A/N: Read note at bottom please.
A pair of red eyes peered around the corner of a destroyed building. They spied four guards patrolling up and down the ruined street. Two more guarding her exit. Looking up, they found four more guards stationed on the roofs of the abandoned houses. Keeping overwatch on the exit, while also having excellent vision of the streets and side paths.
"Tch. They got this place covered pretty well. I need to find a blind spot." Yang thought to herself. She knew there was a weak spot in their defenses. The problem was finding it.
After a few minutes of observation and moving around outside of their vision to get a couple of different angles, she finally spotted something that she could use to exit this destroyed village. It was a hole in the wall that was only just outside their sight. However, this presented Yang with another problem. What problem is that? Well, just that this hole in the wall was on the other side of the street.
Yang wouldn't let this challenge deter her. Especially with her being so close to the finish. She was determined to complete her objective.
She took her time to observe and note the guards' patterns. Making sure to be able get a good mental map of where they are for when she can't see them. While also, keeping track of how long it takes them to complete one rotation.
With all of this done, now it was time to plan her way over to the hole. Obviously, crossing the street was a no go. Going through the roofs was also not an option. The blonde kept changing positions to get different perspectives in the hopes of finding a solution to this puzzle. After fifteen minutes of this, her patience was rewarded. If she couldn't go high or go low, then the only solution was to go...even lower. Yang had spotted a ruined house that was slightly elevated. This provided enough room for her to fit, but also gave her fantastic cover since it would be incredibly difficult for her to be spotted and gave her access to a drainage pipe that would allow her to crawl to the other side without being spotted. It was also great that the opening on the other side put her right behind a damaged, stone fence. So long as she stayed prone. They would not see her.
Acting on her plan, Yang made her way over to the house slowly. Haste would just make noise. And making noise was not a great idea when trying to sneak by Faunus.
Yang went prone once she reached her destination. Immediately, she began to crawl underneath. Upon entry, Yang was meet with what was perhaps the dankest underside of a house she had ever seen. The dirt was damp. Feeling much more like mud than anything else. She nearly gagged from the fusty scent of mildew and stagnate muddy water. It was times like these that she really wished that she wasn't half Faunus.
Sucking it up, Yang pressed on. Her fingers sank in the mud she gripped the ground to pull herself forward. As she continued to crawl through, dozens of insects began to crawl out and desperately move away from her. If she were still the same girl from the days at Beacon, she would have probably been seriously grossed out and very worried for her hair, but she was not that weak girl anymore. Now, she just shrugs it off.
Finally reaching the entrance of the drainage pipe, she began to narrow herself to fit through the pipe. Once inside, she immediately recoiled from the foul stench that assaulted her sensitive nose. This odor was not just dirty water. Water could not create such an oppressive smell. Looking deeper into the pipe, she found what was responsible for the nasty smell. It was the rotted corpse of a child. The skin was gray and wet. Parts of the cadaver's flesh had already rotted off, revealing some of the skeleton around the arms and legs. The skin around the face was pulled taught against the skull. Nothing, but black holes for eyes as they had decayed into nothingness long ago.
Upon further examination of the body, Yang was able to deduce that this child tried to hide from the Grimm that attacked, but ultimately failed judging from how torn the torso was. They likely found the child from the negative emotions that was coming from them. Fear, anxiety, and stress were all negative emotions that would act like a beacon to the child's location for the Grimm.
"Poor kid. To die in a place like this." Yang thought solemnly. She felt bad, but there was nothing she could do. It was what it was. At least the child wasn't suffering anymore. It could rest in peace.
Shaking her head, Yang pressed on. She had a mission to complete.
Crawling all the way to the end of the pipe, she peaked her head out ever so slightly to see if anyone was around. There wasn't. Making her way out, she made sure to stick as close to the broken wall as possible. Peering around the corner of the wall the blonde could see that the guards weren't facing her way and the four that were on the roofs didn't exactly have the best line of sight on her.
Going to the other end of the wall, she found a small alley way behind some houses that would take her straight to the hole leading out of the village. However, that meant getting close to some of the guards on the roofs. She would have to move carefully and quietly. Also, taking great care to keep her aura suppressed all the way to zero so they couldn't sense her presence.
Moving forward, Yang kept to a prone position to minimize the sound she made and to keep her profile low. Slowly, she got closer and closer to her destination. Everything was going to plan. So long as she stayed patient, she would make it through without alerting anyone.
Hearing foot steps above her coming closer to her location, Yang immediately stopped and pushed herself up against the house. One of the guards came into view above her. There was no need for worry though. Yang knew she wasn't caught. He was looking down, but unless he looked all the way down then he would not be able to see her. After about thirty seconds, he turned and moved away. Judging from the sounds of his steps and where they stopped, Yang knew he was on the other side of the roof. This meant that she had a safe beeline to the hole. However, she still needed to make her way slowly.
Going prone once more, Yang continued crawling. She was so close now. Another eight feet and she would be home free.
Making it to the last house, Yang was now just a few feet away from her goal. If memory served her correct, there should be a few guards right on the other side of the house. Peeking around the corner, she was right. This would be the most difficult part. Yang would now have to move in such a way that she would not appear in their peripheral.
Keeping prone, Yang moved toward her goal. Making sure to only use certain muscles of her body to keep from making any unnecessary movements. Just the bear minimum that it would take to move her forward.
It took her around thirty seconds to make it to the hole. Though, if Yang was honest, it felt like the longest thirty seconds in the world. Crawling through the hole, she breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Her patience and discipline was rewarded. However, she wasn't out of the woods yet. She still needed sneak away from the village. Running would just alert them, but at least now she didn't need to crawl.
Standing up, Yang quietly walked forward. She had another mile to go before getting to her destination to complete her mission.
Yang had finally made it to her destination. The mile she traveled was fairly uneventful. Just dodging a few patrols here and there. Nothing that she wasn't already prepared for. She made it to the stump that she was instructed to go to. The blonde reached down through a hole that was made at the bottom of it and pulled out a flare gun. Taking aim, Yang fired the flare into the sky. Now all she had to do was wait.
Five minutes passed. Yang saw a raven descend down to her. Once it was close the ground, her mother appeared in her humanoid form and landed in front of her.
Raven looked on to her daughter with a smirk. "Congratulations Yang. You passed without alerting a single person." The older woman put her hands on both of Yang's shoulders. "Your training is paying off. Just as I said it would." Raven said as she shook Yang approvingly by her shoulders.
Yang smiled. She was beaming with pride and joy. "Thanks, mom. I gotta say though. I think I'm ready now."
Raven nodded. "I agree. You are most certainly ready."
"Thanks, but I might need help with this one."
"You remember what I said about this being your revenge Yang?"
Yang nodded. "Yes. I remember. Don't worry. I'm still doing most of the work, but I got a good plan that I think could definitely work. It would benefit everyone. Besides, you did say the tribe would help in whatever ways it can."
Raven studied her daughter for a few moments. She then smiled. "Very well. I would hear of this plan back at the tribe." She turned from her daughter and made a portal. Looking over her shoulder, she said. "However, I make no promises Yang."
The blonde nodded. She suppose that was fair. It just made her happy that her mother would hear her out.
After making it back to the tribe and washing herself, Yang started making her way to a large tent. For some reason her mother said to come here and not her own tent. Even told her to bring a map of the area and the blueprints of the facility.
Upon entering the tent, Yang was greeted by five people who were all sitting in a circle, around a large, circular, folding table, with her mother at the head of it. There were various maps of all of the provinces, counties and other minor territories of Anima strewn across tables and boards. Many different kinds of trophies were dotted around too. Everything from wild game to Grimm masks.
"Come in Yang." Raven waved to her daughter to take her place beside her.
Yang nodded. She walked over and stood next to her mother.
"Yang, this is my war council. Before any plan of attack is made, it needs to go through them. It's good to have different minds help you. They may offer a different and unique perspective to make your plans better."
