Allergy season is upon us. Between the snottin' and snortin' on top of the splitting headache, I would love nothing more than to crawl back into bed right now. Alas, things cost money, and money comes from work, which seems to prefer that I show up consistently. Drat.
MrsTheGoose asked me the other day how long this story will go. Saying it will stretch into 2024 sounds far less impressive than it did when I started, since it's only a few months away, but now I'm thinking it might even reach 2025 at this rate. Kind of crazy seeing as it started over a year and a half ago, but no there's a reason I don't do many short stories. Always too many ideas and not enough time.
"Thank you all for assembling here. I wanted to take time to speak to you regarding our recent arrivals and the harrowing experience they went through to get here."
Adam fidgeted nervously on the small stage outside the Belladonna mansion, resisting the urge to scratch at the fresh bandage over his eye. He didn't really need it but didn't want everyone staring at his scar the entire time. Not that it helped much. Even with Ghira standing at the podium, plenty of people stole glances at the only other person on stage not wearing a guard uniform. A few even snapped pictures before turning back to Ghira.
"I have with me today Adam Taurus," Adam stared straight ahead, trying his best to ignore the sudden surge of attention, "the brave faunus who helped the workers of the Orostachys mining camp escape after years of brutal and unethical treatment by one Esau Ferric, the Overseer of the camp and an employee of the SDC. He and his guards consistently and purposefully placed the lives of their workers in danger while violating countless laws in the treatment of the faunus in their employ."
That was putting it nicely. Not really employment when no one got paid. Thankfully, Ghira had let him read over the prepared remarks in advance, so he knew he didn't need to interject. He trusted the more experienced man to handle everything before his turn at the podium.
"As many of you know, Atlas and the SDC have branded Mister Taurus a criminal." Adam smirked at the choice of words. "They claim he led a violent coup resulting in the death of over twenty individuals." A few murmurs rippled through the crowd. "And while many of the details they have shared are inaccurate…such claims are not entirely false."
Ghira might as well have dropped a bomb on the audience. The scattered murmurs turned into a frenzied mix of raised voices. Above the cacophony of voices rose the shouted questions of the reporters.
"Are you saying he is responsible?"
"Will you continue to harbor a known criminal?"
"Is he involved in any way with the White Fang?"
"Does Adam Taurus intend to turn himself in?"
Ghira raised his hands against the growing noise. "Please! Let me speak." To their credit, the questions ceased immediately, proving Ghira still held the respect of those gathered. Or they were just hungry for more of what sounded like a front page story in the making. "Thank you. As I said, Adam Taurus did play a major role in the violence that occurred that day, there is much more to the story than the SDC has shared.
"In the past, I have been a vocal critic of the SDC's negligence regarding health and safety standards for its non-human employees, but the behavior at Orostachys goes far beyond that. Not only did those in charge of the operation of Orostachys willfully commit acts of torture and abuse against their workers, they were even directly responsible for the killing of numerous workers in recent years."
Ghira waited as the tidal wave of voices returned. Demands for justice. Requests for evidence. Calls for details. All of that and more mixed together as everyone fought to be heard but instead blended with everyone else to create more chaos.
Again, they quieted at Ghira's command. "Adam has identified at least four individuals who were killed due to action taken by SDC employees, as well as several others that he did not personally witness. In speaking with the rest of the camp's refugees, it appears this has been common practice for many years. What's more, the so-called uprising of Orostachys was a result of the public torturing and planned execution of Adam Taurus by Overseer Esau Ferric himself."
That was Adam's cue to get ready. For the first time, Ghira pointed to a reporter who fought for attention, earning a few grumbled complaints from her competitors, though none of them dared interrupt. "Cathy Smalls from Anima Broadcasting Company." Just as Ghira promised, the major outlets had a presence on the island. "Thank you. Given the charges and admitted violence carried out by Adam Taurus and his fellow workers, how can you verify these claims? Is there any proof of any of this alleged behavior from the staff at Orostachys?"
