Hello everyone! It's…. Been a while yeah? I don't think I... Have to admit that I've given up on the other story for now. It's cringe, and I apologize for it A LOT. I was young stupid, thought anyone could do anything, and gave a rather mediocre story to people. Not this time; this time I'll try.I was inspired to do this fanfiction because of others. So many other writers inspired me, now it's MY turn to do my best. But while I'm on the topic a massive shout-out to these amazing fics…"The Random Hand of Fate"- By TheMightyTeaRex"Sworn to Remnant" - By Mojo1586"A light against the Darkness"-By Nightbringer24"Prim-Arc"-By Vixvix"Wolves of Remnant"- By Old Wolf Logan"Imperium of Remnant V2"- By MikeX713All of you are amazing writers, and you've all genuinely inspired me to write this fic. And readers those people are 100% better writers than me so if this one isn't to your liking, give them a lookup!I don't think I'll have to state that I don't own Either RWBY or WH40K! And… Well, I'll admit it may be bad, and please, any good criticism is welcomed!.
Chapter l
"Loyalty"
"We hoped that by breaking ourselves on the same Anvil, We'd finally feel unity with our Father…"
"It didn't work?.."
"...No… it didn't."
-Argel Tal Kharn
Those words, why did those words come to assault his mind once more? Why did old wounds reopen in his mind, Argel Tal? Erebus? His mentor… gods his mentor, he couldn't even remember the man's name, the name of the man he slaughtered for being a coward on that frozen world.
Why couldn't he remember the name of that Frozen hell? The Whores of the thirsting wench of a God were there as well, feeding the souls of Eldar to their patron. He remembered killing them, all of them… the Legion, it broke up after that, shattered into warbands.
His head ached so badly, the Butcher's nails thirsted perhaps, that was the only explanation he could come up with. He felt consciousness slowly return to him… where was he? He felt so much pain, eyes drifting within his helm as he looked around, fingers raising to touch at his head, a breach, a broken lightning claw's talon lodged firmly inside the side of his helmet, was that why the nails didn't punish him with pain? Such a small blade, yet such a massive change.
His eyes drifted to lock with the warrior that gave him the wound, a Space Wolf? A son of Russ, here? Where was he? This was not Fenris, there was no snow.
His gaze shifted to the burning Sky, the echo of energy and ballistic fire filling the air, what world was this? Cadia? No... no… but could it be? Yes, it had to be, but why was he here? The Weight of Gorechild filled his hand, the Traitor Astartes rising slowly as he used the legendary weapon as a sort of Crutch.
The Space Wolf slowly looked up, his face bloodied, defiantly looking at the Red clad warrior as he approached. "... Do it ya, bastard… you already took enough, why not finish the Job." He snarled out, cheeks moving as he spat out a tooth in the barbarian's direction.
"What? Why… why would I?" The question left his mouth in a confused jumble, his brain aching as it did its best to form a proper sentence, the Space Wolf freezing slightly at the words. The Lupus warrior's gaze locked with the Talon lodged inside the Betrayer's helm, his hand raising to examine the missing talon from his gauntlet.
Silence fell, before the wolf began to chuckle, the rumble giving way to deep laughter as he painfully coughed out a red Phlegm, head shaking as he pushed himself up and onto his feet. "So… that's what's gotten into ya, Eh?... Can't remember what ya've done, Ya bloody monster, aye am I right?" He chuckled darkly, back pressed to the rubble wall of a building.
That's when Kharn could finally register the marine's appearance, his hair and beard a deep Auburn, eyes a glistening Lupen Orange, warrior braids dirtied and sticky with mud and blood, he truly did resemble a son of Fenris. Kharn pondered the words before he felt his world grow cold and sharp, memories slowly returning as his Larraman Organ began its work, the cells healing any minor wounds, his hand raising to slowly pull free the Talon in his skull, only an Inch or Two, just enough to damage the nails it seemed, his eyes focused on the blade silently for a few moments.
"... No…" he whispered to himself, head shaking as he took a few steps back, his legs shaking as he pushed himself higher to look around at the burning world, the Talon clattering to the ground with a faint click as it all began to sink in. If he could weep he would do so, if he could change it he would do so, the bodies of Cadians, the remains of a once-great city and its people, littered with vehicle and infantry carcasses alike. This… this was not his legion, this couldn't have been him. The words of his once friend echoed in his mind, each word emphasized with a dull throb within his damaged brain.
'Then why do you tolerate it?..'
The words that Argel Tal spoke, his Death at the hands of that snake Erebus, the Fall… the weapon his Primarch dropped. The rubble shifted behind him, whispers and grumbles echoing, the Betrayer turning as he watched Guardsmen and Astartes alike stare at him, the mortal hands of men and women shaking, yet their violet eyes were full of determination, while the lenses of his Cousins remained unchanging, he could easily pick out the Apothecary stood beside the warrior he fought no long ago, tending to his wounds.
"... I can smell it, Betrayer… sense it too, ya seeing the world with fresh eyes aren't ya, seeing the Chaos…" The Wolf spoke, teeth bared in a bloody grin, his eyes filled with nothing but pity for a man completely out of his mind, ironic that a Space Wolf could even show pity, but maybe things had changed since he last saw them millennia ago.
"... What is your name…?" The words, his words, left the front grill of his helm without much issue this time. Yet the shift of guardsmen still followed, he startled them. Was he that scary, even when wounded? His eyes drifted down to look at his bloodied, weathered form, skulls, and wounds of past battles like a count on his body, how many belonged to their friends he wondered, how many were the skulls of his brothers.
"Ulfric… Ulfric Luparius." The chuckle that left the Khorn worshipper's mouth echoed just a little more than he wished, the Space Wolves tensing, yet the Sudden laugh of their Brother following made them stop any plans of attack. "Aye! A little on the Nose aye, it was… my mother's choice!" The wolf warrior bellowed out his hearty laugh.
