Sitting alone in his room was a young Faunus boy. As he was reading from one of his favorite story books, his wolf ear gave a quick twitch. With a sigh, he closed the book and stood up to put it away. He was hoping his father would have been back from work by now, but from the looks of things he would be late. Again… Staring out the window, he was shocked when he heard an explosion. Nearby, a plume of smoke could be seen climbing into the sky. Not long after, a second explosion followed. Scared, he ran to get the phone. Soon after he passed the front door, it swung open. The person who had opened it with such force was none other than his dad.
"Pup! We have to go now, quickly!" Rushing towards his son, the man scooped him up. Not bothering to gather any of their belongings, the two left their home behind.
"Dad, what's going on?" Scared and confused, the younger Faunus didn't know what to think. Thinking on whether or not he should tell his son the truth, the man kept running with his son in his arms.
"Our home, it's under attack. It's not like the other times, it's different. We have to meet up with William. He'll help us get to Atlas, where your sister and mother are. Okay?" With tears in his eyes, the young Faunus nodded. He still didn't understand what his father meant, and he didn't want to leave his home behind, but the thought getting to see the rest of his family again was enough to get him through.
Rushing through the streets, people were running in all directions. Some were even using the chaos as an opportunity to loot. Then, out of nowhere, Grimm had flowed into the streets. Before the young Faunus could turn away, he witnessed the Grimm rip through the crowds. Watching as the Grimm tore through people, it was a scene that would stick with him for the rest of his life. Too shocked to look away, his father had to cradle him close.
"Don't look pup! Keep your eyes closed!" Holding his son tight, the man kept running. Ducking into a nearby alley, he hoped to avoid the crowds. Weaving in and out of the alleyways, he was trying to get to the point William had agreed to meet at. Overhead, Nevermores were raining destruction down onto those below. Making the streets even more dangerous. Those who tried to fight were only met with an unfortunate end. No matter where the man had run, death followed. How this was allowed to happen was a mystery to him. While they had suffered attacks in the past, nothing had ever been this bad!
As he turned a street corner, he could see some Hunters were fighting a large group of Grimm. Soon enough, they were overwhelmed. That had been the second group of Hunters he had seen get killed. Any hope of reclaiming the city had been lost in his mind. If not even Hunters could handle a threat of this size, what hope was there? All he could do was run and make sure he and his son escaped the city safely.
Suddenly, a large explosion rang out, knocking the man to the ground. This caused him to drop his son in the process. A chunk of a nearby building collapsed, covering the father and son in rubble.
"DAMIAN!" Engulfed in pitch black, all was silent.
"Damian. Oh Damiaaan. Hey, sleepy head." Roused from his sleep, Damian got out of his makeshift bed. Standing nearby was one of his teammates, Lexi Sacher. "Looks like you finally heard me." Damian picked up his mask and looked it over.
"Sorry Lexi. As a lieutenant, I should be setting a better example for all of you." As he was stretching, Lexi crossed her arms.
"Nah, it's fine. If I'm being honest, I only came over because uh… You didn't sound so good…" She was talking about his nightmare. Walking over to his sword leaned up against a nearby tree, a Nodachi named Raiden, he geared up for the trip back to base.
"I'm fine. Just the same dream as always." Raising a hand, he let it hover over the left side of his face. "You know by now that you don't have to worry about me. I've made my peace." Letting his hand fall to his side, Damian turned to face Lexi. "It smells like Alfred started making breakfast. Why don't we eat our late breakfast, and then we can head back to HQ?" Smiling, Lexi nodded her head. Her wolf ears flopping as she did so.
"Sounds good to me! Lead the way, lieutenant!" The two of them walked over to where Alfred and the others were. Or at least, should have been. The only ones that Damian could see were Jasper and Alfred. Jasper was sharpening his weapon while Alfred was busy cooking.
"Alfred, Jasper, where's Clair?" Since Alfred was busy cooking their breakfast, Jasper spoke up.
"She's out looking for the cave. I told her it was a waste of time, but you know her… Once she's got her sights set on something, there's no talking her out of it…" Shaking his head, Damian sighed.
"Alright, breakfast is ready everyone!" Having finished cooking, Alfred called everyone over to eat. Damian and Lexi sat down around the fire. Setting aside his current task, Jasper joined the rest of the team. The four Faunus enjoyed their quiet breakfast, until it was interrupted that was. Their missing member, Clair, came barging into the camp.
"Guys! I found it!" Skidding to a halt, she nearly tripped over herself. Placing her hands on her knees, the cat Faunus tried to catch her breath. "No wonder we… missed the thing! It was… hidden… behind…" Standing up, Damian walked over to Clair and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Relax. Take a moment, and breathe." Doing as she was told, Clair didn't continue speaking until she had calmed down. Standing upright, she brushed herself off.
