"What's up?" Percy sat at a small coffee table in Heather's living room early the following morning, ancient Greek notes about plans he was developing sprawled across a notebook in front of him.
"I have the first of the Mistralan families to contact you ready for a meeting. Are you interested?" Shiro answered.
Percy stared down at his notebook, the plan which had been frustrating him for the last few hours staring back. He hadn't initially wanted to involve himself with any family too closely because of his desire to build his own base, but using one right now… might be his best option.
"Actually, yeah. I am. I also need you to look into buying a company for me, anonymously."
"Which company do you want?"
"The Mistral Trade Company. I've heard it's been run out of business for quite a while, so it should be pretty cheap to buy."
"The MTC? Alright, I won't pretend to understand why, but I'll try and track down the ownership rights. The government liquidated it decades ago but someone should still have rights to the name itself, it should be simple enough to buy the name once I find who owns it."
"Do what you need to. Also, while you're at it, could you set up a meeting with someone for me?"
"Alright, who's that?"
"Just someone with a mutual enemy."
Percy sat in a luxurious lounge somewhere near the top of the mountain Mistral resided on. It was mid morning, and he had been invited to the manor of some minor family to talk business. He hadn't bothered remembering the name of the dynasty, but this morning would be interesting.
Percy eyed the ouzo (a Greek liquor) sitting out on the table for a while before deciding it was too early and leaning back into the couch, letting his gaze wander.
The room was filled with several attractive maids, all of which were there to 'take care of any needs he might have'. Percy was certain that it had nothing to do with the fact that he was a teenage guy.
A couple immaculately dressed men in suits had led him into the room, but they had vanished once he was properly seated. It seemed that here in Mistral they preferred more subtle shows of power than Windpath's in-your-face variety.
Percy was brought out of his daydreaming by the door he hadn't walked in through opening, and a tall, broad shouldered man with red hair — actually red, not ginger — stepping out. He had almost functionally expensive clothes; his crimson red suit was encrusted with what Percy could only assume was either garnet or rubies, and his wrist bore a watch which was likely so expensive it could have been used to buy his mom's apartment building. But despite that, the garments themselves weren't over the top with frills, robes, a cape, or a decadent hat.
Percy, on the other hand, was wearing some relatively high quality jeans and a t-shirt.
"Ah, Perseus. It is an honor to meet you." the man in red held out his hand.
Percy rose to shake it. "Likewise." Percy didn't bother mentioning that he didn't even remember the man's name.
The redhead gestured to the leather couches which sat opposite each other. "Please, let us sit and talk. I am Alexander, the one who invited you here today. Would you care for a drink?"
Alexander sat down, offering Percy the ouzo once he did so as well.
Percy smiled politely. "I'm afraid not, it's a bit early for me."
"Ah," Alexander nodded. "Can I offer you anything else then? Tea? Coffee? Water?"
Percy shook his head. "I'm fine, thank you. I would prefer we get down to business, though. I have my suspicions as to why you wanted a meeting with me, but I'd prefer you explain fully before I make any assumptions."
Alexander nodded, taking a box of cigars out of the table drawer and pulling out two, holding one out to Percy. When he shook his head at those too, Alexander put it back and lit his own cigar, taking a slow puff before he finally answered.
"I understand that a young man such as yourself might feel a little out of your depth with regard to recent events. I could help manage everything for you. I have a large amount of financial assets, and aligning yourself with me would keep away the inevitable countless houses of Mistral which would see you dead and your territory taken." Alexander leaned forward and looked Percy in the eye, as if genuinely concerned for his safety.
Percy snorted, deciding that he did want that drink after all. Pouring himself a glass of straight ouzo, he leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet up on the table, his expensive — for Mistral — but dirty sneakers leaving dirt on the nobleman's expensive table.
"I don't know what rumors you've heard about me, probably that I'm being puppeted from the shadows, or that I got lucky, or some such thing, but let me clarify."
He took his feet off of the table, leaning forward to mirror the man across from him, their faces just several inches apart from each other.
"I took over Windpath two months after arriving there. I hired my own people, violently took over a gang I built up support in, and then within the month I locked every mob boss in Windpath in a room with me and killed them. Every. Last. One. That night hundreds of my men patrolled the streets, and nobody that opposed me survived the night. The settlement itself sent police after me, and only stopped when every car they sent stopped responding, and the head of the commissioner lay separated from his body. Do not think me a naive child you can manipulate into giving up what is mine."
