Disclaimer: This is a RWBY fanfic, the original material is owned by RoosterTeeth. This is an adaptation/combination of two AUs and several original ideas. The two AUs being combined are that of The Black Fist and Red Hand, owned by CC-2224 Commander Cody and Mojo1586. I am using all material with the creator's permission or under Fair Use.
18 Months Before RWBY Volume 1: Elizabeth Briar's POV: Mantle Highlands
The clamor of bullhead's engines whirring filled the cargo bay incessantly, to a normal human probably sounding nothing more than a low, persistent hum. To a the enhanced senses of a Trapper the sound was almost deafening, seeming to echo within the confines of my skull. It was all I could do not to hold my hands over my ears in a desperate attempt to block out the noise.
'I should've long adjusted to this by now, maybe something's...No! Remember your training...keep your center, keep your center...'
Fortunately, the designers of our masks had courteous enough to add noise dampeners to their design, but of course the jackass of a quartermaster that issued them conveniently forgot to mention how to activate them. I would have to remember to pay him back when we returned to base, slowly and personally if I had the chance.
At least I was able to find some comfort in the fact I wasn't alone in my pain. My fellow Trappers appearing to be suffering along with me, some of our less disciplined fighters giving into the urge and slapping padded gloves to their ears with short, barely audible groans. Others handled their discomfort with some modicum of professionalism, though I allowed myself a smirk when I noticed how tense Virgil was underneath his thin veneer of calm focus, the blind man must've been going through hell compared to even the rest of us. Under other circumstances with any other individual I might've found it amusing, but my older counterpart could still butcher everyone on this ship if he felt like it and the subtle Aura he pervaded made that fact perfectly clear to those sitting around him, setting cold needles of anxiety to my already frayed nerves.
Looking more for something, anything, to distract myself with, I settled on fiddling with my headgear's controls in a vain attempt to figure out how the dampeners worked. I'd been at it a couple minutes, sifting my way through the myriad of settings when I felt the unmistakable tug at my lower gut that signaled the Bullhead's descent. Almost as if on cue, Virgil rose from his seat magnanimously, the scabbards hanging at his back rustling against his armor softly in a move I knew was calculated to grab our attention, they would never have made a sound otherwise. Everyone stopped whatever it was they were doing, whispered conversations and anxious ticks for the most part, to look at the swordsman's blank faced visage, namely the Red hand print adorning it.
"The moment that door opens, Alpha team will move to destroy the White Fang bunker complexes located on the southern outskirts of the city. Bravo, your goal will be to disable the anti-air batteries placed within the old City Hall and Town Square respectively. Charlie, run interference for Bravo. We have approximately thirty minutes until the Fist arrives with the main attack force, and the Commander has made it clear that our objectives are to be complete before they arrive. Should any of you fail in your tasks, I shall discipline you personally." His implication hung in the air like a shroud, sending more than a few shivers through the assembled force. I was proud to say that I kept myself outwardly composed, if only just...
'Keep your center, keep your center, focus on the mission at hand...nothing else.'
Moments later, a blinding light filled the cabin as the hatch slid open with a dull rattle, our Bullhead free to unleash its deadly cargo. My senses and muscles glorying at the sudden open air and freedom move around, if still smarting at the sudden constant sharp chill that seemed constant throughout the region.
'No time to idle, not when there's work to be done...'
Bravo was made up of that brute Alexander Capaneus, Joel Ambrose, and me. We raced towards the City Hall the moment our boots hit solid ground, the gaudy white marble castle likely visible for miles all around. From what I'd skimmed of the reports, the building was meant as one part settlement center, one part fortress designed to repel Grimm incursion, meant to inspire confidence to the townspeople and raise positive feeling. It really was extravagant, if little else, and now would serve as a fitting site for my continued revenge.
A pity really, I would've loved the chance to take the time to admire it properly, perhaps I still could, once we'd properly exterminated the vermin huddled within its walls of course.
Necessity and caution had forced us to slow our pace as we drew closer to our objective, the four heavy cannons had been firing Dust tipped death into the sky for almost a full minute, meaning the enemy was well-stocked if still terrible shots. They were dug in and well defended, right away I spotted two machine gun emplacements flanking the larger weapons, having been elevated off of the ground by concrete watchtowers.
