AN: I'm back! So...a lot has happened since my last Wild Hunt update. Namely...Rooster Teeth has shut down. I'm not going to dwell too much on it. Anyone who has ready enough of my content knows that I've quite the...opinions on Rooster Teeth. The only thing I can say and really should say...is that all things considered, it was inevitable. And I'm going to leave it at that.
Chapter 69: The Doctor is In
As the Rose-Xiao Long Family vacation continued, other matters were happening in different parts of Remnant. On a boat, Blake Belladonna looked out to sea, having been traveling in this manner for the last several days. She then looked into a different direction and saw the island that was her final destination.
"Menagerie." Blake muttered to herself. "After all this time, I'm finally back home."
The boat soon docked, allowing Blake to step off safely. She took in the sight of her homeland: the island given to Faunus by humanity, Menagerie. An island meant to be a safe haven from all the dangers of the world and as an apology for their treatment. Blake used to hate this island because of what she believed it represented. At the time, to her, it had just been humanity isolating the Faunus on an island of their own, away from all of them and calling it a paradise. Perhaps to some degree it was true. But after her experiences at Beacon, Blake could not help but view it in a new light.
But everyone's happy…at peace. Grimm almost never attack Menagerie. Blake realized. The community is thriving, and it's not like we're forced to remain here. How…how could I let myself become part of the problem the way I did? I guess that's what it means to grow up. You certainly HAVE to grow up when you realize that the world and its problems are a hell of a lot bigger than just the Faunus. Maybe…maybe that's what they were trying to tell me all along?
Blake's face fell at the thought of those individuals in particular. She had a lot to apologize for as far as they were concerned.
I have to take the first step though, just like I did when I took off the ribbon forever. It's up to me to take responsibility for my life and stop running from everything, just as he taught me.
Blake made her way through the community of Faunus that made up Menagerie. Her ears twitched as she noticed that people were murmuring about her. She was already the center of attention. It almost made her want to get back on the boat. But she would not. No more running. Besides, it was not like she could blame them for murmuring about her. Their daughter returning was big news. She just hoped she arrived home first to tell them before they heard it from some gossiper.
Blake soon reached a large mansion away from the main community. Her ears twitched as the nerves came to her once more. After all this time, she was finally home. No more running, it was time to face what she had coming to her. Whatever it was.
Blake walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. Her ears twitched even more as she heard the sound of someone approaching. They were the lighter set of footsteps. That could only mean the person approaching was…
The doors swung open and a beautiful, dark-haired woman with cat ears stood before Blake. In fact, she looked like an older, more mature version of Blake Belladonna. The woman's eyes immediately widened when she saw her. Blake lowered her head and her ears drooped.
"Hey, Mom." She said quietly, awkwardly, uncertain of how she was going to take this. Her daughter disappears to basically become a terrorist and now she just shows up out of nowhere. She had every right to be angry or freak out.
However, Blake was not prepared for what came next. Without hesitation, Kali Belladonna pulled her daughter into a tight embrace. It was shockingly tight for such a demure, mild-mannered woman. Blake was honestly starting to wonder if her mother was going to accidentally crush the life out of her. Blake relaxed into her embrace when she heard Kali's voice.
"My baby," she whispered. Blake then gasped when she heard another familiar voice.
"Kali? Kali, who's at the door?" The owner of the voice, a very muscular man with a thick dark beard appeared in Blake's line of sight. His eyes widened as he stumbled backwards. "Blake?!"
"Hey Dad," Blake smiled in spite of herself at Ghira Belladonna, chieftain of Menagerie, and her father. "May I…come in?"
Meanwhile, back at Beacon, Hansel Kobalt hummed to himself as he worked at his laptop. His focus was entirely on current events. After a year in the field, he was very familiar with picking out stories where his personal enemies were involved. Gray Jackal was so closely involved in activities to fund their plans like drugs and trafficking, that if he found a story involving them, he would immediately head to that area to investigate. However, the situation had changed ever since his conversation with Ozpin in his office. He found himself thinking back on his last conversation with his mentor.
"...Could you repeat that, sir?" Hansel asked.
"I did not stutter, Hansel." Ozpin told him. "I want you to take some time off from field work to focus on your career as a teacher."
