With calm steps a lone young walked through the streets of Vale, two leashes in hand as a pair of grown Golden Retrievers pulled him along. The Young man had blond hair and bright blue eyes, he was dressed in a black short sleeve shirt with a small rabbit on the shirts lapel alongside a pair of simple jeans and sneakers. Over top all this was a plain brown jacket that he was resting over his shoulder we his other hand.
The two Golden Retrievers were excitedly taking in their new surroundings, taking quick sniffs of everything in their path. Few gave the young man a glance until he stopped out front of a small clinic, the 'Edict Opal' medical clinic. Calmly tying the two dogs to a nearby bike rack before giving them a stern look. "Tony, Thompson, Stay." The young man instructed, too which the dogs obeyed instantly. "I'll be back in a bit, behave." the young man said as the dogs laid down and seemed to nod.
The young man walked in, taking a quick glance around the lounge before he approached the receptionist. "Hello ma'am, I'm here to see a patient by the name of Tukson Bagheera." he said calmly. "And you are?" The receptionist, a young woman with rather pronounced bags under her eyes, asked. "Jaune Arc, my family recently bought his property and have a few questions for him." Jaune answered politely, not even reacting as the woman's eyes flashed in recognition at the mention of his last name. "I see-" The receptionist leaned closer, gesturing for him to do the same. "-He's in overnight room five, he's had three sets of cleanser applied to his leg but no pain killers have been given yet." The receptionist whispered. "Thank you." Jaune said before walking down the halls of the clinic, heading over too overnight room five.
Finding the room in less than a minute, Jaune opened the door to see Tukson leaning on a chair with a cast around his leg. "Hello Tukson, my name is Jaune Arc. You had made a deal with my older sister and I'm just hear to get some much needed details." Jaune introduced himself as Tukson flinched at his approach. Jaune put his hands up in a mock surrender as Tukson tensed. "Relax, we're not mobsters or anything like that. My sister call my team into Vale and I just have some questions." Jaune explained as Tukson let out a sigh of relief.
"Now, my first question is just related to your shop itself." Jaune said as he took the other chair and moved it so he could sit across from Tukson. "What about it?" Tukson asked cautiously. "Just some remolding and order tracking. You did sell us a bookstore after all." Jaune explained before he leaned in. "I'm also hoping to track the source of... IT..." he said calmly as Tukson shuttered. "Arcadians, always a crazy bunch." Tukson muttered before he grabbed a small slip of paper and wrote something down on it. "This is the account and password I used to manage orders and shipping for the store. The... Thing... came in my second last delivery, found it buried in a box of full old fairytales and fantasy books." Tukson said with a haunted look as he passed Jaune a folded slip of paper.
"Thank you, now my other question... How long were you being haunted by them?" Jaune asked with a serious tone as he pocketed the slip. "A few weeks. It started simple, books being misplaced and doors randomly opening. It just kept escalating, like something... Something was following... Staring down at me from every nook and cranny..." Tukson paused as his body shivered. Jaune waited for a second, seeing if he would continue, only to be met with silence. "Well, hopefully with this information we can start dealing with the ones responsible for all this. I wish you the best of luck in your recovery Tukson." Jaune said before he stood up.
Jaune got closer, pulling something out of his other pocket and holding it out to Tukson. "This should make it easier to sleep at night, if you catch my drift?" Jaune said as Tukson took the item. He looked it over, letting it loose from the darkness as he analyzed it top too bottom. It was a necklace, held by a silver chain, which ended with a small heater shield that looked normal on one side. Tukson turned the shield around, looking over the array of strange symbols that were edged into the backside of the shield.
Tukson gave him an estranged look before Jaune gestured to the side of his temple. "It will help calm your nerves, make it harder for... IT... to follow you around." Jaune explained as Tukson put the necklace on. The faunus looked down at the necklace before a soft smile creeped upon his face. "Thank you." he muttered softly. "Its our duty Tukson, as dangerous as it may seem." Jaune said before he began to walk out. "Just... tell your sister that I owe her one, she saved my life." Tuksom said. "I'll tell her, have a good day Tukson." Jaune said as he gave the man a brief wave goodbye. Tukson returned it as Jaune closed the door behind him.
As he returned to the lounge be gave the receptionist a short nod before walking out of the clinic. Tony and Thompson perked up as Jaune untied their leashes and took a firm hold of them. "Come on boys, we have to visit my big sister." he said as the two dogs began excitedly panting. "Yes yes, she gives very good pets." Jaune joked as he began to walk to his older sister's office.
Blake felt a great deal of tension today. Sure she had snuck into Beacon fully knowing that she's a recognizable terrorist. Sure, she fled from a psychotic madman that had killed her mentor figure and took his place. Sure, she's now partnered up with a blonde girl who clearly suffers from anger issues and other such things.
