The armor was completely destroyed, with shards of metal keeping their wounds painfully open. The damage was centered around the torso, leaving their ribs and most internal organs either completely vaporized or singed beyond recognition. The repair and creation of new organs would take time, and concentration.
These insects must be eliminated quickly. Whitback began working on repairing Jaune's body immediately, but it was unlikely the two White-Fang would simply stand back and wait. It would need to make the most of the few moments before the wall of dust, kicked up by the Bull's attack, settled and took the cover with it.
A large amount of biomass was brought forward, all but spewing forth from the gaping wound on their chest. It moved around the exposed flesh, working quickly to dig in and extract the destroyed armor from flesh and bone.
The black armor hit the ground with a crash, clearing the rest of the dust from view. By the time the two faunus saw through the debris, their body was covered in an entirely new set of armor.
Pristine as freshly fallen snow, their new armor was the complete opposite of the sleek black design James had given them.
Jagged, interlocking edges at the joints provided the perfect defense to most any grapple. And while it doubted these particular enemies would try to get that close, it didn't really have the time to make anything less crude.
Most of its attention was still focused on healing Jaune's injuries.
The sound of the Bull faunus sheathing his blade forced Whitback to act.
Preventing that pest from unleashing another wave of energy was top priority. The more damage they sustained the more material they lost, and that single hit had already cost about half the material they had stored. Surviving even one more of those attacks would be difficult.
Would they be destroyed by the first real challenge they came across? Would Jaune never be able to avenge his family and move on from their deaths? Would he be denied the chance to know the happiness he used to enjoy so obviously?
I refuse. Whitback wouldn't stand for it. Its creator was suffering, and the insects standing in front of it were making it worse.
They deserved death.
It was about to leap forward to deliver their judgment, when a thought made it hesitate.
"I would suggest you prepare yourselves." It warned politely, hoping to avoid frightening them too much. Without Jaune's help, their negativity could easily become overwhelming. And while it doubted the two faunus would survive the resulting rampage, it also doubted that rampage would go unnoticed by the nearby town.
The Cat and Bull eyed each other curiously, communicating possibly? They must have fought together on multiple occasions. Doesn't matter. They would be cut down soon enough, the little details wouldn't make a difference.
Without another word, Whitback leapt forward with its blade flying towards the Bull, aiming to overwhelm his defenses. With all the weight behind the strike, blocking became useless, a fact its opponents seemed to realize.
Bullets smacked against Whitback's helmet, forcing it to turn just the slightest bit. The Bull capitalized on the shift in momentum, letting the charging mass slide past his side.
"Bastard!" Whitback cursed loudly as it smashed head first through the wall behind them, clear into the next room. An inconvenience at worst, but the few seconds it took to regain its foot and return through the freshly made hole in the wall was enough for its prey to disappear.
"Escaped…?" Whitback muttered in confusion. They weren't giving off much negativity, why were they running? They worked well as a team, with one distracting while the other provided the "firepower". Of course there was no real possibility of their victory, but they couldn't have known that from such a short encounter. So why run?
It doesn't really matter. Whitback thought as he gave chase down the halls of the complex. But I am curious what their plan is…
It could smell no fear on them, were they so disciplined as to show no fear even when retreating? Maybe were they leading it to a better position? There had to be something going on. Something that kept them from fighting like cornered rats. reinforcements somewhere else on the island perhaps?
Or an escape plan? Hmm, perhaps it gave those insects too little credit. It had yet to see such caution in human or faunus kind. Except for James of course, but that man seemed to be the exception rather than the rule.
Most who found themselves in the situation these Faunus did would panic, pouring waves of negativity into the air while either running or fighting blindly. In the face of overwhelming force, none had ever calmly looked for an escape route.
Aura, proper training and strategies. Were the White-Fang truly so well connected that their soldiers were on par with Atlas'?
