Hello everyone, and welcome back. Glad to see how well received the first chapter was, so I hope that I continue to impress. First, review response time. Hornofdesolation: glad you liked it. The True Skull: glad you think everyone is in character. And OutlastTheDark: probably see a bunch of people on Remnant shouting 'Did someone say Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker?'. Now, on with the show!
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Chapter 2- Kirthaven
Dawn was just rising over the continent of Animus. The pale Autumn sun brining colour to the verdant plains of the continent. Nearby a rabbit peeped its small head out of its burrow, its nose twitching as its ears swirled side to side. Cautiously, the critter left the relative safety of its burrow, nervously sniffing at the grass as it began to nibble. A branch suddenly snapped under foot, and the rabbit quickly darted back into the safety of its burrow, forever wary of predators. Though it was not a predator that frightened the rabbit back into darkness, but four young Huntsman and Huntresses.
The youngest, who also appeared to be the leader of the group, wore a tattered red cape over their black and red combat dress, which she wore over a tan shirt. Strapped to her back was a compact red box, that with the press of a trigger could transform into a Scythe Sniper Rifle hybrid. On her right was another Huntress, with orange hair that was cut to their shoulders, wearing a black jacket over a white skirt, a large white Hammer on her back.
Flanking the pair either side were the Huntsmen. On the leaders left was a young man with blonde messy hair, wearing white armour with gold border, a compact shield at his side housing a standard Sword, a map in his hands, the apparent guide of the group. And finally on the far right was another Huntsman, his long raven black hair flowing down to the middle of his back, wearing a green sleeveless long-coat with a pair of strange dagger like pistols holstered either side.
This was Team RNJR, composed of Ruby Rose, Nora Valkyrie, Jaune Arc and Lie Ren. Their destination was Mistral, and they had been travelling for many months now, earning little coin where they could chasing odd jobs, or hunting Grimm. Recently they had just slain a Geist that had been tormenting the village of Thundermar, and had been paid a small but nonetheless satisfactory amount of Lien. They had spent most of the Lien earned on upgrading Jaune's armour and weapon, but they still had enough Lien to spare to buy some supplies. Unfortunately their supplies would only last so long, which was why they were headed to their next destination: Kirthaven.
"So Ren, you said you and Nora spent some time at this village once?" Ruby said, turning her head to face Ren, who nodded in response. "Can you tell us anything about it?"
"Not much I'm afraid, we only spent a few weeks when we were younger." Ren responded. "But last we were there, it was pretty busy. Lots of stores and good defence, so we shouldn't need to worry about it getting destroyed overnight by Grimm or Bandits."
"Say, Ren?" Jaune asked, who's gaze was fixated on the map he held. "This place appears to be in a Grimm hotspot, you sure that it won't get attacked?"
"I never said it wouldn't get attacked." Ren clarified, turning now to face Jaune. "I just said it would never get destroyed overnight. We're talking a full scale siege in order to bring Kirthaven down."
"Besides Jaune, the Grimm have become lazy all of a sudden." Nora reassured, though she herself sounded disappointed by the observation. "They've just become boring lately."
Ruby hummed in agreement. It was true, recently the Grimm had become lax as of late. Whilst they still fought to the very end, full scale events such as the Scourging of Vale had become less and less common. It was as if the hand that had once directed them had gone still, or had been removed entirely. Still, they were nonetheless deadly in combat, perhaps more so without their directive restraining them.
"Well we still need to keep our eyes and ears open nonetheless." Jaune argued, looking up from his map for but a brief second to ensure they were still on the road. "There are still bandits to look out for, and in these parts they don't take prisoners."
Everyone nodded at that. Whilst the Grimm may have been pacified slightly, bandits still roamed the lands, always hunting down and attacking villages, stealing away food or defenceless citizens to use either as slaves, hostages or to 'satisfy' their captors needs. Still, if the village was as well defended as Ren claimed it was, then such a raid was highly unlikely. Soon most of RNJR's attention turned away from the road and to their surroundings. Despite Autumn settling across the world, much of Animus was still in the throes of summer, its jungle forests displaying a host of exotic colours.
