Leo heard the door to his office open. He turned his chair, looking at the woman standing in the doorway.
"Are we ready?" Watts asked. He swallowed and nodded. Watts went to one of his bookshelves, humming as she ran her hand over the spines of the books. "There we are," she said, pushing one of them. The bookshelf rumbled, swinging open into a dark hallway.
Leo got to his feet, following Watts into the darkness. Candles sputtered high up on the stone walls, their dying light hardly illuminating the walk. Leo's skin crawled at that familiar hissing like click.
A Seer Grimm was at the end of the hall, its orb like head glowing red in the darkness. Leo stopped a few paces back from it, watching its barbed tentacles brushing against the stone. He grunted as Watts shoved him forward, a playful smile on her face when he looked back at her.
"He's here, my Goddess." Watts said. Leo looked into the swirling red colors of the Seer's head.
"Leonardo." Her voice was cold, chilling Leo.
"You remember our deal, yes my Lady? I help you get the Relics and Maidens, and you spare my city?"
"Of course."
"I'm finding that a little hard to believe at the moment, my Lady. Your cult has become quite a problem down in the slums. I have information that you need, but I want you to promise that you will remove them from my city, or at least curve their enthusiasm." The Seer was quiet for a moment.
"Are you trying to barter with me?" Annoyance tinged her words. Leo stepped back, watching the barbed tentacles.
"I am." He finally said.
The Grimm's tentacles sprang forth, coiling around his throat, the barbs digging into his skin. He wheezed, grabbing at the tentacles, gasping as it tightened its grip, forcing him to his knees.
"Watts. What information does he have?" Salem asked.
"The location of the Spring Maiden. She is a member of the Branwen Clan and is believed to be hiding out at their main camp."
"And where did he learn this from?"
"Our little birdie; Qrow. And he had the Rose with him."
The tentacles tightened, Leo's throat burning as he strained to breath.
"Leonardo. Where you aware that Qrow was not loyal to me?" Salem asked. He gasped, clawing at the coils.
"Y-yes. He was a spy sent by Ozpin."
"And you never thought to tell me?"
"I-I hadn't seen or heard from him… I thought he was dead. I didn't think to bother you with it."
The coils tightened further, Leo gagging, unable to breath.
"The next time you think to withhold information from me, it will be your last thought. Do you understand?"
He couldn't speak, his eyes watering. He faintly nodded. The tentacles uncoiled; he coughed and wheezed, gasping for air.
"Cinder and her followers will go to the Branwen's camp and get Spring from them. Once that is done, she will escort her to Haven and acquire the Relic. Hazel will join her there along with the White Fang and my Children." Salem said. Leo rubbed at his throat, looking up at the Seer. "Doctor Watts. You will return here; Tyrion is in need of a new tail."
"What happened to her old one?" she asked.
"She lost it to a Rose." Watts rolled her eyes.
"I understand. I will be on my way."
Watts turned to leave, walking away. Leo staggered to his feet, backing away from the Seer, before turning and walking into the darkness.
Salem leaned back in her seat, the Seer clicking as it floated off. She looked over at Cinder. Cinder wouldn't meet her gaze; she could see remnants of a scowl poorly hidden. Salem rested her hands in her lap.
"You are free to speak your mind, my child." Cinder opened and closed her mouth, frowning before she found her voice. It was a hoarse croak.
"I want Ruby dead. I want to go to Mistral City and rip her apart with my bare hands." Salem lifted her chin.
"I remember when I found you, Cinder. Down in the Fire Isles," Salem said.
A scraggly teenage girl with the mark of a sex slave tattooed upon her back. The fire in her orange eyes.
And the blood on the knife in her trembling hand.
"I promised you power. And you have gotten it. I've kept my end of our bargain, my child. I want you to be able to keep your end." Cinder looked over at her, clenching a fist. "The Grimm living inside you, it has made you weak to Ruby's abilities. I would prefer for you to not get involved in another fight with her."
