lordofire here with a dabble
X.
'When the brothers left us, they left two to govern us. A Queen and A King. The Queen wished to spread darkness across the land. The King stopped her, and with ancient magic cast her away. Behind her banishment, He created an unbreakable wall to halt her.
In her rage and madness, she turned her darkness, her very essence, into a curse.
To be touched by it. Is to turn.
So remember children, you must run away if you ever encounter a Cursed, you must run.
Or be cursed.
X.
Seven year old Ruby had to hold her breath as she hid away in the husk of a dead stump of a tree. The sounds of tall grass breaking and rustling made her heart quicken as she curled up into a ball. She could peek out from her hiding spot through holes in the bark of the tree.
Her heart stopped as her peeking spot was suddenly covered by darkness. The little girl had to quietly cover her mouth to prevent herself from screaming in pure fright.
The large skull of a dragon, blackened by the curse, and possessing no human flesh what so ever, peered at her hiding spot. Blue eyes, six in total that ran down its snout, three on each side, glowed like fire and leered at the stump she was hiding in. Dark fangs that could both pierce and crush, glistened like polished metal in the noon sun. It was attached to a rather humanoid body, but it was changed by the Curse and was devoid of anything resembling the original body. Just darkness. The body of her hunter was in proportion with its skull but it was lean and strong. Such as the Curse afflicted onto those.
Why would he be staring at her hiding spot? She hadn't made a sound and she had gotten away to it before he had entered the clearing. Dawning horror raced to Ruby's mind and she slowly, but frantically turned around, and to her horror, she found that her treasured crimson cloak did not make it fully into her hiding spot. That meant that a large patch of it was sticking out!
Which meant...
Suddenly, the bark in front of her was ripped away by a fearsome claw. His shadowy cloak and armor blotted out the sun and blue eyes sharpened onto her form.
With nothing else to do, Ruby felt tears run down her cheeks as she broke down crying in her ruined hiding spot mere feet from a Cursed.
It continued on for several minutes before it got old.
"Ruby. Crying won't work on me. Now do help me with the food. I can not carry it by myself.", a deep, but soothing voiced called from the Cursed. Within his other arm was a large bag of fresh food and hanging off one of his long, bony tail were several more that were filled to the brim with other goods.
She sniffled and wiped her face with her hand before she responded. "But Mr. Arccccc. Its not fair! I always have to carry the groceries. They all know the best hiding spots.", she hiccuped and complained as she moved away from her stump. The Cursed's twin tails swung towards her, careful to not touch her or to let the bags slip off, where she grabbed a rather small bag off the end of it and began to lug it behind her.
The draconic skull regarded her with his familiar blue eyes that were looking at her with a look that would be accompanied by a raised eyebrow. Unfortunately, his skull was only covered in shadowy flesh that did not allow any hair to be grown.
"If I do recall, I do allow you to have first choice of all the groceries we find once we get back. Speaking of which. Everyone! Time to go!", he called out loudly into the clearing. His cloak billowed, revealing more skeletal, black flesh covered in knights armor, and the wind rustled the trees as well. Within seconds, more children came into the plain.
"Sensei.", two young children, no more then ten, bowed to him in respect. Blake and Ren had both dropped down from the tree they were hiding in, being the fastest to heed his call. The young cat faunus eyes were solely trained on his tail, which was carrying a bag of fish that they had managed to scrounge up. Ren was ever patient and strict as he stood up straight and at the ready for a command. Within minutes, another pair of children entered the clearing.
"See Weiss? I always know the best hiding spots.", a young Pyrrha boasted as they emerged from the wood work. The red head had a gleeful smile at winning the game, and she was followed by prim and proper Weiss, who was trying to pull several sticks from her carefully nourished hair. The white haired girl seemed to be on the verge of throwing a tantrum from how her hair was covered in foliage especially since jubilant Pyrrha seemed to be not affected by all the wilderness.
"Professor when get back can you help me with my hair?"
"Educator when we get back can we play more games?"
Weiss and Pyrrha asked at the same time as they came to stand behind their tall care giver. They both looked up at the accursed being with expectant gazes that allowed for no room of measure of rejection.
"Of course.", he simply answered, not really paying attention as he searched for his two most boisterous charges. The last two were always the ones he had to remain vigilant for.
"They're always lateeee.", little Ruby complained as she sat on her stump with Blake, who was looking into the bag that Ruby was tasked with carrying.
