Wild Hunt

by Author Nicholas Drew

Sometimes, all that is needed to change history is a single moment. When an unexpected arrival ruins Cinder's plans to destroy Beacon, history is changed and Team RWBY finds themselves together instead of divided. However, they also discover that the darkness of Remnant goes beyond the one named Salem.

31. Chapter 31: Mantle

A.N: Hello, hello, hope everyone's staying healthy in these whack times. As always, I'm keeping busy by writing. I do other stuff of course, but writing's always a great stress reliever. Hope everyone enjoys the latest chapter of Wild Hunt. And a special thanks to my good buddy Ryuzaki 007 for cowriting.

Chapter 29: Mantle

"So...you were looking for us, because you wanted to see us. You got sidetracked, came across the training grounds, saw these specialists training and wanted to spar with them. Do...I have that correct, Gin?" Weiss Schnee asked.

Gin Byakko laughed and nodded while the small team of specialists he had beat up grumbled and left the training grounds. "Yep, that's exactly what happened!" He exclaimed.

"Eat a dick!" A particularly sore-losing specialist yelled. "You may have beaten us, but you'd be no match for the AceOps if they were here right now!"

"Okay, see ya!" Gin waved with the angry specialist off with a happy expression on his face. "Let's hang out tomorrow!"

That got another sharp curse and a middle finger from the mad specialist, which Gin just laughed off. "Wow...everything just rolls off of him." Blake Belladonna could not help but note, genuinely impressed by Gin's personality.

"Anyway, yeah, that's exactly what happened." Gin grinned, turning his attention back to Team RWBY and their professor.

"Okay, that makes sense." Ruby Rose said with a smile, happy to see the bodyguard she had hit it off with once more.

"The hell it does!" Yang Xiao Long yelled, while Hansel Kobalt simply held his face in his palm, wondering if he had done something to become the universe's favorite whipping boy in being placed in situations that would just give him grey hairs.

Then he remembered that he was born a Kobalt, and then things made sense to him…

Gin then appeared next to Ruby. "Good to see you again, Kiddo." He said with a big smile as he clapped her on the shoulder. "You've been working hard? I bet you have!"

"Oh, of course!" Ruby nodded eagerly. "I always work hard!"

"What the hell are you doing here?" Yang groaned, having finally registered that the one boy who had managed to get on her nerves for the longest time was back in her life.

"Lady Circe is here in Atlas to discuss her new program with General Ironwood." Hansel spoke up. "So, naturally, Gin and that Chrysos guy are with her."

"And you're not with Lady Circe because…" Blake trailed off.

"Because I wanted to hang out with you guys." Gin admitted with a big smile. "Don't get me wrong, I take my duty very seriously. But, if I don't hang out with cool folks like yourselves sometimes, I'll go stir-crazy like...super-quick. And I do love hanging out with you guys."

"The feeling is not mutual, tiger boy." Yang groaned.

Gin laughed. "You say that now, Blondie, but you'll be asking for my number and texting how much you miss me before you know it. Lady Circe says I've got an infectious personality that makes it very easy for me to make friends."

"It actually sounds like she lied to you to spare your feelings." Yang deadpanned.

Gin then turned his attention to Hansel. "So, Teacher-Man, what did ya bring your students to the training grounds for? I'm 90% sure there's a curfew, ya know."

"Oh yeah," Yang glared at Hansel, "there's that isn't there? Don't you think you owe us an explanation for why you set the rules the way ya did, Teach?"

Hansel looked at Yang with an unreadable expression on his face. "Stop glaring at me." He ordered simply.

"Professor, I agree with Yang." Blake spoke up. "You stacked the deck against us when you set the rules the way you did. You deliberately made things harder for us. Why?"

Gin frowned slightly. "What's this about setting rules?" He asked.

"Professor Kobalt is having us face off against a team from Atlas in four one-on-one matches." Weiss explained before narrowing her eyes. "But the twist is that if even one of the Atlas students win, they win the entire thing. We need to win all four matches."

"Okay, okay, let's all just relax for a sec, I'm sure Professor Kobalt had a good reason for doing it, right Professor?" Ruby stepped in, trying to play peacekeeper.

Hansel nodded. "You four may have gotten experience in the field, but I want you to never forget a very simple feeling: the feeling of being in a do-or-die situation. That's why I set things up the way I did."

Team RWBY looked at Hansel in confusion why Gin smirked, immediately catching onto Hansel's reasoning. "Sure, you can tell me that because you're Huntresses-in-training, you know what it's like to be in a do-or-die situation." Hansel continued. "But I see things differently. In my opinion, the reality that your life could end due to one misstep needs to be hammered in constantly."

