"Shit," a sware came out from Gran when he checked the last warehouse.

All the facilities that Hunter pointed out to him were a false lead. He wasted so much time going through them when every single one was abandoned or dilapidated. His teeth clenched in anger at the thought of being misled. He stepped outside of the warehouse and took a deep breath to calm down.

He was very thorough when searching through the buildings, wanting to leave no stone unturned as there might be some secret passage or room in one of them. No luck. His fingernails started to cut through the skin of his fists slowly. The pain made him a bit calmer. He looked around, and it hit him that the warehouse they infiltrated a few days back was nearby. He decided to visit the place on a whim. He didn't have any lead at this point anyway.

At this point, the rubble was almost entirely cleared out, and just a few piles were left here and there. Gran kneeled before it.

"So you're really are dead," he said to himself, thinking about Amethyst.

It was hard to believe that she perished in such an unclimactic way. He may not always have agreed with her and found her attitude more towards the annoying side, but he respected her. He once again clenched his teeth in anger. Her death could've been avoided if it wasn't for Raymond.

Again, this burning sensation of disdain towards his former teammate. The only thing he longed for right now was to clench his fingers around his neck. The punishment was due.

"What are you doing here?" Someone addressed him from the street.

Gran stood up and turned around to see a scrawny Faunus with a ginger mohawk and a tattered tail in the same shade. He was hunching over slightly with his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

He eyed him before giving an answer. "I'm looking for someone."

The Faunus walked a few steps forward with an exaggerated swagger. "And who that someone might be?"

"Raymond Merlot," Canis answered, coming to a conclusion that it's inconsequential.

The man started a stifled cackle. He brushed through his mohawk with his right hand and bursted out in high-pitched laughter.

"What's so funny?" Gran clenched his fist.

The man calmed down after a while. Still laughing, he said: "I know where you can find him."

Gran stepped forward and stood in front of the Faunus. His intimidating statue seemed to have no effect on the man, as he still cackled through his teeth.

A sudden explosion just a street further startled Gran.

"Follow the fire," the ginger stated and walked away, his laughter echoing in the distance.


"According to Liam, this should be the place," Raymond stated, looking at the warehouse D12.

"So let's check it out," Rory smirked and moved forward towards the entrance.

They both approached with caution. "I will enter through the main door to attract more attention while you sneak in from the back," Ray ordered.

The pink-haired woman nodded and moved towards the back of the building. He himself slowly approached the door with his aura active. There was no telling if the company inside was expecting them or set some traps at the entrance. He reached out for the door and, with a quick move, opened it. He heard an eerie click sound that froze his blood. A wave of heat and air exploded in his face, sending him flying. The detonation was powerful enough to burst the warehouse walls, and soon after, the entire building collapsed.

Raymond's aura didn't withstand the blast and broke the moment he collided with the ground. He forced himself up and looked at the aftermath. Dust was still spiraling in the air around the fires that danced in the place of the warehouse. Taking a few shallow breaths, he noticed a colossal silhouette coming closer to him through the ashes. His vision was blurry, but he identified the person quickly. It couldn't be anyone else, after all.

"Hey, Raymond," a deep, familiar voice greeted him. A voice of a Faunus that he once considered a teammate, a friend even.

His body was forcefully pulled towards Granola, and the massive hand of the brute clenched around his neck. A peculiar sensation overcame his body. A tingling warmth all over that slowly turned into an unpleasant burning as his blood wanted to leave his person. The pain he felt was excruciating, and all of a sudden, it stopped. He fell to the ground.

Rory attacked the mountain of a man, forcing him to release Raymond. The one-eyed man knew that his life depended on it, so he forced himself to dash towards the nearest cover, which was a rubble of nearby rocks. His heart was beating faster, and a piercing ache with each stroke echoed through his chest. So that's how dying feels like? He tried to center himself and calm down. Peeking over the gravel, he observed how Rory dashes around the giant Faunus, slashing him with each attack. Granola tried to fight back, but his attempts were futile. Hoping to hit an invisible enemy, wildly swinging his Crimson Tide around was humorous to see. However, they needed to neutralize him quickly. The last thing they need right now is a loose beast at their throats and a police force on their backs. He was thinking of a strategy that could take care of the wild Faunus effectively. Still, the only plan that he could come up with was to wait for an opportunity to surprise the big guy.

