Welcome back to Volf's Tale. Let's get this shit started!
"Get moving, bitch boy!" A voice yelled as I was roughly pushed into the elevator with the rest of the Faunus. An older Fauns around 26 with tanned skin, a mohawk, facial hair in the form of a goatee, and venomous snake eyes grabbed me and steadied me. "You okay, Volf?" He asked as he let go of his grip on me.
"Yes, I am Vaas," I responded with a nod. "Thanks for catching me," I told him as he looked into my slitted gold eyes.
"No problem, little one." He responded as he patted my reddish-brown hair affectionately, touching my wolf ears. "Remember," He retracted his arm. "Don't pick fights with the older workers and they'll leave you alone."
"I sure believe that," I commented dryly. "Especially with last week." I referred to the incident with another 'worker', which ended with me getting slashed with a pickaxe, leaving a scar that started at my right forehead and ended at eye level.
"Then don't start fights with the older workers," Vaas said simply as he handed a pickaxe that was nearly as tall as me.
"Time for more time in paradise," I said sarcastically as the elevator stopped with a small jump and the door was shuttered to life and open, rattling along the way.
"Yup. It is little one." He told me as we began to file out of the elevator. "Remember to stay low and follow me." He reminded me as we began to go down a tunnel, winding further and further into the bowels of Remnant. We eventually settled near a vain of red dust and with a cart nearby, a guard standing close, having a visor shift between us. I heaved the pickaxe and hit the stone wall, clipping chunks of it.
I repeated the action several times in a row, slowing down as a became more fatigued. I eventually stopped as the red dust became more visible, it's ruby like color pulsating with power as I wedged my pickaxe into it and forced it out.
I picked up the chunk that was roughly the size of my small hand and walked over to the minecart, seeing that Vaas had made much more progress than I.
The scenario repeated for several hours, until the lunch whistle sounded off, signifying the brief break that we workers were allowed. "Come little one," Vaas told me. "It is time for lunch." He grasped my shoulder and led me to the cafeteria, letting the pickaxe I had clatter to the floor.
The cafeteria was a shabby cave that had been fitted to feed us. The plethora of metal tables were occupied by the various gangs and groups that had been created.
Vaas and I grabbed the standard food we were given, some sort of slop that I really did not want to know what was in it. We sat down in a less populated area of the cafeteria and I retched as I forced the crap down. Even after years of eating it, I didn't get used to the smell or taste.
"What? Don't like the food?" Vaas asked me he ate similar slop, able to stomach it better than me. "I don't know about you, but I find this stuff delicious."
"Ah yes, cause who wouldn't find this crap tasty," I swore as I forced down another spoonful of the disgusting food.
No swearing!" Vaas jokingly berated me. He was pretty cheery given our conditions. Probably dealing with it with humor. "Eight-year-olds shouldn't a foul mouth."
"Most kids my age shouldn't be in mines, being worked like an animal." I retorted. I was the youngest in the mines, as far as I could tell. That caused other workers to either ignore me or pick on me.
Vaas lost his usual smile and motioned for me to come closer. "I've been planning a little scheme. A way out of here." He whispered to me. "I want you to join me."
My eyes widened at the reveal. I wanted to escape above everything. But why would Vaas share this with me? I know that he was pretty much the closest thing I had to family, but I was surprised. "Why tell me this?" I asked, hoping it wouldn't change his decision.
"You know I have a soft spot for you little one." He told me. "And I want you to have a chance to have a real life. A chance to become more than a slave to the Schnee Dust Company. But I need to know that you'll join me." He laid down the options for me.
The choice was obvious, even if it was highly dangerous. "I'll join you." I decided with a nod of my head.
Vaas gained a smile. "Good to know little one. We'll be leaving after nightfall." He told me. "We'll use some dust I've been smuggling into our barracks. We use it to blow a hole in the wall and then we make run for it. The transfer station is 2 miles away and tonight is when the train is going to be transporting dust to Mantle at 11:00. That's our ticket out of this hell hole." He quickly explained to me before the whistle sounded off, signaling that lunch hour had ended.
"Remember. Tonight's the night." Vaas whispered into my ear before we began to work into the mines once more.
It was roughly 10 O'clock when we began Vaas' plan. We snuck under the cover of night to the concrete wall of the labor camp. Vaas was carrying his blanket as a makeshift sack, carrying what I assumed was the dust he had smuggled out.
I was wearing my blanket as a cloak, as a defense against the bitter cold of Atlas. "Here it is," Vaas told me as we came closer to the wall. He set down the sack and pulled out some red dust and placed a small amount of it at the bottom of the wall.