Percy leaned back. His actions that night weren't something he was generally proud of, or liked to brag about, but Perseus was different. If he wanted to build up a persona which people would take seriously, he would use his reputation to his advantage. And many times, the best language was blood. He had already spilled the blood, he might as well use it to write a message to the families of Mistral.
Percy — or rather, Perseus — continued before Alexander said anything.
"But we can still do business. We can still help each other, so you don't need to try to kill me and seize my gang. You won't need to watch your family and everything you and your ancestors worked your entire lives to build crumble around you. Just answer me one question; how good are your logistics in Mistral?"
A few days after his meeting with Alexander, Percy was sitting in a hotel room he had rented out for the night so that he could hold a meeting. Said meeting was happening in the late evening, so Percy sat in a comfortable chair for a while, browsing his scroll and sipping some alcoholic drink or the other which was provided by the five star hotel — or rather, what qualified for one in the backwater that was Windpath.
Eventually the door opened and his guests arrived, shuffling through the door, cautiously looking around every angle as if afraid of an ambush at any moment.
There were two of them, both wearing hoods. One bore a rather womanly figure, and while Percy had never been overly promiscuous he had to admit she was gorgeous, even if he could only see her silhouette.
The other form was ever so slightly shorter, but stockier. He figured this was a bodyguard of some sort, considering who he was meeting.
"Welcome and please, sit." Percy waved towards the couch opposite his seat.
The shorter figure glanced at the woman for guidance, but she was already moving to sit at the couch. Cautiously, the other did the same.
Slowly, they both removed their hoods and Percy's eyes met theirs.
"What is it you want?" The woman snapped, presumably impatient, irritated, suspicious, or all three at the same time.
Percy raised his hands. "Hey, don't snap at me. I'm here because we have a common enemy."
"And who would that be?"
"From what I've heard, the SDC doesn't exactly treat your people well, and I intend to suck them dry. You need resources, and I need a group I'm not associated with to act on my behalf. I say we form a partnership."
Sienna Khan stared back at him with narrowed eyes. "So, what? You want us to do your dirty work? To steal from the SDC for you? We aren't your dogs."
"Woah, no need to get hostile." Percy raised an eyebrow at the tone. "You want to hurt the SDC anyway, right? That's what your faction advocates for in the White Fang. Striking back against the only corporation to practice actual slavery on your people. All I'm saying is that I have the resources to back you in the White Fang, and allow you to actually hurt the SDC. Now. Not next year, not even next month. Tomorrow, if you want, I could have the White Fang in your hands and enough weapons to arm everyone in your organization. Of course, you'll need to train them and make plans before getting anywhere, but it's far more progress than you'd make without me."
The other figure with her — a boy a little younger than Percy he realized, now that he could actually see his face — finally spoke. "And how do we know we can trust you? That this isn't a setup, and that you're not just another racist human."
Percy snorted. "Why would you think I am racist? Because I'm not setting myself on fire for faunus rights? Sorry, but reality is a bit more gray than that. Just because you don't act out doesn't mean you're a racist who hates faunus. Most people just conform, in most things. Why should a working class man risk his family and his way of life by protesting faunus rights for some arbitrary thing like equality?"
Sienna huffed. "You're hardly helping your case. Even Windpath, a city you directly control, still has racist policies and laws."
Percy thought for a moment. "You know, to be honest I haven't really bothered getting into the politics of Windpath. But just for you…"
Percy pulled out his scroll and selected Shiro's contact, pressing the call button.
It rang once before he picked up.
"How can I help?"
"I need you to order the city council to repeal every law which is discriminatory against the faunus and make sure laws are in place to ensure equal rights."
Shiro paused for a moment. "You know that's gonna cause a bit of an uproar, right?"
Percy shrugged, putting on a bit of nonchalance for his audience. "They live in my city, they can deal with it. Just make sure it's done."
"Alright, got it. It'll be official by the end of the week."
Percy nodded and closed his scroll call, looking back at his company.
"Consider that a gesture of goodwill. I won't even try to pretend that faunus rights is the main reason I'm helping you, or even a consideration, really. I'm helping you purely out of self interest, but I am genuinely in favor of equality. Honestly, I find the current situation a bit archaic, a problem which is spearheaded by the SDC and their..." Percy paused for a moment, looking for the right words. "Labor practices."
