hope you guys enjoy the show! the tension is palpable. please do feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
Chapter 13: A Grave Error
Though he didn't look it, Watts had a terrified, sinking feeling as he walked towards the throne room. As the last of her agents, a lot has been put on his shoulders. This mute had put him in a ton of trouble. She wanted her gone yesterday, and every second she was still alive put more pressure on Watts. When he finally pushed open the heavy stone doors, his queen's intense, malevolent gaze burned down on him like the sun.
"Report Watts." She ordered curtly.
"She arrived in a village in Vacuo recently. My men are tracking her down as we speak. By this evening, the problem will be no more my Queen." Watts answered, his head still down from his bow.
"How trusting of you." Salem answered simply.
"These are my best agents, my queen. No one in all the kingdoms can out run them, or escape them. Honestly, how she keeps escaping us, she's either the luckiest person in the world, or fate has crafted her the finest armor…" Watts said before being cut off.
"I don't care about methods or why she has eluded me. I want her dead. And I want proof." Salem answered coldly.
"Of course my queen. I will ensure it is done." Watts said as he stood up, and with a wave of her hand, she dismissed him.
"Now then little Neo, how do you escape this time?" Salem muttered under her breath as she watched Watts leave, a smile slowly creeping across her face.
Meanwhile with team rwby
"Have you seen this person?" Weiss asked
"She was onboard, yes. Couldn't tell you anything else." The sailor being questioned answered.
"Have a good day then. Thank you for your time." Weiss said dryly, and the sailor went about her day.
The team had set to work like amatur detectives, trying everything possible to piece together what happened, and where Neo went. However the little floof head had done a shockingly good job covering her tracks. A rare bout of competence from her that adds to their frustration.
"Anything from you guys? Other than people who saw her?" Weiss asked, annoyed.
"Me and Ruby haven't found anything. Blake is searching her quarters now." Yang explained.
"How?" Weiss asked.
"It's Blake. Guess how." Yang dryly answered.
Blake, like the cat eared ninja she so loved to imitate, snuck her way through the ship. After getting a peek at the log book, Neo was in room 27. Like a hotel, even if the boat wasn't at full capacity, you had to sneak in it. Reaching the window, she gently barred it open, and slipped her booty into the room with cat-like grace. Once inside, she began stealthily looking through everything, making sure to put it back once done. Soon something under the bed caught her eye.
"Now what do we have here?" Blake muttered.
She reached in and pulled out a newspaper clipping. After reading it she made a break for it, closing up the window behind her. Soon she rushed back to her crew, with a shocked look.
"Guys, we got a massive problem." Blake said panting.
"Whats wrong?" Ruby asked, mildly interested.
"I found this clipping in Neo's room. I think I know her target now…" Blake trailed off.
"Why is that bad news?" Ruby asked a hint concerned.
Looking at the clipping however they all now knew why. On the clipping, a name was crudely circled in red pen. Arthur Watts.
Meanwhile with Neo
With a wince in pain, Neo put another stitch into the bullet wound. Blood had already covered the sink from washing the wound out, and she now questioned how she was going to clean this up.
Neo breathed a small sigh of relief upon finishing up, the biggest chunk of pain was over. Looking around her surroundings, she noted that the bathroom looked like a crime scene. With some hesitation, she cracked the door to the bathroom to be sure nobody was gonna be in immediately after her. Wouldn't want her to be stopped and questioned by police before she could make her escape, now would we?
Seeing the coast was 'mostly' clear, she made her way to the door, sneaking through the isles, when a cashier saw the bottle of pain medication in her hand.
"You have to pay for that!" The lady behind the register called out as Neo immediately made a run for it.
"Security! Thief!" The lady called out as Neo was chased out of the Pharmacy. Fumbling with her keys, she barely manages to get her car door open as the much larger, bullied men begin to catch up.
Jamming her keys in the ignition, she gives a small prayer as she turns the key, and as if some deity were watching over her, the car roared to life and she made her escape, jamming it into gear.
After about an hour of driving, nerves absolutely shot, no pun intended, she made it to the outer City limits of Vacuo.
Finding a place to park took her longer than the drive there, much to Neo's annoyance. She had planned to question some people before heading off for a local hotel, however, Neo now began to realize that the hands of fate both givith and taketh away.
Despite this, she did manage to get SOME questioning in before it got too dark.
Eventually, Neo made it to her home for the night, and after a quick shower, and a bite to eat, courtesy of Papa Suan's Pizzeria, Neo took one last sip of her Dr Pipper and went to sleep.
When she wakes, she finds herself in what appears to be a medieval Dungeon, after attempting to move, she found herself restrained, and only then, does the horror of the situation REALLY sink in.
Back to team rwby
Team RWBY sighed as they reached the pharmacy. They had tracked Neo up to here, but obvious clues now were running low. As they split up, Weiss did the most obvious thing to do and checked up front with the Cashier.
"Excuse me ma'am. Have you seen this girl?" Weiss asked, flashing Neo's picture.
"That little thief? Yes I have. She stole a bottle of painkillers after making an unholy mess in the bathroom. I've never seen so much blood! I tried to stop her, but she was too fast." The cashier responded with shocking energy.
"We are having a chat with her about this." Yang muttered grimly.
"Which way did she run?" Weiss asked.
"She fled in a car that way." The cashier replied, pointing towards the big city.
"Thank you for your time ma'am. And sorry for the trouble." Weiss said before writing her a check she believed would cover the trouble, before heading off.
"If she is in the city we will never find her." Ruby sighed.
"Time to cut her off. Blake how fast can that rental car go?" Yang asked.
"I don't like where this is going already." Blake muttered.
"We got the full coverage insurance right Rubes? Total loss?" Yang asked with a grin.
"What are you suggesting?" Ruby asked.
"A wise man once said the fastest car in the world is a rental car. Time to test that theory." Yang said with a grin and cracking her knuckles.
After pushing the car to what can only be described as the physical limitations of its construction, they arrived with an unholy screeching halt at a shoddy motel. However before they could even get out of the vehicle, they noticed some shady looking people, carrying a suspiciously human sized back. They then sped off. Everyone looked at Yang, who had a wicked smile.
"We aren't getting our deposit back are we?" Ruby asked meekly, before being plastered into the seat by the sheer force of Yang's acceleration.
"Does that answer your question!?" Yang yelled, practically cackling with unlimited power at her fingertips.
"I wish it didn't!" Ruby yelled in terror as Yang chased after the crooks like a bat out of hell.
After several hours, and the day hours crawling and dragging its way into the night. They finally arrived at the grounds of a peculiar location. An old, rotting prewar castle. As the moon began to climb into the sky, team RWBY realized it was now or never if they were going to save Neo.
Back with salem
"It really is true what they say. You can't get good help these days. Every single one of them has failed to carry out my designs over and over again. They then have the gall to either die or betray me. Watts will likely do the same. They all do. But you my pretty, you would never." Salem grinned, "Isn't that right, Summer?"