Writing is hard, but god it's satisfying. This chapter goes out to my friends in An Average RWBY Server. Cool guys, all of you. Today we're delving into my headcannon for the backstory of Adam Taurus. Spoilers, but the story ahead may be hard for some to stomach. That said, I always believed that Adam was a heavily underutilized villain, who was reduced even further to just a psycho ex. RT did my man dirty. Anyway, enough chatter, it's time to delve into the history of the bull, and how he became what he was.
The story of Adam Taurus is one that begins with the searing pain of a branding iron.
The child Faunus screamed out, his lungs hoarse, kicking and fighting with every last drop of energy. His family had just been rounded up the day prior, making them new slaves to toil away in the cold mines of the SDC. His father, the brave man that he was, didn't hesitate to step up for his family. To demand better living conditions for the young boy he and his wife were caring for.
What Adam's father didn't expect was for the site overseer to be a cruel, vindictive bitch, and a racist to boot. She looked down on the lowly Faunus who dared to ask for anything more than what they were given. How dare they spurn the generosity of Man, and the SDC? For that, the woman had deigned to punish the family. The man and his wife would be left alone, punishing either of them would accomplish nothing but to fuel their petty need to rebel. No. To break these animals, she would target their young son.
That was the day that Adam Taurus was branded across his eye by an SDC overseer, his parents beaten and dragged before him to witness the cruel sight, as two Security officers held Adam down, to keep him from struggling. It was a vile, hateful act. As the boy screamed, the Overseer had the gaul to laugh. She looked between the boy and his parents, seeing their broken expressions, it was all too much for her. She had loved to watch these animals get what they deserved, and in the far reaches of Anima no one could stop her from dealing with these Faunus however she deemed fit.
Society had deemed these acts "cruel" and "barbaric", but she knew better. Thank the Brother Gods that the SDC seemed to think so too. There was very little oversight in these far-flung mining outposts. She could kill and maim the animals in her camp with reckless abandon. No one would miss them, and they were cheap, disposable labor. One quick scroll call with her "contact" in the south, and she would be delivered with a fresh batch of caged animals, ready to be put to work within hours. It was perfect.
Adam collapsed, passing out from the pain that proved to be far too much for the young bull. The Overseer frowned at this, watching the boy slump over. Of course, she had expected something like this. These worthless animals she had acquired recently were a soft bunch. They would die quickly, she knew it already, but before they did, she would make as much use of them as she could. She motioned for her men to release the boy, and when they did, she kicked his limp body over to his parents.
"Act again, and his punishment will be far more severe the next time. Do you understand, or must I speak slower?" She sneered at the male Faunus, who quickly took his son into his arms. His expression was dead, and any thoughts he had of resisting were wiped away in an instant.
"I understand." His voice was hollow, his wife cried silently beside him, desperately reaching out to cradle their baby boy.
"Then get out of my sight." The Overseer turned on heel, her security detail following behind her, leaving the pit and heading up the metallic ramp that led out of the mine, and into the surface camp.
Adam's punishment was public, for all the workers to see. Men, women, children. Some from Adam's village looked on with shock, horror, and disgust on their faces. Children cried to their parents, asking if they would be next. The older workers, some who had spent months in the camp, and the rare few who had spent years, looked on solemnly. This wasn't even an uncommon sight for them. Every time a new batch of arrivals rolled around, there would always be one family or individual who would speak out, and who would swiftly be put in their place. Most often they were branded, other times they were whipped, and if the Overseer was feeling particularly cruel? She'd have their Faunus traits cut off, in a vain attempt to "purify their taint".
It was a cruel life for the young Adam. And a life he knew for years after the fact. His family was lucky. The Overseer had forgotten about the Taurus family quickly after Adam had been punished, which helped since neither his father nor his mother dared to speak out ever again after that incident. They hung their heads, avoiding even looking at the woman who disfigured their son. Adam, on the other hand, stewed with rage, a rage that built up well into his teens. These people would suffer. For every brutality inflicted on his people, he would respond in kind.
His chance came when the mine collapsed.
Adam didn't know what had caused the collapse; he was on his shift at the time, chipping away at stone inside one of the branch tunnels of the main shaft. It happened suddenly, a boom echoed through the caves, followed quickly by a rumbling that shook him to the bone. The walls of the tunnel cracked, and the ceiling began caving in. Adam yelled at his fellow Faunus to run, he was the only one who was even remotely calm amidst the chaos, letting him do what no one else could. Leading his fellow workers out with him, it was only by the narrowest of margins that Adam avoided being flattened by falling stones.
The main tunnel line was a mess. Sections of the roof and walls had come down, crushing mining equipment and the occasional unlucky Faunus along with it. He heard the cries of the children who worked in the shallow sections of the mine, the distressed cries of his brethren who were trapped and injured. He saw red, but it was not rage. It was blood. Half of the mine's workforce had died in an instant, crushed under falling rocks. They were the lucky ones. The other half, men, women, and children who numbered only in the dozens, were trapped. The main entrance to the camp outside had collapsed. There was only one surface exit. Whether or not that was an intentional choice, or simply a planning mistake, Adam didn't care to know.
His people needed him now. They needed him to be strong. Adam Taurus was the first among the trapped miners to begin working, directing his kinsmen with ease. There was little time to waste; they had to save those trapped in the side tunnels. Every able-bodied person would be needed if they wanted any hope of digging their way out of this pit. It was during this time that Adam made a discovery. A horrible, painful one.
