RWBY-The Recidivist: Chapter 17*Rewritten* (Original Version Released 12rd of February, 2014)
Reminder: DISCLAIMER/AUTHOR'S NOTES
NOTE: I am aware that the entire series is not finished yet. Due to the huge number of changes in the canon and the other project being done in Japan, this story will be an AU (Alternate Universe) that takes place between Volume 2 and 3, while adopting some actual elements from the canon.
RWBY along with its characters DOESN'T belong to me. The series respectively belongs to RoosterTeeth and its creator, Monty Oum. The plot in this Fan Fiction and some characters you'll know who are OCs (Original Characters) are original from me. If any ideas or characters sound similar to another story written by somebody else, it is purely coincidental. I refuse to blatantly steal somebody's idea and claim that it was mine. If you have any concerns, you are always welcome to message me.
If there is anybody outside of this site posting this Fan Fiction without giving proper credit or impersonating me, please let me know.
Chapter 17: Promotion.
Leadership role achieved!
-(Eastern Tower, Venom Brigade HQ, Unspecified Location)-
(Third-Person POV)
With midnight approaching in the secretive White Fang island, a lone Bullhead with no tail code or any affiliation insignia approached the nearest landing pad available. Waiting near it was Somnus, Ahriman's adoptive son, as he was waiting for his father's arrival back from the mission of retrieving former-agent Amelie. Unfortunately for them, the operation failed as a second craft that was supposed to accompany them was not present. A sign Somnus knew that it was shot down. But the other agents didn't matter to him as he was only looking forward to greeting Ahriman back to base and check if he was still in stable condition.
The Bullhead lowered its landing gear and touched down on the landing pad before its engines were shut down, and the passengers disembarked. However, there was only two – Adam Taurus and Ahriman Bokhtar. Even behind the mask, Adam looked painfully soured while he hopped off and passed Somnus, not even bothering to greet him. For Ahriman, he greeted him with a proper hug and patted his son's shoulder.
Ahriman smiled and asked, "Holding up okay, son?"
Somnus nodded and smiled back. "All good. Just wanted to make sure you got back here."
"Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the others." He shook his head and looked back at the empty Bullhead as the pilots examined it for any damage.
"Your escort craft not being here too was a sign it went south."
"Adam got too cocky with his thirst for vengeance." He said while walking around the Bullhead with his son following next to him. "The odds of this mission succeeding was already not too promising, but Adam insisted as taking down a traitor for his cause in the most secured cities was more important than taking things into consideration. As a result, we lost an entire platoon of good fighters."
Hearing about this, Somnus clicked his tongue and shook his head while looking back at Adam, now entering the eastern tower alone. "Guess that mask didn't give him a proper sight to see this coming."
"I wouldn't place the majority of the blame on Adam, Somnus." Ahriman told him before placing his hand on his shoulder. "There was someone else there that we didn't expect to run into. A certain uncrowned Prince, to be precise."
Somnus' shoulders tensed up as he looked back at his father with a sharp look. "What? What the hell was that bastard doing there?! Isn't he supposed to be in Vale looking after the military there?!"
"Intelligence hasn't been exactly accurate on Wyvern and his position of being sent to Vale. Hell, there are rumors that a senior field officer in the Royal Drahënese Naval Forces was the supposed military advisor instead of him."
"So, the Venom Brigade is just as messy as the ordinary White Fang on gathering information." He rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "Why did he get involved?"
"He was there for the same reason we were." He answered. "Former-agent Amelie escaped thanks to him and the assistance to one of his friends."
"He wasn't alone on this one. Who was this friend of his?"
"A girl about his age. Lilac eyes, gauntlets, and long messy blonde hair. She was a little tough compared to my previous opponents, but I managed to outmatch her." Ahriman shrugged his shoulders as he was clearly a man not to gloat.
Somnus snickered. "Girlfriend probably. But at the same time, what does she even see in him? Opportunity?"
"Now, now." Ahriman chortled. "There's no need to drag her into this too."
"Hey! Big Bear!" A voice called from the side of the landing pad. There stood a tall young woman with dark auburn hair, wearing an overcoat and boots while looking up at him with her yellow eyes. "The Boss is calling you up to his floor too."
With this notice, Ahriman looked over at Somnus and silently signaled him to follow. He walked down the stairs to the woman and sighed. "I'm assuming he doesn't sound happy?"
"Since when does he ever sound happy?" The woman chuckled and shrugged. "I'm not sure myself, but Adam wanted me to pass it on to you."
