Author's Notes:
Your guesses are interesting. As in, I didn't expect as many people to make the same guess. We'll see if you're right.
Enjoy!
"Text/Messages"
"Speech"
Disclaimer: I do not own Fallout, RWBY, or any associated characters
Remnants of a Courier
Arc 4: Chaos Theory
Chapter 68: Red History
"So… What do you think the old man wants to talk about?"
Blake scanned the people around them as her partner asked the big question. What did the veteran want… Well, more accurately, what did Richter want?
Her team had been rather insistent on learning the man's name before meeting him again. Blake had been impatient to get answers and had argued that it was a waste of time but now she completely agreed with their decision.
They had learned the man's name was Richter Spring, which meant that his daughter was Carmine Spring. This alone wouldn't be bad, a name didn't make enemies by itself. But the actions and heinous crimes behind a name did.
Richter 'Bloody' Spring, codename Red River. A butcher during the Faunus Rights Revolution. His name wasn't as widespread as some of the more active Cleaners, but some of the massacres he was a part of were.
Operation Black Tide, the Grimm Lagoon Massacre, the Burning of Menagerie, all events he was there for. The man had remained hidden during most of the events, hardly being seen. But they knew he had been there. No one was sure exactly what had transpired or what he had done, but the bodies they buried during those days were found at the feet of that man.
Now, Blake didn't know the whole story, as much of Menagerie's culture was accustomed to oral history which had been lost during the war, but she had heard bits and pieces about some of the Cleaners. And the legend of the Bloody Spring was one of them.
It told the tale of a man who adapted to their tactics, using hit-and-run and subterfuge to get around their defenses. A ghost that couldn't be caught. He had killed like any other Cleaner until the Lagoon Massacre.
From what she remembered from the story, somewhere along the northern parts of Menagerie lies a lagoon that has natural Dust deposits that make the water shine purple, Mauve's Peace. Richter had been chased there after being discovered during a separate operation. Ultimately being cornered by revolutionary forces, or so they thought.
What they hadn't known was that it had been a trap. After arriving and seeing the man standing in the middle of the lagoon. Grimm poured out from all sides and sealed the fate of the poor souls there. Dozens were killed in that altercation and somehow the human had managed to weasel out of it, completely disappearing from their view and the Grimm's. Either the monstrous events that happened that day or the new Grimm caused the water to turn black. And thus, the place was renamed to the Grimm Lagoon.
That was about as much as she knew. That he was a Cleaner who killed Faunus. A bastard by every measure. Then why was he out here with a daughter of all things?
"Yoo-hoo, Remnant to Blake, c'mon," a voice called out before a hand waved in front of the Faunus' face.
Blinking, Blake turned and saw her partner's lilac eyes staring at her with concern. How long had she been thinking about the Cleaner?
"Uh-yeah?" The Faunus replied, turning to her other two teammates who were also staring at her in concern. "Did I miss something?"
Yang sighed while bringing a hand to her forehead. "We asked what you think about the old guy? Think he'll have any info for us?"
Right, her teammates didn't know the old man was a Cleaner. Why would they? And why hadn't she told them? They had every right to know what they were getting into, he was possibly dangerous.
But then why was he here, in the middle of nowhere with a daughter? It seemed so out of character for what she knew of Cleaners, just like House and the Mimic. That strange duality was giving her pause. Besides, Blake doubted he'd get their attention just to mislead them. Wait…
"What if he was the one who sabotaged the pipes?" Blake finally replied.
The other girls blinked while staring at her, not having thought of the idea until now.
"Well, it would make sense," Ruby began as she crossed her arms. "He would know how to break the pipes. But why would he do it?"
The group stared at one another for a few moments before a groan escaped Yang.
"Alright, alright," the blonde started as she pointed at the rest of her friends. "We can't assume anything. I can't believe I'm the one saying this but we should gather evidence before accusing people."
That was a tad hypocritical coming from their group. Blake knew they had a tendency to run off with ideas before getting the whole picture. Of course, that same determination led them to Rhyt, on a chase for the Mimic's and House's true identity.
"Let's go and talk to him first, see what he has to say, and make our decision then. Sound good?" The blonde continued while putting her hand down.
There was a moment of thought before the other girls nodded their heads in agreement.
"Alright team, let's move out! To the old man's house!" Ruby shouted while fist-pumping.
Blake watched Ruby excitedly knock against the wooden door to the Cleaner's house. She–despite having been turned away last time–seemed just as excited to meet the man again. Her silver eyes gleamed with excitement.
