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My apologies for the late update! I had to contend with a bad internet. I tried something new at the end, two somethings in fact. One of them I am uncertain if I executed well and the other I spent some time going over. Let me know what your thoughts are on them! Your criticism is what shall keep this story fresh!

Vale Police Department, Residential Precinct, Evening

The situation was tense.

Everyone was ready to move at the slightest bit of news, from the least reputable of their numbers to the most incorruptible ones united against a common enemy in the face of their loss, more motivated than they had ever been to see justice done. Among them were those who had lost families, those who were simply outraged at those involved, those with something to prove.

It would all take a simple match to ignite their fury.

It was to this tense scene that Adam Taurus walked into.

Every eye snapped to him the moment he pushed open the doors, the tense situation got worse when they spotted the pair of horns jutting out from under his red locks, along with the sheathed sword he had one hand on simply from habit. They snarled their rage and almost forgot who they were supposed to be and leveled their weapons at him with the intent of firing.

It was replaced with shock once his hand clasped around the sheathed blade and threw the weapon down at the feet of the person closest to him and announced his surrender. It took a moment for them to get over their shock and realize that he was indeed surrendering as he had said, but they got over it quickly and quickly brought out the handcuffs without even questioning what crime he had committed.

The first step of his plan proved to be a success when they divested him of his makeshift eyepatch and were met with the unmistakable sight of the SDC Brand.

It was only a slight surprise that his handling had been a lot softer after that.

He supposed he shouldn't have been, the people of Vale were angry. The reaction he received from the police was but a fraction of what he'd seen during his trip there. More than once people had stopped in their tracks to jeer at him, the only thing stopping them from taking a more physical route had been his size and the weapon that was strapped to his waist, the other faunus he'd seen being accosted in the streets weren't so lucky. Protests and rallies had cropped up all over the place, some were actively crying out for revenge against the White Fang and perhaps more importantly Atlas, the ones supposed to keep it under control looked to be moments away from joining the protesters. It was something the Adam Taurus of two days prior would have loathed, yet the Adam Taurus of the present could actually see why they felt how they felt.

Fancy that...

He had only needed to die to learn empathy.

But that anger didn't mean that they were unreasonable, they had only needed to look at the grizzly brand burned into his face and the youthfulness of his features to understand why he joined a terrorist organization, most of them would do the same in his shoes. Once it was proven that he did not take part in the slaughter, their treatment of him would only improve.

It was fascinating what a clear head could accomplish; even with the inexplicable weight of the exhaustion that was weighing him down, Adam Taurus' thoughts were clearer than ever. The absence of the hate that had gripped him for almost his entire life had brought so many new possibilities to his mind, to better serve the cause he now didn't care for in much better ways, ways that didn't require the death of so many.

Ways that wouldn't cost him everything.

Working with humans wouldn't be so bad especially when he was already taking his pound of flesh from the Schnee's and Atlas.

The police hadn't known what to do with him after it was all said and done, given his unique position. The 'correct' thing to do would've been to inform the Atlasian Embassy of his capture and arrange the transportation of a dangerous criminal abroad, but since no one was feeling particularly kind toward their Northern allies, they had decided the best course of action would be to just stick him in an interrogation room and inform the most higher-up person they could find and pawn him off to be handled by them.

This was where the dangerous part began, the part where politics would be introduced. His success here would depend on which higher ranking politician got a hold of him first. Sirius Crawford being the best possible outcome in this case, his revealing of the rogue Atlasian Knights suggested that he had a pone to pick with them, and being a former Huntsman (according to the light research done prior to leaving his apartment) meant that there wouldn't be a lot of the political double-speak that came natural to his colleagues.

If it was anyone else; like Crawford's political opponents, Atlasian supporters and the few token racists among the council, his position would get a lot more precarious. The first would be difficult to handle while the other two make this nothing more than an exercise in futility. Escaping was something he could manage without any difficulty, something he was planning on doing if the worse were to come to pass. He would rather not have to do it though, it would be a terrible waste of time and a further blow to the reputation of the Faunus in Vale, not to mention it making Blake's life a lot harder in the long run.