"My career? As a teacher? Did you forget I'm here as a favor to you, sir?" Hansel asked with a frown. "This isn't a career, this is just…"
Admittedly, Hansel did not know how to describe his work as a teacher anymore. At first he hated it. And to a degree, he still hated it. However, he could not bring himself to hate it entirely. The trip to Atlas, as frustrating as it was, gave him great insight into the hopes and dreams of several of his students. It had also forced him to bond with Team RWBY as well; especially Ruby Rose. And no matter how much those four drove him up the wall that week, he could not honestly say he disliked being around any of them.
Then there was the incident in Ever After Forest. The other students almost perished at the hands of Salem's subordinates. Professor Greene had been killed. His students were almost murdered by villains…and it enraged him. He was less angry about his near-death experience and more angry about what happened to his students. He could not hide it anymore. He cared about these kids, no matter how much he pretended otherwise. And for as much as he hated to accept it…that fact frightened him.
"Look," Hansel got back on track, "this is a favor…my Huntsmen work isn't even a career. That's just something I do…"
"And you do a tremendous job with it." Ozpin promised. "But, you need a break. Hazel almost killed you."
"What Hazel did to me doesn't matter. I'm all healed." Hansel replied.
"Hansel," Ozpin said sternly, "perhaps you have healed physically, but your mental scars haven't healed…in spite of my best efforts."
"This isn't just about what happened with Hazel, isn't it?"
"What happened brought your situation to the forefront." Ozpin sighed sadly. "I was caught by a perpetually ageless little girl who lost control of her power and it destroyed her. In the end…I sat with her until her time came."
"What does that have to do with me?" Hansel demanded.
"Hansel, our students are the most important thing here. And while you are their teacher, that means you need to prioritize them." Ozpin reminded him. Deep down though, Ozpin could not bring himself to tell Hansel the truth. He was worried that Hansel's abilities and responsibilities were starting to overwhelm him the way Alice's Semblance overwhelmed her and ruined her life. He felt if he approached it from a more practical standpoint, Hansel would be more agreeable. If he made it personal by admitting he worried for Hansel's mental state, it would devolve into an argument.
"And none of the students are here. They've gone home. Next school year isn't even close to starting. What's your point?" Hansel demanded.
"My point is, as your mentor, I feel I should tell you that you should try and devote your pursuits to something worthwhile, like your students."
"So getting rid of bad guys isn't worthwhile anymore, Professor, is that what you're telling me?" Hansel raised an eyebrow.
"No, of course not, I'm saying what may be a more worthwhile use of your time might be devoting yourself to the future, the students who can help you rid the world of bad guys."
"And by letting them distract me, the bad guys hurt more people. Maybe this was a good try and I should just quit and go back to doing what I do best?" Hansel glowered at Ozpin.
"You don't mean that." Ozpin said sternly. Hansel winced. It was true. Even he knew he did not mean that. After his experiences in Atlas and the Ever After Forest, Hansel knew that he was growing to care for his students. He could not deny that anymore.
"So what if I don't? It still doesn't change the fact that I get more accomplished out in the field." Hansel insisted.
"Hansel, please, I've never had to pull rank on you like this, don't make me start." Ozpin pleaded.
"Then don't! You know I'm better served in the field." Hansel insisted.
"And you are just as useful as a teacher, as the notes I received from James about your trip to Atlas can attest!" Ozpin exclaimed.
"Why are you insisting on this?" Hansel demanded.
"Have you considered what would happen if you were to die without leaving anything for the students to take and use to become better than you?" Ozpin demanded.
"Have you considered what would happen if others were to die without me being around?" Hansel shot back. The two gazed at each other, their expressions growing more intense by the second. Ozpin then took a deep breath.
"We're getting nowhere. Go and cool off and we will resume discussing this later." He ordered. "That said I cannot, in good conscience, allow you back into active duty. I saw the medical report, Hazel left you with enough external and internal injuries that would've killed most people."
"Injuries I was cleared on."
"Hansel…please, do not make me pull rank like this. At least take a day to calm down." Ozpin ordered. Hansel scowled and walked away from Ozpin.
Hansel sighed. It had been a day since that borderline blowup between him and his mentor. A part of him was…terrified of speaking with Ozpin again. He knew in his heart there was truth to what Ozpin said. However, he also felt strongly that he was in the right as well.
