The two women got to the place of the explosion – a collapsed warehouse that was now a pile of burning rubble. Nina was franticly looking around in search of any people in need of aid. However, there were no screams for help or wails of pain from any part of the destroyed building. The air was feeling stale and heavy, the same as in the rest of the city.
"Is anyone here?" the Faunus girl shouted in hopes of hearing anyone. It's impossible that the explosion just happened on its own and no one was inside, right?
Vivian slowly assessed the surroundings. The ground had tracks on it – someone was here recently. She followed the markings on the stone and sand. Blood. There were bloody footprints in the sand and stains all around. It seemed like a fight took place here, and by closer inspecting the smudges, she noticed it was quite fresh.
"Gran!" Nina's scream took her out of her thoughts. She ran towards her companion.
Vivian noticed the huge Faunus lying on the ground with a wide gash on his shoulder. The wound was bleeding profusely.
"Please… No," Nina was weeping, holding both of her hands on the wound, trying to slow down the blood loss.
The immediate shock of the sight dazed the woman, but she shook away the confusion. She grabbed Nina's sword and ran towards the fire.
"What are you doing?" The Faunus girl was crying.
"Trust me!" Vivian shoved the sword into the pile of burning rubble. When the blade got red from the heat, she pulled it out and dashed towards their bleeding companion. "Move aside," she commanded.
Nina was bewildered by her actions, but she obeyed and stepped away from Gran's body. Vivian pushed the hot edge to the wound, the flesh sizzled, steam came out as the metal charred the skin where it touched Gran. The man was unflinching, and that fact made Nina even more distressed. Her breathing became uneven, shaken by her convulsing attempts to stop herself from crying.
The bleeding stopped. Vivian put away the Orchid Flame, Nina's weapon, and grabbed Gran by his wrist, searching for a pulse. Concentrating on even the faintest signs, she finally felt a soft movement in the veins. She smirked and looked towards Nina.
"He's alive."
The girl, still crying, embraced Vivian.
"He still needs medical professionals, so don't be too happy yet."
A sudden movement startled both of them. Turning around, they spotted a quite familiar face of the sheriff and his men. He waved his hand and his people spread around in search of any other survivors. He himself lighted a cigarette.
"Strange how recently you come up whenever a warehouse is destroyed."
"Just please, help Gran," Nina pleaded, with tears still in her eyes.
The man huffed his bud and nodded with an understanding expression.
"This shit is getting more troublesome by the day…"
Neil moved through the streets of Kuchinashi's Central Strip. He circled the area around the hospital, hoping to find any leads or clues to decipher where Ame was taken. Every piece of evidence at the ward proved pointless, a dead-end that the redhead could not figure out. Growing frustrated by the situation, and foremost of his incompetence, he punched a nearby rock. The pain shot through his knuckles and propagated deeper into his arm. Without aura activated, that really hurts, he thought to himself.
Neil's only idea was tailing one of the kids he met at the abandoned combat school. This was, in fact, the only lead he had, after all. At first, it was difficult to find any of them near the school, but at some point, he did catch sight of the long-haired delinquent. The kid wandered until he reached the warehouse district.
He moved through the streets seemingly without any purpose, taking turns into sections of the district that kids usually wouldn't go. Intrigued by the path the delinquent chose, the newly baked police officer tailed him like a shadow. Moving past a few of the warehouses, the kid stopped and looked around. Neil avoided his eyes and observed him from behind a corner of one of the storehouses. The delinquent moved towards the more prominent sides of the mountain the city was built on; it was steeper than the regular slope of the streets. That's when the redhead noticed it: an opening in the rocky side of the vertical wall. It was a rather well-hidden cave, surrounded by warehouses that covered the entrance until you were in a particular place to see it. The kid went inside, and Neil rushed towards the opening. He gazed inside, and the absolute darkness that infested the cave made him uneasy.