"Noted. Thank you." He said before passing by her as Somnus did the same too. As soon as they were halfway towards the eastern towers with the woman staying behind in the landing pad, Ahriman turned back at his son and said, "Be silent during the debrief. Let me and Adam handle the rest."
"Got it." Somnus acknowledged.
Walking inside the nearly empty lobby, besides some occasional security patrols from White Fang foot soldiers, they went inside the only functioning elevator on the current floor. Ahriman did the usual security code check to access Ulysses' floor as Somnus silently stood next to him. The ride up remained mostly silent, with Somnus clearly nervous about having to be there to deal with Ulysses' frustrations towards Ahriman. But the same can't be said towards the man dreading it, where Ahriman remained calm and collected without any sign of nervousness compared to his son.
The elevator reached the floor and opened, where the two guards ahead allowed them to walk through Ulysses' office. But they were suddenly welcomed with a series of shouts and tones of disappointment from him towards Adam. Somnus stayed behind his father as Ahriman kept walking forward, unfazed.
"More than thirty agents lost!" Ulysses growled and swiped his hand across the desk, resulting in some of his paperwork and office supplies to fall off. Conveniently, his assistant, Denae, was there and began to clean it up immediately. "I can't even begin to measure my disappointment in both of you, Taurus."
"I can fix this." Adam reassured him but failed to persuade. "I just nee-"
"One can't simply fix what you have done. With all that ruckus you and Ahriman have created in the capital of the Empire, how far of a setback do you think that alone caused?"
Denae sighed and looked at both of them. "Drahënese Security, both domestic and international, might have been greatly raised with White Fang agents most likely already discovered to be involved by the authorities. Further operations might be a bit risky to execute from now on."
Ahriman bowed his head and huffed. "I take some form of responsibility for failing this sensitive operation. For that, I will accept any form of punishment."
"Dad…" Somnus gulped as he was unsure if whatever waited for his father was extreme.
Adam had no choice but to do the same thing and said, "I accept my failure to execute the mission and ask for another chance."
"Considering we lost a lot of good men and woman for our cause in this agency, I don't think it would be wise of me to ground both of you from any further operations." Ulysses shook his head and rubbed his temples. "Consider being partially leashed because I still need you two to carry out some things."
"Very well." Adam bit his lip as he wasn't a fan of being restricted from his duties. But since this was his boss, he swallowed the pill to object to this idea, with Ahriman doing the same.
Ahriman tilted his head slightly and asked, "So, how will things work from here on out? Especially with Adam no longer in control of future ops?"
"We will take further consideration to both of your proposals, but strictly to avoid another incident such as what happened in the Crown's Diamond." Ulysses answered before Denae suddenly stepped forward and tapped his shoulder. "What is it?"
"She's here. Awaiting your permission to let them in, if you're done." Denae told him.
He looked at Adam and Ahriman and nodded his head as a sign he had already finished what he had to say to them. "Let them in." He told her. "Adam, Ahriman, you two stay here. I'm not finished with you yet."
"Sir." Both of them nodded and stood where they stood, with Somnus still behind Ahriman.
The entrance to Ulysses' office opened as the familiar faces of Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury walked in as they stood next to Adam. Their leader, Cinder, folded her arms uncomfortably while she looked over at the two of them briefly before turning back to Ulysses as if she had even more bad news. However, the more they got closer, Ulysses could notice that they suffered some sort of injuries from scratches to bandages sealing some wounds. Not to mention the leftover dust on their apparel.
"We're sorry that we're late. Drahënese security has begun to significantly increase immediately as soon as the events unfolded in the capital." She told Ulysses while secretly biting her lip, hating to be the one to deliver bad news to an already stressed-out leader. "As much as it's painfully obvious to admit, we were unable to carry out our mission in the city of Solace."
As much as Ulysses expected this to happen with Cinder arriving empty handed, he was still openly frustrated and growled. "Well, what happened?"
"Our target knew we were coming. While we were tailing and eavesdropping on him, he mentioned to a Drahënese Navy Officer accompanying him that your group sent agents after him. Next thing we knew, we were ambushed." Cinder answered as she gave him a serious glare. "They seem to know more about how your group runs things more than usual."
"How unfortunate." Ahriman glanced away and sighed.
Mercury looked at Adam and rolled his eyes. "I think "Mister Hothead" over there might've created enough suspicions to put the Drahënese government in full alert over their most protected citizens."
