Chapter 1

A Turn of Events

The shipping barge slowly slid into port. The lights from the city cast shadows in the gloomy docks of the Vytal Shipyard. It was the third shipment of Dust this month, a regular amount from Atlas. However, this shipment in particular was carrying some extra cargo in the form of a young man clad in black and red light body armour. It was his first visit to Vytal since the incident five years ago, and he intended not to overstay his welcome. He was here for one thing and one thing only: to wipe out the White Fang. Or, at least take a chunk out of them. He was just one guy, after all.

As the barge slowed to a stop, the man leapt over the side of the railing, landing with ease on the dock below. As he rounded the corner, however, he heard not-too-distant voices. Stopping at the bow, he peeked around and saw a group of ten or more White Fang members, all excited about something. Wanting to take a closer look, the young man darted behind a stack of barrels, crouching and peering through a slit in the cargo.

"... And then I said, 'You call that a backhand? Let me try!' And the little bitch squealed!" One of the White Fang members seemed to be bragging about beating someone up - a girl from the sound of it.
"You sure know how to swing, boss!" another said, apparently an underling to the braggart.
"Did I ask you to talk?" the "boss" retorted.
"No boss, I just figured-"
"You just figured what?" The White Fang member seemed to be irritated by the lackey. "I make the rules when we're out on jobs like this. Do I make myself perfectly-"

As he raised his hand, radio static interrupted the White Fang member, who lowered his hand.
"Hey boss, I'm gonna be a little late to the party," a voice crackled from the com attached to the boss' belt. "The cat's acting up again, so I gotta discipline her before we can collect the materials."
"Make it quick, and painful!" the boss barked back.
"And give her one from me!" the lackey blurted out.
The boss didn't respond. Instead he grabbed the lackey by the arm and twisted, breaking it and throwing him into the water.
"Stay out of this!" he growled. Turning to his other men, he answered their bewildered looks with an order. "Leave now if you don't lie the way I handle things around here. If you want to end up like the Cairs, that is."

Whatever happened to the Cairs must've been bad, as the lackeys gulped and quickly stood at attention. A voice echoed from the com, this time a female. The young man in the shadows couldn't make out what was said, but it made the boss furious.
"Just you wait till I get back, beast!" he shouted, and turned off his com.

'Beast'? That could only mean one thing - another Faunus. But why would they hurt one of their own? This was intriguing indeed. The young man's thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash. The White Fang lackeys were on the deck of the barge, and they were loading Dust containers into the back of a truck. They were stealing it! Why hadn't he thought of it before? After all, they were the White Fang - the word around Atlas was that Dust was their new endeavour. Whether they were selling it or using it as weapons, the man didn't care. He wasn't there for heroic deeds. He was there to find the White Fang HQ and attack them directly.

The lackeys closed up the back of the truck and began to drive away. Not missing this opportunity to tail them, the young man grabbed a bike from the other side of the dock and drove after them.

-

After several minutes of turning down streets and taking back alleys, the truck stopped at a seemingly bare wall. The young man parked the bike in an alley and peeked around the corner. One of the lackeys walked up to the wall and knocked three times. The "wall" opened up to reveal a driveway, and the lackeys got back in the truck. The young man sprinted ahead and leapt onto the back of the truck, hitching a ride straight to the White Fang HQ. Just as planned.

As the truck stopped, the young man jumped off the back and ran to a secluded corner. Utilizing his parkour training, he climbed up the low stone building, crouching on the roof. It was the perfect vantage point - from here, he could see the entire compound. It was a large high-walled area housing several stone buildings much like the one he was on right now. The top of the walls sported a variety of anti-aircraft guns - perfect for downing any and all airships that came close. A closer inspection of the ground level revealed many sewer grates, all closed off to prevent attacks from below. It was well-protected from groups of offense; however, one person could easily slip in and wreak havoc, as the young man had so efficiently demonstrated.

