WARNING - I'm going to be making use of that M rating I set in this chapter for blood and gore with a slight mention of rape (Nothing happens, don't worry).
I'm back after everyone and sorry for the wait. But like I said last chapter, I went back and revised chapter one through fifteen. If you want to go back and reread then feel free. I didn't change any plot points I made, just fixed grammar and the issue with Davian's bow. As for the wait, add the revising, writing chapter sixteen, and having down for awhile all up, then we get a delay. So again, I'm sorry. Anyway, let's get going with an extra long chapter…
Falling several hundred feet can be a harrowing experience. That's if you're thinking clearly, and right now I'm definitely not. Right now I have one thing on my mind, one objective. And by Oum I wasn't going to let anything get in my way. After falling for several seconds, the darkness gave way to a dull light that allowed me to see what looked like a road only twenty feet away. Quickly curling into a ball, I teleported parallel to the concrete and rolled for several fee-"
"SHIT!" I yelled as my momentum carried me off what I now realized was a roof and not a road. I tried to turn around in midair again, but this time I wasn't fast enough and slammed into the side of a building that had partially collapsed. Rolling down it, I landed in a heap on top of a mound of debris and felt my weakened ribs groan from the fall as I came to a stop. I tried to take a deep breath but due to the pain in my chest I was only able to take short, shallow breaths. As the pain subsides slightly, I got to my feet shakily and took stock of my surroundings. All around me stood, and heavy emphasis on the stood, dozens upon dozens of multi-story buildings, enough to house several thousand people. And everyone of them was dark, destroyed, and empty.
As I was stood there, I suddenly began hearing the sounds of machinery and shouting. Pumping some aura into my chest to further ease the pain, I disappeared in a puff of mist and quickly made my way towards the sounds. After a few minutes, I drew nearer to the source of whatever was making the noises. Jumping across a gap between two buildings, I landed in a roll before crawling to the far edge of the roof. The sight that greeted me made curse under my breath.
A small army of White Fang soldiers rushed about loading and unloading crates from train-cars, several groups doing drills under an instructor, and a few select groups were tinkering with something I couldn't see from where I was hiding. Deciding to get a closer look, I backtracked and dropped down the gap I had jumped. Peering around the corner, I saw everyone busy with whatever their task was while the guards kept watch on the perimeter but not inside the camp. Right before I was going to make a dash for the nearest tent, a squad of soldiers ran past my hiding spot, heading for the main entrance to the camp.
As the group passed, two stragglers followed behind them talking to themselves. The first was a Fang member wearing glasses on the outside of his mask. He was talking to the faunus on his right who was a brute of a man, "What's going on lieutenant?"
The big man shrugged, "Something about a patrol finding two people out in the city."
I turned my full attention to the two as they stopped to talk not far from where was hiding. The smaller faunus raised a brow, "All this excitement for two people?"
The lieutenant chuckled darkly, "It wasn't a lost exploring couple or two civilians that was found Perry. Two Huntresses apparently fell through one of the old holes that was plugged to keep the Grimm in. And where there's two, there's more just hiding in the shadows."
The now named Perry scratched his head, "If that's the case then I can understand the cause for alarm." I didn't stay to listen any longer. They couldn't be talking about anyone other than Ruby and Yang. If I could intercept the patrol before they reached the camp, then I could grab the girls and run. Scaling the building again, I silently teleported from roof to roof, quickly making my way to the front of the camp.
Before I even got within sight of the entrance, I heard the cheering of dozens of White Fang members. I quickened my pace to as fast as my body allowed and beyond. Arriving at the building overlooking the cheering crowd, I fell to my knees and breathed so hard it felt like was blowing out lung tissue. Looking up, I felt fear grip my heart as I watched the patrol march through the front gate leading a terrified, blindfolded and gagged Ruby in front while the biggest of the patrol had an unconscious Yang slung over his shoulder like a conquering barbarian.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" The crowd went silent when someone shouted above all the cheering (An impressive feat). I looked to my lower right and saw Torchwick quickly walking at the crowd looking none too pleased with the gathered faunus, "Well, is someone going to answer?"
Perry rubbed the back of his head, "The uh, southern patrol found two little girls."
Torchwick shook his cigar a bit to get the ash off, "Does one of them have an unhealthy obsession for red?"
