Suggested Reading: Crimson XII Grimmest Night
Extra 005: Masks
For the few groups of people that would celebrate it, Grimm's Day would be a day of full of festivities. It would be a day of celebration, a day to dress in ridiculous if slightly provocative costumes, a day to eat cheap food that would go straight to your waistline… and that was before night fell and the crazed nature of the celebrations truly began.
...Adam Taurus was not in a festive mood.
He absolutely despised Grimm's Day, especially since the White Fang had taken to wearing bestial metal masks, not unlike the costume that were often worn on this day. Every time he saw someone in their ridiculous outfit, it only served to remind him how much humans treated his organization like a complete joke. He wouldn't be entirely surprised if more had taken to dressing up in recent times, if only to make his group seem like a mockery when they should have been cowering in fear of the Faunus.
Since he knew he'd be especially irate tonight he'd secluded himself a short ways away from the campgrounds, sitting cross legged atop a small hillcliff while he held his scabbard katana at his side. His slim Grimm mask kept him enigmatic, and he preferred it that way… especially as he realized he was no longer alone.
"So I'm left in charge babysitting while you waltz off as you please and meditate without a care in your head? Must be nice."
"Hazama…" the bull Faunus observed, unable to hide the growl as he named the approacher. Any of his subordinates would have known better than to annoy him with this meaningless drivel, least of all when he wanted to be alone like he did now. Hazama had showed that he was more than clever enough to know how Adam felt; he simply didn't care.
"You seem to be in a foul mood, though not much worse than I was earlier." With a strange smile on his face, Hazama almost made it seem like he was in a good mood now, like he'd caught wind of something that his chaotic mind could interpret as decent news. What that could've possibly been Adam didn't know and frankly, he didn't want to.
"If you don't have anything of substance to say, I ask that you leave," Adam told him, choosing his words carefully as he knew that the three way partnership between the White Fang, Roman Torchwick's goons, and whatever client Hazama represented was already a strained agreement. Moving to make things worse could turn costly for all of them, and Adam had already agreed to hold up his end of the bargain.
"Touchy touchy, is it something about the air out here or are you in a worse mood than you usually are?" Hazama then snapped his fingers as he pretended to come to a realization. "That's right, it's Grimm's Day isn't it? Are you just upset that you're no longer a trend setter by wearing your little mask? It's only for one day." The green haired snake's smile only seemed to grow. "Maybe I should pick one up tonight! That way we can be twinsies!"
While he didn't unsheath the full katana, Adam pressed his thumb against its guard to act like he was readying the blade. The harsh red metal easily reflected the deep orange cast by the setting sun. This didn't go unnoticed by Hazama, who only put his hands up as he took a step back, letting that particular subject drop for now. Adam would have preferred him to leave completely, but he'd consider this a minor victory.
"Hmph, guess that's enough friendly chit-chat for now," the instigator admitted, dusting his tuxedo off from the thick air. "You know about the small settlement eight clicks to the north, don't you?"
"Of course I do," Adam responded readily. While eight miles wasn't that far, the White Fang camp was set on a large bluff overlooking the path leading through the dense woodlands that separated them. It had been Adam's idea to set up here, as they could easily prepare defenses as needed.
"I'll need you to head there tonight; important business, very hush hush. Only you, no one else."
'That's supposed to be an order?' the radical thought to himself with growing ire. "And what exactly am I to do once I get there?"
"I have no idea," Hazama told him, his happy demeanor making it too obvious that he was only stringing him along. "I guess… go with your gut and do what you have to?"
"And I'm supposed to believe that?" Adam demanded, his thumb edging his sword out just the slightest bit further. Hazama didn't let on that he noticed the sword, most likely ignoring the threat. "Don't make me laugh. Who on earth would command someone with such vague words as those?"
"Oh, a sharp one are we? Even with that little… no never mind, that's not important," the snake noted, his smile now showing teeth in his demented grin. "I understand that you wouldn't want to listen to what I have to say; speaking to you with nothing but unfiltered mockery, provoking you at every turn I get, and all I ever give you in return are my little half truths."
