Chapter 13 – Hearthstone Chateau

Oscar

It stood before them…or at least it was almost stood.

The wood that the building was crafted from looked like it was inches from collapsing due to time and the weathering from sandstorms that hit it. They would need quite a lot of repairs done to this house if they meant to reclaim it for themselves. Ruby and Yang approached the closed front doors, and she pressed her hand to the sun scorched wood, and pushed it open. It creaked loudly as it opened up, and the dust blew inside of the house. The rusted lock shattered so easily, it was quite frightening how easily it broke. But what was more concerning was the fact that it was locked from the inside.

Ruby looked at her sister as they stood there, and Qrow walked toward them with his hand held close to his sword. "Careful, kids – remember what Malachite brought us here for. We need to clear this place out of Grimm. So be ready. They could be hiding anywhere…" Qrow advised, before he drew Harbinger once more. They all entered the building and looked around, they listened to everything that surrounded them.

As they entered, the door slowly closed behind them, with a slam too. They all jolted when they heard the sound. The dust fell from the ceilings and the cracks in the walls. There was such a creepy feeling to this place, they felt like they were constantly being watched. Silence was never there, it was always interrupted by something. Be it the howling winds from outside…or the caws of Ravens watching their every move…or maybe it was the mysterious disembodied bootsteps that paced from hall to hall.

"Are you sure it's just Grimm? Sure it isn't abandoned?" Yang inquired nervously, very rarely did places like these hit her nerves, but this place was so different.

"Nobody lives out here Yang…nobody can." Raven told her as they walked in, so they kept moving. Ruby walked with Oscar towards one of the old abandoned rooms. Everything was as if they left it, they both entered this old Entertainment room. The dust had settled and claimed this place a very long time ago, and yet everything looked like it was waiting for them to get back. Glasses were still sat on the tables or on the edge of the pool table. The television just left there, dust gathered over the screen.

"This is weird…" Oscar said as he walked around the room, he pushed a couple books aside as he looked around. Ruby nodded her head, she checked underneath one of the tables as they looked for the mysterious Grimm. She looked at the wall to see spider webs, absolutely everywhere. But not gigantic – not like some of the Orb Weavers they had come across in the past. They were normal sized in fact, there were just so many.

"Yeah…you've never looted a place like this?" Ruby asked him, and Oscar scoffed.

"No, never been to a creepy haunted Mansion before." Oscar stated as he picked up one of the old antique glasses that were just left there. They could sell those and make a damn huge load of Lien. There were some Black Market Dealers that would make a killing for something like that. But he set it back down, they did not have the right equipment for fragile treasures like this, but at the end of the day, most of them were thieves, so it was their internal nature to start taking whatever they could find. The difference was very clear when in comparison to Ruby, who still had not even glared at anything to steal it, she just kept looking around.

Oscar could see what kind of a girl she was, a girl who was raised by a family who loved her and wanted her to be good and just. This was not something he liked, for a simple reason. My parents died because they were good. My Aunt and Uncle got butchered, because they were good. Kindness gets you killed…and it will get her killed too.

His thoughts were practically screaming at him, demanding that he would tell her the way things were, and unlike Ruby – he did not swallow it down. "I know what kind of a girl you are, Ruby Rose." Oscar told her, Ruby paused in her tracks and turned to face him.

"Excuse me?" She asked him.

"You judge me for looking for things that can help the tribe, but sadly that is the way things are. People who try and only do good things in their life die. I've seen it so many times, and I'm done seeing it again." Oscar explained rather sternfully as he kept searching, Ruby looked at him and it hurt, since she only wanted to make conversation, not a confrontation with him.

"I didn't judge you." Ruby defended innocently.

"Oh don't even try and lie. I've had people like you sneering at me for years for how I live my life, so don't try and act like the perfect girl. Because your not." Oscar snarled as he kept opening up the crates, only to find out of date snacks and some old alcohol bottles inside.

"I never said I was perfect." Ruby stated as she started to clench her fist.

"You didn't need to." He scoffed in return, suddenly Ruby kicked the table.

