*CCT Tower, Beacon Academy*
Adrian twiddled with his thumbs at the elevator to Ozpin's office started itself up.
How did he get here? The usual process of wake up, push-ups, brush your teeth and eat breakfast with the added, and especially favoured 'Get a message from Ozpin' as a nice dessert to the daily meal.
Yesterday had gotten him into a mess concerning some White Fang goons, what wasn't a complete mess was getting information about a Dust hijacking and a top-secret recruitment session, which Adrian was happy enough to crash both just to shoot things up and punch a few of those willing to commit acts of terror.
For a non-existent America of Remnant, he told himself.
He would need to plan things out, he couldn't carry all his weapons. His mind would linger on those thoughts later as the doors opened to Ozpin's office, the man in question taking a delighted sip from his mug. He seemed happier than usual.
"Sir." Adrian greeted with a salute.
"Please, you are one of my comrades, not my underling." Ozpin stated, dissatisfied that Adrian still treated him much like a commanding officer. He wasn't Ironwood.
"It's impulse. Can't squish out the American pride." Adrian also stated. "You seem happier than usual Ozpin."
"The shipment of Mistralian coffee finally arrived today." Ozpin said as he smiled. "Taxing for the school budget, but a man must have his own guilty pleasures."
"Coffee huh? Always preferred a nice, cold soda." Adrian commented on as he sat on the seat facing Ozpin.
"Perhaps you should try some. As one of my trusted allies I wish for no qualms between any of us." Ozpin spoke as he put and mug down and clasped his hands together.
"Another time when I'm not feeling so twitchy." Adrian responded.
"Of course. Now onto business." Ozpin took out the Scroll that contained the information concerning the Dust hijacking.
"This particular Scroll I had a friend from Atlas crack into. It pertains exactly to hijacking Dust supply trucks in broad daylight none-the-less and robbing all the Dust before the authorities arrive. Foolproof enough is it not?"
"Perhaps, but broad daylight too? These terrorists are extremely ballsy compared to Earth's." Adrian informed.
"And what are Earth's terrorists like?" Ozpin asked.
"From what I saw, they only fight in their own territories, otherwise they use scare tactics like suicide bombings and mass shootings to spread fear and their own agenda." Adrian answered.
"Well Remnant's White Fang are certainly the same, although they tend to forgo any suicidal tactics in favour of brute force and numbers." Ozpin said.
"The more the merrier." Adrian remarked.
"Whatever you say. Now I presume you would want to participate?"
"Isn't that the reason why you brought me up here Oz?"
"Among other things, but mostly yes." Ozpin affirmed. "Although the way I would like this to go out will certainly be… controversial."
"And why is that…?" Adrian adjusted his seat and tipped his head to the right.
"This isn't a movie where the series of events are twisted to the protagonist's benefit. The White Fang know the three men you apprehended are in prison and have had important information taken away from them. They are sure to switch their plan to another more efficient one."
"One digit to the headmaster." Adrian muttered. "But get to the point."
"What I mean to say is… we let the events play out." Ozpin finally confirmed.
"So, you're saying…"
"Yes, I plan to let them steal the Dust. I've already convinced the Vale Council to spread their police force near roads leading outside Vale and the reports will be quick."
Ozpin continued; "The White Fang will assume that they'll be able to commit the crime freely, alas, the passengers will be disguised cargo drivers whom will let us know what transpired."
"This sound too perfect Oz." Adrian admitted.
"I've come up with a contingency plan if the disguised drivers find themselves injured or deceased. The Vale Council again, has set up barriers on the roads leading out of Vale. They have no choice but to retreat to the warehouses and wait for reinforcements. That is where you and Glynda will come in."
"As clean-up then? I see." The marine mused to himself as he thought more about Ozpin's plan.
"You and Glynda will clear out and arrest any White Fang still alive after the VPD has arrived. I've authorised lethal force so feel free to use such titles to your advantage."
"Finally. I get to test out a few things then."
"Don't be too harsh Adrian, the Faunus will surely react negatively to this once word gets out." Ozpin chided.
"Understood, anything else?" Adrian asked.
"Other than you prepare yourself for the task ahead."
Adrian simply nodded and got up from his chair before leaving for the elevator. His mind was on overdrive. Finally! He wasn't just meandering about on Beacon's ground or loitering on Vale, but doing something for once, something obviously beneficial!
As he pushed the buttons to descend, he wondered what his arsenal should be. His trusty M4 would work always and its grenade launcher attachment made it highly adaptable. The Shock Roach was still on his arm, strange how yet no one had called him out for having it on his arm, but he knew it'd be useful if his M4 ever ran dry on ammunition.
His M40A1 Sniper Rifle could prove useful as well. It was a fact that Adrian sometimes ran straight through crossfire just to get somewhere important, but he knew little of 'Aura' and 'Semblances' in a hands-on perspective so something for long distance firefights would be highly useful.
