Word Count: 13429 words.


    As always, please offer any critiques or complaints with a review.


    /-/


    --Lautrec POV--


    After the whole ordeal with Ilia and that ill fated adventure into the Emerald Forest, Lautrec really didn’t want to go right back into the fire but duty called. In fact, it called at two in the morning for a mission by Lyoto. The boy in question had to stifle a yawn as he looked out from the truck’s window.


    “All I’m saying is that if the boss provided some sort of retirement fund for his boys like Junior does, we’d have more help like The Huntsman.” That was his nickname while on missions, Huntsman. It was simple, it worked, and it inspired a sort of security to Lyoto’s workers.


    “And I’m telling you that that’s stupid. How would anyone justify their retirement fund to the IRS? The whole reason Junior can do it is because all of them have a civilian job on top of their crook work.”


    The thinner of the two men sighed, and shook his head. “And why can’t we? The Boss is an upper-rank, isn’t he?”


    “No. He’s an associate of the Kuroi Kuma, where Junior is the Shatei-Gashira. The most trusted of them all if his connection to Oyabun Malachite’s daughters are any indication.” The larger man said, pulling on his hat and glasses. “Huntsman, we’re nearly there, get ready. This is when most of the attacks on the caravans happen.”


    Lautrec nodded, pulling up his large coat and pushing down his hat on his head. In all honesty, he was lucky to have the red glasses, they hid how sluggish his eyes were to shift to the vans back door. “What’re we hauling?”


    “We” The larger man stressed while pointing at himself and the thinner man. “Are gonna be hauling the Vacuan Emeralds and other goods while you keep watch. And please tell us if something’s off, we got no reason to stay any longer when we can just dip and reschedule.”


    It was a simple affair. And for once in his life, nothing went awry. The men got off the van once we had parked, hopped into a small fishing vessel that was parked on the shore, and greeted the man inside with a nod before beginning to off load crates from the boat and hauling them into the van. While they were busy, the fisherman walked up to him.


    [Jason Wilkins]


    [Title: Veteran Smuggler]


    [Level: 24]


    The man — Jason, Lautrec acknowledged — was a surprisingly happy looking man, eyes squinted and slightly on the fatter side. He wore his aged overalls well, looking like he fit them well. “Thanks for being here, It’s honestly been a bit of a struggle recently, what with all the robberies.”


    Lautrec nodded, stifling a small chuckle. “Ironic, huh? I was thinking about it on the drive over. A bunch of thieves approaching a huntsman to protect them from other thieves.”


    Jason, had he any reservations about it, didn’t show any annoyance with it and laughed a little with him. “It’s always a shocker. Usually people are so much more, and I get this sounds dumb, civilized when it comes to professional crime. There’s not ever a real need for a protection detail.”


    “You’ve been in the game long, then?”


    “E’yup. Been apart of this biz since I was fourteen.” He rolled up a sleeve, showing a small spider tattoo on his shoulder. “Worked as a dockhand for awhile, but when the boss was injured and couldn’t sail his goods he trusted me to get his dope to an undisclosed shore. I guessed right and got paid more for the job than I ever had up to that point in my life.” Jason smiled fondly at the memory. “How about you?”


    “This is my first job, got an in with Junior and was handed off to Lyoto. Honestly, I expected this to go a whole lot worse, not this job specifically but like the job I was given.”


    “Oh you shouldn’t worry, most bosses will keep their new bloods to low-priority crime, like smuggling.” The older man pointed out. “But, word of advice, don’t stick around too long. Do whatever jobs your boss has for you, tell him you want out and leave this biz before they dig their hooks in ya. You’re a huntsman, they won’t let go of a huge gain like you go unless you make it know you want to leave.”


    “I’ll be sure to. This is just to pay off a debt, a favor.”


    “Good kid. Now, you mind helping me push my boat back into the water? Your boys just finished off loading it.”


    The boy nodded, but internally he was sighing. ‘How come both groups of people I became friends with are super dangerous and supposedly want to manipulate me?’


    /-/


    After a much needed nap, Lautrec felt a lot better about being woken up so late, and now he could actually relax, or so said Lyoto. He even had a schedule now, every night at two in the morning he would join a group of thugs and help them transfer loot from various less than legal carriers. Honestly, it was really simple and he was thankful that Lyoto wasn’t trying to throw him into the deep end of crime.


    On his desk lay the Night’s Edge, its purple metal glowing under a lamp.


    [Godly True Night’s Edge]


    [Type Damage: Slashing, Magic, Corruption.]


    [Legendary Perks: Mending, Soul Rend, Vampirism.]


    [Abilities: Corrupted Hurricane, Shadow’s Bite, Shadow Slash.]


    [Affinities: Soul Magic, Shadow Manipulation.]


    [Buffs: Godly Rank, Blessing of Ebreitas]


    [Debuffs: Somewhat Fractured [28% Less effective], Corrupted Metal, Unrestrained Power]


    His eyes locked onto one specific section, [Affinities].


    It wasn’t hard to piece together what that meant, not when under it there were two things that indicated magic. He would be the first to admit, however, he had no clue how to access them. The affinities weren’t like skills that the sword came with, he knew those like he had done them his whole life once he picked up the Night’s Edge.


    Lautrec sighed, he really was an idiot if he hadn’t thought to do this sooner. What was intelligence if it didn’t actually increase his damn intellect!?


    Lautrec’s hand rested on the swords blade while he observed it with his [Mana Sight]. Nothing seemed to stand out, no flow of mana like he had seen in the potion, not slow release of ambient mana like a Grimm. Just the metal. Experimentally, he pumped some of his own onto the blade, like a detective would brush over a fingerprint.


    “Just my luck.” He grumbled. Lautrec shut off [Mana Sight] and leaned back into his chair. The sword held runes, a good handful of them. Symbols that likely held some meaning to someone years and years ago, but meant nothing to him. “But that probably doesn’t matter, right? I can invoke a [Corrupted Hurricane] and [Shadow’s Bite] just fine. Maybe… Maybe the affinities will be the same? Just push mana and try to visualize whatever the hell ‘Soul Magic’ is.”


    The boy worked to do just that, pushing mana into the blade while keeping an eye on the activated runes scribed along its surface. And when nothing happened, he shook his head.


    "Okay, trouble shoot, that''s fine. Maybe it''s that idea of ''visualization'' that''s screwing me over. What even is a soul?" Lautrec sat, stumped for several moments before smacking his face. "Aura, duh! Maybe if I can mix aura into my mana I can activate whatever rune is attached to Soul Magic?"


    His purple aura glimmered to life, moving across his forearm and palm like a calm sea, a much better sight than what it had used to be. And at the same time, Lautrec called forth his Mana letting both sources of his power collect on one arm.


    "I''ll be the first to admit... I can''t tell if it is doing anything." It was two purple energies overlapping and washing over each other, but as far as he could see it was more akin to oil moving along with water rather than the two forces blending together. "Only one way to find out."


    Lautrec placed the hand onto his Night''s Edge, and to his shock a new symbol appeared, one he could actually partially recognize. It looked almost like an Ankh. He wasted no time and dove straight for it, forcing more of his aura and Mana to meld and pushed it into the symbol. The Ankh glowed brilliantly as he pumped more and more of his own soul into the symbol. The Ankh, or his sword, was eating it all up greedily, neither his Mana or his Aura were just bouncing off the metal.


    And then something in the blade popped, like a balloon of energy surged outward from the Ankh. His once dark purple soul was being turned a sickly green, coating the blade.


    [Affinity Unlocked!]


    [Soul Magic: A lost art, buried by the Gods, has stayed dormant and awaiting a new master. By intertwining two forms of life force, Mana and Aura, create an amplified version of both. By combining them, they can be used to project strikes, create barriers, and boost weaponry]


    [Note: Affinities unlocked through a Focus are not immediately unlocked as Affinities for the User.]


    "Huh... that''s underwhelming." He blinked. "I kinda expected something like being able to control souls."


    But hindsight was twenty-twenty. If he could control souls then Ozpin and Salem would probably be able to control souls, and at that point he probably wouldn''t even be able to fight on par with them ever. "Still, amplified mana? That''s still pretty damn good buff."


    He grabbed the sword by its hilt, still pouring a steady stream on Mana and Aura into it. And while the purple blade was still visible, a sheen of neon green, waves of the energy slowly moving across the surface. "It moves like mana."


