Hello again! Arrexu here with another fanfic that he shouldn't start. But who gives a shit. I need to find my love for writing again and I think this might help me do it.
This is a RWBY fanfiction that starts after vol 3.
Expect changes to volume 3 as we know it. You'll be figuring out what exactly during different chapters. I mainly changed the ending of volume 3.
I'd love to give an example but that would be spoiling.
Also, you guys might notice that my writing style is... Umm, lazy, and lacking in certain parts. You have been warned XD.
Also, this fanfiction takes place in the time frame between vol 3 and vol 4. Basically 6 months of me trying to establish the position of the characters. Not sure how many chapters I'm gonna dedicate to pure character development but yeah. I wanna focus on that before the actual plot.
This fanfic will mostly revolve around Adam Taurus. So if any of u don't like this then please don't read it. It's you're choice but I don't wish to see anything toxic in the comments section.
Since there's not much left to say, I bid you all a good time with this test of mine.
Disclaimer:
I don't own RWBY. It belongs to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum
There was a song he once listened to. A song that motivated him in his first steps as a white fang member. He didn't remember the name of the singer. All he knew was that they were a part of some type of scandal back then. And nobody has ever heard of them since.
That was 14 years ago.
Back when he was a naive little boy, thinking he could change the world for the better.
He couldn't have been more wrong.
He was hated. Although everyone like him is scorned, none of them took it as hard as he did. After all, none of them ever wore the work of a true monster. None of them ever wore a brand mark.
None of Ghira's followers could have ever understood him.
And that's when he realized that those words... those lyrics were never meant for someone like him. That choice to be, the ability to choose what he wanted to become. They were all stripped from him the moment he grew to hate.
Discriminated for being born, hailed as a hero for murder. What was he? Who was he? The hero of his story... Or the monster in theirs.
Such were the thoughts of one Adam Taurus.
He was currently at the campsite where he, and what was left of his faction, were resting. It had been a few days since he attacked Vale academy.
He never consented to it. That woman was the one who forced his hand.
Either them, or him.
Now, if it had just been him then he would have taken his chances. But of course, 'him' meant all of the members in his branch.
The choice was easy to make... If there even was a choice.
He felt conflicted as of late. That woman in red gave him an option. He snorted, the red on his person, glowing due to his aura.
Either continue their partnership or leave and never see each other again. Adam knew what she was doing, even without the added incentive of becoming the high leader if he decided to continue this collaboration. Oh... And did he mention the hidden threat if he decided to not join them?
Sure the whole, 'killing-humans-along-the-way' made him grin in bloodlust but... It never truly was his goal. What he wanted was for the faunus to no longer live in fear. He wanted to give them more than just that cramped up island. At least, that is what it was supposed to be.
In any case, there were more pressing matters than his ideals. Such as, what to do with Cinder and her group. Sure he could just kill them and be done with it but the information he had on this woman was scarce and his instincts told him not to do anything rash.
And so he listened.
Of course, It's easier said than done but that's also the reason why he was giving this more thought. He couldn't afford to act quickly and risk the safety of his men. The wench would come back in a week and expect an answer then.
The answer was right there... It was an easy decision to make. But then... Why was is he hesitating? Was becoming the high leader that important to him?
Yes.
He always believed that he deserved more, earned more, and paid more than any other faunus. Yes, he deserved to be the high leader.
Huh...
So this was his desire, to be the leader of each and every faunus in this battle against humanity.
And so it was decided.
Adam stood from his makeshift bed and left his tent. In front of the entrance of his tent stood his most trusted member. White Fang Lieutenant Tawn Jaeger. With his large frame and chainsaw in hand, Tawn proved to be very intimidating.
The lieutenant calmly looked at his leader, simply waiting for instructions.
"Round up the others, take anything of worth, leave the dust but refill your guns. We're headed for Menagerie."
Tawn gave a strong but simple nod to show his compliance. The buffed up man was about to turn away but glanced back and eyed his boss up and down. Adam noticed this but didn't respond.
"And what about them?" He asked quietly with a certain edge in his tone.
Adam raised an eyebrow. "We're taking them as well. Anything else Lieutenant?"
"No sir."
After that, he left to do as ordered. Meanwhile, Adam went back to his tent and sat back down. He listened to the shuffling of feet and rustling of clothes as he waited in patience.
As the noise reduced to nothingness, Adam stood and left his tent as well. The only possessions he took with him were his weapons, Wilt, Blush, and a single picture.
He looked at it once before hiding it in his shirt.
Adam looked at his faction, the vale branch of the White Fang, reduced to mere splinters thanks to that woman. A whispered "Move out." was all it took for every single one to comply.
Adam took the front in their travels and Tawn the rear. They were headed towards the east coast of Sanus to meet someone with ships that they could use.
Contacts of the White fang, if you will. More of them were placed in different parts of the world as well.
A certain feline had started these connections... unlike Ghira.
Speaking of...
'Sienna is going to kill me.'
XXX
They've been traveling for the better part of the day and were on good time before reaching the next checkpoint. Usually, traveling from point A to B is done in small splinter groups to avoid unnecessary attention and possible Grimm attacks. A custom for the Fang due to a botched mission a few years back. Although, thanks to the fall of Beacon, all of their attention is focused on Vale.
