Night had descended upon the City if Kuo Kuana, the once-bustling streets and market squares having long gone quiet as the islands residence retired to their homes or local Inn for the evening. J'zargo stared out over the city, the cool night air blowing through the open window and washing over the Kahjiits form, he sighed in bliss, his ears flicking back and forth in the cool breeze.

In some strange way this less than hospitable land they now found themselves in reminded him of his homeland, had it not been for the shattered moon hanging in the sky above, and the eldritch horrors that walked the wasteland beyond the jungle, at first glance one might easily mistake it for one of the major cities across the southern sands of Elsweyr.

The Kahjiit mage sighed, idly tapping a claw against the window frame. He had grown up in one of the many nomadic tribes that occupied the northern deserts, if he recalled, much like himself his younger brother and sister had left the tribe after coming of age and travelled many of the surrounding provinces in search of the glory and wealth their father had boasted to have found in his own travels.

The last he'd heard of them, the two had started up a small caravan in Hammerfell, perhaps once this quest had come to a close, it might be nice to pay them a visit. In the meantime, however, he needed to focus on the task at hand or risk condemning them all to whatever "justice" would impose on them should they be discovered. His sapphire eyes darted about the darkened rooftops and streets around them, keeping watch for any unwanted guests that may stumble across their hideout.

Despite his initial worries claiming this place for the night had been easier than expected, - Much to Cicero's displeasure- they'd remained out of sight as the workers finished their shifts and once they'd departed it was a simple task of having the mad fool pick the lock. If all went according to plan they'd be gone before the workers arrived the next morning.

All they had to do was wait it out, though that was easier said than done.

No doubt word of their clash with the island's defenders earlier that day would have made it back to the local lord- or however, they addressed the one ruling over this city- by now. Should the night pass without incident they would need to make haste towards the shipyard, hopefully, Brynjolf had managed to secure passage aboard the steel goliath, the sooner they made it off this island the safer they all would be.

Speaking of which, where was he?

While he may not have been as well versed in the criminal arts as their resident master thief, he was certain that whatever business' he was currently conducting with the ship's captain, shouldn't have taken as long as this. J'zargo narrowed his eyes at the large manner off in the distance, the more he looked at it the greater the feeling of foreboding inside him grew.

A shadow darted across the street below.

J'zargo stepped out of view, glancing to Cicero the Khajiit hissed drawing the assassin's attention, he pointed down towards the street below, the mad jester nodded his hand slipping towards his ebony dagger as he rose into a crouch Cicero edged towards the stairwell eager to great and perhaps dispose of the new arrival, a murderous smile formed across his lips.

"No." J'zargo snapped back in a hushed voice before the fool could do anything stupid.

Cicero's smile was replaced with a pout, the man child crossing his arms over his chest in a huff. As he sat back down against the wall, grumbling softly to himself about fur rugs. J'zargo sighed, crisis averted for the moment he turned his attention back towards the new arrival, edging his way back towards the window, he glanced down into the darkened streets below, if this was who he thought it was then-

A small flash of light blinked at him from across the darkened street below. The Kahjiit mage chuckled softly relief washing over him, it seems he'd been worried for nothing. Making his way downstairs J'zargo cracked opened the door to their hideaway and was greeted the hooded figure outside. "Come, quickly." He said pulling it open and ushering his companion inside. "Were you followed?" J'zargo inquired, closing the door behind him.

The master thief snorted, leaning back against the wall Brynjolf raised an eyebrow in response to the Khajiit mages accusations. "Have some faith in me would you." He'd looped through a few back streets and alleyways on his way back from the docks it may have added an extra hour onto what should have been a quick trip, but if anyone had been suspicious and decided to tail him, he was certain they'd lost him a long time ago.

Nevertheless, they still had a problem. "Where's Cicero?" Brynjolf asked, glancing around the bottom floor in search of the brotherhood assassin.

"Upstairs" And most likely planning the best and most efficient way to disembowel him and turn him into a fur rug, he'd seen that look in his eye earlier, the mad jester wasn't pleased about having to reel in his bloodlust, he'd have to keep a close eye out in the future. While he didn't expect the fool to try and take his life, some form of caution would be advisable for the foreseeable future, no doubt the man-child would try to exact some form of petty vengeance upon him. Still, there were more important things to worry about at the moment " Were you able to arrange passage off the island?" J'zargo enquired

"Yes, and a little bit more on top of that" Brynjolf said holding up the tickets he'd gotten from that Mattie girl, they guaranteed him and his companions a room and passage on the ship to "Anima" as she called it, once there they could start their search for Mikael in earnest. Although he showed little joy in regard to his accomplishment, his good mood had been thoroughly dashed by what he'd saw on his way back. "But our little cruise can wait, we need to have a little chat."

/

Ghira paced back and forth across his study going over the speech he'd prepared for the meeting ahead, Corsac and Fennec were situated around the coffee table reading and re-reading the documents he'd prepared for the briefing, comparing them to their own reports supplied by Triffa and the brothers and sister that were with her during their encounter, making small additions where needed in order to fill in the blanks, their information on these insurgents was limited at best, they couldn't afford to miss even the smallest detail, or risk something that might prove instrumental in the long run.