All the Faunus could feel was apprehension as she stared up at the house. It was a cozy-looking smaller home made of stone and wood, common for a town in the Wilds. Several windows dotted its exterior and going up revealed a second floor. However, the second floor was only on a corner of the house, meaning it was a quarter of the size of the first floor. And it was all topped off with a small stone chimney.
It was too homey for a Cleaner to be living in.
The door opened to Richter looking down at them, an even expression on his face. He had traded his red flannel for a green one but otherwise looked the same as the last time they spoke.
Cold and icy blue eyes scanned their group as he stood in the doorway. He was assessing them even as Ruby darted forward, causing the man's hands to tense before relaxing.
"Heya! I'm Ruby!" The youngest member of their team excitedly explained as she took the man's hand without asking and shook it vigorously.
The Cleaner raised a brow and a hint of a grin crossed his face before he cooled his expression. He met the girl's handshake with strength and forced the girl to slow her handshake to a normal pace.
"Richter, nice to meet you," the man replied in a neutral tone as he glanced toward the rest of their team before his gaze finally settled on Blake.
The Faunus felt her ear twitch involuntarily at the attention as she narrowed her eyes at him.
"Right, these are my teammates!" Ruby continued, oblivious to the atmosphere. "Weiss my partner, Yang my sister, and Blake!"
The man nodded his head as he greeted them. "A pleasure." These formalities were grating on Blake's nerves.
"But it's also best if we don't linger outside too long, too many prying eyes." The Cleaner's gaze moved past them, causing Blake to turn her head and see that several people were staring at them. She hated this town.
"Come in," Richter offered as he stepped back and allowed them to enter. "But take off your shoes when you do."
Stepping in, Blake noticed the carpeted floors, brown and soft. Despite that, when she took her boots off and placed her sock-covered feet on the floor, she noted that it felt slightly lumpy in some places. Maybe it wasn't always carpeted and had something under it?
The walls were made of what Blake assumed to be Valesian Maple wood, a dark brown wood with hints of red. The tiny room they stepped into served as a foyer and Blake watched Yang place her shoes in a tiny closet filled with more shoes and coats.
Quickly following suit, Blake walked behind her team into a small hallway. Various pictures of the family were hung up, including a woman who looked like an older version of Carmine.
They passed a doorway on their left that was ajar, revealing that the inside contained several wooden benches and tools. A smooth rock made up the floor and various tools and weapons were strewn about. A workshop of sorts if Blake had to guess.
The end of the hall opened up into a living room of modest size that expanded outward to Blake's right. It was big enough to house a couch, a small coffee table, a stand for a large Scroll acting as an entertainment center, a fireplace, and the five of them. The Faunus noted an open passageway to her left as well, leading into a smaller kitchen.
On the far side of the living room was a set of stairs leading to the second floor she saw outside. The design of the house left Blake puzzled.
"Take a seat wherever you like, I imagine this is going to be a long conversation," the Cleaner offered as he took a seat in a comfortable-looking armchair next to the couch.
As the rest of her team found spots around the room, Blake glanced back at the hall she came from. From what she could tell from the outside, the house's entrance was located in the middle of the southern exterior and then led to the hallway. The west side of the house from the hall was allocated for the workshop and kitchen. And at the end of the hall, the northeast quadrant of the house was reserved for the living room and the stairs.
This left an odd section of the house–the southeast side–completely unused with no way to access it. Strange.
"Are you going to take a seat?" The old man asked, grabbing the Faunus' attention.
"Yeah," Blake responded without looking at the man, moving to find a seat next to Weiss on the couch. With their current seating arrangement, Blake was situated farthest from the armchair and on the couch, Weiss was next to her in the middle, with Ruby sitting on the other end of the couch closest to Richter. Lastly, Yang put her rear on the coffee table and leaned back. Richter narrowed his eyes at the blonde but otherwise didn't comment.
There was an awkward silence that settled between them as the old man thought over what to say. He opened his mouth several times before closing it, seemingly lost for words. It was only when Ruby opened her mouth to say something that the Cleaner finally spoke.
"Let me begin by saying that I did not plan on revealing this to you. Even with all he's done, the man you've come to expose has done right by me and my girl, and it would be wrong of me to betray the trust he's placed in us."
Blake idly wondered how long they had known each other. It must have been some time for this level of loyalty to have formed.
"That being said," the Cleaner continued as he tapped a prosthetic finger on the arm of his chair. "I can't overlook that the sabotage of our town's safety is his fault, even if indirectly. I will not risk my daughter's safety to cover for him."
His gaze hardened as he glanced over their group. "I will tell you what I know and then you will leave our house, never to bother us again, understand?"
