Safe Haven
1830
Haven Academy, Mistral
The journey lasted for three days. It would have taken much longer, but the team had traveled nonstop breakneck pack, only stopping to refuel and eat. Sleep was taken in turns. The fuel Dust they had sourced from JiuZhan could have lasted them several more days worth of traveling. Winter was always over-prepared when it came to such resources.
They saw the city as they crested the final hill. The sun was just setting, basking the entirety of Mistral City in a warm orange glow.
Mistral City was unlike Atlas and Solitas. Atlesian structures were organized, planned, and while they had their own aesthetic, some would say they are soulless and unimaginative when compared to Mistral architecture.
Mistrali architecture was integrated into the mountains in which they reside. Where Solitas built outwards, Mistral built up towards the heavens.
Buildings and houses made of smoothly fitted carved stone lined the streets, accented by bold red roofs and doors. The narrow winding paths were stone, snaking up and down the mountains. Carved guardian Lions snarled at door entrances, ever vigilant in their eternal watch. Red and white paper lamps hung overhead, swaying side to side along with strips of ceremonial yellow talismans.
The banners of multiple settlements, clans, and tribes, fluttered gently in the mountain breeze. People bustled like ants through the narrow steps.
Resting on top of the mountains overwatching the city below, was Haven Academy.
It is a humungous structure bridging the summit of the two mountains. The height of the building itself was almost as tall as the mountains it sat on.
It was simultaneously the most impressive and unsound architectural decision that Winter has seen anyone make. Then again, she was born on a floating city.
They entered through the mid-levels of Mistral via the mountains, bypassing the lower levels -unimaginatively named Mistral Below- just as the sun disappeared into the crevice of the twin peaks that the city was built into.
A system of large moving platforms in the center of the city acted as an elevator, cycling thousands up and down the mountain day by day.
Winter sent one final update to Lionheart before the platforms juddered and began moving up towards the upper levels of the city.
It was time they met the Headmaster.
Lionheart's scroll buzzed. His heart lifted and sank simultaneously when he saw that it was Winter Schnee.
He half hoped Winter and her men were as good as she presented herself to be. The other half hoped that her abilities are greatly exaggerated. He shook the thoughts from his mind. Ozpin was a good judge of character and ability, despite his misjudgment of Lionheart's own person.
Poor girl, the headmaster thought, conjuring up the image of the unwitting insect landing onto a spider's web. Like all the Huntsmen that dug too deep, Salem and her agents will come for them, leaving nothing but empty corpse husks in their wake.
He forwarded the message, hesitating as he hit the send button. It doesn't get easier.
"Headmaster?"
The old man looked up from his seat. One of the few professors left in Haven Academy was looking at him expectantly, waiting for an answer. Another Ex Beacon student, her blond hair had been cut short several years ago probably because of the Fall. It was a custom in Anima, at least, to cut one's hair when starting over, or wanting to forget.
It did not detract from her fierce beauty one bit.
Lionheart snapped his mind back to reality, "I'm sorry, Miss Xiao Long. What were you saying?"
"I was saying, we need to enforce the curfew. I had just caught team JRRH trying to sneak off campus."
"They will try again, no doubt." The headmaster mused, "Understandable, to say the least. Isn't that the team with a missing teammate? The one you are keeping a special eye on?"
"One of the teams," Yang corrected. Yang Xiao Long folded her arms together, one of them was a cybernetic, painted red, "While I am keeping an eye on that team in particular, the sentiment still stands. I feel it is safer to send the students home, all of them."
"We cannot," Lionheart said flatly, "the council demands that we at least maintain the illusion of power and control. If the citizens of Mistral knew that things were bad enough for Huntsmen academies to close down, there will be Grimm clawing at our gates."
"They already are," Yang said, exasperated, "for fuck sake, Leo. Unless we allow the students to participate in this investigation-"
"Which is quite frankly, impossible,"
"Then we are tying up Huntsmen resources here, fighting a losing, defensive battle." Yang growled, "Sitting around and waiting is the hardest thing they can do right now. The kids are agitated, and it isn't going to do the Kingdom any good if the Huntsmen themselves are the ones attracting Grimm."
Lionheart bristled at the casual manner the woman was referring to him, "Miss Xiao Long, I understand-"
"This feels like a prelude to soemthing bigger, Leo," Yang didn't wait for Lionheart to finish, "This feels like it's going to be Beacon all over again. And I'll be fucking damned if we let the students get caught up in the middle of it."
"It won't be, Professor Xiao Long," Lionheart sighed, waving her off, "I promise you that, at least."
The professor snorted, her expression showing that she believed anything but what the headmaster was saying.
