"Rain, rain, rain! Today is going to be an absolute soaker of a storm! The Atlesian Weather Board had been tracking Blizzard Irene for the past few hours, and a flash flooding warning was announced to those within the Crater. Meteorologists are still discussing the sudden onset and severity of Blizzard Irene, as it just emerged a few hours ago without proper warning. The size of the storm is not to be understated, as the storm cloud is estimated to cover the entirety of Atlas and Mantle! We will provide more news as we track Irene's trajectory toward our kingdom during the night. This is Liz Greene from the Atlas Broadcasting Network!"
Amidst the barren snow-covered wastes lies a lone person. Tall, old, and clad in the colors of the night. He simply watches the great twin cities of Atlas and Mantle, wondering how Humanity managed to lift such a large chunk of the earth and keep it propelled in the sky. Stealing the CCT secrets didn't reveal any insight into the matter. In the distance lies the great storm they conjured as cover. He lets out a sigh, watching his breath turn into frost, he enjoys this peaceful, cold solitude. Perhaps this is why the continent is called Solitas, he could see the inspirations for a haiku.
"Munnin! When the hell will the Grimmomancers arrive?!"
"Ugh." His peaceful solitude was interrupted by the complaining of his sister.
Houyi turns around to see most of the assigned shadowblades huddling around Amaterasu, some of them are quietly fighting for her tails, while the remaining shadowblades are content to use the nevermores as comfort. It's very clear why she's mad. One of the techseers huddles next to her chest.
"Thou simply needs to wait for the tempests to-"
"I've been waiting for the past few hours as a glorified fireplace!" She shouted, the flames emitting from her body flaring with intensity, causing some of the shadowblades to instinctively dodge backward. They quickly realized that they gave up their positions to their coworkers and either quickly went towards the nevermores or fought for her tails.
"Do not worry my sister, besides. The cold can offer thee a peaceful solitude and reflection-."
"It's easy for you to say that when you're a master of cold manipulation! Standing in the middle of Solitas is nothing to you. Besides, you know I don't deal with the cold well!"
"Well, consider this an ordeal for you to overcome."
Although masked, he can still see her pouting face. A smile curled on his lips before gazing back towards the supposed "kingdom of progress". Occasionally he can hear verbal fighting between his sister and their subordinates.
After a few moments, a seer chirped behind him, before floating to his face. The cloudy light slowly forms to display a face. A loud, howling sound with distant thunder is heard from the deliverer's side.
"My lord! The tempests have now entered the airspace of the twin cities. Visibility is null and no military response has yet been made."
"Good, continue thy trajectory but slow the speed of the tempests. Increase the cloud coverage surrounding them so a single ship doesn't blow the whistle of our plan."
The grimmomancer nodded before the broadcast ended. As always the seer would painfully curl up and dissipate into dust, that issue has yet to be resolved by the Grand Library. He turned towards his sister and whistled. She gave out a relieved sigh before signaling the shadowblades to ready themselves for the job. They'll wait for the storm to settle around the twin cities before commencing their operation on the Snowflake Manor.
The Schnee manor stood out like a beacon in the dark. Compared to the rest of the city, the manor itself resembles a palace, which suits the wretched patriarch who controls the world's fuel supply. Due in part to the grimmomancers, the nevermores never had trouble finding their way to the manor. Once all shadowblades have departed their nevermores, Amaterasu gave the wordless order to return to the skies and hide amongst the storm clouds. Lightning struck nearby, illuminating the group for a split second. Had any lightborn seen them, their fear would've ensured their deaths.
The shadowblades move quickly toward their target, carefully checking their surroundings to ensure no one will have to suffer a disappearance. The trek was rather difficult, due in part that the manor is literally on the top of a hill, and not even Amaterasu would want to risk climbing the mountainside in a middle of a storm. Eventually, the grandiose manor came into view, alongside the high walls that surround the perimeter.
"Hmmm, not as bad as the White Palace." Amaterasu said.
"Remember the plan, and turn on thy disposable scrolls. Eliminate all that can't be deceived."
The shadowblades nodded, before grouping into teams and began probing the outer areas of the Schnee Manor.
"Houyi, this is Amat. I think I see some sort of auxiliary or power shed." Amaterasu said while standing on a wall. In her hand was a scroll.
