Darkember was a settlement located east of Shadeshift. It was inhabited by just over a thousand buildings that rested on a thin veil of sand. Early in the morning, Victor Ironwood, accompanied by Janus Agosto and Venilia Falone, was eager to meet the leader of the Wild Fangs; he was eager to find out the outcome of the peace meeting.
The leader of the Wild Fangs showed up late and got out of the armored vehicle in an almost aristocratic manner. He had no hair and no beard either; his dark eyes were proud and his whole face was like that of an ox... almost like his size. The steel legs played a high-pitched metallic melody with every movement. The man stopped a few steps from Victor Ironwood. Along with him there were two other guys that he introduced:
"This is Brogan, chief engineer, and he is Darvin, he's also chief engineer." When it came to him he showed a proud, almost regal smile and pronounced: "I am the archmachinist of the Wild Fangs: Dalkon the Cool."
Victor tried hard to hold back his laughter.
"Before starting the negotiation, I would like to clarify one thing: I'm not here because I need your help. The Wild Fangs have both the numbers and the technology to take on the Atlas army."
"Yet you haven't done it yet," Janus noted sharply.
"I am a pragmatic person, yeah. If I attacked the Tremaine Mines, I would leave the flank uncovered… a risky move in times of war, as you well know." He turned to Victor in a cheeky manner and said, "But I'm surprised the Shadow Heralds are so foolish as to plan an attack on Atlas' forces."
"The Tremaine Mines are a problem for me, but the forces of Atlas stationed in the Red Desert are a pain in the ass for all of us. If we could kick their asses back to their kingdom, we'd be doing the whole Red Desert a big favor… that is what I want," Victor explained.
"You're very sure of yourself."
"We're talking about a weakened Atlas. You don't know? The Grimm attacked their flying city and put the whole kingdom in crisis. This is the perfect time to strike."
"How can I trust you, Victor?" Dalkon asked, frowning. "You are an enemy of the Wild Fangs and, as if that weren't enough, you are also a relative of the General of the Atlesian armed forces. The conflict of interest is obvious, my friend."
"How do you know about—?"
"Everyone knows, Victor. In the Red Desert, certain news runs faster than trains."
"Then you will also know that he no longer works in the Atlesian army," said Victor brusquely. "Now he's a criminal, just like us."
"You're wrong, he's not like us… and you're not like us either. Don't pretend you care about the Red Desert or the independence of the gangs, you want what all ambitious men crave: power."
"I want equality," Victor exclaimed gravely.
"So is this the story you tell your followers? It's all bullshit and you know it too. And as for our alliance: fuck you. I'm not going to help the Shadow Heralds."
Dalkon turned his back on Victor and walked slowly away.
"What if I give you Atlas technology?"
Dalkon stopped. He looked at Victor with two wide eyes and said, confused:
"Yours are the words of a madman. We are your enemies, it would make no sense to hand over such advanced technology to us."
"You will take the technology, I will take the miners," Victor clarified.
"No," he said shaking his head.
"Yup."
"No, that's bullshit. You're bluffing. You cannot be serious."
"I'm serious. To you the technology, to us the miners."
"No, no... where's the catch?" he asked skeptically.
"No catch," he replied, holding up his hands.
"Fuck you, Victor. I don't believe you. You're deceiving me. The negotiation is over, kiss my ass."
Victor threw a Scroll at Dalkon's feet, the latter picked it up and with frowning eyebrows asked:
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"A gift from the Shadow Heralds. Inside you will find the floor plan of the Tremaine Mines along with information regarding the number of soldiers, the type of defenses and even technologies they possess. It's all reliable information… and it's all at your disposal."
Dalkon raised his eyebrows and didn't say a word. He looked at Victor, then at the Scroll and left without leaving a response.
While Janus and Venilia were disappointed by the conclusion of the meeting, Victor left Darkember with a triumphant grin on his face; he knew he had managed to breach Dalkon's defenses, now all that remained was to wait for a response from him.
The result of that negotiation reached the two Longriver sisters, who were guarding a cage in which Ruby, Yang, Oscar and Cinder Fall were kept. Vidi complimented Victor and, after the call ended, asked her sister to get her something to drink; she did, albeit reluctantly.
The prison, perfectly enclosed by the rock walls of an abandoned mine, was poorly lit and Vidi had to light a lantern in order to get a better look at the worried faces of the prisoners. The girl sat quietly on a wooden chair and she counted the Scrolls that were on the table to make sure not one was missing.
