When the sun broke through the clouds and Clementine's eyes adjusted to the sheen of the snow he set out once more. Just another day on his grand adventure. Clementine had lost track of how long it's been since he left Refuge. He stopped counting the days after his departure from Sap's farm. An eternal winter gripped the countryside of Mistral. Its icy clutch seemed a fit balance to the blistering summer they endured a few seasons past. The cold brought many to ground, seeking shelter from the snow. A hibernation. He remembered reading about the cycles when he was a child.
While many slept through the chill, Clementine noted that the brisk winds brought forth other creatures. He would catch glimpses of their large silhouettes moving through the trees. The flash of red eyes in the dark. They made for stark contrasts of black fur against the white landscape. Creatures of Grimm. They did not hibernate. They came crawling out of whatever barrow hid them and roamed free as if beckoned by winter's call. The threat of their presence was a constant danger. One in which Clementine luckily managed to avoid though there were a few close calls. Nights spent without a fire, shivering inside the split open bark of a forest tree.
Despite how isolated Clementine had become, he wasn't always alone. The road stretched out through the countryside. On its horizon lumbered a small caravan. The tracks left in its wake made it out as some kind of sleigh. However, the black tinge to the snow implied some sort of mechanical vehicle. A truck perhaps. Its tire tracks might be masked by the flattening sleigh pulled behind it. Clementine could just make out the caravan's shape taking up the majority of the road. It had been traveling ahead of him for a few days now. Just on the edges of the sloped landscape, occasionally slipping in and out of sight. Clementine thought about riding around them. However, these lands were unknown to him and the risk to his mount held him in check.
If anything happened to Vern, it would be fatal for Clementine. His life was very much in the beast's indifferent hands. Or hooves. The horse plodded along, unmindful to its rider's desire to move faster. Vern cared little for the world and even less for Clementine. He could not guess at what motivated the animal. Vern had been a gift purchased by Monnie and Merri. Supposedly a prized mount from the local stable at the hamlet where they buried Spool. A fine beast at first glance. Strong and capable. But with each passing day spent in Vern's company Clementine noticed more of its uncaring attitude.
At night when the howls of nearby Grimm pierced the dark Clementine would find Vern's eyes on him. In those moments he imaged himself being mangled and eaten by the monsters while Vern simply watched on. It had nothing to fear from the Grimm after all. Perhaps he prayed for them to come and take his rider away. Perhaps such desires were what brought the image to Clementine's mind in the first place. Perhaps…But, Clementine long since dismissed the thought. Vern didn't pray or desire anything outside his mundane needs. Vern just did not care.
Upon reaching the crest of a hill, Clementine spotted the small caravan stopped and waiting for him at the bottom. Instead of continuing on to meet them he hesitated. Why would they stop? Do they need help? Is it a trap perhaps? Some kind of bandit ambush? Such thoughts plagued his mind. Clementine found himself looking for alternative routes or places where a gang of criminals might be lying in wait. He even considered turning back and putting some distance between himself and the caravan once again. Not long ago he wouldn't have considered any of these options.
Taking advantage of Clementine's hesitation, Vern lowered his head and licked the snow. The caravan below was similar to what Clementine imagined. A truck was in its front, dragging along two hitched sleighs. The great sleighs themselves were flat and almost as wide as the road itself. The one bringing up the caboose looked to carry all the supplies, neatly strapped down to the boards. The one in front of it was heavily tented, protecting whatever laid inside from the wind.
The sheer amount of luggage on the sleighs gave Clementine pause. If they weren't bandits then they would surely attract them with such a haul they looked to be carrying. It wasn't until Clementine spotted the small form a child playing in the snow beside the stopped caravan did his suspicion dissuade. Frosting the air with a sigh, Clementine lightly kicked Vern forward.
Upon his approach the little girl playing in the snow retreated behind who Clementine assumed was her father. A fabulous mustache bedecked his lips almost as wide as his face and twisted into curls. The mustachioed man was wrapped in thick winter clothes, making him look somewhat plump in all those layers. From the tents of the first sleigh appeared a woman similarly garbed. She regarded Clementine with a hand raised to her forehead in an attempt at a wave and to ward of the sun bouncing up from the new fallen snow. Both adults were in their early thirties.
The man placed a protective hand on his cowering daughter's head. "Good morning, stranger."
Clementine reined in Vern. "Morning."
"My name is Anton Oaks. There is my lovely wife Teisha and clinging to my leg behind me is our daughter, Cori." Teisha smiled at Clementine, but Cori remained hidden behind her father's legs. Uncertainty sharpened her glare.
"Why are you stopped?" asked Clementine with some suspicion.
"Just as I'm sure you spotted us, we glimpsed you far behind. A lone rider."
"It was my idea," spoke up Teisha, "It's dangerous to travel alone, especially during this time of year. Since it seemed we were going in the same direction I thought it best to join together. We're always welcome to new company to share the road with."
"We're heading back to Kuchinashi." explained Anton.
Clementine raised a curious brow at the amount of equipment strapped to their back sleigh. "Heading Back?"
Anton rubbed his flushed neck in some embarrassment. "Yeah, you see, we just came from Refuge. I'm an inventor of sorts. I had a contract job with Vulcan Industries. We moved our whole lives down for the opportunity only to find Vulcan Industries had been shut down by the government. Not just that either. The whole city has gone belly-up. Trade stagnated. Streets in disrepair. A dead councilor. Refuge is crawling with journalists, huntsmen, and even Atlesian agents. Needless to say, we got out of there quick."
Teisha sat on the edge of the sled, her feet kicking up and down in a playful manner. "Now we just want to return home."
Clementine shifted uncomfortably in the saddle. "Any idea what happened in Refuge?"
"We picked up a few pieces here and there." Shrugged Teisha, "Just rumors. Whispers of some rebellion within the city. One that led to the explosion, which devastated the districts."
"Bunch of nonsense." Said Anton, "I saw the damage firsthand. The way the ground was blown apart suggested an implosion from underneath the streets. My guess is something went wrong with the piping's underneath the city. Not sure what, but makes more sense than some terrorist attack."
"Hardly anything makes sense anymore." she chided, "Your would-be employer ran a slave mine made up of thousands. Can you imagine? All those people toiling away and for what? A few hunks of Dust?"
Anton looked away, chastised by his wife's words. Mumbling more to himself than anything, he whispered, "If I knew that then of course we never would've left home."
"We never should've left in the first place." Shot back his wife, picking up on every muttered word with uncanny accuracy. "It was a contract job, Anton. That means temporary! You should've just gone down yourself for the few months it would take and return to Kuchinashi when you finished."
"How many times must I explain myself, woman? It's not just a job. An opportunity at Refuge would've broadened my network with all sorts of connections. I'm telling you, if given the chance to show my skills to Marcus Vulcan, I'm sure he would've hired me on full time."
"You're sure," mocked Teisha, mimicking her husband's tone. "You're so confident in your skills and yet you couldn't even repair a busted engine."