Yet the laugh didn't soothe the ache in Kharn's hearts, his lungs burned as he slowly took in the world once more, head lifting as he watched a great black fortress slowly make its way towards the planet, flames, and debris splitting from it and other ships high in the space around the world. Cadia was doomed, he had doomed it unknowingly with others, or maybe it was willingly.
"... Battle Cousin… hand me your Blade." Kharn finally spoke, his helm turning to the nearest Astartes, the Space Marine pausing as he looked back at Ulfric, the Commander nodding slowly to his Battle brother. The nameless Marine walked forward, slowly removing the Power Sword from his hip and extending it towards the Traitor with some hesitance in his movement. This hesitance was noted by Kharn, who gently took the weapon from his Wolf Cousin.
Yet he shocked the nameless warrior when he extended Gorechild to him, dropping the hefty weapon into his hands. "Give this to your Chapter master, Destroy it. They say it's a curse, an Omen to pick up a discarded weapon… I picked this up when it fell, and now the price is being paid in the blood of the innocent." His words echoed out, the Marine slowly bringing Gorechild closer to his chest, as the Betrayer locked what was once His Power Sword to his hip, before the red marine turned and began to walk away, heavy footsteps crushing what little rubble remained in his way, a plan already forming in his damaged mind.
"Oi! Where do ya think yer goin?! Kharn!" Ulfric's words echoed, making him stop, body shifting to turn and look up at the Commanding marine who stood high in the place he once stood, one hand pressed firmly to the left side of his chest, probably putting pressure on a broken bone, while the other remained clenched at his side, the wolf's brothers moving closer, worried he would reopen his wounds or make any broken bones worse by being so defiant on getting proper healing.
"To fix this, all of this… at least what I can. All of you must leave, a Warp gate and its priest remain active nearby, you can't escape with Daemons and Cultists hunting for you." Kharn said as if it was the simplest thing ever, Ulfric's eyes lingered on his own, the orange orbs glimmering for a moment as he slowly took a few steps down the remains of a once large home, as he extended his hand towards Kharn.
Kharn paused, before reaching forward and tightly grabbing the wolf's forearm. Their eyes locked, as the wolf gave a toothy grin, hand pulling back as he extended the other, a sheathed combat knife in it, one that was common amongst most of the Loyalist Astartes these years.
"Always take a backup, Brother… ya never know." The wolf chuckled, Kharn slowly taking the blade, locking it to his shoulder plate, before he nodded and turned once more. Now that? That did make his hearts ache just a little less.
"Die… a glorious death, Kharn." Those words echoed behind him, the Traitor simply raising his clenched fist into the air as he chuckled out his response. "Live an Honorable life Ulfric! If I live, I expect a rematch… if I die, I expect that axe to be destroyed! Brother!" He didn't wait to hear Ulfric's response, he simply kept walking, a Death March maybe? Live or Die, it didn't matter to Kharn.
What came next was Kharn's choice, not his 'Fathers'. The Berserker's pace began to grow in speed as he entered a full sprint, his Target already in View, the tainted purple warp rift like a gaping wound in the world, jagged and festering, he would take great pleasure in removing it from this realm, Power Sword drawn from its scabbard and crackling with energy.
He saw plenty of obstacles, but the main ones were his Brothers… No, not his brothers, not anymore.
Chaos Marines stood in his way, a Red-armored, tainted abomination turning in confusion at the sound of his footsteps, only to find his head Sliced from his body in a swift swipe from the Borrowed wolf sword, the blade stained reddish-black in the skewed essence of a misguided brother.
"What?! TRAITOR-" The next marine wasn't even able to finish the announcement from his Vox enhanced helmet, the Ingelldina Pattern blade cleaving his Helm in two, brain matter and gore spraying across his armored shoulders. Chaos Cultists turned in shock, Daemons snarling in betrayed rage, and Chaos Astartes roared out in anger at the loss of their brothers to one of their own, oh there were so many emotions filling this battlefield, Slaanesh would certainly be pleased to some extent.
It mattered little to Kharn though, no he needed them to focus on him, he needed them to see him as a threat so the others could escape, his mind was abuzz now, he thought so very hard on what Warcry to use because the Chant of Khorn would not fit, he was no longer a champion of the blood god, no he was something else. Something chimed inside his mind, words, words he once screamed to those he fought before the great Heresy, words that fit him well, he was no loyalist, no traitor, he was Kharn, the Kharn from the 30th millennia who listened to only the Emperor before Angron came and ruined it all.
"MAY THE GODS FORGIVE YOU! FOR I SHALL NOT!...FOR MY BROTHERS!" This was not for the Emperor, this was for the bastardization of his Legion, this was for the loss of his family, his friends, this was a challenge to chaos itself, for he was no chaos or imperial champion, he was Vengeance. Even as The Cultists raised their guns to fire upon him, as Daemons and Champions of Khorn charged to gore and slice him, his challenge remained true, his rage remained honed on his mission. This was the TRUE Kharn, this was not the Betrayer, this was the Centurion that was beaten by his father, before convincing him to join and lead their legion all those ages ago, the Kharn that honored his mentor, who honored his words, who was loyal to his brothers.
He was a Dervish of Blood red and crackling blue energy, the blade sang out in approval as its edge cleaved through one daemon, before it's direction changed to spill the guts of his once brothers, his armored fist shooting out to grab a falling, tainted bolter so he could train it on chaos cultists who thought their mortal guns could hurt him. The resounding and thunderous hiss and claps of .95 speeding out of the weapon's muzzle like tainted retribution, the whizz of the rocket propulsion, followed by the bloody explosion of viscera as one Cultist became mist or one Daemon became two, it was all like training, harkening back to the wars all those years ago as he emptied the box magazine into the hordes, scything through them in horizontal sprays.
