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Who Used To Be So Noble

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Few things are as tragic

As when a kind soul marches for war.

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.

They had been on the road for a while now.

Neo and Mercury took shifts driving, but it was usually Neo behind the wheel. Masa spent her time nursing Yang and Emerald's wounds. Breaks were few and in between. The rare instances they did stop to sleep, they did not sleep much.

"Something on your mind, Neo?" Mercury muttered, while gazing out the window to the passing scenery. "I know we cut it close—closer than we ever cut it. But we're still kicking."

"…"

"You haven't taken a look back at them since."

"…"

"It's not nothing. I don't know if you're afraid to see Yang like that, or whatever it is, but—"

Neo abruptly stepped on the brakes and made everyone in the car lurch forward.

"…How many of 'em?" Mercury's tone went low.

"…"

"Is Vulcan with?"

"…"

"Guess that's one less thing to worry about." Mercury stretched his arm across his chest. "You drive on ahead. I'm in the mood to break some things anyway."

Neo unbuckled her seatbelt and left the car.

"Hey! Wait!"

Mercury followed after her, running in the crunching snow. When he caught up to the petite girl, he grabbed her arm.

"What's with you?!"

"(Let go of me.)"

"You and I both know, I'm the one in the best shape to take them on. You still need to get your bandages changed by Masa."

"(I don't care. I'm going.)"

"Neo!"

"(What?!)"

"It's just you and me! Em and Yang are out of commission! It's never happened before, but you and I can't break!"

"(How funny.)"

"(You're the one that's most scared.)"

"I am! I am freaking out!" Mercury admitted loudly. "But we both can't freak out at the same time! They need at least one of us here," he glanced at the backseat.

For the first time, Neo looked at them too. More specifically, her sorrowful gaze fell on Emerald.

"(It's my fault.)"

"What? Em?"

"(I thought she might die. I thought she did die.)" Neo's shoulders trembled. "(I could have saved her.)"

"No, you couldn't."

"(Yes, I could have!)" she growled silently.

"Not with me and Masa in tow."

"(I should have!)"

"No, you didn't!" Mercury grabbed her by the collar. "If you did, all of us would be dead! You made the right call! And now, you have to make the right one again!"

"…"

He let her go, almost forgetting that the girl in front of him could easily stab him full of holes for what he just did.

Neo strode back to the Hummer and took a long, hard look at Emerald. The memory played out again of shoving Masa and Mercury through the mirror. The image of leaving Yang, who was still unaware of what was coming. But Emerald knew. She noticed Neo shifting the other two away. There was an expression there, but she couldn't quite make it out.

Was it disbelief? Was it betrayal?

When Emerald woke, if she ever woke, would she blame her? Would she learn to hate Neo like everyone else?

She hesitated, but grasped the unconscious girl's hand. Then, she went to plant a soft kiss on Yang's cheek.

Neo joined Mercury once more.

"(I feel like breaking things, too.)"

"(Masa will take care of them.)"

…

The varied mishmash of bounty hunters and mercenaries followed the trail of their quarry. Eventually, tracing the tracks to a frozen lake. There, they spied a single figure—Mercury standing in the center of its frosted surface.

At the edge, they parked their vehicles and got out. Guns pointed and weapons ready, they approached with caution. Their feet tested the surface of the lake and found it had completely frozen over. Some even chucked a few modest-sized rocks, but there was no break.

Judging it safe, they crossed, more than eager to gang up on a single target. The reward for just one of Team ENMY's heads was enough to guarantee a comfortable lifestyle.

As soon as they were close enough, Mercury snarled.

He launched himself into the air and started gathering the winds to him. In a few seconds, the moderately snowing weather turned into a full-on blizzard.

As the mercenaries readied to initiate their attack, the ground beneath them sundered. With an ear-splitting snap, countless mirrored daggers erupted and shredded them from below. A faint image of Neo reflected underneath the "ice", which was actually part glass.

