It's late in the evening when Fenrir enters their inn room, noticing Jotaro and River are sitting on the edge of their respective beds and Crimson lying on his, an arm over his forehead.
"Crimson should make a full recovery, his Aura handled most of the exterior damage." Jotaro explains, earning a relieved nod from Fenrir.
"Yeah...all I have left is this unbearable headache." Crimson moans in discomfort.
"I'd suggest taking Martial Arts if you don't want to get hurt this badly." River advises Crimson who dismissively waves. He should be ok now, which is enough to keep them in the game.
"So, what did Griefer tell you?" Jotaro asks, returning their focus to the mission. As requested, Fenrir re-tells the information he got from Griefer, one of their own being attacked five days ago, they wouldn't attack without reason and having proof of who attacked their own.
"Great...so we hit a dead end. I got my ass kicked for nothing." Crimson groans.
"Not necessarily." The team looks at Jotaro from his response, rubbing his chin in thought. "Let's take Silk's testimony into account and cross it with Griefer's. Both of their men were attacked at midnight, they believe the opposite sides had a hand in it simply for what was left behind. The dagger and the bandanna; the way their men were killed suggests it was who they suspect, but neither the Bullhounds or Spiders would attack unless provoked, and yet they both claim to be provoked by each other."
"Maybe one of them was lying? It's not like we could trust their words." Crimson adds.
"No, Bullhounds lie as well as they can throw, besides, they're too prideful to tell any kind of false story no matter how deep it is. I don't believe the Spiders are lying either; yes, it's part of their expertise, but if there's one thing they value more than money...it's information." River explains, earning confused glances from his teammates. "What?"
"Setting aside the topic for now...there's something I've been meaning to ask you, River." Jotaro folds his arms, River could tell where this was leading, and he isn't liking it. "How do you know so much about the gangs here? It was one thing to answer Silk's question correctly, but another to understand how Bullhounds think."
"I guess it was just luck." River quickly answers.
"No, it's not." Fenrir speaks in a serious tone. "I've seen how people rely on luck, knowledge isn't a part of that. Especially with how much confidence you have in yourself, there wasn't a single crack in your voice, no looks of second guessing...you knew exactly what you were doing."
Seeing the accusing glares was enough to put River in a near panic, he tries and looks at the moon through their window, keeping himself from stressing out.
"River..." River looks at Jotaro after calling his name, the tense atmosphere only stressing him more. "This wouldn't have anything to do with you being on the streets...before Beacon. Does it?"
"...It's not something I can easily talk about." River mumbles.
"Maybe not, but holding it in won't make it feel any better." Fenrir reasons. "We're your teammates, whatever skeletons you have in your closet...won't change what you are to us."
River looks at his teammates, seeing the pleading expressions in their eyes. He never liked talking about this...but he knows keeping it a secret won't earn their trust back.
"You already know I'm a streetkid, as I mentioned last month; I didn't get by on my own. I had someone who taught me how to survive and understand the criminal underground. The only way we could get by is through playing by their rules; so, my...mentor got me into his smuggling operation. He taught me how to interact with potential buyers and understand how each gang operates; the Spiders, Bullhounds, Silver Leos, Kitsunes, everything. We've had to cut a lot of corners and...I had to hurt a lot of people...mostly innocents. If it wasn't for him, I wouldv'e died a hundred times...but I couldn't accept this...I wanted to make a difference, do something better. When I told him exactly that, he didn't agree with me. So I had to cut my ties, the hard way. I've been living on my own since then...until I got careless, and a Huntress found me"
"And let me guess: that Yuriko lady?" Crimson adds, River nods in confirmation.
"Thanks to Yuri and her training...she gave me a purpose, a way to truly make a difference. That's why I wanted to become a Huntsman...not just to change the world, but to change myself for the better. The reason I never told you guys this wasn't because I didn't trust you...but because I was afraid of how you'll see me now that you know I'm...a criminal."
The room goes silent after River finishes his confession, mostly scared of how they'll react. Would they distrust him now, would they turn him in to the authorities? Alot of these questions are going through his head...and it's scaring him.
"So what if you're a criminal?" Crimson was the first to speak up, his words surprising River. "I told you I was a Nomad once, and who knows how many felons I committed with my Clan. What matters is you're here to make a difference!"
