A day late this week, but I wasn't really feeling up to writing yesterday after spending the night in the ER. Had a nasty bit of food poisoning that absolutely wrecked me to the point my wife came in to find me passed out in the bathroom. Didn't get home until after sunrise the next morning and slept most of Friday. Managed to finally get back to it today but went a lot longer than I originally planned. In the meantime, I'm mostly recovered and have an appointment on Monday to get checked out and make sure I'm in the clear. Fun times!
Maybe this hero thing wasn't so bad after all.
Adam didn't feel quite as awkward anymore with all the attention, though he still planned to throttle Jakob the next time he heard the imbecile spreading tall tales about him. Sienna sure seemed pleased, though, even asking him to teach a few combat classes for the White Fang. They had to expand it to two classes after the slots filled up almost immediately. Corsac and Fennec assured him that wasn't normal.
People weren't just signing up to learn. They were signing up to learn from him.
Yuma and Trifa were among his first applicants. The refugees of Shidekobushi saw him as their savior, driving off the Grimm and even a Huntsman to protect them, even if they'd done more to dissuade Vern than he had. In their eyes, he could do no wrong. It was like Orostachys all over again. They'd saved themselves, but every single one of them attributed their rescue to him, no matter how many times he told them otherwise. If anything, they only seemed to think he was just being humble, endearing him even further to the newest citizens of Kuo Kuana.
The people of Shidekobushi and workers of Orostachys saw him as some mythical hero sent from the gods. Sienna, Corsac, and Fennec treated him as an equal, including him in many of their strategy meetings and getting him more involved in White Fang operations. It helped that most of the White Fang respected him, snapping to attention or nodding when he passed like he was some sort of superior. Even Blake had been happy to see him again, though she probably missed his training more than him. Everyone seemed thrilled with him all of the sudden.
Well, almost everyone.
"You did what?"
Telling Ghira he'd assaulted and crippled a local sheriff hadn't gone over well. Even Kali looked upset, but she held it back better than her husband. In hindsight, he probably should've known the more pacifist leader of the White Fang probably wouldn't love what he'd done. It only got worse when he got to the end of his recounting.
"You fought a Huntsman?"
"To be fair, we didn't actually fight." Thank the gods for that. Ghira might've smashed the table over Adam's head otherwise. "We just…turned him away."
"The media is going to have a field day with this," Ghira muttered, more concerned with the potential PR nightmare than Adam's safety. Then again, wasn't that what a leader had to do? Putting the good of the organization over any one individual? It made sense, but as the individual in this scenario, Adam couldn't say he regretted his choice. "What did he want?"
"Me." Vern had made that abundantly clear. He'd even recognized Sienna but chose to let her go, more focused on Adam than the apparent second-in-command of the White Fang. In fact, he'd been willing to ignore everyone for him. His newfound fame came with a major downside. "He wanted to arrest me and take me back to Mistral."
"So he didn't attack you. That's good." Definitely, since going one on one with a Huntsman was not exactly on his list of things to do. "So you managed to talk him down?"
"Not exactly." And just like that, Ghira's calm evaporated again. Adam tried to find a way to sugarcoat what came next, but there was no getting around what happened. "I actually offered to turn myself in, but…well…"
"Well what?"
"Shidekobushi sort of refused," Adam said, trying not to throw Sienna under the bus. "They might have threatened to open fire on the men he brought with him if he didn't leave."
The ticking of a nearby clock felt deafening in the silence that followed.
Ghira seethed in his seat, taking several deep breaths before he could explode. Kali reached for him, but even that did little to calm him. Finally, with a monumental amount of effort, Ghira spoke through gritted teeth. "And what did Sienna do?"
So much for keeping her out of this. "She supported me." Ghira waited impatiently, making it clear he wanted more. "She stood beside me and told him to leave." True, but both he and Ghira knew there was more. Lying wouldn't help here. He'd just ask someone else later and get the whole story, ruining what little trust Adam had earned. "And she may have threatened to open fire if they didn't."
The Belladonnas certainly had sturdy furniture. Adam doubted there were many tables that could withstand such a thunderous blow of Ghira's fist without even a crack. "I knew it!"
"Ghira…"
"Don't Ghira me!" he snapped before his wife's stern eyes reminded him he was lashing out at the wrong person. He quickly refocused his ire on the only other person at the table. "This is exactly what I was worried about. I bet she didn't even try to talk him down, did she?" She had, but Adam doubted Ghira would believe him. He also had a feeling she'd never expected it to work, given how antagonistic she'd been, not to mention she'd probably ordered her men to be ready to fire before coming to join him. "The last thing we need right now is to escalate hostilities."
What were they supposed to do, then? Just bow the knee and let them arrest whoever they wanted for daring to want a better life? Just because he'd refused to roll over and die at the hands of men like Overseer Ferric, he'd been branded a traitor - both legally and literally. Now they wanted to drag him away in chains and parade him around as a warning to anyone else that refused to accept their suffering? How exactly would that help anyone?
Adam kept his mouth shut, knowing his questions would only anger Ghira further. Still, maybe Sienna had a point. Maybe the White Fang needed to stand up for itself more. It's not like she was calling for bombing civilians or the slaughter of children. All she'd done was fought back against an unjust attack. The only shots fired had been warning shots.
"No one died," Kali calmly summarized for Ghira, proving herself the cooler head of the two. "While I'm not a fan of her methods, at least she showed some restraint. That has to count for something."
"You call threatening to shoot people restraint?"
"They didn't actually fire, though." Technically, they had, but Ghira and Kali didn't need to know about the warning shots. "What would you have done if they tried to arrest you?"
"I would've turned myself in and made sure everyone else was safe," Ghira calmly answered. "Not ordered the execution of more than a dozen men."
