V3E11: Calling Bluff, Gambling with Life


"Come on, Come on!"

Hope began to tap his scroll's screen frustratedly. Ever since Vale's walls fell silent, signal had become hard to come by. Hope knew that the CCT tower was still up because he could get signal, meaning it must be on the fritz due to the virus. His frustration gave way to worry. Without the CCT tower, no one could communicate or coordinate to keep Vale's innocent out of harm's way. Hopefully, the old fashion way would suffice.

He just hoped that nothing insurmountable happened to Ironwood or Glynda.

It really didn't help that the Honourbound was causing such a ruckus, its guns are thankfully offline but it's still worrying to see it so close to the ground. Hope could easily imagine the catastrophic damage it would incur if it were to crash land in Vale City.

Roman, you better not fuck this up.

Hope spotted a lone beowolf eating from a corpse, the carcass so mangled and disfigured that he had no clue whether or not it was male or female. Hope blasted its head off with a quick, contemptuous flick of his pistol. He continued, walking past the smoking body of humanity's nemesis. This pattern repeated more than enough for Hope's patience to wear thin. More deads to avenge, more monsters to eradicate, more monsters eradicated. The only thing keeping him from falling apart being Satan's Pride was beginning to become redundant, the effect of his wounds coming through despite the ignored pain. he felt his aim wander after every shot and his strength leave him little by little.

Was my gun always this heavy?

A sudden crash nearby frightened him, making him jolt in place. He heard feminine whimpering coming from the same location the crashing sound came from. A cold breeze hit his entire body and a sense of foreboding overcame him. He sighed nervously, knowing something was up.

A small jaunt over the rubbles of what was once a Mistrali tea parlour revealed a sight of complete carnage, one featuring familiar characters. Team BRNZ layed in a pool of their own blood and gore, each torn apart in uniquely gruesome ways. Nolan was bisected at the waist, his legs quite a ways away from his torso with his guts stretching the length of the separation. Roy bled out from his jagged maw crushed legs, resembling mangled meat produced by a sloppy butcher. Brawns was missing half of his ribcage and his left arm, his eyes empty of any light and the last of his tears draining away as he stared at his doomed lover.

Lastly was May Zedong, whose execution was already underway.

She begged and cried as the lone Grimm who decimated her entire team held a finger over her left eye. She screamed like a maimed dog as the monstrous being drove its entire claw into her eye socket, shaking and waving it until the eye turned almost liquid. The tortured sensory organ sloughed out of its receptacle as the beast sneered contemptuously, devoid of any true sense of sadism.

It looked utterly disinterested.

The monster sighed as it tossed May aside like garbage. BRNZ's sniper crumpled into the fetal position, clasping her empty socket shut while screaming in agony. The monster stood over its last victim, wincing at how loud and annoying this... pathetic creature was. None of them fought back properly, a token defence, sure, but nothing out of expectation. Every being will fight for their lives but these... worthless larvae would give up as soon as they felt the cold bite of mortality. None clung to life with tooth and nails, none had the drive to fight their impending doom.

None, save... Him...

The beast raised its clawed hand lazily, intent on separating the head from that weeping mess's shoulders.

Suddenly, a metallic click was heard.

The Grimm dodged, throwing its entire frame to the side in a sloppy roll. On all fours, the Grimm's head shot up, more startled than actually aggressive. But then, a familiar scent hit its nostrils. Its eyes locked to the tattered frame of the one who decimated it, so little ago.

Hope stood firm in his shooting position, one arm behind his back as he levelled his gun at a familiar broken face. Before him stood what may have once been an alpha Beowulf. 'Been' being the imperative word Hope would use, as its form changed when compared to their last meeting. Its previous hunch so common to its brethren was gone, replaced by a broad, towering straight back. its legs looked strangely deformed, as if in the middle of changing shape, the same applying to its claws. But what was stranger was its mask. It remained one of an elder Beowulf but it was cracked all over, bony protrusions and curious tendrils pocking through the cracks.

The mutating aberration rose to its full height, its sharp eyes on only Hope.

"You..." the dark beast's primal vocal cords warbled.

Hope's eyes widened.

Fuck?

Its red and yellow eyes scanned him, narrowing critically. it began pacing around Hope in circles, completely ignoring the girl he just maimed. It kept sniffing the air, as if memorizing the aroma that lingered around him. Hope kept his gun trained on it, not moving one step despite his own astonishment at the situation.

"I remember you." It snorted like a dog. "You tore me open with a blade most keen."

It stroked its stomach, a small scar-like seem ran up from groin to rib.

"Yet I do not see it."

The beast suddenly appeared in front of He Called Hope, taking him by surprise. Hope reflexively went to shoot at the beast, his gun's barrel hovering right over the monster's heart. However, Hope, strangely, didn't feel any ill will coming from the mutating mass of shadows.

"Where is your Shatterslash, my prey?"

Hope felt sweat drip from his back.

"Lot more talkative since last time." Hope quipped. "You're awfully polite for an omnicidal aberration."

The beast blinked impassively, waiting for an answer to its question.

"I don't have it on me."

"I... See." The beast mumbled, almost sounding glad.

The beast came close, looking him eye to eye. It craned its head around Hope's head, ingraining every little detail of his face and head into its alien psyche. It stood tall, its full height easily around 8 feet tall.

"What are you?" It asked quizzically. "You are no fearful larvae, no greedy cockroach, nor hateful wretch. If none like them, then what?"

Hope glared defiantly, expecting a fight to break out once the beast responds to his answer.

