'So this is the place, huh?' Ginger noted as got out of his car and looked at the sleazy-looking building with a frown. 'Well, it definitely is a club. I can hear the music and see the party lights from out hear.'
[So this is a club. It looks totally Golden! This is my kind of place!] Kintoki exclaimed happily.
'Of course you'd say something like that.' Ginger rolled his eyes. 'Welp, no time like the present. Let's get this over with.'
[Are you sure you will be safe, Master? This place looks…questionable at best.] Hassan muttered disapprovingly.
'I should be fine. I got my flawless disguise on, after all.' Ginger smirked as he put his hands on his hips and puffed his chest out proudly. 'There's no way anyone will be able to recognize me in this.'
It was true. Ginger had changed his usual look for this mission. He decided to go all out with his outfit, picking out a fancy three-piece suit to wear to blend in, along with a fancy fedora hat, a face mask, and large sunglasses to help hide his features. He wasn't typically one to dress up like this, but it did feel nice to wear fancy outfits every once in a while.
However, his brilliant disguise did not stop the assassin in his head from worrying.
[I highly doubt this outfit of yours will truly be enough for this.] Assassin once again noted. [You are going to be entering a den of criminals unarmed. We do not know how they will react when a stranger comes into their territory or what they might do. In the worst-case scenario, they could attack you.]
'That's true, but I don't have much of a choice. If I want information about criminal and terrorist hideouts, I'll need info from someone more familiar with the underground crime scene who's willing to share that info with me, and Junior is a known broker in Vale. While it's true that he's a mob boss, as long as I pay the right price, I'm sure he'll at least humor me unless he's under other obligations. That's what the rumors surrounding the guy seem to point to anyway.' Ginger explained. 'Besides, if I enter their territory while armed, they might consider me a threat. And the only weapons I have are the class cards anyway, which drain my prana whenever I use them, so it's best to hold off on using them until I have to.'
[Even so, I advise you to exercise caution here. These people could be just as dangerous as those White Fang troops. Maybe even more so considering we're entering their main base.]
[You're worrying too much, Assassin. The Boss has got it all handled! And Boss isn't here to fight, he's here to talk and negotiate. That feels right up his alley!]
'Thanks for the confidence boost, Golden.' Ginger couldn't help but laugh a little at the Berserker's boundless optimism. It was so easy to let his feelings be swept up by whatever Kintoki said. He made it so easy to believe in whatever he was saying somehow.
'Okay. I'm going in.' Ginger took a deep breath and steeled himself as best he could before finally walking into the building.
Much to his surprise, he was let in without any discourse or questioning on the staff's part. All they asked of him was the price of admission, which he obliged without issue, and then he was led into the club. He found it odd that there wasn't even a line to get in, but he dismissed that as simply to the club's reputation of being the base of a crime family and the location being in the worst part of Vale.
Still, the moment the doors leading to the main club area opened, Ginger was blown away by the scale of the club. Bright red and white lights shined everywhere and nearly blinded him as the loud music nearly deafened him. Colorful spots shined down from the ceiling and danced around as the floor segments changed between white and black on the dance floor, which was absolutely full of people living it up like there was no tomorrow.
Ginger had never been to a club, so this was all new to him, but even then, he couldn't prevent the small smile he made at seeing what it was like inside. 'Calming' wasn't the feeling the club gave him. It was more towards the likes of 'comforting'. It was nice to see that even in a dingy place like this near the slums of Vale there were still people having fun as though everything was alright. It nearly convinced him there and then that everything would be alright. There was a sort of hope born from seeing the people in the club as they danced away, and Ginger felt as though it was special.
Still, he couldn't let himself get too entrenched in the atmosphere of the club. He had a job to do, so he quickly surveyed the area as he walked around. It didn't take long for him to see his target standing behind the bar counter cleaning glasses.
Ginger knew what the men of the Xiong family looked like. They all wore the same uniform, that being a black suit, black hats, red glasses, and a red tie. However, this man working at the counter did not wear that, but he was most certainly the boss, considering how he held himself and how the other men treated him.
He was a tall, well-built man with short dark hair and a beard. He wore a white button-up shirt and a black vest, matching the formal dress attire of the other Xiong members, but he wasn't wearing the jacket. On the surface, he looked like a normal man. Just a normal bartender doing his job; however, Ginger knew he was not at all what he appeared to be.
The reality was that hardly anyone was exactly how they appeared to be. He learned that lesson the hard way as a child.
Steeling himself once more, Ginger slowly walked over to the counter and sat down on one of the stools. The man, who surely must have been Junior, spared him a glance before returning his attention to the glass he was polishing.
"What will you have?" He asked simply in a deep, slightly gravelly voice.
"I won't be drinking anything," Ginger replied in a soft voice, letting his voice go a little deeper than usual while adding a bit of gravel to his throat. Thank the Brothers he always did those stupid voices for Ruby when reading to her.
Junior just gave a small nod and a hum of acknowledgment to the response. If Ginger was there for pleasure and not to get information, Ginger would have loved to have a drink. He was an adult, so he could if he wanted to. It wasn't something he tended to do on account of knowing Qrow and seeing his drinking problems, but the stress of the past few days has made him understand the desire to let it all go like that. Is this what Qrow feels like on a daily basis?
"Well, if you're not here for a drink, what else can I help you with?" Junior asked as he spared a raised eyebrow towards Ginger, the act causing him to tense up a little more.
The man wasn't trying to, but Ginger could feel a sort of pressure coming off of Junior. The kind of pressure a leader of some kind usually gives off. Perhaps to people training to be huntsmen, this sort of feeling wouldn't be a big deal, but to a normal person like Ginger, that pressure was enough to make him more than a bit nervous. He was speaking to the head of a crime family, after all. He had to treat it with the utmost seriousness.
It took a small, barely noticeable breath to recompose his slightly shaken state, but he managed to quickly and calmly respond.
"I'm new in town, but I heard that this was the place to go to if someone wanted to find something or learn something." Ginger began, keeping his voice as steady as he could as he turned slightly to Junior. "At the right price, of course."
"You heard right." Junior gave a small nod as he looked back to the glass he was holding before he set it down and grabbed another one to clean. Surprisingly. or perhaps unsurprisingly, he didn't seem very interested in the conversation. Ginger chalked that up to Junior treating it as business as usual. "What do you want to know?"
Ginger was once again a little taken aback at Junior's fowardness. He almost wanted to question it, but he knew better than that. As long as he got what he needed, it didn't matter to him.
"I heard the White Fang have arrived in Vale." Ginger began slowly as he watched Junior's face as he spoke. "I even heard they had a few hideouts in the city. Do you know anything about that?"
"The White Fang?" Junior repeated as a frown formed on his face. He stopped cleaning the glass in his hands before he sighed and put it down. He then turned and moved to be directly in front of Ginger, giving him his full attention. "Perhaps I do. Why do you want to know about them?"
"Does it matter?" Ginger asked with a raised eyebrow under his sunglasses. "Do you know about them or not? If so, how much do you want for it?"
Junior remained quiet for a moment before crossing his arms into a relaxed position.
"...15,000." Junior eventually answered.
Ginger frowned at that. Not because that was too expensive. No, he was frowning because that seemed too cheap for what he wanted. That wasn't even half of the amount he paid to get his store.
He honestly should have expected something like this to happen. Going to an info broker didn't guarantee that he would get anything new. Even info brokers would have a hard time gathering info on a huge terrorist group that hides out of sight of humans.
Still, he wouldn't argue with it as long as it helped him. Even if this was a complete wash, he might still get something, anything, that might help him, and he had money to spare thanks to Old Man Kale. So, Ginger pulled out a few green lien cards and slid them toward Junior on the counter.
