: Ok, here we go! More Bastion more action! Here we have some interactions with some OC so here we go! Also experimenting with an OC here do feedback is appreciated! Until then this is the second to last arc of the boy's story so enjoy!

Silence, it was still as death as Jaune laid in the dank trench. Night head has fallen over the badlands giving the usually dark grey environment and deathly quiet blanket. As the four students sat around the crackling fire Jaune paused as he realigned himself against the back wall, grimacing as his hands brushed against the cold dead earth that the badlands seemed to breed.

Jaune fought back the urge to shout as he could swear the earth was trying to infect him It felt dirty and damp as he shot his hand away from the earth, it was as if the dead ground was trying to corrupt him, to get under his skin and into his veins as it tried to make him like itself. Jaune shuddered as thought of him with bleeding black dust coming from his mouth as his veins grew to a rooted black color that sprouted corrupted viscera while-

"Can't sleep?" Kage asked as he looked up from his patch of the trench. He lifted his head as the fire illuminated his bronze colored skin as he coked an eye to Jaune. "Sorry Kage, I'm just having trouble falling asleep. I'll try to do better."

Jaune admitted sheepishly as Kage sighed once before righting himself into the trench as unusually large log snapped in the fire making a sharp but dull crackling sound as he shifted up. Kage's blood red armor glistened in the firelight giving the youth and demonic appearance that was entirely at odds with his emotionless face and monotone sounding voice.

"Was that your first?" Kage asked as he finally sat up yawning loudly but not moving an extra inch as his brown eyes locked onto Jaune's blue ones.

"First what?" Jaune asked as he shifted himself against the wall of the trench grimacing as he shuffled the dead ground shift and crumble against his back. "Kill, was it your first kill? Back there in the trenches?" Kage said again as he took out one of his massive pistols and polished it absentmindedly.

"Yes. It was me… first time killing." Jaune answered as Kage nodded once as he cleaned his guns. "How was it? Taking a life I mean, most people don't take to kindly to it their first time, though there are some exceptions. Especially on our team." Kage announces as Jaune gritted his teeth as he thought of Ruby, and the turn of events that turned a sweet innocent girl turned into a literal grim reaper.

As the thoughts entered his head Jauen hated himself, he hated that his lack of attention lack of action had lead ruby down this path. He wanted to yell to shout at criticizing himself as if it was all his own fault. But another deep darker voice in his mind cast those actions to the side. It spoke to him in sultry sickening voices as it entered his thoughts.

"You blame yourself for her? But why? Surely you had no responsibility in her... Transformation if you will. You didn't make her kill those men or woman and you certainly didn't make her enjoy the killings. Why if anything it was nobody's fault! Ruby would have always been like this and all that was needed to expose her to her vicious blood thirsting self-was the right opportunity...

"It was… I don't know how to describe it, Kage." Jaune said as he forced the treacherous voice out of his head as the fire crackled and popped as Kage fixed his hard brown eyes to them.

"Try," Kage said in a tone that brokered no argument, and Jaune knew his friend wasn't asking. "It was… It felt like nothing. I got nothing for killing another human. I thought I would panic that I would start to throw up or convulse, or at worst. I would end up like… Ruby but instead... Kage Killing was easy. It didn't make me feel good; it didn't make me feel bad either, it was just like I was folding clothes." Jaune admitted as kage eyed him calmy.

"So you're not upset at killing you are angry at you lack of response to said killing?"

"It's not just that Kage, It's just, I expected more! I Wanted to throw up to spill my stomach onto the ground to yell into the night to do something! Literally, anything would be better than just acting. Doing the motions like an, they were the most mundane thing ever. I wanted to breathe to panic hell even if I did become an addict it would still be better than this! I mean I didn't feel anything when killing I mean what kind of person does that make me?"

"It makes you-

"An Oum damned sociopath! Welcome to the bloody club!" A harsh irritated shout said to form their left as the previously sleeping form of Zach stirred under the fire. As the boy got up, he leveled a piercing glare at Jaune as his black eyes eye the youth warily as he gleaned the pair of dual green pistols under his hands.

