The Grimm Lands Chapter 23
Hunting Grounds Part 11
Schemes
Ilia
Ilia felt naked.
A cold shiver ran down her spine as she stood atop the stage. They were in a private room in the back of Junior's Club, where women often went to seduce some of Junior's more lucrative clientele. The man wasn't there now.
No, Ilia felt her face flush with deep humiliation and anger as the special guests she had been assigned to pick up from the docks forced her to turn and pose. The dark-haired woman, Cinder, as Adam had called her, commanded Illia to change her skin tone. She would demand one color and force Illia to pause, turn, and change to another. Sometimes, she forced Ilia to try and change only parts of her skin.
It wasn't a semblance. Her ability was a natural byproduct of Faunus traits, a biological skill that had helped her blend in with the every day crowds of humans. Her semblance had been her shield, her armor against the more vocal and hateful actions others often took against the Faunus.
Now, her armor felt frail and fragile as it was paraded around like a tool.
"Stop," Cinder said. Ilia paused mid-turn, the skin of her arms a deep azure blue. "Lower half, camouflage it."
It took a great deal of concentration to maintain the different tones of her skin. The pale white she often employed was more manageable due to her years of practice. It felt almost as natural as her normal skin. This, however, was different. Two tones split across her body and required far more focus. It was all she could do to follow the command.
Cinder rose from her seat. As she drew nearer, the clicking of her high heels was muted against the carpeted floor. Ilia could feel the tension in her body seize her. She floundered briefly, skin flickering back to its normal color, before she corrected herself. The dim lights shone brightly overhead–a spotlight poised directly atop her like she offered some kind of service. The intensity of the light only added to the sweltering heat in the room, but Illia knew better than to move.
There were others with them. They were hidden away in the darker corners—the two lackeys Cinder had brought with her. Neo was also there, behind Illia from the last she had seen. Just knowing the smug, short pain in her ass was somewhere nearby made the burden of Ilia's task all the more doable, if only through spite alone.
Adam was there, too. She could feel his gaze upon her. The sheer intensity of his anger burned into her. He hadn't been happy when he called her. Illia had been taking a short break from the White Fang to have a small lunch with Gwyn and Amber. It had been a small affair. They had met again near the condemned remains of Tuskon's bookshop. The small girl was like a ray of joy in the seemingly endless days of painstaking work and cramped lying that defined Ilia's time in Vale.
How she desperately wished to be back there. Instead, she responded immediately to Adam's orders and now she regretted every second of it. She kept her mouth shut as Cinder drew closer. A sharp, painted nail caressed the side of Ilia's thigh. A shiver of fear ran through her, sharp and cold. It sent goosebumps across her skin, and her coloring shifted, returning to her original shade.
"Her abilities are quite exceptional. Shame her constitution and discipline are so lacking." Cinder chided. Ilia bit back the impulse to flush red in anger. "I suppose she'll do."
Ilia wanted to lash out and demand someone tell her what she was being dragged into. But before she could muster the first few words, Adam was already coming forward. His mask hid the anger in his eyes, but the tightness in his shoulders and the stiffness in his movements were all clear signs of his boiling rage.
"We are not your property," Adam said. The heat in his voice was thick. "You wanted to see what the White Fang could offer. We delivered. We are not your toys. We have delivered on every one of our obligations. The Dust, the Grimm, the spike in unrest in the streets. Now, I expect answers in return."
"Oh my. I didn't think the dog had any bite in him," Cinder laughed. Adam stepped forward, hand reaching for the hilt of his blade. From the shadows, Ilia could see the silver-haired boy from the docks rise to his feet. Cinder waved them both down. "Easy boys. There's no need for blood tonight. We have an arrangement. I suppose it's only fair if I uphold my end. Emerald, dear?"
Cinder stuck out a hand, and the green-haired girl with the darker complexion stepped forward and handed Cinder an electronic pad. The woman tapped the screen several times before turning it to face Adam.
"As I am sure you recall when we started this little partnership, I promised you the Schnee heiress. The little stunt Marlow pulled in the forest during Initiation didn't quite pan out as we had hoped, but there's nothing to be done about that now. Beacon has relegated most of their on-duty Huntsmen to the forest, searching out the White Fang and the few mutated Grimm roaming freely about. So far, they have proceeded exactly as we thought they would. Whatever forces they have left have been assigned to the school, preparing for the festival."
"We already know all of this," Adam spat out. His impatience grew, and Illia shifted slightly away, afraid to be in the crossfire when it finally snapped. "What exactly about this is helping us?"
Cinder sighed. She looked down on him and them, treating them like children who needed to be shown what was happening step by step. She could see Adams's grip tighten around his weapon. Ilia was surprised by his restraint. She had never seen Adam hesitate to lash out when someone looked down on him.