If only it had a larger pool of knowledge to pull from, it might not have all these unanswered questions. But Jaune refused to consume anything other than members of the White-Fang, limiting the memories available. Perhaps these higher ranking members would know more? All the more reason to catch them.
Distracted by its thoughts, Whitback almost took the attack coming its way head on. If not for the sounds of the metal blade unsheathing, the wave of energy the Bull had sent its way would have done serious damage.
The moment's warning was all Whitback needed to dig its feet into the ground and throw itself back from the door it was about to rush through. A part of it expected an explosion, as that's what the attack felt like when it had knocked Jaune out of commission.
Instead, the metal door that acted as the entrance, clatter to the ground in two cleanly cut, if a bit scorched, pieces. The entrance's destruction was followed quickly by the surrounding concrete wall, bringing with it much more of the building than might be expected.
With barely a grunt, Whitback was back on its feet with its shield placed firmly between it and the crumbling wall. It smashed forward before the ceiling could fall on it, spraying chunks of concrete into the surrounding forest.
Glancing back showed the attack and Whitback's subsequent escape had caused most of the face of the building to collapse.
"Willing to destroy their base just to escape?" Such persistence was noteworthy, but it wouldn't help them. Even if they were too far to sense their Aura, their scent was easily distinguished from the surrounding flora and fauna.
Whitback willed some of its body through its helmet, shifting the solid white material into liquid and moving it aside. With a deep breath, a clear picture formed in its head.
How were they already so far? Was Aura really such an advantage? To offer its bearer such vast increases in strength and speed. Whitback had to admit, albeit begrudgingly, that it was an amazing force.
It was a bit saddening to know Jaune would never be able to effectively use his. Not with how their Grimm body not only refused to channel Aura, but also absorbed it almost as fast as Jaune could produce it.
With a frustrated growl, Whitback replaced its helm before giving chase through the woods. It had to fix this situation. Failing to do so would prove that Aura was more powerful than Whitback's own abilities.
If that were the case… If Aura was better, then that meant Whitback had to be worse. That would mean it was actually making Jaune weaker. Like a sickness. A parasite.
"I am not a parasite…" And it would prove it by devouring these cowardly White-Fang scum.
\-/
Blake was glad Adam had listened to her and retreated when they had the chance, anything that survived Adam's Moonslice demanded caution. But with nowhere to run on this tiny island, she was starting to feel more and more trapped. The only bullhead the White fang had here was back at the armory.
Back towards that thing.
It couldn't be a normal person. Something that could survive a direct hit from an attack that she had seen cut through solid steel like butter? Something that wiped out an entire garrison of her brothers and sisters without raising a single alarm? There was just no way.
She wasn't sure what pit the SDC had found this assassin, but she was not keen on facing it again.
But what other option was there? With no other Bullhead around how could they get away? Swim…?
She really didn't like how long it took to dismiss that thought. Facing that assassin had to be better than drowning. Right?
"Come on!" Adam gave her arm a yank, pulling her from her thoughts while he took off in the opposite direction of their compound.
"Where are we going?!" She yelped as he dragged her along. Where was he taking them? Their only way off the island was in the opposite direction. The only thing in front of them was…
"The town.." She realized, remembering the briefing they had before shipping out this far from Menagerie.
"Exactly," Adam didn't look back as he spoke. "That bastard will be too busy dealing with the local Authorities to chase us. Then, it's as easy as stealing a Bullhead." He still kept his head forward, so it was hard to tell, but was that a… smirk?
"Are you smiling?! Do you know how many people that thing will kill before it's taken down?!" If they even could stop it. It killed everyone in their compound, who's to say it wouldn't do the same to that town?
"Why are you so upset?" He finally turned to face her, his expression showing what looked like genuine confusion.
"They're just humans."
She felt her heart shoot into her throat. Not just what he said, but the way he said it. Like he was talking about what he was having for dinner.
