A Path To Omniscience

Liv scanned the road, panic flickering in her eyes as she saw the cars and people blocking their escape from both directions. Her gaze then darted to Asher, clearly shaken. Although she had been raised in Atlas, her work as a lawyer, especially on Faunus cases, had brought her into Mantle often enough to recognize the danger. She'd heard too many stories about these situations, which is why she caught on so quickly.

But those stories also came with the hard knowledge of just how quickly things could spiral out of control.

"Hey, can this car make calls?" she asked the driver. But he was frozen, his face pale and his eyes fixed on the weapons wielded by the people ahead—especially the gun. Realizing his shock, Liv grabbed his arm firmly, jolting him back to reality with a wince.

"H-Huh?" He blinked, glancing at her in confusion.

"I asked if this car has a phone. A way to call someone?" Her question sank in, and he nodded, pointing to the screen on the center console, where he could place calls.

"Alright. Asher and I will step out, and you call the police. They'll ignore a driver. Just don't try to drive off, or they'll shoot." The driver gulped, nodding slowly at her warning as he reached for the call screen.

But Asher quickly interjected.

"Call my parents instead. I'm sure they gave you an emergency number, didn't they?" The driver looked at Asher, his expression both surprised and uncertain, as was Liv's.

Asher met their questioning gazes. "If my parents know there's trouble, they'll act faster than the police. Trust me."

Liv hesitated but then nodded, realizing Asher was likely right. The driver seemed to come to the same conclusion thinking about who Asher was and went to dial the number his parents had given him in case of emergencies. As he began the call, Liv and Asher noticed the masked faunus holding a rifle, signaling for them to step out of the car.

Liv reached for her door first, glancing at Asher with a determined look.

"Let me do the talking when they approach. Maybe I can get them to let us go." Asher gave her a steady nod, and they stepped out of the car with their hands raised in the air.

One of the masked faunus, standing near the one with a handgun, let out a sharp whistle.

"Ah, I thought that car looked suspicious. Turns out it's a couple of Atlas folks."

Another faunus tilted their head, sizing them up.

"And pretty well-off from the look of their clothes. What are Atlas types doing down here in Mantle on a road like this?"

It was rare for anyone from Atlas to set foot in Mantle—some people in Atlas spent their whole lives without ever visiting this city built into the earth. Even when they traveled, it was usually by airship to another kingdom. But the Faunus with the handgun scoffed, cutting off the murmurs.

"Who cares why? It just means we can squeeze what we need out of them and take a little revenge on those Atlas bastards. A win-win." His tone carried a vicious satisfaction, unmistakable even through the mask.

"Now, get into position," he commanded, and the other masked Faunus responded swiftly, spreading out to block the road completely. Including himself, the four of them behind the company car stood firm, forming a wall, while two more took up guard positions at the front of the parked truck. 

Their setup was straightforward: stop the car with their trucks, keep watch for any passerby or authorities, and have two of them handle the actual robbery. The ones approaching Asher and Liv were the Faunus with the rifle and another holding a metal pipe.

"Well, now, this is a surprise," the rifle-wielding Faunus remarked as they neared, her voice revealing her youth and a certain sharpness. Asher and Liv had shifted to stand directly in front of the car, subtly blocking any clear view of the driver. Even if the robbers didn't care about him, the two of them wanted to make sure the robbers didn't notice him making the call. 

"A boy from Atlas and his little Faunus. Now, that's a combination you don't see often." Liv's expression tightened at the comment, her frown revealing her discomfort. The masked female Faunus noticed it, letting out a low, mocking chuckle.

"What?" Liv shot back, her eyes narrowing. But it was the Faunus with the metal pipe who responded, his voice dripping with hostility as he tapped the pipe against the ground.

"Don't act like you didn't hear her. Just looking at you, all dressed up, anyone can tell you're not from Mantle. You're probably tucked away in some cushy Atlas job for this rich kid's parents, right? Bet life's really nice up there." His words were laced with contempt. Liv took a deep breath; she knew their type and tried to approach them calmly.

