New chapter, New day. Sorry I didn't stick to my schedule on take two. Work got stupid as always and I couldn't get the energy to sit down and write something quality. Or something I'd like to publish, Then I got this done, liked it and woo. As always, come around to my at SmilingJester, URL is on my page. Get the story a week or more early.

Chapter 23 – Motives Revealed

Jaune stood, pale as he had grown use to, before the group of White Fang, holding a normal longsword in hand, Valian based model in one hand and a heater shield in another. Many had the same sword, though some had shorter blades, some longer. But as he moved, all followed his actions, learning the fundamentals of the Valian Sword and Shield style of combat.

He watched them follow and dismissed another notification.

[Trainer (Passive): Level 3 – Ability to impart overall knowledge in word and action. +3% Information understood.]
[Combat Trainer (Passive): Level 13 – Ability to impart combat knowledge. +13% Ability to explain skill]

He was getting several of those here and there since he picked up a sword to teach the terrorist group and started the routine of slashes again. "Remember hitting the target is half the battle. Follow through or so hope me...!" He called out in a voice that filled the field, the usually quiet marksman they knew had opened up the moment he was slated to teach them. His voice had confidence and authority in it, brokering no horseplay or lapse in attention.

Jaune was winging it so hard and was so glad he had a role model of Shardis to help him know how to get people to listen. That bald man scared the hell out of him when he was a kid and he would scare the hell out of these people if it meant they would be able to fight. And got a skill he was fairly certain he should have gotten as a gangster, but guessed… he just never went specifically for the skill. Unsure on the why. Uncaring since he didn't need it before.

[Intimidation (Passive): Level 6 – Use presence to inspire fear. +12% felt fear]

That also helped them listen to him if there was so stupidity going on. Them treating weapons like toys and so forth. The problem though he figured out by just sitting down on the second day after dressing down someone for nearly cutting their ally's hand off, was that it worked… too well. Some were scared to ask for help and draw his attention after he made the terrorist cower literally below him, whimpering… he wasn't even trying that hard either. Which was the annoying part. Just normally shouting and yelling, demanding him to follow safety instructions before he literally killed someone. And the skill and… apparently his reputation did the rest.

But. Rhu was there to help with that as his co-trainer. Rhu was good with shorter weapons, daggers and the like due to his dual wielding style of combat. The man was able to guide people through finer aspects that Jaune didn't know and in that space, Jaune had him ask them if they had questions on anything else, knowing they had a leeriness of him. It worked out.

And they were learning pretty well. Jaune knew his craft after all. Swords were his partner, shields were his guardians. Just had to learn how to express what he knew in a way someone could understand. A tad bit harder since the weirdness of the Gamer thing helped him a lot in improvement with swords. But swinging a sword was simple in essence, as was blocking with a shield.

Even though he treated his shield like garbage if he even had one at times. But it worked enough to impart on them to not do what he did. To respect their equipment and not treat it like just a tool like him.

Jaune couldn't help it… his sword was a normal drop from a gang leader and shield… was just something he was given these days by the fangs. His sniper rifle… whom Rhu had him name, Calla was what Jaune settled on, was great and everything... He just saw a lot of equipment moved around a day and his gear was old, seen a lot of better days regardless of his field repairs, the durability was down and knew he'd have to upgrade soon. He wasn't some gangster anymore, he was fighting a war and needed equipment to match. So he was fine if Nox was replaced one day and was fine just keeping three shields on standby in his inventory. Disposable in the face of evil. Until they failed enough to beat him in the head to buckle down and get a real good one.

The last three weeks were… boring if not for the grimm hunts and how they actually let him build some houses at nearby settlements or help build fortifications. It was a new experience that, building in the deserting and having to understand how sand plays its part in how things were put down and how sturdy it allowed. It was annoying but Jaune liked the building challenge. Of course, Rhu was dragged the few times he got the chance into helping.

Then… Sabal called the two on the comm network. Jaune's scroll coming to life. "Skellington, Rhu, come in."

"Skellington," Jaune answered as Rhu was helping a student get the swing down. "Rhu's here."

"I need you two to come to the armory tent. We have a scouting mission and it's a big one."