He slowly moved alongside the wall having his left hand on it at all times. The murk around made it impossible to see further than the length of his arm, but he continued to move forwards. After a brief journey, he noticed a light deeper in the path. Moving closer to it, his eyes started slowly adjusting to the shine, and in his vision, two people appeared. He crouched and kept to the shadows while observing the men. One of them was the long-haired delinquent he saw entering the cave, and the other was a tall, muscular man wearing an animal mask. Was that Vermillion Raddock? He remembered the picture from the documents, but this guy was wearing a mask. Neil recalled one passage from that report: Status: deceased. Former leader of the Hana gang that died in the Pastel Manor fire. Perhaps the mask was meant to hide his burn marks?
He was too far to hear anything they talked about, but he wasn't planning on pushing his luck and decided to exit the place. When he went outside, his first instinct was to run to the precinct and inform Alabaster about his new discovery. The sheriff should know something about what was going on.
The door to the precinct slammed as Neil ran inside. "Where's Alabaster?" He asked, breathing heavily.
Jet was the one on front desk duty this day. "Relax," he stated with his hands raised, "he was sent on a call. Another warehouse exploded. He'll be back in a few."
The redhead nodded, understanding the situation. He sat down on one of the waiting area benches. He hated the fact they were wasting time, but he understood that the police had far too few hands to work with.
After a while, Alabaster entered the premises with a few more men behind him. Neil immediately approached him.
"I think I know where Vermillion Raddock is hiding."
The sheriff raised an eyebrow. "Are you certain?"
"There's a cave in the warehouse district that is hidden from general view. I saw a man in an animal mask inside…"
Before he could finish, Alabaster grabbed him by his bolero and got extremely close to him. "Did he see you?"
The intense stare of the sheriff filled Neil with fear. He has never seen him this intense yet. "No," he gave a quick answer, and the boss let go of his clothes.
Alabaster made a few steps forward, then moved back. His eyes were darting in different directions as he moved. When he stopped, he raised his hand briefly but then lowered it and moved to the side. The sheriff finally faced the redhead after the little ritual.
"We need to be ready," he said with a bold tone. "This isn't a child's play," he raised an eyebrow, hoping that Neil understood the severity of his accusations.
"I know," he answered confidently.
The sheriff nodded, "Jet, prepare a weapon's check and inform the assault team of a raid tomorrow. We're hunting rats."
He pulled out a cig and quickly lighted it before going into his office.
The team was assembled. However, Neil was surprised that it was only three other officers with him and Alabaster. He voiced his complaints, but it just got the sheriff angry.
"You think I have more men? That's all we've got, and it will have to do."
Before they moved out, the bossman took a deep breath to give a motivating speech. However, all he said was: "Don't die."
The team rushed out of the precinct into the warehouse district. Alabaster with a broadsword sheathed on his back; Neil, his Kusarigama, while the rest of the team had a mace, an axe, and a sword, respectively. The streets were silent.
The moment they arrived at the place led by Neil, Alabaster took charge and moved first through the cave. When the walls opened up, the whole team advanced to the chamber lit with a few dust-powered floodlights on the ceiling.
"Who's there?" A moment of consternation as a female voice echoed behind a piece of machinery.
A woman with silver hair emerged; Neil recognized her. He unwound the Kusarigama chain, grabbed the sickle, and dashed towards her with the blade to the side.
"Take care of her while I'll look for Raddock," Alabaster ordered and moved deeper into the cave with two of the men with him.
The silver-haired woman noticed the attack and dushed backward, avoiding the sickle slash. The mace-using officer jumped into the fray and smashed a stalagmite the woman was behind.
"Where's Amethyst!?" The redhead shouted. His voice echoed through the walls.
The opponent composed herself and smiled. "This is why you're here? Interesting," she removed her coat, revealing a set of whip-like appendages growing out from her back.
Neil started spinning the iron ball around and suddenly used his foot to propel it forwards. The opponent deflected the attack with one of the tentacles. The second officer used this opportunity to strike, but the woman expected it and stabbed the attacker with a few of her Grimm-arms and smacked him on the ceiling.
