The garage door opened and he began speeding up, giving her one last wave before turning, finally leaving Ruby's sight. She frowned a little as the garage door closed, still unnerved from what she saw a while ago.
Ruby's slept with Reid more than once now, though two times isn't much. It worried her when she saw Reid turn in his sleep, looking grim and grimacing every few minutes. Nightmares are common, even Ruby has them occasionally, either about her mother or the recent Titan encounter she had.
But something about Reid looking so horrified at times was unusual. He always looked confident and serious, he never let any enemy, no matter how powerful they are, scare him. She admired how fearless he was.
Seeing him so scared wasn't something Ruby thought she'd ever see. She didn't know what he was dreaming about - it didn't sound like it was about the Titan Grimm battle. His mutters and mumbles never made a connection.
It was hard understanding what he was saying, but Ruby managed to pick up a few sentences. "I didn't know" and "I had to" were the clearest. She had zero ideas what those mean - What didn't he know? What did he have to do?
And once she heard him whisper "I'm sorry" in a voice filled with guilt and sorrow.
Ruby then realized that Reid isn't as invincible as she once thought. Something was eating away at his mind and he's clearly suffering because of it. She knew he wasn't perfect, she realized that a long time ago, but seeing him so guilty about something was…
Well, she didn't know what to think. He must've done something horrible, and he regrets it deeply. It was then when Ruby also realized that she doesn't quite know a lot about Reid and his past. All she knew is that he was an 'adventurer' from the interview, which she thinks is a simple lie told to the media. She gets why he did it, though.
She wanted to ask him about it but wasn't sure how he'd react. She knew Reid isn't someone who likes to share his pain or insecurities with other people, she knew he wants to be seen as perfect. He'd either brush it off as nothing or, at worst, tell her he doesn't want to talk about it.
Ruby wasn't sure what to do, she never had to deal with something like this before. She wanted to help him somehow, and all she can do right now is tell him that she loves and cares about him. He didn't seem to notice her intention yet and seems to appreciate it a lot.
She didn't know what to do. She doesn't want to push him to talk about stuff he finds uncomfortable but doesn't like seeing him in pain like this. Sometimes, she wished she had his blunt nature because then she can walk up to him and just say it.
But while she's getting better at socializing - pros of being around extroverts - she's not at that stage yet. She's afraid of saying the wrong thing, and it holds her back.
With that thought, Ruby sighed, heading towards the training grounds to practice her magic. She then winced as she realized that Yang is gonna have to learn about Reid's special magic granting powers and how they worked.
"You idiot," She cursed her boyfriend for putting her on the spot like this.
She knew why, but she didn't exactly like it. Reid was always honest with her, even if the truth hurt sometimes, and Ruby appreciated it. It showed that he really cared about her a lot, and she wasn't immature enough to not see the bigger picture.
It wasn't uncommon for hunters to have harems, but the request still shocked her. Even if she fully understood why he asked for something like that, it was weird. Ruby wasn't hurt or angry by any means, she wasn't unreasonable, but it made her feel a little uncomfortable.
The mere idea of Reid giving attention to another girl made her feel jealousy like never before.
She shook her head. She can think about it later, and at first, she wanted to say yes, only to be stopped once Reid told her that it's okay to be selfish sometimes. He told her to weigh her own feelings alongside what she thinks is the right option.
So Ruby took his advice and thought that she's gonna have to think about this a little more.
She wondered what Yang would think once she hears about this…
Ruby's face turned red suddenly.
And what she'd do once she realizes what Reid did to her 'pure little sister' behind closed doors.
(Reid)
That was kind of a dick move.
The voice in my head finally sounds, miles away from Vale City. I ignore her, focusing on the road ahead of me as I look for the slaver's hideout. I know it's a few miles ahead, inside a cave in a forest somewhere.
I can see said forest in the distance, though. A few hours till the auction starts, so I need to stay hidden somewhere, probably hide Roc a bit further so nobody can see it. Roman said that my previous interferences made the slavers a lot more cautious, changing the dates and locations while also adding more guards.
Whatever, let them get a thousand guards. I'll slaughter them all for EXP. Slavers don't deserve any rights.
Y'know, nutting in a girl before leaving a few days later.
My eyes narrow as I increase my speed. I'm still confident that I'm one of the strongest people on the planet. I don't think there's a lot of human opponents that can actually fight me on equal grounds, and even then, I have way too many hax like potions and Haki that it's not funny.
Unless they somehow recruited a Titan Grimm, I doubt I'll be having a lot of trouble. Part of the reason why Grimm are bothersome is that Conqueror Haki doesn't work on them, humans and Faunus on the other hand.
