Chapter 9

The Billy in Black


Waking up with a serious headache, Billy felt unable to move, as a rope held his wrist. He could only see darkness with the hint of sunlight beaming from a small window above his right side. The old wooden staircase and concrete floor told him he was in the basement.

Right now, the sting on the back of his head told him he was knocked out from behind. Billy had no weapons and no way out. The steps above said that it was a wooden floor. It oddly smelled like a farm.

He could hear the sound of panicked steps above his head.

"What the heck are we going to do?"

"We just kidnapped a person, ma!"

"Nonsense, I have the right to do whatever I want with this thief. He was in my morning bacon that is punishable by death in this house!"

"Yeah, that's not concerning at all, what if that was Grunkle Jimmo!"

"Your uncle knows the rules!"

"I mean it's happened once, but Alice, we've got to let the man go, now we're holding him against us as well."

Billy listened to the arguments above him but was more confused than worried. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a small figure slowly approaching him. Without warning, Tilly poked her head around Billy.

"Hi! My name is Tilly!" She said, with a cheerful attitude. However, this only scared the living crap out of Billy.

"AHH! WHERE DID YOU COME FROM!" Billy shouted. Tilly wasn't phased by the outburst.

"Oh, you know upstairs," Tilly said with an uncanny stare, not even blinking once. "And the darkness, so do you mind if I get your personal space and touch your face? Tell me, does semblance involve the site? I noticed you keep staring at everything in the room."

Billy paused for a moment and, even if he was tied down to his chair, scrunched immediately away from Tilly. "Please, don't touch me, small, creepy child."

The door to the basement shot open as it was kicked. The many steps that came down the hall were the Shanes. Bill grabbed Tilly's shoulder and guided her behind him.

Jimmo and Alice both had angry fronts, wondering why the heck this man was here. Billy let out a long sigh.

"Ah, I see the deranged hillbilly family is all here that is great," Billy said flatly.

"Their farmers, not Hillbilly," Whitley said as he passed Jimmo. Billy could see Whitley was wearing a new outfit. Simple blue jeans and a white hoodie. On his shoulder was Burpy, who had a stern expression.

"Sorry about knocking you out with a frying pan, my great aunt over there doesn't like it when people eat bacon."

"Is this a Shane's thing or a crazy person thing?" Billy asked sarcastically. Only for that cocky attitude to be swallowed right back down as a tip of a sword was pointed right at his neck. Alice could recognize a troublemaker when she saw one.

"My morning bacon isn't meant to be touched by anyone but me, so get talking about who you are and how the heck you know about Slugterra," Alice shouted.

"Okay, good, Whitley told you guys who, I guess, that kind of saves on some time," Billy said nervously, but immediately gained his cool, looking at Whitley. "The news hasn't stopped talking about you, he's got all of Remnant in a stir. What happened to keeping a low profile?"

"Well, let's just say I've been having a string of bad luck," Whitley said.

"Can't blame you, some people are already watching your house, but you didn't even know it. I was gonna try and warn you, but it was too late. You already ran," Billy said, remembering the certain crow that watched over Whitley's mansion.

"Enough talk, who do you work for?" Alice shouted. Billy wasn't fazed by Alice and mockingly looked at her.

"What are you doing, grandma?"

Alice narrowed her eyes and walked to the other side of the room.

"Aw, sorry old lady, did I hurt your feelings?" Billy was cut off by the sound of the machine turning on. Billy paused, recognizing the noise.

"Did I just hear a chainsaw?"

Whitley scoffed at the question. "Come on, we're not that crazy!"

Burpy turned around and quickly poked his head toward Whitley, who spun around, seeing that Alice was holding a chainsaw.

"How is this for an old lady!" She yelled. Immediately, Jimmo and Bill held her back. The last thing they wanted was a massacre in the basement.

Billy gulped as the chainsaw almost grazed his face. He had worked with an immortal witch who controlled the grim, but this was a close second to the most terrifying thing he'd ever seen in his life.

"Okay, can we not kill me, please?" Billy said, making Whitley sigh in relief. They quickly saw Alice was being subdued, and Tilly took the chainsaw away, which was a bit surprising for Whitley, but that didn't distract from the current situation regarding their little guest.

"How about I just explain what's going on before you guys go Vale weed whacker massacre on him, please," Whitley said to the Shanes, who all mostly took a step back.

"Fine, but if he calls me an old lady again, I'm getting the waterboarding equipment," Alice said.

"Got it," Billy said. Whitley cleared his throat.

"This Billy, B. He showed up at my mansion a couple of days ago because he wanted to know about Slugterra, he said his dad was from there," Whitley said. Many of the Shanes had suspicious looks on their faces. However, Alice narrowed her eyes and glared at the boy tied up in the chair, having a suspicious look.

