"The Masked Man"

Cpl. Adrian "The Destroyer" Shepherd

Status: MIA (Alive)

Location: Unknown

He was a lot more cautious this time. What with the possibility of running into another pack of those wolves AND the fact his PCV is drained to 30% is pretty much a clear warning to Shepherd that he wasn't invincible. Sure, he put up a great fight against those wolves, but he can't exactly perform an encore every few square feet. So instead, Shepherd elected to use stealth. Slowly and carefully, each step methodical, each breath quiet and mindful, he prowled the forest floor, ducking down from bush to bush every now and then. He needed the stealth, because he can't keep fighting for long.

So many things were running through the trooper's mind. Confusion, tension, fear. But like he did back in Black Mesa, he shuttered those thoughts out. He needed to focus. A dead Marine is a useless Marine, he thought. He chuckled at the thought, remembering the first time he heard the phrase back at Fort Santego, during training. One of the Drill Sergeants had said that to him during PCV training. At the thought of the memory, Shepherd felt a knot twist in his stomach. It felt so long ago… It had only been a full day in that hellhole. So much had happened. So many people died…

He shook the thought off. No use dwelling on it now. He had to keep moving. Fast.

Every now and then, another one of those wolf things would pass by, either on their own or in a pack. They'd sniff the air, try as they might, but they never seem to actually find Shepherd. Sometimes, however, despite to the best of the trooper's ability, some of them actually do find him. And with each time, they'd earn a bullet to the head for their troubles. After putting out the seventh wolf to have found him, Adrian was starting to become annoyed. Can't a Marine just get some time to themselves, for booting up cold!

Again, didn't matter. So onward he went, deeper into the forest…

Then he heard it. A voice, calling out to someone. Alongside the howl of a wolf beast.

He hesitated. He was split. On one hand, getting back out there would be a death sentence. He'd already established that the wolf beasts were not easily eliminated. Sure, they were reckless, dumb, lacked any thought of self-preservation, but those things were dangerous not just on the own, but in numbers. Shepherd didn't like the idea of risking his life for someone that will, for all intents and purpose, kill him on the spot. He had been caught in predicaments like those 2 times too many. But then again… He had heard the voice call out to someone. They were afraid. Desperate. Acknowledging the fact that they were gonna die. He too had some experience on that as well. How many times had he seen that happen? How many times did he had to see a scientist or a fellow Marine, calling out desperately for help, only to be either torn apart by Pit Drones or shot to death by Black Ops? How many did he let get on his guilty conscience? How many did he let DIE?

Too many, he thought. Too, too many.

In the end, he decided. Never again. He won't let this slip past. He won't let another bloody body appear on his list of regrets.

He ran. Off to the source of the noise. Hoping he will be able to make it in time.


POV Switch: Weiss

They were everywhere.

Beowolves. All around her. So many of them, to be precise. Surrounding her like a kid backed up into a wall by bullies. In a way, she was. No. She refused to let this happen. Because unlike a child backed into a wall, She could fight. And she learned from the best.

Quickly, she drew Myrtenaster, her rapier/revolver. The gunsword had gotten her out of a few twists and turns before and it will happen again. Like it always does. All she's got to do is focus.

"Remember your training, Weiss", she thought to herself, raising Myrtenaster. "Head up, shoulders back, right foot forward. No, not that forward", she says to herself as she corrects her right foot, retracting it to the proper position. "Slow your breathing. Wait for the right time to strike. And…" She gets into position, sword at the ready…

"NOW!"

She charges forward, a Beowolf in her crosshairs. But before she could reach her target, a flash of red rose petals passes both the Grimm and Weiss, and there was Ruby, her weapon out in the open, the Beowolf staggering backward as she slashes at its face. However, Ruby turns around to see Weiss charging full speed at her, yelping in surprise. This causes Weiss to slow down, nearly losing her balance, and accidentally sending a fire charge right at a stray Beowolf, setting it aflame and killing it.

Ruby looks at Weiss for a moment, letting her guard down long enough for the Beowolf she attacked earlier to retaliate, swinging its claws at her. Shielded by her Aura, she's sent flying backwards, crashing into Weiss in the process.