Adam bristled at the obvious kowtowing of her words to the SDC. Ghira had warned him to expect as much. Like it or not, these people worked for major companies outside of Menagerie. As eager as they might be for a scandal, attacking the SDC without concrete evidence would have them tied up in lawsuits for years. Faunus or not, the reporter before them couldn't afford to sound anything but friendly toward the SDC or she'd be fired before the story ever aired. Ghira made sure he understood they weren't trying to attack him with their questions.
Good thing, since Adam would've liked nothing more than to fight back with cold steel. His sword sat inside, however, since Ghira felt having him armed wouldn't be a good look.
Not that they weren't ready for a fight. Ghira smiled at the question, nodding to Adam as he did. "For that, I'd like to invite Adam to come and share his story. Many of the details will be given in the press release you should all be receiving shortly, but I felt you might enjoy hearing directly from not just one of the escaped workers but also the primary target for much of the abuse perpetrated by Overseer Ferric and his employees. Afterwards, I'm sure he'd be happy to take some of your questions. Adam?"
Adam took a deep breath before he marched up to the podium, shaking Ghira's hand as a flurry of pictures were taken. The whole moment had been planned in detail, all stemming from a question Ghira promised would be asked. Adam wondered if he might've had a hand in ensuring it happened.
Ghira stepped back, leaving Adam alone against an army of reporters wielding scrolls to record his every word. He'd never felt so intimidated by non-combatants before. Every word he spoke would be broadcast across all of Remnant and analyzed by countless media outlets. What he said could easily make the difference between the SDC being investigated or getting away with everything.
To say he was nervous would be an understatement.
Swallowing his fear, Adam did his best to start. "Than-" Adam coughed into his hand. He could've hugged the guard who stepped forward with a small bottle of water for him. 'Thank you," he said, nodding to the man before taking a long gulp. "And thank you, Chieftain Belladonna, both for taking us in and seeing to our injured."
The formality felt weird, but they'd practiced the opening a dozen times until Ghira said it was good enough. Something about presenting a more civilized image and stuff about perceptions playing a big role. Less what you say than how you say it. Yet again, Adam thanked the gods he'd never tried to get into politics.
"As Chieftain Belladonna said, I'm Adam Taurus." Pointless, seeing as he'd already been introduced and his face was all over Remnant by now. "My friends and I escaped Orostachys after they tried to kill me and did kill several of my friends."
Colton. Duncan. Monti. Axol as well, since they were still pretending he'd died lest the SDC go looking for him. And those were just the ones he knew personally. Plenty more had fallen long before he arrived.
"I signed up with the SDC out of desperation. I lost my job all because I was a faunus, then no one would hire me simply because I looked different from what they called normal." He bit back the growl that came with that hated word. Who were they to decide what normal looked like? Why did a pair of horns make him any less of a man? "We worked tirelessly for the SDC. Long days. Restless nights. And at the end of it all, we never even got paid.
"Some of us came there willingly. Others were sent there for crimes they never committed. But each and every one of us was a prisoner of Orostachys." Adam started listing out all the things they did to the workers. Beatings. The hole. The pillory. With each new detail, people in the audience turned angry and disgusted. "They told us we could leave whenever we want, but no one left Orostachys. Not alive."
That certainly lit a fire in the crowd. Much like Ghira had earlier, Adam endured the sudden shouting as his words sank in. Reporters seemed torn between scribbling down notes and yelling new questions. Adam raised a single hand and marveled at the silence it drew. Not as fast as Ghira had, but still, it felt weird to have so much power over a bunch of strangers.
Jakob's ominous warning rang in his ears. "A friend of mine once told me the only way off the island was in a boat or a bag. We were the only ones to leave by boat."
One of the closest reporters - a tall, wiry man with a pair of floppy ears atop his head - couldn't hold his question in any longer. "Are you claiming the workers at Orostachys were killed if they tried to quit?"
Adam's hands tightened on the podium. "I'm saying the SDC murdered them."
No beating around the bush. Ferric and his goons might've been the ones to pull the trigger, but the SDC was just as guilty for letting them. The reporters might have to bow to the SDC, but he didn't. For all he cared, they could burn to the ground, even if he had to burn with them.
