Breathe Chapter 67: The Fine Print

Walking down the streets of Vale, I checked my Scroll for what felt like the twentieth time this hour, confirming that I was still heading i

Walking down the streets of Vale, I checked my Scroll for what felt like the twentieth time this hour, confirming that I was still heading in the right direction. Vale was a large place and it was incredibly easy to get turned around.

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have to worry too much about where I was going because Winter somehow always knew the right path. Unfortunately I was stuck navigating these streets alone today at Roman’s request.

Well, not entirely alone.

Cawing loudly, Qrow, in his bird form gestured for me to take a shortcut down an alleyway, before taking off, landing on the rooftop of a nearby building.

Nodding my thanks, I headed down the alleyway, passing through one more street, before finally coming to a stop at my destination.

“Junior’s, huh,” I hummed softly.

Slipping inside, I found that the nightclub was all but empty. A few of Junior’s men stood around the dance floor while a pair of girls sat at the bar table, being tended to by the big man himself.

Keeping my hood up, I made my way further into the club, drawing attention from Junior’s men, who slowly walked behind me, weapons in hand.

“Club’s not open right now. Come back in a few hours,” Junior grunted, idly cleaning one of his glasses.

“I would, but I’m supposed to meet with someone here,” I answered. “Roman Torchwick.”

His men held their weapons threateningly while the Malachite sisters watched from their seats with varying levels of amusement.

“There’s no one here by that name,” Junior muttered, placing the glass down on his table. “I suggest you leave while you still have the chance... Before things get ugly.”

Sighing, I pinched the bridge of my nose. Roman hadn’t told me about any special password. As far as I knew, all I needed to do was mention his name to Junior and he’d take me to him. Was I doing something wrong?

“He asked to meet me here today,” I replied. “You could just ask him yourself. He should be here.” At least, unless he decided to back out at the last minute.

“You really don’t take no for an answer, do you buddy? Totally not attractive,” One of the Malachite sisters muttered. “We’ll take care of this guy for you, Junior. Just make sure to pour us another drink. Are you coming, Melanie?”

“Sure thing, Miltia,” The other sister said. “Let’s teach this guy a lesson he won’t forget. The rest of you can stand back... And get a mop, someone’s going to need to clean the floor after we’re done with him.”

Looking between the sisters, Junior and his men, it wouldn’t be hard to beat them. They just weren’t much of a threat, even if I didn’t use my sword.

“I suppose I could let loose a little,” I hummed.

I just needed to make sure that I didn’t go overboard or else I might end up destroying this place, which wasn’t a massive issue, but there were still other buildings around that might get damaged in the process.

Standing next to her sister, Melanie raised an eyebrow. “Cocky, huh? Don’t worry, we’ll take care of that for you.”

They really had no right being this confident when they were this weak. Even without my training, Yang would have been able to handle both of them on her own... Before she was accepted into Beacon.

Deciding to end this before it could even begin, I paused when a third member joined their numbers.

Appearing behind the Malachite sisters with her umbrella in hand, Neo tapped them on their shoulders, getting their attention.

“Oh, hey, it’s you,” Miltia commented. “You want in on this?”

Nodding, Neo gave a predatory smirk.

“Just don’t get in our way,” Melanie sighed. “I’d hate having to explain how you got–“

Lashing out with her umbrella, Neo smacked Melanie across her face, stunning her. Miltia, seeing this, moved to attack, only to find the umbrella handle wrapped around her neck, pulling her forward.

Stepping past the sisters, Neo slid her foot under Miltia’s legs, sending her face first into the floor. Looking at the duo with a faux shocked expression on her face, Neo mimed a laugh.

“Cheap shot,” Melanie muttered, getting up alongside her sister. “You won’t be doing that again.”

Glancing at one another, they nodded and took off towards Neo. Attempting to hit her with their bladed heels and gauntlets, they missed every blow as Neo casually avoided their attacks, shooting them a mocking smirk the entire time.

“Just...”

“Stand...”

“Still...”

Following their command, Neo stopped dead in her tracks and hooked her umbrella around Miltia’s neck, dragging her into Melanie’s attack.

Enjoying the frustrated scream from the sisters, she parried the next blow with her umbrella. Stepping forward, she jabbed one of the sisters in their face with the pointy end of her weapon.

