Edan: Heeey, look! It's an update! Even though it ain't exactly popular! I mean, how many reviews did Black Rebellion get? Then compare it to this one?
Rouge: We take what we can get. Now stop complaining. Besides, not everything is about views, favorites, follows and reviews.
Edan: Party pooper. *pauses* Hey, wait. Where are the rest of the guys?
Yang: Out on a lunch date with C.C. Something about them discussing the script?
Edan: Seriously? And she didn't invite me?! BITCH!
Rouge: ...please just start the chapter.
"We're better than humans. We have everything humans have and more. Humans shouldn't just fear the Faunus, they should serve the Faunus." -Adam Taurus
Black Rebellion: Chess Pieces
The night was cold, but it was something Adam had been used to. What he wasn't used to was sitting atop the roof of an old abandoned apartment building in the slums of Vale. No police force or member of law enforcement set foot in this place, making it the perfect home for back alley streetrats and other vermin. Even the Faunus could find solace here. Not him, though. If anything, he found it to be distasteful. A sight that reminded him of how screwed up the world had been.
"Then again, wasn't the world screwed up to begin with?" he mused as he looked up at the moon. It was half-full, with its fragments shown in clear view. "Huh. Weird. The sky looks familiar for some reason."
"Probably because the moon was half full wen we met for the first time in eight years."
Adam looked over his shoulder. Behind him was a familiar face, a cool smile plastered across their lips while wearing a heavy black jacket that shielded him from the cool wind and a hood thrown over his face.
"Rouge." Adam said in surprise. "What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be back at Beacon?"
"What?" Rouge retorted. "A guy can't meet his friend?" The Bull Faunus stared at him for a moment before rolling his eyes and turning his head back to the night sky above them. Rouge walked up next to him, taking a seat. "You know, this brings back memories. I remember seeing a view like this, a little before mother died. Now that I think about it, I think it was during our vacation in Menagerie."
Adam smirked. "I remember that. It wasn't odd for humans to come by, but it certainly wasn't everyday."
"I know. But in all honesty, I'm glad my family went. There, I was able to see first hand how much humanity screwed the Faunus over, as well as meet you."
The red-haired man smirked. "So, you were just as bad as before you made your promise?"
"No." Rouge replied. "I only realized it after mom had died."
Menagerie - Ten Years Ago
A fist collided with flesh, knocking a body of muscle and bone down to the floor. Dust and dirt kicked up upon impact. There, the body lay, motionless for two whole seconds before eyes burning with fire lit and threw itself back unto its feet, a scream ripping from its throat and returning the punch of its tormentor with equal force.
The fight had been going on for several minutes. In that time, the victim had already beaten up the tormentor's accomplices if the unconscious bodies littering the ground were any clue.
The tormentor himself was looking too good. He never expected the victim to retaliate so violently if the welts forming on his face were any indication. Each time it struck, it hurt. Bruises were already beginning to ruin his skin. He tried going in for a straight to knock the poor victim flat, but it dodged easily and retaliated with a right hook that made threw him to the floor. Groaning, he tried to get up, but the victim pinned him to the ground and began to strike at him with ferocity.
Knuckles struck the skull, again and again until blood was starting to spray. The bully tried to defend himself, bringing up his arms, but even his defense was starting to weaken. Before long, his nose was broken.
Blood splashed into the victim's face as his assault continued. He bully did not deserve any mercy. None of them did!
The victim grabbed hold of one of the bullies arms and pried it away before cocking his fist, slamming it down for one final punch.
A tooth was sent flying.
"...it's hot." Rouge muttered as he tugged at his shirt. "And my throat's all scratchy."
Summer giggled at her son's reaction as she, Tai and Yang stepped off the boat and into the rather expansive reception area that was Menagerie's docks. Everywhere, a person with an animal-like feature could be see. Some had even deigned to swim around in the water, having gills in their throats and even fins. One of them even had a fish-like lower half.
"That's because Menagerie is the tropics, Rouge." she told him. "Of course it will be hot. And your throat's all scratchy because you slept all the way here with your mouth open."
Taiyang laughed. "He's lucky a fly didn't buzz into his mouth!"
"Shut up, dad..." Rouge murmured in slight irritation. He didn't like it when his parents made fun of him. It was embarrassing. Especially when both of his sisters were around!
"So many people..." Yang whispered with sparkles in her eyes. "Hey, daddy? Why do they have ears and tails?"
"They're Faunus, sweetie. And Menagerie is their home. Actually, a close friend of ours is the reason why we have a place to stay here for our vacation." Taiyang told her, ruffling her hair. "Just be polite to the people here. And no pulling on their tails and ears. Got it?"
"Got it!" Yang nodded exuberantly.
"Yes, daddy!" Ruby chirped.
"Understood." Rouge bobbed his head in a less enthused manner.
Summer pouted. "Rouge...you should be excited! This is you children's first time out of Patch!"
"Yeah!" Ruby giggled. "Be excited, brother!"
Rouge frowned. "But I wanted to read more books!" he argued. Even at a young age, he was already well into reading books, even if they were still a bit far from the ones teenagers and adults read. "How am I supposed to read if we're here?"
"I'm sure Krim's got a few books or two you can read, kiddo." Taiyang told him as he picked up the suitcases. "He's Menagerie's local doctor, so I'm sure he might have something just right for you. Come on, now. Let's go! Time for your first adventure into the wild!"
"Yay!" Ruby cheered before grabbing Rouge's hand and pulling him away, Yang not far behind. "Let's go go go!"
"Aaaah! W-wait!"
"Heeeey! Wait for me, little sister!"
Summer and Taiyang laughed as they watched their children run off to explore the island. Leave it to Ruby to bring Rouge out of his shell, and Yang helping her do it.
It had taken a bit of time, what with the three little rascals running around and even getting involved in a game with a few other Faunus children, but eventually they found their place of residence for the time being. It wasn't a very large house. In fact, it was barely even a house at all, more resembling a medical clinic than anything else. Rouge was confused by that. Why were they staying at a clinic? Maybe it was owned by the friend they mentioned? Taiyang pushed open the door and stepped in, holding the door for his wife and kids to enter.
Sure enough, the interior was that of a clinic. Most of the walls were painted white, chairs lined up systematically to the right side with a wooden rack containing numerous magazines and children's books. Not that Rouge had any interest in them. Too many pictures for his taste. Ruby would say otherwise, though. At the corner was a reception desk, though there was no one there. To the side, adjacent to the reception desk, was a door with a dim sign hanging above it that read: EMERGENCY.
"Yo, Krim!" he called. "Are you in?!"
"Just a minute!" A voice called out from hallway located behind the reception desk. A few seconds later, a figure stepped out. He was a middle aged man with dark red hair, a light complexion, and amber eyes. The most notable feature were the pair of bull horns protruding from his head. He was dressed in a pair of slacks, a dress shirt with a tie, and a white lab coat.
As he stepped out from behind the reception desk, a tired smile touched his face. "Yo, Tai. Long time no see."
"Got that right!" the blonde man grinned as he walked over, exchanging a hug. "Been way too long since the last time we saw each other!"
"Indeed. It's been, what? Ten years or so? Not since the wedding, I believe." He said as they broke the hug.
He then peeked over his shoulder and saw the wife and children. Summer waved. "Hello, Krim. It's been a while."
"Far too long, Summer." Krim said, chuckling. "I assume the little ones are yours?"