    ''What does that mean? That mana was the main component of Soul Magic?'' Lautrec squinted, standing up and lifting his sword over his head, straining his mind to pull back on the amount of aura he was putting out, trying his best to make it one third aura and two thirds mana. ''Those points in intelligence are paying dividends.''


    A wide smirk grew over his face, feeling slightly accomplished with his understanding of Soul Magic. ''Now, how am I gonna test out Barriers, Strike Projection, and Weapon Buffs?''


    Lautrecs eyes slid to the side of him, a Quest was waiting for him.


    [Quest: Distress at Honeydew Glade]


    [Description: A nearby village relies on the Honeydew Glade for it large lake, running water, and rare medicinal tree sap. However, with a sudden uptick in Grimm activity has led them to call for aid! Handle the Grimm that have contaminated its land!]


    [Objective: Clear out all the Grimm (14/292)]


    [Time Limit: 19 days]


    He couldn''t kill all of them, of course. But he could wittle their numbers down with his new Magic. "And after that, I can go check out the gym Yang recommend me. And then after that, I can go to the club and hang with Miltia for a bit. Yep! I got today all planned out."


    /-/


    Turns out, Soul Magic was fucking awesome! He can do all types of stuff now! That shove that pushed Montgomery off the Deathstalker used to be the peak of shooting mana out like an attack.


    The green waves enveloped his sword, Lautrec’s palm pushed on the blade as a beowulf tried to force its paws through it. With a smirk, he began to move the barrier off of the sword and while the Beowulf was still trying to push through the barrier, he lowered his sword and cut at its calf. His blade struck true, and while it usually would''ve stopped maybe an inch or two because of how short the strike was, with Soul Magic amping the blade, it sliced through all the way to the bone.


    "God, I was such an idiot! Complaining about magic, this is amazing!" The beowulf tried to counter, and Lautrec jumped backwards to avoid the slow strike. A single flashstep forward was enough to re-enter distance, and with an extravagant spin Lautrec embedded the sword into the beowulfs unarmored chest.


    [Quest Updated: 21/292!]


    With a huff, he called off his Mana and Aura. That was the only bad thing about Soul Magic, the cost was pretty ridiculous. At least at a low level it was. Lautrec sat against a tree, letting his back pop on the tough bark.


    "It could just be an issue of me not understanding how it combine the two. Kinda like when I didn''t know how to manifest mana back on Patch."


    [Soul Magic]


    [Level: 2/100]


    [The combination of Mana and Aura creates the essence of the Soul, a greater power than the sum of its parts. Used to strengthen weaponry, project attacks, create barriers.]


    [+2% more effective in activation and usage of Soul Magic.]


    [Average Cost: 300 AP + 600 MP / Minute]


    It was easy to write off the cost because most of his fights didn''t last over five minutes. But that type of cost was going to get him killed when you added up [Stoneflesh], [Corrupted Hurricane], and [Flash Step]. A strong [Corrupted Hurricane] took upwards of seven-hundred MP, [Stoneflesh] took 450 MP/minute, and that wasn''t even considering the 750 MP for every use of [Flash Step]


    It took more than a lot of self control to not just dump all his points into Wisdom. He would''ve, he really would''ve. But he had a sneaking suspicion of how Mana and Aura grew were tied to not only Wisdom but their respective skills as well. It took him a second to realize, but the time he dumped points into Wisdom against Melanie and when he did for Montgomery and the Deathstalker, they didn''t go up by the same average per point.


    Mana was the easiest to tell, as it only went up with his Wisdom. Four thousand three hundred fifty to five thousand five hundred and ten in sixteen more Wisdom was an average of seventy two and a half mana per point of wisdom. Five thousand five hundred and ten to seven thousand one hundred on fourteen points of Mana was a hundred and thirteen mana per Wisdom. The only thing he could point at that for was either his level or his Mana Manifestation or both!


    So, the smart thing to do would be to wait until he leveled [Mana Manifestation] some more and then dump his wild points.


    Lautrec shook his head. "Save up the points until I get to Cinder. Then we can dump points. That’s the goal, beat Cinder.” The boy put a hand to his chin, thinking for a moment before amending himself. “Beat Salem. The goal is defeating Salem, some how some way.” The growl of a Boarbatusk nearby brought him back to reality, a small smile on his lips. “And that group of Grimm is the next step.”


    /-/


    Things were moving fast now, now that he adjusted to being in Vale, time was starting to pick up speed. And as much as he’d like to take credit for it, it was mostly because he had to juggle two friend groups now, and a job and training. ‘Though calling the smuggling of goods from illegal trade routes probably gives it more dignity than it deserves.’ He thought to himself. The boy had spent quite the time near Honeydew Glade, ending up clearing out another sixty five Grimm, bringing his total from [14/292] to [79/292] and that was damn good progress. But, in spite of that achievement, his mind was wandering to something else at that moment.


    Lautrec entered Plainsberry Blends, and was quickly waved over by a well dressed deer Faunus and a certain Chameleon.


    “Jakob, Ilia.” He greeted while sitting down. “How’s your shoulder?”


    “It’s sore, but fine for the most part.” Ilia spoke, rolling her shoulder as she acknowledged her previous injury. “Aura healed it already. Want something to drink?”


    “I’ll have what you’re having.”


    Ilia moved to stand, but Jakob put a hand on her uninjured shoulder. “I’ll grab it, why don’t you talk to him about what we spoke about?” The man in question offered the two of them a small grin and then stood.


    Leaving the two of them at their table, Ilia looked slightly uneasy as she met his eyes for a moment. The boy in question didn''t feel that, didn''t understand it, but waited for her to start. And after another few seconds of silence, she took in a breath and finally spoke.


    "Sorry, for, you know, taking a bit. I didn''t expect to be put on the spot." She chuckled awkwardly. "But I guess I''ll start with the whole why part of us wanting you to have a rank and stuff was because Jakob wanted to hire you for security for a rally."


    "That''s it? I would''ve done it for free."


    "It''s not gonna be like in Vale Square." She swirled her drink, leaning forward. "Jakob is feeling ambitious, he wants to secure the leader of the Fangs'' approval. So he''s holding a rally in Little Mistral."


    Lautrec had to bite back a wince. There were way too many ways this could go wrong, even Junior wouldn''t be in favor of them. Hell, just from what he read about Mistrali history it was clear that Faunus and Mistralians had bad blood. "That seems... a bit of a bad idea."


    "I know, I''ve told him!" She turned in her seat, glaring at the man at the counter. “It IS a dumb idea to try and hold a rally in Little Mistral!” And when the man turned towards the two of them and shrugged, Ilia spun back around. “He’s gonna get himself killed. But yeah, that’s what we wanted you for. If a hunter, not to mention a strong hunter, vouched for Jakob then maybe those dirty Mistrali dogs will back off.”


    “I can try? I’m decently respected in the club, and they’re impartial to Faunus.”


    “Are they now?” She sat up a bit straighter at his mention of it.


    “So the owner says.” He offered with a shrug, just in time for Jakob to come back with his drink.


    The man placed the cup towards Lautrec before taking his seat. “So I see that you both agree it’s a stupid idea?” There was a sort of helpless look on the mans face, an innocent and naive expression as he looked towards Lautrec.


    “It’s…” Lautrec took in a breath as he collected his thoughts. “It’s definitely a stretch. Little Mistral probably isn’t the best spot right now for a rally.” Maybe he was thinking a bit selfishly as well. The thought of having to protect that many Faunus in as racist a place like Little Mistral. But seeing how the man charismatic and hopeful as Jakob deflate made him cringe.


    “I supposed it would be. But think about it, not a few months ago, Vale was a stretch. A few years ago, Vacuo was a stretch, and then years prior to that even just protesting and standing in opposition to the kingdoms discrimination was a stretch.” Jakob looked almost wide-eyed as he briefly recounted the White Fang’s victories over time. “Maybe it was simply the nature of the Chieftain, to be so incredibly convincing and charismatic, but I want to be that same beacon of change that he was. Ghira was a hero, a true leader of men. And he assigned me the task of leading the march in Vale. If he believed in me enough to assign me this job, then I’d like to see it through, all the way to Little Mistral.” The man looked more awake at after that, smiling slightly while meeting Lautrec’s eyes and grabbing hold of his hand. “I just want to know, are you willing to stand with me, Lautrec. If you’re willing to help me better the world for Faunus everywhere. It’s up to people like us to take the first step, and if our previous success in the Vale Square is any indication, we can do it.”


