Chapter 24: Blood for blood
AN: Told you it wouldn't be long. Alright so a little new little thing I've decided to do, twice a month I will hold a vote on the review section that'll decide which character I'll write a short (5k-8k) back story one shot in my new story 'The Path We Chose To Walk'. Any and all characters from Dog Days are on the vote list. The first Vote begins now and will end the 29th. Chapter may be jumbled up, Cp was on its period so I'm uploading this via mobile
[Erwin, Patch]
Fools.
Did they not think I wouldn't notice an army at my doorstep? Maybe I'm a helpless princess and not the White Fang mastermind I thought I was. Unfortunately for the Headhunters they sent after me I was indeed a mastermind and I wouldn't part with my head so easily.
I had chosen this as my operating base for many reasons, one of which was its 'natural defenses'. The leapers were as good as any guard dog and were easy to keep out with the mansions stone walls that they were too weak to penetrate. Leapers were ambushers not siege fighters.
The second reason was for its elaborate smuggling tunnels, made sometime before the unification of the kingdoms this place served to store Dust materials and even I could memorize all of the windy tunnels, most of which I had to seal off. The tunnels were good for hiding things other than dust though; say like a few hundred men. And the final reason was simple…
I had taste for the classics.
I was having a hard time wrapping my mind around something though. Was Vespin really so stupid? Headhunters were world renowned killers yes but even they weren't invincible. Give me a couple of them and I would destroy the enemies command structure but to use then as you would an army was just a waste of recourses. But here he was throwing them at me like regular grunts. I can't believe such a capable leader would show such disregard for tactics.
A trump card. A piece on the board I wasn't seeing. An ace in the hole, there was something my old comrade wasn't putting out in the open. Maybe this really is it. Maybe I will die today. But Erwin Rommel wouldn't go down without a fight.
'What irony' I thought while looking at the man in front of me. That today would be the day they sent him to kill me. "As you can see Adam I believe your coming here was unneeded" If he heard me he didn't show it "I have two requests"
Silent as ever "My family, take them through the escape tunnels and the second" I took a breath "Let me die with my men" His sword gleamed in the shallow light, the red blade giving it an eerie feeling. He flipped the blade in his hand and I closed my eyes 'This life hasn't been a joyous one but maybe one worth living for'. The sound of a blade sheathing had me open my eyes to gaze upon the White Fangs Reaper's back as he walked away.
"Goodbye Erwin"
I smiled "A piece of advice from a dead man" he stopped "Don't let the hate consume you"
This is why joined the White Fang. Because of people like Adam. Good fuanus forced to go bad because of society's beliefs. It wasn't fair. I thought I could change something but I was wrong. A plan years in the making gone up in smoke.
I knew regret. I regretted that I had lost. I regretted that I would never see any of my kids again. Regretted that I would never feel my wife's loving touch. But most of all, my biggest regret was that I had failed everyone.
It was strange, even in my final hours of life and the weight of my failures I felt relief. Death would be my release to this never ending cruel game. Nothing mattered anymore, I had no responsibilities. 'Mourn me not my loves for I welcome the end' I sent the message to my wife's scroll. Texting your last words seemed almost childish to the point I was smiling.
Everything was in order. Now I had only wait until the reserve unit surrounding this place was sent in or until Vespin shelled this place and turns this ancient relic into a smoking husk. The windows were barred and sealed shut to keep out the Leapers leaving the only source of light in the room being my desk lamp. I could do for a more flashy burial room that was for sure. I pulled out an old picture from my desk, one that I hadn't looked at in years. I set the picture beside the others of my family.
I heard the door open "What's the status on the Headhunters? Have finished we them off?" I asked my subordinate not looking up from my pictures.
"Not quite" growled a scratchy female voice
What I saw shocked me beyond words. She was covered in blood, the color of her skin couldn't even be determined with the amount splattered on her. She wasn't wearing a helmet or the trademark Headhunter mask. In her right hand was a machete, the blood of my men dripping off of it. And in the left was one of my men, his head severed from its body, his face was one of disbelief and fear. But none of that mattered because in my office was the woman in the picture.
"Sarah?" My first wife gave no reply.
[Delta Team, Ten minutes earlier]
"LEO!" Four yelled at the aged man she had pulled into cover "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! look at me! Look at me you son of a bitch!" She pressed the piece of cloth she cut off her uniform into his throat trying to stop the blood. "I need a medic over here!"
The other Headhunters were fairing no better as the whole area seemed to light of with gunfire. Many were gunned down before they could find cover. Others were pinned down, not able to even return fire.
Fragments were thrown to and fro as the enemy's guns tore the wooden houses to bits. The White Fang militants were popping up from holes in the ground that were previously sealed. They showed the Valean soldiers no mercy as they sprayed the area.