He would bring his trusty Pipe Wrench and his Combat Knife as backup. Satchel Charges would be beneficial since the design could be unknown to the White Fang, making ambushes and surprise attacks possible.
So, it was decided as the doors opened. He would show those White Fang he wasn't a simple maggot grovelling in elephant shit, as his drill instructor would say, but a killing machine worth his title as Corporal, not amphibian shit as his drill instructor would also say.
Walking out of the CCT and back to his house, he ended up being subjected to the scariest thing an academy could offer.
A stampede of late students.
Adrian had to fully leg it or suffer being trampled and or severely dazed. He swore he had seen both Team RWBY and JNPR in the mass of students but chose to ignore such for now as he unlocked the gate to his personal safe space, and humble abode.
Such a random occurrence, almost seemed like some unknown force had made it happen.
Once he closed the front door, he rushed and got to work immediately. Dragging out the crates of supplies, he opened the ones with his weapons and took out what he needed before moving on to the next crate full of PCVs, which he took one out of common sense.
After dragging the crates back to an inconspicuous hiding place, he went to sitting on his couch while checking on the conditions of his weapons. They were all quite pristine despite having a chance they were taken straight from the corpses of HECU marines.
The M40A1 Snipe Rifle had a useful strap on its underside so he could wear it on his back. The scope's sight was clear as day and many of the mechanisms still worked. Bolt-action was clunky and Adrian assumed that semi-automatic rifles existed in Remnant, but it made up with how much punishment it could bring forth.
Perhaps reciting the Rifleman's Creed would be a possibility, if the rifle ever started talking.
His trusty Colt 727 Rifle, only those willing would be able to wield these monsters, many others opted for the nimble MP5. Big, bulky yet held some considerable firepower compared to the MP5, those who had this certainly preferred raw strength over speed.
Truthfully, he was adept in both.
With nothing left to do other than play the waiting game, he got up and walked only to sit back down again, watched the Vale News Network, opened the fridge again and again and went through songs on his iPod all to calm his hyperactive nerves. A lack of combat would be a problem soon, if it affected him this badly…
*7 hours later…*
It took a while before the "good" witch made her presence known.
Adrian had decided to take a small nap to wait things out after finding out that he was subconsciously walking. Groggily being awoken as a sharp knocking emanated from the front door, he tore off his gas mask and rubbed his eyes. Yawning as he quickly wore his mask, he went to answer.
He was greeted with the rather aggressive face of Glynda Goodwitch, who noticed Adrian's rather dishevelled appearance. "For a marine to be sleeping on the job, you somehow disgrace your great country."
Right, Adrian had talked about America like it was the best thing ever. "Don't blame me for having to wait this long for you to come."
"You should've simply attended classes until I came." Adrian flinched, realising her words made logical sense.
"What's up Goodwitch?"
"Meet me at the docking area. We've just gotten word of a Dust robbery, White Fang."
Goodwitch walked, Adrian scrambled. Her steps reverberated throughout the ground as she made her way to the front gate, maintaining her stoic attitude as Adrian came running for her, weapons on him and on full alert, his pace akin to a true soldier.
"Any intel on their whereabouts?" Adrian asked.
"I'll answer once we get on our Bullhead." Goodwitch snapped as she trampled towards her destination. He chastised himself for asking, knowing he would've wasted time as he followed her.
*[LOCATION: Vale Airspace, Remnant]*
To say this was sudden was an understatement.
Adrian expected a friendly visit only to know that those terrorists had made their move and were currently attempting to flee with the stolen Dust. On-board on Bullhead in Vale airspace as it flew towards the road the White Fang were currently on.
From what Goodwitch had told him, the White Fang attacked several cargo trucks full of Dust, ruthlessly killing the drivers while only severely injuring a few others. His only response was to growl in anger, eager to give the bastards a lesson on the freedom of justice.
He had his M40A1 Sniper Rifle ready with a fresh round while Goodwitch tightened the grip on her riding crop, still as stone-faced as ever as barely any emotion escaped her mask of total domination over her own self.
"So," Adrian started. "Why'd Oz ask you to accompany me? From what I know you don't have a lot of free time to be doing this."
"I have the time, I simply use it effectively." Goodwitch mused. "And Ozpin assigned me to this particular mission to… socialize with you."
"Well while the Vietnam War was complete torture, I read that friendships were made despite the napalm and bullets. Same applies here, I save your life perhaps and you do the same." Adrian whispered, not wanting to get the attention of the pilots.
Goodwitch harrumphed at the comparison and whispered back. "Your world has a lot of wars."
"Well we don't have Grimm to kill, only ourselves." Adrian grimly affirmed quietly. "That's beside the point though, Oz seems pretty keen in the staff getting along with me."
