Rogue Chapter 46, a rwby fanfic

Chapter 46: Call of the Hunt

Yang

The White Fang was an odd terrorist group, it could be argued rather well that the Faunus were, in fact, the superior race on Remnant; many could see in the dark, some could fly, breathe water and the stranger among them were gifted with even more peculiar abilities. The strongest amongst the fang could go toe to toe with a seasoned huntsman no problem, the weakest were trained in proper hit and run tactics to account for their physical frailty. To top it all off they also had access to semblances and auras.

And yet they were continuously on the back foot. Yang mused on all these thoughts as she gazed at the 4-man team sweeping through her train-station. Yang had headed further into the metro tunnel keeping her vision locked on the fang as the gutted out her campfire and examined their deceased compatriot, whom Neo had just left where he'd been slain. They carried no flashlights with them, so Yang had been forced to rely on her aura-enhanced sight to see them. In their hands were Atlas issued Pulse rifles, and a few had atlas issued armor on, though none had taken the helmet.

Maybe that's why? Yang thought to herself stepping silently deeper and deeper into the train tunnel, stooping to pick up a random piece of debris. Maybe they have too many gifts.

Yang had seen people with exceptional semblances, some would consider her own to be on that level, People with such gifts often ended up relying on them rather than strengthening themselves. Which was why Raven had pushed Yang to the limit in their training and taught her to fight without aura and worse.

All to kill the Crutch. Yang mused throwing the rock skittering down the tunnel before taking a few audible sprinting steps after it. She could hear them, moving after her now. She smiled and silenced her feet, stepping into a darkened alcove along the tracks, pressing herself deep into the darkness.

You must be like the Grimm somedays.Raven had told her, for the Grimm are above all things patient. The White fang pursuing her on the other hands, it was almost as if they couldn't wait to throw themselves into the waiting jaws of death.

Yang saw them come down the tunnel, in a tight formation, weapons held at the ready, trailing after the Rock. She could smell all excitement and pent up rage, with only the tiniest morsel of fear. Yang worried that her routine Fang-fest beatings hadn't reached the newbies' ears if they were this excited about meeting her.

Let's rectify that. Yang thought as she eyed them walk past her hiding spot deeper and deeper into the metro tunnel. They were garbed in a strange mixture of both Atlas and classical fanger's armor, and their weapons were just as mismatched. There were four of them 2 men, 2 women, the leader an enormous woman had a set of ram's horns jutting out of her helmet and had a collapsible shotgun in her grip. The others had various weapons at their hips and new Atlas pulse rifles in their grips.

Yang focused her vision, sought out with her Grimm sense and could see it; they were uncomfortable with the weapons in their grasp. All except for the Ram woman were busy adjusting their grips and pawing at the handle.

It's all recently scavenged. Yang thought, reaching for the Flashbang on her hip. And the new rifles have a hell of a kick to them.

On silent feet Yang stepped out of her hidden position, calmly watching the Fang progress down the tunnels. Focusing the Grimm into her voice she took a deep breath before speaking.

"Didn't your mothers ever tell you, not to enter the Dragon's den" they turned, shocked looks on their faces, Yang made sure they were all looking her way when she let the pins hit the ground and the grenade to roll between them. A flashbang is a useful tool on the battlefield though it's effectiveness can vary based on several factors. If you hit a normal human with a flashbang in daylight they can be disorientated from anywhere from 10 to 15 seconds, you hit them in the dark and they can end up blinded for an even longer time, but you hit a Faunus with one in a dark light setting… well if Yang were 2 years younger she'd be cringing at the very idea of it.

Yang closed her eyes and focused her aura to the protection of her ears. Light bloomed behind her eyelids and a nauseatingly loud noise clawed at her eardrums, threatening to bring bile out of her guts. She moved before she opened her eyes, a dead-on sprint towards where she knew her targets, keeping her aura focused forward for any of the stray shots they were unleashing in her direction. She could sense their fear of panic and hatred all clumped up together and she used that as a guide as she sprinted. When her eyes finally opened she was greeted with the sight of the Faunus spraying pulse rifle fire wildly in her general direction, there was no rhyme or reason to their aims, one of them had vomited on the ground the other was gripping its animal ears and shouting in pain, the captain was stumbling back her hand resting against the abandoned rail car, the last one was firing wildly vomit on the front of their armor.

