Chapter 5: Titan's Big Day Out

I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P.) nor do I own any media that may appear in the story. I only own the OCs. Enjoy!

Carmine woke from his slumber, still dressed in his new uniform. He had gone to sleep after his fight against two teams, when he used the Nova to bring his aura back up to stay in the fight. Carmine got out of bed and went to look out the window, the sun was beginning to go down "Wow, how long did I sleep for?" He asked himself out loud "You were out for quite a bit, bro. That shit you pulled in the arena must have done you in." A voice replied to his thought. Carmine turned around to see Laurel sitting in his bed reading something in his bed. "Oh Laurel, I didn't see you there." Carmine said to his teammate with a chuckle.

"Oh, you're finally up. We thought you might have died." Regalia said walking out of the bathroom, drying her hair off. "If he was dead, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have heard him breathing." Laurel said to Regalia, throwing a hand in the air sarcastically. Carmine laughed at his teammates bickering, until Laurel spoke to him "Hey Carmine, who's Onyx? You kept saying that name in your sleep." Laurel said curiously, Carmine lowered his head then spoke "He's was my older brother, we were mercenaries together. He died during one of our missions, I did a few operations after his death before I joined Beacon. He actually went here to but left to become a mercenary, I joined him two years later and we recruited four others into our team to form The Wolf Pack."

Laurel and Regalia were speechless until Laurel broke the silence "The Wolf Pack, wait you're that Titan, Titan of Wolf Pack!? Bro, you guys were so famous but rumor has it The White Fang wiped the group out, is that right?" Laurel asked with stars in his eyes. "Well, that is partially correct but that is not what wiped us out. Let me tell you what really happened." Carmine sat down on his bed as Celadon entered the dorm "Hey, sleeping beauty is up. What's up?" Celadon asked happily, Laurel stared at him "Carmine is "The Titan of Wolf Pack" and he's about to tell us what actually happened on the day they got wiped out!" Laurel said almost yelling, Celadon immediately grabbed a chair to sit in. Carmine looked around the room "Alright, let's go back to that day. Just know it is gonna get gruesome, vivid detail." Everyone nodded for him to continue "Alright." Carmine said beginning to recount that day.

******* Flashback *******

Carmine sat in a room lined with monitors, multiple photos and graphs lined the walls; charts with coordinates and locations of bases with X's over them. Four other mercenaries sat at the table with him: a man with shaggy brown hair with a pair of wolf ears named Keppel Mazon, a large, bulky man with sage green eyes and short black hair named Grullo Picto, a man with dark blonde hair and an anchor style goatee who had his feet propped up on the table while he typed on his scroll who was named Crimson Nerissimo, and finally a man with shaved brown hair and a brown stubble on his chin that was accented by his violet colored eyes who was named Nightshade Lazuli.

"Texting your girlfriend?" Grullo asked as he leaned back in his chair, Crimson chuckled "At least I got one." Crimson said before Nightshade kicked him in the side and gestured to Carmine, both Crimson and Grullo's complexions went pale as they turned to face the rifleman "Oh shit... uh, our bad man." Crimson said apologetically, Carmine exhaled slowly as he continued to stare at the screen that was projected on the wall. "Alright ladies, cut the chatter." A man with jet black hair and purple eyes said as he walked in and slammed down a file on the desk. "Operation Reaper Killer was a success, we got another contract from Atlas." The man said, Grullo slammed his head on the desk and groaned "Fucking Atlas, fucking Ironwood can't handle his own shit. What's the job, Onyx?" Grullo asked annoyed.

"Well, the dipshit lost track of four Rapier ADMS or Air-Defense Missile System. Apparently the White Fang attacked a train and stole four SAM sites." Onyx said as everyone stood up, outraged. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" Crimson exclaimed, Grullo slammed his head down on the table while Nightshade walked out of the room with his hands in the air. "I swear to god, this shit just gets better and better." Nightshade said as he walked back in. "So, are we gonna call the 184th or the Devil's Disciples?" Crimson asked as he tossed his scroll onto the table. Onyx shook his head "We can't call them for every little thing, besides; they took an absolute beating during Operation Reaper Killer so we got to give them some time to recover." Onyx explained as he rubbed his own shoulder, Carmine shook his head as he read the file "Onyx, this is saying that a large amount of munitions were also stolen like LMGs, Grenade Launchers, RPGs, and numerous small arms. If we try to take them on, we are fucked!" Carmine exclaimed as he tossed the folder down.

"I know you're hesitant about this, but if we don't do something; innocent people WILL die so it's up to us to take them out." Onyx said as he changed the slide, the next slide displayed an aerial photograph of a large assortment of tents and covers; four large metallic objects occupied space on the four corners of the encampment. Large trees covered the surrounding areas and only appeared to be one entrance "Well, from the looks of it, there's only one way we can get in and I got money that it's booby-trapped and probably has a few field guns aimed at the road itself. So, we'll have to touch down outside of the embankment and trek our way up to this ridge here." Onyx said as he pointed to a ridge-line to the north east of the encampment. "What about the SAM sites? We get anywhere near those things and we'll be FUCKED." Grullo said as he enunciated the last word. Onyx nodded "I know this is a dangerous mission since we don't have air superiority or ground forces, but we have to take them out." Onyx explained as he stood in front of the screen.

"Alright, how about we touch down about a quarter mile out and make our way inland, we then set up on the ridge while one of us goes down and set up C-4 charges on the SAM sites. We get out and leave before we detonate the charges, the SAM sites get destroyed and we escape potentially unscathed. If we do this, we'll need to be fast and hit HARD." Carmine said as he stood up and started writing things on the white board. "God Damn It! Why do we have to be the Special Forces mercenary group?! Fine! Let's make these fuckers regret being born." Crimson said as he relented. "Alright, prep your gear and make sure you are ready, we leave at 2100 hours." Onyx said as he dismissed the Wolves. Carmine nodded to Onyx before he left the room and made his way to the door "Alright boys, I'm gonna go pick up my pistol from Mindaro, I'll be back." Carmine said as he opened the door and walked out into the sunlight, the rifleman made his way toward a building in the downtown market area of Vale that read 'Mindaro's Munitions', there were multiple firearm manufacturer stickers on the window that had metal bars along the front.

Carmine pushed open the door and was hit by the overpowering scent of gunpowder, Carmine took a deep breath and exhaled the smell slowly with a satisfied sigh "Mindaro, how ya doing you son of a bitch?" Carmine asked as he shook the man's hand. Mindaro chuckled "Surviving everyday, business is great since the siege, everyone's buying weapons to protect themselves. Oh, you're here for your new little friend." Mindaro said as he reached under the counter and pulled out a small case. He sat the case on the glass counter before he spun it around and presented it to the rifleman "May I present to you the FN Five-Seven, chambered in 5.7x28mm and sporting a 20 round magazine along with a suppressor, tactical light/laser, and green night sight. This baby will cut through any Kevlar vest." Mindaro explained as Carmine picked up the pistol and examined the sights. "Oh, I took the liberty of attaching a rear pants clip to the back of the slide so you can hide it on the inside of your pants." Mindaro said as the rifleman looked at the small metal clip on the back, Carmine slid the pistol into the rear of his pants before he covered it with his hoodie.