He finished the pile and back up a little, snow crunching under his feet as he motioned for me to move back, which I did. He soon pulled out a vial of red dust. It was quickly chucked, exploding when it hit the wall due to being highly unstable and caused a chain explosion with the dust pile.
I covered my eyes as it was slightly blinding I quickly put my hands back down and saw a hole through the wall. "Let's go Volf!" Vaas cried as sirens quickly went off. My legs carried as fast as they could, trying to keep up with the older man.
We eventually made our way to the train depot's barbed wire topped fence with me breathing heavily. Vaas looked around before he began climbing, using his blanket as a cover for the barbed wire. He hit the gravel ground with a small grunt. "Come on hurry up Volf!" He hurried me. I grabbed the chain link fence like a spider and slowly made my way up. "Oh shit!" He swore as we both heard a unison of footsteps coming closer. I turned my head to see guards from the labor camp.
I hurried my pace and reached the barbed top. I used the torn parts of his blanket to climb over, though winced at the cuts I got from touching the barbed wire with my hands and parts of my legs.
Vaas caught me after I lost my grip, setting me down roughly as the guards began to catch up to us. I shivered due to the cold but ignored it as I ran behind Vaas, him leading me to our salvation.
We looked for the train for a few minutes, us not really knowing where the train was. We stopped when we heard someone clapping condescending, "Ah and you were so close, Snake Eyes and Bitch Boy." The voice mocked us. We turned to the left to see one of the head guards, Felix, with his steel colored armor with orange trim, and his partner, Locus with his own green and steel armor. Both of them had weapons pointed at us. "But I guess we're going to have to bring some leashes next time. Eh? You know, next time we decide to go for a walk.." Felix began to monologue, but his partner quickly elbowed him in the gut, reminding him of their role here. "Geez, ruin my monologue why don't you?" He complained.
"We're here to recapture the workers and return them to Labour Camp Alpha. Not to listen to your monologue." Locus informed in a synthesized tone as they began to close in, but Felix stopped him.
"How about we give them a little bite of the thing called freedom? They get a three-minute head start before we capture them." Felix told his partner.
"Fine." Locus relented. "It seems my moronic partner has decided to play with you. Now run." He ordered.
Vaas hit my shoulder as a way of telling me to run. I began to and he quickly got ahead of me.
We ran through a maze of train cars and cargo crates. "There!" Vaas exclaimed as he pointed to a train still being loaded. "That's our ticket to freedom." He said with a small amount of happiness in his voice as we came close to an open flatbed car. My hear was filled with excitement at the chance of being free and doing whatever I wanted. It quickly sank as a few rounds were fired off, most likely from the bastard Felix as a signal that our head start had stopped.
Vaas helped me into the flatbed when that happened, causing him to look behind him and stop himself from getting in. "What are you doing?" I asked him. "We almost have our freedom!"
No little one, you do." He informed me as a mournful smiled found itself on his face. "Neither of us will ever make it out if we were to stay. But if I were to run, distracting the bastards, you'll have a chance of having a life." He began walking away from the car.
"No Vaas! Please!" I begged. He was the closest thing I had to a father. I didn't want him to die!" We can make it! Please just stay!"
He quickly returned to the car, causing me to smile, thinking he was staying. He merely came close enough to give me a small hug, whispering into my ear, "I'm sorry little one. I guess you have to find your own path." He quickly began running, not before pushing me flat against the bed.
I was about to get up, but stopped when I heard the metal footsteps of either Felix or Locus. "Hey, assholes!" I heard Vaas yell, earning their attention. "You too much of pussies to go after me!"
I swore I heard Felix growl as he began running in Vaas' direction, with Locus reluctantly following by the sounds of his footsteps. I decided to chance it and looked up and immediately regretted it. I saw Vaas' form being pushed to the ground roughly by Felix, who I was sure had a psychotic grinned hidden underneath his helmet. The guard quickly raised his rifle and rapidly fired off several rounds into Vaas' back.
My breath began increasing as the train started moving. I sat down, knowing that if I did anything, I would either be killed or recaptured. I began sobbing quietly at the death of my only friend.
I didn't know when I passed out or how, I guess due to emotional turmoil. But I eventually awoke to the sun's rays beating down upon me. I saw my breath in front of me as I sat up, slightly shivering at the temperature of Atlas. I looked around to see I was in a train depot, similar to the one near the labor camp, but wasn't the same.