Perry nervously glanced behind him at a the two captives, "Uuuuuuum, is that a bad thing?"
Torchwick puffed out some smoke as he pushed past Perry to get a better look at Ruby and Yang. He looked Ruby over before walking over to lift Yang's head to get a better look at her, "Definitely bad." He spun around and quickly walked back towards the train cars yelling over his shoulder, "Throw them in a cell until we get underway and be sure to keep an eye on those two," he suddenly stopped walking and turned to look up at me smirking, "oh and how about you take care of their little friend on the roof, I hear he's a deserter."
Every Faunus in the area shot their gaze up to where I was and hiding and due to their superior sight, saw me very quickly. Any with ranged weapons immediately raised their guns to fire. I shot to my feet and front-flipped off the roof right as hundreds of dust rounds tore it apart. Using may aura to cushion my landing, I looked up to see a kicking Ruby being dragged next to the still unconscious Yang towards a building across the plaza while the entire crowd charged me with rifles, swords, knives, bludgeons, and many other types of weapons. I pulled my sheath off my back to use it as a quarterstaff and prepared for the impending clash.
The first guy swung a short-sword vertically at me, but I spun to the side and cracked my staff on his face while blocking a ax with the other end. Not wanting to lose momentum, I followed through with the spin and hit two more in the face. They fell to the ground, clutching broken noses and tripped several other faunus. Hearing the sound of a gun cocking, I teleported a few feet backwards right as the guy hold a SMG behind me opened fire right into the group in front of him. Twirling the staff in my hands, I smashing it against the back of the SMG wielding Faunus while simultaneously cracking it against two more that were trying to sneak up on me while I had my back turned. I began to spin around again to face whoever was next, but felt my chest and shoulder explode in pain. I fell to the ground holding my now cracked ribs and bleeding left shoulder where a bullet had sneaked through the break between my shoulder and arm guard. I gritted my teeth and looked up to see some Fang member wearing a cocky grin about to cave my head in with a sledge hammer.
He raised it above his head and began to swing down, "Don't kill him yet!" But the command of someone made him stop the hammer an inch above my head. Some faunus stepped out from the crowd and got down on one knee next to me, "You've caused quite the stir in the Fang with your desertion Mr. Kadar." The crowd started murmuring to each other, just know realizing who they were attacking, "You're lucky I got here when I did or you'd be dead." I stayed silent, pushing down whatever comment was making its way out of my mouth. The guy in front of me just shook his head amused as he pushed my mask and hood off me, "Alright listen here. We're going to cuff you and throw you in with your little buddies in the cells. Now, how easy you let us do it will dictate whether you get medical treatment or if we leave this bullet, " he pushes his finger against the wound a bit causing me to hiss in pain, "in and let it get infected."
I spit in his face and snarled, "I've already tried the whole captive thing, not a fan."
"Well," he sighed as he wiped the spit off his face and fixed his shirt, allowing me to see his badge that signified him as a Tracker, a member of the White Fang's feared search and destroy cell, "I'm afraid you don't have much choice in the matter. You see, the good doctor has been very clear with his message of wanting you alive. He's been mighty curious to see how his favorite test subject has been faring." My eyes widened in fear. I tried to quickly stand up but only received a kick to the ribs which knocked me back to the ground. The tracker grinned maliciously as I coughed up some blood due to a punctured lung, "I'd stay down if I were you. While the doctor said he wanted you alive, you know from first hand experience that he can just heal whatever wounds you show up with." I gritted my teeth but otherwise remained silent, cursing the White Fang's head researcher to the nine levels of hell.
The Tracker placed his boot on my already throbbing chest and leaned in over me to whisper, "You better hope the doc only wants you kid. Who knows what he'll do to your little friends." He stepped off my chest and allowed me to breath properly and addressed two guards behind him, "Throw him in the cell next to his filthy human friends." He started to turn away but stopped himself as he pulled two things out of his pack, "Oh and be sure to put this collar on him and inject him with this. It'll keep him…controlled." He passed an aura suppressing collar and syringe to the guard, "His little semblance would allow him to escape otherwise." He then turned back to me, "Don't try to escape. I'll be forced to track down your pretty little teammates and toss them in lockup back at base. And some of those guards have been out there a very long time and you don't what something happening to them do you?" I snarled as I tried to beat the crap out of the guy for even considering something like that but only received a knee to the stomach. He, and several others, just laughed as he walked away leaving the two guards to handle me.