"Yes. These are my oldest daughters, Ruby and Yang." Yang giggled and waved at the man while Ruby and Rouge hid behind Summer's leg, staring at the man shyly. "And the boy is my son, Rouge."
"A pleasure to meet you three. I'm Krimzen Taurus, Menagerie's resident doctor."
"H-Hello..." Ruby shyly greeted. Rouge remained silent, simply nodding his head in greeting.
"I can see these two are tad bashful."
Taiyang smirked. "Ruby, mostly. Rouge just needs time to warm up to you. Fair warning, though. He's kind of a crybaby."
"DAAAAD!"
"See?"
The little boy pouted. He was NOT a crybaby! Why does his dad always do this?!
"Well, showing a bit of tears isn't a bad thing." Krimzen said. He then looked at the clock and frowned. "Strange...Adam should have been back by now."
"Who?"
"Oh, Adam is-"
The door behind Summer and the three children opened. Rouge turned around to find a boy, a few years older than him, entering. His eyes widened when he saw his state: blood scattered across his face with several nasty looking black and blue blotches and a fierce face that just practically screamed angry. He had messy red hair, along with two horns on his forehead. His black t-shirt was slightly muddy and his shorts looked as if they had been ravaged by a knife.
The two boys eyes met. One stared in surprise. The other in indifference.
"Adam!" Krimzen brushed past Taiyang, moving over to the older boy. "Good grief, what happened?"
The boy, Adam frowned. "Just Cyan and her bullies." he said. "They tried jumping me outside of school."
Krimzen frowned as he checked Adam over for any other injuries other than the ones on his face and arms. "I thought her mother and she had a talk."
"Pft. As if that bitch ever listens to anyone. She puts up an act, only to show her true nature whenever she damn pleases." The boy scoffed in disgust.
"Adam, what have we talked about language?
"Always to watch it, because you may never know who may be listening..." He repeated his father' words with some annoyance.
"And we have three kids staying with us for a month, so filter on the language." Adam then looked past his father. As he did, he locked eyes with Rouge again, leading to the odd-eyed boy ducking out of sight while Ruby waved back shyly. Yang simply grinned and waved as well. He raised an eyebrow and then looked at his father for answers. "This is the Xiao-Long-Rose Family and their kids: Yang, Ruby and Rouge. Treat them kindly."
"...hey." Adam gave a short greeting.
"You know, I still find it hard to believe that the guy who would become the founder of the Black Fang would be such a nervous brat back then." Adam smirked as he took off his mask, looking at Rouge. The odd-eyed teen scowled as he looked away, irritated that he would bring that up. "The difference is like night and day."
"Ah, zip it. You aren't any better. When we first met, you had a neutral opinion about humans. Now look at you. The biggest pro-Faunus human hater in the whole damn world."
The Bull Faunus shrugged. "Well, you know what they say. Time changes us, for better or worse."
"I know..." Rouge agreed solemnly. "But given the present circumstances, we had no choice but to change."
There was no disagreement nor remark about that. It was how the world was. Sometimes, there was no choice but to change whatsoever. Even if that change was for the worse. In fact, Rouge could vividly remember the time when he first began to change. It would have been around a week or so into the family vacation at Menagerie.
A week had come and by since the family of five had arrived in Menagerie, and in that time, they had grown rather accustomed and used to the tropical island, if a bit weirded out by the occasional attention. Usually, tourists were around for a few days, while their stay was meant to last a month. Given how small Menagerie was, it hadn't taken long for word to spread. That a group of humans were lodging with their resident doctor, Krimzen Taurus. Human tourists were especially rare in their small community.
In that short amount of time, a few of the residents of Menagerie had chosen to mingle with the Xiao Long-Rose family. Most had been asking what sort of environment Patch was like, while others had discovered that the married couple were also former Huntsmen and asked about their exploits. Every now and then, Ruby and Yang would drag Rouge with them when playing with the other children, much to his chagrin. He often tried to hide and read the books Krimzen offered him, but no matter how hard he tried, Ruby always managed to find him somehow.
Of course, that wasn't to say not all Faunus in Menagerie were accepting of the idea of humans staying so long with them. Taiyang had hidden his children well from the hidden hostility, but Krimzen and a dear friend of his had done everything they could to assure the populace that they were not to be touched or subject to any negative activity. That didn't stop the glares, though.
Within their stay, Krimzen's son, Adam, had been finding himself targeted by Cyan more and more often. He believed it was because his father was friends with a human and was allowing them to stay. It didn't take a genius to know that she didn't like humans. Period. Why was anyone's guess. The redhead couldn't care less. All he cared about was protecting himself from his bullies.
And anyone trying to badmouth his father.
While he could tolerate scathing words and jeers directed towards him, he couldn't abide anyone who vocally scorns his father. He wouldn't forgive them. After his mother died, his father was the only one left to raise and take care of him. It had been difficult at first, given how the man was not as experienced in raising children as his wife was, but they learned.
Of course, one of the downsides of being a single father was dealing with a son who had begun to learn how to swear at the age of ten. Not his fault, though, as the other children had also started to learn how to curse.
Back to the point, Adam was currently in what he liked to call his secret base, which really wasn't much. Most children liked to hang out in trees inside a tiny box of wood. It was also very bleak with hardly anything inside, other than the flag of the White Fang pinned to the wall opposite to him.
The White Fang. The symbol of his hopes for the Faunus, led by a friend of his father, Ghira Belladonna. An activist group striving for Faunus Equality through peaceful protests and rallies.
Unfortunately, things have not been working out.
Humans were still not accepting the idea of co-existence. Hell, it was Menagerie that was proof of their continued prejudice. They fought together with humans, and what was their reward? An island that was only barely habitable. Two thirds was either too harsh to colonize or brimming with hostile wildlife and Grimm. Adam, for his part, was annoyed with humans and their stupidity. It was a wonder how they hadn't been killed off yet because of their incredible stupidity and folly.
Then again, what did he know? He was still a kid. Besides, if he continued along that line of thought, he'd be no better than Cyan.
Adam sighed as he stared out the makeshift window he made in his treehouse, leaning out and gazing at the vast ocean that stretched out past the borders of this tiny island of theirs. "So stupid..."
"L-leave him alone!"
"Hm?" Adam looked down. Near the entrance to an alleyway shortcut leading to the marketplace, a few kids were slowly encircling two boys. He couldn't see one of them, since their back was facing him, but the other was most definitely a Faunus by the patches of scaly skin lining his chubby cheeks. The red-haired boy's eyes narrowed at one of the brightly colored armbands wrapped around one of the bully's arm. "Tch. Cyan, again?"
Adam was hardly the only one being bullied. Cyan had fancied herself as the "queen bee" of their elementary school and was constantly looking for people to harass in order to assert her authority. She targeted the quiet, but noticable children first. A way to make a statement that she wasn't above harassing the weak. Then she started with the more popular kids. Adam didn't quite consider himself popular, but for some reason Cyan had deemed him a target. The bullying had gotten worse when the Xiao-Long-Rose family came, but it wasn't anything he could handle.
Either way, this little squabble was hardly anything for him to get involved in. He was about to pull away when one of the bullies struck the black-haired defender of the victim in the face, throwing him to the ground. Slowly, they got up, revealing heterochromatic eyes, ready to tear at any moment.
Adam's eyes widened in recognition. "Rouge Rose?"
What was that boy doing? A human boy, defending a Faunus from a bully...
