Roy walked toward the church, his fingers still wrapped protectively around David Rainere's scroll. The discovery of the device had raised far more questions and he was hoping Umber had the answers.

He finally walked up the front steps of the church and slipped inside, the heavy wooden door thudding shut behind him. The inside of the church was quiet, apart from a pair of muffled voices coming from Umber's office. Roy swiveled his ears upward in an attempt to catch the conversation and while he couldn't make out any actual words, he could tell that one of the speakers was Reese.

The pilot's voice was raised and he was speaking in a very pointed manner, his tone of voice telling Roy that he was upset about something. Suddenly, the office door thudded open and a second later, the pilot came thumping down the stairs. His eyes fell on Roy and he offered the faunus a smile, "Hey Roy! How've you been doing?" The smile was strained and his eyes looked, for lack of a better word, sad.

"I've been better," Roy admitted, "I came to talk to the reverend."

Reese nodded, "Of course, of course. I won't keep you. I'll be heading out tonight, gonna make a supply run to Vale."

Roy smiled, attempting to hide the unease bubbling in his stomach, "Well, fly safe."

Reese chuckled, "Oh don't worry, I will. Take care of yourself." Reese went to step past Roy, but paused at the last second. "Oh! That reminds me, I wanted to personally thank you for saving my son."

Roy smiled sheepishly, scratching at one of his cat ears, "You don't need to thank me, I was just doing my job."

Reese placed a hand on his shoulder, "Well I'm just glad you were there, if you ever need anything just ask." With that, the pilot turned and exited the church, the door shutting behind him with a gentle thud.

"Ah, Roy. Back so soon?"

Roy looked up to see Father Umber looking down at him, a quiet smile gracing his features.

"Yes Father," he replied, "and I feel should apologize."

Father Umber's eyebrow rose, "Whatever for?"

Roy held up the scroll, "I went across the lake and had a look around."

Umber's features darkened ever so slightly, "And what, pray tell did you find?"

Roy coolly met his gaze, "It would be easier to show you…"

:

"Run… get out while you can!"

The shriek echoed once more from the scroll from where it sat on Umber's desk. The recording came to an end and silence descended over the office. Blood tears stained Roy's cheeks once more, seemingly caused by the odd cry from the video and he reached up to brush them away as Father Umber cleared his throat. "

Well, that is truly horrible," he said, steepling his fingers, "Where did you find the scroll?"

"A strange ritual site across the lake. I'm glad I found it before the snow came." The faunus replied, gazing out the windows at the big fluffy flakes that had just begun to fall.

Umber nodded, "Indeed, most fortunate."

Roy reached out to slide the scroll back toward himself, "I think Corvatts must've had something to do with this," he mused,

"What makes you think that?" Umber asked, his eyes tracking the scroll as it slid across the desk.

"Well," Roy began, "Rainere said that there was a wolf in sheep's clothing inside the church and Corvatts fits that description pretty well. You even called him 'a wolf in your midst' on the day we arrested him."

Umber nodded, "It does make sense, in a way," he said, thoughtfully.

Roy played with the scroll in his hands, "You don't think I'm right?" he asked.

The reverend shrugged, "I just think that you're giving the man too much credit."

Roy's eyebrow quirked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Umber gestured with his hand, "Corvatts was never the brightest man I knew. We used to be friends in our younger, more reckless days. He was the brawn, while I was the brains." Umber rubbed his temples, "A whole plan to kill three people is simply beyond his means. For starters, He would've needed prior knowledge of the farms day to day workings to figure out an ideal time to strike."

Roy held up his hand, "We did find proof that he'd been watching the farm for a while. The Harabel's ledger said so."

Umber nodded, "And by the looks of this video, Rainere was killed by some strange grimm."

Roy thought for a moment, "True..." he began, "I still think Corvatts lured him to the other side of the loch somehow."

Umber grunted, "Possibly. Yet, Even with all of these stars aligned. He made several major mistakes during the course of this plan."

Roy nodded, "He allowed himself to be seen by the Harabels, he neglected to fashion himself a decent alibi and he kept incriminating evidence in his room."

Umber tapped the table with his fingers thoughtfully. "It was almost as if he knew he wouldn't be found guilty, even if he was caught. He thought he had all of the pieces on his side of the board." The reverend chuckled darkly, "Pity he'd lost the king."