Yang launched a thunder-dust round between the group, it exploded as it struck asphalt and they were blasted outward and away from one another, the only one firing flew right towards Yang while the team captain flew far away from her. As the grunt flew at her Yang pulled back her arm and hit the flying Faunus in the neck with a clothesline strike, turning with her strike she flung him into the nearby wall.

One down. Yang thought, spreading her aura around her whole body before launching herself at the slowly rising leader. Wrapping her hands around the Ram-Faunus' horns she jerked the woman's head lower; The Ram did struggle against the manhandling though she was unable to break out of Yang's grasp in time. Yang grinned as her knee rose and slammed right into the woman's face, cracking her aura and breaking her nose. Letting go of the horn's Yang fell into a crouched position and swept out the Ram's legs from under her. And again, the poor woman's head smashed against the concrete.

Definitely a concussion.

The Ram tried to groggily roll away from Yang lifting up her collapsible shotguns pointing them right at the Grimm-masked woman. Yang smacked the gun off-angle just as the trigger was pulled at a wave of buckshot ate through a portion of the one of the remaining grunt's aura, such a pity to she was just starting to regain her feet.

The Ram Faunus rolled away from Yang's onslaught this time with a dash more grace, she rolled into a proper firing position and shot towards where Yang had been, her eyes still hadn't adjusted yet since she'd bee force to fire with such a widespread, the buckshot struck Yang pinging off her aura. The Ram drew her other collapsible shotgun and started to take aim.

Shotgun fight it is them. Yang thought with a grin, cocking back Ember Celica before launching a shot back at the downed woman, Yang moved and ducked as she fired, taking full advantage of her opponent's weakness of sight, inching closer and closer with each shot whittling away at the large woman's aura. The woman began backing up as her aura started to weaken when Yang launched Ember Celica behind her and flew right at the Ram. She ripped the shotgun from her grasp and slammed the butt of the weapon into the large Fanger's forehead, the Aura cracked further. The woman gave a wordless roar, her hand shooting forward to grip the front of Yang's shirt.

Well, this is familiar. Yang thought.

Always be looking for weaknesses in yourself and your opponent, Exploit them.

I remember the lessons mother.

Yang gripped the Faunus' wrist with her left hand before punching out with her right, straight into the woman's broken nose, and then she did it again and again until it was Yang holding up the Ram buy her wrist. As the aura broke and the body went limp Yang let the unconscious form of the Ram Faunus flop to the floor. The two remaining Faunus had just started to reorganize themselves when Yang turned back to face them. One male and one female both looked at her and though she couldn't see their eyes behind those masks she could feel both eh apprehension and fear coursing through them at her grin.

"You're in the Dragons den now," Yang said channeling the Grimm into her words, it elicited the desired effect. "And since you're both short on treasure maybe you'd be willing to trade secrets instead"

It was a gamble but the more frightened they got the more likely they'd be to attract the Grimm here and Yang did need information.

Like who's with the fang. She thought to herself with a curious bitter seed growing inside her, as she retrieved her scroll. And why they're playing into my game.

Blake

Blake was back in her element now; keeping to the shadows, scouting the land and tracking a mucky trail. It brought her back to her time with the White Fang before that turned to dirt and this place brought her back to her time with Team RWBY, before that too withered away. Blake leaped from the building's window towards the adjacent building, as she crested across the mid-point and began to dip, she jumped from her shadow copy and landed safely inside. Bending down she pressed her ear to the ground and after a few seconds she heard it; the soft thrumming of activated dust. After a minute of searching, she found the land mine, it had been a while since she'd found one, but she marked it down regardless.

She's good at this, she'd have made an excellent member of the Fang. The thought in Blake's mind was bitter and corrupted but no less correct. Yang had riddled the cityscape with mines and traps, but the real trick of it was that she'd placed a bunch of traps in one location and no traps in another, but a few sprinkled throughout. She'd wear Atlas out, sometimes they'd search places no traps were and waste time or accidentally stumble into traps since they thought they were in the clear. Yang's traps aren't everywhere all the time, but they could be anywhere at any time.

And if the hacked into Atlas scroll bandwidth was any indication, Yang was doubling back on places already cleared. She was insidious.

It's the most efficient booby-trap work I've seen since me. Blake thought, examining the mine. But it's still too much for one person.