"I am Hope, the man who will return your queen to the fucking soil!"

The beast tilted its head.

"Hope... I do not know what it means, only that I am meant to revel in tearing it apart. Yet... I cannot help but admire you... Yes... A fitting name. Incomprehensible... But admirable."

The beast backed away, to Hope's confusion. The beast turned its back and left, confusing him further.

"We are both broken." The beast admitted disdainfully. "Once we are whole, let us tear each other apart on the gore-ladened fields of war."

The beast's shadow lengthened as it disappeared into the ruined street.

"Let us meet once more, Hope, and I will teach you Despair..."

Hope held his breath, still standing and aiming at the talking beast's shadow. Once the sound of steps disappeared, Hope was left alone with nothing to hear but the whimpering breath of the maimed student. He holstered his arm, letting out a sigh.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," he complained. "They fucking talk now?"

He backed away toward May, hand on his hip and ready to pull his gun back out at any moment. He went on one knee and inspected the damage, sighing sadly. Her eye was completely gone, of course, but there was a large gash on her thigh. Thankfully, the wound wasn't pissing blood, meaning the artery wasn't hit. Hope breathed a sigh of relief.

"Monster's gone." He said confidently. "You're safe."

May's body loosened, her sobs quieting. Hope laid her flat on her back, lifting her head and gently cradling her upper torso.

"I got you, May."

She panted heavily, her now singular eye pouring tears like a broken faucet.

"Is the monster really gone?" She asked, her voice tiny and fragile from all the screaming.

"Yeah. It's not here anymore."

Hope heard a sudden exclamation of shock, frightening him into pulling out his gun.

"WHO GOES?!" Hope demanded to know.

A yellow tail poked above the rubble, waving stiffly. Hope dropped his aim, looking annoyed.

"Sun, you fucking pillock."

Sun's head slowly rose above the rubble, holding his arms up with a stupid look of exaggerated fear on his face.

"Don't shoot! I'm too handsome to die yet!"

Hope let out a deep sigh.

"You're lucky I'm falling apart, otherwise I might have shot your tail off."

Sun gasped, hugging his tail.

"You wouldn't!" He whispered loudly.

The mirthful atmosphere immediately dropped once Sun's eyes lay beyond Hope.

"Oh... Shit." he cursed quietly.

Hope heard three more sets of steps coming their way. soon enough, the rest of Sun's posse appeared behind him. Scarlet stomped forward, looking very frustrated.

"Sun!" Scarlet yelled angrily. "We are in an emergency! Why the heck would you go ahead and-"

Scarlet steps slowed down.

"And..." he repeated absentmindedly, his eyes watering.

Neptune and Sage caught up to their furious companion.

"Slow down, dammit!" Neptune complained. "I know Sun chaps your butt crack but do you really have to-"

Sage held Neptune's mouth shut, having seen what was left of BRNZ before Neptune. The sea god struggled until he too witnessed the carnage. Scarlet hid his paled face with one hand, looking like he was about to cry and vomit at the same time. The rest of his team wasn't doing well either.

"Shit..." Neptune muttered.

"What... Happened?" Sage asked hesitantly, hoping for as few details as possible.

Hope looked down with a lidded stare.

"Too late."

He rose to his full height, a determined look on his face. In his arms, May breathed heavily.

"But not for her."

Sun slapped his face a few times to pep himself up, letting out a deep, stressed breath.

"OK!" He yelled to himself. "We can't let May die, at least!"

Neptune and Sage nodded, the former looking to his red-haired teammate. Scarlet had walked toward the body of his former love, falling to a knee with watery eyes.

"Nolan, you're a piece of shit... but you didn't deserve this," Scarlet said quietly. "None of you did."

Scarlet took hold of his ex's torso before walking toward Brawnz. He laid down side by side the corpses of his ex and the man he cheated on him with, a ravaged expression parsing his face.

"I hate you both so much..." he admitted. "But no one deserves to die alone like this. Not when they were so close."

He joined their hands, their tortured expression finally relaxing. Scarlet sniffed hard before letting a sod loose, his watery eyes finally flowing.

"I really hope that you find each other... And that you get your Happily Everafter..."

Sun and Neptune bowed their heads down to not look at the morbid, tragic scene. Sage quietly broke off from everyone to give final rites to Roy. Hope knew little of the guy, save that he was, along with May, the straight man of the team and the most reasonable member. But despite his lack of characterization, both in the show and from what he's seen, it at least warmed Hope's heart to see him being laid to rest. Once done, the nearly comatose May finally lost consciousness after giving her final goodbyes to her teammates.

"Let's go." Hope beckoned.

SSSN nodded their heads solemnly, somberly leaving the corpses of their dead comrades. once the city is retaken, they'll get a proper burial. but for now, they'll have to do with being feasts for crows so that others may focus on sparing others their fate.


The small group made their way through the smoke and debris of bombed-out buildings until, at last, they found a safe, cleared road. Hope grinned at the sight of lights in the near distance.

"We're close!" he announced.

"Finally!" Neptune complained. "Some friendly life!"

They approached the light and were welcomed by two things. First was the sight of a vast field camp surrounding the Vale City Police's headquarters. Tents after tents, each with its own use and designations surrounded the main building. The entire location was walled with metal fencing reinforced with tactical barricades, courtesy of Atlas.

The other thing they were met with were multiple gun barrels, all levelled at the group.

