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RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.
Chapter 24: Informant of the Dead
What's that look for? You don't think I would give my girls a way to contact me in case they need help? I did. It's not difficult, but you have to remember I got a new body. Ruby and Keira have both seen me undergo this process a few times now. It leaves me incapacitated. Not for long, but I can't really do anything. Standard procedure when this happens is for there to be little to no contact with me until I have fully acclimated to my new body. It's probably one of the biggest downsides of my existence when compared to my siblings.
Keira knew this, hence why she didn't contact me. I would presume that Ruby didn't contact me because of the fear that froze her. However, she also knows this.
That's all beside the point, though. From what I'd gathered based on Keira's tale, I seriously doubted that I would have been any help. The fact that Grimshaw could immediately reform himself was worrying. Especially considering that Keira's scythe and Ruby's scythe can both directly affect the soul.
Which is another major concern. The state of Grimshaw's soul. First off, it wasn't a singular soul. Which is a violation of my domain, in and of itself. The black void at the center of his soul and the fact that his skin was turning as black as the Grimm was also worrying. But I had no clue what to make of the situation, or how he had done that to himself.
Even now, we still know frightfully little about Soul Thieves. They usually fall into one of two categories; their power is never awoken or they are hunted down before they become a threat. How Grimshaw escaped such a fate evaded me at the time.
However, he disappeared as fast as he appeared. I assume that Grimshaw showed himself to my daughters for no other reason than to get me off his back. A risky gamble on his part. However, it would fall flat. Again this was just my assumption.
Like I said, though, he vanished.
Ruby was pretty much catatonic for the rest of the day. She knew about my hunt for a Soul Thief, but now she also knew that I was hunting her father's killer. I expected Ruby to begin her own hunt for Grimshaw. I was not disappointed.
The next day passed as most other school days at Beacon tend to pass. The only really noteworthy thing that happened that day involved one of the transfer students from Haven. Apparently, he challenged Pyrrha Nikos to a fight, and forfeit about halfway through. Ruby thought it strange but said nothing. Her mind was otherwise preoccupied by thoughts of Erebus Grimshaw.
Although, she did mention that she didn't trust that guy or his team.
Her lack of attention was something her teammates were quick to notice. They confronted her about it back in their room.
"Alright Ruby, what's wrong?" Yang asked with no tact whatsoever.
Like mother like daughter, I suppose.
"What?" Ruby questioned.
"Ruby, you've basically been brooding all day. I'm sure we can guess why, but it'd be easier if you just told us." Blake answered.
Ruby sighed. "It's Grimshaw. He's haunted my dreams for so long…"
"Is he the reason for the music box?" Weiss asked.
"Yeah. Does it bother you? I can try to sleep without it." Ruby suggested.
"No, no. I was just curious." Weiss replied.
"Anyway, now that you know he's so much worse than your dreams, what do you want to do about it? What can you do about it?" Yang asked.
"I want to hunt him down for Dad." Ruby answered.
"Probably not the best idea right now." Blake said. "We have very little information to work on and no leads to follow."
Ruby fell silent in thought. An idea did strike her.
"I don't suppose we could call… Uncle Death, could we?" Yang asked. "That felt weird."
"No. He'd probably bar us from continuing this investigation." Weiss said. "Probably warn us about how dangerous Erebus is."
"Maybe. Maybe not. He's rather incapacitated for now." Ruby spoke up. "For the next few days, I doubt Dad will be doing much of anything."
"Why?" Blake asked.
"Let's just say he suffers from a physical condition that needs to be remedied every so often." Ruby answered. "And I have an idea on some leads we could follow."
"Really? Do you know how fruitful they will be?" Weiss asked.
"No, I don't. But, it's better than nothing." Ruby answered. "I was thinking of three leads to look into. The first is an informant that Dad has in the mortal world. Only Yang and I would be able to meet with him."
"Why us?" Yang asked.
"He's connected to dad. Another thought was to look around the slums of Vale." Ruby continued.
"Why there?" Weiss asked.
"And what's your third thought?" Blake questioned.
"The slums because it's far less likely to be reported when someone goes missing. And you guys probably won't like my third idea." Ruby said. "I was thinking of asking James Widget what he knows."
