Chapter 2: The Woman in Black
Sienna drove one of the trucks with one hand on the wheel and the other propping up her chin as she leaned against the open window. They had just finished dropping off the miners who wanted to go home. Some were bitter that they lost their jobs, but most were happy to see their former employer suffer retribution. A handful went as far as thanking Sienna for not killing anyone, as things have been hard enough without people calling faunus murderers. She let out a gentle sigh while the setting sun warmed her face as she continued to drive across the Vacuan desert.
I'm not the one they should be thanking, she thought as amber eyes flicked to the mysterious stranger sitting next to her in the passenger seat. The woman's attire was entirely black consisting of some kind of bodysuit with plates of solid metal armor covering her vitals. Her helmet covered her entire head and even the visor was too tinted to discern any features of the woman underneath. As if desperate to hide her features even further, she wore a long black hooded cloak that was large enough to wrap around her form, and even now the hood was still pulled up.
If nothing else, Sienna could tell the woman was deadly. She seemed to have a quiet demeanor, but that certainly did not make her shy. The woman who introduced herself as Violet was one who carried herself in a calculated manner, who preferred to remain silent to take in every little detail. The miners told her how the woman in black stormed the Dust mine—no, stormed was not the right word. She seemed barely a whisper as one by one the SDC security team fell. Unbelievably, they told her that she did so with her bare hands. Sienna's eyes scanned the woman's weapons, wondering why she was so heavily armed if she wasn't going to use them.
Maybe Ghira was right, she pondered as her eyes returned to the sands in front of them. She quickly perished the thought. No. Peaceful protests, rallies, and boycotts were not working. How could they get their message across if people could just turn a blind eye to their actions. They had to make themselves known. To give the humans no choice but to listen.
Amber eyes flicked to Violet again. The vigilante understood that, and was determined enough to raid that Dust mine all by herself. Without needing to kill a single person, Sienna thought. I called Adam a hero for killing that human supremacist and saving Ghira's life. Did he even stop to think that there was another way. Did I?
"How much further do we need to go?"
Sienna was snapped out of her thoughts by the sudden voice cutting through the silence. She looked to the woman in black, whose visor was turned to face her.
"Our camp isn't much further," the tiger-faunus assured. "We've been based out in Vacuo for a while now, but this raid was our last mission here. We'll be heading back to Menagerie to tell our High Leader the good news, come sunrise."
High Leader. So Sienna isn't the leader of this entire White Fang organization. There appears to be a hierarchy, Violet thought. "You're not driving all the way there, are you?" The Hunter said dryly.
Sienna laughed. Apparently what Violet said was funny. "We'll be chartering a ship."
Ah, so that's why she laughed. Violet looked at the driver, who looked back at her.
"Hey, don't give me that." Sienna rolled her eyes. "I don't know how much lien you think we make, but money is a little bit tight for us to be chartering airships. There's also a lot less air transport companies willing to accommodate criminals."
Lien is their currency, Violet took note of the new information. They have made technological advancements as far as air travel. By her own admission, the White Fang are indeed criminals. To be branded as criminals, there must be some sort of formal government or something equivalent.
"Should we be expecting any law coming after us?" Violet asked carefully.
Sienna looked at Violet curiously. It seems that she asked something odd. "You're not from around these parts, are you? That makes sense, considering your get-up. Are you from Atlas?"
Violet didn't answer.
The tiger-faunus shrugged. Her gear certainly looked the part, save for the all black color scheme. "If you're worried about your past, don't be." Sienna began. "We didn't all band together as the White Fang because we were prim and proper."
She waited to hear if Violet would open up. When she didn't, Sienna continued. "To answer your question, no, there won't be any law coming after us. Not exactly much law and order in Vacuo—well, unless you count the huntsmen."
It was subtle, but Sienna noticed the mysterious stranger tilt her head ever so slightly at that. "Are you worried about huntsmen for some reason?"
Huntsmen. Not exactly law enforcement, but something close enough. I certainly look the part of a Hunter, so she can't be referring to guardians. Just a coincidence then, Violet thought. She shook her head.
Sienna snickered. "Right," she drawled, not believing the woman in black.
Silence fell between them again, with only the hum of the truck and sand flying into its underbelly to fill it. Sienna's eyes flicked to Violet again. She looks incredibly trained. Maybe she's an ex-huntsman. Whatever the case, she definitely doesn't look like some small town crook, so she must have heard of us. She didn't seem to be in any rush to join the White Fang, despite her actions. I wonder why. "What have you heard about the White Fang?"
