CH. 17
"True…revolution?" Abaddon repeated.
"Yes. I will deliver the justice that humans rightfully deserve," Adam said with a clenched fist.
"Could you explain to me how?" the boy asked.
"I could, but you must prove yourself to me. I want to see if your skills are as sharp as your tongue," Adam said. "Sean! Get back out here!"
At Adam's command, the same red panda faunus that Abaddon insulted earlier came out of the tent. "Sir?"
"You're one of the youngest of the White Fang, so you should be an ideal opponent for him. I want you to battle this kid, to see what he can do. And use any method you see fit," Adam ordered him.
Sean looked at Abaddon with a smirk of pure delight and cracked his knuckles. "With pleasure." He grabbed his weapon from behind his back, a plain metal scimitar. "Everyone get back. I don't want any interference whatsoever."
The people in the crowd stepped back just as instructed. They made enough space for a small "ring" for him and Abaddon to fight in.
"Here kid, hope you like swords," Sean said, tossing a plain double-edged sword to Abaddon. Abaddon caught the weapon by the hilt in his right hand.
"Abby…," Emma whimpered.
"I'll be alright. This will just be extra training for me. Go stand with the crowd where you'll be safe and out of the way," he told her.
"Okay. Be careful." Emma scurried out of the way and into the throng of onlookers, but she stayed near the front so she could see the fight clearly.
"You really wanna do this?" Abaddon asked Jean.
"No doubt about it kid," Sean replied. "Lets get down to business."
Sean attacked first with a slashing dash. Abaddon parried with his blade and struck back with a jab. Sean dodged, narrowly getting cut in his left shoulder. He attempted to elbow bash Abaddon's nose, but the boy caught Sean's elbow and quickly punched the red panda faunus in the face. Jean recoiled from the hit. He jumped back to put some distance between them.
Abaddon smirked. "Come on, don't you wanna teach me a lesson?"
"Rrghh!" Sean clenched his sword handle tightly and attacked again. As the fight continued, Emma and the other townspeople continued to watch.
"Emma," said a voice from behind her. "What's going on?"
Kathleen joined Emma at the front of the crowd with Jurano coming right behind her. They had been standing in the rear, talking to Mr. Galamor while waiting for Abaddon and Emma to come back. Although, Mr. Galamor left and Kathleen decided to check on them. She could say she was worried, but truthfully she was just feeling somewhat impatient.
Emma frowned. "Abby is-."
"So Abb's in another tussle huh. I'm not surprised," Jurano said.
"He'd better finish it quick," Kathleen said. "The commotion from all these people is giving me a headache."
In the ring, Abaddon was mainly on the defensive. He parried or dodged Sean's attack while choosing when to counterattack accordingly at any openings he saw. Truthfully, Abaddon didn't feel like being serious. This was like any other normal fight he'd been in, some older kid always wants to put him in his place. His grandfather had taught him to never underestimate his opponent, but if the fight wasn't worth it then Abaddon wouldn't really care to try.
He back flipped, dodging another slash from Sean's blade.
"Damn coward, why do you keep toying with me? Stop running around and fight like a man!" Sean heaved.
"I'm not a coward, I'm just showing you what I'm capable of. Isn't that what you and Adam wanted?" Abaddon teased.
"This kid is playing with me! I can't let him win just by wearing me down! I gotta think of somethin' to give me an edge." Sean looked at the crowd behind Abaddon and saw the little cat faunus that the boy had shown up with. He quickly came up with a plan that could possibly work to his advantage. He held his scimitar in front of him and ran forward. Abaddon flipped over him, but then he quickly turned when a small scream came from behind him.
"Abby!"
Sean had one arm around Emma like a hostage, with his sword held near her neck.
"Alright kid, either you get serious or your little friend suffers." Sean pressed the tip of his sword against Emma's neck, drawing a bit of blood.
"Let. Her. Go," Abaddon demanded. "Or else."