"Ren?" Jaune suddenly asked, his voice seemingly shaking. "How did Kirthaven deal with criminals?"
"Uhh...the same as any other village..." Ren replied, all turning to face Jaune who had stopped in his tracks and was staring straight ahead, a look of trepidation in his eyes. "Why do you ask?"
Instead of answering, Jaune simply pointed ahead, the others following his finger. Ahead of them was a blackened tree, its grooves still glowing with embers. Hanging from a rope that was tied to one of the sturdier branches was a charred and blackened corpse, its skinless face warped into a horrified wail. All of them were now frozen in place, looks of both shock and horror etched onto their faces.
"M-...maybe it's a bandit or something?..." Nora trailed off, her hand instinctively moving to grab her Hammer Magnhild.
"Don't you think that's a little overkill?!" Jaune hissed, rolling up the map and placing it back into his rucksack.
"Guys." Ruby shouted, pointing further ahead down the road. "There's smoke ahead!"
All turned to face one another, nodding once as they each drew their respective weapons. Without another word the four adventurers dashed forward, heading to the top of the hill that blocked their sight. As they reached the top, they froze immediately. Ahead was the village of Kirthaven, or more accurately what was left of it.
The entire village had been burnt to the ground, the walls that had once protected it having crumbled, as if their foundations had been shattered. Within the village were multiple jagged rocks, jutting out of the ground or impaling buildings. Even from this distance, they could see some were coated in blood.
"What happened?" Ruby murmured, lowering Crescent Rose as she surveyed the damage.
"We need to look for survivors!" Jaune ordered, pointing Crocea Mors at the remains of Kirthaven.
The others nodded in return before all four darted down the hill, quickly reaching the shattered gates in minutes. Up close the devastation was much more severe then they had first believed. The streets were charred black, with darker patches where it seemed lightning had struck. Rocks were jutting out everywhere, some having embedded themselves in the structures too sturdy to be knocked down. Yet there was one thing that all of them noted as being strange. The lack of bodies.
"Did bandits do this?" Jaune asked, turning this way and that at the slightest sound.
"No, bandits leave some buildings untouched, so that the village can be rebuilt and plundered again." Ren argued, kneeling down to examine some of the soot. "This was something else."
"But Grimm don't burn buildings and uproot the earth." Nora retorted, jumping up to scan some of the topmost levels of the buildings.
"Do you think this was the Sundering?" Ruby asked, her voice cracking slightly.
When Deathwing had returned during the Battle of Beacon, much of the world had been damage. Cliffs crumbled, volcanoes erupted, even half of Patch had sunk beneath the waves. The land had forever been changed by his re-emergence into the world, and only the wise knew why.
"No," Ren quickly said, rubbing a finger on the charred pavement. "remember when we first saw Kirthaven? How everything except the surroundings was affected? This was a targeted incident. Besides, this soot is still warm. Whoever did this did it recently."
"Could they still be around?" Jaune asked, his knuckles whitening as he gripped Crocea Mors tighter.
"You really asking that Jaune?" Nora asked, giving the blonde knight a quizzical look. "Who'd be insane enough to stay about in the remains of the village they just-"
A blood curdling scream cut Nora's argument short, and also caused all four to turn and ready themselves for battle.
"Where'd that come from?" Nora asked, the usual jovial tone in her voice now replaced by a new sense: fear.
"It came from over there!" Jaune shouted, pointing at the far side of the village ruins. "Come on, there might be other survivors!"
The rest of RNJR didn't need telling twice, all four rushing down the many avenues of the village. Eventually the roads converged onto a single road, headed straight for the village centre. They took cover behind the many crumbled walls, peeping their heads out to observe. What they saw made them sick.
Multiple men and women wearing black and purple armour, and carrying Swords and other weapons were assembled around a collapsed fountain, the former centre piece of Kirthaven. Upon a hastily erected altar was a man who was hooded and cowled, either side of him strange creatures that they had never seen before. One appeared to be made of stone, red crystals jutting out of its body, whilst the other appeared to be made of congealed flame, wild bursts flicking out here and there. Adorning both creatures were black metal rib-cages, as well as a pair of spiked manacles on their wrists and a spiked collar around their neck.