"T-they're just trying to live their lives…" Did he really think so little of a person's life? They had nothing to do with their fight, they had specifically built a facility on this island because of its comparatively kind treatment of Faunus. As long as they were smart, their movements went unnoticed.
"Who do you think tipped off this assassin to our location?! It had to be the village!" Adam retaliated. "How many of our brothers and sisters have died this night because they opened their fucking mouths! As far as I'm concerned they're all enemies of the White-Fang." Every word was spat like poison, his certainty written all over his features.
Blake couldn't believe it. He had never been this callus before! Anger and passion he had in spades, but such vitriol hate. That wasn't what they were fighting for. That wasn't what she wanted for their people.
Adam's eyes suddenly shifted behind her and widened. She barely had time to turn before he grabbed and all but smashed her against his chest while simultaneously twisting them around.
She felt the impact, even through Adam's body and Aura, she felt it.
The next thing she knew they were smashing through a tree while the bark cracked loudly against both his and her Aura before she hit the dirt.
She jumped to her feet as soon as she could, training reflex kicking in despite the jackhammer in her skull. Instinctively she covered Adam, who had also got to his feet but was still struggling for air after such a powerful impact.
Arguing will have to wait. Blake thought to herself while scanning the tree's for what had struck them. It didn't take long to see the strange, tendril-like appendage retreating from where they had been struck.
Before they got a good look at the source of the grotesque limb, the assassin leapt forward through the foliage. Adam was in front of her in an instant, blocking the overhead slash and storing the kinetic energy in his blade with his semblance.
With the assassin and Adam's weapons locked together, Blake took the opening to slip around and attack from the rear. She was sure it would have worked, if that tendril hadn't been attached to the assassin's back.
"What th-!" The tendril whipped towards her suddenly, forcing her to act. With a sidestep, she dodged the attack just as Adam leaned backwards, bringing the assassin's blade with him.
With Adam pulling in one direction, and its tendril's missed attack going the other, Blake saw the opening clear as day. With a spinning leap, Gambol Shroud's blade tore through the unarmored, alien limb; separating the tendril from the assassin's armor.
"Little pest!" The thing roared while lashing out with its shield, forcing both of her and Adam to jump back. Neither of them stayed back. Adam's blade flew up the left side while Blake's crashed down the right.
She almost dropped her weapon when it was stopped dead in its tracks by the shield while the sword simultaneously parried Adam's attack, disrupting his footing and pushing him aside.
"Stuck…?" Why wouldn't her weapons move?... Were those veins in the shield?
Before she could react, Gambol Shroud was ripped from her hands. The momentum pulled her forward, straight into what she could only describe as a pommel shaped meteor slamming into her diaphragm.
She felt the contents of her stomach hit the back of her throat as every bit of air was forced from her lungs. She wasn't even sure when she hit the ground, or if she had thrown up. It was all drowned out by the desperate desire to refill her lungs.
Did that shatter her Aura? She didn't have time to think about it as she saw the edge of the assassin's sword come for her head. Was that about to kill her? She felt her body moving back but the ivory blade was moving so much faster. She wouldn't make it.
She was going to die.
"BLAKE!" The scream was followed by a flash of red energy whistling inches from her face. Suddenly, the incoming blade was gone, and she found herself on her backside looking at a cloud of dirt and dust.
"I-I'm alright, Adam." She stopped the obvious question from coming once she had her breath and forced herself to her feet. It wasn't the first time death passed her by the skin of her teeth, she wouldn't let it shake her.
Just… Never felt quite so close.
"Blake… And Adam…?" That horrid voice spoke from within the dust cloud.
"You two faunus. You are called Blake and Adam?" The question was followed by a strange coughing noise.
Wait, no… It wasn't coughing. It was… Laughing?
Ahahahaha! You can't be serious!" The assassin leapt into view, landing further than she would have expected the attacker to. Somehow, she wasn't surprised to see it was unharmed by Adam's attack. Had it dodged? It must have.
