Chapter 32 – The Vasillias Cartel
Ruby
Ruby looked at the beautiful Village up in the mountains, her backpack filled to the very top with the supplies that they kindly gave. Ammunition, food, water and more comfortable things. Also, some better Aspen Gear too, it would not be of massive help in the Atlesian Wildlands if they are forced to go there, following Jackdaw's Trail. Ruby was not thinking about that, though – the idea of going to such an inhospitable location simply scared her to the core.
A land so cold that not even the Grimm can survive.
And those that did? Well… if the climate did not kill you then they surely would. Ruby zipped up her bag and she blew out a breath, feeling Ren's gentle hand on her shoulder. She turned and smiled as the Son of the Summit's Mentor stood beside her. "Are you ready?" Ren asked her, and Ruby stood back up, throwing the bag over her shoulders so then it was on her. It was heavier than before – which was not a bad thing, not at all.
"Yeah, as ready as I'll ever be, I guess." Ruby answered as she walked with the Kuroyurian towards the gathering of people wishing them all luck. Not so much to the Bandits of the Branwen Tribe, but more the brave people who were standing up against the Corrupt Black Gallows. "Must say, I'm kinda scared. I've heard some really scary stories about the Vasillias Cartel. Still can't believe Eryka and Neptune are the children of its leader."
"I know – when I first met Neptune? Heir to the most powerful Cartel in the world was not one of the things I thought about him." Ren said as he chuckled.
"What did you think?" She asked curiously.
"He's a bit of a show-off… and an idiot… but his heart is in the right place." Ren answered with a smile.
"Yeah, he's a good guy. I'm glad Weiss has someone like that for her." Ruby said with a bright smile, and Ren smiled down at her, since she was so much shorter than he was.
"You ever think about it? Having a partner?" He asked, Ruby looked at him and her face was the answer on its own. She didn't seem bothered by the idea of it, it was not yeah or no, she simply was not really concerned by it. "Seems some things don't change." Ren said with a smile.
"I mean, maybe some day. I don't know what will happen in the future, but right now? Nah…" She admitted, and everyone loved Ruby for that. Her honesty was always one of the first things that people liked about her. Which was why it had such an effect on her when she was forced to lie to her friends about going after Jackdaw… specifically after they told them not to.
Ruby looked at Ren. "Do you think that's weird?" She asked curiously, he raised a brow at her.
"Huh? No not at all… honestly, for a while I was afraid of something like that. After what happened at Kuroyuri? I was… I am… so scared of losing Nora. I don't know what I would do if I lost her – but I guess that's the deal, right? With any family… you never know how things will go. But if we can protect each other from the clutches of death for as long as we can? Then I'll take it." Ren said with a smile, and Ruby smiled back, playfully punching his shoulder as they walked.
"I can always trust you for the deep talks, Ren." She giggled, making Ren chuckled with her.
"It just comes out." He admitted.
The two of them approached the crowd and then… well… it was not what they expected. They thought they were saying goodbye to them all, but Yang made Nora a bet… a bet that they were about to settle.
Sat at a bench, the two of them had their elbows rested on the wood and hands clasped together, forcing their strength against one another. Both of them had their teeth gritted, eyes glaring at each other and Ruby crossed her arms and raised a brow. "How long have these two been at it?" Ruby asked Eryka.
"About twenty minutes now." She said.
"It's been that long? Gods… I knew it took me a while to pack up my stuff… but damn." Ruby gasped with wide silver eyes.
"Getting… tired… yet?" Nora strained through gritted teeth; biceps flexed as she held her back. But her Cybernetic hand had just as much strength as Nora's freakish power, despite her size in comparison. Yang smirked as she held Nora back, but she was struggling too.
"Nope… could… do this… all… DAY!" She cheered, except neither gained against each other as they kept forcing against one another. Ruby looked at Sashaa who stood there.
"How long are these two gonna go until they give up?" She wondered, Ruby stood next to her and she sighed.
"Oh, this isn't gonna end anytime soon… she's always been the immature one." Ruby said with a grin, glancing back at her sister, noticing her hand started to move further against Nora's. Her silver eyes bulged wide. "GO ON YANG! YOU CAN DO IT!" Sashaa jolted from shock as the high-pitched squeak erupted from Ruby, bouncing up and down around Yang. Ren sighed and he shook his head, Nora looked at Ren with a raised brow.
