Here it is. This time quicker.

Reviews:

X3runner - Whitley will probably be closer to Tao Ren than to Ryu, at least I plan him to be.

The Black Wolf of the Arks - Thank you for the advice. I hope that I did your teaching justice in this chapter.

Every one else - Thank you for good words.

Many things could be said about Vale. That It was one of the most advanced cities on Remnant, that it's a place where arguably the best huntsman academy was located. But one thing definitely couldn't be said about it though, that it's the safest.

Even if one were to ignore the lowered morale of Its inhabitants causing grimm attacks to always be on the back of people's minds. A single factor would still make it a dangerous place where a single wrong decision could cost you your life.

Vale's underworld wasn't a nice place. Thievery, drugs and ransoms in there were as common as racism was in Atlas. The amount of different gangs and mafias competing with each other to gain money could only be surpassed by the underworld of Mistral.

Countless people were joining these gangs because they believed that aside from money they would be able to get safety and protection from other outlaws.

Unfortunately this was rarely the case.

"Five humans, two jaguars and four faunus were found dead this morning in the warehouse just at the edge of Vale's outskirts." The voice of a lavender haired news reporter could be heard from a TV that was currently on sale behind the window. "Based on their outfits we can currently assume that they were the members of a drug dealing gang called The Flower Sellers."

After this part of the news was said, the TV on which the news were airing caught the attention of a certain blond shaman and his guardian spirit who were walking by it at the moment. It wasn't the news that got their attention though but the commotion the ghosts watching it were making instead.

"The killer is suspected to be the infamous leader of the Shaft gang, Chocolove McDonell." Just as the news reporter said that, a photo of the supposed killer appeared on the screen. He didn't really look like a threat. He was a black skinned, short haired young teenager with a scar on his forehead. "Despite how young he might look, he is a dangerous criminal with his aura unlocked and if you happen to meet him do not hesitate to call the police."

Just the mention of that name caused many ghosts to voice their anger.

"Argh, just why can't this bastard be caught and sent to prison already!" One of the ghosts watching the news shouted in anger.

This has gotten Jaune interested in that case.

While he knew that the shaman king tournament would begin soon and now he should be either preparing for it or looking for more information on how to participate in it. He also knew he was a shaman and shaman's job was to guide spirits into the afterlife and help them resolve the issues holding them on Remnant.

"May I ask why does that boy angers you so much?" He asked to get the attention of the ghosts currently raging.

"Y-You can see us?" Asked one of the ghosts surprised at his ability to see them.

Jaune sighed before introducing himself and explaining that he was a shaman. He already was used to repeating the explanation of what a shaman was. It was hard to find someone who knew about the spirit world when they were alive after all. Even Summer was startled when he first talked to her and from what he knows she experienced dozens of unbelievable things during her lifetime.

"Now that I told you who I am, will you please tell me what is the issue?" He asked curious if there was a way to help them.

"The issue is that he killed most of us here!" Ghost of a young girl who looked the youngest out of every ghost gathered here answered with anger.

Upon hearing that answer Summer winced a bit before looking at the young girl with a pity. Of course just because that girl looked so young didn't mean that she was the youngest as people stop ageing after dying. It was still sad to see a ghost of such a young person though. Especially when she didn't look that much older than her youngest daughter.

"That brat might not look like much but he is ruthless. Almost everyone here who was killed by him didn't actually do anything to deserve it." Said different ghost, this one clearly older but still not full adult.

"He doesn't even give people a fair chance at defending themselves. He simply shoots you without any warning if he thinks of you as either a threat or an inconvenience." Added another ghost who looked like a fresh huntsman.

After hearing all of their complaints about their killer it wasn't hard to see why they were so angry at him. Not only that boy took their lives he also did it unfairly and quite possibly cowardly.

With a quick nod Summer and Jaune agreed to help these spirit find their peace by punishing their murderer.

"Don't worry, we will make sure he will face justice for all he did. You can count on us!" Summer said with confidence, trying to cheer everyone up.

Her efforts unfortunately didn't have the intended effect as the spirits they were talking to seemed disheartened.

"Don't bother, that brat has already fought against the police many times and always got away. Besides, how can you two actually do it?" Answered one of the older looking ghosts.

"Ahh, We-" Summer didn't know what to say as she knew the old ghost was at least a little bit right. If she were alive then she could have taken care of it herself with the authority granted to her by being a huntress. Right now though, not only they wouldn't have access to the information huntsmen and the police have but they also technically wouldn't be allowed to legally do that.

The young girl who before angrily answered now looked sad and dejected. She probably already assumed that they wouldn't help them.

