Day 20: Aftermath

Let it be said that Ironwood is a man with an extremely high tolerance for bullshit, such is the mindset of someone who'd worked under the Atlas government for over 20 years.

As befitting someone who'd risen through the ranks through sheer achievement and hard work. Someone who'd not only become a military general, but also earned his position as the Headmaster of Atlas Huntsman Academy, he is a man of focus, commitment and sheer will

But just like everyone, even he had his limits, and apparently he's approaching it right now

"Yes, I assure you an incident like this shall not happen again" He spoke to the phone "Yes, of course, I've done that, yes, we are currently trying our best to find the culprit, yes..."

The council is not pleased

"Yes, we'll contact you when we found any trace, of course, yes. You need not to worry. Naturally, you can expect news from us soon. Yes, goodbye. Goddamn motherfuckers"

The last part was said in a whisper only when the call has been disconnected

Putting down the phone, the general sighed heavily. Scattered around his desk were stacks upon stacks of newly-arrived paperwork, most of which were related to one single incident which happened yesterday

Less than 24 hours had passed, and the event has been broadcast across the four Kingdom as well as live on television. Some videos of it happening was even posted on youtube and social forum. It's basically a field day for the internet right now

The Headquarter Massacre was the name as they had called it

An event of a century as they had called it

A terrible tragedy as they had called it

Thanks to some help from the intelligence department, most classified information was still safe and sound, as well as some details they'd found that wasn't willing to share to the public yet. Because of that, the news are already making wild speculation bout it

Some say the government is testing out a new prototype weapon, others say they are trying to hide aliens inside it, while a few blamed it on the White Fang. There are other more absurd theories, but he won't waste his head trying to think about it

"General" He turned his head around

There was Reaper, leaning against the doorway. His face an unreadable mask, much to the ire of James. The General prefer it when his troop showed some enthusiasm and passion instead of this cold-hearted discipline

How come every Specialist he met has to have this kind of reaction? Is it normal to them or they just do it to show him respect? If it's the latter then he wished them could be more comfortable with him around. The dullness of Atlas tends to have a wear on an individual's mentality over time

"Reaper" he nodded "Take a seat. We have a lot to discuss"

"I'm aware of that" The other man said as he sat down opposite to his desk, frowning at all the amount of paper that lie on it "I see you have been busy"

"That would be an understatement. Already have to reply to no less than 57 calls this morning, and I'll probably lose it if another one were to contact me"

"Oof"

"Oof indeed" He sat down across the Specialist "Now, do you know why I called you here?"

"It would be because I'm the one who submit the report regarding this incident and you found something wrong with it?"

"No, not wrong, but certainly...peculiar" He cleared his throat, deciding not to beat around the bush "In your report, there's a mention of an individual named Grim, what do you have to say about that?"

"....."

Reaper peered at him through his blank mask, his expression unchanging. For a moment there Ironwood thought there's a glitch in reality that makes time froze around them, but then he broke the silence between them

"When the assault happened, I met him walking down the Headquarter's hallway by chance" He said quietly "Both me and my troops are on a mission at that time, so I didn't really thought that much about it. I continued walking, until I rounded the corner where he came from. Can you guess what I see there?"

"I can only guess" Ironwood said, his hands locked together in an interested manner as he gazed at his subordinate with curious eyes

"Piles upon piles of corpses of our soldiers, mutated and mangled in an unrecognizable way. Their faces, General....they were the faces of terror, as if they have died of seeing something incredibly horrible. Then it come to me that this is a dead end, meaning there's only one way to get access to it. I immediately rushed out, chasing the one that's come my way previously"

James nodded, his face unchanging. Being a soldiers mean you have to accept the death of your comrades, since your duty is to protect the lives of civilians even if it cost you your own lives. Still, Reaper's description of their fate did give him a chill down his spine.