"Tell me," Lionheart steeped his fingers together, "even if we were to send the students home. Do you truly believe that will stop any of them from banding together and investigating these disappearances themselves? Do you believe the disappearances will suddenly stop, or will it, in turn, make our students easier to abduct?"
Yang hesitated. She knew that answer to that. Lionheart took her silence as affirmation, "Exactly. We keep them in Haven academy to both satisfy the council and to keep the students safe. While we may have not been very successful on the latter part, I assure you it is better than leaving them to their own devices."
Yang sighed, and nodded, "I'm just frustrated, Leo. Something needs to be done."
"But something is being done, Ms. Xiao Long," Lionheart said gently, "haven't you been working with several teams of Huntsmen from Vacuo?"
"Team NDGO and CFVY, yes," Yang nodded, "We had several leads, but they all vanished before we could get authorization. Even so, my hands are tied even I'm allowed to go directly on the field."
"Understandable," Lionheart smiled bitterly. Such was the life of a professor at the academies. While fully trained Huntsmen, they have restrictions put on them due to their role in academies, "have you talked to Tai about this? Your father, I mean. If I recall, he was in a similar situation in his younger years."
"Dad?" Yang seemed surprised at the mention of her father. She shook her head, "No. He isn't in the best place mentally at the moment. Haven't been well for a long time."
"Oh," Lionheart covered his mouth, "apologies. I never knew."
"One of the reasons my hands are tied," Yang laughed bitterly, "if I get in trouble now, who would take care of him? My dog?"
"But, the teams are making progress," Lionheart said, "If I recall correctly, both these teams have had experience with similar cases in Vacuo several years back. I am certain we will make a breakthrough sooner or later."
Yang's eyes flashed, "...and how long before they leave? I know a few teams have passed through already."
Lionheart leaned forward, "Listen to me, Yang Xiao Long. True, I have hired foreign Huntsmen, and many have left because of the lack of progress, injuries, and even death. Local teams are not even willing to look into this because of the high turnover rate. Even I do not know what we facing, so do not needlessly put yourself in danger."
Yang held the man's gaze, her eyes flashing red for a brief moment. For a heartbeat, Lionheart thought he had triggered a landmine, but when Yang deflated, she relaxed.
"You're right, headmaster. I'm sorry. This just goes against everything I have been taught."
"Rarely are things in life simple," Lionheart replied sagely, "now get some rest, Miss Xiao Long. I have guests to attend to within the hour."
"You do know she isn't going to listen, Leonardo."
"Shut up, Watts."
"A valiant effort, but ultimately in vain. A pity for you, really," Watts laughed.
"Watts, we had an agreement," Lionheart growled, "She promised."
"She did," Watts conceded, "but if anyone comes to dig too deep, then you know what needs to be done."
Lionheart sighed, and sank back down into his seat, "Yes. I do."
"As for our guests…" Watts hummed, "proceed as planned. Oh, and do make yourself presentable. They just entered academy grounds."
The link went dead.
Lionheart smoothed out his uniform and combed back his hair.
"Welcome to Haven," Lionheart mumbled half-heartedly.
There was something oddly nostalgic about walking on a dedicated Huntsman academy, Ren decided. Or perhaps it wasn't odd at all. Beacon Academy was where he found his second family, after all.
He briefly wondered where he would be if Beacon had not fallen. He wouldn't have found the brotherhood he had now, that was for sure.
"Man, I miss Beacon," Cardin grumbled, echoing Ren's thoughts.
"Simpler days," Russel whispered. He reached for a cigarette box in his pocket, but a sharp look from Winter made him decide against it.
"School grounds, Thrush," Ciel chided in Winter's place, "behave."
"I'm a good boy, see?" Russel cracked a grin as he slid his cigarette away back into its box.
"Behaving was the last thing your team did at school," Ren grunted.
Cardin snorted, and grinned, "We're old boring adults now. But, you are the one to talk."
Ren feigned offense, "I was a good boy, thank you very much. Straight A's, well behaved, disciplined…"
Russel arched an eyebrow, "Didn't….your team start the largest food fight in Beacon history."
Ren's cheeks flushed red. But, he smiled at the memory. Watermelon artillery was something he never thought he would witness, nor the impromptu space program Nora had forced Yang to embark upon.
Good times. Simpler times. Times that changed overnight, into a prolonged nightmare that he slogs through every day.
"Got me there," Ren huffed as they turned the corner to head down the corridor leading to the headmaster's office.
Footsteps echoed loudly behind Yang as she turned a corner to the offices. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of white, but when she turned back to do a double-take, the group had already vanished past the corner.
Must be another Huntsmen team the headmaster called in for help. Perhaps graduates of Shade academy, or maybe Haven's own graduates transferred back from across Remnant.
Her scroll buzzed. She sighed and picked it up.