Cyan grabbed Rouge by the collar of his shirt. "That all you got you lousy human?" She sneered.
Despite his pain and fear, Rouge mustered up a defiant glare. Scoffing, Cyan tossed him back on the ground. He tried to get up, but one of the bigger bullies pinned him underneath his foot, keeping him to the floor. Meanwhile, two other bullies slowly approached the helpless Lizard Faunus.
The scaled boy tried to crawl away, but the two bullies hoisted him up by the arms. Cyan crouched down to look at the frightened boy in the eye.
"Aw, what's the matter? Scared, little runt?"
The scaled boy was now whimpering. Pinned beneath by one of Cyan's thugs, Rouge tried to pry the foot off of him. In favor of his troubles, the heel dug further into him.
"You're not going anywhere." The one pinning him sneered.
Rouge gritted his teeth. Even as the pain continued to pile into his back, he tried to push himself up. Each time, the bully continued to drive his heel further in. Cyan noticed this as she looked over and frowned. "I still don't get why the Chieftan is allowing you stupid humans to be here." she said with a scowl. "All you people do is make things worse! You shouldn't even be allowed to anywhere close to this island!"
"S-says the one...hurting other Faunus!" Rouge challenged weakly. "W-why are you...even d-doing this?"
"Why do I need to explain myself to a crying brat who can't do anything? Actually, why do you even care? Humans don't care about us Faunus."
"Wrong...! Dead wrong!" the odd-eyed boy shook his head. "Humans...do care!"
Cyan scowled. "Lying little...!"
"...you know, I'm getting really sick and tired of your shit, Cyan." Suddenly, all eyes turned. Approaching the bullies, some of whom began to recoil in fear after having remembered the severe beat down he gave them, was Adam. His eyes were narrowed, and if the scowl on his face was anything, he was not happy. "Quit your bitching, and just shut up and go home crying back to your parents."
"Oh? And you must think you're such hot stuff, Taurus." Cyan spat as she turned toward him. "You think just because you're the son of the island's doctor you think you're above us?"
"I never implied anything. You came to that conclusion all on your own...which must say volumes for your inferiority complex." he retorted, causing her to bristle. "Personally, I think the human has a point. For someone who hates humans, you sure do act like one."
"What was that?!" She practically screeched.
"Just look at yourself. You gathered yourself a mob to bully your fellow Faunus all over the island...just like how a human would." Adam began cracking his knuckles and shoulders. "I can't imagine a bitch more pitiful than you."
Cyan's eyes widened, burning with rage. The bullies all looked at one another in worry. Rouge took a quick look before he capitalized on the distraction. But how? He was pinned? Thankfully, though, if there was anything he considered a weapon, it was his teeth. Seeing his bully's other leg practically next to him, he opened his mouth and clamped his teeth straight down on his ankle.
The end result was the bully crying in pain and removing his foot from Rouge's back in shock. Quickly, he got up to his feet and headbutted him in the chin, knocking him to the ground. Cyan growled in anger, about to rush over and grab the human before a hand grabbed her shoulder and whipped her around, soon facing Adam.
"Also." the Bull Faunus snarled. "Don't EVER mock my father!"
He cocked his fist back and threw a punch, straight into the center of her face. When she hit the ground, Cyan learned that her nose was broken.
"For a crybaby, you sure could hold your own." Adam reminisced with a grin. "Even if your punches sucked."
"At least I didn't get hit in the balls by Cyan." Rouge shot back. "Speaking of which, do you know what's become of her these days?"
"No clue. After I left Menagerie, I didn't bother keeping track of her."
Rouge snorted. "Not surprising." he said.
The fight had ended quite spectacularly. Both boys were bruised to high heaven, Rouge most of all. Hell, he was practically a sobbing mess as he complained how much he hurt when Adam dragged him back to the clinic. His mother and father made such a fuss while Yang wanted to find the Cyan girl responsible for this and beat her severely. Of course, it also helped Adam find someone actually somewhat tolerable. Neither was sure how they managed to become friends in the first place, but it was still hard to believe. Adam had taken to showing Rouge around Menagerie's more well-known hot spots.
Ruby and Yang had also tagged along for the ride, much to the bull's chagrin. He couldn't say it was all that bad, but that older sister of his knew how to push his buttons. As for Ruby...well, he couldn't really say anything. It was hard to hate her for her childish naivete and innocence.
Those happy times ended, though, two months after the Xiao-Long Rose family had ended their vacation. In many ways, it was also the turning point from when Ghira Belladonna had chosen to step down from his position as High Leader of the White Fang, allowing Sienna Khan to take his place.
Two months following the family of five's departure, Krimzen Taurus and a representative handpicked by Ghira had taken their leave for Vale to participate in a negotiations in regards to the business practices. Overseeing this meeting was a member of the Vale Council. As they were in charge of the Kingdom, it was up to them to decide how things would proceed. If things went well, then the 'unfavorable' conditions that Krimzen and the representative highlighted would be subjected to scrutiny and change for more tolerable work environment. It would be a small step forward, but it was progress.
Or at least, it would have been...had it not been for the "White Hood Incident." To this day, the incident was still regarded as one of the worst cases of Faunus Prejudice.
During the meeting, a group of violent human protestors, all wearing white hoods over their faces, invaded the meeting place, holding the councilmen and representatives at gunpoint. Threatening them to adhere to their demands or die. Krimzen, being the man of peace he was, tried to placate the invaders from doing anything rash and end matters peacefully.
It did not end well.
Because of the actions of humans, Adam became an orphan. And suddenly he understood why Cyan thought humans were horrible. After several other series of events, Sienna eventually succeeded Ghira. When she did, the White Fang had changed. And so had he. No longer was he the kid who was indifferent to struggle. Now, he was a man who wanted humans to pay for what they had done. To understand what it felt like to be on the receiving end of such violent prejudice. To be beneath someone's boot with their heel digging into your spine. He grew cold. Hardened.
In a few short years, he soon became the leader of his own division. The Vale Branch was entrusted to him by Sienna. He was tasked with making sure the humans understood.
Of course, were it not for that decision, Adam would perhaps have never joined the Black Fang.
"Do you remember when we met again for the first time in almost ten years?" Rouge asked with a thin smile. "To be perfectly honest, I almost didn't recognize you."
Adam snorted. "Says the guy who's more or less going to piss off a lot of people, Faunus and otherwise." he said before chuckling. "But, yeah, I remember. To be perfectly honest, out of all the people I would have expected to be under that mask, your face was not one of them."
Vale - One Year Ago
The night was quiet.
Not for long, anyway.
The forest was dead silent. Only a handful of animals were active at this time of night, and the darkness proved to be the perfect cover. Down below, beneath a small cliff that overlooked the entire forest, a train began to move. It wasn't one of the newer models provided by Atlas. No, this one was an older model. Steam was pouring out from its top as it moved. Its cars were mainly metal boxes, strapped with locks. It was a cargo train, carrying various supplies of weapons and Dust and other materials. One of the many cargo trains running through the old valley pass, just shy of the borders of the Kingdom.
It was also Adam's primary target.
"Ilia. How does the situation look?"
He wasn't addressing any of the six Faunus in his group. Rather, he was speaking to someone via communications. Strapped to his ear was a small communication device. His finger pressed against it, wanting to hear the report clearly before he made any moves. He was anxious and on edge. Ever since the previous mission with the Schnee Dust Company's train, he was slowly growing paranoid.