"I'm not a damned mechanic, what is it you think I do?"
They continued to argue, completely forgetting Clementine was even there. The little girl Cori peered out at from behind her father's legs. Her large round eyes met Clementine's as if pleading for him to intercede. Obviously, this argument of regrets has been going on between the husband and wife the whole journey. The tension of their years spent together was felt with every spat word.
"Clementine."
Anton and Teisha stopped mid argument and turned towards him. "Come again?"
"My name is Clementine."
Both husband and wife regarded each other with a sneer. In it was a silent agreement to dismiss the argument for now and save it for later. Judging by the shared look these two savored their disagreements as if it were fine wine.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Clementine." Said Teisha, "Cori, say hi."
The little girl stepped out from behind her father's legs, "H-hello." She stammered.
"Salutations." Greeted Clementine with a smile.
Cori grew red and she rushed onto the first sleigh, disappearing behind the tent flaps.
"Sorry," said Teisha, "she's a little shy when it comes to fresh faces."
Clementine caught eyes glaring at him from the truck's side rearview mirror. Almost as soon as he noticed them, the driver snapped his attention back to the quiet road in front of them. Clementine glared in return hoping to meet the driver's gaze again, but the man refused.
More? Damn, I should've noticed sooner.
Anton turned to where Clementine was looking.
"Ah, yes. In the driver's seat is Rennat and his buddy next to him is Corb. We met them on the road outside Refuge. When our truck broke down they were kind enough to help fix it. Since then they've become our traveling companions."
"Are they shy as well?" asked Clementine.
"They tend to keep to themselves and that's fine by me. Rennat is a good driver and Corb keeps us safe from any trouble we come across."
"They're a little rough around the edges, but they're good men." Said Teisha, "And quite handy to. Unlike some, they can fix a busted engine."
Anton winced at his wife's jab as if a knife had been stuck in his side. Still, he ignored the insult and instead studied Clementine's face.
"I see that you're made uncomfortable around fresh faces as well. I've been around my daughter long enough to know the look when I see it. If it's not in your interest to travel with us then we will go our separate ways here. Whatever you choose, it's been a pleasure meeting you Clementine and I wish you good fortune in your travels."
Clementine remained silent for a time, his gaze fixed on the truck's side mirror where Rennat refrained from glancing back at them.
"I'm not heading to Kuchinashi," said Clementine returning his attention to Anton and Teisha, "but we'll be going in the same direction for a little while longer. I would be happy to share your company if you'd have me."
"It would be our pleasure." Said Teisha, "Perhaps you can relieve us of my husband's stale company."
"Yes," replied Anton, "traveling on your own I imagine you've been preparing your own meals. Perhaps you can share your secrets with us. God knows we need ourselves a proper cook."
Both smiled in acceptance, faces scrunching and eyes squinting. Truly a grimace in response to the wounds inflicted by their spouse. From the tent, Cori poked her head out. Witnessing her parent's expressions, she rolled her eyes and disappeared back inside.
They made good distance that day. Clementine rode Vern alongside the pulled sleighs. Anton and Teisha spent the day snapping at each other. Back and forth they went. Nothing held back. Every insult provoked another retaliation. They dueled each other with words. Parry, lunge, deflect, counter riposte. Despite the harsh words shared between them, they smiled at each other and not a hint of their anger touched their voice when speaking to their guest or daughter. Clementine honestly couldn't tell if they were bickering or flirting.
Cori spent the majority of the day hidden away in the tent. She came out occasionally, each time staying a little longer. Clementine passed the hours in idle conversation with Anton and Teisha. He thought about approaching Rennat and Corb in the front, but they rolled up their windows as soon as the day's trek began. Those two seemed to value their privacy, which was fine. Clementine had patience.
Anton as it turned out was a weather man in truth. But he aspired to be more. He wouldn't explain his inventions in detail either because he coveted their secrecy or didn't wish to bore his guest with shop talk none would understand. All Clementine knew was that Anton wished to combine his work with the nature of Dust to some unknown end. He must've been confident for the man took up a mundane contract job at Vulcan Industries just for the chance to show off his inventions to Marcus Vulcan in person.
Teisha was far more open than her husband. She was a teacher who helped set up schools for the less fortunate in Kuchinashi. Clementine judged her to be a kind and fair woman. He was glad for her company.
When the sky turned a burnt orange, they found a small alcove within sight of the road and made camp. After unloading his sleeping pack and feeding Vern, Clementine joined the others at the cookfire. Rennat and Corb were silent partners amongst the Oaks family. Rennat was a nondescript young man with wandering eyes. His attention fluttered about as if he were consistently losing himself in thought. Clementine noted though that his gaze seemed to deliberately ignore his presence. Rennat's partner, Corb, was twice his age though far brawnier. The man kept his hunting rifle leaned against the stump he sat on like he suspected trouble at any moment. Despite this apparent alertness Corb stared into the fire while he ate. Though he wrapped himself tight in a cowl, the flames revealed hints of the man's scarred face. The two of them said nothing, not even amongst themselves.
Clementine taught the Oaks how to prepare stew like Old Gran used to make. The woman had a talent for making the best of what little ingredients she had. Thankfully, Clementine picked up a thing or two during those nights in her company. The stew came out decent enough and the Oaks provided biscuits to help soak up the excess broth. Clementine was the first to finish his bowl.
"You all good there?" asked Anton, only halfway through his stew.
Clementine leaned back with a hand slapping his belly, "This was the first real meal I've had in some time. Thank you. I've survived on nothing but oats the last few days."
"You don't hunt?"
"I can set a snare. Caught a rabbit once, but there was little meat on its bones."
Anton patted Corb on the shoulder, "Corb here is an excellent shot with that rifle of his. He catches us the meat and we do the cooking. Or at least attempt it."
"My cooking…could use some work." Admitted Teisha, "I would be the first to agree with you, Anton. I eat my slop as well. I'm just glad we found someone who can properly stir a pot."
"If you don't mind me asking." Spoke up Rennat, catching everyone by surprise. "What is it you're doing out here, Clementine? It's a poor season to travel."
"And being on your own just makes it that much harder." Added Teisha, "The Rangers used to patrol these lands. They escorted caravans along the road or, so we've heard. But they're gone now. Off to shepherd those poor souls they freed from the slave quarry."
"Come on, woman." Complained Anton, "Can't you find a better subject?"
"You don't think them worthy of conversation? Are there not valuable lessons to be learned from this mess? Or do you think what the Rangers are doing is wrong?"
Anton grumbled into his bowl, "What they're doing is right. It's just so glum. Can't talk about anything down here without broaching the steaming pile that is Refuge right now. I don't envy the Rangers. To be responsible for so many lives…I can't imagine. Cori is already too much for me and she is just one girl."
Cori shot her father a toothy grin and Anton replied with a stuck-out tongue. Both giggled and went back to their stew. Rennat's eyes did not leave Clementine. He remained, waiting for an answer to his question.
