Downtown Vale was quite lively, even in the morning hours. Throughout the Kingdoms, people had called it 'The City that Never Sleeps' due to the amount of activity it had. The amount of people walking down the sidewalk and driving through the roads were just too much to count. Honks, shouts, and conversations all blended together into a loud and incomprehensible noise. In this 'chaos', it was easy for a face, any face, to blend in into the crowd.
A young man wearing a black hoodie kept his head down and his hands in his pockets as he walked the streets. Dark clothing, no distinguishable features, and meek demeanour allowed him to blend in seamlessly. The only noticeable thing about him was a flash of white mask that just barely peeked from his hoodie pockets.
He continued walking amongst the crowd. Turning a corner, crossing the road, and turning down another corner led him to his destination. The Vale Downtown Mall, with lots of people lining up to enter through a security check.
He didn't even stop a second with the presence of the crowd. Of course it was busy, it was the first 'resting day' after all. He immediately lined up in the queue and waited patiently for his turn through the gate.
Slowly, his turn was coming up. Just three more people left now…
"Next." Finally, it was his turn to be checked. He walked up to the guards checkpoint and lowered his hoodie. Immediately, he was under heavy scrutiny.
Must be because of his sheep Faunus features.
He clenched his teeth as the guards looked him up and down. Their gazes were burning, "Take your hands out of your pockets."
He grudgingly did as he was told. He pulled his hands out, and raised them above his head. He opened his palm and showed them to the guards. Empty.
One of the guards stepped up, grabbed him by the wrist, and pulled it down roughly. The guard's wolf Faunus eyes burned into the young man's own. The Faunus guard growled. "You're coming with me."
The young man rolled his eyes. The guard looked back and gave a short nod to his comrades, who 'ah'd in understanding . He dragged the young boy away from the checkpoint and into the security offices. As he did so, the remaining guards called out to the other entrants.
"Next!"
The wolf Faunus pulled the young man roughly into the security office. Checking for any prying eyes, which were none due to others being so occupied with oncoming entrants, he led the sheep Faunus into a backdoor to the mall, bypassing the check.
He opened the door for the young man, but not before flashing his own mask from his pocket to the sheep Faunus. The sheep Faunus gave a short nod before entering the mall proper and not looking back as the door closed behind him.
Now that he was properly in, the sheep Faunus looked around. After a while, he spotted his target. A chemicals shop, on the second floor.
He blended himself with the crowd once again. Riding the escalator, keeping his head down and his posture unassuming, Soon, he reached the chemical store and lined up for the cashier and her register.
As soon as his turn came up, the cashier, a bird Faunus, immediately recognised him. Though she made sure to keep quiet and her posture normal, the recognition in her eyes was barely masked at all. She handed him his product without even a word, and in turn the sheep Faunus slipped her an envelope. She gave a short, shaky nod in response. Once he made sure she got the memo, he turned around and left the shop.
The sheep Faunus continued walking around the mall for several minutes. Eventually, he reached his second destination. The emergency stairs.
He looked back and made sure that no one was following , he quickly opened the door and closed it behind him. He descended the stairs and went to the lowest level.
Hidden behind the back of the last staircase, the sheep Faunus found several backpacks stashed away. He unzipped their contents and began his mission, using the chemicals and the contents in the backpacks to construct a certain device.
It didn't even take five minutes to construct the device and is receiver. Once it was done, he held its receiver on his hand and planted the device on the back of the staircase.
He took several steps back and stared at his creation. With a click of the receiver the device would go off, and the same with several devices he's sure his compatriots have already planted on their own sides of the mall. After all, that envelope he handed came straight from his superior.
In one move, their objective would be done.
With a click of the receiver his mission would be done. And yet, there was no way he would leave the mall first, and neither could his compatriots. He had to do this now.
The sheep Faunus closed his eyes and pulled out his mask from his hoodie pockets. A White Fang mask, one he wore proudly during their rallies.
He held it in his hands, then let go. It clattered on the floor, leaning against his feet.
With a final deep breath, he pressed the trigger.
Click!
BOOM!
Today, Jaune decided he should do patrols.
It made sense, after all. This allowed him to mobilise quickly should and emergency arise. And besides, he needed to clear his head. He could strike two birds with one stone.
He just hoped things would be quiet for once. He wasn't in a particularly good headspace right now. Maybe The White Fang would back off for just one day…
But then he heard the sirens of multiple ambulances approaching, followed by fire trucks and police cruisers. In mere seconds they went from far away to blowing right past him, cutting through the dense Vale traffic.
Jaune grit his teeth. Too much to hope for, huh?
The samurai revved his motorcycle and followed the vehicles' leads. He matched their speed easily, trailing behind close enough to see but far enough to stay undetected.
After several minutes of fast driving , Jaune heard the vehicles start to slow down. In response, Jaune slowed down as well, reducing his throttle and applying the brakes. As Jaune turned a final corner, and he eventually stopped right behind the emergency vehicles.
They arrived at the broken, devastated ruins of the Vale Grand Mall, red flames burning hot and dark smoke covering the skies.
Jaune took in everything with silent shock. He didn't even realise as he turned off his bike and stood on his feet. He heard the sounds of emergency personnel rushing to help the survivors, trying to extinguish the flames and rescuing who they could.
He heard screams of pain and anguish as some suffered severe burns, not to mention crippled limbs and amputations. There were cries loss and desperation as those who survived didn't find their families among the living...
"What the hell..." Jaune whispered. Destruction of this scale, and so sudden too. This was bad.
Jaune shook his head. He had to focus. Like second nature, he deployed his suit and let his mask cover his face. With determination he marched into the flaming ruins of the mall, to rescue what he could.
Some of the emergency personnel tried to stop him. Firefighters, police, medics, but he shrugged them off without a second thought. He knew what they didn't. There was no way this wasn't connected to the 'plot'. And even if it wasn't, it wasn't like he would've stood by either.
More importantly, he needed to find answers of what truly happened.
The first thing he reached was the entrance. Of course, the thing was blown to shit. He quickly unsheathed HF Murasama and sliced it aside, letting the remains fall behind him. He marched on to the ruins, his squinting eyes trying to make sense of the red-lit insides of what remained.
Inside, the entire place was absolutely wrecked. Broken arches and fallen over pillars, smashed storefronts and infrastructure, and again it was very hard to see. He tried his best to see what was going on, if there was anyone else that was trapped...
Jaune heard a cry from his left. It came from inside a broken shop, one that was relatively intact. A cough then sounded, from the same source. Quickly, he made his way there while still keeping HF Murasama at the ready. The cries kept getting louder, and the coughs more frequent, as Jaune got closer to the source.
Jaune reached the shop and paused. He heard the cry again, louder this time. The coughs were getting stronger as well. Jaune looked to the right and quickly approached the source; a woman cowering behind the cashier desk, scared out of her mind.
Jaune sheathed HF Murasama and knelt down in front of the woman.
"Hey, hey, it's okay now..." Jaune said softly. He lent his hand out, and gently coaxed her out of her hiding spot.
Slowly, it seemed as though the woman came back to her senses. Gingerly, she took his hand in her own. Jaune noted the wounds that surrounded her skin. Burns, scars, blunt trauma... not to mention the coughs getting more frequent. She needed immediate medical attention.
Jaune helped her up and guided her tithe exit. Her coughs were getting more violent, her steps faltering with each passing second. Jaune grimaced when he felt the dust go through his mask.
He coughed once.
Damn it, it's even getting through his filtration systems!
Jaune quickened his pace and the woman's own. The red fog was getting thicker now, clouding their vision and threatening to make them lose sight of the exit.
Jaune persisted. After what felt like hours of walking they finally reached the exit, the shining bright light of the outside piercing through the red haze.
With a leap, Jaune carried the woman with him and landed outside.
He landed on the outside with a thump. Jaune let out a breath as the emergency personnel took the woman from his grasp.
Jaune fell to a knee, looking back to the entrance to the ruins. Damn, the dust in there was getting heavier. And not to mention the thick fog insidetoo. The situation inside was getting worst fast. Who knows how many were still in there, and he still hadn't found any clues there...
