"Aaaaaaah!"
I fell down a height almost equivalent to a hundred meters. God, this would give me more than a broken leg if I mess this up.
I looked at my watch, and pressed a black and yellow button on the side of the metal device.
‹-PROCESSING…-›
‹-PROCESSING…-›
‹-COMMAND DENIED-›
‹-LOCATION NOT IN RANGE-›
"Damn it!" I cursed, pressing it again. I was nearing the ground, and I was beginning to get nervous.
‹-PROCESSING…-›
‹-PROCESSING…-›
‹-COMMAND DENIED-›
‹-LOCATION NOT IN RANGE-›
"C'mon, you fucking piece of metal! Work!" I said, pressing the button again. I was now meters away from the ground.
‹-PROCESSING…-›
‹-PROCESSING…-›
‹-COMMAND DENIED-›
‹-LOCATION NOT IN RANGE-›
‹-TOO MANY SUBSEQUENT ERRORS-›
‹-OPENING DIAGNOSTICS TOOL-›
"No...no! That would take too long!" I desperately tried to override the repairs, pressing random buttons and flicking all switches. "Damn it! Damn it!"
I flicked a hidden switch located underneath the watch, letting me override the repairs. "Yes!" I cheered, and pressed the button one more time.
‹-PROCESSING…-›
‹-PROCESSING…-›
‹-COMMAND ACCEPTED-›
I was then transported on the hard, rocky ground. I rolled a few feet, before stopping to a complete halt. I felt the rough gravel beneath my feet, silently thanking God that I didn't die yet. I limped forward, and hid behind the metal containers. I reached for my pistol, Spectre, which was holstered on my vest, and held it with my left hand. Inching closer to the corner of the container, I peeked around the corner and saw the four storming through groups of armed men with ease
I saw Weiss fending off a large group of men in front of her with her rapier, without noticing a single one sneaking behind her back. I pointed my Spectre, at the man, and fired. The loud bang alerted Blake, Yang, Weiss, and Oobleck towards me, along with some of the armed attackers.
"Hey! What are you doing here?!" Yang shouted at me, while she fired small balls of fire at the armed men. Due to the force and power of her attacks, some actually got flung across the cavern.
"I want to go with you guys! Where there's people, there's civilization!" I shouted back. A portion of the fighting men redirected and stormed towards me. I reacted by holstering my pistol, and taking out my Silencer. I pulled the slide, chambering a round, and aimed it at the incoming goons. I pulled the trigger, and fired the weapon in short bursts.
One by one, the attackers fell. However, some were smarter than the others, and took cover behind large stone boulders, metal support columns, or large spaces on cavern walls. One man lifted his gun, and placed it on top of a stone barrier. Before I could react. he fired his weapon at me, causing me to pull back into cover.
"Stop hiding, human!" He laughed, continuing to shoot towards me. One of his projectiles hit the metal canister, right beside my ear, causing me to drop my Silencer. Dazed, I began to see double. A ringing in the ears prevented me from hearing on what was going on in my surroundings. Holding my head, I tried to steady myself.
It was futile. I stumbled and fell on the ground. Was I hit? Was I dying, right here in this spot? Is this the end of Bismuth?
Hell no! If this would be the end, then who would finish my journal?
I can't just let anyone get their hands into my journals. I don't trust anyone.
'Remember what the Academy taught you: Friendship is a cheap tactic the enemies use to manipulate others and lure us into a false sense of security. Minimize social contact, only cooperate when needed.
Remember our drive to succeed, and we shall accomplish.'
Otherwise...
...No. I shall not let them drift me away from my goal. I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to survive. To live, and return to my home.
Continuing my story, I was stunned for a few seconds, before I finally regained my senses. I got back up and shook my head, and looked around. I saw my Silencer lying on the ground, just beside the metal container. I reached out to grab it, but I was stopped as a foot stepped on the gun, and kicked it away.