"I actually found the cave you guys! It was behind a lot of brush! There wasn't a trail anywhere near it! It wasn't just a myth after all!" With a smile on her face, Clair held her hands in fists near her chest. "Do you know what this means!? If we can manage to get this thing, we're guaranteed promotions!" Damian admired Clair's devotion, he knew she had the ability to make lieutenant. But today was not that day. As if reading his mind, Jasper took his side.
"C'mon Clair, get real. A simple Death Stalker isn't enough to earn all of us promotions. Maybe if it's real ancient, but I doubt it is." Not wanting his subordinates to argue, Damian chose to step in.
"It would never hurt to go check it out. Clair, why don't you eat and then we'll head out. Everyone else, get ready." While Clair ate, Lexi, Alfred and Jasper all prepared for the battle ahead of them. When everyone was ready, they set out. Since Clair was the one to find the cave, she led. It was a difficult journey as they had to go far off the beaten path. Not even a Grimm's trail could be found. Narrowly avoiding a tree branch to the face, Jasper spoke up.
"Ya know, I'm starting to take back what I said about this thing not being ancient. How'd you even find this thing in the first place Clair?" Having remembered the path she took the first time, Clair wasn't having as hard a time as the others.
"Sheer determination. That's how. Maybe you should get some Jasper." Rolling his eyes, he didn't let her taunting get to him. Soon enough the five Faunus were standing at the mouth of the cave. Just as Clair had said, it actually existed. Now that they had arrived, Damian took the lead. Moving slowly, they started searching the cave for their target. The five of them stuck together and searched every inch of the cave. Instead of finding an ancient Death Stalker, all they found were baby Death Stalkers. Angry, Jasper switched his weapon to its gun form and started blasting them away.
"Are you kidding me!? We came all this way for some stupid baby's!?" Clearly disappointed, Clair tried not to lose hope.
"That can't be! Maybe we missed something? I mean, if there are baby's around, there has to be a parent. Right?" They stood in silence, thinking if there had been a corridor they missed somewhere. Maybe a passage hidden by rubble or debris? Worried that they wouldn't make it back to HQ in time, Damian decided to call it.
"Let's go. We have to report back soon. If we don't show, they'll send people to look for us." Feeling bad for leading her team to such a disappointing turn of events, Clair held her head low. Not liking it when Clair was sad, Jasper tried to cheer her up.
"Hey. We uh, make mistakes sometimes. I mean, just last week I thought I saw an Ursa wondering the base. Turned out it was just Fletcher!" His laugh soon turned into an awkward one when he realized no one else joined in. "My point is, you never truly know a situation till you get a better look." Looking up at him, Clair gave Jasper a hug. Annoyed at being slowed down, Lexi tried to hurry them along.
"Alright alright you two. Can we just go? I don't wanna hang around here all day!" With that, the five of them set off. On the way out, Jasper could've sworn he saw a light.
"Hey, you guys. Wha-" Before he could finish, the light object shot out from the hole in the wall. Striking him in the arm, Jasper fell to the ground. Instant, searing pain shot through his entire being. It felt as though he was on fire! Screaming out, he squirmed on the caves floor. Jumping to action, Damian started giving orders.
"Alfred, grab him! Clair, Lexi, help me cover them!" Doing as he was told Alfred picked up Jasper. As the group started running, an explosion could be heard from behind them. It was the Death Stalker they had been looking for. Letting out a screech it followed after them. Even though it was a large creature, that didn't mean it was slow. Just as their exit came into sight, the Death Stalker began to catch up.
Turning around, Damian faced their pursuer. Drawing his sword Raiden, he clashed with the beast. While he kept the Death Stalker at bay, Clair attempted to stab it with her spear. Due to its armor being too thick, her weapon merely bounced right off.
"I can't hurt it!" Shoving Clair back, Damian took the blow that was meant for her. Slamming into the cave wall, he wasted no time in rushing back to the Death Stalker.
"Just run Clair! Help the others get Jasper back to HQ! I'll buy as much time as I can!" Blocking a swing from its pincers Damian clashed with the Death Stalker again. Not wanting to leave Damian behind, but also worried for Jasper, Clair didn't know what to do. "Go! I've survived worse! I'll be fine Clair!" Making up her mind, Clair went to join the others.
Pushing through all the brush she eventually joined the others. They had stopped not that far from the caves entrance. On the ground, Jasper was sweating yet shivering violently. It looked as though he was taking an ice bath yet burning alive at the same time. The whole time he couldn't stop screaming. All throughout his shaking, Alfred was trying to bandage his arm.