"I'm looking for someone." answered Clementine, "A friend of mine…And her sister."
"What can you tell us about them?" asked Anton through a mouth full of broth. Flecks of biscuit remained snared in his mustache as if he were saving the morsels for later.
"My friend's name is Kiera. She's twenty-four years old. She has dark skin and long curly black hair. Brown eyes so pale they look gray. She's a faunus too. Has a panther tail protruding from the base of her spine. Now Amber, her sister, is a little younger. Brown hair and golden eyes."
After a few second's consideration, Teisha shook her head. "Sorry, we've encountered just a few folk on the road and none fit either of those descriptions."
"It's alright. I didn't think it would be that easy."
Without warning Corb stood and walked off, taking his rifle and unfinished bowl with him.
Clementine narrowed his brows at Corb's sudden flight. "Where is he off to?"
"Corb likes to patrol the grounds." Said Rennat a little too hastily for Clementine's liking. "He makes sure it's all clear before everyone heads off to sleep. Then we take turns on watch through the night."
"I can take a shift." Offered Clementine.
"No-thank you. We're used to it."
"Are you sure?"
"Quite." Rennat put down his unfinished bowl and stood. "Thank you for the meal. It's getting dark so I'm going to turn in now. We should leave earlier than usual tomorrow morning. There is a storm approaching from the south and we'd do best to outrun it."
"I agree." Said Anton, "Good night, Rennat."
Rennat gave a curt nod and headed off into the truck. When he closed the driver's side door, Clementine turned to the Oaks.
"They sleep in the truck?"
"Keeps the wind out." Said Teisha, collecting the finished bowls. "I think those two are used to sleeping in a car."
Anton hurriedly slurped his stew down. He barely had time to finish it all before his wife pried the bowl from his fingers. "Where will you be sleeping?" asked Anton, after licking his curly mustache. "We can make a place for you on the sleigh. There is plenty of room."
"Actually, I'll stick with what I'm used to as well." Clementine smiled, "My horse gets worried if it loses sight of me for a prolonged time anyways. Poor thing."
"Very well, have it your way." The Oaks finished cleaning up after dinner and retreated to the sleigh. Just before Cori vanished behind the tent flaps she turned and caught Clementine's attention. She stared as if studying him before mouthing the words, good night.
Darkness claimed the sky and the stars came out to play. Clementine hadn't taken special interest in astronomy before. However, with each night spent looking up at the sky, his interest grew. The names of the constellations were unknown to him so he made up his own. Even wove stories to go along with sets of stars that he thought created certain shapes. A sword. A tuba. A smile. Like the clouds of summer Clementine saw many things in the wintry stars. Each night there would be a new discovery. A new story.
But not this night. This night he was busy. Clementine relieved himself from the burden of his heavy cloak, allowing easy access to the dagger sheathed behind his back. Vern gave a dismissive glance at his rider before returning to sleep. The cookfire's smoldering hearth was fast dwindling. Clementine skirted the edges of its glow, keeping to the shadows. He moved slowly, allowing himself the time to adjust his balance whenever he stepped onto his right leg.
Crouched low, he creeped past the sleighs. From the sleeping tent came a heavy snoring. At first Clementine thought it was Anton, but as he got closer he recognized the nasally sighs as Teisha's own. Each snore was met with a muttered grunt from her husband. Even in sleep the two of them bickered.
Moving past the sleighs, Clementine pressed his back against the truck side and with one hand on his dagger grip he shuffled towards the front. Peering into the passenger side mirror, Clementine glimpsed an empty seat. Taking another step forward, he peeked inside through the window. Nothing. The truck was empty. Whatever aroused suspicious Clementine held were amplified tenfold. The Oaks family were fine people. Good people. But their traveling companions were something else. There was no shaking the feeling now.
There were tracks in the snow leading deeper into the woods. Two sets of footprints. Unsheathing his dagger, Clementine followed the tracks. This time of night the snowy landscape took on a blue glow making his path a ghostly one.
Rennat may seem skittish but he was right about one thing. Storm clouds blotted out the stars to the south. No ordinary clouds either. These were large swirling maelstroms that swallowed up even the moon. Not a storm then, a blizzard. Clementine had no intention of being caught in the midst of one sharing Rennat and Corb's untrustworthy company. Whatever they were hiding and the threat it posed would be put to rest this night.
Have I always been this unsure of people? To be stalking the night, dagger in hand, all because of a few nervous glances and rushed words? Where had the days gone where I'd share fruit with a decrepit old stranger and thus make a friend? Blind Shan, what did you see in me?
Clementine must've gone fifty feet when he heard the sound. A sizzling boil followed by a grunting moan. The frigid wind brought with it the scent of burning flesh. The familiar stench forced Clementine to harden his gut. Just a few steps closer and he saw them. Rennat had his sleeves rolled up past his elbow, exposing his bare left arm. Corb knelt next to his partner taking a blowtorch to the younger man's forearm. The blue flame burnt a sputtering patch of skin. Rennat bit down on a stick of wood, hardly restraining the pain that filled his face. A strong grip from Corb held Rennat's arm steady, though the man's fingers twitched relentlessly.
They were a mere ten feet away. Any further advancement would surely draw their attention. Clementine eyed Corb's hunting rifle leaning against a tree between them. Crouching as low as his crippled leg would allow him, Clementine sheathed his dagger. He would have to be quick.
Seemingly finished, with his task Corb pulled away. The blue flame of the blowtorch vanished. Rennat fell back and writhed in the snow with his burnt arm held up. In that moment of tense relief, Clementine moved, snatching up Corb's rifle.
"What the fuck?" Corb shot to his feet, reigniting the blowtorch.
Clementine aimed the rifle at the man's chest. "Don't move. Both of you."
Rennat spat out the stick and stared at Clementine with pain addled eyes. Even through the dark Clementine spotted a hint of recognition in the man's gaze. Same as when he first glimpsed Rennat spying on him through the truck's side mirror.
"Who are you people? What are you doing?"
"You want to put that down, kid." warned Corb, "Before you hurt yourself."
"Only when you answer my questions." Shot back Clementine.
Corb inched forward, but a word from Rennat stopped him. "Brock, don't."
"Brock…Corb?" Clementine gave a short-lived snicker, "What's that make you? Tanner? You should be more creative in picking new names for yourselves."
"It doesn't matter what our names are." Said the man posing as Rennat, "Whatever you're thinking it's not-"
"Shut up, Tanner." Said Brock in a low growl.
Keeping the rifle trained on the bigger man, Clementine shifted his gaze to the one named Tanner. "Where do you know me from? Hmmm? You former city guard or something?"
"Something like that." Tanner spoke through grit teeth. His face remained fixed in a grimace. Discoloration spread throughout the man's arm, stemming from the burnt patch of flesh.
"What are you two doing to each other?"
Brock straightened, readying the blowtorch in his hand. "Burning away the sins of the past."
"You mind not being so cryptic with your answers?"
"How bout you, eh Little Sir? Who the fuck are you, really?"
