Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Lingering Ember. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum, and Rooster Teeth do.
(Mistral.)
In the few days since the battle with the Grey Ursas, many people were interested in Desmond. He had attracted a larger crowd of henchmen and was able to expand his operation further into Mistral.
He turned to see Neo walk up to him while he watched a Bullhead take off with a shipment of Dust for the government of Mistral… As well as other more 'honorable' criminals.
Desmond was many things, but he wasn't a terrorist, he had principles. He watched the Bullhead vanish into the distance before turning back to his partner.
"You good? I thought you were still around at the base." Desmond said, while had had over 20 men now… Junior having recovered from the Fallout in Vale, had sent more henchmen for Desmond.
That and a few of the gangs in Mistral, and Desmond had started to carve out his syndicate in Mistral.
"They didn't find anything… They're still trying to open those parts of the outpost that only the Grey Ursa could open…" Neo put in, Desmond turned to a group of his men.
"On schedule, got it? We're not going big time if you can't fly on time to where I need you to fly." Desmond ordered and the duo ran off to follow what their boss wanted.
"I'm starting to think we need more manpower…" Desmond muttered and then he turned back to Neo.
"There's going to be a lot of people after us… And the Grey Ursas aren't gone, we still need to find that airship their boss uses… It's going to cut into supplies and such if they control the air…" Desmond stated before handing the scroll off to one of his men.
"I can find it," Neo said, Desmond turned to her and raised an eyebrow. She had told him how her Semblance could disguise herself and make illusions.
"You sure about that, sweet tooth? I know you can hold your own… But the Grey Ursa has been ramping up their operations… I've had to post guards at the outposts we seized… Dust Mining is so time-consuming…" Desmond muttered before he tapped his cane on the ground.
"Yes… Give me a week and I'll not only find you where the ship is… I'll bring it down if we don't need it…" Neo said, Desmond, turned back to his men and then to her.
"If… IF there is any problem, you tell me, and you're done… I'm not letting you catch a bullet to the face for me… And if it's possible, we take that ship… If you can't? You sink it… Kill it… Sink it till it crashes into the lakes of Mistral… Just don't risk yourself unless you have to… I'm not losing someone like you or anyone I don't have to…" Desmond said, Neo nodded and flipped over the railing.
"You don't need any backup?" Desmond asked, Neo shook her head.
"That's sweet, but I'll be fine, more backup will just slow me down… I'll get back to you in a day or so," Neo said before she vanished out the door.
Desmond turned back to his men and tapped his cane on the ground before he looked away.
"Well, this is going to be interesting… Someone get the Bullheads loaded and get me, Junior… We need to talk, boss to boss." Desmond ordered before he walked away, he knew Neo would be fine… But a part of him was still worried and he brushed his arms off before he walked away, tapping his cane on the floor as he walked.
"Boss…. What about the Spiders?" One of his men asked before Desmond raised an eye.
"Spiders? What spiders?" Desmond asked and the man showed a picture of 3 of his men dead and a squad of dead Grey Ursa soldiers.
"What the hell…?" Desmond asked before he looked at the spider emblem and turned back to the man.
"Get me everything you have on these guys… 'Spiders'? I'm going to squash them then… Just what we need, a third party in this war we're having…." Desmond said and he turned and walked away.
He had to talk to Junior, the man had to know something about the spiders, and he need to talk to him anyway.
Now he had reason to be worried about Neo, but between her Semblance and the vast wilderness of Mistral?
He wouldn't find Neo anytime soon, but he would figure out what these 'spiders' were.
Mistral belonged to him and his group…. Not some upstart like these spiders.
"Should we still keep sending shipments like we've been doing?" The man asked, Desmond, pulled on his fedora, and then he turned to him.
"Get the ones we have out… If they're not needed? Then keep them… We're going to war." Desmond ordered, the man nodded and ran off.
Desmond narrowed his eyes. And he walked to the back rooms.
Author Note
Phew, another chapter is done! I want to point out Desmond isn't going to be fighting Raven or any of Salem's circle besides Mercury and Emerald. The next chapter will be in a week or so on Sunday and will show Desmond talking to Junior and Neo hunting the Grey Ursa. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!