At the very least they had managed to ascertain a small description of the group that had attacked Triffa and the others, the information she'd given them was...disheartening to say the least. There was a Faunus among them and where there was one, there may be more. The revelation had floored the three of them if only for a moment, the thought that some of their own people might be aiding in an attack on the island seemed like an impossibility, Menagerie was a sanctuary, a safe haven for those that wanted to escape the injustice they'd face elsewhere, for one of their own people to aid in an attack was a betrayal unlike any other, that struck at the heart of each man.

Though for Ghira, it alluded that the actions of this group may have far deeper reasons than they first perceived.

He, his wife and daughter had spent over a decade fighting for the rights of their people, the right to vote, equal labor laws, even the right to ride on the same bus as a Human. It had been a slow and taxing battle for him and his family, and when the time came he stepped down a high leader and allow Sienna- his successor and a trusted friend- to take the reins and lead the White Fang into its next chapter in history.

He couldn't help but wonder, by doing so had he failed his people. Blake has been more than vocal about her... 'Concerns' regarding his decisions, concerns that had quickly escalated to one argument after another, until one day she'd packed her things and vanished in the night, no letter or scroll call explaining why she'd left. It wasn't until days later they'd found out she'd run off with that Taurus boy.

In hindsight, there were always worse outcomes.

Blake had always had strong feelings for the boy despite the rather large age gap between them, enough so that Ghira had pulled the boy aside to ensure he knew how he felt on the subject. Adam had assured him there was nothing between them and how he saw Blake as nothing more than a valued friend, he had given him his word to always look out for her. Even now, he still held him to his word.

Although, that raised a valid question, were their other like Blake? Faunus that had been outraged by his actions, that saw him as a traitor... a coward that had turned his back on their people when they needed him most. Faunus that instead of continuing the fight against such oppression, had instead decided to lash out at those they felt had abandoned them.

There were no major business or institutions here linked to any other Kingdom or their government, an attack along the lines of what Yuma had predicted would only accomplish two things, spreading fear and pandemonium among the populous and sending a message to the ruling government, a message to him. If this was about revenge or some twisted form of justice he'd prefer they just kill him and get it over with, rather than bring more needless pain down on others.

A sudden knock on the door pulled Ghira from his thoughts, the door was pushed open a moment later. Kali stepped through closing it behind her. "I hope I'm not interrupting. " She inquired as she moved to her husband's side.

"Hardly" Ghira replied evenly, his level tone hiding his unease. "We were just finishing up here, we should be down shortly... how are things?" He asked

"Saber and his lieutenants have just arrived" Kali replied, sending a worried glance towards her husband, immediately taking notice of the tired look in his eyes, the situation weighed heavily on all of them, none more so than him." They'll be joining Yuma and the other White Fang Members gathered in the Meeting hall shortly... are you ready?" She asked reaching out to touch Ghira's arm, offering her husband whatever support she could.

The mountain of a man sighed "They won't like what they hear, but that's often the case when it comes to the truth."

"True." Corsac said, he and his brother rising to their feet "But they will take comfort in knowing that their leader has taken immediate action." Ghira nodded a small breath leaving him, he was grateful for the kind words, as well as the support the cell leaders had provided while they dealt with this ordeal.

"Well, then." Ghira began his nerves steeled "let's not keep them waiting." With that the four moved out into the hallway, Corsac and Fennec falling into step behind the Belladonna's as they traversed the manner halls, a heavy silence falling over the Faunus leaders as they descended a flight of stairs to the first floor.

Dealing with the aftermath of the meeting to come wouldn't be easy, once the truth of what was happening on their island came to light there would be shock, fear, outrage and a half a dozen other things on top of a mountain of questions, -he dreaded the very thought of the debacle that would follow, once the situation was brought into the public eye- questions they had little to no answers for.

The four arrived outside the large double doors leading into the Manners meeting hall, the muffled voices of its occupants echoing down the hall, Ghira straightened out his coat, casting one final glance to his wife, Kali nodded in response a gentle smile gracing her features. Ghira moved forward pushing the large double doors open and entered the meeting hall.

Arguably the largest room in the manner, the meeting hall was comprised of two separate floors, a large walkway running the length with several bookshelves and paintings decorated the walls of the first and second floor, an elevated stage was situated off to the left side of the room surrounded by four long wooden desks, a podium having been erected in the center in preparation for the events to come, with a dozen or more chairs lining the walls of the room.

Ghira's eyes roamed over the occupants of the room, Faunus of varying types dotting the numerous tables and chairs the vast majority each bearing the White Fangs sigil. Passing over the White fang members his eyes landed on the group of four stood around one of the large desks by the stage, Saber alongside his two lieutenants stood alongside Yuma the four looking over a map of their island.

The dog Faunus to Yuma's right's- Linsey if he recalled correctly -ears twitched, she glanced over her should towards them, her dark brown eyes meeting Ghira's gaze. She nudged the Bat Faunus beside her drawing their group's attention to Ghira's approaching form, stepping away from their planning Yuma and Saber moved to meet the new arrivals.

"Your grace." Yuma bowed his head in respect.

"Yuma, Saber " Ghira replied offering the two a quick nod "Is this everyone?" he asked looking over the crowd, Ghira hummed taking a quick headcount of those present there looked to be around forty... Forty-five in total, enough to cover their bases and then some should the worst come to worst.

