Dutch
Shock was not enough to describe the emotions that swelled through Dutch's chest after hearing the news from Winter.
"They're... all out? Every single one of them?" He asked her, wide eyed. He couldn't help but picture all those dots on the map of the Atlesian Wildlands suddenly vanishing, and that merely made the reality of how dire this situation was feeling even worse.
"That's correct, sir, and not only that, they've evolved far beyond what we've ever seen. They are all capable of the same instant adaptability that the Hounds were capable of. I watched a Beowulf grow wings and escape Atlas, meaning all of them no doubt have the same capabilities to leave Atlas seemingly unnoticed by the populace." Winter explained. Hearing that sent a shiver crawling down the back of his neck, and making the hairs on his skin stand on end with fear, he squeezed his stress ball repeatedly to manage the emotions in him.
"Shit, this situation just keeps on getting worse. Meaning the Grimm are no doubt here in Vale, right?" He asked her.
"If the Hound is, then no doubt the rest of the Grimm are, too. The only reason we found that Beowulf in there was because of a Cryostorm freezing it a few weeks ago." Winter explained, and Dutch nodded his head in understanding.
"And you said that someone was helping the Hound free the Grimm? And he was completely unharmed?" He asked.
"That's right, I've never seen anything like that before, outside of Salem, anyway." Winter explained, leaving Dutch puzzled. He got up and walked around his office, stopping at the large window that overlooked Vale, keeping his scroll to his ear.
"Hmm, from what I've been studying in Salem's old journal, she talked about a spell she used on the Children of Salem." Dutch explained, digging through the desk until he found the tattered old book. No matter how long he had been reading this book, it was always quite unnerving to be reading the journal of Salem. After everything she did and how long she lived, it was surreal. "Each of them were blessed with this secret spell that meant the Grimm would not harm them unless she released this spell. But after her death, that spell would have been erased."
"That and the last Child of Salem is Adam, and he's still locked away." Winter replied.
"That's true, but this is simply one of her journals. I know she wrote a lot. It's entirely possible she could have done the same for certain individuals who were not in her inner circle, ones that were just as loyal." Dutch explained, then Winter caught onto what he was thinking.
"Like a High Ranking Black Gallows Official, or a Feral One..." Winter realised, Dutch nodded his head.
"I remember seeing some Black Gallows individuals able to give orders to Grimm, even walk past them without the beasts giving them a look. Yes, when Salem was ruling, the Grimm worked with the Black Gallows and Feral Ones and walked the streets, but you remember how it was. Sometimes Grimm would just attack people for getting too close, civilians or soldiers. They were hard to control in that way. That's why the law demanded that everyone kept their distance from the beasts for their own safety." Dutch couldn't help but scoff at that.
"So we're dealing with a Follower of Salem who was once valued enough to be given this spell, and clearly is aware of it. Which means the spell doesn't wear off after Salem died..." Winter realised, then she furrowed her brow. "You were high ranking in the Black Gallows once. Did Salem ever give you that mark?"
"No, she never trusted me. Rightly so, she and Watts always suspected me of not playing fair to their side." Dutch replied. "But I do have some suspicions on which of the two that person could be, and that's the Feral Ones. They're getting desperate, and with their lieutenant dead, they're down to double digits. Nobody is going to reinforce them, and they're on the run. I would not put it past them to go to the Atlesian Wildlands in search of a new power to use to their advantage against the White Fang. But messing around with the Wildlands Grimm... that's a whole new level of mad."
"Thing is, the spell Salem used... surely it wouldn't have an effect on the Grimm in the Wildlands? There's a reason nobody went there, not even on the enemy's side. The Grimm in there weren't loyal to Salem, they were unnatural, berserk and uncontrollable. It's a sound theory... but that's the biggest hole in it." Winter explained, and Dutch nodded his head in agreement.
"That's true... but this Hound is clearly very intelligent. In fact, it is smart enough to speak more than single words, and it has a goal. Perhaps it simply made a deal with this person when they came to the Wildlands?" Dutch suggested.
"Possibly... but we're just theorising now. We have nothing concrete." Winter explained.