"Everyone has a dark side, River. I admit, my hands ain't exactly clean either; it shouldn't matter whether you're a smuggler or a thief, what matters is you're a survivor." River couldn't help but smile at Fenrir's assuring words, all that's left is Jotaro who's bearing a skeptical look.
"Jotaro...?" The heir only closes his eyes and sighs.
"Honestly, I'm hurt you decided to keep this from us, but if you truly intend to change for the better...then I'll forgive you. I'm just glad to hear this from you and not someone else." Jotaro gives River a forgiving smile which in turn, nearly makes River cry; a rarity in his usual stoic nature.
"Yeah, I'm glad we dragged River's skeletons out, but this still doesn't solve the mystery in our mission." Crimson reminds the team, sitting up. "Just what the hell is going on? Both gangs are at odds with each other yet neither of them have reasons to provoke the other! So why are they fighting? And what happened to the ones that got murdered?! Ow...my head hurts, too much thinking..."
The others glance at each other with equally puzzled looks, there's gotta be something they're missing...but what is it? The quiet atmosphere in their room stops when they hear someone knocking at the door.
"Excuse me, is this Team CJVR's room?!" They hear the innkeeper shout from the other side.
"It is, but we didn't order any room service!" Fenrir replies.
"Actually, you have a guest! His name is Julian Brunswick and wishes to speak with you!" The team look at each other confused, they don't know anyone by the name of Julian Brunswick, but to River, it almost sounds familiar. They suppose there's no harm in seeing what this Julian person wants.
When the team enters the tavern's dining room, they see only the one person occupying the bar. But upon closer look, they recognize this man IS Julian Brunswick, but they recognize him by another name.
"Roman..." River mutters, a hint of spite in his voice.
The man, Roman Torchwick, turns around to face Team CJVR, smiling.
"Ah, just the children I was looking for!" Roman stands up from the stool with a smile, extending a handshake to Fenrir. "We've never personally met, I'm–,"
"Roman Torchwick." Fenrir interrupts, not shaking Roman's hand. "We know who you are...Ruby told us about her run in with you."
Roman cocks his head in confusion to Ruby's name until River clarifies
"The girl with the giant scythe."
"Oh...so that's her name. Ruby...heh, I like 'Red' better." Roman chuckles, lowering his hand.
"The hell do you want, Torchwick? What are you doing here?" Crimson asks, his arms crossed with a demanding tone.
"I'm here to offer you my help." Roman approaches his stool and picks up his cane beside it, spinning it around for fun. "I understand this village is going through rough times, what with the gangs' conflicts and the occasional Grimm attacking everyday, these people are running low on options."
"We're protecting the people from the Grimm." River argues.
"And how long do you think that's gonna last? You kids gonna stay here forever? Attend classes by virtual means?" River and Crimson exchange conflicting glances but Fenrir and Jotaro keep a stern glare towards Roman. "No? Didn't think so..."
"Why do you wish to help us?" Jotaro asks.
"My reasons are my own...best we keep it that way."
"Yeah, I'm calling bullshit. You're a criminal, getting help from you is like cleaning the floor with a dirty rag. Whatever you're offering, we're not interested" Fenrir says, walking closer to Roman.
"Oh, I think you will be..." Roman sits back on his stool, body still turned to the team. "I have the final piece to your puzzle of mystery, this conflict between the Spiders and the Bullhounds was done by a third party."
"A Third party?!" River says in shock.
"How the hell do you know that?!" Fenrir asks in equal shock. But Roman picks up a bottle of liquor on the counter, saying.
"Take a look at the clues, the answer's right in front of you." Roman pours himself a shot glass with a smirk on his face, he's enjoying this and Crimson can tell.
"How about you stop dicking around and TELL US!!" Crimson shouts walking up to Roman with an angry glare.
"No...he's right." They hear Jotaro speak up, he appears to be thinking after Roman mentioned the third party, cupping his chin with wide eyes. "Think about it, five days ago, the Spiders attacked one of the Bullhounds at midnight with a dagger, but they had no reason to attack. The day after, a Spider gets attacked by a Bullhound at the same time. Silk mentioned they intended to gather evidence before throwing an accusation, but they had enough reason to retaliate when the Bullhounds assaulted their front door. Someone is deliberately causing this conflict between the two gangs. A Spider was attacked from behind, and there's the Bullhound's bandanna but they would never surprise attack someone."