The group held their hands up as a loud voice barked for them to hold up. A man walked over with a large revolver pointed directly at Hope. The man was quite portly, almost obese looking. His rotund appearance, however, hid pure muscles, which was indicative of a strong man-type bodybuilder. His neck, arms and legs were comparable to tree trunks in their girth. The man was completely bald, so bald was he that his chrome dome shined in the light. He sported a magnificent beard that took over his upper chest, one that obscured his mouth and should muffle his voice, but his baritones were so distinct and bassy that it was impossible to not hear them.

"HOLD!" he ordered his men, holding his arm up.

His men all wore the Vale City Police Department SWAT gear and were armed to the teeth. They trained their weapons on the new arrivals but kept their trigger discipline strong. The Strong Man held his hand cannon aloft, his serpentine purple eyes aiming through the sight.

"IDENTIFY YOURSELVES!" He boomed with a thick accent that Hope recognized as deep southern. "FAILURE TO DO SO WITH RESULT IN YOUR MISERABLE CARCASS BEING TURNED INTO SHOOTING PRACTICE TARGETS FOR MY MEN!"

More than a few officers racked their weapons' charging handles to further the point. Hope handed May over to Sage before walking into the light, revealing himself to the armed peacekeepers. An exclamation of surprise arose among the cops, many of whom dropped their aim. The strong man immediately holstered his hand cannon and jumping off the barricaded walls, power walked to the seer. The man let out a bassy guffaw as he wrapped his arm around Hope in a crushing embrace.

"MISTER ANON HOPE!" the strongman greeted jubilantly. "At last, I meet the saviour of my children!"

Hope let out a whistly wheeze resembling a goose's cry. The man let go of Hope and watched as he desperately gasped for air in mild amusement. By this point, the police officers had all lowered their guns, looking on in amusement at what was happening while still remaining on guard.

"The pleasure..." Hope managed to struggle out between gasps. "Is mine... Sir..."

The man that Hope now recognized as the Vale City Chief of Police gave a half-hidden toothy smile.

"Believe me, the pleasure is all mine." He looked on with a fatherly smile. "there is no one I'd rather have met sooner than you, mister Anon Hope."

The chief's patriarchal grin disappeared as his eyes lingered on the seer, his dire state pitching a fastball to his heart.

"You are injured." He held out his hand. "Allow me."

Hope sneered and held a hand up dismissively, still fuelled by the archduke of Pride.

"I can walk on my own... But painkillers would be appreciated."

The man nodded.

"I'll get you to the medical tent, they'll have what you need."

The Chief of Police turned around swinging an arm toward his men.

"THEY ARE CLEARED!" He bellowed. "OPEN THE GATES!"

A quartet of officers saluted as they rushed to the reinforced gates, lifting them with difficulty and parting them just enough for the group to enter the camp in a single file. Once inside, Hope couldn't help but be amazed at how quickly such a big camp could be set up. What didn't surprise him but filled him with glee was the fact that the camp was booming with life. Although miserable, the incalculable amount of refugees strengthened Hope's already rock-solid faith.

"The plan's working..."

Hope and SSSN entered the first Huntsmen-dedicated medical tent they saw to finally give the still comatose May the help she desperately needed. One of the doctors was wiping her hands after relocating a mangled shoulder, her patient letting a shrill sigh out once the painful deed was over and done with. The white-haired doctor looked over the new arrivals and quickly waved them to one of the few vacant beds.

"Put her down here!" She commanded.

Sage did as ordered, gingerly setting the brutalized girl on the bed. The doctor inspected the damage by methodically feeling out her new patient's body, her expression hidden behind thick-lensed glasses and a medical mask. She suddenly clicked her tongue.

"Leg wound is mostly negligible, it just looks ugly." She explained with her feather-soft voice. "Just by touching her neck, I can tell it was heavily strained. It almost broke, in fact, so she'll need a brace to not strain it further. Damage to the eye cavity is thankfully minimal, if whatever did this to her went even a bit farther, she might have gotten lobotomized."

Hope nodded.

"I'll leave her in your care, Ma'am."

"You should leave yourself in my care." She countered curtly. "You look worse than her."

Hope glared chillingly, still under Pride's yoke.

"I'll live. I have lives to save."

The doctor took off her glasses, beautiful white eyes glaring back worryingly.

"I know how you feel, but you'll collapse if you continue."

The seer paused at the sight of her eyes then nodded, pushing Satan off his shoulder with a gentle brush. To his surprise, the Archduke complied with merely a mocking snort. Hope took a vacant chair and sat down with a heavy grunt. The pain returned in full force, making him tremble and quake. The doctor called for a nurse to inject Hope with a heavy painkiller and to work on him ASAP. He was put on a bed and immediately worked on. His bloody shirt was removed and thrown aside to be sterilized then recycled at a later moment. First was an injection of what Hope believed was Remnants equivalent to super morphine, then all of his burst stitches were replaced with ones made using a strange thread. Finally, special adhesive bandages were applied to Hope's body. Hope sat back up, before being helped up by the nurses. Hope stood there confused.

"Wait, what? That's it?"

The doctor took off her mask to take a long swig of water, revealing a large wing-shaped birthmark on the left side of her face.

"Normally, I'd tell you to sit tight and have you evacuated." She looked back at him with knowing eyes. "But I doubt that we'd be able to stop you, Crusader."

