Kapitel 738: 81
Chapter 81:
Day Nine:
It took a moment to calm things down and get everyone off the docks. Ruby continued to cling tightly to Kyo, enjoying the feeling of hugging her big brother, after not having seen him in so long, blissfully ignorant of the bevy of mixed feelings leveled their way, by Winter in particular, who, despite Ciel's brief explanation, still looked as though she was on the verge of trying to take Kyo into custody.
Finally, after much cajoling by her friends on RYNB and CPPR, Ruby was convinced to move the reunion elsewhere. To that end, they adjourned to a discrete corner of the courtyard, where they seated themselves at a group of tables to compare notes and share stories. The first thing Ruby did was introduce her brother to her friends.
"Yeah...so this is Kyo-nii," said Ruby, gesturing to Kyo, who laughed and rubbed the back of his head.
"Thank you for the perfunctory introduction, Ruby-chan," said Kyo, smirking down at her.
"W-well...I've told them a bit about you, so..." Ruby shrugged, prompting a sigh from Kyo. "A-anyway, I should introduce you to my friends. You've already met Rainbow and Copper, I guess."
"Somewhat," said Kyo, beaming at the two teams that had brought him back to Beacon. "Granted...I have yet to obtain anything beyond a passing acquaintance with them. We have not interacted all that much since we arrived at Beacon."
"Really?" asked Ruby, her gaze brushing over RYNB and CPPR.
"Well...as my sister, I believe the main effort of facilitating any kind of interaction should belong to you, Ruby-chan," said Kyo, grinning down at her. "Anything else would be a little awkward."
"That's putting it mildly," said Yang, under her breath. The faint chuckle from Kyo indicated that he heard her well enough.
"Well...that, and our first meeting resulted in them getting experience with my more...um...controversial side," added Kyo lamely. "I probably did not make the best of first impressions, you could say."
"Meaning...what?" asked Ruby.
"Meaning he slaughtered nearly the entire White Fang encampment based out in Mountain Glenn," said Blake, her tone becoming harsh.
"Oh," said Ruby, glancing at Kyo.
Kyo's smile didn't falter. "Well...I did warn the White Fang that I would kill those who tried to kill me."
"Ugh..." groaned Ruby, her head drooping. "Wow...that's an awful way to introduce yourself to my friends."
"You're all right with this?" asked Blake, staring at Ruby in shock.
"W-well...I can't say that I'm as casual about it as Kyo," said Ruby, her expression sobering. "But...in that position, I can't say that I wouldn't kill at least some of the White Fang, if they attacked me like that."
"Considering our own experiences, I have to agree," said Pyrrha, Weiss and Jaune nodding.
"Ah," said Kyo, his attention going to Ruby's teammates. "I'm guessing that you three made your first kills on this mission of yours."
"That's right," said Jaune, his expression falling.
"I can see that you seem to be holding up rather well," noted Kyo. "It is something you will not wish to experience too often. Hopefully that will spur you to improve."
"Huh?" grunted Blake. She wasn't the only one confused by Kyo's remark.
"In pitched battle, being able to show mercy to your opponent is the ultimate luxury," said Kyo, beaming at them. "After all, unless you completely subdue them, it is entirely too possible that the object of your mercy will wind up remaining a threat to you, while the battle continues. If you truly wish to be able to show mercy, without risking the outcome of your fights, you will need near-absolute power over life and death...the ability to hold your enemy's life completely in your hand. It requires a great deal of strength and skill to obtain that kind of mastery."
"And what about you?" asked Blake. "Do you have that kind of mastery?"
"I do...with respect to most opponents," said Kyo. "Such power is conditional, as it is always relative to the strength of your opponent. The stronger your adversary is, the stronger you must be, if you wish to be assured of defeating them without killing them."
"So...you didn't have to kill those White Fang soldiers?" asked Nora.
"Of course not," replied Kyo. "All things considered, defeating them without killing them would be rather easy for me."
"But you killed them anyway..." gasped Blake. "How could you?"
"Because I despise people like them," replied Kyo, his expression hardening. The air around them was suddenly charged with tension, like the onset of a terrible storm. "They would happily kill others for the sake of their 'ideals', yet apparently did not think that they had any reason to think that the same might might be visited upon them. As far as I am concerned, those who kill, but who are not prepared to be killed are the lowest of the low."
Blake's ears drooped beneath her ribbon, her expression faltering.
Kyo relaxed, his expression softening again, the tension in the air dissipating, as though it had never been there to begin with. "I can understand if you are disconcerted with me. I greatly admire and respect Ruby-chan's strength and convictions, her adherence to her ideals. But I am not her. The ideals that she holds to, the goals she has set for herself, are not mine. So please do not judge us in accordance to each other."
"Yeah...we're kinda weird like that," said Ruby, smiling awkwardly.
The others could only stare as they watched the pair smile and laugh, unable to help the strange, awkward feeling in the air.
