Sun flopped onto the couch in a motion that was closer to falling than sitting down, his head lolling over the top of the backrest as he stared up at the ceiling of the summer home's living room. Blake was quick to deposit herself atop him, causing the cushions to sink a bit. Sun didn't move or react at all despite the added weight.
"Fuuuuuuck," Yang declared, dragging out the word as she made her way into the room behind the couple and occupied the cushion next to them. She, too, seemed utterly exhausted as she curled her legs up onto the cushions. "I'm so tired I don't think I could sleep."
"I hear that," Jaune echoed as he mimicked Blake's actions, making a show of sitting atop Yang's lap. "I guess we might as well try to be productive?"
"That would be best," Corsac agreed as he slowly dragged himself into the living room. The faunus took the spot next to Sun and Blake, leaving Harriet and Neopolitan to stand near the piece of furniture… until the shorter woman walked up and sat squarely upon his waist without a care in the world. "…hello there..."
Neopolitan merely waved before leaning her head back into Corsac's shoulder and closing her eyes, seeming totally unbothered.
"…if the six of you break that couch, I don't want to hear it," Harriet warned as she lowered herself to sit upon the carpet before them. "I'm in agreement, though- let's not waste this time while we're awake. We can try to reset and get some actual sleep tonight so we can head out for Vacuo tomorrow after Yang gets her prosthetic. What still needs doing?"
Blake finally perked up and tilted her head to look up at Sun.
"Well… maybe it's less about doing right this second, and more about getting prepared in another way. As much as Vacuo is one of the four main kingdoms of Remnant, it's… dangerous, isn't it? Is there anything we should know before we cross the border?"
"I'm glad you asked it and not me," Yang offered. "It'd be super racist if I brought it up."
Sun rolled his eyes in response.
"It's a valid point. Vacuo's not exactly welcoming to foreigners…"
"And we're traveling in a marked Atlesian supply ship," Harriet pointed out. "At the very least, coming from Mistral, we'll be going over the mountains cradling Shade Academy and skipping the vast majority of the desert."
Sun tilted his head up to look at the Ace, his face suddenly draining of color as he realized she was right.
"…and that's infinitely worse."
"What? Why?" Jaune asked, sounding alarmed. "It's a much shorter distance, isn't it? And the problematic grimm in Vacuo are all out in the desert, aren't they? That's what Port taught us…"
"They are, yeah," Sun agreed. "But the mountains are home to bandit clans… the kind of bandit clans that would be looking for supply ships to shoot down."
"We do have a Maiden with us, and considerable numbers," Corsac reasoned. "Perhaps if she flies alongside us, we'll be left alone entering Vacuan airspace?"
"I don't know," Sun said, his voice full of unease. "There are a few that are ballsy- very ballsy- with the skill to back it up."
"Such as?" Yang asked. "I'm not doubting you, considering a certain other Maiden was running a bandit clan we ran into…"
Sun let out a sigh and furrowed his brows, reviewing the information in his mind before speaking up again.
"If we're crossing over the western mountains… well, the good news is that the two worst ones are the clans we're least likely to encounter. The Eyeless usually stick to the tunnels. They're a group of bandits that operates a massive drug and dust smuggling ring throughout Vacuo, mostly utilizing the cave systems beneath the sands and winding through the mountains. Rumor has it that they've got a stranglehold on the entire Vacuan economy, but it's never been proven. Not officially, anyway…"
Corsac's bushy tail flicked, surprising Neopolitan awake as its tip brushed her arm.
"Which means that it's likely true. Speaking from experience…"
"Yeah," Sun agreed. "The power structure of Vacuo isn't really like anywhere else on Remnant. It's not run by the headmaster like in Atlas, and even Vacuo City itself doesn't really have one designated leader. Coin runs everything, and whoever controls the most of it can afford to buy off whoever they need to get whatever job done. It's a mercenary-driven economy, with things changing hands a lot."
"Doesn't sound too removed from Atlas," Harriet pointed out. "What's the other clan we're lucky to avoid?"
"Well… speaking of mercs," Sun began, sounding uneasy. "The Opaline. They're… absolutely vicious. Hard to contact, hard to satisfy, hard to keep loyal… everything about them is a problem, including loyalty for their employers. Fortunately for us, they're few in number and tend to stick to the desert itself, where they can take advantage of their namesake."
"Meaning?" Blake asked.
"They wear long cloaks and armor coated in translucent jewels," Sun answered, giving her a squeeze. "Out in the desert sun, it causes them to shimmer, making a kind of anti-camouflage. It's practically blinding in combat, and they use the confusion brought on by their garb to strike hard and fast while their victims aren't even sure what's going on. That's what allows them to be so brazen and strike in broad daylight. They hit convoys, lone travelers… anyone that might have something valuable in the right environment. We should be good, but… seeing even one of them is considered a death sentence. Even making it into their order is considered a myth. They're ancient, and only the most skilled are allowed to wear the armor."
"Then no wandering off while we're in Vacuo," Harriet declared. "We can't risk a distraction like that, on top of however many grimm Salem's throwing at the place. This sounds like a disaster waiting to happen if we go out into the sands."
