Chapter 10

And Hell Follows With Him.


=ASH=

Ash watched as team CRCL battled Victor, Rojo swung his chainsaw macuhuitl into the kanabo shotgun. Victor swept his legs out from under him and swung a swift strike to Rojo's breastplate. It heavily indented and Rojo groaned. Victor spun around and cracked Leon in the head, blood splattered as his aura dropped and he fellt to the ground. Cheng dove forward with his meteor hammers and swung them around him. He launched them into Victor who staggered back. Cheng spun around and launched them again. Victor flipped over them and swung down hard. It cracked Cheng in the top of the head. Cheng dropped to his knees. Victor swung, cracking Cheng's skull. A harpoon bounced off Victors armour. He spun around and Calico came charging through. He swung Ranger like an axe, Victor blocked it, kicked him in the side, flipped and kicked him again before he hit the ground. Calico did a sideways flip and landed hard on his back. Victor swung down and cracked Calico in the chest just like he did to Ash. Calico began to wheeze and retch.

"Now that I have your attention." Victor said. "I might as well speak my peace."

"Go... yourself..." Was all Calico could retort.

"You are a failure Calico, your objective is right there and you failed to kill him. You weaseled your way out of your life and then walked right back into it when his life was on the line. Pathetic." He said. He kicked Calico a few times. Calico gasped for air. "Ashton Grey, you and your father are despicable. You turn to your enemies for petty cash. You grovel at our feet. You are nothing. Even then, you failed your objective. Weiss Schnee still lives. Punishment was innevitable. You die, your father dies. Everyone who works for your father dies. So decrees the White Fang."

"I'll... kill..." Ash gasped.

"Oh, I'm sure you will kill me. Given that you are inches away from death already. Seconds away as well." He said. "Honestly, I don't care for the White Fang much longer. Part of the reason you are still breathing. I'm debating whether to honour this order, or abandon it entirely. Such a strange thing, to find freedom."

He knelt down in front of Ash and grabbed him by the chin. He moved his head around and examined it. He smiled. He loved this. He loved the power that came of it. The helplessness of Ash and the others. He could do whatever he wanted. They were powerless to stop him. Someone was charging behind him. A sword on a chain went flying his way. Ash smiled.

Billy charged in wearing his armoured suit, swing down the chained blade onto Victor's back. His aura depleted and he rolled out of the way. Billy retracted the blade and swung around hard. It knocked the Kanabo out of his hands and swung again. Victor caught the blade between two palms, spun and the blade snapped clean in half. He pivoted around Billy and swung. Billy froze. A confused look drew across his face. He dropped to his knees. A blade was sticking through his chest.

Ash screamed, or tried to. It came out a mangled wreck. Billy start quizically at him, a gormless face drawing across his mug as he dropped to the ground. It all seemed to slow down. Ash watched as the blade came into sight, struck through a giant hole in the back of his armour. Billy never got it fixed. He never went to Arthur. Ash's weapon made the whole that lead to Billy's downfall. His heart sank through the floor. He gasped for air and tried to crawl to Billy. He needed to reassure him. Billy was starting to look scared.

Victor reached for his mace and twirled it in his hands. He stepped towards Billy. "Sorry Mr Grey, but I decided. I will kill the lot of you. Perhaps I will spare your family. I don't know if I have the time to kill them. Places to go, people to meet. Plans to honour." He said.

He swung. It collided with Billy's head. He continued to swing over and over again into Billy. Ash screamed some more. He then walked towards the others. He fired a shot into Rojo, then to Cheng, then to Leon. He stood over Calico.

"Goodbye Mister Prince." He said. "May you finally die like the traitorous scum you are."

The door burst open. Shapes charged in. Victor turned and dove out the window. Ash could barely move. He heard screaming. He could see shapes moving towards Billy. He recognized a brown, ratty hood, and a black lacy dress. Faces were foggy. He felt like he was going to puke. Everything went dark.


Ash awoke in the hospital bed. His wrists was handcuffed to the side. He struggled against it. He glanced across the room. He didn't know what was going on but he knew he had to escape this. His weapon was in a case at the end of the room, on a chair. He struggled against his binds. The door opened. Thomas entered the room.

"Dad what's going on?" Ash asked. "What's with the cuffs?"

"It's the school, Ozpin. The school is gone." Thomas said. "And so is Ozpin."