The first step of the plan was to obtain a scroll from one of the guards below. No biggie. The young man carefully dropped to the ground below and silently stepped over to the next building. A lone guard stood watch on the balcony, wearing little armour and sporting long, razor-sharp claws. At first glance, he looked mildly intimidating. But this lackey wasn't going to be a problem for long. The young man climbed the beam and vaulted over the balcony railing, and snuck up behind the Faunus. With one hand he covered the lackey's mouth and nose; with the other, he grabbed an arm and twisted it behind the lackey's back.
"Seven seconds," his mentor had told him. "Any longer and you'll kill a man. Or a Faunus, for that matter."
Taking care not to make a sound, the young man lowered the Faunus to the wooden deck and picked up the gun strapped to his back. He had no need of this weak weapon, and neither did the unconscious White Fang member. In one quick movement he dismantled the gun, dropping the pieces on top of the lackey. Then he slipped a hand into the Faunus' pocket, extracting the scroll. It was all going according to the plan; now all that was left was to enter the right building and take out the right guy. Leaping from the balcony with great agility and landing in a roll, the fighter strode up to the adjacent building. It was the largest one in the compound - it must be the one, he thought.
"No turning back now," he said to himself as he held the scroll to the scanner. The door unlocked, and he slipped in.

The first thing the man noticed upon entering the building was the smell. It definitely wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't potent enough to make the young man gag. After wrinkling his nose in mild disgust, he inspected the area. He was standing in what appeared to be a dining hall, complete with chandeliers. The interior had seen some wear-and-tear, but it was the perfect place for a group of thieves and mercenaries to camp out. The room was lit by torches in brackets lined up on either side of the wall, and at the head of the table was a-

A loud thud from behind put the young man on edge, expecting a fight. But he didn't have time to react, as a sharp pain to the back of the legs dropped him to his knees. Another blow to the back knocked the wind out of him and he fell to the floor. A tall Faunus loomed over him, holding a metal baton in one hand and a pistol in the other. He had golden-brown cat ears. It was the boss from earlier at the dock.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" he growled, brandishing his baton in an attempt to look intimidating. It wasn't working well, but the only way the man was going to get out of this scot free was to play up the innocent civilian act.
"Look sir, I don't even know where I am. I was just catching a ride to the city and I ended up here. I really don't see what all the fuss is ab-"
The young man was interrupted by a boot to the throat.
"What a load of crap." The Faunus was clearly agitated at this point. "Do you think I'm an idiot? Look at your get-up, and those guns on your belt! You're a merc, hired by the city by the looks of it. If you think you have the slightest chance of making it out of here alive, you've got another thing coming!"
There were a lot of names the young man had been called over the years, and he could take them all. He was seventeen and didn't have a care in the world, after all. But nobody - nobody - called him a merc.
Trying his best to retain his composure, the young man simply bent his right leg and sharply extended it, connecting with the left shin of the Faunus. It wasn't much of a shin kick, but it was enough to upset the White Fang member's balance. He fell over, hitting his head off a nearby post and knocking himself unconscious.
The young man got up and dusted himself off. Turning to the downed Faunus, he said, "You know, it's dumbasses like you that make the job so much easier."
With that he turned around and was greeted by a fist to the face.

When he awoke, he was laying in a dank cell in a room that branched off from the dining hall. Straw, buckets and bones littered the cold stone floor. He slowly sat up, groaning and rubbing his head - and he was startled by the young girl sitting across from him, just staring at him.

No, not a girl. Her cat ears identified her as a Faunus. But why was she locked up with him? Could she be the Faunus the boss was referring to? She definitely didn't look too healthy - she had the marks to prove it, as well as a missing piece of her left ear. She'd been beaten, all right, and recently at that. But that wasn't any of his concern. As long as she had some idea of how to get out of this hell-hole, she could be of use to the young man. Now was as good a time as any to make an attempt at conversation.

"Uhh... hi." So far, so good.
No response. Just a blank stare.
"Hello?" Nothing.
"Anyone home? Hey!"
The Faunus opened her mouth, about to speak. But it was cut short as a burly White Fang member stepped into the room and pulled a key from off a hook on the opposite wall. He walked up to the door and began to unlock it. The young Faunus girl backed away, pressing herself against the wall. The young man noticed she was wearing black and purple gauntlets.