"Enough! What are you two planning?" Clementine's finger wrapped around the trigger, "To lure the Oaks into some kind of trap?"
"A trap?!" Brock's face had gone beat red, "We've been traveling with them for over a month! Don't you think we would've sprung it by now?"
The snap of branches in the woods caught all their attentions.
"Those your friends?" asked Clementine, taking a cautionary step back. "Who's out there?"
Tanner sat up. His wandering gaze darted every which way in an attempt to pierce the veil of darkness. "Whatever is out there is no friend of ours. I know how this must look but we mean you and the Oaks no harm."
"No? Just each other then? Or is burning each other's flesh just a changing of shift tradition with you two?"
There came another crinkling snap of branch this time on the other side. Either they can teleport or there were multiple things out there. Clementine thought maybe Grimm, but they wouldn't lurk this long before attacking. Besides, the red glow of their eyes would've given them away even in this twilight.
Brock whispered into the dark, "Anton is that you? Teisha? Cori?"
There came no reply. None except the crunch of snow behind Clementine. He whirled to face it but was too late. Something hard clocked him in the side of the head and he fell face first into the snow. Shadows erupted from the dark woods, pouncing on Brock and Tanner. A brawl ensued, but Clementine's vision was already fading. He had been to slow to raise his aura to protect him. To keep it up at all times drained his strength in this frigid landscape. So cold. The chill crept into his bones. Even the blood trickling down his scalp held no warmth.
Sudden shouts of alarm pierced the quiet night. The family of three were dragged from their tents kicking and screaming. After a few sharp-edged warnings their panicked yelps ceased as quickly as they started. Caryn stood on top of the newly acquired truck, watching the proceedings play out. Everything went according to her plan. An easy take after all. The assumed bodyguards had abandoned their posts and the newcomer with the horse followed suit. They left the alcove unguarded and ripe for the taking.
One of her fellow bandits danced on top of the supply sleigh eliciting laughs from the others. "This is quite the steal!" he shouted.
Caryn clapped her hands together, catching their attentions. "Enough! That blizzard will be upon us by sunrise. We need to get this stuff back as quick as possible."
The dancing bandit hopped off the sleigh and landed near the cowering family. "What's to be done with them?"
"They're not to be harmed." Ordered Caryn, "We're taking them all with us."
He shot her a sneer, "Buck won't like that."
"Then he will have to listen."
"He don't like that either." Muttered the bandit.
Caryn ignored that last comment. She wouldn't attempt to fight it for she knew it as the truth. However thickskulled he may be Buck will have to listen to her. Else they were all doomed.
He awoke to the sniffling cries of a little girl. Clementine blinked unconsciousness from his eyes and slowly sat up. His hands were tightly bound in thick rope before him. He had been stripped of his winter clothing, snow boots included. Even his heavy wool socks had been taken from him, leaving his feet bare against the cold stone floor. The rest of his party Clementine found propped against the cave wall next to him, similarly restrained.
Cori's whimpering echoed throughout the cavernous hideout they found themselves in. Her distress was a mute thing for a ringing filled Clementine's ears.
Teisha held her daughter close, trying her best to soothe the child to no avail. Anton sat directly to Clementine's left with his face buried in his hands. Past the Oaks family were their two traveling companions. Sweat beaded Tanner's drawn face. A bandage had been wrapped around the burn of his arm. A band aid for an obviously festering problem. Despite his fevered condition he still looked better than his friend. Brock sat hunched against a stalagmite, his face beaten and bruised. The bump on his forehead swelled his left eye shut.
Their captors were all around them. Few guarded their prisoners with spiteful gazes. Most were busy sifting through the Oaks' family supply sleigh, which had been dragged into the middle of the large open cavern. The Oaks were forced to sit by as all their personal belongings were rummaged through and distributed amongst the bandits.
Torchlight and campfires illuminated the cave in a flickering glow. As the ringing in Clementine's ears faded the sounds of a pitched argument came into focus. The louder of the two battling voices came from a man squatting on top of the supply sleigh. Two large ram horns sprouted from the sides his head. Great twisting points of ivory.
"Why here?!" shouted the ram faunus, "We don't need more mouths to feed!"
The smaller of the two voices stood at the bottom of the supply sleigh. She held some kind of ledger in her hands and looked busy taking inventory from the recent haul. Catching her in profile, Clementine took note of her peculiar eye. Her eyelids appeared fused, as if it were a telescope expanding and contracting, forming a small circle in its center where the glint of her pupil could be spotted. The skin of the lids and surrounding socket wasn't skin at all, but rather multihued scales. A swirling pattern of white and red like peppermint candy. The abnormally round and bulbous eye not only rotated in its socket but moved as well. The eye's ability to adjust its position in the folds of its socket allowed for rapid, jarring movement. The one eye Clementine could see swiveled, locking on him for a brief instant before snapping to something else.
The ram horned faunus smashed a wooden crate with a spike tipped cudgel. "Someone shut that girl up!"
Teisha pulled Cori into her chest, muffling her cries. Somewhat satisfied with that result the ram faunus turned his attention back to the faunus with the ledger.
"Caryn! At least keep one blasted eye on me."
The faunus woman named Caryn turned towards her comrade. "If I have to explain the importance of hostages-"
"Hostages you say? What bloody need do we have for hostages? Refuge is in shambles. No one is looking for us."
"That's where you're wrong, Buck." Said Caryn, "It's because of the chaos surrounding the land that it will be difficult to travel unnoticed. Refuge is infested now with outside forces. Grimm, Huntsmen, and Atlesians. We're bound to cross paths with them eventually. And after your actions at the Vulcan factory…"
"My actions?!" Buck rose to his full height, "I told them not to press the alarm…They pressed the alarm! What else would you have had me do? I was keeping us safe!"
"You slaughtered them!" snapped Caryn, "That massacre won't go unnoticed. Atlesians are all over Vulcan Industries like a cat with yarn. No doubt they will respond to the alarm and when they find what you left for them there they'll hunt us down for it. When the blizzard passes it will be unlikely for us to come across any more travelers. These hostages will deter any direct attack. I am keeping us safe!"
"You keep telling yourself that."
Caryn sighed and closed shut her ledger, "It's a long way to Menagerie from here."
"We're not going to Menagerie."
"And what's your alternative? To roam Anima living out of caves until we're finally hunted down? I have friends in the White Fang. They can help us. Sienna-"
Buck snorted, "The White Fang? Please. Bunch of pussies. Despite what their name implies they're nothing but a bunch of weak willed protestors. You remember Vance from the middle levels?"
"All too well." She drawled.
"I was there when the Rangers put him and his gang to the sword."
"Fight by the sword, die by the sword. They got what was coming to them after what they did."
Buck grunted, "Vance was a prick. I won't argue that. But he got excommunicated just for fighting for the White Fang's foolish cause when they wouldn't."
"You and Vance have both been imprisoned for too long. The White Fang is undergoing a change. Their peaceful protests are a thing of the past."