Kali ignored the last part. "Which is what Adam did before Sienna stood up for him." Adam could've kissed her if he didn't think Ghira would kill him then and there. "In the end, everyone came out safe in the end. Isn't that a good thing?"
Ghira grunted, begrudgingly ceding the point. "I still don't like how they handled it."
"Would you have done any different if they'd come after me?" This time, Adam swore he heard a crack as Ghira gripped the table with both hands, his instinctive response more than enough of an answer. While Adam didn't appreciate him and Sienna being compared to the married couple, he had to appreciate how easily Kali could pick apart her husband when she needed to. "You'll have to forgive him. I'm sure you did the best you could." They had, and far better than those men deserved. "At least you all came home safe."
"And we made a few friends," Adam added. Ghira and Kali had already met with Manti and the other refugees, just as they had with Adam and his men when they first arrived.
"I saw that. Did you know we actually offered to bring them all to Menagerie when they first came to us?" He didn't, but it made sense. Adding a few houses in Kuo Kuana had to be easier than setting up a new village in Anima. "If only June had made it with them. I would've loved to tell her I told her so."
Manti had told him a little about June on the ride back to Menagerie. She'd been one of the founding members of Shidekobushi. She'd also been one of the first to die to the Grimm, caught outside the walls hunting when they'd first attacked. She'd died buying time for the rest of her hunting party to make it to the gates. Of the original four founders, only Manti was left now. Trifa would've been next in line as June's daughter. Thankfully, the White Fang had gotten there before anyone else died.
Ghira downed the rest of his drink before pushing up from the table. "For what it's worth, I am glad you made it back safely." He leaned down to gently kiss the top of his wife's head. "I'd best go get started on tomorrow's press statement. Looks like another late night for me."
"Don't stay up too late," Kali instructed. Ghira seemed to smile a little more as he left for his office.
Adam didn't envy the man's workload. Even Sienna didn't spend as much time cooped up in her office. Adam couldn't imagine being stuck behind a desk like that. "He sure spends a lot of time worrying about the press." And not enough worrying about his people, Adam didn't add.
"It's the nature of the beast," Kali explained, her eyes lingering on the door Ghira had left through. "We're just lucky they even publish our statements anymore. It's easier for people to hate us if they never hear our side of the story." Like with him. Mistral and the SDC did everything in their power to turn people against him before he'd even had a chance to respond. Would hearing from him have made any difference, though? Kali certainly thought so.
Adam had lost faith in the strength of words long ago.
/- - - - - - - - - -/
Local Sheriff Maimed In White Fang Attack
White Fang Threatens Huntsman. Is No One Safe?
Attempted Arrest of Adam Taurus Met With Violence
White Fang Abducts Entire Village
Adam Taurus Brands Own Face In Effort To Attack SDC
Of all the garbage news reports Adam had seen, the last one almost made him laugh. Really? This was their defense?
No one could deny the brand on his face after his big reveal over a month ago. The news had largely focused on debunking his claims, relying almost exclusively on information from the SDC. As if they'd admit to any wrongdoing. Not a single word on the mistreatment they'd endured. Instead, all of his claims were seen as vindictive lies from a violent psychopath. Still, the scar on his face couldn't exactly be ignored, so they'd cooked up some crazy conspiracy that he'd branded himself or had someone else brand him just to attack the SDC. More proof of his insanity, the so-called experts claimed.
He did have to hand it to them on some of their other reports. They'd recently announced new charges against him. Apparently Atlas had sent representatives to aid in the investigation of Orostachys, not that anyone in Menagerie thought they'd be unbiased. Atlas might as well have been run by the SDC. It hardly helped that their military representative turned out to be none other than Winter Schnee, eldest daughter of the SDC's CEO. He'd clearly caught their attention since Orostachys, causing them to look into his past further. They'd somehow connected him to a warehouse fire in Mistral where a dead body had been found. Authorities attributed it to arson in order to cover up a murder.
Aggravatingly enough, they were right. Security footage in the area had caught someone fleeing the scene, and while the imagery was hardly conclusive, a few locals had come forward saying they'd seen a horned faunus lurking in the area for weeks before the fire. He had a feeling some of the druggies he'd chased out of the warehouse had ratted him out. The fact that he'd signed up with the local SDC office almost immediately after made a strong case against him, especially when the SDC offices claimed he'd looked nervous and eager to leave - as if they'd remember anything about him after all this time. What did stand out was the matching clothes and build between their in-office security footage and the more grainy footage from the warehouse district.
At that point, the history of Adam Taurus seemed to be all over the place. Newscasters went into great detail on anything and everything they heard involving his name. Talk show hosts had people on who claimed to have a connection or met him at some point. Every rejected application he submitted was scoured for information. They'd even sent people out to track down the Yama caravan, intent on plying Soji and Rikyu for information on their former employer. The one who had found them got stonewalled by Jean, which Adam appreciated, but he never should've had to deal with any of this crap. There was even a special scheduled for later that night promising to share new, never before aired information about the past of notorious killer Adam Taurus.
At least he didn't have to deal with that crap here. Sure, he still got a ton of attention in Menagerie, but no one wanted to discover his life story and publish every sordid detail for all the world to see. Almost no one. He had recognized a reporter or two from the press conference who approached him one time, but they'd been chased off by someone from the White Fang.
Instead, most people that showed interest here were either fans or his new students. There had been a few interested in him for something else. Women, specifically. Whether it was his fame abroad, his popularity in Menagerie, or just genuine interest, he'd been caught off guard at being asked out. Don't get him wrong, she was beautiful, and there was no denying his interest. Especially with how tight her outfit clung to a very developed figure. He'd actually gone on a date with Cleo, but they hadn't really clicked. She kept stealing glances at his scar, then trying to pretend she wasn't looking at it when he noticed. Worse, she kept bringing up Orostachys like some weird fangirl. He'd felt pitied, which wasn't exactly what he wanted in a relationship. And despite Jakob's suggestion that they just bang, he wasn't looking for that in a relationship either.