"Look, my name is Liv Melone. I understand how hard things are here, and I'm on your side. The whole reason I became a lawyer was to advocate for Faunus Rights in Atlas and Mantle." At her words, both masked Faunus hesitated, reacting visibly to her name.

Wait... Liv Melone? The same one who won that Housing Discrimination lawsuit back in '31?" The Faunus with the metal pipe asked, his tone mixed with a hint of recognition. Liv nodded, a glimmer of hope lighting up her eyes as she sensed a possible way through to them.

"That's right. Look, I know—I won't pretend I understand everything you've been through. I grew up in Atlas, sheltered from a lot of what you all face every day. But I've seen enough to know why people end up feeling like this is their only option. But please, listen to me—this won't fix anything long-term. If you get caught, the system won't care why you did it." Her tone held no condescension, just the weight of experience and a genuine warning.

The Faunus with the metal pipe seemed to pause, as if considering her words, some of the tension in his posture softening.

"We-" he began, but the woman with the rifle cut him off, letting out a bitter laugh.

"Nice little speech, but a speech isn't going to feed us, or clothe us, or keep us warm at night. We knew what risks we were taking long before you showed up, so save the lecture. Especially when we've got what we're looking for right in front of us." Her gaze shifted to Asher, and Liv's shoulders tightened, worry flashing across her face.

The female Faunus locked eyes with Asher, a taunting glint in her gaze.

"So, kid, who is she to you? Maid? Your daddy's secretary? Showing you around Mantle to give you a little taste of what Atlas did to this place, to us?" The edge in her voice carried more than just anger—it was personal, a deep, festering resentment. Asher sensed it but chose not to point it out. Psychoanalyzing a person in this situation wouldn't help, so he kept his answer simple.

"She's my attorney." The Faunus woman scoffed at that, her lips curling in a mocking smile as she looked him up and down.

"Oh, that's rich. So, not only do you dress like royalty and ride around in a luxury car, but you've got your own attorney too? It must be nice coming from a family like that. Why don't we find out just how nice?"

She gave a quick nod to the Faunus with the metal pipe beside her.

"Search him." He hesitated for a moment but moved in, going to rifle through Asher's pockets. Asher stood motionless, his expression unreadable and eyes steady as if nothing was happening. The Faunus found two items: first, the passport required to travel through Atlas airspace—needed even for a simple journey from Mantle to Atlas—and second, Asher's locked scroll.

The Faunus handed the passport to the woman with the rifle, who glanced at it, her grip changing so she could hold the rifle in one hand and it in the other. As she opened it and read the details, her expression shifted to one of amusement.

"Oh? Asher Frostvale, huh? Well, well, I didn't know we had someone so important in our company." She cast a sneering look at Liv, her voice gaining a slight edge.

"Let's see… wasn't it Frostvale Enterprises and the Schnee Dust Company that just signed a big deal recently? Yeah, that was all over the news." Liv's eyes widened, immediately sensing the dangerous shift in the woman's tone.

"So, is that how it is? You play the advocate for Faunus Rights every now and then, and then rub elbows with the very people who had our kind down in the mines?!" Her voice spiked, rising with a barely restrained fury as she took a step closer to Liv, crushing Asher's passport in her hand. Liv instinctively moved back, but the second she did, the Faunus woman snapped, raising her rifle and yelling.

"Did I say you could fucking move!? You know... when I was younger, I got sick of hearing about Faunus like you—the ones lucky enough to live it up in Atlas, just as self-righteous as the rest, pretending you're 'one of us.' Acting like you've got any right to lecture us on survival like you've lived even a day in this hellhole!" Her voice quivered as her body tensed and became unsteady.

It was obvious she was letting her emotions pull her along. Even the Faunus with the metal pipe noticed as he glanced over and saw her hand inching toward the trigger, her fingers curling dangerously close to it. 

"Look, Indigo, let's just take what we can from them and go, alright? No need to shoot anyone." The female Faunus, now revealed as Indigo, turned slowly to face him, her expression hard.