'I'm sorry Vaas. I'm sorry you had to die for me to live.' I told myself as I stopped myself from sobbing. I got onto shaky legs and hopped onto the ground, slightly tripping on the gravel ground. I looked around and began making my way out of train depot, hoping I would be near Mantle? Or at least was Vaas' plan
I stopped myself from dwelling on him and instead focused on looking on a way out. I eventually found a chain link door, swinging in the wind. My eyes darted around to see if anyone were around. I couldn't see anyone and quickly darted out the swinging door and into freedom.
I suddenly found myself in a slum-like area, not as horrible as the shanty town of the labor camps, but not much better. I gripped my blanket cloak and began looking around, not really sure what to do. 'What do I do?' I asked myself. "What do I do...Vaas?" I wasn't sure what he planned on doing, but he never told me, intending to leave with me.
I tried to straighten my thoughts. 'I need to get new clothes.' I decided. I was wearing a ripped and tattered labor camp uniform. It stood out and left me a target. My eyes darted around to see a rundown shop that was seemingly abandoned. I looked around to see there was barely a soul in sight, mostly depressed Faunus like me.
I made my way to the shop. It was dilapidated, with the windows boarded up. There was a tattered sign hanging loosely from a rusty chain, reading "Faunus' Furs and Fangs." I smiled slightly at the pun as I quickly went for the door, which was also boarded up. I pulled on the handle and was surprised when it was unlocked. I quickly made my way in, glad to be out of the harsh weather of Atlas. The store wasn't in great shape, mostly in a messy state with various article of clothes strewn about and uncared for walls. I looked around to find something that would be a close fit. I eventually found a dark grey long sleeve shirt with some symbol on it. It was a snarling beast in blue. I also found a long white coat with black buttons that reached my knees with a decently intact black fur inside with similar lining on the coat and attached hood with the insides having several pockets lining it. I also found a pair of grey pants. I wasn't able to find any sort of footwear but figured my grey work boots that were standard for my jumpsuit would work.
I quickly stripped myself of the jumpsuit. My hands stung as they removed the article of clothing I had grown to hate. I looked at myself at a partially broken mirror. My form was unhealthily skinny, a mixture of poor diet and being overworked. It was riddled with various scaring, due to being abused by the guards. They didn't care that I was a child, instead, hating me due to my ears. I shook myself out my thoughts. That was over now, never to happen again.
Though there was one thing I could never remove, a reminder of my upbringing. At the base of my skull, was a marking. It was the symbol of Atlas in black, contrasting with my unhealthily pale skin and showing that I was owned by them. 'Not anymore.' I told myself. 'They've got no ownership of you now.'
I quickly saw my face. It was gaunt, with no real scarring showing outside of the one given by the other 'worker' I had antagonized. My eyes were an amber color. My hair was a mess, extremely greasy and had dust from the mine mixed in with it. Though it's true reddish-brown color was present.
I quickly put on my new clothes, throwing my old jumpsuit haphazardly along with the cloak I had fastened from my blanket. I looked once more in the mirror and decided it looked relatively good. I buttoned my coat and flipped the hood up and saw it hid most of my head, shadowing my face.
"But now what?" I asked no one. "I have no future. The one able to provide one killed." There was one thing I could do. "I could take advantage of others, stealing from them. Making their things my own." I continued to tell myself.
"I have no other choice, I have to...become a thief." I decided. I knew that it wasn't the most righteous of jobs, but I was never taught right or wrong, Vaas never taught me...
'Vaas. Vaas! Vaas!?' I grew angrier and angrier as I thought about him. I wasn't angry at him, I was angry that he couldn't be here with me. That his life was taken away while mine was allowed to stay. All because of those bastards, Felix and Locus!
"You two are dead man walking!" I shouted angrily as my rage seemed to build, not stopping or boiling over. I slammed my hand into the partially destroyed wall, a weak, dark aura of something appearing.
As my tantrum continued, the dark aura continued to grow in intensity, growing darker and darker, beginning to pull in the light. It all came to a point where I felt a rush of something, snapping me out of my enraged state. I looked down at my form to see it was covered by a layer of black aura. 'What is this?' I asked myself as the aura dissipated in smoke like effect.
I decided to attempt to take a breather, steadying myself as I felt my anger leave me. 'What the hell was that?' I thought confused at what I had just achieved.
Hope that shit was good. Though it kinda felt like a cliche escape with the token sacrifice from Vaas. Also a bit dark. And yes, Vaas looks like Vaas Montenegro from Far Cry and Locus and Felix are from Red Vs. Blue. Expect characters from various series to show up as filler.
Would also like suggestions for weapons! I've got two in mind, but I'm up for suggestions.