"See, I don't see shit." Mindaro said as he praised his own design, Carmine chuckled as he pocketed the spare magazines and two boxes of ammo. Carmine dropped a few Lien cards on the counter and nodded to the weapons dealer "Wait, you gave me too much." Mindaro started to say but Carmine cut him off "Consider it a down payment on whatever we get next." Carmine said as he left the gun shop. As Carmine walked down the strip, he was greeted by a few friendly faces and some unfamiliar faces; some giving him high fives and fist bumps. Carmine opened the door to the HQ and strolled in to see a surprising sight: everyone was dead silent as they prepped their gear, there was no music playing, and Crimson wasn't making jokes. "Damn, it's that serious... shit." Carmine said as he walked into the armory and placed the magazines onto the weapons bench before he got to work loading them. Carmine loaded round after round into the magazine in silence as he contemplated the seriousness of the mission at hand.

"Guys, be honest with me... what are the odds we come back alive?" Nightshade asked as he broke the silence, everyone stopped working before they lowered their heads as they feared the answer. "72% survival chance, that is if everything goes correctly. If shit hits the fan, that rates drops to 54%. Call your loved ones." Onyx said in a deadpan tone, Keppel lowered his head as he pulled out his scroll and placed it to his ear. "Hey babe, it's me." Keppel said as he visibly fought back his emotions. "I just wanted to call and tell you that I love you so much, you've made me the happiest man ever and I love you so much. I know, baby... I'm sorry. C-can you put Jade on." Keppel said as he sat down against the wall. Nightshade lowered his head in anguish as Crimson clenched his fists, Grullo gritted his teeth as he punched the concrete wall in an emotional anger, Carmine placed his new pistol on the table before he sat down next to Keppel and rubbed his shoulder.

"Hey sweetheart, it's daddy. I love you, sweetheart. Daddy's so proud of you and he loves you so much." Keppel said as tears flowed down his cheeks and dripped onto his black BDUs. "Sweetheart, daddy might be going away for a while, but I'll always be with you." Keppel said as he laid his head on Carmine's shoulder. "Daddy has to go away for work, sweetie. I love you, hug your momma for me. Okay, I love you." Keppel said before he ended the call and cried into Carmine's shoulder. After a few minutes, Keppel dried his eyes and slowly stood up; Grullo moved over and helped Keppel balance himself as the rifleman stood up off the ground. "You good, bro?" Nightshade asked the sniper, Keppel nodded weakly as he resumed working on his equipment.

Grullo disappeared from the armory for a few minutes before he returned with six shot glasses and a bottle of whiskey "Gentlemen, it has been an honor fighting alongside you. If this is to be our last day on Remnant, may we take those sons of bitches with us." Grullo said as he poured six shots in the awaiting glasses. The Wolves picked up the glasses before they clinked them together and downed them in one gulp before they slammed the glasses back onto the table. The Wolves stood there in silent contemplation as they came to terms with the fate that may await them in the future, Onyx sighed before he lifted his head "I'm sorry guys, I wish it didn't come to this. Look at it like this, we have some of the best training in all of Remnant; these assholes don't stand a chance." Onyx said as he tried to raise the moral of the Wolves, Crimson nodded "Yeah, compared to the Reapers; these fuckers will be easy to take out." Crimson said as he agreed with Onyx and helped raise their spirits.

"Alright, change of plan; we'll need SMAWs, M240Bs, and the M120. So, after I set the charges; I'll make my way out and back to the ridge where I'll detonate the charges. When the frenzy starts, two of us will start lobbing mortars at them while the other four will mow them down with the LMGs. We'll make our way back to the exfil location and await pickup from the Osprey that dropped us off." Carmine said as he proposed a new plan, everyone stared in disbelief "That might just work. Grullo, go grab the M120 from the basement, Crimson and Nightshade, grab the SMAWs and LMGs." Onyx said before the three mercenaries ran off to procure the weapons.

Minutes later, the three mercenaries returned with three large crates; Grullo opened his crate to reveal a large tube and forty mortar shells. Crimson and Nightshade opened the crate containing the LMGs and pulled them from the container before all six mercenaries got to work loading and outfitting the weapons with proper attachments: Foregrips, Muzzle Brakes, Red Dot Sights, and 200 Round box mags. They placed the weapons back into the crate and covered it again before they placed it on top of the mortar crate, Keppel pulled an M2010 ESR from the weapons rack and sat it on the table before he pulled a suppressor from the drawer and screwed it onto the end of the muzzle before he slid a magazine of .300 Winchester Magnum into the receiver. Nightshade traded his Saiga 12 Shotgun for a suppressed Colt LE901 Carbine with an Ergo Foregrip, ACOG sight, and a 30 round magazine that was chambered in .308, Crimson kept his Sig 550 but replaced some of the attachments like the muzzle brake for a suppressor and the ACOG sight for a Red Dot Sight.

Grullo exchanged his MG3 for an M27 IAR (Infantry Automatic Rifle), he screwed a suppressor onto the end of the barrel and slapped magazine of 5.56 into the receiver; the gunner slid a thermal 4X scope onto the top rail and attached an angled foregrip to the bottom rail before he pulled back the charging bolt on the side, he picked up his suppressed Glock 20 off the table and placed it into his side holster. Onyx grabbed his AK-103 but set it back down before he picked up an AK-12 with a 60-round casket magazine and screwed a suppressor onto the muzzle of the Assault Rifle. Onyx added a vertical foregrip to the bottom rail and a Kobra Red Dot Sight to the top rail, he pulled back the charging bolt and chambered a 7.62x39mm into the receiver.

Onyx grabbed a suppressed Glock 24 from the table, racked the slide, and placed it into his holster on his side; he picked up a MP-443 from one of the drawers and placed it in the front holster on his molle vest, the others followed suit and grabbed their suppressed sidearms from the table: Crimson chose a P226, Keppel had a Beretta 92FS, Nightshade picked a Glock 17; the four other mercenaries had Glock 31s in their vest holsters. Carmine picked up has Scar-H and examined his attachments before he pulled out his MP7 that was on his hip, the rifleman brushed some lint from the suppressor before he reattached it to the magnet that held his weapons in place.


"Alright gentlemen, let's get this party started." Onyx said before he led the mercenaries to the door, Grullo carried the M120 on his shoulder while Nightshade and Crimson carried the other crate of weapons. The Wolves stepped outside into the cool night air and made their way through the market place for what could be the last time. The marketplace was seemingly abandoned save for a few civilians who were making their way home or on their way to work. The Wolves quickly approached the air docks where a Bullhead sat waiting for them, the six mercenaries boarded and sat down on the benches in the fuselage before the back ramp closed and sealed the cabin.

The VTOL slowly lifted into the air before the rotors shifted to their horizontal position, the VTOL took off through the sky as it gained altitude; the Bullhead shook somewhat as it gained speed and flew through the air "Destination is about 13 clicks out, ETA 25 minutes." The pilot said as the intercom buzzed off. Carmine tapped his foot rapidly as he was preparing himself mentally for what was to come, the mercenaries were silent for a moment before Onyx cleared his throat "Carmine, will you do the honor." Onyx asked, Carmine was snapped to attention before he nodded and took a knee along with the others.