Upon looking into her immaculate eyes and mark, Hope knew not who, but what he was staring at. He bowed his head respectfully to the doctor, who returned the gesture just as reverently. He twisted his body around, doing light warmups and noticed that the pain was beginning the completely subside. His stitches felt extremely robust, probably due to a difference in both sewing techniques and different stitching materials. He noticed that the strands used to sew him back were of a golden hue. The bandages stuck to his body with no chance of undoing nor obstruct his movements. He was given a new, blue shirt to replace the old blood-stained one. Hope smiled thankfully at the nurse, who returned it with her dazzling pearly beaver buck teeth.

"My thanks once more."

The doctor smiled painfully, knowing that she couldn't help him further.

"I just hope it will be enough for this challenge set before you, brother. I wish I could heal you, but with your wounds, I'm afraid only our Merciful Lady would be able to give your body the respite it needs. And with all the despair that she has to quash..."

Hope knelt before her, taking her hand.

"It will be enough, sister. You're doing good enough."

His reassurance helped lift her sinking heart. She squeezed his hands, swallowing down her worries.

"I will pray for you."

Hope let go of her hands.

"Worry not..."

Crooked hands wrapped around his shoulders, barely perceptible sinister purple eyes hovering above his head.

"I am never alone." he bragged arrogantly.

"Friends on the other side..." She chuckled humourlessly.

The doctor put her mask and glasses back on, turning her back to Hope to return to her other duties.

"Godspeed, Crusader. And may Truth and Justice guide your blade this dark night."

Hope grinned.

"Likewise, Priestess. May Zadkiel and Raphael guide your hand in your most required endeavours."

Sun and the rest of his team blinked blankly at the scene that concluded before their eyes.

"I don't get it," Neptune complained dumbly.

"You're not meant to," Hope replied.

Sun leaned towards Hope conspicuously.

"I mean... I get that a dude like you's popular..." He whispered. "I mean don't get me wrong, do what you gotta do, player... But you know, I don't think Blake would appreciate you doing that sort of thing behind her back..."

"Sun, I just met that woman."

"... Well shit, you move fast."

Hope slugged his shoulder playfully.

"Go on, you git." he encouraged. "You won't save lives by joking around in a medical tent."

Sun held an arm out, one that Hope grabbed with a smirk.

"I'll see you on the battlefield, Sun Wukong."

Sun grinned toothily.

"Let's kick some ass and save the day!"

The pair let go before slamming each other's hands together in a low five.

"Couldn't have said it better myself!"

Sun and his team dashed out of the tent towards dangers unknown, surely to do as they said they would. Anon left the tent himself soon after, his own crusade in need of completing. The stronghold's front gates began parting as they did for Hope until a dark red aura surrounded the heavy metal entrance. They began hovering effortlessly as they smoothly spread apart. In the middle of the parted gates were four weary, tattered warriors. A brave knight in white armour hauled on his back, shoulders and arms his companions; a matchless and beautiful gladiatrix, a graceful and honourable wuxia warrior and lastly, a fearless and fearsome valkyrie. The knight stumbled in, his beloved gladiatrix in his arm, as she opened the way before slamming the gate shut behind him. The knight, his once immaculate armour now in tatters, smiled as he advanced. His love clung closely to him, her bruised and battered body now unable to support her. The Wuxia on his back snored peacefully despite the many claw marks gouged into his body. Holding his hand was the blood-caked valkyrie, who hung lazily from the knight's shoulders. The knight limped a few steps further as the shadows at the edge of his vision crept closer. His foot hit a snag but before his face could taste the dusty stone beneath, a brotherly pair of arms caught him. Jaune looked up, a bright smile on his weary face. Hope patted his scalp pridefully.

"Well done, bruv."

Jaune nodded quietly, his eyelids the weight of mountains.

"We did it..." Jaune exhaled. "We beat them back..."

"Ya did. You beat them back and brought everyone to safety."

"Yeah... I did."

"You're awesome, man."

Jaune snorted, his eyes closing.

"Wrong..." He breathed out as his consciousness slipped. "I'm the fucking best..."

Hope grinned.

"Damn right."

Nurses rushed out of the medical tent as soon as they heard that another team of Huntsmen came in looking like they survived getting thrown into a wood chipper. Hope let the doctor's aids take them off his hands so that he could get back to his righteous work.

The heavy stomping of leather and greaves against the pavement heralded a most welcome, and familiar, face. Hope smiled once his ally came into view.

"James!"

The ironhanded general stopped in front of He Called Hope, a glad smile on his face.

"It's good to see you in one piece, my friend."

"Likewise."

"I must say, your speech gave a lot of people hope. pardon the pun."

Hope smirked.

"Good! It was a complete ass pull so I'm glad it went well."

"It was all improvised? I should hire you to write my speeches for me."

"Well, I hope you like swearing and dick jokes."

Ironwood chuckled.

"I'm sure my men would appreciate the humour."

Ironwood's smile was, unfortunately, short-lived and in its place came a grave look.

"We've lost all contact with Ozpin."

The seer didn't appear to make much of it, shrugging boredly.

"Oz is probably with Amber if he isn't dead yet."

"Should we send someone to go and save him?"

The doubt in Ironwood's voice wasn't lost on Hope, who himself wasn't sure if it would be worth it to save the old codger. Then Oscar came to mind, and Hope sighed in annoyance.

"Send an elite squad to rescue him. Tell them about Amber's chambers."

Ironwood nodded, pulling away to delegate the task. Once done, the general thinned his lips.

"You don't seem too happy about having him in your dept."

Hope exhaled through his nose, looking down dourly.

"I've no use for him, but I'd rather spare the horrors of war to a young boy with his whole life ahead of him."

Ironwood nodded somberly.

"On that, we agree."