"Hey, dad,"
"Yang!" Tai greeted. She winced. He never used to sound this frail. The sounds of the kitchen distorted her father's voice further, "Are you coming back for dinner?"
Yang bit her lips. She didn't want to sit around while people are disappearing. But…
"Yeah," Yang said as nonchalantly as possible, "I was just having a talk with the headmaster. I'm heading back now."
"Winter Schnee," Lionheart stood up from his seat, arms extended wide in welcome. He put on a well-practiced smile, and bade Ozpin's pawns welcome, "I was beginning to worry something might have happened."
He knew the names and faces of everyone already.
Cardin. Russel. Ren. Ciel.
To think not even a decade ago, they were young idealistic Huntsman and Huntresses. He noted with slight displeasure that they carried their weapons in a manner that seemed casual, but could be readied at any second.
Winter inclined her head slightly, "There were complications, Headmaster. I will give you a full report should you require it."
The headmaster waved her off, "I have received the news from JiuZhan. I had students that were in the area, so I am aware of what has happened."
"It is more than that, Headmaster."
The man froze, as if slapped, "I beg your pardon?"
"We were being followed and tracked, somehow," Winter elaborated, "another attempt on our lives had been foiled in the settlement of Sunwon."
"Sunwon has barely been on the map for a year," Lionheart frowned. His face darkened, "That means that Salem and her agents are on to you, Ms. Schnee."
Winter nodded, "I had a look at the bodies. They were all affiliated with the Spiders, although some were Branwen tribe."
Lionheart's eyes widened, "Are you implying that the Spiders and the Branwen tribe, are in league with Salem?"
"The Branwen tribe, I cannot say. The Spiders, most definitely," Winter shrugged, "Atlas intelligence had suspected Spiders involvement in both cases of the White Fang infiltration into Atlas. While we had no concrete proof, the fact that I am being targeted right while I'm tasked by Ozpin confirms it. They very well might be in league with Salem's forces."
Lionheart shook his head in disbelief, although Winter frowned at the seemingly rehearsed motion, "Shocking. Absolutely shocking. The Spiders have been laying low in Mistral, or rather they haven't been doing anything out of the ordinary, as criminal groups go. This is quite the complication."
"It is a complication, yes" Winter admitted.
"Ozpin has set quite the task for you and your people," Lionheart sat down. He sounded almost sympathetic, "to actively root out and destroy the agents of Salem, while keeping a look out for a Maiden. This already puts you in potential conflict with the largest criminal gang in Mistral, and arguably on the face of Remnant. As for a Maiden, we haven't seen one for over ten years. Sounds quite impossible to me, don't you agree?"
"Headmaster?" Winter frowned at the question.
"What you have experienced on your journey here is just the beginning," Lionheart opened his arms, "it will only get more dangerous from here. Are you willing to put you and your men through that danger?"
Winter bristled at the question. Was this a test of character? She didn't have time for this, nor was there a need to impress the man. She heard Cardin snort in the background, and she could feel Russel's predatory grin, which pretty much summed up what she felt about the question.
"Yes, headmaster. Of course." Winter replied, as if it was the most simple and obvious thing on the face of Remnant, "if the Spiders are actively working for Salem, then they are a legitimate target."
Lionheart held her gaze, before sighing reluctantly, "Very well." He straightened, "While your primary objective is to strike at Salem's forces, do not forget that finding and obtaining a Maiden's power is equally important. I suggest you don't overdo it when dealing with criminals. This is Mistral, and I do not hold much sway over law enforcement, or even the council."
"We'll do our best to keep it quiet, headmaster. Although that may be quite difficult if we are being tracked." Winter said. Behind her, Russel held a finger to lips. Ciel nudged him with her boot.
Leonardo Lionheart grimaced, as if punched, "I knew of several powerful tracking semblances in my time. But, if the Spiders are involved it may just boil down to intelligence. My guess will be as good as yours."
"Of course,"
"But, worry not, Ms Schnee," Lionheart clapped his hands together, "so long as you reside in Haven academy, you will remain untouched. While you continue your mission, the facilities of Haven are at your disposal."
Winter nodded, "How about your staff, Headmaster? Our presence in Haven will not go unnoticed."
"It won't," Lionheart admitted, "so try to keep any…activity…off academy grounds. We don't want Haven to become a target."
The Ex Beacon members of the team grimaced. If it could happen once, it could happen again. The headmasters being affiliated with Ozpin at all marks the academies as targets.
Winter cast a glance at her men, confirming that they were all thinking the same thing.
An attack might be inevitable, after all.
"The longer we leave Salem's forces unopposed, the more likely that is to happen," Winter pointed out, "that being said, any information would be helpful."