"No, but I have a hunch on where we could find some." Dutch said, turning back to his computer and typing into it. "It was a case from a few years ago. Never could get any answers on it. We had to label it a cold case."
Winter sat down inside of the Airship they just boarded to make their way back to Vale, listening to what Dutch was thinking. "The Coal Family Case. They lived in a large house which once belonged to a wealthy Salem Believer. He lost all his possessions after Salem died and was run out from the land, becoming nothing more than a homeless man on the streets for his involvement. Terrance Coal and his family bought the manor and lived there together, but they kept reporting strange things happening there."
"Yes, I remember this case. At first we thought it was a Geist possessing the house, didn't we?" Winter asked.
"That's right, but we found no trace of Grimm activity anywhere in the household, nothing out of the ordinary at all. After a while, the strange things stopped, and I assumed the situation had been concluded. Until one day we received a panicked call from Terrance, saying someone cut out his eyes and he heard his family be butchered. The scene was horrific, but his eyes were not cut out, but he clawed them out. At least that's what it looked like to us. Terrance was the number one suspect and with no other proof, we arrested him. But he never stopped claiming he was innocent, and it never sat right with me. I investigated the scene again and again, and I found in the attic, there was a crawl space. Old food and drink inside." Dutch explained.
"So there was someone else living in the house without them knowing it..." Winter sighed.
"I tried to find more clues about who this was, but there was nothing else I could follow. The killer vanished, and with no actual proof beyond the crawl space, it wasn't enough to release Terrance. And sadly, his time in the cells had caused his mental state to degrade even further. He's still locked up even now." Dutch explained he was quiet for a moment. "Here's the kicker, though. This happened on St. Falls Day."
"The Anniversary of Salem's Defeat..." Winter was clearly catching on.
"They were no doubt celebrating her death, and if this killer was indeed a Follower of Salem, it must have angered them enough to butcher the family and escape. Perhaps anger them enough to want to unleash the Grimm on the world once more." Dutch explained, and Winter nodded her head.
"Okay, it's a lead. I'll take Penny and Oscar and we're gonna head to the Prison and speak with him. I know he's in a volatile state now, but hearing that there are people who believe him could help." Winter suggested.
"Good idea. I'll let you know when my trackers out in the field find anything on the Hound. It must have landed somewhere. I'll warn them of what's coming as well, and to keep their eyes peeled for other Grimm. Now we know there's a small army of them here in Vale." Dutch explained.
"And Dutch? Stay safe, okay? I know you can handle Amara, especially after surviving the likes of Killian, Salem and Watts. But still... don't underestimate her." Winter said.
"Don't worry, Winter. I'm ready to use all my skills to stop her from doing whatever she intends." He promised.
"Okay, good luck, old man." Winter teased, making him chuckle.
"Right back at you, gran." Dutch replied.
They ended their call, and he set his scroll down on the table, turning to Salem's Journal on the desk beside him, full of the old knowledge from her long, painful life. It hurt to read sometimes, realising how much pain she was in for those years? She was evil; he knew that; she lost herself to the immortality and darkness... but he couldn't help but feel sorry for her, since all she ever wanted was to die.
At least she finally got that peace in the end.
But there was so much in her journals he needed to learn, primarily about two subjects: Dark Magic, and how to erase it.
For the answer to that must help them destroy the Horn of Darkness without risking a catastrophic event.
The door opened, and he looked ahead to see the Deacon walking inside, and his heavy sigh was telling. "Cleanup is going as well as expected, but social media is already going nuts over it. Cardin's reputation is plummeting after being seen fighting against Remnant's Most Beloved Women." The Deacon said, shaking his head.
Dutch wanted to be snarky, but he didn't see the point. There was no point in furthering the divide between them. It would solve nothing. Plus, he could tell that the Deacon felt guilty enough for his actions, and at least he was trying to fix it. The Deacon looked at the journal on the table. "Still going through those books?"
"There has to be answers in here somewhere. Nobody knew Dark Magic like Salem did. The only other one was Thaddeus, and well... he didn't really leave any notes behind. In fact, there's hardly anything of him, outside of the falsified stories and just these books." Dutch explained, shaking his head. "The Horn of Darkness is unlike anything we've ever seen, and simply being near it has affected people, causing anger, fear and depression if near it long enough. And many scientists who have investigated it have taken their own lives because of what it's shown them. Never seen something so volatile... and the raw amount of energy in it scares me." Dutch explained.