"On our way." He looked back up. "Hey Rhu!" The man looked over. "Sabal needs some help with a scouting job, let's go." He nodded and went to get his armor on from the side. "Alright," Jaune said as returned his gaze to the class. "Keep your PT up, get into better shape, and when we get back, we will pick this up with Rhu showing more on rifle usage." The class seemed giddy for that.

Swords were cool, but rifles were too. And one didn't need to get in biting range of a Grimm to use them. Heathens.

The two walked through the camp. It was expanding as they were able to use the captured Pure Life supply trucks and so forth to smuggle more resources in, like tents and camouflage material to cover the camp from aerial searches. It was some strange thick material that made the camp look like a dune above. Jaune didn't really understand how it worked too much or why it looked so real, but… it worked. He had past the camp a few times and only found by hearing or smelling it. Else he'd have to radio in and ask where it was, since they specifically were set up away from landmarks.

But they were getting too big really, were trying to spread out but worried about decentralizing their forces in small splinter groups in the face of the enemy they had. Even now they weren't too big but they had enough people to work with on a regular basis.

Sabal was waiting in the armory tent, near the middle of the camp, in a dug out they had some armor overhead in case of mortars. "Hey boss," Rhu opened as Jaune followed him. "What's the job?"

"The intel you guys found and supplier finally paid off. A new shipment of supplies were taken from the company and a few of our agents hitched a ride, put some markers around for us to find. One of their major fortresses. It's near the west edge of the badlands." Sabal stepped forward and handed Rhu a folder with all that he just said and more in it. Such as… the location.

Rhu flipped through as Jaune peeked over his shoulder to see as well. "That's bandit territory though..." Rhu uttered slowly. "How'd they get set up?"

"The reports say they have Anti-Grimm ramparts and enough ammunition to last another great war. Enough ammunition to last this war."

Jaune spoke up. "What's the job?"

"Scout it out, find what kind of defense they have, rough numbers, where everything is. We're taking that fortress and holding it down for the White Fang. Fuck the bandits, we need walls and safety if we make any headway into this."

"So… do not blow up the entire base," Rhu filled in. Sabal eyed them. More when Jaune muttered a small curse. "So… want us to sabotage or just… watch?"

Sabal rubbed his mouth and looked at the two standing before him. "Watch. Report what you found but… but..." He took a breath and looked at them. "When the time to move comes, if they have things that would hurt us gravely, if they have weaponry or armor that would repel us before the battle can even start. I want you to remember where that is. Because either you guys or if you aren't willing, another team will have to go in and disable it. And open the gates if they are too thick."

"Can do," Jaune nodded. Rhu opened his mouth and looked back before sighing. The black haired man looked back and nodded. "Let's arm up, need some rounds for Calla."

"Same."

"You have a rifle?" Jaune quipped. "But I thought-?" Got slapped on the arm by the mock offended Rhu and he snickered as he moved to grab a case of ammo.

"Like I would use a rifle over the girls," he dismissively and condescendingly huffed. "I have class, scavenger."

"Ohhh~, class," Jaune taunted as he held the case open and checked the bullets to make sure he grabbed the right munitions. "Don't you just ooze that covered in sand and dirt, doggy."

"Better than you, my skin at least hides some of the sand. I see every grit and pebble on your pasty face." He huffed again as he got what he needed. His armor already on. Just standard infantry armor for the white fang.

It was good. Thirty Percent of all Ballistic, piercing, stabbing, and blunt damage was taken out of durability instead of his health. Chest, stomach, bracers, and shin guards. All he painted an off tan for camouflage. The only thing that marked him a Fang was the mask he just didn't wear most of the time. Always in his inventory gathering no existent dust.

"Touché," He hummed. "Pack an extra scope, just in case."

"Got it." Rhu said. "Grab me some Melta grenades." Jaune took out three cylinders with orange bands and caps on the tops. "One down the barrel of any mounted weapon will wipe it out."

"True." Jaune agreed. "I'm taking in some EMP grenades, shorting their comm towers would be nice. Make an…. IED..." He mumbled the last part as he took out a cheap scroll and some rigging cables and such. "Rig it up to open first."

"If there's a thick door? Thinking more melta or..."

"Thick door… I say ropes if we can't get to the controls without getting made. Just get ladders and ropes to get fighters in, then get the doors open or something. Keep from hauling too many explosives around."