"A-anyway, let me introduce you to my friends, Kyo-nii," said Ruby, darting to stand by her teammates.
"All right," said Kyo.
"This is Weiss Schnee," said Ruby, gesturing to Weiss, "and her partner, Pyrrha Nikos."
"It's nice to finally meet you," said Pyrrha, grinning awkwardly, raising her hand in greeting.
"Indeed," Kyo replied. "Thank you for looking after my sister. I imagine she must give you no shortage of headaches."
"Hey!" Ruby protested,
"You could say that again," said Weiss, throwing a teasing smirk at Ruby.
"Weeiiiiissss..." Ruby whined, her cheeks turning red.
"To be honest, she does more work keeping Weiss in line than the other way around," said Pyrrha, now smiling slyly at Weiss, who found it her turn to start blushing.
"I'd say we're all keeping each other in check," suggested Jaune with an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his head. The gesture prompted everyone to stare at him strangely.
He looks just like Kyo when he does that, noted Pyrrha, the others thinking the same.
"And you are...?" asked Kyo, his gaze going to Jaune.
"This is Jaune Arc," said Ruby, grinning from ear to ear. "He's my partner...and...my boyfriend." The last two words of that sentence were barely above a mumble.
Jaune jolted, his face turning red, surprised that Ruby would acknowledge their relationship so! openly.
"WHAT?" exclaimed Yang, her eyes going wide.
"Whoops," Pyrrha whispered to Weiss.
"I forgot she wasn't informed about that yet," Weiss muttered, she and Pyrrha both watching Yang cautiously.
"Well well, it seems you have come a long way, Ruby-chan," said Kyo, getting to his feet and standing in front of Jaune, almost seeming to loom over him.
"Uh oh..." Pyrrha whispered, her eyes going wide.
They'd been so focused on Yang that they hadn't spared a thought for how Ruby's brother might take the situation. Kyo looked down at Jaune, still smiling, his expression inscrutable. The fact that he was smiling, in and of itself, didn't necessarily mean anything. RASP and RYNB knew from experience that a person could smile quite pleasantly, yet still manage to exude an aura of overwhelming menace, thanks to the time Sasame had spent with them.
However, there was no such sense of danger from Kyo. Instead, he held out his hand to Jaune, Jaune taking it hesitantly, Kyo giving Jaune a friendly clap on the shoulder with his other hand. Jaune had expected Kyo to start squeezing in an effort to crush his hand, but Kyo's clasp simply remained firm.
"I can tell that you will do your best by her," said Kyo simply smiling down at Jaune. "I wish you the best of luck. Being with her will not be the easiest thing, I am sure."
"Hey!" protested Ruby, her face turning red.
"Well, if anything, Ruby is the one looking after me," said Jaune.
"I imagine that it will seem such," said Kyo. "However, I ask that you continue to remind her that she cannot be trying to save the world all the time, so it is important that she take time for herself."
"I'll do what I can," said Jaune.
"My thanks," said Kyo, releasing his hand.
"Wow...I was worried there for a minute," said Weiss.
"You were?" Kyo looked to her, blinking in confusion. "Why?"
"Um…well...We figured you might threaten him. Isn't that what brothers do?" asked Pyrrha.
"Maybe some," said Kyo with a shrug. "However, I also know that Ruby-chan would despise that sort of interference in her life. She wishes to be able to make, and learn from, her own mistakes, though..." Kyo looked at Jaune again. "...this does not strike me as a mistake."
"Th-thanks," said Jaune, blushing. Ruby giggled and sidled up next to him, taking his hand in her own.
Yang looked on, her hands clenching into fists as she watched Jaune and Ruby hold hands. She wasn't sure how to process this. In some ways, it was the realization of her greatest fear, since she'd first seen Ruby and Jaune together. Yang's overprotective instincts were bubbling up within her, threatening to erupt, insisting there was no way she could allow some boy like Jaune to have his way with her baby sister.
Seeing Kyo and Ruby's teammates so blithely accept their relationship, however, dumped a bucket of cold water on the embers of Yang's anger, reminding her that her reaction was a visceral and reflexive one, a resurgence of her old protective instincts, a sign that she still hadn't completely overcome her past feelings of condescending worry for Ruby's wellbeing. After all, hadn't she been the one who'd encouraged Ruby, when Ruby had been freaking out over how to handle going to the dance with Jaune? Yang figured she ought to be over this by now.
So she took a deep breath, and forced herself to relax. Yang didn't notice, but Kyo had picked up on her momentary flare of animosity, and had flashed her a curious look, noticing that Yang appeared to quickly get over whatever anger she was experiencing.
Following Ruby's introduction of her teammates, she officially introduced Kyo to Team RYNB and CPPR. Kyo greeted them all congenially, though their responses to him were guarded, Blake's in particular. Kyo noticed, but was not overly concerned with their responses to him.