Violet glanced at Sienna, who was now facing forward again. She was trying to look nonchalant, but amber eyes that flicked back and forth betrayed her. "I've heard people say you're doing good work," she began, thinking earlier to when the miners were all saying their piece to her. "I've heard others do not want to be associated with murderers."
The tiger-faunus scoffed. "We're not murderers."
"Have the White Fang never killed anyone?" Violet asked.
Sienna didn't detect any judgment behind the question, yet she winced all the same. "Have you?" She flipped the question.
Violet didn't answer. Sienna tsked at the Hunter. There was silence between them again.
"It was him or us," Sienna finally said. "I will always choose us."
Violet looked to her side, where the tiger-faunus met her gaze. She looked resolved. The Hunter looked ahead again. "I won't judge."
By the time the convoy came to a full stop, the sun had already set. Violet got out of the truck, taking in a quick look of her surroundings as she did so. Behind them were the headlights of the other trucks catching up. Directly ahead of them was the camp, which consisted of multiple pitched tents and campfires to keep them warm against the desert night. People began coming out of the tents to welcome the raiding party home, but two in particular approached with purpose.
One was a fairly large man who at a glance looked like a human, which was odd, as she was not under the impression that humans were welcome amongst the White Fang. He was well built with broad shoulders, which gave his brown shirt no choice but to hug his form. He wore khaki pants that were tucked into military style boots to keep the sand out, and his hair was surprisingly clean cut for one in the desert. His most noticeable trait were the large sideburns he purposefully grew out that were just shy of being full blown mutton chops. Even under the cover of night, Violet was perceptive enough to notice the cracked skin of his fingertips, as if he was prone to scratching.
The other was a teenager, though surprisingly tall for his age. While everyone else in the camp walked around without those intimidating masks, the boy chose to keep his on—unless this was supposed to be some sort of punishment. However, judging by the way he strutted, that couldn't be the case. He had fiery red, swept back hair and poking out from it were a set of bull horns that curled back similarly. He wore a red shirt with black trim that complemented his hair and black pants and shoes that did little to protect him from the sand. At his hip was a straight sword that was reminiscent of the Tower's lightweight frame swords. Peculiarly, the sword in its sheath had the silhouette of a rifle. It even had a trigger, magazine, and ejection port. And the boy was stomping straight towards her.
Fortunately, Sienna quickly intercepted the boy. They began to have a hushed conversation, though the quiet night did little to cover for them.
"Who is that?" the boy almost growled.
The tiger-faunus clearly didn't appreciate the tone. "Violet Wei. She's responsible for today's successful raid."
"Why didn't I hear about a new member?" The boy looked past Sienna's shoulder and straight at Violet. He obviously did not care whether or not she heard.
"She's not a member," Sienna admitted. "Not yet, anyway." She added, quieter.
When the boy tried to push past her, Sienna stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Be respectful," she commanded.
The redhead stared her down, but Sienna glared in return. After a moment, the boy relented and took a single step back. The large man on the other hand approached with far less attitude. The tiger-faunus did not stop him.
"I hear you're the one we have to thank for today's raid going off without a hitch," the man greeted loudly. "Welcome! Name's Tukson." The man stretched out a large hand.
Violet noticed how he was purposefully welcoming her so loudly and heartily. Sienna looked grateful. She gripped his palm in a firm handshake. "Violet Wei."
Tukson offered a big smile as he turned to the camp. "Let's get meals ready!" He turned back to face Violet. "We had a big feast planned to celebrate the success and get our guys' energy back up. Because of you they didn't get to burn any calories," he joked. "We'll still get to celebrate though."
Violet looked past the large man, watching Sienna walk further into the camp as a small crowd began following her. It seemed like a lot of people needed her attention.
Tukson noticed Violet looking away and followed her gaze. Realizing who it was she was staring at, he laughed. "She's a heartbreaker, you know." He watched the Hunter's shoulders jump up a single time before she began walking into the camp. Was that a laugh? He thought to himself as he followed.
Violet studied the camp as she slowly walked through. Looking at the wear of some of their equipment laying around, she could tell that Sienna was not lying when she said they've been here for a while. Even so, from the way everything was positioned, the fold-out tables and chairs, and more, this was all temporary. If needed, they could collapse everything and be on their way in minutes. She made her way to one of the tables and took a seat, continuing to carefully watch her surroundings. A few of the White Fang approached, but no more than to give polite greetings. Most seemed to steer clear of her.
