he retrieves a bloody ice cream shop apron. It had been days this routine had been going on.
Torchwick was cruel but smart, he would adjust the special aura suppressing cuffs, enough to make them regenerate but slow to still leave them in pain.
He had gotten from police officers he dirt on. Not that hard to make a few pieces of equipment that get mishandled and "lost".
"Let's see what have on the menu for today."
Torchwick drags his hand across multiple tools, shears, normal garden clippers, saws, and other objects.
"Let's this try again, shall we? What do you know about Cinder."
He picks up some pliers and tests them out. He puts it in his front pocket on the apron and opens a fridge.
"Well, looks like someone been a bit hungry. I thought I had some extra ice cream saved up in here but it looks like one of you ate a whole tub!"
He looks toward Hei Xiong with a smirk.
"Have you eaten it? You know that that's not good for you."
Hei Xiong struggles around before replying. "It's that midget of yours and you know that!"
Torchwick ignores him "We need to check if you have any cavities. I need to take care of my captives after all."
He humms in contemplation "Although, I don't know about being a dentist…"
Torchwick fakes an idea popping into his head. "Oh, I know! Let's just start from the back row to the front shall we."
He fetches his pliers and starts restraining the head of Hei Xiong. Hei responds by closing his mouth as hard as possible before being punched in the stomach.
The punch makes him weaken and lets Torchwick open Hei's mouth involuntarily. He shoves his shoes inside his mouth as Torchwick lowers himself to Hei.
"Clench your teeth, this one is going to hurt a lot…"
"Oh wait, you can't."
He pulls hard on one of the molars. Each pull numbs the root of Hei's mouth for only a few short milliseconds before needle prickling pain arrives.
Hei claws at the wall to try and get through the pain but it wouldn't stop. Torchwik doesn't stop, but he doesn't do all the teeth in quick succession.
He made sure to let his body get used to the pain for a while before repeating it with the next one.
Hei Xiong screams more, his blood seeping to the inside of his mouth as he desperately spits it out in order to breathe.
Millie and Militia shake in horror as they both hear what was going on while Adam scowls at the event.
The sounds of screams could be heard as Torchwick worked on his job.
Hours later…
A pair of bloodied pliers hits the rest of the metallic tools. Followed by the rest of the other things Torchwick used to finally get out the information he needed.
He swipes off some blood onto the apron and takes it off. Grimacing at the amount of cleaning he needed to do just to remove the stains from his uncovered clothes.
He washes up and picks up his hat and cane before heading upstairs. He takes out a cigar and lights it up and exhales a breath of smoke.
Torchwick searches for his pockets and retrieves a scroll. He swipes and taps at the display before a dialing tone is heard.
A few moments later and Neo on the other side answers. The loud buzzing nearby caught Torchwick's attention, confirming the presence of the airplane Hanns was currently using.
"You're there with Lunchbox right? Tell him we can proceed, although we need to lay low for a while. Since cops are now running around detaining anyone suspicious."
Torchwick hangs up and gazes back at the door. He smiles and returns to trying to enjoy some fine wine. Only to be upset that it's empty.
Neo heard the call being ended and went back to flying the bullhead they stole. It was a serene image, the seas below and the azure waves crashing into each other.
"The revolution of the sentient machine race will come!"
It was ruined by Merlot's constant praise. She had to tie him up and gag him just to shut him up. Every time she does so, Merlot somehow escapes to keep praising Hanns like a madman.
He keeps spouting nonsense like replicating the sentient machine to rule over the world as if he was actually going to do it.
Good for them though that Merlot wasn't interested in escaping anymore. Now, he was just climbing into the cockpit to look at the Bf-109 F fighting off airborne enemies.
Merlot was indulging in every maneuver Hanns was doing. Amazed at the vertical and horizontal capabilities. Bullheads were good too but the ability to climb altitudes faster made it so the plane had more room to move in than a more bulky bullhead.
It wasn't helping that Hanns was practicing rolls, turns, dives, and other aerial movements. So Merlot was practically drooling at the window thinking how the world would change if Hanns could be replicated more times.
As for Hanns outside he was finally done with the Island and was heading back to Forever Fall. He was satisfied at the haul and would finally be preparing to strike at the heart.
SL = 5,702,422 → 11,293,728 SL
VEHICLE RP = 174,723- → 527, 282RP
CONVERTIBLE RP = 982,192 RP → 1,459,219
Hanns saw the worn-out makeshift runway they were using and lowered his landing gear to land. Since being a plane needed more space to land, he was first to go before Neo followed and landed as well.
Soon after they landed, Neo dragged Merlot toward Hanns. He transformed back into his Tiger II (P) and idled along the trees. Neo skipped along the floor as she waves Hanns over for a message.
"Did Torchwick finally find out what we need?"
Neo nods, she takes out her scroll and shakes it.
Hanns smiles on the inside. "We're going to be busy this week."