"You want to talk to that plebeian again?" Weiss asked incredulously.
"Yeah." Ruby sighed. "He did claim that if it could be acquired, he would acquire it. He's incredibly well known and probably one of the higher ups in the black market. He also claimed to know everyone on Remnant, so chances are Grimshaw has probably been to see him in the past. Perhaps we could coax the information from him?"
"She makes a good point." Blake muttered.
Weiss sighed. "She does."
"I'll take a look around the slums. See what I can find." Blake said.
"Then I suppose I'd be the best one to speak with The Acquirer. If he's anything like I suspect he is, he'll fleece me for everything I've got before he coughs up anything." Weiss stated.
"You guys are just going to go along? No questions asked?" Ruby asked.
"Sure. We got nothing better to do and this is what Huntresses do. We protect the innocents." Yang replied. "Now come on, we have an informant to meet."
Ruby smiled as they all departed from Beacon once again. They split immediately. Blake towards the slums, Weiss towards Archaeaic Acquisitions and Ruby and Yang towards a rather well-known club.
Weiss would be one of the many people who said they didn't like James Widget, present company included. But having the spending power of the SDC behind her certainly gave her an advantage when dealing with people like the Acquirer.
It did surprise her to see Jaune and Pyrrha outside the building when she arrived. Honestly, it surprised me too.
"Pyrrha, Arc." Weiss greeted.
"Hello." Pyrrha responded with a smile.
"Weiss? What are you doing here?" Jaune asked, confused.
"I could ask you the same thing." Weiss responded.
"We're here because Mr. Widget acquired something for me." Pyrrha answered.
"I'm here for information." Weiss stated.
"On what?" Jaune asked.
"Not your business." Weiss curtly replied.
She turned and opened the door.
"Yes, I get what you're saying." They heard James say as they entered. "BUT that is simply not something I can, or will, do."
They saw him pacing behind his desk speaking into his scroll.
"You have said that multiple times now, but the contract is very clear. Besides, the motto of my business is 'if it can be acquired, we will acquire it.' Newsflash, that can't be acquired!" James exclaimed.
He sat down and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Look, you are asking me to acquire something that simply doesn't exist! So, unless you have a real inquiry into the services my business provides, I will not be helping you. Good day, SIR!" Widget proclaimed before slamming his scroll down on his desk.
An audible crunch could be heard. James looked down at his now broken scroll.
"That's the seventh one in two months." He muttered to himself, as he looked up at his visitors.
"Ah, Spartan, good to see you again. Witless Wonder and Checkbook as well. I presume you're here with your payment?" James questioned.
"Yes." Pyrrha replied. "500 lien as promised."
Pyrrha placed the money on James's desk. The Acquirer quickly scooped up the money and counted it. Satisfied, he opened a portal and stepped through.
"How does he know you two?" Weiss asked.
"We… could ask you the same thing." Jaune threw Weiss's earlier response back at her.
"Ruby's dad had business with him. He did it through Ruby. We tagged along." Weiss replied.
"Well, we've both asked him to acquire items in the past." Jaune said.
"And that business is their own, Checkbook." James said as he reentered the room. "Here you are Miss Nikos, your acquisitions as requested."
He placed a large chunk of greenish gold ore. Pyrrha smiled and picked up the hunk of rock and metal. She thanked James and left. Jaune quickly followed after her.
"That was raw aurelionite." Weiss stated, in slight disbelief.
"Indeed. Now down to business. What can I do for you, Checkbook?" James asked.
Now, you're probably just as confused as I was when Weiss told me about Pyrrha's acquisition. Though, our reasons may be different. Let me explain quickly before I continue. Aurelionite is a rather rare ore on Remnant. It is also highly regulated. It is a unique metal though. Tempering it turns the color from greenish gold into a more bluish bronze. Aurelionite is simultaneously an incredibly Dust resistant, and highly magnetic metal. Perfect for a dueling champion with a magnetic based semblance.
Sorry, I got a bit sidetracked.
Weiss quickly composed herself and turned back to James. She took a deep breath and turned back to the Acquirer.
"I'm looking for information." Weiss began.
"Then you've come to the wrong place, Checkbook. You should remember, I deal in acquisitions not information." James replied.