Vidi's icy calm was much more disturbing than that bleak place. Vidi's tranquility was reminiscent of that of a murderer on the verge of eliminating their victim. Her cold gaze aimed at Ruby, the girl stepped back showing a frightened face; Vidi's eyes focused on Oscar and then Cinder Fall, both remained silent and motionless as statues; she finally looked Yang. That cold gaze met the flaming eyes of a lioness who was ready to roar furiously. A slight grin appeared on Vidi's face and Yang instinctively punched the bars and exclaimed:
"You want to play? Then let me out, so let's play! I will make you regret having imprisoned me!"
"Trash talk…" she said softly. Vidi sighed and asked the prisoners: "Have you hatched a plan to thwart us?"
"What are you talking about?" Yang asked confused.
"Don't avoid the question."
"We didn't do anything," Oscar replied unsure.
"Anything? Which of you has contacted the headmaster Theodore?"
No one answered.
"Did you by any chance tell Weiss Schnee to contact him?"
"No, it wasn't in our agreement—"
"Don't pretend you care." Vidi cut off Oscar abruptly. "You're certainly planning to escape to the City of Vacuo. It's obvious. It is clear. It's in front of my eyes."
"What have you done to the former inhabitants of Shadeshift?" Yang asked gravely.
"Nothing."
"You're lying. You, Victor and your sister too… are all liars."
"Who convinced you of this?"
"I'm right, am I not? You did something horrible to the people who lived here."
Vidi didn't answer. She left the chair and, with a calm movement, walked over to the prison, keeping her eyes on Yang Xiao Long. She stopped a few steps from the steel bars and opened her mouth:
"You are a Huntress, aren't you?"
"Yes, so what—?"
"Huntsmen and Huntresses are generally regarded as noble paladins trained to kill Grimm and defend those who cannot defend themselves. It is a picturesque but fictitious image. You are weapons, not paladins. You are objects, not people. You are dolls produced for the sole purpose of taking orders from men and women more powerful than you." She paused briefly. "Academies, team divisions and licenses are all part of a system built specifically to transform today's children into the soldiers of tomorrow."
"What you say doesn't make sense," Yang protested.
"Do you really believe that? And what do you think the Vytal Festival is? Do you think it's true what they tell you? A way to celebrate union, friendship and things like that? Do you think it doesn't matter politically? The tournament was designed primarily to test Huntsmen and Huntresses, secondarily it was thought of by academies as a tool to evaluate students' skills and establish the level of suitability for particular missions." She paused. "You were constantly observed and analyzed. At the right time, your future would come to you, prepared and packaged by your academies."
"Nonsense! You have no evidence to prove it," Yang said.
"Then answer this question: why did you end up in the same team of who you now call your friends? Have you ever asked it to yourself? Have you ever wondered with what criteria the teams were formed?"
"Okay, and what criteria do you think they would've used to form our team?"
"The same criteria they use in all academies with all teams: the ability to kill. The subjects favored by the academies are always the same: people who are good at fighting, people who have a criminal past or who are outcasts, people who are looking for a new future and, above all, people who don't have too many problems breaking some law. You were trained to kill, not to save the world."
"So I assume you're not a Huntress," Yang said.
"Exactly, because I was trained to kill people like you."
Then the crystalline image of Raven emerged from Yang's memory. Those words were also uttered by her on a similar occasion. The girl, driven by an irrepressible curiosity, asked: "Why kill the Huntsmen and Huntresses?"
"Because… you're dangerous weapons in the hands of powerful people. House Longriver has always been dedicated to this mission: to kill all Huntsmen and all Huntresses."
"For what purpose?"
"The total destruction of the kingdoms and their institutions," she replied immediately.
"Wait a minute… do you want anarchy? Do you want to make all of Remnant like the Red Desert?!"
"We want Remnant to return to its natural state. No laws, no kings or queens and, above all, no Schnee family."
"What's your problem with Weiss?" Ruby asked hesitantly.
"I have no problem with Weiss. But I can't pretend that she doesn't belong to Remnant's wealthiest and most powerful family… the one that started it all. You may not realize it, but the truth is that behind the profession you have chosen there's a lot of money. You should show adequate gratitude to the Schnees, considering that it is only their doing if you are here."