"And the Spiders don't like to leave evidence behind." River finishes for Jotaro, who nods in affirmation. "It's like this entire disaster was just to stir a hornet's nest from the inside."
"And lucky for you kids...I know who's responsible." Roman sets down his glass and steps forward, making Crimson back away as the others watch. "Ever heard of a group called Malevolence?"
"Malevolence?" Crimson repeats.
"It's a desire...to cause someone pain and suffering for their own enjoyment." Fenrir speaks up, earning looks from Roman and the others. "But it's more than that...it's the name of an old Mafia group going back 200 years, they stir trouble in hard-working communities just so they could have a chance in holding new cards...they practically rule all of East Sanus through the emotions of others. My Grandmother told me stories about them...but they're supposed to be a myth."
"Oh no, kid. Malevolence is real...and what's worse...they're working with the White Fang." Roman adds.
"That shouldn't be possible." River dejects. "The White Fang are strictly Anti-Human, and if what Fenrir says about this Malevolence is true, they prefer to work with their own assets. Why would they work together?"
"You got me, all I know is they've got big plans for Vale...for all of Sanus. Whatever happens will benefit them and them alone...and that's something I just can't agree with. And how I know they're working together..." Roman fishes into his pocket and shows them a photograph. "I took this on the night of a Spider's murder, I thought the Bullhound's murder sounded suspicious so I thought I'd do some digging around."
Jotaro takes the photo for closer inspection while Roman takes a sip from his shot glass. On closer look, the moon was shining bright enough to see the silhouette of a woman dressed in White Fang garbs and a full faced Grimm mask to cover her identity.
"This only proves the White Fang was involved in this scandal, it doesn't prove Malevolence's involvement in any way."
"This ENTIRE scandal is proof enough, it's their typical plan, it's what they do! If you don't believe me then fine, but this should be enough to stop this situation before it gets worse!" Roman shouts out, pointing at the photo. Crimson had enough, Roman handed them the very answer they're looking for, no bargaining...nothing. Something's not sitting right with him.
"Alright, what's your game here? Why help us; this all feels far too easy, you just throwing this info on our lap like you want us to stop the White Fang...what's your angle? Tell me!"
"...I like to see myself as a businessman, I like to make certain deals with certain people. But if anything were to happen...I'd lose my chance in scoring big money."
"...So these people...they're nothing but tools to you and you'd hate for them to get damaged...you're doing this for yourself..."
"I'm a criminal...I thought you'd learn from that by now, right Specs?" Roman smirks at River, who shoots a knowing glare at the nickname for his glasses, only angering Crimson further until he's grabbed by both Fenrir and Jotaro.
"That's enough, Crimson, I don't like this guy either but we've got a chance to stop the culprit." Fenrir reasons.
"Remember the mission...he's not important...yet. We'll get him another time, but not now." Jotaro assures.
Their words were enough to calm Crimson, still glaring at Roman, he hates that smug look on the Con Artist's face...but he'll get another chance, he'll be counting on it. As his teammates unhand Crimson, he turns around and makes it to the exit with the others. Fenrir lags for a moment, turning to Roman.
"This doesn't change anything, Torchwick. You're still a criminal, and we'll take you down if necessary."
"I look forward to it...and if you run into Little Red again...tell her I said 'hello'!" Roman tips down his hat with a mocking laughter. Fenrir hated how he calls Ruby...it was a nickname only Fenrir could call her and hearing someone like Torchwick use that with venom in his voice...it makes his blood boil. But rationality overrules his instincts and he leaves the tavern to come up with a plan
At the time of midnight, the boys have a decent enough plan to stop any more bloodshed between the gangs. They know it's the White Fang starting this conflict behind the shadows, and both members of the Spiders and the Bullhounds were struck at midnight. They don't know if the assassin will strike again, but if she does, the team will do their security routines, the assassin has to know their close to the truth and they'll try to stop this conflict which isn't something the assassin wants; Fenrir and Jotaro are securing the east side of Violette, Crimson and River securing the west side.
Crimson hated letting Roman go, who knows what kind of plan he has for this village if they finish their mission. For all he knows, they're surrendering it to him. And why would he willingly give up this info...there's more than he's letting on and Roman doesn't break easily.