"I had no choice but to choose the option that was closest to succeeding with my mission. So, how about you shut that mouth of yours before I silence it. Permanently." Adam threatened as he unsheathed his sword.
"And yet you still failed, putting me and those two at even greater risk during our operation." He growled and approached Adam as if he was not going to hesitate to fight him.
"ENOUGH." Ulysses barked as this was enough to halt both of them. "Adam. Mercury. Please refrain from any violence happening in not only my office, but on my island. Or you're both swimming out of it with no limbs." He warned while raising a machete from under his desk, wickedly designed to cause as much pain and intimidation as possible.
"Hmph. Very well." Adam complied without further complaints as he sheathed his blade back.
"Fine, fine." Mercury rolled his eyes and took some steps away from him as a sign of standing down.
"If there is nothing else to report, nor is there any questions, you are all more than welcome to leave my office." Ulysses said as he puffed his cigar. "I am expecting The Four Horsemen to arri-"
He was suddenly cut midsentence as the door to his office opened with Ammit walking in calmly, ignoring the tension from what the group was going through. Basilisk, holding the door, allowed Vapula and Asag inside first while they stood behind Ammit in a line. Shutting the door behind him, Basilisk could tell the agents that failed their mission watched them intently. Hoping some good would try to put their boss at ease. All while Ammit kept a straight face and smiled as soon as he was close to Ulysses.
Ammit gave a quick kneel with the others and bowed his head slowly. "Ulysses. I would like to report in our mission."
"I'm assuming you're here to deliver your failure to carry out this operation?" Ulysses sighed and clenched his pen tensely.
Ammit chuckled. "No, sir. The opposite."
Before Ulysses could ask, Ammit lifted up a dismembered head from under his robes and gave a wicked smile while the others around the Four Horsemen clearly were disturbed to what he held without issue. From what was left of it, the head was that of a male with blonde hair and hazel eyes, lifelessly dilated. Ammit just kept it up and shook it around a bit as if he was proud and having fun with his trophy. As for Vapula…disturbingly, he was staring at it with some sort of hunger in his eyes.
"Who the hell was that guy?!" Emerald asked while holding back the urge to puke.
"This, tasty treat, was the Drahënese Military Advisor sent to Vale City to train the Kingdom's military with additional tactics in counterterrorism." Vapula answered while sliding his finger across the bloody neck and licking his finger clean. "Not too fresh, but he was killed a few hours ago."
Denae stepped back and looked away at how twisted Vapula was defiling the head of a corpse. "Oh my God…"
"Hold on. So, Wyvern isn't the military advisor for that kingdom?" Mercury asked.
Somnus tilted his head. "You guys didn't know tha-…?"
"Shhh." Ahriman silenced him from saying anything further. Fortunately for them, they didn't hear Somnus as Basilisk spoke louder to catch everyone's attention instead.
"As a Drahënese myself, I can assure you that Wyvern isn't just a military advisor." Basilisk stated first before allowing Ammit to drop the bomb with the final statement.
"Wyvern is the uncrowned Prince of the Drahën Empire." Ammit said.
Ulysses stared back at Ammit silently, clenching his fists tightly as hearing about this was yet another piece of news that might complicate things even further. He could've just brushed it off as false information. But with the look in Ammit's eyes underneath his hood, something told him that it could've been true. Curious, he wanted to get more out of Ammit to verify if it sounded plausible. "That brat is the son of the Emperor and Empress?!"
Adam shifted his eyes at Ammit, giving some frustration to him. "You knew about this, and you haven't told us?"
"I, along with my acquaintances, were merely new members to this agency. Would you honestly believe anything I would say in our first week without thinking I was only trying to earn the trust and respect from any of you?" Ammit asked while lowering his hand that was holding the dismembered head. "I only wanted to make sure I delivered whatever information I had about your targets in order to see if I could trust you."
Not convinced, Adam glared even more sharply and growled. "You selfish little…"
"Adam. Hold on." Ulysses ordered and leaned against his desk to look directly at the leader of the Four Horsemen. "Ammit. Tell me what you know about Wyvern. Any kind of information might be useful to gain an advantage against him."
Ammit stepped forward and put the decapitated head back underneath his robe to hide the gruesome sight and smell. "I've had history with that boy ever since he was just a little child. At first, he seemed like a nuisance that could easily be threatened. But overtime, he was slowly starting to be molded into a significantly dangerous foe due to his Master." He smiled to hide a sort of hidden rage within him. Especially mentioning his supposed "Master".
