Week 2: An Exhaustive Search
How was it still morning?
Roman didn't have the energy to voice those thoughts aloud, but they popped into his mind all the same, one more thing that prodded away at his sensibilities as he stumbled on another dead end. That wasn't to say that he didn't know why the sun had stopped doing its job or anything; Dungeons were dungeons, and the fact that they ignored basic common sense shouldn't have been a surprise to him at this point.
Still, the criminal couldn't help but shake that odd feeling he got whenever he looked skywards, especially since it was supposed to be closer to midday by now. Or some time in the afternoon, maybe? Whatever the case might've been, a considerable amount of time should've passed, since a considerable amount of time was spent searching through this damned forest dungeon, if his unkempt appearance was any indication.
Really, he didn't even need to spare a glance to know how scuffed his shoes were, undoubtedly covered in all sorts of dirt or grass stains. Likewise, the once-classy crook no longer had his immaculate hair, whatever care and effort he had spent this morning wasted as he brushed aside his loose, unkempt bangs yet again. And he didn't even want to think about the state of his clothing, since it was undoubtedly stained with blue slime and monster blood at this point.
But you know what the best indicator of time was? His own state of mind. Even Roman himself had noticed that he had been keeping his thoughts occupied. An idiot would've noticed, and Roman Torchwick was no idiot, so he had been painfully aware of his attempts to focus on pointless matters, as he turned his mind to trivial things like the weather, or the trees, or his current state of dress.
And yes. At the moment, even his appearance was trivial. Don't pry any further than that, okay? All the crook could do was frown at himself as he retraced his steps, withdrawing from yet another bush-filled dead end as he searched for another path.
If there was any sort of consolation to this exhaustive search, it was that he didn't have to worry about covering for anyone other than himself. After the br-... After Caillou ran off, Red, Cereal Box and himself had decided that the best way to search for the kid was if they split up for their search. Sure, the two huntress-wanna-bes thought it was a bad idea at first, but they were also apparently short-sighted.
The monsters in this place, while dangerous for a twelve-year-old searching for recognition from a pseudo-father-figure, was hardly something worth noting for the rest of them. Roman neither over- nor under-estimated his person skills, and he was equally aware of the combat capabilities of the two huntress-wanna-bes as well. Really, their greatest weakness was that they didn't understand how Dungeons worked.
He still couldn't believe that he had to waste a good twenty or so minutes just to convince them that splitting up was the best idea. Dungeons were expansive, sure, and some of them could even be labyrinthine in design, but they were always finite in size. Even the most basic adventurer book could tell you that, and though it looked like they were in some overgrown forest, there would always be only a single path that led deeper into the dungeon depths. Which was why splitting up was the best idea.
All they had to do was to make sure they had searched through the entirety of a dungeon 'floor' first, before descending to the next part of it. Which, in itself, was stupid in other ways, but Roman didn't have the time nor inclination to comment on it. Nor did he have time to explain that brand of stupidity to the two huntresses, despite their protests. In fact, the only way he could get them to agree with his plan was when he reminded them that they were two deluded fools who, rather than twenty questions, had wanted to play hero well enough to find a lost child in the middle of monster-infested woods.
The moment he worded things like that, they had immediately stopped asking him stupid questions. And now, he he didn't need to play babysitter anymore.
Which why he was now facing off against another group of useless monsters by himself. Rather than the usual slimes or gnolls that he had encountered in earlier floors, Roman had the pleasure of stumbling onto a group of giant hornets this time around. Not that they were any less annoying, since each of the creatures were about the size of a small corgi, just out of reach as they buzzed ominously from the air above.
Not that it really deterred him, since they were far less maneuverable than your usual bee, and Roman had no difficulty dealing with normal insects. Each time a hornet descended, the criminal's cane was ready for it, and the mass of aura-infused metal made quick work of the wayward insect. And just as efficiently as he was killing off those monsters, so too was he efficient in gathering those power crystals.
Honestly, he was getting more used to them now, as well as the mysterious increase in speed and reflexes that they provided. Strikes he once found difficult were trivial, while certain jumps and twists that would've been inconvenient in the past were now far easier to perform. Really, as he weaved and stabbed through the cloud of giant hornets, the thief felt more and more distant from his previous difficulties.
He frowned at that thought.
As useful as his new reflexes were, he simply couldn't allow himself to grow accustomed to it. Moving faster was one thing, certainly, but there was a difference between an improvement based on refining your technique, and an improvement based on absorbing magical nonsense crystals. Just because he was moving faster now didn't mean he was moving better or more efficiently, just that he was getting a bigger and bigger handicap.