At that moment Vici Longriver got in with a black metal canteen.
"It took you longer than expected, sister."
"I had some problems." Vici handed the bottle to Vidi and then asked: "How are our prisoners? Did they open that stupid mouth of theirs?"
"They know nothing. If it was Weiss, she probably acted alone."
As soon as Vidi started drinking, she remained attached to the bottle for about ten seconds; Vici commented:
"You're really thirsty, huh?"
"Yes… enough. Today I had to hunt, it was quite tiring."
"Well, at least the people won't starve."
"This is the important thing."
The midday sun watched over the mighty Tremaine Mines. Weiss Schnee stood in a room equipped with a comfortable bed, a large wardrobe, quality furniture and even a large oval window from which one could admire the desert landscape. She had it all: quality food, fine clothing, and even bodyguards who escorted her wherever she wanted to go. Weiss was treated like a real princess, but she wasn't happy. The very idea of being within walking distance of an inhuman slave machine made her feel dirty; she felt like a criminal who had just committed the worst possible atrocity. The night shower did not wash away the shame and the morning breakfast was tasteless; dreams were always besieged by the darkest images and afternoons were filled with countless unsuccessful attempts to meet Blake.
Contacting Theodore was a palliative for Weiss, it helped her to feel less guilty. But she hadn't done it just for herself or to betray her pact with Victor Ironwood, but for Arthur Watts. It was clear to Weiss that the matter went far beyond the Red Desert and Henry Tremaine, so she needed reinforcements… she wanted to prevent Salem from starting another war like the one in Atlas.
The arrival of her father only made the situation even more complicated and added another load on Weiss' shoulders. Since he had arrived, she had tried to avoid him as much as possible. She didn't want to have anything to do with the man who had collaborated with Arthur Watts and who had started the Battle of Atlas. But avoiding Jacques was a simple thing, the problem was eliminating Henry Tremaine. His elimination had been agreed but Weiss, even though she felt guilty about what was happening in the mines, didn't have the courage and even the coldness to commit a murder, even if for a just cause. One thing was clear to her: she needed Blake. Henry would never have given her the chance to go to her and, even if the opposite was true, Weiss didn't want to make the man suspicious anyway. The only way to contact Blake was through James Ironwood, but he was just as unreachable as Blake was...
That was her situation: only problems. Problems with both Victor and Arthur, family problems and problems in planning a murder, existential problems and strong feelings of guilt... Weiss had the sensation of being crushed by a rock.
Only one person could help her.
"Answer, please…" Weiss murmured in front of the Scroll. "Please, answer…"
"Weiss?" It was the voice of Winter Schnee. "Are you all right?"
"Winter! Oh, I'm so happy to hear from you! You have no idea what's going on. "
"Are there any problems?"
"Yes, there are a lot of problems…" Weiss explained the whole situation to Winter.
"I see…"
"Can you help me? You have men under your command, don't you? You can—"
"Weiss… many things have changed. I no longer command the army…"
"What…? But—how did it happen? Since when? Why did not you tell me?"
"Was it really that important?"
"Yes it was!" Weiss protested aloud. "You're my sister! I want to know these things!"
"We're talking about my failure, Weiss, if I had told you, I would've disappointed you."
"Nonsense! You know very well that—but why do I waste my breath? That's the way it is in our family, right? Nobody says anything and we do everything in secret. Always the same story! Everyone criticizes me, but you never do anything to involve me in your life and…" She heaved a frustrated sigh. "Forget it."
"Weiss… I'm sorry. I should have told you…"
"No, I'm sorry… it's just that… this place… I didn't even know it existed. Our empire was built on the shoulders of slaves…"
"I know…"
"Did you know about this place, Winter?"
"I was aware of it…" she replied hesitantly. "But… I don't think it's time to talk about it, Weiss…"
"I thought so…" she commented disappointed.
"These are complicated things, Weiss, but I promise you I'll do everything I can to help you. Bear patience."
"I will wait for you."
The call ended. The very idea that Winter had been or was still Jacques' accomplice made her knees tremble. The girl sat down by the window and noticed that Arthur Watts was walking around the mine in a suspicious manner.
Arthur approached the mouth of the rock but was stopped by Anrod Freiheit who told him:
"Access is forbidden to those who don't work here."
"Of course," Watts said with a grin. "But I'm here to look for archaeological finds, I don't want to interfere with the work."
