Strange Ones: Volume 3

Showdown From Below

Jesse, Lloyd, and Velvet ran through the hallway beneath the coliseum as soon as they left the locker room to search for their peers. During the run, the rabbit-eared girl carried the Atlas soldier on her back. He was heavy, but she promised to at least try and carry him to safety. It was a promise she refused to break. After all, Velvet knew that Jesse was depending on her for the moment.

"Hey," The Atlas soldier said with a raspy voice. "What's going on? Why are we running?"

"We have no time to explain, but Camena is under attack!" Jesse replied.

"What?" His eyes widen. "Bring me to Ironwood! I'll report it to him and we'll take care of the mess immediately!"

"Trust me, pal! You're in no shape to move! Velvet will take you to a hospital," The Delta medic gave the girl a raised eyebrow. "Right, Velvet?"

"Yes, sir! That's a promise I won't break!" The rabbit Faunus said with a salute.

Suddenly, the group had to make a stop when they heard the sound of screeching metal from somewhere else. They all looked around until Lloyd spotted a shadow at the end of the hallway just in front of them. As soon as Jesse and Velvet noticed what he was looking at, the Delta medic squinted suspiciously while the rabbit Faunus trembled apprehensively. When the shadow got closer to the trio, the energy Elemental sneered. It was Harumi with a pair of swords in both her hands; the blade in her right was being used to scrape the hallway's wall.

Reaching for his back to pull out a pair of gold swords, Lloyd yelled, "Why are you here, Harumi?"

"I could be asking you the same thing," Harumi replied with a dark tone within her demeanor. From the looks of it, she was furious.

"Lloyd, you know that girl?" Jesse whispered with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course I do. She's my ex-girlfriend." Lloyd whispered back, rolling his eyes.

Meanwhile, Harumi cleared throat, getting the trio's attention. As Velvet looked into the darkness in her eyes, she shook violently with trepidation, fearing for what is to come. Jesse just maintained a blank expression on his face, trying not to say another word. For Reuben, he just hid behind his owner's legs, trembling as well.

"What do you want, Harumi?" The blond demanded to know.

"I want to have a word with you alone," Harumi answered. "That means your friends are going to have to leave."

"Hey, I will do no such thing!" Jesse retorted, gesturing to Lloyd. "I owe my life and dedication to Delta, so that means my loyalty stays with him."

"Shut up, old man! It's either you leave or you die!" She threatened, pointing one of her swords at him.

With that, the man became silent and bug-eyed. "I'm twenty-seven..." He mumbled.

"Mr. Jesse," Velvet said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Let's just go. I just want to leave."

In response, Jesse closed his eyes and toom in a slow deep breath. Then, he began to walk, begrudgingly giving in to Harumi's demand for him, Velvet, Reuben, and the Atlas soldier to leave. Lloyd could only watch as they walked further into the shadows until they were out of his sight. With them gone, he looked back at Harumi, who was shooting him an angry glare. Both of them became silent, waiting for one another to make a move.

"Harumi, listen," Lloyd said, holding up both his hands. "I can tell that break-up we had long ago left an impression on you, but don't take this the wrong way. To tell you the truth, I still can't let go of the fact that you were reckless and dangerous from the moment we met. Heck, if only I was wise enough to stop and listen to Weiss."

"So, what did you do?" Harumi asked. "Did you move on with her?"

"Uh..." He trailed off, trying to find the right words until he said, "I've been putting that into consideration lately. After all, we've known each other for a long time. It's best if we just move on from the past. We can't cling on to it forever." Then, he wore a grin. "I have and things have been looking up for me until today. If you want, I can-"

"I've moved on already," She disrupted his sentence. "And you're right, we can't focus on the past forever. You have made your choice with Weiss, and I've made mine."

"Harumi," Lloyd said firmly. "We don't have to fight like this. The Dark Ones are the most dangerous people in this world and you know that."

"I know, Lloyd, but don't worry about me." Harumi sneered at him, then her expression changed into a smirk. "The Dark Ones gave me an opportunity to finally show the world my strength."

"They are using you for your dark side!" He raised his voice.

"And I should've known that the darkness was more powerful than my own soul. Now, let's see how it goes out against the light." With that said, she dashed to Lloyd, clenching her swords tightly in her grasp.

On high alert, Lloyd swiftly dodged a swipe from one of her swords, making several backflips until he was standing on his feet again. With a low growl, he spun his swords in two circles. Then, he charged at Harumi, who repeated his actions. When they clashed swords for the first time, their battle has commenced.

The two threw many sword attacks at each other, only for both to evade each one with a block, duck, or jump. The sound of metal clanging against each other filled the hallway. Every clash created an echo that was loud enough to make anyone's ears ring for a second. Then, the broke away, pausing their swordfight.

"Why did you have to choose that wealthy brat over me?!" Harumi snarled.

"I already told you! I knew Weiss for a long time!" Lloyd shouted. "Besides, I don't want anything to do with you anymore!"

When she released a loud screech of fury, he knew that he was now on her bad side. He was about to fight her again when he remembered why he found Jesse in the first place: Weiss. With her in mind, he sheathed his sword again and started running down the hallway the same direction where Jesse, Reuben, and Velvet went. Behind him, Harumi pursued him.

"And where do you think you're going?!" She asked as she ran.

Lloyd's only reply for the moment was channeling his energy into his right sword and turning around to face her once again. Then, he spun around in a tornado-like style before slashing an arc of energy at her. Harumi skidded her feet when this happened. But before she had the chance to dodge, the yellow-green arc struck her in the chest, sending her flying to the other side of the hallway until her back struck a wall of brick. With that, she was surrounded by a cloud of dust.

The blond stopped for a moment to give the dust cloud a squint, making sure that Harumi was at least stunned. When the dust cloud finally disappeared, it showed her on the brick wall as if she were attached to it. Then, she fell to the floor on her front. Lloyd sighed with relief, for he wanted to think that she was unconscious for the moment.

"I'm out of here..." He said before he continued his run out of the hallway he was in. He had to find Weiss fast.