Throughout it all, Yang watched Kyo warily, unsure of what to make of the man her sister claimed as family.
"This is where you're staying?" gasped Ruby, staring at the door to Kyo's room in the faculty quarters of Beacon.
"While I am here," agreed Kyo. "It was rather kind of Professor Ozpin to make this space available to me."
"Kindness might not have been the only thing he was thinking of," said Weiss, her gaze drifting to the door to the room adjacent to Kyo's.
Ruby couldn't help but agree. It was no coincidence that Kyo's room was right next door to the room currently being shared by Ashley and her family. It appeared that Ozpin had taken the opportunity to add another layer of protection for the Forrest Family to enjoy.
The reminder of Ashley's situation jolted Ruby with the realization that she hadn't yet told her friend that she and her teammates, particularly Weiss, were back. Realizing that, Ruby had an idea. "I know, I need to introduce you to Ashley."
"Is this the friend that Sasame mentioned?" asked Kyo.
Ruby nodded, beaming. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her scroll and called Ashley. "Hey, Ashley," she said to her friend's greeting on the other end of the line. "That's right. I'm back. Sorry, I should have called as soon as we got to Ulmo. We're outside your door, right now. Yeah, Weiss is with me. I have someone else-"
Before Ruby could finish, the door next to Kyo's swung open, Ashley almost flinging it open in her eagerness. She bolted right out into the hallway. A second later, her eyes settled on Ruby and Weiss, while Jaune, Pyrrha, and Kyo all backed away to give her some room.
Wordlessly, Ashley flung herself at the pair, Weiss and Ruby catching her, enfolding Ashley in a tight embrace. While still hugging both of them, Ashley turned her head and planted a quick kiss on Weiss' lips, before turning back to lean her head down into their shoulders.
"I'm so glad to see you again," she said softly.
"It's good to see you too, Ashley," said Ruby. "Are you all right?"
"I am now," said Ashley, her voice heavy with relief.
"Did...did something happen?" asked Weiss, beginning to worry.
"Yeah," said Ashley.
"Please, come in," said Elowen, stepping into the hall behind her daughter. "We'll explain."
They assembled in the room, listening as Ashley and her parents related the story of what had happened while RASP had been away on their mission. Ruby had gasped, her hand covering her mouth as she stared at her friend.
"Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "I'm so sorry." Tears began to leak from her eyes. "I should have been here with you, Ashley."
"That's not true," said Ashley, wiping her own eyes, then leaning into Weiss' embrace. "You can't spend all your time just protecting us. You're a Huntress in training. You've got a lot of responsibilities. It's wrong to completely upend all of that, just for us."
"Besides," added Oliver, "it's thanks to the precautions that you took that we were able to get through this."
"It is," agreed Ashley, nodding along with her father's statement. "The instant someone knocked on our door without calling first, I knew something was up."
Faced with the prospect of an illusionist trying to get at Ashley, even within the perceived safety of Beacon's campus, Ruby had been the one to suggest the measure that would ensure that Ashley or her parents weren't fooled into opening their door to a potential attacker. Thus, their precaution was, if anyone was visiting, they were to call Ashley's scroll first, and let her know they were outside her door. Anyone who approached the door and knocked, without calling first, was immediately suspected, and Ashley was to immediately call Glynda and get her, or a member of Beacon's faculty, to investigate.
And it had worked this time. Ashley informed them about what she had seen and heard through the door, how someone had made her see and hear Ruby, claiming to be back from her mission already.
Ruby wasn't sure exactly how they'd done it, but she already had a good idea of who had been behind this. It had to be someone from Cinder's group, she thought. It was most likely Emerald or Mercury who had been responsible for the illusion. Ruby couldn't quite rule out Neo, though her illusions seemed to be purely visual in nature; that and, according to what RYNB and CPPR had learned about the mysterious person who had spirited Ilia away, when Kyo had confronted the White Fang, it seemed that Neo had been in Mountain Glenn at the time. Ruby was fairly certain that Cinder's Semblance wasn't illusory in nature, so that made her two flunkies, masquerading as her teammates, the most likely culprits.
"I'm glad it worked out for you," said Pyrrha, Jaune nodding in agreement alongside her.
"Yeah...but it was a little too close for comfort," said Ashley with a tired sigh. "Why can't these people just leave us alone? What's so important about us that they keep trying to kill us?"
"It's mostly my fault," said Ruby. "It's because you were friends with me that you were targeted by the White Fang in the first place."
Ashley sniffled, then shook her head. "No," she said firmly. "If I'd just kept saying no, when Chrys kept trying to get me to come to one of their rallies, I wouldn't have even wound up on their radar."
"I wouldn't be sure," said Weiss, drawing a surprised look from Ashley. "A faunus being the personal friend of a Huntress would still fly in the face of their narrative, so there's every chance they would have sought to 'punish' you, regardless of whether or not you'd been inducted into their ranks."
