Chapter 4: Caster and Assassin

This world of Remnant, as are so many others, is home to a peculiar race known as the Faunus-humans with animalistic traits. Some may have the ears of a rabbit, some may possess a monkey's tail, and others still may have the horns of a bull.

Some, like our previously established Sun Wukong, display their Faunus marks proudly, and live as freely and fully as anyone else. Many, however, are less fortunate.

What a bunch of freaks.

Why do we have to live among these degenerates?

Why shouldn't we treat animals like animals?

Remarks like these are commonly heard by most Faunus. Cast down by society as less than human, they languish underneath the foot of their oppressors, or turn to desperate, violent acts of rebellion against their plights, as individuals often do.

For if one thing is constant among all known worlds, it is for people's moralities and values to change with their situation. Is it the mark of a cowardly, hypocritical species, or is it what one would call adaptability?

Blake snuck a glance from behind cover. Four guards, each carrying AK-47 models, she noted. This could be a problem.

A Faunus of the feline sub-species, Blake had enhanced hearing and nigh vision that made raids like this far easier for her than for a normal human. Using her cat ears, she tried to listen for any enemies approaching her location. Thankfully, no one was nearby. Behind cover, she loaded her dart guns. Okay. Let's do this.

Her enemies were also Faunus, and so she had to be extra stealthy when sneaking around. It was alright though; Blake was used to staying out of sight. It was practically a mandatory skill for a Faunus living in one of the less accepting parts of the city. She quickly snuck behind a female Faunus wandering around alone, and knocked her out with a swift punch. She lowered the guard's unconscious body to the ground silently. Three to go.

Not wasting a second, she flung an incapacitating grenade in the southern direction of the camp. The explosive detonated, sending two of the guards over to investigate. With her cat-like reflexes, Blake quickly knocked out both of them with shots from her dart gun.

"There she is!" A voice rang out. Oh, no. She'd gotten careless, and had been spotted. Blake quickly ran for cover as gunfire rang out through the night. Hiding behind a nearby truck, she risked a glance back. The last guard, a buff canine Faunus, was looking around frantically, his hand on the trigger of his rifle. Not good. His panic's heightened his senses. It'll be harder to take him out by surprise.

Only one other way. Blake took out her cell phone and put it to her ear. "Caster, I need a distraction," she whispered. "Yes, Master. Coming right up," a female voice responded coolly.

The guard heard a gunshot from behind him. Blake's voice rang out. "Catch me if you can."

"What was that?" He turned around abruptly, seeing a dark-haired girl wearing a pretty black bow darting away into the trees. "There you are!" growled, firing at what he assumed was his target.

Now. Blake peeked out from her cover and fired a sleeping round into the guard's neck. The dog Faunus crumpled to the ground.

Having dealt with the guards, Blake ran over to the campsite and rummaged through the supplies laying there. Finally, she drew out a roll of papers. "Finally, I've found it," she muttered, removing the rubber band holding them together. She quickly began reading through them.

"You got what you were looking for?" A young woman jumped down beside her. She had smooth olive skin, pale-green hair that was tied in small pigtails near the ends, and wore a revealing white-and-green top and shorts. Her name was Emerald, but all that mattered to Blake was that she was the Caster-class Servant, and a master of conjuring illusions, like the false Blake the guard had seen.

"I did," Blake nodded, smiling for the first time in days. "Thanks for your help, Caster. This should tell me everything I need to know about their plans-for the next few months, at least."

"Them…you mean these White Fang people, right?"

Blake nodded again gravely. "Yes. The Order of the White Fang. To put it simply, some of us Faunus got fed up with being oppressed by the humans all the time, so we put together an organization to fight it. Unfortunately, once they'd begun their crusade of freedom…I suppose they forgot where to stop. They're little better than the 'tyrants' they claim to fight against now."

"How poetic," Caster said dryly. "But Master, you said 'we', so I'm guessing you were part of them once?"

