章 45: Weiss & Ciel Pt. 2
A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my P atreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!
Weiss makes her stand~
-x-X-x-
In a split second, Weiss comes to understand multiple things at once. Number One… the White Fang at the other end of the train car, the one that just annihilated Special Bree in the span of seconds, has to be a Heavy. It's a concept that Weiss has been drilled upon as a member of the Schnee Family and thus a target for the White Fang's terrorist efforts.
Most of the White Fang were fodder at best. Plenty of them didn't have a lick of hunter training either. Most of the time, the entirety of a White Fang cell had their auras awakened and that was it. They were barely above the level of civilians, but what they lacked in personal strength, they made up for in numbers by trying to overwhelm their targets with swarm tactics. Your average White Fang goon wasn't anything more than a common criminal thug and could be handled relatively easily by anyone half-trained in actual combat.
… White Fang Heavies were the exception to this rule. The leadership of the White Fang, be their lieutenants or higher, were usually much better trained than the average foot soldier. Some were even former hunters who felt betrayed by their Kingdoms or communities and had decided to do something about it by throwing their lots in with the White Fang.
Heavies were so much more dangerous than the average foot soldier, not just because they were trained and much stronger combatants, but also because they were true believers one and all. Plenty of the White Fang's common goons joined up solely because they didn't have anywhere else to go. They joined the White Fang because it provided warm meals and a cot to lay their head, so why not?
But Heavies… Heavies had places to go. They were strong enough that even if they hadn't graduated from a huntsman academy, they could easily find work as a hunter in any village or town that needed one. They could make so much more money as hunters then they could as a member of the White Fang. Even in this day and age with the Grimm having been missing for years, your average hunter was still a sought-after commodity and there was no way the White Fang had the capital to pay their members any better than the Kingdoms could.
No, someone like the male who just annihilated Specialist Bree was in this specifically because he believed in the cause and had decided to turn his considerable strength and power towards accomplishing the goals of that cause. Someone like him couldn't be reasoned with anymore than he could be beaten. The way he'd so easily and casually dismantled an Atlesian Specialist made it clear that she and Ciel didn't stand a chance.
… But at the same time, there was two exits out of this train car. And as Weiss' eyes flicker back behind them, at the female White Fang blocking their escape route… well, she sees opportunity. After all, the White Fang would never waste TWO Heavies on a mission like this, right? Weiss might have been a Schnee, but she had directly disobeyed her father to join Atlas' military as a common soldier. She hadn't been in communication with Jacques Schnee since going behind his back, but she couldn't imagine he'd wasted any time in disowning her and putting Whitley Schnee in her place.
This was an attack of opportunity, maybe not even sanctioned by White Fang's High Command. And that meant as dangerous and deadly as the male had made himself out to be, she and Ciel still had a chance of escape.
Surrendering wasn't an option. Even if Weiss actually thought the White Fang were honorable enough to leave Ciel alone if she DID promise to go with them… she knew that Ciel wouldn't allow it. The dark-skinned woman she'd taken as a lover would fight tooth and nail for Weiss until the very end, so really… there was no choice here.
Flicking the pieces of Specialist Bree's mangled exoskeleton off of his gloved hand, the White Fang Heavy steps forward menacingly just as Weiss is hardening her resolve.
"Like I said. We're only here for the Schnee. You-!"
"Ciel, now!"
With that, Weiss throws herself backwards, towards the female White Fang behind them. To her credit, Ciel doesn't need anything more than that split second cry to follow Weiss' lead. Darting forward, Weiss wields her rapier with deadly precision at the female goon, fully intending to go right through her if she doesn't get out of her way.
Behind her, Ciel provides covering fire with her pair of pistols, trying to hold the male off even as she moves at Weiss' side. If they can get through the female White Fang, then they can escape the train car and have a solid chance of making it out of here.
Unfortunately, the plan does involve leaving Specialist Bree behind, but that's the beauty of knowing that they're here for her. If Weiss and Ciel can just get off the train, then the White Fang are likely to pursue and won't come back for Specialist Bree any time soon so it'll be-
Weiss' eyes widen as she's cut off mid-thought by the female White Fang. In an instant, the woman has lifted up her sword… and snapped it apart in a move that's eerily similar to her sister's fighting style. The blades even look familiar, though the hilts are painted black. Still, the smaller of the two sabers, the parrying dagger as her sister would call it, easily deflects Weiss' rapier.