His Helmet pinged in pleasure, his Kill counter rising with every bloody kill he scored. The Bolter flipping in his hand as he gripped it by the barrel, swinging out and shattering it across the jaw of a slaughter-kin, the demonic soldier letting out but a short scream before its head was pulverized in the mighty blow, the strike continuing as Kharn used the force to toss the jagged remains like knives at a group of Cultists, his strength turning the fragments into shrapnel that spilled their blood like a Frag Grenade, metal piercing holes through their tattered armor, bodies stumbling as muscles shredded and bones turned to dust.
The burning blade of a Bloodletter found purchase soon after his toss, the blade piercing through his back and out his stomach, the searing agony of his blood boiling and intestines splitting like sausage at a butcher's table. He reached down, hand gripping the blade before snapping the tip-off, his off-hand reaching back to lock the daemon's head in place, its claws scraping across his armor doing little to stop him, as he slammed the blade tip into its throat. The agonized gurgles never finished before he brought his fist down like a hammer to the blade's broken edge, popping off the beast's head with a sickening 'Rip' and 'Ker-Pop!'
"COME. Face me, BASTARDS!" Kharn yelled out as he dragged out the broken blade's other half from his back, using it to parry away the saw edge of a chainsword, the World Eater having but a moment to realize what happened before the tip-less blade was forced deep into his stomach, the Betrayer roaring as he twisted the blade to split the gut wound open even more, before dragging it upwards and splitting the marine's torso in two. His roar cut short as another marine crashed into his stomach, screaming out its warcry as he tried to force Kharn back and away from the Portal.
"UNHAND ME, MONGREL!" He screamed out as his heels dug trenches so deep into the ground it would make a Krieg proud, his arms raising, burning muscles clenching as he brought down a mighty elbow onto the Marine's skull, stumbling the warrior for a moment, a moment Kharn used to stab his Power Sword into one of his many Fallen Brother's back, the hiss of a lung being pierced like music to his ears, before he took the Demonic, damaged blade he had and slammed it into the space between this foes' neck and shoulder armor, a crunch following as he used the blade as leverage, pushing and shattering it inside his enemy's now limp body.
Kharn panted, breathing as he snarled and shook the pain from his mind, a lesser man would die! But he was no lesser man, he wasn't even a lesser Astartes, he was Kharn! He was one of the Firstborn! With fire in his eyes and blood on his body, he continued his charge.
Even as Claws slashed his flesh to bloody strips he pushed, crushing the skull of the Daemon with a mighty headbutt, sending its soul screaming back into the warp hell it came from.
The edge of a Chainaxe clipped his armor and cut channels through its once glorious form, drawing blood but that didn't even make him falter, his leg shooting out and stomping down on the Knee of his tainted battle brother, the joint shattering. The World-Ester screamed, before finding his own Chainaxe lodged firmly between his shoulder blades, pushing him forward and into the bloody mud.
The useless bullets of cultist soldiers pinged off his plate, shattering on his unholy shell as he barreled through them with crossed arms, forearms spreading swiftly as their broken bodies flew around him. Bile spraying from the mouth of one cultist whose spine was folded across a damaged tank, the screams of another as his Fuel pack busted, coating him in flamer fuel, the pilot light of his weapon lighting him ablaze, while another released a silent scream as he was trampled underfoot by the charging marine. He could describe every single death, he could recall it like some story, but he didn't need to.
Not at all, all that mattered was the Dinging of his helmet, the chime of another kill as a new high score was reached with every bloody movement. Kharn fought like a rabid Hound of War, teeth bared below his helm as charged towards the Chaos priests keeping open the warp portal. This was a mission he would not fail at, it was win or die, but never lose.
A deafening roar echoed beside him, a wall collapsing as a Berserker crashed through the stone and into him, the blood-lusting marine releasing a furious shout after laying eyes on his once-great leader below him, legs straddling the betrayer. "TRAITOR! I'll KILL you in the name of Khorn!" The marine furiously screamed, raising his chain axe high above his head as he brought it down in a heavy chop, the blades piercing and grinding through half of the left horn on his Helm, Kharn's hand latching to the handle of the deadly weapon furiously roaring for his blood, it's engine revving with each squeeze of its trigger. "You… will never have the pleasure of that, CHAOS SPAWN!" Kharn snarled from clenched teeth, hand firmly pushing the axe away, as his armored fist smashed into the opposing marine's face, the lense cracking under the force before another strike sent him tumbling to the ground, blood spewing from the cracks and now shattered lense. The berserker wasn't even allowed a moment of respite or allowed to stand before his own Chainaxe was lodged firmly into his throat, the rotating teeth sawing through thick neck muscle, the blades grinding away his vertebrae before his head rolled away slowly, stopping its journey in a quickly growing pool of warped blood, blood that now quenched the thirsty weapon held in Kharn's grip.
Kharn breathed out in pain, head shaking as he took up the Power Sword he dropped, eyes locking with the Chaos priest, she was far, so very far, but he was closer than when he started. He just needed to reach her, he needed to reach her but his body ached, ancient implants working to seal his wounds, his mental fortitude being all that truly kept him standing at this point. "KILL THE TRAITOR! Slaughter him in the name of Khorn! BRING HIS SKULL TO ME!" The Fanatical orders of another Berserker filled his ears as he looked away from the priest, Four more Chaos marines…
Four more kills for him it seemed, a Grin forming beneath his helm, this was it, he would probably die today, but he brought down dozens of more with him, maybe the Wolf and his Group escaped? Now that did bring a smile to his face, his fingers clenching as he revved the Chainaxe in one hand, his other hand activating the generator of his Power Sword. It felt good, it didn't feel like Gorechild but that was good, he didn't want the weight of that cursed weapon.