"I'm NOT PERFECT!" She yelled at him, and he stopped, and turned to stare at her. He did not think she had the stomach to scream at him like that. Oscar saw her large silver eyes stare straight into his hazel coloured ones. She then pulled up her shirt, and showed him the scars. The scars she got when Neo stabbed her in the stomach, the most painful experience she had ever known in her entire life. "You see these? I was stabbed twice by a girl who nearly opened my throat for a crime I never committed. My mother was murdered by a madman, and I watched my best friend get ripped apart, because I couldn't save her. Don't you dare ever assume that I think I'm perfect…judgement goes two ways, Oscar." Ruby hissed at him, and Oscar stared at her as she yanked her shirt back down. She turned and she walked away from him, and that left Oscar on his own.

He pressed his hand against the wall and he sighed, deep down he did not mean to upset her. She did not seem like a cruel girl in his eyes, and now he felt like he was the cruel one. He closed his eyes as he exhaled.

"Oscar…" A voice whispered behind him, it came out of nowhere so he spun around and saw nothing there. There was a chill in the air, and he felt the eyes watching him from somewhere.

He could hear the bootsteps and the sound of a door creaking open nearby, it creeped him out to his very core. "Ruby?" He softly said as he looked for her.

He blinked and it all changed, he could even taste it in the air. It was almost metallic as he looked around the place, it all melted away before his very eyes. The horrors that he always knew began to form, the eyes of his dead Aunt and Uncle stared up at him. Their bodies cut open and chopped up by the blades of a monstrous foe. Oscar staggered back as it saw it, the blood that left their mouths, and then they rose up before him. He backed up against the wall as their corpses stared directly into his eyes.

"A-Auntie? Uncle?" Oscar whimpered, he suddenly felt like he was only fifteen years old again, then they spoke. Their voices malformed and horrific.

"Why did you hide? You wanted to help them…wanted to protect them…but you hid like a coward. Why?" They both spoke at once, and Oscar pressed his hands to his head as he fell to the floor.

"S-Stop…go away…" He whimpered and they stared at him menacingly. He closed his eyes, he had not suffered from these hallucinations in a very long time, but as he opened his eyes. They were still there, and a dark terrifying monster was between them. It was tall with massive bladed wings, a sharp beak and glowing red eyes. It laughed darkly as it stared at him, and it suddenly leapt at him with a haunting roar. He screamed and he covered his eyes…only for nothing to touch him.

Vernal suddenly rushed into the room where she found him whimpering in fear. Ruby did not even hear his scream, she just kept walking. Vernal approached the young boy and she crouched down beside him. "Hey…you alright, Oscar?" Vernal asked him with a worried voice, he looked around. The blood was gone, the darkness was gone…the monsters were gone. The Monster he saw, the giant creature with feathers and a beak…it was what his young mind saw instead of Jackdaw when he opened his door.

"Didn't you see it?" He whimpered as he shook, Vernal looked around and still saw nothing.

"Oscar…it's alright, they can't hurt you. Come on, let's just keep looking, huh?" She asked him as she held his hand and helped him back up. He was nearly an adult now, and yet he still clung to Vernal like a mother. She was always the one who helped him when he needed it, Raven did the same but Vernal was always there.

The two of them exited the room, but as Vernal was about to go…she felt a pair of hands wrap around her waist…and a cold breath on her neck. It brought back bad memories as she turned round, and saw nothing there. She squeezed her eyes shut and she shuddered, and continued to move on with Oscar.

But one thing was certain now…this place was getting weirder by the second.

Ruby

Unaware of what Oscar just experienced, Ruby just kept walking, as always. She blocked out her thoughts about what he said to her, and she started to look for those she knew. Ruby always suffered when it came to talking to people she didn't know, all because she assumed that they all hated her. And sadly, Oscar did not help that theory of hers, since his first idea when she just tried to have a conversation with him, he threw some verbal abuse at her. As Ruby looked for either Yang, Nora, Ren, Eryka or Qrow, she turned a corner and her eyes widened with disbelief of who she found instead.

The very last person she wanted to find.

Cinder Fall.