Just what kind of monster can do this? That kind of brutality is simply just inhumane

"I caught up with him and tailed this person for approximately several minutes. It was at the ground floor near the entrance that he detected me. We had a fight, in which he disabled my Semblance and glued me to the wall with his spiderweb"

Wait what? Spiderweb?

Did Reaper fought Spidergrim or something?

"After that he and I have a little talk. I told him my name, and he introduced himself as the Grim. He then decided to spare me and walked away, leaving me there alone in the hallway." He finished "It was moments later that the assault happened, and several minutes later until my troop came and freed me from my binding. We have no choice but to fled the scene in fear of being caught by the children, the one which I told you about in my report"

"Yes, the genetically enhanced Grimm Hybrid with supernatural intelligence and physical prowess. I've read the report, Specialist Reaper" ironwood narrowed his eyes "It seems they have somehow gotten away without being detected. There is no footprint nor tire mark which could indicate where they'd gone. The vehicles are all there in the garage. It's as if they'd simply vanished into thin air"

"That is something I also cannot explain" the specialist shook his head "Moreover, isn't the purpose of calling me here is to inquire me about the Grim in the first place? Why are you asking me about this?"

"It's just precaution. After all, you and your teammate are the only one who'd escaped that place safely. All the other 400 soldiers has been massacred, leaving you the only survivors of this catastrophe" He said, eyeing the masked man across from him "The fact that you managed to get out in the first place is truly a miracle"

"Yes, a miracle...."

"What's wrong, specialist?"

"Forgive me for my stating my opinion on this, sir, but I think the fact that we managed to escape isn't a coincidence, or was supposed to be a coincidence" He breathed in "It is my theory that the Grim has intentionally let us get away from the headquarter, for he has a purpose for us"

"......"

".....What?" Amidst the stunned silence that came afterward, General Ironwood started to have doubts about his career choice as a military personnel. It seems like the pressure has finally gotten to him. He has now officially lost his mind over this mess

"I know it's hardly believable, sir, but after thinking hard about it, I've deduced that there's no other possible conclusion than the fact that us being there has been a part of his plan from the start"

"Explain"

"Originally I wasn't supposed to be acting as a spy at the Headquarter since I haven't been ordered to do nothing of sort. My mission then is to investigate a Grimm nest at a local village to the West, which is over 100km away from the base, but then an incident occured there that caused a change of objective"

"The village was burned down, Sir. The Huntsmen was there, saying it was a Grimm attack. It struck me a little bit odd when they said there had been reports of a Grimm killing other Grimm around the time of the attack, but I eventually agree to return to the Headquarter to receive further instruction from you since the mission had been compromised"

"I see, and do you have any evidence the Grim was related to that incident?"

"Plenty, sir" Reaper replied, pulling out files underneath his jacket "You see, most of the reports concerning the Grimm who attack it's own kind say that it has, quote: "eight long spider leg protruding out of it's back, with crimson claws and fangs instead of the usual white, a set of dark red eye with slit black iris that stare straight into your soul. It's a thinner, more slender, but also more sinister version of the Beowolf. Shadows danced around it's figure, while blood dripped out of it's mouth. A nightmarish monster that even the most twisted of minds wouldn't be able to conjure, the very definition of death itself""

The General blinked

"Well...That's certainly descriptive"

"Yes, it just so happens that the guy who wrote the report, Thien Libra, used to be a writer before. I have to tell him to cut out some unnecessary parts to make it shorter and easy to read. What you just hear is the watered down version of the information they managed to collect, about 60% of it....I think"

Ironwood recounted what he just heard, his finger tapped on the desk in contemplation while Reaper stay silent, awaiting his opinion

"Are you implying that the Grimm at the village is...well...The Grim?" Ironwood frowned "One looks like a monster, and the other is a human. How can there be any connection between them?"