Clearing her throat, Raven stood up. Everyone in the tent immediately set their eyes on Raven. "Now then. I have gathered you all here because my daughter has a plan of attack on a White Fang facility. Apparently, this place could have many supplies and tech that would be of great benefit to us." Looking to Yang, she made a gesture for her to step forward. "The floor is yours Yang."
Yang blinked a few times. Stepping forward, she began to place the map and blueprints on the table. "R-right. Anyway. Here is the map of the entire facility." She said as she pointed the paper. "You will see I have taken the liberty of marking down all patrol routes, guard stations, and even the number of hostiles in there. Now, normally, I would do this myself. If it wasn't for the fact that there about two hundred some odd White Fang soldiers. All of which are armed to the teeth and even have six stolen Atlesian Paladins."
Yang paused briefly. It would appear that not a single one was about to interrupt her. She was thankful. It meant they were very much interested on hearing her out fully before commenting.
"The first part of this plan requires that I go in, alone and undetected. Once in, I will make my way over to the Paladins and plant these on them in hidden spots." She pulled out a pile of dust infused C4 and gently put it on the table. "When that's done, I will make my way here." Her finger tapped on the map. "This is where the substation is. It is the source of this facilities electricity. However, (she now motioned to the blueprints) there is a secret generator that can supply the entire base with power for a while in the communications room. I will need to disable that first, before making any kind of attack. After that's done, I will disable their comms so they can't call for help."
Gesturing for everyone to move their attention back to the actual map of the base, Yang continued. "When all of this is done, I will detonate the explosives. This will take out the Paladins and it will cause an entire base wide blackout since the substation will have been destroyed. Once that happens, you guys can swoop in and attack the White Fang. The explosions will cause chaos and panic. They will be completely disorganized and off guard. Making them easy prey for the tribe. Also, they aren't exactly a very well trained militia. Taking them down should be simple."
Yang stood to her full height and looked at everyone present. "Are there any questions?"
"Yes." A woman with blue colored feathers in her hair and light orange around her chest spoke up. "First, allow me to introduce myself. I am Azure Fisher. My questions are rather simple. Do we have a good route for retreat? Just in case things don't go quite our way. And what of the White Fang?"
"Yes. If things go south for whatever explicable reason, this path right here." She said as she pointed to the map. "Will allow you to retreat relatively easily. Most of the White Fang will be in the area where the Paladins are. Incidentally, this also makes retreat for them extremely difficult. They will be backed up against their own wall. In short, my plan will use their own defenses against them and give us the advantage either way."
Azure nodded and sat back down. She was satisfied with Yang's answer.
An average sized man stood up. He had dark metallic blue hair and feathers along his head and down the entire backside of his body with yellow ones covering his front. " I am called Finch Euphonia. Now, we know the White Fang has smaller camps dotted around much of Anima. What's keeping those camps from reinforcing their own?"
Yang gave a confident smirk. "Oh, there is no need to worry about that. I took care of all of the camps that were close to this base. However, that does put us on somewhat of a time limit to act. No doubt, when those camps fail to call back, they will go to investigate. Their findings will put them on guard and they will likely report back to their HQ."
"How long until that happens?"
"The camps report back to that base every three days. I worked really hard to get rid of all of those camps on the day they made their calls. So, we have three days until the White Fang start getting suspicious."
Finch nodded. He began stroking his yellow beard. "One last thing."
Yang blinked. "Yes?"
"Your part in this whole thing is going to require you to be quick. Are you certain you can do this?"
The blonde smiled and pounded her fists together. "I'm sure I can do this! I don't think there is a reason why I can't."
"I agree with my daughter." Raven spoke out. She placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "Yang is more than capable of doing this. As of right now, she has tied for the record time of completing our challenges in her age group."
Finch hummed. If Raven was giving her a vote of confidence, then that was enough for him. Nodding, he sat back down.
With no one having anymore questions, the council looked at each other and nodded. Raven came forward.
"We are all in agreeance?"
"Yes." The other five members said.
"Good." Raven turned to Yang with a smile. "Looks like you got what you wanted Yang. The tribe will aid you in this endeavor." Turning to the rest of her peers. "You are all dismissed. We begin preparation tomorrow."
The council made a small, polite bow and made their way out. Once everyone was out, Raven smiled at her daughter. She enjoyed seeing the joy and pride on her face. Flashbacks to when Yang had first come here appeared in her mind. However, they were quickly replaced by the current image of her daughter. "She's grown so much in such a short amount of time." Raven thought fondly.
Upon noticing Yang leaving, she reached out to gently take hold of her wrist. "Yang, wait."
Yang looked back at her mother with a questioning look. "Huh? What is it mom?"
Raven's heart fluttered at the sound of that word. She still wasn't use to it. Still wasn't sure if she deserved it, but she knew there was no stopping Yang. "I just wanted to tell you to rest until we start your operation."
"Really? Why? I can still train!" Yang said with a certain kind childish enthusiasm. Even her grin made her look more like a child rather than an adult.
Raven gave a small chuckle. "Perhaps somethings she will never grow out of." Shaking her head. She let go of Yang's wrist. "There will always be time for training Yang, but you should rest for this. You need to be in tip top condition. Even one moment lapse in concentration could ruin this and it will be harder for you to concentrate if you're not well rested."
"Oh. Well, I guess that makes sense. Fine. I'll take it easy. Besides, it will give me sometime to think of a way to beat you." Yang grinned.
"Hmm. Whatever you say precious daughter of mine." Raven countered with mock smugness.
Both Yang and Raven left the tent. With the former holding the flap for the latter. Allowing her mother to walk through first.
"Um. Excuse me, Chief." Robin said meekly.
Raven took one look at Robin and immediately turned her head to Yang. "Why don't you run along Yang. We can talk more later."
The blonde shifted her eyes back and forth between her mother and Robin. She smiled and said. "Okay. I think I'll go see what those kids are up to. They always want me to tell them stories about the city." Yang left while waving her hand.
Raven shifted her gaze back to Robin. "What is it child?"
Robin started to twiddle her thumbs and twist the ball of her right foot into the ground. " I wanted to ask if you could help me get stronger." The spring bird Faunus muttered quietly.
Raven narrowed her eyes. "What?" The tribe leader heard perfectly well what the young teen asked. However, she wanted Robin to ask with a voice of strength and confidence. To speak with her back straightened up and to look her in the eyes. To come from a position of strength. Instead of looking like one of those demure school girls that she remembered seeing from her days at Beacon.
"I-I just wanted to now if you would be willing to train me?" She said a little bit louder.
"Speak up! I can't hear you Robin. Use your voice!" Raven said harshly.
By this point, Robin was starting to get annoyed. She knew the older woman could hear her.
Clenching her fists she growled. "I said. I want to know if you would train me to get stronger!" Almost yelling.
Satisfied, Raven crossed her arms. "Tell me, Robin. What exactly is prompting this request?" Raven already knew the answer, but wanted to hear it from the teen herself. For her to acknowledge her weakness.
"Because of what happened with that scorpion man." She paused. Lifting up her hands with her palms facing up. Sparks of electricity and globules of water floated around them. "Even with these powers he defeated me so easily. And I made my mother worry so much."
Looking down in shame, she grabbed her arm as her expression turned somber. "I just don't want to put her through that again. I want to be better."
Raven studied the girl for a few moments. Red eyes moved up and down her form. Looking for any amount of weakness in her. Scanning for even the slightest lack of conviction. Those piercing, crimson orbs almost made the Spring Maiden squirm.
"Very well." Raven said. Breaking the unnerving silence. "I expect you to be up just as the sun starts to peak over the horizon after we are finished with Yang's operation." Raven made her way past Robin. Her face still ever so stoic.
For Robin though, she breathed out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding in. She actually thought Raven would deny her request on the basis of her not being ready or being too young. Especially after her, admittedly, not too smart adventure.
"Oh! One more thing."
Robin jumped. She expected her chief to have already turned the corner. The Spring Maiden turned back. "Yes ma'am?"