Cinder glared at her as she turned the corner and she had her fist clenched, Ruby looked at the bandaged arm and saw the scarring. She did not even need the wraps anymore, but it looked like she wore them merely for the aesthetic of it. Ruby and Cinder shared this tense moment of silence between one another as they stared at each other. "It's a good thing I'm loyal to your sister's mom, kid…otherwise I'd kill you right now." Cinder snarled, her constant self-absorbed nature angered Ruby to a point she wanted to kill her right then and there. But then her kindness stopped her from ever wishing death upon another living thing.

"How can you possibly be that self-obsessed, Cinder? I mean…Gods…what is wrong with you? You look at me like I'm the bad guy, but do you even remember what you did at Beacon? You killed one of my best friends! You nearly killed Pyrrha right in front of me!" Ruby argued, and Cinder laughed at her naivete.

"You're stupidity baffles me, Rose. It really does…you look at me, and you see a crazy terrorist, don't you?" Cinder questioned aggressively at her, and Ruby shrugged her shoulders with a scoff.

"Eh, destroying my school and killing hundreds kinda gives you a reputation, y'know?" Ruby pointed out, and Cinder scowled at her.

"Try standing in my shoes, girl. You've had it easy your whole life, fed cookies and cooked meals…not overshadowed by a monster." Cinder snarled viciously, Ruby knew who she was talking about. They heard her mentioned back at the Academy when the Black Smog were attacking in great force.

Salem…

She knew next to nothing about this mysterious woman, the Dark Queen that controls the Grimm and uses them to wage war on everything created. She knows nothing, and yet she scares her more than Killian or even Jackdaw Branwen. She stared at Cinder, and despite how afraid of Salem she was…she was still standing there, against her. "What? You want me to cry for you? Oh poor Cindy Cinder grew up in a bad place? Guess again, I haven't forgotten what you did. Want me to forgive you? You gotta try better than that." Ruby snarled, and she pushed past her. Cinder recoiled slightly and she reached out to grab her, embers trailed from her amber eyes. She gritted her teeth and wanted to kill Ruby right now, to make her pay for what she did to her eye. But then…she lowered her hand and she blew out a breath from her mouth. Stood by the doorway was Raven, she saw the whole thing, and there was a small smile.

Progress…

Slow going, but progress nonetheless. The Cinder Fall she met when she saved her from certain death would have killed Ruby in seconds, but the woman stood before her now actually hesitated. It was small, but it was something. Cinder sighed and she kept walking around the room.

Ruby kept moving away from Cinder all, her heart was pounding. She managed to hide how afraid she was to stand before the same woman that killed Penny Polendina. She hated Emerald too, and Mercury…but it was Emerald that made Pyrrha kill the poor girl. But even she was acting on orders, ones made by their main foe…at the time. As Ruby kept walking through the house, she found her sister. She was stood inside of some kind of old Armoury. All the weapons had already been taken from the place, only cobwebs were left behind, thick white almost mist like webs that smothered the racks that once held rifles and machine guns. Ruby stood next to her sister as she looked around.

"Hey sis." Ruby gently said to her sister.

"Hey…" Yang said as she mooched around the area, she checked certain things. They were searching for anything, any sign of Grimm activity. But so far all they had uncovered were some spooky noises and weird hallucinations, like what Oscar had just felt earlier.

"You alright? This place…it feels kinda…"

"Weird? Yeah I know what you mean. Keep feeling like we're being watched." Yang said as she looked over her shoulder. There was nothing there when she looked, but as she turned to look at her sister. She suddenly screamed and fell back, straight into the cobwebs. Ruby yelped from the shock and she pulled her sister from the webs, and pulled the webbing from her soft blonde hair as well.

"Whoa! Yang…are you okay?" Ruby whimpered with fear.

"Did you…didn't you…" She stammered, and she pressed her hands to her head, and it kept flashing in her memory. She saw him, his smirk, that damn mask over his damned eyes. The red blade, the red hair. She saw Adam again, but it really looked like he was right there. It scared her so bad it nearly gave her a heart attack.

"Adam?" She asked her with concern, she held her older sister's hand gently.

"Mhm…I seriously thought he was behind you…and if he was…I screamed and I fell over…he would've killed you." Yang stammered, it terrified her that her first instinct when she saw Adam was to scream and try and run away.