Roy tilted his head to the side, "I'm not following."

Umber steepled his fingers once more as he continued, "He was probably expecting me to take his side, to pull the wool over your eyes so to speak. Doubtless he also hoped I would create an alibi for him."

Roy frowned as he tried to process this, "That's ridiculous."

Umber snorted, "Indeed it is. Especially considering how many blunders he'd committed. Any defense on my part would have cast suspicions on me. Preposterous." Umber said the last word slowly, as if thinking over it, "Yes, quite preposterous to think I would help him. Honestly, He did such a poor job with everything, but even I didn't think he'd be idiotic enough to keep such damning evidence in his own living quarters. He couldn't even find that scroll when I sent him to find it." Umber rubbed his chin, "Figures trusting him with something that important would backfire. Ah well, Live and learn. If you want something done right, do it yourself. "

The scroll slipped through Roy's fingers, landing on the table with a clatter, "Wait...What?"

Umber shrugged, "I thought my plan was simple enough… Apparently it wasn't simple for Corvatts."

Roy gripped the arms of his chair as his mind tried to comprehend what the reverend was telling him. "What plan?"

Umber leaned back in his chair, regarding Roy with an even stare. "Why, the plan to murder the Haribels to distract you from learning what really happened to David Rainere."

Roy stood quickly, his heart pounding in his ears, He couldn't… he didn't… why?... why? "Why?!" Roy cried, "What do you have to gain?!"

Umber steepled his fingers, "Many things. But the most important one is time."

Roy's eyes narrowed, "Time for what?"

Umber chuckled, "Sorry, I won't be saying. You do play an important role in the events to come, so I'll have to ask you to stick around."

Roy clenched his fists, "I'm not staying for anything, I'm getting my team out of here as soon as I can."

Umber snorted, clearly unimpressed with the faunus's declaration. "The only person who flies out of Ulmsted is Reese and he won't be helping you any time soon."

Roy's blood ran cold, "What do you mean?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"I mean I've had one of my subordinates cut the fuel lines on Reese's ship," Umber said, his eyes darkening as he spoke. "He should be able to get just beyond the mountains before he crashes. Even if he survives, there's always the grimm to finish the jo-"

Roy didn't stay to hear the rest. Before Umber had finished, the faunus turned and bolted from the room. He practically flew down the stairs and through the front doors of the church, his feet pounding the snow as he sped across the square. He was going to try and catch Reese before he took off.

His feet hit a patch of ice hidden by the snow and he fell, skidding across the cobblestone. He pulled himself to his feet and continued running. ignoring his scraped and bloodied hands. His keen ears caught the sound of engines revving up and pushed himself to go faster.

For all his speed, he was still too late.

He skidded to a stop at the landing pad just in time to see Reese's ship soar away into the snowy afternoon. Roy dropped heavily to his knees, watching the ship as it grew smaller and smaller. His vision blurred and the faunus realized he was crying. His hands curled into fists in the snow as the cold sadness twisted into white hot fury in his heart.

Dragging himself to his feet, Roy turned and stalked back through town, his vision flickering red with anger. When he reached the church doors, he threw them open with a bang that echoed through the marble halls. The doors to the sanctuary were open and Roy could see Father Umber sitting in the front most pew, his head bowed as if in prayer.

Gripping Black Orchid's handle tightly, Roy moved forward into the candle-lit room. His footsteps echoed through the room, but if Umber heard him, he didn't acknowledge it.

Roy came to a stop next to the reverend, his hands shaking with anger. "You murderous snake!" he spat, trying his hardest not to leap on Umber.

The reverend chuckled, "Murderous? Me? My dear boy, one cannot make an omelet without breaking some eggs. Reese knew about the plan. He is the fourth in a line of pilots, just as Rainere was the fourth huntsmen we've had. When we need to bring in new blood, Reese is the one who flies them here. But then he suddenly develops a conscience and I'm left having to clean up another loose end."

Roy's ears flattened along his skull, "He had a wife and son!" he cried, his voice echoing around the room.

Umber nodded gravely, "Yes, and the church will be there for them in this trying time."

Roy pointed out of the still open church doors at the quiet town outside. "I will tell everyone what you've done. I will make sure everyone knows what you are."