    Jakob’s words moved something in him, his heart and soul felt more determined and willing to help the poor Faunus. To prevent incidents like what happened in that alleyway against those Faunus who got jumped.


    Lautrec took to nodding, biting down on his apprehension and swapped his grip on Jakob’s hand, shaking it. “I’ll help. But that doesn’t make this any less a dumb idea. I don’t even think Faunus would be willing to congregate in large masses over there.”


    “They will if they know they’re in the hands of two of The White Fang’s best hunters.” Jakobs smile took a more confident appearance. “Ilia Amitola and Lautrec Griscern.”


    [Quest Line: The Midnight Sun]


    [Quest Created: Reaching for the Gun]


    [Objective: Protect all the Faunus who attend for the duration of the Rally]


    [Rewards: Continuation of [The Midnight Sun], + Large REP with Ilia Amitola and Jakob Myerwitch, + Large XP, + 5000 Lien + Title; [Warrior of Equality], + 5 wild points]


    “I’m not getting, like, an alias?”


    Jakob shrugged, taking a deep sip of his drink. “I thought you’d prefer that. And it’s going to be more accepted if a human is guarding a Faunus rally, it’s an ego thing. Not to mention, you’ve kinda become a symbol, I don’t know if you were watching the news this morning but Lisa Lavender was practically plastering your face as public interest number one. Having you will guarantee cameras are on the rally. Ilia will pick you up tomorrow around six or so in the afternoon, and afterwards I’ll meet you with the White Fang workers to set up shop.”


    “Where at?” Lautrec asked, drinking the coffee brought to him. “I can see about scouting out the area, maybe even prevent issues before they even become that. I can meet with some people who run Little Mistral and see if I can’t keep them from shutting the ordeal down.”


    “And who might these mystery people be? There’s only one Mayor in Vale. We can meet him just as easily.” Both Ilia and Jakob seemed to lean forward, Ilia with a narrowed suspicion and Jakob with a plastic grin.


    “I assume you know about the informant, right? I’m cutting a deal with him right now to get some very important information. I can see about cutting another for safe passage for us all in Little Mistral.” When that didn’t fully soothe their looks, he continued. “Hell, I can use him to maybe filter out some information about the rally to his patrons or just ordinary people on the street. Make this a properly large event.”


    “We’ll have to see. If you’re gonna do that, why don’t you tell him something else for me? Tell him that one of the most influential Midnight Sun operatives are taking part as the guard for the event.” Ilia looked almost horrified at the idea, enough so that Lautrec leaned back in his chair and took on a more critical look.


    “Is that some code phrase? Midnight Sun?”


    “In a way.” Jakob, for all his confidence leaned away as well and sighed before taking a drink. “He’ll be interested, I’m sure. You might even strike a deal. Okinawa Park and at six p.m, don’t forget.”


    /-/


    “What the fuck was that!?” Had he been a lesser man, Jakob might’ve crumbled under the scrutinizing and nearly mutinous glare that Ilia was burning into him. “Telling Junior that we’re here?! Are you out of your mind?!”


    “Ilia.” He grinned through it, his hand cupping her chin before activating his semblance and forcibly calming her. “When have I ever led you astray? This will put us on the map. And when we get attacked by Junior and our two illustrious guards protect and beat them back, we can demand concessions with our ties in Mistral. That’s what Blake and Adam have been doing, they’ve been taking strikes at the Kuroi Kuma while fostering ties with other gangs for assistance. They’ll be subsumed if they don’t pay reparations for their attack, they’ll have to cave to our demands! And Ghira, he’ll have to speak, he’ll have to acknowledge this.”


    He let go of her, pushing his protégée onto a couch. “I didn’t lie to him, either. Midnight Sun will act as almost a code word. Ghira WAS a hero that inspired me until he became complacent in living on that insult of an island.”


    Ilia had more will than he expected, and groaned through the aftereffects of his semblance. “G-Ghira is done with The Fang. Y-you know this. He’s not joining in the fight with Mistral. He has work to do on Menagerie.”


    “And that trumps the help Faunus need in Mistral?”


    “Jakob, this plan is half-baked at best! We know how dangerous the twins are. If they are sent, there’s no guarantee that we’re even able to fight them off. Especially if they come with Junior.”


    He rolled his eyes. “Junior won’t come, he’d have no reason to. He’s already practically the head of the Valean sect of the Kuroi Kuma, there’d be nothing to gain from him doing this. Melanie and Miltia might not even appear, they’re already established within their gang.”


    Lautrec, despite not even being aware, was such a boon to him. Jakob shivered as he thought of the boy, a small grin on his lips. ''Who would have thought a human child would be the key to my advancement in The Fang?''


    What he did not notice was the frustration that grew on Ilia’s face, standing up and walking out of the area before she caused any more strife.


    /-/


    “How does this one look?”


    “It’s fine, but I think you’re trying too hard to find what looks good and not trying hard enough to find a style that suits you.” Miltia said. “Like, I think you rock the punk jeans and the thinner, fancier leggings but you can’t wear either with that Islander shirt. You have, like, no sense of fashion, do you?”


    Rather than get defensive, Lautrec smiled sheepishly and shook his head. “Not an ounce of it. That’s why I wanted your opinion, considering how amazing you usually look. If we’re gonna keep hanging out in public, I can’t be shown up every time by you.” The boy really did mean it, of course. She put together her outfits well, even now when she had been clearly in bed when he had called her scroll. A cream colored long-sleeve undershirt, a dark-oak colored wool vest with some forest green embroidery. Her pants were a light tan shade, being slightly baggy and pooling near her black tennis shoes. He couldn’t have put together an outfit that looked that good if he tried.


    His words were enough to make her look away, smiling very slightly. “Hmph. Whatever.”


    “Are you smiling?”


    “Only at how much of an idiot you sound like.”


    “So I made you smile?” He had a growing smile of his own, stepping closer and leaning down to bump his shoulder against hers.


    “Ugh, shut up~uh. We’re here to shop, not to make kissy-face.” Miltia grumbled, her face desperately trying to resist her grin.


    “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I think we have enough for me anyway, I don’t need that much more clothes, just stuff that’s more hunter-grade.” He groaned, picking up his newly acquired pile of shirts and pants. “I can’t imagine how much money I’m gonna save by not shredding my clothes every time I go out to hunt.”


    She smirked. “What a shame we didn’t go out hunting before, I’m sure I might’ve enjoyed the sight of you looking like you were put through a cheese grater.”


    The two of them exited the small store after paying. Lautrec had sort of had an outline of the day, which was quickly thrown out of the window when Jakob had called, and then even more so when he decided he’d need to get some new clothes for the rally. After that, he had decided there was no point in trying to salvage the plans he had to visit the gym early and instead he’d do it later in the night. But that left another issue, he had no clue what he was going to do to fill the void of time.


    That’s why he was currently bumping shoulders with Miltia, just hanging out. Should he be training? Maybe, but he’d been doing that non-stop since he got to Remnant, so he figured a single day off might have been earned. ‘And it is not like I am just in my apartment bed rotting either, I am doing something that I have been meaning to do for awhile now. And I am building my friendship with Miltia, win win.’


    Speaking of Miltia, she’d been all too eager to take an excuse to get out again, especially since the shopping was on him. “Oh, Melanie is so pissed you beat her, she’s been working extra hard to get better. She wants a rematch.” Miltia added with a roll of her eyes. “She’s not a very humble girl.”


    “And you are?”


    “I am.” She confirmed with a nod, though her expression looked anything but. “It just so happens that I’m amazing at fighting, talking, cooking, and pretty much everything. What a burden it is to be so great.”


    “Hah… I’m kinda surprised you didn’t mention your, I don’t know, ‘ethereal beauty’ or something.” He continued the joke.


    Miltia seemed to preen at the words, if ever so slightly. “I was counting on you mentioning it yourself. Thanks.”