"What's the B stand for?"

"Uh. I'm sorry, what did you just ask?" Billy asked with an awkward laugh

"The B, what does it stand for?" Alice asked again, narrowing her eyes. Billy let out a chuckle, trying to laugh it off, but Whitley found it strange. Burpy found it strange seeing a resemblance in Billy, but to whom was the question?

"Billy, what's the B stand for?" Whitley asked.

"Come on, it's just a name, I mean, why does it matter?" Billy asked, his tone getting heated. Whitley found that to be strange.

"Why, the sudden aggression about your last name?" Whitley asked if he had learned anything from his father's business. Never deal with a man who wouldn't explain the little details. Burpy couldn't help but study Billy's finding his appearance to be familiar, yet the feeling that the slug got made him uncomfortable. The sharp chin and eye color were scarily similar to someone.

"He kinda looks like someone I know," Burpy said.

"Like who?" Whitley asked. Tilly smiled and stood in front of the adults and the tied-up Billy.

"It appears that you all require my assistance," Tilly said. Whitley sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Tilly, no offense, but how would you figure it out?" Whitley asked.

"Easy with the simple power of deduction!" Tilly cheers. She begins to stroke her chin. "Let's see what his name starts with. B! But we know that if you live up here, that means your name is a color. Hmm, maybe it's Billy Blue!"

Whitley was going to ask Tilly to stop, but he noticed how uncomfortable Billy got just hearing it. Whitley glanced at Burpy, who was still studying Billy.

"What if it's bronze!" Bill said.

"Baloney!" Cricket shouted.

"Cricket, we have been over this ten times! Baloney is meat!" Bill said back, which only made Cricket pout. This still didn't stop the brainstorming session of the Shanes.

"Brown?" Jimmo asked out loud.

"Burgundy!" Alice shouted.

"Oh, baby pink!" Tilly said, remembering that color existed. Whitley sighed but shrugged his shoulders. He might as well not be the only one joining the party.

"Burnt Sienna," Whitley chimed in.

"Berry red!" Cricket shouted.

"Banana Yellow!" Jimmo said it only with a laid-back tone of voice.

"Baby blue!" Tilly shouted again, only this time pouting her face to make herself look adorable.

"Buff!" Alice said while flexing her old arms.

"Buttercream!" Bill said with a fake fancy accent. Whitley glanced at him, making Bill blush in embarrassment, thinking he had overstepped by making fun of Whitley's high status. However, the young man only smiled and pretended to fake cowboy spit.

"Baked potato!" Whitley jokes. Billy, who could only watch as the madness unfolded in front of him, was speechless and didn't know what to say. To him, this family was crazy, he wished it could've just stopped.

"Ahhn! Will you guys just STOP? My sanity has a limit!" He shouted only for Burpy to gasp. The tone, the eye color, and that distinct jawline.

"BLAKK!" Burpy shouted in terror. Whitley heard the shout and was startled by the cry.

"Burpy, I think, you mean black, not Blakk, right guys?" Whitley noticed the room became very quiet at the mention of the name. All of their eyes glared at Billy with fear and uncertainty. Alice, on the other hand, was trying to rev up her chainsaw again. Whitley looked at Billy, who was petrified with fear. Whitley was quick to put two and two together.

"Is that your name, Blakk. Well, I mean it's strange, but it's nothing to get worked over!" Whitley was immediately rushed to the other side of the room as Bill and Jimmo took and guarded Whitley.

"What's going on?" Whitley asked.

"What's happening right now is that you just captured the son of the most notorious criminal in Slugterra, Whitley. His dad is the reason Will Shane is dead!" Burpy said. Whitley gaped at that information.

"Blakk killed my dad," Whitley repeated. He didn't know some of it.

It just didn't make any sense. He wasn't mad at Billy, but hearing that name again, Blakk. How evil was this man to make the whole family think that even being related to him made you the devil?

"That's not true! My dad would never!" Billy shouted. Which made the young man shut himself up. Knowing he just showed his hand. He quickly recomposed himself and looked at Whitley.

"Whitley, I just wanna find my dad, it's important to me. Please let me get to Slugterra," Billy begged. Whitley felt bad for Billy, he could hear that same desperation that he once had. Alice scoffed and grabbed the chainsaw.

"Why should we believe you, you're daddy is the scum of the earth. For all we know, you could just be helping him with a giant evil plan!" Alice shouted.

"What did my dad do to you guys?" Billy shouted. There was a momentary pause from the Shane family. Jimmo stepped forward and gave Billy a stern look.