"While you've been off providing the legwork, one of my associates has been finessing his way into Beacon's personal and school data. He has gained access to everything in and around the school: rosters, shipment data, and even the personnel files on all the participants in the coming tournament."
Cinder was dragging it out. There was something she was purposefully avoiding saying. Whatever it was, she relished the anger rolling off of Adam. She enjoyed watching him mull and simmer in his rage, knowing that he wouldn't lash out at her.
"So, as a result, think of this as a gesture of our goodwill. A small reward for all you have graciously provided us and a personal thank you from me." Cinder said. She tapped the screen again, and a new image popped up. Ilia craned her neck to see. Weiss Schnee was no stranger to the limelight. Illia had seen her face plastered around her former school. The former heiress was almost akin to a superstar. It was hard to find anyone, especially any Faunus, who didn't know of the Schnees. "It seems your dear little lady friend has been assigned to the same team as your number one target."
That gave Illia pause. Was Cinder talking about Blake? Ilia knew Blake was in the city. She had known Blake attended Beacon. But to find out she was hand in hand with the former heiress of the Schnees was something else entirely. Blake hated them–hated every single Schnee and everything they stood for. Blake had gone out of her way to target and destroy Dust shipments, Schnee merchandise, and transports. There was no way that the very same Blake, who had fought with all her passion and soul against the tyranny inflicted by the SDC, was somehow friendly with the Daughter of the enemy.
"But don't worry. As far as we can tell, your little girlfriend is still safe and sound. If anything, she's been awfully busy herself." Cinder tapped the screen again. Security footage pooped up. The angle was distant and a little awkward. Ilia could easily make out the docks, and a group stood deep in conversation. Ilia squinted, making out the shape of Blake. It was impossible to see her clearly, but even still, the image set Ilia's heart aflutter—a sense of dread and relief blended in her chest, released with a strangled sigh. Next to her stood the ever-clear snowy white hair of a Schnee. It was almost wrong to see the two like that, two individuals, who by all accounts should have been mortal enemies now next to each other, seemingly friends. It felt so unbelievably wrong that Ilia couldn't quite believe it. "Junior ran into one of her acquaintances. The Blonde one, I'm told. She started asking around for more information regarding our operations. The Schnee accessed data files pertaining to Dust shipments around Vlae. Small pieces of the puzzle, bit by bit. It seems we have a group of wannabe heroes murking about."
"Again, how does this exactly pertain to our agreement? Your sloppy work doesn't constitute our problem." Adam said.
"Sloppy work?" Cinder faked a gasp. "If I recall, you let a group of untrained students ruin an operation spanning months in the works. That tone of voice will get you into trouble if you're not careful. But, no. Today is about gifts. And I think I have the perfect one for you. In return, I expect you'll let me take your special little soldier here for the next phase of our plan."
Cinder tapped the screen again, and a new image appeared—a document filed and signed by the Beacon administration. Ilia wasn't quite sure what she was looking at.
"Your little heiress is signed on to a training practice this weekend at Signal. She flies out over the forest on Friday evening." Cinder said, and Illia could already see the anger surrounding Adam vanish as realization dawned. "If something were to happen while she was unsupervised and unprotected, my, what a tragedy that would be."
"I can have my men ready to move within an hour." Adam started. Cinder raised a hand to stop him.
"No, an attack from you would look deliberate. You're already a wanted man. Any further aggression would work counter to what we want." Cinder said.
"So what? You'll take care of it?" Adam asked.
"Of course not. It has to look like an accident, a freak attack in the night. We have something special planned."
"Um, excuse me…" Ilia chimed in. All eyes turned to her, and the sudden embarrassment caused her to drop her changing skin, the usual dark tan of her natural skin taking back over. "How exactly does this help us? I get attacking the Schnee, which would be a big win for the White Fang, but what does it accomplish in the long run? It'll just make things worse around the city."
"That is exactly right. The worse the unrest gets, the better we'll be." Cinder said. Ilia was uncertain how more unrest and panic could be a good thing. People had already died. Adding more flames to the fire would only cause further tragedy. "But eliminating her now would also bring in the bigger fish."
"The SDC?" Illia guessed.
"Atlas." CInder corrected. "Damaging the reputation of Beacon just before the tournament leaves the door open for Atlas to seize command of the security and try to reassert control. They'll swoop in like the good policing force they are and try to soothe tensions. More than that, however, it gives us everything we need for the grand finale. With Atlas in play, our victory is all but assured."
Ilia had a million questions. There was an endless number of theories and connections. For the first time, she was finally starting to see the larger picture, but it still felt like she was missing something. She wanted to ask what the end goal was and how this was helping further the White Fang's cause. How does bringing in Atlas do anything to help them? Before she could voice her concerns, Adam cut in once more.