He was brought out of his thoughts when the door of the dimly lit interrogation room suddenly opened, and a rotund man with a bald head wearing what looked to be a tailored suit entered the room. The man's eyes scanned the room for a moment before they landed on Adam, sliding to his re-covered brand only for a moment before refocusing on him.

"Mr. Taurus?" The man asked in a soft voice.

"Yes."

The man nodded abd took a seat across from him after closing the door. "Grayson Morgan, at your service." He said in a distracted manner as he set his heavyset briefcase down on the table between them and clicked it open, ignoring Adam's confused look as he started to arrange a stack of papers down on it.

Adam's battle with confusion was a failing one, "They gave me a lawyer?" He would admit to not being very knowledgeable about the judicial system beyond the almost customary belittling of how corrupt and racist it was, he'd never even thought about such a possibility simply because people like Adam didn't actually get trials before Atlas stuffed them all down the coldest cell they could find.

Dust Mines if they were unlucky.

Such was the way in Atlas.

The Bald Man's response was a smirk as he slid his briefcase to the other side of the table once he'd gotten all he needed out of it. "Officially, yes. Councilman Crawford thought it would be unfair for someone who has committed no crimes against Vale given over to people who commit such atrocities daily and think themselves above the same reproach and consequence." One of the binders was slid toward him and Adam picked it up to examine it. It was a forensics report, clearing Wilt and Blush of the slaughter. Another report mentioned the security feeds recovered from the train and similar footage from the disabled Knights confirming that he was indeed not present at the time of the Train Massacre.

Well that was a relief. "You said officially?"

Grayson smiled, "So I did." The binder was taken from his hand and instead replaced with a simple folder. "Can you guess what this is Mr. Taurus?"

He sighed, this was why he wanted to talk with Crawford instead of a politician. "Everybody can guess, it won't make it the truth."

"Straight to the point I see." The man looked a little disappointed, though there was no anger there. "Very well, Mr Taurus. This file." He patted the extremely skinny folder. "Is everything we have on you." Noticing Adam's curiosity, the man continued. "It has a few brief records on the orphanage you were raised in and some information on the village itself before the Schnee Dust Company bought all of the land and declared it a mining zone."

"No records after that?"

The man shook his head, "Nothing more than speculation before you were admitted into the criminal database." His eye once again slid to the covered brand on Adam's face, and a brief glint of revulsion could be seen in his eyes.

Didn't take a genius to see just what kind of speculations they were making.

Odessia... or Mining Colony 'Dragon's Maw' could top all their worse speculations easily.

But that was getting off topic.

"Your point, Mr. Morgan?"

The Bald Man's eyes softened for a bit before he cleared his throat. "We hardly know anything about you Mr. Taurus, Councilman Crawford wishes to rectify that before he meets with you after the conclusion of his press conference."

Ah... "So this is a vetting process."

Grayson smiled in a very unapologetic manner. "Was I so obvious?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense."

"Oh?"

He sighed again... Trust a lawyer (although he was starting to doubt this man's profession.) to make things more complicated and drawn out than they had any right to be. "You want to make sure I'm someone worth working with," He pointed out the obvious. "Not some raving fanatic or a wide-eyed idealist who doesn't know how things actually work."

"The fact that you chose not you to join your former comrades in the slaughter of innocent people and you didn't try to stop them when you were so outnumbered shows a certain pragmatism neither group can show Mr. Taurus." The man leaned forward. "In fact, your understanding of your potential and the way you chose to make use of it places you above your peers in many aspects."

"So you want me to say why I had a change of heart."

Grayson nodded.

Adam didn't answer.

Grayson sighed.

"I can see that you are reluctant Mr. Taurus." The man hedged, "But you must understand Councilman Crawford's reluctance to commit to a move that might turn out to be more detrimental to his cause than not." He paused for a moment to think, "I say this because I already had to dismiss both Headmaster Ozpin and several Atlasian officials that tried to spirit you away."

Ozpin?

He could understand the Atlasians...

But what could Ozpin want?

Did he know about Blake? It could be a possibility, since he was fairly certain the old man was aware of Blake's former allegiances and she'd already applied for the Beacon Entrance Exams before they made their escape from camp. Connecting him with her wasn't impossible, but everything would be circumstantial at best. Yes... Most likely his aim was to turn the aforementioned potential for his own purposes.