"You'd better tell your mother about this. I don't want her going crazy because she can't find you." Raven said in a tone that left no room for argument.
"Y-yes ma'am!" Robin stuttered as she rubbed the back of her head. "Oh, uh, Chief?" She called out before Raven could turn away from her.
"Yes?"
"Thank you for accepting my request."
Much to Robin's surprise, the older woman smirked. "I wonder if you'll be thanking me when you experience the hell I put even my own daughter through." Before anything more could be said, Raven left. Chuckling as she rounded the corner of a tent.
Robin gulped. "What did I get my dumbass self into?"
Near black, swelled up clouds covered nearly the entirety of the night sky. From these cumulonimbus clouds came what looked like a never ending torrential downpour of rain. All of the birds had long since sought cover from the elements.
Except one.
A large golden bird soared through the rainstorm completely uninhibited. Rainwater merely gathered harmlessly in small clusters and slid off to the ground below. It was times like these Yang was certainly glad that her feathers were waterproof.
Feeling a serge of static electricity build up in her feathers, Yang swiftly moved out of the way of a thunderous lightning bolt. The intensity of the earsplitting, cracking boom that it generated was not very kind to her ears. Learning the hard way that lightning is so much louder when you're about eighteen thousand feet in the air.
Seeing a brightly lit area in the distance, Yang quickly shook her head to rid herself of the ringing in her ears. Yang produced a flap of her wings that was so mighty, that it created a back draft of air so strong it momentarily changed the direction of where the rain was falling around her. It didn't take her long to see her destination in full. Quickly spotting the landing area she had picked out, Yang dive bombed.
Five, ten, fifteen thousand feet she dropped. Once she had reached an altitude of about a couple hundred feet, Yang opened up her wings to slow her descent. One hundred, fifty, twenty and finally reaching ten feet, she turned back into her humanoid form and fell the rest of the way down. Landing on the pavement with her legs bent and her arms spread out in front of her with the palms of her hands firmly pressed to the ground, Yang kept her head down.
Less than a second later, the blonde snapped her head up and hastily took in her surroundings to see if she had been seen. Once verifying that she had successfully infiltrated the perimeter of the compound, she immediately took cover behind a container. Another crack of electricity was discharged from the angry clouds above. The brief flash of light illuminated Yang's haunting mask.
Yang peeked around the corner of her cover. Spying two guards walking her way, she pulled back and began silently and slowly walking to the other side of the container. She had calculated that at there current walk speed, they would have their backs to her. Peering around the corner just enough to give her vision, her calculation was proven correct.
Once they had passed the container fully, Yang took this as an opportunity to press forward to her objective. Moving east, she came up to the main building. It wasn't a very impressive structure. Dull and gray. Very utilitarian and nothing else. Yang supposed that that was the point. If it worked and served it's purpose, then who cares if it doesn't look nice.
Coming up to the building, she immediately hugged the wall next to a heavy door. Now, Yang could enter through the building and come out on the other side, but then she would leave wet boot prints on the floor and that might alert the White Fang to the presence of an intruder and beef up security. She really, couldn't risk that. No. It was better to just sneak around the structure.
She decided to go around the west side of the building. Pulling from her memory, Yang knew that the White Fang kept their trucks and a warehouse on that side. There was also a number of small wooden buildings, that were being used as barracks, that was in between that and the area they kept their Paladins. Going this way would provide the most amount of cover for her since the opposite side was mostly empty space. Once done with planting the dust infused C4s, she could then just move back towards the main building. Which was ideal since their substation was on the way.
Peering out ever so slightly, Yang found several guards patrolling their routes. Just like she remembered. And just like she remembered, they should be changing shifts very soon. Yang would use that time to move in towards the trucks.
A few minutes later, new guards came into view to relieve their comrades. Now was the time to move while they were sufficiently distracted with small talk. Eyeing a small field of grass that connected to where the trucks were parked, Yang became a blur with a quick burst of speed. Then, in the blink of an eye, she dove into the grass. Water and mud kicked up a bit. Keeping prone, she lifted her head to see the previous guard making their way to the barracks. With the fresh one's picking up where they left off.
Confirming that she was not detected, Yang slowly crawled her way to the trucks. Her method was slow, but safe. Patience here was an absolute must.
It felt like an eternity, but Yang had managed to make it to the trucks. Transitioning from grass and mud, to concrete underneath the vehicles. Yang's olfactory senses were assaulted by the heavy smell of motor oil and gasoline. It wasn't pleasant, but she would just have to deal with it. She ceased all movement when boots came into view in front of her. Her breath slowed almost to a stop when they stopped. The less sound she made, the less likely they would hear her. Luckily, the smells of the trucks, rain water and mud masked her scent.
After a few moments, the guards moved on. Deciding that it wouldn't do to push her luck, Yang continued as quickly as possible.
Finally making it to the last truck, she knew there wasn't anyone on this side, but she looked to make absolutely certain that there was no one. Of course, she could just sense out all of their auras and she was doing that, but like her mother said, "It does no good to become overly reliant on such a thing. After all. There is no substitute for your eyes."
Coming out from underneath the vehicle, Yang quickly and quietly, made her way to the backside of the warehouse. Making it behind the warehouse, she pressed herself to the wall. Yang got about halfway and stopped dead in her tracks. She could feel a group of three coming around the corner in front of her. Hastily analyzing her surroundings Yang found a barrel. She had managed to jump in just in time, because half a second later, the three White Fang guards came around the corner.
She sat perfectly still inside. Her predominantly black clothing made her blend seamlessly in the darkness. Yang thanked her lucky stars that there were holes in the barrel for her to see through.
She had not anticipated this. All of her research on their routes did not include this. Surmising that they probably figured that this spot didn't have any eyes on it, they put some people here to remedy that problem. Well, it didn't matter. Things are always changing in life. It was up to you to adapt to said change or be left behind. And Yang's quick thinking allowed her to adapt.
Once they disappeared around the building Yang poked her head out to make sure it was clear. Confirming the coast was clear, she climbed out and continued on her way. Reaching the other side, she peered around the wall. Yang found that there were no eyes on her location and the space in between her and the dozen or so shabby, wooden portable like structures that posed as barracks.
Yang zoomed across to the other side. Moving so fast that her body wasn't exactly visible. If one were to look over to her, at best, they would merely see a shadowy blur darting across between buildings. Yang came to a stop a pressed her back against the wall of one of the portables.
Looking back at where she was previously. Yang calculated that the space between here and the warehouse must have been about one hundred meters. She smiled.
"That's the fastest I have ever cleared that kind of distance." She mused to herself. Yang turned her head to where the sound of people talking was coming from. "Guess this is what Ruby feels like whenever she uses her semblance." She allowed herself one final thought before getting back to work.
Yang moved slowly towards the voices. She couldn't quite make out what they were saying. The sound of the storm had muffled their voices. A storm was very nice for sneaking into and around a base, but it acted as a double-edged sword. They couldn't really hear or smell her very well, but the opposite was true for her too.
Reaching the end of the portable, she looked around the corner to see two guards conversing among themselves.
"Gotta tell ya. I think Adam taking over was the best damn thing that ever happened to the White Fang." A salamander Faunus said.
"I hear that brother. With him in charge we're actually getting shit done. Taking the fight to those human fucks." A gecko Faunus boasted.
"Tell me about it! Both Sienna AND Ghira were total wimps. So scared of going into a war. Good thing Adam isn't afraid. He's doing exactly what needs to be done. I can't wait until every one of those hairless monkeys are dead."
At the sound of that man's name. Yang had a brief flashback to the day that bastard cut off her arm. Biting back the growl that threatened to come out, she tuned out the rest of their conversation and went along her way. The day where she would stand atop his corpse was a day she was very much so looking forward to. However, that day would have to wait. She had to keep her mind in the here and now. Not the future.
The rest of the way to the other side of the barracks area was spent calming herself. Anger wouldn't help her here. It would just be a detriment to her mission. When she finally reached the last portable Yang poked her head out slightly. Finally, her first objective was in sight.