I am not meant to be a teacher. Hansel insisted to himself. I mean, yeah, I'm stuck in the job and I've resolved to do a good job, but this isn't what I'm meant to be. I'm a warrior.
A knock on the door jolted Hansel out of his thoughts. He turned to the door, a bit worried it was Ozpin. However, he called out instinctively.
"It's open!"
The door opened and in walked Glynda. She tried to smile as best she could when she saw Hansel working at his computer. She knew there could only be one thing he was doing right now.
"Hey, Glynda." Hansel said awkwardly, calming down significantly.
"Mind if I ask what you're up to?" Glynda inquired pleasantly, already knowing exactly what the answer was going to be.
"Just researching current events on drug and human trafficking, the kind of stuff Gray Jackal is usually very closely involved in." Hansel replied. Glynda shook her head.
"Should you really be focusing on this?"
"I was out for several days, who knows what I missed. I'm trying to get updates from McKnight about current events as well." Hansel reminded her. Glynda sighed.
"Normally, I'd praise your work ethic, but don't you think you're pushing yourself a bit too hard when you just got out of the hospital?" Glynda asked curiously.
"The life of a Huntsman is one of constant work…no real breaks." Hansel sighed. "If anything, if I cared enough, I'd suggest taking away term breaks to properly simulate what the professional world is really like."
"Honestly Hansel…" Glynda chided lightly.
"Please don't start, Glynda," Hansel sighed, "I'm still a bit peeved from my blowup with Professor Ozpin yesterday."
Glynda smiled and sat on Hansel's bed, gesturing for him to sit next to her.
"Want to talk about it?" Hansel sighed at that question. He knew Glynda was a stubborn woman. He was not getting out of this one. So, he left his computer and chose to sit next to Glynda, preparing himself for a long conversation.
Meanwhile, back in the Town of Thimble, Ruby Rose squealed with delight as she consumed another wonderful sweet morsel: a sweet roll. She gazed at the woman who made this dessert with a look of pure admiration on her face.
"Ms. Millet, you are like a dessert goddess!" She exclaimed to the purple-haired woman before her. Emi Millet giggled at Ruby's proclamation.
"You're too kind to me. If you think my desserts are good, you should've seen what my mom was capable of. But, she's retired now, and she doesn't want to upstage me and my own efforts." Emi chuckled. Ruby smiled warmly.
"Well, you're awesome at what you do. You're making this vacation worthwhile as is." Ruby promised.
"As one of many businesses in a tourist trap, that makes me happier than you can imagine, Ms. Rose." Emi replied, giggling and holding her hand up to her mouth. Ruby gasped when she spotted an engagement ring on Emi's finger.
"Oh my, Ms. Millet, you're getting married?" Ruby was happy at the sight.
"Yes, to my longtime boyfriend, Reggie." Emi blushed. "He really is the sweetest. We've known each other since we were kids."
"Well if that's the case, I'm sure he'll make a great husband!" Ruby exclaimed.
"And what about you, dear? Anyone special in your life like that?" Emi smiled. "You're…16, right? You're at that age."
Ruby sputtered at the thought. She waved her hands frantically. She shook her head as well.
"Nope, nope, not at all! Nobody special whatsoever!" Ruby exclaimed. "Certainly not some rough and tumble guy with a totally-not-impressive six pack at all!"
Emi giggled at how obvious Ruby was being. The door then swung open. Ruby looked over her shoulder, wondering if it was Yang or her dad, tired of being kept waiting by yet another visit to this bakery she was quickly growing to love. However, she was instead surprised to see a very tall man with sandy blonde hair entering. Emi smiled happily.
"Oh, Dr. Stein, good day!" She exclaimed. Ray smiled pleasantly at Emi.
"Good day to you as well, Emi." He said to her, "wanted to drop by for the usual…and to remind you of your checkup later today."
"Ah, of course, thank you Dr. Stein." Emi smiled. "Don't you worry, I still have it in my calendar. 4:00, right?"
"That's right, my dear," Ray nodded and smiled. He then turned to Ruby with a light gasp. "Ah, that appearance. You must be the little Huntress in training from the other day. It's great to finally meet you."
"And you are?" Ruby asked curiously.
"This is Dr. Ray Stein, Ruby." Emi said. "He runs a free medical clinic outside of town."
"Wow!" Ruby exclaimed. "That's mighty kind of you, Dr. Stein."