"It's like I told Rose during her spar with Daichi." Hansel reminded them. "She won once, even though she frankly would not win many times against him. But the fact that she won once was what matters, because more often than not you only get one fight with an opponent. And from there, either you die or they die."

Team RWBY grimaced at this. They were now slowly beginning to understand the method to their professor's madness. "It's not just that though, I want you to go into this with the feeling that you also hold the fates of others in your hands." Hansel pointed out. "You know, like actual Huntsmen. In this case, you hold the pride of your fellow teammates in your hands. But once you're in the field as a professional Huntsman, it's not pride you're protecting, it's lives. And if you fail even once to protect that, then that's it. You don't get a second chance. You die, and the people you're protecting die."

"So you are all either going to win and contribute to your victory as a team," Hansel concluded, "or you're going to lose once and experience failure and 'death.'"

Team RWBY fell silent at Hansel's explanation. Gin laughed and applauded Hansel's big speech. "Man, you are a taskmaster with an attitude like that, Hansel." He said. "But you know something? I absolutely love it! By constantly simulating life or death situations, the knowledge that you only have one chance to do something right will stick with them."

"Huntsmen are only strong...when they understand their own mortality." Hansel sagely pointed out.

This struck a chord with Ruby. Does...that mean Uncle Qrow understands his own mortality? Professor Ozpin? Mom? She wondered. Huntsmen are only strong...when they become aware of their own mortality…

"Anyway, the damage has already been done." Hansel reminded them. "The rules have been set, Team GLDN is raring to go, as are you four. And, state the obvious, the only way to stop bullies, is to stand up to them."

"But of course you're not going to make that easy for us." Yang sighed.

"Professor, be honest with us though," Blake spoke up, "do you think we can win?"

"It's not a question of whether I think you can win or not." Hansel responded, shaking his head. "Whether you win or not is all up to you. I'll do my part in preparing you four for the next two days because that's my job, but whether you win or not is ultimately up to the four of you."

"Anyway, I'll be focusing mainly on Xiao Long and Schnee tonight, since I'll be arranging for them to fight in the two matches tomorrow."

Weiss frowned slightly. "Why us?" She asked.

"Of the four of you, I think you two are the most prepared for a one-on-one fight on short notice." Hansel bluntly admitted. "That being said, I intend to run you all into the ground while I've got you on these training grounds. Just like I told you at the Neverland Gorge, you've all got problems you need to work through to become proper Huntresses."

"It's just that in the case of Rose and Belladonna," Hansel turned to Ruby and Blake, "you two have your own respective issues that I'd like to help you work through, and to do that, I need to give you two an extra day."

"Xiao Long, Schnee, you two don't have any objections to this, right?"

"Yang and I did represent our team in the doubles round." Weiss noted. "And Yang represented us in the singles. Objectively speaking, we're the most ready to fight the very next day. No offense, Ruby, Blake."

"None taken, I'll gladly take the extra day to prepare." Blake smiled.

"And besides, save the best for last, right?" Ruby teased.

Hansel sighed slightly at Ruby's usual positive attitude towards things. "Okay then," he said, "let's just...get started. Xiao Long, we're training you first."

"Oho, we're skipping the foreplay and going right to the main course, eh Teach?" Yang grinned as she stepped onto the training field with Ember Celica at the ready.

Hansel rolled his eyes at her word choice. "You know, maybe I should take this as an opportunity to break you out of your terrible jokes and teasing." He suggested before drawing Wolf Fang for this training session.

"She seems like she's always going to be the comic relief, Hansel." Gin cut in. "And frankly, she's better off that way."

"That is one of the strangest compliments I've ever heard in my entire life." Blake muttered. "Can that even be considered a compliment? Because honestly, it really doesn't sound like a compliment."

Yang grimaced slightly at the sight of Hansel's katana. "You...you're going to use Wolf Fang? I thought we were just training?"

"We are," Hansel nodded, wearing his usual unreadable expression, "this time, we're going into a fight not knowing what your enemy can do. That means, it's best I train you while using my weapon. I hope you're ready Xiao Long, because I intend to push you to your absolute limit."

"After all, we only have so much time."

Before Yang could respond, Hansel leapt at her, brandishing Wolf Fang. Training had begun…

Meanwhile, as Hansel began training Team RWBY, a lone streetwalker strolled through the alleys of Atlas after a night of...work. Her makeup was running from sweat. Her expression, which she had forced into one of joy had worn down to one of exhaustion and sadness.

"Just have to get back home," she muttered to herself, "then I can drink away the memories of tonight's work and start preparing for the next night of work."