But there's something else that's been eating at her ever since she arrived at Beacon the day prior.
"So... you think we'll cross paths with any of the other initiates?" She heard the blonde girl, Ying or something like that, ask. "Maybe." she said after a short pause. "Something up?" Ying(?) asked as she leaned over her shoulder. Blake just shook her head in response before the two of them heard a twig snap.
Breaking into action both girls drew their weapons. A lone Beowolf rushed out from the bushes, missing one of its front limbs. The girls paused before a large hammer slammed down onto the grimm. The two girls watched as a shorter ginger girl walked in afterwards, taking the large hammer and resting it on her shoulder with just one hand.
"Howdy." The girl greeted with a bubbly smile and a wave. "Sup." Ying(?) said with her own wave. Before Blake could speak someone else ran into the group, a tall man with black hair and a lone streak of pink in it. "Nora, please don't run off like that." the boy half begged before he leaned on his knees. "Sorry Renny," the ginger apologized with a sly smile. The boy (Renny?) straightened up and looked over the two of them, as they did the same.
Blake quickly took note that the two of them were dressed similarly. Both had black slacks and faint brown jackets over top, but Renny(?) had a dark green shirt on underneath and a pair of pink finger less gloves on while Nora had a pink and Turquoise shirt and solid pink gloves on. 'A bizzare choice of attire, probably planning to be partners anyway? But why like that, no Huntsmen or huntress ever dressed that similar' Such a thought ran through Blake's head as she put them under a scrutinise eye.
"Well, my name's Yang. Nice to meet you." Yang greeted with her hand held out. "Nora." Nora said as sheeagerly took it, shaking both Yang's arm and body as she did so. "Lie Ren." Ren calmly said as he offered his hand. "Blake." Was all she said before taking Ren's hand. After he let go Blake looked over to Yang, seeing that she was trying to stop her eyes from shaking after Nora shook her like a brick in a washing machine.
"Well, we'll be heading out, best of luck." Ren said as he began to walk away, Nora following after him. "Hey wait, why not move as a team?" Yang asked. Ren just paused for a second, his expression blank. "Ah don't worry, we have a big plan. but it's all hush hush." Nora said while her pointer finger in a shushing pose. Blake just shook her head as Yang let out a disappointed "awe" followed by a sigh. Ren waved them off before he and Nora walked back through the bush they had walked out of.
Blake let her faunus ears check to see where they were walking.
Then she felt something...
She fell to her knees as Yang rushed over to help her. "Hey, what's wrong?" Yang asked with concern as Blake turned to gaze out farther too the left. An deep growl unconsciously left her throat as she glared at the path they had walked from. "Woah, ok, don't get too catty with me." Yang said as she looked out to where Blake was glaring. Blake ignored her somewhat offensive pun and continued to glare at something.
Where is was, she wasn't sure. all she knew was that it was in this forest, and it was not friendly.
Jaune hummed to himself as he twisted the doorknob and walked in. Tony and Tompson quickly took off and began cozying up to his older sister, Charlie Arc. She just chuckled before petting the two goldies and turning too Jaune. Jaune took a quick glanec around the place, taking note of the damages. "They really did a number." Jaune stated as he looked at the hole in the ceiling. "Yep, went through two swords dealing with the Horror." Charlie said while standing up. "You didn't use Durandul?" Jaune asked. "No, Tukson arrived earlier than expected, it was still up in my room when he arrived." she explained as the both Goldies heeled.
She began walking to the fireplace, Tony and Tompson quickly began sniffing around as she pulled the melted remains of two swords out of the fireplace. The two dogs began to growl before they put themselves between Charlie and the burnt out fireplace. "Heel boys, its gone." his sister said as the two dogs kneeled, not taking their eyes off of the fireplace. She passed the remains to Jaund as his eyes glowed with a faint golden aura.
"You sense it to?" she asked. Jaune nodded before putting the remains on the nearby coffee table. "Well, I had a quick chat with Tukson and I got this from him." Jaune said while passing the folded paper too Charlie. She took it, opening the fold and looking over it with a stern glare. "He said the tome came in his second last delivery, buried with a bunch of fairy tales and fantasy books." Jaune added as Charlie nodded. "Your plan for the shop?" she asked.
"Its a bookstore, so I'm going to keep it as a bookstore. Thoygh I currently have a small group renovating the upper floors so that it can serve as a base for my team and I." Jaune explained. "Speaking of your team, where are they?" Charlie asked. "Ah, well, the official story is that they're trying Beacon's initiation test." Jaune said while clapping his palms together. "And the actual story is a hunt? Did your girlfriend not get enough combat before you all shipped out?" Charlie asked with a raised brow. "Ah, well tournament season was delayed because of that flu running through parts of central Minstral. Gramps had us shipped here at the last second so we had to improvise to keep it satiated for the time being." Jaune countered.