Both girls get up, a very disgruntled Weiss particularly.

"Hey, watch it!", Ruby said, shooting a glare at the white haired girl.

"Excuse me, you attacked out of turn, I could've killed you!" Weiss angrily shot back at the Red Riding Reaper.

"You're gonna have to try a lot harder than that", Ruby muttered under her breath, with Weiss shaking her head out of annoyance.

Both girls tense up, preparing for an inevitable fight. Weiss with Myrtenaster, Ruby with Crescent Rose, her beloved sniper scythe ready for action. She pulls out a near empty mag out of the weapon, loading in a new one, and loading a round into the chamber. The Beowolves roar, pawing the ground, their Alpha taking front and center, about to give the order to strike.

They get into position, getting ready to attack…

A small cylindrical object soars through the air, bouncing on the ground a few times before coming to settle around the Alpha Beowolf's feet. For a moment, everyone forgts about what they were doing and stare for a moment at the thing. Then suddenly…

BLAM!

The object explodes, covering the area in a blinding flash of bright white light, along with a deafening boom that takes out both the girls' and the Grimm's hearing and sight. Weiss and Ruby yelp in pain, falling backwards in a messy heap, their vision wrought in white and their ears ringing. In short, it was a very, very uncomfortable experience.

For a few painful seconds, the effects begin to wear off, their vision slowly clearing and their ears slowly stop ringing. But when they finally regain complete clarity, they were met with a gruesome sight.

Every single Beowolf (except for the Alpha) was on the ground, writhing in pain as they clutched their throats. As Weiss and Ruby lean in on a nearby one to bet a closer look, they realized with a shock.

Someone had slit their throats open. And they were all dying.

Then, one by one, the lupine Grimm began to fade into dust, evaporating until they were there no more. The girls were shocked, Ruby most of all. Who would be so fast that they'd be able to take every single one of them out in such a short amount of time? Not even the most well trained Hunstman would be able to comprehend such speeds… except those with speed Semblances, of course.

The Alpha was beyond mortified. So many of its kin, gone in a blink of an eye. Before it could even snarl, a blurry shadow suddenly appears out of nowhere and speeds past the Alpha. A few moments later, blood squirted out of the Grimm's neck, bathing the grass in a sickly red hue, before dropping to the ground, dead. Then, a person- the blur, Weiss deduced- slows to a halt near the body.

Weiss and Ruby stare in shock at the honestly bloody sight, before then turning their attention to the mysterious newcomer.

It was a guy, no doubt about it. Probably around the likes of 16-17 years old. But that wasn't the thing that caught Weiss' eye, ew, no. It was what he was wearing.

The newcomer had on his head a large green helmet that instead of covering the face, like how she saw on Atlesian Troops, just covered his head. Simple, inelegant, and also fascinating at the same time. What was most interesting though was what was covering his face. He had on some sort of strange mask, with green glass eye holes, which rendered the boy's eyes impossible to see. The mask had covered his entire face, which was odd, since it appeared to be a separate piece. How inconvenient. On the left side of the mask is a large circular cylinder, with holes on the top. And at the center of the mask, a smaller, less prominent cylinder, also riddle with holes. For what reason it served, Weiss hadn't had a clue. Moving down, he appears to have on a large, green, and certainly bulky vest, with pouches and straps ridding each side of the strange armor, what looks to be a radio on the left side of his chest, and a large backpack on the back end of the vest. His arms were covered in what looked like an undershirt, decked out in white and grey digital camouflage, although he did roll up the sleeves all the way up to his elbows. His hands were covered in fingerless gloves, which looked tough and robust. Downwards, she noticed a long belt wrapping around his waist, holding several pouches on each side. Moving on, she observed that the pants were long and thick, also in grey and white digital. On each side of his thighs, there were two holsters, although what they contained was hard to see. Her eyes finally ended towards his boots, which looked worn, scratched, but they looked tough, hard and solid, the laces tied to its utmost limit.

Conclusion: The armor was a embarrassment to Atlesian designers, but good heavens does he make it look awesome. It wasn't as elegant as Weiss' dress, but it had a rough and tough charm to it.

