Chapter 40 — Opposition
"When a devil falls in love,
It's the most hauntingly beautiful thing ever
And you should be terrified,
For he will go to the depths of hell for her"
— Unknown
"Adam…"
The male in question glanced with distaste at the one he once considered to be his leader. But, right now, the man in front of him only evoked hatred and disdain. Where Adam had once considered Spike Desde to be the perfect leader for the White Fang, he now only saw a pathetic being that oh so desperately craved the respect of its fellow humans. Where Spike had once appeared big and intimidating, he now was only a meek figure who depended on others to do the fighting and blood shedding for him.
This was the kind of man that stooped as low as to torture and shackle an innocent girl, simply to fulfil his own delusions of grandeur. A man he no longer felt respect for.
Spike Desde was a pathetic being. Faunus or not.
And, suddenly, Adam recognized how foolish he had been, to follow a man such as him into battle. And he regretted and mourned the many Faunus that had sacrificed their lives for Desde's deluded plans of world domination.
It was as if a fog had been lifted from his mind as Adam realized all of this. And just like that, he was free. Free from the White Fang, and free from its belief that Faunus were superior and humans inferior. For he knew that not to be the case.
Sheathing Wilt, the red-haired Faunus stood to his full height, dwarfing Spike only by a few inches — but, for him, it felt as though he were a giant and Desde nothing more than an insignificant insect.
"What is the meaning of this?" Spike demanded, his green eyes ablaze with irritation at the interference. The human woman beside him sported an ugly sneer, disgruntled that her attack had been so easily blocked.
"I think you know what this is about, Desde."
The casual address only made the other Faunus turn redder than he already was, veins popping out along his neck and temples. It seemed Desde had never once considered the possibility of one of his own underlings defecting. This was a rude awakening for him, as well as the rest of the Faunus. In the back, several members were murmuring, some craning their necks and standing on tip toes in order to see better.
"It would appear you intend to get in our way. Though I do not think you so foolish as to stand against us, I still order you to stand down. You should know your place," Spike seethed out between clenched teeth, hands fisted at his side.
A beat of silence covered the assembled crowds, both Faunus and Humans waiting for his answer. Instead, Adam simply glanced over his shoulder, masked eyes catching the turquoise ones of Serena. Though she still looked exhausted and was barely able to keep herself on her feet, the look in her eyes was unmistakable. It only strengthened his resolve that this was the right decision.
Turning back to face Spike and the White Fang, Adam answered clearly, "This is my place. I am exactly were I should be."
While the White Fang broke out into angry shouts and slurs, the students and teachers of Beacon behind him threw each other uncertain glances. Confusion was especially high amongst team RWBY. Blake was almost unable to process the fact that Adam — her old partner, the one person who had been so loyal to the White Fang — was now turning against exactly that organization. But the reason puzzled her even more: he did it for a human.
He protected a human and was willing to fight the entirety of the White Fang. For this one girl in front of them all. She seriously needed to have a talk with Ruby about this friend of hers.
"I forbid it! You answer to me! You obey me! Now get back in line or, I swear by the Maidens, yours will be the first head to roll!" Spike raged, spittle flying from his mouth as he yelled at the unmoving Faunus.
"You overestimate your power, Spike. I don't take orders from someone as low as you anymore."
The taunt nearly made Spike explode, but, before he could do so and attack, the sound of heels clicking against the ground echoed around the courtyard. It was with surprise and confusion that fellow Faunus watched as Raven exited the mob of White Fang members, only to join Adam.
"Neither do I," she proclaimed.
"Raven! You dare defy me?!"
"Don't flatter yourself. I never was loyal to you or your organization. I joined in order to protect someone, not because I wished to follow you. It just appears that I needed a little push in order to leave this twisted thing of an organization. I hereby resign from you and your cult."
"As do I."
And, without hesitating for even a moment, both Adam and Raven took off their Grimm masks — the one thing that still connected them to the White Fang — and threw them to the ground, where they skidded to a halt in front of Spike's feet. The White Fang was stunned. A member revealing their face… Now, there was no turning back.
Yang was nearly having a heart attack as she recognized the woman. The one who had appeared in the train that time she had battled that two-colored shrimp. Raven. Her sister, whom she had thought dead, was standing right in front of her. Her mind was filled with questions, but, right now was not the time to lose it. The opposing side was growing more and more agitated. No doubt they would attack very soon. And, now that two members had committed treason, there was no telling just how brutal the coming battle would be.
"Face it, Spike; it's over. You might outnumber us, but you won't win. This delusion of yours is madness. Eradicating and enslaving the humans won't change anything — it will only create new hatred and lead to another war. The Faunus are tired of fighting. I really believed we were making a difference, but all we did was murder and sabotage. We did nothing except stir up even more hatred and prejudices against the Faunus. If we truly want to change things, then we need to do it with the humans," Adam spoke, stunning both sides with his unexpected words.
"Collaborating with the humans? You are the deluded one if you truly think that will change anything. No! Change must be forced!" Spike argued, head turning red once again.
"You had the Grimm Tamer in your hands for weeks, and yet you learned nothing," Adam barked out harshly, gripping the attention of a few White Fang members. "How do you think she succeeded in taming the Grimm? It was not by fighting and killing them, but by being open and trusting. She understood better than anyone what it was to be alone, and she extended a hand to those creatures we thought to be demons!"
Taking a deep breath, he calmed down enough to finish. "Look how it turned out. She is the most powerful among us, and yet, she never once used brute force against any of them. She did not even kill those of you who attacked and dragged her away! She is the proof that it is possible. If a human can live with the Grimm as though they were her pets, then surely Humans and Faunus can do the same."
Adam's words seemed to have reached some. Several members were glancing unsurely at their leader, as well as the girl behind both the red-haired Faunus and Raven. Others were discussing in hushed voices. Beacon's crowd was silent; Adam assumed they were waiting to see who would be making the first move.
After a moment of silence, Spike threw his head back and let loose a sound so maniacal, Adam felt Serena cower away behind him. He wanted to tell her that it was okay, that she was safe. But, right now, he could not take his eyes off Desde. The man had finally snapped. And the fight was about to begin.
"FOOLS! All of you! Nothing will change unless you force it! And that is what we have come here to do. White Fang, ATTACK!" the leader of the White Fang commanded with a motion of his hand.
And so, the White Fang attacked.
The battle had started.
EDITED 11/04/2020
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of its characters. All I do own are my OC and the idea and plot of the non-canon parts of the story.
Not the best chapter I've written, but I tried my best. I feel Adam is a little OOC, with being the one giving inspiring speeches etc., but this is probably the only chapter where he will be like this (at least I hope so…).
Anyway, I hope you're all well and not going crazy with this whole Coronavirus business. I hope this update at least helped a little in curing boredom, and I look forward to any reviews you might write.
Stay healthy and safe! And until the next chapter! ❤️😁