Sienna hummed, considering for several moments before nodding. "We'll try out this partnership, but that's all it is. You'll help us take over the White Fang, but that doesn't mean you own the White Fang. Do we have an understanding?"
Percy shrugged. "I have no use for owning the White Fang. As long as you stay within the bounds of our agreement, I'm content."
"What exactly is the agreement? What do you want from us exactly, and what will you provide?"
"I'll put you in charge of the White Fang, to start with. That should be rather easy, considering many members are beginning to see things your way, and the current leadership is hardly prepared for a military takeover." Percy said the words matter of factly, but was mostly just parroting what he'd gotten from Lil' Miss when he'd asked.
"I'll also provide weapons, information, contacts, transportation, anything you need, really. In return, I want you to steal from the SDC and transport all their dust to me. Liberate a camp? Great, make sure to take all the dust they have in storage on your way out. Planning on blowing up a train? How about you hijack it instead. Other than that all I want is oversight of your organization. Not control, but transparency. I need to make sure that you're doing all you can to get me dust, and hurt the SDC in the process."
"And if we don't stay within the bounds of this agreement?"
"Well, it mostly depends on how you break the agreement, but I will no longer have a reason to fund the White Fang."
Sienna nodded. "I understand our position, then. Our end should be easy to hold up. I look forward to our partnership." she held out a hand for him to shake.
Percy leaned forward and took the hand. "I'm personally looking forward to it as well. We'll be moving the dust through Mistral itself. I have some people who will be able to move it discreetly." Percy stood up. "I think we're done here. I'll put you in contact with my people. I'll be in touch." Percy nodded at the two and made his departure.
Of course, most of the logistics work was being handled by his friend in the families of Mistral. Shiro would be buying the weapons from a third party and then transporting them to the White Fang, as well as collecting the dust from Alexandros in Mistral, transferring it to the Mistral Trade Company, and then selling it on the market to compete with the SDC.
The company was owned by Percy through 'bearer shares', essentially a piece of paper which signified ownership. Whoever physically held the paper was the owner of the company, which meant that it wasn't written down anywhere, and was entirely untraceable no matter how far you dug. He knew the SDC would quickly figure out that the MTC was the one profiting from their suffering and look to put a stop to it. Hopefully by the time it got to that point, Percy would be influential enough in Mistral to stop them from being able to do anything in the kingdom.
From there he would have to expand to the other cities, but he would cross that bridge when he got to it. If he was selling dust to the entirety of Mistral, he would be so rich he wouldn't know how to spend the money, and expanding to other countries would be much, much easier than the seemingly impossible task it was now.
Which brought him to his next objective; secure influence in Mistral.
He at least had a contact within the families now, but he would need to do a lot more than that if he wanted to have any chance of his plans succeeding.
But he finally had a goal now. A light at the end of the tunnel, to actually work towards instead of just 'beat Salem'. To defeat her he'd increase his influence, his wealth, as much as possible. He might even need to try to unite humanity against her, diplomatically or otherwise — though he'd probably have someone like Shiro take the credit, he was hardly good at the whole PR thing. He could do that by working with the White Fang, by making sure they only stole from the SDC, and that he profited from it.
Percy sighed, beginning the walk back to his new high end apartment several blocks away. He could think about this back at his apartment, for now he needed to sleep.
Percy rubbed his eyes, waking up the next day to his scroll ringing.
Percy reached over and grabbed it, accepting the video call as soon as he saw that it was someone from his contacts.
"Sup?" Percy muttered, rubbing his eyes.
"Damn, kid, are you still asleep?"
Percy cracked a smile at the sound of the familiar voice, taking his hand away to see a familiar face. "Good to see you too, old man. And for the record, I was getting my beauty sleep, thank you very much."
Qrow wiggled his eyebrows. "Up late last night, huh? Wanna show us the other side of your bed?"
Percy just rolled his eyes. Qrow, unsurprisingly, hadn't changed. Percy's retort was cut off when he heard a muffled voice coming from off screen.
Percy furrowed his eyebrows. "Who's there?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Qrow turned away from the voice. "Sorry, probably should have told you first thing but yeah, I'm in a room with my boss right now. Wanted to let you know that you've been invited to Vale."
Percy sighed. "Yeah, I heard. Sorry, but I think it's a no. You said yourself that I couldn't learn much worthwhile at a huntsman academy."
Qrow shook his head. "No, no, not Beacon. Vale. You've been invited as a dignitary to represent Mistral."
Percy furrowed his eyebrows. That didn't make much sense. "What? Why me?"