"We can haul your launcher."

"My?" He questioned.

"Yeah, I don't use the thing too much and you're the one who shot down the bullhead with it. So. Yours." He turned and caught the grenade launcher he had been using off and on since he arrived. "Pack us up some burn grenades and bot killers, so we have a chance to get out if we get made."

"Fine," He sighed and got another bag and loaded it with twelve of each. Four reloads. "That everything?"

"I'm sure we can improvise there. If anything, I can manage something." Jaune nodded at that and finished packing up the explosives. "Ready."

"Alright."

And the two left Sabal who had been just blinking. Watching the two utterly bypass the idea they were not going to be the ones to sneak into a base that he just called a fortress and armed up for opening it.

The two walked through the camp. Jaune had his rifle on his front hanging down, shield magnetically locked to his back, and the grenade launcher carried in one hand and the other with the box of sniper ammunition.

Rhu had a bag of ammunition for his own equipment, a pack on his back for rations, some spying equipment, a sword on his back and dual automatic pistols on his hips. The two picked out a truck and it was off to go find this fortress.

"God above, fuck this place," Jaune stated with offended conviction as they laid under the tarp for the thirtieth hour in a row.

A shuffled to the side. "Right there with you, brother," Rhu agreed in disgust as they watched a shipment of Faunus being manhandled out of a truck and shoved inward of the incredibly fortified position.

The place had good steel walls, thick, segmented for swift repair. Robotic guards for constant scanning and in multiple spectrum. Cameras everywhere the armed battle bots weren't. Human guards to make up for any inconsistency a robot could display. The base itself was not too large. Five buildings making up the inner compound.

One was clearly the barracks for the guards and the staff. One was a prison for the faunus by them being shoved into the heavily guarded set up. One was a comms shack, not too big, mostly to keep all communication stuff from getting wet. And the last two were… some type of place, Jaune figured one was a warehouse set up from the side but could also be Rhu's suggestion of a motor bay. Even if they had several trucks just parked outside. So they compromised in saying it might be where the robots were worked on and kept. One of them at least. Or both. Who knew…

Well, Jaune would find out. "A fucking processing plant. I bet these bastards are going to send them to fucking Durgesh!" Rhu growled. Jaune placed a hand on his back to make sure he settled, not for… safety, just to give him time to think. Him watching more through his scope.

"Fifty individual guards. Over a hundred bots that we can tell. Probably more. They are far out but probably have people nearby for reinforcements for a place as important as this one." Rhu was still under his hand but had steadied out. Jaune moved his hand to hold his shoulder, needing to give himself reason to be grounded. "At least one bullhead in the place with a pilot, armed up for anti air and grimm by the looks of their model, with a nearby base supporting an airforce." Looked around. "Ten mounted turrets for anti grimm, five automatic turrets."

He was more silent as he watched. "We can take these fucks." He growled suddenly and Rhu jumped under his hand hearing the dark tone. "Okay, look." He said and looked at the man. "When night comes, we will need to get through the cameras. I have robot kill rounds so, I'll disable the cameras. The guards will have to check it out but by the time they get there, we should be able to get in. I can clear a thirty foot wall with a real good run up. You?"

"I'll need a boost." Jaune nodded. "I go up first, slide down the wall and hide in the back of one of those trucks. You join me there. We disable the turrets, kill anyone that could spot us, hide them in the trucks. Or just anywhere. I don't care."

"I'll go into the comms building, see about disabling their signal. Worse comes to worse, I'll put down my EMP IED, we make tracks and blow it and take out the tower."

"Okay. Okay." He growled more. "Do we wait for Sabal and Anita to mobilize." Jaune was silent and looked at Rhu. Jaune was fairly sure he could survive this fight. He was fairly certain he could win it too, if nothing, he would fuck up a lot of people. If he was careful. He was a master in stealth according to the game junk, but even masters had off days if they didn't think with their head like Jaune knew he wasn't. The Gamer mind keenly made him aware of his… unbalanced bloodlust.

Jaune finally asked. "How long?"

"It'll be… a week to get everyone here."