A fog began rolling in, much to the prostitute's distress. "Whoa, that is creepy." She muttered. "Fogbank has been rolling in a lot lately. I guess the news did mention something like that."

Then, when the prostitute turned a corner, she saw something that made her stop in her tracks. A very familiar face, giving her his usual welcoming smile. "D-daddy?" She stammered in shock. "Is that you daddy?"

The prostitute's father smiled and nodded at her. Her tears ruined the rest of her makeup. "Oh daddy!" She exclaimed. "I'm so sorry I ran off! I don't want this anymore! I want to go home! To Mistral! Please, take me away from all of this! I promise, I'll find honest work! I promise!"

With that, the prostitute embraced her father. As soon as she did, however, her father spoke. And when he did, his voice chilled her to the bone. It was not her father's voice. "Oh? So I took the image of your father, young lady? What a tragedy."

The prostitute's eyes widened. Her heart froze as her blood ran cold. He then placed one arm around her in an embrace that would have been considered sweet and loving in any other situation. "Who...who are you?" She asked, trying to leave his embrace, only to find that he had a grip far too strong to be her father.

Her father was far too gentle for something like that.

The man just laughed cruelly. "Who am I?" He said. "Truth be told, I don't really have a name. Well, not one of my own, really. The police gave me one though...once I got famous."

The prostitute tried to force herself out of the man's grip now. She knew exactly who he was. She had to get away from him. As far away as she possibly could, for this man was...

"Let me go!" She screamed, looking up at him. "Let me-"

A flash of silver darted across her throat. Crimson red flew in front of her face. Her head hung back limply as her blue dress was stained red.

Jack the Ripper laughed as he held the twitching woman in his arms, watching with glee as she bled out in mere moments. "Whether I'm doing this for the Crooked Man's sake or not," he said, "I can't deny I truly enjoy it!"

It was now past midnight. Hansel Kobalt calmly walked the streets of Atlas. His goal was to find transportation to Mantle below. Transportation between Atlas and Mantle was a 24 hour service. At the moment, the pilots on duty were those with the credentials to work the graveyard shifts of transportation. Pilots in Atlas needed special credentials to work the graveyard shifts in transportation between cities. This was because of the crime rate in Mantle being among the highest in all of Remnant, just behind Mistral.

So, when Hansel reached the hangar, he was not surprised to come across a group of pilots who looked like they could beat up just about any street thugs they came across. Hansel quickly flashed his credentials as a professional Huntsman. "I need you to fly me down to Mantle. I need to speak to Dr. Pietro Polendina." Hansel told them.

One pilot quickly stood up. "Well, it's your lucky day. We don't have Dr. Polendina's return to Atlas on any flight records." He noted. "Guess that means it was another late night of work for the good doctor."

"So yeah, I'll fly you down there to speak with him." The pilot promised. "Just head to the Mantle station when you're done and we'll fly you back. I shouldn't have to tell a pro this, but be careful. Mantle's dangerous at night."

"Noted." Hansel said as he followed the pilot to the airship.

"Still though, I can't help but wonder why you'd do this so late at night." The pilot added as he took his seat.

"Let's just say I had other matters to deal with before I could come here." Hansel replied.

"Well, I won't pry. You Huntsmen do keep busy." The pilot shrugged. "You especially seem to keep busy, Professor Kobalt."

Hansel did not acknowledge that, even though it was very true. Soon, the airship was off Atlas and all the way down to Mantle. Hansel looked out and frowned slightly at the city. He had only ever been to the outskirts of Mantle on various jobs, but never on the inside. He could definitely understand the reputation it had as a crime-infested hellhole. Even from a bird's eye view, Hansel could tell it was a city wracked by poverty. And when an entire city was wracked with poverty, high crime-rates were inevitable.

Hansel looked at Wolf Fang. Who am I kidding, I'd have brought this either way. He acknowledged. Whether it's just a walk, or I'm on duty, I can't deny I feel calmer with Wolf Fang at my side.

They were soon at the Mantle station. "Still, even though you are a pro, I should give you the rundown of the rules of Mantle at night. I'll feel better that way." The pilot said to Hansel. "When you're walking around, stay on the streets, near the lights. Don't go down any alleys. Keep your wallet close and your hand close to your weapon. The thugs in Mantle are bold, but they'll go belly-up if you show 'em your teeth, if you know what I mean."

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you." Hansel nodded before exiting the airship.

Hansel took another look at the address Winter gave him. "Okay, so, I'm heading...south." Hansel noted, as he began to make his way to Dr. Polendina's clinic.