"So the pups have finally grown claws, eh? Think they can keep us safe from your imagined threats?"
"Safety is not what I'm after." Said Caryn, gaining the undivided attention of her fellow bandits. "They'll need strong faunus like us. With the White Fang we can organize. Fight back against the humans instead of hiding from them in caves like frightened sheep."
Their argument evoked grumbling responses from their fellow bandits. There were maybe thirty or forty of them in total. A ragtag lot. Hard edged and cold were their looks. Especially when glaring at their prisoners. Bloodlust filled their eyes, making their desire plain for all to see. They each possessed their own animal attribute. Faunus. Former slaves of the Quarry.
Couldn't root out all the weeds could you, Captain Ashur?
"Mr. Clementine." Anton unburied his face. The curly ends of his mustache had been crudely cut away and what remained was stained with blood from a broken nose. "I didn't think you'd wake."
"Are you alright?" whispered Clementine in response, "Your family…"
"We're unharmed for the most part." His voice trembled with fear, "They came in the dead of night. Pounced on us in our sleep. Tore us from each other's arms. What in the world do they want with us? Crazy faunus-"
The crack of a whip caught Anton on top of his head eliciting a cry of pain. "Enough talk!" sneered one of their captors as she recalled the whip. The commotion caught the attention of everyone in the cave.
"Stop it!" pleaded Teisha.
The Overseer snapped the whip out again. The clumsy attack, which was aimed for Teisha hit Anton instead. The lash broke skin and a trickle of blood splashed against the cave wall behind them. Clementine's insides swirled as if a knife were being twisted inside his gut. He grimaced at the woman with the whip. His unsavory glare was met with equal vehemence. She marched towards him, the tapered rope of the whip trailing behind her. "What you looking at?"
"You."
The back of her gauntleted palm caught Clementine across the face. "I'll ask again. What you looking at?"
The backhanded slap caused him to bite the inside of his cheek. Clementine expelled the blood filling his mouth right into his captor's face.
The woman's tongue slipped out from a gap in her teeth. The rather skinny, yet abnormally long tongue licked up the bloody spittle. She flashed a ghastly smile and punched Clementine in the face before backing away.
"You see?" said Buck addressing the bandits, "They're nothing but trouble. Best slit their throats now and be done with it."
A roar of agreement worked its way through the bandit ranks, overpowering Caryn's reason.
"There is a child amongst them, Buck." Said Caryn, "Will you be wielding that blade?"
Buck visibly hesitated and for a moment a softness came about his visage, but it was quickly broken by a sneer.
"Then we leave them when we go."
"They won't survive a week on their own."
"Then so be it!" shouted Buck.
Clementine's already fuzzy mind had been jumbled by the punch delivered onto him by the Overseer. The ringing in his ears, which he thought faded, resurfaced once more. Only it wasn't a high pitched shrill. Rather, he thought he heard music. The tolling of bells and the pluck of strings. A random chime emanating from every soul in the cavern.
"You know who you're dealing with?" growled Brock.
"Shut it." whispered Tanner, but Brock ignored him.
"Come closer and I'll show you. I'll bite your legs off!"
The long-tongued overseer lashed out with her whip. Brock caught it wrapped around his wrists. She tried to pull it back, but Brock held on causing the whip to strain taut. Their tug of war continued for a few seconds in silence before Brock grumbled a laugh.
"You don't know how to use that thing, do you? You look like a child playing with rope. I would've thought its years of use would've taught you something. I guess you're all slow learners!"
Bandits swarmed Brock, pulling him from the stalagmites and tossing him across the cave grounds. He rolled to a stop near the sleigh's base. Multiple whips lashed out at him. Brock threw up his hands to defend himself, but it was all he could do. The crack of whips filled the cavern and Cori's crying came to an ear-piercing screech.
"That's enough!" Buck jumped down from the sleigh and landed next to Brock's crumpled form. A kick to his ribs turned Brock onto his back. The whips had torn his shirt, revealing his bare skin. There, tattooed on his chest was a serpent's fangs.
"An Ophidian." Gasped Caryn.
A collective hiss escaped from the faunus bandits. Buck's smile became savage, "Forget what I said. A slit throat will be too quick for them. Seeing as we're snowed in for the time being thanks to this blizzard we might as well take our time. Enjoy ourselves…Starting with the woman."
Anton paled a ghostly shade, "No!"
"The two of us are former Ophidians!" shouted Tanner, his voice weak. "Do what you want with us, but leave them alone! They've done nothing to you!"
Brock lashed out, sinking his teeth into Buck's calf. The ram faunus bleated and bent over to wrap his fingers around Brock's neck. Managing to pry the Ophidian off his leg, Buck lifted Brock into the air.
"Oh, it's going to be so much worse now!" Buck headbutted Brock, his ram horns slamming into the Ophidian's face. Teeth clattered on the ground like rolled dice and Brock went limp. Tossing him aside, Buck moved towards Teisha and Cori. Caryn, however, put herself in his path. Their confrontation clashed with a cadence of drums in Clementine's mind.
"Stop this." Ordered Caryn. Both her swiveling telescope eyes locked onto her rival.
"You're not in charge here." Snarled Buck, "Who kept us safe from these fuckers in the mines? Who defended you against their lash?"
"You do this and you're no better than them." She shook her head, "No, you'd be worse!"
The tension between the two created a schism among the other faunus. They split and slowly gathered behind their chosen side. Like pieces on a chess board moving into place. Their passions burned bright in their souls. Clementine could feel their heat. He could almost reach out and touch it.
"This is how the world works, Caryn. Have you not realized that yet?"
"That was how the Quarry worked! But here in the real world we don't have to be animals. We can be better."
"Or stronger!"
"They had nothing to do with the Quarry!"
"Is that so?" Buck moved towards the sleigh and kicked over one of the Oaks' supply crates, spilling out scientific instruments and a vast number of blueprints. Anton's inventions. "Same sort of shit we found at the factory. They work for Vulcan! The very people who prospered off our sweat and blood!"
Caryn scanned the spilled contents of the crate, each eye moving independently from the other. "You would lump them in with Ophidians? Sentence them to death?"
"I'm done with talking." Buck spat and turned to those gathered behind him. "Restrain her."
Three faunus loyal to Buck stepped towards Caryn and three others moved to intercept them. Both trios froze, hands moving towards weapons. Clementine reached out, his fingers unlacing. The music swelled. Its discordant rhythm unhinged. The rest of the cavern remained still as if frozen in time. Such a familiar feeling. Like a breath held in anticipation. Just waiting for release. Clementine tapped his raised knee. One, two, and-
Both sides erupted in an explosion of burgeoning desire. Blades were drawn. Guns were fired, their shots ricocheting. Roars of violence were let loose from throats. Clementine could feel the hate behind them. The past slights. The years of growing discomfort in the Quarry followed by strained months of travel. He recognized their anger, no matter how petty, and coerced it forward. The fire was already there. Clementine merely fed it incendiary Dust.