"I think you're scaring them," Yewan noted from within her helmet.
"Hmm," Violet hummed.
She watched their cooks prepare crab-like creatures at their station. They made no effort to get all the particles of sand off. It would have been impossible anyway. Some cuts were prepared as steaks, while other parts were minced.
Tukson sat in the seat across from her, pulling Violet's attention. She wasn't expecting anyone to actually sit down with her. "Dinner will be ready soon. Hope you're hungry."
"I'm not," The Hunter said. It was the truth. Even if she was hungry, guardians could go without eating far longer than a non-Lightbearer could. Not to mention that they could also be revived if they did happen to starve to death, though that was obviously not ideal. However, she found herself in a different predicament. Eating would require her to take her helmet off. And doing so would reveal that she's human. She looked at the man across from her curiously.
"It's a celebration, just—"
"Can I ask you a question?" Violet said abruptly, cutting Tukson off.
Tukson paused before his lips curled into a somewhat deflated smile. "Am I a faunus?"
Violet nodded slowly. "I hope I didn't offend."
The man just shook his head with a soft sigh. "I get it all the time."
He raised a hand and flexed his fingers, showing off his retractable claws with a flex of his fingers. "My traits aren't as noticeable as other faunus. It leads to some…resentment." Tukson nodded solemnly. "Some of the others hate that I'm human-passing. But I'm just as much faunus as everyone else," he said bitterly.
Violet listened respectfully.
When she didn't say anything, Tukson laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to air out my dirty laundry like that."
The Hunter raised a palm to stop him from apologizing further. "Think nothing of it. Thank you for telling me."
The puma-faunus smiled gratefully. "Is it okay if I ask you a question, too?"
Violet nodded.
Before Tukson could ask his question, someone called for his name. "Yeah, coming!" he called back. He smiled apologetically before taking his leave.
It wasn't long before everyone began walking up to pick up their own plates of food and finding seats among their comrades. A community, even out here in the cold desert, Violet thought to herself. There are probably communities like this all over the Last City.
"You sometimes wish you could have had moments like this, right?" Yewan gleaned as he watched his guardian scan the camp. He knew her better than anyone. It was only natural. They've been together since her first resurrection centuries ago.
Violet felt a nudge on her shoulder and looked to her side, finding Sienna looking down at her with a sultry smile and a plate of food in each hand. "Hey, hero." She sat in the seat next to her, followed by Tukson returning to the seat across. The Hunter was surprised. Even if she was caught up in her thoughts, she was usually perceptive enough to hear someone walk up behind her. Either she was that distracted, or Sienna was more skilled than she thought. What was more surprising was the company.
"You didn't think I would ask you to join us tonight and then leave you out in the cold, did you?" Sienna slid the plate in front of the woman in black, that same smile lingering.
"I didn't think someone so important would have time for me." Violet recalled how the tiger-faunus was swarmed by people as she returned to the camp.
"I didn't take you for a flirt." Sienna's laugh colored her voice as she cut into the mole crab steak.
"Well, go on. Don't let it get cold." Tukson gestured to the plate in front of her as he spoke through a mouthful of food.
"I'm not hungry," Violet said as she looked down at the plate in front of her. She could probably lie and say that her faunus trait was not immediately apparent, like Tukson.
She played back the conversation with Tukson in her head. I'm just as much faunus as everyone else. Something she certainly was not. When she didn't hear a response, Violet raised her head to see the two looking at her sympathetically.
"I don't know where you came from, but you're with kin here. You don't have to hide yourself," Sienna reassured, placing a hand on the Hunter's shoulder.
They think I'm kin, she thought, feeling a pang of guilt. I shouldn't have come with them. This became more difficult than I thought.
"Maybe she's not kin," a voice called loudly over the camp. Voices died down and heads turned to the source, where a red-headed bull-faunus proudly stood in the center. "Have any of you even seen her with that helmet off?" The teenager began walking over to their table.
"Adam," Sienna said cautiously, eyes narrowing in annoyance.
"There's probably a human under there," the boy scoffed, stopping in front of their table. "How do we know she isn't a spy?"
Sienna stood up, meeting the boy in kind. "What kind of spy stops an entire SDC mining operation single-handedly?" Her demeanor shifted from annoyed to furious as she glared at the boy.