"As many as we could rally to the cause." Yuma replied, he glanced to Fennec and Corsac sending a subtle glare their way, the two of them had sent only a fraction of the fighters they had available to Kuo Kuana's aid, the rest had been moved to guard the storehouses they had in the villages outside the city, "Protecting assets to the cause" They'd said... it sounded more like cowardice to him. Those they had sent could handle themselves in a fight, so it wasn't a total loss, but still... "I only wish we could do more." Yuma admitted

"Please" Ghira waved off his words, settling a comforting hand on the Bat Faunus shoulder "You and our brothers and sisters have done more than enough by coming here as it is, thank you." Ghira's words drew a small smile from the usually stoic White Fang member before his gaze shifted to Saber. "How are thing looking at our end?"

"I've had some of my men lock down the ports, no ships in or out while we're on alert, the rest are sweeping the streets and storehouses on the outskirts of the city." Saber gestured back to the map they had laid out over the table, Ghira stepped past the guard captain examining its layout, taking note of the guard positions and location Saber had marked, showing the majority of the city guard was positioned around the Manner, storehouses and shipyards, each one a viable target for the insurgents "If they find anything they'll report directly back to me."

"What of our brothers and sister" Fennec inquired, looking past the bat Faunus he scanned the crowd with a keen eye, before asking "Is sister Trifa present?"

"She's..." Yuma trailed off as he glanced around the hall attempting to locate the silver-haired Spider Faunus. "...Around" Yuma coughed awkwardly "Forgive her your grace, she's been... distant since the attack."

"Please, there's no need" Ghira replied, after what happened in the jungle it was only natural she wouldn't be comfortable with leaving her friends side... poor girl must have been worried sick." If anything, I should be the one apologizing for dragging her into this... How is the young man?"

"Stable, but he hasn't woken up yet." Yuma replied, from what he'd heard Ronin had gone into shock and passed out shortly after being freed, fortunately, the medics back at their outpost had been able to stabilize him for the time being, he'd live, though the same couldn't be said for the ones that had been trapped alongside him.

The Belladonna patriarch hummed in understanding. "Then we won't keep her too long, now as Fennec was saying?"

"We'll be sweeping the inner city, Markets, Bars and Residential areas" Yuma listed off "The last time, they had scouts keeping an eye on us back at the village, it's more than likely they could be using the same tactics here." Corsac nodded along with his subordinate's words, it was a sound assumption, their brothers and sisters in Mistral had employed similar tactics before conducting raids in the past.

"Which raises another issue." Corsac began in a somewhat hushed voice "If there truly are some of our... misguided, brothers and sisters among them, they could move freely among the populous without suspicion from the people or the authorities."

"He's right" Kali agreed, with the majority of the island's population being Faunus, finding the ones linked to the attacks would be an almost impossible task. "But we can't just stop and start questioning anyone who's out on the street after dark." The cat Faunus sighed in frustration, as bad as it sounded in her head, it would have been so much easier if they were just humans.

"We don't intend to ma'am." Saber was quick to assure her "But if we encounter anyone acting strangely around the marked areas, it's for the best we air on the side of caution." he added leaning back against the desk. "It's the best we can do without enforcing some form of Martial law over the city." Ghira glowered at the thought of the worst-case scenario that could call for such action, one that he hoped their efforts would ensure never came to pass.

Corsac grimaced, the sentiment shared by his brother "An undesirable outcome." He muttered.

An outcome that would set back their current plans and movements for months to come, and should high leader Khan discover such measures had been taken, well... it was no secret- despite their past disagreements- she still held her predecessor in high regards, Sienna would send her own forces or perhaps come to Menagerie herself to investigate, which would not bode well should she discover their growing support for brother Adam.

"Hopefully it won't have to come to that" Ghira nodded to himself "We should get started" Stepping back from the desk Menageries chieftain made his way towards the elevated stage. Accepting the chair Saber pulled out for her Kali sat down alongside the others, as her husband approached the podium.

Ghira gently tapped the microphone, the muttered chatter around the room began to die down as one by one the eyes of every Faunus present turned to him, "Thank you all for assembling here." Ghira began, his voice carrying across the meeting hall, transmitted from the mic to the speakers in the four corners of the hall "By now some among you will have already heard the rumors regarding the incident to the north-west"

Hushed whispers and murmurs broke out from the crowd. "As of now, we can confirm that earlier this afternoon a village in this area has been the victim of an attacked by an unidentified group of insurgents, that resulted in the deaths of two White Fang members and a third that remains in critical condition, those responsible having since fled into the wasteland avoiding captured."

The murmurs grew louder, there were almost certainly some among them who hadn't heard these rumors or been given an explanation as to why they had been summoned to his home that evening, but the few among them that had appeared more anxious, then outraged by the news. "While the reasons behind this attack still remain unknown." Ghira continued " We have confirmation from the White Fang members that confronted this group, that there were both Humans and Faunus among them."

The crowd erupted in outrage

"What!?"

"You can't be serious!?"

Ghira motioned for the crowd to calm, even as the volume increased "I understand that this news may seem outrageous, but I assure you it is the truth, and ask that you shoulder your grievances for the time being so that we may focus our efforts on the threat this poses." Ghira leaned forward gripping the podium. "Evidence collected from the scene of the attack, suggest these insurgents are in possession of advanced weapons and explosives."

"With their actions once confronted in mind, we speculate this attack may have served as a diversion in order to both divert our attention as well as allow a larger force, the ability to slip by and gain access to their primary target, Kuo Kuana." The shouts and cries of outrage began dying down.