Well, not just that.
Setting aside his non-existent love life, Adam continued his hunt for one of the only people in Kuo Kuana who didn't give him any special treatment. To him, Adam was just another faunus in the White Fang. An important one, obviously, given his sudden rise courtesy of Sienna and the Albain brothers, but still just a person like anyone else.
"Kaito!" Adam called, spotting the older man down a hall. Almost everyone nearby turned to watch, but Adam ignored them all as he jogged to catch up with the seasoned teacher.
"Do my old eyes deceive me, or has the hero of the White Fang chosen to grace me with his presence?"
"Cute," Adam replied. Kaito loved rubbing his fame in his face. Adam assumed it a lesson on humility at first, but when he kept doing it, Adam had to assume the guy just enjoyed messing with him. "You have a minute?"
"No man knows how much time he has, but I can spare a few for an enquiring mind." Kaito laughed at his own joke as the two walked together, heading toward the rear exit for the training grounds where they both spent most of their time. "What can I help you with today?"
So this is how he wanted to play it? "You said you wanted to talk to me."
"I did?" Kaito stroked his chin contemplatively. "When?"
"This morning," Adam deadpanned.
"Is that so?" Kaito hummed before perking up. "Ah, yes. I did. Must have slipped my mind."
As if. Adam knew all about the man's memory. It was as sharp as ever, given his Semblance. But it wasn't Kaito's Semblance he wanted to talk about. "You said you had some ideas for me? About my Semblance?"
"I might." Kaito seemed intent on dragging things out. If he wasn't Adam's best chance at finally understanding his special ability, Adam would've punched him dead in his smug face, old man or not. Instead, he waited expectantly for the man to start. "I've been thinking it over, and I think I might have found something."
"Really?" Adam looked more excited than Blake whenever Kali made fish for dinner. Which was kind of funny, since most of their meals were fish. "What is it?"
"Patience, young one. It is but a theory." A theory was better than nothing, especially if they could prove it.
Their last attempts had been a waste. The idea of it being related to power hadn't yielded any results. Zapping him repeatedly didn't help, even if Blake certainly enjoyed it, so they decided to rule out power in the electrical sense for now. Having him guard a flag from multiple attackers armed with rubber balls just proved aggravating. So did replacing the flag with Blake, especially when she realized he was letting people through on purpose a few times. They'd all been shots in the dark based loosely on his own thoughts, but he'd endured them in the hopes of finding the right answer eventually.
"I believe I've found a common thread at last," Kaito promised, adding to Adam's excitement as they stepped into the afternoon sun. "If I'm right, I believe we might be able to coax this power of yours out once more, though in a much more controlled setting."
"That's great!" Not that he hadn't tried in less controlled settings. Kuo Kuana didn't have to deal with many Grimm thanks to their active coastal patrols and the natural barrier of the mountains behind, but Adam had ventured out a few times recently to hunt past the narrow valley behind to the Grimm-infested lands beyond. While he hadn't been able to activate his Semblance again, he'd been able to lose himself in a few fights and helped thin the Grimm concentration a bit - something the guards were very grateful for. "So how do we do this?"
"With some help, of course."
Adam screeched to a halt as they rounded the corner, stopping just before he could run over a certain black-haired cat faunus that stood glaring up at him. As excited as Blake was to get back to training when he returned, she'd been upset to find out he'd started teaching classes for the White Fang. She'd signed up, of course, but sharing him with a dozen other people wasn't the same as one on one training.
Naturally, he'd been harassed into agreeing to extra lessons for her during the week.
"Finally," Blake said, kicking off the wall she'd been leaning against. "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting?"
How was that Adam's fault? He didn't even know Kaito had roped her in. His eyes shot to the book in her hands, giving him a sudden idea. "Not long, I'm guessing."
"Why's that?"
"Because you've barely made a dent in that book," Adam answered with a sly grin. "Either you're the slowest reader on Remnant, or you've only been here a few minutes."
Blake's scowl threatened to strike him down. He'd started to figure Blake out a little through all their training. She was as stubborn as a mule and refused to give up. She craved praise but didn't handle it well. And most of all, she loved reading - something Adam could appreciate. If she wasn't training to fight, you could probably find her with her nose buried in some book. She even read while eating most days. Not at home, though. Kali had a strict "no books" policy in the dining room, if only so Blake didn't have an easy excuse to ignore them.
He'd pay for it later, but riling Blake up never got old. "I'm sure Kaito can teach you to read if you're struggling with the big words. Just take your time and sound them out."
"I knew I should've brought my weapon."
Odd. Blake never went anywhere without her weird abomination of a weapon, other than the dinner table, of course. Kali had banned quite a few things from dinner. The fact she didn't have it now couldn't be a coincidence. "How's she going to help?"
Kaito motioned for them to follow toward the training rings. "You said you want to protect people. Well, she'll be the one you're protecting."
"Again? Didn't we already try that?" Then again, if they wanted to pelt Blake with rubber balls again, he wouldn't complain too much.
"We did," Kaito admitted, "but I think there's more to it. Something we missed last time."
"What?"
Kaito unsheathed his sword - something he rarely ever did nowadays. The long, straight blade glistened in the sunlight, light rippling across the bluish metal like waves on the ocean. Adam watched it warily, knowing first hand just how dangerous Kaito was with his sword. Kaito had tested him early on with a spar and proven his sword hid a nasty trick.
