I really have to stop jinxing myself. Told MrsTheGoose yesterday that this was going to be a shorter chapter and I'd finish it in the morning. Then came up with an extra idea for the chapter and thought, "Cool, I'll add that too. Shouldn't take too long."
9.5k words later, the chapter is finally done.
Mission reports had never been Adam's favorite. Fresh off a mission and with adrenaline still pumping, standing around talking about the action felt rather anticlimactic. He'd stand by his men for hours, even days on end, only to ditch them the moment they reached safety. While they celebrated, he'd get stuck in a room recounting the entire mission in excruciating detail. Not even the fun parts. It was all about the boring bits, like civilian perceptions, changes to pathways, or his men's behavior. The actual action usually wound up as a footnote. He'd rather be out checking on the wounded or even unloading the trucks. Anything that didn't involve the mundane reporting that awaited him after every mission. Nothing could be worse.
Or so he'd thought.
"How're things with you and Blake?"
"Who told you?" Whoever let that slip all the way back to Menagerie would be his new training dummy when he found them.
"Come now, Adam. What sort of leader would I be if I didn't keep track of my men?" Sienna was enjoying herself far too much. "And that wasn't an answer."
"You're right. It wasn't." So take the hint and leave it alone. It had been awkward enough talking to Blake about their relationship. Sharing the latest gossip with Sienna didn't exactly top his list of things to do, especially when that gossip was about him.
"Very well." Adam narrowed his eyes. Sienna never gave up that easily. "I guess I'll just have to ask Ghira for the details."
"No!" Red alert! Nuh uh. Sienna learning about their relationship made things awkward, but it was nothing compared to the horror of Ghira finding out. He wasn't exactly on speaking terms with Blake's dad as it was. If Ghira learned he and Blake were together, he might just dial up Atlas and call in an aerial bombardment. Or worse, come visit Reyno personally. Blake would die of embarrassment.
Adam would just die.
Sienna had him, and she knew it. "Why Adam, did you forget to call and ask for her father's blessing? How very ungentlemanly of you." First of all, that was for marriage, not for dating. Secondly, why bother when he already knew the answer?
And thirdly, "She asked me." So if anyone needed to ask permission, it should've been Blake. Unfortunately, it seemed his parental units weren't available. "As for Ghira-"
"Don't worry. I won't be the one to tell him." Good, though if word had already reached Sienna, it was bound to get to Ghira sooner or later. Personally, he hoped for later. Much later.
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
"Oh, I'm not doing it for you," Sienna assured him. "I won't tell him, because the moment I do, who do you think he'll be complaining to? Not all of us can hide in another Kingdom."
Not by choice, he wanted to say. Ironically, their new relationship remained secret because Ghira had sent him away. If they were back on Menagerie, someone would've noticed by now. Word would spread like wildfire until Ghira came and burnt his world down around him. Instead, they could keep things quiet for now, hidden in the obscurity of Reyno, a place that only the White Fang even knew existed.
Not that they had anything to hide. Their so-called dates had mostly been just hanging out around Reyno. They hadn't done anything more exciting than her snuggling against his side as they read since that first night when she'd told him how she felt. The closest thing to a romantic date they'd had so far was a picnic out in the woods. Half the stuff they did wouldn't even qualify as dating.
That was by design. Adam had taken Indie's advice and had a serious talk with Blake about her expectations. It felt a little weird to ask - almost like they were drawing up a contract or something - but it was definitely the right move.
As it turned out, Blake had as little clue as he did on what dating actually looked like. Maybe she'd been hoping he'd know. Talk about the blind leading the blind. Still, it felt good to realize he wasn't the only oblivious one here. Blake had all these ideas of what romance would look like, but most of that was stuff for later in a relationship. Like him, she had no idea where to start.
In the end, they'd worked out a pretty basic idea of what would happen. Classic, romantic dates were out of the question, at least for now. Maybe later, when they were more sure of themselves, they'd do more, but for now this was more than enough. And just like Indie said, Blake almost seemed happier after their conversation. Maybe she'd been worried she'd pushed for too much. Or maybe she thought he'd want more out of a relationship. In the end, they'd been able to talk it out like adults, which was what she'd wanted in the first place.
"Now, about the two of you," Sienna tried again.
"Can we get back to the mission?' You know, the thing he'd called about in the first place?
"We will."
Not soon enough. Adam had had enough of this. "My personal affairs are none of your business."
"Actually, they are," Sienna hummed back, as if she'd been waiting for him to stumble into her trap. "Personal relationships can affect your judgment in the field, and this involves two of my officers. Not to mention the fact you're her direct superior. As leader of the White Fang, I need to be prepared to defend against any accusations of favoritism."
What, was someone going to file a complaint with HR? Or maybe the media would catch wind and blow up the scandal of nepotism in the White Fang. It was all so ridiculous, but hidden behind Sienna's lame jokes was a kernel of annoying truth.
Sienna wasn't going to let this go.
"Fine. Blake and I are dating." Is that what she wanted? For him to just come out and say it?
"Now was that so hard?" Yes. Yes it was. "Fine. Spare me the sordid details, but as your leader, I need to know what I'm dealing with."
She wasn't dealing with anything. Then again, if all she wanted was a basic rundown, that was easy enough to provide. "We've been seeing each other for a month now." Almost a month, technically. Three days from now would mark the actual anniversary.
Wait, was he meant to do something special for that? Were anniversaries just for married couples, or for dating as well? And how often did they celebrate? Every month? Quarter? Year? Gods, why did this all have to be so complicated? No, he refused to be that ridiculous. Six months, maybe, but there was no way he'd be commemorating a single month. That would just set a bad precedent. He'd be stuck doing something like that every few weeks, which would get old pretty fast. A one month anniversary was the kindergarten graduation of dating. Congratulations on surviving naptime and finger paints.