Aside from his curiosity as to what those purposes could be, Adam could care less about deviating from his current course.

Not noticing Adam's brief inner discussion, Grayson continued on with his speech. "The people of Vale are divided on who to blame, but they are unaware that blaming our own citizens will get us nowhere."

"You mean the Faunus." Adam prodded.

"As I said, our own citizens." The man retorted. "As much as some people on the Council may disagree with him on that." He muttered before once again, rounding on a thoughtful Adam. "Your former comrades caused more harm day after day, yet every effort Crawford takes to prevent the cause for such actions were dismissed as a show of weakness. Until finally, it all came crashing down and resulted in the tragedy of yesterday." Grayson's fists were clenched.

The corruption in politics come into play yet again... Most likely those same Councilors were in SDC's payroll, who had hands in every pocket it could get their hands on since their Dust Mines were not contained to a single Nation. These pockets had a steady stream of Lien flowing into them and thus were prepared to prevent everything that would be detrimental to the fanatic pursuit of profit their paymasters. It was worse in Atlas and Mistral where people were actively racist toward Faunus, instead of the general apathy in Vale and Vacuo.

He could see how recent events could push Vale into the same vagon as Mistral and Atlas, it could have already been underway had the SDC and Atlas had not received the same backlash from the Massacre.

"This is a cause that would bring much good toward your people Mr. Taurus." Grayson finally begged. "Sirius' own daughter was lost because of the Council's negligence and Atlasian disregard for the lives of those people living outside of their borders. You can be assured that this is something he is very serious over, but we need to be certain where you stand before we commit to anything."

Damn.

No way out then...

"It... I left because of someone-" He paused.

"Oh?" The man prompted.

He just shook his head. "That's all I'm willing to say, their identity stays a secret until I talk to your Councilor."

Revealing Blake would be a risky move, but it would be inevitable with the way things were progressing. Doing so in a way that gave him the advantage would be the best course of action and would yield the best outcome.

The man's smile was the sign that he'd been successful. "This is something I can work with Mr. Taurus, you can expect an answer from us at midnight."

Davenport Harbor, Warehouse District, Afternoon of the next day.

True success was a heady tonic.

The men had been drunk on it well after their heist, laughing among themselves through the night as they tallied up their winnings and kills in the same breaths. Rowan Banesaw had observed it all with pride and fondness, so caught up in their revelry that he actually let them celebrate the day away as soon as the Bullheads reached the rendezvous point instead of ordering them to start unloading the dust.

The warehouse they'd appropriated as a hideout in the months prior had quickly gained a homely atmosphere once they'd brought out the alcohol, (He hadn't asked where they'd gotten it from, there was always some alcohol hidden somewhere) shedding their uniforms and donning their worker disguise to ward off any suspicion before starting their very deserved party.

He'd forced some rest on them once he realized they hadn't had proper sleep in two days and were drinking themselves drunk on top of that when there would be work to do tomorrow.

Lo and behold, all of them were miserable as they forced themselves to offload their haul, almost all of them nursing hangovers and contemplating mutiny as they grumbled about the unfairness of it all. He chose to not listen to them and withhold his sympathy, they'd brought it on themselves by drinking themselves drunk despite knowing they had chores to do. Honestly, they should all be grateful that he was the leader of this mission and not Adam, he wouldn't have let them get away with anything they'd done yesterday.

Rowan had actual discipline and had chosen to get some sleep once he had enough of partying.

So, while his man toiled away with their hangovers, he busied himself planning their next course of action. While Adam had told him to await his return, there was no reason for him to not capitalize on this success and accumulate a few more gains to show Adam just how more efficient these methods were. He'd sent messages to their brothers and sisters in the Mistrali Branch for additional man to bolster his ranks and use his new arsenal of Dust to do some damage.

This little port town wouldn't have much in terms of resources, although its remote and strategic location made it a fine location for a base of operations. The added benefit of a sizable Faunus minority could also help them bolster their ranks. Once Adam returned they could hold some rallies and make him cut loose with those speeches of his that had served the White Fang well in the past.