Dust infusion. He'd heard of weapons like that before. Even saw a few. But those had mostly focused on things like fire and electricity. Even ice. His, though, used water dust. At first, he'd thought it a silly choice. Splashing an opponent hardly seemed like a winning strategy. What he hadn't expected was the long tendril of water that lashed out from his attack, striking with enough force to split a training dummy in two. It had insane range, too. A single slash could slice clear across the training grounds and still hit like a truck - something he wasn't keen on repeating.
"Alright Blake, now you stand here," Kaito instructed, pointing his sword at a spot behind Adam.
Blake rolled her eyes but took position, holding her hands out helplessly. In the flattest voice possible, she said, "Oh no, I am in danger. Please won't someone help me?"
"Not much of a damsel in distress." More of a distressing damsel. Still, he'd take her defense seriously, at least for a bit, if it meant learning more about his Semblance.
"Can I go back to my tower?"
"You two can work out your issues later," Kaito interrupted, walking several paces back before turning to face them. "Your job is to defend Blake from me. Swords only. I want you to focus on blocking everything I throw at you as if Blake's life depends on it."
Great. This again. At least a sword would be more dangerous than rubber balls. "How is this any different from last time?"
"Just trust me," Kaito assured him. "Blake is defenseless. Her life is in your hands." They both turned to look at the helpless victim, but she only yawned as she turned a page in her book. "Right. Maybe imagine someone else. Someone who actually needs your help."
Great. More imagination games? Where was Cammie when you needed her? Still, if Kaito wanted him to picture someone that needed defending, he had quite a list to draw on. Just about anyone from Orostachys or Shidekobushi would do. He could always go with a classic and picture Jesse and the Ursa again. None of them seemed to mess well with the snappy, stubborn, aggravating girl behind him, though.
Well, one did. Adam ignored the taunting voice in his head as he imagined Blake with a different set of ears. Another young faunus girl who she should've protected better. He tore his eyes away before he could imagine her face, but that didn't stop the unpleasant clutching in his gut.
Kaito saw the change and nodded. "Good. Focus on blocking with your sword. No attacking back. This is purely a defensive drill. Are you ready?"
"I guess s-whoa!"
Adam only just managed to get his sword up in time as Kaito swung for his head, the blades locking for a moment before Kaito reversed his swing and forced Adam to adjust. The strikes were slow enough for him to easily keep up - Kaito had to be holding back. Each blow rang against his own sword as he held his attacker off. His instincts screamed for him to give ground and adjust. Every opening begged for a counterattack. But Adam ignored it as best he could, sticking to Kaito's rules until the old man stepped back at last.
"Feel anything?"
"Not really," Adam answered. His hands tingled a little from the vibration, but no more than usual.
"Hm." Kaito looked between him and Blake for a moment, considering his options. "In that case, maybe we should step it up a bit."
"Faster?"
Kaito nodded. "We need you to start reacting on a more instinctual level. Your Semblance wants to be discovered. You said it felt like it wanted to break out at Shidekobushi."
"I think it worked…once." Which was worse than not working at all. It almost taunted him, staying just out of reach whenever he wanted it to work. How could he master it if he couldn't even control it?
"You're overthinking things. Stop letting your mind get in the way of your soul."
Talk about deja vu. Blaine had said much the same when training him to use his aura. What was it he said? It isn't a thing. It's an action. If his Semblance was tied to his aura, then maybe it worked the same. It couldn't hurt.
Or maybe it could, as Kaito ramped up his attacks into a legitimate assault. Adam caught each and every strike on his blade, dancing between Kaito and Blake. He could remember the cries of pain from Cammie when Blaine had tried a similar trick and swore he wouldn't let that happen again here. No harm would befall the person behind him. Not as long as he still stood. Even if it meant taking all the pain himself, Nila would be fine.
He'd make sure of it.
Kaito's attacks were relentless, but Adam refused to falter. No matter what Kaito tried, he'd be there to stop him. He pushed himself harder and harder, catching blows faster and actually gaining ground on the old man, driving him back inch by inch. He saw openings and barely stopped himself from turning the tables. He knew he could. Kaito was good, but Adam was no pushover. Something in him begged to fight back. His arms ached not from exhaustion but from pent up energy that longed to claim victory. All he had to do was go on the offensive and show Kaito just what he could do. One good attack, and he could save her. He could strike down this would-be attacker and keep her safe. All he had to do was-
Kaito dodged back, sheathing his blade in a clear sign of stopping. Adam panted lightly as he watched his trainer, sword still at the ready in case this was some sort of trick. "Very good. Tell me, Adam, do you feel anything different?"
Different how? After training with Kaito, he always felt a little tired, though usually much more than now. Their sessions rarely ended so easily. But no, nothing felt out of place. Nothing except-
He's defenseless. Now's your chance. Attack! Except for the evil whispers in his ear. Not that he hadn't heard them before, just normally not in the middle of training, other than that one time Kaito went all out and kept pushing him back with that stupid water slash of his. The taunting had been annoying. How come he always gets to do the attacking? Maybe we should try it the other way. C'mon, just one attack. That's all it'll take.
Kaito was old, but he wasn't about to fall over from one attack. He should know. The guy could take a hit and keep coming. Adam knew he could hit like a truck, but he'd need a lot more than one hit to bring down a foe like Kaito.
Unless…
"I…I think it's working," Adam said as he looked down at his hands again. A familiar itch danced across them and up his arms. He'd felt it before, back in Shidekobushi. His Semblance. "I feel…it feels like it wants to work. Like it needs to work."
"As I thought," Kaito said, coming over and placing a hand on Adam's arm. "Hm. Not sure what I expected, but nothing feels different. And you're sure?"
"It's like a river breaking against a dam." Adam knew Kaito loved the water metaphors. To be fair, so did he, though the fishing references never quite worked. "What caused it?"