That's a different story altogether.
Though, I remember Qrow unconsciously resisting Conqueror once. Sure, I held back a lot, but it's noteworthy.
I dunno about you, but that feels like emotional abuse to me.
"Could you shut up, please?" I growl. "What the fuck was I supposed to do, anyway?"
Just sayin'. Sure, you were kinda unlucky a lot of times, but I'm still calling you out on it.
I sigh in frustration. "Easy for you to say."
Want my advice?
I sigh deeply, though, a little interested. It's not every day you get relationship advice from a god.
"Hit me."
Apologize.
I blink. "Uh, what?"
Listen. If you don't want her to start resenting you, which I doubt will ever happen, then just apologize to her.
"How's that gonna help?"
It shows that you're not a selfish ass. Trust me on this.
I take a moment to reply, giving it more thought before speaking. "I'll keep it in mind."
…
"Thanks."
No problem. Saving myself from future angst anyway.
I chuckle. "Nobody likes angst."
Exactly.
It didn't take long to reach the forest, and I decided to park somewhere outside. I look around for any place I can hide the bike. After not finding anything at all, I frown and park near a hill, an idea forming in my head a minute later.
I crouch, taking off my gauntlets, and take a fistful of dirt and mud, the small, red circle drawn in my hand glowing as I create golems right here and then. They aren't really that big, around two feet each time I make one, but I create enough before mentally ordering them to hide Roc.
They do just that, hugging the blue bike and camouflaging it. Adding a little grass to the golems made them able to hide it perfectly. Now there's a little bump on the hill, but nothing out of place.
I smirk. Once again, my genius shows itself. God, I love Golemcrafting so much.
With this done, I wear my mask and begin searching for the cave where the auction is taking place, using my Observation Haki to locate them. It's pretty early, the sun hasn't set yet, so I know they haven't started. Roman said they will after midnight.
I don't trust Roman; only an idiot would trust a criminal like him, even if I know he didn't lie to me. However, if this was a trap of some kind, I'm fairly certain I'll come out of it unscathed. The sheer amount of abilities I have counters most of the things anyone could throw at me.
It's why I don't really see human opponents as threats. Most can be taken care of with Conqueror, and my physical strength is out of this world, excluding potions. I haven't ignored the possibility that there are monsters in this world, probably with insanely powerful semblances or something, but meeting one here seems unlikely.
I sense something in the distance, prompting me to slow down as I quietly maneuver towards it. I'm not good at sneaking, but my enhanced senses help me stay clear out of sight and avoid making a lot of noises.
I take a peek from behind a tree, seeing two people talking to each other in front of the cave I've been looking for. A check with Observe didn't say anything noteworthy, regular huntsman level guards, so I focus on hearing, eavesdropping on the two.
"-een days ago. Higher-ups wanted to make sure they got here safely."
"Safely?" The Guard 2 responds.
"So the Black Phantom fella doesn't expect 'em and attack," I cringe at the name. "Guy has a bounty on his head. Fifty Million Lien they said."
"Gods, all that for one man?" His friend asks in surprise. "Seems kinda blown out of proportion."
For some reason, having such a high bounty on my head feels nice.
"You high?" Guard 1 scoffs. "That monster single-handedly destroyed two bases, and you'd need a team of veteran hunters to even stand a chance against a guarded auction. Why do you think the Council hasn't cracked down on the whole business yet?"
"Because they're…" He scratches his head. "Corrupt?"
"That's one reason, but mostly cuz they're scared," He answers. "They are already stretched thin with the Grimm getting wilder recently - throwing hunters at criminals isn't gonna help them in the long run."
"They still have the military?"
"Dumbass. Ever wondered why they don't use the military on Grimm?" Guard 1 questioned. "Cuz mobilizing a big force will cause fear and uncertainty across Vale, meaning more Grimm attracted."
That's not true, doesn't make sense either. Simply giving an announcement that the military will be moving to clear out some places would do the complete opposite - it'll fill people with hope instead.
The military is only used for two things as far as I know. In case of a war, and for clearing out large, Grimm-infested areas. I'm talking about places half as big as Vale City itself, not something a few hunter teams can take care of.
However, there is some truth in that. The Grimm are in fact getting bolder, most likely Salem's doing, so a lot of hunters are busy dealing with that threat, and mobilizing a whole military force just to target criminals is generally a bad idea because it draws attention.