Jaune sighed. "Do not worry guys, I'm a capable shaman and Summer was an accomplished huntress when she was alive. We will think of something, even if we won't be able to send him to prison we will at least give him a lesson." He answered with a smile to boost their confidence in them.

Summer nodded right after and they began planning on how to punish a certain young gang leader.

...

Somewhere else in Vale...

...

Chocolove McDonell wasn't a terrible person. At least he didn't think he was.

Sure he might have killed quite a few people during his lifetime, thirty two to be exact, but almost every single one of them was either his enemy or a threat to him. Of course there had been a few exceptions he could consider to be almost completely innocent but they still were at fault for being too happy when they shouldn't have.

It was still way better than what some of these White Fang fanatics were capable of doing to humans they didn't like. Unlike those crazy faunus he didn't go out of his way to harm others.

Even those nine people the news wouldn't stop talking about were killed because they first tried to back stab him and his gang by trying to sell them poisoned and defective drugs. He would be fine as he hates these types of filth anyway but he knew some of his gang members didn't mind wasting their lives to get a couple minutes of false enjoyment.

He obviously robbed them as well because dead bodies didn't really need money for anything.

Currently he was going to Hei Xiong's club to spend the money he got from those backstabbing bastards. He and Junior may not have been the best buddies but they still respected each other. He respected Junior for him being one of the few people who didn't consider him to be an always mad murderer and Junior respected him for not being as stupid as most of the people in the Vale's underworld.

As he was approaching the club he stopped for a second. This place looks a bit different than the last time. He thought upon seeing the club. There weren't any significant changes but everything changed a little, not enough to be unrecognizable but enough to give off a slightly different feeling than before.

After a quick thought he shrugged. Hei must have done some redecorating to attract new customers recently. He didn't visit him at all in the last three weeks so there might have been some dip in Xiong's profits he didn't know about.

He opened the door with a quick move. There wasn't any queue as it was still the middle of the day and clubs were mostly active at night.

"Barman one beer for me!" He shouted just as he entered the building, and went straight towards the bar.

Some of the newer Junior's men who were currently working raised their eyebrows in confusion after he said that. They were probably surprised that someone as young as him would order alcoholic beverage without any care in the world.

"You again kid? You weren't here for so long that I thought they had finally caught you!" Junior shouted with a small smile after hearing him.

"You bet it, old man." He answered and sat down next to Junior.

Seeing their little banter the bartender looked with a slight confusion before shaking his head and reaching behind him to pour him his drink. He most likely was another one of Junior's new men, there were strangely many of them here today.

"I heard that you killed a bunch of fraud drug dealers recently. It looks like you've robbed them too." Junior stated after he saw him pay for his drink.

"Yup, idiots wanted to sell us poison. They got what they deserved." He answered before receiving his drink.

He started to drink his beer only to stop after taking a single sip. It tasted way too sweet and orange-like for it to be a beer.

"Really? Orange juice?" He asked with a single raised eyebrow and a sigh.

After he said that the bartender began explaining himself but he stopped him. "Don't bother. I get it, I'm underage. You don't have to explain yourself."

He took a sip, smiled and said. "I see, you've been doing renovations."

Just as he said that Junior winced. He seemed to be remembering a painful memory.

"Ugh. Do not mention it. Some crazy blondes went rampage after not getting the information they wanted." Hei answered with a shake of his head.

"I pity you. Crazy clients are the worst." He reacted after hearing the abbreviation of the story.

They talked and laughed, sharing information and catching up on each other's lives. After a while Hei suddenly turned somber and with a hollow smile said. "You know I envy you a little. Able to live a carefree life and not having to worry about some big fish ending your entire life and career just because you offended them somehow."

What Junior said just now caught Chocolove attention as any information about potential dangers was priceless for anyone in the Vale's underworld and normally Hei would demand ridiculously high prices for them. Junior might not have realized the importance of what he had just blabbed because of the effect the alcohol and friendly atmosphere had on him but he definitely is going to capitalize on that.

"Ohh, did you offend someone you shouldn't have?" He asked prying for more information.

"Nah, I did not, but one of my closest contacts was forced to become an errand boy for some really cruel monster." Junior answered, sharing more information with him.

"Are they really that bad?" He pried some more.

"Trust me kid she's a nightmare." A tired voice of a certain famous thief was heard answering his question behind him.

Immediately after he heard that he turned towards the direction from where the voice was heard.

There stood Roman Torchwick, the so-called master thief who was currently leaning on his cane with a frown on his face. Judging from the fact that he was the one to answer his last question, it was quite obvious who the contact Junior had been talking about was.