Primrose danced around the opponent, slashing at him with every advance. The enemy was obviously trying to do something by raising his hand, but no effects of whatever he was doing made him more and more furious. With wide swings of his staff, it was clear for her that he was getting desperate. She dashed in and used her hook swords to catch the opponent staff. Then, she slid under the enemy's legs in hopes of tripping him. However, she underestimated the brute force of the Faunus. Instead of forcing him to the ground, the man pulled his weapon back, disarming her. With the power he pulled the staff, he sent her hook swords into the air. Gran then slashed behind him and forced Rory to whip back, barely avoiding the blade. Her armor was cut across the side part of her stomach, chipping her aura.

Raymond noticed a possibility of distracting Granola and jumped upwards, catching Rory's hook swords in the air and attacking the Faunus from behind. A substantial cut made with the blades forced the man to swipe around and snap at the aggressor. Ray deflected the blow to the side and suddenly felt the same sensation of pain from before. He let go of the swords while Rory jumped on the enemy's back and slashed at his throat with her brass knuckle knives. When the hold on his blood was let go, Ray again dashed behind the closest thing to a cover he could see.

Gran intuitively grabbed the front of his neck while Rory slid from his back and rolled to the side to grab her swords. The beast of a man started looking around, but no one was in his field of view. With a feral roar of anger, he punched the nearest wall that collapsed under the strength of the blow.

"Come out and fight like a man, Ray!" He cried out, enraged.

I don't think I will, went through Merlot's mind. He didn't want to give away his position by giving the man an answer. Still, the pressure of time was in the back of his mind. Of course, Alabaster wasn't the young man he used to be, and the response time in some cases could be very long, but he didn't want the unnecessary risk.

Rory dashed in with a flurry of attacks that landed, greatly damaging the opponent's aura. Without giving the big guy any time to think, she slashed his chest with a spin attack with both of her hook swords. Gran stumbled backward and tried to deflect any attack that might come his way, but his blade swiped at the air. Another slash that this time broke his aura.

Granola tumbled backward and raised his staff in hopes of protecting him from another blow. His arm got grazed. A slow and stable flow of crimson liquid dripped to the ground. He jumped back, but a slash connected with his leg that spewed another splash of red on the floor. His heart increased the amount of adrenaline rushing through his veins. His mind dulled the pain and cleared his thoughts. He noticed that the blood he spilled started appearing randomly on the stone. Were these footprints?

Another slash across his arm made him drop his Crimson Tide. Thinking on his feet, he waved his wounded hand, sending a splash of his blood forward. The scarlet liquid vanished just a few feet ahead, and Gran dashed to the side. He avoided an attack and again noticed bloody footsteps on the gravel. He ran towards where they appeared and grabbed at the air. Nothing there. Another slash across his back this time. He turned around, and again the footsteps appeared on the floor. A flash of what just happened came to his mind. The blood disappeared when it contacted with the opponent, so the footprints appearing were a step behind the actual duelist.

With that revelation, he fainted weakness and collapsed on one knee. Another step in his direction. Like a mantis in waiting, he reached out with surprising speed in front and grabbed his opponent by her hand. Now certain of her whereabouts, he reached with his second hand for her throat. Struggling for air, her semblance turned off, and Gran could finally see her. A pink-haired woman with a mohawk. A smile slowly grew on his face as his hand was squeezing tighter and tighter around her neck. A sudden movement startled him.

Raymond jumped from the side and thrust his sword into Gran's neck near the collar bone. The mountain of a man let go of Rory and winced with pain. He grabbed Ray by his head and tried to crush it under his palm. The one-eyed warrior screamed in pain and pulled the blade to the side, opening a giant wound in the Faunus's shoulder. Blood splattered all around as the colossal man fell to the ground with a loud thud. Ray jumped towards Rory.

"Are you okay?"

She gasped for air. "I'll be fine."

"Let's get out of here," Ray said, helping her get up. "And I need to take a word with Liam Fawn."