Mercury swept the swarm of crystalline projectiles in his winds and redirected the torrent of shrapnel on the rest of their would-be pursuers.

.

X

.

"…Why does everything feel like it got massaged by syringes?" Emerald groaned on waking. A near-death experience taking nothing away from the annoyance in her voice.

"Dude… you exploded."

When her eyes stopped blurring, she saw Mercury grinning at her from the front seat.

"Mmm, it's starting to come back, I think," Emerald blinked slowly. "Some sort of bomb fell on us or… can't remember clearly. What the fuck was that?"

"Vulcan Black."

"No, Merc. What hit us?"

"Vulcan."

"That was a fucking person? God! Your relatives are such assholes…"

"Yeah," he answered softly.

"What? Were you worried?"

"Not really."

"Aw, it's okay sweetie. Mommy's just fine. She just needs a few extra feel-good pills."

Emerald's attention drew to the prescription bottle next to him. Mercury rolled his eyes, tossing them to her.

After swallowing more than the suggested dose, Emerald took a look around. From what she could tell, she was lying in the back of a car. An unconscious Yang slumped beside her with a curled-up Neo sleeping next. Masa seemed to be working on something outside in the snow. An endless winter wonderland stretched in every direction she could see.

"Where exactly are we?"

"I don't know," Mercury replied.

"You don't know?"

"I don't know. We kinda just drove. And then kept driving. And then we realized we forgot to look at the map."

"I take a snooze for…I don't know how long, and you yuks fall apart without me. By the way, how long was I out?"

The question was only followed by a long and tense silence. Emerald could only stare, as her partner seemed unable to answer the question.

"Merc…? How long was I out?"

"…"

"…"

"…Too long."

It was impossible not to notice the hurt that was there. Emerald could only imagine what it was like to have her and Yang out, for what may have been days or even weeks.

She reached out and messed with her partner's quaff.

"You need to find a nearby river or something to drown in, Merc. You reek like rotting hobo."

"Hate to break it to ya, Em, but that's your moldy ass."

"No, I'm pretty sure I'm the roasted barbecue smell."

Emerald felt something rustle at her armside, and saw Neo clasping her.

"Hey, Neo. Could you do me a favor and slide Merc into the nearest lake or—why are you looking at me like that?"

The petite girl revealed an expression Emerald hadn't seen before. It was a bit off-putting to be honest, and softly tugged at her heartstrings.

"There was a thing, with Neo," Mercury answered. "Before everything went kablooey, she got me and Masa out of the blast radius. But she had to leave you and Yang behind to take it. Remember that?"

"Ah, yeah. I was going to tell you idiots to scatter cause something felt off. Guess, I was too late."

"She's been feeling guilty."

"About what? Wait, Neo? For leaving Yang behind?"

"Leaving you behind. Honestly, Em. The whole 'no one gives a crap about me' skit's getting a little done."

Emerald turned to Neo, who still wore a look of apprehension.

"…You opted to save Masa, cause let's face it, the good doctor would've straight up died if she stayed. You saved Merc, who was our best fighter and mover. You played the percentages for survival. I don't hold that against you. It's what I would've done in your shoes."

"…"

Neo leaned forward and gave a little peck on Emerald's cheek.

"—You should know she did everything to help you after too," Mercury added. "Played your private nurse and surgeon."

"Ah. That explains the stitch shaped like soft serve ice cream."

"That's what that was? I thought it was poop."

"Hm." Emerald waved her hand in front of Yang's face. "Southpaw's still asleep?"

"…Yeah. She took the brunt of everything, and then some. But I know what you're thinking. She should've woken up way before you."

"Maybe, I can figure out what's going on in there." Emerald laid her hand on Yang's head. "Well, she's not braindead. There's a mind to be hallucinated somewhere in that thick skull."

Neo tugged on her arm.

"I'll tell her you said hi."

Emerald activated her Semblance and extended her reach into Yang's dreams.