"Brave warriors, should fate find us in battle, May our cause be just. May our leaders have clear vision. May our courage not falter. May we be triumphant and earn victory as we show no mercy to our enemies. May our efforts bring lasting peace. May our sacrifice be always appreciated by those we serve. May we return to our loved ones unharmed. Should we be harmed, may our wounds heal. Should we perish in the struggle, may the Gods embrace us and find for us a place in their Kingdom. Amen." Carmine said before they stood up and took their seats again.

Time seemed to move at a crawl as they flew in silence, Carmine pulled a picture of a woman with jet black hair and blue eyes from his vest; she wore a black mini skirt and black corset that hugged her assets tightly; Carmine smiled weakly before he kissed the picture and placed it back into his vest. The rifleman tightened his gloves and pulled on his gas mask before he tightened the straps behind his head and pulled the hood over his head.

"ETA 8 Minutes, get tactical." Onyx said as he read the countdown on his watch, the mercenaries double and triple checked their weapons as the objective rapidly approached. Carmine pulled the knife from the sheath on his shoulder and examined the blade before he carefully slid it back into place, the VTOL banked to the right as it circled the LZ; the rotors rotated slowly to their vertical position as it slowly touched down in the grassland. The Wolves stood up as the back ramp opened and revealed the plain that was illuminated by the moonlight "Alright boys, let's get evil." Onyx said as he led them out of the VTOL, the mercenaries took a knee in the tall grass as the VTOL took off into the night sky.

The mercenaries knelt in the tall grass as the sound of the VTOL disappeared in the distance, the Bullhead's engine faded out as the sound was replaced by the sound of wind and crickets; the Wolves slowly stood up and pushed into the treeline, Onyx and Carmine took up the lead while Keppel held the rear as the other three carried the crates. Carmine moved ahead with his rifle raised as he swept the area, the rifleman came to a stop and held up his fist, the Wolves stopped in their tracks and didn't dare to move a muscle "What is it?" Crimson whispered, Carmine knelt down and lightly traced an almost translucent thread from one small spike embedded in the base of a tree to another that was directly across from it.

"Tripwire, Claymore." Carmine said as he found the mine and carefully turned the safety back on, he unsheathed his knife and used it to cut the tripwire; he slid the blade back into the sheath before he slowly disarmed the Claymore, he pulled the anti-personnel mine out of the leaves and locked the safety in place before he placed it into his backpack. "Good eye, bro." Onyx said as he bumped fists with his younger brother, Carmine raised his rifle as they continued to push into the forest; the Wolves moved toward their destination slowly while they kept their eyes peeled for other traps. Onyx pushed ahead and ordered the mercenaries to fan out as they approached the ridge, Grullo sat the crate down at the base of the embankment and removed the lid before he pulled the M120 from the crate and started to set up the mortar system. Nightshade and Crimson sat their crate down near a large oak tree and retrieved their weapons from their backs, Carmine pulled his bag off and pulled for bricks of C-4 from the bag before he put it back on; he slid the charges into the pouch on his right side and snapped the cover closed.

Keppel laid down on the ridge and deployed the Bipod that was attached under the barrel, the knob on the side of the scope clicked as he dialed the mills in and focused his sight on the targets below "Ready when you are, Titan." Keppel said as he looked through the scope, Onyx gave Carmine's gear a once over before he spoke up "Alright, get in there, set the charges, and get out. Don't let your anger get the best of you, we are severely outnumbered and out gunned, so we NEED to have the element of surprise." Onyx explained, Carmine nodded before he slowly moved through the brush and carefully descended down the ridge. Carmine moved swiftly through the night, moving from cover to cover as he did his best to stay quiet, he raised his rifle as he approached the first large tent; he took a knee next to some barrels as his ear piece buzzed "Remember, these are Faunus so they have great night vision. Be very careful, did you remember to bring your low-light optics that Aero designed?" Keppel asked through the ear piece, Carmine carefully removed his gas mask and put on a pair of glasses that seemed to have circuits on the frame; he clicked a small button on the side of the glasses before he pulled his gas mask back on. The glasses clicked on and flooded his vision with a green hue that seemed to illuminate everything around him in perfect detail, Carmine took a deep breath of filtered air in and exhaled slowly before he continued on his way.

Carmine moved into a tent that housed multiple crates of weapons and explosives, he moved between the tall stacks of crates before he stopped near the corner of one of the boxes; two White Fang militants stood near a crate of AKs as they spoke to one another "I can't believe we worked with those psychopaths, I say good riddance. I mean, I'm all for the cause, but... with their methods... I'd rather not. The rape and sex trafficking, I hated that shit and I wanted to kill them myself." One of the militants said as he leaned against the crate. "Yeah, I know what you mean, fuck The Grimm Reapers, those sociopaths. I kinda feel bad that we helped them, I wish we didn't but... we can't change the past. At least they're gone for the most part." The other militant said before the two parted ways to continue their patrol. Carmine slowly out from cover and followed one of the White Fang militants, he crept up behind him and placed the barrel of his rifle into the man's back "Move and you're dead. Gimme the rifle." Carmine said slowly as he held the man at gunpoint.

The White Fang member slowly handed the AK to the rifleman who leaned it against a crate behind him "Now, where are the missile launchers that were stolen?" Carmine asked in a hushed tone, the militants voice was shaky as he tried to remain calm "Uhm... there's one at each corner of the camp but they're guarded." The militant said as he gave the rifleman the answer he wanted. "Thank you, I'm going to knock you unconscious now, but I'll move you out of the way of danger." Carmine said before he slammed the buttstock of his rifle into back of the militant's head and incapacitated the young man, the rifleman slowly dragged the unconscious man into the tent and hid him inside an empty crate. Carmine continued on his way and finally made it to the first SAM site, Carmine knelt next to the missile launcher and peeled the back off one of the charges before he placed it under one of the missiles attached to the launcher, he clicked the switch and armed the charge before he started to move to the next one.

Carmine stepped out from behind the SAM site and swiftly dispatched two Militants with three shots each, two to the chest and one to the head; their bodies dropped like a sack of potatoes as they crumpled to the ground. He moved out into the moonlit night and was about to dispatch another militant, but a round ripped through the person's chest and sprayed their organs onto the grass behind them as their body slammed to the ground. Carmine grabbed their bloody uniform and dragged them into the darkness of the tent that housed the first SAM site, the rifleman bolted across the encampment and gunned down two more militants as he primed another charge that he stuck to another missile. "Two down, two to go." Carmine said as he pressed his ear piece. The feed buzzed for a second before Onyx responded "Roger, we'll be ready when you are." Onyx said before the feed cut out.

Carmine stood up and moved to the edge of the canvas tent, he looked out across the encampment and saw a large tower that housed two snipers on top that scanned the horizon for movement, Carmine reached down and picked up a stone that he hurled across the encampment at a large metallic crate that emitted a loud 'thunk' sound that got the snipers' attention. The snipers moved to the far side of the tower to investigate the sound as Carmine bolted across the encampment toward the third SAM Site, he quickly transformed his SCAR into its bladed form and plunged it into the chest of one of the insurgents as he withdrew his suppressed Five-Seven and put three round into the other guard's chest.