As he walked the streets of Mantle, he immediately took note of men slinking their way out of the shadows, gazing at him. One glare however sent them all running. "And I thought Mistral's streets weren't safe." Hansel muttered. "These should be just normal streets to walk on a normal day."

Hansel looked up at the giant plate in the sky that held Atlas. "I guess this is just what happens when you lose the Great War and are then replaced by a new kingdom like Atlas." He noted.

Hansel kept his hand close to Wolf Fang as he glared down men and women hidden in the shadows. Guess this is what I get for waiting until after midnight to investigate Mantle. He thought in resignation.

Hansel kept his head on a swivel as he made his way to Dr. Polendina's clinic. Thankfully, the walk was not long and he was soon there. Before he could knock to see if the good doctor was still there, he heard the muffled sounds of a woman thanking someone.

The door then opened and a woman walked out, waving to a certain someone. "Seriously, thank you, Doctor." The woman said. "Now get some rest, will you? It's not healthy to work after midnight the way you are."

Hansel looked at the woman as she retreated. Seriously? So he really was just working late at this clinic? I...guess I can admire the man's dedication...wait! What am I saying? I'm here for a job, not to gawk at some guy's work ethic!

Clearing his mind and remembering why he was here, Hansel calmly entered the clinic and called for the doctor. "Dr. Polendina?"

Hansel was immediately answered. "Oh? I didn't realize I'd be getting another patient so soon."

Hansel was treated to the sight of an old, dark-skinned man rolling into view in a massive wheelchair. This man was the brilliant Pietro Polendina. "So, young man, what may I help you with today? I'm not seeing any prosthetics on you. Or perhaps you're wearing a model that can easily pass as a real limb?"

"Er...oh, I'm not actually here because I'm a patient of yours, Doctor." Hansel explained before flashing his credentials. "My name is Hansel Kobalt, I'm a professional Huntsman. I'm here because I have a few questions for you regarding an investigation I'm running at Atlas Academy."

Pietro's eyes widened as soon as Hansel said his name. "You're Hansel." He said in disbelief.

"That's what I just said, Doctor." Hansel replied, looking at the old man in confusion.

Hansel then gasped when a single tear ran down Pietro's cheek. "Sir?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I guess I got a little overwhelmed by the past." Pietro said.

"It's just that...while you've got different eyes, you look just like your father did when he was your age, son." Pietro told him, making Hansel's eyes widen in shock.

It took a couple more moments of silence for Hansel to fully process what he heard just now.

"My… father?," inquired Hansel, "You knew my father?"

"Knew him?" replied Pietro, "Son, I had the privilege and honor of teaching him!"

"You...you taught him…" Hansel could not believe what he was hearing.

Pietro smiled. "When he was younger, Irving spent some time studying in Atlas. That was how he ended up one of my students. And to be frank, he was one of my best students."

Hansel's hands instinctively curled into fists. At first, he thought the mentioning of his father would lead to more insults and harsh language towards his family name. Somehow, this was just as bad.

"Monster!"

"Murderer!"

"You're the one who killed her!"

"Your existence is a crime, Hansel!"

"You are a plague on this family!"

Hansel could never forget all of that. His own family, battering him with those words. It would stay with him until the day he died. Pietro did not seem to notice Hansel's distress and continued. "Irving was the most passionate and dedicated student I ever had. He so badly wanted to use science to improve Remnant. He made me so damn proud of him."

Hansel could not stay silent any longer. "You're clearly remembering him through rose-tinted glasses, Doctor Polendina." He growled, making Pietro look at him in surprise.

Hansel gave Pietro a furious gaze. "My father was a sick man," he told him, "a sick and twisted man who cared more about his family's reputation than his actual family."

Pietro's face fell at this. "You're...talking about the Tragedy of the Flames, aren't you?" He asked softly. But he knew there was more to it than that. Hansel's expression, the hurt in his voice, there was something deeply personal that made Hansel despise his own father.

Hansel grumbled. Pietro shook his head. "Professor...no, may I call you Hansel, son?"

Hansel remained silent. "Hansel," Pietro said to him, "I'll admit this much, most of my personal memories of Irving were the times he studied under me. And I'll also admit that because of that, I only have good memories of the man."

"I don't know what happened between you and your father, and I certainly can't claim to know what you've been through since you were born after the tragedy." Pietro paused, wondering if he should say this. He eventually continued. "Hansel, the last time I ever spoke with Irving was when Holly was pregnant with you."

Hansel's eyes widened. "He was so happy. He was just as happy as he was when Holly was pregnant the first time." Pietro told him. "Whatever happened between you and your father, please don't ever doubt that he loved you."