" Oum Dammit! You're bloody lucky is what you are! You know how many people would literally kill to do what you did and fell nothing? No emotions, no fear, no anger? Sweet Oum kid! Don't look a bloody gift horse in the mouth! We already have one moody bastard in the group we do not need two of them." Zach said eyeing Kage harshly who returned the glare with his usual callous unflinching stare, while his brown eyes locked onto his black ones.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you! You moody bastard you! Don't think you're strong, imposing silence trick works on me ya hear?! I know your number! I haven't been your best friend for your entire miserable life for nothing you know?!" Zach shouted at Kage who merely stared at him locking his brown eyes on his dark black ones before shrugging and looking to his guns.

"So you say," Kage said not once breaking the glare as he continued to polish his pistols under the crackling firelight.

"Oh see! There he goes again! Acting like he's so dead to the world! Like he's above petty human concerns like emotion! Look at this guy!" Zach said point an accusing finger at Kage as the fourthmemberr started to stir.

"What's going on here guys?" The dreary voice of the initiation student said as he finally got up. His brown hair reflected vividly in the crackling firelight as he rubbed his green eyes.

"Nothing kid! Go back to sleep!" Zach said as he checked his guns iron sights. "But I heard shouting and I-

"Did you hear me!? I said sleep!" Zach shouted at him as he nodded once and went back to bed. As he rolled over Zach gave a grunt of approval as his pale pearl-like skin was illuminated light.

"He's a good kid, a little green but he'll grow when we get out of the hell hole you know?" Zach said as he eyed the youth with a look that almost looked like pride.

"You mean If he survives right? Last I checked his kind don't really have much in the way of life prospects you know?" Kage asked as he put both of his hands behind his neck as he stared into the dull black sky.

"There we go again! Always with the moody business! Would it kill you not to have depression and act normal for once in your godforsaken life?!"

"Excuse me for having a mental illness," Kage said in the single driest tone humanly possible as Zach snorted loudly to him.

"Oh, here we go! It's always like this with you! It's always I'm a tough loner who also has a soft side underneath the hard cold exterior! Or the I have no emotions and you cannot comprehend me! Enough! Just because you got a mental illness doesn't mean shit! We're all fucked in the head, but you don't see any of us complaining about it, do you!? So how about you take your borderline, depressed ass and have a some damn fun for once if your godforsaken life?!"

"Zach, why are you even here? I thought you didn't want to join the Death Korps." kage asked as he polished his guns if Zach's tirade had any affect on him he did not let it show as he continued to polish his gargantuan pistols.

" You are damn right I didn't want to join! But after seeing you miserable fucks eating like kings?! I wouldn't let that opportunity just slip by you know? So Hino and I signed up first thing before this hell hole. Just our luck our first day in the Death Korps and we might die! We haven't even gotten any of the food yet!"

"Hino is here?" Kage asked with what was for him a startling display of emotions as his brown eyes widened in what looked like surprise and concern before going back to their default neutral, emotionless stare.

"Yeah, she's somewhere in this hell hole, last time I saw her she was running to the trenches. Dumb bimbo was running east though, so she's probably up shit creek at the moment. Damned broad can't even read directions right!" Zach said as he spat dismissively into the fire pit. "Woman I tell you, Kage! They think their people!" He said as Jaune snapped.

Jaune did not like Zach, he was rude rough and seemed to insult everybody he talked to. As he watched Kage's face soften into concern, Jaune felt some leaderly responsibility seep out of him as he spoke up.

"Don't worry Kage I'm sure she's fine," Jaune said as he tried to calm down whatever fears his friend might have to his friends saftey.
"You're damn right she's all right! She isn't dying till she gets some dick from this moody fuck over here!" Zach said as Jaune flinched in anger.

"Why do you keep talking about her like that?" Jaune seethed as he balled his fist against his pant legs as Kage raised a lone eyebrow at his anger.

"Like what?"
"Like she's an object or stupid?" Jaune practically seethed at Zach said as Kage put a hand on his forehead.

"Jaune don't-
"Hold up a minute Arc. I don't think I like what you're saying. Are you defending Her?"

"Yes I am, she seems to be a good person and she is your partner! Why aren't you defending her?!"

"Because she's a woman. Duh." Zach said in a lackadaisical way that made Jaune's blood boil.

Having seven protective elder sisters installed a healthy respect for woman in the young man as he stared at Zach menacingly. "What do you mean by she's a woman?" Jaune asked as Kage rubbed a hand over his face.

