Thanks for the support and comments as always everyone! This is my first time writing a chapter like this so let me know what you think!
It took Qrow two days before he reached Mountain Glenn and another day more before he managed to find a lead.
The kid was right. There was White Fang activity here given that he was looking at two of their members.
It was just his luck that he sneezed as he perched on the roof of a dilapidated building however, causing one of the Faunus he was tailing to snap towards his direction.
He locked eyes with the Faunus but just before he opened something, Qrow cackawed.
Yeah, that's right. Cackaw, bitch! He was just a normal crow looking at a couple of criminal scum.
He would have blown his cover by now if he wasn't currently in his bird form.
As it is however, the guy must have been a paranoid one to continue peering up at him while elbowing his partner.
"Hey, Deery, don't you think that bird is weird?"
"What?"
"That bird has been following us for some time now."
Yeah, that's right. Qrow has been following them once he noticed two very out of place Faunus wearing Grimm masks in the middle of an abandoned city. What else was he supposed to do? Ignore them?
"Perry, for the last time, you need to lay off the booze before coming to your shift." Deery sighed.
"I'm telling you, Deery, I've been seeing that same bird for an hour now." Perry shook his head before pointing at Qrow who made a show of cleaning his wings.
"It's just a bird Perry, what's it gonna do? Peck our eyes out? We have masks for that."
Heh, now there's an idea. He was smart enough to grab the mask off of them before pecking their faces but nah. He has more important things to do than pecking some poor guy's eyes out.
Namely, stalking said guy and his partner to find out where their base is.
He watched as the Faunus who spotted him shook his head before following his compatriot across the broken down city.
It was almost nighttime when Qrow saw them go inside a broken down building. As far as abandoned buildings go, it didn't look any different from the others around them. It had busted down doors and broken
There were no lights on or any other activity he could see from the outside so it was either they had a hidden room there or they had access to a basement.
Qrow was betting on the basement because no way was there going to be a whole White Fang operation hidden in just one room.
If there was then he would have gone here for nothing and Jimmy would laugh at his face and tell Qrow I told you so…or maybe not considering how straight-laced the guy was but Qrow wasn't going to give him the chance regardless.
Still, there was only one way to find out what they were doing. Mainly sneaking into where they were at.
Just to be safe though, Qrow transformed back into his human form on top of a building across the suspected White Fang base to wait an hour or two.
And as it always was with his luck, thunder boomed across the sky before a torrential downpour doused him in water right after he just settled down.
"Great, and now it's raining." He sighed tiredly as he grabbed the edge of the roof and dropped down to one of the balconies below.
He frowned as he entered the room the balcony was connected with. This was going to be bad. With the rain this heavy, Qrow would be hard pressed to fly away in his bird form if he needed a way out.
Still, he didn't get this far by just relying on the weather. The rain also provided a lot of opportunities. Worst comes to worst, then he'd make use of it to hide better against the Faunus. Besides, who knows? The rain might stop soon.
Spoiler alert, it did not stop.
It was midnight when he finally decided he was rested enough and hopefully most of the guards were already either sleeping or settling down for the night. He shivered as he looked across the road to see a curtain of heavy rain separating him from his target building.
"Right, sneaking into an abandoned building in the middle of the night while it's full of Faunus terrorists? Surely nothing could go wrong." Qrow said sarcastically, stretching his body before leaping down the street.
A quick stride forward and he was pushing himself against the wall of his target building. It was futile to try and hear through the walls with the rain this loud so Qrow took a deep breath before unsheathing Harbinger into its sword form and leaping inside the building.
Lightning flashed and thunder boomed and for one single moment the room he just burst into was illuminated showing…..nothing.
Nothing but his shadow and debris all around him.
He breathed a sigh of relief before he raised Harbinger again. With no sign of White Fang activity on the same floor and above him, there was only one conclusion.
A basement.
He looked around the darkness with only flashes of lightning to illuminate his way before he finally found something. A partially open door leading downstairs to what Qrow correctly guessed as the basement.