"Which brings me to why you have been called here tonight." Ghira continued. "With the majority of the Menagerie guard responding to the rise in Grimm activity on the frontier, our city's forces are left outnumbered and outmatched in face of this crisis... we now turn to you our brothers and sisters of the White Fang, you have stood as the voice of our people, a symbol of our unity, now ask if you will stand with us once again and face the threat of against these marauders!?" Ghira stepped back sweeping his arms over the crowd.

The crowd roared to life.

"We'll stand with you!"

"Yeah!"

"Let's show those bastards what we're made of!"

One after another, each man and woman present pledged themselves to the defence of their island, their home. Ghira's gaze shifted to Saber and Yuma, the two nodded back to him in response, rising from their seats the two commanders made their way to the edge of the stage. "We have a long night ahead of us, and precious little time to put our plan into action. "Ghira gestured towards Yuma and Saber as they took to the stage.

"Yuma and Saber have been granted joint command of this operation and will be directing the movements of our forces throughout the city." Ghira stepped back from the podium giving the White fang commander and Menagerie guard captain the floor, Ghira stepped down from the stage taking his seat between Kali and Fennec allowing Yuma and Saber to address the White Fang.

Kali leaned towards her husband "I haven't seen a reaction like that since one of our first rallies back in Mantle." She whispered. The White Fang was still young in those days with barely a hundred members to its name- it had been a bold move to host one of their rallies on the doorstep of their peoples oldest oppressors even decades after the revolution- the rally was supposed to be the first step in changing that.

To spread their organization's message to the people, to let the Faunas of mantle know they were not alone, that they had a voice, a banner, a cause they could rally behind and work towards a world where Human and Faunus could walk side by side with one another... she still remembered the crowd her husband had managed to draw with his words, the hope and joy in her daughters eyes.

...The authorities had arrived and shut them down within the hour, with half their members being arrested and the others managing to escape into the city. Atlas had struck a heavy blow against them that day, but it had also marked one of their first victories, with the number of new recruits and support from Faunas sympathizers among the members of the public inside the kingdom and beyond growing in the days that followed.

Ghira hummed in response, his attention split between his wife's words and listening intently to the two men in front of him. Kali furrowed her brow; he'd wanted to join them when they went out tonight. "Why should I remain safe and under guard in the manner while others may very well lay down their lives tonight." He'd said, they must have argued for she didn't know how long, call her selfish if you will but if worst comes to worst and there was an attack, she'd prefer that when dawn finally came Menagerie still had a capable leader at the helm to guide them through the aftermath and she still had her husband.

"Dear, you've done enough." Kali whispered once more laying her hand atop her husbands, she'd talked him out of joining them much to his displeasure, though he still insisted on being present till the end of the briefing. "It'll be fine." The menagerie guard had trained and prepared for scenarios such as this in the past, with that training and tactics combined with Yuma's field experience and the white fangs numbers, she was confident they were more than enough to tackle this threat head-on.

Ghira sighed "I hope so." He whispered under his breath. Yuma and Saber were more than capable of handling the matter, but he couldn't shake the slight feeling of doubt gnawing away at the back off his mind, that little voice saying "What if", what if their efforts weren't enough and the marauders found a way through their defenses, what if they were already inside the city, what if they set off another dev-

No!... no, he couldn't allow his fears to get the better of him, nothing had ever come easy for the people of Menagerie, famine, drought, typhoons, the creatures of Grimm each just as destructive and as deadly a foe as this, that's all it was really, just another trial his people would be forced to endure, only this time, they would be ready.

/

"Absolutely not." Brynjolf shot back

"Well, our only other option is to send the jester." The Khajiit mage jabbed his thumb towards the mad jester who waved back from across the room with a pleasant hum. Brynjolf stared back at the Kahjiit blankly, sure why not, why not send the homicidal and bloodthirsty assassin into the home of the island's ruler, that sounded like such a wonderful idea.

"Don't be daft." Brynjolf shot back, sighing the master thief took a step back, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "We already have everything we need to leave, so why are you asking me to risk my neck and break into the now most heavily guarded building on the island?"

If the city was on alert, the best course of action would be staying put and out of sight before heading for the docks at first light, they were in one of the more deserted parts of the city, any guards would be sticking to the more populated residential and commercial districts, while there was a chance of some patrols passing through in the night so long as they didn't draw any attention to themselves they'd be alright.

J'zargo sighed "We do not know the extent of their response" The Khajiit began to explain " Nor the contingencies that may have set in place should the island come under siege. While the ports may be reopened come morning, they will most likely be under guard, and this one believes we may require more than just tickets to guarantee safe passage."

In other words, they might need documents in order to leave, documents that the average law-abiding citizen wouldn't have on hand, but someone in a more 'influential' position might.

The legion had employed similar tactics during the civil war, those attempting to pass through Skyrim's borders had been subjected to similar checks, with the poor souls lacking the appropriate papers either being subjected to a hefty fine or if they were unlucky hauled off for 'interrogation' at the hands of the empires boogeymen the Penitus Oculatus.

And he doubted there were any decent counterfeiters on the island or at least any they could reach in time and hash out a deal with before the ship left... Great. "All right then" Brynjolf sighed "So what exactly is the plan for me to get in and out of there without being killed?" Brynjolf inquired with a raised eyebrow. J'zargo stroked his chin in thought, with the majority of the guard rallied at the manor they would need some sort of diversion, it didn't need to be too destructive just enough to draw the guards attention away from the-

Crash!