"I guess," said Ashley.
"Now now," said Oliver, clapping his hands twice. "Enough of such dreary topics. Now that you all are back, we shouldn't be complaining, particularly since your precautions did save our lives. Also...I have a question." He looked to Kyo, who'd been leaning against the wall, observing from the sidelines throughout the whole affair. "Just who are you, young man?"
"Ah, hello," said Kyo, now that the attention of Ashley's family was focused on him. "My name is Kyo. I am Ruby-chan's brother."
"Oh! It's you," said Ashley, staring at him with wide eyes. She'd heard a bit about Ruby's brother from her.
"That's right," agreed Kyo. "It seems that you and I shall be neighbors, for a little while at least. Professor Ozpin has given me the room next to yours."
"Yep," agreed Ruby. "That means you'll be even safer now. There's no way Kyo-nii will let anyone bad near you."
"How do you know?" asked Ashley.
"Well, I should be able to sense any murderous intent directed your way," explained Kyo. "That being the case, I will know the instant someone approaches your door with ill intentions, though, after the last time, I suspect they will be wary of trying to same thing twice."
"Let's hope so," said Jaune, frowning darkly.
Ruby nodded, her mind already going to Cinder and her team. We need to do something about them, she thought. She knew that Ozpin had told her to do nothing that would let on to Cinder that they knew about who she really was. But now Cinder and her lackeys were an active threat to Ruby's friend, and her family. She couldn't allow this to go on. I guess I should talk to him about this, she thought.
"Well, I think that's enough of this cloak and dagger nonsense," said Elowen, bringing out some tea and coffee for their guests. "Tell us how your mission went."
"What do you mean, you lost track of them?" demanded Ironwood, glaring over Ozpin's desk at him.
"It's exactly what we mean," said Glynda, frowning from where she stood, just a little behind and to the right of Ozpin's chair. "We've lost track of their location."
"I'm afraid we were a little complacent," admitted Ozpin with a tired sigh. "I admit that we should have suspected this, the moment we realized that they had infiltrated the CCT itself."
"The mission they took was not a real one," said Glynda. "It appeared in our system the very day the official mission period began."
"Checking with the listed client proved that it was a fraud," added Ozpin. "They submitted no such mission request, nor have they seen any sign of Team Crimson."
"Are you suggesting that they were using this as a way to slip away from us?" growled Ironwood.
"I doubt that," said Glynda.
"Again, going through so much trouble to infiltrate Beacon, it's unlikely that they would abandon their position here, unless they realized that we suspected them," added Ozpin.
"And could they suspect that?" wondered Ironwood.
"It's possible," admitted Glynda, "especially after their attempt on the Forrest Family's lives was successfully thwarted."
"However, their 'mission' was selected before that," continued Ozpin. "So it's unlikely that they are using it as a means of covering their tracks. Rather, I suspect that they are using it to run certain errands that they could not otherwise, lest their absence from Beacon at the time cause suspicion, and that they will return when their designated mission period is up."
"That being the case, I suppose that the major question is just what 'errands' they are using their mission as cover for?" mused Glynda.
"Most likely something to do with the White Fang's planned attack," said Ozpin, "which begs the question of what they will do, now that that plan has fallen through."
"Whatever the case may be, perhaps we should be on hand to welcome them back, when they return," growled Ironwood.
"That may be the best approach," agreed Ozpin. "And what of your expert?"
"He should be here by tomorrow," said Ironwood. "I have confidence in his ability to ferret out this virus. He should also be on hand to ensure that we are prepared to counter any future cyber-attacks between now and the Vytal Festival."
"I would think that a scientist of his caliber would have a hard time opening up his schedule so much," said Glynda.
"Normally," agreed Ironwood, "but he's said that he's able to bring his work with him this time." A small smile appeared on Ironwood's face. "Besides, Dr. Polendina has said that he wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to see his daughter's tournament debut in person for the world."
"Nothing?" asked Cinder, frowning.
"Not a peep," said Mercury, tossing his scroll onto the table of the hotel suite the three of them had rented out for the duration of the "mission" they'd picked.
Cinder had figured that, if they weren't going to be doing anything particularly involved, they might as well enjoy some luxury while they waited for the White Fang's attack. So she had used her new control of the CCT to reserve them a room at a very nice hotel, one with a set of windows with a fine view of Vale's central plaza, where the White Fang attack was expected to break through. Unfortunately, the expected attack had never occurred.
"They're late," said Emerald. "They must have some reason, even if it is just an excuse."
"Pretty hard getting a scroll signal out of Mountain Glenn at the best of times," said Mercury, lowering his scroll to the table with a sigh. "Besides, if something did happen, wouldn't contacting us be a last resort?"
"It should be," said Emerald. "But that hasn't stopped Taurus from calling us up at every opportunity to pester us about when we're going to off the girl and her parents."