"The kind that needs a good cover story," Adam said placidly, meeting her icy gaze. "Don't you think it's a little convenient that on the day of the raid—one we have been planning for weeks—a mysterious stranger comes along right before you arrive?" He looked to his left and right as his fellow White Fang. "Without a single SDC casualty at that. I bet she's working for them."
Violet scanned the camp once more, looking at the faces of the White Fang. Adam's words were getting to them. Most now looked uncertain. The ones that were uncertain to begin with felt their anxieties being affirmed. Those ones began to regard her as an intruder, as they tensed up and idled their hands near their weapons. If I had to fight all of them at once, I'm not so sure I could make it out of here in one piece without accidentally killing some, she thought about the potential threat.
Sienna tsked. "Or maybe she's actually strong enough to hold back. Unlike someone." She stood in front of Adam with her arms crossed.
Adam's face twitched at that. However, that wasn't enough to dispel the doubt from the others. Despite Sienna standing between them, Adam looked past her right at Violet. "Take the helmet off. Prove to everyone that you're one of us."
"She doesn't need to prove anything." Tukson stood up as well, his face almost twisting into a rage. The way he said it reminded Violet of their last conversation. He's probably had to defend himself like this time and time again. It was too bad he didn't know that he was defending a human.
Sienna placed a hand against the boy's chest and shoved him back. Adam certainly looked strong enough to stand his ground, but the bull-faunus was forced to take a step back. Apparently Sienna was stronger than she looked. "Need I remind you that I am lieutenant to the High Leader, not you," she hissed.
Lieutenant to the High Leader. So she's the second-in-command of the White Fang.
"Violet Wei is here as my guest. Stand down." Sienna's narrowed eyes glanced from Adam to the others that seemed to be standing with him. "All of you."
Adam rebelliously met her glare for a few more seconds before relenting, stomping off to a tent. When he did, the other White Fang members seemed to deflate too, and eventually all returned to their meals. Conversations around the camp slowly picked back up, but there was a soured energy about.
Sienna let out a tired sigh as she sat back down with Tukson joining them again. "I'm sorry about that. I know what I said before, but it's probably too difficult to take the helmet off now, huh?" The tiger-faunus looked at Violet apologetically.
"It's fine." Violet waved off the apology, sliding her plate across the table to Tukson. "Here. You look big enough to eat for two."
"You calling me fat?" He smirked, but accepted the plate all the same.
Sienna laughed.
"Adam seems nice," Violet said dryly. The boy certainly had a strong personality. Teenagers with strong personalities and something to fight for was a recipe for trouble.
"He's a strong kid." Sienna snickered. "Much stronger than someone that age ought to be. But a tough life forced it on him."
He's the only one still wearing a mask in the camp, Violet noted. I wonder if that has something to do with it.
"Don't get soft on him now," Tukson wagged a finger. "Everyone here's got a story, including you and me."
"Please," she drawled as she rolled her eyes. "He's strong, but he's still young and foolish. There's hardly anyone who fights for the White Fang as hard as him, but that makes him overzealous at times."
"He's downright itching to kill, Sienna. If he had it his way, heads would be flying," Tukson warned. "He's only gotten more daring ever since you defended him from Ghira."
"Make no mistake, Tukson." Sienna's eyes narrowed at the man across from them. "We need that boy. If all of you were half as good fighters as him, our cause would be much further along."
Tukson's throat tightened at that. He let out a slow breath as he backed down with a nod.
Sienna stared him down before deflating with a sigh. "The kid just needs to be tempered." She looked at Violet. "I'm sure he could learn a thing or two from you, if you stick around."
It almost made Violet accept, with how hopeful the tiger-faunus looked. Alas, she shook her head. "I'm afraid that I am predisposed."
Sienna stared into the visor, hoping for any inkling of her expression—to gain any kind of insight about the mysterious stranger. Instead, she was greeted only by her own reflection. "Just think about it, okay? If you ever change your mind, come find us at Menagerie."
Violet nodded.
The night finally came to a close as the White Fang packed away everything into the convoy to prepare for their leave in the morning—save for their tents. Violet offered her help, though she was either politely declined or regarded warily.
