Prologue: A Deal with the Devil
Ricken suppressed the urge to shudder as he looked into his guest's dispassionate eyes. His ears twitched spasmodically as the man drummed his fingertips against the tabletop, each clack hammering against his eardrums like the crack of a rifle.
Around him, the small gathering of his fellow settlement heads refused to meet the man's gaze.
He would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't afraid. He was their only lifeline amidst the ever encroaching threat of the Grimm, and one small mistake in their negotiations would doom the small alliance of settlements. Ricken wet his lips slightly before speaking.
"I assume you know the reason why we have called you here?"
The man gives him a look, leaning forward on his chair and steepling his fingers. Ricken felt a chill run up his spine as the man merely stares at him.
"Enlighten me."
The settlement head forces a smile on his face. "It has been many months since you and your men have arrived here, correct?" He takes his guest's slight nod as a gesture to continue, "You have, undoubtedly, faced off against the creatures of Grimm as a result of your...displacement. Ferocious beasts that stalk Remnant's surface. They come in many shapes and sizes - from the Beowulves that your men kill with casual ease to the Nevermores that prowl the sky. The Grimm are in hordes far beyond counting. For every one you kill, two more will rise to take it's place."
Ricken's ears pick up what sounded like a low curse coming from his lips, judging from the way he spoke 'Russisch'. He swallows.
"As I understand it, a small...kompanie," he struggles with the word briefly, before continuing, "of your men held off a wave of Beowulves and Ursai at Elsa's settlement." Ricken gestures to the rabbit-eared woman next to him, who gives their guest a smile and a nod.
"That would be correct, Herr Ricken."
He inadvertently releases a breath he didn't know he was holding. "We...we must extend our thanks for this act. The other settlements were too busy preparing to send a force over to help pacify the Grimm. Our manpower is limited. If your men hadn't been there at the time, many lives would have been lost."
"There would have." their guest agrees, and the silence that had preceded the meeting settled in.
"I am going to be honest with you," Ricken begins, "We cannot fully defend ourselves. Sometimes, the Grimm come in such large numbers that leaves us no choice but to evacuate our small outposts...and in some cases, entire settlements." Leyfirel came to the forefront of his mind, and he could not help but let out a sigh.
"And this is where my men come in, ja?"
The settlement head inwardly smiles. They were now reaching the latter half of their negotation.
"Yes. You must understand - though the Hunters come occasionally and sweep the area clean of Grimm, it will not stay like that forever. The Grimm are attracted to negative emotions. Fear, loneliness, hatred," he reigns in the anger in the last word just barely, "and they congregate to the source of that negativity like moths to a flame."
The man nods in understanding.
"It is my hope that we can come to an..agreement of sorts, if you will. We are in need of protection against the Grimm, and your men are the kind of protection we are looking for."
An eyebrow is arched. "You wish for us to act as your aegis against these... kreaturen."
"Yes." Ricken admits, brows furrowing slightly when his guest cracks his index finger with his thumb, "I will arrange for places your men can stay if you are to agree to this. Your help would be appreciated."
"Why do you stay in these settlements instead of the cities?"
The question causes Ricken to reel back, before his eyes flash with anger. "Our kind are shunned by the humans in the cities. We Faunus are treated like second class citizens. Many of us live in the slums, and establishments openly favor humans over Faunus. It is open segregation. We are kicked out of stores for our features, denied work because of our looks."
Ricken knows he is getting worked up - the stares from both his guest and fellow heads of settlements attest to that. Elsa's tug against his sleeve should have calmed him down, but it has the opposite effect.
"The reason we live here is so we may escape that bigotry, that utterly blatant racism - and damn anyone who tries to take that away from us, be it Grimm or humans!" he yells, punctuating his statement by slamming his fist on the tabletop and standing up, his chair falling to the floor with a low thud.
"Would your people not raise an issue with humans," the man stresses, eyes seemingly gleaming with barely hidden amusement, "protecting them, then?"
Ricken falters for a moment, realising his mistake, and he feels the gazes of his fellows on his back. To his credit, however, the cat Faunus merely straightens and fixes his guest with a harsh glare.
"I would do anything to protect my kin, even if it meant making a deal with the devil himself."
A sound fills the room, and it takes a few moments for Ricken to realise that the man was laughing. It continues for what seems like hours, before it subsides, the man standing up.
"You are a great leader!" he exclaims, and a look of confusion crosses Ricken's features before his guest continues, "Only a man who truly cares for those under his protection would make such an outrageous statement!"
He feels ever so slightly embarrassed when a murmur of agreement emerges from the impromptu council behind him. He shoots them a glare, only for them to chuckle. He turns to his guest, who extends a hand to him.
"I will accept this agreement, Herr Ricken," he says, flashing the man a grin as he cracks his index finger once more, "I trust that you will uphold your end of the bargain."
Ricken mirrors the gesture, shaking his counterpart's hand and letting a smile dance on his lips, relief showing in his face. "I intend to do so, Generalleutnant Joachim."
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