"That's what he want us to think, Sir" The Specialist nodded "There is no evidence that they are the same person, but I've noticed similar traits from the Grim during our fight. For one, he has the ability to grow spider legs out his back to serve as extra limbs. He can also manipulate shadow, which explain the 'shadow dancing around him' part. His physical appearance also match with the description as he has red eyes with black slits in the middle as an iris"

"It's certainly plausible. But assuming he is the one attacking the village, what is his purpose for doing that? How does changing your mission played a role in his plan?"

"I've been thinking about it as well. And it finally clicked for me after a long time of thinking" He inhaled "You see, General, his plan has been most wonderfully planned. From the most single, smallest detail, he managed to executed one of the most risky heist in Atlas's history, and in one night no less"

Before Ironwood could say anything, Reaper immediately launched to explaination

"As we all know, the main factor that contributes to our headquarter's defenses are it's outer wall, equipped with over 200 laser cannons around the edge and over 400 smaller artillery types, that is enough to stop a small invasion in the Kingdom itself. Our troops had been extensively trained to use these weapon in case of emergency such as these. If you look at this, you'd think it was impossible to break in without getting blown into tiny chunks of meat"

"So how was he able to get in undetected?"

"By hiding inside a truck"

"....."

"Our camera footage showed him walking out from the back entrance, which is where the shipments are supposed to be placed. We can only assume so much unless proven otherwise"

That makes sense actually. The truck's shipments to the Headquarter are often checked thoroughly before sending them. As a result no one bothered to place surveillance camera on them. No wonder why he was able to get in easily, all he need to do is hop in and he's there already

It greatly ashamed him that one of the most secured place on Remnant could be broke in so easily

"...Continue"

"So by getting in the stealthy way, he managed to avoid the first obstacle. Then there's the Huntsmen that guards the inner compound, the majority of which has been sent to deal with an incident in a nearby village at that time" He said "An incident, which involves a certain Grimm"

By now the pieces has finally clicked for General, whose jaw dropped open as he listened to what the Specialist said. He do not want to believe a word of it, but he has to

The Grim intentionally attacked the village as a decoy to draw out most nearby Huntsmen, greatly reducing the Headquarter's security as a result. He also deliberately follow their truck and get inside for the sole purpose of avoiding their outer defense. It's certainly unsettling how simple he made it seem

"And then he released all those children. I trust you already understand what that means"

Yes. Once it was explained, it's not hard for James Ironwood to piece together the final piece. The Grimm hybrids are a crucial step on his plan. He let them out of their cages for a purpose: To cause as much chaos as they could while he slipped out unseen of the scene, as undetected as a phantom

To break into one of the most secured pace on the planet in just three steps, the Grim had proven himself to be a most dangerous criminal indeed

Why, if it wasn't for Reaper's report, he would have still thought the attack on the village and the Headquarter massacre are two entirely unconnected events, a mere coincidence! How stupid he must have been!

But still, there were some lingering doubts inside his mind as he asked the final, and most important question

"While I can say that your explanation was most certainly plausible, do you have any actual evidence supporting the idea that our friend here is the main culprit?"

Again, Reaper pulled out several files from his coat and put it on the table

"This is the security footage of him recorded on our camera. Our researcher has been working hard on comparing his face to those recorded in Remnant's population database to see if we can identify him"

"What did you found?"

"Nothing" He seethed "Out of hundreds of millions of people on this planet, not one of them matched with the Grim's. There's not even a single record which mention him no matter how deep we dig, it's like he didn't even exist in the first place!"

His tone was laced with frustration

"In other word, he's a ghost" The General finished quietly

"Yes, until recently that is" The Specialist regained his composure "There had been one instance of him appearing before, can you guess where it is?"

"...Don't tell me...."