The Honourbound passed overhead, doing air donuts in the sky. Ironwood growled loudly like an incensed animal at the sight of his mighty flagship being misused, like a father seeing his prized rare car being taken for a joyride by his shitty brat son. Hope pulled out a cigar, one that the general snatched away. Hope was about to glare, only to see Ironwood light it up for himself. In the end, Hope just snorted.

"You could have just asked, boss." Hope chided.

Ironwood inhaled the thumb-wide vice-stick like a cigarette without batting an eye, exhaling a massive cloud in response. Hope glared incredulously.

"That's... Not supposed to work like that."

"I cannot WAIT to get my hands on the vagabond who took over my ship!" Ironwood blithered, ignoring Hope's comment. "But I'll guess I'll have to settle with Miss Rose doing it in my stead."

Hope's ears perked at the mention of his favourite shortstack.

"Wait, Ruby's on the supercarrier?"

Ironwood nodded.

"I saw her earlier, soon after your speech. I told her to get to safety but she asked me if she could use one of our bullheads to get up there. I gave her the ok and my access card for good measure."

Hope smiled warmly at the revelation, his heart rate slowing down and calming.

Thank the Messiah... You didn't do that horrible mistake Pyrrha should have done...

A man wearing an Atlas Academy uniform burst out of the police station, breathing heavily. He rushed towards the two men and stumbled at the finish line, only to be caught last minute by the ironhanded general.

"Soldier! What's the rush?"

The man gulped down air before standing at attention.

"Sir! We have received an urgent notice, sir!"

"Report!"

"Adam Taurus has been spotted at the Ashes to Ashes tobacco shop, near Sunset Park!"

Hope's eyes went wide and his smile soured while Ironwood frowned hatefully.

"So Sienna's little butcher is here..."

The way Ironwood spat the Khan's name gave Hope a rather strong impression that she may have wronged the general on a more personal scale than he expected. Ironwood grabbed the messenger by the shoulder.

"Thank you for the info, son. Tell them to send a kill squad to take that bastard down."

"Understood, sir-"

"No."

Ironwood and the student turned to Hope, determination shining in his eyes like fire.

"I'll go."

Ironwood gritted his teeth behind his closed lips, hiding his worry and nervousness at the idea behind a false facade of inconvenience.

"Adam Taurus is dangerous."

Hope nodded.

"He's still a mortal man. Push comes to shove, I'll know if he gave up on what separates people from animals. And I do not hesitate when it comes to putting down dangerous animals."

"What being?" The student asked.

Hope turned around, already knowing exactly where his destination is. And without turning back, he gave his answer.

"Introspection."


Ashes to Ashes was once a beautiful specialty tobacco shop but now it was nothing more than a burning wreck in progress. Its walls adorned with intricately carved and engraved wooden panels, now stood charred and burning. The fine glass casings that held its proud products lay shattered, the broken glass scattered all across the floor. Amid the broken glass and dangerously growing flames were three friends who couldn't leave well enough alone. Team RWBY, minus their leader, had been chasing White Fang members all across the district in the hopes of disrupting their operations enough to cause chaos. Luckily they had help, in the form of Atlas soldiers. It didn't take long until they found themselves set against the upper wrung of the dastardly organization. First, it was lieutenants, then captains and now they faced their worst possible matchup yet.

Now, they were set against the Red Swordsman, Adam Taurus.

Not only that, the bastard had set up a trap that cause the interior of the building to catch fire. *WBY were helpless against him as they watched their Atlan allies being killed in the blink of an eye in the chaos of the burning store. One second they were on their feet, firing at Adam and the other, they were on the floor; dead. Things didn't go well for them either as Weiss was thrown into a wall, having her head mashed into the burning wood. Yang tried to help but she was next on the docket as Adam let go of Weiss to chokeslam RWBY's pugilist through a display case. Before she could be run through by Adam's blood-red blade, Blake's shadow clones ganged up on the White Fang commander; forcing him to back away and commit to dealing with his old flame. Yang coughed harshly on the floor as Weiss crawled to her.

"I... I think I understand what Anon meant when he said we weren't ready to face him." Weiss struggled to say.

Yang rolled over, rubbing her throat.

"I think I do too."

The pair returned to their feet as a furious Blake defended them from their aggressor with the help of her clones. She tried as best she could but the line between their abilities was sharp indeed. Adam was raw skill sharpened to a razor's edge while Blake relied purely on training and stubbornness. The two locked blades, Blake leaning away as she was being overpowered by Adam's brutal strength. However, despite being on the back foot, her expression was one of righteous indignation.

"What do you think you're doing!?"

Adam grit his teeth, pushing her further back. He was surprised when Blake pushed right back, her rage matching his strength.

"I'm doing-" He grunted. "-What I think is right!"

The Cat's gaze darkened, and the Bull shivered.

"Then so will I."

The two broke away with Blake going on the offensive immediately, throwing her Gambol Shroud at a still-recovering Adam. Being the one who trained Blake, it came as a shock that she would do something so reckless as to throw her weapon without the intent of using her ribbon for leverage. He was confused just long enough for Blake to slug him in the jaw. Adam quickly jumped back as Blake shook her head angrily.

"You are proving everyone right! You're ruining everything that Dad has been working towards!"

"Peace is not working!" Adam countered. "Live and let live is not working! Have you seen Mistral!? Have you seen the lower slums compared to the upper rings?! How the Faunus live almost exclusively down the lower ring while barely any lived up high!?"

"THIS ISN'T MISTRAL, YOU FUCKING BULLHEADED TWAT!"