Many of Buck's crew tried to get at Tanner. Their hatred for Ophidians was immeasurable. However, those loyal to Caryn stood in their way. A sting of betrayal that soured the whole pot, causing them to turn on each other with even greater ferocity. Bodies collided, and the flames of their outrage soared higher.
Rage and hatred though the majority, wasn't all Clementine found out amongst the bandit ranks. One pair embraced each other in ravenous lust. A desire long kept locked within them for reasons not even they understood. There was greed too. The more deceitful of the bunch jumped on the piles of loot they had stored and began stuffing their pockets. Any honor amongst this band of thieves and bandits was done away with in their mad rush for loot. Friends turned daggers on one another if they both went for the same prized item.
Clementine was buffeted by their desires as he had been so many times as a child standing in his attic facing a storm. He could not control the currents, but he nonetheless amplified them. Let them swarm and crackle around him as if they the lightning and he the conductor.
The long-tongued woman rushed towards Clementine. Her desire for his blood was unmistakable. He could feel it before he even saw her. Clementine did not deny her approach. He merely sat, his fingers dancing to the tune. She came into view already bloodied from murder. After a quick twist of her wrist the whip in her hand protruded a sharp blade from its pommel. She charged him, point upraised. Only ten feet away she was tackled to the ground by another who's anger smoldered a murderous red. His left eye was a bloody gash from when she had accidently whipped him not long ago. The two of them were lovers before that incident. A friendship snatched away with one misguided flick of the wrist. Those mixed feelings swirled into something volatile. The man's hands closed around his former lover's throat and squeezed. Her face darkened and that long tongue of hers darted out in asphyxiation.
Amongst the chaos that filled the cavern Clementine became acutely aware of the nuggets of fear growing right beside him.
Anton grabbed Clementine's shoulder and shook him as if trying to wake him from a dream. "What have you done to them?" Terror gripped his words.
"Whatever you're doing," said Teisha, "Keep doing it."
Clementine didn't take his eyes off the scene playing out before him. The violence of it all felt like something out of a play. He watched on as a mere spectator, but in truth he knew his role was much more than that. "Take Cori and get out of here."
Tanner helped the Oaks family to their feet. "We won't last in that blizzard."
"If any of these faunus survive themselves, then the snow may be a better fate than staying here." Clementine glanced at them. Behind her parents' protective arms Cori stared out. Her round eyes were poisoned with fear, which trickled down her face in the form of tears. But it wasn't the bandits nor their brutal slaughter of each other which frightened her so. No. The source of her terror was none other than Clementine himself. Cori's horror struck him like a hammer blow to his forehead.
"Go!" he said, his voice a rasp.
The Oaks family, Tanner included, fled. They disappeared into the dark beyond the fire's reach. Clementine hoped they knew where they were going and not just blindly plunging into the cavern's depths. With them gone he returned his attention back on the bandits.
The fighting was beginning to die down. The heat of their souls dwindled in his hands until at last Clementine's grip on them slipped. His disconnect from their temporary and fraught bond left him isolated. As if he had just opened the black pit in his gut a little wider, allowing the void to further eat away at his insides. Standing on two naked feet, Clementine stepped out onto his stage of slaughter.
The heat of the cookfire melted the ice and snow frosted to the cave stalagmites. Water dripped down from the ceiling. In extended intervals a single drop of water would fall and splatter on Caryn's forehead. She had no idea how long she laid here for. Long enough for the roar of combat echoing throughout the cavern to fade. Her measure of time came in the form of droplets fallen. Eighty-four by her count. The consistent splat of water at least helped keep her conscious.
Both of Caryn's hands were clasped around the broken tip of a ram's horn protruding from her abdomen. Buck had charged her first and foremost, impaling his longtime friend with one of his horns, which she had to break in order to be released. Caryn knew she contemplated her death more often than most. Would it be starvation? Sickness? The strike of the wrong Dust crystal? Perhaps she would anger the Ophidians and catch a lethal beating. Or fall victim to one of the Foreman's indiscriminate snaps of violence. So many ways to die. Yet, being slain by her own brother in arms never crossed her mind.
Laying here, her lifeblood leaking out, Caryn couldn't help but wonder at how avoidable this whole mess seamed. Buck had always been a rough man with an erratic temper. A violent man. They all were. It's how one survived the Quarry. Yet, him and his ilk only grew worse since their departure from that accursed place. Yet that still didn't explain this level of violence. Caryn thought that perhaps she had been naïve to think they would never turn against their own. They were criminals after all. But she knew herself better than that. Even with all the injustices heaped upon her she would never take part in the violence that just occurred. And yet, in the heat of the moment she rushed Buck all the same. With the intent to kill.
Looking back, she knew her reasons. Her anger over Buck's actions at the Vulcan factory. Her fear of its repeating visited upon the prisoners. Her hatred for his disregard of the respect and command she worked so hard to earn. These emotions of hers which Caryn held close were torn from her grasp of reason. It felt as if something or someone squeezed her soul, expunging all that she held within. The overflow proved too much for her to handle. And if she couldn't contain herself it's no wonder what the rest succumbed to.
The shadow of a figure came into view above her. Caryn's eyes, which had gone slack, quickly readjusted onto the new arrival. The young strawberry blonde lad rubbed his previously bound wrists. He wore a mask of anguish for reasons of which, Caryn couldn't guess at. Though seeing her still alive he cracked his mask with a smile and knelt at her side.
"You still live?" he asked as if unsure what he was witnessing was real.
Caryn hadn't realized how beautiful the young man looked. Back in her home village many of the neighborhood girls would claw each other's eyes out to get with this one. Not her of course. She'd just watch silently from her window. Solemn in her acceptance that no one like that could come to love her. Not a shy girl with the freakish eyes of a lizard. Yet here she laid, a lifetime later, with the undivided attention of someone far more regal than any who stumbled into her small childhood village.
"Excuse me." He slipped his hand underneath her, his fingers feeling her back. "It didn't pierce all the way through. I suppose that's good. Can you hear me?"
"I can hear you." She responded, her voice weaker than she imagined.
Her former prisoner spun about, "I'll be right back." He limped off out of sight only to return a few moments later with a fist full of rags. "May I?"
Caryn let her hands fall away, allowing him to clean the wound. She grimaced and writhed, her fingernails scraping against the stone ground. Buck had gouged her good. Caryn doubted she would survive. Even with this stranger's help. He worked with illogical determination. Fierce were his eyes. So much so that Caryn suspected that her own life meant more to him than it did her. This was no kindness. To him it was a mission, driven by guilt to correct a wrong. The fault he sought to rectify was lost to her.
"Caryn, isn't it?"
She blinked up at him, "And you are?"
"Augustus Clementine." He smiled again. A warm smile, enough to dull the aching pain lancing through her body. "I'm sorry for what's happened here. Not all of you seemed so bad."
"What has happened here?"
"I wish I could say. But I can't put it into words."
"The others… are they-" Caryn tried to sit up, but the resulting pain filled her head with blackness and she was forced to remain still.
