The beginning of dawn was upon the tractor unit, pulling cargo through the dirt road of the forest. The sound of the machine interrupted the peace the forest had. Of course there could be a lone Grimm or two but that didn't bother the driver inside the safety of his tractor. And it was not like there was ever an incident during his career. And there was always a plan B: his shotgun.
"From shadows
We'll descend upon the world
Take back what you stole"
"Don't recall this on the radio," the driver muttered to himself.
The clear sky's deep saffron was always welcome. Although it didn't look as good as it once was when he first started the job, it was always a pleasant sight to see the way it illuminates in contrast with the dullness of the forest.
"From shadows
We'll reclaim our destiny
Set our future free"
A young woman wearing a Grimm mask stood in the middle of the road without any regard for the vehicle closing its distance on her. The driver slammed on the brakes like it was the quickest decision he made in his life. It didn't register to him that this woman was wearing a mask commonly used by the White Fang. The first thing that rushed to his head was a person in the middle of the road, and that meant hitting the brakes now.
"And we'll rise
And we'll rise"
The tractor came screeching, trying its best to obey its master's order, but it was already too late. Whoever this person was, she was fated to be road kill.
"Above the darkness and the shame
Above the torture and the pain"
The woman smiled as she stretched her hands out, seemingly ready to stop the truck on her own. For any clueless bystander, she lost her mind. To those who knew, on the other hand.
"Above the ridicule and hate
Above the binding of our fate"
The tractor made contact with her open hands. A faint yellow glow emitted from them as she remained standing while the tractor took a heavy blow, denting the front and giving its backside a jump, lifting the cargo with it before returning to the ground with a loud thud. The only thing that looked like she felt was the rustle in the air through her blonde hair and white down vest jacket.
A man wearing the same Grimm mask broke open the door of the driver's seat with one hand while carrying a sword with the other. "Don't think about doing anything funny," he shouted through the gurgling static of the radio.
"Let's see what we got today!" the woman said in a playful manner as she hopped with every step towards the cargo. Her ponytail swayed up and down with her rhythm
Two more masked goons, a woman with antlers and a girl with wolf ears, were already prying open the cargo's doors.
"Aren't you two quick?" the ponytailed woman said as she made her stop behind the two. Her smile remained unmoved.
The door made a heavy squeak as the other two opened the double doors.
"Very nice."
"Whoa," the girl with wolf ears awed over the grand loot.
The inside of the cargo was filled with rows and stacks of wooden crates loaded with Dust, no doubt. All marked with the logo of the Schnee Dust Company. That was what they were after and that was what they got.
The ponytailed woman decided to see if the man was not having any trouble with the driver. She hopped towards the tractor unit.
"Doing alright over there --" her words were cut short by the sight. The man's back faced her while the driver, a bit obscured by the man's build was still noticeable that a sword went through his chest.
The man turned to face the woman. "He went for his gun," the man said without any remorse in his voice.
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The smile on the woman was replaced by the open mouth of disbelief. "This is not -- This isn't --"
"Come on, Tank. You know things like this are going to happen."
The ponytailed woman, Tank, shook her head in disapproval. "I didn't join the White Fang for this! You could've disarmed him, knocked him out! Anything but that!"
"You know this is what we have to do. If you can't accept it, then maybe you should go back to them!" the man sneered at her.
Tank didn't know what to say.
"Letting a human in was a mistake."
The other two heard the commotion and came to see what the problem was. They had a chance to lay eyes on what had happened in the driver's seat and the argument at hand.
"Tank, you knew things like this were going to happen," the woman with the antlers remarked. "This shouldn't come as a surprise."
The girl with the wolf ears was uneasy. It was clear she couldn't decide on whose side to take.
Tank laid her gaze on the woman with antlers. "I didn't join the White Fang for this."
The woman with antlers let out a heavy sigh and crossed her arms. "Then maybe you should leave."
Tank gave one last look at the three before she turned to run off into the forest.
"Esther," the girl with wolf ears blurted. Her hand reached out, wanting to stop Tank.
"Leave her," the man stated. "We have a job to finish."
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Esther 'The Tank' walked aimlessly in the night forest. The moon provided light through any openings it could find. Esther stopped running a while ago. She wanted a breather, a long breather, to organize her thoughts.