"Come! Prove yourself to your false God, Take as much blood as you want! For I will take your LIVES!" Kharn challenged, the Four marines charging forward, Each with varying weapons, one with an Eviscerator, the Greater Chainsword screaming for his blood, another Dual wielding Chainaxes, while the Final two wielded Archaic Lightning Claws, the clawed fingers flexing as the mounted bolters clicked, chambering new rounds.
It was Four against One, finally… An Even fight! Kharn dropped to his knees, sliding forward as he swung his Power Sword, the blades power field glowing in a bright corona of azure energy as it began carving through the leg of the First Berserker, the giant roaring as he swung his Eviscerator as he fell, gouging out a chunk of Kharn's pauldron before a Chainaxe found purchase and fed on the flesh of the Chaos Marine's face.
'One.' Kharn counted softly inside his head, the counter on his helm loudly chiming in agreement.
He lunged forward from his Kneel, burying the blade of his Sword deep into the gut of the 2nd berserker, but he wasn't allowed a moment more to finish his job, a bolter shell crashing through his side and launching him back, blood spurting from the side wound as he rolled across the ground. He wasn't even Fazed, hand raising to brace his Chainaxe against the claws of the 4th Chaos Marine, his Power Sword still lodged into the stomach of a very angry Berserker, who was furiously trying to remove it.
"YOU DIE, TODAY BETRAYER!" The voice of the marine above him was like nails to his ears, but he didn't grace the nuisance with a reply, simply raising his knee and kicking out one of his assaulter's legs, dropping him close enough for Kharn to reach forward and grab one of the Tusks attached to his helm, dragging him face-first into the Spinning teeth of his axe. "BROTHER!" The 3rd and 1st of the two Claw users screamed in anger, watching as the Betrayer bifurcated his blood brother's skull, the Enraged marine raising both gauntlets to unleash a storm of bolter shells. Kharn grunted as he lifted the Claw user's corpse, using it as temporary cover as he barreled through the hail of unholy lead.
'Two…' He thought to himself with clenched teeth, bolter shells slowly beginning to pierce and fly through the remains of his pseudo-cover, before he tossed it aside and knocked over the Dual wielder, shoulder checking the Claw user to the ground as he straddled him. The spiked back of his Chainaxe pierced into the marine's hand and stuck it to the ground, while his off-hand forced the 2nd arm down.
'Three' Kharn counted even before the kill was made, his hand leaving the axe as he clenched his gauntlet-covered fingers, smashing it down into the helm of the marine. One! Two! Three! Four! He was losing count, each strike cracking and denting Ceramite and Adamantine forged plate, blood-spewing after the Fourth strike before bone gave on the Sixth, and finally, brain matter explored the world on the Tenth strike, cascading out from the cracked skull like a dam releasing water.
His knuckles aching, Kharn slowly pushed himself off the downed corpse of his Third kill, hand yanking his Chainaxe from the carcass as he turned and approached the final foe, the Berserker managing to just barely push off the ravaged corpse of his fallen brother, just to look up and meet his demise, he just didn't realize it till it was too late.
"... Four." Khar. Said out loud, boot raising as he claimed another kill, his heel crashing down on the Berserker's head with the force of a Tank, a sickening snap echoing as he pulverized the Marine's vertebrae, snapping it in more places than not even he knew the full extent of the damage his own strike caused. He panted, reaching low and wrenching the Power Sword from the Khorn worshiper's gut.
His limbs were sore, his bones ached, and he was a damned Demi-God, a mortal man would have certainly fallen by now… He chuckled at that, for he was no Mortal man after all. His eyes looked up, locking with the Priest once more, his blood boiling as adrenaline did its best to keep his body active.
She was far, but not far enough as he grunted with exertion, his arm twisted back, his spine arching, muscles flexing as he swung with all his might, launching the blood-slicken Chainaxe through the air, teeth roaring as it spun but would it land? Would his weak mind and body aim correctly?
The emperor smiled upon him for just a moment, a smile he was glad to return. It seemed the deadly weapon made good on the journey and his aim, Clipping and tearing at the robed woman's side, her scream echoing as a spray of blood spewed from her side, her entrails and her left arm spilling to the ground soon after, her knees giving out as she fell before the rift. Yet the portal still glowed in defiance, a Red skinned beast emerging from it, charcoal orange eyes glared hatefully at him, a burning sword in one hand, and a flail in the other, wings still hidden by the purple warp gate.
A Bloodthirster, a Greater beast of Khorne, and by far his greatest challenge today, one he would have to face alone. He almost barked out a laugh, such a challenge was child's play before, but even his wounded mind knew he could never fully succeed in this endeavor.
The portal would not close yet, for the Demon was still emerging, meaning the only way to close it was to make sure nothing was coming out. Now that was a challenge worthy of him! His hand clenching firmly as the Power Sword spluttered to life once more, his eyes drifting down to it with a small and weak smile. 'Just a little longer… just a little longer, please. Then you can rest' he thought, finger tracing and caressing the generator in the handle, hoping the Machine Spirit inside had enough fight left in her.
His answer came, the blade sparking and glowing just a tad brighter. He chuckled, it seemed the machine spirit inside the weapon was just as stubborn as he was, good.
His legs carried him forward for what could be the last time, body shifting to dodge the crackling flail as it whipped past him and pulverized the remains of a dreadnought without much issue, metal boots digging into the rubble of what was once a wall as he leaped through the air, sword raised high above his head. The Thirster raised its own blade in challenge, as it thrusted forward towards the True Betrayer, murder burning inside the monster's eyes.
But the priest still lived, his eyes shifting to examine the woman, her pained chants faint as the world seemingly slowed, if she lived another portal would open, but his trajectory had long been set. The Betrayer's eyes soon focused on the rising blade, its tip pointed towards his chest. Yet Kharn simply grinned at the outcome that would follow.
'So be it…' He thought to himself with a soft chuckle in his mind, his arm swinging the blade earlier than needed, launching it down and towards the priest. He would admit, he took a small amount of grim satisfaction as the blade cleaved through her opposite side, finishing the cut his stolen axe began moments ago, spilling what was left of her tainted, Witch blood across the floor.
