A/N: Today is my birthday! It's already been a great day so far and as a gift for readers, I'm releasing this chapter early. Hope you all enjoy it.


Setting: Zorin

Silver and Zelts were walking through the settlement they were fortunate to find during that snowstorm. They needed to get a better layout of Zorin to see what was here and what they could use to get to the next settlement or even the kingdom. Now that it wasn't nightfall and there was no blizzard blinding them, Silver and Zelts got a good look at Zorin. The place was just as poor and rundown as they thought. Nearly all the buildings were in bad shape and some of the residents were dressed rather slovenly. It really showed how this settlement and its people were given the cold shoulder by the kingdom, proving Silver right to dislike this kingdom.

"This place is…" Zelts started off but stopped when he couldn't find the word to describe Zorin's condition.

"Yeah. I know," Silver answered, understanding what his friend was trying to say.

He brought out Fenrir and thought about the battle with the Wendigo. His attacks were the least effective against the Grimm, making Silver feel like he needs to up the ante with his weapons. He considered it fortunate that Zorin was their destination because he could probably find a weaponsmith who could upgrade his guns into something with more firepower. It was his plan to get this done while they stayed here, but that came second. Finding a way to safely travel was his main priority and so far, he and Zelts were getting nowhere.

"Has this place really been abandon by the kingdom? There are no vehicles or transports anywhere," Zelts commented after they covered the entire town.

"Obviously, but even without the support of the kingdom, Zorin should still have some type of transports to help find stuff like hunting for food and dust. Now that they're bread and butter of making weapons isn't paying the bills, I'm sure the people are ends meat by finding all the resources they can and pool it together to survive," Silver explained.

"Then where do you think the vehicles are?" Zelts referred to Silver since he seemed to have the most knowledge about these types of situations in Atlas.

"One option could be the people have an organized time when they depart to search for resources, so the vehicles might be stored somewhere until they are needed. Looks like we'll have to breaking and entering," Silver answered with a faint smile. He was completely alright with committing a little vandalism.

"Is there another way we can do this?" Zelts asked with a stern tone. He wasn't alright with committing vandalism.

"Fine. Since this place is organized, that means it has a system, and a system means a hierarchy, and a hierarchy means there's a leader. Find the leader, ask him or her for a ride and bang! We have our transport, though it's not as fun as my first plan, but whatever. Let's do it," Silver told Zelts.

"You know, Silver. You've changed a lot since we first met. You used to be a jerk and kinda dumb, but you really know what you're doing," Zelts complimented, but Silver didn't take it as one.

"You thought I was a jerk and dumb?" Silver questioned.

"Eh, you're still kind of a jerk, but I don't think you're dumb anymore," Zelts said with a smirk before he continued walking.

"…Thanks, I think," Silver said though a bit unsure.

They kept walking around Zorin so they could ask the locals what they could learn about their new objective.

Setting: Zorin Inn

Lily and Azura were in the hotel room where Remus rested. He didn't wake up the after a good night's rest, but his symbol stopped flashing on the back of his neck, meaning his condition was much better than before. However, there was one thing that the team procrastinated on and that was Remus's dislocated right shoulder. Aura can heal wounds, but a dislocation was a different type of injury. The problem and solution were simple; pop his shoulder back in, but no one was prepared to do the deed, well, one person was.

"I'm going to do it," Azura said as she sat next to Remus.

"Are you sure?" Lily asked though she was hesitant. She really didn't want to see the process.

"It's not going to get better on its own. Just gotta brace myself," Azura said as she picked up Remus and placed him on her lap.

She got in position and held onto Remus's right arm, ready to pop his arm in. Lily had her hands over her eyes so she would see it happen. While the two were doing their own thing, Remus was beginning to stir from his slumber. He woke up and slowly opened his eyes to see Azura holding onto his arm. He tried to speak, but his throat was a little hoarse.