Blake had betrayed the White Fang. Even after a week, Adam could still hardly believe what happened. And it all occurred right in front of him too.
Why? Why would she...?
No. Now wasn't the time to focus on the actions of a traitor. Right now, he needed to focus. There was more important things.
After two seconds of silence, Ilia reported.
"No sign of any opposition. We seem to be in the clear, and the Train is heading toward the overpass as we speak."
No opposition...it was still much too quiet in his opinion.
"Keep your eyes peeled." he ordered. "Anything happens, report it. And make sure you aren't spotted."
He never would have had to ask that if it were Blake he was talking to. She was better at recon and stealth than anyone else.
Dammit, he was doing it again. He needed to focus. Focus!
"It's 00:00, sir." a Fang member told him.
Adam nodded and stood up, grip on Wilt and Blush tight. "...let's go."
They jumped, bodies falling through the air and coming down hard on the train's roof. Immediately after landing, everyone huddled up and looked around, checking for guards.
There was nothing.
"Let's move." Adam said, voice as cold as iron. "Sooner we get this done, the better."
"Yes sir!" The group tailed behind him as they moved up along the train. However, as they prepared for combat in the upcoming cars, they were surprised to find nothing.
It made Adam even more anxious. There was absolutely no security seen on the transport. Then they reached the cargo car, only to find it empty as well, save for a single item.
A Black Scroll.
"The hell is going on?" he snarled. He pressed his hand to the communicator. "Ilia. Are you sure we aren't compromised?"
"Positive."
He frowned beneath the mask. Something was wrong. Why wasn't there any guards? And why was one of the cargo cars empty? One of his men picked up the Scroll, giving it to him. Strangely, it wasn't locked down, unlike most. A smart person always locked down their Scroll with an electronic keycode. Given the situation, though, he probably had a good idea why.
It was a message.
He opened the Scroll. He half-expected to hear a video message addressed to him. Or even just a letter directed to him. Or anyone who found the Scroll once the train reached its destination. Instead, there was only a single image...a familiar one.
A wolf's head with an insignia behind it: a bird-like marking with a sword running straight through it.
"Is that...the White Fang insignia?" one of his men asked.
"It looks like it, but what's with the bird and the sword?" Another one asked.
"No clue. Think someone's trolling us?"
Adam's jaw clenched, anger boiling. Was this some kind of sick joke? Was someone using the White Fang's marker as their own? No. He had to calm down. He needed to think rationally. Someone was using the insignia intentionally. Was it possibly another Faunus group? If so, then why not reveal themselves? Why leave behind this cryptic calling card of theirs?
He felt all the more confused. "Check the rest of the cars." he told them. "See if our 'guests' are still onboard, or if they're are any supplies left."
"Yes sir!" The group spread out to search, leaving Adam to his thoughts. Just who stole the cargo in the first place? Illia said they weren't compromised...maybe initial sabotage?
Whatever the case, if someone had stolen their mark, they would be left in quite a bind. True, he was able to secure some of the supplies from the Schnee Company's freighter, but it wasn't nearly enough. They were running low as it is.
And he sure as hell wasn't about to accept that "Cinder" woman's help. It would be a cold day in hell before he accepted help from a human.
He looked back at the Scroll. He immediately began to look through it, hoping to find something more than an insignia. He sadly found nothing of note. It was completely empty. As he thought, it was a mere calling card.
One that served its purpose if his irritation was of any indication.
Soon enough, the others regrouped and shared their findings.
"What did you find?"
"Nothing. We found nothing, boss. So security, no cargo, not even a single crew worker on board."
"Wait, then who the hells driving this train?!"
"That would be us, numbnuts."
Adam tensed, hands immediately drawing Wilt and turning. Somehow, during their talk, six individuals had entered the car. Four of the six dressed identically: black jackets with silver trims and hoods pulled over their heads. The upper halves of their faces were hidden behind masks similar to theirs, but ebony in contrast with dark purple markings etched into them. In hand were various weapons, ranging from a rifle to a spear to even a shield, though the sharp edges along said shield implied it was meant for more than just defense. At the heads of the four were two individuals, likely the leaders. One was dressed rather outlandishly, a purple one-piece suit with gold trims and a black high-collar cloak that wrapped around him like the wings of a bat: a peculiar rapier in hand. His face was obscured by a black mask with prongs, resembling a crown of some sort.
The other, however, was unlike the others and freely showed his face.
This was a young male with a light complexion, electric blue hair, and bright blue eyes. He was dressed in a dark blue trench coat with metal bracers around the forearms, a pair of dark pants, and black combat boots. Strapped to his waist was a weapon similar to his own. It was a katana with a highly customized sheath.
"You know, I gotta say. I've heard a lot about the White Fang when Khan took over. I expected to see beasts, not, well...whatever you guys are supposed to be." the blue-haired teen said with a grin on his face. "I mean, seriously? This is a major letdown."
Adam growled. "Watch your tongue, human...!"
"Whoa, hey now! Hold your fire! We come in peace!" The human raised his hands in a placating gesture. He wasn't even reaching for his weapon. Adams eyes narrowed. Was this human mocking him.
"Please excuse my companion, Adam Taurus..." The lead figure in the mask announced. "Edan can be rather flippant. However, he is correct. We haven't come here for a fight, though depending on your actions, you may as well have one."
Adam's eyes narrowed. "And who are you?"
"I am Zero. Leader of the Black Fang." the masked man responded, causing Adam to blink. Black Fang? "A name that the world will be sure to remember in time."
"So what? You guys a new group or something?"
"Of sorts...as a matter of fact, we were inspired by your ways. Taking action to initiate change."
The tension lessened a bit. Such words were quite pleasant to hear. Adam, however, did not relax. His grip never lessened. If anything, it grew tighter. "Is that right?" Adam asked before he scoffed. "Well, I can't say I'm too impressed with the getup." His eyes fell on the named Edan and narrowed. "Especially with your choice in partners."
Edan smirked. "I wouldn't call us partners. More like...what's the word? Friends with Benefits? Something like that?"
"Dont call it that, Edan." The masked man commented. "People would view that an an innuendo."
"Hey, not my fault people would think so. That means their minds are in the gutters."
Adam gritted his teeth. "Were you the ones who stole the cargo?"
"We are indeed." Zero replied. "Of course, the shipment from a company as corrupt as Iniglo Manufacturing is hardly a prize. Of course, given how low you are on supplies, we believed it was the best place to come looking for you."
Then everyone understood and readied their weapons, hostility rising. Adam stood between the Black Fang and his men, ready to strike first. The situation became clear.
It was a trap.
"Now now, Adam." Zero chided him. "We didn't come here to fight. We're simply here for negotiations."
"For what?"
"Your cooperation, of course."
"Cooperation? And just why would we collaborate with a bunch of filthy humans like you?!" He snapped back.
"Now, now..." Edan said calmly. "...whoever said we were all humans here? Your fellow brothers and sisters are with us as well, ya know."
One of the four hooded figures pulled down their hoods, revealing triangular-shaped appendages, reminiscent of those of a fox. Another had pulled up their sleeves and took off their gloves, showing black-like veins across their arms and consuming their hands, resulting them in being colored dark gray. Features not uncommon of a Spider Faunus. The third adjusted the belt of their pants, letting a leopard tail uncoil.
This revelation stunned the members of the Fang and Adam. Their fellow Faunus were part of this unknown group?
"See? We're all brothers here! Well, three of you, anyway." Edan shrugged. "So, why don't we discuss the terms!"