"What do you think?" Crimson asks River, who continues scanning the area.
"About what?" River asks, glancing at a dark alleyway they pass.
"About Torchwick! We're not gonna take everything he says as truth, are we? He's lying, that photo he showed us could be a fake..."
"Torchwick's a con artist, but he's also a gambling man. Sometimes it's difficult to see his intentions through his thick poker face. If he sees a deck of cards against him, he'll pull any angle to make sure he wins. He's not lying, but he does have an ulterior motive from this." River says, facing Crimson. The two of them continue walking
"So what is it? Why didn't we arrest the guy as soon as we saw him?"
"Like I said, he's a con artist, no prison can hold him for very long. If we'd arrested him tonight, he would've escaped in the morning."
"...You know a lot about Torchwick, don't you?"
River stops walking after hearing that question, a stoic expression on his face.
"Yes...too much." River resumes patrolling, with Crimson following behind.
With Jotaro and Fenrir, they're patrolling the residential area, thinking the Assassin might be traversing above the rooftops. Fenrir's keeping his eye open in the hopes they spot their White Fang Assassin, but notices Jotaro struggling with his own thoughts, staring at the photo they got from Roman.
"Something bugging you?" Fenrir askes, looking at his partner. Jotaro sighs, his eyes separating from the photo.
"It's this entire mission...do you think Torchwick's telling the truth? About Malevolence, their team up with the White Fang, their involvement in this village?"
"If he was lying, I would've noticed...but I believe that he believes it." Fenrir replies, stopping for his full attention. Jotaro stops walking, turning his body to Fenrir.
"But if it's true...what's the motive? Bigger mysteries like these, they should have a pattern, a clue for us to find. Mafia gangs stick to cities like Vale or Argus, but they're branching out into villages, and why would the White Fang work for them? Blackmail? Bribery, no, scratch that, they're not easily bought."
"Hey, hey, don't go hurting your head over this. If Malevolence really exists and the White Fang is working for them, we'll find the pattern later...let's just focus on this now." A beat of silence passes between the two, it's been a difficult mission for them but they're getting close to finishing it.
"There's something else bothering me...why would Torchwick tell us all this? He's a criminal, he'd see this as the perfect show to watch by the sidelines, but instead, he gives us evidence and a lead to help us stop all of this...why?" Jotaro looks at Fenrir but the puzzled expression on his face says he doesn't have the answer either.
"Well...we don't know much about him...neither does Ruby from what she told us about him...all we know are from the news...maybe he sees the bigger picture in all this and we don't..." Jotaro looks away in thought of Fenrir's answer, but is still puzzled by everything. Fenrir looks at an alley between the two houses and notices someone run around the corner. "Hey, think we got a late night stroller!"
Jotaro looks at the alley but spots nobody. Fenrir pats Jotaro's shoulder and jogs down the alley with his partner following behind.
They both chase the shadowed figure to the left, straight down then right leading to another left. Fenrir and Jotaro spot the figure making a right turn in the network of alleyways and give a sprinting chase only to hit a wall behind a large building.
"Wonderful..." Jotaro sighs, this feels like a dead end, but Fenrir was certain this is where the figure ran, and the only way out would be to run back...so where did they go. Suddenly, Fenrir senses something...an eerie chill at the back of his spine...the feeling of hostility hitting the back of his mind. Jotaro notices the alert expression on Fenrir's face. "Fenrir? What's wrong?"
Fenrir could feel something bad was about to happen, but he can't tell what and how...he just knows. Until he looks behind him and spots...
"Jotaro, watch out!!" Fenrir jumps behind Jotaro, equipping his scythe and spinning it to deflect an incoming dagger thrown specifically at his partner. Jotaro was nearly in shock when he saw the dagger bounce off Fenrir's deflection. He unsheathes his rapier as the assassin lands in front of them from above, crouched from her landing.
"You should have left this alone...children." The assassin speaks, her voice too distorted from the mask she's wearing. Up close, they can tell she's a member of the White Fang for sure, the white and black outfit, the Grimm Mask...even the brand on the right shoulder of her outfit.
"Well, endangering the people of this village ain't exactly what I'd leave alone." Fenrir replies, his scythe at the ready.