"Where's Damian!?" Lexi rushed up to Clair when she saw her. "Is he all right!?" As if to answer her question, the Death Stalker came charging out from the brush. It must have been attracted to Jasper. Stopping what he was doing Alfred picked Jasper back up. Looking over at the two girls, he motioned for them to follow him.
"Come on you two! We have to keep running! You don't have to kill it, but try and slow it down!" Doing the only thing they could, they ran. If Damian wasn't able to take that thing down, what chance did they have?
Every now and then Lexi and Clair would have to fend off the Death Stalker. It wasn't interested in them, so after brushing off their attacks, it continued chasing after Alfred and Jasper.
Tripping over a root, Alfred and Jasper crashed to the ground. Lexi and Clair tried to stop the Death Stalker, but it was no use. Readying its stinger for a second strike, the Death Stalker was aiming to finish Jasper. As it was about to kill Jasper, its stinger was sliced off. Looking up, Alfred smiled when he saw who it was.
"I knew that thing couldn't keep you down Damian!" Getting up, he readied his twin Sabers, Yuichi & Hiroshi. "Glad to have you back in the fight!" Reunited, the four Faunus still standing stood their ground. Even missing its stinger, the Death Stalker in front of them was a threat. From the trees, more Grimm came to see what was giving off such a powerful emotion. Worried, Lexi gave Damian an elbow bump to get his attention.
"Damian. What do we do?" Not wavering, Damian stood defiantly against the odds.
"We fight. Any second now, people will be searching for us. We were given a month to complete our mission. After that, when the sun was highest in the sky, they'd send a crew to look for us. It's almost that time. All we have to do is survive until then." The Grimm charged, and the Faunus fought back. Lexi and Alfred kept those that had just shown up busy while Damian and Clair fought the Death Stalker. With its stinger missing, they no longer had to worry about getting poisoned like Jasper.
Since there were two of them, Damian and Clair had a fairly easy time fending the Death Stalker off. It was actually dealing damage that they were having problems with. Its tough armor meant they were going to need a lot of strength to finish it off.
Meanwhile with Alfred and Lexi, they were keeping Beowolves and Ursa alike at bay. The hordes of Grimm could sense Jasper, and they wanted nothing more than to get to him. Even if that meant ripping through Alfred and Lexi first. Jasper's screams seemed to send the Grimm into a frenzy. They were acting much more ferocious then either were accustomed to. Suddenly, a scream over by Damian and Clair had caught Lexi's attention.
Caught between its pincers, the Death Stalker had picked up Clair. Damian went to help her, but was smacked away. Slamming into a tree, his Aura broke and he slumped to the ground. Not even giving Lexi time to call out to her friend, it snapped its pincer shut. Not wanting to watch, Lexi turned away.
It was down to just Alfred and Lexi. Damian was out and Clair was dead. The waves of Grimm were closing in and the Death Stalker had no one other then them to challenge it. They wouldn't be able to keep both the Death Stalker and horde of Grimm at bay with just the two of them. Slowly, Alfred and Lexi backed up towards Jasper.
"Well, sis. Guess this is it." Holding his weapons high, Alfred wanted to go out fighting.
"Yeah. Guess it is…" Following her brothers example, Lexi held her Khukuri's Dusk & Dawn up.
Just as all hope had seemed lost, gunfire rained down from above. A few Bullheads loaded with troops shot at the Grimm. Backup had finally arrived. From one of them, someone had jumped down into the fray. Quickly unsheathing his sword, he had no problem cutting the Death Stalker in two. As their savior turned to face them, Bullheads began to land. Smiling, Lexi nearly ran up to the man and hugged him. Knowing that would get her in trouble, she refrained.
"Adam! I mean… Mr. Taurus, sir! You saved our lives!" Members of the White Fang poured out of the Bullheads and started covering the area. Adam took a look around to see what the situation was like.
"I'm glad to see that you two are alright. I wish the same could be said about the others…" Kneeling down by Jasper, Adam felt for a pulse. Alfred and Lexi hadn't even noticed that his screaming had stopped. When Adam couldn't find one, he stood back up. "Sacher twins, after we return to Mt. Glenn and you're rested, I want to know what happened here." They nodded in understanding. Alfred looked over at Damian. Him and both parts of Clair were being carried to different Bullheads.
"Understood sir. Once Damian wakes up, we'll have him fill you in." As they went their separate ways, Adam called more White Fang over to carry Jasper away.
Getting in the same Bullhead that Damian had been placed in, Alfred and Lexi waited for takeoff. Leaning into her brother, Lexi wanted to cry. She was use to heartache, all members of the White Fang were in some way or another. But never had she experienced something so awful. Never had she experienced such a loss. As they took off, she sobbed. Patting his sister on the back, he tried to comfort her. The only thing Alfred could think as they made their way back to Mt. Glenn was how could a simple supply run go so wrong?