"Turn your heels and walk away," he said sharply.
"I won't insist." Watts left.
The man returned to the building and headed for his quarters. Once the door closed, he was surprised by Blanc Lapin's voice:
"Salem wants to know how the mission is progressing."
"Perfectly," he said, adjusting his suit.
"Good, because Salem says your target lies deep. In the mine. You'll have to go tonight."
"Tonight? It's not really a good idea—"
"Then it's not going 'perfectly' like you said," she commented.
"Listen to me, I don't know who you are under that rabbit mask, but you better respect me. I have been working for Salem for a long time and have been incredibly good at my job at Atlas. So, don't put a spoke in the wheel."
"Don't fail the mission, Watts. It doesn't suit you."
A completely black hole appeared beneath the woman and she slipped into it. The hole disappeared without leaving any trace.
As the sun went down, the mining activities ended and, as night fell, Watts headed for that same mine. Weiss, who had remained awake, noticed the man's movements from her window and, furtively, she decided to leave the room to chase him.
As Weiss walked down the hall, she was stopped by a female figure wearing a black rabbit mask. The woman put on charcoal gloves and unbuttoned the black jacket; she showed a high neck sweater with a harness fitted with sheaths, the entire clothing was black.
"Who are you?" Weiss asked nervously.
"Blanc Lapin. Nice to meet you, Weiss Schnee. You are hindering my mistress."
Weiss took out the rapier and prepared to fight. "You work for Salem, then?"
"Exactly."
Lapin removed two sickles whose blades were bent; with a firm movement of her arms, both blades rose.
Weiss had no intention of fighting, she had to give priority to Watts; so she summoned a boar and ordered it to attack Blanc Lapin. The woman leapt to the side and, with one swift movement, she swung two strikes that killed Weiss' beast.
"Don't underestimate me, little girl."
Suddenly Blanc Lapin disappeared into a hole that had opened under her feet. Weiss, confused, immediately looked over her shoulder.
"Here."
The girl was hit from above. The blades struck her body at least two more times; a final kick sent Weiss into another room… it was Jacques Schnee's bedroom.
"Ah!" he exclaimed frightened. "Weiss?! What is happening—?"
He saw Blanc Lapin attack his daughter and immediately understood the situation. He ran out of the room but then stopped and turned around; seeing his daughter in that dangerous situation awakened a protective instinct in him. The man took a silver tray and hit Lapin's back. The woman immediately turned and kicked the tray; the impact sent Jacques flying against the wall.
"Dad!" Weiss exclaimed, standing up.
The girl attacked with several lunges, Blanc Lapin was able to parry them all.
"Can't you do better, little girl?"
Weiss dodged the opponent's blow and counterattacked with a perfect cutting attack. Blanc Lapin tried to injure the opponent, but without any success.
"Stupid brat!"
Weiss dodged a blow and, with an agile and decisive movement, made the opponent lose her balance and hit her with a kick that threw her against a wall of the room.
The father, who had seen it all, was amazed by his daughter's technique. He, who was used to seeing her as a fragile princess unable to fight, had to admit to himself that his daughter had become a true warrior, just like the ancient knights of the Schnee house.
Weiss stood motionless, sword raised and her gaze fixed on Blanc Lapin. The woman then disappeared as before.
"Behind you!" Jacques exclaimed.
The girl turned and managed to parry Blanc Lapin's blow, but the woman was not finished: the two blades of the sickles closed, holding Weiss' blade in a vice. Blanc kicked the girl and then, with all her strength, pushed her against the window.
"WEISS!" Jacques yelled.
The glass shattered upon the impact of the two bodies. The two girls began to fall. Blanc Lapin let go and gave a final kick to make Weiss crash on the ground, but the girl used a glyph to slow her fall and slid along the vertical wall of the tower.
She stopped.
She created other black glyphs and started running upwards along the wall of the tower to reach her opponent. The weapons collided. Blanc Lapin managed to get the better of Weiss, but only for a short time; Weiss, with her quick and determined lunges, breached Lapin's defense and eventually, using a glyph, she managed to inflict a master stroke on her. The two fell from the tower to the miners' barracks.
Blake and James were the first to go out to control the situation, when they saw the battle that was going on, they knew what to do.
