Thanks to TehGramerPolise for helping with this chapter.


Journal Entry 310

You've probably heard that Mistral has a thriving underworld, and that's true; some of my favorite scum are from Mistral.

Solitas' and Mistral's underworlds main differences lay in their level of organization and centralization. In Mistral, there are hundreds of small crime lords, all fighting for little scraps of territory. Their talent pool consisted of people who've lived on the street their whole lives; so when you want someone sneaky and quick on their feet, you can't go wrong with getting a Mistralian Da-katou and his little posse.

In Solitas, you essentially had two major cities with several small, well organized settlements; everything's connected, which meant that it was far easier to consolidate control.

So in a nutshell, in Mistral you have lords, in Solitas you had kings and a queen. Cola Malaika was one such king, and Serroi Vertimos was another. There were others, sure, but as I was about to learn, the entire criminal underworld had been divided into two factions along those lines.

It had taken many years for that to occur, and an interesting dynamic had taken shape during that time. Cola had in many ways, become legitimate, practically a public figure, whereas Serroi Vertimos had stayed in the shadows, a kind of boogeyman.

You may have heard the phrase that power attracts power: this was true in this instance. The mirrored truth in this particular case however; is that monsters attract monsters. Cola had mostly attracted those that wanted order and more or less for society to remain stable. A shattered society is one that's attacked by Grimm and Grimm are bad for profits.

Serroi on the other hand had attracted those that wanted to destroy, that wanted to be able to wander the streets and slaughter with impunity. The strong would survive, and they would be the strong.

Keep this in mind, because it doesn't come into play now, but it will be soon.

For now, I want you to think about the fact that power attracts power. Now think about everything I've said previously about how Solitisian crime lords had been getting the best talent. All of that is about to throw down; most notably including your fabulous duo of Neo and myself.

Exciting, right?


I had just closed the cabin door behind me when someone put their hand around my shoulder and hugged me tight.

"Good news Mister Little Red." Kuroi enthused, "I looked over Roman's resume, and he's hired."

I frowned, "What do you mean?"

Cola rolled his eyes, "What Kuroi means to say is that we believe it would be best if you and Neo attended this meeting as your criminal alter egos. He has agreed to put on the ruse that Roman Torchwick and his accomplice work for him."

I thought that over, and nodded my agreement, "Alright, but we'll need disguises."

Cola nodded, "I already have some in our transport," He looked up at the sky, "It should be arriving right about…"

There was a slight rumble and an airship descended from the sky. I instantly recognized the design as a Laisren Rhino-class troop transport; it was about three times the size of a Bullhead, with the armor and weapons to match. I had used an unfinished design of my mother's for it; the weapons system in particular had been ingenious.

However, I recalled that I was quite certain that the only shipment of this particular airship model had been fifty to the Army of Mantle.

I lifted an eyebrow at Cola who smiled, "We have… certain parties… backing us for this venture. They have been so kind to loan several pieces of equipment."

I grinned at that as the airship landed and Bayard emerged, he looked at us then at Cola.

"They're coming." Cola replied.

Bayard nodded, "Told you they would."

Cola nodded in acquiescence, "You're late." He remarked.

Bayard bowed, "Apologies, there was an unexpected amount of air traffic from local avians; Juniper Whoopers flocks migrate this time of year."

Cola grinned, "All aboard." He told us as he led us up the ramp into the airship, "If memory serves, lockers A and B have your disguises."

Cola, Kuroi, and Hana all sat down in the seats while Neo and I opened the indicated lockers.

"Very nice." I murmured as I put on the red and gold mask I found inside, along with a lightly armored coat that was both comfortable and fashionable. Neo did the same with a suit of body armor, within a minute the two of us were suited up.

"What about your umbrella?" I asked her.

Neo grimaced and unfurled it, examining the hole, "I don't think this is something that can be fixed on such short notice. I'll just have to keep it in mind."

Cola frowned, "Did something happen to your weapon Neopolitan?"