It would've likely proven a steadfast defense against any standard invading force, but we were Trappers, not standard mooks.
I held my hand up in a tight fist behind me, causing the other two Trappers to halt as we ghosted the corner of an outlying storage depot a few dozen meters away from the target, and used the back of my hand warn of the threat, summoning Alexander to the front, only then did I risk speaking. "We've got two heavy machine guns on either side of the AA battery. I need you to draw their fire, hold their attention long enough so that Joel and I can flank through the admin buildings. Understood?"
For a brief moment I thought he might actually refuse to follow my orders, as a self-proclaimed noble he'd been bitter that Vergil had placed me command of the assault, chafing at the bit under his breath at every opportunity he thought I wasn't paying attention, which apparently according to him was quite often judging by the amount I'd heard on just the flight over. Fortunately, Joel put a tight grip on his shoulder before he could voice a retort, the Mistralan Trapper tensing sharply as if shocked before stiffly nodding, probably realizing exactly what would happen if he pushed the issue any further.
"Crystal, just don't take too long. I'd hate for you to miss out on the fun."
With that, and barely a rustle to betray his presence, Capaneus took up position in front of me and checked the cylinder of his grenade launcher. After taking a quick second to ensure his weapon was in working order, he stepped out from the corner and proceeded to raise all hell in the way only a Trapper and liberal use of explosives could provide.
His weapon braced against the top of the dull grey circular shield he bore as he advanced, several Dust laden grenades already in the air with a whoosh and landing amidst the AA batteries before the White Fang's attention had shifted and they'd started to return fire. Both of the .50 cals had opened up in earnest as explosions rocked the ground and sent dirt and bodies flying in their wake, white hot rounds impacting and ricocheting off both his shield and his Aura but could've been spitwads for all it seemed to do against the Trapper and his impressive defense.
"That all you got, bastards!?" He cried out boisterously in challenge, plumes of dirt and permafrost shooting upward like geysers as deflected rounds drove scorching gouges in the ground amidst his feet, one even pinging off against a part of the corner where we still sat watching in bemused silence, sending a spattering of Dust across the lens of my mask.
Still, even for an Aura user standing amidst fields of oncoming fire was hardly a comfortable position to retain for long, the shield bearer sprinted his way across the chaos for cover behind one of the stone statues in the square, laughing all the while as he reloaded his weapon as casually as one might check the time as shattered snow and dirt fell around him.
I spared a glance at Joel and motioned for him to sprint across the open area to try and flank their positions. In the meantime I took the opportunity to move through one of the apartment buildings, now in ruins from one of the Fist's earlier artillery bombardments, the rubble proving little obstacle as I leapt and rolled, keeping the SMG I held tight to my chest as I gripped the side of the sixtyfive round drum with my left hand.
As I moved further through the demolished structure, I picked up the heavy thud of boots hitting against displaced masonry to my right, about thirty yards ahead from the sound of it. I pressed myself against what was left of a wall and tried to discern what I could of the people within.
From what I could tell, there were four of them, three men and a woman by their voices, at least one of them was armored judging from the clatter he made. With only a single quick breath and not a shred of hesitation I stepped out into the doorway, standing just outside the threshold before firing a quick three round burst into one of the figures wearing the standard Fang battle armor. His body seeming to dance a twisted little step with the impact of the Dust infused rounds piercing his chestpiece like tissue paper, fragmenting further while inside the target and rendering him quite dead from the shock alone.
As he toppled back I did a quick sweep of the other two occupants of the room, neither were armed, though I was forced to gun down one who tried to take a pistol from the corpse's hand.
With her companions dead and a quick pat down reassuring me she had no hidden surprises for when I turned my back, the woman just cowered in the corner and shaking in abject terror with her hands clutched over her lamblike ears, I left her to her bleating without a second thought.
Others would come to investigate the gunfire soon, better to save ammunition for the real threats. My prediction proved all too true when a group of Fang soldiers armed with rifles and swords came storming down the hall, likely in response to all the shooting.
'Sure took them long enough…'
Holding the trigger, I hosed down the hallway with a practiced abandon. Six of the faunus cut down before they could even bring their weapons to bear, the remaining five however had the common sense to swiftly return fire as they advanced. With a snarl, I dove into a side room for cover, noticing that at least two of them were Aura trained by grace that they didn't fall down screaming like the others when hit. I dumped the ammo drum of my SMG and loaded a 35 round box mag in its place.