"His Master, huh?" Ulysses noticed his body language and leaned forward, intrigued. "And what do you know about him exactly?"
"I'm afraid I don't know too much about him besides being once a dangerous man to face." Ammit answered vaguely. "He's worth this entire brigade, if I'm honest."
"And how do we know you're not hiding anything else about this "Master" of his?" Adam asked skeptically while he folded his arms.
"I'd tell you more. But he has passed on from this world. All that's left of his knowledge, and everything is on his pupil, Wyvern." Ammit replied to try and convince he had nothing else about Wyvern's teacher. "Comparing those two, Wyvern is a much more of a watered-down version of his teacher. Enough to be exploited where we can use his weaknesses against him."
"Which kind of weaknesses?"
Ammit chortled and gave a malicious looking smile and said, "Wyvern is more concerned about his friends more than himself. All of this was due to the number of losses and grievances he experienced when he was a child. Being the son of the rulers of one the most powerful Empires in history creates a lot more enemies than friends."
Denae saw where this was going and asked, "So we use those close to him?"
"Wyvern is an absolute stonewall when it comes to protecting those he cares about." He nodded to her question. "Think of them as his own support column. If you cut those down, the less efficient the wall will become and start to collapse."
"I've noticed that when I was facing off one of his friends in the capital." Ahriman added as he stepped forward to speak up. "Something sparked in him the moment I was gaining the advantage against the blonde girl with him. Hell, he was willing to face both me and Adam alone when he had to. That was until Amelie joined beside him."
Basilisk clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. "Tch! He's got himself a girlfriend now? Wow."
"Honestly, that probably isn't too far from the truth." Ahriman shrugged.
"Well, if that's the case, then now you know what to do once you face him with that woman." Asag winked.
"Maybe. But, I'll admit, it is a bit of a cheap shot to use family and friends like that against your main foe."
Ammit sighed and gave Ahriman a stern expression. "Ahriman. It may be cheap. But that doesn't mean it is forbidden to be used against others." He told him before shifting his eyes to Somnus, who was disturbed by looking into the void in his pupils. "For example. There might be others out there willing to go after your son. He may seem like the weakest column, but he's important enough to hold you up on your two feet. Now imagine that getting cut off."
"Watch your tongue, Ammit. I recommend leaving my son out of this." Ahriman growled while stepping in front of Somnus.
"Ease yourself, Ahriman. I was simply pointing out an example. Not like I intend to use the same tactic against you." Ammit bowed his head.
"What else can you tell me?"
"I would be more than happy to share all the information I have about Wyvern." Ammit said before shifting his eyes back to the two groups that failed in their missions. "But I propose we all should have our rest first so they can properly take in as much necessary information as possible."
Scanning his eyes at Adam, Ahriman, Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury, there was a clear sign of exhaustion and injuries that would need some time to recover. Fortunately, he had some pity for them and allowed the suggestion. "Very well. The rest of you, be up here in my office at 8:00 AM. Don't keep me waiting."
The two groups nodded in sync as they were about to leave. But halted when Ulysses recalled.
"However, I have come to a conclusion from where things will go on from here." He told them before they turned back to him.
"What is it this time?" Cinder asked both curiously, and felt a slight bit of uneasiness on any upcoming proposition.
"From this point on, I will be reevaluating the team on who is capable to assemble an attack against Wyvern." Ulysses declared while standing from his chair.
"Might I suggest that I lead this task force?" Adam asked as he stepped forward.
"Denied." He answered without hesitating. "No disrespect, Adam. But this is the third time you have failed in your duty to take down Wyvern. And I don't take fourths."
Adam clenched his fists frustratingly, but remained silent as he knew his place and Ulysses having more authority over him. "Then who's going to lead?"
Ulysses glanced over at the Four Horsemen and straight to Ammit. "For now, I'm curious to see how Ammit will take the lead from here."
"You can't be serious." Cinder said in disbelief.
"You're really going to risk a newcomer to lead us on taking Wyvern down?!" Adam growled.
"Just because he's new here doesn't mean he's not a novice to combat and leadership." Ulysses replied. "Those who are in the Venom Brigade have done more before to earn this privileged position. And based on what I've read about The Four Horsemen – Ammit specifically, I think he's more than capable."
"And if they end up not being the most efficient in leading us?" Mercury asked while shifting his glare to the four of them.
"Don't act like you're one of the best in this group. Especially after how far you and your friends have been underperforming." Denae countered as she knew Ulysses had no time to hear them out.