"Hello, human." I looked up, and saw a man, wearing white clothing and a mask. On his torso was a red symbol, a wolf or dog's head with a scratch overlapping it.
I slowly moved, and sat down on the ground. Two more armed men went behind him, aiming their weapons at me. "Put your hands up, or we'll kill you. Right here, right now." The man in front of me spoke, as the two behind him went closer. "This is not your fight, human."
I slowly raised my hands above my head. "Come on, gentlemen. Have mercy for a poor old wanderer?" I asked, looking at each of the three men.
"Spare us your ramblings, human." The one in charge said, grabbing my left wrist.
I slowly shook my head. "I've been captured and imprisoned for more than a hundred times. Each one having more brutal acts than the last. I doubt that yours would be more worse than what I had been through." I simply said, as another man grabbed my right wrist.
"I don't believe you." The third one spoke, standing guard behind me as I was dragged away. "Being locked up for a hundred times meant that you lived for more than sixty to two hundred years, which is impossible."
"You don't know what I've been through, Faunus." I spoke, wiggling my left ring finger. After a few more movements, a small blade the width of my middle finger and the length of my index finger revealed itself from behind my glove. Twirling the blade and holding it with my hand, I jabbed the blade at the hand of the faunus.
"Agh!" He grunted, releasing his grip. Moving quickly, I took my knife from my vest, and spun around the faunus holding my right wrist. I stopped behind his back, and poked the tip of the blade of his hand, making him lose his hold on my hand. Using my newly freed right hand, I covered his mouth and pointed the knife at his neck, effectively holding him hostage.
"Like I said, much more worse." I said, slowly backing away while dragging the faunus with me. As I got to a safe distance, I used my right hand to grab an APSD, and jabbed it at his neck. He flinched at the sudden pain, and the small blade glowed blue, glowing even brighter each second.
"You want him back?!" I shouted, jumping and using both my legs to kick him back to the two other men. "You can have him!" I got up, took my Silencer, and ran off.
I dove to cover, before a bright blue light flashed seconds later. Small sparks of electricity emanated from the three bodies, as they twitched in shock.
The APSD is usually not strong enough to be lethal. Well, unless you directly jab it into someone's neck before it detonates. The other two...well, let's just say that they're unconscious.
I hid behind a cavern wall, and reloaded my Silencer. I put in a fresh magazine, and returned the used one in a pouch. I looked around the corner, but I pulled back again due to a bullet landing directly on the wall in front of my face. God, if I hadn't worn this mask, I would have some really huge gashes.
I lifted my Silencer, and fired blindly from behind the wall. After a few seconds, I stopped, and peeked again. Nothing. I moved, from the wall to a large metal support pillar. I peeked again, and moved to another spot.
Another peek, and still no one here. 'Where the hell is everybody?' I stood up, and left the safety of my cover. I slowly advanced through the cavern, still staying extremely attentive to my surroundings.
A loud whistling noise passed by, on the left side of my head. "Shit!" I exclaimed, before having being fired upon by a group of people.
I then dove behind the first object I saw, which was a small wall of stone, lying on the floor. I decided to peek out, raising my head slowly before getting shot by again. I ducked instantly, the bullets barely missing my head.
"Fuck you all!" I shouted, before pulling out another APSD from my vest. I pressed a small blue button on the pommel, before twisting the entire hilt counter clockwise. The nodules lit up, and I then held it at the tip of the blade. I raised up my hand, and blindly threw the knife into the direction where the bullets came from. A lot of screaming then sounded throughout the cavern, then a bright flash of blue light lit up the cave.
I then stood up, Silencer at hand. I looked around, and saw seven bodies lying down on the ground in front of me. They twitched occasionally, followed by small bolts of electricity running through their bodies.
I then proceeded forward, reaching to the four fighters near the end of the cave. "Hey, how's it going?" I said, panting heavily.
"What are you doing here?! You could've gotten yourself killed!" Yang yelled, pointing at the bodies.