"It's alright…trust me." Ruby said to her, and her constant confidence in people always amazed her, but also her understanding. She would never act like she knew what someone was thinking, especially when they were the ones who suffered opposed to herself.

"It's not you I don't trust…I…If I stumble and I panic…if I ever see him again…if that ever gets you or someone else hurt, or even worse – killed. I'll never be able to live with myself." Yang said with tearful eyes, but she sucked it up, and found her comfort around her sister. She held her close and buried her head into her sister's soft head of hair.

Raven

Raven watched from the stairwell, Cinder was still walking and looking around whilst they had their moment. Raven went up the stairs to investigate the bedrooms where she found Vernal. She was stood at the foot of the bed, staring at it and her hand was shaking.

"Vernal?" She asked with worry.

"Oh! R-Raven…sorry…I uh…" Vernal stammered, but Raven saw the way she was staring at that bed. She walked over to it and sat down on it. She looked at Vernal and she tapped the side of it so then she would sit down next to her. The Former Spider did as her saviour asked of her, and she sat down slowly on the bed. Raven also saw how her hand jolted upon touching the bed, it brought back memories she so desperately wanted to bury.

"You seeing things too?" Raven asked her, and Vernal nodded her head. "I've heard stories about this place, that Grimm that lurked here fed off the suffering that happened here. It's made whatever is hiding here extremely powerful." Raven stated as she looked around for it, but she could not see it. Any Grimm that uses hallucinations to wither their prey down would normally be quite weak and cowardly in comparison to other Grimm, hence why they do not use physical means of taking down their prey.

"Well…I can tell…I keep…I keep feeling it again. The things some of those men and women…what they did to me, all for information. What I did to them too…I don't want to remember it. It's a time of my life I just want to forget…and I can't escape it." She shuddered, she rubbed her arms and she felt so small and fragile. She was paid by many for her services, she was never raped but it was still uncomfortable for her. She never wanted to be a Prostitute, Malachite simply gave her two choices. Accept the upgrade, or remain a street rat that suffers. But she never wanted to be used like that…never…

"I'm sorry, I know you must be sick of hearing me say that. I wish I could help women who end up in that kind of work." Raven said to her, and Vernal sniffled and nodded her head.

"Yeah…not great. I used to know some girls who dreamed of sleeping with the richest men in the city. Trust me…those men were just fat creeps who could barely get up in the morning. I may have had control in the bed, and I learned what I could from them…but I still hated it." Vernal explained, and Raven looked at her and she gently patted her shoulder.

"I know…the things we do for money, huh?" Raven scoffed, and Vernal did the same.

"The things we do for money." She said, and she looked over to the bedside table of the room. She saw the faces of the couple that slept here, the frame was covered in sand and dust, but it did not completely fade. Vernal approached the frame and she picked it up, and blew the dust from the glass. Raven got up and walked over to her. "Who were these two?" Vernal asked.

"Giovani and Zara Dijon. They were the Leaders of the Vacuo Mafia. Married couple, met when they were kids and helped each other form an empire. I heard they had six kids." Raven said as she looked at the bed where they were probably conceived. She looked over and saw the cot in the corner and she approached it. It was empty with nothing but dust and an old mouldy teddy bear inside.

"They were rich…even had a note here, for the Vacuo Councillor at the time." Vernal said as she picked it up, clearly it had not been sent. Or it was an old version, due to the crossed out parts.

"Likely an old one, Giovani couldn't write but Zara could. She came from a richer family." Raven said, Vernal turned to her leader.

"You know a lot about these two." She pointed out.

"I did a few jobs for them, to get information for Ozpin back when I was one of his little Huntresses in Training." Raven explained as she tucked her hands into her pockets. Vernal began to read the letter of which they wrote.

Councillor Valery of Vacuo

We are writing to you as a response to your previous letter about the coming Drought. We do pray that you are joking, you surely do not mean that you want to keep all of this a secret? To completely lie to the people? Crops are dying faster than they are growing, the rivers are drying out and children are dying. This is no heatwave, we have some geologists with us and they have informed us that this is a side effect of all the deforestation your company has inflicted on the land.