Adam's comlink suddenly beeped. The sound of it is quiet enough that a human would have a hard time hearing it, even if they wore the earpiece themselves.
"Sir, we got a tail."
Adam raised an eyebrow at the sound of lieutenant Jaeger's voice. More importantly, he raised an eyebrow at the lack of caution in his report.
"Cause for concern?" Adam questioned.
"None, but you might want to set up camp early boss. She's lagging behind. Jaeger, over."
Adam stopped mid-step. 'She?' What exactly was that supposed to mean? He also heard something akin to 'exasperation' in Tawn's tone. 'Whatever...'
Adam then saw a clearing up ahead and thought, 'good enough'. He turned around and faced his marching troops. They didn't take much with them, mostly just necessities like tents, ammunition, and sleeping bags.
But the most important thing that they had to escort back to menagerie, was in the single cart they had with them.
"You.." Adam said, looking at some random member. "Take another 5 and secure a perimeter that's 50 meters around that clearing up ahead. The rest of you..." He paused as he eyed his attentive men. He smirked.
"Set up camp."
A loud chorus of "Yes sir!" was music to the Bull-Faunus' ears. As he watched his men trudge forward to do their jobs, Adam stood back and waited. Soon enough, Tawn joined him and stood to his right.
"Boss, you sure have a thing for a... particular breed. The feline kind I believe?" Adam's head snapped in his direction so fast, Tawn thought he got whiplash. "Explain." Was Adam's response. Tawn simply lifted both of his hands in an awkward attempt to surrender against his slightly taller boss.
"It's probably better if we wait. They'll show themselves soon enough."
Adam gave him a hard look through his mask, before turning away with a sigh. "We'll be having a meeting tonight to discuss our next steps. 10 pm, don't be late."
"Aren't I always?"
"The last time you were late was after you crashed the train and were presumed dead for 2 weeks. You missed plenty of meetings to last you a lifetime."
Tawn just kept his hands up, playfully surrendering to that fact.
"We lost a lot of good men in that operation."
Adam gave him a backward glance before facing forward again.
"All more of a reason to achieve our cause."
Because if not them, then who will?
A pair of glowing yellow eyes glared through the shadows of the forest
XXX
"The operation here was a disgrace to Faunus-kind everywhere."
"You think? Using Grimm? I don't think we can get any lower than that."
"What are you guys talking about? That was a total success! We got the dust, the Humans suffered. What more could we want?"
"I completely agree, so what if we used those Grimm to attack Beacon? As long as we win then that's all that matters."
"That's incredibly short-sighted and delusional... And you know it!"
"Shut up greenhorn, what do you know? The disrespect..."
"Oi!..."
"Rawr rawr."
"Rawr rawr!"
"Rawr rawr RAWRRR!"
...
This is what any high official, in the white fang, has to deal with. Adam sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He lifted his hand, almost lazily, and gestured towards the bickering white fang squad captains.
Tawn grunted but complied nonetheless. He hefted his chainsaw and activated it. The loud noise of it silenced the bickering members.
"Have you all calmed down?"
"Calmed down? CALMED DOWN!? Adam, you're the one who caused this! We lost a third of our members for a single mission on Sanus. The others may be compliant now but people are beginning to question your choices regarding Faunus-kind. Especially your troops. There are men out there who have a family to return to, wives to take care of, children to raise. Heck, some of these men are kids themselves! So tell me oh great leader, why the fuck should I calm down?"
Adam stared at the man who nearly screamed at him in frustration. It was only through the man's experience that he didn't attempt anything worse.
An ear perked up at what she just heard from the conversation inside the tent she's eavesdropping in.
Adam silently stood up from his seat. He took a quick glance towards the 6 other members around the meeting table excluding himself and Almond.
"Tell me, fellow brethren. Why do we wear these masks? It's not a practical way to conceal scars... no. It's an Ideal. These masks represent our existence. The humans may not accept what we are... but we should make sure they remember what we looked like."
"Well yeah but... isn't there another way? There must be a more peaceful way to attain freedom?"
"How long have we been fighting for freedom? How much longer do you need, to see that peace is impossible! So long as we exist as Faunus, there shall be no peace. There's only so much abuse, oppression, and exploitation I can take before it's simply enough! I'm done with being a slave, I'm through with living in fear. It's time for a change..."
...
...
"He's right... I... I..."
"Yeah... I understand you completely brother. As long as we exist as Faunus..."
"...Peace will forever elude us."
"Not unless..."
"GAH!" "Ugh..."
Strangled gasps could be heard outside the tent which left everyone in the room tense, save for Almond. Soon enough, the mystery unveiled herself as a girl, no older than 18, standing in front of them in all her 160 cm-tall glory.
"Not unless we fight for it. Am I right?"
Adam almost did a double-take. The man was as still as a statue and as stiff as a board. The appearance of this girl...
Tawn gave a silent head shake towards his leader's plight.
The girl was pale. Incredibly so. She wore old, dirty clothing that covered up her whole body except for the head. And more importantly, the thing that gave Adam such a shock.