The first guard yanked my sword, bow, and armor off me, leaving me in the dark underlayer as the other roughly yanked me to my feet. They shoved the collar around my neck and injected the syringe into my neck before we began the march to the cell. I tried to stay stoic, but as I looked up I started having flashbacks. Just like when I was led to the stage for the first time all those years ago, the Fang lined the path I was to take. Each hurling insults, small stones, and whatever food came to hand. Someone threw a stone the size of my fist at my shin, causing me to fall on my chest, further damaging it. I received a kick to the face from someone before being hauled to my feet again. I glanced up at the building that housed the prison cell and caught sight of two set of wide eyes staring at me from a barred window. One set was silver while the other was lilac, but both were full of tears as they witnessed cruelty I faced day in and day out for nearly four years. I bowed my head in shame, not wanting Yang or Ruby to see me like this, but I had no choice as I was shoved through the door of the building then into a cell not far from it.
I landed on my stomach and cried out in pain as I felt two ribs completely break. The guards slammed the cell door shut and stood guard outside. I tried to get to my knees but was unable to due to the grating of bone on bone in my chest. I sharply rolled myself onto my back to breath easier. I made it, but that caused pain to shoot through my body yet again, something I'm sure I'm going to become very familiar with in the next several hours.
As I closed my eyes, I suddenly became aware of what else was in the room with me, "-avian! Davian please answer me!"
I weakly rolled my head to the side to find Ruby and Yang pressed against the cell adjacent to mine with tears constantly streaming down their faces several feet away. I numbly nodded my head, "Yeah, I hear you." I spit some blood out of my mouth, "Are you two hurt?"
Yang banged her fist against the bars separating us, "To hell with that! How hurt are you?!"
I shook my head as I slowly crawled towards them, using my legs as much as I could, "Doesn't matter, I've dealt with it before. Did they hurt you?"
Ruby shook her head, "You're hurt worst than us Davian, just stay still!"
I ignored her plea as I continued to slowly inch my way towards them, "And I asked if they hurt you."
Realizing I wasn't going to stop, Ruby wiped her eyes and sniffled, "Nothing that won't hamper movement to much."
I nodded my head as I came to rest by them, "Good, good." I breathed out laboriously, "I'll figure something out, don't worry."
Yang shook her head as she tried her best to wipe the blood off my face with what was left of her scarf, "Safe your energy, let Ruby and I worry about that."
"I'm not going to just lay he-" my sentence was interrupted by a fit of coughing that racked my aching body with a piercing pain from my broken ribs.
Yang held me down so I wouldn't sit up and damage my chest any more than it already was, "Davian please, just lay still. I don't want you getting hurt any more than you already are. You're having trouble moving, hell you're having trouble just breathing!" Yang started babbling as she tried, and failed, to keep calm.
I bit back a pained groan that was trying to escape as I started sitting up. Yang and Ruby tried to keep me down, but I pushed on and eventually got to me knees in front of them. I reached up and wiped the tears off their faces, "I'll find us a way out of here, okay. I'm not going to let them touch you."
They both stared at me for a few seconds before nodding their heads. I pulled myself to my feet using the bars as support and began looking around while I started pumping the smallest amounts of aura throughout my chest. During my time as a prisoner, I found that while the collars stopped any large transfer of aura throughout the body, it couldn't stop everything and you were able to slip the smallest amounts through. So if I did that constantly for the next two or three hours, I should be able to at least heal the broken ribs to something just above broken, still cracked, but not broken. The bullet wound was another matter altogether. The bullet hadn't passed through completely due to its small caliber. So while that meant I wasn't losing blood at a quick pace, it also meant that I couldn't close the wound because I'd seal the bullet inside my shoulder. Taking Yang's scarf that she had pressed up against the hole, I tied it tightly around my shoulder to stem the bleeding the best I could. Other than that, I couldn't do anything else for it so I focus on healing my ribs.
