RWBY-The Recidivist: Chapter 10 *Rewritten* (Original Version Released 8th of November, 2013)
Reminder: DISCLAIMER/AUTHOR'S NOTES
NOTE: I am aware that the entire series is not finished yet. Due to the huge number of changes in the canon and the other project being done in Japan, this story will be an AU (Alternate Universe) that takes place between Volume 2 and 3, while adopting some actual elements from the canon.
RWBY along with its characters DOESN'T belong to me. The series respectively belongs to RoosterTeeth and its creator, Monty Oum. The plot in this Fan Fiction and some characters you'll know who are OCs (Original Characters) are original from me. If any ideas or characters sound similar to another story written by somebody else, it is purely coincidental. I refuse to blatantly steal somebody's idea and claim that it was mine. If you have any concerns, you are always welcome to message me.
If there is anybody outside of this site posting this Fan Fiction without giving proper credit or impersonating me, please let me know.
Chapter 10: Pick Your Poison.
The deadliest of the bunch…
-(UNKNOWN LOCATION, VENOM BRIGADE HQ)-
(Third-Person View)
"Welcome back, Mr. Taurus."
The doors of the aircraft opened up as soon as it touched down on the landing pad. First came out Adam Taurus as he hopped down and looked up back at the exit, checking on the guests that were invited. The four men that he and his other associates he met up with in Vale's Residential area were the ones to hop out: Ammit, Basilisk, Vapula, and Asag. Inside the cabin was completely empty as Adam didn't invite Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald due to security reasons. It also didn't seem necessary to bring along those three as they worked separately. As the four men walked down the landing pad steps to the concrete walkway, Adam tilted his head to his side as a gesture to them to follow him. With that, Ammit led his three colleagues down the walkway while examining the entire island to the closest little detail.
Where they were located was a deserted island that was around eight miles (around twelve to thirteen kilometers) almost equally for both its length and width. Throughout the shores stood these strange pylons and antennas that were supposedly used for interference or long-range communication. The landing pad they just got off was one of the four closest near the center of the island. But what stood in the center was what really gave newcomers quite the sight. Two slightly arched twin towers stood up next to each other that was equivalent to a hundred stories tall for both. It seemingly symbolized two fangs…. Other manmade structures included watchtowers, fortified guns, and a suspicious tunnel seen from the southside.
Ammit whistled at the tall structures and everything else. "Quite the island you have here. Almost seems like a tourist attraction."
"Except tourists would be shot on sight." Adam chortled while continuing to lead them closer to the building on the east. He opened the only entrance door that seemed unguarded.
"Where is everyone?" Ammit asked.
"You'll see in just a moment." Adam replied with a vague response as the entryway led them to a chamber with only a small slit of window. "Don't be shy." He said to try and convince the three reluctant men with Ammit.
Basilisk grunted and grasped something under his cloak. "If this is a trap…"
"Please. If we wanted you dead, you wouldn't even be on this island."
With that, all five men stood inside the chamber as the lights went out and the slit window was slightly lit. Cameras and turrets popped out of the walls and scanned each of them but didn't do anything else to provoke any of the men.
"Identify yourself." A distorted voice demanded behind the speaker.
Adam stepped forward to the camera and gave the White Fang salute. "Adam Taurus. Returning from Vale City with the four strays."
…
"Welcome back, sir." The voice greeted as the camera and turrets folded back behind the walls with the lights suddenly switching back on. Lastly, the sliding door on the opposite side of the entrance from outside opened with two guards there to welcome them.
"The Boss upstairs?" Adam asked.
The first guard nodded after lowering his weapon. "Yeah. He's expecting you."
"Of course he is." He walked pass the two as Ammit and his men followed closely. "Let him know we're on our way up."
"Affirmative." The second guard nodded as he typed on the computer desk near the entrance, relaying the boss on their arrival.
The atrium was completely clean and pristine with White Fang agents and guards doing their usual things from eating in a cafeteria in one side of the atrium, shopping in an internal convenient store, or just casually watching the news on the multiple television monitors around the seated areas. The rest were on their scrolls/phones doing their own things. Something Ammit and his men realized was the windows were using one-way glass to make sure those outside were unable to see what was going inside the building. With this much security precautions they encountered so far, Ammit grew more curious.