"Son, what you father did… What he did to this family… to Slugterra… and so many innocent people was awful," Jimmo said. Tilly and Cricket looked sadly at the ground.

"He burned down our farm, back when we lived in Slugterra," Tilly spoke out sadly. Cricket growled in anger and crossed his arms.

"He almost hurt my mom and dad!" Cricket shouted. Bill quickly held him back from getting closer to Billy. Alice and Jimmo both had a penalty of scars from Blakk when they used to guard Slugterra.

"He's cheated, stolen, extorted, and murdered his way to an empire that only hurts people. Now you're telling us, he's your dear old dad. What's worse is that he knew about the surface, he knew about Remmnet, how? Son, your father wasn't a good man," Jimmo said.

"I say we ditch him, in a jail cell if he does have some of his dad's blood run through his veins. I'm pretty sure you have a criminal record," Alice said with a sassy tone.

"You turn me in, then we're all dead because my current boss doesn't do loose ends!" Billy threatened. Which only made Alice's point more valid.

"Ah, told all of you, criminal background," Alice said smugly.

"Mom, you're not helping!" Bill shouted. Whitley raised an eyebrow, stepping forward.

"Wait, who do you work for, and when did you come to my house? You kinda almost seemed like you were trying to warn me about not getting caught?" Whitley asked. Billy gave a dark chuckle, looking at the floor.

"I've done a lot of unsavory things in my life. I did it all to get to Slugterra. I have to see my dad and ask him one question. I thought the one person who knew could get me there, but I was wrong; she didn't know squat… You wanna know who I work for? She is evil and the master of the Grimm, she is-"

"Salem, the girl in the tower and blah, blah, blah, aka the worst divorce in history," Alice said, cutting off Billy from his dramatic reveal. Whitley was surprised to hear that information.

"You mean that part of the book of Shane is true about a witch who controls the Grimm?" Whitley asked in astonishment. Jimmo and Alice glanced at Whitley with surprise because that section of the book was pretty deep. How much did Whitley read for having it for such a short time?

"You have been reading that book a lot, haven't you?" Bill asked.

"Eh, what can I say? It's a really good book," Whitley admitted.

"Hold on a minute! You guys know and aren't afraid!" Billy asked who was in complete shock. Whitley, who raised him shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm a little afraid, but honestly, I have so much on my plate right now that I don't care," Whitley said. Burpy nodded and didn't see the point of fearing Salem. She wasn't even close to knowing about Slugterra, and yet, living for so long, she had no clue what was under her feet.

"This is… okay, wow, first for me," Billy said. Whitley let out a sigh and stepped forward.

"Look, everybody, I know we're on edge, but I think you should hear me out. We should trust Billy," Whitley said, taking everybody in shock. Tilly almost fainted but was caught by Cricket.

"Traitor!" He yelled, pointing at Whitley. Jimmo, on the other hand, looked on with interest.

"Have you lost it, boy? Do you know who his father is?" Alice shouted.

"Sort of, what I heard from you guys, of course, but Billy shouldn't get the same treatment. He's not the man who did those horrible things to us. Don't you think we're all being a little rash here?" Whitley said, making the few in the room question themselves. Alice narrowed her eyes and raised her hand. Burpy glanced at Whitley and back at Billy.

"Bolder dash-"

"Alice, let him go," Jimmo said, who cut off his sister. Alice turned to her brother in shock.

"Say what now?" Alice paused. Jimmo walked over to the chair and slowly untied the ropes. Billy found his hands to be free as he rubbed his wirst. Jimmo glanced at Whitley and gave him the rope.

"This is your choice, make sure you see it through," Jimmo said, walking back upstairs. Alice pouted but waved off at Billy.

"Ah, whatever. You just stay away from bacon, or else I'll take your arm next time," Alice said, dragging her chainsaw on the ground and walking up the steps. Bill and the kids followed behind, but Tilly stopped and looked at Whitley with a smile.

"You're starting to sound like Uncle Will every day, and that's a good thing," Tilly said before leaving the room. Whitley paused at what he heard but quickly regained himself and looked at Billy. Burpy glanced at Billy one more time but couldn't find that malicious anger. Maybe Burpy was too quick to judge, he would be watching Whitley back.

"Sorry about that, my great aunt knocked you out with a frying pan," Whitley said.

"To be fair, I did break into you're guys' house," Billy quickly felt naked because he couldn't find his weapons.

"They're upstairs, along with Great Aunt Alice, who is still mad," Whitley said. Then began to lead the way.

"Man, I wouldn't want to be on her bad side, that lady is crazy!" Burpy said. Billy watched the Slug speak but only heard gibberish. Still, he did find the sudden information that Whitley was completely strange.