He cringed as the door whined when he pulled it open and he gulped as he processed what awaited him below. Darkness was all he saw as the stairs continued downwards.
Qrow will admit it, the White Fang wasn't as stupid as he thought. They had the advantage of night vision while a human like him….had nothing.
It was smart using darkness against him but he wasn't a veteran Huntsman for nothing.
He was Qrow Fucking Branwen.
So putting a confident smirk on his face, Qrow walked down into the darkness before….promptly running away from said darkness.
"DIE, HUMAN!" A large Faunus revved a chainsaw as he followed him up the stairs while Qrow laughed loudly.
"Ha! I knew it was a trap! It would actually be downright insulting if you didn't have one in place!" He mocked as he lured the Faunus away into a brighter area.
No way in hell was he going to be stuck fighting in the darkness against Faunus who had night vision! That was just asking for a beatdown! Qrow was good but he wasn't going to risk it! There could be dozens down there waiting for him!
He smirked as he heard footsteps follow behind the Faunus who charged at him.
Called it!
"I told you! I told you we were being followed!" A familiar voice cried out and look who it is, it was the guy Qrow was following from the start!
"Yeah, yeah. You were right and I was wrong and we only had to wait till midnight to prove it!" A female voice replied irritatedly as they led six other White Fang mooks behind them.
"Heh, sounds like Deery is a sore loser."
"Fuck off, Perry!"
"Quiet! Talk later, fight now!" The large Faunus with a chainsaw yelled, charging at Qrow again who this time met him halfway with Harbinger.
"Shame, you sure I couldn't talk you guys down?" Qrow smirked as he counted his enemies.
The Faunus roared and then the fight was on.
Sparks flew as Harbinger clashed with the chainsaw again and again.
In the darkness, Qrow would have definitely disengaged but in a brighter area with potentially dangerous debris all around them? Qrow was king.
Moments like these were when he really loved his Semblance. He didn't even need to do much as instead of being able to surround him, the White Fang tripped all over each other or ran into broken down furniture.
"Ow!"
"That's my tail! That's my tail!"
"Get out of the way!"
Qrow smirked as he heard cries of pain. He might have smacked one or two of them as he danced around the big guy while kicking some broken furniture towards the others but it was enough to incapacitate most of them.
By now, he only needed to look over his shoulder once or twice but Qrow only really had to worry about the big guy who, while physically strong, was nowhere near Qrow's level.
Credit where credit is due however, the big guy could take a hit and he knew when the tables started to turn against them.
Qrow saw him grit his teeth in frustration before shouting at his comrades.
"Get back! Call for reinforcements! Do not let him come through!"
Qrow frowned as he smacked through his opponent's guard. It didn't take long before he was landing solid blows on the guy but Qrow could already see the grunts limping back into the darkness below.
Reinforcements from down there? It must lead to somewhere else other than just a measly basement if that was the case but wherever it was, Qrow would bet that's where their main operation is.
Now he just had to go through this guy. His eyes hardened as he swiped Harbinger sideways once, twice, three times before he managed to bat his opponent's chainsaw away from him.
Instead of giving up or retreating back with his group however, the big guy roared as he tried to tackle Qrow without hesitation.
Qrow narrowed his eyes as he found himself overextended from his last move and only his agility and experience had him leaping over the tackle as he bonked the guy on the back of his head.
The big guy stumbled into the floor and Qrow was just about to end the fight when two Faunus tried to attack him from behind.
Let it not be said that they do not have bravery and loyalty.
"AAARGGHH!" Deery screamed in pain as Qrow spun with a backward kick to throw her off her feet.
"Come on, LT! Let's go-urk!" Perry swung at his back but Qrow blocked his sword with Harbinger before using his momentum to elbow him in the face.
LT, huh? So that's the big guy's name.
Blood flew as Qrow heard Perry's mask crack and the guy slumped into the ground. That was gonna hurt but even as Qrow found himself standing over three defeated enemies, he knew time was against him.
The White Fang knew he was here and with these schmucks slowing him down, they were probably on their way to alert everyone else in their base. And with the rain still pouring outside, Qrow couldn't even escape in his bird form.