After waking up, Damian was surprised to see that he was back at HQ. He was surprised to be alive in the first place. Alfred and Lexi had made sure to tell him what happened after he was knocked unconscious. What he heard made him feel guilty. Jasper and Clair were gone. They were under his watch. His care. In a way, it was his fault. Not having time to grieve, the Sacher twins let him know that Adam Taurus himself wanted to see them. To hear about what happened.
At first Damian had let Adam know that their mission was, for the most part, a success. They had gathered the package and brought it at the very least someplace near Mt. Glenn. It could very easily be picked up by a Bullhead without drawing suspicion. Everything after that, however, wasn't good news. The three gave their account of what had happened. When it was finally over, Damian was exhausted. They were soon dismissed. As they stepped out into the hall, a voice called out to Damian.
"Damian? Is that you?" The person smiled once he confirmed that it was, in fact, Damian. "I'm always able to recognize you from everyone other lieutenant here! You know why that is? You've always got the Sacher twins at your heels!" His friend closed in and gave Damian a hug. Just like him, he wore a lieutenants outfit.
"Stephon, it's good to see you again." Giving Damian a pat on the back, Stephon laughed.
"It sure is brother! It's been a month!" Looking back at Alfred and Lexi, he dismissed the two. "So, now that you're back, why don't you tell me how it went? Get to kill any Humans?" Unlike Damian, Stephon had held an extreme hatred towards Humans. One that could even match Adam's.
"No. It was a simple package retrieval. That's all." The two friends started walking. "Although, it didn't quite go as planned…" Noticing that his friend was down, Stephon put a hand on his shoulder as they walked.
"What happened? Did you lose the package? Did it break? Or…" Not really in the mood to talk about the mission anymore, Damian brushed him off.
"I'd rather not talk about it anymore, brother. If you don't mind, I think I'm just going to go rest." Slowly, a smile crept back onto Stephon's face.
"Hey, I know what will make you feel better. Follow me." Leading his friend down the corridors of their base, Stephon could wait to show his friend the surprise. Damian, on the other hand, was growing restless.
"Stephon, where are we going? Can it wait for another time?" Stephon didn't answer him. Instead, the two kept walking. Sighing, Damian decided to indulge his friend. When they finally arrived to a set of double doors, Stephon held one of the doors open for Damian to walk into. They were in some storage room. Though things had been moved around, and a chair with someone sitting in it, sat in the middle. Two guards stood watch. Walking past Damian, Stephon walked up to the person.
"Shortly after you left, some stupid Human wandered a little too close. We've had him tied up since." Horrified at the sight, Damian felt ill. "He doesn't talk much, and if I'm being honest, he's terrible at our 'games'." Picking up a Tanto that was laying nearby, Stephon flourished it. The blade was Ivory colored and Gold ivy was engraved on both sides. It was an intricate design. A lot of care must have been put into designing such a weapon. Meaning that it belonged to the Human tied to the chair. Such weapons were usually pilfered from victims and reserved for high ranking members of the White Fang. Stabbing the blade between the Humans fingers, Stephon started to play a wicked game with him. Before he could cause any damage, Damian rushed over to stop him.
"Stephon! What are you doing!?" Surprised that his friend had stopped him, Stephon was silent. "This is sick! I know that you don't care much for Humans, but this isn't right!" Jerking his arm free, Stephon found his voice.
"This is only a taste of what they did to us! You know that as well as I do, brother!" Slamming the Tanto down into the chair, he narrowly missed one of the Human's fingers. "Being stuck here at Mt. Glenn, this is the most fun I've been able to have!" Grabbing onto Stephon, Damian moved him so that he stood between Stephon and the Human.
"We joined the White Fang to create peace! Not… This! We don't torture people! If you're worried that he might give away our location, just kill him!" Backing off, Stephon brushed himself off.
"It would seem like I've made a mistake taking you here…" Taking out his Handgun, Stephon thrust it towards Damian. "If you want the Human dead, do it yourself. His Aura is weak compared to others. It shouldn't take many bullets." Hesitantly, Damian took the gun from Stephon. "Once you're done, let me know so we can get rid of the body." Storming out of the room, Stephon said no more. Turning towards the Human, Damian raised the gun and pointed it at the Human.
"Go on… Do it…" The Human spoke. "You'll be doing the world a favor. Maybe me as well…" He had seemed resigned to his fate. Just what had Stephon done? Shaking ever so slightly, Damian raised his other hand up to the gun to steady his aim. "If you want me to beg, forget it. Just pull the damn trigger already." Closing his eyes, Damian felt his finger start to pull the trigger. A few gunshots rang out. After that, all was silent.