A field of concrete with six Atlesian Paladins in squatted positions of two rows of three. An assortment of tools and mechanical parts littered the entire place. Military grade diagnostic computers sat atop gray crates and other containers with wires attached to the large death machines. A small group of engineers and mechanics working on them. Two for each Paladin.
Yang would have to be extremely careful here. One wrong move and the whole mission goes tits up.
Thankfully, there was plenty of cover between the barracks and her target. Barrels, boxes, bags of cement, and even piles of steel beams would all provide excellent cover.
Once Yang made sure it was safe to move, she moved towards a pile of cement bags stack on top of each other. The powerful winds caused the blue tarp that was covering the mound of cement to flap and fold loudly. She crouched behind the pile and kept her head low. Gently poking her head out, she could see the workers were unaware of her presence.
It became rather apparent that they were very preoccupied with their work. Too preoccupied to pay attention to their surroundings. This would make sneaking around much easier. Bringing her head back down, Yang crouch walked her way to the left end of the pile. Spying some barrels that were neatly lined up, Yang looked left and right twice over just to make sure it was safe. She then came out from behind her cover and moved quickly to the barrels. The roaring sounds of ticks and tacks rang through her ears as rain drops slammed into the metallic surface of the barrels.
Eyeing stacks of tarp covered boxes, she rushed forward. Stopping just shy of them. Peering over them, she estimated that they were about thirty yards away from her.
Yang had one last bit of cover before getting to the Paladins. A neatly stacked bunch of steel beams that had chains around them that were hooked onto large nails with ringed heads which were embedded into the ground. This would bring her uncomfortably close to the enemy. About ten yards too close. But the blonde also didn't have much choice.
Going prone, Yang crawled her way forward. The soft squelching sounds of mud being disturbed as she pulled her body forward were just ever so slightly audible in the raging storm. Creeping her way onto concrete, Yang pushed herself up into a crouching position and pressed herself against the steel beams.
Slightly rolling her sleeve up, the blonde eyed the time on her watch. It was two in the morning now. If memory served her correctly then the technicians and engineers should be getting relieved any moment now.
And speak of the devil.
"Did you finish your work?" A cheetah Fanus said. Wearing blacks and grays for her uniform. Just like everyone else. Her tail was wrapped around her waist for convenience.
One of the engineers stepped forward and saluted. "Yes ma'am. We've just finished our final checks. Everything is in order."
"Good." She said with an approving nod. "Go in, dry yourselves off and get something to eat. You have the rest of the night free until it's time for you to sleep. Dismissed."
As she walked away the group saluted and left to do what she told them to do.
It was obvious to Yang that she was one of the officers in charge of this place. Well, it didn't matter. She was going to be dead. Along with everyone else in this compound.
Once everyone had left, Yang tentatively broke cover and walked to the nearest Paladin. She stared up the large piece of machinery. This was the exact model that she fought back when she was still at beacon. Except instead of being gunmetal gray, this one was painted with White Fang colors.
It was funny. Yang could still feel the wind in her hair from being swung around by Blake with the ribbon portion of Gambol Shroud. Staring for a few moments longer, Yang finally shook her head to rid herself of the growing feeling of nostalgia that threatened to consume her. There were far more important things to be done than daydreaming about a day long gone.
Reaching into her satchel she pulled out a red, rectangular object with a receiver strapped on it. Placing the dust infused c4 into the space in between the knee and a plate of armor covering it. Yang repeated this for the other five Paladins.
With her first objective complete, she now set her sights on the substation that was directly south of her position. The way there would be easy. There weren't any guards between here and her target. Most of them were in the middle of changing shifts by this time. This meant that Yang could actually run to her target and not slowly sneak towards it.
As she came up to the control house Yang slowed to a stand still behind it. She pulled out the last two dust infused C4s. Walking toward the voltage regulators, she constantly kept her all of her senses on high alert. There was no cover here besides the control house. The crimson orbs behind the mask kept shifting from right to left. Now within arms length of the voltage regulators, she placed the explosive on the middle one.
Eyeing the step-down transformer she carefully walked around the regulators. While she wasn't worried about being electrocuted to death she still didn't think it would be a pleasant experience. Something about all of your muscle contracting uncontrollably just didn't sound very appealing.
Placing the last of her explosives on the structure before her, Yang made her way around it. The only thing that was left to do now was to enter the building in front of her and find the antlered Faunus. Kill him and take his ID card to gain access to the Communications room. Disable it and then find the hidden generator room inside it and destroy it.
There was a dark, evil feeling that crept its way down Yang's spine. It felt like there were cold slimy tendrils gripping it. This feeling only got worse the closer she came to the main building. Yang found this strange. She didn't feel this when she was actually touching the damn place. Coming to the conclusion that she must of have been far to focused on the obstacles that were before her to feel this foreboding sense of dread. Now that there was really nothing she had to worry about on her way to the next objective, this created a tiny bit of down time in her mind. This down time allowed her to become far more perceptive of the heinous aura that was permeating from and around the building. Engulfing it in an invisible miasma.
Pushing the feeling of unease down, Yang continued on. She had to focus. Maybe after she completed her mission she could investigate whatever was giving her this feeling.
Coming up to the door Yang flattened her body against the wall next to it. Before even trying to open the door, she felt out to find if there were any auras nearby. Feeling nothing directly on the other side Yang slowly opened the door until there was a crack. Peering through the crack, she looked around for a few moments to confirm the coast was clear.
Carefully opening the door so as to not make too much sound, Yang walked in and slowly closed the door. Turning around she was faced with an undercoated corridor of concrete. It was lit with pale, yellow, fluorescent lights. Only three doors lined the hall. One directly to her right about five feet from her and the other two on the opposite end from her. In the middle hall was a gap that led to a staircase.
Yang made her way to the staircase. The second floor was where her objective was. Checking her watch Yang realized that her person of interest was about to end his shift. If she got up to the second floor fast enough, she could cut him off.
Yang quietly went up the stairs. Reaching the second floor Yang immediately pressed herself against the wall in front of the stairs. Remembering that there should be two guards on this floor. With one patrolling the halls and the other in the break room. Peering around the corner she could see one of the guards at the other end of the hall with his back to her. She needed to get rid of him. The question was how though. Yang grinned as an idea formed in her head.
Balling her hand into a fist, she knocked on the wall three times.
"Huh? What was that noise?" The guard said. The sudden sound of knocking surprising him. Making him do a complete one eighty on his heel. Raising his gun up, he put his finger on the trigger. Ready fire if there was an intruder.
Yang could feel him coming closer and closer to her location. She waited patiently for him. Then, when he came around the corner, Yang pounced. She quickly and silently disarmed the man before he even had a chance to process what was happening. By the time his brain finally realized what was happening, she had already wrapped an arm around his throat and squeezed hard.
Yang quietly and swiftly brought him to the ground. She used her free hand to pin his left arm to his back. She also brought her legs underneath his and brought up her feet and locked them against his ankles. Preventing him from being able to kick out and make noise to alert his comrade in the break room.
Yang could feel him helplessly flail in her deadly grip. Felt him panicking at the lack of air. He was desperately clawing at her arm to free himself. After some time, his struggles lessened. Eventually, he stopped fighting and had passed out, but Yang didn't release her hold. Once she was certain his heart stopped, she let go.
Kneeling over him, Yang put her index and middle finger to a pulse point on his neck. Nothing. His brain would start to die in about six minutes. Now there was the matter of hiding the body. Racking her brain for any ideas, one finally came to her. If she remembered correctly, there should be a locker room behind her.
Picking up the body Yang walked to the door of the locker room. Opening it, Yang quickly went for the nearest locker and placed the body inside.
"Where the hell is that idiot?"
Yang's eyes went wide. She berated herself for not noticing that the other guard was on the move and was coming to this room. Looking around frantically, she spotted an empty box that was big enough for a person. Wasting no time she jumped in and closed the flaps above her.