Umber stood and faced Roy, the same cold smile from earlier playing across his face. "Yes, tell them how Father Umber, the kind and compassionate leader of the church orchestrated the murder of three of his own congregation, to hide the unfortunate death of the local huntsman. I'm sure they'll believe a faunus's word over mine." Umber strode passed Roy, walked toward the altar. "On the off chance that someone did believe you, this town has a way of making problems...disappear."

Roy's heart dropped into his toes. Umber was right and if what Rainere said about the jamming device was true, then there was no way he could calling back to the school for help. And now with Reese gone, their only means of escape had disappeared. They were trapped.

Umber came to a stop in front of the statue, gazing up at the large black figure. Roy followed him, making sure to keep some distance between them just in case he tried anything.

"Why does everyone here hate faunus so much?" he asked cautiously.

Umber snorted, "Besides the obvious?" he asked scornfully.

Roy took a step forward, "That's just it!" he exclaimed, "What is the obvious?"

Father Umber continued looking at the statue, "The fact that you faunus are impostors, mere shades of our God's true children."

Roy scowled, "Humans?" he scoffed.

"The creatures of grimm." Umber corrected, "They are his true children, they were here before us, created by him personally."

Umber turned to Roy, his finger pointing at him. "Faunus are abominations. Clawing your way out of the mud after the Gods deserted this world."

The reverend turned and grasped the red cloth at the base of the statue. He swept it aside with a swift tug, revealing what lay underneath. Beneath the statue's heel was a naked humanoid figure. Roy's blood chilled as he saw that the figure had a pair of floppy dog ears rendered in the features of its head.

Umber turned to face Roy again and gestured at the statue. "Faunus are nothing but dirt to be crushed under our master's feet. Nothing would please me more than to see you all disposed of."

The calm, matter-of-fact way he said this overwhelmed Roy's final nerve and the faunus bolted from the sanctuary. He ran all the way back to the Naked Nevermore, not stopping until he crossed the threshold of the tavern. Moving quickly through the dining area, he climbed the stairs two at a time until he threw the door of his room open.

Ebony looked up at him from where she was playing with Sadie on the floor. "Roy? What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Roy walked to the bed and grabbed his bag, "Pack some winter clothes, we're leaving." he stated.

Ebony blinked in surprise, "Leaving? But we're supposed to be here for another few weeks!"

Roy rounded on her, almost shouting at this point, "Ebony please! I don't have time to explain!"

Ebony went quiet and set Sadie on her bed before starting to pack a smaller bag she'd brought along. Roy finished throwing clothes in his bag and walked toward the door. "Once you're done, let Hunter and Dahlia know. I need to talk to Momo."

Ebony nodded, "What time should I tell them we're meeting Reese?"

Roy only half heard her, "Reese…?"

Ebony nodded, "He's our ride isn't he?"

Roy's heart sank, "Reese is gone." he said simply, "Meet me downstairs in five minutes."

He threw his bag over his shoulder and swept from the room. As he descended the stairs, he caught sight of Momo standing behind the bar. Her eyes lit up as she saw him making his way through the tables toward her, "Roy! Is there something I can do for you?"

Roy nodded, "Yes, my team and I are going out on a scouting trip for a while and we need someone to keep an eye on Sadie for us."

Momo pointed to herself, "Of course I'll do it. Two eyes when I can spare them."

Roy mumbled his thanks before leaning on the bar and waiting for his team. The time seemed to drag on and Roy was very much on edge. His eye swept around the dining room, his ears swiveling furiously in an attempt to catch wind of any possible threats. Eventually, he heard the sound of his teammates descending the stairs. He looked up as they entered the dining room and made their way to him.

"What are we going to do with Sadie?" Ebony asked once they got closer.

Roy gestured to Momo, "I asked her to keep an eye on Sadie while we're gone." he replied.

Dahlia spoke next, "What is going on Roy?"

The faunus shook his head, "I'll explain later, I promise. But not here."

Dahlia and Hunter shared a concerned look before nodding to him. With one final nod to Momo, Roy led his team out of the Naked Nevermore. As they walked through town and into the woods, he once more felt the unfriendly eyes on him as he walked. The feeling caused his hand to be almost constantly on his sword hilt, white-knuckling the leather grip until his hand ached.