Hansel's face fell at this. If that really is true...if he really loved me, then why? Why did you do it, Dad? Why did you let all of that happen to me?

Pietro gave Hansel a gentle smile. "Why don't I fix you a drink and we can talk about whatever it is you came here to talk about?" He suggested. "I've been brewing some lilac tea that I think you'll like."

"Y-yes…" Hansel muttered. "I would like that very much. Thank you, Doctor."

Pietro smiled and poured two glasses of tea. "You can sit down over there." Pietro gestured to a comfy chair nearby. "I usually use it so that my patients have somewhere comfortable to sit."

Hansel wordlessly walked over to the chair and sat down. Pietro then placed the two glasses on the coffee table in front of the chair. "So, I take it this investigation is about that wristband that had been stolen from our vault of secret projects?" Pietro asked.

"That's...sharp of you." Hansel regained his composure.

Pietro nodded. "It's the only thing I can think of that James would contact outside help to investigate the matter."

Hansel nodded. "The truth is, sir, the reason I'm here is because...well, you're one of the prime suspects, along with your colleagues and Ironwood."

Pietro, surprisingly did not react negatively towards this. He just smiled in understanding. "I think I know why. We're the only ones who have access to the vault, right?"

Hansel nodded. "We'll start with the basic questions first. Where and what exactly were you doing around the time of the wristband theft?"

Though Hansel had already heard about Pietro's alibi the first time around (from the accounts of the other scientists he interviewed), he still felt the need to hear it directly from Pietro himself, for confirmation's sake (as well as to fill in any potentially missing blanks).

Pietro nodded in response. "While my colleagues went home at their usual times, I on the other hand, had responsibilities here in Mantle to attend to."

"Namely, your late night shift at this clinic?" asked Hansel.

"Precisely," confirmed the elderly inventor.

"Which means you have plenty of patients and witnesses who can easily verify your alibi," continued Hansel, "Though... just to be diligent, did you ever take any breaks between your appointments?"

Hansel began enjoying his tea. Understanding the implications of Hansel's followup question, Pietro graciously replied, "An occasional coffee break here and there, but certainly nothing long enough for me to fly back to Atlas, steal the wristband, and then fly back here to the clinic. And just to be doubly sure, you can check both the Atlas-Mantle flight records and Mantle's security camera footage. I never left my clinic that evening."

Sounds sensible, though since we're dealing with a face-snatcher who seems to be capable of impersonating anybody, observed Hansel, our usual tools for verifying alibis probably might not be enough for this investigation.

And knowing that he was on a tight schedule, Hansel put his pondering on hold to move on to his next line of questioning. "I see. And can you confirm that Dr. Mahogany stayed the longest at work, thus being the last one to leave?"

Pietro nodded. Hansel continued to enjoy his tea as Pietro began his response. "Agravain always was quite the perfectionist; indeed, he was the last one to leave…"

A moment passed before Pietro finally comprehended the implications of what he just confirmed, "Oh dear, does this make him your primary suspect of the six of us, then?"

Hansel bit his lip, and then admitted, "Dr. Mahogany does appear to be the obvious choice so far, but I'm not sure I have the full story yet."

"It's so good to know you're being thorough with your investigation," praised a smiling Pietro, "Irving was quite the thorough and focused student too-" He then cut his rambling short (after seeing Hansel's face and fists tense up for a moment), gasping, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry! I-"

Hansel raised his hands in reassurance, replying, "It's fine, Doctor; I know you didn't mean any harm. But there's a time and place for sharing old stories about my father, and now's not the time. Shall we get back on topic now?"

"You're right, of course," acknowledged the inventor, "Was there anything else of urgency you wished to ask me about?"

Hansel slumped for a moment, and then confessed, "To be honest, doctor, unless I take the easy way out of pointing the finger at Mahogany, I'm otherwise back at square one. Between you, your four colleagues, and Ironwood, I don't know who else to suspect. You guys were the only ones with authorizations to enter and exit the vault, correct?"

"Yes, but here, have some more tea, and sit a while and relax," encouraged Pietro, "Perhaps a moment of brief silence and liquid courage will provide some clarity."

As impatient and restless Hansel was feeling, he did admit that the doctor had a point. Remembering his Glynda-taught manners, he asked, "I'd like more milk and sugar with my tea, please."

"Here you go," gestured Pietro, who then opened his mini-fridge to hand over the requested milk and sugar.

After thanking the inventor, Hansel quietly mixed and sipped his drink to ponder his next move. "Have you considered interviewing the Atlesian technicians who were responsible for overseeing the vault and the security cameras?," suggested Pietro.

