Pariah


Chapter 3

A Helping Hand


Doctor Arthur Watts was never known to know fear. For he would explore the unknown until he discovered every minute aspect of it. Until he understood it. That is why he believed his expertise was better served within the Atlas military. The only institution that could challenge his unending thirst for hidden knowledge. And with it, the resources to unlock every mystery that crossed his path. For he was a scientist. A scientist that wanted to aid humanity in a world filled with strife and terror, against the ever-growing darkness. He left no question unanswered, no matter how long it took to find, said answers. No stone was to be left unturned. It was a silent oath a gave to himself. Arthur understood that knowledge was power. Power, that could be used for the betterment of all, even the Faunus.

He did not care for them. Not really. He holds them in the same light as he does the rest of humanity. He simply did not care for the plight of others when greater battles had to waged for their continued survival in this bleak world. He knew of the atrocities happening in the Schnee Dust mines all over Remnant. He also knew that the Kingdom's councils knew and turned a blind eye to them. But sacrifices to the greater good had to be made. He understood such a concept all too well. Sacrifices had to be made from time to time to unlock the secrets he sought answers to.

But he never sacrificed an innocent soul for it. Unlike others, he was not willing to make them. Not like his former colleague doctor Merlot. The least he could say that his conscience was clean. That his soul was not tainted by the blood of an innocent. Too many, in his profession, have fallen down a darker, more sinister, path.

Well, not yet at least.

But today? Today he would know fear. The alarms in his laboratory, located in the cold mountains of northern Mistral, were blaring. Someone was currently forcing their way in. Arthur did not know who or why. But since this was a facility for creating Atlas's newest weaponry it was quite concerning.

The soldiers guarding them and their work ordered them into a safe room, while they made sure the intruder would be neutralized and brought to justice. His patience was being strained. These soldiers have one job, the least they could do was resolve the situation with a little more haste. He had important projects to finish after all. Although they might have to wait just a bit longer.´He just remembered that he hadn't eaten in almost forty-eight hours. Even a busy mind requires proper nourishment.

And suddenly the reinforced doors opened with a hiss.

Finally. His work could continue, without unnecessary distractions. He hoped that the person who was responsible for all of this would get his just desert.

And suddenly he was hungry again. He let out a heavy sigh. He should really get something to eat.

But then a wave of immense unease washed over him. It made him painfully uncomfortable. Not only him, but all of his fellow colleagues felt the same as him. Audible gasps could be heard from the front of the group.

In front of them stood the presumed intruder, letting the severed hand of the slain commander fall to the ground, with which he used on the scanning device to open the reinforced doors.

The individual stood approximately at 1,85 meters if he were to wager a guess. He wore woodland camouflage cargo pants and black combat boots. The tips of his boots were reinforced with steel caps and olive body armor covered both his shins and knee caps. The man wore a black sweater but Arthur could tell that there was chainmail underneath it. His entire right arm and hand were covered in steel plating. Strapped onto his right shoulder was a steel pauldron with a wolf emblem etched into it. His armor was not new. That much he could discern. There were a lot of scratch marks that marked his armor. His left arm however did not have the same protective gear. To only noteworthy accessory that covered his left shoulder was the pelt of a wolf. And judging by the side of the pelt it was a rather large specimen. He had two axes strapped to either side of his belts and a glaive he held firmly in both of his hands. All three of his weapons had traces of blood on them. The blood of their former guards no doubt. A sudden feeling of dread washed over him. His face however was obscured by a sabbat pattern helm. But instead of two visors for each eye, the left side was fully covered by armor plating.

Two wolves flanked his sides. One black as the night, the other white as the snow in Atlas. These specimens were still young. They were the size of a normal wolf, but that would change in the coming years. To earn the trust, loyalty, and respect of such creatures was no small feat. The fur along their snouts was also stained with blood. So these beasts joined him in his battles and were most likely trained to kill. That prospect was enthralling and unsettling at the same time.

Arthur might have appreciated the truly fascinating set of combat equipment if he were in any other situation. But combined with the overwhelming feeling of dread, unease, and pain he, and no doubt the rest of the scientists were feeling, made it a bit hard to do so. A shame really.

An overwhelming sense of fear took hold of them. None were trained in combat. And so none dared to stand up to the intruder.

As the man stepped into their safe room all of the scientists took an involuntary step back. He looked onto each one of them, his single red visor gleaming in the dark. Silence filled the room. None dared to speak. None dared to say a word. Everyone visible shivered as his gaze fell upon them. Arthur could swear that the tension that permeated the room could have been cut by a knife. The scientists feared for their lives since no one was able to offer them any sort of protection now.

