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RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.

Chapter 18: Cat's Out of the Bag

The rest of the girls' day was for themselves. Ruby accomplished the only task I gave her, and James Widget was on his way to acquire, what I presumed to be, a soul stealing Grimm parasite in a glove.

After that they continued on their way to the docks, as originally planned.

"I've been wondering, why did he call you 'Reaperling'?" Blake spoke up, as they turned down one of the streets.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"Mr. Widget, the Acquirer we spoke with. He called each of us a nickname and the only person who he deemed interesting enough was you." Blake explained.

"On top of that, your dad was 'the Fourth Horseman'." Yang continued.

"That would explain why Ruby was the Reaperling." Weiss interjected.

Yang and Blake looked at Weiss expectantly.

"An old legend of Remnant, one that is largely forgotten. The Legend of the Four Horseman." Weiss began. "Basically, four kings were overthrown, and the fourth pronounced a curse on the people. That curse manifested as four horsemen who brought war, famine, disease, and death. Not necessarily in that order, though the fourth horseman is always Death."

"Ok, that explains Ruby being Reaperling, but how did he know her dad without anyone saying anything?" Blake asked.

"Maybe R likes to brag about his daughter?" Yang asked. "I know my dad does."

"To a highly connected black-market Acquirer?" Blake questioned.

"To be fair, he didn't ask for any of our names." Ruby jumped in. "Yang and Weiss were 'Goldilocks' and 'Checkbook'."

"Those at least seemed fairly obvious." Blake countered. "Weiss isn't exactly a nonentity as the SDC heiress, and one of the first things people tend to notice about Yang is her hair."

"It's probably the third thing people notice." Weiss muttered.

"True, but why did he call you 'Catnip'?" Yang stated.

"Uh…" Blake looked deep in thought for an answer.

"Probably because he recognized her as a cat faunus?" Ruby answered, taking the opportunity to change the direction of the conversation.

Ruby told me that right before she said that, two thoughts raced into her mind. The first: 'I'm sorry, Blake.' The second: 'Please let this work.'

Weiss and Yang did a double take between Ruby and Blake. Blake just looked at Ruby. Despair and betrayal swimming in her eyes.

"Really?" Yang asked, looking towards Blake.

"WHAT?!" Weiss yelled, almost screamed.

"How?" Blake asked, validating Ruby's claim.

"Kinda obvious. Just have to observe." Ruby answered. "The main thing that told me she was a faunus is her bow. It twitches, randomly. Even when there is no breeze or air vents that could explain it."

"Ok, why a cat then?" Yang asked.

"Blake is far more agile than she has any right to be, in fact I don't think I've seen her land on anything that isn't her feet. I've noticed she seems to be more averse to water than would be considered normal. And finally, not even you can deny this one Blake, she has an obsession with fish." Ruby explained. "Admittedly though, this is more conjecture and speculation. The only thing I can say for certain is that Blake is a faunus. Did I get that right?"

Blake sighed in defeat.

"Yeah. She's right." Blake admitted, undoing the bow.

As Ruby predicted… sort of… there were two little cat ears on top of Blake's head. Ruby thought they were pretty adorable.

"So… you're a faunus." Yang decided the best course of action was to state the obvious.

The three girls turned to Weiss. Said heiress closed her eyes, inhaled deeply and rubbed her temples.

"Were you ever going to tell us?" Weiss asked.

"Uh… eventually…" Blake responded.

"At least she's just a faunus and not a member of the White Fang, right?" Yang interjected, then turned to Blake. "Right?"

Blake didn't say anything.

"Well?" Weiss prodded.

"Best to just come clean, if you are." Ruby said.

"I was. Not anymore." Blake admitted.

"Great." Weiss threw her hands up. "I've been rooming with a terrorist!"

"I'm not a terrorist!" Blake said.

"She said she isn't anymore." Yang countered.

"Fine, former terrorist." Weiss corrected.

"I AM NOT A TERRORIST!" Blake shouted. "And I never was!"

"Oh, so now you're trying to hide the truth?" Weiss accused, glaring at Blake. "Admit it. You were a part of the White Fang. The White Fang are all criminals."

"NO! They aren't." Blake argued. "The White Fang aren't terrorists. They aren't criminals."