"Well," Qrow glanced behind him. "As I understand it, Headmaster Ozpin, on behalf of the nation of Vale, asked for a representative of Mistral to visit to help strengthen ties between the two nations. Headmaster Lionheart recommended that the new chair of the council of Windpath and prodigious businessman which had recently popped up would be the best choice for a representative. It's already been announced on the news."
Percy grit his teeth, sitting up in his bed and ignoring the fact that there indeed was someone on the other side. He had been played before he even had a chance to know he was playing the game.
Doubtless Shiro had had him elected as the chairman of Windpath. He couldn't fault the man for that, it would give him more direct ability to impact things and as far as he understood it, no actual responsibility as long as the council still ran smoothly.
But Ozpin wanted him in Vale for… some reason. So he had talked to his friend Lionheart and made up some fabrication to get Percy there, publicly. At this point, what was he supposed to do, just flat out say no?
Percy honestly considered it for a moment. But in the end, if the headmaster of Beacon wanted him in Vale, he could pull far more strings than this. His invitation to Beacon was him asking nicely. The invitation to come as a representative was showing off his reach a bit. The man likely had more connections high up in Mistral than Percy could have in months or even years.
It wouldn't be that bad, Percy thought, being in Vale. He was still confident he could get out of any situation, even that far in enemy territory, especially if they had no idea what he could do. What he was suspicious of was why Ozpin wanted to meet him so badly.
He had hardly made that much of an impression. A bit of a wave, sure, but he had taken over a settlement on the outskirts of the city of Mistral, it was hardly a world changing accomplishment. Maybe... maybe Qrow had told Ozpin about his less than natural abilities.
Percy narrowed his eyes at Qrow through the screen. That was easily the most likely scenario. He had trusted too easily, shown off his abilities (even if not to their full extent) because he had trusted Qrow. In hindsight, that was naive.
His eyes hardened. He wouldn't repeat that mistake. This was a problem. Everyone on the incredibly short list he had that he thought he could even slightly trust he knew through Qrow.
Qrow's eyes widened. "Oh nah, I recognize that look. You're not gonna go all Raven on me. Look kid, don't go thinking I sold you out or something—"
"I'll be there." Percy shut his scroll, throwing it at the opposite wall as hard as he could and sending it through the plaster.
Letting out a frustrated huff, Percy threw on his clothes and shoes before walking out the door. He had a flight to catch.
Not a half hour later he stormed through the front doors of his own headquarters, confused employees getting out of his way quickly.
Percy entered the elevator, which quickly cleared as soon as he got on. Tapping his foot impatiently, he hit the button for the third floor.
Ding!
Percy walked off, making his way down the hallway until he was in front of Shiro's office.
He didn't bother knocking, swinging open the door and storming in.
Shiro raised an eyebrow at him. "Let me call you back, something just came up." he closed his scroll, looking at Percy questioningly.
Percy walked up to his desk and leaned over to look Shiro in the eye. "Tell me you won't betray me."
Shiro just furrowed his eyebrows even more. "Of course I won't. What are you talking about?"
"No." Percy shook his head. "It's always been implied but you've never said it. I want you to promise me that you won't stab me in the back."
"Alright. I promise I won't betray you. I'll stick to our original deal." Shiro said cautiously.
Percy looked into his eyes for several more seconds. "Know that if you ever betray me, I will kill you." he promised.
Shiro leaned back, eyes wide. "What brought this on?"
Percy sighed, letting the tension slip from his shoulders as he leaned back until he was sitting in the chair on the other side of Shiro's desk.
"Qrow sold me out." he muttered, running his fingers through his hair anxiously.
"Oh…" Shiro trailed off.
"Yeah." Percy grunted back.
They sat in silence for several minutes.
"So…" Shiro began. "How did he?..."
Percy pursed his lips. "There's a reason I'm so confident in myself. I can fight well. Like… really well. And there are reasons for that, that I let Qrow get a glimpse of. He told his boss, and now I'm being forced to go to Vale."
Shiro cursed. "Damn it, Qrow. I've never known him the best, but he always did seem strangely loyal to Ozpin. Like a lost puppy. I can get why you're paranoid. You only know me through him so… yeah, I get it."
There was another long silence. "How influential is Ozpin, really?" Percy wondered aloud. "He was able to get Lionheart to do whatever he wanted. How far does that go?" he asked, only half rhetorically.
