Raymond was looking at the projection of the city plans. At this point, he knew them by heart: every single alley, every street or corner he committed to memory. All pieces were in play, and the only thing he needed to do now was to make the first move.

"So what's the plan, oh great leader?" Liam Fawn asked sarcastically. He was a Faunus that worked for the Spider gang for as long as Ray did. He was a skinny man with a ginger mohawk and a face filled with freckles.

"We still hold the element of surprise," the Huntsman was thinking out loud. "I wouldn't want to lose it yet."

"We can provide you with all the information you need," one of the gang members stated. "But don't expect us to fight."

"Especially the guys from Black Sheep," another one chimed in from the back.

Raymond was well aware of the strong points of his crime family. They were proficient at gathering information. That was their main trade when Lil' Miss Malachite was in charge, and that fact hasn't changed since then. Even with the twins at the helm now, they lacked the firepower to take control of the city.

"We can weave our web from the shadows," the one-eyed man spoke out loud again. "With enough spiders, their web can trap even a lion."

"So again, wise guy: what's the plan?" Liam was getting jittery.

"We need to force the other factions to fight among themselves. Divide and conquer."

"And how do we do that?" The Faunus raised an eyebrow.

"At the moment, all three gangs have some form of an advantage over us. The Black Sheep is a powerhouse with solid warriors and retired Huntsmen. Experienced fighters that we lack. The Hana has a huge following and a vast hold over most of the city. Loyalty that we need to abuse. Finally, the Wave with strong enterprise and well-known thieves. The resources that we need." Still thinking about it, Raymond started forming a plan. "We cannot approach them directly..."

"No shit, sherlock." Liam was still restless. "We've been inciting the gangs for weeks now. They all are hell-bent on maintaining the status quo. There won't be any possibility of infighting or attacks on other gangs."

"So let's create a situation where it seems the status quo was broken..."

"What do you have in mind?"

Raymond put on a coat and headed towards the exit. "I have an idea, but I need someone specific to make it happen."

He moved through the streets of Kuchinashi in large strides. He knew the city like the back of his hand and was certain where to find the woman he had on his mind. The familiar cobblestone pathways through Kuchinashi led him to one of the best-known establishments in the town.

Raymond approached the bouncer of The Skillful and flashed his Huntsman license. The corpulent guard just nodded and let him inside. The tavern itself had a welcoming feeling, like a warm cabin in the woods. There weren't many guests. Even though The Skillful was a place the best Huntsmen looked for job opportunities, there weren't many left around. His eye scoured the entire place and finally landed on the person he was looking for.

"Found you," he sat next to the pink-haired Huntress. "You're not so tough to catch."

She was holding a mug of muddied, gold beverage. "You have some serious balls to talk to me." Her expression was stern, but she didn't look at the newcomer. "Especially that you're the only lucky bastard to be able to see me…"

"Oh, I'm really lucky," Ray smirked. "I hope you're not upset about me kicking your ass?" He was hoping to get a reaction from the stoic woman. He knew how she acted when furious, and breaking through the current exterior was his goal.

She lifted the mug to her lips, taking a small sip. "What do you want?"

"To hire you."

Her head moved slowly to give him an angry look. "What?"

"Your prior employer doesn't seem to be – how do I say this… Alive?" His smirk widened. "I think we could use your talents, and you – a new employer."

She siped from her mug again. A patron sitting next to them slowly moved away, giving the one-eyed man a confused stare.

Her sigh was short. Hands still wrapped around the mug. "Sure, whatever."

Ray's smirk turned into a smile. "Could you bring the two morons that you worked with too?"

Her eyes narrowed. "That will cost you extra."


A few days have passed since the unfortunate mission's events, and Neil didn't know what to do. He was still staying at the inn. Why? He was uncertain. There was nothing here for him. He already repaired his kusarigama, which shattered when he protected Nina and replenished all supplies he needed. A sudden knock on the door startled him. He didn't expect anyone.