Sienna ordered some of her men to pitch up an additional tent for Violet. Despite her protests, the White Fang leader insisted that it was the least they could do. The Hunter chose not to argue further. The White Fang retreated to their respective tents and Violet followed in kind. There was the occasional whisper and the rustle of shifting bodies in sleeping bags, but otherwise she found herself alone on another quiet night. Well, not quite alone.
"This was an interesting experience," Yewan said, remaining out of sight.
"What do you make of the White Fang?" Violet whispered as she sat on top of the sleeping bag provided for her, twirling her hand cannon on her index finger to pass the time.
"From the sound of it, they're a group of people being discriminated against by the humans of this world—though they didn't seem particularly fond of humans either when they suspected you of being one," Yewan said evenly before taking a more sympathetic tone. "From what we heard, they've been taking violent forms of protest in response to this discrimination. Who could blame them? We've seen guardians react just as poorly for far less."
Violet gave Whisper one last twirl before gripping the handle solidly, making out the familiar silhouette of the weapon in the dark. "It's a shame, really," she mumbled. "But it's not our fight. We still have a job to do."
I would have liked to get to know Sienna more, Violet admitted to herself. It was rare when someone interested her so much. Unfortunately, her line of work didn't allow many opportunities to develop any kinds of personal relationships. Hopefully our paths get to cross in the future, she found herself thinking.
An hour must have passed, but Violet remained unmoving from where she first sat. Guardians could go a long time without sleeping if need be, though most liked to. Hunters in general tended to be rather restless and had a reputation for being insomniacs. The Hidden often had to go nights on end without sleep. A poor combination for Violet when she found the scarce opportunity for rest. It didn't help that she felt on edge from some of the White Fang members' attitudes about her. The last thing she needed was her sleep being interrupted from some intruder who thought they could get the drop on her.
Violet stood up and holstered the hand cannon. Might as well scout, she thought as she pushed apart the tent flaps and exited. The air still faintly smelled of charcoal, and the moonlight did little to illuminate the camp. She scanned her surroundings, finding a single silhouette of a man standing atop one of the trucks. It was too dark to make out any discernible features, but from the build, she could tell Tukson was taking the night watch. The Hunter carefully made her way to the vehicle, being perfectly silent more out of habit than anything. By the time she reached the truck, Tukson was still looking to the horizon.
"Good evening," Violet greeted, mildly amused when the man almost jumped in shock.
The puma-faunus turned to see the woman in black standing beneath him, seemingly able to see her perfectly fine despite the dark. "Violet? Damn near gave me a heart attack." He shook his head, though his tone held no animosity. Tukson took a step to the side before sitting on top of the roof of the truck, making enough space for her to join him.
Violet casually jumped up without so much as making a sound. Tukson let out a slow whistle, impressed. The Hunter unslung Patience and Time from her shoulder, taking a seat next to the large man as she rested the sniper rifle in her lap. The two looked forward into the night, as the cool air whistled past them to fill the comfortable silence.
"Can't sleep?" Tukson finally broke the silence.
"Not usually, no," Violet said evenly. "You were put on guard duty?"
Tukson nodded as he pointed to his eyes. "Yeah. I have better night vision than most of our guys and it's our last night, so better me, y'know?"
Judging by the way he said that, most if not all faunus can see in the dark. Good to know, Violet thought as she hummed to herself.
"Can you see in the dark?" he asked curiously.
"I've trained to be more perceptive than most, especially in the dark." Violet began. "But no, I don't have night vision," she admitted carefully.
"Hmm." Tukson nodded his head, seemingly not paying it much mind.
Not all faunus have night vision then, Violet confirmed.
"I've been meaning to ask you about that." The puma-faunus nodded towards the rifle in her lap. "Your weapons don't look like they transform. Is there a reason for that?"
I thought that weapon of Adam's was pretty strange. I guess it was a transforming weapon. Sounds like they're commonplace around here. But those guards from earlier were using rifles that certainly didn't look like they were supposed to transform into anything. Perhaps that was just the difference between custom weapons and mass-produced ones. At least non-transforming weapons aren't unheard of.
"They're good for what I do," she said as she picked up her rifle and casually brought it to her shoulder with her finger off the trigger. "I'm on the move very often, so the less moving parts I have to worry about, the better."
Tukson nodded in understanding. "I guess that makes sense. But what about the armor?"
"What about it?" Violet frowned.
"You already have your aura, right?"
Aura. If he's asking why I have armor when I already have aura, then aura must be some kind of protection. That must be the shields that I faced yesterday. If none of them are Lightbearers, I have to find out what its source is.