The blood of Four's friend poured from the wound without restraint like an opening of a dam. She felt utterly useless as she applied pressure trying to stop the flow or at least slow it. Her hands were now completely red with blood.
"Corpsman!" The others were in no position to help but the sniper continued to yell over the shooting. The yells would turn into screams of anguish when she looked into the face of the man she considered family only to find death. "You fucking asshole!" She screamed into his face "How are you going to do that to me?! You weren't supposed to die! Is this some sick fucking game?!" She cursed the sky.
The heavens did not answer.
"HA-HA-HA" Mocked the girl "What a great joke!' Let's find some other way to fuck with this stupid girl' I bet you were thinking as you took everything away from me!" She roared "Is this what you wanted?!" The Heavens merely ignored the ant underneath them. "Do you want death?! I'll show you death!" She unsheathed both her and Leo's machetes before running straight at the enemy line.
Behind the cover of an old stone wall the other members of Delta team listened to the insane banter of their teammate. "Delta-Four listened to me!" Shouted Delroy "You get your ass over here right now!" no response came from his teammate "Delta-Four!"
"Damnit I can't see her!" Biggs was trying to get eyes on the haywire soldier but was forced back into cover by the gunfire "We can't lose her too"
They all knew what happen. They had heard her plies for help, plies they could only listen to and nothing more. One thing they knew without clarification. They had lost a brother.
Three was trying to get shots out but all of them were went wide "What the fuck are we supposed to do LT?!"
'I don't know!' Delroy thought. All of his battle experience was going out the window and for once in his career he felt helpless.
About eighty yards across from them a squad of three White Fang were preparing to flank the pinned down soldiers rendering their cover useless. They were high in spirits and adrenaline at having cached Vale's finest off guard.
They slammed into the wall and crouched down while they took a moment to gather their bearings. The leader stepped forward and pointed to the one with the heavy machine gun "Clarks, circle around the side and find some high ground and cover us"
Clarks nodded. He hugged the wall until he got to the corner preparing to flip around it. He stopped when his faunus hearing picked up on something. Loud footfalls were running straight at his position around the turn. He smirked as he pulled the bolt back on his LMG thinking of the all the ass he would get when the girls learned he personally killed a Headhunter. He turned the corner with gun at the hip ready to mow the human down. He wasn't ready for the force that hit him like a car through or the twin blades as they impaled him.
Four didn't stop. She hit him hard enough to knock him off his feet and raise him the air before slamming him down in the mud. The ruthless attack left him dazed but the blades pulling out his body forced an animalistic yell out of him. His life was ended as she stabbed straight down into his face.
"Kill her!" ordered the leader. They were already firing madly in her area when she brought up her fallen foes LMG and used it to kill both men. The enemies position was only a couple yards away from judging by the gunfire. She smiled cruelly as she charged straight into the hornets' nest.
The first victim didn't even see it coming. His life ended with a single swipe while he sprayed at the humans victoriously. His body hadn't even hit the ground when the second had met her fate.
The White Fang were becoming aware of the killer in their midst and some were turning their guns on her. Bullets impacted the trees and ground around her as she strafed dodged the incoming fire. One unfortunate Fang had the luck of being hit by one of his own men, his head busting like a balloon.
At last she had found what she was looking for. One of the holes the faunus had exited had been left uncovered. Making it there was proving difficult though. The militants realizing that this woman needed to die had focused most of their manpower on her.
"Night night bitch" Thought a grunt as he lined up his sights on her chest. He dropped face first when he was about to pull the trigger. The previously suppressed Headhunters were beginning to return fire.
Four dropped into the hole.
[Delta Four, Patch]
'Kill Kill Kill' I had become a slave to that one word. Nothing else outside my pure instinct to kill mattered. The voices in my head demanded retribution for the murder of Leo Sanchez. They would pay for blood with blood.
The tunnel went in on direction from where I had started before splitting off into other directions at a convolving point. There was only one that led in the direction of the mansion. I could hear voices ahead and by their rushed tones they could hear me too.
Two swordsman rushed me from as burst into a large basement of sorts 'So he kept all his elite back to defend him?'. The first prepared an overhead swing while the other circled to my side. I flipped my blade in my right hand so it was reverse and ran right passed him. His momentum carried him forward leaving him open. My blade pierced the back of his neck severing his spinal cord, successfully ending the life of one of these animals.
The other was not as brash as his partner and made a cut at my legs. I parried the blade with one of my own and sent a boot straight into his midsection pushing him back. "How does it feel knowing you're about to die?" I asked. He let out a war cry and jumped off a box. 'What an idiot' I dropped to one knee and let his weight do the rest. I tilted my head as his blade passed by, leaving a shallow cut from my cheek halfway back to my ear. I leaned forward and whispered to him "I imagine it hurts a bit having both of your lungs ran through"
"For the White Fang!" He bellowed heroically.