"Considering you're a man from an entirely different world, Ozpin would certainly ask for cooperation for many reasons." She murmured back.
"Yeah, never mind that now." Adrian returned to his normal speaking voice. "I'm just waiting to pop some heads."
Goodwitch raised a brow at that comment. "You seem eager."
"These assholes signed their death warrants as soon as they decided to join. I've got no sympathy for the blind ma'am, unless I know they're not shit-for-brains trying to kill innocents." Adrian hissed.
"How would you know that?" Goodwitch questioned.
"I'm psychic." Adrian answered.
"Now isn't the time for jokes Mr. Shephard."
"I know, but I have great intuition."
Goodwitch shook her head as the Bullhead neared the cargo trucks, all scattered as a firefight had commenced. Adrian aimed down the scope and counted his targets as the Bullhead slowly descended for Goodwitch to land safely on solid ground.
"Could you draw them out for me?" Adrian asked.
"I'll do my best." Goodwitch answered as she contacted the ground beneath and ran to assist the VPD with their struggle.
The Bullhead ascended hastily and Adrian had a good overlook of the battle before him. Taking aim at a grunt taking cover, he fired the shot and saw his target collapse with a fresh bullet wound.
"Huh, guess gunpowder bullets rip though Aura." Adrian chuckled as he drew the bolt back before sliding it forward. "This will be fun then."
The enemy eventually confirmed Adrian's airborne presence and tried to fruitlessly fire at the marine above. Bullet spread and trajectory meant the bullets missed or didn't reach him, all while Adrian continued to slaughter the terrorists below him.
Goodwitch had torn a part of the road off to use as cover, letting the VPD slowly gain ground against the White Fang and acting as cover in case some of them decided to attack from behind. Her semblance wore her out due to the size of the rubble and she slowly let it stand as she took in some air.
Some White Fang on top of buildings attempted to ambush her and some cops from behind, managing to narrow down their opposition's numbers as cops fell to the ground dead, but Adrian swiftly put down a few while the rest were taken care of as soon as they heard the crack of Adrian's rifle.
Goodwitch stared at the trooper with a solemn smile, knowing he was doing his best to save those righteous. The bullet that ripped through the head of a White Fang soldier attempting to ambush her with a knife brought her back to reality, as she swiftly tore chunks of the road to send toward her attackers.
Reloading as the Bullhead manoeuvred around the firefight, he took aim once more as he expertly tore through the ranks of White Fang. Goodwitch continued to tear out parts of the road and directed them towards their fortifications, drawing them out of cover for Adrian to snipe.
The more the battle dragged on, the less the White Fang had to fight with. The trooper above was easily blowing the brains out of the terrorists stupid enough to attempt to retreat from their cover. Inserting a fresh clip, he was confused to see that none were coming out of the buildings the VPD and Goodwitch were facing.
Adrian got up and knocked on the cockpit door, gesturing to the pilot to land once they opened the door. As the Bullhead descended, Goodwitch's eyes went wide as plates as she activated her Semblance, throwing Ice vials from a Dust holder she had.
"Adrian, behind you! Shoot the Dust!"
The glass holding the Dust shattered in an instant and the trooper turned to see a rocket barrelling straight towards him. Doing as Goodwitch asked, he didn't both aiming and took a shot at the Dust still in the air. The volatile nature of it as the bullet shot through the air caused it to react, creating an ice barrier large enough to take the rocket's explosive impact.
"They have fucking rocket launchers?!" He exclaimed as he turned to the pilot, also as scared as Adrian was when he realized they both would've died. "Land this goddamn thing NOW!"
Adrian held onto a seat as the Bullhead attempted a swift landing. He could see through his mask that the White Fang were now on top of the buildings, wielding Dust-powered rocket launchers as they eliminated the opposition.
Goodwitch was running across the roofs of the building, using her Semblance to rip the guns off their hands before using them to batter them into unconsciousness. She had even thrown a rocket straight back at the one who had shot it, although it did take a lot of effort on her part.
As the Bullhead landed, he could below her was complete chaos, she and Adrian weren't enough to prevent the White Fang blowing the roads and buildings to high hell. Most were retreating to the hijacked trucks, some escaping as their allies stayed behind to heighten the VPD body count. Adrian gritted his teeth as he shot the tire of one of the trucks, impeding any movement.
Those whom were left behind either fought to their deaths, or surrendered for their own well-being. As the VPD arrested those remaining, Goodwitch went to talk with Adrian, the woman in question seeing a glint in Adrian's eye.
"I have to thank you for your reflexes." Goodwitch uttered, "Without them you would not have survived, and Ozpin would certainly have been quite saddened."
"Enough chit-chat, we're going after those bastards." Adrian snorted at her neutral standing and got back into the Bullhead. Goodwitch followed, wondering why he was suddenly so aggressive that even a simple compliment would disappoint him.