Plans and options run through his mind before his experienced mind instantly decides on a course of action. He had a chance.
It hasn't been a minute since the rest of the goons retreated back down the basement and depending on the distance to their main base and how fast Qrow was, he could potentially stop them before anyone else was the wiser.
He was just about to fly into action when LT suddenly grabbed onto his cloak from the floor.
Damn, was this guy tenacious.
Qrow swatted LT's hands off and stomped his foot on his chest, cracking the floor beneath the Faunus as his Aura flickered fragilely. Qrow was just about ready to end it when suddenly…..a figure smashed through a wall into the already broken down building.
It only took Qrow a glance to realize what it was.
It was an Ursa. A goddamn Ursa.
Lightning flashed and for one horrible moment, Qrow saw silhouettes flash through the curtain of rain behind the Ursa.
The Grimm were here.
LT grunted as he watched the Ursa roar and try to smack the Huntsman away.
It may not have succeeded in swatting the guy off his feet but it managed to occupy him as LT hastily crawled to his brave recruits.
Damn, did that guy hit hard.
He winced as he saw Perry struggle to lift his head up, his mask cracking in two as blood poured down from his nose.
"Sir, I got your chainsaw." Deery gasped through the pain and LT acknowledged her with a nod as he knelt over Perry to check on him.
"Good, bring it with you while I carry Perry." He grunts as he pulls Perry onto his shoulder.
"What about the Huntsman?" Deery asked as they hurriedly tried to head down the basement.
"What about him?" LT asked back with a grave tone as they reached the door.
He could hear the Huntsman fighting behind him and with how skilled he was, LT had no doubts he was dispatching Grimm left and right as they arrived. Closing the door behind him, LT thought about the Grimm.
There was a reason none of them used guns while they were here in Mountain Glenn. Even with the downpour of rain outside, sudden loud noises had the chance of attracting the Grimm inside the city.
Hell, even LT was nervous enough using his own chainsaw but it seems they shouldn't have been bothered.
The Grimm came anyway, probably lured in by his recruits' own desperation and anger against the Huntsman.
And when one Grimm started to head their way, the rest were going to inevitably follow.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he continued down the stairs.
No use thinking about it now. They were already in this situation and the best thing they could do was calm down, seal this particular access point to the tunnels, and hope the Grimm don't follow them to overwhelm the base.
Howls and roars echo outside and LT was sure more Grimm were already gathering outside the building, spurred on by their breathrens bloodlust to eradicate the living. The ground above them shook just as they managed to reach the end of the stairs.
They never had the chance to barricade the door to the basement as the Grimm suddenly barged in behind them atop the stairs they just hurried through. It was dark but they had night visions just so they could see what followed behind them.
Beowolves. Thank the Gods it was just a couple of Beowolves. They must have slipped away from the Huntsman in order to follow LT and his recruits.
Deery shook in fear beside him but LT had no qualms moving. He instantly shoved Perry to her while taking his chainsaw back.
"Go! Get as far as you can! I'll follow you once I'm done here!" He shouted as he almost slipped down the stairs.
LT didn't particularly like to shout but it seemed to be the only way to get recruits moving as evidenced by Deery nodding shakily before limping with Perry who was slowly getting his legs back under him.
He smiled a bloodthirsty smile as he turned to look back at the Beowolves now roaring towards him. The way they were set up, the Grimm had the high ground but LT did not care about that.
His personal mission right now was to hold as long as he can while slowly stepping backward to give his recruits more time. And so instead of his usual strategy of charging ahead and demolishing any resistance, LT stayed still while the Beowolves did not.
It's a good thing the stairs were only wide enough to fit three people side by side. That way, the Grimm had to come at him one by one if they wanted to take a bite.
Still, it was a double-edged sword. It wasn't wide enough to let LT wildly swing his chainsword side-to-side but it was enough for him to hack, slash, and stab.
It was a precarious situation however as he had to take care to balance himself lest he fall down completely to the floor below.