"With what? Promising Candidates for Huntsmen and Huntresses?" Charlie inquired with a glare. "No, just some old Grimm that took root in the forest that Oz was going to get rid of anyway. He saw it as a win win." Jaune said before Charlie groaned. "Can we not talk about him?! Bart already tells me more than enough about him." Charlie said while leaning back into her chair, Tony wattling over to comfort her. "Yeah yeah, they'll be here later. It's just safer if Ren and Nora are keeping a close eye on it at Beacon while the hunt is on. Oum only knows what Goodwitch would do if she had to deal with the mess." Jaune explained, whispering the last part while rubbing the back of his neck.
"She'd put us all six feet under, that's what." Charlie said while patting Tony on the head. "Yeah... she would." Jaune replied as he took a seat across from her, Tompson quickly rushing to his side. "Still, Vale is pretty nice this time of year, not to mention the fact that the Vytal festival is being held here in a few months." Jaune muttered. "Something just line up?" Charlie inquired. "Yes, but I hope it's just Grimm related." Jaune replied. "Same here, at least Grimm can be understood." Charlie chimed in.
Jaune took another glance towards the fireplace, his eyes darting to the hunk of metal resting on the coffee table. "Were there any markings on the Stalking Horror? Any sign of a Major Cult or some kind of Symbol edged into its skin?" Jaune asked. "Couldn't see any, its skin was pale grey but not even the flames revealed anything." Charlie responded dejectedly. "So that leaves a lot on the board, but the fact that they used a Stalking Horror means we could push the Preacher's Cult from a Yes too a Maybe." Jaune surmised. "Can we really cut it off that far, You know the Preacher's followers are never straight forward, always confusing." Charlie countered. "Back too a Yes then, alongside the Cults of the Sleeper and the Egg." Jaune said before leaning forward.
"And fuck knows how many alternate sects and Lesser Cults that might be roaming around Vale and its Territories." Charlie said, mirroring his pose. "So, let's start making that list." Jaune said with a slight groan. Charlie pulled out a folded piece of paper and unfolded it. "This is the record of all Cults that have been active in Vale, that we've found out about atleast." Charlie said. "And are there any that we could cross off our list of suspects?" Jaune asked.
Charlie glanced through the list for a second. "First is a couple small group of radicals and moderates from the Tracker Cult out in Vale Frontier Territories." Charlie answered. "So potential allies instead, good to know." Jaune noted as Charlie looked down the list. "We have a large commune filled with both well initiated and unknowing members of the Frost Walker Cult, decended from a bunch of Mantle refugees by the way, fairly passive and isolationist." Charlie said. "Definately a No for them, They despise anything that doesn't have a thick fur coat or twelve layers of blubber." Jaune chuckled at his own joke while Charlie smirked.
She then glanced down and sighed. "There is a small group of radical White Fang that are aware of all such Things, but they've proven to be rather incompetent. They don't have the means nor the willingness to align themselves with any of the other Cults. Just be careful of any building marked by a what appears to be a White Fang symbol with a mutated wolf head." Charlie advised. "Good to know, what's the level of activity we can expect from the rest?" Jaune inquired.
"Low, between the Vale Police Department and-" 'Sigh' "-Oz's Huntsmen, our own presence here has been rather minimum when compared to the other three Major kingdoms." Charlie said. "Really?... Wow," Jaune said with wide eyes. "Yeah, as much as I hate the Wizard, he's very efficient at his job, He also knows when he has to call us in, which is rather nice." Charlie said the last part with a smile.
"And, what about The Witch?" Jaune asked. "Nothing out of the ordinary, her forces keep to the frontier and areas with lots of negativity and few huntsmen." Charlie said. "Any chance she's working with them?" Jaune asked. His sister gave him a look that screamed 'Don't be stupid' at him. "Yeah, I know she hates them just as much as Oz, if not more so." Jaune said before running his hands over his face.
"Any other specific group too note?" Jaune inquired. "Vale only has one group of info brokers, all leading back to a man called Junior based in a Night Club in Upper Vale. His notion of such things is Vague, but he prefers to stay out of such a mess. Still if you want info that the cops can't get, he's the man to talk too." Charlie advised. "Good, I'll send Ren and Nora to meet with him sometime soon." Jaune said. His sister nodded before she pulled out a second piece of paper.
"Now, to start drawing out a plan." She grimaced. Jaune mirrored her expression, knowing that it would take hours to do such a task. He took a deep breath before grabbing a pen from her outstretched hand. "Let's just get this over with." he said as his sister nodded.