While Chocolove was rather confident in his ability to survive in the Vale's underworld, he also knew that there were many people he just couldn't afford to provoke and Torchwick was one of them.

He raised his guard and quickly checked for a way to escape in case a fight were about to start.

"I-I didn't know y-you were Junior's contact. I-If I knew I wouldn't have-" He stuttered trying to explain himself.

"Normally I would have warned you to not be so noisy kid but right now I need every help to deal with that sadist of an employer I can get." Torchwick said with a tired sigh, calming him down. He then looked at Junior before continuing. "Though I would still prefer if I was the one who decides whether or not to tell someone about it and not you Junior."

A quiet and embarrassed apology could be heard from Hei after he was called out.

Chocolove was just glad he didn't accidentally get on Vale's mastermind's bad side. He already had enough of his own enemies to deal with, he didn't need to be watchful of one of the Vale's big shots on top of that.

"So do you mind telling me who is this scary lady who has you on her leash? Some ex-huntress with a lot of free time and desire for chaos?" He said with a bit more confidence than before.

"If she was just some scary lady with a lot of power and connections then she wouldn't have been able to even meet me let alone order me around. No, she's a Dust damned witch capable of throwing fire around as if it was nothing. I'm telling you that chick is crazy." Torchwick said, sitting down next to them and ordering a drink.

"Is a powerful semblance all it takes to turn the Vale's master thief into a personal servant? If that supposed witch were to try something similar with me she would have already died." He scoffed with disappointment. Maybe the info he had about Torchwick wasn't as truthful as he thought it was.

"Ohh? Did the little gang leader grow a backbone after realizing I'm not his enemy?" Roman answered, patronizing him a little.

"No, I'm just not a coward like you who would bow to everyone who's even remotely threatening." He answered with anger in his voice.

He hated people who prayed on the week for no reason but would bend their knees to anyone stronger than them. While he and his gang didn't mind taking advantage of weaker people, they would have never allowed themselves to become servants of others just because they were weaker than them.

"I see you are confident in yourself aren't you? How about a deal then, lately I was ordered to steal ludicrous amounts of dust, and while dust might not be lien, it's still worth quite a lot after selling, let's say that if you get rid of her I will give it all to you. Deal?" Torchwick gave a proposition while extending his hand to finalize the deal with a handshake.

"Deal. Tell me who or where she is and she will be dead by tomorrow." He didn't really need dust so much as he only really used it for his gun but he would have accepted that deal even if there wasn't any reward just to show Roman how big of a coward he is.

After seeing that his deal was accepted Roman smirked for a second before giving him information about his target. "Her name is Cinder Fall and I don't know where she spends her time as we only ever meet in locations specified a day before the meeting. Good luck kiddo."

"This will be enough. Better watch the news tomorrow to see your employer's dead." Chocolove answered before standing up and leaving the bar to start his hunt.

A moment passed in silence as everyone watched him leave. This moment didn't last long because soon everybody began doing what they were doing just a second ago.

After Chocolove left Junior stayed silent for a bit longer before adopting a somber expression and turning his head towards Roman Torchwick.

"You know you've sent that kid to his own death right?" Junior asked with a serious expression.

If Torchwick was surprised at the question he didn't show it instead he smiled sadly before answering.

"Of course I know. It's his fault for prying into things he shouldn't have."

...

An hour later...

...

It wasn't easy to find a single specific person in Vale. Especially if the one who you were looking for was a gang leader with their entire life as an experience in escaping the law.

Unfortunately it was the person Jaune and Summer were looking for at the moment.

They were currently sitting on the roof of one of the buildings in the outskirts of Vale to get the best view they could.

"I still cannot believe that is our plan." Jaune complained. He had the reason to, despite the fact that they had managed to formulate a plan on how to actually deal with a young criminal after finding him, they didn't really think of any idea on how to find him.

"Stop complaining. I don't remember you having any better idea on how to find him." Summer answered with a huff before continuing with a smile. "Besides, the plan afterwards is so cool. It's almost as if we are superheroes!"

If Summer thought her words would encourage Jaune then she was mistaken as the moment she finished speaking Jaune groaned into his hands and lied down.

"Don't even talk about it. It's the broadest and the least precise plan we've ever had." He complained again after his head touched the roof of the building.

"What's with that reaction? I thought you were a fan of superhero comics like X-ray and Vav." Summer asked, confused. She was certain that Jaune loved these comics, he read them whenever they visited the library after all.