There isn't enough oxygen being converted, meaning less air for things to breathe, meaning less clouds forming in the sky to give us rain. We need to start planting trees in areas where the soil is still rich, before this land is killed for good and we cannot keep lying to the people. You need to start building up an evacuation order, in case things get worse. Because they will, the city does not have enough essential resources to keep the people alive. If this is not sorted out soon, you could have a serious riot on your hands.

The Mafia is more than willing to help sort out this problem, we can use our connections to get facilities built to repair the atmosphere. But I cannot do this without your help, Councillor.

Please…this is the fourth letter I have sent you now, I beg of you, heed our words.

Yours sincerely,

Giovani Dijon

Vernal set the letter back down and she scoffed, and looked at Raven. "The Councillors of Vacuo did not say a word about the Drought? They kept it a secret?" Vernal asked her, and Raven nodded her head.

"It was bad when I was here, people were dying in the city and they desperately needed water and sustenance. But the Vacuo Councillors? They just assumed it was a bad summer…they were wrong. And now the Kingdom is facing destruction – the Dijon Family were right, they should have listened. Because now Vacuo will most likely be gone in the next twenty years." Raven explained to Vernal, and she scoffed.

"All because of Lavinia Vasillias." She said as she slapped the note back down where she found it.

"All because of Lavinia Vasillias." Raven agreed.

Ren

They were not the only ones who had found some interesting things, down below, Ren and Nora kept walking around. The creaking and unsettling nature of the building was just getting stronger and stronger with every step that they took. Ren held out Stormflower as he walked into the room. "Where're the Grimm at?" Nora questioned, and that was indeed a question that was eating away at Ren as well. They should have come across them by now. This place looked like a haven for them, and yet they experienced more Grimm activity on the way over.

And yet…there was still something very unnerving here. The creaking boards, the whispery voices they heard every now and then, and even some doors that would open and close. It was like something, or someone, was moving around the house, looking for something. Nora had Ren's back like always, Stormur Skeggox held high with crackling pink electricity coursing through the head of the weapon. She kept her wits sharp about her as she walked inside behind Ren.

Nora lowered her Axe from what she saw…a man was pinned to the wall inside of this room by what looked like an Ornate Spear. His blood had faded and stained the wall, but the clothes were still wrapped around his skeleton. Moth eaten and weathered down from sand and erosion, Nora approached him, and crouched down before his bones. "Ren…" She said to get his attention. He turned and saw the body who was brutally murdered by the Vasillias Cartel who attacked them…the question was still lingering in their minds. How could the most powerful Crime Kingpins in the world – the Mafia – be beaten by a Cartel that had half the firepower and manpower?

They couldn't figure that one out.

But they knew one thing, this man was part of the Dijon Mafia, he had the same symbol that was on the bedframe of Giovani and Zara's Bedroom. It was a Lien snapped in half by a shooting star. It was quite the artistic marking, and the spear was rammed straight through the badge over his chest. The soldier must have done that on purpose, Nora turned when she saw that Ren found something on the table. The room they were in looked like a Forgery of some kind, there were falsified documents left here alongside laundered Lien. None of it was taken by the Cartel…

"It's a letter…there's two of them, one of them to the Councillors…and another one to…Lil Miss Malachite." Ren said as he looked at Nora. She got up with curiosity as he read the letter.

Councillor Valery of Vacuo

What have you done?

You told the other Kingdoms that the situation was under control? Are you insane? People are going to die, you are all going to destroy your people. I tried to help you save your Kingdom but clearly you don't care. I had one of my spies get inside of your little safe house…you're preparing flights to ditch us, aren't you? Take a cushy job in Atlas? Damn scumbags, you have just doomed millions because of your own selfishness and cowardice.

Well, if you aren't going to do it then we will. We're taking over command of your Kingdom, and we are going to try and save it. Really shows how messed up things have become when a Crime Lord cares more for his Kingdom than the people who actually run it. I am going to utilize the many eyes that the Spiders have, and I am going to work to make sure that we save this city, no matter the cost. Even if we must sacrifice the Main City and evacuate people to other safe havens.

Vacuo will survive…I will make sure of it.