"No, because they didn't have permission to physically enter and exit the vault," replied Hansel.

"Perhaps not," acknowledged Pietro, "but considering the crazy stunts our culprit's been pulling off, our inside man or woman may have needed even more additional help from the inside."

Noticing Pietro's discomfort, Hansel asked, "You don't look surprised, but you don't seem too happy to be accusing your coworkers, either."

Crossing his arms together, Pietro shuddered a bit. "How could I not be unhappy? Sure, they're often quirky, proud, or abrasive, but I've worked with plenty of these bright men and women for years, making miracles together and even managing to learn about their hopes, dreams, and fears! To think that one or more of them could be a traitor breaks my heart and peace of mind..."

"Fair enough," replied the young professor, "But if you have reason to believe these technicians are worth interviewing, then so do I. What're their names and positions?"

"Well, I can't really give you the names. Usually the technicians interact with Dr. White." Pietro admitted before continuing. "But I can tell you the company that loaned them. They are technicians contracted to us by the Schnee Dust Company."

Upon hearing their place of employment, Hansel blinked for a moment. "I'm sorry, did you say SDC? You mean to tell me that, distrusting and paranoid Ironwood opened the doors of his most confidential government projects to an outside corporate interest?"

"You know, there are those who would point out that you're an outsider assistant too," observed Pietro, "Not that I personally have any issues with it, of course. We need all the fresh perspectives we can get."

"That's different," insisted the professor, "I already know that the long-lasting friendship between Ironwood and Professor Ozpin is a huge reason for me being here. But I'm completely in the dark about the story of Ironwood's relationship with the SDC."

"Funny you should mention friendship," replied the inventor, "James and the SDC's CEO, Jacques Schnee happen to have lots of history with each other."

"What sort of history?" This caught Hansel's attention.

"Well, the kind of history that tells the story of a long-lasting alliance," elaborated Pietro, "have you ever known that James and Jacques were each other's key supporters behind their respective rises to power?"

"No, I didn't."

"Well obviously, Jacques had and still has enough money to fund both his own and the Atlesian government's more expensive ventures; whereas, James used his political influence to push for special treatment towards the SDC, such as guaranteed contracts and tax breaks."

"The average Atlesian's taxpayer dollars weren't enough on their own?" inquired Hansel.

Shaking his head in sadness, Pietro continued, "You do have to consider that the average Mantle citizen is far too poor to pay much in the way of taxes, which means the Atlesian government has to make up the difference elsewhere."

"Namely, through currying favor with Atlas' richest elites, correct?" Hansel frowned. "My family probably did the same back when we were actually a respected name."

"Yes, which leads us back to our original topic, the favor that's most relevant to our current case: the lending and borrowing of staff between the corporate and military workplaces. With plenty of Atlesian military personnel injured or dead from the Vytal Festival invasion, James has had to recently request more contractors from Jacques to compensate."

Should've known that Corporate Dickbag might have his fingerprints all over this sort of incident, thought Hansel.

He then exited his train of thought to reply, "Okay, you've made your point, I'll interview these contractors tomorrow and find out how involved they are. And I'll also be contacting the patients you recently treated, just to fully verify your alibi. You have an appointment book I can look at?"

As if he already anticipated this sort of question, Pietro immediately pulled out a thick black binder, much to Hansel's surprise. "Here you go."

"Not that I'm judging, but I'm surprised that you still choose to use pen and paper in this modern day era," observed Hansel, "Beyond day-to-day form signatures, how many of us still actually write these days?"

Pietro chuckled in response. "Well, an old-timer such as myself needs to have a couple keepsakes around, doesn't he? This particular binder happens to be a gift from a friend of mine who knows my soul is as old as my body."

Taking the binder from Pietro, Hansel then nodded and replied, "Indeed, once again, I can clearly see that the distant past does hold a lot of meaning to you; though on the topic of my father, we'll have to agree to disagree on how much praise he deserves."

Opening the binder, Hansel started reviewing the most recent patient names, muttering them out loud. Maria Calavera...Uther Bross…

Pietro spoke up at the sound of Uther Bross' name. "Uther would be the most responsive one, actually. Man spends most of his time at a soup kitchen in Mantle. I'm not sure if Maria Calavera even has a scroll…"

And then eventually, another notebook-listed name caught Hansel's attention, making him briefly freeze in shock.

"Blanche Amaranthe was one of your patients?" inquired Hansel.

"Yes, but what does Blanche have to do with this case?" replied Pietro, "From what I can see, she's not part of the alibi-verifying group..."