"There is a difference between enjoying fictional stories and reenacting them in real life Summer. If our plan was just some story in a comic book I wouldn't have minded but in real life it's not only stupid but also embarrassing." Jaune answered, explaining his stance on the matter.

Even though he said that he knew their plan wasn't actually stupid and more appropriate term for it would be simple or broad. Their plan was to use the ghosts they had met earlier today as scouts to search the city for their target and notify them of his whereabouts. They then would monitor him to find a moment when they would be able to either defeat him or scare him enough to make him change his actions.

It wasn't a terrible plan but it was defined so little that he hesitated to even call it a plan instead of an idea.

Just as they were having this conversation one of the scouting ghosts hastily floated towards them. It was a ghost of a young huntsman who judging from his grinning expression seemed to have found the young gang leader they were looking for.

"Guys I've found him! He and his gang are currently looking for someone called Cinder Fall." The ghost said right after arriving next to them.

"Got It. Lead the way, We've got a criminal to catch." Jaune said, getting up on his feet with a newfound energy.

Now that they knew where Chocolove was, following him would be a piece of cake. With more than a dozen ghosts keeping track of his every move with no way of being seen and the two of them stealthily observing him and his gang from behind it would be almost impossible to lose them.

...

Half an hour later...

...

Finding Cinder Fall wasn't as hard as many would have thought it was.

She might have thought that making sure everyone who met her were either dead or too scared to spill any info about her would allow her to be invisible in Vale's underworld but nobody as strong and influential as her would go unnoticed in Vale for long. Countless beggars and orphaned thieves who ordinary people would either ignore or avoid had already knowledge about both her appearance and whereabouts.

It just showed that one could never be truly hidden in Vale. It was something Chocolove was also victim of as even though he had found his target a good twenty minutes ago he couldn't attack her because he was followed by someone as well.

Fortunately for him his stalker was just some random blond haired kid wearing a pumpkin pate's clothes who wasn't the best at his job.

Yeah, it didn't take him long to lose his tail in the crowds and dark alleyways he spent his entire life traversing through.

What an idiot. He thought as he exited the alley he hid in and watched as the blond who was following him talked to the air with an abashed and confused expression on his face.

It was actually quite impressive that some random crazy civilian kid managed to find him at all. Then again it wasn't like he tried to be particularly stealthy while looking for Cinder.

After a while the blond kid exhaled reluctantly and shook his head before going back to what he assumed was searching for him.

He waited for a couple of minutes after his stalker left before he himself decided to go back to his hunt.

His gang was already waiting for him as he approached the meeting place they've agreed on.

They began preparing for their attack on Cinder. Their guns were loaded with ice Dust, they wore fire resistant clothing under their normal clothes and the gang surrounded Cinder's current hideout.

He might've called Torchwick a coward before for surrendering to her without a fight but he wasn't stupid to go into combat against a dangerous enemy without getting every advantage he could think of. Many of his companions and opponents lost their lives because they thought they didn't need to prepare for a fight.

"Hey boss, what took you so long? I was certain you would be the first one ready." One of his men asked while doing the final check up on equipment.

"I've got held up. Some blond guy decided that following me was a fun activity." He answered, telling them what happened.

"Don't worry I've lost him." He added seeing some raised eyebrows on his gang's faces.

After hearing his answer they nodded before one of them asked a question. "So how are we doing it boss?"

"I enter her hideout while you watch the windows and entrances from the outside. If everything goes well I throw her out of the window and you guys take care of her here. If she has allies with her then I will jump out of the window and you guys unload everything we have into the window I jumped out of." It was a basic plan that wasn't perfect but should work.

"If nothing happens after six minutes we will enter the building to help you alright?" His right hand man asked, concerned about his safety.

In response he simply nodded before going toward Cinder's hideout.

Maybe hideout wasn't the best word to describe her current place of residence. It wasn't a typical warehouse or abandoned hotel most criminals were using as their bases. Cinder's dwelling was a simple room in a hotel. Not an empty or corrupted hotel but a simple ordinary everyday used hotel.

She's either overconfident or wants to have an official record of being here. He thought as he opened the door to a hotel before shaking his head to get rid of unnecessary thoughts.

"Good morning, do you want to rent a room?" Asked a hotel clerk.

"Thank you for the offer but no. I'm here to visit a friend." He answered with a fake smile, before going upstairs to the second floor.

He quickly found the room his informants told him was Cinder's. He stopped right before it, checked his gun for the last time and exhaled. He got ready to break the door and was about to do it but he stopped after he suddenly heard a voice

"You know, if you want to enter you can just knock." It was a falsely sweet voice he never heard before.