Over the following couple hours, I slowly but surely healed the bones in my chest while I went over the cell inch by inch. The window was a no go. Not even counting the fact that I wouldn't be able to break the bars, it was in plain view of the entire plaza and every Faunus in it. I instead focused on the room I was in. Looking for fractures in the concrete that might suggest a weak point, or a extremely rusty part of the bars that I could snap with enough force. But it all was to no avail. While the entire city might be a crumbling ruin, the Fang fixed up any building they were using so well that the cell might as well of been brand new.
I sighed in frustration, my ribs now healed enough for me to breath without extreme pain. Having only one option left, I glanced over to find Yang holding Ruby in her arms protectively while they both slept. I closed my eyes and focused. Feeling the-PAIN! That's the only thing I could think of at the moment. PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN! I collapsed to the ground screaming as I clutching my chest as it felt like my veins suddenly flooded with fire. Yang and Ruby shot awake as I rolled on the ground.
Ruby sat there covering her mouth and wide eyed as she helplessly watched me convulse in agony on the cell floor. Yang was a bit more vocal, "DAVIAN! DAVIAN WHAT'S WRONG?!" She tried reaching for me, but I was lying to far away. The only thing I could comprehend at the moment was someone yelling in the background, but sounded too far for me to make out the words. Next thing I knew, I was lifted into the air and carried out of the cell, the voice getting more and more distant but increasingly pleading before disappearing altogether.
Through my pain fogged mind I felt myself being set down before something pierced the skin of my neck. Not even a second afterwards, the fire in my veins were overpowered by a flood of ice. But even though the pain had quickly subsided, I couldn't really think straight at the moment. As I lay there staring at the ceiling, I felt someone pat my shoulder, "That should at least help a bit kid. I was told to give you that if you started a-scream'en and shaking violently." Thoughts started making their way through my brain again as I slowly turned my head to look at my captor. When I saw him, a chuckle somehow escaped my chest as I saw the wolf ears resting on the head of the man standing in front of me. He raised an eyebrow at that, but kept quiet otherwise. After another minute or so, he started talking again, "Don't know what they injected ya with before coming in here, but it sure stopped whatever you were trying to do." I remained silent, still drained from my episode. Undeterred by my silence, he walked over to the other side of the room and set some things down on the table next to…a corpse with short gray hair? Not even acting like anything was wrong he continued talking, "Must of been something right awful to cause that much pain but what do I know?" The man gave the body a once over before writing something down a piece of paper. Silently walking over to me and laying it next to my head, he walked back over to the body and picked it up, "Well, I better get you back to your cell. We'll be move'n out in an hour and a half so you better be ready when we do."
With that he opened the door and walked out with the corpse, leaving the door ever-so slightly ajar and me alone on the table. Getting over the shock of the situation quickly, I started moving each muscle in my body to find how much I could move. Surprisingly I felt no pain. Whatever he injected me with must of been a huge pain reliever. So now that feeling had returned to my body. I silently picked up the paper the man left by me. It read, Stay quiet, listening devices in room - Locker combo is 07-09-17 - In it is your weapons and armor along with your friends stuff - As quiet as possible, grab the gear, inject yourself with one of the stimulants in the locker - When clock strikes 7:00, the cameras in the building will set on a loop for five minutes - Grab your friends and leave through back door - Your other friends are going to attack not long after - Good Luck
- A Fellow Hunter
Folding the paper silently, I got to my feet and made my way to the locker. I input the code (Thank Oum it was a silent key-pad) and opened it. Sure enough, inside was all our gear in piles along with three syringes. I grabbed one and injected it into my thigh, almost immediately feeling energy course through my body. Glancing at the table I found two keys, one electronic and the other normal. Reaching up to my neck, I probe the collar until I feel a square slot that matched the size of the electronic key. Nodding my head, I put everything into a bag that was in a locker along with the note before glancing up at the clock which showed 6:59. Padding quietly over to the door, I slipped out once the clock struck seven and quickly jumped beneath the camera fulling expecting some alarm to go off. But none did. However this Hunter was, he was an expert at infiltration.