"Nora said they wanted to try and get food." Ren informed as he tried to pull some sticks out of Weiss hair, while Pyrrha kept her occupied with talk.
The loud rustling of foliage made them all turn their attention to the forest behind them. The children hurriedly rushed back as fear took over them. The tall Cursed one slowly moved in front of the children, his cloak and large frame shielding them from whatever may emerge from the forest. His right hand was flexed, revealing sharpened bone-like claws, as his left hand handled a sheathed long sword that he had kept hidden under his cloak.
The children remained silent, behind him. Pyrrha holding a shaking Ruby.
It was a few tense seconds of quiet, before something emerged from the foliage.
A small corgi named Zwei.
'Bark' Everyone relaxed as the small dog bounded towards the children who all welcomed him with open arms, save for Blake who decided to stay by her Sensei's side. The Cursed merely looked back to where the small puppy had come from.
"Hey Teach!" Yang shouted loudly as she came out with a wide toothy smile. "Guess who just won the race from the river?" she proclaimed with hands on her hips, breathless. She was nearly bowled over by Nora charging through the brush.
"I did! Nora is still queen!" The final child proclaimed as she barreled past Yang to reach him. She stopped just mere inches from his tall form, only to look at him with a wide smile. "See Lærer? I got to you first!"
The eight foot tall Cursed merely looked down at the small ginger, before nodding in agreement, much to the dismay of Yang. Without a word to say, both of his tails swung in Yang's direction, presenting two bags of goods that she was now tasked with carrying.
"You're own rules Yang. Now come. I want to get home before the sun sets.", their mysterious benefactor said as he began leading them out of the plains. His children followed him dutifully, very much like a mother duck and her ducklings. They followed his every step and were content with his guidance. Zwei himself trailed just behind the Cursed, uncaring of the curse or its affects on him.
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"Pyrrha do we have to play Monopolize when we get home? You always win.", Ruby asked her fellow red headed child as the nine wanderers passed under a desecrated bridge. The ruins of mobile vehicles and several poor evacuees still remained on sight and the wretched smell of ruin still hung heavy in the air. Yet the children remained oblivious and jubilant.
"Ruby you only loss because you buy the worst places.", Weiss chimed in as she tried to avoid stepping in the various pot holes filled with rubble and water. Zwei followed her path, unwilling to get himself stuck in the holes with his stubby legs.
Nora and Yang on the other hand took great liberty in jumping in each puddle they could find, trying to make the biggest splash. They left the ones with bodies well alone as Teacher had sternly taught them.
"Its all in the dice roll Ruby. You have to count the numbers. But Educator is way better then me.", Pyrrha responded as she looked forward to the line leader. The skull turned to her slightly, before responding.
"You use the same moves and try to get to the same spots over and over again. And Weiss, just because something is more expensive does not make it better.", he turned slightly more to catch a glimpse of Ruby. "You're a bit young to have a game style. Maybe you'll have one that'll beat me."
To his credit, smiling with a skull is much harder than you would think, so the best he could manage was a cruel smirk. Thankfully, over the years with them, the children were able to recognize his smile.
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A residential building laid to their left and a supermarket's carcass laid to there right. Both familiar landmarks as they had come to them for supplies a while ago.
"Lærer what are we going to have to eat for dinner?" Nora asked as she and Blake peered into a rather nice car that had been left to ruins. It remained in shape and didn't seem to be damaged. Merely abandoned with a skeleton in it.
"Fish sticks?" Blake asked hopefully as they rushed back to get in line. Ren and Pyrrha were dashing and playing on the roofs of the crowded street while Yang chased Zwei through the derelict vehicles. All the while, Ruby stuck to her care taker's side, careful not to touch him.
"We shall see. I was lucky to find some fresh produce still in the freezer and I'll make sure to check the garden when we get back.", the Accursed replied as they continued to walk through the forgotten street.
"Sensei can I help in the kitchen?!" Ren asked eagerly as he sat on a large van, panting from his lost race to Pyrrha. The dragon skull merely nodded in approval.
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"Echo!" Ruby shouted loudly as she sat on an abandoned bench as the rest of her party looked through the abandoned mall to pick up things the children wanted. It reverberated back to her in a satisfying pattern as she sat on her bench in the still operational mall. Her only problem with it that it was dreadfully dusty. But other wise, all the electronics and lighting still worked.