Emerald looked at Cinder and whispered, "Are we really going to allow this to happen?"
"As if I have any position of power to persuade him to backtrack this decision. So, yes. Whining about it isn't going to help us either." Cinder said as there was nothing else to do.
"Unbelievable."
"To reiterate. If Ammit doesn't turn out to be an efficient leader for all of you, the-"
"Then I will step down and allow the next man or woman to take my place." Ammit finished Ulysses' sentence as he bowed his head to both him and the group. "We go with what works and dismiss the ones that don't. Am I correct?"
Ulysses nodded and set down his cigar. "Correct. Are there any objections to this decision?"
"Oh, yeah. Cause clearly everyone has nothing against this." Mercury whispered.
He just ignored him and looked over at Ahriman, who hasn't said a word on this yet. "What about you, Big Bear? Are you comfortable with Ammit taking the lead for a bit?"
Ahriman gave a quick glance at Ammit and quietly exhaled. "We go with what works. I may be skeptical for newcomers being this quickly promoted, but I'll give it a chance."
Somnus nudged his father and whispered, "You think this is gonna work?"
"We'll have to see where it leads. Too early to assume where it'll go." Ahriman replied quietly.
With Ulysses talking to the Four Horsemen about this arrangement, Somnus smiled somewhat excitedly and looked up at Ahriman. "As long as we get a chance to take down Wyvern directly, I'm more than inclined to let Ammit lead."
"I understand your excitement in this sort of arrangement, Somnus. However, I will not allow you to be deployed in the field against him." Ahriman declared sternly.
"Why not? I've done this before."
"Facing Wyvern is more of a different story than your previous foes. And I'll just let you know beforehand that even I had a bit of struggle against him." Ahriman said. "Even with this…" He added while lifting up his lantern.
"Remember what Ammit said: Play dirty by putting his friends in greater danger tha-"
"Somnus. That's enough." Ahriman said rather forcefully. "You will NOT be on the field for this."
"You can't be serious…!" Somnus huffed quietly.
"This decision is what's keeping you alive, son. You go further away from it, and I won't be able to protect you."
"I don't think I'll need any protection because of you training me to be this strong." Somnus said cockishly.
Cinder rolled her eyes as she clearly heard his statement. "Then you're too naïve for this, kid. How about leaving it to the professionals?"
He glared at her and asked, "And how exactly are you one after failing this much?"
Emerald glanced over and growled at him; disregarding his age as it meant nothing to her. "Actually, perhaps you should be a part of the team. Maybe you'll die sooner to get off our asses along with your annoying banter."
"You little-"
"Hey. Zip it." Ulysses ordered as he was able to hear their tones getting louder. "Ahriman, what is going on over there?"
"Nothing. I apologize. I'll be sure to have a word with my son for…speaking out so loudly." He replied while respectfully lowering his head.
"And you?" He looked over at Emerald sternly.
"Just talking to myself, sir. Nothing else…" She responded while looking away to remain quiet.
Basilisk finally stepped into the conversation between Ammit and Ulysses, asking, "Since Ammit will be pulling the strings from here on out, what does that make me and the other two of us?"
Vapula shrugged with a small smile. "As long as I get to kill and eat, I'm more than happy."
Asag shrugged his shoulders too before saying, "Ammit is more than capable of leading not only just the three of us. But the others outside too. I'll just remain true to my position right now. After all, we go with what works, right?"
Curiously, Ammit looked at Basilisk and patted his shoulder. "Was there something you would like to propose to us, Basil?"
"N-No." Basilisk shook his head and bowed to his leader. "Just wanted to make sure that we were not going to be separated and put on the same level as those…subhuman beings…" He whispered to Ammit.
Ammit chuckled and shook his head. "I'm flattered by your concern. But there is no need to worry. I may be in charge for now. But I am not going to abandon my colleagues. Especially you three."
"I appreciate it, Ammit." Basilisk bowed his head to him while…surprisingly forming a small smile. A rarity for the group to see from someone so cold and hostile.
"With that out of the way, are there any questions from any of you?" Ulysses asked as he was not looking for any concerns or objections. But to make sure all of them were all in the same boat and shut up about it. After a period of silence, Ulysses leaned back on his chair and sighed, relieved that he had the results he wanted. "Very well. You are all dismissed."
Back in Hawaii, yet again (6th time this year). Was busy with helping family and losing weight, so hope you can understand why it took a while. You folks take care out there!
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