"Yay… you can do it! He softly cheered, nowhere near as explosive as Ruby was, but Nora kept forcing Yang back. As Ruby bounced around her sister like a little Bunny Rabbit, Qrow and Raven returned to them all and Eryka glanced at them. She still had the bandage around her, but she was looking much better. A bit hungover, mind you… but better.
"Oh no." Qrow sighed as he approached.
"What?" Raven asked.
"This may last a while." Qrow said as he looked at his blonde niece. Raven bumped her brother's shoulder which got his attention.
"I remember you and Tai doing this all the time." She said with a smirk.
"Oh yeah, I was definitely better." Qrow quipped, and Raven just raised a brow at her brother. Qrow glanced at her and he sighed. "Alright fine, he's better."
"I wonder where she got that from?" She softly said as she looked at him.
"Oh, one hundred percent from me. Someone's gotta be the bad influence on them." He said with a grin, making Raven laugh. Li Ren approached the scene and he could hear the sound of the two Arm-Wrestling each other.
"What do we have here?" He said.
"Yang and Nora having an Arm-Wrestling Match." Eryka answered, it made Li chuckle as he looked at the two of them. It was no longer a stagnant battle now, and they were pushing each other back and forth, slowly getting closer to a victor.
"Glad to see the old ways still stand tall." Li said as he held both his hands on his staff that he had with him.
"You did this crap back in your day?" Sashaa asked with disbelief in her voice.
"I was a young man once, believe it or not, Sashaa." He joked with a smile, making her softly giggle.
Ren approached his father, part of him was still amazed that this was truly his father and that he was not killed by the Nuckelavee. "Father… I…" Ren stammered, but Li gently squeezed his son's shoulder.
"Son, the gates of the Summit's Claim will always be open for you. To all of you." He said with a smile, and he gently hugged his son, who held him tight.
"I will come back. I promise…" Ren said with a smile and Li smiled back to him.
"Then I will await your return. My heart and thoughts will always follow you, son." He sweetly said to him, and Ren smiled.
"I love you dad… I never got to say that to you last time." He sadly said, but Li gently caressed his son's cheek.
"You needn't say it." He assured. "We both knew."
Tears streamed from Lie's eyes as he remembered his mother, but it was tears of happiness, not sorrow. He missed his mother… but she was always with him. Li turned to Nora and he held out his hand, she looked at Yang and she strained harder and harder, and Yang strained more, her arm moved closer to the ground and finally – bang!
Nora beat Yang, so much power in her tiny body. She bounced up in the air with joy. "YES! YOU OWE ME A LIEN!" She pointed at Yang on the bench, and Yang sighed, handing it over, massaging her cybernetic bicep.
"Yeah, yeah… you win." Yang groaned. "Ow…"
Nora hopped off the bench and immediately went to Li and she gave him a loving hug, and when they broke, he looked at her. "I am happy to know my son fell in love with such a beautiful woman." He said, and Nora blushed. At first Nora was surprised by his comment until she saw Harmony Gives Humble Mind, the huge Altum Eagle that stood on the ground, eyes glowing as she looked at the two of them, so he could see her himself.
It made her blush more – because he legitimately meant it.
"Oh, you don't mean that!" She giggled and Li chuckled back.
"Keep each other safe…" He said, then Nora saw that Harmony Gives Humble Mind turned her gaze and stared directly at the gates. Where Valravn was already beyond them with Cinder and the other Bandits, his cloak blew in the wind and the chimes softly sung with the whispery voices. "… and be careful around him, son. Valravn Branwen is not to be trusted." He warned, as he walked to give gentle hugs and goodbyes to everyone else.
Ren stared at Valravn as he stared ahead, and Ruby looked at him as well. It was the same thing that Maria Calavera warned her about.
Valravn was shrouded in mystery, shadows of his past – and that question of who he was?
It scared them all.
Li walked over to Eryka and he gave her a gentle hug, and they broke apart, looking at each other. "Try not to do anything stupid until I get back." Eryka joked, making Li chuckle softly.
"We will try our best." He said as he looked at the people who were so happy to be where they were, free from the Corruption of the Governments of Remnant. "I am so proud of you, Eryka. You have come a long way from being that girl filled with hate and anger in your heart, who fell on my doorstep looking for help." He said with a smile, and it made Eryka smile with a faint blush. Not much made her blush, but hearing those words?
Well… her Mother and Father never told her that they were proud of her.
So, it went a long way for her.
As Li said goodbye to them all… Ruby kept her eyes on Valravn, who stared out at Anima, the chimes softly bounced off one another as he stood there.