"And?" He'd gotten distracted again. That seemed to be happening a lot lately.
"And that's it," Adam finished. "Honestly, not much has changed. Training and missions remain unchanged. The only difference is we spend more time together after hours." On days they had hours, that was. Freedom fighting wasn't exactly a nine to five.
Sienna hummed in thought before asking, "And what of the rest of your squad. Have any of them shown issue with your new…arrangement?"
Not that he'd noticed. "None."
"Not even Indie?"
"None," Adam repeated. "The team is aware." And oddly supportive. "Neither of us have let this affect our performance in any way. Mission assignments remain unchanged." Which meant Blake had to sit the last one out, thank goodness.
"And they don't mind the PDA?"
"There isn't any." Public or private. Not much, anyway. There had been that crappy vampire romance movie where she'd held his hand in the dark theater, but that hardly qualified, even if it did feel nice at the time. Almost made it worth the agonizingly bad acting and dialogue. It wasn't like they were in the back making out or anything. "We're professionals."
"Good. I don't mind fraternization among the ranks, as long as it does not interfere with the mission." Wow. Could she have chosen a more pretentious term? "If anything, it's a reminder of what they're fighting for."
"Fight for the right to snog?"
"For the ones they hold dear." Oh, come one. That was funny and she knew it. "In fact, maybe they could use more of a reminder."
Sienna lost him. "Huh?"
"The White Fang needs to remember who we're fighting for," Sienna continued, ignoring his confusion. "Especially those on the front lines. Some of them have loved ones in Menagerie. Friends and family they haven't seen in months."
Ah, that made sense. "You want us to give them more time back home?" Return flights to Menagerie weren't all that common. An occasional airship might go unnoticed, but regular flights between the faunus island and the middle of nowhere were always a risk. They always had scramblers in place, but overreliance on them would almost certainly be the White Fang's undoing.
The surest way to prevent discovery would've been to keep everyone where they were. Trips between Menagerie, Reyno, and Nonemu would be for emergencies only. Unfortunately, you couldn't expect people to live like that. A good chunk of their frontline forces had family back in Menagerie. Refusing to let them go home once in a while would be a sure way to tank morale, which would lead to even more problems.
Instead, they'd set up a rotation for the men, allowing short visits back home periodically. They didn't have to go, but the option was always available. Obviously, Adam never bothered, being banished and all. Blake stayed in the field as well, keen to avoid explaining herself after running away from home. The rest of Alpha Squad followed suit, refusing every trip back. Most of them had no one to go back to, anyway.
Some of Cerco's men opted out as well, but the majority of them took advantage of the chance, even if just for the R&R. "Actually, I was thinking they could use a different kind of reminder." Adam didn't like the sound of that. "Blake is to accompany you on all missions for the foreseeable future."
"What?!" Adam couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You said I'm in charge of missions." And up until now, she'd never gone back on that promise. She might give him an objective, but the method and personnel were pretty much always up to him. "That was our agreement."
"It still is," Sienna claimed.
"Bull." This was meddling with his control. He'd worked hard to develop a tight rotation in missions, ensuring all of his men got both experience and opportunity in the field. "You're telling me who to take on missions."
"I'm telling you to take Blake on missions."
"That's the same thing!" Sienna didn't realize the crap she was stirring up. Balance with Alpha Squad was critical. The danger of training elites was that they all had a bit of an ego, no matter how much they tried to hide it. Even Indie. The number of missions they went on reflected their worth, or so the team was convinced. If someone didn't go out as much, then they must've been slacking or falling behind. Those that received more missions were superior. Adam going on far more missions made sense, since he was their leader, but he worked hard to keep it fairly balanced between the rest when he could, knowing they'd be counting.
Sienna didn't seem to grasp his system. Either that, or she just didn't care. "You're taking Blake with you," Sienna ordered, her voice far sterner this time. "This isn't up for debate."
"It should be."
"It's not," Sienna shot back. He couldn't remember her taking that tone with him before. "This isn't a request, Adam."
She was really going to fight him over this? Making Blake his little sidekick? On the one hand, the two of them together could handle just about any mission, and Blake would enjoy both having time with him and the honor of a heavier workload. The problem was, they often split to ensure someone stayed behind for training. Doubling them up also meant he'd have to commit extra forces to other missions to avoid lessening their fighting potential. Especially after today.
"At least tell me why." She'd better have a good reason for screwing everything up.
She seemed to think she did. "That's fair." More than fair, in his opinion. "I take it most of the camp knows about your new relationship. Instead of hiding it, I believe we'll be better served leaning into it. Remind them that all of us are still human. That we're fighting not for ourselves, but for each other."
Which meant she wanted to make them a power couple. An extremely visible power couple. Their relationship would be put on full display as propaganda to boost morale. "You really think that'll work?"
"I do." Or she wouldn't have suggested it, presumably. "More than that, it will remind the men that we're more than just soldiers. We're family."
Please no. He'd heard of businesses trying the whole family thing in a vain effort to boost loyalty or something. He never really got the point. It never really worked in the corporate world. Office politics. Competition. Miscommunication. Stress. Forced gatherings. Being cooped up in close quarters for long periods of time.
Huh. That actually did sound like a family, now that he thought about it.
That didn't mean it would work here. Worse, propping him and Blake up as the family model came with some rather disturbing connotations. "I think it's a little early for something like that."
"I'm not saying you have to get married." Oh good. So she hadn't gone completely insane. Just mostly. "Just that we want to show our men that we're more than just a bunch of faunus with a common goal. The White Fang is more than that. We're…"
"Family," Adam sighed, already hating the idea but knowing better than to fight Sienna when she got an idea in her head. Blake was gonna kill him. "Fine. I'll start taking Blake on my missions." And deal with the inevitable fallout from the rest of the squad when they found out. Maybe he could wait and tell them later. How long would it even take them to recognize the change?