    Despite how he rolled his eyes and scoffed at her antics, Lautrec could say that he was happy he and Mil were friends. Was she an absolute killer on his wallet? For sure, but funds were easy to come by so long as he went hunting frequently. The two of them were passing by the food court, and despite his self-control with was already aided by [Gamer’s Body], Lautrec felt his stomach rumble at the smell of food.


    “Hey, Mil, want to stop for some food?”


    “Hm.” She grumbled herself, pushing a hand to her chin for a moment. “Maybe not here, we’d have to watch the bags from any rats looking for an easy score.”


    “Mil, look around.” He looked around as well, seeing nothing but a bunch of civilians both in image and in levels. “Hardly anyone is gonna think to steal in such a public place.”


    “Psh, I would.”


    He gave her a flat look at that, before conceding the point and holding out his hand. “Look, if you’re really that worried about our stuff, I have a neat trick to hide it.”


    Miltia raised an eyebrow at him, but nonetheless handed him her bag, and then bit back surprise as the bag she handed him and his own vanished from view in a glimmer of blue.


    “All gone, hidden and tucked away into my semblance.”


    “Woah… That’s kinda lame.”


    She must’ve seen the twitch in his eyebrow as she said that, as Miltia hid a snort behind her hand. “What? It is! Kinda. I expected you to have some combat oriented semblance, with how you handed Mel and what not. Maybe something with your reflexes or physical abilities but without the bright aura like Mel.” And when he turned his head and sighed a bit, Mil grabbed his arm and laughed. “But this is cool too! It’s a great utility semblance.”


    “I don’t need the reassurance, my semblance is plenty cool. Helps a lot.”


    “I’m sure it does, Lautrec. Now come on, since we don’t have to worry about the bags we can actually get something to eat and I am starving.” Her hand slid down his arm, before grabbing his hand and leading him to a Chick-Fil-A. “I wasn’t able to grab anything last night or this morning, so this will really hit the spot.”


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    He followed her into the line, nodding at her words. “Late night, then?”


    “Yep. I was on late-night guard duty because Mel took the morning shift yesterday. Ugh, and some total dickhead stumbled over me and wet my dress with his drink.” She shook her head. “It was a whole thing, and then I had to escort him out because you’re not even supposed to have drinks on the dance floor. And I was just so done with it all by then, and told some of the lackeys to take my shift cause there was no way I was working with a soaked dress, you know? And when I wen’t back to my room, my bed was practically calling me, and one thing led to another and I fell asleep before eating.”


    “And then, let me guess, Junior learned you flaked on the whole shift and woke you up early to make you clean the bathrooms?”


    “How’d you know?” She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, which is why I was totally dead when you called me, I had just woke up for the second time.”


    “Lucky me, that you were already awake.”


    “Damn right, lucky you. If you woke me up after how bad a day I had, we’d have to fight.” She smiled, sauntering in front of him as the line moved up for their turn. She ordered her meal, a simple chicken sandwich with waffle fries and extra Chick-Fil-A sauce, his own order was relatively similar only difference was tha the ordered a Spicy Chicken deluxe. The pair walked over to a small table and sat themselves down, eating their food in relatively comfortable silence.


    “You’re dipping your sandwich?” He asked, seeing Miltia push her meal in her sauce.


    “Uh, duh, try it, it’s so good.” She motioned for him to do it as well. Lautrec rolled his eyes, but did so. But before he could take the bite, she leaned over the table and bit it off herself. “Hey, the hell?”


    Miltia chewed the food for several moments before swallowing. “That was my tax for the advice.” She said with a smirk.


    Lautrec huffed, dipping his sandwich into the sauce once more and hastily biting into it before she had the chance to steal more of his food. The flavor was a nice tang, mixing well with the light spice of the sandwich and the heat of the meal itself. “It’s okay, I guess.”


    It was her turn to scoff. “You can just say you liked it, Lautrec.”


    “Hmm…” he put on his best thinking face, cupping his chin. “Nope! I don’t want to give you the satisfaction.” shameless, he was to dip his sandwich once more. She didn’t mention it, but smiled smugly as if it was it’s own declaration in itself.


    the two finished their food, cleaning their table and tossing the trash before standing to walk again. Their space was mostly filled with their idle chatter and the white noise of their surroundings. It was peaceful for awhile, simply roaming the long halls of the Vale Mall.


    “Ugh, do you see them?” Miltia scoffed, pointing her thumb at a nearby group of kids.


    Lautrec turned his gaze toward them, the young kids held flyers in their hands. ‘Faunus children… by themselves?’ The idea was as jarring as it was a little sad, of course he understood that it meant nothing, but simply the sight of a bunch of kids who couldn’t be older than twelve trying to raise awareness for Faunus struggles was enough to earn his sympathy. “Yeah, I see them.”


    “Shameless bunch, aren’t they. Just taking space in front of a store.”


    His head turned to her, a small look of indignation on his face. “Miltia, they’re kids. They don’t know that they’re being rude by blocking the store, at least they’re being kind and just putting up and handing them out. They could very well be yelling to get people’s attention.”


    “Still! They’re disrupting the peace, the nerve.” She seemed a little surprised at his immediate push back.


    “They’re only doing what they have to, Mil. Faunus rights aren’t exactly the best, even in Vale.”


    Miltia didn’t do much other than huff and look away. Lautrec took a second to think, before grabbing her hand. “Look, let’s talk to them for a second, okay? You’ll see they mean nothing bad.”


    “H-hey.. I don’t think we should-” Unfortunately for her, Lautrec wasn’t going to let her stir in her internalized racism. Mistrali or not, Lautrec knew that the first step to fixing a racist mindset was to just interact with the people you hated and then boom, you might not hate them.


    “Are you kids handing out flyers for a rally?”


    The kids mostly looked at him nervously, but one of the older children nodded. “Y-yes. There’s gonna be a meeting to discuss wage inequality within Little Mistral later this week, at Okinawa Park.” The dog, or wolf, Faunus held out a flyer for him to take, and he took it eagerly.


    “Thanks, kiddo. I was at the rally in Vale Square, it was really moving. Oh, and this is my good friend Miltia, don’t mind her being silent she’s just… shy when trying out new things.” The kid turned his eyes to Miltia, who was all but scowling at the kid, and he quickly looked back to the much friendlier face in Lautrec.


    “You were at Vale Square?” The boy began. “I heard it was the best rally ever by The White Fang, almost as good as the ones in Vacuo.”


    “It was! Loads of humans came by and stopped to talk to Jakob, the speaker. Not to brag, but I managed to convince some humans to stop by and even join up.”


    Before he could do much else, Miltia snatched a flyer from the kids hand and then snatched Lautrec’s hand into hers. “Thanks for the flyer, but we’re leaving.” She grounded out, dragging him off. The kid looked a little shocked and all he could do was shrug and wave.


    Once she had dragged him a bit away, she glowered at him. “What are you doing? Trying to play nice with the Fang? Didn’t Junior warn you about them, idiot?”


    He put his hands up defensively, trying to look at least somewhat intimidated by the girl who was close to a foot shorter than himself. “He told me to not get super wrapped up with them, not that I couldn’t support their movement. All I did was head to a rally and throw in my support.”


    “And why would you even do that? They’re not even treated bad here, the ungrateful mutts, they’re treated like they’re equal to us already, leave it be.” Lautrec wasn’t sure he like the way she said that, nor did he particularly enjoy the simmering anger in her eyes


    “Why do you have a problem with it? They aren’t bad people, just a bunch of—”


    “—of fucking scoundrels, murderers, and thieves!” She cut him off, poking his chest harshly. “They aren’t to be trusted. Hell, I don’t even know why I trust you this much, but I’m telling you now that you better fucking cut them out.”


    He didn’t point out that thieves and murderers made up the Kuroi Kuma, her genuine anger as she stared up at him was enough to instill some sense into his mind. “Okay… Got it. I’ll limit myself.” He spoke softly, as if worried she might blow up at him again.


    Miltia huffed, crossing her arms under her chest, he eyes remaining on his for a few moments more before finally looking away. “Good.” She looked at him again, her gaze flickering back and forth for a moment. “Trust me, it’s for the best.”


    He wished that he could say that he trusted her, really he did. In some small ways he did. But the idea of trusting Miltia over Ilia was hardly a fair one. Ilia was willing to drag him out into the most dangerous area he’d ever been in and even when he was hit bad, she stayed and trusted he’d be back to help.