"Who's there?"

"I'm from the sheriff's office," was the answer. "I would like to ask you a few questions connected to the events of the night Warehouse C14 collapsed."

"You work fast," Neil said under his breath and rolled his eyes. When he opened the door, a man was standing there that he recognized. With a long, raven-black bang covering almost half his face, the man stroke his hair aside before he started talking.

"Is it ok if I ask a few questions?"

"Yeah, sure," Neil let out a short sigh. "What do you need to know?"

"Could you retrace all your steps that night leading to the collapse?"

Neil didn't know how much he could actually tell the officer and not be considered suspicious himself. However, he technically was on an official Huntsman mission, so telling the whole truth didn't seem wrong. He didn't do anything illegal as normally Huntsmen with licenses are allowed to break in locations as long as it is justified in some way. Here, they were saving Hunter Ash's son, who has been kidnapped and supposedly held in that facility.

The moment the Huntsman laid down all the events, also disclosing the hybrids as he thought it might be helpful for the local police to be in the know, the officer's eyes widened.

"Alabaster needs to hear all this himself," he was looking blankly at the redhead in complete disbelief. "I will have to take you to the headquarters."

Neil took a deep breath. "Sure, why not."

He took his weapon with him and followed the officer towards the precinct. He didn't really care at this point. The air in the city felt heavy, like the calm before the storm. The streets were almost empty, with just a few kids running around without a care in the world.

"What is the situation in the city?" Neil asked, feeling uneasy at what he was seeing.

"What? It's the same as always."

That answer didn't satisfy the Huntsman. Something clearly wasn't right, and the officer either was too dumb to notice or simply didn't care. They finally came to Alabaster's office situated at the precipice of the Central Strip and Lower Valley. The building itself was pretty small. Apart from the initial reception, it had just a locker room, holding cells, and a single room for the sheriff.

"Jet! You got the statements?" A girl sitting behind a desk right next to the entrance greeted them.

"Is Alabaster here?"

The girl raised an eyebrow. "In his office, yes."

Jet waved at Neil to follow him and walked towards the door next to the locker room. He knocked, and after hearing a gruff "come in," they entered.

The room was a tiny box that contained few cabinets with documents and a desk that stretched from one wall to the other. Behind the desk was a robust man wearing a simple leather coat. Neil noticed a massive broadsword that was leaning on one of the cabinets.

"Yes, Jet?" The man asked, taking a huff of his cigarette.

"I was taking a statement from one of the survivors, as you instructed, sir. However, I think you need to hear this yourself."

The sheriff tilted his head slightly, looking at Neil with his judgmental stare.

"Sure," he suddenly said, putting out his cig and waving Jet out. "What do I need to hear?"

The redhead looked briefly around the room and noticed a small stool behind the door that only revealed itself when the officer closed it behind him. The Huntsman took a seat and started to say precisely what he told Jet earlier.

"My partners and I were hired to find a kidnapped kid, and we tracked his whereabouts to that exact warehouse. We entered, and as having ground for believing our target was there we…"

"I was a Huntsman before," the sheriff interrupted him for a moment. "I know the procedure in that situation. Continue."

"We entered and discovered that the warehouse was a place where all the kidnapped people were held. However, there have also been creatures that resembled Grimm-human hybrids."

The listener moved in his chair. With his interest peaked, he put both his hands on the desk and started to stare at Neil intently.

"Unfortunately, a fight ensued. We were able to free many of the captors, not really sure if at that time our target was alive or not. In the chaos, the building itself took heavy damage and collapsed." Neil closed his eyes. The memories of that experience made his lower lip tremble.

"So the four of you were Huntsmen, right?" Alabaster asked, ignoring the slight tell of the redhead.

"Actually, there were six of us…" Neil opened his eyes and looked to the side at the small and only window in the room. It was open so that the smoke from sheriff's cigarettes wouldn't linger.