"I look forward to it." That made one of them. "Now, what about the supply mission? You said there was trouble?"
Finally, back to business, though he wouldn't call it trouble so much as an inconvenience. "We hit the caravan, but there was a lot less supplies than your spies said there'd be. And a whole lot more security."
"Our intel isn't always perfect. These things happen."
"This is the third time this month." And the second time for one of his missions. "It's starting to become a pattern." A worrying pattern. One that made him question exactly where she was getting her information and just how reliable they were. "If I hadn't been there…"
People might've died. They'd been expecting a simple supply caravan from the coast heading for Mistral, full of merchants and with only a handful of guards. More than enough to stave off the odd Grimm or a few bandits. Not enough to put up a real fight against Adam, Nag, Yuma, and about a dozen men from Nonemu, most of which were there more for unloading than fighting. A simple hit 'n run raid where they'd steal anything useful like food and dust. There wasn't much point bothering with the rest. The White Fang didn't really need things like fancy perfumes or schoolbooks, let alone two whole crates of wigs. Dumping all the other things felt petty, not to mention cutting out that much profit would dry up the supply lines in time. Better to keep trade limping along than lose the easy access to critical supplies. Plus, he still had a bit of a soft spot for the merchant caravans after all this time.
Adam had reviewed the intel in detail. Vehicle numbers. Cargo manifest. Staffing. He'd even gone through the shipping company's history to get a feel for their security style. Quantity over quality seemed to be their aim, meaning cheaper, less skilled guards compared to the near Huntsman level options some caravans relied on. Expendables who owed no loyalty to their employer and should surrender pretty easily.
That was the expectation, at least. Instead, two of the trucks were loaded with men that poured out the moment the trucks stopped and opened fire. Adam took the brunt of it. Thankfully, his men were far enough back to get to cover, and they'd only suffered a few injuries. They'd been lucky to escape without any fatalities.
The humans weren't so lucky. Adam had torn into them with a vengeance, while Nag and Yuma rallied the men and provided suppressing fire. Seven men fell to his blade, with another two going down in a hail of bullets before the rest surrendered. He'd been tempted to reduce their numbers a little further - a warning to anyone who even thought of opposing them in the future - but settled for taking their weapons instead. Let them travel unarmed for the next couple days. They'd probably pick up new weapons at their next stop, but that would cost them.
Annoying as it was dealing with the extra security, the real kicker had been the supplies. Everything was there…except what they were actually looking for. It was almost like they'd ditched everything the White Fang could actually use and replaced them with more men. What little food and dust they had was meant for their journey but now belonged to the White Fang. Out of spite, Adam had taken a few more crates of supplies for his trouble.
He dreaded to imagine what Reyno would smell like in the coming months with all that perfume. Most of it would make its way back to Menagerie, but Nag got first dibs for her help in the mission. After that, the rest of the women of Reyno would likely claim a bottle for themselves. Adam would let Blake have his cut.
This new trend, if it held, was worrisome. Food wouldn't be a huge issue - Reyno had plenty of other ways to feed themselves, including a few Mistralian farms friendly to their movement - but that didn't make it any less annoying. Worse, the lack of dust would start becoming a problem. Reyno wasn't exactly wired to the capital's power grid. Their generators needed fuel, not to mention the amount of ammo they went through. Dust was something the White Fang could never have enough of, but lately, they'd been struggling to find any sizable quantities.
After listening to Adam's report, full of complaints as it was, Sienna seemed to come to a similar conclusion to his own. "They're trying to starve us out." It made sense. Denying supplies to an enemy was pretty much Warfare 101. They must've started transporting the more critical supplies by air or something. That kind of thing would cost more, but if it kept the supplies out of the White Fang's hands, then the humans would probably consider it worth the cost.
"What are our options?" Besides finding ways to live without dust. They could start rationing a bit - limit use of lights and electronics or restrict range practice to smaller caliber weapons - but that would only slow the bleeding and would hit morale in time. They needed to find more dust, which realistically left them with only two options. More raids to increase their haul, or-
"We need a bigger target." Adam figured as much. Caravans were easy pickings most of the time. The sheer number of them, along with the amount of land they covered, made them hard to protect. A stationary target, on the other hand, would be a harder target, though it might yield better results in the end. "Somewhere with a decent stockpile."
"More supplies means more security." Which meant more work for him. Sienna hadn't been in the field in ages. Picking a tougher target was easy for her to say. She wasn't the one who had to fight her way through a small army to take it. "They'll know we're coming." Maybe not an exact date or location, but if Mistral was purposefully trying to starve them of supplies, then they had to know what came next. As Kaito liked to say, make an enemy desperate, and they'll do something desperate.
Like blowing up an entire refinery to avoid being captured.
If he was Mistral, he'd have anywhere with excess dust on high alert and reinforcements on standby. They had to know the White Fang would try for something bigger if their usual methods started to fail. He'd toppled mining camps. Overrun entire towns. Even infiltrated the capital before. Nothing was off the table when Adam and the White Fang were involved, which meant Mistral would know nowhere was truly safe and would have to reinforce it all. That meant there wouldn't be an easy answer, but it also meant spreading their forces thinner rather than focusing on a single spot.
That tradeoff could work to their advantage. "I'll see what I can find," Sienna promised. Hopefully, she'd come up with something soon. The longer they waited, the more time Mistral had to prepare. They might even call in some favors from Atlas. The two Kingdoms had mostly settled their feud and were on decent terms again. He'd rather move before a bunch of soldiers and robots were brought in to help fight him off.
"Make sure you're thorough," Adam insisted. The last thing they needed was another intel failure and a massive fight for nothing. "We can't afford more mistakes."