The girl had wild, black hair that almost reached her waist. A single bang going through the middle of her face. It was slightly slicked back in an attempt to clear her line of sight. Yellow slitted eyes that glow in the darkness. And of course, the cat ears. This girl looked so much like her, it was uncanny...
But before Adam could compare the two any longer, the young girl spoke up.
"I want in." She said.
"... Apprehend her this instant." Said one of the younger captains.
When the official saw that none of his comrades even moved, he decided to do it himself.
"Fine if you're not gonna do your job lieutenant, then I'll do it for you." He stood up and moved closer to the girl.
The girl just stood her ground and prepared herself for a fight.
"Stand down captain," Adam said as he walked over to the girl, who was still in a defensive position. He stood a good foot, more or less a few inches, taller than the girl. It made for an intimidating sight for the young faunus girl. Though she'd be damned if she stood down now.
"Damn... You look even taller from up close." She said with a nervous grin on her face.
Adam just stood in front of her. A contemplative look on his face... not that anyone can see. He kept staring at her for a good long while. It grew to the point where the girl no longer looked at him in fear but annoyance.
"What's with all the staring horny! Wanna fight? C'mon, let's fight!"
The girl took an offensive stance and attacked Adam.
Meanwhile, the captains and lieutenant looked at the girl in varying degrees of amusement. The dumbest move in Faunus history was made directly before their eyes.
"I'll prepare the grave." Whispered one captain to another. "I'll get the flowers." He nodded.
Adam nearly sighed at the incredibly familiar sight of a lunging cat... No, jaguar faunus.
Adam simply grabbed one of her outstretched hands and, instead of pushing her away like she expected, he pulled her into his guard, turned her around, and held her arm locked behind her back.
"Sloppy." he whispered into her cat, no... Jaguar ears.
The girl growled and attempted to break free. But the thing is, she couldn't even budge an inch, still, she tried and tried. "Give me your sword and I'll show you sloppy."
"Oh~? You use a sword?" Adam asked.
"It's my go-to weapon."
Adam glanced at the still squirming girl and nodded.
"Am I right to assume that you want to join the White Fang?"
"More than anything." She answered lowly. The conviction in her voice was enough for Adam to reach his decision. He let her go and walked back towards his seat.
"Well then, welcome to the Fang. Captain DeWolffe will escort you to your tent. Food rations were just handed out but I'm sure the captain can procure you something."
"But sir! We can't just accept her into our ranks! She's too young and untrained!"
"Of course she won't be joining us in any of our missions..."
'Provided, I still lead them.' Adam thought.
"What!" The panther faunus demanded. "What do you mean I can't join? I'm sure as hell trained! I took out those schnee scum back in Vacuo!"
'Vacuo? Then why didn't...' Adam then shook his head in irritation.
"Look, girl..."
"My name is not girl!"
"Oh? So what is your name." The girl simply grinned at the question... Which didn't sound like a question coming from him.
"I am Eve Amaryllis and don't you forget it!"
...
...
"Look, Eve..." The girl nearly growled at his sarcastic tone. "You are simply not ready to undertake any sort of missions. In the future maybe. But that depends on the skill you learn throughout your time serving the White Fang."
He was honestly getting some hardcore deja vu here. It still felt like yesterday since the last time he gave such a lecture.
"Yeah but!"
"No but's, if's or whatever you kids like to say these days."
"But you're barely older than me!"
"Girl, I'm your elder by 6 years at least! You don't look any older than what, 15?"
"... 18"
"See, you are 3 years my junior."
"Then you're not 6 years my senior!" She stuck out her tongue.
"Real mature."
"Hmph!"
Meanwhile, the captain's and lieutenant looked fondly at a familiar sight. Blake's departure hit every one of them hard. Nothing was the same after she left.
That woman in red came and went on a killing spree! Practically forced them into submission. Honestly, most of them wondered why Adam submitted to that human's whims. Most of them thought that he could have taken her, no problem.
Tawn had his guesses. Particularly the timing of that event was too convenient. Adam wouldn't make irrational decisions unless something happened. Something more sinister was at play.
After all, coincidences are only masks of intentions.
Beacon only proved it.
XXX
Silver eyes slowly fluttered open as they took in the sights above them. A familiar ceiling and a very warm atmosphere. The feeling of the bed was familiar, the pillow, the blanket... All of it was a source of comfort for one Ruby Rose.
Suddenly the door was opened. The blond, who stood in front of the door was a tall man. He wore a simple country man's clothing that was mainly brown and orange. He had blue eyes and looked liked he desperately needed to shave. This man was Taiyang Xiao-Long. A brawler, Beacon graduate, teacher, but most importantly, Ruby's father.
"Ruby!" The man quickly ran into his daughter's room and embraced his daughter and kissed her on the temple. "You're awake!"
"Wha... Dad? Where am I... Wait! Yang! What happened to her? Is she okay?" Tai looked away from his daughter as he tried to think of an answer.
"She... She's gone." Ruby looked horrified and was on the verge of going into hysterics. "She's alive! Don't worry but I-uh... I'm not exactly sure where she could be. With the CCTV down for who knows how long, contacting yang, or anyone would be impossible. She left a day after you both were taken back home."