"Ozpin's gone?" Ash asked. "He's dead?"

"His deal died with him." Thomas said. "You were given a second chance, one many people didn't want you to receive. Ozpin was the only one protecting you and your friends."

"So we're going back to Bastion." Ash asked.

His father crooked his head and smiled. "Not if I can help it." He said. He pulled out a Silver Faust and sliced the cuffs. "All this excitement, I almost remember what it was like being a huntsman."

"I need to find the others." Ash said.

"Already free." Thomas said. "Get out of here son, never look back."

"What about Billy?" Ash asked. Thomas shook his head. Ash closed his eyes. He could feel them welling up. He cleared his throat and blinked repeatedly. This wasn't the time. His team. He needed to find his team. Get them out of the city. No time for Billy.

"What about you?" Ash said. "They'll know you helped me."

"I can handle a few cops." Thomas said.

"What should I do?" Ash asked.

"Be a hunstman. Be the man you set out to be. Prove Ozpin right." Thomas said. "Prove me right."

"Thanks dad." Ash said. His father beamed at him.

"I'm proud of you son." He said. "Use your semblance. They are just around the corner."

Ash nodded. He limped out the door. A dozen cops were coming his way. They didn't see him and walked right past him. Orphy was sitting by the door and followed him. He could hear his father talking.

"Thomas Grey, where is your son?" A detective asked.

"Sorry officers, I have no idea where he went. He was gone when I got here." Thomas said.

Ash hurried outside. Orphy led the way, he followed him to a parking garage across the street. Morgan and Lyra were sitting silently. Lyra was sniffling under her hood. Morgan ran up to him and hugged him. He hugged her back.

"What's the plan now?" Morgan asked.

"We move forward." Ash said. "We be hunstmen. We be the people we said we'd be. We prove to the world we aren't a bunch of criminals."

"What about Victor." A voice called out. Ash spun around to see Calico limping into the carpark. "We aren't going to let him get away right?"

"No. We'll be looking for him." Ash said. "Someone in the four kingdoms must know where to find him."

"Until then we need to get out of Vale." Morgan said.

"I hear Mystral is lovely this time of year." Ash said.

"Never been to Mystral." Calico said.

"I wish Billy was here." Lyra said.

"I do too." Ash said. He glanced up at the ceiling. He sighed. "For Billy."

"For Rojo." Calico said. "And Leon, and Cheng."

"For team ECRW." Lyra said. "As much as they were jerks. Someone should avenge them."

"For Vale." Morgan said. "And all the people who died."

"To Mystral we go." Ash said.


=GWYN=

Gwyn awoke in the hospital bed. It was a mess, she was in the middle of the hallway, dozens of beds where being wheeled past her. She tried to move but her entire body ached. Beside her was her brother Orin. He smiled at her and rested his hand on her shoulder. She smiled and leaned back on her pillow. She saw Kol enter the room. As did Hilde and Robina.

"Where's Natasha?" Gwyn asked. They glanced at each other. Now she was worried. She sat up despite the pain. Her heart was beating in her throat at this point. "Where is Natasha?"

"Her father sent for her and Saffron, shipped them back home. To Atlas." Orin said.

"Suffice to say we aren't happy about that." Hilde said.

"We're going to go get them back." Robina said.

"I'm going with them." Kol added.

"Sis, I'm with you wherever you go." Orin said. "I've got your back."

"Fine, then we go get them back." Gwyn said. "They are our teammates after all. We are huntsmen, huntresses. We aren't children to be locked away."

They nodded and began discussing their plan. Gwyn pulled out her scroll and called Arthur. No response. She glanced out the window. Some parts of the city were still burning, from warships that fell from the sky. Vale was a mess. She wasn't sure it'd ever rebuild.

"Atlas then." Gwyn muttered. "Always wanted to go."


=ARTHUR=

Arthur sat by the window. Gabriel, Lancel and Toreth all sat nearby. Gabriel was lounging in his chair, it wasn't a rocking chair but he was making it rock. Lancel was polishing Arondight. Toreth cracked his neck. The door opened and Ethan stepped in. Arthur stood up.

"Father." Arthur said.

"Ethan, your sister has gone missing. The police are looking for her." Ethan said.

"And Mikael is gone as well." Ethan said. "Gone in the fighting."

"Mikael." Ethan said. He sat down at his desk. He buried his face in his hands. "How was he?"

