Redemption
warning this chapter will be covering harsh material such as war crimes and implied rape, torture and God knows what else, so if you are not comfortable with these subjects please skip this chapter also lots of gorn. -Last
"Well shall we begin," the meat bag in green instructed to me and his partner.
"Let's begin with the pleasantries, I'm professor Ozpin headmaster of beacon academy" The meat bag in green spoke in a reassuring voice.
"I'm Glynda Goodwitch a teacher at beacon academy," the witch spoke in a, clearly, forced reassuring voice.
"Well, then that leaves me, I'm Rust, head of the GEAR mercenary group," I spoke trying to sound professional.
"No surname or anything," Glynda enquired.
"Nah, where I come from you only have a surname if you have something to give to the next generation or you're receiving something from the last," I spoke in my usual suave tone.
"Well then mister Rust, would you care to explain why you attacked beacon academy students," the witch enquired.
"I thought we already established this ages ago before we battled," I stated. After the witch's question, I began to wonder am I in a reality, where they all lack short term memory.
The witch quickly gave a reply," we need to be sure."
"Okay, for the sake of bureaucracy, it was in self-defense after miss Glynda Goodwitch ordered my death," I spout like my mouth was full of rotting food.
"No need to be so blunt, Mr. rust," Ozpin spoke with the same air of control as before.
"Now that chore is over, I'll have my things and be on my way," I asked the pair.
"Sorry Mr. rust but we are unable to allow you to leave the city," Ozpin declared as his air of reassurance and peace was washed away with a storm of control.
"And why would that be," I mocked to the pair.
"our society doesn't view your kind as actual people but more as property and tools," Ozpin spoke.
He was clearly avoiding my gaze but who could blame him. Telling someone, who he barely knows, is a mere slave to the system. "You act like, I haven't experienced worse back where I come from," I add.
"What do you mean you've been through worse," Glynda shout.
It was about a ten or so years ago, I had job that required me to venture out into the holy nation. I got in fine but getting out was the problem. In fact, this was the mission that made me form GEAR.
"If you don't mind me asking, what kind of job was it?" Ozpin spoke.
It was the usual scout the region for any forces present, then sabotage any defenses present ahead of the main force. Then when the task is completed, I was to travel to the rebel base and inform our allies about what I had achieved and to collect their response.
"So, can we get back to the story now,"
As I traveled, the night acted as my cloak of darkness. They wouldn't know where I was till it was too late. Though you can never be too careful in these parts, fate caught up to me.
It was the last base they had held onto after our previous campaigns. I was making my way to the meeting point, but a lucky defender got a shot off from one of the emplacements. Ping. The shot ringed out as it impacted my shoulder, tearing through my leather coat. Lodging itself in my shoulder.
The sound of blaring sirens filled the valley as the ramshackle doors disgorged, easily 4 squads into the valley. Another bolt impacted my remaining shoulder. Nocking what little stability I had from my grasp. With the final bolt, I realized I could not fight that many and survive. As steam whistled from my wounds, I did all I could do, I sprinted as hard as my body could take it, hoping to outlast the meat bags. My surge for freedom was cut short as a final bolt impacted my left leg, tarring its way through the armor like it was mere air. I fell. What was left of my body rang out as it impacted the ground. Beaten and broken. I Laid there as the holier than thou zealots drew, as would a wolf too easy prey.
I was hoisted atop a high paladin's shoulder like a new trophy. The standing guards were frenzied at the sheer sight of my limp body. "Burn it, send it Okran's flame, to the pyre, to the pyre, to the pyre," they chanted. But I was one of the lucky ones. Instead of the pyre, my sentence was one of blood, blades, and beatings.
I arrived at my new home, a modest place considering, the stories I have heard. A wooden slab for a bed and a table and chair, I don't think anyone would want to identify the stains. Every night the was a constant noise not one of pride like that of the mess hall or one of forgiveness like that of the temple, not even my fellow prisoner's screams were that animalistic. This was something more.
"If you don't mind me asking what were you in for", Ozpin ask.
"The most heinous crime of all, being a skeleton," I reply.
"Wait, that's what you call yourselves," the pair ask.
"I can see the resemblance," Glynda add.
"First we did not come up with that name, the meat bags gave that to us, and we just adopted it, I believe," I answer.
"Now can I get on the with the Goddamn story," I yell.
Day in day out it was beat in, after beat in, no matter how hard they tried not an ounce of fear or truth left my lips. I eventually stopped bothering to count the days as they past. The only testament to my days there, was my gashes and wounds that would never heal. Eventually my time drew near. I was collared like a dog before they dragged my broken body to the pyre. I remember I said to the guard taking me. "that's one hell of a pyre, how much are you gonna have because, I can't wait for dinner," I asked the guard.
The guard just whispered," I would laugh but I don't want to end up on pyre with you, I've got a family to think about."
"I know what it's like to love someone, but that was many moons ago," I spoke.
"How can a mere machine like you learn to love," the guard challenged.
I replied the only way I could," you don't learn to love, you find inside of yourself.