"Oh god." Kage sighed as he put another hand on his face as the two glared at each other, one in boiling anger the other in-plane confusion.

"I just said it. Because She is a woman. What's so hard to understand about that?"
"What does she being a woman have to do with anything?" Jaune seethed as Kage grumbled

"Here we go…"

"Jaune… Are… you defending her?"
"Yes."
"Like.. she's an actual person? And not just a woman?"

Jaune snapped. "What does that mean!? Zach are you saying that women are not people!?"

"Uh duh, they're not people Jaune their woman for Oum's sake gets you head on straight!" Zach said as he tapped a pistol to his head and Jaune lost his cool.

His partner was a woman his best friend was a woman, most of his friends were girls, and he would be damned before he let anybody bad mouth them.

"First of Woman are people-
"No, they are not. They are a woman. I you and Kage are people, we are not good people but we are people. I mean hell even the kid is a person. More or less that is. We are all men, so we are all people! Don't tell me you seriously buy into this woman are pole nonsense do you?"

"What. If. I. Do?" Jaune could barely contain his anger at the boy as Kage made a sighing motion and attempted to go back to his bed.

Zach's confused frown turned into a broad smile as he reached behind him into his resting pad.
"Here we go," Kage said as he put a gun to his chin and gripped the trigger.

"Jaune let me ask you this! Do you believe fully and completely that woman is not only a human being but is absolutely and irrevocably one hundred percent people?"

"Yes." Jaune replied as he glared at Zach as blue met black as Zach's' eyes took a menacing look as he reached behind him and brought out a large white piece of paper.

"And you are absolutely one hundred percent sure that nothing and I mean nothing I say can change your mind on that issue?"

"Absolutely. There's nothing you can do or say to me that will shake my belief that women are people and one hundred percent equal to men."

Zach grinned as he finally pulled out a large white piece of paper on some kind of black stand as he wrapped his pistols bayonets against it.

"Then let me show you my powerpoint presentation!" Zach said as he brought out a large piece of paper, "You actually brought a power point presentation on the mission?" Jaune asked dumbstruck by the pristine piece of white paper and black stands on the dirty trench wall. and started to talk.

"But of course!" Zach said as he pointed to the paper and started to talk...

"Ok, I am only going to say this once. I am still firmly and irrevocably convinced with an eighty percent certainty that woman is in fact, people." Jaune said as Zach finished his half-hour presentation. The boy smiled a manic grin as hit te pare again.

"Eighty percent you say!? Weren't you one hundred percent convinced earlier? Didn't you say and I Quote! There is nothing you can do or say to me that will convince me in any way that women are not equal to men and are in fact one hundred percent equal?" Zach asked Jaune practically swung his sword at the boy as he gave him a shit-eating grin.

"That was…" Jaune grimaced as the tall boy smiled beautifully at him. As Much as Jaune hated to admit it, the bout made some rather compelling points. He was still sure women were, in fact, human being sort of the exact same rights and treatment as men. But now…. He had other thoughts in his brain.

"That was interesting." the initiate student said as he eyed the board making Zach nod his head in tune.

"Did you pay attention, kid? If you did, you wouldn't let any of these damned whroes take your ass for a ride! Now Arc! I know you have some doubts in your head about my work! And you should! Now as glad as I am to see your slow but constant change of heart towards the truth you still need some work! So how about we take a minute and we go over my main points again, and I can fully convince you that woman are in fact not people!"

"We do not have time for this." Kage sighed as he rubbed his temple with a pistol barrel. Ever since Zach started presenting he had been rubbing his guns to his head as he sighed in irritation.

"Look Zach I know you don't like them but they are people. I think, I really could care less whether they are or are not people is irrelevant to me. All that matters is that they bleed when I shoot them and I can kill them. I could argue the rest, but we need some damned rest so enough presenting for tonight all right? You can convince them that women are not people tomorrow after we take the refinery ok?" Kage was as Zach sighed once and folded up his presentation.

"Whatever you say you moody shit. Just be glad I like you all right?" Zack asked as he folded up his stand put his pare carefully into the metallic stand and put it in his pack.