"What's your plan for when that aura breaks?" Violet posed a question back.
"Hmm," Tukson hummed. "I guess I never thought about that before."
"It's probably good enough for most people." The Hunter shrugged.
"And you're not most people." Tukson smirked. When he didn't receive a response, he chuckled to himself.
The conversation died down after that and they soon fell into a silence between them. After they stopped talking, Violet watched Tukson slowly begin to shift uncomfortably, as if their conversation was a nice reprieve from something else.
"Is something on your mind?" the Hunter asked.
"No." The man shook his head at first. "Well, yes." He quickly amended. "Did you feel the energy of the camp by the end of the night?"
"I suppose," Violet said evenly, unsure of what he was trying to say. "It wasn't pleasant."
"Exactly." Tukson eyed the area warily. "Nights like this, we have to be extra careful for Grimm."
Grimm? By the sounds of it, it is dangerous enough to put Tukson on edge. Apparently the emotions of the camp have something to do with Grimm.
"How often do you have to deal with Grimm all the way out here?" Violet prodded.
"Not too often," he said as he kept a watchful eye to their surroundings. "Every now and then we get a Beowolf. Most we've had to deal with was a small pack. They're usually attracted to the more populated areas where the huntsmen deal with them. But I just have a bad feeling about tonight," Tukson mumbled.
Grimm sounds like a catch-all term then. A Beowolf refers to a specific kind of Grimm. They can't be the wildlife of this area. If they were, surely Tukson would have mentioned the crabs they ate for dinner. They don't sound intelligent by the way Tukson refers to them moving in packs. And they seem to be attracted to large groups of people—particularly negative emotions, if his comments about the camp's attitude is anything to go by.
"Your bad feeling probably isn't helping," Violet said calmly.
"Can't help it," Tukson said with an anxious smile.
Something seemed to catch his eye as he stood up, focusing his attention somewhere in the sand. Violet did the same, slinging the sniper around her shoulder again as her hand lingered near her holster instead. The Hunter took a careful step forward, peering into the sand where Tukson was staring.
"Centinels," Tukson muttered. "Every—"
A loud screech reverberated through the air as a large black centipede-like creature erupted from the sand, snapping its pincers towards the puma-faunus. Violet swiftly drew her hand cannon, slinging a large-bore round into the monster with a single pull of the trigger. The bullet smashed through the bony plate on the creature's face as an explosion of bright green blood splattered against the sand from the exit wound.
Violet peered at the blood that splattered against the sand with an audible hiss. It's acid, she noted to herself. Even more disturbing was how the body began to disapparate into the air, leaving nothing behind.
The sound of her gunshot echoed against the quiet desert night before the two observed the sands beneath them begin to quake.
"We got Grimm! Everybody up!" Tukson's voice boomed.
More of the Centinels jumped from the sands, earning more shots from Whisper as Tukson jumped down from the truck towards the camp, where more of the centipede creatures burrowed in.
"What are these things?" Violet muttered as she reloaded Whisper, kicking another Centinel that leapt at her. The giant centipede bounced against the sands before hurriedly burrowing back into safety.
"Darkness," Yewan noted ominously. "I can feel it from them, Violet. They are nothing but Darkness. We have to report this to Ikora."
"Still working on that," the Hunter said as she fired at a Centinel that began making its way further into the camp while ducking under another that leapt at her. She slid off the roof, conjuring enough Light into her palm to create a knife.
"Be careful how much Light you use," Yewan cautioned. "Being this far away from the Traveler makes it harder to empower yourself as much."
"Got it." Violet confirmed as she surveyed the camp turned battlefield. Tukson was shouting up a storm as he used his claws to pull a Centinel away from the tents, buying his sleeping companions enough time to gather their senses and pull themselves into fighting shape.
As another Centinel leapt towards an unguarded tent, the Hunter deftly raised the Whisper once more, ending the creature in a single shot. She watched Sienna exit the tent with her weapon in hand, who turned her head to the source of the gunshot to find the woman in black. They acknowledged each other with a nod before returning to the battle once more.
Violet and the White Fang continued to put down the Grimm by the droves, but their numbers were beginning to seem endless as more and more continued to dive out of the sands. "Is there no end to them?" The Hunter shouted over the battle.