*Vale Docks, Remnant*
As the Bullhead landed behind a VPD fortification that faced the dock's warehouses, Adrian had jumped off as soon as he deemed it safe to do so, while Goodwitch simply walked out like the mistress she was. The police recognized Ozpin's second-in-command and let her through, alongside the trooper whom they had heard was a Huntsman from Atlas.
"You have a plan?" Adrian asked with a raised brow.
"Certainly," Goodwitch said. "You'll lead a team of VPD's special forces inside, snuff them out before they can even call for help. I'll be doing the same."
"No. I'm not doing that."
"Excuse you? What a ridiculous comment."
"Well go ahead and shove one of your comments up my ass. I'm going in there alone, I've done it once and I'm going to do it again, okay?"
"Adrian," Goodwitch had a look of shock and worry plastered on her face, quite taken back by his vulgarity. "Please, don't make such a reckless decision… it's what got your friends killed back at Black Mesa…"
He winced at what she said. She was right, his ineptitude caused the death of those he wanted to help escape, he was just a Corporal, not a strategist by the likes of Sun Tzu. But even then, the risk of leading another team to their death, it pained him to even think about it.
"I'm doing it alone." Adrian decided as she strapped his sniper rifle on his back and drew his M14. "Take the special forces with you, I'll be fine."
Goodwitch sighed, letting Adrian go as he ran into the docks. She could think of a few reasons why Adrian had refused to do what was best. He was still a man after all, one who had honestly gone through something even she dreaded. A face mixed with annoyance and worry showed itself.
But she had a job to do, they both did.
SOOTHING ANTAGONIST
- CHRIS JENSEN, HALF-LIFE: OPPOSING FORCE OST
Adrian made sure to slow down as to not expose his footsteps as he crouched behind a cargo tanker, breathing lightly to calm himself down. Peeking out of cover, he saw several White Fang patrolling an open area, along with a few others surrounding a radio of sorts.
He tracked those on patrol and made himself a plan. Those surrounding the radio could be calling for reinforcements, or some aircraft to help transport the stolen Dust. A Satchel Charge would deal with the idiots bundled in one place. The others he would just have to take out the old-fashioned way.
So, he took out a Satchel Charge and briefly went out of cover to throw it, quickly dashing back into cover once he had done so. He could hear it scrap across the ground, before hearing the bewildered surprise of the grunts.
"The hell…?"
"What is that?"
"I think someone threw it."
Adrian grimaced, seeing that his prediction was true. Taking hold of the detonator, he had to smile at the last comment one of them made.
"Ex…plosive!"
Adrian slammed his thumb onto the detonator's button, causing the charge to erupt into a ball of heat, taking those surrounding the radio with it, as it burned through everything, leaving nothing behind other than the charred remains of the radio and the once-alive terrorists.
"Someone's here!"
"Find them! Now!"
[END MUSIC]
CREATURE SLAUGHTER
- JESPER KYD, BORDERLANDS 2 OST
Bolting his way out of cover, he drew his M14 and fired at a deer goon attempting to rush him with a primitive sword. He mentally frowned at the fact she brought a sword to a rifle fight as the bullets tore through her Aura and eventually her flesh.
Two others, one a crocodile Faunus and the other a rabbit Faunus, fired their Dust rifles at Adrian, him sprinting to cover as the bullets hit him. He could feel the elements wreak havoc on his skin, but it wasn't as painful as gunpowder bullets and his PCV energy helped dampen some of the damage.
Another goon, a dog Faunus tried to rush him while firing his Dust revolver. Adrian simply powered on like an incoming train before tackling the man, conveniently right beside another tanker. Adrian took out his Combat Knife and shanked it through the Faunus' throat, them gurgling for life before falling limp.
Loading the M14's grenade launcher attachment, his shield energy was at a 93%, quite measly compared to the Grimm's claws or the bullets he used. He came out of cover and swiftly fired the grenade at the two offenders, them failing to react as the explosion tore them apart.
Slowly, more White Fang flooded from different places. Adrian remained behind the tanker, taking peeks to fire a few shots at those attempting to make their way to his position. Taking his sniper rifle from his back, he aimed at an enemy sniper hiding behind a few Dust crates. As soon as they made themselves known, Adrian blew their head off instantly.
He continued this song and dance, of gunfire and death. Soon, he assumed it would be safe for him to exit to find other places to cover him, seeing and checking that the numbers were narrowed enough so he could take the brunt of their force.
So, he ran out of cover. They heard his footsteps and fired at him. The bullets did minimal damage, Adrian expecting to only suffer a few burn wounds after this was all done.
He failed to notice however, that a sniper hiding inconspicuously behind the warehouse windows took a pot-shot straight at Adrian. He knew it did nothing, then internally swore as the bullet somehow had managed to short-circuit his PVC temporarily.
