Isn't this story meant to be comedy, the reviews ask. What do you mean – I gave you about 400 words of a funny skit at the start of last chapter before making Ruby cry and then signalling the potential end of the world. Is that not enough!? Are you not entertained!?

Lol, yeah, jokes aside I definitely wanted this to be more of a dark comedy, which means it's going to alternate between Blake and Jaune having fun and being bestie buddy-cops, and then mind shattering, stomach churning horror.

What the reviews tells me is that I probably grouped it up too much and could have used a chapter between them coming home and this Mountain Glenn situation to give a little time to relax, hang out and have some funny moments.

Cover Art: Kirire

Chapter 28

"My entire family is coming to Vale."

No seven words had ever filled Blake with as much dread as those did. It was enough to have the blueberry muffin she was snacking on fall, though she was quick to catch it before Timothy could. The Guardian Weaver shied back from her ferocious glare, having been caught mid-lunge with its bizarre mouth open. Yeah, that's right. Back away. Mine. Blake brought it back up and took a bite, speaking with her mouth full. "What for?"

"The end of the world."

The muffin was in free-fall again, and this time she didn't have the presence of mind to catch it. Timothy did, snapping it up and rushing away on his eight legs to wrap it up and suck the blueberry goodness from it. Blake watched it go, one hand outstretched, a panicky look on her face. Her eyes swivelled to Jaune, rummaging furiously through his desk. He looked stressed, but surely he was joking. Or he was talking hyperbole. Given hot shit his family was, she could well imagine their family reunions would feel like the apocalypse.

"That's a joke, right? That was a joke."

It was not, as it turned out, a joke, and that was how Blake found herself standing stiffly behind and to the left of Jaune as he stood at the far end of a long conference table. Along its sides, and at its head, sat the most powerful men and women of Vale. The Council of Vale, along with the Chief of the Police and several other people she didn't know, but who she could tell were important players in one way or another. There was Ozpin, too, steadfastly ignoring her and Jaune both as he sipped at his coffee. Jaune still hadn't told her the full story, only that she would catch it when he filled in the council, and that she should stay quiet and not interrupt.

Jaune stayed silent as the last people took their seats, and as the last muttered and worried chattering ended. Someone their age should have looked out of place, and yet Jaune appeared to belong with them in his fine suit and coat, and with the folders and sheets clasped against his chest, he had the appearance of a businessman pitching his project to a group of wealthy investors. If those investors were unnaturally tense, frowning harshly and, in one case, nervously fidgeting with their pen. It didn't look like they were any happier with the state of affairs than him.

"An emergency meeting was called and we are all here," said the man at the far end of the table. He was old, wrinkly, and no doubt incredibly rich. "For some of you, this may be your first such meeting." His tone suggested it was not his. "You were all informed when you took your office or positions, and you are all aware of who this man represents." He gestured to Jaune. "I expect this to be taken with the utmost seriousness. Anything less and you shall be removed, both from this meeting, your positions and, perhaps, from this mortal coil."

No one was surprised. No one spoke up. Several looked more nervous, but no one laughed or cast doubt on them, which meant they understood exactly what was at stake. They knew about the anomalies. This was the shadowy cabal of contacts ARC Corp had within Vale's government, and likely within all others as well.

"Thank you," said Jaune. "I am Jaune Arc, Director of the Containments Office of ARC Corp, stationed in Vale. As of one week ago, a number of murderous anomalies were identified operating around Vale's subway systems. ARC Corp has looked into this and has found, to our regret, that it is citizens from Mountain Glenn." Mountain Glenn? The fallen expansion of Vale? Wasn't that a ghost town? Apparently not. "They have reached Vale."

Angry shouting and commentary exploded up and down the table. Jaune stayed quiet, as did the person at the head and, more worryingly, Ozpin, who slowly closed his eyes and brought a hand up to massage his forehead.

"You told us it was contained!" shouted one of the older councillors. "You told us it was handled!"

"It was," said Jaune, far more calmly. "Mountain Glenn – renamed The Twilight City within ARC Corp records – was fully sealed off from the outside world. The tunnels were closed and sealed in several places; all entrances and exits were closed; a task force between Vale and Atlas, codenamed Taskforce Lullaby, was set up around the city, killing all who try to enter and leave, and napalm bombardments are scheduled every twenty-four hours at the time of the incident."

"Then what went wrong?"