Not many people scared her to just… look at… but Valravn?
He terrified her.
Jaune
The Northern Anima blaze of snow was extremely powerful, and the team were very far away from where their targets were – but they knew that tracking them in Anima would take too long. They knew their target was Argus, so the best chance they had to catch them was to sit and wait for them to get there.
But now they had a second, more important, reason to get to Argus as fast as possible. Tyrian's poison from his Scorpion Stinger was getting worse, Winter was pale and sweating even in this freezing cold weather. They forced their way through the storm, not looking back. But in the distance the tower of smoke could still be seen, whilst Jaune was staring at the icy handprint on his forearm.
"It wasn't them." He said, and Pyrrha looked at him with a confused look, Ilia next to her.
"What?" She asked.
"The Apathy… the thing that has been stalking us? The one we keep forgetting is there? It wasn't there, I can still remember what they looked like. Their faces… the sounds that they made." It terrified him, in a weird way he wished he could forget what the Apathy were and looked like. They were the things of nightmares.
"He's right." Sienna added from the front of the team, whilst Blake and Weiss were taking their place in carrying Winter as fast as they could. "It couldn't have been them… Gods I should have known. I heard stories about the Apathy and what they were capable of, but I never knew that they could do… that." She said with a sigh. "But this thing? Wiping all memory of what it looked like? Never heard of a Grimm capable of doing that, this thing is new alright."
"Yeah, great." Weiss groaned. "More bad news on top of what's already going down."
"There must have been more of them too, whatever this thing is capable of it could not have possibly abducted all those people from Jvaani. Not alone, there must be more than one." Blake added as they carried Winter.
"Yeah… but it doesn't make sense. I've never heard of Grimm abducting people before, sure we've seen them carry people off, but they usually kill them elsewhere." Sienna said as she walked, it made some of them shudder from how horrific that must be to die like that. But the Apathy were even more terrifying.
"The Apathy… they managed to kill Bartleby and all his people without laying a finger on them. How are you supposed to stop something like that? I mean we only figured out they were down there when they were trying to kill Jaune." Pyrrha softly said with fear in her voice. Her head still hurt from using the dark side of her Polarity against them to save them all, to save Blake.
Jaune glanced at the sword sheathed into his shield… and there was one thing lingering in his mind from when those horrifying things snatched him.
They were trying to take my sword from me… they didn't even try and kill me first… they went straight for my sword.
Why?
He did not bring his thoughts up, because none of them could possibly know the answer to his question. But it was still lingering in him… especially how much it terrified him. They grabbed him when he was filling the bucket up with water and dragged him into the cellars. But the scariest part? He wanted the scream, but nothing came out… they just dragged him away and he felt like he wanted to go to sleep.
That… that was the most horrifying part of the Apathy.
Jaune shook the feeling away, pulling his sleeve back down to hide the cold handprint that was marked on him. He looked over his shoulder and forgot it was there. They kept on moving forward, and Ilia rubbed her bitingly cold shoulders. "How far away is this damn Waystation?" She stammered from how cold it was.
Weiss looked through the snow, and her eyes widened with hope in her irises. "There! There's a light!" She called out, and they kept moving, carrying Winter up the slope of snow towards the Waystation. And at the flattened terrain was the Train Track that the Argus Limited was bound to arrive.
Sienna opens the door and she turns, her hand held close to Cerberus Whip as she looked around. The Feral Ones were not here, and neither were anyone that looked suspicious in any way. No signs of anybody that could possibly be related to Salem in any way. So, she calmed herself down whilst Weiss and Blake rested Winter and her stretcher down on the sofa that was inside here. Their teeth were chattering as they escaped the blistering cold storm outside, the windows rattled from the wind that blew against them, like a deep hum from a horn or something like that.
Jaune peaked through the blinds, checking for anything. Mainly for that Grimm that was out there, following them still. But they could not see it anywhere… but it was there. That much was dead certain. They just prayed to the Gods that once they got onto the Argus Limited it would help them get away from it.
"Hello, can I help you." A polite man asked which made them all jump, Jaune turned and he grabbed the hilt of Crocea Mors. He was shaking both from fear and the cold, he immediately stood down, shocked from how quickly he was ready to attack whoever was stood next to him.
"Oh! I'm so sorry…" He apologised.
One of the other people approached Winter and he crouched down, checking her wound. "Deathstalker Poison?" He asked.
"Not exactly… a Scorpion Faunus." Pyrrha answered, the two Humans scoffed, shaking their heads.