Before anyone could interject further and question his claim, Adam pushed on. "My friend Axol worked hard every day. He did everything they asked of him and more. Then one day he decided he was done. He put in his notice and kept working. They told him he could go - that he'd get to leave the island, collect his earnings, and start a new life. Instead, they put a bullet in his head.
"I saw it myself!" His voice rang out over the crowd, cutting them off immediately. "The very people meant to protect us killed him in cold blood, all because his life was worth less to the SDC than a paycheck." Well, they'd tried to kill him, but no one needed to know that. Geryon would've killed Axol if Adam hadn't gotten there in time. "Then, when I dared to question what happened, they tried to kill me next. Three of my friends died in a cave-in - one caused by the SDC. Not a single one of them tried to help. They left my friends to die, all because they wanted to get rid of me."
"Is that why you rebelled?"
"No." It should've been. He should've fought back a lot sooner, but it was easy to say that now. "In spite of all that, we kept working, always looking over our shoulder in case they tried again." He had to wonder how long they would've waited if he hadn't snapped. "Some of us never recovered from the cave-in. Instead of medical treatment, they punished those that couldn't work fast enough anymore. They nearly beat an old man to death because he dropped a rock when his leg gave out. That was when I decided I'd had enough.
"I fought back. I saved my friend. For that, they beat me. Shot me. Tried to kill me." Fat lot of good that did them. "And when they failed, they left me on display for an entire night, then made everyone watch as they tortured me in the morning. They would've killed me if they had the chance. Instead, we finally decided to defend ourselves. We fought back and won our freedom…and then we left."
Adam watched the mixed reactions from the crowd. He could practically hear the question coming before anyone dared to speak. "You didn't kill anyone?"
"Some of the guards died fighting us. More of us died fighting back." In fact, the losses were pretty one-sided. "But no. Whatever the SDC claims, we left the rest of them barricaded in the mines to wait for rescue. Enough blood had already been shed in Orostachys."
Cathy, the reporter from before, raised her hand, earning a nod from Adam. "Same question as before, Mister Taurus. Do you have any evidence to back up your claims against the SDC? You can't expect us to take your word at face value."
Definitely a plant, judging by the way she subtly nodded to him, her eyes fixed on his face with a far too satisfied smile. Adam matched it with one of his own. "Funny you should say that."
Adam reached up and tugged the bandage loose, snapping the gauze wrapping with ease. He hadn't really hidden his scar since coming to Menagerie, but people still gasped as the small patch fell away, revealing the three accursed letters for all to see.
The stunned silence lasted only a second. Word flew in every direction, punctuated by the steady staccato of cameras. Adam stood defiantly through it all, ignoring everyone as he let the SDC's work speak for itself.
He had a feeling he'd answered their questions.
/- - - - - - - - - -/
Blake caught Adam's blade on her own, straining to hold back the threatening edge even as Adam leaned in further, effortlessly overpowering her with only a single handed grip. The blade inched closer and closer to her face as she fought with everything she had to hold back the monster in front of her. She couldn't lose to him here. Not again. Never again.
"I'm not giving up." Even as the strained words left her lips, she wasn't sure she'd have a choice.
Disdainfully, Adam looked down on her. "You will."
So focused was she on his sword, that she didn't see his foot raise until it struck her in the face, launching her back and off her feet to the hard ground below. Her defense had crumbled so easily. He'd nearly overpowered her with only one foot on the ground. He was picking her apart so contemptuously, taking his time as the truth bore down on her.
She couldn't win. She never could. No matter how hard she tried, there was just no overcoming Adam Taurus.
She lay there, gasping for air as Adam marched up to her. She tried to drive him back - tried to scramble to her feet as she fired off a pair of warding shots, only for him to bat them aside and continue his ominous approach.
"This isn't what I wanted!"
"What you want is impossible!" Adam spat back. She tried to fire again, but a swift kick from Adam sent her weapon sailing away. She fell onto her back, gasping for air as she felt the crushing weight of failure bear down on her. Adam stood over her, sword pointed down as he prepared to end it once and for all.
