Jaune stumbled his way out of his own shack, stretching and yawning upon exiting. The ground wasn't much softer than rock, but it was a lot safer than an open cave. He then heard the sounds of something banging against a shack, then another, going on down the line until Vlad appeared, banging the butt of his staff on the walls. Vlad looked up at Jaune, smirking, "Well, Jaune, are you and the crew up for a ghost hunt?"

Jaune only responded with a confused gaze and a bead of drool gliding down his chin, it was far too early after two nights of horrible sleep to start to think. Undeterred, Vlad beamed, "That's the spirit, tell these slugs to meet me by the mine."

Minutes later, the lethargic group gathered around the cave on the charred earth, waving and nodding off on their feet as Vlad cleared his throat, getting barely attention. Vlad sighed in frustration before firing his gun into the air once more, finally waking everyone up. The now adrenaline-filled hunters and huntresses stared wide-eyed at Vlad as he began his rant. "Alright folks, the mission is simple, we're spreading out to find a man Jaune and I have seen. We're looking for someone I used to call my ally, now I call him a traitor as far as I know. We're looking for five-star general Erwin Frundsberg. My idea is we spread out in separate directions and search until nightfall. Then, just remember your path and get back to camp. If you get lost or killed, well, at least you tried."

The group was clearly not on-board with the plan, their expressions and posture clearly enough to alert anyone, but not Vlad. "Alright, we should had out first thing...well, let's go now. Any last questions?"

Jaune instantly shot his hand into the air, Vlad flinging his head back and groaning, "What do you want, you coward!"

"I was just thinking we go check by where I saw him last. I mean, you must not have checked every place if you haven't run into him yet."

"Not now, Jaune, I just got an idea. What if, bear with me here, what if we check by where Jaune got his arm chopped off? I mean, Erwin must live somewhere in that area."

"But...that was...my...idea..."

"Hold on Jaune, do you remember anything before you probably scampered off like a scared rat? Any building? Caves? More dead bodies that usually acceptable?"

Jaune scratched his head for a few moments before chiming, "OH, I remember something! There were a bunch of stones farther out of the forest, like an outcropping, or a..."

"Graveyard..."

"Yeah, exactly!"

Vlad made a sprint for the exit once more, stopping and yelling over his shoulder, "You guys stay back...better yet, go foraging. There better be enough food in this fort to last us a week when I get back or I'm spit-roasting whoever got the least!"

The crowd behind him stayed silent, astonished by the latest threat he had made...and probably would go through with. He turned around to address them further, "I'm kidding...I'll kabob whoever does."

Vlad wandered through the forest once more, shocked by how little inferi he passed by. Either we're cutting down a lot...or he's working his magic. Vlad entered a familiar clearing, the groups of stones marking the earth in random patterns, a large one in the center adorned with a single golden star. I swear, this is the first place I checked, where could he... That's when Vlad finally noticed the mausoleum, a grin slowly growing from his scowl. Then, he began to laugh, a few "ha's" breaking out before it slowly grew more rapid and hysterical. Finally, it became very forced and overdone, the madman charging at the large headstone of the general and smashing through it with one punch. "You lying piece of..." Vlad roared, cutting himself off before returning his attention to the broken shards of stone, "Do you know how many tears I shed over? How much sleep I lost at night knowing I got you killed? Do you?! Answer me, dammit!"

The stones lay silent, Vlad roaring once more before grasping his temples and moaning, slowly rubbing them with his fingertips to force the aching away. Slowly, he looked up to the mausoleum, a figure disappearing back from the window's view. Vlad's hands slowly flopped to his side as he took every step ever so slowly, drawing back the memories and nightmares over the past few months, savoring the last few moments of living in ignorance of Frundsberg's fake death. He slowly ascended the stairs, the creaking of the old boards going unnoticed in his trance. He stood before the door, reaching for the handle with his trembling hand, finally steadying it enough to grab it. He turned the knob and swung the door open, the home illuminated by the few rays of light peering through holes in wood nailed over the windows. Vlad peered into the living room to his right, finding it empty, not even a piece of furniture blemished the dusted floors. He worked his way to a small foyer to his left and through a small door into the kitchen. There, he found what haunted him all these past few months. Erwin Frundsberg sat before him, alive in well, his attire smooth and clean, except for the star missing from his kepi. Vlad cleared his throat and Erwin turned his attention from his clasped hands on the table to his expressionless equal. The two only stared for a long time, Erwin finally producing his revolver and placing it on the table. "Take a seat Vlad."

Without even thinking, Vlad shuffled to the table, sliding his chair out before plopping down into it. The two allies stared at each other for what seemed to be eternity. Finally, Erwin spoke, "So, you are alive."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I've been finding entire villages slaughtered, so I could only assume you had been alive."

"What are you getting at, Frundsberg?"

"Vlad, that ambush went completely wrong, I'm sorry."