Lionheart was silent for a moment. He looked conflicted, before closing his eyes. It was as if he had to physically force himself to make the decision.
"There have been…several disappearances in Mistral lately, on a scale never seen before."
The team seemed to perk up, their interest caught. Lionheart regarded this odd reaction, before continuing, "Disappearances are a plague on every Kingdom. Bandits, Grimm, or simply Remnant itself. But it was only after Ozpin was recovered, did the number skyrocket."
"How many are we talking about?" Winter asked.
"Hundreds," Lionheart said, "I do not know. Law enforcement is paralyzed. Huntsmen have their hands full dealing with the Grimm, and even our students aren't safe from these disappearances."
Russel whistled in the back, earning him another nudge from Ciel.
Lionheart leaned back on his seat, "The timing is too precise for it to be a coincidence. Now, with your suspicion that the Spiders gang is involved, I think we just might have a breakthrough."
The headmaster flicked open his scroll and waved over several folders to Winter.
"More data on the disappearances. The same data packets I give the few Huntsmen teams helping track down the missing people."
Winter speed-read the data. She paused, slowed, then read back.
Her face darkened.
"Get some rest, Ms. Schnee," Lionheart said, "in the meantime, let me scrounge up whatever information I can about the Spiders."
1900
Haven Academy Dorms
There had been a string of disappearances across Anima, mainly in the sparsely populated areas in the outer Kingdoms, as well as Mistral Below.
A disproportionate amount of them were women, and the majority of them were faunus. Winter suspected the racial aspect may be due to area demographics rather than intentional targeting.
Only four people had been found so far. They were not dismissed as murder for a simple reason.
All of them had been blinded through precise surgical measures and showed signs of medical experimentation.
A Dust engineer student, Liseran Jandi, was the only one found alive, wandering blindly in the forests on the edges of Mistral. She died several minutes later on the Bullhead flight to emergency care, in the arms of the Huntsmen team that found her. The surgical scarring, fresh and healed through Aura, had run from the forehead down to her throat. An autopsy revealed forcible removal of extra implanted organs, although of what nature it could not be discerned.
To Winter, it was definite that this was the only person that escaped from her kidnappers.
The others weren't so lucky, and post mortem autopsy revealed something much more sinister.
Chamsae Viole, a first year of Haven Academy. Suzu Mei, a waitress at a local restaurant. Machi Yue, a mechanic in the outer settlements.
Viole's body had been found during a routine Huntsmen patrol. It had partially succumbed to decay, and it could have easily been written off as Grimm casualties or even a victim of banditry. But, Viole had been on her mission with her team when she had disappeared. Her body had been found almost 80 kilometers away from the mission location. That, as well as signs of surgical scarring on the bones of her spine, as well as several missing organs.
Mei had been found in a Grimm nest when local huntsmen cleared it out. What flagged it as peculiar, was the Grimm had definitely settled in after her time of death, judging by the state of decomposition, indicating the possibility that her dying emotions were what attracted the Grimm in the first place. Further examination revealed implant removal and surgical tampering on the skull in a similar manner to Jandi.
Yue was dredged up from the Great Central Lake by fishing vessels. Initially, it was ruled a suicide until post mortem autopsy revealed simultaneously missing and additional unknown damaged organs implanted within the victim. The implants had been too badly decomposed to discern its former function.
Winter and her team studied the information in their assigned rooms – student dorms for all intents and purposes-, while they unloaded their gear.
"I don't know, Captain," Cardin shrugged as he set down the AGGM missile on the floor, "some crazed serial killer shit right here, or maybe even your usual criminal hit operation."
"What sort of criminal would cut up their victims surgically?" Russel questioned. He was already kicking off his shoes and crinkling his nose at the hole in his sock, "A serial killer is more likely. Seems like a Tyrian fellow, but if he had a Ph.D."
"Organ harvesting operation?" Cardin suggested, "Shit, I know what some gangs do."
"The additional organs is what makes this weird," Ciel huffed as she paced around the cramped space, her boots clicking off the wooden floor audibly, "and this definitely isn't a serial killer too."
"How did you come to that conclusion?" Cardin asked, even Russel looked puzzled.
"Serial killers like…like Tyrian," Ciel stopped her pacing as she hesitated to say the name, "they want their work found. Tyrian was notorious in Anima before he joined Salem, because he left bodies everywhere. This? This is subtle and almost secretive."
"This is hidden. Hidden so that they could keep doing what they are doing," Winter nodded as she cleaned Due Process, "there is absolutely no doubt about it. The timing is too perfect. Whatever they were doing, they have ramped it up ever since we bailed Ozpin."
Ciel shuddered, "…and given the scale of it."
"Fuck," Ren cursed. He resisted the urge to dig for the cigarette box in his jacket folded neatly on the bed, "doesn't bode well for the missing people."