The guard and some of his lackeys bound me to the pyre. I just accepted the hand, i had been dealt. Suddenly- the oversized lord inquisitor bellowed "you, guardsmen for conspiring with the IMPURE, you will sentenced to death by fire along with the skeleton, for in Okran's light you have failed."
The remaining guards turned on him like a pack of wolves. They collectively wailed upon him, all i could see was flurry of blows against the guard's body. As they beat his body, his armor rang out like a bell against the rusting blades they were using guards.
He screamed out, "do what you like to me but don't dare harm my family."
Inquisitor replied in grin," your wife can join my collection and any of those kids you have, can have a nice trip to Rebirth."
"Sorry again but what is Rebirth," Glynda ask.
"Rebirth is totally not a glorified concentration, slash, labor camp, I'm sure your world has a its fair share of them" I spoke.
"Your world is one of pain, suffering," Glynda spoke.
"Yes, it is, I won't sugar coat it, I won't sweeten it, if you aren't suffering in this world, you have no free will or you're dead"
"Can you carry on with the story, now?", Ozpin spoke.
"I shall, "I add.
"Welcome to the club," I said to the doomed guard as they strapped his broken body to pyre with me. The was me, the guard I doomed, tied to pyre in the blistering desert sun. the pyre was surrounded on all sides from builds be them watchtowers, barracks or more civilian buildings , we were surrounded but nobody said without hope. The fortress bastion was again surrounded in a row of ramshackle palisade walls that may keep out the local bandits but, were like paper to a real army. Upon those walls were easily twenty or so men each one armed with a crossbow emplacement.
The lord inquisitor once again bellowed," we will purify the souls of the skeleton and the betrayer at sun rise tomorrow."
"Well looks like we've got a chance, so are you going to take it," I asked the guard.
"What's the point, the inquisitor is going take my wife, my family, my everything," he cried.
"So, you're gonna let him. I believe that a man can only die if you cut his soul and a soul can only be cut if the owner lets them, so can they cut your soul?" I asked.
The guard replied with the same fear," yes they can cut my soul for I am impure in the eyes of Okran for talking to you."
"So be it," I spoke to the broken man.
It was the middle of the night when I broke my bindings, with a SNAP they fell to my feet.
"Now any normal man would be content to make it out of there alive but like I said I'm no mere man, so guess what I did?" I spoke.
"You slaughtered all of the personal in the fort," Glynda apathetically spoke.
"Close I staged a revolution that destroyed the fort," I spoke in my usual suave tone.
After removing my bindings my body fell to the sandy ground, after days of inactivity. They winced as I stood up. Luckily for me the Past few battles left the fort understaffed and undersupplied. Suddenly a guard saw my little escapade so I did what had to be done. I launched my body into the air and perched myself at top my prey shoulders. It was only a few seconds till I strangled the life out of the guard. Some of the guards I kicked so hard in the neck, what was the neck became mere shrapnel in their flesh.
The first place I raided was the jail hoping to raise an army but I found something more.
As I ripped open the door to the first cell present. I found what the lord inquisitor was getting up to at night.
"I'll spare the details of what he was doing but involved a small girl," I spoke to the pair.
After discovering the inquisitor and his little hobby. I picked up the meat bags body by his neck.
He screamed, "skeleton you *cough* never get away with this."
I removed my hands from his neck and picked him up by the fore head. I plunged my thumbs deep into the eye sockets of meat bag.
"I remember like it was yesterday the inquisitor screamed like a small girl, how ironic," I spoke to the now disturbed pair.
After I throw what was left of the inquisitor away and I turned to the girl.
"You didn't harm her did you," Glynda yell.
"Do I look like a monster miss Goodwitch?" I yell.
The girl, she was a small, malnourished, sheik girl, no more than a few summers old, strapped to a metal support beam. Her skin was burnt and branded like that of a bull after countless owners.
She cried" looks like I've got a new owner, I'll assume the position."
Without a word, I ripped her shackles from her arms, freeing her from her servitude. Giving her a ragged sheet to cover herself with and I said you are free now carve your own path through the world. Suddenly she jumped into my arms like I was her farther but in reality. I was no body.
"I know, what I would like to do, I want you to teach me how to be a warrior, to carve my own path," she cried into my arms.
So, the pair of us laid waste to what was left of their supplies and maybe, accidentally released a few prisoners in the commotion.
From that day on the pair of us never looked back.
Glynda lift her head from her slumber and ask," does the girl's story have a happy ending."
I replied with the only thing I could say, "no, since her hero is stuck here talking to you."
"I would normally offer a man with your level of skill, a place here at beacon academy to teach but you clearly have more important tasks at hand, so I will support you any way I can in getting you back home," Ozpin spoke trying to comfort the broken man before him.
"But we have one condition to prevent anyone, with goals to undermine beacon academy from finding out, you will have to be a student here, yes you will have to attend classes, before you ask," Glynda add with an air of true compassion this time.
"Of course, I'll do anything to see her again," I shout towards the pair.
"Well, all that leaves for us to do is some paperwork and introduce you to your new team," Ozpin add.
"And give me back my stuff," I spoke.
So, I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did writing it. I've got a competition guess all the references in this chapter. And pm me with your answers first few can suggest OC's for the chapter.
But remember read, review and any problems tell me.