"We'll need to test it out more, but I think your Semblance is reliant on combat." Kaito nodded past him to where Blake stood, reading as always but with an ear tuned in their direction. "Defensive combat, to be precise."
"Because I was protecting someone?"
"Not protective combat," Kaito clarified, unsheathing his sword once more. It tapped lightly against Adam's own blade. "Defensive. In each of your stories, you were in a prolonged fight and spent a good deal of time blocking, correct?"
Had he? The bandit had kept him on the back foot most of the fight, but Geryon hadn't other than a few shots in his direction. He'd dragged out the fight against Gideon, though mostly just to toy with him.
"But what about the Grimm?" Adam asked, recalling his defense of Shidekobushi. None of them had lasted overly long.
"Perhaps it is not limited to a single foe, but rather a single fight," Kaito suggested. "Or maybe it is dependent upon the force of the attacks themselves." Grimm did tend to pack a punch. "For all we know, it might behave differently depending on the type of opponent. Whatever the case, it is a step in the right direction. We have found a way to charge your power. Now we just need to find a way to release it."
Adam stepped back and readied for another attack. "Again?"
Kaito's answer came in the form of a swing.
/- - - - - - - - - -/
Adam stumbled into his shower, slamming the water all the way on as he rested his head on the cool tile of the wall. The cold water caused him to jump but warmed up quickly, forcing him to edge it down a little before it could cook him. Steam drifted up all around him as his skin reddened, engulfing his tired body in a warm embrace as his muscles finally relaxed.
The years hadn't worn Kaito down much. He had stamina for days and had put Adam through the wringer, pushing him harder and harder to see if they could coax his Semblance out. He could feel it growing each time but never quite spilling forth, leaving him buzzing with energy he couldn't seem to tap into each and every time. Still, progress was progress, or so Kaito kept reminding him. They would keep trying until they found a way to make it work.
Adam lingered in the shower until he felt the water going cold. With it still being before dinner, no one else in the Belladonna house would likely need a shower, so he didn't feel too bad using it all up. His hand slipped across the mirror, clearing a small stream to reveal an exhausted reflection. Exhausted and smiling. Because no matter how brutal Kaito's training got, he was finally making some long overdue progress.
Dinner was a rushed affair. Ghira had a pile of work waiting in his office and barely even spoke before rushing off. Kali apologized for her husband, but Adam assured her he didn't mind. She'd plied him for information on what he'd been up to lately, though she mainly seemed interested in Blake. While she appreciated him training her daughter to defend herself, Adam could tell she was still worried, both for her safety and her distance from her parents. The empty seat beside Kali hardly helped.
Throughout his chat with Kali, Adam kept his eyes on the clock, watching the minutes tick by until nearly seven, at which point he excused himself and hurried back to his room. They'd set up a small TV for him that rarely saw use, but tonight he'd be glued to it. He normally hated watching the news nowadays. Seeing his face plastered on the screen always felt weird, especially when words like "dangerous" and "terrorist" accompanied it.
As much as he dreaded what was coming, he had to see it. They claimed to have information on him - information no one else had yet - and he wanted to see exactly what they'd found. He wouldn't put it past them to make up a bunch of crap and peddle it as truth. If nothing else, it might provide a good laugh. Maybe he was a secret child soldier trained by survivors of the Faunus War to lead their armies in a new crusade. Or some psychopath who had murdered his entire family and burned down his village before going on the run. Heck, maybe they'd claim he'd been raised by Grimm. Or even part Grimm! The options really were endless.
He didn't have to wait long. A handful of commercials - mostly for random drugs and something about reverse mortgages - and then the logo of the news network flashed across the screen. The camera focused in on a well-dressed man Adam recognized as their lead anchor.
"Good evening, and welcome to a special broadcast in which we'll be looking into the past of Mistral's most wanted terrorist, Adam Taurus." Ha! More like Mistral's most overblown criminal. Had they never heard of Kuchinashi? "Tonight, we'll be looking into not only his crimes but the history of this notorious murderer and what may have led to him turning to violence.
"With me tonight is one of the youngest Specialists in Atlas history, Winter Schnee." The camera panned out to show a young woman with blindingly white hair done up in a neat bun seated across from the newsman. Her uniform was crisp and flawless. How she could pretend to be comfortable sitting so rigidly was beyond understanding. Her hands were clasped atop her knee, draped elegantly across the other in what had to be a practiced pose. "Specialist Schnee, thank you for joining us. I understand you were in charge of leading the investigation into Adam Taurus. In fact, most of the information we will be sharing tonight was provided to us by your team. For that, you have our thanks."
The Schnee nodded once without a hint of emotion. "My pleasure. Atlas will always stand by her allies in seeking justice against such violent criminals."
"Not to mention his crimes against your father's company." Adam noticed the smallest twitch in the corner of her mouth, but she stamped it out with ruthless efficiency. "Speaking of which, why don't we start by reviewing his crimes, including a recent assault against a Huntsman of Mistral only weeks ago."
Adam felt his grip tighten on the armrests of his seat as they laid out a bunch of trumped up claims against him. He'd heard them all before, of course. Murder in Mistral, though they neglected to say anything about the so-called victim's own criminal past. They made it sound like he'd lured some random innocent into his murder den and slaughtered him just for fun. He'd give them the arson charge, though. No getting around that one. Killing SDC security personnel. Violently overthrowing a dust mining camp. Abducting a cargo ship and its crew. Attacking a law enforcement officer. Threatening civilians and a Huntsman.
There was a grain of truth hidden in each instance, but they never went into why he'd done what he'd done. No mention of mistreatment by the SDC. Nothing about defending a village from Grimm and then a human assault. No. He was nothing more than a homicidal maniac bent on slaughtering each and every human he encountered. If he could drive off a Huntsman, then what hope did an average citizen have? More importantly, was there even such a thing as excessive force when it came to stopping him? He had a feeling the next Huntsman he encountered wouldn't bother trying the peaceful surrender option. The bounty on his head had gone up again, though the "or alive" part seemed to be missing this time around.