The Faunus could tell by the stern expression in the man's eyes, this wasn't a question of if they would agree with him, rather that they would accept it as it was their only choice.
Blake nodded her head, along with the rest of her teammates. They were finally going to find out about House. It had been a long time coming.
The faint sounds of the stairs creaking to her left drew Blake's attention. Judging by the way her teammates didn't turn, the Faunus assumed she was the only one to hear it as she turned her head toward the stairs.
A tuft of red hair disappeared behind the corner of the staircase when Blake turned her head. She assumed that the green-eyed girl was listening in. She didn't mind.
Blake turned back as Richter began his story.
"I met Joshua–that's what he called himself then–roughly last spring, or perhaps the beginning of the summer?" That wasn't long at all in Blake's mind to build such loyalty. "He met my Little Lake in the woods just outside of town before asking for directions after saving her from a few Beowolves."
"Little Lake?" Yang questioned with a raised brow and a smirk.
A frown creased the Cleaner's face as he replied, "Carmine is my Little Lake. Tease me all you like, that won't stop me from calling her that."
The blonde raised her hands in placation. "No no, I just think it's cute is all."
The older man huffed before leaning back in his chair. This time Blake decided to chime in.
"Did he give you a last name at all?"
The Cleaner shook his head. With that negative, it meant that Joshua probably wasn't the Mimic's real name either.
"How many Beowolves were there? What weapon did he use? Oh, did he look super cool?" That was Ruby who cut in with a slew of questions. Leave it to their hyperactive leader to fixate on the wrong questions.
The older man blinked in surprise before a smile crept across his lips again. It looked like Richter approved of Ruby's excitement, or maybe it was something else? Blake wasn't completely sure.
"From what Carmine told me, three Beowolves, a revolver, and he looked very cool." As Richter explained, his eyes flicked over to Weiss and his smile dropped. Did the older man recognize her?
"That's so cool!" Ruby shouted as she fist-pumped.
"Very." Taking a moment to scratch his arm where it met the prosthetic, Richter continued his story.
"After returning my girl home, I got a good look at him. His getup looked very similar to this Mimic fellow. Black armor, red eyes, plates of armor, and a long trench coat."
This only confirmed Blake's suspicions. House had been here before he went to Vale. But why?
"He was… Lost. Didn't know where he was or where he was going. In return for saving my girl, I offered him a place to stay."
Blake blinked as Ruby and Yang glanced at each other. Lost? That didn't sound like House or The Mimic to them.
"What do you mean by lost?" It was Weiss who chimed in this time. Glancing over, Blake could see something more than just confusion: curiosity from the former heiress and a need to understand. It reminded her of a character she read about in Ninjas Know-
Nope! This was not the time to think about her favorite novel. Blake turned back just in time to see Richter speak again.
"Well, he was literally quite lost. He somehow found himself in the Wilds without a shred of direction. Even when we showed him a map he looked confused. Not to mention he reeked. The poor man had probably been in the Wilds for days on end."
His flesh and blood hand tapped the armchair as he continued, "But he also just didn't have purpose. When he stayed with us, other than helping Carmine or myself, he didn't do a lot. He hardly ever talked about himself and didn't seem to ever plan on leaving."
"It would have been a good time if not for the Grimm attacks."
"What Grimm attacks?" Ruby questioned.
"Well," the Cleaner began as he recalled the events. "For the month or two he stayed here, we had three Grimm attacks, a record for us. And I'm not talking about a swarm of Beowolves, we're talking Alphas, Ursas, and a giant worm."
"Oh, tell me that one!" Ruby again pestered the Cleaner.
Giving a soft chuckle, the older man glanced towards the stairs behind Blake as he continued. "Imagine the sky goes dark and rain begins to settle in. A massive horde of Grimm approach and ram into the town's walls. They begin swarming the town from all sides. The guards are doing their best but they're being overwhelmed and I honestly thought we might all die…"
"You didn't have any Huntresses there to help?" Ruby cut in, confusion plastered on her face.
Her question earned a chuckle from the older man before he replied, "No, I'm afraid our small town can't afford a full-fledged Huntress to help. It's just the way it is unfortunately. Lots of little towns like ours get wiped off the map every year."
It was sad to hear. Blake had heard of similar things happening for Faunus who refused to be part of Atlas. They refused to be slaves to the Schnees and left, going into the tundra to start something new, only for the Grimm to end any such ideas in mass slaughter.
"That…" Ruby began before trailing off, at a loss for words. It wasn't a hidden secret that small towns were wiped out in the Wilds. But residents of the capital didn't like talking about it. Blake imagined this was a shock for Ruby who couldn't understand letting that happen.
