Honour's Curse - A RWBY fanbook

Chapter 8 - A Stubborn Cat

I spread my wings to my sides, gliding at a rapid speed over the city, towards the epicentre of the battle. By the time I arrived, the battle had moved onto a flat plain of concrete below the roads, an Atlesian mech suit was firing blindly into a haze of icy fog, likely a result of Ruby's infamous Freezerburn diversion attack. There was no sign of Sun or Neptune, but I could narrowly see all four members of team RWBY gathered in the fog. I switched my gauntlet onto hookblade, and went into  a dive on the mech's head. I quenched the flames in my eyes and hooked onto the mech. Once I had a steady grip, I activated my black flames and punched downwards onto the exoskeleton, summoning all the strength that the form would allow me to recover. Eventually, the pilot must have realised my intrusion as while I drew back for a final piercing blow, I was thrown off by a rapid movement from the mech. I skidded along the ground, rolling to a halt just in front of team RWBY, who seemed to be co-coordinating an attack.

"So, what's the plan?" I growled, getting to my feet again.
"Blackbird!" Ruby shouted, raising her fist into the air triumphantly.
"What?" I asked with a sideways look.
"You know. Blackbird. You use your wings and fling Blake at the target!" Ruby was getting excited, she clearly wanted to see this in action. Despite the ridiculous name, the attack could work, a sudden mobilisation combining speed and an aerial attack from a single point is a good start for a flurry of attacks. I flew back, giving myself a good runway to pick up speed. I flew as fast as I could towards Blake, who was standing ready, I picked her up, flying once again straight for the target, my eyes flared as I went into a dive.
"You ready?" I asked, still focused on the target.
"Yeah... Go!" She shouted back. I threw her straight towards the robot, and watched as the ribbon from her kusarigama-like weapon wrap itself around the mech's body, entangling it in in a web of strong black ribbon.

I hovered close to the ground, "Now what?" I yelled back to Ruby. 
"Acroskating!", It took a lot from me to resist laughing at that name. Though from it, I knew that it was just a momentum build  for Weiss.
"All right." I said, flying back around to pick up Weiss. As I flew, we stayed close to the ground, I was pretty much just pushing her along the path of ice that she created in her wake, using a combination of her rapier and her glyphs. I broke off from the movement, allowing Weiss to keep the momentum and speed.

"And now?"
"Hellfire!" It was not Ruby's voice that came, but Yang's. I was hovering close to the ground, so Yang easily shot past me, grabbing my hand as she flew. We flew together,leaving a trail of flames behind us. Suddenly, a streak of red shot up next to us, "And, Rosefire!" Ruby's voice erupted from the mass of petals.
"Hmm, how about... Crossfire!" I shouted as the mass of petals circled around us, combining us all into a orange and red bullet-like streak.
"Ready..." Ruby began, drawing out the word, "Now!" She shouted. All three of us collided into the mech's body, creating an explosive force and knocking it back several feet.

I hovered back, away from the mech, once again regrouping with the team. I was about to speak, when suddenly, a flash of green light appeared from my right side. Quickly, I reacted to the development grabbing an object being launched at speed towards my right side, and using its momentum to throw it past my body and onto the cold concrete. I looked down towards the object, seeing a man in a black bodysuit. The same man from my first mission. "You!" I shouted towards him, "You coward." I muttered, beginning to smirk.
"Ettore?" Ruby questioned below me.
"Deal with robo-brawn  over there. This one's mine." I stated, cracking my knuckles and keeping my gauntlet on hook-blade.
"Be careful." She answered.
"No promises."

I glided slowly onto the floor in front of my new target. He shivered in fear, still prone even as I approached. When I landed, I retracted my wings, blinking once and drawing forth the black flames in my eyes. I looked at the helpless faunus, his tail hanging behind him, "Get. Up." I commanded. He remained still. Frozen. "I said," I flared my eyes, allowing more power to reach my body, "Get up!" I yelled at him, my aura grew suddenly into the shape of a ferocious black wolf, it's fur made of embers, flickering and dancing around me. He did as I asked, still shaking with terror in his eyes. He panicked, throwing a right hook straight at me, I ducked under his swing, grabbing his arm in my left hand and bringing my right elbow down on it. Through the force I heard a snap from his arm and it hung limply from his shoulder, broken. He wailed in pain. He couldn't even think of moving to safety, I kicked him in the chest, shoving him down, back on the ground. 