This snapped Adam out of his confusion. "What terms?"
"The terms of your surrender. Duh." Edan asked as if it were stupidly obvious.
It made Adam dislike the blue haired teen even more. His words had all but brought the hostilities out in full force. The air was thick with tension. The red-haired Faunus looked around the car, looking for any means of escape. He wasn't sure why, but something about Edan rubbed him the wrong way. There was something wrong about him. Something dangerous. It was putting him on edge.
"Surrender?" he scoffed. "And here I thought you came here with the purpose of talking to us. Or are you just showing your true colors behind peaceful words?"
Zero's helmet masked his face perfectly. Adam couldn't find any sort of sign of any emotion. His posture remained regal yet imposing. "And I have every intention of keeping this peaceful. Provided your prejudice doesn't get in the way. Let me make one thing clear: this isn't an act of defiance against the White Fang. This is merely us dealing with you."
"Dealing with us? And what exactly makes you think we will just keel over so easily?"
"Perish the thought. I never believed you would simply give up, given your tenacity. However, I do believe we can reach some form of consensus."
"Sorry, but I highly doubt that." Adam refuted. "Especially when you've declared yourselves enemies." His eyes narrowed and spoke up loudly, addressing the Faunus standing with Zero and Edan. "Brothers and sisters! Why have you thrown your lot with the humans?! Surely you know we're in the right! That its the humans fault that we've suffered and endured so much!"
"Wrong." Zero cut him off sharply. "It isn't JUST humans, Adam."
The answer made him recoil. "W-what?"
"C'mon. Do we really gotta spell it out for you?" Edan continued. "Look at you guys. While we admire you for taking action for your ideals, you guys go too far for your cause. Robberies, raids, murders? Those aren't the kind of things people do to achieve equality. That's just plain terrorism. All you're doing is making humanity hate you guys even more, and persecute your fellow brothers and sisters just for being the same race. Hell, you even retaliate harshly against Faunus that don't agree with you..." The blue haired teen gave a grin. "Faunus cracking down on other Faunus...now, doesn't that sound familiar to you?"
A chill ran down Adam's back. Memories of a girl with a bandanna around her arm, cold sneer aimed at him and many other Faunus, came to mind, though they were immediately squashed down when the image of a boy with mismatched eyes also entered his head. He scowled as the grip on his sword tightened. The other members of the Fang looked at one another wearily, finding it hard to refute such a claim. Even still, the fact that it was a human who said it brought forth a nasty taste to their mouth.
"...shut your mouth!"
Edan smirked. "Then make me, bullhead."
"Edan..." Zero warned.
"Oh, come on, Leader. You should know that your friend over here will-!"
"DIE!"
Adam was already upon the loud-mouthed teen with his sword drawn. The blue haired male glanced up, smirk still present.
Then a clash of steel resounded in the train car. Sparks danced in the air, fangs beared between a Faunus and a human, each trying to overpower the other. Edan's eyes seemed to glow blue for a moment before he shrugged off Adam's assault, throwing him off. As he landed back to the floor, the other Fang members raised their weapons, ready to engage the enemy.
And then Zero's forces met them with equal measure. The one with the shield stood guard before Zero while the marksman and the spearbearer stood on either side of their leader. He gave a low sigh. "It seems negotiations have failed, then." he lamented before brandishing his weapon. "It seems we do this the hard way."
Edan chuckled. "Yeah, sorry about that. But hey. Least you get to see bullhead over there in action, right?"
"Hardly any consolation." Zero retorted before he raised his voice. "Capture the White Fang!"
With that order, the car erupted into chaos. The first to enter the fray was a rematch of Edan and Adam, swords clashing once again before parting and clashing again, sparks flying with each encounter. Zero, meanwhile, stood against the White Fang Lieutenant, a burly man with a sawblade for a weapon. The others, meanwhile, dealt with the other grunts.
Two of the Fang shot their firearms, yet the shield bearer stopped their attacks and rushed in while his comrades followed in pursuit. Once they were close enough, he bashed the two grunts with his weapon while the spearsman and the marksman came around and incapacitated them.
Two shots struck the first grunt, knocking him to the ground. A bash from the shield and he was thrown away, back slamming into the car door. As he flopped back down to the floor, he looked up in time to find the shield-wielding BF slamming his foot into his face, knocking him out. The second grunt, however, was not as easily defeated. She parried the spearman and dodged to the side, going in for a slash to their exposed rib. They defended, swiveling their shaft and blocking before parrying her and retaliating with a leg sweep, knocking her off her feet. She quickly brought up her sword, deflecting the path of the spear and piercing the area next to her head.
"Get off!" she shouted as she pushed her opponent off, leaping back to her feet. She lunged and swung, hoping to cut off their head.
Her opponent brought up the shaft of the spear just in time to parry the blade.
With a shrug, she was thrown off balance and struck in the face when the spearman twirled around, ramming the butt of their weapon into her jaw. She was left disoriented, stumbling back and left open for a strike to the stomach, which left her kneeling. A well-placed punch, and she was out alongside her comrade.
The remaining Grunts were locked in combat with Zero. Much to their misfortune...they underestimated fighting a single person.
It was like an acrobat and a gymnist all rolled into one, deftly dodging each strike with swift movements before counterattacking brutally, striking them when they were open. Before long, the grunts fell to their knees before the Lieutenant tried to take him down. The massive chainsaw blade came with the intent to bisect him, yet Zero nimbly side-stepped out of the way. The as the blade dug into the metal floor, the masked man flanked the Lieutenant and kicked him in the throat. He stumbled back, Aura repelling the damage before he growled. "Hold still, monkey!" he snapped as he charged in, swinging in a wide arc meant to bisect the man in half. Zero jumped up, tucking his legs in to avoid the blade before landing in a crouch, thrusting his rapier and aimed straight for the man's neck.
However, his strike was deflected by a metal whip, sparks flying in his direction. Sensing danger, he quickly jumped back to avoid another strike and craned his head.
To the side, a new White Fang soldier had entered the car, shown by the cargo door being left ajar. It was a girl, that was much was obvious by her physique. Her skin had somewhat darker spots on her arms, legs, and face, resembling blotches or moles. Her brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, curling at the end like a chameleon's tail. Her mask, which possessed sharp horns, but were not apart of her overall body, also pointed upward at the top and extended past her hairline. She wore a black, plum and navy sleeveless stealth suit with short legs. The suit had two parts to the bottom section: a navy blue front panel that matched her belts and a plum color to the rest. The color divide was at the center of her thighs. The stealth suit's zipper was gold, and over it, navy blue belts with gold buckles. She wore simple black boots with a cuff and a black glove on her right hand.
In her hand was a weapon, resembling a rapier with a spiral-shaped groove wrapped around it, though in the grooves was a yellow light, accented by sparks of electricity.
The woman scowled as she swung her weapon, extending it to form into a sparking whip. Zero swiftly jumped back to evade, only to find the Lieutenant coming at him with his blade raised above his head, intending to cut the masked man clean down the middle.
"Time to die, little man!"
He brought the massive weapon down. But much to his sock, the masked man blocked it with the flat of his sword. That just wasn't possible! His chainsaw blade should've cut through the metal. But upon closer inspection, one would see that it was the other way around. As the hulking blade weighed on top of the thin sword, it seemed as if the smaller blade was cutting through the larger one.