"I'll make sure. In the meantime, prepare your men. I want all of Alpha Squad on this one." Talk about overkill, but it'd be good to get everyone back together. That much firepower opened up a lot of options.
Still, he didn't like her making more decisions for him. They'd need to have a talk when the dust settled. "Are you sure?"
"All of them." That sounded pretty sure to him. "I think it's time we remind Mistral who they're dealing with."
/- - - - - - - - - -/
It took just two weeks for Sienna to find them a target and have the White Fang on the move. Practically the moment Sienna gave him details, a call went out to Nonemu to gather their forces and head east to Reyno. Well over half of Reyno and Nonemu were soon on the move to their latest target.
Paulownia, home of the smallest and oldest of three supply depots established decades ago by Mistral. While nowhere near the size of its sister depots at Fortunei and Kawakamii, it still boasted a rather sizable underground storage that would be packed full of anything and everything Mistral considered useful. The trio of bunkers represented the bulk of Mistral's strategic reserves. Should the worst happen, such as another Great War, these three locations would be responsible for supplying most of the Kingdom for a limited time. They'd quickly become vital to Mistral's survival and would be some of the most secure locations in all of Anima.
After years of peace, however, they were more glorified warehouses than anything else. Sure, each still had a sizable defense force on hand, but with no formal military to call their own, the men and women there were closer to nightguards than hardened warriors. The problem with having such a naturally secure facility was that the personnel would start to feel safe and complacent.
At least, that was the hope.
In reality, Sienna's spies had uncovered reinforcement of all three facilities recently. Not huge movements, but enough to tell that they were at least aware of the possibility of attack. For once, the inefficiency of government worked to their advantage, as the Council was apparently still debating where additional forces would be most beneficial. Most of it came down to funding and self-interest. With each Councilor representing part of the Kingdom, they all wanted more for their own region. The more men and funding they received, the less likely the White Fang would pick them for a target. None of them could stand the thought of their constituents suffering an attack. Not out of some sense of duty or honor, of course. An attack would make them look weak in the next election.
Naturally, each Councilor fought tooth and nail for the lion's share of a limited budget, which only served to waste time as they refused to compromise or recognize a threat to anything except their position. Eventually, something would get pushed through. They might even seek help from Atlas, though Sienna's intel claimed a narrow majority were still opposed to any Atlas involvement after Euryale. That number had been dwindling recently, but it would buy them enough time to secure their opening.
To fan the flames a bit, Sienna had sent a scouting party to the largest depot in Fortunei. They'd been spotted and fled, just as planned, making it look like Fortunei had uncovered the White Fang's plans. From what he was told, Fortunei had received more than double the reinforcements that Paulownia got. That still left more than a few gunmen to deal with, but they had the numbers to handle that easily enough.
The three Huntsmen would be a problem, though.
At least, they looked like Huntsmen. Officially, they were mercenaries. Huntsmen for hire, so to speak, filling in the gaps for actual Huntsmen when needed. Most of the time, that meant being hired as private security, escorting a caravan, or some other mundane task that might need a little muscle. If Adam was the closest thing the White Fang had to a Huntsman, then the average mercenary would be more like the rest of Alpha Squad. They had aura and training but weren't good enough to get licensed in the end. Still a threat, but much more manageable than a Huntsman. Those might come later, whenever the Council decided to finally do their jobs.
"Leave their leaders to me," Adam ordered the morning before the attack, handing out a few copies of a photo their early scouts had obtained. In it, two men and a woman were outside Paulownia, discussing something. That part didn't matter. What did matter was making sure his troops knew who the biggest threats were and to avoid them as much as possible. "Focus your fire on the walls. Most of their men have never been in a real fight, so the goal here is to make them panic until our teams can get in closer."
Specifically, the twins and Marcus, who would be focusing on the few gun emplacements along the outer wall. Those would be the biggest threat to the men and needed to be taken out early. Thankfully, they still had plenty of toys from Euryale to play with, including a personal rocket launcher that should more than do the trick. The problem was aiming the thing. They'd only been able to run a couple tests with the limited ammunition. This far out, they'd be lucky just to hit the wall, much less a specific spot. He'd need to buy them time to get in a little closer if he wanted this to work.
Good thing he wasn't the only one covering for them. "Nag and her team will focus on the gunners. See if you can't knock a few offline."
"I'll handle it." He knew she would. The biggest weakness of their mounted defenses was how vulnerable the operator would be. Nag shouldn't have much trouble hitting a stationary target like that. Either she'd take out the gunner or scare them off. He was betting on the first.
The rest of Alpha Squad will lead the charge with me." Making them huge targets, but better the ones with aura than those without. Most of their troops would follow close behind. "Once we're inside, squads two and three will split off to secure the walls." Yuma and Trifa both nodded at their assignments. As much as he wanted to focus on the spearhead of the operation, they needed to clear out the rest of the outer defenders quickly to protect their back.
From there, it was pretty much a straight shot to the depot. The buildings around the underground bunker entrance would give them cover for most of the run, but he expected heavy fighting when they finally reached the entrance. Laurence should be able to get the heavy doors open once they secured the area. Failing that, Azul and Azure had brought enough ordinance with their team to flatten half the town if needed.
If they were quick, they might catch the defenders flatfooted and pin them against the bunker rather than the walls. Attacking at night usually made the most sense, but it was clear Paulownia was focused on a potential White Fang attack, if not by the number of lights installed around the perimeter, then the increased patrols at night certainly gave it away. Funnily enough, their lights already robbed the faunus of their biggest advantage, so the uneven rotations actually favored a daytime attack. A solid chunk of the defenders would be resting from the long night shift.
Hopefully, that included the three leaders.
"Watch each others' backs out there," Adam wrapped up, eager to finish final preparations and get the show on the road. "Remember, supplies can be replaced. You can't." Nervous laughter. He'd take it. Anything to break the morbid tension around him. "Stick with your teams, follow your commanders, and I promise I'll get you back in time for bed."
