Chapter 5

[Lie Ren]

Even after two weeks, he could hardly believe that they had finally made it. It took them months of traveling on foot, not having enough money to board one of the costly inter-kingdom flights, but they finally made it to Vale. The place where they finished their journey and, ironically, they'd start another. The final step in order to make the first, that's what Vale – and Beacon – would be.

And they couldn't be in a better position now. Be it a Brothers sent gift or just plain luck, they found their way into the city without any troubles. Furthermore, they had also found and were now getting tutored by two veteran Huntsmen who took a fancy to them and their skills.

"-And then, I was like whoosh! But even when I landed he was behind me waiting. But that was not enough to stop me, you know?!" Nora continued at his side as they walked through the streets of Vale.

"I know, Nora. As I have told you, I was there." Ren knew that wouldn't deter her from continuing the story. It certainly hadn't stopped her the other six times, but at this point, it was an unspoken agreement. Just a way to let her know that he was paying attention to what she was saying. Nora didn't enjoy the silence, so he let her indulge in it.

"Then he tried to bash me with his shield, but I stopped it with one arm and told him. Your grumpiness isn't enough to defeat this queen!" Nora boasted as she walked by his side. Her arms flailed and gestured along with her words as if mimicking her movements during the event. "He then just looked surprised and kneeled before his rightful ruler and then gave me pancakes, they were good! But not as good as your pancakes, Renny! Yours are the best because you put a lot of syrup on them for me," she continued.

From there the story completely derailed from reality and took what he would like to call a Noraness to it. Not that he minded, of course. It was, in his eyes, one of her most endearing traits. Besides, it was not like it hurt anybody. If she were telling the story to a third party, he would have made sure to correct her for the sake of accuracy.

"Thank you for your compliment, Nora. But I will not buy you any more pancake supplies or syrup. This money was given to us to restock on necessities and it would not be polite to waste it all on that," he put his foot down, seeing through her sweet talking. Even if his heart clenched slightly at her groan of disappointment. This money wasn't theirs, after all. Vincent gave it to them to restock on dust and buy new clothes.

He planned to refuse at first, but given the current state of their battle attire, and their severe lack of options, he swallowed his politeness and promised to do his best with the money given to them. Mr. Blackwood didn't seem to care too much and Mr. Astra only said that they shouldn't forget to check by the dust and weapon store for any upgrades they could get. Ren could have done without the former's suggestion to get protection though.

He might have tried to refuse a few more times, but the fact that Mr. Blackwood and Mr. Astra kept insisting that it wasn't a problem and that it was just pocket change for them won him over in the end. The fact that they were currently staying at one of the most expensive hotels he had ever seen in his entire life, gave a lot of credence to their claims, that was for sure. Ren could have done without Mr. Blackwood placing them in a room with a double bed though. The fact that Mr. Astra claimed it to be improper for young kids like them certainly made things that much more embarrassing.

They'd had that conversation in the middle of the lobby too, which didn't help matters.

"Renny! Look at that!" Said Nora, bringing him back to the present. He looked at a bunch of people gathered around a small band playing popular music in the middle of the plaza they were currently walking by. It looked like a good enough place to stop for a moment, he supposed. Thus, Ren walked towards the attractions, leaving behind the stores he was browsing through.

Seas of people walked around them. The different lights and sounds of shops and the crowds drowned the night. Even if it was still early to be sleeping, the sight of so many people gathered together was enough to overwhelm his senses for a moment, long since accustomed to the quietness of the wilderness or the calm of villages and much smaller cities.

It was a bit too much for him, but Nora seemed right in her element. Her head swished in every direction and toward everything she found interesting, which was practically all that they could see. Her eyes shone with wonder at every colorful light of stores and the call of multiple sellers promoting their wares to the passing crowds.

Everyone here looked so happy, so full of life. It was almost like the Grimm didn't exist, like they didn't have to worry about their safety from the dangers of the night, like they didn't have to worry if tomorrow will be their last day. It left him with conflicting feelings. How could these people be so unaware of the perils of the world? As villages perished or starved to death, they just laughed and enjoyed the amenities and security of the kingdom's capital. They complained about things so small that he was left dumbfounded, wondering if they had ever known what the word problem even meant.

Yet again, he couldn't blame them either. These people were not at fault for what happened to those outside of their reach. It wasn't them that destroyed homes and lives. It wasn't their fault that they rested peacefully as Kuroyuri burned, as his family was murder-

He took a deep breath and centered himself. Using his semblance made the process a matter of instants. Exhaling, he let go of the gray and with it, all his emotions, his mind calm and clear. No. He wouldn't let his thoughts go that way. It wasn't their fault nor their responsibility.