"Do you just carry that power point with you? Like all the time?" Jaune asked the boy as he smiles broadly at him showing him two rows of perfect white teeth. "Sure do! In case I ever need to enlighten somebody with incorrect opinions! Like you! Can you imagine if I just let you go around thinking woman were people? You might actually treat them with respect! Can't; have that can we?" Zach said as he turned over in his bed completely ignoring the icy glare Jaune gave him as he tucked over in his pile of dead earth. "No we can't have that can we?" Jaune thought as he closed his eyes and went to bed…

"Ok boys let's have at it!" Zach said as the assorted group of Bastion students moved through the damp, frigid trenches. As the teens shuffled along dawn had broken. Or at least it wasn't attempted to, as the sky was no longer pitch; black night hanging over their head like the inside of some type of dome. Now it was the same blank grey sky that covered the Badlands as the four boys sprinted along the trench lines.

"Attention! Attention! All Bastion students on this channel, please heed this call! We are marshaling for an offensive against the white fang refinery at the furthest third trench line. Report them as soon as possible for the attack. All found in violation of this order will be shot. Vox operators, please respond to show you have received this message!" The large black grey box on six's back shouted as he made to grab the walkie-talkie.
"Command! This is Bastion improvised squad code name 38789! We have her-

"Command! Command! Come in command! We have NOT heard your orders! Please repeat!" Zach yelled as he suddenly grabbed the receiver from the kid as he shouted into the Vox.
"Repeat improvised squad 38789! You are to report with the main Bastion student to attack the white fang, please respond to confirm you have heard this reply."

"Command! You are breaking up! We are encountering severe Vox interference! Please advise!"

"Squad you are to attack the -

"Sir orders received! We will attack the white fang at our own discretion! Squad 38789 out!"

"Negative squad 38789! Do not attack on your own! Meet up with the main assault force to charge the enemy choke point!"

"Charge enemy! Orders received!"
"Squad-

"Keep that damned thing on! Kid, I want us on their channels but tune us out! We need to hear them, but they can't hear us!" Zach ordered the initiate student as he complied instantly.

"What are you doing?" Jaune asked the student as he spat on the ground. "Savin all of our sorry arse's that's what I'm doing! I'm not just going to die charging another gun line!"
"He has a point, we can achieve our mission much better if we sneak in," Kage added as Jaune finally saw their points.

"A full-on assault would be decisive, but it would also likely lead us to our deaths. Good call." Jaune admitted as the four ran through the trenches.

After some creative interpretation of their orders thanks to the initiation student who was now dubbed as six or the kid due to his young age and the fact that he seemed to have an absurd amount of sizes in the Bastion student id. Something Jaune didn't even know they had student numbers!

As they ran the order came in through the Vox as it was called here. Which basically meant the radio that all surviving Bastion students where to muster at the middle ground for an all-out attack on the refinery front. Seein this as In Jaune's point unlikely to succeed, or Kage's plane but simple suicidal to Zach's Batshit insane The team had decided to interpret the orders as to attack the refinery as quickly and effectively as possible without charging to their deaths in the process.

As the harsh unreasonably chilled air entered his lungs Jaune grimaced as it stabbed and sliced open his lungs. He hated the badlands with a passion. As the dull doomed trench floors thudded under their footsteps, they had elected to attack the refinery form the side right when the main force was engaging the white fang from the front.

That way they had the best chance of not only surviving but actually succeeding in their objectives A harsh retort of static filled their ears as the Vox set came alive.

"All remaining Death Korps personal ready they attack charge in t-minus ten seconds!" The order to attack came as they ran the first CRACK! Of artillery fire filled the air followed the prattle of machine guns as the Bastion students initiated their attack.

"There they go." The first year said as kage eyed them.

"Our time is now, we have a rapidly closing window of opportunity if the attack fails we have to be deep inside the facility ready to detonate it. If the attack succeeds, and we are anywhere but the facility we will be executed." Kage said as they sprinted towards the building.

It was a tall cylindrical pearl colored building with dozens of pipes and intake valves running along its sides with many rapidly blinking lights flashing all about it. Their plan was simple. Using the other Bastion student's as a distraction their team would infiltrate the facility from behind if the attack failed it was a refinery of some type so detonating it or causing some other critical malfunctions shouldn't be that hard. Or if the attack succeeds they will be seen as having taken advantage of the enemy's confusion and successfully infiltrated their command center. Either way, time was of the essence.