Landing an assortment of blows that neither sister was able to block, she finally swept their feet, knocking them to the floor as their Aura shattered. Staring down at the still conscious duo, Neo smiled.

Unsheathing her sword, she walked towards them menacingly, appearing as if she was planning on killing them then and there, but that was only how she wanted it to appear. The truth was that she was no longer anywhere near the Malachite’s.

Lifting his Bazooka, Junior leveled it at the petite illusionist. “Not another ste–“ He froze as a blade was suddenly pressed against his throat.

Appearing on one of the bar chairs Neo blinked, her eyes changing colours. Pressing her blade a little harder against his throat, she pulled it back and tapped Junior on his cheek with the flat end before sheathing it.

The message was clear. They were only alive right now because it was convenient. Screw up again and he’d become an inconvenience.

Gulping, he stepped back and dropped his Bazooka. “Of course... It was my mistake. I’ll do what I can to make this right.”

Satisfied with his answer, Neo nodded and waved me over. Gesturing toward Junior, she pointed towards  the bar, before panning over to a door at the back of the bar, smiling smugly the entire time.

Understanding Neo’s vague gestures, Junior sighed. “Sure. It’ll be on the house... To make up for all of this.” His gaze panned over to me. “Any preferences?”

“I’m fine, thanks,” I waved him off.

Accepting a drink from someone that’d just tried to have his henchmen beat me up seemed like a bad idea.

“Suit yourself,” Junior shrugged. “You’ll find Roman on the balcony, just use the staircase through that door over there... Neo here will be able to show you the way. Word of warning, don’t get on her bad side or else, well...” He gestured towards the Malachite sisters who were only just beginning to get up, their bodies battered and bruised.

Glancing over at Neo, she returned my look with an awkward smile, appearing a little nervous even. Yeah, I think I’ll be fine on that front. She was strong, no doubt, but she had her limits.

Hopping off her barstool, Neo let out a silent huff, before heading over to the back door. Pausing for a moment, she threw a look my way, before continuing through the doorway.

...Breathe...

Stepping onto the balcony overlooking the dance floor, I had to admit that, despite the deafening music and smell of smoke, Junior’s club was pretty nice. Taking in my surroundings as I followed Neo, I caught sight of a head of orange hair tucked away in the furthest booth.

Trotting along happily, Neo slid into the seat in front of him, before patting the seat beside her, gesturing for me to sit.

Glancing around to make sure that this wasn’t just some elaborate trap, I sat down beside her. “Roman.”

“And here I thought you weren’t going to show up,” Roman said, breathing a sigh of relief. “I was even thinking about leaving. Any problems in getting him here, Neo?”

Smiling cheerfully, she glanced in the bar's direction, before shaking her head.

“Good, the last thing I need is more problems,” He muttered to himself. “Let’s get straight to the point of why I called you here. Last week, I met with someone who was interested in my skill set. I was... For lack of better words, forcefully contracted to work for her.”

“You told me that over the phone.”

Although, it’d been a bit more slurred as he’d been drinking and, at one point, tried to have Neo help fill me in... Over a regular call without video feed. Yeah, after a certain point, he just gave up and invited me here, stressing that I needed to come alone.

The fact that he was desperate enough to call at all meant one thing. Cinder had finally come to Vale. With the Vytal Festival well on its way and two Maiden’s staying at Beacon, it seemed she just couldn’t stay away.

With Roman’s help, I’d be able to take Cinder out early and, hopefully, avoid any issues during the Vytal Tournament.

“I’m willing to give you everything I have on her, but...” Roman trailed off while looking around the booth worriedly. “I’m going to need a few assurances.”

At Roman’s words, Neo began to shift nervously in her seat, her gaze glued to the table.

“Assurances?” I repeated.

Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a cigar and nodded. “I’m not trading one master for another. Once you’re done with her, I’m out. I won’t be thrown into prison or killed once I’m no longer useful. If you can’t agree to that much, then we’re done here.”

That was a fair trade. “I can’t speak for everyone else, but, assuming that you don’t step over the line, I won’t pursue you.”

“And where exactly is this line?” Roman asked.