"Yeah, you don't have any Aura to protect you," Weiss added.
I chuckled, placing my hands on my pockets. "Trust me, I'll be fine." It was then that I felt a sharp pain on my back. The four gasped, and took a step back. I then felt weak on my knees, and knelt down on the ground. I was breathless.
I looked back, and saw the same man that tried to capture me earlier. "You should've left us alone, human." He said, before kicking me to the ground.
I blinked once.
I blinked twice..
I looked up, and saw the four fight the faunus, but it fought with brute strength, matching the four in a stalemate. It was a battle of attrition, and the faunus always had one step ahead of the group. I moved my hand, and felt my back. I pulled out his knife, which thankfully only penetrated my vest, and stopped at my armor. The tip of the blade still punctured the skin though, but I could walk it off. I pulled the knife out, which I instantly knew as my APSD.
I shakily stood up, much to everyone's surprise. I bent my back, causing a few pops from the ligaments of my bones. I then stretched my arms, and shook my hands. "Good morning, everyone." I spoke, with a huge smirk on my face. Covered by my mask, I then glared at the faunus.
I charged at him, and lunged at his throat, knocking him to the ground. I used my two hands to pin him on the ground, but it was absolutely difficult. "I killed you!" He shouted, looking at me with a fearful look at his face.
I then took my pistol, and placed the tip on his forehead. "Like I said, much more worse." I spoke, before pulling the trigger. The pistol carved a large hole in his head, penetrating it to the other side. He then lied limp on the ground, dead.
I stood up, and looked at the four. They looked at my fearfully, their weapons pointed at my direction. "How are you still alive?" Weiss said while eyeing me closely.
I tapped on my vest. "Good armor," I simply said, before adding, "but I think that the knife still wounded me in the back, though. It hurts like a bitch."
"Look, if you become a zombie or something, I won't hesitate to end you." Yang spoke, hitting her fists together.
I took a step back, looking at her. "Undead? You make me laugh," I spoke, spinning the Silencer on the tip of my finger. "Would you guys mind if I...tag along with your group?"
They looked at eachother, before Blake answered with a no. It made me freeze, and look at her. I held the Spectre, and pointed it at her.
Surprised, the other three raised their weapons, and pointed those at me. I smirked behind my mask, and continued to point the pistol at her head. Blake, however, was speechless. Her mouth wide open, she was too frozen in fear to react. "Put the gun down, or we'll fight you. We don't care if you have armor or not, we'll fight you anyway." Weiss spoke, the tip of her rapier glowing a bright reddish orange.
I moved the pistol slightly to the right, and pulled the trigger. It fired, producing a loud bang. Everyone flinched, and looked at Blake, expecting her to fall dead on the ground any minute. Yang, however, was first to recover from the shock and charged at me like an angry bull.
"Yaaaaaagh!" She shouted, as she pulled back her right fist, preparing to deliver a punch. Reacting quickly, I stepped to the left, and ducked. I looked at her, which was already preparing for another attack. Weiss, just realizing the situation, launched a few fireballs from her rapier, before performing some sort of ritual, propelling herself toward me.
I jumped to the left, barely avoiding the balls of flame. I was then hit at the back from one of Yang's own fireballs. I hissed, ignoring the burn spreading through my back. God, I wish that the Kinetic Barrier wasn't broken. Weiss swung her rapier toward me in quick succession, and Yang fired balls of fire at me. I desperately tried to avoid each girl's continuous attack, but failed.
Weiss' rapier thankfully hit one of the armored plates on my left shoulder, deflecting the attack. Yang, however, compensated her failure and hit me at the back of my neck.
I was then hit at the left shoulder, then at the right knee. Ignoring the sharp pain, I ran towards Weiss, and tackled her. I pushed her toward the wall, which I think hurt me more than her. I grabbed her by her hair, and pulled out one of my two Arcane Grenades. I locked my right arm around her, while I shakily held the grenade with my left. "S-stop! I'm going to kill her, if you don't stop!" Weiss struggled at my grip, grunting at pain everytime I jolted her.