Most of them, anyway.
/- - - - - - - - - -/
Gunfire tore up the ground in front of him, tracing a trail of destruction toward him before he dove aside. He'd taken a few hits from one of those emplacements earlier. Aura or not, those things hurt. "Where's my cover fire?!" he shouted through the chaos.
"Dropped him." Sure enough, the turret ahead jerked upward suddenly, proving the calm voice in his ear as accurate as her gun. "On your left."
Adam turned just in time, his blade flashing out to deflect the single round aimed at his chest. Even so, the impact nearly knocked him over. The word sniper flashed through his mind, though not as fast as the shot that found his latest opponent. He needed about a hundred Nags. Just let them do all the work while he kicked back and relaxed. Sadly, he only had one and a handful of fairly competent sharpshooters, meaning they couldn't be everywhere at once. Someone had to keep the enemy forces busy.
And that someone was him.
It was always him. Lead the White Fang. See the world. They'd forgotten to mention the part where most of the world shot at him. With most of Alpha Squad charging at the front, at least they had others to focus on, but it seemed the men on the walls recognized him as the biggest threat and focused most of their attention accordingly. Sometimes, it really sucked to be famous.
It felt like forever before he finally heard the three most wonderful words ever. "We're in position."
Over the symphony of gunfire, no one missed the telltale thoom of a rocket firing. More importantly, the rocket didn't miss. Instead of aiming straight at the nearest emplacement, the wall below it exploded and crumpled onto itself, swallowing the turret and the men above. There was a brief pause in the fighting on both sides at the sudden change as the enemies ahead suddenly realized there might be a bigger threat than Adam Taurus on the field.
Crap. A single man with a sword and a Semblance didn't warrant the same attention as something that could bring down an entire wall in one hit. He heard the shouts ahead, and while he couldn't quite make out the words, it wasn't hard to guess where they were aimed.
He just had to follow the gun barrels swinging toward their new target.
"Get to cover!" someone yelled over comms, but there wasn't really anywhere to hide. That was kind of the point in the clearing outside the walls. The few seconds to reload a weapon like that were more than enough time for the defenders to exact some vengeance as the twins became very popular.
Marcus was there in a flash, slamming a metallic shield in front of them at the last moment. Shimmering, white light spread out from there, just in time to catch the new hail of bullets coming their way. It wouldn't hold forever, but the personal hardlight shield did its job just fine.
Atlas really did have all the coolest toys.
"Forward!" Adam cheered as another chunk of wall erupted, carving a second hole in the defenses. Charging into the settling dust, Adam was inside the walls before anyone could stop him.
He wanted so badly to turn and attack the defenders from behind, but that wasn't his mission. He could hear others pouring through the gap behind him and trusted them to clean up the leftovers. Surrounded and with the threat of the twins' trigger happy madness, they'd be wise to surrender. Their retreat had been cut off, so only an idiot would think they stood a chance.
There must've still been some idiots, judging by the newest explosion off to his left somewhere. Far off to his left, by the sounds of it. Weird. He didn't really have time to worry about that. His team could handle themselves.
Right now, he had something else to handle.
Even if they weren't Huntsmen, taking on three opponents at once wasn't ideal. He'd faced worse odds against Alpha Squad, but they were still new to aura use. These three might have years of experience under their belt. Mercenaries or not, they could be a real problem, especially if he had to deal with more than one at a time. Best case, they'd recognize just how outnumbered they were and surrender, but he knew better than to hold out hope like that.
Always expect the worst, and you'll never be disappointed.
Which meant he should've expected the frantic voice in his ear. "Adam!"
"What is it?" he demanded, still hurrying toward the objective. He saw a few civilians that had lingered just a little too long in the street ahead, but they scattered for the nearest door and stayed out of his way.
"We're under attack!"
Indie wasn't making any sense. Of course they were. "We're all under attack." Or rather Paulownia was under attack by them. The order didn't matter that much.
"No, I mean-"
"There's a third party involved," Nag cut in.
Adam skidded to a halt. A third party? "Reinforcements?" Already? How did they respond so fast?
"I don't think so." Adam winced at the sound of a gunshot right in his ear. "Hostile to both sides. No uniforms. They're in the city."
"What?!"
"I said they're-"
"I heard what you said!" Adam shouted back, ignoring Nag's complaint about why he'd asked then. Another attacker? On the one hand, it would split the defenders, but it sounded like they weren't some secret allies from Sienna. They'd been meticulous in planning this op down to the man, only for a completely new force to rock up at the worst possible moment. Were they here for the supplies? If so, then he was in a race.
One he wouldn't win by standing still.
Things had been going so well. He should've known better. "Blake, you and Ilia grab Laurence and get him up here. I need this door opened yesterday!" He couldn't just let these new invaders take all the goods they'd come for. Even if he managed to beat back the defenders and this new force, if they got inside first, they might just torch the place out of spite. That meant he was about to hurl himself into a pincer. Hopefully the rest of the squad could catch up and help push the enemy back. "The rest of you secure the walls then push up to the front." They might even be able to turn the remaining gun emplacements against this new group, whoever they were.
"What about you?"
Adam's hand tightened on his sword as he slowed. "I'll be fine," he lied as he switched the device off.
"I'm sorry. Am I interrupting?"
Adam didn't bother answering the man ahead of him. Not when he recognized him as one of the three leaders. It looked like they weren't willing to wait for him to reach the depot after all. Adam had outrun his men, leaving him to face the mercenary alone.
On the bright side, they were both alone. Where were the other two? Not that he was complaining or anything. He'd take an even fight over being triple teamed. Had the other two gone to face the other attackers? Were they hoping to overpower one side and reinforce, or did that mean they considered the third group the bigger threat? Then again, they might've sent one in either direction and kept the third back as insurance.