"You're just going to let her live?" Cinder growled. Salem shook her head.
"Mistral is a dangerous city. One teeming with my Children. The Rose will die, Cinder. But not by your hands."
Anger flashed through Cinder's eyes before being hidden. Cinder bowed, and turned away, her shoes clicking against the stone floor as she left.
Weiss stretched her arms, groaning. She lowered her arms, feeling them tingle, and looked out the ship's window.
Hundreds of small chunks of land were floating in the air, large purple Dust crystals jutting from the bottoms of the chunks of land. She scooted closer to the window, staring out, watching the floating islands pass them by. She smiled as she watched them; some were overgrown with flowers, their flowered vines tangled over the dirt and stone and crystal. Others were covered with Dust crystals, looking like floating jewels, catching the noon light and shimmering. Others were rocky crags with large holes in them.
Weiss hopped down from her seat, watching the floating islands as she headed to the door. She looked over at the Pilot when the door slid open.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"The Floating Isles of Lake Matsu. Hate this place."
"Why? They're so pretty."
"See all those gravity Dust crystals in those things? Messes with a ship's equipment, and causes whole bunch of weird turbulence. Some nasty Grimm like to make a home of this place too. Lesser pilots die here all the time."
Weiss smile fell. She looked out the window, watching the islands pass-
"Look out!" she yelled.
The Pilot jerked the ship, a flaming ship soaring past them, smoke billowing into the air. Weiss covered her mouth, her heart leaping as the flaming ship crashed into an island, exploding, the island crumbling to pieces.
The Pilot said nothing, flicking on the radio, his jaw set.
"Brothers, please! If anyone can hear this! We need help!"
Weiss looked out the window, her stomach dropping. A ship was soaring between the isles, a large swarm of bee Grimm chasing after it. Some of the swarm flew ahead of the ship, firing a barbed hook from their tails, the hooks crashing into the ships hull, ripping through the wood. The swarm behind the ship fired their hooks as well, catching the back hull.
"Abandon ship, everybody, aban-"
The swarm flew back, yanking the ship apart, the radio cutting out, the passengers spilling from the ship. Weiss' lip trembled as she watched them fall into the lake, wincing at those that hit the isles, nausea filling her at the Grimm that buzzed down, scooping up the falling passengers and beginning to feed on them.
"Fucking hate lancers," the Pilot said.
Weiss turned away, marching to a hatch near the door, flinging it open and leaping down. Crates upon crates with the SDC brand filled the room, her sword leaning against one of them.
"Kid, what are you doing?" The Pilot's voice was filled with static over the intercom. She grabbed Myrtenaster, opening one of the crates, smirking at the vials of Dust. She flicked open the guard of her sword, grabbing vials, and filling the chambers before flicking it closed.
"What I should have done in the first place."
"Don't use too much of that Dust up, kid. I still need to make a profit here."
Weiss grunted as the ship lurched, her stomach doing flips as it shot upwards before diving down. She stumbled, and hurled a glyph below her, seeing it glow black, and feeling it latch onto her feet. She steadied herself, taking a stance, holding her sword out.
"Open the back door!"
The door slid open, the wind tearing and whipping around her, her ponytail billowing around her. The buzzing of the Lancer swarm filled her ears as she stared them down.
She pulled the trigger, Red. She ran a finger up the length of her sword, feeling it ignite at her touch. She flickered her fingers a glyph forming in front of her. The ship swerved, the Lancers firing their barbs. Weiss jabbed into her glyph, flames spewing forth, several of the Lancers igniting, crashing into others, and into the isles.
The Lancers hissed, charging toward her. She pulled the trigger, white, and stabbed the glyph, a vortex of wind billowed forth, hurling them away, slamming into the islands, their wings breaking. She heard them shriek as they plummeted into the waters below.
"Hold on kid!"