"Your voices have changed a bit, even so I'm surprised I didn't recognize them earlier!" It knew them? How? She certainly didn't recognize the humanoid creature standing before her.
Adam, Still armed, refused to stand idle. His sword flew from its sheath and connected with the assassin's shield, landing right next to where Blake's Gambol shroud remained embedded.
"To be fair," it continued while ripping Wilt from Adam's grip with ease. "I only heard you once." It raised its armored boot and kicked straight through in an attack as obvious as it was fast.
"Plus there was the literal firestorm, so…" Adam had barely got his arms up before the kick sent him into a nearby tree, smashing his Aura like the bark beneath him.
"I think I can be forgiven for my lack of recognition." Its gaze turned to Blake and she immediately felt herself fall into a combat stance. She barely heard it speaking anymore, her mind too busy agonizing over every little detail in the surrounding forest.
A way out. There had to be a way out! There was always an escape, she just had to find the right route. Was her Aura shattered already? Could she still use her semblance? They were her best tools, but she blacked out when that last attack hit. She couldn't remember.
"Still looking to escape?" Its head tilted slightly in a confused gesture. "If you surrender I can promise a painless execution for your crimes." Its blade was leveled her way. "He would demand that mercy, I'm sure."
The cold sensation in her gut, the pounding in her chest. She had felt its touch once or twice, while working for her people's freedom. She could recognize it for what it was now: the body's way of warning the brain that danger was close.
That death was reaching out.
"What is wrong with you people!?" An unfamiliar, yet very loud, voice interrupted her brush with mortality.
"Do you have any idea how late it is?!" The scruffy looking black haired man stood barely twenty feet away, armed with a massive scythe. The segmented blade and ratcheting clanks hinted to the complexity of the mecha-shift weapon.
"I'm almost sober! That only happens when- aha! see!" He motioned to the sky, which was starting to glow with morning light. "Fucking morning!"
"You." The scythe flipped forward, shifting into a longer, war scythe. Pointed directly at the monstrous knight.
"You better have a damn good reason for forcing me out here before my morning drink."
The assassin, who's attention never once left Blake or Adam, shifted slightly and glanced back at what had interrupted its "execution".
The moment its attention turned from them, Mystery man moved faster than she had ever seen someone move, human or faunus. It was a bit surreal, watching a haggard, exhausted looking man suddenly cover twenty feet like lightning.
There was a loud click followed by the war scythe shifting back into its original, more hooked, form. The man twisted it so the blade would follow behind him, before jumping at the assassin.
The assassin's attention remained on the weapon as the man went over its head. So focused on the scythe was it that it didn't even seem to register the foot coming at it as a threat.
The large crack that appeared on its helmet proved that to be a mistake. How could the man's unarmored foot do that much damage? It couldn't be completely through Aura manipulation, could it? He had to have some kind of reinforcements in his shoe, right?
The scythe connected a fraction of a second later, hooking around the assassin's body and flinging it a couple meters away.
"Damn heavy, aren't ya?" The man commented while putting himself in front of both Adam and Blake. Was he protecting them? Did he not know who they were?
"Why are you getting in my way?!" The thing hissed angrily while crawling to its feet, showing a distinct lack of damage on its armor. But the kick had cracked its helmet, she was sure of it! Where had that mark gone?
"You're asking me why? Are you serious?" The man scoffed, "You're about to straight up murder some people. White-Fang or not, no self respecting Huntsman would stand by and watch." A Huntsman? That explained his skill. But not why he was helping them, especially if he already knew they were part of a known terrorist group.
"People…? Those scum sucking rodents deserve to be devoured!" Ah, that must be why. Because even if the newcomer believed them to be terrorists, they were still preferable to the assassin that was sounding more and more monstrous by the second.
"And now that you've seen me." It twitched suddenly, blacked veins growing and spreading throughout its armor in seconds. "I'm afraid you must share their fate."