She happily fiddled with a set of stuffed animals that she had managed to fit in the grocery bag that Mr. Arc had tasked her with carrying. Zwei was underneath her feet, happily chewing away at one of the thousands of unsold sock pairs within the mall.
"Hey Ruby! Look what I found!" Her bombastic half-sister Yang shouted as she came running back to her from the unlooted Scroller Roolers. They weren't full blood sisters has Mr. Arc had explained but half sisters. That meant they had different moms but the same Dad. Which made sense to Ruby since Mr. Arc was kinda their dad. That meant everyone else was a half sibling too, which meant Ruby had the biggest family in the world.
"Its a new Scroll game! A whole bunch of them and they're all brand new!" she said excitedly, presenting her collection of scroll games that would most definitely entertain them from weeks on end. Not wanting to be outdone, Ruby herself answered the challenge.
"Look what I found!" Ruby said back as she presented to Yang her most prized find.
It was a stuffed, pink pig. She had found him at the bottom of the toys bin and in mint condition.
"I named him Pierogi! His nose squeaks!" The seven year old showed off as she did in fact squeeze his nose and a cute squeak followed suit. The little girl looked up expectantly at her blonde sister, who had a rather reserved expression.
"Uhhh I'm not going to lie Ruby. Teach told me not to. That sounds really dumb and lame.", she stated bluntly as she slung her bag of games behind her back. The insult cut like a cold dagger and Ruby physically deflated. Why was her stuff never good enough! Pierogi would make a great snuggle buddy.
Anger and hurt mixed within her like a storm, and within moments tears were coming from her eyes. Her crying echoed throughout the mall and Yang felt fear as she realized that a certain somebody would most certainly hear it. Zwei was already whimpering next to Ruby, trying his best to soothe the crying child. Not even two seconds after she had thought that, loud foot steps sounded out and his very presence seemed to darken the entire area.
"What's the matter Ruby?" Teach's gravelly voice asked, showing nothing but kindness and care. It was almost like a coo.
Through her hurt crying, and sobs Ruby managed to say, "Y-ya-yang said P-Pierogi was lameeee." The dragon skull looked down to the stuffed pig that she was holding in her arms.
Tentatively, he held out a hand to receive it, where sniffling Ruby gently put her favorite stuffed animal. He held up the stuffed animal, which made a funny scene. A terrifying, nightmarish Cursed and an inanimate pink pig staring eye to eye.
"I find that he is not lame. I think he is very cute.", Their caretaker reassured.
"His nose squeaks.", Ruby said as she wiped her eyes, her mood improving with his kind words and his presence. A squeak from the toy caused by his claws proved Ruby's statements. Seeing the joy in Ruby's eyes and that her mood had improved, he turned his attention to the older of the two sisters.
"I think he's adorable. Don't you think so Yang?" he asked as he looked down at the blonde girl who sheepishly looked away.
"You told me not to lie.", she said her foot rubbing the floor.
"I did. But I also said you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all.", Her Teacher said coaxing her to apologize to Ruby.
"Sorry Ruby. Pierogi isn't lame.", the blonde sister apologized, obviously very regretful. Not wanting to shame his other charge as well, the Accursed turned his six-eyed gaze to Yang's bag. His claw reached in and retrieved a Scroll cartridge that was used to upload a video game directly to a scroll.
"Big Ring 5: Sentinel. We can play this later after dinner.", he promised. Yang looked at him excitedly and a gleeful smile.
"Really?"
"Yes.", he nodded as he rounded them up on the benches. He would need to find the rest of his children, while the mall was still secure, he didn't want to leave them alone for too long. Especially Nora.
"Zwei. Come help me find the rest. You two, stay here.", he said as the small dog leapt into action and began leading him to the other children. Yang and Ruby were preoccupied by looking at the rest of Yang's bounty.
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"I'm sorry Educator.", Pyrrha once again apologized as they walked next to the river that would lead them home. The rest of the children followed his lead as they passed more and more derelict and abandoned vehicles. They had probably thought to take the river road to get away, only to be stuck and be forced to go on foot.
"You were lucky Pyrrha that you only hit me with that knife.", he berated the child. Be it his luck that he would find Ren and Pyrrha play fighting with kitchen knives when he found them. Ren, with a particularly strong swing, had managed to knock Pyrrha away, who ended up stabbing him in the shin.