His breaths were getting heavier...
"Hey. You alright?"
Jaune looked to his left, and met the face of his cyborg partner. Jaune smirked and forced himself on to his feet. "Heh. Never-" Jaune coughed into his fist. "Never better, Raiden."
"That cough tells me otherwise." Raiden said bluntly. "Let me handle this. You can handle recon from outside."
"Yeah?" Jaune asked. From the corners of his vision, he spotted several Hunters and Huntresses approaching. If they were here, then it'd only be a matter of time before they arrive as well, classes or not.
"Because- Oh for fuck's sake, Jaune." Raiden groaned as realisation hit him. "Are you really that bullheaded?"
"Try me."
Raiden threw his hands up. "Fine." He lowered his visor and drew his sword, while lending his free hand to Jaune. "Come on, let's go. Stick to me for the recon."
"Now you're speaking my language." Jaune took the offered hand and stood up straight. "Let's make this quick."
The two went in to the ruins again. As soon as they entered, Jaune noticed that it had gotten a lot worse. Thicker fog and debris blocked his vision and breath. But still, he pushed on alongside his partner.
But as they walked deeper, Raiden leading with clearer vision, they found no other signs of life. Only corpses with various mortal wounds. Men and women, humans and Faunus alike.
They reached the centre of the mall, where once there was a large beautiful fountain. But now, that fountain was drenched in blood and dead civilians. No one else survived.
Raiden clenched his teeth. "This doesn't feel like an accident."
Jaune felt compelled to agree. Way too much death. "That's why I wanted to look for clues." He forced himself to look at the bodies, even if it did made him want to throw up. "Got anything?"
Raiden did the same with his enhanced vision, and yet found nothing either. He shook his head sadly. "Nothing else. Not from here."
"Damn." Jaune coughed. "We don't have much time left. Need to wrap this up quick."
"Quick, huh…" Raiden put a hand to his chin. "Hold on, I've got an idea."
"Yeah?" Jaune turned to his partner. "What is it?"
"Since we're so suspicious…" Raiden tapped the side of his visor, and waited for several moments as a loading screen popped up. Then, after a few seconds, the loading screen turned into an O.K notification.
He turned to Jaune with a smirk. "Why not check the CCTV?"
"That's-." Jaune coughed into his hand. "That's great, Jack. So… whe're we going?"
"Hold on…" Raiden scrolled through the playback. "Most of it's wrecked, so this is gonna take a while…"
A creak sounded, and Jaune's vision shot to a ruined pillar. It was holding some weight of the ruined mall's ceiling, but ever so slowly, it was beginning to give.
"Raiden…"
Raiden scrolled faster through the playback. Whoever they were, they didn't leave much in the crowd. "Hold on…"
The pillar was starting to break down, the ceiling beginning to fall. "Raiden…!" Jaune shouted.
CRACK!
The pillar broke in two, and the ceiling it held fell. A loud crash sounded as concrete fell, and with it began a chain reaction as the mall began to truly crumble around them.
Jaune panicked. "JAAACK!"
"Got it!" Raiden shouted. "The emergency stairs, Jaune. Let's go!"
"Finally!" Jaune shouted. The mall crumbled around them even more. But they couldn't lose it now. As one, they started to run to the nearest emergency stairs even as the ceiling fell with every step.
It seemed like hours they ran, not spotting any sign of those 'stairs'. Their hearts pounded, what if they lost this chance? The evidence crushed underneath the rubble, and if they slipped up, them along with it…?
"There!" Raiden pointed. A barely-lit neon green exit sign that led to the stairs hung just barely from the ceiling.
Jaune shouted an okay and followed Raiden's lead. They hastened their pace and entered the stairs, barely outrunning the mall falling.
Raiden entered the stairs, followed by Jaune. Jaune looked around. There was- there was nothing there! "Uhh, Jack-!"
Raiden dashed down, past Jaune's confused gaze. "Lowest level, Jaune!"
"Gotcha!" Jaune followed suit. A few seconds after Raiden and he reached the base. When he came, Raiden had already packed things up, holding them in his hands. Jaune didn't get a good look at what the evidence was. All he could see was the corpse laying on the side of the base stairs. Dead, seemingly by suffocation and crushed legs from older rubble.
The ceiling cracked. It crumbled, and broken concrete began to fall.
Raiden shouted. "GET US OUT OF HERE, JAUNE!"
"RIGHT!" Jaune grabbed Raiden's hand. Then, they both flashed away.
The mall became destroyed, reduced to dust right where they stood.
Jaune and Raiden landed just outside the mall, tumbling on the ground and stopping right before the emergency personnel.
Jaune got up first. He cracked his back, closing his eyes and taking several breaths. "That was too close…"
Raiden followed soon after. "You can say that again. I was banking on your Semblance working." He chuckled as he stood up, visor retracting. "I'm glad it did."
Jaune shook his head. He looked at the evidence gathered, laid gingerly at Raiden's feet. "So… that's what you got?"
"Yeah." Raiden said seriously. "We were right. The mall wasn't an accident. Saw some people go down the emergency stairs at the same playback time."
"So that's how it went." Jaune looked at the evidence again. He stiffened slightly when he recognised the 'evidence'. "Hey, that's not what I think it is, right?"
"Yeah." Raiden said grimly. "A makeshift bomb. Undetonated, custom-built."
Jaune turned to Raiden quickly. "There's lots of people here! How exactly are you planning to defuse it-?"
A voice spoke up from behind them. "I can."
Jaune turned around. He forced himself to put on a smile for the speaker, one that he recognised without even seeing. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts.
Jaune smirked at his old partner. "Oh, hey Pyrrha!"
What. A. Coincidence.
Pyrrha gave a short nod. "Hello, Jaune." She looked to Raiden. "I was the closest when we got your call, Mr. Raiden. It's a good thing I got here too. Bomb defusal shouldn't be a problem."
"Thanks, Pyrrha." Raiden stepped back, letting Pyrrha look at the bomb. She took a knee and examined it closely, feeling it around with her hands.
Jaune, however, didn't move an inch. He stood firm where hw was and looked at Pyrrha incredulously. "And how exactly are you going to do that? Give me some details here!"
"Jaune." Pyrrha said calmly. She kept her gaze on the bomb, peeling back its cover to reveal the wires. Three; red, blue, and green.
Jaune knelt down and stared at Pyrrha's eyes from her side. His voice grew louder. "What, you're just gonna risk it? This isn't something you can just charge in heads-on!"
"Jaune!" Pyrrha said sternly. She averted her gaze from the bomb to her partner, eyes stern. She spoke with stressing every syllable. "I can handle this."
Jaune locked eyes with her. He searched her resolve, blue eyes meeting green. Pyrrha didn't flinch and matched Jaune's gaze.
After what seemed like hours, Jaune scoffed and looked away. He stepped back with a shake of his head. "Fine then. Wanna risk your life, go ahead!"
Pyrrha let out a sigh and went back to work. Her fingers went around each cable. With a slight use of her Semblance, she began to feel around the metals in the bomb.
The bomb began to glow black from Polarity, and Pyrrha closed her eyes.
In this day and age, electricity was used everywhere. Even in bombs. Moreover, most things electric were conducted by conductive, metallic components. Even the most basic of wires, they all had metallic components.
She could trace the contents of those wires to determine what their functions were. And from there, everything was simple logic.
She began to analyse what she had. Looked like the explosive materials were chemical. Certainly home-made, nothing like standard-issue ones.
Pyrrha grit her teeth. Hmph, it seemed the bomb contents didn't contain much of metallic chemicals. This would be considerably harder…
No matter. She would just have to reverse the method.
'Alright..' Pyrrha began to feel around the wires. Red one wasn't it. Its cable contents lead to a metallic component, one that Pyrrha felt didn't belong. Magnets, and some kind of… voice coil? Speakers?
Pyrrha shook her head. Moving on to the next wire. 'Green one, let's see.'… Hm, this one did lead to a metallic component. Then, to complicated circuitry. Ah, this must be the detonator component, the signal receiver.
Which meant the blue one was the fuse igniter.