A moment later, she found herself in the middle of an endless ocean seascape. No waves, but a still surface of water and cloudless sky as far as she could see. Not ten feet from her was Yang sitting cross-legged.

"Hey, Em," the girl greeted cheerfully enough.

"Yang. What's going on?"

"…I kinda…over-tapped my Aura reserves, the emergency kind that keeps your life… alive? That's why I'm in a coma."

"Oh, is that all? Merc and Neo will be glad to know they didn't have to worry," Emerald remarked sarcastically.

"Yeah… tell 'em I'm sorry when you get back?"

"Uh huh." Emerald did another three-sixty glance at their surroundings. "By the way, where the hell are we, and what are those?"

"This is where I had my Semblance Trial. And these…" Yang referred to the two small creatures scuttling around on each of her shoulders. One was a small gold bird, while the other was a long snake-like, baby dragon. "I'm not really sure what they are—but I think they might be my Semblance."

"They look…puny."

"Explains why I'm so underpowered right now."

"Hmm…" Emerald eyed them with interest. "You mentioned this before, but your Semblance takes actual form? They even talk to you?"

"Not now, but they did before. These little guys usually just chirp and—" At that moment, the baby dragon puffed some fire.

"So if that's right, does that mean there's something inside me? A Semblance I can talk to?"

Yang shrugged her shoulders.

"You're so useless, wake the hell up already. Give Merc and Neo some peace of mind. Neo said hi, by the way."

"Roger that," Yang saluted goodbye.

And Emerald opened her eyes to the waking world.

"Yang's fine," she told her two teammates. "She's waiting for her Aura to recover or some other garbage. Probably strained it too much. We need to brainstorm a way around this no Dust and no Bane thing, before the fight with the next big fish. And call Masa for me."

"Uh… kay," Mercury sort of cocked his brow, before leaving to call Masa.

The car door opened again and the doctor popped in.

"It is good to see you conscious once more, Miss Emerald, this one fakes pleasantries, since she knew you would eventually wake due to her exceptional medical skills. Were you perhaps, curious about modifying your body? This one can think of a number of improvements to be made with the proper prosthetics."

"What? No. Why? Is one of my limbs not gonna heal right?"

"…They could be better. If the previous battle was indication of anything—"

"Okay! Look. We've been through hell saving your ass, and now half of us have almost died. I think I was actually dead for a while. So you need to make yourself worth it, fast."

"Did you have something in mind?"

"Yeah," Emerald threw her a concentrated glare.

"I wanna speak with my Semblance."

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X

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Over the ocean that separated the continents of Mistral and Vale, an enormous Armada sailed its way from the east. Galleons the size of buildings daunted the skies with their massive hulls. Whales of their own seas, navigating the air and clouds.

It was the greatest force the Kingdom of Mistral had ever mustered, and likely, the greatest Remnant had ever known.

Flying alongside their flagships were the Grimm Kotengu. Always watching, never tiring. They made the perfect escorts and sentries for the fleet's largest warships.

Mistral still maintained a formidable navy, but understanding air superiority paved the way to the future, the seafaring ships were mostly allocated as supply units. As such, they were deployed far behind the aerial units in safe position.

Besides, in the battle that awaited them on Vale's shores, their airships would be the ones they needed to take the beach.

All of this combined, personified the might of the Mistral Kingdom. A strength brought to bear with the sole purpose of bringing the Kingdom of Vale to its knees…

And in time… perhaps all of Remnant.

…

In one of Mistral's Galleons, Adam walked the breadth of his ship. He inspected his forces, frequently checking with his officers.

His units were on edge. A staleness hung in the air. He wanted to dispel it. Such things as a soldier's mindset could change the tide of war in an instant.

For a moment, his thoughts went to his former mentor. What would Raven do in his position? How was the mood in her own Galleon?

Adam scowled with annoyance.

He already knew the answer. The swordmaster had a way of steeling those around her with silence alone. Her stoic composure set her allies at ease, gave others the strength to endure, anchored them to the moment.