"But... What happened to her? Why would she leave!" She said tearfully. The fear she felt for her sister was quickly drowning the young rose. If she lost Yang... If she lost her beloved sister then... then... Ruby wasn't sure if she could live in a world without her sister in it.
She wouldn't be able to comprehend that loss. Ever since her mother died, Yang had been everything to her. Someone strong enough to care for her when not even their father could. She was about to try and get up and demand to search for Yang but she quickly remembered another important event.
"Wait, wait! What happened to Vale? To Beacon! Did they take care of the Grimm?" Ruby said in a frenzy, panic settling in her eyes.
"Don't worry! Vale is under control but uh~. It's a bit more complicated than that. We don't really know what happened but the Grimm are being cleared out and Beacon should be safe once more. It's gonna take a lot of time to rebuild. Especially with..."
"Tai..." Qrow interrupted before his friend could spout up some more... sensitive information. Tai looked behind him and saw Qrow standing at the doorway. He gave him a questioning look as he stood up from his knelt-down position.
"Mind if we have a minute?"
"What, I can't stay here?" He asked annoyed.
"Tai, please..."
At this point, Tai just nodded and stood up to leave. He kissed his daughter on her head and proceeded to give the uncle-niece duo some time for themselves. Though not before giving Qrow the stink eye. Qrow gave it no further thought and put his attention back on his niece.
"Hey kiddo, how ya doin?" Qrow took a chair, put it beside Ruby's bed, and took a seat.
"I'm ok, I guess?" She answered him truthfully. She might have a few aches here and there but that's a lot better than most can say.
"You sure gave me a scare kid. Had it not been for Glynda, you would have died."
Ruby gasped in surprise. "Ms. Goodwitch? Wha... What happened? Is she alright?"
Qrow gave her a look as he leaned forward. "What was the last thing you remember?" Ruby gave the question some thought. It was rather... difficult to remember anything after that hectic catastrophe.
"I... I was fighting some Grimm near the tower. Jaune called for help but I think I ran out of aura during one of my fights. The... the last thing I remember before passing out was... was."
"Hey, it's okay kiddo. You don't have to force yourself." Qrow reassured his niece. Ruby simply nodded and fell silent, too confused to think up any questions she would have had. If only it weren't for her headache...
"I can explain from there. You were being attacked by a group of Alpha but Glynda took care of it before I could. She then had me take you and Weiss back to Vale." He was about to explain more but was quickly interrupted.
"Weiss! But I never saw her? Is she here? Is she alright?" Ruby asked with tears in her eyes. If anything happened to her best friend then she'd... She'd lose her mind.
"Weiss is... she's not here."
"Not here?"
"She was taken by her douche of a father. Back to Atlas."
"But... but why?" The agony in her voice when she asked that question pained qrow. All of this was eerily familiar to him. Instead of Ruby in that bed, he saw Summer.
"When Beacon tower fell, the last thing people saw was Atlas invading Vale and attacking its citizens." Qrow sighed and took a drink from his flask. "Her father took her back to Atlas where he thinks it's safe. But to be fair, Weiss never really had the choice to do anything."
"How so?" She asked.
Qrow gave her a concerned look before finally deciding to tell her. "Ruby... Weiss is in a coma and hasn't woken up yet. When I got to her she was... She was on the brink of death."
"I... What... What happened to her!? Is she alright? Uncle Qrow, please tell me she's okay?" Ruby couldn't take it anymore. Yang has gone to who knows where. Weiss is hurt and she can't even see her. God knows if she really wants to know what happened to Blake...
"She's... I won't sugar coat it kid but... she was in a tough spot. Her sister told me that the doctors in Atlas are taking good care of her though."
"S...so she's okay? And her sister can tell you- and you can then tell me how Weiss is doing?" She asked quietly. Silently trying to control her emotions.
"Yes, kid. If you have any questions regarding your friend. Just give me a call." Qrow said with a slight smile.
She tried to smile back but... it didn't really reach her eyes. She tried nonetheless, to conceal the pain she was in. "I've always been curious. How exactly do you know Weiss' sister?"
Qrow suddenly laughed at the question. "That's a story for another time kid. She and I have a rather... outstanding history with each other."
"What about Blake? Is she alright?" The answer he gave her did nothing to help her mood. In fact, it only worsened it.
"Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything about where the B in your team could have run off too. All I know is that she isn't in Vale anymore."
'And that she has one draconic tag-along'
"I... I~" she tried to gasp out a response but it was quickly growing harder and harder to speak, what with all of these revelations. Qrow noticed this and decided to talk to move her attention elsewhere.
"In any case, the Wyvern was destroyed and hundreds of huntsmen are currently clearing out the Grimm back in Beacon. It should take us 2 months to clear all the Grimm and another 6 months to rebuild it. Until then, you are stuck here."
Ruby looked at her uncle and nodded. "Are you gonna come back?" Qrow just sighed and stood from his seat. "Once. A week before the mission to remove the Grimm starts. You might want to prepare some formal clothes for the memorial in 2 weeks.". It didn't need to be said that it was also a burial. Ruby didn't need to hear it. She already knew. With that, Qrow decided to leave.