He ran faster and jumped into cover, but not before someone took a lucky shot to his right leg. He grunted in pain as she shifted farther away from his attackers. He threw down a well-hidden Satchel Charge before tending to his wounded leg.
He tore some of his shirt off to bandage the wound, him sighing in relief as the PCV reactivated and went back to its original level. How and why did the sniper's bullet short-circuit his combat vest?
Then he remembered.
He had read a book on Dust. The material had elemental properties and could be used in bullets. And he deduced that the sniper had used an electricity Dust bullet to try and kill him, instead it powered down his vest.
He needed to be extra careful, those with electricity bullets could send him to an early grave and they needed to be taken care of first. He picked up his thrown Satchel Charge before taking aim at where he presumed he was shot, leaving cover momentarily. The sniper slowly peeked their head out, but managed to duck as Adrian fired.
Gritting his teeth in pain, he threw down his sniper rifle and drew out his Pipe Wrench as a bull Faunus came into his hiding spot. Throwing the wrench at the attacker dazed them as he rushed them, plunging his Combat Knife into their throat and ending their life immediately.
Once that was over, he checked through his ammunition. One clip left for the M40A1 and three for his M14. He needed to get rid of the sniper somehow without risking himself in the process.
He had an idea though. The bullet would short-circuit, but not injure unless their rifle was semi-automatic. He aimed at the warehouse window, grunting due to his hurt leg, and saw the sniper leaving cover.
Both fired.
But only one remained.
Their bullets again stopped his PCV's functions, but his bullet killed the sniper in an instant.
Adrian grinned on a job well done, hiding behind cover once more. It was a process of hiding and firing as the reinforcements poured from the warehouse door until none of them remained. As he left cover, he saw their corpses strewn about but remained unfazed by it. They got what was coming for them.
[END MUSIC]
Limping his way to the warehouse, he opened a small door that lead inside. Aiming at whoever was still inside, he was shocked to see a well-built man sitting on top of some Dust crates, with short, black hair and the normal White Fang attire except for his top's collar. He had a custom mask unlike the common cannon fodder and had several black tattoos on his left arm.
The more surprising thing however was what he was sharpening.
"Is that a chainsaw… sword?" Adrian muttered in disbelief, Remnant really did have bizarre weapons, almost to a point where he felt at a disadvantage.
The man saw Adrian and growled, not hesitating as he activated his chainsaw sword, revving it up and marching aggressively.
"You're dead, Altesian."
In the blink of an eye, Adrian knew what he had to do.
Run.
He dashed for a ladder leading to a balcony overlooking the warehouse as the man sprinted. He successfully managed to climb the ladder before the man sawed off the bottom half. Adrian sighed in relief, then in fear when the man suddenly jumped and took a hold of the remaining ladder, lifting himself up.
Adrian groaned and took out a Satchel Charge, a plan already formulated. The explosion could perhaps destroy his Aura, or better yet kill him. It didn't hurt to try.
As the man stood up and roared as he charged, Adrian threw the Satchel Charge at his chest and detonated it mid-air, enveloping the man in smoke. Adrian drew his Pipe Wrench and waited anxiously, only to see the man come from the smoke battered, but not dead.
He charged instantly and made a downward slash, with Adrian rolling over to the side. He followed with a sidewards slash which Adrian ducking before slamming the pipe wrench onto his foot. He roared in pain and attempted to grab Adrian by the head, which the trooper narrowly dodged.
Now Adrian had to fight in close-quarters, or find an opening to fire at. He dodged another slash but was kneed in the gut as the man grabbed his head and powered it down onto the floor. His PCV sustained most of the impact and he rolled away to prevent his own head getting sawed off.
He drew his M14 and fired at his left hand, causing him to grunt as he lost blood from the bullet wound. He charged forward as Adrian continued firing. The bullets hurt him but he still roared forward, managing to grip onto his M14 and ripped it out of Adrian's hands before smacking his head sideways like a baseball bat.
He was hide by an upward strike and punched in the face. Adrian recovered quickly enough to escape a downwards slash but not fast enough to stop the man from grabbing his shirt's collar and throwing him off the balcony.
As he collided with the ground, he groaned in pain. Despite the PCV taking most of the damage, it still hurt a lot. He looked up to see that the man was now wielding his M14.
"I'll make your pain short."
Adrian scrambled to find cover as the man sprayed bullets across the warehouse, Adrian decided to hide behind a Dust crate as the gun ran empty. Mumbling in disappointment, he threw the gun down before jumping off the balcony, his own recovering Aura taking some of the force.
Adrian only had his sniper rifle left, and perhaps he could've taken a shot if the man wasn't running at him full speed despite the foot injury. Adrian couldn't face the man in close-quarters, since he would get beaten and sawed to death.