A piercing pain filled his chest, as the burning blade of the child of Khorn, gored through his twisted, adamantine plate. The weapon pierced through one of his hearts and two of his lungs, ribs shattering as it speared through his body, exiting his back in a cascade of blood, the red shower coating the red flesh of his 'Killer' and the rock below, the Bloodthirster's eyes filled with sickening glee at seeing its killing blow land.
But Kharn didn't stop, no he kept going forward on the blade, his momentum dragging him closer as his hand reached up, grabbing tightly to the handle of his Combat knife. The blade gleamed, its monomolecular edge singing through the air in an Icepick grip, fire burning in his blood as he used what was left of his energy.
"I'M READY! WHAT ABOUT YOU?!" Kharn screamed in defiance, blade finding purchase in the throat of his killer, crafted muscles working as he pulled the blade out, cutting out a massive gash through the Daemon's throat, arterial sprays mixing with his own blood, as the beast's once happy eyes, filled with horror and shock. The death of the priest had made the portal unstable and now his throat was opened, such a sudden turn of events that the chaos spawn most likely didn't expect.
Yet Kharn didn't stop, fist raised as he Stabbed the blade deep into the Daemon's eye, dragging down and cutting through bone as his determined screams mixed with the agony-filled roars of the beast. The Manifestation of Khorn tumbling back into the broken gate, its flesh tearing and burning as the warp began to consume not only it but also Kharn.
But Khan simply laughed in the face of death, where the demon screeched in fear. This was the death, fitting of a betrayer after all.
He only wished his friends and mentor could see him now. But that was ok, he didn't worry all that much, because he would be seeing them soon. Kharn smiled as the helm on his head cracked and shattered, fragments floating away as his red-eyes gazed into the flashing void, blood-crusted lips pulled tight.
"Brothers… I'm coming." The blood-coated warrior spoke out in a whisper, his world shifting to darkness… but what was this?
Far in the void, he saw it… was that a...
Light. light filled his vision, before the shrill cry of a newborn echoed. His mind went black, eyes refusing to open as he listened to the screams. Why was there a baby? Was he not in the warp? Was Khorn not going to consume and torture his soul for his treachery?
He could vaguely hear voices, the voice of a woman overjoyed, yet it sounded as if she was just moments ago in tears. The gruff and relived laugh of a man following, as dozens of other voices began to cheer and shout in joy
His eyes finally opened, cringing in the light as the wails of the child began to die down… his wails. What? What was happening, his small, fragile head turning to look at the woman embracing him, her skin tanned a warm shade of caramel, eyes a bright teal, plump lips spread in a grin as her tear-soaked eyes laid eyes open on his own, her short red-black hair a mess of sweat and exertion.
"My baby… My baby's ok, he's ok!" She choked back tears and laughed, softly caressing his face as the form of a man entered his view, his skin a lighter shade, almost light blue with grey, rough patches dotting his skin, Six dark lines adorning his throat, three on each side, his smooth shaved face split wide in a jagged smile, his short blond hair shaking as he laughed out. "He has your skin and Hair…" The man, His father, said with pride, reaching forward with his finger to gently rub at 'Kharn's' face.
Instinct took over, as Kharn snapped his newly formed jaws forward, latching onto the man's finger. A grunt of pain followed as the man's red eyes widened slightly, his wife gasping softly… before she started to giggle, head shaking.
"By the look on your face… he has more than just your eyes, doesn't he?" His mother asked Father, the man wincing as he pulled his slightly bloody finger away from the newborn, hissing as he shook it. "Y-Yeah… yeah no, the little pup has a set of Chompers! That's for sure." The words brought laughter to the room, as an Older man moved forward to look at Kharn, a large man with shaggy blond hair and stubble on his face, a hearty laugh leaving his throat. "Just like his Papa! You did the same thing, Mako! When your mother had you, you tried to gnaw my damn fingers off!" The Grandfather laughed, before smiling down at the Child in his Daughter In-law's arms.
"What will you name him?..." The words sounded so happy, the Old man seemed so close to crying in joy. His 'Parents' paused to look at each other, silently conversing with their eyes before they smiled and nodded. "Well… I and Jasper thought that maybe…" Mako turned, waiting for his wife to finish.
"... Kharn. Kharn Koa. Named after your DAD, Mano… or should I say, Grandpa Mano." Mother said with a smile, a spark of Joy filling the Old Man's eyes as he sniffed and nodded a little, hand raising to rub at his eyes. His Father, Mako, slid over to gently wrap an arm around his Father.
'... Maybe this isn't all that bad.' Kharn thought, slightly amused at the chances of keeping his original name. His musing stopped as he was slowly picked up, his focus returning to Mano, the Old man smiling with a deep, rumbling laugh.
"Come on Pup! Show me the pearly whites, growl for Grandpa! Let's see how much of a warrior you are." The challenge made a heat bloom inside his Young chest, as he bared his teeth as far as he could, releasing a soft gurgle-growl in defiance. The laughter that followed made even him giggle out in infant glee.
Yeah… he liked this. This was nice, he didn't know why he was here, but he knew one thing.
He was…
"KHARN!"
"... Fuck…" Kharn winced slightly as he cursed under his breath, the Ten-year-old slowly turning to face his Grandfather, the Elder Koa's eyes filled with Miffed amusement at the sight of his Grandson standing before a damaged tree, His old War's battle axe held firmly between young fingers.
Now where the Old Kharn would never take such a shout, the New Kharn couldn't help but pull the large axe close to his chest as if he was caught sneaking his hand in the sweet jar, the slightly larger than normal Child feeling beads of sweat dripping down the back of his neck. "... H-Hey uh, Grandpa. L-Lovely weather-" his voice trailed off as Mano's eyebrows raised in amusement.