"If you understand that I won't listen to what you have to say, then why are you bothering?" Adam asked, trying to grasp a stronger control of his emotions around this man. He didn't know what it was, but something about Hazama made him want to hate him and it wasn't just his constant instigating.
"Because, this time I'm very much speaking the truth when I say that you need to head out and if you don't listen to what I have to say then things could turn very dire. Yes, this could turn into quite the problem for all of us tonight. And just who would the blame lie with if you didn't listen to me?"
"If it's that important, do it yourself. I'm sure you could handle it," Adam shot down.
"Maybe I could, but you know it's not in my interest to get involved in these silly little distractions. And if my client were to discover that you couldn't even handle this much? Goodness knows the faith they'd loose in you… it's your move." Rolling his jacket sleeve back, Hazama checked the silver watch on his wrist. "You have time, but I'd recommend that you head out as soon as you're ready. I'd recommend taking a disguise with you, but since you're always wearing that mask of yours…" He sent a smile that sickened Adam to his core. "I think you'll fit right in tonight."
'Bastard.'
Needless to say, Adam only left once he was sure that Hazama was gone from sight. He wouldn't give the man any satisfaction of seeing him off in person.
Later
The sun had set completely on his journey to the village, but Adam had the shattered moon to light his path forward. He moved swiftly but carefully, ensuring that he wouldn't leave a trail of any sort back to the White Fang's campground. There were hardly any Grimm about as he traveled and those that he did come across took no notice of him. He stuck to the shadows like an assassin, staying undetected until his hand would be forced to combat. It would be stupid to take these risks where he didn't need to; staying alive at any means necessary was always a part of his greater goals.
It didn't take him long to reach his target, though when he got close he was starting to have second thoughts. He heard the loud music blasting painfully against his ears and the smell wasn't any less offensive. A part of him wanted to trust that nothing would have to happen if he left now, that this was only a part of Hazama's stupid games… but he knew too well that Hazama would never try to trick him with a plan this simple. Growling to himself, he made his preparations.
As he'd been advised, the only major part of his outfit that he'd have to do away with was his upper jacket. Leaving it on a small branch a short distance from the village wouldn't be an issue, so long as he didn't forget the location he could easily retrieve it on his way back. He didn't even have to debate the issue of leaving his weapon behind; an effective enough lie would ensure that he could still keep it in his possession and for all he knew he might need to ensure that it was constantly in his possession tonight. Taking one last lengthy breath to steel himself for what he was about to put himself through, he headed into the small village.
The first thing he had to take notice of was how offensive some of the costumes were. While he'd heard about a few bandit groups and other outlaws using Grimm masks as he did, seeing someone use it in this setting only served to get on his nerves. They were made with cartoonish designs and shoddy workmanship, and the rest of the costumes weren't much better. Many of them were just adults wearing black clothing, some of it torn. Others were wearing fur that smelled like it either hadn't been washed in a while or came from an excessively fresh kill. The ones that weren't bulky and inconvenient were tight and suggestive, oddly making Adam stand out in his plain black pants and a red button up shirt.
It was difficult to get through this crowd of humans; many of them were stumbling drunk out of their minds, there were children running around under foot in their Hunter costumes without supervision, and debris from the celebration already littered the streets. Luckily enough, no one seemed to take much notice of him in their stuppors; he only had to ensure that he didn't bump shoulders with too many drunkards.
The square at the center of the village was denser than the streets, there he found no shortage of village dancing, playfully screaming children, and drinking… plenty of that last one. Staying off to the side, Adam scoured his surroundings with his eyes and hoped that he'd find what Hazama had loosely hinted at so he could be done with this hell.
"Heyyyyyyyy! What are you doin' all the way over here?"
Though the call came not five feet from his face, Adam couldn't help but flinch at it. The woman he saw was… questionable. Unlike the others who wore masks, this one had settled for a pale makeup based with other markings drawn on top though it had already started to smear from the grease of the food. Her clothing was dark and raggidy, the front of her top was low which showed off plenty of her cleavage. Despite looking roughly the same age as him, this woman was already halfway through the tankard of beer she was drinking.