He roared as the first Beowolf engaged him and LT knew he had to finish it off quickly lest he get buried by their weight. He leaned forward, not taking the chance to get pushed down and a quick slash did the job just as he dodged sideways to avoid its claws.
The following Beowulf wasn't far behind however as it leapt over it's dissipating kin to attack him midair.
LT did not let it as a quick up and down motion of his chainsword bisects it in two. Still, the body didn't dissolve in time before it almost knocked him off his feet and tumbling down the stairs.
He was lucky. He was damn lucky that it was just two Beowolves. Normally, two Beowolves wouldn't be a problem for LT but that's when he wasn't injured.
As it is, LT had to catch his breath as he winced when a sharp pain traveled through his chest. Damn, was he going to get bruises because of the Huntsman from earlier.
Yet his ordeal wasn't over. This time, an Alpha Beowulf loped down from above. LT had a moment of eye contact with it before he decided a slow retreat is currently the better part of valor.
With this much Grimm starting to come through the door? The Huntsman was most likely dead and LT had no plans to join him in the afterlife.
Not only was the Alpha bigger and stronger but it was also smarter. It howled and called for help as its red eyes looked at LT menacingly. LT brandished his chainsword at the Alpha above him even as took a tentative step back.
"Lieutenant! Come on! We're through!" Deery's shout echoed from behind him but before LT could completely reach the basement, the Alpha charged down at him.
He brought his chainsword up only for the Alpha to completely ignore it, letting it hit its armor to tackle LT down the stairs. His breath flew out as he felt his feet leave the stairs.
For one single moment, the world paused as LT felt himself float in midair.
There was a moment of weightlessness as he saw more and more Grimm flooding in from behind the Alpha Beowolf.
Beowolves of course as per usual but he also saw an Ursa barrel past the entrance, breaking the door and squeezing itself into the tight space.
LT knew then and there he was going to die.
But he sure as hell wasn't going to die alone!
Gritting his teeth, he felt time speed up to normal as he adjusted his chainsword to move it right against the Alpha's neck. He screamed in fury as he revved his chainsword up, sawing right through its flesh even as they fell down together.
Blood flew from LT's mouth as they crashed to the basement floor with the Alpha's weight over him before it started to disappear into smoke. It was enough to break his Aura. Yet even as he witnessed the mass of Grimm starting to flood towards him, LT started to smile.
He smiled not because he accepted his death.
He smiled because-
BANG!
His leader, his captain, Adam Taurus was here.
It was a thing of beauty to watch as Adam cut through the Grimm in a blur of black and red. Sword and shotgun flew into action as he decimated the Grimm leaping for LT.
Looks like he wasn't going to die today after all.
"Need a hand, lieutenant?" Adam asked as he pulled LT onto his feet after sheathing his sword.
"What took you so long?" He asked back with a smile on his face as they turned around and ran through the basement with the Grimm chasing behind them.
"Tea. I was trying some tea Roman's partner made." Adam replied with a smile as he put LT's arm over his shoulder to support him.
Adam might have killed the Beowolves following the Alpha earlier but there was still an Ursa to worry about and LT did not doubt that more were following behind it.
"How was it?" He asked lightly, trying to distract himself from the pain and the loud sounds coming from behind him.
"Horrible. It tasted like death. I thought she was trying to poison me. Thank you for giving me a reason to run away from it." Adam answered equally lightly, unworried of the beasts starting to close in from behind.
LT wasn't worried either as he laughed at Adam's joke…at least he hopes it was a joke…
Anyway, the point was LT wasn't worried because right in front of them were his comrades clad in white. Reinforcements armed with firepower unlike LT's own squad of recruits dedicated for guarding and scouting. Fourteen men and women ready to jump into the fray with more probably on the way.
He smiled as they passed through the defensive line in front of them as he heard gunshots all around him.
There was a reason why they chose this basement as one of their entrances to their base. It was easily defensible considering it used to be a maintenance locker room for the underground railway workers of Mountain Glenn.