"Try not to overexert yourself kiddo. There's... Let's just say that a lot has happened. But we'll worry about that later. For now, get some sleep kid."
Ruby gave an exhausted sigh as she looked at her reflection from a mirror. She sat quietly as she observed herself on the bed. She slowly crawled underneath the covers of her blanket and tried to sleep.
Qrow silently stood behind the door to his niece's room. He exhaustedly took another drink from his flask. 'And so, History repeats itself.'
"Sigh... What a mess."
XXX
"Ohh this is bad. Ughhh if only we were there! We could have helped. General Ironwood sir! Please deploy us for the cleanup mission in Vale. We have to do that at least!" A dark-skinned dog Faunus said.
"Quiet Marrow. Let the boss think. He's clearly in one of those moments." Answered a woman with a tanned skin tone.
"But Harriet! The longer we stand around and do nothing, the longer those Grimm can walk free to terrorize the.."
"Terrorize what? A fallen school and destroyed buildings? What are they gonna destroy? Classrooms and libraries? Honestly, Vale is lucky that their school is distanced from the main city."
"Yeah imagine if that happened to us. The school isn't exactly a few miles away from the city... No, we just had to put it smack dab in the center." Marrow sarcastically remarked.
"Marrow, Harriet, that's enough." Said a tall bulky man. The tone of seriousness was as clear to the dog faunus, as it was for the speedster.
And she usually doesn't listen.
Such were fast types. Always so impulsive. This was Harriet Bree, an Ace operative of the Atlas military. The Ace operatives are a group of the strongest Huntsmen in Atlas. It is something each student at Atlas Academy strives to be after graduation.
For the Rookie, Marrow Amin, this was all just a waste of time. Instead of standing around and doing nothing, they should have been on a flight towards Beacon since yesterday. But the general just had to be the overly cautious type...
Speaking of the General.
"Clover, what do you think I should do?" Ironwood asked, surprising his soldiers in the process.
"Sir?"
"Don't make me repeat myself, soldier."
Clover is the leader of the Ace ops. He was a tall brown-haired man and was very confused.
James Ironwood was a man of his word and his word only. To hear him ask for advice was a serious turn from how he usually operated. Either the 10 years of service on Clover's part endeared him to the man or something was seriously afoul.
"I believe it would be best to let us help with the problem at Beacon."
At this, Marrow, the dark-skinned dog faunus pumped his fist in victory. Only to be elbowed by the speedy Harriet.
"But Clover, you know we have other missions to complete! Let the other huntsmen take this job, we're needed elsewhere." She stated matter of factly.
"And where would we be needed? I don't quite understand what you're saying, Harriet. How is there anything more important than help clear the Grimm from an overrun Huntsman Academy?" Marrow complained.
"Quiet you two. Or have you already forgotten your training? Do I really have to get Vine to discipline you both, again?"
"No sir!" Both Marrow and Harriet answered with a frown. Nobody liked being lectured by Vine. Or God forbid, training with Elm.
Marrow and Harriet shivered.
Clover exhaled a bit more audible than usual.
"Different Huntsmen can take our jobs. It's not like we're the only ones qualified to do a supply run. I believe our skills are better spent out in the field rather than here in Atlas." Clover answered the General's question.
Ironwood contemplated his best Huntsman's words carefully. On one hand, it would be easier to remove the Grimm from Beacon and the rebuilding process can start earlier than the allotted two weeks. But that would also mean, expending men on missions even though he knew that the enemy will eventually come for Atlas.
With Cinder and her goons, free to do as they please. Who knows when Atlas is next on their hit list. All he knew was that his kingdom was a likely target because of its military might.
Even then, all his resources, armies, and robots... they were all used against him.
Qrow was right.
Upgrading his tech won't do much if the enemy can just hack it again.
Ironwood saw it fit to have the data of Amity Arena reviewed. Call it a hunch but he had a feeling that this was a step in the right direction.
Now, what should he do here? Expend more capable men and risk being blindsided by the enemy. Or keep them here and leave Beacon at the mercy of Grimm for longer than it should.
Maybe it's time he asked for help.
XXX
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Mhm~"
"..."
"Are weeee... THERE YET?!"
"... No, now stay quiet before I murder you."
"Awww, you wouldn't do that to little old me? Would you? I mean look at me! I'm adorable!"
The snickers behind him and this insufferable girl made his eye twitch.
"C'mon sir! You gotta say she's cute, otherwise, she's gonna git like..."
"Oi! Hold your mouth boy... She was special to us!"
"Alright okay... No need to get snappy..." The grunt held his hands up in submission.
Adam sighed at the hushed whispers from his group. It took no genius to know that they were talking about her. He sighed.
Meanwhile, Eve was looking up at him in curiosity. 'Ugh, again with the brooding? What is he even thinking about? Mhm...' She hummed in thought. She looked around to give her an idea of what to do. At some point, she saw Lt. Jaeger.
'I bet he and Mr. Broody Mc Broodster are close. He might know a few things!'