"Come on! Aren't you going to join in and have some fun?" she asked again, trying to shoot Adam a flirty smile. He wasn't entertained, a large part of him thought hoped dearly that she'd leave him alone before things became complicated. "Huh? Don't recognize you from around tha' town."
"...They hired me for guard duty tonight," Adam lied. It was hardly a convincing lie, but given the girl's current state he wasn't so sure that she'd be up for questioning him. He was right to a degree, but it clearly wasn't without its own trouble.
"Aw, so you're here to make me feel safe?" the woman said as she tried to look up at Adam in more provocative pose. "You going to be my knight in shining armor for Grimm Night?"
"Find someone else; I'm only here until I get paid." If he wanted to be seen as a mercenary, he knew that he needed to act like one. Copying the attitude he'd seen in passing mercs would serve him well enough here… or so he thought.
"Aw come on! Join in! It's not like we've got a ton of Grimm around here and the music will scare them away!" Adam knew enough about the Grimm that the statement was full of shit. Shaking his head at the audacity of it, he moved onward. "Hey! Where are you going!?"
'Whatever it is Hazama thinks is so damned important to find, he sure isn't making it easy for me to do so.' Adam glaced around his surroundings and tried to get the lay of the land. 'Nothing of note over here either, don't tell me it's in one of the buildings. There's no way I'd have the time to infiltrate all of them and check.'
WHACK!
"Gah!"
Gripping the top of his head in pain, he turned back to glare daggers (as much as the mask allowed him) at the girl he'd been trying to avoid. She looked more than a little pissed with him, as she held the wooden sword he'd been hit with in her right hand.
"Hey! That's mine!" a young boy yelled. His huntsman outfit was just as ragged and dirty as the others
"I'm just going to borrow it for a bit," the woman told him, though she didn't take her eyes off of Adam. "Go tell Vic to give you some of that sweet potato crap you like and tell you mum I said it was alright, I'll give it back when I swing that way later."
"Deal!" the child said, running off more than content with the deal.
"Mind explaining why you're still bothering me?" Adam demanded, his voice having an obvious threatening edge to it. With a constant glare still on her she was somehow either too stupid to notice, too drunk to care… or too brave to back down.
"Bothering you, huh!? That's nice! Saying those things when I'm just tryin' ta be friendly!" Her obnoxious behavior was calling both eyes and comments their way, he couldn't afford either. Somehow, he needed to calm this fool down.
"To be fair, I never asked you to be so friendly…" Adam tried to tell her reasonably. This didn't exactly work too well as she took another swing at him with her wooden sword, though this time he was ready so he easily managed to dodge it. "Will you stop that?"
"Oh, I'm just getting started!" she shouted, throwing her half full beer tankard which he knocked to the side with his sheathed sword.
"You're just getting annoying," he tried to tell her off, knocking another blade to the side with just his forearm. "Just stop this; you're causing a scene for no good reason." The time he to side step a kick to his groin. "Will you just-!?" He lost his temper just a bit as she went for a full lunge, after easily dodging the attack he delivered a powerful sucker punch to the woman's gut, forcing her to collapse to her knees from the attack. "Enough."
Glancing around, he noticed that his last action had caused more than a few people to grow suspicious of him. It would be much harder for him to use his 'hired security' excuse now that they'd seen him hit a woman of the village. Even if these people were drunk, they did have eyes in their heads.
"Heh… heh heh…" Adam was shocked to see that the girl he'd knocked over was actually chuckling at him. Looking down at her, the smile on her face actually looked larger than it had before. "Finally, a guy here with some actual balls."
'Not the reaction I was expecting, but I suppose it can keep me out of trouble,' he reasoned. "So what's your real reason for bother… for bothering with me?"