"I would worry about yourself." Said Augustus Clementine. "Just keep your eyes on me."
She winced, "Easy enough."
"So, you're from the Quarry?"
"Heard about that, huh?"
His eyes shied away momentarily, "Yeah…I've heard about it. If you wanted to keep your friends safe why not go with the Rangers?"
"Most of my friends, myself included, have a bit of a reputation. You see, we couldn't go with them. Even if we wanted to. They'd figure out eventually and we'd be right back in chains." She shook her head, "No…The Rangers were never an option for us."
"What did you do to garner this reputation? If you don't mind me asking."
"I killed my husband."
To her surprise not a flicker of judgment passed his features. He simply asked, "Why?"
"He was a piece of shit." She said, "One I thought I deserved. Not that my reasons matter. My husband being human and myself a faunus. Since it was a human I murdered then it was a human prison they sent me to."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I've done more good in that Quarry than I could've ever done on my own. Life in that pit was hard for women and children especially. And I saw my husband's face everywhere I went. It's like they wear the same mask."
"You protected them."
"No, they needed to learn how to protect themselves. I simply removed their tougher obstacles." Her drowsy vision was beginning to fade.
"I've killed before." Said Clementine.
Too long had she spent in the company where such claims came off as boasts. Every crime real or embellished stood as testaments to one's strength. Caryn hadn't expected to hear such a crushing sadness to one's admission. Not like what she heard in Augustus Clementine's voice.
She fixed him with one eye, "You're too young for killing."
"I hadn't realized there was an age cutoff. They should be more clearly stated as such."
Caryn giggled, much to her body's regret. "You're strange, aren't you?"
He gave the slightest of shrugs, "I suppose I am."
"Why are you helping me?"
"Why did you stand to defend us?"
"I didn't do it for you if that's what you think…They've become so far from what they used to be and ever since we've left the Quarry behind they've only gotten worse. I just wanted to help. To do the right thing."
Augustus Clementine brushed sweat from his brow, smearing his forehead with her blood. He stared at Buck's horn tip. Though she couldn't see it, Caryn knew all she needed to know from his near desperate look. He had purposely kept her talking to keep her both conscious and distracted from the pain. It was a noble effort if but a futile one.
"Stomach wounds are the worst." She complained, "People can survive for days afterwards, but the result is the same. I'm going to die."
"No." he snapped, "I can help you."
"Don't fret so much. I've accepted my death long ago." Caryn did her best to smile up at him, but the effort proved too much. "You seem a good man. I'd like to help you."
"Help me?" he repeated the words in utter disbelief.
"Strange as our situations are I believe I can. On our way to these caves while you were unconscious I interrogated the others. They told me you were looking for someone. A faunus girl with the tail of a panther. I think I can help you on that account."
"You know Kiera?" asked Augustus Clementine, his eyes widening.
"I knew of her." Said Caryn, "When the Rangers were liberating the Quarry many of us stayed there in camp to either recuperate or wait for friends still on lower levels. During those days many strangers came amongst us. One of which fits the description of this Kiera friend of yours. I knew not her reasons for being there, but she had this look in her eyes…As if she were on a crusade. I wasn't the only one to notice. Many gave her a wide berth. With those she did speak with she asked about their pasts. How they came to be imprisoned and such. Word is she was looking for any clues about faunus slave trading. Whatever answer she was looking for she must've gotten for she disappeared from camp after less than a day's stay."
"Do you have any idea where she'd gone?"
"If she were looking to spill slaver blood then there will be no better place than Menagerie. Though the faunus stronghold, the outskirts of the continent are crawling with bounty hunters and slave traders eager to capture any foolish enough to wander far from home." Caryn choked on a cough. Blood spittle saturated her tongue. "If it's your intention to follow her then I fear I must warn you. Menagerie is not a kind place. Even those parts which are civilized and secure are not welcome to humans. Y-you will have to be careful…" Her vision began to split as her eyes fell away in different directions.
"Caryn? Caryn, stay awake. Please…I don't know what to do!"
She could give no answer to his plea. No matter how much she craved to. Caryn knew that she will never wake from this sleep. Too much blood loss. She'd succumb to her wounds in a few hours. Without even knowing it she'd slip away. Such a subtle change. From sleep to death. The states were indistinguishable. Though she supposed there were worse ways to die. Still, she wished she had the strength to at least warn Augustus Clementine of the danger creeping up behind him. To her lizard eyes it appeared as no more than a shade. A devil to reap the souls of those lost in this cavern. It would have her and that was only fair. But to take Augustus Clementine as well would be greedy.
Caryn cursed her own weakness even as the darkness set in.
Moments after Caryn slipped into unconsciousness Clementine heard the unmistakable click of a gun. He looked up in time to see Tanner raising a Dust pistol in his direction. The multiple shots reverberated throughout the hollow cavern. Clementine whirled around.
Buck stumbled backwards, the cudgel slipping from his grasp. Four shards of rock protruded from his chest. He fell against a large stalagmite and sagged to the floor. Through clenched teeth he growled at them. Even as life fled from behind his eyes he remained ferocious. The once vocal faunus reverted to a feral animal in the end. One gore stained horn angled his drooping head to the right. Clementine slowly turned back around to face the Ophidian who still held his gun at him.
Tanner smiled humorlessly, "I was there that day when you and your large friend came to the Quarry. I saw then who you've claimed to be. Today, I've witnessed what you can be. So now I only have one question for you. Who are you really?"
"I am no enemy of yours, Ophidian."
Tanner held out his bandaged arm, "I'm no longer an Ophidian. It was only ever a job and its behind me now. Clementine…I've heard that name mentioned before amongst the chattering gossip of Refuge's City Guard."
Clementine cocked his head curiously, "What is it they say about me?"
"They say a lot. Most of it bullshit. Or so I thought. But now…" He glanced at the carnage around him, "This was you, wasn't it?"
"I can't say for sure. But yes, I believe so."
Tanner lowered the gun, "If you're not my enemy. Then I won't dare to be yours."
"Thank you."
They both flinched at a grunting cough. Tanner moved towards the source of the noise, stepping over bodies of dead bandits along the way. Spotting something amongst the heap, Tanner dropped his pistol and threw himself onto his knees. He flipped over a corpse and dragged the body underneath it free. He took the man's battered form and pulled him onto his lap. Holding a hand over the man's cracked lips Tanner broke into a laugh.
"He's alive! How am I not surprised? Fucker refuses to die. I'll never be rid of him."
Clementine squinted at the man Tanner cradled, "Brock?"
"I didn't think he could get any uglier. Stubborn bastard. Should've kept his mouth shut."
The rest of the visible cavern remained motionless. "Where are the Oaks?" asked Clementine.
"They're hiding at the cave entrance along with your horse. I told them to wait ten minutes for my return before risking the blizzard. The truck is out there somewhere. The cave mouth wasn't big enough for it to fit through. But you can't see more than a foot in front of you in that storm."