"A-Azur-"

The next sound that filled the room was the sound of Remus's shoulder popping into place followed by Remus screaming in pain.

"AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGG!"

Lily flinched from the shriek and Azura had her eyes closed. Remus continued to wallow in pain, holding his relocated arm and fiercely biting his to hold in the pain. Azura opened her eyes to see her cousin was awake. Lily as well, looked on in surprise at the young Cobalt's poorly timed awakening.

"Remus…are you… okay?" Lily asked hesitantly.

"UUUUGGGHHH, ugh…aaaahhhhhh..." he responded with painful moans that died down.

"He'll be fine," Azura answered for him. "Just give him a couple minutes to get over it. Come on, off my lap." Azura moved Remus off her lap and back on the bed.

Lily moved closer to him to see if he needed anything and Remus had a few questions.

"W-what happened? Where are we? Where's Silver and Zelts?"

"You were hurt pretty bad by that Wendigo and we chased it away. Someone from Zorin found you and he brought you to us. Right now, we're in a local inn. Silver and Zelts are in town trying figure out our next move," Lily answered each of his questions.

"Then…I got beat by that Grimm?" Remus asked with a saddened look.

"Sorry, Remus…" was the only thing Lily could say.

"I should've gone all out right from the beginning. The dust energy in Romulus would've sliced that thing's head off," he mumbled.

Azura, on the other hand, looked at him with a slightly annoyed expression. "You gonna keep bitching about what you could've done then instead what you can do next time? You might not be the brightest bulb in the bunch, but I thought you were better than this."

Remus looked at Azura with a blank expression. He silently mulled over what she was saying and he remembered Dr. Lupa telling him the same thing. Defeat is an opportunity to learn and adapt to your enemy and Remus was definitely going to learn from this. Azura's stern words lit a fire in Remus and he was ready for a second round with the Wendigo if he ever encountered it again.

"Right. I am better than this. Thanks for reminding me, Azura," Remus thanked.

Azura shrugged him off, but Lily was impressed with the female Cobalt, learning she liked to use tough love to help others.

"So, what do we do next?" Remus asked.

"You need to get up and walk around. Make sure your body can move without any problems. We just have to wait for Silver and Zelts to come back and give us an update on our situation," Lily answered then got up to go outside and help him if he needed it. Azura followed them since there was really nothing else for her to do in the room.

Setting: Zorin

Zelts and Silver began gathering information about how the town functioned by asking the locals. They were able to learn that Silver's deduction was correct, the settlement works as an organized unit to keep from perishing. Another they learned is that the person in charge used methods that were less than noble for a leader of the people. There were tales of interrogation, extortion, and instilling fear in the citizens to remind them who's in charge. It was obvious to the two of them that the person in control of Zorin was a crime boss. They also found out the person's base of operations was the largest weapons factory in the heart of town. It was changed to be some kind of night club where can go if they wanted some entertainment.

"Hmm…" Zelts hummed to himself.

"Problem?" Silver asked.

"The person running Zorin is a crooked boss. Does that complicate things?"

"Not really. If anything, we can pay him to give us a ride or beat a ride out of him. Nothing we can't handle. Let's face it, there's no better criminal than me."

"True," Zelts admitted. Silver could swindle himself anything he wanted thanks to his experience as a criminal, con artist, and a liar.

"You know what? You don't even have to come. Just relax in the inn and I'll get what we need."

"I won't object if you're this confident, but you sure you won't need back up? Zelts asked like the caring older brother figure that he was.

"…No, but it's a nightclub so I'll need a different kind of escort," Silver told him.

"Oh…OH!" Zelts realized what he meant. "You might want to ask them if they're okay with it."

"Think they'll go for it?" Silver asked.

Setting: Zorin Inn

"Are you serious?" Azura asked with her arms crossed.

"I don't know about this. Sounds kinda… stupid," Lily told Silver.