Pyrrha opened her eyes and held both green and blue cables in her hand. She took a deep breath and made sure to intertwine them with her fingers.
'One. Two. Three.'
She used Polarity and cut both wires at the same time.
A loud beep sounded, and yet the bomb didn't go off. Instead, it finally deactivated.
A bead of sweat went down her brow. Finally…
"Good job." Raiden was the first to approach her and gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Quick, efficient… couldn't have asked for anything more."
Pyrrha wiped her forehead and looked at Raiden. Her entire body sagged with relief. "You've... had experience with bomb defusal before?"
"In an emergency." Raiden waved her off. "Certainly nothing you just did. The bombs I met, I just froze them, lasted for 24 hours. Certainly easier, not to mention the bomb maker was a bit eccentric…" Raiden muttered the last part under his breath.
"Oh, well… I'm glad it ended well, at least-"
"It better did!" Jaune approached her next. He marched with, anger? Concern? Worry? Pyrrha couldn't tell. "Dammit, why are you so stubborn? Did anything I told you manage to sink into that brain?"
A tick formed on Pyrrha's head. "I just did you a favour here!" It was true, after all. And she did it as she always did things: exemplary, always the best around.
"Yeah? Well you didn't have to risk your life for it!" Jaune denied."I didn't ask for you to come here! Someone else would've gladly done the job. I would've gladly done the job!"
Pyrrha scoffed. "Keep telling yourself that. I shouldn't have helped, just like how I shouldn't fight and just stand back?"
"Yes!"
"News flash, Jaune." Pyrrha's said hotly. "I'm here to stay, and there's nothing you could do about it."
Jaune grit his teeth, a retort forming quickly on his lips. His fingers twitched in frustration."Why you-."
"Congratulations on defusing the bomb.."
A voice sounded from the now-defused-bomb. The speaker Pyrrha found before. All five eyes shot to the bomb in surprise.
That voice…
Pyrrha was the only one to recognise it. She felt her eyes widen in surprise, because of course she knew. The voice of the Fang leader they've been hunting all this time.
Adam's.
"I shouldn't be surprised. The White Fang have suffered set backs again and again… especially with self-righteous Hunters and Huntresess roaming about."
Jaune growled, his hands clenching into fists. He quickly deduced who was talking, not to mention a faint recognition from mission files. "Taurus…"
Taurus didn't respond, instead continuing to talk to himself. Evidently, this was pre-recorded. "In any case, we'll deal with it as we always have. For the revolution. Because for a just cause, anything will do. Don't you agree, Haven?"
Raiden grit his teeth and spoke for the two of them. "Like hell we do."
Even from there, they could feel Adam's smirk. "This... this is just a taste. The best is yet to come, Jaune Arc."
The recording ended, leaving the three with the ambience of emergency service and silence from all three.
Pyrrha closed her eyes and shook her head. Adam Taurus, the head of the Fang they've been fighting all this time. And to think they went to such scale now, when they've never done so before. What could it mean?
Her gaze shifted to Jaune. Adam mentioned him. Talked like he wanted to meet Jaune personally. And for what? Revenge? It seemed like a suicide move, both for him and the Valean White Fang in general.
To think all of these people killed, on the days of the Vytal Festival, were because of The White Fang….
And then she looked at Jaune. He was still as a rock, unnervingly calm.
Even after that little spat…
Somehow, his calm image disturbed her more than any rage ever could.
Two Hours Later…
"We have reports, I repeat confirmed reports, of over 20 men and women found dead beneath the rubble. More than 80 citizens are currently being treated at various hospitals around the city. Moreover, This recent attack has caused major concerns for the security of Vale, as well as the Vytal-."
Tanner turned the TV off with his remote. With a shake of his head, he turned around and looked at the people sitting across him in the meeting room.
There were, of course, his daughters. Cyan, Jasmine, and Indigo all came in as soon as they were called. Next up, members of Team (J)NPR formed with each other. It took a bit longer for them to arrive, but not by too much. Even Pyrrha, who was at ground zero, didn't take too long.
But even so, several seats remained vacant. Team RWBY didn't come at all. They were reportedly preoccupied with internal affairs, and Tanner couldn't bring himself to force them in. They weren't as close as JNPR was anyway, so he could give a bit of a leeway.
And then, the remaining two vacant seats were meant for Jaune and Raiden. His son, and the partner-slash-rival he chose from his travels. After being one of the first responders to the incident, he called them to brief the situation. Almost predictably they didn't show up. The two of them had been off the grid ever since.
Tanner fought the urge to rub his temples. What a headache…
But in any case. He had to look at the facts right now. Solve the White Fang epidemic today to ensure the safety of Vale.
"Alright." Tanner said. "We've all heard what's been going on, so I don't think a lengthy debriefing is required. Our main objective now is to take action. Make sure The White Fang can't do anything like this ever again. Any complaints?"
Silence.
"None? Then we're all in the same page." Tanner turned to Pyrrha. "Pyrrha. You were there in the aftermath. What did you see?"
Pyrrha sat with her back straight and spoke with a firm tone "The White Fang definitely did it. The bomb was makeshift, so we could assume that they somehow managed to sneak either the bomb or all the components through security."
"Either that or they had insiders." Indigo said.
"We won't know until we scan through every CCTV shot, ID the people, make connections, and then get to the arresting. We don't have that kind of time." Jasmine said. "Moving on, did you find anything else?"
"...The recording, in the bomb, it referred to Jaune specifically." Pyrrha said slowly, as if tiptoeing around the fact. "Adam's words were… more or less what he usually said, but it did come with further threats. He said that 'the best was yet to come', and that- that 'for a just cause, anything will do'."
"Hm." Tanner rubbed his chin. "Anything else?" He prodded.
Pyrrha mulled her words over. She spoke slowly, as if being careful about anything she said. "They… referred to Haven specifically. And then, his threat of more terror... he made it specifically to Jaune."
The room went still.
"They're gunning after him." It was Nora who broke the silence. "But- but why? That doesn't make any sense! I'm sure they all know of how strong he is. We all know how strong he is! What's his end game?!"
"I don't know." Pyrrha said, barely above a whisper. "Jaune… he flashed before I could say a word."
Everyone was, mulling in their own thoughts. Either Adam wanted him and all his comrades to die a horrible, or he had something bigger planned. Something to do with the plans for Beacon…
Only one thing was certain. Ren who voiced it aloud for everyone. "We need to find Jaune before anyone else. Fast."
A body slid down HF Murasama's blade. It fell to the ground, dead along with many others in a hidden and dark alley.
Jaune flicked the blood off his blade and placed it in its sheath. It's been three hours since the attack. In that time, the White Fang had started to send out patrols. They wanted to capitalise on the opportunity, though not too much that they'd risk too much manpower.
Raiden had understood their motive first. They wanted to spread fear and uncertainty with maximum efficiency, a devastating bomb attack followed by patrols to scare.
Well, not Raiden alone exactly. After the two and Pyrrha had split, they found a quiet place to knee down and discuss the information they had. Raiden contacted Rose and his friends at Maverick with his suspicions, and they, in turn, provided him with several hypothesises.
In the end it was Rose who cracked the code, the one that made most sense. A psychologist had her uses, and both Raiden and Jaune were inclined to take her word for it. And so here they were, going around Vale searching for a clue.
Besides, this was good for them too. Patrols gave them easy targets. And once they found some clues, they could strike back hard and finish this once and for all.
As for the bodies here, these White Fang members strayed from the larger group. A small patrol squad, and just right for him to come down and finish quick.
Jaune knelt down and rummaged through their corpses. He wanted this to be over today. Come on, there had to be something…
He smirked when his hands found something on the corpse. With satisfaction, he pulled the thing out of the corpse's pockets and tossed it in his hands.
A walie-talkie.
Just as Jaune held it, the walkie-talkie blared to life. The voice on the other end spoke. "Patrol Team 07, this is Outpost 03. What's your status?"
Jaune held back from talking. Instead, he pocketed the walkie-talkie and left the alley as quick as he could.
If he could just keep them talking for a while longer, until he could find Raiden, then they'd be able to trace it to the original source.