"I don't see any visible cameras, and there are only two guards. Rather light for a place such as this. I'll get closer and use the tech seer to disable their security systems. Only a small fence protecting it instead of the perimeter walls."
She turned off her scroll, before whistling to the two shadowblades with her.
"Distract the lightborn."
She watched as her blades move silently toward the shed, before using elemental manipulation to draw away the lightborn away. Amaterasu hopped down from the wall and ran to the shed. She was surprised to find the door was unlocked, before entering the shed.
The area was a storage and a power shed. An inactive generator filled with dust is the centerpiece of the room. Amaterasu then sees it, a security box tucked away in a corner. She walked towards it and kneels, before taking out the techseer. Which then proceeds to attach itself to the camera box, pulses of light move towards its body as it chirps its findings to Amaterasu.
"Secret cameras? Why would they have secret cameras? Can you disable them at least?"
The techseer chirps positively.
"That's good, also see if-."
"You got a lot of balls to try and rob the Schnees of all people." A voice angrily sounded behind Amaterasu, and the cocking of a gun pointed at her head is heard.
"But I guess your luck just ran out, Jacques is going to tear you apart. Especially since you're an animal, should've known your place." He gave out a grim chuckle before she hears rustling and the click of a radio. Her gaze went focused, and the fur on her tails shifted to bone.
"Command-."
Amaterasu pierces the guard behind her with multiple tails. She releases her Grimm essence within the guard to overpower the light and puppeteer his body.
"Davidson? What's going on?" The radio responded, Amaterasu moves his hand and concentrates on overpowering his mind.
"N-nothing to report. Just got spooked by birds."
There was a pregnant pause before the radio responded once again. "Alright, didn't figure you to get spooked by birds by all things." There was a chuckle before the radio cut.
Amaterasu gave a relieved sigh before she had him take out his security card and drop it on the floor. Once she hears the clatter of the card, her tails blazed intensely with heat as she can hear the lightborn turn to ash. Her tails reverted to their original fur as she collapses to the floor in exhaustion. She takes deep, sharp breaths before turning on her scroll.
"Potential contamination…bring their bodies inside."
Quickly after she gave the order, the two shadowblades enter the shed with the two bodies of the lightborn. She saw the worry in their eyes before waving that she was fine, they placed the bodies in front of her, to which she raised her hand. The powers of the sun turned their corpses into an indistinguishable mass of ash. Gods why did she have to use puppeteer, no wonder it isn't used, but it was essential to maintain secrecy during this mission.
The techseer floats to her, chirping about the disabled security cameras, and that it has obtained a map from the systems CCTnet. She handed her scroll to it.
"Send the map and message to my brother… I'll join when I recovered."
Houyi received a message on his scroll. A detailed map of the snowflake manor alongside a message.
"Master temporarily incapacitated, will join soon. Cameras deactivated."
Houyi was slightly worried, but given the alarm wasn't sounded yet, he assumed that it was dealt with. He let out a disappointed sigh before whistling to the four shadowblades that joined him.
"An auxiliary door is nearby…"
He led his blades past the wall and towards a small, side courtyard. A single light illuminated the door amidst the darkness. The shadowblades stacked up beside the door and one of them knocked on it. There was a moment of silence before he knocked again. An annoyed groan can be heard behind it.
"I told you not to go for a smoke during the rain, but no~ you didn't listen to me!" The lightborn mutant opened the door. "I won't be covering for you this-."
A shadowblade grabbed him and instantly knocked him out with a single punch. His unconscious body was carried and placed in a bush nearby, the sound of thunder is once again heard as two shadowblades entered the manor, while the other two stayed outside and watch the perimeter.
The patter of rain can be faintly heard behind them as they entered the manor one by one. One of the shadowblades uses their manipulation of fire to dry the others, leaving less of a trail for the staff to follow.
"The target will be the patriarch's office. From there will we acquire the location of the vault, codes, and any sensitive information." Houyi said while being dried. "Normally I would suggest thee split up, but the sensitive nature of this area, and mission requires us to stay together."
His two shadowblades nodded, and they followed him out of the auxiliary hallway and into a general hallway.
Silver and extravagant, with soft candles lighting the hallway. The hallway reminded Houyi of the White Palace back in Yggdrasil. His ears are attuned to the sound of footsteps ahead and behind them, tuning out the sound of rain hitting the windows.