Now that I was away from the listening devices, I slipped the electronic key out of my pocket and inserted it into the collar. With a quiet beep, the light on the side went from green to red and it unclipped. Slipping the collar into the bag, I quickly but quietly made my way back to the cells. As I drew near, I heard the sound of sobbing. Quickening my pace, I peeked around the corner to find Ruby hiding her face in Yang's shoulder while they both wept. I looked into my cell and found the body the Hunter had carried out lying in the center of it with its back towards the girls so they wouldn't see the face. I quickly glance out the front doors window the find the guards gone but everyone else in the plaza didn't seem to notice. Setting the bag down and taking out the syringes, I walk up to the girl's cell and unlock to door with the other key.
At the sound of the door opening the girls turned their heads to look and their eyes widened in shock and confusion when they saw it was me. Before either of them could cry out, I pulled them into a hug and whispered into their ears, "I'm here, I'm here. We don't have much time. Inject these and follow me as quietly as you can. Okay?" Both of them nodded their heads. Once the stims were doing their job, we all stood up and headed back towards the hallway. I grabbed the bag and as we walked I passed the girls back their weapons, ammo, the necklace I had gotten Yang, and Ruby's cloak. Both girls smiled as they received those last two back but remained quiet as we reached the back door. Silently, I cracked it open to find an empty alleyway blocked off by crates from both sides. Pulling the girls out, I closed the door right as 7:05 rolled around and the cameras came back online.
Not ten seconds after, I heard the sound of yelling coming from the plaza. I teleported up to the roof to get a better view while the girls took the ladder. I crawled to the edge of the roof and looked down over the plaza to see several armed guards about the breath the door. Or at least they would have if it wasn't for the giant explosion that rocked the entire cavern a couple hundred yards away. Completely forgetting about us, every guard in the area charged back to the wall to repel whoever was attacking them. Yang crawled up next to me along with Ruby, "What's going on?"
I smirked as I nodded at the green blur that was knocking out Faunus left and right by the entrance, "The Fang just learning how dangerous a coffee addicted Huntsman can be." We watched as Oobleck, Blake, and Weiss tore through any Fang member in their way. Not long after the initial attack, the entire White Fang force in the plaza fell back, giving us time to regroup.
I grabbed Yang and Ruby's and teleported down to the ground. The rest of our team turned around with their weapons as the ready but lowered them and rushed over when they saw it was us. Weiss and Blake imminently began looking their partners over for any injures while Oobleck walked up next to me, "Mr. Kadar, how badly are you injured?"
I waved my left hand around the camp, "That's unimportant right now, the Fang are going to leave very soon due to our arrived. I running off a pain reliever and stim, but I'll be fine for the next two or three hours."
Blake pointed at the orange scarf that was being dyed crimson tied around my shoulder, "It won't matter how many stims you use. Losing to much blood will make you fall unconscious."
I held out my hand, "Them pass me some gauze and the disinfectant spray and I'll properly wrap it so we can get moving."
Weiss huffed as Oobleck pulled the items out of his pack before running off to scout ahead, "Why not just use your aura to heal it?"
I shook my head as I untied the scarf and sprayed the wound which stung quite a bit, "Can't, the bullet is still inside."
Blake winced, "That's going to get a lot worse before it gets better."
I shrugged as Yang tied the gauze in a knot, "We'll deal with that when it comes, but I should be fine as long as no one fucks with my shoulder anymo-" I was interrupted by the sound of gunfire and yells coming from the direction Oobleck disappeared. The girls readied their weapons while I pulled the dagger out of the bottom of the sheath and held it backwards in my left hand so to not agitate my right shoulder.
Sprinting in the direction of the noise, we turned the corner in time to see Oobleck finish knocking out a squad of White Fang that had been falling back. He collapsed his weapon back down to his thermos and took a swig of what had to be the weirdest coffee ever, "Ah, glad you five decided to join me. The White Fang seems to be falling back to the old tunnels, we must hurry if we are to catch them."
With that he zipped off in the direction of shouting without even waiting for an answer from us. We all just shook our heads and took off sprinting after the caffeinated Huntsman. We arrived right in time for us to hear Torchwick over the intercom, "Get to your places, we are leaving now!"
All the White Fang in front of us stopped to look at each other for a second before turning around and sprinting to the train. Oobleck rested his thermos against his shoulder as he scratched his head, "Where are they going? Those tunnels only lead to a dead end."
Yang threw her hand in the train's direction, "Well wherever they're going they all just turned tail and ran away from us." She then chuckled to herself, "Ha, turned tail."