"No, she isn't," admitted Hansel, "but I have a different reason for asking. I found a couple clues suggesting that an impersonator killed and replaced Blanche to gain access to Brunswick's apartment, thus also gaining an opportunity to kill and replace Brunswick as well."

Processing the weight of what he just heard, Pietro then slumped on his wheelchair and palmed his forehead in both despair and disbelief. "Oh goodness, poor Blanche!"

Hansel bit his lip before replying, "I know it's hard to hear, Dr. Polendina, but I still need your help on this. Learning about her condition and other aspects of her personal life might help me catch any mistakes the killer might have made while impersonating her."

Several moments of silence passed before Pietro sighed and finally gave his reply. "I'm not sure how much it will help, but I can at least tell you that Blanche was recently diagnosed with chlamydia, a sexually transmitted infection."

Hansel narrowed his eyes in response. "I'm very sorry to hear that, but considering the nature of her job, I'm not entirely surprised."

"As for Blanche's treatment, I gave her a doxycycline prescription," continued Pietro, "instructing her to take it two capsules a day for a week. As for the other finer details of her personal life, you'll have to ask her next-of-kin and friends."

Hansel turned a bit red. "Please don't tell me I have to step into any red light districts." He groaned. If Glynda found out about something like that…

"No, no nothing like that." Pietro promised. "Blanche hated talking about her work when she came in for her appointments. She loved talking about her friends though. Namely the girls who make up Robyn Hill's Happy Huntresses."

"Robyn Hill?" That name definitely rang a bell.

"I don't know Blanche's relationship with Robyn Hill though." Pietro acknowledged. "Though if they were friends, I can't imagine their friendship being open. If Robyn really is planning to make a run at a council seat, a friendship with a prostitute would be...problematic. If you want to ask them questions though, head to the slums. That's where they're usually found. Just go left after leaving here and you'll reach the slums eventually."

"Noted," affirmed Hansel, "So I guess our business here is now wrapped up for the time being?"

"Actually, if it doesn't bother you too much," continued Pietro, "I have an unrelated small request to make of you. I'd appreciate it if you could deliver a message to Team RWBY. You're teaching them, correct?"

The sudden change of topic caught Hansel off guard. "A message to Team RWBY? Wait, so you've met Team RWBY before?"

"Not me personally," clarified Pietro, "but they became great friends with my little girl, Penny. We both happen to be fans of Team RWBY's work, especially with regards to their accomplishments in the Vytal Festival tournament!"

Remembering Winter's warning on not bringing up the subject of Penny, Hansel remained silent, unsure of what to say next.

Thankfully, Pietro was a quick study and equally quick to reassure Hansel, telling him, "Relax, my boy, it's perfectly fine to talk about Penny; though I was sad to see her torn to shreds at the Vytal Festival, it pleases me to report that Penny's already on the mend, so to speak. It'll be awhile before she's fully operational, but Penny will be good as new before you know it."

"Well um, congratulations, Dr. Polendina," replied a surprised Hansel, "I'm sure Team RWBY will be pleased to hear about this update too. Anyways, what exactly is this message of yours?"

"Well, I took some time to study up on their weapons, and I've got some plans for upgrades in mind. It'll be some time since these are personal projects I'm taking on my own time, but I can imagine the girls will love these new upgrades when I'm done."

"That's...very generous of you, Doctor, thanks." Hansel told him.

Wait, what the hell kind of doctor is this guy even? He provides medicine, he works on robotics and on weapons upgrades…

"Oh, one more thing, you wouldn't happen to have the security footage the night that project was stolen, would you?" Pietro cut Hansel from his musings.

"I do," Hansel nodded, "but it's not much. Whoever perpetrated the incident scrambled the footage."

"Well, luckily for you, I happen to have some skill in unscrambling." Pietro smiled. "I wasn't able to get access to the security footage myself due to red tape, types of security clearances and all that, but if you sent it to me, it'd be no trouble. Could I see your scroll?"

Hansel handed his scroll to Pietro, who quickly typed something in. "You have my contact information now," Pietro told him, "you can send me the footage. It'll take some time, but I should be able to get you the unaltered footage."

"Thanks," Hansel nodded.

This guy...I really don't want to suspect him, but he could be throwing me off his trail by helping...I'll take what he gives me with a grain of salt, but gratitude is still necessary.

"Best of luck, son." Pietro told him with a kind smile.

"Thank you, sir. If you'll excuse me."

Hansel left Pietro's clinic, leaving the elderly cripple to think about their meeting. In particular, the parts about Hansel's father, Irving Kobalt. "Maybe he's right," Pietro said with a sigh, "maybe I have been remembering Irving through 'rose-tinted glasses.'"