'Now would be the best time to explain how the Arcane Grenade works, hm?
Well, it's one of the most produced grenades and one of the most used weapons in the Hexagon's history. And for a good reason.
It's elliptical design helps for better grip, and self-propulsion thrusters are added for longer distances when throwing.
Due to it's diverse range of available modes of detonation, it is useful at most situations. Be it an assassination, torture, or just plain hostage taking, it does a pretty damn good job.'
I rotated the lower part of the grenade. cycling the light between a variety of colors. I stopped as the light glowed a soft purple. I turned the top part of the grenade, and pushed down, revealing four small metal spires, which I rested my thumb on. Pressing all of them at the same time would cook the grenade, and detonate it in three seconds.
Yang stopped, but she continued to look at me menacingly. Pumping her fists, she ejected a shotgun shell from each of her gauntlets, and got ready to attack.
"Stop!" We heard a voice coming from my left. We looked at the direction of the voice, and saw Blake running toward us. "He didn't try to kill me!"
"What?!" Yang yelled, looking at Blake.
"Yeah! I thought so too, but then we heard a heavy object drop from behind me." Blake explained, pointing at a body lying dead on the floor. "A White Fang goon was sneaking behind me, and we never even noticed!"
I pushed the upper part of the grenade, and turned it the opposite way, locking it. I returned the grenade back to it's pouch, and released Schnee.
"That hurt, y'know." I spoke, rubbing my left shoulder. They looked at me, embarrassed by their actions. "Well, it's a good thing that my uniform was specifically designed for fire resistance and projectile protection." I said, grabbing hold a part of my cloak. "Can't say the same for my cloak, though." It was littered with small holes, from Yang's fireballs, and small cuts, from Weiss' rapier.
"We are incredibly sorry." Weiss spoke, looking at my tattered cloak.
"Not me, you should've told us that there was someone behind us." Yang spoke, crossing her arms.
"Well, it's a good thing I have an extra cloak in my bag." I said, removing my cloak from my body. I folded the tattered cloak, and placed it in my bag. I looked inside my bag, trying to find my other cloak.
"So, that's what you look like without your cloak." Blake said, slightly nodding her head.
"Yeah, I thought that you were naked underneath that thing." Yang added, snickering to herself. We all looked at her questionably, causing her to cough lightly and droop her head down.
I continued to search for my cloak, before someone else asked. "Hey, do you always wear your cloak?" Weiss asked, looking out for anyone else that has an idea of sneaking up on them.
"Pretty much." I said, before pulling out my extra cloak. "Yes!" I cheered, before putting it on.
"Why?" Blake asked.
"Well, do you always wear the same type of clothes?" I returned with a question.
"Come to think of it, we DO wear the same type of clothes, everyday!" Yang said, gesturing to her clothing.
"Now, let me ask YOU this; why?" I asked, placing my hands on my waist, slightly leaning forward, whilst tapping my left foot in a slow, irregular pattern.
"It's just what we're used to, I guess." Blake said, nonchalantly.
Another awkward moment surfaced once more, before I broke the silence. I coughed once, before speaking, "Awkwardness aside, I'm here to join you in your search for Ruby." I pulled out my cloak, and began to wear it.
They eyed me in suspicion.
"Why are you helping us?" Blake asked.
"Well," I clasped my hands together, making a loud clapping noise that echoed throughout the cavern. "I want to get home."
"Fine, follow us. But don't even think that we are to get you back to your home." Weiss said, sheathing back her rapier.
"Hey, I'm not expecting you to. I'm just tagging along, and I'll be gone once we get to a city o' yours." I said, before quietly humming a song.
They ran much deeper into the cave, while I looked around for a nice spot to provide over watch. I finally found a small elevated area, which provided a nice vantage point. I climbed up, and lied down on it's flat ground. I rested the SL-12 on a small rock, and aimed down it's sights.