And with that, the peppy 18-year-old made her way to the second tallest man she had ever seen in her life. Unlike Adam's sleek body, this guy was buff. And wore a full face mask. Looked pretty cool. She wanted her own.
"Hey umm... Mr. Jaeger!" She yelled as she ran towards him. Tawn raised an eyebrow, wondering what the little girl might want.
"What is it, little one." He asked calmly.
"I'm not little!" She huffed.
Tawn silently laughed at her expense. She may have looked like her but she sure has her own personality. Almost reminded him of...
"Hey, you listening?"
Tawn shook his head to clear the little cobwebs from his mind. "Sorry, come again?" She huffed. "I asked if you knew stuff about the edge lord over there." She sent a thumb over her shoulder to point at said edge lord.
Tawn almost busted his gut from trying not to laugh. It came out as a wheeze instead. Eve just ended up giggling along.
"Girl... I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship." He said while patting the girl's shoulder.
"Now, what do you want to know about Adam?"
At this question, the girl couldn't do anything but think. What did she want to know about Adam? His past, his favorite foods, his goals, his dreams? She felt that most of those questions were on a 'need-to-know' basis.
Alright something simple then
"He's your leader right?"
The lieutenant nodded.
"Like... the leader of all Faunus?" She asked incredulously. That's some serious power alright. Tawn then shook his head no. "That position belongs to the high leader. She's situated in Menagerie and that's where we're headed. To answer your question, Adam is only the leader of the White Fang's Vale branch. But his following is practically the same as our high leader."
"Woah... And how many are they?"
"Last I checked about 40% of Faunus-kind." Eve gaped. Holy fuck that's a lot of support...
"And why do those two specifically have that much support?" She was getting too into this. Information was hard to get a hold of. Especially with the situation she was in her whole life.
"You must have been sleeping under a rock. The high leader, otherwise known as Sienna Khan is a powerful figure for us Faunus. She's smart and powerful yet kind and merciful. People flock to individuals like her. Especially with her goals for the Faunus. This was before Adam, before the truth..." She gave him a nervous glance. The dark tone in his voice creeping her out a bit.
"What changed?"
Tawn gave her a strong look behind his mask.
"Everything."
XXX
"Doctor, how is she doing?"
The aged doctor gave the white-haired special operative a sympathetic look. It's not every day you see your family fighting for their life at the operation table. Much less your own little sister.
"She'll be alright miss Schnee. She'll be awake sometime next week!"
"That's good to hear." The doctor nodded and walked away, leaving the elder Schnee sibling to stand and look at her little sister through the one-way looking glass.
Nothing had shaken her up more than what had happened back at Beacon. She had been one of the first to return to Atlas. The General ordered her to take over his duties. And so she was left here, tending to Atlas Academy as the head deputy.
Seeing her sister like this made Winter Schnee wish she had disobeyed orders and followed her own.
The comlink in her left ear suddenly pinged, signaling a call. She checked her scroll to see who it was.
'One of the forensics scientists?' She wondered.
"Winter Schnee, report."
"Yes, miss Schnee. We have figured out the blade that caused the injuries of miss Weiss. And with this information comes the person responsible for it." Winter simply pulled out her scroll, swiped on a few apps, and waited.
"Here is the data we managed to attain."
Winter gave a self-satisfied nod as her scroll projected a holograph with said data. "Thank you." She then continued to read the files.
One of the pages depicted the cut over Weiss' left eye. Not the one she received during her battle against the paladin. That was a mere accessory. This one was the real deal. It cut deep enough so that the eyeball was damaged beyond repair. It wasn't gauged out luckily enough but... it wouldn't have made a difference anyway.
Weiss is now blinded on one side.
"The cut on miss Weiss' eye directly follows her old scar. Same length, same width but more fatal. Whoever did this was obviously playing with her. We couldn't place the scar with a specific weapon. We managed to narrow it down a bit, although it still wasn't enough to get the full view."
Winter hummed in thought. She swiped to the next catalog. This one was about the size of the stab wound on Weiss's left lung.
"Now this wound gave us more than just a few hints. The placement, the form, and most of all, the habit."
"Habit?"
"Yes, miss Schnee. Left lung, pectoralis minor. The speed at which the weapon entered and left her body. We already established that the weapon was a sword of some kind. Long, thin blade. In this world, there are only 2 known people who have the sheer skill to inflict those wounds with a blade. Take note of the fact that your sister still had her aura active at the time. In today's age of huntsmen, only one person has the power to do that..."
The next page was a 3D model of a katana.
"These are Wilt and Blush. One of the 2 weapons of its kind. Coincidently enough... or should I say 'as expected? The only ones to wield these blades are also the only two who have the skill to inflict the exact same wounds on miss Weiss. Down to the last detail. It's like they're the same person. But in this case, the one you are looking for is..."
Winter swiped one last time and gasped.
"...Adam Taurus. The Crimson Prince." Winter whispered.
"Miss Schnee?"
"Thank you for the data. I'll make sure to ask general Ironwood to better fund your department. It does outstanding work. Goodbye uhh... miss?"
"Oh! Uhh... my name is Janice miss Schnee!"
"Thank you, Janice! I'll remember this."
And with that Winter ended the call while still glaring at the picture of her sister's assailant.