Night Descends…
The city had been placed on high-alert ever since this morning. But instead of retreating, the White Fang spread out and did hit-and-run attacks. Terrorising the general populace with muggings and assaults, then disappearing even with the increased alert.
It sent multiple head scratching. Even with the increased Atlesian defenses, just how did they keep slipping through the cracks?
It made his and Jaune's discovery all the more worthwhile. It turns out the Fang had 'outposts' where they would coordinate several attacks close-by, did them in the same time, then regroup and run away. This ensured fast execution, high attack numbers, and scrambled escape routes. Of course, this was only found out because Jaune managed to get evidence.
But did Raiden plan on telling the rest of the Arc family? No, because a) they'd make it too obvious and b) they needed a decisive strike to finish the Fang. No half measures, at least not tonight.
On that, he and Jaune could agree on.
Now, they stood at the security gate of an abandoned apartment complex. It had barely any lights and most of the architecture showed obvious signs of deteriorating. A quick search on the web would find that housing project had been cancelled due to 'a lack of funds.'
But that was only the cover. The reality was that the owner was intimidated by the Fang to give it up, and in no small force either. After the project was abandoned, the Fang used it as an on-and-off safehouse, and now as one of their outposts.
"So…" Jaune said next to Raiden, the dim street light barely giving them any vision. The samurai's tone was focused, almost ice-cold. "You ready?"
"When you are." Raiden answered back.
"Then let's go." Jaune took a step forwards and drew HF Murasama from its sheath. In the same movement, he deployed his mask over his mouth.
Raiden did the same, drawing HF Crocea and deploying his visor. He tapped into what he could of their CCTV network.
They marched on together past the gate, no doubt various sets of eyes from the tall apartment building already seeing their entrance. But that didn't matter. This all ends tonight.
They reached the apartment's entrance, locked steel doors. With a grunt, Jaune lifted his feet and kicked them open.
SLAM!
RATATATATATATATATATA!
Jaune and Raiden ducked apart to their sides, immediately assaulted by machine-gun fire. They looked across to each other, the machine-gun fire still going strong. It didn't seem like it'd stop any time soon.
Raiden tilted his head to the inside of the apartment, eyebrow raised at Jaune. Jaune, in turn, gave a short nod in agreement.
'Okay.' Raiden thought. 'Let's go.'
Raiden jumped out with HF Crocea out.
RATATATATATATATATATA!
As expected, the machine-gun fire drew to him. Raiden deflected each shot with his sword and pushed forwards, letting the bullets bounce off to the walls near.
As Raiden kept pushing, he got a better view of the first area. A large receptionist-like waiting room, with stairs leading to a higher ground with an elevator. The heavy machine-gunner was perched on the higher level, blocking the elevators.
And of course, once he entered the area proper, lots of White Fang members popped out of cover with their weapons drawn.
Raiden hurriedly ran to the side and away from the entrance, now deflecting even more shots. 'Keep their attention on me…'
He smiled when he heard distinctive footsteps run through the entrance. Raiden made sure to keep the fire focused on him, running to the left edge of the room.
They kept on firing, and Raiden acted like he was slowly being overwhelmed.
And then Jaune leapt high with a scream to the machine-gunner, HF Murasama's blood-red blade high in the air. "HAAAAAAHH!"
The machine-gunner realised his mistake too late. Before he could turn his gun to face Jaune, the samurai was already upon him. With another scream, Jaune brought his sword down.
He landed behind the gunner, HF Murasama clean of blood. A moment later and the gunner behind him split into two, his gun turned to scraps.
The rest of the Fang paused in horror, all combat gone to a standstill. Then, one of them shouted, "GUNNER DOWN!"
Raiden chuckled. "Heheheheh…."
The rest of the Fang turned to him. A red glow began to leak out from Raiden, and his eyes turned as red as blood. He leered as he looked at what remained, HF Crocea gripped tight. "Any of you ready?"
"OPEN FIRE!"
Raiden laughed out loud and charged. With ease he killed the first, then the second, then too many to count. He ducked, slashed, and stabbed most of the Fang.
But that didn't mean Jaune didn't help out too. Whereas Raiden went manic, Jaune eliminated them with silent efficiency. As others aimed while Raiden killed one, Jaune stabbed the other from behind. As the Fang's attention shifted to Jaune, Raiden jumped in and killed much more. As they panicked and went for Raiden, Jaune slipped past and took escaping members out.
Back and forth, back and forth. In sync until every last one of them was dead.
In the end the entire base floor was littered with corpses and blood. Some died simply, others… much more gruesome. Didn't make a pretty sight, but it was with efficiency both felt suited to the matter.
Raiden and Jaune flicked blood off their blades. They approached the elevator and Jaune let Raiden hack it in. It dinged and they went inside, punching in the button for the highest level.
The elevator rose and Jaune saw the numbers gore higher and higher. 1st floor, 5th floor, 9th floor...
But then, Raiden shifted in his position. "Something doesn't feel right…"
The elevator shook. A loud snap sounded and the elevator lurched down.
Raiden grit his teeth. "They cut the cables!"
"Hold on!" Jaune twirled HF Murasama and stabbed it to the elevator wall. The sword pierced the elevator and embedded itself into the wall outside it. He gripped the sword tight, trying to force both the wall and the elevator to stay pinned via his sword.
"GRAAAAHHHH!" Jaune pushed the sword deeper, and finally the elevator began to slow down. He kept his hands firm until they stopped, and only then did he slowly let go.
He turned around and saw Raiden already facing the closed elevator doors. The ninja lifted HF Crocea and sliced the door open, pushing its sparking sliced marks apart and stepping out. Jaune stepped out after Raiden. After he was safely out, he opened his right palm to HF Murasama and let it fly back to his hand. The sword was pulled away and the elevator fell once more.
Out of curiosity Jaune looked down the elevator well again. The elevator fell fast and hit the ground, then erupted into a fiery explosion.
He shook his head and walked back towards Raiden.
"Thanks for the save." Raiden said, The Ripper already receeding.
"Don't mention it." Jaune said back. He looked to the level they were at now. "What've we got here?"
"Think this is… 4th floor." Raiden said. They both looked at the current floors' appearance. Dark and long hallways, torn down walls and ceilings that were falling apart… it didn't send a good message.
Jaune scoffed. "Looks like a shithole."
"It is a shithole."
"Hm."
They walked down the ruined floor, looking for the quickest way to the emergency stairs. Even though Jaune didn't like to dwell long, he still couldn't help but think when he saw the state this place was in. What once would've been a place where people lived happy, trashed to shit because of the White Fang's actions…
And to think, what sort of 'revolution' was worth it? It was all empty, that's what it was.
He noted that Raiden remained silent. Of course, he was probably thinking along the same lines as him.
They got to the stairs and ascended the flights. The two of them stopped at the end of the stairs, around the 10th floor, and Raiden opened the emergency door with Jaune right behind him. 'Let's just get this over quick…'
Raiden opened the door and was greeted to a long and narrow hallway packed to the brim with some thirty-odd White Fang guards, various rooms on the side a possible spot for more ambushes. On the end of the hallway was a stair that lead to the most luxurious room in the abandoned apartment. No doubt, these guards were just waiting to ambush them.
Raiden grit his teeth. "Bastards."
He knew that Jaune was smirking behind him. "Eh? Don't tell me you're already tired?"
Raiden rolled his eyes. "We don't have much time. Some of the locals heard the fight and called the police. And worse, they might direct it to your family. Now, they're slowing us down."
"So now you're saying you can't go fast enough?"
"I- wha- Fuck, just get it over with." Raiden growled and rolled his shoulders, twirling HF Crocea. "I'll get take these guys on. You get to Taurus."
"Heh." Jaune bounced in place, prepping his speed. "Thanks, Jack."
"Go and get him for me."
"Will do."
Jaune jumped high while Raiden dashed low. Jaune pulled the trigger on HF Murasama's sheath and flew forwards above the Fang.
They looked at the figure dashing past them. "Stop him! Don't let him get to the- AHHH!"
Raiden pulled HF Crocea out of the Faunus' dead guts, every single one of his comrades horror-filled eyes now on him. He growled with a smirk on his lips. "Forget about me?"