"You truly believe that?!" Weiss replied. "The White Fang are responsible for the deaths of many people who work with and in my family's company. I've lost family to White Fang terrorists!"

"That doesn't necessarily mean the whole organization are terrorists." Ruby interrupted. "My dad says he's worked with them in the past, when they were more peaceful. The 'terrorists' were the outliers."

"That may have been true then, but it certainly isn't now." Weiss replied, still glaring at Blake. "Now, the White Fang are criminals and terrorists. I'll give you the benefit of doubt. Maybe you weren't a terrorist, or a criminal. But that doesn't excuse the rest of the organization."

"But they aren't a criminal organization." Blake repeated.

"Fine. Prove it." Weiss challenged.

"What? How?" Blake asked.

"I know. Later today, there is a massive shipment of Dust scheduled to arrive in Vale from the SDC." Ruby said.

"How would that help?" Blake asked.

"How do you know that?" Weiss asked.

"I asked." Ruby said. "I need more Dust for my knives, but I couldn't get enough. The guy working at the store I was at told me about the shipment. Also, it isn't the most secret of shipments."

"Ok, but how would that help prove the White Fang aren't criminals?" Blake asked.

"Haven't you been following the news cycle?" Ruby asked. "When I was admitted into Beacon it was for taking down Roman Torchwick."

"We know." Yang said.

"I stopped him from robbing the Dust shop I was at." Ruby continued. "Prior to his arrest, there were a string of Dust robberies, presumably caused by him. There were hopes that it would stop."

"But it hasn't, right?" Yang asked. "Vale is still experiencing Dust robberies."

"Exactly. The prevailing theory now is that the White Fang is stealing the Dust to arm an army." Ruby said. "It is unlikely that they don't know about the shipment tonight."

Blake spoke up. "So, I stake out the docks, and when it isn't the Fang-"

"If." Ruby corrected. "We can't say for certain who it is, but at the same time you can't rule out the White Fang."

"Fine, if it isn't the Fang then I will clear their name." Blake said.

"And if it is, then the least you have to do is admit they have become a criminal organization." Weiss countered.

"I think that's fair." Ruby said. "Though it will be us at the docks. Not just you."

"Fine. Let's go." Blake angrily responded, retying her bow around her ears.

"I owe her big time." Ruby muttered to herself.

"You think that's how she knew the Acquirer?" Yang asked.

Ruby turned to Yang as they followed the angry faunus, and slightly less angry heiress.

"I mean, she said she knew some people who ordered his services before, do you think it was the White Fang?" Yang elaborated.

"Most likely." Ruby said.

True to her word, they were at the docks that night. I assume they didn't return on the last bullhead. So, there they were, on top of an abandoned warehouse. The shattered moon shone as brightly as it could. The large SDC Dust shipment was sitting on the docks. Curiously, there were no guards.

Weiss and Ruby both had binoculars to see the docks. Blake just watched with them. Yang was snoring softly.

"This doesn't make sense." Weiss said, as they scoped out the area. "There should be a heavily armed security force here. We pay them top dollar to guard the shipments."

"You'd be surprised how little people will throw their pride away for." Blake said. "A small bribe of immediate cash is usually worth more to them actually doing their job."

"Brilliant." Weiss snarked.

"Shut it you two." Ruby commanded. "We have company. And somebody wake Yang."

Ruby pointed towards the approaching bullhead. Blake nudged Yang to try and wake the girl up. It did nothing until Blake jabbed Yang in the ribs with her elbow.

"Time to party?" The blonde asked, startled from being woken.

"Getting there." Ruby said.

The bullhead landed fairly close to them and a ramp was lowered. To Blake's despair, a small force of White Fang faunus departed from the ship. They were followed by James Widget, the Acquirer.

"Hurry along grunts, secure the crates. I don't want to be here longer than necessary." James barked.

"We're going as fast as we can, freak. Can't go any faster until the other bullheads get here." one of the faunus said.

"I've said it before and that was your warning." James stated. "This is your punishment."

The Acquirer upholstered his pistol and shot the faunus in the head. The girls had to stifle cries of shock and vomit at the gruesome sight of a man's brains being blown out. James knelt next to the corpse and spoke into the dead body's ear.