Shiro shifted in his chair. "I'd wager he's the most powerful man in Remnant by quite a bit. He has Lionheart in his pocket and a strong working relationship with General Sylvanus in Atlas. The council of Vale is under his thumb, and he has contacts everywhere. The only reason Sylvanus might beat him there is because of how large of a military Atlas has. That being said, I wouldn't think that there's a corner of Remnant he couldn't find you in."
Percy cursed. "Do you think he could have agents in our own men?"
Shiro shrugged. "It's possible. I won't pretend to know Ozpin that well, but it's unlikely he has many agents of his own in Mistral, he mostly relies on Lionheart. And the possibility of him having an agent in our men is almost guaranteed."
Percy frowned. "Alright then. Fire everyone except for the best. Keep who you need to for your own protection, other than that we're gonna flood the streets with even more labor. How many businesses have you bought so far?"
Shiro gained a mirthful glint in his eye at that. "All of them. You own every business in Windpath."
Percy paused for a moment. That quickly? He supposed he did control almost the entire wealth of the city. If he was collecting something like half of every business' earnings every month, it was hardly a surprise he could afford all of them.
"Alright then. Spread the news now. We're starting a boom in Windpath. Don't be afraid to give out loans to whoever needs it to keep the businesses operating. You're more experienced than me, I'll let you deal with it, but we can kick start it now. Also, you got my messages about our new partners?"
Shiro nodded. "I've already heard rumors of a coup in the White Fang. I'll make sure everything is handled. Will you be going to Vale, then?"
Percy nodded. "It looks like I don't have much of a choice anymore."
"For what it's worth, Ozpin doesn't really… disappear people, the way they do in Mistral. He might try and manipulate you, or subtly threaten you, but he won't kill or kidnap you. And Qrow really does mean the best, he's just… a bit too loyal. Blind is a more apt description when it comes to Ozpin, really."
Percy's eyes hardened. "That may be true, but he still betrayed me. I don't hold a grudge like my cousin, but I'm not quick to forgive, either. Not when my loyalty's been betrayed."
Shiro sighed. "Just… promise me you'll talk it out before cutting ties with him. His loyalty to Ozpin has gotten in the same shit before, with his sister. The dude already has a tough enough life, he doesn't need to lose another friend."
Percy's features softened. "Yeah, I get it. I'll talk with him, at least. But I can't promise anything more than that. As cold as it sounds, if he sells out everyone he knows then maybe his sister was right to leave him." He paused for several seconds. "Now how's my pocketbook doing? I'm assuming I'll have limited resources for a bit here."
Shiro chuckled. "You'd think that, but no. You're still probably the richest person outside of a big city. Especially considering you just ordered me to terminate contracts with what is essentially a private army, you're doing just fine. You'll have more than enough for whatever you need to do in Mistral."
Percy nodded, reaching over and pouring himself a glass of whichever wine was on Shiro's desk — it was white, and that's all he knew. "As far as the private army goes, the White Fang can serve that purpose should we need them. As far as I see it, we don't need intimidation squads if we don't need intimidation anymore, and we don't need intimidation if we're not shaking people down."
Shiro raised an eyebrow, pouring himself a glass. "They're willing to play private army? Thought they'd be a bit more fanatical than that."
Percy chuckled, downing the glass of wine. "I'm their only lifeline. Whether they realize it or not, if I go dry they have no contacts, no way to gather information, weapons, food — it's not pleasant. Trust me, I know how it feels. They're as good as dead without my full support, and they'll know that as soon as they consider not doing something I ask of them. As long as I keep my requests reasonable, they won't even bother thinking of other options. And soon enough, their theft of SDC shipments will start paying dividends."
Shiro perked up quickly. "Yeah, about that. I've run the math. The supplies kept in one mine from the SDC would pay back almost everything we've given them so far. This investment should pay out greatly."
Percy whistled, pouring himself another drink. "You're right, that does sound good. For now keep the money in an account for me to use. I'll need it for some projects."
Shiro sent him a curious look. "What even is your next step?"
"Why, take Mistral, of course."
Ay, hope you liked the chapter. There are some subtle references to characters and events in this chapter, and some not so subtle references, so I hope most of you caught most of them.
This week is the end of weekly updates unfortunately. It's kinda caught up with me, so I'll be going monthly until I have several chapters stored up (hopefully within a couple months) and then go weekly again.
Come hang out in discord: discord .gg/elibrary
Next chapter November 17