"We send the data package. But I am not waiting. Even if we get made, those prisoners will be freed. They all will!" Jaune snarled before numbness washed him and he snorted in frustration. He wanted that mindless rage dammit. He wanted to enjoy hurting those fucks. It made him think and he didn't like thinking at the moment. "But..." He paused as he looked at his partner. "Are you sure you can do this, Rhu. Not mentally, not morally. But actually, go in there and do this. I… know I will be okay because… I'm incredibly hard to kill. I survived Durgesh and Lau's tender care after all. If… no… when we get made… Are you sure you will survive?"

Rhu looked at the camp. "I'm not thinking right here, Rhu." His voice shook a bit. "I need you to help me here. Because I want to go down there with you and kill everyone. But… but I don't know if we both will come out of this alive and if we fail, I don't know what Pure Life will do to these people," And now Jaune was thinking and now he was worrying. He didn't know. This was new, this wasn't right, but he didn't know how to make it okay. His desire for violence wouldn't work here… he wasn't immortal, he had died before and nearly died dozens of times before that, had a missing finger to remind him that. A hundred and fifty heavily armed fighters might be his number, be more than just some missing finger.

The wolf was staring hard at the compound and looked at Jaune as he was watching it too. "We wait. We wait but we fuck with them." Jaune slowly nodded to his words. "And if they move those prisoners. We move and we kill all those motherfuckers. Free them and get them somewhere safe."

"Okay… okay." Jaune nodded and took a slow breath. "Let's call this in."

The two settled in the jeep after three hours of crawling backwards with the truck tarp along the top frame to cover them from sensors for patterns and so forth. The package sent and Jaune was quiet for a moment as he sat in the seat. "What… made a hunter go from doing that… to being a White Fang? What happened?"

"I… see a lot of things as a Hunter. Villages burned down is… I've seen a few in my life, brother. In these lands…I hated it, and I always throw myself into getting justice for them all, it happens. But seeing a village razed by bandits, and then finding those bandits. Killing those bandits, and… learning that they sold half the village to a cult. And this was not the first time. That was not just… something. I tried to tell shade but… they wouldn't listen. The settlements were pitied but we hunters were spread way too thin. The infrastructure just wasn't enough. And I just kept... seeing more… more and more of it." Rhu wrung his hands for a moment. "I wanted to stop Pure Life. But I was… complacent after a bit, I told Shade, I tracked these bandits with my team. I did work, but they never thought it was too big a deal. The settlements were maybe ten strong, no more than twenty at a time! Not enough to justify the manpower to investigate" He clenched his fist.

He sighed and relaxed back. Jaune felt he wanted to get this off his chest. Justify why a Hunter was apart of the White Fangs. "Two years back, a year since I found Pure Life, I found Mom's village razed by Pure Life. She was gone, my three sisters were gone. I followed the tracks. I followed them for days with my team at my side. And… Those fuckers… They fought us the very moment we found them. No checks, not even warning. Just opened fire with all they had. They killed my team, they shot me and left me for dead. But got scared. That… they had hunters gunning for them, so they killed… every last prisoner they had, grabbed their dead. And made it looked like a bandit raid gone wrong." Rhu breathed a long line of air out. "I found the White Fang three days later when I was hunting a convoy. Had a broken arm, two bullet holes in me, I'd have fucking died moving on them alone. But with them, I won. And I ripped this Pure Life bastard's head right off his shoulder and it… felt better than any grimm I've ever killed."

Jaune was silent, he understood that already, so soon since joining. "Since then. Been here. Scouting, ambushing… they know I want blood and Sabal… He likes that in his fighters. Why he was so keen with you." Jaune nodded slowly.

"Sorry… that happened, man," Jaune said after a bit. Not sure what to say.

"Yeah well… It's in the past. Once Pure Life's gone, the badlands will be a lot safer and easier to handle. Fighting back has helped I will say. I can't get them back, and I'd do them memory a disservice if I wallow in the loss and use them to justify what I'm doing. But, I can make sure that doesn't happen to someone else and enjoy my work while doing it."

"Yeah," Jaune agreed with that. Just sat for a bit as they got food to eat before heading back up once they get the call to confirm.

"You got family back home?"

"Yeah, up in Vale, Vytal. Got a mom and two sisters. Had a dad, well he's still in the picture, but… I… don't consider him my father anymore, so… yeah. Mom's a hunter too, and my sisters are planning on following them."