And so, Adrian threw another Satchel Charge and detonated it, running for his dear life and the dazed man followed close behind, his broken foot causing a problem as well.
Goodwitch had completed her mission several minutes before Adrian had started running. As the woman checked over the warehouses one last time, he rushed over to where Adrian was to see if he was fine. Surely enough, Adrian came limping from the tankers that covered the warehouse.
Her sigh of relief turned into horror once she realised that he was being chased.
"GLYNDA!" Adrian screamed. "Get this guy off my tail!"
She obliged, using some of her energy to send some Dust crates hurtling straight towards the man. He was forced to dodge the crates, but one hit him square on the head and he collapsed, momentarily dazed by the sheer impact.
"I own you one." Adrian panted as he finally reached a safe distance. "I've got a plan."
"Hopefully this one doesn't go as badly as your last one did." Goodwitch remarked.
He held up his two remaining Satchel Charges. "Two of those are enough to kill them. Just send them flying and I'll detonate them."
Goodwitch shook her head. "We want him alive. If one I assume removes his Aura, then use your rifle to wound his right hand."
Adrian agreed in a flash and let Glynda take control of the charge. He held his detonator and gripped it tightly as the man rose with newfound rage. He charged, but recoiled as he saw the satchel charge fly straight towards him.
Adrian detonated it immediately as It blew up in his face. The man came out of the smoke as he did before, but he was slowly walking, groaning as it seemed the explosion rocked his mind. It only took a swift shot from Adrian's M40A1 to send him back to reality.
The man roared and collapsed, both his hands injured and unusable. Both Adrian and Goodwitch walked up to him, both carrying an aura of absolute victory.
"Now, you will stay here while the VPD come and arrest you." Goodwitch venomously stated.
"Get some." Adrian simply commented.
The man shook his head and sneered, before painfully laughing at the two. He shakily stood up, staring at the sky as both Goodwitch and Adrian levelled their respective weapons. He lowered his head back at the two, staring intensely through his red and white mask.
"You really think that I'm going to stay put like I'm your fucking pet? I despise you humans, thinking they can push Faunuskind around like trash. The true leader of the White Fang, he's going to bring a new age where we're finally the alphas of this dirtball…"
He spread his arms out, the sun behind him showering its light onto the man like a paragon of his cause, a vicious cause however. Goodwitch swore she was hearing the low thrum of Bullhead propellers while Adrian tightened his grip on his M4A01.
The thrum got louder and louder before it became distinct, and Goodwitch could only gasp.
"And his name is Adam Taurus."
At that moment three White Fang Bullheads made their appearance, two circling the area with their mounted guns aimed at the two while the third descended to land. Its doors opened to reveal several soldiers with their rifles holstered and in the middle of them, the one and only Adam Taurus.
He stepped out of the Bullhead silently, one hand free while another gripping the hilt of his sword. He stopped right behind the man, not moving a single muscle as he glared at the two, harrumphing.
"Ondo." Adam ordered. "Get into the Bullhead, now."
"But sir!" Ondo stuttered. "W-We could kill them here, end their-
"There will be no more casualties, especially on our side." Adam growled, although his tone was almost pleading in nature. "Get on the ship, don't make me do something I'll regret."
Ondo stood there, taking in his superior's words before sighing as he marched his way to the Bullhead behind him. Adam followed, saying nothing to the two as he got on. The doors closed and the airship ascended, followed but the two Bullheads covering its flank as they flew into the sunset, and to places unknown.
"Who, the hell was that…?" Adrian murmured questioningly. He had never heard of a 'Adam Taurus', nor did he know he was apparently the "leader" of the White Fang.
"I'll explain later," Goodwtich answered, staring at Adrian's injured leg. "You should get that leg tended to."
"I know, you don't need to tell me. Could you go get my M14?" The woman in question nodded and Adrian limped back to the fortifications, hoping for treatment while Goodwitch stared into the sunset, sighing as she went back as well.
Even if they won, they still failed at the same time.
*Team RWBY's Dorm, Beacon Academy*
Yang was currently switching through the channels on their room's television when she suddenly landed on the VNN. Ruby was napping with her uniform still on, Weiss was studying on the only desk in the room and Blake was reading one of her books.
"This is Lisa Lavender with breaking news." She began. "Recently, authorities were able to prevent a mass robbery conducted by the White Fang with the help of two hunters. Gerald is now live on the scene."
Blake's head perked up from her book, eyes wide from the mentioning of the White Fang.
"Wish we were there, would've kicked some ass right girls?" Yang cheerfully asked to not answer, she groaned at the silence, deflating.
"This is Gerald Red-Sun live from the scene. Miss Goodwitch, could you explain how it went?" The microphone they were holding aimed itself at Ozpin's right-hand woman.