"I know. But I need information on one of your past clients, assuming he was a client." Weiss continued. "I'm willing to pay."
"By contract, I do not reveal past acquisitions. Not even for bribery." James said.
"Can you at least tell me if someone was a client?" Weiss asked.
"I suppose. How much is that information worth?" James answered.
"One hundred lien if you tell me whether you've ever done business for a man named Erebus Grimshaw." Weiss offered.
A dark angry look fell upon the acquirer's face.
"Why are you asking about that bastard, of all people?" James queried.
"My team recently had an encounter with him." Weiss explained, confused.
"I don't know much, but he did show up here about…" James paused and started counting on his fingers. "Eight… nine? Eight…? He showed up here about eight or nine years ago. Wanted to see if I could acquire some people for him. I never asked the reason, just told him that I don't deal in people. Haven't seen him since. Though, a couple years ago, news that Grimshaw is a Soul Thief made its way around the grapevine. So, I can easily imagine what he wanted."
"Hmm." Weiss hummed, placing the money on the desk.
"Look, tell Reaperling, or the Reaper himself when next you see him, that I've not had any dealings with the Soul Thief for as long as I've known that he's a true Soul Thief." James said, pocketing the money. "Now you best be off, I've business elsewhere."
James opened another portal and stepped through. Weiss nodded in uncertainty `and left the building.
While this was happening, Yang and Ruby had found a certain club. A club that I had a hand in setting up.
Yang looked a little nervous as they entered Junior's. Ruby was rather confused. Inside the club was mostly empty, save for a few stray people. Most interesting, though, was the damage. Most of it had been repaired, but evidence of a large fight was still there. The bartender, a large bearded man, looked up as they entered. His sigh of frustration and annoyance was clearly heard across the room.
"Great, Rosey and Blondie are back." He growled. "Please don't try to destroy my business again."
"Are you sure about this?" Yang asked.
Ruby ignored the question as she sat at the bar.
"Xiong." She greeted. "I have business to discuss and we need two Hellfire Whiskeys."
Hei Xiong, more commonly referred to as Junior on Remnant, glanced at Yang.
"You realize that she can't have it, right?" He replied pointing at Yang.
"Hey, if anyone can't have whiskey, it's her. I'm older by two years." Yang protested.
"She can. She's in the know." Ruby said, ignoring Yang.
"Personal or professional?" Junior asked.
"A bit of both." Ruby said.
Junior grunted and began pouring the drinks. He placed two shots in front of them. They looked like literal liquid fire.
"Can someone please explain what's going on?" Yang asked as Ruby immediately downed the shot.
"Not yet." Ruby rasped.
"If you want to know, you'll drink. Otherwise, the door is right behind you." Junior replied.
Yang looked at the shot warily. She picked it up and immediately noticed how hot the glass was.
"Bottoms up, I suppose." Yang said, downing the shot.
It tasted like how fire feels. Hot, painful, burning.
Junior nodded and whistled.
"Melanie. You're in charge. I've got HSL business." Junior called.
A pale girl in white dress with a bored look stepped behind the bar. She nodded dismissively at Junior and began watching the room. Junior motioned for Ruby and Yang to follow. They followed him.
Yang glanced back and was surprised to see herself and Ruby still sitting at the bar. Junior led them through a few hallways before they began descending a set of stairs. At the bottom of the stairs was a locked door. Xiong pulled out some keys, unlocked it and led the girls through.
Beyond was a bar catering to a vastly different clientele. An assortment of hooded Reapers and wayward souls sat at various circular tables while ghostly spirits flitted about, taking orders, and delivering food and drinks. It was actually quite a lively place.
"What on Remnant?" Yang questioned.
They could easily hear various snippets of conversations. Some Reapers complaining about work. Another wondering about dating prospects. Others just enjoying the drinks.
"Not quite on Remnant, blondie." Junior said as he led them into a back office.
"Can someone explain what's going on? What did I just drink? Where are we?" Yang asked, exasperated.
"Well, you just drank diluted Hellfire." Junior said. "It has a rather ingenious piece of illusory work that's keyed to activate when someone drinks it. Makes almost perfect simulacrums of the drinkers. No one will be any wiser."
"So, the Ruby and me sitting at the bar above is just an illusion?" Yang asked.