"This has gone on long enough, the gang conflicts, luring the Grimm, everything!" Jotaro shouts, pointing his rapier at the assassin. "What is your goal? What do you get out of this needless violence?"
"Violence is the only thing you humans understand...just like these criminals...I'm doing you a favor." The assassin says, slowly approaching them.
"We didn't ask for it, lady!" Fenrir shouts, aiming his scythe in a threatening manner. "Look, you hate humans, I get that, but you're putting innocent people in danger with all the negative emotions you're piling! This conflict, it's not gonna solve any of your problems, it'll just make it worse."
"But it will give me what I want...now step aside."
"No..." Jotaro readies his rapier. The Assassin looks at the heir, smiling under her mask.
"You Kurozakis... always so stubborn...standing atop your golden throne, doing whatever pleases you with no one to question against you.
"You know nothing of my family..."
"I know enough...you claim to help people but you're no better than the Schnees; using Faunus as your slaves. But we'll stop you...no matter how much blood must be spilled." The Assassin throws six daggers, three for Fenrir and three for Jotaro, both jump out of the way for the Assassin to attack with two blades in hand.
Assassin attacks Jotaro first, swinging her right sword horizontally; Jotaro parries the attack and returns with a thrust to the assassin's stomach but she jumps out of his rapier's range and swings her left sword vertically downward, knocking Jotaro's sword down before he could react. Fenrir attacks behind the Assassin but she jumps to his left as the blade of his scythe hits the ground. The Assassin swings a right kick but Fenrir ducks as she recovers, swinging both her blades downward but Fenrir blocks with the base handle of his scythe. Fenrir and the assassin lock eyes with effort as the attacker pushes her blades further, both using their strengths against one another until Fenrir uses his Howl semblance to throw the Assassin off the floor and hit the wall.
The assassin recovers and attaches the handles of both her blades, forming into a double edge blade. The Assassin jumps high in the air, and swings down her blade on Fenrir who rolls behind her just as the assassin makes impact, Fenrir attempts to sweep the Assassin's feet but she blocks the attempts with the blade of her weapon and back kicks Fenrir.
Jotaro jumps in with a downward vertical slice but the Assassin back steps away, dodging the attack. Jotaro puts the pressure on the Assassin but inflicting never ending attacks with his rapier, the Assassin blocks a few of his attacks only receiving a few hits which her aura protected until she parries his next swing and kicks Jotaro in the stomach. Jotaro recovers and attacks again by thrusting his rapier as Fenrir returns by swinging his scythe upwards. The Assassin leans back from Fenrir's attack and ducks from Jotaro's attack. The two swing down both their weapons as the Assassin crouches but she blocks both their attacks with her weapon.
The Assassin reaches for her pocket and pulls out a Lightning Dust crystal which Fenrir notices.
"LOOK OUT!" Fenrir shouts but the Assassin slams the Dust onto the ground, electrocuting all three of them, falling to the ground.
Visibly smoking from being electrocuted, the Assassin stands up, her aura flickering as the two boys are still recovering. The Assassin looks at Fenrir, barely able to stand up from the electric explosion, then looks at Jotaro who's attempting to stand up, his aura flickering due to the damage he took. She saw her one chance to take her revenge on humanity...on the Kurozakis.
As Jotaro gets to his knees, the Assassin kicks him down to his back and stomps on his chest. He looks at the assassin; seeing the hateful rage through her mask, the heavy breathing hissing through her teeth. She raises her blade high to the sky, ready to inflict a fatal blow until Crimson runs in and punches the Assassin so hard, her mask shatters on impact and his launched against the wall, face on the ground.
Jotaro sighs in relief, eyes closed as he takes a breath. Crimson's entrance was cutting it close but at least they're here.
"Can you stand?" Crimson asks, offering Jotaro a hand which he accepts. Jotaro looks at Fenrir who was helped by River. "Good thing you two called, otherwise we wouldn't have saved your asses."
"Ha...I'm just glad you're both here...cutting it a bit close though." Jotaro chuckles.
"Hey, we were on the other side of the town, don't blame us for showing up at the last minute!" Crimson laughs.
After exchanging a few laughs, the team looks down at the Assassin who's recovering from the heavy hit. The four ready their weapons as the Assassin looks up, hand covering her face.
"That's enough, we outnumber you four to one." River says, weapon at the ready.