"For what Centinels lack in strength, they make up for in numbers!" Sienna called back, vivisecting three at a time with a crack of her whip. "But with this many, there's no doubt there's a—"
An audible rumble came from the center of the camp as the combat continued. Violet threw her knife at another giant centipede that snapped its jaws towards a White Fang member before looking to the lieutenant. The tiger-faunus grimaced before shouting a warning to the rest of her team. "Cenitaur!"
Sand bursted from the center of the camp as a massive insectoid creature pulled itself up to the surface with arm blades like that of a mantis. Its head had a bony plate that was reminiscent of a skull, and it was then that Violet realized that the White Fang masks were supposed to resemble these so-called Grimm. With its mantis-like arms, the alpha pulled out the rest of its form, revealing a long segmented black body that was protected by more bony plates on its back, and a bloated green undercarriage that housed more of the bright green acid that its non-alpha counterparts bled. To the collective horror of the White Fang, a second climbed out right after it.
Sienna cursed to herself before shouting a new order to her subordinates. "We leave now! Everyone, to the convoy!"
The White Fang members began scrambling to the trucks, fighting off any Centinels that jumped in their way. Even so, Violet noticed that it was Sienna and Adam who were taking the lion's share of the kills. The Hunter continued to fight off the Grimm, dumping round after round of Whisper into any Centinel that approached the fleeing White Fang. That only worked so long before she heard a grotesque roar, allowing Violet to turn just in time to see a blade swiping right at her throat. The armblade of the Cenitaur connected with her shield with enough force to lift her off her feet and crash into the sand.
Violet landed on her back as the alpha stepped over her, stabbing its armblades down towards her head. She moved her head out of the way to avoid the stabs before acrobatically rolling away from the giant monster, drawing her sword as she landed on two feet.
"Everyone's in. Hurry, Sienna!" Adam called out from one of the trucks before beginning to drive off, following the rest of the pack.
All that was left was a single truck, Violet, Sienna, and the Grimm. The tiger-faunus began running for the vehicle now that she knew the others had made it out, only for the other Cenitaur to hurry its pace after her. Knowing she wouldn't be able to outrun the Grimm, Sienna turned to face the alpha once more, cracking her weapon at the monster which defended itself with its armblades.
"Shit," Violet cursed as she deflected the attacks from the Cenitaur in front of her with Quickfang. With her free hand, the Hunter focused Arc Light until she was able to grip a Flashbang Grenade in her palm. "Sienna, close your eyes!"
The Hunter threw the grenade between the two Cenitaurs where it landed softly in the sand. Sienna quickly understood the situation and ducked underneath an attack before turning her head away from the grenade. With a loud boom and a flash of light, the two Cenitaurs stumbled about, screeching in confusion. Violet quickly ran towards Sienna, picking her up to her feet before ushering her to the truck. "Get out of here!"
"What about you?" the tiger-faunus asked as she climbed into the driver's seat of the truck.
"Don't you have people to lead? I'll take care of this," Violet said as she quickly turned around, drawing Whisper from her hip and fanning bullets into the approaching Centinels. The Hunter turned to face Sienna again, who stared back at her with an exasperated expression. Violet had to admit—she found it rather amusing. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
Sienna felt her throat tighten before swallowing with a nod. She revved the engine and took off. Violet turned to face the hoard of Grimm with Whisper in her right hand and Quickfang in her left. The two Cenitaurs came out of their daze with low growls.
"Vicious bastards," Violet almost growled herself, firing a round from Whisper at each of the alphas. To her surprise, they both deflected the bullets with their armblades before the two came rushing towards the Hunter, their multitude of legs appearing as a blur. She bobbed and weaved out of the way from the Centinels that kept leaping at her from beneath the sands, cutting them down with Quickfang as they passed. Their acidic blood rained against her shield, slowly but surely whittling at her defenses. She dodged out of the way as one of the Cenitaurs stabbed into the sand where she once stood, while the other darted right past her and after the truck.
"You have got to be kidding me!" She pointed Whisper at the back of the chasing Cenitaur, only to have it knocked out of her hand by the alpha in front of her.
The chasing Cenitaur made a horrible gurgling noise as it reeled its head back before hocking a massive glob of acid at the truck. Violet watched the bright green liquid melt into the metal as the silhouette of Sienna threw open the driver's side door, abandoning the inoperable vehicle.