The sword plunged downward.
Blake winced.
The hardened blade buried itself beside her stomach.
"I told you, it's impossible to learn so many forms without learning the basics first." Blake sagged in defeat before accepting Adam's hand. He pulled her to her feet, then sheathed his sword. "You need a better foundation before you can try anything fancy. Better to be great at one thing than passable at several."
"Kaito always said I needed to be flexible."
"Kaito also said you shouldn't be in such a rush." The older man laughed as he approached, carrying Blake's weapon back to her. "Adam is right. You need to slow down and focus on one thing at a time. What is that old saying? Jack of all trades but master of none?"
"You did okay," Adam tried, hoping to cheer her up a bit. Sadly, that was the best he could do right now. It didn't help that he'd had a bunch of pent up energy and anxiety from the press conference earlier. Blake and her annoying badgering for training made for a very convenient outlet. Yet again, he regretted making the mistake of agreeing to her demands.
The regret only grew when Blake took advantage of the silence between them. "So…I saw your press conference this morning."
"Five laps," Adam immediately instructed. Blake needed motivation to try her hardest. Punishment could be a great motivator. It would encourage her to try harder next time. It would be a great teaching tool. Yeah, that was it. Teaching. Definitely not an avoidance maneuver.
"Five?" Blake protested. "But last time it was only four."
"You lost again, so it's five now." Adam considered it for a moment. "In fact, make it six for talking back."
"This sucks."
"Seven." This time, Blake kept her mouth shut, though her eyes were doing their best to bore holes through his skull. "Afterwards, straight to the range. Fifty yards."
"My aim's fine." Blake slapped a hand over her mouth as Adam raised a single eyebrow.
"Your aim's fine," Adam agreed, "but you take too long at any real distance. No one's going to wait for you to line up a shot like that. Once we get your speed up, we'll start on alternating targets. Got it?"
"Yeah."
"What was that?"
"Yes, sir," Blake said through gritted teeth. Adam demanded respect, mainly because he knew it annoyed the young girl. After how much she'd hounded him, he couldn't help enacting a little revenge.
"Better. Get going." Blake, to her credit, took off at a brisk jog. As much as she might complain, she'd taken to his training with gusto. It honestly annoyed him a bit. He'd expected her to whine and complain. Maybe even regret her decision and let him off the hook. Instead, she always seemed eager for more.
Stubborn little brat. He ignored the quiet reminder that he'd been just as bad once.
"I see you do not go easy on your new student," Kaito remarked with a soft laugh. Adam had a feeling it was at his expense, given how Kaito had managed to ditch Blake on him for the most part.
"Anything worth having is worth fighting for." He'd fought tooth and nail for his training. If Blake was so hellbent on training, he'd make her work for every second of it. "Only way to improve is to push yourself."
"So you intend to continue pushing her this way?" Absolutely. Harder if she actually tried to keep up. He'd make her regret ever pestering him in the first place. "Interesting. Well, let us hope she is up to the challenge, then."
Or not. She could give up and leave him alone. He'd be fine with that.
"I saw your press conference this morning." And just like that, Kaito murdered any pleasure he'd felt. "You handled yourself well."
"You were watching?"
"Sienna had it playing on every screen in the building." Kaito somehow missed the twitch in Adam's good eye. "I daresay everyone here saw you."
Great. More fame. He really was condemned to greatness, wasn't he. Someday, he'd track down Jean and get his revenge, then force him to undo whatever curse he'd placed on Adam with those words.
"That's…great." Adam stretched the word out, making it clear just how great he found the whole thing.
Somehow, the obvious sarcasm flew straight over Kaito's head. "Quite the harrowing tale. Did you really go through all of that?"
"No, I made it all up for kicks and giggles." Adam reached up to rub his temples, already feeling the growing headache taking form. "I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?"
"Sienna wants to meet with you this afternoon." Nope. No peace. Was it too late to go back to being a nobody?
"I'll track her down later," Adam assured Kaito.