Even if her voice sounded cheerful while talking to that researcher. Her face never strayed from its stoic look.
'Crimson Prince...'
Winter gritted her teeth and balled her hands into fists. The scroll she held caved in under the pressure and was destroyed by its owner's hands. Winter let the destroyed peace of metal fall and took deep breaths to calm herself down. After a while, she looked up and cleared her eyes.
She had a goal now. More than just being Ironwood's lapdog. More than just a special operative. She is, first and foremost, a Huntsman. And by her name she swears.
'I will kill you, Crimson Prince... Let the world know that the Angel of Atlas will come for you...'
XXX
In an undisclosed location, far from human civilization. There stood a castle. Once homey and lovely, now gloomy and dark. In this castle lived a group of people, people who have lost, people who have gained. But most of all, people who have been forsaken.
Those were the type of people that she surrounded herself with.
Tyrian Callows. Once he was a student of Beacon. Before Headmaster Ozpin, before the purge. His life was of humble beginnings. A life in the village, attending Beacon Academy, becoming a huntsman. That all changed when the truth was revealed...
Arthur Watts. A genius of the highest degree. As a boy, he was often ridiculed for not having the same dream as everyone else. Becoming a Huntsman. That was what every child wished to be. But for him? Oh no, he was a dreamer. So lost in the clouds he'd miss everything that was happening around him. After all, the skies above Atlas were magnificent. He had no interest in swords and guns... He wanted to become a scientist. A scientist the likes nobody has seen since the creator of gravity-flight. All of that was lost once he came to a realization...
Hazel Rainart. A monster of a man. Large yet incredibly gentle. Life didn't leave him much of an opportunity to act like a child. His little sister, Gretchen, was his life. He cooked for her, he parented her, he admonished her every wrongdoing. Because if not him, who else? The parents who sold them at some black market? No, it had to be him. He had to protect her. But it simply wasn't enough.
Cinder Fall. Out of the four main members of her little club, Cinder was the most power-hungry. Being the only woman at the time, it was natural that she was the one who was supposed to take the Fall maiden powers.
Cinder didn't have a happy childhood. She never played with dolls or played with the animals outside. She was powerless to change anything in her life. Just stay there and dust the house they say. That was her old life. It wouldn't change until she made it change. And so she did.
And look at where that brought her.
"Excellent work Cinder. Not only were you able to defeat the previous fall maiden and steal her powers, but you were also able to use it with such efficiency. Even if it's only been a year since receiving it. Not only that, you even destroyed Beacon Academy and killed Ozpin. And not even a scratch to show for it. I must say I am deeply impressed."
Watts grumbled in the background whilst Tyrian was looking at them both, a pleased smile on his face.
"Thank you for your praise, my Queen. Although I do have disappointing news to relay." Cinder bowed, a self-satisfied look on her face.
"Oh? Do speak." Said Salem. Salem was a very pale woman. And it wasn't even the Schnee's version of pale but more grey, ethereal... demonic. This woman is the Queen of Grimm or more aptly known to Ozpin's group, the "Grimm Queen."
"I may have accomplished destroying the School and killing Ozpin..."
At this, she sent a smirk towards Watts. It didn't take his IQ of 230 to realize what that meant.
"But the relic was not there. It's as if he knew that he would lose and hid it somewhere else."
"A minor setback. You already have a target that might know where the relic is. Which begs the question. Why didn't you take Ozpins right-hand woman?" Cinder grimaced.
"The reason for that was because of one man."
"Adam Taurus I assume?" Cinder didn't question how Salem knew of it and simply nodded. "Yes, the White Fang unexpectedly betrayed me. After all that preparation to control that lowly bull."
"Mhm... It is an impressive feat to single-handedly destroy one of my strongest Grimm in one blow. But it's an expected outcome with that semblance of his."
"Moonslice? I pity him for having his Semblance named so pathetically. Nevertheless, this does not prove why he's the reason for your failure to acquire the last remaining link. Glynda is the only lead we have towards the location of the relic of choice! And you blew it because of one man? I find that highly inconceivable!" Watts chimed in. Meanwhile, Emerald and Mercury quietly glared at the man that had the audacity to speak to her like that.
"Arthur... Dear Cinder just accomplished a daunting task. I'm sure not even you would be able to oversee so many aspects to a plan. She did extremely well all things considered. This deserves praise and certainly not your animosity." Salem replied pleasantly. Seemingly unconcerned and pleased with Cinders accomplishment
Salem then glanced at Cinder and told her to continue. She smiled at her and nodded in consent.
"After I killed Ozpin, I flew back towards the relay tower for the CCTV. The Nikos girl followed and challenged me though."
"Isn't she a champion? How did that go?" Hazel wondered. His answer was a vicious smirk which made him clench his hands. Nikos was a remarkable girl. A shame she died so young...
Yes, truly a shame.
"Her death was... amusing to say the least. She was strong but she didn't deserve the power I have in my grasp. Destiny was simply cruel to her." Cinder smirked. "So she was the young girl who was supposed to take the other half of the fall maiden powers." Salem stated. Inwardly she believed that was a good choice.