The man again moved behind his desk. "Six? What happened to the other two?"

Neil was considering what to tell and what to keep for himself. Was this man really capable of any help? Kuchinashi was a den of debauchery, and, from what Ray has said, the police force seemed like a joke. However, it's this man's duty to protect the people.

"One died in the collapse, while the other turned out to be an inside agent of one of the crime syndicates."

Alabaster pulled out a notepad and a pen. "Can you tell which one?"

Neil cracked a smile. In this day and age, the old man still uses a pen to write down his thoughts. "The only thing I am sure about is that he had a spider webbing tattoo on his arm."

The sheriff raised an eyebrow. "That's the sign of the Spider family. For years, they had no hold in Kuchinashi's business."

"I'm just telling you what I know."

Alabaster put the pencil in his mouth. Realizing that it's just a pencil, he put it down and pulled out another cigarette. When he lit it up and took a solid puff, he addressed the Huntsman. "Circling back: you mentioned a form of human-Grimm hybrids?"

"I have no idea what that actually was. All I can say is that the complex looked like some science facility and that someone probably created these creatures there from the people they kidnapped."

Another juicy huff from the cigarette. "I think that's all I need from you. You can return home. It seems I'll have to get some more info from the other survivors…"

Neil, however, did not move from the rackety stool he occupied. The last sentence made his eyes go wide. "What other survivors?"

"It's official business," the sheriff taped his cig, and the ash fell to the ashtray he had next to a small bust of a crow.

"Was there a Faunus woman?" The redhead jumped to his feet, putting both hands on the desk. "How many survived? Your statement suggests more than one."

"As I told kid: It's official business."

Neil was thinking about the situation. He could use his semblance with ease and just pry the information that way, but was it really necessary? Considering everything he now wanted to know, maybe that wasn't the best course of action. However, he needed to know.

"Could you please tell me about the survivors of the collapse?" Neil asked, looking Alabaster in the eyes.

The man shook his head with a pitiful smile. "We found two people in the rubble: both women, one Faunus with a lizard tail. In critical condition, we sent them to the same hospital you were in." The sheriff's expression drastically shifted after he said that. His brows narrowed. "You know I can arrest you for that?"

Neil smiled playfully. "For what? Being charismatic?"

"There are no actual laws connected to the use of one's semblance. However, I am the law in this town, and you just stepped on the wrong man's toes." He dragged another huff of his cigarette. "But I could use a guy like you."

The sudden change in his tone took Neil aback. "You want me to work for you?"

The cigarette had almost worn out when Alabaster took another whiff. "It's clear you can be useful. Especially with a semblance like that. Is it just a 'tell me the truth' kind of a deal, or something more?"

Neil blinked a few times. The information that Amethyst might be alive made his head spin. "First, I want to see if one of the survivors is Ame."

Alabaster nodded and took the final pull on his butt before putting it out. He flicked it outside the window, put on a coat, and slid on the desk to the other side.

"Follow me," he opened the door and led Neil out of the office.

"Alabaster, sir?" The girl at the entrance looked confused.

"Just taking a walk, keep the fort while I'm out."

"Yes 'sir."

Neil followed the sheriff a few blocks up the mountain, deeper into the Central Strip. The hospital looked like typical housing construction, not so different from general homes in this area with only one story. It wasn't that far from the Academy – now abandoned, as Ray stated. The moment they entered, a nurse approached them but seeing Alabaster just nodded and let them inside. They both entered a room at the end of the corridor. There was no one there.

"Nurse!?" The sheriff called out into the corridor. The same woman from before entered the room. "What happened to the patients we brought?"

The woman was shaky. "We don't know. This morning one of the staff brought breakfast for them, but they were simply gone. No one saw anyone going in or out."

Neil's fists clenched. He wasn't sure if the girl escaped on her own volition or was abducted, or even if it was Ame in the first place. But his desire to rest his uncertainties took over him.

"I want to join the force."