"It's the attacked village, Sir. He was there from the start and only leave when the Grimm has invaded the place. I believe that fact alone is proof enough"

Ironwood collapsed into his chair

He's not shocked, he's just tired. It's just been a long day is all

First is the event that suddenly happened last night without prior warning. As if dealing with the phone calls weren't enough, he now have to face the larger problem in the form of a single man with great intelligence and undiscernible motive for his action

The physical damage they suffered weren't that much of a deal. The mental backlash does, however

By completely annihilating the Atlesian Huntsmen headquarter, This Grim individual has reminded the world of just how feeble and utterly pathetic the human race is. Centuries after centuries has made them desensitized to the world around them, thinking they are the dominant specie of this planet

They had forgotten just how close they were standing on the edge of extinction 80 years ago...and now they are reminded of it. This tragedy was simply a warning to the outside world, to make them remember their places before the discovery of dust of just how helpless they are before the dark force of the Grimm

Heh...maybe that's the reason why he named himself as Grim, because that resembles the terror and fear he brought with them. A signature of a criminal

....At least he didn't wear a Grimm mask

"There is still one more question. How do you know you getting out of there is his intention?" Through the gap between his fingers, Ironwood peered at Reaper with inquisitive eyes

"How do you think I'm still alive?" He smiled "He only bind me to the wall and just left me there. That man could have killed me easily, yet he didn't. I can only think of one reason why he wouldn't do that"

"He already knew you figured out his plan, but he didn't eliminate you because he wants you as a messenger" Ironwood said in awe

From a terrorist's stand point this is completely logical. He sought destruction and carnage, but nobody will remember his work if there are no survivor to tell the tales. So he has taken it himself to spread his fame through tales of the survivors

Additionally, it would also serves as a warning that this will not be the last time they seen him. For many years he had remained hidden in the shadow, away from most of humanity. There must be a damn good reason why he would reveal himself at this time

This Grim truly is cunning. Someone with the brain of a genius, but a heart of a demon. He used fear as his weapon, striking when they are at their most unguarded moments with ferocity. An agent of chaos, a terror of the darkness

Gritting his teeth, General Ironwood picked up his Scroll and dialed a number into it

"What are you doing?"

"I'm calling to put a bounty on his head. Dead or alive, we'll have to catch the Grim no matter what"

<><><><><><><><><><>

"Cinder, we've been flying for several hours now" One of the children said "When will we get there?"

"Easy now, Bandit. I thought you would be thrilled to ride a Nevermore, why the complaining?"

"Well, it was kind of interesting at first, but then these things are loud as fuck and it's just so annoying, man" Said boy whined "I wish they'd just stop cawing already"

As if hearing them, the Nevermore Cinder rode on let out another caw, seemingly annoyed at his statement

She chuckled "True, but they're giving us a free ride. You are the one who's being rude to those who helped you"

He only huffed in response, prompting Cinder to shook her head and focused onward

The girl had to admit he was partially right, they've been flying non-stop for a while now. She doesn't even know where they're going, only that Salem had told her to 'let the crow guide you'

Hmm...what if she detonated all of these crows using her explosion magic? Will they exploded normally, or will they just poofed out of existence, since 'creature of darkness' and all"?

Also, maybe she's just imagining it or these Grimm are actually more intelligent then they look. They not only answered to the children but also seems to know what they're actually saying, almost as if....they're actually sentient

Cinder took another closer look at the Nevermore she's on, the one which is currently leading the pack. She patted it's head, making the raven trilled softly, momentarily glancing at her in confusion before focusing back to it's mission

...No, that's not it. She is sure the only reason they understand her is because she herself is part-Grimm, as is the other children on this ride. That's why the birds aren't hostile toward them, because they recognized the Grimm Hybrids as their kin.

That or the fact that Lady Salem may had ordered them not to harm the children. But she has a feeling the woman won't bother to do that

"We're here" Thatcher called out behind her, and Cinder realized that the Nevemores are simultaneously landing themselves on the ground. The children soon found themselves standing at the edge of a clearing in the forest

The forest's trees are all withered away, leaving behind only hollow trunks and sickly branches, a twisted remnants of what they used to be. There was not even a single animal around them, it's just dead silence. Except for them, this place seems to be devoid of all sign of life

Internally, Cinder wondered if she could blow up this place within one shot. It would be pretty fun if she can do that