Neo showed him and I jerked my head at the damaged weapon, "Some guy with a bow back at the airdocks."

Cola's eyes narrowed, "Hmm… The Crimson Archer… I didn't think Serroi had acquired his services. Valuable information."

He leaned back, "As for the umbrella, we might be able to arrange some kind of short-term fix, but it obviously won't be as durable as the rest of the weapon."

Neo nodded, "That would be appreciated."

"We're coming up on the bunker now," Bayard called back to us, "Gonna need those codes."

Cola stood up and beckoned to us, "Come I think you'll want to see this."

We followed him up to the cockpit just as there was a random burst of static over the radio; several seconds later it happened again.

"Damn, I told them to double-check the Dust relays in the cockpit." I muttered, "Radio malfunctions are exactly the kind of thing that lawsuits with fatalities happen over."

Cola's mouth widened into a smile as a third squawk came over the radio and he put a data chip into the transmission slot.

A few moments later two more squawks sounded and my eyes widened as a seemingly featureless part of a hill to our left began to open up, revealing a runway leading into its side.

Bayard turned the Rhino and took us down the runway, leading into a massive hangar bay. As the airship landed I simply stared as I saw several more Rhinos and even…

"Are those tanks?" I asked.

Cola's smile simply widened as we landed and we followed him down the ramp, where several men and women in full body armor and rifles came forward.

"The sun sets." The lead one called.

"The moon rises evermore." Cola replied instantly.

The man nodded and waved his arm for the others to stand down, "They're waiting for you in the central board room sir."

"Thank you." Cola nodded at him and lead us out of the hangar and down a long hallway.

More men and women in full body armor bustled to and fro, nodding in a deferential manner to Cola as they passed, who returned the gesture with a very slight nod of his own.

"This was a bunker from the Great War era." Cola explain, "Of course it was in disrepair, but we fixed it up, and very conveniently, all records of its existence have disappeared."

His tone left no doubt as to how that particular convenience had come about, finally we came upon a wide, sealed doorway. Cola reached out and pressed the intercom button at the side.

"For in this way." Argent's voice came over the speaker.

"All things must come to a beginning." Cola replied.

The doors opened to reveal a large, round table, around which were five chairs, three of which were occupied. Kuroi walked to another one of the chairs and sat down, Neo and I followed alongside Hana to stand behind him.

The first occupant was a squat, broad shouldered man with heavy eyebrows. Standing behind him were two tall men who looked like identical twins, their faces blocky, and fierce looking. I frowned as I got the feeling that they looked slightly familiar, but I shook it off and turned my gaze to the next occupant.

There, Midas Iverson sat, his golden rings glittering on his hand; behind him stood a tall woman in full plate armor, her golden hair bound in a tight ponytail, as well as a much shorter woman with a staff topped with a strange, silver ornament, a silver earring dangling from her right ear.

I then turned my gaze to the next person and blinked slowly in surprise.

Madam Bianca sat in that chair, twirling her long hair idly around a perfectly manicured finger. Standing behind her was The Grand Assassin, wearing his distinctive cloak and hood, and beside him was The Thunder King.

The Thunder King. They just don't make tournament fighters like him anymore. He was of fairly average height, but built like a tank. He wore web of metal plates that were inscribed with runes and designs that he claimed originated from his Vale highlander ancestors. His twin gauntlets of Tara and Nis covered his fists; he was an immensely successful fighter, having never lost a single match in his career. He was famous for finishing opponents by throwing them into the air and then leaping up to slam them back into the ground. He was loved as a winner, but played the part of the invincible villain, against which a hopeful hero would go up against, only to be beaten down.

So caught up was I that I didn't notice the third figure until Neo nudged me slightly with her elbow. I followed her gaze and I saw that it was Camille in her Steel Flower outfit.

It made a certain kind of sense, I supposed; given that Madame Bianca appeared that she was ready to throw aside her neutrality in this conflict, all of her fighters had something to lose. As her daughter, Camille had even more at risk in this operation, and there was no denying that she was highly skilled as a fighter.