Numerous groups of armed men instantly surrounded the four fighters, as soon as they neared a man holding a little girl beside him. Why the hell would he hold that girl THAT closely?
Then, a thought raced to my head. Maybe for sexual purposes? Maybe she's his personal bitch or something. "Fucking paedophiles." I muttered, aiming at the young girl. She then ran towards the four, while a few more armed goons appeared behind the man, firing at the four fighters' direction.
She then launched forward, at incredible speed towards the four. "Damn it!" As the four fought their own battles, I decided to fire at the young girl, fighting her myself. I pulled the trigger, firing at her. She avoided it with precision, looking at me with intense feelings of hatred and disliking. As the four successfully pushed back the White Fang, the young girl continued to charge towards them.
I fired another shot, missing her as it went by. Another shot landed at the ground, right beside her left foot. I grunted, and fired another shot. She then moved to the left, making the bullet miss her by a foot. "Fucking-!" I cursed, switching to burst. I went furious, pulling the trigger like mad. Still, she avoided the bullets easily.
She passed by the four, and took a red object from Blake. She did something to the object, causing it to form into a large red and black scythe. "Aaaaagh!" She yelled loudly, as she jumped an exceedingly long distance. She headed towards me, holding the scythe neatly with both her hands.
Time...started to move slowly.
I gazed at her, and she glared at me.
I lifted the Silencer, and pulled the trigger. 'Click!' The weapon sounded, reminding me that I already ran out of ammunition. I blinked, and looked back at her. She moved the scythe behind her, and prepared for a strike.
I pressed a button on my Silencer, and released the magazine. I caught the depleted magazine with my right hand and threw it at her as hand as I could. She lifted her right hand, and swapped the magazine coming toward her. I used the minor distraction to load another magazine.
She swung her scythe above me, barely missing my hood. "I just replaced this, y'know!" I said, pulling out an APSD from my vest.
I stood up, and bent back, making her miss as she swung her scythe once more. She then spun around, swinging her scythe at me. I raised the Silencer, blocking the scythe at the handle, the blade stopping just inches at my mask. I pushed her back, and pulled out my Spectre.
I held the pistol with my right hand, and gripped it tightly. Damn it, I don't want to use this early on. She screamed once more, before charging at me with her scythe at the ready. No choice.
I pressed a button, causing the Spectre to glow a faint green light. A small compartment, attached just below the pistol, clicked three times, before producing a long, thin blade. The blade was about two and a half feet long,and shone a soft silver color, with a slight tinge of blue.
I lifted the pistol to my head, and used the blade to block the scythe from hitting me. Somehow, she was much stronger than me. She effectively overpowered me, and broke through my defense.
Dazed, I tried another block, which she broke through once more. Exhausted, I then charged toward her. I feinted a swing, which she fell for. She tried to parry my feint, which left her momentarily open. I used the APSD and jabbed her at her hip. She yelped at the sudden pain, while I hastily scrambled to get out of there as soon as possible.
By the time I got down, a bright blue light flashed from the top, and the young girl fell, smoking and unconscious. Blake ran towards her, and caught her in midair.
I twirled the Spectre with my right hand, before retracting the blade and putting the pistol back to it's holster. I went to the four, which for some reason, were looking at me angrily.
"Hey, any one of you see Ruby around?" I asked, looking at each of their furious faces. "I was too busy fighting the young girl."
Yang went closer to me, and delivered a strong slap at my mask. Her attack caused the optical cameras on my mask to temporarily go static. "Agh!" I grunted, holding my mask. I tapped it a few times, before regaining sight once more. "The hell was that for?"
She pointed furiously at the unconscious young girl. "That. Is. Ruby." She said, sternly.
"Oh…" I said, looking at the unconscious girl once more. I then cringed, hissing as I remembered what I had done to her earlier. "Would you guys want me to...heal her?" I asked, removing my bag from my back, and placing it on the ground.