The Assassin only growls in anger, reaching for her weapon. She refuses to fail to a group of teenagers, not after everything she's done to make it this far.
"Please, we're giving you a chance to surrender. It's all I can do in memory of what you've done for me...Vita." The team look at Jotaro in confusion. Vita? Why is he addressing the Assassin with that name? Isn't Vita, Jotaro's maid? Those questions were already answered when the Assassin lowering her hand, revealing Jotaro's maid. It was her all along...a member of the White Fang under their noses. Jotaro could barely believe the truth even if it's staring at his face, the one of many servants his family cared for...working with the White Fang.
"Of course...it's always the good looking ones!" Crimson scoffs.
"Why would you do this, Vita?" Jotaro asks, a quiver in his voice as he attempts to keep his composure. "We brought you into our home, our family has been nothing but kind to you."
"Don't fool me with your kindness!!" Vita snaps, clenching her teeth with hate filled eyes. "You Kurozakis say you treat Human and Faunus alike, that you would never discriminate against people like me! But underneath that mask you only see us as your slaves!"
"How?! By giving you a home? Offering you a compensating job where you can eat and live like normal people?!"
"You use us as your tools! Make us work as your servants so we could live under your thumb for eternity! My sisters may be blind to your charisma but I'm no fool! The White Fang will claim what we truly desire, then you'll know what it's like to live in oppression and forced labor. I refuse to be your slave any longer...!" Vita equips Water and Fire Dust, slamming them together and creating heavy steam; they quickly cover their eyes from the heavy combustion as they're now covered in thick fog of steam.
Crimson is the first to be attacked in the fog, getting hit in the stomach, then the knee. Crimson retaliates with a right swing only to hit air and gets kicked in the jaw, knocking him to the floor.
Fenrir attempts to smell for Vita's scent and senses her presence behind him. He ducks from an attack by her weapon and swings his scythe. The two engage in a weapon fight until Fenrir's horizontal swing is blocked and takes a kick to the chest.
Jotaro uses his Detective Vision and spots Vita fighting Fenrir through her heat signature. He rushes and blocks Vita's next attack with his rapier, saving Fenrir's life. As Vita and Jotaro fight one another, River decided he's had enough of the steam, so he sets the Dust Chamber to Wind and aims his weapon at the ground. River fires his weapon, clearing away the steam in their area. Vita notices the steam's gone and looks to see River who spots her. He sets his weapon to Fire Dust and shoots at Vita who breaks the weapon lock from Jotaro by kicking him away and spins her weapon, catching the fiery projectile and throwing it back to River. Fenrir jumps in and spins his scythe, saving River by catching the fire. Vita gets ready to catch the projectile until she blocks another attack from Jotaro, allowing Crimson to get up and slam the ground with his weapon, causing the earth to shift and a pillar to sprout under Vita's feet, surprising her. Fenrir spots his chance to throw the fire projectile back, hitting Vita while she's in the air and explodes.
Vita hits the ground, her aura shattered and covered in soot. She uses all the strength left to pick herself up, with her weapon as support. Vita angrily clenches her teeth as Team CJVR stand side by side against her until Vita falls unconscious from the beatings she took. The team drop their shoulders with a sigh of exhaustion.
"That wasn't so hard..." Crimson chuckles, earning irritated looks from his teammates at his attempt of humor. Jotaro looks at Vita again, he wishes it didn't come to this, but she was disturbing the peace and needed to be stopped...as he approaches her unconscious body and kneels down, he wonders how this could've happened.
Morning arrives as Vita is being cuffed by two professional Huntsmen who arrived after Team CJVR's call and escort Vita to the Bullhead where she'll be imprisoned in Atlas Correctional. River and Crimson were explaining the situation to both Bullhounds and Spiders in the hopes the conflict against each other is over. Griefer is mad with his teeth and fists clenched, he hates feeling used and hates ending a fight before it finishes; his anger settles when Silk puts a hand on his shoulder and offers a truce by handshake. Considering they were both used as unwanted pawns, it's only fair to put all the drama to rest and help these villagers live worry free. Biting the bullet, Griefer shakes Silk's hand with some hesitance.
Meanwhile, Jotaro and Fenrir watch as Vita's escorted to the Bullhead but not before she stops to look at her former employer.
"I never wanted this, Vita. I can't fix what's happened to you...but I know there's still apart of you that's good." Jotaro says, keeping his composure.