Blake smiled wearily. "I guess I'm not very good at hiding secrets, huh? Yes…I was there back when they were still a peaceful rights activist group. And I was there to see them elect the leader who would push them into becoming what they are now. My…best friend, no less. Now, I've decided to fight against them-against HIM-and fight for our freedom the way we SHOULD."

Caster still looked skeptical. "I guess I can see what you're up to…then why not go in for the offensive and crush them? With a Servant by your side, it won't be that hard. That IS why you summoned me, isn't it?"

"No and yes. I summoned a Servant from that tome I stole so I could fight the White Fang head-on, but since I ended up with a Caster, the weakest of the seven, that's no longer an option. You have your other uses, but outright combat isn't one of them."

"Wow. You definitely don't mince your words," Caster grumbled.

"It's called the truth." Blake said simply.

Caster shrugged. "Well, I don't mind it, honestly. Sneaking around and stealing things is kind of my thing, too. Maybe that's why you summoned me?"

"Maybe," Blake murmured, reading through the papers. "It looks like their next target is-"

A faint moaning from nearby caught her ear. Turning, she saw that one of the guards was regaining consciousness.

"Hmph. It looks like the sleeping drugs weren't as effective as I thought," Blake muttered. "Come on. Let's get out of here. We can plan our next move back at the hideout."

"You know…you wouldn't have this problem if you just silenced them permanently," Caster pointed out.

Blake shook her head immediately. "No. That's their way of doing things. It isn't mine." Sadly, she remembered how someone else had once said similar words to her.

Victory will not come through negotiation. It will not come through a peaceful means. Only by force. Only by silencing them completely and utterly will we solve this problem.

It had been his way of justifying the things they did. And it had been at that moment when she'd realized that person had been beyond saving. That all she could do for him was to protect the ideals of the person he was in days long past…

Caster smiled enigmatically. "If you insist…Master. Well then, let's go."

"Are you certain about this, Adam?" The lieutenant asked nervously as they walked down the hallway of the White Fang's headquarters.

"Do not question your superior," Adam Taurus, leader of the White Fang, smiled coldly. The bull Faunus' crimson mask, flaming red hair, and rose-patterned black suit made him stand out among his uniformed underlings. "I have already made my decision, Banesaw. Our plan will proceed as I say."

They reached the end of the hall, and entered into a small, dark room, where two White Fang grunts guarded a young man handcuffed and shackled to the wall. He looked about eighteen years old, with ash-gray hair, a similarly-coloured combat outfit, and tight black boots.

The young man looked up. "Oh, look who it is," he grinned. "Bringing me breakfast in bed?"

Lieutenant Banesaw slapped him across the jaw. "Watch your mouth, insect. You speak to the leader of the new Faunus Empire, and you wi-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll obey you and listen to your stupid lectures, got it," he sighed, rolling his eyes. "Geez, you guys love being melodramatic, huh? 'Faunus Empire'? Really?"

"Silence," Adam hissed, spitting in the man's face. "I hope you at least understand my peons are not comfortable around humans such as yourself, regardless of whether you came from 'another world' or not. I had to ensure your presence would not breed unnecessary hostility within my ranks. I confined you for your own good, boy."

"Yeah, well, I'm really grateful," the man said sarcastically. "So have you decided that I'm not gonna 'breed hostility' or whatever yet? Can I go free?"

"I have decided that, but I still need one more thing from you," Adam agreed, smiling. "I summoned you, as my Servant, to help me obtain the Holy Grail. All you must do is prove yourself worthy of me."

The grunts hastily removed the man's shackles and handcuffs. Adam nodded to Banesaw. "You will be his opponent, lieutenant. Don't disappoint me."

"Of course, sir." Banesaw drew his chainsaw, which began to whirr ominously.

"A guy with a chainsaw, huh?" The man noted, stretching out his arms. "That seems a bit unfair, doesn't it?"

Adam chuckled. "If you're as good as you're supposed to be, it won't matter."

"Oh, I didn't mean me," the man smirked. "I mean unfair for HIM."