The second guard crumpled to the ground as the life left the first guard's eyes, the rifleman pulled the blade from the White Fang member's chest and shook the blood off before he transformed it back into its ranged form. Carmine pulled out a third charge and stuck it to the missile before he clicked the switch on and primed the charge. The lone wolf left the third missile launcher and made his way toward the final launcher but came to a stop near a large tent that had an orange-haired man with a bowler hat who stood next to a white board. There was a map of Vale on the white board and a list of targets that included Beacon and The Wolf Pack, Carmine was about to raise his rifle but kept on with the mission; he ran into the forth tent and swiftly eliminated the two guards with precision.

The rifleman primed the final charge and planted it onto the missile, Carmine pressed his comms and activated the feed "A charges are set, making my way back to the ridge." Carmine said in a hushed tone before he began his exodus, Carmine stepped over the dead guards and slowly moved toward the ridge where the rest of the Wolves were. As he moved alongside a tent, a White Fang guard stepped out to light a cigarette; Carmine came to a stop fifty feet from the insurgent and moved back behind a crate, Carmine slowed his breathing so the gas mask wouldn't give away his position. Carmine was about to kill the insurgent when the man stomped out his cigarette and went back to bed; Carmine exhaled slowly as he moved in front of the opening of the tent.

Carmine slowly pulled off his pack and withdrew the Claymore before he stuck the spikes into the ground and ran the tripwires to the poles at the entrance of the tent; Carmine switched the safety off before he continued to an area near the front of the encampment "That's far enough, cur." A male voice said behind Carmine; the rifleman turned around to see the orange-haired man aiming a cane at him with a woman by his side who had pink and brown hair. Carmine placed his rifle onto his back before he held his hands up "Alright, alright, you got me." Carmine said as he glared at the man from behind a reflective black visor. "You got thirty seconds to tell me what you're doing here, Titan." The orange-haired man said which caused Carmine to react subtly, but enough for the man to notice.

"So, looks like the information from The Reapers was spot on, huh. Carmine Sable, member of the Wolf Pack. So, what are you doing here?" The man asked, Carmine was about to speak, but his earpiece went off with Onyx's voice. "That's Roman Torchwick, be careful; his cane fires explosive rounds of fire dust." Onyx said as Carmine readied himself to signal Crimson, the rifleman slowly moved his fingers so he was only holding up three fingers before he dropped them one after another "Why don't you C-4 yourself." Carmine said as the final finger dropped and four massive explosions ripped through the camp, the explosions lit up the night sky with large plumes of fire and smoke as they caught Roman off guard and caused him to lower his weapon.

Carmine quickly withdrew the MP7 on his hip and squeezed the trigger as rounds leapt from the SMG, Roman got hit in the shoulder before the bi-colored woman grabbed hold of him and they shattered into shards of glass, the rifleman holstered his secondary weapon before he turned and booked it toward the ridge, a large explosion erupted from the tent of White Fang insurgents as pink mist sprayed through the air; gunshots rang out behind him as they hit the ground in front of him.

Claps of gunfire came from in front of him as the Wolves covered his retreat, Grullo picked up a SMAW and took aim at the sniper tower; he squeezed the trigger and let the rocket erupt from the rocket launcher. The warhead hit the tower and eviscerated the sniper nest, leaving nothing behind except a charged metal frame; Carmine climbed over the ridge as a 40mm grenade exploded behind him. The Wolves picked up their M240Bs and opened fire at the approaching White Fang, the 7.62mm rounds ripped through their targets and caused their bodies to drop like sacks of rocks; the spent shells erupted from the receivers of the Light Machine Guns as they maintained steady fire at the insurgents. Grullo dropped down to one knee and picked up a 120mm mortar shell and dropped it into the tube, the mortar impacted the bottom of the tube before it launched itself out of the mortar tube and screamed through the air before it arched impacted the ground where five insurgents stood, the explosion ripped their bodies apart as the it sent them flying in all directions.

Mortar after mortar hit the ground and ripped into the scores of insurgents that stormed from the encampment, "Fall back." Onyx said before the Wolves ran back to a secondary position, an insurgent leaped over the ridge and triggered a booby trap Grullo had set, the insurgent set off a tripwire that ripped the pin from grenade that was in the box of mortar rounds; the box of mortar shells exploded in a devastating explosions that sheered a tree and left a charred stump. The Wolves ran through the treeline as rounds impacted the trees around them, Grullo ran through the trees as bullets impacted his aura; the heavy took cover behind a large rock as a rocket flew through the air and impacted a tree to his right.

The explosion tossed him through the air and slammed him into a tree, the sudden impact caused his aura to shatter; Carmine spun around and attempted to run back for the heavy gunner "Grullo! Hold on!" Carmine yelled as he neared the gunner. "No! Go on ahead! I'll hold them off!" Grullo yelled back as he pushed himself up and raised his weapon, the heavy gunner leaned against a tree as he continued to fire. Grullo caught a round to the leg and one to his left shoulder which knocked him to the ground, Carmine attempted to run for him but Crimson pulled him back as they ran for the LZ. Grullo pulled his bag off slowly and activated all the C-4 charges in his bag as the White Fang surrounded him "See you fuckers in hell." Grullo said before he slammed the detonator, Crimson and Carmine ran through the forest as a massive explosion erupted behind them. Carmine checked his scroll and watched Grullo's vitals flatline.

Keppel spun around and put down two insurgents as gunfire pocked around him, the rounds hit the trees and caused the bark to splinter off as the rounds ricocheted; Carmine spun around in time to see the glint of a scope as the sound of sniper rifle cracked through the air and a sniper round ripped through Keppel's head. The Faunus sniper slumped against a tree as blood leaked from the entry and exit wound, the haunting sound of Keppel's vitals flatlining filled the air around them. The four Wolves erupted from the treeline as Crimson withdrew a flare gun and fired into the air, the mercenaries turned around and engaged the approaching White Fang, the two sides exchanged gunfire as the Wolves kept moving to avoid the bullets that screamed overhead.

As they fought back the approaching insurgents, the unmistakable sound of metallic feet echoed from the forest as giant mechs broke through the treeline; Carmine pulled a grenade from his side pouch, ripped the pin, and hurled the grenade toward the foot soldiers. The grenade exploded into a ball of fire that swallowed the approaching insurgents and left charred remains, the mechs opened fire with mounted machine guns that fired from their shoulders; the rounds tore through the grasslands and impacted ground as the rounds chased Crimson. Crimson took two rounds to the side that caused his aura to shatter, the force of the impact knocked Crimson down as the mechs closed in, Carmine attempted to run toward the secondary rifleman but a hail of bullets caused him to retreat as the rounds ripped through Crimson's body.

The haunting flatline filled his ears as the bullhead touched down at the LZ "CARMINE! WE HAVE TO GO!" Onyx yelled as he grabbed Carmine by the bag and dragged him toward the LZ. The rear of the bullhead opened as Carmine, Onyx, and Nightshade ran toward the VTOL, the three mercenaries stormed up the rear of the bullhead as rounds ricocheted off the sides of the VTOL "GO! GET US IN THE AIR!" Onyx yelled as Carmine returned fire at the White Fang that ran through the tall grass, his rounds hit with devastating effects as he dropped one after another. The bullhead lifted into the air and started fly back toward Vale, the VTOL got over the forest before a loud beeping rang through the fuselage "Missile lock! Evasive action!" The pilot yelled as the VTOL shot out its counter measures and banked to the right, an explosion shook the bullhead as another missile hit the right thruster.