"No, it doesn't,", Winter agreed as she suppressed a shudder. She had seen her share of atrocities, but most of them were violent and spontaneous in nature. Even an improvised explosive device in the middle of a marketplace –while planned to an extent- wasn't as insidious as the cold calculated nature of these crimes. She shook the shiver writhing up her back away and refocused.
"Which begs the question," Ren folded his arms, "for what purpose?"
"Do we really need to understand that?" Cardin snorted, "The mission stays the same. Find them, kill them."
"Find them, kill them," Winter echoed, as she flicked Due Process's chamber shut.
1915
Haven Academy Airship Station
Cardin and Ciel stepped out of academy grounds and sat on the ledge of the airship landing area. Their legs dangled precariously off into the darkness of Mistral below. Embers of flickering light lit the sleeping kingdom below, like candles in the wind.
They lit up their cigarettes and sat there in silence as they smoked. The floating embers drifted down into Mistral like fireflies.
"It's beautiful," Ciel sighed, "kind of reminds me of Vale, the one time I was here."
"One and only time you were there, before it went to shit," Cardin grunted, "Russel and I used to sneak out at night to smoke and drink in Vale, you know? Fake IDs and all that jazz."
"You were never caught?"
"No," Cardin chuckled, "delinquents, dropouts, and assholes like us never get caught."
"Speak for yourself, Winchester," Ciel huffed, "I was the model student Huntress when I was in school, thank you very much."
"Ciel," Cardin scoffed, "what kind of model student joins a group like this? A group that stack bodies for a living?"
Ciel thought for a minute, "Ren? Winter?"
Cardin thought for a bit, "Special cases, both Ren and Winter. Hell, even back when we had full strength, there were several like them. Something drove them to this. Like, I'd be pretty pissed if some faunus anim- uh- fuckwits, off'ed my family. Sorry, Ciel."
"Don't you hate your family?" Ciel asked, ignoring Cardin's slip up, "I remember you saying so."
"You guys are my family," Cardin grinned. He scoffed, "oh, don't give me that look."
"Don't say that, Winchester," Ciel grinned, "that's way too out of character."
"Shut up."
Family. He guessed it all boiled down to family. When Cardin lost his friends at Beacon, he looked for an outlet, a source to direct his anger at. Much like when Ren lost his team too, that girl Nora, Jaune. Cardin was willing to bet Lien that was his primary reason to join. Revenge.
Cardin sighed at the thought of Jaune. That brave idiot had saved Cardin's ass
During his first year at Beacon, Russel's semblance went haywire and sent the entire team running from an Alpha Ursa. For some reason, Jaune didn't run, not even when affected by Russel's semblance.
What a fool Jaune was, forging transcripts to be a Huntsman. What an idiot. What a hero he could have been.
Cardin remembered what Ren had said, and wondered how Jaune died. The man was surely dead, if he and that girl, Ruby Rose, was taken by Tyrian. Jaune probably died a good death, a warrior's death. That's all anyone could hope for when facing a monster like Tyrian.
"Incoming," Ciel said, nodding into the darkness.
Cardin looked up and saw the blinking lights of an incoming airship. Odd, for an airship to be coming in this late. They needed to get off the landing pad.
Tossing their cigarettes down into the city below, they stood up and backed away from the landing pad.
A Mistrali Bullhead circled down lazily, its doors opening before it landed. Figures dropped out of the Bullhead, and the airship sped away without needing to land.
"Team CFVY," Ciel said as she stepped away.
So it was. Velvet, Coco, and the two other members of team CFVY wordlessly walked past them, until Velvet did a double-take.
"Cardin? Ciel?"
"Hey," Cardin greeted. Ciel simply waved.
"You made it after all." While Velvet smiled at them. Under the dim lights cast from the Bullhead, Velvet's smile was strained. The other members of Team CFVY were looking at Cardin like he was a stain under their shoes. Cardin grimaced. Oh, Team CRDL had been very well acquainted with team CFVY during their Beacon days.
Yatsuhashi Daichi, the largest man in Beacon, didn't change much, although the man was not meeting Cardin's eyes at all. Cardin was still half a head shorter than the Mistrali native, but perhaps now he could match the man in raw strength alone.
As for Fox Alistar, his empty blind gaze somehow seemed more unsettling than it usually was.
"Yep," Cardin nodded. He looked towards the male members of the team, "Yatsuhashi, Fox. It's been a while."
Yatsuhashi glanced in Fox's direction but made an uncommitted grunt. Fox nodded, "Hey."
Fair, Cardin thought. At first, he chalked it up to the fact that Cardin himself is present, but Velvet herself wasn't in a particularly good mood.