Ren let his eyes dart everywhich way as he and the rest of his group walked through the streets of Vale. The sun was hanging low in the sky and he would rather be in a proper building before nightfall. Nora wasn't far behind him, cheerfully humming while carrying both her own bags and a large case over her shoulders. Not far behind them was a cautious Pyrrha, dawning a hat and fake glasses alongside the jacket, red and bronze colored shirt, and black slacks that made up her standard attire. Two large bags were held in her hands as she let out steady breathes. He took a quick glance at the large bag on his back and the carrier in his left hand before looking back at them.
"So, you think fearless leader will be asleep by the time we get there?" Nora suddenly asked. "I doubt it, it's only a few minutes past seven." Pyrrha responded before Ren could. Ren just shook his head before his eyes lingered on a rather dark alleyway. The two girls seemed to notice his gaze and narrowed their eyes at the same alleyway. None of them spoke as Ren's hands ran to a hidden dagger in his belt while Nora and Pyrrha were preparing to pull their weapons out of their bags.
They waited, eyes glaring at the offending alleyway.
Silence.
Until a Cat came running out with a piece of meat in its mouth, two more cats following after it.
Ren let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as Nora and Pyrrha relaxed. "Mission got you jumpy Renny?" Nora asked. "Just a bit." Ren replied. "Well, the sooner we get to our new base the sooner we can relax for the night." Pyrrha chimed in. "That might take a bit, we're staying at Charlie's place for the week until the movers can finish the renovations." Ren interjected. "Boo, I have to wait a week for my baby to come to town." Nora frowned. Ren just cracked a small smile and shook his head while Pyrrha stifled her laughter.
Finally they reached Charlie's place, the sign still hanging proudly over the door. Ren opened the door, allowing Nora and Pyrrha to walk in before he did. With a quick glance out He stepped inside, closing the door behind him as he did so. He could already hear Jaune's Goldies approaching with friendly intentions. The duo quickly surrounded Pyrrha and began sniffing her bags as Ren set the carrier down and opened it. The two dogs wandered over and gave the carrier's resident a proper greeting.
Melon, A Large brown Chausie cat with a fur pattern that resembled a melon's rind, wandered out. It gave little reaction to the friendly greetings from Tony and Tompson, already used to the dogs antics. Melon just looked up at the two goldies and accepted their friendly licks. Ren looked up as the Goldies wandered off and Melon just looked around the house.
"Hey, how was Beacon?" Jaune asked as he approached from around the corner with a small plate in hand. "Not bad." Ren said, taking the plate from him as he approached Pyrrha. "Breakfast was free, but their pancakes weren't as good as the ones back home." Nora said before she scooped up Melon. "Weiss Schnee recognized me as the Tournament Crusher, she even tried to partner up with me." Pyrrha said with a small frown. "Ah, well at least you guys had an active day." Jaune said with a small smile as he took the two bags from Pyrrha.
"It... Took a few trophies." Pyrrha said quietly. Ren just watched Jaune open the bags and inspect their contents. "I'll get these shipped back home for ya." he said before Charlie came into the room with more small plates. "I have some pizza from a local place, dish up what you want." She said while holding out the other plates. Ren watched as Nora and Pyrrha took their plates and wandered to the kitchen as Jaune and Charlie turned to him.
"Anything else notable at Beacon? Other than Weiss Schnee?" Jaune asked. "A White Fang deserter, on the same team as her, alongside an early entry of about two years." Ren explained. "Oof, I feel bad for that team." Charlie said while shaking her head. "The Winchester heir also has his own team if that means anything." Ren continued. The Arc siblings just shrugged in response before motioning for him to continue. "We didn't see any signs of Cult activity, though I fear some of the faunus students noticed the Hunt." Ren added. "Unavoidable, not like they'd know what it meant." Charlie said as Jaune shook his head.
Jaune quickly hefted Pyrrha's bags up and held them at his elbow before he reached into his pocket. "We got some groundwork set and there's a place I want you and Nora to check out later." Jaune said while handing him a piece of paper. "Info Brokers?" Ren inquired as he opened the paper. "Only one in Vale, calls himself Junior." Charlie explained. Ren nodded as his eyes glazed over the notes. 'Junior owns a bar in Upper Vale, known as Junior's Place. He has a wide variety of information for a price. Bartering is the preferred method, but don't be afraid to use Intimidation.' was what it read.
"So, Nora and I gather information on possible Cult Movements while making it appear as though we're private investigators on a murder case?" Ren inquired. "Yep, Charlie will be tracking the orders from our source while Pyrrha and I will be investigating some of the known Cult locations and Hangouts." Jaune explained. "My budget?" Ren asked. "A few thousand lien, nothing too extreme." Jaune said.
"Understood, anything else?" Ren asked. "Not yet, our investigations start tomorrow." Charlie instructed. "Yeah, now if you need me I have to get on a private number. Grimm parts don't ship themselves." Jaune chimed in before walking to one of the other rooms. Ren just nodded before making his way to the kitchen, intent on getting some food before Nora eats it all.