Not that it would be too hard. If she wasn't out here watching them train, then she was probably in her office. He dreaded to imagine what sort of paperwork required her to hole up in there so often. One thing was for sure - he'd never accept a leadership position like that. Not if it meant shackling himself to a desk all day.
Sienna could wait. Adam had more important things on his mind. "Any progress on figuring out my Semblance yet?"
"Some," Kaito assured him, though his tone made it clear he was still far from the answers Adam sought. Still, every little bit helped. "I had some more questions for you that I think might help."
"Fire away."
"Tell me, Adam. What is your purpose?"
"My purpose?" What was that supposed to mean? And how would it help him solve his Semblance issue?
"Everyone has a purpose in life. A goal, if you will." Kaito held a hand toward the training fields. "My purpose is to teach the next generation. Once upon a time, it was to fight for them, but that was many years ago." He could say that again. Kaito wasn't a pushover, but he certainly didn't look like he'd be leading any attacks nowadays. "So what is your purpose?"
"More of your instinctual knowledge theory?" Kaito had poked and prodded him with questions before. Adam had yet to stumble on any breakthroughs, but Kaito clearly had more experience here than Adam did. "My purpose? Hm. I…I guess…"
Kaito shook his head. "No guessing. No thinking."
"Then how am I-"
"Feel the answer," Kaito instructed. "Don't search for the answer. Let it come to you."
What did that even mean? Feel the answer. He'd done enough math homework to know questions never answered themselves.
Fine. If he wanted to sit around and wait for the answer, then he'd humor the old man. Adam waited.
And waited.
And waited.
"This isn't working," Adam finally growled as his patience snapped.
Kaito slapped the side of Adam's head. Not enough to hurt, of course. "Because you won't let it. Clear your mind. Close your eyes. Look inside. What do you see?"
Inside? That was the one place Adam didn't want to look. Didn't have to look, either. He knew what lurked in those shadows. "A monster."
Another slap to his head. "This isn't some therapy session." Good, because Kaito wasn't being paid enough to deal with Adam's past. "You are a man of action. Bold action, from what you shared today. But why? What drives you to make those choices? What brought you and your men here?"
A boat. Adam had a feeling those words would only earn him another slap. What drove him? Once upon a time, he wanted to be a Huntsman. Then, a caravan guard. After that…well, after that he'd just wanted to survive. Life had been out to get him, but he'd pushed back each time, refusing to stay down. No matter what it threw at him, Adam had stubbornly fought back and stayed alive, even if it meant bloodying his hands a little.
Except…he hadn't. Surviving would've been so much easier if he'd just rolled over and accepted his fate. He could've bowed the knee to Ferric and the guards of Orostachys. Ignored everything they did and kept his mouth shut. Instead, he'd fought back, even when he didn't need to. Saving Axol. Running into that cave-in. Defending Maurice. Each time, he'd ignored the easy option. Instead of walking away and letting someone else suffer, he'd taken the pain to protect them.
I want to protect people. The voice - so young and idealistic - sounded foreign in his ears. Still, he could remember saying those exact words to Father Bernard so long ago. Hadn't that always been his reason? He hadn't trained to get stronger. He'd done it to fight so others didn't have to. He'd fought Geryon and Gideon to save his friends. Everything he'd done had been for a single purpose.
His purpose.
"To protect people," Adam finally answered. Kaito didn't respond, so Adam kept going. "I want to protect people. To keep them safe. No matter what."
Kaito hummed. "I thought so." He had? Kaito must've noticed his surprise. "In each of your stories, you were fighting to protect someone, weren't you?" Adam nodded. "A noble sentiment. One that might hold some clues for your Semblance."
"How?" He didn't choose his Semblance. If he could, he wouldn't have made it so hard to figure out. They'd already tried to make it manifest a few times, but so far, he hadn't felt even a tingle of the strange power, let alone a surge capable of carving through aura and flesh with ease.
"Aura is part of your soul - a part of who you are," Kaito began, holding up his hand as it shimmered with visible aura. It rippled across his entire arm like the gentle roll of the sea. "And your Semblance is connected to it. To you. Some say it's shaped by who you are. Others claim the Semblance makes the man. In my opinion, it's both.