"This place is quite heavily protected. Especially for a deserted island where not many people would be aware of." Ammit commented.
Adam turned his head back at him and gave a slight nod. "With an organization that many don't understand and hate us for it, you must always take things with precaution and ensure everything is planned to make things harder for our enemies to take us down. The Boss knows how it works and deservedly earned this position and buildings."
"What can you tell us about your boss anyway?" Asag asked.
"I think it's best for him to tell you his story himself." Adam replied before they reached the elevator. But before he opened it, he turned over to the four of them and gave even the sternest expression behind the mask. "Before we begin: Be on your best behavior. Or you'll be skinned alive and get fed to my men." Adam said while gripping the handle of his sword, showing just how serious this was as soon as they walk into that elevator.
Basilisk glared back through his mask. "I'd like to see you try…"
Ammit chuckled and shook his head. "Now, now. The last thing we would want to do is to make this arrangement have some conflicts that could interfere with our progress. Hmm?"
"Good. That's what we were planning too." Adam chortled and pressed the buttons on the keypad to allow access to the elevator.
The doors slid open as the elevator provided enough space for the five of them. Adam allowed them to walk in first before he did and pressed the button to the top floor. The ride up was fast as the elevator ascended and passed over three floors per second, with the top being 101st floor. For Ammit, he was scanning outside the elevator window and was rather impressed with the White Fang and their resources. This supposed Venom Brigade was armed and organized enough to be equivalent to an actual military force. He was going to ask Adam more about this unit and island but hesitated as the awkward silence between four outsiders and the most respected White Fang Agent was rather stopping him. He also doubts Adam would continue further to elaborate more information about them.
As soon as the elevator reached the final floor, Adam tapped the buttons of the elevator as if they were a code to open the doors. Upon entering it, the doors slid open as they were welcomed with two heavily armed White Fang guards, checking on who had just arrived. When Adam raised his hand at both of them, the two guards nodded and moved out of their way.
"Welcome to Ulysses' Floor." Adam told the four. "Stay close. You wouldn't want the others here to assume you went up here without my permission."
"Are you supposed to be the one that brings up the fresh meat?" Vapula asked while cautiously scanning across all the guards and agents on this floor, looking much more outfitted with better gear.
"I suppose you can say that, since I'm one of the outside agents that handles most of the meetings on potential individuals who can prove to be worthy allies." Adam replied while leading them down the pristine hallway.
"Is there anyone else besides you that does that too?" Ammit asked.
Adam turned his head slightly and chortled a bit. "I'll answer that as soon as you have clearance."
"Fair enough."
"And when is that privilege given to us?" Basilisk asked.
"That'll be up to how much The Boss likes you."
After passing over the hallway after the elevator, they were stepping into a wide lobby with two floors to ceilings windows from their left and right, and portrait paintings on the walls who were supposedly high-ranking members or historical faunuses in their history. The only other items in this room were couches and tables along with potted plants that made it seem like a waiting room. Behind the front desk stood a man with the same heavy armor as the guards near the elevator. He took notice of Adam and automatically opened the doors via hand scanner behind his workstation. Adam gave the guard a nod and led the four men inside into yet another waiting room sized section. Except there were a few White Fang agents here.
Two twin brothers were in the middle of developing something on a workbench with one of them doing most of the work, and the second just curiously examining a piece of the parts they were working with. Much to the hard-working brother's annoyance, he nudged his sibling's side, which only made him drop the part onto the floor. The brother who was slacking off growled at him and nudged back, creating a repeating pattern of hits between the two of them. Adam whistled over to both of them as a way to break it up. Easily, the two brothers sighed and went back to doing their thing on the workbench. They were dressed in heavy ballistic armor that was equivalent to what bomb squads wear while loaded with extra plating and bandoliers of ammunition. Their faces were also concealed by a face mask that was made out of ballistic resistant material.