Clustered to the side were piles of bodies, all of them brutally mutilated in horrific ways. Their eyes turned to a hastily made circle of men and women, all of them clutching staffs and facing what appeared to be large quantities of pooled up blood. Their eyes soon turned to face two men who were dragging the squirming body of a man to the centre of the circle, his bloodied legs kicking in protest. As the men approached, they unceremoniously tossed the man to the floor before withdrawing, the man shivering from both the cold and from fear.
"Please! You don't have to do this!" the man begged, falling to his hands and knees.
"You should feel honoured." the man on the altar stated, his voice cold and condescending. "You are one of the very few knaves who will die in service to the great one."
"Please!" the man bawled, tears streaming down his face. "This is madness! You don't have to-"
He was suddenly silenced as a dozen spikes suddenly pierced his body, one piercing his mouth and leaving the back of the neck. Ruby nearly charged there and then, held back only by Jaune who shook his head solemnly. With a flick of the man's hand, the rock creature pulled its arm back, the spikes withdrawing immediately. The corpse lolled forward soon after as those bearing the staffs now began to chant in a language that was harsh and ugly to listen to.
They then began to bash the ends of their staffs on the floor, the ground flaring purple with each strike. The man's body was then swallowed up by the ground as a storm suddenly began to brew over the village. Then, without warning, lightning struck the centre of the circle, causing all to flinch and back away. When the lightning cleared, before them was another creature, this one made of multiple tempests forced together. With a roar like thunder, it surged its arms forward, blasting some of those gathered with lightning, charring their bodies beyond recognition.
"Quickly! Bind the Elemental before it kills us all!" the head cultist ordered, those in the circle quickly nodding as they held their hands out, blacks beams of energy bursting from their hands.
The Elemental buckled immediately, howling in pain as the black beams moulded themselves around the Elemental, quickly solidifying into the same metal that bound the other two Elementals.
"Well done." the head cultist complimented, the bound Air Elemental slowly rising. "With that finished, we are now back up to full strength...minus one or two of course."
"Sir." another cultist who had not been present during the summoning said, paying no heed to the piles of bodies that surrounded him. "Do you require more blood sacrifices?"
"No, we have all that we need. At least for now." the head cultist responded, giving a dismissive wave.
"What about the other prisoners?" the cultist then asked.
The head cultist turned away for but a brief moment, before sliding a finger across his neck. The other cultist saluted once, before hastily turning away.
"We have to do something." Ruby hissed quietly, watching the other cultist leave the centre of the village as the remaining cultists prepared to depart.
"Agreed." Jaune concurred, turning to face Ruby. "What's the plan?"
"You and Ren find and rescue the other prisoners." Ruby replied, pointing towards the road that the cultist had gone down. "Me and Nora will deal with these guys."
Ren and Jaune nodded, quickly departing in order to fulfil their task. Ruby then turned to face Nora, who was gripping Magnhild tightly in her hands. Ruby pointed towards one of the more stable buildings, Nora nodding once before rushing off, leaving Ruby alone. Taking a deep breath, she burst out of her cover, holding Crescent Rose in its Sniper mode before firing.
She fired four bursts from her Rifle, two hitting cultists in their shoulders and downing them immediately whilst the other two struck the bound Earth Elemental, who roared in annoyance at the strikes. The head cultist immediately turned to identify the new threat, only to do a double take and laugh in amusement.
"What is this?" the head cultist chuckled, the other cultists drawing their weapons before surrounding Ruby, who had changed her weapon back into its Scythe form. "Are the Kingdoms sending little girls to stop us now?"
"Why are you doing this?" Ruby demanded, turning this way and that whenever a cultist dared to step forward.
"How naive you must be, if you seek to stop the Twilight's Hammer with naught but words." the head cultist retorted, shaking his head in disdain. "You were a fool to come here alone."