"We're hit, we're going down." The pilot yelled as the Bullhead ripped through the trees and crashed into the forest. The three mercenaries slowly picked themselves up as the VTOL sparked and smoked, Nightshade stood up slowly and stumbled toward the cockpit "Shit! Pilots are dead." Nightshade exclaimed. "Radio Ironwood that we need back up!" Carmine yelled as he helped Onyx to his feet. Nightshade grabbed the handset and turned the dial "Come in Atlas, this is Nightshade of the Wolf Pack! We need back up at this location! I repeat! WE NEED REINFORCEMENTS, NOW!" Nightshade yelled into the radio before it shorted out. "Fuck!" Nightshade exclaimed as he threw the handset into the control panel of the cockpit. Carmine pulled the emergency handle that depressurized the hydraulic arms that held the rear door closed, the three mercenaries limped out of the downed VTOL and tried to make their way into the forest. Nightshade and Onyx's aura pulsed around their bodies as they moved slowly for cover, a round ripped through the foliage and hit Nightshade in the leg which caused his aura to shatter "Nightshade!" Carmine yelled as he tried to go back for the Wolf.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, cur." A smug voice said as multiple White Fang insurgents ran out of the foliage and aimed their weapons at all three mercenaries "You dogs have been nothing but thorns in my side, I've already pulled out three, three more to go." Torchwick said as he walked up to the three mercenaries, Nightshade tried to crawl toward Carmine and Onyx but Roman stepped on the would on his leg which caused him to howl in pain "Ah yes, music to my ears." Roman said as two White Fang insurgents grabbed Nightshade by the arms and sat him up on his knees. "It's been an honor guys." Nightshade said as Roman pointed his cane at Nightshade's head "FUCK YOU!" Nightshade yelled loudly as Roman squeezed the trigger on his weapon and blew Nightshades head off. "Noo! You son of a bitch!" Carmine yelled as he tried to stand up but one of the insurgents shot him in the gut and shattered his aura. The rifleman faltered to the ground next to Onyx as Roman kicked Nightshade's body, Carmine unsheathed his knife and held it upside down as he tried to stand up. "You son of a bitch!" Carmine growled in anger.

"Hmm, let's have some fun with these two. Neo." Roman said before the woman with pink and brown hair skipped up with an umbrella in hand, she twisted the handle and caused a spike to protrude from the end of the umbrella; Neo spun the umbrella around before she stabbed it into Onyx's leg, Onyx gritted his teeth as blood leaked from his left thigh as she twisted the blade in his thigh. Carmine spun the blade around and attempted to stab the woman, but she grabbed his wrist and bent it backwards which caused him to drop the knife. Neo leaned down and picked up the knife before she admired it silently, she was about to stab Carmine in the leg when two bullheads flew overhead followed by three AH-6 Little Birds "Gah! Neo! Finish up, we're leaving!" Roman said before Neo plunged the Ka-Bar into Onyx's chest, Carmine pulled the Glock from Onyx's vest and dumped the magazine at Roman, but when the rounds hit their target, both Roman and Neo exploded into shards of glass.

Bursts of gunfire erupted from the treeline and hit the insurgents as Carmine held his brother in his arms "No, no! Hang in there, Onyx!" Carmine yelled as he pulled off his mask so he could see his brother clearly, Onyx coughed as he looked up at his younger brother "I'm sorry, little brother. I'm sorry about all of this. I want you to get out of this life and go to a Huntsman academy, go to Beacon and get your license so you can get out of this dirty work." Onyx said weakly, tears streamed down Carmine's cheeks and dropped onto Onyx's face. "Don't cry little brother, I know it's hard but you have to be strong... and carry on... live on." Onyx said as the life left his eyes, Carmine fell silent as he cradled his brother's body. Atlas troops swooped in and secured the area before a man in white with black hair walked up to the mercenary "Carmine... oh god, are... are you okay?" Ironwood asked, Carmine didn't look up as he held his brother's body "No, no I'm not okay. My entire family was taken from me trying to fix YOUR FUCKING MESS!" Carmine barked in anger.

"My mess? Onyx is the one who accepted the contract." Ironwood said defensively, Carmine shook his head as he chuckled "Of course you would deflect the guilt off of you and onto the dead guy, you are real piece of work." Carmine said as he pulled the knife from Onyx's chest, wiped the blood off, and sheathed the blade. Carmine stood up and moved away from his brother's body with a limp, an Atlas soldier guided the rifleman to a bullhead that had landed in a clearing nearby; Carmine sat down on the bench in the fuselage and exhaled raggedly before he grabbed the soldier's attention "Can you do me a favor, I need you to collect the dog tags, patches, and Ka-Bars from the bodies of the Wolf Pack." Carmine asked, the soldier nodded before he went off on his collection mission. Carmine grunted in pain as he leaned back against the side of the airship, he sat in silence for a moment before a knocking sound echoed off the the metallic walls, Carmine looked up to see Ironwood standing on the ramp "Carmine, I'm sorry that all of this happened." Ironwood said apologetically, Carmine shook his head silently "Sorry won't bring them back. Besides, sorry doesn't make up for all the bullshit we've been put through." Carmine said with venom on his tongue. Ironwood sighed "Is there anything I can do to make this up to you?" Ironwood asked, Carmine paused for a moment as Onyx's last words rang through his head.

Carmine thought for a moment then spoke "Three things: One, a funeral and burial with the highest honor for each mercenary who died today. Two, access to Atlas munitions whenever I may need it. Including weaponry, vehicles, and ammo, with no cost to me. An Atlas card that pays for any and all ammo or dust I may need" Ironwood growled lowly at his second request. "And your third request?" Ironwood asked to which Carmine just looked at him "Admission into Beacon Academy." He said to Ironwood, who looked shocked. "What, why not Atlas? We have an amazing academy." Ironwood said trying to persuade him but Carmine shook his head "It was my brothers dying wish for me to attend Beacon. So can you or not." He said leaning his head back against the airship's wall. Ironwood sighed "I'll see to it that these are done, in the meantime this ship will take you back to Vale where you can go rest up." Ironwood said, saying his goodbyes to Carmine, leaving the airship. The door closed as the airship took off toward Vale, it was a short flight to their destination. The airship landed, letting Carmine leave for the Wolf Pack HQ, the rifleman slowly walked through the market area where civilians gathered "Hey Carmine! Where's the other Wolves at?" A Vale citizen asked, Carmine lowered his head and sighed lightly.

"Oh no... I-I'm so sorry, this is horrible." The citizen said as she realized the events that had unfolded. Carmine was about to speak but remained silent as he continued toward the HQ, the fresh memories of the slaughter flashing through his mind as the Wolves were killed one by one. Carmine finally reached the HQ and unlocked the door with a shaky hand, he walked into the dark room, closing the door and leaving him in complete darkness. He flipped a switch to turn the lights on, illuminating the dark room and presenting The Wolf Pack banner that was hung on the wall.