"So you're not gonna try and kill me because of what my dad did to your dad?" Billy asked hesitantly. Whitley, being at the top step, spun around and looked down at Billy.

"Look, I didn't know my biological father at all. I'm not glad to hear any of this news, but I shouldn't hate you, all this family drama is new to me, but I can tell when somebody wants help so maybe I should help you," Whitley said. " besides sounds like you had a better relationship with your dad too, even though he kind of sounds like a cruel guy."

"Well, just say he's very secretive about his life, and he never did anything to me and my mom, he loved us okay," Billy spoke up.

Whitley nodded, leaving Billy completely speechless. The two eventually got out of the basement and made it into the dining room, where Billy's cowboy guns were lying on the table.

"Oh, thank goodness these are alright," Billy said, taking the weapons in his hand, rolling the barrels with his thumbs, making sure they were in good condition, and then putting them around his finger and putting them away in his holster.

"Ladies, I'm glad you're back," Billy said in utter joy.

"You name your guns? I thought only huntsmen do that," Whitley chimed in.

Billy turned around to see Whitley leaning on the kitchen doorway.

"Yeah, but I just call my guns ladies, any further name would make it weird," Billy said in a cool tone.

"That just raises more questions," Whitley said in a joking manner.

"Thanks… so when are you off to Slugterra?" Billy asked. Whitley rolled his eyes.

"Come on, man, you know why I'm here," Billy said.

"I know why you're here, but you have to answer one of my questions before I answer one of yours, so take a seat," Whitley said, walking to the head of the dining room table and sitting down.

"Okay, first off, I spilled the beans first while you had me tied up, and second off, I think I've done a lot of sitting today, and I would like to stand," Billy noted.

"Just try us, punk! We ain't got all day!" Burpy yelled. Whitley smirked and nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders.

"Might be a while," Whitley said.

"A while, what does that mean?" Billy asked.

"It means he ain't going to Slugterra without any proper training. Yesterday, we literally had to unlock his aura. He's got a long way to go," Jimmo said, as he slowly approached the room. The old man crossed his arms and gave Whitley a knowing nod.

"Listen, I don't have a long time to be here, so we have to put into high gear and get out of here. The city is already on edge if you stay any longer. They're bound to find out about you people, I'm even on a time limit for myself. I just say I didn't come here alone, and my partner is very good at keeping time," Billy explained and got his arm on the table. Jimmo scratched his chin and smiled.

"That is quite the conundrum I'm hearing. Maybe we can help each other out," Jimmo suggested.

"What do you want to do?" Billy asked without hesitation that he would get to Slugterra, no matter the obstacle.

"We ain't spring chickens, I could still hold my own in any fight, but maybe you could help my dear old grand nephew here with some training tips, and in return, you get to go with Whitley to Slugterra."

Whitley nodded, liking the sound of that deal, but Burpy, on the other hand, was still incredibly suspicious of this man.

"Done deal, what time does training start tomorrow?"

Whitley gasped at how fast that turned, yet there had to be another reason.

"Here and tomorrow, just don't let anyone on this little secret, got it?" Jimmo asked with a stern look. Billy scoffed like he was offended by the remark. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

Jimmo sighed and stepped out of Billy's path. Whitley followed, wanting to get him out of the house, just trying to be polite.

"So before you go, I have a question about Salem," Whitley glanced at Billy. "What she is like, the chapter that mentioned her said she was a monster, is that true?"

Billy let out a sigh and rubbed his head. Trying to give a satisfying answer. "She lacks any empathy whatsoever and just wants everybody to die… but there is a sadness to her, she likes to think she keeps it well hidden, but she doesn't. Especially from these eyes, with my semblance, I can see right through her. Salem is sad and old, but still. That's all I can say."

"Geez sounds like you picked the worst boss to work for," Burpy chimed out. Whitley nodded and opened the front door for him.

"Thanks for stopping by, sorry we kinda took you hostage," Whitley said awkwardly.

"Eh, it's not the weirdest thing that's happened to my line of work," Billy said. Tipping his hat to both Jimmo and Whitley.

"I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow," Billy walked out of the house with and hands in his pockets. Jimmo closed the door and let out a sigh.

"Things just keep getting more interesting by the day, don't they?" Jimmo asked Whitley.

"Yeah, I agree…" Whitley said with some uncertainty. "So why did you offer Billy to help train me?"

"Yeah, Jimmo, this is Blakk kid, for all we know, he could've been lying about all that stuff, trying to pull on our heartstrings," Burpy chimed. Jimmo glanced at the two and sighed.