The redhead dashed in to stab the woman with his sickle. With a wide slash, he grazed her chest while she moved to the side. A sudden flurry of piercing stabs assaulted him. He backed off, but the enemy continued the offense. The man pressed a switch on his Kusarigama, and a small chakram shot out that he caught in his free hand. He tossed it at the opponent. He then changed the chain's position so that the iron ball could be used at the same time as the sickle.
The chakram, Imhullu, cut through a few of the beastly vines, pushing the woman back, and Neil swung the iron ball that landed on the woman's face. Her aura protected her, but she still winced with pain. The bladed remnants of his sister's weapon returned to him, and he attempted to attack the woman with the iron ball again.
She avoided the attack and smacked the man across his abdomen, sending him flying towards the nearest machinery. A powerful smack into the equipment made it fall over. Neil felt the force of the impact and was lying on the gear with his aura flickering. Before he could get up, the woman was already upon him, using the Grimm-appendages like a spider. In a similar manner as Vivian used her semblence.
"You're not a good fighter," she chuckled and raised two of her tentacles, preparing an attack.
Neil's partner smacked the leg extensions of the whip-like arms, collapsing the woman in her place. The officer continued the assault but could not land another hit. The redhead got up, his back aching, and he checked his sash to see what dust he had. Placing a fire dust crystal on the ground, he dashed to help his colleague in the struggle.
The woman assaulted the officer with a barrage of lashes. The policeman was able to block a few of the attacks, but his efforts were insufficient, and his aura broke. One of the vines pierced his arm, forcing him to release his mace. Before the enemy could land a finishing blow, Neil's chakram redirected the stab. The woman was getting furious. She tossed the constable to the side and focused her attacks on the redhead.
Neil was spinning the iron ball around to keep the opponent at bay. He was slowly backing away, deflecting any attack to the best of his ability.
"What are you hoping to accomplish?" The woman was fuming, "are you really thinking that this is a winnable situation?"
With each stab and lash, the redhead was pushed back. Few of the attacks were able to land, dropping his aura to dangerously low levels.
"Stop spinning that thing and just surrender!" She lashed out again.
"Ok," Neil stated, smiling, and smacked his iron ball down.
The opponent avoided the blow, but the redhead wasn't aiming at her. He smashed the crystal he placed earlier, and the dust exploded. The impact forced the woman away, and she smacked another set of machinery deeper in the cave.
Neil took a deep breath. His body was aching, but he came out on top. He moved towards his partner to help him when a sudden pain in his thigh stopped him in his tracks. His aura broke as a Grimm-vine pierced through his leg and pulled him down. With a cry of pain, he tried to grab onto anything to stop sliding closer to the opponent's arms. His mind was running through all the available solutions when suddenly the woman shouted in pain, and the lash in his body stopped moving.
He raised his head to see that his companion stepped on the appendage, breaking it. He was barely standing, blood oozing from his wounds. The silver-haired woman was still on her feet, and without thinking about what he was doing, Neil grabbed the first dust crystal he could from his sash and jammed it into his body. A surge of power pulsated through him. He stood up and dashed towards the woman with almost inhuman speed. Smashing her on the rock wall, he punched her until she lost consciousness. When her body fell to the ground, he pulled out the dust crystal and fell over himself. A surge of power was quickly replaced by pain, powerful, excruciating. His body started involuntarily twitch and shake as the body tried to reject the dust.
His companion sat next to him, breathing heavily. "Thanks," he said, grimacing from the pain.
"Don't mention it," Neil threw through clenched teeth. "Though, I should be thanking you."
Alabaster, with his two underlings, moved through the only other corridor in the cave. The light was dim, but the end of the tunnel was lit enough for them to see where to go. When the sheriff emerged into the chamber, he was greeted by Vermillion.
"Ah, sheriff," the huge man said politely. "It's an honor to see you at my humble abode."