I didn't have many options at the moment, so I retrieved an incendiary Thorn from one of my bracers and stabbed it through the wall half a foot away from the door. Now all I could do was wait, the footfalls of the Fang troopers growing closer every moment. When they were near the Thorn I braced myself and detonated the explosive Dust inside, thoroughly thankful for the sound dampening and grinning behind my mask at the muffled cries of alarm and pain.
My actions from then on were automatic, practiced instinct honed by training into a ruthless machine. I almost pitied them.
Moving out from the door, I delivered a throat punch to the leading enemy with a wet crunch, causing him to clutch at his now fractured windpipe. Pinning him against me, I fired into the remaining soldiers with my machine gun, cutting down three of his comrades before finishing off my hostage with a savage twist of his head.
Satisfied there was no one left, standing at any rate, I took a moment to retrieve a second ammo drum from the pack slung at my waist before moving forward further into the ruins.
In the aftermath of the skirmish, no other soldiers saw fit to jump out of the woodwork to attack me, though I did see one faunus who looked to be around my age cowering inside one of the apartments with his head in his hands. Within five minutes, I had reached the roof access overlooking the AA positions and the pitched battle taking place below.
'Huh, so Capaneus is still kicking after all.' I thought with only a smidge of disappointment, even if I wasn't really surprised. 'I suppose it would be too much to ask for him to mess this up.'
It took me but a moment to assess the battle, and in the end I backtracked to the bodies downstairs to retrieve a fallen assault rifle before taking up position on a rooftop flanking the defensive positions.
'When taking your target by surprise, one can never have too much firepower…'
Setting the weapon to semi automatic I began picking off the defenders with the and precision drilled into me by rigorous training and hours of live practice. I would never claim to be a skilled sniper, but the dot sight and relatively close range helped my aim considerably, meaning I had dispatched about a third of the defenders in short order.
Unfortunately, though not unexpectedly, my success had also attracted the attention of quite a few eyes. Bullets showered my location and I was forced to take cover or lose my head. It was only a matter of time before another squad of vermin was sent to deal with me, and pressed on both sides as I was.
Keeping my SMG within arms reach I tried to reach Joel on our squad comms. "Are you still alive?" I heard the distinct crunch of bones snapping through the other end, sort of like dry twigs. It only took a second, and a wash of static and frantic gunfire, before I finally got a response.
"At the moment, making friends out there?"
"Ha ha really funny, I've attracted a bit of attention. Think you can distract them?"
"Give me a minute, I've got an idea." His transmission cut out.
"Hey what are you… dammit Ambrose! At least give me an idea of what to look for." I growled, throwing a Thorn into the doorway that provided access to my rooftop. Dust tipped rounds still snapped overhead, throwing up plumes of concrete and forcing me to lie prone at my position. From the sounds of things, Capaneus was still fighting below, the report of his grenade launcher echoing through the city square alongside his taunts.
As I picked myself up into a crouching position to return fire the block was suddenly illuminated by orange fire, several anti aircraft shells exploding next to the guns. A football sized chunk of concrete soaring from the blast to strike me in the chest, forcing the breath from my lungs and knocking me to the ground coughing and spluttering behind my mask, not a pleasant experience. Still, if my Aura hadn't been active my ribs likely would've been pulverized by the impact, the thought didn't make this easier.
"Ah...s-son of a…!?" I wheezed, rolling onto my side and breathing heavily through the mask's filter, resisting the urge to tear the damned thing off just in case there was latent debris in the air.
"They're distracted." Ambrose told me simply over the comm.
Swearing under my breath, I took the risk and peeked over the edge of my rooftop to see Capaneus and Joel carving their way through the vermin below. Joel's bladed staff, Storm Circut, caught the light of the fires raging around as it twisted and stabbed through the Faunus ranks, the polished metal seeming to come alive when in use. Even as I watched the Trapper took the legs out from underneath one, sending him writhing to the ground as he tore the throat from his fellow a moment later on the backswing. Capaneus moved as well, scattering whole squads as he charged in shield first, using the bulwark to bat aside weapons and bodies with impunity.
Within the next few minutes Capaneus, Ambrose, and I had cleared out the fortifications, their crews laying dead or close to it at our feet. I had Joel radio in our success while I applied the Dust-Thermite mixture to the inside of each cannon's barrel, loading mechanisms, and firing pins.