"On searching the subway tunnels under Vale, I came across a tunnel that had been excavated toward Mountain Glenn from Vale's side." The announcement brought shocked murmurs. "Mountain Glenn's equipment stores were destroyed by ARC Corp to prevent this, but we did not account for anyone foolish enough to start digging from Vale."

"We granted no such permits," said the police chief. "All groundworks are monitored."

"I found these in the tunnels."

Jaune tossed a pair of masks on the table, and Blake groaned. The sound was lost in the uproar from the council as the White Fang masks came to a rest, their red and white outer edges pointing toward the councillors.

"Our hypothesis is that the White Fang tunnelled toward Mountain Glenn to use it as a staging point for whatever terrorist acts they intended for Vale, or to use it as a forward operating base. Ignorant of its true nature, they broke through, and were likely swallowed by the Twilight City. Naturally, the tunnels back were found – either by the residents or used by themselves to try and escape. The news obviously isn't widespread of we would have thousands of anomalous residents streaming through, but it's only a matter of time until that happens."

"As a result," said Jaune, voice stiff. "ARC Corp is declaring a Class-B End-of-World Scenario. I have been instructed to put Armageddon protocols in effect, and ARC Corp is converging on Vale as we speak. We shall be assaulting the Twilight City with the goal of neutralising it once and for all."

What? They were? Blake wanted so badly to speak up and had to suck her lower lip into her mouth and bite down on it to stay quiet. Class-B End-of-World scenario? Armageddon protocols? All terms she desperately needed answers to and which she imagined she'd have been briefed on if she'd applied to ARC Corp through normal channels.

"Armageddon protocols," said the head of the council. "In my lifetime. Goodness, I dared to hope I would die of old age without ever having to see them. Very well, the Council of Vale accepts this state of emergency."

"Are we to hold evacuations?" asked another.

"No." Jaune shook his head. "Any panic increases the chance of discovery. You're free to evacuate your own families under the guise of holidays, business trips or whatever you wish, but if we fail and the Twilight City takes Vale then no one will be allowed back inside. How would you explain that to displaced citizens who see that the city is well and whole? Evacuations can begin if we fail, and when contingency programs commence."

"It's a purge," said Ozpin. "Isn't it?"

"Should Vale and its citizens fall under the same anomalous effects as those in Mountain Glenn, they will be trapped in a never ending cycle of torment and agony," said Jaune. "All those who are killed within the anomaly's reach are brought under its effect, rising again every twenty-four hours and locked in a never-ending loop."

Like the movie, thought Blake. She'd read fiction about this topic as well, though it never had such a murderous bent before. What had happened in Mountain Glenn to affect them with this, and why had they turned into apparent psychopaths? Her teeth dug into her lip, her entire body vibrating with questions.

"It is better Vale's citizens die than suffer this fate," continued Jaune, "Which is why ARC Corp is suggesting that the contingency program selected for this case be purge."

Purge. That was not a happy word. The council seemed to agree.

"Purge the city, the territory or the populace?" asked the head.

"All three," answered Jaune.

"You can't be serious!" shouted a man, standing up. "You're talking about the slaughter of every single person in Vale! How can we countenance that?"

"Because, councilman, if you do not then the Twilight City will have under its control an extra six million people, some of whom are huntsmen, and it will have the numbers necessary to spill out of Vale and destroy, or infect, everyone on Remnant. As I said, sir, this is an End-of-World scenario, not an end-of-city one."

"Sit down, Roberts," said the head of the council. The man, shaking, did as he was told. "Mr Arc, I trust you would not suggest this would means, and I hope that you and yours can deal with the problem without contingency programmes coming into it. As a reminder to everyone, this only occurs if all goes wrong. It is a contingency plan, not our primary plan." His words had a calming effect on the council room, though not on Blake, who knew she'd be knee deep in this. "That said, we will attempt a limited evacuation should the primary plan fail."

Jaune's eyes closed. "I cannot advise that, sir."

"Noted. However, the decision is ours. The city will be purged. It shall be firebombed and destroyed, with biochemical weapons used to create an area inimical to human life. This will prevent anyone wishing to come back and colonise Vale, which I trust is the main fear." Jaune nodded. "However, we shall attempt an evacuation under the guise of a terrorist threat from the White Fang to use said weapon. We shall evacuate all that we can, but the weapon will be detonated when the first anomaly comes through the tunnels. All those who cannot escape in time will be spared the anomaly's grasp and granted the only mercy we can. Survivors will be shuttled to Mistral, Atlas and Vacuo. Is this suitable?"