Yang had a partner in this endeavor Blake was sure of it, there were too many traps for her to have placed them all herself, not unless she'd unlocked a second delicate speed semblance since Blake last saw her.

And I doubt that very much. Blake mused heading further and further into the building, marking as many traps as she could. Eventually, the enter room, listen for traps and mark them entered into what Blake always feared it would: monotony. The monotony would bring back thoughts of what Weiss had told them and what they could do about it. The doubts and fears and anger would worm into her head and she'd be Grimm-bait. It was such a big problem Blake was glad when the strange smell crept into her nose. She froze, it wasn't the putrid scent that wafted off of most Grimm, it was subtle and familiar.

Crouching low Blake approached a hole in her floor and peered down, inside was a small force of Faunus, they were in mismatched armor carrying a hodge-podge of weapons. Blake's eyes widened as she looked down at them, it didn't take long for her to recognize the clan tags of the Vale branch of the Fang.

Adam's branch. Blake thought with dismay staring at the red claw marks on a snake girl's chest plate, an appropriated Atlas chest protector it seemed. This is bad.

Yang had thrown them into a powder-keg ready to blow, Atlas was deployed in force to mountain Glenn and hadn't noticed thee White fang sneak in here with them.

Wait a minute. Blake thought, slinking back away from the gaping hole in the floor. If Atlas is deployed in force here, then why are the Fang here while Vale is so vulnerable? Adam's smarter than that.

Stooping down Blake began removing the warning markers from Yang's many traps. Still, Blake tried to sort the question out.

Yang has a partner… Adam? Blake brushed that idea aside, Adam's disdain for the humans was so extreme that an alliance with Yang seemed out of the question. He did side with Torchwick 2 years ago though.

Blake climbed up into the wall hangings most shrouded by darkness and took a ready aiming position down a long hallway rife with traps. She heard the hoot of an owl echo through the building and she recognized the code, she'd help build. Putting Gambol shroud down she put her hands to her mouth and returned to hoots, telling them to come to her location. It hurt her to do it, but the Fang wasn't her pack anymore, they hadn't been for a long time, Ruby and Weiss were that now…

She readied Gambol shroud down the hallway and let her mind try to break apart the question. Blake made sure a ready escape route was available.

Why would Adam strike here, where he's out-gunned when Vale is so exposed? The first cautious Faunus took a step up onto the landing searching around for the hooter. Blake gave a soft hoot in return and as he turned towards her, he steps on a land mine and was flung backward and down the hole by the force of the blast.

Blake's brain wracked the question, it had been so long since she'd seen Adam, he could've become a completely different person at that time. He always loved sending the message, always sending messages…that's why he's here and not Vale! Yang brought all eyes to Mountain Glenn.

The commotion downstairs intensified and a few Faunus began crawling out of the hole, some falling almost instantly into Yang's set up traps, but after the first half dozen got hit, they became wise to the situation. Blake grimaced, wishing she could've kept her involvement in this to a minimum.

But they can't have the run of this place. Blake thought, leveling Gambol Shroud aiming at a nearby mine the scaly girl was nimbly stepping around. Blake hesitated for an instant before firing and setting the mine off with a vicious ripping explosion. Not while Ruby's here… and Yang.

Part of her bucked at that justification, she had to admit that some small part of her was doing this as a way to cleanse herself, to separate herself from the white fang at least in the eyes of Atlas. Blake had no care for what Atlas said about her, but she'd rather not spend time in a cell. That made her pause in her firing, the rest of the White fang were starting to figure out her firing location just by the shots she was dealing with their way.

The desire for freedom was a pervasive one and she could sympathize with Yang for a moment. That moment vanished when a shot whizzed by her ear. Rolling away further into the building, daring the remaining fangers to pursue, Blake tried to organize her thoughts.

I escaped as the Fang went dark, I was trying to be a better person. Blake slid behind an overturned desk and threw an ice-dust knife right at a large ox Faunus rounding the corner before peppering him with shots from Gambol Shroud. Yang just leaned into the criminal life.

Standing up she spun Gambol Shroud in an arch slashing the frozen Ox Faunus across the face and buckling him down. She focused her aura to her semblance and manifested a set of shadow arms around her body, each holding onto a new weapon, she waited as more and more Faunus stepped onto Yang's traps when an odd voice hit her ears, it seemed distorted somehow.