"I suppose you don't know too much about them then. Even so, anything is better than nothing." Ginger conceded.
"If that's what you believe, then I'll oblige." Junior nodded as he took the cards and shoved them in his shirt pocket. "I can't say I know too much about them; however, I did learn a few things recently."
"What can you tell me?" Ginger asked in a hushed voice as he leaned a little closer.
"Well…" Junior began as he leaned against the counter and began to speak quietly as well. "I can't say I know why they're here. I know they have groups in every kingdom, but they stay hidden for the most part when they aren't making a mess. Those folk tend to keep their cards close to their chest. However, we have heard a few things. People of every type talk and such, those sloppy few that can't tell they're letting details loose for any to hear, and my people are the type to pick up whatever is thrown around by those types." He then frowned deeply as he continued. "Most of it is the usual. Complaints about their treatment. Anger towards the government. Frustration at what's happening and in-fighting between recruits. The usual you'd expect from any organization. However, the thing that caught my eye that my guys picked up recently was their new apparent 'partner'."
Ginger raised an eyebrow. It was just as the White Fang soldier had mentioned. That goon had said something about working with a human woman, or rather, being forced to work with her. Still, Ginger had to be sure that was true.
"Partner? They're working with someone?" Ginger questioned.
"Seems like it. They're tight-lipped about it and rarely talk about it, but a handful of my men who happened to overhear some suspicious faunus at a bar heard something about some human bitch who had walked in and taken over their operation as though she owned the place. Now they have to work with some…questionable associates, though they had used more colorful language to describe them. Now, these could be unrelated to the Fang, but there's nothing that pointed to them not being involved with them. And from what was said, my money is that they were involved."
That was shocking. This woman just walked in and started shoving her weight around, and suddenly the White Fang was listening to her? What kind of woman is this? To be able to twist the arm of the White Fang into working for her…just who is she? And why would someone want to work with those terrorists? Why would a human want to work with terrorists who hate humans?
Still, confirmation that this woman exists was good, though a little disappointing if that's all there is to know from Junior. The man did mention how the woman brought in her other associates to work with the White Fang, and from the Fang's opinion of them, Ginger could probably assume they were other humans as well. Curious, but he still needed more.
"I see. Have you heard anything else?"
"Aside from the fact they seem to be planning something big here? Not really. There was that attack on one of their bases that I read about in the news. I can have my guys start looking into it in more detail if you're that curious." Junior hummed before something similar to realization flashed in his eyes. "Now that I think about it, there is something else."
"And that is?"
"Taurus is the leader of the operation happening here in Vale," Junior answered in a deathly serious voice.
Ginger's frown deepened at that. Yet another thing he already knew, but a fact that still bothered him to no end. Taurus really was here in Vale for some nefarious plot. This meant that even if Ginger found another base to attack, there was a chance that freaking Adam Taurus, the guy who can take on Atlas's armies and destroy their top soldiers on his own, might be there to stop him.
"Well, that's just great…" Ginger let out a groan as he let his eyes fall to the counter.
"Yeah. That means whoever is working with the White Fang as 'partners' was able to either convince Tauros to work with them despite his men's complaints, or they forced his hand, which is admittedly worse to imagine." Junior sighed. "'Messy' is an understatement about whatever might be happening with the Fang."
"Tell me about it." Ginger muttered as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you have any idea where they might be located here in the city?"
"Sorry. They don't like dirty humans such as myself or my guys. Any faunus associated with them tend to keep tight-lipped around humans, whether they openly support them or not. Hard to sell out your people like that no matter what you might think of 'em." Junior shrugged. "However, I can give you my own thoughts on where their bases might be if you want to hear them."
"Anything would help," Ginger replied.
"Then…if it were me planning some big thing here in Vale, I'd make sure to hide bases everywhere in plain sight. At the very least, I would imagine them having numerous bases hidden throughout each district in the city, and even outside the city walls. I would say at least one base in each. They'd be in inconspicuous spots like warehouses or even places with a front like my club, and they would ideally be in a strategic location for their plans, or at least a few of them would."
Junior sighed again before giving Ginger a serious look.
"Look, I don't know what you need this info for, and I don't much care. However, if you're looking for them, finding where they're hiding isn't going to be easy unless you have a really good information network, 'specially after that recent attack against them. And even if it's unlikely to happen, it might even be a good idea to try to find a faunus who's willing to speak to humans about what they know. They're more likely to have heard anything regarding the White Fang due to how the group operates nowadays. But if you really need to find them and you can't get a faunus to help you out, then keep your ears to the ground and keep an eye out for places that would work best as a hideout they would need for their operation."
"Information network..." Ginger muttered as an idea formed in his head.
A certain Berserker's skill he had used the last time came to mind as a way to kickstart that operation. Ginger had that map of the White Fang's bases, so that could help him determine where new bases might be if they matched certain traits those old bases had. Then, using the Animal Communication skill, Ginger could confirm whether those locations are actual White Fang bases with the help of the stray animals he could speak to. After all, no one would suspect stray animals are being used to gather information on a terrorist group.
However, it would still be difficult to fully determine that if he didn't know what their true goal was. That's what worried Ginger the most about the white fang currently. The White Fang's goal and operation itself. finding the Fang's bases to attack was all well and good, but the best way to stop their entire operation was to figure out just what their operation was. Without that knowledge, Ginger would just be stuck on the backfoot fighting these guys. He would always be guessing what their next move would be on assumptions. He had to figure that out now.
"And do you have an idea of what their operation is?" Ginger decided to ask, figuring he might as well check.
"Not a clue. I imagine it has to be something that reaches toward their 'ideals'." Junior scoffed. "Most likely, it's another attack on the SDC. That's their typical MO. They've been fighting their war against the company ever since they got that new leader of theirs."
"The SDC...?" Ginger repeated slowly as his mind began to turn.
The Schnee Dust Company. That was the obvious target, wasn't it? The company has been subject to numerous attacks after the White Fang turned violent. However, what that White Fang goon told him before still bugged him. This was not like their previous attacks, so what were they planning? What were they trying to do? All he had were theories and what that goon told him to go off of. Still, that gave him enough to theorize. Ginger wondered...
"...Hey, Junior." Ginger began cautiously. "What would you do if you had warehouses full of stolen dust?"
"Why in the world would anyone have that much dust?" Junior asked as he gave Ginger a raised eyebrow. "With that much dust, someone could fight an army."
"Or blow up all of Vale," Ginger added, causing Junior to freeze up.
"...Why do you bring this up?" The man asked as he gave Ginger a serious look.
"I don't think the White Fang has been attacking the SDC just to attack their questionable labor practices. They've done that before only to get little results back. They must be planning something bigger now." Ginger said in a hushed whisper. "I think…they're attacking to steal all that dust for something else now."
"And how do you know that?" Junior said before his eyes widened a little. "Wait…are you saying you saw them with all that dust?"
Ginger didn't answer as he considered his next words very carefully. Should he even say anything? Junior had already given him everything he had, so what was stopping Ginger from just leaving now?
But perhaps this was an opportunity to get something else. It all depended on how Ginger acted now and how Junior took it. The chance was low, but Ginger could use any advantage he could get. He just hoped he could pull something like this off on his own.
And so, after another breath, he finally responded.
"There was a dust store attacked a few days ago, I hear."
"Pardon?"
"There was a robbery at a local dust store here a few days ago, near the high-class district. It happened sometime before that white fang base was hit." Ginger began. "I only just read about it in the news when I started researching things happening around town lately. Did you know that no money was stolen? All that was taken was dust. Crystals, liquid, powder…burnt, uncut, pure, refined, or whatever... Everything that was dust or dust-related was taken no matter what it might have been. Isn't that strange? Who needs an entire store's worth of dust?"