"What are you doing Pup, you know you shouldn't be out here alone, let alone with Celia. Your mother hid that old girl for a reason." Mano spoke, slowly kneeling beside the Younger Koa, hand raising to rest on his shoulder, squeezing softly, giving the silent support and understanding that his grandpa always seemed to give. "But.. I... I Want! To be like you… I want to be a huntsman. The Koa family has fought every generation, even Papa-.." Kharn spoke softly, eyes downcast as he held onto Celia like it was a lifeline.
Mano's eyes softened a little before he turned his head to examine the tree his Grandson was striking. Old and Jolly eyes hardened, as they calmly scrutinized every gash in the wood before they drifted around to the other trees, their own marks giving him all the information he needed, Taking note that some of the trees had humanoid and some Grimm outlines carved into them, the artistic talents of Kharn showing.
But every target had a consistent mark, every target had the strikes focused along the edges, strike patterns marking the knees, elbows, and heads, very few going for center mass. "Where did you learn how to strike like this?" He asked, head-turning down to look at Kharn, The boy pausing for a moment before nervously tapping the axe's head to his shoulder.
"Y-Your stories… and the books, and shows Papa keeps around." It wasn't entirely a Lie, while He did know how to fight, his years of playing a child had dulled them a little, so the examples he gave were more of a refresher course. Luckily, Mano seemed to believe him, the Elder nodding as he slowly stood up and crossed his arms for a moment, eyes closing as he reached up to gently rub his fingers through his beard.
"Celia isn't good enough for you, the old girl can barely keep up with you."
"W-What?" Kharn blinked at his Grandfather's words, the older man reaching forward to tap the Old weapon's edge, the Axe head having gone Dull with chipped edges and rolls in it. "You're too strong with it, don't even have your Aura unlocked and you're already showing the Koa Families' strength, Doubt the Axe can even switch into its Rifle anymore with how much you've manhandled her," Mano said with a playful tone, head shaking as he reached down and easily pulled his old axe from the boy's hands. He looked her over, before nodding as if the next idea that came to mind was the simplest thing ever.
"... I think it's time you meet one of my Old students from Signal, a friend of your Father." He said softly, slowly turning and taking a few steps away, before turning his head to look back at Kharn. "Gotta start combat school soon if you wanna become a Huntsman later, right pup?" The words brought the brightest smile he had ever seen on Kharn's face, the Old Huntsman shaking his head with a chuckle.
Oh, his daughter-in-law is going to kill him for this, he honestly hoped Jasper didn't take it too much to heart.
So turns out she DID take it to heart, but that wasn't all that important right now really.
Mano could honestly still feel his ears ringing, Kharn the lucky lad, had decided to stay outside and avoid the Ire of his angry mother.
The boy was learning fast, angry women were forces of nature even Grimm should fear.
"Do I look ok Grandpa?" Kharn's words broke the man out of thought, his eyes drifting to see his grandson doing his best to zip up his black jacket, honestly, it was a miracle they even got the red shirt and grey pants on him, Kharn wasn't fat of course, heaven no, the kid was just shockingly wide. The doctors predicted the child would easily reach the higher ends of 6ft and even lower-end 7ft, easily pushing past Mano who was the tallest of the family at 6'4. He even joked to Jasper and Mako that they had a 'Mega Shark' here, blaming their Faunes heritage for his size.
"Just leave it Unzipped Pup, you won't get it closed…. Gonna have to shop for some more clothes later this month it seems." The man laughed deeply, reaching down to ruffle the cropped and buzzed red-black locks on his head. "O-Oh… ok!" Kharn finally said after the information registered in his mind.
Head shaking, Mano chuckled as he gently knocked on the door before them, the Oakwood shaking gently. Kharn took the Journey rather well, never whining or gasping for breath, the boy had a set of lungs on him that's for sure. Not a moment later, a Tall blond man opened the door, he had shaggy hair, with a small amount of scraggly facial hair on his jaw and chin. The man's demeanor brightened up instantly, eyes filling with a warmth that could only be described as a fatherly aura mixed with a friendly and kind friend.
"Mano Koa! You old Shark! HAH!" The man laughed out loudly, arm extending as the Older man let out his Jolly bellow, hand clashing with the man's own. "Taiyang Xiao-Long, you Sly dog!" Kharn almost didn't register his Grandfather's words, focusing more on the aggressive lock of hands as the old friends seemingly tried to overpower each other, smirks holding strong as their biceps flexed. It was like two Stags locking antlers, trying to overpower each other in competition, and one did give.
"Gah! Dammit." Mano growled when the lock finally pushed his old muscles too far, Taiyang hollering out a triumphant laugh, pumping his fist with a smug grin. "Getting Old Mano, Shark losing his bite?" The blond man taunted with a chuckle, standing aside to let them both in, Mano grumbling with a playful glare as he shaked his head. "No respect from you kids! I swear."
The trek to the kitchen wasn't too long, though Kharn couldn't help looking around, eyes taking in all the pictures, furniture, and even… his eyes locked with the empty dog bed at the edge of the living room. Dogs weren't rare by any means in the realm he was from, but Remnant had hounds that he found so much calmer and much more loving than most of the war dogs he met. But that didn't matter right now, no he followed after his Grandfather as he gently slid his hands into his pockets, fingers nervously tugging on the fabrics inside, what he would give to have kept the Hypnotherapy and Indoctrination of his old life, at least then he wouldn't be nervous.