The Stranger, not dressed in the armor of the white fang stepped forward into Blake's sight. They were dressed in heavy Rags covering them like a poncho hiding any discerning features from Blake's gaze, their hooded face was covered by a gas mask and a Grimm mask of their own this one was of an Apathy skull. They had a confident if awkward, gate to their stride.

"You animals done here?" Their warped voice spoke out as they turned the corner to see Blake standing there. They froze as they looked at her, almost seeming to way the options of what to do. "Ummmm…. Hello?"

Blake gave no reply just staring at the tall standing figure, only for them to turn on their heel and run back down the way they came.

That's not how this is supposed to go! Blake thought incredulously, sprinting after her target. Blake was amazed by the distance the Stranger had managed to gain on her when she rounded the corner, they were already down the hall and into the Hole in the floor.

Speed semblance! Blake figured as she watched their head disappear down the hole the rest of the White fang had emerged from. Blake was in hot pursuit and used her semblance to give her a slight speed boost forward, Blake knew that she could ill afford to use that trick again since her semblance had a habit of biting harshly into her aura. But I have to know who this is!

The person was human, they had to be; they'd called the rest of the Fang "Animals" and just didn't have the Faunus scent to them. But they were with the fang, that much was at least apparent. As Blake jumped down the hole she landed silently. As her feet hit the floor her hopes that maybe the Fangers she'd just encountered were just a scouting party, split off from Adam's group, were utterly crushed. She could hear them, there were murmurs of the menagerie language filtering up from below her and she could smell her former sisters and brothers thick in the building.

Adam is here in force. Blake gritted her teeth, still able to hear the strange footsteps of the fleeing stranger, but she'd be a fool to throw herself right into a crowd of well-trained well-armed terrorists.

Besides. Blake thought, pulling out her scroll and climbing back up the hole. Ruby and the rest of them need to be told.

Ruby

Bang!

Ruby was back in her element, except the birds weren't singing, she couldn't hear the wind rustling through the trees and she had too much on her mind.

Bang!

The perch she'd made for herself was a bit daring, to say the least, but part of her wished to remind the members of Atlas why she was the Reaper here. She adjusted her position atop a construction crane that had long since degraded into disuse and disrepair. For all the things that were different the butt of Crescent Rose pressed against her shoulder was still a warm and comforting feeling.

Bang!

And its kick was also a great help when it came to keeping her focused. The Grimm in mountain Glenn had always been numerous but these recent incursions had only worsened the situation. Ruby took a deep breath and slapped a new magazine into her baby before chambering a round. So far, she'd spotted neither hide nor hair of Yang.

Her cheek pressed against the cool metal of Crescent Rose as her mind drifted to what Weiss had told them. She took a deep breath as her mind finally wandered, here with little to do it seemed inevitable that her mind would go back.

No panic attacks, not now, not here.

"I need to tell you something, that Yang said she can't stay here but we could go with her, She wanted team RWBY back together again."

The air around them seemed to still at Weiss' words and Ruby's eyes shifted towards Penny. Ruby hated having to keep pushing Penny away, but the way Weiss was speaking gave Ruby the impression that it would be best discussed alone as a team. Penny merely smiled at Ruby gave her a thumbs up and a wink before turning on her heel, marching 10 steps away and putting her fingers in her ears.

Ruby would've burst out laughing if she didn't understand how serious Penny was about the action. It looked like a damn pantomime, it also had the side effect of making Ruby smile, and she needed it.

Turning back to Weiss who had a confused look on her face, clearly far more confounded by Penny's antics than Ruby was.

"Go on Weiss," Ruby said. Weiss gave her a confused look in response.

"You sure?" Weiss glanced back over to Penny. "Penny's right there"

Weiss thumbed towards the robot girl for emphasis, Ruby waved it away.

"She's not listening" Blake opened her mouth to join the conversation when Ruby shook her head denying whatever it was Blake was about to interject with. "That's not how Penny is" Ruby took a deep breath preparing for the plunge. "What did Yang say, Weiss?"