“Killing... Helping destabilize a Kingdom, releasing Grimm into populated areas, hurting innocent people,” I answered easily enough. “So long as you stick to your whole gentleman thief thing you’ve got going, I don’t really care what you get up to.”

Nodding slowly, Roman lit his cigar. “I can live with that. Now, before we start, there’s one thing I need to know. You knew that I’d be approached by this woman... Who exactly am I dealing with here?”

“An... Ally of Hazel Rainart,” I answered after giving it a little thought. “I can’t tell you anything else. The more you know, the more you’ll be dragged into this. If I told you the full truth, there’d be no going back.”

Roman was a man that prioritized his survival over all else. There was no telling what he’d do if he learnt about Salem’s existence. At best, he’d stay neutral and leave fending her off to Ozpin. At worst, he might just decide that Salem was the winning team.

No, it was better if he didn’t know the full story.

“Hazel?! So she’s planning on doing what he did back in Mistral?” Roman asked, leaning heavily on the table. “This is bad. Shit, how the hell did I get dragged into something like this?! I’m just a thief.”

Leaning forward, Neo patted him on his shoulder comfortingly.

“I need to know what she’s up to here,” I said. “If I can find out where she is, I can put a stop to this before it even has time to get off the ground.”

If things played out as they originally would have, Cinder would try and awaken the Ancient Grimm sleeping in Mount Glenn, but she wouldn’t necessarily be there herself. Foiling her plans would only delay her.

It’d be treating the symptom instead of the underlying issue.

“It would be a shorter list if I told you what she wasn’t up to,” Roman sighed. “Cinder Fall... It hasn’t even been a week since she showed up and she’s already scared the crime families into submission. Hell, there’s a rumour going around that she’s been talking to Vale’s branch of the White Fang... Trying to get them to follow her.”

That was pretty much as I expected. Although, without a portion of the Spring Maiden’s powers to back her up, I doubt she’d be able to get Adam to listen to her.

Hearing the sound of heels hitting a wooden floor, one of the Malachite sisters appeared, sporting a black eye, bruised nose and burst lip. She placed a tray containing a bottle of alcohol and three glasses on the table, shooting a harsh glare towards Neo the entire time.

“Complements of Junior,” she all but growled. Placing the bottle and glasses on the table, she picked up the tray and stepped back. “He hopes that this is to your satisfaction.” Giving Neo one last murderous look, she turned and left.

Grabbing the bottle, Roman let out an exasperated sigh. “You know, I probably should be more mad at you for not telling me what happened, but seeing as it got us one of Junior’s premium bottles, I just don’t have it in me.” Cracking the seal, he poured himself a cup, before looking up. “Where were we again?”

...Breathe...

“Names... Locations... Activities... Routines! Holy crap kid, you really lucked out with Roman,” Qrow muttered, looking over the information Roman had transferred to my Scroll. “This is more information than I’ve gotten all year. Ozpin’s going to be pretty happy. We’ll be able to take out another one of Salem’s agents.”

“Yeah,” I murmured, barely paying attention as the Airship returning us to Beacon shuddered.

The sheer bulk of information Roman gave us would easily put an end to Cinder’s plans in Vale, bringing her operation to a screeching halt. There was, however, one small problem. He didn’t know where she was.

It seemed that Cinder rarely checked in on Roman in person. Most of the time she contacted him through her Scroll. It was only on rare occasions that she made a personal appearance and even then, it was entirely random.

There was just no telling when she’d next meet with Roman. Unless I wanted to camp out in a warehouse filled with various kinds of volatile Dust, I was going to have to come up with a new plan.

The way I saw it, there were really only two options. Reveal their identities to Remnant and tie their names to Hazel’s, severely limiting their movement while also making it that no one would want to ally with them or keep their identities a secret and let them reveal themselves.

“With a name and a face, it’s gonna be a lot easier finding these three,” Qrow commented. “Cinder Fall, Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black... I wonder if there’s any relation to Marcus. He did work as an assassin so something like this would be right up his alley. If they’re related, then I guess the apple fell straight down.”

Speaking of falling down, the Airship began its descent towards Beacon. Circling around, it touched down next to another Airship... One that had Haven Academy’s crest stamped on its side.