"Makes me wish we could just destroy the damn thing, but... like you said. We don't know what that could do. It's the horn of a God, after all." The Deacon agreed.
"Exactly, but Salem was one of the oldest beings on Remnant and she used the Dark Arts. And seeing how she described Dark Magic... it frightens me." Dutch stated.
"How so?" The Deacon asked, so Dutch sat forward and held his hands together. The Deacon sat down as well to listen to him.
"Before Salem lost Ozma, and before she became immortal? When she was human? On her travels with Ozma, she found these floating pillars in a field, with ancient scripture written in a tongue she had never seen before. When she touched it, dark knowledge was imprinted into her memory, and it was with that knowledge that she resurrected Ozma." Dutch explained. "The freaky part, though, is that the next day she went back to find those pillars? They were gone. Like they never existed." Dutch explained.
"Okay... that's... creepy." The Deacon agreed.
"The Gods never said it to her, but Salem was very perceptive. And the Brothers Grimm feared Dark Magic. That's why they were so harsh in punishing her. It was only then did she realise that the reason the Brothers were so frightened of it was because they did not understand it. Whatever made those pillars, it predated the Brothers. She called it the Primordial Entity, but she never saw it. Never heard its voice, but she believed it bestowed that knowledge onto her through those pillars." Dutch explained, opening the journal onto the page where Salem had written that story.
"The book that Oscar wrote about Salem and Ozma's past never mentioned that part." The Deacon stated.
"No, Jinn never told them about that part. She just jumped ahead to when Ozma died. I guess she ignored that, since it wasn't important to what Ruby wanted to know. But Salem continued on and talked about how Dark Magic always had a cost. And she paid it every single time. Thaddeus butchering her family was one such cost, her immortality being given by the gods was most likely another. But Thaddeus did something worse. He tried to cheat the entity, and he made himself immortal with Dark Magic. And every person he killed, he used their soul as payment instead... but Salem always knew he would pay the price, eventually." Dutch explained.
"Maybe he did. You said he disappeared from Jaune, right?" the Deacon asked, almost sounding doubtful after seeing Jaune's purple eyes.
"Perhaps... but I still don't know what exactly she did to him. Jinn never showed them what she did, and I have found nothing in her journals yet that tells me what she did. But... there are more I haven't read through. I pray the answer is in here, and I hope the answer is good news for us." Dutch explained. "Because if my fears are accurate, then we could be in even bigger danger than we already are."
"Speaking of which... do we have any intel on the Hound?" the Deacon asked.
"No, but Winter told me something else. The Hound did indeed come from the Wildlands, but it's worse than that."
"How much worse?" The Deacon asked.
"The Hound isn't alone. Every single Grimm in the Atlesian Wildlands has escaped, and they're following the Hound like they used to follow Salem. And on top of that, there is someone helping them." Dutch informed, closing Salem's journal. The Deacon was silent. Dutch couldn't see his face, but he could tell that the Deacon was lost for words, until finally he was able to say something.
"Shit."
Amara
Clothed in an expensive dark blue suit, she walked through the halls of the Legion's Headquarters with a pair of Legionnaires as her guards, armed to the teeth as they escorted her to her location. It was in the centre of this floor she was on, and the door opened and locked behind her, the guards standing outside as she prepared for the discussion to begin.
Sienna Khan was here as well, but everyone else was projected as holograms from wherever in the world they were, representing the other kingdoms of Mistral, Atlas and Argus, alongside the representative of Vacuo and Sienna Khan, who was representing Menagerie and the White Fang.
The Legion had truly grown beyond the original ideas that the Deacon had, now dealing in the Politics of Remnant as well as simply protecting it from any dangers. Amara approached her podium, allowing her hologram to be displayed to the other attendants.
"Well, looks like everyone is here. Good. Shall we begin?" Amara said, holding her hands behind her back.