Immediately after he heard that he jumped away with all of his strength.

After landing he raised his gun and aimed directly at the direction from where he heard that.

There stood three people, one silver haired teenage boy and two girls, one with dark skin and green hair, and the other with long black hair and pale skin. The black haired girl seemed to be a bit older than her companions, she also probably was the one to whom the voice that startled him belonged.

Of course he knew who one of them was as the description of Cinder's appearance he got fitted the black haired woman perfectly.

"Y-You-" He said, still a little bit startled.

"Oh? It looks like you know who I am. Weird, I thought there weren't any information leaks. It doesn't matter. Emerald, Mercury get rid of him." She ordered her companions.

The green haired one nodded before both of them charged at him.

In response he shot an ice bullet from his gun to slow them a bit. He then proceeded to take a quick look to see whether there are any windows he could jump out of to follow the plan or not.

Unfortunately for him not only was the only window he saw behind Cinder and her companions but also his shot didn't slow his opponents down for as long as he had hoped.

He learned this the hard way by being kicked across the corridor by the silver haired guy.

"That's It? I thought that someone who's willing to attack us would be at least a bit competent." Silver haired boy taunted with one of his legs still in the air.

"Please any competent person would know not to defy Cinder." Dark skinned girl answered with a sneer.

It really wasn't the best situation for him to be in. Not only they had the number advantage but all of them were also really strong. If he didn't have any back up he probably wouldn't be able to survive this encounter.

Fortunately for him, his gang would soon come here to help him. After they arrive, killing these three wouldn't be so hard as it was now.

He just needed to stall for a few more minutes.

He stood up with one hand grabbing his side to alleviate the pain from the previous kick. It didn't break his aura yet but it still hurt a lot.

His other hand rose, he aimed roughly in their direction and fired another shot.

"Don't count me out just yet." He said with determination in his eyes before starting to fire again.

The shots didn't hit their targets but he didn't mind that. He wanted to stall them not to fight them so these shots didn't need to hit, they just needed to slow them down.

And slow they did, while ice Dust bullets weren't as destructive as fire or even air Dust bullets they had their own advantages.

One of these advantages was that whenever they hit an ice explosion would form, limiting the place his opponents had to move. So while they didn't have any trouble with dodging the bullets, they slowly began to have trouble moving towards him as thicker and thicker layers of ice started to separate them after every of his shots.

"Tch, why does this guy have to be this annoying to fight?" Silver haired guy complained.

"Maybe it's because you weren't able to do one thing correctly and failed to eliminate him when you had the chance?" Green haired girl said, annoyed at her partner.

"Could you kids stop complaining and hurry up already? We do not have the entire day." Cinder said with a roll of her eyes.

Not long after she said that a lot of loud footsteps were heard from the stairs.

"Boss! We are here! Are you alright?!" His gang members shouted after arriving.

Now that his gang members were here meant Cinder has lost her number advantage and they could start going on the offensive.

"Ohh? It looks like we've got a company." Cinder said with a small smirk upon seeing the arrival of his gang.

In response to her saying that all of his gang raised their weapons and aimed them at her.

"You're right about that." He said with a smile and a shot from his gun before continuing. "Now prepare to die."

Cinder's reaction wasn't one he expected from a person who was not only outnumbered but also surrounded. She was neither tense or scared like most people would be in this situation.

She looked calm, relaxed even. As if the bullet he shot and his entire gang weren't a reason for her to be worried.

"Do you really think some random gang like you lot can be consider a threat to me?" Cinder said with contempt, before raising one of her hands and saying. "I'll show you what the true power is."

She didn't even need to finish her statement for him to know that the danger they were in was way higher than they thought.

Almost the exact moment she finished speaking he screamed to warn his gang members and began running towards the stairs.

Unfortunately for him It didn't amount to much as not even a second after he began running everything went to hell.

The entire second floor of the hotel became engulfed in flames.

These weren't the normal flames one could make from Dust these were incomparably hotter and more powerful.

They've seemed to be devouring everything they touch. Only Cinder and her companions weren't affected as all flames seemed to be avoiding them.

The fireproof clothing he wore and the ice dust they've loaded in their weapons to counter her semblance amounted to nothing. The moment the fire touched either of them they'd either burned or melted.

He came here thinking that they had a good chance at killing her but now he would be lucky if he managed to survive at all.

He was halfway from the stairs the moment he collapsed. Cinder and her lackeys didn't seem to even bother to move. They probably knew that he and his gang wouldn't be able to survive this one attack.

It looked like this day was his last. He was ready to give up and wait for an unavoidable death.