"It is strange not that you mention it…" Junior admitted. "But what does that have to do with the White Fang? It could have been anyone who stole all that dust."
"Except it's not just happening in this city. It started happening all over the kingdom about over a week ago or so if the reports are at all true." Ginger stated. "All over the kingdom of Vale, there have been dust stores that were hit, but no money was ever taken. Just dust. What kind of organization could perform large-scale attacks on dust stores all over the kingdom? Who would need that much dust? An army? If so, the White Fang seems like the obvious choice."
"But…why? What's the point of having that much dust? Are they preparing for a war or something?" Junior asked.
"It's possible, isn't it?" Ginger pointed out. "They're terrorists. What's a war to them if it means they get what they want in the end? Wars have fought for lesser reasons."
"That's…crazy," Junior said with a nervous expression. "But…if they are preparing for something as big as that, then the dust would make way more sense. Stealing all that dust not only bolsters their own forces but also prevents huntsmen and the armed forces from having that dust for themselves."
"That's…a good point," Ginger muttered, the thought just now hitting him.
It was brilliant in the worst possible way. They would get stronger the more dust they stole, and the more dust they stole, the less dust would be available for their enemies. And with all this dust being stolen, the SDC will have to raise praises to an extreme, preventing many huntsmen from buying whatever dust still remained anyway.
This is starting to become a much bigger problem than Ginger initially thought.
"Well, this is just wonderful to think about," Junior grumbled before seemingly taking a minute to think. "But if that's really their plan, then…give me a minute."
Suddenly, Junior grabbed a napkin and took out a pen before quickly doing something on the napkin. Ginger was more than intrigued by whatever it was the man was doing. It appeared as though he was drawing something. Did his gambit work? Did he just earn himself a new ally?
But before Junior finished whatever he was doing, someone else plopped down on the stool beside Ginger. Instinctually, Ginger turned to see who it was, and he nearly gasped at who he saw.
"Oh, don't mind me. I'm just here for a little business matters." The man in the white coat gave a pleasant smile, though Ginger hardly thought the description applied to the man.
That orange hair, that white coat, that bowler hat, and that cane. There was no mistake. Ginger was now sitting next to Roman Torchwick, Vale's most infamous criminal mastermind.
Suffice to say, Ginger was at a loss for words, so he promptly kept his mouth shut and prayed that his outfit hid enough of his shock and borderline terror as he gave a slow nod and turned back to Junior, who looked just as surprised by the sudden appearance.
"Torchwick? What brings you here?" Junior asked as he stopped what he was doing and gave Roman his attention. Ginger noticed how he managed to shove the napkin he had been writing on into his pocket as Torchwick greeted Ginger.
"What's with the suspicious tone, Junior? Can't I just stop by to say hello to a friend of mine every once in a while?" Roman smiled.
"Yeah. 'Friend'. Sure." Junior rolled his eyes. "Get to the point, Torchwick. I'm busy here with something."
"Yes…I can see that." Roman noted as he took another look at Ginger, this one very clearly more suspicious than before.
"Is there something you want to say?" Ginger asked, doing his best to appear unbothered by Roman's curiosity about him. Too bad the truth was that he was absolutely terrified on the inside. So much so that he could feel the Servants in his head start to react, though he ignored them to focus on the threat in front of him.
"A few things, I can assure you of that." Roman laughed at that as he fiddled with his cane. "I haven't seen you around these parts before, friend. Might I ask who you are and what you want from dear old Junior here?"
Ginger had to use all of his willpower to prevent a frown from forming under his mask, lest Roman pick up on it. This was an AWFUL situation. He really should have left when he had the chance, but here he was, and now he had to somehow maneuver out of this mess.
"...Why do you care?" Ginger asked as his mind began to move at a million miles per hour.
"Oh, just curious, that's all. So why not humor me for a bit?" Roman continued to press.
Ginger nearly clicked his teeth in annoyance. He had to come up with something fast, or else Roman would get suspicious of him. Why in the world was he even trying to press info out of him anyway? Why does he care!? Did Ginger look that suspicious to the criminal?!
None of that mattered at the moment. All that did was that Roman did care for some reason. And so, Ginger managed to pull something out of his ass just in time.
"...Lupin. That is my name." Ginger began, pulling the first name he could recall to use for whatever story he was about to spin. "As for why I'm here…Well…I'm after someone."
"Oh? And the plot thickens! Well, my good man, don't leave me hanging like that. Who're you looking for, and why?" Roman asked as an intrigued smirk appeared on his lips. "Is it a scorned lover? A lost family member? Or perhaps-"
"Murder." Ginger then said in a stiff, yet indifferent tone. "It's for murder."
The sudden admittance caused Junior to completely freeze up, a look of surprise appearing on his face. Even Roman seemed taken aback a little, judging from the slight widening of his eyes and the way his jaw slackened ever so slightly. The crime lord kept his composure, though, as he gave a slow nod and took out a thick cigar.
"I see." Roman hummed as he lit the cigar before tapping his fingers on his cane rhythmically. "...Hit, or personal vendetta?"
"Hit," Ginger answered cooly, not once betraying the fear and nervousness within his mind as he prayed to every god he could think of that his act was good enough. This was the performance of a lifetime and a story that had to be believable no matter what, so PLEASE let this work! "Although…I suppose it is personal now, on a certain level." Ginger continued as he fueled the 'character' he had decided upon, letting out an empty laugh as he stared off at nothing.
"Oh ho? You are just getting more and more interesting friend." Roman laughed. "Still, why is a hitman attempting to get information from someone like Junior? Didn't your client inform you about the job?"
"They did; however, they failed to name the target. They only told me where they were and how they were arriving." Ginger began, feeling more and more sweat forming as he spun his lie more and more. "However, thanks to Junior here, I think I finally know who my target is."
"And that is?" Torchwick pushed.
"Weiss Schnee."
"Ah, the Schnee girl." Torchwick nodded as though he finally gained an understanding of the situation. "That was in the news a while ago, wasn't it? That little dispute with her daddy dearest. Now, she's on her way here to attend Beacon Academy. Someone hired you to take her out?"
"Is it really that surprising?" Ginger asked. "The SDC has done wrong to many people, human and faunus alike. It only makes sense that someone would want to hurt the heiress to the company for their own self-satisfaction."
"True enough. Still, you mentioned how this was personal now. Does that mean you're one of those people, too?"
"What do you think?" Ginger hissed, actually bringing some genuine anger to his voice to sound convincing enough. It was enough to make his clenched hands twitch a little as he forced the anger onto his body.
[Boss...Are you okay?] Kintoki asked, causing Ginger to take a deep breath.
'Sorry. I forgot I still had that in me. It's nothing, so don't worry about it.' Ginger replied.
It was easy to bring out that anger. After all, some of it was real anger he had, even though he knew it was foolish to hold on to it like so.
"Easy there. Fine, I know when enough's enough." Torchwick raised a hand defensively as he flashed a fake smile Ginger's way. "So where is the brat's flight landing anyway?"
"Why would I tell you?" Ginger asked in a small growl.
"Oh, don't be like that. You're not the only one who would like to see that brat bite the dust. I know plenty of people who would happily help you." Roman smiled.
"I work alone," Ginger grumbled. "I also make a point to not put myself in the debt of people like you. I only humored you to get you off my back, Torchwick." He spat out.
"Touche'. Still, if you need grunts who would happily die for a chance to kill a brat, you know who to call." Torchwick replied.