I opened it, and reached for another syringe. "Don't worry, she'll be fine." Yang spoke, placing a bare hand on Ruby's forehead. "She's Ruby."
"No," I pulled out a syringe from the bag. "I insist." I walked to her side, and removed the sterilization cap from the syringe. I tapped on the glass container a few times, and ejected a small amount. The glowing green fluid ran down from the needle without resistance. I then prepared to inject her.
Well, before I could even prick her, she stirred awake. "Uhn...wha?" She said, slowly moving her head around. "B-Blake?" She said, looking at Blake. She then smiled, causing Ruby to smile back. Her attention then turned towards me.
Okay, waking up to see someone who fought you earlier holding a syringe beside you could be somewhat frightening. She screamed, swinging a fist at my mask.
That was less painful than I expected. I looked at her, clutching her hand as she hissed in pain.
I placed back the cap on the needle, and placed it back in my bag. I took my backpack off the ground, and carried it again. I went back to Ruby which was eyeing me closely.
"Hey, sorry about attacking you earlier." I said, scratching the back of my neck.
She stayed silent, glaring at me menacingly.
Yang went closer, and punched me at the shoulder. "God!" I yelled, holding my arm. "The fuck was that for?"
"That's for attacking my little sis." She said, before punching me again at the same arm, albeit a bit more harder. I yelped, clutching my arm.
"The fuck was THAT for?!" I grunted, feeling my arm. God, everything hurts now. I felt weak on my knees, causing me to kneel down on the ground.
"That's for not listening to us." She said, smirking as I held my shoulder in pain. I heard Ruby snicker to herself.
Well, it took her about a few minutes before realizing her mistake. "Oh! I completely forgot that you have no Aura!" She said, kneeling down. Weiss and Oobleck went to my aid, while Blake stayed with Ruby.
"You forgot?!" I exclaimed. The other two checked my arm, before I refused. "No! I-it's fine." I said, slowly standing up. "Really." I smiled, trying to hide any show of pain.
I pulled back my shoulder, and with a loud crack, I found relief. "God, that's better." I said, moving my shoulder a few more times.
"Wait, he doesn't have Aura?" Ruby asked, particularly curious of me. Her voice sent shivers down my spine. It was high-pitched, to the point where someone would say it was cute. Well, for me...not so much.
It brought back a memory from my past, one which I tried my best to forget. I stared blankly at the wall, before shaking it off.
"Well-" I spoke, about to answer her, before another voice boomed throughout the cavern.
"Get to your places, we are leaving now!" We heard a voice call out from the speakers.
"Oh! I completely forgot! Torchwick's got all kinds of weapons and robots down there!" Ruby said, pointing at the train. "Androids, mechs, they're all loaded up on the train cars!"
"What do you think you guys should do?" I asked, looking at the train.
"We're stopping that train!" Ruby answered, running towards the moving train.
"Not me though, right?" I asked, making Yang grab my arm and dragging me towards the train. "Aah!" I screamed, making Yang look at me.
"Afraid of a little speed?" She asked, smirking.
"You're dragging my ass on the rough, rocky floor! Atleast let me run!" I shouted, making her smile once more at me.
"Why? We're already here!" She said, as she prepared to jump on the train.
"Oh, no! No! No! I am not going to die in one of your shenanigans!" Ignoring me, she leaped far off the ground. "I am not getting paid enough for this!" I yelled, before we landed on top of the train.
She let go of my arm, and stood up. "Come on!" She said, walking towards Ruby.
"Why the hell did I decide to come with you?" I said, shaking off the feeling of vertigo.
Day Two - 5:41 am, Remnant
o~o~o~o~o
Author's Notes: (SNAAAKE!)
As usual, all criticism is appreciated. Please tell me if there are any spelling or grammatical errors in this chapter, so I can fix it as soon as possible.