The ship banked, swerving past several large islands, weaving in-between them. Weiss flipped her wrist, several glyphs materializing in front of her. She pulled the trigger, blue, and began jabbing at them, icicles firing forth, impaling several of the Lancers, their black blood spraying into the air. The ship nosedived, Weiss' stomach flipping, a large craggy island filling her vision as the ship skimmed down it.
The ship straightened out, the skies and waters returning. Weiss frowned; the swarm was gone. She yelped, feeling the ship lurch, hearing the grating sound of metal ripping.
"What was that?" she yelled.
"We're hooked!"
She heard buzzing, and thuds against the metal.
"I got an idea, kid!"
Weiss stumbled as the ship jolted forward, several of the crates sliding out, tumbling into the lake. The ship jolted down; Weiss heard metal ripping and several thuds before the Pilot laughed.
"Got em!"
Weiss grimaced as the remnants of the swarm appeared behind the ship.
"Can you find some islands for us to squeeze between?" she shouted.
"Read my mind, kid!"
The ship sped forward, rocks and crags replacing the waters. Several of the Lancers fired their barbs, the ship swerving, dust and rocks tumbling down around them. Weiss pulled the trigger, red, and yelled, swinging her sword, slashing through all of the glyphs, flames spewing forth, consuming the rocks. They began to melt, the rocks above tumbling down. She smiled as the boulders crashed down, squishing the swarm.
"We're in the clear, kid! Nice going!"
Weiss' smile disappeared at the sound of buzzing, a giant Lancer appearing. It's body was covered in thick bone armor, spikes protruding from it.
"We've got a Queen!" Weiss yelled.
The Queen Lancer shrieked, its barbs and spikes firing out. Weiss gasped, throwing up a shield glyph, grunting as the spikes sprang off it, sparks raining down as they impaled the walls of the ship. The ship jolted, the Pilot yelling.
"Get that thing off us!" he shouted.
Weiss straightened her back, staring the Queen down. She raised her sword, exhaling and closing her eyes. She traced her finger up its length, feeling a cold mist forming around her.
My Knight, come to me.
She stabbed down, plunging her sword into the metal. Her eyes snapped open, smirking at the Queen as the glyph materialized before her, shimmering blue, white mist surrounding it. Her Knight rose from the glyph, its behemoth of a sword resting on its shoulder.
"Pull up."
The ship went skyward, hurling Weiss into the air, toward the roof. Weiss threw a glyph down, landing on it, her Knight landing beside her.
Let's finish it.
She closed her eyes, resting her sword against her face.
She opened her eyes, her body cold metal. She glanced aside at where she sat.
She turned away, running down the door and leaping off, hurling through air. The Queen shrieked, firing at her, the barbs clinking against her metal skin. She swung her sword, ripping through the Queen's armor. She landed on a glyph, spring from it, ripping through the Queen, and landing on another glyph. She leapt from glyph to glyph, tearing the Queen apart with her blade, its blood raining down. The Queen shrieked, firing its tail. She deflected and swung down, cleaving the Queen in half, its separated body plummeting to the ground.
Weiss' eyes snapped open, smoke filling the bay.
"We're hit! We're going down!"
Weiss scowled, hurling several glyphs before the ship, stumbling as the ship hit each one. She yelled as she was hurled forward, slamming into the metal wall, the sound of metal shredding and glass breaking filling her ears.
Sienna looked down upon him, her guards standing beside her, their red aura piercing spears glinting in the light. He stood at the base of the stairs of her throne, his head bowed, his Grimm mask obscuring his face. He was unarmed, she had seen to it that Wilt and Blush be taken from him.
"Do you know what happened the night Beacon fell? The night of your attack?" Adam kept his head bowed. "Of the riots across Mistral and Atlas? Of the Faunus killed, their temples burned? Of the wary looks the people of Vacou would give to our members when helping Faunus refuges get into their kingdom? Of the boats of Faunus lost to the Grimm as they fled to Menagarie?"
"High Leader, I only acted in the best interest of our people."
"You have justified humanities hatred us!" she bellowed, rising to her feet. Her guards shifted, aiming their spears at Adam. He looked up at her.