The politicians began their discussion, and for a while it was more or less the same topics that they usually had, talking about updating their trade agreements, sharing Kingdom funds to repair regions which had been destroyed by the Grimm and approving requests to build towns outside of the Kingdoms themselves. Many towns, like Kuroyuri, had been repaired. Higanbana and Shion had been repaired as well to accommodate all the new lives being brought into the world. This way, trading lanes could be further expanded, and improving shipping times when there were more drop offs along the way.
And of course the topics surrounding the hydration of Vacuo's deserts, planting of new vegetation and helping the Nomads build something new. Perhaps one day Vacuo could become a true kingdom again, but for now that was only a dream, a goal. Then the topic shifted to recent events, of the more fascinating variety. "Sienna, we all heard on the news about the recent victory against the Feral Ones. Is the threat no more?" The Mistraalian Councillor asked. His name was Emeric Taishi. He was a big man, with a big bushy ginger beard and his hair tied back into a tail, with long antlers protruding from his head.
"We dealt a heavy blow to the Feral Ones." Sienna answered, standing tall as she spoke. "But a few Airships of theirs got away. The Feral Ones are most likely down to the double digits now. Eighty would be the most generous guess. Forty would be the most optimistic. I hope they accept the loss and walk away from this sad excuse of a resistance they have, but I doubt they will." Sienna explained.
"If they weren't such Salem-Loving Scumbags, I'd admire their stubbornness." Nyanza Thorn added the Atlesian Councilwoman. She was a tall, slender young and beautiful woman with piercing blue eyes and pale skin, and long blonde hair, wearing a white dress.
"I know what you mean. We will continue to search for wherever they ran off to. All we know for certain is that they abandoned Menagerie, they have no more strongholds left on the island." Sienna confirmed.
"Good, you've all been through enough when it comes to those people." Duke Carver said, the Councillor of Argus. He was a short, thin man with short black hair, wearing nice clothes and with earrings dangling from his ears.
"What of the conflict happening in Vale? I heard some troubling stories." Navia Shepard asked the Vacuan Councilwoman. All eyes were now on Amara, who was both the head of the Council, and the face of Vale.
"It's true. We've had a lot of bad things happening the past few days. A lot of worrying things." She explained, walking around the room, her recorder following her move so her hologram was in the correct space for everyone else. "There is a surviving Grimm here, a Hound. A powerful one, and a very intelligent one at that. It is on the prowl, and has attacked Pyrrha Nikos and her family. We do not know where they are now."
Sienna watched and narrowed her eyes, remembering what Marrow told her about Amara, and, of course, what the Deacon did. Curious that Amara hadn't mentioned the fact the Deacon had a role in this yet, almost like she was using the Hound to hide that truth. Perhaps to protect the Legion's credibility, or more likely... to protect herself and her involvement in the attack.
"I'm sorry, did you just say a Grimm?" Nyanza questioned with wide eyes. The news left all the politicians shocked to their cores.
"I did." Amara answered.
"W-Where's your proof of this?" Navia asked, her voice stammered.
"Right here." She brought up a holographic image, showing a recording from the Deacon's attack on the Nikos Estate, however it was doctored. Sienna could tell, but the other councillors, who were completely unaware of what the Deacon did, never noticed the signs. Sienna glared at Amara as she continued her lies to the rest of the Councillors. The footage showed the Hound leaping down and attacking the Deacon, launching him backwards, then going after Jaune. However, Jaune was obscured from the Deacon's perspective, aiding Amara in her quest to hide the dark truth of what happened.
"By the Gods..." Duke gasped, wide eyed.
"There's no mistaking it." Emeric stated, scowling at the beast. Out of everyone here, he and Sienna were the oldest of the Councillors, and no doubt remembered seeing the Grimm everywhere. Seeing the Hound again must have felt like a nightmare come true. "That's a Grimm."
"Where has it gone?" Nyanza questioned.
"We do not know, however, we have our best trackers out there locating the creature. Soon they will find a lead, but a Hound is very hard to locate. The beast is capable of instant adaptability, transforming into whatever it needs to be to suit its environment or situation. It's why Salem used them for certain missions, and why they were so rare." Amara explained. "Ms. Khan, Mr Taishi, I know you both remember these beasts and what they were capable of."