Blake split the handle of the pickaxe and took the steel part, which she tied to a rope; James Ironwood preferred to use his dear fists. The guards also noticed what was happening, but instead of worrying about Blanc Lapin they took care of keeping miners at bay, after all they might have used the situation to spark a riot.
James and Blake were immediately stopped and the guards began to open fire. Weiss, who had noticed the situation, summoned her knight to protect the two and said to them:
"Get a move on! I don't know how long I'll be able to resist!"
"I know!" Blake answered stunning the first guard.
Ironwood got rid of two men and took the rifle of one; the man started shooting, being careful not to kill anyone, his goal was to buy the girls time.
Blake reached Weiss and used her weapon to try to immobilize Blanc Lapin, but the woman disappeared and reappeared behind Blake; Weiss immediately intervened to help her friend and parried the opponent's blow.
"What kind of Semblance is that?!" Blake asked.
"I don't know and I don't care."
Weiss then noticed that Blanc Lapin was ready to return to the attack. With a wave of her hand she motioned for Blake to attack the woman from both sides. When Blanc realized the girls were approaching, she used her Semblance to disappear; Weiss immediately looked up and saw Blanc Lapin appear behind Blake, then she exclaimed:
"Monochrome!"
Weiss fired three ice bullets at Blake, who used her Semblance to leave a shadow; Blanc struck that shadow which in turn was hit by Weiss' bullets. Blake's shadow, turned to ice, blocked Blanc Lapin's blade. The woman disappeared again.
Blake, thanks to her nocturnal sight, was quick to notice the opening of a kind of black portal behind Weiss and exclaimed:
"Blackfrost!"
Weiss used a glyph to slow the enemy's movements and, along with Blake, hit her at least four Lapin eventually ran away again. Blake, then, saw that the opponent would appear next to her and exclaimed:
"Checkmate!"
Weiss's glyph increased Blake's speed, when Blanc Lapin appeared the battle reached a critical moment. Blake started hitting at very high speed and the opponent could not stop any attack in any way; eventually her Aura broke. The battle came to an end.
The two girls exchanged two satisfied glances, however the worst was not over yet. Ironwood was still fighting Atlas' forces. Blake came to help him but he yelled at her:
"Don't think about me! Finish your job! You're here for a purpose, aren't you?"
"If I leave you here, you will die!"
"I will not die. Now go."
The sounds of battle could hardly be heard in that rock tunnel. Arthur Watts, with his suitcase in hand, was wandering in search of something that even he didn't know exactly, and this irritated him more than anything else.
"Blanc Lapin should've helped me, but apparently I have to do it all by myself," he muttered.
At that moment the suitcase began to shake.
"Mm? What could it be? Is near?"
The man ventured into the bowels of the earth and reached a dead end.
'There doesn't seem to be anything relevant here, ' he thought. "Nevertheless…"
Watts bent down and hesitantly opened the suitcase slightly. The black smoke escaped from the bag and crushed the rock face revealing the skeletal corpse of a chained woman. The man, horrified by that sight and disgusted by the stench, walked away.
"What is this stuff? Who was this woman? And how did she get down here? Was this really what Salem was looking for? A corpse?"
The black smoke entered the woman's body. A few minutes passed, but nothing happened. Watts, who was beginning to lose hope, devoted himself to reading the stone wall to which the body was chained.
There was a bas-relief depicting a battle between two factions, the warriors represented wore ancient armor. Watts immediately recognized the Schnee coat of arms, but there was another coat of arms that was unknown to him; two swords crossed and embraced by brambles. A man with a stick was also depicted in that bas-relief. In another panel, the man was helping the Schnees to take a woman's body into a kind of cave.
"Who is this woman?" Watts wondered intrigued.
At that moment he felt a strange energy emanating from that corpse. A cold sensation hit his body, then an immediate heat came. The man walked away slowly… it was then that the body of that woman began to move.
While a conflict had broken out in the Tremaine Mines, an escape took place at Shadeshift. The four prisoners, without being heard, abandoned their prison and organized an escape plan: Yang Xiao Long and Oscar Pine were assigned to search for a vehicle, while Ruby Rose and Cinder Fall were to act as a distraction if necessary.
"How are you going to handle the two sisters?" Cinder asked nervously.
"Are you really that afraid of them? I didn't think you could be terrified of anyone," Ruby commented in a mocking tone.
"Since I lost my powers, I have been paying particular attention to my health."
"So if you still had your powers you wouldn't even help us, would you?"