Over half an hour in, and there wasn't anything new yet. They'd laid out familiar claims and had a few experts weigh in to make him look worse. At one point, they'd even had a clip of Jacques Schnee himself condemning Adam's actions and promising to assist Atlas in locating and eliminating the threat, including adding a secondary price on Adam's head. He had a feeling Huntsmen would be lining up to bring him down with the rising reward. They could make more lien off his death than defending a frontier village at this point.
The death of someone who dared to defy them was worth more than the lives of a hundred innocents.
A short commercial break followed the promise of new information. When they returned, It seemed Specialist Schnee was ready to get more involved as they delved into his past. "As you know, my team has done extensive research into the past of Adam Taurus in hopes we might uncover anything that could aid us in apprehending this terrorist."
"And have you found anything?" Like he didn't know. If she hadn't, they wouldn't've bothered with all this build-up. Talk about anti-climatic.
"We have," the Schnee confirmed. "With help from Mistral's own security forces, we've been able to trace him all the way back to his birth in a small village in Anima called Shizukana."
Adam nearly fell out of his chair. They'd what?! He'd expected some garbage claims about how he got to Mistral in the first place. They already knew about the Yama caravan, with several outlets dragging the Yamas through the mud for being involved with such a violent criminal. More likely, they just wanted to make them pay for not coughing up any juicy gossip they could use against Adam. Some had even called for a boycott against Yama Tea for their involvement. If he ever found the ones responsible, he'd give them a personal introduction to Thorn Junior.
The news anchor couldn't seem to bear letting someone else talk too long. Or maybe the Schnee just preferred to keep things short. Either way, he took over from her once again. "With the help of your team's information, we've been able to put together a short video covering the life of Adam Taurus. Let's watch."
The screen faded for a moment, only to be replaced by footage of a familiar village deep in the wilderness of Anima. Shizukana. He hadn't seen the place in years, though it looked much the same as he remembered it. Part of him thought he should be grateful it still stood, but honestly, it was nothing more than a memory of a few good years and a father who genuinely loved him.
The voiceover began, "Adam Taurus was born and raised in a small village far to the west of Mistral called Shizukana. No one seems to know who his parents were, only that he was abandoned at the local Brotherian church and raised by the priest there. We spoke with a few locals who remembered both Adam Taurus and his adoptive father."
Adam didn't recognize the first face, even if he wore the familiar vestments of a Brotherian pastor. The building behind him, however, would forever be etched in his memory. "Father Bernard was a faithful minister to Shizukana for many years," the man began, identified in a chyron below as Father Talos. "He spent much of his life serving his community and upholding the commandments of the Brotherian faith. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but his service lives on in the hearts and minds of his congregation."
Well that was nice. He'd never really given any thought to Father Bernard's replacement, but looking back, the Brotherian Church would hardly send some pompous windbag to take his place. Father Stirling wouldn't have allowed it. Still, it hurt to see someone else living in his childhood home. The view from the front gave a glimpse of Father Bernard's garden. He could still see the rose bushes they'd planted so long ago, standing far larger than he remembered. He'd half-expected the whole place to be mowed down, removing every last bit of his father's memory. Seeing it alive and well brought him a little comfort.
Unlike the next person they interviewed. She'd aged horribly, but there was no mistaking the annoying face of Mrs. Wilde. "Father Bernard never was the same after he took in that little faunus boy," she complained bitterly. "Overprotective. That boy of his used to pick on my poor Dorian all the time."
"What?!" Adam couldn't help but shout his disbelief. Dorian wasn't the victim. He was a bully, plain and simple.
Not the way Mrs. Wilde saw it. "I still remember rushing to the church one day after one of my son's friends came and found me. Adam attacked Dorian and even got him kicked by the wild horse they kept in their backyard." Or the super tame mare that stayed in the fenced-in field, but who could tell the difference? "Father Bernard actually blamed my son for being attacked! Can you believe that? He always defended that little monster no matter what he did."
"Sure, I remember the faunus boy." Mayor Watterson was up next. Adam hadn't spoken to him much, but Father Bernard certainly had. "Father Bernard always said he was a little troublemaker, but nothing too serious." Phew! Adam figured he'd be another Mrs. Wilde, making him sound like he'd been born violent. "He used to train with our guards before Father Bernard passed away. Claimed he wanted to be a Huntsman someday, as I recall."
"A future that would never come to pass," the narrator cut in, switching to a shot that Adam could've done without. A simple grave marker that looked faded and weathered emblazoned with four familiar words. Loving Father and Preacher. As it should be. Because above everything else, he was the best father a boy like him could've asked for. "Father Bernard passed away at a young age, leaving Adam an orphan once more. He was taken to the nearby town of Katai, where the orphanage run by Madam Gael de Thom took him in."
Oh gods, no. Katai. Adam knew what they'd find there long before they finished talking about his arrival and the history of the orphanage. He wondered if they'd bring up any of the children from there. Pika would be a great source of lies. He dreaded seeing Nila again, though. It had been so long ago, but he doubted the memories of what he'd done had faded for her. Having a team of people questioning her would be even worse.
Instead, his other worst nightmare came true, as a somber face took over the screen. She hadn't aged a day since he'd left. Her golden hair still fell gracefully behind her. Adam shuddered as she looked at the camera, as if she were looking directly at him. His chest tightened in fear under that gaze, seeing the cruelty hidden behind a mask of sadness and fear.
Alyssa.