"It is suitable," said Jaune, bowing his head. "So long as no one infected by the anomaly is allowed out, it will be fine. Those infected won't become problematic immediately anyway, so it can be quarantined. The city needs to fall, however. If even a fragment of it stands then people will be tempted to come back to try and reclaim their homes, and they will see that it is not empty. ARC Corp will be severely limited in its ability to help as well, seeing as how eighty per cent or more of our number will be lost."

Me included, thought Blake. This is insane…

"Beacon will be on hand to assist with evacuations," said Ozpin.

"You're welcome to send some huntsmen in with us," said Jaune, unable to stop a little of his feelings leaking through. "We'll be fighting for the sake of Vale after all. Qrow Branwen is a known entity, and his skills could be useful."

"I'm afraid that Qrow is needed for matters on my end and will be far more invaluable should ARC Corp fail." There was no hint of an apology in the man, the anomaly, nor a smidgeon of guilt. "Good luck, Mr Arc. I do believe this will be your second visit to the city. Try not to let it end like the first."

Jaune stilled. His hands trembled for a second, and then, they stopped. "If I do, sir, I will be sure to continue my work as best I am able while under its affects. At the very least, I can rid the survivors of Vale of one problematic anomaly within their midst."

He would come back and kill Ozpin.

The two men stared at one another, expressionless, but not emotionless. More was said in that silence than the entire meeting before, until the head of the council signalled its closure and everyone began to file out. Jaune moved with them, touching her elbow gently to tell her to follow.

"I want explanations!" whispered Blake.

"You'll get them."

/-/

"There'll be a full briefing when everyone arrives but I'll give you the cliff notes now," said Jaune. They were back in his office, Blake standing awkwardly by the sofa. She didn't feel comfortable enough to sit; there was an electricity in the air that had her too bothered to relax. "As you've probably figured out, the Twilight City is Mountain Glenn. What do you know about it?"

"It was an expansion of Vale and meant to be a satellite city. Something went wrong and the tunnels were sealed off. The official story was that Grimm got into the city and overran it…" That was the story she'd always believed until now. "I'm guessing that's not the case."

"To be blunt, we're not entirely sure what anomaly is behind the city. All our previous efforts there have been to try and identify what is causing it, but we can never get close. What we do know is that it effects the entire city and that anyone who dies within the city is brought under its influence. It appears to be some kind of temporal anomaly. It has a… timer effect, for lack of a better word. That time is 1400 hours exactly. At that time, anyone who has previously died within the city is brought back to life in the exact place of their demise. They are brought back to before their deaths, so any injuries causing it are healed."

Blake's eyes widened. "What about the girl that killed herself in the middle of Vale!?"

"Don't worry; it's the place of their original death not subsequent ones." He smiled weakly as Blake exhaled in pure relief. "Yeah, we'd be absolutely screwed if it was the latter. Vale would be gone already. Another oddity, and also a saving grace from our point of view, is that any of the anomalies that are alive at what we call the twilight hour instantly crumble to dust and are then brought back to life back where they died. They can leave Mountain Glenn, but they can't ever escape it as they'll be brought back at 14:00 hours every day. There's no stopping it."

"Taskforce Lullaby," said Blake. "They firebomb the place at 14:01 every day, don't they?"

"Once at 14:00, a second time at 14:10 and a third at 15:00, actually, but yes." Jaune nodded. "Our efforts to contain the place involve bombing the city to try and kill the majority of anomalies. It doesn't always work, obviously, and some are clearly finding shelter. The problem is that they're human, so they're intelligent, and they know to avoid it. Or they're learning to. Lullaby also man the perimeter and prevent anyone leaving or, worse, getting in. They turn people away under the excuse of Grimm cleansing programmes and shoot any anomalies outside the walls."

"The walls still stand? Are they affected by the same anomaly?"

"No. The decision to let the walls and most of the buildings stand was made by Atlas, citing both some small mercy for the people trapped there, but also the fact the walls can be used to keep them inside. We could reduce it to a crater, but that might open up more tunnels to Vale, and it wouldn't stop them being brought back to life. The hope was that they'd understand they're being quarantined and be satisfied with what they have."

Blake snorted. As if that would ever work. No one liked being told what they could or couldn't do, or that they weren't allowed to ever leave a given location. It was ridiculous to even think those people would have been content there. Still, she expected riots and anger, not outright murder and children enjoying it.