The Kahjiit mage and master thief froze, their previous argument forgotten as their wide unblinking eyes slowly turned towards what remnants of the second-story window, the night air blowing back the curtains granting the two an unrestricted view into the street below, and at the retreating form of their- extremely unstable and destructive -companion, his deranged cackle echoing into the night.

"Documents!"

"The Fool!"

/

He raced through the labyrinth of dark allies, passing through one street after another, dear mother spurring him on. "Move swiftly my keeper, the way forward lies ahead." The Night mothers voice whispered into the back of his mind, Cicero's smile grew in response, a derange giggly slipping past his lips. Today had been one series of setbacks after another, each greater than the last and each further binding them to this wretched place when for all they knew, the listener may have need of them.

And when it seemed they had finally found a clear path to his grace, these... MoNgReLs! had decided to interfere in their great mission once more, they would pay dearly for such arrogance and his growing bloodlust towards these creatures would finally be satisfied, alongside the needs of a few others.

If the little bird was to acquire and return to them safely with the proper means to leave this island in hand, he would need aid, aid only dear sweet Cicero could provide him, no matter how much they believed otherwise. No matter the cost the listener would be found, and his ladies will be don-

"I still can't believe it." A voice echoed down from the other end of the alleyway. Cicero skidded to a halt his hand resting on the hilt of his ebony dagger, his eyes scanning the path ahead as the voice continued "I mean how could you just, turn your back on your own people?" The assassin ducked behind a pile of crates, peeking through a crack between the wooden crates he watched as three figures stepped into view, two women and one man.

'At last...' Cicero mused, a group of Guardsmen judging by the armor, they were just as Brynjolf had described them. He licked his lips, drawing his dagger from its sheath, he edged his way out of his hiding spot, the enchantments on his armor leaving them blissfully unaware as he approached.

"Don't let it get to you." One of the women spoke up laying a hand on her companion's shoulder, a horses tail hanging between her legs. "They made the choice to turn on their own people" She gripped her spear tightly. "Now their gonna answer for it."

The other woman nodded her fox ears perking up slightly "Right." She said.

"Will you two cut the chatter and stay focused." Their apparent leader growled back. It was just his luck he got partnered with a couple of chatterboxes, Yuma's revelation had hit them all hard and emotions were running high, but right now with the stakes so high, they needed to focus "Unless you want them to know we're coming."

"Oohohohho~ Yes, you never know just who might be skulking about..." Cicero didn't give them a chance to raise their weapons

Lunging from the darkness of the alleyway, Cicero stepped into the fox Faunus guard and drove his dagger into her side, she screamed in agony. Letting his weapon go, Cicero, stepped past her and drove his elbow into the horse Faunus face, her head whipped to the side her eyes rolling back, the force of the blow breaking her nose and putting her on her back.

"Pam, Melissa!" The male Faunus cried raising his weapon, Cicero dropped to the floor as three cracks rang out, whipping his leg out towards his next victim Cicero swept the poor fools legs out from under him, using the moment from the kick the mad jester spun to his feet and dove for his adversary pinning his right arm and the strange staff he'd been wielding off to the side

"Ge-ugh off, rgh!" The White fang member snarled up at Cicero and extended his claws. 'Ooo~' The mad jester's eyes narrowed in intrigue, the dark brotherhood assassin leaned his head to the side the razor-sharp appendages narrowly avoided his throat and drew three faint lines across his cheek, sadly for his opponent that would be the first and only chance he'd get at fighting back, he needed their little ballet to look convincing after all. With his opponent now wide-open Cicero slammed his forearm down on his throat.

"Ugh!" The Faunus hacked, coughing flecks of blood into the mad man's face as his free hand fell back to his throat. With that done Cicero rolled off his foe and rose back to his feet watching as the Faunus struggled to draw breath, his desperate gasps for air grew fainter and fainter as the seconds ticked by, he didn't want to have to end their fun so soon, but sadly his work was coming to an end, there was little chance someone hadn't heard all the commotion, the guard would be coming soon and once the bodies were discovered...

A small whimper drew Cicero's gaze back to his unexpected audience... Perhaps there was still time for some fun. "...tra la-la~" he sang, his maniacal gaze zeroed in on the fox Faunus "tra la lee~" Her wide terrified eyes stared back at him her blood-soaked hands clamped over her wound "da-da dum dum~" The Assassin steepled his fingers together and strolled towards her, the girl's face twisted in agony as she rolled onto her good side and tried to drag herself away from the mad man. "dee-dee~..."

The assassin paused and looked on in mirth as she desperately tried to escape him, a steady trail of red left behind on the cobblestone path marking her progress, she'd barely managed a few feet before the pain became too much and she collapsed "Hmmm Hhmm Hmmm" Cicero giggled strolling over to the girl and pushed her onto her back with his boot.

She raised a trembling hand towards him "Please... Please" She begged him, tears streaming down her cheeks "Plea-ugh!"

Cicero pressed his boot down on her chest, he leaned down towards her and slowly raised a finger to his lips "Shhhhhhh~" He hushed her, Cicero reached out with his free hand his fingers slowly curling around the hilt of his dagger, terror gripped the fox Faunus heart. He smiled back at her "I'll be needing this back." Without another word, Cicero pulled his blade free drawing a bloodcurdling scream that echoed through the night.