"Whitley, I think you made the right choice today. Don't ever forget that kindness and mercy are not weaknesses. You just have to know when to exercise it. If that boy is Blakk's kid, that means he probably doesn't have anybody if he's walking a life of crime, and we could've done something to stop it to help him become a better person; that's what we do. We help everybody," Jimmo said, making Whitley pause at the advice.

"While you're right, it is good to keep your friends close and your enemies closer," Whitley said. Jimmo nodded and headed for the kitchen.

"For my and your sake, let's hope you're wrong,"

Whitley stood there in the living room and sat down on the couch. He glanced at Burpy to his side, seeing that the slug was thinking.

"Burpy, you said Blakk is a bad guy, but if he took out Will Shane. What chance do I have? I only unlocked my aura yesterday. I still have no idea what my semblance is, and I'm nowhere near the fighter like my sisters are," Whitley asked. It all seems vast and intimidating. How is he gonna be able to save another world? Burpy then had a serious look in his eyes.

"You have and I have you. That's what matters,"

Whitley still had a look of uncertainty, looking out the window, thinking about how much training he would need to be ready for Slugterra.

"I hope that's enough then."


Billy walked down the street, rolled his neck and began to tap through his scroll. Seeing a lot of unread messages and missed calls. Clicking on one to contact Watts, he waited as it rang.

They immediately picked up the phone, Watts sounded a bit irritated on the other end.

"Where in the blazes are you?" Watts asked. Billy gained his cool and smirked.

"Tried to find that kid, but I found a dead end. I was hot on his trail, too. I think he's on the south side of Mantle," Billy lied, wanting to mislead Watts away from the Shanes. If all went to plan, the last thing he needed was Salem on his trail. If these things went to plan, then he would go with a trace.

"Get back here, she wants to have a word with us… Now," Watts said with a stern tone. Billy's eyes widened a bit in shock. Salem must have had some news. Whatever it was, he had hoped it wouldn't take him away from Atlas. Not when he was so close. He hung up the phone and headed back to where the safe house was.

"Don't worry, Dad, I know those stories about you aren't true, I hope."

Unaware of Billy, someone's head poked around the corner. Alice Shane still had a couple more words for the young.


After that morning, the disappearances of Whitley Schnee broke out like wildfire. Every news outlet and camera on Remnant was covering the story. A boy had left everything behind, and some thought it was a case of kidnapping, but that was far from the truth. The only one who knew was Willow, who sat in the dining room with a glass of wine in her hand.

On the table was her scroll; she had tried to call the middle child Weiss so many times, but there was no answer. She had a stony look on her face. Looking at a picture of her father on the wall.

Nicholas Schnee, her father. Looking at the painting with utter distance.

"I should never let you control my life, now you can't see what he'll become," Willow said, taking a sip from her glass. She was going to storm the Shane house down in Mantle, but she had to wait. Atlas forces were everywhere in the house, she needed to play the idiot for a while until they were gone. Looking out the window, I saw Atlas soldiers standing at the front gate.

The door to the large dining room opened, and walking into the room were General Ironwood and her eldest daughter Winter, both of them having stern fronts. They both took a seat next to her. Following behind them was Clover, who closed the door behind them. Willow was about to take another swig, but Winter put an arm over hers, stopping the action.

"We need you to be sober while we talk, mother," Winter said. Willow wasn't angry or sad. However, she glanced at Winter with a blank face.

"I thought you'd never want to be back in this house again," Willow said.

"I guess there is something surprising today, we came here to ask you any questions about Whitley," Winter said, keeping her cool. Willow raised an eyebrow at the two of them.

"What did he do that caused the attention of the Atlas Kingdom?" She asked.

"I think we both know that Whitley has been hiding something from us. Has he been acting strange for any reason or acting out of the norm?" Ironwood asked. Willow looked down at the table, remembering when it all happened. How this started, that slug had been the catalyst for it all. Yet, the blame was still on her.

"You're asking the wrong person about this, Whitley is-,"

"He's in Mantle," A voice called out from behind. Cutting of Willow. Ironwood and Winter both recognized that voice, much to their annoyance. Walking from the other door behind Willow was Qrow. Who had a bottle of vodka in his right hand and an empty glass of ice in the other. He had seen better days, but he looked like he had a rough night. Willow found a sense of dread knowing that the Shanes had been compromised. If the truth of Slugterra had gotten out, it could have started another war between all four kingdoms.

"Qrow, what are you doing here?" Winter shouted as she stood from the table.

"Winter," Ironwood said to his lieutenant. She halted herself and sat back down, looking more embarrassed, but still kept a glare on Qrow. Clover took a step forward, glancing at the newcomer.

"Who do we have here?" Clover asked. Ironwood stood up and cleared his throat, wanting to get the introduction out of the way.