They took advantage of everything left behind as they arranged the lockers to make the entrance a funnel of death. Two rows of metal lockers lined the entrance as improvised walls on each side with murder holes poked between them, allowing more of his comrades to shoot any kind of intruder.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Flashes of light appeared as his comrades lit up the Ursa chasing behind them. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard its death rattle but it was short lived because more Grimm spilled forth down the stairs and towards them.
"LT, make sure the charges are primed and detonate on my command! We are sealing this entrance now!" Adam shouted in a serious voice, pushing him towards the door leading to a maintenance tunnel connected with the railway line. "The rest of you! Hold this position! We need to give time for our brothers and sisters! Fight for the Cause! Fight for the White Fang!"
""FOR THE WHITE FANG!""
Multiple voices cried out in defiance, as their morale rose to combat the Grimm. Shots were fired and the originally dark room was illuminated by the flashes of their muzzles. Grimm died by the waves as they continued to flood into the room.
LT would have loved to shout and fight with his comrades then and there but he was still injured while his Aura was broken.
He locked eyes with Adam as he nodded to signal his understanding. Right now, LT would be a liability in the frontlines and so to the back he goes.
He had no doubt Adam already had people priming the charges and his orders for LT was just a cover for him not to have his pride wounded. It was just another one of those things that men of action such as them would do for those they respected.
It was one more reason in the list of why he continues to follow Adam Taurus.
He turned and smiled as he saw his recruits, Perry and Deery, leaning tiredly beside the door to the maintenance tunnel. He couldn't blame them for their unprofessional conduct. Before shit hit the fan, he was just supposed to take them for a routine patrol and toughen up their nerves against the Grimm.
Who knew checking up on Perry's hunch would lead to this kind of mess?
As he turned to walk up and lead his recruits however, he felt the moment the situation changed for the worse. The walls shook as suddenly a King Taijitu slithered down the stairs. LT doesn't know how that monster managed to fit itself down the stairs in the first place but it cracked and broke the walls around it, widening the entrance to the room for more Grimm to come in.
LT turned around to see his comrades scream as they did their best to pepper the King Taijitu with holes but the sheer size and speed of the thing meant that when it moved, it smashed the improvised walls away from it and into the walls of the basement.
Men caught by the attack died instantly and just like that, eight of his brothers and sisters were lost. That left the one defensive line held by Adam Taurus and six others to hold back the tide.
It got worse however as suddenly in a burst of black feathers…the Huntsman from earlier appeared in midair between him and Adam to knee LT in the head.
That was the last thing he saw before darkness overtook him.
Shit had hit the fan and Perry was regretting seeing that damned crow in the first place.
It turned out however that the crow he saw from earlier was the same Huntsman who kicked their asses. He watched as the damn bird swooped past Adam Taurus before transforming into a human and kneeing the Lieutenant in the face.
The lieutenant fell on his back unconscious as the human landed on his feet. Perry would have loved to say that he stood up to avenge LT but the truth was he slumped to the floor in defeat as he lost strength in his knees. Deery was in the same boat as him as she shook like a leaf while kneeling on the floor.
Damn it! They were going to die down here! Just how?! How did a routine scouting and patrol mission go to this?!
With Grimm pushing through their defenses and a human behind their lines, Perry's future was looking bleaker and bleaker.
Their only chance at life now lies in the hands of their leader, Adam Taurus, as he battled against the Grimm. Yet even he could not be at two places at once to protect him and Deery from the Huntsman.
Perry closed his eyes, accepting his death with tears streaming down his cheeks as the Huntsman stepped closer. He was going to die! He was going to die! He was going to-
SLAM!
His eyes snapped open as instead of taking the time to kill him and Deery, the human rushed through the door and into the maintenance tunnels. Screams and shouts echoed from inside as their comrades who were planting the explosives encountered the Huntsman.
Perry's heart pounded through his chest as he breathed heaving gasps of relief on all fours with Deery crying beside him. His body trembled at the near death experience. This was nothing like the simulations during their training!
There were no medics to patch them up after a fight. There were no trainers to make sure none of them went too far. There was nothing to ensure their safety as Perry was vaguely aware of the taste of blood running down his nose into his lips.