She didn't know what was happening, but she didn't need to hear its words to know it was doing something.
Instinct screamed out inside her, forcing her to react before she knew what was happening.
She moved faster than she thought she could, grabbing Adam and focusing on her semblance. If it worked, she could get further away, behind trees, rocks or anything that could stand as cover. But, had her Aura shattered earlier? Could she still even use her semblance? She didn't have time to think about it. She could only hope and pray.
Please work…
\-/
"If I may speak freely sir?" Winter drew Ironwood's attention to the cockpit where she was seated. Ironwood gave a nod to the young woman, it wasn't often his closest subordinate so readily offered her opinion.
"Do you think he's ready for this? I mean no disrespect, but he still has yet to beat me during our spars. What if he runs into a trained combatant with their Aura unlocked?" She sounded almost worried, was that for Jaunes sake? Probably not. She was more than likely only worried about what would happen if their secret were discovered, rather than the child's safety.
"Are you asking me if Jaune can handle a properly trained and prepared soldier of any nation or organization? Because no, I don't believe Jaune is capable of the merciless violence required to survive in such a conflict." He said bluntly.
Jaune was, simply put, too gentle a soul to fight another person to the death. It was honestly a bit of a relief, knowing the child hadn't gone through enough hell to have that bit of humanity ripped from him.
"But that isn't who we sent," He pointed out. "And it wasn't who was demanding to be sent either." He didn't think the explanation made much sense but James knew more about Jaune, and his "Grande Protector" Whitback, than anyone on remnant.
"You were there, right? Do you remember what his voice sounded like when he asked for more responsibilities?" James could hear it in his head, the way it resonated. It used to put him on edge, but over the years its effect had waned significantly.
"Of course, sir. It echoed itself in a way I hadn't heard before. I assumed he was trying to sound tough or older." So it was her first time hearing it? He had assumed Jaune would have let it slip during the few spars they had. That would explain her uncertainty with giving the boy this operation.
"No, thankfully he is not that aggressive." He could understand her confusion. The inhuman voice mixed with those glowing, blood red eyes made it next to impossible to see any human expression beneath.
"What you heard was the Grimm inside him." James explained while remembering when he had come to the realization. It was their second mission, when he was still in constant contact during the excursions, that he properly noticed that something was happening. It wasn't until after the third mission that he finally figured out exactly what that something was.
Jaune's hesitation to kill another human, it always seemed to blink out of existence right when he would start speaking with that resonating voice. It was the grimm's influence, it had to be. And yet, why didn't it remain that way? Why would the grimm allow Jaune to regain control?
"So the grimm controls him?" Much more caution entered her voice, her tone taking a defensive edge. "Wouldn't that mean he is a threat like any other grimm?"
James couldn't blame her for that line of thinking, not when he himself had planned on having Jaune killed during the first year of his residence. Even if he trusted the boy much more readily now, the contingency plans made in preparation of a betrayal were still being refined to this day.
"Well, that's where the line blurs." He tried to explain.
"I don't believe the grimm has full control over Jaune, but there is no definitive way to check." It came back to the same questions. Why did the grimm give up control after gaining it? Did it do so willingly, or was it simply unable to wrest control forcefully?
He had tried to ask Jaune for more details, but even when it seemed like the boy wanted to tell him the truth, Whitback would stop him. It hated telling them anything about itself. Paranoid didn't begin to describe its mentality.
Winter looked uneasy, clearly unsure how to react to the information. He understood why, he was basically saying he didn't know if they were working with a tortured child, or an unstable monster.
"To answer your question, yes. Jaune is a threat to mankind." Ironwood knew what he was dealing with, knew how it could grow itself by devouring people. Given the right circumstances, it was entirely possible Jaune could cause the extinction of mankind.
But, given the right circumstance, he could also become their greatest savior.