"Does the anomaly turn them violent?"

Jaune let out a heavy sigh. "No. The anomaly has no mental impact on them from what we've been able to tell. All it does is bring them back and take anyone who dies within its radius under its umbrella. When it first appeared, when it all began, the victims were cooperative and even peaceful. They were angry, obviously, but they didn't attack anyone. They protested, tried to sneak out and some even tried to live normal lives."

"Then what the hell is causing them to go psycho?"

"Constant death. As far as we can tell. Mountain Glenn fell over twenty years ago, which means those people have died at least seven thousand times each. It seems to have had an impact on their mental health…" He smiled wryly, as if to poke fun at what was a very obvious statement. "I imagine the first thing to go was their fear of death; not much point worrying about what will always happen and never stick. With that went compassion and empathy, or maybe it was something else that caused it. We don't know. Mountain Glenn is entirely cut off from us. All we do know is that they went from cooperative to restless, then antagonistic and now downright insane. They take fun in killing, or so it appears from those children. Death is a game to them, and why not? It never sticks from their point of view. A child can smash another's skull in and they'll be back the next day to laugh it off."

Warping perceptions of right and wrong, or permanent and temporary. Blake grimaced and asked herself if she would have ended up the same way. She wanted to say no, but if they could get away with anything, and were functionally immortal, then she couldn't help but think things like law and order would go out the window. Law worked on the assumption that you would be punished for breaking it, and that the punishment would be so bad as to deter you. It wouldn't here. Time imprisoned meant nothing as you'd be free the next day, and your victims would come back to life to boot. No consequences, no lasting impact, no sense of loss or fear of death. Had they truly gone mad, or had they just opened their eyes to their new reality and embraced it?

"And we're going in there?" asked Blake.

"We don't have a choice. The Twilight City was always contained before, and we were content to leave it at that, but now it's got direct access into Vale. We can try and seal the tunnels, and we probably will, but if the White Fang blew a new access on their end then they'll dig them open again. Plus, this has shown us we can't just leave them contained. It was never a full solution. That's what a Class-B End-of-World scenario means. Class-A is when an anomaly directly threatens to destroy something, but Class-B is when it's other entities affected by the anomaly that are the danger. There's no intent on the anomaly's part, which hopefully means it isn't sentient and won't actively try and stop us."

"But we don't even know what the anomaly is, where it is, or how to find it."

"That's the problem," agreed Jaune. "That's why this is such a dangerous job, and why we're bringing all of ARC Corp for it. We're not only going to have to get in there and survive, but push through, locate the anomaly, identify it, and then figure out how to destroy it. All in one go."

"And if any of us die…?"

"We'll be swallowed by the anomaly, yes. If it helps any the madness is not an immediate thing." He smiled weakly, knowing it wouldn't help at all. "It's gradual, so even should one or more of us perish, we'll still be able to try and complete our mission when we're resurrected. We'll just be killing ourselves along with the anomaly. That'll be a mercy if anything."

This really was a suicide mission. Maybe literally. Go in, try and find the anomaly and don't even sweat it if you die because you can still give it your best shot. Hell, the ARC Corp employees might even be more useful dead than alive. They'd be functionally immortal then and could continue looking for the anomaly without having to worry about pesky things life death or coming back to your loved ones alive.

"I don't want to die…" whispered Blake.

"I don't think anyone really wants to die. Least of all those who say it." He paused then. "You could leave."

"What?"

"My family are coming here and will be too distracted by the Twilight City to care about one missing employee. There's a good chance we all die in Mountain Glenn anyway, and there's a twenty-four hour timer on how far we can move away from it." Blake couldn't believe what he was saying. Jaune didn't stop. "You should take the money from your account and transfer it to another. Do it in cash, and outside of Vale, or it won't be too hard to track. Go live on Menagerie – we don't have an office there – and so long as you stay out the four kingdoms and don't try to reveal anything online, no one will care."

"Are you serious…?"

"Very." He didn't meet her eyes. "I never wanted you involved in this, Blake. You were someone I was trying to keep ignorant." He chuckled. "You just refused to accept that. Haven't you heard the old saying?"

"It wasn't curiosity behind me wanting to know what the fuck was happening in a house trying to eat me alive. That was common sense – and survival instincts." Huffing, she crossed her arms. "Plus, that saying is stupid. Lots of animals are curious. Why do cats get a bad rep?"

"Because you're snooty, arrogant and judgmental."