With a push, the Lieutenant was pushed back. Growling, he looked at Zero with irritation as he began to inspect his blade. "Hm. Not bad. I haven't given Edan enough credit, it seems." he remarked plainly as if he wasn't in the middle of a fight to the death. "Then again, Ruby did help with the design a bit, so I suppose I should thank the both of them. Shame she won't ever see Guilty Thorn in action anytime soon."
"I don't know who you are..." the woman said with a scowl. "But you're making a mistake, attacking the White Fang!"
"Attacking?" Zero questioned. "It seems you haven't been listening. This isn't an attack on the Fang."
He gave the blade a quick swing. The hilt of the rapier began to click, pieces shifting as plates along the blade began to move and extend, thinning out the sharp edge of the sword and lessening its with as a barrel began to extend, matching the length of the weapon and ending its transformation.
"This is an attack on Adam Taurus."
With that said, he raised his weapon and pulled the trigger. Afterwards, a blast of red shot forward, nearly hitting the girl as she leaped back to avoid it. Once it smashed against the ajar cargo door, it was blown straight off its hinges, soon vanishing with the scenery. The girl gaped at the power of that shot. That door was made of two inch steel, and a single blast ripped it off its hinges! Her eyes snapped back over to Zero, who was aiming his next shot: directly at her.
"I suggest you stand down or else."
The Lieutenant got up on his feet, giant sawblade in hand. "Never." he refused the man's ultimatum. "I refuse to bow to a human! Especially one that manipulates our brothers and sisters!"
"We've only just met, and yet you make accusations." Zero sighed. "How stale. Still, if that's your choice, then far be it from me to decline."
[RWBY OST: This Time (From Shadows - Part II)]
"You bastard!" The Lieutenant roared as he charged again.
"Rushing head on, what a one-trick pony."
The girl was soon to join, though, her weapon at the ready. They came at him from both sides. Zero felt confident that he could defeat them. Especially the girl. She was a little wet behind the ears, but her weapon could be dangerous if he wasn't careful. However, he knew he wouldn't be able to keep this fight up for long. As much as he hated to admit it, he didn't have enough stamina to fight the two of them.
'Desperate times call for desperate measures.' he thought whimsically as the cartridge attached to Guilty Thorn spun before clicking in place. The markings etched into the blade, courtesy of the plates, lit dark purple as the Dust became acclimated. 'And now, a dance.'
He twirled Guilty Thorn in hand before stabbing it into the ground, letting the dust infuse into the floor.
Just as the two Faunus approached, the metal beneath their feet began to warp and rip apart. The car itself even began to twist and bend in unnatural ways. The metal began to crumple like paper. The two stumbled on their feet, the larger of the two falling face-first.
In the midst of their bout, Adam backflipped away from Edan as he swung at him, the sword hovering over his face before successfully gaining distance and looking around. "The hell?!" he shouted in confusion before he looked over, seeing Zero as the source. Cursing, he aimed Blush at the masked man. "Damned pest!"
"Hey now!" Edan shouted as he came in fast, using his sword to divert Blush's path and instead fire a round at the Lieutenant's leg as he was getting up, blowing a hole in his kneecap. Roaring in pain, he grasped his leg. Adam's eyes widened before he roared with rage, returning his attention to the blue-haired teen before him. "No cheating on your date, bullhead!"
"Just die already!" He aimed with a quick stab, yet Edan deflected the strike and came in close with his own sword. Adam quickly brought up Blush to intercept.
The katana was repelled, but Edan was fast. Then again, Adam was fast too. He spun around the same time Edan did, their swords meeting each other and bouncing back. From there, blurs danced between them as they tried to strike at one another. Each blow was close, but ultimately repelled. The warped ground beneath them was making matters difficult for him. One wrong misstep, and that was all she wrote.
He needed to end this quickly.
Edan seemed to share this idea as his eyes suddenly developed a blue glow to them, matched in intensity by his smirk. "Let's turn up the heat!"
In the next moment, Adam felt hot air blow against his face as he defended against Edan's attack. He then understood why as blue flames, wreathed around the sword, tried to eat away at his face, barely held back by Wilt's sharpened edge.
Through the flames, he caught a glimpse of the blue haired teen. Gone was the playful and impish grin from before.
It was an expression of gleeful madness.
If he were honest, that expression unnerved him. He wasn't about to dwell on it, however, as the flames themselves finally provided him the opportunity he needed. As Edan pushed, he took a breath, steeling his nerves and bringing his Aura around his sword. Slowly, the flames began to flicker and flow into it.
His Semblance would be the trump card needed to kill this human. However, if he wanted to end this in one attack, he needed to stay calm. He needed to keep his Aura in place and absorb as much energy as he could. The flames were already being sucked into the blade and, by extension, his Aura. Edan didn't notice this, however, as he continued to push. Eventually, Edan pushed him down to his knee, struggling to keep the sword away from him and the flames from burning him.
Three more seconds.
"Guess Zero was wrong about you." he sneered. "You weren't anything special."
Two more seconds!
"All you are is some edgy poser going through some emo phase."
One second!
"You definitely aren't the person he respected as a child."
Adam had no idea what the human was talking about. Frankly, he didn't care.
After all, what good were the words of a dead man?
Semblance flaring, he pushed Edan back and slid Wilt into its sheath. The red markings on his mask, as well as his hair and his emblem printed on the back of his jacket began to light up crimson red. Beneath his mask, his eyes glowed. An ominous red aura began to flow out from his sword, begging to end this bastard's life. Edan saw this change and grinned, showing off his fangs and leaping into the air, flames flowing behind him. At that same time, Adam withdrew his sword, intending to end this nuisance's life once and for all.
However, before either combatant could deal the final blow, a sense of emptiness suddenly washed over them. The surroundings of their immediate vicinity grew bleak and the air became still. A wave of discomfort and brief nausea overwhelmed him. Adam was confused by what was happening, stumbling and nearly tripping over his feet as he cradled his head, while Edan, after landing on his feet, huffed in annoyance.
"Really, Leader? We were just getting to the good part!"
"You were about to kill each other." Zero replied blankly.
"Your point?"
Adam stared at the man in confusion. He looked back at his sword. The power he felt was gone. His Semblance...it felt like it no longer held any power. But how was that possible? What happened?
He didn't receive an answer, as he soon directed his attention to his comrades.
Ilia was lying on her back, mask shattered and in pieces, revealing her face in full view, though her eyes were rolled behind her head. His Lieutenant was on his stomach, sword lying away from him, though there was a red gash on his shoulder. His anger boiled at the sight and turned his attention to Zero, now fully intending to make the man pay for what he had done.
Then he remembered that there were more than two of them. From behind Edan, the marksman aimed his weapon at him. The spearmaster and the shield bearer stood on either side of Zero, weapons ready to face him.
Then it sunk in.
The Black Fang had him cornered.
'Like hell they have!' he hotly refuted as he readied his sword.
Zero gave his men a quick look. "Stand down. All of you." he ordered. "No one is to touch that man but me. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir." The troops relented obediently, lowering their weapons. Zero stepped forward until he was a few feet away from the enraged Bull.
"You-!" Before Adam could move in to strike, a cold, blue edge was pressed against his neck.
"I wouldn't if I were you..." Edan stated calmly as if commenting the weather. "Leader here wants to have a word with you, so I suggest you calm down and listen, Bullhead."
Adam scowled. Dammit! These bastards were mocking him! Worse, his brothers and sisters were letting them manipulate them! Damn them all!