"So… this is him? The Prodigy I heard about over the phone calls?" Kharn's mind returned as he nervously looked between the two men, of course, he kept his face relaxed, he just needed to stay calm. "Yep!... Kharn's a natural-born warrior. The kid reads a few books, sees some moves on a show, and the next thing I know he's sinking Celia into the weakest parts of a human body he carved into a damn tree." The words seemed to make Taiyang look over at him, the man examining him as he took a seat and motioned Kharn to sit across from him at the table. Kharn followed without questions, taking his seat as Taiyang crossed his arms. "Ok… if that's true…"
"5 ways to subdue a target." The words made Kharn pause for a moment, fingers tapping on the table as he narrowed his eyes in thought. "Can I get scenarios, Mr.Xiao-Long?" He said softly, the man snorting as he nodded, thinking for a moment.
"Target approaches from the front, Sword raised for a slash aimed to go across your shoulder and chest, what do you do?" He started, the Young Koa pausing before nodding. "Move in close, strike his Elbow and attempt to break it mid-swing, cup strike to both ears to discombobulate him." The words calmly flowed from his mouth, Taiyang pausing before nodding as he hummed in approval.
"Two targets, One with a Blunt object, a hammer perhaps. The other uses a small caliber firearm, let's say an SMG. What do you do, Kharn?" This one was tougher, Kharn had to pause for a moment before nodding. "Brute force strike to the knee of the hammer user, use him as a shield as I charge at his friend, the gunman would hesitate to take the shot, I'll strike him with the hammer I've taken from the previous target." Another nod of approval, followed by the sip of a drink as his grandfather sipped from a glass of water.
"You're pinned down, the target has both your hands locked with their own, what do you do?" This one was easier, Kharn leans forward and places his elbows on the table to better support himself as he looked at Taiyang. "Knee strike to the stomach or genitals, headbutt to the nose or jaw to break something, swift headlock after to render him unconscious or to lethally kill."
Taiyang narrowed his eyes slowly, smirking as another scenario came to his mind, body leaning forward in challenge. "Grimm invasion, your classmates are scared, the Grimm are closing in, what do you do to save them." The blond instructor had a triumphant glint in his eyes once more, he thought he had won now, that the young boy couldn't possibly figure out an answer for this one.
"All children of the ages Ten or higher have a 6/8 chance of having a scroll, very rarely do those entering the combat field go without one considering they act as credentials in many cases. I'd tell one of my, let's say, Thirty classmates, to call for help. I however will walk in the opposite direction, thinking negative thoughts to draw away as many Grimm as possible." The hard glint in Kharn's eyes was matched only by Taiyang's calculative gaze, Mano having frozen the moment Kharn answered.
"That would get you killed, or at least put you in harm's way." The Signal teacher said softly after a few moments, frowning a little.
"I know," Kharn said back, the resolve in his eyes confirming his statement. The gaze of someone willing to die for others, something that did not go unnoticed by the two adults, both of them making eye contact. Mono and Taiyang seemingly silently conversed, before the blond nodded and stood up, hand extended. "It'll be an honor to see you around signal, Mr.Koa"
The words brought a thankful smile to Kharn's face, the boy standing up so that he could grab and shake the Xiao-Long patriarch's hand. "Please… Kharn is fine, besides. I don't need honor, this chance is enough for me."
"... Kid, does anyone ever tell you that you're a little intense?" Taiyang teased with a soft laugh, the joke did make Kharn smirk a little as his mind drifted back to some of his battle-brothers.
"... Maybe a little."
Thrones damn'd rather take a Hellfire Bolt to the skull than listen to this rabble any longer.
It was true too, Kharn could feel the Migrain growing inside his skull as he stared down at his opponent, some snobby rich kid who thought the world revolved around him, so much so that he thought he could bring down the 'Beast of Signal'.
Beast of Signal. The oh so gracious name he had been stuck with for Three God damn years. The moment he finished this world's equivalent of normal schola and started his training at Signal, the talk and rumors only grew about him. Which made sense, considering when he started at Signal Academy he was a gigantic 6'2 at the age of 14. Coupled with his Faunus heritage, which gave him teeth that made a chainsaw seem dull, and a pair of red eyes that were only accented more with his darker skin and hair colors, people were either given the option to either stare at his mouth or his eyes when they met.
Other than the growth spurt, his outfits gained a Semi decent upgrade, being friends with basically only girls and a few boys, some of which were blatantly flamboyant at times, he got his 'Look issue fixed' as they said. His outfit consisted of a Maroon sleeveless hoodie vest, the back of which had his emblem, a Blazing sun between the jagged hold of shark teeth, with rather simple black cargo pants and boots, he had some accessories as well, mostly just bracelets and bicep straps that friends gifted over the years. It wasn't Ceramite armor that's for sure, but maybe he could forge some later.
While his physical appearance gained the most impressive change, gone was 'Wide Kharn' as his friends teased, what remained was a mass of sculpted muscles, forearms that put an Ursa to shame, a Six-pack that only brawlers and heavy hitters earned through harsh training, and a stone cute physique that made his angled jaw look even scarier considering he could probably but through iron, Long locks of Red-Black braided into large dreadlocks, the fact he had his mother's hair adding to the beautiful transition of red root and base, to black tips, heavy metal rings of various non-magnetic alloys keeping the braids together. If it wasn't for the fact his mouth resembled every divers worst nightmare, he would probably catch the eyes and hearts of most girls who liked the cliche 'Strong man'.
"Hah. You'll regret your choice of joining this prestigious school, Saw face." The human male snarked out, dragging Kharn from his musing, a musing kharn desperately wanted to go back too so he could ignore the prick. What was his name again? Bruin? Bruns?... Oh! Bruno. Bruno was his name, which considering how much brown was on the literal Shit stain of his day, he almost cackled at the comparison.
"Is that so Bruno? Fine… come slay the monster." What, Kharn be snarky back. The larger male clenching his fists as he brought them forward in a Boxer's stance. He hadn't forged a weapon yet, he didn't feel he needed one just yet so he purposely held it off for as long as possible, and he made a promise to a friend, she wanted to help and Kharn didn't break promises, not anymore at least.