I shook my head as I ran after the Fang, "You can make all the puns you want after we finish this, but in case you didn't notice they're leaving!"
Realizing the train was starting to crawl forward, the others quickly ran after me as I jumped on the side of the caboose. The others hastily followed my example and climbed up after me. When we all were here Weiss and I began working on opening the top hatch to let us drop in. While we were doing that, Oobleck began giving us orders, "All right children we must get to the front and stop this train!"
Right at that moment, I forced the hatch open which revealed something that made my eyes widen. Weiss just looked confused and turned to ask Oobleck, "Um, professor?"
He leaned in very close to show his annoyance, "Doctor."
Weiss ignored that and pointed down into the hatch, "What's that?"
Oobleck looked into the hatch and calmly kneeled down, "That my dear…appears to be a bomb."
The girls jumped back in fear but after inspecting the device a bit I let out a relieved breath, "It's inactive, thank Oum."
Ruby sighed in relief as well but then looked up and pointed straight ahead with wide eyes, "We've got baddies!"
Oobleck stood up and dusted off his knees, "Well I didn't expect them to go eas-" *VVVVRRRRRMMMM* All our heads shot back down to see the once inactive device now all lit up. The professor's shoulders sagged, "Easy on us." He stood up and took a sip from his thermos, "Time to go!" Once we all had jumped across to the next cart, Oobleck stopped Blake, "Blake, detach the caboose, it'll kill us all!" (In a far off universe, a young man in blue armor sitting inside of a tank just shot his…leader I guess would be what you'd call him)
Blake nodded her head, "On it!" As she jumped down between the carts, I pulled my bow off my back and notched a yellow dust tipped arrow and took aim at a group of White Fang charging us. Right as I was about to release, a giant explosion rocked the tunnel, effectively throwing my shot completely wide.
I quickly turned around to see a cloud of dust and dirt engulfing the tunnel behind us. Oobleck stood stock still as he watched the Grimm charge after us, "Oh that's not good."
"Uh, neither is this!" Ruby yelled out from the hatch on our cart.
Blake run up to look inside, "Another bomb!"
Oobleck glanced behind him one last time before something clicked in his brain. He ran past us muttering no over and over again as he forced open the next carts hatch. He turned back to us and yelled, "THEY ALL HAVE BOMBS!"
As he said that, their was a groan of metal as the cart we were on began to detach itself. Right as the girls and I jumped from our cart to the next, we all watched as the cart exploded. Yang stomped her foot in frustration, "This doesn't make sense!"
Any other comments were cut short as a bullet whizzed past Yang's head. I immediately pushed the girls behind the hatch of the cart and felt several more rounds strike the other side of our cover. Oobleck extended his thermos again as he turned to us, "Like I said before children, we need to get to the front of this train. Only now we're on a timer. Stay together, keep your heads level and we'll get through this with no pro-"
"Kadar, I gave you a warning of what might happen if you resist!" I peeked around the hatch and growled at the smug bastard sitting several cars down from us. The Tracker was leaning against an open hatch with his arms crossed, "I'll catch you again, I don't let my prey escape."
I gritted my teeth, "Told you already, I've done the whole captive thing and I'm not letting someone else drag me, or anyone else back to that place!"
Even over the howling wind I could hear the tracker break out into laughter, "AHAHAHAH YO-YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT BEING SOMEONE ELSE!?" He wiped his eyes before smirking at me, "How do you think I tracked you down so easily? I found you after all those years your traitorous parents sent you away." He then sighed, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to make good on that promise. Hope your team doesn't mind some company while they're under lock and key." Due to the wind, only those with faunus hearing could hear what he said. So while Oobleck, Ruby, Yang, and Weiss cocked their heads to the side in confusion, Blake looked at me horrified.