Mercury grunted, shooting Emerald a glare, prompting her eyes to widen as she realized that she'd just let slip a reminder of their own recent failure. She still couldn't explain just how Ashley had realized something was up. Even if it had been difficult to get her Semblance to work through such indirect contact, Emerald figured she'd still managed to give a good enough imitation of Ruby to bring down a civilian's guard.
Nervously, Emerald glanced at Cinder. Cinder had been...perturbed...when she learned that Emerald and Mercury had failed in their effort to kill the Forrest Family. However, she appeared to be at least somewhat mollified by the pair's caution, appreciating their decision to retreat, rather than do anything that might jeopardize their cover. But that didn't mean that they felt reminding Cinder of that particular failure was a good idea.
"Something's wrong," said Cinder. "One way or another, the attack should have happened by now."
She opened up her scroll into its tablet mode, bringing up an image. It showed a map of Vale, and its surrounding territories, with indicators marking the position of three particular aircraft in the general area, Ironwood's warships. At present, the ships were patrolling different points of Vale's perimeter. Tapping the screen, Cinder rewound the map to show their disposition a few days earlier.
"Look at this," she said.
"This is from the third day of the mission-period," noted Mercury.
"They all converged on Mountain Glenn, quite abruptly at that," said Cinder.
"You think they attacked the encampment?" asked Emerald.
"But Adam would've sent the train out at the first sign of trouble," Mercury pointed out. "Executing the attack, even partially, would have been better than blowing all the prep work that went into it."
"And yet, it would seem that something has gone wrong," said Cinder. "Maybe we need to pay a visit to the members still based in Vale."
"Assuming they're in the know anymore than we are," said Emerald. "They're gonna have just as much trouble getting any contact from Mountain Glenn as we have."
Cinder frowned pensively. "We can't afford to get distracted though. We have other plans to make, during our 'mission'."
Mercury and Emerald shared an uncertain glance. After all the admonishments they'd been given about the importance of maintaining their cover, it seemed more than a little hypocritical on Cinder's part to be planning such a risky operation in the midst of their main plan. However, they also couldn't deny that this was an unprecedented opportunity for them. The chance to secure a second Maiden, without needing to scour the four Kingdoms for her location, was too good an opportunity to pass up.
Then a tone sounded from Cinder's scroll, indicating that she'd just received a text. Bringing it up, Cinder's eyes widened in surprise. "Neo?"
"Isn't she supposed to be out in Mountain Glenn with the Fang?" asked Emerald, moving to see the message for herself.
"Just got back," Neo's text said. "Sorry about the delay. It was a long walk to Vale."
A moment later, another text arrived from her. "I bet you want to know why the attack was late." After another moment, "Sorry, but it's not coming. They got caught."
"What happened?" asked Cinder in her reply, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "I hope you have a good reason for this failure. Keep in mind that dear Roman is still in very hot water with us...and you would not want to make it any hotter for him."
Emerald and Mercury could practically see Neo sweating in their mind's eye. Neo was an important piece in their plans, both because of her incredibly useful Semblance, a helpful compliment to Emerald's own, and because she was the fourth member of their "team," for the Beacon infiltration.
"Some very interesting and unpleasant things happened," came Neo's reply. "I can show and tell."
What followed was a series of texts, Neo elaborating as much as she could within the limited format. The texts were accompanied by pictures of the event. Cinder's eyes widened when she saw the picture of the young man with luminous red eyes, cutting through the White Fang like butter.
"Everyone died," said Neo. "I barely managed to get the chameleon-girl out. But this guy killed them all so fast that they didn't have time to send the train out. I guess the White Fang didn't know better than to pick a fight with Demon Eyes Kyo. They didn't even think of trying to send the train out, until it was too late."
"Demon Eyes Kyo?" Emerald blinked in confusion. "Who's that?"
"I've heard of him," said Mercury. "Dude's supposedly a total badass. He's on the blacklist of a bunch of different organizations, and the authorities of the Kingdoms too. He's supposedly wanted in all four."
"What's he want here?" wondered Emerald.
"God only knows," grumbled Mercury with a shrug. "The guy wanders all over the place. He's supposed to stick to the settlements for the most part, though."
Cinder's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Can anything be salvaged?" she asked.
"Probably not," came the reply. "The commotion caught the attention of Atlas. Ironwood's forces moved in almost immediately. They've probably cleaned out everything, by now."
Cinder let out a low sigh. "What about Adam?" she asked.
The pause that followed was strangely long. "He wasn't there," Neo replied finally.
"What?!" exclaimed Emerald and Mercury, with Cinder texting back exactly that response.
"He went missing a while ago," Neo explained. "We couldn't get in touch with you over it. Someone called Jester took him away. He seemed to know you."
"Jester...?" Emerald and Mercury traded confused looks, while Cinder simply set the scroll down, staring at it with an expression that bordered on incomprehension.
"Why would he do that?" asked Emerald.