"It's not. This is pretty much an understood norm with night clubs," Silver explained. "If you have hot women with you, then you can get in no problem. And you guys are hot. This is a compliment and a way to get in and speak to the boss of Zorin."

"Did you just call my girlfriend hot?" Zelts asked Silver.

"Isn't she?" Silver questioned.

"Of course, she is, but I'm the only one who gets to say it," Zelts told Silver.

Lily felt embarrassed about the topic of her attractiveness but liked Zelts's comment. This feeling went away when she felt Remus poke her arm and then he did the same to Azura who looked at her cousin questioningly.

"What are you-" Azura was about to ask, but Remus spoke.

"They don't feel hot to me. Just the regular body temperature," he said and the others groaned at his inability to understand the interpretation of hot. Silver ignored his statement so he could continue the conversation.

"Anyway, I need you guys with me. The sooner we meet the leader, the faster we can get out of this place and reach the kingdom. Come on it's going easy and we get to have while doing it," Silver persuaded.

"…" Azura sighed then said, "Fine. Let's get this over with."

"What do we have to do?" Lily asked.

"I just need the two of you by my side, looking pretty. I'll handle negotiations. And if needed, my extra muscle."

"Alright. If it means we keep pressing forward, then I'm all in," Lily said.

"Azura?"

"…Whatever, but if someone comes on to me, I'm breaking bones," Azura stated.

"Wouldn't stop you. I'm not even sure if I could," Silver joked.

"Am I coming too?" Remus asked.

"Sorry buddy. You can't come," Silver answered.

"Why not?" Remus asked though it sounded like whining.

Silver jabbed his fingers into Remus's shoulder and the boy winced in pain.

"One, you are not at a hundred percent. Rest here with Zelts and take it easy. And two, you're underage. You can't go to a night club. Sorry," Silver explained.

Zelts was surprised Silver actually cared about something like that. Either Silver wanted to keep a low profile or he cared about Remus. Zelts liked to think it was the latter.

"I'm only going to be seventeen for four months," Remus grumbled.

"If you want we could postpone this little plan until you're eighteen," Lily joked, but Remus took her seriously.

"We can't wait that long. It's better if you guys go without me," Remus said.

Lily laughed lightly at his response and agreed with him because it was better than correct him. The plan was to go at night. Silver, Lily, and Azura were to enter the night club and blend into the scene. They would have to find the crime boss that ran Zorin and come to some agreement so the team could get a transport to the next location. Should be an easy job as portrayed by Silver. All they had to do now was wait.

Setting: Night Club

The night club that once served as the settlement's weapons factory was filled with people and a line of them outside the building. Music was blasted through speakers, colorful lights were flashing everywhere, and people were dancing, drinking, or both. The inside of the night club was exceptionally large. It housed a large bar so over three dozen people had easy access to it and the dance floor was massive, serving as the largest part of the club. Along one of the corners where stations where people could just sit, drink, and relax.

The line outside the club was long. People were dressed in their best clothes and hoped it was enough for the two muscular bouncers at the door will let them in. The only people who were allowed to skip the line were beautiful women along with those accompanying them and anyone who paid bribed the bouncers with Lien. This was an accepted norm in Zorin for those who want into the night club.

As people on line waited, a group of three people walked alongside the line, making their way to the entrance of the night club. This trio consisted of Silver, Lily, and Azura. Silver walked with an air of confidence and both girls on each arm, much to their displeasure, but did so to progress their mission. Lily wasn't fond of this act but found it to be tolerable. She knew Silver wasn't the type to be handsy and he's devoted to Bianca. Azura, on the other hand, hated being eye candy. She wasn't the type of girl who liked being objectified and hated the idea of people thinking vulgar thoughts of her. It infuriated her and she was already prone to acts of violence which could be consequential to the mission.