He didn't know if Adam would be pleased with the way Rowan had chosen to carry out his orders, but he was fairly sure he would be able to convince him to come around to his way of thinking once he and Blake returned, Adam was a rational person who served the cause without hesitation, he would understand why this was the way to go. Even the men agreed with him that his plan had been good, some even jokingly stating that Rowan should be in charge while those two just stuck to their little covert operations and rally speeches.

It was an absurd thought, and he had said so.

But it made him think...

"Boss! You gotta see this!"

A scroll was abruptly shoved in front of his eyes, and he made sure to shove the person responsible after taking the scroll away from them.

He let out a snort once he realized that it was a press conference done by a corrupt politician, and turned to glare at the one that had brought it to his attention.

"They're talkin' about us!" The comrade shouted from the ground, cursing as he tried to scramble back up to his feet.

Hmm... "Fine." He grunted.

He turned his attention to the small screen, and squinted when he realized something was off. The man on the screen looked angry alright, so unlike the simpering fat men Rowan was used to seeing, those who would offer platitudes and then wait for everyone to forget what happened. He had the bearing of a warrior, even as he spoke about 'unity'. He used the word that had been exhausted long before Banesaw had picked up his weapon, and Rowan would have disregarded them all had it not been for the look in the eyes of the man as he spoke them.

Not just the eyes, which were so fixated on the camera that Rowan thought the man had been looking at him for a second, promising vengeance. Rowan looked at his posture as well, for the body spoke the words even if the mouth never would. It would take a fool to not notice the stance of a hunter about to viciously strike down his prey with every word he was weaving.

"My colleagues would have you blind to the truth, keep me chained and muzzled had I not had the foresight to tell you what truly transpired before they could do so. Deep as they are in the pockets of the corrupt politicians of Atlas." The way he lashed out at everything was explained when a small strip of text glided through the bottom of the screen, making Rowan realize it was he who had stirred such a man into action when his raid killed his daughter.

But this was not the deluded ramblings of a grieving father, these were the surgically precise words of a man giving voice to a people crying out for revenge, a cycle of blood Rowan had continued by rolling the wheel down a cliff.

Right into the arms of a man who stood on the edge.

"Hear me! People of Vale, this is not the time to quarrel amongst ourselves, not while the vultures overseas fanning the flames of hatred they have been nurturing for centuries. Turning good faunus and humans against each other in the pursuit of bloody profit and letting good men and women pay the price while they reaped their bloody toll up in their high castles, tallying slaves like the old men of Mantle and Mistral."

His words were aimed against Atlas and the Schnee's, but hearing his men agree with them was scarcely a comfort for him when even he was dreading the finishing blow. He was asking for people to set aside centuries of hatred on the words of one man, while most would call that a Fool's Gambit, Banesaw knew that this man was no fool, he could see that people were willing to listen to him just by the curious murmurings that was loud enough to reach the microphones when they were off screen.

"I ask of you to listen to the person I am calling to the stage, and know just who it is you should be blaming for the loss of your families."

The man... Crawford, he was forced to acknowledge; beckoned someone from behind him amidst the confused murmurings that were quickly turning into exclamations of shock and fear as the man ceded the floor the person that climbed on stage. Banesaw could only stand transfixed as his comrades devolved into startled shock and dismayed, denying wails.

It was Adam.

No one could mistake him for anybody else. Even with his mask gone, revealing a youthful face that was marred with scars of cruelty, one couldn't mistake the way Adam Taurus carried himself.

Defiant against a world who would do anything to keep him down.

Banesaw roared for silence as Adam looked toward the gathered people, the cameras cutting away from his scarred face to show their reactions. Everyone's gaze was on Adam Taurus' brand, sympathetic and compassionate as they beheld the disgusting truth of the SDC. Even those who had beheld his faunus heritage and thought of the worst could only feel righteous anger.

Then Adam spoke.

"My name is Adam Taurus, and I was the leader of the White Fang."

Cries of shock and anger, both on screen and next to Banesaw, who could only sit in silence as he beheld his leader.

Though the reaction had been loud, silence was quick to descend in both places. Everyone was curious what he would say next, even though some had started to dread it. "I joined them before they became what they are today, I was one of the first to take up arms because of what was done to me." His blue eyes held an emotion that made Banesaw clench the scroll tighter. "They called me a hero when I killed a man to save Ghira Belladonna's life."

It was a fact of life for Banesaw that when Adam spoke, you listened.