"Save your cheesy lines for someone who wants them. I don't regret what I've done and I'd do it again in a heartbeat." Vita hisses, glaring into Jotaro's eyes. "Enjoy your luxury while you can Jotaro Kurozaki, because one day you'll understand how it feels to live rock bottom, to see everything you love taken away from you. Just like the Atlesians took everything from me...from US!!"
The two Huntsmen forcefully drag Vita to the Bullhead as she continues to rant and scream at Jotaro who nearly breaks into tears but inhales sharply and keeps his chin up, maintaining his composure. Fenrir notices the near breaking point Jotaro's in, so he raises his arm, slowly reaching Jotaro's shoulder in an act of comfort but drops his arm and looks away, deciding against comforting his partner at the moment.
"Whelp, I'd say we wrapped things up just fine!" Crimson chimes, approaching Fenrir and Jotaro with River. "Took some convincing but the Bullhounds and Spiders are willing to bury the hatchet! Hopefully, they'll be more careful before the Bullhounds decide to attack someone who's falsely accused for something they didn't do...How'd you know it was the maid all this time?"
"I didn't...but the evidence proved otherwise." Jotaro faces his teammates who look at him, confused. "At first, it was when we bumped into her, I thought it strange that she'd visit a friend in Violette when she's been a Mantle orphan for years. Next, she knew Bullhounds and Spiders when we didn't say either of their names...and her luggage...no doubt it was carrying her equipment, which was why she didn't want anyone carrying it."
"Ok...but that all could've been coincidental, right? I mean, it almost sounds way too obvious when you put it like that." Crimson chuckles, while Jotaro may be good at solving mysteries like these, it feels way too simple even if they caught the culprit.
"Occam's razor." River bluntly chimes, confusing Crimson. "The simplest answers come from complex questions."
"You always know the right words to confuse me, don't you, River?" Crimson asks, earning a brief shrug from his partner. "Whatever, this still doesn't explain why she did all this in the first place. What, she just hated this town?"
"Not if she's working for the White Fang, and they've only been interested in Dust." Fenrir adds, folding his arms.
"She mentioned this conflict would give her what she wants...Vita was looking for something." Jotaro says, thinking to himself.
"Valuable enough to destroy an entire village?" Crimson asks, puzzled.
"Let's ask the mayor." Fenrir suggests, walking to the main building. "He runs the town, maybe he knows what kinda treasure it holds."
The Team nods in agreement and follows Fenrir to the Mayor's building hoping they can get some answers to the rest of this mystery.
What they weren't expecting to find when they entered the mayor's office, was the mess of whoever or whatever was here last. Chairs were tipped over, the table was broken in half, cabinets torn open with their contents spilled all over the floor mixed with broken glass. The only person inside is the mayor cleaning up pieces of broken glass beside his desk.
"Mr. Mayor?" The Mayor stands up at Jotaro's voice, seeing the team enter. "What happened here?"
"I was robbed, that's what happened...I was returning to my office this morning only to find this mess." The Mayor sighs, placing the broken glass on his desk. "First the gang fights, then the Grimm attacks and now this! We knew living away from the Kingdoms would be rough but I never imagined anything like this!"
"Was there anything taken?" Fenrir asks while Jotaro uses his Detective Vision to find any evidence.
"Just the Totem of a Beowulf." The Mayor answers, which River takes notice.
"A Beowulf Totem?"
"It was an old heirloom of my family, my grandfather held onto it for years, then it was lent to my father and eventually was lent to me."
"Great...so Vita stole an old statue. That's what she's been doing all this for?!" Crimson fumed, his arms behind his head in an attempt to cool down. But something felt off to Fenrir about what he said.
"Mr. Mayor, you mentioned coming to the office this morning?" The Mayor nods at Fenrir's question. "We fought Vita last night...and she wasn't carrying the totem"
Fenrir turns to Crimson and River who begin to share his thoughts, Vita had a partner and she was a distraction. Jotaro crouches to one knee spotting an indentation on the wooden floor.
"There's a footprint here...shoe size's eleven, and a small dot beside every step."
"Big enough to look like it's from a cane?" River asks. Jotaro straightens up from his crouched position, looking at River for a beat.