If anything, the fact that places like this existed, places where people could just stop worrying about survival and live, should be a source of determination. A sign that humanity wasn't doomed, that the Grimm haven't won. The city wasn't a problem, it was a goal. Ren wanted everywhere to be like the place he was seeing at that moment.

'I will do it. I will create a world where everyone can smile like this,' he swore to himself. He knew that it was an impossible goal, but that didn't mean he couldn't still try. Even if it was futile, he would try to create a world where parents wouldn't have to worry about the creatures of the Grimm. A world where kids wouldn't have to lose their family and loved ones as he did, where no one had to suffer the same perils he did.

He looked back at Nora. At that very moment, the girl was dancing to the tune of the song. People made a circle around her clapping and laughing as she effectively became part of the entertainment. Her eyes shone with excitement and her smile and laugh were so radiant that it made something in his chest feel light.

Yes, Ren would exterminate all Grimm and claim vengeance for his family against that monster. Above all else, he would create a world where Nora could always smile like this. Even if it took his whole life to achieve, he would do it for her.

[}-o-{]

[Adam Taurus]

"Thank you. You can leave now," he dismissed, watching the deer faunus leave the room and sighing. Next to him, Blake smiled wryly at him. Deery was… She was annoying. She believed in the cause, but Adam still couldn't help but find her so incredibly tiresome all the same.

"Enthusiastic as ever," his partner commented and Adam had to resist the urge to sigh again. Deery represented some of the worst characteristics of the White Fang, the ones that made the public much less sympathetic with their cause. Hate without reason, hate without measure.

Deery didn't like humans for about the same reason that humans didn't like faunus, which was none. As far as Adam had gathered, she'd never been discriminated against, a rarity and a fortune that she seemed entirely unaware of. It wasn't even that she was offended on others' behalf. She just seemed to… roll with the hate of others, because she could, or something of the sort.

"Good to have another account on this, at least," Adam mumbled, looking through the reports they'd gotten from the members that could actually show their faces in public in Vale. Information regarding a supposed Schnee that was walking around the place.

Silver Astra wasn't a Schnee, however, of that much Adam was almost positive. 'Could be an estranged member? A disowned son somewhere in the family tree?' he wondered, already making plans to gather more information. If the man was a Schnee, they needed to know. There were a number of ways they could use that.

They could make an example of him, in a number of ways. Deery had nothing but bad things to report, but that was expected, she couldn't give an unbiased opinion if her life depended on it. Perry's account of the man had been most interesting, however, as had Tukson's. A "retired" member the now bookstore owner might have been, but Adam only allowed that because the man still offered information to their organization. That and because he'd kept his mouth shut, of course.

A possible Schnee, that was good to Faunus.

That could be used as an entirely different example. Maybe they could hit the SDC's reputation through the man if he was actually related to the family. Compare Jacques Schnee with the man and have the public find the CEO wanting. A sweet idea, so very sweet, to hit the man where it would surely hurt. However, Adam wasn't sure it'd be as effective as he hoped.

"We need more information though," Blake pointed out. "If we do something assuming he's a Schnee and he's not, it'll backfire."

"I'm aware," Adam agreed easily, nodding as he looked at the files they'd compiled on the man. "We can gather some more of that… Although…" he trailed off, opening a separate folder.

"It'll be difficult," Blake added then, and Adam hummed, already reading the other piece of news they'd gotten. Less important, but related nonetheless, and in this case, annoying.

Vincent Blackwood.

The man that was with their supposed Schnee.

Normally, Adam would have had a number of contacts to use in order to gather information. Especially something as… delicate as what they had in mind. However, a number of those paths had been blocked by Blackwood, who seemed to have the biggest information broker in the city under his thumb now. It was annoying, but it was a setback that they could work with all the same.

It'd delay them, but it wouldn't stop them, that was for sure.

"I guess we better get started then," Adam decided. "It'll take a while, but it's not like we don't have other things to be doing all the same."

"You are not wrong about that," Blake commented, sighing tiredly.

There were a lot of preparations to make, plans to go through, training to be had. Fighting for their rights was hard work, that much he knew. However, there was nothing Adam would have rather been doing. What they did was important and nobody would convince him otherwise.

His kind had been oppressed long enough.

Setting the files down, he gave one last look at Astra's photograph before pushing the folders aside.

If Adam needed to make blood flow so that his people could live well, then that was exactly what he'd do.

[}-o-{]

[Hei Xiong]

Someone had run their mouths.

One of his men, he'd bet, much as it angered him to admit. There was no way anyone else would have gotten word out and so… irritatingly accurately at that. He'd known it was a matter of time, of course, especially with how… obvious they were being, but Hei had still hoped he'd have more time to prepare.