"Beats me," said Mercury. "That creep's harder to figure out than Tyrian."
"But this is interference," said Emerald. "Jester wouldn't jeopardize our plans like this, would he?"
"Maybe he didn't think doing this would," said Cinder, twirling an ebony lock of hair around one finger. "Adam's behavior has been...erratic...lately. His calls to us alone were proof of that. If anything, removing him, even temporarily, might have helped things along in Mountain Glenn." She looked back up at her disciples. "It's a question we can put to him ourselves, the next time he shows up."
"God knows when that might be," muttered Mercury.
"Nothing to be done," grumbled Cinder, glancing down at the scroll.
"Do you believe Neo?" asked Emerald.
"She provided sufficient evidence, so I should say that she has managed to justify our situation well enough," said Cinder. "We still need her, after all, so there's nothing to be gained by lashing out at her without good reason." She smiled cruelly. "After all, so long as Roman's fate hangs in the balance, she has every reason to do her best for us."
Emerald and Mercury nodded. Meanwhile, Cinder typed back her reply to Neo, relaying her next set of instructions. Neo would meet up with the other three members of "Team CMSN", before they returned to Beacon from their "mission", completing their team. At the very least, it would be helpful to have Neo along for the next operation they had in mind.
"Now then, since the White Fang's attack was a wash, let's focus on making sure that this plan does not go awry," said Cinder, bringing up an image of their target, one Ruby Rose. "We will secure this Maiden, by any means necessary."
Ilia was exhausted. Following the debacle in Mountain Glenn, she had been putting in the hours trying to get the remaining White Fang, those still stationed in Vale proper, under control. It hadn't been easy. They'd been furious to learn that all the time, effort, and resources they'd invested in the operation had been wasted, to say nothing of the deaths of so many of their brothers and sisters.
That wasn't the only headache awaiting Ilia when she got back either. During the past week, Ashley Forrest and her parents had conducted an interview with Lisa Lavender, which had aired on the VNN, exposing the format of the White Fang's revised recruitment rallies, and their willingness to murder their fellow faunus for desiring to leave, or befriending humans. That had been a public relations nightmare, and one that left Ilia plenty glad that Adam was MIA, as she could scarcely imagine the bloodshed he would perpetrate, had he learned of this.
Some had demanded random attacks to at least partially compensate for the missed opportunity. Others had called for a direct reprisal against Beacon, or the Atlesian forces, whom they held responsible for the failure, as well as the Forrest Family for inciting popular opinion against them; even though Ilia had kept them from learning that either Kingdom had a hand in the operation's failure, save for being on hand to clean up in the aftermath. At least part of that had involved keeping word that the two student teams had been involved from getting out. Ilia and Neo were spinning a version of the tale where the soldiers had been taken down before the train was sent out, to avoid questions of how the train itself had been stopped.
It wasn't easy. Demon Eyes Kyo wasn't all that well known a moniker within the walls of Vale itself, to the point that the members out in Mountain Glenn hadn't even recognized him, when he'd abruptly appeared. Some relatively unknown vagabond didn't make nearly as satisfying a target for retaliation as the agents of the major powers they were actually fighting against.
Of course, there was no way Ilia could even think of letting them attempt any kind of attack now. Despite what she told the others, she knew exactly who had been truly responsible for the planned attack's failure, a list of names that included her own. It had only been by the luckiest of twists of fate that Kyo had shown up out of nowhere, conveniently serving as the scapegoat for the whole debacle. If they were to focus their animosity on anyone, it should be him...yet she also knew that there was no way she could allow them to act on that.
Either way, they just didn't have the people or the resources anymore. Everything that they'd sunk into the Mountain Glenn operation was now a complete loss. They might be able to scrape together enough Dust for a few explosives, but that would be it. And, if they did anything that attracted the authorities' attention now, they were just begging to be snapped up, which would essentially wipe out what remained of the Vale Branch.
And so, every meeting had turned into another tired chorus of exhortations for her comrades to control their feelings, and keep laying low, at least until she could figure out what to do. Ilia was at her wits' end, to be honest. Worse, she expected Cinder to show up at any time, demanding to know what had happened to the attack. Even though she and Neo had agreed upon their story, Ilia dreaded the notion of even trying to explain the failure to that woman. That fear, combined with the myriad other worries, plagued her through the night, keeping her from getting a proper sleep.
So it was with a tired yawn that Ilia rose from her bed, hours after finally managing to allow sleep to claim her. To her horror, she realized that she'd slept through her alarm, and the latest meeting she had needed to attend to try and help figure out the way forward. God only knew what those hotheads would agree to in her absence. Maybe that's why they didn't send anyone to wake me, she thought frantically as she rushed to dress, not even bothering with a shower, barely managing to get her hair in order before she leapt out of her quarters, which had been erected within the confines of an unused warehouse they'd temporarily taken over.