"There's no such thing." He said, Sienna squeezed Pyrrha's shoulder.
"Remember what I told you… the world forgot they ever existed. Best to just say it was a Deathstalker." Sienna advised. Sienna was right too, not just for the fact that most people did not even know of the existence of Scorpion Faunus – just as they didn't – but also, people knew how to treat Deathstalker Venom.
"Hmm, we can ease her pain and give her a suppressant, but she needs to get to Argus Hospital to get proper treatment." The older Worker said to them.
"How long until the Argus Limited gets here?" Weiss asked as she sat next to her sister, gently holding her hand. The Worker looked at the clock on the wall and then at her.
"A few Hours, there were some delays back in Mistral. Some new faction – like the White Fang but different. They were killing Humans in the streets and freeing imprisoned Faunus." The Worker explained, looking at Sienna, Ilia and Blake.
"The Feral Ones?" Sienna asked.
"Yeah, something like that. Always knew something like this would happen, ever since the Battle of Beacon and that lunatic? Something was gonna start." He sighed as he walked around. "My wife was one of the people there when it happened."
"Is she okay?" Ilia asked with worry.
"She's alive, just a bit shook up. I should be there with her, but this damn storm just won't let up." He said as he tapped the window.
"I'm sorry." Jaune apologised.
The man smiled at the Warriors. "Thanks. Well you all can stay here for the next few hours, we have a Coffee Machine and some snacks if you want some." The Worker said, whilst the other returned and gave Winter a shot. It would keep Winter in a semi-stable condition, slowing the deterioration of her cells from Tyrian's poison.
"Thank you for this. Been a rough journey." Ilia said to the Worker.
"I can tell… you all look pretty shaken." He said, and Jaune chuckled softly.
"Yeah… you could say that again." He said as he walked to the window of the view, but they could see very little. The snow was everywhere, it was very strange to see a storm like this at this time of year. But then again, things are changing, there were new Grimm, the Children of Salem were no longer in hiding, the Black Gallows were a stronger presence in the world now… and of course… Jackdaw Branwen.
Pyrrha walked over to Jaune and she held his hand. "I can stop thinking about that thing… the Grimm… that… Abductor." He sighed as he stared out at the storm.
"What do you mean?" She asked him.
"There's something about this Grimm that I can't shake. Grimm normally are drawn to negative emotion, right?" He asked her.
"Yeah." Pyrrha agreed,
"That thing isn't… sure we're scared but it's been following us before Tyrian attacked us. Before the Apathy." Jaune pointed out. "This thing? It is hunting us out of choice, like it's got a mission. And think about it, a Grimm that can erase your memories? There would be no fear in you at all. No negative emotions – there were no other Grimm there either, it was completely abandoned. It's easily the weirdest thing about it." Jaune explained to her and Pyrrha thought about it.
He was right – this was the first Grimm they had ever encountered that was not driven by Negative Emotions.
Which begged the ultimate question – Why?
"Abductor… that's a good name for it." Pyrrha agreed, they both continued to stare out at the mountains in the distance, waiting for the Argus Limited to arrive.
Eryka
She walked ahead of the convoy of brave people who headed through the mountains towards the Vasillias Cartel. From the warm and loving welcome of the Summit's Claim to the icy cold fear that ran through her blood like electricity. Eryka massaged her wrists as she walked, Dulcis sat on her shoulder, softly chirping in her ear as she walked. They had already passed by many markers of the Vasillias Cartel.
Ignoring all of them, they were headed straight for the main base. It was not the same one that they were raised at in Mistral. Eryka knew this place, it was where the Vasillias Cartel headed their operations. They kept following the Mountain Path when Shay slid up next to her with that annoying sinister grin on his face. "So, Blue – you excited to go back home? To see Mommy and Daddy? Bet they got a cake to welcome you home!" He laughed, but Eryka just gave him a cold glare, staring right into his eyes.
"DON'T." She warned, before she stormed ahead of him. Not much hit her nerves that fast but that one did, and she made a lot of distance from Shay. Cinder walked and she caught up with her, looking at Eryka with her arms at her side.
"Did you Mother kidnap little girls before?" She asked and Eryka sighed.
"Yes. The Cartel dealed in Trafficking from time to time, if I remember correctly, they managed to make a lot of money from selling them off to others. Mainly to people from Vacuo… I think half of them were actually sold to Malachite." Eryka explained and it made Cinder shudder to imagine.