The Faunus screamed. "ENGAGE! ENGAGE!"
RATATATATATATATA!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Jaune landed safely behind the crowd, Raiden's cries of battle behind him. In front of him was the door to Adam's suite.
Right now, Jaune was standing in between the man and his troops. And when he and Raiden were done, none of them would be left.
The White Fang… did they have something to fight for? Maybe they did, maybe they didn't. it wasn't really Jaune's place to say. But he didn't see the justification for what they did. Thus it rendered any cause they had mute. The people here and on the other side of this door need to be dealt with. Jaune was sure of that. Nothing but scum on the other side.
With a breath, Jaune opened the door and stepped inside.
The door closed behind him, and his first impression was that this room was comparitively in much better conditions than the one before. Larger too, not to mention more furniture and brand-new lights. The room had sofas, a desk and lamp, a coffee table, a TV, and another door that lead to a bedroom. Stretching from the other side of the room to the edges of its side was a long, stretching window that gave a sky-high view of Vale's beautiful night-time cityscape.
And in the middle of it all…
"Adam Taurus." Jaune growled.
…staring down the window with his back to Jaune.
Jaune took a step forwards. "This ends here."
Adam sighed and turned around. "What a pain…" He lifted his head, and looked at Jaune through his Grimm-inspired bone white mask.
Jaune could practically feel the hate through that mask, more evident through the scowl on the Adam's lips.
Adam growled. "But then again, it's time we meet face to face, Jaune Arc." His hand drifted to Wilt and Blush, strapped to his left hip.
Jaune's eyes shifted to the sword. A gunsheath-katana, matte black opposed to his own pure metallic silver.
Jaune whistled. "Nice sword. Shame it's in the hands of someone like you."
Adam scoffed. "If you think a sword has any higher meaning then you're dead wrong."
"I never said that." Jaune responed. "But still… it's a waste of talent, I've gotta say. After all, I'm not letting you leave here in one piece."
"I know damn well what you're here to do."
"And you've still got the balls to act all high and mighty? Heh, either you're really bull-headed or you're dumber than you look. Maybe a mix of both. Unless…" Jaune raised an eyebrow. "You've got someone else pulling your strings?"
"What's happening behind me doesn't matter." Adam said flatly, too flatly. "What matters is that we get results."
'Bingo.' Jaune didn't let it show, though. He quickly followed it up. "Then you're nothing but a slave." He said, "A sword that swings without a care in the world. Mindless and driven by rage-"
"Silence!" Adam growled. "You know nothing. For the future, sacrifices must be made. No matter the cost."
"And that means bowing your head?"
"Wouldn't you say the same, Arc?"
Now it was Jaune's turn to pause. He grit his teeth and managed to bite out, "And what exactly do you mean by that?"
"You've killed my men, more than I could count." Adam said. "And you're saying you're still in the right?"
"Hah! They were barely a challenge." Jaune smirked. "Maybe next time, don't try to kill innocents and terrorise the world."
"But then who is the innocent?" Adam shot back. "The real world is a harsh mistress. If someone wants to achieve something then something else must be given back. Give and take. Working hard means a pay rise. Training results in strength. It isn't us who dictate the laws, so we merely do what must be done. Wouldn't you agree?"
"So lives are nothing but numbers to you?" Jaune grit his teeth. "You're more delusional than I thought."
"Hmph!" Adam smirked. "You think humans are innocent? When we've been suffering for all this time, any human who doesn't lend a hand is an enemy. They'd rather blissfully stay at their homes with their own lives rather than face any truth of the Faunus. "
"Then you'll wage an unwinnable war against the entire world." Jaune said plainly. "A sword that kills indiscriminately is no sword at all."
"A sword, a hammer, a gun, does it matter?" Adam said. "Any weapon can be used. Any man can make the difference and take a stand. So I did, and the Faunus are all the better for it."
"If the people get scared then they'll start pushing against you even further. You'll destroy each other in the end." Jaune said back. "The moment you cared more for results rather than the cause… that was the moment The White Fang died."
"Funny you should say that, Jetstream." Adam chuckled. "The blood my sword's spilled has doing plenty off good for the Faunus. At least, that's what the fear in every humans' eyes have told me."
Jaune glared.
Adam shrugged. "Besides, it's not like you're any different when it comes to this. Your family and team, maybe, but not you." Adam grinned toothily. "You've killed too. And look at where you are now! Haven has been saved. The world fears your might. Hell, that cyborg's still killing outside. That makes us one and the same. And you're telling me I'm wrong for killing my enemies?"
"Not when those include people who've can't fight back." Jaune growled.
"So then what is an enemy according to you?" Adam asked back. "You wouldn't understand, would you? You've had it easy; every human has. Peaceful protest! You should do good, surely the world will give back!" Adam mocked the last part. His voice then went low. "Those don't get results. No small act will result in change. Change is done through spilled blood, and we've spilled plenty."
"Then I won't be regretting your death." Jaune said. He drew HF Murasama and pointed it at Adam. "Indiscriminate death… you're nothing but a shell of a man. No true cause to live for."
"Humans who have it easy will never understand." Adam said firmly. "I'll show you just how wrong you are."
The two began inching closer to each other, their left hands on the swords strapped to their hip. They stopped once their foot touched each other, fingers already on their gunsheath triggers. Both of them put their right hands forward to catch their swords, the back of their arms crossing each other.
Adam Taurus
General of The White Fang Valean Branch, a Menagerie White Fang Subsidiary
Jaune kept his cool and stared into Adam though his mask. Adam, meanwhile, let out an angered breath with burning hatred visible even through the mask. They both felt their fingers flexing to catch their swords, feeling against the tense muscles in their hands…
White-and-blue versus red-and-black. Hatred and calm cockiness. But both had blood-red swords.
Now.
Jaune and Adam pulled their triggers at the same time. Both swords flew from their sheaths and to their owners hands, letting out a screech as each blade clashed even before reaching their targets. As soon as they reached their hands both Jaune and Adam swung their swords.
SCREEEECH!
Red blade met red blade and both Jaune and Adam skid back from their strikes. There was no significant injuries on their person…
But as Adam twirled Wilt to a ready position, he felt his arm go a bit sore. He growled as he entered his stance, ready to attack. That bastard…
All the while, Jaune rested HF Murasama on his shoulder and taunted Adam forwards with his free hand.
He felt his lips quirk upwards as he saw rage fill Adam's being. That strike from Adam was strong sure. But nowhere near any cyborg.
Adam got into his stance; he bent his knees and pointed Wilt forwards with his right hand, his left at the tip of the blade. With a roar, he lunged at Jaune and thrust his sword forwards.
Jaune stepped to the right and let Adam and Wilt miss. With Adam's back visible, Jaune raised HF Murasama high and swung it down for Adam's exposed back.
Adam recovered his footing fast and brought Wilt just in time to block HF Murasama. Jaune grinned and pushed harder. Adam gave all he had to stop it, but he felt himself surely being pressed back.
He growled. The moment one slice hits him, it would be game over.
Adam compromised and dodged to the right, letting HF Murasama fall down to his left. HF Murasama fell down to the floor, tip planted firmly. Adam swung Wilt horizontally at Jaune's neck. Jaune let go of his sword and stepped back, the tip of Wilt grazing his neck.
"RAAAAHHH!" Adam roared and swung again, and again, and again. Slice, cut, slash, swing, he attacked Jaune from every angle he could think of. And yet, Jaune kept that smirk on his face as he dodged every attack with ease.
Adam brought Wilt down from above his head and right to Jaune's forehead. Jaune stepped to the right, the attack almost grazing his sides .
"Oooh, close one." Jaune taunted.
"Hyah!" Adam sliced at Jaune's chest. The samurai ducked and Wilt cut the tips of his hair.
In a second Jaune was standing straight again, "Was looking for a haircut!"
"GAH!" Adam brought Wilt from low to Jaune's arm. Jaune somersaulted above Adam's head and landed behind him.
Jaune taunted Adam again. "Focus on the enemy, Adam~!"
Adam growled and slammed Wilt into Blush. He spun around, and mid-movement, pulled the trigger. The result was a gunfire-powered spinning slash, aimed straight to slice across Jaune's chest.