One man was simply laying down on a couch using his scroll/phone doing his business. He was mostly covered with a trench coat that contained a hidden arsenal of gear and weapons as a few clips were seen from near the collar section, which were loaded with high caliber rounds. With no rifle seen on his person yet, it's assumed his pistol, or a more compact firearm was inside of his coat, which seemed dangerous to have. But the man was comfortable enough where he laid. He was too deep into his scroll as he didn't notice Adam or the four visitors. This man had his head shaved but had a moderate chestnut colored stubble beard.
A young woman was sitting on a sofa while loading some bullets into her magazine that belonged to a pistol. Her hands and fingers were getting this done flawlessly and swiftly as if she was relying on muscle memory of supposedly years of experience. Next to her were stacks of pistol mags which possibly contained around twenty-eight mags. Like the man on the couch, she didn't take heed to anybody around her sharp yellow eyes were more focused on getting her gear and weapons armed and ready. However, she was dressed more casually as if she wasn't on a mission. Short shorts, strapless crop top, with her auburn hair folded into a ponytail to make sure it doesn't get in the way of her work.
Lastly, near the entrance of the main doorway in front of them, stood a muscular and intimidating man with a young teenage boy sitting down on the floor with his legs crossed, using his phone/scroll. The older-aged man was currently not in his combat apparel. Just a black tank top and pants that only had its holsters empty. Long hair, heavy thick beard, and a muscular build that seemed like he is capable of lifting a vehicle effortlessly. His sharp glare moved over to Adam as he gave a curved smile. For the young teenager, he had a dark red mid-fade hairstyle, violet eyes, and wore jeans and a long sleeve that still had its combat harness with his gear. But he didn't seem to have his weapon on him.
"Back so soon, Taurus." The man tilted his head up at him.
Adam shrugged and gave a small smile up at him. "Easy day. Same for you and your son?"
The teenage boy shook his head. "Nah. My old man just wanted me to practice at the range and simulation room."
"And improved tremendously, I might add." The man smiled proudly and then looked over at Ammit and his companions. "Newcomers?"
"Yes, it is." Adam moved over to allow all of them to introduce themselves, heading into the main door to the boss' office. "Go ahead and talk for a bit. Just need to go through a debrief before the new guys walk in." He said before shutting the door.
Ammit stepped forwards and gave a welcoming yet twisted smile. "My name is Ammit. Behind me are my best men: Basilisk, Vapula, and Asag. Forgive them for not being as social as I am. Perhaps it would've been easier for me to introduce all of us at once."
"Ahriman Bokhtar. They call me "Big Bear" in this organization." He bowed his head as a way of greeting him. "And this is my son, Somnus. He doesn't say much, but that's just how he is in the field."
Somnus glanced up at them and waved his hand casually. "Hey."
"Pretty young for a White Fang agent." Basilisk commented while scanning the young teen.
"Don't let his age fool you. I've trained him through the years enough to surpass your average Huntsman in a fight." Ahriman assured while patting his son's head.
Ammit bowed slightly as a sign to greet both of them. "A pleasure."
"And I would like to welcome you four into the White Fang as well." Ahriman bowed his head back.
"That is IF they can make it with Ulysses' approval." Somnus added.
His father chuckled and shook his head. "Come now, Somnus. I have no doubt they will prove to be… "useful" enough for all of us. All of us, indeed…" He mumbled the last part discreetly enough for none of them to hear. "I, for one, can see Ulysses already approving each of you under our ranks."
Vapula chuckled and rolled his eyes. "And if he doesn't?"
"Well, that would be anticlimactic." He replied with a short shrug. "Try not to be pessimistic about it though. Ulysses will always invite others who have proven to be more promising than others. And since you're all here, it's more than just a huge step forward as it is."
"I'm flattered." Basilisk mumbled sarcastically.
Somnus looked up at Ammit and curiously asked, "So what exactly did you do to get the boss' attention?"
"Son, I don't think it's our business to-"
"I insist." Ammit chuckled and assured Ahriman that he was comfortable talking about it. He looked at Somnus directly. "To put it short, I have been relaying information to your fellow agents and your boss for years. There is this one target in particular that has been a thorn on his side and he would take anything I have about him."