"This is Qrow, A huntsman from Vale, who has been asked to come here to help with the investigation," Ironwood said. Qrow glanced at everybody and sat at the dinner room table, putting his feet on the table, as his dirty shoes stained the white tablecloth.

"Nice to meet you all, but I know where the kid is," Qrow said as he poured himself a drink. Willow narrowed her eyes on the man.

"That is from my personal cabinet," She said with narrowed eyes. Qrow smirked and cheered himself.

"And it's quite good, so thank you," Qrow said, taking a sip. Ironwood never liked Qrow's unorthodox methods, but they found something suspicious.

"Thank you, Qrow, now please tell us where he was last seen-"

"Jimmy, before I tell you anything, I need to ask the ice empress about something I found to be disturbing," Qrow said. Winter growled at Qrow for using the general first name with disrespect. Ironwood stood calm and glanced at Willow, maybe for some more information. Could shine on the lights in the fireball situation. Not to mention, why was he in Mantle in the first place? He didn't know how Whitley did it, but he escaped from Atlas.

"Hmph, Ask way then? But next time you will refer to me as General Understand," Ironwood order, but it didn't phase Qrow whatsoever. He just forced his attention on Willow, who had a blank face.

"So Willow Schnee, must be nice to live here, right?" He asked.

"It's not as wonderful as it looks," Willow admitted. She wanted to take another sip of her drink, but Winter wouldn't allow it. What was the point of the question? Willow rolled her eyes at the man. Qrow's lazy front went away, and he had a serious face.

"Have you ever laid a hand on Whitley?" The room became tense as Winter glanced at Qrow with shock. Ironwood wasn't surprised, but Winter was shocked to hear that question. Willow took a deep breath and answered.

"No, I have not," She answered.

"That's not true, is it?" Qrow accused her. Winter let out a sad sigh.

"Qrow, my mother has never laid a hand on me or my sister on Weiss. She wasn't there when we grew up. The only one in this family who has hurt us has been Jacques. That man has been responsible for so many blunders in this family. So don't go pointing the wrong fingers at the absent alcoholic mother," Winter said coldly. Willow felt hurt, but it was true. Clover took a long glance at Winter and remembered that first meeting with Whitley. It was so easy to tell, but a Huntsman handles Grimm, not family affairs, and while none of them could take any action against the abuse, they all hated it.

"No wonder he doesn't want to come back to this family," Qrow said with a stern glare.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Winter asked with narrowed eyes. Qrow knew that, despite the terrible parents, it would be up to siblings to take care of the younger ones. It's clear that Winter had no interest in the family; she left that poor kid alone with them. That didn't mean Qrow would bring it up; he had bigger things to tackle.

"What I mean is that when I saw the poor kid, his right cheek was bandaged, and I know that Daddy is out of town, so who hit Whitley?" Qrow asked the question that made sense.

"What does all of this have to do with Whitley?" Ironwood asked.

"Because out of everyone who was allowed to leave this mansion, Whitley was the one who couldn't leave," Clover said, making Qrow's point valid.

"Exactly, finally someone in Atlas with some common sense," Qrow said, giving a nod to Clover. "Why did little Slush over here snap at Whitley when she didn't even snap at you or your younger sister when you left? By the way, I can see the tan mark on your right finger. You took off the ring before the meeting, and feel bad for hitting your son."

"I don't know, Mother…did… Did you hit Whitley?" She asked in disbelief.

Willow smirked at her. "Like you are any better, I saw what you did to your brother, slapping him and locking him in the closet to get any information about the fireball."

Winter glared at her mother but didn't say anything back.

"So, who is his real father?" Qrow asked. Willow was utterly shocked as that mask broke. Clover and Winter gasped at that question. Winter was about to stand up and give a piece of her mind to Qrow for asking such a question, only for the general to give a look that said 'Don't move'.

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The silence was broken by the suspect.

"How did you figure it out?" She asked with a small hint of pain. Ironwood's eyes widened, remembering the report that Qrow had given. All of it was leading back to the Shanes somehow. They were always in the middle of this.

"The Shanes… He's with the Shanes," Ironwood said, realizing the truth. He thought they were just some sort of escort, but it was more than that.

"We saw them that night," Clover muttered under his breath. Ironwood spun around to see Clover.

"What?" He asked in disbelief. Clover stood by his friend with a look of betrayal on his face.

"We saw them on the road last night, they drove a red truck and were driving out of control, they were heading the wrong way until they went to the… Park," Clover said. Ironwood stood up and walked out of the room. Clover followed behind, but Winter was shocked to her core, sitting with a gaping mouth.

Qrow didn't move from the table, waiting for the answer.

"How did you figure it out?" Willow asked again. Qrow pulled out his scroll and showed pictures of birth records.