In response to the threat, Sean made a quick cut across Emma's right cheek. "Agh!"
Sean grinned evilly. "You're not in a position to make threats here! I said get serious! I'm not gonna be beaten by some newbie! In fact, why don't you put your sword down! Face me with your bare hands!"
While Sean seemed to revel in his dominance, the townspeople were not pleased with the situation.
"This is uncalled for!" yelled someone from the crowd.
"Just leave Emma out of it you jerk!" said Kathleen.
Jurano glared at Adam, who stood by the tent. "Hey Taurus, aren't you gonna do something about this?! He's one of your soldiers!"
"No. The enemy won't always fight fair, will they? A fighter must be capable of dealing with such situations in any way they can. Do not interfere," Adam said.
Abaddon held his head low. He walked up to Sean, raised his sword, and planted it in the ground at the soldier's feet. Sean pushed Emma into Abaddon's arms, where she held onto him tightly.
"Abby…" Emma cried.
Abaddon held her away from him and looked into her eyes. While hers were filled with tears, his were black and filled with anger. He wiped away Emma's tears, then the blood on her cheek and neck. "Its ok Emma, just go and join Jurano and Kathleen for a minute. I'll be right there."
Emma nodded and ran over to her friends. Now, Abaddon placed his attention back on Sean. He glared with intense hatred. Sean continued to smirk, now holding both swords in his hands.
"Kick his ass kid!" Someone cheered.
"Yeah, teach him what for!" Another said.
Abaddon quickly rushed towards Sean.
"Hah! Big mistake!" Sean swung both swords diagonally, meaning to cut an x down Abaddon's chest. He wanted to leave a mark, a scar, a reminder for others to never toy with a soldier of the White Fang.
"No, you are the one who is mistaken." Abaddon grabbed the blades of both swords with his bare hands. Sean tried to pull away but the boy's grip was too tight, and it kept getting tighter until the blades broke in half. Abaddon dropped the blade pieces and punched Sean hard in the gut. The soldier spit up before Abaddon then grabbed his head, carried him into the air overhead, and smashed him headfirst into the ground. Sean lay face down and unconscious on the ground, his mask shattered revealing his red orange hair. Abaddon sighed, relieved that the conflict was over.
"Impressive, very impressive," Adam said. "You have more potential than you care to show. You could be a valuable asset-,"
"Explain now, what this 'revolution' is all about," Abaddon interrupted.
Adam's mouth slightly twitched. "Very well. In the past, all we've done to ensure our equality is boycott organizations and gather in large rallies. We wanted to show humanity that we faunus were strong together, but none of these attempts were working. Not in the slightest. Our kind continued to be ridiculed, abused, raped, and subjected to several other atrocities. Ghira, along with our former leader, stepped down from their positions. I alone have taken up the mantle to lead the White Fang."
"And what do you plan to do different?" Abaddon asked.
Adam continued. "We've always used non violent protest, but I think its time to really fight back. To show them were not pushovers, to show the humans that we are the dominant ones and they are the weaklings. I intend to do what many have failed to. Bring humanity to its knees and put them in their place."
Abaddon remained silent for second before replying. "Idiot."
"Excuse me?" Adam said.
"You're an idiot, is what I said. An idiot among faunus. What you're telling me is that you wish to accomplish this goal through violence and dirty methods. And judging from what Sean did, you'll have no problem doing that will you? Your actions will only create more problems, and not every faunus will contribute. Some of us actually think. I had no intention of joining, but thanks to what you've told to me and this fight, I don't even want to be seen anywhere near the White Fang now. You should leave, and find someone else who shares your views." With that Abaddon turned his back on Adam and began to leave.