"Adam Taurus. I was beginning to think you weren't coming."
"Sorry to keep you waiting." He normally wouldn't condone pre-fight banter, but he had a small army on its way to reinforce him. Buying time might work in his favor. He still wanted to reach the depot first, but underestimating an opponent like this could be fatal.
"Such manners," the man chuckled, though his short sword stayed ready in case of attack. "And from someone who keeps such foul company."
Really? Insults against his friends? Was that meant to rile him up? Make him attack blindly and get himself killed? This guy didn't look like much of a fighter, but looks could be deceiving. He wouldn't have come to face Adam alone if he couldn't fight.
"Stand aside," Adam ordered, doubting it would work but figuring it was worth a shot. "We're here for the supplies. No one has to get hurt."
"People have already been hurt," his opponent pointed out. "You and your bandits attacked us with no warning."
"Bandits? We're not bandits." The White Fang had been called a lot of things, but that was a new one.
"I was referring to your new friends." Friends? Did he mean the other attackers? No, focus! He could worry about that later. All that mattered was this. "As for surrendering, I'd offer you the same courtesy, but I'm afraid orders are orders."
"Orders?"
"My job is to protect the depot and kill anyone who resists. Sorry. Not my call." As if Adam would've surrendered. He knew what awaited him if the self-proclaimed authorities ever got their way. "But how rude of me. I haven't introduced myself."
"It doesn't matter." By his own admission they couldn't both survive this. One of them would die here.
"It does. I already know your name. It's only fair you know mine before I kill you." Such confidence, but could he back up those words? He didn't look overly intimidating. "You may call me Rauch."
"I'll remember that for your gravestone," Adam growled back.
"Ha! Such wit!" Was this guy for real? "Now, let us see if your blade is as sharp as your tongue."
He was fast, but not incredible. He covered the distance in a flash, but Adam was ready for it. Their blades met, locking only for a second before Rauch leapt back, pulling a pistol and opening fire. The first shot struck Adam in the shoulder, but he was ready for the next two.
"Impressive. The reports weren't wrong about you."
"Are we here to talk or to fight?" This had gotten old fast. He couldn't stand the idea of listening to Rauch's random comments the entire fight. Was that his plan? Annoy him to death? Because so far, he hadn't seen anything he couldn't handle.
Rauch didn't look too upset at his outburst. "Fine. If you do not wish to savor your final moments," the air behind Rauch seemed to shimmer and darken, "then I shall make this quick."
Everything behind Rauch vanished, consumed by an oppressive grayness that spread like cancer all around, enveloping Rauch as it poured straight at him. Adam sliced into the mass before it could touch him, but the strange wave parted around his sword like smoke, reforming a moment later as it continued expanding past him. He could still breathe fine, but the air held a sharp scent that burned his nose. The brightness of the day vanished, sunlight swallowed in smoke that cut him off from the rest of the world.
A Semblance. There was no other explanation for the strange mist that engulfed him. So, Rauch wasn't some newbie with an aura then. A laugh echoed through the fog, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.
Adam grabbed his scabbard and fired in the direction Rauch had been. Nothing happened. He squeezed the trigger again and again, blasting holes in the fog randomly around him in the hopes of catching his opponent off guard. As with his sword, the fog seemed to swirl back into place almost immediately.
"Coward!" Adam yelled in frustration. "Face me!"
His aura sparked as a blade cut across his back and vanished once more. Adam followed it with a swing of his own, but struck nothing but air.
"But I am facing you." Adam instinctively shot straight ahead. "Close, but not close enough."
He stumbled as something struck his leg.
"My, how the mighty have fallen." More accursed laughter. "All this talk of how dangerous you are. Is this truly the best the White Fang has to offer?"
Adam heard something. A footstep. Loose rubble. He wasn't sure. He swung anyway, his sword finding something in the fog.
"Not bad," Rauch mocked, the fog parting to reveal him for a moment. Sadly, he'd only found Rauch's sword, not something important. "But not good enough." Adam caught himself as Rauch pulled away suddenly, the fog swallowing him once more.
Adam didn't have an answer. He couldn't see anything but this blasted fog. Even sound seemed muffled, as if the strange mist had filled his ears as well. From the little he could tell, he could probably take Rauch in a fair fight, but he had no intention of fighting fair.
Think, Adam, think! He knew he was low on options. Attacking blindly wouldn't do anything. He'd just stand back and let the fog reform each time. Maybe that took a toll, but he had no idea how much. For all he knew, this was nothing to Rauch. Some Semblances were stupidly broken like that.
Rauch wasn't the only one with a Semblance, though. Adam waited until the next attack, a jab from behind that would've disemboweled him without aura, then turned and swung, feeling a rush as a bright beam of red light sliced diagonally through the fog, clearing away a sizable chunk for a few seconds. Sadly, there was no severed form in the midst of it all, and the fog closed like two creeping walls.
"Nice trick, but you can't hit what you can't see." Slicing blindly with his Semblance was out. He would just use up all his energy and drain his aura faster. He needed to focus. Figure out a way around this seemingly insurmountable adversary.
Something moved in the corner of his vision. Just a tiny ripple in an otherwise unmoving opaqueness. Adam trusted his instincts, spinning to face the disturbance just before a sword sliced for his head.
"Better." Far from being upset at Adam finding a weakness, Rauch almost sounded amused. "Let's see how much you've learned."
There! Adam blocked the strike, but it was gone a second later, only for another blow to hit from behind. How? He couldn't have possibly gotten behind him that fast, unless…
He barely had time to think as the attacks came from every angle, one after the other. He blocked some. Missed others. Too fast. What if the fog wasn't just affecting him? What if it made Rauch faster? It sounded stupid, but anything was possible. For all he knew, Rauch was just toying with him and would thicken the fog in a bit to suffocate him. Semblances were like that. There were no limits except the user themselves.