    Lautrec nodded, a polite smile on his lips. “Of course, Miltia.” His eyes shifted to a small build-a-bear shop. “Want to go over there? Take it as an apology for dragging you around, eh?”


    Her eyes followed his gaze, and she snorted before untensing her posture, melting back into her more natural stance. “Sure… stupid.”


    They had a whole day to spend together, after all. Maybe it was wrong of him to assume he could change her mind on Faunus in one interaction. Lautrec shrugged, his hand was taken by hers and they made their way to the Build-a-bear.


    He had time to work on it.


    /-/


    It was raining. Raining pretty hard out, it was a piece of shit truck that the group had been assigned that night, but at least we have a proper escort in a Huntsman. He was sat in the back, meditating it seemed through the rear view mirror. Sarah could say she wasn’t very excited to have him, though. The boss had just stuck him on their crew and he already had a rep as dangerous as fuck and that sort of no-nonsense attitude. The dirt trail they drove over was bumpy and wet, bouncing harshly up and down at random intervals. Didn’t help that her usually talkative crew were silent, afraid of bothering the Huntsman.


    The road ahead was dark, dull, and before long, she broke first and opened her mouth. “Huntsman, how’d you get roped into this line of work?”


    The large man simply turned his head to her for a moment, staring her down through the mirror before speaking. “I had a debt with Junior, information that needed paying. I offered to pay my debt with work, and he sold my debt to Lyoto. I have to do four jobs to pay him back, now.”


    ’Heh.. what a story.’ She only just kept her eyes from rolling, unsure if he’d be upset at that. “How’re you liking it?”


    “It’s dull. Nothing to do, really. Not so much as a noise from this or the last mission I was on.” He grumbled, looking away from the mirror and beginning to meditate again. She could swear she heard him say that he was disappointed.


    “Well… Maybe third times the charm?” She offered, for no real reason. “Let’s just hope that this mission goes just as smoothly as your first, right guys?”


    Her previously silent crew mumbled their agreements, bumping their fists against each other with small nods. ‘So much energy…’ Sarah mumbled in her head.


    It went back to silence for a handful of minutes, just the low rumble of the engine and the sound of pieces of gravel rubbing together under their tires. A small ping reverberated in the van, just as they hit a hard bump which caused the front bumper of the van pop off with a clunk.


    She cursed, slowing the van down. “Give me a second, damn bumper fell off.” Sarah hopped out of the van, her boots hitting the wet gravel and dirt as she walked to the front of the van. The illumination of the headlights glared brightly into her eyes, the sound of rain hitting the metal of the van almost demeaning alongside the howling winds.


    Sarah grabbed the bumper, and slammed it up into its original place just as a devastating crack sounded through the air. She jumped and hit her head on an invisible surface, and the Huntsman stood in front of her.


    "Get back in the van. We’re under attack.”


    It wasn’t like she had a choice, not when the same barrier that had been protecting her practically shoved her back around in into the back of the van. Her eyes met her crews, and they all looked about the same amount of confused looks.


    “What’s going on, boss?”


    A burst of gun fire cracked outside, the rounds pinging off the ground near the van. Sarah grabbed her gun and frowned. “We’re under attack, someone is holding our position with what I can only assume is a rifle of some sort.”


    Lionel, a smaller man and her second in command, gestured for all of them to arm up. “Do we know how many?”


    “Nope.” After checking her gun, Sarah looked back to the rest of them. “Lionel, I need you to stand point near the van. Make sure we don’t lose the cargo. Jesse, you have the advantage with your night vision so I want you with me to try and lead me to the enemy. Andrew, try and find Huntsman. As much as it sucks to say, if these guys are huntsman level as well, someone is gonna need to provide cover fire for Huntsman so he can dispatch them fast enough to help the rest of us.”


    The four of them nodded together, before bursting out of the van, guns raised.


    “I see one, follow my aim!” Jesse called out, his dog ears pulled back as his assault rifle barked towards the tree line. Sarah and Lionel adjusted their aim, before the hail of three magazines worth of ammunition dumped towards the darkness.


    Jesse, ever the useful one, yelled out something. Nothing that they could hear over the sounds of the nature around them nor the gun fire that tore through the world, but it was enough to let them know to move. Sarah had only just been out of the way when the ground the trip had just been standing on erupted in an explosion.


    "They have a grenade launcher! This is two huntsmen!"


    Sarah didn''t curse, not when she was too occupied with the shooting the bastard who had tried to blow her up. Now that she was the only one engaging them, she could see the faint, colored pings of aura for every hit landed.


    ''Fucking hurry up, Huntsman! We need you!''


    /-/


    This fight was an especially difficult one, he could hardly see! And he made the choice to not use the Night’s Edge in any identity that wasn’t Lautrec Griscern, so now he had to fight in the dark with one of the katanas and pistols Junior’s men typically used. Thankfully, the one he was fighting was just as clueless as he, except he didn’t have the skill [Sense Danger].


    His hand grabbed onto the mans jacket, pulling him down and sending the man back with an elbow. He took a step back, before firing off a slug round towards Lautrec. The heavy piece of metal pinged off of his aura, the force enough to cause him to cough and jump to the side as a second came. His back pressed against a tree as he cricled away, focusing on [Sense Danger].


    It was useful, he thought. The ability told him where danger was, and the danger was obviously towards his opponent. Which meant despite how dark, rainy, or blurry it was, he always had a glowing red compass practically screaming where danger lies.


    Lautrec shut his eyes, holding his pistol tightly before Flash stepping far right, accidentally slamming into a tree. The noise gave him away, but not before he took aim and shot several times toward his enemy.


    Two hit, enough to make the man gasp in surprise. The light from the gun illuminated the area just enough for Lautrec to jump head first into the man''s torso, his arms grabbing the underside of his legs and pulling them. A simple double leg takedown.


    Lautrec kept his head down, pulling his arms from under the man as he tried to struggle put of his position. Being on top, he mounted the man, one of his hands grabbing the man''s head so he could aim his elbows down onto his nose.


    The man wasn''t idle, desperately wrestling his way to a boot knife as elbows crashed against his face. "Get the fuck off!" He swung the knife up, slashing a solid chunk of aura off of Lautrec’s face. The man bucked his hips, ruining the balance of Lautrec, before lifting a leg out from under Lautrec''s mount and kicking him away. Lautrec''s pistol flew from his grip, his hand quickly fumbled for his katana as he rolled backward, avoiding a stomp


    "You''re not shit! Your buddies are probably dead, fucking Mistral scum! You think I''m the only aura-having combatant the Midnight Sun could spare for this?!" A rock landed near his feet, and despite that his [Sense Danger] was blaring. His eyes widened for a split second before he jumped backward, activating [Stoneflesh] for just a moment as the dust bomb exploded. Lautrec groaned as he flew backwards and against the cold bark of a tree. Rain kept him from being lit on fire, the dirt under him had become mud, covering his front.


    "Fucking hell!" The member of the Midnight Sun exclaimed, laughing maniacally. "I did it! I killed a huntsman!"


    Lautrec pushed himself up, his eyes capturing the silhouetted form of the faunus. [Dark Vision] helped much more than he realized. "It''s gonna take more than one of those to put me down." He felt himself smirk, despite the direness of the situation Lautrec almost found himself enjoying it.


    "Huntsman! Duck!" Just as he followed the command, a burst of bullets zipped over him and collided directly into the faunus who buckled.


    Lautrec jumped ahead, brandishing the simple red blade. The faunus, to his credit, tried to dodge but being off balance and feet locked on sticky terrain made for an impossible task. His katana cut across the man''s chest, Lautrec followed the momentum, letting his speed guide his movement. The man''s arms went up to block the pommel of his katana from cracking against him. But with a hundred strength, no amount of blocking would redistribute the force.


    Tha faunus was launched backward, rolling awkwardly as more gun fire pelted his aura. Lautrec grabbed the man''s leg, dragging him forward and rained down several more blows. He tried to escape the same way as before, bucking his hips and slashing at Lautrec. Lautrec caught his hand, taking the knife and enhancing it with [Soul Magic] before stabbing it down onto the man''s cheek.


    To his surprise, the man''s aura flared brightly against the glimmering blade. "GAAH!" He yelled, flailing his arms against Lautrec''s in a desperate attempt to escape. Lautrec watched the man''s aura meter free fall, and once it was low enough from repelling the blade, Lautrec tossed the weapon and cracked his fist against the man''s temple.