"They're not- Wait, are you talking about me or cats?"

"I wonder." Jaune's smile faltered and died. "But I'm serious. Think about it tonight, Blake. We'll be meeting tomorrow with my family to run through plans. If you want to disappear in the night, I won't blame you. In fact, I'd think more of you for leaving. It'd be the smart choice. Only an idiot would stay here and agree to this."

/-/

It was late, it was raining, and Blake was stood at the side of her bed looking down at the half-empty suitcase. Clothing lay neatly packed inside it and folded across one another, new clothes that she'd bought with money provided by Jaune. New shoes, new accessories, new toiletries. Some of it would have to be left behind so she could move quickly; mostly, that was furniture, home accessories and the like. Blake had only just started decorating her apartment to her liking and making it something lived-in and personal. Now, she was leaving it. Running.

Not running. Jaune said I should; this is nothing like with Adam.

Jaune knew, understood and even encouraged her in this course of action. That made it better. Sort of. Or it should have. With Jaune in agreement, there shouldn't have been any guilt, and yet there was. There shouldn't have been any reason for doubt or self-hatred either, but there it was, weighing down on her shoulders like a thick coat of snow. It's not running away, thought Blake. It's not. I'm just… I'm just…

Not suicidal. Not stupid. Not ready for this.

Coward… whispered the voice in her mind. It was Adam's voice. Traitor…

"I'm not," she said out loud. "I'm… This isn't a betrayal. If anything, it's better. If I'm there then I'm at risk of hurting Jaune. Coral said…" Her words trailed off as she realised she was relying on Coral's words. Of all people, here she was using the sentiment of someone she despised as justification for her own actions. "I really am pathetic."

It was the right choice to leave. It was the sensible choice. Staying, while brave, was suicide. Jaune didn't even have aura, and he was going to walk into a city gone mad, where death meant eternal enslavement to its anomaly. To call him brave would be like calling a chicken running out in front of a car courageous. It was stupid. That was what it was. Jaune was a great big idiot, and she was even more of an idiot for thinking that she might want to stay.

He was going to need someone to watch his back.

No, the sensible part of her said. He needed much more than that, and she wasn't enough to provide it. How could she keep a person who was functionally a civilian safe in a city filled with immortal people unafraid of death? How could anyone? This was going to be a suicide mission, and they all knew it. That was why he was giving her an out. Run away, forget about ARC Corp, forget about him and live a normal life back home on Menagerie with her parents.

Spending the rest of her life wondering if her inaction had killed him.

"Fuck…"

/-/

"Blake! Blake!"

A tall redhead with green eyes and a too-wide smile came jogging up to her waving. Pyrrha Nikos, former celebrity and now secret agent of sorts, stopped before her to wave again, smiling too brightly for how early it was in the morning. Blake was nursing a hot cardboard cup of coffee and a bagel, and she tore into the latter with an angry snarl. I should have run. I should have told my conscience to shove its guilt up its ass, packed my bags and run away. I'm such an idiot.

Saphron Arc had already gone into the meeting room with several other suited blondes who looked far too severe and haunted for their ages. One of them was fifteen at most, Ruby's age, and wore an expression like one of those unhappy grannies who would snap and insult everyone they came by. She looked like she was tired of life, and ready to bite anyone who came near. The fact Jaune had tried to say hello, only to be rebuffed and ignored, hadn't improved Blake's mood any. They had all gone inside now, leaving the extra staff and employees – a good twenty in total – outside in the corridors of the hotel conference centre to mingle. Blake refused to get to know any of them, all too certain that most wouldn't be making it back. Sadly, Pyrrha hadn't got the memo.

"Isn't it amazing to think all of ARC Corp is coming together for this?" gushed the redhead. "And we're going to be stopping something that could threaten the whole world. It makes you feel small, doesn't it?"

"It makes me jumpy," grumbled Blake. "It's not a happy moment."

"Ah, yes, well. I didn't mean to say it was." Pyrrha chuckled and took the seat by Blake without asking. "I guess I'm just overwhelmed by it all. I used to just do tournaments before, and I was always wondering why I spent my time on something so pointless. This is bigger, you know? I feel like I'm making a big difference. I can put my skills to good use and save all those people in Vale."

Ugh. Thanks for the reminder. She had almost managed to forget that there was a contingency in place to detonate a bomb and purge a good portion of the population should they fail. Already, police were in the tunnels with orders to shoot anyone and anything that came out. No questions asked. Up top, the city continued on its way, with everyone oh so blissfully ignorant.