Gran was lying on the ground, fire cracking nearby, slowly dying. His blood was free-flowing from his wound, and he had no idea how to stop it. He always was excellent with aura manipulation when it came to healing his injuries, and his semblance could stop the flow without any problems. However, he had no aura to use in this situation. He wanted to be mad, but for some reason, he was calm. Even strangely so. For as long as he lived, the thought of dying was always there; he was a Huntsmen, after all. Still, dying randomly by the hand of a man he once considered his friend was curious. His mind was slowly slipping from him. Everything started to turn distorted.

I failed… A single thought, like a spark in the dark. With Gran's whole life flashing before his eyes, he finally understood. Being a Huntsman means protecting the people, and he went out of his way to kill someone. And for reasons that now seem so trivial. He failed as a Huntsman in that regard. His dying thoughts went to the only person he truly loved. Nina… I'm sorry… His eyes finally closed as the last thing he saw was a vaguely familiar silhouette.


Liam Fawn was heading towards the Lower District's train station. Part of the town that was in the lowest region of the city and mostly clear of any people. Proud of his genius plan to get rid of Raymond – the self-important, arrogant, and racist douchebag – he felt elated. The idea of bailing on the Spider gang and try a new life somewhere else was constantly popping in his mind, but only now he mustered the courage to follow through. And with the caveat of killing the guy he hated the most in the organization. The thought made him involuntarily chuckle.

He did have a problem with uncontrolled laughter. Since his teen years, he has laughed uncontrollably in situations of high stress. However, this time it was a happy chuckle; unintentional as it might be, he laughed not from fear or pain but from pride. Take that, you filth. He continued to laugh through his teeth.

The plan was to leave as quickly as possible after the deed. Liam already knew that there was a train heading towards the west coast of Anima that he decided to use. He didn't prepare anything for the journey, but he didn't need much. Liam was a great pickpocketer, and the life in Mistral prepared him to survive in almost inhuman conditions. How harsh Vale could be, right? Anything just to get the 'family' off his back.

He continued his stride with his hands in the pockets of his tattered jeans, gently cackling as he went along the path towards the station. The streets were empty, and the uneasy air followed him. When he finally arrived, there weren't many people there. Still, Liam understood why. The train was already there and just waited for the moment to embark on its journey west. With a smirk on his face, he slowly moved towards the back wagons and accidentally hit one of the waiting passengers.

"I'm terribly sorry," he stated and continued to move forward.

Taking a slight detour, he used the over-cross to get to the other side of the station to avoid being seen by the individual. He now had a valid ticket in his hand, not to mention some Lien to cover for the trip.

"Where's my wallet?" The man he just robbed asked out loud, with a hint of panic in his voice.

The distress of the individual caused a chuckle in Liam. He looked over to the clock on the station's main building to see how long till the departure. It was almost time. He moved forward to enter one of the carts when something sharp slid around his neck. He was forcefully pulled behind the intersection of two cabins and practically thrown on the couplings.

"Nice to see you, Liam," it was Ray with Rory.

The Faunus tried to scream, but the cuts to his neck made him choke on his blood, slowly filling his mouth. His manic laughter kicked in involuntarily, but with the wound, it sounded more like a cough.

"You really thought you could get away with what you tried to do?" The one-eyed Huntsman asked, ironically.

Liam started looking around in panic, hoping to find something or someone able to get him out of the situation. He tried to scream, but his gargled attempts were unsuccessful. Even if someone heard him, no one in the right mind would risk their lives to help someone like him. After all, he was just a random Faunus in a city where people were abducted for the last few weeks. No one would care if he disappeared. He was slowly running out of air as the blood started filling his lungs. He reached out towards Raymond with one of his hands, tears filling his eyes.

"Ignorance is bliss," Raymond stated while he plunged his sword into the Faunus' guts.

Liam stopped feeling pain. Still, his conscience didn't slip, and he saw everything around him. The duo of his killers took off into the distance; Raymond was looking injured but steady. Rory was hiding her hook sword in her sheath; the hook end of the blade was bloody. It had to be his blood. Step by step, they were getting further and further away as his vision was getting darker and more distorted. His cold body was lying on a random coupling of a train heading to Anima's west coast.