Sure his life may not have been the longest or the greatest and he regretted many things he had done but he knew that this moment would come one day so wasn't bitter.

He closed his eyes, ready to lose his consciousness for one last time but apparently it wasn't his time yet. He suddenly felt dozen hands grabbing him from all the sides and very familiar bodies shielding him from the flames.

He opened his eyes to see if what he felt was real.

"G-Guys..." He said weakly as he saw his men guarding him from the flames.

"You didn't think we would allow you to die Choco did you!?" His gang shouted with determination as they carried him towards the stairs.

Of course Cinder wasn't going to continue doing nothing after seeing what his gang was doing.

"How touching, you decided to die together." She said while aiming her hand at them to fire another attack.

Two of his men saw what she was about to do and stopped carrying him to block her attack with their bodies.

"Don't worry boss! We will take it!" They shouted while jumping in front of the flames.

Their selfless sacrifice allowed the rest of them to reach the stairs.

Upon reaching them the remaining members of his gang looked at each other for a second before nodding and pushing him down the stairs.

"W-What?" He asked, surprised at their action.

"Run away and hide somewhere, Chocolove. We will stall them for a few seconds." One of them said before all of them turned back.

He couldn't believe it. Why would they do something like this for him? He wasn't a good person and he wasn't even a great leader for them. So why would they sacrifice themselves for someone like him?

It didn't matter at the moment. They'd sacrificed themselves for him and he wasn't going to make these sacrifices worthless by dying here.

The moment he regained balance on the stairs he got up and started running away with all of his strength.

He escaped the hotel ignoring any questions hotel staff wanted to ask him about the noise.

Immediately after exiting the hotel he entered one of the alleyways he often used to lose his tail and hide. He would probably have to keep a low profile for the next couple of days if not months.

...

Couple of hours later...

...

It really wasn't the best day for Jaune. Not only he didn't get any info on the shaman king tournament, he also didn't manage to keep his promise by failing to teach Chocolove a lesson.

He still couldn't believe they'd lost Chocolove despite having over a dozen invisible people tailing him.

Of course they didn't give up after losing Chocolove once but no matter how many times they've searched for him they have never found him. It was almost as if after the young gang leader realized he was being tailed he hid somewhere and was too scared to leave his hideout.

At least few of these ghosts were able to pass into the afterlife without needing to punish their murderer so the day wasn't a total waste.

Jaune sighed as he picked up a bottle of water from the shelf. He, Summer and a couple of other ghosts were currently in a convenience store they decided to visit shortly after giving up on finding Chocolove that day.

"I know how you feel Jaune. I still don't know how he got away." Summer said with a sigh as well.

He subtly nodded to show his agreement before paying the cashier for his water.

"Sorry for not being able to deal with Chocolove." He apologized to the ghosts after making sure he was far enough from the cashier to not be heard by them.

"Ahh, don't worry, you tried your best. It's enough for us." One of the younger ghosts said, trying to assure him that they do not mind.

"But it's not enough. If it was then you would be able to ascend." He answered quietly with a shake of his head.

The young ghost stuttered a little trying to answer him somehow before flying towards the entrance of the store with a little bit of embarrassment.

Seeing this scene both he and Summer giggled a little. It was really uplifting to see such a lively and emotional ghost that was still bound to Remnant.

The ghost surprisingly didn't manage to fly out of the building as just as they were about to go through the door someone entered the store.

"Y-You-" The ghost stuttered seeing who was the person that entered the store.

It was the person they've been trying to find the entire day, Chocolove. He had a hood over his head and wore clothes that normally weren't seen on him probably to hide his identity and keep a low profile.

Unfortunately for Chocolove it didn't help him hide from people who were directly in front of him.

"Move out of the way and don't tell anyone you've seen me. Got it?" Chocolove said with a hoarse and tired voice.

"W-What?" The ghost asked, confused at the fact that Chocolove was able to see them.

Seeing that the person with whom he was talking didn't want to move, Chocolove scoffed before going around them and towards the cashier.

Meanwhile when Jaune saw their interaction he widened his eyes in disbelief.

"Did he just-?" He asked Summer for confirmation. He couldn't believe that Chocolove was spiritually aware.

"Yes, he did just do that. I saw it too." Summer answered as surprised as he was.

They weren't the only one surprised as every ghost who was present was as startled as them.

"Wait. Was it how he lost us? Was he able to see you guys the entire time?" He asked the ghosts while not taking his eyes away from Chocolove for even a second.

"No, I'm certain that when we followed him before he only saw you." Summer answered him with certainty.