Shirking her weapon, Blake pounced on her old lover, punching and clawing at him. Adam kicked her off over him, but not before Blake tore the mask from his face. Adam held a hand over his scarred, burned eye. Three large letters marred his face, branded across his right eye, cheek and the right side of his forehead.

S. D. C.

Blake's furious frown faltered. Despite her anger at the man she once loved, even she couldn't handle the tragic sight of his face. Weiss gasped in horror at the sight of her familial company's initials melted into a person's flesh. Adam held his maimed and deformed eye, the burning sensation of the brand melting his eyelid shut still lingering.

"Vale... Is a warning..." Adam muttered, himself unconvinced. "To the whole of the world."

"A warning?"

Adam's eye shifted to the other people in the room. Weiss was to the side, still in shock over his scar and looking like she was nauseous. Yang, on the other hand, stood in front of her sister's partner with an indignant glare.

"A warning of what?" she spat. "That you've finally completely lost your mind?!"

Adam, so used to hiding behind his mask, hadn't realized how pitiful his expression became.

"That this, is only the start," he revealed ominously. "That Faunus Rights Revolution will start anew. But this time, we will not stop until our goals are met. No more compromises, no more concessions."

The two girls stared in disgust.

"So what, you're gonna put humans in chains?" Blake scathingly accused.

Adam looked away.

"No."

Yang sneered, then spat in a dying fire.

"You want genocide."

Adam closed his eye with a pained frown, the pit that had formed in his stomach since yesterday widening.

"I have my orders. Sienna's wishes are my command."

"Sienna's a sadistic, vindictive, manipulative, megalomaniacal, racist whore!" Blake uttered, each epithet growing more venomous than the last.

She threw his mask at him as she went to sucker-punch him across the jaw. Adam, in one fluid motion, caught his mask and her wrist. He twisted his body so as to have her roll over him and land on the floor in a heap. What he hadn't taken into consideration, was that he threw her towards her weapon. Blake took hold of Gambol Shroud and pointed it at her once beloved.

"And you are no better if you keep being blind to the truth and follow her."

"I owe my life to her!" Adam shouted. "If it weren't for her, I'd still be an S.D.C slave!"

"And this is better?! You're killing people for no justifiable reason! You're just as bad as the plantation owners and the dust magnates!"

"I'm saving those who've been left behind by this broken system!" He said, putting his mask back on.

The fires around them burned harder but amidst the crackling of charring wood, was sarcastic clapping. The four turned to see a man walking through the flame-licked front door, one whom the flames let through.

"Saving them by sending them to their death." Hope quipped, a sour, sardonic smirk on his mouth. "How magnanimous of you, Red Swordsman."

Blake's pupils shrunk as her teammates gaped in disbelief.

"ANON?!" They shrieked in unison.

Hope looked around the ruined shop, sighing sadly.

"I liked this place you know." He explained. "It had everything I could ask for, good lighters, good cigars... The owner's a good guy too."

Adam remained silent but Blake noticed that his grip began to tremble slightly.

"It's sad as hell too." Hope continued. "Guy told me that after the incident that burned his feathers off, he had to quit from the factory he worked in at Mantle."

Adam's grip tightened, trying to hide the shaking.

"All the money he had saved up, every Lien of it, he spent to move to Vale. He was flat broke and in trouble. But then an old human lady took him in and gave him room and board until he could get back on his feet."

Adam grit his teeth, his grip tightening further.

"What are you getting at?!" Adam demanded to know.

"I'm getting there, mate. Patience." Hope ordered.

Blake gripped her blade tight, readying it until Hope raised a hand to stop her.

"You too Blake. Pay attention."

Blake looked back and forth between the two men, unsure as to how to proceed. Knowing Hope, he had a reason for saying all this but that didn't mean it would end well. Blake just hoped that he had a proper plan, for once. Just in case, she moved closer to her teammates and Hope in case a fight broke out.

"As I was saying," Hope resumed. "The man in question took out a loan and bought the place we are currently standing in."

Hope pointed to the ruined wooden wall.

"A monitor lizard Faunus carved the pieces that your men have lit. It was a gift from his human neighbour to congratulate him on taking the loan and buying the store. Another gave him recommendations for suppliers. so on and so forth."

Hope stepped forward and Adam readied his weapon.

"Don't come any closer!"

Hope ignored the tip of the blade aimed at his face until he was eye to eye with the Red Swordsman.

"That bird man threw his lot in with this shop. A shop that he planned on using to pay back that kind old lady. To pay back his neighbours. To start his life over and move on from the factory that took his feathers away."

He glared at Sienna's butcher.

"And the Fang took that away from him."

Adam looked down behind his mask, his eye stinging and his scar burning.

"They probably killed the humans that helped him too. His friends." Hope accused. "And look at you, going around tearing families apart and murdering friends and loved ones."

Adam's hands shook noticeably, a detail that Blake picked up on. Was this his plan?

"You've proven everyone right. You don't want equality. Fuck, you don't even care about the Faunus anymore. All you care about is being in charge, being the one who wields the lash. The one who holds the executioner's sword."

Adam's grip stilled.

"You've become the monster you claimed you weren't."

Adam let out a cry as he slashed forward, cutting Hope's cheek.

"ANON!" The girls shrilled in unison.

Yang's eyes turned red and she stomped over, ready to dash and bash but Hope held an arm out She glared at his hand but he stared back, demanding she stand down. Hope looked back and the Red Swordsman's half-hidden face was unable to hide his rage.