"Those girls she had working for her… Vernal told me about the things that Malachite would do to them if they… didn't… do as they were told. They were beaten, branded and tortured – or worse? Strapped to a rock in the desert and left to die. I know some of you looked at me as a monster when I did what I did to Malachite, but I don't care. She deserved it after what she put those poor women through." Cinder said as she walked with her, and Eryka glanced at her.
"Why do you care so much? About Amber? From your reputation, you never struck me as a mother figure." Eryka commented and Cinder gave her a look. At first it was angry, but then she calmed, and it seemed more like she understood her doubts. Eryka was not one to back down either, not like Ruby or the others.
"She's like me. I was once an innocent little girl raised by terrible people, and it made me into a monster. Salem just made me even worse when I was one of her Children." Cinder scoffed. "I don't want her to be like me… I can't atone for my sins, but I can make sure that little girl can lead a happy life."
Cinder kept walking and Eryka looked ahead as they walked. "I know how you feel." Eryka said.
"You do?" She scoffed, surprised by that.
"Yeah – and it's why I don't like coming here." Eryka stammered. Cinder listened to her words as they walked up the cobblestone steps. "When we were kids, before I took him away… I was only six… but some people tried to kill the Vasillias Family. My mother, my father, me and my brother. He was only two at the time." Eryka explained as she walked with Cinder. "They were from the Valerian Biker gang, and I had to fight them off as they tried to kill me. But when I fought them… my mother killed them all with her swords. She saved us… and it terrified me. I thought we were safe there." She explained.
"At least she protected you." Cinder pointed out.
"You don't understand, Cinder. That night? It was the first time I saw my mother than whole year, because she was always at the Cartel or on business for the Cartel. The one time I saw her, it was when she stained herself in their blood, and declared a Gang War on the Bikers. She nearly wiped them out, until they surrendered." Eryka explained. "The older I got the more I learned about what my parents really were, and when I found out about the Vacuo Mafia? That was when I knew it was enough, so I took my brother with me and we ran, hiding from them. She never came after us though."
"Maybe she never knew you did it?" Cinder asked.
"Oh, she knew." Eryka assured. "My mother is not someone to be trifled with, just remember that when you see her."
Cinder scoffed. "If they don't show me her in one piece, I will burn them to dust." Cinder growled, they walked up the steps and her eye widened when she saw the massive iron doors and Paladins stood at the gates. Painted with the blue Vasillias Cartel symbol upon the armour plating. There were massive turrets as well, and it was clear what the Cartel Base truly was.
The base was an old decommissioned Military Base from the Great War, used by the Mistraalians. Clearly the Vasillias Cartel utilised it to their advantage when the war came to an end – nothing could get to them with those armaments. "You sure about that?" Eryka asked her.
They approached the gates and the two Paladins aimed their weapons at the large group of people, weapons in hand. "Halt! State your business!" The Paladins both ordered. Eryka walked past Cinder as she stared at the Paladins. The pilots stared at the Falconess, and they were able to tell just from her face. "You… you are Eryka Vasillias."
"I am." Eryka replied.
"Why have you returned?" One of the Paladins questioned.
"Returned? I was never one of you to begin with. We're here to see my mother, she took a child who belongs to us. We have come to get her back." Eryka told the Paladins.
"You sure it's a good idea to tell them that?" Oscar softly asked her.
"You wanna get in, or not?" Eryka replied, which shut him up pretty quick. It saddened the Rogues to see Eryka acting so cold and serious, when normally she was so bubbly and jokey. "Let us through, we will deal with Lavinia or not at all." Eryka said, and one of the Paladins chuckled.
"You are definitely your mother's daughter." The Paladin Pilot said.
"No need for the insult, pal." She retorted, the Paladins stepped aside, and the heavy doors slowly opened up before them all. The massive base… it was filled with combatants of different kinds. There were soldiers, thugs and Huntsmen walking around. Lavinia had been busy, she was not just a Cartel, she had an army that could even rival the Black Gallows if she used it correctly. Eryka and Cinder stayed at the front of the party that walked in, passing by the many soldiers who pushed the crates of countless counterfeit products.
The smell was in the air of so many different drugs. Enigma's Tears – a fluid that when injected into the body would give the user hallucinations and immense relief, however constant usage would turn their skin yellow. Trinity's Mistress – a flower collected from the fields of Ard Valera, an Archipelago of small islands in Northern Vale, renowned for acting as a sex enhancer, but became illegal around thirty years ago, meaning the Black Market would purchase these flowers for a very high amount of money. Devil's Thorn – a weed that when burned would grant ecstasy and relief to the user, and countless others.