"But even if he and the being within him are threats, they've shown a willingness to work with us. We can't attempt to dispose of him and risk turning such a powerful ally into an enemy. Not when humanity needs all the help it can get in this war with the grimm."
"I hope you're correct sir..." Winter said with the defeated sigh of a person stuck between a rock and hard place. A position he found himself stuck in far too regularly.
"Do you think we should contact him?" Winter suggested after an extended silence. "He's taking a lot longer than normal to call in."
James thought about it for a moment, It wasn't like Jaune or, more likely Whitback, to take their time. They had always called in as soon as they finished their mission. Was it possible they were still fighting? It was almost daybreak, they should have finished their objective by now.
"We don't want to distract him if he is still sneaking around. But it isn't like them to get caught up…" He scratched his chin, debating the cons for a moment.
"I suppose Whitback wouldn't be distracted so easily. Go ahead." James said with a nod and Winter tapped at her scroll until it was attempting a connection with the transponder in Jaune's suit.
Silence.
"...No answer." Winter said carefully.
"That's… not ideal." James fell into a silence, while his mind kicked into overdrive. What could keep those two from answering a call? The average White-Fang member was more a civilian than a soldier, and rarely had Aura. They couldn't be what was holding Jaune. So it had to be the theoretical individuals with Aura he had suspected would be overseeing the facility.
What could stand against Whitback's unnatural strength? It couldn't be some sort of long range artillery, they would have seen such firepower from miles away. Maybe a warrior on equal footing with elite Hunters? They're intel would normally have told them if any of the White Fang's heavy hitters had moved.
But their intel was by no means infallible…
"We're headed to the facility, full speed." He commanded. Winter was already rotating the Bullhead as James spoke, taking off in the direction where they had originally dropped Jaune.
Could Jaune have been captured? Or could he have abandoned their cause? The latter thought should have scared James more but there was something about the boy. He just didn't seem capable of treason. Was that the point? To seem as innocent as possible in order to hide? His mind warned him to prepare for such, but his gut instinct leaned toward other possibilities.
The speedy bullhead brought them to the building in minutes. Ironwood disembarked before Winter could even finish landing, revolver in hand as he hit the ground standing. Looking around, he could see no sign of life, nor could he sense any movement nearby.
The collapsed entrance quickly drew his attention. Scorch marks and chunks of rubble spread more than a dozen meters away. This wasn't some structural accident, but there was no blood anywhere to be found. Had no one been in the building when it had collapsed? This must have happened after Jaune cleared the majority of the insurgents stationed here.
He glanced back to make sure Winter close enough to hear him before-
CRASH
James spun towards the noise, revolver cocked and ready, but nothing was there. No explosion, fire or smoke could be seen in any direction.
"What on Remnant was that?" Winter muttered, her saber drawn and glyphs glowing ominously around her.
"I'm not sure," he admitted.
But I've got a hunch. He thought with an internal sigh.
\~/
It's been a long while since I properly read the original version of this chapter but from what I remember, I've changed quite a bit with Adam and Blake. I tried to highlight the "treat them how they treat me" mentality both Blake and Adam have while also showing how different interpretations of this idea can be taken. While Adam reflects the hatred he received onto all of humanity, Blake does her best to reflect it only onto those who spew forth that hatred. There will be more about them next chapter, but for now just keep in mind I went pretty far off from the anime with Blake's back story. I think I kept the basic foundation the same (who did what and what she learend from it) but the actually events have been changed. I look forward to hearing what any of ya'll might think about it, whether its good or bad, makes sense or not, whether you enjoyed it or not, cant wait to hear what you think! Hope you all enjoy your mornings/evenings!
Side note, someone mentioned a continuity error I made with Whitback's name in the earlier chapters but I couldn't find it myself. If any of you notice where that is, or any future mistakes are, would you be able to let me know the chapter it's in? Through dm or reviews, just so I might see why I made the mistake so i can hopefully learn to avoid it. thanks again for all the support!
