Much shorter than what I would have liked, but then again, I'm not exactly the best at world building. In case anyone is wondering, I've changed Vale according to what I think is best for the story, involving multiple factions, vying for different goals. Feels just like home huh?
Either way, I hope you enjoy.
As per usual, I do not own anything. No lawsuits please, it makes me cry
Midnight. The beginning of a new day. Eight hours had passed since the ordeal started for the Faunus, yet it continued to feel like mere seconds. Everything happened so fast. It hurt to think about it, even more trying to comprehend what just happened. A pain that would not leave her until she could begin to fathom her situation.
"Ugh." she rubbed her forehead, another sharp pain spearing through it. It was definitely getting worse by the second.
But now, she had comfort. The seats on the Bullhead were considerably better than a tree stump and the heated insides warmed her. With no immediate danger around her, she relaxed considerably. The unused muscles ached from the sudden rush of activity and she could finally feel that bruise from the gun earlier. It was exhilarating to say the least, but what she found out that such highs could only get her so far. Even with all that energy, she had to give thanks to her deceased instructor. He was mean, didn't tolerate excuses, and worked her to the bone, but military instructors tend to do those things regardless of race, she supposed. The fact she managed to put it into practice, sloppy however it might have been, gave her enough of an advantage to survive.
The major contribution to her survival had been for the creature sitting on the driver's seat of the Bullhead, staring directly at the dark horizon. Intimidating, silent, and skilled at its job, the warrior managed to erase every existence in the base with relative ease. While its weapons were by no means exotic compared to the ones Remnant offered, their simplistic design gave it a sense of brutality with how efficient they were. No tricks, no transformations, just pull and kill. The shotgun itself made sure to ingrain the notion to her head permanently.
It made her stare at her own rifle. It too had no special parts attached to it, just a simple 'pull and shoot at the target' for effective results. Well, she wasn't the most agile to pull off the crazy and acrobatic feats other hunters were capable of, so it was a perfect fit. Hopefully, she would learn something other than that, if she had the chance to readjust herself to a more peaceful life.
It was a fleeting thought that she would live peacefully. Perhaps there would be a sliver of a chance to once they landed. The fact that Vale is a large city with an abundance of information in every corner would mean that it would not need her services any longer. She could just walk free right?
'Pfft, like it'll be that easy.' She told herself, gripping the rifle stock. The Fang had her face and profile. It'd be suspicious for a single Faunus piloting a Bullhead by themselves, even more that the supplies weren't delivered. Perhaps a plan to make them land inconspicuously would be a good thing. The VTOL's White Fang mark would be something to deal with especially.
"So... What's the plan? I take it that simply landing into a White Fang base and going guns blazing isn't enough?"
"The information had been an adequate amount to formulate a plan around such an idea. Attracting attention would lead to a more difficult task of ensuring I acquire more information and technology."
"Wait, you're after tech now? I thought you were just going to get info about Vale and the White Fang."
"Your technology is strange, especially the weapons. I've run multiple diagnostics on your former officer's weapon and have come to inconclusive results with their transformative ability. As a result, I will be procuring them for further study, ensuring I have data to recreate them at a later date. The data from your base has proven to be useful in finding hideouts for agents around Vale. Possible caches will be available there."
"So I have to go back to the Fang and spy on them?" She whispered back. Peace was certainly out of reach. Layla had hoped to put this entire thing behind her. An unfortunate turn of events for the girl.
"No. You are to map out the complex. Exits and entrances, hallways, rooms, and ventilation paths. It will allow for a simpler infiltration."
Ventilation? Why that? A roof or door is better right? Isn't it a bit too cramped for him?
"And patrols?" It forgot about those. Successful infiltration would mean it wouldn't be seen at all by any of the people in the base.
It turned its head towards her. Swift winds blew in response, biting against her cheek. Icy blades momentarily sprouted amidst the cold and ran down her spine. The fear of death loomed right next to her.
"Inconsequential."
Vale soon came in sight, the city as beautiful as it was when she left it. The bright twinkling lights of downtown, its hubs as busy at night as it was in the day. Groups huddled for fun, their loud cheers audible even above the sky. A city that was alive even in the dark, protected by their hunters. Oblivious and naive, their parties continue without a hitch under the rays light, the darkness shunned.
Yet in darkness, activity continued. The sight of cloaks passing in the shadows did not go unnoticed by the Faunus, her night vision making it clear as day. They glided under the black cover, avoiding the light, and converged into their own hubs. Vale was not without its faults. Like every city, it had its share of criminals lurking under the twilight. Strings pulled like puppets and those that dwell in the light cannot see its dance. The shifting of power and the chaotic struggles of day to day survival are commonplace, for both man and Faunus were equals in the most primal instinct—survival.
The Bullhead passed over the city, the cover of darkness its ally, and shifted towards Emerald forest. Endless even in the air, the forest was the undisputed territory of Grimm. Their hunting grounds and home. The stories told of hunters losing their lives within that infinite expanse. Lost, afraid, and some going insane. The forest had myths that spoke of temptation. Malice and lust that whispered into the distraught minds of hunters, rendering them incapable of practical thought before a demise by the Grimm.