The team walked through the woods until the Harabel's farmhouse came into view once more. Roy jogged across the field, keeping an eye out for grimm as the team followed him across the open space. Reaching the farmhouse, Roy opened the door and gestured for the team to go inside. Following after them, Roy shut the door and bolted it, glancing quickly through a small pane of glass set in the door to make sure they hadn't been followed.

"Roy please! What in Remnant is going on?!" Ebony exclaimed, causing Roy to turn and find his team standing awkwardly in the living room.

The Harabel's bodies had been removed and some effort had been made to straighten the room. The only sign of the gruesome scene that remained was a section of the wooden floor where the blood had seeped too deeply into the boards to be completely cleaned.

Roy leaned against the entryway wall and sighed, trying his best to find the right words to explain everything. "Umber has been orchestrating everything. The Harabel's murder, Rainere's disappearance, our scrolls being jammed...All of it." The words tasted bitter in his mouth and he took a breath, "Umber also arranged for Reese's ship to crash. He's probably dead by now."

He watched as each of his teammates reacted to the news. Ebony's tail lashed from side to side as her face darkened, her hands curling into white-knuckled fists. Hunter and Dahlia looked angry and shocked, as if the concept of betrayal was foreign to them.

It probably is, Roy thought, They aren't used to a world of betrayal and death… not yet.

"What happened to David Rainere?" Ebony asked, her teeth clenched in anger.

Roy took out the bloody, broken scroll and placed it on the vanity against the wall. The device paired itself with the built-in holoscreen and Roy pressed play on the video message. He watched his teammates as the video played out, noting as streaks of red spilled down Ebony's cheeks, but not Dahlia or Hunter's.

So, the beast's cry only effects faunus, He thought, wiping away his own bloody tears.

When the video reached Rainere's death, Roy heard Dahlia give a little scream as the taloned hand punched through the huntsmen's chest. The video came to an end and Roy's teammates turned to him, the horror plain on their faces.

"Wh-What is that thing?" Dahlia stammered, visibly shaking.

Roy shook his head, "I...don't know. It's not like any grimm I've ever seen before."

Hunter gripped Dahlia's shoulder a little tighter, his face betraying his fear, "And Umber is behind this as well?" he asked.

Roy nodded, "He told me himself."

Ebony blinked, "Why would he do that?"

The anger came bubbling back up and Roy grit his teeth, snarling. "He knows we can't do anything about it. We're a faunus led team in a town of faunus hating people. Who'd listen to us?"

Dahlia chewed her lip, "Did you ever find out why everyone dislikes faunus?"

Roy nodded and quickly explained the role the town's religion played in its prejudices. Ebony's tail bristled as she listened,

"That's barbaric!" she exploded as Roy finished the explanation, "How can anyone believe such nonsense?"

Roy rubbed his eyes, "Your guesses are as good as mine." He sank down into sitting position and ran his hand through his hair, "We can't leave, the town is only accessible by airship. At this point, our best bet is to hide until we can figure out how to disable the jammer. As you heard in the video, Rainere found where it is. I just don't know exactly where on the bell tower it is."

Dahlia managed to muster a weak smile, "That's something at least!"

Roy nodded, "Yeah… something," he said, gloomily.

Ebony smoothed her coat tails leaving drops of blood on the fabric. "Well if we're going to stay here we need to see how much food we have."

Dahlia opened her pack and pulled out several bags of trail mix, "Don't worry guys! We're saved!" she said, tossing one of the bags up and down in her hand.

As bad as he felt, a snort of laughter forced its way past his nose, "The queen of snacks does it again," he murmured, turning to follow Ebony into the kitchen.

He found her standing in front of the fridge with the door open, taking stock of the food inside. Her tail swayed from side to side, betraying her agitated state of mind.

"What do we have?" Roy asked.

Ebony shut the fridge door with a sigh, "Canned fruit, eggs, vegetables and a leftover casserole."

Roy raised an eyebrow, "And the pantry?"

Ebony gestured to the cabinet next to the stove, "Some cereal, popcorn and canned soups. All in all, we should be good for a couple weeks."

Roy sighed, "Are you okay?" he asked, gripping Ebony's hand and inspecting the palm, where Ebony's nails had cut into her palm from squeezing so hard.