It was simply impossible not to.

"I believed them, because how could I not? When those I struck down were the same ones to call me an animal that was only fit to be filth stuck under the bottom of their boot. How could I not? When they burned this into our faces just to make a cruel joke at our expense." The scarred boy scowled, and shook his head to dislodge the ugly expression before continuing, "We belonged to them after all, it was only fitting for us to carry their brand."

It was like watching one of his rallies, he knew what to say to get into their hearts and truly understand.

Banesaw's knuckles turned white as the scroll creaked in his grip.

"I joined my people in the fight against Atlas and the Paymasters of their Mercenary Kingdom, and when they told me to lead my brothers and sisters in Vale, I accepted." He sighed, and looked remorseful, "But I didn't realize what we were turning into-"

The scroll shattered in Banesaw's hand.

Blood pounded in his ears as he shut himself off of the world, intense emotions rushing through him in waves as he panted for breath that wouldn't come. That... That.

That traitor.

He had followed him loyally for years, and this was what he gave him? Discarding them and their cause like toys as soon as someone outshone him, no doubt influenced by that Belladonna girl. He'd always said that girl would prove to be a traitor to the cause like her father, better to get rid of her before she showed her true colors, oh how right he was...

Adam was a traitor, and traitors died.

It was a fact of life for Banesaw.

"Reload the dust into the Bullheads," He snarled, uncaring for the state of his men.

"We're going to destroy them all."

Unknown

"He is proven to be more cunning than even I realized, acquiring the services of a former terrorist like Adam Taurus should be a boon to his cause."

"I agree... We are already seeing the fruits of his labor, Vale will be more unified than ever after this."

"Against Atlas, no less..."

"That is good news, certainly better than the one I got from Cinder."

"The little girl failed already? I can't say I'm all that surprised..."

"You were never to keen on her."

"Pardon me Your Grace, but she has failed the first task you have entrusted to her almost immediately, costing you decades of careful planning in a matter of weeks. You must surely know the reason for my disdain, the girl was ever unworthy."

"I didn't know you were a clairvoyant my dear Doctor. But never mind that, you have something to say and I'd have you speak it now."

"Let me be your champion in Vale my Queen, and I shall give you the world in just a few years."

"Years... Cinder promised me she would find success in less than a year."

"She promised you Beacon, and her amateur fumbling has failed that before she could even begin. No, Your Grace, I won't offer you just a school, I shall offer you something greater if you'll let me."

"And what is that?"

"I shall give you Remnant."

"Hmm... Go forth then, Doctor. But be wary."

"Death will be the least of your worries should you fail to deliver..."

Codex Entry: Vale, The City

The City of Vale, capital of its namesake Kingdom, home to eight million people; is sprawled on the northeastern shores of the largest continent of Remnant, Sanus. Covering approximately seven hundred and eighty square kilometers of land and protected by natural barriers on three sides. The Sea of Drakon lie in the west, its shallow waters protecting the city from the more dangerous Aquatic Grimm. Step mountains to the north and the east serve as an impenetrable bastion. The city is also situated between two forests called the Emerald Forest and Forever Fall to the south and north respectively.

The open fields of the south is protected by the only artificial wall the city has need of, called the 'Great Wall'. It was constructed by the first settlers of Vale as a mere wooden palisade and has grown into a insurmountable barrier that has turned away many a horde of Grimm in its time. The Great Wall is constantly under renovation, improving constantly to better protect Vale and its citizens. It has evolved from a mere holdfast where thousands of men were required to reliably operate, to a fortress where devastating firearms that didn't even require a single person to function dealt with approaching enemies effortlessly. The most recent improvement had been a gift from Atlas not even a decade ago, which has seen the number of gun emplacements on the wall double in number and variety...

The Huntsman Academy of Beacon is located right on the edge of the great hills to the east, the proud castle having once served as home to the Royal Family before the last King gave up his power and gifted it to the future protectors of mankind.

The interior of the city is divided into 5 districts. From the biggest to the smallest it goes: Industrial District to the southwest, Commercial to the north, Residential to the southeast, Upper District in the west and the Agricultural District in the south.

Flutter flutter...

Also, Codexes (Codexi?) are now a thing, expect more of those.