He charged at Banesaw, catching the lieutenant off guard. The man launched a flurry of swift kicks at his face, sending him stumbling a few steps back. "Grahhh!" Banesaw swung his chainsaw wildly, trying to hit his opponent. Dodging the swings, the young man grabbed the lieutenant's hand and casually twisted it, causing him to drop the chainsaw, screaming in pain.

"Too easy." The man swung a powerful kick that knocked Banesaw into the floor head-first. Before he could recover, his opponent pressed his boot to the back of his head. A loud bang resonated through the room, and Banesaw lay still, a pool of blood spreading out from his head.

"Well?" The man dusted himself off like he'd just finished cleaning his room. "That enough proof for you?"

"Hmm-hmm, I'd say it is, Servant," Adam grinned, nodding approvingly at the corpse of his former lieutenant. "Gun greaves, eh? They're quite a rarity here in Remnant, though I'd assume they're more common in the Remnant you come from. Now then, I just have one question for you."

"Ask away, pal."

"This 'Holy Grail'…is it true that it can grant my wish? Any wish I want?"

"Well, you only get one wish, so the whole point is to make it count," the man shrugged. "And yeah, the wish can be anything-within reason, obviously."

Adam nodded slowly. "Excellent. Even if I wished for the extinction of an entire species…?"

The man smiled knowingly. "If that's what you want, sure. Gotta say, though, even as far as wishes go, that's a pretty crazy idea. Man, you really hate us puny humans, don't you?"

Adam did not dignify that comment with a response. He simply held out his hand. "In that case, I will rely on your skills to achieve that wish. Welcome to the Order of the White Fang...lieutenant."

"Name's Mercury," the man corrected him. "Mercury Black."

The legions of White Fang grunts were outside the compound, discussing the previous night's incident. That traitor, comrade Blake Belladonna, had attacked one of their smaller bases and made off with some of their plans. Ever since her defection, she'd been a constant thorn in her side, but they all knew that it was only a matter of time before Adam ended her meddling for good.

"Brothers of the White Fang!" Adam announced, stepping out of the headquarters with Mercury. All the grunts immediately turned and saluted their leader. "I am pleased to introduce you all to our newest comrade," he said, gesturing to his new lieutenant.

Confused discussions broke out within the crowd. "Where'd HE come from?" "Where's Lieutenant Banesaw?" "Why is a HUMAN working with us?" among others.

Adam raised his hand, immediately silencing all arguments. "I understand your trepidation, but let me assure you all, this human is not our enemy," he shouted. "He is our ultimate weapon…the Assassin of our eternal adversary. Indeed, we have finally found the key to your victory-to send the humans, the scum of this land, back into the primal caves from whence they came! With his aid, we shall finally step out of the darkness and bring about a glorious new age for Faunus alone!"

There was silence for a few seconds, but soon, the grunts began cheering and pumping their fists into the air. "If Adam says so, then we'll follow!" they yelled. "It's time to bring the war to those assholes! Let's give them a taste of all the suffering they've put us through!"

Mercury, the Assassin-class Servant, clapped his hands together slowly, still wearing a calm smile. "Well, well, you sure have a way with words, don't you? At any rate, I think this is the beginning of a…interesting partnership, Mr. Adam."

Adam ignored him. He had turned his thoughts to her. To that girl.

The girl who had given him his will to live, and to fight for what he believed in.

The girl who had smiled and told him she would follow him to the end.

The girl who had planted that seed of hope in his heart, only to tear it out by the roots and leave him writhing in pain.

The girl who would soon suffer every single pain Adam could possibly imagine, as punishment for her betrayal. If she had chosen to side with their enemies, then she would suffer all the consequences for it.

But when mankind's twilight arrives, I will keep you alive, my darling, he'd decided. If you wish to take them as your ally, I shall make you watch them die, one by one, knowing that every single drop of their filthy blood is on your wretched hands. And only then, after you have lost everything you hold dear, will I send your treacherous soul down into the blackest hell where it belongs.

I will make you burn, Blake. And if the whole world must burn with you….I could ask for nothing better.

Edgelord levels at 9000%