Zero gave him a look of judgement, his face hidden beneath the mask. "This can go one of two ways, Adam. One, you come with us peacefully. Or two, we can force you to come. Either way, you have my word your subordinates will be cared for. The choice is yours, however."
"Damn you...!"
"I think that's the okay for option two."
"Edan..."
"What? Come on, he's obviously asking for it!"
Zero sighed. "I understand you haven't had a decent fight, but need I remind you I'd like Adam ALIVE? And unharmed, preferably?"
"...Fine...you never let me have any fun anymore..." Edan pouted as he removed the blade from the Faunus' neck and deftly sheathed it.
The masked man nodded in approval before facing Adam. The Bull Fanus didn't relax in the least bit. His blade was still raised. "First, you interfere with my mission." he said, anger vividly present. "Then, you have the gall to mock us. And then you attack my men. Please, tell me, why shouldn't I kill you right here?"
"For starters, you struck first." Zero pointed out. "I simply wanted to negotiate with you."
"My surrender, you mean!"
"No. To have you join me."
Adam blinked. He stared at Zero, incredulous, as if he had just heard something else.
"...are you mocking me?!"
The masked man chuckled. "Hardly. I mean every word. I want you to join the Black Fang."
"And that makes you think I would except?!"
"Because you, Adam Taurus, are a man driven by Spite. Spite against the humans that shun and scorn you. Spite against the humans who oppress and torment your brethren. Spite against the humans who killed your father."
At the mention of Krimzen, his body went rigid. He bared his teeth, spewing rage from his mouth. "Don't you dare..."
"However, let me ask you something. Say the revolution the White Fang seeks to bring-no, the revolution you seek to create, succeeds, what do you suppose will become of the humans?" Zero questioned. "The answer is simple. They'll be in your position. Shackled. Tormented. Hated. Despised. And they will break."
"Then let them break!" Adam shouted. "Humans are nothing more than bigoted egotistical creatures who never learn from the mistakes of the past! We have! You humans should be the ones to understand what it feels like to be crushed beneath someone's boot! To understand, first hand, what it feels like to be the monster in the eyes of someone else!"
"...would your father have wanted you to stoop so low, Taurus?"
"...he isn't here to make that decision, is he?"
At this point, talking was over. Yet Adam got no further than two steps in, Wilt poised, before he felt something strike the back of his neck. It came so swiftly than his Aura didn't have time to block it.
Then his world went black.
"Speaking of which, that reminds me. I still owe Flaemis a strike to the head for that one..." Adam commented as he rubbed the spot where he was struck previously.
Rouge chuckled. "Again, I apologize." he told his friend. "At least he's mellowed out somewhat."
"You say that, but he's still as ax-crazy as ever."
"Yo, Leader! Bullman's coming to!"
What greeted Adam upon regaining consciousness was a familiar, yet irksome voice. The Faunus opened his eyes to find an unfamiliar ceiling. Groaning, he found his vision blurred. Blotches of bright colors caused him to wince. His head was a mess. It felt like there was a haze clouding his mind. His skull was pounding as if he had been through a hangover. He shook his head furiously, trying to erase the cloudy thoughts that plagued him before his eyesight became adjusted. Slowly, the blur sharpened and revealed a room, barely empty with concrete walls and lights dangling above on wooden rafters. As he came to his senses, Adam took a quick look of his surroundings, discovering that he was sitting in a chair.
Unsurprisingly, his hands were bound, much to his irritation.
'So they captured me, huh?' he thought. 'Typical.'
"You had a choice to come willingly, Adam." Zero's voice came to his ears. Looking up, he found the man standing in front of him, his weapon nowhere on his person. "Though I can't say I was disappointed by your decision to fight back."
He struggled to release himself from his bindings, wanting to wring the man's neck. Sadly, even his feet were bound to the legs of the chair. "You want to see me fight back?" Adam remarked sarcastically. "Then let me go and I'll show you how I fight back!"
"Tempting, but no thank you." Zero replied cheekily before he turned to Edan. "You can go now, Edan."
The blue-haired teen raised an eyebrow. "You sure? What if he...you know?"
The masked man chuckled. "Don't worry. I think I have him handled." Adam bristled. Had him handled?! Was this bastard really so damn arrogant?! Once more, he violently tried to pry himself out of his bindings, though once again his attempts were met in vain. Edan still looked unconvinced, but shrugged and made his way towards the door. As he closed it behind him, Zero returned his attention to Adam fully. "Now then...where to begin?"
"I have nothing to say to you." Adam growled. "I don't care what you have planned, but I want no part of it. You're making a mockery of the White Fang!"
Zero chuckled. "Which Fang?" he questioned. "Sienna Khan's? Or yours?"
"Just what are you implying?!"
"There is no fooling me, Taurus. While Sienna Khan may advocate the use of force to convey the White Fang's actions, it was never on the same intensity as yours. Let's make up a scenario. The White Fang obtains enough resources to wage a full-out war with a Kingdom. Let's say, Mistral. Their Huntsman are either incapacitated, dead, or outside the kingdom on business. Only a handful of individuals would be capable of defending it, not taking into account the students. Additionally, the CTT tower would be completely undefended. It would be easy to eliminate it and limit communications. The loss of one of the only means of communication between Kingdoms, on top of Mistral losing one of its greatest landmarks and symbols of prosperity, would be a major blow. It would even be a victory and a statement that the Faunus would go to any means to achieve equality."
Zero paused, letting this idea sink in, before he continued.
"However, Sienna Khan would never approve of that. Why? Because she values the lives of Faunus, including those outside the organization. Yes, she may have taken more...aggressive measures, compared to what Ghira Belladonna had attempted, but she wouldn't dare risk putting a target on the backs of Faunus for the sake of taking down a Kingdom. It would bring undue attention to everyone, regardless if they're with the White Fang or not." Zero leaned forward, his mask almost meeting Adam's face. The Bull Faunus could clearly see his own reflection in the mask's lustrous surface, idly noting that his mask was gone. "You, on the other hand, would jump at the chance to bring a Kingdom to its knees. Regardless of what consequences may come of it."
"It's a necessary sacrifice! Some lives are needed to pave the road for successful revolution!"
"Perhaps." Zero admitted. "After all, you can't change the world without getting your hands dirty. However, let me ask you this. Presume your revolution succeeds...what then? Do you intend to have the humans suffer what you have and retaliate in the same manner, if not more violently?"
"Of course! For far too long have the Faunus been under their heel. It's time we make the humans experience oppression for a change!"
"Even if it comes at the expense of your fellow Faunus? Those who want nothing to do with all of this fighting? You drag innocent Faunus into your petty vendetta, and what is the end result? Corrupt agencies enforce harsh laws that bleed them dry. Corporations profit from their blood, sweat and tears to the point where they may as well be living corpses. And dirty law enforcement officers can get away with brutalizing a helpless and average Faunus citizen without repurcussion."
Adam scowled, but found himself unable to retort.
"Also, your making a mistake. Yes, it is the humans and even fellow Faunus who make the lives of others a living hell...but they aren't the only ones."
He frowned, eyes narrowed in curiosity. "What do you mean by that?"
"It is as I said before. Corrupt agencies, bloodstained corporations, and dirty law enforcement. Groups such as these, groups who utilize their authority for their own selfish interests thrive while their victims starve and perish in despair. In other words, the Councils and the ones who back the various governments of Remnant aren't the only ones to blame. The Black Fang does not repudiate on a fair and equal battlefield, Adam...but neither will we ignore the suffering and plight of the innocent. Be them human OR Faunus."