Boom!
"TAKE THIS!" Wilt flew out of Blush and Adam's hand moved with exceptional speed. Jaune narrowed his eyes and lifted his right arm to block the attack.
CLANG!
Metal met metal, Adam's sword crashing violently against Jaune's mechanical arm. Adam yelled and pushed the attack through, breaking through Jaune's guard and landing on his feet.
"Hn!." Jaune skid back from the blow, knees bending and stopping right beside his planted sword.
He narrowed his eyes and looked at Adam closer. There was bright smoke coming out of Blush's scabbard, not to mention the receding heat visible on Wilt. Stronger from Fire Dust.
Interesting.
Jaune put his hand out and pulled HF Murasama free from the floor. He let out a breath and lowered his mask. In a flash, he twirled his sword and entered his stance.
Adam growled and slammed Wilt back into Blush, entering a quick-draw stance without the gun-catch method.
A second to breathe…
Jaune and Adam dashed forwards at the same time. The samurai sliced downwards with a slight tilt at Adam. In one move Adam drew Wilt and batted away Jaune's sword. Jaune quickly recovered and struck from the side. Adam blocked again, muscles wavering ever so slightly.
"Hmph." Jaune swiftly pulled back and swung right at Adam's feet. Adam jumped above the blade and landed upside-down on the roof. He jumped to the wall on the side, then kicked himself off lunging straight at Jaune.
"HAAAAAHH!" Adam's blade glowed a menacing red. With a roar, he swung Wilt before he was anywhere near Jaune.
A red-coloured energy strike emerged from the blade, shaped in the curvature of Wilt and speeding towards Jaune. With a smirk, Jaune lifted HF Murasama and waited for the attack to come.
The attack sped closer and closer, just inches from his chest…
Jaune yelled and brought HF Murasama down. He sliced Adam's Moonslice attack in two, the remnants splitting cleanly and drifting clean of Jaune. The attack continued behind him, striking the windows and exposing the room to the cool night air.
"I'M NOT DONE JUST YET!" Adam was still flying towards Jaune. The samurai looked up and Adam was upon him once again. The bull Faunus roared and brought his sword down at Jaune.
Jaune parried with a high block. Wilt rebounded, and then Adam landed on his feet in front of Jaune. Adam gripped Blush with his free hand and fired shots from the hip.
BangBangBangBang!
Jaune sliced the bullets coming at him with HF Murasama. He smirked. Easy peasy!
Adam grit his teeth. He fired one last shot at Jaune, a brief spit of flame visible from the muzzle.
Jaune brought his sword up and sliced the bullet in two.
"Ah!" A torrent of fire exploded on his face, the force staggering him ever so slightly. Damn, that was a Fire Dust round!
Jaune waved a hand and blew the flames away. He returned to his stance. But before he could attack, Adam acted first and kicked an armchair in his direction.
Jaune sliced the armchair in two. But when HF Blade met armchair, something lit up from inside and exploded in Jaune's face.
Boom!
"Gah!" Jaune skid back, trying his best to keep his footing. What was that-?!
Adam roared and threw a footrest at Jaune. Jaune batted it with HF Murasama, but then it too exploded.
Boom!
"Grah!" Jaune was knocked off his feet, but quickly stood back up. The edges of his suit were singed, his Aura hitting around 75%. That last attack confirmed it.
Adam laced everything in this room with Fire Dust. But where did he get so much of it?!
Adam roared and kicked the sofa at Jaune. Jaune prepared to jump over it, but Adam acted quicker. He swiftly brought his hand to Blush and fired a Fire Dust shot at the sofa before Jaune moved.
BOOM!
"GRAH!" Jaune stood his ground against the large blazing explosion, tendrils of flame licking from every side. It took some effort to stand against that one.
He felt his Aura was drain to 68%.
With a roar, he swung HF Murasama and blew it all away. As the flames parted, and with HF Murasama was still high, Jaune saw his enemy.
Adam was stanced low with Wilt already swinging, already upon him point-blank range.
Jaune didn't have time to block with HF Murasama.
"RAHHH!"
"Oof!" Jaune used what time he had and stopped Adam's arm, losing his grip on HF Murasama. The result was the two of them tumbling in the ground, rolling together then coming to a stop with Adam at the top.
Adam raised Wilt high, prepared to stab Jaune straight in the throat. "HAAAH-GRK!"
Jaune kicked Adam in the chest, sending him flying away. Adam's own grip on Wilt was broken, and the sword flew in the air alone.
"Ngh…" Jaune got up and grabbed Wilt from the air. Swiftly, he regained his footing and dashed at Adam, Wilt already swinging mid-attack.
Clang!
Jaune narrowed his eyes. Wilt's blade met another, and his attack pushed against Adam's parry.
Adam chuckled darkly, raising his head as HF Murasama was held firm in his grip.
Jaune grit his teeth as both he and Adam were in a stalemate, eyes burning into each other.
"HYAAAAH!"
"HAAAH!"
Jaune and Adam broke past each other, turned around, and roared as they swung at each other.
Clang!
Their attacks met each other before they could connect. Jaune grit his teeth and swung low. Adam met the attack halfway with his own. Adam tsked and chambered Wilt with HF Murasama, moving it to stab Jaune in the shoulder. Jaune ducked swung Wilt right across Adam's gut.
"Grk!" Adam skid back, Aura taking the brunt of the blow.
He let out a breath. This can't keep going on… he needed to end this in victory!
Adam roared an lunged at Jaune. He raised HF Murasama high as he approached to strike Jaune down.
Jaune narrowed his eyes and raised his sword to block.
Adam feinted the swing and kicked Jaune right in the shin.
"Hn!" Jaune bent down form the blow. He saw Adam land and raise HF Murasama right for his head.
Jaune yelled and forced himself to his feet. He punched Adam before the attack could come anywhere close, disorienting him and forcing him to take several steps back.
Jaune roared and lunged with Wilt in his metallic right hand. Adam recovered the best he could and swung at Jaune's hand.
Clang!
Wilt flew away from Jaune's grip, planting itself several metres behind Adam. Adam smirked, even as his footing was sloppy. Jaune was sure to be dazed after that. Now he could actually-!
"BASTARD!"
Crack! Crunch! Boom!
"HAGHUAAH!"
Jaune didn't even flinch. Instead, he decked Adam right across the jaw with all the strength he had.
Adam felt several bones crack, even through his Aura protecting him. A gust of wind blew from past the point of impact. He-he's fast! How did he-?!
"HAVE SOME!" Jaune wasn't done. He kicked Adam right in the gut, sending him flying and crashing into the ground. Adam groaned as he rolled, stopping only when his body roughly collided with his embedded Wilt.
And of course, Adam had let go of HF Murasama. It fell from where he was and landed tip first on the floor in front of Jaune, planted and ready for the taking.
Jaune let out a breath and gripped his sword as he stood up, using it to help him stand. As soon as he touched it the blade's signature electric him and red glow returned. Menancing. He took it out with ease and stood up straight, its tip pointed at the ground.
He carefully analysed Adam. With his own Aura at around 60-ish percent, he could still go on for all night.
But the question was, what was Adam about to do now…
Adam groaned as he tried to force himself up. His entire head was in pain, ears ringing and vision blurry. He dazedly took Wilt from behind him and stood up to face Jaune, trying to do so with all the strength he had left.
He felt blood streaking down his forehead, his breaths getting short, and his stamina wavering.
Dammit… No, he needed to calm down. He could beat him. He hasn't suffered like the Faunus have. All those humans… they had it easier. Easier to live. Easier to become stronger!
He let out a breath. He just needed to surpass them. Be faster. Stronger. Better.
Adam focused all of his Aura into his muscles. Adam yelled and attack-rushed at Jaune with all his Aura.
"JAUNNNNEEEEEEE!"
Adam ran and sliced upwards. Jaune blocked it before it ever went high. Faster. He struck down. Jaune tilted to the side. Faster. He stabbed at his chest. Jaune parried the tip away. Faster. He swung at his heart. Jaune pushed Wilt away before it ever came close.