"You should hurry back to them." Suggested Clementine, "Let them know it's safe. I'll stay and keep watch on things here."
"That won't be necessary." said a new voice, startling both Clementine and Tanner. Four strangers rushed into the main cavern, coming from where the Oaks had fled. They were dressed in camouflage pigments of white. Snow frosted their beards and eyebrows. They carried strange weapons in their hands. Musket rifles equipped with bladed attachments at their muzzles. The four men formed a half circle around the cavern. They surrounded the scene and with some trepidation cast anxious glances at their leader, the one who spoke.
"We don't mean you any harm." Said the leader, "My name is Galen. We're huntsmen from Atlas. Anton and Teisha already informed us on the situation." Behind them, cowering in the shadows were the Oaks family.
"What are you doing here?" asked Tanner, slightly alarmed.
"We were charged with hunting down this band of faunus. They've robbed several caravans in the Fall and massacred the workers at an offsite Vulcan Industries production factory. We've been tracking them for weeks."
Tanner sighed in relief. No doubt he thought them here for him. "You tracked them in this blizzard?"
"It's our specialty. In Atlas a storm like this is common. Though we had help. A large number of Grimm were drawn to these caves. Whatever happened here was a beacon for those creatures. We simply followed them and carved our way through."
"Do you have a doctor with you?" asked Clementine.
Galen regarded him with some apprehension, "We have a medic, yes."
Clementine knelt next to Caryn, "She's wounded bad. Puncture wound to the abdomen. I've tried my best to stop the bleeding but if she doesn't get proper help then she won't last."
"If I'm not mistaken is this not the faunus who took you captive?"
"What of it?"
The four huntsmen shuffled anxiously, "Our orders are to hunt down and eliminate the bandit problem. We weren't meant to take any prisoners."
Clementine balked at them, "Are you serious?"
"Transferring prisoners is risky enough, but in this weather…" Galen shook his head, flinging bits of snow everywhere. "It's better not to risk it. Besides, we have our mission."
"Help her, damn you!"
In response to his outburst the three other huntsmen aimed their guns at Clementine. Instilled on their frigid expressions was the same look Cori gave him. Fear. The Oaks had told them what had happened and who had caused it. There was no hiding that.
"Calm yourself." Ordered Galen.
Clementine stood and hobbled forward, causing some of them to take hesitant steps back. "Are you really just going to let a person die? When you have the power to save them?"
Galen's eyes, like flecks of dirtied ice glanced at the cavern around him. The bodies that littered the floor. The blood that decorated the walls like abstract cave paintings. Even a warrior as seasoned as him could not remain unmoved by the sight. The pure madness of it all. The warrior looked to one of his fellow huntsman and nodded.
"Gil, see to the faunus."
"But sir-"
"Now!"
Admonished, the huntsman named Gil slung his rifle over his shoulder and hurried over to Caryn. Unpacking his supply kit, he started administering his own treatment by first removing the broken horn tip.
Clementine moved to watch over Caryn. "Will she live?"
"If she's lucky." Said Gil, uncaring.
"Make sure that she does."
"He will." Affirmed Galen, "Or it's his ass. How about your man there?"
Tanner looked down at the unconscious form of Brock. "He'll be fine. It's nothing serious. Brock has had worse." Clementine noticed how Tanner draped a cloth over his friend's Ophidian tattoo and opted to say nothing. He didn't trust these Atlesians. They were nothing more than hired killers wearing the romanticized title of huntsmen.
Galen addressed the other two huntsmen, "Look through the rest. See if there are any survivors." The two nodded and went to work.
Hours passed in relative silence. Clementine joined the huntsmen in their search of the bodies, collecting up pieces of his own gear that had been stripped from him. If any bandits survived it would've been the lovers he felt during the fighting. They most likely retreated further into the caves. Clementine withheld that suspicion from the Atlesians. Those two bandits were no threat to four huntsmen able to cleave their way through a pack of Grimm in a blizzard. Besides, there had been enough bloodshed for one day. Finding all that he cared to look for, Clementine returned to where Gil was operating on Caryn.
"How is she?"
Gil glanced up at him, refusing to meet his eye. "She'll live. Long enough to spend the rest of her natural days in prison."
Teisha emerged from the shadows, "What happens now?"
"Now we wait. When the blizzard passes, we will escort you to Kuchinashi."
Clementine buttoned up his winter jacket. "I'm not going to Kuchinashi."
"I'm afraid I must insist." Said Galen, "We'll need your report on all that's happened here."
"I decline."
Galen's face twitched, just the smallest hint of agitation piercing his cold expression. "This is something you cannot just decline."
"Well it looks like I already have."
"Let him go." interceded Tanner, "Just let him go. You'll have us for whatever you need. We were all here. Same as Clementine."
Galen chewed on tough jerky whilst glaring at the two of them. "Where will you go?"
"Menagerie. If you must know."
Ignoring the stares stabbing into his back, Clementine moved to Tanner and whispered. "You'll make sure Caryn gets to Kuchinashi safely?"
Tanner met his eyes and held out his hand. "I will. Whatever you did here today…I owe you. We all do."
Hesitating for only a moment, Clementine took Tanner's hand in a firm shake. Before letting go the former Ophidian pulled him in close and whispered, "Our past does not define us. Remember that."
Without saying another word Clementine turned to leave. The walk to the cave exit was excruciating. The faces of the dead watched him pass. His victims. His tools.
So, this is what you saw. Wasn't it, Shan? I see why you shuddered. Look at what I've become. A man too weak to fight his own battles so he commandeers the souls of others to do his dirty work for him. Their faces haunt me. Alfie, I lost my innocence so I in turn stole yours.
Ira…You kept them imprisoned for years. I had them slaughter each other in a single night. Which of us is the eviler of the two? I wonder.
Clementine passed the Oaks on his way out. Anton had his face once again buried in his hands. Cori spun away at Clementine's approach. Only Teisha met his eyes as he walked by. She offered him a shaken smile. Though false in its warmth Clementine still appreciated the effort.
He walked almost fifty feet in darkness before reaching the light of the tunnel mouth. The blizzard snowfall was an impenetrable tempest of white. He found Vern hobbled to a stalagmite near the entrance. The horse watched his approach with glazed eyes, nibbling on something left for him in a sack.
"Thought they would've killed you." Said Clementine. "Cut you up, make you into dinner. And I would've watched on, uncaring. They wouldn't eat me after all. I suppose that would've been apt."
Vern chewed, but otherwise made no response.
"Hoped you had seen the last of me, have you? Hate to disappoint." He checked through the horse's saddle. After finding everything relatively untouched, he worked one foot into the stirrup and struggled to pull himself onto the beast. Clementine nudged Vern in the direction of the cave entrance. The horse stopped five feet from the falling snow.
Chilled winds whisked through Clementine's hair. "I'll give it another hour." He said, "But after that we brave the storm. I want to be rid of this place. Forever."
Vern snorted a reply and lowered his head, continuing to chew.