"Cause you didn't look like you having a good time when I saw you; everyone should be celebrating and you're just off on your lonesome without anyone to spend tonight with." Adam felt his annoyance grow, only this time it was the catcalls from the onlookers that caused it and not the girl. "That… and even that mask of yours on I can still tell that you're the best looking guy here." He admitted that the following awkward silence from the onlookers was actually satisfactory.
"Even if you say that, I-" Adam couldn't continue as she got right up in his face to whisper something.
"I already know why you're really here…"
...That was when this stopped looking like a party, more like a trap. Even if they were deep in their drinks, there were still Huntsmen and Huntresses in this small little village and that would be dangerous. If they had any form of communication, they could call for help easily enough. Adam knew that there were plenty of governments that would want his head displayed upon their desk. If wanted to fight his way out, he needed to do it now while he still had the element of surprise in his first strike. Slowly reaching towards his sword, he-
"You're here to crash the party, snag some of the free spread. Aren't you?"
'...What was I expecting?' Adam thought, forcing his body to relax. "...You caught me."
"Good, so spend some time with me and I won't have ta bring up the fact that you snuck your way in. Deal?"
'She's blackmailing me… but this could work if I'm supposed to find something while I'm here,' he decided, figuring these annoyance couldn't be that much worse than Hazama. He only gave her a small nod, leaving her to smile as she backed off so they could stop whispering. "Lead on then… but no dancing."
"Don't worry, I won't give you the chance to embarrass yourself," she promised him with a flirty smile, wrapping both of her arms around Adam's. "...By the way, I like the horns on your mask; really completes the look."
"...Thank you," he tried to say in a normal tone. "So where are we going first?"
"To get topped off, I distinctly remember throwing my drink at an idiot earlier."
"Don't you think you've had enough?" he asked, a bit concerned that a girl her age would already be drinking this much.
"Not nearly! They only bring this stuff out a few times every year!" she told him, almost offended by the idea that she should stop. "Give some a try, you'll see!"
"Too bad, I'm not the drinking type."
"Well you're about to be! Our pumpkin beer is something else!"
"Pumpkin beer is still beer…" Adam tried to tell, keeping a conversation while keeping his eyes out for the threat Hazama had been talking about… tonight was going to get complicated.
Drinking
'She really wants me to drinks this swil?' Adam thought hesitantly to himself while his guide for the evening chugged her beer down like it was nothing. "Come on, you don't expect me to…" He couldn't even finish, of course she did.
"Come on, don't let yourself get outdone on the very first drink!" she tried to cheer him on. Even if Adam wanted to begin by taking small sips, it was clear that she wanted him to chug it all down like she had. Figuring he'd keep her happy for now, he went all in and began chugging his drink. "THERE YOU GO! DON'T LET A DROP GO TO WASTE!"
He had to fight hard not to spew it out all at once. The burning sensation in his mouth and throat was unbearable, but he was able to fight through it. Finally, finishing his drink his pushy date all but applauded him.
"There you go! Now you've got it down!" she encouraged before looking to their server. "Another round!"
"...Not too much in mine," Adam tried to protest, already feeling the alcohol going straight to his head.
Eating
'Don't they have anything that isn't fried or completely covered in grease? Or both?' His guide didn't seem to have any qualms, filling up her plate up before quickly tearing into the messy food.
"I thought you were here for the food?" she noted, her words oddly coherent for a mouth half full. Continuing to play into his cover but not wanting to get any grease on him, he went for one of the breaded options; Fried Green Tomatoes. Taking a bite… he was honestly impressed. "Oh, you like 'em? That's what I brought to the party."
"It's… pretty good." Surprisingly, Adam actually meant it enough to go for seconds.
Dancing
"I TOLD YOU NO DANCING!"
"Come on, where's your sense of adventure!?" Taking Adam out with the rest of the dancing villagers, she forced him into the center. Trying not to screw his cover with an ineptitude for dancing, Adam was at least somewhat relieved to find that the dances were easy to mimic.
...It was still hell on his stomach.