And attention is the last thing you want when hunting criminals. You need to be sneaky and discreet about it - like how you'd hunt any kind of animal really. Going guns blazing is the opposite of what you want to do. It makes you easy to predict and counter.
So the main issue with this must be corruption in the council. At least one of the councilmen is giving a blind eye or possibly outright helping with the whole slavery business. I haven't met any of them except for Ozpin and Slate so far, so I have no evidence or clues on who it could be.
As I was about to leave, I pause as I hear more, something catching my interest.
"Ah, you don't have to worry about it, though," Guard 1 shakes his head with a sigh. "Even if this Nahkriin comes out tonight, the Cleavers will take care of him."
I raise a brow. Cleavers?
Also, these guys are chatty as hell, aren't they? Christ.
"Oh yeah, those huge guys that came in earlier today," Guard 2 nods. "I hear they're Hound's men. Is that true?"
"Yeah. Wild how Hound and Emperor are making an alliance," Guard 1 chuckles. "You'd think they'll be at each other's throats."
Interesting. An alliance between two crimelords, huh? Roman isn't gonna like this.
"It's because Black Phantom I think," His partner says. "Maybe if he's done with this slavery business, he'll move on to other crimelords?"
"Probably."
"Who do you think he is, by the way?"
"Some kid with delusions of grandeur." Guard 1 scoffs then pauses. "...A powerful one at that."
I was about to leave before an idea strikes. I was gonna wait till midnight, and I'm still gonna do that, but I should probably scout the insides of the cave first. I have my invisibility and muffle potions to do that.
As much as I hate it, I'm not saving the slaves yet. I want the buyers to come to the auction first, before slaughtering them all. I'm not leaving a single soul alive, so freeing them now means alerting everyone.
I take off the mask and drink my potions, sneakily getting in without the guards noticing anything at all. The cave entrance was big, with a few Dust Crystals lighting it up. I made sure to avoid touching anything or anyone as dozens of guards patrolled the place.
Eventually, I see the big room where everything should be taking place. A stage, hundreds of fancy chairs for the bidders, a bar in the back. It was eerily similar to both places I've destroyed.
I look around some more, spotting a giant dude towering over everything, wearing light armor - only pauldrons, waist armor, gauntlets and boots with his chest laid bare, and a giant axe strapped on his back. Guy must be like, 8 feet or something. Holy shit.
As I got close to him, I froze at the look on his face.
I've only seen this look on corpses before. It's so… empty, void of any emotions. I even try to sense his feelings, but nothing. There was nothing at all, it felt like I was staring at a robot or a statue.
I even tried using Conquerors on him. Same thing, no reaction at all. Not even a flinch. It was like… he's completely broken.
What the fuck happened to this guy?
Name: Kell Gany
Title: Cleaver #5
Age: 35
Race: Human
Level: 132
HP: 15,500
MP: 0
AP: 12,000
STR: 413
VIT: 401
DEX: 200
INT: 0
WIS: 0
CHA: 0
LUK: 10
What… what the fuck?
I mean, aside from the concerningly high physical stats, what the hell is up with his mental stats? Why are they zero?
He... really is broken, isn't he?
They're extremely strong, too. It's… suspicious. His Aura isn't high, which usually determines how powerful a person is, so his physical stats being through the roof makes zero sense.
Though, now that I think about it, the guards outside said Blood Hound is making an alliance with Pig Emperor, and according to Roman, the former has his grip on drugs and all that jazz. Drugged warriors, perhaps? Something like the Super Soldier Serum maybe.
And if the mental stats are any indication, then they're not perfect. It probably gives immense physical power at the cost of their minds being broken, completely destroying their free will.
I scowl.
Fucking disgusting. All of them deserve nothing but to be sent to hell.
I shake my head and control myself as I look around a little more, finding what I assume to be the office and where the plans of the whole operation are. No one was inside, and nobody is close to what Observation is telling me, so I go inside.
I have a few more minutes before my invisibility wears off, though that's no trouble. I have like, 33 invis-potions in my inventory right now.
There was a big safe, but I'll open it once I'm done killing everything here. Again, don't want to alert anybody. Instead, I made sure no cameras were in the room before looking around lockers, desks, and all that. I begin reading all the files, finding nothing important.
Only the 'product' names, codenames for possible buyers - nothing that could lead me to whoever's behind all of this. I click my tongue in annoyance and leave the office, this time looking for the prisoners.
The clusters of energy were easy to spot, so I followed them until I found the jail cells filled with all manner of captives. Children, men, women, and so on all in dirty rags. There seems to be a lot more Faunus than Humans, around eight to two.