The girl pointed her finger forward, making sure it was facing the middle of the clearing

'Explosion'

The ground of where she was pointing to bulged outward, before it suddenly burst open and chunks of dirt flew out of it, accompanied with a booming sound. The children all reacted quickly as they retreated from the blast radius and easily dodged the flying debris, or blocking them with a shield in Rook and Montagne's cases

As the dust finally settled it revealed a massive crater in it's place, easily the same size as a large pool. What came after that shocked them, however

Just inches in front of the crater, the space shimmered before it shattered, showing a woman in black standing there, with red veins spreading from her eyes and pale white skin. it was no other than Salem

"My my, you found me pretty quickly" She remarked, her crimson eyes sweeping over them in a curious manner "What gave it away?"

"Your illusion is pretty good. it blocked off my sense of sight, smell and hearing simultaneously, effectively concealing the user's existence from a normal human's perspective" She admitted "The only reason why I can sense you in the first place is that it felt wrong"

"Wrong?"

This time it was Thatcher who answered her

"What our Commander means to say is that your presence felt wrong, like it shouldn't be there. I don't know how I can explain it either, only that we all felt there's someone standing near us"

"Oh" Salem appeared to fell into a thoughtful trance. She eyed the children once more, this time with considerably more interest

(Y/n) really did have an eye for talent, isn't he? It's not even one month of being in the real world and he's already making waves. Monty knows what he'll be up to in the future

If one day he ends up being the God Emperor of Remnant, she's seriously going to be proud of him

"It appears that my son is right about all of you" She smiled "You have potential, but these talents of yours are untrained, unrefined, and inexperienced. You are like hidden gems in a pile of dirt, the selected few that outshone their useless counterpart in every way"

"Join me. Join (Y/n). And you won't regret it"

She spread out her arms, awaiting their answers. Of course, it isn't as much of an answer as it is a threat. Those who accept will be marked with loyalty, while those who rejected it...Well, she has no use for them anyway

With thoughts like that, the woman was surprised when the children simultaneously stepped forward, their eyes meeting hers

"We have nowhere to hide"

"Nothing to eat"

"No one to love"

"No place to stay"

"He found us in our darkest times. He helped us. He gave us hope. To turn your back on your savior would be the most heinous of sin committed"

"Such a generous offer to work for our Lord (Y/n)....is something that we can't possibly decline"

With that said, they all genuflected before her, their heads lowered in a sign of submission

Salem gaped openly

It took her years to amass a cult, and her son did that overnight?!

<><><><><><><><><><>

I opened my eyes slowly

Somehow I've got the feeling that somebody just mentioned me, and several times at that

Getting up from the tree branch that I've previously slept on last night. The creaking of the wooden thing coupled with the snapping of bones could be heard as I stretched myself several time, groaning in satisfaction

After 2 days of killing and sneaking, I've finally been able to sleep. Ah, it is wonderful to escape from that place

This truly is the best way to start a vacation, waking up after a fulfilling nap of a previously hard-working day, only to bask in the natural sunlight and the beautiful scenery of Atlas, it feels like my soul are being soothed, like nothing could go wrong in this wonderful world of Remnant

Or at least that's what I thought, until the window notification popped up

Ding!

You have became an international criminal!

You are now wanted across the four Kingdoms!

- Name: A/n

- Gender: Male

- Blood type: A/n

- Title: The Grim

- Class: A+, presumably S

- Bounty: 15,000,000 Lien (Dead)/35,000,000 Lien (Alive)

- Weapon(s): Two guns. One is pitch black, the other's white with a shade of silver. Each of them reported to be capable of shooting Aura bullets that can slow, paralyze, or even menstruate the target. The weapons can also be switched to melee weapon, unknown if they can also cause the same effect as their ranged form

- Semblance(s): Target has been witnessed to has the ability to shoot out spiderweb that can bind his enemy, while the webs themselves could also be use for defense purpose as seen that they are quite durable. He also held a few other notable power such as wall-walking, superior five senses, acid generation, and can presumably dodge unseen attacks