'Hmmm, what a lovely, lovely voice.' Cicero mused whipping the blade clean on his sleeve before returning it to his sheath, he would have loved to stay and hear her sing more, but sadly he could already hear shouting in the distant no doubt more of her comrades rushing to her aid, he glanced down at the girl and the growing pool of blood around her, sadly by the time they arrived they'd be far too late.

As he turned to leave a voice called out from behind him. "F-Fool!" Cicero's smile fell, his body sagging forward it seemed the cat was here to spoil his fun. The Kahjiit mage stumbled out from the mouth of the alleyway and stared in horror at the carnage before him. "W-what have you done!?" J'zargo stammered

Stepping over the whimpering fox Faunus, Cicero spread his arms wide "My ladies will, what else is there!" he cackled. J'zargo shoved past the gesture of hearts and dropped down to his knees beside the deathly pale girl, the red stain covering the front of her uniform growing larger by the minute. "Well." Cicero frowned, brushing off his attire "That was just rude."

J'zargo hissed back at him before pressing an ear to her chest while uttering a silent prayer to the S'rendarr that he was not too late. The silence he received was almost defining, his breath caught in his throat... no, no, no, no. Pulling away J'zargo's gaze moved higher desperately searching for any signs of life, only to find a pair of lifeless azure eyes staring back up at him.

His head fell, ears flattening against his scalp as he gently lowered the poor girl back onto the ground and brushed her eyes closed. "Come now cat-man." The fools hand rested on his shoulder, his eyes snapped open a low growl resounded in the back of his throat "We may honor their sacrifice at a later date, for now, we should make has-eugh!" J'zargo rounded on the mad jester his lips peeled back into a feral snarl as he sized the mad man by the throat and driving him into the brick wall behind them.

"Be silent you wretch!" The enraged Kahjiit growled his grip around the fool's neck tightening, his claws extended, threatening to tear through his gloves and sink into the soft flesh beneath them. "Do not utter one more word in this one's presence or by the god, he will-..." J'zargo stiffened as a dagger pressed to his side, the ebony blade hovered beside his heart, its owner scowling back at him his lips pulled up into a snarl

"Now, now." Cicero chastised pressing his blade in a little further ensuring he had the Kahjiits full attention "Let's not get ahead of ourselves now hmmm, as much as I'd love to play skin the cat,-" Cicero twisted his dagger slightly, earning a small wince from J'zargo "-Mother has spoken and her children shall obey. The listener will be found in time, Cicero knows this, but now he wants you to know any obstacles he may encounter in his search, either from an enemy... or a supposed alley, Will. Be. Removed." He growled up at the Kahjiit " Does the kitty understand or does dear, sweet Cicero, need to spell it out for him."

J'zargo swallowed thickly the knife at his side pressing down harder its owner demanding confirmation, his grip around Cicero's throat slackened, pulling his hands away the Kahjiit mage stepped back from the assassin arms raised at his sides in a show of peace. "He understa-"

"Stop!" A voice called out to the two, J'zargo's head snapped toward the source his eyes widened. Cicero seized the Kahjiit by the collar of his robe, dragging him out of the path of the bronze spear that embedded itself in the wall behind them, courtesy of the group of armoured Faunus rushing down the cobblestone path towards them weapons at the ready.

"Ahh, it seems the chase is on!" Cicero remarked, their uniforms differed from his previous playmates though their objectives seemed to remain the same. "Quickly Cat man!" Cicero cried speeding off into the alleyway as two of their pursuers raised a pair of those strange staffs, dragging a stumbling J'zargo behind him.

Acting quickly the Kahjiit mage thrust his arm out behind them sending a fireball back towards the mouth of the alleyway, the resulting explosion igniting the wooden crates and trash cans lining the walls of the alleyway blocking off the path behind them, the roar of the flames combines with the thick smoke- and a rather pungent odor - that began occupying the air behind them masking their escape.

Counterproductive to their situation as it may be, at least it kept them away from the mad man stringing him along in his bloody escapades, he only hoped Brynjolfs was having better luck securing their papers.

/

"For the love of Talos." Brynjolf sighed, watching the amber glow in the distance growing brighter by the minute from a distant rooftop, had Cicero managed to snag one J'zargo's flame scrolls before leaving? "What the hell has that bastard done." If they lived through this he was going to kill that bloody fool, black hand be damned, he just hoped J'zargo would find him before Cicero managed to burn the whole city down. Brushing those thoughts aside Brynjolf turned his gaze back towards the manner.

As expected, getting onto the manner grounds wouldn't be easy, the cities lord had clearly bumped up security since the incident back in the jungle, they were expecting something big, whether that was supposed to be them or something else was up in the air right now and he didn't have time to dwell on it further.

Pulling his spyglass and a white phial from his belt Brynjolf began examining the manner, from what he could make out there were roughly eight guards positioned around the cobblestone path leading up to the manner and front courtyard, with two more watching the front door, the back entrance was most likely just as well guarded, both were a no go even with the aid of an invisibility potion.

Adjusted his spyglass Brynjolf turned his gaze to the upper levels of the manner, he had a way to slip by the sentries unnoticed, but he'd need a way inside first before anything else. He grimaced, most of the windows on the lower levels were closed and most likely barred, he could probably jimmy one open if it came to it, but he'd rather make as little noise as possible- he doubted the ears poking out from under a few of the guard's hoods were just for show-, maybe if he moved to a better angle he could...