Adam's mask hid some of his emotion. His mouth stayed closed and he kept a plain face as he watched the boy and the rest of the townspeople disperse. Many of them gave him dirty looks, some children stuck their tongues out, and a few adults even raised their middle fingers. Adam paid them no mind and entered his tent. It was a rather large space on the inside, with several boxes of equipment strewn about and maps or posters put up on the tent wall. In the middle was a table with a marked map of Remnant on its surface. Several White Fang soldiers walked around while doing various tasks.
"You, private Leison," Adam said. "Go pick up Sean from the ground outside."
"Yes sir," said a fox eared male soldier. Leison put down the gun he was cleaning and marched outside.
"I saw what happened outside. That kid's got some balls, talking to you like that," said a younger Corvus.
"Yes Lieutenant, he does," Adam replied. "I need you to have everyone start packing their things."
"We're gonna leave, just like that boy told us to?" Corvus asked.
"Yes," Adam said. He unsheathed his sword, revealing the crimson blade. It showed no signs of wear, always looking brand new as if it was just built. Adam had killed before with this blade, now would be no different. "But we won't leave without saying goodbye."
XXXXXXX
"Hold still Emma," Helena said as she applied alcohol to her daughter's wound. She was cleaning the cut with a cotton swab.
"But it still stings a lot," Emma complained.
"It's supposed to, now stop flinching ok?" Helena asked.
She dabbed Emma's cheek again. "Ow!"
"There, all better." Helena threw away the cotton swab in a nearby trash bin. "Stay here on the couch, I'll go get a bandage."
After what had happened with the White Fang, Emma, Abaddon, Kathleen, and Jurano decided it was best to head home. They went with Emma to her house first to get her wound bandaged. When they entered the house, Abaddon told Emma's parents what happened. He apologized, but they didn't blame him for what happened.
"Sorry again Mr. Trennair," Abaddon said once more.
"Abaddon, its fine. How many times do you have to apologize? You didn't know that they were going to do that. The important thing is that you got her out of there," Daniel told him.
"Quit beating yourself up dude," Jurano added.
"Well, it's a good thing you told them to leave," said Helena as she came back into the living room. "We don't need to be involved in there foolishness." She opened up a small white box and pulled out two bandages. She carefully applied one to Emma's neck and the other to her cheek.
"There, you should heal up in no time," Helena said with a smile.
"How bad is it?" Emma asked, rubbing the bandages slightly.
"Well, the gash on your neck wasn't long, but a little deep. That's why it bled so much. As for your cheek, it was basically just a scratch. Don't worry honey, you'll be fine," Helena said reassuringly.
"Good. If that creep had stabbed any deeper it would've cut into her throat. We would've had to bring her to the hospital then," Kathleen thought.
"Well, now that that's settled, I think it's best if you stay in the house for the rest of the day," Daniel told the kids.
"Awww, but we never got the chance to see Sam's horses," Emma whined.
Jurano sat next to Emma and put his arm around her. "It's alright Emma, we can have plenty of fun here. We could play, I don't know, spin the bottle?"
At the mention of that game, Emma immediately teleported to Abaddon's side without thinking and grasped his arm.
"What? You don't trust me Emm?" Jurano asked.
"Hell no!" the cat faunus exclaimed.
"Watch your language Emma," her mother told her.
"Sorry Mom," Emma apologized.
"Hey, how about we watch a movie?" Kathleen suggested. "I don't feel like playing spin the bottle either."
"Yayy!" Emma cheered. "How about we watch The Hunters and The Hunted 2?"
"Naw, that's boring," Jurano complained. "How about House Party?"
"You know we can't watch that, especially Emma! Let's just watch her movie then," Kathleen said.
"Uggghhh, you two are so uptight!" Jurano whined.
"Am not!" Emma hissed. "We're watching Hunters and Hunted!"
"House Party!" Jurano yelled back.
"Hunters and Hunted!"
"House Party!"
As both of them went back and forth, the others decided to stay out of it. Abaddon and Kathleen looked at each other and just smiled. They knew an argument between Emma and Jurano would take a while so they just turned the television on, ignoring the battle going on behind them.
