RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth

Beta: Termin8r

Chapter 44-A

Thoughts were flying around Drake's mind like bugs.

Where was Zelos? Did the General learn something about Mithos and keep it for himself? Or, how could he get rid of Ozpin?

But the most important was without a doubt, 'Why the hell are they transporting Grimm?' He watched from a nearby tree as various members of the White Fang hustled to move cages into the bulkheads of what he could only assume to be stolen airships.

The whole plan of using the Grimm reminded Drake of the Breach, when the White Fang had carefully planned a Grimm invasion using the old railways that connected the city to Mountain Glenn.

A plan that was somehow 'ruined' by team RWBY.

Drake's scowl deepened at the thought of them, but quickly pushed the thought aside and focused on the situation at hand.

It was a well-thought out plan, invading the city via an abandoned railway. But it also felt… incomplete. Why focus on a single entrance?

'Because it wasn't planned.'

Drake ran his hand through his face.

'Being discovered by Ruby and her team must have forced them to move the plan ahead… or maybe I'mjust giving them too much credit. The train wasalsothe only means of escaping. Yeah, that was probably what Torchwick thought in that moment.'

Drake sighed; all the facts pointed to one conclusion.

But… given how organized everything was, a good amount of the chaos it caused along was all directed to one zone of the city. And seeing how rushed it was, it all indicated that was only one of the various coordinated attacks on the city that clearly shouted-

"Grimm Invasion." Drake muttered to himself, leaning back against the trunk. "What the hell are Ozpin and the General doing?"

As much as he hated to admit it, Ozpin wasn't an idiot, and neither was the General. They knew more details regarding the Breach than he did, so they should've reached the same conclusion as him.

Of course, the General was at least doing something, seeing how much military power he was utilizing in Vale. A little overdramatic, but in the end it was something.

Ozpin on the other hand…

Drake scoffed. 'Oh the arrogance. He is so full himselfbecausehe thinks he can control all fronts… me included.'

He would need to talk with the General about this.

'But that would be later.' Drake thought, standing up and dropping down from the tree.


"You know… I thought these 'things' would be more aggressive." One Faunus muttered to himself after moving a cage of Beowulfs into the bulkhead of what one would assume to be a stolen Bullhead.

"They are." A much older and bigger Faunus replied, approaching him. "They would have torn the cages apart a long time ago. Hell, they wouldn't have let himself caged at all."

'But all that changed when that bitch in the red dress showed up.'

Many weird changes had been made since three humans arrived and started causing trouble in one of their main camps. It was an insult to the White Fang's pride to take orders from humans. But to be honest, that didn't compare to the weird behavior of the Grimm they had been capturing.

"Is that all of it?" The Bullhead pilot asked, interrupting the senior Faunus's thoughts.

"Yes."

The pilot started the engines. "You sure none of you want to come?"

The younger Faunus snorted. "Yeah, because who doesn't love flying with Grimm."

reaching

The pilot twitched behind his helmet. "And staying with a cold blooded murderer is?"

The two soldiers looked at each other before shrugging. "Better to be stabbed or cut than being eaten or torn apart."

"Suit yourself." The pilot replied as both Faunus got off the ship. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

The doors of the Bullhead closed and both Faunus watched the airship take off.

"Just because we're in the same location, doesn't mean we have to be close to him."

"Which is good considering my entire body freezes when he's around. Why are we helping him anyway?"

The older Faunus gave him a stern look. "The same reason we're helping that woman. It's beneficial for our cause. The only difference with helping Asch is that this one is far more personal."

"Revenge against the Nobles, huh?"

The senior nodded. "Aurion, Wilder, Lowell, Scifo, Fon Fabre, Gailardia. All of them must pay for our fallen comrades. But for know, all we have to do is wait."

"I don't have a problem with that." Both made way to the entrance. "And I could use a drink during work hours."

"A Beer would be ok."

"I don't know… you wouldn't happen to have coke, do you?"

The younger member snorted. "That stuff is bad for… you." Both members paused after recognizing a third voice, a voice neither of them knew. The only thing that kept them from turning around was the sudden chill running up their backs

"So I've heard." Both members of the White Fang found the nerve to draw their guns and turn around, only to be met by a black blur flying in their direction.

"It's Auri-!" The younger member never finished, as Drake planted his knee in his face.

"How the hell did you know we were here!?" The senior Faunus demanded, aiming his gun at Drake, who quickly maneuvered to kick him in the gut.

The senior stumbled back before raising his gun only to notice that the boy had already closed the distance between them.

Drake grabbed the Faunus by the wrist, forcefully pressing the magazine release and unloading the last Bullet of the chamber.

The Faunus groaned, recovering from the muzzle flash, and he drew a tactical knife from his belt.