"It went splendidly. The VPD's special forces did their job in ensuring peace resumes in Vale. Although I do have to thank the man right behind me." Goodwitch explained before moving out of the way to reveal an injured Adrian Shephard.
"Wait, Adrian?" At Yang's mention of the name, Weiss looked at the TV with interest while Ruby suddenly awoken herself, spluttering on about how see had heard his name before staring at the screen of him having his leg tended to. Blake didn't care much, only interested in the White Fang and what they were up to.
"I must say he's quite an expert on what he does." Goodwitch mused. "Cleared out an entire warehouse of White Fang in solitude and went into battle with their lieutenant, not winning the fight mind you, but surviving such an encounter."
"Woah…" Ruby glowed starry-eyed. He was like an action hero kicking butt and saving the day. Then she remembered what Adrian had told her several days back, about having to kill. She quietened down, having the thought that Adrian had killed those who opposed him.
Blake was much the same, it was true that Ondo was purely loyal to Adam's cause and had willingly left his own, stable life to achieve Adam's twisted sense of equality, but having the bugging feeling that Adrian had left no survivors disgusted her. Those Faunus had families, lives. Was Adrian really that monstrous to consider ending them?
"Sir," The reporter aimed his microphone at the soldier. "Is it true, did you really clear out that much White Fang by yourself?"
Adrian's answer was to swat the thing out of his face before grumbling for them to go away. The girls were surprised, yet weren't considering what they knew of him so far.
Ruby still had the nagging thought on her mind, and it needed an answer, so she got up from her bed and made her way to the door, rubbing her eyes to get herself in a better condition.
"Rubes, where are you going?" Yang asked her little sister.
"Uh, I'm gonna wait for Adrian at the Cliffside." The rosy girl answered.
"You really like him don't you." Yang teased while Ruby pouted in embarrassment as she left. Yang had heard from both her and Weiss that Adrian had apparently helped with Weiss' drama with her team, and since he solved it, she was more than happy to let her go see him.
She was making new friends, after all.
*[LOCATION: Vale Airspace, Remnant]*
Both Goodwitch and Adrian got onto the Bullhead straight back to Beacon as soon as possible, both extremely tired after their individual ordeals. As the aircraft soared through Vale's airspace, Goodwitch glanced at the trooper, who had his head down and arms laid on his legs as he was sitting on one of the Bullhead's seats.
"Is something wrong?" Goodwitch raised her concern.
"Aside from a bruised ego and an injured leg, not at all." Adrian remarked lazily.
"Will you tell me about it? It is what Ozpin would want." Goodwitch suggested.
Adrian remained silent, but spoke with a murmur of depression. "You were right, if I had brought a few of those special forces I wouldn't have this leg injury and well, I would've been able to capture that Ondo guy."
"I'll admit, your actions were reckless and completely and awfully planned." Goodwitch argued. "But you still remain, either you're quite stubborn or you know what you're doing."
"Both." Adrian answered. "I did my best without a team, because that's how I roll these days."
"Say, you seem to dislike the idea." Goodwitch thought out loud. "Mind telling me why?"
"A woman once said it wasn't worth hiding shit that pains you." Adrian quoted. "She's dead, alongside those I wanted to escape with. My inexperience got them killed, my orders and my instructions and I still feel guilty about it. If only it wasn't my first day there I would've had a chance to save them…"
"She would have also said that it wasn't worth it, latching onto a painful past." Goodwitch refuted. "Such guilt will only drag you down, for your benefit I suggest you attempt to let that pain go, honour their memory another way without having to hurt yourself."
"Any bright ideas then?" He sarcastically quipped.
"That is for you to decide."
Adrian shook his head, but didn't let those words leave him though. She was right, carrying their memories is difficult, but Adrian had always managed to do such. Carrying the guilt of "killing" them would only make him feel worse with every passing day. Whatever he wanted or planned to do, it was his choice.
He considered those words as the Bullhead slowly landed, the doors opening to let the two of them out. Both were surprised to see a patiently-waiting Ruby Rose, swaying around and fidgeting to keep herself entertained.
"U-Umm, Professor Goodwitch." Ruby greeted and bowed.
"Hello Miss Rose, I was just about to go anyway." She looked over and glanced at Adrian. "Once you've rested well, I suggest you come to Ozpin for a few words."
The soldier nodded and watched Goodwitch silently walk away, accompanied by her own flair of authority, then stared quizzically at the leader of Team RWBY, flabbergasted she was even waiting for him, and doing so without her team which she had quickly come to consider friends.
"Ruby, what are you even doing here?" Adrian sighed.
"I saw you on the VNN and you were hurt." Ruby answered, accompanied with a "I also had a question on my mind as well."
Adrian furrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, indicating he wanted an answer to both.