Upon mentioning something about how vilified this target was, Somnus folded his arms and huffed as if he knew exactly who he was talking about. "Him. Yeah. That bastard."
Ahriman smiled as he grew an interest in Ammit when he revealed this. "You know about the little hybrid? Good…this is exactly what we wanted to hear."
"Has the information I have been sending to your boss been helpful?"
"Honestly, "helpful" would be a massive understatement. Ulysses has been more than pleased to have any sort of intel regarding "Wyvern". If the reports of him being a military advisor are true, then our job just turned significantly more difficult to carry out his elimination. On the bright side, Ulysses now knows how to make this approach." Ahriman said with some confidence in his tone.
"So, Ammit," Somnus began, "Do you know a lot about Wyvern personally?"
"Personally?" He scoffed while shrugging his shoulders with his eyes giving a roll. "That makes it sounds like I was once on friendly terms with him. Well, to clarify, I was NEVER on that level. I've always wanted to break him ever since he developed his first heartbeat."
"But how do you know a lot about him?" He asked again as it seemed like Ammit evaded the question.
"Just put it like this, Somnus. I wouldn't say I personally know him. I know him from experience. I refuse to be "personal" with an abomination like Wyvern."
Ahriman raised an eyebrow as she scanned Ammit thoroughly as soon as he began to talk about Wyvern a bit. Besides his body language and mind clearly bursting with hatred towards him, something was causing some trouble with his own aura. It was almost like thousands of souls screaming out of pure rage. He kept his uneasiness out of the way to prevent expressing any sort of weakness to a man that was potentially unstable enough compared to his colleagues.
Curiously, Basilisk looked over at Somnus and Ahriman about the subject. "Well, what about you two? How do you know about that little shit?"
"Language, Basilisk. There's a kid right there." Vapula joked about Somnus and laughed along with Asag.
Unexpectedly, Ahriman let out a hearty chuckle as well, much to his son's embarrassment. "Sorry. Couldn't hold that one back."
"Thanks, dad…" Somnus blushed and rolled his eyes. "I know about Wyvern mainly because I was from the Drahënese mainland – Doraegon."
"Is that so?" Basilisk began to scan Somnus and gave a small smile after a few seconds staring directly into his eyes. "I see now…"
Ammit nodded at Basilisk and looked over at Ahriman who was suspiciously watching Basilisk due to his overprotective nature as a father. "Knowing how restrictive that continent is, it must have been a hassle to find him."
"Actually, the poor lad came to me. When we first met, not only was there a bratty child looking to pick a fight with me, but there was a lot of fire and promise in his eyes. I honestly could NOT turn down to help him survive in this world with my knowledge. Children like him needed someone to look up to and I chose to be the man." Ahriman said proudly as he patted Somnus' back, which was enough for him to almost lose his balance from the force.
"Easy, dad! You're gonna make me spill my breakfast." I scooted away to avoid more hits before letting out a chortle.
Suddenly…
"Hey." Adam called as the door to the boss' office was now open with him holding it, "Ulysses said you guys can come inside now."
"About damn time." Basilisk folded his arms and followed Ammit to the entrance.
Ammit gave a rather sinister smirk to himself and turned over to Ahriman, hiding it with a more welcoming one. "I look forward to working with you and your son."
"Of course." Ahriman gave a quick thumbs up and turned over to his son.
Somnus cringed a little for a brief moment as soon as Ammit parted ways with that sentence. "No offense, dad. But that guy gives me the creeps. Are you sure things will go well working with him?"
With that, Ahriman chortled and patted his shoulder. "Are you doubting about it this quickly?"
"Not at all. Just…I don't know. This Ammit guy almost feels like…there's something screwed up about him…"
"I'm starting to feel insulted that you think he's more troubled than I am." He joked. Ahriman seemed to embrace his supposed troubling side of him but knew his son would no doubt be used to it by now through the years.
Somnus let out a chuckle back from his humor, but still knew there was some truth about his father's darker side. "Relax, old man. Jokes aside, it's just my gut speaking."