"Oh, really? So they can run back to their palace in the sky and send guards after us? You think anyone's checking those broken cameras around here? If we kill them, dump the car and bodies in the slums, no one will ever know." At her words, Liv's heart pounded faster, panic beginning to coil in her chest.

This is worse than I thought... way worse.

"Indigo, that's not the point. We've never…" He hesitated, and the two began arguing, their voices heated. Meanwhile, Liv's mind spun, scrambling for anything that might get them out of this alive. Words, actions, something—anything. But as her thoughts spiraled, she felt a light tap against her foot.

She glanced down to see it was Asher's foot tapping hers, drawing her attention. Looking over, she saw him watching her intently, his voice low and calm.

"Stick your right foot out, then grab it," he instructed, his tone steady. Indigo and the other Faunus halted their argument, turning to him, puzzled by his strange command. Liv shared their confusion, her mind racing, but Asher didn't offer any more explanation.

"Now." His voice sharpened, and Liv's instincts took over, extending her right foot forward just as he'd told her. In the same instant, Asher sprang into action. With swift precision, he swung his left leg up and around, landing a kick straight to the Faunus with the metal pipe's jaw.

The blow was perfectly timed, using the fact the man was distracted. No matter how much older or bigger he was, a sharp blow to the jaw could stagger anyone. As his body jerked back from the impact and went limp, he toppled over Liv's extended foot, crashing heavily into Indigo.

"Wha- What the hell!" Indigo shouted, still trying to process what had just happened. Liv was equally stunned, her mind racing as Asher's words echoed in her head.

Stick your foot out and grab it?

Adrenaline surged, her eyes darting around to find what she was supposed to be grabbing at. That's when she saw the opening. In the scramble, Indigo had her rifle pointed down, away from Liv, as she tried to shove the body falling onto her aside. Liv seized the moment, charging forward and knocking Indigo down with her shoulder.

As Indigo hit the ground, the rifle slipped slightly from her one-handed grip, and Liv went to pry it free. If she had been holding it with both hands, it would have been a lot harder, but with just one, Liv managed to wrestle it away. 

"Help!" Indigo's panicked yell cut through the air, drawing the attention of her group. They whipped around, eyes widening as they took in the scene.

"What the hell?!" the Faunus with the handgun barked, starting to raise his weapon. But before he could even take aim, Asher's voice rang out.

"Raise that gun at us, take one more step, and she dies." His tone was devoid of hesitation. Even Liv, who was gripping the rifle with trembling hands and instinctively pointing it down at Indigo, was caught off guard by the edge in Asher's voice. Indigo's group, including the one with the handgun, froze in place, sharing uncertain looks.

Seeing their hesitation, Indigo gritted her teeth beneath her mask and snapped, "What are you all doing!? They don't have the guts to pull the trigger—get them!"

But before her words could take root, Asher turned his gaze on her.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Asher replied, his voice so calm it was unsettling.

"You never know what someone's capable of when their life is on the line. And do you really think we'd face any real consequences? A group of Faunus trying to rob the heir to Frostvale Enterprises? Even if we shot you, no one would bat an eye. We're Atlas elites, remember? Self-righteous to the core. I'm sure we'll sleep just fine after a day or two." He let the words linger, his gaze sliding over the group with a slow, dangerous smirk.

"As for the rest of you," he continued, his tone dropping, "let's just say the mines will feel like a paradise compared to what my family will do to you if I end up with so much as a scratch on my face."

There was no hesitation, no flicker of doubt in his tone. The only thing anyone could hear was a chilling malice underscored by a genuine threat. It wasn't just what he said—it was how he said it. That wasn't the voice of a fourteen-year-old boy.

Even Liv found herself momentarily speechless, her heart tightening as she looked at him. She knew he was only doing and saying what he had to for them to make it out of this, yet a shiver ran through her.

Deep down, she couldn't shake the feeling that if Asher were the one holding the rifle, he wouldn't hesitate to shoot the girl at his feet the instant anyone made a move.