"Ahh I admire your enthusiasm" I deadpanned "Let's see how brave you really are" I filled the silent room with the cries and whimpers of the faunus.
He wasn't very brave it turns out. I let his lifeless body fall on the floor, it hit with wet smack. Now let's go play with the others.
My helmet I noticed was loose as I started walking towards the stairs. The second faunus managed to cut the strap. I took it off and dropped it on the floor and then pulled my mask down while taking off my goggles. Damn things just got in the way anyway.
I heard the click but I reacted too slowly. The bullet fired from the first faunus I thought I had killed hit me mid-back and caused me to stumble. My blade whistled through the air when I threw it. He loosed a second shot that caught my thigh before my blade stuck in his head.
'Shit!' I fell against the wall clutching my leg. My chest burned almost like I swallowed a lit match. Being shot sucks. My body protested every action that involved moving which was making standing up almost impossible.
Key word is almost
'On your feet soldier!' I groaned as I pulled myself up onto one knee. It always looked way easier in the movies. Getting shot in a weird way was actually a good thing. The pain got me thinking again instead of just acting. Doesn't look or feel like he hit anything important but dust does this hurt. Using the wall as support I pulled myself up. Damn does that hurt. Don't those stairs just look great right now.
A thin trail of blood followed me up the stairs while ascended. 'Erwin….' I will kill him and I would make it as painful as possible.
"DIE HUM-"His head hit the floor. He had been waiting around the corner at the top of the stairs. What a wonderful ambush. I picked up the severed head 'Erwin will want to see the deaths he caused'. I entered the main room of the mansion that lead to guess what? More stairs.
I inhaled on every step I took up the unforgiving steps. At the top there was two directions, one left and one right. I chose left as I could see a faint light coming from the cracks of one of the doors. I leaned heavily against the wall as I slouched towards the door and pushed it open with my shoulder.
So this was the fox? The man of the hour Erwin Rommel, I wasn't impressed. His hair was a nice and combed red, dull from age. He was shorter than probably even me and scrawny to match.
"What's the status on the Headhunters? Have we finished them off?"
Cute "Not quite" He looked up at me shocked like he couldn't believe what was happening. Priceless. He didn't even move as I advanced on him slowly. I dropped the head while walking. I was standing infront of his desk now with a cruel smirk. I pulled my arm back and then…..
"Sarah?" I stopped mid swing. "Sarah is that you?"
The rage was back. Before I knew what I was doing I grabbed his collar and pulled him across his desk. He exhaled loudly as I slammed him on the ground. "Clarify old man". He had a faraway look in his eyes. Eyes that were the same color as mine.
"No…..Julia?"
I pulled my handgun out and lowered it to his head "Start making sense." I ordered. I wasn't prepared when he started laughing. My finger squeezed lightly on the trigger.
"Out of all the possible outcomes in this world we get this!" he laughed darkly "Someone must really hate us my girl."
"You're pissing me off."
He smiled "Is that anyway to talk to your father?"
I looked hard down at the man underneath me. The first thing they teach you in the military is not to be blindsided by the enemy's tricks. I pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. I tried again. Nothing.
"What a reunion" My finger wasn't listening to me. I told it to end this man's lies but it refused to obey me "No hugs or kisses, but instead a gun in my face." Pull the fucking trigger! "Let me just…"He slowly pushed the gun aside. The gun discharged leaving a hole next to his head. He took out my supporting arm and rolled me over. I went to elbow him but he only caught it and twisted it around my back "Easy! Calm down! I'm not going to hurt yo-Ouch! Listen damnit!" I didn't listen "Don't you want to know the truth!?"
"You're lying!"
"I'm certainly not! Dust I swear you're as hard headed as your mother!"
This guy was dead when I got out of this. He was a very convincing liar I had to give him that one at least. I thrashed around trying to get loose when all at one he let me go. Dumbass. I stood turned around ready to put and to the terrorist when he did the unexpected.
He wrapped me in his arms. Obviously I beat into his back with my fist with reckless abandon. He was surprisingly strong for his size. "I love you Julia" I beat him harder "I love you Julia!"
"Shut up!" I tried to pry him off of me. My body was wearing down as the exhaustion and pain were beginning to set in. "Get off of me!" I cried. My hits were losing their power and my legs were beginning to feel weak. I hesitantly hugged him back as I cried into his shoulder. I wasn't a soldier anymore, I was back to being a scared little girl.
AN: And bam cliffhanger.