A Path To Omniscience

A heavy, firm silence settled after Asher finished speaking. Indigo's gaze remained locked on him, but the fury in her eyes had dwindled—from a raging inferno to a simmering ember. He didn't need to guess the reason. Ever since their first encounter in Mantle, Asher had been able to read her well enough.

She's bad at controlling her emotions. Doesn't think things through when they hit close to home. Whatever happened in her past, it's clear her hatred for Atlas is personal. Not just some byproduct of poor living conditions or indirect experiences. It runs deeper. Even so, she's willing to set that hatred aside for the sake of those she cares about.

Asher's gaze shifted from Indigo to the other Faunus in the cells around them. They were the reason she wasn't still trying to argue with him. The moment he mentioned avoiding prison, he saw the flicker of recognition in her expression. And when he expanded that possibility to include the other people they cared about, the momentary flash of consideration in her eyes was unmistakable.

The 'what if' had gotten through, however briefly.

But while it worked on her, it wasn't universal. Gray, for one, still regarded Asher with a skeptical glare, though his body language betrayed him. He was just as affected by the offer as Indigo was. The two of them were alike that way—in their distrust and their temper.

Still, Asher expected questions. And sure enough, one of the Faunus sitting on the floor in the same cell as Gray and Indigo broke the silence.

"How... do we know you're telling the truth?" Asher turned to the speaker. He had a mostly human appearance, save for the ram horns curling from his head and his unruly, fluffy hair.

"You're all going to prison within the next week or so," Asher replied evenly.

"I have nothing to gain from coming here to lie to you." Before the words had fully settled, Gray cut in.

"That's not what they meant," Gray interjected, his tone sharp.

"He's asking how we're supposed to know if you can actually follow through. Keep your promises." Hearing that, Indigo glanced back at Gray and the others before returning her attention to Asher, her gaze hardening.

"They're right. Even if you are the heir to the Frostvale family, I have a hard time believing you've got the authority to keep us out of prison. And all that other stuff about the Atlas Military? Somehow, I doubt your parents do either." As she spoke, Asher nodded slowly, tilting his head as if mulling over her words.

"Fair enough," he said evenly.

"I doubt any of you have ever been to Atlas, have you?" The question was met with silence and wary glares, but Asher's response was only another nod.

"Exactly. You might think you know what to expect, but your understanding of how things work up there is both realistic and far too dramatic. You see Frostvale Enterprises as just a logistics company—rich people with connections, and that's where it ends." He leaned in slightly, his face just centimeters from the energy barrier separating him from Indigo.

"But money alone doesn't let you keep someone in a cell for a month. And it sure doesn't give you the power to decide which prison they're sent to." His words carried weight, not just in their tone but in what they revealed. Asher wasn't simply telling them what they already knew about Atlas—the prosperity built on corruption, the neglect of Mantle, the layers of nepotism.

He was making it clear: what they thought they understood barely scratched the surface of the truth.

Reaching into his coat, Asher pulled out his scroll. His fingers moved swiftly across the screen as he navigated his contacts, stopping on one before looking up. His gaze flicked from Indigo to the rest of the group, his voice steady.

"One call. That's all it would take. And your lives could change for the better." He let the words hang for a moment, watching their reactions.

Their eyes—especially Indigo's—latched onto the scroll in his hand. The uncertainty was written all over their faces, a mixture of skepticism and reluctant curiosity. Did they dare believe it was the opportunity he claimed? And even if it was, could they bring themselves to take it?

"But," Asher added, snapping the scroll shut and tucking it back into his coat, "I'm not going to force any of you. The choice is yours. It always has been."

Hearing those words, Indigo seemed locked in an internal debate. Her gaze flicked to the cell across from hers, where her friends sat with uncertainty etched on their faces. Then she turned to the people in her own cell, her eyes finally settling on Gray. He was staring at the ground, silent.

When he finally looked up and met her gaze, he gave a subtle nod—a gesture she seemed to understand. After a brief pause, she turned back to Asher.

"Ca- Can we talk amongst ourselves? In private?" Asher studied her for a moment, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Of course." He gestured to his bodyguard and stepped away from the cells. Indigo watched him until he was a safe distance away before exhaling a quiet sigh and turning to face everyone.

Almost immediately, the cells erupted into voices. Her friends began peppering her with questions, their uncertainty giving way to heated discussion.

"Indigo, what are we going to do?" Asked the same Faunus who had first questioned Asher's promises.

"What do you mean, what are we going to do? We're not seriously considering this, right?" Another Faunus snapped, their narrowed eyes full of suspicion.

Even in the cell across from them, the debates had begun. Murmurs of indecision spread through the group like wildfire.

Indigo raised her voice, cutting through the noise.

"Guys, guys! Look, Gray and I are going to figure this out, okay? Just… give us a second." The others quieted reluctantly, exchanging uncertain glances as Indigo stepped away from the cell's barrier. She walked over to Gray, who had moved to the corner, leaning against the wall.