"What, what are you saying..."

"Back in Vale, I was pressured by my superiors to end the inferi's existence as quickly as possible, but you slowed us down because you had to destroy everything in your path and clash with me constantly. We were reaching the deadline, Vlad."

"Wait, are you saying you were gonna sell me out?!"

"They told me to either get rid of you or nobody would get airlifted out. I couldn't do that to 1,000 men, Vlad. It was all of our lives against yours."

"What, were you gonna abandon me or shoot me?! Quit beating around the bush like you did in battle, get to the point!"

"I made arrangements with the White Fang to surround us that night and search through us, find you, and kill you. They didn't find you, Vlad, where were you?"

Vlad only glared at Frundsberg, his eyes slowly changing shades. "They assumed it was an ambush and began to slaughter everyone. I only got out because I had to shoot my way through and hide in a cave for four days as they searched for me. Vlad, where were you that night?"

"Don't act like this is my fault, you got involved with those animals and it turned on you! You betrayed me and it ended up getting all of your men killed!"

"I betrayed everybody? Vlad, your little stunt at Lake Aibert almost ended the war because of public outcry. You committed a war crime, I don't know how many strings the Council pulled, but they pulled all the right ones if you got off free and kept your rank."

"So this wasn't just your doing, this was some big conspiracy to kill me, right?!"

"You think I wanted to have you clipped?! I saw you as a brother..."

"One you'd stab in the back if it meant you could sleep easier knowing someone wasn't about to overtake your rank!"

"Vlad, this has nothing to do with rank, see?" Erwin insisted, tapping on his kepi where the fifth star once sat. "I tore that thing off after the White Fang gave up. I quit the military, I went AWOL. I knew I was just as responsible as you for getting everyone killed."

"Stop throwing it all back on me, you had a choice of getting the job done, like you could've back after Eannac, or told them to screw off! But know, you bent over for the faunus one time too many and you really got screwed, Frundsberg! The only nightmare I've had was that I was the reason you got killed, but yours...your nightmares are much worse. You got 1,000 men killed because you just had to secure your rank..."

"I already told you, this has nothing to do with that..."

"It doesn't matter! You sold me out, Frundsberg! You betrayed your one morale code, your men before yourself!"

"That's what I was hoping you'd get to." Erwin said, his intensity instantly receding into deadpan, "I thought you'd be alive and I'd hope you'd find me, so here, take your revenge."

Frundsberg slid his revolver across the table to Vlad. "Go ahead, you want revenge, I know you do. So go ahead, take my gun, put it to my head, and pull the trigger."

Vlad switched his shocked but very much still anger glare between Frundsberg and his gun. His face began to spasm and his nostrils flared as he slowly rose his hand over the table, hovering it above the revolver. He slowly rested his hand on it, working his fingers over the grip. Suddenly, he slid the revolver back down to Frundsberg, the general stupefied by his comrade's action. "No, I'm not letting you get away with this. I want to kill you, Erwin, more than you know. But I know what makes you feel worse than death, the screams of those men who you had murdered. Their pleading eyes as they looked to you for guidance. That eats you alive, and I can tell. I would love to kill you, but I'd rather watch you suffer for your choices. I will remind you at every moment you are happy and nothing can bring you down or in you lowest moment when you can't sink any further, I will show up as the reminder of your failures to me and your soldiers. Give me that reason, though, and I will make sure your last moments are so agonizing you'll beg for the end."

Erwin became very sullen at his response, his despair was almost tangible. And Vlad enjoyed every second of seeing him squirm. "There's a group who crashed onto the island, we're hold up where The Lost used to be..."

"Wait, there's more...then those two lied."

"Who?"

"It doesn't matter, they're probably dead by now. And what do you mean "used to be", what'd you do to The Lost?"

"Let's just say they have a little leak in that cave I exploited and Raspberry Jam was fairly useful."

"For the love of God, why do you still have that ursa? He could lose all of his training any day now."

"Don't talk about him like that, at least when he turns I'll see it coming!"

Silence once again fell over the table, Vlad's intense eyes locked with Erwin's blank expression. Finally, Vlad rose from the table, offering a hand to Erwin, "Let's go...I'm not fit enough to lead these kids out of this, you are."

Erwin's expression now changed to disbelief, barely able to utter, "After all of what you just said...all the threats and harmful wishes...you expect me to just overlook that and come with you?"

"Look, Erwin, I'm a complicated guy. You know this, I'm not rational. I threaten you and express my hatred for your insides one moment, but then I realize that you can lead us. I'm no leader, fear only goes so far."

Erwin took a deep inhale and exhale from his nose, glaring up at Vlad one more time before slapping his hand into Vlad's. Vlad hoisted him up, pulling him close to him, their faces nearly touching, and stared. He let out a low chuckle before releasing Frundsberg and exiting the mausoleum, Frundsberg cautiously following at a distance.