The Huntsman of Red V2

Chapter 20 The Pride of Vale: Part 2

This world was already destined for ruin, a remnant of its old self barely hanging onto a cliff's edge by the tip of the fingers. It was as if everything would begin to unravel and fall apart at any given moment. In which case, who would even wish to live in such a world under the oppression the Grimm? Already, mankind had been confined to live like animals in a cage awaiting death. Wouldn't it be better to just give up and accept a foregone conclusion?

Why couldn't everyone understand this simple point?

Yet still, there were those who fought to defend the world despite the heavily skewed odds, but soon enough, they too would be snuffed out. Like the flame of a candle, all it would take to extinguish all hope was an ill-timed gust of wind. But sometimes, the flame remains stubbornly burning.

A little more force would be required.

For all those that would rise up to defend the world, there were also those that actively sought to bring everything to ruin. Any advancement by mankind or Faunus was to be met with lethal action carried out by the harbingers of Salem's will, one of which was tasked with bringing ruin to Vale.

Her name was Cinder Fall, and she was currently frowning while seated on a secluded office in Vale. She was a beautiful ashen-black haired woman wearing a dark red V-neck mini dress with yellow motifs. Only one of her bright amber eyes could be seen clearly on her face as her bangs partially covered her left eye. Regardless, the way she bit down on her lower lip indicated her level of stress.

Nothing was going according to plan ever since a fifth Kingdom of Remnant had been established and much of the Grimm set for use against Vale were redirected to subdue the newest Kingdom. Worse, little results were obtained by sending Grimm as even the elder Goliaths refused to advance anywhere near Vermillion's dawn star.

'The star that shines through day and night.'

Cinder was privy to the information that the star was composed entirely of magic, something that only Maidens and Relics could wield. Was it one of the Four Relics then? It was possible as they had been hidden away for so long, but why reveal a Relic's location so blatantly after decades of concealing them? Moreover, it had already been determined that the Relics were hidden in the four Academies of Remnant. Was this a faint then? Something to throw the trail off and cause confusion?

Cinder could smell a trap when she saw it. She tapped her fingers against the table in front of her and ignored her drink which she'd placed on the side. She was far from naïve or incompetent, and would not so hastily volunteer to investigate the fifth Kingdom like one of her colleagues, Tyrian Callows.

The man could very well get himself killed for all that she cared. All that mattered to her was her task and the fall of Beacon Academy lest she draw Salem's ire. To make an enemy of Salem was to live a life worse than death.

Cinder sucked in a breath and began to think. She'd dismissed all her hired including her to avoid any distractions. This planning phase would be crucial. Ordinarily, she had intended to bide her time and continue pressuring Roman Torchwick to gather as much Dust as possible, but she had her priorities. All the gathered Dust could only be used effectively at a later point several years away at the next Vytal Festival when representatives from the kingdoms would all gather.

Right now, she had to do everything in her power to weaken Vale and increase her odds of success.

The fall of the Mountain Glenn settlement was her first object. After Vermillion's unprecedented founding, the Kingdom of Vale had accelerated its plans to expand its territories. Emboldened by Vermillion's success, Vale invested thousands of raw materials to be used to create the settlement of Mountain Glenn connected by underground subways. Walls and infrastructure were quickly produced by Vale's best engineers while Huntsman and Huntresses were sent out to defend the perimeter. Flying Bullheads transported the bulk of what made Mountain Glenn's walls, and soon the Mountain Glenn settlement had been completed.