The criminal's eyes narrowed as he turned his gaze back to one of the many hornets, watching their motions with rapt attention. Were they really less maneuverable than a normal bee? Or did he just think that they were, solely because of his newfound perception and strength?
... Ultimately, he didn't have time nor the luxury to question it right now. Gauging his actual strength was useful, sure, and definitely something he'd have to focus on in the future, but the man knew that there was something more important to worry about right now. Without wasting another moment, Roman focused his aura into his body, kicking off the ground in a sudden burst of speed as he lunged straight towards the closest hornet, with his cane drawn and ready to strike.
Then, he flew to the second-closest. Then the third. Minutes later, he was finished, and ignored the lilting chime of power crystals as it rose from the field of monsters, already moving on to the next dungeon path.
"Did you find him?"
As Roman Torchwick returned from his search, the concerned voice of a certain hooded huntress-in-training greeted him. Not that he was surprised to see that Red had already finished her part of the search, what with her Semblance and all that.
He gave his answer wordlessly, a single shake of his head the only response as he turned to face the girl. He didn't need to say more than that, nor did he need Red to say anything in return, as her expression quickly informed him that she was just as successful as he was. So, rather than question her further, the criminal remained silent, completely unenthusiastic as he waited for the final member of their impromptu trio.
Of course, just because he was waiting for that violent redhead to show didn't mean he was going to waste any time. Instead, the criminal quickly made his way to the center of the clearing, one hand immediately reaching into his pouch as he stepped through the field of grass and monster debris. At the very least, he could get some reading done, and now that he was back at the meeting point, there was simply no reason not to.
Not like he could do anything else here. The room they had chosen was almost like any other that populated this stupid forest dungeon, in that it held absolutely nothing interesting except for one key difference. And as interesting as a dungeon exit portal was, it wasn't like the criminal could do anything with it. As useful as the portal was in being a landmark, they couldn't exactly use it until they were certain the kid wasn't on the current floor. That was about the only reason why Roman bothered to wait around in the company of Red.
"M-maybe I should try searching again. I might've missed something from my side or something." Speaking of Red, it was clear that unlike himself, she had absolutely nothing to occupy herself. So really, it wasn't all that surprising when she began to fidget in place, her brow furrowed in doubt as she shot a worried glance at the four pathway that led in and out of the clearing. "Or maybe he was hiding in one of the bushes I couldn't get to, except that I actually could get to it and I just didn't check, or..."
"Seriously, Red? You do this every single time." Roman punctuated his words, giving the huntress-in-training a single pointed stare as he released a heavy sigh, one that was most certainly exaggerated. "And then you convince yourself that you didn't actually miss anything. If you're going to doubt yourself like that, at least do it somewhere where I can't hear you. Actually, aren't you huntresses supposed to be shortsightedly sure of yourselves or something?"
He stared at her for a few moments, letting the words sink in as he rolled his eyes, only to turn his attention back to his book. Sure, insulting the brat might not have been as productive as gleaning more information about the dungeon, but an irritated child was still more bearable than one that constantly muttered to herself.
"...Yeah, you're right." And yet, contrary to what he expected, the girl seemed to cheer up at his words, a slight smile forming on her face as she turned to face him. "I should have more faith in myself. A-and it's not like doubting myself will make things better. I did already doublecheck, after all!"
Another sigh escaped the crook's lips, and all he could do was shake his head in silence as he turned his attention away from the girl. Sure. Delusion works as well. Rather than waste anymore time and effort in correcting the brat's misconceptions, Roman turned his attention back to the dungeon book. Just one of the many tomes that Caillou had recommended to him, and maybe this one had some sort of hint as to where the kid was hiding. Or, at the very least, some information of monsters.
Really, he was just trying to be productive while they waited for Cereal Box to return.
"Hey, Roman?"
So close. He was this close to being productive. He was actually quite proud that he had been able to read a full two pages before he was interrupted. "... What do you want, Red?"
"What type of person is Caillou?" It was an innocent question in its own right, and one that he could almost understand. After all, it wasn't like Red knew anything about the child, beyond that ridiculous Adventurer class thing a week or so ago. "I-I mean, sure, he works at the guild. But you also said that he was just a child and stuff. And it also seemed like he was asking you a lot of questions about things, and he was also a bit immature since he kept calling me a brat and a shorty, and and-"
"Red." He didn't even have the will to raise his voice anymore, and calmly closed his book in a single deliberate gesture as he turned to face her. "Can you please get to the point?"