The Hangover
'I. AM GOING. TO KILL HIM.' Adam promised as he lurched forward, holding onto a tree for support as he vomited on the forest's floor. He'd ended up spending a full three hours at the party being dragged from one event to the other, all to try and find the danger that Hazama had warned him about. Not only had there been zero signs of any foreseeable trouble, he'd had to spend all of that time drinking, eating, and dancing so much to put on airs that he actually felt like he was suffering for his attempt. 'Need to… get back to camp…'
After he'd made a point to grab his coat, his trek back to the campgrounds became much slower than his trip to the village. His eyesight was blurry from his drinking and he was only now starting to get his vomiting under control after the party. If the unit serving under his command could see him now, it'd likely break the threatening image he'd been building this whole time. As such, he was only taking a casual walk while his aura slowly healed the condition caused by the night of partying.
'At least this is the worst of it,' he tried to tell himself, before only shaking his head. 'No, the worst part of this is that I still need to deal with that idiot when I get back. I fell for his trick, I should have known that this would have been just a lie to-'
Adam couldn't finish that thought as he had to strain his hearing. He heard rustling in the bushes near him, like someone was hurrying his way. Despite still in poor condition with his stomach, he forced himself to make a quick and powerful leap into the treeline above him. Grabbing ahold of a strong branch with one hand while holding his sword with the other, he only waited and observed. There were four of them total, and each of them was equipped with a rugged set of armor and a transforming weapon of some kind.
'A Huntsman team? Out here?' Adam considered as he watched them continue to run the opposite direction. 'They're going to the village in quite a rush, and they're running from-' Gritting his teeth, he realized that Hazama had indeed been telling the truth. Using his upper body strength to flip himself onto the top of the branch, he took off in pursuit to track the group of Huntsmen.
Eventually the group came to a stop, each of them completely exhausted with their running. Adam was relatively fresh via comparison, but the heavily excessive partying would still play in as a minor nusuince.
"Damn… just damn… are they following us?" one of the members swore as they fought to catch their breath. "Are those freaks following us?"
"If they were we'd already be dead… Never thought they'd come out here…"
"Just what the hell do those animals think they're doing!?" another with a racist mouth shouted off. "They're going to kill us all if we don't do something!"
"All of you calm down; we still have a job to do," the largest one told them as he managed to stand at full height. He had military styled blonde hair, an almost exaggerated build to him, higher end huntsman equipment complete with a powerful looking crossbow, and was the only one in the group that wasn't already breathing heavily. When he spoke, everyone else seemed to face him like they were looking to him for guidance. "Listen, if we can make to the village and radio for help, there's a chance that there will be a reward in it for us if they can catch the bastards. We just can't lose our heads, not out here."
"...If you say so boss man," the panicking third member said, rising to their feet as they got ready to continue their sprint. "I think I can just about see the village from here, one more good run and we'll-"
(Cue Sonic the Hedgehog Mephelis Phase 2 Extended)
The sudden sound of a blade cleaving through the air, followed by the quick clack as two shoes landed the to the forest's ground. The huntsmen jolted as a powerful breeze blew past their ambusher, the winds sending powerful ripples through his dark clothing. The red and white sigil on his back gave off a slight glow, indicating some form of power lurking within him. Adam slowly took his recently drawn crimson blade and sheathed with a satisfying click… right as the lead Huntsman's head fell from his shoulders, his neck producing a geyser of crimson.
"BOSSSSSS!" one of the remaining huntsman yelled in agony of someone who had obviously been a long time friend. That feeling quickly shifted to rage as he shifted his weapon from a two-handed warhammer to a submachine gun. "YOU FAUNUS BASTARD!"
Staying quick on his feet, Adam ran off to the side just as the hail of bullets showered the area he'd been standing just an instant prior, tearing through the treeline and shredding oakwood to pieces. He continued to run as a means to outrun the machine gunner's turning spread, only partially unsheathing his katana to that he could block the sniper shot from one of the member's sniperspear. Coming to a sudden stop, he managed to flip of the machine gun fire before rushing forward for a mad dash. The third huntsman clicked his two shortswords together which quickly parted down their middles to reveal a double barrel rifle. Anticipating the next shot, Adam leapt up and barely dodged the burst of bullets before soaring into the branches above.