Ebony grasped his hand tightly, looking at him with scared eyes. "No. We're trapped here with a faunus-hating cult on our tails. We can't call for backup, we can't even leave for crying out loud!"

Roy pulled his teammate into a hug, patting her back comfortingly, "There, there Eb, we'll be fine."

Ebony pushed him away slightly, "How can you say that?!" she cried, tears springing to her eyes, "You don't know, you can't know!"

Roy shook his head, "No, But what I do know is that our teammates will always have our backs."

Ebony dashed her tears away, sniffling slightly. "We can't always be there for each other," she murmured.

Roy gripped her gently by the shoulder, "We will be when it counts." Ebony started to argue but Roy cut her off, "Ebony, right now we don't have time to worry about what could happen."

She nodded, "You're right, I'm sorry."

Roy smiled, despite himself, "Don't be, at least I know someone cares about this team."

He heard Dahlia scoff from the entrance of the kitchen, "As if! We all care about this team!" She stepped forward, followed by Hunter. "No matter what comes our way, we'll get through it."

Roy nodded, trying to ignore the nagging doubt in his own mind. Despite his own words, he was just as scared for the future as Ebony was. "Guys…" he began, "Could we group hug? Like now?"

Dahlia grinned and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Roy's waist. Ebony joined her and Hunter enveloped all of them. They stayed that way for several minutes, simply enjoying the feeling of being together. Eventually, they broke apart.

"What time is it?" Roy asked.

Hunter pulled out his scroll to check, "3:30." he said, "We missed lunch."

Roy grimaced as his stomach growled, "How about we eat something quick. No use planning on an empty stomach."

A chorus of affirmation later, team SHDE set about preparing a modest meal using a mix of food they'd found. They finished the meal in short order and placed their dishes in the sink. As he rinsed his plate off, Roy noticed Hunter looking troubled, "Hunter, is something wrong?"

The taller boy sighed and gestured to the house, "I don't know, I just can't shake this feeling of guilt. We're essentially taking over someone's home and eating their food."

Dahlia gently touched Hunter's arm, "Desperate times call for desperate measures," she said softly, glancing up at him with her steel blue eyes.

Hunter nodded and retreated from the kitchen while Roy and Ebony started on the dishes. By the time they finished cleaning up, it was 5:00. Roy followed Hunter into the living room and sat down in one of two wooden chairs facing the loveseat. Ebony came in one soon after, drying her hands on a dish towel.

"So," Hunter asked, "What's the plan?"

Roy fiddled with the arm of the chair. "Well I don't think we can handle this on our own. Our priority is disabling the jammer. How to do that is the 20,000 lien question."

Dahlia raised her hand, "Could Hunter and I do it?"

Roy shook his head, "You both have very...distinct builds. Even if you got in, someone might recognize you."

Ebony spoke up, "I think our best bet would be to cause a distraction, then slip inside during the chaos."

Roy fixed Ebony with an inquisitive eye. "What kind of distraction?"

Ebony pulled a single glowing red crystal from the pouch on her belt and tossed it to Roy, who caught it. "I've found that fire is always a good distraction," she said, allowing a sly smile to creep across her face.

Roy grinned at the crystal, "I like the way you think."

Dahlia looked torn, "You guys sure you're okay with burning something down for a distraction?"

Ebony shrugged, "I did it all the time when I was with the White Fang."

Hunter's brow furrowed and he looked like he was about to lecture Ebony about the implications of shrugging off arson. Roy held up his hand, "Hunter, Lia. We need a distraction. This is the best thing we have. Besides, the town is by a lake, the fire will be out before much damage occurs."

The two human teammates shared a look before turning back to Roy, "We trust you." Hunter said.

Roy bowed his head gratefully, "Thank you both, I promise you that I will try and get us out of this safely."

His teammates nodded back, the smiles on their faces filling Roy with determination. Despite the odds being stacked against them, despite Umber having some unknown plan for him, He swore to himself that, no matter what it took, he would get his team home.

Even if I don't go with them.

Well, the true master mind is revealed. I had the idea for Umber to be the main villain from the beginning but how to do that without making it ridiculously obvious. Reese originally made it until the end, but I felt he caused to many loopholes...so I made an omelet. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!

Until we next meet,

Ar3mRising.