The White Fang member opened the gate and stepped inside, shoving the young man. "Out of the way!" he barked. He then turned to the Faunus, who looked utterly terrified. "Alright then," he said with an evil smile. "Time for your daily discipline!" With that, he threw her against the bars and pulled out his baton.
"First, for causing a delay in our plans today..." He raised the baton and brought it down, striking the girl on the arm.
"Then when we disciplined you earlier, you tried to fight back." This time he stood back and kicked the Faunus in the leg. She whimpered, but stood her ground - obviously she was used to this kind of "discipline".
"And this one is just for fun!" the White Fang member shouted as he jabbed her in the stomach. She doubled over in pain, and he struck her across the face with the baton. The Faunus fell to the floor, and the White Fang member got on top of her. The beating didn't stop there; he mercilessly swung the baton back and forth as the Faunus girl cried out in pain, completely helpless. He drew blood, and the young man knew that a line had been crossed one too many times.

Not bothering to take a silent approach, the man grabbed the White Fang member from behind, lifting him off of the girl and throwing him against the bars. Reaching for the collar of the burly Faunus, the young fighter punched him in the face, breaking his nose and causing a steady stream of blood to flow forth. As he was busy beating the White Fang member relentlessly, he didn't notice the other member sneak up behind him until it was too late. He was thrown to the ground and stared death - in pistol form - in the face. Out of ideas, the young man just watched as...
... The Faunus girl ran up and punched the White Fang member in the chest, sending him flying into the opposite wall of bars with a crunch. As he hit the floor, the young man could make out an indentation in the bars that was shaped like the Faunus man; no doubt the crunching sound was every vertebrae of his cracking from the sheer force of hitting the cell wall.

"Holy shit!" the young man exclaimed as he looked from the Faunus girl - now with a slightly satisfied but entirely angry look on her face - to the dented bars.

"... Hi," the Faunus girl said.

He was utterly bewildered. "You're not gonna do that to me, right?"
She shook her head.
"Good," he replied. "I'd prefer to not be a vegetable right about now. I did have a plan coming in here, but there's no way I'm crippling the White Fang at this point. We've gotta get out of here, but I'd wager the front door is out of the question. Got any ideas?"

The Faunus girl was tentative in responding. "We could always take the roof exit. This building is close enough to the walls that we could jump from one to the other, and climb right over."
"I'm guessing you've come up with several strategies of getting your ass out of here," the man said. "I don't blame you either - these guys are quite the bunch of dicks."
The Faunus girl was confused. "What's... what's a dick?" she asked.
"Never mind," the young man said. "I'll explain when we get out of here. Now lead the way!"

The path out, it seemed, led to a door to the roof of the building. The young man went first, slowly opening the door and peeking around the corner. There was no one up there with them, so he and the Faunus girl stepped out onto the roof, closing the door behind them. He ran toward the edge of the roof, crouching so as to remain unseen.

Looking down at the rest of the compound below, the young man could see a large number of White Fang members in the central square. One member stood in the middle of them. It was clear he was a high-ranking official - he was taller than the rest and burly, with bull's horns and a large double-bladed axe strapped to his back. The Faunus girl crouched next to him and she growled, hatred burning in her violet eyes. The young man figured now was the time to talk to her.

"I'm guessing you know-" he began, but he was cut off.
"Let's go," the Faunus girl said in a stern voice, standing and turning around. Rolling his eyes and mocking her from behind, he got up and followed her to the other side of the roof.

"Here," she said, gesturing to the edge of the roof. Directly across from it was the wall surrounding the compound. The young man estimated the ledge was seven feet away from - and two feet higher than - the roof. No problem for someone of his physique with five years of intensive stealth and combat training. Stepping back to the other side, he sprinted across the roof and leapt to the wall, grabbing the ledge and pulling himself up with ease. Standing up and dusting himself off, he turned to the Faunus girl across from him.

"Need any help?" he asked.
"These ears aren't just for show," the Faunus said, standing back and running to the edge of the roof. Just before reaching the edge, she crouched and shot like a rocket from the roof, landing perfectly in a crouching position at the top of the wall.