Left…Right…Left…This manor is larger than it needs to be, and it made his distaste for the patriarch increase. At least the White Palace is fundamentally the political nerve center of the kingdom and was rebuilt to accommodate the royal family and the multitude of guards, servants, and equipment. This man however decided that he wanted to live a life similar to the old lightborn monarchies before Ozymandias abolished them and replaced them with councils.
Houyi raised his hand, signaling them to stop, before gesturing to move into an empty room. When they all enter, he closed the door and gently locked the door. He crouches and leans against the door, hearing nothing but the patter of rain. Then the muffled footsteps of a servant walking by. He waited until their footsteps can no longer be heard, then he leads his blades back out and toward the study of the Snowflake Patriarch.
This room was a surprise to Houyi.
It was on the third floor, near the personal study of the patriarch. However, when he and his blades entered this room, he was surprised to see a single woman passed out on her bed…and how modest the whole room felt. Instinctively the blades moved towards subduing the white hair woman, but Houyi gestured them to stand down. After he closed and locked the doors, he orders one of the blades to watch the door as he gently walked toward the woman.
Snow white hair, fair pale skin…the daughter of Nicholas Schnee. In her left hand was an empty bottle of wine, the traces of which are on her lips. There are dried tear marks on her cheeks, and a scroll displaying the feed of disabled cameras. Her eyes bear similar tiredness to Her Majesty when the young princess was still growing.
She drank herself to sleep. Amat disabled the cameras, and that must have sent her into a panic, and she drank herself to sleep. The rumors of her alcoholism from this kingdom were true, rumors he thought were mere nonsense due to her position.
Pity would have hit Houyi, and indeed it had, but this is not the time to feel sorrowful over the state of Nicholas Schnee's daughter. Though he guesses that at least one person was happy when his death was announced because he doubts that Gelé would be able to survive the Blizzard of Mantle.
A blade signaled him that the hallway was cleared. Houyi gave a silent prayer to the sleeping woman before leaving her room as if they were never there.
The office of the patriarch was a tonal shift against the more modest room of Willow. Instead of the cool blue and white aesthetic of the mansion, this room is covered in dark wood with blue snowflake pattern wallpaper. A portrait of the young patriarch hangs behind the office, and both sides of the room are covered in bookshelves. There is a small table in front of them with an incomplete game of chess. Both shelves and chess board have a thin layer of dust on them, they haven't been used in a while.
The doors were closed and locked, Houyi takes out the techseer, who proceeds to float towards the console that was the patriarch's desk. The half-machine, half-dark creature connected and "melded" with the computer and it turns on. The holographic display lights up and he watches as the techseer quickly guesses the password. Houyi ignores the idle chatter between his blades and walked towards the desk.
"Identify the location of the vault."
The seer chirps, and the screen changes to a display of the manor. The manor is highlighted in red and accessible from the main staircase.
"Bring up the locations of new mines within Southern Vale."
The screen changes to a map of Vale, at least 6 mine locations are shown on the map…One happened to be where Luna Nature is located.
"Focus on Mine #3411."
The screen focuses on the mine location, the schematics include fortified walls, security turrets, and a large contingent of SDC security…and AK 200s and 290s. He was trying to set up a trap for his sister, a trap that could've worked given these unknown models of automata.
"Seer, bring up classified information."
The screen then changes to a list of files. Some of the files were admittance of torture occurring within the mines. Others were plans to manipulate or exploit a certain person within the upper stratum of the city to gain more support. A note of potential future deteriorating relations between Ironwood and the Patriarch is included in these files. Two however caught his eye: Paladin Project…and Military dust acquisition.
"Seer, acquire the files of project Paladin and military dust acquisition. Disable security within the Vault and log off and erase all traces."
There was a knock on the door, and everyone in the room tensed up…before the knocking became a pattern. Amaterasu.
"Let her in."
The two blades nodded before one of them opened the door. The kitsune raven quickly ducked into the room and took a deep breath once the door closed.
"Explain."
"Puppeteer, unexpected lightborn came up behind."
"Was this-."
"No, and I'd prefer not to talk about it. Vault location?"
"Accessible by the main staircase. Security hath been disabled."
Amaterasu let out an exhausted sigh. "I just went past the main staircase and ordered my blades to watch the perimeter. Had to take out presumably the head butler and place his unconscious body in a room. This place is confusing~."