For a moment, they simply stood there, studying each other in silence. 

"Are we… really considering this?" Gray's voice was low but firm, the weight of his question hanging between them.

Indigo didn't answer right away. She brought a hand to her lips, biting her thumb as her thoughts raced. When she finally spoke, her voice was tinged with uncertainty.

"I mean, what choice do we have?" Gray clicked his tongue in frustration, his response sharp.

"He's from Atlas, Indigo. Do you really think he's doing this out of the goodness of his heart? If he actually cared, he'd just let us go—not push us into signing up for some military task force. You heard him. He wants us to be part of some… weird, shady squad. We'll probably just end up dead."

"You think I don't already know that?" Indigo shot back, her voice tight with frustration—not at Gray, but at the situation.

"But seriously, what choice do we have?" She repeated, softer this time.

"We still have people waiting for us back home. And who knows if they even know we've been arrested? For all they know, we're dead—left in some alley, or worse. I hoped for the best when I made that deal with his father. Hoped things would be fine while we were locked up. But now… now we have a chance."

Gray listened quietly, his expression dark. He opened his mouth as if to argue, but no words came. After a moment, he simply shook his head with a resigned sigh.

"This is so messed up..."

"I know." Indigo's voice softened, guilt threading through her words.

"And I'm sorry. I know this is my fault. Taking the job from Diam, getting so caught up in everything… I should have-"

"Hey." Gray's interruption was firm but gentle. He stepped closer, tilting his head to catch her eyes, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"We all agreed to this. Every single one of us. And we've seen how you've been beating yourself up since we got here. You can't carry this all on your shoulders, Indigo." His voice softened further, steady and reassuring.

"You're our leader, yeah. But no one blames you for any of this. We get why you got so angry. And no matter what, we're with you. Whatever decision you make, we've got your back. Okay?" Indigo stared at him for a moment, his words sinking in. Slowly, she nodded, her voice barely a whisper.

"Alright…"

"Good. Now look," Gray began, his voice steady but cautious.

"I agree with you. As much as I want to believe the rest of the gang can handle things and take care of everyone... you and I both know how it goes in the slums. If there's even a chance to avoid prison, we have to take it. But at the same time, I really don't trust any of this." Indigo nodded, her expression thoughtful.

"Yeah, I don't trust it any more than you do. That's why I was thinking… maybe we could get it down in writing?" Gray tilted his head slightly, raising a brow.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean some kind of document, contract, or something legally binding. If things go south, or he tries to force us into something we don't want to do, we'd have an out." Gray considered the idea, his eyes narrowing as he thought it over. Slowly, he started nodding.

"I suppose that could work. Never thought I'd see the day we'd be the ones relying on a legal contract, though." Indigo let out a quiet chuckle, nodding in agreement. "

Yeah, not exactly how I pictured ending the year." Gray gave a short laugh as well, but his expression quickly shifted back to seriousness.

"But how do you plan on getting him to sign anything? He's the one holding all the cards here."

"Well," Indigo said, "he's the one who came to us, not the other way around. That gives us at least a bit of leverage. He must want something from us specifically."

"Yeah," Gray muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I still don't get why it has to be us. Especially after we robbed him. Part of me keeps thinking this is some elaborate revenge scheme or something, but… I guess there's no point in overthinking it." He paused, his brow furrowing.

"Let's say you do get him to agree to a contract. None of us really know much about the law. Sure, we could read it over, but we probably wouldn't catch anything sneaky in the fine print. And it's not like we can hire—or afford—a lawyer."

It was a grim reality, one all too common in Atlas and Mantle. People from all over the world came to the most advanced kingdom seeking in the world a fresh start, a better life. But so many, with no background or understanding of Atlesian law, found themselves signing contracts they didn't fully understand—contracts they couldn't escape.

For Faunus, it was even worse. Despite laws meant to protect them, cases of Faunus signing away their rights for jobs they desperately needed were far too frequent. And time and again, the perpetrators got away unscathed.

That was just in Mantle. If they signed something with Asher without knowing the full scope of what they were agreeing to, they'd be at a massive disadvantage. If some hidden clause locked them into a deal, it would be them against the Frostvale Family heir—someone with an army of lawyers at his disposal.

Someone whose parents could throw them back in jail and ship them off without a second thought. In short, their chances of maintaining any sort of autonomy in this situation were slim, to say the least.

"Wait…" Indigo suddenly said, her tone sharp as if she'd just remembered something important.

"Hmm? What?" Gray asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Uh, well… do you remember that Faunus? The one that was with him when we robbed him?" Gray narrowed his eyes, digging through his memories for a moment before he nodded.

"Yeah, I remember. What about her?"

Indigo hesitated briefly before continuing, "Turns out she was… Liv Melone."