"We have given them a taste of fear, High Leader. The same fear that we have lived with all of our lives." He rose, stepping up the staircase. "I had the strength to do what needed to be done. I have made an ally for the Faunus who will help us begin a new Revolution, who will put humanity in their place." He pointed down. "Beneath us. Like the vermin that they are."
"We cannot win a war with the humans." She said. "Killing the humans and Faunus at the Hunter academies will not bring respect for our people. It will not get the humans to change. I have shown humanity what they need to fear when it comes to the Faunus. You, have only shown humanity what they fear we are."
She scowled at him, untangling her chain whip from her arm. "For your crimes against the Faunus, your treason against the White Fang, and your kidnapping of my niece, I sentence you, Adam Taurus, to de-"
Blood sprayed into the air, splattering against Adam's Grimm mask. Sienna's body trembled, the ends of her hands twitching. She struggled to look down, ice and pain filling every nerve. Four red spears were jutting from her chest, her blood dripping from the tips, her aura crackling around her. She turned her head, feeling blood start to drool down from her lips. Her guards stared at her, holding onto their spears.
"For the Fang." Sienna winced as a spear was yanked free, blood gushing down her stomach.
"For the Fang." Black spots filled her vision as she snarled at them, unable to turn and face them.
"For the Fang." She could feel the blood filling her mouth; she wouldn't let them hear her cries.
"For the Faunus." The last spear yanked free, her specks of blood black in the light.
Copper filled her mouth, her body heavy and cold. She turned, stumbling, feeling the sticky blood soaking her clothes, dripping onto the floor. She took a step toward the traitors, her lip twitching. The Traitors backed away, raising their spears. She took another step, growling as she fell to her knees. The world was spinning, everything dark. She coughed, wheezing, unable to breath, blood running from her mouth.
Adam watched Sienna collapse, her body thudding against the floor, twitching as her blood pooled around her. The guards lowered their spears, looking over at him.
"Sienna was killed by a human assassin. She is to be given the traditional Ishvarian funeral. Make sure the pyre is a big one. It's what she deserves." He said. They nodded at him. They lifted Sienna up, dragging her limp body away.
Adam went to the throne, allowing himself to smile as he sat down. He pulled out his scroll, swiping one of the contacts.
"Yes."
"Hazel, the High Leader of the White Fang would like to speak with you."
Weiss groaned, every part of her body aching as she opened her eyes. Smoke choked the air; she could hear trees splintering as they burned. She looked up, her vision blurred by the smoke. Dark figures were moving through the smoke. She coughed, reaching out to them
"Please…"
The dark figures came into focus as they stepped out of the smoke. The man on the right had red hair, a cutlass in hand. The man on the left had tattoos along his neck, a large sword hung across his back. They smirked when they saw her, shouting into the smoke.
Weiss' eyes widened; she struggled to move, trying to scramble away. A tall woman strode from the smoke, her face hidden by a Nevermore mask, her body obscured by a black feathered cape. Weiss yelped as the woman stepped on her leg, digging the heel of her boot into her. Weiss stopped squirming, looking at the woman. They stepped off of her leg, striding over to her, stopping next to her head, staring down at her. Her eyes were a burning red.
"I think we've hit the jackpot, boys."
The woman's boot filled Weiss' vision as it slammed into her face.
Whitley's hands rested behind his back. His father and Maximus stood in front of him, talking to one another. He kept his eyes forward as the glass elevator ascended. He could see the white steel and blue glass of the SDC's building from the corner of his eye.
"Still no news about Weiss?" Maximus asked. His father shook his head.
"She simply disappeared from the estate. My wife has sent out dozens of Hunters, but no one has found her yet." His father said. Maximus sighed.
"Damn shame. When you find her, we'll breeze through the wedding. I'll make sure she won't run away again once she's with me."
"Assuming of course I can get Willow to see reason. She's hell bent on sending Weiss to a doctor once we find her."