She didn't answer.
"I imagined. The wolf loses its fur but not its vice."
"You don't know me, Little Red. You don't know anything about me, you have no right to judge."
"I don't need to know you, Cinder," she said brusquely. "You killed my friends, there's nothing more to add. I don't care if you have a tearful story to tell me, I won't even care if you start crying at my feet like a twelve-year-old girl, because that won't change the fact that you're a killer." She turned to the woman and, with an icy look, concluded: "At the end of all this, you and I will have a nice 'talk'."
"That's fine with me, Little Red. I never asked for your pity, on the contrary I look forward to that day with trepidation."
"Good for you."
The two went up to an observation tower to wait for Victor or the two sisters.
Meanwhile, Yang and Oscar reached a large garage that had been built at the foot of the mountain. The doors were locked but Yang strove to try to open them.
"You didn't seem in a good mood," Oscar said.
"Mm?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
"Before, when Vidi said those things about academies… you… um…"
"What about Ozpin? Didn't he tell you anything?"
"At the moment he's dozing off somewhere in my subconscious… or something like that. It's not something I fully understand, you have to be patient."
"Sorry, Oscar, I'm not mad at you… it's just that I'm tired of lies. Everyone here needs to keep something hidden from someone. It's annoying."
"But do you think it's true? I mean… what Vidi said, do you think it's—"
"I don't know. I guess my mother would say yes."
"Your mother?"
"Yeah. She and Qrow went to Beacon Academy to learn how to kill Huntsmen and Huntresses. I thought it was just a tribal matter, after all she and Qrow were raised in a tribe that felt threatened by the Huntsmen." She paused briefly. "I wonder if my mother is aware of all this."
"What do you think?"
Yang stopped. She looked at Oscar with two pained eyes and, after having heaved a light sigh, she replied:
"I think my mom is involved. It would be like her. We are talking about a cynical person with a distorted view of the world. It would certainly be like her. So… maybe I should prepare myself."
Eventually the heavy metal doors swung open causing a siren to sound.
From the observation tower, Ruby saw her sister and Oscar enter the garage.
"I hope they find something useful in there. We would need a vehicle to escape."
Ruby turned and saw Cinder take a black, sealed bottle that had been left there. The woman tried to open it but she couldn't.
"What are you doing?" Ruby asked confused.
"The alarm will attract those two sisters, if I have to die today I want at least to drink my first and last alcohol."
"And what makes you think there's alcohol in there?"
"What's the point of sealing a bottle of water?"
"Maybe Vidi doesn't want anyone to drink her water."
"Sure sure. Can you use your scythe, please?" she asked, holding out the bottle.
Ruby sighed but did it and opened the canteen using the blade.
"Here, now you can get drunk," muttered the girl.
"Thank you so much."
As soon as Cinder took her first sip, she jumped up and spat the liquid on the floor. Disgusted sounds came from the woman's mouth.
"What are you doing?!" Ruby exclaimed in disgust.
"This… FUCK! This is not an alcoholic! It's not even water! What the fuck is this?!"
She poured the liquid onto the floor. The two opened their eyes wide and backed away, horrified at the sight of that red substance that had come out of the bottle.
"Blood…? Vidi was drinking… blood?"
Ruby was about to throw up.
At that moment the girl received a call on the Scroll; it was her sister. Ruby replied:
"Yang, you need to know something—"
"Ruby, I found the inhabitants of Shadeshift," Yang said in a dark tone. "They're here, Ruby. They are all here."
"They are fine?"
No reply.
"Yang, are they okay?" Ruby was starting to shake.
"They're alive… but… but… they're attached to tubes… the—they're taking their blood…"
"Their… blood…? But then this means that… that blood is… no…!"
"I was right! We have to leave! No… we have to save them first!"
Ruby was petrified. She felt as if she had just woken up in a village of horrors. Her heart began to beat like crazy, the girl began to sweat and ordered Yang:
"Get out of there, Yang! Leave now!"
No reply.
"Yang!"
No answer.
"Yang, can you hear me? Yang, answer me! "
The call ended.
"YANG!"
Ruby quickly got off the observation tower and used her Semblance to make her way to the garage, but Victor Ironwood got in her way.
"Where do you think you're going, brat?" he asked.
Ruby took out the scythe and prepared to fight.
"Out of my way! I won't let you hurt my sister."