Oh yes, Salem knew about her alright. Would be bad if she wasn't up-to-date with the world after all. She really could only think of a few other girls who could be a powerful maiden. Amusingly enough, one of them is named after a season.
"Eitherway, while I was busy taking care of the Nikos girl, I had the Wyvern obliterate the tower. After that, I only heard a screech and it was gone. Reduced to wilting rose petals."
"Taurus' semblance eh?" Watts remarked. Cinder nodded and continued with her report.
"After that, I saw him call for retreat. The huntsmen were coming and I took it as a sign to retreat as well. Glynda had been taking care of the Grimm in the city I assume." Salem hummed as she rested her head on her right palm.
"What do you plan to do next my Queen?" Asked the happy, perhaps too happy scorpion Faunus. Salem glanced at him and smirked.
"We~ do nothing. While the world is in the process of fixing itself. We have other matters to attend to. With Ozpin dead it could take up to a year until he revives. In the meantime, we're going to focus on espionage and sabotage. Ironwood is sure to move his forces. But we can talk about the world later. What I'm more interested in is this Faunus. Adam Taurus."
Cinder raised a delicate eyebrow. "What about him? He's just a single person." Salem gave her an all-knowing look. She smiled.
"What about him indeed..."
XXX
"Soooo... Where are we going?"
"..."
"Anywhere interesting? I've been dying to travel the world. I expected to do that once we graduate but to do it this early?! This is gonna be awesome!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Hey, how am I faring so far? Never really tried to be the silent type so that was an interesting experience."
"..."
"Oh, c'mon! I can't be the only one talking here? Can I? We're in the middle of nowhere! We're obviously lost and we're gonna have to ask for directions oh! And I still gotta restock on ammunition just in case. You know? Hey rubes! What say we go to your favorite... Store..."
At the mention of their team leader, Blake stopped their walk to face the silent Yang. She saw her eyes and immediately felt regret. Once a brilliant violet, now something dull. You could say they were grey. Blake exhaled.
"You know, you didn't have to..."
"But I did." Yang interrupted.
"Look we talked about this. And this..." Blake pointed at all of Yang. "... is obviously not healthy for you."
"I don't care. Either you take me with you, or I'll force your dumb ass back to Patch." Yang said stubbornly.
"Yang..."
"I know... I know. All this White Fang bullshit again and your misguided sense of priorities." At this Blake got incredibly quiet. "I'm not getting into this conversation again." Blake said indignantly. Yang gave her a slightly hostile look. "Of course you won't. We both know who'll be quiet in the end." Blake just "tsked" in annoyance.
"Just be happy I'm here with you. Somewhere deep within the eastern woods with no sign of civilization... We could have been in bed at my home, waiting to start the second school year but nooooo... Someone just had to play the hero, didn't they?"
"Ugh! Yang! There's a reason why I'm doing this. You could have just stayed with Ruby! You have nothing to do with this!" Blake exclaimed
"Nothing to... Nothing to do with this? Have you lost your mind? Or did that Ice cream girl cream you one too many? After everything that happened at Beacon. Roman, Neo, the White fang! They're just as much my problem now as they are yours."
"Why! The white fang has nothing to do with you! You shouldn't even have followed me!"
"We talked about this. Either I go with you, or I beat you black and blue and bring you back by force!"
"Why are you even doing this!" Blake screamed in frustration.
Yang looked at her but kept silent. To Blake, it was as if she was looking through her. Ignoring her whenever that particular question was brought up. Blake gritted her teeth in anger.
"So! Tell me! What is it that makes you do something like this! Wouldn't you have been better off, taking care of Ru.."
"DO YOU THINK I WANT TO BE HERE!"
Blake gasped at Yang's outburst. She had seen her go berserk on enemies before. She was angry at them but this was different. It feels more... personal.
"Look, my priority has always been my baby sister. Ruby is my life Blake! My life. Don't you understand? She's more important to me than anything else in this world and... and..."
"Then why are you here? And not with her?" Blake asked softly, reaching out to grab her partner's hands. Yang gave her a little smile. Accepting the friendly gesture.
"Be..because someone has to protect your flighty ass." Blake punched Yang's arm and chuckled a bit. "Be serious this time... Please?" She asked quietly. Yang stood there for a while, not saying anything. She just quietly held Blake's hand.
At some point, Blake sighed and tried to continue walking towards their destination. Keyword being 'tried'. Yang held her hands in a vice-like grip that nobody could escape from.
"I... I'll tell you some other time. For now, please tell me where we're going. I'm dying out of curiosity... If I were a cat." She grinned at her pun. It was pretty great in her humble opinion
Jokes aside, Blake could see right through her. That grin, that laugh... It's all so fake compared to back then. Before Beacon fell. But she understood that Yang needed more time and as a matter of fact, so did she.
"We're headed towards home."
"Home?"
"My home. Menagerie... the home of each and every Faunus in the world."
Now Normally I'd write up to 10k words but I believe I wrote enough for this chapter. Adding anything new will just ruin the chapter as well as extend the length of the chapter for more than intended.
Besides I was just 1.5k words short this time.
Anyway, I hope you guys liked it and I'll see you all next time.