The Sadistic Inquisition: A RWBY Story.

Chapter 17: Father/Daughter Bonding

The midday sun hung overhead the lush trees of the Mistral forest. The shade of the trees perfectly covered the Inquisitor and Bandit Protege as they sat at the end of a small wooden dock. In their hands, long thin sticks with a string attached to the front end.

It had been 10 days since Kreel had returned from Vale. Reports had come in on how soon after the Grimm invaded the city and the White Fang had raided Beacon Academy. With the huntsman unable to combat the terrorist and the Grimm, they were forced to evacuate the city. Vale was lost. But that mattered little to Kreel, he had gotten what he had worked and endured for.

The equipment found within the dresser was beyond what he could predict. The ingots of metal were actually pure Beskar, the metal the Mandalorians used to forge their armor and weapons. Its most remarkable quality being its ability to withstand the heat of a lightsaber and multiple blaster shots with little to no signs of wear.

The lightsaber parts were all made from the same metal, and there were enough parts to construct an entirely new saber if you had a crystal to provide.

The suit of the armor itself was also made of Mandalorian steel. Revan described how he had initially made the suit in honor of an opponent he once defeated, known as Mandalore the Ultimate.

Unfortunately, Kreel was not allowed full access to the gear and items within the dresser until he had fully healed. In the attack on Beacon, he tore open his wound and even further tore it, causing an extreme amount of blood loss. So much so that when he returned to the camp, he passed out from blood loss. So due to Raven's orders, Kreel wasn't allowed to do anything strenuous to his body until it fully healed.

Now here he was, being practically babysat by Vernal and being forced to participate in-

Kreel: "So this is fishing. Is it always this...boring?"

Vernal: "You mean quiet? Then yes. Look, you know you can't be overworking yourself. So I thought this could take your mind off being unable to do anything."

Kreel: "*sigh*...So what is the goal of this game?"

Vernal: "Well, fishing isn't a game. Most of the time. Look, the whole idea is to catch a fish. You wait with the pole in hand, the fish bites the hook, then you pull them out of the water, and tada! Fish caught."

Kreel: "Sounds overly based on chance and patience."

Vernal: "I mean, you're not wrong, but the point of fishing is that it's relaxing, and you, of all people, need to relax. So here we are."

Kreel and Vernal continued to sit and wait, as the rustling only broke the silence of the trees as the breeze blew through them.

Vernal: "Can I ask you something?"

Kreel: "Very well."

Vernal: "What was your childhood like? It must've been something if you had space travel."

Kreel: "Only if you tell me first. How did someone so young come to be a part of a bandit clan when children much younger than you can become huntsmen?"

Vernal: "Hmph, fine. I was born and raised in Mistral. My parents were...they wanted a son. They got me instead."

Kreel: "Parents can be cruel and often leave the deepest scars. You have my sympathies."

Vernal: "When I was 6, I ran away. I didn't care what would've happened to me; I just didn't want to live in a place where I wasn't loved. Eventually, I got lucky enough to find the clan. They took me in, and for the first time in my life, I actually felt like I was genuinely cared for. That I mattered and was important, and for that, I'll never turn my back on the clan."

Kreel: "Suppose it's my turn then. *sigh* I was born on the planet Coruscant. The heart of the Empire, it's a shining example of the benefits of society and unity. But in truth, it's nothing more than an example of what corruption truly looks like. The planet, while a sleek and perfect city on the outside, was nothing more than a cesspool of crime and sickness. The planet had been practically hollowed out to build levels underneath the surface. Levels spanning miles downward almost endlessly. I was unfortunately born on one of the deepest levels. I never saw the light of the sun until I was ten. My parents were Spice runners...drugs, in your people's terms. It's funny; they claimed they were some of the best runners, but they weren't much considering the fact that they were doped up out of their minds on the product they were supposed to sell."

Vernal: "What happened?"

Kreel: "The Pikes. A gang that ran the Spice trade caught wind that both of them decided to use their product and not pay for it. So the Pikes did what they do best and made a 4-year-old boy an orphan."

Vernal: "I-I'm so sorry."

Kreel: "Don't be. I hated them. They treated me like a slave. I was only there because I was small and thin, good for getting to places they couldn't. Shortly after their deaths, I had to grow up fast. Learned to steal, cheat, and especially kill to survive in the lower levels. Soon enough, I was found by the Empire, they saw my latent potential, and from there, I became an Inquisitor. The next 15 years of my life I spent in service of the Empire, and soon I came to Remnant in an event I could not foresee."

Vernal: "Not a very long story."

Kreel: "Well, when you're 42 years old like I am, you'll learn you don't need to ramble on and on about your life. Now then, how about we do some of that relaxation you were speaking of."

The two sat quietly as they let the sound of the forest around them envelop them in a state of calm. As Kreel began to relax his body, he felt Vernal lean her head onto his arm.

Vernal: "Thanks...for being here and for not leaving. I'm glad I got to meet you."

Kreel tensed up as she rested on his shoulder; he was about to nudge away. But something in the back of his mind made him bite his tongue and refrain from pushing her away. He sighed as he relaxed once again, enjoying the quiet moment of solace. And while he may have looked mildly uncomfortable on the inside, he appreciated the gesture and couldn't help but smile.