"Who said I was alone?" Ruby asked with a smile, turning to face the head cultist.
Before he could respond, several pink orbs descended from the heavens, blasting apart several groups of cultists. Momentarily distracted, Ruby spun Crescent Rose in a whirlwind, breaking through the line of cultists without so much as breaking a sweat. The head cultist looked back and forth in disbelief before another pink orb was fired, heading directly for him. Though before it could get far, the bound Air Elemental summoned a gust of wind, redirecting the orb back to the building, easily blasting away a chunk of the wall and causing it to collapse.
Nora was quick to act, jumping up into the air and shifting Magnhild back into its Hammer form and swung down, crashing into the floor and sending a shock-wave through the cultists, sending many more flying. Both Huntresses then stood back to back, facing the lead cultists and his bound Elementals.
"What are you fools waiting for?!" the lead cultist hissed. "Kill them!"
The Air and Fire Elemental let out primal roars as they barrelled forward, though the Earth Elemental was held back for whatever reason. The Fire Elemental surged forward with its claw like hands, a whirlwind of fire bursting out towards the two Huntresses. Both Ruby and Nora leapt out of the way just in time, Ruby turning to face the Fire Elemental whilst Nora turned to face the Air Elemental.
The Air Elemental hissed as lightning crackled around it, Nora smiling slightly as coils of lightning sprouted from its hands, turning into a pair of whips. The Air Elemental flicked the whips forward, the bands of electricity coiling around her and surging lightning into her body. At first Nora buckled at such raw power, her eyes going wide as she immediately felt the power coursing through her. The Air Elemental realised quickly however, that the lightning was not having the desired effect, and therefore thrust more energy into Nora.
Ruby dashed back and forth, dodging the spouts of flame as best she could. She fired multiple shots from Crescent Rose, though the rounds seemed to have little effect on the Elementals body. With what sounded like a cackle, the Elemental planted a hand onto the ground and fired a jet of flame, quickly expanding outwards towards Ruby. She barely had time to protect herself, let alone dodge the fire. Immediately she was flung backwards, her cloak steaming with heat. As she rose up, the Fire Elemental approached, its claw like hands clenching into a fist as it prepared to deliver a punch.
Maniacal laughter suddenly split the air, as the Elemental turned too late in its direction, the body of the Air Elemental suddenly crashing into it, sending both towards a crumbling building which collapsed on them soon after. Ruby turned in the direction that the Elemental had been flung from, quickly spotting Nora standing like a raging Bull, strands of her hair stuck up on end with static electricity shimmering around her.
"Enough!" the head cultist shouted, the two Elementals quickly bursting free of the rubble. "I grow tired of this distraction! You may have achieved a victory, but only a hollow one! The Hour of Twilight is nigh, and there is nothing you can do to stop it!"
As the cultist finished, the Earth Elemental held up a claw like hand and quickly snapped it shut. Immediately, jagged rocks erupted around the cultist and Elementals before crumbling away, leaving nothing behind. Almost immediately Jaune and Ren appeared around the corner, their weapons and clothing splattered with blood.
"Guys, we heard the commotion. What happened?" Jaune asked, sheathing Crocea Mors quickly as he approached.
"These people...they were Twilight's Hammer." Ruby clarified, gesturing to the bodies of the cultists around them, all of them killed by their Elemental slaves. "The prisoners? Did you..."
Ren solemnly shook his head, holstering his weapons as he spoke. "The cultists got there before us. They're all dead."
Ruby felt her heart falter slightly at the news, lowering her head silently as she shook her own head.
"I'm sorry Ruby, we did everything we could." Jaune comforted, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder and reassuringly squeezing it.
Ruby nodded once, before turning to face the sun, which was now fully up in the sky, though most of its rays were now concealed by storm clouds.
"Come on," Ruby finally said, hefting Crescent Rose up before trudging forward. "Mistrals still a long way away, and we need to keep moving."
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Done and done. Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either leave in your review or PM me. Next update on March 18th.
Raging Archon out.