His father was among those trapped under rubble. However, unlike most, he was only partially crushed by the walking rocks. His lower body was flattened under a massive chunk of rock and debris. The worst part was that he wasn't just dead; rather, his father was alive. Alive and in terrible pain. His mother was by the man's side, an inconsolable wreck as she fretted over her husband, begging Oum to save him. His father, bless his soul, did everything in his power to reassure his wife that he'd be okay.
Adam, in that moment, felt choked up for the first time in ages. He approached his father with careful steps, as if any sudden movements would make his father's condition worse. Seeing his son in such a state, Adam's father beckoned the teen over. He didn't hesitate to speak to him the exact same words he had given to his mother. They didn't help, but clinging to his father, Adam hoped beyond hope that a miracle would come and save them. For all of his bravery, for all of his drive, seeing his father like this? It stabbed Adam in the heart.
And things would only get worse. Adam and his fellow workers were still trapped underground. They lived in the mines, and as such, they had food and water stored... But it wasn't a lot. Their supplies were kept deliberately low by the Overseer. Restricting the rations for the entire camp was just another one of her cruel tactics, one she didn't use often, as it drove down productivity, but an option nonetheless. The collective of survivors had among them three days of food. That was, three days of food that would have fed the whole colony. At half of their original numbers, they had food and water to last them for a week, two weeks if they ate half rations, and heavily restricted water use. It was a dire situation.
Adam's steel resolve shone through, however. He had the determination to save his family. His parents, along with all the other miners who had suffered with him.
He began coordinating their efforts once more, leading his fellow workers. They listened to the young bull, despite his age, he was the only one who was actually willing to step up and take charge of them after all. Adam's parents couldn't help but feel proud of their boy. Especially his father. They'd raised a good boy, despite all the pain Adam had been put through, he believed their Adam would rise above it all. Even if he didn't live to see it. He didn't believe he would, despite the efforts of his son.
The miners of the mine worked themselves to the bone trying to dig themselves out of the collapsed mine. However, in the week it took them to dig their way out, Adam's father had passed away. The injuries sustained were too much for him, especially without any medical treatment. Adam's mother was despondent, and Adam burrowed himself in his work. He could grieve later; he would grieve later. His people needed him, the living needed him.
When the mine workers finally broke out onto the surface, it was to a sight they hadn't expected to see. In the days following the mine collapse, the Mistralian Branch of the White Fang had swept into the camp, taking the Overseer hostage, and were also working to dig out the Faunus who were still trapped in the mines. They definitely hadn't expected a daring young bull to take charge, and set them on the path to freeing themselves. What followed was an emotional mess, thankful miners taken into the care of the White Fang, who had brought with them food and medical supplies meant for liberating the whole camp. It was a bloody miracle. The workers, who had no hope, had found their hope for a future renewed.
Adam... Adam felt pained. He was thankful, grateful, for what the White Fang was doing. But the young man had lost his father, and his mother had seen better days. He felt the responsibility of the future resting on his shoulders, now more than ever. Adam had to be strong, he needed to be powerful. He needed to make Humanity pay for what his people were forced to endure. Looking across the camp, seeing the White Fang soldiers interacting with the Miners, it gave Adam a sense of purpose. He felt as if he had a calling. He needed to be one of them. For his parents, for his people... For all Faunus-kind.
It was at that moment his eyes landed upon hair of black, a pair of cat ears twitching as their owner felt the gaze of the young bull upon her. When Adam's eyes met the girl's, time for the boy seemed to grind to a halt. Those amber orbs seemed to pierce through him, striking him right in the heart. His pulse quickened, as he saw the girl approaching him. She was only a few years his junior, much younger than the other White Fang soldiers. Why? Was she special? She certainly looked the part. Her pretty yet cute face meeting his, as the two stood but a couple feet apart.
Little did the bull know, that the thoughts which rushed through him, were swirling in the heart of the young cat girl. She looked up at the bull, his back straight, his head held high... He was branded across his face with the letters "SDC", but the young cat didn't care. She was enraptured by him. He looked bery much like the protagonist of one of her books, except instead of wearing a cloak and wielding a katana, the boy was dressed in frayed dirty clothes, and carried a pickaxe over his shoulder.
"Are you okay?" Those were the first words to escape her.
"I'm fine." Came the quick reply. She frowned slightly. He seemed tired, exhausted. She had heard the whispers among the Miners and her allies on the mission with her. Supposedly the boy in front of her had led the efforts to dig their way out of the mines. Blake flushed at the thought of that, the young man before her, bravely commanding his fellow workers, fighting with every ounce of his determination to save them. It was heroic, it was idealistic... It was romantic.
"My name is Adam." The boy spoke, driving her from her thoughts. The way his eyes looked at her, Blake could tell he was a strong person. She smiled.
"My name's Blake." The girl replied, meeting his gaze. She knew what she would do next. She had to convince this boy to join her in the White Fang. Maybe with someone like this on their side, they could spark a real change. She wanted to see him like that, leading their people into the future.
A traitorous part of her, that made her heart flutter, imagined her at his side.
"Blake Belladonna."
And there we go. Man, no matter how many times I look at what I wrote, I get the urge to just make it longer. But, given that this is just lore and background history that I want to condense into an easy-to-read format, I wasn't gonna expand it. Future chapters will probably end up being longer, if only because I'll be using more dialogue. Shocker, I know.
Anyway, feel free to comment on what you think I should look into next. RWBY's lore is interesting, and I want to take a crack at creating, revising, or completely rewriting more of it.
Ciao for now.