Drake's instincts kicked in, making him move his head to the side to avoid another tactical knife coming from behind. Drake grabbed the Faunus's arm, twisting and bending it, forcing him to drop the knife. Drake then drew his blade with his free hand and making a quick slash, leaving a bloody stump where his arm used to be.

"AH-!"

Drake quickly moved his hand under the Faunus's arm, grabbing his head and making it kiss the ground.

"Be quiet."

"You son of a bitch!"

The White Fang soldier made a thrust that Drake simply parried, making his adversary lose his balance and fall to the ground.

"Try not to shout." He said, throwing Yin at his shoulder and forcing him to drop the knife.

The Faunus raised his head, ready to shout for help, but was stopped when the severed hand of his comrade was forced into his mouth.

"Keep the shouting to a minimum, alright?" Drake rested his knee on the Faunus's chest, placing the edge of the knife against his throat. "We wouldn't want any of your friends inside to hear us, would we?"

The Faunus eyes widened in realization. All of the moves Drake had done so far were to keep them from causing any noise at all.

"Now, how many members of your terrorist sect is in there without including Asch?"

"Mmmhhppm!"

"Right, my bad." Drake pulled the severed hand off the Faunus's mouth. "Ans-"

"Fuck y-!" The faunus shouted, cut off once again by the hand being shoved into his mouth again, only deeper this time.

Drake sighed. "You know, less than two minutes ago you were talking some big shit about getting revenge against me and my friends. What piques my curiosity, though, is that you acted as if we deserved it — like we deserve being killed and you and your little band of terrorists are the goddamn victims."

The Faunus stopped struggling as he noticed that the boy's eyes were slit and glowing, holding the tip of the knife against his shoulder. "Honestly, I don't really care of what you think. You bastards don't have that right. You all took my sister from me."

The Faunus's eyes widened in pain as the knife cut through his flesh like a knife through butter.

"I'm not gonna kill you, because I believe that's a ticket out of all the pain and misery a culprit like you deserves." He twisted the knife, making the Faunus let out a muffled scream. "That's why I don't have any problem with torturing you and crippling you like your friend over there."

Drake removed the knife from his shoulder, holding it inches away from his face. "Now… are you gonna answer my question, or do I have to make myself more clear?"

The Faunus only looked at Drake behind his mask, which the Noble took as a sign of surrender, until he received a faceful of blood from the Faunus's mouth.

"Ok, then." Drake sighed, shoving the hand hand into the Faunus's mouth once more. "I guess I should say, thanks for making my day."

The Faunus already knew he was gonna be tortured, and he honestly thought he would be able to stand it or die without saying anything… too bad every bit of confidence started to fade away went he noticed the next place he was gonna be stabbed with. The last thing he ever saw was the knife closing in on his eye.

"Lets see, this little eye went to the butcher."


'… I should really start worrying in Ozpin's counter plan for this.'

Drake had his back pressed against the corner of a door, revealing a room filled with Atlesian Paladins.

At this point, Drake was officially impressed with the firepower the White Fang had. Add this to the swarms of Grimm they were rounding up and they would have the perfect offence.

"Are all of the Grimm gone?"

The Noble entered the room and hid behind one of the paladins as two members of the White Fang entered the room.

"Yes. Now all we have to do is move all these paladins." The Faunus sighed. "It's times like these I envy Perry. He's takin' orders from that woman, while we're with the serial murderer."

Drake raised an eyebrow. 'Woman? The White Fang are taking orders from a woman?'

"Not that there's a difference, really. Both give me the creeps."

"Yes. Both." The Faunus stopped and raised his hands like they were a scale. "Hot, mysterious lady, or a serial murderer. I think the difference is kind of obvious."

"Hmm… point taken. Speaking of Asch, did you hear about the little operation he's pulling in Atlas?"

That got the Noble's interest.

"Yeah, but he's not the one doing it. Nor is any of our brothers or sisters. It looks like someone he personally knows is doing the whole hit alone."

"Not really surprised. A person like him tends to know even more crazy people. Let's go meet with the others; we still have time before the paladins are next for delivery."

Both Faunus started to head out of the room. "And let's see if we find Dylan and Mark. Those two should have been here after seeing the last Bullhead off."

'… An attack on an Atlas's transport? Does the General something as valuable as the Paladin that's worth the trouble?'

Drake took out his scroll, only to see he had no reception. He scowled, realizing that this specific zone of the forest should be jammed. So there wasn't a way of warning the General until he was out of the area.

'Which means I'll have to get thisdone ASAP.' Drake looked up towards a nearby air duct.

The Faunus from outside was kind enough to tell him there were at least 15 guards counting him and his friend without counting Asch. The next question he had asked him was a complete mention of every room in the facility, including the one where Asch resided.