Brynjolf paused and shifted his spyglass down to the side, there weren't any windows open but there did seem to be a balcony stretching from the rear and around the left side of the manner with only a single guard in view, a lookout most likely.

He watched her for a few minutes, it seemed like she was on her own up there but looks could be deceiving. In an ideal world, he'd have spent a week at the very least gathering intel on the manners layout, its occupants, the number of guards and their patrol routes, anything that might give him an upper hand or make the job run just that bit more smoothly.

Unfortunately, in their current situation, he didn't have the necessary time to properly plan and prepare to a reliable degree. He'd be forced to go in blind like some common footpad in search of an easy score.

After a few moments, Brynjolf lowered his spyglass and glanced back over his shoulder towards the flames in the distance, by now most of the guardsmen patrols would be responding to the inferno, he wouldn't get a better chance than this and while subtlety had certainly gone out the window for his companions at least if things went south here there wouldn't be a small army waiting for him when he made his escape.

Returning his spyglass to his belt Brynjolf uncorked the white phial and downed its contents, his form vanishing from site seconds later, he had around twenty minutes to get inside the manner before the effects of the potion began to wear off. Hopping down from the roof Brynjolf made his way through the darkened streets pausing as he reached the edge of the manners western perimeter scanning the courtyard ahead, Brynjolf gave one final glance to the lookout above before slowly edging his way through the treeline surrounding the property, each step taken with the utmost care.

While enchantment on his armor and the effects of the potion would leave him unseen and unheard, the same could not be said about his surroundings, the subtle rusting of the foliage as he moved into the courtyard had drawn the eyes of a few of the guards, two of which shared a nod and brought their spears to bear, Brynjolf cursed under his breath as the two closed in on him, he could turn tail and run and this would all be for nothing, or he could take a chance and possibly come out unscathed.

Lady luck had been by his side throughout his journey so far, he prayed she would not abandon him now. Brynjolf held his breath locking eyes with the two Faunus as they stepped into his guard... and moved past him to examine the treeline behind him, he didn't wait around for them to finish. Breaking out into a sprint Brynjolf crossed the courtyard and hugged the manner wall. After letting out a small sigh of relief Brynjolf began to edge his way along towards the balcony, the master thief glanced over one of the first story windows as he passed by double-checking there wasn't an alternative and faster route inside the manner, giving the frame a gentle tug the window moved barely an inch before the lock halted its movement.

'Worth a try.' He shrugged to himself. Stepping back from the window Brynjolf glanced up at the balcony above, the guard had moved out of sight for how long he didn't know but now was his best chance to get up there. Rolling his shoulders Brynjolf took a few steps back from the stone foundation, giving him a running start.

Sprinting forward the master thief stepped onto the stone surface and pushed off propelling himself upwards, his arm shot up grabbing the ledge above him, using the window frames and small outcroppings provided by the building architecture he quickly ascended up the side of the manner and towards the balcony, gripping the edge and pulling himself up towards the railing the wood let out an audible groan in protest.

"Hmm?" The guardsmen stepped into view her spear at the ready, Brynjolf froze. He looked on silently as the guardsmen gaze passed over him, there was a flash of confusion in her citrine orbs, keeping her spear at the ready she walked towards the railing and leaned over the side looking down at the courtyard below, unwittingly coming face to face with the master thief.

"Great, now I'm jumping at shadows " She muttered dragging her free hand down her face "Get it together Seline." Stepping back from the railing with a small sigh the Seline turned and made her way back towards her post, lord Ghira's announcement put them all on edge and given recent events- her eyes drifted to the blaze in the distance - that was unlikely to change even after all this was over.

Sure, they'd been trained to handle all kinds of situation, riots, Grimm incursions even rogue huntsmen but nothing like this. She dreaded the public response to all this come morning. If they were lucky that fire was going to be the end of it and by morning they'd have the ones responsible for all the attacks in chains and awaiting tri-

A boot met the back of Seline's knee, the Menagerie guardsman gasped as she was forced down on to one knee an arm locking around her throat that smothered her cry to her fellow Faunus and pulled her head back, the golden hilt of a malachite blade flashed in the corner of her eye before her world was flooded by darkness. "Sorry love, nothing personal." Brynjolf muttered as he dragged the guard back away from the edge of the balcony and out of view of the Faunus below propping her up against the wall alongside her spear.

Barring one hell of a headache, she'd be fine once she woke up. Patting down the few pouches on her belt, he found a few more of those colored cards and what looked like a folded piece of metal with a gold diamond at its center, some kind of broach perhaps? He'd been hoping for a set of keys or something that might make searching the manner a little easier, still coming across something that might add to their funds in the future was still good.

Brynjolf pocketed the 'Broach' and rose back to his feet, quickly making his way along the balcony, rounding the corner- and narrowly avoiding cracking his head on a birdcage as he passed -the master thief arrived in front of a large sliding door. Pressing his ear to the surface he listened for any signs of movement from the inside and was greeted by a steady silence, still, if this lord was anything like the ones back home there could be a half dozen guards lying in wait on the other side.