Ilia rushed out, expecting any number of things; from an empty warehouse, the remaining members having already set out to try one of their ill-planned attempts at retaliation that she had shut down before; to a meeting already in progress, with the remaining members ready to grill her for her negligence.
As it turned out, the warehouse was mostly empty. Ilia could see no sign of the rank-and-file members, which only made her stomach sink as the worst possibilities she could imagine bombarded her mind's eye. However, as she rounded the corner of a set of shelves, arriving at the meeting "room" they had set up, she soon saw that saw she was not alone after all. Instead, when she saw who was seated at the nominal head of the table, Ilia came to a complete stop, her eyes going wide, her jaw dropping.
"Well well..." commented the smirking black-haired woman seated at the table, her dark skin decorated with black tiger-stripe tattoos, orange feline ears protruding from the top of her head, "...finally awake, I see."
"H-H-High Leader Khan!" exclaimed Ilia, reflexively falling on one knee. "I-I have no excuse! I'm so sorry!"
"Peace," interjected Sienna, her voice conveying an authority that made Ilia's mouth snap shut on reflex. Her expression softened, her smile becoming more genuine. "You've clearly been working hard, keeping this rabble under control. Some extra rest is the least I could allow you for all that you've done."
"I'm grateful for your consideration," said Ilia. "I did not know you were coming."
"I did send a message saying I was on my way," said Sienna, her smile fading slightly. "Though, I suppose it didn't reach you, seeing as you were probably out at Mountain Glenn at the time."
"Most likely," said Ilia. "I was not expecting you."
"Considering your report on the situation, I felt it best to come handle it myself," said Sienna. "For that, you have my gratitude. I had no idea Adam had gone this far astray. That was a severe oversight on my part."
"High Leader, there's no way you could have known," protested Ilia, raising her head.
"Couldn't I?" asked Sienna rhetorically. "The signs were all there. With each mission he led, there were growing rumors and reports of unnecessary violence on Adam's part. However, he was strong, decisive, and got results. He had a great deal of charisma, which attracted others to our cause, and inspired them to greater efforts. I was distracted by those things, and ignored the warning signs, until it was almost too late."
Ilia lowered her head back down, a frown on her face.
"And where is Adam now?" asked Sienna, her expression hardening. "It would seem that we have some things to discuss about his future in the organization...including whether or not he has a future at all."
"He's...not here," said Ilia. "We don't know where he is. He was...taken."
Sienna's ears perked up. "Taken...by who...and how?"
"It's...a long story," said Ilia.
"I see," said Sienna. "Rise, Sister Ilia. Join me at the table, and relay to me all that you have seen and heard over the course of your mission. Just what has been going on in Vale?"
"Of course," said Ilia. She did as Sienna bade her, seating herself across the table from her leader.
She told Sienna everything, the story of her experiences in Vale spilling from her lips in a rush. It started with learning about the White Fang's Dust thefts, and how they had been coerced into doing this for the mysterious woman known as Cinder. She talked about the attack on the docks, where she'd met Blake. Following that came the story of the revised rallies, and the more forceful recruitment methods. Then came the attack on Ashley, which Adam had used to try and lure out Ruby, only to lose a second time. Then came the rally that Blake and her new friend had infiltrated, then their retreat to Mountain Glenn, where Sienna listened uneasily to the stories of Adam's erratic and violent behavior, which had then been brought to bear against his own subordinates.
"Absolutely unacceptable," growled Sienna. "This Jester, whoever he is, would do well to see to it that Taurus never comes back. If he does...there will be nothing for him in the White Fang, save for the edge of a sword."
Ilia swallowed. She continued, relaying the plan for the attack, to create a breach, and lead an army of Grimm into Vale in an effort to inflict mass casualties. For a moment, Sienna's anger abated, replaced by horror, her pallor lightening an unhealthy degree. Finally, Ilia reached the point she'd been dreading since this conversation began.
"I...I have to report that..." Ilia swallowed. "I have betrayed the White Fang."
"How so?" asked Sienna, no anger finding its way into her tone, only cool curiosity.
"Last week, a pair of teams from Beacon began operating within Mountain Glenn," said Ilia. "They seemed to be on a Search and Destroy mission, depopulating the local Grimm. However, I noticed Blake and her friends amongst their number. Given that they were at the rally, I figured that they were looking for our encampment.
"I...I reached out to them. When I got the chance, I revealed myself to Blake, and showed her what was going on, then helped them work out a plan to put a stop to it. I smuggled them past our camp's perimeter, then created a distraction, so that they could enter the tunnel and seal it up."
"And were you responsible for the deaths of your brothers and sisters?" asked Sienna, already knowing, in the most general sense, of what had happened to those who had staffed the operation.
Ilia shook her head. "If things had gone according to plan, Ironwood's forces would have hit the encampment, right after the tunnel had been sealed. The General would have been aiming to subdue and capture, though there's no telling how many might have died in the ensuing fight. But...he showed up."
