The Sadistic Inquisition: A RWBY Story.

Chapter 27: The Killer Inside

Blades clash on the small apartment building's roof. Neo watches gleefully on as Kreel and Adam spar. Unfortunately for Adam, he is outmatched by the Inquisitor's training. Continuously swatted away by Kreel, it was as though he could predict every move Adam took or could take.

Adam: "I thought you said this was training. I just feel like the punching bag for your training."

Kreel: "Believe me, this is more for you than me. Now, focus on your emotions. Draw from your anger. Let it consume you."

Adam: "Isn't that the opposite of good swordsmanship?"

Kreel: "I'm not trying to make you a better swordsman but a better fighter. To do this, I need to see whether or not you can access what I think you can. We can either do it the easy way or the hard way."

Adam: "What do you mean by that?" Kreel looks to Neo, who nods as she moves to bar the door to the roof from the inside.

Kreel: "Disregard the question. We'll be doing it the hard way."

Kreel holds out his hand as Adam drops to his knees and screams in pain, grasping his head. Kreel was using the Force to penetrate into Adam's mind. He was looking to draw out as many bad memories for Adam as possible. Trying to overload his emotions with that of anger and malice. After several minutes Kreel retracts from the boy's mind.

Kreel watches as Adam's heavy breathing becomes quicker. He remains on all fours as he holds his blade with one hand and looks toward Kreel with an almost feral posture.

Kreel: "There it is."

Adam then charges at Kreel with lightning-like speed, but Kreel had seen this before and quickly blocks the charge. Deflecting the uncoordinated strikes from Adam, he could tell that Adam was trying to regain control of himself.

Kreel: "Good Adam, regain control. Listen to my voice, focus on your intelligence, on your goals. This form is nothing more than a stepping stone for you, but you have to overcome it."

Adam continued his onslaught of attacks, each growing weaker with every dodge and deflect Kree countered his attacks with. Soon enough, Adam returned to standing on his feet rather than on all fours. His breathing was ragged, and his body was showing signs of exhaustion. But he still had that murderous look in his eyes, in his posture.

Kreel stood opposite of the Faunus as he smirked. He was elated on the inside, but was good at hiding it.

Adam soon tried to step forward, but his legs shook as they collapsed, and he fell to the ground. His body gave out from the extreme pressure and strain put on it.

Kreel: "Adam? You still alive?"

Adam: "...Yes." He said, lying on the ground. He had taken off his visor as he breathed deeply. "What was that?"

Kreel: "Something you didn't know you had in you." Nodding to Neo, she exits back onto the roof from the stairwell. In her hands, she had a water bottle which she handed Adam.

After a few minutes, the three sit on the roof's edge, looking out over the city of Mantle. The apartment Neo had found for them was near the outskirts of the city limits, so they could train and plan all they'd like and not have to worry about any military interference.

Adam: "So? What the hell was that thing I transformed into?"

Kreel: "Your inner self. You obviously know that Faunus are humans with animal characteristics. Ears, tails, horns, scales, all sorts of defining characteristics between your people. But each of you have one thing in common. Deep down, you are all animals. No offense. You are all animals that your human intelligence and morality have held back. But if you were to overload the mind through an extreme amount of physical or emotional strife, then you can enter a state where you fully utilize your animal nature. No concepts of fear or anxiety to hold you or your body's full potential. That's why you could move and strike with such speed and strength. Your body was moving and acting at its true 100%."

Adam: "How do you know all this?"

Kreel: "From Blake Belladonna." Adam looked confused. "When she enrolled in Beacon Academy, I had the displeasure of dealing with her. In a mock fight, I attempted to draw out mistakes from her by utilizing her unstable emotions. In doing so, I drew forth that same transformation. I was also shown how potent the transformation could be." Lifting up his shirt to reveal the scar he had gotten from Blake. This seems to pique Adam's interest but also causes Neo to scowl, not going unnoticed by Adam.

Adam: "By the way, if we are going to be working together for the foreseeable future, I would like to know, what are you two?"

Kreel: "Elaborate."

Adam: "Is she your daughter? Or are the two of you in one of "those" kinds of relationships?" Neo grows an angry expression as she smacks Adam. "Ow! Hey! Watch who you hit, you child!"

Kreel: "No. No. Nothing like that. I merely look after her, as she has no one to do so for her. And I suppose she has taken to doing the same for me."

Adam: "Hmm. I wish I could say the same. Also, what's our plan? Why Atlas? What is here that's so important?"

Kreel: "Many things. Atlas is at the center of the attention of the world. It is the frontline of a war no one sees but a very select few."

Adam: "I'm going to assume it has something to do with Cinder. What good does keeping her prisoner do for us?"

Kreel: "She works for a particular person. Someone I need something from. Once Neo finds the people that work for that person, we can move forward but for now. We wait."

Adam: "What about Blake and her other friends? They're bound to get in the way of this plan."

Kreel: "Oh, I plan on them doing so. Their overt righteousness can't allow them not to. No. The plan as we advance now is this." He takes out a scroll playing a campaign Ad for Jacques Schnee.

Adam: "Jacques? What does he have to do with this?"

Kreel: "Jacques is a man whose motivations are based solely on greed. His involvement in politics is a move he wouldn't make if he didn't know he would win wholeheartedly. But how, Adam, does a politician know he'll win an election before the votes ever come in?"

Adam: "If he knows the votes will be for him."

Kreel: "Correct. And, Neo, how does Atlas process their inputed votes?"

Neo(scroll): "Through a vote collection and separation system. Hackable, as well."

Kreel: "Good. And what two hackers do we know that would go about ensuring someone such as Jacques would win this election no matter how badly he'd lose?"

Adam: "Emerald Sustrai and Arthur Watts. Who both work for Salem. So Jacques is under Salem's payroll. How do we deal with him?"

Kreel: "Simple, we kill him. But not outright. Do so, and we inadvertently help Salem's plan of causing chaos in the city. But if we make it seem like an accident. Grimm attack on his personal convoy, heart attack from the stress of the election, hell, he could fall down the stairs. Just as long as he dies and people believe it to be by natural causes, we'll have done our job."

Adam: "Okay. So how do we do that?"

Kreel: "Well, Neo, being the little trooper she is, has gotten the two of us invitations to a small pre-election party Jacques is throwing in honor of himself."

Adam: "But won't you be recognized there?"

Kreel: "Common misconception. No." Neo pulls up her scroll and shows the footage from the attack on Haven. "As you can see, while I was there, I also had my handy dandy helmet to cover my face. So all the cameras see there is a man in dark armor wielding a very dangerous weapon."

Adam: "Impressive swordplay. Taking on the Champion of Mistral and beheading her with little work is quite the feat. I didn't even think I could beat her."

Kreel: "Indeed, but back to the topic at hand. With the new outfits Neo got for us, we should blend right in at the party."

Adam: "Hmph. Are you sure she's not your daughter or something?" This time earning a solid smack from Kreel. "Ow!"