"Down you bloody bastards!" Zach yelled as the team instantly hit the ground. As the fell flat on the cold dead earth a beam of red passed over their head as it slowly reached over the trench. "Infrared sensors! They can pick up our heat and raise the alarm so stay down and stay low!" Zach's said as the team crawled out of the trench belly first and onto the plains.

Plain was not an accurate term as Jaune grimaced once again as he was forced to crawl on the cold dead earth of the badlands. As the team crawled on the dead ground it took them an agonizing five minutes to get out of the beams sensor locater and to the refinery proper. There was a tall chain link fence that Zach's bayonets made quick work cutting thou like it was butter and they a hot knife as the ran into the facility.

"Arc on me!" Zach hissed as he and Jaune crept up behind two white fang guards. The two faunus stood still as a statue as they acted. At once Zach slit the throat ear to ear on one as Jaune drove his sword through the back of one man's neck. He gasped in pain as he severed his spine at his neck. The man gurgled pitifully as the man's knees collapsed in on himself and toppled down like some kind of a macabre origami sculpture.

"Just like folding clothes." Jaune mutter as Zach gave the all clear and Kage and Six ran inside. The facility was relatively unguarded most of the attention at the front of the base. As they ran into it the hallways where slick tiled things that made loud squeaking sounds when their dirty mud filled boots left clear footprints all over them. As they worked through the hallways Zach was constantly on his scroll mapping out corridors as he hacked into their secutity system.

As much as Jaune was loathed to admit Zach was proving a useful asset in their mission. His innate knwoledg of enemy secutiy systems and how to best counteract them was proving to be essential as the former thief guided them thorougt the facility.

"We have to be fast. If we can find the main control valve maybe we can cause a critical failure to overload the place." Kage said as they turned a corner killing two more guards with brutal close quarters fighting. The men paused dumbstruck as the two groups nearly collided. Both forz eins hcok befre the students acted first.

Zach was going down as in one smooth motion he sliced one's leg off at the heel resulting in a disturbing spray of blood, before driving a bayonet into his throat crushing his windpipe as Jaune slit a throat with his sword as they ran.

"Worry not for I have a map! I swiped it from the dead guards as the main shut off valve is here!" Zach said as the teens arrived at a blank silver door.

"Open says me," Kage said he kicked down the door ignoring all traces of tact as they ran into the room.

"Well, you're an ugly bastard you know that?" Zach Asked the easily eight foot faunus with the massive chainsaw. The man was a monster. Over eight feet tall and cover in the slab after slab of muscle. It was ridiculous it was like somebody had decided to add chunk after chunk of flesh onto him and forget when to say when. As he eyed them balefully.

"We have a breach." He said to no one, in particular, he stood alone in the room.

Instantly red warning klaxons filled the room as red light blared throughout the facility.

"We got incoming!" Zach said as he looked at his scroll

"Fifty contacts closing in from the west hallway!" Zach yelled as he eyed his scroll worriedly.
"Crap we need to think!" Jaune said as Kage put a hand on his shoulder.
"I'll deal with the men. You kill him." Kage said quietly as he calmly stepped out of the room and into the hallway.

"But Kage!-
"Leave him! Kage is a moody shit, but he's damn good in a fight! Especially in close quarters like this one! He'll be picking his teeth with the furry bastard by the time he's through! In the meantime, we got bigger fish to fry. Or dogs to beat." He said as he aimed his green pistols at the massively oversized faunus. "Your hubris will be your downfall human."
"Ah shut it you overpriced furry!"
"How rude." the man said as he took a step forward and charged.

"Let's see, it's me my two guns with eight extra mags plus the rounds in them," Kage said aloud as he calmly walked down the bland corridors of the white fang refinery he sighed internally as he counted his ods. It was him, Venke Kage, "alone versus fifty white fang members all properly trained all armed to the teeth." Kage said as the first faun tune the hallway. 'Get him!" One actually shouted as Kage sighed. Amateur hour, he thought as he checked his twin bolt pistols. Let's see fifty plus opponents, tight quarters, and around eighteen shots per mag ten mags total? They should have brought more men. Kage thought as he took one tired foot forward and the fang charged.

Well there's the ending! If you like it let me know! this is me trying to experiment so everything is brand new!