"Doesn't seem fair?" The Cleaner finished for her with a sad smile. "That's how life is unfortunately. But sometimes… Sometimes good things happen too."
The older man's gaze turned towards Blake now as he continued, "Joshua, dressed like your Mimic, came out and rallied everyone. He took out a group of Grimm on one of our gates and then got everyone into better positions, got us organized just long enough to repel the Grimm. Even took down one of those giant worms on his own."
"What do you mean a giant worm?" Yang chimed in, seemingly also being caught up in the story.
The Cleaner was about to continue but Blake needed to keep everyone on task. She coughed loudly, giving a pointed look towards the old man. They weren't there for storytelling. They were trying to gather evidence on the Mimic.
Turning to her, the man sighed. "Right, I'm getting off topic. Just know he helped us out with multiple Grimm attacks. Then a man named Torch, dressed up in a white suit and bowler hat, came by and-"
Only one conman with a terrible attitude matched that description in Blake's mind. And the mere mention of the man was enough to cause the Faunus to grimace.
The man leaned forward before continuing in a whisper. "-Said he'd kill me and my girl if he didn't go with him. So he did." Blake glanced behind her to see the small form of Carmine staring at them from the corner. If she had to guess, the Cleaner didn't want his daughter to know that detail.
Leaning back, Richter looked over their group and narrowed his eyes. Glancing at her companions, Blake could reason why.
Each of them sported either a frown or thoughtful look at the mention of the conman and the extortion. Richter had figured out they knew something.
"I take it you know the man," the Cleaner stated as he leaned back in his chair.
It was their leader who nodded her head. "Yeah, a really bad guy that's been doing a lot of bad things."
Their conversation was cut short as sharp yapping came from behind Blake. Turning, the Faunus felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. A brown and black dog burst into the room from the stairs.
Blake couldn't help but instinctually shrink back into the couch as it ran past her and to the Cleaner. It jumped up and pressed its front paws onto the older man's legs who in turn reached down and patted its head.
"Now Chryse, we have guests. It's not kind to snoop." The Cleaner's chastising was said in a playful manner but his eyes were firmly placed on the red-haired girl peeking from the stairway. Letting her know she had been caught. Carmine let out what Blake could only describe as an 'eep' before darting back upstairs. The dog however remained.
"Don't mind her, she's shy and very fond of Joshua, and that makes her not fond of you trying to get him in trouble." His words were soft as if he was thinking about something else.
"But we aren't trying to get him in trouble, we're just trying to stop The Mimic!" Ruby replied while leaning forward.
The older man kept the same neutral tone as his eyes wandered to their leader. "You and I both know that it might be one and the same."
That was when the dog turned and decided to inspect the newcomers. It jumped onto the couch and Blake had to force herself not to flinch away.
Ruby immediately dove to it and gave attention in the form of petting and baby-talk but Weiss seemed more inclined to keep her dress clean as she pushed the dog back every time it came close. Good, that meant it would be distracted by them.
"As for after he left our town, we only saw him once after." His gaze wandered to each of the four members of team RWBY. "But I suspect you might know more about that than me."
He was right of course. Blake assumed he was talking about the apartment incident with the White Fang. And while Ozpin had tipped them off to two people from Rhyt being there, she had only pieced it together when meeting Richter and Carmine that they were the ones there. Why would Ozpin hide that from them? It made their jobs a lot harder. Was it deniability? Something else?
"But, that's unfortunately about all I can tell you," the older man continued. "He arrived, seemingly out of nowhere, helped us for a while, and then left. He wore very similar armor and used weapons similar to the Mimic."
"There isn't anything else you can tell us? Anything that would point us to him?" Yang asked as the dog now lunged towards her. She picked it up before holding it above her head. "And who's a good boy? You are!"
"Thomas Logarius, a Huntsman, came by... I want to say almost six, no, seven months ago? Longer? Hard to say. But they apparently fought together and Joshua was the last person to see this Huntsman." Pausing, the older man tapped his prosthetic arm in thought. "I suppose the Captain might know more."
Right, Thomas Logarius was their official reason for being there. If they could get information on the Mimic while also finding out what happened to the Huntsman, that would be perfect.
"She's never going to talk to us though," Yang complained as she placed the dog back on the ground. "She's already told us to get out."
The older man shrugged, "I can't help you there. Not until I do some more digging myself into the matter. Though… If she wants you out of town so bad, maybe you have more leverage than you think?"
"How so?" Weiss inquired while shooing the dog away.