"Had enough yet?" Like it would matter if he had. Rauch had made it clear there would be no way they both survived. This was kill or be killed, and he intended to do the killing. If only he could actually hit back. "Over here."
Adam barely caught the attack, but his return swing found nothing.
"Behind you."
As stupid as trusting the advice sounded, Adam spun anyway. Sure enough he got there just in time to block.
"On your left."
Was he really calling out his attacks now? What sort of demented lunatic-
"Right."
Adam swung, his blade vanishing into the fog but finding his target for once. He knew the feel of hitting a weapon. This time, he'd actually scored a blow. Finally!
Adam yanked back, jumping at the body that followed. He dodged aside, only for the form to tumble at his feet.
That wasn't Rauch.
"Oopsie!"
Adam stared down at the corpse at his feet. A White Fang corpse. One of his men that had come running to his aid, only to be cut down by Adam himself.
Rauch's laughter mocked him from all around. "You really should be more careful. You might hurt someone."
"You monster!"
"Me? What did I do? You killed him."
"I'll kill you!" Adam swung in the other direction, knowing his men wouldn't be charging from multiple directions. He heard movement but found nothing.
"Only person you've killed so far is your own."
Adam frantically reached up and switched his earpiece back on. Someone was yelling about a strange smoke, but Adam yelled over it. "Fall back! Don't come near the fog!"
"Are you okay?"
"Stay back!" Adam screamed.
"He had it coming, you know." With every word, Adam's rage grew. "Awfully rude of him to interrupt like that. I thought about killing him myself, but I figured I'd let you handle discipline."
"Shut up!"
"Seemed a little harsh to me, but I guess it takes all types."
"Where are you?" Adam's shot did nothing, but standing there waiting for Rauch's next trick wasn't working either.
This wasn't working. Even if he could block most of the attacks, it was only a matter of time now. Little by little, Rauch was chipping away at his aura. He couldn't deal with attacks from all sides like this.
That's it! Adam squeezed the trigger, watching carefully as the fog reformed. He turned and fired another direction. And another. On the fourth, he saw what he was looking for and raced forward.
Until his hand hit a wall.
"Clever." They were still in the middle of a town. A town with buildings. As long as he kept the wall behind him, Rauch lost an entire direction of attack. He'd have to attack from the front or side now, which would give Adam a better chance at least. "No matter. It'll take more than that to save you."
As the attacks began anew, Adam knew he was right, but as attack after attack failed to break through his guard, he also knew Rauch had a problem.
Adam had stopped the bleeding. Keeping up this fog had to cost at least some aura, meaning eventually he'd run out of it. It was all a game of endurance now. Which would fail first, Adam's defense or Rauch's Semblance? If it was a contest of outlasting, Adam felt like he'd have the advantage. And the moment the fog fell, he'd make Rauch pay.
At least, that was the plan.
"Coward," Rauch mocked as the attacks suddenly stopped again. "I guess we can just stand here and wait for the others. I can do this all day." He'd have to take that chance. Leaving his wall would only invite more trouble. In fact, if one wall was good, then how about four?
Adam shuffled along the wall, using one hand to feel along until he found a corner. Rats. Wrong way. He shuffled back until he found what he was looking for. His hand closed around a doorknob and twisted. Fog poured into the room he'd just opened, but that was fine. A room wouldn't leave Rauch many options. If he pursued, he'd have to get close enough for Adam to take advantage. Ignore him, and Adam would just find another way out and escape. Maybe he could regroup with his men and form a firing line. Let Rauch hide in his fog while they scythe it apart with automatic weapons.
The moment Adam tried to enter the room, his sword was up to block and attack from outside. "Nice try, but that's cheating."
"All's fair in love and war," Adam grunted as he pushed into Rauch's guard and tried to force off balance him. Rauch hopped back before Adam could take advantage and disappeared again. "What's wrong? Scared?"
"Disappointed," Rauch sighed melodramatically. "All this buildup, and you're just some scared kid ready to cut and run at the first sign of trouble."
Adam wouldn't fall for that. "You're the one hiding from a fight."
"Hiding, am I?" Yeah. The whole vanishing into fog thing definitely counted as hiding. "Alright, then. If you won't fight me, then I guess I'll just have to find someone who will." Someone…wait, who? "In fact, it looks like we have a few volunteers."
Volunteers? His men! Crap! "Stay back! The fog is dangerous. Don't touch it!" Adam yelled into his earpiece.
"It…it's moving. The fog is- ah!" Adam heard the scream even without the earpiece.
"No!"
Another voice rang out. And another. Rauch made sure he heard them all as his fog expanded doomed his men. One by one, they fell, completely unprepared for the horror of the mist. "Such loyalty, but not very obedient. Good soldiers follow orders."
"Stop it!"
"You stop it!" Rauch yelled back angrily. "You brought them here. You ordered the attack. You came after me! This is your fault, Adam Taurus. Their blood is on your hands." And it was growing, as another met their death in the fog somewhere ahead. "You want me to stop, then come stop me! Kill me, or die like a man. Otherwise, I'll tear through this pathetic army of yours." There was a sickening silence before Rauch drove the final nail in the coffin. "In fact, I think I'll start with her."
He had no idea who he meant, but there weren't a lot of options. They had a handful of female soldiers with them. Other than that, there were only half a dozen others, all members of Alpha Squad.
He had a feeling he knew which one it was.
"I'm here!" Adam yelled, hoping Rauch would take the bait. He couldn't risk Blake facing this monster. Stepping outside and away from the protection of the wall, Adam repeated, "I'm here. Come get me."
