Chapter 22…
Sage groaned as the lumpy mattress beneath pushed into his lower back. His head pounded with a dull rhythm as the green haired boy slowly sat up, his back and neck without a doubt twisted into throbbing knots.
Sage gingerly stood up and stumbled to a nearby chair. He placed his hands on the backrest and stretched out his back, cracking his neck and doing his best to undo the pain in his head.
This would be the first and last time he would sleep in a Mantlese hotel, he had never rested in a bed so uncomfortable before. Sage moved away from the chair and wandered into the bathroom. He filled the sink with cool water and began to quickly wash his face, also lifting up his shirt to take off the sweat that clung to his chest. In most cases he would have used the rooms provided showers but the clumps of black mold growing on the tiles were an effective deterrent.
Sage felt a crawling sensation and also quickly checked himself for bugs, but he found nothing.
The faunus boy felt his stomach grumble and let out a long sigh. He collected his clothing and zipped up his blouson, pulling up the warm hood and fitting his ears through the holes.
Sage snatched the room keys off the dresser and left the room, jogging down the stairwell and making his way to the lobby. The ancient looking woman behind the counter was silent as she accepted the keys and Sage left the motel not long after.
The estranged team member took a long inhale of the crisp air as he stumbled onto the street, turning his sharp blue eyes up to examine the morning weather. He was pleased to see a sharp blue sky above him, replacing the usual dark grey clouds that hung over Mantle. The muttering of pedestrians and the whir of car engines could be heard all around him as the citizenry conducted their daily business.
His stomach grumbled again.
Sage began walking down the street, eager to put as much distance between himself and the motel as he could. After two blocks the glowing neon sign of a diner caught his attention.
He entered the establishment and ordered a small breakfast plate, even asking for a cup of black coffee to be included. Sage took a seat at a vacant booth and half heartedly dug into his breakfast.
He grimaced when he sipped his coffee, but it did wonders to clear up his headache.
He pushed the food around for a while, allowing himself to consider his options.
Why was Ironwood so antsy about handing over a stupid old crown? It wasn't like this was advanced Atlesian technology… In fact, Ironwood had been perfectly willing to hand over a piece of Penny Polendina's body if it meant maintaining Sage's cover; but now he was totally against handing over a musty antique?
Ridiculous… something wasn't right… and Sage didn't trust Ironwood for a second.
Sage was grateful that Ironwood was willing to protect Honey… but would that be enough? He knew his uncle to be ruthless and determined, he would stop at nothing if it meant getting back at Sage.
Verdant would also be cautious now… there was no way Sage could hand over a fake if there was an appraiser.
But… what if Sage did steal the crown? He would draw the ire of Ironwood… but perhaps his uncle would be willing to cut him loose…
Sage grumbled and set down his fork, resting his elbows on the table and placing his head in his hands. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place… between an untrustworthy general and a brutal gangster.
But his uncle might be willing to cut him loose… that possibility was very enticing… and far more concrete than whatever bullshit plan Ironwood could ever cook up.
Why would Sage care about some dumb crown that his uncle would probably just sell?
So there was a game plan then… good.
Sage forced himself to finish the rest of his food and held his nose as he gulped the rest of his coffee. He neatly arranged the plate and cup so they could be easily collected by the staff, but he froze in contemplation before standing up.
What about his team? What part would they play in all of this? Sage had done a good job pushing them all away… but that didn't mean that they wouldn't come looking for answers; and if that happened they would be placed in a dangerous game that they didn't deserve…
He needed one last nail in the coffin… so he pulled out his scroll and typed out a message.
Hey,
The last few weeks have been a difficult time for me, I have been placed in a terrible situation by our "friend" the General. In this time I have had a lot of time to think, and after reconnecting with my uncle… well, my eyes have been opened.
It took me a long time to realize this… but I hate every single one of you.
Mauve, you are a terrible leader who barely ran the team when we first started. You treat yourself like a god and believe that you can do no wrong. It is mostly because of you that I want to leave, you're going to run us into the ground and I know when to jump off a sinking ship, your ego is staggeringly large.
Asher, you are an emasculated dog, always pathetically groveling at the feet of Mauve for treats and attention. Your past absolutely disgusts me and I don't think that you've changed a bit… you're lying to yourself.
Rust, out of everyone I hate you the least, but I still fucking despise you. You're a big dumb oaf who meddles where you shouldn't and you always pretend that you know best.
Do not contact me.
Do not try to find me.
Do not even think about me.
Tell Ironwood that I'm done with him.
I have realized that family is the most important thing of all and I am eager to reconnect with the family business.
Goodbye,
Sage.
Sage felt a catch in his throat as his thumb hovered over the "send" button. With every ounce of his willpower Sage pressed his hand against the button, sending the message to his team.
Now they would want nothing to do with him… they were free to live happy lives… they would get over him.