"Do as I say, don't grumble about it, and don't call me a freak." James snarled. "BACK TO WORK PEOPLE!"

The faunus grunts quickly returned to their work. Though it was obviously motivated more by fear than anything else.

Ruby watched as the faunus' soul rose back up. It looked confused, then frightened as it noticed it's body. Only she could see and hear as a black cloaked reaper appeared. The reaper walked towards the soul.

"Your time has come." The reaper stated as it severed the soul's mortal coil.

The reaper looked up at the girls' hiding spot. It saw Ruby, nodded and vanished with the soul. That was the first time Ruby had actually seen a soul be reaped.

"Blake, I believe-" Weiss began as she turned to where Blake was.

Said cat faunus was not there. The girls looked for her. Yang spotted her first.

"There she is!" Yang pointed.

Yang found the cat right as she reached James.

"Blake, you idiot." Ruby growled.

Blake unsheathed her weapon, Gambol Shroud, and held it to the Acquirer's neck.

"Brothers of the White Fang, why do you work with your murderer?" She called, taking off her bow.

The White Fang faunus pointed their own guns at Blake. Ruby and the girls silently got off the roof, ready to jump into help when things turned for the worst.

"Contract, Catnip. I'm just fulfilling my end of the bargain. Or do you not remember the rules of working with me?" James questioned.

Blake said nothing. Ruby watched as she tilted her head back slightly.

"This will not reflect well on you." James said.

"I thought you were working with Ruby." Blake said.

"No. I've got a job for the Fourth Horseman, dear Catnip. This is just a different job." James replied. "Another contract. I've a reputation to uphold. The usual thief is currently indisposed of. Now lower your blade, or you'll slit your own throat."

From her angle, Ruby couldn't understand what he meant by that. James himself told me… and it is at this point that I realize that I've been telling the whole story from only the perspectives of me or my daughter. I mean, most of what happened I got from Ruby. But I did speak with more people that were involved. People who weren't just Ruby.

Like James Widget. I don't really like him much.

Anyway, according to him, what he had done was create the thinnest of portals between his neck and Blake's blade. The output portal was Blake's own neck. So, he quite literally meant what he said.

Now, just a little interjection, I can already see the question on your tongue. No. We can't create portals like the Acquirer can. The portals my reapers, my family, or I create are specifically between our realms and the living world. James's portals are his own power. The only limit is that he has to either A) presently see/feel where one of his portals will go or B) have been to or seen the location previously. So, no matter how hard I could have tried, it is simply not feasible for me to create a portal in the same manner as James Archaea Widget.

Anyways, Blake lowered her blade. James smiled and backed away. Three more bullheads came in to land.

"Now, why don't you call your little friends out and we can properly exchange pleasantries." James stated. "Or I could just blow your head off like Brainless there."

Ruby noted he was pointing to the corpse on the ground. When she looked back, James had his high caliber rifle aimed right between Blake's eyes.

"Better hurry now. The First Acquisition isn't known for being stopped by aura." James called out.

Ruby turned to see what Yang and Weiss thought. Her thoughts were stopped at the sight of a small portal right in front of her. A portal that opened to the barrel of a high caliber sniper rifle that James named The First Acquisition. Ruby sighed and entered his line of sight, hands raised in a sign of non-aggression. Yang and Weiss reluctantly followed. Ruby noted that there was a second and third portal following them as well.

"Ah, Reaperling, Checkbook, and Goldilocks. How are you tonight?" James asked cheerily, as he glanced back at the White Fang. "I could turn this even more to my advantage."

James didn't wait for an answer as he turned back to the White Fang. "Get those ready for departure. Don't load anything onto a bullhead though."

"What?" one of the grunts asked.

"They're ready to go!" Another called out.

"Excellent. You lot, take your leave. I'll deal with the riff raff." James ordered. "Take one bullhead, and no one will have any clues that you were here."

The White Fang looked confused, but gradually did as they were ordered. Most of them loaded onto a single bullhead. James just smiled.

"That's two contracts for the time of one." he said happily. "Now, girls, it was lovely to see you again. But I have business to attend to."

James raised his left hand and moved it in a circle. A dark orange glow emanated from his fingers. He smiled and pointed at the ground before doing the same thing.

"Have a good night, ladies." James stated.