"If the town keeps being rowdy, that attracts Grimm. And they don't like outsiders, so the Captain wants you out before too much negativity spreads." He pointed at the four of them with a wry smile. "You stick around town and pester her enough, she'll eventually give you what you want to just leave. I think..."
"Oh, so you're saying we just need to annoy her then," Ruby commented as she stroked her own chin thoughtfully, mimicking Richter as he did so. "I'm sure we can manage that!"
"I'm sure you can," the older man commented as he leaned back in his chair. "But that's all I have to give, so unless you need anything else, I trust you can show yourselves out?"
Yang and Ruby glanced at each other, having some sort of silent sibling conversation before nodding their heads.
"Nope, that was it!" Ruby shouted as she got to her feet. "Come on team, we've got a Huntsman to find!" The dog also shot up, standing on its hind legs and mimicking her.
"Sooooo cute!" Ruby squeaked out as she leaned down and patted him again. That's not the words Blake would use.
"Good," the old man said as he leaned forward, his tone suddenly shifted as he glared at them. "Then leave my Little Lake out of your investigation, understand?"
But Ruby was undeterred, she merely smiled back before responding, "Sure thing mister Spring! Come on gang!"
And with that, her companions set out to leave, heading for the hall and their shoes. While Yang and Ruby looked energized to have a direction to go in, Weiss still seemed to be thinking about something. She had been for the last few days. Strange.
Even stranger was how forthcoming this Cleaner had been. From everything she understood, they were supposed to be secretive monsters. But not only was he upfront with them, he lived in a small town using his real name. It just didn't make sense.
As Blake stood to follow her teammates, she paused and turned to the older man. "I know what you are."
"Do you now, and what do you think that is?" The older man replied with a raised brow. His hand rested on the cane next to his chair, a leftover habit from when he still needed it?
The Faunus couldn't help the bubbling disgust inside her from boiling out as she spat back, "A monster."
Richter nodded his head while his expression hardened, his features creasing more, seemingly aging him by another ten years. "To many I am." His gaze moved towards the stairs where his daughter had been. "But so long as you leave her alone, you won't meet that monster. Understand?"
Blake still felt those conflicting emotions inside her as she tried to come to terms with a bad man who had a family now. A bad man that had maybe changed. And while she wanted to punish him for his wrongs, from the fathers and mothers he had taken away from their children, she didn't want to take a father away from a daughter either.
In the end, she made the decision to not tell the others as she turned away. But as she walked, a final question entered her mind, something that didn't make sense.
"Why did you keep using your real name?" Blake asked as she turned her head towards him.
The former Cleaner smiled, "Because my wife wanted me to."
When the group left the house, Blake watched on in thought. The three ahead of her were chatting without a worry in the world but that Cleaner was giving her second thoughts.
He wasn't... Evil, like she expected him to be. And it was making her second guess everything now. Because if she could be wrong about the Cleaner, could she be wrong about the Mimic?
Blake let out a sigh before stopping at the faint sounds of shuffling footsteps. She whipped her head around, finally seeing a flash of red disappear behind a building. Was this why she was feeling so paranoid?
She gave one glance to her teammates before darting around the building without them. It would only take a minute to find their stalker.
Which turned out to be... What was his name? Cerise? That orphan that hung around the town.
His irritated blood red eyes stared up at her with disdain. Or maybe irritation for getting caught?
"What do you want?" The boy demanded. Blake would be having none of that.
"Why have you been following us?" She shot back just as annoyed.
The kid's eyes narrowed as he replied, "I haven't-"
"Bullshit," she cut him off. "You can't lie to a Huntress. Now out with it."
Letting out an irritated sigh, the child rolled his eyes. "Because I'm bored. What else do you expect me to do in this nothing town?"
That... Made sense. And also made Blake feel just a bit guilty for cornering a child. But that also gave her an idea. He had been able to avoid them for a good bit, so it was obvious he was good at hiding.
"You want to earn some Lien?" Blake questioned as she crossed her arms. She held in a grin as the boy's eyes focused on her intently, clearly enticed by the offer.
"How much and what for?"
The Faunus reached into her Lien pouch and produced 200 Lien.
"This upfront for following any suspicious people and telling me what they do. And another 200 if you can get proof of it."
The boy's eyes widened in greed as he beheld the Lien.
"Deal!" Cerise shouted as he grabbed the Lien out of her hand and darted off down the street. "No takebacks!"
Blake sighed as she turned to catch up to her team. Hopefully, she hadn't just wasted Lien.
Author's Notes:
Only two chapters remain for the subplot.