"O-okay!" The hooded girl almost squeaked out her response, and stared at the exit portal for a few moments before finally speaking out again. "I just wanted to know... Why did you come into this dungeon with him?"
"That is something that I would like to know, as well."
And so arrived the other redheaded moron of Beacon. Roman wasn't even surprised by her sudden appearance, and as Pyrrha Nikos stepped into view, the criminal spared her only a single glance. However, the Mistrali's response to the crook was far less passive, and there was a hint of venom in her voice as she shot a pointed glare at Roman. "What exactly are you planning, Torchwick?"
"Why, whatever are you talking about? I'm sure that even you can understand what sort of link adventurers and dungeons have." Understandably, he saw absolutely no reason to answer the Mistrali's question. Heck, he was barely tempted to answer Red, since the reason why this entire misunderstanding occurred in the first place was because of these two idiots. "Since both Caillou and I are adventurers, I'm sure you understand why we might've chosen to explore a dungeon like this. Really, if you think about it, I was just helping him."
"Bullshit." The champion practically seethed, her hands tightening around her spear as her eyes narrowed at him. That... was unexpected. Roman honestly wasn't aware that the walking product placement was capable of getting upset, and yet... It was clear that there was hostility in the girl's tone, and he could feel a bit of the girl's aura rise up as she took a step forward. "You think we forgot the Breach? Criminals like you don't help people."
"P-Pyrrha, wait!" It was so bad that even Red dull wits felt it, and the hooded girl immediately turned to face her classmate, fear and alarm quite clear in her eyes as she held up her hands in protest. "I know Roman was a criminal back in Vale-"
"Was!?"
"B-but he's better now! Honest!"
He had to admit, Pumpkin Pete had a surprising amount of restraint. When Red talked over her, Roman could've sworn the spear-wielder would've turned her hate to her friend. Yet, she had enough restraint to hold back some of her aggression, and only scared the hooded brat with a half-glare instead.
"Why? Why do you keep... making excuses for him, Ruby?" Her words were more measured, and the girl had finally decided to put her weapon away as she spoke. "After all he's done, how can you just...?"
"Because!" But as the Mistrali's unsteady voice trailed off, the silence was replaced by Red's irritatingly loud conviction. "Because they're not excuses! They're the truth! Y-you also heard it from him, right? How he's been helping out Recette with her debt ever since he got here in Pensee?"
"He also said that he was forced to-"
"No he wasn't!" The volume that Red yelled that even caught him off guard, her voice cracking for a moment as she turned to face her friend completely, and all Roman could do was give the hooded huntress a silent, surprised stare. Yet, her next words were barely audible, a stark contrast to her first shout as she stared at the ground. "... Have you seen Tear? She's just a fairy, smaller than even Zwei. And Recette's so young, I don't know if she'd even be allowed in Signal. If Roman really wanted to... If he really didn't care about them, and wanted to just leave, they wouldn't be able to stop him."
Okay, now was the time to tune out. Honestly, while he could put up with some of Red's delusions of him, the way she presented them this time were so far off the mark that it honestly made him... uncomfortable. Was that weird? That was really weird, right? He honestly hadn't seen someone believe such baseless lies since his giant speech with the White Fang, and even then, some of them had an inkling of doubt. But Red?
"But he didn't leave. He stayed, for the sake of a little girl who lived alone by herself, just to make sure she could pay off her dad's debt."
For whatever reason, she had absolute faith in him. And as a result, Roman was quiet. He forced himself to be, just as he forced himself to ignore the prattling that the hooded idealistic moron continued spouting out. Was what happened last night really that interesting? Of course it wasn't.
Maybe there were still some monsters around or something. Those giant hornets had a paralytic venom, right? Perhaps he could just paralyze his eardrums and not listen to the kid's deluded praises.
... Of course, self-delusion was never healthy either, and the criminal quickly pushed those thoughts out of his mind, as he willed himself to focus on something else. Maybe the charred monster corpses that still surrounded the field? Or what about the book in his hands? Oh! Or the dungeon portals that led to the next level! Literally anything would've been better than sitting here, listening to Red while they waited for...
Wait a minute.
Roman blinked, before turning back towards the two huntress-wanna-bes. "Hey, Red! Rather than spouting that nonsense, don't you think it'd be better if we got going?"
Both paused for just a moment, and the two huntresses looked at him with confusion in their eyes. At least he had managed to put a stop to their pointless conversation. Without skipping a beat, the criminal gestured towards the more violent redhead, as he urged them onward. "Since Pumpkin Pete's here, and since she didn't bring back Caillou, I think it's clear that she wasn't about to find him either. That means he's deeper in the dungeon, which means we should hurry up and find him before something bad happens, right?"