"I'm getting tired of hearing you talk, so I'll ask again. Why are you here, Torchwick?" Junior butted in, once again demanding an answer from Torchwick.
Ginger mentally thanked Junior as Roman finally took his attention off of Ginger and gave Junior a thoughtful expression.
"...I need guys." Torchwick eventually said. "I'm low on men for a scheme of mine, so I was hoping you'd lend me some of yours."
"You need my men?" Junior asked with a raised eyebrow. "Since when have you needed goons and grunts? I thought you and that little psycho that follows your every word could handle anything thrown at you?"
"Well, things have changed, and now I need all the hands I can afford to get." Torchwick hissed. "Look, are you gonna sell me some of your guys or not?"
"And why should I help you after the shit you put me and my family through with your whims?" Junior glared at the crime lord, anger very apparent in his eyes.
"You don't, of course. But then you wouldn't get your hands on the lien I'm willing to offer you." Roman smirked as he pulled out numerous green lien cards. "So…what do you say?"
"...As much as I hate it, fine. How many do you need?" Junior finally relented as he took the lien from Roman.
"How many can you spare?"
"As many you need, I'm sure. When do you need them and for how long?"
"That…is hard to say," Torchwick admitted. "At best, I'll need them for a few weeks. I should be able to have my own guys back by then. so if things turn out as planned, you'll get your guys back after I'm done with them."
"You're own guys? You have grunts now?" Junior asked.
"It's a new thing. Those damn animals are such a pain, I tell ya. I don't even know why we're working with them, but as far as grunts go, I suppose they're good enough." Roman sighed.
That got Ginger to perk up a little. 'Damn animals'? No…could it be…? Was Ginger just overthinking things? What were the chances?
"Look, my guys are a little…short on staff at the moment, and they're busy trying to fix a problem that they caused. I can't wait that long since I'm on a schedule now too, so that's why I'm here trying to get your men. So how many can you give me?"
Junior gave Torchwick another look before letting out a small breath and an answer.
"I can give you about a dozen or so. That should be enough, right?"
"Yeah, that's fine. That's more than enough for what I gotta do." Torchwick sighed, letting his body relax a moment as relief seemed to radiate off him before he recomposed himself. He then pulled out a small card and handed it to Junior. "Tell them to meet me here at that time. I'll handle things from there."
"Right." Junior nodded as he took the card. "Will that be all?"
"No, that'll be it," Torchwick said as he got up from his stool.
"Then get out," Junior growled.
"A pleasure doing business with you as well, friend." Torchwick laughed before turning to Ginger. "Good luck with that brat. If you manage to pull it off, things will be easier for me too, so I'm counting on you."
Ginger didn't respond as the crime boss left, twirling his cane as he did. Ginger just sat there in silence as he watched the man go, his thoughts being drowned out by the still-blaring music of the club.
"...He certainly wasn't how I expected him to be," Ginger mumbled as his body sagged in relief.
"He's an annoying bastard, that's what he is," Junior grumbled loudly.
"You have a history with him?"
"More like he's the reason my family is a shadow of what it once was," Junior growled before sighing and calming down a bit. "Never mind him. What the hell was with what you said? A hit against the Schnee heiress? Are you crazy!?"
"That was a lie, obviously. The last person I want knowing who I am or what I'm doing is Roman Torchwick. I came up with all of that on the spot." Ginger grumbled as he tried and failed to calm his rapidly beating heart. "And from the little he said, that seemed to be the right thing to do."
Ginger might have been overthinking it. In fact, he probably was, but he couldn't dismiss the thought. Could Torchwick really be working with them…? Calling goons animals seemed par the course for a man like him, but when thinking about the Fang, could it be more than just a basic insult to grunts? Could it be a racist statement toward his men's appearance? Possibly, and Ginger couldn't ignore that.
"...It doesn't matter right now, I suppose. I can figure it out later." Ginger eventually mumbled. If Roman really was working with the White Fang as well, it would only be a matter of time before he ran into him again. Ginger wasn't looking forward to that.
"Still, you're crazy, claiming to be here for something like that." Junior shook his head. "You nearly made me second guess myself about helping you out. I don't help with hits."
"Yet you still played along and didn't reveal anything." Ginger pointed out.
"I also make it a point to not disclose dealings with customers if I can help it. If he had me at gunpoint though? I would have thrown you under the bus in an instant." Junior said nonchalantly.
"Fair enough. I can't say I wouldn't do the same in that situation." Ginger shrugged. "Why did Torchwick even take an interest in me anyway?"
"He's the most wanted man in the entire city of Vale, and arguably one of the most dangerous. He likes to be aware of what goes on in his 'territory'. The people I usually do deals with typically are involved in the underground scene in some way, so when he saw you, a suspiciously dressed stranger, speaking to me about something, I imagine he wanted to get a feel for you."
"Hmm." Ginger hummed with an acknowledging sound. Although...Did he really look that out of place here? "So what was it you were working on before he showed up?"
"Oh yeah, this." He said as he pulled out the napkin from earlier. "It's a map of the city marking locations I would seek out if I were attempting to wage war here. Some of these spots were actually used back when my father was still in power and fighting against Madam Spider."
"...You made a map?" Ginger repeated with a bit of surprise in his voice.
"Don't get the wrong idea. You're gonna have to pay a little more for this, and I can't guarantee that any of these locations are being used by the Fang now." Junior clarified. "Do you still want it knowing that?"
"Of course. Anything is better than nothing." Ginger nodded as he handed Junior more Lien cards to satisfy him, once again mentally thanking Old Man Kale for the large amount of Lien he had gifted him. After that, Junior handed Ginger the napkin, and Ginger quickly looked over it.
He was shocked by what he saw. The map was extremely similar to the one he got from the warehouse. Some places even matched, but there were some other areas that weren't on the Fang's map Junior had pointed out here. And each one was located in an advantageous spot. A few were near docks, and others were placed near key spots to target like Vale's council building. And they were all either out of the way, in abandoned areas, areas under construction, or even hidden between other spots to blend in. Some even had cover businesses like this very club. Whether or not it was accurate, this gave Ginger a much better idea as to where his search for the Fang should start.
"This is perfect. Thank you, Junior." Ginger said. "This gives me a lot to think about."
"I'm sure it does." Junior gave a little chuckle. "But don't mention it. You paid me for this, after all. Besides, I have my own stake in this now. If the Fang is gonna destroy the city like you think, then I'd rather they not. I like living here and not dying, thank you very much. The last thing I need is another crime gang war tearing this place up again like when my father was in charge."
"As good a reason as any." Ginger gave a soft laugh. "But why do you think I can stop them, or even want to? All I've told you is that I want to know where they're located in the city."
"And there's also someone who already hit one of their bases and took it out. I would imagine whoever did that would try again. They must be attacking the Fang for a reason, right?" Junior said as he raised an eyebrow at Ginger.
"You also sound way too confident about the Fang being the ones who are stealing all that dust. That wasn't just a guess or an assumption. You sounded absolutely sure, and the only way to be sure about that is either to just have a lot of confidence in your own theory or to have actually seen it yourself. And if you have seen it yourself, then you must have been at one of those bases. That would then mean you're the guy who took out that one base, or at least working with the guy." Junior further explained. "Well? How close am I?"
"...I neither confirm nor deny that," Ginger told him.
"That's fine. I didn't expect you to admit anything. I'll go on believing what I want even if you reject it. I don't really care as long as I can keep on doing my thing." Junior said as he grabbed a new glass and began polishing it. "There's another reason why I'd rather help you out, y'know."
"And what would that be?"