"It's what it means to be a doctor. Though frankly, I find you quite amazing yourself." Ray replied to her. "You are a Huntress in training, after all."
"Yeah, but you're a doctor and you're an adult. I bet you've saved way more lives than I have." Ruby said brightly to Ray. She then briefly flinched from something she never expected to feel.
What was that chill I just felt? Ruby wondered. Last time I felt like that was when I was around Cinder. Does that mean I just felt…malice?!
Ruby instinctively looked to the entrance of the store. She frowned in confusion. There was no one there. So who was she feeling that from?
"You're too kind, Ms. Rose." Ray said with a bright smile. "I just run a clinic. I'm no surgeon. I just perform checkups, along with the occasional injection and then I send my patients along their merry way. Believe me, it's nothing special in the grand scheme of things."
"You're so modest, Dr. Stein." Emi said brightly, handing him his usual order.
"Thank you, my dear." Ray said kindly. "I will see you in the afternoon."
"I'll be there, see you around, Doctor." Ruby and Emi watched as Ray exited her sweets shop. Emi sighed. "He's no Reggie, but Dr. Stein is something else. I'm amazed a woman hasn't snatched him up yet."
"Aren't doctors usually the kind of men women flock to?" Ruby looked genuinely perplexed by the stereotype. Emi laughed at how confused she looked.
"That is the stereotype, I guess that just adds to the mystery, doesn't it." Emi smiled. "Anyways, you shouldn't keep your family waiting any longer."
"Oh crap!" Ruby exclaimed before disappearing out the door, much to Emi's amusement. Emi then sighed.
"I guess that means I'll have to let the part-timers know I'll be leaving a bit early for my appointment." She noted. Meanwhile, Ruby rejoined her family outside. Taiyang raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"You took your sweet time." He noted.
"Ms. Emi's very chatty." Ruby said in her defense.
"Sure you two weren't thirsting over that tall drink of water that entered the shop after you?" Yang grinned teasingly.
"Yang, Ms. Emi's engaged." Ruby pouted. "And I'm pretty sure you shouldn't talk like that about a doctor. The man is a professional."
"Also, please don't 'thirst' for a boy in front of your father, young lady." Tai rolled his eyes. "Especially a man closer to my age than yours."
"Buzzkill." Yang stuck her tongue out. Zwei then got everyone's attention by barking frantically at them. Yang was taken aback by this. She looked at the family dog in bewilderment. "Zwei? What's wrong boy?"
Zwei whined in what Ruby could only consider concern or terror. Either way, it was very un-Zwei-like. Ruby instinctively pets Zwei to calm him down.
"Hey come on, boy, this isn't like you at all." Ruby said sweetly to her beloved corgi. Zwei just kept whining.
"He might be overwhelmed. We've been doing a lot lately." Tai noted.
"Well, between the early morning hike and everything else we're doing, it has been a crazy couple of days since we got here." Yang noted. "Zwei's a social dog, but even social dogs have their limits, yeah?"
"I don't know, Zwei is never like this." Ruby pointed out before kneeling next to him and rubbing his head affectionately. "Hey, it's okay boy."
Zwei whined, ears drooping. He lowered his head but he no longer barked. Ruby looked up at her dad and sister.
"Maybe we should head back to the cabin for a bit. I think we could all use a break after the hike." She noted. Tai nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, that might be a good idea. We can pick things up later." He nodded. "Come on, let's head to the car and we'll head back."
Zwei took a few looks behind as Ruby led him on the leash back to the car. With that, the Xiao Long-Rose family drove back to the cabin and would stay there for a few hours. Then, at the stroke of 4:00, Ray Stein would be drawn to the sound of his doorbell ringing inside of his clinic. He went to the door and opened it to see Emi waiting for him on the other side. He smiled at her.
"Hello again, Ms. Millet." Ray smiled. "Are you ready for your checkup?"
"Always," Emi smiled warmly, "I feel like I can't state this enough. The people of Thimble really are grateful to you, Dr. Stein. I mean, a free clinic…it's just too good to be true."
"Well, I wanted to give back." Ray chuckled. "Follow me to the examination room and we'll get started."
Emi followed Ray to the examination room. Emi sat on the exam chair and with that, Ray began to give her a thorough medical exam. In a cruelly ironic twist of fate, Ray, the 2 of Clubs of Gray Jackal, was giving her a legitimate medical exam. A good one. The kind of exam that only a true professional could give. Not necessarily a mad terrorist.