Bile threatens to climb up and out of his mouth but he is saved from puking on the floor by an arm that pushes him to sit up.
It was Adam Taurus dragging LT along the floor with his other arm.
He was shouting at Perry but for some strange reason, he couldn't make out the words. Come to think of it, he couldn't hear anything other than the blood pounding through his ears.
SLAP!
Perry winced as a sharp stinging pain bloomed across his face. It was Adam. Adam Taurus just slapped him and the rest of Perry's mask flew off of his face.
"On your feet, soldier! We are leaving!" Adam shouted at him as he pulled Perry to his feet.
Perry could see that behind his leader were the smoking remains of the King Taijitu while the rest of their comrades continued shooting at the Grimm that flooded in.
Right, they were in the middle of reenacting the Fall of Mountain Glenn. Huh, just like the theater club back in highschool.
Perry had the vague feeling that it was a bit disrespectful to laugh at that thought but it was the only way he could inject some measure of calm into his panicking mind.
And with that thought in said mind, things suddenly didn't seem so bad.
Sure they were in a pinch but they were not dead yet. Vague memories of lectures on the Fall of Mountain Glenn reminded him that the reason the Grimm hordes managed to overwhelm the city so fast was because of the panic from the civilians.
They just pulled more Grimm in before the Huntsmen could secure their areas.
That at least told Perry that as long as he didn't let go of his senses then he wouldn't be a target. That he wouldn't lure more Grimm in to make it harder for his comrades.
He nodded shakily as he stood up on his own and when Adam Taurus nodded at him approvingly, that was enough for steely resolve to return to his eyes.
"What do you need me to do, Sir?" He asked as Adam did the same to Deery.
"Take the lieutenant and make sure the explosives are set. We'll hold the Grimm here for as long as we can." Adam ordered and that was that.
Adam leapt back into the fray in a streak of black and red while Perry watched in awe.
It was a wonder what a set of orders could do for a man. It gave him purpose and a sense of direction and Perry was infinitely grateful that his leader knew what to do. It beat back the fear trying to creep up his mind as he shook his head and looked at the lieutenant left on the floor.
Perry found out the hard way that pulling one of the lieutenant's arms over his shoulder straight from the floor was a different challenge altogether.
Damn was he heavy.
Adam must have been built different with how easy he made it look by pulling LT across the floor earlier.
For his part, Perry had to have Deery sling the lieutenant's other arm over her shoulder so they could drag LT down the maintenance tunnel.
The sight that greeted them however was grim.
Grim at the front and Grimm at the back, heh.
He might have laughed at his own joke if he was alone but looking at the six dead and the dying littering the floor in front of him killed any amusement in his gut and blew out the optimism that was just starting to form inside him.
More than that, this was his squad. His own damn squad.
Tears formed in his eyes as he looked at familiar faces and the devastation done on them.
Mangled arms, dismembered legs, and the corpse of someone who was straight up split into two would forever be seared into Perry's mind. This probably would have been his fate if he stood up against the human earlier.
He gulped back the vomit threatening to come out of his mouth at the thought but Deery wasn't as successful as he was because she hurled to the side.
"C-Come on, Deery. We need to go." He muttered as groans and moans of pain came out from the four who were still alive on the floor.
He would have loved to help them, really, but Perry only had so much energy and his arms were already full with LT.
"Y-Yeah, just need a moment." Deery spoke past heaving breaths as she emptied her stomach onto the floor.
"We don't have a moment." Perry continued absently, pulling LT and Deery with him as he stepped past one of the two dead bodies in front of him.
Coby and Jazz. They were the twins Coby and Jazz. Both Racoon Faunus who had a penchant for trouble. Coby was the one split into two while Jazz had his chest crushed.
Judging by their positions, they fought valiantly. Dead hands gripped onto their knives and swords.
They limped over the twins and they came face to face with another of their squadmates who were laying down on the floor.