    The man who had assisted him looked at him for a moment, before nodding. "Good work, sir."


    "Lead me back to the others, there''s another one of these people." Lautrec stood up, looking down at the unconscious body.


    "You aren''t gonna kill him?"


    He hesitated. Lyoto would probably want him to, but he wasn''t so far in that he had to. "No. Leave him, whether he makes it back to the city or if Grimm get him isn''t our concern. Now let''s go help the others."


    Andrew, the man helping him, nodded and began to run back to the van. It was obvious there was a fight, the muzzle flash of gunfire, the lightning-like sound of it echoed through the foresty field unapologetically. Though it took hardly any time at all to reach the van, it was harder to tell where the fight was happening with how intense the rain was.


    "There!" Andrew was the first to spot them, opening fire and striking the second Midnight Sun member. And Lautrec launched himself forward, not waiting a moment and flash-stepping into their guard and throwing a push kick into ther abdomen.


    "About-" a feminine voice coughed from behind him, coughing harshly. "Fucking time."


    Lautrec grit his teeth, steeling himself to not look back at her. "Get you and your men in the van. I can handle this fodder easily enough." Especially since they were low on Aura already.


    Andrew ran to carry his superior while Lautrec bounded ahead and struck his katana out towards the attacker. They raised their grenade launcher up, catching the blade, and shoved it up.


    "You know, your teammate isn''t dead." Lautrec let his sword fall, letting it go and favoring his hand-to-hand. "I''m not heartless. You can go save him." His hands wrapped around their weapon, pulling the smaller form forward and slamming his forehead against their covered face.


    They staggered backward, snarling behind their mask. "And you can go fuck yourself!" She yelled, causing him to shrug.


    "Whatever. I offered you an out, remember that." The faunus raised their grenade launcher, but before they could fire Lautrec had already popped [Flash Step] and cleared the distance. He leaned hard to the right, rocketing a hard left hook against her cheek.


    She fell backwards, stumbling as her equilibrium rocked itself back and forth. "B-bastard!" The unnamed faunus didn''t even aim her grenade launcher properly before shooting a round. He jumped to the left, letting it soar over him, the round collided near the van.


    "Okay, you''re going down now." He looked towards the faunus, his rogue eyes squinting while his palm shot forward. It would''ve looked like an activation of a semblance to anyone else, and to the faunus lady it was just that. She tried to move out of the way, only to collide into an invisible wall.


    Lautrec walked forward, hand extended outward. "Listen, I''ll give you one more chance to surrender. Look at your surroundings, please. You''re in the grimmlands, low on Aura, probably low on dust. Your only partner is out in the forest unconscious. Make the smart choice and give up."


    He stared her down, glaring at her. She glared back just as hard, not faltering or wilting in the slightest.


    "Shut up. I know your tricks, Mistrali! You dogs will do anything but admit your deceit. I''d rather die to the Grimm than surrender to you."


    He opened his mouth to argue, before closing it again and dropping the invisible barrier. Of course, she couldn''t tell, only noticing when Lautrec rushed into her guard and yelping when his fist caught her jaw. It was dirty, even worse was that she was still conscious enough to recognize she was being attacked, clutching her gun hard. Lautrec was on her a moment later, shoving her gun downward to prevent her shot, only that it didn''t.


    She shot the grenade at the ground, exploding the dirt and mud under them both, launching the pair back.


    His ears rang, the proximity of the explosion had him dazed, rocked, half-way concussed even. He looked over to where she had been flung, her grenade launcher was a wreck, having used her last round just then. But, for the most part, she looked fine. Bruised and burned from the heat and launch of the explosion, but she survived it relatively unscathed.


    ''Leaving them here isn''t mercy. You know that.'' He thought to himself. The man he fought in the forest would wake up soon, maybe he''d be dazed for another few minutes after that, but he wouldn''t have any aura left to fend off Grimm. ''I should not leave them here. They would die. But... would that cause issues with Lyoto, Miltia, and Junior?''


    "Huntsman! You alright!?" The smallest of the men asked from the van.


    Lautrec shifted his gaze, gladly taking the escape from his thoughts. "Yeah. I''m good. Let''s move. Lyoto is expecting us, isn''t he?"


    "So he says. This cargo''s pretty important, probably a V.I.P with how much of a ridiculous timetable we''re working with here." The small man looked to him, his face pulled in a dissatisfied frown. "What''d you do with the crates, anyway?"


    "Shoved them in my semblance, for safekeeping." To prove his words, he summoned the three large crates into his arms, hefting them up as he did. "Useful, with how unstable the dust probably is and how reckless that psycho was."


    "Yeah. Smart move."


    /-/


    The warehouse they parked at looked about as decrepit as could be, vines grew along its side, paint gave way and showed its rusty form underneath. And yet one of Lyoto''s finer dressed associates were waiting outside, gesturing for them to halt.


    "Sorry about this, but Lyoto wants Huntsman and Bullet in there only. He''s speaking with the client now, understand, please."


    Sarah, or Bullet, nodded. "Makes sense. Boys, wait in the van. We''ll be quick."


    “Should I get a new jacket or some glasses? Mine are mud stricken and wet.” Lautrec asked.


    Sarah scoffed. “We’ll be fine, we just got off the job. And at least your face isn’t a mess like mine.” She spared him a look, allowing him to really see how much damage she took in the time it took him to get back to them. Her lip was cut and bruised, her left eye was clouded over in red, like blood vessels within her eye had popped. And that wasn’t even accounting the swelling over her cheek bones. “In fact, mind if you take point? You can do the talking, my jaw hurts like a bitch.”


    He nodded, and walked ahead, opening the door into the warehouse. Lautrec expected Lyoto, having been told he would be there. The boy did not, however, expect the client he’d be talking to. And even as his mind halted, his feet carried him forward. It was only the pure focus of [Gamer’s Mind] that he didn’t lose his shit.


    The client that Lyoto had needed them to meet, was a gorgeous woman. Dangerous and narrow golden eyes with a short and clearly well taken care of weave of raven hair. Creamy shoulders stood out, defined and exposed as her cropped red dress covering only her chest down to her thigh.


    [Cinder Fall]


    [Titles: Salem’s Chosen, Survivor, The Sword Saint]


    [Level: 148]


    [Aura: 27,565/27,565]


    [Notable Traits: Dual Sword Mastery, Archery Mastery, Dust Weaver, Touched by Darkness]


    “Oh! Here they are, look. Huntsman, Bullet! Meet our new benefactor, Cinder Fall.” The man, looked entirely too pleased, a lecherous smile on his scruffy face. “You lot look like shit.”


    “There was complications. Ambushed by two hunters, though I dispatched them easily enough.” He spoke almost automatically, addressing his boss. It was hard, to not gawk at the woman whose eyes stared curiously at his form. Mostly because he couldn’t do much more than dislike her. Being tired, and still not fully native in Remnant, he couldn’t muster any real anger towards her for her crimes in the show.


    His words inspired even more excitement from Lyoto, whose grin seemed to split his face at that. “Did you now?”


    “Yes. They were little in the way of a challenge, relying heavily on the element of surprise and the terrible weather to guide them.”


    “You didn’t tell me you kept such competent help in your employ, Lyoto.” Cinder smiled, and Lautrec fought down whatever pleased feeling he felt at the praise.


    The man laughed. “Yep! Me and this young dog go back.” He leaned in his chair, turning back to Cinder. “Helped him out of his debt to a crime lord way back when, he’s been a loyal sonuva gun since. You know how it is, loyalty and honor within us Mistrali’s!”


    “Yes, I’ve heard.” And she made sure to make it clear how little she believed him. “Though, I hear your story and am left wondering, where is the dust I purchased?” There was a saint smile on her lips, but the way she looked at him, her eyes solely on him, was enough to make him feel uneasy.


    “I wasn’t sure if I would interrupt whatever meeting the two of you were having with a stack of crates in between you.” He continued, quickly summoning the crates from his inventory. “But here they are, as requested… ma’am?”


    The sleek white military crates appeared in his arms, and he quickly set them down onto the table. Each were labeled with a specific tag on their surface. A yellow mark, a purple mark, and a brilliant red on the last. Lautrec took a step back, giving the woman space as she clicked open each crate and checked their contents.


