Chapter 12: The Horn - Volume: 1
It's been a few weeks since my first day at Beacon, and things have been surprisingly quiet. Crime is at a low, and there's been hardly any sign of the White Fang or Torchwick. They're probably laying low, likely because of yours truly. Maybe I'm indirectly messing up Cindy's plans, but hey, I'm not complaining.
Since my grand entrance as Spider-Man, J. Jonah Jameson is still on his rant about what a menace I am. Many Huntsmen seem to agree with him, and word has it that some of the students at Beacon aren't exactly fans either. Ruby's still on #TeamSpiderMan, though, and kids love me.
Swinging around Vale, I often hear kids screaming my name and begging for photos thinking I am some kind of superhero from their comics. But their parents quickly pull them away, scolding them that I'm a fraud and a menace. Well, at least I've got some fans.
My stomach gives a growl that can't be ignored. I swing by a hotdog cart, gracefully land, and approach the man behind the operation. He's a burly dude with brown hair, dog Faunus ears, a beard, and the whole hotdog vendor getup – apron, red cap, the works.
"Yo, one hotdog, please," I ask, reaching for my wallet. Lucky for me, I thought ahead and added some pockets to the suit.
The burly man lifts his head and starts prepping a hotdog.
"You must be that Spider guy."
"Yup, yours truly in the red and blue."
He grunts in recognition. "That'll be 150 lien, Spidey."
"Yeah, no problem," I say as I reach for the inside of my wallet, only to find... nothing.
"...great."
The hotdog guy notices my dilemma and laughs a little.
"Hey, Spidey, it's on the house," He smiles.
"Wait, really?"
"Yup, you earned it," He leans in. "To me, I think you're doing Vale a favor. You're the only one out here saving people from thugs and the White Fang. A lot of Huntsmen do this job just for the money. They never bother with low-paying jobs for regular folks. So, it's up to the VPD; they can barely do anything. Since you came around, Vale's crime has gone down. and I think that deserves a free hotdog."
He leans in even closer.
"And another thing, For someone who actually does something, I hear a lot of shady stuff is going on in Vale's underground, somethin' about some big plan."
I guess Cinder is continuing with her plan, but I still can't find her, I guess more sleepless nights for me, but how does he know this?
"How do you know all this?"
"I used to work for a shady guy named Junior. He's an information trader for Vale's underground, but that was a long time ago."
I see an opportunity here. Maybe this guy can help me get more info on Cinder's plans.
"So, heard anything about Torchwick?" I ask.
"Nothing. Heard he went dark a couple of months ago, nothing since."
I'm still struggling to find a way to Cinder, but for now, I'll have to wait until RWBY takes on Torchwick.
"Well, anyways, Spidey, here's your hotdog, names Marco by the way," he hands it over.
"Thanks, Marco."
"Anytime. And whenever you're hungry, swing by. Free hotdogs on me, and underground information too."
I wave him goodbye, devouring the hotdog. Man, this is good.
In the distance, police sirens wail.
Can't a guy enjoy his hotdog in peace?
I check my scanner, and it's buzzing with activity. "All units, Bank Robbery in the financial district."
I sigh and swing over.
-
Arriving at the scene, I see police cars surrounding the bank, a portion of the bank already in ruins.
I drop down next to a police officer. "What's happening?" I ask.
The officer jumps in surprise. "Oh, it's you. Get outta here; we're waiting for the real Huntsmen to get here."
"Don't think they'll be here soon. The sooner I help, the better," I tell him.
The officer relents, "Some giant armored psycho rammed into the bank and is stealing all the money."
"Thanks."
I shoot out a web and propel myself towards the bank, crashing through a window.
I gracefully land on the second floor, hop over the railing, and find myself in the center of the bank. But to my dismay, it's a scene of empty ruins.
"He said there was a giant armored psycho, and instead nada," I mutter to myself.
"He probably left already—"
The floor beneath me rumbles. "Oh, that doesn't sound good."
I turn, and the rumbling seems to be approaching from a wall. The noise grows louder. My Spidey sense tingles, but it's too late. The wall blasts open, and I'm sent flying.
I lift my head, and there he is – a giant Rhino Faunus with a massive metal horn, layers of metal armor plating, and a transparent overshield with a yellow hue, similar to hard light dust.
"Let me guess, they call you the—" I start, but the Faunus's booming voice promptly cuts me off.
"I am the Rhino! And no one can stop the horn!" he yells out.
Rhino charges at me, his horn pointed straight at my gut. I manage to leap over him, and he slams into a wall. Seizing the opportunity, I go for a full punch to his back. The impact triggers an energy pulse from his armor, shocking me.
I stagger to my feet, my aura absorbing the hit. Glancing at Rhino, He has Dust-powered armor that absorbs and redirects damage. I realize this guy is like a walking invulnerable tank with his armor.
Rhino struggles to get out of the wall, once out, he begins prepping himself, slamming both his hands onto the ground then lowers his horn. Suddenly, his horn grows and emanates a scorching red glow before he charges at me again.
I shoot webs at him, but his burning horn melts through them like butter. In a split second, I jump up and stick to the ceiling. Rhino keeps charging, bashing through walls and causing havoc.
"Shit, he's going to take down the whole building," I mutter, realizing this is getting out of hand.
I hop down to the floor, and Rhino, still on a rampage, changes directions with his horn aimed straight at me. Thinking on my feet, I shoot webs at a nearby pillar, yanking it from its foundations. I swing the pillar around me like a makeshift battering ram, colliding it with Rhino, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground, seemingly knocked out cold.
Rushing over to Rhino's prone body, I inspect him carefully. Despite his unconscious state, his overshields are still up. I glance over the tech integrated into his armor. Determined to find a way to disable those shields, I touch the glowing surface and get shocked.