My fists clench tightly as I see kids, not even ten years old, quietly sobbing in despair. The negative emotions I'm picking up are overwhelming - anger, sadness, grief, hopelessness. It took everything in my power to not ruin my own plan right there and then.
I think I've seen everything…
As I'm about to leave, I hear… something out of place. I was about to ignore it and be on my way, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I close my eyes to focus. Beeping, of some kind. It was so quiet - in fact, even the captive's breathing was louder than it. I quietly and slowly move to where it's coming from.
Inside the wall?
As I put my ears on the wall, I try to identify the noise. It's very quiet beeping, but what is it coming from? Why is it inside the wall? And now that I give it a closer look, there's some sort of patch- part of the wall has a slightly different color.
I knock it, which seems to alert some of the prisoners, but I ignore them. Different material too. Concrete? Not sure.
I look around and hide in a corner, away from the prisoners' eyes and cameras before taking a nearby rock. I need to… drill inside that patch of concrete, see what's inside, but doing it myself might attract attention. Some tiny golems would probably be better.
I have a horrible feeling about all of this.
I pump mana into the little rock, transforming it into a rock golem with drills for arms and head before putting it on the ground. Some of the prisoners notice as it climbs up the walls, drilling inside the concrete before I mentally order it to break apart.
The cameras most likely did not notice - the thing was the exact same color as everything else, and it was so small too. The drilling was definitely not something easily noticeable.
Once that's done, I look through the hole, still not making sure what it is. There was a green light going on and off. Seeing that I don't know what it is, I use to observe, which makes my blood cold.
Military-Grade Fire Dust Bomb
Oh…
I glance at the prisoners, who seem to be unaware. If there's a bomb here, then there are possibly bombs all over the cave.
...Oh my god.
What- what kind of twisted joke is this? I don't understand - what does this Pig Emperor gain out of this, if it was even his plan? Is this supposed to be a trap or some shit? Fucking lace the place with bombs so he can maybe get me?
Doesn't he understand the ramifications and consequences of using Military-Fucking-Grade bombs in a cave? Is he out of his mind?!
I mean, Roman warned me that he's batshit crazy, but what the absolute fuck?
Okay, focus. If I'm gonna rescue them, then I need to disable or get rid of the bombs somehow, but I don't know how many there are. This could be the only one, or maybe the entire cave is filled with them.
How do I stop the bombs? I'm no demolitionist or have any technical knowledge about bombs. Any magical experiment to somehow drain the dust out of its magical energy is too time-consuming on top of it attracting too much attention.
Shit, what do I do?
I look at the bomb, coming up with an idea on the spot. I need to get my hands on it first, but how do I do that without attracting too much attention? Just getting one finger close to it would be enough.
Making a hole big enough for my hand is a bad idea. The camera is right there - I need to work with this.
I stick my finger in the hole, quietly trying to reach for the beeping explosive before finally touching it, to which then I stuff it inside my inventory, making me smirk. Heh, it worked.
Clever.
I knew the bomb is considered an 'item', therefore able to be stored. Something like a wall or a vehicle won't work, but no matter how volatile or heavy something is, if it's categorized as an 'item' by the system, it means I can store it.
I've realized that there are categories, or 'codes' for everything that the system works with. Trying to store golems won't work since they're not 'item-coded', more 'entity' really. Something like a wall or tower could be 'building' and a bike would be 'vehicle'.
All assumptions of course, but I've yet to be proven wrong.
Alright, bomb one out of 'unknown' disabled. Look around for beeping and out-of-place patches of concrete(?).
I hide somewhere and down a few more potions, resetting the timer for my invisibility, night vision, and muffle buffs. I start to scan every room, every hallway, and even under every chair in the bidding area.
None of the guards noticed anything. I made sure to be extra delicate after all.
The tiny rock golems were doing wonders - my high level golemancy made it easy for them to drill through, and their small size made them unnoticeable. The hardest part was actually making them outside the range of the cameras or guards because the circles glow a little.
I've found ten bombs in total - three in the main hall, two in the entrance, one in the office, two in the bar, and two in the jail. I'm not sure if I found all of them, and I triple-checked by listening in for any more beeping. Thankfully, nothing.
I exit the cave, none being the wiser as I return to my hiding place with a chuckle. "Bitch thought he could trick me of all people."
Not gonna lie, it was close. Thanks to my enhanced hearing, though, I was able to find them. I love being a leviathan.
Alright, got some good info out of this. I knew there was some corruption in the council, which is expected anyway. You can't have a squeaky clean society - there gotta be some dirty spots here and there, but given time to think about it more made me realize that at least one of them knows about this whole thing and refuses to help.