Sage slipped his scroll into his coat pocket and left the diner, walking in the direction of a nearby department store.
Halfway across Remnant…
Vermillion humed in contentment as she chewed her food, her mother never ceased to impress her with her cooking. She, Teal and Lavender were sitting cross legged on the floor of the guest house, each absorbed with their respective plate of food.
Everything was silent until Teal yelped with pain, the food on her plate nearly spilling. Vermillion and Lavender's eyes snapped up in immediate concern as Teal set down her plate on the floor. The blue haired girl adjusted her sleeveless shirt to gently rub a large black bruise that was forming on her shoulder.
"Fucking hell…" Teal seethed while very gingerly soothing the area.
"That's what you get for leaving yourself open," Vermillion mumbled in between bites.
"Don't be rude!" Lavender chastised, using her own small hand to rub the back of Teal's neck affectionately.
"Nah, she's right," Teal muttered. "You don't need to defend me…"
"I still feel guilty…" Lavender mumbled.
"Don't be!" Teal reassured. "I left myself open…"
"And you need to stop being so reliant on your gun," Vermillion added.
Teal rolled her eyes. "Fine… and don't worry Lavender… I don't blame you."
"Do you have enough aura yet?" Vermillion questioned.
"Not yet," Teal answered as she picked up her plate and took another bite. "It'll get better after I eat."
"Speaking of getting better…" Vermillion mumbled to herself. She lowered her plate and turned around, facing one of the beds that had pushed into the corner of the dim room; a shock of dark gold hair could be made out in the low light. "How are you Honey?"
"Chapped," Honey rasped back. She raised her head off the pillow to reveal a webbing of sunburns on her face, complete with flaky skin. "I don't think the sun screen worked…"
"I have no idea how you burn so damn easily," Teal chuckled. "We all have paler skin… but you're the only one who burns…"
"I'm cursed…"
"That is pretty weird," Lavender added, taking a moment to swallow. "You were born in Vale and the climate here isn't different from the kingdom. What did you do when summer rolled around?"
"I didn't do anything," Honey moaned. "I stayed inside for a few months…."
Honey's answer elicited chuckles from the rest of her teammates. In time the food was finished and Teal offered to bring the dirty plates away, reassuring her team that she could do it on her own.
Teal stepped outside into the dim but warm sunlight of the late evening. She perched the three plates in her arm and wandered over to Vermillion's home, which was a two story building with a tiled roof. She gave a brief wave to Vermillion's family, who were sitting on the porch and relaxing in the evening light. Three generations of Fiamma's were resting on the porch, all recognizable because of their flaming red hair.
Teal let herself in through the side door and kicked off her shoes before entering the kitchen. She placed the plates into the sink and gave them a quick but thorough wash before leaving them to dry in the rack.
She pulled her shoes back on and left the house again, shutting the door behind her.
Heading back to the guest house, Teal rolled her bruised shoulder and pursed her lips to blow some hair out of her right eye. Her hair had only gotten longer in recent months, but she only trusted her barber back in Vale to properly cut it.
She would need to speak with Vermillion about heading back to Vale at some point. Teal had been keeping touch with her immediate family through the use of letters, but an in-person visit felt more meaningful and substantial than words on a page.
In her brief moment of distraction Teal bumped into someone, yelping and readjusting her feet to maintain her balance.
"Whoops! You alright there?" Spoke an aloof and friendly voice that she had never heard before.
Teal spun around to face the guilty party, locking eyes with a rather unassuming man. He was about a foot taller than she was, with tousled brown hair and kind eyes. He wasn't unattractive by any means, but his face was rather ordinary and unremarkable.
He was carrying a brown suitcase, but he set it down near his feet so that he could speak.
"Yeah…" Teal dusted herself off and regarded the stranger with a cautious look. "Sorry… wasn't really watching where I was going…"
"No worries!" The stranger chirped, his overbearing pleasantness made Teal's stomach flop. "I'm not innocent either…"
The man turned away for a moment, his eyes focusing on the town inn off in the distance. Teal began to feel increasingly awkward about the entire situation, but so far the stranger hadn't indicated that he was done talking.
"So…" Teal began, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. "What's your name? I haven't seen you around town…"
"My name is Sim- Simons," the man responded, holding out a firm hand that Teal accepted. "Sorry… I have a habit of stuttering…"
"Teal," Teal offered her own name and shook Simon's hand before pulling away. "Are you a local?"
"Tourist," the man answered, a beaming smile seemingly stuck on his face. "Just passing through… this place is quite beautiful!"
Teal narrowed her eyes suspiciously. There was something off about the strange in front of her… and it wasn't just his unceasing friendliness. Why would anyone be traveling at this time? The Fall of Beacon was just over half a year ago… but the people of Vermillion's village were still antsy and paranoid about traveling.