It wasn’t anything odd. With the Vytal Tournament coming up, tons of students were beginning to arrive from all over the place. Atlas, Mistral, there were even a few from Vacuo.

“I’m gonna check in with Ozpin... Let him know what we learned today,” Qrow said, hopping off the Airship. “You coming?”

“In a minute,” I waved him off. “I promised that I’d check in with Pyrrha and Winter first.”

“Whatever,” He shrugged. Walking off, he began muttering to himself. “Just like with Taiyang...”

Chuckling to myself, I stepped off the Airship, slowly making my way through Beacon’s halls. Taking a shortcut that’d pass right by the dining hall, I looked up as the bell rang.

Pouring out of the classrooms, dozens of students filled the halls, some of them shooting my hooded form a curious glance while others just ignored me and continued heading towards their next class.

“Um, excuse me,” A cracking male voice called out as he waved his hands above the flood of students, seemingly a lot shorter than everyone else. “Could anyone just... I need to find... Does anyone know Sun Wukong... I could use a little help.”

Waiting for the crowd to thin, I made my way over to the lost Haven student. While I probably wouldn’t be able to help him out with Sun, I could probably point him in the right direction.

“Hey there,” I said, greeting the oddly familiar student. “Need some help finding a classroom?

“If it’s not too much trouble,” The student hummed. “It’s my first day here. I would have been here a little earlier, but Miss Salonga suggested that I train a bit more. Oh, I’m–“

“Oscar,” I finished, locking eyes with the ‘new student.’

He’d changed since I last saw him. There was a scar running down the side of his face and he’d put on a bit more muscle, but his general look remained the same.

Those who master a craft arrive at the same place. Even if the times and the way to that place change, they are sure to reach it.

...Breathe...

Breaking the law was generally perceived as a bad idea... The only thing worse was getting caught breaking the law. Sure there were those like Roman Torchwick who revelled in the spotlight, but there was one thing separating him from the average criminal.

The ability to escape custody.

Punishment for breaking the law depended on three things. What severe was your crime, what Kingdom were you from and do you have any skills that could be useful to said Kingdom.

For instance, if a relatively skilled mechanic were to be caught with a minor infraction in Atlas, their skills would be put to use for the duration of their sentencing and if they were good, they could earn certain luxuries, although that wasn’t always the case. If the crime was more severe, the same person would be locked up.

In Vacuo, it was a little different. Depending on the severity of the crime, a criminal could either be put to work or straight up banished to the desert where they’d either succumb to the elements or the unrelenting hordes of Grimm.

Vale on the other hand was a nice middle ground. Much like Atlas, its prisoners were afforded the chance to work, but instead of earning luxuries, they’d be working off their sentence.

Some jobs would decrease a sentence by a few months, but those that the council deemed important could cut years off at a time.

This job in particular being one that was said to drop entire decades off a sentence... Better yet, it was available to those with an aptitude for fighting. It didn’t matter what background you came from. White Fang, mobster, bandit. All were allowed to participate on the condition that they sign a NDA first.

It was standard procedure really. While nothing that they would be doing was technically illegal, the council preferred to keep activities such as these to themselves so that it wouldn’t hurt the public’s perception.

This time, however, seemed a little different. There were others here. What looked like military, entire teams of Huntsmen and Huntresses and everything in between... All accompanied by a cache of weapons large enough to start a war.

With so much firepower under the councillors control, one had to wonder why they would need to resort to using prisoners. What use was a ragtag bunch of misfits out here in the middle of the woods when there were far better alternatives?

Unfortunately, outside of spotting the massive camp on their flight over, none of the prisoners even had a chance to greet anyone, let alone ask what was going on here. They were simply expected to do the job they were briefed on and then leave.

“Deploying the advance team now! Remember, you have thirty minutes to confirm the Grimm’s location. Take any longer than that and we’ll move on without you.”

“Yeah, yeah. We heard you the first time,” One of the selected prisoners muttered. “Let’s get this over with already, I’ve got shit to do. The sooner we’re done here, the sooner we can go home. Right... Uh, what was your name again?”

The lone Faunus of the group glared at the man, his tale swishing angrily behind him. “Don’t talk to me, human. I have no interest in conversing with your kind.”