"Messed up." Arthur said. "Getting worse."

"And the men who were after them?" Ethan asked.

"Shadow Man and his cult? Fanatics. Psychopaths." Arthur said. "Dangerous."

"Mikael is a survivor. He's lasted this long on his own." Ethan said. "I need you to find your sister, she's untested."

"We don't know where she is." Arthur said. "She could be anywhere."

"I happen to know." A voice said. Thomas Grey sauntered into the office.

"How did you get in here?" Ethan asked.

"Hunstman, remember?" Thomas said. "I know where your daughter is."

"Where is she?" Ethan demanded.

"Safe, with my son and their merry band of hunters." Thomas said.

"Do you know where they are heading?" Arthur asked.

"Mystral." Thomas said. He clicked a button. An audio recording played.

"I hear Mystral is nice this time of year." Ash said.

"You're spying on your own kid?" Ethan asked.

"You just wish you thought of it first." Thomas said. "I've got eyes, ears and a protective guardian following them on their journey."

"Arthur, you and your team must find your sister and bring her home." Ethan said.

"Right away." Arthur said. He motioned for his teammates to follow. They left the room.

"We're going after Morgy?" Gabriel asked.

"No." Arthur said as soon as they were out of earshot. "We're going after Mikael."

"Mikael?" Lancel said. "We don't even know where he's going."

"Then we hunt his hunters." Arthur said. "We knock down doors and find those cultists, they'll lead us to their Annointed One."

"What if we run into Shadow Man?" Lancel asked.

"Two birds." He said drawing Calesvol. "One stone."


=BRUNO=

"So Junior, we've laid our plan on the table." Bruno said. "What do you think?"

"I think you're mad." Junior said. "Or very stupid to cross Jasper Gold."

"Torchwick is gone, rumor has it he's dead." Bruno said. "His associate was seen flying away just before that ship exploded."

"So we're supposed to throw rationality away for your ambition." Junior asked.

"Yes." Bruno said. "I've already sent my men out. Tomorrow's paper, Gang War Sweeps Vale."

"What did you do?" Junior asked.

"We hit Jasper, we hit him hard. All his shops, all his businesses. His club, his restaraunts, his houses. We set fire to them, we fired round after round into everything he holds dear." Bruno said. "By tomorrow the gilded man will be forced to the streets."

"You're incredibly naive if you think that would stop him." Junior said.

"No, but our alliance will guarantee he has noone to turn to." Bruno said.

"And if I refuse." Junior said. Trevor raised his pistol. The Malachite Twins stepped foward.

"One way or another your accepting our terms. Or do you want your club added to the list?" Bruno asked. "You could redecorate, from the ground up."

"Grimm just tore the city apart, you want to start a gang war now?" Junior asked.

"Now is no better a time." Bruno said. "Do we have a deal?"


=ETHAN=

"What is it you want Thomas?" Ethan asked. Thomas sat across from him, legs on the desk. Ethan shook his head and pushed his feet off. Thomas placed them back.

"I want to bury the hatchet." Thomas said. "In a matter of speaking."

"You want to apologize?" Ethan asked.

"I have nothing to apologize for." Thomas said.

"She was my wife Thomas." Ethan said. "Now she's gone."

"Not my fault." Thomas said. "I resent the years of accusations. Where's my apology."

"Why do you want to bury the hatchet?" Ethan asked.

"Because our kingdom needs solidarity. We need to stand together and fix this kingdom, before it crumbles to the Grimm." Thomas said. "We need someone who can be our figurehead."

"Who would that be? You?" Ethan asked.

"No, someone famous, someone popular." Thomas said. "You."

"That's new, never thought you'd ever see me as a superior." Ethan said.

"I think you need to be in charge of this kingdom, part of the committee. I of course would be your right hand." Thomas said. "Like the old days."

"You really have gone mad, you know that?" Ethan asked.

"Is that a yes?" Thomas asked.

Ethan held out his hand. Thomas shook it. And hell followed with it.


=ASH=

Ash, Calico, Morgan, Lyra, and Orphy walked through the forests of vale. Heading east. Heading for the coast. They planned on smuggling aboard one of the tradeships. Ash glanced over the horizon. A great bear was watching them. Not an ursa, but a bear of bright white gold. Ash smiled. Vigil stood proud on the horizon. To Ash he saw him as a sign. Things were going to change. If only Billy were here to see it.