    Lyoto didn’t seem worried, and he had no reason to be, as Cinder looked up to him with a pleased smirk. “You’re as good as your word, Lyoto. And they’re all in such pristine condition as well.” She nodded her head slightly to the two of them standing off to the side. “Your protection detail did good work.”


    “Glad you like them, but they aren’t for lease.” for the first time in their presence, Lyoto dropped his carefree look, making sure to remind Cinder who held the power here.


    She waved a hand. “I wouldn’t dare. I only meant that I am pleased with them." Cinders eyes lingered for a moment longer on Lyoto, smiling coyly at the man. "Have a good day, Lyoto. Know that you''ve impressed me, very much so."


    And with that she stood, prompting Lyoto to stand as well. "Huntsman, that’s your name, right? Be a dear and help me, won’t you?” Her hand came up to his shoulder, her finger grazing his neck. There was almost a sensual look in her eyes as she looked up at him, like a predator stalking prey.


    “Sure, Ma’am.” He stepped away from her, moving to the crates and picking them up. She waved him forward, walking him with a sway of her hips. Lautrec had to clear his throat and avert his eyes, even as his cheeks burned hot. This is the woman he has to fight in a month for fucks sake! She led him into the back of the warehouse, a sleek black car was parked in its back garage.


    She popped the trunk, motioning for him to put the crates inside. “Huntsman, you don’t mind me asking, was what he said a lie?”


    “What?” Lautrec asked, setting down the crates onto the floor and picking them up singularly.


    “What Lyoto said. That you’ve worked with him for an extensive period.” Cinder propped her arms on the roof of the car and leaned slightly forward, an attractive sight which he promptly looked away from.


    “D-does it matter? I work for him as a sort of guard dog for his smuggling rings.” Damn his stutter, damn her for weaponizing her looks!


    She nodded slightly, keeping a somewhat neutral and yet confident smirk. “It doesn’t in the end, of course. Just curious if he hired you specifically for this or if he already owned you.”


    As he set the second crate in the trunk, Lautrec bristled slightly. “He doesn’t own me, we hardly speak.”


    “Sure, I was just noting he seems to have trained you well for someone so clearly Valean.” She moved off of the car, taking soft and deliberate steps around it.


    “Does my nationality matter too now?” Small amounts of frustration obviously bled through his tone, but instead of cracking the whip on him for stepping out of line, she smiled a fraction wider. ‘Stop, she wants to get a rise out of you, idiot.’ His mind warned.


    “Only in that he claimed you were Mistrali. I figured that maybe such a flowery story had a few more holes in it. Just a curiosity.” She spoke slowly, with almost a sultry tone. “But, humor me. Was he lying?”


    “You seem insistent on this.” Her eyes spoke a silent warning, a dangerous glint shown within them as she tilted her head towards him. It was enough to make him hesitate, and then concede. “He did. I’ve only done a mission prior to this. And even then, I’ve only been in contact with the Kuroi Kuma for, like, a week.”


    She smiled softly at that, though the smile itself did very little to comfort him any. “So you owe no loyalty to him? And you’re huntsman trained?”


    “yes? Is this leading anywhere?”


    “Are you always so impatient or am I an exception?” he shut his mouth at that, deciding it probably wasn’t intelligent to antagonize the woman in front of him. Her hand grabbed his wrist, angling his hand towards him her, making him turn his head to meet her gaze. At his obedience, she smirked a fraction wider. “Better. It wouldn’t be considered ‘poaching’ if you accepted a job from me with a single offer, would it? There are plenty of uses for a huntsman in this line of work.”


    “I don’t kill.”


    She paused, looking at him with a neutral gaze, practically demanding he continue. “I''m new to this business and I don’t want to kill people. I’ll hunt Grimm, protect cargo, and fight people. But I’m not going to kill, Lyoto knows that. I figured if your sales pitch was going to try and appeal to my desire to fight, you’ll have to look elsewhere for a killer.” He dared to hope that that would be it, that her interest in him would wane in an instant and she would back off from him.


    “Is that so?” At his nod, she leaned away, walking around him and next to the drivers side of the car. “Then that will conclude our business. I’ll leave a tip, given the state of the woman you came in with. Lyoto will see it payed forward.”


    She went inside, and at him closing the trunk, the garage door opened. Cinder and her car were out of view moments later.


    “Well… that’s at least one thing I won’t have to worry about. I thought she seriously was about to poach me.” A small bead of sweat was swiped off of his eyebrow. “Thank the gods.”


    /-/


    “You had a run in with them, then?”


    “Yeah, the White Fang does run deeper than just the Fang. The Midnight Sun, that’s who you were warning me of, wasn’t it?” Lautrec nursed the cold glass against his cheek, feeling slightly tipsy from the alcohol.


    Junior nodded. “They were. I’m glad you can see it now. Especially after that stunt you pulled with Miltia.”


    “She told you about it?”


    “Miltia was a little frustrated at the idea of you cuddling up with an organization that runs perpendicular to ours. It really was never about hating Faunus.” It was a weekday, and incredibly late at that, so The Club was almost completely dead. Junior busied himself with cleaning a glass. “But I hate that the White Fang acts like they’re guilt-free of all the trouble the Midnight Sun causes.”


    “You, uh.. You know that they’re hosting a rally here, right? Okinawa Park”


    “I heard from Miltia.” He sighed. “She’s more troubled about you going. Are you?”


    Lautrec looked up to the man across the bar. “Yes. They hired me for their protection during the rally.” Surprisingly, Junior didn’t look shocked. “I was just wondering if you were gonna do something about it. Like if you were gonna mobilize a force to make sure they don’t try anything.”


    “That’s what Miltia wants to do.” He huffed. “Which means that’s what we’re probably going to do. Just to keep an eye out.”


    He dared to hold his gaze for a moment longer, before speaking again. “What happens if the Midnight Sun is there?”


    Junior’s lips pulled downward ever so slightly. “Miltia and Melanie will handle it. Along with a small group of bodybags.”


    “Bodybags?”


    “People there for the sole purpose of taking hits for the Twins. They have aura, but they aren’t strong enough to make much a difference in a real fight.” Junior set the glass down, before reaching under the counter and grabbing his own brand of single malt scotch, pouring himself a cup. “But enough about the Fang. What’s the other thing you were worried about.”


    “Cinder. She’s up to something, she tried to hire me for a hit or for some combat that’d require killing. And worse, Lyoto’s the one supplying her. I think she’s making a move on Amber.” Lautrec looked at Junior, his stare stern and hoping Junior would share in the misery that’d come with it.


    He did not. Only shrugging and looking slightly somber. “That’s a shame.”


    “That’s all you have? ‘That’s a shame’?” The boy’s gaze grew more annoyed.


    “What do you want from me, kid? I’m a criminal informant that runs a Clan, not a huntsman like you. As heartless as you think I might be for saying it, I don’t see why helping a huntress avoid getting killed by another huntress is my business.” He capped of his words by taking a small drag of his drink, Lautrec’s nose turned up at the smokier alcohol.


    The boy knew he was right, of course he was. Even if Junior didn''t know how strong Cinder was, he knew better than to meddle. "If it doesn''t involve you, mind your business?"


    Junior didn''t seem upset at that, just sighing. "Exactly. Especially when it involves hunters. That''s one thing I learned from this biz, kid. You don''t take risks against people like her. You either bring fifty other hunters with you or you let her walk around you. You''re either a rock in a river or the whole dam. Understand?"


    "I understand as well as I can. You''ll have to forgive the scowl and the irritableness, though, I can only do so much to hide my selfish need to be a hero." And scowl he did, though he hid it behind the weirdly light liquid, the rest of it being downed in an instant.


    “You want advice?” Despite his indifferent nature to the situation, Lautrec was a known quantity to Junior, and a useful one so far, so the man leaned on the bar and looked him in the eye before speaking. “Don’t fight her fair. If you came to me for help, then she must be stronger than you, right?”


    “Like you wouldn’t believe.” The boy laughed, letting his glass fall from his hands and onto the pristine blackened wood of the bar. “Saying she’s ‘stronger than me’ is like saying Ozpin is stronger than me.” He leaned back in the stool. “It’s the understatement of the century. And you know what really sucks? That she’s gonna outnumber Amber and I by two!”


