The Huntsman Who Smiles: Crazy Male Reader {Insert}

Chapter 18: A Red Redemption

An isolated forest clearing was the White Fang's newest hideout, what was left of the Vale Division at the very least. Most of Adam's men had deserted him in favour of the Joker. With his successes, he even brought hope for them. Even though their new admired leader was human, he attracted dozens of Adam's soldiers to work for him. Thus, his capabilities were severely decreased. Meaning he couldn't do anything about it. Should he go against the Joker, he'd make an enemy not only out of him but his fellow faunus he had been with for years.

He sat in his tent, illuminated by candles. Glaring intently at Wilt and Blush. His mask was off. He could see his  branding by the S.D.C in the reflection of his blade. A small snicker escaped him, so many years under servitude gave him a distinct understanding of the world around him and how it worked. The world he declared war on, the world he sought to dismantle and rebuild anew. A revolutionary beloved as a legend by the faunus people. But it was now he thought... was all that he experienced truly a moral justification for all the chaos he brought onto the Kingdom?

Adam thought of the conversation he had with the Joker. The lamentation that he and (Y/N) were one in the same. Two people mistreated and misunderstood by the world around them. Now he put more thought into it, wondering if what the Joker said was true.

Adam: "No..."

His grip around the handle of Wilt tightened. What he had done throughout his years in the White Fang was in the name of faunus liberation and freedom. He sought to help those like him, no matter how violent the means were. What the Joker did was madness, chaos for chaos' sake. Whatever he said to the White Fang members was solely for the goal of accumulating manpower for his operations. His men ate it all up. Human huntsmen and huntresses died, more humans will die... But so will faunus who're still in Vale.

WFM: "Taurus, there are two huntresses here."

Adam: "What did I say about coming into my tent unannounced?"

He kept his head down in order to hide his branding from his henchman. Grabbing his mask and placing it on as he sheathed Wilt. He retrieved his coat from a nearby chest, the one without all the zippers. After that, he stepped out of his tent to see the last of his loyal members surrounding two huntresses... guns raised and primed to fire.

He wasn't as surprised to see the heiress of the SDC than he was seeing... her.

Adam raised his hand and lowered it slowly to order his henchmen to do the same with their firearms.

Adam: "Belladonna. It's become strange seeing you here."

He said, a slight smirk on his face.

Blake: "It's weird seeing you never moved the camp."

Adam: "Things have changed, it takes a lot of men to move around tents and supplies. As you can see..."

Adam gestured all around the close to desolate camp to his noticeable lack of manpower.

Blake: "Then I'm right in guessing where (Y/N) got all his clowns from."

Adam: "That's very funny, considering you were once one of those 'clowns'. What do you want?"

Weiss: "Straight to the point, perhaps White Fang and my father's company aren't so different."

Weiss remarked, to which Adam shot her a glare she could feel coming through his mask.

Adam: "I wasn't talking to you, princess."

Blake: "Weiss, don't aggravate him..."

Adam: "Listen to your teammate, Schnee. And you probably won't get hurt."

Blake: "Adam, we need you help. That's what I-... what we want."

Adam: "If it regards that..."

He pointed into the distance, the Amity Colosseum could be seen peaking through the trees. Poised to drop at a moment's notice onto the helpless population of Vale.

Adam: "Why would I help you? A traitor... and you? The daughter of the face of faunus oppression? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't cut you both to shreds this very moment."

He said, placing his hand on Wilt's blade. However he kept it sheathed.

Blake: "Because Adam, I know that despite your brutal and ruthless front. There's still a bit of the Adam I knew deep inside you. The part that drew me to you as my mentor, the part that cares for and wants to protect his kind."

Adam stayed silent for a few seconds, before he responded.

Adam: "...That's..."

Blake: "Adam. Ozpin will never concede to the Joker's demands, neither will Ironwood. Make no mistake, he's never bluffing. He will kill all those people, both faunus and human. Are you going to let that happen? Innocent people, innocent faunus who never wanted a part in any of this!"

Blake stood as the word of reason, Adam always secretly admired that about her. The two never saw eye-to-eye, but she always meant well when it came to fighting for freedom.

Adam: "It's... it's too late for that..."

Blake slowly approached him, Weiss grabbed her shoulder to stop her. But she looked back at her, nodding assuredly.

Blake: "Adam. You spoke to me multiple times about the power of memory. The memory one can illicit in a person will define someone's legacy. You always wanted for a hero's legacy of your own. To be looked on as a grand figure on faunus history."

Adam: "Blake... That was long ago... the present is much different."

Blake: "If things continue to go like this for you, tens of thousands will die. Many of them will be faunus, after that... when Ironwood and Ozpin find out that you were under the Joker."

Adam: "I never worked directly under him."

Blake: "At this point, doesn't matter. You'll be seen as an associate and hunted down as such. You'll die a terrorist on the run. You'll be seen as a monster past your life, maybe even forever."

Adam stayed silent, for once in his life Blake's warnings made total sense to him. Whenever she cautioned him as his plans increasingly became more aggressive. Only now at this point did he understand, he'd chosen the path to self-destruction. Faunus liberation was only a tool he had uttered to keep his men and himself in line. He'd been reduced to nothing by a greater evil he could've stopped, and now many would pay the price. Including those he fought for in the first place.

Blake: "Do you want to be seen by the entirety of Remnant as nothing but the Joker's lowly henchman...?"

She gently asked, stepping up to him until she was almost directly face to face. Bringing back of distant memories. It was then than she raised her hand, gripping the edge of his fierce, monstrous Grimm mask. Taking it off to reveal the eye of regret, she hadn't seen him like this in ages.

Blake: "Or do you want to be remembered as someone who fought to defend what he believed in. Someone who saw through the hate in order to do what was right, for both faunus and humans."

Blake's expression pleaded with him, the surrounding White Fang members had never seen their boss in such a vulnerable state. He looked at everyone around him, then looked back at Blake. He faintly remembered that small smile, the smile of someone who understood him, who believed in him from the beginning. The real him. Now, someone who finally helped him see the light of his actions and the sheer weight they brought.

Nodding a little to himself, he took back the Grimm mask from Blake. Sighing to himself a little.

Adam: "He always said these looked ridiculous... Do you know what?..."

He said, before he dropped his mask onto the ground. Crushing it with his boot.

Adam: "I'll help. Just this once."