"He...?" Sienna raised an eyebrow.
"Demon Eyes Kyo," said Ilia.
Sienna's eyes went wide, pressing her lips into a tight line. "Truly?"
"Y-yes," said Ilia. "I didn't recognize him at the time. He was the last person we'd expected to find blundering into our camp. But, in retrospect, those eyes of his were unmistakable."
"Did he attack?" asked Sienna.
"Not until we attacked first," said Ilia. "He said he was simply looking for a way into Vale. But Meinrad gave the order to attack."
"But you didn't?" asked Sienna.
"Um...an...associate of ours...knocked me out and carried me away, before I could," said Ilia, averting her eyes. "Otherwise, I would probably be as dead as the others."
"Who is this associate?" asked Sienna.
"Her name is Neo Politan," said Ilia. "She serves the criminal, Roman Torchwick."
"I'm guessing that this Cinder-woman you have been referring to is the reason she was working with you," said Sienna, resting her elbows on the table, folding her hands so that she could rest her chin atop them.
"And for similar reasons," said Ilia. "Cinder threatened her and Torchwick, the same way she threatened us. There was no way we would be working together otherwise."
"Indeed," agreed Sienna. "But she helped you escape?"
"Yes, we were able to combine our skills to reach Vale much more quickly than we would otherwise," said Ilia. "Even now, we're still working together, to an extent, in order to bring down Cinder, so that she can't threaten us again."
"Interesting..." Sienna frowned. "Let's get back to the main topic. You said that Adam's Lieutenant gave the order to attack Kyo?"
Ilia nodded.
Sienna sighed, shaking her head. "That poor, dead fool. He should have known better. If that's the case, then there's nothing to be done. That man is a living catastrophe to anyone who makes an enemy of him. It is best to steer clear of him entirely."
Ilia nodded, a cold sweat breaking out across her body. Regardless of what they were talking about, the fact remained that she'd just informed Sienna about her betrayal. For how calmly she was taking it, Ilia wouldn't have put it past Sienna to order her death.
Sienna met Ilia's eyes. "Ilia Amitola...I was right to send you on this mission."
"I...uh...What?" Ilia didn't know how to respond. "But, High Leader...I-!"
Sienna held out one hand, holding it up in a gesture to forestall the remainder of Ilia's outburst. "There is no denying that what you did constitutes a betrayal of the White Fang. However, you resorted to that in order to prevent an even greater betrayal, one that might well have doomed us all, had it been allowed to occur. Of course, had you attempted to hide your role in this, much less lied to me, your life truly would have been forfeit, no matter how justified your actions might have been. But you were honest about your actions, and were prepared to accept the consequences for them. As such, you have not only earned a reprieve...but praise for your observance of your duties."
"I...I can't thank you enough, High Leader," said Ilia, bowing her head towards the table.
"Now then, the question becomes where we go from here," said Sienna, leaning back in her seat. "Your thoughts, Sister Ilia?"
"I'm not certain," said Ilia, lowering her gaze. "Dealing with Cinder is the best way to take care of most of our problems. However...she is too dangerous to take lightly."
"Indeed, if she can cow Taurus into submission," said Sienna. "He is many things, but a coward is not one of them. No mere threat of force would be enough to enforce his obedience. That being the case, if we are to fight this woman, we will need allies, and...we will need to reconsider our approach in the future."
"I...I beg your pardon?" asked Ilia.
Sienna sighed, her gaze drifting away. "I had always thought Ghira's methods to be naive, placing far too much belief in our ability to sway the humans without resorting to violence. But...perhaps one of the reasons he went to such lengths to discourage violence on our part was because he had foreseen a situation like this; a situation where violent zeal has overridden our goals, a continuing spiral of escalation, two sides forever locked into a cycle of retaliation...with destruction as the sole outcome."
"What are you suggesting, High Leader?" asked Ilia.
"Perhaps..." Sienna spoke pensively, speaking as much to herself as she was Ilia. "...perhaps the time has come to reconsider the way we do things. We need a new approach. We cannot allow things to spin so completely out of control again." She looked up, meeting Ilia's eyes with a determined gaze. "Sister Ilia...what would you say to reaching out?"
"What?" gasped Ilia. "There's no way! As far as the authorities are concerned, we're nothing more than terrorists. They would never accept anything beyond unconditional surrender."
"If we reached out to the Council, yes," agreed Sienna. "However, I think there's another institution in Vale, one with power that rivals the Council's own. And, from what I've heard, their leadership is more inclined to be...flexible."
"You mean...Beacon?" Ilia's jaw hung slack. Was Sienna really suggesting that they open negotiations with Beacon Academy?
Sienna smiled at her. "Well now, Sister Ilia, it might well be to our benefit that Blake chose to leave and go to Beacon. In fact, it might well be our salvation."
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Rangliste 
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