He looks at a smiling Neo gleefully twirling her parasol. Hanns took a look at the still-standing Merlot Hanns had forgotten about.
He turns his turret to Merlot. "Any idea what we are going to do with this one?"
Neo stops her smile and looks toward Merlot and sighs. She signs out some words for Hanns to try and translate. Hanns takes a while to figure it out but he eventually got to translate it.
"Yeah, let's just leave him at the ice cream shop."
Hanns stares at the skies and wonders aloud for everyone to hear. "Why do I always get crazy people with me."
Neo pouts but Hanns ignores it and continues. "Don't tell me you aren't."
She looks with a blank expression at Hanns and glances from side to side. With a reluctant nod, she accepts Hanns' statement.
"See? I'll contact RWBY and bring them up to speed. We need to act fast since our information is a bit late. She'd have adjusted her plans by now the moment she learned Hei's been captured."
'For now, we have to wait.'
In Beacon academy during lunch…
Ruby straightened up from her seat at the lunch table. Across from them sat team JNPR who were currently minding their own business. She huffed and broke the news to the other members.
"Team RWBY! We finally have a break in the case!"
Weiss takes the chance to hit a heavy hand towards the back of Ruby's head.
"Ouch! Why'd you do that for?"
Weiss pinches her ear and drags her down further toward her seat. Weiss' face was now filled with irritation as she yanks Ruby's head.
"You keep screaming it out, you buffoon! Didn't you learn from last time that you don't need to announce the news for the whole school to hear? I swear if Hanns decides to contact you ever again I'm going to seriously consider replacing you as a leader."
From the sidelines, Blake calls for their attention. "I hate to agree with Weiss of all people-"
"Hey!"
"-But you nearly did kind of expose us to Ozpin by saying we were huntresses in training."
Ruby sees her team looking at her, expecting her to listen and keep her voice down when trying to do stuff for Hanns. "Alright! I'll keep quiet from now on!"
The rest of the team eye her suspiciously.
Ruby cough roughly and cups her hands to her mouth and this time promises it more quietly. "Right sorry…quiet…" She zips her mouth as if to signal to the team that she was now serious about keeping the information to their own.
"We need to go. Hanns said he has something special for me and to bring along the rest of us."
Blake interrupts. "Don't tell us the specifics here, we still have classes, so tell us later when we leave. Good thing this day will end early since Professor Goodwitch had some important business."
Yang stops for a moment to catch a piece of pancake thrown by Nora across the table and turns to the rest of the team. "What business would she have anyway? Isn't she like, super busy already?"
The rest of the team contemplate the question. What was Goodwitch doing that was important enough to cancel classes that afternoon?
Meanwhile…
"Glynda, please. Listen to yourself this is not you."
Ozpin was currently raising his hand at Glynda right across his office table. His breath held itself while he begged Glynda to not do the deed.
"I've had enough Ozpin. We're supposed to work hard in admitting foreign students but here you are drinking the same thing over and over again instead of working!"
Glynda shakes her fists that we holding onto a bag. Her agitated state was boiling over as she has in her grasp something precious to Ozpin. "These- these coffee beans! It's all the source… I always thought that they were bad news!"
Ozpin lowers his hand and tries to defuse the current hostage situation ongoing. "Glynda they're just coffee beans, let's all take a breather and relax."
A twitch in her eye meant Ozpin had chosen the wrong choice of words in the set amount of time.
"Oz, I don't get a breather or any kind of relaxation! You on the other hand…"
She points at Ozpin and then grips the bag of coffee beans even tighter. She sees the reflection of light coming from the windows and she prepares her riding crop for her semblance.
With a twirl, a purple glow came from the bags and window. It bursts open violently and the bag of coffee beans gets thrown out the window.
"No! My precious!"
Ozpin dives out, trying to catch his precious coffee beans. As soon as he got out of the window he doesn't see the coffee beans falling. He tumbles and falls before another purple glow surrounded him and the coffee beans that were hidden below the window by Glynda's semblance.
Ozpin gets thrown back into the room to see Glynda with the coffee beans and smirking as she closes the elevator door. The elevator starts to descend while Ozpin, now coffeeless grabs his empty mug and sips on air.
'I'll find them… eventually.'
Elevator music tunes in as Glynda starts inputting the floor she plans on hiding the stash of coffee beans. After a while, she steps out of the elevator and sees cameras staring at her.
'I'll have to hide these for the whole day just to rehabilitate this coffee addict.'
Back to RWBY…
Weiss speak up in response "It must be very important to the school then. Well now that we have discussed that, it seems we are ready to go on with our-"
Just then, a single misaligned pie gets thrown across the table and impacts Weiss' face as soon as she was finishing her sentence. Yang looks shocked at the accidental hit while Nora from the other side launches herself on top of the table.
"Food fight!"
Blake could only react for a few short moments as all hell breaks loose and she takes cover underneath the table. 'I guess we'll be late for a while.'
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