Counterfeit Lien, Forged Documents and many other different methods, shipped to the different Black-Market Groups across Remnant. Something else that shocked them were the number of weapons, vehicles and ammunition being both manufactured and sold here. No wonder the Feral Ones got armed as quickly and effectively as they did, it must have been through the Black Market, and thus – through the Vasillias Cartel.
Their name was everywhere, because Lavinia made it so then they were the ones in charge of the Criminal Underworld. And nobody would dare rise against them, not even the Black Gallows seemed to challenge them. Eryka kept walking but she stopped and held Cinder back as a modified Paladin carried multiple large heavy crates in the arms to one of the Airships that was landed on the airfield. The Paladin turned as he walked, the pilot shouting through the intercom. "Watch it!"
They ignored the Cartel Mercenary, and they kept moving, Ruby looked around at the place, she felt so small as she walked with them all. Eryka turned one of the corners as many vehicles drove past, and prisoners walked with chains… like slaves. They were constantly sweeping the snow away from the roads and into the corners. "Hey… have something to eat." Ruby softly said to one of the slaves, he was beaten, bruised and barely standing. But the slave did not even look at her, Eryka gently turned her away from the Slave.
"You can't. Those slaves? They got it easy in comparison to others." Eryka told her.
"Who are they?" Yang asked with concern in her voice.
"People who did not pay my mother back in time. Their debt was not large enough to warrant… that…" Eryka stopped as she looked ahead, and all of them gasped as they saw her.
Lavinia Vasillias.
She was very different to Eryka, she was taller and far slenderer than Eryka was. She had an athletic frame but Eryka had more muscle on her from her time working out and training in Hand-to-Hand Combat. But she was much taller than Eryka was. She had a large black coat with a white fur collar around her neck. Her hair was long, mostly black with stripes of blue hair through them in places. She looked a lot like Eryka but just older with more wrinkles and scars from her time as the leader of this powerful cartel. She wore black Combat Trousers and military Boots with a pair of swords sheathed onto her belt where she could easily draw them.
There was no sign of Roland Vasillias – their father.
Lavinia walked around the man who was chained to a pair of metal pylons around him, only in his underwear. Frostbite had set in on his feet and hands, and he had been tortured. Beaten to a pulp, cut up and whipped to the point where blood was everywhere, on the floor and his body. He screamed in agony as Lavinia slowly cut her blade across his back, spilling more blood.
Then she spoke, her voice soft and almost beautiful, like a singer's voice. And that was probably the scariest thing about her.
If you heard her voice alone?
You would think she was a kind person.
"You knew what would happen if you refused to pay your debt on time, we have already punished your settlement enough. I have sold your prettiest daughters to the best buyers out there; I have enslaved your sons. But you still have the tenacity to try and swindle me after all that?" Lavinia scoffed as she wiped the blood off the blade. The crying father looked up at Lavinia.
"The Grimm! I've been trying to protect my people!" He cried, then she pressed the blade to his neck, staring right into his eyes.
"Oh honey, I have heard this tale time and time again. I had my men protect you, free of charge. I know what you are… you're a man who tries to find a way out. But that trick doesn't work on me, buddy. And I am out of merciful chances." Lavinia said as she walked around the man, she drew her other sword and spun them through her fingers.
"We… tried… to follow your rules." He whimpered.
"Oh bullshit. I give you people chances, many chances, but you keep on wasting them. Then you sent some of you people to attack my people? Us? How did you think that would end?" Lavinia asked as she held out her arms "So this? Is how it has to be." She said, driving both her blades into his chest. He screamed in agony, blood drooling from his mouth and his bare chest.
She then pulled the blades apart, into a large X on his chest, blood splattered all over the floor as his intestines fell from his stomach. Ruby gasped and looked away, right into Qrow's arms, Yang looked away as well. "No…" Ruby softly whimpered. Lavinia sighed as she cleaned her blades and turned to her men.
"Take him to Kuchinashi, crucify him in front of them all as a reminder. Now the entire city must pay the debt they owe. If they don't then we kill them all." Lavinia told the men and they nodded, taking the Mayor of Kuchinashi down and dragging him away. Lavinia had his blood on her face when she pulled the swords apart and she cleaned them, turning and she froze, staring straight at Eryka who stood there with the Branwen Tribe.