As it was, everyone and their fucking mothers knew that he was under someone's thumb now.

Blackwood's existence as a person above him had gotten out. Nobody knew much of the man, however, which was no surprise. Hei himself knew nothing but the things the man had told him when he was asking for their fake documentation. The rest of the Vale underworld knew even less, considering they didn't even seem to have a half accurate description, let alone a picture.

That was a little strange, but Hei chalked that up to the person that had squealed either not having seen Blackwood personally, being an idiot or being shit at describing people. Or a combination of all of those, he supposed. 'Thank the Gods for small mercies,' he thought to himself, taking a gulp of his drink and setting the glass down on the table with more strength than was strictly necessary.

Trouble was going to come his way. There was no way it wouldn't happen. One didn't go from being one of the biggest gangs in the city to someone's bitch without some repercussions. His strength was as good as it had always been, but people would take that information as a sign of weakness anyway and that was trouble.

The waters had been disturbed and there'd be a mess regardless. Even if he had the strength that had stopped everyone from acting before, it didn't mean that the storm that was coming wouldn't be a disaster. Once someone made a move, the dominos would start falling until there was not a single one standing.

'Gods damned Blackwood,' Hei thought for the thousandth time, taking another gulp from his drink.

If he were a more stupid man, Hei would have considered telling the man the absolute chaos he'd unleashed with his actions. He wasn't, however. On top of that, he very much doubted that Blackwood would care, really. If anything, the bastard was likely to find the whole thing funny, considering how much he seemed to love messing with people and lording his strength over others.

"What do we do?" he heard and he almost deflated when the twins took a seat on the other side of the table he was occupying. Instead of replying, he brought his glass up and watched the liquid sway and the ice in it float idly.

"They'll be coming for us soon. The rumors are spreading like wildfire," Melanie pointed out then, as if he wasn't aware of that fact. He considered that, as he had for a while already, ever since the news first leaked. Even before that, really, since he knew the information would get around eventually.

If there was one thing Hei knew, it was that truth would always get out. Things had a way of getting out, no matter how hard one tried to hide them. Considering how blatant Blackwood had been, there was no way the secret would last.

"We prepare, as we've been," Hei commented blandly. "We'll have to speed things up. Throw more money around, prepare our people," he added then, setting the glass down without drinking this time. "They'll come whether we like it or not. When they do, we have to be ready."

"We'll be fine," Miltiades declared, and Hei hummed. She wasn't wrong. They'd remain standing after all was said and done. They hadn't gotten as high up in the underworld as they had without reason. However, that didn't mean there wouldn't be problems, far from it.

[}-o-{]

[Neopolitan]

Roman was out and she had nothing to do.

That was bad.

Her foot tapped against the ground repeatedly as she stood in their hideout. She looked out of the window, letting the city lights shine and distract her as much as the noise she herself was making. She even focused on the smell of the warehouse, stale and bland.

It wasn't enough.

It wasn't nearly enough.

Every blink would bring them back up, surrounding her. They creeped at her from the corners of the room. They peeked at her from the roof, high up and away from the lights. They whispered at her from everywhere and nowhere.

The shadows reached for Neo.

Tendrils extended towards her and she saw them, she saw them from the corner of her eyes. They were never there when she turned, however, as if they were mocking her. She could almost feel them stalking her from behind and she couldn't quite stop herself from turning every so often. Instead of reassuring her, the action only brought more paranoia.

Was that what the darkness waited for? For her to let her guard down? Was that what the Dark Man wanted? She bet that was it. He wanted to catch her by surprise, at her weakest. Jump her again, just like that night, wrap his fingers around her neck and-

"Well, aren't you a sneaky one?"

Neo shivered, as if the words were whispered in her ear instead of just a memory from several nights before. Her breathing became shallow and she felt herself start sweating. Hush, her weapon, shook in her hand.

"You'll be a good girl, won't you?" the Dark Man had asked, eyes black as the darkest night and so very deep, like staring into space. The shadows wrapped around them both, gentle and oppressing all the same. "I promise nothing bad will happen… if you behave."

Just like they had back then, the shadows receded, as if her traumatized mind were replaying the events for her in a twisted torture session. If she weren't the victim, she'd have commended how effective the Dark Man had been, to leave her so terrified even while doing basically nothing to her. As it was, she could muster nothing but fear at the thought and the memories.

Roman had said they would stay on the man's good side, even before she'd explained what happened to him. Neo could only hope that they could manage to do that, because if they failed… They couldn't fail. Neo would make sure of that. She would never find out whatever awaited them if the Dark Man decided they were an annoyance.

"Behave," had been the Dark Man's parting words, after his meeting with Roman and without anyone but her hearing him, even when they were surrounded by people and he was long gone. "Because the shadows are always watching."