Ozpin knows of course, but his hands are tied with Beacon and making sure Salem backs the fuck off and General Slate is probably too busy with the military and looking around for areas to clear out to expand Vale and find resources, and I'm fairly certain he knows about Salem as well.
That leaves us with four suspects. I need to get high up there in Vale, maybe get me my own seat, then I can investigate with nothing holding me back.
And then I need to deal with Hound's inhumane methods of making strong minions using drugs. Sure, it's all assumptions at this point, but all the evidence is pointing at him. Once Piggy is destroyed, there'll be a power vacuum, and that's probably when he's gonna reveal himself.
"Now we just need to wait," I mutter, leaning against the tree.
(Ruby)
If there was one thing Ruby noticed about magic, it's how different it is to Aura.
The general feel of magic felt almost incomprehensible at times, probably because she's not used to it yet. Aura always had a feeling of power - the first time it was unlocked, it made Ruby feel invincible. It was far from the truth of course, but Ruby wouldn't blame beginners for making mistakes seeing how it feels.
Magic, though, felt calm. Reid mentioned that each element has its own unique feeling, and Ruby can only explain Light as 'warm'. Unlike Aura, which is energy consisting of Spiritual and Physical energies, magic is purely Mental.
Aura comes from the soul, but you can't expect to become powerful without physical exercise. Magic, on the other hand, comes from a spiritual organ called a 'Magic Core', and to refine it, all you need is simply use magic.
Reid said that it's like a muscle. Training is the only way of improving it, excluding outside means of course. He did also warn that overuse might be a bad idea for her, as the lower mana you have, the harder it is to focus.
Something about headaches, but Ruby felt fine. She's been practicing for around half an hour, shaping crude arrows before throwing them at the wall. They barely left a scratch, which made her pout.
The sheer difference between her and Reid in terms of magical skills was vast. It felt a little disheartening, but she always reminded herself that she's just starting, and according to him, she has a lot of potential, and she knew he wasn't saying that to make her feel better.
On the bright side, she actually has magic.
So even if hers is still pretty weak, she has something most of the world doesn't even know exists.
As Ruby was about to cast another spell, the door opened, prompting her to quickly hide her hand behind her back as she turned to her sister, who wore a bright smile. Ruby mimicked the smile, a little concerned that Yang saw anything.
"Yo, Ruby," Yang waved. "Finished early today. So where's Reid?"
"Oh, he's gonna be out for a few days," Ruby responded. "Something about business 'n stuff."
"Right," Yang nodded. "Guess it's just you and me, then?"
"Yup."
Wait, why is she hiding her magic? She should tell her sister right now. Yang would be amazed that her sister can shoot light beams and stuff. Not like she's gonna be mad or jealous or anything.
But talking about the process is…
"Y'know, I never had the chance to ask about your date," Her sister noted. "How did it go?"
Ruby blushed brightly. She can't talk about that stuff with Yang, it's embarrassing! Scratch that; she can't talk to anyone about it, except for Reid himself. Her sister will probably fly off the handle and try to beat him up - promptly getting her butt kicked in the process - and nobody wants to see that.
Well, it is a little funny sometimes, but that's not the point.
Still, Yang was absolutely looking forward to learning magic, she'd fantasize about throwing fireballs and stuff, so she deserves to know. Knowing what her boyfriend needs to do is gonna make this very awkward for the two of them, though.
But she still deserves to know damn it!
Gods, what do I do? Ruby fidgeted. How do I tell her about this?
Well, the least she can do now is tell the truth about the date. Ruby will try to improvise when she gets to that point.
"It was really fun," She answered truthfully. "You were right; it really is like hanging out, but with extra steps."
"See?" Yang grinned, patting her sister's head. "Told you everything is gonna go just fine."
"What about you?" Ruby asked. "What did you do at the festival?"
"Out with my team," She shrugged. "We didn't do much - spent most of our time walking. I think Weiss enjoyed it the most despite the heat, to be honest. I don't think she gets to do this very often.
"You know, I just realized something." Yang continued. "You've never met my team, have you?"
"Nope, you just told me about them," Ruby shook her head. "I never thought the Heiress of the SDC was ever gonna be your team leader. She's like a literal princess."
"Acts like one too," She rolls her eyes. "I like her, but she can get really insufferable sometimes. You have no idea how many times I stopped her and Blake from getting into a fight. Feels like I'm babysitting sometimes."
Ruby giggled. "You've always been the mature one despite how you act."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Yang raised a brow in confusion.