"Right," Teal clicked. "Well… I need to go. It was nice to meet you…"
"Likewise!"
Teal turned away and walked off quickly, hiding the look of revulsion on her face as she left.
Simmons shook his head and smiled, picking his suitcase and walking off in the direction of the town inn. He has been tasked with staying behind in the woods and concealing the bullhead with foliage; he didn't want to disappoint his team leader by showing up late to the rendezvous.
Speak of the Grimm… Clover was standing right at the door! The green eyed man was in the doorway, his burly arms crossed across his chest.
"Right on time," Clover mused, checking the watch on his right wrist. "Is it done?"
"Affirmative s-" Simmons quickly caught himself. He leaned in closer to his team leader to remain secretive. "Are we a go?"
"Almost, everyones up in the room," Clover answered. Simmons tried to move past him but the taller man stopped him, pressing a hand against his chest. "Who were you talking to?"
"Oh her? She and I bumped into each other…" Simmons answered with his usual eccentric voice. "She said her name was Teal…"
"Damnit recruit…" Clover hissed, his eyes narrowing. "She's one of our targets! Don't tell me you introduced yourself?"
Simmons quivered in place as Clover's face reddened.
"S- Mr. Clubber," Simmons stuttered out, his face twisting in disgust at the terrible alias he had made up. "I didn't say my real name…"
"Okay," Clover's right eye twitched. "What was your alias?"
"S- Simons…" Simmons answered with another stutter.
Clover was slowly reddening again but he released a long, rattling sigh. "It's better than nothing… follow me to the room…"
Simmons breathed a sigh of relief when Clover spun around to march into the town inn.
So far… Simmons thought that this assignment was going pretty well...
Two hours later, in the Omega nightclub…
Verdant Bulwark wasn't a man who was easily intimidated. In his business you couldn't afford to be, cruelty and brutality was distasteful but often necessary in his line of work.
He had killed and tortured people for many reasons… information, revenge, payment… but never for pleasure. Killing was an unpleasant and messy chore… and chores always served a greater purpose, they had to.
Despite his thick skin to all things macabre… Verdant couldn't stop the small bead of sweat that ran down the back of his neck. He avoided shifting in discomfort as ancient eyes observed him through the lens of the seer, two red orbs that glittered with a calculating intelligence that perhaps surpassed his own.
Although he found her quite terrifying, Verdant really wanted to challenge Queen Salem to a game of chess, he wondered if she was at all familiar with the game...
"Do you have it?" The Queen asked in her usual low tone, a razor sharp fingernail tracing the curves of her delicate chin.
"I have an agent working on the situation right now," Verdant assured, keeping his tone even and talking slowly. "I will have it in my possession in perhaps a week."
"I do not like assurances, I prefer results," Salem responded, her tone colder than ice.
Verdant smiled nervously. "I will uphold my end of the bargain… I will give you the Crown of Creation-"
"-and I will secure you a spot in the new world," Salem clicked her tongue, waving her withered hand in a noncommittal gesture. "I can rescind that offer if you do not deliver on your end."
"I will deliver!" Verdant bit back. "My agent is very determined… he will not fail in its retrieval."
"How can you be so sure, Bulwark?"
"I made him an offer he couldn't refuse… he was easily swayed."
Salem smiled in a way that was anything but friendly. "The hearts of men easily are…"
Verdant didn't really know how to respond to that. If he was a lot more stupid and gullible the irony of that statement would have flown right over his head.
But this wasn't about his own desires… this was about having friends in the right places...
"Your update was appreciated but unnecessary," Salem chastised. "When we next speak… I expect results."
"Yes, your grace," Verdant gulped.
Salem's form disappeared from the spherical lens of the seer grimm. Verdant narrowed his eyes in disgust as the abomination floated back into the closet, burying itself under a mountain of clothes so it was out of sight and out of mind. The guard next to the closet wrinkled his nose in discomfort as he shut the door to seal the mysterious grimm away.
Verdant sighed and placed his forehead against the desk. He sincerely hoped that Sage would crack under the pressure and steal the crown.
He would be fucked if he didn't… that's what happens when you make promises to ancient goddesses and don't keep them...
Two sharp knocks sounded on the door, Verdant flicked his calculating gaze up and rested on his elbows as the third knock rang out against the oak.
"Enter…" Verdant huffed.
His nephew walked in, looking quite different from the previous night. He carried himself with an almost confident stride, so much unlike how he had left the establishment the night before.
His green coloured clothes were tucked neatly over his left arm. Sage was now dressed in a black sweater and cargo pants, with running shoes replacing his boots. His mop of green hair was now covered with a black beanie, with two holes cut in the cloth so his ears were free to spring up.
Sage was stone faced as he silently took a seat in the guest chair, laying his spare clothes on the backrest.
"I need to know where the crown is kept… I need a layout of Atlas academy…"
Verdant covered his smile with his hands.