"How exactly do you intend to eliminate the Schnee?" He asked
"Do you know why this world is called Remnant?" Cinder suddenly asked. The question caught Adam off guard, but Ilia pushed herself back into the conversation.
"The religious theory is that the shattered remains of this world are a byproduct of the times long passed. The religious ideology of the Brothers believes that when they abandoned this world, they left an incomplete remnant of what was once."
"Smart and useful. Taurus, you've been holding out on me." Cinder said. She set down the screen on a nearby table. She crossed her arms as she strolled around the stage. To Ilia, it was like a wild animal eyeing its prey. "Yes, very good. This world is filled with the remnants of a time long passed—the ruins of ancient cities and even the creatures of darkness themselves. But there are others as well. Monsters, much like the Grimm, also exist from that time. Monsters that can be bargained with. I know of one that would be more than willing to help. My Mistress has already set it into motion."
"So what, we're just supposed to sit idly by and wait on our asses while you go about making shady deals behind our backs?" Adam asked.
"That is absolutely what you are going to do," Cinder said, her smile cruel. "This isn't a partnership, boy. You are just a small piece on a far grander stage—a tiny piece of the game that can be easily replaced should he not follow through with his end of the deal."
Adam stepped forward, his boot slamming into the ground as he grabbed his hilt. The anger practically rolled off of him. Cinder made no move. Instead, with the same sinister grin, she raised her hand, her long, slender fingers catching fire. The flames coiled and spun around Cinder's hand, condensing inward on themselves tighter and tighter. The pressure built as a small sphere of fire coalesced into her palm.
Ilia watched with wide eyes as the sphere was leveled at her.
"Now, now," Cinder chided. "There's no need to lose your composure. This is a gift, after all. Besides, you wouldn't put one of your own in danger like this, would you?"
Adam ground his teeth, the tension in his body straining as he finally relented. As quickly as the flames had erupted, they snuffed themselves as CInder closed her hand around them.
"See, I knew you would understand," Cinder said. "Rest assured, boy, we will handle the Schnee. More importantly, I want you to get this one ready for the next phase of our plan. The loss of the base in the forest is regrettable. We're moving up the timetable. I expect the excavation is still proceeding smoothly?"
"We're still ahead of schedule," Adam said.
"Excellent. After this little event in the forest, we'll expect Atlas in the coming weeks. Have everything ready to go before then." Cinder said. With that, she left. She picked up her device and stalked out of the room, her two lackeys following closely behind. Neo gave her an irritating grin and a sharp slap on the back before trodding out after them.
It wasn't until the door shut that Ilia released the breath she had been holding. She slumped onto her knees atop the stage, her heart hammering violently in her chest. The panic and uncertainty made it hard to focus.
When she finally found some semblance of control, she saw Adam staring at her. Behind his mask, it was impossible to determine his real feelings. Even still, there were endless questions Illia wanted to ask. About the so-called plan. About Blake. About everything they were doing in the city.
"Adam…" That was all she could have managed.
"I should have told you about Blake." He finally said, his voice low and controlled. "That is on me. But everything else. Our purpose, our mission. It will all make sense soon. Just trust me."
What a load of shit. She had trusted him. Her trust in him was what led her to this point. Now she was stuck in the middle of something she couldn't even begin to understand and lost in a city of strangers with untrustworthy allies and friends lying to her. She felt like she was going to be sick.
"I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." He said.
He had promised the same thing to Blake, but Adam's promises were becoming stale and hollow.
Brothers, she wanted to see Blake. Blake would know what to do, and she could make all of this right.
Adam left before she could ask anything more, his heavy steps thumping against the ground. Once more, Ilia was left alone, the light above her dimming before flickering and shoving her into total darkness.
A.N: And we're back! A shorter chapter this time. This one was important, I promise. With this, though, we finally move on to the next stages of the story. Evrything from here on is probably the bits I have been most excited for. So I hope you'll all stay tuned. Again, all credit in the world goes to Kabuto S. Inferno for being the beta and a big part of the inspiration for the story.
If you like the story, a follow and a review go a long way. See you soon.
Asianman2: I would never...
Guest: I think Ruby means it more emotionally. Weiss is more than capable of holding her own, but given everything that has happened, she may be more fragile than she's letting on. Regardless, it's not like anything could happen at Signal...
Guest: I wanted a chapter that was a little less heavy to buffer with everything about to happen. Jaunes will soon have to confront his own past, and with it, he will have to redefine exactly what he wants to do and be. Weiss will serve as a great partner during that moment of reflection, especially considering her own past and demons.
Guest: You're going to get him. It's full throttle from here on in.