"Like I told you before, I haven't heard too much about the plans of the Fang. However, I do like to keep a bit more attention on Torchwick due to the history he has with my family, and he's a lot easier to keep track of comparatively." Junior explained. "And so, my men have informed me about bits and pieces of Torchwick's activities in Vale when they can. Now, my guys can't find wherever he is at a given time to save their lives. Torchwick is way too good at hiding for that, but we can at least keep track of things he does on occasion."
"Why are you bringing him up?" Ginger asked curiously.
"Because recently, one of my men said he believed Roman was hitting Dust shops for some reason," Junior said, causing Ginger's eyes to widen. "We don't know why, but the guy who reported it to me swears that he saw Roman heading to a dust shop the night before it was robbed of its entire supply of dust."
"When was this?"
"Weeks ago, way before the Fang got here in the city," Junior answered. "Adding on to the fact that Roman suddenly needs more men right after the White Fang are forced to shamble to new bases, and it paints a picture that may be true."
"They might be working together…" Ginger frowned. "He had mentioned how his men were 'animals', but I didn't want to make assumptions just yet. Still, if they are working together, why? He's a human. Why would the Fang be working with him?"
"He could be working for that woman that twisted the Fang's arm into allying with her." Junior pointed out. "If Torchwick is involved, then the woman probably has greater power than I thought."
"No kidding. How does anyone get the White Fang and an infamous criminal like Roman Torchwick under their thumb?" Ginger asked before sighing. "This could be tricky."
"You said it. I'm just glad I'm not the one picking a fight with them." Junior laughed. "But hey, if you manage to throw a monkey wrench in their whole scheme, that'll piss Torchwick off, and that will bring a smile to my lips. So I'm counting on you, Lupin you said?"
"Yeah. Can't promise anything though." Ginger chuckled. He would rather not fight Roman Torchwick if at all possible, but knowing his level of luck, he would end up fighting him and Adam Taurus at the same time. "Is there anything you're willing to tell me about Torchwick if I do end up crossing paths with him again?"
"Nope. Whatever skills he has in a fight, if he even fights himself, I don't know 'em. It's hard enough to try to keep track of his movements. There's no way anyone will get their hands on something like Torchwick's weaknesses unless he wants them to know. I do know that he always has a young mute woman following him. She listens to his every word, and she's just as dangerous as him, if not more so."
"A girl?" Ginger repeated. "And what's her story?"
"Don't know. Pretty sure she was raised as an assassin or something for the Spider gang. Two girls working under me went to a 'special' school for that kind of thing, and they saw Torchwick's girl there, too, who betrayed the group to join Torchwick. It's reasonable to think she was trained into a deadly killer before she jumped ship. Like Roman, I don't got much details about her and her abilities, but I can say that she's half of the reason Torchwick became such a powerful figure in the criminal underground of Vale. Roman is a big enough threat all by himself, but with that girl, well, the city can't seem to throw anything that can stop them."
"Great… Guess I can only hope that they aren't involved in any of this." Ginger sighed as he rubbed his head. "Thanks, Junior. You've given me a lot more than I honestly expected."
"As long as you knock Torchwick down a few pegs and prevent the city from becoming a new Mount Glenn, then I'd say it was worth not charging you as much as I could have for some of this stuff." Junior huffed before he noticed something. "What the–? The hell's a kid doing here?"
"Kid?" Ginger repeated as he turned around in his seat to follow Junior's gaze, and the moment he did, his jaw dropped, and a groan fell out of his mouth when he saw what Junior noticed. "Oooooh nooooo…."
There, heading right towards the counter the two of them were at, was a very familiar young woman with long, messy blonde hair and lavender eyes. Ladies and gentlemen, Yang Xiao Long had entered the building, and Ginger was now sweating bullets.
"Oh, Brothers Grimm, this is gonna end badly…" Ginger muttered as he slowly turned back around and stared at the counter, suddenly finding it way more interesting than anything else in the boisterous club.
"You know the chick?" Junior asked.
"It's complicated. Just…don't provoke her!" Ginger quickly told the informant. "Just give her what she wants, be cordial with her, don't touch her hair, and then send her on her way. Do not provoke her or piss her off, and maybe your club will remain intact."
"Ha! Didn't know you were the joking type." Junior chuckled, expecting Ginger to laugh as well. The man's expression quickly dropped when he noticed Ginger was trembling slightly, tapping his fingers anxiously, and definitely not laughing. "...Oh goddamnit, you aren't joking are you?"
"Nope."
"Shit…I hate women like this. I just cleaned the place up, too." Junior sighed as he ran a hand down his face. "Thanks for the heads up. Any idea what she wants?"
"I have an idea…" Ginger muttered, thinking back to a certain photo of a black-haired woman. When will she learn this is just pointless?
Once he had let out a weary sigh, Yang had finally reached the counter and sat down, flashing Junior a friend, sly smile as she tried to use her 'womanly charms' as she called them.
"Strawberry sunrise, please. Ooh! With those little umbrellas, too." Yang ordered, nearly making Ginger sigh again in his head.
Seriously, Yang? She never changes, does she?
Neither Yang nor Junior caught his exasperation as Junior gave Yang a raised eyebrow at her ordering the adult drink.
"Aren't you a little young to be in a place like this, Blondy?" Junior asked with a stern look.
"Aren't you a little old to go by 'Junior'?" Yang shot back, actually succeeding in getting Ginger to snort, causing him to cover his mouth over his mask to stifle his laughs. Yang turned and seemed proud that she got a stranger to laugh, but Junior didn't seem amused at all.
"Glad to see you think that's funny." He deadpanned before turning to Yang. "So you know who I am. Can I take that to mean you want something from me?"
"That's right." Yang nodded before taking her scroll out and showing Junior that damn photo of Raven. Damn it Yang… "They say you know everything that happens in this city. Can you tell me if you've seen this person?"
Junior leaned in and took a good, long look at the photo before shaking his head.
"Sorry. Never seen her before in my life." Junior answered.
"Don't give me that!" Yang shouted as she stood up angrily. "You must have seen her! Is it that you want money, because I can pay you if that's the case, or would you rather do this the hard way?" She asked as she tightened her fist. Ginger winced as he averted his eyes. Why must she always be so quick to anger, especially when it involves her birth mother?
"Look, even if you had the money to afford the info, I wouldn't accept it because I don't know anything." Junior sternly said. "If you aren't happy with that, I'm sorry, but it won't change the fact that I don't know what I don't know. Now, if you're going to continue threatening me and my establishment, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
It was only then that Ginger heard the clicking of guns and the sliding of metal against metal. When he turned around, he nearly gasped when he noticed how dozens of Junior's men had dropped what they were doing and had surrounded them, weapons at the ready and glares aimed right at Yang. the few that hadn't surrounded them had led the normal people enjoying the club to a new room, it would seem.
Ginger was surprised. The men were more capable than he thought. Well, that was still yet to be seen, but they were definitely more sincerely loyal and dedicated than he thought they would be to be so ready whenever their leader needed them like this. He was impressed.
"If you would like, I can have my men show you the door, or you can calm down and relax. I'm not in the mood to fight. Just installed the new lights…" Junior grumbled as he set down the glass he was cleaning and gave Yang a deathly serious look. "But I won't play games here. This is my club, and I won't tolerate disrespect."
Yang growled slightly, before relenting and sitting back down, causing the goons to lower their weapons and start moving away.
"Right…Sorry. It's just…It's just been dead end after dead end. I thought for sure that this would finally be the breakthrough I needed. I mean, I heard that you were supposed to know everything that happens in this city." Yang said as she sat back down and lowered her head into her palm as she leaned against the counter. "I'm just so sick of not getting anything after years of searching. Someone must have seen her."