"Everyone's got multiple sides to themselves. No one's perfectly good, and no one's perfectly evil. Humans and Faunus...they're as gray as can be." Pietro noted. "I guess I only ever saw Irving at his best, and Hansel only saw him at his worst."

Pietro then gave a sad smile. "I guess that means…we both never really knew Irving, huh Hansel?"

Following Pietro's directions, Hansel turned left after leaving the clinic and began walking towards the slums. His hand remained close to Wolf Fang. He took in the sights of the dark, filthy and depressing city that was Mantle. "Come to think of it...how will I even know when I'm at the slums?" Hansel wondered. "Most of Mantle looks pretty run down by poverty."

Tabling those thoughts for another time, Hansel kept walking. He was tempted to find someone to ask for directions, but nobody was out and about. Then again, it was past midnight, so this was to be expected.

More walking. Hansel slowly began to notice how the buildings were becoming even more derelict. "Well, what do you know," he muttered to himself, "looks like things could get worse. These must be the slums."

Hansel then sensed several presences hiding in the shadows. Immediately, he realized this could be his in with Robyn Hill if he played his cards right. So, he moved his hand away from Wolf Fang, making it seem like he was letting his guard down in this dangerous part of Mantle.

Immediately, he was surrounded by three boys who looked either his age or younger. The boy in the lead was a freckled redhead with a sinister smile. Hansel remained surprisingly impassive as makeshift weapons were trained on him.

"So, do I ask who you lot are first, or do you just outright demand my money?" Hansel asked.

"You let your guard down, Huntsman!" The boy in front of Hansel said to him. "You've entered the territory of the Irregulars! The baddest gang in Mantle!"

"...If you're the baddest gang in Mantle, how come I've never heard of you?" Hansel asked.

The redhead glared at Hansel. "Don't you talk shit to me!" He yelled. "You're talking to the Great Dodge! The leader of Irregulars! Of course, if you want to keep talking shit, Ollie and Bates will be more than happy to set you straight."

"Damn straight!" The boy named Bates added.

"Just give us your money. We'd rather not hurt you." Ollie said in a softer tone of voice.

Hansel ignored Bates and Ollie and continued to speak with Dodge. "So, the Great Dodge? Did your mom name you Great or something or is that just some grandiose title you gave yourself?"

"I told you not to talk shit to me!" Dodge yelled. "You're looking at the baddest gang in Mantle! And like an idiot, you've walked right onto my turf! Know what that means? It means you ain't leaving here without dropping your wallet and all valuables on ya!"

"Oh, is that right?" Hansel remained impassive.

"Just try and reach for your sword, Huntsman!" Dodge challenged. "Because we'll whoop your ass before you get the chance."

"Oh, you think you're fast enough to beat a trained Huntsman?" This piqued Hansel's interest. "You must be quite impressive."

"Damn straight, we're the Irregulars!" Dodge yelled. "We're hard! Hard like you wouldn't believe!"

"Oh? You're hard, huh?" Hansel then narrowed his eyes. "Mind if I test that?"

This caught Dodge off guard. "Huh?"

In a flash, blood flew from Dodge's nose as the Irregulars' leader fell onto his back, yelling pain. Ollie and Bates looked in shock when they saw that in a split second, Hansel's fist had become outstretched. They didn't even see him move.

"Fuck!" Dodge cursed. "He broke my nose!"

"Dodge!" Ollie and Charlie ran to their leader to tend to his wounds.

Hansel looked at his fist. "Huh," he said, "actually, you feel pretty soft to me."

Dodge glared at his two associates as they tried to tend to him. "Morons!" He yelled. "He attacked me, so attack him!"

"You mean we shouldn't help you with your nose?" Ollie asked innocently.

"NO!" Dodge screamed. "Beat the shit out of him for fuck's sake!"

The trio then heard the sound of cracking knuckles. "Yeah, no, we're not playing this idiotic game anymore." They all paled and turned to see Hansel glowering down at them.

"Umm...we're actually a pacifistic gang, honest." Bates offered.

"...But we actually were trying to mug him, right?" Ollie asked.

"Shut up!" Bates hissed.

"Since breaking your leader's nose seems like punishment enough for thinking you morons could mug me, how about you help me instead and I'll call it even." Hansel offered. "Unless you'd rather I take all three of you to the police."

"H-help you?" Ollie stammered in fear.

"Help you with what?" Bates asked.

All three boys gasped at Hansel's request. "Take me to Robyn Hill. You know where I can find her, right?"

A.N: The plot continues to thicken. Another murder. More possible suspects. And upcoming matches between Team RWBY and Team GLDN. Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you all next time. Stay safe and stay healthy.