The trio stood before the two bouncers who eyed them cautiously. Silver smirked at them while Lily didn't say anything. She just kept appropriate eye contact to avoid suspicion. Azura held a peeved look on her face, but a nudge from Silver made the Cobalt smile though it was a bit forced. One of the bouncers leered at Azura with lustful eyes. The man liked a girl that had fire in her eyes.

"Welcome," the bouncer said, opening the door for the three of them.

"Thank you, my good man," Silver said as they walked into the club.

As they passed by, the bouncer eyeing Azura lowered his hand and groped her butt before she went in. The Cobalt froze in place when it happened and rage filled her eyes. Before Silver and Lily could enter the night club, the bouncer was thrown through the window by Azura. The man laid on the ground with everyone inside watching the scene.

"Dammit. Almost made it inside," Silver complained.

Azura jumped through the window and landed on top of the bouncer. She had her fist reeled back and was ready to punch the man repeatedly until he was nothing but a stain on her fist.

"Azura!" Lily called out.

The enraged Cobalt halted her attack when her friend called her name. She simply took a deep breath and stopped her aggressive action. Azura may have stopped, but that didn't mean the situation got better. Several armed men dressed in suits came and aimed their guns at Azura. Silver casually walked between Azura and the armed men to lighten the tension. Lily slowly walked toward Azura's side, ready to fight or run if need be.

"Hey. Hey, guys. Put those down," Silver asked nicely.

"Stand down," one of the guards said. "Stand down or stain the floors and the boss won't like his floors splattered with blood."

"What a coincidence! Your boss is exactly who we came to see. Want to bring him out here for us?" Silver told them.

"He doesn't need to be bothered by the likes of you. So, get out no-"

Azura sent a bolt of lightning at the bodyguard speaking and electrocuted him. He fell to the ground unconscious and the other guards were ready to fire. Silver, being the professional gunman that he was, quickly pulled out his dual handguns and fired at all six bodyguards' hands, disarming them all of their guns. The men were stunned for a minute then had their hands up to show they surrendered.

"Not the way I thought this would go, but no plan survives first contact with the enemy," Silver said. "Now, I'll ask again. Care to bring out your boss so we can chat?"

Out of nowhere, a grenade was dropped where the scene was happening. All the guest at the night club ran in fear and the guards except for the unconscious one ran as well. Silver quickly grabbed the grenade and threw it in the air, but it didn't get far enough for Silver, Azura, and Lily to get knocked back by the explosion. Azura and Lily were smacked against the wall near the front door and Silver was a few feet ahead of them. More bodyguards entered the room along with a man walking behind the bodyguards. The guards surrounded the trio and aimed their firearms at them and the man kept walking.

Silver got up till he was on one knee, but the first thing he saw was the metal tipped shoes of someone standing in front of him. He didn't lookup yet, but heard the person speak.

"Well, well, well. I never thought I'd see you again, Silvester," the man said in a deep voice.

Silver was shocked that someone whose voice he didn't recognize knew his true name. Even in Atlas, even as a child on the streets, Silver never told anyone besides Bianca his true name. It's impossible for anyone else to know it, but this stranger did.

"How do you-" Silver asked as he raised his head and the man interrupted.

"I know who you are. I know that stupid hair anywhere. And besides, I'm the one that gave you that name when you were born," the man said.

A chill went done Silver's spine. He couldn't believe what this person was saying nor that he was meeting this person. All this time, Silver thought he was dead. Even Lily and Azura were astonished by this twist of fate. Without saying a word, Silver lift his head to look at the man before him.

The man wore black pinstripe pants and sweater vest over a grey dress shirt. He had on a white fur coat that he wore over his shoulders like a cowl and several rings on his fingers. He had a black mustache and goatee combo, black hair that was slicked back like Silver's used to be, except his had strands of grey hair, and the same color eyes black, though his eyes seemed cold.

Silver was having a hard time uttering the word he wanted to say. It was something he never thought he say to the person whom this title was meant for. He was at a loss of words for a brief moment, but Silver finally said the words to the man before him.

"Dad?"