I just sat there staring. Staring at the man who took me away from my second family. The man who almost killed Yang then held a knife to her throat. THE MAN WHO THREW ME AT THE FEET OF MY TORTURER SMIRKING! Something in my mind flipped. I wasn't Davian Kadar, the kind forgiving man anymore. I was the monster the Fang created, and for once, I welcomed it. Growling not unlike the wolf whose blood ran through my veins, I pulled the dagger out of its sheath with my left hand. The growling reverberating from my chest drew my team's attention to me as I stood up. But before any of them could stop me I jumped over the hatch and charged the man that not only haunted my dreams for years, but was also the son of a bitch who dared threaten my friends and family. Ignoring the yells of Oobleck and my teammates, I used my semblance to dodged the bullets that were being rained down on me by the Fang, the same bullets that kept my team from running to my aid. The Tracker just laughed as he dropped back into the cart. Seeing him disappear, my anger rose as I continued charging. Unknown to me, the mist rolling off of me from teleporting went from gray to black and the iris of my eyes turned deep crimson. The changes were so sudden I didn't even notice them, but everyone else did. My teammates all peeked out in confusion from behind the hatch door when the bullets stopped. All they saw was a cloud of mist that went from gray to black half way between them and the Fang.
The faunas in front of me had a completely different view. What they saw wasn't a Huntsman in training. What they saw wasn't a man. What they saw was a shadow with two crimson eyes that stared at them with the deepest fury. Eyes that told them that they were about to meet the nightmare that their leaders created. Several of the green faunus dropped their guns and ran behind the more experienced members who weren't fairing much better. They aimed their rifles at me but were shaking so much that it was futile to aim. I stopped one car away from them and just stared. The air was tense, wind deafening, and fear thick. The faunus who had the unfortunate luck of being in the front only saw the eyes disappear in a puff of smoke. His eyes widened as he spun around trying to find where I had gone. He made a complete circle, and when he faced the mist again, his eyes locked with mine…and that was the last thing he ever saw.
As his head fell from his shoulder and the blood rained down upon me, I turned my eyes back to the crowd that had scrambled back at my sudden appearance and even more sudden murder. Most were trembling so hard they had dropped their weapons in terror while the ones that hadn't were barely holding on to theirs. I reached up and wiped some of the blood off my face and looked at it for a second. Some part of me wanted to be appalled at what I had just done, some small voice screaming at me in the back of my mind. That part of me didn't want to kill, didn't want to be the source of fear, but most of me didn't care right now. I looked back up at the crowd causing them to hold their breath, each one not wanting me to target them first. I flicked my hand, causing the blood to splatter onto the white uniform of the man I had beheaded, "You all wanted to be fear, believing that fear itself will never catch up with you." I held my arms out wide, "Well…here I am." And thus the slaughter began.
Jumping forward with my dagger raised, I swung downwards at the terrified deer faunus in front of me who hadn't moved an inch. Driving the dagger between his eyes causing blood to shoot out and cover the front of me. Yanking the dagger out, I let his lifeless corpse fall off train. The two standing to his left and right very quickly found their throats slashed before they could even move. Jumping back several feet as their bodies fell off the train, the soldiers stared in fear. After a few seconds, some half cocky, half terrified Fang recruit yelled at the top of his lungs and charged me with a small sword. The yell having shook the rest of the soldiers out of their shock, they all charged me hoping to overrun my defenses with sheer numbers. Rolled my neck as I sheathed my dagger, not wanting to end it too quickly.
I jumped over the first wave of soldiers and landed among the second. Rolling across the back of a bull faunus that was charging me with his horns, I punched another in the throat effectively crushing his windpipe. I sidestep to dodge a sword that smashed into the roof of the cart and snapped the offender's neck before ducking beneath the swing of an axe. Someone went for a thrust, but I grabbed his sword-hand to block another swing of the axe before twisting the hand making the owner drop his blade and drove it through his back. Growing bored, I pull my sword out of its sheath and begin slicing my way through the dozen or so White Fang that were left. I was a blur, slicing a stomach open causing the entrails to fall to the ground here, decapitating a head there. By the time I was down the the final three White Fang, the top of three carts were slick with blood.
The last soldiers started back up but quickly found they were at the front of the train with nowhere to go. Terrified beyond anything in his world, one of the faunus jumped off the side of the train screaming but was quickly silenced by the Grimm racing behind the train. The second desperately charged me with his sword but, almost too fast for anyone to see, soon found his arm sailing through the air, sword still in hand, trailing blood. I started walking towards the final faunus, slicing the throat of the second that had been screaming to the heavens moments before.