"Well cease thy whining, we're almost done with the mission. Any updates from the outside?"
"The perimeter blades mention that the Head Snowflake will arrive here in 30 minutes. The storm will last for another 2 hours before the grimmomancers have to move them."
Houyi nodded, before leaving the study along with his sister and his blades.
The vault was relatively simple. From the main staircase was an auxiliary door that leads to a rather uncomfortable lift. From the lift was a straight hallway that leads to a giant vault door with the snowflake emblem on the front.
Amaterasu walked up to the vault door. A flame in her hand sparked and grew focused and intense. Before she could cut through the vault door, Houyi placed his hand on her shoulder, before he walks to a terminal and presses a button. The vault door made loud, mechanical noises before the door slowly creaking open.
"You're no fun~..." Amaterasu said while extinguishing the flame in her hand. She then walked inside the vault while using her grimmomancy to weave baskets.
The vault was filled with priceless treasures from all of Remnant, vases, jewelry, rare art pieces, and weapons from an era long gone. In one section was a group of relics that only the duskborn would instantly recognize.
"Are those First Era?" A shadowblade asked.
"I think so, pure white and never experienced decay. They have to be, where did the traitor even find them in the first place?" The second blade responded.
As they began taking what was rightfully theirs, Amaterasu realized something.
"Something is missing."
"Hoh? Is there something out of the ordinary Amat?"
"I remember our Queen mentioning a "parchment of the ancient text"... There are vases, trinkets, and whatnot. But I don't see any texts…"
"Perhaps thou misheard her. Doesn't matter, we must leave before the Patriarch arrives."
Amaterasu nodded, before gathering the relics. Before she leaves, she cuts herself and leaves a small white fang logo on one of the stands, as always it will throw off the scent and accuse the mutant leader in the Kingdom of Corruption.
The murmurs of a crowd filled the room. Despite the rain storm, many of Atlas's elite and some from Mistral and Vale have come to see the highly anticipated play. Despite the rumors and controversy, along with mysterious deaths surrounding it, none paid heed to what they thought was commoner rabble.
The lights of the theatre dimmed and the murmurs quiet down. A single figure dressed in a monochrome aesthetic walks up to the stage, he is wearing a mask that covers his eyes.
"I thank thee for arriving for this special occasion. For 50 years our prestigious Guild has provided this world with the absolute quality of art, the pinnacle of human expression from among the stars. And today…" A sinister chuckle came from his mouth. "We are glad to perform this long-forgotten work that survived the destruction of the Darkborn. Turn thy heads up high, watch with full intent, for the Queen in Black and White shall begin once again!"
The speaker received applause from the audience before the theatre went quiet and the abyssal play begins.
A group of children was in an alleyway that connected to the theatre. They are bullying a rabbit girl, who is covered in juice. They all surround her and throw mocking jeers at her.
"I should've never listened to you!" The bunny girl shouted at one of the girls, whose is slightly taller than the rest of the children.
"What's the matter Scarletina? Couldn't handle a little carrot juice? I thought you liked that sort of thing?"
"That is a lie! J-just you wait until I tell my dad!"
"Or what? He's going to "tell the general"? God, you are stupid as you sound!"
"I-it's true! He knows h-him!"
"And I'm the queen of Mistral!"
The leader of the group laughs arrogantly as Lilac Scarlatina starts to cry. However, the feeling of embarrassment was quickly snuffed…by muffled screaming that she can hear.
"Why…why is there screaming?"
"What?" One of the kids responded, they suddenly stop their mocking and watched Lilac start to panic and cover her ears.
"There's…so much screaming…I want my daddy…or Velvet!"
"Hey Lilac cut it out, I know we just throw juice at you but-."
A loud banging can be heard at a nearby door. The handle rattles violently and someone slams into the door several times, the children just stared at the door in fear.
"Someone!" A muffled voice shouted. "Someone! Please! Open this fucking door!"
The person slam into the door several times before rattling the handle and banging it.
"Please! Anyone! Just open this door! I want to live!"
They slammed at the door again…until they went suddenly silent.
The children immediately started screaming and ran out of the alleyway, all the while a deafening silence emanates from the theatre.
AN: Posted while a blood moon hangs in the air, a fitting omen for events soon to come.