Gripping the hilt of Chillrend, Brynjolf grabbed the handle and stepped back pulling the door open with him as he retreated back behind the solid Manner walls. Letting out a relieved sigh when no battle cries, magic or arrows came through the door to meet him, stepping inside he found himself in what he could only assume was the lord's study going by the sheer size and grandeur of the room.

'Here we go' the master thief mused eyeing the large oak desk across the room, it seemed luck was on his side after all. Moving with haste he rounded the desk he began rifling through one drawer after the other, each containing documents regarding trade reports, city expansions funds, taxes, each one more useless to him than the last.

"Come on, come on" Brynjolf muttered tossing another folder aside as he moved to the draw on the far left, showering the floor with discarded papers. Usually, he'd have been more careful then this, but he was short on time enough as it is, sooner or later someone would come along to check-in or relieve the lookout and he'd like to gone by then.

Brynjolf reached for the draw and paused, eyeing the lock on the one underneath. Kneeling he gave the draw a small tug, the lock halting its movement, drawing a pair of lockpicks from his belt he got to work and after a few moments, the lock came undone. Returning his effects back to his belt Brynjolf pulled the drawer open, his eyes narrowed as he looked over its contents; a series of folders resting atop a small stack of papers, an ink pad to its left alongside the appropriate stamps, at first glance it looked like everything he'd need. Pulling one of the folders from the drawer he flipped open the cover his skimming over the contents of the forms inside.

'The bearer of the present document has been granted the right to conduct trade within the -' Brynjolf shoved that folder aside and moved onto the next, this one looking a little more formal than the last. 'In response to their efforts in combating the creatures of Grimm and their service to Kuo Kuana-' The folder slapped down beside the other, Mercenary or rather Huntsmen contracts as the merchant had called them, an interesting find, but still, not what he was looking for.

A frustrated sigh left the master thief as he pulled a third folder from the drawer, after everything he'd been through to get here it better not have all been for nothing. Flipping it open his eyes trailed across the text inside 'To whom it may concern, the individual in possession of the present document has been granted permission to enter and leave the city of Kuo Kuana, at will,- Brynjolfs lips twitched up slightly, "Finally" he muttered as he read on '- in the event of a crisis, any and all able-bodied members of The Menagerie Guard are to aid these representatives in their safe return to their resident kingdom.'

Just about everything they needed was here, all that was missing was a signature and the lord official seal, something he could handle himself. Brushing through a few of the scattered papers on the floor, he grabbed a small handful and brought them into the light, his eyes trailed down the lines of text to the signature resting in the bottom left-hand corner "Ghira Belladonna" Brynjolf read off.

Setting the papers down beside one another he leaned in examining the lord signature carefully before taking pen in hand getting work, official stamps and seals were easy enough to get your hands or have replicated if you knew the right people, but the hardest part of any forgery was always the signature, even the smallest inconsistencies could result in the documents user finding themselves in a cell or considering the blaze his comrades had left behind... at the end of a rope.

Finishing his work Brynjolf took a moment to compare his signature to the lords, it wasn't his best work, but it should be enough to get them past the blockade. Pocketing the documents Brynjolf made his way around the desk and headed for the screen door, the sentries were still an issue, but he could afford to throw some subtlety aside, he had what he came fo-

The door leading into the manner interior opened inwards. Brynjolfs arm lashed out pulling his crossbow from his lower back and taking aim at the new arrivals. "-ear please, the guard and the White fang will handle it there's no need to-" Kali froze mid-step her amber eyes locked with Brynjolfs dark brown as a crossbow bolt sailed towards her.

The shot was intentionally wide, they were already knee-deep in enough shit as it is, no reason to dump more on them by killing what might- Judging by her formal appearance -very well be the lady of the island, and while they were all diving for cover he'd make his escape.

What he didn't expect however was for the projectile to suddenly ignite mid-flight courtesy of the red crystal that tipped the bolt. He could do little more than watch her eyes widen in terror as the flaming bolt sailed towards her, the bear of a man behind her moved forward far quicker than anyone may have expected from a man of his size, wrapping his arm around her waist he pulled her bodily back through the doorway as the bolt struck the bookcase to its right, detonating on contact.

The heat from the blast washed over him as the bookcase was decimated, flaming debris rained down across the study while what remained of the bookcase toppled onto its side and across the doorway barring the way inside, blinking owlishly Brynjolf tore his gaze away from the blaze and back to his crossbow. "Fucking hell." He muttered his voice nearly a whisper.

"Ghira!" A distressed voice called out from beyond the smoke and flames, the voice drawing a small sigh of relief from the master thief. From the sound of it, the Lord and Lady had survived the blast, although whether that meant they came out unscathed or not hardly mattered right now, the damage was already done, and he wasn't about to stick around to face the aftermath.

Turning on his heels the master thief made a break for the screen door, their way off the island in hand, all that was left for him to do now was finding those two idiots before they managed to dig themselves into a bigger hole then the one they'd already found themselves in.

'Mikael, you owe me.'

And the problems just keep stacking up for our merry band of misfits.

First off, Yes , I along with this story are alive and kicking.

Its been a while, definitely far longer then I would have liked between updates but RL has been taking priority over the last few months so expect my inconsistent update schedule to continue, who knows I might even manage to finish this story by the end of the century. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter of shadows rising, feel free to favourite, follow and leave a review if your up for it, any constructive criticism you have for me is always welcome.

I'll be seeing you all in the next one.