Blake had warned Ruby to stay out the city for at least a week.

"I guess I'm nervous as well," said Pyrrha, taking Blake's silence as that. "But there are going to be a lot of very experienced operatives here. I'm sure they can come up with a plan between them to make sure this goes smoothly."

Blake's faunus ears were picking up different. She was no more or less audibly sensitive than anyone else, but her feline ears did allow her to channel it somewhat. She could angle her left ear toward the wall for instance, and the shape of it meant that she naturally blocked out a little sound from the front and back, acting as if she was holding a cup to the wall. It helped that she was leaning against it, actively trying to eavesdrop. No one had noticed. Inside, she couldn't make out full conversations despite her efforts, but she could make out raised voices, shouting and clear signs of arguments. Most of the raised voices were female, which didn't narrow it down any but at least meant it wasn't Jaune.

"Do you know anything about the anomaly?" asked Pyrrha.

"You don't!?" replied Blake, attention flicking back to the redhead. "You don't know what it is, and you're still here?"

"I know it's something threatening the world, and I know it's dangerous. Associate-Director Saphron told me I'd learn more here, and I have faith in that. I was just curious." Her shoulders loosened a little. "So, do you know?"

"I know."

Several other employees nearby, who had no doubt been listening to them slid a little closer. Suddenly, Blake was aware of numerous eyes on her, including a rather judging set from Terra over in the corner, who had likely been filled in because of her marriage to Saphron, but who was shaking her head slowly and meaningfully at Blake. The message was clear, but what exactly the consequences of breaking it were, Blake didn't know. Nor did she want to find out.

"It's probably best to let them discuss it in case I get something wrong and give you all wrong intel," said Blake. In the corner, Terra nodded and went back to waiting. "I don't know enough to answer questions. Sorry."

"You will all be briefed soon enough," said Terra. "Be patient. Be professional. That includes you, Pyrrha."

Blood flushed up the girl's cheeks and turned them cherry pink. "I'm sorry."

Idiots. All of them. Blake sniffed at the fact that Pyrrha could feel embarrassment at a time like this. At a time when they were going on a suicidal mission with the fate of Vale, or even Remnant, on their shoulders. Maybe they didn't know, or maybe they were anxious and trying to hide it, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. A voice raised in the room caught her attention, angry and shrill, high-pitched and undeniably young.

"Then let Jaune stay!" shrieked the girl. "He's useless anyway without aura. Let him stay and let me go!"

"No!" roared a man. Jaune's father. There was only two men in there, and that furious voice certainly wasn't Jaune's. "Someone must stay. Someone must remain. Someone must continue the legacy should we fall. My decision is made. Enough whining. You are a Director of ARC Corp. Act your position!"

Chairs screeched inside, and one fell as someone stood. Blake winced and pulled away from the wall, waited a few seconds until she knew they were at the doors and then said, "Looks like the meeting is coming to an end."

Pyrrha turned, and the doors opened a fraction of a second later. Out came the youngest, her black coattails flying wildly as she stalked out the room with her tiny fists clenched and her teeth gritted so hard it was a wonder she didn't break her jaw. She stormed away, smashing past Terra so hard the older woman was knocked into the wall. Blake didn't get much time to keep looking, as someone else stepped out, tall and powerfully built, with a face dotted with scars and eyes darker than Jaune's. His hair was lank and messy, his chin scraggly with a beard.

In her head, Blake had imagined the Chief Director of ARC Corp to be professional and clean-shaven. Unapproachable and cruel, but in a cold businessman style, like Jacques Schnee but with less racism and more equal hatred of all people. Instead, Nicholas Arc looked like someone with one foot already in the grave, and maybe the shin, knee and a good portion of the thigh as well. His face was criss-crossed with scars, his lip had a chunk missing, and he either hadn't shaved or showered in a few days or had come straight from another job. Unlike Jaune, his clothing was utilitarian, with a suit on the inside, tattered and dusty, with a much more rugged coat thrown over the top in a weak effort to hide the muck, blood and wrinkles. He stopped, turned and stared at her, and Blake stiffened as his eyes narrowed. There was no way to know what was going on in that mind of his, but he gave his attention to no other employee, and the way his lips pressed together didn't fill her with confidence. He turned away, presented his back and said, "You will be briefed en route to the location. We leave immediately."

Welp. Time to go to Mountain Glenn.

Next Chapter: 7th November

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