"Yes...how did you know that?" River sighs, he knows who's behind this robbery and it irks him knowing he and his team were used.
"Torchwick." River answers, allowing the Team to slowly catch on to what he's thinking. "Torchwick broke in and Jotaro's maid a distraction."
"Ok, but why? What's so special about this decorated piece of rock?" Fenrir asks. This mystery does feel like it's only taking them around in circles. Vita was the distraction, so were the Grimm attacks and the gang conflict, but why go through the effort to steal one item? And for three days long to boot.
After a couple hours of searching, they couldn't find any lead to Torchwick and decided to return to Beacon, riding in the bullhead. During they're ride, they still couldn't stop thinking about everything that's happened in their mission.
"Look, Torchwick has something planned...maybe he's working with the White Fang, and maybe this Malevolence exists after all. Whatever it is...it can't be good, and I'm not just gonna sit around and worry about our school grades with crap like this. They have to be stopped." Fenrir opens up with a serious expression on his face. "And I'll do it alone if I have to."
"No you're not." Crimson argues. "We're a team...and we stick together."
Fenrir and River look at Crimson, then smile. Fenrir was happy because he doesn't have to fight alone, River's happy because this feels like something he can do, something life changing. And Crimson's happy because he knows what it's like to make promises with the intent of honoring them. They turn to face Jotaro who's staring out the window, contemplating.
"What do you think, Jotaro?" Crimson asks, but he doesn't get a response as Jotaro continues to stare out. "Jotaro?"
"My family had a totem similar to the mayor's." Jotaro replies, surprising the team. He turns around, and sighs, thinking about how to explain it. "My Grandfather kept it safe in the treasure room of our estate. I always believed it was nothing more than a simple artifact...but it went missing the day I left for Beacon."
"...Vita?" Fenrir inquires, but sees that he needs no answer. The tight expression on Jotaro was enough of a yes. "Don't beat yourself up over this, you didn't know."
"It's not just that...Vita was the first person who helped me after my father passed away. After everything she's done for me...it's becoming difficult who I should trust."
"You have us..." Fenrir answers. A beat passes when Jotaro stares at Fenrir, hearing the words from his sincere tone. "You have your family...and us, I don't intend to betray you, and I'm sure Crimson and River would say the same, right guys?"
"Damn straight." Crimson replies with a nod from River. "Like I said before, we're a team, we look out for each other now."
Jotaro looks upon his teammates, seeing the determination and fellowship among them...it makes him happy to know they're willing to help. Not just for him but for each other.
At an undisclosed Warehouse in Vale, the cloaked figure stares down a map marked with pins shining under a single lamp. Behind them, Roman Torchwick walks in with a scroll in hand.
"That plan of yours worked like a charm...I don't know how but everything went just like you said." Roman chuckles. He throws the scroll which the figure catches without looking. "It wasn't easy, getting those kids to cooperate...but I got it done."
The figure looks at the scroll, playing videos of Team CJVR's fight against the Grimm, Griefer and Vita. They stare closely at the screen, where a video of Fenrir is playing.
"I gotta ask, what are trying to learn from this?" Roman gets nothing but silence from the figure, and doubts he'd get an answer. "Fair enough...I'll be at the docks."
"Did you learn their names?" The figure asks in a growling tone, stopping Roman before he reaches the door. He turns around and walks back.
"I learned three of them...but I'm familiar with the other. Crimson Vernados, River Strife, Jotaro Kurozaki and Fenrir Calavera."
"Calavera?!" The figure jerks their head over their shoulder at Fenrir's surname, one with a sense of familiarity.
"What, you know him?"
"...I know his family..." Is all the figure says, looking at the scroll again.
"Ok...that's vague, but what do I care? See ya!" Roman turns again and waves goodbye as he walks away.
"Torchwick..." Roman stops again but keeps his back turned. "Dropping Malevolence's name was careless...our partners work in the dark for a reason, it's part of how they scare the population."
"You let me worry about our relations with Malevolence. You just do what you do best..." Roman smiles and leaves for the docks. The figure reaches into their cloak and pulls out an ornate skull mask. The cracks on it reveal to have been broken some time ago but the scratch marks on the center appear recent.
"Calavera...Grimm...Reaper..." The figure growls in hatred, their fingers nearly crushing the mask as they stare down through its eyeholes
End of Chapter 14