"Can't say I don't feel ya, Blondy. Really, I do, but I don't know what else to say other than I can't help you." Junior told her as he shook his head. "I need to go check up on things. If you're still here when I get back, I'll make you a virgin sunrise."He then turned to Ginger and gave a cordial nod. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, 'Lupin'. Enjoy your night." And with that, he walked off, leaving Ginger and Yang to sit there in silence despite the loud music hitting them.
Ginger let out the breath he had been holding and got up from his stool. There was no reason for him to be here anymore now that he got what he wanted. Heck, staying here was bad for him since Yang could figure out who he was the longer he stayed. He'd rather not repeat the mistake he made when Roman was there earlier. It would be better to leave sooner than later. And so, he got up and was ready to head off, but that's when Yang muttered something.
"Hang on. Lupin, right?" Yang began before turning to him with hopeful eyes. "You…haven't seen that woman either, have you? If you know anything about her, then please tell me."
Ginger returned to stare at Yang's desperate glance for a bit before shaking his head.
"Sorry. Can't say I know much more than Junior." Ginger replied, doing his best to disguise his voice in a believable way as he could. "If you want my advice, I'd say to give up. If you've been searching as long as you seem to and still haven't found anything, then it's likely whoever you're looking for doesn't want to be found."
"No…I refuse to believe it's impossible." Yang muttered as she tightened her fists again. "I'm going to find her, no matter what."
"Yeah, and what? Once you do, you're gonna be some big happy family again? Don't kid yourself. She left for a reason, and if she actually cared, you wouldn't have to go searching for her for so long." Ginger hissed, letting his own frustration seep out into his voice.
He was so sick of Yang chasing after this ghost of a woman. Even after what happened when they were kids, she still chased after Raven. It was just that now she did it alone, which was somehow just as bad, and it angered Ginger to no end, but no matter what he tried, he could never get Yang to stop. She would always tell him she had it handled and that she'd be careful, but then she'd come back with a few bruises and angry, red eyes.
Ginger couldn't help but get so frustrated, seeing Yang continuously hurt herself in this search, especially when there was the possibility of her finding Raven and getting hurt even more. He just wished she would just stop and enjoy what she had. What more could she want? Her life was already great compared to what she could be stuck with. He should know.
However, in his frustration, that was when Ginger made his first mistake as Yang's eyes narrowed a bit before she responded.
"...How did you know we were family?" Yang asked. "That woman is my mother, but how did you know? I didn't mention that at all."
Ginger's eyes widened as he realized what he said before he averted his gaze.
"Shit…" He mumbled under his breath, but that was his second mistake, as Yang heard him and gasped.
"You do know about her!" She yelled. "Tell me what you know, or I'll make you!" Yang yelled angrily.
"I don't know anything about that woman!" Ginger yelled before scoffing, realizing no matter what he said, Yang was the type of person to believe whatever she wanted despite any protests from anyone else. "This is pointless. I'm leaving now." Ginger began to walk off, but he heard Yang click her tongue as he did.
"Fine. So be it."
Ginger didn't think much of the threat, having dealt with an angry Yang before, before a scream rang out in his head.
[Master, behind you!] Hassan shouted after having been silent this entire time.
Ginger immediately listened to the warning and jumped out of the way, just in time for Yang's fist to race past where he once stood. Ginger's eyes widened as things began to move in slow motion. All he knew was that Yang was suddenly beside him after trying to hit him, and once he had dodged, Yang immediately spun around to deliver another blow. He couldn't dodge this strike! He raised one hand to block while moving his other down to his card hold as fast as he could–!
BAM!
The punch landed like a furious force, creating wind pressure as Ginger flew through the club and smashed into one of the nearby glass pillars before crashing into another bar counter. He groaned as he slid back down to the ground, and it got worse when one of the metal wine bottles fell on his head with a loud, heavy thud.
He groaned even louder as everything around him seemed to spin, and a cut on his head began bleeding heavily, enough so that the blood ran down into his right eye. His arm was numb now. He couldn't feel it at all, and there was a ringing in his ears now, too. But the only thing he was paying attention to was the slight lightning that was dancing across his body now as he held a large yellow ax in his hand.
[Phew! Just in time, Boss!] Kintoki let out a breath of relief. [That sister of yours really packs a punch! If ya didn't manage to reach my card when ya did, she would have easily broken your arm with the punch, and then the impact after would have definitely ruined your ribs.]
[Excuse me? Sister?] Assassin questioned.
'I'm adopted. It's a long story…' Ginger groaned as he held his head, letting the berserker card revert back to normal, causing the pain in his body to flare up even more without the card's defensive boosts. 'God I'm going to be feeling that for the rest of the month.' Ginger held back more groans as he looked up at his assailant.
Yang looked absolutely furious, and it didn't die down when Junior's men surrounded her once again and were ready to pounce on her. Unfortunately, Yang wasn't just some random brute. She pumped her fists, the golden bracelets around her wrists transforming into her usual gauntlets, the Ember Celica before she leaped high into the air and slammed her fist down into the ground when she fell, creating a massive shockwave that made everyone fly back like a tidal wave hit them. Ginger could only growl at the sight.
"Great…Guess we're doing this…" He grumbled as he watched Yang easily take out Junior's men with just a few blows.
[Are you sure about this, Master?] Hassan asked. [You said this is your sister, correct? Adoptive or not, do you really wish to fight her like this?]
[Do you even have to fight her, Boss? Couldn't we just leave now that she's being distracted?] Kintoki added.
'I can't do that. Junior's clubs getting destroyed right now, and it's all my fault. I need to stop this to prevent more damage.' Ginger told them before a deep scowl appeared on his face underneath his disguise. His hands began to clench into tight fists as anger began to boil within him. 'Besides, I've wanted to put Yang in her place for a while now when it comes to this fruitless search she's on anyway, and this is as good a time for that as any. I've got the power to keep up with her now, so this is as good a time as any to finally beat some sense into her.'
[If you're sure about it…] Kintoki muttered unsurely, all while Asako seemed to sigh in defeat.
"I am sure," Ginger muttered as he put back the Berserker card and took out the Assassin card. "This is a little exciting, too. I'll finally be on even ground with Yang." Ginger smiled as the Assassin card glowed upon activating. "Let's see her try to handle me now."
As Hassan's skull mask appeared, he put it on his face as he watched Yang's fight. She had already beaten all of Junior's goons, saving the bear-headed DJ for last, and was now facing off against those girls Junior had mentioned. The two girls dressed in fancy red and white dresses were a good duo in how they both were pressuring Yang in the fight quite well. The red one wore claw gauntlets and rushed in for close blows before backing off to let the white one get in to deliver a flurry of kicks with her bladed heels.
Yang was forced back by the duo, but soon found her stride as she rushed back in with a blast of her gauntlets, knocked the white one away long enough to quickly take out the red one with a swift combo and explosive punch, and then went back to fighting the white one.
From where he was, Ginger could see Yang was breathing a little heavily now as she fended off the girl in white. She was distracted, which meant it was the perfect chance for him to strike. Harnessing the power of the Assassin card, he lept and entered the shadows, traveling along them swiftly to position himself behind Yang and waiting patiently for the perfect chance to strike. Thanks to his Presence Concealment, surprise attacks would be a lot easier than they would be normally.
So he watched as Yang was pushed back further and further by the furious kicks of the other girl. The white one held her own for a good few minutes, with how Yang had always had trouble with opponents that focus on kicks, but after spacing out a kick, Yang managed to grab the other girl's arm to pull her in for a devastating kick to the face, causing the aura to burst off the girl as she was knocked out.
Now!