"Excellent, excellent." Ray said, keeping up his pleasant act. "Everything looks good so far, Ms. Millet. Now, if you don't mind though, you're actually due for an injection?"
"Injection?" Emi was confused.
"Standard vaccination, my dear." Ray promised, going to his desk and pulling out a syringe with a black liquid inside.
"Standard vaccination?" Emi raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, just like last year." Ray chuckled as he approached Emi. "You're still not fond of needles, right?"
"Oh, you remembered." Emi laughed uncomfortably. "Seems kinda silly to still be scared of needles when you're a grown woman."
"What's so silly about being scared?" Something about the way Ray asked that question made Emi shiver involuntarily. Ray's tone was then back to normal. "Just relax and look away like you always do."
"I'm genuinely amazed you remember how I like getting my vaccination shots, Dr. Stein." Emi admitted, laughing uncomfortably and looking away from Ray as he approached her.
"I'd be a terrible doctor if I didn't remember the preferences of my patients, Ms. Millet." Ray reminded her. "Now, just relax your arm, okay? This will only hurt for a moment. I'm going to count to three, okay?"
"Okay," Emi took a deep breath and relaxed her body as best she could.
"One…" Ray trailed off and Emi felt the needle go into her arm.
"Oh wow," Emi hissed at the sensation, "Doctor…that feels…bigger than it usually does. Is this really standard vaccination?"
"Just a bigger needle than usual, dear, just relax." Ray promised as he injected the black liquid into Emi's body. Emi gasped, feeling the rush through her veins.
"Doctor…what is in this vaccination?" Emi gasped. She immediately started to sweat, her skin going pale. Her heart rate started to race. "What is…what is this?"
"Just relax, Ms. Millet. It'll be over before you know it." Ray promised her.
"Over? What kind of vaccination did you just inject me with?" She gasped for air.
"It's a new mixture." Ray said to her, still keeping his pleasant tone up. You might feel just a bit queasy, maybe a bit of discomfort, it's only natural."
Emi then suddenly screamed in pain. Ray smiled when he heard the noise. She gripped the armrests of the exam chair tightly as her veins turned from blue to pitch black.
"Dr. Stein…what is this? It…it hurts!" Emi yelled.
"I know, I know, just bear with it. Let's talk about something to take your mind off the pain." Ray still sounded pleasant, but there was nothing genuine about it anymore. His eyes showed no kindness. Only malice and pure sadism. "How about we talk about Reggie, your fiancé."
"Reg…Reggie?" Emi gasped, gripping the armrests tighter as her back arched as she shrieked in pain, her sclera started to turn black.
"Yes…you know, I would normally consider this a breach of patient-doctor confidentiality. But I suppose you deserve to know before…well, Reggie told me he doesn't really love you. Not really." Ray chuckled cruelly.
"No…" Emi immediately denied.
"Oh yes," Ray nodded, "he considers you convenient. That's why he's marrying you. The truth is…he can't stand the sight of you. Why else do you think it took him so long to even propose in the first place, huh?"
"No," Emi started muttering repeatedly, her voice slowly becoming more and more distorted by the second. "No. No. No. No. No. No. NO!"
Emi's body fell from the chair and started twitching painfully. She yelled in pain as her flesh pulsed and her bones broke and reset themselves. At that point, Ray took out his Scroll and hit record, smiling cruelly at what he was watching.
"Test Subject 565, Emi Millet." Ray chuckled. "Subject shows signs of altering herself into the ideal physiology. It seems that the Jack of Clubs' theory that the subjects respond best to the injection when driven to despair. I must admit, this makes the research even more fun. Though Ms. Millet was easy to break due to her love for her fiancé, Reggie."
"Reggie!" Emi's distorted voice screamed in pain and rage.
"Yes, yes, I know, you really, really hate him right now." Ray rolled his eyes. "Now please shut up and let me think. Anyway…it would appear that the key to ensuring the success of these test subjects is to ensure they are driven to despair. A very odd, borderline unscientific concept to consider…but admittedly, we moved beyond conventional science years ago."
Ray was interrupted again by a demonic shriek from Emi. Ray rolled his eyes again at being interrupted. He then smiled cruelly.