The answer was not one he liked. Even if the number of White Fang members weren't that big, the facility was a whole different story. The probabilities of avoiding attention by direct infiltration were one hundred to one.

The best method to getting past them without being unnoticed got trashed the moment he finished with the two guards outside. Walking around in a bloody and ruined uniform was clearly a dead giveaway.

He sighed. It were times like this that Drake missed his semblance. So he had to be recursive by using air ducts. It was a good idea seeing they were connected through all the facility, but… good didn't mean comfortable.


'It is the first time in my life I wish I was not so tall.' Drake shook his head as he kept crawling. 'No. More like this duct is too damn small!'

"Would you please listen for just a second!?"

Drake stopped, hearing a voice not far ahead.

'Finally.'

He proceeded with caution before peering through a nearby grate.

"I am fucking listening! Stop making a huge ordeal about this already, Asch!"

Drake's eyes narrowed, peering down to see a person with long red hair. His back turned to him while talking to someone on a big screen.

'Can't see him either… huh?' The blonde lost sense of his surroundings, directing all of his attention at Asch.

"And you are rushing things as always." Asch replied calmly at the third person's comment. Drake's eyes widened slightly, listening closely to his voice.

'The hell is going on here!?' Drake thought, gritting his teeth.

"I am 100% sure you're going in without a plan. Not to mention you rejected Adam's offer for assistance."

The person on the other line snorted. "I don't need the help of Taurus's gang of trash to obtain what I want!"

The voice on the other line sounded energetic, ruthless, sadistic, maniacal, lunatic, and psychotic; that was never a good combination.

"It is only a damn Atlesian cargo. I would just get it, cut some heads, a little impalement here and there and I will be out before you can say 'Serial Murder!' HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Yep, definitely a psycho.

"Yes," Asch sighed, clearly losing his temper, "but in case you've forgotten, you need two hands to do that!"

The person on the other line just kept laughing. "Haven't you learn anything, Aschy?!"

"Do not call me that."

Asch was ignored easily.

"I told you, a good killer can get his target in any way possible. For me it will be like having a hand behind my back at all times. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Asch sighed deeply as the laugh stopped. "By the way. Did you kill them?"

Drake's eyes turned slit in that instant. It was no mystery that the lunatic was referring to him and his friends. The fact he said it with an even more sickening tone didn't make things any better.

"Judging by that face, the answer is quite evident." Asch clenched his fist. "Do you mind picking up that phone? Because I totally called that shit! I fucking told you not to ask for the stupid Fang's help. But no, you always FUCKING think a good plan and numbers matter!"

By this point, Asch was biting his own lip in anger, while Drake simply looked below with a cold slit glowing eyes. 'I'll do the same thing to you I'm about to do Asch, if ever found out who you are.' Unfortunately, Drake failed to notice that in that he had made a fatal mistake as Asch calmed down and walked to a nearby table.

"Seriously, if you wanted to make it quick, then you should've just snuck into their rooms and slit their fucking throats! How hard could it-"

"I'll contact you later." Drake saw that Asch was back in sight, except wearing a black mask under a hood.

"Wh-!? Hey! Don't you fucking dare to end this tr-"

Asch ended the transmission before sighing and walking the center of the room.

"My deepest apologies for keeping you waiting," Drake's eyes widened in alarm when he saw Asch looking up at his direction, "Little Rat."

'Shit!'

Drake tried to draw a his blade, only to notice it got stuck halfway out of it's sheath, thanks to the air duct he was in.

'Definitely too small.'

Asch raised his fist and threw a punch, sending a blue wave of energy at Drake. (Demon Fist)

'He is an Artes user!?' Drake quickly raised his hand, slapping his Palm Strike down on the duct, making it break into pieces, giving him just enough time to avoid Asch's attack.

"You seriously didn't thought it would that easy," Drake finally drew Yin as he fell out of the duct to quickly block a mid-air attack, "Did you? AURION!?"

LINEBREAK

AN: Ok… been a while. The story was meant to be updated two weeks after the previous chapter. But then finals came and I had to take three weeks off, then came FFXV, and finally me and my family started to move to a nicer house(We started to move on the 25th of December, so you can already tell it was a pain.)

This chapter was originally over 10000 words, but Termin8r convinced me of ending it here and post the rest in 5 days or so seeing there is a certain interaction I want to improve.

It is the first time I am happy of falling back with canon, because thanks to recent chapters I need to think in how to add the little revelations in this story.

Artes used in this chapter:

Palm Strike: The user simply hits the enemy by powerfully thrusting their palm enhanced with aura forward.

Demon Fist: Same as Demon Fang but used with not weapons.