"Nothing," She waved it off. "So wanna start training?"
"There's nothing better to do," She said, ignoring the earlier statement.
"Great!" Ruby smiled and took out her scythe. "Alright, let's go-"
"Nope."
"-oowhat?" She paused.
"No weapons," Yang pointed at Crescent Rose. "Hand-to-Hand only."
"But-"
"No buts," She frowned. "Remember what Reid said? You need this."
"Well, yeah, but I-"
"No buts!"
"However-"
"No howevers either."
"N-"
"Nevertheless isn't allowed."
"Ugh, fine!" Ruby groaned, transforming her scythe to its storage state. "Jerk."
"That's what I thought," Yang grinned. "Now put those hands up and show me what Reid taught you."
Ruby pouted and got in her stance.
At least training will keep her mind off of that stuff for a bit.
Ruby wasn't looking forward to that uncomfortable conversation.
(Reid)
I spent the whole day monitoring the cave, watching masked and hooded people get inside. I've read the documents at the office; exactly 75 people will be buying and bidding, so I counted each guy that entered the place.
Some people came together, sometimes in groups of 3-5, but the notes never specified that there were gonna be groups, so I counted everyone separately. It's thirty minutes past midnight right now, and as of this moment, I counted 68 people.
From the noises I heard, I can tell that the auction started a while ago. They weren't waiting for everyone and began right on time, at exactly 12:00 AM. This isn't worrying, though, because even if the prisoners were 'bought', they were to remain untouched until after everyone goes home.
There were three of those Cleavers warriors inside, one guarding the outside as the other two remained inside. I'm not really afraid of getting in a fight with them - I know I can handle myself against them just fine, but I won't be able to kill them instantly.
Which might give the buyers some time to escape. I can't allow that. Anyone who set foot inside that place with the intention to buy deserves nothing but a painful death.
I narrow my eyes, smirking coldly as the final seven enter the cave.
And a painful death they'll get.
I inject myself with potions, power surging inside me as I rush towards the behemoth of a man, my blacksteel longsword still in its sheath. One strike was all it took for me to slice his head off considering the absurd amount of buffs and damage bonuses, silently killing the Cleaver with a quickdraw.
He gave a good amount of EXP, but no level up.
The other, weaker guards only notice what had happened once the head hits the ground, but I silence all of them with one strike each before a scream could be heard and alert the people inside.
With all the guards outside taken care of, I sheathe my sword as both of my hands burst in black flames. I slowly walk through the dimly lit cave entrance, right until I reach the main hall. First thing I did was knock out the slaves with Conquerors, sparing them the horrific sight that's about to take place, and not even wasting a second, I unleashed a huge turret of flames at the bidders, who were unaware of my presence until now.
As the collective screams and wails of agony pierce my ears, I rush towards the stage and stab the seller in the leg and knock him out with Haki, almost laughing at how familiar all of this felt. Exactly like the first time I did it. Good times.
The two giant guards rush me, their emotionless faces making me frown in sympathy. My potions might be able to get rid of the drugs inside them, but nothing I can do will be able to fix their broken minds. In a way, they're already dead and are just walking corpses.
I whisper an apology as I dodge their swings, giving them a painless death unlike the real monsters inside. Heads roll on the ground as I target the rest of the running guards, who screamed in terror as I killed them one by one, burning all of them to death.
As I force the fires to die out, all that remained was the ashes of the buyers and guards and the unconscious body of the seller.
All of that happened in the span of one minute.
Level up!
I chuckle.
Seeing that Oz knows my identity, I give him a heads up and a location of the place, letting him deal with the rest as I free the prisoners by breaking down the cells. None of them were able to speak up, all looking at me in awe, hope, gratitude and a tiny bit of fear. I don't blame them, the mask is pretty intimidating.
"Wait here," I say. "Rescue will be here shortly."
I turn around and leave, dragging the seller's unconscious body with me outside. It'll be a while before hunters and police arrive, so I can take my time getting answers from this moron here.
I throw him at a tree, shooting a stream of water at his face to wake him up. He gasps, quickly holding his stabbed leg in pain as his eyes dart back and forth. He shakes and trembles as he sees me, in disbelief as memories rush back.
"Hi, how are ya?" I start, crouching at his level. "Had a good nap I hope?"
The feeling of fear I pick up from him made me smirk, but he couldn't see it because my mask hides my whole face. Good, he should know that there is no escape from this and that he's fated to die here.
He stutters in response, not even able to form coherent words as the terror consumes him whole.
"You have two options," I continue. "Answer truthfully, or die painfully. Yeah?"