Only long experience sparring with Winter allows Weiss to pull back to avoid the follow up strike from the second blade… except she ends up looking like a fool, because the follow up strike never comes. The female White Fang stays entirely defensive, holding up a position that makes escaping through the exit behind her all but impossible.
Taken aback by the familiarity of the female White Fang's fighting style, Weiss hesitates… only to realize too late why the other woman isn't pushing the obvious advantage.
"Weiss!"
The other White Fang is rapidly approaching… and only too late does Weiss realize that her earlier assumption was wrong. The female might not be AS strong as the male, but both are Heavies. Both are fully trained hunters.
"Ciel! Back-to-back!"
"Right!"
Their backs hit and they prepare to try and fight off their opponents on both sides… but that plan lasts all of five seconds before a cry spills forth from Ciel's lips and the feeling of her back against Weiss' suddenly vanishes. With the female White Fang holding a defensive position and refusing to attack, Weiss spins around, only to gasp at the sight of Ciel disarmed and dangling from the male's hand, gasping for air as he cuts off her windpipe.
"NO! Leave her alone you bastard!"
Weiss lunges at him with her rapier, hoping to distract him long enough to force him to drop Ciel at the very least. But alas, to no avail. He bats her sword out of her grasp with a simple backhand that has more strength and power behind it than anything Weiss has ever felt. Then, faster than she can blink, he grabs her by the throat and begins choking her out, same as Ciel. Then he speaks again, sounding downright exasperated.
"Please. Go to sleep."
Weiss kicks and struggles, but no matter how hard she or Ciel fight, it's useless. As her vision goes black, she curses him out under her breath, snarling as a last act of defiance.
"Damn… you… White Fang…"
And then… nothing.
-x-X-x-
As their target and her girlfriend if Jaune was reading things correctly go limp in his grasp, he tilts his head to the side in confusion. But while he has questions, he doesn't say anything. They still have a small audience, after all.
"No! Urgh… u-unhand them you bastard!"
Amusedly, he does as the Atlesian Specialist behind him says… by handing the two unconscious young women off to his compatriot on this little mission. Every line of Winter Schnee radiates guilt even with the Grimm mask she's wearing to hide her face, but at this point it's too late to back out now, isn't it? Regardless, he does pause for a moment to tilt his head in Winter's direction, wordlessly asking her what she wants him to do with the Atlesian Specialist trying and failing to struggle to her feet behind him.
In the end, the slight shake of Winter's head makes it clear they're NOT taking the Specialist with them… but Jaune gets the impression that she wants him to take it easy on her all the same. Heh, easier said than done. The Specialist behind him is juuuust tough enough that she won't stay down. It's as amusing as it is annoying.
Still, turning back around, he reaches down just as the dark-skinned woman manages to crawl in range of him, yanking the knife she'd planned to drive into his heel out of her hand right before she can bring it down. Inspired… but no. He punches her in the chest to break her aura once more, and then closes his gloved hand around her throat much like he did with Weiss and her girlfriend.
Unlike those two, the Specialist doesn't just flail around as she struggles. She tries every trick in the book, from practiced moves that SHOULD have broken his arm to even trying to kick him in the nuts. Jaune's arm is too tough for her to break it with a well-placed strike, and he simply turns his hips slightly so she hits him in his hard-as-stone inner thigh instead.
He can see the widening of her eyes in both pain and shock from how tough he is… and then watches as she finally, blissfully falls unconscious from the lack of oxygen.
Nodding decisively once he's sure she's not faking it, Jaune rises to his feet and steps back over to Winter.
"Come on, let's go."
Together, precious cargo in hand, they leave the train car behind and rendezvous with their 'get away vehicle'… namely, Raven Branwen, also wearing a Grimm Mask. As soon as she sees them, the swordswoman opens a portal back to the Palace in the Grimm Lands and they all step right on through, Weiss and Ciel still in tow.
From there, Jaune and Winter take Weiss and Ciel to a guest room where they can sleep off their ordeal. Only after they've put the two to bed does Jaune ask the question that's been plaguing his mind since earlier.