- Description: Black hair and red eyes with a slit for iris. Last seen wearing a tattered black cloak and a red scarf around his neck

- Warning: Target is described to be highly skilled in combat, possessing an inhumane amount of strength and speed as well as being able to endure multiple shots to the head without any notable injury, which undoubtedly points to an excessively large amount of Aura

Except for bounty hunters, licensed S-class Huntsman and above, everybody is advised to stay away if they catch sight of him. In case you want to contribute to the arrest of this criminal, please contact the local police force if you see someone looking similar to him at where you live

Any information regarding the Grim are welcome and will be sufficiently rewarded with money (or pancakes)

God damn it. Taking a deep breath , i tried to calm myself down. It worked to an extent as the instinctive panic slowly faded away

I should know this will happen already. It would be strange if the government didn't found out about me after such a controversial event happened at their primary base. Still, that doesn't mean I has to like the fact that now I'm a wanted criminal

I mean, what's next? Will I gather a pirate crew and become Pirate King of Remnant? (Y/n) D.Rogers and his nakama going on an adventure of friendship and shit to find the legendary One Piece treasure?

Pft. Yeah, as if

Frowning, I got up and hopped down to the ground, where there's a small stream running nearby. Looking down to it, I can see my reflection staring back at me with that same impassive look on my face

I then take a look at my outfit. The outfit that I'm currently wearing has been put on the description part of the wanted poster. From a normal person's point of view, I should have just throw them away already to avoid suspicion

Problem is...I can't

the black cloak I'm wearing isn't actually made out of real material, it's just a [Shadow Cloak], an item which was given to me when I unlocked my [Shadow Manipulation] skill not long ago

[Shadow Cloak]

- Nightshade (Passive): Turn the user into shadow when channeled with Aura. User in shadow form can pass through walls and is immune to physical attack in the first 3 second before turning invisible after that

As is the red scarf hanging around my neck, it's also given to me when I learned [Blood Manipulation]

[Hunter's Scarf]

- Torment (Passive): Inflict a Damage Over Time effect that deals 4.5% of an enemy's full health for over 3 seconds. Can be stacked up to 5 times (22.5%)

- Blood Thief (Passive): You heal 25% of the total damage dealt to enemies (critical damage included)

Originally I have intended to eat these items, but then there'd be nothing left for me to wear. Let's admit it, it's easier to spot a naked guy running down the street than some guy dressing up in suspiciously shady clothes, especially since this is Atlas and such standard of clothing are extremely normal to the locals here

So, in order to learn these skills, I'll first have to find some substitute outfit from around here, preferably from a bandit since there'd be no need for an investigation then

Sighing, I stood up and began walking to the South, where the map indicates is the location of Menagerie. There's still 400 more kilometers until I arrive to the island, let's just hope I meet some bloke who's willing to 'lend' me their clothe on the way there

Unknown to (Y/n), a smaller window behind his back slowly vanished away without him even noticing it's presence

New Quest created: Syndicate

- Quest: Become King of the criminal world

- Extra: Become the criminal with the highest bounty reward in history

- Reward: Dominance over the 4 Kingdom's Underworld/ 5,000,000,000,000 EXP/????/????

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Author's Note: So, this is it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter that I made, because this...this will the last update for a while. I mean it. I don't want to disappoint my readers, but life's been tough for me more than it usually is

The new school year is closing in and i found myself submerged in more and more works as my summer holiday went by. it's going to be an important year for me, guys. As much as I'd hate to say it: This series will be put on hiatus until further notice

Again, I don't want to disappoint my readers, but between real life and fiction....Well, I don't have that much of a choice in the first place. It's been a wild ride with you guys commenting on this story, and so I couldn't thank you enough for that

I'll still be lurking on Wattpad and respond to your comments like usual, but my writing time will be severely limited from now on

Thank you,

Thienlibra