"Your Semblance is a part of you. It's a manifestation of who you are and who you're intended to be." Kaito lowered his hand, letting his aura fade as he nodded to the handful of people training outside. "I used to hate my Semblance. What good was memory to a warrior when others could wield incredible power and even shake the very ground we walk on? But do you know what happened to those powerful warriors?"
Adam shrugged. "They died?"
"And their power died with them. But mine will live on…through them." Kaito turned back to Adam, satisfaction written all over his face. "My purpose is to teach others - to prepare them for the future - and my Semblance helps me with that, just as yours can help you protect those close to you."
"So it only works when I'm protecting someone?" Great. More requirements. Did that mean he could only use it if someone he cared about was hurt or in danger? That would suck.
Now it was Kaito's turn to shrug. "I'm not certain, but it's meant to protect people. How you use it is up to you. I could use my Semblance any way I want. I daresay I could've done well working for any Kingdom's intelligence agency." Adam could see why. A spy that could recall everything he heard in exact detail? "One cannot know their true power until they know themselves. I believe we are close to finding your true potential, but I will need a few days to think on it."
It didn't feel like progress, but Adam knew to trust Kaito at his word. As impatient as he could be, a few days were a small price to pay to hopefully unlock this power of his.
"For now, I'd suggest you simply focus on achieving your purpose in life and let the rest work itself out," Kaito advised before nodding to the building behind them. Adam glanced back to see Corsac and Fennec lingering near the door, watching the two of them from a distance. "It seems Sienna is ready for you. I'll keep an eye on your student while you deal with her."
Thanks," Adam said, grateful to have a break from Blake for a bit, even if it meant having to deal with yet another troublesome White Fang female that refused to leave him alone. "Better get this over with."
"Ah, Brother Adam. A pleasure to see you again."
Adam didn't feel like wasting time with their formalities. "Kaito said Sienna's waiting for me?"
"Right this way," Corsac said, stepping aside for Adam to pass.
/- - - - - - - - - -/
"I saw your press conference this morning."
Adam wanted nothing more than to smash his head through Sienna's desk at that moment. Could no one think of anything else to say? "You and everyone else," he moaned.
"You did well," Sienna continued, ignoring his frustration. "I especially liked the big reveal at the end."
"You don't think it was a little much?"
"It was perfect," Sienna promised. "That moment will be all over the news for the next week. Maybe longer."
"You think it'll change anyone's mind?"
"No." Sienna's flat denial took the wind out of his sails. He hadn't expected any less, of course, but he dared to hope. "They'll try and bury it the first chance they get."
"How?" They'd made him too much of a focus already, so a direct interview with him was bound to make waves in the media world. It would be hard to ignore the condemning letters on his face.
Sienna seemed to think otherwise. "They'll find a way. But enough of that. I see you've started training Blake on how to fight."
"More like she forced me to," Adam grumbled.
"Blake has always been one to chase her goals." That was a nice way of saying it. Way nicer than Adam would've. "I'll make this quick, then, so you can get back to her training."
"Take your time." Please. As much time as possible.
Sienna dashed his hopes without a second thought. "Nonsense. We'll need capable fighters like her in the days ahead."
Did she have to make it sound so ominous? "So what did you want to talk to me about?"
Sienna walked past him to the map of Remnant hanging on the wall. "We've received reports of a village in Anima that needs our help." Sienna pointed to a small dot in the southern wilderness of the continent. "Shidekobushi. A settlement we helped start a couple years ago. Most of the residents are faunus that were driven out of some of the…less friendly villages in Anima."
"That's terrible!"
Sienna didn't look as bothered. "That's life. In any case, they've reported increased Grimm sightings in the area and the trade routes have all but closed."
Leaving them with limited food and supplies, most likely. Worse, as people went hungry, the negativity would begin attracting more Grimm, starting a vicious cycle that would end with them being overrun.
"So we're going to save them?"