"Well… I bet Albert was on perimeter watch." She sighed, walking towards Eryka. "So… finally come to your senses?" She asked her daughter.
"What do you think?" Eryka asked, she did not even flinch when Lavinia executed the Mayor.
"Guess not then." Lavinia sighed, sheathing her swords, she then looked at the large group that was behind her. She only needed one glance to know, that was how well she knew the many Criminal Groups on Remnant. "The Branwen Tribe… what are you doing back with these savages?"
"I'm not back with them. You took a child who was with them, they want them back." Eryka explained with her arms crossed.
"Bought. Not took." Lavinia corrected, that was the last straw for Cinder, she walked past Eryka with clenched fists and her eyes ignited.
"Cinder, don't." She softly begged, but it was too late.
"WHERE IS AMBER! GIVE HER BACK TO US YOU UPPITY BITCH?" She erupted with immense rage, until Lavinia stared at her and held her finger to her lips.
"Shhhhhhh…." Lavinia softly hushed, and Cinder gasped… unable to breathe… unable to speak. She grabbed her throat with fear as she stood there, trying to speak but nothing came out.
Silence. That was the name of her Semblance, the ability to silence anyone she desired. Eryka looked at Cinder and saw the legitimate terror in her amber eye. "Well, well… Cinder Fall. Malachite told me about you… before you hanged her in her burning house. My, my… I could make a killing selling you to the right people for the right price." She softly said as she looked at her beauty. "But… a girl like you? With your history? I doubt they would buy someone who has probably had many beds kept warm." She said with a smirk, walking around Cinder, before looking at Eryka. "What about you? Got a partner yet?" She asked her curiously.
"What the hell does that matter to you?" She snarled.
"Can I not be kept in the loop on my daughter's life?" Lavinia asked, staring at her. Eryka stared right back.
"Yeah… I have someone." She answered, and Lavinia smiled. "But I bet you already knew that, didn't you?"
"Winter Schnee…" Lavinia answered, which made Eryka scoff. "Pretty girl, skilled too. I'm glad you are happy, but with her not being here and everything that happened at Beacon Academy recently? I have heard some rather… interesting… stories about your friends." Lavinia said as she walked towards the ground, staring right at Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. "I do hope you and Winter can sort out your problems."
Eryka glared at Lavinia, she had not changed a bit. "I hope we can properly catch up later, Eryka. But… I would rather not have any more blood shed today. Why don't we handle this like adults, Branwens?" She asked them, staring at Qrow, Raven and Valravn.
The three Branwens walked forward and looked at Lavinia Vasillias, who smiled as she glanced to the largest building where her office was, and she walked ahead of them, her black and blue hair blew in the wind. Qrow looked back at them all. "Stay together, and don't get into trouble. We'll see what we can agree on." Qrow said, and he walked ahead of them with Raven and Valravn.
Lavinia then snapped her fingers and Cinder gasped, able to speak again, breathing normally too. "What… what the hell was that?" She gasped.
"Her semblance… she always liked to discipline me with that one." Eryka said. She then scoffed. "Because I talked too much." She winked, clearly not much had changed, but around her mother?
There was no love there.
But for Ruby?
Lavinia Vasillias lived up to her name. She was not someone to be messed with.
Qrow
Lavinia held the door open for the three Branwens, she could hear the whispering voices echo from Valravn's aura as he walked past. He was the only one not to sit down, and she closed the door. She took off her jacket and she hung it on the back of the door. It surprised Qrow to see the deep blue T-Shirt she wore underneath. She walked over and sat down on the chair, leaning back and resting her legs on the table.
"So then… you want to reclaim the little girl? Amber?" Lavinia asked them curiously.
Raven looked around the Office, there were pictures all over the place here. Locations but also… pictures of her family.
Lavinia with her husband specifically, there was only one that had Eryka and Neptune on it. Eryka was stood next to both of them, only three at the time and she held baby Neptune in her arms. What was very interesting though? Her hair was blue once, just like Eryka and Neptune, however it was clear that her natural colour was black. And… she looked so happy. And the husband? Roland was an attractive man. Square Jaw and windswept brown hair, but they did not see him anywhere around the place.
They heard stories about them – Roland was not a Vasillias, but when they married, he did not really have a choice in which family he joined. Lavinia was the better choice… but the way she gently caressed that picture and looked at it – it meant a lot. If she was abusive to him… then she would not seem so affectionate to the pictures and have them everywhere. Roland was not dead – but Eryka always described him as a man who hid behind his wife's shadow.