Not like you care, hope you enjoy your comfy jobs and homes in Atlas. Keep an eye over your shoulder, you best pray I don't decide to cut off loose ends, Valery.

Giovani and Zara Dijon

Ren set down the note and he scoffed with disgust, because he never thought the day would come that he would actually side with the criminals. "That's…horrible. The Councillors just abandoned their people, I actually applaud the Mafia for trying." Nora said as she stared at the note that Ren just read out. Ren holstered his dual machine pistols as he looked down at the note he just looked through.

"Lies…that's what killed Vacuo. The damned Vacuan Councillors wanted to make the situation out to be okay to protect their reputations. And when they knew that the situation was worse than they said…they all up and run." Ren scoffed as he slammed his hand against the table. There was nothing he hated more than liars, especially lies that get people killed. It was one of the main reasons why Ren hated Killian so much, his way to get away with some of the worst deeds thanks to a good lie…it made his blood boil.

Lies…lies will always get people killed…every single time.

"Are you okay?" Nora asked as she held his hand, he looked at her and squeezed her palm.

"Mhm…just sick of all the lying. I hated leaving Jaune and Pyrrha like that…I just want all of this to be over." Ren said, and Nora chuckled.

"We only just got started, Renny." She pointed out with a smile, which made Ren chuckle.

"I guess I always have been one to get bored quick, huh?" He asked her, she giggled and smiled brightly.

"Good thing you got me, hmm?" She asked him as she slid up and she fell into his arms like she swooned, she smiled up at him and he nuzzled his nose on hers. As they went to kiss, they noticed a chilling shadow walk past. They even heard the sound of its bony hooves as it walked past, the Imp's long boneless arms dragged across dirt as it groaned. The Horse growled softly as it kept moving. They knew that shadow all too well and they spun round…

…only for it not even be there.

"This place…it's messing with us, isn't it?" Ren asked.

"Yeah…there's no way that thing could have travelled across the ocean to get here." Nora pointed out, since the shadow resembled the exact same Nuckelavee that destroyed Kuroyuri. The arrows and spears were sticking out of the Imp's spine, which made it extremely recognisable.

They both calmed down after they saw it and they found comfort in each other's arms. Nora pressed her head to Ren's chest and listened to his heartbeat with a smile, he felt so warm and gentle. "I've got you." He promised.

"Right back at ya." Nora promised. They released one another and they turned back to the table to the note that was left there. They both read the last note that was left behind.

The one that was sent to Lil Miss Malachite.

Lil Miss Malachite

The Councillors have abandoned us, but I bet you already knew that thanks to your many spiders you have in your company. I need your help, you have the most information in the whole world, you're the best Information Broker there is, and I need you to locate the best conservationists. We need to rebuild the eco-system to help save Vacuo, this drought will destroy the Kingdom forever if we do not stop it. It will spread and spread and spread until the water sources are all gone, and no food will ever be harvested.

Even the Caldera will run dry, we need to prepare.

I propose the idea of rebuilding the forest that the Councillors destroyed, then we can build a dam that we can use for both sustainable power and sustenance for our people and the eco-system itself. I believe this is the best option we have left for the Kingdom…the Vasillias Cartel has already decided to help us in this endeavour. Their money and resources will come in great handy.

I hope this message finds you well.

Zara Dijon

"That was only by the wife, Giovani didn't even have a hand in this message." Nora pointed out, Ren nodded his head since he also noticed another important name.

"The Vasillias Cartel…they cut a deal with them." Ren pointed out, then their eyes turned to the body of the Mafia Soldier that was butchered by none other than the same Cartel.

"Looks like it didn't pan out well." She said with a sigh.

Eryka

She walked with what could have almost been described as Elegance, she slid her hands across the dusty handrails of the stairs as she walked down them. Dulcis was circling the skies outside and would call them if there were any Grimm headed their way. She turned when she saw Valravn and Qrow walking down the hallway towards her. "Anything?" Qrow asked curiously.