"Ow, that stings," I mutter, shaking my hand. "Power source for the oversize shield is on the buttcheeks... weird spot to put it, but I guess it makes for a nice butt warmer."
I move over to the horn, giving it a closer look. "No heater on this one, It's probably a semblance to heat the horn," I note.
Glancing at Rhino's peaceful, or rather unconscious, face, I knock on his helmet. "He's out cold."
Just as I let my guard down, my spider sense tingles. Suddenly, Rhino opens his eyes, grabs my leg, and with a forceful slam, slams me into the ground, and throws me into the air.
"Spoke to soooooon!" I eventually crash into a wall.
Struggling to get up. Rhino charges once more, his footsteps reverberating through the battered bank.
"You'll die here and now, bug!" Rhino roars, his voice echoing in the chaos.
Rhino closes in, and I know I have to act now, but the electricity from his previous hit still courses through me, making every movement a challenge. I muster every ounce of strength to get back on my feet.
Dammit, get up! My body is barely moving, the shock from Rhino's armor really fucked me up.
I see Rhino closing in, his horn ablaze, but my body can't respond. Rhino rams into me, crushing me into a wall, the point of his horn piercing through my aura and digging into my shoulder.
"Told you, bug, no one stops the horn," Rhino huffs.
He pulls his horn from my shoulder and leaves, my body then slumps onto the ground, and Rhino grabs the large bags of money on his way out.
A piece of rubble hits Rhino's head as he exits, and he shrugs it off. Turning, he sees me, my right hand gripping my bleeding shoulder and my torn-up suit.
"The bug can still fight," Rhino bellows with a laugh.
He drops the bags, and charges once more.
"This is the end, bug. Any last words?" Rhino yells as he charges.
"Yeah, I do..."
I feel my aura and healing factor kicking in, gradually healing my shoulder, it gives me enough strength for one punch. I get into a stance, preparing myself, holding a fist at my side, waiting for the perfect moment.
"I'm an arachnid you bitch!"
With impeccable timing, as Rhino is about to strike, I reel in an uppercut, putting everything I have into it. The force of the punch shatters Rhino's armor, the whole front side breaking away. Rhino is sent flying out of the building, crashing through what's left of the bank.
"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuccckkkkkkkkkkk!..." I yell, the searing pain in my right arm unbearable.
Glancing down, I see it's fried, scorch marks covering the entire arm from Rhino's dust-powered armor. Reacting quickly, I cover my right arm and shoulder in webs to stop the bleeding.
No way I can hide this from RWBY. I could say I fell, but they'd just point out my aura. Shit.
Well, I'll figure it out later. Time to see where Rhino went.
I navigate back through a shattered window and survey the outside. There, in front of the bank, lies Rhino defeated, his armor now in pieces. I go to him and swiftly web him up, making sure he doesn't get up this time.My spider sense goes off, and I instinctively dodge as rocks and small debris from the bank are hurled at me by civilians and some officers.
"Hey! What is that for? I stopped him," I yell out.
Instead of gratitude, I'm met with boos, insults, and a barrage of swears.
"Menace!"
"Loser!"
"*******!"
"Wanna be huntsman."
"Spider-Weirdo."
Okay, that last one stung a bit.
"Stop! You're under arrest for vigilantism and illegal use of a semblance," a voice commands.
Fantastic, just what I needed. I turn to see two huntsmen, weapons pointed at me. I quickly raise my hands.
"Whoa, hold up. I think this is a big misunderstanding. Can we talk about this?" I suggest.
They don't respond, only cocking their weapons.
"On the ground now!" one of them yells.
"Is this really necessary?" I ask, but before I can get an answer, one of the huntsmen fires at me. I dodge the attack, quickly webbing both of their faces. Seizing the opportunity, I make my escape by webbing myself to the rooftop and then find a nice, safe alleyway where I can rest and figure out what the heck just happened.
I sit on the edge of a rooftop, catching my breath after narrowly escaping the huntsmen's pursuit. This is the 37th time this week alone. No matter how many people I save, no matter how many crimes I stop, it seems like the more I try to help, the more people despise me. It's like I can't catch a break.
I rub my temples, frustration bubbling up. I mean, come on! I swing around Vale, risking life and limb to protect the innocent, and what do I get? Booed, insulted, and treated like a common criminal. "Menace," "Loser," "*******," you name it. The list keeps growing.
I run my fingers through my hair, feeling the weight of the mask on my shoulders. Maybe JJJ was onto something with the whole "Spider-Menace" shtick. But deep down, I know that's not who I am. I'm just a guy trying to do the right thing in a city that's too quick to judge.
And yeah, sure, the Huntsmen are just doing their jobs, but do they ever bother to listen? No. It's always "on the ground" and "you're under arrest." I'm just trying to make a difference, to be the hero this city needs. But every time I think I'm making progress, I'm reminded that to them, I'm just another problem.
Maybe I should have let Rhino wreck the bank. Maybe I should just swing away and let Vale deal with its own mess. But no, that's not me. I can't turn my back on people, even if they turn theirs on me.
I take a deep breath, realizing that being Spider-Man means dealing with the hate, the misunderstandings, and the constant scrutiny. But despite it all, I can't stop being who I am – a guy trying to help.
Maybe I should give up being Spider-Man...
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Excal_
Excal_ Hello, I'm back, schools and Holidays are over and I have more time to write this fic.
Sorry for this chapter being meh, It's rushed because I'm leaving for a trip the same day as I am making this fic, but I felt I had to make a chapter for you guys since it has been a while.
Please give feedback, and tell me what you would like to see in the story also I took some of your ideas already into consideration for this fic.
The next chapter coming soon.
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