"Welcome everyone," Cola said as he walked around to the final seat, Bayard followed to stand behind him. "I trust that the journey was pleasant?"

The squat man grunted, "If by 'pleasant', you mean that some bastards tried to blast me to pieces. Serroi knows that we're going to be striking soon."

"I agree with brick-house; the skeever even put the pain on a Cleaner's van." Kuroi interjected.

There was a small reaction around the table at that, "Indeed." Cola remarked. "As you are all well aware, I usually prefer absolute surprise and long, complicated plans."

He took out a small remote and pressed a button, a moment later, a holographic display detailing Solitas appeared. He pressed another button and a series of red lines and dots began appearing.

"The time for such plans however, is over." He said mildly, "For years I had a plant in Serroi's organization, and now it has finally paid off. I estimate that we know almost everything about 89% of his operations, and an additional 5% we know about their location, but little else."

"So what about the last 6%?" Madam Bianca asked.

Cola zoomed in on a snowy valley west of Atlas, "This is it, the missing 6% is a series of transports from all the operations that all come and go from this area."

"His headquarters?" Midas asked.

Cola nodded, "I believe so, therefore, this is the plan." He pulled out several data chips, "My forces are all positioned to annihilate portions of Serroi's operations, but I can't hit all of them." He handed the chips to Bayard, who began placing the chips down in front of each of the seated people.

"Therefore, I have detailed these targets for each of you. Hit them as you wish, I have been careful to divide them up so that the spoils from each person's targets would be roughly equal." He held up a hand, "I would ask that you do not divulge your targets to others, wait to trade between yourselves until after the operation. This is for your own benefit."

I nodded slightly as I saw the logic behind it; they might all be on the same side for this fight, but after Serroi was taken down, there was going to be a huge vacuum. If everyone knew each other's targets they would be able to ambush the other's forces after Serroi was dealt with. In this manner, everyone could attack Serroi without nearly as much fear. Of course however that left…

"What about you?" The squat man asked suspiciously, "You know where presumably all of our forces are going to be, what's to stop you from swooping in?"

Cola smiled slightly, "You all know me as a reasonable man." He said mildly, as he traced a finger along the table "A man of logic, of thorough planning and a cautious disposition…" Without warning he clenched his hand into a fist and slammed it down into the table, leaving a crater in the metal.

The entire room simply stared in astonished silence at the man's outburst; Cola slowly lifted his hand from the table and stared at his palm.

"That all stops and ends when Serroi is involved." He said coldly, "Upon your data chips are all of my forces' targets."

Everyone in the room shifted slightly, as they digested this information.

"Allow me to make this absolutely clear," Cola continued, "Serroi and all that he has built dies a bloody death now. No matter the cost." His gaze moved around the room, "However," he continued, "Another factor that will prevent any… misunderstandings, is that while our forces are striking these targets."

He pointed to the holographic display, "We shall personally be striking this location. I don't think I need to state just how awkward it would be to find out that anyone was 'swooping in' in the midst of such an operation."

Cola pressed a button and a diagram of Rhinos and the tanks I had seen in the hangar came on screen, "For our use in this assault, we have ten Rhino-class air transports and five Krieger-class battle tanks. Each person here shall receive two of the Rhinos for their use, and one tank, which is to be carried by one of the Rhinos. You may also use the armory on site here for any armament you desire. I expect everyone to be on approach to the rendezvous point in two hours. Are there any questions?"

There was no reply and Cola nodded, "Very well then. Go to Argent and he will give you a transponder that will allow the communication device of your choice to transmit. There's an interference signal that surrounds this facility for quite some distance, and I understand that time is of the essence. Dismissed."

The squat man was the first to get up, his two bodyguards following closely behind as they left the room. The next was Madam Bianca, along with her three companions. Midas was far more leisurely, stopping by to have a whispered conversation with Cola. Whatever the result was, it must have appealed to the businessman, because he smiled broadly and then beckoned his two companions to accompany him and they left the room.