She watched as the other guard opened the door and walk in. Yang was super grateful that this box had handles she could see through.
"For fuck's sake." He said. "Where did that guy go?" He sighed and shook his head. "Well, since I'm here I might as well take a swig from my drink."
Yang watched with baited breath as he came closer to her. This was bad. She wasn't in the storm that was still raging on outside. He would actually be able to smell her. However, much to her surprise, he just walked right past her. But much to her dismay, he stopped at a locker that was right next to her. She could hear gulping sounds as the drink he mentioned fell down his esophagus. Whatever that drink was, it was clear it was some form of alcohol judging from the smell. And boy did Yang know that smell! Courtesy of Qrow of course.
"Ahhhhh!" He exclaimed in satisfaction. Belching as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
He put his drink back and closed his locker. He went to leave, but something caught his attention. An unfamiliar scent made its way to his nose. He sniffed the air several times. He began smelling his way over to where Yang was hiding.
Yang remained calm. Taking this guy out would be simple. She just needed to be fast enough.
As soon as he was standing right in front the box, Yang sprang out. Grabbing both sides of his head she twisted it. Turning it one hundred eighty degrees. A nasty cracking sound rang out as the vertebrae of his neck crumbled and shattered from the force she exerted. Yang grabbed both of his arms when he started falling backwards.
Stepping out of the box she carefully guided the now dead Faunus into a locker. The one right beside his friend. It was a good thing that there so many walls between here and the other rooms. It meant that Yang didn't have to worry about anyone hearing the snapping sound of bone. Before closing the locker Yang turned the body. He still held the same puzzled expression when he was looking for the source of her scent. Indicating that he died without even realizing it.
After closing the locker door and leaving the room, Yang proceeded on to the communications room. Coming to a plain, gray door, Yang moved off to the side. She watched as the handle turned. The door opened to reveal a deer Faunus with a chipped antler. He walked out into the hall and let the door close behind him. He turned to make his way to the stairs.
With his back to her now Yang started to creep up on him. She needed to get to him before her scent was registered in the olfactory centers of his brain. Her eyes widened when he stopped and took a whiff of the air. Yang immediately jumped him. Wrapping an arm around his neck in a similar fashion she did with the first guard. Grabbing his right arm and twisting it and then pinning it his back. The hold around his throat prevented him from making any sound.
She kicked the back of his knees. Forcing him on them. His body lurched forward in an attempt to throw her off him, but it didn't work as she instantly yanked back. Her superior strength too much for him to over come. She forced him into a fifty degree angle. Like this, his free hand had no chance of reaching the floor to bang on it for help.
The lack of air and the cutting off of circulation made him bring up his left hand instinctively to grab at her arm. He pulled and clawed at her, but it was no use. His feeble attempts to free himself weren't enough to even slightly damage her aura. Scratching and clawing at it was like trying to scrape through atlesian forged steel.
His vision began to narrow as the lack of oxygen to his brain started to take effect. He began to struggle less as his body started to fail. Darkness came flooding in from all direction until it completely encompassed his vision entirely. A moment later, his left hand slowly slid of Yang's arm. It just hung there. Unmoving, much the like the rest of the body it was attached to.
Much like her first victim Yang sat there for a little while longer. To ensure that his heart had stopped. Once she was satisfied Yang placed two fingers on his pulse point just be sure. Confirming that there was no pulse she laid the body down. Patting his body down for the ID card, she eventually found it in his right pocket.
Yang could sense four more auras in the comms room. She couldn't just open the door and walk in. There was too much risk of alerting the entire place to her presence and all she did up to this point would be for not. A more...creative approach was necessary. The blonde looked at the body at her feet and an idea instantly formed in her head.
Picking up the body, she stood it up straight and walked it to the door. Once in front of the door, Yang slid the ID card through the reader. She heard the click of the mechanism unlocking the door. She threw the card away and went to pull out her knife. Keeping the body leaned against her to keep her left hand free, she turned the knob and pushed the door opened. Right before the door opened all the way, she hid herself against the wall just outside the door.
"You're back? What? Did you forget something?" A meerakat Faunus said. When he didn't get a response, he looked up from his console at his compatriot with a raised brow. "Well? What is it? Or you just gonna stand there? Don't tell me you're drunk or something? I know you have shit tolerance, but c'mon! You literally just left."
Yang let go of the body. The deer Faunus fell forward and hit the floor with a thud.
"The fuck?" Exclaimed the meerkat Faunus.
"What is going on?" A rabbit Faunus said from the other side of the room.
"I don't know. But lets go check on the idiot on the floor." The meerkat Faunus said. He looked toward two other Faunus. A prairie dog Faunus and a lemur Faunus. He gestured for them to help him with their colleague.
Once the three of them got near the body, Yang sprang her trap. She leaped from the wall and into the doorway. With knife in hand, Yang rushed forward at blinding speed. Swiping the knife to her right, she cut the meerkat Faunus' throat open. Turning the blade inward, she cut to her left and the knife slid right through the lemur Faunus' throat. Now with the pommel of her knife just an inch away from her left shoulder, she aimed the tip at the prairie dog Faunus. Lunging forward, Yang buried the knife deep into his throat.
None of them even realized that they had been attacked and killed. A testament to Yang's incredible speed. However, the rabbit Faunus had enough time to process what was happening since he was on the other side of the room. The moment all three bodies fell to the floor was the moment the rabbit Faunus made a run for the alarm.
"Oh no you don't." Yang thought as she immediately threw her knife.
He only made it halfway before the knife had lodged itself into his head. The force of the throw was so great that it threw the rabbit Faunus of his feet and made him hit the wall that was three feet away from him. He slid down the wall and then crumbled to the ground. A trail of blood leading to down to his corpse painted the wall.
With everyone dead Yang dragged the deer Faunus' body from out of the doorway and then closed the door. A click sound came out to signify that it was locked. The blonde made her way to where she killed the rabbit Faunus. Not even bothering to walk over the dead bodies. She just simply stepped on them and then stepped back onto the floor. Yang had no respect for them. They didn't deserve it.
Bending down, Yang pulled her knife out of her dead enemy's head. A wet thwip sound was made as the blade left the head. She used his clothes to wipe her knife clean of his blood.
Now Yang needed to find the generator. Putting her knife back in it's scabbard, Yang began feeling and knocking the walls around her.
Knock
Knock
Knock
Clunk
Yang stopped. She knocked on the wall again. That wasn't concrete. Sounded more like metal.
Clunk
Clunk
All of a sudden a small part of the wall opened up to reveal some kind of sensor. Yang bent down to get a closer look. Deducing that this was most likely some kind of retinal scanner. Grabbing the rabbit Faunus, she brought his head up to the scanner and held it there. Red light flashed for a moment. Then the area that she heard the clunking sound slid to the right. Revealing a room just big enough to house a room sized generator.
Yang dropped the body and walked in. She immediately noticed that it was rather cramped in the room. She wasn't nearly as small as she use to be. So, it was kind of difficult to move around. The blonde searched the area for a switch or lever. It wouldn't do any good to start destroying things just yet. Finding a circuit breaker panel, she wondered over to it and opened it. Looking it over Yang found the switch for this generator and flipped it.
Now that it was powered down she went to the window on the far left side of the room. Yang pulled out the detonator and flipped the cap open. She stared out of the window for a few seconds. Watching some of the White Fang patrolling around or doing various chores. She frowned as images of fire and rubble flashed before her. The bodies of her slain classmates replaced her reflection on the window. Then, a reflection of a man with a red sword standing over her dismembered form. Crimson dripping from where the blade tapered.
"Eat shit assholes." Yang growled angrily as she pressed the button of the detonator.
BAROOM!
Yang watched as the substation and the Paladins exploded into useless pieces of metal. Fire engulfing both areas. From up on the second floor she had a fantastic view of all of the White Fang members funneling into those areas. She also noted that all of the lights had gone out. All power was off.