So, Raven pieced it together… by the time he found out the truth of her? It was too late, and he saw her for what he was, and was too terrified of what would happen if he tried to walk away. So, he hid behind her shadow… even though she still loved him… and just wanted him to see that. It was quite sad, but at the same time she understood why he feared her, because she was ruthless.
Qrow leant forward and he started the debate. "You hired Icarus, didn't you? To kidnap her and bring her here? Leave the Spider Egg so we would go after Malachite?" Qrow asked.
"Correct, you have a sharp mind." She bluntly admitted.
"Why? Wasn't Malachite one of your most useful allies?" Qrow questioned.
"She was, but I would never trust a spider on my shoulder. Eventually it would bite me and kill me. Have you not done your research? How she betrayed the Vacuo Mafia for me? Why would I trust someone who turned sides as fast as her? Besides, I now have the networks that she had." Lavinia explained as she tapped her fingers on the mahogany desk. "She fulfilled her usefulness to me."
"Sure, but you could have wiped them out with your forces. Why use us? You knew it would bring us here." Qrow questioned.
"How about you Bird Boy? Think you know the answer?" She asked Valravn, he stared at her and he answered.
"The fruits must be earned via labour." He answered and Lavinia stared at him with confusion.
"Okay, Bird Boy can stay quiet then. Basically, it's because I will not give you Amber, not unless you can give me something in return." Lavinia explained.
"How much?" Raven asked her.
"Oh, please no, if it was Lien, I wanted I would just sell her. No, no Raven. What I want is far more valuable than that cute little girl." Lavinia stated as she leant forward, taking her legs off the table and resting her arms on the table. They looked at each other with concern for Ruby, since they had a bounty on their heads. "You're filled with doubts, no? Want to see that she is okay?" She asked, so she brought up a holographic feed of a bedroom… Neptune's old bedroom that was kept the exact same way.
She was sat there playing with the toys and with some tasty looking food. She was looking after her… which was why they knew she had something planned for them. "What is it you want?" Raven asked her.
"Ever heard of Lake Matsu?" She asked them.
"Sure." Qrow responded.
"Well, then you know that it is the richest source of Gravity Dust Crystals in the world. I have been trying to get my men in there, but the Lancers have been making life difficult." Lavinia explained as she brought up the Holographic Feed of them all. The huge islands and mountains that floated up above the lake of water, and a diagram of a Lancer as well. The creatures were very dangerous and could take out countless Airships in one attack.
"If you want Amber back, I want you to keep the Lancers off my Miners' backs." Lavinia offered as she sat there, staring at them all.
Valravn looked at his Niece and Nephew. "What do you need Gravity Dust for?" Qrow questioned with confusion.
"Clearly you don't scour the Black Market for things that are worth a fortune nowadays?" She asked him and he shrugged his shoulders in agreement.
"Touché." Qrow said.
"What does this mission entail then? How many crates will they need to fill?" Raven inquired.
"I will allow you two to go and take the Rogues who are with you, my daughter, Oscar Pine and a few of your Bandits." Lavinia answered, then Raven furrowed her brows.
"How do you know Oscar's name?" Qrow asked.
Lavinia tapped her nose with a smile. "Remember… Malachite's database has a lot of interesting information for me."
"Why not Cinder, Valravn and Vernal?" She asked.
"Leverage – in case you try anything." Lavinia answered and Raven chuckled.
"Got us wrapped around your little finger, huh?" Raven scoffed.
"You came to me, remember. That means this mission goes by my rules." She stated, then she held out her hand.
"So… do we have a deal?" Lavinia asked, holding out her hand. The Branwens all looked at each other… they sighed… and knew that this was the best deal they were going to get.
"Alright – we have a deal." Qrow agreed, shaking her hand.
But Qrow did not forget Eryka's warning.
Do not trust Lavinia Vasillias.
Author Note - Lavinia Vasillias, honestly the Vasillias Cartel has gotta be one of my favourite parts of the world for Eclipse, it adds so much to both Eryka and Neptune, and man is her mother such a cool character to write. She is extremely dangerous, yet deep down... she does love her family.
But what is more important to her? The Cartel or Family?
Her intro was another idea I loved too, makes her live up to the fear the world created for her. And now it is time for them to go to Lake Matsu and the Floating Islands. It's gonna be fun :D
And we have a name for this mysterious Grimm hunting Jaune's team... the Abductor... god I love this thing.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!
- Matt