"We're going to supply them," Sienna answered. "We'll send a ship here," Sienna pointed to a seemingly empty spot on the southern shoreline, not far from Shidekobushi. We'll unload there and make our way north. It'll be a few days' travel from our landing, but with any luck, we'll get there before things get any worse."
And with the increased Grimm presence, they'd need guards, obviously. Still, if the need was so urgent, then this hardly seemed like the most efficient way to assist. "Can't they just put out a call for help?" A Huntsman could fly there long before the White Fang arrived, after all.
"Only way to get a message out is at the nearest town." A common problem for smaller settlements, especially those without any significant backing like the Yuris had enjoyed. With Grimm already in the area and no caravans coming by, sending a message out would be nearly impossible. "Not to mention most of the residents came from there. Not sure they'd get much sympathy from the people who drove them out in the first place."
That…that was awful! "They'll just let a whole village die?"
"They may not even know it's happening yet," Sienna said. "But even if they did, why would they care? They'll just say it's nature taking its course." By wiping out an entire settlement of faunus, all because no one bothered to help them. That sounded like nature, all right. Human nature. "Doesn't matter. We're their best chance of surviving."
"We?"
"I was hoping you'd come along."
Obviously, but that wasn't what he'd meant. "No, I mean…are you going?"
"Naturally." Wow. He'd always assumed Sienna spent all her time cooped up in her office, but if she was their best fighter, then it only made sense for her to help lead the charge. How bad was the Grimm presence if they needed both of them? "While we're there, we'll help defend the village and see if we can't clear out some of the Grimm, then head back home. Should be a pretty simple mission, especially if you join us."
"I'll go." Kaito wanted him to pursue his purpose, did he? Well, there were people in need of protection, so how could he refuse. Plus, this would be a good chance to see some of the White Fang actions firsthand. "Is Blake coming?"
Sienna shook her head. "No. Too young. Besides, Ghira would have my head if I let her anywhere near this. Or worse…Kali." Sienna visibly shuddered at the word. "I'll be asking for volunteers this evening. They'll all be armed, but the two of us will handle any fighting. I assume you can handle yourself against a few Grimm?"
Could he? Grimm were what he'd been trained to fight, and he'd killed more than his fair share already. It would also be a good chance to prove himself in the field. "When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow," Sienna answered. "I've already informed Ghira and he has a ship being loaded as we speak." Good. It was nice to see the two warring factions of the White Fang could work together when needed. "Talk to your friends. See if any of them want to join. The faster we can get to Shidekobushi, the more likely there'll still be someone left to save."
"I'll do it." Finally, Adam had a purpose. A real purpose. He'd get those supplies to Shidekobushi, even if he had to cut down every Grimm in Anima to get there. He'd protect those in need and show the world he still had fight left in him.
Shidekobushi needed a hero, and he intended to answer that call.
You'll see. I'm their hero. I'll be lionized...
Honestly, it's a little funny how much music has played a role in this fic. Love having little references to Adam's song, not to mention there's a certain chameleon faunus who has yet to make an appearance but has a pretty awesome song herself (which I only discovered thanks to looking for RWBY songs in Beat Saber). I even have a Spotify playlist called Adam that I listen to weekly to help get me in the mood for writing this.
So Ghira does what Ghira does best...press conferences. Actually really like the episode where he speaks out against the White Fang's attack on Beacon. Was nice to see what the peaceful side of the White Fang looked like for once. Will this latest move be enough to stir people to action? Will the blatant evidence cause a media firestorm leading to the downfall of the SDC? Yeah, probably not.
Also had great fun mirroring Adam v Blake at Beacon for a bit. Blake's got a lot of improving to do before she'll be Beacon-level, but Adam's up to the challenge, even if he doesn't want to. Meanwhile, Sienna's taking Adam on his first mission and getting him more involved. I've got a lot of stuff that needs to happen in the coming chapters and didn't want to just leave him on Menagerie forever. He'll be back, of course. Still years out from the start of V1. In fact, we've got a lot of plot still to come, so I figured it was time to tap the accelerator again.
Next chapter: Adam returns to Anima.