"And those are only the two most problematic clans," Sun reminded. "Vacuo is rife with many more, and some are a direct threat while within the central city. Others live within the mountains and could easily take a shot at us while we try to cross. I need you all to trust me and follow my orders if we run into any. I can take care of the group, but only if we're all in sync."
"We trust you," Yang reassured. "And not just because you're the resident expert on Vacuo. I'm sure I don't need to say it all again, and you know the deal… but you're the best man for this job. You lead, we follow. It's that simple."
"In that case… we should double-check supplies, get packing, and make some more shopping trips," Sun suggested. "Or at least, a few of us should. I need to contact Headmaster Gumo and let him know we're coming. Ironwood sent me the info, and that'll probably be easier to do alone…"
"Or with a small group," Blake suggested. "There might be things you miss on your own, and honestly, I think having Harriet involved is a good move at the very least."
"Agreed," Harriet replied. "You may be our leader, but I have knowledge of foreign nations and diplomacy that you might not. Let me jump on with you."
"Sure," Sun acknowledged. "Might be too early to do it right now, though. They're a few hours behind us. Doubt most people are making calls just after dawn."
Sun's scroll began to vibrate, and he rolled his eyes before taking it out.
"…Weiss? What's up?"
"Ironwood's big meeting is beginning soon," the girl answered. "I've already cleared it with Ironwood, and he wants all of you in on the festivities. I'm forwarding the contact info to you now so you can call in and be present through the computer in his office."
"Thanks," Sun replied. "See you there?"
"See you there," Weiss confirmed before disconnecting the call.
"…well," Sun resigned with a sigh. "Guess we know what we're doing with our morning…"
The sun hadn't yet risen over Shade Academy. Deep underground, a darkened series of tunnels extended farther down than any foreigner would guess, interconnecting and weaving through the earth. Somewhere within the network was the headmaster's office, with only an elevator and accompanying hallway leading to it. One other tunnel led away to parts unknown behind the office… or at least, so it seemed to those still sleeping far above.
Professor Ochre Gumo, a tall, lanky man in his mid-forties, was busy making his way down that very tunnel. The man was clad in all desert camouflage tactical gear with sandy brown pouches affixed around his chest and waist. A dark visor covered his forehead and eyes, hiding most of his face other than his long black hair and short goatee. He walked with purpose, turning toward one of the many indistinct walls upon his path before pressing his palm to the rock.
A red circular stone strapped to his palm via some sort of harness lit up immediately, and a rectangular section of wall shifted backward and then sideways to reveal a hidden tunnel. Professor Gumo walked into the darkness without hesitation, placing his hands behind his back as he went. The path was entirely shrouded in darkness, though the winding nature of the tunnel did nothing to slow him down. After only about thirty seconds of traveling, the headmaster extended his hand again to press somewhere on one of the walls in the darkness only for it to recede just like the first.
Two guards clad in loose robes stood beyond the wall, and both jumped as their leader emerged from within it. The pair sank into a pair of coordinated bows, though they backed off slightly, almost as if they were afraid of the man.
"S-sir!"
"Have you found anything?" Professor Gumo asked, his voice harsh and gravelly. "The cameras have been checked?"
"N-nothing, and they have," one of the pair confirmed. "No one entered or exited the room, a-and…"
"I see," Professor Gumo acknowledged with a sigh. "Return to the surface levels. Keep the students on lockdown, should they begin to awaken. None can know of this."
"Yes Sir!" the guards answered in unison before turning and running off down the tunnel.
Professor Gumo cracked his neck before turning in the opposite direction and continuing down the stone-carved hallway. The closer he got to his destination, the more guards he saw. Eventually, he arrived outside of a metal door, where a group of five was standing with swords drawn.
"Headmaster!" one of them cried. "We've received no reports from the others. Nothing has been found, neither evidence nor intruder… we don't know what to do next, and guarding… this hardly seems practical…"
"We are in agreement there," Professor Gumo nodded. "Go and surveil the tunnels. I shall deal with the situation here."
The guards hesitated a moment, looking at each other before they parted to allow Professor Gumo to pass. As the underlings left, he pressed his palm to an I.D. reader beside the door and caused the metal plating to shift aside. The smell of burnt flesh within was immediate, assaulting his senses and overwhelming him. Professor Gumo reached up to disconnect the visor from the frame worn above and around his head as he stepped inside of the room.
Where there should have been two eyes upon the man's face, there were instead eight. The sensory organs were alit with all different colors and scattered about his forehead, allowing him to see in far more directions than the average resident of Remnant. Even so, he didn't need the extra eyes to find what he was looking for within the room. Despite the grisly sight, Professor Gumo strode forward to the corpse leaned up against the frame of the bed and knelt to inspect it.
The body of the woman was badly burned beyond recognition, the majority of her flesh charred black and red. One of her arms was missing, appearing to have been twisted off. Slash wounds covered her naked torso and shoulders, and she looked completely emaciated. None of it made sense- no one could have gotten to her… and yet the man knew all he needed to know about the situation.
"Salem…" Professor Gumo muttered as he stood and brushed his hands on his pants. "Her forces are already here…"
Author's Note:
Nothing can ever be simple.
-RD