"Well, trust your gut. Because this one seems off just by being near him…" Ahriman folded his arms and leaned back towards the wall.
Heading inside the boss' office, they were welcomed with a significantly larger room than the other two they passed combined with the ceiling reaching almost near the top of the roof. Overhead was a row of massive glass chandeliers with sculptures of avian Grimm and military aircraft that had the decals and paint jobs that represented the White Fang. The window walls from both sides of the office were tinted and the columns holding up as support beams were gilded and had some suspicious hidden panels and features. The rest of the room had a variety of display cases of weapons, sculptures, and fossils to add to the collection. Overall, this office alone was possibly one of the most expensive of everything inside the building due to the collectables and defenses Ammit knew for sure was installed.
As Ammit and his three acquaintances approached near the center of the room, Ulysses raised his hand up as a sign for them to halt where they stood. He leaned against his desk and pressed something on his computer that caused the floor in front of them to slide open, which did alert Basilisk, Vapula, and Asag. But as for their leader, Ammit curiously watched the flooring slide as if he wasn't alerted and confident there was no harm coming their way. And he was right. All that came out were multiple projectors and activated a holographic map of Remnant which contained a ping on their exact location: the smallest island between a bigger one and a peninsula near the mainland of Anima at the south.
Getting a closer look at Ulysses, he resembled a boar faunus due to ears and visible husks that were clearly maintained obsessively. Combed long dark brown hair with a thick beard, exhausted yet sharp amber eyes, and a below average structure with a mix build of fat and muscle. He may look like your average boss in a clean and pristine suit, but Ammit knew he was dangerous enough to be in the position he earned.
Next to him was supposedly his assistant who was significantly taller than him. Having wolf-like ears coming out of her gray hair and her intimidating glare from her light green eyes. She was also dressed formally like her boss, but just like him, Ammit could tell how potentially dangerous she is according to her aura remaining sharp and active. Especially with newcomers like them.
"Ammit Malik Al-Mult. Basilisk Naito. Vapula Kokinos. And Asag Alal." Ulysses started off as he looked at his desk that contained their photos and names to verify each of them. "And according to my reports, you boys call yourselves-…"
"The Four Horsemen." Ammit smiled and bowed his head. "It's good to see you in person, Sir."
"Just call me Ulysses or Boss. We're not that polite here in this part of the White Fang." Ulysses said while shaking his hand around to dismiss that title.
"And who's that chick? She stinks of perfume." Vapula cringed as he wasn't a fan of the scent.
The woman shook her head and kept her hands clasped together. "Who I am is irrelevant. All you need to know is I'm here to make Ulysses' life easier."
Basilisk rolled his eyes. "So, what? You're a cheap whore?"
"That's enough, Basil." Asag sighed as he didn't want his rudeness to affect their relationship with Ulysses and the White Fang.
She didn't say any sort of reaction to the insult, unfazed by it.
Ulysses glared at Basilisk and slowly shifted it to Ammit. "If your little whelp is just here to insult my colleagues, he can get the hell out of my building and off my island without transport."
"I'll be sure to have a stern talk with him afterwards. My apologies." Ammit bowed his head again as a sign for an apology for both of them.
The assistant shrugged her shoulders and gave a neutral expression to him. "It's fine. I've heard worse. But to be honest, verbal insults are nothing to me."
"But what shall we call you? It's best to know each other by name now that we have the potential of working together." Ammit said to her with the most calm and welcoming tone as possible to patch up their rude start.
"Denae." She told him her name.
"Unique and lovely name, madam." He smiled and looked over at Ulysses. "If she is your assistant, you've chosen the right faunus to have you run your brigade this well."
He proudly nodded and smirked at Denae. "She saved me the hundreds of bullshit headaches I would have to deal with. Lucky to have her. See? It's not just because of the pretty looks."
Denae looked away and rolled her eyes but was clearly flattered by his compliments.
Ulysses set down his cigar and clasped his hands together on his desk. "Anyway, how do you find this place so far?"