The name sparked immediate recognition in Gray's eyes, far quicker than the memory of her face. His expression shifted to shock as he stared at Indigo.

"Wait, wait. Liv Melone? 'That' Liv Melone?" He asked for confirmation, his disbelief written all over his face.

Indigo nodded. Gray took a deep breath, trying to process this. Of course, he knew who Liv was—most Faunus in the slums did. She wasn't famous in the traditional sense, but her reputation had spread widely among their community. As one of the few Faunus lawyers in Atlas, Liv's work advocating for Faunus rights and helping those in need had made her name well known.

For a moment, Gray was utterly speechless.

Finally, he managed to sputter, "Bu- I- Okay… what the hell was she doing there? And with him, of all people?"

"Apparently, she's his attorney."

Indigo crossed her arms, her gaze dropping briefly as she added, "But even when we were robbing them, she seemed… sincere, I guess? I don't know. I wasn't exactly in the best state of mind at the time." She gave a faint shrug.

"Anyway, she really did seem like she wanted to talk us down and avoid the whole mess. At least until I, you know, threatened to shoot them." Gray opened his mouth to say something but stopped when Indigo shot him a sharp look, shaking her head.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Not exactly my finest moment," she muttered.

"But considering who she is—and the fact she's working for 'him'—I think she's our best shot." Gray stayed quiet for a moment, processing her words before giving a reluctant nod.

He couldn't argue with her logic.

"Alright, then. If this is the only plan we've got, it'll have to be the one we go with. Let's tell the others." With that, Indigo and Gray stepped away from the corner of the cell and turned to address the rest of the group.

They quickly explained their plan: agreeing to work with Asher, signing a contract with him, and involving Liv Melone to help with the legal side of things.

At first, the others reacted with visible surprise. The mention of Liv Melone's involvement, however, seemed to soften some of their initial resistance. Even so, the discontent was palpable.

"Working for the Atlas Military... seriously?" One of them muttered, rubbing the back of their neck with a hesitant expression.

"Yeah, I'm not sure about this," another added, shaking their head.

Despite the unease, a majority of them understood the reasoning behind the plan. Gradually, murmurs of reluctant agreement began to spread.

"I mean, if it's between that and prison, what choice do we have? And what'll happen to everyone back home if we're locked up for years?"

"Exactly. Besides, it's not like we'll have to do this forever, right?" In the end, as Gray had said they would, they decided to trust Indigo's judgment and follow her lead.

With the decision made, Indigo stepped up to the barrier and called down the corridor, "Hey, we're done discussing things."

Asher, who was standing farther down and looking into something with his scroll, looked up at the sound of her voice. He slipped the device back into his coat and walked over. His expression was neutral as he stopped in front of Indigo and Gray's cell.

"So," he began, his tone even, "have you come to a decision?"

"Yeah," Indigo replied.

"We'll do what you want. But we have a few conditions first." Her voice faltered slightly as she spoke, a subtle dip in confidence. Asher raised a brow, his gaze sharpening, but after a moment, he gave a small nod, signaling for her to continue.

"Alright then, what are they?" Asher asked, his tone calm and direct.

Indigo, along with Gray and the others, seemed briefly surprised by how readily Asher accepted the idea of conditions. However, she quickly collected herself and began speaking.

"First, we want to sign a contract. Everything we do and everything you want from us has to be written down and made legal." Asher barely needed a moment to think it over before nodding.

"Fine by me." Encouraged, Indigo moved on.

"Second, we want the contract written by your attorney, Liv Melone, and we want her to go over everything with us before we sign." This time, Asher paused—not to think it over, but because her request seemed to surprise him.

"That's a smart request. I wasn't expecting that, but sure." Hearing his agreement, Indigo let out a subtle sigh of relief, echoed quietly by Gray standing close by her.

"Alright," Indigo continued, her confidence returning.

"Lastly, we want to know exactly how long we'll have to work for you… and the Atlas Military." That question made Asher pause. He hummed thoughtfully, bringing a hand to his chin as he considered her words.

"How long..." He muttered, his gaze distant for a moment as he did some mental calculation. Finally, he looked back at her.

"Let's say… one year. You'll work for me for a year. You'll be allowed to return home during that time, and you'll get paid like it's any other job. And if, after that year, you decide you want to keep working for me, you'll be more than welcome." Indigo nearly laughed at the idea, a dry smirk forming on her face.

"Yeah, trust us, that won't be happening. You'll get your one year of labor, and then we're out." Asher shrugged nonchalantly.

"If you still feel that way in a year, that's fine. We'll part ways, no strings attached. But for now, I take it we have a deal?" Indigo glanced around at the others, silently gauging their expressions. Each of them nodded in agreement, and with that assurance, she turned back to Asher.

"Yeah," she said firmly.

"We have a deal." A faint smirk crept onto Asher's lips. Reaching into his coat, he pulled out his scroll.

"Alright then. In that case, I suppose I have a call to make."