"So, what? You consider yourselves agents of Justice?"
"Hardly." Zero snorted. "If we were agents of justice, we wouldn't be taking this path in the first place. However, working by a system that's corrupt yields no results. You either get corrupted by the system, or you die trying to change it. There's no changing that sort of system. That is why...we will DESTROY this corrupt world."
"Destroy the world? That's a pretty big claim you're making."
And an impossible goal. Now Adam saw how mad this person was. He was actually going to try and wage war with all four Kingdoms. Even he wasn't that suicidal. If it was one Kingdom, then it was perhaps doable? But all of them?! This human had to be mad! Adam felt his rage boiling to the surface when he thought of how this bastard was going to lead his brothers and sisters to ruin. Dammit, this was humiliating! If only he wasn't bound, he'd be wringing the bastard's neck!
"Perhaps, but every ambition is grand to a certain level. The only question is whether or not you can succeed. And I fully intend to do that." Zero paused briefly before his tone became softer. "Provided I have your cooperation. And perhaps, in the future, the White Fang if Sienna Khan's ideals hold up."
Adam scowled in fury. "And what in the holy hell makes you think I'd ever work for a human like you, Zero?!" he spat the name like it was a curse.
Zero didn't respond. Instead, his hand touched his mask. "...I suppose nine years is a long time." he said as the prongs on the mask began to recede into the mask, clicking back together. It took Adam a second to realize that he was going to take the mask off. Good. He wanted to burn the face of this son of a bitch into his memory when he killed him. "Back then, you were never this hot-headed or passionate. Then again, I suppose that's just calling the pot the kettle black, isn't it?" With a tug, the mask was removed from his face.
Adam felt his body run cold. Edan's words from earlier came to the forefront. "You definitely aren't the person he respected as a child." The meaning behind those words were lost to him before, but now, he finally understood. He half-expected Zero to be a middle-aged man, scars on his face with a beard or something. Perhaps even an old war veteran missing an eye with a horrible scar that warranted the mask.
Zero was a child. A thirteen, fourteen year old boy with raven black hair that slightly covered his right eye. The tips of his hair were tinged red as well, gradually fading to black as it reached his scalp. Half of his face was covered by a thin black face-mask, leaving only his eyes exposed. His left eye was rich violet, glistening and shining like a gem whereas the right eye was colored beautiful silver, shining like a blade.
He was human.
And Adam knew him.
"Y-you...?!"
"Let's start over." Zero's smile was barely hidden behind the face-mask. "I'm Rouge. Rouge Rose. What's yours?"
"Even now, that look on your face had been priceless." Rouge smirked.
Adam rolled his eyes. The memory from back then was still quite vivid, as was his reaction. The human friend he had made ten years ago, and forgotten about after his father died, was the person who stood before him and expressed his ideals. There had been no greater shock than that. Even more so that there had been no trace of the crybaby, shy and reclusive bookworm. Instead, there was someone else there. Someone unrecognizable. Someone who wanted to change this world, even if it meant getting his hands bloody.
Even now, he was still having a hard time believing it. Then again, time did change everyone equally.
Rouge had finished their reminiscent of the past, instead focusing on the real reason why he came here. As such, all pretext of personal enjoyment were gone. "How are things progressing with Torchwick and this Cinder Fall woman?"
Adam sighed. "She keeps everyone on a tight ship and a need-to-know basis." he stated. "So far, we've only been instructed to help Roman in obtaining Dust."
"How much?"
"Enough to cause Dust prices to sky rocket."
Rouge whistled in amazement. It seemed Cinder was looking for a lot of resources.
Of course, resources weren't hard to come by. Especially since, a few days after Adam had returned to the White Fang with no one even remotely aware that he had become a turn coat, Cinder had returned and made another offer. This one much more prominent, since it resulted in the deaths of his men. He had no choice but to accept.
In the long term, stealing Dust would result in the Kingdom getting more. However, "patience" was not Roman's strongsuit. If anything, he would move on to his next big target and go from there. In the short term, however, because of the lack of Dust, manufacturing loses impact. Weapons are low on availability, especially since almost ALL weapons on Remnant were designed to utilize Dust. A fatal flaw, one he knew a smart person would take advantage of. With a Dust shortage, manpower would be stretched thin by investigations and inqueries looking for answers they already had.
Cinder wasn't just stocking up on supplies. She was weakening Vale's defenses. He had to applaud the woman for that. Whoever she was, she certainly knew what she was doing.
'Of course, things aren't going to stop here, are they?' he thought with a wry smile. He then stood up, noting that it was almost time to head back. He couldn't afford to linger any longer, lest a third party discover him with Adam. Thankfully, his friend saw this as well as bid him farewell, taking their separate ways. Once Rouge left the rooftop, he took notice of a black bird sitting atop a telephone pole, red eyes trained on him. 'Especially not since the game hasn't even started.'
Yes. Even now, the game hadn't truly begun. If anything, they were still in what he considered the preliminaries. There was still much to learn. Much to plan and think out.
After all, he was playing a game against a Witch and an Immortal.
[The recruitment of Adam Taurus into the White Fang was...rough, at best. Edan's antagonistic actions hadn't exactly helped matters, but the small skirmish was a good way of ascertaining how strong my old friend was. His temperament had shocked me. I had never would have imagined that Krimzen's death would have affected him so much. Then again, if the investigations I had done a few weeks earlier were any indication, it wasn't just human cruelty that caused him to change.
It seemed that Cyan's parents, and a few other Faunus, were not as supportive of Ghira as we were led to believe. How ironic that their viewpoint's changed, now that Sienna's taken over.
Regardless, the fact remains that we now have a mole in the White Fang. More surprising, though, is the appearance of this woman. Cinder Fall. Even though we've only recently been formed, I was able to establish a few connections. There's almost no records of this woman. At least, not from what I found. No criminal record or anything.
A new player, it seems.
Either way, I'd call this mission a success.
...still. Adam's temperment reminds me of that girl in my dreams. I've never met her before, yet each time I see her, I see a paragon of strength and power. That machine she pilots is no joke, either. If only the weapons I see in these dreams actually existed, then perhaps things would be so much easier.
I wish I knew the meaning behind them, though. Especially when I know the name of a woman I've never met.]
Report: CONCLUDED
"The weak die. The strong survive. That's how the world works."
"So you're telling me that being weak is a sin?!"
"Yes."
"Then this world can go to hell! I won't accept...I REFUSE to accept that world!"
Next Time: Black King
Thanks go to Daemon of Wrath, who as usual, helped me finish this puppy. MUCH longer than the one with Jaune. If I'm being honest, though, I'm a bit dissatisifed with how it turned out. I might go back and edit it, but for now, enjoy this chapter for your personal viewing pleasure.
I'm sure I don't have to tell you who the next chapter interaction will be focusing on by the preview alone, do I?
Also, a bit of good news for you all. Once Chapter III is published, you won't have to wait for Rouge and the Black Fang to embark on their next grand adventure! Want to know why?
Because come March or April, the second act of our macabre black drama will launch here on Fanfiction!
...and now I sound like some kind of corny announcer. Bottom Line: RWBY: Black Rebellion - ACT II will be published in 2 to 3 months.
Well, that's it everyone! Let me know what you thought of the chapter and I'll see you guys next time!