"Well, you did help me when Weiss got angry at me, so I thought I should return the favour by checking how you were. And I wanted to ask… did you really kill that many White Fang?"
Adrian took in a few shallow breaths and had his head down. "Well my leg's fine, and well…" He started to walk away from Ruby, surprising her. "I did, I killed them for making the wrong choices and for wanting to hurt innocent people."
"B-But!" Ruby marched up to Adrian and faced him. "They're still people! What gives you the right to judge them for what they did, you don't know what they would've done to protect their families!"
"It's not a fairy-tale, kid." Adrian solemnly stated, clenching in fist in frustration. "When people fight, you might never know why they fight. War is war, survival's the only reasonable thought and just, fighters need a purpose. They chose the wrong one."
Ruby didn't say anything as Adrian brushed past her and walked back to his own house. She was convinced maybe things were different and that her ideals were justified. But when logic spoke, it said that he had far more experience in human and Faunus conflict, and maybe…
Maybe this isn't the story of valour she wanted.
*[LOCATION: UNKNOWN, TRIAGULATING POSITION… "MOUNTAIN GLENN"]*
[ADAM TAURUS]: (disgruntled) "What are you two doing here? Going to sneer at me?"
[MALE VOICE]: (chuckles) "Nah, our matriarch wanted to talk with you about your mess-up, y'know we needed that Dust after all."
[FEMALE VOICE]: "Cinder's not going to be happy about this…"
[ADAM TAURUS] (sighs) "I don't need you to 'entertain' me. Lead me to her. Ondo, you come with me."
[…]
[…]
[…]
[CINDER]: "Ah, Mercury, Emerald. You may leave now."
[…]
[CINDER: "Now Adam, I want to know… Why, did your little band of Faunus fail to bring me what I wanted~?"
[ONDO]: "He's not to blame you bitch! They had a Huntsman and they kicked the asses of all our brothers and sisters so don't you even think of harming our leader!"
[CINDER]: "Oh~? And who gave you permission to say a single, insignificant word?"
[ADAM TAURUS]: "Before you do anything, he's right. This Huntsman could fire through Aura according to Ondo, and he didn't look Atleasian, nor did he act like it."
[CINDER]: "I watched the news you buffoon. But now that you say that, he's caught my interest. Thank you for bringing this up, I won't kill your lieutenant for interrupting me."
[ADAM TAURUS]: (growls) "You even try and I'll make sure your blood soaks the dirt of this ruined city. You will not hurt any of my followers…"
[CINDER]: (giggles) "I still need them though, so that would be idiotic of me to do. Hehe, ta~"
Ta-da! This fic has been updated!
I took quite a while to post this. Mostly procrastination as well as the problems of middle school. But during that time, I read a fic that got me out of such procrastination, and I want to share it. Five words:
"Class 78th Watches the Future".
It's a Danganronpa fanfic by Spirit Soldier and I highly recommended it If you're a big fan of the games, I know I am considering I've just started on Trigger Happy Havoc.
Now, I also wanted to mention that Volume 7 was official announced and wow, I do like the well, character designs of Team RWBY and I had a thought on it. If anyone has seen the concept/official art for Project Borealis' Combine Elites, imagine that but more akin to a HECU style of flair to it, because to hell with it, their designs are awesome for the Half-Life 2 games and Project Borealis practically nailed a good design down too.
I hope the action in this chapter was sufficient. When I write them down I base them off logic and the characters planning their next move and using pre-set skills to evolve them into newer tactics, which RWBY had done well in the past, notably the fight between them and Paladin Torchwick.
Also if the characters are a little OCC, let me know because that benefits the condition of this fanfic.
The last part concerning the antagonists I chose as an aesthetic choice, since pure vocal recordings are kind of cool. Also, I was lazy I guess.
Also about Creature Slaughter, I have no clue who composed the track since it wasn't on the official soundtrack on the Spotify app, or anywhere I looked. If anyone could tell me who made the track for the Natural Selection Annex, that'd be highly appreciated.
Also, I'm not excited for Borderlands 3, considering I don't ever plan on paying money to Epic Games and their god-awful store. But I may be watching some gameplay through a friend of mine, so yeah, Borderlands 2 will always be my cup of tea.
There are several references too. See if you can find them.
Now I'm going to review two comments but two anonymous users:
Bill Cipher3 – The Pipe Wrench will always be a last resort weapon, don't expect it to be used much, for now that is. I have something in mind to make the metal whacky thing a little more effective…
Guest – I'll say it again, I update when I can, I have a life and I wish to make sure it doesn't go down the gutters. Don't expect weekly updates, although to give you some solace, I usually update with a month or two depending on how busy I am.
Guest – No need to screech, patience is virtue. But here's the next chapter, I hope it reaches you expectations (also if you're the same Guest from before, I guess I've answered both your questions).
And with that out of the way, I bid you adieu, until next time.