The elevator slid to a stop, his father and Maximus walking out, Whitley trailing them. They passed several offices, coming to a large door, the Schnee crest carved into it with silver. His father opened the door, letting Maximus in before going in. Whitley caught the door, following his father. Two guards stood before another set of doors, metal detectors in their hands.
They glanced at Whitley as he entered. He nodded at them.
Maximus held out his arms, one of the guards walking up to him, running the detector over him. It went off as it went over Maximus' legs. Maximus rolled his eyes, lowering his arms, and yanking his pant leg up. A large scar ran down his knee and calf.
"Got some screws and robotic additions to my leg from an old Grimm wound." He said. The guard nodded and finished frisking him.
The other guard went up to Jacques, running the detector over him. Whitley smiled at the guard as he came up to him, running the detector over him.
The detector remained silent.
The guard finished his frisk, nodding at Whitley.
Maximus went to the door, opening it, letting Jacques and him through before entering. The CEO room was large; the walls a sterile white, a long white table filling most of the room. Dozens of chairs lined the table, several were empty, the others filled with heads of the different Atlas branches of the company. The idle chatter filling the room died down as Whitley followed his father to the far end of the table to the largest chair, a seat of white leather. Maximus took his seat near the end.
"Thank you all for coming. I wish we could have had everybody, but our oh so wise Consul has made that rather difficult with this border closing." Jacques motioned to Whitley. "Due to my daughter's mental health becoming an issue due to the trauma she experienced while in Vale, she has opted to relinquish her title as heiress. Her sibling here, Whitley, will be taking her place as the heir of the company." Polite clapping followed. Jacques looked over at him, resting an elbow on the table. "Do you have anything to say to your future coworkers?" he asked. Whitley nodded.
"Thank you, father." Whitley said.
He drew the knife from his pocket, his father looking at it in confusion.
"Whitley, what-" Whitley grabbed his father's hair, stabbing the knife into his throat. The CEO members screamed, Whitley felt his father squirm beneath his blade as he raked it through his throat, his father's hands clawing at his own. Whitley kept his eyes on his father, watching the life drain from his eyes, his father's voice a garbled cry in his ear.
"Security! Security! Get your asses in here!" Maximus screamed.
The guards did not come.
Whitley yanked his knife free, his father's body slump onto the table, his red blood spreading and pooling on the white table.
Check
He turned, smiling warmly at the board of CEO's. He motioned with his knife toward Maximus, specks of blood flying.
"All of you saw this man attack my father in cold blood, right? How he was screaming about my father ruining his chance to marry my sister?"
Their terror filled eyes glanced from his knife to his smile. They slowly began to nod. He inhaled, turning, smirking at Maximus, savoring his dumbfounded look.
"My sister sends her regards," Whitley said. Maximus' expression twisted, realization and rage filling his eyes. He leapt over the table, tackling Whitley to the ground. Whitley grunted, feeling the knife get ripped from his grasp. He struggled against Maximus, his arms shaking from the strain.
"You little fucking bitch! I'll kill you!"
"Security! Security! Hel-!" Whitley screamed in agony, feeling the knife rake over his face, over his eye, blood gushing down his face. He heard the doors slam open, the guards shouting. Whitley shoved the knife away as Maximus stabbed it at his face, starts erupting as Maximus' fist slammed into his nose.
Maximus was ripped off of him, one of the guards holding him back, locking his arms behind his head, forcing him to drop the knife.
"I'm gonna kill you for this! You hear me?!" Maximus yelled. Whitley clutched his eye, hissing at the throbbing pain, at how sticky the blood was. He felt the other guard lift him to his feet. He watched the guard radio for back up as he dragged Maximus away. The guard kept a tight grip on Whitley as he led him out of the room.
Mate
Fun bit of trivia, during the V4-5 hiatus, I planned on having Weiss' ship get attacked, and her kidnapped by pirates, and she manages to escape and get to Mistral. You can imagine my surprise when that happened in canon but with Raven.