Why was standing in his presence so unnerving? So uncomfortable? Arthur has never experienced such a phenomenon. Was it his semblance? Doubtful. Another mystery he would like to solve, should he not die horribly in the next few minutes at the hands of their unexpected guest.

Suddenly the man pointed at him.

"You." He finally spoke in a cold and emotionless voice. Every other scientist slowly turned their heads towards Arthur Watts.

"Step forward." The man ordered. Already fearing for his life and not wanting to anger their uninvited guest, he complied.

As he stood before the man, Arthur could not look up to him. He found that maintaining eye contact was even more painful than standing in his mere presence.

With his glave, he pointed outside of the room. A truly terrifying weapon up close. Especially when blood is dripping from said weapon.

"Out."

And so once again Arthur complied. Sweat was already forming on his forehead. This was not how he was planning his day to go.

After the man stepped out of their safe room, he closed the reinforced doors behind them, leaving his colleagues trapped inside. These were not the best security measures implemented by the Atlas military, now that he thought about it.

Without even looking at him the man continued down the hallway. Not wanting to anger him, Arthur followed in his stride, flanked by the two wolves at his back. Their angry growls did nothing to help his current predicament.

As they walked down the corridor his gaze fell onto the bodies of the soldiers, that were tasked to defend this facility and its personnel. The wounds inflicted by the man's axes and his glave were indeed a gruesome sight to behold. Severed limbs and intestines lay strewn around. Watts suddenly had no more appetite. Others had their throats ripped open. There was no doubt in his mind that this was the doing of the wolves that were currently stalking behind them. The thought made Arthur extremely uncomfortable. That these formidable beasts could so easily dispatch trained soldiers of Atlas was truly unsettling. With each body, they passed he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of foreboding.

"You will help me." His voice broke the heavy silence once more, snapping Arthur's attention back onto him.

"You ask for my help?"

"I did not ask for your help."

The underlying threat was not missed by Doctor Watts. With the tightening of his grip around the glaive and the growls emitting from the wolves cemented the man's point. At this juncture, Arthur did not have a choice.

"Of course." He cursed at how pathetic he must have sounded. Not that he had much of a choice in the matter anyway.

"And how can I be of service?" He tried to sound more confidant.

"You and I will find a way to hamper… no… control the effects of the pariah gene."

Watts stopped dead in his tracks. What an odd request. This Individual forcefully infiltrated a weapons development facility of the Atlas military to find a way to control the effects of the pariah gene? This man must be a lunatic. Who on Remnant would request such an absurd-

And then it hit him. How could he have been so blind to what was in front of him? The feeling of unease, dread, and pain whilst in his presence makes sense now. How could he have missed such a thing? By Oum he should have eaten something. This man was a pariah himself! There is only a one in billion chance for one of these to be born.

Not only that but he forcefully infiltrated a weapons development facility of the Atlas military, without Aura or a semblance. And succeeded, unharmed. This realization terrified the doctor. Some of the guards graduated from the Atlas Huntsman Academy. And he slew them all! Would he and his colleagues be next he wondered? Maybe if he helped him in his request he might spare them the same fate.

Despite the grim reality of his situation, he couldn't help but feel that this day was turning out better than he thought. Did that make him insane? Probably. A new and extremely rare mystery presented itself in front of him. Despite the unnerving feeling this man exuded, Watts couldn't help but feel overjoyed. But there was still a question that plagued his mind.

"Why if I may ask."

The man suddenly came to a halt and regarded Arthur for a few long agonizing seconds. His eyes wandered elsewhere. That damn feeling. Pariahs really did exude an agonizing aura. He always thought that these stories were exaggerated. It would seem that he thought wrong.

"Interactions with people have always been… difficult." He noticed a note of… sadness, in his tone.

"I see," Watts said. "You can trust me with my help in achieving your goal."

"Trust is an expensive commodity." He answered him. "And I have none for you."

"Of course." He apologized. "I will make sure to earn it."

The man regarded him curiously over his shoulder but said nothing more.

At least he felt somewhat relieved, that he did not request the construction of some horrible weapon of any sort.

"Ah how incredibly rude of me," Arthur said. "I am Doctor Arthur Watts."

"Wolfe." He replied. "Just Wolfe."

Wolfe? An uncommon name. Arthur wondered if it was his birth name, or if he chose it so it could fit with his overall… aesthetic. Only time would tell. But the lack of a surname was worrying. And a crutch, should he choose to investigate the man's past. On that front, he was still undecided. There was the possibility that he might not live long enough to find out.

But he may at least satiate his curiosity by solving the mystery that presented itself. The day pleasantly took a turn for the better.