"You plan on being a hunter too, you said?" Rhu asked.

"Me… It's… heh, all I want really. On the wayside for now with all this but yeah. Not because… of them though, I… not the greatest parents to me, but being a hunter… just seems awesome, you know. To fight back and help the world." Rhu nodded to that. "I dunno, I'm not the best at hunting honestly. Not the most upstanding guy, or… smartest guy. Only Rank D Tyro, but I'm making progress. Going to see if I can get into Beacon one day."

"Beacon's good. Shade was the dunes though man. Place to be," He grinned.

Jaune said. "Maybe if there wasn't so much sand, it'd be better but nah. I think Beacon still." Rhu huffed a laugh. And silence came about for a bit as they focused on eating.

Rhu pointed at him before taking another bite, just absently bouncing his finger. "Where'd you learn all this then? Your parents taskmasters or something? Or you former military, moving into being a hunter?"

"My parents never showed me a thing about being a hunter other than the glory of it all," Jaune scoffed. "I know near nothing about us. Besides we kill grimm and do services to support the kingdoms on a contract basis. Not loyal to anyone kingdom's military except as contractors against Grimm or criminal elements." Jaune took a bite.

"I learned in Luca, a settlement north of Vytal. They gave me military training for a few months, showed me the ropes, the basics. All hard bastards, not a hunter among them. Only these days do I see how… much their pride will be their end. Bandits are bad up there and grimm are not helped by that. They need hunters, but don't… think that way. But… they showed me how to shoot, how to swing a sword, block shit. Past that, it's all live fire and then being a gangster as a side job."

The man half choked on his food. Bland ration sandwich the White Fang provided. "Gangster?!"

"Yeah, for the Axe Gang. An intelligence and arms dealing gang in Vytal. I was an enforcer… I think, I didn't question titles, just did jobs. More a mercenary but… that was what it was. How I got captured, Pure Life raiding a supply shipment of theirs, I checked it… boom I wake up in a lab. I dunno, I mostly guarded the club and beat the shit out of rival gangs. Nothing really… special honestly. It's fun, good pay. Not sure… if I'm going back or not. Just… doesn't seem worth it."

"Yeah, probably not," Rhu laughed with a shake of his head. Jaune shrugged.

"Had to make a living somehow. I left home at thirteen, still had school. But eh." Took a bite of his sandwich. And was about to say something when the radio came alive.

"Team." A voice sounded. Rhu answered to show they were there. "ETA is five days. More intel delivered at five each day, stay posted for updates." The two looked at each other at the short and to the point message. In case of ease droppers no doubt even on their encrypted channel. Never know. It was going to be a long as hell five days though, that they did know. And the line went dead.

"Well… back to the sands." Rhu said. Jaune groaned and grabbed the tarp.

The two spent the nights in the truck talking about family. Sharing the stupid things their siblings had done. Jaune on his two sisters, whom he admitted were malicious in their pranks due to… well… his parent's example with him feeding into their aggression and bullying. But with him gone and his mom mellowing out, so had they so he got along better. Still were hellions.

Rhu's three sisters were pranksters in their convoy, nearly bursting his stitches out to stifle his laughter at some of the outrageous things they did to their convoys and to Rhu himself. The man cited the worst part was the puppy eyes, from puppy faunus. Genetically enhanced to be ruinously powerful.

Jaune made a stray comment, "So lucky my sisters aren't faunus. That would have been terrible. Already got me in dresses before."

"Only one parent a faunus?" Jaune paused and quickly thought of a lie.

"Nah. Skipped a generation I think. Let's just say… puberty was a bit more special for me and leave it there."

"Damn, you hear horror stories on that. Which side was the faunus?"

"Mom," Jaune shrugged. "I think. I don't much know my grandparents on her side. I know it wasn't dad." The wolf left it be seeing Jaune's heart wasn't really into talking about his family's history and went back to the safer topic. Best Grimm kills. Both had plenty of stories.

The five days were slow as molasses.

Both thanked their stars when they got word at dusk, to come meet the Fangs for a go.