But what really caught her attention was how STRAPPED he was.

Every square inch of his body was not spared, as weapon upon weapon upon weapon was strapped to him in the most RIDICULOUS way possible. For example, a weird looking gray and black battle rifle with what looked like a long, slender tube at the bottom of the barrel and some sort of carry handle at the top of where the sights should be was slung around his right arm. What looked like a rocket launcher was tied to his backpack on one side, and a submachine gun with another tube on its barrel on the other. A pair of pistols were now visible on the holsters on each leg, and so many, many, MANY more weapons, each one more weirder than the last, practically dotted the newcomer.

And in his right hand, she realized with a gasp, was a particularly large knife that looked way too big in his hand, blood dripping off of it.

And then, he turned around to face them, his eyes blocked out by the reflection co ing off from the sun.

Behind her, Ruby shrieks in terror, squeaking, "Eep! Scary masked man, scary masked man!" as she hid behind Weiss. Reacting out of pure instinct, she drew Myrtenaster and pointed it at the boy.

"Who are you? Identify yourself!", she barked at the young man, still staring at the girls.

He said nothing, wiping the blood off his knife on the grass before sheathing it in his left arm. Then, slowly, he begins to walk towards them.

"Hey, didn't you hear me?!", she yelled, her voice betraying how genuinely afraid she was. "Say something, or I won't be afraid to attack you!". Probably not true, she thought. This guy literally took out an entire pack of Beowolves, even their Alpha, in just a few heartbeats. Oum knows what that guy might do to them.

Slowly, he approaches them, his gaze not breaking, staring down into Weiss' eyes with a stare so deep, she felt as if he was staring straight into her soul. Behind her, Ruby shook in fear, hands on Crescent Rose's handle, as if it was gonna do her any good.

Then, he stops, Myrtenaster now reaching up to his chest. He pulls an arm out, and gently pushes the rapier down. Weiss tried to keep her sword pointed at him, but he was holding her blade down with an incredible amount of strength.

"I'm not looking for a fight", he finally says, his voice muffled by the mask, yet clear enough to be understood. His eyes finally into view as well. Whereas in contrast to what she had pictured them to be- hollow, hateful, angry-, instead, she was greeted by the most softest, gentlest and calmest set of eyes she had ever seen in her life. They were staring down at her, him being an inch taller than Weiss, and they were conveying a look of sincerity. "Just put the sword down, and I'll explain", he added, his voice gentle and soft, yet had a commanding tone to it.

Weiss hesitated for a moment… then complied, moving her sword away, but in such a distance where she can be able to defend herself should the need arise. She really didn't like that possibility.

"Are you two okay? You were surrounded when I came through, and you looked you needed help", he says, his eyes betraying no lie.

"Help? Pfft, no way! I didn't need help, I was fine on my own! I could've easily dispatched those Beowolves", she harrumphed, offended at such a thought.

"Well, you could, but your friend here doesn't look like she can", he points out, motioning to Ruby behind her. Oh yeah, she thought. I forgot.

Ruby seemed offended by this. "Hey!", she calls out in annoyance, brandishing Crescent Rose. "Just because I'm 15, doesn't mean I can't defend myself either! I can fight too!"

The green, armored guy held up his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay, point taken", he says, tilting his head to the side.

Ruby came out from behind Weiss, but kept her distance, eyeing the newcomer cautiously. "Hey, wait a minute. We haven't even introduced ourselves! I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose!", she said, putting her hand to her chest as she says her name.

"Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company", the white haired girl says, beating her sword and fist to her chest. After she puts her hand down, she adds, "Your turn."

The boy stares at them, his eyes regarding the duo for a whole minute. Then, he breaks the silence.

"Corporal Adrian Shepherd."


(A/N: Hey guys, Laugh here. So, this is my very first time writing my very first story on this website. So any and all types of criteria concerning my writing here is most appreciated. Anyway, next chapter will be covering the Nevermore/Deathstalker brawl, although I'm gonna take the liberty of modifying it a tad to fit our new arrival here. Anyway, thanks for reading, make sure to leave a review, as criteria is most appreciated as always. Thank you, and time for me to get some sleep. Bye!)