"Nothing, just spiders." Eryka said to him as she shrugged her shoulders. The three of them looked around, Valravn said nothing yet their still heard the mysterious whispers that seemed to surround him. Eryka stood next to Qrow and she whispered into his ear. "What's with the voices? I never knew." Eryka asked curiously, she was very rarely in the company of Valravn when she was still part of the Tribe.

"It's a damn long story." Qrow said to her as he walked down the hallway to follow Valravn.

"So where do you think these Grimm are? Or where the hell the Mafia Leaders are? I heard about what the Vasillias Cartel did to them, it was a damn dirty move." Eryka explained and Qrow nodded his head.

"I know. I've seen a couple skeletons here and there, but there were just dead thugs. No sign of any important folk around here." Qrow explained as he walked beside Eryka. She looked around and listened, her senses had always been sharpened thanks to those who trained her how to hunt with an Eagle. You learn their senses that way, you become one with them.

"This place gives me the heebie-jeebies." Eryka shuddered as she walked, Qrow nodded his head in agreement.

"Tell me about it. Seen a few weird things already. Hoping the explanation is some sort of Grimm, not sure why Malachite would want this place. It's run down, Haunted and has bodies everywhere. Not exactly the nicest place to live." Qrow chuckled as he walked with Eryka towards the closed double doors that Valravn approached. He stared at the doors and he breathed softly as he opened them up. Their eyes widened from what they found inside…

There was a large table, it was nearly as long as the entire room. It had gold and silver ornate markings across it and old plates with rotted away food left behind. Glasses smashed and their bodies littered with holes. Some with shattered ribs, broken skulls or merely stabbed to death. One of them still had a knife plunged into the eye socket. "By the gods…what the hell happened here?" Eryka asked, but then she figured it out.

"One final meal…for one final betrayal." Valravn spoke as he walked around the table, they all looked at the bodies inside. Qrow stared at two bodies and he recognised them…they were the Married Leaders of the Mafia. Giovani and Zara. They both were murdered, shot and stabbed to death, due to the holes in their clothing. Qrow looked at them and found that Zara and Giovani tried to fight but clearly were overwhelmed in seconds.

"It's them…it's Giovani and Zara Dijon." Qrow realised as he pointed at their heads. He could instantly tell by the fact they were sat at the head of the table, and by the old moulted hair on Zara's head. Her jewellery was snatched off her too, she seemed like quite the Jewel Enthusiast.

"How the hell did this even happen?" Eryka asked with disbelief, and Valravn gave them yet another hint.

"Spiders in large webs can catch larger prey." He told them, Eryka looked at him and she did not even need to be a master wordsmith like Valravn to figure out what that meant. She looked at Eryka and it gave them chills.

"Lil Miss Malachite…she worked under them for a while as a Spy Network. It was how they managed to keep people in check, back before the Kingdom was starting to fall." Qrow explained as he walked around the room and he sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose as he circled the table with Valravn and Eryka. They kept looking at the scene of this horrendous massacre.

"So, what? Lil Miss Malachite got them in?" Eryka inquired.

"No. The Spider's Venom can be hard to trace, until it has made damage that cannot be healed." Valravn explained, he looked down at a letter and he gave it to Eryka for her to read it out.

One more letter to bind this terrible story together.

Lil Miss Malachite of the Spiders

Mrs Lavinia Vasillias and Mr Roland Vasillias of the Vasillias Cartel

I humbly write to you all, as a thank you for your agreement to assist us in the reparations of our great Kingdom. The Governments of Vacuo could never see the future that we see, and we will make sure that the people of this Kingdom live long and prosperous lives.

And this is all thanks to you.

Together we will fix the eco-system of which the Democrats of this land had raped and destroyed for their own benefits. With our combined efforts we will rebuild the land, let the rivers flourish and let the air breathe again. Just as it should have done for thousands of years. The Kingdom of Vacuo will never forget the service in which you have done for it.

Which leads us to this – we will be hosting a dinner, in which we can celebrate this new alliance we have created.

I hope you can make it, and I also hope that this alliance shall prosper and live on for generations.

I thank you…and wish you all the best.