"Your sister called us White Fang. Why would she say that?"
It had really bothered him. Everything else had been fully within his expectations. It had all gone according to plan. But then, as she was passing out, Weiss had declared him 'White Fang' with her final breath. Now, obviously Jaune knew what the White Fang were. Sort of. They were faunus extremists if he recalled correctly. Obviously, it'd been a while since he'd heard about them. But they'd been mentioned in the news sometimes when he was growing up.
Winter, for her part, looks startled for a second by his question. Her brow furrows and she blinks at him in surprise.
"Um… w-well… she thought we were part of the White Fang, your majesty. You know, the faunus terrorist organization?"
Jaune rolls his eyes and waves a hand through the air.
"I know who THEY are, of course. I'm asking why she thought we were White Fang in the first place."
Now Winter is starting to look worried.
"… Because the White Fang wear Grimm masks, Jaune. And we were wearing Grimm masks. And the White Fang have long had it out for my family and the SDC. So when we went hunting for Weiss wearing these masks, they thought we were the White Fang. Which… was the plan. I thought you knew?"
Winter blanches at the end there, looking reasonably scared of how he'll react now that it's obvious he didn't in fact 'know'. Honestly, why had no one told him that the White Fang wore Grimm masks? When he'd still been human, he'd never encountered an actual member of the White Fang, so he had no idea! The only person who wore a Grimm mask that he'd encountered since becoming Grimm himself was Raven, so when Winter had given him a mask to wear this time and told him to put it on, he hadn't thought anything of it!
After all, it wasn't as though he wanted them to see his true features. Maybe if they'd killed the Atlesian Specialist or taken them with her it would have been fine but leaving her alive and able to report back meant they had to maintain a certain level of… anonymity. However…
"Winter, are you telling me we just accidentally ran a false flag operation and pinned the blame for your sister's kidnapping on a faunus terrorist organization?"
Winter bites her lower lip at that.
"… W-Well. Not quite accidentally, sir… but yes?"
Jaune's palm meets his face as he lets out a sigh. Damn it all. Well… maybe it would be fine. Maybe nothing would come of it in the end…
-x-X-x-
As soon as she regains consciousness Atlesian Specialist Harriet Bree is on her feet and racing after the White Fang. They'd kidnapped her mission, after all! But… by the time she's up and trying to chase them down, there's no trace of them remaining. It makes sense, after all, the train has continued on to its destination, and she has absolutely no clue where they originally hopped off.
Finding their immediate trail before it was erased by the elements would be impossible so Harriet doesn't even try. In the end… there's only one thing she can do. And no, it's not call and inform General Ironwood of her failure!
This was supposed to be an important mission for her, damn it! For all that Weiss and her little girlfriend had managed to get under Harriet's skin and make her confess more than she intended to say, she was still fully intending to turn them over to General Ironwood as ordered. From there, she knew a promotion was in her future, especially if Winter Schnee was actually gone. The General would need a new right-hand woman… why shouldn't it be her?
But now? Now the White Fang had gone and fucked things up. And Harriet wasn't about to let them get away with it. With no possibility of picking up their trail, Harriet Bree turns her sights to the only option left. She turns her sights… towards Menagerie.
-x-X-x-
Deep within the main White Fang Base, Sienna Khan feels a shiver go down her spine, as though someone has just walked over her grave. But no, she easily pushes the feeling away. She's not dead yet, and she has far too much on her plate to worry about bad feelings. The disappearance of the Grimm had been an opportunity too good to ignore, and one Sienna had decided to take full advantage of.
The White Fang were no longer terrorists. No, these days they were pioneers… trailblazers. With the Grimm gone, Menagerie was flourishing despite being the unofficial fifth Kingdom. And in no small part due to Sienna's decision to repurpose the White Fang towards turning Menagerie into a true land of opportunity for faunus everywhere. Faunus Migration from the Kingdoms to Menagerie was at an all time high, and so was the White Fang's recruitment.
Needless to say, Sienna wasn't going to let anything or anyone stop them from making a brighter, better world for faunus kind. No sir.
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The P atreon Vote:
[X] Stick to Jaune's perspective - 74%
[ ] Switch to Harriet's perspective - 3%
[ ] Switch to Sienna's perspective - 23%
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