"To be honest, it looks almost like a hotel." Asag commented first as he looked out the window and around his office. "No offense or anything." He added.
"There are thousands of White Fang staff and agents, including those in my Venom Brigade residing inside of my two buildings. So, I suppose you can say it like that." He chuckled a bit as Asag's reply humored him a little.
Vapula folded his arms and shrugged his shoulders while also looking around. "No MORE offense. It looks pretty and all. But don't you have better things to focus on rather than impressing newcomers? Proper defenses and barricades?"
"Of course. I'm not stupid when it comes outfitting a clandestine base for the White Fang while remaining hidden from Mistral and the closest Drahën Empire Military Bases." Ulysses said. "These buildings are capable to withstand even the strongest attacks from both Grimm and military arsenals heading straight towards us."
Adam chortled a little bit and smirked. "Those Drahënese bastards will think twice to attack us if we were somehow discovered."
"I wouldn't underestimate the Drahën Empire." Ammit warned them as they didn't know too much of their capabilities more than he did. "How many of their bases are close to this island?"
"The Drahënese annexed a few small sectors in the far east of Anima, claiming two peninsulas after striking a deal with Mistral and some of the locals residing there." Adam started off with where the Drahënese in Anima were located. "Fort Soren and Ackers Harbor is in the northern peninsula, and Gratos Air Base and Fort Talons are in the southern one. Four bases; one each for their Royal Army, Marines, Navy, and Air Force."
Letting out an annoyed groan, Ulysses puffed up his cigar. "I can practically smell them from over here."
"Fortunately, they didn't seem to detect our location." Denae said while she stepped forward towards the holomap. "Ulysses still strictly limits arrivals and departures off this island to avoid detection. Basically, your ride over here was one of the five transports that had their clearance granted to land."
Basilisk tilted his head curiously and asked her, "How many flights per day is it usually?"
"Five to seven arrivals or departures per twenty-four hours. If you completed your mission and our flights reached their quota, you would have to either camp it out someplace else and await extraction, or head to the nearest White Fang outpost." Denae replied with the basics on how deployments and extractions work in the Venom Brigade.
"Overall, this base has strict rules and other regulations compared to the other groups." Ulysses said. "As to why I'm allowing you boys to hear about this now, you have promise for our cause."
"Just to put it out there, I'm the one who isn't doing this for your cause." Basilisk said bitterly.
Ulysses let out a sigh and shook his head. "Right, right. Mercenaries. Just do what you are told, and you'll get your treat."
"This guy is going to be a pain in the ass to work with…" Denae mumbled towards her boss.
"As long as Ammit is with him, he'll keep the leash tight." Ulysses said quietly back with a shrug and looked over at him, keeping the warm yet ominous smile with his three men still watching their surroundings. "Ammit, do you think you handle things well with your men?"
In response, Ammit nodded and stepped forward while signaling his men to stay where they were. He reached closer to Ulysses' desk where both him and Denae were sensing an unnerving aura coming out of him. But even with that disturbing feeling, Ammit still kept the same smile. "I guarantee that my…no, OUR skills will be a benefit to your cause. This is a privilege for the White Fang. And I can prove it to you all if you would take us." He bowed his head to at least show some respect to gain some points from their leader.
Ulysses puffed out his cigar and set it on his ashtray before looking up at his assistant.
Denae, admittingly, was a bit hesitant according to her expression she gave to her boss. She had to gain to achieve her position as well as putting any cost what was done to earn it. Veterans like her were among the most wise and dangerous of the White Fang. Especially in the Venom Brigade. However, Ammit making her reluctant on her decision to allow them to join their cause was rather troubling and could conflict with Ulysses' decision from here. Nevertheless, she knew her place and gave her boss an expression where his answer was all on him.
With some thought to the decision that lasted for ten seconds, Ulysses gave his answer and just gave a small nod. "Ammit Malik Al-Mult. You're hired. Don't let us down, and we'll repay you for your efforts."
That was the answer Ammit wanted to hear, which widened his smile. "My services are under your command, sire."
I know it's late, but here's to a good 2023!
…Or perhaps a less headache inducing year…
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