"You should have stayed in the prison and instead you are trying to get in my way… again. But this time I'm not going to talk to you, little girl. Now I'm serious."
Victor Ironwood picked up a scythe that was similar to Ruby's but it's colors were blue, white and black.
The blades collided four times before Ruby decided to walk away and use the rifle. Victor stopped the bullets with great skill and then, recovering the lost ground, he struck a downward swipe; Ruby parried it.
"I see you had a rifle installed in your scythe," Victor commented. "I also have a gun…" Victor spun the scythe, which transformed: "…a shotgun."
He fired.
Meanwhile Yang and Oscar found themselves in front of the two sisters, Vidi and Vici Longriver. The air was full of tension and uneasiness. Vici was already on the verge of attacking Yang, but Vidi stopped her and advanced towards the two intruders with that coldly calm manner of hers.
"Stay away from me, monster," Yang said with raised fists.
"A girl who trembles is not very threatening."
"What's all this? Why are you doing this?" Oscar asked frightened. "These people… are human! How can you do this to human beings?"
"We're not doing it for pleasure, it's a necessity," Vidi replied.
"A… necessity? Wha—what are you talking about?"
"Each Semblance has its negative side, for some it is less perceptible… for others it is heavy luggage. The Longriver house has some Semblance linked to blood and all the members of that house share the same destiny: the use of the Semblance leads to an increase in hunger." She paused briefly. "Blood hunger."
"Do you feed on blood to survive?!" Yang was shocked. "Are you a vampire or something?"
"It depends on what you mean by 'vampire'. We don't turn to dust, we don't burn under the sun and we certainly don't infect people with a bite."
"Faunus…" concluded Oscar advancing towards them. "You are faunus. You have the characteristics of vampire bats, am I right?"
"You're right."
"However this does not justify what you are doing."
"You say? What you see here is herd, a flock made up of treacherous people who have abused faunus and who have perpetrated oppression for years. What you see is the punishment they deserve. They are our food, nothing more appropriate for people like them—"
"Stop!" Yang exclaimed. "Free these people immediately, otherwise I will force you!"
"Tch! I doubt you'll succeed, girl. But if you really want to try…"
Vidi gave way to her sister.
Meanwhile, in the Tremaine Mines, the conflict was still burning. While Weiss and Blake were looking for Henry Tremaine, James Ironwood took on the soldiers with the help of some brave miner who had decided to take up arms and fight. Arthur Watts ran into the fires of battle, with a smile on his face. James was worried and ordered his comrades in arms to leave the posts, but they refused.
"We can kill them!" some shouted.
"We have victory in hand!" others screamed.
James saw Arthur Watts running towards the main building. If he was planning on escaping, he couldn't let him do it. As James dropped the cover, he felt the ground beneath his feet shake; there was a roar that came from underground. The mine began to collapse.
The soldiers stopped shooting and immediately went in search of Henry and Jacques. James then said to those who had fought with him:
"Grab your weapons and run away. Gather everyone and leave this place. Now you have the opportunity."
"And what will you do?" asked one.
"I have some scores to settle."
James Ironwood ran towards the building and, meanwhile, his attention fell on the entrance to the mine; something was coming out of there. The man stopped, took up his rifle and prepared to open fire; others followed his example, but two were so reckless that they got too close to the mine.
From the darkness emerged this cadaverous figure that was dragging heavy iron chains behind it. The creature opened its mouth, raised its arms and let out a terrifying sound.
One of the men felt sick and dropped the weapon. James, confused, ordered him to take back the gun, but then he realized that the man was suffering; his arms were bulging as abnormally as his chest.
In an instant, rivers of blood tore his flesh and flowed from his body, the same fate befell the other man; the blood entered the mouth of this corpse figure. The creature's skin regenerated and took on a pale color; a thick red hair descended to the ground; its eyes turned green. James Ironwood was under the impression that he had already seen that woman that was now in front of him.
This beautiful female figure dropped her arms and looked Ironwood straight into his eyes. A rush of fear ran through his body. The man felt paralyzed. He had never experienced such a sensation.
The woman's eyes were enveloped in green flames, her body was embraced by a black energy whose shape resembled that of the clouds in the sky. The chains, which bound the wrists and ankles, disintegrated. James Ironwood, keeping his rifle pointed at that woman, thought he was dealing with a Maiden, but he knew there was something strange about her.