"P-Perry. Deery. Help me, please." One of the women, Olivia, a sister who lost her brother to the SDC called out, reaching out with a stump where her right hand used to be.
They moved past her, careful not to step on her as they heard her crying in pain.
"I'm sorry." He weeped in helplessness as Deery sobbed louder beside him.
Damn it.
"My leg….he took my leg." An old man, Roy, snarled painfully through gritted teeth as he leaned against a wall, webbed fingers obvious as he gripped his right thigh where the rest of his leg was supposed to be.
They continued on as he screamed out in pain.
"I'm sorry." He called out again, frustration rising deep within his gut as blood clung onto his boots.
Damn it!
Lifeless eyes then stared at him as he stepped over a man with feline whiskers on his face, his hands grabbing limply onto his chest over his heart.
Jet. That was Jet. A guy who was Perry's age he loved to joke with. In another life, they could have been best friends.
DAMN IT!
DAMN THE HUMAN!
DAMN ALL THE HUMANS!
Righteous anger blazed within his heart as pain bloomed inside his chest.
20 meters. 20 damn meters.
They had to endure their comrades' cries for help for the 20 meters they walked.
It took too long for Perry's taste but they eventually reached the last Faunus clinging to life at the 20 meter mark.
He could see him desperately clench his hands over his belly but it was futile. Blood was already pooling beneath his as he slumped against the wall.
"The bombs….we planted the bombs." Bubba, their own squad leader after the lieutenant muttered as he looked at Perry with glassy eyes.
It seems in the low light of the tunnel and the tears blocking his eyes, Perry failed to notice the bombs lining each side of the tunnel. Four bombs on each side with an interval of 5 meters.
Gods willing, the rubble it brings down would be enough to stop the Grimm.
And it only took the lives of most of his squad to set it up.
Perry nodded as he bit his lip to keep his grief in. Bubba might not be dead yet but it was most likely none of the rest would survive either.
A squad of two teams of four, now reduced to two members with their own instructor unconscious between them.
It was painful walking past them and it was painful dropping off the lieutenant and Deery just beyond them.
Perry turned back, walking towards Bubba's position with tears running down from his eyes.
"I'm sorry."
A sobbed escaped his mouth as he knelt down.
"I-It's okay, kid. This isn't your fault." Bubba replied raspily, blood dripping down his mouth.
Perry shook his head. If only he didn't see the damn crow. If only they weren't spotted. If only he didn't report it to LT so they wouldn't have stayed extra hours to ambush any possible intruder. If only-
He paused as he felt Bubba's bloody palm touch his cheek.
"None of that now, kid. You did good. You did go-GLURK!" Bubba started softly before he started choking on his own blood.
Perry's eyes snapped wide open as he panickedly laid a hand on his shoulder, offering comfort and strength in the absence of knowing what to do.
"Save your strength, Bu-"
"Ssshhh, kid. You and I both know I am not going to make it. The bastard got me good." Bubby shushed him, clearing his throat as he looked at Perry softly.
Perry only bowed his head in sadness as he bit his lip in frustration. He couldn't answer him. Tears fell to the floor before Bubba's hand stretched forward to show him the detonator.
"You…you should do the honors kid. Because…the Gods know…. I….ca-." Bubba sighed his last breath softly, detonator falling from his limp hand.
…Damn it.
Perry's shaky hands then took the detonator as he looked at Bubba's eyes one last time. Clearing his throat, he closed Bubba's eyes for the last time as he stood up.
It was right on time as he suddenly heard the sounds of fighting coming from the door he, Deery, and LT came through.
Two Faunus came right through the door limping and battered. They paused as they beheld the carnage in front of them before they rushed to move. Perry could have kissed them for the attempt they made to carry Olivia who was missing an arm.
In a reenactment of Perry's own journey with LT and Deery earlier, the three of them limped their way to Perry, albeit a lot more hurriedly.
"Come on!" He waved at them as armed the detonator in his hand. The explosives beeped as red lights appeared on the walls around them.
His comrades didn't get far however before they stumbled when they tried to pick up Old Man Roy who was missing his leg five meters from the door.