The young man let out a low whistle. "Damn," he said admirably.
"Being a Faunus does have its perks, even if the cons far outweigh the pros," she replied flatly. "Come on, I'd prefer not to get spotted."

"Too late!" a voice echoed from below. The young man sharply turned to find its source. The burly bull Faunus was standing in the middle of the compound, holding a small device with one button.
A detonator.
Not hesitating to act, the young man grabbed the Faunus girl and launched her across to the roof, leaping off the wall just as the White Fang member pressed the button.

A deafening explosion tore through the wall behind him as he was thrown to the ground, attempting to land in a roll. The fall was too high, though, and his skills were no match for the stone floor that met him at high speed. He felt his leg snap beneath him as he tumbled to the ground, and pulled himself away from a large piece of the wall that would have crushed his skull. Instead, a pile of rubble fell on top of him, covering all but his head and shoulders. Unable to move, he watched the bull Faunus inch closer and closer to him, lifting the axe from his back.

"Where's the cat bitch?" he said with a smile. "I hope she got her pretty little 'ead smashed in by the stones. One less problem on my hands. As long as she's out of the way, it gives me more time to kill you as slowly as possible." Just as he raised his axe, the young man activated his semblance and turned invisible, shouting "now!" before he did so.

"What the-?" The White Fang member was momentarily confused - just enough time for the Faunus girl to leap from the roof and pull back her arm, ready to strike the executioner in mid-air. But the bull Faunus turned just in time to knock her aside with the axe handle, and she rolled to the ground, groaning in pain. The White Fang member approached her.

"So you did survive, did ya? What a shame. The rubble would've killed you quicker. Me? I take it nice and slow. Reminds me of your parents, it does. They were loud indee-"

He didn't have time to finish as the Faunus girl punched the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked the bull Faunus off his feet. Springing to her feet, she began to run toward the White Fang member, as he got to his feet as well. He lifted the axe above his head and prepared what the young man knew would be a death blow. But the Faunus girl didn't slow down. As she neared the executioner, he swung the axe and she dropped to the ground, sliding in between his legs and punching on both sides. The force of her gauntlets paired with what the young man guessed was her semblance, the bull Faunus' forelegs gave out, more than likely shattered by her powerful strikes.

As he fell to his knees, the Faunus girl rolled into a kneeling position behind him. She pulled back her right arm and shot toward the White Fang member, landing a blow to the back of his head. The young man, still trapped under the rubble, heard a crack as the executioner was thrown forward. The Faunus girl grabbed him and rolled him over, repeatedly punching him in the face and screaming unintelligibly. Whatever this guy had done to her parents, he was paying for it - big time.

As the other White Fang members approached cautiously, a loud rumble came from overhead. The bright spotlight of an airship shone down on the compound.
"Members of the White Fang, lay down your arms!" a voice rang out from the airship intercom. It was a stern female voice, one that reminded the young man of his mother whenever he was up to no good. He felt his legs free up as the rubble was lifted off of him, and he instantly crawled to the Faunus girl nearby.

"Don't - touch - me - again!" she screamed as she relentlessly beat the executioner's face into the ground. The young man could see that his aura was barely holding on. He threw himself toward the Faunus and knocked her to the ground. She began to cry uncontrollably as she buried her face in his shoulder, shaking with sobs.

The young man could feel his leg repair itself through his aura as he got to his feet and put his arms around the Faunus girl. "It's okay," he said softly. "You're fine. He won't be hurting you anymore." Nobody had told him this after the incident five years ago, but he could tell that she was broken, so he tried to comfort her. Besides, he had to calm her down enough to get her onto the airship that had landed inside the compound. Over the Faunus' shoulder, he could see a man clad in green gesturing to him. He knew that face anywhere - after all, it was plastered all over Vale.

It was Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy.

"Are you okay?" he asked the Faunus girl calmly.
She looked up at him, tears running down her face.

"I... I think so."

"Okay enough to come with me?"

"I guess so."

"That'll have to do," he said, walking her to the Beacon airship. "By the way, I didn't catch your name earlier."

"It's Shanti Cair," she said softly.

"Nice to meet you, Shanti. I'm Rowen Viriatus."