The remaining three huntsmen fired their weapons off in quick succession into the sea of breaches above, trying to overwhelm him with their spread firepower. All the three succeeded in doing was causing countless tree branches to fall upon them, a short distraction that their attacker used to his advantage. Landing on the ground from the tree line a short distance away, Adam rushed for the shotgun user that had stopped his last assault.
"Look out!" the spearman shouted as a warning. Adam just managed to unsheathe his sword sword to where he could block the spearpoint. Not letting him leap into the trees a second time, the spearman then moved to engage him in combat. Not only was this Huntsman a master of the spear, they apparently had a strong Speed Semblance as well, boosting his swing speed to absurd heights and forcing Adam to the defensive. Using his katanta, he managed to guard against most of the strikes, but two of them pierced through his defenses and caught him just above his right shoulder and another cut close to his rib cage.
"KEEP THAT BASTARD RIGHT THERE! I'LL FINISH HIM OFF IN ONE SHOT!"
In his desperate defense Adam saw that the shotgunner was starting to glow with a vicious red aura that almost seem to be pouring into his weapon as he charged the attack. Realizing that he was in a desperate enough situation with the lancer and taking the full force of that attack would spell his end, he went for a risky play. Unleashing his semblance and channeling the energy he'd collected in his blade, he made a single mighty counter slash at his opponent's spear and broke the weapon to pieces in a single cut. Quickly following up, Adam then scored a hit on their jugular before slamming his hilt in his opponent's side, sending him right in between himself and the shotgun user, just as they fired off their charged shot.
The end result was… gruesome; the lancer's entire body exploded into gore and viscera, completely coating his partner who'd been trying to help him. The shotgunner just stood there in horror at what he'd done, dazed at the fatality caused by his own hand and coated in the remains of a good friend. All the machine gunner felt was rage, continuing to fire a multitude of shots off as Adam proceeded to use his sword with such blinding speeds that he managed to knock away every bullet.
"You… YOU SON OF A BITCH!" the bloodspattered Huntsman shouted, changing his weapon back to its twin shortsword form and charging straight for Adam.
"Don't do it!"
Adam seemed to smile as he leaped into the air as the bullets tore through the tree behind him, landing with his feet on a tree base. He kicked off it with enough force to cause a small sonic boom and he lunged forward with his blade, decapitating his head in exactly the same way he'd killed their leader.
'Only one left,' Adam thought to himself, rushing forward for the last surviving member as they changed their weapon back into it's melee form. As his opponent unleashed a devastating upward slash that he managed to sidestep, Adam went for a quick cut to his side only to have the attack knocked away by the Huntsman's gauntleted hands.
Leaping back, Adam managed to dodge the warrior powerful overhead attack which smashed the ground he'd been standing upon. As they went for another upward slash, Adam just barely managed to block the attack with his katana, absorbing considerable energy into the blade. Channeling his semblance once more, he went for a fatal slash to finish his opponent only to stumble. It wasn't his clumsiness or the alcohol that had caused it. As the dust on the ground indicated the entire area had been hit by a small tremor, mostly likely the result of his opponent's semblance. He didn't have too long to ponder it as the warhammer's head hit him square in the ribs.
Adam yelled out in pain as he dropped his sheath and flew through the air and rolled painfully on the ground before his back slammed into a tree, the impact launching the mask he always wore from his face as he struggled to recover. His opponent wasn't going to give him time to do so.
"YOU'RE DEAD ASSHOLE!"
The huntsman roared as he leaped though the air, holding in a weapon up in an attack that would turn Adam into paste. Looking up and facing his intimate demise, Adam showed his face for the first time in a long while. Something about what he saw caused the Huntsman to flinch, if only for the absolute briefest of instances… his final mistake.