"Like herding cattle to the slaughterhouse." Turning to the communications console, she walked to them. Once in front of them she started to pound away at them. Her arms effortlessly punching right through steel. Grabbing wires and yanking them out. Yang kept going until there was nothing, but piles of scrap metal, circuits, and wires.
Walking up to the entrance, she kicked the door. The door flew off its hinges and hit the wall. A loud clang rang out as the door was lodged into the wall. Yang walked out into the hall. She made her way to the stairwell calmly. She figured it was about time to find out the source of this sinister feeling creeping its way back into her spine. Noticing it was stronger on the first floor, Yang resolved to check that floor in its entirety.
The White Fang gathered around the sources of the explosions. Many of them with fire extinguishers and hoses in hand to put out the fires.
"What the fuck is going on?" The cheetah Faunus yelled.
"I don't know ma'am! There were just some random explosions." One of her subordinates said.
"Random? No. This was no random accident. The explosions were far too big." Rubbing her chin, she pondered for a few moments before she had an epiphany. The destruction of their Paladins and the substation could mean only one thing. As she spun around to yell out what she had figured out, she noticed that the night sky had been blanketed by a large flock of birds speeding right at them.
She noticed that there was a raven leading them. She blinked and instead of bird that was descending toward her, it was a woman in red with a crimson o-katana in hand. The cheetah Faunus turned around.
"WE'ER UNDER ATTA-" Was all she get out before the red blade found its way into her throat. With the tip coming out the other side.
Raven pulled her sword out. She whipped it in the air and blood flew off. She watched as more of the tribe transformed into their humanoid forms right on top of the White Fang. Panic in their ranks quickly ensued and they began retreating towards the wall. Raven smiled. Her daughter was right. She had correctly deduced how her enemy would react. Oh yes. The tribe leader was quite pleased that her own flesh and blood was able to so aptly understand the psychology of her opposition. Raven was proud.
Yang could hear the screams of pain and panic of the White Fang as the tribe attacked. The sounds of gunfire also echoed. Accompanied with a small explosion or two every now and then. To her, it sounded like a damn war zone out there.
Now that she was on the ground floor Yang went about finding the source of this ominous feeling. She just followed where the feeling was strongest. This led her to a door that was on the other side from where she first entered the building. Placing her hand on the knob, she tried to turn it. Only to find that it wouldn't budge. She rolled her eyes. Grabbing the edge of the door near the knob with her right hand. Yang ripped the door off its hinges and tossed it aside.
Yang walked in the room. It was a simple, medium sized storage room. Boxes and crates lined the walls and some of the shelves. Various electronic parts were categorized alphabetically. Making her way between the shelf racks, Yang could feel the sensations becoming stronger until she was face to face with a wall. Crinkling her nose in confusion. Before her was a part of the wall that looked like it had a brand new coat of paint. The rest of the room's paint had dulled and the color had become faded.
It was clear that this was some secret door. Yang pulled back her hand and punched right through it. Pulling her arm out of the hole she made, she grabbed both sides of the opening and pulled. The disguised metal door was ripped right off the wall and she tossed it to the side. Yang smirked as she walked through entrance she just made. Very much so reveling in how strong she was.
Once through, she noticed a singular light on the ceiling in the center of small room. Next was what appeared to be an elevator door that was five feet away from her. Intrigued, Yang made her way to the door. Now standing directly in front of the elevator, the blonde pressed the button that was on her left, next to the door.
The door immediately opened and Yang entered. Turning around to face two rows of four buttons. Two of them were arrows. One pointing up and the other pointing down. The other two were a red button with the word 'emergency' and the other was a white button with a phone symbol and a speaker directly underneath it. Yang pressed the down arrow.
The door closed and a whirring sound emitted as the elevator descended. Yang shifted around in discomfort. The air around her became uncomfortably thick. An atrocious miasma fell over her. She was getting very close to the source. Whatever it was that the White Fang was doing down here, Yang was going to put a stop to it.
Yang jerked a bit when the elevator came to a stop. The elevator opened to reveal an underground laboratory. Tables of test tubes, microscopes, and cell-culture dishes on various rows of tables. Giant tubes of some strange, bubbling dark liquid covered the entire east wall. Near the tubes were mass spectrometers and what appeared to be different variation of those machines. Yang wasn't sure what they were. After all, she wasn't a scientist.
What surprised her was that there was still power here. Even the elevator had power. Yang could only assume that this place and the elevator were on an entirely separate grid. There was probably a power room around here somewhere.
Walking into the lab, she noticed a lot of different x-ray images. She made her way to them since they piqued her curiosity. What she found was...strange to say the least. These images confused Yang. Some of the bones were in their proper places, but there were many other bones and deformities that she didn't recognize at all. She was also puzzled that there was no one around. The only thing she could think of was that they heard about the fighting above and evacuated.
She reached and took one off the wall and studied it. "Are these suppose to be images of people?" Placing it on the table in front of her, Yang's eyes roamed the entire line of x-ray images. A terrible a sensation formed in the pit of her stomach. "What the fuck were these guys doing exactly?"
"Uhhhhhhhhhhh!" A throaty, raspy moan echoed.
Yang instantly turned around. Fire sword ignited in her hand. However, there was nothing.
"Uhhhhhhhhhhh!"
It was the same creepy moan again. Yang turned to the northern end of the room. Where the sound was coming from. Here she spotted three doors. One on the northern wall and one door on the east and west walls respectively.
Heading to the door directly north of her, Yang felt that there was something very wrong with this place. Was this place that the captured humans and dissenting Faunus disappeared to? Well, there was only one way to find out.
Coming up to the door, Yang kicked it down and stepped in. Once she did, she really wished she hadn't. Before her were ten person sized glass chambers. In each one was a horribly deformed and heavily mutated person floating in it. There were sickly black looking blotches peppered all over them. The areas that didn't have those were as pale as ashes with black, pulsating veins running across them. Various bone like structures protruded out of their arms, heads, back, and chest. Large bony claws replaced what would normally be hands. Each one of them were being kept alive by some sort of life support system. They had masks covering their faces with rubber tubes attached them. These tubes were connected to some kind of tank beside each chamber. Beneath these chambers, at waist level, were computers with EKGs beside them. Multiple steady beeps rang out.
"Uhhhhhhhh!"
At the sound of the moan, Yang turned her gaze back down. There was someone strapped to a table. She walked up beside it and gasped in horror. On the table was a heavily mutated ten year old human boy. Her gaze traveled down his torso. "Oh my god." She whispered in shock. The boy's stomach was completely cut open. His innards on full display. Various pins held down his flesh on either side of the table.
"...ease...ake...ith...op." The boy cried pitifully. Unable to fully pronounce words due his deformed jaw. It looked something that belonged on an Ursa. But Yang could make out what he was trying to say.
Yang took off her mask and gazed into the poor boy's eyes. Half of his face was pure black like the fur and skin of the Grimm. The other half was pale with pulsating dark veins. His eyes were a disgusting yellow. With dark veins webbed around his sclera and connecting to the pupil. Tears flowing down the more human looking part of his head. It was clear that he had been crying for a long time. That he was in extraordinary amounts of pain for a long time.
"...ease...ill...e..." The boy begged. Wanting his torment to end.
Yang understood what he was trying to convey. She began breathing heavily. Overcome with emotion, Yang started crying. A river of tears flowed down her face as she placed her right hand on the boys head. Rubbing it to comfort him. She knew what she had to do. Part of her struggled and resisted against the idea, but she knew that killing the boy was the most humane thing do now. It was the right thing to do. Living in unending pain was no way to live and was cruel.
"Shhhhhh. Don't worry sweetie." Yang coed softly. Still rubbing his head. "I'll make it all stop, okay?"
"eally?...ill...I...ee...omy,,,nd...aeee?"
Yang sniffed. Tears falling, hitting the table. She nodded. "Yes, sweet heart. You'll see mommy and daddy. They're waiting for you. They'll be so happy to see you." Yang reassured him. "Now, close your eyes, okay. Just think about them."