Adam never inherited that particular skill from his teacher. He was too brash, too emotional, and at times, too reckless. Something inside him accepted he would never be the "rock" for his people, but the fact never failed to egg at him.

"—Adam?"

He turned to the voice.

"Yes, Blake?"

"You…" Blake got up from her seat, and chose to whisper in his ear than risk others overhearing. "You don't look well. Maybe you should rest in your cabin."

"I'm where I need to be—with my troops and my people."

He looked again to the soldiers lining the ship's hull. More and more grew anxious at the army's declining morale.

What can I do for them?

The question never failed to cease its whispering.

"COMMANDER TAURUS, SIR!"

Adam and Blake whipped their heads to see a young Faunus approach.

"What is your report, soldier?"

"Uh, report?"

"Yes, speak quickly!"

"No, nothing to report, sir. Apologies, I just wanted to speak with you."

"What?!"

Adam was about to scold him, but thought it would only worsen morale to publicly remand someone. So he tempered his anger, which proved more than difficult.

Once the tension faded, Adam examined the soldier more closely. He noticed something he hadn't seen for a long time in another.

The young Faunus possessed a pair of horns similar to Adam's.

"What is your name, soldier?"

"Luto. Luto Bison, sir," the young man saluted.

Adam couldn't remember the last time he met another Bull Faunus. His kind were rare and few. And the ones who lived, suffered fates worse than others of their Faunus brethren.

Because of their horns, they were treated as devils. Their appearance associated with maliciousness and violence. When the obvious truth is they were no different than anyone.

But Humans were cruel… and arrogant.

Anything they believed to be different was to be wiped off the face of Remnant. They didn't hesitate to demonize, then exorcise. And that sentiment was especially bolstered, when they hunted Adam's kind to the verge of extinction.

"Your family, Private Luto?"

"…Dead, sir. I don't know if you remember, but there was a refinery—on the northwest of Atlas?"

"—I remember that operation," Blake commented from the side.

It was one of the first missions taken on by Adam's new faction of White Fang, when they had just separated from Temujin's. They hit an illegal mining operation on the Atlas frontier. What little laws protected the Faunus, were nonexistent that far from the city.

Workers died and were buried without graves. They slaved day and night with little food or sleep.

A popular recruiting method for the particular facility was tricking fleeing Faunus into seeking refuge there. It was convenient for them to use people who mysteriously disappeared themselves. And so very much like the refineries that used to exist in Vacuo, this cruelty did not extend to Faunus kind alone.

Blake remembered the snow that covered the mass graves. Evil was something she knew existed. But that day, she was reminded what its personification was, and it wasn't the Grimm. The creatures were an afterthought, a spawn, a weakness given form. No—Evil was a simple heartbeat. It was a defining moment.

And in this moment, she couldn't find it in herself to blame Adam for what he became. What could people do against such unprovoked hate? How could people stand to make peace when so much was done to them without cause?

"—I just wanted to say, th-th-thank you for that time," Luto stammered. "And that it is an honor to fight with you! To help others that were like me and my friends!"

"I see. Is that them?" Adam asked, glancing to the other soldiers seated. Nervous smiles worn on each of them.

"Yes, sir. Some. The others were sorted on another ship because they were Human."

"Human?"

"Yes. They were with us in the facility, sir. If they had a chance, I know they'd want to thank you too."

"… Is that right?"

In a moment of deep contemplation, Adam couldn't control the next words he spoke.

"Why are you here, fighting this fight, Luto? You could have lived in Vacuo. You could have stayed in Mistral."

"I want to help others like me, sir."

"That's what you say, but something tells me different."

Luto cast his sights down.

"To be honest, sir? I'm afraid. Everything that's been happening this last year feels like a dream. My friends and I have found a real place to live. No one treats us badly. The police aren't following us around anymore. My partner and I have even talked about adopting, if we ever make it back…"

He trailed off and shifted his feet restlessly.

"I'm afraid if we don't fight, things will go back to the way they were. I'm afraid this dream will really be just a dream."