It was true, she was a Human who joined the White Fang. If anybody asked, she had a story. A story that gave the White Fang approval of her membership. Her years of life in Menagerie certainly attracted the ears of other members and everyone was curious why her family moved there in the first place.
She, along with her Faunus friends, had a dream. That dream could've been accomplished by the White Fang. But ever since Sienna Khan became the high leader, that dream may become a memory. She knew the White Fang was changing, but she stayed, holding onto hope that the dream would become reality.
But she was certain now that that won't happen. The other three will break the news that the Tank had deserted the White Fang over what everybody knew was very soon to be the new normal. So what was she going to do now?
In her frustration, she punched a tree. A faint yellow glow emitted from her fist upon impact, forming a dent in her target. She did not feel any physical pain, her Semblance prevented that. She took her fist away and kicked the tree repeatedly with the same foot. The force left a new dent and the dent became a hole, deeper with every hit.
Tears were flowing out. Her breathing was heavy. It felt like a boulder was stuck in her chest, weighing her down.
She wanted to help the Faunus. She wanted the Humans to treat the Faunus like how she did. She wanted to not have regrets like her father.
She wanted to do something.
Snarls could be heard all around. The sounds were creeping closer with every second and the glowing red eyes that surrounded her were getting bigger. Esther knew exactly what was around her. Her state of mind had attracted them, but she was not letting herself be dinner tonight.
One Beowolf had enough of the wait and lunged at Esther, ready to strike her with its claws. It jumped, inches away from scratching its target before it was hit with a powerful blast, sending it upwards before gravity pulled it down, dropping the Beowolf onto the ground with a hole in its head.
Esther had her fist held upward. Her silver dual ranged shot gauntlet, Magnum Opus, was ready for the fight. The barrel that resembled a revolver shone like a star in the moonlight above her hands. The cylinder around her arm turned. Another shot at the ready.
She knew she was powerful in the fighting sense. She was in Haven for a year before dropping out after that incident. Or was she expelled? She couldn't have been expelled, she dropped out before they could.
The Grimm were coming onto her. She blasted them left and right. The muzzle flash was a constant source of bright light in the otherwise dim forest.
She was already good at what she did, and she did graduate from Sanctum at least. She could study and train during her free time if she wanted to become a proper Huntress. Maybe find a mentor even.
Something didn't seem right. It hit her; she was only using her gauntlets. She was so distracted by her thoughts that she forgot about the other half of her weapon. Magnum Opus wasn't just a pair of gauntlets, it was also a pair of dual ranged shot leg braces, looking identical to the ones around her arms except being attached below her knees, barrels behind her heels and down to the bottom of her kitten heel shoes.
"Sorry, babe," she muttered to her leg braces. A small grin formed on her tear-streaked face.
Two Beowolves charged from opposite sides. She jumped, legs extended to face each creature, both receiving a fatal blow from the shot of the leg braces to the two unfortunate beasts.
She landed on the grass back on her two legs. The Grimm were still around her. A shot from a front kick, one Beowulf down. She turned around for a shot from a roundhouse kick, another Beowulf down. Not the first time, not the last.
So what to do if she became a full-fledged Huntress? It was obvious that she could go back to Menagerie and protect the people there. The Grimm were a problem in all of Remnant. That would help keep everyone safe; the ones she cared and loved and more. Or was there something that she, and only she, could do?
The Beowolves wouldn't stop. She kicked upwards, landing her foot under a Beowolf's jaw before shooting it from her leg brace. There were more behind at her way. She rolled backwards, stopping midway to stand on her head and two hands as her leg braces blasted the Beowolves out for her blood. The bangs from the muzzles and the clicks from the cylinders overshadowed the roars of the beasts to Esther's ears.
And the realization came to her. She could topple the top. If she could do that, trickling down from there would make the change in the world so much smoother. The dream won't have to stay a dream.
She rolled back and sat on the grass. She threw her mask off her face and wiped the dried tears from her face. The Grimm that had her surrounded were all lifeless, evaporating into nothingness. The only being left was herself.
She looked up towards the shattered moon. Her thoughts now were on one thing: bring the Schnee Dust Company to its end. The question now was how.