"I've had enough!" Violet shouted, annoyed that she failed at allowing Sienna to escape with the rest of the White Fang. She felt her blood begin to boil as an overwhelming heat emerged from within, channeling Solar Light throughout her body until the heat traveled all the way to her fingertips. Violet thrust herself twenty feet into the air, her Light manifesting itself into a series of knives between her fingers. With a flourish, she threw the knives into the Grimm beneath her, where they exploded into brilliant cinders and left nothing in her wake. For a moment, Violet's Light made the night of the desert seem like the sun itself had risen.
Violet landed on her feet, until she felt one of her knees begin to buckle beneath her weight. The Hunter fell to one knee, frowning as she gently panted, feeling more exhausted than she should have.
"Channeling that much Light this far from the Traveler is a much more difficult endeavor. You'll have to be more conservative than usual," Yewan reminded his guardian.
Violet heard gentle footsteps against the sand approach. Raising her head, she found Sienna walking towards her, looking left and right with her hand on her weapon. Seemingly satisfied that there was nothing left, the tiger-faunus relaxed and knelt next to the Hunter. "That's some semblance," she said, impressed.
The guards from earlier mentioned some of the White Fang having semblances. Looks like I was correct in assuming they're abilities of some kind, Violet confirmed. She steadied her breath before turning her head towards the White Fang leader, who looked back at her with a mix of awe and concern. "Are you okay?" Violet asked.
She seemed to have caught Sienna in a stunned silence again as she gave an exasperated scoff before chuckling. "After all that, you're going to ask me if I'm alright?" The tiger-faunus stood up and stretched out her arms, giving a slow spin. "As you can see, I am quite alright."
"I'm glad." Violet stood up as she felt her strength return to her. "At least I didn't completely fail."
"Are you trying to make me mad?" Sienna crossed her arms, though there was no real animosity behind her words. "We all made it out in one piece thanks to you. Most of my guys can't handle even one Cenitaur, much less two. We're in your debt twice over now."
The Hunter waved it off. "Don't worry about it.."
"Do you normally go out of your way without expecting anything in return?" The tiger-faunus looked up at Violet quizzically. It was now that she realized that the woman in black stood about two inches taller than her. Tall, she thought to herself, who stood over most at six feet.
"Only for people I like." Violet joked, walking over to where Whisper landed and picked it up from the sand.
"You like Ikora plenty, but you still expect to get paid," Yewan teased from within her helmet.
Sienna felt the corners of her lips curling up into a small smile. She couldn't remember the last time she had a friendly conversation with anyone. As of late, it has been all business as Ghira's lieutenant. It was a nice change of pace.
The two slowly walked back through the remains of the abandoned camp, where they began to sift through the debris and shredded tarp. "So what are we looking for exactly?" Violet asked, helping Sienna without having given it much thought.
"For any surviving tents and sleeping bags. I don't know if you noticed, but our ride has melted in two." Sienna sighed as she pulled up a tarp from the sand, only to find a gaping hole in it from the acid. The tiger-faunus dropped the tarp before standing up and walking over to Violet, who met her in turn. She pulled a flat object out of her pocket and held it between both of her hands before pulling them apart, extending the object into a small tablet. The panel in the middle illuminated Sienna's face as she tapped the screen a few times before shifting next to Violet for them to both get a view of the map of Vacuo.
"We're here right now." She pointed to the middle of the eastern part of the Vacuan desert. "We need to go to the southern port to catch a ship to Menagerie." She shifted her finger southeast of their current location to a point on the coast. "And on foot, that'll take us almost two weeks." Sienna grumbled.
"Looks like pre-Golden Age tech. Reminds me of smartphones from our databases." Yewan observed.
"Us?" Violet smirked behind the helmet.
Sienna paused before an awkward laugh escaped her. "Right. We were going to go our own ways in the morning before all this happened, weren't we?"
Violet chuckled. "Do you think so poorly of me that I would leave you to travel the desert all by yourself?"
"You…you would spend two weeks trudging through the desert with me?" Sienna slowly said in disbelief.
"Hmm," Violet hummed. "I don't know about two weeks." She began in a teasing tone. "Why don't you come with me for a day? I have a…vehicle that will get you there a lot faster."
"You had a personal vehicle this whole time? Why didn't you take it?" Sienna frowned.
"I left it quite some distance from the mine. It would have been inconvenient to go get it when you invited me to join you." And I wasn't sure how advanced this planet was, Violet added in her head.
Sienna seemed to consider her words before slowly nodding. "Then I'll take you up on your offer."