"I'M NOT A MONSTER!" He bellowed.

"ARE YOU?!" Hope shouted back in outrage. "WHAT IS ALL THIS ABOUT THEN?!"

Adam recoiled back as Hope pointed outside.

"Innocent men and women are getting torn apart by Grimms outside while your men are raining death upon them and blowing up the only shelter they have!"

He pointed to the floor, where the corpses of the Atlan soldiers began to cook in the heat of the burning store.

"What about them then?! Brave men sent to save the innocent from the Grimms and here you are! Tearing them open with your claw-like blade!"

Adam stepped back, holding up his blade.

"They- They attacked me first!"

"BULLSHIT!" Blake decried. "They fired upon you because you lured them into this death trap!"

Hope walked closer but with each step he took, Adam stepped back just as far; still pointing his blade at the encroaching man. The supports began creaking as they finally caught fire.

"Stop coming closer!" Adam begged.

"Look at them!" Hope ordered. "Is that the work of a man fighting in self-defence?! Or that of an animalistic butcher who ewes limbs and bisects torsos so that his victims suffer before they pass?!"

Adam grasped his head, blocking his ears.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT! UP!"

Tears began clouding Adam's vision.

"I had no choice! Sienna demanded I launch an attack on Vale! That we had to start the revolution anew!"

"You fucking fool!" Hope decried. "You always had the choice to refuse!"

"I'd be dead if it weren't for her! What right do I have to refuse my saviour!?"

Hope groaned and rolled his eyes. As he did, he noticed that the inferno began worsening. He had to hurry if he didn't want him and the others to get stuck in this oversized oven.

"Are you stupid? OF FUCKING COURSE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT!" He boomed. "You know why? It's this little thing called integrity! If something is wrong, if an order is wrong, you, as a man of integrity, have the right to tell her to suck eggs and go fuck herself!"

Adam clasped his head tighter, squeezing the ears of his mask in the process until it cracked down the middle.

"What if it isn't wrong?! What if humans deserve it?!" Adam yelled desperately. "Maybe the Faunus have suffered so much that only by paying back what you owe will the balance be set straight!"

Hope shook his head.

"It's not by hurting others that you'll be free of your suffering."

"You know nothing of the depths of suffering we when through!"

He Called Hope glared defiantly.

"Try me."

Adam forcibly scoffed.

"You wouldn't get it! You didn't live it!"

Adam's eye seemingly glazed over as he talked. It only took a moment and there he was, back at the Snow Shoes shipping facility.

"You didn't have to walk over your fellow for a loaf of bread!"

One of the adults had collapsed in the doorway to the cafeteria from hunger and exhaustion after a twelve-hour shift. Adam and the other children had to walk over him as they weren't allowed to help. He could still feel him, all skin and bone, when he tripped on his leg.

"To endure the perversion of disgusting adults!"

Adam always hated the lunch lady. She was an old hag with a big wart on her eyelid and really bad teeth. For some reason he never understood, she always looked at him with this weird stare while licking her teeth. Like someone shopping at a butcher, looking at an especially tasty piece of meat. Sometimes, when she thought no one was looking, she would smell his hair and caress his thigh. Adam really hated the lunch lady.

"To live with the knowledge you couldn't protect your family from repulsive bastards!"

Adam's mother used to smile all the time, even in the direst of situations. She was a beacon of positivity in a land as bleak and dark as Solitas. But one day she just stopped smiling, the same day she was called to one of the overseer's offices. He was an old bastard who enjoyed pushing the labourers around. there were constant rumours that he took people he didn't like away and lashed them until their backs were red raw. Mom would deny that anything happened but Adam noticed that she always changed with her back to the wall.

"That..." His voice broke, tears falling through his mask's eyeslits "That you couldn't save them..."

One day, they found Mama Taurus's dead body in front of the shipping facility. Her ribcage had shattered and her lungs ruptured. She had a massive brand on her buttock, visible from her ripped and ruined skirt. A later autopsy showed that there were vaginal and anal ruptures and burns, as if a large red hot catheter was roughly inserted and ripped out. It was concluded that she committed suicide to escape the pain and shame. No one else came forward, no accusations were made, so the case went cold and the guilty escaped judgment.

"Only to get backstabbed for trying to make things right..."

Adam tried to speak up about what they did to his mother and many others, but his own brethren pinned him down while he was punished for trying to get the overseer in trouble. They were just as scared as he was when the brand took his eye, because they knew that if they didn't hold him down properly, they were next.

"But that's not the worse part..." he whimpered. "THEY FUCKING GOT AWAY WITH IT!"

Later on, after the White Fang raid that freed Adam and many of his fellow wage slaves, he had tracked down the man responsible for the death of his mother. But as it turned out, the old overseer had passed away. Adam had read the obituary, tears of rage falling from his unique eye. Nuln Greasus, head overseer of the Snow Shoe shipping facility, had passed away along with his wife of thirty years, head cook of the facility Canola Greasus. They had died peacefully in their sleep surrounded by friends and family.

Adam quaked with uninhibited hatred, his violent blue eye shining with tears.

"If this world is going to let innocent women be despoiled, let innocent children be tortured... If this world is going to protect these worthless maggots, THEN IF BURN IT ALL DOWN MYSELF!

Adam pointed his sword forward, holding it to Hope's throat.

"You included!"

Hope looked deeply into Adam's eyes, recognizing all too well the emotions animating him to violence and anger. Hope took out his gun and Adam held his sword aloft, ready to strike Hope down.

Until Hope threw his gun back to the girls standing behind him.