Alabaster scanned the premises. The chamber was a simple oval cave with nothing but a bed at the far side and a natural pond near it. Apart from Vermillion, there was also a Faunus woman by his side that he recognized.
"Are you hurt? Has he threaten you?" The sheriff addressed the girl.
She raised her eyebrows in bewilderment, and the moment she wanted to open her mouth, Raddock stepped in. "She's fine," he said in his deep voice, trying to sound calming. "I assure you no one is forcing her to do anything."
The sheriff nodded, "Vermillion Raddock, by the authority invested in me, you're under arrest."
Before he could finish, Raddock grabbed his two constables by their faces and slammed them into the wall. The entire cave shook from the impact. Alabaster grabbed his trusty broadsword, prepared for a scuff, but Vermillion just tossed the unconscious men to the side and stood still.
"You're not gonna use a weapon?" The sheriff asked, his legs shaking.
Vermillion chuckled, "no need to. My mind is my weapon."
"I still have to take you in."
The huge man raised his chin, looking down on the sheriff. "Do you know who I am?"
Alabaster did not dignify him with an answer. Instead, he raised his sword and attacked the brute. He slashed at him with a horizontal swing, but Vermillion punched the blade in its flat, redirecting the blow upward. Before he could pull in the weapon, Raddock quickly grabbed the sheriff by his foot and swang him like a club into the wall and then again into the floor. Alabaster dropped his sword and tried to get up. However, the masked warrior grabbed him by one of his arms and a leg and raised him over his head.
"I am Vermillion Raddock!" He plunged the sheriff down on his knee with brutal force. A crack of bones echoed through the walls of the cave as aura broke just before the body of Alabaster. "And this is my city."
He threw the broken body of the sheriff to the ground and turned around.
"You monster!" It was Amethyst, who could not believe what she was seeing. She raised her arms, ready to fight.
"You saw what I did to the poor old sheriff," Vermillion said in a cold, calculated tone. "Don't think I won't do the same to you if you dare to attack me."
She considered the situation for a moment. Her Grimm companion was terrified, and her arm was shaking involuntarily. Looking at what just happened, she decided to lower her hands. Seeing the broken man on the floor, wallowing in pain, unable to move, frightened her.
"You are free to do whatever you want," the brute exclaimed and moved towards one of the walls.
"What about Aria?" Ame was surprised she even asked.
Vermillion turned his head toward her, "she outlived her usefulness." With that, he touched the wall, and a passage opened. He disappeared behind the wall as it closed behind him.
Ame was slowly getting angry at herself for surrendering, but now she only wanted to help the beaten down policemen. The sheriff was alive but could not move, and the two of his constables were unconscious but in good condition.
"In the previous chamber, there should be two more officers," Alabaster said, holding back pain as much as he could. "Get some doctors in here."
"On it," she exclaimed and rushed through the corridor.
Ame ran to the first chamber, and when she noticed the slim redhead lying next to unconscious Aria, she couldn't believe her eyes. It was Neil. She ran towards him, and before he could say anything or even comprehend what was going on, the Faunus woman embraced him. The pain still was echoing in his body.
"Ame… It hurts…"
"Oh, sorry!" She stopped and pulled herself a bit further. "I'm just so happy to see you. Hope you did fine without me," she could not stop smiling at her friend.
Neil grunted from pain, "as you can see, not so good."
A brief moment of silence as they both were looking each other in the eyes. Suddenly, Ame shook her head, "right! We need doctors, or paramedics… or something."
Neil's thoughts went to Alabaster, "what happened to the sheriff?"
Vermillion moved through the tunnel, deep in thought. The situation was getting more complicated by the minute. Before, he was able to influence the state of the city with relative ease, but now, with the Spider family meddlings and Alabaster's change of heart, more unknowns were changing the result of the equation. He didn't like that. To control the city in these circumstances, he needed a more extensive reach.
"It's time to reclaim my throne…"