When everyone had left, Kuroi turned to Cola and began to speak when Cola held up a hand. He then jerked his head to the wall and he walked over to it, rapped on it a few times and a keypad appeared. He entered in a code, and the wall opened silently. He then beckoned for us to follow him.

We did so and found ourselves in a small room; Cola walked up and closed the door behind us. He then hit a button and I heard muffled voices emanate from the room we had vacated.

"My apologies, but there are almost certainly bugs," He told us, "The recordings I prepared should fool them." He shrugged, "Just a part of the game when you have five equally paranoid crime bosses all in the same room.

Kuroi grinned mischievously, "One under the table, two on the chair, and one more on brick-house's fat ass."

I lifted an eyebrow and Kuroi shrugged, "What? Cola's right, old habits die hard. I doubt anyone will even be bothering to check them. As for me, I'll flip a coin, more fun that way."

I shook my head and turned back to Cola, "So I recognized most everyone there, but who was 'brickhouse'?" I asked, using Kuroi's nickname for the man.

"Belmorzh Ogromny, a long-time… 'acquaintance' of mine; you may know him better as Belmorzh Zheleznaya." Cola answered.

I blinked, "Wait… Zheleznaya, wasn't that…"

"That was the name Camille used at the masquerade banquet." Neo confirmed.

It then hit me why the man's bodyguards had looked so familiar; Bruce, the bodyguard that had accompanied Camille had looked almost exactly like them, "So… what's the relation?" I asked Cola.

He smiled slightly, "Vulperiana Bianca and Belmorzh Ogromny divorced a decade or so ago." He answered, "Camille is their daughter."

"Huh," I thought about that. With that information, it made sense why Madame Bianca had thrown off her neutrality; if Belmorzh was participating in this operation and he failed, then Camille would be squarely in Serroi's crosshairs.

"Any particular reason that Belmorzh's bodyguards look like they came from a boxed set?" Neo inquired.

Cola nodded, "They have a long-standing relationship with Evergreen Protection Agency, which is a family of mercenaries possessing a bloodline Semblance that is remarkably consistent. I believe the last recorded non-Semblance was twenty years ago."

Kuroi let out a yawn, "Yeah, yeah, whatever, that's all flukey." His gaze suddenly turned serious, "What I came to prick and prod you about is to see whether you are willing to accept my condition."

Cola tapped his chin thoughtfully, "You drive a hard bargain…" He mused.

Kuroi grinned and that familiar, primal air that I had felt at the party began to make my skin prickle and the hairs on my neck stand on end, "So do you, but you know your little shenanigans will go poof if you don't get our support."

Cola's eyes narrowed, "Is that so?"

Kuroi said nothing, and the two stood like that for what seemed like an eternity, like two massive tigers circling one another. Finally Cola extended his hand, breaking the tension, "Agreed." He rumbled.

The Faunus grinned and took the hand, shaking vigorously, "Excellent." He purred, "Well then, I need to go make some calls, ciao!"

Kuroi and Hana turned about and left the room, Cola beckoned to the two of us, and led the way back into the conference room, the door closing shut automatically behind us.

"Come, we should find something to repair your weapon in the armory." Cola led us out of the room and down a series of hallways until we came to a large set of double steel doors.

Cola went up to the keypad and tapped in a code, and the doors opened.

"Wow." I breathed.

"Rowan," Neo said numbly, "Why can't we have one of these?"

Cola smiled, and gestured grandly at the massive room, full to the brim of weapons, contraptions, and explosives of every possible shape and size, stretching on and on until it was practically out of sight.

"Load up," Cola told us, "Just keep in mind that Rhino's do have a maximum weight limit."

I grinned as I walked up to a particularly high-powered rifle and took it off its rack, cradling it in my arms, "Well then, time to put it to the test."