The Red Hand's tactical AI, Locke, came over the comm. "Trapper Briar, I am detecting a company sized force of White Fang converging on your fireteam's position. You have approximately four minutes before they arrive. I recommend immediate evacuation to the nearest uncontested point."
I cursed into the speaker, activating the Dust/Thermite concoction. "We need to clear out, now! Party on the way!" I called to my subordinates as the cannon barrels began to smoke. We'd almost made it to the edges of the square before the first of the Fang reinforcements came swarming like ants into the square, shouting battle cries and waving their weapons about looking for targets.
After a few tense breaths, I signaled for Capaneus and Ambrose to stop and take stock of our situation. "You ass, warn me next time you plan on blowing up half the square!" I growled, smacking my chest piece with my palm, the dented ceramic digging incessantly into my ribs with every slight motion, setting me on edge, "You almost killed me."
"Oh, such a tragedy that would be." Capaneus had decided to play peanut gallery. "Whatever would we do without our glorious leader?"
I was about to deliver a kick to the side of the Minstali noble's head when Joel tackled me to the ground. A Molotov cocktail streaked over where I was standing a moment before and impacted the brick before exploding into a fireball of sudden heat and roaring air. Four White Fang soldiers fell into us, two had axes drawn and charged Capaneus screaming like wild animals, the others charged Joel and I with an electrified quarterstaff and brass knuckles.
Joel threw a knife at the staff wielding faunus and immediately drew his own weapon to engage him. For my part I threw a Thorn at the last faunus and unloaded my submachine gun into his body armor. He didn't even break stride as his Aura absorbed the rounds without visible issue. By the time my weapon clicked empty he had closed the distance between us and tried to make forward jab at my mask. I moved out of the way of the strike and delivered a roundhouse kick to his side only for the terrorist to catch my leg and pull me to the ground.
I felt his steel toed boot impact my right side before the Faunus planted his knee on my chest. He rained down punches, his brass knuckles smoldering with red Dust. I placed my forearms in front of my face to block a few strikes before lashing out at the Fang Hunter's neck with an ice Thorn. There was an emerald flash as his Aura took the hit and the resulting surge of ice.
A few yards Fang Hunter went flying into one of the office buildings that dotted the street courtesy of a full body blow from the face of Alexander's shield, his bones crunched on impact and his axe falling from limp fingers to the pavement.
My opponent, distracted by the death of his comrade, provided me the perfect opportunity to grab his arm and reverse our positions. Drawing the knife at my hip I tried to drive the blade through the eye slit of his mask, only for the faunus to deflect my strike off to the side before attempting to return the favor with his brass knuckles. I leveled my bracer at the vermin and sent and electric dart into his exposed neck. His Aura absorbed the majority of the electric shock before depleting. The remaining electricity wasn't lethal, the follow up bullet from my sidearm was.
As I regained my feet I saw that Capaneus had disposed of his remaining opposition while Joel was in the process of impaling his enemy on Storm Circuit with a snarl, kicking the weapon free and leaving the Faunus to expire in the dirt. All it took was a glance at my wrist mounted Scroll to know that we couldn't afford another engagement like that. None of us had more than twenty percent of our Auras left and even bodies like ours couldn't keep fighting on fumes and expect to keep the advantage.
After the Hunters were suitably dead and my team once again ready to move, I informed Locke that we were in our way to the Red Hand staging area. It took us roughly an hour to reach the Hand's forward outpost and in that time the Black Fist had already started their infantry assault on the city proper.
'About time they showed up.' I thought bitterly as the far off sounds of gunfire and detonations bled of in the distance as the Fist cleaned up the dregs. 'Better them than us.'
Now all I needed to do was sit back and watch the fireworks unfold.
A/N: Hello readers. I've been planning this project for a while and now it's finally hit production. Thank you to Mojo1586 for beta reading and editing this chapter and to CC Commander Cody 2224 for contributing part of this AU. Both of these guys are great authors who have massive fics of their own so go check them out.
I also have an announcement for my other fic, The Evil of Men. After reading over my story I've decided to rewrite it. Some of my execution concerning several characters was clumsy and schizophrenic. Until such a time the rewrite is complete this will be the my primary update story.