    “All the more reason you fight her like a cornered rat.” His hand grabbed one of Lautrec’s shoulders “You might be a hunter, kid, but that doesn’t mean you have to fight like an idiot. Hire a team, find some like-minded individuals, and make sure she’s the one out of her depth.” The man looked a tad tired as he spoke. “Remember that you have people that you need to live for. No point it dying so early, not when you have friends and family waiting on you to survive.”


    “I know. Believe me, I’m not gonna die when I fight her. I have too much to live for.” He stood from the stool, and offered his best smile. “You have a room I can buy for the night? I don’t have the energy to go run back home.”


    “Crash in the twins. They won’t mind.” He smirked. “Though they might force you to train with them come morning.”


    He cringed. “Junior, come on. You gotta have something, right?”


    The larger man chuckled, before nodding. “The room across from theirs is free. Though most people use it as a fuck room. There’s a clean couch.” The man paused for a moment. “At least I think there is.”


    Lautrec groaned, annoyed. “Never mind. I’ll walk home. But can I get some more alcohol? I don’t feel like my issues have melted away just yet.” When another, much larger glass was set in front of him, Lautrec leaned back in to see it wasn’t the clear color of vodka but the browner and smokier drink of Junior’s own Single-Malt scotch. “Yours?”


    “You’ll need it more than me. But after this I’m cutting you off. The last thing you need is alcoholism on top of everything else.” Lautrec could hardly hide his disappointment, but nodded.


    “Thanks, Junior.” Lautrec knocked back the glass, holding back a cough as he downed the burning liquid. It hurt to drink it all at once, but he couldn’t stand to sit at the bar much longer, the boy wanted to sleep after all. By the time his drink was done, his eyes were bleary and his step slightly less sure. He waved away to Junior as he made his way into the back.


    [Quest Completed: A Bump in the Road]


    [Rewards: +XP, +REP with Junior, +REP with Lyoto, +800 Lien]


    [Level Up!]


    The rewards were shit, but the quest was incredibly easy for someone of his level and stats. Lautrec grit his teeth, grabbing his face and covering his eyes. The quest took an hour out of his day. He hadn''t leveled up in very nearly two days until tonight. Cinder was level one-hundred forty-eight.


    ''How the fuck am I going to even compete with that? How stupid am I? Taking a whole day off knowing damn well I''d have to compete with a monster like that and three more!'' It wasn''t so much anger as it was frustration and exhuation catching his heels, bubbling in his mind. He leaned against a wall, before slowly falling against it and huffing. He sat on the floor for however long, pity and self-loathing rolling off him in waves.


    "You look like shit." Miltia''s voice rang out. "And I mean that literally. Your jacket has mud all over it, your hair is fucked, and your hat is practically cooked to a well-done. "


    "Fuck off, Mil."


    "Don''t make me drag you to my damn room and force you to spill, Lautrec. How''d your mission go?"


    "It went fine, smooth as silk."


    Miltia approached him, sitting down to his side and tilting herself to look at him. "I don''t believe you."


    "Oh, fuck me, then. What a shame that you don''t believe me." He dropped his hand, meeting Miltia''s eyes.


    "I''d usually take you up on that if you offered, but I''m serious when I say you look so bad right now." Her smile wasn''t teasing, nor playful, to his surprise it looked almost soft and caring. "Want to come back to my room? Maybe change out of that cheap suit and just talk?"


    "I was telling the truth, the mission went great. Cargo was secure, Lyoto was happy, all the crew made it out fine." He sighed, leaning more forward, and resting his head against her shoulder. Lautrec felt her tense, before slowly bleeding away the tension and relaxing. "It''s just what I found out that''s really gonna screw me over."


    "And what''d you find? Don''t just leave me on a cliff hanger, dick!" Her palm slapped against his back, before resting there and coincidentally forming into a sort of hug. It was almost enough to make him laugh, that she wasn''t able to just hug him normally.


    "Lyoto is working for Cinder, so if I attack Cinder, I''m sorta attacking Lyoto." He paused. "Not working for, but like doing work for her."


    "Oh..." She quieted down, resigning herself to simply hugging him for the moment.


    "Yeah. Any ideas of how much trouble I''m gonna be in if he''s still doing work for her when me and her fight?"


    Even though he wasn''t looking, he could tell that Miltia bit her lip and glanced away. "A good amount? Not enough for Lyoto to call for your head, or something. But you''d need to be made an example of in some way, for what the clan would definitely say is your mistake."


    "But that''s the thing, beating Cinder? That''s not something I''ll ever call a mistake. I''ll be helping more than anyone would know." Lautrec hugged her back firmly, his larger frame enough to cover her entirely as he sat up and leaned into her. "But thanks for the warning. Let''s hope he isn''t doing work for her in two months."


    "Let''s hope not." Her eyes shut as she mimicked his previous action, leaning her head against his shoulder.


    /-/


    Ilia was NOT having a good night. Not in the slightest! That slimy smuggling dog had pulled a fast one on Tukson, and her unit missed the important caravan while the two less experienced members of the Midnight Sun were left to fight a huntsman!


    ''Though, calling them members of the Midnight Sun is a reach. These goons could hardly match herself or Blake. They''re more like... idiots who wanted to get into fights for the thrill of it.'' She sat back into her chair, frowning deeply as Gerrard recounted the fight with the Huntsman.


    "He wasn''t that fast, honestly it was close! The bastard got lucky, that''s all. Had backup and could just take a fucking dustbomb to the face! How was I supposed to know he could just do that?!" The man had a broken nose, swollen eyes, bruising all over his face and his chest. "I took it to him, I really did."


    "That''s.... great! But I was hoping for a more of a description, something to work off of. Maybe a height, a build, something unique and definitive.”


    Gerrard grumbled, but nodded. “He was a faunus for sure, he was moving too well in the dark for it to be anything other than night vision. Can’t believe one of our own would ever work for those lying sacks of-!” At Ilia’s glare, he got back on track. “B-but yeah. Faunus, maybe around six feet and a few inches tall. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was bull faunus or a horse faunus, the guy was muscular but not in the bulky way that a hippo or rhino faunus would be, but in a more lithe way. Like he was made to be more agile than complete brute force.”


    “Hm.” She nodded, and thought for a moment. “Bull faunus have horns typically, did you see any?”


    “No. I hardly saw anything. Even with my night vision, the rain and the tree coverage made it damn near impossible to spot anything as dark as horns.”


    Ilia let out an explosive sigh. “Thank you for your report, Gerrard. If you want, you can see yourself out and Steph will give you a ride out of here.”


    “Yeah… Thank’s for helping me patch up, Ma’am.” If he thought it weird calling a girl probably fifteen years his junior ma’am, he didn’t show it. “For what it’s worth, I hope you catch the bastard and make him pay. No one will stand for a race traitor.”


    The man left soon after, and then after waiting another dozen minutes Jakob took his place. He looked just as weary as she, tired eyes and a mug of coffee in hand. “Get anything worthwhile out of your guy?”


    “Barely anything. We’re dealing with a suspected horse or bull faunus that’s six feet and up tall with a more athletic musculature.”


    “Sounds like we’re looking for a second Adam.” He laughed, though it lacked any humor. “We’re in luck though, Jasmine had a hair, skin, and eye color for us.” And for a moment she dared to hope. “Red eyes, pale complexion, and black hair.”


    And her hope was snuffed out. “No, it can’t be one of hers, can it?”


    “Mistrali, jet black hair, red eyes, paper white skin and a bitch of a huntsman? Yeah, it’s probably one of her spawn.”


    “Adam said she''d stay out of our business with Mistral! They had a deal she''d leave us be!”


    “Then we tell her the dog’s off leash! She’ll be itching for a fight, and the sooner the better. We need to keep our sect of the Midnight Sun well equipped, we don’t have the funds nor the surplus to take a loss like that too many times.” He sank into his seat, meeting her eyes. “I doubt I’d need to tell you, but I want you to start doing only one raid. I want you to head it, no matter what. You’re the only person of Hunter caliber and I think we’d do better not to spread our forces thin.”


    Ilia sighed, but agreed. “I’m gonna sleep here tonight. With the rally being so soon, I think I’ll stick around and scout the area some more.”


    The man nodded. “I need to prepare my speech. We’re gonna make a splash tomorrow.”