The boy did as Yang had instructed. She placed both of her hands on either side of his head. The blonde gulped. She hesitated for a bit. Gazing down at his face, it was...almost peaceful. And it looked like he was trying to smile. Gripping his head more firmly, she steeled herself. It has to be done. It was the right thing to do. Yang repeated these thoughts over and over. And then, with one quick twist, she broke the boys neck. Killing him instantly. Quick and painless.
Yang stumbled back. Breathing heavily as she looked at her hands. They were shaking. She felt so sick from what she perceived to be a heinous act. Even if it was the merciful thing to do. Feeling the bile coming up, Yang turned around and vomited all over the floor by one of the computer consoles beneath the glass tanks. When she was done, Yang spun to her right and slid down the wall beside the console until she was sitting down.
Yang clutched her chest as she wept. Finally, she began to cry hysterical as she slammed her fist into the floor. Destroying more and more of it with each strike.
"GODDAMIT!" Yang cried out in anguish. They had done it again. The White Fang had managed to hurt her again. Anger swelled inside her. Yang started kicking her legs as she continued to cry.
After a few minutes, she calmed down. Her breathing started to return to normal. Tears had stopped coming down. The sound of beeps from the EKGs caused Yang to look up. She was reminded of the poor, unfortunate souls that were still floating above her. Standing up, Yang faced the computer. She poked at the screen a few times before finally finding the program that would allow her to shut off the life support. Yang looked up and kept her gaze at the body that was bobbing up and down.
"This is no way to live. No one should live as an abomination." Resolved strengthened, she tapped the program. Going around to each console, she mimicked what she did with the first one. Stepping back, Yang waited. The sound of steady beeping began to turn more frantic. Until eventually, the beeping was replaced by one, solid continuous beep as they all flatlined.
"Turn around! Slowly!" Someone yelled.
Yang could hear multiple guns clicking behind her as they aimed them at her. Her mouth started twitching. Inside, she was like a volcano. The anger she felt was like the bubbles of gas that built up the pressure in them. Causing it to erupt. Which she was about to do very shortly.
"Turn around or we'll shoot! That's your last warning!" The same man yelled.
Yang's body became like the surface of the sun. Mini flares shot out periodically. Her blood running so unbelievably hot, they glowed gold beneath her skin. Making them visible to the outside world.
A low, menacing growl was released from her mouth as she slowly turned to the White Fang behind her. They all jumped and instinctively took a few steps back. Yang looked almost completely feral. Golden glowing veins lined her face. The reds of her eyes burned with the intensity of a star. Fire spewed from her mouth with each exhale.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Yang roared as she zoomed toward the group. Before any of them even understood what was happening, she had already grabbed the leader, the one who was yelling at her, and lifted him above her head. With one hand gripping his leg and the other his chest, Yang pulled in opposite directions. Ripping him in half as a nasty, wet pop echoed through the lab. She threw both parts at the wall and they exploded into red puddles of blood, gore, and bone.
Coming to their senses, one them screamed. "OH SHIT! OPEN FIRE! OPEN FIRE!"
They fired their weapons at Yang, but the bullets simply bounced off of her aura. While others merely completely collapsed and fell to the floor as useless pebbles of metal.
Yang turned to them and rushed. They continued to fire at her, but it was no use. Her aura was completely impenetrable. She let out a feral roar as she punched one of them in the chest. The force causing the entire upper half of his body to just explode. Blood splattering all over her face.
"RETREAT! RETREAT!" One of them screamed. Recognizing that they couldn't even harm this girl and needed to get out.
They all started to run out of the room. Yang grabbed the one straggler by the arm and lifted him in the air then slammed him to the floor. The only thing that was left intact was the arm she still held in her hand. Yang threw it at the retreating group. It smashed into the back of the head of one of them. Shattering his skull and killing him instantly.
"SHIT!" One yelled.
They ran to the scientists and began to round them up. "GET THESE GUYS OUT OF HE-" He was cut off when a taloned hand ripped through his chest. After a few moments he went limp. His body caught on fire. He burned until he was nothing more than a charred skeleton.
The last remaining six soldiers desperately ushered the scientists towards the elevator. Unfortunately for them, Yang still had enough reason in her to realize what they were doing. So, she jumped all the way over the group and landed in front of them. Cutting them off from the elevator. As soon as the scientists started to turn tale, Yang opened her mouth and a stream of golden fire shot out. Engulfing the scientists and two soldiers. They were instantly vaporized. She turned her crazed gaze to the remaining four soldiers.
They screamed and cried in fright. Pleading for her to spare them. However, this plea for mercy only seemed to anger her even more. She jumped into the air. Hovering in place for a few seconds, her body turned into a golden fireball. Then, she launched herself at them so fast, that their eyes couldn't perceive her. One moment she was floating above them and the next, she had slammed into the floor in front of them. Causing a massive explosion of fire. The remaining soldiers were vaporized. As well, as anything else that was caught in the explosion.
The smoke cleared to reveal Yang kneeling on the floor. She was panting hard. The red from her vision subsided. She tried to stand only to yelp in pain and fall to the ground. Every part of her body hurt. It felt like she had torn all the muscles in her body. Yang could tell that her outburst had seriously over taxed her body to its breaking point. Her mother did warn her about this kind of thing, but she just couldn't keep it contained this time around. She needed to erupt. The pressure was just far too much for her to handle.
Yang resolved herself to lying on the floor for a few minutes. Her healing factor was already kicking in. Soon, she would be able to leave this hellish place. She looked over to the room where the boy was. Her face turned somber once more. She held her gaze for the entire time she was laying down.
"It's not the same."
With the last remaining members of the White Fang dead, Raven wasted no time in giving out orders. Directing people to where they needed to be. "Alright people. Take anything that's useful and be quick about it. I want this done before the Grimm start to gather here."
Raven turned her attention to the main building. Seeing her daughter walking towards her. She frowned as she noticed her slightly limping her way to herself. Once Yang came close, Raven asked. "Yang. Are you hurt?"
"I-it's nothing. It's alright"
Raven wasn't convinced. Her daughter sounded so subdued. And even with that mask on her face, she could tell Yang didn't look well. The complete opposite how she usually spoke after a mission well done. But before she could probe further Yang said. "Look. I just need sometime to myself. I'll meet you back at the tribe."
And with that, her daughter changed into her bird form and flew away. Raven narrowed her eyes as she watched Yang flying further and further from her. This sudden change in behavior perplexed her. "Just what exactly happened in there?" She pondered.
Raven walked to the main building. She was determined to find answers. The black-haired woman followed her daughter's scent all the way to an elevator. She walked in and pressed the button to take her to the lower level. Once she reached the bottom, the doors opened to reveal a room that was completely destroyed. The smell of death flowed into her nose. And she followed it.
Raven crinkled her face in disgust at what she found. A room full of test subjects. All horribly mutated and deformed. Deducing that they were trying to make some sort of bio weapon by creating a Grimm/human or Grimm/Faunus hybrid. She looked down to see only a pair of legs attached to a what was left of a waist. Shifting her gaze to the wall to see a red mess of guts and bone. The damage to the wall indicated that something or someone was thrown into it. The last thing that got Raven's attention was a table that had a child strapped to it.
"Mmmm." Raven hummed out. Now she had seen a lot of terrible things, but this macabre sight took the cake. Even someone as hardened as her felt extremely uncomfortable. "Hmm. Broken neck." She said as she examined the corpse. A strong, pungent smell hit her nose. Raven turned her gaze to the source of it. It was a pile of vomit. Noticing EKG screens, she noted that were all flatlined.
The pieces of the puzzle came together. Raven now understood what had happened. Closing her eyes, she shook her head and sighed. This was exactly the thing she tried so hard in the past to keep Yang away from. Now her heart felt for her daughter. Raven cursed both Ozpin and her brother.
Looking at the experiments again, it wasn't hard to figure out that this was Salem's doing. More specifically, a man named Arthur Watts. Only he would have the technological and biological expertise in Salem's forces to be able to perform such ghastly experiments. She was certain that he was the one who taught the White Fang how to make these grotesque abominations.