Carmine sighed and walked into the armory, placing his gear and weapons into his locker. He closed the door and walked to his bedroom that was across from the armory, laying in the bed and closing his eyes, drifting to sleep. He awoke hours later to the sound of someone knocking on the door, he got out of bed to answer the door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see three Atlas soldiers, one handed him an envelope. Carmine opened it, reading the letter "Dear Carmine Sable, it is with great pleasure that we accept your request to join Beacon Academy. You have been recommended by General Ironwood and with that recommendation, are waved of taking the admission test. We look forward to seeing you on the first day of school next year. Sincerely, Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon." Carmine finished reading and smiled ear to ear.

The soldier handed him a small box "This is from General Ironwood." The Soldier said, Carmine opened the box, revealing a white card that said Atlas across the front. There was a note with it "Here is your limitless Atlas Card, don't go overboard." Carmine smiled and placed the card in his pocket. The soldier spoke up again "The funeral for your five comrades will be in a couple days. It will be held here in Vale." Carmine nodded, shaking his head.

Five days passed since The Wolf Pack had been wiped out, Carmine sat on the edge of his bed and gripped the neck of a bottle of vodka that he tipped up to chug some of the liquid inside; he stood up and stumbled over to the dresser where two framed pictures sat. He picked the pictures and stared at them as sadness washed over him "They took my angel from me, then they took my brothers from me." Carmine said as he slurred his words, he turned around and took a step before he collapsed to the ground next to his bed where he started to sob into the hardwood floor. Carmine pulled himself up to the bed but stopped when his eyes met the Remington 870 that sat next to his bed, he pulled himself up to the bed and grabbed the shotgun by the receiver before he placed it in his lap. Carmine pulled back the pump slide and chambered a 12 gauge buckshot into the receiver before he placed the barrel into his mouth, Carmine felt his hand drift down to the trigger as tears streamed down his cheeks, the rifleman was about squeeze the trigger when something large hit him like a freight train.

"I know you're not about to fucking kill yourself!?" A man with a southern Mistralian accent said as another person fished the shotgun from the rifleman. Carmine wrapped his arms around the Mistralian man and cried into his shoulder "Thank god you showed up, Titus." Carmine said as he cried uncontrollably into the arms of the leader of the 184th Mistral Militia, Titus and another man dressed in black helped the rifleman to his feet and brushed him off "Come on, let's get you cleaned up." The man in black said as they helped Carmine get dressed and sober up. "When did you get here, Phantom?" Carmine asked, Phantom chuckled "I was with Titus and we couldn't get in to the HQ so I smoked us in." Phantom said with a chuckle.

The three left the HQ and stepped out into the streets, multiple vehicles were parked out front of the HQ with different emblems of the other mercenary groups: The 184th Mistral Militia, The Devil's Disciples, and The Viper Legion. Mercenaries that fought alongside the Wolf Pack stood outside waiting for Carmine to join them, a Faunus with strawberry red hair and matching fluffy Caracal ears who was the leader of The Viper Legion, a tall man with notable muscle definition, a Mohawk, and a tattoo of a skull with devil horns on the right side of his neck who was the leader of The Devil's Disciples. "Hey Harley, it's good to see you again." Carmine said as he hugged the Faunus. "Yeah, I just wish it were on better terms, sugar." Harlequin said as she rubbed Carmine's back. "Duke, I see you still do formal your own way." Carmine said to the man with the Mohawk whose sleeves were ripped off of his suit. "What? A suppress this gun show? Nah." Duke said as he flexed his arms and struck a pose. Carmine smiled a little bit as he chuckled, Duke patted the rifleman on the back as they got into the awaiting vehicles and made their way to the cemetery.

The convoy of armored vehicles pulled into the cemetery that seemed to be vacant "What the fuck? Where is everyone?" Carmine asked as he looked around, a loud whistle caught their attention and they turned to see a crowd that was gathered in the war hero memorial area of the cemetery, the mercenaries walked up a brick path to a fenced area with five caskets that had the Wolf Pack flag draped over the top of them. Carmine walked up to the caskets and placed his hand on top of them "Until we meet again, my brothers." Carmine said before he pulled out his pocket knife and flicked it open, everyone but the mercenaries seemed to be mortified "My god! What are you doing?!" Ironwood exclaimed, Carmine looked up and glared at the general "Just watch." Carmine said before he started to carve words into the caskets, after a few minutes of carving, he blew away the wood shavings and stepped back to take in his handy work. The carvings on all the caskets read 'No Retreat, No Surrender.' "That was our motto, we vowed that when the day came that we were to die, that we wouldn't go down without a fight and we'd take as many of them with us when we went to hell." Carmine said as he collapsed his knife and put it back into his pocket.

Ironwood stepped behind a podium as the non-mercenary attendees took a seat, the mercenaries stood to the right of the caskets amongst the flowers and memorial wreathes that donned the Wolves' names. Keppel's wife and daughter cried in the front row, other people in attendance were in tears, people Carmine assumed were related to one of the Wolves. Ironwood cleared his throat and began to speak "Well... I wish we were here on better circumstances and unfortunately, that's not the case. No, we're gathered here to honor and pay our respects to these brave men who laid down their lives for the greater good; they made the ultimate sacrifice so that the citizens of Vale can go to sleep at night knowing they're safe and no harm would befall them." Ironwood said as he gave his opening speech, the mercenaries looked angrier as they stood there with their hands behind their back in a stance known as 'Parade Rest'.

"It would seem that ol' Ironwood glossed over a major event." Duke whispered to Carmine who gritted his teeth. "I would like to invite Carmine to the podium to say a few words." Ironwood said as he stepped away from the podium. Carmine stepped behind the podium and moved the microphone, he exhaled slowly before he looked up at the crowd, "The Wolf Pack was my family, my brothers; we laughed together, cried together, fought together, and even bled together. They were some of the toughest sons of bitches I've ever met, I won't forget the time when we were out in Downtown Vale; Crimson was a little bit too drunk and wanted someone to punch him in the gut so he could show off his semblance. Well, Grullo stepped up and punched Crimson square in the gut, Crimson laughed since his semblance absorbed any kind of kinetic impact. So Crimson drew his fist back and slugged Grullo, his semblance activated and the blast sent all 285 lbs of Grullo flying into an SUV that molded around him." Carmine said as he retold a story from better times.

The crowd laughed at the mental image of the two fighting each other in the street, "Well, Grullo pulled himself from the SUV and smiled before saying 'My turn.', Crimson immediately knew what that meant and took off running, well... let's just say, Grullo caught up to him fast and put Crimson into a crater. The Wolves were wildcards like that and I loved that about them, I'm gonna miss the chaos that I sometimes woke up to or the morning runs Onyx made us do while wearing fifty pounds of gear... well, I won't miss those." Carmine said which caused the attendees to laugh through their tears. "The Wolves were incredible people, they were some of the strongest fighters I've ever met and some of the kindest souls as well, they wore their hearts on their sleeves and were incredibly selfless, doing whatever it took to ensure someone's safety." Carmine said as he honored their memories and sacrifice.