Of course, they are but myths spoken long ago. The forest continues to be the Grimm's hunting grounds, but with Beacon Academy looming over it, the hunters are slowly taking the forest one acre at a time.
The aircraft shifted downwards, a slight dip in altitude. Black fingers reached towards them, yet could not touch its cold hull. These were dead, the leaves fallen for the coming of the winter. Futility to mar the metal, merely scratching and breaking themselves.
An isolated landing spot, covered by the jagged peaks of the mountains and the altitude. Miles away from the bustling city, yet closer to home than the last. The wings rotated, easing the metal giant down onto the snow. A soft crunch sounded from beneath as it came to a stop. The engine was cut and returned to a silence.
The pair exited, their weapons armed for the Grimm. The Tenno took the lead, moving quickly down the peaks with surprising agility for its size. Impossible jumps and gliding leaps, it was a sight to behold for Layla. Unfortunately, she did not have luxury of such skill, opting to take a safer approach. Its partner took the slower route, a natural trail by the cliffside, gradually dipping to the forest. The winds howled as the blizzard picked up, forcing the Faunus to stop and watch her step on her leap.
She took it, praying her luck was with her, and landed on her back, sliding to a stop under the Tenno's waiting feet. It stared for a couple of seconds before turning and jumping to the next ledge.
"I suggest you move faster. Weather in the mountains are much more severe and your chances of survival are slim." It spoke, the voice almost carried off by the winds, yet bit like fangs.
"Y-yeah, I got that." She stuttered. The cold. Oh how she hated the weather. It made her shiver, her nose was numb and she couldn't feel her ears. Abominable it was and she knew it would only get worse if they had to fight in the mountains. Oh no, her fingers were getting numb too.
"H-hey, why did you h-have to land us here anyway? Its too dangerous for me t-t-to have to climb up back here for supplies and I could get lost too."
"You will not have to return here. Your main objective is to remain in the city to observe the White Fang and inform me of their supply caches. As of now, I do not have a reliable information network, nor the means to create one. This will be the first step of such a plan."
"I just have to tell you of places that have interesting things for you then?"
"Amongst other things, yes. A simpler and safer alternative. Without dedicated weapons training, you are a hinderance in firefights. To involve in such activities, you will need to seek training elsewhere at your own time."
"Can't you teach me? You seem like a-whoa!"
The hand lashed out, gripping the hanging Faunus from the cliffside. The sudden danger certainly woke her up. She was on high alert and her shivering stopped momentarily. Perhaps it should have warned her of the ice. A lapse in judgement due to unnecessary speech. It struck the thought away and pulled the Faunus up.
"T-thanks." She gasped out. Her chest was beating hard and the adrenaline hadn't stop yet. 'If this keeps up, I think I might just die of a heart attack.'
"A lapse in awareness. Perfectly reasonable. Talking in such a storm will only cause harm. I advise you to keep silent until ground level."
"R-right."
Four hours. The entire trek was four hours to reach ground level. Granted, it would have been less than thirty minutes if the Tenno simply jumped off the ledge, but the presence of another party had severely limited its capability in order to assure the safety of its... Companion. Quite a handful with her ineptitude of the outdoors and inability to stay calm at almost any situation.
Incompetence aside, she managed well during the fight under the threat of death. Her training had given her the necessary skills to at least take down standstill targets. How she would do against others? The result is unfortunate to say the least. Nevertheless, they had somehow made it to the ground safely and towards Vale.
They had taken a farther route towards the city, three extra miles of walking to avoid the shadow of Beacon. The Tenno did not know the full capabilities of hunters and would rather ere on the side of caution. Weapons and skill dictated the outcome of a battle, at least in its mind. It had no doubt on its weapons and skills, but these hunters were an unknown factor, at least until a battle between them commences.
The pair reached the outskirts of the city. The lower dredges of the city certainly took upon the title with pride. A landscape drowning in poverty and crime, its stench of rotting food and corpses. Its denizens housed in shambled buildings and broken pipes, using the scalding steam and its byproduct as heat for their homes and a source to cook the disease infested rodents that roam the streets. Characters of varying degrees of revolting stared at the pair, their malicious smirks piercing their bodies.
The Faunus could only walk forward, her eyes cast down. It would do no good to watch these people suffer, even more that they had begun staring at her, some even hiding themselves and their from her when she passed. The fear of guns was prominent, most likely the event of shootings. With such a hostile environment even inside their bastion, the fear of their own had reigned far more than Grimm.
The Tenno disregarded such stares with its cold and imposing stature. The frozen winds that followed clawed down their back to emphasize the threat it possessed. Power emanated from it and threatening such a being would result in death. Those that sensed it backed off, their instincts already crying to stop them from death. Those that didn't continued to follow.
"You notice them?" Layla's voice went low, a sharp edge within the shroud of a whisper. The Tenno gave a curt nod, not seemingly bothered by the fact they were being tailed. In truth, such common thugs would only lead them to more answers than questions. The sensors had gathered a strange similarity to them. Their shoulder were marked with crossed guns behind a wolf head. No doubt some sort of organization.