"Better." The fog seemed to swirl around him. Hopefully, that meant it was pulling back from everyone else. "Now, Adam Taurus, are you ready to end this?"
"I am." One way or another. "Just promise me my friends will be spared."
"I only have orders to kill you," Rauch answered. "If they fight, they die, but those that surrender will be spared. I'm not some ruthless killer like you."
Could've fooled him. Still, as long as they were safe, then that was all that mattered. "Everyone stay back. This is my fight."
"That's it? Couldn't think of better last words? Something for them to remember you by?"
"They'll remember me," Adam answered. Not his words. Him. His actions. Not some empty words on a tombstone. A person who fought with every ounce of strength for each and every one of them. They'd carry that memory with them to a better world.
But not yet.
Adam saw the next attack coming. Noticed the displacement of the fog that heralded an attack. He ignored it, catching Rauch by surprise as his sword went unchallenged until it met aura. Aura that glowed far too bright for such a weak hit.
As macabre as it sounded, Adam had to trust that Rauch had been thorough and killed everyone near them. Fire burned through his arm as he tensed, then tore his sword free. He turned as he did, swinging across his body as he spun and feeling destruction race through his body and into his sword. The fog glowed angrily as a ring of fury tore through it in every direction, slicing through the mist and even the nearest buildings with ease.
And something else.
The fog didn't reform this time. The wind carried it away as it dissipated, revealing the carnage around him. The house he'd used for cover collapsed on itself, solid brick carved waste high. He could see the bodies of his men scattered down the street, evidence of the carnage Rauch had wrought.
Most importantly, Rauch himself lay in the street. In two places.
"It's over," Adam panted. Releasing that much energy at once hurt, but he couldn't think of any other way. Adam needed to make sure he hit, and that it would be a knockout blow. Anything less, and he'd die. At least no one else had been close enough to be hit by that. None of the White Fang had been killed.
Except the one he cut down before.
Adam looked around at the absolute ruin in the street. Everywhere he turned bore evidence of his devastation. His destruction. He was a weapon. An ender of life. The gods, or whatever powers were out there, had put him on Remnant for one purpose and one purpose only.
To wreak havoc on a world consumed by it.
The world was a horrible place, drenched in the blood of innocents and run by men who delighted in suffering. Rauch, the coldblooded killer, would be hailed a hero for his murders while Adam remained a monster. The same people who condemned violence sent orders for him not to be taken alive. They built up their empires on the backs of others, stamping out anyone who dared oppose them.
He'd bring that world crumbling down around them someday. He'd tear down everything they built and watch it bury them in the rubble. Only then could things be made right. Only then could they have a future. A brighter tomorrow would only be born once the darkness of today was vanquished.
Adam turned away from it all, marching slowly through the street toward the depot, chased away by blood that snaked through cracks in the pavement to soak into the earth below.
/- - - - - - - - - -/
Paulownia was silent. Wrapped up in the deafening silence of Rauch's Semblance, he hadn't noticed an end to the fighting. It was only as he neared the depot alone that he remembered what he'd missed.
Had the White Fang triumphed in his absence? What about the bandits? Had Paulownia surrendered? He knew some of his men were alive, at least according to Rauch. He'd told them to fall back. Had they left the town entirely? Did that mean the bandits won? Or had the other two mercenaries held them off? He hoped not, because then they'd be waiting for him ahead. If they were anything like Rauch, he'd be in trouble. Then again, if these bandits were strong enough to take on two people like that, then maybe they were the bigger threat.
Whatever had happened, no one challenged him as he neared the depot. Ahead, he could see smoke lazily drifting up into the sky. Still he marched on, ready to get this over with. He had a mission to accomplish, and nothing would stop him.
Adam came to a stop.
The area outside the depot made his street look clean in comparison. Bodies were everywhere, strewn carelessly wherever he looked and fanning out from the depot entrance, which had been blown open some time ago. A lone figure sat atop a crate outside the depot, watching him curiously through a familiar bone-white mask. It looked so similar to his own, yet far more terrifying.
"I was wondering when you might show up."
The other two mercenaries were dead. He didn't need to find the bodies to know that. All he needed to know was who stood before him. The same terrifying woman he'd crossed paths with so many years ago.
Raven Branwen. Queen of the bandits.
Raven's back and you're gonna be in trouble (Hey-la-day-la Raven's back). You see her comin' better cut out on the double (Hey-la-day-la Raven's back).
Well, that went south quickly. Original plan was to do the whole mission next chapter. Maybe even the planning before the mission, too. Then I was like, what if I start it here instead of stretching out a conversation with Sienna for no reason? And what if we end with Raven? Great idea...until I realized I need a place for the attack still. And defenders, including one with a Semblance. And an attack plan. And a reason it's not overrun with Huntsmen. And a million other things. All stuff I was planning to work on next week instead of winging it in a single day while writing two thirds of the chapter in a single sitting. Honestly, this is just par for the course with me anymore.
Word on Adam and Blake is getting out, but they obviously don't want Ghira knowing yet, even if he and Kali probably suspect as much, seeing as she ran away to be with Adam. That'll blow up in their faces later. Also couldn't resist having some more rabbit trails, like how workplaces will do the whole "family" thing as if anyone actually believes that. I like my coworkers. I really do. But that doesn't make us a family. Always love joking that the main problems in many families are the only parts that apply.
Now, time to run the gambit of names and such. Paulownia is a type of hardwood tree with a very high strength rating. Fortunei and Kawakamii are specific types of that tree. In other words, they are all hardened locations, though the basic version is probably the weakest. Meanwhile, Rauch is the German word for smoke, hence his Semblance. Had to have him slip in a Clone Wars/Bad Batch reference with "Good soldiers follow orders" (though it took me a while to remember where that was from. I think that covers it. Now to go lie down and give my poor brain a break.
Next chapter: Raven's back!