He nods frantically.
"Tell me everything you know about Pig Emperor."
"N-n-nothing," He gulps, my eyes narrowing. "N-nobody knows a-anything about him."
I pull out my sword and casually stab his thigh, making him scream in agony. "You sure?"
"HE'S ALWAYS HIDING!" He cries out. "H-he covers his tracks anywhere he goes- nobody even knows what he sounds like!"
"Hmm," I pull out the plunged sword. "And how exactly does he make these auctions happen? Someone must be doing that for him, right?"
"..."
His eyes were wide, yet unable to gaze at me. His fear of this emperor was holding him from answering it seems, but it's easy to fix that.
I tap at his most recent injuries, making him pause in confusion before black flames burn the insides of his legs. A howl of pain like this would usually make me feel sick, but considering the context, all I felt was satisfaction.
He tries to push me away, but I quickly create rings of light around his legs and neck, basically cuffing him against the tree. I'm surprised that he's still conscious, but that's Aura for you. Makes you a lot tougher.
"STOP STOP PLEASE I'LL TALK!" He quivered violently as I practically cooked his leg.
"You will," I nod, knowing that. "Now, who and where are they?"
"H-h-he has people that represent him," He chokes, tears in his eyes. "I-I don't know where they are exactly, but they're in Vale. They don't stay in one place, and are the only ones able to directly contact him."
"And where did you meet them?"
"At the borders s-separating Vacuo and Vale." He answers.
"What did they look like?"
"I-I don't know. They wore masks and robes."
"What did they want from you exactly?
"T-they just said they wanted me to hold an auction here." He flinches and quickly adds. "M-most of the slaves were of low quality, most were sick and weak, but they offered so much money…"
I frown. Alright, I think I'm starting to understand what this all means.
"How much?"
"One hundred million Lien," He revealed, looking at me in desperation. "Y-you understand, right?! I had to do it! Anyone would for a price like that! Please have mercy, I swear I'll never do it again!"
Yeah alright.
"Sure you won't," I respond. "Because I'm personally making sure of it."
For a moment, he looked confused, but I quickly burn him to ashes with a fireball. I ignore the screams, which were quickly silenced as the intense flames consumed him. I take off the mask for a moment and rub the bridge of my nose.
"Fucking hell…"
This whole thing was purely a trap to lure me out and take me down. Roman mentioned that this felt out of place as a lot of criminals talked about this auction, when usually, Pig is quiet about his plans. He was luring out unimportant customers, the ones he can afford to lose.
Add that the slaves are of 'Low-quality', then swaying fools with huge amounts of money knowing he won't have to pay for it since he's filled the place with bombs. Obvious trap now that I have context.
I had a feeling that this was the case, but this just confirmed it. Military-grade isn't something weak - even if I somehow survive the bombs, the cave collapsing would've killed me anyway.
There wasn't supposed to be anything important in there - it was all supposed to lead to me dying in the explosion, but since I disabled the bombs, I practically dismantled the whole operation and saved the prisoners, with no casualty.
Mission successful. Unfortunately no useful info, other than knowing his close minions are in Vale somewhere… and that he's targeting me, or Nahkriin to be more specific. He most likely has no idea that Reid Astera and the Black Phantom are the same.
One is an outgoing, confident public figure, and the other is an unfeeling, merciless and brutal killer that keeps thwarting his plans.
I rub my chin in thought. I'm surprised neither Ruby nor Yang made the connection yet. They know Gwyn after all.
Annoyance, anger
I- yes, I know you're bored and would love to get out, I'm sorry. But I can't have you running around and scaring everyone. People might figure out my alter ego, and we can't have that yet. Just wait till we're in a dungeon, alright? You can go wild there.
You don't deserve to get locked up like this. I'll make you a room once we get back.
Let's just start the real grind now, yeah?
Anticipation
I chuckle, putting my mask on.
I missed hunting with you too, Gwyn.
(Yang)
She's been getting used to the harsh training Reid has been working them through - she doesn't really feel as miserable afterward, and while she understood why Yang really missed the light training she used to do with her dad and uncle.
While Reid far surpasses them in terms of physical prowess, Yang knows she's better than him skill-wise. His choice of weapon is a sword after all, and he's learning as he's teaching. It's fairly terrifying how fast he's growing though, it's inhuman.
Not to mention, She knew Ruby for her entire life. She's definitely more suited for this kind of training. Only thing she lacks is Reid's blunt nature - she doesn't have the heart to become as harsh as him.