"Come on, Bun," Coco gently nudged Velvet forwards, "we don't have time for this."
"I-" Velvet began but nodded. She turned to address the Legionnaires, "I'm sorry guys. We're still on a mission. I'm glad you've made it here safe, though."
"Y-yeah," Cardin waved awkwardly as team CFVY pushed past them without a second glance.
He saw Velvet tug Yatsuhashi by the hand, leading him onwards off the landing pad. They didn't utter another word, nor did they even spare him another look.
"Something happened," Ciel said.
"Yeah," Cardin said, still looking in the direction of CFVY, "something bad."
1930
Mistral Night Market, Upper Mistral.
Russel slid the correct amount of Lien to the shopkeeper and took the bag. The old man nodded wordlessly as Russel left without another word. Explosive fire Dust, enough for the entire team. Russel had hopped into the shop last minute before close, much to the annoyance of the old man.
For now, Russel stayed within the mid-upper levels of Mistral. The Spiders and other members of the underworld operated in the lowest dark levels, but Russel knew as long as he was here he wasn't entirely safe.
A voice chirped in his ear. It was Ren, "Got them?"
"Yeah," Russel said, "give it a rest, Ren. It was just a quick errand."
"Captain's orders," Ren said, "travel in groups unless on Academy grounds."
"She's spooked,"
"I am too," Ren admitted, "we don't get compromised that early into the mission and you fucking know it."
Russel grunted. In truth, he himself was jumpy too. The mission had just started and they were already getting hunted like animals. It was only two attempts so far, but the enemy just needed to get lucky once.
Realistically, this meant they had to have their Aura's engaged every waking hour, leaving precious little time for the soul's protective barrier to rest and recharge. Then again, they were trained with the mentality of operating on no Aura at all.
Russel kept his head down and wore Pietro's flat cap so low it covered half his vision. He walked in a casual gait, slouching slightly for good measure.
Mistral at night was unlike Atlas. Atlesian nights were cold and dead, lifeless save for the patrolling soldiers of Atlas academy. To an extent, it reminded Russel of Vale, but without the booming electronic music and long lines of drunk party-goers.
Instead, new stalls were brought out and placed on the roadside. Florescent Dust lamps buzzed, lighting up cheap clothes, fake jewelry, and other gadgets displayed on simple folding tables.
He stopped briefly. There were several posters of missing people stuck on some stalls. He stopped to study one of the images.
A young deer faunus girl, her fingers held up in a victory pose and beaming brightly. Missing for at least a month. Knowing the way to world works, Russel grimaced. Death would be the more merciful fate in some areas on Remnant.
As Russel walked further, the crowd began to grow. The air started to smell of food, and he stopped by a stall to purchase a piece of fried chicken.
One thing he learned about infiltration and stealth, is that when you cannot hide, hide in plain sight. To everyone else, Russel was just another night marker goer, looking for a snack.
The man noticed another "missing person" poster displayed on the front of the stall. This time it was a middle-aged woman, bearing some striking resemblance to the old lady manning the stall.
"Two extra-large crispy chickens, please," Russel said, raising his fingers. His eyes never leaving the poster.
The old lady looked at him for a brief moment, as if in hope, before cooking his order.
"We're being followed," Ren's voice suddenly came.
"I know," Russel said, watching the old lady dump two pieces of chicken into a deep fryer. The oil bubbled and boiled, its almost black color indicating the oil isn't fresh at all.
"Confirm. Green shirt, brown hat. Blond hair, dark skin. Human male."
"Yep," Russel huffed, "he's not conspicuous at all."
He stood to the side, waiting for his meal to cook. He knew where his little stalker was, not because Russel was particularly sharp. It was that the man wasn't doing a very good job of blending in.
"Where are you from, boy? You're not local are you?" The old lady asked as she set the timer. Seeing as she has no other customers, Russel decided to humor her.
"I'm from Vacuo," he said, "what gave it away?"
"You are reading the posters," She smiled sadly as she tapped her own missing person poster stuck on her stall, "no one reads them anymore."
"Do no one care?" Russel asked, surprised.
She shook her head sadly, "it's not that no one cares. It's just been so common, people look out more for themselves than anything else."
"How common?"
"Every day,"
"Scary stuff," Russel agreed. He nodded to the poster, "Your daughter?"
She nodded, "It's been two months. Her husband and children are heartbroken. She's a Huntress too."
"Was she… "Russel hesitated, "was she on a mission when she disappeared?"
The shopkeeper regarded him, her eyes narrowing, "No. She went down to the lower levels and never returned."
"I see."
"Why are you asking?" she folded her arms.
Russel flashed his ID briefly, "Huntsman. We got assigned here recently."
"Brothers above," the old lady breathed, "things are getting so bad here we have to pull in other Kingdoms to help."