The answer he got from Summer perplexed him. Was the young gang leader always a shaman who was denied from interacting with the spirit world by someone else like Ren. No, he was certain the young criminal wasn't able to see spirits at all and he was also certain that one couldn't become spiritually aware out of nowhere.

Jaune has quieted down to think about what could have been the reason for Chocolove's new ability.

"Dormant shaman power." He mumbled under his breath with realization after a few seconds of thinking.

"What?" Summer asked, confused after hearing him mumble.

"Not every shaman can see spirits from their birth. Some of them are unable to see ghosts because of their lack of faith or exposure to the spirit world. Old man Asakura told me about situations like these, he also said that people like these can gain the ability to interact with the spirit world after getting closer to the spirit world." He explained to Summer.

"Okay, explanation later. Now we have the perfect chance to teach that guy a lesson." Summer answered quickly with an agitated tone. Although after looking at him she lost her excitement.

He was really hesitant to attack Chocolove because he knew what getting closer to the spirit world entailed.

"Uhh, Summer I don't think we need to fight him. " He said and upon seeing Summer's confused expression he began explaining. "Most probably the way he unlocked his dormant shaman power was through the situation where he had almost died."

After hearing his explanation Summer and some of the ghosts understood why he didn't want to attack the young gang leader. There wasn't a point in punishing someone who was already punished.

"Hmm." Summer thought for a second before she got an idea.

"Then how about this-" She started before doing a quick briefing with the rest of the ghosts.

The briefing didn't take long but was delikatesy successful based on the grins every single ghost in the store had on their faces after it.

After a quick nod between Summer and all the other ghosts they flew towards Chocolove with a plan already in motion. He didn't hear the plan but he was certain it was going to work.

...

At the checkout...

...

Chocolove was calmly paying for the food he had bought when suddenly a dozen weirdly familiar looking people started flying around him.

"Huh?! What's going on?" He asked loudly, confused and a little bit startled.

The cashier said something while sounding concerned but he didn't hear what because a creepy sounding female laugh was resounding around him.

The people who were flying around him began getting closer and closer to him as the laugh was becoming louder and louder.

As the laugh was becoming louder and the people began closing in he realized that they weren't people but ghosts.

"Stop whatever you think you are doing." He said scared, as he was reaching for his gun.

Just as he reached for his gun someone grabbed the cashier and hid behind the checkout. He couldn't quite tell who it was because his vision was obscured by the ghosts who were flying around him.

"Ohh, and did you stop when you killed these people around you?" The female voice stopped laughing and asked him a question in a playful tone.

Immediately after he heard the question he turned towards the direction from where he heard it and instinctively fired his gun.

There stood the grim reaper herself. White cloak was covering her head with only her smile being visible from the angle he saw her. The smile itself was playful and childlike as if everything happening now was merely a fun game for her.

Did she come here to take his life away? Did he die while running away from Cinder and now he was just being taken to hell?

The bullet he shot earlier passed through her without having any effects on her, there was nothing he could do.

He was scared. Was the sacrifice of his gang worthless?

"Could it be that you are afraid?" The reaper said with a small giggle and soon all the other ghosts around him started to laugh.

"Don't be such a baby. All these people around you were taken by me as well but I guess you already know that right?" She said lightheartedly as if not caring about his fate at all.

Of course he knew that. The reason why they were so familiar to him was because he was the one who killed them.

They probably brought her here because they wanted revenge for their deaths.

Unfortunately for them he wasn't going to die here. His people sacrificed themselves for him and he would be a terrible gang leader if he now allowed himself to die. Even if he wouldn't be able to fight the grim reaper he should be able to run from her and he was going to do just that.

He turned towards the exit and didn't even think for a second before storming off in that direction because he knew that if he were to stop for a second he would die.

He exited the store and ran for as long as he could

...

In the store...

...

After helping the cashier get on their feet Jaune explained that the client who just ran away probably had a mental condition and something must have triggered him to act in such a way.

"I didn't know you were into the theater." Jaune stated after making sure that the cashier wouldn't hear him.

He must say though it was an entertaining show. Based on how Summer was grinning the entire time she probably enjoyed being in it as well. All the other ghosts also looked pleased with the results.

"You know me, It's always nice to have some fun in your life." Summer answered with a wide smile.

"I guess you're right about that." He said before turning towards the other ghosts to see most of them passing onto the afterlife with a smile on their faces.

Some of them stayed either because they had other matters keeping them on Remnant or because they simply wanted to say the final goodbye to their temporary partners. Either way there wasn't much he and Summer could do to help them now.