"You know, I almost couldn't figure it out; you did everything right. Made sure the timeline was right and accurate. The hospital agreed to the bribe, but you couldn't fake two things. That was the old blood type. Everybody in this family has a positive A blood type, but Whitley has negative O blood. Now I know that could just be genetics, but you, Schnee's, just love to go on about your powerful lineage that doesn't change. Also, his eye color is different, no one would say anything just a glance, but his blue eyes are darker than yours, right?"

Willow was silent, but Winter had had enough. "You have been a thorn in my side for.

"Will… Will Shane is Whitley's father, the only man whom I ever loved."

That sentence had shut Winter up, confirming this ever-growing suspicion that was brought up by Qrow of all people.

Qrow himself is pretty much shocked, too. He heard the name, Will or Shane. He's pretty much top of the class at Atlas Academy, even having the pleasure of working on a job with him and witnessing how he butchered Grimm. The man was a legend, but he was gone the next day without a trace.

"No freaking way," Qrow said with a gasp. Winter slowly stood and began to walk out of the room. Not knowing what to say. This lie had been kept from the entire family, and what was she going to do?

"Winter," Willow called out to her eldest daughter. "When you find your brother, bring him home."

"What home?" Winter said, walking out of the room. Willow was speechless. She felt defeated, that there was nothing she could do, but she glanced near the drink beside her, seeing it was being poured by Qrow.

"You're gonna need this more than I when I find them. I'm not bringing them back here. You can trust me on that."

Qrow was about to walk when Willow grabbed his arm.

"If you find him, you're gonna have a war on your hands with the Shanes, trust me on that," Willow said. Qrow pulled his hand away and walked out the door.

Willow, the only person left in the room, looked at the glass and bottle in her hand. Her son was gone, the only remnant of a past that she abandoned that she would have fought for, but didn't.

Smash!

Willow threw the bottle at the picture of Nicholas Schnee. She silently walked over and sat on the painted mural.

"I'm going to get my son back and we're leaving this shit house for good, fucking scamming knight!" Willow said, storming out the doors.


Billy stood inside the safe room, the simple apartment building on the edge of the city, where the tundra was. Saying that the room was nice, hot, and comfortable was an understatement.

Watts sat in a chair, and right by his side was his brown bag. We're in the room was completely silent. Billy was unsure what to say about how he failed the mission. Did he go out and was gone for a long time, yes.

"What's up, Doc?" He asked. "What are we waiting for?"

Watts sat in silence, but the bag opened up by itself. Something began to hover out of it as a black orb with red tenders floated right in the center of the room. It's white bone fragments on top of the black orb.

"Oh," Billy said in shock. Then he immediately knelt on the ground. This was a Seer Grimm, the personal communication device for Salem. Billy knew the routine of sucking up to this divorced witch. However, you always hated one of these seers, they certainly creeped out. It was a fact that it looked like a jellyfish floating on land, but he always had a strange fear of jellyfish. Billy had never met one, but that also meant that he didn't want to be one

"Billy, Watts. I trust you have been making some headway in the investigation?" Salem voiced in an echoing manner. Watts slowly walked around the Seer. While Billy still knelt because the one thing he knew about Salem was that she revealed people's fears. However, Billy was a darn good actor.

"Unfortunately, the only head we have is that Whitley boy on the news; he might be connected to all of this," Watts said.

"I see, Billy, do you have any thoughts?" Salem asked. Billy stood up and glanced at the Seer. Seeing the pale witch and her black eyes staring at him.

"I feel like I'm on a lead here, ma'am, but I'm not going to stop until I find it, I hate not knowing," Billy said with a determined grin. Salem smiled and nodded at the young man.

"Good, the reason why I'm contacting you is that we're making moves in Vale. I need you, Watts, to be on standby so that things can go accordingly," Salem said. Watts nodded and bowed to Salem.

"Of course, I shall be there, my lady, if little Cinder is having trouble," Watts said.

"No, she has my trust, but I need someone to be there, in case the worst happens."

Billy was speechless but realized she only asked for Watts to leave.

"Forgive me for speaking out of turn, my queen, but does this mean you wish for me to stay here and continue the investigation?"

"Yes, Billy, in the short time you have been here, I believe you are capable of handling this mission by yourself. Don't return unless you find something. While you're here, don't forget to keep infiltrating the city. Find weak points and crush this Kingdom." The Seer slowly went into the bag. Salem was gone, and Watt readjusted his tie.

"Well, unfortunately, you heard my mistress' orders, I'll be leaving today," Watts said, carrying the bag, but before he could leave the doorway, he turned around, glancing at Billy.