For some reason, he found himself emphasizing his last few words. Of course, that reason was obviously because he was building on the terrible deluded image that Red had of himself, and the only reason he did so was to convince the two idiots to hurry up. Still, without waiting for their response, he rose to his feet, pocketing his book once more as he turned towards the portal.
"Y-You're right!" Red reacted first, bouncing back from whatever her previous mood was as she immediately hopped over to Roman. Well, not immediately—he didn't miss the whispered 'You see?' she sent to the other redhead.
As for the spear-wielding maniac? She also seemed to agree with him, as she had been unable to put up any sort of rebuttal or complaint in response to his words. Instead, the CCTV poster-child of Mistral gave him a slow nod as she stepped forward, moving to the spot beside her friend. "... You're right. We cannot afford to delay much longer."
"So which portal do we take?"
"... What?" Red's sudden question caught the crook off-guard, and he couldn't help but give the girl a blank stare. "What sort of question is that? Obviously, we take the portal down."
"B-but... What if he returned to the adventurer's guild?" Red continued, her words filled with concern and doubt as she turned away from the dungeon portal, towards the prominent dimensional door that stood beside it.
Oh, right. He ignored it the first time around, but in addition to the dungeon portal downwards, the field also contained a familiar magical door. Just like the one that had been at the bottom of the Hall of Trials, the portal located in dimensional door was just a quick passage that allowed adventurers to return to the Adventurer's Guild. Honestly, Red's concerns never crossed Roman's mind, simply because of how utterly pointless it was to consider it.
And even if he was concerned, it was still a fact that the door itself had absolutely no bearing on what sort of decision they had to make. Without wasting another moment, Roman promptly turned to face the confused scythe-wielder.
"Let me put it in a way you can understand, alright?" He decided to be deliberately condescending, if only to deflate Red's perception of him, but the girl had absolutely no reaction. Cereal Box was a different matter entirely, of course, but he didn't exactly care about that detail. "If he decided to return through the big red doors, then we can assume that he's perfectly fine, right? Riiiight?"
He gave an exaggerated gesture with his hand, and received a slow nod from an equally slow girl in return.
"But what if he didn't? I don't know if you two bothered to do your homework, but Jade Way's slightly bigger and slightly more dangerous than the stupid test dungeon back in the Guild. The smart thing to do would be to head down anyways, to make sure the kid didn't get hurt." After all, if they were lucky, then Caillou would've returned to the Guild, and the only thing they would've lost from their continued adventure was a bit of time and effort.
But really, Roman was never lucky, and he certainly wasn't expecting any favours now.
More than that... Well, kids were stupid and the criminal knew that fact more than anyone else. He understood it, too—far more than these deluded Beacon brats could hope to, at any rate—and if the expression that Caillou wore was any indication of his state of mind... The thief shook his head, his voice unexpectedly dry as he turned his attention back to Red. "Does it help anyone if 'maybe' he returned to the Guild? Do you really want to risk his life on a 'maybe'? This place isn't exactly a playground, you know."
And to prove his point, the man slowly gestured back to the field, a light action that reminded the two huntresses-in-training of the burnt and faded monster carcasses. That was more than enough quiet Red, and from the corner of Roman's eyes, he saw the girl's expression fall further.
"She was only voicing an optimistic possibility." The Mistrali spoke up, moving in defense of her friend, though her words were less confrontational than he had expected. Not that it changed anything, and her blind faith in half-hearted hopes were just more reason Roman disliked huntsmen in general. He let that particular sentiment show on his face, completely unamused as he stared at the naive champion. In return, the green-eyed teenager met his stare with one of her own, not backing down as she stood defiantly beside Red. "While we must always be prepared for the worst-case scenario, surely that's no reason not to hope for the best, right?"
They stood in silence. Roman stared at the girl, and she stared back. Her eyes were resolution, so full of colour and conviction, and the criminal felt the corner of his mouth twitch in irritation.
"Whatever you say, brat."
There was no point in this, and the criminal turned away from the stupid staring contest. Time was precious, and the longer they wasted arguing about pointless delusions, the more likely it was that Caillou might've stumbled on some form of danger. So rather than drag on the argument any further, Roman merely gave the girl one last glance, his motions deliberate as he stepped into the second portal.
"... Must be nice, thinking that you can prepare for 'the worst-case scenario'."
And just like that, the forest faded away in a flash of light.