The man scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “That’s kind of a long name... I’ll just call you Fang for short, what do you think?” He asked, smirking as he received another angry glare from the White Fang member. “Oh, you can call me Dave, everyone does. What about the rest of you?”

“Grey.”

“Oh, um... I’m Vance,” A nervous looking man replied. “Nice to... Nice to meet you.”

Before anyone could continue, the hatches on the sides of the Airship opened, dropping a line of rope that descended into a circular hole in the ground... A pit cave.

There was no turning back... Even if there was, none of them would choose to. The chance to remove entire decades from their sentences was too good to pass on, even if it was extremely dangerous.

Rappelling into the cave, the group of prisoners was expecting to come face to face with the worst Remnant had to offer. What they weren’t expecting was a lush grotto filled with all manners of plant life. Vines stretched from the ceiling, flowers bloomed on the ground, a small pool of water gently swayed back and forth.

It was almost idyllic. There was, however, one thing that detracted from the picturesque location, that being an almost hollow growling sound coming from somewhere a little deeper in the cave.

Following the noise, the group silently made their way towards a dangling mass of vines, finding a hole in the stone wall a little beneath it.

Glancing between each other, none of them wanted to go in first, but at the same time, they couldn’t voice their opinion for fear of drawing the Grimm’s attention.

Biting the bullet, the most outspoken of the group crouched down and continued forward, being extra careful to not disturb the tangled mass of vines above. Peeking his head through the hole where the noise was coming from, he let out a relieved sigh.

“You can come in,” Dave called out. “It’s just a set of vents.”

Though, what they were venting was anyone’s guess.

Climbing into the separate chamber, a few moments passed before Dave’s fellow inmates followed suit. Looking around, they found... Nothing. A whole lot of nothing. It was just an empty room with a few naturally forming vents that made a sound whenever air blew through.

“What now? Should we just... head back? Tell them that there’s nothing here?”

“We could,” Dave said, answering the more timid inmate. “But this place is pretty nice. Why don’t we just stay here for a while before heading back? We’ve still got time.”

Ignoring his words, the lone Faunus of the group stepped past him, heading towards the stone wall where a single black spot stood out.

“Or we could keep investigating… That too.”

Dusting some dirt off the rock, the Faunus tapped it with his finger. “It’s warm.”

“Okay,” Dave muttered. “How about we don’t do that. If you actually found something, we’ll just report it... Sound good?”

Pressing his hand against the black spot, the Faunus smirked. “You don’t get to teAAAH!!!”

There was a sickening crunch as his hand was pulled in. Letting out a pained scream, the man struggled to pull himself free, only to be fully engulfed from the liquid as it bulged from the wall.

Not wanting to end up like the now very dead Faunus, the remaining inmates took off, stumbling over one another as they fought to get out first.

Stumbling to the side as he was shoved out of the way, Grey’s foot slipped into one of the vents. Grunting as he tried to pull it out, he looked back towards the bulging wall that was growing in size.

“I got you,” Dave muttered, lifting Grey’s arm over his shoulder. “On three, we pull. Are you ready?”

“Y... Yeah.”

“Okay, One, two, three!“

Pulling on Grey, the vents let off a hollow, growling like sound again and Dave suddenly fell over. Feeling a sense of dizziness accompanied by nausea, he looked over to Grey, only to find the man's body had been reduced to a pile of flesh. The only thing that still remained was his arm.

With no time to think about what just happened, Dave rolled over and crawled towards the opening, leaving behind two dead prisoners.

Appearing on the other side, he found himself. Thinking that Vance had just left him to his fate, something wet dripped on his head. Slowly turning his gaze up, he was hit with another bout of nausea.

Resting above him, tangled in a mess of black tendrils with bone like hooks attached to them was the final member of their team, strung up and torn apart as the tendrils pierced his body.

Tearing his gaze away from the grizzly sight, Dave crawled over to the ropes all the while his ears rang loudly.

Grabbing on, he tied it around his waist, before signaling for him to be reeled in. Dipping in and out of consciousness now, he idly watched as the mouth of the cave grew closer, only for it to shrink down as a variety of teeth were revealed. As his consciousness faded, Dave came to a horrible realization.

It was no wonder they struggled to find the Grimm when they stepped into the damn things mouth.