The fact that it hurt him didn't bother him. He couldn't feel it anyways.
"I expected better of you. Fighting with knives? I'd expect that from Yang and Nora. Not from you two." the Accursed one reprimanded them. They had the sense to look away in guilt, while he ignored the voices of indignation from the rambunctious duo.
"We're just trying to be like you.", Pyrrha glumly said. "You get to use a sword. What about us?"
"I use it as a weapon of defense. To protect you.", he said in such a kind, fatherly way that Pyrrha instantly quieted down.
"Mr. Arc? Can we play in the river?" Ruby asked as she looked at the river that was bathed in the light of a setting sun. He turned three of his eyes to observe what the rest of his 'ducklings' thought. They stared at the rushing water with hidden glee and seeing that there was still plenty of sunlight left, he would allow it.
"Go ahead. But keep to the shallows.", he responded. The children hurriedly dropped their bags and ran down to the banks of the river, carefully removing their shoes and socks before they began wading into the water. All the while he positioned himself with all the bags of goods on the bank so that his six eyes could keep track of all them.
Zwei positioned himself by his side, and he began to scratch the small puppy corgi. His affliction did not affect animals and it did not carry on through the dog's touch.
Nora let out a bellow as she tackled a pensive Blake into the water, who let out a very cat-like yowl as she sank into the shallows. Ren found himself being lifted into the air by the combined might of both Ruby and Pyrrha and thrown into the water. Weiss and Yang were playing a very elaborate game of cat and mouse, as Yang avoided Weiss splashing water on her hair. Such rough play would require more laundry to be done and for them to take baths but at least they were having fun.
His left forward eye, the one closest to the left side of his snout, picked up movement to his left. On the opposite bankside, within the forest, he could see foliage move and shake as something large moved through it. All six of eyes focused on the moving anomaly, and with a more focused view he could clearly make out the horrid shape of a large wolf's head with the great horns of a stag. It was a good enough distance away, but Jaune suddenly felt very weary of their vulnerable position. Zwei himself was shifting uneasily, as if he sensed something as well.
"Everyone! Time to go home!" He called out, remaining vigilant of the opposite side of the bank. He ignored their groans of disproval as they stomped their way out the water. Their safety was paramount.
This time, as they trudged towards their home, Zwei lead the way while he took the position of rear guard. His three eyes narrowed as they found that the horned wolf head was looking in their direction.
Another Cursed one had found them.
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Their home was outlined in the setting sun, and the children rushed through the heavy gates and the tall walls that protected the manor, Zwei hot on their heel. The Accursed merely ignored their behavior and proceeded to look up the gate. Right next to the heavy doors was a key pad, and with the correct combination of numbers, a translucent light blue field began to cover the entirety of the property. A heavy duty energy shield.
He nodded his head in approval, before his six eyes caught sigh of the sign that hung above the key pad. Made out of wood and with golden letters, he trailed his claws against their smooth surface. It brought him an unfamiliar feeling that left a nasty pit in his stomach and a pounding headache.
Swiftly he turned away and entered their home, ignoring the welcoming sign to the Arc Manor.
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"Did you wash behind the ears?" Lærer asked her as Nora dutifully wiped her hair off with a towel. She did in fact wash behind the ears and had gotten a fresh pair of pajamas on. Lærer had taught her about monster that would eat her if she was dirty and she would not let that happen.
Her caretaker looked her once over and nodded in approval. Excitedly, she rushed down stairs to the dining room, where the rest of her family was. Of course they weren't actual family, they didn't look like one another, but they did stuff that families did so that made them a family.
The dinner table was covered in plates and platters of delicious food while everybody was seated around the large table. She quickly took her spot between Blake and Ruby and she quickly prepared herself for dinner as she put her napkin in her lap, as the figurehead of their group taught them.
"Nora is Professor coming?" Weiss asked anxiously as the steaming food in front of them tempted them mercilessly.
"Yeah I want to eat.", Blake said eagerly, her ears twitching with excitement, as she eyed the plate filled with fish stick. She had special ordered it from Lærer, who has head chef, delegated it to his two sous chefs for the night, Yang and Ren. He had assigned Weiss, Blake, and Pyrrha to setting the table, and for her and Ruby to put away all their supplies and groceries into the vast underground storage areas. Initially she had found them scary, but with a few dozen lights and open space, they had turned it into her favorite area of the house.