Well, regardless, the two spent almost the entire day training, mostly to perfect Ruby's stance and footwork, so no heavy stuff like sparring. Her schedule is fairly empty for the next few days, so she can stay for a bit longer.
Yang did notice that her sister had some issues concentrating. There is something in her mind and it's bothering her - maybe because Reid isn't with them? Ruby is very attached to him. She's never seen her look up to someone that much since her mom.
"So what kind of business trip?" Yang asked, leaning against the wall next to Ruby. "Is it like making deals and all that?"
"Reid said he's looking for rare ingredients for his potions," Ruby answered. "And empty land for his experiments I think."
"Not really a business trip, then," The blond raised a brow. "You'd think he's meeting up with Weiss for a deal or something."
"That seems..." Ruby blinked with a confused frown. "Oddly specific."
"Oh right, you don't know," Yang scratched her cheek. "Weiss already met up with Reid apparently, a while back. Even gave her potions to try out."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Weiss was fantasizing about making a deal with the 'Titan Slayer' once she tested the potions out," She giggled. "Gods, it's literally a school crush. She's adorable~"
Ruby looked at the ground, a small frown on her face, which Yang noticed.
"Ruby? Are you okay?"
Okay, there's definitely something off about this. There's conflict in her eyes, she looks uncomfortable with something but refuses to explain. Is she afraid? Did she do something wrong, and is worried that Yang will get angry?
That is what Ruby usually does before telling her that she accidentally shattered the cookie jar or something. Not really something Yang gets angry about - more like mildly annoyed than anything as she has to clean up after her.
"Uh, well…"
Ruby was about to respond, but her scroll buzzed, making the two pause for a second. Her little sister's face brightened up, quickly answering the call.
"You remembered!" Ruby said cheerfully.
It didn't take a genius to realize that she's talking to Reid, and Yang only confirmed it when she got a glimpse of the caller's name, stifling a giggle at the adorable heart emoticons next to it. Her amusement didn't take long as her sister seemingly forgot her presence, happily talking and giggling with her partner.
Yang's lips thinned as she kept her distance. A few glances at the side only made her feel her heart clenching uncomfortably, dark thoughts swirling in her head. If she just met him earlier... that could've been me.
She grimaced and reprimanded herself inside her head - What kind of thought was that? Seeing her sister being this happy should be more than enough for her. Yang almost couldn't believe that she wanted to convince Ruby to share him at some point. Since when was she so selfish?
Did she suddenly stop caring about Ruby's feelings? It's her job and responsibility to make sure her little sister is as happy as she could be. Her own feelings are not top priority. It's fine, she'll probably fall out of love soon enough.
... That doesn't mean it's easy now.
"S-so, Ruby?" Yang faked a smile. "I'll be going now. I still have some homework I need to do."
"Huh?" Ruby blinked. "Well, sure. Want me to walk with you?"
"Nah, I'll be fine on my own," The blond waved it off. "You better sleep early, alright? See you tomorrow."
Yang turned around and walked away, not waiting for Ruby's response. She doesn't want to stay here anymore, she needs to sort out her feelings for real this time, maybe get some advice from her teachers or classmates. She can't be the only one going through something like this, right?
As she grabbed the doorknob, a hand grabbed her arm. Yang turned to see Ruby's worried frown. "Yang, are you okay? Please talk to me if something's bothering you."
"What? Nah, I'm fine, Ruby. Really," Yang lied with a smile. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"You looked sad just now," She said, making the blond wince. "Like, really sad."
"I'm not sad, Ruby," She said. "I'm okay. I promise."
"I'm your sister, I know when you're not okay. Please, let me help you."
"I said I'm fine," Yang repeated, this time a little too firmly. "There's nothing wrong with me. You're imagining things."
Ruby flinched. "...Yang?"
"I'll see you tomorrow," Yang gently got her sister's hand off and opened the door.
Her sister didn't follow her, and as she left the building entirely, Yang covered her face in shame and guilt. Great, now Ruby knows that something is wrong with her, and she won't rest until she figures it out, and Yang would rather that doesn't happen.
Ruby doesn't need to bother herself with this stuff. She just needs to focus on her own happiness instead, but Yang knows that her sister is too damn nice for her own good. She's gonna try to come to a compromise that makes everyone happy.
Which is just too idealistic. Sometimes, things don't go your way, and you need to get past that.
"Good job, you idiot," Yang muttered. "Some big sister you are."
Yang shook her head and walked towards the station, cursing three people under her breath. Reid for making her fall in love with him, Ruby for being too nice, and herself for not letting go of her dumb crush.
Homework sounds really nice right about now.