Weiss gave Penny one last glance. "She wanted us to go with her…"

Blake's eyes widened her pupils turning to pinpricks, there was a catch in Ruby's breathing, and she could feel her heart-stopping for a split second. This was good and bad, it was confusing, but it was hope, but hope was poisonous. Blake's stance widened as here focused eyes were darting around as if she expected some sort of attack. But as Ruby followed her gaze, she could see that she was looking at each and every member of the Atlas military in turn, and some were glaring back at the Faunus.

Blake's past is out there. Ruby thought, seeing the looks her teammate was receiving for a past she'd tried desperately to wash herself clean of. But it isn't just Blake.

Weiss was getting just as harsh looks from her fellow countrymen, they looked at her like she was a traitor like she was guilty of every crime they pinned on Yang. Ruby pulled up her hood and tried to slow her breathing, she knew what that look was like, she'd known it for 2 years. The students at Beacon, her classmates, had treated her like so much garbage since then, they'd isolated her and her team, they'd called her a fool and called her sister a psycho. They'd taken Ruby's dream, of going to Beacon to become a huntress and poisoned it. Where she first thought she found like-minded people seeking to help the little guy now she only saw the people who'd isolated her and would've been happy if she went 'missing' on a mission one day.

Just like mom… just like Yang. Ruby thought she'd see Yang again but instead she saw scattering Petals floating on the breeze. The floral remnants flipped and twist on a wind that wasn't blowing, one-half red the other snow white, moving and cartwheeling in the air. The Yang panic attacks always brought blood and Grimm things to her mind but remembering mom was always like this, it was a calmer feeling that brought clarity. Summer Rose, the woman whose standards all Huntsmen and Huntresses were measured against. These past 2 years the Huntsmen and huntresses of Beacon had left that standard wanting. Not just them but me as well.

Ruby was becoming bitter, was letting her miseries get the better of her, as much as her skills were improving, she was forgetting why she wanted to become a huntress in the first place. And so was Yang.

She's Summer's daughter too. Ruby thought, thinking back to the days Yang had cared for her when their father was too out of it to do so when she'd try her best to fill the gap Summer left and be the best inspiration she could for her little sister. She's my sister.

"IT's our blood that's red like Roses" Ruby muttered to herself reaching out to catch one of the Petals only for it to vanish in her mind. Weiss seemed to materialize at Ruby's side, giving her that concerned look she always did when Ruby was about to have a panic attack. Ruby pulled her hood back and gave Weiss a warm smile. "I'm ok"

It was quiet, it was small, but the words had a strength in them, just like Ruby knew she had to find in herself now. Weiss hesitated, squeezing Ruby's shoulder.

"Of course, you are," She said it like she'd believed it. "What's the plan, Ruby?"

"Why the change of heart?" Blake asked, hitching a ride on Ruby's wave of calm. "Yang wasn't exactly pleased to see us last time, she could've offered it to them."

"I…" Weiss began. "clarified a few things for her, I had to knock some sense into her too."

Blake's eyebrows rose at that, though it was obvious by the grin on her face she was impressed with Weiss.

"I think Yang prefers harsh truths anyway," Weiss smirked back. "She's still set on her 'mission' however."

"Then we keep with our original plan," Ruby said, glad to have clarity and focus once more. She unfurled Crescent Rose glad to have the weapon's weight properly distributed in her grasp again. "With a few minor adjustments."

In a flurry of rose Petals, she was by Penny's side once again. The Robot girl blinked before beaming at Ruby.

"Penny I need a favor"

The buzz of her scroll woke Ruby up from her memory and she was sullen once more she her search seemed fruitless. She flipped open her scroll, Blake had texted her twice.

B: The white Fang is here.

B: Found white Fang here.

Oh, she texted me twice must've forgot the cipher. Ruby thought absently, slowly lowering her scroll. What is the Fang doing… wait!

Ruby lifted the scroll again and saw that Blake was typing.

B: Didn't send that!

B: I did.

Ruby's heart pounded in her chest she took a deep Calming breath before her fingers flew across the screen.

R: Yang?

Y: We need to Talk.

Author's notes

Unfortunately I'll have some things interrupting my writing schedule in the upcoming days so the next Chapter is likely to be a wee bit late. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience, but I don't want to Rush chapters and I want to give you the best fic I can. Thank you, ahead of time, for your patience. Leave a review if you can, spread this around and next chapter will likely be an Interlude chapter that I hope you all enjoy. as always thank you for your patience