Under the stares of Adam and Blake, Luto started to feel shameful. His head hung lower and looked about to apologize.

But Adam grasped his shoulder, bracing him in his grip.

"You never have to be afraid anymore, Luto. None of us will."

"Sir?"

"I remember you. I remember all of you. And I'll see to it we find the world we deserve, permanently."

The hesitation in Luto faded, and he nodded with recognition.

Noticing now, Adam saw that the rest of the soldiers around them were listening. A fire stoked behind their eyes. And then, the young commander knew exactly what to do.

He made his way to the bridge with purposeful gait. The ones who saw him that day would remember the moment for the rest of their lives, and certainly, the few minutes that came after.

When he reached the console, he issued a command to the executive officer.

"Patch me to all Armada comms."

"Yes, commander."

After inputting a few codes, a screen appeared, mirroring Adam's own projection.

…

"—My fellow warriors.

For the first time in history, WE, as a race, are the masters of our own destinies.

How long have our lives been dictated by our oppressors?

Workers, the hunted, the slaves. Dying like leaves in the wind.

No longer!

Our lives are our own! They will always be our own!

We are free. And I am proud to fight alongside you in the liberation of the many others waiting just beyond.

The White Fang began as a symbol of our people rising against those who leashed us. We fought out of necessity, out of FEAR!

…

But I tell you this now, that is nothing but a bygone age.

Now, we fight for the future. For our children, and our people who come after!"

Adam took a deep breath…

His hands went to his face to remove his mask.

He looked directly into the camera with burning, yellow eyes—and crushed the Grimm mask in his hand.

"The Age of the White Fang is over.

Our people are no longer wanderers, or victims of tragedy!

We don't have to be afraid anymore. We don't have to hide who or what we are ANYMORE—"

White Fang soldiers across every ship of the Armada took off the masks they'd worn so long. Masks they probably never understood the weight of until they vowed never to wear them again. They continued to watch their ship's monitors with expectation. Hanging on Adam's every word and motion.

"We…"

Adam paused to scan the crew members on his bridge. A few of which were Human.

"We have a place and a future we are shaping for ourselves. Even like-minded allies who understand and champion the same cause we do.

A new name, a true home!

And that name is MISTRAL!"

…

"Cheeky brat," Raven muttered from the bridge of her ship.

Her crew, and especially the White Fang members of her ship were in the midst of uproarious cheer. She wondered how much of that was planned and how much was spur of the moment. Regardless, the woman had to remove her helmet like the rest.

Many finally took notice that their illustrious commander was indeed Human. And though they would never hesitate to follow her into battle, with one fell swoop, Adam had ousted her from Faunus leader candidacy.

…

Blake found Adam crouched in his cabin. His arms resting on his knees. The young man's legs were still trembling uncontrollably.

She went to him and smiled.

"Those were the words of a true leader."

The girl bent down and held his hands.

"That was the Adam I once knew… The Adam I knew you could be again. A good man with a good heart, who truly desires what is best for his people."

"…And the man you love?"

Blake's smile wavered briefly. She closed her eyes and opened them slowly.

"Once," she answered.

"But no longer."

She shook her head.

"No longer," Blake affirmed. "That will never change how much I cherish you. You're one of the most important people in my life, Adam. And I will do everything to bring the good out of you."

"And if there's nothing left of the good man to bring out?"

"Don't be so dramatic. We all just saw him."

"…"

"And it doesn't have to be me. It can be Luto back there. It can be the next Faunus, or even a Human who brings out what makes you so noble. That's also something I've always admired."

"What?"

"The way others can inspire you to do the right thing. And in return, you inspire the same in others. Temujin united the people of Vacuo under the common banner of survival. Raven instills a resolve in those around her. But you, Adam? You move people. You give them a choice, and you help them choose the right one. You can, at least."

Blake gave him one last pat on the arm before leaving his room.

…

…

"…Thank you, Blake."