"Adam was a bright child. He studied hard, did his chores, and even volunteered in town most of the week." Volunteered? I guess that was close enough when he never actually got paid for his work. "He seemed so sweet and kind, but then…" she sniffed as a single tear ran down her face, "then he…I never expected him to do something like that."
"You don't have to go on," the interviewer offered. "If it's too painful, we can-"
"No. It needs to be said." Alyssa acted so brave, standing up to her attacker after all these years. At least, that's how everyone else would see it. A pretty, young woman assaulted by a vile monster. She'd already won the audience over before even leveling her accusations against him. "He was struggling in class, so he asked me for tutoring. He used to come to me for help every week. And then…one night, while we were going over the day's lesson, he…he attacked me. He forced me into bed with a knife, tore my clothes, and…and…"
"Adam Taurus was later arrested for the assault and rape of his teacher," the narrator summarized. Adam didn't know when he'd stood, but his hands shook with anger. He wanted nothing more than to reach through the screen and rip her mask off and show the world the truth. Instead, everyone watching would side with the vile woman against him, further blaming him for things he never did. "And this wasn't the first time he'd violated someone at Katai's orphanage. It was later discovered that he'd forced himself on another teen there, threatening to kill her if she ever told anyone."
Nila. A picture of her drifted across the screen, showing her exactly how Adam remembered her. She'd be older now. Probably even more beautiful. The shy smile she wore in the photo wasn't the face he saw, though. Instead, his mind recalled tear-stained eyes bittered by condemnation. He felt himself shrink under that gaze, grateful they didn't have footage of her. He wouldn't be able to stand seeing her again. At least they'd left her out of this.
"Sadly, his first victim took her own life shortly after he was arrested. She was found hanging in a closet a week later after hearing that he'd escaped custody and would never face justice for what he'd done."
Nila…
Adam stumbled, catching himself against a nightstand and knocking the lamp off. She'd…what? No. That couldn't be right. She was…she was dead?
And it's all your fault, came the condemnation he knew he deserved. Poor Nila. So sweet. So innocent. Until you came along. You stole her happiness from her. Used her and threw her away like garbage. What did you think would happen? That she'd just forgive you and come running back to you someday with open arms? You stole her future. You ruined her life, so she ended it. Her blood's on your hands.
The report went on, describing how he'd escaped punishment one night, breaking out of prison with the help of a corrupt sheriff who had since been fired and arrested for his role. Adam didn't hear any of it. Not with Alyssa taunting him over the death of the only girl he'd ever loved. He fell to his knees and spewed his dinner on the carpet in front of him, clutching the edge of his bed desperately as the full weight of what he'd done came crashing down on him.
It took him several minutes before he could push himself up and stumble back to his seat. He couldn't believe it. Nila was dead, and it was all his fault. He'd broken her to the point she didn't want to go on living. He should've been the one hanging on that rope, not her. All his claims of still caring about her rang hollow. He'd run off to live his life and left her behind, scarred and broken. She'd died years ago, and he'd never even known. Here he sat, honored guest in the Belladonna mansion, while she was rotting six feet underground.
Yet another corpse left in his wake.
He finally came back to himself as the video ended, cutting back to the news anchor and the Schnee. "What causes someone to turn to violence like that? Was it his abandonment? The trauma of losing his adoptive father at so young an age? Or are some people just born monsters? Specialist Schnee, your thoughts?"
"No one is born a monster," she began carefully, "but anyone can become one."
"All too true, though I believe you actually discovered additional information recently that might shed even more light on his upbringing."
Specialist Schnee nodded. "We did. It seems he had several encounters with Grimm throughout his childhood, both before and during his time at Katai when he attempted to run away at one point."
"A harrowing experience for anyone, let alone a child." As if the news anchor hiding in his cushy office in the heart of Mistral had ever even seen a Grimm. "So tell me, in your professional opinion, do you believe that may have caused him to turn to violence as he did? Can staring into the face of mindless destruction infect us in some way?"
"No. There have been countless instances of people facing the Grimm, and the survivors rarely go on to commit such horrible acts. Otherwise our Huntsmen would have turned against us long ago."
"But it does happen," he pushed.
"I am not a psychologist, so I wouldn't be able to weigh in on such matters."
The smile on his face looked too satisfied. "We actually reached out to an established expert in psychology and asked him to weigh in for us. With decades of experience in criminal psychology and having worked on such famous cases as the Atlas Slasher and the Stalker of Mantle, he has written over forty books on forensic science and now serves as the head of the Atlas Department of Criminology. Doctor Lee," he said, holding out a hand as an older, darker-skinned man in a crisp suit walked up, "thank you for joining us. Your thoughts?"
Doctor Lee sat down in an open chair next to Specialist Schnee after a quick handshake. He shifted to look up at the screen behind him, where a sketch of Adam with his SDC scar displayed for the viewing audience. "There are many theories on what can cause such behavior, but while these instances may increase one's proclivity to acts of violence, it is important to distinguish between someone who chooses violence from someone who has been driven to insanity and no longer has control."
"Do you believe Adam Taurus to be insane, then?"
"While his actions may seem that way to some, I would argue that he appears to be in full control of his faculties from the reports I've read." So not insane. Just a monster. Somehow, that felt worse. "His self-mutilation is a classic sign of insanity, but in the case of his recent threatening of a Huntsman, he did not attack indiscriminately."
"Maybe he recognized he couldn't win?"
"Further pointing to a use of logic and reasoning over a rash desire for violence," Doctor Lee answered. "Still, the ruthlessness he displayed at Orostachys, along with his facial scarring and violent past, point to some sort of lingering trauma in his early years."
"You're saying the father is to blame for the crimes of his son?" Ignoring how that almost seemed like a direct reference to a teaching of the Brotherians - that one should not be judged for the sins of their father - it reeked of an attack on the most honorable man Adam had ever met.