Roaring like a rabid beast as he overcharged his semblance, Adam made one final slash with his empowered sword. The mere shockwave cleaved both the Huntsman's armor and body, roughly cleaving him into two bloody halves… and carving through many trees in the surrounding area.
(End theme)
"...Dammit, that was sloppy of me," Adam groaned as he slowly rose to his piece and picking his Grimm mask off the ground. Glancing up at the shattered moon, he took a long and almost melancholic look before returning the piece to its rightful place.
That Morning
Adam took his time getting back to the campsite, for he knew exactly who would be waiting for him once he arrived. It was a second confrontation that might've been inevitable, but if saw that instigator again he knew he'd lose his temper and do something far too rash. Arriving at the edge of the campsite, he was slightly perplexed not to see the green haired man already waiting for his return. Instead, he was approached by a White Fang retainer (a male fox Fanus) who gave him a salute once they came to a stop.
"Sir, are you injured?" they asked immediately, noticing that Adam had been roughed up since the last time his troops had seen him.
"Only my pride, it's nothing," Adam told him. By now his physical injuries were irritating at worst; he'd be fully healed by the end of the day as long as he maintained his aura.
"I see. Welcome back, though. That snake, I-I mean Hazama told us that you'd left the camp and that you probably wouldn't be back until morning. We did find his words questionable, but we had faith in your abilities." Adam already knew the truth, that demon had a sick and annoying way of getting people to do what he wanted, this it meant having the rest of the force stay out of the affairs. "Aside from that, the lookouts continue to give us the all clear; no threats to report in our parameters."
"...Is that right?" Adam asked with a growl, the force behind this simple action causing the retainer to take a needed step back. "Then they go without food for the rest of the day as punishment for their failure. No, for their incompetence."
"Are you certain that's-?"
"Are you questioning me?" Adam only had to slowly rise his katana for the retainer to take a cautious step back. He was in too foul of a mood to repeat himself. Knowing better than to push their luck, the retainer only saluted again before departing to deliver the news of punishment themselves.
"You've got an odd way of handling your subordinates," came the voice that Adam had been expecting. It didn't make things any easier for him, evident by the groan that escaped his lips. "Quite the party animal, aren't you? No racism intended."
"You wasted my time," he hissed back with sharp teeth.
"Did I? I could've sworn that you managed one last Danse Macabre on your way back from the party. And if those scary Huntsmen had let the entire village know about our little encampment, that would've been tragic."
"You couldn't have spotted them around our campsite by the time we spoke, and there was no possible way you could've known that I would encounter then on my way back from the village," Adam told him. "Just how did you know everything would play out like it did last night?"
"Well… let me just say I have my ways and we should just leave it there." Hazama's smile was feigning complete innocence and Adam absolutely hated everything about it.
"Do you have anything to offer us, because all I'm seeing now are your stupid little ploys and those infuriating half truths you keep spouting." Adam was finally let his aggression leak through, but he didn't care. If Hazama was continuing to push him without any returns, he was ready to kill him and end this useless agreement.
"If you're going to be insistent like this, I suppose that I can at least throw you a bone." Grabbing something from behind his back, Hazama tossed a small object towards. Adam's warrior reflexes kicked in and his hand was on his sword's hilt the next instant, before recognizing the object. Hazama's smile only seemed to grow as Adam stared at the wooden sword. "A little gift from me to you. Though I have to admit… what I'm offering is only leftovers."
Adam was quick to notice the additions to the plaything from last night; the new cracks, the burnt edges… the crimson bloodstains. Turning his eyes to the horizon, he spotted the dark smoke clouds exactly where he expected to find them; eight miles to the north. Hazama's face hadn't changed in the slightest as he only continued to grin happily.
"...Why?" He wasn't sad about a meaningless loss of life. He should shed no tears of those he'd just met, especially if they were humans. He was only angry that he constantly had to endure this bastard's verbal toying
"You know, you actually had a pretty good point earlier; I have been giving you too many half truths as of late, and I've also been trying to rile you up a little too much. So just this once, how's about I come completely clean? I did it…"
It only took a few short strides, but Hazama easily put himself right in front of Adam. Now his eyes were finally opened, revealing a venomous set of yellow irises that almost seemed to glow with power. Towering slightly over Adam, he looked down with pure savagery eminatating off of his complexion.