Adam roared and gripped with both his hands. He raised it high, transitioning from speed to power. Focus his Aura on Wilt. Full power!
"HAAAHHH!" Adam brought Wilt down on Jaune. Jaune moved his sword and blocked it with HF Murasama.
Clang!
Red steel met red steel. Jaune smirked as Adam's sword went still. Not enough, ey, terrorist-?
"RARGH!" Adam pushed against Jaune's block. The samurai's eyes widened as he felt his block waver. Wait, really-?!
"HAAAAAA!" Adam broke through Jaune's guard and pushed Wilt past. HF Murasama's block failed, and Adam struck Wilt right at Jaune's forehead.
A clean hit.
"Gah!" Jaune stumbled back wildly, his Aura visibly protecting his neck. The attack stung as he staggered, and he was sure a bruise would form later.
Adam ended the attack with his position bent low, clearly putting his entire body into the this one attack. His breaths were short, sweat dripping down his brow and body pulsing, not to mention the various wounds he already had. But he had to follow it up. Perseverance.
Adam moved as fast as he could and readied himself once more. With a roar, he thrusted Wilt straight at Jaune's heart.
Jaune noticed Adam's movement from the corner of his vision.
Adam lunged.
Jaune dodged to the left.
The attack missed, Adam's sloppy and desperate attack wide open.
Jaune brought HF Murasama down on Adam.
'Shit!' Adam just barely managed to turn around and bring his sword up. HF Murasama hit Wilt, but the block was ineffective. Wilt and the hand holding it was easily forced to the side, the attack's pure whiplash hitting Adam's Aura.
'No!' Adam stumbled back. He barely saw Jaune raise his sword again. He had to block-!
Clang!
Adam just barely managed to put his sword to the side. HF Murasama hit the blade mid-slash, and again Adam was knocked back. He dazedly saw Jaune going for another attack.
No! He had to- can't let this be the end just yet- this wasn't supposed to be like-!
Jaune roared and brought his sword down. Adam just barely managed to block, every hit weakening him more and more.
"HAH!"
Wilt was knocked to the side. Jaune brought his sword back and struck again.
"HYAH!"
Wilt blocked again, sloppier than ever.
"RAH!" Jaune slashed again. Wilt barely blocked and Adam stumbled back blindly.
Cracks were beinning to show.
Jaune took a firm step forwards and brought HF Murasama down low. With a fierce yell that echoed, he brought HF Murasama up to strike at Adam from hip to shoulder.
Adam heard the roar and brought Wilt ready to block. He tensed his muscles and hoped the attack would stop at Wilt-!
Jaune feinted the attack and instead brought HF Murasama high.
'Wait, no-!' Adam realised his mistake too late.
"HAH!" Jaune changed his grip HF Murasama and smacked its pommel straight on Adam's mask.
Crack!
Fractures formed on the mask's surface, from Adam's left temple to his right eye. Adam stumbled back in a daze, disoriented. "Ah-!"
"GRAH!" Jaune swung HF Murasama again, aimed across Adam's chest. Adam moved to block it, lifting Wilt to intercept-!
HF Murasama met Wilt.
Smash!
The world seemed to go into slow motion. Wilt's blade shattered into a million pieces, its fragments flying uselessly in the air.
Adam felt panic overhwelm him, his hand suddenly going light with no weight to hold. "No-!"
Jaune brought HF Murasama back and took a step forwards, slamming it back into its gunsheath. With a growl and a scowl, he aimed straight for Adam's chest.
Bang!
Jaune pulled the trigger and HF Murasama flew clean to its destination. He met the sword with his right hand and swung with everything he had. "HAHHHHH!"
Slash!
In a flash, Adam's chest was wide open.
"AAHHHHH!" Adam yelled in pain, flying back with blood sprouting free.
The wound stretched from left hip to upper right shoulder. Fresh blood splattered around and stained Jaune from his face and down to his white suit.
Jaune remained still in his final Iaidō stance. Adam flew several metres and slumped to the floor far away with his breathing heavy. His Aura flashed to try to heal the wound, but at the level it was at, the wound wasn't going to close any time soon.
Adam's breaths were ragged, his right hand still gripping what remained of Wilt tight. He spasmed on the ground as Jaune flicked HF Murasama clean of blood. With closed eyes, the samurai sheathed HF Murasama back into its place and withdrew his mask.
A cold night wind blew inside from the broken window. Jaune's ponytail hair flew as the breeze hit his skin, Adam's red hair barely swaying on the floor. As Jaune opened his eyes and looked down on his opponent, he saw the carpet beneath him begin to stain red with blood.
He stared coolly into Adam's mask, his face expressionless. His hand twitched. One slice on the neck and it would've been confirmed.
Jaune sighed and approached the corpse. What a shame. Such a skilled swordsman, and he ended up like this? It truly was a waste.
But nonetheless, it was time to end this. If he let Adam go, then his friends would be at risk.
Jaune stepped forwards and brought HF Murasama high, standing above Adam and casting a shadow over the Faunus. His sword crackled with red electricity, ready to be swung down at the opponent.
With silence, Jaune swung his sword down right for Adam's chest.
Slash!
The sword sliced through the air, getting closer and closer to Adam's heart-!
FWOOOSH! BOOM!
A pair of rockets flew right towards him from the broken window. With a growl, Jaune jumped and just barely dodged the rockets and let it destroy the walls behind him. He was forced to land several steps away from Adam, just away from immediate attacking rage.
Just as he recovered and looked at where it came from, a pair of searchlights blinded him. Jaune raised his arm to block out the lights. Who were these? Was his family finally here? Did they finally arrive just as he killed Adam? But he didn't hear any comms or CODEC calls!
Wait a second...
Jaune lowered his arm ever so slightly and squinted to get a better look at the Bullheads. Through the blinding lights and the loud noise…
He saw the logo of the White Fang painted clear as day on their hulls, right next to shining searchlights and their miniguns prepared to fire.
Jaune quickly deployed his mask. Shit-!
BRRRRRATATATATATATATA!
"DAMN ITTT!" Jaune ducked to the ground as two miniguns fired from the Bullheads. They suppressed him continuously, forcing him down on the ground. He just barely got a peek at Adam, who was still laying on the ground.
From where he was, Jaune saw that he had an earpiece fitted on his left ear.
Cheeky bastard! Never should've played nice!
BRRRRRATATATATATATATA!
The Bullheads kept Jaune down, negating his movement. After what seemed like hours of fire, one the Bullheads aborted and turned around, facing the window hatch first. Several White Fang soldiers aimed out the hatch, firing their assault rifles and pinning Jaune to his position.
Jaune growled. When are they going to let up?! Bastards!
As they continued firing, the Valean White Fang Lieutenant jumped out and landed on the suite, chainsaw in his hand. Quickly, as they kept Jaune suppressed, he went to Adam's position.
He stopped as he looked at his superior, worry visible through his mask. "General…"
Adam could barely hear him through his wounds, much less form a coherent response.
Bane nodded to himself. With a grunt, he lifted Adam by the shoulder and slung his arm over him. Pulling out an Aura syringe, he stabbed it into Adam's neck and began moving. "Ngh…" Adam groaned as he was carried, Aura finally properly healing his wound. Bane helped him on the plane, placing him gently down amidst his soldiers.
Jaune noticed Adam escaping. Panic overcame his senses. "NOOOOO!"
Jaunestood up and slammed HF Murasama into its sheath. He was immediately assaulted by minugun and assault rifle fire, but he didn't care. His Aura tanked the hits, draining insanely rapidly from the amount of ballistics hitting his armoured skin.
He persisted and stood his ground against the assault, aiming precisely at the ship with Adam. He had once chance to do this. One chance to take him down before he escaped!
He won't let this all be for naught. He refused to let him go! Jaune felt it in his instincts, that Adam's Bullhead was about to turn around and leave. Now or never!
"HRAAAAAH!" Jaune dashed forwards and pulled the trigger on HF Murasama. Bang! He flew with blinding speed at the Bullhead, closing the distance rapidly with HF Murasama flying out of its sheath. His manic eyes stared straight into the White Fang soldiers' eyes.