"Emi my dear, could you do me a favor now?" He said to her, "Consider it the fee you owe me at my free clinic."
Ray laughed when Emi shrieked at him in response. He then grinned.
"I'm glad you agree." He continued as he opened a window. "I want you to do me a favor and bring someone to me. Do you understand THAT kind of order, my dear? Bring me the girl in the red cape and the silver eyes. Bring me Ruby Rose."
Emi immediately bolted out of Ray's building. Ray hummed, his expression turning to one of bewilderment as he came to realize something.
"I actually have no way of knowing if she understands me." He noted, remembering the conversation he had with the Jack of Clubs, his superior.
"That…creature wants someone with silver eyes delivered to her alive? Why? What could possibly be so special about some random girl? I mean, yes, the eye color is unique but…" Ray had asked curiously.
"According to Ace of Spades, people with silver eyes have a very…unique set of skills. Perhaps Salem wants us to bring her in to…harness her power as a weapon." Jack of Clubs had said in response.
"What does a being with enough power to challenge one of the Ten Legends need with some…power connected to eyes?"
"That's the million dollar question, isn't it?" Jack of Clubs had replied. "It could very well be a case where she doesn't even need her power…she just wants such power eliminated and eliminated thoroughly so that it cannot be used against her. Of course, she's given the same order to her subordinates."
"Why do I sense you've no intention of handing her over if we do get our hands on her?" Ray was already laughing, knowing EXACTLY what Jack of Clubs had planned for her.
"I've spent nearly ten years tinkering with what King of Diamonds and Ace of Spades refer to as the backbone of Gray Jackal's power. But I'm still a scientist…new avenues of research naturally pique my curiosity." Jack of Clubs was already laughing too. "And besides, if the girl could be a threat…we owe it to ourselves to at least conduct one or two experiments to see if we could…use her power to our advantage."
"So what, we're just going to waste our resources to hunt some girl for that creature now?" Ray had rolled his eyes at the thought of wasting his time on such things.
"Oh, nothing like that, I assure you. With luck, she will come to us in time. Salem certainly thinks so. As does the Ace of Spades."
The last part of that memory made Ray shiver. The Ace of Spades. How in the world did she fit in all of this?
"Where the hell does that woman come in as far as random little girls with Silver Eyes go?" He wondered. "Damn…to know what's under the mask. Jack of Clubs is lucky. That's a mystery as a scientist I am compelled to try and solve…and yet she has a tendency to slaughter anyone who digs too deep. Ah, but the more untouchable the mystery, the greater the desire to solve it."
Ray then walked over to his desk once more. This time, instead of reaching into a drawer, he opened a cabinet and pulled out some whiskey. He chortled darkly to himself as he opened it and took a seat casually in the examination chair, looking out the window where Emi just ran out.
"All that's left now," he said, taking a small sip of whiskey, "is to simply sit back…and watch the experiment play out. The question now is…what constitutes THIS experiment being a failure…and what constitutes it being a success."
Ray leaned back in his chair as he looked up at the ceiling. He then chuckled.
"Well, I can't call this experiment dying a failure. Too many already have." He admitted to himself. "Let's see, I'll call this experiment a failure…if poor Ms. Millet decides to kill her fiancé first. Yes…that's appropriate because I ordered her to bring me the girl. Hmm, and I suppose if she kills the girl, that would also constitute a failure. One I might have to disappear off the face of Remnant for, considering who I'd be failing and angering in the process."
"Now as for what constitutes this experiment being a success." Ray continued. "Well, thankfully that's an easy criteria to determine. If Ms. Millet manages to bring me the girl…then that means Gray Jackal's years of attempting to mass produce the serum will finally be a success. Otherwise, well, it's back to the drawing board."
"Hmm…just to be on the safe side, I'll need to get in close to examine what she does from here…perhaps a drone camera from one of the people in the Clubs Division's robotics department. Last time I left an experiment to its own devices, it died before it even got close to its target." Ray sighed. "Honestly, the things I do for Gray Jackal…"
"Creating monsters isn't as easy as I had hoped…"
AN: Yeah...Stein is one of the reasons why writing this arc is actually quite difficult. Much to my own surprise, as much as I love pure scumbags as villains...writing them can be tough too because you find yourself HATING yourself for writing them.
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter all the same. I'll see y'all next time.