"I DID IT BECAUSE I DAMN WELL WANTED TO." Though Adam didn't seem to react in any noticeable way, Hazama finally let himself relax as his words seemed to take their effect. "I dearly hope you don't have a problem with that."
"...If you ever do anything this reckless and endanger the White Fang a second time, it won't matter what Mistress you represent. I'll kill you myself…"
"Oh, duly noted," Hazama assured, taking a step back before he gave a bow as he removed the hat from atop his head. "I would suggest that you that you take it easy for the rest of the day, perhaps get some sleep. You've had a long night after all."
"And whose fault is that?" Despite Adam's rhetorical question, he decided not to prod at the issue and make it any worse. Turning his back to Hazama, he began a slow walk back to his tent.
'And fun times were very much had,' Hazama decided as he put his favored hat back on, holding it at an angle so it would cover his eyes. 'Fun as it is to mess with what's right in front of me, I guess I oughta give that project a second look. I just hope you haven't already bleed out and… Oh… MY.'
Even though it was a great distance from him, Hazama could see the events unfolding as clear as day. He saw one that he had wronged more than any other, one that had undergone suffering leagues above anything he'd put Adam through. He sat him from within his small little room, sitting upon his bed… cradling a crying girl in his arms. She had black hair and a black bow… but he knew what the fabric was hiding Oh yes, he recognized her.
'As I live and breath, CAN THIS DAY GET ANY BETTER!?' A new sadistic plan in motion, Hazama had barely opened his lips to call out to the commanding officer before he paused. 'No, I should hold these cards close; it's not like he's isn't already burning with hatred for me… I can wait until I find a more fitting time to expose this little tidbit…' Even determined as he was to hide this information for now, he couldn't help but chuckle at the facts. 'Adam Taurus, a key leader of the feared Faunus terrorist faction, The White Fang… cucked by a human.'
He couldn't help himself; he surrendered to impulse and exploded into an unrestricted fit of laughter. While the very sound sent surrounding birds flying and gave shivers to anyone in the camp that heard it, Adam only gave another groan as maniacal howls pierced the very heavens above.
Author's Note
While it's not exactly horror based, I figured that putting a chapter out with a slight darker tone and the promise of some upcoming menace would be well due. I honestly haven't given Adam a lot of screen time (mostly because he'd only shown up in Blake's trailer in this point of the series) so I figured he and Hazama should have a chapter dedicated to them. Just to let you know, I AM trying to figure out a way to slightly rework his character in a way that I think will leave him as a heartless prick… but can at least give him a little justice. Onto the reviews.
MeteorElDrago: Thanks so much, enjoy.
Wlyman2009: Sounds like what happened with Goku and Freeza during the last minute of the Tournament of Power… I'll consider it.
P3R50N4: Glad you liked it, it was a rather straightforward idea, so I just decided to run with it.
SharkSoul: ...You're not wrong, I was considering the exact same thing myself… this doesn't strike me as a chibi chapter though.
ArmantusCumPinnae: More again? ...Anyways, I can't confirm that Heart, Akatsuki, and Yumi would be added in so soon into the adventure, maybe for a Second Arc kinda thing?
The Unplanner: Good god, I could just imagine the random stalker type trying to ship them together.
GrimmjowTaichou: Hakumen would honestly be too overpowered, and character seems just a little too stoic.
Fernandamichelleraya: Well Tsubaki's human too, she's got her faults but I don't think she'd hold a grudge that impossibly long in this setting.
Pally111: Here's a future chapter for you.
BlitzNeutral69: It might very well be.
ShadowStrykerX: As soon as you said that I can up with an idea for it… next time though, this was needed for halloween.
Slackboy101: You know, maybe for a gag reel or something.
Happy Halloween to everyone! Ciao!