All of the natural instincts that the Assassin card gave him screamed together in perfect harmony the moment Yang had pulled off that move. She was breathing heavily and was still focused on the person she just downed. Now was the perfect chance to strike.
'She's a big girl and a huntress-in-training. She's faced worse than me. She can handle this.' Ginger told himself as he readied his strike.
Pushing all of his power into his legs as he rocketed off the ground without making so much as a sound, he launched toward Yang like a bullet, knives drawn as he did. His target only felt his presence right before he struck. She turned around with wide eyes after realizing what she was feeling, but it was too late.
Ginger was right in her face when she turned around, and he didn't hesitate to slash his durk knife across her body, getting a cry of pain out of her, but no blood. Good, she still had her aura just like he thought. He knew he didn't see that colorful burst of aura like he saw when he fought those Fang grunts. That means he doesn't have to hold back. Even better.
As Yang was still reeling from the sudden slash, Ginger used the fluid motion granted to him by Hassan's power to seamlessly move to the ground as Yang reeled and slashed her legs with the durk in his other hand before continuing his attack with a quick foot sweep, causing Yang to trip. As she fell, Ginger pushed up against the ground using his arms to raise his body up for a leaping dropkick, sending Yang flying into the same kind of glass pillar he himself was sent through.
After Ginger fell back to the ground, he quickly spun his body back to an upright position as he crouched down before pushing against all his limbs to get back into the shadows. All the while, he listened to the commentary of his headmates.
[Holy crap, Boss! That was awesome! Where did you learn how to do that stuff? Is that from the card?] Kintoki asked as he yelled excitedly.
'No. Would you believe I stole most of that from a game I played when I was younger?' Ginger asked, hiding an amused smile underneath the skull mask the card provided him. 'Never managed to pull off those moves before, but now thanks to the Assassin card, it's as easy as pie.'
[Sources of inspiration aside, that was a fine display of our power. Swift yet powerful. I should expect nothing less from one with our abilities.] Hassan said. Ginger could swear he could hear a small smirk within her tone. [However, you are still not used to the cards' power. Do not overestimate your abilities. Unlike your sibling, you have none of this aura that she possesses.]
'I know. I only got fancy because I could afford to. I'll have to be more careful now that I've already gotten the jump on her.' Ginger nodded as he dashed to a new position to strike from, holding his dirks impatiently within his hands as he watched where Yang had fallen.
"Damn it…" Yang growled as she got back up dizzily. "Freakin' asshole… Where'd he go?" She muttered as she looked around the now-red club thanks to the club's lights.
Thankfully, there were still plenty of dark spots despite that which Ginger could make use of. So, with a smirk, Ginger summoned a handful of dirks before holding them close.
"Sorry, Yang, but this is payback for back then and all the annoying crap you've put me and Ruby through." Ginger chuckled. "Let's see how this sparring match goes now that I can fight back." He smirked as he tossed all of his dirks at the fiery blonde.
Yang caught on much sooner than before and spun around just in time to see the knives on their way.
"There you are!" She shouted as she shot a couple of flares at the knives. It only took the first few to blow the knives off course, but the rest flew right past, soaring towards Ginger.
"Uh oh!" Ginger exclaimed as he quickly jumped out of the way, however, it didn't seem to diminish the smile on his face. "Okay, then. Let's see how you do when I kick it up a notch!"
The moment he landed back on the ground, Ginger called upon all of the swiftness the card could give him and ran. He certainly wasn't Ruby-levels of fast, but he was much faster than Yang could ever hope to be on her own, even with Ember Celica. While he literally spun circles around the furious huntress-in-training, the false assassin tossed dirk after dirk in rapid succession like he was shooting a gun. Knives were suddenly flying at Yang in all directions, causing her to snarl in annoyance.
"You're gonna have to try harder than that!" Yang shouted as she punched, dodged, and blasted the knives that came her way away.
Admittedly, she was doing amazingly well considering how many dirks she was shooting and punching out of the air. However, a few still managed to nick her, causing her face to scrunch up with pain each time one landed a clean hit against her. And with each scratch she received, the closer Ginger got before he once again pounced right as she deflected another of his knives.
However, unlike before, Yang saw him coming and blocked his slash, sparks flying as metal sliding against metal. Ginger slashed again with his other hand, only for Yang to once again block his strike. They both growled as they engaged in more blows, each person blocking the other's strikes before attempting to get the better of their foe.
"Damn, you really are resilient!" Ginger grumbled as he parried a kick from Yang with one of his own as he tried to back away to create space.
"I could say the same thing!" Yang shouted back as she used her gauntlets to blast toward Ginger, knocking him a few feet away as a result. "Just tell me what you know already!" She screamed as she rushed over to attack again.
"I already told you I don't know anything!" Ginger screamed as he jumped over her attack and did a spinning kick against Yang, only for her to block it with both her hands.
Luckily, Ginger was able to use that opportunity to throw another pair of knives at Yang, knocking her off balance as Ginger landed back to the ground, letting him rush forward and deliver a strong elbow to her face. What wasn't so great about that was how Yang then grabbed Ginger and headbutted him, causing his vision to spin for a good moment before a fist collided with his face and sent him tumbling.
"Have you had enough yet?" Yang asked as she moved toward the downed Ginger. "I can do this all night. You aren't hitting nearly as hard as you should if you want to actually hurt me."
"O-Oh…Really?" Ginger asked as he let out a wet chuckle, a bit of bile and blood pooling in his mouth as he did. "Th-Thanks f-for the tip…"
Yang was about to ask what he meant by that, but that's when something really weird happened. Ginger grinned as his body got darker and darker, almost like it was a shadow. And then–
"ZABANIYA."
Suddenly, Ginger faded away just like a shadow. He was simply there, and then he wasn't. Just poof! Gone! To say Yang was befuddled would be an understatement.
"What in the–?" She questioned, but she never got to finish as something hit her. And by 'hit', I mean something collided against her side so hard she nearly thought it was a Bullhead.
Pain shot through her like lightning as she felt her whole body bent to the force and actual electricity surge through her. She turned her head as everything around her seemed to slow down, and all she was able to make out was her foe holding a large, strange ax that he had hit her with. The skull mask that he had worn before now had suddenly disappeared, and yet the only thing Yang managed to catch sight of on this person's face was a victories smile.
Time seemed to return to normal, and by the laws of physics, Yang was launched like a freaking rocket, blurring as she flew through the entire wall of the club, landing somewhere outside with a heavy and most definitely painful thud. Despite knowing this, Ginger just put Golden Eater against his shoulder as he gave a salute.
"So long, a-gay Yang!" Ginger called out in his best plumber impression as he smiled widely. "Finally got a win against her. Ha ha-ow..." He mumbled as he moved to hold where Yang had punched him in the jaw. "Whew…I hurt everywhere."
[That is to be expected, considering how much magical energy you just used up!] Assassin shouted in disapproval. [What were you thinking, changing to the Berserker card when you were already so low on prana?]
'What did you expect me to do? The Assassin card wasn't enough. I was faster than her and had a slight advantage with that, but she could take all I dished out and deal way more back.' Ginger pointed out as he reverted the Berserker card back to normal to remove the drain on his energy. 'It was only a matter of time before she outlasted the card's energy reserves and took me out, and that would be fatal without any aura on my side. So…I decided to test how switching between cards during a fight like that would work. I think it has merit.'
[He has a point. My power by itself drains him too fast. But if he used the Assassin card and then quickly swapped to mine for a quick bblow and then swapped back to Assassin, he would get the advantage of my strength while conserving energy with the Assassin card!] Kintoki pointed out.