They had forty fighters, all young, all green, all looked nervous. Jaune and Rhu looked at them and laid out the plan to the leaders. How they planned to sabotage the turrets and comms. To come in at their call. Not the explosions, but be ready by then.

And they were off to go. It was time, after a week of laying in the sand, time to go rip apart the abominable fortress.

The two got in position, Jaune with his rifle, Rhu with his spotter scope. And… Jaune shot out three cameras and they booked it across the slope. With his buffs, Jaune got there first, turned and a moment later, his hands were filled with a boot. He threw Rhu as hard as he could up as the man used his shoulder as a step along. And he caught the lip barely. Jaune backed up a few paces and managed to lunge up and catch the lip as well. Barely. Rolled into and down, finding Rhu as he jumped into the back of the truck.

"You get the turrets, I get the comms. If we go loud, pop a lot of smoke," Jaune said and Rhu nodded. And a peek later, Jaune was in stealth mode as he kept to the shadows, kept mostly silent, and stitches across his mouth. Passed running guards and managed to get to the comms door. Slashing any cameras that got in his line of sight, or shooting them with Calla.

Rigged up the tower with the IED and knocked on the comms door. The moment it was opened, he impaled the occupant with a sword. Or tried. The damn thing hit! It hit, but it didn't pierce all the way. A light show snapped about and an examine told him all he fucking needed!

Penny Logger
HP: 2810
MP:0

The mana took all the fucking damage! This aura… he had a a month and didn't once think to ask about it. Jaune cursed as his fast follow up slashed the throat twice and he entered, kicking the body in and she had been the only one in the room. Ignored the dying body as he went to check around.

Jaune did not think for one second on why he got another level in Grimm. Just moved to the terminal and looked at all the buttons. It meant… absolutely nothing to him. So he slapped down that EMP, primed it, and closed the door as he left.

Then… to the barracks. He had more surprises on him than what Rhu knew. Snuck in through a window and found sleeping people, and each of them was awoken by an extremely sharp blade in the neck, one or two broke the mana and a third silenced them. By two, Jaune had it up to the limit with the fucking defense.

So. He took his points, took his strength. And increased it up to 210 using half his point reserve. Gaining a new skill.

[Muscle Durability (Passive): Level MAX – Muscles are too strong to damage by normal means. -20% Physical damage]

Well that was good yes… but not what he wanted. Took a breath, and started hitting again, this time trying with Overdo. And… yep. One hit and a follow up throat slit. Had the barracks of twenty dead with only five getting up to check on what was happening, seeing nothing wrong with their friends sleeping, and when they went to check, was gagged and executed from the shadows.

Jaune… knew from that one why he got to level 25 in Grimm. He liked it. Not as fun as open combat no, but that silent killing, the bloodshed without anyone knowing. The merciless killing of monsters. That… was fun all the same. The boosted humans were annoying, but… overwhelming force did the job.

Jaune was moving out when there was a bang and a siren went off. His scroll and ear bud came to life. "We fucked up!" Rhu called. "We fucked up! Blow the comms! Something went wrong!"

He made the call and the lights in the fortress all were shorted as the pulse traveled through the power set up.

"The turrets?" Jaune asked and there was pause as he was running out and moving towards the front walls. And then a series of explosions sounded.

"Dead. Well half. I have the rest… right in front of me. Without owners anyways. These bots are annoying!"

Jaune agreed and called for the Fangs to move on the base. "To the landing field, Rhu, regroup!" They ran and met up, seeing robots streaming, pouring out of the motor bay. Jauned immediately tackled Rhu behind a truck, watching them go past. "Called it," Jaune muttered and hid as the bot army stomped by.

"Yeah," Rhu did the same. And then the gate was blown apart by rockets and the robots hurried off as shouting went up. Jaune and Rhu ran into the robot bay and saw so many charging racks. All empty now. Hundreds. And they had forty fangs. "Shit," Rhu summed it up perfectly.

Jaune turned and ran out, impacting the back with his blade, ripping through them. His aim was for their joints and non armored bits and bobs. Keep his blade sharp at least. But it seemed… a call went out or something. Maybe a back up range extender. Because over the comms, Jaune heard. "Fleet incoming! Get inside, get to cover!"