Before Russel could say anything, a timer rang. The woman took out the fried pieces of chicken, laid them on a rack. She clattered two large shakers together over it repeatedly. Seasoning rained down onto the piece of meat, and Russel felt his mouth water in anticipation.
Focus, he chided himself. From the corner of his eye, he still saw his stalker, now leaning on a wall and having a smoke.
"10 Lien, please," the old woman said.
Russel paid, smiled, and thanked the old lady as she stuffed the food into a paper bag. He took his piece of chicken and bit into it, savoring the crunch and the taste. He blew a little as the hot juices seared his tongue.
"Shit," Ren's said in his ear, "that looks nice."
"It is." Russel hummed, taking another bite. He slowed his pace down to allow his stalker to catch up, "got yours right here."
He wasn't worried about being attacked here. His Aura was already up, and they were in a crowd. Out of the corner of his eye, Russel could see the man's hat, and flashes of his blond hair as he drew closer.
Another bite.
The man was close enough now. Almost five meters behind him. Russel feigned seeing someone he recognized and waved, before walking into a narrow alley.
The stalker followed, looking cautiously into the darkness before edging in. He followed after his mark, pulling out a suppressed pistol. As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he found that he was facing a dead end. Nothing but heaps of garbage and bins behind a restaurant.
Puzzled, he turned to leave.
Only to come face to face with Russel.
They locked eyes.
As the man's mind reeled in surprise, Russel's semblance flooded into his unsuspecting psyche, focused and unrestrained. The man yelped as he raised his weapon to shoot, but the pistol was suddenly in Russel's hands.
There were degrees of fear, and every person reacts differently to each level of terror. There was a degree of finesse to elicit the desired response. Too little, a stronger mind might turn terror into fighting desperation. Too much, a weak mind might succumb seek refuge in oblivion.
Russel drove his semblance in like a hammer. He smashed aside any barriers that a conscious and rational mind would erect. He ripped down deep into his victim's mind, ripping and tearing his way to the animal instincts that lay buried under thousands of years of evolution. He battered the base instincts of survival, pummelling in one thought with all the finesse of an enraged Beringal: Run.
But, there was nowhere to run.
The man fell back, a torrent of blabbering pleads and nonsense streaming from his lips.
Russel watched in satisfaction as a dark stain appeared on the man's pants. He squatted down in front of his prey and took a bite from his meal.
"Hello there," Russel sniggered, "I think you and I should have a little talk."
Ren chewed on the chicken Russel bought for him, "So, that was useful."
Russel ground the remnants of the last bones to paste in his mouth and swallowed. He scrunched up his grease-stained paper bag –now with nothing but bones he couldn't chew through- and tossed it in a nearby bin, "Still doesn't answer how we're being tracked."
"You're a damn animal, I swear," Ren muttered as he watched Russel chew and eat through the bones.
"Just a little practice, for when I get my hands on the actual bad guys."
Ren chuckled, "we still need to track her down. What's her name again?"
Russel nodded "Lil' Miss Malachite. Queen Spider. I have my slipper ready."
Ren snorted, "What sort of name is that?"
"It's very Vale if anything," Russel commented, "the name and the fact she lurks in some shady bar or club. That's good intel if anything."
"You could have left the hat, though." Ren eyed Russel's new brown hat, which miraculously didn't have any bloodstains.
"You're just jealous," Russel grinned, spinning Pietro's flat cap, on his fingers.
2000
Lionheart's home, Upper Mistral
Lionheart locked the door to his home.
He knew who was waiting for him even before he heard the soft voices in his home. He sighed inwardly.
"No need for any unpleasantness, doctor." Lionheart began as he walked into the living room.
A well-dressed man sat on his couch, talking to someone else on his scroll. His mustache crinkled in disdain as Lionheart approached and sat opposite him. Behind the well-dressed man, a young rabbit faunus in a tattered cloak and oversized boots stood behind him. Despite her youth, her long hair was mostly grey and white. The first time Lionheart had seen her, she had hair the color of rich earth. Even her long rabbit ears were now almost entirely silver.
She poured tea for the well-dressed man, and another for Lionheart.
"Thank you, Maya," The man muttered as he listened to the person on the scroll talk Eventually, he said, "Fascinating. I'll be back shortly. I have some business to deal with."
The man shut off his scroll. He looked at Leonardo, his face expressionless, "You know why I'm here, surely."
"The information I have given them-"
"It wasn't much, granted," The man said, leaning back into his seat as he took a sip of tea, "but my instructions were clear. If you had proceeded with the plan, I wouldn't be here. What are you planning, Leonardo?"
Lionheart swallowed the bile in his throat, "I don't want to do this, Watts."