The words seemed to anger Bruno, the shorter lancer wannabe scowling as he flicked his brown locks around, taking a stance as he twirled around his Gun-Spear, the staff speeding around his oh so fancy outfit, one that Kharn wanted to shred badly. Silence filled the room, before Bruno lunged and rapidly stabbed towards his foe, each strike aimed to bruise flesh that was protected by Aura. The loud crack of metal meeting Aura echoing like the rapid staccato of a Cello, whose strings were quickly stopped from vibrating too long. 'Crack! Ka-Crack! Ka-Ka-Ka Crack!' Filled the room as the spear sparked across Kharn's Red Aura.
Where the entire Class focused on the battle, Two students focused on something else. A certain sibling pair, one watching with an amused glance, while the other winced at each strike her friend took. "Y-Yang? Should we be worried… He's taking a lot of damage…" Ruby mumbled softly, the Red-Black-haired girl wincing with every Crack she heard, fingers clenching as she held her red cape closer, silver eyes filled with concern. Her worry was justified in many cases, not many people just shrugged off hits like this.
Yang just snorted, the blond bombshell fixing her yellow tank top's edge, making sure just enough cleavage was showing, before dusting some invisible dust from her jacket's shoulder. "Nah... Sharkys just letting Bruno live out his fantasy for a while, remember it's your first day her Rubes! Pay attention, that way you see what a Top Dog looks like." The Lavender-eyed teen simply stretched as she reached around, tilting her sister's head back so that she was watching the Aura Bars shown above the fight on a screen.
Bruno Straza: 100%, Class 3 AuraKharn Koa: 80%, Class 7 Aura
The words made the young rose squint, eyes shooting down to the fight and then back up. "Class 7. But Uncle Qrow has a Class 6, and Dad has a 7… b-but they're both full-fledged…." If any more color could drain from her face it probably would. Yang just smirked, nodding as she yawned. "Yep. Shark boy is a walking Juggernaut. He's the 2nd person to ever have a Class 7 in signal history, and Dad said he may even reach a class 8." The words made what few that could hear them flinch, considering the highest Aura class was a devastating 12. Very few came close to that level, in fact, most of them only had Class 3-5 Aura.
"Pssst. Ruby watch, this is the best part." Yang's words brought Ruby back to focus, just in time to watch the greatest magic trick ever happen. A trick known as…
'Make the asshole's head disappear'.
A single noise echoed throughout the room, a resounding smack that made people question if a thunderstorm was currently outside the building. The rapid-fire stabs were silenced by a single 'BAM'. Ruby had never seen an Aura bar go from 100% to 60% before, but there was a first for everything. Everyone cringing as a massive uppercut practically hit Bruno like a Train, the brown hair lancer leaving the ground for what felt like ages as the mighty blow lifted him off the ground, she could hear the students softly praying in mumbles as Bruno's spirit seemingly left his body.
That was before another 'CRUNCH' followed, Kharn's free hand coming down and grabbing the back of his opponent's head, before planting his head into the ground with ease, stone shattering as he used the brunette as a pseudo shovel to dig with. 'So that's how someone goes from 60% to 10%...' Ruby winced slightly at the thought.
"Ah Jeez Kharn, thank you Soo much for taking it easy on Bruno. Think you could go a little harder next time?" A sarcastic voice spoke out, a scraggly and lanky man calmly tapping across his Tablet Scroll, a frown on his face as he sighed and dragged some fingers through his hair, eyes tired but also a little amused at the current status of one of his students. "Ah…Sorry, Mr.Branwen.." The large teen chuckled out, reaching up to scratch the back of his head as the instructor gave him a playful frown.
"Sure you are kid…. Ok, Class, normally I'd point out the flaws but Mr.Straza is currently in Lala Land so the class is out a little earlier than normal. Remember, next week are your finals! So prepare." It was blatantly obvious at this point that Qrow was reading a script, eyes never leaving his tablet scroll without much care, It almost felt like 60% of the time He wanted out of class more than the students.
Not like the students cared, the moment they were allowed to leave they practically scampered out of the sparring room like cockroaches when the light was turned on. Groups formed before they even left the room, students talking animatedly about the fight as their Unlucky teacher was forced to drag a possibly concussed student to the infirmary. Kharn smirked as the sea of students parted for him, allowing the Two sisters he called friends find him with ease.
"So! Shark man, did ya have to turn Bruno into a brown stain on the ground?" Yang jokingly scolded, lightly punching his arm, the red giant thinking for a moment before snorting. "What do you mean? He was already a shit stain, just made it clearer." His chuckling was followed by giggles and a certain rose covering her ears at the 'Swear word'.
Speaking of the Rose, Kharn came up with a rather fun idea, he waited for Ruby to look away, before his large hand reached down to grab and lift the smaller girl from the scruff of her hood, the pint-sized weapon lover letting out an 'Eeep!' At the sudden elevation. "Ah! So the fresh meat arrives, finally ready to put that brain full of weapon schematics to work?" The words making an excited grin split her face, her head nodding quickly. "Yep Yep! Do you have the 'Special Ingredients'? We'll need them for this."
A Grin spread across his own face, as he dug around in one of his many Cargo pants, the 'Dad pants' as Yang teased, before pulling out a large bag and holding it to her. "Plenty to choose and mold from, will all of these do M'Lady~?" He gruffly chuckled, the Silver eyed gun-nut taking the bag and glancing inside, soft clicking and clacking echoing from inside before she nodded with an almost evil grin.
"So it begins!" She said with an intensity that made even Yang blink slightly in worry, the blond-haired sister blinking with a concerned and worried grin as her sister and friend began to chuckle around her, and not normal chuckle, no this was almost evil creepy chuckling.
"Hah… hah… why are you both laughing, what… What are two planning." Her response was more giggling as Ruby held the bag to her, Lavender eyes peeking inside before widening, her frown forming as she cringed in disgust.
"Oh what the actual FU-"