All four glared dumbfoundedly, unable to process the profoundly idiotic thing he just did.

"W-what?" Adam blurted.

Hope fell to his knees, still staring into Adam's eyes.

"Mon then."

"What?!"

"You said you'll burn the world down, me included." Hope paraphrased. "I'm giving you the chance to back up your words."

Weiss, for the first time since the shocking reveal of Adam's face, spoke up.

"Anon? What are you doing?!"

Yang shook her head, racking back her gauntlets with ill intent.

"Fuck this!"

Hope twisted his head around.

"STAND THE FUCK DOWN, YANG!" Anon roared commandingly.

Yang froze in place, her eyes meeting with Hope. he mouthed something to her and her team, something Adam wouldn't be privy to. Two simple words.

Trust me.

On edge, the three gripped their respective weapons tightly. It was obvious that Hope had some sort of plan but as expected, it was incredibly dangerous on his end. Blake could see it all too well that if he failed, his head would end up rolling on the floor. But there was this niggling thought at the back of her head. Adam had spared Hope his wrath before, back during the festival. Maybe, hopefully, it would happen again.

Adam shook his head frantically, one hand over his now burning eye.

"No...No... Stand up!" He demanded. "Stand up and fight back!"

"I won't resist." Hope reiterated. "I won't go against the Red Swordsman's rampage."

Hope began to sweat nervously as the ceiling began to dangerously bend downward. The Red Swordsman's breathing quickened as he glared at the kneeling man. Adam's lifted sword began to shake uncontrollably. The girls stared in astonishment at Adam's hesitation. Adam screamed desperately as he gripped his sword with two hands. The girls stared in horror.

"ANON!" Blake screamed.

Adam's lips quivered as his blade remained in the air, his tears flowing through his cracked mask. His arms had locked and refused to descend.

"I...I..." He whimpered. "I... Can't! Why can't I-"

The ceiling's supports snapped and cracked, grabbing everyone's attention. Adam stared up as a large wooden support aimed itself straight for him.

"FUCK, WATCH OUT!" Hope screamed.

Adam looked back down just as Hope pushed him out of harm's way. Instead of crushing Sienna's butcher, the caved-in ceiling erected a smouldering wall that separated Adam from the rest. Adam shot to his feet.

"ANON!" Adam screamed. "BLAKE!"

On the other side of the room, Hope was helped up by Weiss and Blake.

"Fuck!" Hope coughed, having caught a face full of ash. "Get out, get the fuck out!"

The gang threw themselves out of the front door, with Yang punching it out of its hinges to make way. The ceiling kept falling, threatening to bury Adam under a pile of burning wreckage. He dashed away and looked around, his only way out being the emergency back door. Adam ripped open the heavy door as if it was made of styrofoam before stumbling down in the back streets, coughing his lungs out and breathing heavily. He gripped his eye and whimpered before screaming in pain. The burning sensation became vivid enough to equal the day he was maimed. He tore the mask from his face and threw it away, the mask hitting the wall and breaking in half. He wept, his maimed eye wet with salty, bitter tears for the first time in years. he rubbed away the tears, only for his vision to cloud as soon as his hands left his face. he kept rubbing but his tears wouldn't stop. he stared at his tear-soaked gloves, the shaking of his hands becoming a full-on quake. The Red Swordsman fell into the fetal position, whimpering.

"Why does it hurt so much?"


A meaty twack resounded throughout the dead park. Hope held his cheek, a thick red handprint pulsated on it.

"You suicidal FUCKING NUTCASE!" Weiss shrilled, her hand raised back up.

"I prefer reckless." Hope quipped as he rubbed his hurting face.

Weiss began rapid-fire slapping at Hope, which he easily blocked. Hope grabbed her wrists before holding them behind her, locking Weiss in an impromptu hug. She struggled initially before letting herself be hugged.

"Dumbass!" She yelled, her voice breaking. "Moron! Witless buffon!"

"Yeah, yeah."

He felt a head hit his back softly.

"You're a fucking lunatic..." Yang breathed out.

"I know."

Blake stood apart, looking back listlessly at the burning ruins of Ashes to Ashes. Hope let go of Weiss as he joined the group's feline. He took out a cigar, one he bought from the ruined shop, and lit it up. He let the smoke linger in his mouth before letting it billow out slowly.

"I liked that shop."

"I know..." Blake replied.

Her listless look was interrupted by tears.

"I was wrong..."

"That's fine. We all get things wrong sometimes."

Hope let her roll into his embrace.

"He's not gone." Blake sniffled. "The Adam I knew's not gone!"

Hope kissed the top of her head as he petted her ears soothingly.

"Yeah. He was just caught in the dark for too long."

Blake raised her head, her eyes almost shining. Hope wiped away her tears.

"But like you did for me, he just needs a guiding hand to get out into the light."

Blake nodded, nuzzling into his chest. She beamed for the first time since the nightmare began.

"Yeah."

Hope let go, Blake doing so reluctantly soon after. Yang and Weiss joined the two, the former holding her partner's shoulder with a supportive smile. Weiss stood by Hope's side, eyeing him with concern just in case he does something stupid again.

"Let's get out of here," Hope commanded. "There's much more work to be done."


Over in the distance, visible from anywhere in Vale, Mount Glenn's snowy top burst like a volcano. A deafening roar tore the air apart and a freezing torrent washed over the city.

The Jabberwock flew the skies once more. And Vale trembled.


V3E11: END!

NEXT ON PLAYLIST: V3E12 - PLAY?