"Dad has always had a penchant for illusions." Ruby muttered.
"That doesn't explain what's going on here, or where we are!" Yang exclaimed.
"I suppose it'd be best to start with a proper introduction." Ruby said. "Yang, this is Hei Xiong, the best informant my dad knows on both sides of mortality. Xiong, this is Yang Branwen, my sister and the daughter of War."
"That… explains some things." Xiong said.
"You're under Death's employ?" Yang asked.
"Been so for longer than anyone else. Can't say I'm surprised that War had a kid. Though, if anything I would have expected you to be the first born to one of the Horsemen… unless… is Keira younger than you?" Xiong asked.
"Older, by a few months." Ruby interjected.
"Ok, great, that's out of the way, can you tell me where we are?" Yang asked.
"Sure. Welcome to The Necropolis. Home of Death." Xiong answered. "You are currently standing in the only building that won't try to destroy your soul for not being dead, The Hellstone Lounge. A gift from Death that caters to those under his employ and the wayward souls that tend to wander in every so often."
"As much fun as this is, we did come here for a reason." Ruby said.
"And that reason is information, I presume?" Xiong replied.
"For me yes, for her it's to help get the lay of the land, so to speak." Ruby responded.
Xiong looked at Yang questioningly.
"I found out War was my mom last week." Yang defended herself.
"Not judging." Xiong said. "What do you want to know that you can't get from your dad?"
"What do you know about Erebus Grimshaw?" Ruby asked.
"Not much, honestly. He's a soul thief. Found a way to hide from Death. One of Death's most wanted." Xiong said. "I know about as much as Death himself."
"That isn't much to go off." Yang said.
"What can I say? Grimshaw covers his tracks well, he hasn't died. The only thing that's really of note is that he knows when a Reaper is around." Xiong replied.
"Surely there's something more you know?" Ruby prodded.
"Maybe. It's mostly unconfirmed hearsay and rumors." Xiong replied, leaning back in his chair. "You've seen all the Dust robberies topside? Rumor has it that all of them are being perpetrated by the White Fang at the behest of someone in the shadows. No information on this someone other than the incredibly uneasy feeling you get in their presence, before they disappear once more. Again, though, little more than hearsay and rumor."
"Better than nothing." Yang said. "You got service down here?"
Xiong just gave her a look.
"I'll take that as a no." Yang said, before turning to Ruby. "I'll see if Blake can find something about the Fang."
"I've got one more thing to ask. I'll be up in a bit." Ruby replied.
Yang turned and left.
"What else did you want to know?" Xiong asked.
"Do you know of a way we can actually hurt Grimshaw?" Ruby asked. "Our teammate' weapon passed through him and did nothing. Keira and I managed to cut parts of him off, but he reformed easily."
"And your weapons can directly target the soul, can't they?" Xiong asked.
Ruby nodded.
"Honestly, Rosey, I don't know." Xiong admitted. "Thine End might do something. Then again, it might not. I don't know. All I can think of is…"
"Is?" Ruby prodded as Xiong trailed off.
"I'll get in contact with an old assassin who's come in a few times. He might be able to help." Xiong said.
"How?" Ruby asked.
"Well, his semblance. It'd be breaking his confidence if I told you more than that. Give me a few days and I'll let you know." Xiong said.
"Thanks Xiong." Ruby replied.
Xiong nodded. The two of them left the Hellstone Lounge. The simulacrums had vanished. Ruby left the club. The sun was almost completely gone.
"Any news from Blake?" Ruby asked.
"Nothing in the slums. She's going to check out a White Fang rally. See if there's anything there." Yang replied. "What now?"
"Find Weiss and wait?" Ruby suggested.
"Sounds good to me." Yang agreed.
Ruby smiled and messaged Weiss. A few seconds later, Weiss told them she was in one of Vale's parks. The girls smiled and headed towards Weiss's possible location. A few minutes of walking later and their plans had to change.
A red alert was sent to their scrolls. Blake was calling for immediate backup on Vale's central highway. Code red, the White Fang had a massive augmented Atlesian Paladin.
You know, I should really look into getting an alert system like that for the Library of Souls…
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Data Log DoD-024
Writer's block is the worst, but I think I've figured out pretty much how I want the next series of events to play out.
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.