Doctor Arthur Watts sneered, "I thought we had an agreement, Leonardo. Don't tell me you have decided to suddenly grow a spine while you lost your brain." Watts waved his hand in the air.
The room got cold all of a sudden, although Watts didn't seem affected. Leonardo shuddered, "Does she know what you are doing? Did she set you up for this?"
Watts stood up and strode behind the headmaster. Lionheart flinched as Watts set his bony hands on his shoulders, "Salem needs not know of my methods, only that I will deliver the results asked of me. In truth, she will just get in the way."
Lionheart felt the man's grip tighten, "So when she gives me a new task, the task of eliminating Ozpin's new pawns, I do not care what you have to do. Why did you not place the explosives in their dorm, Lionheart?"
"It's a student dorm, Watt! The explosion will injure or kill at least a dozen of the students. I will not let you hurt my students anymore, Watts," Lionheart suddenly shouted throwing off Watt's hands. He stood up and wheeled around to face Watts, "allow me this, you bastard! You have already taken more than your reasonable share of lives. You will not take more! Not like this."
"I think you misunderstand your place in all this, Leo," Watts said softly as he withdrew his hands, "you listen to me, and do what I say. It was agreed upon, so you can keep rotting away until one day time claims your worthless soul."
"We all have limited, Watts," Lionheart growled, "enough. This is getting too much."
Watts grinned. It was a cold calculated smile that Lionheart did not like, a false smile, "My, my. Somehow, you found your balls again. How rare."
"I-"
"I can see it clearly. You hate me. You hate yourself."
"Another one of her gifts?" Lionheart spat, "Spare me the obvious."
"You despise magic, and the gift Salem has bestowed upon me. You are a fool, Lionheart. A coward, and a fool that overvalues his own worthless hide," Watts grinned, "but I do not need Salem's gifts to see that."
Watts waved his hands again.
The room suddenly got very cold. Lionheart's breath misted in midair. As fast as that surge of courage came, it fled his very being.
"Watts," Lionheart stammered, "enough. Stop. I understand now. Please."
"Let me bestow upon you what she has gifted me. Knowledge," Watts sniggered, "just a peak, it won't do much, I promise."
Watts began to chant, in a tongue Lionheart has never heard before. The sound coming from his mouth didn't match the movement of his lips. Lionheart tried to back away from the madman that stood in front of him. But, he found himself transfixed into Watt's eyes.
Light. Impossibly bright, flooded into Lionheart's skull. Darkness. Unfathomably empty, swallowed his consciousness. Eternity stretched out before him. He saw souls and how bright they burned. Yet, it was minuscule compared to the ever-encroaching tides of monsters. He saw himself, shaking Ozpin's hand, and the ever-growing web of lies and deceit he voluntarily stepped into. He saw himself, dead on his knees. His eyes rotted out. A bullet hole drilled into his temple. Maggots squirmed and crawled all over. He screamed. He cried. He saw the moon, how perfectly round it was before it shattered. He saw Remnant- or what looked like Remnant, engulfed in seas of fire and death. He saw billions of humans, dressed in different armors and uniforms from different times and eras, slaughtering each other in a frenzy of madness. He saw-
Lionheart curled himself into a ball, knocking over the table and the cups of tea on it. Hot liquid spilled onto him with a clatter, but he didn't care. Lionheart started to weep.
"I'm glad we have reached an understanding," Watts said as he straightened his tie, "I am not ungrateful for your help, Lionheart. It is because of you, that I have met another genius mind, another brilliant individual I can respect."
Lionheart did not answer. He simply whimpered.
Watts continued, "Salem appreciates me. Despite all the power and knowledge she wields, she lacks the will and intellect to see her conflict through."
Lionheart wailed. Watts kicked him in the ribs.
"Quiet, worm." Watts sneered, "Listen to me. For now, I serve Salem, as do you. I have bigger, more important things to attend to. So, be a darling and deal with Ozpin's little soldiers, with the many tools at our disposal. I don't care if you have to ship in White Fang animals or use Spider scum, just use them."
"But-," Lionheart gasped, "but-" He looked around, for anyone, anything, to help him. Lionheart saw the faunus girl, cowering in the corner, tears streaming down her face, only to freeze into tiny crystals.
It was so cold. So, very, cold.
"Do you still need convincing?" Watts laughed. He stepped towards the curled form of Lionheart, "I won't kill you, Lionheart. There are some fates much worse than death, Leonardo. Let me show you, just another little peek."
Watts grabbed Lionheart's face, and glared into his eyes, his mouth opening to chant once again.
Lionheart began to scream.
AN: I'm back. So, a lot of things happened irl, hence the slower update. Moved places, new job responsibilities, all that jazz. Thanks to those that still stuck around to read.