"What do we do?" She slowly unholstered the pistol, ready for a firefight to ensue, only for the Tenno to stop her. It gave a slight shake of the head and gestured her to keep moving. Layla raised a brow to show her confusion, but continued nonetheless. The pattern had been subtle at first, but even she figured out their plan after a few minutes.
Their original path to the upper districts stopped them at a building. Dull, brown, but intact. Their enemies stalked the shadow, thinking it would hide them from sight. They should have been aware of a Faunus' night vision, but...
She glanced towards the icy warrior, still stoic and calm. They were watching out for him then. Well, it would be best to humor them, thinking they were in control.
They entered the building, a white veil blocking their path to the bustling noise that was a nightclub. How peculiar. A place like this in a rundown part of the city? That'd just be begging to be questioned. However, the part that made it strange was the lack of any partygoers. Aside from the commonly dressed thugs that slowly walked from the shadow of curtains, others armed in armor and protective equipment showed up, their weapons trained on them already
They wielded weapons, the majority the crimson blades in their hands. A lack of variety perhaps? Maybe budget problems? Well, it really didn't matter for the Faunus. She had three guns and a belt full of explosives, plus the extra aid of her savior.
"So... You two were the newcomers my guys were whispering about? Can't say I'm all that impressed. A Faunus and some guy in a fancy white trenchcoat, one of 'em being armed to the teeth. You White Fang?" The person spoke with a rather backwards accent in a high screeching voice. Dressed quite opposite to his voice, the man wore a black suit with the match slacks and shoes. His head was shaved, showing the incredible shortness of his hair, and a round head just begging to be shot. The man didn't appear to have any weapons on him, so it would do well to take him out just in case he was of some importance.
Layla shot a look at the Tenno, a minuscule nod unnoticed by the audience. "How'd you know?"
"Easy. You're Faunus, you still wearin' their uniform, and you got one their rifles. Pretty standard spec for their troops. Ain't exactly subtle, but whatever.
"Word around was that the Fang was recruitin' people in the slums to sneak in the factories 'round here. Talkin' about sabotaging Schnee owned property to make a point. Payin' some hefty amounts of money too. Thing is, my boss wants in on the operation. The Fang's been going around his territory lately and he ain't feeling appreciated for lettin' 'em in here."
"Do you really think you can take them on? They got can easily come down here and tear you all apart." She kept her facade going, trying to recall the limited information she gathered about the Fang during her time in the organization. She was still nervous against all the guns trained at her. The tension was almost palpable for her, being mistaken as White Fang at the wrong place.
"Listen missy, the White Fang ain't got shit on what we got down here. They don't fucking know the ins and outs of this place, even with all their high tech shit. We got home advantage and they aren't the only bastards trying to fucking scare the hell out of Vale. Trust me, we got more men than what the Fang got and they ain't afraid to kill anyone, be it man or kid."
"What's in it for us then? We can't exactly rely on common thugs to do our missions."
"And you trust those desperate bastards out there? Fucking half em can't read or write, and they'll say anything to get money to buy booze. Us? We got eyes, ears, and a whole shit ton of connections around here. Schnee ain't gonna know who or what fucked up their factories, but if you Fang want the attention, you can have it."
"I'll think about it. Any name I can pass on to the higher ups?"
"Corvas. The name's Corvas. Your bosses should know what that means." He said, nodding to his men, their rifles lowered. "Now git! You scarin' the locals with your shit. Get a fucking better costume to keep you from gettin' arrested too. Vale don't take too kindly of Faunus already."
She nodded, leaving the building with the Tenno following shortly. Outside, she gave a huge sigh of relief, the tension in her body finally leaving. It was by mere luck that she kept everything from being spilled out. Those kinds of people scared her, even though she had the weapons. Their personalities were hard to deal with, especially with having the extra burden of lying in front of their face. Well, at least she has a plan when meeting other Fang members, hopefully they too will know what the importance of Corvas.
"Ugh, that was... Fun. You could've jumped in at anytime."
"Unnecessary. Your speech was believable enough and my lack of knowledge concerning the White Fang's operations, as well as my appearance, would make them question me. You look and act the part of their agents." It replied cooly, taking slight glances at the rooftops of the buildings. "You were in no danger whatsoever."
Thirty-three. A lacking amount of security. Perhaps more precautions regarding defense mechanisms. The vault is also a point of interest. A reminder of a potential target.
The two walked to their original path, the manipulation of the goons to specific destinations a filed memory. The setback had proven to a be a boon in opening up Vale's potential cesspool of agendas. The players were slowly being exposed to the Tenno, players that hold certain strings in the infrastructure of Vale. How it would utilize them is something for the future.
In the end, regardless of their agendas, the Tenno will always hold the final treasure in its hands.
Well, that's that. Factions ar opening up and I've got an itching for more of em. They'll be introduced slowly instead of getting hit fast and hard by multiple info dumps about them.
So did you like it, hate it, or would you like it to drown in a cesspool of rat corpses? Please review, it makes my soul happy.