"Well, It looks like we did a good deed today." Summer said with a smile before they exited the store.

...

An hour later...

...

Chocolove didn't know where in Vale he was and if he were to be honest he didn't care. All that mattered was that he was in some unknown alley where the number of people without a house was way higher than the number of people with it and no matter where he looked he couldn't find neither Cinder nor the reaper.

After he was absolutely certain of his safety, his legs gave up and he collapsed right next to the trashcan.

He could see a small bar next to him from which if people were to leave they would see him and probably mistake him for some homeless beggar but he didn't really care for his image at the moment.

A tired yet relieved sighed escaped his lips as he put his back against the wall of some building. It really was a terrible day, thankfully it was almost over.

He sat there next to the trashcan for a few minutes trying to recover after everything that happened earlier. After a short while of sitting there he saw a giant see-through cat slowly walking towards him.

After what happened at the store he already knew what cat it could be.

"You are one of these jaguars that I killed yesterday, aren't you?" He didn't feel bad for killing them, not only did he do it in self-defense but he also knew that they were probably drugged to be more aggressive.

He liked to think that what he did was putting them out of their misery but judging from the fact that one of them came here to most likely kill him for what he did, he was probably wrong.

As the jaguar was approaching him, he began reaching for his gun and tried to get up but he stopped himself after he saw that the jaguar didn't look like it wanted to eat him.

"I must really look terrible if even dead animals are concerned about my well being." He said with a hollow laugh, before asking a question. "Do you have a name kitty?"

The only response he got from the cat was a slow shake of it's head.

"Good to know, then how about I call you Mic?" The jaguar seemed to like his new name as just after he heard it he purred and tried to lick him.

Unfortunately for Mic his attempts at licking Chocolove failed as whenever he tried to touch him he just passed through.

"Are You trying to cheer me up?" Chocolove asked after he realized what Mic was doing.

The question was directed more to himself than to Mic as he didn't really need an answer to understand what the jaguar was doing.

To think that after all of his big talk against Torchwick earlier he would end up with nothing to his name and a dead cat trying to cheer him up. He really should have done something about his life.

"You know what? I'm done. Let's just rent some cheap flat at the outskirts of Vale and live a quiet life." He said with a small sigh as he got up.

As he was dusting himself off after getting up he felt his gun in one of his pockets. He wasn't going to use it anymore if he was to live a quiet life.

"I guess I won't be needing you anymore." He said while holding his gun above the trashcan.

"It's a nice gun you have there, kid. If you really won't be needing it anymore then I would recommend selling it instead of throwing it away." A voice from behind startled him.

He quickly turned around to see who said that.

There stood a mature blond man in his thirties. His posture, despite being completely relaxed at the moment, was one of a huntsman and experienced one at that. The man had blue eyes and an easy going smile.

"Sup. Name's Taiyang Xiao Long, You alright kid?" The man asked, concerned about a random stranger.

"Not really..." He answered not really knowing how to react to a kind man.

"Tough day huh?" Taiyang asked, seeing his reaction.

"You could say that." He answered with reservations.

After Taiyang heard his answer he quieted down for a second and seemed to be deep in thoughts, possibly thinking on how to cheer him up. Taiyang's thinking didn't take long as not even a minute after he quieted down he snapped his fingers in realization.

"I've got it! How about a joke to cheer you up? Have you heard the one about a cat and an octopus?" Taiyang asked with a wide smile.

"I didn't." He answered with a slight confusion not really knowing what to expect.

Taiyang looked happy from the fact he didn't hear the joke he was talking about.

"Then you are going to love it." Taiyang said, making him curious about the joke, before telling him the joke.

"How do you call a cat with eight legs?" Taiyang paused a little to let the question sink in. "An Octopuss"

Right after the joke a silence overtook them. This silence stayed for a couple of seconds before he started to quietly giggle. Soon his giggle turned into a full blown laughter as he couldn't keep it in.

It really wasn't the best joke, some may even call it a terrible pun but hearing such a joke after this nightmare that was today made him unable to stop laughing.

Soon after he started laughing Taiyang joined in as well. He might not have known it but laughing at that joke proved to Taiyang that his jokes were hilarious, improving his mood significantly.

That evening across the entire Vale laughs of two men could be heard. One of them was laughing at the absurdity of that joke being said during the situation he was in while the other was laughing because of the proof for his jokes' hilarity.

Chocolove joins the cast!

Or at least can join now. It was more of an early adventure that just so happened to introduce a character who might be relevant later.

By the way I changed the rating to M because burning alive might be to much for a T.