Carmine stepped away from the podium and stood in line next to the other mercenaries as eight Atlas soldiers stepped forward with M14 Service Rifles in hand, they stood shoulder to shoulder as Ironwood stood next to the formation, "Attention! Hace!" Ironwood shouted, the Atlas honor guard turned right almost simultaneously with their rifles to their right side as they held them by the barrel. "Port Arms!" Ironwood commanded, the honor guard lifted their rifles and held them in a ready position. "Aim!" Ironwood commanded before the guard aimed their weapons 45 degrees from horizontal. The area was silent as a gust of wind blew through the area, a few petals from a blooming cherry trees blew across the burial site and coated the area with beautiful pink petals. "Fire!" Ironwood commanded before all eight rifles fired at once, there was a momentary pause before they fired again and paused again before they fired a third time. "Order arms!" Ironwood shouted, the honor lowered their rifles and returned their rifles to their right sides.

A man stepped forward with a trumpet and slowly started to play a ceremonial song as the flags were removed from the caskets, four soldiers folded each flag and presented it to the families of the fallen mercenaries; one of the soldiers approached Carmine and handed him a folded flag in the shape of a triangle. Slowly, the caskets were lowered into the ground one by one; after the final casket was laid down, the man playing the trumpet stopped, lowered it to his side, and slowly walked away. After the ceremony, a lone man approached Carmine and dropped to one knee before he presented the mercenary a case with a brass clasp, Carmine took the case from the man and opened it to find five knives, patches, and dog tags. "Thank you, this means a lot." Carmine said as the man stood up, the soldier nodded before he walked away. "I swear to god, I'm gonna kill them all, I'm gonna make Roman burn." Carmine said as he swore vengeance, Duke and Titus walked up and placed their hands on his shoulders in solidarity "We know you will, and we'll be by your side the whole time." Titus said as they walked back to the convoy.

******* Present Day********

"And that is what happened to The Wolf Pack." Carmine said to his audience, who were now in tears "Man that is so sad and horrible." Regalia said, wiping her eyes. Laurel spoke up "At least they got a proper burial, a funeral of Honor and Valor. You're a strong man, Carmine." Celadon was quiet, Carmine noticed "Celadon, you ok?" He asked, worried. Celadon shook his head "Yea, I'm just taking it all in. So that is how you have all those explosives." Celadon said causing Carmine to smile "Yep, here it is." Carmine said, revealing the white Atlas card.

They were interrupted by a knock at the door, Carmine went to answer it. He opened the door, revealing Blake standing there "Hey you, you ready to go to town?" She asked, Carmine was silent for a moment "Oh, yea just let me clean myself up real quick. I just woke up from a nap after the fight. Come on in" He said, opening the door to let her in. She was hesitant at first but finally went inside, she sat on Carmine's bed as he went to the bathroom to wash his face and apply cologne. Blake looked around his room, she laid back in his bed and relaxed while waiting for him. "I knew this was all just a plan to get into my bed." Carmine said to Blake, teasing her and causing her to blush as she smiled at him "Stop it." She slapped his upper arm at his teasing. They left for town, the two walking together toward the air dock to board a ship to Vale. A short flight later and they were in town "So, what do you want to do?" Carmine asked Blake who looked around town, spotting a restaurant "Let's grab something to eat!" She said, taking Carmine's hand and leading him to the restaurant she saw. The restaurant appeared to be on the finer side of dining.

She led him inside and got a table for two. The waiter sat them in the back, Carmine pointed to a better table "How about that table over there?" He asked the waiter who just shook his head "I'm sorry sir but that is reserved for VIP's only, not people like you." This remark made Carmine angry "Do you know who I am? I'm Carmine Sable, The Titan of Wolf Pack. I'm pretty sure I'm VIP." He said in a quiet angry tone, the waiter's eyes went wide "My sincerest apologies, Sir. Please follow me." He apologized and led them to the VIP table, giving them each a Menu. After the waiter left, Blake looked at Carmine confused "Titan of Wolf Pack? What were you talking about?" She asked confused, Carmine sighed lifted his sleeve, revealing a tattoo of a Beowolf with a sword through its skull. "It was my old mercenary group, we saved this town so many times that we were practically celebrities. I still get this VIP treatment but I rarely use it, but I thought you should experience the finer things tonight." He said to her, smiling. She blushed and smiled back.

The waiter returned with drinks for the two, taking their orders: Carmine ordered the steak, cooked medium, served with a side salad, Blake ordered the salmon. The waiter left to place their orders, leaving the two to talk. Blake broke the silence "Thank you for coming with me tonight. I want to ask you something, what did you mean you were afraid to get too close to someone?" She asked, placing her hand on his. He looked down at the table then looked up at her and spoke "I used to be hunted by The White Fang and a man known as Roman Torchwick." This caused her eyes to go wide "The wh-White Fang?" She asked, her voice shaking a bit. "Yea, that's also how my team got wiped out. The White Fang killed my team and one of Roman Torchwick's henchmen killed my brother, her name is Neopolitan. I held him in my arms as he died, he's the one who told me to attend Beacon." Carmine said, placing his hand on hers which surprised her.

Blake looked down at the table, but Carmine lifted her head with his hand "What's wrong? I hope I didn't upset you, did I?" He asked her, concerned. She shook her head "That's not it, it's just that I…. I used to be in The White Fang." She said, expecting Carmine to be upset but was surprised when he held her hand tighter "I know, and I know that you left before any of this happened to me and Wolf Pack. I know because you didn't try to kill me when you first saw me. I regret my actions of the past but I had a mission to do. It haunts me everyday, I sometimes have nightmares about it. I was there in the attack on the White Fang camp eight miles west, they were planning an attack on Vale. They had stolen Atlas mechs and Mobile Anti Air units. If we hadn't intervened, the death toll would have been massive." Carmine said to her, telling of his dark past.

Blake's eyes were wide as Carmine told her about that day three years ago "And it's because of that I'm afraid to get too close to someone, in case the White Fang or Torchwick and his goons find me. They will kill anyone I care about just to get to me." He said to her.

As he explained it to her, their food arrived and they ate, changing the subject. As they ate, he asked her about her being a Faunus "Why do you hide it? Be proud to be who you are. I for one supported the White Fang movement before they were radicalized." Carmine said, this put a smile on her face. "Not everyone feels the same way about Faunus as you do, I haven't even told my team. You're the first one at Beacon who knows aside from Ozpin." She said, touching her bow. After eating, the check came. They reached for it at the same time, touching hands causing them to retract, Blake blushing.

Carmine took the check and put the white Atlas card on it. "Atlas! How do you have an Atlas card?" Blake asked, shocked. "Ironwood owed me big time for taking out that camp, and it was compensation for me losing my team, which there is nothing that can compensate for that." Carmine explained, the waiter returning with the card, thanking them for dining there and thanking Carmine for saving Vale.

They left and entered downtown Vale, the street lights illuminating the darkness. Carmine held Blake's hand as they walked down the street until Carmine got an Idea. "Hey, follow me. I want to show you something." Carmine said, leading her to a shop and knocking on the door. "We're closed, come back tomorrow." A voice called through, Carmine yelled back "What, ain't got time for an old friend?" There was a rush of locks unlocking, the door flung open and Mindaro grabbed Carmine in a bear hug "Oh it's good to see you, you son of a bitch! How've you been? How's Beacon treating you? I heard the explosions earlier from here." Mindaro rambled on, excited to see his friend "Blake, this is Mindaro, he's my weapons dealer. I get all my ammo from him and he's the one who gave me my Five-Seven," Carmine explained, Mindaro put Carmine down "Oh, where are my manners. It's nice to meet you, any friend of Carmine is a friend of mine." Mindaro said, shaking her hand, leading them inside.