"I do." Sienna agreed.
"The Hounds were creations of Salem's, but worse than that. They were people once, taken by Abductors and subjected to the worst torment you could imagine, cast into the Tar Pits and brought back, as these. Their bodies were still trapped inside, and brains were completely infested with the tar. Everything that made them who they were, gone forever, filled with nothing ravenous duty." Amara explained, showing the old photographs of both the Abductors and the Hounds. "But the element of including a person in this process lead to these beasts being extremely intelligent, allowing such an adaptability to be possible. But we've never seen a Hound exist for so long, surviving for twenty-five years. Imagine what a single Hound, a quarter of a century old, could be capable of."
The Council fell silent with fear, but none of them, not even Amara, realised how dire this situation was. None of them realised that the entire Atlesian Wildlands were now void of Grimm, and here in Vale somewhere.
"Has it killed anyone?" Emeric questioned, his arms crossed.
"Not yet, but it came very close when it attacked the Nikos Estate." Amara explained.
"Gods, Pyrrha Nikos... I hope she's handling it well. Poor woman's already been through so much." Navia said with a nervous stammer in her voice. Sienna couldn't help but smile, for the new councillors were nothing like the sleazy politicians from the U.G.R years ago. It gave her hope that things would actually improve.
But Amara?
She reminded Sienna too much of the old ways, and more particularly... of Killian.
"Why did it attack the Nikos Esate? Out of sheer coincidence?" Duke questioned, crossing his arms with curiosity.
"Why indeed? This has been what we have been trying to determine, and so far, we only have one answer to this question. The Grimm need to have a leader, and for a long time it was Salem. Before her, it was the Brother of Darkness. But ever since her demise the Grimm were lost, without direction. I believe this Grimm was seeking a new replacement, and where better to go than to one of the few remaining Children of Salem left on the planet?" Amara suggested, leading to confused expressions from the Councillors, and one very serious but quiet glare from Sienna.
"Excuse me? Pyrrha Nikos was one of the brave Huntresses who took Salem down in the first place?" Emeric stated.
"She was, but her husband? Her precious Jaune Arc who was brought back from the dead by the Brother of Darkness? The same Jaune Arc who was controlled by the monster known as the Salem Knight? Or Thaddeus Rex? I've learned a lot of secrets have been withheld from us all, and the details on his condition are included in those. He has been struggling to keep the monster inside contained, and recently he failed, and was responsible for the slaughter of multiple Legion Soldiers in Vale. He is dangerous, and most likely who the Hound was searching for." Amara explained.
"He killed a bunch of soldiers?" Nyanza asked.
"After the Deacon attacked his home, trying to murder him for the actions of Thaddeus Rex." Sienna chimed in, staring at Amara with a scowl. Amara stared at her with disbelief, not realising that Sienna had heard about what the Deacon did.
"What?" The Councillors were becoming more and more angered as these revelations kept on piling on top of each other.
"I was hoping our dear President would hold herself accountable for her involvement in such a thing as well, yet here you are trying to spin this around and pin the blame on Mr Arc." Sienna scoffed, shaking her head with disgust.
"Involvement? What is this, Amara?" Emeric questioned, leaning forward and gripping onto his podium.
"It's true, what Sienna says. I pushed the Deacon to attack Jaune, because I knew he was desperate and needed his closure against him. But tell me this, Jaune Arc was responsible for so many crimes when he served Salem. Killed so many, helped Salem in her goal to destroy the world. And now he just gets to live a peaceful, happy life, facing no consequences? Yes, I understand he was not in his right mind, controlled by another being, but we all know how dangerous all those who served Salem were. And now this Hound was heading straight for him in particular? What if Adam Taurus is next?" She suggested.
Silence fell in the room as everyone thought about her question. "What if this Hound seeks a new a host, one of Salem's chosen, and through them it could become a new Salem in her place? We know Hounds require hosts, and we also know the hosts they consume eventually are completely erased, and therefore they would require a new one." She explained, walking around. "And if this Hound gains such power, what happens then? It could awaken the Tar Pits, across all of Remnant... we would never stand a chance against such an unstoppable surge."