As I drew nearer I saw something that made me laugh. Standing before me was a very familiar faunus with boar tusks protruding from his mouth and wearing a mask that I'd recognize anywhere. Once my laughter got under control, I smirked darkly under my mask but he was able to see it in my crimson eyes, "Did you come all the way out here to see your favorite torture buddy again?"
His breathing doubled in speed when he realized I recognized him. He threw his weapon away before getting down on his knees and hands, "Mercy, mercy!"
I snarled as I threw my dagger, pinning his hand to the roof causing him to scream in agony, "Why, in the hell, would I do that?" I got onto one knee in front of him, "No, after everything you did to me, I won't show you mercy. You sneered, laughed, and enjoyed every moment of my torture." I ripped the dagger from his hand and held him up by his throat, "No, you won't get anything from me." Dragging him behind me, I walked over to the side of the cart and looked down. Slithering alongside the train was the biggest King Taijitu I had ever seen. Seeming to sense me, the snake lifted its head until it was waiting a few feet below the roof of the train. The boar faunus started struggling furiously when he realized what I was planning. Tightening my grip, I lifted him off his feet and dangled him over the edge of the train right over the waiting Grimm.
The man in my hands whimpered, "Please."
I chuckled darkly, "I seem to remember pleading you with those same exact words to you many times. Do you remember what you'd say?" He cried out as I drew him closer to my face, neither of us hearing the hatch behind us clang open. I stared at him mockingly, "You would laugh, and tell a child no older than fourteen, 'No…I might as well be your god. So I will choose your fate." My eyes hardened, "Well…I've chosen yours." With that I dropped the screaming faunus off the train into the waiting mouth of the King Taijitu below and watched as the giant snake fell behind as it stopped to enjoy its meal. I turned around as I lost sight of the snake only to stop when I saw the Tracker standing not five feet away from me smiling, as if he approved of my actions. Before I could even take a step forward, his body turned to ash and the wind carried him away allowing me to see what was behind him, or rather who was behind him.
Oobleck, Weiss, Blake, Ruby, and Yang stood rooted to their spot after seeing my cruelty. Oobleck just looked shocked, unable to believe his calm, kind student had just finished doing. Weiss had her own eyes screwed shut from where she was covering Ruby's so neither of them would see the blood, gore, and the heinous act I'd done. Blake looked appalled, wondering how I could be so cold-blooded. Yang…Yang's face was glistening with tears, trying to figure out if the blood-soaked figure in front of her was actually me and not some horrible allusion.
The black mist rolling off of me ceased to flow and the crimson fled my eyes, and for the first time in several minutes, that little voice, my voice, broke free of its bonds and screamed. Screamed at me for killing. Screamed at me for torturing. Screamed at me for becoming the monster I had swore to never become. The demon that terrified me every moment of my waking day or dreaming night. Before anything could be said, Weiss opened her eyes only for them to widen when she saw that the train was only seconds away from impacting against a concrete wall. Taking only a split second to realize I wouldn't have time to jump towards them or for her to create a big enough shield, she held back tears as she was forced to encase herself along with the others in a cocoon of ice leaving me alone on the train. Slowly looking to my right, I saw the wall not two seconds away. Closing my eyes, I suddenly felt weightless as the searing heat lashed across my body and charring any exposed skin. Even if I had the time or energy, my shame and fear would have kept me from screaming in pain. I deserved whatever retribution I received. But mercifully, something I had denied so many, my mind went dark as I landed…and I knew no more.
Alright, just over 7,700 words! Not bad if I say so myself. Yes that did just happen, and yes this is going to cause some major issues. With just one episode left in season two means we'll be starting a original story arc afterwards. How long it'll be I don't know. But once it's over we'll be starting Season three. The season that started off all happy and funny then completely crushed our souls…yaaaaay!
IMPORTANT - I know I was late with getting this chapter out (For good reason), but I don't know what my upload schedule is going to be for these next couple months. In April and May I have two AP Exams, the SAT, and the ACT that I have to do well in. So I don't know how much time I'll have to write. I WILL do my best to keep chapters coming out to you guys and gals, but I can't make any promises. I'm sorry. Well, that's all I have to say, please feel free to leave a review on how I'm doing or with any questions I have and I'll answer them if I can. Until then…
Archangel Out…