He cursed harder and broke off, Rhu shooting past him and they retreated, Jaune keeping his shield around his back, it absorbing the bullets enough he got behind cover. And moved to the wall, climbing up it swiftly and saw… five bullheads. Two fighters and three armored transports with gunners on both sides.

"Fuck!" And did all he could. The launcher was up, yellow loaded, and he fired at them. And got… very lucky. One blew and slammed into the wall in a fireball. Shaking the ground and the structure he was on.

Which wasn't so lucky for when the bullheads did an initial strafing run from a door gunner, he didn't have the footing to… not dodge in time. He got winged off the wall and landed hard. Coughing, he was getting up just in time to see… one of his students.

One that showed promise too. Chewed apart by one of the transports as it began to hover and pick targets to kill. Just… she was fighting some robots one moment, doing really well three on one. And then all that was left the next was part of her arms and legs from a rocket.

Jaune blinked slowly as his ears rung. The explosion deafening so close. She was dead and gone. His ally, his student. His comrade. Jaune raged and twisted up. He was going to kill them all! Burn them to ashes! No one would ever remember them when he was through!

The ghoul lifted the launcher, the only real anti armor he had. Rapidly put in a new set of rounds, and aimed right at the canopy. Firing all he had and it… missed. He raged and impacted a line of robots that had noticed his… failed endeavors as he reloaded. Slashing and pushing a new grenade into the slot. All until he got a good run way, killing multiple robots without suffering too much damage. His armor held nicely even so damaged, against the bullets, and jumped onto a building. He vaguely recalled it was the comms building, but he got up, aiming again and this time was close enough, had the angle, and the bullhead went down as a grenade hit the engine and caused it to tilt and drive itself right into the earth. He ran to the wreckage and the door gunner was getting up still, staggered outside the bird by the crash. Until a sword drove through his breast so hard, he was carried back with the wielder and pinned to the side of his vehicle. Mana breaking immediately from the wind up and the continued force as his back hit the wall and sword pushed.

Jaune left the blade inside of him, so he'dstay standing, and claws came bastard killed his student, his ally. A sword was the least of what he deserved. Jaune, using his hyena augments, grabbed the neck and the man screamed, or… at least his mouth moved. Jaune didn't quite register the scream. He just… didn't care. He wanted him to hurt, wanted him to die so bad. He wanted that blood and death! He wanted him to feel everything that he and all of them felt!. The numbness sweeped across his psyche from the Gamer's Mind but… in that numbness, he just… heard the scream. And he loved it as with a push and a pull, the throat was open. And the scream was gone. The Gamer mind meant nothing when he enjoyed what he did. No matter if Grimm went up, just the way things were.

He turned from it and found the door gunner had so kindly gifted him a tool to take on an army. Or… more… a fleet. Reached down and grabbed the turret that had broken off the mounting. His hands found the bottom and hefted up the over 200 pound monster by the pole sticking out of the bottom and the handle on the back.

AFMG-22 – Atlas Frontier Machine Gun. Atlas's Military machine gun used on Bullheads and armored transports to guard frontier convoys. Fires 20mm DMG rounds via box magazine.
4353/9000
300 ballistics
3-100 rounds/second

The boxes had two hundred rounds each. It had a trigger as a button. And a fire select dial set to 30 with a full auto switch right next to it put to burst. Jaune grabbed the bottom of the weapon tighter, and hefted it to hip level. He wasn't aiming this monster at his arms, it'd only break his nose. There would be tracers. He saw that when it shot at him, and widened his stance as he saw the fighters making a circle. Recoiled anticipated, leading calculated roughly, the button clicked in, and started firing.

Thirty shots went wild, it was.. not the most wield-able gun. Jaune got the feel for the recoil, more replacing his grip more up on the pole and pulling it when he shot. It had a mean kickback. The next thirty… got close. And of the rest of the thirty he got out. They hit almost exactly where he wanted. The bullhead spiraled and nose dived right past the wall. And he shifted and fired the rest of the hundred in three bursts.

The strafing run hurt, he believed, was a little too focused as the rotary cannon hit the last fighter as he got strafed by the door gunner and wasn't entirely sure how many times he got shot. Only he was standing one moment and sitting the next.