Bane saw Jaune coming. Quickly, he pulled out a rocket launcher and aimed it at Jaune through its scope. He yelled to the pilot. "Preape for take-off! Now!"
Slowly, the ship began to distance itself from the apartment complex. Growling, Jaune stopped on the edge of the window. With HF Murasama on his right hand, he jumped before the ship could get too far.
Bane finalised his aim. Right for Jaune, mid-air with his sword raised high. "Fire!" He pulled the trigger on his rocket launcher.
Boom!
"Oof!" The rocket hit Jaune dead on, aborting his attack and sending him flying back. He tumbled on the suite floor, but quickly regained himself and stood back up. He wont let him escape!
Suddenly, the floor began to shake. Jaune almost lost his footing, his arms going wildly by his side. W-what was happening?!
But then, he heard it. The sound of booms from down below, and the walls and pillars crumbling down…
His eyes widened in realisation.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
They were tearing this whole building down!
He looked wildly around, then with burning hot fury at Bane. The Faunus had a remote in his hand, one with a big red button pressed by his thumb.
"BASTAAAAARDD!" Jaune roared and rushed out the building once more. It crumbled down with each of his steps, walls and pillars falling behind him as he kept a single-minded focus on Bane.
But the Bullheads were getting farther and farther. The first one had already turned around and led the charge away. All that remained was the one carrying Adam, still with its open hatch and Bane staring into Jaune's eyes with his trusted general by his feet.
Jaune stepped at the last inch of the building, right at the window borders. With a roar he jumped out of the window and lifted HF Murasama high. The building collapsed behind him, leaving him empty mid-air with nothing but the Bullhead inching farther and farther.
Jaune needed to move fast.
Jaune acted quickly and put HF Murasama back in its sheath. Swiftly, he pulled the trigger and let the gunfire blast him forwards. He went right for Bane and to kill everyone on that ship.
Bane saw this. He saw this a hundred times when he practised against Adam. This blow from Jaune would be lethal, he knew. He stepped forwards and signalled his men to keep the hatch open. He revved his chainsaw and prepared for Jaune to arrive.
"TAKE THIS!" HF Murasama flew out of its sheath and Jaune pointed it into a stab. Bane revved his chainsaw more and saw Jaune coming closer and closer, almost landing on the Bullhead...
With a roar, Jaune charged and he pushed HF Murasama to stab Bane right in the gut.
Bane smirked and stepped forwards, right at the edge of the ship. He dropped his chainsaw and let Jaune plunge HF Murasama into himself.
Blood sprouted forth, and Jaune's shocked expression showed it all.
'What?! What's he doing-?!'
Before Jaune could realise, Bane gripped both of Jaune's arms with all his strength. He flashed the samurai a toothy smile.
'Wait a minute…'
Bane chuckled darkly. "Suffer like we have, Arc."
With a yell, Bane pushed both himself and Jaune off of the Bullhead.
Jaune never even took a single step inside the ship.
"NOOOO!"
Both of them fell through the skies, wind whipping past their faces. Jaune pulled one hand free and punched Bane's face. Bane didn't let go, keeping his grip tight with a toothy smile. Jaune yelled and punched Bane again. Then again, then again, then again. Bane chuckled darkly as he kept his grip on Jaune tight no matter it all.
The ground came closer and closer, but Jaune didn't care. He had to get this bastard off of him, had to get back in the action!
Bane smirked at Jaune's desperation. "You've failed, Arc."
Rage came back to Jaune. He pulled his fist back to punch even as the ground was merely seconds away. "YOU ASSHOLEEE!"
Bane smirked.
Jaune brought his fists forwards to punch-!
He felt another body slam against him from the side. Immediately his fall was interrupted and both him and Bane were separated.
Together, both him and this new body tumbled on the street before coming to a stop. Jaune pulled against this new person, holding him back and stopping him from getting them!
"Let me go!" Jaune yelled. "We have to get them!"
"Jaune!"
"Fuck off!" He didn't care who it was, not that he could even register it from his hatred-filled gaze. "Let me go!"
"Jaune! It's over!"
"No! There's still time-!"
"JAUNE!"
'"WHAT?!" He finally got a good look at the person holding him down.
His partner's single red eye stared back, already receding into normal blue ones.
"Jaune." Raiden said softly. "It's over."
Jaune calmed down just a bit. He closed his eyes and broke away from Raiden, standing up and then looking at the surroundings.
"You sure this is the right way, sis?"
"I'm sure, Yang, come on!"
The building was nothing but rubble and fire now, hot dust kicking up from the ruins.
Above him, the Bullheads escaped into the night sky, leaving nothing behind. He could hear its noise disappear in the night sky, going farther and farther until there was noting left.
"I don't hear any gunshots, Ruby… maybe it was a false tip. Who knows what the White Fang are up to."
"The explosions have faded. We might be too late."
"Then let's go faster, Weiss, Blake! It's just around this corner, that's where they said it was!"
Jaune looked at to the right. There lay the dead body of Bane, blood pooling on the streets beneath him.
His own suit was sticky with blood, no doubt some even on his face. HF Murasama was practically bathing in it, and yet he felt his muscles twitch in irritation. This wasn't enough.
This didn't matter.
Jaune let out a breath as he slowly closed his eyes "Hah…"
"That's a base marker. Surprised they're using old code here." Blake said, going past a wall with said marks and approaching the abandoned apartment complex. All of Team RWBY followed their leader's lead, and Blake piped up once again. "We're definitely getting close."
"Isn't there supposed to be a tall abandoned apartment here, though?" Yang said. "So far we haven't seen anything really tall. Sure this is the right tip, sis?"
"We're here, don't worry!" Ruby said determinedly. She rounded a corner, her team following suit. "See, a White Fang hideout-!"
The entire group turned the corner and froze.
Blake went into shock.
The apartment was gone. Nothing but a fiery rubble flat on the ground.
Several traces of dead White Fang members poked out of the rubble. Stretched out hands, bleeding heads, broken feet…
To the left was the dead, murdered body of the White Fang Lieutenant they fought so many times before.
Blake's horror-filled eyes shifted to the centre. In the middle of it all was Jaune and Raiden with their backs towards them, muscles acting warmed up from combat, swords dripping with fresh red blood, and suits and faces stained with marks of their actions.
Her hands twitched. All of the Fang, deaddeaddead because of the two of them-!
Jaune curled his shaking fist, not realising Team RWBY's presence. His grip on HF Murasama almost sent cracks down its hilt, and the girls all instinctively took a step back.
Even Blake.
A dark aura settled on the place, hot and wild and filled with all sorts of anger.
It didn't matter.
Adam had escaped.
"Hah...!" Jaune let out a breath, tightening his grip. HF Murasama's hilt cracked and Jaune's control shattered. He looked up into the shattered moon and let it all out.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Well, that was that. Jaune beat Adam fair and square, but Adam's forces managed to pull him out just in time. Another recurring enemy.
Thoughts, tell 'em in the reviews.
See you next time!
Review Responses:
To frolovkirill7, yeah, probably misspelled that. Thanks for that!
To Gwynx, thanks a lot! Glad you liked it!
To Just a reader now a writer, I do plan on Summer being saved. How that's achieved, though, will be another matter entirely…
To CriticaofRandomness, hm, right. I'll have to revise that later on. Thanks for the input!
To Dhestrya,thanks!
To SolSparda369, and now Team RWBY actually sees the true extent. As for Cinder… she's definitely up to new standards.
To Big E, Hm, that might actually work sometime… thanks for the idea!
To Lonely Boy, thanks for the compliment! I'm glad you like it, really! As for Pyrrha, well like you said, she's a big girl. And big girls should be able to handle life-changing revelations jussssst fine (ofc not, but she has to). Thanks for reading!
To Xealchim, you're right. Tragedy tag would be way too sad. And I also see your point on the Jaune and Raiden not actually showing up thing, too much world building and character interactions and stuff. With this input I hope to focus it more on Jaune and Raiden and the actual plot, make it more condesned so we don't scatter all over and lose focus. Really, I appreciate a lot for the criticism and for sticking with this! Thanks a bunch.