'Exactly. It was something I just thought up.' Ginger nodded slowly as he plopped down onto the ground. 'But man…she's way stronger than I thought. I thought I knew how strong she was after watching her train and being forced to spar with her, but nooooo! She's been holding out on me this whole time. Not that I'm complaining. If she had gone this hard on me before, she would have snapped me in half!'
[She was definitely strong. Her style of combat was brutal and unrelenting. She would certainly fit in as a Berserker class.] Hassan muttered. [You had told us the warriors of this time were more than formidable, but we were not expecting even a trainee to be so powerful.]
'Yeah…Yang's special like that. She just as strength upon strength. No wonder she decided her main weapon was going to be just punching things.' Ginger groaned as he rubbed his sides. 'I'm lucky she never…never…'
[Boss?] Kintoki asked.
"...Oh no."
[What's wrong, Master?] Assassin asked.
'I forgot about her semblance.'
[Semblance?]
'Uh…Think of them like mini Noble Phantasms for Huntsmen and Huntresses.' Ginger quickly explained as best he could from what little he knew thanks to Ruby and Yang. 'If a Noble Phantasm is the crystalization of a heroic spirit's legend, then a semblance is the manifestation of a Huntsmen's inner power born from their soul…their aura. I don't think that was enough to shatter Yang's aura. I didn't see that burst of color like before. So that means…oh noooooo…'
[If you're comparing it to a Noble Phantasm, even a super weak one, that's bad news bears for us, Boss! This ain't golden at all!] Kintoki shouted.
[What is your sister's semblance, Master?] Hassan asked in a slightly concerned voice.
'It's called–'
CRASH!
Ginger snapped his mouth shut as he spun to the wall Yang had flown out of, only to see a new large hole that had burst into existence. Once the dust settled, he could finally make out what he would describe as the sight of death itself.
Standing there, fuming with pure, unrestrained anger, was Yang, her blonde hair now seemingly on fire with powerful energy, and she was scanning the club for Ginger with a look that could and would kill, her usual lavender eyes now a striking crimson.
'...Burn.' Ginger finished as he quite literally quaked in his boots. 'Oh god, I'm SO dead!'
[Woah! Check her out! She's completely golden right now!] Kintoki exclaimed.
[Wh-What is this?! She's even stronger now!?] Hassan shouted in surprise.
'Yang's semblance lets her take all the damage she's received and use it to boost her own power by a shit ton!' Ginger shouted within his mind. 'It's a revenge move that pushes her to the extreme when she's on her last legs! In other words, I'M SO SCREWED! I've seen her knock over an entire building with ease with that semblance! And that was on accident when she first used it years ago! That's not taking into account how strong she got after hitting her with Golden Eater!'
[Ah…I see…] Assassin hummed softly. [So…in other words–]
[You're fucked, Boss.] Kintoki elegantly finished.
'YEAH! TELL ME SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW!'
[Do you have any plans to deal with this, Master?] Assassin asked in a concerned tone.
'Just one. Luckily, it's my patented 'get-out-of-jail-free' solution that I always used when I'm in deep shit, and it always works.' Ginger answered.
[Oh? And that is?]
'It's…' Ginger smiled as he quickly took out the Assassin card, activated it, and then ran for the nearest shadows he could find before Yang could spot him. 'Run like hell, hide like a coward, and live another day!'
[I knew it!] Kintoki screamed. [That's exactly what I would do if I ever pissed off Boss Raikou!]
[Surely Minamoto-no-Raikou was not as bad as you make them out to be.]
[You have no idea…]
'Enough commentary, guys! What the hell am I supposed to do now!?' Ginger screamed in his head as he managed to find a good hiding spot while Yang continued to search for him. 'If Yang finds me, I'm dead. No question about it!'
[The only way to survive is to escape.] Hassan quickly answered. [You have our Battle Retreat skill. That should allow you to make a break for it and escape.]
[But how's he gonna do that? The moment he makes a break for it, the golden-fire chick would spot him and she'll chase after him. Your skill ain't like Disengage. Boss here won't get to keep any advantages he has when he tries to retreat with that skill. It might be possible for you, but he has a weaker rank in the skill thanks to the card, and he's already running on magic fumes! He can't keep it up for an entire chase.]
'Not to mention if Yang does see me and gives chase, I'll risk leading her to the shop, and then she'll figure out who I am. Or she'll destroy the place. One of the two if not both. I can't let any of that happen.' Ginger added. 'So what now?'
"What the fuck did you guys do to this place!?" A voice suddenly cut through Ginger's thoughts. He spun around and saw Junior entering back into the club area, wide-eyed and terrified over the amount of property damage he had now sustained. "Why is–!?"
"Junior!" Ginger shouted as he latched onto the man and dragged him into his hiding spot, covering Junior's mouth as he did to prevent any more outbursts so Yang didn't hear him. "Shhh! Don't shout! She'll find us!"
"The blondie? What the hell did you do? The whole place is destroyed! My club is destroyed! Did she do that? Why!? And why is she on fire now and looking angrier than an Ursa Major?!" Junior hissed out angrily.
"I…may have failed to listen to my own advice and pissed her off," Ginger admitted.
"Of course you did." Junior sighed. "I'm guessing she kicked everyone's asses?"
"Oh yeah."
"Yours too, from the looks of it."
"No need to rub it in. I can totally take her! I got great hits in. It just… led to that." Ginger frowned as he motioned to the burning teen prowling the club for her prey. "I need to get out of here, fast! If she finds me, she's gonna castrate me with a butter knife! You gotta help me out, Junior! Do you know any secret escape route I can use or something?"
Junior just looked at Ginger for a good long moment before letting out a heavy sigh.
"No, don't got anything like that. Just exit using the front door or one of the holes you guys made here."
"I can't do that! She'll spot me and chase me down like Grimm chasing prey!"
"Not if she's distracted." Junior sighed as he walked out of the hiding spot, moving over to a nearby counter to grab something.
"Distract her?" Ginger repeated right before Junior pulled out a giant RPG. "..Oh."
"Impressive, right?" Junior gave a small, smug smile. "Leave. I'll distract her so you can make a break for it. I don't know how long I'll last, so don't waste it."
"A-Are you sure about this?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. Let's call it investing on my part." Junior told him. "Besides, she owes me for all this damage, and I'll first kiss Torchwick's ass then leave this be without even trying to get compensation for this."
"O-Okay…Good luck, and thanks." Ginger told the man, absolutely certain the mob boss wouldn't get a single penny out of Yang for any of this.
"Good. Now, on my mark." Junior muttered as he moved toward his opponent and aimed his weapon right at Yang. "Now!"
With that, he fired a barrage of rockets at Yang, and at the same time, Ginger burst off the ground and ran straight to the exit. He heard Yang shout as rockets blew up before he heard grunts from both Yang and Junior as they fought. Ginger didn't look back as he burst out the door and ran straight to his car. The moment he got in, he quickly started the vehicle as he deactivated the class card, and then–
BOOM!
He froze up at the sudden explosion that rocketed out from within the club. It was so intense he saw a bright yellow light flash out from the windows as the entire building shook. Ginger didn't take another moment to think about what that could have been. He merely offered a small prayer to the brave man who allowed him to escape before flooring it as though his life depended on it because his life did depend on it.
Once again, Ginger was forced to learn a very important lesson. Do not piss off women, especially Yang. Especially Yang…
A/N: Been while, hasn't it? If you don't follow me on Wattpad, I made a community post over there explaining how I've been slammed with real life stuff like school, work, and exams, so sorry I haven't been able to update this for so long. While I can't promise consistent chapters (I'm going on a trip to Vegas soon with my family that I'm super excited about), I'm happy to finally finish this chapter that took me months to write. I also have another chapter for this story that's near completion as well. Look forward to that.