In a move that took more speed than I thought I had, I moved to where the faunus lay and held the tip of Quaesitor to his neck, holding him still with my hook-blade. He squirmed in my grip, but he couldn't get free. "I won't kill an unarmed man," I began, "go, and don't you think of showing your face to me again. Next time we meet, I might not be as merciful." I retracted my hook. The pitiful creature opened a gate next to him and squirmed through it, he disappeared. I turned towards team RWBY, they had taken down the mech, it was in pieces, scattered on the floor.

"They have this." I muttered to myself, switching back to my red flames and launching off into the night sky.

I woke the next day, the familiar Beacon Academy room filling my vision. Morning broke through the window behind me. Though that all too familiar darkness still hung in the air, a threat still looming above the world. Though the best thing to do, was to take things one day at a time, get as strong as I could in the time before the tournament, and introduce myself as a threat to any enemies. I quickly threw on my usual clothing and departed my room, the library was my first destination.

I arrived in the library, greeted by towering shelves and golden light streaming in from giant windows lining each side of the hall. It was a truly beautiful place. But it was not the beauty of the place the caught my eye at first, it was a sudden glimpse of a trail of familiar black hair disappearing behind a set of shelves. I approached casually, curious to hear about the conclusion to the night's battle. "How did it go?" I questioned from behind her, she turned around with a sudden start. Her eyes were dark an lifeless, completely devoid of energy, "You didn't sleep, did you?" I pressed her for an answer. She looked at me, opening her mouth as if about to speak, but eventually decided against it, turning er head to the floor and walking past me, clutching a pile of large books in one arm. I grabbed her free arm as she passed behind me. "Look, I don't know what this is about. But whatever it is, I have to recommend that you take a break, obsessing over it is going to get you nowhere." I sighed.
"I can't just sit back while the White Fang build their forces against us." She retorted, trying to struggle free.
"The White Fang?" I shuddered at the name and tightened my grip, "I have my own reasons to find them, but I'm taking it one day at a time, I plan to be patient and build my strength. I want to know that when I see him again, I can pay him back for that day."
"You want to find them too?" Blake, turned her head towards me, looking more concerned and relaxing her arm.
"Yes." I turned to her, "Come with me." I ordered, beginning to lead her out of the library and around to a secluded place.

I took her to the back of the dorms, only letting go of her arm when I knew we were alone. "Ettore? What is this about?" She asked, a tired tone still in her voice.
"What I'm about to show you, is something no one else here has seen." I said, keeping my voice serious. "This was done to me by a White Fang leader calling himself Adam Taurus." I pulled down the collar of my shirt, revealing the three scars on my chest.
"No..." she said solemnly, taking a single step back.
I let go of the shirt, hiding the scars again, "Now do you see? I have my reasons to pursue them too, but I know that its futile to devote all of my energy to them, you'll just end up running out and going round in circles." I spoke plainly to her, "For now, try to enjoy yourself. Go to the dance this weekend. Might I suggest purple?" I gave her this advice and left, patting her on the shoulder as I went past.

That night, I was sat of the edge of Beacon's airship docks scanning the horizon, idly waiting as time went by. Suddenly, my scroll buzzed next to me, cascading light onto me as it did. A message from Ozpin flashed onto the screen, "About your involvement in the tournament. You know where to go."
I sighed, "Yes I do."

I arrived in the office, stepping out of the elevator, finding myself in the all too familiar room. "So, what's this about the tournament?" I questioned as I walked towards the desk. The headmaster sat patiently, his hands clasped over his face.
"Ah, yes. Ettore, no doubt you have been wondering what your involvement in the tournament will be." He answered, swiftly moving on to the point.
"Of course." 
"For the most part I want you to be on security detail," He explained, "however, once the tournament enters the single rounds, you will officially enter the fights as a competitor."
"Security detail?" I questioned, "doesn't the General have that covered?"
"While his forces are valuable, I find it is not the wisest choice to trust any machine or beings operating on a manipulable hive-mind completely with matters as delicate as this one." He clarified, sparing no detail from his explanations.
"Okay, sounds interesting. It's a lot of responsibility to carry, but I'm sure you wouldn't have chosen me to do this without a thought out reason." I agreed to his conditions.
"Make sure to keep training. You want to show yourself off to the world don't you?"
"Of course, that was my plan from the start." I said, walking out of the room with a smirk creeping onto my face.