"I already told you all that you could eat ahead of me.", their teacher and authority figure informed them as he made his way to his seat.
"But Mr. Arc were family! We have to wait for you.", Ruby protested as Lærer sat himself at the head of the table. He gained a pensive look, which she found herself wondering how he could pull it off.
"Yes. I suppose you're right. We are family. You may begin to eat then."
And with those words, Nora and the rest of her family fell upon the hot food with relish and fervor. Ren had piled his plate high with fruits and a selection of different food items. Ruby was hungrily munching away on a grilled cheese, Pyrrha and Weiss were both taking slices from a whole grilled chicken, and Blake was of course was hoarding fish sticks. That left her and Yang clashing over pizza slices, which of course, as queen, she was winning.
All the while, Lærer sat on the sidelines, not eating but content with watching them enjoy themselves.
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He could hear Yang and Nora's loud snoring come through the walls as they slumbered away in their separate rooms. The children had all tired themselves out from their game night and had gone to bed on their own accord. They were lucky indeed that everyone else was heavy sleeps or they may have problems.
His claws trailed over several articles and pieces of evidence that he had compiled over the years. They're were reports, scrolls, data collections, and identity cards that he had scavenged over the years. The Accursed fingered a certain autopsy however, with what felt like lightning as he read it over and over again.
Jaune Arc. Age 8. Murdered.
His six eyes, glowing like blue suns, narrowed as they focused on the picture of a smiling, blonde hair boy. The mere image burned in his mind and a cold hard truth pierced his heart.
'You know who that is, Jaune. The greatest sin.'
The words were familiar but there was a falseness to it. Something was wrong with the entire situation. His lost memories and his position with these kids added to a great conspiracy. He tossed it away before he lost himself to the idea any longer.
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He found himself outside, his cloak wrapped around him as a shadow darker then night. His sword hung beside him, a relic of the manor he had come to live in. His one mission of the night had come and that was to slay the other Cursed one.
The dark of the night meant little to him, as he forged forwards to the river. All the while, he lost himself to the voices of the night.
'Jaune'
'Jaune'
'Jaune'
It was the same word or name. Yellow in the old language of Mistral or the name of the boy who had been murdered. The name of the boy that his mind told was his own identity.
'Jaune'
'Jaune'
'Jaune'
It continued on which was both maddening and yet reassuring. Like he was confirming his own insanity. The voices disappeared suddenly which alerted him to another presence in his vicinity.
The other Accursed was nearly seven feet tall, including his antlers. The harsh and boorish skull of a wolf stared at him with eyes of yellow. Those fangs were stained with black essence, indicating it had devoured a soul recently. It was vaguely humanoid, with the basic structure of human body, but with its body covered in a forest of black fur and with limbs that were just as long as his body.
"You hide them. Where are they." It commanded in a grating voice. Its hunger and the curse had driven it made. What ever humanity left had been eroded away.
"They are mine. You will not touch them."
"Share. I only take smallest. Give them."
"Never."
"Sin Father would not condone this. You are greedy." It hissed, as the black furs raised in a threatening matter. Its bony claws were flexed in an aggressive manner. The dragon skull merely drew his long sword from its scabbard in a practiced motion.
"You fight with the weapon of cattle. You are a strange one. I will bring you to Well for answers."
The wolf bounded towards hims with full intent to harm him while he prepared himself for the long, arduous responsibility of putting down a cursed.
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The skull of the horned wolf found itself crushed in between the dragon's teeth. The rest of its body twitched as a blade found itself imbedded harshly within it. It did not bleed though. It only oozed black grease.
He retracted his fangs from the crushed head of his foe and threw it aside. It was already dissolving away, foaming up as it and its body dissolved away. All that remained was the broken and unhealthy form of a human skeleton, the curse having malformed it to a hideous degree. It had already eaten all of the human flesh, replacing it with its own diseased form. The own tears in his flesh and the claw marks on his own skull were slowly being mended by his unnatural affliction.
He tossed away the remains into a pile. At this point, he no longer had the pity to bury all of his slain foes. The Accursed just wanted to go home. His children would kill him if he missed breakfast.
End First Chapter
Lordofire here with another dabble. This one is a bit of an experiment and Im paying homage to a certain novel with this one.
If people like this, Ill continue this which is the same thing did with my other story. If it doesn't make sense in some ways, I'll tell you its intentional as it is a bigger mystery.
Please review your thoughts.