"Who are you?"
The woman walked over to him. That figure, stripped of clothing and humanity, advanced slowly; for each step she took in the direction of the man, he felt weaker.
"I'm sorry…" he said.
James pulled the trigger and fired at the woman. He wanted to avoid it, but it was now clear to him that she was a threat. The other men started shooting but James ordered them to escape; they did, albeit hesitant. The woman tried to attack those fleeing, but James managed to get her attention and continued to shoot her.
She smiled.
"Little man… do you really think it will be enough?"
The woman was hurt, but she didn't seem to care. The woman's foot hit Ironwood's chest with the same force as a runaway train. The man fell to the ground breathless and tried to get up, but was pushed into the building. The man, now on the metal floor of the tower, saw that woman from afar and realized that he had made a flight of at least ten meters. The strength of that woman was out of the ordinary.
James got up, he was ready to fight.
A sudden alarm stopped the man who, confused, tried to understand what was happening. In less than a few seconds a steel barrier sealed the entrance and every single window of the building.
"No!" James Ironwood yelled. "No! No!" The man threw himself against that immense metal door and started hitting it. "No! No! NO!"
Jacques reached the hall and, bewildered, asked: "What's going on here?"
James, furious, turned to the man and grabbed him by the jacket. "Open these doors now!"
"Wait—!"
"You better open them, Jacques, otherwise I'll use your head to break through!"
"It wasn't me, you idiot!" Jacques yelled.
"Then who—Henry! Son of a bitch!" James Ironwood left Jacques and asked him: "How can I disable those doors?"
"You can't" Jacques replied frightened.
"What?! What does it mean that I can't?"
"This… is a defensive system that completely isolates the tower and sends an SOS directly to Atlas. The doors will remain closed for three days—"
"There must be a way!" Ironwood exclaimed, punching the wall. "Come up with something, Jacques. Now!"
"Can you explain to me what is happening?"
"Right now we're dealing with a crazy Maiden. If we don't get out of here, she'll kill those people out there."
"Half truth" it was the voice of Arthur Watts.
The man entered the scene with a triumphant attitude. James Ironwood was about to attack him, but Blanc Lapin emerged from nowhere. The man knew that, in his condition, he was unable to face two enemies alone. He gave up the battle, but remained waiting for an opening.
"What have you done, Arthur?" Jacques asked terrified like a sheep.
"Me? I haven't done anything. The credit goes to my queen, Salem. It was she who made the miracle possible."
James exclaimed: "Enough with the bullshit, Watts. Get me out of here—"
"I'm sorry, Tin Soldier, but that's not how it works. Even if you manage to escape, you still won't be able to face the Famine Maiden."
"The… what?" he asked confused.
"The Famine Maiden. One of the four Maidens created by Salem."
James blinked in shock.
"How I'd love to take a picture of you, James," Watts said cheerfully. "Your expression says it all. You didn't expect it, did you? But do you know what the funniest thing is? You, now, are about to be defeated by Salem a third time. First at the Vytal Festival, then at Atlas and finally… here, at Vacuo." He took a deep breath. "You have no idea how cathartic it is to see you fail. During the Battle of Atlas you humiliated me, you embarrassed me in front of my queen, but now I will have my revenge."
"And you call this a revenge? You're doing a massacre."
"Technically it's the Famine Maiden doing it, I'm just… a support."
"If you have any problems with me, let's solve them now man-to-man. But leave those innocent people alone, they didn't do anything to you—"
"Sorry, what did you say? Did you say 'man-to-man'? And since when are you a man? Have you ever been one? As far as I know, you are not even human anymore. Or am I wrong? Mm…" He pretended to think about it. "No, maybe I get confused with someone else. Because I remember a man who gave up his humanity only to defeat Salem. This man had turned his back on his friends, on his morality, on the laws and on the people he had sworn to protect… only to defeat Salem. Was it you? It seemed to me so."
James felt teased by Watts, he tried to hold back his anger but his face betrayed him. Watts, with a cheeky grin, added:
"You're not worthy to call yourself a 'man', James. You're a tin man, indeed… you are a real monster, like the Famine Maiden. You too have no qualms about killing innocent people, am I wrong? You pose as a hero, but you're not that different from her… or from me. The only difference between you and I is that you lie to yourself." He paused briefly. "I don't."
Arthur Watts took out his gun, pointed it at Jacques and fired.