"I'll only say this once: if you fail, there's no coming back. You might as well vanish off the face of this planet because if she finds you, death will be the least of your concerns," Watts said with a strong front.

"Don't worry, if I fail, you will never see me again," Billy said. Watts huffed and walked out the door. Billy couldn't help but feel the stars had aligned perfectly today. The hand that had a tight leash had slipped.

"Now that they're off my back, I can help the Shanes and get out of this dumb," Billy said with a smile. Billy then noticed a piece of drywall had fallen right before him. He glanced down in surprise and reached down to pick it up. Looking up, he could see the roof above start to crack. Billy glanced up and realized that something was up there and was going to fall through soon. Billy took a step behind, closed the door, and drew one of his pistols.

The roof kept cracking, and the sound of steps echoed above until they stopped. Billy paused, waiting for the ceiling to break apart. Only to be surprised as the door behind was kicked open and Billy fell to the floor. While he was down on the floor. The tip of a sword was at his neck. Billy felt his heart plunge in fear as Alice Shane held the blade to his throat.

"Oh, come on!" Billy said. "Look, I'm not a bad guy, so please let me go, preferably in one piece."

Alice rolled her eyes and offered a hand for the young to grab.

"Come, big baby, I'm not here to kill you, I was just following you. Checking to see if you spilled the beans, however, I see that you are true to your word. Unlike your father," Alice said. Billy reluctantly took the hand as the elderly woman pulled him up.

"Geez, you need to relax," Billy said, rubbing his neck. "What did my dad do to you?"

"There is a list, but I can see that this apple was thrown a mile away from the tree, so now that you are off Salem watching eye, I can say you're being more trustworthy," Alice said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alice said broadly. "Your father is a ruthless man. He's taking many lives without hesitation and without a shred of mercy. You kind of remind me of my nephew Whitley, who just lost, aren't you?"

"Hey, whatever, just stop trying to kill me, please," Billy said, who was more annoyed than scared at the moment.

"Pfft, baby," Alice said. Simply waving off the young man's plea. "Anyway, I'll catch you later, I'm going home to make dinner. Don't be late for turning in my nephew if you miss a day, I'll find you…"

Alice then cast a dark glance at Billy. "And kill you, we'll have a nice day."

Alice finally left Billy alone in his room. Finally, he let out a sigh, knowing this was gonna be one grueling task to complete. However, he knew that it would be worth it. Despite being close to death from a grandma of all people, he just wanted to see his father again.


A week had passed, and Whitley was starting to get the hang of his Aura. He was able to learn how to quickly handle his wounds and take some major blows. Currently, he is working out in the basement doing push-ups and sit-ups.

"Come on, work those glutes!" Burpy said coaching from the sideline. Whitley was finishing his last rep.

"95…96…97…98…99 and 100!" Whitley said as he collapsed to the ground, finally resting.

"That's right, killer, you got it," Burpy said, approaching his tired friend.

"You think so, man, I am dying. Just two more weeks and we will go to Slugterra. I'm so excited I feel like I can take on the world… if you could just like give me a couple of minutes," Whitley admitted, making Burph laugh.

"Just a little time and patience, by the way, how's the training going with you know… Billy?" Burpy asked. Whitley shrugged his shoulders.

"It's been good, honestly, I can tell when that guy is holding back against me. He's obviously ten times stronger than I. Hell, I think he could even give my sisters a run for their money… but I know I gotta keep going, no matter what."

Burpy nodded and hopped on Whitley's shoulder. "Say, next time we'll fight Billy together, and I can burn his boots for you."

Whitley laughed at the joke. "Yeah, I bet you would, crazy little pyromaniac. Who burps a lot."

"Don't wear my name out," Burpy said. Unknown to the two of them, Jimmo could hear their laughter from the top of the basement steps. He smiled and nodded, seeing how Whitley was coming along.

When Jummo heard a knock at the door, He guessed it was Billy. It was time for combat training. He opened the door, but his warm smile dropped.

"Hello, it's good to see my old teacher again." Standing in front of Jimmo was General Ironwood, the ace operative, while Qrow leaned against the porch support beam of the front of the house. At the same time, Winter was right by the General's side.

"Mr. Shane, we have a lot to talk about," Qrow said.


Notes: Hey guys I'm glad I could post another chapter of Slug Terra's New Beginning. Wow, it has been a while thank you for your patience and support but I have to say that the next chapter might be a while. I was looking over the previous chapters and I'm going to have to do some serious editing for all of them but when I'm done. Everything should be back to a normal schedule, I've been kinda going through a runt lately with all my fics so please don't take this as a sign that I'm abandoning this fic. But the next updates are going to be edits so thank you for reading and I hope you all have a great day.