He looked at his health. Bad. Not deadly bad. He turned his gaze back to the gun and ejected the box and found the other, clipping it on the side bracket, taking the belt and slamming it home in, then chambered. Good to go and he steadied himself and found the next flier. Only to see it slam down as a rocket hit it and the last waved off.

So he looked down and found the defenders being held back. Waddled forward and moved some people, hit a trigger and aimed for the living. The burst of thirty in a second, the meat, the hate, the power he felt with one button press. He liked this gun.

And when he dissolved three people, mana and all… he was going to modify the rotary cannon with a butt stock and a grip. Maybe not a butt stock or at least a collapsible one. A carrying handle for sure. His glove was melting.

They cleared out the buildings to find the guards surrendering. They were frogmarched out and Rhu handled them with the grace of a man on a warpath. Had ten guys in a firing line execute them. Jaune glanced at his wounds as everything was being mopped up, looked up and put some bandages around himself the moment he got his armor opened. He didn't vare if he took it off with people around, even possible hostiles. Needed to slow his bleeding. And for that, needed to find a lot of bandages past what he had. Some drugs or aids. And that would be in the armory… probably. Maybe the warehouse.

Jaune found the armory and made sure it was clear, which was easy… since the white fangs were already within and did the job for him.

More so, he was grabbing… twenty of the thirty boxes of 20mm they had. Plenty for him. And had to leave behind… a lot of drops that auto picked up too. Clothes, food stuff. Junk. Just tossed it in an empty crate to make room for the about 1000 pounds of ammunition. Or 4000 rounds. And his inventory was actually full… Jaune paused and looked. 'How is there a thousand pounds. I should have only one thousand to have.' His total said it was at 2048lb. Looked at it closer. 'Did… did my inventory space double at 200? So is it not… times four but eight?'

[Wisdom up for figuring out an unspoken reward!]

'Cunt.'

Looked for more as he was bleeding still, was bandaged but maybe some clotters he could pour over himself and… while hunting, took some armor there too. Just some better than his destroyed ones. He was… not looking down for a reason. Those rounds tore into him like they did his allies. There were holes and they were not small. He did know he needed a medic. And some downtime.

The status that said…

[Due to injuries to Stomach, kidney, and lungs. -25% Physical Stats. Time: 10 Days]

[Due to injuries to Sternum and Spine. -30% mobility. Time: 20 Days]

[Due to injuries to Left Collar bone. -50% mobility in left arm. Time: 8 Days]

Was maybe a big reason too. He kinda was missing a fair chunk of his shoulder… and his chest. Possible some bits of his ribs, he didn't really want to check. It… hurt a good deal. More and more as he settled from the adrenaline of the battle. Pain tolerance was at thirty though since he wasn't rolling around crying. But he really wanted to, he wasn't scared or ashamed to admit that part.

While hunting, he found in the armor a piece… that was weird.

It was a mask. A… rather creepy one too.

Grimm Mask – Used by Pure Life Suicide Troopers for facial armor from snipers and to mark themselves
3000/3500
40% of all kinetic damage into Durability
100% Ballistic damage into Durability
Special: +40% Intimidation while wearing.

Jaune grabbed it. Needed some face armor and looked at the Pure Life emblem on it. A circle with sun rays off it. Took out a knife and scratched that off. Putting it in his bag, he continued the search and found the supplies. Took some clotters and dumped them on, his bleeding status easing away until it stopped. 'Thank god.' He breathed and stepped out.

And… like that… the battle was over. The fortress was theirs.

Jaune was silent as he walked around. Making sure each and every White Fang was in one piece, those that weren't, sent to the medic they had, those that had died, he carried to a cleaned section so they could be either burned or sent home, depending on the who.

He looked at the destruction and just took his scroll out and set it up slowly. Mechanically. "Documentation. Who wants to be in the trophy picture?" he called out and looked. The White Fangs gathered and Rhu landed beside him from the wall. Jaune huffed and hefted the monster onto his shoulder and the photo was taken with the Fangs around, wired from the fight but so happy they actually took the battle to the Pure Life and won.

And behind them was the wreckage of the fortress, the prisoners being helped by the Fangs, all the dead bodies and robots. Jaune was even standing on a robot's ruined chest. The night was theirs. And it was going to be the first of many, Jaune knew that for damn sure. He'd make sure of it.