Raven immediately left for the elevator. Now wasn't the time for this. No. Now was the time for a mother to be there for her child.
Coming out of the elevator and straight out of the building, she walked over to Eagle. "I need you to do something for me."
Eagle blinked a few times. "Uh. Sure Chief. What do ya need?"
"In that building." Raven said as she pointed to where she just came from. "You will find an elevator that leads underground on the first floor. I want you to find any bombs that are around here and plant them in there. Once you're out and a good distance away, detonate them." She ordered.
"Sure thing Raven, but if I may ask. What for?"
"You'll see when you get down there. Now hop to it."
Once Raven got back to the tribe, she made a beeline to her child's tent. She was very worried about her. Worried about her mental state more specifically. All of her maternal instincts screamed at her. It was becoming a tad bit overwhelming for her. And she hated that. As a woman who prided herself in keeping control, she absolutely hated how these feelings of worry got to her. Hell, she was even slightly panting because of it.
Raven spotted Yang's tent and approached it. She opened the flap to see her daughter in bed and hugging her knees. She looked so disturbed. No one could blame her though. Raven certainly wouldn't. Really, it didn't take a mind reader to understand what was going through that mind of her's. Raven mused that she was playing the entire experience over and over in her mind.
"Yang." Raven said in a tone so gentle that it sounded like Summer had possessed her. She reached out to her child. When their was no response, Raven slowly walked forward until she standing right beside Yang. She knelt down. "Hey." Whispering softly into her ear. She placed a hand on the shoulder of her daughter.
Yang jumped slightly at her mother's touch. Tilting her head to the right slightly so she could face her. The look of a concerned mother was what she was meet with.
"Hi." She said without the usual burst of energy that was normally in her voice. Instead of sounding vibrant and full of life, Yang sounded so tired and defeated. Hell, she felt exactly like she sounded. Well, with also feeling very troubled.
"Yang, I saw the lab." Raven said bluntly as she put a more firm, reassuring grip on her daughter's shoulder.
The blonde sighed. Of course she wouldn't be able to hide something like this from her mother. Raven Branwen was an extremely observant woman. She really ought to have known better than to have even tried.
"I...I just keep seeing that little boy. Over and over and over. Always staring up at me. He begged me to end it." Bringing up her hands: she faced the palms toward her. They were shaking. So many times she tried to stop them, but she couldn't. It was like she had parkinsons disease.
Yang curled them into fists. "I could have saved him! If I had just been faster. Maybe I could have saved them all!" Throwing her head down towards her knees. The nauseating feeling creeping up her stomach again.
"There was no way for you to have known what was happening Yang. And say you did get there sooner. Maybe, just maybe, you would have spared them that existence. However, instead of finding that boy, you more than likely would have found someone else on that table. Other people would likely have been in those tanks too." Raven tried to reason, but judging from her daughter's body language, she wasn't buying it.
Yang snapped her head toward her mother. "Then maybe I should have tried finding another way to have saved them! But I didn't!" A sniffle came out as she buried her face in her hands. "Instead...instead I decided to murder them." Yang changed from holding her knees to sitting with her legs crossed. "I killed innocent people." Yang cried as she let her hands fall to her laps as she stared up at the ceiling of her tent.
The boy's face flashed briefly in her vision. Tears came down as she was no longer able to hold them back. "They didn't deserve that!" She chocked out in between cries. Then, in a whisper she said. "I really am a monster."
Raven grabbed Yang's face with both hands and turned it to her. "You listen to me Yang." She said gently, but also with a hint firmness. "Yes. What happened to those people was unfortunate. But let me assure you of something. You did the right thing! You ended their misery. There is no cure for what happened them. And even if you were to go about looking for one." Raven paused. She looked down before shaking her head. "It would take years. And that's even with best scientific minds of Remnant working on it. Would you really allow them to live for years? To live in constant pain?"
Looking back up at her daughter, Raven let go of her face. "That's not living Yang. That's suffering. That is a tortured existence. You did the most humane thing that could have been done. You set them free Yang. Now they can finally be at peace."
She watched as her daughter hanged her head. Placing three fingers under her chin, Raven lifted her head and turned it toward her. Wiping her child's tears with her free hand. "Besisdes." Raven whispered. "Monsters don't cry." Showing the tears that she had wiped to Yang.
Yang blinked reflexively as more tears were ushered from her eyes. She threw herself into her mother's arms and held her for dear life. Burying her head in her chest. "It's not the same! It's not the same mom!"
Raven wrapped her arms around her child. Holding her as close as she could. "No Yang. It was never meant to be the same." Cooing into her ear comfortingly. She let Yang cry into her chest. Hearing her chanting the same phrase over and over again. Letting her get it all out as she stroked her hair.
After a few minutes of crying, Yang had managed to calm down. She looked up at her mother with pleading eyes. "Please stay. I don't want to be alone."
"I'm not going anywhere." Raven promised. She kicked off her boots and laid down with her daughter in her arms. Pulling up the blanket, she said. "Just close your eyes Yang. I'll be here when you wake up. I swear it."
Yang nodded. She closed her eyes. The scent of pines and trees from her mother was relaxing. Yang always enjoyed the smell of the forest. That combined with the feeling of security her mother's strong arms gave her, she was able to fall asleep in just minutes. Dreams of happier and more innocent times filled her mind. For tonight, at least, Yang would not suffer anymore nightmares.
A/N: I know. It's been a really long time. And I want to tell you guys what's been happening. So, as you guys know, I had a friend of the family die last year. Well, some months after that, my dog got pancreatic cancer and we had to put her down. Then some months after that, one of my childhood friend's dad died. He was a man that I was friends with and very much so admired. Now, I want all of you to know that I'm fine. It's just that after all that, the creative part of my mind just wasn't there for the longest time. I threw myself at videogames, hanging out with friends and family, and work. Eventually, I was actually able to start writing again. It was hard. I had trouble writing even just a few sentences at first, but as time passed, it became easier and easier to write.
With that out of the way, I will also say this. This chapter was a BITCH to write. Ugh. I'm glad it's done though. I hope you guys like it. Also, you may find references to certain things. You all know I like putting things I like into the story. Just know that no matter how long it may take, this story is not abandoned. I will also add that I didn't like volume 6. It was better than volume 5, but that's not saying much since it was just so bad imo. Anyway, I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter and thank you for sticking around.
Neo The Duel Keyblade Wielder: Honestly, I'm pretty sure Raven had a portal to all of her teammates. I tend not to pay attention her though. Since I really don't like how Raven is written. Don't worry about Blake. I got a few things in mind for her.
Lavender Angel-96: I don't like Oscar. His presence in the story feels super forced to me. Like seriously, there was no need for him to be there. If M&K wanted someone to be Ozpin's vessel, they could have used Jaune. Personally speaking, that would have made the most sense. Jaune literally had no skills when he came in to Beacon. He didn't have a semblance. Man, he didn't even know how to use his aura! So why was he admitted? The answer is simple. Ozpin took one look at him and thought he was the perfect candidate to be his new vessel if something should happen to him. Admitting Jaune into Beacon would allow Ozpin to groom Jaune and oversee his growth. Grooming him slowly to be a strong vessel since he was so malleable. Not to mention how Jaune would react and deal with the person he viewed to be partly responsible for killing Pyrrha being inside him. THAT would have been interesting. It would give him more relevance and agency in the story. Anyway, thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. Lol
Unbothered to clear FolSto: Styles and ranks are just gameplay mechanics. So, can't really use that. Also, I don't really want to have the demons form into weapons. RWBY is a story where the weapons are hyper personalized for each person. It's kind of apart the characters' identity. I want to keep that intact. Also, it won't actually have DMC's rules or concepts except for demons, demon forms, and sealing the demon world. Yeah. I really like the idea of dual pistol shotguns for Yang. You know. Something akin to Reaper in Overwatch.