"Go! Go without me!" Roy shouted painfully as he waved their comrades off and Perry committed his scarred face to his mind.
Their comrades continued on before the door suddenly exploded behind them. Adam Taurus came blasting through as he flew across the tunnel right into the limping Faunus.
Perry's breath gets stuck in his throat but Adam hitting them was actually a blessing in disguise.
They might have been on the ground, screaming and groaning in pain, but they were only five meters from Perry now.
15 meters from where the door used to be which an Ursa poked through.
Perry ran for them as Deery screamed behind him. He locked eyes with Adam who was just trying to get up when he pulled his leader up into his feet together with Olivia.
Olivia screamed in pain as Perry accidentally grabbed the arm where her right hand used to be. The Ursa looked straight at him. It's menacing red eyes promising murder for Perry.
It boiled down to a matter of seconds. The Ursa roared before it charged, giving Perry another second to pull the comrades who tried to save Olivia.
And then they ran.
If the average man sprinted, he would clear 20 meters in four seconds. They were not average however but the fact of the matter was they were all injured.
Luckily for them they only needed to run five meters to get past Bubba's corpse and another five meters to get past the blast zone where Deery and LT were at. That would only take them 3 or 4 seconds.
The problem was the Ursa. It took two seconds for it to catch up to them and before Perry even realized, it was already swiping at his comrade.
Someone else realized it however.
A man with a wolf tail cried out as he pushed his squadmate away.
"Rudy, look out!"
"PAUL!" Rudy screamed as he saw his squadmate smashed into the wall. Grief could do a lot of things to a man because before Perry could even stop him, Rudy was already tackling the Ursa back.
He closed his eyes as he shook his head in frustration. He ran. He ran while pulling a crying Olivia with him. He ran as Adam Taurus silently pushed him forward.
He ran and then….he detonated the bombs.
The world shook and they all got thrown off of their feet. Perry and Olivia landed just beside Deery as smoke filled the tunnel and their ears popped from the sound of the explosions.
Eventually however the rumbling stopped and Perry opened his eyes…only for him to stare at Olivia who had a piece of rock sticking out of her eye through her head.
She looked at him as if she couldn't believe it as well. She even tried to form some words only for it to come out as gurgles before she eventually stopped. Blood poured down from her wound and Perry didn't even have it in him to react.
He only looked at her blankly as he still held her stump. He sat up as he looked at himself. In the chaos of things he never really noticed the blood seeping into his white uniform but now that the world started to quiet down, Perry could see the color red dominating his arms and chest.
Deery whimpered beside him but Perry ignored her. He could only look blankly at the blood spreading across his uniform.
He didn't get out of his mind until a hand squeezed his shoulder. Looking up, he sees Adam Taurus heaving and staring back at him.
"You did good." He says gravelly even as Perry shook his head.
"I…They're dead."
His squad was dead. His comrades were dead. They're dead.
"It wasn't your fault. You stopped the Grimm from flooding through the tunnel to our base."
"They're dead. I killed them" Perry repeats as he looks down at his hand holding the detonator to which Adam only stays silent for a moment before speaking again.
"...Yes….They're dead."
Tears streaked down Perry's eyes before Adam shook him violently.
"Listen, soldier. They're dead but it's not because of you."
"W-what?"
"It's because of that human. This would never have happened if he never came here. All of this? It's because of that human." Adam growled as he knelt beside Perry.
Perry ...nods slowly as life slowly returns to his eyes.
"Yes…it's all that human's fault." Perry snarled as hatred deep in his heart lit up a fire in his eyes.
"It is. He is the one who brought this misfortune to us." Adam nodded at Olivia's dead body and Perry's hands clenched in anger.
Looking at what remained, they only had him, Adam, Deery, and LT who was still unconscious.
Perry had no doubts that the rest of the White Fang were already on high alert considering they just blew up one of their access tunnels yet that begs the question.
"What do we do now?" He asked as he looked at his leader.
"Now? Now we hunt a Huntsman." Adam smiled savagely.
Sooo, what do you think?!
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