Giovani and Zara Dijon

Of the Vacuo Mafia

Eryka set it down and she sighed, it made them sad. They truly believed they were going to save the Kingdom of Vacuo, and not for power or for money. They simply did it because they wanted to protect the people, they wanted to atone for their past sins by using what they attained for good. "Why? Why did they kill them?" Eryka asked as she set the note down on the table, and Valravn sighed.

"The Food Chain…the big fish eats the little fish…and yet the smartest of them keeps on swimming." Valravn told her, she looked at the bodies and she could see it now. All of them sat around at dinner, cheering and thanking the Vasillias Cartel and Spiders. From the way in which everyone in the Mafia was massacred that night, there must have been guards on the walls. Who must have been working for both the Cartel and the Spiders, and then they made their move. They were butchered at their own table, stabbed, beheaded, broken, and ruined. There were even the bodies of children here…six children…the Dijon Children. Murdered by Lavinia Vasillias herself…Eryka could still remember her mother returning home after she said she finished it.

She killed the children herself, alongside Zara and Giovani.

"Lavinia Vasillias didn't want any competition, and Lil Miss Malachite is a survivor. She will always bet on the winning side, and sadly Lavinia had better cards. She may not have had the numbers at the time, but she was smarter and more cunning. Giovani and Zara were idealists, and they wanted to make the world a better place. Their kindness…was exploitable." Qrow explained to her as he walked around the table and he sighed as he looked at their bodies. Murdered in such a horrible and honourless way.

"But why? What did my mother have to gain? Sure she got rid of the competition…but she must have gotten something…" Eryka assumed and Qrow shrugged his shoulders.

"Vacuo isn't worth anything anymore. The Relic is all that matters now." Qrow explains. "The Dust Mines ran out years ago, the Councillors destroyed their forests and all the water is gone. All they have now is sand." Qrow explained, and that made it hurt all the more. They could have made something beautiful out of all this sand.

Instead?

All they have now…is a desert of death and deceit.

Qrow reached into his jacket and he poured some of his alcohol into one of the glasses. "For Prosperity." Qrow said as they paid their respects.

They all remained silent, and they paid their respects with him.

To honour these men and women…who tried…fought…and lost.

Ruby

Ruby and Yang walked through the old abandoned home some more, and they headed outside to look around. The Sand Dunes still stretched out for miles and she sighed as she sat down on one of the rocks. "Needed some fresh air." Ruby said with a chuckle, and Ruby nodded her head, which made Yang chuckle.

"I don't blame ya, sis." Yang said as she rolled her cybernetic arm round. She popped the stress from her neck and she looked around some more.

She looked up at the window and she narrowed her eyes.

Something was staring down at them.

It grinned…

And disappeared.

Yang stood up slowly after what she saw, which made the curtain inside blow slightly. "Ruby?" She asked.

Suddenly the ground exploded beneath them and threw them both against the wall of the building. They both grunted and they looked up with widened eyes as they saw the creature rise from the ground. Its telekinetic power lifted the rocks, the metal from the swings and even parts of the shed nearby into the air, to form its massive body. The huge arms and legs formed, and the white mask like face appeared in the centre of the torso with a hiss.

Ruby narrowed her eyes as she glared at the Creature of Grimm.

It was not what was responsible for the Hallucinations…

…but it was the Poltergeist.

"Geist…"

Author Note - I love this location, the past about Vacuo and the Fall of the Mafia, and of course the creepy nature of it with the Geist...and whatever that other thing was that has been causing the Hallucinations. I will give you a hint, it does exist in the RWBY Mangas. I've given it my own cool name though, since it never had one in the Manga.

It was kinda sad writing the past of the Vacuo Mafia and what they wanted, and how it was what destroyed them. They used their power and their fear and wanted to turn it around to save the very Kingdom they had been terrorising with crime. The Councillors didn't care, they just wanted to have a comfy life somewhere with no consequences. But because of that, the Mafia dealt with smarter and more dangerous people, who could get them out of the picture and take that power of themselves.

Do not mess or deal with the Vasillias Cartel, or trust Lil Miss Malachite. They made it this far for a reason, they play dirty.

I also love showing the characters and their fears, be sure to see more of that for certain characters. And now they need to fight a massive Geist!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!

Stay tuned for the next chapter - The Widow's Tear

- Matt