"So what brings you out at this time of night?" Mindaro asked, stepping behind the counter "Well, I took this beautiful girl to dinner and told her about my past. Turns out we're more alike than I thought and I thought I'd introduce her to my dealer." Carmine explained, turning to Blake "Get whatever you want, it's on me." He said, she walked to the counter and asked for three boxes of 9mm. Carmine walked up next to her, pulling out his Five-Seven and placed it on the counter "I need something that packs more of a punch, the Five-Seven has done its job. Its time for a change." Carmine told the clerk who thought "Hmm, how about a .45." Mindaro asked pulling out a revolver but Carmine shook his head "Bigger, like a hand cannon." Carmine replied, Mindaro looked surprised "You can't be serious, if you want it you better be careful." He said, pulling a box from the counter "May I present to you, the Smith & Wesson .500 Magnum Hand Cannon. It takes two hands to fire it but I think you might be able to one hand it." Mindaro explained, pulling out the large revolver. Carmine's eyes lit up "I'll take it, does it come with a flashlight attachment?" Carmine asked handing him the card, Mindaro pulled out a flashlight and ten boxes of ammo. He swiped the card and gave Carmine the receipt to sign.

Mindaro placed the revolver and flashlight attachment into the gun's box. "Here you go, enjoy!" Mindaro said, handing him the box and Five-Seven which Carmine holstered, he turned to Blake "You sure you don't want a new weapon?" He asked her but she just shook her head "No thanks, I like my weapon." She said but Carmine shook his head "Not what I meant. I carry this Five-Seven as a backup, you don't have a backup weapon." Carmine said to Blake, turning to Mindaro "P226, Compensator, green laser sight, and extended magazine. Seven packs of bullets." Carmine said to the weapons clerk who retrieved what was asked, placing the pistol on the counter and put on the attachment "Here you go, Black Viper's P226 with a compensator, laser sight, and extended mag. I put one of the clips like I put on your Five-Seven, so you can holster it anywhere." Mindaro said handing it to Carmine who gave it to Blake, who was hesitant at first but took it and put it on her side. He gave him the card, he swiped it and gave him the receipt to sign.

After signing, the two said their goodbyes to the gun dealer and made their way back to Beacon until Carmine stopped her "I hope it doesn't sound too forward but may I see your ears?" He asked shyly, which she didn't think was possible. She blushed and took him by the hand and led him to a secluded area, she looked around to see if they were alone. She reached up and untied her bow, revealing her cat ears. Carmine looked at them in awe "They're beautiful, and they make you look so much cuter." He said to her, causing her to blush. "Stop, you're making me blush." She giggled, pushing him playfully. He looked into her eyes, stepping closer to her. She placed her hands on his chest, feeling his heartbeat as he got closer. She closed her eyes as he kissed her, connecting their lips in an embrace. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in closer, he removed his lips from hers and stepped back trying to form a sentence "I'm Sorry that was uncalled for, I shoul…" He was cut off by her kissing him "Sometimes you just have to go for it and not think about it, shut up and kiss me." She said with a purr in her voice, Carmine kissed her, wrapping his arms around her again and pulling her close to him. He broke the kiss and looked into her eyes and she looked up at him, she whispered to him "You deserve to be able to love someone and not live in fear of losing them." Blake said, placing her head on his chest.

Carmine ran his hand through her hair, touching her cat ears accidentally. This caused her to jump a little, Carmine chuckled a bit "Sorry, my little kitten." He said flirtatiously, causing her to smile and blush. "It's alright, my Titan." She said to him, placing her hand on his rough face. Feeling one of the scars he had from years of battle. Carmine spoke to her "I think we should head back to Beacon before people start asking questions." He said, letting go of her. She replaced the bow on her head, fixing it.

They headed toward the air docks to board an airship back to Beacon, hand in hand they boarded the ship and sat down, she placed her head on his shoulder. Carmine sat back and took it all in, from the fight to dinner to kissing Blake, he couldn't help but smile. As the airship landed, Carmine stood up and picked up Blake, causing her to yelp in surprise "What are you doing?" She asked blushing and giggling, Carmine chuckled "I don't know it just felt right." He said, carrying her off the ship and into their dorm hall. He let her down so she could walk to her dorm room, they stood in front of each other in front of her dorm room. He locked lips with her, kissing her goodnight. "Goodnight, my kitten." He said, hugging her. "Goodnight, my Titan." She replied, entering her dorm.

Carmine walked with swagger down the hall to his dorm, gaining his composure before he entered. As he opened the door, he was swamped by his teammates who were eager to see how his date with Blake went. Celadon asked first "Well, how'd it go? Where did you take her?" He asked eagerly "It went great, I took her to that nice place in Vale and I used the fact that I was in Wolf Pack to get an awesome spot reserved for VIP only." Carmine told him, Laurel spoke up next "So, did you get past second base? What did you two do?" Regalia slugged him in the arm "We have no business asking such things." She said to Laurel, causing Carmine to laugh "If you must know, I took her to meet my weapons dealer and I bought her a Viper P226 and ten packs of 9mm. I got this big bitch." Carmine said, pulling it out the magnum. Their eyes went wide at the sight of the behemoth of a revolver "I got someone in mind that this is for, that motherfucker Roman Torchwick. I'm gonna have that little bitch on his knees." Carmine said with an angry look on his face. "Oh, and I kissed Blake." He said laughing, Celadon and Laurel's jaws dropped. Laurel just sat there with a look of approval on his face while Celadon was excited "Oh Carmine, that is so great. Does that mean you two are dating now? Oh this makes me so happy!" Celadon said excitedly, hugging Carmine. Carmine chuckled "Man, you sound like you're my mom, calm down bro." He said laughing.

He broke from Celadon's death grip and unholstered his Five-Seven, putting it under his pillows. He put the revolver's box on the table, opening it up to reveal the hand cannon. He loaded five large rounds into the reel, closing it. He left it on the table as he put the the boxes of ammo up in the storage closet.

Carmine hopped in the shower to wash away the day, letting the water run through his dark brown hair and down his back. He walked out of the bathroom in a pair of gym shorts and went to get in bed but Regalia called his attention "Hey Carmine, what's that on your arm?" She asked, pointing to his arm. Carmine replied to her "Oh, it's my Wolf Pack tattoo. We all had them, it's our symbol, a Beowolf head with a sword through it." She nodded her head, her curiousness answered. Carmine got into bed and looked up at the ceiling, thinking about his night with Blake. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of kissing her, he closed his eyes, falling asleep.

(A/N: Wow that took quite a while to write, I hope y'all like it. Let me know what you thought of this and other chapters and as always remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review. Also let me know what you thought of the flashback and what you would like to see happen in the story.)

Edit 2020: Did a massive overhaul to the flashback to incorporate information from RWBY: Wolf Pack since it didn't flow properly.