"Possibly," Doctor Lee allowed. "We've already heard how his father protected him when he assaulted another child. It's possible he took such lessons as a way to rationalize violence against others." Doctor Lee would pay for those words if Adam ever found him. "He also had extended interactions with a failed Huntress named Mazarin, according to Specialist Schnee's report."
Yep. Doctor Lee had to die.
"We believe she was a close friend of Father Bernard," Specialist Schnee confirmed.
"More than a friend, according to a few people from Shizukana," Doctor Lee added. "From your report, it seems she was an integral influence on his early years, even teaching him to fight with a sword at a very young age." No younger than other kids wanting to be Huntsmen. Later than them, in fact, but no one accused their parents of breeding murderers. "She was apparently killed in Kuchinashi, a city well-known for its heavy influence of crime and gang activity. One can only wonder what business a failed Huntress would have in a place like that."
"She was guarding a caravan!" Adam screamed at the display. They made it sound like she was some co-good criminal imparting her villainous ways on him.
"It seems he has a way of attracting failed Huntsmen, then," the reporter intoned. "By all accounts, he was personally taught by one Jean LeGume, a guard of the Yama Tea Company. He started working for them shortly after fleeing Katai, I believe."
"Yes. It appears he was the one to unlock Adam Taurus' aura and further his instruction in combat, a skill he failed to disclose when he applied to work for the SDC." Specialist Schnee pointed up to where a photo of Adam's application was now displayed. "Not only did he fail to notify authorities of this action, as Mistralian law dictates, but he also trained him extensively in direct human combat without a license."
Pampered idiots. No one outside the cities cared about those rules. When you lived in areas infested with Grimm and bandits, learning to fight was a requirement, not a career choice. They were just using this to drag everyone related to him through the mud. Father Bernard was a faunus supremacist. Mazarin a shady cutthroat. Jean a terrorist trainer. What next? Would Soji be teaching him to swear himself to a life of thievery and deceit?
"It sounds like there's more to Adam Taurus than we originally imagined," the news anchor said, drawing the camera back to himself. "From a troubled upbringing to a history of violent crimes starting well before a murder in Mistral, Adam Taurus has displayed a growing pattern of violence and destruction that has cost the lives of dozens of people and threatened the safety of everyone in Anima. He has now allied himself with the faunus supremacist terrorists of the White Fang and even led an attack on our very soil. The Mistral Council has sworn to bring him to justice, but how many more lives will this madman claim before that happens?"
"General Ironwood has sworn to assist its ally in stopping this terrorist as quickly as possible. Atlas and her military will always stand ready to aid the people of Remnant in their hour of need."
"Thank you, Specialist Schnee. Let us hope that will be enough to stop him in time." The anchor turned to his other guest. "And thank you, Doctor Lee, for your insight into the mind of a killer."
"It is my pleasure," Doctor Lee assured both him and the audience. "Regardless of the mindset of this dangerous man, it is important that he be dealt with quickly for the good of all our people."
"Indeed. If anyone has any information regarding the whereabouts of Adam Taurus, please call the number below." A tip hotline flashed on a fresh chyron, promising a reward for any information leading to the capture of Adam Taurus. "As always, authorities urge everyone to keep themselves safe and avoid approaching anyone who they believe may be associated with the White Fang. From all of us here, we pray that this man is made to answer for his crimes and that the people of Anima can sleep easier at night, knowing the threat is being dealt with. Thank you all, and goodnight."
/- - - - - - - - - -/
Adam stormed out of the house the moment the broadcast ended, the cool evening breeze doing little to calm his raging temper.
Bad enough they were after him, but how dare they attack everyone else? What had Jean ever done to hurt anyone? All he'd ever done was look after people and keep them safe. Now, everyone would see him as some sort of terrorist sympathizer. It wasn't fair!
Worse than that, they'd gone after Father Bernard and Mazarin. There were only a few people in all of Remnant Adam had ever received any kindness from, and those two were at the top. Father Bernard had taken him in when no one else cared. He'd named him, raised him as his own, and taught him the importance of fairness and morality. Adam owed everything to him. And Mazarin! She'd given everything for him. The three of them should've been living a happy, quiet life in Shizukana, the perfect family in an imperfect world.
Instead, Father Bernard was buried there, Mazarin was probably rotting in a shallow grave somewhere, and Adam was stuck in Menagerie as the most hunted man in the world, all for refusing to bow the knee and become another unfair death in his family. They condemned him for opposing them and choosing to push back against their tyranny. To them, he was nothing more than a monster.
Well, if it was a monster they wanted, then a monster they would get.
"Adam?" Sienna sat up as Adam stomped his way into her office. He saw her hand reach for her weapon at the sight of him, but she wasn't the one he had an issue with.
The rest of the world was.
Mistral had always hated him. Everywhere he went in Anima, people had always been against him. But he'd been a nobody back then. A nuisance that wasn't worth anyone's time. They weren't innocent in all of this, but their time would come. First, he intended to strike at the real devils. Both the Kingdom and the company that had branded him a killer and set the whole world against him.
Adam's hands slammed down on Sienna's desk. "Send me to Atlas."
So much crammed into this chapter. Adam training his Semblance. A recap of his entire past. The early reveal of Nila's death (would've been revealed later, but made sense here). Adam declaring war on Atlas and the SDC. Things are happenin'!
We aren't going to jump straight to Atlas, of course. That's still a few chapters out at least, since I've got more that needs to happen, but we're sneaking up on some events that are shown in canon, specifically the Adam short giving us a little backstory. It also means certain aspects of Adam we see in canon are going to have to be cemented before long. Put the pedal to the metal and hold onto your butts!
Next chapter: Adam prepares for his personal war.