"What is it you are suggesting, Madam President?" Navia questioned.
"Simple. We must eliminate the two remaining Children of Salem, Adam Taurus and Jaune Arc. Their continued existence is a danger to all of us now."
"I object to this." Sienna erupted, slamming her hand against the podium. "Adam Taurus is the prisoner of the White Fang and all Faunus. He is our responsibility to handle, not yours. Any attempt to attack Adam Taurus will end with serious consequences. I will not repeat myself on this, Amara." Sienna warned, glaring at her. Even during peace times, that fiery and threatening aura that Sienna once had never extinguished, and Amara knew not to cross her.
"I also refuse to green-light the order on Jaune Arc, either. I do not know many details about his situation, but all the information we've been privy to has shown him to be an innocent, and his actions were not his own." Emeric agreed.
"I agree with Emeric. There are too many unknowns and hypotheticals in this request, Madam President, and a life should never be taken over a hunch. We agreed to make a better world, one where that kind of thinking is long forgotten." Duke agreed.
"Atlas will not give you a vote either, Amara." Nyanza stated.
"Neither shall Vacuo." Navia agreed.
With all the Kingdoms' Councillors standing against Amara, she stood at her podium and gripped it tightly, exhaling and closing her eyes. "Then I pray we haven't made a dire mistake." Amara stated, ending the call and walking away. Sienna watched her leave, then followed her.
"Zure!" she called out. The President stopped only for Sienna to grab her and slam her against the wall, glaring at her with a scowl. Even for an older woman, Sienna was still far stronger than Amara by a mile. "What you've done is grounds for prison time. You manipulated the Deacon into attacking an innocent family. This is a choice I will not forget, so do not force my hand. I may be a politician now, but do not think my edge has dulled over the years. I am still Sienna Khan." She warned, then releasing Amara and walking away from her.
The President was frozen, shivering, but then she exhaled and let her stress flow from her body. She took her glasses out from her pocket and put them on, returning to the elevator and ascending up the tower, and going to the safety of her office. As she walked inside, she yelled with anger and launched a stack of paperwork across the room. "FUCK!" She yelled, then pushing her hands through her hair, shaking her head. "They don't understand. Three of them are two young to remember what was, and the other two..." she panted, slumping down in her chair before her desk.
Her eyes turned to a photograph on her table, showing herself at a very young age, and a taller handsome man, giving her a big warm hug. She gently picked the picture up and stared at him as the tears leaked from her eye. "No... I'm not giving up... I won't let what happened to you be for nothing." She promised in a whisper.
And then, she received a knock on the door, and her eyes glanced up at it. "It's open." She called out.
A man entered. He was wearing a suit of light Legionnaire armour, however; he did not look like a soldier. "Quinton." She gasped. He walked inside, and she locked the door behind him as he entered. "Please tell me you have something."
"You asked for the best, so you will have the best." Quinton reassured, giving her a data drive. She held it in her hand and looked at him. "It wasn't easy. Dutch is very good at hiding his secrets, but I located his Valerian Safehouse. If your targets are anywhere, it'd be there, right under our noses."
She smiled. "You beautiful bastard." She chuckled, holding it in her hand. "Nobody saw you?"
"Negative, although I have to ask. This is a Council Sanctioned Op, right?" He inquired.
"Of course, I wouldn't risk something like this if it wasn't, but this lot are a close-knit bunch, and they have friends here in the Legion. So we need to be careful of who spots us." Amara explained, plainly lying right to Quinton's face. "Keep digging, find me anything else Dutch has been hiding. I want to know all of it, every little lie that Black Gallows bastard has been keeping from me."
"Yes Ma'am." Quinton replied, turning and leaving after he saluted her. She stared at the drive, and she loaded it into her computer, seeing the location of the Safehouse on the Valerian Map, then she smiled, picking up her scroll and contacting Elm and Harriet.
"Elm Ederne? Harriet Bree? This is President Amara Zure. I have a mission for you. And you will receive plenty of reinforcements, I promise you that." Amara said.
"Been a while since we've had a fun mission. Tell us what you need from us, ma'am." Harriet said with an excited voice.
Amara smiled.
Maybe now, I can keep my promise.