[}-o-{]

[Qrow Branwen]

He just arrived back to Vale from a mission and he was already picking up a dozen things that were going on.

What the fuck had happened while he was gone?

Ozpin didn't seem very concerned, but that was because none of the problems were big enough for him to notice… Or care, just yet. The man was intent on always keeping the bigger picture in mind, small trouble was beneath him and Qrow understood that. It was what he was there for, after all.

Which was why he'd started looking into things as soon as he could.

For one, the most concerning thing was that there was a new player in the underworld of Vale. Qrow hadn't even had to try to find that out. Word was everywhere that someone had taken Hei Xiong and grabbed him by the balls, metaphorically speaking. That was the kind of thing that didn't happen unless there was something like a gang war, something that would definitely be noticed everywhere and likely would have guaranteed Ozpin's attention.

Instead, this had happened without so much as a peep anywhere and that was strange.

The gangs in Vale were dangerous and that was for much more than their physical might. There was a reason that they existed everywhere even while the Kingdoms had access to huntsmen and huntresses. Even if you could stamp them out, the gangs would always exist, no matter what. On top of that, few of their numbers would dare to try and take on gangs, especially powerful ones. huntsmen and huntresses had families, after all, or many of them did. Those that didn't had friends and those that didn't… were probably out there suicidally taking on as many Grimm as possible.

Thus, few dared to tackle the gangs for fear of a more… indirect retaliation.

So, who was the crazy bastard that had gone straight for one of the biggest gangs in the city and just made them his bitch?

Vincent Blackwood.

There was next to no information on the man, but that said a lot, really. How did a man that strong come out of nowhere? It was concerning, very concerning. Qrow was pulling on every contact he could get his hands on and the only thing he was getting was that the man seemed to not even have existed a few weeks before. Worse yet was the fact that there wasn't so much as a description of the man anywhere, no pictures, no known features, nothing.

This mystery man appearing in the underworld of Vale wasn't all there was, however, oh no.

The White Fang was stirring, apparently. It was a much more discreet and difficult to find piece of information, but that was happening. Qrow almost would have thought the two issues were related, but he was very reluctant to go down that rabbit hole. The White Fang and the general crime world were, more often than not, completely disconnected from one another. After all, the terrorists didn't consider themselves criminals for the most part. They acted like ones and they would sometimes even admit that they were, but they liked to pretend there was a difference between them and the rest of the undesirables of society.

Thus, Qrow thought it was likely that both issues had nothing to do with one another, unless his Mystery Man had poked not one but two hornets' nests. A possibility, but it was best to consider all possibilities, so Qrow would do his best to keep an eye out on things. As it was, he didn't even know what was happening with the White Fang, however, so it was difficult to really come up with theories, really.

For the moment, nobody seemed to know what the White Fang was up to. Qrow hadn't even got the usual cryptic answers from any of his information sources. He'd even checked with the aforementioned Xiong Clan, but nothing had come out of that either, nor from the inquiry nor from the criminals themselves, since he'd poked them for a reaction too.

Nothing at all, except that the White Fang was doing something, which was about as helpful as Qrow was after a particularly bad night at the bar.

On the other hand, there was one more piece of news that stood out. Qrow himself wasn't very sure what to make of it though. For one, it was a true mystery. For another, it was concerning. And yet, despite that, it was also a good thing.

'What a world we live in, when good news can be concerning,' he thought, taking another gulp from his drink as he continued pondering on the issues at hand.

One of which was that the reports on Grimm around Vale had been… strange. The number of monsters had been reduced drastically. There were up and downs on the blasted monsters' numbers from time to time, however they had never been as low as they were those days. It wasn't a matter of a point or two in the percentages. People were genuinely baffled by this development.

Nobody had any idea how it happened either.

And that part was why it was worrying. Because if there was no explanation for this change, it had very worrying implications for those like him. Those in the know about things that weren't available for the public. This change could be the calm before the storm, as far as Qrow was concerned.

Taking another gulp of his drink, he groaned.

It was going to be a long night and things wouldn't be better when he woke up.

He hated when that happened.

Then he groaned again, because if all that wasn't enough…

'Amber chose the worst moment to run away again.'

[} Chapter End {]

Adrian: Everyone is half panicking, Vincent is having fun and Silver is just pretending everything's fine.

Arc: I personally enjoyed the Ren part the most, followed very closely by the Neo one. Poor girl is traumatized for life, well, more than what she already was.

Vincent:She's fine.

Adrian: … I blame Arc for that.

Arc: …Why is it always me…?

Adrian:How did he even-? I mean, he's-... You know what? Let's just… wrap this up. We hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Arc: Until next time!

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