The girls all fell through his portal. James honestly didn't care where he sent them. I really wish he did. I really wish he did. But the past is in the past and no matter how powerful any of us are, we can't change it.

Anyways, with the girls removed from the equation. James turned and opened a portal for the White Fang bullhead to fly through. In an instant, the one bullhead was gone.

"What now?" One of the six grunts who stayed behind asked.

"Now, I take the acquisitions." James stated, once more spinning his hands to create a portal.

The first one didn't appear. The grunts were confused until a few more portals opened up under the bullheads and the shipping containers. They, along with the remaining White Fang fell through and James closed the portals.

He smiled again at the sight of his handiwork. He gave a sharp shrill whistle.

"Ok, Shatterpoint, they're gone so it's time for us to leave." James called out.

Seemingly, out of nowhere, a young woman with pink and brown hair appeared. She smiled up at James and twirled a small pink parasol. Of course, for those who knew better, her name was Neopolitan, Neo for short. But considering what you know of James Widget, I think you can see he really doesn't care.

James opened another portal, this one vertical. He and Neo stepped through. They were in a massive warehouse. The bullheads and shipping containers had made it unharmed. The White Fang were collecting themselves.

Neo tugged on James's jacket. He looked down at her as she pointed in the direction.

"You know, I'm not as good at this as Backfire." James said. "Bullhead or grunts?"

Neo held up one finger on one hand and two on her other.

"Both. Ok. I'll take care of the grunts, and the bullheads are for another contract. Three bullheads, preferably off the books, are what the client is asking for." James answered. "That is three bullheads, most likely off the books."

Neo nodded. James walked toward the gathered White Fang grunts. Neo happily followed. James unholstered his pistol and checked the clip.

"Where are we?" One of the grunts asked.

"Welcome to The Collection." James said. "A place only three people, other than me, are allowed to know about."

"Are allowed to… what?" The grunt asked.

James didn't say anything as he shot the man in the head. He repeated the process for the next four grunts. The last man fell to the ground begging for his life.

"Please spare me!" The faunus wept.

"Tell you what. I'll play a simple math game. You win, I'll spare you." James said.

The faunus looked up, hopeful.

"When I left, there were six bullets in this clip. I just killed five of your buddies." James said. "Tell me, do I still have a bullet left?"

The faunus thought for a second. "No." he said. "You also killed the one guy at the docks."

James pulled the trigger. A final loud bang resounded through the large space.

"True, but you forgot the one in the chamber." James chuckled as he stood up. "Shatterpoint."

He noticed Neo next to him.

"Did you get the keys?" James asked.

Neo nodded and held out a large key ring. On it was a large assortment of keys and access cards.

"Good. Clean this up. Then we'll go get Backfire." James said.

Neo looked at him quizzically.

"I assume you want to know why I'm going?" James asked.

Neo nodded.

"Well, Backfire better have a damn good reason for getting caught, or he'll be bloody sorry he didn't." James answered.

Neo tilted her head slightly.

"Let's just say that if he doesn't have a good reason, you'll have to find a new boy toy, because I'm getting a new apprentice." James snarled, before walking away.

Neo got to work doing as James commanded.

Team RWBY, meanwhile, suddenly found themselves falling. It was only a short distance, but they still landed hard.

"That's going to hurt." Weiss muttered as she stood up and looked at their surroundings.

The landscape around them was unfamiliar to all except Ruby. They were in a tunnel. A tunnel Ruby recognized as belonging to an ancient amphitheater. Through the amphitheater's tunnel, Ruby could see an all too familiar training ground. Steel glinted in the stands above. Hundreds of weapons lined the stands where visitors would usually sit. In the opposite direction was a vast bright landscape of nothingness. A nothingness that could only be described as an endless desert. Ruby watched as a figure entered the tunnel. Because of the light, she couldn't see who it was, though she did have an idea.

"Where are we?" Weiss asked.

"You are in my home. Whether or not you're welcome is another matter entirely." My sister answered as she reached the group.

"This isn't good." Ruby muttered.

"Yeah. This is a problem. You think it will give Death an aneurysm?" War asked with a smile.

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Thank you to all who read this, your feedback and views are much appreciated. Feel free to leave ideas and recommendations for the future.

Goodbye viewer; Fare thee well.

End Log S.T.K.